THAT THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY CONFIRMS ITS TRUTH.
(_A._) ITS EARLY TRIUMPHS.
(1.) Its immense difficulties.
(2.) Its marvellous success.
(3.) The so-called _natural_ causes of success: they all imply
the truth of the Religion.
(4.) Contrast with Mohammedanism.
(_B._) ITS LATER HISTORY.
(1.) Its vitality in the past; very remarkable.
(2.) Its effect at the present; very beneficial.
(3.) Its prospects in the future; very hopeful.
(4.) The spread of _Rationalism_; but this is no new difficulty,
while it shows the strength of Christianity, and being
only destructive, can never take its place.
(_C._) CONCLUSION.
The history of Christianity, which seems to have been
foreknown to its Founder, forms another strong argument
in its favour.
The argument we have next to consider is that derived from the
_History of Christianity_. This religion, it must be remembered,
originated, spread over, and finally conquered the civilised world
in an historical age. And since the fact of this conquest can
neither be disputed nor ignored, it must be accounted for. How is it
that an obscure Jewish Peasant, who was crucified as a malefactor,
some nineteen centuries ago, should now be worshipped, by over five
hundred million persons, including all the most civilised nations of
the world? As a mere historical problem, this requires some
solution, for an effect in history, as elsewhere, must have an
adequate cause. And it is scarcely too much to say that this is the
most remarkable effect in the history of mankind. Here, then, is the
subject we have to discuss; and we will first consider the _early
triumphs_ of Christianity, and then its _later history_.
(_A._) ITS EARLY TRIUMPHS.
Now it seems hard to exaggerate either the immense difficulties the
religion had to overcome, or its marvellous success in overcoming
them.
(1.) _Its immense difficulties._
In the first place, we must consider the immense difficulties of
founding such a religion as Christianity. Our familiarity with the
subject prevents us from fully realising this, so perhaps an analogy
will help to make it clear. Suppose, then, that missionaries _now_
appeared in the cities of Europe, in London and Edinburgh, for
example, and preached that an obscure peasant, who had been put to
death somewhere in Persia as a malefactor, had risen from the dead,
and was the God of heaven and earth. What chance would they have of
making a single convert? Yet the first preaching of Christianity at
Rome or Athens must have been very similar to this, only far more
dangerous. Indeed, it is hard to over-estimate the difficulties of
founding a religion, the principal doctrine of which,--and one that
the Christians so boldly proclaimed,--was that of a crucified
Saviour.[445]
[Footnote 445: 1 Cor. 1. 23.]
And all this took place among civilised nations, and in a literary,
one might almost say a rationalistic, age; when the old pagan
religions were being abandoned, because men could no longer believe
in them. What, then, must have been the difficulty of introducing a
new religion, which was (apparently) more absurd than any of them,
and which worshipped One Who had been crucified? Christianity had,
of course, many other difficulties to contend with especially in
regard to its absolute claims; for it was a religion which could
stand no rival, and its success meant the destruction of every
heathen altar. But these sink into insignificance, compared with the
great difficulty of the Cross.
(2.) _Its marvellous success._
Yet, in spite of every difficulty, Christianity prevailed. The new
religion spread with great rapidity. This we learn not only from
Christian writers, who might be thought to exaggerate; but from
impartial men such as _Suetonius_ and _Tacitus_. The former says
that in the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54) the Jews in Rome,
_stirred up by one Chrestus_ (_i.e._, Christian Jews), were so
numerous that the Emperor thought it expedient to banish them; and
the latter that at the time of the great fire (A.D. 64) _large
numbers_ of Christians were discovered at Rome. While some years
later _Pliny_, one of the Roman governors in Asia Minor, complained
to the Emperor Trajan that the Christians were so numerous that the
temples had long been deserted, though at the time he wrote (A.D.
112) they were being frequented again. He also bears witness to the
exemplary lives of the Christians, their steadfastness in their
religion, and the divine worship they paid to Christ. And as the
religion did not originate in either Rome or Asia Minor, Christians
were presumably as numerous elsewhere.
Nor can it be said that they were only to be found among the poor
and ignorant. For Pliny himself admits that they included men of
_every rank_ in life; and the undisputed Epistles of St. Paul, such
as that to the Romans (about A.D. 55), show that he thought his
readers well educated, and quite able to follow a difficult
argument. Moreover, according to the Acts, the people were by no
means willing to accept Christianity without inquiry; and St. Paul
was obliged in consequence to have long discussions on the subject.
