Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-07-29
THE DIVINITY OF THE BIBLE.

"She
Just knows, and knows no more, her Bible true;
A truth the brilliant Frenchman never knewi
And in that Charter reads, with sparkling eyes,
Her title 10 Treasure IN the skies
The Bible carries with it, wherever it goes,
the evidence of its own truth. Ii offers to every
reader, without looking beyond its own pages, the
most satisfactory proof OF its Divine origin, and
of its being truly the word of God. 1t suggests
a single test, BY which ito truth and divinity
may be examined, and invites every reader to
decide, By faithful application to this test, res
pecting its pretensions and authority. "if any
man will do HIS will, he shall know Of the
doctrine, whether It be Of Gud.'' Whoever
will examine the truth Of the Bible, by the ap-
plication Of this rule, shall be satisfied. Let
him grid himself TO the work o! obedience. let
him enter faithfully on the business Of doing
! what the Bible dictates, and he shall not only
believe uuhestntinsly. but he shall know, as.
, suredlv, that it is the book Of God.
In early youth the writer Of this article was
witness Of a scene illustrative Of these remarks,
and which made too deep an impression on his
memory ever to be forgotten. happened to be
in room where pious woman was reading her
Bible. An intde Of some intelligence, much
art, aud more assurance, came into the ROOM
He Immediately commenced a conversation with
the woman, and proicssed to wonder that she
was so foolish as to read and believe the book she
had in her hand. The woman attempted to jus.
,ify herself and to prove that the holy scriptures
were Of Divine origin. But she could not main
tain her ground against her antagonist The ar
guments Of Paley, Lardner, and others, which
prove the divinity Of the sacred writings, she
| could not WELD; she did not know them. How
could she? being plain woman of little learn.
ing, limited reading and intelligence. But he,
on the other hand, had long held unhoIy commu.
mon with the works Of Paine, aud others of 81
milar character. Thus prepared, he brought for.
ward objections against the Bible which she was
unable to answer
Seeing her embarrassment, be exulted; and at.
tribuling it to the weakness Of the cause, with a
kind of tiend like triumph, he cOnfounded her by
the Rppancy Of his remarks, and the positive
ness Of his statements. She sat with the Bible
still in her hands, and seemed to grasp it with the
more tenaci,y, in proportion to the wickedness
| of the attacks made upon it, At length, when
her opponent had exhausted the vocabulary OF his
abuse, had poured forth the oyerfowiDss Of his
venom, and remained silent, she fixed her eye
upon him; it was an eye of neekness, but il spoke
The feelings and resolution Of her soul. d" Mr..
c." said she, mildly, but firmly. "you gain no.
thing by speaking against the Bible here. am
| unable to hold an argument with you. My
| knowledge is small; have read but little ex-
cep, in this blessed book. You can, if you please,
confound me; you can triumph over me, but you
cannot shake my confidence in the Bible. For"
added she, as she pressed the sacred volume to
her eyes, upif,ed, filled with tears, g I KNOT
| that This is the book of Cod"