LESSON XI.

SUMMARY OF EVIDENCES.

You will have seen, by this time, what a mistake it is to suppose, that ordinary Christians cannot be taught to understand the evidence for their religion, but must be content to take it for granted, as the Pagans do their's, because they have been brought up in it. There are, indeed, many who do so, but that is because, when they speak of "the evidences of Christianity," they mean all the evidences. And, certainly, to be well acquainted with all of these, would be enough to occupy the whole life of a studious man, even though he should devote himself entirely to that study. Indeed, to go through all the books that have been written on the subject, and to examine and thoroughly master all the arguments on both sides that have ever been brought forward, would be more than any one man could accomplish, even if he had nothing else to do. But there are many things which you may have very good reasons for believing, though you may not know a tenth part of the proofs of them, that have been, or might be produced. instance, you may have good grounds for believing that there is such a city as Rome, and that it was formerly the capital of a mighty empire, of which Britain was one of the provinces. But all the evidence that might be brought forward in proof of this, would be enough to occupy a learned man for many years, if he were to examine it thoroughly. It is sufficient in any case, if we have enough of evidence to warrant our belief; even

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though there should be much more evidence of the same thing besides, which we have not examined. Although, therefore, the generality of Christians cannot be expected to know the whole, or near the whole, of the proofs of their religion, that is no reason against their seeking, and obtaining, proofs enough to convince a reasonable mind.

Even that small portion of the evidences you have now been learning, is perhaps more than sufficient for this purpose; though it is but a part even of what you may hereafter be able to understand.

It is certain that Christianity now exists; and that Jesus Christ is acknowledged as Lord and Master, (in words at least,) among all the most civilised people of the world. It is certain too, that this cannot have been always the case; but that Christianity must have been introduced, by some means or other, among the Jews and Pagans; who must have had some reasons that appeared to them very strong to induce them to change the religions they have been brought up in.

You know, also, that this great revolution in the religion of the world, was begun by a person of humble rank, in one of the least powerful and least esteemed of the ancient nations. It was not a mighty warrior, or a rich and powerful prince, or a learned philosopher, but a Jewish peasant, that brought about this wonderful change. And you are sure accordingly, that no one, whether friend or enemy, can reasonably doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is, merely by his influence on the affairs of the world, the most extraordinary and most important personage, that ever appeared.

Again, you have seen that there is good reason to be

certain that Jesus and his Apostles propagated their religion by an appeal to miracles; that is, that they professed to perform works beyond human power, as a sign of their being messengers from God. And no one has been able to point out any other way in which they did, or could introduce the religion. Nor can we conceive how a few Jewish peasants, without power, or wealth, or learning, or popular prejudice on their side, could have been, at first, either believed or listened to, if they had not begun by appealing to the testimony of miraculous signs. Now this would have been no help, but a hinderance to their preaching, if their pretensions to supernatural powers had not been true; because, surrounded as they were by adversaries, and men prejudiced against them, any attempt at imposture would have been detected, and would have exposed them to general scorn. And, accordingly, it does not appear that any of the Pagan religions,-in short, any religion except ours-ever was first introduced and established among adversaries by an appeal to the evidence of miracles.

We have good grounds for believing, therefore, that the people of those times, even the enemies of Christianity, found it impossible to deny the fact of the miracles being wrought (see Acts IV. 16), and thence were driven to account for them as the work of evil spirits. And this we find recorded, not only in the writings of Christian authors, but also in those of Jewish and Pagan adversaries.

We find accounts, too, in the works of Pagan writers, as well as in the New Testament, of the severe persecutions which great numbers of the early Christians

had to encounter. And this furnishes a proof of their sincerely believing, not only the truth of their religion, but also the miracles which many of them professed to have seen, and in which they could not have been mistaken. For, if these miracles had been impostures, it is incredible that such numbers of men should have exposed themselves to dangers and hardships to attest the truth of them, without any one being induced by suffering (and this, though some of them were driven to renounce Christianity) to betray the imposture.

That the works of these writers have really come down to us, and that the general sense of them is given in our translations, you have good reason to be convinced, even without understanding the original languages, or examining ancient manuscripts. You need not take the word of a scholar for this, or feel such full confidence in the honesty of any two or three learned men, as to trust that they would not deceive you in any thing, and to believe on their authority. There is, and has been, so great a number of learned men in various countries and ages, some, opposed to Christianity, and others, Christians of different sects, opposed to each other, that they never could have agreed in forging a book, or putting forth a false translation. On the contrary, any supposed mistake or fraud of any one of them, the rest are ready to expose. So that there is no reasonable doubt as to anything in which they all agree.

And this you have seen is the same sort of evidence on which most men believe that the earth is round,that there is such a city as Rome,-and many other things which they have not themselves seen, but which

rest on the uncontradicted testimony of many independent witnesses.

You have seen also, that in respect of the books of the Old Testament there is this very remarkable circumstance, that they are preserved with the utmost care and reverence by the Jews, who reject Jesus Christ, although these books contain what appear to Christians most remarkable prophecies of Him.

And it was pointed out to you that there are many parts of these prophecies of which we see the fulfilment before us, though the early Christians did not ; namely, that a religion should arise among the Jews, which should have a wide spread among the Gentiles, but yet that it should be a new religion, not the same as taught by Moses; and that this religion should spring, not from the whole nation, but from one individual of that nation, and he a person despised, rejected, and persecuted, even to death, by his own people.

All this, which is so unlike what any one would have foretold from mere guess, and which we see actually come to pass, is prophesied in books which enemies of Christianity (the unbelieving Jews of this day) reverence as divinely inspired.

Now, if you reflect attentively on all these heads of evidence which you have been learning, and of which this short summary has just been put before you, you will perceive that even a portion of it might be fairly considered as a strong reason to be given of the hope that is in you; but that when you take the whole of it together, it is sufficient to satisfy any reasonable mind; for, to believe that so many marks of truth should be brought together by chance, or by man's contrivance, in