The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-08-25

ingorsoli speaks Of Interpolation
made by the fathers Of the Church
All be knows aud OH he has eve
heard on that subject is that some o
tho iuumeyahle transcripts contiine
errors which were discovered ant
corrected. That simply proves tn,
present integrity OF the documents
SecOud-I call these statements
depositioas because they are enti Loo
10 that kind Of cTedence which vi
give TO declarations made under oath
but In a much higher degree, fol
they are more than sworn TO. They
were made in the immediate pIospec
Of death Perhaps this would moi
affect the conscience OF an atheist
neither would an oath--but these
people manIfestly believed in q judg-
ment after death, before a God ol
truth, whose displeasure they feared
above all things.
Third-The witnesses could not
have been mistaken. The nature Of
Of the facts precluded the possibility
Of any delusion about them. For
every averment they bad "the sensi r.
bic and true avoueh Of their own
eyes" and ears. Besides, they we're
plain thinking, sober, unimaginative
men, who. unlike Mr.. Ingorsoll, al
ways, under all circumstances, aud
especially in the presence Of eternity,
recognized the difference between
mountains and clouds. II ia incon.
ceivable how any fact could be proven
by evidence more conclusive than the
statement OF such persons, publicly
given and steadiastly persisted in
through every kind Of persecution,
Imprisonment and torture TO the last
agonies OF lingering death.
Fourth-Apart from these terrible
tests, the more ordinary olaims 10
credibility are not wanting. They
we're men of unimpeachsble character,
The most virulant enemies OF the
cause they spoke and died for have
never suggested a reason for doubt
ing their personal honesty. But there
is affirmative proof that they aud
their fellow disciples were held by
those who knew them in the highest
estimation for tTuthfulness. Wher
ever they made their report it was
not only believed, but believed with
a faith so implicit that thousands
we're ready at once TO seal it with
their blood.
Fifth-The tone and temper Of
their narrative impress Us with a
sentiment OF profound respect II is
an artless, unimpassioned, simple
story. No arg ument, no rhetoric, no
epithets, no praises Of friends, no
denunciation Of enemies, no attempts
at concealment. How strongly these
qualities commend the testimony Of
a witness to the confidence Of judge
and Jury is we'll known to all who
have any experience ia such mat
ters.
Sixth-The statements made by the
evangelists are alike upon every
important point, but are different in
form and expression, some of them
including details which others omit.
These variations make it perfectly
certain that there could have been
no previous concert between The
witnesses, and that each spoke iude
pendently of the others, according tC
his own conscience and from bis oRr
knowledge. In considering the
testimony of several witnesses to The
same transaction, their substantial
agreement upon the main facts, will
circumstantial differences in the detail
is always regarded as the gres
characteristic OF truth and honesty
There is no rule OF evidence more
universally adopted than this-nonl
better sustained by general expert
enoe, or more immoyably fixed in tht
good sense OF mankind. Mr.. Inger
soil, himself, admits the rule ant
comedies its souudness. The logica
consequence Of that admission is tha
we are bound to take this svidenc
as incontestable But bark tn
infatuated perYersity with which b.
seeks to evade It. He says that whe
We claim that the witnesses Wer
inspired, the rule does not spply
because the witnesses then spea
what is known to him who inspire
them, and all must speak exactly th
same, even to the mnutest detail
| Mr.. IngersOlFs notion of an inspire
witness is that he Is no witness at al
but an irresponsible medium VIII
unconsoiouslY and involuntarily rap
out or writes down whatever he
prompted to say. But this is a falls
assumption, not countenanced O
even suggested by anything contsil
ed in the Scriptures. The apostle
and evangelists are expressly decla
ed to be witnesses, in the prop'
sense Of the word, called and sent
testify the truth according to the
knowledge. If they had all told Il
same story in the same way, withol
variation. aud accounted for /
uniformity by declaring that the
we're inspired, and had spoken viii
, out knowing whether their wort
we're true or false, where would ha'
: been their claim to credibilityg b
) they testified what they knew; al
, here comes an inddel critic impul
ming their testimony because q
e impress Of truth is stamped upon
face.
7 Seventh-It does not appear tn
D the statements Ofthe evangelists We
4 ever denied by any person who pI
? tended 10 know the facts. Ma
n there we're in that age and afterwa
: who resisted the belief that Jes
q wag the Christ, the Son of God, a
o only Savior Of nan; but his wo
s derful works, the miraculous pun
e of bis life, the unapprOachable lof
y ness Of hls doctrines, bis tiial a
Ie condemnation by Judge who pr
lie rounced him innocent, his patti
suffering, bis death on the eross, q
> resurrection from the grave-ot th
Of not the faiutest contradiction '
" attempted, il We except the false .
= feeble story which the elders /