The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-22

men today take a position OF hostility to.
ward Him. 1t was not anything He had
done to the Jews-it was no crime. II
was because Of His claims to be the Son
of God. a claim which He had abuudantly
established before their eyes by His divine
works. but claim which they brought
under the name blasphemy that they
might cruelty Him.
When you have undertaken to pick flaws
In the character Of Jesus. you have under.
taken hopeless task. The great intellects
OF all the ages since Jesus left our earth,
whatever their special position toward
Christianity, whether Its humble disciples
or openly opposed to 1t. or carelessly In.
different, or vaguely latitudnarian, are
united In their testimony of admiration
of His character and words AZ exhibited
In the gospels. There Is one thing which
desire to notice In the quotation which
you make, because 1t appears to be one OF
your troubles. 1t is this. that this revela.
tion from God, or the Bible, cannot stand
the test Of scientific truth, and falls to
pieces under the touch Of reason. But
who. let me ask. are to be the judges as 10
whether or not the doctrines Of the New
Testament gospel will stand investigation,
according to scientific principles? There
u'' uo''iihco VI Su'u Il hdtuIc luul eNcIy
man cannot make such test--not even
every intelligent or educated man. In
astronomy. we put no stress on the pro.
fessed discoveries or experiments OF
simple ploughman, who comes out of ths
Held, with no previous preparation, and
steps into the observatory. But II man
versed in astronomy, one whose eye Ia
used to the great telescope and has pre-.
pared himself to be a Judge In astronomi.
cal questions-if such man gives out
that he has discovered this and that TO be
true In astronomical science, we are ready
to hear the results Of his scientific inves-
legations. Now, on the same principle,
who Is capable of making a scientific test
OF the doctrines Of the New Testament!
Evidently, not everyone-not even every
educated man. Nay, but Jesus Christ
Himself laid down the rule, and II is a
reasonable one: IF any man willeth to do
His will, he shall know Of the teaching,
whether it be of God or whether l spoke
from Myself that is as a mere man)."-see
John vii, u. IL any man willeth to do HIS.
will-that Is. II any man will give up Ms
will to God-yield himself to Him. The
man that stands at enmty with God can
never become judge of these doctrines
and to assume such a role Is equivalent
to the unscientific mans taking the place
of the professor and becoming indye ~
his work Now. as TO whether the R,hIe
corresponds in its statements with Sole ;
t!fic truth in all the different lines 4, NAV
be said today that not one scientific error
blunder or absurdity has evsr boap founi
there-someth!ng which cannot he said of
sacred books of any other religions
Take il in the matter of peolopv a,on.
and Mr.. Tullidge saws that with tho al.
vance of discovery. the opposition sun.
posed to exist between revelation and pe.
ology has disappeared. and of the eighty
theories which the French institute
counted in 1906, as hostile to the Bible. no,
one now stands"
Not only SO. but amonr the miob,iss,
advocates of Gods word are many Of ths
masters who have no occasion TO fear for
the Bible. Notwithstanding the onnosi,,on
of science. falsely so-called" And so far
as the reasonableness of this posnel is con.
cerned, it seems to satisfy the best minds
of the race today. and so il has done in the
past Gladstone saws that in his nublc
career he has come in contact with ,iftv
men of extraordinary mental power and
out of the fifty there were only seven who
were not Christians. There is a d.st,nc.
ton to be made between being upreason.
able and being beyopd reason Tbere are
many things in the Bible that I do NOT
understands am far from having arrived
at that point to which you profess to have
attained when YOU saw: 81 have read vo,y
Bible and know all about IT" II I couls
comprehend everything in this revelation
which purports to come from an Infinitely
wise God, then | should at once begin 10
the very fact that il contains 40 manv
things beyond comprehension is one of the
strong reasons for accepting II. And tust
here bring to remembrance the doctrine
of foreordnation, or foreknowledee--
under which YOU try to seek covert from
responsibility to God-and alongside nut
the truth of mans free agency. and you
say the two cannot 90 together. thar is
unreasonable. But wait You are con.
scious of the fact that YOU have will power
you can do as YOU will. The word Of God
teaches the same. Man is a free moral
agent then. Now. IL God be Odd Us
must know all these things from, tho no.
ginning. and knowing all things He must
know us and what we will do az free mora,
agents. and knowing all things Ha can
plan all things. foreodain all things
But such being true does NO, reIsevs Wv,
of YOUR responsibility to Him-vou bavo
nothing more to do with that fact ,b.n
YOU have with the climate NJ Gr-sn,snd.
but YOU have something 10 do with vour
responsibility TO God. The major mart of
the New Testament hears unon tba. ana
your duty is made n,ain and tho res,l,s
of Regulating II are made inst as main
You saw: "Truth is what I teach. 7 bel,eve
in IT, and do nv level best TO live I'm 70
IT" But where did Won get II? Hay, yo,,
ANYTHING that is good which ,s NOT directly.
or indirectly a result of the religion. ~
Jesus? Is there any place in this world
outside the influence of the yospel that
Won would desire to live? Every ,lav you
live Won are enioying untold blessings as
the direct result of the neral and mllft.
ing power of the gospei of Jesus Christ.
You saw. 81 would not saw on. word "a
turn NV children. not because ;h,nx
they are right but because their way re