We find the remarkable admission in the Christian Bible, that the moral
guide adopted by infidels is superior to that book which Christians
have adopted for a guide. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, says, "The
Gentiles, who have not the Bible, do by nature the things contained in
the Bible." An astonishing Bible concession, truly! He, however, uses
the word "law" for Bible; but commentators tell us the law is contained
in the Bible, and some writers make "law" and "Bible" synonymous terms.
We therefore give the sense more fully by rendering it "Bible"
instead of "law." It is here admitted by Paul, that the great Bible of
Nature, written upon man's consciousness, and inscribed upon every thing
around him, which is the infidels' Bible and revelation, is superior to
any printed Bible. If man learns by nature the moral lessons taught
by the Bible or moral law (that is by nature's laws, as learned by
observation and experience, which is the infidel's sole reliance for
learning the great lessons and duties of life), then this _natural_
revelation, which Paul commends so highly, is superior to any _written_
preprinted revelation. If, as Paul teaches, the ignorant, illiterate
Gentile can learn by this _revelation_ of nature, or _law_ of nature,
the duties of life, the great truths of salvation, and the right road to
heaven, then it must be greatly superior to the Christians' Bible. For
it is admitted by Christians themselves (foreign missionaries), that,
with all the aid that priests and commentators can render, there is a
considerable portion of their Bible which the heathen can not learn or
be made to understand. But not so, according to Paul, with God's natural
Bible, and the revelation inscribed on man's moral nature, and
learned by the exercise of his common sense, natural judgment, and the
experience of mankind in general. Hence we have a Bible which is not
only easily read and easily understood by even the unlettered heathen,
but a Bible which possesses many advantages over all printed Bibles,
some of which I will mention. In the first place, it is a Bible always
open. It can not be kept closed under lock and key, as the Christian
Bible has been in past ages. Second, It is a Bible that needs no
translation in any language; for it is already written in the languages
all the nations of the earth. Third, It is a Bible, thank God! that all,
whether high or low, learned or unlearned, can read and understand.
Its glorious truths are easily read; for they are plainly and legibly
inscribed upon every leaf and page of the soul of every human being.
Fourth, Hence this revelation needs no priest to expound it, and no
church to unravel its mysteries, by voluminous commentaries. Sixth, No
concordance is needed to enable its readers to find its golden gems,
which glitter and sparkle upon every page. They are what the Quakers
call "the light within." Seventh, Neither moths nor mice can destroy
this glorious Bible. Fire can not consume it, nor water wash it away.
It is imperishable and eternal. It is a Bible into which no errors
have ever crept, either by printers, transcribers, or translators. And
(soul-cheering thought!) it is a Bible which contains all the important
doctrines, principles, and precepts which can be found in any perishable
paper-and-ink Bible, and all the grand truths that God ever vouchsafed
to man. They can all be found in this golden-leaved Bible, this eternal,
soul-saving revelation of God.
Jesus refers to this natural Bible, or revelation, again when he say's,
"Know ye not of yourselves what is right? "--that is, by the Bible
planted in your own souls, the revelation stereotyped upon your own
moral sense or moral nature. Hence the virtual acknowledgment by Jesus
(who is Bible authority), that there is no necessity of running to any
printed or paste-board Bible to learn the truths of the gospel or the
duties of life; for he teaches the important lesson that we may learn
them in our own inward selves. We can "know of ourselves what is right."
And there are other texts which admit that God's first revelation, and
his last and only revelation, to the human race, is far superior to that
of any books of human origin; and which admit that this glorious
revelation can not be found In the Christian Bible, or any other
perishable book, but existed for ages before any paper-and-ink Bible was
ever thought of.
I will quote one other text to prove these statements, and in further
confirmation of the proposition that the Christian Bible itself admits
that the infidels' Bible, direct from the hand of God, is greatly
superior to it in all the essential features and principles of a Bible.
Paul concedes this when he says, in his epistle to the Romans, "The
invisible things of God are clearly seen and understood by the things
that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. i. 20). Now,
here it is proved, if any thing can be proved by the Bible, that every
thing that can be learned about God and religion can be found written
upon the tablets of nature, and inscribed upon every thing that is made.
