, 1865-06-16
rorld have teen had they not been preached

srnt tor1n. Without citing the tcstlmoay u
sSscphus which is impair.d By Interpolation,
Tacltus, The Roman historian, who VITO G iu
tie latter half Of the first century says
speaking OF 1h= fire which consumed Romt
n Nero's time. and Of the belief hist he had
caused IT.:
e1Ss @ t1s,s!9;s p2t s'ep to M The 5s2p,
N MIS- npon set Of ptopln who vera holden II
abstr ence f.r their crimes, snd called oy lhe vnl
g,F, Cnrtsdans. The founder Of thst name wa:
tbIit, ~no suffered death in the setso OF T1heEt.
Us un1er the preea.ator Poatiu, PLATE. Thli
ptsslctous snPersuliop. thuB checked fur awhile
roke Gnt sgain ana spread NOS only over Jpd=a
where the eyl osteiua!es, but thions III Rom also
whittier III th,ugs toat are shameful sad horrible
tnd their Gsy and arc prsesleed. Accordingly
.he 0tst Tho were apprrhented conie.sed. ant
then, On iheir lntot otwauon. vast multitude were
Rome On nse as Of fhstred to manktnd.''
sneton'us says briefly Of the same event
"Ihe Chtstians were punish ID q set o.
men OF Il new and mischicvous superstitioa.'
The younger Pltny, as Governor of Bythunla
In bis official report to the Emperor TrsJaE
ol his prosecutions Of the Christians, says:
"They declared that the whole Of tier guilt, o.
theT error, Was that they were accustomed lc
meet on stated day, before 1t was light, and e
IN Sna Soaefst hmm q prase to chEt.t q dod
perpetIasicn Of auy wicteaness, but that they
would not commit anT Then, robbery, or aaultery,
aeyhsf Iso's :ommf5sa 1 called " p9 70 r':9
Ter this lbey were aceustomed to sep1
rate. and Then to .eaesemoie 10 eit IL
tbty ceated 10 do sisef my ediet in which, sgreos
BY 70 your commands, I forbade tue meeting oi
secret assemblies. After heasing this thought
tTaih By putting 70 tae iorare ,Wo lem lie sa1es
WOO were called .defeouesses.' Bat coa.d dis
coVxI nothing but a perversa 1ua extraysssn. su'
proceedings till l should consult with yon. For
the matter appeats 10 mo worthy OF su:h con.
snltatien, ctpee,al'y on account Of the nnmasE oi
every ars, of every rank aad Of either saI ars e4'
pcacd ~ danger. Eos has the coutag,on OF this
supc. B:'ton been cohdncd to the cltiea only, but
ctnDtsy. Nevertheless It still secms possible 10
rest tbs evil ana 70 Apply remedy, AZ lcsst II
,s:e1y evident that tac temples. which had al.
fes1y been slmost es<rt d. begin To be ftequ mt
I'd, and the s7csed tolemnitiea 60 oug interrupted
a'e rgasn revited: and the victims which htreto-
vi IRE IN demand. From this il is easy to la.
| n.tIe Whist multitude of men 1{ght 10 reclaim
81 n; Z pardon should be offered to those who re-
Such spe cad In the b; lief in Christianity
within seventy years after Chsfst's death
proves that the facts of the Gospel We're
adc known by the Apostles themselves
II roaghout the civilized world, by preaching
or writing, or eise that CheistiRnitY was in-
s,nted and founded b, msn Of whose namrs
CT even existence history has leit no record ;
lul power to oEcrturn the world, cmanated
iitm men who bnvc left ro impress Of their
personal history, not even their uslnes, upon
the records Of time; wklld on tho
other hand those Apostles Of
whom these books .reat; wtIle cor;
dcatb, W'ote nothing Whatever concerning
It. Both euppositlpns are nike absurd.
Therefore the history of the church in the
frst century requires and proves the authcn-
tactty, OF the Gospels as the work Of the
j. After 'den ons1ating that the Gospels
are authentic, tbe argument rs brief and cog
elusive that they arc true. They are til. in
dererdtnt testimony Of lOur uos only honest,
but Ttous mcD, nll Of whom krow the Gcts
Itlatsve to Jesus life aud death.
and md not fsnatieal, ' but ee wsrc skepsicai tIai
II. msc-ve and lcinclincd to believe either
III Chlist or his miracles, and who had no
motive or design to impose upon the world,
What, # 1t did not take place they must have
known to BE- f,1=e. but who lost wealth, hon
or. ard their Jewish religion, and incurred
Of iaith which, unless they were sincere In
their statements OF fact. consigned them, In
their cwn leifef, to endless torment in the
world to come. Either their record is true,
or else good and true men. OF sound aud sen.
