— "Many Infallible Proofs:" THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. OR, THE WRITTEN AND LIVING WORD OF GOD BY ARTHUR T. PIERSON, D. D Bethany Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, "* The writing which is in the King's name and sealed with the King's ring, may no man reverse." Esther viii: 8. FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY, Newt York. Chicago. ToRoirra Publishers of Evnngrtical Literature. t \ T 3133 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by FLEMING H. REVELL, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Printed tn the United States of America To Charles Buhcheh. Esq., of Detroit, MiclL, to whose intelligent sympathy, unselfish friendshipt and appreciative hearing, much oi the inspiration of my best efforts, both witli tongue and pen are due, I most gratefully inscribe this voluma — CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY. Chapter I. WEIGHING THE PROOFS. Proof not Assumption. Belief develops Service. Truth can be Proved. Present-Day Miracles. Honest Doubters. Science confirms Revelation. Search develops Belief. Strict Accuracy Essential. Error fears Light. Study free from Bias. Human Sponges. A triumph of Brain and Tongue Pages g—26. Part I. "The Volume of the Book." Chapter II. THE PROPPIETIC SEAL. External Proofs. Tests of True Prophecy. Prophecy and Providence A Colossal Wheel. Miracle and Prophecy. A Bold Claim. Prophetic Credentials. Heathen Oracles. Prophecy a Lock. " Mother Shipton." History the Key, A Storm ! Prepare ! Pages 29—47. Chapter III. THE RUIN OF JERUSALEM. Daniel— Historian or Prophet? Predicted Features. Voltaire's Last Moments. Vain attempt to erect a new The Gospels Vindicated. Temple. Dates of the Gospels. Enforced testimony of enemies. Prophecy not impugned for 300 Gentile Profanation. years. The Finger of God. An Important Argument. The Nation's Retribution. A Wonderful Fulfilment. Negation versus Proof. The Jewish People. Pages 48—78- Chapter IV, MIRACLES. What is a Miracle ? The Strasburg Clock. The Savage and the Engine. The Plan of Attack. Miracles not Unreasonable. Are Miracles Credible? Miracles agree with Nature. Christ's unchallengable miracles An Illustration. Hostile Acknowledgment. Possible and Probable. "Contrary to Experience." Astronomical Discoveries " Search the Scriptures." God's Credentials. Pages 79— io8. Chapter V. SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE, The Bible needs no Patronage. The Firmament. Its Moral Object. Geological Support. Astronomy. Theories of the Deluge. Pages 109— 126, Chapter VI. SCIENTIFIC TRUTH OF THE BIBLE, Heathen Fallacies. Modem Discoveries. Vibrations of Light, Ethnological Researches. Solomon's Accuracy, A Unitarian's Verdict. Pages 127— 144. Chapter VII. THE MORAL BEAUTY OF THE BIBLE. Its Unity. Clear and Intelligible. A Test Case. The Marks of Divine Origin. The Hidden Hand. The Peaks of Mont Blanc. Pagts 145 — 162. Chapter VIII. THE MORAL SUBLIMITY OF GOD'S WORD. A Moral Test. The Golden Rule. Nineveh's Testimony. The Oyster Boy, / Cromwell's Portrait. Practical effect of the Bible, Pages 163— 182. — Part 1 1. The Divine Person. Chapter IX. CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Historic and prophetic harmony The " Forsaken" One. How Apostles used Prophecy. The Scarlet Thread. Christ and the Poor. Messianic Paradoxes. Vicarious Atonement. Unfair Criticisms. Indirect Prophecy. Pages 185 —214. Chapter X. THE PERSON OF CHRIST. His Representative Humanity. The Crown and the Cross. His Purity. The Pivot of World's History His Greatness of Soul. No Middle Ground. Pages 21 f—233. Chapter XI. THE MYSTERY OF THE GOD-MAN. A Unique Character. A Grand Argument. Pagan Incarnations. A Perfect Scheme. A Simple Criterion. No Useless Miracles. A Dissolving View. " My Mothers Hand." The Mystery of the Trinity. Pages 234—264. Chapter XII. CHRIST, THE TEACHER FROM GOD. "It is so !" The Word of a King. " One having Authority." The Law of Love. Christ's Independence. The Mystery Solved. Wonderful as t Teacher. Socrates' Dream. A Treasury of Knowledge. Pages 265—282. Chapter XIII. THE ORIGINALITY OF CHRIST'S TEACHING. The Consuming Fire. Glory in Tribulation. An Idea of Christian Growth The Good Samaritan. The use of Affliction. The Power of Love. Pages 283—296, Chapter XIV. THE POWER OF CHRIST'S TEACHING. Power versus Knowledge. Its Practical Power. The Two-Edged Sword. The Force of Persuasion. Its Effect. Dead, yet Speaketh. Suited to all needs. And Liveth Forevermore. Its Sublime Philosophy. Pages 297 317. Index, pages 318-322. INTRODUCTORY. A WORD PRELIMINARY. The writer of these pages once found himself getting into the deep darkness of doubt. Beginning at the foundation, he searched for himself, till he found the proofs ample—that