For it is declared, that even the "invisible things of God"--that is,
the _great spiritual truths_ of the kingdom--can be seen and learned
by the revelations, or lessons, written upon things "that are made." A
wonderful admission, truly! It is stated, they can not only be seen, but
"_clearly seen_ and understood," by studying the things "that are made,"
and learning their important lessons. If, then, they can be "clearly
seen and understood," there is not the shadow of a doubt left upon
the mind as to their truth or meaning: you are not annoyed with that
perplexity, uncertainty, and painful anxiety about the meaning of moral
lessons they teach, as you are with respect to hundreds of texts you
find in the Christian Bible. This is a grand revelation and declaration
and benefit, truly. And "even his eternal power and Godhead,"--that is,
God's character and attributes,--we are here told, can be learned by
reading and studying this beautiful and easily comprehended Bible,
written by the finger of God upon every leaf and page of nature.
Was there ever a more important, more pleasing, or more beautiful
revelation made to the world than this of Paul's? And is it not
surprising that Christians have never noticed this most important
admission? It is an important moral lesson that throws their pen-and-ink
Bible into the shade, and shows we would be better without than with it
by substituting God's eternal and universal Bible. It will be observed,
then, that it is shown by different texts of the Bible, that the "Holy
Book" which came directly from the hands of God is greatly superior to
that which came through the hands of man. And the fact that it is the
only Bible, or revelation, that can now be found in all countries, and
the only Bible that can be read by all nations, kingdoms, tongues, and
people, and that not one man, woman, or child in a hundred, take the
world over, can read any other Bible but this, is very nearly _prima
facie_ evidence that it is the only Bible God ever designed for the
human race, and that he never did impart, and never will impart, any
other revelation to the world; that no other Bible is necessary for the
moral, religious, and spiritual welfare of the race, or to point the
road to salvation. Hence it is the only Bible we would recommend for
the reading of the young. It is the only Bible we are certain they can
understand. It is the only Bible we are certain is free from errors.
It is the only Bible we are certain has never been altered or
mistranslated. It is the only Bible we are certain teaches no immoral
lessons. It is the only Bible which we are certain contains no vulgar or
obscene language, calculated to raise a blush on the cheek of modesty,
and outrage every feeling of decorum, as many of the texts found in the
Christian Bible do. It is the only "Holy Scripture" we can be certain
was given forth by divine inspiration, and the only sacred volume or
"Holy Word" which has the full seal and sanction of Almighty God. Read,
then, and study well, this open and widespread Bible which infolds the
universe. All the Bibles and religions of the past claim to have been
authorized by a _direct_ revelation or inspiration from God. But we
are satisfied that no such revelation has ever been given forth to any
nation in any age of the world. For inspiration is now known to be a
universal law of the natural mind; an inborn principle of the human
soul, which all ages and nations, and every human being, have possessed
a greater or less share of. And the amount of true inspiration possessed
by each individual depends upon his or her moral, intellectual, and
spiritual elevation of the soul or mind into the higher enjoyment of
spiritual bliss where it becomes _en rapport_ with all that is lovely,
inspiring, and beautiful in God's universe; where it can take cognizance
of great moral problems and spiritual truths; and where it can look
through the long vista of futurity, and behold the events of coming
years rolling up toward the threshold of time. This is true inspiration,
and the spirit of true prophecy. But it is the work of our own minds,
and not of Deity, and is not confined to any age, nation, or religion.
It depends upon the culture of the moral and intellectual faculties and
the spiritual aspirations of the individual, and not upon his creed or
religious belief.
As for a divine revelation, it can not be found in any book of human
origin. It could not be incorporated into a book, nor could all the
books in the world contain it. It is inscribed all over the face of
nature. We read it upon the outstretched earth and upon the shining
heavens; we read it upon
"Every bush and every bower,
Every leaf and every flower."
Here, then, we have a Bible with a revelation as broad as the universe.
Its lids are the heavens above, and the earth beneath. Its golden-leaf
pages are spread out at our feet; its lessons of wisdom, its truths of
salvation, and its soul-inspiring beauties, are inscribed upon the soul,
and written all over the face of nature. Read and study it, O man! and
become "wise onto salvation."