The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-12
THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURES.
Conc fusion of DIR. Houghton's Series
of Sermons on the Subject.
The Certainties Claimed for the BibIe-Ar-
guements that Must Convince Honest and
Candid Iuquirers for the Truth.


series of discourses upon the inspiration of the
scriptures, selecting for his text part of Second
Timothy iii, Is: "All scripture is given by in
spiration of God" Much interest has been
awakened in these sermons because of the
statements made by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
in his lecture recently delivered in this city, and
last evening the church was well filed.
Following is a full synopsis of Dr. Houghtons
remarks: What are the present evidences that
what the Bible says God says9 Our answer TO
the question is solely for those who accept the
doctrine of the divine existence and attributes
The possibility of revelation from God need
not be argued. The God who has made
me capable of comm uning with
my fellow-man in thought, SYM
pathy and affection, can certainly
make me capable of communion with Him, and
it is certainly reasonable that He will speak to
me, since He is a good God; since He has created
me, and am lost, unsatisded, unhappy child,
wandering in the darkness unless He does
speak to me. When He sees me struggling in
the agenies of condemnation before the bar of
conscience; when He sees me perplexed by so
many Influences and circumstances which seem
to be against me- when He hears my prayer GO
ing out to Him for light and help and comfort;
when He sees that the teachings of natural re-
hgion are for the most part beyond my reach
because 1 am MOI profound scholar, and
that even such lessons as 1 can compre-
he1d from that source are utterly
Inadequate to meet my necessities; when the
Father thus looks upon me, His child. and hears
and sees all this, cannot for a moment suppose
that He will fail TO speak promptly ard clearly
10 me- revealing 70 me HIS mercy, His proviI
speak 1t with the greatest reverence, but, to my
mind, 1t would be the refinement of cruelty for
Him not to speak to me.
Among the present proofs of Bible inspiration.
the Bible itself is the most stupendous and stab
born of all facts. We have the Jewish religion
and the Christian religion. No man can reason
ably account for the origin and the subsequent
and present history of these institutions, except
on the supposltlon that they are the result of a
divine revelation to men. Reading what history
says of the failures that unehristian men ard
nations have invariably made in their struggles
after social, civil and moral excellence; journey
ing around the world and comparing even the
most advanced and prosperous heather ma
lions with my OVID country, and
then carefully weighing the whole
subject in all of its bearings, L am at last con
scious of a profound conviction. which amouuts
to certainly, that Christian civilization is in
self sufficient proof of the divinity of the Bible.
Among the evidences which we have in
the Bible Itself are its literary excellence, the
breadth of its truths and the absolute perfection
of Its moral teachings; when we remember the
age ana the country In which each writer lived,
the lttIe progress made py the race aG large In
true morality up to tine close of the New Testa-
ment canon, and contemplate the vast superb
oflty OF the Scriptures, in the particulars Just
named, over other religious or philosophical
systems, we must admit that higher power
than mere humanity possesses was dominant in
their composition. Who can believe that the
evangeliets invented the sermon the mount,
or the character, acts and teachings of Jesus
Christ! Such supposlton is the perfectian of
absurdity.
We must not forget the marvellous unity of the
Bible. 1t has sixty-six different books, written
by different men, IN different languages and diff
ferent ages OF the worln the entire record cover.
ing a space of 1900 years. Some of these men
were poets, others the prOsiest OF h.sto-
ri ans, while still others llliterate fisher
meu. The customs, the beliefs In many particu-
lars, ana the methods of thought in these various
centuries, differed vastly from each other. All
this is perfectly evident in the books themselves.
But through each andall you readily see running
end. You see the grand harmony of them all in
one object, namely, the religious in
S.f rfeeS t srstem and
and its restoration to purity and to God. You
see the Bible to be one organic whole; you see
that it is clearly animated by one spirit; you
that1t teaches the same substantial truths, from
Genesis to Revelations. The con clusion to be
drawn from all this Is inevitable. The mind
that conceived and unfolded aud finished such a
plan in this book must be divine 1t is also to be
remembered that the Bible has triumphantly
wlthstood attacks of enemies, such as were
never made upon any other book or system. 1t
was written, for the most part, In ages of
Ignorance is1t,yd and yet ages of learning and
throw 1t or to essentially modify it,
or to produce anything which can snpersede it.
The best and most learned men of ali ages have
accepted 1t aud Endorsed it with all their powers
OF mind well heart Now, If all this is not the
result of divine inspiration it is certainly, as
stupenduous fact in tho world, greater mira
Gle and more mysterious than inspiration itself
might speak of the unparalleled success of
Christianity in the wOrld-a success which, when
all the historical facts are duly noted and care
fully weighed, and proper comparison is made
with the other religious systems of the world,
can be explained on no other theory than that
supernatural power has been it's nspira-.
ton and it's guide. 1 might also speak
of the fact that while all other religions in
variably founded in ignorance, and depend
upon the blind credulity of men for their sue
cess, the Christian religlon, although adapted to
the wants of the most illiterate still appeals the
most strongly TO the most intelligent and the
most learned. Christianity always and every
where courts rigid investigation, aims to stimu-
late inquiry, eXaits reason second only to the
faculty of faith, fosters literature and science
and art, encourages every iudlvidal to examine
ard TO test for himself, brings man face to face
with the Bible and gives him all the aid which
profound learning can bestow to help him
get at its real meaning, brings man
and permits no human priest or potentate TO in
terfere; and ali this that the mind and heart of
may be untrammeled, but may be made
free by the truth and to the truth. Everybody
knows that just in proportion that men
tions have received aud III character and life
illustrated the fundamental principles of the
Christian religion, in exactly that proportion
have they been better wiser, happier aud more
prosperous than other men or other nations. liz
exactly that proportion have and slavery
and oppressive governments and injustice dis
appeared and the equal rights of men been recog-
nized.
But in addition to all this, man has a test of
inspiration in himself. If revelation is
given to meet and satisfy the demands
of mans spiritual and intellectual nature, then
man may rightfuly judge of it's claim by prov
ing it's truth in his own life. When those de-
slres of mans spiritual nature, of which we
nave already spoken, are met and answered, man
has within himself good evidence that God
has spoken to him. The cultured in this
Christian land, and the unnstructed heather as
well, when he Is brought in contact with the
inspired word, recognizes the validity of this
evidence Witnesses from every nation and
every condition and from every intellectual
grade are in perfect accord at this point with
the Word and with each other Every man of
them knows as well as he knows anything
that only supernatural power could
reveal SUCH truths to him, and
through it work such results in his heart and