Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-11-19
Communicated
Is the Bible the Word Of God 2

do WNAL lHt9 YAH loN ~ - ny = - y
assent unto and hearty acc eptance OF
this inestimable treasure OF revealed
truth: that INTO their eternal llie,
they may truly know him whom too
hath sent to save mankind rom SIN
and death. Many say no who are not
prepared to deny the resurrection OF
Jesus Christ from the dead, yet TO be
consistent they 81 ould deny his great
central miracle OF the { hrstian relig
ion. For ifChrist hath risen from he
dead, then the Bible is the word OF
Coda living word. a full OF slngnlf-
icance 10 day as when II fell fresh
from the inspired mouth. Astounding
in uncomfortable happiness for all VINO
receive it as living word and full
of endless misery; also past concep-
ton as to degree, Tor all who treat y
as dead. Do not be offended at this
strong language, my dear reader, un-
less YOU can prove that Christ hath
No. risen from the dead-hath not as
cended into heaven. For ~ this istru
ly and indeed the great event OF the
past. then it is wisdom, even common
sense. toacknowledge the consequent
ceS thereof. and to stand cut like Il
man, with moral courage that too
much for the ridicule OF the world,
that is worthy of common honesty OF
a sound mind, that viii esteem the
reproach ofChrist greater riches than
the treasures Of Egypt, having re-
spect unto the recompense ofreward.
And now ii any are disposed TO deny
this great miracle because it establish
es our Bible TO be the word of God,
Wuich condeaans the mbelevlng
world, and requires repentance for
sin, revealing ut the same time what IS
sin, and how hateful in the sight OF
God. Ii any are disposed to deny
this miracle on account OF these ITS
consequences. il is very evident that
they shrink from right it is evident
that conscience enters her protest
against such uniairness; indeed,
against such self>destruction for it is
also very evident that the only true
way 20 test the truth concerning this
miracle is by examining with an even
mind into the evidence upon which
it claims to be established. To re
iect this great fact because OF its cons
sequences. without ever hearing that,
upon which only can any event of the
past be established, namely, the tes-
timony Of man, is to adopt mode of
criticism that will compel us to reject
all events of the past, protane rs well
as sacred; and this we are hardly pres
pared 10 do.
Bat, how does the resurrection Of
Christ prove the Bible to be the word
Of God 1t does SO in this way
Being the central and most important
of all the miracles, its truth establish@
es that Of all the miracles which do
most clearly prove that Jesus was
sent OF God, therefore, the truth of His
words: Gle whom God hath sent
spcaketh the words of God" No es.
cape from this conclusion if we be-
lieve that Christ was cruci6ed, dead,
and buried, and on the third Gay rose
from the dead; and soon after ascend-
Ell into heaven. For the source ofthe
power that IA sed Him from the dead,
is necessarily the source Of the truth
expressed in the words Of Christ and
His Apostles for God would not have
continued to perform these miracles
through them ittheir words were not
truth. God does ut sanction. such
imposition and false> teaching AZ was
that of Christ and His Apostles. i
their works were not indeed the mir
acles of God No greater nor NOR,
remarkable imposters than Christ aut
His Apostles if He has not been rails
ed from the dead. Is it diflicul; Il
believe that they were of the above
character? Then it is easy to be-
lieve the Bible to be the word of God
it is easy to perceive that we ought al
TO rule our lives according to its pre-
cepts, that we may escape the punish
ment it declares TO be due to sinful
unbeief; and that we may inherit
the reward it holds beyond the inev.
liable grave for living faith,
They who deny the resurrection OF
Christ are, comparatively speaking,
few in number, and would to God
they were fewer still; but the num-
Der that denies it in their lives, not
! by positive argument, but BY life
/ whose general course is Lot heaven
ward, .his number reaches q figure
sadly large; and these | wonld ask to
! give Just minute or two every day
Of serious thought, to acbdt they are
immortal souls; 10 loIere they are
lin everlasting death to whore they
are goiag-to the certain grave, in
which is buried all probation: then too
late 70 do what is to be done in this
life, and which they can do if they
,cW do.
Now fol a few words about the his.
torica testimony for our great fact !.
Doctor Calvin +. Stowe, in his most,
excellent and mastery work--"Hise
tory Of the Books of the Bible" asks,
GLOW is il that the books of the New
Testament can be subjected to such
treatment The answer is very
simple: 1t is dore by ignoring or
rejecting all external testimony, and
judging Of them by the critics own
Subjective views Any modern works,
subjected to the same kind of criti~
cism, would be lost in the same di-
versity and uncertainty" And is it
strictly honestto rejecto great fact,
because, having first tested the truth
it establishes by the power of reason
only, we find some Of this truth To be
beyond the natural limits Of thought,
hence conclude it to be not truth, and
are thus led to look around for argu-
ments that will present the resurrec>
ton Of Christ as something very
Does not sincere regard
for the truth give the historical tes-
timony for this fact and its consequent
truth q fair. in partial hearing Rea
son acknowledges the affirmative.
Through history as through a tel>
escoue the heal hv nndisaaaad ox,o