II. THAT THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUTH

That the Old and New Testaments are the word of God, is hardly a disputable point at the present day. Yet there are a few heaven-daring sceptics who do sneeringly insinuate that it is only the work of man. And we would not wish to deny that there are many, very many, who deny parts of the word, and by so doing nullify, or endeavor to nullify, so much as does not suit their carnal appetite or moral taste of things. Some do away the divinity of Christ, others the office or work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, others the depravity of the natural heart; and so on, to the several other parts of the word. Some deny the historical, and some the prophetical; some dispute the doctrines, and some the precepts. But I am to show that the word of God, embraced in the Old and New Testaments, is true.MWV1 113.1

1. It is true, because those books give the only rational account of creation.MWV1 113.2

2. It is true, because they give the best code of laws in our world.MWV1 113.3

3. It is true. They tell of events to come with a certainty that silences all caviling.MWV1 113.4

4. It is true. They describe the character of man, the thoughts and intents of the heart.MWV1 113.5

5. It is true. There is a general harmony through the whole. In every page, in every book, we find the same important pillars of truth. We find the same God, the same Savior, the same Spirit, described. We see human character unfolded with entire harmony and truth; and the two opposite states of man, the righteous and the wicked, from Abel and Cain, down to the judgment of the great day, clearly brought to view. In every book we find the same promises to the one, and the same curses denounced upon the other. And, although these writers lived in different ages of the world, and about sixteen hundred years apart, from the first writer to the last; although there were between forty and fifty of them, in every grade of life, from the king on his throne to the poor fisherman; yet their enemies have not been able to show any discrepancy, or disagreement, that is not easily reconciled.MWV1 113.6

These things show that God is the author of his word. “And holy men (from the king to the peasant) spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit.”MWV1 114.1

Again; the historical part of the word of God is true. All the contemporary profane historians agree in supporting some parts, and collectively prove the whole; and many monuments of antiquity, still standing, are an additional weight of testimony. The evidences of the flood, of the cities of the plain, of Babylon, Jerusalem, and the monuments of Egypt, all show that the writers lived in the several ages in which they professed to write; and if their writings had not been true, how easily would their enemies have detected them. And surely no one will pretend that the writers of the sacred books had no opposers. Had Moses none? See Egypt, then in her glory; see the Moabites, the Ammonites, Edomites, and all the nations of the land of Judea. Had Joshua, Samuel, David, no enemies? Yes; for there was war all the days of these writers. Had the prophets no enemies? Yes-in their own kings. See the history of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and of all the smaller prophets. Would not the kings and rulers among the Jews have confuted the writings of these men, if it had been in their power, for they were all against them? Yes, yes. But God preserved his word; for it was truth.MWV1 114.2

In the apostles’ days,-had they no enemies? There were Jews and Gentiles, all opposed to those wild fanatics and visionary fools, as they were called, who wrote the New Testament,-“to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness.” All the erudition and wisdom of the pagan government of Rome, that mistress of the world, embracing the most learned people in the whole earth, worshiping in all manner of ways, having and professing to have a knowledge of all the gods many and lords many then known, and altars erected in every city and kingdom in their empire, with their gods and goddesses, priests and priestesses, kings, generals, heroes, soldiers, and people, all combined to destroy the Bible; and yet how vain was the attempt. It stood; “for truth is mighty and will prevail.” The fishermen’s Bible hath stood the shock.MWV1 114.3

Look at the infidels of France in modern times. A government which shook the kingdoms of Europe, and made Egypt and Asia quail, bent all her energy and power to destroy the Bible. Her learned men, her great men, her mighty men, did all that men could,-and what did they do? They opened the eyes of the world. For after three years and a half, during which time the Bible was a dead letter in France, anarchy, murder, and blood filled the kingdom with horror, terror, and dismay; so that the infidels and deists themselves prayed for the restoration of the christian religion-the precepts of the Bible. And the two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments, arose in a cloud, and have been sent to every nation, in every clime, and are now witnessing in every language.MWV1 115.1

By these events, the truth of the prophecies of the Bible has been tested. John, in Revelation 11:5, 6, says, “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters (people) to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”MWV1 115.2

How truly were these texts fulfilled on infidel France! Where are her infidel writers? “Devoured and slain” in the same Revolution which they said would revolutionize the christian world and destroy the Bible. Where are the millions of deists who filled France in the days of her Revolution? And the millions more in every nation in Europe andMWV1 115.3

America? They are “turned to blood,” or “smitten with a curse.” There are but few left, and that “remnant was affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Once, our cities, our villages and hamlets, were full of deists. But now, where are they? None, none, to raise their puny arm against the Lord and his Anointed.MWV1 116.1

But, my brethren, there is one more battle, and then the mystery of God will be finished. The enemies of truth have one weapon yet. They wield it now; they begin to shout the victory. It is to pervert the word of God, and wrest its meaning: to change the truth into a lie. This will be the last struggle. Here the enemies of the truth will fall to rise no more forever; for “truth is mighty and will prevail.” “Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: to him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.” So says Peter; and it is a solemn admonition to us, in this last day. Let us not pervert or wrest the scriptures from their own simple meaning. The word of God must be its own expositor. It is a chain of truth which cannot be broken without doing despite to the Spirit of God by whom it was indicted.MWV1 116.2