Walking to his room in a hotel one night a traveling servant of God noticed a crowd gathered in the dining room. Entering, he saw that two men were engaged in a controversy over Christianity.
One was an avowed infidel of about forty, the other a Christian of about seventy. The older man was evidently no match for the glib infidel, who was holding up both the Christian and Christianity to ridicule, amidst the laughter of the crowd.
The newcomer into the room was anxiously watching for an opportunity to join the discussion, when to his disappointment the argument closed— the old man retreating in defeat.
After a moment's pause his brother-Christian said to him:
"I am sorry you have stopped." He replied:
"I have nothing more to say."
His infidel opponent took up the words so as to make it appear that the older man had no case, and delivered a further five-minutes tirade, in which he did not spare the aged Christian.
The sudden appearance and manner of this new soldier of Christ evidently took the infidel off his guard, especially when he said: "It is evident you know something of the Bible anyway."
"I should think I do," he replied. "I have read it through again and again."
"Well, that is what people would think who hear you talking, and I suppose it is because you know the Bible so thoroughly that you condemn it so severely."
"Yes," he replied, "that is so. It is because I know it so thoroughly that I condemn it as I do."
At this point his Christian opponent drew out his wallet, and placing his silver watch on top of it, said: "Here are $50.00 for you if you will quote ten verses of the Bible correctly."
This gave a new turn to the controversy. The audience waited expectantly to hear the infidel make a start; but instead he fought shy of the offer by saying: "It is a long time since I read the Book. I haven't read the Bible since I went to sea, and that was fifteen years ago, and my memory is failing."
"But," urged the Christian, "one who knows the Bible so thoroughly as he professes to do, out of the thirty-one thousand, one hundred and seventy-three verses it contains can surely repeat ten, especially when he is going to get $50.00 for doing so."
"Again the infidel pleaded the lapse of time since he had read it and his failing memory. The crowd began to laugh at his predicament after all his boasting.
The offer was then brought down to repeating seven verses, then down to five; and as he still declined to make a start, the offer was brought down to saying three verses.
He then attempted to repeat one verse, but misquoted the words. The believer opened his Bible and let him see his mistake and then said: "Ladies and gentlemen, here is a sample of the men who condemn the Bible and oppose Christianity, and tell you that they know the Bible from beginning to end, and yet for $50.00 cannot quote one verse correctly." He then continued to speak for a half an hour on the truth of Scripture, and finally closed in prayer.
Later on he had a kindly talk with the infidel and a godless soldier companion. They told him that they had not slept for thinking of their lost condition and thanked him for his faithful words.
All vocal infidels boast of how they know the Bible. The only people who oppose it are those who know neither the Book nor its Author.