Lastly, we have the memorial of the Bible and the stupendous miracle it presents.
The late H. L. Hastings wrote:-
" We have better proof of the antiquity, the authenticity, the integrity, and the veracity of the New Testament, than of any other ancient book in the world; and we have better proof of the
life, ministry, and mission of Moses, and Jesus, and Paul, and Peter, and John, than we have of the existence of Alexander, or Cesar, or Socrates, or Plato. We have hundreds more of ancient manuscripts of the New Testament books than of any other ancient writings; and they have been translated into more languages, and brought down through more independent channels than any other books.
" We can tell an ancient book by the style of writing. The cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were buried by an eruption of Vesuvius, A.D. 79, and forgotten for over 1,000 years. In 1684 men dug through and discovered Herculaneum, and found there an old library of some 2,000 rolls and volumes, about 500 of which have been unrolled and deciphered, and some have been printed.
"These books were curiously written,-all in uncial or CAPITAL letters, with no spacing between the words, and little or no punctuation. Men have not written that way for 1,000 years, but they wrote so before A.D. 79, for there are the books they wrote. Now we have copies of the New Testament books written in that very style, and we know they must be very old.
"Then we have the Syriac translation, so old that no one knows its age. Eusebius, in his history (b. iii. c. 39), tells us that Mark wrote his Gospel from the instruction of Peter, who was probably put to death about the tenth year of Nero, A.D. 65. But Peter mentions Paul's Epistles, classing them with the "other Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15, 16). Paul wrote fourteen epistles before he was put to death by Nero, who killed himself, A.D. 68. Luke wrote the Acts while Paul was living, for he leaves Paul "in his own hired house" (Acts 28:30, 31). But Luke had written his Gospel before he wrote the Acts (Acts 1:1. Luke 1:1-5). And Paul quotes Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:7) as "Scripture" along with Deut. 25:4, in 1 Timothy 5:17, 18. And Luke tells us that others had written of the life of Christ before he did (Luke r: 1-4).
"Hence the New Testament was mostly written before Nero's death, A.D. 68, or within thirty-five years of the crucifixion of Christ; and Paul, when writing to the Corinthians (r Cor. 15: 6), asserted that there were then living more than 250 Christian men who had seen Jesus Christ after He arose from the dead. It will pay you to read the New Testament and believe it and obey it. "
Translated in whole or in part into over 1000 languages and dialects, the Bible carries its transforming message into the hearts and lives of multitudes of men and women of every race and of every social position from the monarch on his throne to the most degraded and depraved.
The miraculous power of Christianity is seen in its amazing moral results in this world. It exists in spite of all the inconsistency and poverty of conduct of its professed followers.
Boccaccio tells the story of a Parisian Jew long ago, who became exercised as to the truth of Christianity. The best thing he thought was to go to Rome and study the truth at headquarters. When he got there he was immeasurably shocked when he saw the open profligacy of the Pope and Cardinals, and how the surest way of obtaining preferments and favors was to gain the ear of one of their mistresses. On reflection, the seeker after light decided to be a Christian, for he said, if a religion could exist in spite of all the shameless lives of those who took the place of being its chief shepherds it must have the support of God's Holy Spirit. The false coin proves (1) the existence of the real, and (2) its value.
The late Dr. Joseph Parker was lecturing on the comparative religions of the world—Mahomedanism, Buddhism, Theosophy, etc. etc.—when he paused and said impressively, "Remember, gentlemen, that Christianity is not one of them."
Every comparative religion is based on the doctrine of man being his own savior, and therefore contains an appeal to the natural heart of man; Christianity bears witness to the utter ruin of the sinner. In this it stands alone. It cannot be compared. It directs attention to the blessed risen Christ of God as the only Savior, and that in virtue of His atoning death on the cross, to which the Passover pointed forward, whilst the Lord's Supper points back to it.
There are two marks the Christian religion has which are not possessed by any comparative religion.
(1) It contains many mere professors.
(2) Its true followers are naturally (not spiritually) ashamed of it.
It contains many mere professors, and these professors are never ashamed of their profession, for their profession is mechanical and lifeless, vitiated by worldly aims and schemes.