The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-01
IF NOT INSPIRED THEN FRAuD.
Rev. Arthur j. smiths Defense OF the
bible.

". D.
bible.
Rev. Arthur J. Smith preached at the
First Presbyterian church last night on
''The Inspiration of the Bible" His text
was from Timothy 2:S:16. "All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and Is profit
able for doctrine, for reproof for correc-
ton, for instruction, in righteousness"
and from Peter s21 ;2O-2i, knowing this
first that no prophecy of the scripture is
of any private Interpretation. For the
prophecy came not in old time by the win
of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost"
Mr. Smith began by saying that there
seems to be a strong element of doubt in
many minds as to the Bible being the
true word of God. The subject he said
he knew to be a large one and that IL
opens UP a large field for discussion, but
his belief first and last points, he said,
to its divine inspiration of the Bible. The
distinction between revelation ana
he defined as being the show
ing of something not before
known, and illumination the process
through which ones mind has gone in
order to enable him to perceive and under
stand this revelation. 1t comes as a divine
But neither of these Is that upon which
the Bible is founded, said Mr.. Smith. That
comes by inspiration, which literally
means the inbreathed, infused inspired
truths from on high
The Presbyterian belief in the verbal in
SEPARATION of the scriptures, he said, APP
pealed to him as that most worthy OF be-
lief, as by 1t comes the opinion that the
writer's of the holy book spoke as they
were prompted by God. lie would not
pretend, he said, to say that the English
Bible in it's entirety is just as the inspired
writer's indited It, for it has undergone
many translatons and changes may have
occurred, but the original scriptures were
from the Almighty through the mouths of
| his prophets.
Learned theologians, Mr.. Smith said
hold that there have been no essential
changes in the great doctrines 1--WE must
take the book. he said, ION faith. 1t is
on faith that we accept checks and drafts
and so must we accept the word of Cod. -
There are three leading reasons" he
said, that appeal to him as unanswera-
| BILE arguments for the inspiration of the
Bible. The first is it's total difference from
| all other books. There are none like IT
in any particulars. Its doctrines are
| widely different from those treated in
other works, and its diction and compo-
! sition is unlike other writings Christians
| alone do not say this, for Diderot when
his friends We're soothing and casting their
unbelieving slurs upon the Bible, told
| them that not only was there not a man
I in all France who could write such a
4 book, but that il was the most wonder
full one that had ever been written. Dide-
rot told them further that even the con-
ception of such work was far beyond
| them or any unaided human effort Hulk
| ley and many other unbelievers have said
| that the scriptures are different from any,
thing else in literature, and have exerted
/ greater influence on the world than any
thing ever written. 1t is the only book,
said Mr.. Smith, that shows the way to
| eternal life, and through which
| the Lord speaks to men. It is the
book of peace, and the only such in ex-
istence. The searcher for the calming
| quiet of peace finds it not in the works
of Shakespeare, or Tennyson, and but
| slightly in Bunyan.
MIR. Smith gave as his second reason for
| holding the belief of" the Bible's inspira-
ton, that the prophets themselves say
it is inspired. Moses received the COM
mands of the Lord in the wilderness:
Joshua was spoken to by the Lord; in
Judges prophet was sent to the children
of Israel, saying, II am the Lord thy
| God which has brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bond
age" the Lord spoke to Isaiah; jeremiah
heard the word of the Lord He spoke ex-
! pIeSSly 10 Ezekiel ana TO Hosea.
I'm the old Testament" said Mr.. Smith,
Il have found, by careful search, that the
words, Thus saith the Lord
and The word came to Ho-
sea, etc. occur 1850 times
| Other writer's than those in the holy
scriptures have made no such claims as
these, said the speaker. Shakespeare does
not say, THUS saith the Lord God" II
| say that, unless this book is inspired, IL
| is one of the greatest frauds ever perpe-
| trated upon the human race. People can
not say believe good men wrote the BIZ
BILE, for these men say they were spoken
to by the Lord, and if they were not
| they were liars, and as such were not
| good men," In the New Testament also
| are claims to the inspiration Of the word
| Paul and other of the apostolic writer's
| speak of the promptings of the Spirit.
The last reason was named as resting
| on the fulfllment of so many of the
| prophecies that were made. These proph-
eces were history written in advance
The downfall of Ninevah was prophecied,
and AZ was destroyed as foretold; Sodom
| and Gomorrah fell as prognosticated;
| Egypt has long been the base nation pre-
| dicted: and the Jews. scattered abroad
| throughout the nations as foretold are
| the mercantile and money-loving race
that It was said they would become, for
they are the bankers of the world, said
| Mr.. Smith
The prophecy was that they should lend
to all and borrow from none, and with
the money of the nations in their hands,
1t is fulfilled.
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