racter and reputation-and that these books were written under a superintendant inspiration. These and a variety of similar propositions intimately connected with them can be fully substantiated; and the necessary conclusion of the whole is, that Christianity is a revelation from God to man, and that its truths are to be believed, and its precepts practised by all to whom they are addressed.

Miracles form one part of the external evidence by which revealed religion is supported. If God, in compassion to our benighted and bewilderea race, has thought fit to communicate a revelation of his will, there is no conceivable mode by which that revelation could be more powerfully attested, than by empowering the messengers whom he inspired to work miracles, as attestations of the truth of the doctrines they declared. Accordingly we find, that at the introduction both of the Jewish and the Christian dispensations, a series of uncontrolled miracles was exhibited to those to whom the messengers of revelation were sent, as evidences that they acted under the authority of the Creator of the universe. Under the administration of Moses, who founded the Jewish economy, the waters of Egypt were turned into blood, darkness covered all that country for three days, thunders and hail terrified its inhabitants and destroyed the fruits of their ground, and all their first-born were slain by a celestial messenger in one night-the Red Sea was parted asunder, the tribes of Israel passed in safety through its waves, while their enemies "sank as lead in the mighty waters;" water was brought from the flinty rock, manna from heaven was rained down to supply the wants of two millions of human beings in a barren wilderness; mount Sinai was made to tremble to its centre, and was surrounded with flames and smoke; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with all the thousands that joined their conspiracy, were by a miraculous earthquake swallowed up in a moment; Jordan was divided when its waters overflowed its banks, and at the sound of horns the strong walls of Jericho fell prostrate to the ground. When Jesus Christ introduced the gospel dispensation, he gave incontrovertible proofs of his divine mission, by curing diseases of every description merely by his word, causing the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the blind to see; raising the dead to life, stilling the tempestuous waves and the stormy wind; turning water into wine, feeding five thousand men in a wilderness on a few loaves and fishes; and, particularly, by his own resurrection from the dead, after he had been "crucified and slain." These, as well as the miracles wrought by Moses, were demonstrative evidences of the agency and interference of the Most High; they were completely beyond the power of mere human agency, and were altogether different from the tricks of jug

glers and impostors. They were performed in the open face of day, in the presence of multitudes of persons of every description; they were level to the comprehension of every man whose faculties and senses were in a sound state; and the conclusion which every unbiassed mind behooved to draw from them, was, that "no man could do such miracles unless God was with him;" and, consequently, that the truths declared by those who were empowered to perform them, are the revelations of heaven; for it would be inconsistent with the nature of the Di vine Being to suppose, that he would interpose his almighty power to control the laws of nature, for the purpose of giving his sanction to falsehood or imposture.

Of the reality of the miraculous events to which I have alluded, we have as high a degree of evidence as we have for the reality of any other fact recorded in the scriptures or in the history of the world. The single fact of the resurrection of Christ, a fact so important in the Christian system, and with which all its other facts and doctrines are essentially connected, rests upon a weight of evidence so great that the rejection of it would be almost equivalent to the adoption of universal scepticism. This fact does not rest upon the testimony of an unknown individual, or even of an unknown multitude, but on the twelve apostles who had been previously chosen for this purpose, who had accompanied their Master in all his journeys, who had been the witnesses of his miracles, sufferings, and crucifixion, and who affirmed, without the least hesitation, and in the face of every threatening and persecution, that they had seen him alive at different times, and held intimate converse with him after he had risen from the dead. It rests likewise on the testimony of the seventy disciples, and on that of the five hundred brethren who had seen the Lord after his resurrec tion. These persons had full opportunity of information as to the fact they asserted; they could not be deceived, for it was brought within the evidence of their senses. They saw the body of the Lord Jesus after he had been crucified and laid in the tomb-not with a passing glance, but at different times and in divers places; they had an opportunity of handling it to convince them it was no phantom; they heard him speak, and entered into intimate conversation with him on the subject of their future ministry. They saw him, not only separately, but together; not only by night, but by day; not at a distance, but immediately before them. And as they could not be deceived themselves, they could have no motive for deceiving others; for they were aware that, by so doing, they exposed themselves to scorn, persecution, sufferings, and death itself, without the most distant hope of recompense cither in this world or in another. Their character and conduct were strictly

