The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-26
TAIMAGE'S SERMON.
A Discourse on the Authenticity and
Commences of the Bible.
The Greatest of All Books, Adapted to
Every Condition In Life and the
One Source of Solace When
All Else Fail.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage took for his sub
ject ssThe Authenticity Of the Bible," his
text being:
XIX. 8.
He said:
Old books go out of date. When they
were written, they discussed questions
which were being discussed; they struck
at wrongs which had long ago ceased, or
advocated institutions which excite not
our interest. Were they books of history,
the facts have been gathered from the I'M
perfect mass, better classified and more
klcidly presented. Were they books OF
poetry, they were interlocked with wild
mythologies, which have gone up from the
face of the earth like mists at sunrise.
Were they books Of morals, civilization
will not sit at the feet Of barbarlsm,
neither do we want Sappho, Pythagoras
and Tully to teach us morals. What do the
masses of people care now for the pathos
of Simonides, or the sarcasm of Menander,
or the gracefulness Of Philemon, or the
wit of Aristophanes? Even the old books
we have left, with few excep-
tions, have but very little effect upon
our times. Books are human; they have
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 fagitious
lives and died deaths of ignominy. Some
were virtuous, and accomplished glorl-
Gus mission. Some went into the ashes
through inquisitorial fires. Some found
their funeral pile in sacked and plundefed
cities. Some were neglected and
died as foundlings at the door Of science.
Some expired in the authors study, 9th.
ers in the publishers hands. Ever and
anon there comes into your possession an
old book, its author forgotten and Its use
fulness done, and with leathern lips 1t
seems to say: 81 wish l were dead"
Monuments have been raised over poets
and philanthropists. Would that some
tall shaft might be erected in honor OF the
worlds buried books. The worlds au-
thors would make pilgrimage thereto, and
poetry and literature and science and re-
ligion would consecrate it with their
tears.
Not so with one old book. 1t started in
the worlds infancy. 1t grew under theoc-
racy and monarchy. 1t withstood storms
of fire. 1t grew under prophets mantle
and under the fisherman's coat Of the
apostles. In Rome, in Ephesus, and Jeru-
salem, and Patmos. Tyranny issued
edicts against it, and infidelity put out the
tongue, and Mohammedanism from its
mosques hurled its anathemas, but the old
Bible lived 1t crossed the British Chan
mel, and was greeted by Wickliffe and
James /. 1t crossed the Atlantic and
struck Plymouth Rock, until like that of
Horeb it gushed with blessedness.
Churches and asylums have gathered
oil along its way, ringing their
bells, and stretching out their
hands of blessing; and every Sabbath
there are 10000 heralds of the cross with
their hands ON this open, grand, free, old
English Bible. But it will not have ac-
complished its mission until 1t has
climbed the icy mountains Of Greenland,
until it has gone over the granite cliffs of
China, until it has thrown it's glow amid
the Australian mines, until it has scat
tered its gems among the diamond dis
tricts of Brazil, and all thrones shall be
gathered into one throne, and all crowns
by the fires of revolution shall be
melted into one crown, and this book
shall at the very gate of Aeayen have
waved in the ransomed empires-not un-
til then will this glorious Bible have &C.
complished its mission.
Further, suppose that there was great
pestilence going over the earth, and hun
dreds Of thousands of men were dying of
that pestilence, and some one should find a
medicine that cured ten thousand people,
would not everybody acknowledge that
that must be good medicine? Why,
some one would say: 'Do you deny it:
There have been ten thousand people
cured by it." / simply state the fact that
there have been hundreds of thousands OF
Christian men and women who say they
have felt the truthfulness Of that Book
and its power in their souls. 1t has cured
them of the worst leprosy that has came
down on our earth, namely, the leprosy of
sin; and If l can point you to multitudes
who say they have felt the power of that
cure, are you not reasonable enough to
acknowledge the fact that there
must be some power in the medi-
cine! Will you take the evil
dence of millions of patients who have
been cured, or will you take the evidence
of the skeptic who stands aloof, and con-
fesses he never took the medicine? The
Bible intimates that there was city called
Petra, built out of solid rock. Inidelity
scoffed at it. "Where is your city of
! Fetras" Buckhardt and Laborde went
forth in their explorations, and they came
upon that very city. The mountains stand
around like giants guarding the tomb
where the city was buried. They find q
street in that city six miles long, where
once flashed imperial pomp, and which
echoed with the laughter Of light hearted
mirth on its way to the theater. On tenn
pies, fashioned out of colored stones
some Of which have blushed into the Grim
son of the rose, and some of which have
darkened into the blue of the sky,
and some of which have paled into
the whiteness of the lily-ay, on
column, and pediment, and entablature,
and statuary, God writes the truth
of that Bible. The Bible says that Sodom
and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and
birthstone. "Absurd." Infidels, year after
year, said: SIT is positively absurd that
they could have been destroyed by brim-
stone. There is nothing in the elements
to cause such shower OF death as that. u
Lieutenant Lynch think he was the
first man who went out on the discovery,
but he has been followed by many others
Lieutenant Lynch went out in explora-
nj 10 ha L