Library of the Theological Seminary 
 
 PRINCETON o NEW JERSEY 
 
 Gift of the Publisher, 
 
 Robert Carter 
 
 1846 
 
 BS480 .Ct81 
 
 Greenfield, Wiliiani, 1799-1831. 
 Genuineness, authenticity, and inspiration 
 the word of God / z 
 
THE 
 
 GENUINENESS, AUTHENTICITY, 
 
 INSPIRATION OF THE WORD OF GOD. 
 
 EDITOR OF " BAGSTER'S COMPREHENSIVE BIBLE." 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, 
 AND PITTSBURG, 56 MARKET STREET. 
 
 1846. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 As the present volume is derived from the pages of the 
 " CcMPREHENSivE BiBLE," it may be necessary to state briefly 
 of what that work consists. Besides the Sacred Text, the 
 Chronology, the Various Readings, the Contents, Indexes, and 
 a vast body of Parallel Passages, it contains (what more par- 
 ticularly demands a distinct specification) upwards of four 
 thousand Notes, and an ample Introduction. 
 
 The Notes are chiefly selected from the most eminent 
 Biblical critics and commentators, both British and Foreign ; 
 and are designed to improve the authorized version, where it 
 has been conceived to be faulty ; to explain words which, 
 since the days of our venerable translators, have either become 
 obsolete, changed their signification, or become less compre- 
 hensive in their import ; to elucidate really difficult passages j 
 to reconcile or account for apparent discrepances, whether in 
 the history, chronology, or any other department ; to illustrate 
 the ideas, images, and allusions of the sacred writers, by a 
 reference to objects, idioms, customs, manners, and laws, 
 which were peculiar to their age or country, or to Oriental 
 nations ; to explain, by short notices, the geography, natural 
 history, and antiquities of Judea, and other eastern countries ; 
 and to furnish brief hut comprehensive Introductions, embra- 
 cing a short analysis to each book. 
 
 In the General Introduction, the object of the editor was 
 to supply such information as might be necessary to a correct 
 acquaintance with the Sacred Volume ; and it consists of dis- 
 quisitions on the genuineness, uncorrupted preservation, au- 
 thenticity, and inspiration of the Sacred Writings ; on the 
 divisions and marks of distinction which occur in the Scrip- 
 tures ; on the manuscripts and printed editions ; on the Sa- 
 maritan Pentateuch, ancient versions, and the authorized 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 English version ; on the Jewish writings, the apostolic ana 
 primitive fathers and doctors of the church ; on the Jewish 
 sects, factions, and orders of men ; on the Jewish and other 
 coins, weights, and measures ; on the Jewish and Roman 
 modes of computing time ; and on the geography and history 
 of the nations mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 From this mass of materials such portions have been se- 
 lected as comported with the design of this work, merely add- 
 ing occasionally a few connecting words, or such passages of 
 Scripture as were necessary for the correct apprehension ot 
 the subject. A great body of notes (at least as much as would 
 form a volume of equal dimensions with the present) on the 
 geography, natural history, antiquities, manners, customs, &c. 
 of Judea and other eastern countries, has necessarily been 
 left untouched, as they were foreign to the object of this 
 work. This object was, generally, to establish the genuine- 
 ness, uncorrupted preservation, authenticity, and inspiration 
 of the Sacred Volume, and specially in the illustration of the 
 arguments on these all-important topics, to prove the principal 
 facts, to illustrate the miracles, to show the fulfilment of the 
 prophecies, to exhibit the harmony, and to display the doc- 
 trines and precepts of the Word of God. In the prosecution 
 of this design, the author has sedulously labored, he trusts not 
 altogether in vain ; and he would earnestly implore the Divine 
 blessing to render the work efficient for the purpose of con- 
 vincing the unbeliever, of confirming the wavering, of strength- 
 ening the weak, of instructing the ignorant, and of building 
 up the believer in his most holy faith, that being built '* on 
 the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ him 
 self being the chief corner stone," and led by the Holy Spirit, 
 both the writer and reader, through the merits of the atone- 
 ment of the Son of God, may finally find that, " when heart 
 and flesh fail," God is " the strength of their heart, and their 
 portion for ever." 
 
 London, Ja?mary 4,1831. 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. The Genuineness of the Sacred Scriptures 
 proved 
 
 1 . From their having always been received as genuine 
 (1.) The earlier books being cited or alluded to by the 
 
 subsequent sacred writers .... 
 
 (2.) By the testimony of Jewish translators and writers 
 to the Old Testament 
 
 (3.) By quotations or allusions to the New Testament 
 by a regular succession of Christian writers 
 
 (4.) From their genuineness never having been im- 
 pugned by Jewish or heathen adversaries, or 
 heretics 
 
 2. From the language and style of writing both in the 
 
 Old and New Testaments 
 
 (1. 
 
 Their diversity of style proving them 
 
 works of various authors 
 Of the style of Isaiah 
 Of the style of Jeremiah 
 Of the style of Ezekiel 
 Of the style of Daniel 
 Of the style of Hosea 
 Of the style of Joel 
 Of the style of Amos 
 Of the style of Jonah 
 Of the style of Micah 
 Of the style of Nahum 
 Of the style of Habakkuk 
 Of the style of Haggai 
 Of the style of Malachi 
 Of the style of Matthew 
 Of the style of John 
 Of the style of Paul 
 Of the style of Peter . 
 (2.) From the use of certain expressions and foreign 
 
 words in the Old Testament 
 (3.) By the mixture of Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and 
 
 Latin words and idioms with the Greek of the 
 
 New Testament • 
 
 From the moral impossibility of their being forgeries 
 V 
 
 to be the 
 
 Page. 
 
 21 
 
 21,47 
 
 47 
 47 
 48 
 
 48 
 
 48 
 
 48 
 48 
 49 
 50 
 52 
 53 
 55 
 56 
 58 
 58 
 59 
 59 
 60 
 60 
 60 
 62 
 62 
 63 
 
 64 
 
 64 
 23 
 
n 
 
 SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. The uncorrupted Preservation of the Sa- 
 cred Scriptures shown ... 
 
 1. Relative to the Old Testament : 
 
 (1.) From the long preservation of the originals, the 
 multiplication of copies, and the extraordinary 
 care taken by the Jews 
 
 (2.) From the substantial agreement of all the versions 
 and manuscripts 
 
 2. With regard to the New Testament : 
 
 (1.) From the multiplication of copies of the originals, 
 and translations, &c. 
 
 (2.) From the agreement of all the manuscripts exam- 
 ined 
 
 Pa?e. 
 
 23 
 
 56 
 67 
 
 23 
 
 CHAPTER III. The Authenticity, or truth of the Sacred 
 
 Scriptures proved 24 
 
 1. From the impossibility of the sacred writers themselves 
 
 being deceived, being either eye-witnesses of the facts 
 recorded, or deriving their information from the best 
 sources 69 
 
 2. Because the sacred writers neither would nor could 
 
 deceive others .... . . 25 
 
 1. They could not deceive others, for the facts were 
 
 of such a nature as totally precluded imposition, 
 such as 
 The rivers of Egypt being turned into blood 
 The plague of frogs 
 The plague of lice . 
 The plague of flies 
 The murrain of beasts 
 The plague of biles and blains 
 The plague of hail .... 
 The plague of locusts . 
 The plague of palpable darkness 
 The death of the first-born . 
 The miraculous passage of the Red Sea . 
 The pillar of cloud conducting the Israelites 
 The miraculous supply of quails 
 The miraculous gift of manna 
 The miraculous supply of water from the rock of 
 
 Horeb 
 
 The destruction of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, &c. 
 The resurrection of our Lord .... 
 The darkness at his crucifixion . . . , 
 ^ 2. The sacred writers icould not attempt to impose 
 
 on others, which is shown 
 By their strict impartiality .... 
 
 From iheir having nothing to gain by the imposture 
 
 71 
 71 
 72 
 72 
 73 
 74 
 74 
 74 
 76 
 76 
 76 
 77 
 77 
 78 
 
 79 
 79 
 80 
 80 
 
 81 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 but on the contrary, especially those of .the New 
 
 Testament, bringing upon themselves the most 
 
 dreadful evils and most cruel deaths 
 From the multitude of minutely particular circum- 
 stances of time, place, person, &c., mentioned in the 
 books of the Old and New Testaments 
 This shown from the contents of 
 The book of Genesis 
 The book of Exodus 
 The book of Leviticus 
 The book of Numbers 
 The book of Deuteronomy . 
 The book of Joshua 
 The book of Judges 
 The book of Ruth . 
 The first book of Samuel 
 The second book of Samuel 
 The first book of Kings 
 The second book of Kings 
 The first book of Chronicles 
 The second book of Chronicles 
 The book of Ezra 
 The book of Nehemiah . 
 The book of Esther 
 The book of Job 
 The book of Psalms 
 The book of Proverbs 
 The book of Ecclesiastes 
 The book of the Song of Solomon 
 The prophecies of Isaian 
 The prophecies of Jeremiah 
 The prophecies of Ezekiel . 
 
 The prophecies of Daniel 
 
 The prophecies of Hosea 
 
 The prophecies of Joel 
 
 The prophecies of Amos 
 
 The prophecies of Obadiah 
 
 The prophecies of Jonah 
 
 The prophecies of Micah 
 
 The prophecies of Nahum . 
 
 The prophecies of Habakkuk 
 
 The prophecies of Zephaniah 
 
 The prophecies of Haggai 
 
 The prophecies of Zechariah 
 
 The prophecies of Malachi 
 
 The gospel of Matthew 
 
 The gospel of Mark 
 
 The gospel of Luke 
 
 The gospel of John 
 
 Vll 
 
 Page. 
 
 82 
 27 
 
nil SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles 
 
 The epistle to the Romans 
 
 The first epistle to the Corinthians 
 
 The second epistle to the Corinthians 
 
 The epistle to the Galatians . , 
 
 The epistle to the Ephesians 
 
 The epistle to the Philippians 
 
 The epistle to the Colossians 
 
 The first epistle to the Thessalonians , 
 
 The second epistle to the Thessalonians 
 
 The first epistle to Timothy 
 
 The second epistle to Timothy 
 
 The epistle to Titus 
 
 The epistle to the Hebrews 
 
 The epistle to Philemon 
 
 The epistle of James 
 
 The first epistle of Peter 
 
 The second epistle of Peter 
 
 The first epistle of John 
 
 The second epistle of John 
 
 The third epistle of John 
 
 The epistle of Jude 
 
 The book of the Revelation 
 
 4. By the principal facts being attested by certain com' 
 memorative ordinances .... 
 
 (1.) Among the Jews, such as 
 
 Circumcision . .... 
 
 The Passover 
 
 Redemption of the first-born 
 
 The feast of Tabernacles 
 
 The feast of Pentecost .... 
 
 The feast of Purim .... 
 
 Fasts for the destruction of Jerusalem and 
 
 temple , . 
 
 (2.) Among Christians^ 
 
 Baptism 
 
 The Lord's supper 
 
 The Lord's day 
 
 5. By the wonderful establishment and propagation of 
 
 Christianity, its triumph over the bigotry of ihe Jews, 
 and the lawlessness and luxuriousness of the heathen 
 As exemplified in 
 
 The conversion of St. Paul 
 
 And the success of Christianity at Corinth 
 
 6. By the principal facts revealed in the Scriptures being 
 confirmed by the accounts of ancient heathen writers 
 
 (1.) The creation of the world out of chaos 
 
 (2.) The completion of creation in six days . 
 
 (3.) The state of innocence 
 
 the 
 
 Paf«. 
 
 109 
 110 
 111 
 111 
 112 
 112 
 113 
 114 
 114 
 115 
 116 
 117 
 118 
 118 
 118 
 120 
 121 
 122 
 123 
 124 
 124 
 124 
 124 
 
 27 
 
 126 
 127 
 127 
 128 
 129 
 129 
 
 130 
 
 130 
 130 
 130 
 
 29 
 
 131 
 131 
 
 29 
 132 
 132 
 132 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. O 
 
 Tnge. 
 
 U.) The fall, and introduction of sin . . . 133 
 
 (5.) The longevity of the Antediluvians . , 133 
 
 (6.) The deluge .133 
 
 (7.) The circumstance of the ark and dove . 134 
 
 (8.) The tower of Babel 134 
 
 (9. J The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . . 134 
 (10.) Many particulars respecting Abraham, Isaac, Jo- 
 seph, and Moses 135 
 
 (11.) The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and their 
 
 miraculous passage of the Red Sea. . , 135 
 
 [12.) The giving of the law, and divine appearances 136 
 
 13.) The history of Job 136 
 
 14.) The history of Jonah 137 
 
 15.) The fertility of Palestine .... 137 
 
 [ 16. 1 The destruction of the Canaauites by Joshua . 138 
 
 (17.) Jephthah's devoting his daughter . . . 138 
 
 (18.) The history of Samson 138 
 
 (19.) The history of Samuel and Saul ... 139 
 
 (20.) The slaying of Goliath 141 
 
 (21.) Many remarkable circumstances respecting David 
 
 and Solomon 141 
 
 {22.) The invasion of Israel by Shalmaneser, and the 
 
 deportation of the twelve tribes . . . 141 
 
 (23.) The destruction of Sennacherib's army . . 142 
 
 (24.) The defeat of Josiah by Pharaoh Necho, &c. . 142 
 
 (25.J Herod's murder of the infants at Bethlehem . 143 
 
 (26.) Particulars respecting John the Baptist and Herod 143 
 
 (27.) The life and character of our Lord . , . 144 
 
 (28.) His crucifixion under Pontius Pilate . . 144 
 (29.) The earthquake and miraculous darkness which 
 
 attended it 144 
 
 (30.) The miserable death of Herod Agrippa . . 145 
 
 (31.) The miracles of our Lord . . . . 145 
 
 * By allusions and references to things, persons, places, 
 manners, customs, and opinions, &c., perfectly con- 
 formable to the statements of the most authentic re- 
 cords that remain ; such as 
 (1.) The origin of the Assyrians, Elamites, Lydians, 
 
 Medes, &c. ..... . 145 
 
 (2.) Shepherds being an abomination to the Egyptians 145 
 
 (3.) The political division of the land of Egypt . 146 
 
 (4.) The Egyptian mode of embalming . . 146 
 
 (5.) Respecting Gideon being termed Jerubbaal . 146 
 
 The seven counsellors of Persia . . . 146 
 The exclusion of persons from having a personal 
 
 interview with the kings of Persia . . 146 
 (8.) The state of Palestine in the time of the New 
 
 Testament writers 147 
 
 fe 
 
;J?:1 
 
 SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 (9.) The character of the Galileans, and their murder 
 
 by Pilate 147 
 
 The character of Herod Antipas . . . 147 
 Of the soldiers under arms at the baptism of John 148 
 12.) Of a sentinel being sent to execute him . . 148 
 (13.) Of the appointment of Ananias to the high priest- 
 hood 148 
 
 8. From the names still borne by places, and traditions 
 
 respecting them 148 
 
 (1.) Respecting Midian 149 
 
 (2.) Pi-hahiroth 149 
 
 (3.) The wilderness of Shur .... 150 
 
 (4.) Elim 150 
 
 (5.) Mount Sinai 150 
 
 (6.) Mount Hor 150 
 
 (7. Dibon 151 
 
 (8.) Aroer 151 
 
 (9.) Beth-nimrah, or Nimrim .... 151 
 
 (10.) Elealah .151 
 
 (11.) Heshbon 151 
 
 (12.) Bashan, and Og the king of it . • . • 151 
 
 '13.) Beth-shean 152 
 
 14. The valley of Elah 152 
 
 [15.) Bethlehem 152 
 
 ;i6.J Bethany 152 
 
 17.) Gethsemane 153 
 
 1 18.) Cana of Galilee 153 
 
 19.) Aceldama 154 
 
 9.' By allusions to, or corrupt traditions of, the accounts 
 
 of the sacred writers 154 
 
 1.) The rainbow 154 
 
 [2.) The rod of Moses . . . . . .154 
 
 f3.) The manifestations of Jehovah in a cloud . 155 
 
 (4.) The request of Moses to see the glory of God . 155 
 
 5.) The receiving of the law .... 155 
 
 [6.) The cherubim 155 
 
 10. By imitations of the Mosaic institutions, &c. . 156 
 
 '1.) The ark of the covenant 156 
 
 2.) The table of showbread .... 157 
 
 [3.j The tabernacle and temple .... 157 
 
 f4.) The sacred fire and lamp . , , . 158 
 
 ,5.) The golden candlestick 158 
 
 6.) The holy of holies 158 
 
 7.) The cities of refuge 159 
 
 [8.) The burnt-offerings 160 
 
 (9. J The meat-offerings 160 
 
 (10.) The assigning the skin of the burnt-offermg to the 
 
 priest 160 
 
 (11.) The consecration of the high-priest . . .16] 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. Xl 
 
 Page 
 
 n2,) The supernatural fire consuming the sacrifices 161 
 
 (13.) The scape-goat 162 
 
 (14.) The offeiing of first-fruits 163 
 
 (15.) The law of the Nazarite .... 163 
 
 (16.) The dedication of the altar .... 163 
 
 (17.) The passover 164 
 
 (IS.) The feast of trumpets 164 
 
 (19.) The law of heiresses 165 
 
 ' (20.) The division of sacrifices in making a covenant 165 
 
 CHAPTER IV. On the Inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures 31 
 
 Definition of inspiration 31 
 
 Proved 
 
 1. From the sacred writers themselves expressly claim- 
 
 ing inspiration 32 
 
 (1.) With respect to the Old Testament: 
 
 i. Inspiration being claimed by the prophets both 
 
 for themselves and predecessors . . . 166 
 
 ii. From their writings being expressly recognised 
 as inspired by the sacred writers of the New Tes- 
 tament, and especially by our Saviour . 166 
 (2.) With respect to the New Testament, from the sa- 
 cred writers expressly claiming inspiration for 
 themselves individually and for one another 167 
 
 2. From a great many wise and good men of all ages and 
 
 nations having agreed to receive the Bible as a divine 
 revelation 33 
 
 (1.) Thus the Jews have uniformly acknowledged the 
 scriptures of the Old Testament as the word 
 ofGod . 167 
 
 (2.) Christians also, from the earliest ages to the present 
 time, have testified their belief of the inspira- 
 tion both of the Old and New Testaments, 
 and in many instances laid down their lives 
 in testimony of their unshaken belief . . 167 
 
 3. From the matter contained in the Scriptures requiring 
 
 a divine inspiration 33 
 
 Such as 
 (1.) The history of the creation . . . .167 
 
 (2.) The deluge 167 
 
 (3.) Mysteries respecting the Trinity . . . 167 
 
 (4.) The covenant of grace 168 
 
 (5.) The incarnation of the Son of God . . . 168 
 
 (6.) His mediatorial offices 168 
 
 (7.) Redemption from sin and death through his blood 163 
 
 (8.) The atonement 168 
 
 (9.) Justification 168 
 
 (10.) Adoption . *. .168 
 
 4. From the scheme of doctrine and morality contained 
 
xu 
 
 SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 in the Bible being so exalted, pure, 
 that God alone could either devise or 
 
 (1.) Concerning God 
 
 (2.) Concerning Christ 
 
 (3.) Concerning the Holy Ghost 
 
 (4.) Concerning angels 
 
 (5.) Concerning the devil 
 
 (6.) Concerning man 
 
 and benevolent, 
 appoint It 
 
 Page. 
 
 (7. 
 
 Of the soul . 
 
 I^:| 
 
 Of life 
 
 Of death 
 
 (lOJ 
 
 Of heaven 
 
 (11.) 
 
 Of hell 
 
 (12.] 
 
 Of the resurrection 
 
 13. 
 
 Of future judgment 
 
 14. 
 
 Of sin 
 
 (15. 
 
 Of holiness 
 
 (16. 
 
 Of repentance 
 
 (17. 
 
 Of faith 
 
 (18.) 
 
 Of works . 
 
 (19.) 
 
 Of grace 
 
 (20. 
 
 Of divine assistance 
 
 (21. 
 
 (22.) 
 
 Of forgiveness of sin 
 Of regeneration 
 
 (23.) 
 
 Of the righteous 
 
 24.) 
 
 Of the wicked 
 
 25. 
 
 Of predestination . 
 
 26. 
 
 Of election 
 
 27. 
 
 Of prayer 
 
 28. 
 
 Of praise 
 
 29. 
 
 Of thanksgiving 
 
 (30. 
 
 Of worship 
 
 31. 
 
 Of the Scriptures . 
 
 32. 
 
 Of the church 
 
 33. 
 
 Of unity 
 
 34.) 
 
 Of Christian ministers 
 
 35.' 
 
 Of the people 
 
 (36.) 
 
 Of vows 
 
 (37. 
 
 38. 
 
 Of oaths 
 
 Of swearing 
 
 39. 
 
 Of Christians 
 
 40. 
 
 Of heretics 
 
 (41. 
 
 Of opposers . 
 
 42. 
 
 Of apostacy 
 
 43. 
 
 Of the Sabbath 
 
 44. 
 
 Of almsgiving . 
 
 45.) 
 
 Of fasting 
 
 46. 
 
 Of idolatry 
 
 (47.) 
 
 Of sacrilege , 
 
 ) 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 XUl 
 
 (48.) 
 
 (49.) 
 
 (50.) 
 
 (51.) 
 
 (52.) 
 
 (53.) 
 
 (54.) 
 
 [55.) 
 
 56. 
 
 57.) 
 
 58.) 
 
 (59.) 
 
 (60.) 
 
 (61.) 
 
 te 
 
 (64.) 
 
 (65.) 
 
 (66.) 
 
 (67. 
 
 (68.) 
 
 (69. 
 
 (70.) 
 
 (71.) 
 
 (72.) 
 
 (73.) 
 
 (74.) 
 
 (75.) 
 
 (76.) 
 
 (77.) 
 
 (78. 
 
 (79. 
 
 (80.^ 
 
 (81, 
 
 (82.; 
 
 (83.' 
 (84.^ 
 (85.' 
 86. 
 (87.' 
 (88. 
 
 (93.) 
 (96.) 
 
 Of blasphemy 
 
 Of afflictions 
 
 Of resignation to the Divine will 
 
 Of trust in God 
 
 Of the fear of God 
 
 Of love to God 
 
 Of hope 
 
 Of despair 
 
 Of contentment 
 
 Of anxiety 
 
 Of conversion 
 
 Of salvation . 
 
 Of confession • 
 
 Of the gospel 
 
 Of the commandments 
 
 Of moral duties 
 
 Of the duty of man 
 
 Of perseverance 
 
 Of msiability 
 
 Of marriage 
 
 Of husbands 
 
 Of wives 
 
 Of chastity 
 Of adultery 
 Of parents 
 Of children 
 Of brethren 
 Of masters 
 Of servants 
 Of magistrates 
 Of old age 
 Of young persons 
 Of truth . 
 Of lying 
 Of honesty 
 Of selling 
 Of theft . 
 Of equity 
 Of partiality 
 Of meekness 
 Of patience 
 Of charity 
 Of love 
 Of cruelty 
 Of mercy . 
 Of sympathy 
 Of envy . 
 Of hatred 
 Of anger 
 
XIV 
 
 SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 (97.) Of malice . 
 (98.) Of peace 
 (99.) Of peace-makers 
 aOO.) Of quarrels . 
 (101.) Of the tongue , 
 (102.) Of reviling . 
 (103.) Of taciturnity 
 104.) Of scolding . 
 jl05.) Of whisperers 
 106. Of tale-bearing 
 (107.) Of false-witness 
 flOS.) Of covetousness 
 109.) Of concupiscence 
 110.) Of bribery . 
 111.) Of usury . 
 (112.) Of exaction . 
 (113.) Of oppression 
 (114.) Of restitution 
 (115.) Of self-interest . 
 (116.) Of deceit 
 (117.) Of hypocrisy 
 (118.) Of pride 
 (119.) Of humility 
 (120.) Of mocking . 
 121.) Of scoffers 
 (122.) Of obedience 
 (123.) Of disobedience 
 (124.) Of temperance 
 (125.) Of drunkenness 
 (126.) Of murder . 
 (127.) Of revenge 
 (128. Of enemies . 
 (129.) Of fornication 
 (130.) Of sensuality 
 (131.) Of lust 
 (132.) Of the flesh . 
 (133.) Of the body 
 (134. Of self-denial 
 (135.) Of purity . 
 (136.) Of the heart 
 (137.) Of the thoughts 
 (138. Of wishes 
 (i39.) Of perfectioa 
 (140. Of merit 
 (141.) Of ingratitude 
 (142.) Of murmuring 
 (143.) Of infidelity 
 (144.) Of infidels 
 (145.) Of conscience 
 
 • • 
 
 • • 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 XV 
 
 ^146. J Of temptation 
 
 (147.J Of templing God 
 
 (148.) Of company 
 
 (149.) Of example .... 
 
 5. From the harmony of the sacred writers . 
 (1.) Of undesigned coincidences 
 
 Acts 27. 20, compared with Eph. 6. 20 
 Rom. XV. 19 . . , . , 
 
 Eom. xvi. 3 
 
 2 Cor. viii. 19 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 1 
 
 (2.) Of apparent discrepances 
 
 In Gen. xxxvi. 31 . • , , 
 
 Exod. vi. 3 ..... 
 
 Exod. xii. 40 
 
 Num. iv. 39 ; viii. 24 
 Num. XXV. 9 ; xxvi. 11 ; xxxi. 3, 17, 18 
 2 Sam. i. 6-10 .... 
 
 2 Sam. xxiii. 13 ; xxiv. 9 ; 1 Kings v. 11 
 1 Kings V. 16 ; viii. 65, 66; xiii. 20-22 
 1 Kings XV. 6, 32 ; xvi. 8 
 
 1 Kings xvi. 23 ; xviii. 1 . , 
 
 2 Kings viii. 26 ; xxiv. 6 . , , 
 2 Kings xxiv. 8 ; xxv. 19 
 1 Chron. i. 36 ; xi. 13 . 
 1 Chron. xix. 7, 18; xxi. 11, 12; xxi. 20 
 
 1 Chron. xxiii. 1 ; — 2 Chron. iv. 3, 5 
 
 2 Chron. v. 10 ; xxii. 9 . . . 
 
 Ezrai. 11; ii. 64 
 
 Neh. vii. 26, 33, 44, 48 . 
 
 Ksa- Ix. title 
 
 Mai. xxvii. 9, 10, 28, 34 ; Mark v. 2 
 Mar. vi. S, 9;x. 46;xiv. 3 . 
 
 Mar. xvi. 1, 2, 5 
 
 Luke V. 3-11 ; xxii. 34, 58 
 
 Luke xxiv. 33, 34 .... 
 
 John xix. 14, 19, 29 ... 
 
 Acts i. 12 
 
 Acts vii. 4, 6, 14, 15, 16 . . . 
 Acts vii. 43 
 
 6. From the multitude of miracles, which nothing 
 the infinite power of God could effect 
 
 Definition of a miracle 
 (1.) The miraculous destruction of Sodom 
 
 cities of the Plain . 
 (2.) The miraculous change of Lot's wife into a 
 
 of salt 
 
 The flourishing of Aaron's rod 
 
 The destruction of the first-born in Egypt 
 
 (3.) 
 (4.) 
 
 and 
 
 but 
 
 the 
 pillar 
 
XVI SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 (5.) The speaking of Balaam's ass .... 237 
 (6.) The preservatioQ of the Israelites' raiment in the 
 
 wilderness 238 
 
 (7.) The miraculous passage of the Jordan . . 238 
 
 (8.) The miraculous taking of Jericho . . . " 240 
 (9.) The standing still of the sun and moon at Joshua's 
 
 command . . . . . . . 240 
 
 (10.) The appearance of Samuel to Saul . . 241 
 
 (11.) The death of the disobedient prophet . . 241 
 
 (12.) The feeding of Elijah by ravens ... 242 
 
 (13.) The destruction of the children who mocked Elisha 242 
 (14.) The supply of water to -the armies of Jehoram, 
 
 &c., according to the word of Elisha . . 243 
 (15.) The feeding of 100 men by Elisha on 20 barley 
 
 loaves ....... 243 
 
 (16.) The causing of iron to swim by Elisha . . 244 
 
 (17.) The destruction of Sennacherib's army . 244 
 
 (18.) The recovery of Hezekiah .... 245 
 
 (19.) The going back of the shadow 10 degrees on the 
 
 sun-dial of Ahaz 246 
 
 (20.) The defeat of the Philistines .... 247 
 (21.) The preservation of Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 
 Abednego, in the fierjr furnace . . 247 
 (22.) The madness miraculously inflicted on Nebuchad- 
 nezzar 247 
 
 !23.) The preservation of Daniel in the lions' den . 248 
 
 24.) The preservation of Jonah in the fish's belly, &c. 249 
 
 25.) The star which guided the Magi to Bethlehem 249 
 
 26.) The dumbness of Zacharias .... 250 
 27.) The raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead by 
 
 our Lord 250 
 
 (28.) The healing the woman with an issue of blood 250 
 
 (29.) The cursing of the barren fig-tree . . . 251 
 
 (30.) The healing of a dumb demoniac . . . 252 
 
 (31.) The healing of great multitudes of maimed, &c. 252 
 
 (32.) The healing of a lunatic 252 
 
 (33.) The healing of two men possessed of a legion of 
 
 devils 253 
 
 (34.) The healing of a deaf and dumb man . . 254 
 (35.) The feeding of 4000 with seven loaves and a few 
 
 small fishes . . . . . . 254 
 
 (36.) The feeding of 5000 with five loaves and two fishes 255 
 
 (37.) The calming of a tempest 255 
 
 (38.) The miraculous cure at Bethesda . . , 255 
 
 (39.) The raising of Lazarus from the dead . . 258 
 
 (40.) The restoring to sight one born blind . . 257 
 7. From the astonishing and miraculous preservation of 
 
 the Scriptures from being either lost or corrupted . 39 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. XVll 
 
 Page. 
 
 8. From the prophecies contained in the Sacred Scrip- 
 tures, and fulfilling to this day .... 40 
 
 l.j Respecting Shem 257 
 
 2.) Respecting Japheth 257 
 
 3.j Respecting Ham and Canaan . • . • 258 
 
 4.) Respecting Ishmael -258 
 
 5.) Respecting Esau and the Edomites . • • 258 
 
 6.) Respecting Amalek 261 
 
 (7.) Respecting Nineveh • . 262 
 
 (8.) Respecting Babylon . • . • • 265 
 
 (9.) Respecting Tyre 269 
 
 (10.) Respecting Sidon 271 
 
 (11.) Respecting Egypt , 271 
 
 12.) Respecting the Moabites and Ammonites . 276 
 
 13.) Respecting the Philistines ..... 278 
 
 14.) Respecting the Chaldean monarchy . . 279 
 
 15.^ Respecting the Medo-Persian monarchy . . 281 
 
 16.) Respecting the Greek and Macedonian empire 283 
 
 17.) Respecting the Roman empire . « . 287 
 
 (18.) Respecting the papal power . . . , 289 
 
 (19.) Respecting the kingdom of the Messiah . 290 
 
 (20.) Respecting Christ or the Messiah . . . 290 
 
 ^ 1. General ones respecting his coming . 291 
 
 § 2. His excellency and dignity . . . 291 
 
 § 3. His divinity 292 
 
 § 4. His nation, tribe, and family . . • 293 
 
 § 5. The time of his appearance . • . 294 
 
 ^6. The place of his birth .... 297 
 
 § 7. That he should be preceded bjr a messenger 298 
 
 4 8. That he was to be born of a virgin . 299 
 
 (} 9. That he was to be worshipped by wise men 299 
 
 ^ 10. That he should be carried into Egypt . . 300 
 
 ^11. That there should be a massacre at Bethlehem 300 
 
 ^ 12. That he should be distinguished by grace and 
 
 wisdom 300 
 
 § 13. That he should be a prophet, &c. . . 300 
 
 § 14. That he should work miracles . . 302 
 4 15. That he should expel the buyers and sellers 
 
 from the temple 302 
 
 ^16. That he should be a priest ... 303 
 ^ 17. That he should be hated and persecuted . 303 
 ^ 18. That he should ride triumphantly into Jeru- 
 salem on an ass 303 
 
 § 19. That he should be sold for 30 pieces of silver 303 
 
 4 20. That his disciples should forsake him . 304 
 
 4 21. That he should be accused by false witnesses 304 
 
 § 22. That he should not plead on his trial . 304 
 ^ 23. That he should be insulted, buffeted, and spit on 304 
 $ 24. That he should be crucified . . .305 
 2* 
 
XVm SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 Pa^, 
 
 § 25. That they should offer him gall and vinegar 
 
 to drmk 305 
 
 $ 26. That they should part his garments, and cast 
 
 lots upon his vesture .... 305 
 
 ^ 27. That he should be mocked by his enemies 306 
 
 ^ 28. That his hands and feet should be pierced 306 
 
 ^ 29. That his side should be pierced, and that a 
 
 bone of him should not be broken . 306 
 
 § 30. That he should be patient under his sufferings 307 
 ^ 31. That he should die with malefactors . . 307 
 ^ 32. That there should be an earthquake and 
 
 darkness at his death . . . 308 
 
 ^ 33. That he should be buried with the rich . 308 
 ^ 34. That he should rise again from the dead 308 
 
 ^ 35. That he should ascend into heaven, &c. . 308 
 ^ 36. That his betrayer should die suddenly and 
 
 miserably 309 
 
 (21.) Concerning the Israelites or Jews . . . 309 
 ^ 1. That thejr should be exceedingly multiplied 309 
 ^ 2. That their land should enjoy its Sabbaths 
 
 while they were in captivity . . 309 
 
 ^ 3. That the Babylonish captivity should last 
 
 seventy years 309 
 
 § 4. That their king, Zedekiah, should be taken 
 
 captive to Babylon . , . . 310 
 
 ^ 5. That they should never , after be guilty of 
 
 idolatry 310 
 
 § 6. That they should be conquered by the Romans 310 
 ^ 7. That in the siege they should endure the most 
 
 dreadful distress . . . . 311 
 
 ^ 8. That they should be left few in number . 312 
 ^ 9. That they should be scattered into all nations, 
 
 and be treated with the greatest cruelly 312 
 
 ^ 10. That they should be sold as slaves . . 313 
 i 11. That their children should be forcibly taken 
 
 from them 313 
 
 § 12. That they should be compelled to worship 
 
 idols 313 
 
 ^ 13. That they should become a proverb and by- 
 word 313 
 
 § 14. That they should be preserved a distinct 
 
 people ^ 314 
 
 ■ 22.) Prophecies of our Saviour respecting the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem 314 
 
 Description of Jerusalem 314 
 
 § 1. The signs by which it was to be preceded 315 
 
 (i.) The first sign, the appearance of false 
 
 Christs 315 
 
 (ii.) The second sign, wars and commotions 315 
 
SYNOPTICAL CONTENTS. 
 
 ^iii.) The third sign, great earthquakes 
 (iv.) The fourth sign, famines and pestilences 
 (v.) The fifth sign, sights and signs from heaven 
 (vi.) The sixth sign, the persecution of the 
 
 Christians 
 
 vii.) The seventh sign, the preaching of the 
 Gospel throughout the world 
 § 2. The circumstances of the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem 
 
 (i.) The surrounding of it by Roman armies, &;c. 
 (ii.) The escape of the Christians from it 
 (iii.) The appearance of false Christs and false 
 pro]ihets ...... 
 
 (iv.) The miseries of the Jews during and after 
 
 the siege . . . / . 
 (v.) The total destruction of the city and temple 
 (23.) Prophecies respecting antichrist, the man of sin, 
 or the grand apostacy from the faith 
 2 Thess. ii. 3-14 
 
 1 Tim. iv. 1-5 
 
 (24.) Prophecies respecting the seven churches of Asia 
 §1. The church of Ephesus 
 § 2. The church of Smyrna . 
 § 3. The church of Pergamos 
 § 4. The church of Thyatira 
 § 5. The church of Sardis . 
 § 6. The church of Philadelphia 
 § 7. The church of Laodicea 
 (25.) Prophecies concerning the church and world in the 
 Revelation of St. John .... 
 1. The opening of the seven seals 
 (i.) The first seal 
 (ii.) The second seal 
 (iii.) The third seal 
 (iv.) The fourth seal 
 (v.) The fifth seal 
 (vi.) The sixth seal 
 (vii.) The seventh seal, and seven trumpets 
 which it comprised .... 
 
 (§ 1.) The first trumpet 
 (§2.) The second trumpet 
 (§ 3.) The third trumjjet 
 (§ 4.) The fourth trumpet 
 (§ 5.) The fifth trumpet 
 (§ G.) The sixth trumpet .... 
 
 The prophecy contained in the little book 
 The ])rophesying of the two witnesses in 
 
 sackcloth 
 
 The persecution of the dragon and beast 
 
 xn 
 
 Page. 
 316 
 316 
 
 316 
 
 316 
 
 316 
 
 317 
 317 
 317 
 
 317 
 
 318 
 319 
 
 320 
 320 
 322 
 322 
 322 
 323 
 323 
 323 
 323 
 324 
 324 
 
 324 
 324 
 324 
 325 
 325 
 325 
 325 
 326 
 
 327 
 327 
 
 327 
 327 
 327 
 328 
 320 
 330 
 
 ^30 
 330 
 
XX SYNOPTIAL CONTENTS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 The second beast . . . . 331 
 
 The state of the church in the wilder- 
 ness, and the reformation from, and 
 
 fall of popery 332 
 
 (§ 7.) The pouring out of the seven vials of 
 the wrath of God comprehended un- 
 der the seventh trumpet . . 332 
 The vision of the great whore . . 333 
 § 2. Summary of the remaining prophecies, and con- 
 clusion 334 
 
 9. The inspiration of the Scriptures shown from the 
 
 extraordinary success of Christianity ... 43 
 10. And finally, from the inward testimony afforded by 
 their effectual application to the mind, conscience 
 and heart 45 
 
ON 
 
 THE GENUINENESS, 
 UNCORRUPTED PRESERVATION, AUTHENTICITY, 
 
 AND 
 
 INSPIRATION 
 
 OF THE . 
 
 SACRED SCRIPTURES. 
 
 The Sacred Volume, which we term the Bible, 
 (O BIBAGS.) or the Book, by way of eminence, consists of 
 two grand parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament ; 
 containing conjointly a vast variety of very different com- 
 positions, historical, poetical, and judicial, moral, preceptive, 
 and prophetical, written at various times by different persons, 
 and afterwards collected into a volume. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the Genuineness of the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 ^ That these books are genuine, that is, were written by 
 those persons whose names they bear, we have the most 
 satisfactory evidence ; and have no more reason to doubt, 
 than that the histories which we have under the names of 
 Herodotus, Xenophon, or Tacitus, were written by those 
 authors. For, 
 
 1. The books of the Old Testament have always been 
 received as genuine by the Jews, and those of the New 
 Testament by Christians, from the earliest period to the pres- 
 ent time ; and, in addition to the earlier books being cited 
 or alluded to by subsequent sacred writers, we have ample 
 evidence afforded of the genuineness of the Old Testament 
 by Jewish Translators and Writers, and of that of the New, 
 by a regular succession of Christian Writers, who quote or 
 
22 ON THE GENUINENESS 
 
 allude to a number of passages as we now read them, from 
 the times of the Apostles to the present hour ; nor was their 
 genuineness ever impugned by tlie most determined and acute, 
 Jewish or heathen adversaries, or heretics. 
 
 2. The language and style of writing, both in the Old and 
 New Testaments, prove them to have been composed at the 
 time and by the persons to whom they are ascribed. Their 
 diversity of style proves them to have been the work of vari- 
 ous authors ; and competent Hebrew scholars have shown, 
 that the difference of character and style of the language of 
 the Old Testament, as well as the introduction of certain 
 foreign words, can only be accounted for by the supposition 
 that they were composed at different and distant periods, and 
 by the authors to whom they are attributed ; while the Greek, 
 in which the New Testament is written, which is intermixed 
 with many Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Latin words and 
 idioms, accords only with the time, situation, country, and 
 circumstances, of the persons to whom it is ascribed. 
 
 3. The moral impossibility of their being forgeries is an 
 additional evidence of their genuineness ; for, it is impossible 
 to establish forged writings as genuine in any place where 
 there are persons strongly inclined, and well qualified, to de- 
 tect the fraud. Now, if the books of the Old Testament be 
 forgeries, they must have been invented either by Gentiles, 
 Jews, or Christians. But they could not have been invented by 
 the Gentiles, because they were alike ignorant of the history 
 and sacred rites of the Hebrews, who most unquestionably 
 would never have given their approbation to writings invented 
 by them, nor yet to any fabrications of the Christians, by whom, 
 it is evident, they could not have been forged, as they were ex- 
 tant long before the Christian name had any existence ; and 
 it is equally certain that they were not invented by the Jews, 
 because they contain various difficult laws and precepts, and 
 relate all their idolatries, crimes, and punishments, which 
 woult\ not have been inserted if they had been forged by 
 them. . Equally impossible is it, that the books of the New 
 Testament were forged ; for the Jews were the most violent 
 enemies of Christianity : they put its founder to death ; and 
 both Jews and Gentiles persecuted his disciples with im- 
 placable hatred. Hence, if the New Testament had been 
 forged, the Jews would certainly have detected the imposture ; 
 and the inhabitants of Palestine would not have received the 
 Gospels, nor the churches of Rome and Corinth acknowledged 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 23 
 
 the epistles addressed to them, if they had not had sufficient 
 evidence of their genuineness. In fact, these arguments are 
 so strong, that if we deny the genuineness of the Sacred 
 Writings, we may, with a thousand times more propriety, re- 
 ject all the other writings in the world as spurious. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 On the Uncorrupted Preservation of the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 That the Sacred Writings are not only genuine, but have 
 been transmitted to us entire and uncorrupted, and that they 
 are, in all essential points, the same as they came originally 
 from the hands of their authors, we have the most satisfactory 
 evidence that can be required. That, in the various tran- 
 scripts of these writings, as in all other ancient books, a few- 
 letters, syllables, or even words, may have been changed, we 
 do not pretend to deny ; but that there has been any designed 
 or fraudulent corruption of any considerable part, especially 
 of any doctrine, or important part of history or prophecy, no 
 one has ever attempted to prove. 
 
 1. With regard to the Old Testament, the original manu- 
 scripts were long preserved among the Jews, who were al- 
 ways remarkable for being most faithful guardians of their 
 sacred books, which they transcribed repeatedly, and com- 
 pared most carefully with the originals, of which they even 
 numbered the words and letters. That the Jews have neither 
 mutilated nor corrupted these writings, is fully proved by the 
 silence of the prophets, as well as of Christ and his apostles, 
 who, though they bring many heavy charges against them, 
 never once accuse them of corrupting one of their sacred 
 writings ; and also by the agreement, in every essential 
 point, of all the versions and manuscripts, (amounting to 
 nearly 1150,) which are now extant, and which furnishes a 
 clear proof of their uncorrupted preservation. In fact, the 
 constant reading of their sacred books, (which were at once 
 the rule of their faith, and of their political constitution,) in 
 public and private ; the numerous copies of the original, as 
 well as of the Septuagint version, which was widely spread 
 over the world ; the various sects and parties into which the 
 Jews were divided after their canon was closed ; as well as 
 their dispersion into every part of the globe ; concurred to 
 render any attempt at fabrication improbable and impossible 
 before the time of Christ ; and after that period, the same 
 
24 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 books being in the hands of the Christians, they would in- 
 stantly have detected the fraud of the Jews, if they had en- 
 deavored to accomplish such a design ; while the silence of 
 the Jews, (who would not have failed to notice the attempt if 
 it had been made,) is a clear proof that they were not cor- 
 rupted by the Christians. 
 
