The Mankato free press., 1915-11-12
: rom soturday's pairv.

At the evening service at Centen-
airy church last night, Mr.. Smiths
subject was. How May We Know
That the Bible is True?" As his text
he took the question of Nicodemis,
How can these things be?" John B:
3. Mr.. Smith said:
Il believe that was the question OF
an honest doubtcr. and ] believe that
there are these today who are honest
doubters. On the other hand. ! am
Just as sure there are many who pre-
tend to be doubters, who make the
pretense because they love darkness
rather than light, because their deeds
are evil. The ground OF much OF the
so called disbelief is nothing but
sin. But while that is true. there are
those whose surroundings have been
such as to instill doubt. II Is the
class that hope to help tonight.
"In answering the question of the
text. am not going TO try TO dig so
deep, nor fly so high that you cannot
understand, but purpose to make he
simplest sort OF suggestion and pre-
sent things you can see, facts which
arc before your eyes all the time. One
of the great arguments of the doubter
is that he will not believe what
he cannot see, when the fact is he be-
lieves i'm a thousand things that he
never say and never will see. But
the fact | present tonight you can
see with your mind II you have one.
First of all. We may know that the
Bible Is true by what people say who
have tested il. The suggestion is
practical for two reasons, and the
first one Is because the founder OF
Christianity, a thing we know exists.
said to His follows, Witness and
they have been and are doing so. In
the second place. all we know about
other things has really come to us by
way OF information. When a man
has tested the teachings OF the Bible
fifty years and says ! know whom ]
have believed IL has weight with
me, and should with all.
Secondly. we may know that The
Bible Is true by its results. This Is
made apparent in two ways; first, In
the history of nations. Ii is a fact
that no one can deny. because Ii is
untieniablc, that where the Bible Is
there is enlightenment. civilization an
education. These things follow In
the wake of the Bible. And where
the Bible is not. there is darkness.
heathenism. ignorance and supersti-
tion. So true are these facts that you
could not hire the most blatant athe-
list to go and live i'm such land.
The results of what the Bible does
is also shown in the lives OF individ-
uals. Miracles OF grace are on every
hand. Changes I'm lives that cannot
be explained except by the results OF
the teachings of the Bible.
"A third way to know that the
Bible is true is TO put 1t to the test
ourselves, and that that may be done
just as we test anything else. is true
and being true we have no right to say
we do not believe I'm that which we
know nothing about, That the aver
age inidel Is absolutely ignorant OF
the Bible cannot for one moment be
denied. Our Lord and Saviour when
on earth issued challenge when he
said. He that willeth to do. His will
shall know OF the teachings. whether
u be or God, or whether I speak II
Myself have never known the ex-
eeption where the honest doubter put
That to an honest test but that God
fulfilled His promise Will you test
Him?"
Mr.. Smith closed his straight-from-
the-shoulder discourse with the thrill
ing account OF the death OF an athe-
ist In Illinois. who said i'm a public
address little while before, "If
should die tonight, ! would take the
leap in the dark" Say the best you
can for doubt and iniidelity," said
Mr.. Smith, ''it VIII not alter the fact
that when the end comes II will be
a leap In the dark. But that is not
true of Christianity, the teaching of
the Bible. for Il founder: 4 am the
light OF the world. he that followeth
Me shall mt walk In darkness