Answer. No.Question. Did Mark?Answer. No.Question. Did Luke?Answer. No.Question. Is Saint John the only one who speaksof the necessity of being "born again"?Answer. He is.Question. Do you think that Matthew, Mark andLuke 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 andwithout a compass.Question. You will remember that, according toMark, 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.408Question. Well, in the gospel set forth by Mark,there is not a word about "regeneration," and noword about the necessity of believing anything—ex-cept in an interpolated passage. Would it not seemfrom this, that "regeneration" and a "belief in the"Lord Jesus Christ," are no part of the gospel?Answer. Nothing can exceed in horror the lastmoments of the infidel; nothing can be more ter-rible than the death of the doubter. When theglories of this world fade from the vision; when am-bition becomes an empty name; when wealth turnsto dust in the palsied hand of death, of what use isphilosophy then? Who cares then for the pride ofintellect? 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 shownhimself to his enemies as well as to his friends?Would it not have greatly strengthened the evidencein the case, if he had visited Pilate; had presentedhimself before Caiaphas, the high priest; if he hadagain entered the temple, and again walked thestreets of Jerusalem?Answer. If the evidence had been complete andoverwhelming, there would have been no praise-409worthiness in belief; even publicans and sinnerswould have believed, if the evidence had been suffi-cient. The amount of evidence required is the testof the true Christian spirit.Question. Would it not also have been betterhad the ascension taken place in the presence ofunbelieving thousands; it seems such a pity to havewasted such a demonstration upon those alreadyconvinced?Answer. These questions are the natural fruit ofthe carnal mind, and can be accounted for only bythe doctrine of total depravity. Nothing has giventhe church more trouble than just such questions.Unholy curiosity, a disposition to pry into the divinemysteries, 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 thatMatthew alone speaks of the wise men of the Eastcoming with gifts to the infant Christ; that he alonespeaks of the little babes being killed by Herod? Isit possible that the other writers never heard of thesethings?Answer. Nobody can get any good out of theBible by reading it in a critical spirit. The contra-410dictions and discrepancies are only apparent, and meltaway before the light of faith. That which in otherbooks would be absolute and palpable contradiction,is, in the Bible, when spiritually discerned, a perfectand beautiful harmony. My own opinion is, thatseeming 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 damned."Question. Is it possible that a good God wouldtake pains to deceive his children?Answer. The Bible is filled with instances of thatkind, and all orthodox ministers now know thatfossil animals—that is, representations of animals instone, were placed in the rocks on purpose to mis-lead men like Darwin and Humboldt, Huxley andTyndall. It is also now known that God, for thepurpose of misleading the so-called men of science,had hairy elephants preserved in ice, made stomachsfor them, and allowed twigs of trees to be found inthese stomachs, when, as a matter of fact, no suchelephants ever lived or ever died. These men whoare endeavoring to overturn the Scriptures with thelever of science will find that they have been de-ceived. Through all eternity they will regret their411philosophy. They will wish, in the next world, thatthey had thrown away geology and physiology andall other "ologies" except theology. The time iscoming 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 Christwas of the blood of David; why would not thegenealogy of any other Jew have done as well?Answer. That objection was raised and answeredhundreds of years ago.Question. If they wanted to show that Christ was ofthe 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 hundredsof years ago.Question. How was it answered?Answer. When Voltaire was dying, he sent for apriest.Question. How does it happen that the two gene-alogies given do not agree?Answer. Perhaps they were written by differentpersons.Question. Were both these persons inspired bythe same God?412Answer. Of course.Question. Why were the miracles recorded in theNew Testament performed?Answer. The miracles were the evidence reliedon to prove the supernatural origin and the divinemission of Jesus Christ.Question. Aside from the miracles, is there anyevidence to show the supernatural origin or characterof Jesus Christ?Answer. Some have considered that