l U K JU iH' - — ™- l W* ,-^ . 'i^ /■#, •*■!;<. -f^^n CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 089 083 392 .1^^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924089083392 ' %,^r.^a h- JJi 'Mth Wffilo 'tj,6> '/ii 't/iy./fi,:!? n ,,.' 'n ijv?z^s5&4. /aid . -neMg^i- Me- /u -' ", /'n-./tci , l> ' ■■'■ / ''"' /' / / ' ■ / '' ly -TTtU/. HiTEH Ciap.IITer 8. ENGLISH VERSION OF THE POLYGLOTT BIBLE, CONTAINING THE . OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, WITH THE MARGINAL READINGS, AND A FULL AND ORIGINAL SELECTION OF REFERENCES TO PARALLEL AND ILLUSTRATIVE PASSAGES, ARRANGED IN A MANNER HITHERTO UNATTEMPTED; TO WHICH ARE ADDED A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND TO EACH OF THE BOOKS ; BY REV. JOSEPH A. WARNE. AN ESSAY ON THE RIGHT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE WRITINGS IN WHICH THE REVELATIONS OF GOD ARE CONTAINED, BY JAMES MACKNIGHT, D. D. THREE SERMONS ON IHE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, BY PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D. D. A GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL INDEX, OR BIBLE GAZETTEER. • A CONCORDANCE BY REV. J. BROWN; A COMPLETE INDEX AND CONCISE DICTIONARY TO THE BIBLE; IN WinCH THE VARIOUS PERSONS, PLACES AND SUBJECTS MENTIONED IN IT ARE ACCURATELY REFEKEED TO, AND EVERY DIFFICULT WORD BRIEFLY EXPLAINED ; TOGETHER WITH A NUMBER OF USEFUL AND INTERESTING TABLES; A NEATLY ENGRAVED FAMILY RECORD; riNELY EXECUTED MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS ON STEEL, AND NUMEROUS WOOD CUTS ILLUS- TRATIVE OF THE SACRED TEXT. BRATTLEBORC, YT.: PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH STEEN AND COMPANY, AND G. H. SALISBURY. . 1866. Knteted, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1833, by JOS. FESSENDEN AND J. C. HOLBROOK, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Veiraont. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE POLYGLOTT BIBLE. The following is an extract of a recommendation of several clergymen of Philadelphia, to the small edition of this work. "We are satisfied, after a careful review of this work, that the marginal references and readings are more correct and useful for all common purposes, than any other Bible extant. Those of Canne, Scott, Brown, Blaney Oster- vald, and others, are too numerous, and many of them entirely useless to the Christian in the closet, or the scholar in the class ; while those of the Polyglott are few, yet containing all that is highly important, and by a very ingenious arrangement, are placed without conftision in a small middle cclumn, without injuring or obscuring the face of the page." (Signed,) THOMAS McGAULEY, D. D., Pastor of the 10th Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia G. T. BEDELL, Reaor of St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia. STEPHEN H. TTNG, Rector cf St. Patd's Church, Philadelphia. t JOSEPH SANDFORD, Pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church, PhUadelphta. WILLIAM T. BRANTLT, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia. THOMAS H. SKINNER, D. D., Pastor of the 6th Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia THOMAS SARGEANT, Pastor of St. George's Methodist Church, Philadelphia. Boston, Dec. 2ilh, 1832. Mkssks. Peirce. & Parker, Gentlemen, — That a Bible for daily use be accompanied with marginal references, and those helps with which you propose to furnish your contemplated edition, is surely a high advantage. The references which have been prepared for the English version of the Polyglott Bible, so called, appear to have been selected with attention and skill. Of the value of the other proposed accompaniments, we think very highly ; and cannot therefore but wish success to the publication, and desire that this edition of the Sacred Scriptures may have a wide circulation. {Signed,} SEWALL HARDING, Pastor of the Evangelical Church, Waltham HUBBARD WINSLOW, Pastor of Bowdoin Street Church, Boston. GEORGE W. BLAGDEN, Pastor of Salem Street Church, Boston. JOHN.CODMAN, D. D., Pastor of the Evangelical Church, Dorchester. WILLIAM COGSWELL, Corresponding Secretary of the American Education Socitty. L. IVES HOADLET, Late Pastor of the Evangelical Church, Bradford. A. T. HOPKINS, Late Pastor of the Evangelical Church, Pawtucket. JOEL H. LINSLEY, Pastor of Park Street Ckvrch, Boston. PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE POLYGLOTT BIBLE. THE greatness of the advantages that must ac- crue to a sincere and diligent reader of the Sacred Pages, from having constantly before him a Reference to similar and illustrative passages, care- fully investigated, and suitably applied, must be ob- vious to every one ; and has been well understood •by many pious and able men, to whose diligent and useful labours the Public is unspeakably in- debted. The Chronology is always placed at the top of the middle column, where it denotes the Date of the writhig or transaction contained in the text,, at the beginning of the page. - The Maiginal Readings conxsimed in the folio and quarto Bibles are all introduced; the idiOms of the original langi^ages which are preserved in many of tliem, and also the various senses of particular words or phrases, being in most instances instructive, and in all worthy to be known. But it has not been thought necessary, in giving these readings, to insert such words as are repeated in the text, and which would therefore have fruitlessly occupied a portion of the space allotted to references. The Various Readings are referred to by small figures placed immediately before the words for which they are to be substituted ; and the Refer- ences by Italic letters, which are generally placed afler Vte first or second word of a verse, or clause of a verse, when they are intended to illustrate the whole of that verse or clause : but when the princi- pal force of the illustration rests on a single word, the letter reference is placed immediately after that word. This has been the general rule ; and the ex- ceptions have either been unavoidable, or are quite immaterial. In refeiTuig to several relations of the same fects, by different Writers in the Sacred Volume, (as in the histories recorded by the Four Evangelists, and in those contained in the Books of Kings and Chron- icles,) the corresponding chapters, or paits of chap- ters in each, having been once noted at the begin- ning of the history or subject, it has not been iri thought necessary to repeat those references in the subsequent verses, except where something material is to be noticed. Thus also in the prophecy of Oba- diah, which relates chiefly to the destruction of the Edomites, the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Eze- kiel, and Amos, on the same subject, having been once pointed out at the commencement, are not again referred to. And so in the history of our Lord's temptation, given in the fourth chapter of the Gospel by St. Matthew, reference being made from the firet verse to the fourth chapter of that by St. Luke, where the same history is recorded, no further reference is made to that chapter in the subsequent verses ; the connexion of the whole being obvious, and the compai'ison easy. More space has been thus retained for the illustration or confirmation of the subjects or sentences individually, which are compris- ed in the pai-ticular parts of the history or discourse. For a similar reason, where the same identical words, or nearly so, might be found in a great num- ber of texts, a few of these only have been selected ; —illustration, not repetition, having been the object The References, therefore, which fill the middle column, have all been diligently considered and ap- plied with a particular attention to this specific end, that none which were superfluous might be intro- duced, while the most material purposes to be an- swered by References might nevertheless be effect- ually secured. Whether the latitude or the limits of etuch kq undertakmg be considered, it is proper that the principles on which it has been conducted should be so far explained, as that the Reader may be ap- prised of what he is to expect from it, and in what branches of religious inquiry it may most materially assist him. In that grand enunciation of the dignity and de sign of the Sacred Volume, which is given by the Apostle Paul, ^2 Tim. iii. 16, 17,) we are told, that " ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN KlOHTEOPi PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH A'^ERSION NESS ; THAT THE MAN OF GoD MAT BE PERFECT, THORODGHJ.y FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS." But it must be evident, tluit tJie Scri]>tui-e co\ild not be effectually profitable for tlicpe great ends, nor make tlie man of God perfect,* if it ^vere not per- fect Itself; if itsdifTeront parts were at variance with each oilier: if, notwithstanding all the variety of matter, and multiplicity of detail, which such a book required, the doctrines revealed, and the moral du- ties enjoined, were not substantially and essentially the same ihroiighout; and if all the parts did not concur in the plan of the whole. To exiiibit, then, the harmony of the Sacred Writers, on the sub- jects of which lliey treat, has been the primary de- si™ of this selection. And as there are some sub- jects of leading importance, in which all the rest are included, and by means of which the harmony wid perfection of the Inspired Pages are written, as *?iih the beams of tlie sun ; to these, especial care ind attention have been devoted. I. It has appeared an object of the first magnitude, j^at the reader of the Holj' Scriptures should be as- sisted by references from text to text, to have con- stantly iu view the connexion of all the divine attributes, and the holy uniformity of God in his government, both of his Church, and of the world. A display of the true character and perfi^ctions of God is, without dispute, one chief design of the In- spired Volume. Here, as in Isaiah's miraculous vision, may Jehovah be seen, sitting upon a throne, }iigh and lifted up; his train fills the temple, and the Sacred Writers, like the Seraphim, cover them- selves, and cry one to another, and say, holt, holt, HOLT IS THE LoRD OF HOSTS, THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORT. It IS tllis whlch givCS tO the Scripture its superlative grandeur. By it, God is known ; his will is promulgated ; his purposes are revealed ; liis mercy is aiuiounced ; and he is every where exhibited as wortliy of the supreme adora- tion, love, service, and praise, of all his intelligent creatures. Little do those who neglect their Bibles think what refined delight they lose, by thus turn- ing away their eyes from the most sublime, the most glorious, and the most beatifying object of contem- plation, that the whole universe affords. II. But tllis manifestation of the Divine character and government is not presented to us as a matter of mere speculation, in which we have no immedi- ate and personal interest. The Holy Scriptures are designed to promote the Glory of God ey the SALVATION OF MAN. The peculiar purpose of the whole is, to turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God ; to raise them from the ruins of the Fall, and to put them in possession of the blessings of Redemption ; to lead them from Bin to holiness ; to conduct them through a state of conflict and trial on earth, to a state of rest and feli- city in heaven ; and so to assist and direct them iu all possible conditions in life, that they may not fail of these great ends, except by their own wilful rejection of the counsel of God against thenoselves. The salvation of his own soul shoidd therefore he the grand concern of every reader of the Scripture. Here tne immortality of the soul is brought to light, and placed in unquestionable evidence. Here, its defection from original purity is clearly demonstrat- ed ; the means of its restoration are set forth ; and its fiiture destiny is declared. It is an awful rc- * 'jiFTIO^j pp.rfectus, intcf^sr, nanus, iacolumis, cov-sentancus, unsuiitmatiu. — Hedericus. sponsibility wluch they incur who wilfully neglect this holy book, and devote all their time, and the powers of their minds, to terrestrial, and subordi- nate objects. They slight the pearl of greatest price, wliich is no where else to be found ; and seem as if they were determined to frustrate, as far as re- spects themselves, all that Divine wisdom and good- ness have done to rescue the immortal mind of man from spiritual ignorance, error, vanity, vice, and ruin. Those, however, who are seeking to enjoy the blessings which the Gospel reveals, will, as they are able, search the Scriptures ; and such per- sons will receive gi'eat help from having references at hand to assist their inquiries. " It wore to be wish- ed," says Bishop Horsley, " that no Bibles were printed without References. Particular diligence should be used in comparing the parallel texts of the Old and New Testaments. ... It is incredible," he adds, " to any one who has not made the experi- ment, what a proficiency may be made in that knowledge which maketh wise imto salvation, by studying the Scriptures in this manner, without ANY other commentary, OR EXPOSITION, THAN what THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SACRED VOL- UME MUTUALLY FURNISH FOR EACH OTHER. Let the most illiterate Christian study them in this manner, and let him noverTease to pray for the illumination of that spirit by which these books were diciated; and the whole compass of abstruse philosophy, and recondito histoiy, shall furnish no argument with which the pervci-se will of man shall be able to shake this learned Christian's faitli."t So great and perfect is the coincidence of every jiart of the Word of God in the grand and merciful design of die whole ! III. This is more apparent, and the hannony and perfection of the Holy Scriptures are rendered more peculiarly evident and distinct, by the constant re- ference of all its writers to our Lord and Savjour Jesus Christ. To him give all the prophets WITNESS. Acts x. 43. The things which were writ- ten in the law of Moses, and in all the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concern him ; (Luke xxiv. 27, 44 ;) and would come to nothing if he were separat- ed from them. He is the bright and morning star ; the true light that must lighten ev^ry man who comes to see the glory of Divine Revelation. Rev. xxii. 16. John i. 9. It has therefore been a chief design of this Work to connect and to exhibit the testimony which all the Sacred Penmen bear- to the adorable Immanuel ; to the proper and unequivocal Divinity of his nature, the necessity of his mediation, the reality and design of his incarnation, his spotless and exemplary life, his unparalleled sufferings, his vicarious death, the verity of his resurrection and ascension into heaven, die sufliciency of his right- eousness, the prevalence of his intercession, the spirituality of his kingdom, his sovereignty in the Church, his constant care and love of his people, and the certainty of his second coming to raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness; — grand and sublime truths, in which every individual of the human race is deeply and eternally interested. IV. The ci.ief purpose of Christ's mission being that such as believe on him might be saved from sin, which is the transgression of the Divine law, and from the punishment due to it; it has been thought important frequently to connect those texts wluch sjieak of transgressions, with- those in which the t Hoisley'6 Nine SerinonB, p. 22.1—938. OF THE POLYGLOTT BIBLE. mw concerning them is to be found, and in which pnnishnient is threatened; and sometimes with tliose in which the atonement is set forth, and pai- don is proclaimed ; or in which sanctification is promised, or enforced : and these again with such as relate to the future happiness and glory whicli is promised to the faithful, or punishment and misery denounced against the impenitent. A small body of divinity is sometimes comprised in a few texts con- 1 ected together in this way. Thus, from those words in Eze. xxiii. 49. Ye shall bear the sins of your idols, the Reader is referred first to Niunb. xiv. 34, as a parallel passage, shewing God visiting sin upon the transgressors themselves ; then to Numb, xviii. 23. to shew the typical visitation of it upon the Le- vitical priesthood ; then to Isaiah liii. 11. to shew the prophetic declaration of its being laid on Christ; and, lastly, to 1 Pet. ii. 24. to shew the actual fulfil- ment of that prophecy, and the end to be answered by it : for there we are told, that He that judgeth righteously, " his own self, hare our si7is in his ojvn body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live to righteousness." V. The concurrence of the Old and New Testa- ment with each other, and the relation of the types before and under the Mosaic law, to their comple- tion under the Gospel, have been studiously regard- ed, so as to render it evident, that whatever varia- tions may have been made in the form and adminis- tration of external worship, true religion, under the former dispensations, was always essentially the same as true religion undi!r the present ; that " he is not a Jew which is one outwardly ; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the let- ter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God. For in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him." Rom. ii. 28, 29. Acts X. 35. In this, the revelation made before the insdtution of the Levitical priesthood, that made during its continuance, and that which has been made since its termination, all agree. The Mosaic ritual was the shadow of good things to come ; so were the priesthood and kingdom of Melchisedec : and the body is Christ, who is essentially the same, both in his person and in his government, yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Heb. xiii. 8. VI. But the instruction diffused through the Scrip- tures, respecting the gracious and indispensable ope- rations of the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier, has not been forgotten : and the references on this article will shew, that, as to his sacred influence on the minds of the Inspired Penmen, we are indebted for all the truths ihey have taught us ; so to his influence on the minds Of those who receive and regard them, nnist such persons be indebted for all they have learned, or can learn, of them. His work completes the great design of the whole ; and his assistance and blessing are distinctly promised to all who sin- cerely ask them. VII. As the Scriptures harmonize in their pri- mary and general objects, so do they with regard to the particular sul)jects comprehended in their plan. Historical accounts are verified by other coincident ones, or by accounts of the persons or jilaces to which they refer. The prophecies of one Prophet, concerning events which were to take jilace, relat- ing either to kingdoms, families, individuals, or the world at large, are consistent with those pronon. c^d by other Prophets. The accounts of the Jewish polity under its various vicissitudes, are confirnwd by the writings of the Prophets who lived during or after those vicissitudes ; while the former tend re- ciprocally to establish the authenticity of the latter. The histories of the Four Evangelists have a regular connexion and parallelism, especially those of Mat- thew, Mark, and Luke. The recital of the transac tions of the Apostles, after the ascension of our Lord, strongly authenticates the Apostolic Epistles : and Archdeacon Paley has well shewn the confirma- tion which the Epistles of St. Paul derive from llie circumstances recorded by St. Luke, in his book of the Acts. Prophecies are connected with their accomplishments, as far as those accomplishments are included in the Scripture History. Promises and threatenings are connected with their respec-' tive fulfilments; precept with example, and with supplication ; and the prayers of believers with the answers they have received. All these re- lations have been carefully regarded in this com- pilation. VIII. Further, the Scriptures are not merely in- tended to lead men to godliness: they are intend- ed also to exemplify it. ' Repentance, Faith, Hope, Charity, and Devotion, are here exhibited in the most perfect models ; and it has therefore entered into the design of this Work to shew the correspond- ing emotions and conduct of the Saints, both of the Old Testament and the New, when under the influ- ence of those dispositions, contemplations, and emo- tions, which are most peculiarly characteristic of true piety ; and also to connect the devotional parts of Scripture with the occurrences which gave rise to them, as far as they can be ascertahied. Thus is Religion known by its fruits: not as a thing merely of times and circumstances : but a living principle in the mind, which times and circumstances call into action, and contribute to display. IX. The aphoristic and poetical parts of the Sa- cred Writings are also connected, so as to illustrate and enforce each other; that the Reader may be constantly impressed with those momentous truths, and that sublime language with which they abound, and whicli aflbrd perpetual food for the best exer- cises of the understanding, and the finest emotions of the heart ; at once furnishing materials for the most rational entertainment, and the most solid in- struction. In this respect, the Scriptures will b« found to resemble the garden of Eden, in which the Lord God has made to grow every tree thai is pleasant to the sight, and good for spiritual food. But no Cherubim or flaming sword are here to prohibit access to the Tree of Life. The children of the second Adam may freely, and without fear or intemiption, now put forth their hands to its soul-reviving fruit, and take, and eat, and live for ever. X. The agi-eement of the Sacred Writers with each other will be found not only to exist in the subjects on which they treat, but to extend to their own individual characters. It will appear that they were all animated by the same Spirit; that they were all holy men, speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, calling men to holiness, as the in- dispensable requisite to the enjoyment of everlasting happiness; — men, nevertheless, of like passions with ourselves, conscious of their own natural infirmity PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH VERSION, &c. and siufulness, and of the mercy of God through Christ Jesus, as theh- only refuge from his just dis- pleasure. In short, they were men fearing God ; Joving God ; loving his character, his laws, his will ; admiring his great and wonderful purposes, and voluntarily, deliberately, and determinedly devot- ing themselves to his service, whatever it might cost them, and to whatever it might expose them. On all these accounts, they are held forth as ex- amples, whose faith, patience, and practice. Christ- ians are to follow. 