On the answer to this question must depend our confidence in Scripture.
Some excellent men tell us it is infallible in so far as divine truth is
involved. But I freely confess that this does not satisfy my own mind.
I do not like that limitation. I am prepared to receive the whole book
as invested with infallible accuracy from God Himself, and in taking this
view of the subject, I feel the great satisfaction of believing that I am
in harmony with the mind of St. Paul, St. Peter, and our great Head
Himself.
For St. Paul’s mind, I would refer to his words in Acts, xxviii. 25, and
Heb. x. 15. In the Acts he is quoting from Isaiah, and says, ‘Well spake
the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet,’ and in the Hebrews he is quoting
from the prophet Jeremiah; but instead of saying, ‘whereof Jeremiah is a
witness to us,’ he says, without mentioning Jeremiah, ‘Whereof the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us,’ taking the word, as it were, out of the
hands of fallible man, and placing it in those of the infallible Spirit.
These passages place inspiration on an equal footing with direct
communication. But if inspired writings were spoken of as the actual
words of the Holy Ghost just as much as if they had been direct
communications; if inspiration was of such a character as to render the
words the words of the Spirit Himself, can we believe that those words
were capable of error?
For St. Peter’s testimony, I would refer to his language in 2 Pet. i. 19,
in the context of which passage he is assuring his hearers that he had
not followed cunningly devised fables. And now mark the threefold
evidence which he produces. First, there is vision, ‘We were
eye-witnesses of his majesty.’ Secondly, there is hearing, ‘The voice
from heaven we heard.’ But lastly, there is an evidence more clear, more
true, more trustworthy, than either the sight of his own eyes, or the
hearing of his own ears. That evidence is Scripture. ‘We have also a
more sure word of prophecy.’
For the testimony of our Lord Himself, refer to two passages, the one
referring to a nice point in a quotation from the Psalms, John, x. 35;
the other to the whole word in its sanctifying power, John, xvii. 17.
Now what is His language? In the one, ‘The scripture cannot be broken.’
In the other, ‘Thy word is truth.’
With these statements of our blessed Lord, I am content to leave this
portion of our subject. In these words of Scripture, I believe that God
Himself has spoken to man, and therefore in the midst of all the world’s
disappointments, and in all the failures of even the Church of God, we
have here that on which the soul may calmly, peacefully, and fearlessly
repose. And whether we look at history or prediction, at promises or
judgments, at prophecies understood by those who uttered them, or
language veiled in mystery until the divine purpose is developed in
history, we receive the whole as inviolable truth, for all has the stamp
of the Spirit Himself, and all is given by inspiration of God. We
receive it, we honour it, we submit to it, we acknowledge its divine
authority, and welcome with heartfelt thanksgiving its infallible
promises. Yes, we receive it not merely with the deepest conviction of
our most deliberate judgment: but we welcome it to our soul with all the
deep feelings of a thankful heart, and say with the inspired Psalmist,
‘Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it.’