(To the Editor of the "Witness" Montreal.)
Sir,-I desire to reply, as briefly as the importance of the subject will permit, to the letter of Mr. E. H. in last Saturday's issue of the "Witness." I. He draws a distinction between the "Word of God" and "the word of man," both, he says, contained in the Scriptures. Will he give a single instance where this distinction is made by our Lord, or by His apostles, or by any Old Testament writer? Can we imagine our blessed Lord "disentangling" the true Word of God from the " errors" of Moses? Of course, we may be referred to Matt. 19:7-9, where our Lord shows that Moses " suffered " a modified divorce, "for the hardness of your hearts." But it was not merely Moses, but the permission of God, for whom Moses spoke, and it only furnishes an illustration of the partial and temporary character of much of the Mosaic ordinances, because it was a time of spiritual infancy.(See Gal. 4:1-7.)A sober, prayerful study of dispensational truth will enlighten those who desire light upon this whole matter.
2. Let the "Higher Critics" honestly answer this question:Do they absolutely indorse every word spoken by our Lord Jesus as true and divine? And do they accept what He says as to the Old Testament Scriptures as final? If so, then " Moses wrote " of Him (John 5:46, 47); Isaiah wrote his prophecy (Luke 4:17; the Evangelist here states what our Lord read); David spoke of Him (Matt. 22:43, 44); Jonah was the veritable history of a veritable person (Matt. 12:38-41); the flood was an actual judgment, and no "myth " (Luke 17:26). Now it is notorious that these and other scriptures which space will not allow me to quote, are all denied by these "sages of the latter days." I therefore point out that they deny the word of Christ, and the word of His inspired apostles. What fair-minded person will contradict this?
3. Would our Lord have allowed His disciples to think that what they had been taught to believe was the absolute truth-the Scriptures they held in their hands-were not so, but full of myth, error, and human teachings? No! " If it were not so, I would have told you," states a principle of wide application. Either our blessed Lord was ignorant, or " Moses and the prophets," are "the Scriptures of truth." Christian, was the Son of God ignorant? and if not, did He wilfully conceal the truth from us? "Ye have not so learned Christ."
4. But look at these "words of man," and "words of Satan," too, scattered through the Scriptures. Is there any doubt whose words they are? "Ye shall not surely die;" "Ye shall be as God." Is there any danger of confounding these words with the words of God? And yet God has recorded them for our instruction, admonition, and to lead us to Christ. So with the words of Cain, Esau, Pharaoh and many other wicked men, or men ignorant of the true ways of God, as Job's friends. But God has recorded these in His inspired Word, and along with them He has given us His truth as the remedy. There is a great difference between inspiration and revelation. God has given us an exact account of the wicked words and deeds of men. We know exactly what they have done and said. Does that mean we are to follow what they have said? But is it fair to say that the "Higher Critics" are simply pointing out the words of wicked men, which God recorded in His Word? None know better than themselves that this is not the case. Any babe knows that when the Pharisees said of our Lord, " He hath a devil and is mad," it was awful blasphemy and wickedness. But when we are told that the Scriptures are full of error, and of false statements which pass with people for truth, let the plain fact be stated-these people are making our Lord Jesus to be an ignorant person or a liar.
5. Let the issue be faced plainly:-What do the (1) As to the narrative of the Creation?-that it was a myth.
(2) As to the Fall?-that it was not historical.
(3) As to the Flood?-that it did not occur, but was a legend.
(4) As to Abraham?-that he may not have existed.
(5) As to Moses?-that he did not give the law.
(6) As to the books of Law?-that they were written many centuries after the time stated on their
pages.
(7) As to David?-that he did not write the Psalms he is said by our Lord to have written; in fact, never wrote any of the psalms ascribed to him.
(8) As to Isaiah?-that he did not write the latter half of his book.
(9) As to Jonah? -that the whole story is a fabrication.
(10) As to Daniel?-that his book is no prophecy, but a forgery.
6.What does this involve?
(1) That the Bible is a tissue of error and falsehood, mixed with truth.
(2) That our Lord did not know this, but was as ignorant as any other pious Jew.
(3) That the apostles and inspired men had the same errors.
7. Let it not be thought that all this is put before the public as bluntly as the above. It is ever the way of Satan to introduce error insidiously. He is transformed into an angel of light, and we need not marvel if men speak in a pious tone of the Lord while denying His deity or His atoning work. But men in the professors' chairs in theological schools are teaching these errors; the younger generation of the clergy are being filled with them, and so they are passed on to the pulpit and the pew, until "the whole is leavened." Let the people of God awake as to these things. The Lord is being attacked, and the Word denied. Do not be deceived by the apparent sincerity of these men. They may be deluded themselves, but we are responsible to refuse and turn away from error even though it were taught by "an angel from heaven." S. R.