Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-29
US nave authority IN this matter.


cord between science and revelation.
men as much higher in intellectual
character above those whom I have
mentioned as the Alps and Mount
Washington and the Himalayas are
higher than the hill back of your house.
Herschel. Hepler. Leibnitz. Ross.
Isaac Newton. My friends. we are in
respectable company when we believe
in the Word of God-very respectable
company.
Tracing the Line.
Now l might, as intidelS have failed
90 prove that the Bible is a cruel hook
that the Sible is IN impure book. that
the Bible is n contradictory book. that
the Bible is an unscientinc book
might move a nonSult In this case OF
lnfdelity. the plaintiff. against Chris
uanity. the defendant. but | viii not
take advantage OF the circumstances.
Tor when the skcptic goes ON to say
that we are Il gullible people. when he
goes on To say. as he often does. that
the greater the improbability the moro
we like TO believe it: when he COOS on
TO say that tie Bible is made up of n
lot OF manuscripts. one picked up here
ana another there and another from
some other place. and that the whole
thing is an imposition on the crcdulity
OF tae human race, I must reply 10
that charge.
The Bible is made I'D of the Ola
Testament and the New Testament
Let us take the New Testament first.
Why do | believe it? Why do take
it TO my heart? Ii is because It can bc
traced back TO the divine heart lust as
easily rs that aisle can be traced to
that door aud that aisle TO that door.
Jerome and Eusebus in the first cen.
fury. and OriSen in the second century.
and other writers I'm the third and
fourth centuries. gave list of the New
Testament writers just exactly CORE
spending with our list. showing that
tue same New Testament which we
nave they had in the fourth century,
and the third century and the secoud
century and the first century. But
where did they get the New Tesla
ment? They got it from Irennus.
Where did Iren1us get IL? He got IL
from Polycarp. Where did Polycarp
get *? He got it from St. John. who
was the personal associate of the Lord
Jesus Christ. My grandfather gave
book to my father, my father gave II
10 me, | give it TO my child. Is there
any difficulty iii tracing this line2
From the Heart of Christ.
On communion day | will start the
chaiice at that end of the aisle. and the
chalice Will pass along to the other end
or the aisle. VIII il bc difficult to trace
the line of that holy chalice? No Diff
Guilty NJ all. This one will say, 81 gave
1t 10 that one" and this one will say.
Il gave it to that one But II will not
be SO long n line as this TO trace the
New Testament. 1t is easier TO get at
the fact But YOU say: although this
was handed right down in that way.
who knows but they were lying i'm
posters; How can you take their tcsti-
mony?" They died for the truth of
that book. Men never die for q lie
cheerfully and triumphantly. They
were not lying impostors. They died
in triumph for the truth OF that New
Testament.
Well" says some one. "now | am
ready to believe that the New Tesla
mcnt is from the heart OF Christ. but
aow about the Old Testament? Why
do you believe thatY" believe the
Old Testament because the prophecies
foretold events hundreds and thou.
sands of years ahead-events which
aftcrward took place. How far can
you see ahead? Two thousand yparsY
Can you see ahead a hundred years!
Can you see ahead five minutes? No.
no. Human prophecy amounts TO moth
Ing. Here these old prophets stood
thousands OF years back, and they
forctold events which came accurate.
ly true far on in the future centuries.
Suppose / should stand here and say
to you. twenty-five hundred and
sixty years from now. three miles and
n half from the city OF Moscow there
VIII be an advent and il will be in
certain family and il will be amid Ger
tain surroundings" 1t would make no
impression upon you, because you
know / cannot foresec Il thousand
years or one year or one minute. and
cannot tell what Is going 10 transpire
in a land far away. But that is what
these old prophets did.
You must remember that Tyre and
Babylon and Nlneveh were in full
komp and splcndor when these prophe-
cies. these old prophecies. said they
would be destroyed. Those cities had
that makes the houses OF
modera cities perfectly Insignificant.
Yet these old prophets walked right
through those magnificent streets and
said, This has all got TO come down;
this is all going TO be levelcd."
Suppose a man should stand up In
these cities today and say, There viii
be harvests of wheat and corn where
these cities now stand, and these
streets will be pasture for cattle"
Such man would be sent to the i'm.
sane asylum Yet the old prophets did |
that very thing Where Is Babylon 10. |
dayl You go and walk over the ruins
Of Babylon and you will not find n leaf |
or a grass blade OF those splendid |
hanging gardens. and in the summer
time the ground actually biisters the |
Feet or the traveller. Babylon destroy |
ed according TO the prophecy.
Where is Tyre? In the day of its
pomp the prophet said, 1.-The fishermen
az III MUS WHcTc tHlS CITY 4
stands" If you should go TO that place
today, you would find that literally.
The fishermen are drying their nets on
the rocks where the city of Tyre once
stood. Tartar and Turk and Saracen
drying their nets on the rocks.
Prophecies FULFILLED
Go up Chatham street, New York,
anu md the fulfillment of n DroDhecv
made thousands Of years ago. Why is
Il the lsraelite is always distinguish.
able, whether you see him in New
ork or Picking or Vienna or Stock
holm or London or Paris? The Eng.
lishman goes to America, and after
awhile he loses his nationality. The
American goes to England, and after
awhile he loses his nationality, the
Norwegian his, the Russian his, the
italian his, the Spaniard his, the Israel
ties never. Why? Because this book
provided thousands OF years ago that