The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-06-30
! DIVINE ORIGIN.
Dr.. Talmage's Reasons for His Be
lief in the Scriptures.
The Coed AeconpIished In the World
a. A Evideaes-Ah Answer -
Anosueisa-PrOPhsoiss
Fulnllsd-
TcOpyrisht 1900. BY Louis KCp.eAl

Washington. Jubs "A
In the great conflict now raging in
Europe as in this country between
Christisnity and agnosiieism DR.. Tai
mage has taken a decided stand, and in
this sermon declares his unwsvering
belief in the divine origin Of the Scrip
lures; text, Matthew, T;ls. DO men
gather grapes Of thornsr'
Not in this country. Not In any
country. Thorns stick. thorns LAGER
ate, but all the thorns put together
never yielded n cluster OF Catawba
or Isabella grapes. Christ, who was
the master Of apt and potent illustra-
ton, is thus setting forth what you
and I well know, that you cannot get
that which is pleasant and heslthful
md good from that which 10 bad. II
you find a round, large, beautiful clus-
ter Of grapes, you know that It WAS
produced by e good grapevine and not
from Z tangle of Canada thistle. Now,
Il l show you that this holy Bible
yields good fruit, heSlthtul fruit, splen-
did fruit, you will come to the eonclu-
sion that it is a good Bible, and all the
arguments OF the skeptic against II
when he tries to show it is = bed book
viii go overheard.
do men gather grapes Of thorns?'
Can a bad book yield good results
skeptics with great yehemence declare
that the Bible is g cruel book. They
read the story Of the determination Of
the Canaanltes and Of all the ancient
wars and Of the history of David and
Joshua, and they come to the conclu-
sion that the Bible is in favor e~flAeera-
ton and msnslAughter and massacre.
Now. a bad book will produce . bad
result, q cruel book will produce cruel
result.
You have friends who have been in
the habit Of reading the Bible Q great
many years. Have you noticed . ten
dency to cruelty on their PartS Have
you ever heard any Of them come out
and practically say: ThAve been read.
ing the story about the determination
Of the CsuAanites, and am seized upon
with = disposition TO cut and slAHh and
maui and pinch and murder and knock
TO pieces everything / car lay my
hands on?" Have your friends In pro
portion as they become dihgsnt Bible
students and disciples OF the Christ Of
the Bible shown q tendency toward
massacre and murder and manSlaugh-
ter? Has that been your observation
What has been the effect upon your
children OF this cruel book? Or ~ Jou
do not allow the book TO be read in
your household. what has been the e.
feet upon the children OF other house.
holds where the word Of God IL hon.
ored? Have they as 9 result Of reading
this cruel book gone forth with = erusl
spirit to pull the wings Of flies and K
pinion grasshopper and to rob birds
nests? A'cruel book ought to max,
cruel people, II they diligently read Il
and get absorbed with itA principles
that cause must produce that effect Al
what time did you notice that thi
teachings Of this holy Bible created
cruelty In the heart and the Life o
George Peabody, Of Miss Dix, Of Flor
ence Nightingale, Of John Howard. o
John Frederick 0beriin. Of Abbot Lau
renee? Have you noticed in reading
the biography Of these people that II
proportion as they became friends o
the Bible they became ensmieH TO hu
mainly? Have you not on th
contrary. noticed that all the inStitu
lions Of mercy established or being es
tabHGhed were chiefly supported BY th
friends Of this book? There IL the no,
pitsl In war time. There are 20 Chris
tian women. They are binding u
wounds; they are offering cordials
they are kneeling down BY the dyinI
praying for their departed spirit
Where does the cruelty crop outs The
have been reading the Bible all thei
Hives. They read IL every morning
they read it every night; they carry 1
under their arm when they 20 int
the hospital.
Where does the cruelty Of the boo
crop out? Is It in the g~entleness @
their step? In It in the cadence Q
, their voice? Is 1t in the sympatheti
prayer they offer at the bedside Of th
dying1 Your common nj tells 20
that q cruel book must produce cru'
results. When you q make . ros
2 leaf stab like q bayonet, and whe
you con manufacture iciclsa out Of Ii
south wind and when you can poisot
your tongue with honey got fror
blossoming buekwheat, then you On
get cruelty out Of the Bible. Tha
charge Of the skeptics falls fat in II
presence Of every honest man.
D Again, infdeh go on and most ',
hemently charge that this Bible IL a
impure book You all know that q
impure book produces impure result
No amount Of money could hire 10
TO allow your child to read N VI
clean book. Now, II this Bible be q
impure book, where a.e the nctimb
Your father read ibid Il make hit
a bad man? Your mother read IT.
did Il make her q bad woman1 You
sister IS years in Heaven Died In III
faith Of this gospel-did II despoil he
+. nature? Soms say there are 10000
600 copies Of the Bible IN e~IiEtenc'
some say there are Ab6Oopeo eopis
Of the Bible. II II impOsEibis % r.
, the accurate statistics, but EnpPcs
there are 100,oCo,oOO copies Of ID
- Bible abroad. this one book read NOR
, than Any 20 books that the world eve
printed. this book abroad for sges, 70
centuries-ghefe ara the Victims
Show me 1000. Show ma 30 Victim
Of an impure book. Show me 100 d
spoiled Of the Bible. Show ms 81
Show me ten. Show me two. Bho'
me onel Two hundred million copis
Of an impure book and not n Vctil
OF the tmpuntyl On the contrsr.
you know very well that II il whel
the Bible has the most power that Il
family institution IL mOst respected.
Again, sgnostics 90 on aiH furthe
= and they say the Bible IL . mass
contradiction, and they put propbi
against prophet, evangelist again
evangelist. apostle against apostl
and they say Il this be true. how, the
= can that be true? M. Nil, who vi
= a friend Of the Bible, said be had d
Q covered 10000 different readings
= the Scriptures, aud yet not one Is
portant difereBce-not n Imports
. difference out Of %, 0OO-Only the d
ference that you might expect fro
the fast that the book came dow
from generation 10 generation Al
was copied By 6 graf many hand
And yet 1 put before yon this IA
:. to-day, that all the Bibls write
agree In the four great dOothpes
Il, the Bible.
WhatEre those four great doctrine
GOd-good, kind patient, just, lonn
omnlpotenL Mana lost sinner. "
- k--- ek. 9th