Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-04-10

of the Bible had favored "a multiplicity OF
wives. he would have spared plurality OF
wives. When God first launched the
human race, he gave Adam one wife. At
the second launching OF the human race
he spares for Noah che wife, for Ham one
wife, for Shem one wife, for Japhet one
wife. Does that look as though God
favored polygamy? I'm Leviticus Is. IS,
God thundcrs his prohibition of more than
one wife.
Another false charge which infidelity has
made against the Bible is that il is an an
tagonist 10 woman, that it enjoins her deg
relation and belittles her mission. Under
this impression many women have been
overcome OF this Plague of lnfidelity. Is
the Bible the enemy of women? Come into
the picture gallery. the Louvre, the Lux
emborg OF the Bible, and see which pictures
are the most honored. Here is Eve, per-
feet woman, as perfect a woman as could
be made by perfect God. Here is De
borah, with her womanly arm hurting Il
host into the battle. Here is Miriam. lead
ing the Israeltish orchestra on the: banks
of tho Red Sea. Here is motherly Hannah,
with her own loving hand replenishing the
wardrobe of her son Samuel, the prophet.
| Here is Abigail, kneeling at the foot Of the
mountain until the four hundred wrathful
men, at the sight of her beauty and prowess
halt halt--a hurricane stopped NJ the sight
of water-lily, dewdrop dashing back
Niagara. Here is Ruth. putting to shame
all the modern slang about moth
| ers-in-law as she turns her back on her
home and her country, and faces wild
beasts and exile and death. that she may
be with Naomi, her husbands mother.
| Here is Vashti defying the bacchanal of
| thousand drunken lords, and Esther, will
ing to throw her life away that she may
deliver her people. And here is Dorcas,
the sunlight of eternal fame gildiding her
| philanthropic needle, and the woman with
perfume in box made from the hills OF
Alabastron. pouring the holy chrism on the
head of Christ, the aroma lingering all
down the corridor OF the centuries. Here
is lydia, the merchantess of Tyrian purple
immortalized for her Christian behavior.
Here is the widow with two mites, more
famous than the Pcabodys and the LenoXes
| OF all ages, while here comes in slow of
| gait and with careful attendants and with
special honor and high favor. leaning on
! the arm OF inspiration, one who is the Joy
and pride Of any home so rarely fortunate
as to have one, an old Christian grand
mother, Grandmother Lois. Who has
more worshippers today than any being
that ever lived on earth, except Jesus
! Christ? Mary. For what purpose did
Christ perform his first miracle upon
earth? TO relieve the en- barrassment OF
womanly housekeeper at the falling short
of beverage. Why did Christ break up
! the silence Of the tomb, and tear of the
shroud and rip up the rocks? 1t was TO
! stop the bereavement OF the two Bethany
sisters. For whose comfort was Christ
most anxious in the hour of dying excrucia-
| ton? For woman, an old woman, u
wrinkle-faced woman, woman who in
other days had held him in her arms, his
first friend, his last friend. as IL is very
! apt to be, his mother. All the pathos of
the ages compressed into one utteranee
Behold thy mother" Does the Bible
| antagonize woman?
Since you put the Biole on your stand in
the stting-room, has the Bible been TO you,
o woman, curse or a blessing? Why is
| it that woman when she is troubled will
| 20 to her worst enemy the Bible? Why do
| you not 20 for comfort TO some of the great
! infdel books? No, the silly, deluded wom-
an persists in hanging about the Bible YER
ses, LET not your heart be troubled,
| 'All things work together for good"
weeping may endure for "a night" II am
the resurrection, peace, be still. "
Furthermore; rather than invite | resist
this Plague OF lnfdelity because it has
wrought no positive good in the world and
| is always hindrance.
There stands Christianity. There stands
infdelity Compare what they have done.
! Compare their resources. There is
Christianity, prayer on her lip; a bene-
diction on her brow; both hands full Of
help for all who want help; the mother OF
! thousands Of colleges; the mother Of thou
sands of asylums for the oppressed. the
blind. the sick, the lame. the imbecilc; the
mother Of missions for the bringing back
OF the outcast; the mother of thousands OF
reformatory institutions for the saving of
the lost; the mother of innumerable Sab
bath schools, bringing millions of children
under drill to prepare them for respecta-
bility and usefulness, to say nothing Of the
great future. That is Christianity.
Infdelity scrapes no lint for the wound
ed, bakes no bread for the hungry, shakes
up no pillow for the sick, rouses no COM
fort for the bereft, gilds no grave for the
dead. While Christ our Christ our
wounded Christ, our risen Christ, the
Christ of this o!d-fashoned Bible-blcssed
be his glorious name forever, our Chris,
stands this hour pointing TO the hospital or
TO the asylum, saying: Il was sick and yc
gave me crutch, | was bind and we
physicianed my eye-sight, | was orphaned
and yc mothered my soul, / was lost on
the mountain and We brought me home; in
asmuch as ye did it to one Of the least Of
these, We did it for me-.
But | thank God that this plague of
infidelty will be stayed. Many of those
who hear me now by tue Holy Ghost upon
their heaTts will cease 10 be scoffers and
will become disciples, and tho day will
arrive when all nations will accept the
Scriptures. The book is going TO keep
right on until the fires Of the last day are
lxindled. Some OF them will begin on one
side and some on the other side Of the old
book. They will not find a bundle of loose
manuscripts easily consumed like finder
thrown into the fire. When the fires OF
the last day are kindled, some will on this
side. from Genesis toward Revelation, and
others will burn on this side, from Revela-
ton towards Genesis, and in all their way
they will not find a single chapter or
single verse out of place. That will be the