ow it occurred to
God that the light of nature was somewhat weak, and He thought He'd
light another burner. Therefore He made His book and gave it to His
servants, the priests, that they might give it to men. It was to be
accepted, not on the authority of Moses, or any other writer, but
because it was the word of God. How do you know it's the word of God?
You're not to take the word of Moses, or David, or Jeremiah, or Isaiah,
or any other man, because the authenticity of their work has nothing to
do with the matter; this creed expressly lets them out. How are you to
know that it is God's word? Because it is God's word. Why is it God's
word? What proof have we that it is God's word? Because it is God's
word.

Now, then, I find that the next thing in this wonderful confession of
faith of the Presbyterians is the decree of predestination. [Reads the
decree.] I am pleased to assure you that it is not necessary to
understand this. You have only to believe it. You see that by the
decree of God some men and angels are predestinated to heaven and
others to eternal hell, and you observe that their number is so certain
and definite that it can neither be changed nor altered. You are asked
to believe that billions of years ago this God knew the names of all
the men and women whom He was going to save. Had 'em in His book, that
being the only thing except Himself that then existed. He had chosen
the names by the aid of the secret council. The reason they called it
secret was because they knew all about it.

In making His choice, God was not at all bigoted. He did not choose
John Smith because He foresaw that Smith was to be a Presbyterian, and
was to possess a loving nature, was to be honest and true and noble in
all his ways, doing good himself and encouraging others in the same.
Oh, no! He was quite as likely to pick Brown, in spite of the fact
that He knew long before that Brown would be a wicked wretch. You see
He was just as apt to send Smith to the devil and take Brown to
heaven--and all for "His glory." This God also blinds and hardens--ah!
he's a peculiar God. If sinners persevere, He will blind and harden
and give them over at last to their own wickedness instead of trying to
reclaim and save them.

Now we come to the comforting doctrine of the total depravity of man,
and this leads us to consider how he came that way. Can any person
read the first chapters of Genesis and believe them unless his logi