DIVINE AUTHORITY AND INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.-What is to be understood by inspiration. tests their divine mission.-A miracle defined. Mr. Hume's argument against miracles. Lord Brough- am's confutation of the argument.-Keith's demonstration of its fallacy. The miracles of Moses, of Jesus Christ, and his apostles, accompanied by evidences which cannot be brought to substantiate any pretended fact whatever.-Mr. Leslie's argument in support of this position. Mr. Olmsted's attempt tained in Mr. Olmsted's argument. Confutation of his argument. SECTION I-Mr. Leslie's criteria applied to the miracles recorded in the Scriptures.-Applied to those of Moses; they all meet in his miracles.-Applied to those of Jesus Christ and his apostles.- Their number, their variety, and the public manner in which they were performed, attest their vera- city. Miracles of Christ contrasted with those of impostors. The pretended miracles wrought by Vespasian.-The pretended miracles of the Roman Catholics. Many of them have been proved to be the foundation of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.-The miracle examined. Testimony known to the Jewish rulers. The rulers took every necessary precaution to put his pretensions to the test. The crucifixion and death of Christ well attested. Precautions that the body should not be re- of the sepulchre. The whole question at issue between Jesus and the Jewish rulers, suspended on the ration on the sabbath to produce the body on the third day. On the third day the body is missing. Different ways of accounting for the fact. The disciples alleged that Jesus had risen from the dead. Their testimony examined. The Jewish rulers asserted that the disciples stole the body. The allega- tion examined. Its falsehood demonstrated. Subsequent conduct of the sanhedrim confirms the tes- timony of the apostles and evangelists. The adoption of the Jewish mode of accounting for the fact accompanied with many difficulties. An acknowledgment of the resurrection of Jesus involves an ac- knowledgment of his divine mission.-Mr. Olmsted's objection on the ground that Jesus did not show himself publicly, and ascend to heaven in the presence of the whole nation. Its fallacious, nature. The testimony we have of the resurrection of Jesus Christ much more satisfactory and convincing than Divine authority of the Scriptures proved from prophecy and its fulfillment. A prophecy defined. Mr. Watson's argument in support of the possibility of prophecy.-Criteria by which true may be distinguished from false prophecies.-The prophecies of the heathen oracles examined. Proved to have been impostures.-Contrast between the pretended predictions of the heathen oracles and the prophe cies contained in the Scriptures.-Mr. Paine's remarks in relation to the manner which future events ledge the truth of prophecy. Mr. Olmsted met upon his own ground.-Prophecy relative to the destruc- from the prophecies of the Old Testament, and from Volney's writings, showing that in spite of him- tory of Isaiah is made up of scraps, and destitute of order and meaning. The truth of the assertion tested.-Prophecy of Isaiah concerning Edom. Volney's testimony of its fulfillment. Testimony of Mr. ment. Testimony of captains Irby and Mangles. Testimony of Mr. Stevens. The Infidel having been met on his own ground, and the fulfillment of many prophecies proved by competent witnesses, it follows that the seers of Israel were the true prophets of God. SECTION L-The great theme of the Old Testament prophets was the coming of Messiah.-The Christian maintains that these prophecies found an accomplishment in Christ. This denied by the Jew and the Infidel. Mr. English's argument to show that Jesus was not the Messiah. 1st, On ac- count of his genealogy, and 2nd, because the prophecies of the Old Testament found no accomplish- ment in him. Mr. English's argument refuted in all its particulars. Jesus proved to be the true Mes- Fish-The Messiahship of Jesus Christ being proved, it follows that the Bible is a revelation from PREFACE. ALTHOUGH this work is presented to the public in compliance with repeated and earnest solicitations, the writer is not ignorant of the fact, that in the estimation of many, it may seem superfluous in itself, and presumptuous in him, to add another to the many and able treatises on the Divine Authority and Inspiration of the Scriptures, already before the public. That the causes which led to its publication, and the objects it is designed to effect may be properly understood, it is necessary to remark, that in the south-western section of this Union, in which the writer, for a number of years, has extensively labored as a minister of the Gospel, his observation of the state of society has brought him to the conclusion, that of late years the progress of Infidelity has been very great, especially among the better educated young men of the country, who, residing, in many instances, far from the restraining influences of parental authority, and the enjoyment of the regular means of grace, have been peculiary exposed to be led astray by the assertions and sophisms of the adversaries of Christianity. He has also noticed with pain, that Christians generally, and even many of the ministers of the Gospel, are not conscious of the true state of affairs; in consequence of which, while the adversaries have been industriously circulating the writings and propagating the tenets of Hume, Volney, Taylor, Paine, Olmsted, English and other Infidels, no efficient efforts have been made to present before the public in their proper light, the evidences upon which the truth of Revelation rests. Under the influence of such views, and knowing from experience how incompetent unsuspecting young men are to ward off the attacks of Infidels; for their especial benefit his studies have been for years directed to the investigation of the nature of the objections urged by Infidels against the truth of Christianity, and the evidences by which it is supported. In the course of his reading he has met with many able works which clearly demonstrate the claims of the Bible as a Revelation from God; yet it has appeared to him that something was still wanting to attract the attention and convince the minds of those, who have surrendered their judgment and reason into the hands of Volney, Taylor, Paine, Olmsted, &c.