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Waggoner on the Gospel of John - Ellet J. Waggoner

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every man is <strong>the</strong> truth itself. So every man may and<br />

should be able to know <strong>the</strong> truth as absolutely as he<br />

knows that he lives. By what means can it be<br />

determined that a man is alive?--By seeing if <strong>the</strong>re<br />

is moti<strong>on</strong>. If <strong>the</strong> heart beats, if we can detect <strong>the</strong><br />

faintest flutter in any artery, showing that <strong>the</strong> blood<br />

is moving, we know that <strong>the</strong> man is alive. So even<br />

a dying man will dem<strong>on</strong>strate to us that life is not<br />

yet extinct, by moving a finger or turning his eyes.<br />

How much more can that man in whom <strong>the</strong>re is<br />

abundance <strong>of</strong> life be sure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact. He can move<br />

his arms freely; he can leap and shout; <strong>the</strong>re is free<br />

acti<strong>on</strong> in every muscle. He knows that he lives, and<br />

if some croaking skeptic should chide him for his<br />

positiveness, saying, "You should not express<br />

yourself so c<strong>on</strong>fidently; you may say that you think<br />

you live, or you hope you are alive, but it is<br />

altoge<strong>the</strong>r too presumptuous for you to say that you<br />

know you are alive, at least until you have had a<br />

council <strong>of</strong> doctors," he would laugh in his face.<br />

This same joyous c<strong>on</strong>fidence may anybody have as<br />

to his absolute knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> truth.<br />

Just as we know that we live, by <strong>the</strong> working <strong>of</strong><br />

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