| Show difficulties IN SACRED WRIT in all inspire i 1 writing tinge the careful meets meet with difficulties of inter pre tation which often seem ansur mountable believers are sometimes sometime fi barra aeed by objections founded on them ithem while non believers offer them as an excuse for rejecting the divine word they are met with in the various parts of the bible as well as aa on the pages of the book of mormon and the doctrine and covenants though Zal altho uh to a much smaller extent in abe ahe latter volumes than in the old and new testaments the subject is of much importance and demands the attention especially of missionaries and nd others who are engaged as instructors of young and old in religious mat ten in the oas caer of the bible many biffl arise from the fact that the correct reading of some texon fa at present perhaps impossible to ascertain others depend on our ignorance of the meaning of words and phrases once perfectly well understood but now more or lose lessof ob cure care or on mistakes of transcribers in matters pertaining to chronology Siso graphy or history and sometimes there is apparent contradiction between the precepts and truths re healed we aled in the calof case of the teachings civen through the prophet few of these difficulties exist because chey were transmitted in modern language and under circumstances still within wiehl a the memory of ityl ne witnesses witnessed furni furnishing shine the most infallible interpret tation the Dle doctrine trine and covenants contains ns the truth in language just as plain to the present generation as did the writings writing of the apostles of our lord to the people to whom they addressed themselves vea still in all those acred adored books the inquirer often finds findo himself under the necessity of humbly seeking eenink for divine wisdom in ordo order r that he be may not err when trying to understand that which he be reads it to lg not admitted however that the found to in sacred writ justify doubts or a rejection of religion all inspired wrIt writings lase are given for the in at ruction truc tion of mankind bt brit instruction supposes oah ignorance on the part of the pupil to be overcome only through All alligene igent study and as an the fact I 1 18 bretty well established that the aliffi curties Cul ties morely relied on by skeptics are chose which may easily be traced to ahat ignorance which they refuse to bave enlightened instead of to the acred word doubt on that account la 10 As e irrational as it would be on the orrt of a student of geometry who reject the instructions of his hie tea cherp fo he be finds the problems and theorems of the science at farat sur jp assine his bis cow comprehension the same emark demark SP to any of study theology whether theoretical or practical opens up its treasures tr to those who seek them D there abere must be or there would be nothings so co master through labor alone mysteries are solved truths are comprehended and their proper connection discovered Jiso the path at first dark and beset beget with hindrances becomes bathed in n the light of divine intelligence and n it mortal man is led on until he be holds the glory elory of the very throne of god gd faith is ie the first principle of the QI but if revelation present sli ed no difficulties difficult lep if every doctrine every prescript every stale atae rot merit were demonstrated d and nd narrowed down to the compre derood ot of man in the condition the Q G finda hino him filth would be ex eluded and religious progress made impassible since it is only through faith that knowledge is obtained a proposition self evident to any one who will consider the subject it Is a 9 general arrangement in nature that valuable truth like the prec precious ioup metals are obtained through labor theology is IB no exception to this rule nor la Is it possible to conceive how bow it could be but while all this la Is admitted the fact act remains as has bag already been remarked that every objection to revelation can be met satisfactorily some borne way may be of such a nature so an to admit of no conceivable solution in the stage f intelligence to which mankind has bai now BOW reached they remain to be illuminated by the rays ray of revelations astl till 11 tu future others are easily solved although seemingly great tumbling stumbling blocks one illustration may be allowed the reader of the gospel of job john n is told john axi 26 25 that our lord fiord performed to BO many things twinge that it if all were written nhe the world itself could not contain th the 10 books book that should be written 0 thle this evidently reform to hla his brief life on earth and many skeptics have there fore taken occasion oco aaton to q question leation the re liability of an author with ideas apparently so erroneous of the magnitude t of the universe the true meaning of this verse vene depends depend however on the interpretation of the words word contain and world A to the first of these in ID the same gospel chap vm 37 87 our lord says bays his HB enemies were seek trig rg to kill him because my mv word has no place in you in th the original the word translated in one passage contain Oll and in the other ahas dhas has place is the acae and means exactly the same thing what the evangelist therefore meant to say was wap that it 11 everything relating to the life of our lord were written the be world that bat la Is those ot his follo followers were not give the gospel a place they would reject it all as a the jews jew did with christ his hig word having no place in them it would in other words be a moral impossibility not a material or physical one for the world to contain 1 P the minute incidents of the life of the savior there is 1 thus no difficulty in the statement referred to and the supposed objection Is met by a correct understanding of the greek word translated contain As an a universal rule it la Is safe oafs to place implicit reliance on the word of god blod even when it at first teems seems obscure when all errors erron diato human agencies are excepted the revea revealed leil word remains the ronk on which to build for time and all eternity |