 2. Equally satisfactory is the evidence for the integrity 
 and incorruptness of the New Testament. The multiplica- 
 tion of copies, both of the original, and of translations into a 
 variety of foreign languages, which were read, not only in 
 private, but publicly in the religious assemblies of the early 
 Christians ; the reverence of the Christians for these wri- 
 tings ; the variety of sects and heresies which soon arose in 
 the Christian church, each of whom appealed to the Scriptures 
 for the truth of their doctrines, rendered any material altera- 
 tion in the sacred books utterly impossible ; while the silenco 
 of their acutest enemies, who would most assuredly have 
 charged them with the attempt if it had been made, and the 
 agreement of all the manuscripts and versions extant, are 
 positive proofs of the integrity and incorruptness of the New 
 Testament ; which are further attested by the agreement 
 with it of all the quotations which occur in the writings of 
 the Christians from the earliest ages to the present time. In 
 fact, so far from there having been any gross adulteration in 
 the Sacred Volumes, the best and most able critics have 
 asserted and proved that, even in lesser matters, the Holy 
 Scriptures of the New Testament have suffered less from the 
 injury of time, and the errors of transcribers, than any other 
 ancient writings whatever ; and that the very worst manu- 
 script extant would not pervert one article of our faith, nor 
 destroy one moral precept. 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 On the Authenticity of the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 It is no less certain that the Sacred Writings are authentic, 
 that is, relate matters of fact as they really happened ; and 
 consequently, that they are entitled to the fullest credit, and 
 possess the greatest authority. For, 
 
 1. The Sacred Writers had the very best means of in- 
 formation, and could not be deceived themselves. They were, 
 for the most part, contemporary with, and eye-witnesses of, 
 the facts they record j and those transactions which tliey did 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 25 
 
 not see, they derived from the most certain evidences, and 
 drew from the purest sources. Thus, in the four last books 
 of the Pentateuch, Moses had a chief concern in all the 
 transactions there related ; and the authors of the subsequent 
 historical books, as Joshua, Samuel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, as 
 well as the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, 
 relate those events of which they were witnesses ; and, 
 when they relate events that took place before their own 
 times, they refer to certain public documents and annals, then 
 extant, which might be appealed to by their readers. In like 
 manner, the writers of the New Testament, as Matthew, 
 John, Peter, James, and Jude, were the immediate disciples 
 of our Saviour ; his constant attendants and companions 
 throughout his ministry ; eye-witnesses of the facts and mira- 
 cles, and ear-witnesses of the discourses they relate ; and 
 the other sacred writers, as Mark and Luke, though them- 
 selves not apostles, yet were the contemporaries and com- 
 panions of apostles, and in habits of society and friendship 
 with those who had been present at the transactions they re- 
 cord ; as St. Luke expressly affirms in the beginning of his 
 Gospel : " Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth 
 in order a declaration of those things which are most surely 
 believed amongst us ; even as they delivered them unto us, 
 which, from the beginning, were eye-ivitnesses and mhtisters 
 of the word, it seemed good to me, also, having had perfect un- 
 derstanding of all things from the very first, to write unto 
 thee, in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest 
 know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been 
 instructed." 
 
 2. As the sacred writers could not be deceived themselves, 
 so they neither could nor would deceive others. They were 
 so many in number, and lived at such a distance of time and 
 place from each other, that it was utterly impossible for them 
 to carry on any forgery or fraud without being detected ; and 
 the writers of the New Testament, in particular, were plain, 
 honest, artless, unlearned men, in very humble occupations 
 of life, and utterly incapable of carrying on such a refined 
 and complicated system of fraud, as the Christian religion 
 must have been, if it was not true. The principal facts and 
 events themselves are of such a nature as totally precludes 
 the possibility of imposition ; facts which appeal to the very 
 senses of the men to whom the histories were first addressed. 
 Thus Moses could not have persuaded a body of six hundred 
 
TiO ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 thousand men (to whom he appeals for the truth and reality 
 of those facts, Deut. xi. 2) that they had seen rivers turned 
 into blood — frogs filling the houses of the Egyptians — their 
 fields destroyed by hail and locusts — their land covered with 
 palpable darkness — their first-born slain in one night — the 
 Red Sea forming a wall on the right hand and left for the 
 passage of the Israelites, but overwhelming their enemies — 
 a pillar of cloud and fire conducting them — manna falling 
 down from heaven for their food — water gushing out of the 
 rock to quench their thirst — and the earth opening and 
 destroying his opponents — if all these things had been false. 
 Nor could the Evangelical historians have succeeded in per- 
 suading their countrymen and contemporaries, that a man, 
 whose death was public and notorious, was risen again from 
 the dead — that darkness had covered the land at the time of 
 his execution — and that there had been an earthquake at the 
 moment of his decease — if all these events had not taken 
 place. And, as it is thus evident, that the sacred writers 
 could not possibly impose upon others ; so it is equally 
 certain that they would not make the attempt. The whole 
 tenor of their lives demonstrated, as even their bitterest 
 enemies have confessed, that they were men of piety and 
 integrity ; and they could have no possible motive to induce 
 them to propagate a deliberate falsehood. They sought 
 neither riches nor glory ; and their writings bear the most 
 unequivocal marks of veracity, candor, and impartiality. 
 They use no panegyric or flattery ; they offer no palliation 
 for their own frailties and follies ; they conceal nothing ; 
 they alter nothing, however disgraceful to their heroes and 
 sovereigns, to their own nation, or to themselves. How then 
 can they be supposed capable of so gross an imposition as 
 that of asserting and propagating the most impudent fictions ? 
 The writers of the New Testament especially could gain by 
 it neither pleasure, profit, nor power. On the contrary, it 
 brought upon them the most dreadful evils, and even death 
 itself. If, therefore, they were cheats, they were cheats 
 without any motive, and without any advantage ; nay, con- 
 trary to every motive and every advantage that usually in- 
 fluence the actions of men. They preached a religion which 
 forbids falsehood under pain of eternal punishment and misery ; 
 and yet, on this supposition, they supported that religion by 
 falsehood ; and, whilst guilty of the basest and most useless 
 knavery themselves, they were taking infinite pains, and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 27 
 
 enduring the greatest labor and suffering, in order to teach 
 mankind honesty. This is a mode of acting so contrary to 
 all experience, to all the principles of human nature, and to 
 all the motives of human conduct, as to exceed the bounds of 
 belief, and to compel every reasonable being at once to reject 
 such a supposition as absurd and monstrous. Hence the facts 
 related in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, especially, 
 even those evidently miraculous, must be true ; for the testi- 
 mony of those who die for what they assert, and of which 
 they are competent judges, is sufficient evidence to support 
 any miracle whatever. 
 
 3. Such a multitude of minutely particular circumstances 
 of time, place, person, &c., is mentioned in the books of the 
 Old and New Testaments, as affords a clear and unquestion- 
 able proof both of their genuineness and authenticity. No 
 forged or false accounts of things thus superabound with 
 particularities, and no forger, or relater of falsehoods, would 
 mention so great a number of particulars, since this would put 
 into his reader's hands so many criteria by which to detect 
 him ; nor, in fact, could he produce such a minute detail of 
 circumstances. It is easy to conceive how faithful records, 
 kept from time to time by persons concerned in the transac- 
 tions, should contain such a minute account of things j but it 
 would be a work of the highest invention, and greatest stretch 
 of genius, to raise from nothing such numberless particulars 
 as are almost everywhere to be met with in the Old and New 
 Testaments — particulars, the falsehood of which would most 
 assuredly have been detected by the persons" most interested 
 in detecting them, if they had been forged or false. These 
 accounts were published among the people who witnessed the 
 events related by the historians, and who could, with the 
 greatest ease, have exposed any fraud or falsehood, if there 
 had been any, in the details of such transactions : but they 
 did not attempt to question either the reality of the facts, or 
 the fidelity of the narrators ; and their acquiescence with 
 them, as well as their obedience to the injunctions contained 
 in these books, are conclusive evidence in favor both of their 
 genuineness and authenticity, abundantly sufficient to convince 
 every candid inquirer. 
 
 4. The authenticity of the Old and New Testaments is fur- 
 ther attested, by the principal facts, contained in them, being 
 confirmed by certain commemorative ordinances of great celeb- 
 rity, which have existed among the Jews and Christians from 
 
28 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the time the events took place, which they are intended to 
 commemorate, to the present day, wherever Jews or Christians 
 are to be found. Such, among the Jews, is circumcision, the 
 seal of the covenant with Abraham, their great progenitor ; — 
 the passover, instituted to commemorate the protection of the 
 Israelites, when all the first-born of the Egyptians were 
 destroyed, and their deliverance from bondage in Egypt, 
 which was the immediate consequence ; — the feast of taber- 
 nacles, instituted to perpetuate the sojourning of the Israelites 
 for forty years in the wilderness ; — the feast of Pentecost, 
 which was appointed fifty days after the passover, to com- 
 memorate the delivery of the Law from Mount Sinai ; — and 
 the feast of Purim, kept in memory of the deliverance of the 
 Jews from the wicked machinations of Haman. Now all 
 these institutions, which have been held sacred among the 
 Jews in all ages since their appointment, and are solemnly 
 and sacredly observed among them to this day, in whatever 
 country they sojourn, bear the most unequivocal testimony to 
 the truth of the facts which they are designed to commemo- 
 rate, and which facts are inseparably interwoven with the 
 history and laws, and even morality and prophecy of the Old 
 Testament. In like manner, the principal facts of the Gos- 
 pels are confirmed by certain institutions which subsist to 
 this day among Christians, and are the objects of men's senses. 
 Such is the initiatory rite of Baptism, which is performed in 
 the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by 
 which those submitting to it renounce every other religious 
 institution, and bind themselves to the profession of the Gos- 
 pel alone ; — the Lorcfs supper, kept in commemoration of the 
 life, sufierings, death, resurrection, and the promise of the 
 second coming of the Founder of their religion ; — and the 
 observance of the First day of the Week, as a sacred festival 
 in honor of Christ's resurrection from the dead. Now, as 
 these monuments perpetuate the memory, so they demonstrate 
 the truth, of the facts contained in the Gospel history beyond 
 all reasonable doubt ; because, unless the events, of which 
 the Christian rites are commemorations, had really taken 
 place, it is impossible to conceive how these rites could have 
 come into general use. If Jesus Christ neither lived, nor 
 taught, nor wrought miracles, nor died, nor rose again from 
 the dead, it is altogetlier incredible that so many men, in 
 countries so widely distant, should have conspired together 
 to perpetuate such a series of falsehoods, by commencing the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 29 
 
 observation of the institution of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, 
 and the Lord's day ; and it is equally incredible that by con- 
 tinuing to observe them, they should have imposed these 
 falsehoods on posterity. 
 
 5. The wonderful establishment and propagation of Chris- 
 tianity is a most convincing proof of the authenticity of the 
 New Testament ; and consequently, of that of the Old Testa- 
 ment, with which it is intimately and inseparably connected. 
 Before the second century was completed, the Christian 
 doctrine — unaided by any temporal power, protected by no 
 authority, assisted by no art, not recommended by the reputa- 
 tion of its author, not enforced by eloquence in its advocates, 
 but by the force of truth alone — had triumphed over the 
 fiercest and most determined opposition, over the tyranny of 
 the magistrate, and the subtleties of the philosopher, over the 
 prejudices of the Gentiles, and the bigotry of the Jews, and 
 extended its conquests over the whole Roman empire, which 
 then comprised nearly the whole known world. Nothing, 
 indeed, but the plainest matter of fact could induce so many 
 thousands of prejudiced and persecuting Jews, to embrace 
 the humiliating and self-denying doctrines of the Gospel, 
 which they had held in such detestation and abhorrence ; nor 
 could any thing but the clearest evidence, arising from un- 
 doubted truth, make multitudes of lawless and luxurious 
 heathens receive, follow, and transmit to posterity, the doc- 
 trines and writings of the apostles; especially at a time when 
 the vanity of their pretensions to miracles, and to the gift of 
 tongues, could have been easily detected, had they been im- 
 postors ; and at a time when the profession of Christianity 
 exposed persons of all ranks and ages to the greatest con- 
 tempt, and to the most imminent danger. 
 
 6. In addition to the above evidence of the authenticity of 
 the Sacred Scriptures, it is to be observed, that many of the 
 facts and circumstances recorded in them are confirmed by 
 the accounts of ancient heathen authors ; which demonstrates 
 their perfect agreement with the most authentic records ex- 
 tant. Thus in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the 
 first origin and creation of the world out of chaos ; the com- 
 pletion of this great work in six days ; the formation of man 
 in the image of God, and his existence in a state of inno- 
 cence ; his fall, and the introduction of sin into the world ; 
 the longevity of the antediluvians ; the destruction of the 
 world by a deluge j the circumstance of the ark and the dove ; 
 
 3* 
 
80 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the building of the tower of Babel ; the destruction of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah ; many particulars relating to Abraham, Isaac, 
 Jacob, Joseph, and Moses ; the departure of the Israelites 
 from Egypt, and their miraculous passage of the Red Sea ; 
 the giving of the law, and Jewish ritual ; the fertility of 
 Palestine ; the destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua and 
 the Israelites ; Jephthah's devoting his daughter ; the history 
 of Samson ; the history of Samuel and Saul ; the slaying of 
 Goliath by David ; many remarkable circumstances respect- 
 ing David and Solomon ; the invasion of Israel by Shal- 
 maneser, and deportation of the twelve tribes; the de- 
 struction of Sennacherib's army ; the defeat of Josiah by 
 Pharaoh-necho, the reduction of Jerusalem, and captivity of 
 Jehoahaz ; these facts, and others of the same kind, are con- 
 firmed by the testimony of profane authors, and even some 
 of them by traditions, which still exist among heathen nations, 
 and others by coins, medals, and other monuments. Not less 
 striking and decisive is the testimony of both Roman historians 
 and Jewish writers to the truth of the principal facts detailed 
 in the New Testament ; such as Herod's murder of the in- 
 fants, under two years old, at Bethlehem ; many particulars 
 respecting John the Baptist and Herod ; the life and char- 
 acter of our Lord ; his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate ; and 
 the earthquake and miraculous darkness that attended it ; the 
 miserable death of Herod Agrippa ; and many other matters 
 of minor importance related in these writings. Nay, even 
 many of the miracles which Jesus himself wrought, particu- 
 larly in curing the blind and lame, and casting out devils, 
 are, as to matter of fact, expressly owned and admitted by 
 Jewish writers ; and by several of the earliest and most im- 
 placable enemies of Christianity ; for, though they ascribed 
 these miracles to magic, or the assistance of evil spirits, yet 
 they allowed that the miracles themselves were actually 
 wrought. And this testimony of our adversaries to the 
 miraculous parts of the sacred history, is the strongest possi- 
 ble confirmation of the truth and authority of the whole. Add 
 to this, that in the sacred history, both of the Old and New 
 Testaments, there are continual allusions and references to 
 things, persons, places, manners, customs, and opinions, 
 wliich are perfectly conformable to the real state of things 
 in the countries and ages to which they stand related, as re- 
 presented in tlie most authentic records that remain ; while 
 the rise and full of empires, the revolutions that have taken 
 
OF THE SACKED SCRIPTURES. #1 
 
 place in the world, and the grand outlines of chronology, as 
 mentioned or referred to in the Scriptures, are coincident 
 with those stated by the most ancient and creditable writers 
 extant. 
 
 Such are the principal evidences, both external and in- 
 ternal, direct and collateral, of the authenticity and credibility 
 of the Sacred Scriptures ; and when the number, variety, and 
 extraordinary nature of many of them are considered, it is 
 impossible not to come to the conclusion, that the Sacred 
 Writings contain a true relation of matters of fact as they 
 really happened. If such a combination of evidence is not 
 sufficient to satisfy every inquirer into truth, it is utterly im- 
 possible that any event, which passed in former times, and 
 which we did not see with our own eyes, can ever be proved 
 to have happened, by any degree of testimony whatever. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 On the Inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 But further, the Scriptures are not merely entitled to be 
 received' as perfectly authentic and credible, but also as con- 
 taining the revealed will of God ; in other words, as divinely 
 inspired writings. By inspiration is meant such a complete 
 and immediate communication, by the Holy Spirit, to the 
 minds of the sacred writers, of those things which could not 
 have been otherwise known ; and such an effectual superin- 
 tendence and guidance, as to those particulars concerning* 
 which they might otherwise obtain information ; as was am- 
 ply sufficient to enable them to communicate religious knowl- 
 edge to others, without any error or mistake, which could in 
 the least affect any of the doctrines or precepts contained in 
 their writings, or mislead any person, who considered them 
 as a divine and infallible standard of truth and duty. Every 
 sentence, in this view, must be considered as " the sure testi- 
 mony of God," in that sense in which it is proposed as truth. 
 Facts occurred, and words were spoken, as to the import of 
 them, and the instruction contained in them, exactly as they 
 are here recorded ; but the morality of words and actions, 
 recorded merely as done and spoken, must be judged of by 
 the doctrinal and preceptive parts of the same book. The sa- 
 cred writers, indeed, wrote in such language as their different 
 talents, tempers, educations, habits, and associations suggest- 
 ed, or rendered natural to them ; but the Holy Spirit so en- 
 
32 ON THE INSPIRATION 
 
 tirely superintended them, when writing, as to exclude every 
 error, and every unsuitable expression, and to guide them to 
 all those which best suited their several subjects; they are 
 the voice, but the Divine Spirit is the Speaker. Now, that 
 the Sacred Writings are thus inspired, we have abundant 
 evidence of various kinds, amounting to a moral demonstra- 
 tion. For, 
 
 1. The sacred writers themselves expressly claim Divine 
 inspiration ; and unhesitatingly and unequivocally assert that 
 the Scriptures are the Word of God. All the prophets, in the 
 Old Testament, speak most decidedly of themselves, and their 
 predecessors, as declaring not their own words, but the word 
 of God. They propose things, not as matters of considera- 
 tion, but for adoption : they do not leave us the alternative of 
 receiving or rejecting : they do not present us with their own 
 thoughts, but exclaim, Thus saith the LORD, and on that 
 ground claim our assent. The Apostles and writers of the 
 New Testament also speak respecting the prophets of the 
 Old Testament, " as holy men of God, who spake as they 
 were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. i. 19-21 ; Heb. i. 
 1, 2.) These writings are expressly affirmed to be " the 
 Oracles of God ;" (Rom. iii. 2 ;) and it is declared that "all 
 Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for 
 doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righte- 
 ousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
 furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.) Our 
 Saviour himself expressly recognises them, on various oc- 
 casions, as the infallible Word of God, and of divine authority. 
 The sacred writers of the New Testament also adopt lan- 
 guage, which, in its most obvious meaning, claims the atten- 
 tion of their readers to their own instructions as to the Word 
 of God ; and they also thus attest and sanction one another's 
 writings in the most unequivocal manner. Now, admitting 
 the veracity of the writers, (which, we have seen, is abso- 
 lutely unimpeachable,) we must admit that the Scriptures are 
 the inspired and infallible word of God. If they were wise 
 men, (and every man must perceive that they were neither 
 ignorant nor void of sense,) they could not have been de- 
 luded into the imagination that they, their predecessors, and 
 contemporaries, were inspired ; and, if they were good men, 
 (as they certainly must have been, for had men, if they could, 
 would not have written a book which so awfully condemned 
 themselves,) they would not have thus confidently asserted 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 33 
 
 their own inspiration, and sanctioned that of each other, un- 
 less they had been inspired ; they would not have ascribed 
 their own inventions to inspiration, especially as such forge- 
 ries are so severely reprobated in every part of them. Con- 
 sequently the Bible must be the word of God, inspired by 
 Him, and thus given to man. 
 
 2. A great many wise and good men, through many genera- 
 tions, of various nations, and in different countries, have agreed 
 in receiving the Bible as a Divine revelation. The Jews 
 have unquestionably in all ages acknowledged the Scriptures 
 of the Old Testament as the word of God ; and Christians 
 from the earliest ages to the present time, have not been less 
 backward in testifying their belief in the inspiration of both 
 the Old and New Testaments. Many of them have been dis- 
 tinguished for piety, erudition, penetration, and impartiality 
 in judging of men and things. With infinite labor and patient 
 investigation, they detected the impostures by which their 
 contemporaries were duped ; but the same assiduous examina- 
 tion confirmed them in believing the Bible to be the word of 
 God ; and induced them, living and dying, to recommend it 
 to all others, as the source of all true wisdom, hope, and con- 
 solation. Now, although this does not amount to a demon- 
 stration, yet it is a strong presumptive proof, of the inspiration 
 of the Scriptures ; and it must be allowed to be a considera- 
 tion of vast importance, that the whole company of those 
 who " worshipped the living God in spirit and in truth," inclu- 
 ding those who laid down their lives as a testimony of their 
 unshaken belief, and who were the most pious, holy, and use- 
 ful men in every age, have unanimously concurred in hand- 
 ing them down to us as a divine revelation, and have very lit- 
 tle differed about the books which form that sacred deposite. 
 
 3. The matter contained in the Scriptures requires a Divine 
 inspiration. Setting aside, for a moment, the prediction of 
 future events, and the excellency of its doctrines and morality, 
 and merely admitting the veracity of the sacred writers, 
 (which we have every reason to do,) we must admit that much 
 of the information contained in the Bible absolutely required 
 a Divine revelation. The history of the creation, part of that 
 of the flood, &c., as related in the Scriptures, could have been 
 known to God alone. Mysteries relative to a Trinity of per- 
 sons in the Godhead — the nature and perfections of God — 
 the covenant of grace — the incarnation of the Son of God — 
 his mediatorial offices, and redemption through his blood — • 
 
84 ON THE INSPIRATION 
 
 justification, adoption, sanctification, and eternal blessedness 
 in him — and the offices of the Holy Spirit the Comforter — 
 these, and many others of a like nature, God only could either 
 comprehend or discover. Mysteries, therefore, in the Scrip- 
 lures, rather confirm than invalidate their inspiration : for a 
 book, claiming to be a revelation from God, and yet devoid 
 of mystery, would, by this very circumstance, confute itself. 
 Incomprehensibility is inseparable from God and his works, 
 even in the most inconsiderable, such, for instance, as the 
 growth of a blade of grass. The mysteries of the Scriptures 
 are sublime, interesting, and useful : they display the Divine 
 perfections ; lay a foundation for our hope ; and inculcate 
 humility, reverence, holiness, love, and gratitude. What is 
 incomprehensible must be mysterious ; but it may be intelligi- 
 ble as far as it is revealed ; and though it be connected with 
 things above our reason, it may imply nothing contrary to it. 
 Hence, it may be confidently inferred, from these matters 
 contained in the Scriptures, that they were given by inspira- 
 tion of God. 
 
 4. The scheme of doctrine and morality contained in the 
 Bible is so exalted, pure, and benevolent, that God alone 
 could either devise or appoint. In the Scriptures alone, 
 and in such books as make them their basis, is the infinite 
 God introduced as speaking in a manner worthy of himself 
 with simplicity, majesty, and authority. His character, as 
 there delineated, comprises all possible excellence, without 
 any intermixture ; his laws and ordinances accord with his 
 perfections ; his works and dispensations exhibit them ; and 
 all his dealings with his creatures bear the stamp of infinite 
 wisdom, power, justice, purity, truth, goodness, and mercy, 
 harmoniously displayed. While the Supreme Being is thus 
 described as possessed of every perfection, unbounded and 
 incomprehensible in his essence and nature, and as the 
 Creator, Governor, and Benefactor of his creatures, the 
 Scriptures represent man in a lapsed state, a rebellious and 
 fallen being, alienated from God and goodness, averse by 
 nature to all that is good and amiable, and prone to every- 
 thing that is sinful and hateful, and consequently exposed to 
 the eternal wrath of God. The Scriptures, however, do not 
 leave us in this wretched state ; but they propose an adequate 
 remedy for all our diseases, and an ample supply for all our 
 wants. They show us how to be delivered from the dominion 
 and awful consequences of sin, and how human nature may 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 35 
 
 be truly improved and perfected, through the obedience, death, 
 and mediation of the only begotten Son of God, by receiving 
 him as made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi- 
 cation, and redemption — as an effectual root and principle of 
 holiness ; and by walking in him by faith, denying ungodli- 
 ness and worldly lusts, and living soberly, righteously, and 
 godly in this present world, setting our affections on things 
 above, where Christ is, and mortifying, through the Holy 
 Spirit, every sinful and corrupt affection. We are taught to 
 love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul ; to 
 love our neighbors as ourselves ; to fulfil perfectly the par- 
 ticular duties of every relative station ; to lay aside all malice, 
 envy, hatred, revenge, and other mal^yolent dispositions or 
 passions ; to love our enemies ; to render good for evil, bless- 
 ing for cursing ; and to pray for them who despitefuUy use us. 
 These laws of universal purity and benevolence are prescrib- 
 ed with an authority proper only to God, and extended to 
 such a compass and degree as God alone can demand ; and 
 those sins are forbidden which God alone could either observe 
 or prohibit. The most powerful motives to duty, and dissua- 
 sives from vice, are wisely proposed and powerfully urged ; 
 motives drawn from the nature and perfections, the promises 
 and threatenings, the mercies and judgments of God, par- 
 ticularly from his overflowing benevolence and mercy in the 
 work of our redemption, and from advantages and disadvan- 
 tages temporal, spiritual, and eternal. And, while the most 
 excellent means of directing and exciting to the exercise of 
 piety and virtue are established in the most excellent forms 
 and authoritative manner, the most perfect and engaging 
 patterns of holiness and virtue are set before us in the ex- 
 ample of our Redeemer, and of God as reconciled in Him, 
 and reconciling the world to himself. Now, all these things 
 were written at a time when all the rest of the world, even 
 the wisest, and most learned, and most celebrated nations of 
 the earth, were sunk in the grossest ignorance of God and 
 religion ; were worshipping idols and brute beasts, indulging 
 themselves in the most abominable vices, living in envy, 
 hatred, and strife, hateful, and hating one another. It is a 
 most singular circumstance, that a people in a remote, obscure 
 corner of the world, far inferior to several heathen nations in 
 learning, in philosophy, in genius, in science, and in all the 
 polite arts, should yet be so infinitely their superiors in their 
 ideas of a Supreme Being, and of everything relative to 
 
36 ON TUE INSPIRATION 
 
 morality and religion. This cannot be accounted for on any 
 other supposition than that of their iiaving been instructed in 
 these things by God himself, or by persons commissioned 
 and inspired by liim ; that is, of their having been really 
 favored with tliose Divine revelations which are recorded in 
 the sacred books of the Old and New Testaments. Indeed, 
 both the doctrines and morality of the Sacred Scriptures in- 
 finitely transcend the abilities of the penmen, if they were 
 not inspired. Men of the best education, far less men of no 
 education, could not of themselves form such exalted schemes 
 of religion, piety, and virtue ; and wicked men, as they must 
 have been if tiiey were impostors, would not publish and 
 prosecute such a scheme of mystery, holiness, and morality. 
 
 5. The harmony of the sacred writers fully demonstrates 
 that they wrote by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Other 
 historians continually ditler from each other : the errors of 
 the former writers are constantly criticised and corrected by 
 the later ; and it even frequently happens, that contemporary 
 writers contradict each other in relating a fact that happened 
 in their own time and within the sphere of their own know- 
 ledge. Should an equal number of contemporaries, of the 
 same country, education, habits, profession, natural disposi- 
 tion, and rank in life, associating together as a distinct com- 
 pany, concur in writing a book on religious subjects, of even 
 less extent than that of the Bible, each furnishing his propor- 
 tion without comparing notes, the attentive reader would 
 easily discover among them considerable diversity of opinion. 
 But the writers of the Scriptures succeeded each other during 
 a period of nearly sixteen hundred years ; some of them were 
 princes or priests, others shepherds or fishermen ; their natu- 
 ral abilities, education, habits, and occupations, were exceed- 
 ingly dissimilar ; they wrote laws, history, prophecy, odes, 
 devotional exercises, proverbs, parables, doctrines, and con- 
 troversy, and each had his distinct apartment ; yet they all 
 exactly agree in the exhibition of the perfections, works, 
 truths, and will of God ; of the nature, situation, and obliga- 
 tions of man ; of sin and salvation ; of this world and the 
 next ; and in short, in all things connected with our duty, 
 safety, interest, and comfort, and in the whole of the religion 
 ■which they have promulged : they all were evidently of the 
 same judgment, aimed to establish the same principles, and 
 applied them to the same practical purposes. One part of 
 Scripture is so intimately connected with, and tends so pow- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 37 
 
 erfully to the establishment of another, that one part cannot 
 be reasonably received without receiving the whole ; and the 
 more carefully it is examined, and the more diligently it is 
 compared, (for which purpose the marginal references afford 
 great facility,) the more evident will it appear, that every 
 part, like the stones in an arch, supports and receives support 
 from the rest, and that they unitedly constitute one grand and 
 glorious whole. In both the Old and New Testaments, the 
 subsequent books, or succeeding parts of the same book, are 
 connected with the preceding, as the narrative either of the 
 execution of a plan, or the fulfilment of a prediction. If we 
 receive the history, we must also receive the prediction ; if 
 we admit the prediction, we must also admit the history. 
 Everywhere the same facts are supposed, related, or prepared 
 for ; the same doctrines of a gracious redemption through 
 Jesus Christ exhibited or supposed to be true ; the same 
 rules or exemplifications of piety and virtue ; the same motives 
 and inducements to the performance of duty ; the same prom- 
 ises of mercy, and threatenings of just misery to persons, so- 
 cieties, or nations, without a single contradiction. Apparent 
 inconsistencies may indeed perplex the superficial reader ; 
 but they vanish before an accurate and persevering investiga- 
 tion ; nor could any charge of disagreement among the sacred 
 writers ever be substantiated ; for it could only be said that 
 they related the same facts with different circumstances, 
 which are perfectly reconcileable, and that they gave instruc- 
 tions suited to the persons they addressed, according to vari- 
 ous circumstances of time, place, and manner, without sijs- 
 tematically showing their harmony with other parts of divine 
 truth. They did not write in concert, and they bestowed no 
 pains to avoid the appearance of inconsistency ; yet the exact 
 coincidences plainly perceptible among them, not only in 
 their grand, primary, and general objects, which are written 
 as with the beams of the sun, but in particular subjects com- 
 prehended in their plan, and even in particular words and 
 expressions, (though they evidently borrowed nothing from 
 one another,) is truly astonishing ; and cannot be accounted 
 for on any rational principles, without admitting that they all 
 wrote " as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" — that all their 
 writings were indited under the influence of the same Spirit, 
 and flowed from the same infallible source. 
 
 6. The multitude of miracles, which only the infinite power 
 of God could effect, wrought in confirmation of the divine 
 
 4 
 
■38 ON THE INSPIHATION 
 
 mission of the writers of the Sacred Scriptures, afford us a 
 most convincing proof of their inspiration. It has been al- 
 ready seen, that the narrations of these miracles were pub- 
 lished very soon after the time, and at the places, in which 
 they were said to have been wrought ; that they were per- 
 formed in the most conspicuous manner, before very great 
 multitudes, enemies as well as friends ; that they were of 
 such a nature — appealing to the very senses of men, as totally 
 precluded the possibility of deception ; that public ceremonies 
 were instituted in memory of several of them, which have 
 been observed in all ages ; that the reality of them as facts, 
 was admitted even by the most determined enemies of Di- 
 vine revelation ; that the witnesses from whom we have re- 
 ceived the accounts of them, were many in number, unani- 
 mous in their evidence, of unquestionable good sense, un- 
 doubted integrity, and unimpeachable veracity, who showed 
 the sincerity of their own conviction by acting under the uni- 
 form influence of the extraordinary works to which they bore 
 witness, in opposition to all their former notions and preju- 
 dices, and in contradiction of every worldly honor, profit, or 
 advantage, either for themselves or friends, and at last by 
 laying down their lives in confirmation of the facts which 
 they attested ; and that vast multitudes of their contempora- 
 ries, men of almost all ages, tempers, and professions, were 
 persuaded by them that they really were performed in the 
 manner related, and gave the strongest testimony which was 
 in their power of the firmness of their belief, by foregoing 
 every worldly advantage, and suffering every temporal evil 
 which was endured by the original witnesses. To this it may 
 be added, that the number of the miracles is almost incalcula- 
 ble ; that they were all calculated to answer some great and 
 benevolent end, every way worthy of the infinitely wise and 
 beneficent Creator ; that they were wrought in attestation of 
 nothing but what was agreeable to reason, so far as reason 
 could apprehend it, and in confirmation of a religion the most 
 holy, pure, and benevolent ; and performed by persons of the 
 greatest moral worth, and the most eminent patterns of every 
 virtue. Now, admitting the reality of the miracles related in 
 the Sacred Writings, (as every unprejudiced mind must be 
 constrained to do,) and rationally believing that the Supreme 
 Being, the God of truth, wisdom, and goodness, can never 
 give his testimony to falsehood, it irresistibly follows that the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 39 
 
 Scriptures are, as they unequivocally claim to be, the Word 
 of God, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 7. The astonishing and miraculous preservation of the 
 Scriptures from being either lost or corrupted, is an over- 
 whelming instance of God's providential care, and a constant 
 sanction and confirmation of their truth and Divine authority, 
 continued by Him in all ages of the church. While the 
 histories of mighty empires, and innumerable volumes of 
 philosophy and literature, in the preservation of which the 
 admiration and care of all mankind seemed to conspire, have 
 been lost and forgotten in the lapse of time, the Sacred 
 Scriptures, though far more ancient, and though hated and op- 
 posed by Satan and his agents in all ages, who sought with 
 the deadliest hatred to cause their very memory to perish 
 from among men, have come down to our own time entire 
 and genuine, free from every material error, and nearly in 
 their original j)urity. With great wisdom, God, for their 
 preservation, ordered an original copy to be deposited in the 
 holy of holies, (Deut. xxxi. .26,) appointed the careful and 
 frequent reading of them both in public and private ; and that 
 every Hebrew monarch should write out a copy for his own 
 use. (Deut. xvii. 18.) With astonishing kindness and wis- 
 dom has he made the various contending parties who had ac- 
 cess to the Scriptures — such as the Jews and Israelites, the 
 Jews and Samaritans, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Jews 
 and Christians, and the various sects and parties of Christians 
 — mutual checks upon each other for almost three thousand 
 years, that they might not be able either to extirpate or cor- 
 rupt any part of them ; and by quickly multiplying the copies 
 both of the original and translations, as well as the readers 
 of the Scriptures, he rendered it absolutely impossible to 
 falsify them in any thing important, without causing the cor- 
 ruption to start up in every copy dispersed through the world, 
 and in the minds of almost every reader — than which suppo- 
 sition nothing can be more absurd and monstrous. By what 
 tremendous judgments did he restrain and punish Antiochus 
 Epiphanes, the Syro-grecian king, Dioclesian the Roman 
 emperor, and others, who attempted to destroy the Sacred 
 Scriptures in order to extirpate the Jewish or Christian re- 
 ligion ! And he has bestowed amazing support and conso- 
 lation on such as have risked or parted with their lives 
 rather than deny the dictates of Scripture, or in the least con- 
 tribute to their destjruction or misinterpretation. During the 
 
40 ON THE INSPIRATION 
 
 profanation of Antiochus, (1 Mac. i. 56, 57,) whoever was 
 found with the book of the law was put to death, and every 
 copy that could be found burned with fire ; and Dioclesian, 
 after the most barbarous havoc of the Christians, issued an 
 edict commanding them, on pain of death under the most cruel 
 forms, to deliver up their Bibles : though many complied with 
 this sanguinary edict, yet the greater part disregarded it ; and 
 notwithstanding these and numberless other calamities, the 
 Sacred Volumes have survived pure and uncorrupted to the 
 present day, and doubtless will exist as long as there is a 
 church in the world — till the end of time and the consumma- 
 tion of all things — a monument of God's unceasing and pro- 
 vidential care, and an unquestionable attestation of their in- 
 spiration and Divine authority. 
 
 8. The prophecies contained in the Sacred Scriptures, and 
 fulfilling to this day, which form a species of perpetual mira- 
 cles, challenging the investigation of men of every age, fully 
 demonstrate that they are divinely inspired. ' Almost every 
 historical passage of the Bible is a narrative of something an- 
 tecedently foretold ; and the New Testament is little else 
 than a relation of the fulfilment of the predictions and types 
 of the Old Testament, relative to Jesus Christ and his church. 
 According to the prophecies in these books, the latest of which 
 was delivered 1700 years ago, and some of them 3000 years 
 ago, the descendants of Shem and Japheth are " ruling" and 
 " enlarged," and the wretched descendants of Ham are still 
 " the servants of servants," (Gen. ix. 25, 27 :) — the posterity 
 of Ishmael have " multiplied exceedingly," and become " a 
 great nation" in the Arabians ; yet living like *' wild men," 
 and shifting from place to place in the wilderness, " their 
 hand against every man, and every man's hand against them," 
 and still "dwelling," an independent and free people, "in the 
 presence of all their brethren," and in the presence of all 
 their enemies, (Gen. xvi. 10-12 ; xvii. 20 ;) — the family of 
 Esau has become extinct, " cut off for ever," so that there is 
 none "remaining of the house of Esau," (Jer. xlix. 17, &c. ; 
 Ezek. XXV. 12, &;c. ; Joel iii. 19 ; Amos i. 11, &c. ; Ob. 10, 18, 
 <fec. ;) — " the sceptre has departed from Judah," (Gen. xlix. 
 10;) — though the Jews still "dwell alone, and are not 
 reckoned among the nations," while " the remembrance of 
 Amalek is utterly put out from under heaven," (Num. xxiii. 
 9 ; xxiv. 20 ;) — Nineveh is so completely destroyed, that the 
 place thereof cannot be known, (Na. i.-iii. ;) — Babylon 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 4fl 
 
 • 
 
 has been swept with the besom of destruction, and is made 
 •' a desolation for ever, a possession for the bittern and pools 
 of water," " a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment 
 and hissing, without an inhabitant," (Isa. xiii., xiv. ;) — 
 Tyre has become " like the top of a rock, a place for fishers 
 to spread their nets upon," (Ezek. xxvi. 4, 5 ?^ — Egypt, •' a 
 base kingdom, the basest of the kingdoms," still tributary 
 and subject to strangers, so that it has never been able to 
 " exalt itself above the nations," (Ezek. xxix. M, 15 ;) — the 
 fourth and last of the four great empires, which was greater 
 anJ more powerful than any of the former, has been divided 
 into ten lesser kingdoms ; and among them has arisen a power 
 " with a triple crown diverse from the first," with *' a mouth 
 speaking very great things," and with " a look more stout 
 than his fellows, speaking great things against the Most 
 High, wearing out the saints of the Most High, and changing 
 times and laws," which did " cast down the truth to the 
 ground, and prosper, and practise, and destroy the holy peo- 
 ple, not regarding the God of his fathers, nor the desire of 
 women, nor regard any god," but " honoring the god of 
 forces," or Mauzzim, gods-protectors, and causing the priests 
 of Mauzzim " to rule over many, and divide the land for 
 gain," (Dan. xi.' 37-39.) Jerusalem has been destroyed, 
 with all the circumstances related in the Evangelists, and 
 the Jews have been " led away into all nations, and Jerusa- 
 lem trodden down by the Gentiles," through a long series 
 of ages, (Luke xxi. 2-\< ;) — for their infidelity and disobedi- 
 ence to their great Prophet like unto Moses, they have been 
 *' plucked from off" their own land, and removed into all the 
 kingdoms of the earth, and scattered among the heathen, 
 among the nations, among all people, from one end of the 
 earth even to the other," sifted " among all nations, like as 
 corn is sifted in a sieve," have been " left few in number 
 among the heathen," have " pined away in their iniquity in 
 their enemies' lands," have " become an astonishment, a pro- 
 verb, and a by-word among all nations," " a reproach, a 
 taunt, and a curse," have found " among these nations no 
 ease, and the sole of their foot has had no rest ; but the 
 Lord has given them a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, 
 and sorrow of mind, and sent a faintness into their hearts in 
 the lands of their enemies, so that the sound of a shaken leaf 
 has chased them," and they have been " many days without 
 a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and 
 
 4* 
 
42 ON THE INSPIRATION 
 
 without an image, and without an ephod, and without a tera- 
 phim," (Lev. xxvi. 38, 39 ; Deut. xxviii. 62, 67 ; Ezek. v. 
 10-15 ; Hos. iii. 4 ;) and yet, while their mighty conquerors 
 are everywhere destroyed, they are miraculously preserved 
 a distinct people, and neither swallowed up nor lost among 
 the various nations amidst whom they are dispersed, but are 
 reserved " until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," when 
 they shall " seek the Lord their God, and David their king : 
 and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days ;" 
 — in the mean time, the Gentiles have been advanced in their 
 room, and God has given to the Messiah " the heathen for 
 his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his 
 possession," (Ps. ii. 8,) and the gradual, but progressive, and 
 steadily advancing conversion of heathen nations in our own 
 days, prepares us to expect the speedy arrival of the time 
 when Jehovah shall be worshipped " from the rising of the 
 sun even to the going down of the same," and when his 
 ** name shall be great among the Gentiles," (Mai. i. 11 ;) — 
 the grand apostacy from the Christian faith has already taken 
 place, which consists " in giving heed to seducing spirits, 
 and doctrines of devils, (or demons, worshipping angels and 
 departed saints, and is promoted through,) speaking lies in 
 hypocrisy, having their consciences seared with a hot iron ; 
 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, 
 which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of 
 them which believe and know the truth," (1 Tim. iv. 1-3.) 
 The seven churches of Asia lie in the same desolate state 
 that the angel signified to St. John, (Rev. ii. iii,) their " can- 
 dlestick removed out of its place," their churches turned into 
 mosques, and their worship into superstition ; — and the char- 
 acters of " ihe beast and false prophet," — to whom " was 
 given to make war with the saints, and to overcome them," 
 and power " over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations," so 
 that " all that dwell upon the earth worshipped him," — have 
 been exemplified in every particular, and also those of " the 
 whore of Babylon," " mystery, Babylon the great, the mother 
 of harlots, and abominations of the earth : with whom the 
 kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the in- 
 habitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine 
 of her fornication," while she herself has been " drunken 
 with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs 
 of Jesus," and she " is that great city (seated upon seven 
 mountains) which reigneth over the kings of the earth." 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 43 
 
 (Rev. xiii-xvii.) These, and many other events, fulfilling 
 ancient predictions, very many ages after they were deliver- 
 ed, can never be accounted for, except by allowing, that He 
 who sees and " declares the end from the beginning, and 
 from ancient times the things that are not yet done," (Isa. 
 xlv. 21,) thus revealed his secret purposes, that their accom- 
 plishment might prove the Scriptures to be His word. The 
 prophecies also, though written by different men, in different 
 ages, have yet a visible connexion and dependance, an entire 
 harmony and agreement with one another ; forming altogether 
 a prophetical history of the world, as to the grand outlines, 
 from the beginning of time to the consummation of all things ; 
 and accompanied with such a distinct notation of order, place, 
 and time, as has been justly termed the geography and chro- 
 nology of prophecy. As one prediction received its accom- 
 plishment, others were given, connecting prophecy with his- 
 tory, till the Revelation of St. John concluded the whole ; 
 and events have hitherto, in every age and nation, exactly 
 corresponded with these predictions. So many extraordinary 
 and improbable events, which have occurred through so many 
 ages, and in so many nations, as foretold in the Scriptures, 
 could only have been made known by the Omniscient God 
 himself; and must convince every rational mind, that "the 
 prophecy came not of old time by the will of man ; but holy 
 men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 
 (2 Pet. i. 20, 21.) 
 
