Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-02

| that OF Paul. who WAS martyred In
Rome about GO \. D.. aud Ignatius.
who was mrrtyred I'm 100 A. d.. and
Polycarp. who lived TO be nearly nine
ty years old and was martyred IA 155
a. ID. These men did not live hun
drcds OF years after Christ was born.
BY direct touch with events they were
able to prove with their own eyes and
ears II Christ was fraud or whether
Jesus truly placed the stamp OF his
divinity upon his life's work by the
miracles Ec wrought
Testimony of the Martyrs,
Explain away the prophecies? oh.
that is impossible, And yet II would
be no less difficult II 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 likelihood OF mar
tyrdom. Here is the honor roll: Mat
thew was slain with sword I'm Eth
| opia; Mark was dragged through the
streets OF Alexandria until his brains
were dashed out and the matted hc n
stusk to the walls ard 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 natural death. was moi
only exiled, but also cast into caldrou
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 tC
death with club; Stephen was stoned
to death; Philip was hanged: St Bar
tholomew was flayed alive-that means
bis skin was peeled Off from his quiv.
ering flesh while he was yet conscious
the bystanders standing about the SUI
ferer at the time and mocking him
Andrew preached from the cross while
the people scoffed at his dying agonies
Thomas was pierced by n lance; Simon
Zelotes was killed i'm Persia; Malta.
thias was murdered; Paul, Polycarp
lgnatius and scores of others were all
as said before, nlartyred
Is IL rational tc suppose that those
men who lived I'm Christ's time, who
We're able to verify bis miracles. would
have been willing to endure hardship
and persecution and finally to lay down
their lives for Christ If they knew him
to be an impostor? Why, the SUPPOSE
ton is absurd, The Christian disciples
who lived as contemporaries OF Jesus
Christ would never have been willing
to come by night and steal his body
from the tomb and then be willing to
be martyred to make good their false
claim that Christ had risen from the
dead. These men were not fools any
more than you and are fools. Before
you explain away the divinity Of Jesus
Christ you must explain away the
writings OF Paul, OF Matthew, Mark.
Luke and John, OF Polycarp and Ig-
natius. When we consider 'the evil
dence OF things not seen" let us not
omit the testimony Of these contem-
poraries Of Christ who proved the sim
certify and truth OF their record by dy-
ing rather than deny It.
'-Foosprtnts of the Man,
But not only do we find the foot
prints of the Man OF Galilee' marked
side by side with the footprints of his
disciples who lived 1900 years a-o
DSt also with his disciples who are
living by our side at the present day.
And, wonderful to state, Christs foot
prints are best revealed when he has
been walking with the vilcst of mod
ern sinners and outcasts, AZ they were
when he walked by the side Of Mary
Magdalene and talked with the woman
at the well OF Samaria and followed
Zaccheus to despised publican's
house, built by the stolen moneys OF n
Roman tax collector.
Oh, Christ worked some wonderful
miracles when he was upon earth
among the publicans and the sInnersi
But i do not believe n greater example
or his power over sin and disease was
ever more convinclngly manifested
than when he alleviated the sufferlngs
OF those unhappy maniacs whom the
writer's OF that time describe us being
possessed by devils. That was n vivid
picture that Christmas Evans drew of
the return TO his home OF that man
whose home was among the tombs.
where he dwelt like wild beast. n
misery TO himself and n terror 10 9th
ers. No sooner was he delivered by
the mighty word of Christ than he
started Off TO hunt up his wife and
children. No sooner did the wife see
him coming than she was struck dumb
with fear. Then she cried: run. chill
dren! Run TO the house and bar the
doors. Your father is comlngi Run
or he may kill u.s." The family hasten
ed into the house, while the older how
started Off to the neighbors for help.
rh
dows and the doors OF the house. The
smaller children began to cry with
fear. The older children knew IL their
rather, possessed OF a thousand dew
lis, should ever be able TO batter down
the door or the house he might sIav
them. But. strange TO say, as the
trembling wife and children saw the
father and husband come nearer. in
stead OF seeing him foaming at the
mouth and flashing his eyes and of
nearing him rave with his cursing lips.
they saw him with loving smile
upon his happy face. He kept calling
to his wife: MARY. open the door! Do
not be afraid. II Is /, your husband.
freed from oil my devils. Mary, open!
Jesus has saved me! Jesus has saved
mer
That WAS "A wonderful description
Christmas Evans drew OF the moor
maniac who had been possessed with
the thousand devils among the Ga
darene tombs. But Is the scene of
that liberated Hebrew returning home
any more wonderful than the scenes
many OF us have witnessed when we
saw the drunknrds who have been POS
cued by Christ from the devIis OF
drink, and the outcasts who have been
rescued by Christ. and the seven devil
cd Mays OF this age who have been
rescued by Christ. all returning TO
their honest Is the scene OF the poor
Gsdarenc maniac, rescued by Christ.
any more marvellous than the scene OF
a Cough. or a Woolley, or Jerry Nc
Auley, who have been exercised OF
their Thousand devils during our pres
ent generation? And II Christ TODAY
Is going down among the lowest OF the