Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-29
BEST OF ALL BOOKS.
DR.. TALMAGe UPHoLos THE BIBLES
DIVINE ORIGIN.
Miracles OF the New Tcstamert I'm
essaiiabie, and the ruinned Propb-
ecies OF the old Testament Prove
Its Emaaation From God

tnrnclcs OF the New Testament I'm
ossaiiabie, and the ruiHned Proph-
ecies of the ola Testament Prove
Its Emasation From God.
WASHINGTON. June 2I-In the great
conflict now raging in Europe, as in
this country, between Christianity and
agnosticism DIR. Talmage has taken
n decided stand and in this sermon
declares his unwavering belief in the
divine origin of the Scriptures; text.
Matthew VII, 10. do men gather
grapes OF thornsE"
Not in this country. Not in any couu-
try. Thorns stick. thOrns lacerate, but
all the thorEs put together never yield
ed one cluster OF Catawba or isabella
grapes Christ. who was the master
of apt and potent illustration, is thus
setting forth what you aud L well
know-that you cannot get that which
is pleasant and healthful and good
from that which il bad IL YOU find n
round. large. beautiful cluster of
, grapes. you know that it was produced
by good grapevine and not from a
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 il is n good Bible, and
all the arguments of the skeptic against
IL, when he tries to show il is 4 bad
book. will go overheard.
do men gather grapes of thorns?"
Can n bad book yield good results :?
Skeptics with great vehemence declare
that the Bible Is 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, n bad book will produce n bad
result, n cruel book will produce a cruel
result.
You have friends who have been in
the habit of reading the Bible n great
many years. Have you noticed a tend
ency to cruelty OH their part? Have
you ever heard any of them come out
and practically say, 81 have been read
ing the story about the determination
of the Canaanites and 1 am seized
upon with n disposition TO cut and
slash and maui and pinch and murder
and knock to pieces everything / can
lay my hands onY' Have your friends
in proportion as they become diligent
Bible students and disciples OF the
Christ OF the Bible. shown n tendency
toward massacre and murder and man.
slaughter? Has that been your OBJ
servotion?
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 i'm
Your household. what has been the ef-
feet upon the children of other house
holds where the Word Of God is hon.
ored? Have they as result of read
ing this cruel book gone forth with n
cruel spirit TO pull the wings Off flies
and TO pinion grasshoppers and to rob
birds nests? \ cruel book ought TO
make cruel people; IL they diligently
read IL and get absorbed with its prin-
ciples. that cause must produce that
effect. At 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
arf. OF John Frederick Oberlin. of Alb
bot Laurence? Have you noticed I'm
reading the biography or these people
that In 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 OF mercy were established. or.
being established, were chiefly support
cd by the friends OF this book? There
is the hospital In wartime. There are
20 Christian women. They are bind
ing up wounds. they are offering cor
dials. they are kneeling down by the
dying. praying for their departing spir-
It's Where does the cruelty crop out?
They have been reading the Bible all
their lives They read IL every morn
Ing; they read 1t every night: they car
ry 1t under their arm when they go
into the hospital.
Again. intidels go OH 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. II this Bible be an impure
BOOK, where are the victims? Your ia
Their read ibid IL make him n bad
manr Your mother read ibid IL
make her bad woman? Your sister
- years in heaven died In the faith of
this gospcl-dld IL despoil her nature?
Some say there are 200.0o0o0O copies
or the Bible In existence; some say
there are 4O0,O00,000 copies OF the b.
bic. 1t Is impossible TO get the accu-
rate statistic. But suppose there are
.oO.OOO.0OO 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 /, 900:
show me 800 victims of an impure
book: show me 100 despoiled OF the b.
ble; show me 80: show me 10; show
me :: show me l! Two hundred mil
hon coples.of an impure book, and not
one victim OF the impurity. On the
contrary you know very we'll that IL Is
where the Eible has the most power
that the family institution is most re-
spected.
Four Great Doctrines
Again. agnost!cs so on still further.
and they say the Bible is a mass Of
contradictions. and they put prophet
against prophet. evangelist against
evangelist. apostle against apostle. and
they say If this be true how. then, can
that be true. Mr.. Mil, who was
friend OF the Bible. said he had discoy-
cred 30.CG0 different readings of the
Scriptures and yet not one important
difference. not one important difference
out or 10000. only the difference that
you might expect from the fact that
the book came down from generation
10 generation and was copied by a
great many hands. And yet / put be-
fore you this fact today-that all the
Bible writer's agree in the four great
doctrines Of the Bible.
What are those four great doctrines?
God-good, kind, patient, Just, loving.
omnipotent. Mana lost sinner. Two
destinies-one for believers. the other
Tor unDeleYers All who ooooD. Out.