Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-06-30

| Jumps OH. NOW. III tneSe lOur sIeut
doctrines NIL the Bible writers agree.
Mozart, Beethoven. Handel, Haydn,
never wrote more harmonious music
than you will find In this perfect har.
mony Of the Word of God, the harmony
in providence and in grace.
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 COM
municaton 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 differ
ent lands and from all these different
ages and all these different centuries,
coming together, make perfect har-
mony In the opinion Of the very best
scholars Of all lands. Is not that a
most remarkable fact?
Again. nfdels yehemently charge
that the Bible Is an unsclentiflc book.
In a former discourse | 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 cannot give the 40 or
80 or 60 years exclusively to the study
of science that some men give. Let
| us have authority in this matter.
| Who says there Is a collision between
science and revelation? Well, Herbert
Spencer, Tyndall. Darwin. They say
there Is a dlscord between science and
revelation. But will bring you names
| of men who have found perfect ac-
cord between science and revelation,
men as much higher in intellectual
| character above those whom | have
mentioned as the Alps and Mount
Washington and the Himalayas are
higher than the hill back of your house
Herschel Kepler. Lelbnltz, 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 | might, as infidels have failed
to prove that the Bible Is cruel book,
that the Bible is an Impure book, that
the Bible Is q contradictory book, that
| the Bible Is an unsclentlfic bOok-I
| might move a nonsuit In this case OF
Infidelity. the plaintiff, against Chris
tianlty, the defendant. but | Will not
take advantage of the circumstances,
for when the skeptic goes on to say
that we are n gulllble people, when he
goes on to say. as he often does, that
the greater the improbabllity the more
we like to believe 1t; when he goes on
to say that the Bible is made up Of
lot OF manuscripts, one picked up here
and another there and another from
some other place, and that the whole
thing is an imposition on the credullty
of the human race. must reply to
that charge.
The Bible ls made up Of the Old
-iTestamcpt aud the New Testament
YLet us take the New Testament first.
Why 90 believe 1t? Why do l take
it to my heart? 1t Is because 1t can be
traced back to the divine heart just as
easily as that aisle can he traced to
that door and that aisle to that door.
Jerome and Eusebius in the first cen
tury. and Origcn In the second century,
and other writer's in the third and
fourth centuries. gave a list of the New
Testament writers just exactly corre-
spending 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 century. But
where did they get the New Testa
ment? They got it from Iren@us.
Where did Iren@us get It? He got 1t
from Polycarp. Where did Polycarp
get it? He got 1t from st. John, who
was the personal associate Of the Lord
Jesus Christ. My grandfather gave a
book to my father, my father gave 1t
to me, give it to my child. Is there
any difficulty in tracing this line?
From the Heart of Christ.
On communion day | will start the
chalice al that end of the aisle, and the
chalice Will pass along to the other end
Of the aisle. Will 1t be difficult to trace
the line OF that holy challce? No diff
Guilty at ALL This one will say. 81 gave
Il TO that one" and this one will say,
II gave 1t to that one" But 1t 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
postersi How can you take their testi-
mOny?" They died for the truth of
that book. Men never die for lie
cheerfully and trlumphantly. 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 Testa
ment Is from the heart Of Christ. but
how about the Old Testament? Why
10 you believe thatT 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 yearsi
Can you see ahead 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
foretold events which came accurate
ly true far on In the future centuries.
Suppose should stand here and say
to you, "Twenty-fve hundred and
sixty years from now. three miles and
. half from the city OF Moscow there
will be an advent and 1t will be In a
certain family and it will be amid GER
tain surroundings" 1t would make no
impression upon you, because you
know l cannot fOresee a thousand
years or one year or one minute, and
cannot tell what is going to transpire
In land far away. But that Is what
these old DrOplets did.