 9. The extraordinary success which has attended Clflristi- 
 anity, which is founded on the Sacred Scriptures, while it 
 proves the truth of the facts which they detail, and demon- 
 strates the fulfilment of the prophecies they contain, is a 
 continued miraculous proof of their divine orig*n. Other 
 religions have owed their extension and prevalence to the 
 celebrity of their founders, to the learning of their advocates, 
 to their conformity to the prejudices and passions of men, to 
 the energy of the secular arm, or even to the power of the 
 sword ; but Christianity was totally destitute of all these 
 advantages, (if such they may be termed,) either to recom- 
 mend or enforce its reception in the world. Its founder was 
 put to an ignominious death by the common consent of his 
 countrymen ; its original promulgators were twelve illiterate 
 men, wholly devoid of every kind of worldly influence ; its 
 doctrines were opposed to the principles and practices of the 
 whole world, deeply rooted by inclination, and firmly estab- 
 
44 ON THE INSPIRATION 
 
 lished by extensive custom, by long confirmed laws, and by 
 the high and universal authority of nations. Yet, by the 
 simple preaching of the Gospel, Christianity triumphed over 
 the craft, rage, and power of the infuriated Jews — over the 
 haughtiness, policy, and power of the Roman empire — over 
 the pride of learning, and the obstinacy of ignorance, hatred, 
 prejudice, and lust — over the hardened inclinations, deep- 
 rooted customs, and long-established laws of both Jews and 
 Pagans — so that, notwithstanding every conceivable form of 
 opposition, within a few years after Christ's ascension, it 
 prevailed, in a greater or less degree, in almost every corner 
 of the Roman empire, and in the countries adjacent ; and 
 multitudes, at the hazard of every temporal loss or^ punish- 
 ment, readily believed, constantly adhered to, and cheerfully 
 and strictly practised its pure and holy precepts. Nor has 
 the success of Christianity been confined to the early ages 
 only ; for, during the period of eighteen centuries, notwith- 
 standing innumerable persecutions, together with the wicked- 
 ness of professors, and the inconceivable villanies and base 
 indifference of the clergy, it has been more or less successful 
 in reforming the hearts and lives of multitudes in almost every 
 nation under heaven ; and we may assert, that even at present, 
 there are many thousands, who have been reclaimed from a 
 profane and immoral course of conduct, to sobriety, equity, 
 truth, purity, and piety, and to an exemplary behavior in the 
 relative duties of life. Having been " made free from sin, 
 and become the servants of God, they have their fruit unto 
 holiness ;" and, after " patiently continuing in well-doing," 
 and cheerfully bearing various afflictions, they joyfully meet 
 death, being supported by the hope of eternal life, " as the 
 gift of GocT through Jesus Christ :" while they who are best 
 acquainted with them, are most convinced, that they have 
 been rendered more wise, holy, and happy, by believing the 
 Bible ; and that there is a reality in religion, though various 
 interests and passions may keep them from duly embracing it. 
 This would, indeed, be far more apparent were the Gospel 
 more generally, or fully, believed and obeyed. Did all men 
 believe and obey the Bible, as a divine revelation ; were re- 
 pentance, and renunciation of all vice and immorality, uni- 
 versal or even general, combined with the spiritual worship 
 of God, faith in his truth and mercy, through the mediation 
 of his Son, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, as visible in 
 every true believer — they would form the bulk of mankind 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 45 
 
 into such characters, and would produce such effects, as the 
 world has never yet witnessed. Men would then habitually 
 and uniformly do justice, speak truth, show mercy, exercise 
 mutual forgiveness, follow after peace, bridle their appetites 
 and passions, and lead sober, righteous, and godly lives. 
 Murders, wars, slavery, cruel oppressions, rapine, fraud, and 
 unrestrained licentiousness, would no more desolate the earth, 
 nor fill it with misery ; nor would bitter contentions ever 
 more destroy domestic comfort ; but righteousness, goodness, 
 and truth, would bless the world with a felicity far exceeding 
 all our present conceptions. Such has been the extraordinary 
 success and happy effects of the religion of the Bible ; and 
 such is doubtless the direct and legitimate tendency of its 
 doctrines, precepts, motives, and promises. To what cause, 
 then, can we attribute the success which has attended Chris- 
 tianity, in the absence of everything else to recommend or 
 enforce it, but to an almighty influence accompanying the 
 preaching of the Gospel — to its being " preached with the 
 Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven ?" And is not this one 
 of the strongest possible attestations made by the God of truth 
 himself, to the truth and Divine inspiration of the Sacred 
 Volume ? And, while its extraordinary success and effects 
 thus constrain us to admit the Divine authority of the Scrip- 
 tures, the holy and happy tendency of its doctrines proves, 
 that they could not have originated either with bad angels or 
 men, since they are so diametrically opposite to their vicious 
 inclinations, interests, and honor ; nor yet with uninspired 
 good men, who would not have dared thus to personate God, 
 and to ascribe their own inventions to inspiration. It remains, 
 therefore, that God must be their author ; and that " holy 
 men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," 
 " not in the words which men's wisdom teacheth, but which 
 the Holy Ghost teacheth." 1 Cor. ii. 13. 
 
 10. Lastly, though these arguments are abundantly sufficient 
 to silence objectors, and to produce a rational conviction of 
 the Divine origin and authority of the Scriptures, yet it is 
 only the effectual application of them to the mind, conscience, 
 and heart, in their self-evidencing light and power, which can 
 produce a cordial and saving persuasion that they are indeed 
 THE WORD OF GOD. But whcu thus applied, then " He that 
 believeth hath the witness in himself." (1 John v. 10.) The 
 discoveries which he has made by the Divine light of the 
 Scriptures ; the sanctifying and abiding effects produced on 
 
46 INSPIRATION OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 
 
 his judgment, dispositions, and affections ; the comfortable 
 experience which he has had, that God fulfils the promises 
 of His word to them who trust in them ; and the earnests of 
 heaven enjoyed by him in communion with God, put the 
 matter beyond all doubt ; so that there is no shutting the eyes, 
 nor hardening the heart against them — no possibility of con- 
 tinuing stupid and unconcerned under them ; but the whole 
 faculties of the soul are necessarily affected with them, as 
 indeed stamped with divine evidence, and attended with 
 almighty power. And, though many real Christians are not 
 at all qualified to dispute with infidels, yet they are enabled, 
 through this inward testimony, to obey the Gospel, and to 
 suffer in its cause ; and they can no more be convinced by 
 reasonings and objections, that uninspired men wrote or in- 
 vented the Bible, than they can be persuaded that man created 
 the sun, whose light they behold, and by whose beams they 
 are warmed and cheered.* 
 
 ♦ For the materials of the preceding chapters I have been chiefly in- 
 debted to Lardner's Credibility of the Gospel History, &c. ; Paley's 
 Evidences of Christianity; Macknight's Truth of the Gospel History; 
 Olinthus Gregory's Letters on the Evidences of the Christian Religion ; 
 Edwards on the Authority, Style, and Perfection of the Old and New 
 Testaments ; the first volume of the Rev. T. H. Home's Introduction 
 to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures ; Faber's 
 Horae Mosaicae ; Bryant on the Divine Mission of Moses ; Scott's Essays ; 
 Porleus on the Christian Revelation ; Townsend on the Character of 
 Moses as an Historian ; Watson's Apology ; Leslie's Short and Easy 
 Method with the Deists, &c. : to which excellent works the reader is 
 referred for a full discussion of the various topics here introduced, and 
 in some instances, for the proofs of several of the statements and facts, 
 and also to the succeeding portion of this work, containing a more full 
 detail of the evidence. Comprehensive Bible, General Introduction, pp. 
 55-66. 
 
EVIDENCE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PRECEDING FACTS AND REASONINGS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE GENTHNENESS, UNCORRUPTED PRESERVATION, 
 AUTHENTICITY, AND INSPIRATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SACRED WRITINGS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 1. From their having been always received as genuine; 
 evidence of which is to be found in 
 
 (1.) The earlier books being cited or alluded to by subsequent 
 sacred writers ; particularly the Pentateuch by the subsequent 
 writers of the Old Testament, (Jos. i. 7, 8, viii. 31 ; Jud. xi. 
 15-26 ; 1 Sam. x. 18, 19, xii. 8, xv. 2 ; 2 Kings xvii. 26 ; 
 2 Chron. xvii. 9, xxxiv. 15, 21 ; Ezra vi. 18 ; Neh. xiii. 1 ; 
 Ps. xix. 7-11, xl. 7, 8, Ixxiv. 13-15, Ixxvii. 15-20, Ixxviii. 
 1-55, cv., cvi. 1-39, cxix, cxxxvi. 10-20 ; Dan. ix. 11-13 ; 
 Mal. iv. 4,) and the Old Testament by the Apostles, (Mat. 
 V. 27, xi. 13, xxii. 40 ; Mark x. 3, xii. 26 ; Luke x. 25, xvi. 
 16, XX. 42, xxiv. 25, 44 ; John vii. 19, viii. 5 ; Acts i. 20, 
 iii. 22, vii. 35-37, xxvi. 22, xxviii. 23 ; Rom. x. 5 ; 1 Cor. 
 ix. 9; 2 Cor. iii. 7-15 ; 2 Ti. iii. 14-17; Heb. vii. 14, 
 X. 28.) 
 
 (2.) Of the Old Testament by the testimony of Jewish Trans- 
 lators and Writers. Such as the Translators of the Septua- 
 \ gint, Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus, the authors of the 
 Syriac Version and the Targums, the Talmud, Jesus the son 
 
48 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 of Sirach, (in Ecclesiasticus,) Philo, (Vit. Mos. 1. ii.,) and 
 Josephus, (Cent. Apion. 1. i. §. 8,) &c. ; for an account of 
 whom see Introduction to Comprehensive Bible, pp. 72-78. 
 To which might be added, the Samaritan Pentateuch ; from 
 which, besides its value in a critical point of view, as serving 
 to establish correct readings, we derive one of the most ex- 
 traordinary and irrefragable arguments in support of the au- 
 thenticity and integrity of the books of Moses ; for, though an 
 irreconcilable enmity subsisted between the Jews and Samar- 
 itans, and the latter were held in such abhorrence by the form- 
 er, that they would have deemed it a profanation to transcribe 
 any thing from the Holy Volume which contained all the 
 articles of the Samaritan creed, yet the two copies of the 
 Pentateuch, after the lapse of so many ages, agree in every 
 thing essential. 
 
 (3.) Of the New Testament, hy quotations or allusions hy a 
 regular succession of Christian Writers ; such as the apostolic 
 fathers, Barnabas, Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp, 
 Papias, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Melito, Ireneus, Athenagoras, 
 Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Euse- 
 bius, &c., &c. ; for an account of whom, see Comprehen- 
 sive Bible, pp. 78-82. 
 
 (4.) From their genuineness never having been impugned by 
 Jewish or heathen adversaries, or heretics ; such as Celsus, 
 Porphyry, the Emperor Julian, the Cerinthians, Ebionites, 
 Novatians, Donatists, Manicheans, Arians, Marcian, Noetus, 
 Marcellus, &;c. 
 
 For a more detailed account of the genuineness of each of 
 the Sacred Writings, see the Introductions to the several books 
 in the Comprehensive Bible. 
 
 2. From the language and style of writing in the Old and 
 New Testaments ; as, • 
 
 (1.) Their diversity of style proving them to he the work 
 of various authors ; which the following evidence will amply 
 evince : 
 
 The style of Isaiah has been universally admired as the 
 most perfect model of elegance and sublimity ; and as dis- 
 tinguished for all the magnificence, and for all the sweetness 
 of the Hebrew language. " Isaiah," says Bp. Lowth, *' the 
 first of the prophets, both in order and dignity, abounds 
 in such transcendent excellences, that he may be properly 
 said to afibrd the most perfect model of the prophetic poetry. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 49 
 
 He is at once elegant and sublime, forcible and ornamental ; 
 he unites energy with copiousness, and dignity with variety. 
 In his sentiments, there is extraordinary elevation and majes- 
 ty ; in his imagery, the utmost propriety, elegance, dignity, 
 and diversity ; in his language, uncommon beauty and energy; 
 and, notwithstanding the obscurity of his subjects, a surprising 
 degree of clearness and simplicity. To these we may add, 
 there is such sweetness in the poetical composition of his 
 sentences, whether it proceed from art or genius, that if the 
 Hebrew poetry at present is possessed of any remains of its 
 native grace and harmony, we shall chiefly find them in the 
 writings of Isaiah ; so that the saying of Ezekiel may justly 
 be applied to this prophet : 
 
 Thou art the confirmed exemplar of measures, 
 Full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 
 
 EzEK. xxviii. 12. 
 
 Isaiah also greatly excels in all the graces of method, order, 
 connexion, and arrangement ; though, in asserting this, we 
 must not forget the nature of the prophetic impulse, which 
 bears away the mind with irresistible violence, and frequently 
 in rapid transitions from near to remote objects, from human 
 to divine : we must likewise be careful in remarking the limits 
 of particular predictions, since, as they are now extant, they 
 are often improperly connected, without any marks of discrim- 
 ination, which injudicious arrangement, on some occasions, 
 creates almost insuperable difficulties. But, though the va- 
 riety of his images, and the warmth of his expressions, char- 
 acterize him as unequalled in eloquence ; and though tho 
 marks of a cultivated mind are stamped in every page of his 
 book, yet these are almost eclipsed by the splendor of his in- 
 spired knowledge. In the delivery of his prophecies and in- 
 structions, he utters his enraptured strains with an elevation 
 and majesty that unhallowed lips could never attain , and, 
 from the grand exordium in the first chapter to the concluding 
 description of the Gospel, to " be brought forth" in wonders, 
 and to terminate in the dispensation of eternity, there is one 
 continued display of inspired wisdom, revealing its oracles 
 and precepts for the instruction and salvation of man. 
 
 The character of Jeremiah, as a writer, is thus ably drawn 
 by Bishop Lowth : " Jeremiah is by no means wanting either 
 in elegance or sublimity, although, generally speaking, infe- 
 rior to Isaiah in both. St. Jerome has objected to liim a cer- 
 tain rusticity in his diction ; of which, I must confess, I do 
 
 5 
 
50 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 not discover the smallest trace. His thoughts, indeed, are 
 somewhat less elevated, and he is commonly more copious 
 and diffuse in his sentences : but the reason of this may be, 
 that he is mostly taken up with the gentler passions of grief 
 and pity, for the expressing of which he has a peculiar talent. 
 This is most evident in the Lamentations, where those pas- 
 sions altogether predominate ; but it is often Adsible also in 
 his Prophecies ; in the former part of the book more espe- 
 cially, which is principally poetical. The middle parts are, 
 for the most part, historical : but the last part, consisting of 
 six chapters, is ewiueiVy poetical ; and contains several oracles 
 distinctly marked, in which this prophet falls very little short 
 of the loftiest style of Isaiah." His images are, in general, 
 perhaps less lofty, and his expressions less dignified, than 
 those of some others of the sacred writers ; but the character 
 of his work, which breathes a tenderness of sorrow calculated 
 to awaken and interest the milder affections, led him to reject 
 the majestic and declamatory tone in which the prophetic 
 censures and denunciations were sometimes conveyed. The 
 holy zeal of the prophet is, however, often excited to a very 
 vigorous and overwhelming eloquence, in inveighing against 
 the audacity with which the Jews gloried in their abomina- 
 tions ; and his descriptions, especially the last six chapters, 
 have all the vivid coloring that might be expected from a 
 painter of contemporary scenes. The historical part, which 
 chiefly relates to his own conduct, and the completion of those 
 predictions which he had delivered, is characterized by much 
 simplicity of style ; and possesses some marks of antiquity 
 that ascertain the date of its composition. Thus the months 
 are reckoned by numbers ; a mode which did not obtain after 
 the captivity, when they were distinguished by Chaldaic 
 names. 
 
 The character of Ezekiel, as a writer and a poet, is thus 
 portrayed by Bishop Lowth : " Ezekiel is much inferior to 
 Jeremiah in elegance ; in sublimity, he is not even excelled 
 by Isaiah ; but his sublimity is of a totally different kind. He 
 is deep, vehement, tragical ; the only sensation he affects to 
 excite is the terrible ; his sentiments are elevated, animated, 
 full of fire and indignation ; his imagery is crowded, magnifi- 
 cent, terrific, and sometimes bordering on indelicacy ; his 
 language is grand, solemn, austere, rough, and at limes un- 
 polished : he abounds in repetitions, not for the sake of grace 
 or elegance, but [vo\\\ vehemence and indignation. Whatever 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 51 
 
 subject he treats of, that he sedulously pursues ; from that he 
 rarely departs, but cleaves, as it were, to it ; whence the con- 
 nexion is in general evident and well preserved. In other 
 respects, he may perhaps be exceeded by the other prophets ; 
 but for that species of composition to which he seems adapt- 
 ed by nature, the forcible, impetuous, grave, and grand, not 
 one of the sacred writers is superior to him. His diction is 
 sufficiently perspicuous ; all his obscurity arises from the 
 nature of his subjects. Visions (as for instance, among others, 
 those of Hosea, Amos, and Zechariah) are necessarily dark 
 and confused. The greater part of Ezekiel, particularly to- 
 wards the middle of the book, is poetical, whether we regard 
 the matter or the language. But some passages are so rude 
 and unpolished, that we are frequently at a loss to what spe- 
 cies of writing we ought to refer them." Michaelis, however, 
 so far from esteeming him as equal to Isaiah in sublimity, is 
 inclined to think that he displays more art and luxuriance in 
 amplifying and decorating his subject than is consistent with 
 the poetical fervor, or indeed with true sublimity ; and pro- 
 nounces him to be in general an imitator, who has the art of 
 giving an air of novelty and ingenuity, but not of grandeur and 
 sublimity, to all his compositions ; and that, as he lived at a 
 period when the Hebrew language was visibly on the decline, 
 so if we compare him with the Latin poets who succeeded 
 the Augustan age, we may find some resemblance in the style, 
 something that indicates the old age of poetry. But, as Abp. 
 Newcome judiciously observes, the prophet is not to be con- 
 sidered merely as a poet, or as a framer of those august and 
 astonishing visions, and of those admirable poetical representa- 
 tions, which he committed to writing ; but as an instrument in 
 the hands of God, who vouchsafed to reveal himself, through 
 a long succession of ages, not only in divers parts constituting 
 a magnificent and uniform whole, but also in different man- 
 ners, as by voice, by dreams, by inspiration, and by plain or 
 enigmatical vision. " Ezekiel is a great poet, full of origin- 
 ality ; and, in my opinion, whoever censures him as if he 
 were only an imitator of the old prophets, can never have felt 
 his power. He must not, in general, be compared with Isaiah 
 and the rest of the old prophets. Those are great, Ezekiel 
 is also great ; those in their manner of poetry, Ezekiel in his ; 
 which he had invented for himself, if we may form our judg- 
 ment from the Hebrew monuments still extant." To justify 
 this character, the learned prelate descends to particulars, 
 
92 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 and gives apposite examples, not only of the clear, flowing 
 and nervous, but also of the sublime ; and concludes his ob 
 servations on his style, by stating it to be his deliberate opin- 
 ion, that if his " style is the old age of the Hebrew language 
 and composition, it is a firm and vigorous one, and should in- 
 duce us to trace its youth and manhood with tj^e most assidu- 
 ous attention. As a prophet, Ezekiel must ever be allowed to 
 occupy a very high rank ; and few of the prophets have left a 
 more valuable treasure to the church of God than he has. It 
 is true, he is in several places obscure ; but this resulted 
 either from the nature of his subjects, or the events predicted 
 being still unfulfilled ; and, when time has rolled away the 
 mist of futurity, successive generations will then perceive 
 with what heavenly wisdom this much neglected prophet has 
 spoken. There is, however, a great proportion of his work 
 virhich is free from obscurity, and highly edifying. He has so 
 accurately and minutely foretold the fate and condition of va- 
 rious nations and cities, that nothing can be more interesting 
 than to trace the exact accomplishment of these prophecies 
 in the accounts furnished by historians and travellers ; while, 
 under the elegant type of a new temple to be erected, a new 
 worship to be introduced, and a new Jerusalem to be built, 
 with new land to be allotted to the twelve tribes, may be dis- 
 covered the vast extent and glory of the New Testament 
 Church. 
 
 Daniel, as a writer, is simple, yet pure and correct, whether 
 he write Hebrew or Chaldee ; and is so conscientious, that 
 he relates the very words of the persons whom he introduces 
 as speaking. Though his style is not so lofty and figurative 
 as that of the other prophets, it is more suitable to his subject, 
 being clear and concise ; his narratives and descriptions are 
 simple and natural ; and, in short, he writes more like an his- 
 torian than a prophet. His predictions are the most extraor- 
 dinary and comprehensive of all that are found in the pro- 
 phetical writings ; for they include the general history of the 
 world, as well as that of the church of God under the Jewish 
 and Christian dispensations, from the period in which he 
 lived to the final consummation of all things ; and he alone, 
 of all the prophets, foretold the exact time when the Messiah 
 should appear and finish the great work of human redemption. 
 At the same time his prophecies are so minute and circum- 
 stantial, especially concerning the kingdoms of Egypt and 
 Syria, from the death of Alexander to the time of Antiochus 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTUHES. 53 
 
 Epiphanes, that, as Bishop Newton remarks, " there is not so 
 complete and regular a series of their kings, there is not so 
 concise and comprehensive an account of their affairs, to be 
 found in any author of those times. The prophecy is really 
 more perfect than any history. No one historian hath re- 
 lated so many circumstances and in such exact order of time, 
 as the prophet hath foretold them : so that it was necessary 
 to have recourse to several authors, Greek and Roman, Jewish 
 and Christian, to collect here something from one, and to 
 collect there something from another, for the better explain- 
 ing the great variety of particulars contained in this prophecy." 
 It was the circumstantial fulfilment of these predictions which 
 induced Porphyry to maintain that they were written in the 
 time of Antiochus Epiphanes, after the events to which they 
 refer had occurred ; though the book of Daniel had been 
 translated into Greek one hundred years before Antiochus ; 
 was particularly commended by Josephus ; and is frequently 
 cited and appealed to in the Targums and Talmuds, and other 
 Jewish writings. 
 
 The style of Hosea is remarkably concise, sententious, 
 and unconnected ; and some parts are peculiarly pathetic, 
 animated, and sublime. " He delights in a style," says Bishop 
 Horsley, " which always becomes obscure when the language 
 of the writer ceases to be a living language. He is commatic, 
 to use St. Jerome's word, more than any other of the prophets. 
 He writes in short, detached, disjointed sentences ; not 
 wrought up into periods, in which the connexion of one 
 clause with another, and the dialectic relations, are made 
 manifest to the reader by an artificial collocation, and by 
 those connective particles that make one discourse of parts 
 which otherwise appear as a string of independent proposi- 
 tions, which is left to the reader's discernment to unite. His 
 transitions from reproof to persuasion, from threatening to 
 promise, from terror to hope, and the contrary, are rapid and 
 unexpected. His similes are brief, accumulated, and often 
 introduced (as in the best Greek and Roman writers) without 
 the particle of similitude. Yet these are not the vices, but 
 the perfections of the holy prophet's style ; for to these cir- 
 cumstances it owes that eagerness and fiery animation, which 
 are the characteristic excellence of his writings, and are so 
 peculiarly suited to his subject." With this description of 
 the prophet's style agrees that of Bishop Lowth. " It ex- 
 hibits," says he, " the appearance of very remote antiquity : 
 5* 
 
54 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 it is pointed, energetic, and concise. It bears a distinguished 
 mark of poetic composition, in that pristine brevity and con- 
 densation which is observable in the sentences, and which 
 later writers have in some measure neglected. This peculi- 
 arity has not escaped the observation of St. Jerome. He is 
 altogether, says he, laconic and sententious. But this very 
 circumstance, which anciently was supposed to impart un- 
 common force ^and elegance, is, in the present ruinous state 
 of the Hebrew literature, productive of so much obscurity 
 that, though the general subject of this writer be sufficiently 
 obvious, he is the most difficult and perplexed of all the 
 prophets. There is, however, another reason for the obscurity 
 of his style : Hosea prophesied during the reigns of the four 
 kings of Judah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ; the 
 duration of his ministry, therefore, in whatever manner we 
 calculate, must include a very considerable space of time. 
 We have only a small volume of his remaining, which, it 
 seems, contains his principal prophecies ; and these are ex- 
 tant in a continued series, without any marks of distinction 
 as to the times in which they were published, or the subjects 
 of which they treat. There is, therefore, no cause to wonder, 
 if, in perusing the prophecies of Hosea, we sometimes find 
 ourselves in a similar predicament with those who consulted 
 the scattered leaves of the Sybil." Another reason of this 
 obscurity has been assigned by some very learned men, who 
 have used very strong language upon the subject — the sup- 
 posed corrupt state of the present text ; and abundant correc- 
 tions have been proposed, some on very slender authority, 
 others purely conjectural, some when they might seem to 
 render the sense clear, and others, when they appear to ren- 
 der it more obscure. But this mode of emendation, if such it 
 may be termed, is a desperate remedy ; and without absolute 
 necessity, and good authority from manuscripts and versions, 
 is often dangerous, and always rash and futile ; and if freely 
 encouraged, would substitute the conjectures of men, instead 
 of the infallible word of God. In some instances, with much 
 caution and sobriety of judgment, on the united authority of 
 manuscripts and versions, a slight alteration may be admissi- 
 ble ; but, in general, it is probable that industry, accompanied 
 with fervent piety, in endeavoring to understand the sacred 
 oracles, would do more to render them intelligible, explicit, 
 and impressive, than all the labor which is taken to correct 
 and improve the text. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 55 
 
 The style of Joel is allowed by the most competent judges 
 to be inimitably beautiful ; containing such an assemblage of 
 elegance, pathos, and sublimity, as can be found in few re- 
 mains of ancient poetry. " The style of Joel," says Bishop 
 Lowth, " differs much from that of Hosea ; but, though of a 
 different kind, is equally poetical. It is elegant, perspicuous, 
 clear, dilTusive, and flowing ; and, at the same time, very 
 sublime, nervous, and animated. He displays the whole 
 power of poetic description in the first and second chapters ; 
 and at the same time his fondness for metaphors, comparisons, 
 and allegories ; nor is the connexion of his subjects less re- 
 markable than the graces of his diction. It is not to be denied 
 that in some places he is very obscure ; which every attentive 
 reader will perceive, especially in the end of his prophecy." 
 This obscurity, however, does not proceed from the language, 
 which is uncommonly perspicuous, but wholly from the nature 
 of the subjects : the beauties of his expression being some- 
 what shaded by allusions to circumstances yet unfulfilled. 
 His descriptions are highly animated ; and his language in 
 force, and often in sound, well adapted to his subject. The 
 contexture of the prophecy in the first and second chapters is 
 extremely curious, and wrought up with admirable force and 
 beauty ; in v/hich by an animated representation he antici- 
 pates the scenes of misery which lowered over Judea. It is 
 generally supposed, that the prophet blends two subjects of 
 affliction in one general consideration, or beautiful allegory ; 
 and that, under the devastation to be produced by locusts in 
 the vegetable world, he portrays the more distant calamities 
 to be inflicted by the armies of the Chaldeans in their in- 
 vasion of Juclea. Hence, probably, the studied ambiguity of 
 some of the expressions ; while the double destruction to be 
 efliected by these fearful insects, and those enemies of which 
 they were the harbingers, is painted with the most expressive 
 force, in terms reciprocally metaphorical, and admirably 
 adapted to the twofold character of the descriptions. These 
 predictions are followed by a more general denunciation of 
 God's vengeance, delivered with such force and aggravation 
 of circumstances, as to be in some measure descriptive of that 
 final judgment, which some temporal dispensations of Provi- 
 dence may be said to prefigure. These several declarations 
 are intermingled with earnest exhortations to solemn fasting, 
 repentance, and prayer, and with promises of deliverance and 
 reUirning prosperity productive of Gospel blessings ; in treat- 
 
56 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 ing of which, he forelels, in the clearest terms, the general 
 effusion of the Holy Spirit, which was to characterize the 
 Gospel dispensation, predicting, in the fullest and plainest 
 manner, the awful consequences of obstinately rejecting the 
 sacred influence, especially to the Jews, the event of which 
 to this day, fully attests his Divine inspiration. In conclusion 
 he foretels the righteous judgments of God in the final ex- 
 cision of his enemies, and the glorious state of prosperity to 
 be yet enjoyed by the church ; representing its perfections 
 and blessings under the poetic emblems of a golden age. 
 
 Amos was by profession a herdman and a dresser of syca- 
 more fruit ; and hence, as Archbishop Newcome observes, he 
 "borrows many images from the scenes in which he was 
 engaged : but he introduces them with skill, and gives them 
 tone and dignity by the eloquence and grandeur of his manner. 
 We shall find in him many affecting and pathetic, many ele- 
 gant and sublime passages. No prophet has more magnifi- 
 cently described the Deity ; or more gravely rebuked the 
 luxurious, or reproved injustice and oppression with greater 
 warmth, and a more generous indignation." St. Jerome is of 
 opinion, that there is nothing great or sublime in the style of 
 Amos ; and calls him "rude in speech, but not in knowledge," 
 applying to him what St. Paul modestly professes of himself, 
 (2 Cor. xi. 6.) Calmet and many others have followed the 
 authority of Jerome, in speaking of this prophet, as if he 
 were indeed quite rude, void of eloquence, and destitute of 
 all the embellishments of composition. The matter, however, 
 as Bishop Lowih has remarked, is quite otherwise. " Let 
 any person, who has candor and perspicacity enough to judge, 
 not from the man, but from his writings, open the volume of 
 his predictions, and he will, I think, agree that our shepherd 
 * is not a whit behind the very chief of the prophets.' (2 Cor. 
 xi. 5.) He will agree, that as in sublimity and magnificence 
 he is almost equal to the greatest, so in splendor of diction, 
 and elegance of expression, he is scarcely inferior to any. 
 The same celestial Spirit, indeed, actuated Tsaiah and Daniel 
 in the court and Amos in the sheepfolds ; constantly selecting 
 such interpreters of the Divine will as were best adapted to 
 the occasion, and sometimes ' from the mouths of babes and 
 sucklings perfecting praise,' — constantly employing the natu- 
 ral eloquence of some, and occasionally making others elo- 
 quent." It should, however, be observed, that rustic employ- 
 ments were very general and honorable among the Hebrews; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 57 
 
 and that comparisons drawn from rural scenes, and the pastoral 
 life, are by no means peculiar to Amos ; the principal images, 
 and those of the greatest beauty and elegance, both in the 
 poetical and prophetical parts of Scripture, being derived 
 from the same natural objects. *' We cannot reasonably be 
 surprised," as Bishop Lowth justly observes, "to find the 
 Hebrew writers deducing most of iheir metaphors from those 
 arts particularly, in which they were educated from their 
 earliest years. We are not to wonder that those objects 
 which were most familiar to their senses afforded the prin- 
 cipal ornaments of their poetry ; especially since they fur- 
 nished so various and so elegant an assortment of materials, 
 that not only the beautiful, but the grand and magnificent, 
 might be collected from them. If any person of more nicety 
 than judgment should esteem some of these rustic images 
 grovelling or vulgar, it may be of some use to him to be in- 
 joimed, that such an eflect can only result from the ignorance 
 v)f the critic, who, through the medium of his scanty informa- 
 tion and peculiar prejudices, presumes to estimate matters of 
 the most remote antiquity ; it cannot reasonably be attributed 
 as an error of the sacred poets, who not only give those ideas 
 all their natural force and dignity, but frequently, by the 
 vivacity and boldness of the figure, exhibit them with addi- 
 tional vigor, ornament, and beauty. It would be a tedious 
 task to instance particularly with what embellishments of 
 diction, derived from one low and trivial object, as it may 
 appear to some, the barn, or the thrashing floor, the sacred 
 writers have contrived to add lustre to the most sublime, and 
 a force to the most important subjects. Thus Jehovah thrashes 
 out the heathen as corn, tramples them under his feet, and 
 disperses them. He delivers the nations to Israel to be 
 beaten in pieces by an indented flail, (Hab. iii. 12 ; Joel iii. 
 14- ; Jer. li. 33 ; Isa. xxi. 10,) or to be crushed by their brazen 
 hoofs. He scatters his enemies like chaft' upon the moun- 
 tains, (Mic. iv. 13,) and disperses them with the whirlwind 
 of his indignation, (Ps. Ixxxiii. M, 16 ; Isa. xvii. 13.) 
 
 Behold, I have made thee a thrashing wain ; 
 
 A new corn-drag with pointed teeth : 
 
 Thou shall thrash the mountains and beat them small, 
 
 And reduce the hills to chafi'. 
 
 Tliou shall winnow them, and the wind shall bear Ihem away; 
 
 And the tempest sball scatter them abroad. — Isa. xli. 15, 16. 
 
 *' Bvit the instances are innumerable which might be quoted 
 
68 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 of metaphors taken from the manners and customs of the 
 Hebrews. One general remark, however, may be made upon 
 this subject, namely, that from one simple, regular, and natural 
 mode of life having prevailed among the Hebrews, it has 
 arisen, that in their poetry these metaphors have less of 
 obscurity, of meanness, or depression than could be expected, 
 when we consider the antiquity of their writings, the distance 
 of the scene, and the uncommon boldness and vivacity of their 
 rhetoric. Indeed, to have made use of the boldest imagery 
 with the most perfect perspicuity, and the most common and 
 familiar with the greatest dignity, is a recommendation 
 almost peculiar to the sacred poets. We shall not hesitate to 
 produce an example of this kind, in which the meanness of 
 the image is fully equalled by the plainness and inelegance 
 of the expression ; and yet, such is its consistency, such the 
 propriety of its application, that we do not scruple to pro- 
 nounce it sublime. The Almighty threatens the ultimate 
 destruction of Jerusalem in these terms : 
 
 And I will wipe Jerusalem, 
 
 As a man wipeth a dish : 
 
 He wipeth it, and turneth it upside down. — 2 Kings xxi. 13. 
 
 " But many of these images must falsely appear mean and 
 obscure to us, who differ so materially from the Hebrews in 
 our manners and customs : but in such cases it is our duty 
 neither too rashly to blame, nor too suddenly to despair. 
 The mind should rather exert itself to discover, if possible, 
 the connexion between the literal and figurative meanings, 
 which, in abstruse subjects, frequently depending upon some 
 delicate and nice relation, eludes our penetration. An obsolete 
 custom, for instance, or some forgotten circumstance, oppor- 
 tunely adverted to, will sometimes restore its true perspicuity 
 and credit to a very intricate passage." 
 
 The style of Jonah is narrative and simple ; and the 
 beautiful prayer in the second chapter has justly been ad- 
 mired. We are here presented with a fine description of the 
 power and tender mercies of God ; and the impartiality of 
 the prophet in detailing his own weakness and folly, (a con- 
 duct almost wholly restricted to the sacred writers,) is worthy 
 of particular notice. 
 
 The beauty and elegance of Micah's style have been much 
 admired. Bishop Lowth characterizes it as compressed, 
 short, nervous, and sharp. It is often elevated, animated. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 59 
 
 and sublime, and generally truly poetical, though occasionally 
 obscure, on account of his sudden transitions from one subject 
 to another. There are, indeed, few beauties or elegances of 
 composition of which examples may not be found in this 
 prophet ; and for strength of expression, and sublime and im- 
 pressive diction, in several places, he is unrivalled. Parono- 
 masias, which were reputed ornaments by all the prophets, 
 are frequently employed by Micah, of which the following 
 are instances : 
 
 Declare ye (TT^^D tageeddoo) it nol at Gath, (ri^) weep ye not at all. 
 In the house of Aphrah ("""iSy) roll thyself in the dnst, ("■.&y, nphar). 
 The inhabitant of Zaanan C^]i<;^) came not forth ("J^IS"', yntzea) in the 
 
 mourning of Beth-ezel. 
 thou inhabitant of Lachish ("iL"''^^), bind tho chariot to the swift beast 
 
 (-1^1, rechesh). 
 The houses of Achzib (ni'^T-i^) shall be a lie (-THi*, achzab) to the kings 
 
 of Israel. 
 Yet wiu. I bring an heir (".L'*'"!!, hyyoresh) to thee, inhabitant of 
 
 Mareshah (n'::^?2). 
 
 ch. i. 10, 11, 13, 15. 
 
 The prophecy of Nahum forms a regular and perfect poem. 
 The exordium is grand and truly majestic ; the preparations 
 for the destruction of Nineveh, and the description of its 
 dowr^fall, are painted in the most vivid colors, and are ad- 
 mirably clear. The threatenings against which city, says 
 Dr. Adam Clarke, are continued (in ch. iii.) in a strain of 
 invective, astonishing for its richness, variety, and energ}^ 
 One may hear and see the whip crack, the horses prancing, 
 the wheels rumbling, the chariots bounding after the gallop- 
 ing steeds, the reflection from the drawn and highly polished 
 swords, and the hurled spears, like flashes of lightning dazzling 
 the eyes, the slain lying in heaps, and horses and chariots 
 stumbling over them ! 
 
 Habakkuk, as a poet, holds a high rank among the Hebrew 
 prophets. The beautiful connexion between the parts of his 
 prophecy, its diction, imagery, spirit, and sublimity, are parti- 
 cularly striking, and cannot be too much admired. The prayer 
 of Habakkuk, in particular, is allowed by the best judges to be 
 a masterpiece of its kind ; and it is adduced by Bp. Lowth 
 as one of the most perfect specimens of the Hebrew ode. 
 The prophet illustrates the subject of the deliverance of 
 Israel from Egyptian slavery throughout " with equal magni- 
 ficence, selecting from such an assemblage of miraculous in- 
 
60 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUIxVENESS 
 
 cidents the most noble and important, displaying them in the 
 most splendid colors, and embellishing them with the sublim- 
 est imagery, figures, and diction ; the dignity of which is so 
 heightened and recommended by the superior elegance of the 
 conclusion, that were it not for a few shades, which the hand 
 of time has apparently cast over it in two or three passages, 
 no composition of the kind would, I believe, appear more ele- 
 gant, or more perfect than this poem." 
 
 The style of the prophet Haggai is represented by the 
 learned Bp. Lowth as wholly prosaic ; but Abp. Newcome 
 has given a translation of his prophecy, under an idea that it 
 admits of a metrical division. But however inferior he may 
 be in point of style, and in the splendor of poetic diction, his 
 book forms a most important link in the chain of prophecy. 
 He clearly determines not only the advent of Messiah, but 
 the time in which this glorious event should take place — dur- 
 ing the existence of the second temple. 
 
 The Book of Malachi, says Bp. Lowth, is written in a 
 kind of middle style, which seems to indicate that the Hebrew 
 poetry, from the time of the Babylonish captivity, was in a 
 declining state, and having passed its prime and vigor, was 
 then fast verging towards the debility of age. The writings 
 of this prophet, however, are by no means devoid of force and 
 elegance ; and he reproves the wickedness of his countrymen 
 with vehemence, and exhorts them to repentance and re- 
 formation with the utmost earnestness. It is no mean recom- 
 mendation of Malachi, as well as a sanction of his prophetic 
 mission, that his book, though short, is often referred to in 
 the inspired writings of the New Testament ; and that his 
 claim to the character of a prophet is recognised by the 
 Evangelists, and is admitted by our Lord himself. (xMat. xi. 
 10, xvii. 10-12 ; Mark i. 2, ix. 11, 12; Luke i. 16, 17, vii. 
 27; Rom. ix. 13.) He terminated the illustrious succession 
 of the prophets, and sealed up the volume of prophecy, by 
 proclaiming the sudden appearance of the Lord, whom they 
 sought, in His temple, preceded by that messenger, who, like 
 a harbinger, should prepare His way before Him ; the fulfil- 
 ment of which prediction, by the preaching of John the Bap- 
 tist, and the advent of Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, 
 ar:d the Lord of life and glory, during the existence of the 
 second temple, fully attests the divinity of his mission, and 
 the Divine inspiration of his prophecy. 
 
 Matthew being one of the twelve apostles, and from the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 61 
 
 time of his call, a constant attendant on our Saviour, was per- 
 fectly well qualified to write the history of his life. He re- 
 lates what he saw and heard with the most natural and un- 
 affected simplicity, and in a plain and perspicuous style. 
 That for which he is eminently distinguished, says Dr. Camp- 
 bell, " is the distinctness and particularity with which he has 
 related many of our Lord's discourses and moral instruc- 
 tions. Of these, his sermon on the mount, his charge to the 
 apostles, his illustrations of the nature of his kingdom, and 
 his prophecy on mount Olivet, are examples. He has also 
 wonderfully united simplicity and energy in relating the re- 
 plies of his Master to the cavils of his adversaries. Being 
 early called to the apostleship, he was an eye and ear wit- 
 ness of most of the things which he relates. And, though I 
 do not think it was the scope of any of these historians to 
 adjust their narratives by the precise order of time wherein 
 the events happened, there are some circumstances which in- 
 cline me to think, that Matthew has approached at least 
 as near that order as any of them." The consideration, 
 that the Gospel of St. Matthew is a history of what he heard 
 and saw, merely allowing him to be a man of integrity, would 
 of itself fully prove that he would make no mistakes in his 
 narrative ; and when we add to this, the influence and super- 
 intendence of the Holy Spirit, under which he constantly 
 acted, and which our Lord promised to his disciples, (John 
 xiv. 26,) it must be allowed to possess the utmost degree of 
 credibility and authority with which any writing could be in- 
 vested. It is, as Mr. Wakefield well observes, a piece of 
 history which, it must be acknowledged, is " the most singu- 
 lar in its composition, the most wonderful in its contents, and 
 the most important in its object, that was ever exhibited to the 
 notice of mankind. For simplicity of narrative, and an art- 
 less relation of facts, without any applause or censure, or di- 
 gressive remarks, on the part of the historian, upon the char- 
 acters introduced in it ; without any intermixture of his own 
 opinion, upon any subject whatsoever ; and for a multiplicity 
 of internal marks of credibility, this Gospel certainly has no 
 parallel among human productions.'' " There is not," as Dr. 
 A. Clarke justly remarks, " one truth or doctrine, in the whole 
 oracles of God, which is not taught in this Evangelist. The 
 outlines of the whole spiritual system are here correctly laid 
 down ; even Paul himself has added nothing ; he has ampli- 
 iied and 'llustrated the truths contained in this Gospel ; but, 
 
 6 
 
63 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 even under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, neither he, nor 
 any of the other apostles, have brought to light one truth, the 
 prototype of which has not been found in the words and acts 
 of our blessed Lord as related by Matthew." 
 
 St. John is generally considered, with respect to language, 
 as the least correct writer in the New Testament. His style 
 indicates a great want of those advantages which result from a 
 learned education ; but this defect is amply compensated by the 
 unexampled simplicity with which he expresses the sublimest 
 truths. Though simplicity of manner, says Dr. Campbell, is 
 common to all our Lord's historians, there are evidently dif- 
 ferences in the simplicity of one compared with that of an- 
 other. One thing very remarkable in John's style, is an 
 attempt to impress important truths more strongly on the 
 minds of his readers, by employing in the expression of them, 
 l>oth an afHrinative proposition and a negative. It is mani- 
 I'osily not without design that he commonly passes over those 
 passages of our Lord's history and teaching, which had been 
 treated at large by the other Evangelists, or, if he touches 
 them ill all, he touches them but slightly, whilst he records 
 many miracles which had been overlooked by the rest, and 
 expatiates on the sublime doctrines of the pre-existence, the 
 divinity, and the incarnation of the Word, the great ends of 
 his mission, and the blessings of his purchase. 
 
