Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/60

 54 The Plan of the Ages.

ii ; Exod. 26 : 30; Lev. i : i.) In view of his general character, and his commands to the people not to bear false witness, and to avoid hypocrisy and lying, is it reasonable to suppose that such a man bore false witness and palmed off his own views and laws for those of God ? It should be remembered also that we are examining the pr^ent copies of the Bible, and that therefore the integrity for which it is so marked applies equally to the successors of Moses; for though bad men were among those successors, who did seek their own and not the people's good, it is evident that they did not tamper with the Sacred Writings, which are pure to this day,

THE PROPHETS OF THE B1DLE. Glance now at the general character of the prophets of the Bible and their testimonies. A rather remarkable fact is that the prophets, with few exceptions, were not of the priestly class ; and that in their day their prophecies were generally repugnant to the degenerating and time-serving priesthood, as well as to the idolatrously inclined people. The burden of their messages from God to the people was generally reproof for sin, coupled with warnings of coming punishments, intertwined with which \ve find occasional promises of future blessings, after they should be cleansed from sin and should return to favor with the Lord. Their experiences, for the most part, were far from enviable : they were generally reviled, many of them being imprisoned and put to violent deaths. See i Kings 18 : 4, xo, 17* J* 19 : to; Jer. 38 : 6; Heb. 11 : 32-38. In some instance* it was years after their death before their true character as God's prophets was recognized. But we speak thus of the prophetic writers whose utterances claim to Ixs the direft inspiration of Jehovah. It is well in this connection that we should remember that in the giving of the law to Israel there was no priestly intervention : it waa given by God

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