LECTURES ON THE BIBLE.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 622, 31 March 1852, Page 4

LECTURES ON THE BIBLE.

The following is an abstract of a Lecture delivered on Monday evening last in the Presbyterian Church by the llev. Thomas Hamer, (Independent Minister) — being the second of the course of " Lectures on the Bible" by Ministers of the Auckland Branch of The Evangelical Alliance. The subject of this evening's Lecture is, " The Divine Inspiration of the Bible." The historical part of it was ably treated last Wednesday by the Rev. Mr. Inglis, and therefore will be dispensed with at present. The portion of Scripture I have chosen as the basis ot the following lecture is, the 16 verse of the 3 chapter of Paul's second epistle to Timothy, — " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." By this statement, the Bible is affirmed to be more than simply true. It is inspired truth. It is this fact of inspiration which makes the Bible so singular and wonderful a book. It gives it distinctness from all other books, and from the writings of all ages. Of it alone, inspiration can be affirmed. It is therefore divine. The inspiration of the Bible, however, has been impugned, but in different ways ; directly, and indirectly. The first party denying the fact altogether, and the second, lowering the meaning of trie term. With the former we have nothing to do this evening. The fact of the divine inspiration of the Bible must bo gathered from the testimony of the Bible itself. It alone can give us the right point of view on this important subject. We there learn that its inspiration is a vital and fundamental truth, and is the reason of its claim upon us, and of our submission to it. The whole of our time this evening will be occupied in examining the terms of the text, and in developing their meaning in relation to the subject in hand. And first, as to the meaning of the term Scripture. This is learnt from the preceding verse, 15, in which Paul says to Timothy, " From a child thou has known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus !" The Old Testament Scriptures are here evidently referred to, as quoted by our Saviour and His Apostles. They were called the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. They were appealed to by the Jews of that day as divine. The same term Scriptures was used in reference to as many of the Books of the New Testament as were written at the time referred to. Thus, Peter in his second epistle, 3 chap., 15, 16 verses, " Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things ; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable, wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. The text by Paul is in the same strain. We thus find the Apostles speaking of each other as inspired men — of each other's writings as inspired writings, and associating the Old and New Testament Scriptures together as inspired. Let us now inquire into the meaning of the word all ; " all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." Some writers understand the use of the word in this place, as meaning less than the whole, and give us the reading, " all scripture given, &c.', They would thus make it appear that there are portions of Scripture not inspired ; but it must be remarked that some of the best scholars affirm, that a critical examination of the text will not admit of any rendering different from that which appears in our translation. I consider that both readings are equally affirmative of the inspiration of the Scriptures, the only difference being, that according to our translation all Scripture is spoken of as being inspired, and in the second we are called upon to shew what is Scripture. This we are bound to show in either case, and I think it was so done in the preceding lecture. We come now to inquire into the meaning and application of the word imjeired, or inspiration ; some understand by these words more, and some less. By the majority of Protestant Christians the true meaning is without doubt apprehended. In the minority on this subject there are some who affirm that inspiration is nothing more than an elevating, and brightening of the spiritual faculty in man, and that in the case of the Prophets and Apostles of old, it was nothing more. The signification of the term thus reduced, places the man of genius, and the poet on the same level with Apostles. Hence we have our inspired Milton, Shakespere and Byron — our _ Raphael Burke and even Napoleon. We are quite ready to admit the greater capability that all men feel for effort at one time more than at another, when the mental capacities are extraordinarily expanded, and when the mind through the senses is deeply affected, and unusual thoughts are suggested by the beauties of creation, or by the presentation to the mind of some noble thought. But all men in common have this inspiration though in different degrees. But this is not the kind spoken of, and intended in the text. The deepest draughts of this inspiration bring to us no new thoughts or discoveries from the mind of God, and add nothing in number to the truths justly called inspired, in the sense of the text. There are others in this minority, forming a philosophical religious party, both* in Great Britain, and on the continent of Europe, who attach a vague and imperfect meaning to this term. With them inspiration is synonymous with a purified moral nature ; freed from prejudice and sin. It is readily admitted that depravity obscures the mental vision, that if a man would see God, he must be pure in heart ; but two tilings at least are here assumed ; that such attainments are ever made in our world, and that such moral purity if attained would be the condition meant by being inspired. There is another party in this minority, and that a religious one, who hold unscriptural views on this subject. They hold that the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit by which all true Christians are enlightened, is synonymous with inspiration. Thus the renovation of tne human spirit by the Divine, is its inspiration, and that they are in an important sense on a level with Paul and Peter. They thus confound two very different works of the Holy Spirit. Some good men in every age have held views approaching to this. The brave Cromwell accounted to himself for much of the singular course of his life on this principle. Popes, Cardinals, and Councils have frequently sent forth the results of their deliberations as divinely inspired, and on a level on that account with the authority of Scripture. But I need scarcely say that all these notions of inspiration are quite of another character, and fall immeasurably short of the necessities of the case, and of the Bible view of the question. Much more than all this is intended by the declaration, " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." How much more, andliow different, we have now to enquire. Theopneustos, in the Greek New Testament, corresponds with our English, "given by inspiration of God."- The literal rendering would be— divinely breathed or inspired. It is stated then, that all Scripture is divinely breathed or inspired. All that Scripture which was so called by Christ and His Apostles and which is known by the name of Holy Scriptures in our day. All the books forming the Bible, are divinely breathed ; are the Word of God. We understand not the modus operandi of their being breathed sis applied to God, and all we Know is that the Scriptures are the result of a divine operation ; and tlwt holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. j Other matters have been inspired in the same sense, which are not in the Bible. Things God spoke to Old Testament characters for their own

