It is the same God, the one only living and true God, who speaks to us in all these ways. It is God with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning, the same from everlasting to everlasting. And, therefore, all these manifestations of Himself, made by Himself, must be in perfect harmony. Whatever we find revealed to us of the works and ways of God in creation, must be in complete accord with what is declared to us about IIim by His Son, and with all that is written about Him in the God-breathed Scriptures of truth.

When, therefore, the scientist, fresh from the study of some part of the creation, propounds a theory which seems to be in contradiction to what the Scriptures teach, let the children of God possess their souls in calmness, and patience, and faith. Shall the children of the God of truth who hold from Him the Scriptures of truth not be always ready to welcome truth, new or old, from any quarter? Only let them be sure that it is the truth which they welcome. If new truth has been discovered by any, it cannot possibly contradict any word of Scripture. Let God's children have a simple but sublime confidence in the final triumph of His Word over every attack against it, covert or open, from men in their ignorance and folly, or froin Satan with his plausible insinuations and denials begun in Eden.

And if we have imported into Scripture our own thoughts, instead of receiving from it God's thoughts, we ought to be thankful to any one who should dispossess us of our prejudices and misconceptions.

The history of geological theories furnishes many illustrations of this point. Theory after theory has been given forth to the world, with abundance of self-confidence and pretension, only to be displaced and laid aside in a short time as mere rubbish to be looked at occasionally as a part of the history of human thought, as curious and amusing

as the frantic efforts of the Ptolemaic system to explain the movements of the heavenly bodies.

Remember what progress has been made in the sciences, of geography, astronomy, and geology. At almost every step in new discovery many defenders of Scripture have been thrown into panic for fear the foundations should be destroyed. But the eternal rock of God's truth still rises in solid strength and majesty above all the waves and storms of controversy. And so will it continue to the end, for He hath said: "All flesh is as grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth forever."

WHAT IS THE REAL WORD OF GOD?

This question ought to have a fair, clear, and distinct answer. Doubtless God has exercised a special providence in regard to His Word which is so important and precious a treasure to His dear children. But as a matter of fact we know that He has not wrought a perpetual miracle in making every copy of the original Scriptures, and every translation to be infallibly accurate. This treasure has been in earthen vessels. We know, for example, that there are various readings in the manuscripts. It is wonderful that all of them together impair no vital doctrine. We know, too, that the Septuagint version which was in common use and quoted by the apostles, is far from being an accurate version of the Hebrew. But we can bless God that this and any version which has ever had currency, has enough of accuracy to retain the life-giving power of God's Word so as to guide those who devoutly received it into the way of life.

As a foundation, then, for the true interpretation of the Scriptures, the wise Christian will gladly and fearlessly

avail himself of all help from manuscripts, versions, quotations, and commentaries, to put himself, after the most searching inquisition, in possession of the original text, as nearly as may be, and when the text is thus ascertained on the same principles as he would ascertain the text of any other ancient writing, let him sit down with such loving reverence to study and receive it, as becomes man and gives due honor to God, the author.

We learn from the Scriptures themselves what they are. They tell us that they are inspired, "God-breathed "; "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." David in his last words said, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue" (2 Sam. xxiii. 2). Isaiah had written of revelations not fully understood by him (1 Pet. i. 10-12). "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." Of these same things, Paul, with the larger measure of the Spirit belonging to this age, the age of the Church, says: "But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man (literally, no one), but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words. which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (or "communicating spiritual things by spiritual means") (1 Cor. ii. 10-13).

That is to say, the full revelation of the Scriptures in this age of the Church is the thoughts of the Omniscient Spirit Himself revealed to the writers of Scriptures, un

derstood by them fully as having the mind of Christ, and communicated to us by them not in words of their own selection, but in words of perfect, divine fitness, because chosen by the Holy Ghost.

Let us take apart and look distinctly at the truths given us by the Spirit in this wonderful Scripture.

1. No one knows the things of God but the Spirit of God. He knows them perfectly.

2. He reveals them to those whom He appoints to communicate them.

3. Those to whom they are so revealed in this age, know them when so revealed. Not as the prophets of old who searched diligently to understand what the Spirit of Christ which was in them signified by His revelations surpassing all that had entered into man's heart.

4. Those chosen for this purpose communicate these revelations to God's people in words of human speech, yet not of their own choosing, but chosen by the Holy Spirit. What a rock of defence and security for the truth and integrity of the Scriptures amid all the waves and storms of doubt and unbelief and cavil!

What difficulty, therefore, can there be in the interpretation of the Scriptures thus given to us from God? They are written in the language of men, in words of the Spirit's choosing, and therefore of divine fitness. Men, with all their imperfection of knowledge and of expression, can write words clearly intelligible to men. Shall He, then, that made the tongue not speak so that men may clearly understand? The difficulty is from men and not from God. And the Scriptures show us what the difficulty is. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. ii. 14).

Men in their natural state have "the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through

the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." But he that is spiritual has the mind of Christ (1 Cor. ii. 15, 16; Eph. iv. 18).

The Spirit is as necessary, therefore, for the reception of the truth by us, as for its communication to us.

We turn now to consider what the Scriptures tell us of their effect on those who receive the truth.

1st. They communicate life. The Son of man is the sower of the word. The good seed are the children of the kingdom. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." Men are born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God that liveth and abideth forever. And this is the word

Born of water and of

which is preached by the Gospel. the Spirit simply means born of the word and of the Spirit, the water being the emblem of the word. And James writes: "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth." Life comes to us through the word of God.

2d. The word of God cleanses. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you,” is said in close connection with "Every branch in me that beareth fruit, He cleanseth it that it may bring forth more fruit.” It is the same process in all God's children. So the Lord prays: "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth." And the pattern of our sanctification is His own. He truly lived by every word that proccedeth out of the mouth of God. Hence, His life was spotlessly clean and pure.

3d. The Scriptures also enlighten. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." "The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Ps. exix. 105, 130). God's word is His own eye looking into the inmost depths of the soul. For immediately after telling us that "the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged