THE following letter, addressed by Lord Salisbury to a Church of England clergyman in 1894, is published in The Record:
“Rev. Sir,—I wish I could assist you, but it is difficult to touch so large a theme in so short a space without doing harm. Everyone has their own point of view from which they look at these things. To me the central point is the Resurrection of Christ, which I believe, Firstly, because it is testified by men who had every opportunity of seeing and knowing, and whose veracity was tested by the most tremendous trials, both of energy and endurance, during long lives. Secondly, because of the marvelous effect it had upon the world. As a moral phenomenon, the spread and mastery of Christianity is without a parallel. I can no more believe that colossal moral effects lasting for 2000 years can be without a cause than I can believe that the various motions of the magnet are without a cause, though I cannot wholly explain them. To anyone who believes the Resurrection of Christ, the rest presents little difficulty. No one who has that belief will doubt that those who were commissioned by Him to speak—Paul, Peter, Mark, John—carried a Divine message. St. Matthew falls into the same category. St. Luke has the warrant of the generation of Christians who saw and heard the others. That is the barest and roughest form the line which the evidence of the inspiration of the New Testament has always taken in my mind. But intellectual arguments, as you well know, are not to be relied upon in such matters.
“Believe me, yours faithfully, SALISBURY.”
“Intellectual arguments," Lord Salisbury said, are not to be relied upon in such matters. "How true! Many who profess to believe the facts of Christianity have never really believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. They believe in Him as a great Savior, as an all-sufficient Savior, as the only Savior, but they cannot yet say that He is THEIR Savior." It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. 5:1515For some are already turned aside after Satan. (1 Timothy 5:15)). Are you a "sinner"? "Yes," you reply. Then it must be true that Christ came to seek and to save you. He died on Calvary, He was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 55:5-3). By His death He made a perfect satisfaction to God. The claims of law and justice have been perfectly met, in proof of which God raised Christ from the dead. "He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:2525Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)). A risen and glorified Christ at God's right hand attests the fact that the sin question was eternally settled. Don't look for inward experiences or happy feelings. Look to Christ. Hesitate no longer." If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)). A. M.