Evidences of Christianity.
By Moses Hull
THE infidel does not deny that the writers of the New Testament believed that Christ was raised. But, say they, "There was a mistake somewhere, for the resurrection of Christ was a miracle, and no testimony can prove a miracle." As to where the mistake is, infidels are not agreed. Some do not pretend to know. Some are very certain that he did not die. Others are quite as sure he died, but did not rise. How to account for the alibi of the body, they do not know. Some suppose that it may have miraculously resolved back to its primitive elements, thus getting up one miracle to get rid of another. Others claim that the disciples stole him, and others that the guard stole him. One infidel took all the above positions in a conversation with myself of not an hour's length, not long since. If the patient reader will follow us, he shall soon see the fallacy of all the above positions. 1. Did he die? Paul says, "He died for our sins according to the Scriptures," 1 Cor. xv, 3; and Peter, in addressing the Jews concerning Jesus of Nazareth, says, "Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Acts ii, 23. If the above declaration had not been notoriously true, Peter would not have dared to make it in the presence of more than three thousand of the Jews, who had just crucified the Saviour, and had the disposition to serve him in the same way. Whether it be a fact or not, it was a universal belief among the Jews as well as Christians, that Christ was dead. They never thought of accounting for his exit from the tomb upon the ground that he was not dead when put in there. Festus, in declaring the matter to Agrippa, states the true ground of difference between Christians and all others of his time: "Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed; but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive." Acts xxv, 18, 19. In the days of the apostles the question was not, Did he die? but, Did he rise? All nature, at the time he expired, bore testimony not only to his death, but to his superhuman nature. The vail of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom. The earth quaked to her center. Rocks were rent asunder. All nature was dressed in mourning. The sun became black as sackcloth, and the centurion, as he gazed upon the scene, said, "Truly this was the Son of God." So firmly was he convinced that the Lord of glory had expired, Dionysius, the Areopagite, although eight hundred miles distant, as he beheld the sun hide its face, witnessed the bursting of rocks, and felt the earth tremble under his feet, exclaimed, "Either the Author of nature is suffering, or the universe is falling apart." Is the infidel ready to serve up Paine's objection that some of these things are only stated by Matthew, and hence may not be true? We answer, We have proved the authenticity, integrity, and credibility, of the book of Matthew, as well as of all the other books of the New Testament. But if anything further is needed on this point, read the following from Bishop Watson's reply to Paine, pp. 105, 106: "Whatever difficulty there may be in accounting for the silence of the other evangelists, and of St. Paul also on this subject, yet there is a greater difficulty in supposing that Matthew did not give a true narration of what had happened at the crucifixion. If there had been no supernatural darkness, no earthquake, no rending of the vail of the temple, no graves opened, no resurrection of holy men, no appearance of them unto many—if none of these things had been true, or rather, if any one of them had been false, what motive could Matthew, writing to the Jews, have had for trumping up such wonderful stories? He wrote, as every man does, with an intention to be believed; and yet every Jew he met would have stared him in the face and told him that he was a liar and an impostor. What author who, twenty years hence, should address to the French nation a history of Louis XVI, would venture to affirm that when he was beheaded there was darkness for three hours over all France? that there was an earthquake? that rocks were split? graves opened? and dead were brought to life, who appeared to many persons in Paris? It is quite impossible to suppose that any one should dare to publish such obvious lies; and I think it equally impossible to suppose that Matthew would have dared to publish his account of what happened at the death of Jesus, had not the account been generally known to be true." But the above are not all the evidences that Christ really and truly died. Our strongest testimonies upon this, as well as other points, come from the enemies of Christianity. As it was not lawful to let them hang on the cross over the Sabbath-day, the Roman soldiers are sent out to break their legs and take them down from the cross. They went to the thieves and brake their legs, "but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs." Let the reader take notice. This is not simply the opinion of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, or Paul. It is the opinion of the soldiers who would have broken his legs had he been alive. It will not do to leave this matter here; it must be placed beyond dispute; so the soldier puts a spear into his side, and makes a wound from whence issues blood and water. Anatomists tell us that the water came from the pericardium, or casement around the heart. It is enough: even Pilate must now cease to "marvel that he is already dead;" his heart has been pierced by the soldier's spear. Down from the shining throne above,
In joyful haste he fled;
Entered the grave in mortal flesh,
And dwelt among the dead.
