"
It may be said that we are dealing here with matters that are entirely
too high for our reason. Let it be remembered that we absolutely bow to
revelation. Yet we are not to stultify our reason. It is not out of its
sphere in dealing with such high themes. Our reason is a sacred gift
from God; it is to be used for His glory. Formerly, it was deemed almost
sacrilegious to allow reason to intrude into such a sacred domain. That
was surely an unworthy mistake. We may and ought to be humble; but we
have minds to think as well as hearts to adore.
It may be well, therefore, to present, in as condensed a form as
possible, some considerations founded on reason, in support of the idea
of Restoration. And, forasmuch as many of these ideas may or may not be
familiar to you, I would ask you to ponder each of them separately. They
do not all profess to be conclusive, but I think some of them are nearly
so; others are strongly suggestive. As I have said, the question is, not
which theory is absolutely demonstrated, but which is most in accord
with reason and revelation.
I would like to say that I abhor any appearance of being dogmatic; but
the mere statement of an argument almost necessarily induces dogmatism
in some degree. At any rate, it is well to have a reasonable and
candid mind.
Pages:
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239