The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-12

| temples! VINO stayed the ad vanC1ng hosts
of the prophet of Mecca and onthe ban ks
| Of the Loire sent defeat to MahOmet, as
Charles Martel turned the Saracen con-
querors? What power rolled the waves of
the great deep and let lose the northeast
gaJes upon Spain 8 inyinoible Armada
throwing their galeons against the rock
bound coast of Scotland? What power
| gave impetus to the thunder and iron
hail of Drake as he defended the coast of
that nation who sought to worship God
and read their Bibles unm olested!
Did not the same God lead Washington
across the Hudson to victory, that led
Caleb and JoshuaP
Is Gthere no Justice for the oppressed
and slaughtered Armenians whose bones
bleach white on Turkeys blood stained
soil; for down trodden and oppressed
humanity whose cries ascend continually
from hearts lacerated. torn and bleeding
by the ruthless hand Of oppression? Ire
concilaple the God Of our fathers as por-
trayed throughout the, Old Testament
with oul Goa. The God hating iniquity,
classifying nations, correcting kings,
overthrowing oppressors, giving life and
liberty to captives freeing the oppressed,
caring for his children, ever carrying forth
His work, lifting UP mankind to higher
and nobler plane of life and righteous
ness.
How indefnable il that plea.
Go sit Mr.. Higher Critic by some
dying sinner, open your compilation OF
parallels, allegories, my tbs, legends. with
its interpolated matter, its unchronoloRlo
al arrangements, It's unscientifc thought
and faulty:ethios; seek to give him words
Of comfort and consolation, give him
something upon which he can stand and
base his hopes with assurance for hikht
into eternity. What inspiration can hll
your soul when such ideas pervade the
| nA MI h! 70 RnOk nf R00kE.
90 gather that which is most profound
in philosophy, learned in science. lp-
structive In biography, enduring 10
literature, poetry or song, gather from
the brightess and best of the worlds
thinkers aud writers, from Locke, Bacon,
Baxter, Butler, gather from all scholarly
men compendium Of the wisdom of all
ages, select the wisest and best thoughts,
aud then will you have book, which, like
the Bible, will speak to the worlds
reason or sing to the worlds sadness. No
other book could possibly have this uni
versal adaptation. Whyf Because the
Bible Ia prominently Gods book, and
In 1t be put precisely those truths which
He knew were calculated to help and
bless his creatures.
And thus we find book adapted alike
to the Oriental, tho Occidental mind, to
the Monaghan, the Cauoasian, sniting
old age, youth, middle age. and child
hood. Carrying a message to men in all
conditions and circumstances Of life; the
lawyer, the doctor, the merchants, the
mechanic, the artisan, the man of trny,l,
research and exploration. 1t suits the
sailor upon the sea, whom storm and
teinpestl sweeps heaving billows Ger his
fraii bark. Lashed to the mast, hope fills
his soul as he thinks Of Him who holds
the sea in the hollow of his hand.
The lost and dying traveller upon
Anal @ 10 n - W. in
parched and swollen Knocked by tho cruel
mirage. turns to die. Yet not to die. to
live for he drinks from the crystal foun-
tain flowing clear as crystal from the
| throne of God.
This book also gives the greatest bless
ing to fast, to festivity, to sorrow to joy,
to domestic and to public life, to things
life and sanctify death, Also giving
what no other book ever gave or can give
blessed assurance of life eternal with
God the Father.
Is it then to be looked at with critical
eyes, az Information reaches us that it Ia
not infallible as history, or in science, in
morals. ethics and theOlogy2 God for
bid. It's testimonies are sure and must
always remain SO throughout the ages.
REV. G. W. PARSONS AT CHEST
NUT STREET.
Isaiah 81. l6. "The book of the Lord
The singular use of the word book is
not by accident but design. God has given
only one book to this world, but that
book bridges time. is piers rest in the
eternity past, and the eternity to come
1t tells us all we need to know of what
was before the world was. and 1t gives
some hint of what snail be in full reyela-
ton when the heavens shall be rolled to-
gether as scroll.
We say this book is inspired, that is,
God breathed. Paul used a peculiar
word, one nowhereelse found in the
new Testament. God breathed and GOD
breathing thoughts, that nre not the re-
suit OF more human reflection, but truths
of a special and peculiar revelation do
tated by the spirit of God. But many
men were the reporters OF the divine
mind, and that but one mind inspired it
all is clearly proven in the record ITSELF
Men of widely different natural endow-
ment and social position wrote. One was
a secretary of state in Egypt, another
king on his throne. Paul WAS UNIVERSE
ty man, Peter fisherman. But the
book begins with the story of the Begin
ming and IL concludes with An account Of
un0 0nuln9 OF al innings. Two Thousand
years elapsed from the time the first
word was written until the ink became
dry on the scroll after the last word was
written, and yet throughout 1T all runs
one theme. in the entire fabric, in
wrought in the woof tni warp is o the
crimson thread of Clris5's atonement.
And holy men of old wrote as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost. OF course
they wrote manuscript and of course
none Of the original manuscripts are now
in existence. But no writings either
sacred or profane, have ever had SO many
oopyists. The Scribes among the Jews
did little else besides multiplying copies
and some copies written by the early
church writers have come down to this
day. The Codex SiDaitacus and the
Codex.. Alxandrian are known to be 1900
years old. But since the art of printing
the sacred writings have been given over
to the immortal custody of the press.
hold with never a shadow Of a doubt
or wavering that the present English
Bible, the oanonical scriptures Of the Old
and New Testaments constitute the re-
veaIed book of God to this world, and In
every truth of salvation and every rule of
life and practices are absolutely errorless,
I hold that every attack upon the sacred
citadel of truth is indisoreet and indie
f1~, al IL H. e.