watched and scrutinized. Their enemies had taken every precaution which human wisdom could devise, to prevent the dead body of their Master from being removed from the sepulchre, either by fraud or by violence, and to secure the public from being deluded by any attempt at imposture. And yet, only a few days after he was buried, and in the very place where he was crucified, his resurrection was publicly asserted and proclaimed; and no attempt was made on the part of the Jewish rulers to invalidate the testimony of the apostles, by producing the dead body of him whom they had crucified-on whose tomb they had set a seal and a guard of Roman soldiers. For it is evident, that if his body could have been found, they would have produced it as the shortest and most decisive confutation of the story of the resurrection. All these circumstances being considered, to suppose that the apostles either were deceived, or attempted to deceive the world, would be to admit a miracle as great as that of the resurrection itself. But if the fact of Christ's resurrection be admitted, the truth of the evangelical history and of the doctrines of Christianity follows as a necessary consequence.

Prophecy forms another branch of the external evidences of religion. As God alone can perceive with certainty the future actions of free agents, and the remote consequences of those laws of nature which he himself establishedprophecy, when clearly fulfilled, affords the most convincing evidence of an intimate and supernatural communion between God and the person who uttered the prediction. It is evident, however, that prophecy was never intended as an evidence of an original revelation. From its very nature it is totally unfit for such a purpose, because it is impossible, without some extrinsic proof of its divine origin, to ascertain whether any prophecy be true or false, till the period arrive when it ought to be accomplished. But when it is fulfilled, it affords complete evidence, that he who uttered it spake by the spirit of God, and that the doctrines he taught were dictated by the same spirit, and, consequently, true. To us, therefore, who live in an age posterior to the fulfilment of many of the ancient prophecies, and while some of them are actually accomplishing, the fulfilment of these predictions forms a powerful and striking evidence of the divine authority of the writers both of the Old and the New Testament.

The first prophecy which was given forth in the garden of Eden, that "the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent," and the predictions of the Jewish prophets respecting the appearance, the miracles, the sufferings, the death, resurrection, and subsequent glory of Messiah, and the opposition he was to endure from the people to whom he was sent, were literally accomplished, when Jesus Christ appeared in

the world; and the narrations of the evangelists may be considered as a commentary upon these ancient prophecies. The deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, and its accomplishment by Cyrus,-the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, foretold by Jeremiah,-the succession of the Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman monarchies,-the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, and the erection of the papal kingdom foretold by Daniel,— and the destruction of Jerusalem and the dreadful miseries which should befall its inhabitants, foretold by Jesus Christ, have all received their accomplishment, according to the spirit and inport of the original predictions, and this accomplishment is embodied in the history of nations.

But there are prophecies which were uttered several thousands of years ago, of the accomplishment of which we have sensible evidence at the present moment, if we look around us and consider the state of the nations and empires of the world. For example, it was prophesied respecting Ishmael, the son of Abraham, “that he should be a wild man; that his hand should be against every man, and every man's hand against him; that he should dwell in the presence of all his brethren; that he should be multiplied exceedingly, beget twelve princes, and become a great nation." This prediction has been literally accomplished in the Arabs, the undoubted descendants of Ishmael, who, for time immemorial, have been robbers by land and pirates by sea; and though their hands have been against every man, and every man's hand against them, they have always dwelt, and at this day, still dwell, in "the presence of their brethren," a free and independent people. The greatest conquerors in the world have attempted to subdue them, but their attempts uniformly failed of success. When they appeared on the brink of ruin, they were signally and providentially delivered. Alexander was preparing an expedition against them, when he was cut off in the flower of his age. Pompey was in the career of his conquest, when urgent affairs called him to another quarter. Gallius had penetrated far into their country, when a fatal disease destroyed great numbers of his men, and obliged him to return. Trajan besieged their capital city; but was defeated by thunder, and lightning, and whirlwinds. Severus besieged the same city twice, and was twice repelled from before it. Even the Turks have been unable to subdue the Arabs, or even to restrain their depredations; and they are obliged to pay them a sort of annual tribute for the safe passage of the pilgrims who go to Mecca to pay their devotions. The curse pronounced upon Ham; the father of Canaan, could also be shown to have been signally accomplished in the case of the Canaanites, and the Africans, their descendants, who have been literally a servant of servants