his moralprecepts are sufficient, of themselves, to show thathe was divine.Question. Had all of his moral precepts beentaught before he lived?Answer. The same things had been said, but theydid not have the same meaning.Question. Does the fact that Buddha taught thesame tend to show that he was of divine origin?Answer. Certainly not. The rules of evidenceapplicable to the Bible are not applicable to otherbooks. We examine other books in the light ofreason; the Bible is the only exception. So, weshould not judge of Christ as we do of any otherman.Question. Do you think that Christ wrought413many of his miracles because he was good, charitable,and filled with pity?Answer. CertainlyQuestion. Has he as much power now as he hadwhen on earth?Answer. Most assuredly.Question. Is he as charitable and pitiful now, ashe was then?Answer. Yes.Question. Why does he not now cure the lameand the halt and the blind?Answer. It is well known that, when Julian theApostate was dying, catching some of his own bloodin his hand and throwing it into the air he exclaimed:"Galileean, thou hast conquered!"Question. Do you consider it our duty to love ourneighbor?Answer. Certainly.Question. Is virtue the same in all worlds?Answer. Most assuredly.Question. Are we under obligation to render goodfor evil, and to "pray for those who despitefully use us"?Answer. Yes.Question. Will Christians in heaven love theirneighbors?414Answer. Y es; if their neighbors are not in hell.Question. Do good Christians pity sinners in thisworld?Answer. Yes.Question. Why?Answer. Because they regard them as being ingreat danger of the eternal wrath of God.Question. After these sinners have died, andbeen sent to hell, will the Christians in heaven thenpity them?Answer. No. Angels have no pity.Question. If we are under obligation to love ourenemies, is not God under obligation to love his?If we forgive our enemies, ought not God to forgivehis? If we forgive those who injure us, ought notGod to forgive those who have not injured him?Answer. God made us, and he has therefore theright to do with us as he pleases. Justice demandsthat he should damn all of us, and the few that hewill save will be saved through mercy and withoutthe slightest respect to anything they may have donethemselves. Such is the justice of God, that thosein hell will have no right to complain, and those inheaven will have no right to be there. Hell is justice,and salvation is charity.415Question. Do you consider it possible for a law tobe jusdy satisfied by the punishment of an innocentperson?Answer. Such is the scheme of the atonement.As man is held responsible for the sin of Adam, sohe will be credited with the virtues of Christ; andyou can readily see that one is exactly as reasonableas the other.Question. Suppose a man honestly reads the NewTestament, and honestly concludes that it is not aninspired book; suppose he honestly makes up hismind that the miracles are not true; that the devilnever really carried Christ to the pinnacle of thetemple; that devils were really never cast out of aman and allowed to take refuge in swine;—I say,suppose that he is honestly convinced that thesethings are not true, what ought he to say?Answer. He ought to say nothing.Question. Suppose that the same man should readthe Koran, and come to the conclusion that it is notan inspired book; what ought he to say?Answer. He ought to say that it is not inspired;his fellow-men are entitled to his honest opinion, andit is his duty to do what he can do to destroy a per-nicious superstition.416Question. Suppose then, that a reader of the Bible,having become convinced that it is not inspired—honestly convinced—says nothing—keeps his con-clusion absolutely to himself, and suppose he dies inthat belief, can he be saved?Answer. Certainly not.Question. Has the honesty of his belief anythingto do with his future condition?Answer. Nothing whatever.,Question. Suppose that he tried to believe, thathe hated to disagree with his friends, and with hisparents, but that in spite of himself he was forced tothe conclusion that the Bible is not the inspired wordof God, would he then deserve eternal punishment?Answer. Certainly he would.Question. Can a man control his belief?Answer. He cannot—except as to the Bible.Question. Do you consider it just in God tocreate a man who cannot believe the Bible, and thendamn him because he does not?Answer. Such is my belief.Question. Is it your candid opinion that a manwho does not believe the Bible should keep hisbelief a secret from his fellow-men?Answer. It is.417Question. How do I know that you believe theBible? You have told me that if you did not be-lieve it, you would not tell me?Answer. There is no way for you to