a study of bible-第23章

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　been　possible　to　forget　it。　Marked　advance　in　all　American　cities；　in　legislation　and　life；　goes　straight　back　to　it。　Name　one　other　book　still　in　the　field　of　social　service；　even　so　unpleasant；　so　terrible；　so　obnoxious　a　book　as　Upton　Sinclair's　The　Jungle。　It　started　and　sustained　movements　which　have　unsettled　business　and　political　life　ever　since　it　appeared。　It　made　some　conditions　vivid；　unescapable。

Do　not　misunderstand　the　argument。　No　man　can　tell　what　will　be　said　in　the　histories　a　century　from　now　about　these　lesser　books。　We　can　never　go　beyond　guesses　as　to　the　whole　cause　of　any　chain　of　events。＇1＇　As　time　passes；　incidental　elements　in　the　causes　gradually　sink　out　of　sight　and　a　few　great　forces　take　the　whole　horizon。　Whatever　the　histories　a　century　from　now　say　about　the　relative　place　of　such　books　as　we　have　named；　it　is　certain　that　they　have　influenced　the　movements　mightily。　The　literary　histories　will　say　nothing　at　all　about　them。　They　are　not　great　literature；　but　they　were　born　of　a　passion　of　the　times　and　voiced　and　aroused　it　anew。


＇1＇　MacPhail；　Essays　on　Puritanism；　p。　278。


When；　therefore；　it　is　urged　that　the　English　Bible　has　influenced　history；　it　is　not　making　an　undue　claim　for　it。　When　it　is　further　urged　that　of　all　books　in　English　literature　it　has　been　most　influential；　it　has　most　made　history；　it　has　most　determined　great　movements；　the　argument　only　claims　for　it　the　highest　place　among　books。

And　it　would　not　be　surprising　if　it　should　have　such　influence。　It　is　the　one　great　piece　of　English　literature　which　is　universal　property。　Since　the　day　it　was　published　it　has　been　kept　available　for　everybody。　No　other　book　has　ever　had　its　chance。　English…speaking　people　have　always　been　essentially　religious。　They　have　always　had　a　profound　regard　for　the　terms；　the　institutions；　the　purposes　of　religion。　Partly　that　has　been　maintained　by　the　Bible；　but　the　Bible　in　its　turn　has　been　maintained　by　it。　So　it　has　come　about　that　English…speaking　people；　though　they　have　many　books；　are　essentially　people　of　one　Book。　Wherever　they　are；　the　Bible　is。　Queen　Victoria　has　it　near　by　when　the　messenger　from　the　Orient　appears；　and　lays　her　hand　upon　it　to　say　that　this　is　the　foundation　of　the　prosperity　of　England。　But　the　poor　housewife　in　the　cottage；　with　only　a　crust　for　food；　stays　her　soul　with　it。　The　Puritan　creeps　into　hiding　with　the　Book；　while　his　brother　sails　away　to　the　new　land　with　the　Book。　The　settler　may　have　his　Shakespeare；　he　will　surely　have　his　Bible。　As　the　long　wagon…train　creeps　across　the　plain　to　seek　the　Western　shore；　there　may　be　no　other　book　in　all　the　train；　but　the　Bible　will　be　there。　Find　any　settlement　of　men　who　speak　the　English　tongue；　wherever　they　make　their　home；　and　the　Bible　is　among　them。　When　did　any　book　have　such　a　chance　to　influence　men？　It　is　the　one　undisturbed　heritage　of　all　who　speak　the　English　tongue。　It　binds　the　daughter　and　the　mother　country　together；　and　gathers　into　the　same　bond　the　scattered　remnants　of　the　English…speaking　race　the　world　around。　Its　language　is　the　one　speech　they　all　understand。　Strange　it　would　be　if　it　had　not　a　profound　influence　upon　history！

