The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-22

This may seem 10 w cent man very
smart performance, but to most people ii
will look like decidedly scaIy piece OF
business.
The integrity OF the Sacred Re.
cords"
DR.. A. G. George delivered at the
Fourth Street Church last night the frat
Of q promised series Of Sunday evening
lectures on Modern scepticism." The
objections to Christianity may be CLASH.
fed as critical, philosophical, scientific
and historical. The sacredi writings are
regarded by such thinkers rs Strauss and
Renan as mythical and Legendary. !! is
not necessary to dwell on the particular
points they make, as all objections nus!
disappear before the positive argument.
The Christian doctrines are contained
in certain documents. Are these docu.
ments authentic records? Are they what
they profess to be? Do they correspond
with the age and country in which it is
claimed tha. they were produced2 Do
the annalistic statements correspond with
the characters Of the men who were the
great leaders7 Il 1t not evident that these
books we're written by converted Jews at
the era Of the commencement Of Chris
tiauity3 The correspondence Of the
Scripture record with the laws, customs,
governmental usages aud religious no
tions Of the Roman Empire 10 something
truly wonderful.
The writings collectively termed the
New Testament consist Of twenty.seyen
books, composed on various occasions
and ut different times aud places by eight
different authors; all Of whom were CO.
temporary with Jesus Christ. We re.
ceiye these books as the genuine works ot
Matthew and others, precisely as we re.
ceive the writings OF Poly ybius or Tacitu.,
because we have the uninterrupted les ii.
mony Of ages to their genuineness, and
because we have no reason to suspect
imposition. This argument is specially
str. ng when applied to the books Of the
New Testament, because these writings
were addressed to large societies, in
widely distant parts Of the world, in
whose presence they were frequently
read, and by whom they were acknowl-
edged to be the works Of the Apostles.
II the writings OF the New Testament
had been forged, would not the Jews have
detected the imposture? Is there single
instance on record where few indiyid'
uals have imposed history on the world
against the testimony OF whole nation
Would the Inhabitants Of Palestine have
received the Gospel il they had not had
sufficient evidence that Jesus Christ really
appeared among them aud performed the
miracles ascribed to him? Would the
churches at Corinth and Ephesus have
acknowledged the epistles addressed 10
them rs the genuine works OF 81. Paul II
he had never preached among them? We
might as we'll think tha, the history Of the
Reformation is an lnyentiou, or that the
Mettfodists have Imagined the Life aud
character Of John Wesley.
More important even than the various
manuscripts are the early versions OF the
New Testament There are not less than
ten translations from the fret century to
the fifth. These versions illustrate the
meaning Of the original aud demonstrate
the authenticity Of the sacred canon.
Another source OF proof arises from
the quotation Of these books by the early
writer's. There are some seventy.iSe Of
these writer's, and their quotations are 40
numerous that the substance OF the New
Testament could be produced from their
papers. These quotations are made by
both friends and enemies oil Christianity
and they can be traced back 10 regular
succession to near the Apostolic age,
This argument buffers no dlminution oi
| its force by the lapse OF centuries. There
are no fewer than ten ancient catalogue.
OF the New Testament books, and Of these
ak exactly accord with our present
canon, and the others vary but slightly
Although these yersions are a, cen
tury or two later than the time OF oui
Lord, yet they certainly prove all thai
preceded OF Christianity.
Let US suppose that one thousand Of
two thousand years from thia time, tht
early period OF our national history ha'
become involved in doubt and misty it
the distance, how certain il Is that our
second century would prove our first
that our national history would provt
our colonial history-that the super
structure would demonstrate the tounda
ton. Suppose It might be said. ther'
can be no question In regard 10 the au
thenticity Of this Declaration Of Inde-
pcudence and this Federal Constitution
ior, not only did 4 great movement and 1
great nation spring out Of them, but ther'
are also copies or versions OF thes'
documents in Frensh, in German and Ii
Spanish, made within fifty years OF thl
tune when George Washington died
there Ia a copy which has been in III,
British Histofiene Society for a thousand
Year,; and in the writings OF the lead
Ing thinkers, friends and enemies, ot th
!: American Republic, there are quotation
from them, historic documents, 80 volum
inous and complete as almost 10 repro
duca the documents themselves; and be
side the institutions Of free Representa-
tive government which continue TO thI
' present, root in thuse times, aud Wsr
4. mauiiestly born In some such grea
, epoch as the American Reyolution!-
how complete would be the argument
Aud this Is the argument for the integrit!
Of the Christian Scriptures-the organic
! Law Of the still existaut, aggressive Au,
triumphant church. Historic facts ar
vital, germinAl and well.nigh imperisha
Bile. Like volcanic eruptions they leayI
their impress on the eternal rocks. To
successive histories Of the world, like th
' successive generations OF men, demon
strate the existence, and TO certain ex
tent reveal the character Of those which
8 have preceded.
$ There are manuscript copies Of th
New Testament fourteen centuries old
What monument do they furnish 10 h
correctness Of our canon, and how man,
things does their existence establish il
regard TO the chtistion faith and 1t