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Many Infallible Proofs : a Series of Chapters on the Evidences of Christianity ; Or, the Written and Living Word of God
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Published January 1, 1886
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About the author
Arthur Tappan Pierson
122 books15 followersArthur Tappan Pierson (March 6, 1837 – June 3, 1911) was an American Presbyterian pastor, early fundamentalist leader, and writer who preached over 13,000 sermons, wrote over fifty books, and gave Bible lectures as part of a transatlantic preaching ministry that made him famous in Scotland and England. He was a consulting editor for the original "Scofield Reference Bible" (1909) for his friend, C. I. Scofield and was also a friend of D. L. Moody, George Müller (whose biography 'George Muller of Bristol' he wrote), Adoniram Judson Gordon, and C. H. Spurgeon, whom he succeeded in the pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, from 1891 to 1893. Throughout his career, Pierson filled several pulpit positions around the world as an urban pastor who cared passionately for the poor.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 12, 2023
I while back I bought Piersons collected works on Logos, my aim this year is to get through at least half a dozen of his books. Written in 1886, when Pierson was 49, this book seeks to give a defence of Christianity. Pierson is such a Christ centred mission focused leader that the book breathes hope. In his use of apologetics Pierson focuses on the fact that :
"A faith not firmly founded upon good evidence deserves not the name of faith, for the basis of all true faith or trust is belief which is the assent of the mind, or understanding, to truth supported by adequate proofs"
His premise was that a convinced believer is a convinced evangelist
"The deeper our conviction and the firmer our persuasion of truth, the more intensely shall we be in earnest, and it is this grand quality of earnestness that convinces and persuades others. In fact, the earnestness, born of clear, deep and unchangeable conviction, is the most moving, melting force this side of God. It is a fire, to burn; a hammer, to break; a sword, to pierce. It becomes a contagious enthusiasm which is the mysterious secret of eloquence. Others see and feel when you know you are right and true, and they begin to say, “I am afraid I am not right.”
In his books he divides up apologetics into 2 categories
“External” and “Internal.”
"The Internal include the character of Christ himself and of the doctrine and morality taught by Christianity, its adaptation to human wants, the unity and consistency of the Bible, and the marks of truth, purity and sincerity in its various writers.
The External, or historical proofs, are such as are found in man’s need of a revelation from God, and the corresponding presumption in its favor as a fact; the authenticity and credibility of scripture history, the argument from prophecy and miracle as sealing and sanctioning such revelation; the historical argument from the spread of the gospel in the face of opposition, and from the positive blessings it has conferred upon the individual and upon society"
The rest of the book then goes through the various evidences of the fath incluing
-Prophecy - he spends a long time looking at the prophecies concering the desruction of Jerusalem
- Miracles - how they demonstrate the power of God the author of the universe, and should be expected in the person of Jesus. You realise how Deism led to an anti miraculous view of Chrstianity (as God could not deny the uniformity of his laws - HAHA To think God is ruled by his laws and not hs loving character...)
- The Bible its scientific truth and moral beauty) For me this section can be dangerous as Pierson attempts to prove the scientific accuracy of the Bible (and if evidence is found to the contrary it would suggest is the Bible is scientifically wrong then it should be doubted) - this for me is an unnecessary argument
For example statements like "As to the antiquity of man, science has not presented one clearly established fact to show that the human race existed on earth earlier than the accepted chronology of the Bible places man’s creation."
The section on the moral beauty of the Word of God was very powerful
"Think for one moment of the Bible conception of God—all powerful, but good; all-knowing, yet merciful; all-present, yet not the God of Pantheism, inseparable from his works; but a personal God. Think of His infinite holiness, of purer eyes than to behold evil, yet graciously planning for the salvation of sinners; exalted to the highest heaven and yet condescending to the weakest and the humblest. Where did the writers of the Bible get such conceptions of the one God, while the foremost nations were worshipping dumb idols! while Egypt bowed to the crocodile, and Athens gave 60,000 women to the licentious rites of Venus, and Rome was adoring the bloody God of War, and the riotous God of Wine! while even the Parsee got no higher than to turn his face eastward and adore the sun."