This was especially the case at Ephesus, where he _reasoned daily_
in one of the schools, for about _two years_,[446] which does not
look as if his followers were only among the poor and ignorant.
While elsewhere we have the names of some eminent converts.
[Footnote 446: Acts 19. 9-10; 17. 17.]
Among these may be mentioned _Erastus_ the treasurer of the city at
Corinth; and _Crispus_, the ruler of the Synagogue there;
_Dionysius_, the Areopagite at Athens; _Manaen_, the foster-brother
of Herod the tetrarch; _Apollos_, a learned Jew of Alexandria, who
had made a special study of the Scriptures; and _Theophilus_, a man
of high rank (as is shown by the title _Most excellent_), none of
whom are likely to have accepted the religion of the Crucified,
without very strong evidence.[447] And recent discoveries in the
catacombs have made it probable that a distinguished Roman lady,
Pomponia Græcina (wife of the General Aulus Plautius) who Tacitus
says was accused in A.D. 57 of having adopted a _foreign
superstition_, was also a Christian.[448]
[Footnote 447: Rom. 16. 23; Acts 18. 8; 17. 34; 13. 1; 18. 24; 1. 1;
_comp._ 23. 26; 24. 3.]
[Footnote 448: J. Orr, Hist. and Lit. of early Church, 1913, p. 43.
Tacitus, Annals, Bk. xiii., ch. 32.]
Now what was the cause of this wonderful progress? It is easy to say
what was _not_ its cause. Physical force and the authority of the
Government had nothing to do with it. Its missionaries did not
preach with sword in hand, nor were they backed up by the civil
power. All they did, all they could do, was to appeal to man's
reason and conscience, and this appeal was successful. And we learn
from the Christians' themselves, _e.g._, in the Acts, that there
were two main reasons for this. The first was the confident appeal
to the facts of Christianity, such as the Resurrection of Christ, as
undisputed and indisputable; and the second was the occasional aid
of miracles. And the more we reflect on the subject, the more
difficult it is to account for it, without at least one of these
causes. For the spread of Christianity was not like that of a mere
philosophy, or system of morals. It depended entirely on certain
alleged _matters of fact_, which facts were quite recent at the time
of its origin, occurred at the very place where it was first
preached, and were open to the hostile criticism of an entire
nation. This, it is needless to say, is without a parallel in
history.
But it may be said, notwithstanding this rapid progress at first,
Christianity took nearly three centuries to conquer the civilised
world. Undoubtedly it did, but the significance of the conquest is
not diminished by this. It is rather increased when we remember that
at intervals all through this period the Religion suffered the
fiercest persecution. That it should have survived such a fearfully
prolonged struggle, and have finally conquered, does but show its
inherent strength. We may look in vain for anything like this in the
rest of history. No other religion has ever withstood such
persistent attacks; no other religion has ever obtained such a
complete and almost incredible triumph, the Emperor of the civilised
world being brought to worship One Who had been put to death as a
malefactor. In short, the progress of Christianity was as unique as
its origin, and can only be satisfactorily accounted for by its
truth.
(3.) _The so-called natural causes of success._
We must next glance at some natural causes which have been alleged
as accounting for the wonderful spread of Christianity. Those
brought forward by Gibbon in his _Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire_ (Chapter XV.) are five in number. The first is the _intense
zeal_ of the early Christians. And doubtless this was a most
important element in spreading their religion. But what gave them
this intense zeal? What was it that made them so fearfully in
earnest about their new religion, that they faced a life of
suffering, and a death of martyrdom in preaching it? There can be
but one answer. It was because they were so absolutely convinced of
its truth. It was vouched for by what they considered overwhelming
evidence, so they willingly risked everything for it. Their zeal,
then, is but evidence for their conviction, and their conviction is
but evidence for the truth of what they were convinced of; and
valuable evidence too, for they plainly had much better means of
knowing about it, than any that we can have.
Secondly, there is the doctrine of a _future life_; and doubtless
this also had much to do with the success of Christianity. A longing
for immortality seems inherent in man, and the vague guesses of
philosophers were quite unable to satisfy this. It _might_ be true
that men should live again, but that was all they could say.
Christianity alone, resting on the actual fact of Christ's
Resurrection, said it _was_ true; so here men found the assurance
they wanted. But is it likely that Christianity should have so
thoroughly satisfied them in this respect, had there been any real
doubt as to Christ's Resurrection?
Thirdly, we have the _miracles_ ascribed to the early Christians.