to their brethren." They were under the dominion, first of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and now of the Turks. And in what ignorance, barbarity, slavery, and misery do most of them remain? Many thousands of them are every year bought and sold, like beasts in the market, and conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the work of beasts in another. The present state of Babylon is also a striking accomplishment of the denunciations of ancient prophecy. When we consider the vast extent and magnificence of that ancient city, "the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldee's excellency," we should have thought it almost impossible that it should have become "an utter desolation," that "the wild beasts should cry in its desolate houses, and dragons in its pleasant palaces," and that "it should never be inhabited nor dwelt in from generation to generation," as the prophet Isaiah had foretold, several hundreds of years prior to its destruction, and when it was flourishing in the height of its glory. Yet we know for certain, that this once magnificent metropolis, whose hanging gardens were reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world, has become so complete a desolation, that the besom of destruction has left scarcely a single trace of its former grandeur; and it is a subject of dispute among travellers, whether the exact site on which it was built be yet ascertained.

In short, the present state of the Jews, compared with ancient predictions, is one of the most striking and convincing proofs of the literal fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies. The following prediction respecting them was uttered more than 1700 years before the commencement of the Christian era: "The Lord shall scatter thee among all people from the one end of the earth even unto the other. And among those nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest, but the Lord shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind."-" And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word among all the nations whither the Lord shall lead you." The whole history of the Jewish nation since the destruction of Jerusalem, as well as the present state of that singular people, forms a striking commentary upon these ancient predictions, and shows, that they had been fully and literally accomplished. The Jews, it is well known, have been dispersed almost over the whole face of the globe for more than seventeen hundred years; they have been despised and hated by all nations; they have suffered the most cruel persecutions; "their life has hung in doubt before them, and they have feared day and night," both for their property and their lives; they have been sold in multitudes, like cattle in the market; they have been exposed on public theatres, to exhibit

Isaiah xiii. 19-22. + Deut. ch. xxviii.

fights, or be devoured by wild beasts. So strong were popular prejudices and suspicions against them, that in the year 1348, on suspicion of their having poisoned the springs and wells, a million and a half of them were cruelly massacred. In 1492, 500,000 of them were driven out of Spain, and 150,000 from Portugal, and even at the present moment they are, in most places, subjected both to civil incapacities and unchristian severities. Yet, notwithstanding the hatred and contempt in which they are held, wherever they appear, they are most obstinately tenacious of the religion of their fathers, although their ancestors were so prone to apostatize from it; and although most of them seem to be utter strangers to piety, and pour contempt on the moral precepts of their own law, they are most obstinately attached to the ceremonial institutions of it, burdensome and inconvenient as they are. They have never been amalgamated with any of the nations among which they awelt; they remain a distinct people, notwithstanding their numerous dispersions; their numbers are not diminished; and, were they collected into one body, they would form a nation as numerous and powerful as in the most flourishing periods of the Jewish commonwealth. The existence of the Jews in such circumstances, as a distinct nation, so contrary to the history of every other nation, and to the course of human affairs in similar cases, may justly be considered as a standing miracle for the truth of divine revelation. Such a scene in the conduct of the divine government, cannot be paralleled in the history of any other people on the face of the earth; and their being permitted so long to survive the dissolution of their own state, and to continue a distinct nation, is doubtless intended for the accomplishment of another important prediction, viz. that "they may return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days." In the present day, we perceive a tendency towards this wished-for consummation. Within these last thirty years, a greater number of Jews has been converted to the profession of the Christian faith than had happened for a thousand years before. And when they shall be collected from all the regions in which they are now scattered, and brought to the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, and to submission to his laws, and reinstated either in their own land or in some other portion of the globe, such an event will form a sensible demonstration of the divinity of our religion, level to the comprehension of all nations, and which all the sneers and sophisms of sceptics and infidels will never be able to withstand.