private use and which were never recorded. Things said by Christ and His Apostles and which never were written. So that written or Bible inspiration is only a part of a great whole, which the world has possessed. But it contains so much and just that portion which God has seen fit to have permanently recorded. What, we would next enquire, are the ideas included in the terra inspiration? It is evident that no one word in our language is its equivalent, and this arises mainly from the fact that Scripturally understood it has its modifications or degrees. It cannot be understood in the same sejise as applied to every part of Scripture. _ A very cursory view of the subject matter of Scripture will convince us of this. Several of the Old and New Testament books, or large portions of them, are simply narrative or historical. Several are prophetic—others devotional — and others of a more general character. Here is matter so diversified, that a modification, or different degrees of inspiration are required. All Scripture is inspired, but not in the same way. As there were diverse capacities among Christians, there were diverse gifts, and for different purposes, although but one Spirit, in Apostolic times. So does the Bible consist of matter so di - verse, that inspiration at one time as applied to Scripture, is quite different to inspiration at another. It is from this point of view of the subject, that writers have found so much diiliculty in saying what ideas the dh me inspiration of the Scriptures included. I ask, is there need for more than a twofold view or modification of the term inspiration ? There is perhaps a third. The first and lowest sense of Scripture inspiration is that of wisdom, guidance, or direction. The Spirit is said to guide into all truth. Paul wrote according to the wisdom given to him. Old and New Testament writers would be generally, personally acquainted with the facts of history they narrated, and what they needed in this case would be inspired guidance and direction, where necessary, to the true sources of information, and inspired wisdom. What, from a multiplicity of facts to select, as well as inspired wisdom respecting the manner, and spirit, in which those facts should be recorded. Any one carefully reading the Bible will acknowledge, if candid, that there must have been some extraoi-dinary guidance afforded to the writers of its histories and biographies. The next higher degree of inspiration would be in the communication °f divine knowledge. It would consist in a revelation of things and matters known only to God, and of which before, men were entirely ignorant. This would have a reference more particularly to the prophetic portions of the Scripture — to its doctrinal truths and facts which relate to the divine method of salvation, and to the means of its accomplishment. It appears to me that all Scripture, if viewed in the subject matter of it, will be seen to have been inspired in one of these two ways — the inspiration that guided, and the inspiration that revealed. It is quite true, however, that a third view may be entertained in addition to the two just mentioned, though it seems scarcely to be required, excepting that whereas some portions of Scripture were written under Divine direction, and others were divinely revealed to the human mind, a third portion of recorded and unrecorded inspired truth was given through the entire possession of the human mind by the Holy Spirit; the faculties of which mind and of the body it inhabited being under the entire controul of the Holy Spirit, as the organ through which to express his own thought. Some of the Old Testament Prophets, at times, seem to have been more or less in this state — the Apostles at Pentecost when speaking in foreign languages, and some in the Corinthian Church afterwards. One or other of these modes of inspiration may be applied to every part of the Word of God ; and from this point of view every part of the Word of God may be said to be divinely inspired. I cannot consider the Bible in any part of it as occupying lower ground than as just stated. If any part be not divinely inspired, the question is then open how much and what ? Is it articles of faith and pious sentiment that are inspired only, and who are to be judge how many and what these are ? Some one may ask finally,' do you believe in verbal inspiration ? I reply yes, in the view just given — not, however, that words were revealed or communicated any more than the facts of the historic narrative, but that the same wisdom and guidance which were aflbrded in relation to facts that were well known, were afforded also in relation to words in which those facts should be recorded. Unknown facts and truths were revealed, made known ; inspired wisdom guided to the selection and use of words in which they should be embodied. In conclusion, I base the authority of the Bible, upon the fact of its divine inspiration. It comes to us throughout, as none other book does, with a " Thus saith the Lord." It is all divine — even the parts that some may esteem trifling and useless, and which parts are saved from the application of such terms, by the fact of their inspiration. The Bible coming from God to us is binding upon us in all its laws, and precepts, and commands. God holds us now responsible for its perusal, and obedience to it, as He will at the last day for the obedience of its greatest of all commands, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." It is the book from, and according to which we shall all be tried, condemned, or acquitted at the last day. Its appeal is ever to that day when all wrongs shall be righted, and itself will be vindicated as Divine.