A man says that he has lately been under 'disastrous influences.'
Literally, the words disastrous influences mean the influences of
unfriendly stars. But there are no unfriendly stars. Then why does he
use such an expression? Because, though it does not now in its current
meaning refer to the stars at all, it means calamitous, unfavorable,
influences. I do not believe that the sun like a strong man runs a race:
I believe its motion is only apparent,--that the _real_ motion is in the
earth. But do I therefore question the divine inspiration of the Bible
which uses that expression? Not at all; for the words are substantially
true. And so in a hundred other cases.
And so in passages of other kinds. It does not matter to me whether the
account of creation in Genesis answers literally to the real processes
revealed by Geology, or whether the account of the flood answers exactly
to past facts. Both accounts are perfect as lessons of divine truth and
duty, and that is enough.
Those who undertake to prove that every passage of the Bible is
literally true, must fail. If they _were_ all literally true, they would
never have done. There are more difficult passages, and more apparent
little contradictions, than any man could go through in a life-time.
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