To teach and tell this single truth,
How happy should I be !
O had I but an angel's voice,
I would proclaim so loud, —
Jesus, the good, the beautiful,
Is everlasting God!
— Oratory Hymns
VI. Produce Your Witnesses
I. WE KNOW that Jesus Christ lived upon this earth, not because we have seen Him with our eyes or heard Him with our ears, but because the holy Gospels relate the story of His life, because those who saw and heard Him tell us about Him.
In the first place, it is of the utmost importance to perceive in a clear and convincing manner that everything we are told concerning the life of Our Lord is the truth, and nothing but the truth. This life of Christ, as contained in the Gospel, forms a portion of Holy Scripture, and is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God; it rests, therefore, upon divine authority, and is worthy of absolute belief. But even apart from its divine character, this history is as worthy of belief as the most trustworthy of the earliest records. And why is this? When do you, dear reader, believe that any history which you read is true? Only when you are quite convinced as to its authorship, and the trustworthiness of the author; in particular, when you are able to persuade yourself that the writer knew the truth, and desired to tell it. Well, then, the four evangelists, who related the life of Christ, can come forward and bear witness to its truth.