sible minds, plain but intelligent, lost nll In
he'll jn the next. Such an exhibition OF
lumen nature would be a greater cont,aven-
finn Of thr laws OF nature, than wauld auv
miracle IccoIded in the Gaspsls. The latter
are possible the :o:iner tmpos5 bic,
2. TIE moral and intellectual pelfectness
Of lie Character Of Christ could not have
bctn ima:lned and set forth, Jules. tue
Apostles had had the original before them to
copy irt n. On the coa:Inr5 all their writ
snEs, acts and words chow how inadequate
,lsJ were even to the task Of apprehendlng
him. Still less could they have invented
Elm.
s. The personality of Christ as thus set
forth-Hjs sinlcssness-His absence Of human
learning. &c: grasp Of spiritual teachings such
as no human lea'nfnE could have impar ted
Ills obscu,ity Of birth. yet bonndIess unlyer-
ss1ity Of indueDce-Hls brief career, which
nevertheless overturned the religions, em-
Ptrcss laws and manners Of the civilized " orlt
His Jcwish paren'age and narrow rauge Of
eppo, tunity, yet HIS divine grasp OF thought
and Ills universally Of character, personify-
ing the highest Ideal Of the purest minds in
all subsequent ages and countries-His aa-
sence Of all human aids, 1riruds learning,
tociat organization and wealth. When He
died, BE 1ad done nothing, in the ordinary
g. nsc Of the void; He had founded no soci-
ety, organized no force, but merely spoken q
lew words. Yet thosc words undo all that
bad before been done, and continue to undo
The power Of tho words OF God In the world.
Ills words art universal In their character;
what lie enys to one person 10 apple sble to
all 1nnnstEd. So tar frcm building on any
foundation already laid, a. lie might hare
d. ne IN reference to the Jewish expectation
Of Messiah. Hs Gyertu1ns nil their hopes,
and, while disappointing the Interpretation,
1nlblss the prophecy lie is nowhere fanat;cat
by allowing nc truth to obscure another. Hc
whose deep spiritual insight illumlnes all the
hearts Of those hom he addresses, and who's:
natioD, could not have been aelEdeceiyed as
TO His own nature. Reason rerolts At the
supposition. Y9t lie claims for Himself par
feet sinlesmess and absolute holiness.
4. When Christ, as set forth in the New
1estinent; Is fully conceived By the under
standing, Hi becomes Himself the n ,st pow
tIful demonstration Of the inspired truth Of
tht New Testament. If He were indeed God
manifest In the flesh, then His promise to His
dlsc;pies that he would send 10 them the
"Hoiy Ghost y the "S pirlt OF all Truth 70
had SAID, and to slead them into all truth"
Las been fulfilled The result il bafore rs IN
the Gosp. ls, whose authenticity and historic
verify being established, lead us to the doc
trine Of their inspiration. II Christ did
bring all things to their remembrance, and
The living Witnesses of Christ's ministry on
eatth passed away, bave been impressed with
the necessity Of giving The ruth as they had
1eceired It, 70 the world. Hence cur New
Testament. Hence the belief in its inspfra-
ton.
OF course we could only trace the skeleton
Of the argument presented in DR.. Nast's COM
plttc and learned introduction. He also con-
sidtrs tie stercotyped technical objections
which Ekeptfcs have raised TO the verify Of
the Gospel narratives. His critical commeu-
tary. which forms the hulk OF the work, Is
Iervaded with leaning and capdor. His exam
LIS entire book valuable contribution to the
library OF every Christian as we'll as theolo-
gisn. It's mechanical execution Is moreover
III style most crtditable to Its publishers.
Close Of the Iroo-workers' Strike. .:
LF1om the London Times, Nay 2ath.l
AZ er hultless and exhaustlng struggle of
four months duration, the IRON workers Of
North slsHo.dsLire lave at length surfen-
deIed, and agreed to resume work on the
mastera' terms. This, 50 far, gives the mas
tczs o victory, and yet, in reality, every party
to ihIs memorable strike has experienced
more or less discontinue. We believe, In
deed, that the whole proceedings will consti-
tute an epoch IN these trade quarfels. and
that neither Workmen nor employers will be
anxious to repeat the tactics Of last spring.
1t wus some time bcfora Christmls that the
staaordshIre iron-masters resolved on reduc-
tpg the wages Of "puddlers" by 80 much
ton. The men In the trade, after due con-
ierelce, accepted this reduction, with the
shire, who stood out against 1t and struck.
In point Of fact, they were directed to strike
by the Executive" Of the same Unlous
which had advised the men In other districts
to 60 on working, the presumption being
that they were to be maintained in their