The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-08-01
Ministers Corner.
A LAWYERS REASONS FOR BELIEVING
IN CHRIST.
By James M. Rice, Esq.

This IS a hard question to answer because
mans reasons are often personal to himself and
besides, different reasons vary in weight with
different people, That which is the strongest rea-
son with one may be scarcely considered by an
other, yet all are good, and there are many. I
can only suggest few they now occur to me
Facts are facts, whether many witnesses of va
rious kinds or only a few are called to prove
them, and even if none is called If anyone gives
great weight to reasons l do not mention and
does not appreciate mine, let him remember that
the difference lies in us, not in the truth
believe IN Christ and His teachings as the
result OF my personal experience. l feel hungry
and eat and am refreshed; do not know how
| merely see and know the change. The doc
tors may know somewhat of the process, but I
do not, and glad l do not need to know in
order to obtain the benefits.
My heart is sometimes cast down. turn to
Christ and His teachings and am encouraged.
cheered strengthened to endure and to labor and
to enjoy cannot understnd how or why The
learned doctors know only little of the pro.
cesses. By prayer to the God whom Christ
taught us to address as "Our Father, which art in
heaven, and by trust in Him am strengthened
to hope, endure and work. Therefore, 1 believe
and trust.
Whenever l strive to overcome tendencies to
vanity, pride and other evil dispositions in my
self and succeed, feel that it is the help of this
Father in heaven that gives success He has
promised this help whenever its need is felt and
ly and have realized this help.
The Christian ideals all that make life worth
living to me. Take them out and nothing, it
seems to me, would be left worth living for in
this world or the next. A little round of eating
and sleeping and getting the means to eat and
sleep, and all is gone. The fact that the Christian
ideals are we'll adapted to the needs of mans
heart and soul, and that the soul and heart find
those ideals shows that both exist, and each for
the other This proof is as conclusive as any
nnf f6af~ ho f0, ~,
physically, mentally or morally and strong as
the proof of anything be.
In a general way the effect of belief in Christ
and an acceptance of His teachings has always
exalted a nation and people, and a lack of them
has been a cause of degeneracy.
To some extent | the process by which
these teachings work to these ends but the
proof of the fact is not dependent my power to
see the process. The facts stand out much more
plainly than the process by which the facts
produced
Where the Bible is most reverently read by the
greatest proportion of the people, there the pro-
cess of developing the noblest manhood has reach
ed its best results. This is matter of history.
Therefore / believe in the Bible.
The elevating and ennobling effect of Chris
tianty on people is the greatest miracle of any
age. 1t is going on now before our eyes all over
the world. 1t is great and convincing to
as the miracles wrought in Palestine would have
been if / had them with my own eyes. No
other religion philosophy has explained
and enforced the duty of to in way
SO universally applicable and to uplift and
benefit them all.
believe Christian ideas divine. They
above the power Of human invention.
All the great students of the history of Christ,
even those who, for perhaps personal
to themselves, have come to deny Christs di-
vinty, unanimous in saying He led the only
perfect life lived earth. Yet this Christ
OF such perfect life said Of Himself many times,
and even in what might be called His dying state
ment, that He was divine. / am compelled by
His character and life to regard Him as the most
thoo .h1.r LII