THE BIBLE THE SOLE RULE OF FAITH.

Southland Times, Issue 1613, 30 July 1872, Page 2

THE BIBLE THE SOLE RULE OF FAITH.

Sib,— The truths impugned in Mr J. Carden's letter, entitled " The Catholic Church and the Bible," are ot such vital importance to our eternal interests, that, believing the Reformation was of G-nd, and that the Bible is God's inspired Word— the sufficient and sole rule of faith — I desire to submit the following remarks on these deeply interesting questions. The onus of provoking this controversy most certainly rests with Mr Carden, for the extract in the News (June 1), to which he takes umbrage, being without comment, would have been forgotten lou£ since, had he not dragged it before the public as a pretext for an ungenerous assault upon the .faith of that country which tolerates him and bis. It was such a statement as Mr Carden jnight well have passed by. His attack on Protestantism could not alter historical fucta. If he doubted the correctness of the statement, he might have called upon the paper to produce its authority. To assert that such deeds might not happen in any church, is to deny the frailty of human nature, and give the lie to history. Pew nocks but have some black sheep amongst them, and one black sheep does not make a flack. It is with principles and general facts and results we have to do in discussing such matters. As to the Reformation, I unhesitatingly deny Mr Cardeu's statement that " there lias been a system of lies admitted .... as well as established by the first Reformers." ilia quotations from " Grotius" are only secondhand evidence — i. c., they do not give extract* from the letters of the Amsterdam ministers, but only their alleged statements — and therefore only prove at the most that soms of the Amacerdam ministers may have so far yielded to temptation as to meet Rome with her own weapons. The statement that the Reformers "blazed into open rebellion with an excommunicated priest at their head," is contrary to fact. Luther delivered his celebrated biblical lecture?, the germ of the Reformation, at Wittenberg, in 1508 ; disputed with Tetzel about indulgences in 1517, but the bull of excommunication against him was not published till 1520. Such misstatements are of a piece with what I must term Mr Carden's absurd story of Luther and the devil, which, I leave for what it is worth. The doctrines of the Reformation were no new unheard-of doctrines, but thosa taaght by Christ and his Apostles, as proved by the Scriptures, and witnessed by the early Fathers. Luther, like a Nehemiah or an Ezra, only sought to lead back an apostate church to the faith once delivered to the saints. The Reformers loved " the truth" and ,hazarded their lives for it. The principle that a lie is admissible in the interests of truth, has nertfr been admitted or established by them, nor by any Protestant church. It is the corrupt Church