the Bible is the 'Book of God ; and Christ the Son of God. It was like finding one's way out of a dense wooa into the full light of day Others are still in the dark ; and these chapters are the " blazed" trees that mark the path by which one man got out of the forest. Perhaps some one else may try the same route, with a like result. ARTHUR T. PIERSON. CHAPTER I. WEIGHING THE PROOFS. The importance of the study of the Evidences of Christianity, which estabhsh the claim of the ReHgion of Christ, as the one and only Divine Religion, cannot well be overrated, or overstated. All knowledge is good, desirable in itself and desirable for the sake of the power which it adds to character; but especially is knowledge neces- sary, when it helps either to create or to confirm our faith in the great truths of our holy religion. The teachings of the Bible are at once so peculiar and so important, that it is one of our first duties and privileges to attain a certainty of conviction as to the divine origin of the Holy Scriptures, and the divine character and mission of Jesus Christ. Such certainty ought to be attainable. If any human ruler should address to his subjects the most ordinary proclamation, touching their duties as citizens, those subjects have a right to claim good plain proofs that whoever may have written or composed that proclamation, it is by the King's authority, and that he is its proper author. No subject should be satisfied unless the grand royal signature and seal are found upon the decree; otherwise it might prove the device of some traitor or enemy to mislead and betray subjects, and even to overturn lawful rule. 10 MANY INFAI LIBLE PROOFS. If therefore God has given to mankind a reve- lation of His will upon matters of the first mo- ment, there can be no doubt that it is in some plain, unmistakable way marked by His hand: it has on its very face God's signature and seal: there are many infallible proofs to satisfy honest doubt. We need not fear to take strong ground and it is especially necessary in these days. Principal Fairburn, in an address at the Union Theological Seminary, remarked that an entire change has become necessary in conducting the defence of Christianity, owing to the change of ground on the part of its enemies. The Deism of the last Century conceded much, in admitting the claims of natural religion. Now everything is denied, and everything must be proved. But allowing this to be so, everything true must be capable of proof, God could not ask of us anything which is not right and reasonable; and it would be neither reasonable nor right to ask us to take it for granted that the Bible is God's own Book, simply because it says so, or somebody says so, or even because any number of people honestly believe it. God himself gave us reasoning powers to weigh evidence with, and he means that we shall test truth and falsehood, proving all things and holding fast the good. There is a kind of doubt that is entirely right, and of that sort is the doubt of one who does not believe what he has no reason to believe, and what he has no proof of, as true. The mind is endowed with powers of investigation, reflection, reason, that we may carefully examine into evi- dence and so decide what is true and what is WEIGHING THE PROOFS. 11 false. He speaks to our reason, who gave us our reason. He appeals to it even in his own Word. He bids us be ready always to give an answer to every one that asketh us a reason for the hope that is in us. Such an answer implies knowledge. God himself, then, asks of us no blind faith. We should know what we believe and why we believe it. Nothing is to be accepted unless based on good evidence; to believe hastily may be to blindly embrace error and untruth. Equally certain is it, inasmuch as God gives the Bible for the guidance of all men, that the proofs that this is his Word will neither be hard to find nor hard to see; they will be plain, like the signature and seal on the royal proclamation, to be found and under- stood by the common average man. This is a day of doubt. Scepticism is more than ever widespread. It is in our books, in the conversation of our friends, in the very air that we breathe. It is finding its way quietly int© the very churches of Christ. We must be on our guard. I. These proofs, if they are candidly ex- amined, will cure all honest doubt. Much scep- ticism is born of an evil heart of unbelief, that de- parts from God on account of a perverse and wicked will opposed to God. Such doubts no amount of evidence will remove unless the heart is changed; such doubters would not be persuaded though one rose from the dead. But all honest doubt will yield before the proofs of a fact or a truth; and so there is no excuse for doubting, where we have the means of knowing.