ascertain,except by taking my word for it.Question. What will be the fate of a man whodoes not believe it, and yet pretends to believe it?Answer. He will be damned.Question. Then hypocrisy will not save him?Answer. No.Question. And if he does not believe it, and ad-mits that he does not believe it, then his honesty willnot save him?Answer. No. Honesty on the wrong side is nobetter than hypocrisy on the right side.Question. Do we know who wrote the gospels?Answer. Yes; we do.Question. Are we absolutely sure who wrotethem?Answer. Of course; we have the evidence as ithas come to us through the Catholic Church.Question. Can we rely upon the Catholic Churchnow?Answer. No; assuredly no! But we have thetestimony of Polycarp and Irenæus and Clement,418and others of the early fathers, together with that ofthe Christian historian, Eusebius.Question. What do we really know about Polycarp?Answer. We know that he suffered martyrdom un-der Marcus Aurelius, and that for quite a time the firerefused to burn his body, the flames arching over him,leaving him in a kind of fiery tent; and we also knowthat from his body came a fragrance like frankincense,and that the Pagans were so exasperated at seeingthe miracle, that one of them thrust a sword throughthe body of Polycarp; that the blood flowed out andextinguished the flames and that out of the woundflew the soul of the martyr in the form of a dove.Question. Is that all we know about Polycarp?Answer. Yes, with the exception of a few morelike incidents.Question. Do we know that Polycarp ever metSt. John?Answer. Yes; Eusebius says so.Question. Are we absolutely certain that he everlived?Answer. Yes, or Eusebius could not have writtenabout him.Question. Do we know anything of the characterof Eusebius?419Answer. Yes; we know that he was untruthfulonly when he wished to do good. But God can useeven the dishonest. Other books have to be sub-stantiated by truthful men, but such is the power ofGod, that he can establish the inspiration of the Bibleby the most untruthful witnesses. If God's witnesseswere honest, anybody could believe, and what be-comes of faith, one of the greatest virtues?Question. Is the New Testament now the same asit was in the days of the early fathers?Answer. Certainly not. Many books now thrownout, and not esteemed of divine origin, were esteemeddivine by Polycarp and Irenæus and Clement andmany of the early churches. These books are nowcalled "apocryphal."Question. Have you not the same witnesses infavor of their authenticity, that you have in favor ofthe gospels?Answer. Precisely the same. Except that theywere thrown out.Question. Why were they thrown out?Answer. Because the Catholic Church did not es-teem them inspired.Question. Did the Catholics decide for us whichare the true gospels and which are the true epistles?420Answer. Yes. The Catholic Church was then theonly church, and consequently must have been thetrue church.Question. How did the Catholic Church select thetrue books?Answer. Councils were called, and votes weretaken, very much as we now pass resolutions inpolitical meetings.Question. Was the Catholic Church infallible then?Answer. It was then, but it is not now.Question. If the Catholic Church at that timehad thrown out the book of Revelation, would itnow be our duty to believe that book to have beeninspired?Answer. No, I suppose not.Question. Is it not true that some of these bookswere adopted by exceedingly small majorities?Answer. It is.Question. If the Epistle to the Hebrews and tothe Romans, and the book of Revelation had beenthrown out, could a man now be saved who honestlybelieves the rest of the books?Answer. This is doubtful.Question. Were the men who picked out the in-spired books inspired?421Answer. We cannot tell, but the probability isthat they were.Question. Do we know that they picked out theright ones?Answer. Well, not exactly, but we believe thatthey did.Question. Are we certain that some of the booksthat were thrown out were not inspired?Answer. Well, the only way to tell is to readthem carefully.Question. If upon reading these apocryphal booksa man concludes that they are not inspired, will he bedamned for that reason?Answer. No. Certainly not.Question. If he concludes that some of them areinspired, and believes them, will he then be damnedfor that belief?Answer. Oh, no! Nobody is ever damned forbelieving too much.Question. Does the fact that the books now com-prising the New Testament were picked out by theCatholic Church prevent their being examined nowby an honest man, as they were examined at the timethey were picked out?422Answer. No; not if the man comes to the con-clusion that they are inspired.Question. Does the fact that the Catholic