The
bravest stand aghast. The charm of life, the unmixed bliss of being, is
no more.
But the question of questions is, Is the doctrine true? The _heart_ says
it is, and even the intellect acknowledges that there are ten thousand
appearances in nature which cannot be accounted for on any other
principle. We cannot at present dwell on the subject; but the doctrine
of Jesus with regard to God and immortality is the grandest and most
consoling, and is the most adapted to strengthen the soul to duty, and
to cheer and support it under suffering, that the mind of man can
conceive.
And then as to Jesus Himself, the love and the reverence with which He
is honored by so large a portion of the foremost nations of the earth,
are no mistake,--no accident. They are the natural result of His worth
and excellency. They are the natural response of the generous heart of
humanity, to its wisest Teacher, its loftiest Example, and its greatest
Benefactor. The devoutest love, the liveliest gratitude, the richest
honors, the costliest offerings are his,--He deserves them all. And His
name shall remain, and His fame shall spread, as long as the sun and
moon endure.
All nations love and adore the good. Men will even die for them. What
wonder then that Jesus should be so loved? What wonder that so many
tongues should praise Him, so many hearts adore Him, and so many nations
bow before Him, and accept Him as their Lord? For He devoted Himself to
the service, not of a class or a nation, but of the world.
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