it must simply be accepted and obeyed." Advocates of the latter view
say: "If it is in the Bible, it has been tried and found valuable by a
great many people; question it as searchingly as you can, and try it for
yourself, and see whether it proves itself true or not."

These two views came into collision in the struggle for a larger faith
which we call the Reformation. Augustine had stated the position which
became traditional when he wrote, "I would not believe in the Gospel
without the authority of the Church." But Luther insisted on the
contrary: "Thou must not place thy decision on the Pope, or any other;
thou must thyself be so skilful that thou can'st say, 'God says this,
not that.' Thou must bring conscience into play, that thou may'st boldly
and defiantly say, 'That is God's word; on that will I risk body and
life, and a hundred thousand necks if I had them.' Therefore no one
shall turn me from the word which God teaches me, and that must I know
as certainly as that two and three make five, that an ell is longer than
a half. That is certain, and though all the world speak to the contrary,
still I know that it is not otherwise. Who decides me there? No man, but
only _the Truth_ which is so perfectly certain that nobody can deny it."
And Calvin took the same ground: "As to their question, How are we to
know that the Scriptures came from God, if we cannot refer to the decree
of the Church, we might as well ask, How are we to distinguish light
from darkness, white from black, bitter from sweet."

The truth of the religious experiences recorded in the Bible is
self-evidencing to him who shares these experiences, and to no one else.
The Bible has, in a sense, to create or evoke the capacities by which
it is appreciated and verified. It is inspired only to those who are
themselves willing to be controlled by similar inspirations; it is the
word of God only to those who have ears for God's voice. There is a