Gibbon's argument here is more difficult to follow. Of course if
these miracles were true, they would have greatly assisted the new
religion; but then they would have been, not a natural but a
supernatural cause of success. If on the other hand, the miracles
were false, it is hard to see how the early Christians could have
helped their religion by claiming miraculous powers which they did
not possess, and which their contemporaries must have known that
they did not possess.
Fourthly, we have the _pure morality_ taught and practised by the
early Christians. And no doubt this had something to do with helping
their religion. But again we must ask, what was it that enabled the
Christians alone in that age of vice and wickedness to lead pure
lives? They ascribed it themselves to the example and power of their
Founder, and nothing else can account for it. Christian morality
cannot be a stream without a source, and no other source can be
assigned to it. But could a mere human Teacher have had this more
than human influence over thousands of converts, most of whom had
never seen him?
Lastly, comes the _union_ and _discipline_ of the early Church. This
may have helped Christianity in the later stages of the struggle,
but could obviously have been of little use at the commencement.
Moreover, why should Christians of various nations and classes have
been so thoroughly united on this one subject, unless they were
convinced of its overwhelming importance? On the whole, then, these
so-called natural causes of success are at most only _secondary_
causes; the truth of the religion is what they all imply, and this
is the real cause which alone can account for its success.
A better way of explaining the spread of Christianity, which is now
often adopted, is by saying that it arose _at a favourable crisis_.
The dispersion of the Jews throughout the known world would, it is
urged, have facilitated the spread of a religion founded by Jews.
The speculations of the Greeks as to a Divine Word, or _Logos_,
would have prevented the doctrines of the Trinity, and the
Incarnation, from forming any great difficulty to the learned
classes. While the mass of the people were disgusted with the old
mythologies of Greece and Rome. These were dying out, because they
failed to satisfy human nature, and men were longing for something
better. They wanted, as men always will want, a religion; but they
wanted it free from the absurdities and immoralities of Pagan
worship. Christianity then appeared, and as it was found by many to
meet the demand, it naturally succeeded.
In answer to this it must be remembered that Christianity was not a
religion founded at Rome or Athens, in which case it might perhaps
be said that the demand caused the supply; but it arose as a small
Jewish sect in Palestine. While the fierce persecutions it had to
endure show that it did not obviously meet the requirements of the
day, even apart from the tremendous difficulties involved in the
worship of the Crucified. But now suppose, for the sake of argument,
that this had been otherwise, and that the world was so suited to
receive Christianity as to account for its rapid spread; would the
inference be against its Divine origin? Certainly not; for the
agreement in this case would be far too close to be accidental. It
must have been _designed_. And it would thus show that the God Who
rules in history, is also the God Who introduced Christianity. So
here again the proposed explanation, even if admitted, does but
imply the truth of the religion.
(4.) _Contrast with Mohammedanism._
And this conclusion is rendered still stronger when we contrast the
progress of Christianity with that of Mohammedanism. For here we
have the one example that history affords of the spread of a
religion which can be compared with that of Christianity. Yet the
contrast between the two is very marked, whether we consider the
means by which they were spread, or their alleged evidence of
truthfulness. For Mohammed did not appeal to reason, but to _force_,
and all we have to account for is that he should be able to collect
an army, that this army should conquer, and that the conquered
should adopt the religion of their conquerors, about which they were
often given no option. In the spread of Christianity, on the other
hand, no force whatever was employed, and it had immense
difficulties to contend with. In fact it carried a cross instead of
a sword. Thus the contrast between the two is just what we should
expect between the natural and the supernatural spread of a
religion, the one advancing by worldly power, the other in spite of
it.
But an even greater contrast has still to be noticed, which is that
Mohammed did not appeal to any _miracles_ in support of his
claims--that is, to outward matters of fact which could be judged of
by other people. And this is the more remarkable since he refers to
the miracles of previous prophets, including those of Christ, as
authentic,[449] but never claims to have worked any himself. The
obvious conclusion is that he felt, as all men must feel, the
overwhelming difficulty of asserting public miracles if none
occurred, and he therefore appealed to force, because he had nothing
better to appeal to. Yet, as we have seen, the early Christians
asserted such miracles from the first. They were not advocates of a
creed, but witnesses for certain facts, such as the Resurrection and
other miracles which they believed they actually saw; and there is
nothing corresponding to this in regard to Mohammedanism, or any
other religion. It may of course be said that Mohammedanism shows
that a religion can make rapid progress without miracles. No doubt
it does; and so does Buddhism, which also spread rapidly. But it
does not show that a religion which, like Christianity, claims to
rest on miracles, can make its way if those miracles are false.