-Christ Finally he has an extended section on Christ (as prophesied, as divine, and the power and originality of his teaching).Which in my mind was his most impassioned and compelling
"This precious Book tells us of one who resigned the throne and crown of heaven, exchanged the radiant robe of the universal King for the garment of a servant, descended to earth, condescended to human want and woe and wickedness, lay in a lowly cradle in a cattle-stall at Bethlehem, and hung upon a cross of shame on Calvary, that even those who crucified Him might be forgiven. Can you span the chasm between the throne of a universe and that cross? a crown of stars and a crown of thorns? the worship of the host of heaven and the mockery of an insulting mob? When you can bridge that gulf, you may know something of the divine grandeur of such self-sacrifice. Whence such a conception of heroism? There is nothing like it in history, not even in fable; poets and philosophers have not approached it; the highest unselfishness is selfish beside it."
"When God came down to men, the most touching proof he gave of his presence was found in the tenderness of his ministry to human want and woe. And even his works of power were most remarkable for their exhibitions of a divine heart throbbing through a divine hand!"
"The firmness of his tread, the weight of his words, the justness of his decisions, the clearness of his judgment, the profoundness of his ethics, the faultless beauty of his life, leave no room for doubt that he could neither deceive nor be deceived"
"Christ so magnified and glorified the Scriptures, so interpreted and unfolded their deep meaning, that his evolution of new principles compelled a revolution both in ideas and practices. Their righteousness must exceed even that of the acknowledged leaders of the people, if they would enter into his kingdom, for no correctness of outward life could compensate for the lack of inward love to God and man. Back of the white front of the Pharisee’s life he shewed the dead men’s bones of a lifeless creed, and the uncleanness of a heart full of corruption. Beneath the graceful mound of grass and flowers, the outward beauty of alms and prayers, he shewed the grave where love lies buried, and righteousness is in decay"
"The tongue that taught on Judean hills has been silent now for fifty generations, and still the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. You read these words, and there is life in them—a soul in them speaks to your soul. You read the words of men, and you feel in rare cases that you are communing with master minds—you read Christ’s, and you feel the thrill of the life of God.
Account for this inspiration if you can on any human theory! Who was it solved these problems of the race, brought life and immortality to light, taught man his origin, nature, interest and destiny! Who was he who reformed the soul and transformed society—who by his simple gospel still marches through the centuries with the tread and trophies of a conscious conqueror! Whose words are these that break hard hearts and yet heal broken hearts, that subdue the strong but nerve the weak, and to-day are turning the world upside down! Yes, mere words, with no magnetic voice to lend them power, no personal presence, yet before them vice and wrong, error in doctrine and evil in practice, tremble and totter and fall as before an earthquake."
It is interesting to note how apologetics has changed - several aspects like the trustworthiness of the sources, historical evidence for the gospels, the cosmological arguments, the moral arguments have all come on the scene. But Piersons book is still highly relevant as it was written to bolster the believer in his times against the enemies of his time. And it leaves one realising the vital importance of apologetics, and many of the topics he covers are still highly relevant for the believer of today....
"A faith not firmly founded upon good evidence deserves not the name of faith, for the basis of all true faith or trust is belief which is the assent of the mind, or understanding, to truth supported by adequate proofs"
His premise was that a convinced believer is a convinced evangelist
"The deeper our conviction and the firmer our persuasion of truth, the more intensely shall we be in earnest, and it is this grand quality of earnestness that convinces and persuades others. In fact, the earnestness, born of clear, deep and unchangeable conviction, is the most moving, melting force this side of God. It is a fire, to burn; a hammer, to break; a sword, to pierce. It becomes a contagious enthusiasm which is the mysterious secret of eloquence. Others see and feel when you know you are right and true, and they begin to say, “I am afraid I am not right.”
In his books he divides up apologetics into 2 categories
“External” and “Internal.”
"The Internal include the character of Christ himself and of the doctrine and morality taught by Christianity, its adaptation to human wants, the unity and consistency of the Bible, and the marks of truth, purity and sincerity in its various writers.
The External, or historical proofs, are such as are found in man’s need of a revelation from God, and the corresponding presumption in its favor as a fact; the authenticity and credibility of scripture history, the argument from prophecy and miracle as sealing and sanctioning such revelation; the historical argument from the spread of the gospel in the face of opposition, and from the positive blessings it has conferred upon the individual and upon society"
The rest of the book then goes through the various evidences of the fath incluing
-Prophecy - he spends a long time looking at the prophecies concering the desruction of Jerusalem
- Miracles - how they demonstrate the power of God the author of the universe, and should be expected in the person of Jesus. You realise how Deism led to an anti miraculous view of Chrstianity (as God could not deny the uniformity of his laws - HAHA To think God is ruled by his laws and not hs loving character...)
