《the days of my life》第155章

things　as　they　are；　awaiting　the　end　with　resignation；　with　terror；　or　with　the　callous　indifference　of　despair；　according　to　their　individual　temperaments。　Others　start　out　on　wild　searches　of　their　own。　They　examine　the　remaining　religions；　they　try　spiritualism；　they　bring　themselves；　or　so　imagine；　into　some　faint　and　uncertain　touch　with　the　dead；　the　Unseen　and　the　Powers　that　dwell　therein；　only　after　all　to　return　unsatisfied；　unsettled；　hungry　—　frightened　also　at　times　—　and　doubtful　of　the　true　source　of　their　vision。　For　in　all　these　far　seas　they　can　find　no　sure；　anchored　rock　on　which　to　stand　and　defy　the　storms　of　Fate。　Those　alien　religions　may　suit　and　even　be　sufficient　to　the　salvation　of　their　born　votaries；　but　to　these　philosophical　inquirers　they　are　not　sufficient。　Moreover；　they　find　that　Christianity　embodies　whatever　is　true　and　good　in　every　one　of　them；　rejecting　only　the　false　and　evil。　To　take　but　one　example；　all；　or　very　nearly　all；　of　the　beautiful　rules　and　maxims　of　Buddha　are　to　be　found　in　the　teaching　of　our　Lord。　but　there　is　this　difference　between　the　faiths　they　preached。　Whereas　that　of　Buddha；　as　I　understand　it；　is　a　religion　of　Death；　holding　up　cessation　of　mundane　lives　and　ultimate　extinction　as　the　great　reward　of　virtue；　Christianity　is　a　religion　of　Life；　of　continued　individual　being；　full；　glorious；　sinless　and　eternal；　to　be　won　by　those　who　choose　to　accept　the　revelation　of　its　Founder。　Who　then　can　hesitate　between　the　two？　Who　wishes　to　be　absorbed　into　the　awful　peace　of　Nothingness？　Why；　such；　without　its　precedent　preparation；　was　the　refuge　of　the　Roman　who　opened　his　veins　when　things　went　wrong　or　Caesar　frowned！
Thus　it　es　about　that　these　seekers　after　spiritual　truth　remain　drifting　to　and　fro　in　their　little　boats　of　hope；　that　grow　at　length　so　frail　and　old；　and　mayhap　in　the　end　founder　altogether。
Or　perhaps　they　turn　in　despair　and；　aware　of　the　overwhelming　importance；　of　the　awfulness　of　the　issue　indeed；　to　which　all　other　things　are　as　naught；　face　the　situation　afresh；　study　afresh；　think　afresh；　pray　afresh；　perchance　for　years　and　years。　If　so；　there　is　really　only　one　work　with　which　they　need　trouble　themselves；　the　New　Testament；　and　parts　of　the　Old　such　as　the　Psalms。　At　least　that　is　my　experience　—　the　experience　of　a　plain　man　in　search　of　truth。
I　suppose　that　for　the　last　fifteen　or　twenty　years；　except　very　occasionally　through　accident　or　a　sense　of　unworthiness；　scarcely　a　day　has　gone　over　my　head　on　which　I　have　not　once　（the　last　thing　at　night）　and　often　more　than　once；　read　a　portion　of　the　Bible。　The　result　is　that　now　I　find　it　fresher；　stronger；　more　convincing；　more　full　of　hidden　meaning　than　I　did　when　I　began　this　exercise。　“Search　the　Scriptures”　was　a　very　great　and　potent　saying；　for　in　them　I　think　is　life。
What；　it　may　be　asked；　do　you　find　there；　beyond　picturesque　narrative　and　the　expression　of　hopes　natural　to　the　hearts　of　members　of　a　race　that　in　a　few　short　years　must　throb　itself　to　silence？　I　answer　that　in　all　their　main　facts　they　are　true。　I　have　been　accustomed　to　write　fiction　for　a　space　of　nearly　a　whole　generation；　and　I　know　something　of　the　business。　Having　this　experience　at　my　back　I　declare　earnestly　that；　with　a　single　exception；　I　do　not　think　it　possible　that　the　gospels　and　the　rest　can　be　the　work　of　man’s　imagination。　That　exception　is　the　Book　of　Revelation；　which　might　possibly　have　been　conceived　by　some　noble　human　mind　in　a　wonderful　period　of　spiritual　exaltation。　I　hasten　to　add　that　I　am　certain　this　was　not　the　case；　that　on　the　contrary　it　was　divinely　inspired；　whatever　the　actual　meaning　of　parts　of　it　may　be。　All　I　say　is　that；　in　my　view；　it　alone　of　the　books　of　the　New　Testament　might　perhaps　be　a　fruit　of　human　powers　of　creation。
With　the　remainder　of　them　it　is　different。　These；　I　am　sure；　are　records　of　things　that　were　said　or　happened　very　much　as　they　are　written　down。　Who；　for　instance；　could　have　invented　the　account　of　the　Last　Supper　in　St。　John？　A　thousand　touches；　patent　enough　to　the　eye　of　one　who　poses　romance；　show　that　this　view　is　true；　the　very　inconsistencies　or　variations　in　the　different　accounts　of　certain　incidents；　due　for　the　most　part　to　the　varying　temperaments　of　the　recorders　that　cause　them　to　dwell　upon　that　aspect　of　the　matter　in　hand　which　appealed　to　them；　rejecting　or　slurring　over　the　others；　suggest　that　it　is　true。　Any　person　who　has　been　accustomed　to　hear　evidence　knows　that　such　evidence　is　most　suspicious　when　a　number　of　witnesses　tell　exactly　the　same　story；　especially　as　to　events　that　happened　a　while　before；　and　most　credible　when　that　story　es　from　sundry　mouths　with　differences　of　detail。
So；　the　critic　will　say；　you　are　prepared　to　swallow　the　miracles　at　a　gulp？　Yes；　I　am　—　or　most　of　them。　I　do　not　see　how　they　are　to　be　explained　away；　moreover；　I　have　known　so　many　miracles　to　occur　in　my　own　time　and　experience　that　a　few　more　or　less　make　no　difference　to　me。　To　state　that　miracles；　which　after　all　may　be　but　the　partial　manifestation　of　some　secret　law　veiled　from　us　as　yet；　have　ceased　is；　in　my　opinion；　a　profound　mistake；　they　happen　often；　especially　in　the　heart　of　man。　Moreover；　the　whole　circumstances　of　life　are　a　miracle；　the　wireless　instrument　that　at　this　moment　I　hear　doing　its　work　is　a　miracle；　we　are　surrounded　by　miracles；　unappreciated；　unvalued；　because　so　mon。　This；　though　a　truism；　is　one　from　which　we　may　argue。
I　believe；　therefore；　that　these　things　took　place　substantially　as　they　are　recorded；　that　a　God…endowed　Being　of　supernatural　strength　did　show　signs　and　wonders　before　the　eyes　of　His　generation；　and　for　the　subsequent　instruction　of　mankind。　If　this　is　not　true；　or　rather；　if　the　greatest　of　these　signs　is　not　true；　then　Christianity　falls　to　the　ground；　it　is　a　well　dug　in　sand　that　will　hold　no　water；　and　what　tens　of　millions　have　believed　and　believe　to　be　a　gateway　to　a　better　and　enduring　world　is　but　a　glorious　morning　cloud　which　melts　away　and　is　lost　in　the　vastness　of　the　ether。　Then；　as　St。　Paul　says；　we　are　of　all　men　the　most　miserable；　then　let　us　ea