Open Column.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 29, 11 August 1883, Page 4

Open Column.

THE BIBLE AND' ITS ENEMY. This'is the substance of Tan Address in the Queen's Tbeatre,.^Dunedin, New Zealand, in. November, 1882, by Mr Forlong. ■* The Bible is a mirror — i* is turned, as it were towards heaven, and rt fleets God's character— -justice, love, mercy It is turned towards earth, and reflects Man his failures, sin, wickedness, and final misery. Men generlly attack the Bible for so clearly phoiographing man's sins, and men ask, " \\ by is so much evil tcld in the Bible?" Why l Because man has tlrat character ; and the reflectingglass is only r- fleeting truthfully, and recording facts The old painters used to flatter uvn and ladies : but the rays ot the sun will not flatter. Ladies often dislike photos because tiny do not admire their own ex-ct likenesses; somen blame the Bible, generally for being too plain — too hod in telling the sins ot a wicked world. A c ain, the Bible as a mirror, is turned upon Satan, and telis his true character and his true plans I plans without- any compromise S rtan, no doubt, dislikes it; and if Satan had known that is answers in the Book of Job were to be recorded, we may depend upon it the answers would not have been so candid. How shall we classify Satan'? work * I think he has four great characters. First, lie is often a quite, polished, moral devil, religion' quite imselfi-s. He makes his servants negative, mr>r-il corpses; he puts them od an oily, easy slide to destruction, pnd dresses them up as honest, morally clean, resp ctable looking,.,, even handsome, devils — *ar too good even to sin, or to require either mercy or pardon. They use only Satan's spectacles, and pretend ro see no Treat sins at all. Satan's second character, or Satan's second class, is a Sui d;vy class. He comes out as a highly devout religious ievil. He mukes magnificent buildings for his class ; high ahars,splendin windows, royal looking dresses He is very lively about forms, ceremonies, long systematic prayers, full of repetitions, cold, icy. and very, general confessions — no details, no particulars ever touched. He does not object to at, nice ILtle elegant sefrnon, but it must be short — very short please. On the Continent of Europe I have seen such classes often. But Satan turns deadly pale if you propose close, Bible preaching, and a ITble-reading would make Satan cry out. Propose to try all by the Bible, and exclude all contrary to the Bible, aid this religious devil will turn you right out of his class. Knox and Calvin would giye him a fit. (To be continu d.)