2. Did the disciples steal him out of the sepulchre? Some seem to think they did. In three days from the time he was put into the sepulchre, the great stone which was placed at its mouth was rolled away, and the body of Jesus was missing. What had become of it? Great precaution had been taken, and every possible means used to keep the body entombed. The sepulchre was sealed with the king's signet, thus endangering the life of any one who should touch it. In addition to this, a watch was placed there to guard the sepulchre to keep the disciples from stealing the body of Jesus. Is it possible that the soldiers could all go to sleep at once, and sleep so soundly that they could not be awakened by the rolling away of the stone, and the taking of the body of Jesus out of the sepulchre, when the penalty of death was attached to the law which forbade their sleeping? And is it not strange that the disciples should happen to know when this miraculous sleep would come over every member of this guard at once, and be on hand to take the body of Jesus away? Again, is it not strange that eleven timid disciples who shut their doors while they surrounded the supper-table for fear of the Jews, John xx, 19, should wax so bold all at once as to venture to steal the body of Jesus and hide it for the sake of preaching a risen Jesus, and that without the remotest prospect of any reward, either in this world or the world to come? The one who believes all these absurdities need not laugh at the credibility of Christians. But suppose it were all true. Suppose the guard did thus miraculously go to sleep, and the disciples did succeed in getting the body of Jesus, and hiding it so effectually that it has never been found from that day to this, who knows it? Who can testify to it, or assert it as a fact? Who saw the disciples steal the body of Jesus? No one. The members of the guard were asleep; hence they could not testify that the disciples stole it. All they could say was, The body was there when we went to sleep, but when we awoke it was not there. For aught they, or any one else, knew, he arose from the dead. When the infidel asks us to believe that the disciples stole the body of Jesus, they not only ask us to believe without testimony, but they ask us to believe contrary to all testimony. 3. Did the guard steal the body from the tomb? Some infidels say, Yes. We say, No. Infidels do not pretend to have any evidence that the guards stole Jesus. But when they deny his resurrection they are compelled to account somehow for the alibi of his body; and the idea that the disciples stole it is so inconsistent that they cannot adopt it. The only subterfuge left for them is that the guard stole it. A little examination154will convince the reader of the absurdity of this position. The sealing of the stone placed at the door of the sepulchre forbade the guard to remove it, as really as it did the disciples. The guard were there to keep that body in the tomb, and their guilt would be the same, whether they removed it or permitted some one else to do it. Is it reasonable to suppose they would hide that body and thus expose themselves to death? Suppose we for a few moments reject all common sense, and adopt that position. Suppose the disciples were as credulous, enthusiastic, and fanatical, as infidels claim that they were. Mary, on the morning of the first day of the week, went to the sepulchre and found the stone rolled away and the body gone. "There," said she, "he is raised just as I expected. I will go and tell the disciples;" and away she goes, saying, "He is risen! he is risen!" The disciples respond, "Certainly, we expected him to rise this morning." I apprehend the guard can hardly keep the secret. "It is too good to keep." But they impatiently await the arrival of the fiftieth day. The time comes. Pentecost is here. The Jews are assembled from every quarter, and Peter begins to preach. Hear him: Acts ii, 22-23. "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." And then he proceeds like all other fanatics to quote Scripture to prove his doctrine. Acts ii, 34-36. "For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." But just then I hear a stir in the audience, and look around; and what do I behold? A band of Roman soldiers carrying a dead man. They lay him before Peter, and as they uncover his face I hear them say, "Peter, here is your prince of life; here is the one that you say is alive." What a quietus this must have put on Peter's preaching. What a beautiful theory! it only lacks one element, and that is, truth. They did not present the body of Jesus before Peter, for the very good reason that they had it not. They knew he had risen; hence they cry out, "What shall we do." Peter tells them to repent and be baptized, and, strange to tell, three thousand of the murderers of Jesus were baptized in his name before night. Is it possible that they were baptized in the name of a dead man, and one that they despised and had killed at that? Believe it who can; I cannot. Reader, how many of that guard, think you, could have been persuaded to be baptized in the faith of the resurrection of a man that they had hid, and that they knew was dead at that time? So far from the guard's stealing the body of Jesus, they, enemies as they were, were the first witnesses of his resurrection. Notwithstanding every effort to keep the Messiah in the grave, on the third morning "the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid; go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." Matt. xxviii, 2-15. Here the watch have borne testimony to the resurrection of Christ, which has made it necessary to call an especial assembly of the priests and elders, who decide that it will not do to let it be known that Christ has risen; hence, they instruct the watch not to tell it. "Say ye that the disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept." "We will give you large sums of money." Infidel, do you want the testimony of this watch after it has been bribed with "large sums of money?" I do not. Especially when they are contradicting their own word for the "filthy lucre." I choose to receive the testimony which they gave before they met with the council of priests.