1 Cor. xi. 1. Heb. xiii. 7. Ja. V 10 It is thus that the Scriptures are profitable to all the purj)oses for which thry are destined, and are calculated to make the man of God perfect, and thoroughly furnished unto all good works. To the Inspired Pages at large may be applied the lemarks of the excellent Bishop Home (on the Psalms.) "Indited under the influence of Him, to whom all hearts are known, and all events fore- known, they suit mankind in all situations, grateful as the manna which descended from above, and con- formed itself to every palate. The fairest produc- VI tions of human wit, after a few perusals, like gather- ed flowers, wither in our hands, and lose their fra- grancy ; but these unfading plants of Paradise be- come, as we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful ; their bloom appears to be daily heightened, fresh odours are emitted, and new sweets extracted from them. He who hath once tasted their excellences, will desire to taste them yet again ; and he who tastes them oftenest will relish them best." Happy in having labored to facilitate the acquaint- ance of the Christian with this invaluable treasure, the Editor has now only to implore the blessing of Him by whom its exhaustless stores have been be- stowed on sinful man ; and to hope that his feeble endea.vours may be instrumental in advancing the Reader's edification, and, in their humble measure, tend to promote that happy state of things, so long foretold, and so ardently to be desired, in which thb EARTH SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF JEHOVAH AS THE IVATERS COVCK THE SEA. Heb. ii. 14. Is. xi. 9. ORDER OP THE BOOKS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. Chaps. GENESIS 50 Exodus 40 Leviticus 27 Numbers 36 Deuteronomy 34 Joshua 24 Ju(l<];es 21 Ruth 4 1 Samuel 31 2 Samuel 24 1 Kings 22 2 Kmgs 25 1 Chronicles 29 Chapgi 2 Chronicles 36 Ezra '10 Nehemiali 13 Esther 10 Job 42 Psalms 150 Proverbs 31 Ecclesiastes 12 Song of Solomon .... 8 Isaiah GC> Jeremiah 52 Lamentations 5 Ezekiel 48 Daniel • 12 Hosea 4 Joel 3 Amos . 9 Obadiah Jonah 4 Micah 7 Nahuin .... 3 Habakknk 8 Zephaniah S Haggai . ... . . 2 Zecliariah ... ... 14 Malachi 4 MATTHEW 28 Mark Ifi Luke 24 John 21 The Acts 28 Epistle to the Romans . . . 16 1 Corinthians 16 2 Corinthians ...... 13 Galatians 6 Fphesians 6 Pliilippians 4 Colossians 4 1 Thessalonians 5 2 Tiiessalouians 3 1 Timotliy 6 2 Timothy 4 Titus 3 Philemon 1 To the Hebrews 13 Epistle of James 5 1 Peter 5 2 Peter 3 1 John 5 2 John 1 3 John 1 Jude ,1 Revelation 23 THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WITH THE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE REFERENCES. B.C B. C. 1491 Genesis . . . . . Ge. 1004 Job .... . . Job. 1004 1491 Exodus . . . . . Ex. 1000 1490 Leviticus . . . . Le. 975 1451 Deuteronomy . . . De. 897 1451 Numbers . . . . Nu. 862 1427 Joshua . . . . . Jos. 800 1406 Judges . . Ju. 787 1312 Ruth .... . . Ru. 750 1055 1 Samuel . . . . 1 Sa. 740 1018 2 Samuel . . . . 2Sa. 713 1015 1 Chronicles . . ICh. 698 Psalms . . . . Ps. 630 1013 Song of Solomo n . Ca. 626 1 Kings, I.— XL 1 Ki 2 Chron. I.— LX. 2 Ch. Proverbs .... Pr. Ecclesiastes . . . Ec. 1 Kings, XII, &c.. 1 Ki. Jonah Jon. Joel Joel. Amos Am. Micah Mi. Hosea Ho. Nahum .... Na. Isaiah Jg. Zephaniah . . . Zep. Habakkuk . . , Hab B. a 623 2 Chron. X, &c. . . 2 Ch 590 2 Kings . 2 Ki 588 Jeremiah . . . . Je. 588 Lamentations . La. 587 Obadiah . . . Ob. 574 Ezekiel . . Eze. 534 Dimiel . . Da. 520 Haggai . . . Hag. 520 Zechaiiah . Zee. 509 Estlier . . . Ea. 457 Ezra . . Ezr. 434 Nehemiah . . Ne. 397 Malachi . . . Mai CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, CONTAINING AN OUTLINE OF THE EVIDENCE GENUINENESS, AUTHENTICITY AND INSPIRATION SACRED WRITINGS, / DESIGNED PRINCIPALLY FOR THE USE OF SUCH PERSONS AS HAVE NEITHER THt LEISURE NOR THE FACILITIES FOR CONSULTING EXTENSIVE AND LEARNED WORKS UPON THE SUBJECT; AND ESFECIALLT FOR TEACHERS AND ADVANCED SCHOLARS IN SABBATH SCHOOLS AND BIBLE CLASSES. BY THE REV. JOSEPH A. WARNE BEATTLEBORO', YT.: PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH STEEN AND COMPANY, AND G. H. SALISBURY. 1865. A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. The scriptures of the Old and New Testa- ment claim to be a perfect and authoritative rule of faith and practice; and to be such a rule, because they are the declarations of the will of the Creator and Moral Governor of the world. The validity of these claims, then, cannot but be an interesting and important subject of in- vestigation; — it must be an important inquiry to which to furnish a satisfactory answer, Are the writings contained in the Bible really a rev- elation from God? Before we attempt to fur- nish such an answer, there are some previous questions which need to be disposed of; for ex- ample. Is a Revelation from Heaven possible? Is it likely that such a revelation would be af- forded to his creatures, by the Creator? Is there ■ any necessity for such a communication from God to man? Then, supposing these questions to be answered affirmatively, the next will be a question of fact, Whether such Reve- lation has been indeed made to man ? When this question shall be settled affirmatively, another will arise in the mind of the mere English Reader; Whether his Bible, the English trans- lation, may be relied on as the word of God? It will be our object in this Introduction, to reply to these several inquiries; and to en- deavor to prove the affirmative of them, viz. That a Revelation of the Divine will is possi- ble; — That it is highly probable that such a Revelation would be given; — That such a Revelation is necessary; — That such a Rev- elation has been given; — and that our English translation, in what is called the authorized version, contains the imparted Revelation. CHAPTER I. .4 Revelation of the Divine will is possible. Any person who believes in the existence of a God, possessing the attributes usually ascribed to him in Christian countries, and particularly Omnipotence, must at once admit that He can, if he see fit, make a communication of his will to man. for Oi.inipotence is the power of doing whatever does not imply a contradiction; and no contradiction is involved in the sUj^position of such a communication from God to man. He can communicate other knowledge than men have the power to acquire in the ordinary modes of intercourse with each other; and also can impart, in a manner different from thai in which men usually obtain it, knowledge, which is attainable by ordinary means. He can pre- serve those to whom he makes his communica- tions, from those errors into which they would, without such special assistance, be liable to fall; and he can render them capable of exer- tions in the apprehension and expression of truth, to which their unaided powers are alto- gether inadequate. Now all that is claimed for the inspired writers, is, That they make known truths the knowledge of which cannot be attained in the ordinary way, — that they were sometimes, in an extraordinary way, in- structed in things, the knowledge of which is attainable by common means; — that they were, by special divine superintendence, preserved from error; — that their powers were, sometimes, specially enlarged and elevated; and that they were thus, in the ordinary exercise of their fac- ulties, operating in an elevated degree, capable of efforts to which, under ordinary circumstan- ces, they were not equal. All therefore which is claimed for them is conceded as possible, by him who admits the existence of an Almighty Governor of the Universe, and with others we have, here, no argument. Moreover, An Almighty being is able so to communicate his will to his rational creatures, as to make it certain to them, that it is He who converses with them. Can it be that men have the means of intercourse with each other, and also the means of knowing, certainly, who it ia with whom they hold this converse; and yet, that the Almighty is without the power of con- vincing hii? servants that it is He who conver- ses with them? Is his power circumscribed within limits narrower than theirs? If not, it is possible for him to accredit his communica- tions to those to whom he originally makes them; and to deny this, and admit Omnipotence in God, is a glaring contradiction A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER II. *3 Hetdatum of the Divine will is probable. Every enlightened Deist is ready to admit the Divine Being to be possessed of infinite wis- dom. He admits also that this All-wise Being has created, and placed man upon the earth. Now such a Being would not call man into ex- istence, and place him on the stage, without a purpose which he designed to accomplish by so doing. Nor would he place man upon earth in any other circumstances, than those best calcu- lated to secure the end he proposed in man's creation and location here; for infinite wis- don must choose the best means to acc(^mplish its purposes. Now is it more probable that while our Creator designed us to accomplish his will, he should leave us in ignorance of that will, or that he should make to us a communi- cation of it? Every man's reason and common sense at once answers this question, that the communication of a revelation is a more pro- bable event than the withholding of it. Again, The Deist admits, that God is a being of equal justice, and boundless benevolence; and, that man is the subject of God's moral government, and accountable to his Maker for l.is actions. Now, if man be accountable for h-s actions, they must be examined by some standard; that standard is the rule of actions, — the law of conduct. But a law is an exhi- bition of the will of the law-giver; and, such an exhibition, from God to man, is a revelation. Now is it more probable, that God will call men to account for their actions, as corresponding, or disagreeing with his will, when he never im- parted to them that will; or that as they are accountable, he will furnish to them a rule of conduct, and a standard of duty ? Which course would most nearly accord with even-handed justice, and boundless benevolence? Benev- olence desires the good of its object; Which, then, is most likely to promote men's good, and their happiness; the destitution of that rule, by observing which happiness may be secured? or, the possession of it? If the possession of it, then is it probable, that under the govern- ment of an infinitely benevolent being, a Rev- elation would be imparted. Again, What we actually witness and expe- rience of the benevolence of God, would ren- der it probable, that he would afford to man a revelation of his will. We see the world every where furnished with remedies for the diseases to which mankind are liable. It is God who has thus produced, in abundance, the means of alleviating natural evil; and his benevolence appears in ihese provisions. Now moral evil exists, as the Deist will readily admit, and its ravages are committed on the more noble part of man's nature, especially, — his soul. Is it probable, that for the evils suffered by our in- ferior part, our Creator should make such va- ried and abundant provision; while, yet, for the nobler, and ever enduring spirit, under its far more serious sufferings, no remedy should be provided ? Is it probable, that for the diseases of the body, which must soon, at all events, drop into the grave, remedies should be fur- nished; while, yet, for the deeper maladies of the deathless spirit, (e. g. ignorance of God, the chief good, — and distaste to his service, the highest felicity) the whole range of this lower world should contain no intimations of a healing balm? Whoever admits a God, suf- ficiently benevolent to regard the miseries of his creatures, and sufficiently wise, to propor- tion his regard to the nature and magnitude of these miseries, must admit, that there is a greater probability that a revelation should be imparted, than that it should be withheld. CHAPTER III. A Revelation of the Divine WW, is necessary. The truth of this position may be shown, from various considerations. 1. From the moral state of the ancient Heathens. On this subject we have testimo- nies in abundance, and the diflaculty lies only in selection. Sacred writers, considered mere- ly as historians, may be properly introduced here as witnesses. On religious and moral subjects, these writers declare the heathen to have become "vain in their imaginations " or "reasonings," and that, "their foolish heart was darkened:" they were " given over to vile affections, and to work " or practice " all un- cleanness with greediness:" — that being " with- out Christ," they were " without hope and with- out a God " deserving of the name or worship of one. The moral state of the ancient heathen may be learned also, and the testimony of the sa- cred writers, respecting them, confirmed by that of heathen writers themselves. Crimes, the most flagitious, were countenanced both by the arguments and example, of their moralists and Philosophers. Plato taught the expedien- cy, and the lawfulness of infanticide by expo- sure; and Aristotle, of procuring abortion. Lycurgus, a man whom Plutarch has eulogized, as a perfectly wise, or good man, allowed the exposure, or murder of weak and imperfectly formed children in his republic, as also of theft; for which itself no punishment was inflicted, but only for the want of adroitness in the practice of it. The public baths of Sparta, also,. were for the indiscriminate use of both sexes, and both were compelled to bathe together: and this model of perfection, Lycufgus, ordered, that females, as well as males, should appear naked in the public exercises, and in that state, should dance with them at the solemn festivals and sacrifices. The task were easy to produce, from heathen writers, evidence of the most revolting and flagitious wickedness, in the prac- tice of the communities of those times; but we must not pollute our pages with the details. Such persons, as are desirous of perusing the sad particulars of their moral degradation and pollution, are referred to the Biblical Reposito- THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. ry, Vol. 2. p. 441. et. seq. Enough has here been said, to evince the necessity of a Revela- tion, from the moral state of the heathen gen- erally; for, laws tolerating such enormities, and far less enjoining them, could not have been enacted by legislators, even the most abandon- ed, had not public sentiment accorded with them ; and, in a measure, invited their enactment. But, lest it should be supposed that this was the morality of merely the common people, the pro- fanmn vulgus, and that the enlightened and re- fined among the ancient heathen, were persons of correct and pure morals, we must proceed another step in our argument, and prove our position, 2. From the moral state of the refined and educated among the heathen ; — the practices of their Philosophers, Legislators, and Poets. We must, of necessity, be brief, in the notices we introduce, and also in the catalogue of names we mention; we shall, therefore, make our se- lection from among the least exceptionable of their distinguished men ; from those whom clas- sical scholars universally admire, and whom Deists are the readiest to quote, in their en- deavors to show the sufficiency of reason and the Heedlessness of a revelation in matters of morals and religion. Socrates, the first among the Greeks who made morality the proper and only subject of his philosophy, and introduced jt into common life, recommended divination, and was addict- ed to incontinence and fornication. Plato, tl«3 great disciple of Socrates, encouraged by his practice, unnatural lusts and vices; and if his practice may be estimated by his precepts, would not hesitate, on what he would call a fit occa- sion, to dissemble, deceive and lie; for he teach- es in his Republic, that, to lie, is often xnlov, honorable; and that "he may lie who kno^ws how to do it, on a fit, or needful occasion." Cic- ero, as favorable a specimen of heathen excel- lence as we can readily find, commends, and jus- tifies, and at length practised suicide; and warm- ly pleads for fornication; as having in it noth- ing censurable; and as being universally allow- ed and practised. Cato of Utica, (who has been extolled as " a perfect model of virtue,) actually prostituted his wife to Hortensius; was an ha- bitual drunkard; and advocated and practised self-murder. It has been said of some of the ancient philosophers, and particularly of Soc- rates, that the morality he taught was pure and elevated; and, especially, that the great Chris- tian duty, of love to enemies, and forgiveness of injuries, was inculcated by him, and that, therefore, there is no "necessity of Revelation" to teach us even this exalted branch of morals. But if the whole scope of the passage be duly observed, it will be seen to be otherwise. It is one thing to abstain from inflicting punishment, either with our own hands, or by the hands of the minister of justice; and another thing to forgive and love the offender. The former, Socrates approves and enjoins; but not the latter; so far from it, indeed, that he assigns his desire of the highest and most refined ven- geance, as a reason why he would not pros- ecute an enemy at the tribunals of his coun- try. The following is the substance of his reasoning: — "You allow that moral excel- lence is the greatest good. You allow, also, that the punishment of offenders is one means of reforming them. If then our enemy has in- jured us, the greatest good we can bestow upon him, is to bring him to a court of justice, and inflict the vengeance of the laws. Then by no means punish your enemy for having injured you; for so you defeat your own purpose of re- venge. Leave him to the whole, uncontrolled, uncounteracted influence of his moral depravi- ty, because that is the greatest evil which can be endured." As to the morality of the poets of pagan antiquity, if by their works, we may estimate their ways, it was as utterly objectionable as that of the other classes. The creations of their fancy, laid the foundation of the popular theology ; and who can wonder that the people became enormously wicked, when the very evils which they practised, were recorded and cele- brated as those of their deities, in the songs of those who were their prophets.' It is saying sufficient of the morals of the poets, to ob- serve, that the works of most of them, as Ana- creon, and Juvenal, and Ovid, and Martial, and Horace, &c. we cannot put into the hands of youth, except in a purified edition, lest we should excite the passions of their animal na- ture, and inflict injuries which could never be repaired. And what better morality could be ex- pected in the practice of teachers whose creed, given to the world by the trumpet of fame, admits no state of future rewards and punishments, and declares death an everlasting sleep? Sen- eca speaks, substantially, the language of them all, when he says, " There is nothing after death; and death itself is iiothing: do you ask what will be your condition after your decease? It will be even that of those unborn." 3. From the sense entertained by the great men of antiquity, as to the necessity of a reve- lation. They witnessed the efforts, and felt the strugglings of giant intellects, to acquire some knowledge of man's ultimate destiny; and some scintillations of light were occasionally elicited — as in Socrates, in the Phaedo of Plato: but, was there a confidence, thus inspired, of immor- tality? No: after stating arguments in its fa- vor, the best he could devise, he adds, " That these things are so as I have represented them, it does not become any man of understanding to affirm." Again, " If the things which are told us are true, those who live there," (i. e. in a future stat^vof being,) " are in other respects happier than we, and also in this; that for the rest of their -existence they are immortal." Does this hesitating language exhibit a satis faction with the decisions of reason, and a con- viction of its sufficiency ? Who docs not see, in every sentence of it, a proof of the necessi- ty of revelation to cast a radiance over the A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO gloom of the grave? He shall speak once more; — When about to die, he said, " I hope to go hence to good men; but of this I am not very confident: nor is it fitting for a wise man to be confident, that these things are true. I shall now die, and you will live; but which of us shall be in the best state, God only knows." Cicero also, after having enumerated the opin- ions of philosophers respecting immortality, concludes as follows, "Of these opinions, which is the true one, a god may perceive;" q. d. it is past the power of a mortal to discern. What a contrast to this uncertainty, is presented in the language of an apostle. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep thi ', which I have committed to him against that da/" " W^e know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God; a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." " Hence- forth there is laid up for me a crown of right- eousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge nfiALL give me at that day." The judgment of the wisest heathens on the necessity of Reve- lation cannot be more fully and satisfactorily exhibited, than in the following sentence from Plato. "It is necessary that a lawgiver be sent from heaven to instruct us;" such a law- giver he did, at least, faintly expect; and "O," says he, " How greatly do I desire to see that man, and who he is." Nay, he goes farther, and says, "He must be more than man; for since every nature is governed by another na- ture superior to it, as beasts and birds by rrten, he infers, that this lawgiver who was to teach man, what man could not know by his own nature, must be of a nature superior to man, that is, of a di- vine nature." But, farther still, he, in anoth- er place, gives as lively a description of the person, qualifications, life, and death of this celestial teacher, as if he had been acquainted with the predictions of Isaiah respecting him. He says, " This just person must be poor, and void of all recommendations but that of virtue alone; that a wicked world would not bear his instructions and reproofs; and therefore, within three or four years after he began to preach, he would be persecuted, imprisoned, scourged, and at last put to death." From these observations it will he seen that, au far as the ancient heathen are concerned, whether we look at the community in general, or at the refined and cultivated in particular, on all the most important subjects, as God, and religion, and human happiness, their reason was asleep ; and if some of its dreams had about them a striking resemblance to reality and truth, yet, without the guidance of revelation, ihey invariably wandered into the mazes of er- ror. What is the tendency, and -jvhat the effi- cacy of the sentiments of any one philosopher, or moralist, or legislator.? or wh&t is the aggre- gate efficacy of them all, to impart correct con- ceptions of the character of God, to purify the aflTections, subjugate the will, subdue the pas- sions, or reform the life ? Absolutely nothing. They never established, beyond doubt, one prin- ciple in theology, nor one rule in morals. Not one of the whole number of intellectual gi- ants of Greece or Rome, held all those propo- sitions, which are now considered as integral and essential parts of natural religion, viz: — " That there is one God; That God is nothing of all those things which we see; That God takes care of all below, and governs all the world; That he alone is the great Creator of all things out of himself:" and very few of them held any one of these propositions firmly. None of them ever attempted a solution of the ques- tion, " Hdw can an offender appear before the God whose laws he has broken.?" and none of them has given a single precept of human con- duct, which bears even a distant approximation to that simple, admirable, and comprehensive one of the Christian Legislator, " Do unto others, as ye would they should do unto you." From the utter failure, then, of the master spirits of antiquity, to give precepts of either religion or morals, which are perfect in nature, or power- ful in motive; and from the imperfection, and, often, gross immorality of their conduct, who undertook to be legislators for others; as well as from their acknowledgment of the need of a heavenly Instructor, we argue the truth of our position, that a Revelation of the Divine will is necessary. But we may here be met by the deistical philosophers of modern times; who assert the needlessness of revelation, and main- tain that reason is now able to discover all the obligations of morality, without the aid of rev- elation. It is, however, a. fact, that nearly all which modern deists have said wisely and truly, on the obligations of morality, are drafts made, indirectly from that very revelation which they refuse to embrace; and without which they could NEVER have been able to deliver such truths. Since our duty has been clearly revealed to us we can not only perceive its agreement with reason; but can also deduce its obligations/roni reason ; but this is a widely different thing from deducing the rule of duty, in all points, /rom/Ae light of nature. But the contradictory and discordant speculations of the philosophers in question, are so great and glaring; and the precepts delivered by them as a rule of life, so utterly subversive of every principle of morality, as to render it certain that whatever reason un- aided by revelation is able to accomplish, she has not, in fact, exhibited all the obligations of morality: the works of her votaries evince it. We therefore, derive another argument for the necessity of a revelation of the Divine will, 4. From the recorded theological opinions, and from the moral precepts of modern Deis- tical writers. First, Let us examine the recorded theo- logical opinions of some of the more distin- guished of these writers. Lord Herbert of Cherbury, has, among other inconsistencies and contradictions, laid down the following positions; viz. That Christ- ianity is the best religion, and that the religion FHE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES of Nature agrees wholly with Christianity, and contributes to its establishment; — that yet all revealed religion, by which he means Christiani- ty, is absolutely uncertain, and of little or no use: — that the principles of his universal reli- gion are clearly , known to all men ; and yet, that they were nearly unknown to the Gentiles, who comprise nearly all men. He believes in the unity of God, in his mercy to the penitent, in a future state of rewards and punishments; *(all of them, points in theology, which are not discoverable by the light of nature) and yet ac- cuses all pretences to revelation, of folly and unreasonableness; and contemptuously rejects its fundamental doctrines. Mr. Hobbes, the celebrated author of Le- viathan, affirms the Scriptures to be the voice of God; and yet that they derive their author- ity from the civil power: — He admits inspira- tion to be a supernatural gift, and the immediate result of Divine Agency ; and yet that all pre- tence to the possession of it is a sign of mad- ness: — he admits that God exists; and yet that what is not matter is nothing: — that honor and worship are due to God; and yet that all reli- gion is ridiculous. Mr. Blount maintains that prayer is a duty we owe to God ; and yet objects to prayer as a duty; — he believed in future rewards and pun- ishments, and therefore in the immortality of the soul ; and yet argues that the soul of man is pro- bably material, (and of course therefore mortal.) Shaftesbury affirms that a weak and un- steady faith in future rewards and punishments is fatal to virtue, i. e. that a firm belief in this doctrine is a powerful motive to virtue; and yet that this-belief takes away all motives to virtue: — ^that the hope of rewards cannot consist with virtue; and yet that so far from being deroga- tory to virtue, the hope of rewards proves that we love virtue : — that those are to be censured who represent the Gospel as a fraud; and yet that the Scriptures were a mere artful inven- tion; — that virtue is not complete without piety; and yet he labors to make virtue wholly inde- pendent of piety. Dr. Tindal declares that all the doctrines of Christianity plainly speak themselves to be the will of an infinitely wise and holy God ; and yet that the precepts of Christianity are loose, indeterminate, and incapable of being under- stood by mankind generally, and give unworthy apprehensions of God, and are generally false and pernicious: — that natural religion is so plain to all, even the most ignorant, that God could not make it plainer; and yet that almost all men have had very unworthy notions of God, and of natural religion : — that the principles of nat- ural religion are so clear that men cannot possi- bly mistake them; and yet that almost all men actually have grossly mistaken them. Mr. Chubb declares that men are accounta- ble for all their conduct, and will certainly be judged according to truth and rectitude ; and yet that men will not be judged for their impiety «r ingratitude to God, nor for their injustice and unkindness to each other; but only for vol- untary injuries of the public; and that even this is unnecessary and useless: — that God may kindly reveal to the world his will, when greatly vitiated by error and ignorance; but yet that such a revelation would, of course, be uncer- tain and useless. Bolingbroke declares that God made all things; and yet that he did not determine the existence of particular men; i. e. particular persons exist, and they owe their existence to God, and yet he has produced them without determining to produce them, or without design; that is to say. He is a God of wisdom, and yet acts as none but foolish men act, — without an end or object. He affirms that God is just, and that justice requires that rewards and pun- ishments should be measured to particular cases, according to circumstances, in proportion to the merit or demerit of each individual; and yet that God does not so measure out rewards and punishments, nor concerns himself with the affairs of men at all: — that self-love is the great law of nature, and yet that universal love is the great law of nature. David Hume asserts that there is no percep- tible connexion between cause and effect: and yet that every effect is so precisely determined, that no other effect could, in such circumstances, have possibly resulted from the operation of its cause: — that it is folly or flattery to ascribe to God any perfection which is not perfectly dis- covered in his works ; (and as no perfection is thus discovered, it is presumption or flattery to ascribe to him any perfection.) That it is un- reasonable to believe God to be wise and good; — that what we believe to be a perfection in God may be a defect; (i. e. Holiness, Justice, Wisdom, Goodness, Mercy and Truth may be defects in God) consequently their opposites Sin, Injustice, Folly, Malevolence, Cruelty and Falsehood may be excellences, in his character, or might be so if they existed there ; and Satan in whom, as Christians believe, they do exist, may be the more estimable character of the two. Such are a few only of the various, contra- dictory, and impious theological opinions pro- mulgated by the most celebrated champions of modern Deism. With some or other of these, most infidels of our own age and nation sym- bolize; but so diversified are the shades of In- fidelity that no description would be likely to include them all. Some disbelieved the Nature, some the Providence, and, some the very exis- tence of God; but all are unanimous in reject- ing the divine testimony in the Scriptures, and in disbelieving the God of the Bible. How loudly, how intelligibly, how irresistibly, do the inconsistences, and contradictions, and absurdities of these Apostles of the Relfgion of Nature, say in our ears, that Reason is dark, amid, even, her brightest coruscations ; and that, as a guide to theological truth, Revelatjon IS necessary! Secondly, Let us briefly advert to the Moral Precepts of the distinguished adversaries of Revelation. A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO Lord Herbert taught that the indulgence of lust and anger is no more to be blamed than the thirst occasioned by the dropsy, or the drow- siness produced by lethargy. HoBBEs asserted that the civil or municipal law is the only foundation of right and wrong ; and that where civil law does not exist, every man's own judgment is the standard of action; — tliat every man has a right to all things, and may lawfully get them if he can. BoLiNGBROKE rcsolved all morality into self- love; and taught that ambition, sensuality, and avarice, may be lawfully gratified, provided it can be done safely: — that the chief end of man is to gratify the appetites and propensities of his animal nature; — that polygamy is a part of the religion of nature; — that adultery is not a breach of the law of nature; and that there is no wrong except in the grossest lewdness. Hume taught that self-denial, self-mortifi- cation, and humility are not virtues; but are useless and mischievous :-— that adultery must be practised if we would obtain all the advan- tages^ of life ; — that if generally practised, it would, in time, cease to be scandalous; and that if practised secretly, and frequently, it would, by degrees, come to be thought no crime at all! Helvetius advocated the unlimited gratifi- cation of sensual appetites, and taught, that it is not agreeable to policy to regard adultery as a vice, in a moral sense; and that if men will call it a vice, they must acknowledge that there are vices which are useful in certain ages and countries; i. e. that under certain circumstan-^ ces the nature of actions entirely changes, and a vice becomes a virtue. Rousseau made his feelings the standard of morality. "All that Ifeel to be right, is right; what I feel to be viTong, is wrong," says this writer. This is the morality of those, who, in the last century, on the eastern Continent, claimed to be the masters of reason; the High Priests in the temple of the Goddess. And what was the efliect of these doctrines on those who embraced them? Did they evince, by the happiness they diffused through the bosoms which gave them a resting place, or among the people who al- most universally adopted them, that they were sufficient, and adapted to guide men's doubtful footsteps aright .'' Let the records of the French Revolution answer. There the rejecters of Revelation possessed the supreme power, and attempted to dispose of human happiness ac- cording to their own doctrines and wishes. The consequences have been written as it were in blood; and the world has even now scarcely dried the tears she shed over the millions of the slaughtered. And shall it, — can it be still as- sertecf, in the face of these facts, and with the moral precepts before us, from the adoption of which they followed, that the light of nature is sufficient to lead men to virtue and happiness? and that Reason is now able to discover all the obligations of morality, without the aid of Rev- elation? On the contrary, the precepts and the facts alike proclaim the Necessity op Reve LATION. CHAPTER ly. A Revelation of the Divine Will has actually been given. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- ment advance three claims to be a Revelation of the will of God ; which, if they can all be substantiated, will prove the proposition now before us, viz. that they are genuine, or the real writings of the persons by whom they profess to have been written, so far as professions to authorship are made in them; — ^that they are AUTHENTIC, or that the facts which they record actually did occur; — and that they are inspired, or written by special divine impulse ; and under peculiar, and infallible guidance and instruc- tion. It will not be sufficient that they are genuine; for many books are genuine, which are not authentic ; that is they are the real pro- ductions of the writers whose names they bear, but the facts which they profess to record never had a real existence. Thus, the " Sentimental Journey " is known to be the genuine produc- tion of Sterne, whose name it bears; but the ■incidents and conversations it records, never, in reality, occurred. It is not sufficient that they be authentic; for many books are authen- tic ; that is, record events which actually took place, while the real author is another than the person whose name they bear. Anson's Voy- ages is an authentic book, containing records of real occurrences; but it is nevertheless not genuine; for it professes to be the work of Walters; while, in fact, its true author was Benjamin Robins, the Mathematician. Now, admitting the facts recorded in Scripture to have really occurred; yet, if the several books were not written by the persons whose names they bear, it is evident that their claim to be a Revelation from God is without foundation; for the God of truth cannot utter, or sanction false- hood ; and the ascription of the several books to their respective authors, is part and portion of the volume itself; of course, unless they really were the authors, the writings are not a revelation from God. But once more it is not enough that these writings be both genuine and authentic; for the world abounds in books which unite both these characteristics; and yet are not, and do not claim to be of divine origin. Robertson's History of America, and Irving's Life of Columbus are books which are at once authentic and genuine; — they are the works of the writers whose names they bear; smd they narrate events of actual occurrence; but they have not, and they claim not inspiration. But if the writings of the Old and New Testament unite all the characteristics they claim, viz. genuineness, authenticity and inspiration, then are they what they profess to be, a Revelation of the Will of God. Whether they really pos- sess them all, will now be the object of our in- quiry THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. SECTION I. Oil the Genuineness of the Scriptures, The Bible is divided into two principal por- tions, the Old and the New Testaments, and it will be convenient in the prosecution of our in- quiries to consider them separately. The proofs of their genuineness, also, may be classed un- der two heads; external and internal proofs. Of the Old Testament Scriptures. I. External proofs of the genuineness of the Old Testament Scriptures. We shall not here enter into any minute de- tails, relative to the authors of the several books; but, for satisfaction on this point, refer our read- ers to the introductory remarks prefatory to each book. In this place we would only ob- serve, that the Old Testament contains, as we divide them, thirty-nine books; and that the following is a general account of their author- ship, and collection together. The Pentateuch was written by Moses; and was collected, and a very few supplemental additions made by Samuel, the prophet; — and the books of Joshua, and Judges, and Ruth, to- gether with the first part of the first book of Samuel, were collected by the same prophet. The latter part of the first book of Samuel, and the whole of the second book, were written by those who succeeded Samuel in the prophetic office, — probably Nathan and Gad. The books of Kings and Chronicles, are extracts from the records of their own times, which succeeding prophets kept; and also extracts made by Ezra from the public genealogical tables which he made. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are collections of similar records, some written by Ezra and Nehemiah, and some by their prede- cessors. The book of Esther was written by some eminent Jew; but, by whom, is not cer- tain; though the probability is, that either Mor- decai or Ezra was its author. The book of Job was most probably written by Moses, the Psalms, by David, Asaph, and other distin- guished and pious persons, Proverbs, Ecclesi- astes, and Canticles, by Solomon; and the pro- phetical books by the persons whose names they respectively bear. 1. The unbroken, uncontradicted tradition among the Jews that these books are genuine is a strong presumption that they are so. Those persons who lived at the same time with any Hebrew writer, and who transcribed his works, having received them from his own hands for the purpose of transcribing, or who delivered them to others for this purpose, knew, positive- ly, both who was the writer of any such book, and the age in which he lived. And as these persons delivered these writings to their chil- dren, as the works of such writers, those chil- dren would, also, have satisfactory evidence of their genuineness: the same holds good, also, of the next, and every succeeding generation; proVided the transmission is unbroken, and the. tradition uncontradicted , and the joint testimo- ny of these successive generations, may prop-. erly be regarded as Iradilionary proof of the truth of what they affirm. 2. The small number of books in existence at the time when the first books of the Old Tes- tament were written, rendered the preservation, in an uncorrupted state, of those they had, more easy; and their propagation more faithful, than would have been practicable under other cir- cumstances; as, also, the tradition of their origin more easily remembered. 3. The absence of motive to corrupt the sa- cred books, and the existence of powerful mo- tives to transmit them unaltered, affords still further assurance of their genuineness. As a people, the Jews had before them the fear of God, above any people; and they would, there- fore, tremble at the thought of forging, as the writings of his servants, productions of their own minds, and hands. Moreover if the Scrip- tures which have come to us, from the Jews, are forgeries, they are the most unaccountable of all forgeries: — forgeries of what dishonors their nation by recording, on almost every page, the stubbornness, rebellions and follies of them- selves and their ancestors; and uttering to them repeated, and almost incessant, reproofs and censures, as an unteachable, stubborn, wayward people; and placing the character of the whole nation in a most unattractive, and unamiable point of view. Now all this testimony being actually borne, and borne by the Jews them- selves, against themselves, is unexceptionable evidence that the books which record it, and which Jews declare to be their sacred books, are the writings of those to whom they are as- cribed; i. e. that they are genuine. If a man were accused of forging some document, or history, v/hile no evidence, either presumptive, or positive, could be adduced of iiis guilt, could he be convicted ? And-, especially, how impos- sible would it be to believe him guilty, when the scope and tendency of the document in question was to reproach his family and nation, his principles and conduct; and was inconsist- ent with his known character; and, moreover, could in no way promote his present advantage, and it was known he believed it would endan- ger his endless ruin. This is just the case with the Jews; we may, therefore, without fear of refutation, say, they could not, — it is morally impossible that they should, have forged their sacred books; they were without all motive to do it; ' and had the most powerful ones in opera- tion against it. National pride must be morti- fied in a Jew, by every perusal of the severe censures the Scriptures utter on their national manners: — the love of fame would prompt them, if they should forge, to extol and flatter the nation; and the love of wealth could furnish no motive, for nothing was to be gained by the forgery. 