Another　fact　that　has　helped　to　give　the　Bible　its　great　influence　is　the　power　of　the　preaching　it　has　inspired。　The　periods　of　greatest　preaching　have　always　been　the　periods　of　freest　access　to　the　Bible。　No　one　can　overlook　the　immense　power　of　the　sermons　of　history。　There　have　been　poor；　inept；　banal　expositors；　doubtless；　but　even　they　turned　men's　minds　to　the　Bible。　Reading　the　Bible　makes　men　thinkers；　and　so　makes　preachers　inevitably。　Witness　the　Scotch。　James　was　raised　in　Scotland　and　believed　in　the　power　of　preaching。　At　one　time　he　wanted　to　settle　endowments　for　the　maintenance　of　preaching　under　government　control。　But　Archbishop　Whitgift　convinced　him　that　much　preaching　was　〃an　innovation　and　dangerous；〃　since　it　is　quite　impossible　to　control　a　man's　mouth　once　it　is　given　a　public　chance。　Under　Charles　I。　the　sermon　was　mighty　in　the　service　of　the　Puritans　until　it　was　suppressed　or　restricted。　Then　men　became　lecturers　and　expounded　the　Bible　or　taught　religious　truth　in　public　or　private。　Rich　men　engaged　private　chaplains　since　public　meetings　could　not　be　held。　Somehow　they　taught　the　Bible　still。　Archbishop　Laud　forbade　both。　Yet　the　leaven　worked　the　more　for　its　restriction。　At　least　one　good　cook　I　know　says　that　if　you　want　your　dough　to　rise　and　the　yeast　to　work；　you　must　cover　it。　Laud　did　not　want　it　to　rise；　but　he　made　the　mistake　of　covering　it。

There　has　never　been　a　book　which　has　provoked　such　incessant　preaching　and　discussion　as　has　the　Bible。　The　believers　in　the　Koran　teach　it　as　it　is；　word　for　word。　Believers　in　the　Bible　have　never　stopped　with　that。　They　have　always　tried　to　come　together　and　hear　it　expounded。　Such　gatherings　and　such　constant　pressure　of　the　Book　on　groups　of　hearers　would　inevitably　give　the　Bible　great　influence。　When　it　is　remembered　that　in　America　alone　there　are　each　week　approximately　four　hundred　thousand　gatherings　of　people　which　have　for　their　avowed　purpose　instruction　or　inspiration　in　religion；　and　that　the　instruction　and　inspiration　are　professedly　and　openly　drawn　from　the　Bible；　that　more　than　three　hundred　thousand　sermons　are　preached　every　week　from　it　and　passages　of　it　read　in　all　the　gatherings；　it　appears　that　the　Bible　had　and　still　has　such　a　chance　to　influence　life　as　no　other　book　has　had。　President　Schurman　traces　a　large　part　of　our　own　stronger　American　life　to　the　educative　power　of　our　Sundays。　But　central　in　the　education　of　those　days　is　now；　and　has　been　from　the　first　of　our　national　history；　the　English　Bible。

The　influence　of　the　Bible　comes　also　from　the　fact　that　it　makes　its　chief　appeal　to　the　deeper　elements　in　life。　〃Human　history　in　its　real　character　is　not　an　account　of　kings　and　of　wars；　it　is　the　unfolding　of　the　moral；　the　political；　the　artistic；　the　social；　and　the　spiritual　progress　of　the　human　family。　The　time　will　yet　come　when　the　names　of　dynasties　and　of　battles　shall　not　form　the　titles　of　its　chapters。　The　truths　revealed　in　the　Bible　have　been　the　touchstone　which　has　tried　men's　spirits。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　H。　B。　Smith；　Faith　and　Philosophy；　p。　54。


Those　words　go　to　the　heart　of　the　fact。　The　influence　of　the　English　Bible　on　English…　speaking　history　for　the　last　three　hundred　years　is　only　the　influence　of　its　fundamental　truths。　It　has　moved　with　tremendous　impact　on　the　wills　of　men。　It　has　made　the　great　human　ideals　clear　and　definite；　it　has　made　them　beautiful　and　attractive；　but　that　has　not　been　enough。　It　has　reached　also　the　springs　of　action。　It　has　given　men　a　sense　of　need　and　also　a　sense　of　strength；　a　sense　of　outrage　and　a　sense　of　power　to　correct　the　wrong。　There　it　has　differed　from　most　books。　Frederick　Robertson　said　that　he　read　only　books　with　iron　in　them；　and；　as　he　read；　their　atoms　of　iron　entered　the　blood；　and　it　ran　more　red　for　them。　There　is　iron　in　this　Book；　and　it　has　entered　the　blood　of　the　human　race。　Where　it　has　entered　most　freely；　the　red　has　deepened；　and　nowhere　has　it　deepened　more　than　in　our　English…speaking　races。　The　iron　of　our　blood　is　from　this　King　James　version。

