The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-03-14
VALUE OF TIE BIBLE.
Extract from an Address of
Judge Burnett, Delivered
Before the B. c. B.
Society.


| ed Christianity and then came .he French
revolution, and what spectacle was then
presented to the world! 'tA country with
out God" The revolutionists determined
by decree to abolish Chris tianity. The
throne was gone, the nobility had fed or
| were hiding in prisons awaiting death +;
but a. covering form of religion remained.
The inpatient atheists and jacobins clam
ored for the destruction Of all churches, the
abolition of the Sabbath. the banishment of
the bible, and the total extirpation of Chris.
tianity, just as socialists of the radical
school clamor for it today in our land.
What the anarchists cried, what the social
lists of France and Germany and America
cry, was fully realized in blood stained
Francs in 1893.
Forever let the American people hold up
before them the awful picture of warning
and advice to be found in the abolishing of
| religion in France contemperaneous with
the horrible rule of the guillotine.
The reign of terror in France filled the
whole world with horror. A century has
only had the effect to deepen and intensity
the hatred and execration of mankind as the
awful record is read. 1t presents the most
tremendous period of hatchery under pre-
tended legal forms that history can reveal.
It's solemn lessons read in the light of facts
and truth should impress upon humanity
how weak and self-deceiving is man when
left to his own devices How certain the
positive results of crime and sin, and that
the only safety for people is in obedience
to those laws of mercy, Justice. temperance,
purity and truth which flow forth from
Sinai and Calvary to bestow liberty under
the law, and the peace and prosperity and
happiness of righteousness.
"Dlessed is the nation" says the bible,
"whose God is the Lord" America has
made day of thanksgiving to God" one
of her permanent institutions, and this
leaven is proving the power that is working
out of her life all dangerous elements: Our
people are being unified in their interests
aud exalted in their conceptions of the rights
of others through the influence of the gos-
pei. There is small danger of extravaganza
in praising the bible as everyone will allow
who appreciates what the bible contains,
surveys the influence of the book in the
pa st, fand knows it's indispensable services
in awake ming and supporting the life of
religion in the soul of man. The bible not
only interprets God in His holiness and
unfathomable love and pity to man. 1t is
the interpreter of man to himself.
Coleridge tells US that having striven to
cast aside all prejudice he perused the books
of the old and new testaments each book as
whole and also as an integral part; and
ueed say he testifes ''That I have met
everywhere more or less copious sources OF
truth and power, and purifying impulses;
that have found words for my mmost
thoughts, songs for my joy, utterancss for
my shame and feebleness. In short, what.
ever finds nae bears witness for itself that
it has come from holy spirit even from the
came spirit which OF old entered into the
prophets" This is not the expression of
one mind alone. but of many kindreds and
tongues aae after age Sir William Jones,
one of the most, learned men that ever
lived, said: 81 have regularly and atten-
lively read the holy scriptures; and an, OF
the opinion that this book, independent Of
it's divine origin, contains more true sublim-
ity, more exquisits beauty and finer strains,
both of poetry and eloquence, than can be
found collected from all the books hat were
ever wristen in any age or nation. The
antiquity of the book no one doubts, and
the unstrsiued application of its prediesiors
to events long prior to their fulfllment are
no mean evidences that this book is divine
and consequently inspired"
The bible is the revealed law of God.
And upon the law of nature and the law Of
| revelation depend all human laws; and the
| divine revealed law, as found only in the
| holy scriptures, Is part of the original law
of nature. This is the language of one OF
the most eminent law writers the world has
ever produced And I affirm that notwith-
standing the scofhnas' of SUCH eminent inf.
dels as R. G. lngersoll that without the
bible there would be no'Americsn republic
! in existence today. 1t was the pole star of
! the pilgrim fathers. 1t was the guide of the
trainers of the declaration Of independence.
It was the reliance and maiustay of the
Father of his Country in the great; struggle
for independence. It is the corner stone of
the constitution of each state in this great
American union. Without it our courts of
! justice would be mockery and the admin
istration of an oath a. farce. That Chris
tianity has been an important and salutary
factor in the development of American life
no one can deny. 1t has done for America,
and that in prominent degree, what it has
done for every other nation into which it
has been Introduced. America needs Chris.
tianity just in proportion to her exaltation
of the individual in her civil and religious
life The uuit of our national life is the
individual, and protestant Christianity has