Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-06-28


You must remember also that the
authors of the Bible came from differ
ent lands, from different ages and
from different centuries. They had no
communication with each other; they
did not have an idea as to what was
the chief design of the Bible, and yet
their writings got up from all these
different lands and all these different
ages and all these different centuries,
coming together. make a perfect har-
mony in the opinion of the very best
scholars of all lands. Is not that a
most remarkable fact?
Again, infidels vehemently charge
that the Bible is an unscientific book.
In a former discourse l showed you
that there was no collision between
science and revelation, and | went
from point to point in the discussion
but now let us have authority in this
matter. You and l cannot give forty
or fifty or sixty years exclusively to
give. Let us have authority in this
matter.
Infdeiity Non-suited.
Now. might, as infidels have failed
to prove that the Bible Is cruel book,
that the Bible is an impure book. that
the Bible Is a contradictory book. that
the Bible Is an unscientitic book
might move a nonsuit In this case OF
Infidelity, the plaintiff, against Christ
ianity, the defendant, but ! Will not
take advantage of the circumstances,
for when the skeptic goes on to say
that we are gullible people, when
he goes on to say, as he often does,
that the greater the improbability, the
more we like to believe It. when
he goes on to say that the
Bible is made up OF lot of manu-
scripts, one picked up here and an
other there and another from some
other place and that the whole thing is
an imposition on the credulity of the
human race, l must reply to that
charge.
The Bible is made up of the Old
hSotohiCht anu thC ANS"
Let us take the New Testament first.
Why do believe It? Why do l take 1t
to my heart? 1t is because 1t can be
traced back to the divine heart just
as easily as that aisle can be traced to
that door, and that aisle to that door
Jerome and Eusebius in the first
century and Origen in the second and
other writer's In the third and fourth
centuries gave list OF the New Tesla
ment writer's just exactly correspond
ing with our list, showing that the
same New Testament which we
have they had in the fourth
century and the third century and
the second century and the first cen
fury. But where did they get the New
Testament? They got it from lrenae-
us. Where did Irenaeus get It? He
got it from Polycarp. Where did Poly
carp get it? 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 it to me, give 1t to my child. Is
there any difficulty in tracing this
line?
On communion day | will start the
chalice at that end Of the aisle, and
the chalice will pass along to the 9TH
er end of the aisle. viii 1t be difficult
to trace the line of that holy chalice?
No difficulty at all. This one will say
81 gave 1t to that one" and this one
will say, II gave II to that one" But
it will not be so long line as this to
trace the New Testament. 1t Is easier
to get at the fact. But you say, al
though this was handed right down in
that way, who knows but they were
lying imposters? How can you take
their testimony" They died for the
truth of that book. Men never die for
a lie cheerflilly and triumphantly.
They were not lying imposters. They
died in triumph for the truth of that
New Testament.
well" says some one, now I am
ready to believe that the New Tesla
ment Is from the heart OF Christ, but
how about the Old Testament? Why
do you believe that?" believe the Old
Testament because the prophecies
foretold events hundreds and thou
sands of years ahead-events which
afterward took place. How far can
you see ahead? Two thousand years /?
Can you see ahead hundred years?
Can you see ahead five minutes? No,
no. Human prophecy amounts to
nothing. Here these old prophets
stood thousands of years back, and
they foretold events which came ac-
curately true far on in the future CEN
turtles. Suppose | should stand here
and say to you, twenty-five hundred
and sixty years from now, three miles
and a half from the city of Moscow,
there will be an advent. and IL will be
in a certain family, and it will be amid
certain surroundings" 1t would make
no impression upon you because you
know cannot foresee a thousand
years or one year, or one minute.
The Inhdeis IIarpoon.
The infidels have been trying to pull
away the miracles, pulling away at the
blasted fig tree, at the turning of the
water into wine, at the raising OF La
zarus from the dead. Can you show
me a Bible from which one of these
miracles has been erased? How mar
velously the old books stick together!
All the striking at these chapters only
driving them in deeper until they are
clinched on the other side with the
hammers of eternity. And the book Is
going to keep right on until the fires
of the last day are kindled. Some OF
them will begin on one side and some
on the other side of the old book.
They will not find a bundle Of loose
manuscripts easily consumed by the