The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-07-05

be company when we believe in the Word
Of God-very respectable company;
Now. | might as inhdels have failed to
prove that the Bible is a cruel book, that
the Bible is an impure book; that the ~
BILE is a contradictory book, that the bi-
bic is an unscentihc book-l might move
a nonsuit in this case of lntldehty,. the
plaintiff, @ainst Christianity the defend
ant. but | will not take advantage Ct the
circumstances. for when the skeptic goes
on to say that we are gulhoie people,
when he goes on to say. as he often does
that the greater the lm1proPa0lpty Ine
more we like to believe it; 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 Uom some
other place. and that the whole thing IS
an imposition on the credulty OF the hu-
man race. | must reply to that charge
The Bible is made uD of the Old Iesta-
ment and the New Testament. Let US
take the New Testament first. Why do |
believe it? Why do | take it to my heart!
1t is because it can be traced bac': 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 century and
other writers in the third and fourth cen
turtles gave a list OF the New Testament
writer's just exactly corresponding with
our list, showing that the same New les
lament 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 Iesta-
ment? They got it from Irenaeus. Where
did Irenaeus get it? He got it from Poly
carp. Where did Polycarp get 1t? lie got
it from St. John. who was the personal as
sociate OF the Lord Jesus Christ. My
grandfather gave a book to my father, my
fo me o l child, Is
there any difficulty in tracing this line, =
On communion day | will start the cha.
lice at that end of the aisle. and the cha
lice will pass along to the other end OF tho
aisle. Will it be. difficult to trace the line
of that holy chaIice, No difficulty at all
and this one will say Il gave it to that
one But it will not be so long a line as
this to trace the New Testament 1t is
easier to get IT the fact But you say:
Although this was handed right down in
that way, who knows but they were lying
imposters? How can you take their testi
mony!' They died for the truth of that
book Men never die for a lie cheerfully
and triumphantly. They were not lying
impostors. They died in triumph for the
truth of that New Testament.
We'll, says some one, nov am ready
from the heart OF Christ, but how about
the Old Testament? Why do you believe
that" | believe the Old Testament be
cause the prophecies foretold events hun
dreds and thousands of years ahead
events which atterward took place. How
far can you see ahead; Two thousand
years? Can you see ahead a hundred years?
Can you see ahead five minutes? No, no.
Human prophecy amounts to nothing.
Here these old prophets stood thousand.
of years back, and they foretold events
which came accurately true far on in the
future centuries. Suppose | should stand
here and say to you, twenty-five hundred
and sixty years from row, three miles and
halt from the city OF Moscow there will
be an advent, and it VIII be in a certain
family, and 1t will be amid certain sur
roundings.' 1t would make no impression
upon you, because you know | cannot fore
see thousand years or one year or one
minute, and | cannot tell what is going to
transplre IN land Jar away. But that IS
what these old prophets did.
You must remember that Tyre and
Babylon and Nlneyeh were in full pomp
and sp.endor when these prophecies these
old prophecies, said, they would be de-
stroyed. Those cities had architecture that
makes the houses OF modern cities per
fecty insignificant. Yet these old pro.
phets walked right through those magnif,
cent streets and said, This has all got to
come down; this Is all going to be leveled, p
Besides that, you muse remember that
this book has been under fire fer centd-
res, and after all the bombardment of the
skeptics OF all the centuries they have not
Knocked out of this Bible a piece as large
as the small end Of a sharp needle. On,
how the Old book sticks together
nsanctitlvd biologists try to pull away
the book OF Genesis. they say they do not
believe it. 1t cannot be there was light
before the sun shone, it cannot be all this
story about Adam and Eve, and they pull
at the book OF Genesis, and they have been
pulling great while, vet where Is the
book OF Genesis. Standing just where it
stood all the time There is not a man on
earth who has ever -.eed 1t from his Bi-
bic.
And 50 the infdels have been trying to
pull away the miracles, pulling away al the
blasted hg tree, at the turning CT the
water into wine, at the raising OF Lazarus
from the dead, Can You show me a Bible
from which one OF these miracles has been
erased!
How marve!ous,y the old book sticks to-
gether. All the striking at THESE chapters
only driving them In deeper until they are
clnched on the other side with the ham
mers OF eternity.
And the book is going to keep right on
until the tires OF the last day are kndled.
Some of them will begin on one side and
some on the other side OF the Old book.
They will not lind a bundle OF loose manu-
ITS easily consumed by the fire.
" hen the fires OF t last day are kin
died, some will Durn on this side, from
Genesis toward Revelation. and others will
burn on this side, from Revelation toward
Genesis, and in all their way they will not
find a single chapter or a single verse out
OF place. That will be the first time we
can afford to do without the Bible
What Will be tie use OF the book of Gen. .
esis descriptive OF how the world was
made, when the world is destroyed; What
will be the use OF the prophecies when they
are all fulfilled? What viii be the use Of
the evangelistic or Pauune description of
Jesus Christ when we see Him face to face?
But | do not think we viii give up the
Bible even at that time. / think we will
want the Bible in heaven. | really think
the fires OF the last day viii not consume
the last copy, Tor when you and l get our
dead children out OF the dust we want to
show them Just the passages. just the
promises which conferred us here in the
dark day OF iuterment, and we VIII want
to talk over with Christians who have had
trials and struggles, and we viii want to
show them the promises that especially re-
treshed u.s. | think we shall have the BIZ