The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-09-19

life in it, for five years. Why is it that
the Bible. made up of the writings or at
least thirty-nne authors, has kept toSether
for long line of centuries when the natural
tendency would have been to fly apart Ike
loose sheets of paper when gust or VIM
blows upon them? 1t is because God stuck
them together and keeps them together;
But for that Joshua would have wandered
off in one direction. and Paul into another,
and Ezekiel into another. and Luke into
another. aud iIabbablk into another,
and the thirty mine authors into thirty-nlnc
directions Put the writings of Shakes
peare and Tennyson and L.ongfelow, or
any part of them. together; how long would
they stay together? No book bndery could
keep them together But the cannon of
scripture is loaded now with the same am
loaded it. Bring me all the Bibles OF the
earth into one pile and b.ndfod me so
that I cannot tell the difference between
day and night. and put into my hand any
one of all that Alpine mountain OF sacred
books. and put my finger on me last page
of Genesis and let me know it. and | can
tell YOU what is on the net page, namely,
the first chapter of Exodus. or while thus
lfindfolded put my finger on the FIRST chapter
of Matthew, and let me know il. aud |
will tell YOU what is on the next page. name
w. the first chapter of Mark. In the pile
of five hundred million Bibles. there will
be no exception. In other words, the book
gives me confidence by its supernatural adj
stoutest ship sometimes shifts IT'S cargo,
and that is what made our peril the great
est in the ship Greece of the NATIONAL line
when the cyclone struck us off the coast
of Newfoundland and the cargo Of iron had
shifted as the ship swung from the lar
board to starboard and from starboard to
larboard. But thanks be to God this Old
Bible ship, thought it has been IN thou
sands of years of tempest, has kept llS
cargo of gold and precious stones com
a Il IN, nj no
nothing about il has shifted. There they
stand, shoulder to shoulder David and
Solomon and Isaiah and Jeremiah and
Ezekiel and Daniel and Hosea and joel
Micah and Nahum and ljabbaknk and
Xophaniah and llaggai and IaShariah and
Malachi and Matthew and Mark ana Luke
and John and Paul and Peter, all there,
and with Il certainty of being there untf
the heavens and the earth. the creation of
which is described in the first book of the
Bible. shall have collapsed and the white
horse of the conqueror described in the last
book Of the BRle shall paw the dust in
universal demolition. BY that tremendous
fact my faith is reinforced. he discussion
is abroad AZ 10 who wrote those books OF
the Bible called the Pentateuch. whether
Moses or IIilkiah or Ezra or Samuel or
Jeremiah or another group OF anHtntS.
None of them wrote 1t. God wrote "" ZEN
4atnuch and in this day of stenOgraphy ana
tvDewIiting that ought not TO be 4 difficult
thing to understand. The great merchants
and lawyers and editors end business men
Of our towns and cities dictate nearly all
their letters they only m sign them
after they are dictated. The prophet ana
evangelist and apostle were .lehovahS stem
ographerS or typewriterS. They put down
only what God dictated: He signed 1T alter
ward Ile has been writing His name upon
It all through the vicissitudes Of centuries.
Bur / come to the height of my subject
,,hnn | cav the WAY reinforce our lAltn