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Show .WESSITV Ol" I'O.Vm'l'Olft REVELATION, Or, Is the Ilible Sufficient for Ibc (inldance for Men to Salvation? uvj.ji. s. The question contained In the above I u a head! ng hast e:n variously answered by theologians. The Romanltcs claim that it is not Tli-y give to genuine tradition the same authority as lo the written word and submit both to the interpretation of their Infallablo Pope. Mo-t of tbe Protestants deny the authority of the tradition and tho infallibility of any onorcprescntaUvo of the church. TheyclaimUi.it the written word, as contained in the Dihle, is the only necessary and authoritative guide In matters of religion. Rsp-Ust Rsp-Ust Divine, Dr. Angus: "As the Holy Scriptures claim to Ic regarded re-garded as tbe book of God, n DiTine author! ty,so they claim to be the only authority. It Is not a rule, It is Uie rule both of practice aud faith. To ascertain Its meaning, we employ reason and Uie opinions of good men, and the experience of n devout de-vout heart; but no one of these help, nor ail combiucd, can bo regarded re-garded as of co-ordinate authority.-' (Rible Handbook p. 69). Tho Danish Lutheran Bishop Grundlvig was aware oi the weakness of this Protestantlc position, taken aud vigorously defended by the reformers. reform-ers. For the guidance of the "Church" ho claimed in the first place a-"livipg word," a conUnuous tradition, expounding tbe "written word," which, he tnsisted.is nolhlrg but a dead letter until quickened by the Holy Spirit, present in the "Church;" and in his view, curious ly enough, not the Iwok of the liiblo but the Apostolical Symboluni' was the written word, par exoelloioe, composed by our Savior himself and transmitted from tbe AppsUes to posterity in ill ages. The worthy Rlsbop gave to the apostolical symbolism the place that Is otherwise generally accorded to Uie books of Uie Bible, and agreed with Uie Romanists in holding Uie necessity of a living Interpreter, directed by the Spirit, while, with Uie Prote.tant, he denied tbe claims of the Pope, or of any pope, as to the monopoly of this otllce. Tho Latter-day Salnte bold that Uio books of tho Rible were each sufll-dent sufll-dent for Uie people to whom tbry weie addressed and for tho purpose fjr which they were written. As recoida of God's dealings with mankind man-kind In ages pat, and as prophecies of things yet future, they contain instructions for all ages and all nations; but as circumstances change, as new emergencies ariCj and tlie plans of God deelop, con-Unued con-Unued revelations are just as necessary neces-sary for the guidance of the Church as revelation ever was. "A religion that excludes new revelation Irani Its iirinciples, is just the -very religion re-ligion that suits the devil for be knows well that God has nothing to do, nor ever had, with any religion Uiat did not acknowledge acknowl-edge Prophets and Revelators, through whom He could speak and reveal His will to His sons and daughters." (Orson PaU. 37.ietr, vol. II, Xo. 5, May.ISS ' ) Thusthe various views on the question umbo um-bo briefly stated. Tho Word of God, tho Rible, itself amply Justifies, I think, Uie position of the latter-day Saints on this important question. Tho purposes for which the various tiooks were written; the difficultiis that present themschrs when the exact meaning of many passages pas-sages Is invesUgatcd; Uie usual dealings of God with his people, as explained In tho Riblo, and manv predictions of new revelation", all these facte give cvidcuto of the Church of Christ in. this last dispensation. dispen-sation. What man needs, is not only a Rible and a genuine tradition, exjoiiDded t.y an Interpreter In possession of the Holy Spirit, tut ho needs first of all and above all a direct communication wlUi God, his heavenly Father. Ho may study the written word humbly and carefully, and thereby he will certainly, through tho aid of the Holy Spirit, acquire much useful knowledge concerning religion and eternal truths; he will, if following the precepts laid down, be led onward on-ward and forward and attain eternal happiness. Rut the knowledge knowl-edge necessary for the work to be done In connection wiUi the