The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-10-05
DR.. TORREYS SECOND LECTURE ON
REASONS WHY HE BELIEVES THE BIBLE
TO Be THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD

that is best in our modern civhiza-
ton. in our political. commercial,
and domestic life, to the influence Of
this book. The man who attacks
the book is attacking the very
foundations of all that is best in
modern civilization. The man who
attacks the Bible is the worst enemy
that an individual or society has.
Sevcth Reason.
Seventh, / believe the Bible TO
be the word of God. because of the
character of those who accept ii as
such. and because of the character
OF those who reject it. Two things
speak for the Divine origin of this
book--the character of those who are
sure that IL is the word of God, and
the character of those who deny It..
|Oftentimes when some man or wom-
an says to me. IL believe firmly that
liz is the word of God, and when
look at the purity. the beauty, the
humility. the devotion to God and
man that there is in their character,
how near they live to God. I feel
like saying, 81 am glad that YOU do
believe the Bible to be the word Of
God. The fact that one who lives
so near God. and knows God as well
as you do, believes the Bible to be
His book, is a confirmation Of my
own faith that It is" on the other
hand, oftentimes when men with a
elf 80, q Ant tooc &c fb. br,1 caV
81 do not believe the Bible is the
word of Cod" and when l look at
the snfulness of selfishess or small
ness or sordidness of their lives,
how far they live from God, / feel
like saying, Il am glad that you do
not. The fact that man who is
living upon the plane that you are
living. living so far from God, and
knows God so little. doubts that the
Bible is the word of God. is a con-
lfirmation of my own faith that it is. A"
lDo not misunderstood me. | do not
mean by this that every man who
processes to believe in the Bible is
better than every man who rejects
the Bible: but what ! do mean Is
this, show me a man who is living a
life of absolute surrender to God.
living under the control of the spirit
of God, living life OF devotion 20
the highest welfare of his fellow
men, life of humility and of prayer,
and / will show you every time a
man who believes the Bible to be
Gods word On the other hand,
show me a man who denies or per
lsistently questions whether the
Bible is the word Of God, and will
show you a ma that Is a Leading
either (mind you. / say either" not
l"all") a life OF greed for gold. or OF
lust. OF of self-will. or of spiritual
pride. challenge any man to furn-
ish me an exception. ! have been
looking for one literally around the
world, and l have never found one.
There is another significant fact,
that the nearer men get to God,
the more confident they become that
the Bible is His word. The farther
they drift from God, the more
doubts en- ter their hearts. The fol-
lowing is a case of constant occur
renee, that a man who is a sinner
nd an unbeliever, by the mere fact
of giving up his sin without further
argument is delivered from his I'M
belief Can anyone cite one single
instance of an opposite kind. where
one was a sinner and a believer. and
by the fact of his giving up his sin
lost his faith?
Furthermore, how often does IT
occur that a man, who at one period
was living a life of conservation, of
nearness to God, and enjoyed a Sc
reno and undisturbed faith that the
Bible was Gods word, begins TO
prosper in the things of this world
the love Of money enters his heart.
he drifts away, from the out-and-
out separation of his life to God, and
as he drifts from God he drifts into
doubt and into lax views about the
Bible.
Where is the stronghold OF the
Bible? The pure, happy. unselfsh
home. Where is the stronghold of
infidehty? The public-house. the
race-course, the gambling hell, and
the brothel. Suppose that / should
come. stranger TO your city. and
should go into one of your public
houses with a Bible under my arm,
lay my Bible down upon the bar,
and order a glass of whisky straight,
and add, Make It big" what would
happen? There would be great sur
prise. Quite likely the bartender
would say, Pardon me. but what is
that book? Is not that the Bible?"
Yes" "And what did you ask for
la tumbler of whisky straight"
Eyes, and make it large" He would
not know what TO make of It. But
suppose / should enter the public
house and lay upon the bar copy
of any work of Ingersoll or of Brad
laugh, a copY of the Clarion, or the
Agnostic Journal, of Freethinker, or
the most respectable infidel book or
paper that there is and order a glass
Of whisky straight, / would get it
without a question or a look OF sur
prise. II would be just what they
would expect. The Bible and whisky
don't go together Infidelity and
whisky do go together
Eighth Reason.
My eighth reason for believing
the Bible to be the word of God is
hacanca ~ tho fpavhaucffhIa dapf IA