of Eome-per contra— which haa unblushingly done so. Not only have many of her most, eminent writers virtually affirmed the principle that we may " do evil that good may come," but it has even been announced from the Pontifical chair, Pope Innocent 111. declaring;, " an oath taVen contra-y to Ecclesiastical Utility is not binding," " Jxiramentum conira utilitatem ecclesiasticam prcestiium non tenet." In the Canon Law Decret. Greg. lib. ii, tit. xxiv. cap. xxvii, (a part of the Canon Law taken from the decisions of Innocent TIL) The Bomish Church is also guilty of admitting and establishing a system of lieing and darker deeds, by upholding the Society of the Jesuits, a Society which requires the implicit obedience of its members to any injunction, however false or criminal, which it may deem necessary in the interests of the Bomish faith. Vide Escobar, tr. iii, ex. iii, n. 48, and Sanchez, op. mor. p. 2. b. iii, o. iv, n. 13. Scripture declares of such : "Their damnation is just." Rom. iii. 8. History demonstrates the benighting, baneful influence of Popery on national life, and present facts confirm it. Thus the zenith of Papal domination was synchronous with the dark ages ; and those nations how lead the world's indnstry and intelligence which are blest with an open Bible, and freedom for conscience. Mr Cameron's offset ! having been enacted in Papal (not Protestant) Eome, proves rather that such crimes are the result of the suppression of that Book which teaches us to love our enemies, and do good to them who hate us and despitefully nee ua. Eome lacks not colleges?, schools, money. or endowments for her Church. It is the people she represses and keeps in ignorance. I am speaking of general facts, not of individual efforts ; for many and disinterested hare been the instances of personal benevolence, devotion, and zeal among her followers; alas! often not according to knowledge and contrary to the Word of God. But giving Cardinal Cnllen his due, and letting Dr Whately alone, I would desire — out of a- host of. noble examples of Christian charity amongst Protestants —to mention for the encouragement of personal devotedness and faith in the living God, the Ashley Down Orphan Houses, Bristol. This benevolent institution, possessing neither lands nor endowments, was began, and is carried on, by 3 the faith of a private Christian of no fortune, Mr George Muller. During 1871, it freely maintained and educated 2,030 orphans— entirely supported 51 schools of 4,088 scholars — aided 46 schools of 13,606 scholars — circulated, &c, 62,156 Bibles and Testaments, &c., and spent £11,638 in Missions. From its commencement in 1834, no less than £500,000 have been spent in the institution, and £104,697 in Missionary enterprise. See " Narrative of Facts,"by Oreo. Miiller ; also The Evangelist, July Ist, 1872, p. 229, by Dr Copland. I think 1 have already disproved, by past history and present facts, Mr Carden's opinion that the " distribution and unrestricted perusal of the Bible, without note or comment, among all classes and conditions" "is the principal cause of the fanaticism, blasphemy, and infidelity which have disgraced the world since (?) the Beformation." Still the great question is, — What saith the Lord? "How readest thou ?" (Luke x. 26.) Christ's command was, " Search the scriptvres." John v. 39 To whom spoken ? To that mixed multitude oi all classes and conditions who crowded to hear him. Noble were the Bereans, because " they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily whether these things were co." Acts xvii. 11. Deuteronomy vL 7, andii. 19, prove the place which the Scriptures were to hold in Israel. The teaching of them was to be a Iwme duty ; co that Israel's sons might be instructed from childhood, not in man's emendations and comments thereon, but in the very words of God. They were to be household treasures, family heirlooms, handed down from father to son. Their place in the Jewish worship, in the Lord's time, is also plainly shown in Luke iv,l6 and 17. They were publicly read in the synagogues every Sabbath, and commented on ; frequently even by those not in the priesthood. The ancient Jewish chronicles likewise prove that when the Scriptures lost their proper place in the nation, it fell into idolatry and degradation ; and the revivals under Joash, Nehemiah, &c., likewise prove that its entrance waß life and light to the people. Bead 2 .Kings xxiii. 2, Neh. viii. 1, 2. 3, kc. Mr Carden's remarks about the New Testament Scriptures being given piecemeal, and only collected and arranged at the latter end of the fourth century, &c, have no force. r J he New Testament Scriptures, having been written by inspired men, — men owned of God by mighty acts, (Heb. ii. 4) and having been long acknowledged in the Church as His Word, needed not the subsequent sanction of the Church, and could gain nothing in autho rity when the Scripture canon was afterwards collected and arranged in its present form. Catalogues of these books were published at a very early period, by most of the distinguished Fathers whose writings have come down to us. Shortly after the middle of the 4th century, we have the testimony of all the Bishops of the council of Xaodicea (which was not an (Ecumenical council), to the canonical books of the New Testament, excepting the Bevelationg. The council of Carthage (not an (Ecumenical council), likewise furnished a catalogue, perfectly agreeing with the present one. " The sac-red volume was as accurately formed, and as clearly distinguished from other books in the 3rd, 4th, and sth centuries as it has ever been since." — Dr Alexander on the Canon, p. 117. The sort of evidence which proves them to be genuine works of the inspired authors, is the same in kind, only vastly stronger in degree, as that which proves that " Caesar's Commentaries" were really written by him. When the Pharisees of old added to the simple Word of G-od their Targums (interpretations) • and traditions, Christ's decisive rebuke was : " Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own traditions " Mark vii. 7, 9- Well may we apply Christ's rebuke to apostate Borne, when she cries "the Church (i c., her traditions) and the Eible conjointly are the rule of faith ;" setting what she calls "the church" above the Word of God. 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, proves that the Scriptures, and the Scriptures only, are the rule of faith ; " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Mr ©anieir regards the Bißle as the rule of faith, not from any credible evidence it affords that it is the Word of God, but mainly because the eh urch has pronounced it to be so ; for he says " Neither 18 there from Gfenesia to Bevelation any satisfactory evidence of its inspiration." He reminds me ot the wi*e man, who, having climbed a tree, sawed off the branch which supported him. By questioning the satisfactory evidence of Scripture inspiration, he cuts away the only support on which the alleged authority of his church rests. If the Scriptures contain no satisfactory evidence of their inspiration, then there is no satisfactory evidence for Mb church. If the Scriptures are not divine, the authority of his church cannot be divine ; it is human and worthless. If the Scriptures be not divine, our faith is vain ; we are yet in our sins, without God and without hope in the world. If, however, the Bible be, what it professes to be, the Word of Sod, woe to that church which sets its authority against God's commandments ! Protestants believe that " all Scripture is given by inspiration of God," and that there are abundant and satisfactory evidences —internal as well as external — that they are so. Their inspiration is too wide a field to enter uj^on in this letter — I would refer inquirers to the following standard works on the subject : " Paley's Evidences," "Hot® Paulinas," and "Lardner." Coloa. ii. 16, and 1 Cor. xvi. 2, and other Scriptures answer Mr Carden's question about the Sabbath and the Lord's day. Many Protestants consider all swearing wrong, others coneider that the context shows that Christ ■ forbade profane swearing only, for otherwise the Apostle Paul himself was wrong in using ...the-form of a solemn oath, in 2 Cor. i. 23, which is the character of a judicial oath. As to infant baptism, whilst most Protestant* consider that, though not commanded, it is legitimately inferred from Scripture, many, myself amongst themjjregard Tt as unscriptural, and reject it as a figment of Popery. ""

