, 1876-09-02
"Eacts nnl Famcics Of the
Bible"

subject, giving, in his way, 'the Origin
and authenticity of the scriptures" he
claimed the bibc TO he Of Divine author.
Nv, from the following flcts: lis great
antiquity, ITS wonderful preservation, its
being written hy the persons whose
names are attached to the different books
rs their authors, its heing written by
different authors in different ages, yet its
different parts dovetuilng together 50
completely and harmoniouSy MS to CON
s,itute one complete system of history
and morality etc.
Not taking any notes at the time of
Of the lecture, cannot give very def
mite detailed statement of it. Suffice it
20 say, he claimed it to be truly au,hcn.
tic rs history, perfectly harmonious in
all its teachingS,-emlodying the best
political, moral and social system known
in the world; in fact the only
infaliabe guide in any domain pertain
ing to humanity, in this world or the
world to come.
But in reference to the authenticity oi
Of the Old Testament, at least 81 far AS
the Pentatuch is concerned, allow me TO
call the attention nf the Rev. gentleman
20 the fact That the Jews themselves,
even their own priests, were ignorant of
the "dvine law for many centuries
subsequent to the time when it IS Sup.
posed to have been written. The first
time any reference is made to any work
answering to the Jewish Text. book, was
in the year 624 B. C., when a priest nam.
ed Mlktah is stated tn have .foum IA
book OF the law" I'd Chron., 3i-l4. Is
Is, 10 and 30, If this WINS the first time
the Jewish people heard the law, it ia
clear the whole Of the direct external tes-
simony in favor of the authenticity and
genuineness of the Old Testament Cat
least so far AZ concerns the Pentatuch
rests SOLELY upon the ipse DIRT of the
old priest, Hilkiah.
But this was not the only time the
" Holy writings" as we are tnught to
ealI them, were missing We are told hy
Jewish writers themselves, that they
were completely lost during the Babylon.
fish captivity, (Which was only few
years after they wore snd to he found
ny HiIkahD and were not restored until
the priest, Ezra WIS inspired to re.write
them. some 400 years before the Christ
ian era. So that We must believe this
invaluable book was first lost tor sight
centuries, then read for short time, ard
subsequently, lost again, Heoer to be yecoo.
ered The manner in which Ezra re.
wrote the Jewish text book, is detailed
in the 4th book of Esdras--a book deem.
cd authentic by the Greek Church. He
dictated the holy books during forty
successive days and nights, to five scribes
who were continually writing. Thus,
then, do the authenticity and genuine.
ness OF the Old Testament rest upon the
authority Of that one priest, who might
dictate to the scrbes what he pleased, -
omit, add, or alter just what he ielt dis
posed. That be would have every OPP
port nifty OF indtlglug in these liberties,
Is 1sprovcd by the fact us stated by Brown,
in his dictionary Of the Bible. Bishop
Marsh in his lectures" and in the Sth
chapter OF Sehemiah, that the Jews lost
their own language during the Babylon
Sh captivity, and spoke the Chaldaic
tongue, the priests being obliged to ex-
pound the holy books to the people in
'h"t language, thereby afording them
every iacility to introduce what matter
they saw fit, the multitude being quite
incompetent to direct any Interpolation,
alteration or omission. 1t is now admit
ed 10y most christian writer's of eminence,
that the compilation made by Ezra, is
The ''ority upon which we have to de-
pend tor our transations. The Chris
tian father Ireneus, distinctly declared
that the books of the Old Testament,
We're not in existence until "they we're
fabricated seventy years after the Bah
yIonish Captivity by Esdras," Tor Ezra"
But l have not patience to wade
through the Voluminous amount of evi
dence cxtant to show that that old book