- The Bible its scientific truth and moral beauty) For me this section can be dangerous as Pierson attempts to prove the scientific accuracy of the Bible (and if evidence is found to the contrary it would suggest is the Bible is scientifically wrong then it should be doubted) - this for me is an unnecessary argument
For example statements like "As to the antiquity of man, science has not presented one clearly established fact to show that the human race existed on earth earlier than the accepted chronology of the Bible places man’s creation."
The section on the moral beauty of the Word of God was very powerful
"Think for one moment of the Bible conception of God—all powerful, but good; all-knowing, yet merciful; all-present, yet not the God of Pantheism, inseparable from his works; but a personal God. Think of His infinite holiness, of purer eyes than to behold evil, yet graciously planning for the salvation of sinners; exalted to the highest heaven and yet condescending to the weakest and the humblest. Where did the writers of the Bible get such conceptions of the one God, while the foremost nations were worshipping dumb idols! while Egypt bowed to the crocodile, and Athens gave 60,000 women to the licentious rites of Venus, and Rome was adoring the bloody God of War, and the riotous God of Wine! while even the Parsee got no higher than to turn his face eastward and adore the sun."
-Christ Finally he has an extended section on Christ (as prophesied, as divine, and the power and originality of his teaching).Which in my mind was his most impassioned and compelling
"This precious Book tells us of one who resigned the throne and crown of heaven, exchanged the radiant robe of the universal King for the garment of a servant, descended to earth, condescended to human want and woe and wickedness, lay in a lowly cradle in a cattle-stall at Bethlehem, and hung upon a cross of shame on Calvary, that even those who crucified Him might be forgiven. Can you span the chasm between the throne of a universe and that cross? a crown of stars and a crown of thorns? the worship of the host of heaven and the mockery of an insulting mob? When you can bridge that gulf, you may know something of the divine grandeur of such self-sacrifice. Whence such a conception of heroism? There is nothing like it in history, not even in fable; poets and philosophers have not approached it; the highest unselfishness is selfish beside it."
"When God came down to men, the most touching proof he gave of his presence was found in the tenderness of his ministry to human want and woe. And even his works of power were most remarkable for their exhibitions of a divine heart throbbing through a divine hand!"
"The firmness of his tread, the weight of his words, the justness of his decisions, the clearness of his judgment, the profoundness of his ethics, the faultless beauty of his life, leave no room for doubt that he could neither deceive nor be deceived"
"Christ so magnified and glorified the Scriptures, so interpreted and unfolded their deep meaning, that his evolution of new principles compelled a revolution both in ideas and practices. Their righteousness must exceed even that of the acknowledged leaders of the people, if they would enter into his kingdom, for no correctness of outward life could compensate for the lack of inward love to God and man. Back of the white front of the Pharisee’s life he shewed the dead men’s bones of a lifeless creed, and the uncleanness of a heart full of corruption. Beneath the graceful mound of grass and flowers, the outward beauty of alms and prayers, he shewed the grave where love lies buried, and righteousness is in decay"
"The tongue that taught on Judean hills has been silent now for fifty generations, and still the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. You read these words, and there is life in them—a soul in them speaks to your soul. You read the words of men, and you feel in rare cases that you are communing with master minds—you read Christ’s, and you feel the thrill of the life of God.
Account for this inspiration if you can on any human theory! Who was it solved these problems of the race, brought life and immortality to light, taught man his origin, nature, interest and destiny! Who was he who reformed the soul and transformed society—who by his simple gospel still marches through the centuries with the tread and trophies of a conscious conqueror! Whose words are these that break hard hearts and yet heal broken hearts, that subdue the strong but nerve the weak, and to-day are turning the world upside down! Yes, mere words, with no magnetic voice to lend them power, no personal presence, yet before them vice and wrong, error in doctrine and evil in practice, tremble and totter and fall as before an earthquake."
It is interesting to note how apologetics has changed - several aspects like the trustworthiness of the sources, historical evidence for the gospels, the cosmological arguments, the moral arguments have all come on the scene. But Piersons book is still highly relevant as it was written to bolster the believer in his times against the enemies of his time. And it leaves one realising the vital importance of apologetics, and many of the topics he covers are still highly relevant for the believer of today....
March 8, 2013
I read this book free through Google Books (a scanned copy from Princeton University). Pierson and writers like him from the period of the late 1800's (I'm thinking WH Griffith Thomas and others) had a wonderful way of pointing out the uniqueness of Christ. Though dated in some areas this book is a treasure trove of evidence for the truth of gospel. An excellent resource for preaching and teaching.
June 14, 2015
The book starts off slowly, but then the second half picks up as he meditates on God and Christ. Chapter X on the person of Christ was particularly excellent.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews