Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/17

 Joy in the Morning* ix

Scripture, in such a manner that, so far as possible, purely human judgment may try its squares and angles by the most exacting rules of justice which it can command.

Believing that the Scriptures reveal a consistent and har- monious plan, which, when seen, must commend itself to every sanctified conscience, this work is published in the hope of assisting students of the Word of God, by suggest- ing lines of thought which harmonize with each other and with the inspired Word. Those who recognize the Bible as the revelation of God's plan and such we specially ad- dress will doubtless agree that, if inspired of God, its teach- ings must, when taken as a whole, reveal a plan harmonious and consistent with itself, and with the character of its Divine Author. Our object as truth-seekers should be to obtain the complete, harmonious whole of God's revealed plan ; and this, as God's children, we have reason to expert, since it is promised that the spirit of truth shall guide us into all truth. John 16:13.

As inquirers, we have two methods open to us. One is to seek among all the views suggested by the various sects of the church, and to take from each that element which we might consider truth an endless task. A difficulty which we should meet by this method would be, that if our judg- ment were warped and twisted, or our prejudices bent in any direct ion^ and whose are not? these difficulties would prevent our correct selection, and we might choose the er- ror and reject the truth. Again, if we should adopt this as our method we should lose much, because the truth is pro- gressive, shining more and more unto the perfect day, to those who search for it and walk in the light of it, while the various creeds of the various sects are fixed and station- ary, and were made so centuries ago. And each of them must contain a large proportion of error, since each in some important respects contradicts the others. This method

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