4. Not only was "the preservation of these books uncorrupted, a point easily attained ; but. on the other hand, it was by no means an easy matter to corrupt them. One whole tribe, a twelfth of the nation, were specially designated. 10 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO among other duties, to the watching over, and preservation of these historical documents ; and, moreover, there were, in the other tribes, nu- merous individuals jealous for the uncorrupted preservation of the books, because they were, themselves, the posterity of the authors. 5. The genuineness and integrity of the Old Testament Scriptures, may be certainly inferred, also, from the silence of Jesus Christ, as to any corruption of them; though he so unsparingly reproaches the Jewish rulers of his day for ren- dering void, by their traditions, the obligations of the law of God. It is incredible that had (he Scriptures been corrupted, he would have allowed so flagrant a crime to pass uncensured; yet, or. this point, he utters not a word. It also affords an additional argument for the integrity and genuineness of these writings, that even the unprincipled Pharisees never dared to in- terpolate, nor corrupt them; though, could they have succeeded in this, they would have been able to allege a written sanction for their opin- ions and practices. They had, indeed, the temerity to promulgate what they called an unwritten law; and, by its means, to subvert the authority of the true, or written one; thus tacitly claiming, for their traditions, an authority higher than that of the law; but yet they did not dare to put forth their sacrilegious hands to interpolate, or corrupt the records. What an oyerwhclming reverence for these writings must that have been, which could deter such persons, and under such circumstances, from an attempt to corrupt them; and iClhey were deterred from the attempt, it is less likely that those less aban- doned would make it; we have therefore the most satisfactory evidence of the integrity and genuineness of these writings, down to the days of Jesus Christ; and, since his days, Jews and Christians have been mutual checks on each other on this point. II. I.\TERNAL proofs of the genuineness of the old Testament Scriptures. These proofs might be comprised under tlie heads of language, style, manner of writing, and circumstantiality of narrative^. But, as this intro- duction is principally intended to afford satisfac- tion to such persons as have neither ability nor inclination to enter upon such critical inquiries as would render necessary the knowledge of any other language than the English, we must afford only a passing notice to most of these sources of evidence. The language in which the Old Testament was written, was that of a people whose intercourse was very limited with the nations which surrounded them; and there- fore it was but little likely to change: at least, the changes in it would be, both less numerous, and less striking, than those in the language of^ commercial nations; or those where science and the arts are in a state of considerable ad- vancement. Yet, even in the language of this insulated nation, some changes must necessa- rily have taken place in the long period from the davs of Moses to those of Malachi, about 1(T70 years; or certainly, not less than 1050 Accordingly, critical Hebrew scholars have actually discovered differences, such as render it certain that the different books of the Old Testament were written at different, and dis- tant, intervals; and hence arises a strong in- ternal argument for the genuineness of these books, for they come to us professing to have been written at different periods through a long succession of ages. The same Hebrew schol- ars assure us, that the style of those writings is so various, that it is impossible they can be the production of any one person; and the use, in the former parts, of some words which were obsolete when the latter was written, and of some, in the latter parts, which were not in use when the former was written, makes it evident that the whole were not written by any contem- porary set of writers. If, then, they are forge- ries, they must be the works of successive im postors. The position, that part are forged and part genuine, cannot, for a moment, be sustain- ed; for there are so many references of one writer to another, as a divinely commissioned messenger, and these references are so inter- woven among all the writers, that, on this sup- position, the true men and the impostors, mu- tually attest to the authority of each other. Again, as the Hebrew ceased to be spoken, as a living language, soon after the Babylonish captivity, and as it is next to impossible to forge anything in a language after it has become dead, all the books of the Old Testament must be nearly as ancient as the period of that captivity. But since the changes in language Stc. referred to above, require the lapse of many ages to effect, of course, the date of the earher. of the Old Testament writings must be many ages antecedent to the Babylonish captivity; — so many as to carry them back to the times of their reputed authors. If, therefore, these writings be not the work of the persons to whom they are ascribed, they are those of persons who were contemporary with them ; and they present to the world the unheard of spectacle of ficti- tious writings, fabricated in the life times of theii professed authors, and descending to posterity without one accompanying protest from these supposed authors, against the use of their names, by the impostors who composed the books; or one warning not to be deluded into a religious veneration for their fabrications. A powerful argument for the authenticity of these writings, arises from the minutely circum- stantial narratives they contain. The narra- tions of impostors never abound in circumstan- ces: — they are always found to be vague, gen- eral, and indefinite. To multiply circumstan- ces, in a fictitious narration, is to put into the reader's hands, criteria whereby to detect the imposture. Moreover, it is ne,\t to impossible for an impostor to furnish them; it would be a most prodigious effort of the mightiest genius, to invent and intersperse such an endless varie- ty of particulars of time, place, persons, cir- cumstances, &c. as these sacred writings con- tain; and vet none of them to appear in con- THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 11 flict with the records of histories which are ac- knowredged as true. Now, in fact, there is scarcely a single book in the Old Testament which does not contain more or less of history; and the books from Genesis to Esther abound in narratives; and these, some of them, most minutely circumstantial. Of course then, every book, and especially the earlier ones, upon which all the others are based, contains the means of its own refutation, if it be false. Yet the result of the most severe scrutiny into their authenticity, and of the examination of the his- tories they contain, by the light afforded by un- inspired profane history, is, that like gold, the more it is tried, the purer it becomes; and that in proportion as other histories are unquestion- ably authentic, their testimony corroborates the proof of the authenticity of these. Yet, conclusive as is the argument for the - authenticity and genuineness of the Old Tes- tament, attempts have been made to call it in question, by undermining the genuineness and antiquity of particular books; and as the Pen- tateuch is that portion of the sacred volume on which all the others are based, inasmuch as they make frequent references to it, the prin- cipal hostility has been directed against this. But at all the attempts t* invalidate its antiqui- ty and genuineness, " He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:" — for both are attested by a weight of testimony, such as is not, and can- not be, afforded in favor of any writing of pro- fane antiquity whatever. To say nothing, in this place, of the arguments above employed, for the genuineness of the books of the Old Testament generally, and which might here be repeated in support of the antiquity of the Pen- tateuch in particular, we may observe that these writings of Moses contain a system of moral and ceremonial laws, which, if any history is to be believed, were, in the main observed by Israel, from their departure from Egypt, to the overthrow of the Jewish polity by Titus. The Jews in each succeeding age, believed that these laws were received from Moses by their ances- tors; and they were the basis of their political constitution, and of their theological system. Now CAN the laws and constitution of a whole country, containing millions of people, be coun- terfeited? Can even a conventional observance, which has existed for a few years merely, be transferred to any other event, as its origin, thin that in which it did indeed originate? For instance, the celebration of the Fourth of July amongst ourselves, is merely a conventional af- fair; it has, moreover, been annually celebrated only a little over fifty years: — but can it ever be made. the memorial of any other event than the declaration of our National Independence ? Can Americans, for example, be persuaded that it is the memorial of the discovery of America by Columbus, or of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth? Let the attempt be made, and we shall soon be furnished with an answer. Yet Ihis were easy, compared with the attempt to forge a constitution and laws, for a single state of the Union, and much more for the Uni- ted States: and, be it remembered, that Israel was a confederation of twelve states, united un- der a Theocracy; their religion and their civil policy were amalgamated; and it was the spe- cial and divinely appointed office of one of these twelve states, to guard and transmit, uninjured, the whole, to the posterity of all the twelve. How then, we ask triumphantly, is forgery POSSIBLE? The enemies of Revelation, however, with- out a shadow of evidence, and in the face of the strongest evidence to the contrary, tell us, that there is a probability that Ezra is the au- thor of the Pentateuch. Now Ezra himself testifies to the contrary, Ez. vi. 18 — iii. 2 as does Nehemiah his contemporary, Neh. xiii. 1. and Malachi, also a contemporary, Mai. iv. 4. In each of these passages the law of Moses is re- ferred to, as a document, well known, and of ac- knowledged authority in the nation. Moreover, we have evidence of the existence of this book before the days of Ezra, by Daniel, ch. ix. 11. 13. before half the period of the captivity had passed: viz. B. C. 537 or 638; and, long before the captivity, it was extant; for mention is made of it, in the reign of Josiah, (2 Chron. xxxiv. 1.5.) B. C. 624. Prior to this too, it was e.x- tant, viz. in the days of Hoshea king of Israel, B. C. 678; for a priest of Samaria was sent from among the captives in Assyria, to teach the inhabitants of Bethel the religion which it _ enjoins. It was extant in the days of Jehoslia- phat, B. C. 912. 2 Chron. xvii. 9. Now as both the ten tribes, and the two tribes, received the Pentateuch, and allowed its authority, it must have been the common rule of conduct in civil and religious matters, before the separa- tion of the kingdom under Rehoboam; for, had it been forged in a later age, by either nation, the other would not have received it. It is plain, then, that it must have been written either by Moses himself, or by some person who lived between the time of the death of Moses and that of Solomon. But the whole current of Jewish history, from the settlement in Canaan, to the building of the temple at Jerusalem, pre- supposes that the book of the law was written by Moses. All the temple service was regulat- ed by Solomon, B. C. 1004, according to the law contained in the Pentateuch, as was the tabernacle servicf by David, B. C. 1042. I was extant, and in general honor, as a book of divine origin, in David's time, as is plain from the numerous and reverential allusions to it ih his writings; — and Samuel could not have been its author, for he did not personally possess such a knowledge of Egypt as it is quite cer- tain its author must have had. Indeed it was known hundreds of years before his days, for Joshua (ch. viii. 31 — xxiii. 6.) speaks of it, as, in his days already extant. Indeed the book of Joshua expressly ascribes the Pentateuch to Moses. The Pentateuch was termed by the Jews, "The book of the Law;" now in Josh, i. 7. 8. we have a distinct, explicit recognition, 12 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO of its existence, and also of Moses as its author. " Only observe to do all according to the law which Moses my servant commanded thee — this ' Book of the law' shall not depart out of thy mouth; — thou shalt do according to all that is xvjitttn therein." It is true that in the face of all this evidence for the antiquity, authenticity, and genuineness of the Pentateuch, there are some to be found who will make objections against it; but they are generally so frivolous and unimportant that it is not necessary to spe- cify them. The above argument is abundantly sufficient to prove that the genuine text of that po- tion of the sacred writings issued from the hi.nd of Moses; and if it now contain a few sentences, (as the record of the death of Moses) by another hand, it is no more than might be e.vpected, and is nothing which can, in the least, invalidate the book. Now since the authority of this portion of the scriptures is established, that of the other Old Testament scriptures follows of course, for they are immediately dependant on it. Of the JVew Testament Scriptures, 1. External evidence of the genuineness of the New Testament scriptures. Michaelis, a celebrated German critic, enu- merates six reasons, either of which, and espe- cially two or more of which united, would in- duce a critic to doubt the authenticity of an ancient writing ; viz. I . When doubts have been entertained from its first appearance in the world, whether it really proceeded from the person to whom it is ascribed. — 2. When the immediate friends of the pretended author, who were able to decide as to his writings, have de- nied it to be his production. — 3. When a long series of years has elapsed since his death, in which the book has been unknown; and in which it must, unavoidably, have been mention- ed and quoted, had it really existed. — 4. When the style is different from that of his other writ- ings, or, if no others of his writings remain, dif- ferent from what might have been expected of him. — 5. When events are recorded which hap- pened later than the time of the pretended au- thor. — 6. When opinions are advanced which are at variance with those he is known, from othei sources, to have entertained. This last, however, alone, can weigh bijt little; inasmuch as men are liable to change their opinion. Thus Professor Stuart was once of opinion, that the Hebrew points were not only useless, but even injurious; and wrote in support of that opinion; yet it is well known that further inquiry and re- flection, have led him to consider them highly useful, if not absolutely necessary. Of course, in future ages, no objection would be of force against the genuineness of Professor Stuart's work against the Hebrew points, from the fact that he now approves them. Now of all these grounds for objection against the genuineness of a work, not one can be applied with justice to the New Testament: for, 1. There is no ev- idence that any one doubted their genuineness, in the period in which they appeared. — ^2. No writings of the contemporaries of the professed authors, have descended to us denying their genuineness. — 3. The several books of the New Testament were known to be in existencfr, either during the lifetime of the professed authors, or, at least, very shortly afterwards; and are men- tioned, and alluded to, and quoted, by writers contemporary with the apostles and evangelists; and still more numerously, by those of the fol- lowing century. — 4. The style of these writings, though it cannot be compared with other writ- ings of the same authors, (because no others of their writings are known to exist) is, yet, ex- actly such as might be expected from persons in their age, and station, and circumstances, and writing in the Greek language ; viz. it is not Attic, but Jewish Greek. -^5. No facts are recorded by any writer of the New Testament, which occurred after the supposed writer's death. — 6. No doctrines are maintained, which are in opposition to any known to have been enter- tained by the sacred writers; for, as above ob- served, no other of their writings are preserv- ed: and, on the contrary, in the several writ- ings of the same author, there is a remarkable harmony on this point. Thus we perceive that we have irrefragable negative proof of the gen- uineness of the New Testament scriptures; but our persuasion rests not exclusively, nor even principally, on this: we have direct and positive evidence, the most satisfactory and the most abundant, in support of our belief. This evidence has been classed under two heads: The Impos- sibility of Forgery arising from the nature of the thing itself: and Direct Historical evidence of their genuineness. 1 . The Impossibility of Forgery arising from the nature of the thing itself Forged writings can never be passed off as genuine in a place where there are those who are inclined and well able to detect the fraud. Now the writers of the New Testament were Jews, and lived among Jews; — those who were around them were, as a nation, unbelievers in Jesus Christ, and bitterly opposed to the apos- tles for their attachment to him: — they had cru- cified the founder of the Christian religion, and were intensely desirous to stifle it in its infancy. If the writings of the New Testament had been forgeries, would not the Jews then, have im- peached them? Could four individuals, (the evangelists,) by any possibility, impose on the world a history, against the testimony of a whole nation, and would a historian of that na- tion testify substantially to the truth of that his- tory, as Josephus does, if it were all a fabrica- tion? It were as easy to prove the revolution- ary war of this country never to have occurred; and the records of it to be the inventions o^ impostors! Moreover the numerous marks of simplicity, fidelity and integrity, which everywhere pervaed these writings, make it incredible that their au- thors would fabricate falsehoods; and had they attempted it in the apostolic age, every one must THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 13 have been sensible of the forgery. There are professedly eight authors to the New Testa- ment; now it cannot be an imposture, because, if they wrote in concert to deceive the world, there would not have been those apparent dis- crepancies in the slight circumstances of the narrative, which we see actually to exist among them, and which might easily have been avoid- ed ; and had one person written the whole, there could not have been such a diversity of style as the different pieces present. If these writ- ers were good men they would not deceive oth- ers; and if they were bad men they would not direct all their efforts to make men radically holy. If part were honest, and part were oth- erwise, then should we find some testifying against others; and these latter, again, justify- ing themselves, and recriminating their accu- sers; but we find, in fact, nothing of the sort. It was morally impo.ssible therefore, from the nature of things, that these writings should be forged. But we have ^ 2. Direct Historical evidence of their gen- uineness. The following remarks of Dr. Paley, on the importance of historical evidence, and its con- clusiveness for the purposes for which it is ad- duced, are earnestly recommended to the atten- tion of the reader. " This sort of evidence is, of all others, the most unquestionable, the least liable to any practices of fraud, and is not di- minished by the lapse of ages. Bishop Burnet, in the History of his Own Times, inserts various extracts from Lord Clarendon's History. One such insertion is a proof that Lord Clarendon's History was e.xtant at the time Bishop Burnet wrote, — that it had been read by Bishop Bur- net, — that it was received by Bishop Burnet, as the work of Lord Clarendon, and also re- garded by him as an authentic account of the transactions which it relates; and it will be a proof of these points a thousand years hence, or as long as the book exists." This simple illustration may serve to show, to those who are unaccustomed to such investigations, the nature and importance of the evidence of historical testimony. We shall, however, in this place, be less co- pious, in our exhibition of evidence of this kind, than would be otherwise necessary, because we have elsewhere cited the writers of the early ages of the Christian Church, as testifying to the genuineness of particular books.