 St. Paul, as Dr. Taylor justly observes, " was a great 
 genius and a fine writer ; and he seems to have exercised all 
 his talents, as well as the most perfect Christian temper, in 
 drawing up this epistle, (to the Romans.) The plan of it is 
 very extensive ; and it is surprising to see what a spacious 
 field of knowledge he has comprised ; and how many various 
 designs, arguments, explications, instructions, and exhorta- 
 tions, he has executed in so small a compass." In pursuance 
 of this grand object, " it is remarkable," says Dr. Doddridge, 
 " with how much address he improves all the influence, which 
 his zeal and fidelity in their service must naturally give him, 
 to inculcate upon them the precepts of the gospel, and per- 
 suade them to act agreeably to their sacred character. This 
 was the grand point he always kept in view, and to which 
 every thing else was made subservient. Nothing appears, in 
 any part of his writings, like a design to establish his own 
 reputation, or to make use of his ascendency over his Chris- 
 tian friends to answer any secular purposes of his own. On the 
 contrary, in this and in his other epistles, he discovers a most 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 63 
 
 generous, disinterested regard for their welfare, expressly 
 disclaiming any authority over their consciences, and appeal- 
 ing to them, that he had chosen to maintain himself by the 
 labor of his own hands, rather than prove burdensome to the 
 churches, or to give the least color or suspicion, that, under 
 zeal for the gospel, and concern for their improvement, he 
 was carrying on any private sinister view. The discovery 
 of so excellent a temper must be allowed to carry with it 
 a strong presumptive argument in favor of the doctrines he 
 taught. . . . And, indeed, whoever reads St. Paul's epistles 
 with attention, and enters into the spirit with which they were 
 written, will discern such intrinsic characters of their genuine- 
 ness, and the divine authority of the doctrines they contain, 
 as will, perhaps, produce in him a stronger conviction, than 
 all the external evidence with which they are attended." 
 
 " St. Peter's style," as Dr. Blackwall justly observes, 
 *' expresses the noble vehemence and fervor of his spirit, the 
 full knowledge he had of Christianity, and the strong assur- 
 ance he had of the truth and certainty of his doctrine ; and 
 he writes with the authority of the first man in the college 
 of the apostles. He writes with that quickness and rapidity 
 of style, with that noble neglect of some of the formal conse- 
 quences and niceties of grammar, still preserving its true rea- 
 son, and natural analogy, (which are always marks of a 
 sublime genius,) that you can scarcely perceive the pauses 
 of his discourse, and distinction of his periods. The great 
 Joseph Scaliger calls St. Peter's first Epistle majestic ; and I 
 hope he was more judicious than to exclude the second, 
 though he did not name it. A noble majesty and becoming 
 freedom is what distinguishes St. Peter ; a devout and judi- 
 cious person cannot read him without solemn attention and 
 awful concern. The conflagration of this world, and future 
 judgment of angels and men, in the third chapter of the second 
 Epistle, is described in such strong and terrible terms, such 
 awful circumstances, that in the description we see the 
 planetary heavens and this our earth wrapped up with devour- 
 ing flames ; hear the groans of an expiring world, and the 
 crashes of nature tumbling into universal ruin. And what a 
 solemn and moving epiphonema, or practical inference, is 
 that! "Since therefore all these things must be dissolved, 
 what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conversation 
 and godliness," — in all parts of holy and Christian life, — in 
 all instances of justice and charity ? " The meanest soul, 
 
€4 EVIDENCE OF THE GENUINENESS 
 
 and lowest imagination,' says an ingenious man, * cannot 
 think of that time, and the awful descripiions we meet with 
 of it in this place, and several others of Holy Writ, without 
 the greatest emotion and deepest impressions.' " 
 
 (2.) Bi/ the vse of certain expressions and foreign words in 
 the Old Testament. Thus not only the great simplicity of 
 the style of the Pentateuch, but the use of antiquated ex- 
 pressions, prove its high antiquity ; while the occurrence of 
 pure Egyptian words, such as in&t, achoo, a bulrush, reed, 
 rendered Ax£« by the LXX. Gen. xli. 2, in Coptic, with the 
 a-rticle, piachi, (see Woidii Lex. Copt. p. 10, 53,) and ']'n:iK, 
 avrech, Gen. xli. 43, rendered " Bow the knee," from the 
 Coptic, ape, the head, and rek, to bow, (see Ign, Rossii, Etym. 
 iEgypt. Rom. 1808,) proves that it was written by a man 
 who, like Moses, was born and educated in Egypt ; while 
 the occurrence of Chaldee and Persian words (to say nothing 
 of the proper names) in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and 
 Esther, clearly fixes them to the epoch subsequent to the 
 Babylonish captivity. 
 
 (3.) By the mixture of Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Latin 
 words and idioms with the Greek of the New Testament. Such as 
 
 Ma/i/zcova,-, mammon in Chaldee "^l^^i, and in Syriac JJoLoLiD, 
 
 which denotes money, riches, or wealth ; and is beautifully 
 personified Matt. vi. 24. 
 
 Zi^u«/(rt, rendered tares in Syriac jjj^], zizono, Arabic, ^j'jV 
 
 zuwan, and Spanish, zizanion, which doubtless denotes darnel, 
 the lolium temulentum of naturalists, a noxious weed, which 
 bears a strong resemblance to wheat. " It is well known," 
 says Mr. Forskal, " to the people of Aleppo. It grows among 
 corn. If the seeds remain mixed with the meal, they occasion 
 dizziness in those who eat of the bread. The reapers do not 
 separate the plant ; but, after the thrashing, they reject the 
 seeds by means of a van or siev£." Other travellers say, that, 
 in some parts of Syria, it is drawn up by the hand in harvest. 
 
 A legion^ Xcysi^v, from the Latin legio, from lego, to collect, or 
 choose, was a particular division, or battalion, of the Roman 
 army, which at diflerent times contained different numbers. 
 In the time of our Saviour, it probably consisted of 6,200 foot, 
 and 300 horse (see Livy, 1. xxix. c. 24. Veget. 1. ii. c. 2) ; 
 twelve of which would amount to 78,000 men. 
 
 LrrcKovXii-'-^)/}, rendered executioner, in Latin speculator, from 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 65 
 
 speculor, to look about, spy, properly denotes a sentinel ; and 
 as these sentinels kept guard at the palaces of kings, and the 
 residences of Roman governors, so they were employed in 
 other offices besides guarding, and usually performed that of 
 executioners. (See Josephus, Ant. 1. xvii. c. 7. Bel. 1. i. c. 
 33, § 7.) 
 
 iipaiTwpiovi in Latin prtctorium, which was properly the tent 
 or house of the prcetor, a military, and sometimes a civil offi- 
 cer. This was a magnificent edifice in the upper part of the 
 city, which had been formerly Herod's palace, and from which 
 there was an approach to the citadel of Antonia, which ad- 
 joined the temple. Josephus, Ant. 1. xv. c. 9, § 3. Bel. 1. i. 
 
 c. 21, M ; 1- ^'- c. 4, § 3. 
 
 16EIV Tov Oavarovy to See death^ which is a Hebraism for to die^ 
 exactly corresponding to v:M2 Hfi^^'^, Ps. Ixxxix. 49. 
 
 ywi/ ti6ov, literally, " Seeing I have seen ;" a Hebraism for 
 " I have surely seen." 
 
 AppaPmy Heb. y^^^y, drabon, from i^3>, arar, to be surety, a 
 pledge^ or earnest, of something promised. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 EVIDENCE OF THE ENTIRE AND UNCORRITPTED 
 PRESERVATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 x\oTwiTHSTANDiNG a fcw changes in letters, words, or syl- 
 lables ; such as when we read in 2 Sam. xv. 7, " And it came 
 to pass after forty years that Absalom said unto the king," 
 A:c. Now as David reigned in the whole only forty years, 
 ihis reading is evidently corrupt, though supported by the 
 ommonly printed Vulgate, LXX. and Chaldee. But the 
 Syriac, Arabic, Josephus, Theodoret, the Sixtine edition of 
 t'no Vulgat-e, and several MSS. of the same version, read 
 FOUR YEARS ; and it is highly probable that d'^3>nii^, arbaim, 
 FORTY, is an error for 3>i^5^, arbd, four, though not supported 
 by any Hebrew MS. yet discovered. Two of those collated by 
 iJf. Kennicott, however, have t!"Ti, yom, " day," instead of nSD, 
 s/ianah, " year," i. e. forty days, instead o^ forty years ; but 
 this is not sufficient to outweigh the other authorities. 
 
 Again, it is stated in 1 Chron. xix. 18, that " David slew of 
 the Svrians seven thousand men luhich fought in chariots ;" 
 
 6* 
 
66 EVIDENCE OF THE ENTIRE PRESERVATION 
 
 while it is stated in the parallel passage, " the men of seven 
 hundred chariots ;" which difFerence probably arose from 
 mistaking \ noon final, which stands for 700, for t, zayin, with 
 a dot above, which denotes 7000, or vice versa : the great 
 similarity of these letters might easily cause the one to be 
 mistaken for the other. 
 
 Notwithstanding these and other instances, the uncorrupted 
 preservation of the Sacred Writings is proved by the follow- 
 ing facts ; 
 
 1. Relative to the Old Testament: — 
 
 By the long preservation of the originals, the multiplication 
 of copies, and the extraordinary care taken by the Jews. — It 
 appears from sufficient evidence, that copies of the Sacred 
 Scriptures of the Old Testament were multiplied in abun- 
 dance from the time of Ezra to the advent of our Saviour. 
 When the Jewish church was established after the captivity, 
 a rule was made to erect a synagogue in every place where 
 there were ten persons of full age and free condition to attend 
 its service ; and when we consider that the Jews were dis- 
 persed in colonies at an early period not only in the East, but 
 in Egypt, and in the numerous cities of Asia Minor, in each 
 of which they had at least one synagogue, if not more, there 
 must have been numberless Hebrew copies, long before the 
 Greek version of the Septuagint was made. These were 
 corrected by the standard copy, which was carefully kept at 
 Jerusalem, till that city was taken by Titus ; when it was 
 carried in trhimph to Rome, and laid up within the purple 
 veil in the royal palace of Vespasian. We may judge how 
 generally the Sacred Volume was dispersed throughout Judea 
 from the vain attempt made by Antiochus Epiphanes to de- 
 stroy all the copies of it. After the advent of our Lord, the 
 Christians as well as the Jews had various copies of the He- 
 brew Scriptures ; which, as well as the subsequent universal 
 dispersion of the Jews, became a double security for the un- 
 corrupted preservation of a volume which they all held equally 
 sacred. Though, after the final destruction of Jerusalem, there 
 was no established standard of the Hebrew Scriptures, yet 
 the various minute and apparently tritling regulations made 
 for the guidance of transcribers, contributed in a great degree 
 to preserve their purity. For this purpose the Masorah n'llC?^, 
 that is, tradition, was also composed, which is a collection of 
 criticisms on th« sacred text by a set of men lieiice c.ilie'c/ 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 67 
 
 Masorites, whose profession it was to write out copies of the 
 Hebrew Scriptures, to criticise upon them, and to teach the 
 true readings ; and who continued from the time of Ezra and 
 the men of the great synagogue, to that of Ben Asher and 
 Ben Naphtali. They marked the number of the greater and 
 smaller sections, chapters, verses, words, and letters, in each 
 book, placing the amount at the end of each in numeral let- 
 ters, or some symbolical word which comprised them ; noted 
 the verses in which something appeared to be omitted, the 
 words which they believed to be changed, the superfluous 
 letters, the repetitions of the same verses, the different read- 
 ings of the redundant or defective words, the number of times 
 the same word is found at the beginning, middle, and end of 
 a verse, the different significations of the same word, the 
 agreement or conjunction of one word with another, and what 
 letters are pronounced, inverted, and hung perpendicularly, 
 with the number of each ; and also reckoned which is the 
 middle letter of the Pentateuch, the middle verse of each 
 book, and how many times each letter of the alphabet occur- 
 red in the whole Hebrew Scriptures. To some this has ap- 
 peared trifling and superstitious, while others have seen it in 
 a different point of view ; and applauded that pious zeal and 
 industry which they exerted in so many tedious and vexatious 
 researches, in order to preserve the integrity and honor of the 
 word of God, by putting a stop to the licentiousness, rashness, 
 or carelessness of transcribers and critics. 
 
 From the suhstantiat agreement of all the versions and MSS. 
 — Notwithstanding all the care which the ancient copyists 
 could bestow, it might rationally be expected, that, without 
 the, intervention of a continual miracle, various errors must 
 !,:ive crept into some of the numerous transcripts of the Sacred 
 Scriptures. But the Rabbins asserted, and it was implicitly 
 h< lieved, that the copies of the Hebrew text were perfectly 
 uniform and immaculate, and that in all the manuscripts of 
 tlie Old Testament, not a single various reading of any im- 
 portance could be produced. At length, the learned Morinus 
 Capellus ventured to call in question this notion, from the 
 various discrepances observed between the Samaritan Penta- 
 teuch, the Septuagint version, and the Hebrew text. The re- 
 sult of this was, after an interval of many years, a careful 
 exa\nination of different manuscripts, and the discovery of 
 some thousand various readings. The learned and laborious 
 Dr. Kenriicott, vvith the assistance of Mr. Bruns, and other 
 
68 EVIDENCE OF THE ENTIRE PRESER VATIOH 
 
 learned men, collated about 630 manuscripts ; and since the 
 publication of Dr. Kennicott's work, M. De Rossi of Parma 
 has published four volumes quarto, to which a supplementary- 
 volume has since been added, of various readings collected 
 from 479 manuscripts, besides 288 printed editions. " The 
 major part of this immense collection," says Professor Marsh, 
 '' consists in mere variations of orthography, in the fulness or 
 defectiveness of certain words, in the addition or subtraction 
 of a mater lectionis — of a vau or a yod. And if we further deduct 
 the readings which are either manifest errata, or in other re- 
 spects are of no value, the important deviations will be con- 
 fined within a very narrow compass. 
 
 2. With regard to the New Testament, from the agreement of 
 all the manuscripts examined. 
 
 There are some hundred ancient manuscripts of the Greek 
 New Testament which are still extant, many of which have 
 been examined and diligently collated by learned and labori- 
 ous men. They are written either on vellum or paper, of 
 various descriptions ; and either in uncial or capital letters, or 
 in cursive or small characters. They are of course of various 
 ages, and of different authority. Some are mutilated and 
 very imperfect ; some have been interpolated and corrupted ; 
 others consist of only particular books : and many contain 
 only select parts, under the denomination of Lectionaries and 
 Evangelistaries. 
 
 The total number of manuscripts of the New Testament 
 which are known to have been wholly or partially collated 
 amounts nearly to five hundred, w^hich forms only a small 
 part of the manuscripts found in public and private libraries 
 The result of these collations has shown, that certain manu 
 scripts have an affinity with each other, which has been de 
 nominated familia, or family, by Bengel, recensio, or edition 
 by Griesbach, and edition by Michaelis. Four different sys 
 terns have respectively been proposed by Griesbach and Mi 
 chaelis, by Scholz, by Matthaei, and by Mr. Nolan ; into 
 which we cannot here enter, nor is it necessary we should 
 and would merely observe, that the system of Mr. Nolan has 
 our decided preference- 
 
 The various collations of manuscripts, versions, and fathers, 
 which have been instituted, prove the inviolability of the 
 Christian Scriptures. They all coincide in exhibiting the 
 same Gospels, Acts, and Epistles ; and they all contain the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 69 
 
 same doctrines and precepts. All the omissions of the 
 
 ancient manuscripts put together, would not countenance the 
 
 omission of one essential doctrine of the Gospel relative to 
 
 faith or morals ; and all the additions countenanced by the 
 
 whole mass of manuscripts already collated, do not introduce 
 
 a single essential point beyond what may be found in the 
 
 most imperfect editions. " Not frighted," says Dr. Bentley, 
 
 " with the present 30,000 various readings, (said to be col 
 
 lected by Dr. Mill,) I, for my part, and as I believe many 
 
 others, would not lament, if out of the old manuscripts yet 
 
 I untouched, 10,000 more were faithfully collected ; some of 
 
 I which, without question, would render the text more beautiful, 
 
 I just, and exact, though of no consequence to the main of re- 
 
 [ ligion ; nay, perhaps wholly synonymous in the view of com- 
 
 ;- mon readers, and quite insensible in any modern version." 
 
 I In fact, the various readings found in manuscripts should no 
 
 1 more weaken any man's faith in the Divine Word, than the 
 
 !( multitude of typographical errors found in some printed 
 
 i editions. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SACRED 
 SCRIPTURES. 
 
 1. Because the sacred writers could not be deceived them- 
 selves, being either eye-witnesses of the facts recorded, or 
 deriving their information from the best sources. 
 
 In order that the reader may properly appreciate this species 
 lof evidence, I subjoin the following remarks (though not con- 
 fined exclusively to it) on the Acts of the Apostles, which, 
 "ndependently of its universal reception in the Christian 
 church as an inspired and authentic production, bears the 
 
 est satisfactory internal evidence of its authenticity and 
 truth. It is not a made up history : the language and manner 
 of every speaker are different ; and the same speaker is 
 different in his manner according to the audience he ad- 
 dresses. St. Luke's long attendance upon St. Paul, and his 
 Ihaving been an eye-witness of many of the facts which he 
 has recorded, independently of his divine inspiration, render 
 liim a most respectable and credible historian ; and his medical 
 
70 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 knowledge, for he is allowed to have been a physician, enabled 
 him both to form a proper judgment of the miraculous cures 
 which were performed by St. Paul, and to give an authentic 
 and circumstantial detail of them. The plainness and sim- 
 plicity of the narrative are also strong circumstances in its 
 favor. The writer evidently appears to have been very honest 
 and impartial ; and to have set down, very fairly, the objections 
 which were made to Christianity, both by Jews and heathens, 
 and the reflections which were cast upon it, and upon its first 
 preachers. He has likewise, with a just and honest freedom, 
 mentioned the weaknesses, faults, and prejudices, both of the 
 apostles and their converts. There is also a great and re- 
 markable harmony between the occasional hints dispersed 
 throughout St. Paul's Epistles, and this history ; so that the 
 Acts is the best clew to guide us in studying the Epistles of 
 that apostle. The other parts of the New Testament are 
 likewise in perfect unison with this history, and tend greatly 
 to confirm it ; and the doctrines and principles are every 
 where the same. The Gospels close with a reference to 
 those things recorded in the Acts, particularly the promise 
 of the Holy Spirit, which we know from ihis history, was 
 pouped out by Christ upon his disciples after his ascension ; 
 and the Epistles of the other apostles, as well as those of 
 St. Paul, plainly suppose, that these facts had actually 
 occurred which are related in the Acts of the x\postles. So 
 that the history of the Acts is one of the most important parts 
 of the Sacred History ; for, without it, neither the Gospels 
 nor Epistles could have been so clearly understood ; but, by 
 the aid of it, the whole scheme of the Christian Revelation is 
 set before us in a clear and easy view. Lastly, even the in- 
 cidental circumstances mentioned by St. Luke correspond 
 so exactly, and without any previous view of such corres- 
 pondence, with the accounts of the best ancient historians, 
 both Jews and heathens, that no person who had forged such 
 a history in later ages, could have had the same external 
 confirmation ; but he must have betrayed himself by alluding 
 to some customs or opinions which have since sprung up, or 
 by misrepresenting some circumstance, or using some phrase 
 or expression not then in use. The plea of forgery, therefore, 
 in later ages, cannot be allowed ; and, if St. Luke had pub- 
 lished his history at so early a period, when some of the 
 apostles, and many other persons concerned in the transac- 
 tions, were alive, and his account had not been true, he would 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 71 
 
 have exposed himself to an easy confutation, and certain 
 infamy. Since, therefore, the Acts of the Apostles are in 
 themselves consistent and uniform ; the incidental relations 
 agreeable to the best historians that have come down to us ; 
 and the main facts supported and confirmed by the other 
 books of the New Testament, as well as by the unanimous 
 testimony of the ancient Fathers, we may justly conclude, 
 that if any history of former times deserves credit, the Acts 
 of the Apostles ought to be received and credited ; and, if 
 the history of the Acts of the Apostles be true, Christianity 
 cannot be false. 
 
 2. Because the sacred writers neither could nor would deceive 
 others. 
 
 (1.) They could not deceive others, for the facts and events 
 were of such a nature as totally precluded i7nposition ; such as 
 the rivers being turned into blood, Exod. vii. 20-25 ; and as 
 there is a singular propriety in this and the other plagues, I 
 subjoin an account of each. As the Nile was held sacred by 
 the Egyptians, (Plutarch, Is. et Osir. p. 353, et Sympos. 1. 
 viii. p. 729,) as well as the animals it contained, to which 
 they annually sacrificed a girl, or as others say, both a boy 
 and a girl, (Universal Hist. vol. i. p. 178, folio edition,) God 
 might have designed this plague as a punishment for such 
 idolatry and cruelty ; and to show them the baseness of those 
 elements which they reverenced, and the insufficiency of 
 the gods in which they trusted. All the punishments brought 
 upon them bore a strict analogy to their crimes. See Bryant 
 on the Plagues of Egypt, pp. 14-27. " The water of Egypt," 
 says the Abbe Mascrier, " is so delicious, that one would not 
 wish the heat to be less, or to be delivered from the sensation 
 of thirst. The Turks find it so exquisite, that they excite 
 themselves to drink of it by eating salt." " A person," adds 
 Mr. Harmer, (Observ. vol. iii. p. 564,) " who never before 
 heard of the deliciousness of the Nile water, and of the large 
 quantities which on that account are drunk of it, will, I am 
 sure, find an energy in those words of Moses to Pharaoh — 
 The Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river, 
 (Ex. vii. 18,) which he never did before." 
 
 The plague of frogs, Exod. viii. 1-15. d'^yTnSS, tsephardeim, 
 is evidently the same with the Arabic oiXtL^^zafda, Chaldaic, 
 »'^3:>n"n3>, oordednaya, and Syriac J^^^jol oordeai, all of which 
 
T^ EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 denote frogs, as almost all interpreters, both ancient and 
 modern, agree to render it ; probably so called, as Bochart 
 conceives, from ajoo zifa, a bank, and cJs rada, mud, be- 
 cause of delighting in muddy and marshy places. From this 
 circumstance, the frog has many of its epithets in the Batra- 
 chomyomachia of Homer. Whether the frqg among the Egyp- 
 tians was an object of reverence or abhorrence is uncertain. 
 It might have been both at the same time, as many objects 
 are known to have been among particular nations : for proof 
 of which see the very learned Jacob Bryant, on the Plagues 
 of Egypt, pp. 31-34. In some ancient writers we have ex- 
 amples of a similar plague. The Abderiies, according to 
 Orosius, and the inhabitants of Pa^onia and Dardania, accord- 
 ing to Athenaeus, were obliged to abandon their country, on 
 account of the vast number of frogs by which their land was 
 infested. See Bochart, Hieroz. P. ii. 1. v. c. 2. 
 
 The plague of lice, Exod. viii. 16, 17. B^DS, kinnim, is 
 rendered by the LXX. (T<ci^«f, aKur^i, or cKv^tg^ and by the Vul- 
 gate, sciniphes, gnats ; and Mr. Harmer supposes he has 
 found out the true meaning in the word tarrentes, a species 
 of worm. Bochart, however, (Hieroz, vol. i. c. 18,) seems 
 to have proved that lice, and not gnats, are meant ; because, 
 1. they sprang from the dust, and not from the waters ; % 
 they were on both man and beast, which cannot be said of 
 gnats ; 3. their name is derived from ']15, koon, to make firm, 
 fix, establish, which cannot agree with gnats, flies, &c., which 
 are ever changing place, and almost constantly on the wing ; 
 4. the term n:3, kinnah, is used by the Talmudists to express 
 the louse. If this animal be intended, it must have been a 
 very dreadful and afflicting plague to the Egyptians, and 
 especially to the priests, who were obliged to shave the hair 
 off every part of their bodies, and to wear a single linen tunic, 
 to prevent vermin harboring about them. See Herodotus, 1. 
 ii. c. 37, and Bryant, pp. 44-48. 
 
 The plague oi flies, Exod. viii. 20-24. The word ni5>, drov, 
 is rendered Kwo^viai the dog-fly, by the LXX., (who are fol- 
 lowed by the learned Bochart,) which must have been par- 
 ticularly hateful to the Egyptians, because they held dogs in i 
 the highest veneration, under which form they worshipped 
 Anuhis. It is supposed to be the same as is called in Abys-| 
 sinia the zimb : which word, says Mr. Bruce, is Arabic, anc 
 signifies the ^y in general. The Chaldee paraphrase is con-] 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 73 
 
 tent with calling it simply zehub, which has the same general 
 signification. The Ethiopic version calls it tsaltsahja, which 
 is the true name of this particular fly in Geez. It is in size 
 very little longer than a bee, of a thicker proportion, and its 
 wings, which are broader, are placed separate like those of 
 a fly. Its head is large ; the upper jaw or lip is sharp, and 
 has at the end of it a strong pointed hair, of about a quarter 
 of an inch in length ; the lower jaw has two of these hairs : 
 and this pencil of hairs, joined together, makes a resistance 
 to the finger, nearly equal to a strong bristle of a hog. Its 
 legs are serrated on the inside, and the whole covered with 
 brown hair or down. It has no sting, though it appears to 
 be of the bee kind. As soon as this winged assassin ap- 
 pears, and its buzzing is heard, the cattle forsake their food, 
 and run wildly about the plain, till they die, worn out with 
 affright, fatigue, and pain. How intolerable a plague of flies 
 can prove, is evident from the fact, that whole districts have 
 been laid waste by them. Such was the fate of Myuns in 
 Ionia, (Pausan. 1. vii.,) and of Alarnae. — The inhabitants were 
 forced to quit these cities, not being able to stand against the 
 flies and gnats with which they were pestered. Trajan 
 was obliged to raise the siege of a city in Arabia, before 
 which he had sat down, being driven away by the swarms of 
 these insects. (Dion. Cassius, 1. Ixviii. iElian de Animal. 
 1. xi. c. 23.) Hence diff'erent people had deities whose office 
 it was to defend them against flies. Among these may be 
 reckoned Baalzebub, the fly-god of Ekron ; Hercules muscarum 
 abactor, Hercules, the expeller of flies ; and hence Jupiter had 
 the titles of a7ro//vtos, fiviaypoi, ^vtoxopog, becausc he was supposed 
 to expel flies, and especially clear his temples of these 
 insects. See Bryant, pp. 54-56. 
 
 The murrain of beasts, Exod. ix. 1-7. We may observe 
 a particular scope and meaning in this calamity, if we con- 
 sider it in regard to the Egyptians, which would not have 
 existed in regard to any other people. They held in idol- 
 atrous reverence almost every animal ; (Herod. 1. ii. c. 64. 
 Porphyry, p. 372 ;) but some they held in particular venera- 
 tion ; as the ox, cow, and ram. Among these Apis and 
 Mnevis aie well known ; the former being a sacred bull wor- 
 shipped at Memphis, as the latter was at Heliopolis. A cow 
 or heifer had the like honors at Momemphis ; and the same 
 practice seems to have been adopted in most of the Egyptian 
 nomes, (S*rabo, lib. xvii. Herodotus, lib. ii. c. 38.) By the 
 
 7 
 
74 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 infliction of this judgment, the Egyptian deities sunk before 
 the God of the Hebrews. See Bryant, pp. 87-93. 
 
 The plague of hilss and blainsy Exod. ix. 8, &c., where 
 we read, that *' the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, 
 Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses 
 sprinkle it towards the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh," &c. 
 This was a significant command ; not only referring to the 
 fiery furnace, which was a type of the slavery of the Israel- 
 ites, but to a cruel rite common among the Egyptians. They 
 had several cities styled Typhonian, in w4iich at particular 
 seasons they sacrificed men ; who were burnt alive, and the 
 ashes of the victim were scattered upwards in the air, with 
 the view, probably, that where any atom of dust was carried 
 a blessing was entailed. The like, therefore, was done by 
 Moses, though with a different intention, and more certain 
 effect. See Bryant, pp. 93-106. 
 
 The plague of hail, Exod. ix. 21-26. This must have been 
 a circumstance of all others the most incredible to an Egyp- 
 tian ; for in Egypt there fell no rain, the want of which was 
 supplied by dews, and the overflowing of the Nile. See 
 Tibullus, 1. 1. Eleg. vii. v. 25; Mela, 1. 1, c. 9; Plutarch, 
 De facie in orbe lunae, p. 939 ; Marcellinus, 1. xxii. c. 16 ; 
 and Claudian, De Nilo, v. 5. The Egyptians must, therefore, 
 have perceived themselves particularly aimed at in these fear- 
 ful events, especially as they were very superstitious. There 
 seems likewise a propriety in their being punished by fire 
 and Avater, as they were guilty of the grossest idolatry to- 
 wards these elements. Scarcely any thing could have dis- 
 tressed the Egyptians more than the destruction of the flax, 
 as the whole nation wore linen garments. The ruin of their 
 barley was equally fatal, both to their trade, and to their 
 private advantage. See Bryant, pp. 108-117. 
 
 The plague of locusts, Exod. x. 1-6. The word mix, 
 arbeh, locust, is derived from nmi, ravah, to multiply, be nu- 
 merous, &c., because they are more prolific than any other 
 animal, and because of the immense swarms of them by which 
 different countries, especially the East, are infested. The 
 locust, in entomology, belongs to a genus of insects known 
 among naturalists by the name of grylli; which includes three 
 species, crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. The common 
 great brown locust is about three inches in length ; has two 
 antennae about an inch long, and two pairs of wings. The 
 nead and horns are brown : the mouth and inside of the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 75 
 
 larger legs bluish ; the upper side of the body and upper 
 wings brown, the former jotted with black, and the latter 
 with dusky spots. The back is defended by a shield of a 
 greenish hue ; the under wings are of a light brown, tinctured 
 with green, and nearly transparent. It has a large open 
 mouth ; in the two jaws of which it has four teeth, which 
 traverse each other like scissors, being calculated, from their 
 mechanism, to gripe or cut. The general form and appear- 
 ance of the insect is that of the grasshopper, so well known 
 in this country. These fearful insects are described by both 
 ancient and modern writers as being brought by one wind, 
 and carried off by another, in such clouds, as to darken the 
 sun ; covering the earth, wherever they alight, many leagues 
 round, and six or eight inches in depth ; and devouring every 
 thing with such rapidity, that fire itself eats not so fast ; and 
 winter instantly succeeds to the bright scenes of spring. 
 " The quantity of these insects," says Volney, (Travels, vol. i. 
 p. 188,) "is incredible to all who have not themselves wit- 
 nessed their astonishing numbers ; the whole earth is covered 
 with them for the space of several leagues. The noise they 
 make in browsing on the trees and herbage may be heard at 
 a great distance, and resembles that of an army in secret. 
 The Tartars themselves are a less destructive enemy than 
 these little animals. One would imagine that fire had fol- 
 lowed their progress. Wherever their myriads spread, the 
 verdure of the country disappears ; trees and plants stripped 
 of their leaves, and reduced to their naked boughs and stems, 
 cause the dreary image of winter to succeed in an instant to 
 the rich scenery of spring. When these clouds of locusts 
 take their flight, to surmount any obstacles, or to traverse 
 more rapidly a desert soil, the heavens may literally be said 
 to be obscured by them." Dr. Shaw (Travels, p. 187) ob- 
 serves, that in Barbary, in the month of June, the locusts are 
 no sooner hatched, than they collect themselves into compact 
 bodies, each a " furlong or more square ; and marching di- 
 rectly afterwards, forwards directly towards the sea, they let 
 nothing escape them, eating up every thing that is green or 
 juicy, not only the lesser vegetables, but the vine likewise, 
 the fig-tree, the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple-tree, 
 even all the trees of the field." " In their progress," says the 
 same author, " they kept their ranks like men of war ;" climb- 
 ing over every tree or wall that was in their way. Nay, they 
 entered into our very houses and bed-chambers, like so many 
 
76 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 thieves Every effort of the inhabitants to stop them was un- 
 availing ; the trenches they had dug were quickly filled up, 
 and the fires they had kindled extinguished by infinite swarms 
 succeeding each other. The Egyptians had gods whom they 
 trusted to deliver them from these terrible invaders ; but by 
 this judgment they were taught that it was impossible to 
 stand before Moses, the servant of Jehovah. See Bryant, 
 pp. 118-140. 
 
 The plague o^ palpable darkness, Exod. x. 21-23. As the 
 Egyptians not only worshipped the light and sun, but also 
 paid the same veneration to night and darkness, nothing could 
 be more apposite than this punishment of palpable and coer- 
 cive darkness, such as their luminary Osiris could not dispel. 
 See Bryant, pp. 141-160. 
 
 The death of the first-born, Exod. xii. 29, 30. The inflic- 
 tion of this judgment on the Egyptians was most equitable ; 
 because, after their nation had been preserved by one of the 
 Israelitish family, they had, contrary to all right, and in de- 
 fiance of original stipulation, enslaved the people to whom 
 they had been so much indebted, had murdered their off- 
 spring, and made their bondage intolerable. See Bryant, 
 p. 160. No people were more remarkable and frantic in 
 their mournings than the Egyptians. When a relative died, 
 every one left the house, and the women, with their hair 
 loose, and their bosoms bare, ran wild about the street. The 
 men also, with their apparel equally disordered, kept them 
 company ; all shrieking, howling, and beating themselves. 
 See Diod. Sicul. 1. i. ; Herod. 1. ii. c. 60, 85, 86 ; and Bryant, 
 above cited. What a scene of horror and distress must now 
 have presented itself, when there was not a family in Egypt- 
 where there was not one dead ! 
 
 The miraculous passage of the Red Sea, Exod. xiv. 21-31. 
 The agency employed by the Lord, we are told in ver. 23, 
 was " a strong east wind," which blew " all that night, and 
 made the sea dry land, and the w^aters were divided." Dr. E. 
 D. Clarke (Travels, vol. i. p. 324) states, that " a remark- 
 able phenomenon occurs in the sea of Azof during violent 
 east winds : the sea retires in so singular a manner, that the 
 people of Tanganrog are able to effect a passage upon dry 
 land to the opposite coast, a distance of twenty versts, equal 
 to fourteen miles : but when the wind changes, and this it 
 sometimes does very suddenly, the waters return with such 
 rapidity to their wonted bed, that many lives are lost. The 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 77 
 
 depth here is five fathoms." In ver. 22, it is expressly stated, 
 that it formed a wall unto the Israelites on the right hand and 
 left ; which demonstrates, that this event was wholly mira- 
 culous ; and cannot be ascribed, as some have supposed, to 
 an extraordinary ebb, which happened just then to be pro- 
 duced by a strong east wind : for this would not have caused 
 the waters, contrary to every law of fluids, to stand as a wall 
 on the right hand and the left. 
 
 The pillar of cloud and fire which conducted the Israelites. 
 As the request of Moses to Hobab, Num. x. 29, has been 
 thought inconsistent with this fact, I subjoin the following 
 observations : As the Israelites were under the immediate 
 direction of God himself, and were guided by the pillar of 
 cloud and fire, it might be supposed that they had no need of 
 Hobab. But it should be remembered, that the cloud directed 
 only their general journeys, not their particular excursions. 
 Parties took several journeys while the grand army lay still, 
 (ch. xiii., XX., xxxi., xxxii. ;) and, therefore, they needed such a 
 person as Hobab, well acquainted with the desert, to direct 
 these excursions ; to point out the watering places, and where 
 they might meet with fuel, &c., &c. See some valuable ob- 
 servations on this subject in Harmer, ch. v. Observ. 34, and 
 Dr. A. Clarke. 
 
 The miraculous supply of quails, Exod. xvi. 12, 13. l))^, 
 
 selav, in Chaldee ^■>>D selaiv, Syriac, ^q1»^, and Arabic, 
 {^y-^, selwa, is without doubt the quail: so the LXX. render 
 oprvyoiiTiTpa, a large kind of quail, Josephus, (Ant. 1. iii. c. 1, 
 § 12,) oprv^, Ethiopic, ^C4^C^5 fef(^^<^i, and Vulgate, co. 
 turmces, quails, with which agree Philo (Vita Mosis, 1. 1) 
 and the Rabbins. The quail is a bird of the gallinaceous 
 jvind, somewhat less than a pigeon, but larger than a spar- 
 row. Hasselquist describes the quail of the larger kind as 
 very much resembling the red partridge, but not larger than 
 the turtle dove ; found in Judea as well as in the deserts of 
 Arabia Petraea and Egypt ; and affording a most agreeable 
 and delicate dish. (Travels, pp. 203, 209, 442.) But Ludolf 
 (Com. ad. Hist, ^thiop. p. 168) endeavors to prove that a 
 species of locust is intended ; and Sheuchzer and Bp. Pa- 
 trick, from the difficulties which seem to encumber the text, 
 follow his opinion. The opinion of Ludolf, however, is 
 ably confuted by Paxton, (Illustrations of Scripture, vol. ii. 
 7* 
 
78 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Dp. 84-101,) and the objections of Bp. Patrick fairly and 
 fully met by Mr. Harmer, (Observations, vol. iv. pp. 359-366.) 
 To this I subjoin an authority which Ludolf himself, who 
 thought it was the IcMi'ust, was desirous of consulting. Ludolf, 
 when Mr. Maundrell visited him at Francfort, recommended 
 this to him as a subject of inquiry when he should come to 
 Naplosa, (the ancient Sichem,) where the Samaritans live. 
 Mr. Maundrell (Travels, March 24) accordingly asked their 
 chief priest what sort of animal he took the scIav to be. He an- 
 swered, they were a sort of fowls ; and by the description, Mr. 
 Maundrell perceived he meant the same kind with our quails. 
 He was then asked what he thought of locusts, and whether 
 the history might not be better accounted for, supposing them 
 to be the winged creatures that fell so thick about the camp 
 of Israel. But by his answer, it appeared he had never 
 heard of such an hypothesis. In Psa. Ixviii. 10, we read, 
 " Thy congregation (or rather, ' Thy living creatures,' nn'in, 
 chayathccha, ra ^wa, LXX., animalia, Vulgate) hath dwelt 
 therein," which is probably a reference to the immense num- 
 ber of quails which were miraculously brought to the camp 
 of the Israelites, and, in a manner, dwelt around it. 
 
 The miraculous gift of manna, Exod. xvi. 14-36. Manna 
 is the common name for the thick, clammy, and sweet juice, 
 which in southern countries oozes from certain trees and 
 shrubs, partly by the rays of the sun, partly by the puncture 
 of some kinds of insects, and partly by artificial means. The 
 manna common in our druggists' shops comes from Calabria 
 and Sicily, where it oozes out of a kind of ash tree, from the 
 end of June to the end of July. But the European manna is 
 not so good as the Oriental, which is gathered particularly in 
 Syria, Arabia, and Persia, partly from the Oriental oak, and 
 partly from a shrub which is called in Persia teranjahin. 
 Rauwolf (Travels, vol. i. p. 94) and Gmelin (Travels, vol. iii. 
 p. 282) say that the manna is as white as snow, and con- 
 sists of grains like coriander seed as above described. But 
 though this manna very much resembles that described by 
 Moses, in its form, appearance, &c., yet we find a peculiar 
 circumstance by which it is distinguished from the common. 
 It is expressly said, (v. 14,) that the manna lay round the 
 camp like hoar frost, which does not agree with the manna 
 which exudes from trees and plants. Hence Oedman sup- 
 poses that it falls with the dew ; being formed in the air 
 'rom the quantity of sweet juices expelled from different kinds 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 79 
 
 of shrubs, &c., by the great heats of Arabia. But what the 
 substance called manna was, is utterly unknown. From the 
 circumstances in the text, it is evident that it was not a 
 natural production, but was miraculously sent by Jehovah. 
 These the learned Abarbinel, a most judicious Jewish inter- 
 preter, has thus enumerated : The natural manna was never 
 found in the desert where this fell : where the common manna 
 does fall, it is only in the spring time, in March and April, 
 whereas this fell throughout all the months in the year ; the 
 ordinary manna does not melt in the sun, as this did ; (v. 21 ;) 
 it does not stink and breed worms as this did, when kept till 
 the morning; (v. 20;) it cannot be ground, or beaten in a 
 mortar, so as to make cakes, as this was ; the common manna 
 is medicinal and purgative, and cannot be used for food and 
 nutriment, as this was ; this fell in a double proportion on the 
 sixth day, and not on the Sabbath, as it certainly would have 
 done had it fallen naturally; it followed them in all their 
 journeys, wherever they pitched their tents ; and it ceased at 
 the very time of the year when the other falls, namely, in 
 March, when the Israelites were come to Gilgal. Whatever 
 this substance was, it does not appear to have been common 
 to the wilderness. From Deut. viii. 3, 16, it is evident that 
 the Israelites never saw it before ; and from a pot of it being 
 preserved, it is probable that nothing of the kind ever ap- 
 peared again. 
 
 The miraculous supply of water from the rock at Horeb^ 
 Exod. xvii. 6, 7. This rock, which is a vast block of red 
 granite 15 feet long, 10 broad, and 12 high, lies in the wil- 
 derness of Rephidim to the west of mount Horeb, a part of 
 Sinai. There are sufficient traces of this wonderful miracle 
 remaining at this day. This rock has been visited, drawn, 
 and described by Dr. Shaw, (Travels, p. 314, 4to,) Dr. 
 Pococke, (vol. i. p. 143, et seq.,) Norden, (p. 114, 8vo,) and 
 others ; and holes and channels appear in the stone, which 
 could only have been formed by the bursting out and run- 
 ning of water. No art of man could have done it, if any 
 motive could be supposed for the undertaking in such a place 
 as this. 
 
 The destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, &c.. Num. 
 xvi. 26-49. This was altogether so miraculous, that Moses 
 speaks of it in the following remarkable terms : ni^''*iD CK1, 
 mn"' &<"G'' weim beriah yivra Yehovah, " And if Jehovah should 
 create a creation," i. e. do such a thing as was never done 
 
80 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Defore, (Is. xlv. 7, 12,) " and the earth open her mouth and 
 swallow them up," &c. Yet it is not unlikely, that the peo- 
 ple afterwards persuaded themselves that Moses and Aaron 
 had used some cunning in this business ; and that the earth- 
 quake' 'SinU fire were artificial; for, had they discerned the 
 hand of God in the punishment, they would scarcely have 
 dared the anger of the Lord in the face of his justice. And 
 while they thus absurdly imputed this judgment to Moses 
 and Aaron, they impiously called the persons, thus perishing 
 in their rebellion, ''the people of the Lord!" God therefore 
 punished them by a secret hlast^ so as to put the matter be- 
 yond dispute — his hand, and his hand alone, were seen, not 
 only in the plague, but in the manner in wliich the mortality 
 was arrested. It was necessary that it should be done in 
 this way^ that the whole congregation might see that these 
 men who had perished were not " the people of the Lord," 
 and that God, not Moses and Aaron, had destroyed them. 
 What the plague was we know not ; but it seems from 
 verse 48, to have begun at one part of the camp, and then 
 proceeded regularly onward. 
 
 The resurrection of our Lord. After his death, every thing 
 was done which human policy and prudence could, to prevent 
 a resurrection, which these very precautions had the most 
 direct tendency to authenticate and establish. Mat. xxvii. 66. 
 So also the disbelief of the apostles is the means of furnish- 
 ing us with a full and satisfactory demonstration of the resur- 
 rection of our Lord. Throughout the divine dispensations, 
 every doctrine and every important truth is gradually reveal- 
 ed ; and here we have a conspicuous instance of this pro- 
 gressive system. An angel first declares the glorious event. 
 The empty sepulchre confirms the women's report. Christ's 
 appearance to Mary Magdalene showed that he was alive ; 
 that to the disciples at Einmaus proved that it was at least 
 the spirit of Christ ; that to the eleven showed the reality of 
 his body ; and the conviction given to St. Thomas, proved it 
 the self-same body that had been crucified. Incredulity it- 
 self is satisfied ; and the convinced apostle exclaims, in the 
 joy of his heart, " My Lord and my God !" 
 
