ently, other things being
equal, lessen to an unprejudiced inquirer in some proportion to
the lengthening distance of the event from him in time, and the
growing difficulties of ignorance, perplexity, doubt, manifold
uncertainty, deficiency, infidel suggestions, and naturalistic
possibilities, intervening between it and him. The shock of faith
given by the miracle is dissipated in coming through such an abyss
of time. The farther off and the longer ago it was, the more
chances for error and the more circumstances of obscurity there
are, and so much the worth and force of the historical belief in
it will naturally become fainter, till they will finally fade
away. An honest student may bow humbly before the august front of
Christian history and join with the millions around in
acknowledging the fact of the resurrection of Christ. But we
maintain that the essential fact in this historic act is not the
visible resuscitation of the dead body, but the celestial
reception of the deathless spirit. So Paul evidently thought; for
he had never seen Christ in the flesh, yet he places himself, as a
witness to the resurrection of Christ, in the same rank with those
who had seen him on his reappearance in the body: "Last of all he
was seen of me also." Paul had only seen him in vision as a
glorified spirit of heaven.

We know that our belief in the fleshly resurrection of Jesus rests
on education and habit, on cherished associations of reverence and
attachment, rather than on sifted testimony and convincing proof.
It is plain, too, that if a person takes the attitude, not of
piety and receptive trust, but of skeptical antagonism, it is
impossible, as the facts within our reach are to day, to convince
him of the asserted reality in question. An unprejudiced mind
competently taught and trained for the inquiry, but whose attitude
towards the declared fact is that of distrust, a mind which will
admit nothing but what is conclusively proved, cannot be driven
from its position by all the extant material of evidence.
Education, associations, hopes, affections, leaning that way, he
may be convinced; but leaning the other way, or poised in
indifference on a severe logical ground, he will honestly remain
in his unbelief despite of all the arguments that can be
presented. In the first place, he will say, "The only history we
have of the resurrection is in the New Testament; and the
testimony of witnesses in their own cause is always suspiciou