Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-10-12
Preiudices against the Bible.


volume of sermons lately issued by the
Rev. Charles Wadsworth. d. D., of San
Francisco, Cal, from the press of A. Ro-
man & Co. Seldom do we find more glow
ing and powerful presentations ofthe truth
and in style so attractive to all classes of
readers. The extracts which follow are
from A sermon on "Prejudices against
Christianity" from John i. 46: "And Ma
thaniel said unto him, Can there any good
thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith
unto him, Come and see."
Is the bible an inspired book? Is chris
tianity divine revelation? This is the
question. And bark how the universe
lifts all voices in attestation. eyes" cry
all material things. For so wonderfully
are nature and revelation in analogy, so
manifestly counterparts in one great sys-
TEN, autographs Of the same divine hand,
that a child's wisdom accords them the
same common Author ayes" cries proph-
ecy pointing to manifold ever fulfilling
and fulfilled predictionsl eyes" cries the
yearning soul of man, "for its blessed
truths Just beft my wants; it instructs my
ignorance, it reveals my immortality, it
purifes my nature, it dries my tears, it
woos me from the trifes of time, and wings
me for the grandeurs of eternityp ' eyes,"
cry supernatural voices. And behold
stilled seas, and healed diseases, and the
risen dead, and revealed angels, appear as
its witnesses. eyes" cry the living ma
tions of the earth, quickened by its divine
power into life and liberty and joy, cad
vantaged every way by the possession of
these oracles of Godw Eyes" cry all high
er orders ofimmortal life--angel and arch
angel, principally and power, singing
morning star and shouting Son of God!-
eyes" cries God the Father, so guarding
it by his providence. "Yes," cries God
the Son, so magnifying it by his miracles.
"Yes," cries God the Holy Ghost, attend
ing it ever in omnipotence from conquer
ing to conquer, until verify there is no true
voice in Gods universe that gives not glad
testimony in behalf Of our faith!
And unto all this, what says the infdel
Alas, like Nathaniel by the Jordan, he
sets it all aside with pitiful cavil. He
gets him glass and looks heavenward,
and finding that the sun and stars do not
actually revolve around the earth, looks
wise, and says "Aha, Moses does not say
anything about this law of gravitation
surely he was not an insphed manw He
explores the strata Of the earth, and find
ing fsh's tail in the rock, or a monsters
vertebre in sandstone, lays his hand sol
EMMY on his heart, saying, "Moses speaks
not of these old fossils. Really this is a
tremendous fact against revelation"
He draws line from ear to nostril on
an Ethiop's skull, or pulls lock of hail
from an Ethiop's skull, cries, "Ah me, how
many facts there are against revelation ?
He runs the line of his reason into the
sphere ofimmensity and eternity or fling:
himself from the rock of faith into the in.
finite ocean Of Godhead, and finding him
self slightly beyond his depth, struggle,
back, half drowned, butstill buoyant in his
self conceit; and because the revelations OF
God are too large for his logic, would set
tie the question with portentous deliver
ance-"Verily ] cannot comprehend al
this, and my arithmetic and logic are boil
against revelation
Now, before God, this is not caricatlre
Ii is a fair representation of infdel objec
tions to christianity. And ask if Nathan
iel's against Christ had greater seemin,
ofprejudice? "Can the Christ come out o
Nazareth? cometh he not of the seed o
David, and out of thetown ofBethlehem p
Alas, foolish Israelitel Why, there is no
u matronly mother in all the coasts O
Bethlehem, that cannot lead you to tn
grave of her slaughtered babe, and prov
TO you by deaths dread testimony, tina
your objection is poor cavil-that thi
very Jesus of Nazareth was born in Beth
lehem.
And we say as we'll: Alas, foolish skep
tic! Why there is not one of your soph
isms against christianity which has nc
been answered so often, that Sunda
school child can meet you for our God, an
shame you, if you have shame, of this pitt
full dishonesty.
But you do not need argument. You
infidelity is of the heart. The poor crea
ture ofprejudice. You cavil at what 20
know not What you want is an hone.
acquaintance with the bible and christian
ityl And our only answer to your cavils
that of Philip to Nathaniel, "Come an
see"-"Come and see"
Come as q creature of a glorious natur,
feeling within your immortal wants an
immortal aspirations. And putting you
shoes of, and bowling down your prou
head and heart, stand reverently in tn
presence of this Book from eternity. Com
and see how Gods providence guards it
how Gods blessing attends it-how God
great thoughts fill it! Come ponder its str
pendous truths, beyond the imagination
of angels Come adore its heavenly purit
and share its heavenly consolation Com
away from your poor school of unbeliefir
to fellowship with its living actors Com
walk with Abraham as he walked wit
Godl Come mount with Elijah in his cha
lot of fire Come stand with Moses on ii
mount of God! Come sit with Isaiah viii
he sweeps his harpl Come stand with job
in his desert isle
Come enter 1t as great temple of trutl
See how it seems divine dwelling
house not made with hands. What a ne
world of softness, brightness, grandeu
bursts upon the soul! What glorious pi
lars and arches Of truth What pictures
heavenly beauty What light of ever burr
ing lampsl What heavenly fragrance :
What seraphic voices in the enchant,
air How man stands dwarfed, humble
And all the seen, the present, the tempo
al, seems belittled, passed away, forgotte
in the symbolic presence of eternity al
God
Come and see it in the glory of its inf
ences--in the power of its mission over
ruined world! How chains are broken al
tears dried, and wrongs redressed, a,
homes made beautiful, and hearts ma
pure, and intellect winged for its high,
soarings, and the whole man lifted frc
degradation to its true dignity, to stand
the midst of a redeemed world, in the &
rious freedom which the truth makes Fl
lin the immortal manhood which I