 The darkness at the crucifixion. That this general dark- 
 ness was wholly preternatural, is evident from this, that it 
 happened at the passover, which was celebrated only at the 
 full moon, a time in which it is impossible for the sun to be 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 81 
 
 eclipsed, natural eclipses happening only at the time of the 
 new moon. See also p. 144, infra. 
 
 (2.) The sacred writers would not attempt to impose on 
 others : which is shown by their strict impartiality. 
 
 Thus Moses relates, that " Amram took him Jochebed his 
 father's sister to wife ; and she bare him Aaron and Moses." 
 Exod. yi. 20. irm dodatho, has been supposed to mean his 
 cousin, and not aunt ; on the authority of the LXX. and Vul- 
 gate, who render it, OvyaTcpa ra a6E\<pov Tov warpos avrov, patruclcm 
 S7i.am, " his paternal cousin:" but this construction was proba- 
 bly put on the original word to save the credit of Moses and 
 Aaron, because the marriage of an aunt is afterwards forbid- 
 den. Lev. xviii. 12, 14 ; for the meaning of the word is fixed 
 by another passage, where it is said, " the name of Amram's 
 wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother 
 bare to Levi, in Egypt." Nu. xxvi. 59. Moses, then, is more 
 impartial than his commentators. 
 
 Thus also he represents himself as addressing God in the 
 following terms : " The people, among whom / am, are six 
 hundred thousand footmen ; and thou hast said, I will give 
 them flesh, that iheymay eat a whole month. Shall the flocks 
 and the herds be slain, to suffice them ? or shall all the fish 
 (if the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them ?" 
 Num. X. 21, 22. There is certainly a considerable measure 
 of weakness and unbelief manifested in these complaints and 
 questions of Moses ; though his conduct appears at the same 
 time so very simple, honesty and affectionate, that we cannot 
 but admire it, while we wonder that he had not stronger con- 
 fidence in that God, whose stupendous miracles he had so 
 often witnessed in Egypt. 
 
 He also states most impartially the cause why he and Aaron 
 were excluded from Canaan : " Because ye believed me not, 
 to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel." Num. 
 XX. 12. Though the people were rebels, and Moses called 
 them so at other times without ofience, yet he evidently spoke 
 at this time with an angry spirit. He also assumed the honor 
 to himself and Aaron, instead of ascribing it to God: "Must 
 we feich you water out of this rock ?" He also seems not 
 firmly to have believed that water would be given, and did not 
 think it sufficient simply to speak to the rock, as he was com- 
 manded, and he therefore hastily smote it twice. Thus it ap- 
 pears, that they neither properly believed in God, nor did him 
 honor in the sight of the people. 
 
B2 EVIDENCE OP THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 The sacred historian relates, that David said in reply to 
 the inquiry of Achish, " Whither have ye made a road to-day ?" 
 ■ — " Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the 
 Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites." 1 Sam. 
 xxvii. 10. David here meant the Geshurites and Gezrites, 
 and Amalekites, which people occupied that part of the coun- 
 try which lies to the south of Judah. But Achish, as was 
 intended, understood him in a different sense, and believed 
 that he had attacked his own countrymen. David's answer^ 
 therefore, though not an absolute falsehood, was certainly an 
 equivocation intended to deceive, and therefore incompatible 
 with that sense of truth and honor which became him as a 
 prince, and a professor of true religion. Of tlie same descrip- 
 tion is the instance of another prevarication recorded in 1 
 Sam. xxix. 8 ; of his feigning madness, ch. xxi. 14 ; and his 
 adultery with Bathsheba, 2 Sam. xi, xii. ; upon which see the 
 notes in the Comprehensive Bible. From these and similar 
 passages, we may observe the strict impartiality of the Sacred 
 Scriptures. They present us with the most faithful delinea- 
 tion of human nature ; they exhibit the frailties of kings, 
 priests, and prophets, with equal truth ; and examples of vice 
 and frailty, as well as of piety and virtue, are held up, that we 
 may guard against the errors to which the best men are ex- 
 posed. See also observations on the Acts, p. 70. 
 
 From the sacred writers, especially those of the New Testa- 
 meiit, having nothing to gain by the imposture, but on the con- 
 trary bringing upon themselves the most dreadful evils and most 
 cruel deaths. Our Lord foretold to his disciples, " Then 
 shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and they shall kill 
 you : and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." 
 (Mat. xxiv. 9.) We have ample evidence of the fulfilment of 
 this prediction in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts iv. 2, 3, v 
 40,41, vii. 59, xii. 1, &c., xxi. 31, 32, xxii. 19-21, xxviii. 22 ; 
 Rev. ii. 10, &;c.) ; but we have a more melancholy proof of 
 It in the persecutions under Nero, in which fell, besides num- 
 berless others, those two great champions of our faith, St. 
 Peter and St. Paul, (Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. ii. c. 25.) It 
 was, as Tertullian says (Apol. c. 2. p. 4.), nominis prcelium, 
 a war against the very name. The detestable Nero having 
 set fire to Rome, on the 10th of July, A. D. 64, endeavored to 
 remove the odium of that nefarious action, which was gene- 
 rally and justly imputed to him, by charging it upon the Chris- 
 tians, v;ho had become the objects of popular hatred on ac- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 83 
 
 count of their religion ; and in order to give a more plausible 
 color to this calumny, he caused them to be sought out, as if 
 they had been the incendiaries, and put great numbers to 
 death in the most barbarous and cruel manner. " Some," says 
 Tacitus (Annal. lib. xv. c. 44), " were covered over with the 
 skins of wild beasts, that they might be torn to pieces by 
 dogs ; some were crucified ; while others, having been daub- 
 ed over with combustible materials, were set up as lights ia 
 the night time, and thus burnt to death. For these spectacles, 
 Nero gave his own gardens, and, at the same time, exhibited 
 there the diversions of the circus; sometimes standing in the 
 crowd as a spectator, in the habit of a charioteer, and at other 
 times driving a chariot himself." (See also Suetonius, in Vit. 
 Nero. c. 16.) To these dreadful scenes Juvenal alludes in 
 the following lines : — 
 
 Pone Tigellinum, taBda lucebis in ilia 
 
 Qua stantes ardent, qui fixo gutture fumant, 
 
 Et latum media sulcum deducit arena. — Sat. lib. i. 155-157. 
 
 " Describe a great villain, such as Tigellinus (a corrupt min- 
 ister under Nero), and you shall suffer the same punishment 
 with those who stand burning in their own flame and smoke, 
 their head being held up by a stake fixed to a chain, till they 
 make a long stream (of blood and sulphur) on the ground." 
 So also Martial, in an epigram concerning the famous C. 
 Mucins ScdBvola, who lost the use of his right hand by burn- 
 ing it in the presence of Porsenna, king of Etruria, whom he 
 had attempted to assassinate : — 
 
 In matutina nuper spectatus arena 
 
 Mueius, imposuit qui sua membra focis, 
 Si patiens fortisque tibi durusque videtur, 
 
 Abderitanae pectora plebis habes. 
 Nam, cum dicatur, tunica presente molesta, 
 
 Ure manum ; plus est dicere, Non facio. — Epigram, lib. x. Ep. 25, 
 
 " You have, perhaps, lately seen acted on the theatre Mueius, 
 vho thrust his hand into the fire : if you think such a person 
 patient, valiant, and stout, you are a senseless dotard. For it 
 is a much greater thing, when threatened with the troublesome 
 coat, to say, I do not sacrifice, than to obey the command, 
 Burn the hand." This troublesome coat, or shirt, was made' 
 like a sack, of paper or coarse linen cloth, either besmeared! 
 with pitch, wax, or sulphur, and similar combustible materi- 
 als, or dipped in them ; which was then put on the Christians, < 
 who, ir. order to be kept upright, the better to resemble a. 
 
84 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 flaming torch, had their chins severally fastened to stakes 
 fixed in the ground. At the same period, many of the most 
 illustrious senators of Rome were executed for the conspi- 
 racy of Lucan, Seneca, and Piso ; many of whom met death 
 with courage and serenity, though unblest with any certain 
 hope of futurity. With the Christian alone was united purity 
 of manners amidst public licentiousness, and purity of heart 
 amidst universal relaxation of principle ; and with him only 
 was found love and good-will to all mankind, and a patience, 
 and cheerfulness, and triumph in the hour of death, as infi- 
 nitely superior to the stoical calmness of a Pagan, as the 
 Christian martyr himself to the hero and the soldier. After 
 such scenes as these was the 2d Epistle to Timothy written, 
 probably the last which St. Paul ever wrote ; and, standing 
 on the verge of eternity, full of God, and strongly anticipating 
 an eternal weight of glory, the venerable apostle expressed 
 the sublimest language of hope and exultation : " I am now 
 ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 
 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
 kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
 righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give 
 me at that day ; and not to me only, but to all them also that 
 love his appearing." (ch. iv. 6-8.) Surely every rational be- 
 ing will be ready to exclaim, " Let me die the death of the 
 righteous, and let my latter end be like his !" This, then, 
 being written to St. Paul's most intimate friend, under the 
 miseries of a jail, and with the near prospect of an ignomin- 
 ious death, which he suflered under the cruel and relentless 
 Nero, it is peculiarly valuable to the Christian church, as ex- 
 hibiting the best possible evidence of the truth and reality of 
 our holy religion, and affording a striking contrast between 
 the persecuted, but confident and happy Christian, and the 
 ferocious, abandoned, and profligate Roman. 
 3. From the multitude of minutely particular circumstances 
 
 of time, place, person, &c., mentioned in the Books of the 
 
 Old and New Testaments. 
 
 The Book of Genesis comprises the history of about 2369 
 years at the least computation, containing an account of the 
 Creation, and the institution of the Sabbath (ch. i., ii.) ; the 
 original innocence and fall of man (ch. iii.) ; the history of 
 Adam and his descendants, with the rise of religion, and the 
 invention of arts (ch. iv.) ; the genealogy, age, and death of 
 the patriarchs until Noah (ch v.) ; the general defection and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 85 
 
 corruption of mankind, and the preservation of Noah amidst 
 the general Deluge (ch. vi., vii.) ; the renovation of the world 
 (ch. viii.) ; the history of Noah and his family, and God's 
 covenant with him, (ch. ix.) ; the re-peopling and division of 
 the earth (ch. x.) ; the building of Babel, the confusion of 
 tongues, and the dispersion of mankind (ch. xi.) ; the life of 
 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (ch. xii.-l.) 
 
 The Book of Exodus embraces the history of about 145 
 years : containing an account of the cruel persecution of the 
 Israelites under Pharaoh, with their wonderful increase (ch. 
 i.) ; the birth, exposure, preservation, education, and exile of 
 Moses (ch. ii.) ; his call and divine mission to Pharaoh, for 
 the deliverance of his brethren (ch. iii., iv.) ; the miracles 
 performed by him and his brother Aaron, the hardening of 
 Pharaoh's heart, and the infliction of the ten plagues on the 
 Egyptians (ch. v.-xi.) ; the institution of the Passover, and 
 the departure of the Israelites from Egypt (ch. xii.-xiv.) ; their 
 miraculous passage through the Red Sea, the destruction of 
 *Jie Egyptian army, and their thanksgiving for their deliver- 
 ance (ch. xiv., XV. ver. 1-22) ; their subsequent journeyings 
 in the wilderness, their wonderful sustenance and guidance, 
 and their idolatry and frequent murmurings against God (ch. 
 XV. ver. 23-xviii.) ; the promulgation of the law from Mount 
 Sinai, and the erection of the tabernacle (ch. xix.-xl.) 
 
 The Book of Leviticus comprises, at the utmost, only the 
 transactions of a month, and treats of meat, burnt, and peace- 
 offerings (ch. i.-iii.) ; of offerings for sins of ignorance (ch. iv., 
 v.) ; of trespass-offerings for things knowingly committed (ch. 
 vi., vii.) ; of the consecration of Aaron and his sons, and of 
 the priests (ch. viii., ix.) ; of the sin of Nadab and Abihu (ch. 
 X.) ; of clean and unclean animals (ch. xi.) ; of the purification 
 of women (ch. xii.) ; of laws concerning the leprosy (ch. xiii., 
 xiv.) ; of certain uncleannesses (ch. xv.) ; of the great day of 
 atonement (ch. xvi.) ; of the place of offering sacrifices, and 
 of things prohibited (ch. xvii.) ; of marriage (ch. xviii.) ; of 
 various laws mentioned in Exodus (ch. xix.) ; of the sin of 
 consulting wizards, &c. (ch. xx.) ; of the mourning, &c. of 
 the priests (ch. xxi.) ; of their infirmities, &c. (ch. xxii.) ; of 
 the Sabbath, and the great annual festivals (ch. xxiii.) ; of the 
 oil for the lamp, the show bread, &c. (ch. xxiv.) ; of the sab- 
 batical year, year of jubilee. Sic. (ch. xxv.) ; of idolatry, 
 vows, &c. (ch. xxvi., xxvii.) 
 
 The Book of Numbers comprehends the history of be- 
 8 
 
86 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 tween thirty-eight and thirty-nine years ; containing an ac- 
 count of the enumeration of the people (ch. i.) ; their forma- 
 tion into a regular camp (ch. ii.) ; the census of the Levites, 
 and their separation for the service of the tabernacle (ch. iii., 
 iv.) ; the purification of the camp, <fec. (ch. v.) ; the law of 
 the Nazarites and form of blessing the people (ch. vi.) ; the 
 offerings of the princes (ch. vii.) ; the consecration of the 
 Levites (ch. viii.) ; the celebration of the passover (ch. ix.) ; 
 regulations for fixing and removing the camp (ch. x.) ; the 
 journey of the Israelites through the wilderness to the land 
 of Moab (ch. xi.-xxi.) ; the transactions in the plains of Moab 
 (ch. xxii.-xxxvi.) 
 
 The Book of Deuteronomy embraces the history of a 
 period o{ five weeks, or one lunar month, from the first day of 
 the eleventh month of the fortieth year of the Exodus, to the 
 seventh day of the twelfth month. As the Israelites were 
 about to enter the promised land, and many of them had not 
 witnessed the various transactions in the wilderness, Moses 
 recapitulates the principal occurrences of the forty years, now 
 almost elapsed, and shows the necessity of fearing, loving, 
 and obeying God (ch. i.-iv.) ; repeats the moral, cereinonialy 
 and judicial law, and confirms the whole in the most solemn 
 manner (ch. v.-xxx.) ; appoints Joshua as his successor, and 
 delivers a copy of the law to the priests (ch. xxxi.) ; prophe- 
 sies of things which should come to pass in the latter days 
 (ch. xxxii.) ; blesses each of the tribes prophetically (ch. 
 xxxiii.); and then, having viewed the whole extent of the 
 land from the top of Nebo, yields up the ghost, and is buried 
 by God (ch. xxxiv.) 
 
 The Book of Joshua comprises the history of about seven- 
 teen years, or, according to some chronologers, of twenty- 
 seven or thirty years ; containing an account of the com- 
 mission of Joshua as the general of the Israelites (ch. i.) ; the 
 history of Rahab and the two spies (ch. ii.); the miraculous 
 passage of the Jordan (ch. iii., iv., v.) ; the conquest of 
 Canaan under Joshua (ch. vi.-xiii.) ; the division of the con- 
 quered country among the different tribes (ch. xiv.-xxi.) ; the 
 return of the two tribes and a half beyond Jordan (ch. xxii.) ; 
 the assembling of the people and first address of Joshua (ch. 
 xxiii.) ; his last address and counsels ; death and burial of 
 him and Eleazar, &:c. (ch. xxiv.) 
 
 The Book of Judges comprises the history of about three 
 hundred years ; containing an account of the interregnum 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 87 
 
 after the death of Joshua (ch. i.-iii. 4) ; the introduction of 
 idolatry among them by the idol of Micah (ch. xvii., xviii.) ; 
 the history of the Levite of Ephraim ; the murder of his con- 
 cubine by the Benjamites ; and the war of the other tribes 
 with them in consequence (ch. xix.-xxi.) ; the servitude of 
 the eastern Israelites under Cushan Rishathaim, king of 
 Mesopotamia, and their deliverance by Othniel (ch. iii. 5-11); 
 their servitude under Eglon, king of Moab, and their deliver- 
 ance by Ehud (ch. iii. 12-30) ; the deliverance of the west- 
 ern Israelites by Shamgar (ch. iii. 31) ; the servitude of the 
 northern Israelites under Jabin, king of Canaan, and their 
 deliverance by Deborah and Barak, with their triumphant 
 song (ch. iv., v.) ; the enslaving of the eastern and northern 
 Israelites by Midian, and their deliverance by Gideon (ch. 
 vi.-viii.) ; the usurpation and death of Abimelech (ch. ix.) ; 
 the administration of Tola and Jair (ch. x. 1-6) ; the oppres- 
 sion of the Israelites by the Ammonites, and their deliverance 
 by Jephthah (ch. x. 7-xii. 7) ; the administration of Ibzan, 
 Elon, and Abdon (ch. xii. 8-14) ; the birth of Samson ; the 
 oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines, and their 
 deliverance by Samson, and his death (ch. xiii.-xvi.) 
 
 The Book of Ruth contains an account of the sojourning 
 and death of Elimelech and his two sons in the land of Moab ; 
 the return of his wife Naomi to Bethlehem with her daughter- 
 in-law Ruth (ch. i.) ; the gleaning of Ruth in the fields of 
 Boaz, by whom she is kindly treated (ch. ii.) ; the conduct 
 of Ruth, in consequence of the advice of Naomi, by which 
 means she obtains a promise of marriage from Boaz, if a 
 nearer kinsman should decline it (ch. iii.) ; the marriage of 
 Boaz and Ruth, the kinsman having refused it ; the birth of 
 Obed : with the genealogy unto David (ch. iv.) 
 
 The First Book of Samuel contains an account of the 
 birth of Samuel (ch. i.) ; with the thanksgiving song of 
 Hannah (ch. ii. 1-10) ; the mal-administration of Eli's sons 
 (ch. ii. 11-36) ; the call of Samuel, and the denunciation 
 against Eli's house (ch. iii.) ; the capture of the ark by the 
 Philistines, and the completion of God's judgment against the 
 house of Eli (ch. iv.) ; the chastisement inflicted on the 
 Philistines for retaining the ark (ch. v.) ; its return, and the 
 punishment of those who profaned its sanctity (ch. vi.) ; the 
 repentance of the people at Mizpeh, and the subduing of the 
 Philistines (ch. vii.) ; the election of Saul for a king, in con- 
 sequence of the ill-advised desire of the Israelites (ch. viii.- 
 
88 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 xii.) ; the wars of Saul with the Philistines (ch. xiii., xiv.) ; 
 his sins and rejection (ch. xv.) ; the anointing of David (ch. 
 xvi.) ; his victory over GoHath (ch. xvii.) ; his unjust per- 
 secutions by Saul (ch. xviii.-xxvii.) ; the death of Samuel, 
 whom Saul consults by means of the witch of Endor (ch. 
 xxviii.) ; the defeat, death, and burial of Saul and his sons, 
 &c. (ch. xxix.-xxxi.) 
 
 The Second Book of Samuel comprises a period of nearly 
 forty years, from A. M. 2949 to 2989 ; containing an account 
 of David's receiving intelligence of the death of Saul and 
 Jonathan, with his lamentation over them (ch. i.) ; his triumph 
 over the house of Saul, and confirmation in the kingdom (ch. 
 ii.-iv.) ; his victories over the Jebusites and Philistines (ch. 
 v.); the bringing up of the ark to Jerusalem (ch. vi.); the 
 rejection of David's purpose for building a temple, with his 
 prayer on the occasion (ch. vii.) ; his victories over the 
 Philistines, Ammonites, Syrians, &c. (ch. viii.-x.) ; his sin 
 in the matter of Uriah ; the divine judgment pronounced 
 against him ; his repentance and pardon ; with the birth of 
 Solomon (ch. xi., xii.) ; his domestic troubles in consequence; 
 the sin and fratricide of Amnon (ch. xiii.) ; the rebellion and 
 death of Absalom, and David's mourning on the occasion (ch. 
 xiv.-xviii.) ; the return of David, with the quelling of Sheba's 
 insurrection (ch. xix., xx.) ; his punishment of the sons of 
 Saul, and last war with the Philistines (ch. xxi.) ; his psalm 
 of thanksgiving, his last words, and his mighty men (ch. xxii., 
 xxiii.) ; his offence in numbering the people ; its punishment; 
 with his penitence and sacrifice (ch. xxiv.) 
 
 The First Book of Kings comprises a period of 126 years, 
 from A. M. 2989 to 3115 ; containing an account of the latter 
 days of David, and inauguration of Solomon (ch. i.) ; David's 
 charge to Solomon, and death (ch. ii. 1-11) ; Solomon's reign 
 to the building of the temple (ch. ii. 12-iv.) ; his dominion, 
 and preparations for the temple (ch. v.) ; the building of the 
 temple, and Solomon's house (ch. vi., vii.) ; the dedication of 
 the temple (ch. viii.) ; God's covenant with Solomon (ch. ix. 
 1-9) ; the transactions during the remainder of his reign, 
 and his death (ch. ix. 10-xi.); the accession of Rehoboam, 
 and division of the two kingdoms (ch. xii. 1-19) ; the reigns 
 of Rehoboam over Judah, and Jeroboam over Israel (ch. xii. 
 20-xiv.) ; the reigns of Abijah and Asa, kings of Judah, and 
 of Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Ahab, kings of Israel, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 89 
 
 (ch. xv.-xxii. 40) ; the reign of Jehoshaphat (eh. xxii. 41 
 ad fn.) 
 
 The Second Book of Kings contains an account of the 
 reigns of Jehoshaphat and of his associate Jehoram, kings of 
 Judah, and of Ahaziah and Joram, kings of Israel ; the trans- 
 lation of Elijah, and the designation of Elisha as his successor, 
 and the miracles wrought by him (ch. i.-viii. 2) ; the reign 
 of Jehoram alone, and of Ahaziah, kings of Judah, and of 
 Jehoram, king of Israel (ch. viii. 3-29) ; the appointment of 
 Jehu as king of Israel, who slays Jehoram, and reigns in his 
 stead ; the death of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and the usurpa- 
 tion of Athaliah (ch. ix.-xi. 3) ; the reign of Jehoash, king 
 of Judah, and the reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoash, kings of 
 Israel ; the death of Elisha, and the miracle performed at his 
 grave (ch. xi. 4-xiii.) ; the reigns of Amaziah, Azariah, or 
 Uzziah, and Jotham, kings of Judah, and of Jehoash, or Joash, 
 Jeroboam II., Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and 
 Pekah, kings of Israel (ch. xiv., xv.) ; the reign of Ahaz, 
 king of Judah ; the termination of the interregnum in the 
 kingdom of Israel by Hoshea, the last sovereign, in the ninth 
 year of whose reign, the ten tribes are carried captive to 
 Assyria (ch. xvi., xvii.) ; the reign of Hezekiah ; his war 
 with the Assyrians ; his recovery from a mortal disease ; and 
 his death (ch. xviii.-20) ; the reigns of Amon and Manasseh 
 (ch. xxi.) ; the reign of Josiah (ch. xxii., xxiii. 30) ; the 
 reigns of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah, the last king 
 of Judah ; the taking of Jerusalem, burning of the temple, 
 and captivity of the Jews to Babylon (ch. xxiii. 31-xxv.) 
 
 The First Book of Chronicles comprises a period of 
 2989 years, and contains an account of the genealogies of 
 the patriarchs from Adam to Jacob (ch. i.) ; the sons of Jacob, 
 with the genealogy of Judah to David (ch. ii.) ; the posterity 
 of David to Zerubbabel (ch. iii.) ; a second genealogy of 
 Judah, and the genealogy of Simeon (ch. iv.) ; the genealo- 
 gies, exploits, and captivity of Reuben, Gad, and the half 
 tribe of Manasseh (ch. v.) ; the genealogy of Levi and Aaron, 
 with the offices and cities of the priests and Levites (ch. vi.) ; 
 the genealogies of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, 
 Ephraim, and Asher (ch. vii.) ; the genealogy of Benjamin 
 to Saul, with the children and descendants of Saul (ch. viii.) ; 
 the first inhabitants of Jerusalem, after the captivity (ch. ix. 
 2-34) ; the pedigree, defeat, death, and burial of Saul (ch. 
 
90 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ix. 35-44, X.) ; the history and transactions of the reign of 
 David (ch. xi.-xxix.) 
 
 The Secoisd Book of Chronicles embraces a period of 
 469 years, from the accession of Solomon, A. M. 2989, to the 
 return from captivity, A. M. 3468 ; containing an account of 
 the piety, wisdom, riches, and grandeur of Solomon (ch. i.) ; 
 his erection and consecration of the temple, &c. ; the re- 
 mainder of his reign, and death (ch. ii.-ix.) ; the accession 
 of Rehoboam ; the division of Israel ; and the plundering of 
 Jerusalem by Shishak (ch. x.-xii.) ; the reigns of Abijah and 
 Asa, kings of Judah (ch. xiii.-xvi.) ; the reign of Jehoshaphat 
 (ch. xvii.-xx.) ; the reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah ; the 
 usurpation of Athaliah (ch. xxi.-xxiv.) ; the reigns of Amaziah, 
 Uzziah, and Jotham (ch. xxv.-xxvii.) ; the reign of Ahaz (ch. 
 xxviii.) ; the reign of Hezekiah (ch. xxix.-xxxii.) ; the reigns 
 of Manasseh and Amon (ch. xxxiii.) ; the reign of Josiah 
 (ch. xxxiv., XXXV.) ; the reigns of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, 
 Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah ; the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
 of the temple ; and the edict of Cyrus for the return from 
 captivity (ch. xxxvi.) 
 
 The Book of Ezra contains a continuation of the Jewish 
 history from the time at which the Chronicles conclude, to 
 the 20th year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, a period of about 
 80 years ; containing an account of the edict of Cyrus, grant- 
 ing permission to the Jews to return, and rebuild Jerusalem 
 and the temple (ch. i.) ; the people who returned under 
 Zerubbabel, with their offerings toward rebuilding the temple 
 (ch. ii.) ; the erection of the altar of burnt-offering, and the 
 laying of the foundation of the temple (ch. iii.) ; the opposition 
 of the Samaritans, and consequent suspension of the building 
 of the temple (ch. iv.) ; the decree of Darius Hystaspes, 
 granting the Jews permission to complete the building of the 
 temple and city, which they accomplish in the sixth year of 
 his reign (ch. v., vi.) ; the departure of Ezra from Babylon, 
 with a commission from Artaxerxes Longimanus (ch. vii.) ; 
 his retinue and arrival at Jerusalem (ch. viii.) ; his prayer on 
 account of the intermixture of the Jews with heathen nations 
 (ch. ix.) ; the reformation effected by him (ch. x.) 
 
 The Book of Nehemiah contains an account of the depar- 
 ture of Nehemiah from Shushan, with a royal commission to 
 rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and his arrival there (ch. i., 
 ii. 1-11); the building of the walls, notwithstanding the ob- 
 stacles interposed by Sanballat (ch. ii. 12-vii. 4) ; the first 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES, 91 
 
 reformation effected by Nehemiah, with his return to Persia, 
 containing a register of the persons who first returned from 
 Babylon, and an account of the oblations at the temple (ch. 
 vii. 5-72) ; the reading of the law, and the celebration of the 
 feast of tabernacles (ch. viii.) ; a solemn fast, with the renewal 
 of the covenant with Jehovah (ch. ix., x.) ; the names and 
 families of those who dwelt at Jerusalem and other cities ; 
 and of the high-priests, Levites, and singers (ch. xi., xii. 1— 
 26) ; the completion and dedication of the walls (ch. xii. 
 27-47) ; occurrences at Jerusalem during Nehemiah's absence 
 (ch. xiii. 1-6) ; Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem, and the se- 
 cond reformation effected by him (ch. xiii. 7-31.) 
 
 The history of the Book of Esther comes in between the 
 sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra, commencing about A. M. 
 3540, and continuing through a period of twelve years : it 
 relates the royal feast of Ahasuerus ; the disgrace of Vashti 
 (ch. i.) ; the elevation of Esther to the Persian throne ; the 
 essential service rendered to the king by Mordecai, in detect- 
 ing a plot against his life (ch. ii.) ; the promotion of Haman, 
 and his purposed destruction of the Jews (ch. iii.) ; the con- 
 sequent affliction of the Jews, and the measures pursued by 
 them (ch. iv.) ; the defeat of Haman's plot, through the in- 
 strumentality of Esther, against Mordecai (ch. v., vi., vii.) ; and 
 also the defeat of his general plot against the Jews (ch. viii., 
 ix. 1-15) ; the institution of the feast of Purim to commemo- 
 rate this deliverance (ch. ix. 16-32); the advancement of 
 Mordecai (ch. x.) 
 
 The Book of Job opens with an account of Job's piety and 
 prosperity, the charge of hypocrisy and selfishness which Sa- 
 tan brings against him, and the permission he obtained from 
 God to reduce him to the deepest distress, as a trial of his 
 integrity (ch. i. 1-13); it proceeds to relate the first trial of 
 Job, in the loss of property and children, and the declaration 
 of his integrity (ch. i. 14-22) ; the second trial of Job, in the 
 severe affliction of his person, and the visit of his three friends 
 to console him (ch. ii.) ; the complaint of Job on his calami- 
 tous situation, which is the ground-work of the following ar- 
 guments (ch. iii.) ; the speech of Eliphaz, in which he reproves 
 the impatience of Job, and insinuates that his sufferings are 
 the punishment of some secret iniquity (ch. iv., v.) ; Job's re- 
 ply, in which he apologizes for the intemperance of his grief 
 by the magnitude of his calamities, prays for speedy death, 
 accuses his friends of cruelty, and expostulates with God, 
 
US EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 whose mercy he supplicates (ch. vi., vii.) ; the resumption of 
 the argument of Eliphaz by Bildad, who reproves Job with 
 greater acrimony, and accuses him of irreligion (ch. viii.) ; 
 the answer of Job, in which, while he acknowledges the jus- 
 tice and sovereignty of God, he argues that his afflictions are 
 no proof of his wickedness, and in despair again wishes for 
 death (ch. ix., x.) ; the prosecution of the argument by Zophar 
 with still greater severity, who exhorts Job to repentance as 
 the only means to recover his former prosperity (ch. xi.) ; the 
 answer of Job, who retorts on his friends, censuring their 
 pretensions to superior knowledge, and charging them with 
 false and partial pleading against him, and appeals to God, 
 professing his hope in a future resurrection (ch. xii.-xiv.) ; 
 the resumption of the argument by Eliphaz, who accuses Job 
 of impiety in justifying himself (ch. xv.) ; the reply of Job, 
 who complains of the increasing unkindness of his friends, 
 protests his innocence, and looks to death as his last resource 
 (ch. xvi., xvii.) ; the recapitulation of the former line of argu- 
 ment by Bildad, who applies it with increased asperity to Job, 
 whose aggravated sufferings, he urges, are justly inflicted on 
 him (ch. xviii.) ; the appeal of Job to his friends, and from 
 them to God ; professing his faith in a future resurrection, he 
 cautions his friends to cease from their invectives, lest God 
 should chastise them (ch. xix.) ; the retort of Job's appeal 
 upon himself by Zophar (ch. xx.); the reply of Job, in which 
 he discusses at large the conduct of Divine Providence, in 
 order to evince the fallacy of Zophar's argument of the short- 
 lived triumph of the wicked (ch. xxi.) ; the resumption of the 
 charge by Eliphaz, in which he represents Job's vindication 
 and appeal as displeasing to God ; contends that certain and 
 utter ruin is the uniform lot of the wicked; and concludes 
 with renewed exhortation to repentance and prayer (ch. xxii.) ; 
 the reply of Job, in which he desires to plead his cause be- 
 fore God, whose omnipresence he delineates in the sublimest 
 language, urging that his sufferings are trials of his faith and 
 integrity ; and he shows that the wicked frequently escape 
 punishment in this life (ch. xxiii., xxiv.) ; the rejoinder of Bil- 
 dad, who repeats his former proposition, that, since no man 
 is without sin in the sight of God, consequently Job cannot 
 be justified in his sight (ch. xxv.) ; the answer of Job, who, 
 having reproved the harsh conduct of Bildad, re-vindicates 
 his own conduct with great warmth and animation, and con- 
 cludes by repeating his ardent wish for an immediate trial 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 93 
 
 with his calumniator before the tribunal of God (ch. xxvi.- 
 xxxi.) ; the summing up of the whole argument by Elihu ; who, 
 having condemned the conduct of all the disputants, proceeds 
 to contest several of Job's positions, and to show that God 
 frequently afflicts the children of men for the best purposes, 
 and that in every instance our duty is submission : and con- 
 cludes with a grand description of the omnipotence of the 
 Creator (ch. xxxii.-xxxvii.) ; the termination of the controver- 
 sy by the appearance of Jehovah to pronounce judgment ; who 
 addresses Job out of a whirlwind, in a most sublime and mag- 
 nificent speech, in which are illustrated the omnipotence of 
 God, and man's utter ignorance of his ways in the works of 
 creation and providence (ch. xxxviii.-xli.) ; the submission of 
 Job, which is accepted ; his restoration to his former pros- 
 perity ; and the double increase of his substance (ch. xlii.) 
 
 The Book of Psalms consists of hymns composed by vari- 
 ous authors, at different times, and on various occasions. As, 
 by HEMAN, on the affliction of Israel in Egypt, 88. By 
 MOSES, on the shortening of man's life, 90. By DAVID, 
 on his victory over Goliath, 9 ; on being advised to flee to the 
 mountains, 11 ; on Saul's soldiers surrounding his house, 59 ; 
 on being with the Philistines at Gath, 56 ; on leaving the city 
 of Gath, 34 ; on being in the cave of AduUam, 142 ; on the 
 priests murdered by Doeg, 17; on the persecution by Doeg, 
 52, 109, 35, 140 ; on the persecution by Saul, 64, 31 ; on the 
 treachery of the Ziphites, 54 ; on his refusal to kill Saul, 57, 
 58 ; on being in the wilderness of Engedi, 63 ; on being 
 driven out of Judea, 141 ; on being made king of Israel, 139 ; 
 on the first removal of the ark, 68 ; on the second removal of 
 the ark, 24, 132, 105, 96, 106 ; on Nathan's prophetic address, 
 2, 45,22, 16, 118, 110 ; on the conquest of Syria and Edom 
 by Joab, 60, 108 ; on the war with the Ammonites and Syri- 
 ans, 20, 21 ; on his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of 
 Uriah, 6, 51, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 103 ; on his flight from Ab- 
 salom, 3 ; on the reproaches of Shimei, 7 ; on being by the 
 Jordan, having fled from Absalom, 42, 43, 55, 4, 5, 62, 143, 
 144, 70, 71 ; on the conclusion of his wars, 18 ; on the dedi- 
 cation of Araunah's thrashing floor, 30 ; after his advice to 
 Solomon, 91 ; on a review of his past life, 145 ; occasions 
 and dates unknown, 8, 12, 19. 23, 28, 29, 33, 61, 65, 69, 86, 
 95, 101, 104, 120, 121, 122, 124, 131, 133 ; on the coronation 
 of Solomon, 72. By SOLOMON, on the removal of the ark 
 into the temple, 47, 97, 98, 99, 100 ; on the dedication of the 
 
94 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 temple, 135, 136. By ASAPH, on Asa's victory over Israel, 
 78. By ASAPH and others, on the reign of Jehoshaphat, 
 82, 115, 46. By HEZEKIAH,on the blasphemous message 
 of Rab-shakeh, 44. By ASAPH, on the destruction of Sen- 
 nacherib's army, 73, 75, 76 ; on the burning of the temple at 
 Jerusalem, 79, 74, 83, 94. By ASAPH, ETHAN, and others, 
 during the Babylonian captivity, 137, 130, 80, 77,37, 67, 49, 
 53, 50, 10, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 27, 36, 89, 92, 93, 123. By 
 DANIEL, near the close of the captivity, 102. By the SONS 
 of KORAH, on the decree of Cyrus for restoring the Jews, 
 126, 85. By various authors, on the return of the Jews from 
 captivity, 107, 87, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 125,127, 
 128, 134. By the SONS of KORAH, on the foundation of 
 the second temple, 84, 66. By EZRA or NEHEMIAH, on 
 the opposition of the Samaritans, 129. By HAGGAI or 
 ZECHARIAH, on the rebuilding of the temple, 138. By 
 various authors, on the dedication of the second temple, 48, 
 81, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150. By EZRA, as manuals of de- 
 votion, 1, 119. 
 
 The Book of Proverbs has properly been divided into five 
 parts. Thej^r^^ part, which is a kind of preface, contains a 
 series of admonitions, cautions, and excitements to the study 
 of wisdom, from a teacher to his pupil ; delivered in varied, 
 elegant, polished, and sublime language ; aptly connected in 
 all its parts; embellished with beautiful descriptions and per- 
 sonifications ; and decorated with all the ornaments of poetry, 
 so that it scarcely yields in elegance and splendor to any of 
 the sacred writings (ch. i.— ix.) : the second part consists of 
 those proverbs or maxims which constitute that wisdom to 
 which in the preceding part we were incited ; given in un- 
 connected, general sentences, expressed with much neatness 
 and simplicity, and truly " like apples of gold in pictures of 
 silver" (ch. x.-xxii. 16) : in the third part, the tutor, for a 
 more lively effect, drops the sententious style, and addresses 
 his pupil as present, to whom he gives renewed and connected 
 admonitions and exhortations to the study of wisdom (ch. xxii. 
 17-xxiv.) : the fourth part is a collection of Solomon's pro- 
 verbs, made by " the men of Hezekiah" (2 Chron. xxxi. 20, 21 ), 
 and, like the second part, consists of detached, unconnected 
 sentences (ch. xxv.-xxix.) : the fifth part contains the wise 
 expostulations, admonitions, and instructions delivered by 
 Agur the son of Jakeh to his pupils Ithiel and Ucal (ch. xxx.) ; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 95 
 
 and also the precepts of a motlier, who is not named, to her 
 son Lemuel (ch. xxxi.) 
 
 The Book of Ecclesiastes is an inquiry into the chief 
 GOOD, or what can render a man happy ; in discussing which 
 Solomon first shows what is not happiness, and then what it 
 is. Accordingly, the book has been very properly divided 
 into two parts ; in the former of which he shows, from his 
 own experience, the vanity of all terrestrial objects and pur- 
 suits, of wisdom and knowledge (apart from true religion), of 
 mirth and pleasure, of riches, magnificence, power, and 
 wealth, interspersed with many counsels how the vanity or 
 vexation of each may be abated, and frequent intimations that 
 true wisdom is far preferable to all other acquisitions, and that 
 a cheerful use of providential blessings is much better than 
 covetousness (ch. i.-vi. 9) ; and in the latter part, he shows 
 that true happiness is only to be found in a religious and virtu- 
 ous life, which constitutes the truest wisdom (ch. vi. 10-xii.) 
 Here, indeed, the royal Preacher sometimes pauses to show 
 the vanity of things incidentally mentioned ; yet this part is 
 chiefly occupied in teaching us where and how to seek pre- 
 sent comfort and final happiness ; inculcating a cheerful, lib- 
 eral, and charitable use of temporal blessings, without expect- 
 ing to derive from them any permanent or satisfactory delight ; 
 to be patient under unavoidable evils ; not to aim at perilous, 
 arduous, and impracticable changes ; to fill up the station al- 
 lotted us in a peaceable, equitable, and prudent manner ; to 
 be humble, contented, and affectionate ; and to do good abund- 
 antly, and persevere in so doing, for the pleasure arising from 
 it, and from the expectation of a gracious reward. 
 
 The Song of Solomon, as a poem, is allowed by the best 
 judges to be finished in the highest style of elegance and 
 beapty ; and, from the earliest age of the church, it has been 
 considered as a mystical allegory, in the form of a pastoral, 
 in which are represented the reciprocal love of Jehovah and 
 his church, under figures taken from the endearing relation 
 and chaste affection which subsists between a bridegroom 
 and his espoused bride — an emblem continually employed in 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 The Prophecies of Isaiah have been divided into six parts. 
 Part I. consists of four prophetic discourses delivered in the 
 reigns of Uzziah and Jotham ; in which the prophet inveighs 
 against the crimes of the Jews, declares the judgments of 
 God against them, and predicts a more auspicious time, and 
 
06 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 foretels the promulgation of the Gospel, and the coming of 
 the Messiah to judgment, (eh. i.-vi.) Part II. concerns the 
 reign of Ahaz, and consists of three prophetic discourses, in 
 which the prophet speaks of the siege of Jerusalem by Pekah 
 and Rezin, and of the birth of Immanuel, as a proof of the 
 approaching deliverance of Judah ; predicts the calamities 
 which were to fall on the kingdoms of Syria and Israel ; fore- 
 tels the destruction of Sennacherib's army; and thence 
 takes occasion to launch forth into a display of the deliver- 
 ance of God's people by the Messiah, (ch. vi.-xii.) Part III. 
 consists of eight prophetic discourses, probably delivered in 
 the reign of Ahaz, in which he declares the fate of the Ba- 
 bylonians, Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Egyptians, Tyrians, 
 and other nations with whom the Jews had any intercourse, 
 (ch. xiii.-xxiv.) Part IV. consists of five discourses, de- 
 livered in the reign of Hezekiah, containing a prediction of 
 the great calamities which should befall the people of God, 
 his merciful preservation of a remnant, and their restoration 
 to their own country, their conversion to the gospel, and the 
 destruction of Antichrist, (ch. xxiv.-xxxvi.) Part V. contains 
 the history of the invasion of Sennacherib, and the destruc- 
 tion of his army, (ch. xxxvi.-xxxix. Part VI. consists of 
 twelve discourses, probably delivered towards the end of 
 Hezekiah's reign ; in which the. prophet predicts the return 
 from the Babylonian captivity ; exposes the folly of idolatry ; 
 and personifying the Messiah, speaks of his sufferings, death, 
 and burial ; foretels his coming, the vocation of the Gentiles, 
 the glory of the latter days, and the disgrace of all false 
 prophets and teachers, &c., (ch. xl.-lxvi.) 
 
 The Prophecies of Jeremiah were delivered at various 
 times, and on particular occasions, during forty or forty-three 
 years, under Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jechoniah, and Zedekiah, as 
 well as after the destruction of Jerusalem, and also in Egypt. 
 These prophecies, the circumstantial accomplishment of 
 which is often specified in the Sacred Writings, are of a 
 very distinguished, determinate^ and illustrious character. He 
 foretold the fate of Zedekiah, and the calamities which im- 
 pended over his country ; representing, in the most de- 
 scriptive terms, and under the most expressive images, the 
 destruction which the invading army should produce ; and 
 bewailing, in pathetic expostulation, the spiritual adulteries 
 which had provoked Jehovah, after long forbearance, to 
 threaten Judah with condign punishment, at a time when the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 9** 
 
 false prophets deluded the nation with promises of " assured 
 peace," and when the people, in impious contempt of " the 
 word of the Lord," defied its accomplishment. He also 
 predicted the Babylonish captivity, and the precise period of 
 its duration ; the destruction of Babylon, and the downfall of 
 many nations ; the gradual and successive completion of 
 which predictions kept up the confidence of the Jews, for 
 the accomplishment of those prophecies which he delivered 
 relative to the Messiah and his period ; his miraculous con- 
 ception (ch. xxxi. 22) ; his divinity and mediatorial king- 
 dom (xxiii. 5, 6, xxxiii. 14-18) ; and particularly the new 
 and everlasting covenant which was to be established with 
 the true Israel of God upon the sacrifice of the Messiah, 
 (ch. xxxi. 31-36 ; xxxiii. 8, 9, 26.) 
 
