ous from the testimony of disinterested historians, from the testimony of the early opposers of Christianity, that the first disciples of Christ were cruelly persecuted on account of their testimony concerning Christ? Must they not have expected to be opposed both by the Jewish rulers and by the Roman government? Were they not cruelly persecuted, many of them suffering death rather than withhold their testimony concerning Jesus Christ? If they were imposters, why was not the imposture detected and exposed, by the early enemies of Christianity? How is it that as so many were engaged in the fraud that no one of them was ever induced, notwithstanding the sufferings they endured, to confess the imposition? Could men who were guilty of an impious imposture have written as the Evangelists and other Apostles wrote? Would they have lived, and laboured, and suffered, as they did, and have persisted unto death in support of a system which they knew to be founded upon impious and blasphemous falsehood; and from which they could derive no advantage in time or in eternity? If reason is permitted to speak she will emphatically answer these interrogations so as to affirm, that it is utterly impossible for Jesus Christ, or His disciples to have been either deceived, or to have attempted to deceive others. Both of these suppositions are ridiculously absurd; the man who can credit either of them, is credulous in the extreme- he believes in an impious dogma of infidelity, which is not only unsupported by evidence, but which is also disproved by the strongest possible historical and moral testimony. We conclude therefore, that it is unphilosophical and irrational to reject the testimony, by which it is proved, that Jesus Christ wrought the miracles recorded in the New Testament as having been wrought by Him. And the Miracles of Christ prove that the Doctrines delivered by Jesus Christ are of Divine authority.

We observe also, that some of the most distinguished facts of Christianity have been commemorated by Christians from the time of their occurrence. The sacrament of the "Lord's Supper," commemorative of the death of Christ; and the observance of the first day of the week, called also the "Lord's Day;" which is kept as the Christian Sabbath, in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ;-and let it be remembered that according to the testimony of uninspired history, as well as that of the Scriptures, these events have been thus commemorated, from the time of their occurrence, recorded in the New Testament; and if they had not been thus observed, we know not how the New Testament could ever have been received by the first Christians as possessing Divine authority. It was so received in Judea, by those who could have contradicted and disproved its statements concerning those events if they had not been true. Christianity in its early ages attracted sufficient attention not only to expose Christians to many cruel persecutions, but also to call forth the efforts of some, who, with great subtilty opposed it by their writings; but they were unable to repel the force of evidence by which its statements concerning the Miracles of Christ were sustained.

From the date of the Christian era, unquestionably, Christianity has been professed-its first teachers were witnesses to the miracles of Christ-and many of the enemies of Christ were reluctantly com

pelled to confirm their testimony;-the disciples of Christ continued after the death of Christ, to preach His resurrection in Jerusalem, where, if any where, their testimony might have been disproved; and the enemies of Christ, would have disproved their testimony and prevented the spread of Christianity, if Christ had not been raised from the dead. The Apostles and first disciples could not have had any motive to induce them to preach Christ and his resurrection if they had not known that he had wrought the miracles to which they attested-they could not, possibly be deceived, nor could they have had any motive to attempt to deceive others- the sacrifices they made the sufferings they endured-prove their sincerity. It is impossible, consistently with the established facts of the case, to impugn their sincerity; they were competent witnesses, they could not be mistaken; their evidence therefore conclusively proves the reality of the miracles which they attest were wrought by Jesus Christ. This evidence as we have already shown is confirmed by the commemorative memorials of the death and resurrection of Christ, observed by Christians, from the commencement of the Christian era down to the present time. We observe also, that Christianity unaided by the power of the sword, in the propagation of truth, which aid the Apostles and first witnesses of Christ would have disowned if it had been offered, saying, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; " resisted and oppressed by civil governments-ridiculed and scoffed at by those who were then regarded as philosophers and statesmen; depending upon no other means than its own truth, and the Divine energy which accompanied its publication by fishermen and tent-makers, Christianity went forth demanding the destruction of all the established forms of religion, and the acknowledgment of its own supremacy? Deny the truth of the miracles of Christ, then, the attempt made by the Apostles to spread Christianity, proclaims them to have been not only imposters, they must have been fools, maniacs. Success in such a cause, and by the use of such means, would have been impossible—but they did gloriously succeed; their success, under such circumstances, proves the truth of Christianity, which stands upon the certainty of the miracles of Christ: and thus stands upon a foundation which may safely defy all the attacks of all its foes.

