Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-12-03

my descendants tnOuSunus VI yeaiS
from now. A crank or fool might
happen for once to declare Alright, that
It will snow in Canada In July-as one
weather prophet did few years ago.
But to declare what is to happen a
thousand years from now, that Is be-
yond all range of human possibilities"
Yet the astounding statement that l
made a few moments ago In reference
to a little child is not nearly as won
derful and seemingly absurd from
human standpoint as those Messianlc
prophecies which were made not by
one, but by many writers OF the Old
Testament in reference to the birth,
the life, the death and the resurrec-
ton of Jesus Christ. When the wise
men came to Jerusalem to find the new
born King, who was yet to be king
of kings and Lord Of lords what an
swer was given to the oriental stran-
gers by those learned in the Hebrew
law? They promptly answered, In
Bethlehem" and gave for their author
ity the words Of the prophet Micah,
who lived and wrote 700 years before
Christ was born. Yet, when the wise
men went to Bethlehem, they found
there the infant Christ, as Micah had
foretold. Is not this fulfilled prophecy
startling evidence that Jesus was
born n man. yet that he was the Be
ing whose divine attributes were fore
seen by the prophets?
If as a rational man l want to hnd
the proof that Christ Is some day going
TO return to earth to claim his disciples
as his own all that have got to do Is
to turn to the prophecies Of Isaiah and
read first the account Of Christ's birth
and early life. "He was oppressed, he
was afflicted, yet he opened not bis
mouth He Is brought as lamb 10
the slaughter and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, 80 he openeth
not his mouth" Did not the prophecy
of Isaiah, written 800 years before
Christ died, come true? Then will not
also Isaiahs prophecy come true
which declares that there shall come
forth q rod out of the stem OF Jesse
who shall make the "lion eat straw
like an OK and the sucking child play
on the hole OF the aspr For then
''the glory of the Lord shall cover the
earth even as the waters cover the
seas" Oh, my brother, If you believe
that Christ's birth was a divine fact,
then by the evidence Of things not
seen" you should also believe that
Christ is coming again to claim bis own.
But the divinity of Jesus Christ Is
found in the testimony Of Christs con-
temporaries as well as in the prophe-
cies Of those inspired men who lived
hundreds Of years before Christ was
born. II is not only found in the gos-
pei biographsrs Of Jesus, who knew
Christ personally but also in the tes-
timony Of such mighty personalities as
that of Paul. who was martyred In
Rome about CT A. D., and Ignatfus,
who was martyred In 100 A. D., and
Polycarp. who lived to be nearly nine
ty years old and was martyred In loo
Ia. d. These men did not live hun
dreds Of years after Christ was born.
By direct touch with events they We're
able to prove with their own eyes ana
ears IL Christ was fraud or whether
Jesus truly placed the stamp OF his
divinity upon bis lifes work by the
miracles he wrought.
Testimony of the Martyrs.
Explain away the prophecies? oh,
that is impossiblel And yet 1t would
be no less difficult to explain away the
testimonies of the contemporaries OF
Jesus Christ, who declare that Christ
was divine. Why? Because, as | read
those testimonies, find, with but one
exception or possibly two, they were
all sealed with the lifeblood OF mar
tyrdom. Here Is the honor roll: Mat
thew was slain with a sword In Ethi-
opia: Mark was dragged through the
streets of Alexandria until his brains
were dashed out and the matted hair
stuck to the walls and the rocks;
Luke's mode Of death Is not known
positively. but tradition says he was
slain for Christ; John, the only apos'
tie who died a natural death, was not
only exiled. but also cast into caldron
of boiling oil; James the Great was be-
headed in Jerusalem; James the Less
was hurled from the top Of the temple
to the ground and there beaten to
death with club; Stephen was stoned
to death; Philip was hanged; st. Bar
thoomew was f1ayed alive-that means
his skin was peeled off from his quiv
ering flesh while he was yet conscious
the bystanders standing about the sur
ferer at the time and mocking him
Andrew preached from the cross while
the people scoffed at his dying agonies
Thomas was pierced by lance; Simon
Zelotes was killed in Persia; Malta
thias was murdered; Paul, Polycarp
Ignatius and scores Of others were all
! as I said before, martyred.
, Is it rational to suppose that those
men who lived in Christ's time, who
were able to verify his miracles woulC
have been willing to endure hardsnll
and persecution and finally to lay dowl
, their lives for Christ If they knew hin
to be an impostor? Why, the supposi
ton is absurd. The Christian disciples
who lived as contemporaries Of Jssu
Christ would never have been Willing
to come by night and steal his bod!
from the tomb and then be willing t
be martyred to make good their fals
claim that Christ had risen from tn
dead. These men were not fools an!
more than you and are fools. Befor
you explain away the divinity of Jesu
3 Christ you must explain away tn
e writings of Paul, Of Matthew, Marx
8 Luke and John, Of Polycarp and Ig
n natius. When we consider "the evi
s dence of things not seen" let US no
+ omit the testimony Of these contem
= poraries of Christ who proved the Sin
n cerity and truth Of their record by dy