* For a very satisfactory and somewhat extended list of tliese testimonies we refer our readers to Home's Crit. Introd. vol. 1. pp. 75, et seq: where many witnesses are adduced, and the evidence afforded by them of the correctness of the ca- non of the New Testament Scriptures as wo have it, is most satisfactory; because the testi- mony borne is indirect in most instances, and incidental. It was evidently not the professed intention of the writers adduced, to ascertain, * See Prefaces to particular books of New Testament, Fp. 29—54. . for future generations, the canon; yet they have actually done so, by their quotations from the several books which the New Testament now contains; or by their explicit references to them, as the authentic Scriptures, received, and relied on, as inspired oracles, by the whole Christian Church; for they describe them as " Scriptures," as " Sacred Scriptures,^' and as " the Oracles of the Lord." But we can derive historical evidence of the genuineness of the writings of the New Testa- ment from another source; viz. from that of ancient heretical writers. These, being hostile to the doctrines contained in the sacred oracles, were under a strong temptation, had it been possible, to call their genuineness in question. Yet we find this never to have been done: they questioned the infallibility of the Apostles, and therefore altered, and expunged, and added, as they saw fit; and thei) adopted the mutilated and altered writings, for the use of their follow- ers; but they never question that those wrttings which the church in general, in their days, re- ceived, were the real productions of the persons to whom they were ascribed. Thus Cerinthus denied that Paul was an inspired Apostle, be- cause his doctrines were not in accordance with those held by Cerinthus; but he never ques- tioned that Paul was the writer of those epis- tles which inculcate the unwelcome doctrines. Marcion also, who lived in the second century, was excommunicated by the Orthodox Christ- ians, and was extremely exasperated with them for their treatment of him. He had the best opportunities for knowing whether the sacred writings received by his opponents were genu- ine; and, if not, would, of course, eagerly seize the opportunity to prove them spurious. He actually asserted that some of the books of the New Testament, as the Gospel of Matthew, the Epistle to the Hebrews, and those of Peter and James, were writings for .Jews, and not Christians; and he published a new edition of the Gospel of Luke, and of the first ten of Paul's epistles, altering such portions as suited not his views; but evidently his whole conduct here, proves the existence, in his days, of the books he impugned, and of those which he al- tered; and-, consequently, that these books, as we possess them, are genuine. The evidence of the genuineness of these books, dc.'ived from the indirect testimony borne to it by other herf:- siarchs, might be vastly augmented; but it is not necessary, and our limits forbid needless amplification. We now come to the consideration of evi- dence on the point in hand, derived from JeiMsh and Healhen adversaries of Christianity, in the early ages: evidence, at least, as important as that of the founders of heretical sects. But as we shall afterwards have occasion to adduce the testimonies of Jewish opponents, in proof of the facts which the New Testanient history relates, i. e. in proof of the authenticity of those historical portions of the sacred volume, we 14 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO shall here confine ourselves to the testimonies I of Heathen adversaries. Celsus, who flourished near the close of the second century, mentions by name the boolts of the New Testament, and makes many quo- tations from them. It is true, he accuses the Christians of aUering the Gospels; but his re- ference is to the heresiarchs, Marcion, Sabellius &c. In no one instance did he question the Gospels, as books of genuine history; nor did he, in any case, derive his objections from writ- ings confessedly spurious. Porphyry (born A. D. 233) was the most acute, learned, accomplished, and severe adver- sary, that Christianity, in the early ages, was called to encounter; and of course, testimony borne by him, to tbe genuineness of our sacred writings, must be of the highest importance. He was best qualified of all the adversaries of Christianity to inquire into the genuineness of the New Testament Scriptures, since he was able to study Syriac, as well as Greek writers. Yet not a whisper has descended to us, in those portions of his works preserved in Origen's re- ply to him, indicative of a doubt as to their genuineness; nor does it appear to have ever occurred to him that they were, even possibly, spurious. Now is it credible that so sagacious an enemy of Christianity should fail to detect a forgery in those writings which were the foundation of it, had a forgery existed.' Or, if he had detected it, should fail to perceive that it put into his hands a weapon which must be fatal to the system he labored to destroy ? Yet, in fact, he never denies the truth of the Gospel history; but considers the miracles of Jesus Christ to have been really wrought. Julian often called " the Apostate " because, after ascending the Imperial throne, he renounc- ed the profession of Christianity, flourished A. D. 331 — 363. As a writer against Christianity he was by no means Porphyry's equal, though he ^as an artful and virulent political opponent of it. He quotes, at length, many of the sayings of Christ, in the very words in which we find them in the Gospels; he also quotes tbe Acts of the Apostles; Now, in quoting these, he directly testifies that these historical books ex- isted at the time in which he lived; and that they were received by Christians as their his- torical books. He, moreover, indirccUy testi- fies, by mentioning none but these, that no other historical books were deemed, by Christians, to possess authority, and perhaps .that none even claimed it. But, further, he expresses his own views of the genuineness of these records; — he expressly states their e'artv date; — he calls them by the names they now bear; — he, throughout, supposes thpir genuineness, and authenticity; nor gives the slightest intimation of a suspicion that they were forgeries. II. Internal evidence of the genuineness of the New Testament Scriptures. The evidence on this point may be classed under two heads. 1. The characters of the writers. It is very plain, from an investigation of these writings themselves, that the writers were Jews by birth, that they were brought up in the Jewish relig- ion, and that they were the immediate witnesses of what they wrote; i e.' were present, gener- ally, when the facts they record occurred. All this is plain from the strain of their narra- tives, — from the complexion of their thoughts, — from their allusions to Jewish ceremonies, — from the employment of Hebrew terms, and from the prevalence of Hebrew structure in their sentences. Moreover, their narratives embrace so many particulars of time, place, persons, and circumstances, and all is related with the very air of persons who witnessed what they record, and who wrote for their con- temporaries, that their assertions may be con- sidered as proofs of all they relate. This is as evident as that Clarendon's History of Charles I. was written by one, himself concerned in the transactions he relates. 2. The Language and Style of the New Tes- tament. These afford an indisputable proof of the genuineness of these writings. None but Jews could have written them; and even Jews could not have written them in any age but that in which they profess to have been written. It is true that the language is Greek, and that others beside Jews, could, therefore have written in it; but it is just such Greek, as none but a Jew could write. It is not pure, or elegant Greek, but is corrupt and idiomatical; which at once betrays its writers not only not to be native Greeks, but to be native Hebrews It was necessary to have lived in the first century, and to have been educated in Judea or Galilee, or some neighboring country, to be able to write just such a compound language as that of the Greek Testament: a language instantly dis- tinguishable from that of every classical Greek author. All the writers of the New Testament must have lived in the same age; for the same peculiarities, on the points in question, appear in them all, notwithstanding the diversities of their style. Judea itself could not have fur- nished, in the second century, compositions such as the New Testament contains; for on the destruction of the Jewish polity new forms of language were intioduced, as well as new po- litical relations. Jews who remained there would not attempt -to imitate the style of by- gone days, for the accommodation and pleasuie of Christians whom they hated; and the only Christians who remained there were such as used only one Gospel, and that in Hebrew; and they rejected Paul's epistles, not as spurious, but as teaching doctrines to which they were oppos- ed: of course they would not forge epistles con- taining the repudiated doctrines. Now if Ju- dea could not have produced these writings in the second century, certainly no other country could. And if no country whatever could pro- duce them in the second, much less could any country, in a subsequent century, produce them THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 15 We are, then, brought to this conclusion; that the writings of the New Testament are the productions of the age in which ,they profess to have been written, and that they have this evi- dence of genuineness. But there is internal evidence from the style of these writings, that they were written by the persons whose names they bear, and this when made out, completes the proof of genuineness. The historical books, especially the Gospels, are evidently the writings of Jews, and that, in not the elevated walks of society, nor among the literati of the nation. The style is devoid of ornament; the transitions are not elegant, delicate and polished: bijt often abrupt, and such as by no means to gratify a cultivated taste; and the same may be said of the struc- ture of the sentences, which are hot smooth, flowing, and harmonious. In short, we find here the simplicity of writers, who were more intent on things, than words; and concerned only to tell the things they knew, in a plain and unvarnished strain. And these are just the characteristics we should e.xpect to find in the writings of such persons as the evangelists. They leere these honest, simple, uneducated writers, from the lower walks of life, who knew little else than what here they testify ; but who give ample evidence of a perfect acquaintance with that. But in the writings of Paul we find a style entirely different; and yet, such a style as can belong to no one so properly as to the individual whom the book of Acts describes under this name. He is evidently learned; but he displays the erudition of a learned Jew; he was trained not in a school of heathen learning; for his arguments, powerful and irresistible as they are, do not bear the impress of such a school ; being destitute of their form and method. He reasons like a convert from Judaism; and labors to confute the men of his own nation, on their own admitted principles. Who can fail to recognise here a Jew, born at Tarsus, but educated in Jerusalem ? Compare also the style of the books of the New Testament, with the recorded conduct and character of the writers. Can any one fail to recognise in the writings of John, the gentleness and loveliness of the disciple whom Jesus loved.' Or in the epistles of Peter the ardent impetuous temperament of that apostle. This was the projector of the three tabernacles, the walker on the sea, the defender of his master with the sword, and, generally, the mouth of the whole college of Apostles in reply to the questions of their great Teacher. And what do we discover in the style of his Epistles.' The very same constitutional ardor and impetuosity. Each is almost one unbroken sentence from end to end. The writ- ings ascribed to Paul are different from both; but arc yet in equal keeping with the recorded character of the man. Thus we may consider the internal evidence for the genuineness of these holy writings, as complete. SECTION II. On the Authenticity of the Scriptures. Strictly speaking, authenticity is an attribute which belongs only to the historical writings of the sacred volume: for, according to the defini- tion given of the term, it can apply to no others. Yet as in both the great divisions of the Scrip- tures, the portions, not historical, are intimately connected with those portions, at the commence- ment of each testament, which are so, (viz. The Pentateuch, and the Gospels and Acts) and absolutely dependant on them; it is of im- mense and vital importance to Christianity that these historical books be shown to be authentic; viz. that it be rendered certain, beyond all rea- sonable doubt, that the facts which are recorded in these historical books did really occur. It will be seen by the reader that in proving the genuineness of these writings, much ground has been gone over, which has a direct and irresisti- ble power to prove their authenticity; (indeed it is usual, because of the similarity of the ar- guments by which both are proved, to consider them together) we shall, therefore, on this part of our argument, be more brief than would, otherwise, be necessary. But because of its vast importance, and also the exclusive bearing of some of the evidence on the point of authen- ticity, we have determined to afford it a distinct place in the discussion. There are two principal sources whence we may derive arguments in proof of the authen- ticity of the sacred records: viz. Reason, and Testimony. We shall then endeavor to estab- lish the authenticity of these records from these sources. I. Reason furnishes us with conclusive evi- dence that the facts recorded in Scripture, and particularly in the Pentateuch, and the histori- cal books of the New Testament, did actually occur. There are four criteria, which, when they meet in support of any matter of fact, constrain Reason to believe that fact to have occurred: and these criteria do meet in support of the facts on which the religion of the Bible is founded. 1. They were such as men's outward senses, their eyes and ears may estimate. Take, as an instance here, the wonders wrought by Moses on behalf of Israel. These were all of a na- ture which their bodily senses could appreciule. He could not, possibly, have persuaded the men of the age in which he lived, to believe that he had brought them, 600,000 in number, out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, and fed them on manna, 40 years, and brought water out of the rock for them, if he had not done so: their own outward senses would have testified against him. For the same reason it was impossible for them to receive his writings as truth, which told of all these things as done before their eyes, if they had not seen them done. Yet how pointed, and positive is his appeal to the evidence of their senses, for proof of all that his books record: " I speak not with your children which have not known and which Id A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God but your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did, Slc." Deut. xi. 2 — 8. It is evidently, then, impossible, that, if the Mosaic history be an imposture, it could have been invented, and palmed upoa the people who were alive when the things recorded are said to have been done. The same is true of the events recorded in the New Testament. Jesus never could have persuaded 5000 men at one time, and 4000 at another, that he had fed them with a few loaves and fishes, if no such fact had ever occurred; — nor would he, afterwards, have recurred to the fact in an appeal to themselves as to the reason of their following him, had they not indeed "eaten of the loaves and been filled." Nor would the books containing the records of these transactions have been believed in the days when many of the p.ersons who had participated in the provision were yet alive, had they not really partaken of it. Yet, as we have shown in another place, these records were extant in the very age when it is alleged that the facts occurred, and their veracity never was im- peached. 2. The facts recorded were done openly, in the light of day, in the face of the world, and some of them were of such a nature that the fame of them extended to distant nations, even during the days of those who witnessed the facts. Ten successive scourges were brought upon Egypt, prior to the departure of Israel; and to these reference is repeatedly made, as having been witnessed by Israel, and reported even in Canaan; as also of the final overthrow of Pharaoh in the Red Sea. Josh. xxiv. 7.&c. These things were not done in a corner, and the record of their occurrence was written in the very age itself, and never has been im- peached: reason therefore pronounces it true. So also of the miracles of Jesus Christ, and of his apostles. They were wrought in public, in the face of day, in the presence of enemies. Jesus says of his teaching, " I sat daily teach- ing with you in the temple " — " In secret have I said nothing," " Ask them which heard me; behold they know what I said;" Matt. xxvi. 5.5. Jno. xviii. 20. 21. and the same is true of his miracles. Even enemies testified to the reality of the miracles; " that indeed a notable miracle hath been wrought by them, is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot DiNY IT." Acts iv. 16. The reality of the resurrection of Jesus too, was admitted by those most concerned to deny it; when, on receiving the testimony of eye witnesses to the fact (the guards) they bribed them to make a false re- poit. This bribery is directly charged on them in the history; the history was published in their lifetime, and the charge has never been repel- led. Can reason, then, doubt the truth of the history ? 3. There were s- anding monuments of the facts on which the religion of the Bible rests. The feast of Passover was such a monument among the Jews, of the fact that they were brought out of Egypt; — the very existence of the tribe of Levi, as the ministers of the sanc- tuary, was a standing monument of the giving of that law which separates them to this ser- vice: — the existence of circumcision is a stand- ing monument of the truth of the history which records its origin. So, also. Baptism and the Lord's Supper, are standing monuments of the truth of the records which contain the laws of their institution. Those laws purport to have had force from the very time of their enaction; but, were the Gospel history a forgery, no mat- ter of what age, then, at the time the forgery was made, and first promulgated, there was no practice of the rites' which these laws enjoin. But to suppose this, were to resist the evidence of all testimony; for all history shows us that they have been uninterruptedly observed from the time of their professed enactment: and the same is true of circumcision among the Jews The existence of these monuments is of irre- sistible force in establishing the truth of the history which records their origin: as may be seen in the following illustration of the subject by Leslie.* " Suppose I should now invent a story of a certain tiling said to be done a thou- sand years ago, I might, perhaps, get some to believe it; but if I say that not only such a thing was done, but that from that day to this, every man at the age of twelve years, had a joint of his little finger cut off, and that every man in the nation did actually want a joint of that finger; and that this institution was part of that matter of fact done so many years ago, and vouched for the truth of it .... I say it, is impossible I should be believed in such a case, because every man could contradict me as to the mark of cutting off a joint of the finger: and that, being part of my original matter of fact, must demonstrate the whole to be false." In this illustration the author has included the remaining criterion, viz. 4. Such monuments were instituted at the time when the recorded facts are said to have occurred, and, have been continued to the pre- sent time. Such is the real state of the case, with reference both to Jews and Christians at the present hour. Circumcision is still prac- tised among tho former, and there never has been a time when it was not practised; and among the latter, it is universally notorious that Baptism and the Lord's Supper exist, and ever have existed, among the disciples of Jesus, from the very period of their institution. With these criteria clearly before us, we may challenge the world to furnish us with a single imposture, either of Heathenism, Mohammedism, or Pa- pacy were they all united: — indeed, it is im- possible, that, in any imposture, they ever should meet. What, then, is the inference of reason, seeing that they all do unite in proof of the authenticity of the Old and New Testaments, but that they are undoubtedly authentic records.' Short and Easy Method with tlie Deists THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. n ll. Testimony. The testimony of 'witnesses, whom even the opponents of revelation will ad- mit to be unexceptionable, furnishes us with ev- idence of the authenticity of the scripturss. We must of necessity confine our -remarks to only one or two points ; or we shall be drawn into a more extended consideration of the sub- ject than our limits will admit. We take there- fore, the authenticity of the New Testament, and adduce some of the testimonies of profane writers in support of it. The New Testament scriptures have numerous, and often, circum- stantial references to persons, whom it may be supposed, other writers would mention, if they really existed; — they mention, sects, morals, and customs of the Jews; — characters and pur- suits of heathen nations, &.c. &c. If then, the sfdteraents made by the sacred writers, are cor- roborated by the testimony of faithful Jewish or heathen writers, we are justified in receiving their narratives as authentic. Now, in fact, this corroboration of the statements of the sa- cred writers is found to exist. 