The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-06-23

book, even those that are often bound up
J with il, and which were written by men of
| the same race and country. So great is the
T difference that any careful reader, who had
! never seen this book before, would at once
. detectit, and we are constrained to acknowI-
: edge, that it is not after the manner of men.
We examine further, and we find that it
contains among other things a condensed
! history of a most wonderful people, and not
their past history only, but their present and
future-for they still exist, and every one
of them in their dispersion is living wit
, ness of the truth of the Bible. find pro-
} phecies foretelling of other kingdoms and
states, which have been fulfilled or are
yet fulfilling and | know that he who
could foretell these events must know all
things from the end to the beginning. |
find in it things hard to be understood, things
! deep, even the deep things of God. But if
J did not find them, should know it was
, not revelation from the infinite ore.-A.
; gain find in it statements that some in
, their wisdom have censured and prohounc-
ed untrue, as the destruction of the Can
} nantes by Israel, acting under divine COM
mand. But we look out into the worlds
history and find similar events occurring all
along. Events which we know did occur
under the government of God; proving that
the God of the Bible is the God of history
| aud fha Cod of Dofura ApJ bomoyar dH;
cult it may be to account for such evils un-
der the government of a perfect being, we
find the same objections lie against the re-
cords Of nature and history, which lie a.
gainst the Bible, and that none but man
: profoundly ignorant, could ever make them.
. We find farther, that there are some little
t petty mean things mentioned, but, who does
/ not know that human nature, and human
D life, cannot be represented as it is, without
such particulars. In this fair world just as
I It is, the carrion bird will find its meat, and
f the viper will suck venom from the most
beautiful flower garden.
n So you may find in the Bible some things
3 which you may frame into objections to its
divine authority. But it's revelations of God
: and future world, its precepts for the gui-
: dance of life are worthy of that God who
9 made the heavens.
5 Again inquire what has been the in
: fuence ofthe Bible Upon the character Of
Q individual men and women, and find that
n the noblest and most excellent have been
+ most deeply imbued with the principles Of
: this book. That they have believed it mos.
IS firmly; loved it and studied it and embrac.
70 ed that Savior, which It reveals with the full
q est confidence and rested in him in hope o.
m eternal life. Yea, have seen the light o.
heaven kindle in the eye that was about t.
I'd be closed forever on the things of earth, be-
Is cause Of that hope. Then again / have
- seen the character of men who had livet
estranged, afar from God, wholly transform
ct ed, and themselves brought nigh to Coo
NJ through the blood of Christ, and enabled t
D. hold the joyous communion with the fathe
n of their spirits. I find that the name
y Christ has given strength to the weak, cour
s. age to the fearful, comfort to the afflicted
J.. hope to the dying, and must feel that he
10 was and is divine. Nay I trust can sat
of that have felt and do know It's power, ant
10 that it is adapted to our wants. Therefore
l. | am not ashamed of the gospel Of Christ
D, for it is the power of God unto salvation tt
10 every one that believeth. And now yo,
s. come and ask me to give up this book, which
S. is the moving power of the worlds history
ID which is the center of all sciehce, which ha
r more in it of good than all other books
ht for the deductions of a shallow philosophy
based upon no one fact. You ask me t.
le give up its teachings of wisdom, and saliva
D. ton, which are so plain, that he may rii
ID who readeth and which holy men ofold spak'
Of as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, 70
it an uhintellgible jargon said to be rappe,
g. out by spirits of the dead evoked from tn
Is vastly deep by necromancers. You ask M
re to give up this religion which we know
- iinites the soul with God, whose heavenl
e. teachings have come down to us through al
nd ages, and in all has given rest to the wea
n, ry, comfort 20 the modrner, hope to the de
is ponding, for the dreams of the somnam
ok bulist. No, no, no. All the evidence yo
of bring to shbstantiate your vagaries and t
ed overthrow the Bible, do not weigh SO muc
e. as tythe, of the lghtest feather that eve
- grew beneath the humming birds wing
SO know whom have believed, and am pei
of suaded that he is able to keep that which
he have committed to him against that day.
lie, have time only to indicate some pract
lis cal inferences upon the subject: ...
l. Christians ought to be familiar wit
ny the evidences of the Divine origin of tn
or Bible. We are directed to be ready, always
nd to give to every one that asketh, reason @
,ts the hope that is in US. That includes tn
if reason for our faith in the Bible. fit
en- not true then our hope is vain. But the d
g. vine power of the words as explained in ou
Is, own hearts may suffice ourselves, but it can
e, not be 90 we'll presented to others, we nee
yh to know the proof derived from history, pre-
nd phecy, and miracles, and the monuments q
a anttn,ifv and houy 20 ,,eo 10 Fnp tha non,,;r