establishment estab-lishment of the dispensation of tbe fulnes or times or for theobtalnlng of tho glory emanating from tbe ordinances of Uiis dispensation, he w ill never acquire by his own study of nny amount ofracred literature. This sta'cment may now be illustrated illus-trated In some of its details. SXXM'E OK THE 1KX1KK OP THE lUHLE. If there Were a single book of the Rible by God designated to be a completecoduof law, all-sufficient for all times and all conditions, such a ficj mlghtreasonably be expected to b? either expressly stated or Implied somewhere within the covers of the sacred volume. Rut no such statement is to be found, nor can it be shown to be Implied when the scope of each bjok Is clearly clear-ly understood. Tho Pentateuch, for lnlance, contains. rlnclp!es on which the Jewish theocracy was founded, a dispensation that wa, according to prophetic declarations, only to last tor a certain tlmi. In Hm r,n.t eleven charters or Genesis Wo find a few outlines or the Patriarchal dispensation, nnd some or the ordinances ordi-nances or that dispensaUon arc referred re-ferred to without any detailed account. ac-count. The last chapters of Genesis contain merely a brief historical sketch of the transition from the Patriarchal dIseusation to the Mosaic Mo-saic dispensation. The remaining books of Moses (as indeed all of the Old Testament) are nothing more Uian nn incomplete history of Uie dealings or God witli that one nation na-tion w hich He had chosen for the purpose of communicating His will to mauaind, unUl the cplarance of the promised "seed." Rut the dis pensation Itself was a transient one-. Tho principles on which it was founded roust necessarily also be subject to such modifications as a new dispensation would require. Paul, tho grcatct Jewish scholar of his age, is -.cry emphaUc on this point. "It (the Mosaic law) was added bcca'jw of tr.tevrrevloii, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made." "Refore faiUi camo we were kept under Uie law, shut up unto the faith wlnVh should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law- tea our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that w emlgiit bcjusllfied by faith. Rut after Unit faith is come w e are no longer u uder a schoolmaster. (Galatinns 8.) "(Ood) also h-es made us able ministers min-isters of tbo few Testament; not of the letter, but or the spirit: for the letter killeth. but thu spirit glveth life. Rut if tb'j liilnislKUuit bf death (tho Mosaic law), written and engraven lii stone, was glorious, so that the children (if Israel Is-rael could not steadfastly Uhold tlie facu of Moes for the glory or his countenance, which clorv was to be dono away, how shall r.ot the ministration of tbe Spirit be rather glorious? For if Uiat trWcA if done away (the law) wasglorlous, much more that which rctnalncth. ' II. Cor. i 1 The laws of the Mosaic dispensation dispensa-tion have, according to thu same apostle, no more claim or binding force, relative to the cumbers of the Christian disi'cnsatlon, than a dead husband has to a living wife: "For tlie woman which has a iiuslund Is bound by the law to her huslaud as long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she Is looScd from the liir of her husband; wherefore, my brethren, jc also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ." Rcm.7.J Of tho historical books of the Old Testament much need not bo said. Thelwok of Joshua describes the settlement of the Israelites in the Holy Lan'l. In the Judges wo read ol repeated aposlacy,IU punishment and God'd mercy In ueiivcricg the penitent. Thu books or Samuel sJiqw the establishment of ihn nn. cicnt prophetic office and also the rejection of this Divine nppolnt-cientandcf nppolnt-cientandcf God as Me ruler, and how God, yielding to thu demand of His blinded people, allows ttiem to have a king. In the books or tho King to wblch Ihe Chronicles seem to be a supplement, we can trace the awful consequences or Uiu revolt or Ihe people against the prophetical office, Until the nation, after a short Umu of prcsjierity under un-der David and Solomon, falls to pieces and are carried a.vay captives. cap-tives. Tbe poetical books are cflusions of devout hearts