1. Josephus, and various heathen writers, mention Herod, iVchelaus, Pontius Pilate, and other persons whose names occur in the New Testament; and the differences between their narratives and those of the sacred writers, are, comparatively, inconsiderable. Matthew tell us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the days of Herod; and Josephus says, that this prince reigned over all Judea for thirty-seven years, even till the time of Augustus, the Roman em- peror. He tells us further, that before his death, he divided his kingdom by will, among his three sons, Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip; and Luke incidentally mentions the last t'.vo of these princes, in the fifteenth year of Tiberias Cresar, as filling the very posts to which they were assigned by their father's will, and that Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Tliis is accounted for, by the fact that the will of Herod was only partially confirmed by Au- gustus; that part which related to Archelaus possessing Judea, with the title of " King,'.' being set aside. In like manner the narrative which the^ sacred writer has given of the Her- od who " stretched forth his hand to vex cer- tain of the church," is confirmed in all the particulars which relate to the occasion and manner of his death; and subsequently of the marriage of his youngest daughter to I'elix, by Josephus. 2. Tacitus and Josephus confirm the account given in Acts, of the licentiousness of Felix, and his adultery with Drusilla; and thus justify, and render reasonable and credible, the record of Luke, that "as Paul reasoned of righteous- ness, and temperance, and of a judgment to come, Felix trembled." They record his avarice also; and thus confirm the scripture narrative that he hoped money would have been given him for Paul's liberation. See Acts xxiv. 26. 26. 3. Seneca confirms Luke's account of Gal- lic's justice, impartiality, prudence, and general amiableness. Acts xviii. 14 — 16. C Not less remarkably striking is the corres- pondence between the writers of the New Tes- tament, and profane writers, relative to the sects, morals, and customs, of the Jews. Thus Jo- sephus tells us that they possessed the free ex- ercise of their religion, might accuse and pros- ecute, but not execute, offenders against their laws; — how exactly does this correspond with what the evangelist has recorded as the Jews' own language, Jno. xviii. 31. "We have no power to put any man to death." Josephus, Philo, and other writers, tell us, that prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews were scattered abroad through many nations. Ac- cordingly we find, in Acts, a proof of this and of the former statement, as to the free exercise of their religion. For at the feast of Pente- cost, one of the occasions of general concourse to the nation, " there were dwelhng in Jerusa- lem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven; — Parthians, Medes, Elamites, &.c. &.C. &c." Actsii. 5— 11. The correspondence is equally remarkable be- tween the sacred and the profane writers, relative to the character of the heathen nations. Paul says of the Greeks, that "the)ji«eek after wis- dom;" and Herodotus says, that Anacharsis, who was sent by the Scythian monarch into Greece, on his return, declared, that "all the Greeks were occupied in scientific pursuits, except the Lacedemonians." Paul says of the Athenians that they were greatly addicted to religious ceremonies; and all history testifies to the crowds of their deities in every street. Luke says, " The Athenians spend their time in nothing else than either to hear or tell some new thing;" and Demosthenes had long before censured them for this very evil; Paul testifies to the mendacity of the Cretans, as being well expressed by a poet of their own; and addresses a strain of exhortation to Titus, relative to the inculcation of Christian doctrine among these people, exactly suited to those of such a char- acter. 4. Pilate is himself a witness to the life and character of Jesus Christ; and such a witness as testifies powerfully to the authenticity of the sacred volume. Governors of Roman prov- inces were required to send to the emperor ac- counts of whatever was remarkable, which oc- curred under their administratiort; and these accounts were preserved in the archives of the empire. Accordingly, Pilate kept memoirs of all which was remarkable in the Jewish nation, and transmitted it to Rome, to Tiberius. His records were called "Acta Pilati," or "Acts of Pilate." Such was the account these 'records contained, that the emperor suggested to the senate, to admit Jesus among the number of the gods; and sent his own prerogative vote in fa- vor of the measure. This is no legend; but a matter of serious and faithful history ; for Jus- tin Martyr, in his first apology for the Chris- tians, says, " And that these things were so done (viz. as the Gospel History records them) you may know from the Acts made in the time A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO of Pontius Pilate.'' Again, after mentioning numerous miracles of the Lord Jesus, he adds, " And that these things were done by him, you may know from the Acts made in the time of Pontius Pilate." Here then is testimony sent by a heathen governor, to a heathen em- peror of facts, of which he never saw a record, because none was then written; and of which he knew not that any record, but his own, would ever be made: — his record, too, was placed in the archives of the Roman Empire, where none but those at the head of the government could gain access to them; and consequently where the Evangelists could not go to copy them; and this record contained particulars of the life, and mir- acles, and sufferings, and death of Jesus, so cir- cumstantial and correct, that a christian apolo- gist, having attested to them from the gospel history, appeals for the conviction of his readers to documents in their own possession! Can any thing more fully prove either the fact that suoli documents existed; or that the record in the evangelical history is true.' We might enlarge our list by quotations from Suetonius, Tacitus, the younger Pliny, &c. among Jieatheri' writers; but our limits forbid. We might also cite Celsus and Porphyry and Julian; but their testimony having been given for the Genuineness of the New Testament scriptures, and that testimony having a nearly equal bearing on the authenticity of those scrip- tures, we shall not repeat the citation. We may surely consider the position abundantly sustained that the writings of the Sacred vol- ume are authentic. SECTION III. On the Tnspiraiioii of the Scriptures. The preceding sections in this Chapter have shown, that the writers of the Old and New Tes- tament were persons of unimpeachable integri- ty, and well acquainted with the facts they sev- erally record; or certain that the sources whence some of them (as Ezra) derived their informa- tion relative to facts which they did not witness, were entirely worthy of confidence: and, con- sequently, that the writings they have transmitted to us, are entitled to the fullest and most im- plicit credit. But these writings come to us with aiUhoriiy; they do not merely propose them- selves for our assent ; but they demand it. Whence do they derive their warrant thus to address us.' It is not enough that the writers were persons of pious life, and a mind superior to prejudice and passion, in order to entitle them to demand, for their productions, the homage the scriptures actually do require. They must possess another claim to homage, viz. Inspira- tion: — such a degree of influence, assistance, and guidance, must have been imparted to the writers, as should enable them to communicate religious knowledge to others, without error or mistake; whether the subjects of such commu- nications were things then immediately revealed to those who declared them, or those with which they had previously, and by ordinary meanSj be- come acquainted. Such Inspiration the writers of the Scriptures profess to have possessed; but a prudent man will not believe this on a mere assertion; because many such assertions have been made without foundation. The God who has put into our hands these scriptures, has, in doing so, treated us as rational and intelhgent beings; and having endowed lis with capacities for collecting and comparing evidence, has clothed the revelation he has afforded to us, with evidence of its divine origin, which is suited to our capacities of observation, collection, comparison, and inference. He does not ac- knowledge the dogma as His, that " Ignorance, is the mother of Devotion;" but bids us "Prove all things;" — "Not believe every spirit; but try the spirits " professing to be from Him, " wheth- er they 6e of God." It is Reason's proper of- fice to examine the pretences of a professed revelation, to a Divine origin; to ascertain what are the criteria by vise have continued ignorant. This then is the point now to be proved; for as was before observed, we are not to take even the pretensions of Scripture to inspiration, unquestioned, and without proof; but to " prove all things " and " try the spirits :" — when this is done, we shall, if consistent, be prepared to believe without scruple all which it reveals, and to obey without hesitancy or exception, all which it enjoins. Evidence of the Inspiration of the Scriptures is of two kinds; External, and Internal. The former is spe- cially calculated to convince those who do not yet believe; and the latter to strengthen the faith of those who do. External evidence may be embraced under two heads, viz. the evidence of Miracles, and the evidence of Prophecy. I. The evidence of Miracles. A miracle is an effect, or event, contrary to the established constitution, or course of things; or a sensible suspension, or controlment of, or deviation from the known laws of nature; and wrought, eithi r by the immediate act, or by the assistance, i r by the permission of Got"; and preceded by some notice, or declaration that it is so perform- ed, for the proof, or in testimony of the truth of some particular doctrine; or in attestatiou of the truth of some person's pretension to bo authorized, and commissioned of God The laws of nature are invariable; but he who imposed these laws, can, of course, suspend or control them: and he may b» expected to control or suspend them whenever, by so doing, the highest interests of his moral creatures, and the honor of his own character, render it necessary. It has been said, indeed, that a mir- acle is beyond comprehension, and that it is, therefore, contrary to reason. But this is by no means the case; many things are beyond the grasp of reason which are yet not contrary to it. A child is a subject of reason; yet many things are beyond the power of a child's reason to comprehend, which, yet, are intejligible to the 20 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO reason of a cultivated man. Why then may not things entirely incomprehensible by the most cultivated among men, be matters perfect- ly intelligible to beings of a higher order than man? Whatever cannot he shown to be con- trary to reason, cannot, philosophically, be as- serted to be so; and whatever can be shown to be inconsistent with reason, is, thereby, shown to be untrue. But many things are known and felt to be true, which are, yet, admitted to be above the comprehension of man in his present state; therefore many things which are above the comprehension of reason, are yet known to be not contrary to reason. For example, It is t"ue that what philosophers call "gravitation" exists in all bodies; yet can no philosopher tell uhat gravitation is: Again, It is /rue ^hat white- ness is a property of snow, and verdure a prop- erty of grass; yet no one can teJl lohat white- ness or verdure is, further than to say it is "the property of being white or green." That is, It is beyord or above reason to tell what is the ul- timate nature, the final essence of gravitation, or whiteness, or greenness; but it is not coii- trarij to reason to suppose there is some final essence in them; because in fact they exist in nature. The same" train of reasoning applies to miracles; they may be true, though they be incomprehensible; the reality of the miracle rests not at all on any power in man to conceive how the effect is produced. It is a fact that I have written the page before me; but how the volition of my mind operates to produce those muscular contractions and extensions which have resulted in the formation of the letters, I know not. No real and solid objection then, can possibly lie against the reality of miracles; for they are interferences of divine power, for purposes in accordance with divine wisdom and benevolence. But supposing the abstract possibility of mir- acles, how shall we know the reality of their having been performed? This is an inquiry into the credibility of miracles; and admits a very satisfactory answer. In nature we admit the truth of some things which we cannot com- prehend: — as the pi wer of contraction in the muscles at the will oi the living man. IBativhy do we believe it? Because we have evidence of its truth; — the evidence of our senses. Evi- dence then can render credible what is, yet, in- comprehensible. But evidence is not of one kind only; nor do we believe on the evidence of our sensesBonly. 'The evidence of testimony maj be so clear, and strong, and unquestionable, B,s to ensure a belief as strong as that we give in assent to the evidence of our senses. Who doubts the existence of Cairo or Pekin? Yet how few persons in this country have seen either? And how few of us have seen even those who have seen these places. Who doubts that Alexander existed, and overthrew the Per- sian Empiie? And yet there is not a person living, who lived in Alexander's days. Why then do we .believe such a man ever to have lived? On evidence: evidence which wg are justified in admittmg as conclusive; — the evi- dence of testimony, — the testimony not of liv- ing persons; but of historians, long since dead: and should we question the truth of their testi- mony on the principal facts of his history, we should expose ourselves to the merited censure and (Jontempt of all rational men. In like manner the credibility of miracles is sustained by evidence; — not that of the senses; for mir- acles are not now wrought; -but that of testi- mony; the testimony of witnesses whose writ- ings we have proved to be genuine, and au- thentic ; and who are sufficient in numbers, and such in character and opportunities for knowing that which they testify, and so remote from all temptation to attempt to deceive, as to render them, in all respects, competent to establish the truth of the facts they declare. 1. As to the number of the witnesses. Hav- ing proved the authenticity of the Scriptures, we might adduce thousands of witnesses of some of them: viz. of the deliverance from Egypt, the passage through the Red Sea, the sojourn in the wilderness, sustaiaed by manna and water miracuously produced, &c. &c. in the Old Testament; and of the feeding of multi- tudes with a few barley cakes, and small fishes, in the New Testament. But we will bring the matter to a smaller compass; and ascertain that the witnesses are more than sufficiently nume- rous to establish the facts to which they testify. In all cases which can be affected by testimony, two or three independent witnesses whose tes- timony agrees together, are considered suffi- cient to establish a fact to which they testify. But, to say nothing of the testimony for the reality of the miracles recorded in the Old Tes- tament, those of Jesus are established by eight independent witnesses (i. e. persons all equally credible, because separately competent to tes- tify) whose writings have descended to us in the New Testament. 2. As to their character. The writers of the sacred volume have been most severely scruti- nized, by the enemies of the religion they taught; but the most sharp-sighted malice could never suggest a reason why their testimony should be disbelieved. 3. As to their opportunities for knowing that to which they testify. They were competent judges in the case, for the facts occurred be fore their eyes; — and they could be under no temptation to deceive us, by asserting facts to have occurred which never had an existence. Moreover, 4. Their testimony possesses the proper mark of that of independent witnesses, viz. complete agreement as to the principal facts to which they testify, united with variety, or di- versity at least, in their manner of relating the same occurrences. It would extend this Introduction beyond all the bounds we can allow ourselves, were we to enter at large into an investigation of the evidence for the Inspiration of Scripture, which miracles present We must plant ourselves on THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 21 some small point, and afford our readers rather a specimen, than an array of this evidence. We will talce the illustrious miracle of the res- urrection of Christ, and give an outline of the evidence by which it is established. There is a manifest propriety in this selection ; because he frequently predicted the event, and distinctly rested on it, his claims to be received as the Saviour. If therefore this fact really occurred, Christianity stands on a steady base ; and the Christian Scriptures are proved to be inspired, as far as evidence of their inspiration is derivable from miracles. There can be no reasonable doubt that Jesus reully died on the cross; the language of the chief priests to Pilate when they requested th^ guard, in order to make sure the sepulchre, im- plies their conviction of it; — the testimony of the centurion, who was entrusted with the exe- cution of the sentence, satisfied Pilate that he was dead ; — and, had he received no other wound, that inflicted by the soldier with the spear in his heart, must have effected it; for that his heart was pierced, is evident, from the discharge of the water jjf the pericardium from the wound. See Matt, xxvii. 63—66. Mark xv. 43.-45. Jno. xix. 34, 35. If, therefore, he were really seen alive after his crucifixion, he was truly raised yrom the dead. That on the third day, the body was missing from the sepulchre is not questioned; but. how came it to be missing? The Jews reported that his disciples stole it away while the guards slept; and candour, perhaps, requires us to spend a moment in examining this point before we come to the consideration of the direct evidence for the fact of his resurrection. ■ It is worthy of remark, that Matthew, who records this story, appears to consider it so manifestly improbable and self-refutatory, that he says not a single word in the way of refutation. Several things, however, may be just hinted at, as showing the unreasonableness of such a supposition. 1. The disciples were so timid that when a mixed multitude came to apprehend tlieir mas- ter, they forsook him, and fled: and could they be supposed to plan either an attack, or a sur- prise, of sixty Roman soldiers, accustomed to conflict, and familiar with watching? 2. Suppose the guard all to have slept at once, yet as Jerusalem contained at the period of the Passover, nearly or quite a million of people, it is improbable that the place of the sepulchre was, at any time, without some per- sons present besides the guard; for many stran- gers probably passed the night in the open air; and the place was only just without the walls. 3. At the Passover the moon was full; so that nothing could be done by the disciples in the way of removing the body under the cover of darkness. 4. It is altogether incredible -that sixty men, accustomed to the strictness of Roman disci- pline should all, at the same time, jeopardize their lives by sleeping on guard. 6. If they were all asleep, how could they testify to what wasdone during their slumber? Would they not have been awakened by the noise of rolling away the stone? This must have been done, for the sepulchre had only that entrance; being hewn out of a rock. Hence the disciples had no alternative but to go and perform the theft in the very midst of the guards, who were all, of course, in front of the sepulchre. 6. Would thieves, in a hurry, have folded the napkin which was bound around the head of the Saviour, or would they not rather have hastily removed it, or perhaps not have remained even to do as much as that, seeing that an armed guard was within a few feet of them, and a mo- ment's delay would ruin their enterprise and for- feit their lives ? 7 Would not the Apostles have been seized, had the charge against them been even believ- ed to be true by the rulers? Would not the soldiers have been punished, as those sixteen were, to whom shortly after, Peter was commit- ted by Herod, when he was not to be found? This would, at least, have vindicated the rulers from the suspicion of collusion with the guards. Would no judicial investigation have been in- stituted ? No accusation of the apostles laid, even when they directly charged the rulers with his murder, and asserted in the same breath his resurrection? (Acts ii. 23, 24.) How natu- rally, from this charge, would the retort on them- selves arise, of having stolen the body, had it been true! and how impossible that it should not be made! A specious objection against the reality of Christ's resurrection has been sometimes made, founded on Acts x. 40, 41. "Him God raised up the third day and showed him openly; not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before of God, &.C." It is here asked. Why " not to all the people?" Why were the witnesses of his resurrection to be picked men? Does it not look like collusion? Is there not the ap- pearance, at least, of fear to bring the matter to public and general investigation? In answer to this we observe, The objection takes for granted that God chose the witnesses, or that they were chosen, to favor the deception; whereas, in fact, they were chosen to prevent the possibility of deception. The witnesses chosen of God, were such as had been, mr three and a half years, the companions of Christ, and the members of his family; — they had often eaten and .drank with him, and could not but be eminently qualified to testify to his personal identity. The people generally hud indeed, seen Jesus prior to his suffering death; but most had only a passing, and distant view of him: could these, then, be competent wit- nesses to the identity of his person? And if he had been shown "openly to all the people " af- ter his resurrection, they must have had only a distant view of him, and could not, therefore, testify to more than having seen, living, a man said to have been Jesus v/ho was crucified; but this would have been insufficient. But the 22 A CONCISE INTRODUCTipN TO witnesses " chosen of God," "ate and drank with him," and were invited "to handle him," " to thrust their fingers into the print of the nails, and their hand into his side;" and, fully, by every means, to satisfy themselves that he was their very Lord Jesus himself These then are truly competent witnesses: let us examine their testimony. 