The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-06-18


his favorite book on the corruption OF cio-
ouence. all lost. Thirty books OF Tactltus
lost. Dion Cassius wrote eighty books, only
twenty remain. Berosius's history ali lost:
Nearly all the old books are mummlhed
and are lying in the tombs of old libraries
and perhaps once in twenty years some man
comes along and picks up one OF them amt
blows the dust off and opens 1t and finus II
the book he does not want. But this oiA
book, much of it forty centuries old, slanas
to-day more discussed than any other BOOK.
and it challenges the admiration Oh all the
good and the spite and the venom, and the
animosity, and the hypercriticism OF earth
and hell. I appeal to your common sense II
a book so divinely guarded and protected IN
its present shape must not be in just the way
that God wants it to come to US. ana II IL
pleases God ought it not to please Us?
Not onlv have all the attempts to detract
from the book failed, but all the attempts TO
add to it. Many attempts We're made TO add
the apochryphal books to the Old Testament.
The council of Trent, the synod OF Jerusalem,
the bishops Of Hippo. all decided that the
apochryhal books must be added to the Old
Testament. "They must stay in said those
learned men, but they staid out. There Is
not an intelligent Christian man that to-day
will nut the book of Maccabees or the book
Of Judith beside the book Of Isaiah or
Romans. Then a great many SAID. we
must have books added to the New Iesta-
ment,n and there were epistles and gos-,
pels and apocalypses written and adoen
to the New Testament, but they nave al
fallen out. You cannot add anything. you
cannot substract anything. Dirinely pro-
tected book in the present shape. Let no
man dare to lay his hands on it with the IN
tention of detracting from the book or cast
ing out any Of these holy pages.
Besides thai, i am opposed to this expurga-
ton of the Scriptures because ifthe attempt
were successful. it would be the annlhllatlon
of the Bible. Inadel geologists would say,
"Out with the Book of Genesis inildel as
tronomers would say, "out with the Book
of joshua" people who do not believe IN
the atonins sacrifice would say, "Out with
the Book of Leviticus;" people who do not
believe in the miracles would say, "Out with
all those wonderful stories in the Old and
New Testament; and some would say.
"Out with the Book of Revelation;' and
others would say, "Out with the entire Pen,
tateuch,' and the work would go on until
there would not be enough OF the Bible le1t
to be worth as much as last years almanac
The expurgation of the Scriptures means
their annihilution.
am also opposed to this proposed expur-
CATION OF the Scriptures for the tact tnat IN
proportion us tho people become self-sacrl-
fcing and good and holy and consecrated,
thew like the book as it is. have yet. to find
man or a woman distinguished for sell
sacrifice. for conservation to God, for holi-
ness of life, who wants the Bible changed.
MANY of us have inherited family Bibles.
Those Bibles were in use twenty, forty, fifty,
perhaps 100 years in the generations. 10.
day take down those family Bibles, and find
out if there are any chapters which nave
been erased by lead pencil Or pen, anu II IN
any margins you can lind the words, 1hls
chapter not fit to read There has been
plenty OF opportunity during the last half
century privately to eNpursate the Bible
Do YOU know any case OF such eXpurSatlon?
Did not your grandfather give it to your
father. ana did not your father give IT to
you?
Besides that I am opposed to the ex-
purcation of the Scriptures, because the So
called indelicacies and cruelties OF the Bible
have demonstrated no evil result. cruel
book will produce cruelty. An unelean BOOK
will produce uncleanness. Fetch me VIC.
tim. Out OF all Christendom and out OF all
the ages fetch me victim whose heart has
been hardened to cruelty or whose life has
been made impure by this book. Show me
one. One of the best families 1 ever knew
of, for thirty or forty years. morning ana
evening, had all the members gathered to-
cether. and the servants OF the household,
and the strangers that happened to be within
the gates-twice day, without leaving our
a chapter or verse, they read this 1y
book, morning by morning. night by nigh5.
Not only the older children, but the Little
child who could just spell her way through
the verse while her mother helped her, the
father beginning and reading one verse and
then all the members of the family in turn
reading q verse The father maintained his
integrity, the mother maintained her lnteg-
ritv. the sons grew up and entered pro-
fessions and commercial life. adorning every
sphere in the life in which they lived, and
the daughters went into families where
Christ was honored. and all that was good
and pure and righteous reigned perpetual!y.
For thirty years that family endured the
Scriptures. Not one OF them ruined py
them.
Now. if YOU will tell me of a family where
the Bible has been read twice day for thirty
wears. and the children have been brought
up in that habit, and the father went to
ruin, and the mother went to ruin. and the
sons and daughters were destroyed by it
if YOU will tell me Of one such incident,
will throw away my Bible or l Will DOUBT
Your reracitY. teilyou II manls shocked
with what he calls the indelicacies OF the
word OF God he is prurient in his taste ana
imagination. II man cannot read Solo
mons Song without impure suggestion. he
is either in his heart or in his life l1oeftlne.
The Old Testament description OF wicked
ness, uncleanness OF nll sorts. IS
purposely and righteousy a disgust
ing account, instead Of the Byronlc
and the Partisan vernacular, which makes
sin attractive instead OF appalling. Hhen
those old prophets point you to a lazaretto
sSa understand it is a lazaretto. When
Man having begun to do right falls back into
wickedness and gives up his integrity. the
Bible does not say he was overcome by tho
destinations of the festive board. or that ne
surrendered to convivlalities. or that he be-
came little fast in his habits. vii! tell
you what the Bible says. "The dog Is turned
to his own von2it again and the SOW that was
washed to her waliowing in the mire.' No
gliding of iniquity. No garlands on adeath.S 8
head. No pounding away with silver NAL
let at iniuuty when it needs an iron sledge
hammer.
can easily understand how people brood
ing over the description of uncleanneSS III
the Bible may get morbid in mind until they
are as full of it as the wings. and the Deak,
and the nostril, and the claw OF buzzard
are full OF the odors Of Il carcass. but what
is wanted is not that the Bible be disinfect-
cN. DGl tllat you, lne cllllt, nav yOu' tA-'AA0
and heart washed with carbolic acid.
I tell you at this point in my discourse
that man who does not like this book, and
who is critical as 10 its contents, and who is
shocked and outraged with its descriptions,
has never been soundly converted The lay
ing on Of the hands OF presbytery OF epls-
copacy does not always change n man 9
heart. and men sometimes get into the pull
pit. as we'll as into tn" pew. never having
heen oha noed radically hy the sovereign
grace of God. Get your heart right and the
Bible will be right. The trouble is mems
natures arc not brought into harmony with
the worl OF God All. my friends. expurga:
t;Sn cf the heart IS W.. e w:cted!
You cannot make me believe that the
Scriptures, which this moment lie on the
table of the purest and best men and women