VII. Another important source of evidence supporting the Divine authority of the Bible is found in the accomplishment of the PROPHECIES which it contains.

In considering the evidence from Prophecy, it will be important to bear in mind the arguments and evidence before adduced, by which the antiquity of the prophetic writings is established. Having already proved that the writings of the prophets were extant long before the commencement of the Christian era, it only remains to show, that those writings contain numerous predictions of events which no human sagacity could foresee, and that those predictions have been literally fulfilled.

It may, however, be urged, that Prophecies have been delivered by heathen oracles, and by other imposters. We admit that such has been the case; but it will be found, upon examination, that the predictions they uttered were very dissimilar in their character to those

contained in the Bible. The predictions they uttered, either related to such events as human wisdom could foresee, as certain, or probable, to occur or they were delivered in language which admitted of more than one interpretation; so that which ever way the event referred to, resulted, the prediction might be so interpreted as to make it appear that the prophecy had been fulfilled. Sometimes the event did not correspond with the prediction of the oracle; it was then said, that some ceremony had been omitted, or that the oracle was not satisfied with the conduct of the enquirer, and therefore had refused to give the information which was sought. Besides this, those oracles were made subservient to the purposes of the civil power-they were designed to answer the purposes of those who were in authority and were therefore under their protection. No heathen oracle or false prophet ever delivered prophecies which can be said to have resembled the predictions of the Bible.

Divine predictions are distinguishable from pretended prophecies by the following particulars :

1. The events predicted are such as could not be foreseen by human sagacity, as the results of existing circumstances, or as in any way likely to occur.

2. The words in which the predictions were delivered are unambiguous that is to say, they are not capable of divers interpretations, Some of the prophecies are expressed in terms which render it difficult to understand their meaning, until they receive their accomplishment-but when this has occurred the meaning has become obvious, and it is clearly seen that no other event would have accomplished the prediction.

3. The prophecies of the Bible are distinguished by great particularity of time, persons, place, and circumstances, there is, so to speak, a minutia of detail, which imposters would never attempt to predict.

The predictions contained in the Bible relate to numerous events spread over a large portion of the world and extend to all ages. The rise and fall of most of the great monarchies which have existed were accurately predicted. There are many prophecies relating to the coming of Christ-his descent along the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesse, and David-the time of his birth was announced many centuries before he was born-the place at which he should be born was also foretold-as also were a great number of incidental circumstances connected with his life, his teaching, miracles, sufferings, death, and resurrection, and of the establishment of his kingdom on the earth. Now, although the Jews blindly reject the Messias, yet even they admit, that from a long period before the commencement of the Christian era their forefathers received the writings of Moses and the other prophets who wrote of Christ, and acknowledged them to possess Divine authority. The Jews, who are opponents of Christianity, have carefully preserved the writings of the Old Testament, so that we have their testimony to the antiquity and authenticity of all the prophecies to which we refer. The New Testament history shows that those prophecies have been literally fulfilled. The prophecies relating to the Messias are spread over a large part of the Old Testament, and it is

most interesting and important to trace those prophecies, and to observe how accurately the numerous and minute events predicted by the prophets, are, by the narratives contained in the New Testament, proved to have received their accomplishment in the person of Jesus Christ. Hitherto not one prophecy has failed, and thus the Divine authority of the Bible is confirmed.

The prophetic Scriptures relate not only to the past, but also to the present, and future state of things. The predictions of Old Testament prophets, of Christ, and of his apostles are yet in course of fulfilment. Hence the evidence from prophecy is accumulative; it increases and strengthens as time rolls on, and we are irresistibly led to the conclusion, that as only God could have foreknown the multifarious, distant, and extraordinary events predicted in the Bible, and knowing that those predictions have received their accomplishment, we also know that those by whom the predictions were delivered, wrote and spoke under the inspiration of Almighty God; and were commissioned by him, to make known his will to men. By the evidence then of both Miracles and Prophecy we are assured that the Bible is the word of God.

