The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-14

letter. The internal evidence settles 1t, and
by the same process you can forever settle
the fact that the Bible is the handwriting
and communication of the infinite God
wEIGHTY TESTIMONY.
Furthermore, as have already intimated,
we may increase our faith by the testimony
of others Perhaps we of lesser brain may
have been overcome by superstition or ca
joled into an acceptance of hollow pre-
tension. SO will this morning turn this
house into a courtroom and summon wit
nesses, and you shall be the jury, and l
now impanel you for that purpose, and l
will put upon the witness stand men whom
all the world acknowledge to be strong in
tellectually and whose evidence in any
other courtroom would be incontrovertible.
| will not call to the witness stand any min
lister of the gospel, for he might be preju-
diced
There are two ways of taking an oath in
a courtroom One is by putting the lips to
the Bible, and the other is by holding up the
right hand toward heaven. Now, as in
this case it is the Bible that is on trial, we
will not ask the witness to put the book to
his lips, for that would imply that the
sanctity and divinity of the book are settled,
and that would be begging the question.
So shall ask each witness to lift his hand
toward heaven in affirmation.
Salmon p. Chase, chief justice of the su-
preme court of the United States, appoint
ed by President Lincoln, will take the wit
ness stand. Chief Justice Chase, upon
your oath, please to state what you have to
say about the book commonly called the
Bible" The witness replies; There came
time in my life when doubted the divin-
ity of the Scriptures, and | resolved as n
lawyer and Judge | would try the book as
| would try anything in the courtroom,
taking evidence for and against. 1t was
long and serious and profound study, and
using the same principles of evidence in
this religious matter as | always do in sec
ular matters have come to the decision
that the Bible is IA supernatural book, that
it has come from God and that the only
safety for the human race Is to fol ow its
teachings" Judge, that will do. Go back
again to your pillow Of dust on the banks
of the Ohio"
Next | put upon the witness stand a
president of the United States-John
Quincy Adams. president Adams, what
have you to say about the Bible and Chris
tianity?" The president replies: Il have
for many years made it II practice to read
through the Bible once year My custom
is to read four or five chapters every morn
ing Immediately after rising from my bed
1t employs about an hour of my time and
seems to me the most suitable manner of
beginning the day. In what light soever
we regard the Bible, whether with refer
ence to revelation, to history or to morality,
it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine
of knowledge and virtue"
Next / put upon the witness stand Sir
Isaac Newton, the author of the Principal"
and the greatest natural philosopher the
world has ever seen. Sir Isaac, what have
you to say concerning the Bible?' The
philosophers reply is, I'VE account the
Scriptures of God to be the most sublime
philosophy
Next l put upon the witness stand the
enchantmept of letters, Sir Walter Scott,
and when ask him what he thinks of the
place that our great book ought to take
among other books he replies, There is but
, one book, and that is the Bible
, Next put upon the stand the most ia
: nous geologist of all time, Hugh Miller, an
elder of DIR. Guthres Presbyterian church
in Edinburgh, and Faraday and keppler
! and they all testify to the same thing. They
: all say the Bible is from God, and that tn,
; mightiest influence for good that eve
+ touched our world is Christianity.
Chancellor Kent, what do you think o
q
. addressed itself so authoritatively and 81
, pathetically to the judgment and mora
sense of mankind"
Edmund Burke, what do you think o
, the Bible?" Answer: II have read the Bi
, BILE morning, noon and night, and have eve
= since been the happier and the better maj
for such reading"
Z Next ! put upon the stand William K
, Gladstone, the head of the English govern
1 ment, and | hear him saying what he saiC
q to me in January of 1890, when, in reply Il
. his telegram, pray come to Hawarden to
morrow" visited him. Then and there
! asked him as to whether, in the passage o
q years, his faith in the Holy Scriptures an,
Christianity was on the increase or decrease
q and he turned upon me with an emphasi
7 and enthusiasm such as no one who has no
a conversed with him can fully apprecat
!. and expressed by voice and gesture an
4 illuminel countenance his ever increasin
q, faith in God and the Bible and Christianit
. as the only hope of our ruined worlC
y This is all, Mr. Gladstone, we will take {
"a your time now, for from the reports
v what is going on in England just now
Il think you are very busy"
The next man | put upon the witnes
r. stand is the late Earl Of KintOre, and | as
II him what he thinks of Christianity, and b
4 replies: "Why do you ask me that? Di
/. you not hear me preach Christ in the Mic
# night Mission of London? "Oh, yesl
p. remember" But ! see many witnessC
4 present today III the courtroom, and ca
"a you to the witness stand, but have only
n. second of time for any one Of you. A
ar you pass along just give one sentent
r, in regard TO Christianity. Under &c
: it has changed my entire nature
ar says one. 1T brought me from DRUM
~ enness and poverty to sobriety al
no a good home" says another. ut solact
"a me when | lost my child" says anothe
;; at gave me Il hope of future treasur
,s when my property was swept off by IL
h last panic says another. ut has give
-, me a peace and satisfaction more to n
an than all the world beside, says anothe
of 1T has been to me light and music al
of fragrance and radiant anticipation" So.
ID another. All, stop the procession Of wi
re- nesses. Enough! Enough! All those voic
ne Of the past and the present have might
re increased our faith.
no THE EVIDENCE OF SCIENCE.
riI Again our belief Ii REINFORCED by archie
to logical exploration. We must confess tn
good men at one time were afraid Of gee
of ogist's hammer aud chemists crucible an
tie archaologist's investigation, but now II
nd telligent Christians are receiving and sti
nd expecting nothing but confirmation frol
at all such sources. What supports the Pa
n, estne Exploration society Contribution
ar from churches and Christian benefactor
All / saw the marks of the shovels Of thu
er exploring society amid the ruins of ancieI