Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-19

were alive when their DOCKS were IN clrcuts- |
iior. They were the authors, therefore, or
they weuld, il the books had been forgeries,
have denied their authorship and stopped
their circulation. We accept these books on
the Endorsement of the apostles, and they
wrote them with the superintendence OF
jesus Christ. And l have in this series OF
sermons proved the divinity OF Christ be
Endorsed the authors OF the New Testament.
/ accept the New Testament, therefore, A.
divinely authenticated, for i: bears the sisnet
aud seal OF the divine Christ, the son Of the
living God. Sixteen hundred ye,rs are con-
sumed 10 the completion Of the Bible, from
the first author to the last. And these 1900
years meet and unity in
THE CHRIST
ideal. The Old Testament, with all its
ritual and temple service; with all its affairs
and expiring victims and priesthood and |
great trend of doctriae pointed forward to
Jesus Christ, and The New Testament teach |
ing points back to him. The doctrine OF |
both books verify in the cross and form one |
system of salvation. The prophets and |
apostles shook hands over the triumphant |
grave of the Son of God. To take Christ out
of the Bible lie to take away the entire sig-
nifcsuce Of the book. Take Him from the
Bible and you tear ont the spine and psrslJze
the force and meaning OF the whole book.
The unity OF The Bible ia seen its purpose
and plan. 1t is seen in its harmony Of crest
thoughts on God and man and duty and
holiness and sin and salvation. Sixteen
hundred years thus conceniered are an
anomaly! No other book is like IL 1t stands
maryelously unified and can, in reasen, be
accounted for only on the ground of divine
superintendent. 1t is the only book Of uni
versal adaptation. II, like no other book, is
adj pied to the conscience, intellect, affections,
i'm agin alton and will of man. 1t is adapted
TO all classes and kinds of men. There is
something in it for the educated and ig-
norant,
THE RICH AND POOR,
the high and low, something for all. 1t lie
adapted to all human conditions-to men 10
sickness and sorrow and dangers and trials.
1t is adapted to all nations. Experience
proves it. tbs, therefore, the only book in
our world that is oriental and occidental,
civilized and barbaricl Experience has
shown it 10 be the only true catholic book,
| and adapted to the human race. 1t is adapted
| TO men from Hottentots to Humboldts. Aud
| like the book OF nature, ever progressive and
unfolding. The Bible taught universal
fatherhood and brotherhood, universal love
and a spiritual kingdom, the republic of God
in human hearts, long before nations of the
earth rose up to the sublime conception Of
these facts. Aud all these things prove the
| divine superintendence Of the Bible. The
| world has four great tests Of verity-in,Ii-
ton, instinct, experience and the syllogism-
and they bear witness 10 The divine suprem =
scy OF the Scripture inculc alton as to no other
| book. The book, from these standpoints,
proves itself to be from God, as a star prove 6
| Itself star by its own shining. To illus
trate, receive a curious machine that has
been sent me by express l know not how to
put it together, nor how 10 run in il it were
put together. A book is sent me with cuts
and figures completely explaining il and iis
designs. The book is the perfect compl,
ment of he machine. What is my coucIu
sion? Evidently that the formative miBd
involved in the machine is the formative
mind involved in the book. The author oil
the one is the author of the other. L claim
the same conclusion for
THE DIVINE AUTHORSHIP OF THE BIBLE.
Humanity was a great mschiue that Egypl
and Greece aud Rome tried to understand
and put together and show the grand dc.
sign. But history tells they all failed
The doctrine of the New Testament puts hu
mainly together and makes brotberhood
Of the world. The New Testament rum
the machinery of humanity. What il
formative mind involved in the M
chinery of humanity is essentially tn
mind in the book explaining it. But tn,
mind involved in humanity is the divine
The mind involved in the book explaining i
is, therefore, divine. The author of the on
is the author of the other. But the autho
of the one is God. Tbs sulhor OF the otht
Is, therefore, Almighty God. This book i
he only one that will bear transmutaticr
into life and conduct. ANY other booi
absorbed into The veins of the human rae
would produce p;mples and ulcer and scroi
ula Of the soul. 1t will do for a dyin,
pillow. Tried by the claw of the surv val o
he fittfst," is riding 10 triumph the tides O
all time. Its persistence is uuconquer able
Infidelity took fly years to build one hal
dedieaed 10 skepticsl teaching. l refer Il
the "Paine Memorial Hall" OF Boston. An
after ry reasonable effort had been mad
10 obtain money for the payment The hall c
INFIDELIIY
was sold at auction under the rap of the ham
merl But churches aud buildings by tn
thousands are going up in Europe an
America dedicated to the propagation of III
Bible end Christianity. And yet the infiael
tell Us Christi anity is dying out of our world
Thomas Paine, the great infdel, when lyin
on the bid OF death, asked Mary Roscoe ,wh
was attending him, if she had ever read an
of his writings. she told him she had rea
his Age Of Reason, bu. tn at the more she rea
IN it the more dark aud dis,r sal d she fel
ard abe threw the book into the fire. 6
wish all bad done as you" be replied, "for
the devil ever he'd any agency 10 any wori
he has had ii in nIy writing that book" An
she testi6es that she heard him repeated
= utteriug the language before be died, q
Lord, Lord God, Lord jesus, have mere
2 upon mEp Such was the end of infidelit,
? Paul was on the other eide of the question
} ard we hear him exclaimiDg: 81 have fouel
, the good fight; l have finished my course;
have kept the faith. Henceforth is laid u
. for me 4 crown of righteousness, which th
= Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me
a that day; aud not TO me only, but 10 all III.
= love His appearing"
a WHEN CHRISTIANITY Is BANIsHED
: the future OF the eleaents will hold hig
1 carnival. Then let Byron's dream be rea
: lied: "L.t the bright sun be extinguishe,
. the stars wander darkliog IN the eterDs
? space, rAyless aud pathless, and the iC
? esTth swing blind and blackening in th
t moonlezs air." God forbid that time or dz
. may ever come. Scoffers from Porphry an
. Julian to Paine aud IngersolI may continr
1 TO array their forces against Christ and II
= Bible. But they will fail to crush out Chris
f the ounder, and the Bible, for its energy
n divine.
- The large audience then sang the "Swe
n By-snd-By," after which Mr. Sweeney al
4 nounced that his sermon next Sunday mig
would be either "Spiritu alism, or What
Had Seen and Heard" or else his subje
: would be "Does Death End ALP" He the
annoucsd that baptism would be admin
b, tired on Wednesday evening of this week
the conclusion of the prayer meeting, ar
| pronounced the b .nedictiou