 The Prophecy of Ezekiel opens with an account of 
 Ezekiel's first vision, his call to the prophetic office, his com- 
 mission, instructions, and encouragements for executing it 
 (ch. i.-iii.) ; after which he foretels the impending captivity 
 and dreadful calamities of the remnant of Judah and Jerusa- 
 lem, for their idolatry, impiety, and profligacy, and the Divine 
 judgments to be inflicted on the false prophets and prophet- 
 esses who had deluded and hardened them in their rebellion 
 against God (ch. iv.-xxiv.) ; predicts the destruction of the 
 Ammonites (ch. xxv. 1-7), Moabites (ver. 8-11), Edomites 
 (ver. 12-14), and Philistines, (ver. 15-17) ; announces the 
 ruin and desolation of Tyre and Sidon (ch. xxvi.-xxviii.) ; 
 the fall of Egypt, and the base degeneracy of its future in- 
 habitants (ch. xxix.-xxxii.) ; exhorts the Jews to repentance 
 and reformation, and consoles them with promises of their 
 future deliverance under Cyrus, but principally of their final 
 restoration and conversion under the kingdom of the Messiah, 
 and the destruction of their enemies (ch. xxxiii.-xxxix.) ; and 
 describes his prophetic vision of the new city of Jerusalem 
 and the temple, and the directions concerning the division of 
 the Holy Land, (ch. xl.-xlviii.) 
 
 The Book of Daniel may be divided into two parts. 
 Part I. is chiefly historical, and contains an account of the 
 captivity and education of Daniel and his companions (ch. i.) , 
 Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream, with its interpretation 
 (ch. ii.) ; the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, 
 and Abednego, from the fiery furnace (ch. iii.) ; the punish- 
 ment of Nebuchadnezzar's pride and arrogance, by the loss of 
 his reason and throne for seven years (ch. iv.) ; the impiety 
 
98 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and portended fate of Belshazzar (ch. v.) ; the miraculous 
 preservation of Daniel in the lion's den (ch. vi.) Part II. is 
 strictly prophetical, and comprises an account of Daniel's 
 vision of the four beasts, respecting the four great monarchies 
 of the world — the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Macedonian, 
 and Roman (ch. vii.) ; his vision of the ram and he-goat, in 
 which is foretold the destruction of the Medo-Persian empire, 
 typified by the ram, by the Macedonians, or Greeks, under 
 Alexander, represented by the he-goat (ch. viii.); his pre- 
 diction of the seventy prophetic weeks, or 490 years, which 
 should elapse from the date of the edict to rebuild Jerusalem 
 and the temple, to the death of the Messiah (ch. ix.) ; his 
 last vision, in which he is informed of various particulars re- 
 specting the Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, the king- 
 dom of the Messiah, and the rise, tyranny, and fall of Anti- 
 christ, (ch. x.-xii.) 
 
 The Book of Hosea consists of fourteen chapters, in which 
 the prophet, under the figure of a wife proving unfaithful to 
 her marriage vows, and bearing children who follow her ex- 
 ample, represents the shameful idolatry of the Israelites, 
 which provoked God to cast them off; though the evil will 
 be hereafter amply repaired (ch. i.) ; he exhorts them to re- 
 pent, and forsake idolatry, threatening them with captivity 
 and a series of afflictions for their wickedness (ch. ii. 1-13) ; 
 promises them a future restoration and abundant prosperity 
 (ch. ii. 14-23) ; and, under the figure of taking back his wife 
 on amendment, he represents the gracious purposes of Jeho- 
 vah towards them, in their conversion and restoration (ch. iii.) ; 
 he then inveighs against the bloodshed and idolatry of the 
 Israelites, admonishing Judah to beware of their sins 
 (ch. iv.); and denounces the divine judgments against priests, 
 princes, and people, and exhorts them to repentance (ch. v.-vi. 
 3) ; his exhortations proving ineflectual, God complains of 
 their obstinate iniquity and idolatry (ch. v. 4-vii. 10); de- 
 nounces that they shall be carried captive, notwithstanding 
 their reliance on Egypt (ch. vii. 11-viii.) ; further threatens 
 their captivity and dispersion (ch. ix., x.) ; reproves them for 
 their idolatry, and promises their return to their own country 
 (ch. xi.) ; he again renews his threatenings on account of 
 their idolatry, and after a terrible denunciation of Divine 
 punishment, mingled with promises of restoration from captivity 
 (ch. xii., xiii.) ; he exhorts them to repentance, furnishes them 
 with a beautiful form of prayer adapted to their situation, and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 99 
 
 foretels their reformation from idolatry, and the subsequent 
 restoration of all the tribes from their dispersion, and their 
 conversion to the Gospel, (ch. xiv.) 
 
 The Book of Joel consists of three chapters ; in which the 
 prophet, in consequence of a dreadful famine caused by lo- 
 custs and other noxious insects, calls upon both priests and 
 people to repent with prayer and fasting, cries unto God for 
 them, and represents the very beasts as joining in his suppli- 
 cations (ch. i.) ; he predicts still greater judgments by an 
 army of locusts, earnestly exhorts them to public fasting, 
 prayer, and repentance, promises the removal of these calam- 
 ities on their repentance, with various other blessings, makes 
 an elegant transition to the effusion of the Holy Spirit under 
 the Gospel, and foretels the consequent destruction of Jeru- 
 salem and the Jewish nation, interspersed with promises of 
 safety to the faithful and penitent (ch. ii.) ; he then predicts 
 the divine judgments to be executed on the enemies of God's 
 people, and the subsequent peace, prosperity, and purity of 
 Israel, (ch. iii.) 
 
 The Book of Amos consists of nine chapters, of which 
 Calmet and others think that the seventh is the first in order 
 of time ; in which the prophet denounces the judgments of 
 God on Syria (ch. i. 3-5), Philistia (6-8), Tyre (9, 10), 
 Edom (11, 12), and Ammon (13-15), for their cruelty and 
 oppression of Israel ; upon Moab, for his impotent revenge 
 on the dead body of the king of Edom (ch. ii. 1-3) ; on Judah 
 for his contempt of God's law (4, 5) ; and on Israel, for idol- 
 atry, iniquity, and ingratitude (6-16) ; he then expostulates 
 with Israel and Judah, watrning them of approaching judg- 
 ments (ch. iii. 1-8) ; calls the Philistines and Egyptians to 
 behold the punishment of Samaria and the ten tribes for 
 their sins (9-15) ; reproves the Israelites for luxury and op- 
 pression, warning them to prepare to meet God, who is about 
 to execute vengeance upon them (ch. iv.) ; laments over the 
 destruction of Israel, exhorting them to renounce their idols 
 and to seek the Lord (ch. v. 1-15) ; declares the judgments 
 of God on the scornful, presumptuous, and hypocritical Is- 
 raelites, whom God sentences to captivity (16-27) ; de- 
 nounces the most terrible calamities on the self-indulgent 
 and self-confident Jews and Israelites (ch. vi.) ; averts by 
 prayer the judgments of the grasshopper and fire (ch. vii. 
 1-6), and shows, by a wall and plumb-line, the strict justice 
 of God in Israel's punishment (7-9) ; being accused to Jero- 
 
100 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 boam by Amaziah the priest, and forbidden to prophesy in 
 Bethel (10-13) ; he shows how God called him to prophesy, 
 and predicts the ruin of Amaziah and his family (14-17) ; 
 under a vision of a basket of summer-fruit, he shows the 
 speedy ruin of Israel (ch. viii. 1-3) ; reproves their oppres- 
 sion and injustice (4-7) ; shows the complete ruin of Israel 
 (8-10), and threatens a famine of the word of God (11-14) ; 
 he then declares the certainty of the judgments to be inflicted 
 on Israel (ch. ix. 1-7), though a remnant shall be preserved 
 (8-10) ; and predicts the blessings of Messiah's kingdom, 
 and the conversion and restoration of Israel (11-15.) 
 
 The Book of Obadiah foretels the destruction and ruin of 
 the Idumeans by the Chaldeans, and finally by the Jews, 
 whom they had used most cruelly, when brought low by 
 other enemies ; and he concludes, as almost all the other 
 prophets do, with consolatory promises of restoration and 
 prosperity to the Jews. 
 
 The Book of Jonah, with the exception of the sublime ode 
 in the second chapter, is a simple narrative ; and relates, that 
 Jonah being commanded to go and prophesy against Nineveh, 
 attempts to flee to Tarshish ; but being overtaken by a storm, 
 he is cast into the sea, swallowed by a great fish, and con- 
 tinues in its belly three days (ch. i.) ; when earnestly praying 
 to God, he is marvellously delivered from his perilous situation 
 (ch. ii.) ; at the renewed command of God, he goes to Nineveh, 
 and denounces its destruction ; and the Ninevites, excited by 
 the king, believe, fast, pray, and reform themselves, and are 
 graciously spared (ch. iii.) ; Jonah, dreading to be thought a 
 false prophet, peevishly repines at the mercy of God, and 
 wishes for death, for which he is gently reproved by God 
 (ch. iv. 1-4) ; leaving the city, he is shadowed by a gourd, 
 which withers ; and manifesting great impatience and re- 
 bellion, he is shown, by his concern about the gourd, the 
 propriety of God's mercy to Nineveh (5-11.) 
 
 The Book of Micah consists of seven chapters ; in which 
 the prophet denounces the divine judgments against Samaria 
 and Jerusalem for their sins, and laments the terror and dis- 
 tress of the Assyrian invasion under Shalmaneser (ch. i.) ; 
 reproves the people for their iniquity, avarice, opposition to 
 the prophets, and attachment to false prophets, and foretels 
 the captivity of both nations (ch. ii.) ; reproves the princes for 
 cruelty, and the prophets for falsehood and selfishness, and 
 vindicates his own prophetic mission (ch. iii.) ; he then pre- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 101 
 
 diets the future triumphant and prosperous state of the church 
 in the latter days, when Zion's troubles should end, and her 
 enemies be destroyed (ch. iv.) ; foretels the birth and kingdom 
 of the Messiah, and his powerful protection of his people, the 
 increase, purity, and peace of the church, and the ruin of her 
 enemies (ch. v.) ; he next inveighs against the iniquities of 
 the people, and then denounces upon them the divine judg- 
 ments (ch. vi.) ; bewails the decrease of godly men, and the 
 iniquity of the people, yet encourages himself to trust in God ; 
 and predicts the victory of God's people over their insulting 
 foes, and their conversion and restoration to their own land 
 (ch. vii.) 
 
 The Book of Nahcjm consists of three chapters, forming 
 one entire poem, the conduct and imagery of which are truly 
 admirable. In the exordium, the prophet sets forth with 
 grandeur the justice and power of God, tempered with lenity 
 and goodness (ch. i. 1-8) ; foretels the ruin of the Ass)n:ian 
 king and his army, and the deliverance of the, people of God, 
 with their rejoicing on the occasion (ver. 9-15) ; predicts the 
 siege and taking of Nineveh by the Medes and Babylonians, 
 the ruin of the Assyrian empire, the plundering and destruc- 
 tion of the city, and the extinction of the royal family, for 
 their oppression and cruelty (ch. ii.) ; denounces a heavy wo 
 against Nineveh for her perfidy, and violence, and idolatries 
 (ch. iii. 1-7) ; shows that the desolation of No-Ammon, in 
 Egypt, may lead her to expect similar destruction (ver. 8-10) ; 
 and predicts her utter and final ruin, and the inefficacy of all 
 methods to prevent it (ver. 11-19.) 
 
 The Book of Habakkuk consists of three chapters ; in 
 which the prophet indignantly complaining of the growth of 
 iniquity among the Jews (ch. i. 1-4) ; God is introduced as 
 denouncing his vengeance to be inflicted upon them by the 
 Chaldeans (ver. 5-11) ; then, making a sudden transition, he 
 humbly expostulates with God for punishing them by the in- 
 strumentality of the Chaldeans (ver. 12-17, ch. ii. 1); in 
 answer to which complaint, God shows the certainty of the 
 vision, and denounces the destruction of the Babylonian em- 
 pire, with the judgments to be inflicted upon the Chaldeans 
 for their ambition, cruelty, treachery, and idolatry (ch. ii. 2- 
 20) ; the prophet then implores God to hasten the deliverance 
 of his people, recounting the wonderful deliverances which 
 God had vouchsafed to his people, in conducting them through 
 the wilderness, and giving them possession of the promised 
 
 9* 
 
102 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 land (ch. iii. 1-15) ; and, deeply affected with the approach- 
 ing judgments, he yet resolves to rejoice in the mercy and 
 goodness of God when all other comforts failed (ver. 16-19.) 
 
 The Book of Zephaniah consists of three chapters; in 
 which the prophet denounces the wrath of God against Judah 
 and Jerusalem for idolatry and apostacy ; predicts terrible 
 judgments coming upon sinners of different descriptions (ch. 
 i.); exhorts them to repentance, as the only means to avert 
 the divine vengeance (ch. ii. 1-3) ; prophesies against the 
 Philistines (ver. 4-7); Moabites and Ammonites (ver. 8-11); 
 Ethiopians (ver. 12) ; and A|^yrians (ver. 13-15) ; sharply 
 rebukes Jerusalem for various aggravated sins (ch. iii. 1-7) ; 
 and predicts their future restoration, and the ultimate prosper- 
 ous state of the church in the days of the Messiah (ver. 8-20.) 
 
 In the Book of Haggai the prophet reproves the delay of 
 the Jews in building the temple, and exhorts them to proceed 
 (ch. i. 1-11) ; they obey the prophet's message, and receive 
 encouragement from God (ver. 12-15) ; the prophet comforts 
 the old men, who wept at the diminished magnificence of the 
 second temple, by assuring them that its glory should be 
 greater than that of the first by the presence of the Messiah 
 (ch. ii. 1-9) ; he shows that their sins had deprived them of 
 God's blessing, and promises them fruitful harvests from that 
 day forward (ver. 10-19) ; and predicts the prosperity of the 
 Messiah's kingdom, under that of Zerubbabel, his ancestor 
 and type (ver. 20-23.) 
 
 The Book of Zechariah consists of fourteen chapters ; in 
 which, after general warnings, and exhortations to repentance, 
 he foretels the completion of the temple (ch. i.) ; the rebuild- 
 ing and prosperity of Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah (ch. 
 ii. 1-5) ; the judgments of God upon Babylon, from which he 
 admonishes the Jews to depart previous to its destruction 
 (ver. 6-9) ; promising them the Divine presence (ver. 10-13); 
 under the vision of Joshua the high-priest arrayed in new 
 sacerdotal attire, he predicts the restoration of the temple and 
 its service (ch. iii. 1-7) ; whence, by an easy transition, he 
 sets forth the glory of Christ as the chief corner stone of his 
 church (ver. 8-10) ; under the vision of the golden candle- 
 stick and two olive trees, he represents the success of Zerub- 
 babel and Joshua in rebuilding the temple, and restoring its 
 service (ch. iv.) ; by the vision of a flying roll and an ephah, 
 he shows the judgments which would come on the wicked 
 Jews, and the abject and oppressed state of the nation, after 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 103 
 
 they had filled up the measure of their sins (oh. v.) ; by the 
 vision of four chariots drawn by several sorts of horses, and 
 by two crowns placed on Joshua's head, he sets forth primarily 
 the re-establishment of the civil and religious polity of the 
 Jews under Zerubbabel and Joshua, and secondarily and 
 principally, the high-priesthood and kingdom of Christ, called 
 emphatically the Branch (ch. vii.) ; some Jews having been 
 sent to Jerusalem from the exiles at Babylon, to inquire 
 whether they were still bound to observe the fasts instituted 
 on account of the destruction of that city (ch. vii. 1-3) ; the 
 prophet is commanded to enforce upon them the weightier 
 matters of the law, lest the same calamities befall them which 
 were inflicted on their fathers (ver. 4-14), promising them, 
 in the event of their obedience, the continuance of the favor 
 of God (ch. viii. 1-8) ; encouraging them to go on with the 
 building (ver. 9-17) ; and permitting them to discontinue the 
 observance of those fasts (ver. 18-23) ; the prophet then 
 predicts the intermediate events which should happen to the 
 surrounding nations and to the Jews, from the completion of 
 the temple till the coming of Christ, with figurative intima- 
 tions of the prevalence of the Gospel by the triumphs of his 
 apostles and servants (ch. ix., x.) ; foretels the destruction 
 of the temple and the rejection of the Jews for their rejection 
 of Christ, and other sins (ch. xi.) ; and predicts the preserva- 
 tion of Jerusalem against an invasion in the latter ages of the 
 world, and the destruction of her enemies (ch. xii. 1-9) ; the 
 conversion of the Jews to their crucified Messiah (ver. lO-l^, 
 ch. xiii.) ; the destruction of Jerusalem, and the judgments 
 inflicted on the unbelieving Jews ; the preservation of a rem- 
 nant, and their conversion ; the ruin of the nations that fought 
 against her ; the final conversion of all nations, and the peace 
 and prosperity of the church (ch. xiv.) 
 
 The Book of Malachi consists of four chapters ; in which 
 the prophet reminds the Jews of the special favors which God 
 had bestowed upon them (ch. i. 1-5) ; reproves them for not 
 showing due reverence to God (ver. 6-10) ; threatening their 
 rejection, and announcing the calling of the Gentiles (ver. 11); 
 deno-unces the Divine judgments both upon people and priests 
 for their disrespect to God in their sacrifices (12-14, ch. ii. 
 1-10) ; and for their unlawful intermarriages with idolatresses, 
 and for divorcing their legitimate wives (ver. 11-17) ; foretels 
 the coming of Christ and his harbinger John the Baptist, to 
 purify the sons of Levi, and to smite the land with a curse, 
 
104 EVIDENCE 0^ THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 unless they all repented ; reproving them for withholding 
 their tithes and other oblations, and also for blasphemy ; pre- 
 dicting the reward of the good, and the punishment of the 
 ■wicked, and enjoining the strict observance of the law, till 
 the forerunner already promised should appear, in the spirit 
 and power of Elijah, to introduce the Messiah, and commence 
 a new and everlasting dispensation (ch. iii., iv.) 
 
 The Gospel of St. Matthew consists of twenty-eight 
 chapters and 1071 verses; containing an account of the 
 genealogy and birth of Christ (ch. i.) ; the adoration of the 
 Magi, the flight into Egypt, and the slaughter of the infants 
 at Bethlehem (ch. ii.) ; the preaching of John the Baptist 
 and baptism of Christ (ch. iii.) ; the temptation of Christ, the 
 calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and various 
 miracles which Christ wrought (ch. iv.) ; the sermon on the 
 mount (ch. v.-vii.) ; various miracles performed by Christ, 
 and the calling of Matthew (ch. viii., ix.) ; Christ's charge to 
 the twelve apostles, sent to preach to the Jews (ch. x.) ; the 
 manner in which the discourses and actions of Christ were 
 received by various descriptions of men, and the effect of his 
 discourses and miracles (ch. xi.-xvi. 12) ; the discourses and 
 actions of Christ immediately concerning his disciples (ch. 
 xvi. 13-xx. 16) ; the discourses and miracles of Christ in his 
 way to Jerusalem (ch. xx. 17-34) ; his triumphant entry into 
 Jerusalem, and his expulsion of the money changers from the 
 temple (ch. xxi. 1-17) ; the withering of the barren fig tree, 
 and the confutation of the chief priests and elders (ch. xxi.) ; 
 the parable of the marriage feast, the confutation of the 
 Pharisees and Sadducees, and Christ's lamentation over 
 Jerusalem (ch. xxii., xxiii.) ; Christ's prophetic discourse 
 concerning the destruciion of Jerusalem, and the end of the 
 world (ch. xxiv.) ; the parable of the ten virgins, the talents, 
 and the last judgment (ch. xxv.) ; Christ's prediction of his 
 approaching crucifixion (ch. xxvi. 1, 2) ; the conspiracy of 
 the chief priests against him (ver. 3-5) ; his anointing, by a 
 woman at Bethany (ver. 6-13) ; the engagements of Judas 
 to betray him (ver. 14-16) ; the preparation and celebration 
 of the passover (ver. 17-25) ; the institution of the Lord's 
 supper (ver. 26-29) ; Christ's prediction of the cowardice of 
 his apostles (ver. 30-35) ; his agony in the garden (ver. 36- 
 46) ; his apprehension (ver. 47-56) ; his condemnation and 
 insulting treatment by Caiaphas (ver. 57-68) ; Peter's denial 
 of Christ, and repentance (ver. 69-75) ; his condemnation by 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 105 
 
 Pilate, crucifixion, and burial (ch. xxvii.) ; his resurrection 
 and appearances to his disciples (ch. xxviii.) 
 
 The Gospel of Mark consists of sixteen chapters ; con- 
 taining an account of the ministry of John the Baptist (ch. i. 
 1-8) ; the baptism and temptation of Christ (ver. 9-13) ; the 
 calling of Simon and Andrew, James and John (ver. 14-20) ; 
 the casting out of an unclean spirit by Christ (ver. 21-28) ; 
 the healing of Peter's wife's mother, and many sick persons 
 (ver. 29-34) ; the preaching of Christ in Galilee, and the 
 cleansing of a leper (ver. 35-45) ; the cure of the paralytic, 
 calling of Matthew, and vindication of the disciples (ch. ii.) ; 
 the healing of the man with the withered hand, and various 
 others, the choice of twelve apostles, and the confutation of 
 the scribes, who ascribe Christ's casting out devils to the 
 power of Beelzebub (ch. iii.) ; the parables of the sower, the 
 seed sown, and the grain of mustard seed, and the stilling of 
 the tempest (ch. iv.) ; the casting out of a legion of devils, 
 healing the woman with an issue, and raising Jairus's daugh- 
 ter (ch. V.) ; the sending out of the apostles, various opinions 
 respecting Christ, the beheading of John the Baptist, the 
 miraculous feeding of five thousand by Christ, his walking 
 on the sea, and healing of the sick (ch. vi.) ; Christ's vindi- 
 cation of his disciples for eating with unwashen hands, healing 
 of the daughter of the Syro-Phcenician woman, and the man 
 who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech (ch. vii.) ; 
 the miraculous feeding of four thousand, refusal of a sign, 
 warning of his disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and 
 of Herod, giving sight to a blind man, predictions of his own 
 suflferings, &c. (ch. viii.) ; the transfiguration of Christ, the 
 casting out a deaf and dumb spirit, the foretelling of his 
 death and resurrection, &c. (ch. ix.) ; the doctrine of Christ 
 concerning divorces, his reception and blessing of young 
 children, instruction of the rich young man, prediction of his 
 sufferings, reproof of the ambition of his disciples, and heal- 
 ing of blind Bartimeus (ch. x.) ; Christ's triumphant entry 
 into Jerusalem, cursing of the barren fig-tree, expulsion of 
 the traders from the temple, and silencing of the priests and 
 scribes who questioned his authority (ch. xi.) ; the parable 
 of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen, the answer 
 of Christ to the Pharisees and Herodians respecting giving 
 tribute to Caesar, to the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, 
 and to a scribe concerning the first commandment, his ques- 
 tion respecting whose son the Messiah was to be, warning 
 
106 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 against the ostentation and hypocrisy of the scribes, and com- 
 mendation of a poor widow, who cast two mites into the 
 treasury (ch. xii.) ; Christ's prediction of the destruction of 
 the temple and Jerusalem, and the parable of the fig-tree 
 (ch. xiii.) ; the conspiracy of the chief priests and Judas 
 against Christ, his anointing by a woman, the preparation and 
 celebration of the passover, institution of the Lord's supper, 
 his agony in the garden, apprehension, condemnation by Caia- 
 phas, and denial by Peter (ch. xiv.) ; Christ's condemnation 
 by Pilate, mocking by the soldiers, crucifixion between two 
 thieves, death and burial (ch. xv.) ; his resurrection from 
 the dead, appearance to Mary Magdalene and the disciples, 
 and ascension into heaven (ch. xvi.) 
 
 The Gospel of St. Luke, which consists of twenty-four 
 chapters, has been divided by critics into the five following 
 classes or sections: Class L comprehends the narrative of 
 the birth of Christ, with the preceding, concomitant, and 
 immediately succeeding circumstances (ch. i., ii. 1-40.) 
 Class IL comprises the particulars relative to our Lord's 
 infancy and youth (ch. ii. 41-52.) Class III. contains an ac- 
 count of the preaching of John the Baptist and the baptism 
 of Christ, whose genealogy is annexed (ch. iii.) Class IV. 
 includes an account of all our Lord's transactions, during the 
 whole three years of his ministry ; his temptation (ch. iv. 
 1-13) ; preaching at Nazareth (ver. 14-30) ; performance of 
 many miracles, and preaching at Capernaum (ver. 31-44) ; 
 calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John (ch. v. 1-11); 
 healing of a leper and paralytic (ver. 12-26) ; calling of Mat- 
 thew, &c., (ver. 27-39); justification of the disciples for 
 plucking corn on the Sabbath, and healing of the withered 
 hand (ch. v. 1-11); ordination of the twelve apostles, Szc. 
 (ver. 12-19) ; repetition of the sermon on the mount (ver. 
 20-49) ; healing of the centurion's servant, and raising of the 
 widow's son at Nain (ch. vii. 1-17) ; reply to the disciples 
 of John the Baptist, and discourse concerning John (ver. 
 18-35) ; anointing by a woman in the house of Simon (ver. 
 36-50) ; preaching in Galilee, and parable of the sower, &c. 
 (ch. viii. 1-21) ; stilling of the tempest, expelling of a legion 
 of devils, curing of an issue of blood, and raising of Jairus's 
 daughter (ver. 22-56) ; sending forth of the apostles, mira- 
 culous feeding of five thousand men, transfiguration, expelling 
 of a demon, and foretelling of his sufferings and death (ch. 
 ix. 1-50.) Class V. contains an account of our Lord's last 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 107 
 
 journey to Jerusalem, and of every circumstance relative to 
 his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension ; his journey 
 through Samaria (ch. ix. 51-62) ; sending forth of the seventy 
 disciples, and their return, &c. (ch. x. 1-37) ; entertainment 
 by Martha and Mary (ver. 38-42) ; teaching of his disciples 
 to pray, reply to the Jews, who ascribe his expulsion of de^ 
 mons to Beelzebub, to those who demand a sign, and reproval 
 of the Pharisees (ch. xi.) ; exhortation and warning of his 
 disciples, and reproaching of the people for not knowing the 
 sigfns of the times (ch. xii.) ; parable of the fig-tree ; healing 
 of an infirm v;oman on the Sabbath ; parable of the grain of 
 mustard-seed, and of the leaven ; his journey to Jerusalem, 
 and lamentation over that impenitent city (ch. xiii.) ; healing 
 of a dropsical man on the Sabbath, and parable of the great sup- 
 per (ch. xiv.) ; parable of the lost sheep, lost piece of money, 
 and prodigal son (ch. xv.) ; parable of the unjust steward, 
 admonition against avarice, hypocrisy, and reliance on the 
 judgment of men, against divorces ; parable of the rich man 
 and Lazarus (ch. xvi.) ; duty of not giving offence, the cure 
 of ten lepers, and sudden coming of Christ (ch. xvii.) ; the 
 parable of the importunate widow, and of the Pharisee and 
 publican, and encouragement of the people to bring little 
 children to Jesus ; foretelling of his death, and cure of a blind 
 man near Jericho (ch. xviii.) ; the conversion of Zaccheus ; 
 parable of the pounds, triumphal entry into Jerusalem, fore- 
 telling of its fate, and teaching in the temple (ch. xix.) ; 
 Christ's confutation of the chief priests, scribes, elders, and 
 Sadducees (ch. xx.) ; he commends the poor widow, foretels 
 the destruction of the temple, delivers the parable of the fig- 
 tree, &c. (ch. xxi.) ; the rulers conspire against Christ ; 
 Judas sells him to them ; Jesus eats the passover with his 
 disciples ; institutes the Lord's supper, foretels his being be- 
 trayed ; abandonment by his disciples, and denial by Peter, 
 and going out to the Mount of Olives, where he is in an 
 agony, he is apprehended, brought to the high priest's house, 
 denied by Peter, and tried before the Sanhedrim (ch. xxii.) ; 
 te is delivered to Pilate, sent to Herod, again sent to Pilate, 
 condemned and crucified (ch. xxiii.); his resurrection, ap- 
 pearances to the disciples, and ascension into heaven (ch. 
 xxiv.) 
 
 The Gospel of St. John consists of twenty-one chapters , 
 containing an account of the pre-existence, divinity, and 
 creative exertion of the Word of God, the dispenser of light 
 
108 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and life (ch. i. 1-5) ; the mission of John the Baptist, and 
 the non-reception of the Word among the Jews (ver. 6-13) ; 
 the incarnation and glory of the Word (ver. 14) ; the Baptist's 
 testimony concerning himself and concerning the Messiah 
 (ver. 15-34); which induces two of his disciples to follow 
 Jesus (ver. 25-39) ; the calling of Peter, Philip, and Nathanael 
 (ver. 40-51); the miracle of turning water into wine at a 
 marriage in Cana (ch. ii. 1-11); the driving of the buyers 
 and sellers out of the temple (ver. 12-17) ; the prediction of 
 Christ concerning his death and resurrection, as a proof of 
 his authority (ver. 18-22) ; the adherence of many to him, 
 because of his miracles, to whom he will not trust himself, 
 " knowing what is in man" (ver. 23-25) ; the conversation of 
 Christ with Nicodemus, on regeneration, faith, and fortitude 
 in the cause of truth (ch. iii. 1-21) ; the baptizing of the dis- 
 ciples of Christ in Judea, while John baptizes in Enon (ver. 
 22-24) ; the testimony of John to the superior excellence of 
 the mission, and the personal dignity of Christ (ver. 25-36) ; 
 the conversation of Christ with a Samaritan woman, near 
 Sychar, to whom he avows himself to be the Messiah ; and 
 many of the Samaritans believe on him (ch. iv. 1-42) ; the 
 healing of the nobleman's son who was sick at Capernaum 
 (ver. 43-54) ; the curing of a man who had been diseased 
 thirty-eight years, at the pool of Bethesda, whom Jesus 
 orders to carry home his couch on the Sabbath (ch. v. 1-9) ; 
 the altercation of the Jews in consequence, first with the man, 
 and then with our Lord, who defends himself by the exam- 
 ple of his Father, and proves his mission by the testimony 
 of John, the miracles he wrought, the declaration of his 
 Father at his baptism, and the Jewish Scriptures (ver. 
 10-47) ; the feeding of five thousand men with five loaves 
 and two fishes (ch. vi. 1-15) ; the miracle of Christ's walk- 
 ing on the sea to his disciples (ver. 16-21) ; the instructions 
 of Christ to the people who flock about him at Capernaum, 
 declaring himself to be the bread of life, prefigured by the 
 manna, at which many are offended and forsake him (ver. 
 30-66) ; the declaration of Peter, in Che name of the twelve, 
 that Jesus is *' the Son of God" (ver. 67-71); the teaching 
 of Christ in the temple at the feast of tabernacles, and the at- 
 tempt of the Jews to take him (ch. vii.) ; his dismissal of the 
 woman taken in adultery, the justification of his doctrine, the 
 opposition of the Jews, and his assertion of his dignity, at 
 which the Jews attempt to stone him, which he eludes (ch 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 109 
 
 viii.) ; the cure of a man born blind by Christ, and his de- 
 claration of his being " the Son of God," and the design of 
 his coming (ch. ix.) ; Christ's representation of himself as 
 the door of the sheepfold, and the good Shepherd, declaring 
 that his works prove his mission, and that " he and the 
 Father are one," at which the Jews attempt to stone him ; 
 but he escapes and goes beyond Jordan, where many believe 
 on him (ch. x.) ; the raising of Lazarus from the dead by 
 Jesus, in consequence of which many Jews believe, while 
 the Pharisees and rulers hold a council against him (ch. xi.) ; 
 the anointing of Christ by Mary at Bethany ; his triumphal 
 entry into Jerusalem ; prophecy of his death ; and warning 
 to the Jews (ch. xii.) ; the washing of the feet of his disci- 
 ples, and prediction of his betrayal by Judas, and denial by 
 Peter (ch. xiii.) ; the consolatory discourse of Christ to his 
 disciples and prayer for them (ch. xiv.-xvii.) ; his crucifixion 
 (ch. xviii., xix. 1-37) ; his resurrection and appearance to 
 his disciples (ch. xix. 38-42, xx., xxi.) 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles consists of twenty-eight chap- 
 ters ; containing an account of the ascension of Christ, the 
 death of Judas, and the choice of Matthias in his stead (ch. i.) ; 
 the efiusion of the Holy Spirit at the feast of Pentecost, and 
 Peter's discourse to the people in consequence (ch. ii.) ; the 
 Healing of a lame man by Peter and John, and Peter's dis- 
 course to the people on the occasion (ch. iii.) ; the imprison- 
 ment of Peter and John, in consequence of this miracle and 
 leaching, the defence of Peter before the council, and their 
 dismissal, after being threatened (ch. iv.) ; the death of Ana- 
 nias and Sapphira, and various miracles of the apostles, who, 
 being imprisoned, are delivered by an angel, and being again 
 apprehended, defend themselves before the council, and are 
 beaten and dismissed (ch. v.) ; the ordination of seven dea- 
 cons, and the discourse and martyrdom of St. Stephen (ch. 
 vi., vii.) ; the first Jewish persecution, the planting of a church 
 in Samaria, and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch 
 through the ministry of Philip (ch. viii.) ; the conversion, 
 baptism, and first preaching of St. Paul (ch. ix. 1-31) ; the 
 healing of ^neas, and raising of Tabitha, by St. Peter, the 
 conversion of Cornelius and his family, and the defence of 
 Peter for having associated with the Gentiles (ch. ix. 32-43, 
 x., xi. 1-18) ; the difli'usion of the Gospel in Phoenice, Cyprus 
 and Antioch, where the disciples are first called Christians 
 (ch. xi. 19-30) ; the murder of the AposMe James by ilwod 
 
 10 
 
110 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Agrippa, the miraculous deliverance of Peter from prsion, and 
 the miserable death of Herod (ch. xii.) ; the planting of sev- 
 eral churches in Cyprus, Perga in Pamphylia, Antioch in 
 Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, by Paul and Barnabas, 
 and their return to Antioch in Syria (ch xiii., xiv.) ; the de- 
 cision of the apostles at Jerusalem respecting circumcision, 
 and keeping the ceremonial law, with their letter to the 
 churches upon the subject (ch. xv. 1-35) ; the departure of 
 Paul from Antioch, and his preaching in various countries, 
 particularly at Philippi, where he is imprisoned, with the 
 subsequent conversion of the jailer (ch. xv. 36-40, xvi.) ; the 
 journeys and labors of Paul and his associates at Thessalo- 
 nica, Berea, and Athens, with his masterly defence before 
 the court of Areopagus (ch. xvii.) ; his journey to Corinth, 
 and thence to Antioch (ch. xviii. 1-22) ; his third departure 
 from Antioch, and the consequence of his preaching at Ephe- 
 sus (xviii. 23-28, xix.) ; his labors in Greece and Asia Mi- 
 nor, and his journey to Jerusalem (ch. xx.) ; his persecution 
 at Jerusalem, whence he is sent a prisoner to Caesarea (ch. 
 xxi.-xxiii. 1-30) ; his arrival at Caesarea, his defence before 
 Felix, appeal to Caesar, and defence before Agrippa (ch. xxiii. 
 31-35, xxiv.-xxvi.) ; his voyage from Caesarea, shipwreck 
 on the island of Melita, and arrival at Rome, where he preaches 
 the Gospel, and resides two years (ch. xxvii., xxviii.) 
 
 In the Epistle to the Romans, after the introduction, in 
 which St. Paul shows his apostolical authority, and the great 
 subject of his ministry, and salutes the Christians at Rome, 
 thanking God on their account, and praying for them (ch. i. 
 1-15) ; he proceeds to show the relations and obligations of 
 man to God his Creator, and his apostacy from his worship 
 and service ; and proves the universal sinfulness of both Gen- 
 tiles and Jews, and the utter impossibility of any man's justi- 
 fying himself before God by his obedience (ver. 16-32, ch. 
 ii., iii. 1-20.) Having thus brought in the whole world guilty 
 before God, deserving of wrath, and shut up under sin and 
 condemnation, he next states the method of salvation by the 
 mercy of God, through the redemption of his Son, and the 
 way of justification by faith in his blood, and the imputation 
 of his righteousness, as " the righteousness of God, which is 
 unto and upon all that believe" (ch. iii. 21-31, iv.) He then 
 proceeds to show, that this way of justification is closely con- 
 nected with sanctification and obedience ; states the believer's 
 experience and conflicts ; and displays his character, hopes, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. Ill 
 
 and privileges ; and at length leads our reflections back to 
 the source of all their blessings, in the sovereign love and 
 mercy of God (ch. v.-xi.) Having thus stated doctrines, and 
 answered objections, and discussed several questions relative 
 to the call of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews, he 
 applies the whole discourse by a variety of practical exhorta- 
 tions, precepts, and instructions, enforced by proper motives 
 (ch. xii.-xv. 1-13); and having touched upon some particu- 
 lars suited to the circumstances of those times, he excuses 
 himself for thus writing to the Romans, and for not having 
 come to them, recommends himself to their prayers, and con- 
 cludes with affectionate salutations, cautions, and prayers, 
 and with ascribing glory to God our Saviour (ch. xv. 14-33, 
 xvi.) 
 
 In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle, 
 after having saluted the church, and expressed his thankful- 
 ness for the grace and gifts conferred upon them (ch. i. 1-9) ; 
 reproves their dissensions, exhorts them to unity, defends him- 
 self against false teacher*., who had alienated them from him, 
 and adds many powerful arguments to reunite them in affec- 
 tion to himself (ch. i. 10-31, ii.-iv.) ; reproves them for not 
 excommunicating an incestuous person (ch. v.) ; and for their 
 covetous and litigious temper, which caused them to prosecute 
 their brethren before heathen tribunals (ch. vi. 1—9) ; disSuades 
 them from fornication, by showing its enormity (ch. vi. 10-20) ; 
 gives suitable directions concerning matrimony (ch. vii. 1-16) ; 
 the civil condition of Christians (17-24), the celibacy of vir- 
 gins (25-38), and widows (39, 40) ; of things sacrificed to 
 idols (ch. viii.-xi. 1) ; and of women speaking in public, and 
 the dress of the sexes (ch. xi. 2-17) ; reproves their irregu- 
 larities in celebrating the Lord's supper, with directions for 
 receiving it worthily (ch. xi. 17-34) ; delivers instructions 
 respecting the desiring and exercising of spiritual gifts (ch. 
 xii.-xiv.) ; proves the certainty of the resurrection, and an- 
 swers the cavils of false teachers against the doctrine (ch. 
 XV.) ; and concludes with directions relative to the contribu- 
 tions for the saints at Jerusalem, promises of shortly visiting 
 them, and salutations to various members of the Church 
 (ch. xvi.) 
 
 In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle 
 justifies himself from the charge of levity, or worldly policy, 
 in delaying his journey to Corinth, assigning those reasons 
 for this part of his conduct which could not have been dis- 
 
112 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 closed with propriety till the effect of his former epistle had 
 appeared (ch. i.) ; declares the justice of his sentence against 
 the incestuous person, and gives suitable directions respecting 
 his restoration (ch. ii.) ; expatiates on his own conduct in the 
 Christian ministry, intermixing many exhortations with the 
 avowal of his motives and fervent affections in the sacred 
 work (ch. iii.-vii.) ; excites them, with great address and 
 earnestness, to complete their contributions for their poof 
 brethren in Judea, showing the manifold advantages of such 
 services (ch. viii., ix.) ; contrasts more directly, yet evident- 
 ly with great reluctance, his own gifts, labors, sufferings, and 
 conduct, with the pretences of their false teachers, showing 
 himself to be " not a whit" inferior to any of the apostles ; 
 and concludes with various admonitions, and affectionate good 
 wishes and prayers (ch. x.-xiii.) 
 
 The Epistle to the Galatians, in which the Apostle, 
 after saluting the churches of Galatia (ch. i. 1-5), and esta- 
 blishing his apostolic commission against the attacks of the 
 false teachers (ch. i. 6-24, ii.) ; he reproves them for depart- 
 ing from that Gospel w^hich he had preached to them, and 
 confirmed by the gift of the Holy Ghost (ch. iii. 1-5) ; proves 
 that justification is by faith alone, and not by the deeds of 
 the law, from the example of Abraham, the testimony of 
 Scripture, the curse of the law, the redemption of Christ, and 
 the Abrahamic covenant, which the law could not disannul 
 (ch. iii. 6-18) ; shows the use of the law in connexion with 
 the covenant of grace (ch. iii. 19-24) ; concludes that all be- 
 lievers are delivered from the law, and made the spiritual seed 
 of Abraham by faith in Christ (ch. iii. 25-29) ; illustrates his 
 inference by God's treatment of the Jewish church, which he 
 put under the law, as a father puts a minor under a guardian, 
 (ch. iv. 1-7) ; shows the weakness and folly of the Galatians 
 in subjecting themselves to the law, and that by submitting 
 themselves to circumcision they become subject to the whole 
 law, and would forfeit the benefits of the covenant of grace 
 (ch. iv. 8-31, V. 1-9) ; gives them various instructions and 
 exhortations for their Christian conduct, and particularly con- 
 cerning a right use of their Christian freedom (ch. v. 10-26, 
 vi. 1-10) ; and concludes with a brief summary of the topics 
 discussed, and by commending them to the grace of Christ 
 (ch. vi. 11-18.) 
 
 The Epistle to the Ephesians, in which the Apostle, af- 
 ter saluting the church (ch. i. 1,2); praises God for the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 113 
 
 whole Gospel blessing (eh. i. 3-14) ; thanks God for them, 
 and prays for their more complete illumination and deeper ex- 
 perience of the grace and comforts of the Gospel (ch. i. 15— 
 23) ; contrasts their former wretched and ruined state with 
 their present happy condition, as saved by grace, through the 
 atonement of Christ, reconciled to God, and forming one 
 church, temple, and family with the Jewish converts (ch. ii.); 
 declares that the mystery concerning their salvation, which 
 was before concealed, had been made known to him by re- 
 velation (ch. iii. 1-12) ; fervently prays that they may be 
 strengthened, enlightened, sanctified, and comforted (ch. iii. 
 13-21) ; exhorts them to walk worthy of their calling, agree- 
 ably to the unity of the Spirit and the diversity of his gifts, 
 and to the difference between their former and present state 
 (ch. iv. 1-24) ; to avoid deceit, anger, dishonesty, and other 
 sins, and to cleave to the practice of the opposite virtues (ch. 
 iv, 25-31, V. 1-21) ; to discharge faithfully the relative duties 
 of wives and husbands (ch. v. 22, 23), of children and parents 
 (ch. vi. 1-4), and of masters and servants (ch. vi. 5-9), and 
 to war the spiritual warfare by putting on and using " the 
 whole armor of God," and by persevering prayer (ch. vi. 10- 
 20) ; and concludes by commending Tychicus to them, with 
 affectionate salutations (ch, vi. 21-24). 
 
