REVIEW.

Evening Star, Issue 3729, 4 February 1875, Page 2

REVIEW.

The Testimony Attatcd. —A popular manual of tbei evidence in support of the authority and inspiration of the .Scriptures, By the Kev. James Copland, M.A., M.D., Ph. D. » Edinburgh, Andrew Elhott, I<, Princes street. i hook of eighty-eight pages lias been * designed to meet the wants of the young, and of a numerous class wlio desire to know, in the shortest and simplest form, the tangible facts that support the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures so says the wi aCe 'i r ,? am has, the author niites, been followed, ami this argument ends ai showing that the Old and New Testaments are stamped with uiviue authority, and dicta. Ed throughout hy Cod’s Spirit.” This is the is C ‘‘ y in - C( M l ! tbcse , da , ys ’ vvllcn infidelity it- ai 'innentt' - T /. lle , book ']°™ «ot elaborate V 111S m that it states tae results of arguments more than the argn"«t know if this is u 1 ‘v i-i 1 ■ book for the young, and Vn' 1 ' ;uinor of defence when assailed hy the infidels arrows. There are souie peoi'le ThevS - hu utilU X of woh looks. tlie Vnml’r ». V J Wlße .f° V’ ut into the hands of sfrJd ’ fe r’ o uu k tllat the Bib ie is inisinßni’ir,lv lfc n ot n* ett °Ji, toteacbl tbem tliat •. J>oubts Will come, and when they nZ,ewflh ntthe m eS ° Ver; but if y° U bc « itl von Lh b i?^ Sb lSu »day scholars, may yon not unsettle their faith?” We have no iecPon T opl ii nd , hi ’‘ s , T sid f ed such like ob- “ ; lo all who beheve lle ca » attest the of U s \m men l* or suggestions are exceeded aL m Bay Dr Co P“ has fS mT would, lie sorry to say he has tailed. He has presented in a form readable of t be ar S uln ents for the nni f i e Blbl ? ailtl tbe Deity of Clirist and to those who are infidels, or semi-infidels’ the perusal of his book will bo instructive If woo omt °-l tany . l b P s or faults in his logical ~‘ , i' , - s 3 provesThv;«?d- a - gUmen l fc aeces sitates that he w I I0 “«*• accepted a, raliai b ! sajtap ot Jesus, W,me aey were Amted « such shortly after they werc Scf tt who may be inclined to dm.v.*- n ■** . ,9 s ® may jristify themselves witli the mass tions. &e., appearing i n Division IT ofSupernatural Religion ” Bnf fi • °* , .° dence is disproved by D? SnJl ? T®* f 7 1 ' Erica tlle° Ved f t] ! at 'rebable toi««erl Christ is'divL?.

step is i Christ being divine, the writings ore true. This is a kind of double testimony, which may be put thus : A proves B, and B proves A. Some may say there is a logical fallacy here ; but surely if the Bible proves Christ is divine, Christ’s divinity may prove the truth and inspiration of the Bible. No orthodox person can quarrel with such a logical process. But we are going too fast. We must point out how Dr Copland clears his ground for his one main argument. Chapter I. deals with “The necessity of Divine Revelations. ’ This necessity is easily proved. All people arc religious. No one knows which religion is true ; only one religion is true, and its truth can only be known by a revelation from God. Of course evoht Ironists and Darwinists in general might reply to this by saying that at a certain stage of progress every nation has got a Divine revelation—at least so religious persons assert—tin; Buddhists, the followers of ■ Zoroaster, the Mohammedans, the Mormons, ; but Dr Copland can properly reply “their religions are false.’' The second chapter is one of probabilities. A revelation may have been conveyed to each individual directly; it might have been this, or that, or a third thing, but if it be anything but by the Bible it would have been worse for us. We trust so. We arc optimists. It has been given in the most efficient way. It is, however, deplorable that so few have received it, and that even men of enlightenment have denied its efficiency. This, however, only proves the wickedness of man’s heart. We must be candid, and state that we think the second chapter rather inconclusive, and that Dr. Copland had better re-write it. The illustration about the Government proclamation is not a well pointed allegory in these days of ‘ Government Gazettes.’ The internal evidences, as they have been called, are treated of in chapter three, but, strange to say, there is no reference to the Old Testament at ad. Why is this ? Does it not show it is divine ? Dr. Copland’s method of argument makes it unnecessary to prove the Old Testament inspired, because of its contents. He proves the New Testament is inspired. It proves Christ is divine, and Christ being divine, proves the Old Testament is a divine revelation. It was, therefore, unnecessary to show from internal evidence that every word of the Old Testament was inspired. Did not Christ say “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail,” and “ all that was included in the term law is to be received by us as presenting the sure word of the living God. ” This is conclusive,andthe objections which have been made to this argument are easily answered by our author. We have not space to enumerate all Dr. Copland’s facts andarguinents: we would rather give one sample more from his book. Some people might say, though Christ said the Old Testament was inspired he could not have so spoken of the New, which was written long after his death. There is a ready and a complete answer to this. At page 73, we read in italics, at the head of division 5, “ The authority given by Christ to the writers of the New Testament warrants us in receiving it as plenarily inspired.” This is proved, when it is remembered that Christ knew the future as well as the past. lie know Luke would write, and John, and Paul, and James, and Jude. He knew what they would say, and hence he could give his testimony prospectively. And this is how he attested their testimony. He chose the Apostles, and he said to them, “Whatsoever ye shall bin-1 on earth shall he bound in Heaven, and' whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” He put them “ in the position of authority which lie himself occupied.” Ho said, “ The Holy Ghost shall teach you what ye shall say,” etc., etc. “If these men, possessing such powers of qualifications, wrote the New Testament, w r e have the clearest ground for accepting them, as if it proceeded from Christ himself.” The Holy Ghost has be-ui given, and could men having the Spirit of Truth write lies? We do not believe they could. There is also another argument that in the epistles plenary inspiration is claimed by the Apostles ; this further proves that their epistles were inspired. As for the stock arguments about contradictions, &c,, they are easily disposed of, for the Bible is “ a revelation that unfolds to us the mind of God —whose thoughts are far exalted above ours.” How, therefore, can we hope to fathom it ? There are many things wholly inexplicable; but when we find things in the Bible that cannot be explained, it is our duty to believe them, not to attempt to explain them. This is the better way to get rid of all doubt. We must now draw our desultory remarks to a close. Some people may think the book illogical These, however, will be few in number. We doubt not that all who believe in the Bible as a plenary inspired revelation will be thankful to have put in terse language, suitable for our youths, the facts on which this belief is based—and this is what the author has done. Those who desire to relish the keen logic as well as inspiring faith with which the book abounds should buy a copy : they will not, after perusal, regret the purchase.