The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-06-13
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BELIEVES THE BIBLE.
No Effort to Change or Destroy the
Book Has Ever Succeeded

-
nNni Let 6od De true, but every man
mar. --homans ILL.,, 4.
The Bible needs reconstruction according
TO some inside and outside the pulpit. II is
no surprise that the world bombards the
Scriptures. but IL IL amazing TO find Chris
tian ministers picking at this in the Bible
and denying that until many good people
are left in the fog about what parts OF the
Bible they ought to believe and what parts
reject. The Nervousness OF finding fault
with the Bible at this time Is most evident
In our day the Bible is assailed by scurrility.
by Misrepresentation. by inndel scientists
by all the vice OF earth and all the venom of
perdition, and at this particular time even
preachers OF the Gospel fall into line of
criticism OF the word Of God. Why. Il makes
me think OF a ship in September equinox
the waves dashing 20 the top Of the smoke
stack, and the matches fastened down. and
many prophesylng the laundering OF the
steamer. and at that time some OF the crew
with axes and saws go down into the hold of
the ship, and they try 10 saw OF some OF the
planks and pry out some Of the timbers be-
cause the timber did not come from the right
FOREST.
III does not seem to be commendable bus
mess Tor the crew to be helping the winds
ana storms outside with their axes aud saws
inside. Now, this old Gospel ship, what with
the roaring OF earth and hell around the
stemand stern and mutIny on deck. is hav-
ing very rough voyage, but | have noticed
that not one oil the timbers has started, ami
tne captain says he will see II through. And
1 nave noticed that keelson and counter tim
Der knee are built out OF Lebanon cedar. and
she IS going TO weather the gale. but no
credit TO those who make mutiny on deck.
When see professe1 Christians in this
particular day hnding fault with the Scrip
tures, IL makes me think OF fortress ter
rlhcally bombarded, and the men on the ram
parts. Instead OF swabbing out and loading
the guns and helping fetch up the ammuni-
ton from the magazine, are trying with
SroWbars TO pry out from the wall certain
blocks of stone, because they did not come
from the right quarry. oh, men on the ram
parts, petter nght back, and fight down the
common enemy, instead OF trying to make
preaches IN the wall!
While L oppose this expurgation OF the
scriptures, shall give you my reasons for
such opposition. "Whatp' say some OF the
.heoIoglcal evolutionists whose brains have
peen addlcd bytoO long brooding over them
Dy Darwin and Spencer, "you don't now
really belleve al the story OF the garden OF
Euen' 90 youF Yes. as much rs l believe
there were roses In my garden last summer.
But, say they. you don't really believe
that the sun and moon stood still2" Yes. and
IL had strength enough to create sun and
moon could make them stand still or cause
Tue relraction OF the suns rays so it would
appear to stand still. But, they say, you
uoh really believe that the whale swal-
Ioweu JohahI Yes, and II were strong
enough 10 make whale l could have made
very easy ingress for the refractory prophet.
.eavlhg TO evolution to eject him il he were
an unworthy tenant! But, say they, "you
uoh realiy Dellevethat the water was turned
INTO WlheE Yes, Just rs easily rs water now
- olteh turned into wine with an admixture
oI strychhine and logwood! But" say
.he!' You doh really believe that Samson
Stew ioUO with the Jaw bone OF an ass?" Yes,
anu thlnk that the man who in this day
asstulS e the blDie Is welding the same
weapon!
ihere Is hothing IN the Bible that staggers
me. Ihere are many things do not under
s,anu, 90 not pretend TO understand, never
shali IN TINS world understand. But that
MouIu se very poor God who could be fully
uhuerstood py the human. That would be q
very shail Infinite that can be measured by
llnlte. You must not expect to weigh the
thunuerooits Oh Ommpotence in an apothe-
cuy palahces. Starting with the idea that
uou can 40 anything, and that He was pres
ehI a, the beginning, and that He is present
now, there Is nothing in the holy Scriptures
10 arouse skeptlcism In my heart. Here l
slaiiu i, FOSSIL oi the ages, dug up from the
tertiary formation, iallen on the shelf OF an
antiquarian, man in the latter part of the
glorious nineteenth century believing In
W1ole biple from lid TO lid!
am opposed to tine cxpurgation OF the
ncriptures in the first place, because the
bipie IN It's present shape has been so mirac-
uiouSiy preserved. Fifteen hundred years
hlter Herodotus wrote his history. there was
only one manuscript copy OF IL. Twelve
hundred years after Plato wrote his book
there was only one manuscript copy Of IL.
God was so careful to have us have the Bible
In Just the right shape that we have fifty
manuscript copies OF the New Testament a
thousand years old, and some of them 1900
years old. This book, handed down from
the time OF Christ, or Just after the time of
Chrlst, 10y the hand of such men rs Orgen
IN the second century and Tertulian in the
third century, and by men of different ages
VINO dled Tor their principles. The three
pest copies OF the New Testament in manu-
script in the possession of the three great
churches-the Protestant church of England,
tue Greek church OF 81. Petersburg and the
homish church of Italy.
IL IL PLAIN matter OF history that Tschen-
dorf went to conventin the peninsula Of Sinai
ana was by ropes lifted over the wall into the