What, indeed, is the word of man even in the mouth of the boldest orator, even when set forth in all the brilliancy of its power, when compared with the Divine word? … Much has been said of the force of Mirabeau's famous apostrophe:—"The communes of France have decided on deliberating. We have heard of the designs which have been suggested to the King; and you, who are not allowed to be his organ with the National Assembly—you who possess neither the standing nor the option, nor the right of speaking—go and tell your master that we are here by the power of the people, and that it shall not be wrested from us except at the point of the bayonet." [Footnote 19]
[Footnote 19: The authenticity of this statement has been questioned.]
This speech has been eulogized as grand, bold, and even audacious; but, what does it amount to? Any priest might do as much, and say something far better, with greater truth and less arrogance; for there is no priest, however poor and humble he may be, who might not say:—"We are here in God's name, and here we intend to remain, and we will speak in spite of guns and bayonets." …
But the fact is, we are not adequately convinced of our own power, and of the superiority which we possess over every thing around us; for, with nothing else in our hands but that little book which is called the Gospel, we may bring the world to our feet; inasmuch as the Gospel is, and will continue to be, as regards mankind generally, the first of books.
There are not wanting those who taunt us in this style:—"Ye men of a past age, ye retrogrades, follow in the wake of your own age; strive to progress. We, on our part, have been constantly advancing, especially within the last two centuries … we have gained ground." … To this we are justified in replying:—"Very true; the human mind has developed; you have worked hard; you have stirred up thought; you have filled our libraries with first-rate books; there have been some profound thinkers and sublime geniuses among you; and you have given birth to many admirable ideas. All this we admit; nevertheless, show us a book superior to our Gospel, or one which will even bear comparison with it. Tell us where it is to be found. You talk of progress, and bid us follow you; but it is we who are in advance, and you who are behind. … Begin your studies afresh; do something better; and then come to us again, and we will see. In the meantime, we occupy the foremost place, and are determined to hold it."
Our power, we maintain, is far above that of any earthly weapons; for the Christian preacher is backed by eighteen centuries of learning and virtue, which believed what he declares by more than ten millions of martyrs, who died to attest the truth of what he proclaims; and, behind all that, he is supported by the mighty voice of God which says to him:—"Speak, and be not afraid, for I am with thee."
It behoves us, therefore, to be thoroughly persuaded of the power which the Divine word confers upon us. But, besides this, we must make our hearers feel that we are so endowed. They must be impressed, while listening to us, that we verily and indeed speak in God's name—that we are not men who have merely cogitated or mused in their studies, and then come forth to propound their own ideas; but that we are commissioned from on high to proclaim to mankind the laws and promises of God, before whom we ourselves profoundly bow. They must read all this in our whole deportment, in our voice, our gestures, and, above all, in our charity. In a word, we must possess the accent of conviction, that accent which believes, speaks, arrests, and alarms.