VIII. In the beginning of this enquiry, when referring to the evidences by which a Divine revelation might be authenticated, we mentioned the support which would be given to other evidences attesting the truth of Divine revelation, by the credibility, excellency, and harmony of the truths revealed; and now we have to state, that the Bible possesses all the evidence of its Divine authority which this species of testimony can afford.

Let the Bible be examined, and how important, sublime, and glorious are its contents! It reveals truths which could not otherwise be ascertained. It makes God known to man, makes him acquainted with the moral attributes of his Creator-the truths taught by the Bible concerning God and his perfections, are such as heathen philosophy never could discover-and yet when they are made known reason is constrained to admit them to be just and true. The Bible gives the only veritable and rational account of the origin of mankind ; it alone satisfactorily explains the reason of his present condition, his liability to disease, and subjection to the power of death ;—it reveals the glorious truth of man's immortality, makes known the astonishing plan of his redemption by the atonement of Christ;-and it alone can answer the all-important enquiry,-how can a sinner be saved? Although these glorious truths were not discoverable by reason, without Divine revelation, yet reason pronounces them to be credible and excellent, and to accord with the present condition of man, and with our knowledge of the dispensations of the Divine Being by whom the universe is governed.

We remark also, that the Divine authenticity of the Bible is confirmed by the holy principles which it reveals and upholds. Even many of those who have rejected the Bible have been constrained to admit, that it contains the purest system of morality. It enjoins not only honesty, truth, temperance, industry, conjugal fidelity, obedience to parents; but also benevolence, and beneficence, not only to friends, but to enemies also, to all men :-It enjoins love to God and man as

the great principle and rule of human duty. It must be admitted by all, that if the precepts of the Bible were universally observed, most of the evils which afflict mankind would be removed, and the earth would become a paradise to man. We ask then, have we not here an additional proof of the Divine authority of the Bible? Is it possible that bad men, base and vile imposters, should ever enforce precepts so wise, holy, and good?

The harmony which subsists between the various parts of the Bible furnishes additional evidence of its Divine authenticity. It is most certain, that its several parts were written by different men in different ages of the world, without any concerted plan or knowledge of each other. The evidence by which the antiquity and genuineness of the sacred writings are established, and to which we have already referred, prove this. Again,--There is no systematic plan pursued by the writers, and yet the whole of their writings tend to the same end; and notwithstanding all the diversity of plan, style, and topics, which distinguish the several parts of the sacred Scriptures, no contradiction on any subject can be found in them; and although at the times at which some of the sacred writers wrote, science and natural philosophy were but very imperfectly understood; and, although, as knowledge has advanced, it has sometimes been thought that some discrepancy has been discovered between the statements of Scripture and the testimony of science and natural philosophy; yet further investigation has ever proved the statements of Scripture to be consistent with truth. The closer the investigation, the clearer has the evidence appeared, by which the Divine authority of the Bible is established. The Bible is designed to teach men morals and religion; and not to teach scientific natural philosophy; and as it is intended to instruct the multitude; it properly speaks of the great planetary bodies in such language as was, and still is, spoken by the many-not in the language of science, but in that which corresponds with the appearances of the heavenly bodies; and which alone can be understood by men in general.

IX. The Divine authority of the holy Scriptures is also proved by the Divine energy with which the truths contained in the Bible have ever been accompanied to those persons who have believed its doctrines and obeyed its precepts. There have been, and still are, a great many witnesses who have tested the truth of the Bible; they have submitted to its authority, regulated their conduct by its precepts, have used the means which it appoints, and have thus received blessings which it promises to bestow-blessings which those who have received them know could only come from God, the author and giver of every good and perfect gift. Those persons have proved by their own experience the truth of the Bible. From it, light has shone into their minds-thus they have found the cause of their misery to be sin and guilt-directed by the Bible they have gone to the throne of grace which it reveals, and believing in that Saviour to whom it bears testimony, they have felt their load of guilt removed, peace communicated to their consciences, and the love of God shed abroad in their hearts. Thus they have become new creatures, and have proved the Divine authenticity of the Bible, by receiving from God, by His Spirit, the rich blessings which the Bible promises God will