12 STRONGHOLD OF TRUTH a picture, drawn by four ordinary men, who, nevertheless, depict a perfect Character which has been the admiration of the ages! How can we account for that? I entirely agree with the statement that if these men invented Jesus, then we are in the presence of a stupendous miracle, one that is more wonderful than any we find in the Gospels. Rousseau well said that it takes a Jesus to invent a Jesus. To think that these ordinary men should put into literary form a perfect character, is to introduce us to the super- natural. · Sixth: Supernatural Manifestation. By this I mean the existence of the Christian Church. We fail to realize how supernatural the Church is ; and by the Church it is to be understood what the New Testament teaches "the blessed company of all faithful people," those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. That Church was super natural in its beginning, and supernatural in its course, and is supernatural in its persistence to the present day. No compulsion led to membership in this Church, for every worldly advantage was against it, and yet the Church commenced and continued, and lasts to the pres ent day. No wonder Tertullian said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church;" no wonder that all the opposition to the Christian Church has never ser iously touched it. It is here today stronger than ever. There was a man in Ireland who built a wall three feet high and four feet thick. When he was asked why he did so, he said: "If the wall falls over it will be higher than ever!" And so it is with the Church; men can per secute it and devastate it; but they cannot destroy it. This supernatural manifestation is one of the greatest evi dences of Christianity. Without compulsion, with every thing against it, here are those who are united to the Lord Jesus Christ, and belong to Him-that is, the Chris tian Church; the society of saved sinners. Paul's Testimony Seventh: Supernatural Attestation. (a) The attes tation of Paul the Apostle. He himself is one of the
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