i. The stories of the Fall and of the Flood, the grandest human traditions founded on a true horror of sin.
» J. Hamilton, jrurks, ii. 30.
PSALM cxix. 105 15
ii. The story of the Patriarchs, of which the effective truth is visible to this day in the polity of the Jewish and Arab races.
iii. The story of Moses, with the results of that tradition in the moral law of all the civilized world.
iv. The story of the Kings — virtually that of all Kinghood, in David, and of all Philosophy, in Solomon : culminating in the Psalms and Proverbs, with the still more close and practical wisdom of Ecclesiasticus and the Son of Sirach.
V. The story of the Prophets — virtually that of the deepest mystery, tragedy, and permanent fate, of national existence.
vi. The story of Christ.
vii. The moral law of St. John, and his closing Apocalypse of its fulfilment.
Think if you can match that table of contents in any other — I do not say "book" but "literature." Think, so far as it is possible for any of us — either adversary or defender of the faith — to extricate his intelligence from the habit and the association of moral sentiment based upon the Bible, what literature could have taken its place, or fulfilled its function, though every library in the world had remained, unravaged, and every teacher's truest words had been written down.^
^ No metal can compare with gold, which is of small volume, and of even quality, and easy of transport, and readily guarded, and steady in value, and divisible without loss — besides being beautiful, brilliant, and durable almost to eternity. This is why all civilized nations have adopted it as the standard by which they measure the value of every other kind of merchandise. We habitually think and speak of wealth in terms of gold. Naturally, the name of this standard metal comes to be used as a symbol or metaphor to stand for whatever we prize as most precious of its kind. There is a special sense in which the Bible deserves to be called more golden than gold, because it remains the supreme standard for the Christian Church, by comparison with which we measure and test all spiritual values. " The Bible," said New- man, " is the record of the whole revealed faith ; so far all parties agree." It is the one book which preserves for us all that we certainly know about the life and words and character of Christ Himself. The teaching of the great Eeformers on this matter has been summed up by a profound modern scholar, whose ver- dict we may venture to quote : " If I am asked why I receive Scripture as the Word of God and as the only perfect rule of faith and life, I answer with all the Fathers of the Protestant
^ Ruskin, Our Fathers Have Told Us, chap, iji, § 37.
i6 THE LIGHT OF GOD'S WORD
Church, Because the Bible is the only record of the redeeming love of God, because in the Bible alone I iind God drawing near to man in Christ Jesus, and declaring to us in Him His will for our salvation. And this record I know to be true by the witness of His Spirit in my heart, whereby I am assured that none other than God Himself is able to speak such words to my soul." '
^ T. H. Darlow, More Golden than Gold, 9.
The Opening of God's Word.
PS. CXIX.-SONG OF SOL. — 2
Literature.
Ellis (J.), Sermons in a Nutshell, 96.
Hind (T.), The Treasures of the Snow, 111.
Ker (J.), Sermons, ii. 186.
Stowell (H.), Sermons, 158.
Swing (D.), Truths for To-day, ii. 161.
Thomas (J.), Concerning the King, 50.
Children's Pulpit : Second Sunday in Advent, i. 136 (G. H. James).
Christian World Pulpit, xiv. 56 (F. W. Aveling) ; Ixviii. 28 (A.
Macarthur). Churchman's Pulpit : Second Sunday in Advent, i. 403 (S. 0. Benton). Eomiletic Review, xviii. 191.
The Opening of God's Word.
The opening of thy words giveth light ;
It giveth understanding unto the simple.— Ps. cxix. 130.
1. The section of the psalm in which the text occurs is a gem of spiritual beauty. In verse after verse we are led through the deep places of religious faith and love, and the Psalmist guides our feet like one conversant with the holiest secrets of the spiritual pilgrim's way. His thoughts are perennial, and his words sound like the utterance of a believing soul here and now in this present generation.
" God's word is wonderful, mysterious." It holds a great mystery which is an offence to the pretentious intellectualism of the wise, but in this very wonderfulness the obedient soul finds rest. Through obedience comes fuller knowledge. " God's word opens." And fuller knowledge creates fuller trust and devotion. For "the light grows with the opening of the word," and in itl^ there is no darkness at all. New light produces new longing, at/ more eager "panting" of the spirit for the word of God. The longing for God's word quickly reveals itself as a longing for God Himself, a hungering for His mercy and love. In the vision \y of God's face the desire for purity of life is intensified and the soul pleads for deliverance from the "dominion of iniquity." Then the man rises into full consciousness of his privilege as one of God's freemen, whom no power shall enslave and no fetters shall bind. "The oppression of man shall not hold him in bondage." And so he stands in the gladness of spiritual strength while God's face "shines upon him" like the sun from heaven. Living in God's light, his heart, like God's, becomes full of com- passion for a sinful world. As the Son of God in later days wept for the sins and woes of Jerusalem, so this ancient Psalmist says : " Mine eyes run down with rivers of water, because they observe