(1882.)
Preface--First Interview: Great Men as Witnesses
to the Truth of the Gospel--No man should quote
the Words of Another unless he is willing to
Accept all the Opinions of that Man--Reasons of
more Weight than Reputations--Would a general
Acceptance of Unbelief fill the Penitentiaries?--
My Creed--Most Criminals Orthodox--Relig-ion and
Morality not Necessarily Associates--On the
Creation of the Universe out of Omnipotence--Mr.
Talmage's Theory about the Pro-duction of Light
prior to the Creation of the Sun--The Deluge and
the Ark--Mr. Talmage's tendency to Belittle the
Bible Miracles--His Chemical, Geological, and
Agricultural Views--His Disregard of Good Manners-
-Second Interview: An Insulting Text--God's Design
in Creating Guiteau to be the Assassin of
Garfield--Mr. Talmage brings the Charge of
Blasphemy--Some Real Blasphemers--The Tabernacle
Pastor tells the exact Opposite of the Truth about
Col. Ingersoll's Attitude toward the Circulation
of Immoral Books--"Assassinating" God--Mr.
Talmage finds Nearly All the Invention of Modern
Times Mentioned in the Bible--The Reverend
Gentleman corrects the Translators of the Bible in
the Matter of the Rib Story--Denies that Polygamy
is permitted by the Old Testament--His De-fence of
Queen Victoria and Violation of the Grave of
George Eliot--Exhibits a Christian Spirit--Third
Interview: Mr. Talmage's Partiality in the
Bestowal of his Love--Denies the Right of Laymen
to Examine the Scriptures--Thinks the Infidels
Victims of Bibliophobia --He explains the Stopping
of the Sun and Moon at the Command of Joshua--
Instances a Dark Day in the Early Part of the
Century--Charges that Holy Things are Made Light
of--Reaffirms his Confidence in the Whale and
Jonah Story--The Commandment which Forbids the
making of Graven Images--Affirmation that the
Bible is the Friend of Woman--The Present
Condition of Woman--Fourth Interview: Colonel
Ingersoll Compared by Mr. Talmage tojehoiakim, who
Consigned Writings of Jeremiah to the Flames--An
Intimation that Infidels wish to have all copies
of the Bible Destroyed by Fire--Laughter
Deprecated--Col. Ingersoll Accused of Denouncing
his Father--Mr. Talmage holds that a Man may be
Perfectly Happy in Heaven with His Mother in Hell-
-Challenges the Infidel to Read a Chapter from St.
John--On the "Chief Solace of the World"--Dis-
covers an Attempt is being made to Put Out the
Light-houses of the Farther Shore--Affirms our
Debt to Christianity for Schools, Hospitals,
etc.--Denies that Infidels have ever Done any
Good--
Fifth Interview: Inquiries if Men gather Grapes of
Thorns, or Figs of Thistles, and is Answered in
the Negative--Resents the Charge that the Bible is
a Cruel Book--Demands to Know where the Cruelty of
the Bible Crops out in the Lives of Christians--
Col. Ingersoll Accused of saying that the Bible
is a Collection of Polluted Writings--Mr. Talmage
Asserts the Orchestral Harmony of the Scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation, and Repudiates the
Theory of Contradictions--His View of Mankind
Indicated in Quotations from his Confession of
Faith--He Insists that the Bible is Scientific--
Traces the New Testament to its Source with St.
John--Pledges his Word that no Man ever Died for a
Lie Cheerfully and Triumphantly--As to Prophecies
and Predictions--Alleged "Prophetic" Fate of the
Jewish People--Sixth Interview: Dr. Talmage takes
the Ground that the Unrivalled Circulation of the
Bible Proves that it is Inspired--Forgets' that a
Scientific Fact does not depend on the Vote of
Numbers--Names some Christian Millions--His
Arguments Characterized as the Poor-est, Weakest,
and Best Possible in Support of the Doctrine of
Inspira-tion--Will God, in Judging a Man, take
into Consideration the Cir-cumstances of that
Man's Life?--Satisfactory Reasons for Not Believ-
ing that the Bible is inspired.