[Footnote 449: Koran, Sura v.]
(_B._) ITS LATER HISTORY.
We pass on now from the early triumphs of Christianity to its later
history, and will consider in turn its past vitality, its present
effect, and its future prospects.
(1.) _Its vitality in the past._
To begin with, a strong argument in favour of Christianity is its
vitality. It has survived in spite of external assaults and internal
divisions; and its spread and continuity can only be satisfactorily
accounted for by its truth. This is an argument the force of which
increases as times goes on, and fresh difficulties are encountered
and overcome. Moreover, the social state of the world has changed
immensely, yet Christianity has always kept in touch with it. It has
shown itself suitable for different ages, countries, and social
conditions; and, unlike other religions, is still in sympathy with
the highest forms of civilisation. In short, Christianity has kept
possession of the civilised world for sixteen centuries, and is as
vigorous in its age as in its youth.
Its long reign is indeed so familiar to us that there is a danger of
not noticing its importance. Can we imagine a man _now_ who should
found a religion, which nearly two thousand years hence should be
still flourishing, still spreading, and still recognising him not
only as its founder but its God? Yet this would be but a similar
case to that of Christianity. Amid all the changes in history it
alone has remained unchanged. Its doctrines, at least the essential
ones, contained in the Creeds, have been the same, century after
century, and its Founder is still worshipped by millions.
(2.) _Its effect at the present._
In close connection with the history of Christianity comes its
effect on the world. A religion which has reigned so long, and over
the most civilised nations, must of necessity have had some
influence for good or evil. And with regard to Christianity there
can be little doubt as to the answer. The present state of the
civilised world is a standing witness to its benefits, since nearly
all our moral superiority to the nations of old is due to this
religion.
For example, it has entirely altered the position of _women_, who
are no longer looked down upon as they used to be. It has also
altered the position of _children_, who were formerly considered as
property, and at the disposal of their parents, infanticide being of
course common. Again, it has changed our ideas as to the _sick_, a
hospital being almost entirely a Christian institution. It has also
changed our ideas about _work_. In all the nations of antiquity, and
in heathen countries at the present day, a workman is looked down
upon. But to Christians, who believe that God Himself worked in a
carpenter's shop, all work is ennobled. Once more, it has created a
respect for _human life_ as such, and apart from the position of the
individual person, which was unknown in ancient times. In short, our
acknowledgement of what are called the _rights of man_ is almost
entirely due to Christianity. Nor is there anything surprising in
this; for the common Fatherhood of God and the common love of Christ
naturally afford the strongest argument for the common rights of
man. In Christ, as St. Paul expresses it, there can be _neither
bond, nor free_; _male nor female_; for all are equal.[450] The good
which Christianity has done is thus indisputable.
[Footnote 450: Gal. 3. 28.]
But it may be said, has it not also done some _harm_? What about the
religious wars and persecutions in the Middle Ages? With regard to
the wars, however, religion was, as a rule, the excuse rather than
the cause; for had Christianity never been heard of, there would
doubtless have been wars in the Middle Ages, as in all other ages.
With regard to the persecutions, they must be both admitted and
deplored; but we may ask, what religion except Christianity could
have been mixed up with such persecutions, and yet have escaped the
odium of mankind? Christianity has done so, because men have seen
that it was not the religion itself, but its false friends who were
responsible for the persecutions. The important point is that the
New Testament, unlike the Koran,[451] does not authorise, still less
command, the employment of force in gaining converts.
[Footnote 451: Koran, Sura viii. 12; ix. 5; xlvii. 4.]
We now turn to another aspect of the subject. Not only has
Christianity done much good in the past, but it is doing much good
at the present. This also is beyond dispute; anyone can verify the
fact for himself. Thousands of men and women spend their lives in
self-sacrifice among the poor and sick solely for the sake of
Christ. Of course, it may be said that all this is folly and that we
ought to try and benefit our fellow-men for their own sake or for
the sake of the State. But, whether folly or not, the fact remains.
The vast majority of those who visit the poor and sick (Sisters of
Mercy for instance) do not do so for the sake of the State, or even
mainly for the sake of the poor themselves, but from avowedly
Christian motives. They believe that Christ loves these poor, and
therefore they love them too, and willingly spend their lives in
trying to help them.
