The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 231

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

191

ought to be acknowledged that the more one investigates more he loses his simple and childlike faith in it. It can not even be said that the doubt created by superficial inquiry In fact,

the

it

Word

the

will be dispelled

of earnest

men

by deeper research

for even the profound scrutiny

;

has had but one result,

viz.,

the increase of interro-

gation-points.

We

can not in this

without destroying

it

way examine

the contents of the Scripture

for ourselves.

If

contents of an egg, he must not break

it,

one wishes to examine the for then he disturbs it and

an egg no more but he should ask them that know about it. manner we can learn the truth of the Scripture only by sealing and external communication. For suppose that the final verdict of science will eventually it is

;

In like

confirm the divine authority of the Scripture, as

what would that

it will,

during our short

even

my

if

to

And

present distress? still

ask

:

firmly believe

And

science will not reach that final verdict?

life

after thirty or forty years

we would

we

avail us in our present spiritual need, since

Is it

if

we should

this difficulty

would that avail could also be removed, see

it,

not cruel to give spiritual assurance only

Greek and Hebrew scholars?

Do

not

men

see and understand,

then, that the evidence of the divine authority of the Scripture

come

to us in such a

poorhouse can see

Hence tion, is

all

it

manner

that the simplest old

just as well as

I

woman

must

in the

can?

learned investigation, as the basis for spiritual convic-

out of the question.

He who

introduces an offensive clericalism.

denies this maltreats souls and

For what

is

the result?

The

notion that the unscholarly can have no assurance of themselves; that is what ministers are for; they have studied the matter; they ought to know, and the simple folk must believe upon their authority.

The absurdity

of this notion is obvious.

In the

first

learned gentlemen are frequently the greatest doubters.

place, the

Secondly,

one minister almost always contradicts what another has laid down as the truth. And, thirdly, the congregation, treated as a minor, is delivered again into the power of men; a yoke is laid upon it which our fathers could not bear; and the mistake is made of trying to prove the testimony of God by that of men. If we must bear a yoke, then give us that of Rome ten times rather than that of the scholars; for altho Rome puts men between us and the Scripture, they speak at least with one mouth. They all repeat what the Pope has settled for them, and his authority rests

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