1 . Their number is more than sufficient to tes- tify satisfactorily to any matter of fact whatev- er; and the fact to which they do testify, they witnessed a considerable number of times. The witnesses are seven ; viz. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, and James; — These writers record eleven distinct appearances of the Lord Jesus after his resurrection, and prior to his ascension; viz. (1.) To Mary Magdalene alone, (Mark xvi. 0.) who saw Jesus standing. (Jno. xx. 4.) (2.) To the women returning from the sepul- chre to the apostles with the tidings of his res- urrection. (Matt, xxvii. 9, 10.) (£^.) To Simon Peter alone. (Luke xxiv. 34.) (4.) To the two disciples going to Emmaus. (Luke xxiv. 13—31.) (o.) To the apostles at Jerusalem, Thomas excepted. (Jno. xx. 19, 20.) (6.) To the apostles, eight days afterwards, Thgmas included. (Jno. xx. 26 — 29.) (7.) To seven of the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, when he ate with them. (Jno. xxi. 1 (8.) To the eleven on a mountain in Galilee. (Matt, xxviii. 16, 17.) (9.) To "Five hundred brethren at once." (1 Cor. XV. 6.) (10.) To James after the last mentioned ap- pearance. (1 Cor. XV. 7.) (11.) To all the apostles on Olivet, where they witnessed his ascension to heaven. (Luke xxiv. 51. Acts i. 9. Of nearly all these appearances, it may be remarked, that those to whom they were made, did not expect ihem; and therefore could not be excited to illusion, by a heated imagination. Furthermore, they were made ,at such seasons as were calculated to guard against all proba- bility of such illusion; as, also, of dreams being mistaken for realities. It was in "the morning," or in broad day, or in the evening be- fo% they retired; but, in no single instance, was it in the darkness and silence of midnight. In addition to thes6 appearances, he was seen by Stephen at the moment of his martyrdom; and by Saul near the gates of Damascus. 2. The condilion of the witnesses was not such as to give currency to their report, had it not been strictly true. They were men of no opulence or reputation, of no learning or eloquence, of no influence or authority; but plain unlettered men, testifying to a plain matter of fact; and had they been disoosed, they were among the mo.st incapable of palming a falsehood on the world. 3. They toere, themselves , remarkably incred- ulous of the fact, to which, when convinced of it, they so consistently and steadily testified They did not believe he would die, even after he had predicted it five or six times. Mark tells us, " They understood not that saying." Markix. 32. Neither when they saw him dead, did they believe that he would rise again, though he had distinctly foretold this also; for "they ques- tioned one with another what the rising from the dead should mean." Mark ix. 10. The re- port of the women, that they had seen a vision of angels, who announced his actual resurrec- tion, was by the apostles treated as " A idle tale:" — they were "terrified and affrighted,' when they first saw him; whence evidently they did not expect to see him. 4. It is morally impossible that they should attempt to palm an imposition upon the world We have seen ample evidence of the integrity, and fidelity of the apostles, so that there is not any shadow of reason for suspecting them of making the attempt. It is inconceivable indeed that any raali, and especially that such men, should expose themselves to all kinds of pun- ishments, and even to death itself, to testify to what they knew to be a lie; and if Christ be not risen, they must hav^ known this. Further if one person might be so lost to principle as to do this, it is incredible that numbers should unite in it. But suppose many persons should have agreed together in the falsehood, yet, must they be, of all others, those very persons who consider perfidy and falsehood as endangering their eternal salvation ? And such was the steady belief of every Jew. Can it be believed, moreover, that of all the persons concerned in such a scheme to cheat the world, none would be found, who, to avoid punishment, or obtain reward, would disclose the truth, and expose the cheat.'' 5. These witnesses testify to facts ; and not to conclusions drawn from metaphysical reas- oning, or long and difficult calculations. The facts to which they testify were such as their senses could test; viz. that they had seen, and heard, and handled, and conversed, and eaten with, that very Jesus after nis resurrection, who was crucified, dead, and buried. They could not have been deceived on these points. 6. Their evidence is also, remarkably con' atrrent; and hence, the testimony of each, is» corroborative of that of all the rest. Is it not strange that among five hundred false witness- es, (upon the supposition that Christ rose not) containing as they must, persons of a variety of tempers, capacities, and dispositions, some tim- id and some bold, there should yet be, on the point to which they falsely testify, unbrofcen unity of evidence? None of the witnesses ever contradicted himself; none impeached his accomplices; none ever discovered the preten- ded imposture. 7. Their evidence too, was subjected to the rajst competent and rigid scrutiny. It was ex- amed by innumerable multitudes of people; by Jews and Heathens, Rabbles and Philosonhers; for circumstances were so ordered, that men of THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 23 almost all countries heard the testimony; and it was borne before judicial tribunals, and in presence of courtiers and counsellors, expert in the investigation and sifting of evidence : yet, no one of them ever pretended to have discover- ed the fraud. 8. The time when this testimony was borne is also to be taken into the account. Only three days after his crucifixion, do we find them affirming his resurrection: impostors would never have done this. 9. Consider also the place where this testi- mony was borne. Not in distant countries, beyond mountains and seas: — this, because of the difficulty to the hearers, of obtaining exact mformation, might seem to affiard some facility to the establishment of the falsehood, had it been one; — but He who had chosen the apos- tles to witness his resurrection, bade them " be- gin at Jerusalem." Here, if anywhere, the fact of his resurrection could be disproved; and here, in the very face of his murderers, — in the public streets, in the, temple, before the Sanhedrim, did they erect the standard of their Master's Cross. 10. By what motive, let us ask, were these men actuated in the testimony they bore ? Was it to acquire reputation, favor, wealth, or honor? None of them; but the opposite of them all. They exposed themselves to sufferings and death: they were hated, calumniated, despis- ed, persecuted from city to city, imprisoned, scourged, stoned, and crucified; yet, glorying in all their labors, and all their sufferings, and still uttering the same unvarying testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. It devolves on the Infidel to tell us what was the motive of these men, if not the love of truth, and to show the consistency of the course they pursued with the motive which actuated them. 11. These witnesses themselves wrought miracles in confirmation of what they testified: these miracles themselves, are God's testimony to the veracity of the apostles. Heb. 2. 4. Would the God of truth, then, affix the broad seaj of heaven to an infamous falsehood? If not, then that to which this seal is affixed is true: but it is affixed to the testimony of apos- tles thai Jesus rose from the dead, therefore that testimony is true; and we are permitted triumphan.ly to say, "Now IS CHRIST RISEN. II The evidence of Prophecy. God only can foreknow the events of a distant futurity: but men have, in various ages, appeared, utter- ing predictions of events, at the time, very dis- tantly future; and events, many of them, ex- tremely unlikely to come to pass ; which events, nevertheless, occurred in exact accordance with the prediction. It follows, therefore, that these men were inspired of God to utter their pro- phecies ; and that all which they wrote under such inspiration, is, indeed, the word of God. Prophecy, in itself, could afford no evidence of its divine inspiration, to those to whom it was imraediatily uttered; because, being a predic- tion of events, future at the time it was uttered, until the events occurred, the prophecy could be no evidence of his inspiration who uttered it. But yet the men of the age in which the prophets lived, were not left without evidence of their inspiration; for it was furnished in the miracles they wrought: for a miracle was al- ways considered as God's testimony to the truth of his words who wrought it. There is a wide difference between the Prophecies of the Bible and the Oracles of ancient Heathenism. The latter are few in number, and vague, general, indefinite, ambiguous in language; and never reaching to remote futurity. The propheciea of Scripture, on the contrary, are so numerouSs that it is extremely difficult to tell the number of them; they are, it is true, sometimes invest- ed with a measure of obscurity ; but only such as shall render it impossible for the perverseness of the human will to lay plans to prevent their accomplishment. They are particular, definite, and, often, even minutely circumstantial; and some of them reaching forward through the vista of thousands of years. The lapse of time then, evidently increases the evidence of inspi- ration, derived from prophecy; because it in- creases the number of instances in which the appeal, in its support, can be made to fulfilled prophecy. The history of the past, and the state of the world at present, furnish us with a mass of evidence in favor of the inspiration of the Bible, which it would require numerous volumes to present at length. We cannot here give even an epitome of it. It has relation to Noah's sons and their descendants, Ishmael and his posterity, Jacob, Esau, the Tribes of Israel, Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, the Babylonian, Median, Grecian, and Roman Empires, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Papal Antichrist, &.c. &c. The circumstan- tiality of some of these prophecies is unac- countable upon any other supposition than that the writers really believed thomselves to be un- der the influence of the Spirit of inspiration; and the circumstantiality of the fulfilment, can only be accounted for, by the supposition that they really ivere under his influence: for it is incredible that we live under the government of a Being, wise, powerful, true, and benevo- lent; and who can, therefore, and is disposfed, to dissipate all deception, by which his rational creatures are injured; (especially when it is practised in His name,) and yet that events have occurred under his administration, emi- nently calculated to constrain us to believe the inspiration of these writings, if they be not actually inspired. We can only, as in the case of miracles, present a specimen of the evidence which Prophecy affords, of the Inspiration of the Scriptures; referring such of our readers as are disposed further to prosecute the study of the subject, to the various larger works ex- tant. We take first the remarkable prophecy of Moses, the Lawgiver of Israel, relative to the overthrow of the Jewish polity, and the present condition of that people. It may be 24 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO seen at length, Deut. chap, xxviii. Bishop Newton has noted seventeen distinct particulars in the prophecy, all of which are remarkably fulfilled. 1. That the nation which should overthrow them should come from far, from the end of the earth, swift as the eagle flieth, and that their language should be unintelligible to the Jews. Now in fact, of all the enemies of Israel, none was so remote, none so rapid in their conquests, none so well compared to the Eagles, which were their standards, as the Romans; and none whose language bore so little affinity to their own. 2. "A Nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young." How exact this predic- tion was, will not be questioned by any who know the preeminently warlike charactei- of the Romans, or the records of history as to their procedure towards the Jews. At Gadara, "they slew all, man by man, showing mercy to no age, out of hatred to the nation." At Gamala, " nobody escaped except two women; and they concealed themselves: — they did not spare so much as young children; but every one, at that time, snatching up many, cast them down from the citadel." Josephus. ■■ 3. They were to be besieged in fenced, and strongly fortified places: (ver. 52.) and we are told that when Titus had succeeded in taking the city, he was astonished at his own success; so impregnable did the natural and artificial fortifications appear. 4. Excessive sufferings were to be endured by them during the siege; and especially from famine, the brother envying his brother, the husband his wife, and parents their children, the scanty and unwholesome morsel by which life could be sustained, (ver. 54.) Accord- ingly, Josephus tells us, that "if in any house the semblance of food was seen, a battle en- sued; and the dearest friends fought with each other, snatching away the miserable provisions of lifb." 5. They should eat their own children: ver. 53. 56. This last verse was fulfilled in the last siege of Jerusalem by a woman of-high rank, killing and eating her own sucking child. Mo- ses says that this should be eaten secretly in the siege: and Josephus says that, having eaten half of the babe, she covered up the remainder in a secret place for another meal. 6. Great multitudes were to be destroyed: — "ye shall be left few in number." (ver. 62.) In truth no nation under heaven has been ex- posed to so numerous, and unrelenting persecu- tions and massacres, as they. At Jerusalem, and other parts of Judea, in the last war, there fell a million and a quarter, besides nearly a hundred thousand prisoners who were taken. 7. They were to be carried in ships to Egypt, and sold as slaves, until there were no buyers, (ver. 68.) This, we are assured by Josephus, was most exactly fulfilled. " The markets were quite overstocked with them; — they were sold with their wives and children, at the lowest price, .there being many t,o be sold, and but few purchasers." 8. They Were to be rooted out of their own land. (ver. 63.) A modern traveller (Sandy) says, "It is inhabited mostly by Moors and Arabians; Turks there be few; but many Greeks and other Christians of all sects. Here be also some Jews; but they inherit no part of the land; but, in their own country, do live as aliens." 9. They were to be dispersed into all the kingdoms of the earth, (ver. 25. 64.) And what is the nation under the whole heaven, but contains some of the childreji of Abraham? 10. They were still to subsist as a distinct people. (Lev. xxvi. 44.) And the Jewish nation has been like the bush of Moses, continually burning, yet never consumed. They are, in- 'deed, in this respect, a standing miracle. After so many wars, battles, sieges, fires, famines, pestilences, so many years of slavery, captivi- ty, and misery, they still subsist a distinct peo- ple, yet scattered among all other people. • 1 1 . They were to find no rest, or ease, in their dispersion, (ver. 65.) History accord- ' ingly informs us, that they have been banished from city after city, and country after country ; — from England they were banished by Edward I. and were not permitted to return and settle till Cromwell's time. From France they were banished by Charles VI; from Spain by Fer-. dinand and Isabella; and from Portugal by Emanuel. 12. They were to be " spoiled evermore." (ver. 29. Slc.) Their property has been seized, and confiscated, in almost all countries; they have been fined and fleeced by almost all gov ernments, on the very slightest pretences, and, indeed, almost without pretext. 13. Their " sons and daughters should be given to another people." (ver. 32.) Thus in several countries, and particularly Spain and Portugal, the children of Jewish parents have been taken from them, and educated in the Popish religion. See Basnage, and Mariana's Histories. 14. They should "be mad for the sight of their eyes which they should see." (ver. 34.)~ And into what madness, fury and desperation has the cruelty of their persecutors driven them ! Josephus tells us of nine hundred and sixty, who, being besieged by the Romans in _ the castle of Misada, first slew their own wives ■and children; then selected from their number ten men to slay the rest; and these ten selected one to kill the other nine; and the last, having set fire to the place, then stabbed himself. In- stances of this desperation might be multiplied, did our limits permit. 15. They should _" serve other Gods, wood and stone." (ver. 36. 64.) This would, at first sight, appear to be a prediction not fulfilled in the case of modern Jews. Indeed, they have, since the return from Babylon, been remarka- ble for their exemption from idolatry ; an evil THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 2j to which, previously, they had been most obsti- nately attached. But the consequence of the policy pursued towards them in I?opish coun- tries mentioned above, (13.) has been to intro- duce large numbers of those of really Jewish race, into the population; and many, very many of the Monks and Nuns, Canons, Bishops, In- quisitors, &.C. &c. are persons of this nation. Such is the testimony of Orobio to Limborch, and he was himself one of these persons. 16. They should become " an astonishment, and a proverb, and a by-word among all na- tions." (ver. 37.) And what do we see and hear on the subject of the fulfilment of this pre- diction ? Where is not the very name of a Jew identified with all that is hateful or contempti- ble? Mahomedans, Heathens, and Christians, widely as they differ in other respects, yet agree ifi this, that Jews are to be vilified, abused, and persecuted. 17. Their " plagues should be wonderful; even great plagues, and of long continuance." (ver. 59.) And eighteen hundred years have rolled away and their plagues have not ceased, nor has their captivity been turned. Former captivities were, comparatively, short; and their situation tolerable; but this has been long, and unmitigated. Here now is a single prophecy selected from a very large number; and this prophecy presents seventeen independent particulars, in every one of which we have seen that it was fulfilled, or is fulfilling, at this day. This prophecy was . delivered above three thousand years since ; and at a time when Israel was just about, victori- ously, to take possession of the country of its enemies; and consequently, at a time when there was scarcely a shadow of probability, that it would ever be fulfilled; so far, at least, as probabilities can be calculated. Now, in order that we may see the measure of evidence which this prophecy alone, affords of the inspiration of him who delivered it, let us take such a view of it, as Mathematicians take of the doctrine of chances, in their calculations on probabilities. Here are seventeen particulars, in this prophe- cy; the chances, therefore, against the concur- rence of them all in any lapse of time, is as the 17th power of 2 to unity, i.e. It is 131,072 to 1, against its ever being fulfilled. Yet we have seen that it has actually been fulfilled in every particular; can we attribute this to political fore- sight in Moses ? It is plainly impossible. Can we ascribe it to some lucky hit? No: for, on that supposition, God has given up the govern- ment of the world; and this supposition is irra- tional. Can we, then, suppose, that God has so remarkably operated, in his providence, as to seem to put the seal of inspiration on what, nevertheless, is only a blind conjecture, or the raving of an enthusiast? This cannot be sup- posed; for, on that supposition, God, the God of truth, has put the broad seal of heaven on a palpable lie; and this, when its manifest ten- dency was to mislead and ruin his rational crea- tures. There is only one other alternative. viz: that Moses was inspired to utter this pre- diction. This we are bound to believe, be- cause, as we have just seen, this single fulfilled prophecy, presents 131,072 times as much evi- dence of being inspired, as can be brought against it. But, if Moses was inspired, then the Levitical dispensation was of Divine origm and authority: and the subsequent portions of the Old Testament, dependant on the Penta- teuch, have an ample base on which to rest; — a foundation which earth and hell may in vain attempt to overthrow. We will now, very briefly, adv«rt to another subject of prophecy immensely more fruitful, in evidence of the inspiration of the scripture, than that which we have considered: viz: the Mes- siahship of Jesus Christ. It is far too large a subject to enter upon, except in the most gen- eral and cursory way: the writers are numer- ous, the prophecies which they have recorded, still more numerous; and the independent par- ticulars, under these prophecies, it were ex- tremely diflScult to enumerate. When we con- sider, however, that they embrace his descent from Abraham, by Judah, in the line of David, his place of birth, its time, his teaching, mira- cles, character, treatment, rejection, death, &c. &c. &c. and remember that " to him give all the prophets witness," we must be convinced that there are really hundreds oi particulars embrac- ed in the prophecies, which have relation to Christ. The 53d of Isaiah, which touches only the subject of his final rejection, embraces not far from twenty particulars; and other por- tions of Scripture^ of not larger extent, might be named, where nearly an equal number are clustered together. But, as we cannot enter on any thing like an induction of particulars, we will make a supposition, far, v^ry far, within the truth ; and see what is the amount of evi- dence, for the inspiration of the prophecies, which is thence derived. Suppose that among all the prophets, we could only ohtain fifty inde- pendent criteria by which to recognize the Messiah, when he should appear; and that only this number were distinctly discoverable in Jesus; then, upon the principle before laid down, the evidence in favor of Jesus being that Messiah, to whom these prophets witnessed, or the evidence in favor of their proper inspiration, would be, the fiftieth power of 2 to unity, i. e It would be more than 1,125,900,000,000,000 to I, or above Eleven hundred and twenty-five millions of millions, and nine hundred thousand millions to one. For, supposing there to be an equal chance for the happening, or the fail- ure of any one of these particulars, it is so many as above named to one, that they never all occur in any way. This computation, how- ever, is independent of the consideration of lime; it is conducted upon the principle, that if any one of the specified particulars occur, it may be the day after the prophecy is delivered, or at any period from that time to the end of the world. But the prophecies are not delivered in such a way as this; those respectin[f the 26 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO IVIessiah, were not oaly to occur, but to concur in one person; he was to live at a specified time; all, therefore, of the specified particulars, must concur in the same individual, and within the lapse of a very few years from the time, when it was declared he should live. This consider- ation augments the improbability of the concur- rence of all the particulars, beyond all the pow- er of numbers correctly to express: i. e. Since they all did concur in Jesus Christ, their con- currence presents evidence in favor of the in- spiration of the prophecies, Eleven hundred and tinentij-Jive millions of millions, and nine hundred ilwusand millions of times as strong, as can be brought against their inspiration! Yet, here, we have presented only a sample of this evidence; to present the body of it, we must take every fulfilled prophecy the Bible con- tains, and ascertain the number of particulars in each; — then calculate the numerical proba- bility which each furnishes of its inspiration; and finally, add together all the numbers thus obtained; and the difference between this sum and 1 , would express the preponderance of evi- dence which prophecy affords, that the Scrip- tures are divinely inspired! Imagination staggers at the thought ; it is far too mighty to be grasp- ed: under even a partial conception of the evi- dence thus presented, we subscribe to the truth of an inspired Apostle's declaration on this sub- ject, " We have not followed cunningly devised fables." 