 In the Epistle to the Philippians, the Apostle, after sa- 
 luting the church (ch. i, 1, 2), expresses his thankfulness for 
 their continuing steadfast in the faith, and prays that they may 
 thus continue (ch. i. 3-11) ; informs them that his sufferings 
 and imprisonment, so far from impeding the Gospel, had rather 
 contributed to its success (ch. i. 12-19) ; assures them of his 
 readiness to live or die, as should be most for their welfare 
 and the glory of God, yet on the whole expressing a hope that 
 he should again visit them (ch. i. 20-26) ; exhorts them to a 
 holy life, and to mutual love and candor, after the example of 
 Jesus Christ ; and to work out their own salvation with fear 
 and trembling, that he may rejoice in the day of Christ on 
 their account (ch. i. 21-30, ii, 1-17) ; promises to send 
 Timothy and Epaphroditus, whom he highly commends (ch. 
 ii, 19-30) ; solemnly cautions them against Judaizing teachers, 
 and others who were enemies of the cross of Christ (ch, iii., 
 iv. 1) ; gives suitable admonitions to certain individuals, and 
 some general exhortations to cheerfulness, moderation, prayer, 
 thanksgiving, and universal good behavior (ch. iv. 2-7) ; 
 thanks them for their seasonable and liberal supply, though 
 
 10* 
 
114 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 he had learned to be content in every situation (eh. iv. 10- 
 14) ; mentions some particular cases in which ihey had min- 
 istered to him ; promises them a supply of all their spiritual 
 wants through the riches of Christ, to whom he ascribes 
 eternal glory (ch. iv. 15-20) ; and concludes with salutations 
 from himself and friends at Rome, and a solemn benediction 
 (ch. iv. 21-23). 
 
 In the Epistle to the Colossians, the Apostle, after sa- 
 luting the church at Colosse (ch. i. 1, 2), thanks God for the 
 good account which he had heard from Epaphras of their faith 
 and love (ch. i. 3-8) ; assures them that he prayed for their 
 increase in knowledge, holiness, patience, joy, and gratitude 
 for redeeming love (ch. i. 9-14) ; declares, in the most ex- 
 alted terms, the personal and mediatorial glory of Christ, and 
 the fulness and freeness of his salvation (ch. i. 15-23) ; ex- 
 presses his joy in his labors and sufferings for their sakes, as 
 the Apostle of the Gentiles, and his earnest solicitude to ful- 
 fil his ministry among them in the most successful manner, 
 assuring them of his concern and prayers for them and the 
 other churches in the neighborhood, that they might be united 
 in love, and thus comforted, and that they might be establish- 
 ed in their adherence to the Christian faith (ch. i. 28, 29, ii. 1- 
 7) ; warns them against the vain philosophy and human tra- 
 ditions of the new teachers, and their superstitious adherence 
 to the law (ch. ii. 8-17) ; shows the superiority of Christ to 
 angels, and warns them against worshipping them (ch. ii. 18- 
 23) ; exhorts them to set their affections on things above, to 
 mortify their carnal lusts, to put away malice, to seek con- 
 formity to Christ in holiness, to love each other and be ready 
 to forgive injuries, to let the word of Christ dwell in them 
 richly, to abound in grateful praises, and to do all things in 
 the name of Christ (ch. iii. 1-17) ; gives suitable instruc- 
 tions respecting the relative duties of husbands and wives, 
 children and parents, servants and masters (ch. iii. 18-25, 
 iv. 1) ; exhorts them to perseverance in prayer, and to pru- 
 dence and edifying speech (ch. iv. 2-6) ; commends Tychi- 
 cus and Onesimus by whom he sends the Epistle (ch. iv. 
 7-9) ; and concludes with salutations, admonitions, and di- 
 rections (ch. iv. 10-18). 
 
 In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, the Apostle, 
 after saluting the church at Thessalonica (ch. i. 1) ; and 
 thanking God for their faith, love, and patient hope (ch. i. 2- 
 4) ; shows the Divine origin of the Gospel by its happy effects 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 115 
 
 among them, highly commending their faith and constancy 
 (eh. i. 5-10) ; reminds them of his affectionate, faithful labors, 
 and holy life, among them (ch. ii. 1-12) ; expresses his satis- 
 faction at the manner in which they received the Gospel, and 
 their constancy amidst persecution (ch. ii. 13, 14) ; shows the 
 guilt and ruin of the unbelieving Jews, especially for opposing 
 the preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles (ch. ii. 15, 16); 
 evinces his joy on their account, his desire of seeing them 
 again, and his hope of a joyful meeting at the coming of 
 Christ (ch. ii. 17-20) ; declares that his care for them had 
 induced him to send Timothy to establish and encourage them 
 (ch. iii. 1-5) ; whose good report respecting them had greatly 
 comforted him in his distresses (ch. iii. 6-8) ; again thanks 
 God on their behalf, and shows how earnestly he desires to 
 see them (ch. iii. 9, 10) ; prays that he may be enabled to 
 visit them, and further their growth in holiness and love, and 
 perseverance to the end (ch. iii. 11-13); exhorts them to 
 increasing diligence in obeying Christ, to chastity and in- 
 tegrity in all things, to abound in love to one another, to in- 
 dustry in their respective callings, and for moderate sorrow 
 for deceased brethren, from the assured expectation of the 
 coming of Christ to raise the dead, to change the living, and 
 to receive all his people to himself (ch. iv.) ; and, as this 
 advent of Christ will be sudden, and bring inevitable destruc- 
 tion on the wicked, he shows that " the children of light" are 
 especially called on to prepare for it, in vigilance and sobriety, 
 with faith, love, and hope, and to comfort and edify one another 
 (ch. V. 1-11) ; and then, after various exhortations, instruc- 
 tions, admonitions, and encouragements (ch. v. 12-25) ; he 
 concludes with affectionate prayers and salutations (ch. v. 26— 
 28.) 
 
 In the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, after salut- 
 ing the church of Thessalonica (ch. i. 1, 2) ; the Apostle 
 thanks God for their growth in faith and love, and their 
 patience and perseverance under persecution, in which he 
 encourages them by the glorious coming of Christ, as universal 
 Judge, for the destruction of unbelievers, and the complete 
 salvation of his people ^ch. i. 3-10) ; prays for their perfect 
 sanctification and meetness for the heavenly felicity (ch. i. 
 11, 12); warns them against groundlessly supposing that 
 " the day of the Lord" was at hand, which he shows must be 
 preceded by a great apostacy, in which " the man of sin* 
 would cause the destruction of numbers, and then sink him- 
 
116 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 self into perdition (eh. ii. 1-12) ; thanks God for his grace 
 in choosing and calling the Thessalonians " unto salvation 
 and glory," exhorts them to steadfastness, praying that they 
 may be " comforted and established in every good word and 
 work" (ch. ii. 13-17) ; requests their prayers for himself and 
 his coadjutors, especially for the success of their ministry, at 
 the same time expressing his confidence in them, and praying 
 for them (ch. iii. 1-5) ; charges them to censure and with- 
 draw from disorderly walkers, who neglected their own busi- 
 ness and intermeddled with that of others, interspersing suit- 
 able arguments, directions, and exhortations (ch. iii. 6-15) ; 
 and concludes with solemn benedictions (ch. iii. 16-18.) 
 
 In the First Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle having salut- 
 ed Timothy (ch. i. 1, 2); reminds him of the purpose for 
 which he was left at Ephesus (ch. i. 3, 4) ; shows that " the 
 end of the commandment is love, from a pure heart, and un- 
 feigned faith," from which some having swerved, in attempting 
 to preach the law had perverted it, and that the law is good, 
 but intended to condemn transgressors, which accords also 
 with the Gospel (ch. i. 5-11); expresses his gratitude to 
 God for his own conversion, by which encouragement was 
 given to sinners in every age (ch. i. 12-17) ; charges Timo- 
 thy to maintain faith and a good conscience, and mentions 
 some who had renounced the truth, and whom he had deliv- 
 ered to Satan (ch. i. 18-20); gives particular directions con- 
 cerning the performance of public worship in the Ephesian 
 church, enjoining prayers and thanksgivings for all men, and 
 especially for kings and rulers, the modest dress of women, 
 &c. (ch. ii.) ; delivers instructions respecting the qualifica- 
 tions of the persons whom Timothy was to ordain as bishops 
 and deacons of that church (ch. iii.) ; foretels a great apostacy, 
 and corruption of Christianity, "in after times (ch. iv. 1-5); 
 directs Timothy in respect of his doctrine and personal con- 
 duct (ch. iv. 6-16) ; how to admonish elders, and younger 
 persons, men and women (ch. v. 1, 2) ; how to treat widows 
 (ch. V. 3-16); diligent rulers and teachers (ch. v. 17, 18); 
 accused elders and offenders (ch. v. 19, 20) ; delivers a 
 solemn charge to faithfulness and impartiality in ordaining 
 pastors (ch. v. 21, 22); advises Timothy concerning his 
 health, &c. (ch. v. 23-25) ; shows the duty of servants (ch. 
 vi. 1, 2) ; teaches Timothy to shun, as corrupters of the Gos- 
 pel, those who preach things contrary to the apostle's doc- 
 trine (ch. vi. 3-5) ; declares the advantages of godliness 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 117 
 
 with contentment (ch. vi. 6-8) ; shows the mischiefs arising 
 from the love of money (ch. vi. 9, 10) ; exhorts Timothy to 
 flee from these evils, to " follow after righteousness," " to 
 fight the good fight of faith," and to be faithful till the coming 
 of Christ (ch. vi. 11-14) ; ascribes glory to the eternal God 
 (ch. vi. 15, 16); teaches him to charge the rich to avoid pride 
 and confidence in wealth, and to abound in liberality, as seek- 
 ing a treasure in heaven (ch, vi. 17-19) ; exhorts him to ad- 
 here to the faith, avoiding profane and vain controversies, and 
 concludes (ch. vi. 19, 20.) 
 
 In the Second Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle having 
 afi'ectionately saluted Timothy, with thanksgiving and prayer 
 (ch. i. 1-3) ; he expresses a great desire to see him, remem- 
 bering his faith, and that of his grandmother and mother (ch. 
 i. 4, 5) ; exhorts him to stir up the gift of God which is in 
 him (ch. i. 6) ; charges him not to be ashamed of the Divine 
 testimony, or of him the Lord's prisoner, but to prepare for 
 suffering, as having been saved, and called by the grace of 
 God, according to the Gospel, which fully reveals life and 
 immortality (ch. i. 7-1^) ; and of which he, Paul, had been 
 made an apostle, for which cause he suff'ered, without either 
 being ashamed or afraid, as he knew the power of him in 
 whom he trusted (ch. i. 11, 12); exhorts Timothy to stead- 
 fastness and faithfulness (ch. i. 13, 14) ; shows that those of 
 Asia had turned from him (ch. i. 15) ; commends the diligent 
 and courageous kindness of Onesiphorus, praying fervently 
 that he and his family may find mercy from God at the last 
 day (ch. i. 16-18) ; exhorts Timothy to appoint faithful min- 
 isters, and to courage, fidelity, and patience, as " the good 
 soldier of Christ," in remembrance of Christ as risen from 
 the dead, in imitation of the apostle's example, and in assured 
 faith and hope (ch. ii. 1-13) ; charges him to warn the flock 
 against false teachers, and vain controversies, studying, as 
 an approved workman, " rightly to divide the word of truth" 
 (ch. ii. 14-16) ; shows the pernicious effects of the error of 
 Hymeneus and Philetus, though " the foundation of God 
 stands sure" (ch. ii. 17-21) ; teaches him what to flee and 
 what to follow, to shun disputatious questions, and to instruct 
 opposers with meekness (ch. ii. 22-26) ; foretels grievous 
 times in the last days, through the devices and opposition of 
 false teachers (ch. iii. 1-9) ; proposes to him his own ex- 
 ample, exhorting him to continue in the faith (ch. iii. 10-14) ; 
 shows the excellency, authority, and sufficiency of the Sacred 
 
118 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Scriptures, which Timothy had known from his youth (ch. 
 iii. 15-17) ; charges him to be diligent and faithful in his 
 ministry, especially as he had nearly finished his work (ch, 
 iv. 1-8) ; presses him to come to him, and bring Mark with 
 him (ch. iv. 9-15) ; shows how his brethren had forsaken 
 him, and how the Lord had supported him (ch, iv. 16-18 ); 
 and concludes with salutations and benedictions (ch. iv. 19- 
 22.) 
 
 In the Epistle to Titus, the Apostle, after showing the 
 nature and importance of his own office, and saluting Titus 
 (ch. i. 1-4) ; states for what purpose he had left him in Crete, 
 and what manner of persons he should ordain as elders (ch. 
 i. 5-9) ; exposes the dangerous principles and selfishness of 
 false teachers, and the bad national character of the Cretans, 
 which he must "sharply rebuke" and instruct, that "they may 
 be sound in the faith" (ch. i. 10-16) ; directs him to teach the 
 people in their several relative duties, for the honor of the 
 Gospel, to exemplify them in his own conduct, and to take 
 heed to his doctrine (ch. ii. 1-10) ; enforces his exhortations 
 by showing the holy tendency and efficacy of the Gospel, and 
 charges him to act with authority and firmness (ch. ii. 11-15) ; 
 directs him to inculcate subjection to rulers, and good beha- 
 vior to all men, from a consideration of their own sinfulness, 
 and their salvation by the mercy of God (ch. iii. 1-8) ; cau- 
 tions him to avoid foolish questions, and shows him how to 
 deal with heretics (ch. iii. 9-11); and, directing him to come 
 to him at Nicopolis, and giving instructions about other mat- 
 ters, he concludes with salutations (ch. iii. 12-15). 
 
 The Epistle to Philemon was written by St. Paul to re- 
 unite Philemon to his once unfaithful servant Onesimus, who 
 had been converted by his instrumentality while confined at 
 Rome. 
 
 In the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Apostle sets forth the 
 personal and mediatorial dignity and glory of Jesus Christ, 
 the Son of God, by whom the Father speaks to men under 
 the Gospel dispensation (ch. i. 1-4) ; proves from the Old 
 Testament Scriptures, that the Messiah is far greater than the 
 angels, and worshipped by them as their Creator and Lord 
 (ch. i. 5-14) ; exhorts them to attend to the Gospel, from the 
 consideration of the danger of " neglecting so great salvation," 
 thus revealed and confirmed (ch. ii. 1-4) ; advances further 
 proofs of the superiority of Christ to angels, notwithstanding 
 his temporary humiliation in our nature (ch. ii. 5-9) ; shows 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 119 
 
 the motives, reasons, condescension, and benefits of his in- 
 carnation, temptations, sufferings, and death, as connected 
 with his being the great High Priest and Saviour of his peo- 
 ple (ch. ii. 10-18) ; demonstrates and iUustrates the vast su- 
 periority of Christ above Moses (ch. iii. 1-6) ; solemnly 
 warns the Hebrews not to copy the example of their unbeliev- 
 ing ancestors who perished in the wilderness (ch. iii. 7-19, 
 iv. 1,2); exhibits the certainty and excellency of the heavenly 
 rest, of which that of the Sabbath, and of Canaan, were types 
 (ch. iv. 3-11); urges the energy of the word of God, the 
 omniscience of our Judge, the compassion of our great High 
 Priest, as powerful motives to steadfastness, and earnestness 
 in coming to the throne of grace (ch. iv. 12-16) ; demonstrates 
 the superiority of Christ to the Aaronic priesthood, as a *' High 
 Priest alter the order of Melchisedek" (ch. v. 1-10) ; reproves 
 the Hebrews for their small proficiency in Christianity (ch. 
 V. 11-14) ; purposes, therefore, to lead them forward in the 
 knowledge of Christ (ch. vi. 1-3) ; shows the desperate state 
 of apostates, which he illustrates by the simile of barren land 
 which no culture improves (ch. vi. 4-8) ; declares, however, 
 his favorable opinion of them, and his desire of their fruitful- 
 ness and diligence, in order to their assured hope to the end 
 (ch. vi. 9-12) ; expatiates on the security of the covenant of 
 grace, as confirmed to Abraham by the promise and oath of 
 God, for the strong consolation of all believers (ch. vi. 12- 
 20) ; proves and illustrates the superiority of Melchisedek's 
 typical priesthood above that of Aaron (ch. vii. 1-10) ; shows 
 it was intended that the priesthood should be changed, and 
 consequently the ritual law disannulled, at the coming of the 
 Messiah, that a better covenant and priesthood might take 
 place, which was needful for the perfect state of the church, 
 and for the salvation of all vs^ho come to God by Jesus Christ, 
 to the uttermost, and for ever (ch. vii. 11-28) ; produces 
 further evidence of the superiority of the Messiah's priesthood 
 to that of Aaron, and shows that it was predicted that the 
 Sinai covenant would be abrogated, to make way for a new 
 and better covenant, through a superior Mediator (ch. viii.) ; 
 exhibits the typical nature of the tabernacle, its furniture and 
 ordinances, applying it to the priesthood, sacrifice, and cove- 
 nant of Christ (ch. ix.) ; proves the inefficiency of the legal 
 sacrifices, and their abolition by the substitution of the sacri- 
 fice of Christ, by which believers obtain eternal remission 
 (cli. X. 1-18) ; exhorts the believing Hebrews to faith, prayer, 
 
120 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and constancy in the Gospel, and to love and good works, 
 showing the danger of wilfully renouncing Christ, after hav- 
 ing received the knowledge of the truth (ch. x. 19-39) ; illus- 
 traJfes the nature, excellency, efficacy, and fruits of faith by 
 the examples of the most eminent saints, from Abel to the 
 close of the Old Testament dispensation (ch. xi.) ; exhorts 
 them to constancy, patience, and diligence (ch. xii. 1-13) ; 
 to peace and holiness, and to jealous watchfulness over them- 
 selves and each other (ch. xii. 14-17) ; to an obedient recep- 
 tion of the Gospel, and a reverential worship of God (ch. xii. 
 18-29) ; to brotherly love, hospitality, compassion, chastity, 
 contentment, and trust in God (ch. xiii. 1-3) ; to recollect 
 the faith, examples, and happy end of their deceased pastors 
 (ch. xiii. 4-8) ; to watchfulness against false doctrines, re- 
 gard to the sacrifice of Christ, willingness to bear reproach 
 for him, thanksgiving to God, liberality to men, subjection to 
 vigilant and faithful teachers, and prayer for himself (ch. xiii. 
 9-19) ; and concludes with an earnest prayer to the " God 
 of peace," through the Great Shepherd, and the blood of his 
 covenant, for the Hebrews, and with apostolic salutations 
 (ch. xiii. 20-25). 
 
 In the General Epistle of James, the Apostle, addressing 
 " the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad," exhorts them 
 to joyful patience under trials (ch. i. 1-4) ; and to ask wis- 
 dom of God, in faith, with an unwavering mind (ch. i. 5-8) ; 
 counsels the poor and rich, and shows the happiness of those 
 who endure (ch. i. 9-12) ; shows that God tempts no man to 
 sin, but is the author of every good and perfect gift (ch. i. 13- 
 18) ; cautions them against pride, loquacity, anger, and ma- 
 lice, and admonishes them to receive the word of God with 
 meekness, and to reduce it to practice (ch. i. 19-27) ; cautions 
 them against partiality to the rich, and contempt of the poor, 
 especially in places of worship, as contrary to the law of love 
 (ch. ii. 1-9) ; shows that the transgression of one command- 
 ment violates the whole law (ch. ii. 10-12) ; proves that faith 
 without works is dead and unprofitable, which he illustrates 
 by the examples of Rahab and Abraham (ch. ii. 13-26) ; cau- 
 tions them against assuming and aspiring conduct (ch. iii. 1, 
 2) ; shows the fatal effects of an unbridled tongue, and the 
 duty of governing the tongue (ch. iii. 3-12) ; contrasts the 
 nature and defects of earthly wisdom, with those of heavenly 
 (ch. iii. 13-18) ; exhibits the bad eflects of the lusts and pas- 
 sions of the human heart (ch. iv. 1-6) ; exhorts to repentance, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 121 
 
 and to submission to God (ch. iv. 7-10) ; cautions them 
 against detraction and censoriousness, and carnal security, 
 and exhorts to dependance on God, by a consideration of the 
 shortness and uncertainty of life (ch. iv. 11-17) ; denounces 
 awful judgments on the rich and wicked Jews (ch. v. 1-6) ; 
 exhorts them to patience and meekness under trials, in the 
 hope of a speedy deliverance (ch. v. 7-11); cautions them 
 against swearing, and admonishes them to prayer and praise 
 (ch. v. 12, 13); gives suitable instructions concerning \dsit- 
 ing the sick, and concerning Christians confessing their faults 
 to one another, declaring the efficacy of fervent prayer (ch. 
 v. 14-18) ; and encourages them to attempt the conversion 
 of sinners, and the recovery of their offending brethren (ch. 
 v. 19, 20.) 
 
 In the First Epistle of Peter, the Apostle, addressing 
 the strangers and foreigners in Asia Minor, with salutations, 
 and thanksgivings to God for his abundant mercy, and the 
 inestimable blessings bestowed upon them (ch. i. 1-5) ; shows 
 the nature and benefit of their trials, and the joy in loving and 
 rejoicing in an unseen Saviour, and receiving his salvation, 
 by which they are counterbalanced, a salvation into which 
 the prophets had diligently inquired, and into which angels 
 desired to look, and the preaching of which by the apostles 
 the Holy Spirit had confirmed and prospered (ch. i. 6-12) ; 
 exhorts them, from these considerations, to a holy and cir- 
 cumspect conduct, as the worshippers of a holy God, and as 
 redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (ch. i. 13-20) ; 
 to a pure and fervent love of one another, being brethren by 
 regeneration, through the word of God (ch. i. 21-25), and to 
 lay aside all selfish and angry passions, that they may long 
 for " the sincere milk of the word," and grow by it (ch. ii. 1- 
 3) ; exhibits the preciousness of Christ, the chief Corner-stone, 
 to believers as built on him by faith, and thus made a holy 
 temple and a spiritual priesthood, while unbelievers stumble 
 and perish (ch. ii. 4-8) ; declares the character and privileges 
 of believers, as called out of darkness into light, to show forth 
 the praises of God (ch. ii. 9, 10) ; beseeches them to abstain 
 from fleshly lusts, and by their good conversation to glorify 
 God (ch. ii. 11, 12); enforces obedience to magistrates and 
 rulers (ch. ii. 13-17) ; and of servants to their masters ; ex- 
 horting them to suffer patiently even for well-doing, after the 
 example of Christ, and from love to him (ch. ii. 18-25) ; ex- 
 horts wives and husbands to fulfil their respective duties (ch. 
 
 11 
 
122 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 iii. 1-7) ; and Christians to live in amity, to forgive injuries, 
 to be steadfast under persecutions, and to profess and defend 
 the truth with meekness, and maintain a good conscience^ 
 according to the nature of their calling, their privileges, and 
 the example of Christ (ch. iii. 8-18) ; shows that the destruc- 
 tion of the impenitent antediluvians was an emblem of that of 
 the wicked, and the preservation of Noah and his family in 
 the ark, an emblem of the salvation of those who had not only 
 the sign of baptism, but the thing signified by it, through a 
 risen and glorified Redeemer (ch. iii. 18-22) ; exhorts them 
 to cease from sin, in conformity to Christ, who had suffered 
 for it, and to live holy lives, though reproached for it, in ex- 
 pectation of a future judgment (ch. iv. 1-6), sobriety, watch- 
 fulness, and prayer, because " the end of all things is at hand" 
 (ch. iv. 7), and to love, hospitality, and a due improvement of 
 talents, as the stewards of God, and in order to glorify him 
 (ch. iv. 8-1 1) ; gives various encouragements to patience, and 
 confidence in God, amid persecutions, with cautions and in- 
 structions (ch. iv. 12-19); exhorts "the elders to feed the 
 flock of God," willingly, cheerfully, disinterestedly, and hum- 
 bly, and to be examples to it, expecting from the chief Shep- 
 herd, at his appearance, an unfading crown of glory (ch. v. 
 1-4) ; requires the younger to submit to the elder, and all of 
 them to be " clothed with humility," " casting all their care 
 upon God" (ch. v, 5-7), and to be " sober, and vigilant," and 
 steadfastly, by faith, to " resist the devil," and bear tribulation 
 (ch. V. 8, 9) ; and concludes with prayers, salutations, and 
 benedictions (ch. v. 10-14.) 
 
 In the Second Epistle of Peter, the Apostle, having 
 saluted his brethren, and shown the blessings to which God 
 had called them (ch. i. 1-4) ; earnestly exhorts them to dili- 
 gence in every good work, in order to make " their calling and 
 election sure," intermixing suitable warnings and encourage- 
 ments (ch. i. 5-11); states, that aware of his approaching 
 martyrdom, he is the more diligent in thus admonishing them, 
 that they may remember these things aftjer his decease (ch. i. 
 12-15) ; urges the evidence of what he had seen and heard 
 *' in the holy mount," in confirmation of his testimony con- 
 cerning the power and coming of Christ, referring them to a 
 *' more sure mode of prophecy," and instructing them con- 
 cerning its interpretation and source (ch. i. 16-21) ; foretels 
 the coming of false teachers, showing their corrupt tenets 
 and practices, and the divine judgments against them (ch. ii.); 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 123 
 
 reminds his brethren of the promised coming of Christ, pre- 
 dicting that scoffers will ridicule their expectation of that 
 event, being willingly ignorant of the truth (ch. iii. 1-7) ,• 
 shows the reason why that great day is delayed, and its aw- 
 ful manner, circumstances, and consequences, with suitable 
 exhortations and encouragements to diligence and holiness 
 (ch. iii. 8-14) ; declares the agreement of his doctrine with 
 that of St. Paul (ch. iii. 15, 16) ; and concludes with warn- 
 ing the reader against seducers, and exhorting them to " grow 
 in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ" (ch. iii. 17, 18.) 
 
 In the First Epistle of John, the Apostle declares 
 what he had seen and heard of Christ, the Word of life, that 
 others may have fellowship with him, and with God and 
 Christ, and may share his joy (ch. i. 1-4) ; shows that those 
 who have communion with God, and are cleansed from sin 
 by the blood of Christ, walk in the light of holiness ; and 
 that the faithfulness and righteousness of God are engaged 
 in the pardon and cleansing of those who " confess their 
 sins ;" but all who " say they have no sin" are deceived or 
 deceivers (ch. i. 5-10) ; warns his " dear children" not to 
 sin, yet points out to them Christ the Advocate with the 
 Father, and the propitiation for their sins, and the sins of the 
 world (ch. ii. 1,2); shows that the knowledge of Christ, and 
 union with him, must be evidenced by obeying and imitating 
 him, and by love to the brethren (ch. ii. 3-11) ; warns them 
 against the "love of the world" (ch. ii. 12-17) ; cautions 
 them against many antichrists, who fatally seduce some pro- 
 fessed Christians, declaring the unction of the Holy Spirit an 
 effectual preservative against them (ch. ii. 18-22) ; points out 
 to them the true doctrine of Christ, exhorting them to adhere 
 to his truth, and abide in him, in expectation of his coming, 
 and to prove their regeneration by an habitually righteous 
 conduct (ch. ii. 23-29) ; breaks out in admiration of the love 
 of God, in making us his children, and giving us present 
 privileges, with the hope of inconceivable felicity, showing 
 that all who have this hope " purify themselves as he is 
 pure" (ch. iii. 1-3) ; shows how the children of God, and the 
 children of the devil, may be distinguished (ch. iii. 4-10) ; 
 exhorts them to "love one another," contrasting this love 
 with the example of Cain, and warning them to expect the 
 hatred of the world, pointing out " the love of the brethren" 
 as the distinguishing evidence of conversion, and explaining 
 its nature and effects (ch. iii. 11-24), warns them against 
 
124 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITV 
 
 those who falsely profess to be inspired, giving directions for 
 distinguishing the Spirit of truth from that of error (ch. iv. 
 1-6) ; exhorts them to love one another, from the example 
 of God in giving his Son for sinners, and from various con- 
 siderations, tending to show its nature, necessity, benefit, 
 efficacy (ch. iv. 7-21) ; shows the connexion between faith 
 in Christ, regeneration, love to God and his children, obedi- 
 ence to his commandments, and victory over the world (ch. 
 V. 1-5) ; states the manifold testimonies by which the doc- 
 trine of Christ is proved, declaring the inseparable union be- 
 tween faith and eternal life (ch. v. 6-13) ; reminds them of 
 the Lord's readiness to hear their prayers (ch. v. 14, 15) ; 
 gives an intimation that there is " a sin unto death," and the 
 regenerate man's security against it (ch. v. 16-18) ; strongly 
 marks the difference between " the world that lieth in wicked- 
 ness," and true believers (ch. v. 19, 20) ; and cautions them 
 against idolatry (ch. v. 21.) 
 
 In the Second Epistle of John, the apostle commends 
 " the elect lady and her children" for their virtuous conduct ; 
 exhorts them to love, obedience, and perseverance in the 
 truth ; warns them against the delusions of false teachers ; 
 and concludes with expressing his hope of seeing them short- 
 ly, and with salutations. 
 
 In the Third Epistle of John, the apostle commends 
 the steadfastness and hospitality of Gains, especially to the 
 ministers of Christ ; cautions him against the ambitious and 
 malicious designs of one Diotrephes ; highly commends De- 
 metrius to his friendship ; and giving intimations of an in- 
 tended visit, concludes with salutations. 
 
 It is probable that St. Jude wrote to caution his brethren 
 against the same deceivers whom St. Peter had opposed in 
 his second Epistle, to which this bears a striking resem- 
 blance, both in sentiment and style ; and it was probably 
 written about the same time, that is, towards the close of 
 A. D. 65, or the beginning of A. D. 66, 
 
 The Revelation of St. John opens with an account of the 
 source and design of the book, salutations to the seven 
 churches of Asia, ascriptions of glory to God, and a descrip- 
 tion of the extraordinary vision which the apostle had of the 
 l^ord Jesus appearing to him in glory, and commissioning him 
 to wiite these things to the churches (ch. i.) ; then follow 
 seven short Epistles from Christ himself to the seven princi- 
 pal churches of Asia, — to the church of Ephesus (ch. ii. 1- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 125 
 
 7), to the church of Smyrna (ch. ii. 8-11), to the church of 
 Pergamos (ch. ii. 12-17), to the church of Thyatira (ch. ii. 
 18-2.9), to the church of Sardis (ch. iii. 1-6), to the church 
 of Philadelphia (ch. iii. 7-13), and to the church of Laodicea 
 (ch. iii. 14-22). After this, the heavens being opened, the 
 apostle sees the divine glory (ch. iv.) ; beholds a sealed book, 
 which none but the Lamb can open, and hears the heavenly 
 choir sing the praises of Him that sits on the throne, and of 
 the Lamb that was slain (ch. v.) ; views the opening of the 
 first six seals, and the emblematical discovery of future events 
 made after each of them (ch. vi.) ; hears the number of the 
 sealed of the tribes of Israel, and sees an innumerable mul- 
 titude of all nations before the throne of God (ch. vii.) ; views 
 the opening of the seventh seal, and the appearance of seven 
 angels with seven trumpets (ch. viii. 1-5) ; hears the first 
 four trumpets sounded, and the denunciation of the three woes 
 (ch. viii. 6-13), the fifth trumpet, and the first wo (ch. ix. 1-12), 
 the sixth trumpet, and the second wo (ch. ix. 12, 13) ; be- 
 holds, in a vision, a mighty angel with an open little book in 
 his hand, which the apostle receives and eats up (ch. x.). 
 He is directed to measure the temple, the altar, and the wor- 
 shippers, but to leave " the outer court to the Gentiles" (ch. 
 xi. 1, 2). Power is given to two witnesses, who prophesy 
 in sackcloth 1260 days (ch. xi. 3-6). The beast makes war 
 upon them, and slays them ; but after three days and a half 
 they arise and ascend into heaven ; and divine judgments 
 overtake their enemies (ch. xi. 7-14). The seventh trum- 
 pet sounds ; and a discovery is made of the glorious events 
 that shall follow (ch. xi. 15-19). The apostle sees in vision 
 a travailing woman watched by a red dragon, that he might 
 devour her offspring : she is delivered of a son, who is caught 
 up to heaven, and she flees into the wilderness (ch. xii. 1-6). 
 Michael overcomes and casts out Satan, at which there is 
 great joy in heaven ; and wo is denounced on the earth, be- 
 cause of Satan's rage and malice (ch. xii. 7-12). The dragon 
 persecutes the woman, who escapes, with the wings which 
 are given her, into the wilderness, and is preserved from his 
 unwearied and varied efforts (ch. xii. 13-17). The apostle 
 sees " a beast rising out of the sea," of great power, rage, and 
 success (ch. xiii. 1-10); and afterwards "a second beast, 
 rising out of the earth," exercising the power of the first 
 beast, making an image of it, and compelling all to worship it 
 (ch. xiii. 11-18) ; has a view of the Lamb on Mount Zion 
 
 11* 
 
126 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 with the 144,000 elect, and hears the proclamations, or warn- 
 ings, given by several angels (ch. xiv) ; views seven angels 
 prepared to execute judgment, for which purpose seven vials 
 are given to them, and the temple is filled with smoke (ch. 
 XV.). The pouring out of the seven vials, with the judgments 
 which followed (ch. xvi.). The vision of the great harlot, the 
 mystical Babylon, and her utter desolation (ch. xvii.) ; the la- 
 mentation of the kings and merchants at her fall, and the re- 
 joicing of the apostles and prophets over it, (ch, xviii.) ; the 
 exultation in heaven over her, and at the approach of the 
 heavenly Jerusalem (ch. xix. 1-10). Christ and his follow- 
 ers are seen on white horses, obtaining great and decisive 
 victories, and utterly destroying all opponents, especially the 
 beast and the false prophets and their adherents, who are 
 cast alive into the lake of fire and brimstone (ch. xix. 11-21). 
 Satan is bound by an angel, and imprisoned in the abyss for 
 a thousand years (ch. xx. 1-3). The glorious state of the 
 church during that period (ch. xx. 4-6). Satan is again 
 loosed, deceives the nations, and excites a terrible war 
 against the church ; but the assailants are destroyed by fire 
 from heaven, and Satan is cast into hell (ch. xx. 7-10). The 
 general resurrection and final judgment (ch. xx. 11-15). A 
 description of the new heaven, and new earth, and of the new 
 Jerusalem, which is seen coming down from heaven, in which 
 the redeemed dwell in the presence, light, and glory of God 
 and the Lamb (ch. xxi., xxii. 1-5). The angel attests these 
 things to be faithful and true, and forbids John to worship him 
 (ch. xxii. 6-9). Christ himself shows the apostle, that the 
 state of men will soon be unchangeably fixed by his coming 
 to judgment; declares who shall enter heaven, and who shall 
 be excluded ; urgently calls upon all who hear, to invite all 
 who are atliirst, and are willing to accept of his salvation ; 
 and denounces plagues on all who add to, or take away from 
 the words of this prophecy (ch. xxii. 10-19). The apostle 
 desires the speedy advent of Christ, and concludes with a 
 benediction on his readers (ch. xxii. 20, 21). 
 
 4. By the principal facts being attested by certain commemo- 
 rative ordinances, such as, 
 
 Among the Jews, CircumcisioTiy the seal of the covenant with 
 Abraham, Gen. xvii. 10. — Herodotus, it is true (in lib. ii.), 
 says, " The Colchians, Egyptians, and Ethiopians are the 
 only nations in the world who have used circumcision from 
 
OF THE SACi^ED SCRIPTURES. 127 
 
 the remotest period ; and llie Phoenicians and Syrians, who 
 inhabit Palestine, acknowledge they received this from the 
 Egyptians." But Herodotus, as Dr. A. Clarke observes, 
 cannot mean Jews by Phoenicians and Syrians ; if he does, 
 he convicts himself of falsity ;' for no Jew ever did, or ever 
 could, acknowledge this with the history of Abraham in his 
 hand. But not only the Jews, but the Arabs, who are the 
 descendants of Ishmael, retain the rite of circumcision to this 
 day ; and the latter perform it, as the other Mahometans also 
 do, at the age of thirteen, the precise age of Ishmael when he 
 was circumcised, Gen. xvii. 25, 
 
 The Passover, instituted to commemorate the preservation 
 of the Israelites when all the first-born of the Egyptians were 
 destroyed ; in celebrating which, the ancient Jews had in 
 view the sufferings of the Messiah, as is evident from Pesa- 
 chim, fol. 119, quoted by Schoetgen ; where, among the five 
 things said to be contained in the Great Hallel, or the Hymn 
 composed of several Psalms sung after the paschal supper, 
 one is, the sufferings of the Messiah, for which they refer to 
 Ps. cxvi. 9. 
 
 Intimately connected with this, is the redemption of the first- 
 born, agreeably to the divine law. Num. xviii. 15, 16. This 
 is one of the rites which is still practised among the Jews. 
 According to Leo of Modena, it is performed in the following 
 manner : When the child is thirty days old, the father sends 
 for one of the descendants of Aaron : several persons being 
 assembled on the occasion, the father brings a cup, contain- 
 ing several pieces of gold and silver coin. The priest then 
 takes the child into his arms, and addressing himself to the 
 mother, he says, " Is this thy son V Mother. " Yes." Priest. 
 " Hast thou never had another child, male or female, a mis- 
 carriage, or untimely birth ?" Mother. " No." Priest. " This 
 being the case, this child, as first-born, belongs to me." Then 
 turning to the father, he says, " If it be thy desire to have this 
 child, thou must redeem it." Father. " I present thee with 
 this gold and silver for this purpose." Priest. " Thou dost 
 wish, therefore, to redeem the child ?" Father. " I do wish 
 60 to do." The priest, then turning himself to the assembly, 
 says, " Very well : this child, as first-born, is mine ; as it is 
 written in Bemidbar (ch. xviii. 16.) Thou shah redeem, the 
 drst-hurji of a month old for five shekels ; but I shall content 
 myself with this in exchange." He then takes two gold 
 crowns, or thereabouts, and returns the child to his parents. 
 
128 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 The feast of Tabernacles, kept in commemoration of their 
 dwelling in tents in the wilderness for forty years. The first 
 and last days were to be kept as sabbaths, on which there 
 were solemn assemblies ; and for seven days sacrifices were 
 offered. On the other festivals, two bullocks sufficed (Num. 
 xxviii. 11, 19, 27), and on the festival at the beginning of this 
 month, only one was appointed ; but, on the first day of thia 
 festival, thirteen young bullocks were appointed ; and so on 
 each successive day, with the decrease of only one bullock, 
 till on the seventh day, there were only seven, making in all 
 seventy bullocks. The lambs, and the rams also, were in a 
 double proportion to the number sacrificed at any other festi- 
 val. This was an expensive service ; but more easy at this 
 time of the year than any other, as Bp. Patrick observes, be- 
 cause now their barns were full, and their wine-presses over- 
 flowed ; and their hearts might well be supposed to be more 
 enlarged than at other times, in thankfulness to God for the 
 multitude of his mercies. The Jewish doctors gave this rea- 
 son for the daily diminution of the number of the bullocks : 
 the whole number, say they, was according to the languages 
 of the seventy nations of the world ; and the diminution of 
 one every day signified, that there should be a gradual dimi- 
 nution of those nations till all things were brought under the 
 government of the Messiah ; in whose days " no sacrifices 
 shall remain, but those of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise.'* 
 This feast was kept with greater jollity than any of the other 
 festivals. Hence, in the Talmud, it is often called :n chag, 
 the feast, fni-' ^io^nv ; and by Philo, "prw^ }xtyiaTr)v, the greatest 
 of the feasts ; and hence, also, it became more noticed by the 
 heathen than any other. It is probable that Cecrops borrow- 
 ed from it the law which he made in Athens, " that the mas- 
 ter of every family should after harvest make a feast for his 
 servants, and eat together with them who had taken pains 
 with him in tilling his grounds." (Macrob. Saturn. 1. i. c. 10.) 
 And, as it was kept at the time of vintage, it is not unlikely 
 that the heathens borrowed their Bacchanalia from it ; and 
 this might lead Plutarch into that egregious mistake, that the 
 Jews celebrated it in honor of Bacchus, " because he had a 
 feast exactly of the same kind, called i\ie feast of tahernacleSy 
 cK-m'T, which they celebrated in the time of vintage, bringing 
 tables into the open air, furnished with all kinds of fruit, and 
 silling under tents made of vine branches and ivy." (Sympos. 
 liv. Q. 6.) At this feast, there was an extraordinary ceremo- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 129 
 
 ny of which the rabbins inform us, though there is not the 
 least hint of it in the law of Moses ; namely, the drawing 
 water out of the pool of Siloam, and pouring it, mixed with 
 wine, on the sacrifice as it lay on the altar. This they are 
 said to have done with such expressions of joy, that it became 
 a common proverb, " He that never saw the rejoicing of 
 drawing of water, never saw rejoicing in all his life." (Mish- 
 nah, Succah, c. v. § i.) The Jews pretend to ground this 
 custom on the following passage of Isaiah (ch. xii. 3) ; " With 
 joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation ;" and 
 to this ceremony Jesus is supposed to refer, when " in the 
 last day, the great day of the feast, he stood and cried, say- 
 ing, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink ; he 
 that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly 
 shall flow rivers of living water" (Jno. vii. 37, 38) : thereby 
 calling off the people from their carnal mirth and festive and 
 pompous ceremonies, to seek spiritual refreshment for their 
 minds. 
 
 The feast of Pentecost, established in commemoration of 
 the giving of the law, Lev. xxiii. 15 ; Deut. xvi. 9 ; and ob- 
 served in the time of the apostles, Acts ii. 1, &c. 
 
 TheJeast of PfrnVw, ^15, j!?wr, seems to be derived either 
 from the Persian j-^, hahr^ and yJ» har, a part, portion, lot, 
 or ^^^L^, pari, any thing which happens /or^wiVow^Zy, or for- 
 tunately ; whence the annual festival in commemoration of 
 the wonderful deliverance of the Jews from their enemies was 
 called tJ'i'ms, Purim, or in Arabic and Persian y^, Fuhr, or 
 
 Lots ; which has been observed by them, in all places of their 
 dispersion, from that day to the present time, without any in- 
 terruption. Though some Christians have hesitated to receive 
 the Book of Esther into the sacred canon, yet it has always 
 been received by the Jews, not only as perfectly authentic, 
 but also as one of the most excellent of their sacred books. 
 That it is a genuine and faithful description of a real fact, the 
 observation of the feast of Purim, to the present day, is a suf- 
 ficient evidence ; since it is impossible, and in fact incon- 
 ceivable, that a nation should institute, and afterwards con- 
 tinue to celebrate without interruption, through every genera- 
 tion of that people, in a long succession of ages, in whatever 
 places they may have sojourned, this solemn annual festival, 
 merely because one of their nation had written an agreeable 
 
130 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 fable or romance. It has been remarked, as an objection to 
 this book, that the name of God nowhere occurs in it : his 
 superintending providence, however, is frequently illustrated. 
 It is shown, indeed, in every part of the work ; disconcerting 
 evil designs, and producing great events, by means seeming- 
 ly inadequate. It also presents an interesting description of 
 mortified pride, and of malice baffled to the destruction of its 
 possessors ; and exhibits a very lively representation of the 
 vexations and troubles, the anxieties, treachery, and dissimu- 
 lation of a corrupt court. 
 