contemplating the past mercies of God, His preem goodness and faithfulness, and containing con-taining morel or Iera distinct predictions pre-dictions of the future el ents in Uie Kingdom of God. The Psalms many of which were composed by David, were intended for tbe cd ideation of tho peoplu when gathered gather-ed to their national feativiUtt-iu Jerusalem. Je-rusalem. Tiiesingiugofthem firmed, firm-ed, no doubt, an important port ol the service. The book oi Jobi and the Song of Somrsare specimens of early dramatical Co&nr'wit'en', . hereof the book. Job, wasanlnhab itant of Uz, in Uie north east part of tlie Arablau desert, and a ccntetn-lorsry, ccntetn-lorsry, perhaps, of fcrah, Uie father of Abraham. There fre some grand lessons Mid Jown in Die look. Tiie question is discux'cd whether "teat suffering is not an evidence cfgrwit guilt. The friends of Job allirm this, while he, himself, under tbe greatest offiictions, denies it, ap pealing lo God's ilghteousness and failbrulntss. Tlie Song of Souch, the best one of the 10M which Hoi-omon Hoi-omon rotnppted. (1 Kings 4. 32), is a description of wedded love, oira of the noblest affc-tlous which man is caiablo of enjoying, and was probably prob-ably composed when Solomou in-tioduced in-tioduced into bli family an Kgyi-tian Kgyi-tian lirinccss 1 Klrm SI; 7. R; fl:!ii 1 as a nlural wife. The Praverbs,and the Kcclrsiastes contain many sen tl ments shon Ing loth tbe widoni and tbe vanity of the world, pointing lo Him who is the Wisdom, the Truth and the Light of the world. In all these boohs wo find truths scattered as numerous and as beautifully beau-tifully as the stars In a clear Xovcm-bercvenlngsky; Xovcm-bercvenlngsky; but the very scope of each look is such tbat It cannot be acceded as a cloed and finished code of revelations, sufficient for all conUngencle that can ever arise) In the history of Uie human race, any more than the beauUfiilly siark-1 lingUght of the stars is ail that Is necessary for Ihe illumination of the creation of God. We can now go over to the rRonu.7ic.Uj books; or the Old Testament. ' These contain many predictions bearing dirccUy on the last dayr, tor prophecy Is a record or future events, as history is a record ofjxut events. Rut in readlm. ancient prophecy one very common error must be guarded against, namely, tbat the Prophets generally describe the events or Uie last days. This they evidently do not do. Their irophecies generally concern such events as were immediately future In their own time and In which their own generation was, on tbat account, mostly Interested. Prophecies Prophe-cies arc often real as If they all related re-lated to events which are still future, and Which ire then-fore look at witli anxious Interest, when as the truth is tbat events long ago transpired, and which we have almost forgotten, forgot-ten, but which once were tbu great epochs of history, form the important im-portant theme of tho bulk of prophetical pro-phetical predictions. In some cases prophecy covers tie ground of eve tits jet to transpire. Rut then, It Is notlccablo tbat tho more remote the events described are, tlie more-rare more-rare and dim the visions concerning concern-ing tberu bc-conier, until we clcaily perceive that were It not for new additional llghtbf continued revelations revela-tions uxu the last Scenes of the history his-tory or tbo world," wo would never, Irom the fifet predictions delivered, buabie to form a clear aud distinct Idea or these scenes. Notice, as an illustration or this, tlie first prediction or Uie "seed or woman" who should crush the head or the serpcnt,and follow Uie gradual development or this prophecy, until un-til latter prophets are able by tbe Spirit of God to describe not only many minute details of the birth, llfq nud death of our Savior, (Isaiah) but also the precise time for his coming com-ing lu tho flesh (Daniel), And so it Is with all predictions given. Tlioy Increase In clearness as the events draw near. They Indicate, therefore, there-fore, by their Very nature the necessity neces-sity of continued revelation, as" tho first rays of morning Indicate the approach orthe coming daylight. in reading tho propneUcal books, this mutt l kept in lew. |