However much Protestant churches may differ in minor points, their all agree m regarding the Bible as the sole rule of faith. They protest I against the Church of Rome, because, amongst many oth«r errors, she by her traditions makes | void'ttie Word of God ; substituting penance for " repentance towards God." righteousness br works for" justification by fait!)." the mention of ?ninf for that of thfl one mediator, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. ii. 5), &c. To maintain lier . false doctrines, she if possible withholds the Bible from her people, and when through Protestant efforts this becomes no longer poseible or advisable, she gives them a perverted version. For example : the " Douay Version" in Acts ii. 33, renderß the Greek word " metanoesate" by "Do penance." To render the verb " metanoeo" thus in any classic author would be an absurdity — to render it thus in Scripture is an utter and wilful perversion of the original. The Greek word " metanoeo" simply means, to change one's mmd — to come to a conviction afterwards, as opposed to " pronoeo," which signifies to see lefore-h&nd) , Epich. p. 82, TA<\del& Scott' # Greek Dictionary, p. 872. It signifies a state of being 'or mind— not of doing. In the Sept. it generally answers to Heb. " Naghin," to grieve. Nor is I the Douay version consistent ; r or the same Greek word which is falsely rendered in Matt. iii. 2, Acts ii. 28, and other passages, by " Do penance," is rightly rendered in Mark i. 15, " Kepent," and Acts iii. 19, " Be penitent," &c. I would not deny that the Englsh anthorised version contains many passages which might be I more correctly rendered. It is not, however, a corrupted version, and those errors nowhere affect vital truths. Several amended versions by learned and pious men (Dean Alford, and others), have been published from time to time with a view to remedy these defects, and a revised version is even now being prepared in England by learned scholars, which we may confidently hope shall, with God's blecsing, give us as correct a transcript of the original into our mother-tongue as human efforts may attain. Th •■ Scriptures aro the Word of God. In them we have eternal life, for in them we have God's record concerning His Son. 1 John v. 11. Let us write their words upon our hearts, and teach them diligently unto our children. May they long be the light and joy of our land, and the blessing of many countries. I would only remind my readers, whether Protestant or Catholic, that the light in which we regard the Bible is no mere question between Church and Church, but between each individual and that holy, gracious, loving God who has been pleased to reveal unto us in tke Scriptures Sis way of life and peace. — Yours &c, tiAMtrEL J. Deck.