The internal evidences of Christianity are those which are deduced from the nature of the facts, doctrines and moral precepts which it reveals, and from the harmony and consistency of all its parts. The following is a brief summary

of the leading views which may be taken of this subject.

1. The dignity and majesty of the style in which many portions of the Scriptures are written, and the sublimity of many of the ideas and sentiments they contain, are strong presumptions of their divine original. This is strikingly exhibited in all those cases in which the perfections and operations of the Deity are brought into view, as in such passages as the following,-"He hangeth the earth upon nothing; he bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; he hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end; the pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. He divideth the sea by his great power; by his spirit he hath garnished the heavens. Lo, these are only parts of his ways, but how little a portion is heard of him, and the thunder of his power who can comprehend ?"-" By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; he spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast." "Great is Jehovah and of great power, his greatness is unsearchable, his understanding is infinite; marvellous things doth he which we cannot comprehend." "The heaven, even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him; he hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. He doth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what dost thou ?" "Who hath measured the ocean in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity." These, and many similar passages to be found in the sacred writings, far surpass, in dignity of language and sublimity of sentiment, every thing that is to be found in the writings of the most celebrated poets and philosophers of Greece and Rome. If we take the most animated poems of Homer, Virgil, or Horace, and read them in a prose translation, as we do the Scriptures, they appear flat and jejune, and their spirit is almost evaporated; and the words they put into the mouths of their deities, and the actions they ascribe to them, are frequently both ridiculous and absurd, calculated to excite hatred and contempt, instead of adoration and reverence. But the Scriptures preserve their sublimity and glory even in the most literal translation, and such a translation into any language is always found to be the best; and it has uniformly happened, that those who have pre

sumed to heighten the expressions by a poetica. translation or paraphrase, have failed in the attempt. It indicates an utter want of true taste in any man to despise or undervalue these writings. Were it not that the sacred penmen lay claim to the inspiration of the Almighty, and, consequently, set themselves in direct opposition to pride, lasciviousness, revenge, and every other unholy principle and passion, the bible, in point of the beauty and sublimity of its sentiments, and the variety of interesting information it conveys, would be prized more highly by every man of taste than all the other writings either of poets, philosophers or historians, which have descended to us from the remotest ages of antiquity.

2. The Christian religion exhibits the most ra tional, sublime, and consistent views of the Divine Being. It represents him as self-existent and independent, and as "the high and lofty One who inhabited eternity," before the universe was brought into existence, in whose sight thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years." It represents him as filling the immensity of space with his presence, as having the most intimate knowledge of all creatures and events throughout the vast creation, as the Creator of heaven and earth, as possessed of uncontrollable power, infinite wisdom and intelligence, boundless benevolence and mercy, perfect rectitude and holiness, and inviolable faithfulness and truth. It represents his providential care as extending to all the creatures he has formed, and to all their movements, however numerous or minute; animating the vegetable and animal tribes, setting bounds to the raging billows, "thundering marvellously with his voice, sending lightnings with rain," having "his way in the whirlwind and the storm," making "the earth to quake at his presence," shining in the stars, glowing in the sun, and moving with his hands the mighty worlds which compose the universe. It represents him as governing the universe of minds which he has formed, as having the "hearts" and purposes "of all men in his hand," and as directing all the mysterious and wonderful powers of knowledge and moral action to fulfil his purposes throughout the whole extent of his immense and eternal empire. Such a being, when properly contemplated, is calculated to draw forth the love and adoration of all rational beings; and wherever Christianity has imparted a knowledge of these attributes of the divinity, idolatry and superstition, with all their absurdities, abominations, and horrid cruelties, have gradually disappeared.