Bismarck　explained　the　victories　of　the　Germans　over　the　French　by　the　fact　that　from　childhood　the　Germans　had　been　trained　in　the　sense　of　duty；　as　the　French　had　not　been　trained；　and　as　soldiers　had　learned　to　feel　that　nothing　could　escape　the　Eye　which　ever　watched　their　course。　They　learned　that；　Bismarck　said；　from　the　religion　which　they　had　been　taught。　There　is　no　mistaking　the　power　of　religion　in　rousing　and　sharpening　the　sense　of　duty。　Webster　spoke　for　the　English…speaking　races；　and　found　his　phrases　in　the　Bible；　when　he　said　that　this　sense　〃pursues　us　ever。　It　is　omnipresent　like　the　Deity。　If　we　take　to　ourselves　the　wings　of　the　morning　and　dwell　in　the　uttermost　parts　of　the　sea；　duty　performed　or　duty　violated　is　still　with　us　for　our　happiness　or　our　misery。　If　we　say　the　darkness　shall　cover　us；　in　the　darkness　as　in　the　light　our　obligations　are　yet　with　us。　We　cannot　escape　from　their　power　or　fly　from　their　presence。〃　It　is　religion　which　makes　that　sense　of　duty　keen；　and；　whatever　religion　has　done　among　English…speaking　races；　the　English　Bible　has　done；　for　it　has　been　the　text…book　and　the　final　authority　of　those　races　in　the　moving　things　of　their　faith。

It　would　be　easiest　in　making　the　argument　to　single　out　here　and　there　the　striking　events　in　which　the　Bible　has　figured　and　let　them　stand　for　the　whole。　There　are　many　such　events；　and　they　are　attractive。

We　can　imagine　ourselves　standing　on　the　shore　at　Dover　in　1660；　fifty　years　after　the　version　was　issued；　waiting　with　the　crowd　to　see　the　banished　King　return。　The　civil　war　is　over；　the　protectorate　under　Cromwell　is　past。　Charles　II。；　thick…lipped；　sensuous；　〃seeming　to　belong　rather　to　southern　Europe　than　to　Puritan　England；〃　is　about　to　land　from　France；　whence　the　people；　wearied　with　Puritan　excesses；　have　called　him　back。　There　is　a　great　crowd；　but　they　do　not　cheer　wildly。　There　is　something　serious　on　hand。　They　mean　to　welcome　the　King；　but　it　is　on　condition。　Their　first　act　is　when　the　Mayor　of　Dover　places　in　his　hands　a　copy　of　the　English　Bible；　which　the　King　declares　he　loves　above　all　things　in　the　world。　It　proves　only　a　sorry　jest；　but　the　English　people　think　it　is　meant　for　truth；　and　they　go　to　their　homes　rejoicing。　They　rejoiced　too　soon；　for　this　is　that　utterly　faithless　king　for　whom　his　witty　courtier　proposed　an　epitaph：

　〃Here　lies　our　sovereign　lord；　the　king；　　　　　　Whose　word　no　man　relies　on；　　Who　never　said　a　foolish　thing；　　　　　　And　never　did　a　wise　one。〃＇1＇


＇1＇　White；　in　his　History　of　England；　says　that　Charles　replied　that　the　explanation　was　easy：　His　discourses　were　his　own；　his　actions　were　his　ministry's！

As　at　other　times；　the　King　was　only　talking　with　no　meaning；　but　the　people　did　not　know　him　yet。　They　had　made　their　Bible　the　great　test　of　their　liberties：　will　a　king　stand　by　that　or　will　he　not？　If　he　will　not；　let　him　remember　Charles　the　First！　And　from　that　day　no　English　king；　no　American　leader；　has　ever　successfully　restricted　English…speaking　people　from　free　access　to　their　great　Book。　It　has　become　a　banner　of　their　liberties。　The　child　was　wiser　than　he　knew　when　he　was　asked　what　lesson　we　may　learn　from　Charles　I。；　and　replied　that　we　may　learn　that　a　man　should　not　lose　his　head　in　times　of　excitement。　Charles　lost　his　head　long　before　he　laid　it　on　the　block。

Besides　the　scene　at　Dover；　we　may　watch　that　great　emigration　of　the　Scotch…Irish　from　Ulster；　beginning　in　1689；　seventy　years　after　the　Puritan　exodus　and　eighty　years　after　the　version　was　issued；　which　peopled　the　backwoods　of　America　with　a　choice；　strong　population。　They　were　only　following　the　right　to　worship　freely；　the　right　to　their　Bible　without　chains　on　its　lids　or　on　the　lips　of　its　preachers。　They　were　making　no　protest　against　Romanism　nor　against　Anglicanism　in　themselves。　They　only　claimed　the　right　to　worship　as　they　would。　Under　William　and　Mary；　aft