And the Scriptures do _not_ come up to the
doctrine of inspiration held by many. It is impossible they should. _No_
book written in human language _can_ come up to it. What they say an
inspired book _must_ be, no book on earth ever was, and no book ever
will be. And infidels see it, and are confirmed in their infidelity. And
others see it and become infidels. And Christians argue with them and
are overcome. And others are perplexed and bewildered, and obliged to
close their eyes to facts, and though they cling to their belief, they
are troubled with fears and misgivings as long as they live.
If men would be strong in the faith, and strong in its defence, they
should accept nothing as part of their creed but what is strictly true.
There are passages which speak of the sun smiting men by day, and there
is one at least which speaks of the moon smiting men by night, and both,
for any thing I know, may be literally true. But suppose it were proved
that neither the sun nor the moon ever smites men, would my faith in
Christianity, or in the divine inspiration of the Bible, be shaken
thereby? Not at all. Nor would it destroy or weaken the effect of the
passages on my mind in which those allusions to the sun and moon occur.
I should still believe in the substantial truth of the passages, namely,
that, day and night, the good man is secure under the protection of God.
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