-viz: A fair statement of all the more weighty objections urged by Infidels, with a confutation of each. This opinion the writer formed from what he knew of the work ings of his own heart, for he himself in early life was a Deist, from principle. Led astray by the sophisms of Volney and Paine, without demanding proofs, or seeking for objections, he jumped at the conclusion that Religion was a fraud contrived to govern mankind, and his own experience taught him, that while one bulwark of Infidelity remains, the ignorant and the vicious will take refuge there, and boast that that which is undestroyed is invulnerable. Anxiously, however, as he desired to see such a work undertaken by some able hand, he himself, under a sense of inability to do justice to so important a subject, would never have attempted the task, had not the dealings of Divine providence, in his estimation, plainly indicated that he should embark in the undertaking. The reader will judge of the correctness of this conclusion from the following statements: During the winter of 1839-'40, while upon a tour in the south, as an agent for a literary Institution, the writer visited Columbus, Mississippi, at that period the residence of a very artful and violent enemy of Christianity, Mr. C. G. Olmsted, author of a work entitled "The Bible its own Refutation;" who, by his easy manners and gentlemanly bearing, had so ingratiated himself with many of the citizens of the place, especially with the young men, as to exercise a most pernicious influence, by the dissemination of his Infidel principles. Indeed he had not only cheated many into the belief that the Bible is an imposture upon the credulity of mankind, but he had succeeded, to a considerable extent, in making the impression, that so conscious were the ministers of the Gospel of the weakness of their cause that no one of any intelligence would dare, with him, publicly to discuss the claims of the Bible as a Revelation from heaven. This being the state of affairs, from a sense of duty, the writer determined, for the benefit of the young men of the place, to deliver a series of discourses upon the nature and tendencies of Infidelity; and another upon the evidences of Christianity. While the former was in progress he received from a committee of Infidel gentlemen, and with the sanction of Mr. Olmsted, a written challenge, with their champion publicly to discuss the following questions: Were the writers of the different books of the Bible inspired men? Did the facts which they detail occur? Was Jesus Christ miraculously begotten? Did he perform miracles? Did he rise from the dead? Believing that to decline the proposed discussion, would prove prejudicial to the interests of Christianity, by the advice of religious friends, the challenge was accepted. The writer, however, was careful to put off the time of the debate so as to have sufficient opportunity to prepare for the conflict. Meanwhile, being far from the necessary facilities, he apprized certain friends in Great Britain of what was pending, who immediately procured and forwarded to him every necessary aid. Fifteen months after the passage of the challenge, the discussion took place, which was continued for nearly three weeks.* At its close the writer received from a number of the most influential and intelligent gentlemen of the place the following letter: REV. JAMES SMITH, Columbus, Miss. May 1, 1841. Dear Sir-The undersigned having heard the arguments advanced by you to prove the genuineness, credibility, and inspiration of the Bible, during the late discussion between yourself and C. G. Olmsted, Esq., and believing many of your arguments, especially those in favor of the credibility and inspiration of the Old Testament, to be entirely new in this country, and such as we heard to be most conclusive and triumphant; and further, believing that their publication would do much to arrest the poisonous and destructive influence of Infidelity, and be calculated to promote Christianity and true patriotism, we respectfully request you to give them to the public, together with your other arguments, which were not delivered, so soon as you can, consistently with the difficulty and importance of the task. D. LIPSCOMB, M. D., CHAS. NORTH, WM. DOWSING, Respectfully, &c. WM. A. SMITH, Min. M. C. P. M. GRANT. JAMES H. SMITH. I. SHOOK, Pastor C. P. Church. W. C. WORRELL. Upon the reception of this letter the writer determined, provided a sufficient patronage should be obtained, to view this as an indication, that it was his duty to prepare a work of the nature already specified. A list of subscribers, far exceeding his most sanguine expectations, having been procured, the result of his labors is now before the reader. The main object of the work being to meet the wants of those communities, where the pernicious influence of the writings of the Infidels already mentioned, is felt; and well knowing that a chief reason why the many able treatises on the Christian evidences already before the public are seldom read, except by Christians themselves, or those under their immediate influence, is, that by many of the sceptical they are viewed as designed solely to present the Christian side of the question in the fairest light possible; while no proper attention is paid to the arguments of the adversaries. To draw the attention of such to the study of a subject involving their eternal destinies, and, if possible, thoroughly to convince them that Christianity has nothing to fear from the attacks of its enemies; also that the Christian might be enabled properly to understand the nature of the very contradictory positions of the adversaries, and that he might be supplied with a weapon of defence to aid in repelling their attacks; the leading objections of the different classes of Infidels, with the proofs by which they attempt to sustain their positions, have been fairly transcribed from their works, each of which has been duly weighed, and, as is believed by the writer, satisfactorily confuted. The very nature of the work precludes all pretensions to originality, and the writer has not scrupled, when necessary, to call to his aid many of the abler guides who have gone before him in the same path; being careful, however, in everything important to give credit where it is due. If the work have any claim, it is upon the score of labor and research; and the writer flatters himself that he has facilitated to the common reader, the study of the evidences of the truth of Revelation, by collecting together from the writings of rare and learned authors, a large amount of apposite information, which otherwise could not have been obtained, but by the perusal of many voluminous works, and some of them not to be procured in this country. The writer is conscious that the work is far from being free of imperfections: many no doubt will be discerned by those who examine it with a critic's eye; yet he trusts whatever its imperfections may be, he has clearly shown that the bulwarks of Revelation are impervious by all the weapons of the most skillful and subtle of its enemies; and any suggestions that may be made, calculated to improve the usefulness of future editions, will be thankfully received by him. The present edition is very limited, not sufficient to supply a tithe of the subscribers already procured. Another will be issued immediately; in the appendix of which, will be inserted a few objections of minor importance, and answers to them, which were overlooked, until it was too late to insert them in this. A few typographical errors have also escaped observation, which will hereafter be corrected, but they are of such a nature, that it is believed the intelligent reader will readily correct them. It may be well also here to remark, that citations from other authors are marked as such, only at their beginning and close, where the proper credit is given; should any serious disadvantage arise from this,, the evil will be remedied in the next edition. JAMES SMITH. |