2 Pet. i. 16. We have thus presented, under the two great heads of External evidence for the Divine origin of the Scriptures, (i. e. miracles and prophecy) one or two particulars, and the evidence they afford of the inspiration of the Holy Oracles. But there is another, and, to Christians, a more satisfactory source of evidence, than that which is external; viz: that which arises from the Revelation itself. To such persons, the inter- nal evidences of inspiration are often more within their power to appreciate, and hence they believe, like the men of Samaria, not for the word of the witnesses, but because their own eyes, so to speak, have seen him, and they have heard him themselves. It is to this source of conviction, — this species of evidence, that the Apostle refers, when he says, " He that be- lioveth, hath the witness in himself. " I Jno. v. 10. Infidels never feel the force of this evi- dence, because the very conditions of feeling it, in all its force, require that they should cease to be Infidels. But there is yet, a degree, and that, not an inconsiderable one, in which even they might appreciate Internal evidence. If, instead of deriving their opinions of Christiani- ty from the writings of men, (as has been the caso with a great majority of them,) they would derive them from the Scriptures themselves, we might hope that even they might relinquish their skepticisms, and become humble believers. A calm and candid investigation of the Bible itself is eminently calculated to convince the reflecting unbeliever, that it comes from God. It does not come within the range of our plan, to enter at any length into this branch of evi- dence ; yet, we cannot with propriety quit the subject, without just enumerating the sources of internal evidence. The Scriptures were written by a" succession of men, during the period of 1600 years, and contain the Revelations made under the Patri- archal, Mosaic and Christian dispensations. Yet do we find the same essential truths taught in them all, relative to God and his perfections; and man and his duties, and destinies. So per- fectly excellent too, are the doctrines and pre- cepts of the Bible, that they could not have originated in a source so corrupt as mere human nature, even in its choicest specimens. Every part is, also, so admirably adapted to the na- ture of man, as an organized, rational, moral and accountable being; and so ignorant wel-e all mankind on these subjects, in the days when the Bible was written, that, evidently, the writ- ers must have been instructed by some one "who perfectly understood man's whole nature, and adapted his laws and revelations to it. Who then could possess this knowledge and impart it; and lead the writers to embody it, and pourtray it, and this, whilst they, in common with the species. in general, were profoundly ignorant of the details of man's physical, and intellectual, and moral nature.' Who but "He who made" man, "could" thus " make his sword to ap- proach unto him? " The preservation of the Scriptures is also a strong presumption in favor of their being from Heaven. Not the mere fact that they are preserved, (for this would equally prove the divine origin of any work of antiqui- ty,) but the many manifest interpositions of God to preserve them, when the most determined en- mity was arrayed against them, and the might- iest efforts put forth to destroy every copy. The tendency of the Scriptures to render men happy, here, and hereafter, affords additional internal evidence, that they are from God. That such is their tendency, is evident from the effects produced wherever they are cordial- ly received. Witness for exEunple, the effect produced by the religion of the Bible on the South Sea Islanders; — the brutal has become humanized, and the devilish, divine. See also its effect in countries where it prevails, on so- ciety in general, on the political state of nations, on literature and the arts, which tend to refine and elevate, and bless the species. These are some of the principal sources of internal evi- dence that the Scriptures are from God; and the more deeply they are studied' in the docile and obedient spirit of a learner, the more strong will the confidence become, that God is their author; for " If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God." Jno. vii. 17. SECTION IV. On the Manuscripts and early priTited editions of the Sacred Writings. We have thus gone through a very brief ex- hibition of the evidence by which the Genuine- THE STUDY OP THE SCRIPTURES. 2? nes3, Authenticity, and Inspiration of the Bible are supported. But we may, perhaps, now be met by some who will say, "We admit the soundness of your reasonings and the force of youT arguments on these points ; but they really prove no more than this; viz. ThSt inspired books do exist,' and that, perhaps, portions of these books may have descended to us, and be- come amalgamated with the books now called the Original Scriptures. But wc want more than this: it is incumbent on you to show that what are called the " Original Scriptures" in the present day, are really such, i. e. that they are faithful copies of those writings which were penned by inspired men." Believing that this is no more than a reasonable requirement, and feeling assured that such a requirement can be satisfactorily met, we now address ourselves to the task of proving, to a moral certainty, that such is the fact. On the restoration of Israel from the captiv- ity in Babylon, the canon of Scriptures then extant, was settled by Ezra, who was specially qualified, and divinely assisted to do so. From the days of Ezra to those of our Saviour, copies of the Scriptures, as revised by Ezra, were-very extensively multiplied. A synagogue was erec- ted in all places where there were found ten men of full age and free condition to attend its service; and, of course, in large cities there would sometimes be several synagogues: in Je- rusalem there were 460 or 480. One indispen- sable part of the furniture of a synagogue, was, a copy of the Law and the Prophets, or of such of the sacred writings as were then in existence. Now Jews were to be found, not only in the East, but in Egypt, and in various cities of Asia Minor; and were, in these places, very numer- ous. Of course synagogues were numerous al- so, as were copies of the Scriptures. So scru- pulously careful, too, were they to guard against the corruption of the Scriptures, and to preserve their integrity, that every copy used in a syna- gogue was required to be compared with the standard copy which was carefully preserved at Jerusalem, and corrected by it. Add to this, that wealthy and pious individuals would desire to possess themselves of a copy, and that this desire would operate greatly to multiply the number of copies. Such was the state of things for about five hundred years, till the standard copy was taken by Titus; which having been carried in triumph to Rome, was laid up within the purple vail in the palace of Vespasian. The great number of the copies of the Jewish Scrip- tures in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, may be inferred from the mighty efforts of that per- secutor to destroy them all. After the coming of Christ, the Christians as well as the Jews, had numerous copies of the Old Testament writ- ings; and thus, the preservation of the Scrip- tures: uncorrupted, was rendered more certain, through the mutual jealousy of Jews and Chris- tians: for both held them sacred, and of course each' would vigilantly observe the other, — im- mediately detect any attempt at either mutila- tion, or interpolation, or addition; and instantly promulgate it. After the destruction of Jeru- salem there was, indeed, no established stand- ard of the Hebrew Scriptures; yet, those then in existence in various places, (and there were very many) had all been corrected by that copy which was now removed to Rome; and, hence, afforded great facilities for the further multipli- cation of correct copies, and for the detection of any errors into which subsequent transcri- bers might fall; and, moreover, the minute, and apparently trifling regulations made for their guidance, had a powerful tendency to prevent errors and to preserve, in purity, the holy writ- ings. From the many copies scattered abroad, distinguished men in the nation formed exem- plars, of undoubted correctness, which served as standards, by which the rulers of synagogues, and others, corrected their copies. These ex- emplars were 1. The copy of Rabbi Hillel, who is sup- posed to have lived about the year 1000; but as- there were many persons of this name, there is no certainty as to this matter. 2. The copy of Raebi Ben Asher, one of the celebrated doctors of Tiberias, and presi- dent of the academy in that city; he flourished about A. D. 1034. This manuscript was kept during many years at Jerusalem as a standard copy; and was that from which Maimonides assures us he transcribed his copy of the law. All the printed copies of the Hebrew Scrip- tures, and also, nearly all the manuscripts of the western Jews, are derived from transcripts of this celebrated copy. 3. The copy of Jacob Ben Naphtali, who flourished at the same time as Ben Asi-ieu, and was president of the academy at Babylon. His text was generally received by his countrymen, and the Oriental Jews, beyond the Euphrates. The "various readings" or differences between this and the preceding one have been transmit- ted to our own times, and are printed in the larger editions of the Hebrew Bible. The copies of Jericho and Sinai also, are greatly celebrated for their accuracy, as also is another, called Sanbouki, but of the last, noth ing is certainly known, respecting, either its date, or author. In addition to these, may be mentioned, anoth- er; viz. that procured by the late Dr. Buchan- an from the Black Jews in Malabar: for though nothing certain can be said as to the date of it, there is satisfactory evidence of its antiquity; and it consists of fragments of copies purely Oriental, and entirely unconnected with the MSS. of the western Jews. These several independent copies furnish in- valuable means for testing the genuineness of those Hebrew Scriptures which we possess ; for since they (these copies) are independent of each other, if our Hebrew Scriptures corres- pond on all important points with all these, there is ample evidence that all have one common origin; and that that origin is the standard copy once laid up in the temple in Jerusalcin Iipr 28 A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO mense care has always been taken in transcrib- ing the Holy Scriptures; yet, as might have been expected, many errors have crept into transcripts, and this fact has been magnified and misrepresented by designing men, so as to alarm the fears, and unsettle the confidence of the un- informed. But such persons need feel no alarm: an overwhelming majority of various readings are mere orthographical diversities, of as little importance to the contents of the books them- selves, as it would be to the art of painting should a work be written, in some parts of which the word " color" should be spelt without a U, and in others, with it , or to the safety of a na- tion, if, in a treatise on military tactics, we should sometimes read, in the old-fashioned or- thography, of " the defence of a position;" and at others, of its "defense," after the modern Wcbsterian orthography. "All the various collations of versions, manuscripts, and fathers, prove the integrity of the Scriptures which we possess; all coincide, notwithstanding the thou- sands of various readings, in exhibiting the same Histories, and Prophecies, and Poems, and Gospels, and Acts, and Epistles; all con- tain the same doctrines; all inculcate the same duties. All the omissions of the ancient man- uscripts put together, would not authorise the omission of one essential doctrine of the Gos- pel, relative to faith or morals; and all the ad- ditions countenanced by the whole mass of manuscripts yet collated, do not introduce a single essential point beyond what may be found in the most imperfect editions." The following early printed editions of the Hebrew Scriptures, or parts of them, deserve to be noticed in this place. 1. A Hebrew Psalter, or Book of Psalms, with a commentary, by Kimchi. This is the earliest printed Hebrew book extant; and in- deed the first ever printed. 2. A copy of the Hebrew Bible, containing, originally, it is probable, nearly the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is printed on vel- lum, in two large folio volumes ; and was print- ed at Naples, in 1487. It was presented by Dr. Pellet, to whom it belonged, to the Library at Eton College, England. It contains many readings peculiar to itself, among printed cop- ies; and often, contrary to the Masoretic ones 3. The Hebrew Bible with points printed at Soncino, a small town in Italy, near Cremona; A D. 1488, and edited by Abraham Ben Chaviim. This is the first edition of the entire Hebrew Bible ever printed, and is so extremely rare, that only nine copies are known to be in existence; one of these is in the Bodleian Li- brary, and another in Exeter College, Oxford. This edition and the two preceding ones are al- lowed to be equal in value to manuscripts. 4. The edition of the Hebrew Bible edited bv Gerson, son of Rabbi Moses. It was print- ed at Brescia, Italy, A. D. 1494. It was from this edition that Luther made his German trans- lation; and it is the basis of the Hebrew in the Complutensian Polyglott, and of several other Hebrew Bibles. 5. Bomberg's Hebrew Bible, Venice, 1525, and 1526, folio; edited by Rabbi Jacob Ben Chatim. He gave to the text the Masoretic punctuation; and this edition is the basis of all the modern pointed editions of the Hebrew Bible. 6. The Complutensian Polyglott; the Old Testament in four languages; viz. Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, and Latin. This great work was printed under the direction, and at the ex- pense of Cardinal Ximenes, and was completed in 1517, but not published till 1522. 7. The Antwerp Polyglott, printed at Plantin, 1569 — 1572. It was undertaken at the sugges- tion of Philip II. of Spain, who also sustained the expense of the publication; and it was edit- ed by Arias Montanus. Besides the whole Complutensian Polyglott, it contains a Chal- dee paraphrase of part of the Old Testament, which Cardinal Ximenes omitted; a Syriac version of the New Testament; and the Latin translation of Santes Pagninus, corrected by the editor. ' 8. The Paris Polyglott in ten vols. fol. 1628 — 1645, edited by Michael Le Jay and asso- ciates. This embraces all included in the two last mentioned; and, besides, Syriac and Ara- bic versions of the greater part of the Old, and the whole of the New Testament, together with, what had never before appeared, the Samaritan text and version of the Pentateuch. 9. The London Polyglott, edited by Brian Walton, D. D., afterwards Bishop of Chester. This was published A. D. 1657, and though it may be behind the two last in splendor and ele- gance, it surpasses them in the more important particulars of completeness and accuracy. The Chaldee paraphrases are more complete; aver- sion of the Hebrew text is interlined ; and some parts are printed in the Ethiopic and Persian; none of which were in the others. Castell's Lexicon Heptaglotton is also appended in two volumes; a work expressly composed as an ap- pendix to this edition. We might very proper- ly, add here 10. Bagster's London Polyglott, 1820; but that not being an early printed edition comes not properly within our design. For particulars respecting it, we refer our readers to Home's Critical Introd. to the study of the Scriptures, vol. ii. p. 119. There are several hundreds of MSS. of the Greek Testament extant, of various ages, writ- ten in various characters, and on various sub- stances; of very difl^erent value as regards authority; some mutilated and imperfect; and some interpolated and corrupted; a mere cata- logue of these would carry us far beyond our limits. We make the following brief selection of the most valuable and important among them, and which constitute the principal basis of our present Greek Testament. 1 . The Codex Alexandrinus, or Alexandrine Copy, so called because it was brought from THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 29 Alexandria, where also it was probably written. It was sent by Cyrillus Lucaris, Patriarch of Constantinople, as a present to Charles I. of England. By Cyrillus it was brought from Alexandria, and he states, in a schedule annex- ed, that it was written by Thecla, a noble Egyp- tian lady, about 1300 years previous to the date of the said note : (1628) consequently this cele- brated copy is now 1505 years old: (i. e. 1833 — 328=1605.) It must not be concealed how- ever, that this very high antiquity is not univer- sally conceded to it: some have contended for placing it in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and even tenth, century. At all events, it is one of the most ancient, if not the most so, of which we have any knowledge. Besides the New Tes- tament, it contains the Septuagint version of the Old, formerly edited by Dr. Grabe. It is preserved inthe British Museum. 2. The Codex Vaticanus, or Vatican Copy: so designated, because it is deposited in the Library of the Vatican, at Rome. This copy contests the palm of antiquity, with the preced- ing; and is, by some, supposed to have been written in the fourth, though by others, in the fifth, and even sixth, century. This also con- tains the Greek version of the Seventy. 3. The Codex Bezae, or Copy of Beza; sometimes also called Codex Cantabrigiensis, because deposited in the Library of the Uni- versity of Cambridge, England, to which it was presented by Beza. It contains the Gos- pels and Acts, with the Old Itala version, or that which preceded the version of Jerome, commonly called the Vulgate. Dr. Kipling who published a fac simile of this Manuscript in 1793, fixes its date as early as the second century, though Wetstein and Marsh are of opinion, that it was not written till the fifth. 4. The Codex Ephrasmi is also extremely valuable. It derives this name from the fact, that over the first part of the Manuscript (which originally included the whole of the Greek Bible) some of the works of Ephraim Syrus are written. It is also called by another name. Codex Regius, or Royal Copy, from its being deposited in the Royal Library at Paris; num- bered 9. 6. The Codex Claromontanus, or Regius. This is a Manuscript of the Greek text of Paul's Epistles, with the Itala version ; written in the sixth or seventh century, and found in the monastery of Clermont, in the diocese of Beauvais, and now deposited in the Royal Library in Paris, and numbered 107. The whole number of Manuscripts which are known to have been wholly or partially col- lated is nearly five hundred: but these form only a small part of the whole number known to exist in public and private libraries. Yet the result, from the comparison of these five hundred, is extremely satisfactory, and con- firmatory to our faith in the integrity of the Scriptures, as we possess them. It was said above that some of these Manuscripts were interpolated and corrupted; but, let not the fears of the reader be alarmed by these expressions ;— nothing is intended by them, like the intrv