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LA m RESURRECTION J>y DOGME ESSENTIEL 27 1

laisse de côté les questions de doctrine, mais les faits sont

frappants et, à mon avis, irrésistibles Le caractère du

Christ réclame notre amour, notre admiration, notre respect, notre obéissance : quels que soient nos doutes, ils ne sai^ raient l'atteindre Q. » Sa mission divine est attestée non seulement par ses miracles et son sacrifice, par sa prophétie de la chute de Jérusalem tant d'années avant l'événement ('), mais surtout par sa résurrection, inébranlable « colonne de la Révélation (') » et de la foi chrétienne en une vie future.

1. Lellre à George, le Biographe, de Trowbridge, le jeudi 20 janvier i83i : ... « Prophecy is not the slrongest évidence, I think, and yet it cannot be put aside, for it is authenticated and ils witness brought forth in the four Gospels and indeed is implied in every part of the New Testament. My confidence is in the relations themselves and the absolute proois we hâve that the Epistles which go under the name of Saint Paul were bona fide written by him... » Cf. au même, de « Beccles, 23 October 1822 »:«... I certainly agrée wilh you respecting the strong and powerful évidence which arîses from the fair candid perusal of the Gospels. I see no reason to doubt the authenlicity of them, and if authentic, if Matthew and John the disciples of Christ wrote the Gospels which go under their name, they were witnesses of the miracles and auditors of the discourses. Nay, Mark mnst as the son ofawoman so early an attendant on Christ and hostess, if I may so call her, of his disciples, must I should think hâve been a witness also. Luke was not. lie gathered Irom those who were ail he could and fairly gave the story to his couverts. Al any rate, the three Crst Gospels were written before the siège of Jérusalem : That I think Lardner bas satisfactorily made out. I think also Saint John. That the Acts of the Aposlles were and Saint Paul's letters to his couverts, there can be no doubt : the Horœ Paulinœ ofPaley proves that beyond question. Let us think of this and then go back to the three chapters of Saint Matthew which contain the morolity of the Gospels and then we hâve the évidence that is of ail most convincing. Doctrinal points I must leave, but facts are very powerful and I think cannot be resisted... Jésus Christ is a character that commands love, admiration, respect, obédience : of whatever we may doubt, of him we cannot... » (Collection Broadley.)