The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1909-03-25
n 50!eon's Argument for
Divine Origin of Scriptures

der called himself the son of Jupiter;
but Greece laughed at the silly as
sumption; and so in making gods of
their emperors the Romans were not
serious. Mohammed and Confucius
merely gave out that they were
agents of the Deity. Numa's goddess,
Egeria, was only the personification
Of his reflections in the solitude of
the woods. The Brahmas, Of India,
are only deifcations Of mental attri-
butes. How, then, should Jew,
the particulars of whose history are
better attested than those of any Of
his conterporaries-how should He
alone, the son Of a carpenter, give
out all at once that He was God, the
Creator of all things? He arrogates
to Himself the highest alteration.
He constructs His worship with His
own hands, not with stones, but with
men. You are amazed at the con-
quests of Alexander; but He is con-
queror who appropriates to His own
advantage, who Incorporates with
Himself, not q nation, but the human
race. Wonderful! the human soul,
with all it's faculties, becomes blend
el with the existence Of Christ.
"And how? By q prodigy surpass-
ing all other prodigies seeks the
love of men, the most difficult thing
in the world to obtain; He seeks what
wise man would fam have from a
few friends, a father from his chill
dren-in a word the heart; this He
seeks, this He absolutely requires;
and He gains His object. Hence J
infer His divinity. Alexander Caesar,
Hannibal, Louis XIV, with all their
genius, failed here. They conquered
the world and had not friend.
am perhaps the only person Of my
day who loves Hannibal, Caesar.
Alexander. Louis XIV, who shed SO
much lustre upon France and the
world, had not a friend in all his
kingdom, not even in his own family.
True, we love our children, but it is
from instinct, rom necessity which
the beasts themselves obey; and how
many children manifest 10 proper
sense of our kindness and the care
we bestow on them-how many un-
grateful children! Do your children,
General Bertrand, love you? You
love them, but you are not sure of
being requited. Neither natural af-
fection nor your kindness will ever
inspire in them such love as the
Christians have for God. When you
die your children will remember you
doubtless while spending your
money; but your grandchildren will
hardly know that you ever existed.
And yet you are General Bertrand!
And we are here upon an island
where all your cares and all your en-
ioyments are centered in your fami-
ly. Christ speaks. and at once gen.
erations become His by stricter, clos
er ties than those Of blood; by the
most sacred, most indissoluble Of all
unions. He lights up the fame Of a
love which consumes self-love, which
prevails over every other love.
'In this wonderful power Of His
will we recognize the Word that
created the world. The founders
of other religions never conceived
Of this mystical love, which is the es-
sence Of Christianity, and is beauti-
fully called charity. Hence it is that
they have struck upon a rock. In
every attempt to affect this thing
namely, to make himself beloved
man deeply feels his own import
ance; so that Chrlst's greatest mir
acle undoubtedly is the reign OF
charity. He alone has succeeded ir
lifting the heart Of man to things in.
visible; and in inducing him to sacri
flee temporal things He alone, by in
fuencing him to this sacrifice, has
formed bond Of union between
heaven and earth. All who sincerely
believe in Him taste this wonderful
supernatural, exalted love, which /:
beyond the power Of reason, above
the ability of man; sacred fire
brought down to earth by this new
Prometheus, and for which Time, ,ths
great destroyer, can neither exhaust
the force nor limit the duration. The
more | think Of this, | admire it th'
more. And it convinces me absolute
ly of the divinity of Christ. have in
sDired multitudes with such affection
for me that they would die for me
God forbid that should compare th'
soldiers enthusiasm with Cnristial
charity, which are as unlike as thei
causes. But after all. my presenc
was necessary, the lightning Of m
eye, my voice-a word from me
then the sacred fire was kindled i
their hearts | do, indeed, posses
tho cocro+ Of the magical mower Whic