The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-09-21
70 REINFORCE FAITH.
20 DIR. rALMAoE TELLS HOW
.vsys BE Done. Bel ef ist asily Destroyed
By Plain Way of Bombsrd ng
Everything That is Sae red.

~ n most distinguished general OF the
- When he was told that the reason for
!. ro, heing present on u celebrated day in
soosivn was that on that day I had sailed
-the Holy Land. why do you say that y
.,irsI sona one. NV military TREND rc-
,,sd "Oh. he will he disiliusioned when he
!. amidst the squalor ani commonplace
.soes ~ Palestine. and his faith will be
hsksr In Christianity. for that r. often the
suit" The great general inisju iged the
,rsnt 10 tia Holy Land for the one pur-
,si OF having my faith siren ythenej. AMI
h,, Was the result which came of II. In ali
rr ,ourueyin'- IN ail our rea1in, ?. IN all our
..o,taiions. In all our plans. augmentation
,,Nerthan the depletion OF our faith should
! our chief desire. 1. Is easy cnou yh TO
avs cur faiti destroyed. can give vol a
q, Tor It's oblitera,ioD. Read infdrl
c,ss. have long and frequent conversations
an .septics attend the lectures OF those
rn,as5nistic to- religion. ciya tull swing 20
.,,ns bad habit. and your faith will be- SO
onpleiely gone that you will laugh az the
iea that YOU ever had any.
n you want to ruin your fnith. YOU ran do
h r,ora easily than YOU can do anything else.
| i1pr believing the Bible all my life can sae
| nlain way hy which. In sN weeks, l could
,nlst ry voice and pen and heart an1 head
,nd entire nature in the hombarl'rent OF the
Is,-;ptur's and the Oh ~ and all now hold
| s,,rel. That II is easy 10 hanlsh soon m
,oroyer MI respect for the Bible prove by
.bs feet that 50 many have done II. They
we're not particularly brainy nor had special
io-ee OF will. but theyso thorou yhiy accom-
pishei the overthrow OF their fnith that they
nave no more idea that the Bible is true. or
{th.f Christianity amounts to anything than
|,hpy have IN the truth oithe Arabian Nights
Tn,rr, linnents' or the existence OF Don
Ou sote's "windmilis. They have DESTROYED
|,he.r faith so thoroughly that they never will
have q return OF II.
fry revivals OF religion may 2wapp oyer
Ne city. the town. the neishborhool where
ihey i've, and they will feel nothing but "A
silent or expressed disgust. There nra per.
,on. In this house to-day who 70 years AGO
gave Jp their faith. AMI they will ney lr re-
.uns IL. The black and deep toned bell of
doom hangs over their head. and take the
hammer OF that bell, and strike it thr,e
times w.th all my might, and 1t sounds.
woa. woe woe Dut my wish. and the wish
o, most otyou, Is the prayer EXPRESSED by
the disciples OF Jesus Christ IN the words OF
ny text Lord. increase our fifth"
The first mO1e OF accomplishing this Is 10
study the llbla Itself. I do not believe there
j. an inildel now alive who has reid the
Bible through. Bat as so important n docu-
ment needs TO be read at le1si twice through
IN order that II may be thoroughly under
stood and read In course. | now offer 800
reward to any inhdel who has read the Bible
through twice AMI read Il in course. But !
cannot take such mans own word 70. IL,
for there il no foundation Tor integrity ex.
cept the Bible. ant the man who rejects the
source OF truth how can l accept his truth
iuness?
10 | must haze another witness in the cas-,
before give the reward. i must hnve the
testimony OF some one who has seen him
read It all through twice. Inndels fish In
this Bible for incoherencies and contrlIllr-
tons and absurdities. and IL YOU FIND their
Bible You will see interlineations In the book
OF Jonah and some OF the chapters OF that
prophet nearly worn out by mush
sss ensls0aAa parts of III Samuel orI Kings
YOU will lind dim with finger marks. but the
pages which contain the Ten Command.
nents and tue Psalms OF David. and The SER
mon on the mount, and the book OF John the
Evangelist, will not have single lead pen III
stroke in the margin, nor any finger marks
showing frequent perusal.
The iather Of one OF the Presidents OF the
United States WAS n pronounced inhdel. /
knew II when many years ago accepted his
invitation TO spend the night In his home
Just before retiring ut night he said in n
!ocose way, 81 suppose you ara accustomed
10 read the Bible before going 10 bed. AMI
hers is my Bible from which to read" He
then told me what portions he would like TO
haze fae read. md he only asked for thoss
portions on which ho could easily be face
iious
You know you can make fun about any
thing. suppose you couldtlkeths last let
ter your father or mother ever wrot AMI find
in the grammar or the spelling
or the tremor OF the penmanship about
which TO be derlsively critical. The internal
evidence OF the truthfulness OF the Bible Is so
mighty that no one man out OF the | GOO 00O,-
oOO OF the worlds present population or the
vaster millions OF the past ever read the
Bible in course, and read 1t prayeriully aud
but was led to believe It.
John Murray, the famous book publisher
Of Edinburgh, and tho intimate friend OF
Southey, Coleridge, Walter Scott. Canning
ini Washington Irving bought OF Moore.
me poet. the Memoirs OF Lord Byron, and
hey were TO be published after Byron's
leath. But they were not 1T TO be pub
shed. although Murray had paid for them
$4,000. That was solemn conclave when
eight Of tue prominent literary people OF
hose times assembled In Albemarle strect
after Byron's doath to decide what shoudb be
lone with the Memoirs which were
charged and surcharged with defamntons
and indelicacles. The Memoirs" were read
md pondered, and the decision came that
hey must be burned, and not until the last
word OF those memoirs" went TO ashes did
Ihe literary company separate.
But suppose, now, all the best spirits OF
III ages were assembled 10 decide the fate OF
he Bible, which is the last will and testa-
nent OF our Heavenly Father, and these
memoirs OF our Lord Jesus, what would be
he yerdict2 Shall they burn, or shall they
lyey The unanimous verdict OF all Is. Let
hem live. though all else burn" Then put
ogether on the other hand all the debauchees
'nd prohigates and assassins Of the ages,
lnd their unanimous verdict concerning the
Bible would be. "Let il burn"
Mind you, do not say that all iniidels are
but do say that all the scrape-
Sraces and scoundrels OF tho universe agree
With them about the Bible. Let me vote with
hose who believe In the Holy Scripture. Men
believe other things with half the evidence
required TO believe the Bible. The dis
nguished Abner Kneeland rejected the
scripture and then put all his money into an
'nterpriso for the recovery OF that hocus
'ocus Captain Kidd's treasures, Kneeland's
attn for doing SO being founded on a mans
that he could tell where those
reasures were buried from the looks of IA
;lass Oh water dipped from the Hudson
River.
The internal evidence OF the authenticity
. q l. A a