Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-12-25


Numbered against by the mightiest bat
teries, yet you cannot today find in all
the earth copy Of tho Bible which has
not the SO chapters of the first copy Of
the book of Genesis ever printed, start
ing with the words, "In the beginning
God and closing with Joseph's coffin.
Fierce attack on the book Of Exodus
has been made because they said it was
cruel to drown Pharaoh and the story
Of Mount Sinai was improbable. But
the book of Exodus remains intact, and
not one of rs, considering the cruelties
which he would have continued among
the brick kilns of Egypt, would have
thrown Pharaoh plank if we had seen
him drowning. And Mount Sinai is to-
day pile Of tossed and tumbled basalt.
recalling the cataclysm Of that noun
tain whcn the law was given. And as
to those Ten Commandments, all Ro-
man law. all German law, all English
law, all American law worth anything
are squarely founded on them.
So mighty assault for centuries has
been made Gil the book of Joshua. 1t
was said that the story Of the detained
sun and moon is an insult to modern
astronomy, but that book of Joshua may
be found today il the chapel of every
university in America, III defiance Of
any telescope projected from the roof of
that university The book of Jonah has
been the target of ridicule for the small
wit of ages, but there it stands, with its
four chapters inviolate, while geology
puts up in it's museums remains Of sea
monsters capable of doing more than
the one which swallowed the recreant
prophet. There stand the 1889 chapters
of the Bible, notwithstanding all the
attacks of ages, and there they will
stand until they shrivel up in the final
fires, which biologists say are already
kindled and glow hotter than the fur
naces of an ocean steamer as it puts cut
from New York narrows for Hamburg
or Southampton 1 should not wonder if
from the crypt Of ancient cities the in
spired manuscripts Of Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John, in their own chirogra-
ply, would be taken, and the epistles
which Paul dictated to his amanuensis
as we'll as the one in the apostles own
handwriting At the same ratio Of
archaeological and geological confirma-
ton of the Scriptures, the time will
come when the truth of the Bible will
no more be doubted than the common
almanac, which tells you the days and
the months of the year, and the unbe-
levers will be accounted harmless lu-
natics Forward the telescope and the
spectroscope and the chemical batteries
and critically examine the ostracoids Of
the ocean depths and the bones of the
great mammals on the gravely hllltops,
and the mightier, and the grander, and
the deeper, and the higher the explora-
lions the better for our cause AS sure
as the thunderbolts of the Almighty are
stronger than the steel pens of agnostics,
the ark of God will ride on unhurt, and
Uzzah need not fear any disasters upset
ting. The apocalyptic angel flying
through the midst of heaven, proclaim
ing to all nations and kindred and peo-
pie and tongues the unsearchable riches
of Jesus Christ are mightier than the
shying off of yoke Of oxen.
No DiIettante Religion.
The geology of the Bible shows that
our religion is not namby pamby,
nervelcss dilettautish religion. 1t was
projected and has been protected by the
God of the rocks Religion balm?
Oh, yes Religion soothing power?
Oh, yes. Religion beautiful-senti-
ment? Oh, yes But we must have a
God of the rocks, mighty God to de-
fend,. an omnipotent God to achieve,
force able TO overcome all other forces
in the universe Rose of Sharon and
Lily of the Valley is be, combination
of all gentleness and tenderness and
sweetness: OH, yes But if the mighty
forces now arrayed for the destruction
of the nations are to be met and con-
ouered we must have a God Of the
rocks-the "Lion of .Iudah's tribe"
as we'll as tie Lamb who was slain.
One hundred and thirty times does the
Bible speak of the rock as defense, as
armament, as refuge as overpowering
strength David, the psalmist, lived
among the rocks, and they reminded
MIN of the Almighty, and he CALCULATES:
1.-The Lord liveth. Blessed be my rock >
LEAD me to the rock that is higher
than L." And then, as if his prayer
had been answered, he feels the strength
come into his soul, and he cries out;
1.-The Lord is my rock. y He shall set
me up upon rock. - Would the bible
present a sublime picture Of motherly
desperation in defense of her children,
it shows US Rizpah on the rock for three
months, with disheveled hair and wild
screams, fighting back vultures and
iackals from the corpses of her sons
Would the Bible set forth the hardness
of the heart and the power of Gospel to
overcome it, it tells US of the hammer
that breaketh the rocks in pieces F"
Would our Lord represent the durabil-
lily of his church against all assault be
says, Upon this rock will build my
church. and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. Would he close his
sermon on the mount with peroration
that would resound through centuries,
standing on rock so high that it over
looks Lake Galilee to the right, and on
q clear day overlooks the Mediterranean
to the left, I hear him stamp his foot
on the rock beneath him as ne cries to
the surging multitudes at the base OF
that rock, "Whosoever heareth these
sayings of mine and doeth them will
liken him unto wise man, which built
his house upon a rock, and the rain de-
scended and the floods came and the
winds blew and beat upon that house,
and it fell not, for it was founded upon
q rock. -
All, my friends, we want swarthy,
stalwart, brawny religion! We have
great many people who can sit and
gently rock the cradle of their infantile