Reasons Why the Bible is True. But we gain little by denouncing such denials of Christian faith. I point them out merely to show how prevalent is the practice and custom of denying the authenticity of the Scriptures, and to lead to an opportunity which we now have to mention good reasoning whereby "WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS TRUE." No doubt you have heard good clergymen on this subject, but it will be helpful to see a few reasons set down in type. In beginning this I am reminded of the steward in a certain church in London which for thirty years conducted what were called the "Brampton Lectures," designed to promote "a more sure faith in the Christian Religion." A stranger encountering the steward one day asked him if he were a Christian. The steward replied, "I have listened to the Brampton Lectures for thirty years-and, thank God, I am still a Christian." The trouble with the Brampton lectures was that they were always questioning the truth of the Scriptures, and then by round-about and abstruse reasoning were trying to establish the truth, which up to that time had not been questioned.

The faithful follower of Christ who endeavors to show the truth of the Gospel to an unbeliever is urged to avoid bringing up objections just for the purpose of answering them. But he is urged to always be ready to give a "reason for the faith that is in him." And to that end we bring up well-known and prominent objections to the faith of Jesus Christ in this book, so that the reader can be fortified with the truth.

Faithfulness of the Translation of the Scriptures. All authorities, without exception, are agreed that the Old Testament was translated before 280 B. C., into the Greek language, and that it still remains the same as the original Septuagint Version, the name given to that that translation.

This proves two things: (1) That the Old Testament being so revered and honored at that time that 70 men were appointed to make the translation, and this was done by the action of a great body of people-it certainly was no fake. And no fake could hardly find its way through 70 men. (2) The Old Testament still remains the same as it was in 280 B. C. If, therefore, it has remained unchanged for over 2000 years, the burden of evidence is on the side of the Scriptures. They could have remained unchanged for the thousand years from Moses' time for the oldest book, to Malachi's time, only 220 years before.

As to the New Testament, scholars for five hundred years have been trying to find mistakes, by digging up old manuscripts, delving into every secret place in the world-and have utterly failed to materially change a thing. The King James version of the Scriptures holds fast in the English language as the standard. Every other translation but makes the New Testament as well as the Old seem surer and more worthy of confidence.

Certainly all facts bearing upon the translation of the Scriptures are in favor of the Scriptures-if indeed questions concerning this point ever do amount to much. But they do bear mentioning. If at any time you should desire to know the complete story of the translation of the Bible you will find it in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, available at nearly every library, should you not have a set yourself.

The Best Method of Proving the Bible is True. We must admit that it is a shame upon Christendom that ministers who are dead in earnest must take time from teaching the heathen to re-teaching Christians how true the Bible is. And we come to the rescue of the Bible and sometimes to the defense of God Himself-not because the Bible or God needs any defense, but because the enemy of

our souls is resorting to every measure imaginable to contradict the Word of Almighty God, and we wish to do our share in defeating him.

The one way to prove every passage in the Scripture is true is to put it to the test. Into the chemical laboratory is brought a piece of ore that some one says contains copper. The chemist puts the ore under the test which will determine if there is any copper in it. Why can't we do the same with the passages in the Scriptures? We

can.

For example, we read in the 16th chapter of Mark that one of the signs that shall follow them that believe, is that "They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." It is not justice to the Bible to say that this passage is a mistake until we put the passages to a test.

We can take every passage in the Scriptures, without a single exception, and put it to the test. There is not a single book of prophecy in the Old Testament but what we can find prophecies that are literally fulfilled, just as the prophet foresaw.

THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

Let us go to the book of Genesis, by a denunciation of which certain people have attempted to undermine all faith in the Scriptures. The passages that describe the Creation still stand. Many theories have been advanced, but none of them yet have held water, and their advocates plainly admit that they are theories only. Sometime our understandings will be opened and we will understand all that is meant by the story of creation in the first chapters of Genesis.

Up until a few years ago there were multitudes denying the story of the Flood, as described in Genesis, simply

because we couldn't conceive of it with our own minds. But archæologists unearth some descriptions of the flood in old Babylon-and the people that wouldn't believe the Bible are the very first to put their faith in the descriptions in cypher on the old tumble-down ruins of Babylon. The very same people devote time and energy to prove that the big mound, or mountain, standing solitary upon the plain is none other than the ruins of the Tower of Babel.

The Story of Jonah. A few years ago when higher criticism made its bold appearance the story of Jonah was treated as a myth, a joke, a fake. First of all they couldn't conceive a whale being in the Mediterranean Sea, overlooking the fact that the King James Version calls it a "Big Fish," and not a whale. In a recent issue of THE WORLD'S WORK, the Prince of Monaco, world famous oceanographer, who knows more about the depths of the Mediterranean than any other man probably ever did, states that he has seen many whales in the Mediterranean.

The Challenge the Bible Makes to the Whole World. I believe you can fairly call it a challenge. The promises of the Scriptures are before all without a single exception. They beckon to every one to come and try them out. Don't stand back just because you don't understand-go ahead. If you had never seen corn grow, but had decided to become a farmer, you would go to a practical farmer and ask him just how to go about it. The farmer would say, take this corn and put it under the ground. You would go right ahead and do it-and your corn would come up and flourish. Why not be as practical about the promises and truths of the Scriptures! Can't we take the Word of God for what it says, without adding a jot or a tittle?

It is really amazing how the Word of God has stood the test of time. But surely this is only in fulfillment of

the Scripture where He said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away."

You can challenge the world with the Bible. Don't be afraid to put every promise of the Bible to the test. I will not take time at this place to recount the enumerable examples of actual tests that every promise of the Scriptures have been put to within the last fifteen years right here in the United States. But let me say, that every promise of the Scriptures has been definitely and repeatedly fulfilled, and at the proper place ample testimony will be offered.