_Second_, the Apostles and early disciples most intensely believed the doctrine to be true, and the appearances to be real. Even Strauss is compelled to admit their sincerity. He concedes that the Epistle to the Corinthians is undoubtedly genuine. And he says that on its authority, “One must believe that many members of the primitive church who were yet living at the time when this Epistle was written, especially the Apostles, were convinced that they had witnessed appearances of the risen Christ.” (Strauss’ Life, etc., p. 832.) And this is generally conceded by all skeptics at the present day who have any claim to be even tolerably informed upon the subject of the Resurrection, and any disposition to deal with it in any spirit of fairness. This narrows our inquiry very much. Thus far we rest on solid ground. We start with the fact fully established, that we are not dealing with myths, or legends, concerning a remote transaction. We know precisely what convictions in respect to the Resurrection were entertained at the very time of the transaction, by those best qualified to judge; and we also know many of the facts, upon which these convictions were based. We may say, if we choose, that the supposed appearances were not real; but we cannot say they are an _afterthought_. They must have been entertained from the very beginning, certainly as early as the day of Pentecost. The Apostles believed with most intense earnestness, that they had seen their _Risen Lord_, and had received from him their Commission to disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.