The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-24

that can, unblanched, stand in the pres
ence OF all this riallery, saying: IL be-
lieve in the whole Bible and in every sim
gle statement IL makes" Christian men
try to soften the Bible down to suit the
skeptics. The skeptics sneer at the divid-
ing of the Red Sea; and the Christian goes
TO explaining that the wind blow hurri-
cane from one direction good while, UNI
I'll all the water piled up, and besides that
II WIS low water anyhow, and so the Israel
ties went through without any trouble.
Why not be frank and say: 81 believe
the Lord God Almighty came TO the brink
OF the Red Sea, and with his right arm
swung back the pillows on the right side,
and with his left arm swung back the bill
lows on the left side, and the abashcd
water stood up hundreds OF feet high,
while through their CLASSY wall the sea
monsters gazed with allrghtod eyes on the
passing lsraeitcs?" The nationalist comes
to you, saying "Iow about Jonah
and the whale2 Do you really believe
that fish siory?' There were never
so many Nantucket fishermen after one
whale rs there have been rationalists
ilinpng haIpoons nt the Mediterranean
sea monster, and from that one whale
they have got enough oil to light 10000
souls TO perdition. A skopuc tells YOU
that Jonah would have been killed in tho
process OF swallowing, and that he could
not anyhow, have lived three days in
such close quarters, but would have been
smothered 10y the poor ventilation. How
the good Christians Immediately 60 To
work and try TO explain the whole thing
by natural laws, 80 rs 10 please the ration
alists, and say that the whale is an air
breathing fish; that every littlo while It
comes 10 the surface, and that the whale
that swallowed Jonah did the same thing,
aud thus got a supply for itself and for the
prophet. Why not rather say that God
can do anything, and He could take Jonah
through the whales throat, although the
throat would not have been hall large
enough ordinarily TO let him pass, and
could have kept him alive IN the whale
five years without any air, II lie had
chosen to2 Who made the whalc2 God.
Who made JONAH God. Then he could
do anything he pleased with either OF
them.
The moment you begin to explain away
the miraculous and supernatural, YOU sur
render the Bible Take the supernatural
out Of the Bible, and YOU make Il col
lection Of lies and humbugs, IN preference
TO which choose Esop's Fables. They
are what they pretend TO be-lables. But
II, after all that the Bible declares, Jesus
Is not God, aud Lazarus was not raised
from the dead, aud the water was not
turned into wine, aud the Red Sea was
not divided, and In answer TO prayer
llczekiah's boil did not get well, then the
Bible Is the worst fraud ever perpotratcd
In Gods universe.
All my friends, have we been mistaken
Does God hear and answer prayer, or docs
hc not2 llczekiah was sick unto death;
he prayed for his life; God heard him, and
added fifteen years 10 that lifetime. Tho
prayer saved him-the lump OF figs applied
being merely the God.appolnted human
fundamentally.
"llut, " says some one, 81 don't believe
the Bible" Ali then We will have TO
part company for four or five minutes, for
II il useless 10 try 10 argue with any man
with whom You cannot stand upon com
mon ground. In any argument, II you
would be successful. there must be some
common data 10 start from. II Is foolish
10 try 10 provo 10 man that twice three
are six, provided he does not admit the
table, or that two and two
are four, II lac does not admit the addi-
ton table.
My first address, therefore, Is TO those
who do believe In the Bible. | want to
tell You that prayer Is the mighiic,t Of all
and that tho alopathic and
homeopathic, and the eclectic schools will
yet ncknoWlcdgo H. Hero aro two saacs
Of sickness precisely alike, the same kind
OF medicine h given to both OF them. aud
In the same quantities. Tho one patient
RECEIVERS, and the other does not Why
God blcsscs the one remedy aud docs not
bless the other. Prayer has helped many
u laundering doctor through with case
that would have otherwise become com
plrtcly unmanagcnble. There il such a
thing ~ gospel hygiene, as Christian phar-
macy, n dcyine materia mcdicl. That IN
u foolish man who, In case Of sickness,
goes only 30 human resources, when We
have these instances of the Lords help In
the sick.room. Before youcall the doctor,
while ho Is ,hcrc, and alter ho goes away,
look up 10 Him who cured llozckiah.
let the apothccary sond the poulticc, but
God makes Il draw. OH lam glad 10
have a doctor who knows how 10 pray.
God send salvation 90 all the doctoni
Sickness would bc oitoncr baked, death
would be oiicnor hurled back from the
duor-sll, II medical men came into the
sick-to1m, like Isaiah IT tho text, with a
prescription In their hands, aud the word
ol the l.orl In their mouths
God did not make the law aud then run