Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-08-02
WRITTEN BY GOD.
The Bible Is Right in Its Authentlca-
ton As Is Shown by lndu-
bltabIe Evidence.
IL Is Correct In Its style fcr II Tells a
Continuous story from. Genesls
10 Revelations.
rts D6ctrine is True ard lts Effects Tre
gsose Desired ms Human Hearts
VIII Testtfy.
rnn KINa or nooKs.

special 10 the Gazette,
LAKESIDE, o., Aug. Vast throuss
of people came here to-day from all parts
OF the country TO hear the Rev. T DeWitt
Talmage, %. D., Of Brooklyn, This place
lsa summer encempment oe the Chau-
tauqua plan, where meetings are held for
several weeks, and the visitors employ
their time In bible study and In listening
TO scientific lectures. Many OF the guests
spend the whole summer here. The sub
iect Of DIR. Talrnage's sermon was, "The
King of Booke,n and the text from
Psalm xiW,s: "The statutes VI the Lord
are right" Following is the sermon IN
full
Old books 20 out OF date, When they
were written they discussed questions
which were being discussed; they struck
al wrongs which had long ago ceased, or
advocated institutions which ex-
cite not our interest. Were
they books Of history, the
facts have been gathered from the lmper-
feet mass, better classified and more
lucldly presented. Were they books Of
poetry, they were iuterlocked
WITH WILD NfYTHoLoGWs
which have gone up from the face of the
earth like mists of sunrise. Were they
AT the feet OF harbarism, neither do we
want Sappho, Pythagoras and Tully to
teach us morals. What do the masses
Of the people care now for the pathos OF
Simonldes, or the sarcasm OF Menander,
or the gracefulness of Philemon, or the
wit OF Aristophanesl Even the old books
we have left, with a few exceptions, have
but very little effect upon our times
Books are human they have Il
time to be born, they are fondled,
they grow In strength, they
have middle life OF usefulness; then
comes old age, they totter and die. Many
OF the national libraries are merely the
cemeteries Of dead books. Some OF them
lived dagltious lives and died deaths OF
iguominy. Some were vrtuous and &C.
compllshed glorious mission Some
went into the ashes through inqulsltorlal
hres. Some found their funeral pile IN
sacked and plundered cities Some
were neglected and died as foundiings at
the door OF science. Some expired In the
authors study, others In the publishers
hands. Ever and anon there comes into
your possession an old book, Its author
forgotten and its usefulness done, and
with leathern lips it seems TO say 81
wish | were dead" Monuments have
been raised over poets and phllanthro.
psts. Would that some tall shaft might
be erected In honor OF the worlds buried
books The worlds authors would make
pllgrimages thereto, and poetry and lit
orature and science aud religion would
consecrate IL with their tears.
Not 80 with one old book. II started
IN THE WORLDS INFANCY.
II grew under tbeocracy and monarchy
IL tgtthutnnH Of okF
under prophets mantle and under the
llsherman's coat OF the apostlcsi In Rome,
and Ephesus, and Jerusalem, and Pat
mos. Tyranny issued edcts against It.,
and inndellty put out the tongue, and
Mohammedansm from its mosques
hurled its anathemas, but the old bible
still lived II crossed the British chan
mel aud was greeted by Wickliffe and
James |. 10 crossed the Atlantic and
struck Plymouth Rock, until like that of
Horob II gushed with blessedness
Churches aud asylums have gathered all
along It's way, ringing their bells and
stretching out their hands OF blessing;
and every Sabbath there are 10000 her
aids OF the cross with their hands on this
open, grand free old English bible. But
II viii not have accomplished It's
mission until IL has climbed the icy
mountains of Greenland; until 1t has
gone over the granite cliffs of China
until II has thrown It's glow amid the
Australian mines; until II has scattered
its gems among the diamond districts Of
Brazil; and all thrones shall be gathered
into one throne, and all crowns by the
Ares Of revolution shall be melted into
one crown, and this book shall at the
very gate OF heaven have waved In the
"a 81 "A.
Will this glorious bible have accom-
plished it's mission.
In carrying out, then, the Idea OF my
tcNt--"The statutes Of the Lord are
right"---I shall show you that the bible
is right in authorization, that It Is right
in style, that II IL right In doctrine, that
IL Is right in It's effects
|. Can you doubt the authenticity OF
the scripturesp There is not so much
evidence that Walter Scott wrote
1.-THE Lady Of the Lake;n not so
much evidence that SHAKESPEARE wrote
"llamlet;h not so much evidence
that John Milton wrote "Paradlse Lost,n
~ there la evidence that the Lord God
Almighty, by the hands OF the prophets,
evangeliats and apostles, wrote this book
suppose book now to be written
which came In conflict with great many
things, aud was written by bad men or
impostors, how long would such n book
stand2 II would
ne SECUTED ny EVERYBODY,
And say Il that Bible had been an impo.
sition; or " IL had not been written by
the men who said they wrote 10; n IL had
been n mere collection OF falsehoods do
YOU not suppose that II would have been
Immediately rejected by the people9 II
job and Isaiah, and jeremiah, and Paul,
and Peter, and John were impostors they
would have beeu secuted by generations
and nations, II that book has come down
through fires OF centuries without
a scar, Il IL because there
- nothing In It destructible.
How near have they come to destroying
The biblcS when they began their opposi.
ton there were two or three thousand
copies Of it Now there are two hundred
millions, as near as can calculate. These
bible tru0hs, Notwithstanding all the op-