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the fact to have left them without excuse. was seen of the soldiers, who watched at the sepulchre, and who were alarmed even to stupefaction at the earthquake and vision of angels. They disclosed the scene and their terrors to the High Priest and the governors of the people; and were ordered, or prevailed on by bribes, to say publicly, that the disciples had stolen his body while they slept. Here we have an evidence of our Lord's resurrection, from the mouth of his enemies themselves, in their caution and directions to the soldiers to conceal these wonderful facts by falsehood and it is also an admission, that in reality they believed it themselves, though they were wicked enough to endeavour in this manner to stifle its promulgation.

For all the purposes of Christianity, it was quite enough that our Lord deigned to appear to his Apostles, and to others of his disciples, at various times, during the space of forty days. Whether to few or to many, the fact of his appearance is the same. It was for their comfort, and the establishment of their faith that he did so. With regard to his persecutors, even if an appearance of our Lord had been vouchsafed to them, it is by no means certain that it would have been instrumental to their conversion. We may draw this conclusion from our Saviour's parable of Dives and Lazarus and that this is more than probable, we

:

have strong presumptive evidence, by their behaviour towards the Roman guard. If they could bribe them to silence, no doubt they would have found some means of stifling their own convictions; even if our Lord himself had deigned to stand before them, and had even displayed to them the wounds inflicted on his precious body by their cruelty.

The church at Jerusalem was not permitted to remain long at peace. These first followers of the Gospel were persecuted and dispersed in every direction but this very persecution and dispersion was, under Providence, a means of conversion to many this scattered flock spread the name of Jesus far and wide. The Gospel was quickly preached in Samaria; and St. Peter was sent to carry the Christian faith to the house of Cornelius the centurion. But the chief Apostle to the Gentiles was St. Paul. Of St. Paul we may truly say, that his journeys and sufferings, and, above all, his writings, are lasting memorials of the truth of Christianity. Sacred history makes it clear that there were many Christian churches at the time of the Emperor Claude, and within a few years after the resurrection of our Lord. Of these, the church at Antioch was the most celebrated; and at that place it was that the disciples were first called Christians. That in the course of a few years from this time, Christianity spread itself rapidly, is

a fact that no one, at all versed in profane history, will attempt to deny.-We have not space to dwell more at length on the progress of the Gospel, nor on the sufferings of Christians in all ages. We have shewn that the Christian church had its rise in Jerusalem, immediately after the death of our Lord and we have proved the Divine origin of the New Testament by the resurrection of its Founder, by the miracles performed through the power of his own word, and by his followers in his name. We have also shewn its truth, by the monuments and memorials with which it furnishes us, and by its wonderful extension in spite of all opposition. It now remains for us, in the next and last chapter, to draw one more very strong argument in favour of holy writ, by considering the predictions of the Prophets, as well as those of our Lord, respecting the calling of the Gentiles.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE PREDICTIONS OF THE PROPHETS, AND THOSE OF JESUS CHRIST, TOUCHING THE CONVERSION OF THE GENTILE WORLD,—A

FURTHER

CONFIRMATION

OF HOLY WRIT.

OF THE TRUTH

We have reserved the consideration of the prophecies of the Old and New Testament, respecting the calling of the Gentiles, for the last chapter of this volume, because the subject adds considerable weight to every argument which we have brought forward in support of both; and may be considered as setting a seal on the whole of the sacred records. After having produced demonstration on demonstration, in support of the Old Testament, we have shewn that the doctrines taught in the new are true and divine, by their superiority over those of Moses. We have proved that the worship, which the Evangelists inculcate, is of a more exalted nature than that of the Mosaic dispensation. We have, by the life of the holy Jesus, shewn him to have been far above any of the Prophets. We have proved his miracles to be superior,

both in number and power, to those recorded in the Old Testament ;-and we have, by his death and resurrection, demonstrated beyond all opposition, the Divinity of his mission: while, by the arguments drawn from the establishment of the Christian church in the first ages, we have displayed the power of the glorious truth of the Gospel surmounting every obstacle. We have called the attention of our readers to the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, destroying with a handful of followers, the splendour of Idol worship. We have beheld the Apostles engaging idolaters to embrace a religion which brought on its advocates hatred and contempt, persecution and suffering, and, not unfrequently, imprisonment and death. But the circumstance which must even still further claim our admiration is, that this very success had been foretold for ages by the Prophets, as well as by our Lord himself, during his ministry.

The Old Testament abounds with an infinity of distinct predictions on this subject. There is scarcely one among the Prophets who has not alluded to it; and we do not find that they have done so only in vague and ambiguous terms, but in express declarations, which are clear, precise, and circumstantial. In their writings, they teach mankind by what means the infidel nations shall be converted to God, and who shall be the author of the blessed work: they name the period of this