3. Christianity has given us full assurance of the immortality of man and of a future state of punishments and rewards. Nothing can be of more importance to every human being than to be assured of his eternal destination. Without the discoveries of Christianity, we can attain to no absolute certainty on this momentous subject,

The greatest philosophers of the heathen world considered the arguments in favour of man's immortal destiny as amounting only to a certain degree of probability, and their minds were continually hanging in doubt and uncertainty, as to what might befall them at the hour of dissolution. The most powerful arguments in proof of a future retribution, are founded on the justice, the benevolence, and the wisdom of the Deity; but it is questionable whether we should ever have acquired clear conceptions of these attributes of the Divinity without the aid of the revelations of the Bible. On this most important point, however, Christianity dissipates every obscurity, dispels every doubt, and sets the doctrine of "life and immortality" beyond the grave, in the clearest light, not by metaphysical reasonings, unintelligible to the bulk of mankind, but by the positive declarations of him who hath "all power in heaven and on earth." It gives full assurance to all who devote themselves to the service of God, and conform to his will, that "when their earthly tabernacles are dissolved, they have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens ;" and that "the afflictions" to which they are now exposed "work out for them an eternal weight of glory." And, to console them in the prospect of dropping their bodies into the grave, they are assured, that the period is approaching, when their mortal frame "shall put on immortality," and when "all who are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth, they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation."

4. Christianity clearly points out the way by which pardon of sin may be obtained by the guilty. Reason discovers that man is guilty, and at the same time perceives that a sinner deserves punishment. Hence, the remorse and the fears with which the consciences of sinners in every age have been tormented. "Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord? Shall I come with thousands of burnt offerings? Shall I offer my first-born for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" are the anxious inquiries of every sinner who feels conscious that he has violated the laws of Heaven. Hence, the numerous modes by which Pagan nations have attempted to appease the wrath of their deities; hence, their sacrifices, their burnt-offerings, their bodily tortures, their human victims, and the rivers of blood which have flowed in their temples and upon their altars. But reason could never prove, that by any of these modes sin could be expiated, and the Deity rendered propitious. Christianity alone unfolds the plan of redemption, and the way by which guilty men may obtain forgiveness and acceptance in the sight of him whose laws they have violated. It declares," that Christ Jesus died

for our offences, and rose again for our justification;" that "God hath set him forth as a propitiation to declare his righteousness in the remission of sins," and that, having made so costly a sacrifice for the sins of the world, he will refuse nothing that can contribute to the present and everlasting happiness of the believer in Jesus. "He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Such declarations, when cordially received, are sufficient to allay all the fears of a guilty conscience, to inspire the soul with holy love and gratitude, and to produce "a peace of mind that passeth all understanding."

5. Christianity inculcates the purest and most comprehensive system of morality. Its moral requisitions are all comprehended under the two following rules or principles, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," which diverge into numberless ramifications. It could easily be shown, that these principles are sufficient to form the basis of a moral code for the whole intelligent creation, that they are calculated to unite the creature to the Creator, and all rational beings with one another, wherever they may exist throughout the boundless empire of the Almighty; and that peace, order, and happiness would be the invariable and necessary results wherever their influence extended. If the love of God reigned supreme in every heart, there would be no superstition or idolatry in the universe, nor any of the crimes and abominations with which they have been accompanied in our world,-no blasphemy or profanation of the name of Jehovah,-no perjury, hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, ingratitude, nor murmurings under the allotments of Divine Providence. And, if every moral intelligence loved his fellow-creatures as himself, there would be no rivalships and antipathies between nations, and, consequently, no wars, devastation, nor carnage,-no tyranny, haughtiness, or oppression among the great, nor envy, discontent, or insubordination among the lower classes of society,-no systems of slavery, nor persecutions on account of religious opinions, -no murders, thefts, robberies, or assassinations,-no treacherous friendships, nor fraud and deceit in commercial transactions,-no implacable resentments among friends and relatives, and no ingratitude or disobedience among children or servants. On the other hand, meekness, long suffering, gentleness, humility, temperance, fidelity, brotherly kindness, and sacred joy, would pervade every heart, and transform our world from a scene of contention and misery to a moral paradise. The comprehensive nature of these laws or principles, and their tendency to produce universal order and happiness among all intelligences, form, therefore, a strong presumptive argument of their divine original.