Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-06-25
BEST OF ALL BOOKS.
DR.. TALMAGE uPHoLOS THE sIRLE'S
DIVINE ORIGIN.

ecies of the cid Testament Prove
Its EmnnatioD Fro1., God.
WASHINGTON, June 24.-In the great
confict now raging in Europe, as in
this country, between Christianity and
ngnosticism Dr. Talmage has taken
q decided stand and in this sermon
declares his unwavering belief in the
divine origin OF the Scriptures; text,
Matthew vii, 1e, DO men gather
grapes of thOrnsz"
Not in this country. Not in any COLE
try. Thorns stick. thorns lacerate, but
all the thOrns put together never yield
ed one cluster of EataWba or abella,
grapes Christ, who was the master
of apt and potent illustration, is thus
setting forth what you and l wen
know-that you cannot get that which
is pleasant and healthful and good
from that which is bad. If you find
round, large, beautiful cluster Of
grapes, you know that it was produced
by good grapevine and not from
tangle of Canada thistle. Now, if !
can show you that this Holy Bible
yields good fruit, healthful fruit, grand
fruit, splendid fruit, you will come to
the conclusion it is q good Bible, and
all the arguments of the -sl1eptic against
it, when he tries to show it is bad
book, Will go overheard.
do men gather grapes OF thornsF'
Can bad book yield good results?
SkeDtics with great yehemence declare
that the Bible is Il cruel book. They
read the story of the determination of
the Canaanites 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 Of lacera-
ton and manslaughter and massacre.
Now, a bad book will produce a bad
result, q cruel book will prouuce cruel
result.
You have friends who have been in
the habit of reading the Bible Il great
many years. lave you noticed tend
ency to cruelty on their part? Have
you ever heard any Of them come out
and practically say, Il have been read
ing the story about the determination
of the CanaaniteS and I am seized
upon with a disposition to cut and
slash and maui and pinch and murder
and knock to pieces everything l can
lay my hands On?' Have your friends
in proportion as they become diligent
Bible students and disciples Of the
Christ OF the Bible, shown a tendency
toward massacre and murder and man
slaughter? Has that been your Oh
serVGtion?
Effects of Bible Reading.
What has been the effect upon your
children of this cruel book? Or, if you
do not allow the book to be read in
feet upon the children Of other house
holds where the Word CT God is hon
ored? Have they as q result OF read
ing this cruel book gone forth with q
cruel spirit to pull the wings off flies
and to piniOn grasshOppers and TO rob
birds nests? y cruel book ought to
make cruel people; if they diligently
read it ard get absorbed with its prin-
cipIes, that cause must produce that
effect. 1t what time did you notice
that the teachings OF this Holy Bible
created cruelty in the heart and the
life of George Peabody, Of Miss Dix,
of Florence Nightingale, Of John How
ard, of John Frederick Oberlin, Of Alb
bot Laurence? Have. you noticed in
reading the biography of these people
that il proportion as they became
friends Of the Bible they became enc
mics to humanity? Have you not, on
the contrary, noticed that all the insti-
tutiOns CT mercy were established, or,
being establ.5l.ed, were chiefly support
ed by the friends Of this book? There
is the hospital IL wartime There are
20 Christian women. They are bind
ing up wounds, they are Offering cor
toll
dying, praying for their departing spir- /
its. Where does the cruelty crop out? |
They have been reading the Bible all !
their lives. They read it every morn !
ing; they read it every night; they car
ry it under their arm when they so |
into the hospital.
Again, infidels go On and most We |
hemently charge that this Bible is an
impure book. You all know that an
impure book produces impure results.
No amount of money could hire you to
allow your child to read an unclean
book. Now, if this Bible be an impure
book, where are the victims? Your IA /
Their read it-did it make him a bad /
man? Your mother read it-did it |
make her q bad woman? Your sister |
10 years in heaven died in the faith of |
this gospel-did it despoil her nature? |
Some say there are 2OO,OOO,0OO copies |
Of the Bible in existence; some say |
there are 4O0,0O0,OOO copies of the BIZ |
bic. 1t is impossible to get the accu-
rate statistic. But suppose there are
200, 100000 copies of the Bible abroad, |
this one book read more than any 20 |
books that the world ever printed, this !
book abroad for ages, for centuries
where are the victims? Show me 1000; /
show me 500 Victims of ON imnI1ra |