It is also a fact that this strange _attraction_ which Christ
exercises, over the hearts of men is unique in history. Can we
imagine anyone spending his life in visiting the sick in some large
town, and saying that he is doing it for the love of David, or of
Plato, or of Mohammed? Yet all through the civilised world thousands
are doing it for the love of Christ. And this influence, be it
observed, is not like that of other great men, local and temporary,
but world-wide and permanent. Christ is thus not only, as we saw in
the last chapter, the _holiest_ of men, but the _mightiest_ of men
also; the Man in short who has most influenced mankind. And, with
trifling exceptions, few will dispute that this influence has been
wholly for good. So judged by its fruits, Christianity is a religion
which might very reasonably have had a Divine origin.
On the other hand, it must be admitted that though Christianity has
done so much good, it has not entirely reformed the world,--it has
not even stopped wars among Christian nations--and its failure to do
this, after trying for so many centuries, is thought by some to be
adverse to its claims. But others think that its partial success and
partial failure are just what we should expect if it were true. And
what is more to the point, this seems to have been expected by its
Founder, for He always implied that the good and the evil--the wheat
and the tares--were to be mixed together until the end of the world.
Moreover, its failure has been due almost entirely to the
_inconsistency_ of its adherents. If all men were Christians, and
all Christians lived up to the religion they professed, there would
be little to complain of, even in this imperfect world.
On the whole, then, the _effect_ of Christianity is distinctly in
its favour. It has done much good, and will probably do more as time
goes on; though it has not entirely reformed the world, and probably
never will. But the good it has done is an actual fact which cannot
be disputed, while the argument that it ought to have done more good
is at least open to doubt.
(3.) _Its prospects in the future._
Lastly, the spread of Christianity seems likely to continue, and
some day we may expect to see it universally professed in the world,
as it is in Western Europe at the present time, though, of course,
there will always be individuals who dissent from it. The reasons
for this confident hope are, that, speaking broadly, Christian
nations alone are extending their influence. Japan may, of course,
be quoted as an exception, but strange to say Japan seems to be
becoming Christian.
And to this must be added the fact that Christian _missions_ are now
being revived to a large extent; and, though they are not always
successful, yet, taken together, they secure a good many converts.
Moreover, there is no other side to this argument. It is not that
Christianity is being adopted in some countries but renounced in
others. The gains, whether great or small, are all _net profits_.
With one exception, there is not a single instance for many
centuries of a nation or tribe which once adopted Christianity
changing its religion to anything else. And the exception, that of
France at the time of the Revolution, strikingly proves the rule;
for the change could not be maintained, and in a few years
Christianity again asserted itself throughout the country.
(4.) _The spread of Rationalism._
But an important objection has now to be examined. It is said that
even in Christian countries an increasingly large number of men
either openly reject Christianity, or give it at most a mere nominal
approval. This may be called the objection from the spread of
_Rationalism_, and it is an important one, because it is an attempt
to meet Christianity with its own weapons, by appealing to reason.
Of course it must be remembered that a great deal of the infidelity
of the present day is not due to reasoning at all, but to the want
of it; and it is hopeless to argue against this. For how can men be
convinced of Christianity, or anything else, if they will not take
the trouble to examine its claims?
But putting aside this class, there are still many men who may
fairly be called Rationalists--men, that is, who have studied _both_
sides of the subject, and whose reasoning leads them to reject
Christianity. They admit that there is evidence in its favour, but
they say that it is far from convincing. And it is believed by many
that Rationalism is spreading at the present day, and will
eventually become common among thoughtful men. Now, of course, the
whole of this _Essay_ is really an attempt to meet this objection,
and to show that, when carefully considered, the arguments in favour
of Christianity far outweigh those against it. But three additional
remarks may be made here.
The first is, that this is no _new_ difficulty. Rationalism has
existed ever since the Middle Ages, and was most aggressive and most
confident in the eighteenth century, as a single quotation will
show. Bishop Butler in the preface to his _Analogy of Religion_,
1736, says, 'It has come, I know not how, to be taken for granted,
by many persons, that Christianity is not so much as a subject of
inquiry, but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious.
And accordingly they treat it as if, in the present age, this were
an agreed point among all people of discernment; and nothing
remained but to set it up as a principal subject of mirth and
ridicule, as it were by way of reprisals for its having so long
interrupted the pleasures of the world.' It is now nearly two
centuries since these words were written, and Christianity is still
flourishing! Therefore, as all previous attacks have proved futile,
there is no reason to believe that the present one will be more
successful.
