Hence, it is obvious, that in seeking God, the most direct path and the fittest method is, not to attempt with presumptuous curiosity to pry into His essence, which is rather to be adored than minutely discussed {seminary students should take note here}, but to contemplate Him in His works, by which He draws near, becomes familiar, and in a manner communicates Himself to us.
Like water gushing forth from a large and copious spring, immense crowds of gods have issued from the human mind, every man giving himself full license, and devising some peculiar form of divinity, to meet his own views.
And as Augustine expresses it, (in Psalm 144), since we are unable to comprehend Him, and are, as it were, overpowered by His greatness, our proper course is to contemplate His works, and so refresh ourselves with His goodness.
3 comments:
Thomas Edison said, "I am much less interested in what is called God's word than in God's deeds. All Bibles are man-made." I'm sure they're not related, but they both speak of God's deeds, and I just happened to read both statements this morning. The quote came from:
http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/
That's an interesting quote! I never knew Edison said that :) I hope you won't think me contrary if I disagree.
Since Scriptures ARE the Word of God, we are incapable of contemplating Him without it, we are incapable of being familiar with His Works and we are unaware of the manner in which He communicates Himself to us if we do not have the Bible or if it is merely man-made :)
hey - we should seriously ride horses sometime!
I've been slowly wading through "Not by Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of Sola Scriptura." I read it before when I was Catholic, so I thought I'd tackle it again with a fresh perspective. So I've been dwelling on Scripture debates for awhile now.
Anyway, no, I think you should disagree with Edison. The greatest deeds of God that can be known by man are recorded in the Scriptures. The very existence of the written Word is a witness to how God works through man.
This is where the book I'm reading says that the Church defined the Scriptures, so she has equal authority with them. Perhaps she does...through Spirit-filled believers who are living witnesses, again, of God working through man. "You may be the only Bible some people will ever read."
Yes, this is the right time of year for horsey riding. Grab a friend with a car and come on up here.
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