This is divine order. It is, we are bold to say, one of the ten thousand illustrations which lie scattered over the surface of Scripture, tending to demonstrate the divine perfectness of the volume as a whole, and of each book, section, and paragraph therein. And we are glad—intensely glad to point out these precious illustrations to our reader, as we pass along in his company. We consider we are doing him good service herein; and, at the same time, presenting our humble tribute of praise to that book which our Father has graciously penned for us. Well indeed we know it does not need our poor testimony, nor that of any mortal pen or mortal tongue; but still it is our joy to render the testimony, in the face of the enemy’s manifold but futile attacks upon its inspiration. The true source and character of all such attacks will become more and more manifest as we become more deeply, livingly, and experimentally acquainted with the infinite depths and divine perfections of the Volume. And hence it is that the internal evidences of holy Scripture—its powerful effect upon _ourselves_, no less than its intrinsic moral glories—its ability to judge the very roots of character and conduct, no less than its admirable structure, in all its parts—are the most powerful arguments in defense of its divinity. A book that exposes me to myself—that tells me all that is in my heart—that lays bare the very deepest moral springs of my nature—that judges me thoroughly, and at the same time reveals to me One who meets my every need—such a book carries its own credentials with it. It craves not and needs not letters of commendation from man. It stands in no need of his favor, in no dread of his wrath. It has often occurred to us that were we to reason about the Bible as the woman of Sychar reasoned about our Lord, we should reach as sound a conclusion about _it_ as she reached about _Him_. “Come,” said this simple and happy reasoner, “see a Man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” May we not, with equal force of reasoning, say, Come, see a book which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Word of God? Yes, truly; and not only so, but we may argue, _a fortiori_, inasmuch as the book of God not only tell us all that ever we did, but all we think, and all we say, and all we are. (See Rom. iii. 10-18; Matt. xv. 19.)
But is it that we despise external evidences? Far from it. We delight in them. We value every argument and every evidence calculated to strengthen the foundations of the heart’s confidence in the divine inspiration of holy Scripture; and most assuredly we have abundance of such material. The very history of the book itself, with all its striking facts, furnishes a broad tributary stream to swell the tide of evidence. The history of its composition, the history of its preservation, the history of its translation from tongue to tongue, the history of its circulation throughout earth’s wide domain—in a word, its entire history, “surpassing fable, and yet true,” forms a powerful argument in defense of its divine origin. Take, for example, that one fact of most commanding interest, namely, its having been kept for over a thousand years, in the custody of those who would have gladly consigned it, if they could, to eternal oblivion. Is not this a telling fact? Yes; and there are many such facts in the marvelous history of this peerless, priceless Volume.
But after allowing as wide a margin as may be desired, in the which to insert the value of external evidences, we return, with unshaken decision, to our statement, that the internal evidences—the proofs to be gleaned from the book itself—form as powerful a defense as can be erected with which to stem the tide of skeptical and infidel opposition.
We shall not, however, pursue any further this line of thought into which we have been led, while contemplating the remarkable position assigned to the golden candlestick in the book of Numbers. We felt constrained to say thus much in testimony to our most precious Bible, and having said it, we shall return to our chapter, and seek to gather up the instruction contained in its opening paragraph.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.’” Those “seven lamps” express the light of the Spirit in testimony. They were connected with the beaten shaft of the candlestick, which typifies Christ, who, in His Person and work, is the foundation of the Spirit’s work in the Church. All depends upon Christ. Every ray of light in the Church, in the individual believer, or in Israel by and by, all flows from Christ.