_Question_. Do you admit that Matthew says nothing on the subject?
_Answer_. Yes, I suppose I must.
_Question_. Is not that pa.s.sage in Mark generally admitted to be an interpolation?
_Answer_. Some biblical scholars say that it is.
_Question_. Is that portion of the last chapter of Mark found in the Syriac version of the Bible?
_Answer_. It is not.
_Question_. If it was necessary to believe on Jesus Christ, in order to be saved, how is it that Matthew failed to say so?
_Answer_. "There are more copies of the Bible "printed to-day, than of any other book in the world, "and it is printed in more languages than any other "book."
_Question_. Do you consider it necessary to be "regenerated"--to be "born again"--in order to be saved?
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_Answer_. Certainly.
_Question_. Did Matthew say anything on the sub- ject of "regeneration"?
_Answer_. No.
_Question_. Did Mark?
_Answer_. No.
_Question_. Did Luke?
_Answer_. No.
_Question_. Is Saint John the only one who speaks of the necessity of being "born again"?
_Answer_. He is.
_Question_. Do you think that Matthew, Mark and Luke knew anything about the necessity of "regen- "eration"?
_Answer_. Of course they did.
_Question_. Why did they fail to speak of it?
_Answer_. There is no civilization without the Bible.
The moment you throw away the sacred Scriptures, you are all at sea--you are without an anchor and without a compa.s.s.
_Question_. You will remember that, according to Mark, Christ said to his disciples: "Go ye into all "the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Did he refer to the gospel set forth by Mark?
_Answer_. Of course he did.
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_Question_. Well, in the gospel set forth by Mark, there is not a word about "regeneration," and no word about the necessity of believing anything--ex- cept in an interpolated pa.s.sage. Would it not seem from this, that "regeneration" and a "belief in the "Lord Jesus Christ," are no part of the gospel?
_Answer_. Nothing can exceed in horror the last moments of the infidel; nothing can be more ter- rible than the death of the doubter. When the glories of this world fade from the vision; when am- bition becomes an empty name; when wealth turns to dust in the palsied hand of death, of what use is philosophy then? Who cares then for the pride of intellect? In that dread moment, man needs some- thing to rely on, whether it is true or not.
_Question_. Would it not have been more con- vincing if Christ, after his resurrection, had shown himself to his enemies as well as to his friends?
Would it not have greatly strengthened the evidence in the case, if he had visited Pilate; had presented himself before Caiaphas, the high priest; if he had again entered the temple, and again walked the streets of Jerusalem?
_Answer_. If the evidence had been complete and overwhelming, there would have been no praise-
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worthiness in belief; even publicans and sinners would have believed, if the evidence had been suffi- cient. The amount of evidence required is the test of the true Christian spirit.
_Question_. Would it not also have been better had the ascension taken place in the presence of unbelieving thousands; it seems such a pity to have wasted such a demonstration upon those already convinced?
_Answer_. These questions are the natural fruit of the carnal mind, and can be accounted for only by the doctrine of total depravity. Nothing has given the church more trouble than just such questions.
Unholy curiosity, a disposition to pry into the divine mysteries, a desire to know, to investigate, to explain --in short, to understand, are all evidences of a re- probate mind.
_Question_. How can we account for the fact that Matthew alone speaks of the wise men of the East coming with gifts to the infant Christ; that he alone speaks of the little babes being killed by Herod? Is it possible that the other writers never heard of these things?
_Answer_. n.o.body can get any good out of the Bible by reading it in a critical spirit. The contra-
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dictions and discrepancies are only apparent, and melt away before the light of faith. That which in other books would be absolute and palpable contradiction, is, in the Bible, when spiritually discerned, a perfect and beautiful harmony. My own opinion is, that seeming contradictions are in the Bible for the pur- pose of testing and strengthening the faith of Chris- tians, and for the further purpose of ensnaring infidels, "that they might believe a lie and be d.a.m.ned."
_Question_. Is it possible that a good G.o.d would take pains to deceive his children?
_Answer_. The Bible is filled with instances of that kind, and all orthodox ministers now know that fossil animals--that is, representations of animals in stone, were placed in the rocks on purpose to mis- lead men like Darwin and Humboldt, Huxley and Tyndall. It is also now known that G.o.d, for the purpose of misleading the so-called men of science, had hairy elephants preserved in ice, made stomachs for them, and allowed twigs of trees to be found in these stomachs, when, as a matter of fact, no such elephants ever lived or ever died. These men who are endeavoring to overturn the Scriptures with the lever of science will find that they have been de- ceived. Through all eternity they will regret their
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philosophy. They will wish, in the next world, that they had thrown away geology and physiology and all other "ologies" except theology. The time is coming when Jehovah will "mock at their fears and "laugh at their calamity."
_Question_. If Joseph was not the father of Christ, why was his genealogy given to show that Christ was of the blood of David; why would not the genealogy of any other Jew have done as well?
_Answer_. That objection was raised and answered hundreds of years ago.
_Question_. If they wanted to show that Christ was of the blood of David, why did they not give the gene- alogy of his mother if Joseph was not his father?
_Answer_. That objection was answered hundreds of years ago.
_Question_. How was it answered?
_Answer_. When Voltaire was dying, he sent for a priest.