Secondly, these continued assaults on Christianity afford in one
respect additional evidence in its favour; since they show, as
nothing but repeated attacks could show, its _indestructibility_.
Had Christianity never been assailed, its strength would never have
been apparent; but now we know that, try as men will for centuries,
they cannot get rid of this religion.
Thirdly, it must be remembered that Rationalism is all destructive
and not constructive. It can show many reasons for _not_ believing
in Christianity, but it can give the world nothing which can in any
way take its place. It has no satisfactory solution for the great
problems of life. Why does man exist at all? Why has he got free
will? What is the meaning of sin? Is there any forgiveness for sin?
What is the meaning of death? Is there any life beyond death? Is
there a judgment? Can we dare to face it? Shall we recognise those
whom we have loved on earth? In short, what is man's destiny here
and hereafter? These are the questions which always have interested,
and always will interest, mankind. Rationalists may say that the
Christian answer to them is incorrect; but they can offer no other
which is worth a moment's consideration.
(_C._) CONCLUSION.
Before concluding this chapter one other point of some importance
has to be noticed. It is that the early history of Christianity with
its continual triumph amidst continual persecution, seems to have
been foreknown to its Founder; as well as His own marvellous
influence in the world.
These _prophecies_ of Christ concerning His own religion are
certainly very striking. We find, on the one hand, a most absolute
conviction as to the triumph of His Church. It was to spread far and
wide; its missionaries were to go into _all the world_ and make
disciples _of all the nations_, and its enemies would never _prevail
against it_.[452] And on the other, there is an equally certain
conviction as to the constant sufferings of its members, who were to
expect life-long persecution and the universal hatred of
mankind.[453]
[Footnote 452: Mark 16. 15; Matt. 28. 19; 16. 18.]
[Footnote 453: _E.g._, Matt. 10. 17, 22.]
Yet these strange prophecies of continual success amidst continual
suffering were for three centuries as strangely fulfilled, including
even the little detail that Christ's followers were to be hated for
His _name's_ sake.[454] Since as a matter of fact they were often
persecuted for the mere _name_, and it was this that made them so
indignant. Thus Justin says, 'You receive the _name_ as proof
against us.... If any deny the _name_ you acquit him as having no
evidence against him.'[455] As Christ foretold, it was literally for
His _name's_ sake.
[Footnote 454: Mark 13. 13.]
[Footnote 455: Justin, Apol. 1. 4; 1 Peter 4. 14.]
Moreover, Christ's assertions regarding His own influence in the
world are equally remarkable. We will give but two examples.[456] He
said, _And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
unto Myself_. He was lifted up on the cross, and, however strange we
may think it, millions of men have in consequence been drawn to Him
with passionate devotion. Again, He said, _I am the light of the
world_. And now, after nearly nineteen centuries, both friends and
foes admit that His is the teaching which has enlightened and
purified mankind. Had He been a mere Jewish peasant, His making such
prophecies as these seems almost as incredible as their fulfilment.
But what shall we say when they were both made _and_ fulfilled? Have
we not here a powerful argument in favour of Christianity? Nor can
we get out of the difficulty by denying the genuineness of the
passages; for they would be quite as remarkable if invented by an
evangelist, as if spoken by Christ Himself.
[Footnote 456: John 12. 32; 8. 12.]
We may now sum up this chapter on the _History of Christianity_. We
have considered in turn, both its early triumphs, and its later
history; and each of these is, strictly speaking, unique, and each
is inexplicable on purely natural grounds. But undoubtedly the more
important is the marvellous success of Christianity at first, in
spite of the immense difficulties it had to encounter; and, as we
have seen, all natural explanations of _this_ fail hopelessly.
The historical argument, then, leads us back to _miracles_; for
every other explanation of the first triumph of Christianity is
found to be inadequate. While, on the other hand, the establishment
of the Christian religion is just what we should expect if the
miracles were true. And of course true miracles, not false ones, are
required to account for it. The most holy and the most powerful
religion the world has ever seen cannot have been founded on
falsehood or fable. In other words, if we deny that the Christian
miracles occurred, and take from Christ all that is superhuman, we
cannot imagine Him as the Founder of Christianity. There would be an
obvious want of proportion between cause and effect. And, as a
matter of fact, it was not a natural Christ, but a supernatural
Christ--_the Christ of the Gospels_--who won the heart of mankind,
and conquered the world. We seem thus forced to the conclusion that
the only thing which can account for the history of Christianity is
its _truth_. Anyhow, it is plain that its _History_ forms another
strong argument in its favour.