Democratic messenger., 1893-09-23


came that they must be burned. and not
until the last word of those Memoirs
went TO ashes did the literary company
separate.
But suppose, now, all the best spirits of
all ages We're assembled to decide the
fate of the Bible. which is the last will and
testament of our Heavenly Father. and
these memoirs of our Lord Jesus. what
would be tho verdict? Shall they burn,
or shall they live: The unanimous YER
dict of all is. "Let them live. though all
else burn" Then put together on the
other hand all the debauchees and profit
gates and assassins of the ages. and their
unanimous verdict concerning the Bible
would be. LET il burn"
Mind you, do not say that all infidcls
are immoral, hut do say that all the
scrapegraces and scoundrels of the uni
verse agree with them about the Bible
Let me vote with those who believe in
the holy Scriptures. Men believe other
things with half the evidence required to
believe the Bible. The distinguished Alb
ner Knecland rejected the Scriptures
PUT ttlA lllS lIOAlt1 tIl-
terprise for the recovery of that hocus
pocus Captain Kiid's treasures" Knee
lands faith for doing so being founded
on n mans statement that he could tell
where those treasures were buried from
the looks of a glass of water dipped from
the Hudson river.
The internal evidence of the anthem
ticity of the Scriptures is so exact and
so vivid that no man, honest and sane,
can thoroughly and continuously and
prayerfully read them without entering
their discipleship. So l put that inter
nal evidence paramount. How are you
led to believe in letter you received
from husband or wife or child or friend:
You know the handwriting. You know
the style. You recognize the sentiment.
When the letter comes. you do not sum-
mon the postmaster who stamped it, and
the postmaster who received it, and the
letter carrier who brought it to your
door to prove that it is n genuine letter.
The internal evidence settles it, and by-
the same process you can forever settle
the fact that the Bible is the handwrit-
ing and communication of the infinite
God.
SUBLIME PHILOSOPHY.
Furthermore, as have already init
mated, we may increase our faith by the
testimony of others. Perhaps we of less
er brain may have been overcome by
superstition or cajoled into an acceptance
Of hollow pretension. So / will this
morning turn this house into a court
room and summon witnesses, and YOU
shall be the jury. and now impanel YOU
for that purpose. and will put upon the
witness stand men whom all the world
acknowledge TO be strong intellectually
and whose evidence in any other court
room would be incontrovertible. will
not call TO the witness stand any min
lister of the gospel. for he might be pref
udiced.
There are two ways of taking an oath
in II courtroom. One is by putting the
lips to the Bible and the other is by
holding up the right hand toward heav-
en-. Now, as in this case it is the Bible
that is on trial, we will not ask the wit
ness to put the book 10 his lips. for that
would imply that the sanctity and divin-
ity of the book is 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
supreme court of the United States, ap-
pointed by President Lincoln. will take
the witness stand. Chief Justice
Chase, upon Your oath, please state what
you have to say about the book common
" called the Bible" The witness re-
plies: There came time i'll my life
when l doubted the divinity of the
Scriptures, and / resolved. IA a lawyer
and judge. l 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 l
always do in secular matters l have
come TO the decision that the Bible is a
supernatural book. that it has come
from God, and that the only safety for
the human race is to follow its teach
ings." 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
Christianity" The president replies: Il
have for many years made it practice
to read through the Bible once year.
My custom is to read four or five chap
ters every morning Immediately after
arising 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 soevcr we regard
the Bible. whether with reference to rev.
elation, 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 'Prin-
cipia" and the greatest natural philoso-
pher 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 put npon the witness stand the
enchantment of letters, Sir Walter
Scott, and when l ask him what lie
thinks of the place that our great book
ought to take among other books he re-
plies. There is but one book. and that
is the Bible"
Next put upon the stand the most
famous geologist Of all time. Hugh Mil
Ter, an elder of Dr. Guthric's Presby-
terian church in Edinburgh. and Fara-
day and Kepler. and they all testify 10
the same thing. They all say the Bible
is from God. nd that the mightiest III
tluencc for good that ever touched our
world is Christianity.
Chancellor Kent. what do you think
of the Blble:" Answer: mo other book
ever addressed itself so authoritativcly
end SO pathetically to the Judgment and
bIoral sense of mankind"
Edmund Burke. what do you think
f the Bible:" Answer: Il have read