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Show is the Bible Sufficient? is wood's vvohuV (Contilbutcd.) To these two veiy Important questions, ques-tions, we would answer In the altli math ma-th c. There is no other book that has been so thoioughly tested and jot stands the test. It has met and vanquished van-quished many subtle and gieat foes. Weak places In its lines have been assaulted time and again. Victoii has sometimes seemed to waver; but in tho end, In bioken leinnants its enemies have been compelled to re-tho, re-tho, leaving it hi undisputed possession posses-sion of the Held, it asserts that it Is not niau-boin, but Ood-given. It Is not a human philosophy oi discoveiy. but It is God's levelation to man. No otliei book atlects us so. In some mysterious way it opens a gieat dooi into unseen lealilles It lifts tho Veil of death, and we behold immoital icallties tliiougli its dim but illumined poitals. It bieaks the chains of death, and is a victoi over the giave. it takes the mind oil this tempoial woild, and places it on things eternal. A book that cd would make ought to dillei fioin anj book that man could make, and this is tiueof the lllble. Today the wise and the unwise, believer and infidel, J friend and toe, say "Never man spake like this man," oi as God speaks to man through his word, the Hlble. It Is adequate foi the foundation of the christian's faith," because It is a book of the heait. It l.ijs Its seat In the heait. It makes the tiee good. It gives love the highest place: sii-picme sii-picme love to God and unlvcisal love to man. It puillies the motives, cleanses the fountains of thoughts, and demands de-mands puiity of the deslies. It Invests In-vests all life with saciedness, tlnows sanctity mound the home, protects properly and chaiactcr. It piovldes tenderness for childhood, compassion for tho weak, care for the suffering. It solaces the sad, comforts tho sick, and consoles the dying. It lebukcs all wrong, even In the thoughts and Imagination, condemns all Impuilty, forbids cruelty and oppression. It Inclines with tenderness and mercy to the crilng and sinful, and sympathy and loe for I e dovvnfallcn and wretched. It biings a compassionate compas-sionate (lod to every household, and gives a loving heavenly l-'athei to evciy child of man. It furnishes a saciltice foreveiy sin, and supplies a Redeemer for evciy oul. It cauics life up Into eternity and piomises immortal im-mortal felicity tocveij honest seeker or its bliss. Theie is no sonow that It will nut heal, no mlsfoitune that It will not leiuove. The most exalted and noble character is that which models after its ideal. Rvcij thing beautiful in art, flagrant In spiiit, helpful In action, tiansllgiulng In knowledge, tender In inlnistiies, exalting ex-alting In influence, glows fiom Its root. It is a single objective end, to which all Its insphatlon and lequlieinents tiend the universal advancement of man. No subtlety of genius Is able to detect de-tect a single device or leqiiiicment In It, from beginning to end, which If cat i led out would not conduce to that end. Theie Is not, and novel lias been, any othei book that has contained such qualities. Its influence comes up Into all our homes and pcivades oui civilization Its piedlctions In the past have been pioven tine, and no less can be said of the futuie. Some or the gicat-est gicat-est of human Institutions seem built on the lilble: such things do not stand on ehatl, but on mountains of melc. The gicatest minds or all tin. ages have built thcii hopes upon this or-nal or-nal tiuth. Our own government , has established heiself upon thep hi-1 clples laid down in tills book, viut no government stands long that builds on any other foundations. The great est scientific thinkers in the past have been compelled to change their way of thinking. They round out that their thcoiles were wiong. Hut God's word still stands the test. A book that has stood the test lor tv.o thousand iears is woi thy or our homage. One icason some would like to make themselves disbelieve the Hlble Is because be-cause their lives aie so out of hai-mony hai-mony with it. They like sin and would llkctoeiase the sentenec'thc wages of sin is death." Theierorc tliej to to discard the cnthe book. They love to take the chaiactcis of the Hlble and point out their mistakes. mis-takes. We aic peirectly willing to admit that no human is Infallible and they were humans. The "mistakes "mis-takes or Moses" that Ingcrsol tried to portray would make a very small book. Hut ir that noblo patriarch would come back to eaith and pi hit a book or IngcisoH's mistakes, lire Is tooshoit to lead It. The ciitlcs come and go, and aie soon rogotten. Hut the cihnson coid or the Hlble is not loosed, nor Its golden bowl bioken. It Is only a heart that can speak to a heait, a mind to a mind, a soul to a soul, wisdom to the wise, and lellglon to the pious. The great Magnet or the Hlble said "If any man will do his will, he shall know or the doctrine, whether It be or God." Is that not a fair proposition? proposi-tion? Comply with tho command and test it. My f i lend it is a tiemcndous Until, It will stand forevei. Neithei unbelief, unbe-lief, nor l ibald jest, nor Insulting compliment com-pliment will empty it of Its meaning or roi) il of its power. It will icmain untouched when they and theh follies have peilshed together. |