Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/49

 evangelists spoke  the  truth  if  he  attentively  considers  the  manner  in  which  they  wrote. Any one who wishes  to  deceive  the  reader,  to  misrepresent circumstances or  facts,  would  certainly  not  write in so  straightforward,  frank,  and  honest  a  manner as  we  find  that  the  sacred  historians  invariably do. He who  desires  to  distort  or  conceal  the  truth  would  assuredly  not  relate  his  own faults and  failings  and  those  of  his  dearest  friends as the  evangelists  do. For this  reason  Rousseau, one of  the  bitterest  enemies  of  Christ,  is  fain  to confess:  "A  history  like  that  of  the  Gospel  is not  invented." The Gospel  possesses  such  touching,  such  utterly  inimitable  marks  of  truthfulness, that  if  the  author  were  an  inventor  and  impostor, he  would  be  more  worthy  of  admiration than the  one  who  is  the  subject  of  the  gospel-narrative. It would  be,  indeed,  a  shameless  proceeding  to  reproach  an  apostle  with  deceit,  unless some further  proof  were  forthcoming. What reasonable motive  could  they  have  had  to  lie? Persecution, chains,  imprisonment,  death  —  no one  deceives  for  such  gain  as  this;  no  one  would get himself  hung  for  a  lie!

5. And  yet  more! The evangelists  wrote amid circumstances  and  in  times  which  rendered it well-nigh  impossible  for  them  to  deceive.

In the  days  when  Jesus  lived  and  labored, people had  sharp  eyes  and  ears,  just  as  in  our day, and  the  enemies  of  Christianity  were  not less cunning  and  malicious  than  they  are  at present. Can you  imagine  that  these  people would have  been  good-natured  enough  to  hold their tongues  if  the  disciples  of  Jesus  had  related in the  Gospel  facts  concerning  Him  which  were either falsehoods,  or,  to  say  the  least,  gross  misrepresentations? And when,  about  thirty  years