Churchpicked them out and declared them to be inspired,render it a crime to examine them precisely as youwould examine the books that the Catholic Churchthrew out and declared were not inspired?Answer. I think it does.Question. At the time the council was held in whichit was determined which of the books of the NewTestament are inspired, a respectable minority votedagainst some that were finally decided to be inspired.If they were honest in the vote they gave, and diedwithout changing their opinions, are they now in hell?Answer. Well, they ought to be.Question. If those who voted to leave the bookof Revelation out of the canon, and the gospel ofSaint John out of the canon, believed honestly thatthese were not inspired books, how should they havevoted?Answer. Well, I suppose a man ought to vote ashe honestly believes—except in matters of religion.Question. If the Catholic Church was not infal-lible, is the question still open as to what books are,and what are not, inspired?423Answer. I suppose the question is still open—but it would be dangerous to decide it.Question. If, then, I examine all the books again,and come to the conclusion that some that werethrown out were inspired, and some that were ac-cepted were not inspired, ought I to say so?Answer. Not if it is contrary to the faith of yourfather, or calculated to interfere with your own po-litical prospects.Question. Is it as great a sin to admit into theBible books that are uninspired as to reject thosethat are inspired?Answer. Well, it is a crime to reject an inspiredbook, no matter how unsatisfactory the evidence isfor its inspiration, but it is not a crime to receive anuninspired book. God damns nobody for believingtoo much. An excess of credulity is simply to err inthe direction of salvation.Question. Suppose a man disbelieves in the inspira-tion of the New Testament—believes it to be entirelythe work of uninspired men; and suppose he also be-lieves—but not from any evidence obtained in the NewTestament—that Jesus Christ was the son of God, andthat he made atonement for his soul, can he then besaved without a belief in the inspiration of the Bible?424Answer. This has not yet been decided byour church, and I do not wish to venture anopinion.Question. Suppose a man denies the inspirationof the Scriptures; suppose that he also denies thedivinity of Jesus Christ; and suppose, further, thathe acts precisely as Christ is said to have acted;suppose he loves his enemies, prays for those whodespitefully use him, and does all the good he pos-sibly can, is it your opinion that such a man will besaved?Answer. No, sir. There is "none other name"given under heaven and among men," whereby asinner can be saved but the name of Christ.Question. Then it is your opinion that Godwould save a murderer who believed in Christ, andwould damn another man, exactly like Christ, whofailed to believe in him?Answer. Yes; because we have the blessedpromise that, out of Christ, "our God is a consuming"fire."Question. Suppose a man read the Bible care-fully and honestly, and was not quite convinced thatit was true, and that while examining the subject, hedied; what then?425Answer. I do not believe that God would allowhim to examine the matter in another world, or tomake up his mind in heaven. Of course, he wouldeternally perish.Question. Could Christ now furnish evidenceenough to convince every human being of the truthof the Bible?Answer. Of course he could, because he is in-finite.Question. Are any miracles performed now?Answer. Oh, no!Question. Have we any testimony, except humantestimony, to substantiate any miracle?Answer. Only human testimony.Question. Do all men give the same force to thesame evidence?Answer. By no means.Question. Have all honest men who have exam-ined the Bible believed it to be inspired?Answer. Of course they have. Infidels are nothonest.Question. Could any additional evidence havebeen furnished?Answer. With perfect ease.Question. Would God allow a soul to suffer426eternal agony rather than furnish evidence of thetruth of his Bible?Answer. God has furnished plenty of evidence,and altogether more than was really necessary. Weshould read the Bible in a believing spirit.Question. Are all parts of the inspired booksequally true?Answer. Necessarily.Question. According to Saint Matthew, Godpromises to forgive all who will forgive others; notone word is said about believing in Christ, or believ-ing in the miracles, or in any Bible; did Matthew tellthe truth?Answer. The Bible must be taken as a whole;and if other conditions are added somewhere else,then you must comply with those other conditions.Matthew may not have stated all the conditions.Question. I find in another part of the NewTestament, that a young man came to Christ andasked him what was necessary for him to do in orderthat he might inherit eternal life. Christ did not tellhim that he must believe the Bible, or that he mustbelieve in him, or that he must keep the Sabbath-day; was Christ honest with that young man?Answer. Well, I suppose he was.427Question. You will also recollect that Zaccheussaid to Christ, that where he had wronged any manhe had made restitution, and further, that half hisgoods he had given to the poor; and you will re-member that Christ said to Zaccheus: "This day"hath salvation come to thy house." Why did notChrist tell Zaccheus that he "must be born again;"that he must "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"?Answer. Of course there are mysteries in ourholy religion that only those who have been "born"again" can understand. You must remember that"the carnal mind is enmity with God."Question. Is it not strange that Christ, in his Ser-mon on the Mount, did not speak of "regeneration,"or of the "scheme of salvation"?Answer. Well, it may be.Question. Can a man be saved now by livingexactly in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount?Answer. He can not.Question. Would then a man, by following thecourse of conduct prescribed by Christ in the Sermonon the Mount, lose his soul?Answer. He most certainly would, because thereis not one word in the Sermon on the Mount aboutbelieving on the Lord Jesus Christ; not one word428about believing in the Bible; not one word about the"atonement;" not one word about "regeneration."So that, if the Presbyterian Church is right, it is abso-lutely certain that a man might follow the teachingsof the Sermon on the Mount, and live in accordancewith its every word, and yet deserve and receive theeternal condemnation of God. But we must remem-ber that the Sermon on the Mount was preached be-fore Christianity existed. Christ was talking to Jews.Question. Did Christ write anything himself, inthe New Testament?Answer. Not a word.Question. Did he tell any of his disciples to writeany of his words?Answer. There is no account of it, if he did.Question. Do we know whether any of the dis-ciples wrote anything?Answer. Of course they did.Question. How do you know?Answer. Because the gospels bear their names.Question. Are you satisfied that Christ was abso-lutely God?Answer. Of course he was. We believe thatChrist and God and the Holy Ghost are all the same,that the three form one, and that each one is three.429Question. Was Christ the God of the universe atthe time of his birth?Answer. He certainly was.Question. Was he the infinite God, creatorand controller of the entire universe, before he wasborn?Answer. Of course he was. This is the mysteryof "God manifest in the flesh." The infidels havepretended that he was like any other child, and wasin fact supported by Nature instead of being thesupporter of Nature. They have insisted that likeother children, he had to be cared for by his mother.Of course he appeared to be cared for by his mother.It was a part of the plan that in all respects he shouldappear to be like other children.Question. Did he know just as much before hewas born as after?Answer. If he was God of course he did.Question. How do you account for the fact thatSaint Luke tells us, in the last verse of the secondchapter of his gospel, that "Jesus increased in wis-"dom and stature"?Answer. That I presume is a figure of speech;because, if he was God, he certainly could not haveincreased in wisdom. The physical part of him could430increase in stature, but the intellectual part must havebeen infinite all the time.Question. Do you think that Luke was mistaken?Answer. No; I believe what Luke said. If itappears untrue, or impossible, then I know that it isfigurative or symbolical.Question. Did I understand you to say that Christwas actually God?Answer. Of course he was.Question. Then why did Luke say in the sameverse of the same chapter that "Jesus increased in"favor with God"?Answer. I dare you to go into a room by your-self and read the fourteenth chapter of Saint John!Question. Is it necessary to understand the Biblein order to be saved?Answer. Certainly not; it is only necessary thatyou believe it.Question. Is it necessary to believe all themiracles?Answer. It may not be necessary, but as it is im-possible to tell which ones can safely be left out, youhad better believe them all.Question. Then you regard belief as the safeway?431Answer. Of course it is better to be fooled in thisworld than to be damned in the next.Question. Do you think that there are any cruel-ties on God's part recorded in the Bible?Answer. At first flush, many things done by Godhimself, as well as by his prophets, appear to becruel; but if we examine them closely, we will findthem to be exactly the opposite.Question. How do you explain the story of Elishaand the children,—where the two she-bears destroyedforty-two children on account of their impudence?Answer. This miracle, in my judgment, estab-lishes two things: 1. That children should be politeto ministers, and 2. That God is kind to animals—"giving them their meat in due season." Thesebears have been great educators—they are thefoundation of the respect entertained by the youngfor theologians. No child ever sees a minister nowwithout thinking of a bear.Question. What do you think of the story ofDaniel—you no doubt remember it? Some mentold the king that Daniel was praying contrary tolaw, and thereupon Daniel was cast into a den oflions; but the lions could not touch him, theirmouths having been shut by angels. The next432morning, the king, finding that Daniel was stillintact, had him taken out; and then, for the purposeof gratifying Daniels God, the king had all the menwho had made the complaint against Daniel, andtheir wives and their little children, brought and castinto the lions' den. According to the account, thelions were so hungry that they caught these wivesand children as they dropped, and broke all theirbones in pieces before they had even touched theground. Is it not wonderful that God failed to pro-tect these innocent wives and children?Answer. These wives and children were heathen;they were totally depraved. And besides, they wereused as witnesses. The fact that they were devouredwith such quickness shows that the lions werehungry. Had it not been for this, infidels wouldhave accounted for the safety of Daniel by sayingthat the lions had been fed.Question. Do you believe that Shadrach, Meshachand Abednego were cast "into a burning fiery furnace"heated one seven times hotter than it was wont to"be heated," and that they had on "their coats, their"hosen and their hats," and that when they cameout "not a hair of their heads was singed, nor was"the smell of fire upon their garments"?433Answer. The evidence of this miracle is exceed-ingly satisfactory. It resulted in the conversion ofNebuchadnezzar.Question. How do you know he was converted?Answer. Because immediately after the miraclethe king issued a decree that "every people, nation"and language that spoke anything amiss against"the God of Shadrach and Company, should be cut"in pieces." This decree shows that he had becomea true disciple and worshiper of Jehovah.Question. If God in those days preserved fromthe fury of the fire men who were true to him andwould not deny his name, why is it that he has failedto protect thousands of martyrs since that time?Answer. This is one of the divine mysteries.God has in many instances allowed his enemies tokill his friends. I suppose this was allowed for thegood of his enemies, that the heroism of the mar-tyrs might convert them.Question. Do you believe all the miracles?Answer. I believe them all, because I believe theBible to be inspired.Question. What makes you think it is inspired?Answer. I have never seen anybody who knewit was not; besides, my father and mother believed it.434Question. Have you any other reasons for be-lieving it to be inspired?Answer. Yes; there are more copies of the Bibleprinted than of any other book; and it is printed inmore languages. And besides, it would be impossibleto get along without it.Question. Why could we not get along without it?Answer. We would have nothing to swear wit-nesses by; no book in which to keep the familyrecord; nothing for the centre-table, and nothing fora mother to give her son. No nation can be civilizedwithout the Bible.Question. Did God always know that a Bible wasnecessary to civilize a country?Answer. Certainly he did.Question. Why did he not give a Bible tothe Egyptians, the Hindus, the Greeks and theRomans?Answer. It is astonishing what perfect fools in-fidels are.Question. Why do you call infidels "fools"?Answer. Because I find in the fifth chapter of thegospel according to Matthew the following: "Who-"soever shall say 'Thou fool!' shall be in danger of"hell fire."435Question. Have I the right to read the Bible?Answer. Yes. You not only have the right, butit is your duty.Question. In reading the Bible the words makecertain impressions on my mind. These impressionsdepend upon my brain,—upon my intelligence. Isnot this true?Answer. Of course, when you read the Bible, im-pressions are made upon your mind.Question. Can I control these impressions?Answer. I do not think you can, as long as youremain in a sinful state.Question. How am I to get out of this sinful state?Answer. You must believe on the Lord JesusChrist, and you must read the Bible in a prayerfulspirit and with a believing heart.Question. Suppose that doubts force themselvesupon my mind?Answer. Then you will know that you are a sin-ner, and that you are depraved.Question. If I have the right to read the Bible,have I the right to try to understand it?Answer. Most assuredly.Question. Do you admit that I have the right toreason about it and to investigate it?436Answer. Yes; I admit that. Of course you can-not help reasoning about what you read.Question. Does the right to read a book includethe right to give your opinion as to the truth of whatthe book contains?Answer. Of course,—if the book is not inspired.Infidels hate the Bible because it is inspired, andChristians know that it is inspired because infidelssay that it is not.Question. Have I the right to decide for myselfwhether or not the book is inspired?Answer. You have no right to deny the truth ofGod's Holy Word.Question. Is God the author of all books?Answer. Certainly not.Question. Have I the right to say that God didnot write the Koran?Answer. Yes.Question. Why?Answer. Because the Koran was written by animpostor.Question. How do you know?Answer. My reason tells me so.Question. Have you the right to be guided byyour reason?437Answer. I must be.Question. Have you the same right to follow yourreason after reading the Bible?Answer. No. The Bible is the standard of reason.The Bible is not to be judged or corrected by yourreason. Your reason is to be weighed and measuredby the Bible. The Bible is different from otherbooks and must not be read in the same critical spirit,nor judged by the same standard.Question. What did God give us reason for?Answer. So that we might investigate otherreligions, and examine other so-called sacred books.Question. If a man honestly thinks that the Bibleis not inspired, what should he say?Answer. He should admit that he is mistaken.Question. When he thinks he is right?Answer. Yes. The Bible is different from otherbooks. It is the master of reason. You read theBible, not to see if that is wrong, but to seewhether your reason is right. It is the only bookabout which a man has no right to reason. He mustbelieve. The Bible is addressed, not to the reason,but to the ears: "He that hath ears to hear, let"him hear."Question. Do you think we have the right to tell438what the Bible means—what ideas God intended toconvey, or has conveyed to us, through the mediumof the Bible?Answer. Well, I suppose you have that right.Yes, that must be your duty. You certainly oughtto tell others what God has said to you.Question. Do all men get the same ideas fromthe Bible?Answer. No.Question. How do you account for that?Answer. Because all men are not alike; theydiffer in intellect, in education, and in experience.Question. Who has the right to decide as to thereal ideas that God intended to convey?Answer. I am a Protestant, and believe in theright of private judgment. Whoever does not is aCatholic. Each man must be his own judge, but Godwill hold him responsible.Question. Does God believe in the right of privatejudgment?Answer. Of course he does.Question. Is he willing that I should exercise myjudgment in deciding whether the Bible is inspired ornot?Answer. No. He believes in the exercise of439private judgment only in the examination and rejec-tion of other books than the Bible.Question. Is he a Catholic?Answer. I cannot answer blasphemy! Let metell you that God will "laugh at your calamity, and"will mock when your fear cometh." You will beaccursed.Question. Why do you curse infidels?Answer. Because I am a Christian.Question. Did not Christ say that we ought to"bless those who curse us," and that we should"love our enemies"?Answer. Yes, but he cursed the Pharisees andcalled them "hypocrites" and "vipers."Question. How do you account for that?Answer. It simply shows the difference betweentheory and practice.Question. What do you consider the best way toanswer infidels.Answer. The old way is the best. You shouldsay that their arguments are ancient, and have beenanswered over and over again. If this does notsatisfy your hearers, then you should attack thecharacter of the infidel—then that of his parents—then that of his children.440Question. Suppose that the infidel is a good man,how will you answer him then?Answer. But an infidel cannot be a good man.Even if he is, it is better that he should lose hisreputation, than that thousands should lose theirsouls. We know that all infidels are vile and infa-mous. We may not have the evidence, but we knowthat it exists.Question. How should infidels be treated? ShouldChristians try to convert them?Answer. Christians should have nothing to dowith infidels. It is not safe even to converse with