as a man.

Socrates and Jesus! Compare the quite natural behavior of Socrates in
prison with that of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Greek sage
is serene. Jesus is alarmed. The night agony of his soul, his tears of
_blood_, his pitiful collapse when he prays, "if it be possible let
this cup pass from me,"--all this would be very impressive on the
boards, but they seem incredible of a real man engaged in saving a
world. Once more we say that the defense that it was the man in Jesus
and not the god in him that broke down, would be unjust to the memory
of thousands of martyrs who died by a more terrible death than that of
Jesus. As elsewhere stated, but which cannot be too often emphasized,
what man would not have embraced death with enthusiasm,--without a
moment's misgiving, did he think that by his death, death and sin
would be no more! Who would shrink from a cross which is going to save
millions to millions added from eternal burnings. He must be a
phantom, indeed, who trembles and cries like a frightened child
because he cannot have the crown without the cross! What a spectacle
for the real heroes crowding the galleries of history! It is difficult
to see the shrinking and shuddering Savior of the world, his face
bathed in perspiration, blood oozing out of his forehead, his lips
pale, his voice breaking into a shriek, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me!"--it is difficult to witness all this and not to pity
him. Poor Jesus! he is going to save the world, but who is going to
save _him?_

If we compare the trial of Jesus with that of Socrates, the fictitious
nature of the former cannot possibly escape detection. Socrates was so
well known in Athens, that it was not necessary for his accusers to
bribe one of his disciples to betray him. Jesus should have been even