 Fasts in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
 temple by Nebuchadnezzar. It appears from 2 Kings xxv. 8, 
 that Nebuzar-adan came from Riblah to Jerusalem on the 
 seventh of the fifth month ; but it seems from Jer. li. 5, that 
 he did not set fire to the temple and city till the tenth day, 
 being probably occupied on the intervening days in taking the 
 vessels out of the house of the Lord, and collecting together 
 all the riches that could be found. In memory of this 
 calamity, the Jews keep two fasts to this day ; the seven- 
 teenth of the fourth month, which falls in June, for the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem, and the ninth of the fifth month, which 
 falls in July, for the destruction of the temple ; both of which 
 are mentioned by Zechariah (vii. 3-5, viii. 19), as kept from 
 this event till his time, a period of 70 years, under the names 
 of the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth 
 month. 
 
 Among Christians^ Baptism, appointed to be administered 
 to all Christian converts. Matt, xxviii. 19; Mark xvi. 16 ; ad- 
 ministered to three thousand. Acts ii. 41 ; to the family of 
 Lydia, Acts xvi. 15 ; of the jailer, 23 ; and which is an em- 
 blem of the death and resurrection of Christ, Rom. vi. 6. 
 
 The Lord's Supper, instituted in remembrance of our Lord's 
 death, Matt. xxvi. 26; Mark xiv. 22 ; Luke xxii. 19 ; Acts ii 
 42 ; 1 Cor. x. 16 ; and the requisites to the proper receiving 
 of which are stated, 1 Cor. xi. 28 ; the disorders committed 
 therein by the Corinthians reproved, 1 Cor. xi. 17 ; and 
 the danger of unworthily receiving it exhibited, 1 Cor. 
 xi. 29. 
 
 The Lord's Day, in commemoration of His resurrection 
 which we find observed by the apostles, &c., Acts xx. 7; 
 1 Cor. xvi. 2 ; Rev. i. 10. 
 
 5. r>y the wonderful establishment and propagation of Chris- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 131 
 
 tianity, its triumph over the bigotry of the Jews, and the 
 lawlessness and luxuriousness of ihe heathen. 
 
 Two facts will illustrate this position ; the conversion of 
 the Apostle Paul, and the success of the Christian religion at 
 Corinth. 
 
 It is evident that the Apostle Paul considered his extra- 
 ordinary conversion as a most complete demonstration of the 
 truth of Christianity ; and when all the particulars of his edu- 
 cation, his previous religious principles, his zeal, his enmity 
 against Christians, and his prospects of secular honors and 
 preferments by persecuting them, are compared with the sub- 
 sequent part of his life, and the sudden transition from a 
 furious persecutor to a zealous preacher of the gospel, in 
 which he labored and suffered to the end of his life, and for 
 which he died a martyr, it must convince every candid and 
 impartial person, that no rational account can be given of this 
 change, except what he himself assigns ; and consequently, 
 if that be true, that Christianity is divine. 
 
 Corinth, favored by its situation between two seas, rose to 
 the summit of dignity and splendor. From its extensive 
 commerce, it abounded with riches, and was furnished with 
 all the accommodations, elegances, and superfluities of life ; 
 and far exceeded all the cities in the world in the magnifi- 
 cence of its public buildings, such as temples, palaces, thea- 
 tres, porticoes, cenotaphs, baths, and other edifices. But 
 wealth produced luxury, and luxury a total corruption of man- 
 ners : so that the inhabitants became infamous to a proverb, 
 lasciviousness in particular being not only tolerated, but 
 forming a considerable portion of their religion. Notwith- 
 standing this, the arts, sciences, and literature still continued 
 to flourish, every part of the Grecian learning being highly 
 cultivated ; so that before its destruction by the Romans, 
 Cicero (pro lege Manl. c. 5) scrupled not to call it totius 
 GrmcicB lumen, " The light of all Greece." It possessed 
 numerous schools, in which philosophy and rhetoric were 
 taught by able masters ; and strangers resorted thither from 
 all quarters to be instructed in the sciences. Attention to 
 these circumstances will account for several things men- 
 tioned by the Apostle in his letters to this city ; which things, 
 without this knowledge of their previous Gentile state and 
 customs, we could not comprehend. It is indubitably certain, 
 as the Apostle states, that they carried these things to an ex- 
 
132 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 tent that was never practised in any other Gentile country ; 
 and yet, even in Corinth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, effect- 
 ing what learning and philosophy were utterly unable to ac~ 
 complish, prevailed over universal corruption and depravity, 
 so much so that it became the seat of a flourishing Christian 
 church ! 
 
 6. By the principal facts recorded in the Scriptures being con- 
 firmed by the accounts of ancient heathen authors ; such as 
 
 (1.) The creation of the world out of chaos, — Thus Hesiod, 
 by a corrupt tradition of the truth, makes chaos first in ex- 
 istence ; from which he brings Erebus (S^2?, erev, evening) 
 
 and Nio-Jit (Qeoy. v. 123) : Ek S' EpsPos re, ^eXatva re Nt^ tYevovTo- 
 
 and he also makes the night or darkness prior to the light or 
 
 day, Nu^rof (5' avr AiOrjp re ^fat.'K/xepa e^ eyevovro, Ovi tcks Kva-aajxtvr}, Epeffei 
 
 (piXorrin fiiyeicra. Aristophaucs (iu Av. as cited by Lucian in 
 Philopatr.) says, ^aos w Kai Nv|, Ept(3os re nsXav irpoiToi — " Chaos 
 was first, and Night, and gloomy Erebus." " In the beginning,' 
 says Orpheus (Suid. voc. Op<p. Cedren. ex Timol. p. 57. Procl. 
 in Tim. /?«/?. /?. p. 117), " the heavens were made by God; and 
 in the heavens there was a Chaos, and a terrible darkness 
 was on all the parts of this Chaos, and covered all things 
 under the heaven." Anaxagoras, as Laertius informs us (lib. 
 ii. sec. 6), begins his book, " All things were at first in one 
 mass ; but an intelligent agent (or mind) came and put them 
 
 in order ; Yiavra ^prjixara rjv Ojtov' lira Norj eXBwv avra 6ieK0<TiiJ)(Tf OX as 
 
 Aristotle gives us his opinion (Phys. Aus. 1. viii. c. 1), "All 
 things lay in one mass, for a vast space of time, but an in- 
 telligent agent came and put them in motion, and so separated 
 
 them from one another." ^rjui yap Ava^ayopas,- Ojiov rravruv ovTMv 
 nai nptfiovvrcov rov airtipov -y^povov, Kivriaiv efnroiriaai rov "^ovv Kai iiaKpivai. 
 
 (2.) The completion of creation in six days. — The general 
 adoption of the division of time into weeks, which is perfectly 
 arbitrary, and which extends from the states of Europe to the 
 shores of Hindostan, and has equally prevailed from the most 
 remote antiquity among the Hebrews, Chaldeans, Assyrians, 
 Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the nations of the 
 north, affords a most striking collateral confirmation of this 
 fact. See Goguet's Origin of Laws, &c. vol. i. b. iii. ch. ii. 
 art. 2. Mallet's Northern Antiquities, vol. i. p. 357, &c. 
 
 (3.) The state of innocence. — This was the origin of the 
 fabled golden age, so exquisitely described by the classic 
 poets ; and which mav be distinctly traced in the legends of 
 
 1 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 133 
 
 our Scythian ancestors, and in the age of perfection among 
 the Hindoos (Strabo, 1. xv. Ramayuna, b. i. ^ 5, 6) ; and in 
 the classical story of the garden of the Hesperides, we may 
 eqiriUy discover an evident tradition of the Mosaical paradise 
 and of the promised Saviour, who was to bruise the head of 
 the dragon. See Faber's Horae Mosaicae, vol. i. pp. 41-50. 
 
 (4.) The fall, and introduction of sin. — See Faber, vol. i. 
 pp. 65-71. Edwards on Scripture, vol. i. pp. 108-110. Gray's 
 Connection, vol. i. pp. 143-147, &c. 
 
 (5.) The longevity of the antediluvians. — " All," says 
 Josephus (Ant. 1. i. c. 3), " who have committed to writing 
 the antiquities either of the Greeks or Barbarians, attest this 
 longevity of the men before the flood ;" and he immediately 
 subjoins, " Manetho, who wrote an account of the Egyptians, 
 Bcrosus, who compiled [an account of] the aflairs of Chaldea, 
 and Moschus, and Hestiaeus, and with them Hieronymus the 
 Egyptian, who have treated of the aflairs of Egypt, agree with 
 me in this. Also Hesiod, and Hecatseus, and Hellanicus, 
 and Acusilaus, and Ephorus, and Nicolaus, relate that the 
 ancients lived a thousand years." Similar traditions of the 
 longevity of men in former ages, are found among the Birmans 
 and Chinese. See Faber, vol. i. pp. 92, 93. 
 
 (6.) The deluge. — The truth of this important fact is shown 
 by evidence subsisting to the present day. The highest 
 eminences of the earth, the Alps, the Apennines, Pyrenees, 
 Libanus, Atlas, and Ararat ; every mountain of every region 
 under heaven, where search has been made, all conspire in 
 one uniform, universal proof that they all had the sea spread 
 over their highest summits ; being found to contain shells, 
 skeletons of fish, and sea monsters of every kind. The most 
 incontestable evidence has been aflbrded of the universality 
 of this fact : the moosedeer,. a native of America, has been 
 found buried in Ireland; elephants, natives of Asia and Africa, 
 in the midst of England ; crocodiles, natives of the Nile, in 
 the heart of Germany ; and shell-fish, never known in any 
 but the American seas, with the entire skeletons of whales, 
 in the most inland counties of England. This great fact is 
 not only fully confirmed by these fossilized remains in every 
 quarter of the globe, but is attested by Berosus, the Chaldean 
 (Joseph, cont. Ap. 1. i. ^ 19), Hieronymus, the Egyptian, 
 Nicolaus of Damascus (Joseph. Ant. 1. i. c. 3), Abydenus, an 
 ancient Assyrian historian (Abyd. in Euseb. Prsep. Evang. 1. 
 ix. c. 12), Polyhistor, another ancient historian (Cvril. cont. 
 
 12 
 
134 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Julian. 1. i.) ; and, among the Greeks, by Plato (De Leg. 1 
 iii.) and Lucian (in Timon. De Saltatione, et De Syria Dea) ; 
 while Ovid's description of Deucalion's flood (Ovid. Met. 1. 
 i.) is so well known and remembered by every scholar, that 
 it is needless to point out its identity with that of Noah. Add 
 to this, that general traditions of the deluge have been traced 
 among the Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese, Hindoos, Birmans, 
 ancient Goths and Druids, Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, 
 North American Indians, Greenlanders, Otaheiteans, Sand- 
 wich Islanders, and almost every nation under heaven ; while 
 the allegorical turgidity of these distorted traditions sufficiently 
 distinguishes them from the unadorned simplicity of the Mosaic 
 narrative. 
 
 (7.) The ark and dove. — Plutarch (De Solertia Animalium, 
 p. 968, tom. ii.) observes, that a dove was sent out by Deu- 
 calion, which entering into the ark again, was a sign of the 
 continuance of the flood, but afterwards flying jiway, was a 
 sign of serene weather. Lucian more than once mentions 
 the great deluge in Deucalion's time, and the ark which 
 preserved the small remnant of the human race. (In Timon. 
 p. 59. De Saltatione, p. 930, tom. i. et de Syria Dea, pp. 882, 
 883, tom. ii. edit. Benedict.) 
 
 (8.) The tower of Babel. — This fact is attested by Berosus, 
 the Chaldean historian, who says that it was erected by 
 giants, who waged war with the gods, and were at length 
 dispersed, and the edifice beaten down by a great wind. Ac- 
 cording to Josephus (Ant. 1. i. c. 4, § 3), the building of this 
 tower is also mentioned by Hestiaeus, and by one of the an- 
 cient sibyls ; and also, as Eusebius inform us (Praep. Evang. 
 1. ix. c. 14), by Abydenus and Eupolemus. The tower of 
 Babel, Herodotus informs us, was a furlong, or 660 feet, ia 
 length and breadth ; and, according to Strabo, it rose to the 
 same altitude. It was of a pyramidical form, consisting of 
 eight square towers, gradually decreasing in breadth, with a 
 winding ascent on the outside, so very broad as to allow 
 horses and carriages to pass each other, and even to turn. 
 This magnificent structure, which seemed to menace the 
 stars, is brought down to the ground, so that its very site is 
 doubtful ; and when supposed to be discovered, in all cases 
 exhibiting a heap of rubbish. 
 
 (9.) The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. — This is 
 expressly attested by Diodorus Siculus (1. xix. c. 98), Strabo 
 (1. xvi.), Solinus (c. 36), Tacitus (Hist. 1. v. c. 6), Plinv (1. v. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 135 
 
 c. 16), and Josephus (BeU. 1. iv. c. 8, ^ 4) ; whose accounts 
 mainly agree with the Mosaic narrative ; and their reports, 
 respecting the physical appearance of the Dead Sea, are 
 confirmed, in all material points, by the relations of modern 
 travellers. 
 
 (10.) Many particulars respecting Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, 
 and Moses. Thus, respecting Abraham, Ebn Batrik, in his 
 annals, among other ancient traditions, has preserved the fol- 
 lowing : " Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abra- 
 ham ; afterwards, he married Tehevita, by whom he had 
 Sarah," which agrees with Gen. xx. 11. 
 
 Agreeably to the account of the sacred writer of the beauty 
 of Joseph, he is universally regarded as the Adonis of the 
 East ; his beauty being so celebrated, that a handsome man 
 is frequently compared to him ; and the Persian poets vie 
 with each other in descriptions of his comeliness. Moham- 
 med spends the 12th chapter of the Koran entirely on Joseph ; 
 whom he represents as a perfect beauty, and the most accom- 
 plished of mortals. Two of the finest poems in the Persian 
 language were written on the subject of Joseph and his mis- 
 tress, by the poets Jamy and Nizamy. The fable of the 
 brave and virtuous Bellerophon and Sthenobia, wife of Prae- 
 tus, king of the Argives, is also supposed to have been 
 founded on, his history. 
 
 Numenius, a Pythagorean philosopher, mentioned by Euse- 
 bius, speaks of the opposition of the magicians, whom he 
 calls Jannes and Jambres, to the miracles o{ Moses. Though 
 the names of these magicians are not preserved in the Sacred 
 Text, yet tradition had preserved them in the Jewish records, 
 from which St. Paul (2 Ti. iii. 8) undoubtedly quotes. In the 
 Targum of Jonathan, on Ex. vii. they are called D'^^a^'^1 D'^3'^, 
 Jams and Jamhris ; in the Babylonian Talmud, Joanne and 
 Mamhre ; in the comment of R. Tanchum, Jonas and Jom- 
 bras ; and Abul Faragius (edit. Pococke, p. 26), says thatTher- 
 muthis, the daughter of Pharaoh, delivered Moses to the wise 
 men Janees and Jimbrees, to be instructed in wisdom. 
 
 (11.) The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and their 
 miraculous passage of the Red Sea, which are attested by 
 Palemon and Chaeremon (cited by African, in Euseb.), 
 Manetho (Joseph, cont. Apion. 1. i.), Berosus, Artapanus 
 (Euseb. Praep. Evang. 1. ix. c. 27), Strabo, Diodorus Siculus 
 (1. iii. c. 39), Numenius, Justin (1. xxxvi. c. 2), and Tacitus 
 (Hist. 1 V. ^ 5), with some absurd additions from perverted 
 
136 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 information. The tradition mentioned by Diodorus, among 
 the Ichthyophagi, who lived near the Red Sea, that the whole 
 bay was once laid bare to the very bottom, and that the waters 
 afterwards returned to their accustomed channel with a most 
 tremendous revulsion, is not extinct to the present day. The 
 inhabitants of the neighborhood of Corondel, according to 
 Dr. Shaw (Travels, p. 349), preserve the remembrance of a 
 mighty army having been once drowned in the bay which 
 Ptolemy calls Clysma. The very country where the event 
 happened, in some degree bears testimony to the accuracy 
 of the Mosaic narrative. The Scriptural Etham is still called 
 Etti ; the wilderness of Shur^ the mountain of Sinai, and the 
 country of Paran are still known by the same names (Niebuhr, 
 Travels, vol. i. pp. 182, 191) ; and Marah, Elath, and Midian, 
 are still familiar to the ears of the Arabs. 
 
 (12.) The giving of the law, and divine appearances. — • 
 Several writers, particularly Orpheus, in the verses ascribed 
 to him, speak of the delivery of the two tablets of the law 
 from God, and of the institution of the Hebrew rites (Diodor. 
 1. i.) Add to this that many of the notions of the heathen 
 respecting the appearance of the Deity, and their religious 
 institutions and laws, were borrowed from this book ; and 
 many of their fables, as has been shown, were nothing more 
 than distorted traditions of those events which are here 
 plainly related by Moses. 
 
 (13.) The history of Job. — The real existence of Job is 
 proved by the concurrent testimony of all eastern tradition : 
 he is mentioned by the author of the Book of Tobit, who 
 lived during the Assyrian captivity (Tob. ii. 12, in the Vul- 
 gate) ; he is also repeatedly mentioned by Mohammed as a 
 real character (Sale's Koran, pp. 271, 375, 4to) ; and the 
 whole of his history, with many fabulous additions, was known 
 among the Syrians, Chaldeans, and Arabians ; among the 
 latter of whom, many of the noblest families are distinguished 
 by his name, and boast of being descended from him (Elmacir, 
 Hist. Saracen, p. 3, D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient, voce Aiub.) 
 
 The history of Job, then, though greatly disguised, is well 
 known among the Asiatics. He is called by Arabian and 
 Persian historians Ayouh, which is merely a different pro- 
 nunciation of the Hebrew yv^^^Eeyov, which has been strange- 
 ly metamorphosed by Europeans into Job. In the Tarcekh 
 Muntekhch, his genealogy is given thus : " Ayoub the son of 
 Anosh, the son of Kazakh, the son of Ais (Esau), the son of 
 
 j 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 137 
 
 Isaac. He was a prophet ; and was afflicted with a grievous 
 malady three years, or, according to others, seven years ; at 
 the end of which, when eighty years of age, he was re 
 stored to perfect health, and had a son called Bash ben Ayoub. 
 Other writers say he had Jive sons, with whom he made Avar 
 upon a brutil people called Dsul Kefel, whom he extirpated 
 because they refused to receive the knowledge of the true 
 God, whom he preached to them." Abul Faragius, who calls 
 him Ayoub assadeek, Job the righteous, says that the trial of 
 .Tob happened in the twenty-fifth year of Nahor, son of Serug ; 
 thus making him prior to Abraham. Khondemir, who entitles 
 him Job the patient, says he was descended by his father's 
 side from Esau, and by his mother from Lot ; and then pro- 
 ceeds to give his history, the same, upon the whole, as that 
 contained in this book, though blended with fables. The 
 facts are, however, the same, and we find that, with the ori- 
 ental historians, the personality, temptation, and deliverance 
 of Job are matters of serious credibility. In fact, whatever 
 uncertainty and variety of opinion may have existed respect- 
 ing the country, parentage, and age of Job, the reality of his 
 history has never been, and never can be, successfully ques- 
 tioned ; and whoever was the author of this book, and in 
 whatever time or language it may have been written, it has ever 
 been received by both tlie Jewish and Christian churches, as 
 perfectly authentic, and written by the inspiration of the Al- 
 mighty. 
 
 (14.) The history of Jonah. — The fame of the prophet's 
 deliverance appears to have been widely propagated among 
 the heathen nations ; and the Greeks, ever fond of adorning 
 the memory of their heroes by every event and embellishment 
 which they could appropriate, added to the fictitious adven- 
 tures of Hercules, that of having continued three days and 
 nights in the belly of a sea monster, Kap^apog kvov, or sharks 
 cutting and hacking his entrails, and afterwards coming out 
 of the monster without any injury, except the loss of his 
 hair. The fable of Arion and the Dolphin, of which the date 
 is fixed at a period nearly coeval with that of Jonah, is pro- 
 bably also a misrepresr'.itation of the particulars recorded in 
 this sacred Book. 
 
 (15.) The fertility of Palestine. — See Josephus (Ant. 1. v. 
 c. 1, ^ 21 ; 1. XV. c. 5, § 1 ; Bell. 1. iii. c. 3, ^ 2), Hecatajus 
 (in Joseph, cont. Ap. I. i. § 22), Pliny (1. v. c. 17), Tacitus 
 (1. v. c. 6), Justin (1. xxxvi. c. 3), and Ammianus Marcelli- 
 
 12* 
 
138 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 nus (1. xix. c. 26). See also Maundrell, Shaw, Dr. E. D. 
 Clarke (Trav. P. ii. pp. 520, 521, 4to), &c. 
 
 (16.) The destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua and the 
 Israelites. — Besides several of the transactions related in the 
 Book of Joshua being confirmed by the traditions current 
 among heathen nations, and preserved by ancient profane his- 
 torians of undoubted character, there are ancient monuments 
 extant, which prove that the Carthaginians were a colony of 
 Syrians who escaped from Joshua ; as also that the inhabi- 
 tants of Leptis in Africa came originally from the Sidonians, 
 who abandoned their country on account of the calamities 
 with which it was overwhelmed. Procopius relates (Vandal. 
 1. ii. c. 10), that the Phoenicians fled before the Hebrews into 
 Africa, and spread themselves abroad as far as the pillars of 
 Hercules, and adds, " In Numidia, where now stands the city 
 Tigisis (Tangiers), they have erected two columns, on which, 
 2n Phoenician characters, is the following inscription : ' We 
 are the Phoenicians, who fled from the face of Jesus (or 
 Joshua) the son of Naue (Nun).' " The overthrow of Og, 
 king of Bashan, and the Anakim, is considered as having 
 given rise to the fable of the overthrow of the giants ; and the 
 tempest of hail-stones was transformed by the poets into a 
 tempest of stones with which Jupiter overwhelmed the ene- 
 mies of Hercules in Arim, exactly the country where Joshua 
 fought with the children of Anak. 
 
 (17.) Jephthah's devoting his daughter — which gave rise 
 to the story of Iphigenia {Iphthygenia, i. e. the daughter of 
 Jcphthah) being sacrificed by her father Agamemnon to gain 
 the gods over to his side. 
 
 (18.) The history of Samson. — The Vulpinaria, or feast of 
 foxes, celebrated by the Romans at the feast of Ceres, in the 
 month of April (the Jewish harvest, but the Roman seed- 
 time), in which they fixed burning torches to the tails of a 
 number of foxes, and let them run through the circus till they 
 were burnt to death, said to be in revenge upon that species 
 of animal for having once burnt up the fields of corn, was 
 evidently derived from the story of Samson, probably convey- 
 ed into Italy by the Phoenicians. In the history of Samson 
 and Delilah, we have the original of Nisus, king of Megara, 
 and his daughter Scylla, who cut ofi" the fatal purple lock, 
 upon which victory depended, and gave it to his enemy xMinos, 
 then at war with him, who by that means destroyed both him 
 and his kingdom. And, to mention no more, it appears highly 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 139 
 
 probable, that Samson is the original and essential Hercules 
 of fable ; for although the poets have united several particu- 
 lars drawn from Moses and Joshua, and have added their own 
 inventions, yet the most capital and considerable belong to 
 Samson, and are distinguished by characters so peculiar to 
 him, as to render Jiim easily discerned throughout the whole. 
 (19.) The history of Samuel and Saul. — The following 
 history is given by the Afghans, a people generally supposed 
 to be of Jewish origin : " In a war which raged between the 
 children of Israel and the Amalekites, the latter being victo- 
 rious, plundered the Jews, and obtained possession of the Ark 
 of the Covenant. Considering this [as] the God of the Jews, 
 they threw it into the fire, which did not aflect it. They 
 afterwards attempted to cleave it with axes, but without 
 success : every individual who treated it with indignity was 
 punished for his temerity. They then placed it in their 
 temple ; but all their idols bowed to it. At length they 
 fastened it upon a cow, which they turned loose in the wil- 
 derness. When the prophet Samuel arose, the Children of 
 Israel said to him, ' We have been totally subdued by the 
 Amalekites, and have no king. Raise to us a king, that we 
 may be enabled to contend for the glory of God.' Samuel 
 said, ' In case you are led out to battle, are you determined 
 to fight V They answered, ' What has befallen us, that we 
 should not fight against infidels ? That nation has banished 
 us from our country and children.' At this time the angel 
 Gabriel descended, and delivering a wand, said, ' It is the 
 command of God, that the person whose stature shall cor- 
 respond with this wand shall be king of Israel.' Melee Tdlut 
 was at that time a man of inferior condition, and performed 
 the humble employment of feeding the goats and cows of 
 others. One day, a cow under his charge was accidentally 
 lost. Being disappointed in his searches, he was greatly 
 distressed, and appUed to Samuel, saying, ' I have lost a cow, 
 and I do not possess the means of satisfying the owner. Pray 
 for me, that I may be extricated from this difficulty.' Samuel 
 perceiving that he was a man of lofty stature, asked his name. 
 He answered, ' Tdliit: Samuel then said, ' Measure Talut 
 with the wand which the angel Gabriel brought.' His stature 
 was equal to it. Samuel then said, ' God has raised Talut 
 to be your ki ig.' The Children of Israel answered, 'We 
 are greater than our king. We are men of dignity, and he is 
 of inferior condition. How shall he be our king?' Samuel 
 
140 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 informed them, they should know that God had constituted 
 Talut king, by his restoring the Ark of the Covenant. He 
 accordingly restored it, and they acknowledged him their 
 sovereign." Asiatic Researches, vol. ii. p. 119, et seq. 
 
 Similar accounts are current among the Orientals. They 
 relate, that Samuel having made his report to God, that the 
 Hebrews were resolved to have a king, God gave him a vessel 
 or horn full of oil, and a stafl', revealing to him, that the man 
 in whose presence the oil should boil in the vessel, and whose 
 stature should be equal to that staff, was appointed for their 
 king. No sooner was this determination published among 
 the people, but all the chiefs of the tribes came with great 
 eagerness to measure themselves by the staff, and to try if 
 the oil would boil in their presence ; but in vain. Saul, 
 otherwise called Sharek, and surnamed Talut, i. e. the Tall, 
 who was no more than a carrier of water, or dresser of leather, 
 came to the prophet among the rest, and immediately the oil 
 began to boil in his presence, and he was found just the height 
 of the miraculous staff. On these tokens, Samuel declared 
 him king ; but the heads of the tribes, especially that of 
 Judah, to whom the royal dignity had been promised, ex- 
 postulated, saying, How can this man be our king, who has 
 no estate ? How can he support the expense and dignity of 
 the royal state ? Samuel replied. The Lord has chosen him, 
 who disposes of kingdoms without control, to whomsoever he 
 pleases. The Israelites would not yet submit, but insisted 
 on having a sign from Samuel, that they might be assured 
 from God, that this was his will. Samuel answered them, 
 This is the miracle that God gives you to confirm his choice ; 
 the ark of the Lord which was taken away by the Philistines, 
 shall be brought back to you by the angels. When, there- 
 fore, the election of Saul was proclaimed, the Philistines 
 being resolved to conceal the ark of the Lord, which had 
 caused them so many misfortunes by its presence, they hid 
 it in a dunghill, but they were smote with a shameful disease, 
 which determined them to send it back to the confines of the 
 land of Israel. It was no sooner arrived at this place, than 
 the angels of the Lord took it up, and carried it to the taber- 
 nacle of Shiloh ; and this miracle secured Saul in his king- 
 dom. (See D'Herbelot, Biblioth. Orient, p. 735, 1021.) These 
 traditions may justly be regarded as a confirmation, if such 
 were really wanting, of the Scripture History ; and as genuine 
 instances of the variations of tradition from that precision 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 141 
 
 which belongs to truth, even while it approaches near lo truth. 
 In reading this, and similar tales, it is impossible the observa- 
 tion should escape our notice, how much superior the simple 
 narrations of Scripture are to whatever is current elsewhere; 
 what additional authority they derive from their simplicity, 
 and their unlabored, unassuming manner ; what nature there 
 is in them, what ease and verisimility. No person, whose 
 taste and judgment are undepraved, can hesitate which system 
 to prefer, even supposing the non-existence of other criteria. 
 
 (20.) The slaying of Goliath. — The tradition of the combat 
 between David and Goliath, in which the latter was killed, is 
 preserved among the Arabs ; for he is mentioned in the Ko- 
 ran (sur. ii. 250), where he is called Galut or Jalut. The 
 Arabs also call the dynasty of the Philistine kings, who 
 reigned in Palestine, when the Hebrews came there, Galu- 
 tiah or Jalutiah. Achmed al Fassi, in his book called Ketab 
 al Jamman, says, " Those kings were as well known by the 
 name of Jalaut, as the ancient kings of Egypt by that of Pha- 
 raoh. David killed the Jalaut, who reigned in his time, and 
 entirely rooted out the Philistines, the rest of whom fled into 
 Africa, and from them descended the Brebers or Berbers who 
 inhabit the coast of Barbary." (D'Herbelot under Gialut.) It 
 is remarkable that the Berbers themselves should acknowl- 
 edge their descent from the Philistines. " The name Goliath, 
 which they pronounce Sghidlud, is very common among the 
 Brebers, and the history of the champion of the Philistines is 
 very well known to the Moors. When children quarrel, and 
 the bigger one challenges the smaller to fight, the latter an- 
 swers, ' Who will fight with you ? (Enta men ulid Sgialud.) 
 You are of the race of Goliath.' The Jews who dwell among 
 them, on the mountains, all call themselves Philistines." 
 Host's Account of Morocco and Fez, p. 133. 
 
 (21.) Many remarkable circumstances respecting David 
 and Solomon, which are mentioned by Eupolemus and Dius, 
 as quoted by Eusebius (Praep. Evang. lib. ix. c. 30-34, 39- 
 41), agreeing with those detailed in the Sacred books; and 
 furnishing additional external evidence, if such were needed, 
 of the truth of these inspired records. 
 
 (22.) The narrative of the invasion of Israel by Shalmane- 
 ser, and the deportation of the ten tribes, which is confirmed 
 by certain ancient sculptures on the mountains of Be-Sitoon, 
 on the borders of the ancient Assyria. For the knowledge 
 of these antiquities we are indebted to the persevering re- 
 
142 EVIDENCE OF THE AUIHENTICITV 
 
 searches of Sir R. K. Porter, by whom they were first dis- 
 covered and delineated ; and to his Travels we refer our 
 readers for a very luminous and interesting description. 
 
 (23.) The destruction of Sennacherib's army, which is con- 
 firmed by Herodotus (1. ii. c. 142) ; who, quoting the Egyp- 
 tian priests, says, that Sethon, being attacked by Sennacherib^ 
 king of the Arabians and Assyrians, and seeing himself de- 
 serted by his own soldiers, begged of Yulcan some speedy 
 assistance. Vulcan appeared to him the night following, and 
 promised him help. Sethon therefore, marching with a few 
 troops, advanced to Pelusium ; and the same night, a great 
 number of rats came into the camp of the Assyrians, and 
 gnawed their shield straps, quivers, and bow-strings ; so that 
 on rising next morning, and finding themselves unable to use 
 their arms, they raised the siege and fled. Here it is to be 
 particularly remarked that Herodotus calls the Assyrian king 
 Sennacherib, as the Scriptures do ; and that the time referred 
 to in both is perfectly accordant. This plainly shows that it 
 is the same fact to which Herodotus refers, although much 
 disguised in the relation ; which may be easily accounted for 
 when it is considered that Herodotus derived his information 
 from the Egyptian priests, who cherished the greatest aver- 
 sion both to the nation and the religion of the Jews, and there- 
 fore would relate nothing in such a manner as would give 
 reputation to either. 
 
 (24.) The defeat of Josiah by Pharaoh- Necho, and the 
 subsequent reduction of Jerusalem, when he '' took Jehoahaz 
 away ; and he came into Egypt and died there," which is 
 also confirmed by Herodotus, and the researches of the late 
 intrepid Mr. Belzoni. The account of Herodotus is as fol- 
 lows : " Now Necos was the son of Psammiticus, and reigned 
 over Egypt. And Necos joined battle with the Syrians, in 
 Magdolus, and after the battle he took Cadytis, a large city of 
 Syria. And having reigned (1. ii. c. 159) in the whole six- 
 teen years, he died, and left the throne to his son Psammis." 
 Here it is evident that Magdolus is the same as Megiddo ; 
 and Cadytisy which he mentions again (1. iii. c. 5), " as a city 
 belonging to the Syrians of Palestine,^'' and " as a city not less 
 than Sardis," is undoubtedly the same as Jerusalem, called 
 Alkuds, or El Kouds, that is, the holy city, by the Syrians and 
 Arabians from time immemorial to the present day. We now 
 turn to the researches of Mr. Belzoni in the tomb of Psamme- 
 this, or Psammis, the son of Pharaoh-Necho. In one of the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 143 
 
 numerous apartments of this venerable monument of ancient 
 art, there is a sculptured group, describing the march of a 
 military and triumphal procession, with three different sets 
 of prisoners, who are evidently Jews, Ethiopians, and Per- 
 sians. The procession begins with four red men with white 
 kirtles, followed by a hawk-headed divinity : these are Egyp- 
 tians apparently released from captivity, and returning home 
 under the protection of the national deity. Then follow four 
 white men in striped and fringed kirtles, with black beards, 
 and with a simple white fillet round their black hair : these 
 are obviously Jews, and might be taken for the portraits of 
 those who, at this day, walk the streets of London. After 
 them come three white men with smaller beards, and curled 
 whiskers, with double-spreading plumes on their heads, tat- 
 tooed, and wearing robes or mantles spotted like the skins of 
 wild beasts : these are Persians or Chaldeans. Lastly, come 
 four negroes, with large circular ear-rings, and large petticoats, 
 supported by a belt over their shoulders : these are Ethiopi- 
 ans. Among the Hieroglyphics in Mr. Belzoni's drawings 
 of this tomb, Dr. Young has succeeded in discovering the 
 names o( Nechao, and of Psammethis. 
 
 (25.) Herod's murder of the infants at Bethlehem. This 
 fact, though not mentioned by Josephus, is quite consistent 
 with the ambitious, sanguinary, and cruel character which he 
 ascribes to that monarch ; it was admitted by Celsus, one of 
 the bitterest enemies of Christianity, who lived towards the 
 close of the second century ; and is expressly mentioned by 
 Macrobius, a heathen author, who lived towards the end of 
 the fourth century. "When Augustus," says he, "had 
 heard, that among the children under two years old, whom 
 Herod, the king of the Jews, had ordered to be slain in 
 Syria, his own son was also put to death, he said, ' It is bet- 
 ter to be Herod's hog than his son.' " Cum audivisset inter 
 pucros quos in Syria Hcrodcs rex JiidcBorum infra bimatam 
 jussit interfici, jilium quoque ejus occisum, ait^ Melius est 
 Herodis porcuin esse, quam jiUum. Saturn. 1. ii. c. 4. 
 
 (26.) Particulars respecting John the Baptist and Herod. 
 Thus Josephus informs us, agreeably to the Sacred Historian 
 (Mat. ii.), that Herod the Great reigned over all Judea for 
 about thirty-seven years, and left the kingdom to his son 
 Archelaus (Ant. 1. xvii. ch. 8) ; and he also bears witness to 
 the piety, zeal, and murder of John the Baptist. Herod An- 
 tipas was the son of Herod the Great by Malthace, and 
 
144 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Tetrarch of Galilee and Peraca, which produced a revenue 
 of 200 talents a year (Josephus, Ant. 1. xvii. c. 13, § 4.) He 
 married the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, whom he di- 
 vorced in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 
 who was still living. Aretas, to revenge the affront whichs 
 Herod had offered his daughter, declared war against him ; 
 and vanquished him after an obstinate engagement. This de- 
 feat, Josephus assures us (Ant. 1. xviii. c. 7), the Jews con- 
 sidered as a punishment for the death of John the Baptist 
 Having gone to Rome to solicit the title of king, he was ac- 
 cused by Agrippa with carrying on a correspondence with 
 Artabanus, king of Parthia, against the Romans, and was 
 banished by the emperor Caius to Lyons, and thence to 
 Spain, where he and Herodias died in exile (Josephus, Ant. 
 1. xviii. c. 2.) 
 
 (27.) The life and character of our Lord. See Suetonius 
 (in Claud, c. 25), Pliny the younger (Epist. 1. x. ep. 97), ^Elius 
 Lampridius (in vit. Sever, c. 29, 43, apud Hist. August. Script, 
 vol. i. pp. 278, 290), Josephus (Ant. 1. xviii. c. 3, § 3.) 
 
 (28.) His crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. An account 
 of this fact was transmitted to the emperor by Pontius Pilate 
 (Euseb. Eccl. Hist. 1. ii. c. 2) ; to which both Justin Martyr 
 (Apol. prima, pp. 62, 72, edit. Benedict.), and Tertullian 
 (Apologia, c. 21), appealed for its truth, in their public apolo- 
 gies for the Christian religion, which were presented either 
 to the emperor and senate of Rome, or to magistrates of pub- 
 lic authority and great distinction in the empire. Tacitus 
 also, speaking of the Christians, says (Annal. 1. xv. c. 44), 
 that " the author of that name (or sect) was Christus, who, in 
 the reign of Tiberius, was punished with death, as a criminal, 
 by the procurator Pontius Pilate." Auctor nominis ejus 
 Christus, qui Tiberio imperante jjer procuratorem Pontium 
 Pilatum supplicio affectus erat. See also Josephus (Ant. 1. 
 xviii. c. 3, § 3.) 
 
 (29.) The earthquake and miraculous darkness which at- 
 tended it. Omitting the supposed attestation of this fact by 
 Phlegon, whose testimony is cited by Tertullian, Origen, and 
 Eusebius, and also the supposed mention of it by Thallus, 
 who is cited by Julius Africanus, it is to be remarked, that 
 Tertullian (Apol. c. 21), in his Apology for the Christians, 
 which was addressed to their heathen adversaries, expressly 
 says, " At the moment of Christ's death, the light departed 
 from the sun, and the land was darkened at noon-day ; which 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES ^ 145 
 
 wonder is related in your own annals, and is preserved in 
 yovr archives to this day ;" and both the darkness and earth- 
 quake are expressly recognised, and mentioned as facts, by 
 that acute adversary of Christianity, Celsus. Origen, cont. 
 Cels. 1. ii. § 55, p. 94. 
 
 (30.) The miserable death of Herod Agrippa. Josephus 
 (Ant, L xix. c. 8, ^ 2) says that this was upon a day in 
 which games were exhibited in honor of Claudius ; and that, 
 as Herod did not rebuke this impious flattery, he was seized 
 with a severe pain in his bowels, which terminated his exist- 
 ence in five days. 
 
 (31.) The miracles of our Lord, which are admitted by 
 Jewish writers in the Talmuds, and Toledoth Jesu (see Dr. 
 Gregory Sharp's Defence of Christianity, pp. 40-48), and 
 enemies of Christianity, as Celsus and the emperor Julian. 
 See Lardner's Heathen Testimonies, ch. xviii., xlvi. 
 
 7. Allusions and references to things, persons, places, man- 
 ners, customs, and opinions, &c., perfectly conformable to 
 the statements of the most authentic records that remain. 
 
 It is scarcely possible here to enter fully into this subject, 
 which would require a separate volume for the discussion ; 
 and as evidence of the truth of this position is to be found in 
 almost every page of the Comprehensive Bible, the readeiV is 
 respectfully referred to that work. It may, however, be 
 proper, in illustration of the argument, briefly to advert to the 
 following striking particulars : 
 
 Thus, without the aid of learning, any man who can bare- 
 ly read his Bible, and has but heard of such people as the 
 Assyrians, Elamites, Lydians, Medes, lonians, and Thra- 
 cians, will readily acknowledge that they had Ashur, Elam 
 Lud, Madai, Javan, and Tiras, grandsons of Noah, for their 
 respective founders, as detailed in Gen. x. 
 
 In Gen. xlvi. 34, we read that " every shepherd is an 
 abomination unto the Egyptians ;" and from the fragments 
 of Manetho, preserved in Josephus and iVfricanus, it appears 
 that hordes of marauders, called hycassos, or shepherd kings, 
 whose chief occupation, like the Bedouin Arabs of the pre- 
 sent day, was to keep flocks, made a powerful irruption into 
 Egypt, which they subdued, and ruled, by a succession of 
 kings, with great tyranny for 259 years. Hence the per- 
 sons, and even the very name of shepherds, were execrated, 
 and held in the greatest odium by the Egyptians. 
 13 
 
146 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Again, from the history recorded in Genesis xlvii. and from 
 Diodorus Siculus (lib. i.), we learn that the land of Egypt 
 was divided into three parts : one belonged to the priests 
 (ver. 22, 26) ; a second was the kin^^'s (which appears to 
 have been the land of Rameses or Goshen, ver. 11) ; the re- 
 mainder was the subjects' ; and Joseph, having purchased the 
 land of the people (ver. 19, 20), restored it, on the condition 
 of their paying a fifth part of the produce to the king, bej^ond 
 which he appears to have had no demand. 
 
 In the account of the embalming of Jacob, it is stated, that 
 " forty days were fulfilled for him ; for so are fulfilled the 
 days of those which are embalmed : and the Egyptians 
 mourned for him threescore and ten days" (Gen. 1. 3). Now 
 we learn from the Greek historians, Herodotus (1. ii. cap. 85, 
 86), and Diodorus Siculus (lib. i. cap. 91-93), that the time of 
 mourning was while the body remained with the embalmers, 
 which Herodotus says was seventy days. During this time 
 the body lay in nitre, the use of which was to dry up all its 
 superfluous and noxious moisture : and when in trhe space of 
 thirty days this was sufficiently effected, the remaining forty, 
 the time mentioned by Diodorus, were employed in anoint- 
 ing it with gums and spices to preserve it, which was pro- 
 perly the embalming. This sufficiently explains the phraseo- 
 logy of the text. 
 
 It appears from Jud. vii. 1, that Jeruhhaal bad become the 
 surname of Gideon. He is accordingly mentioned by San- 
 choniathon (apud Eusebius, Pra^par. 1. i.), who lived in the 
 reign of Ithobal, king of Tyre, and consequently a little after 
 the time of Gideon, by the name of Jerombalus, a priest of 
 Jcvo, i. e. Jehovah. 
 
 In Ezra vii. 14-, we read of the " seven counsellors'^ of Ar- 
 taxerxes, king of Persia. Now from profane history we learn 
 that seven princes of Persia having conspired against and slain 
 the usurper Smerdis, and thus made way for the family of 
 Darius, which afterwards filled the throne, the Persian kings 
 of this race had always seven chief princes as their counsellors, 
 who possessed peculiar privileges, were his chief assistants 
 in the government, and by whose advice all the public affairs 
 of the empire were transacted. The names of these counsel- 
 lors are given in the parallel place of the book of Esther, ch. 
 i. 14. See Prideaux, sub an. 521. 
 
 In Esther iv. 11, it is stated, "that whosoever, whether 
 man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner co-urt, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 147 
 
 who is not called, there is one law of his to pat him to death,' 
 &LC. ; and Herodotus informs us, that ever since the reign of 
 Deioces, king of Media, for the security of the king's person, 
 it was enacted, that no one should be admitted into his pre- 
 sence, but that if any one had business with him, he should 
 transact it through the medium of his ministers. 
 
 The state of Palestine also, in the times of the New Tes- 
 tament writers, as implied or expressed in their writings, ex- 
 actly coincides with the accounts of contemporary writers. 
 Thus it is stated that it was divided into three principal parts, 
 Judea, Samaria, and Galilee ; that it was then subject to the 
 Romans, but had formerly been governed by its own kings ; 
 that a Roman governor resided at Jerusalem ; that the Jews 
 enjoyed the free exercise of their religion, but were deprived 
 of the absolute power of life and death ; that the temple was 
 then standing, and was annually visited by a great number of 
 Jews, who were scattered abroad in different parts of tho 
 world ; that two religious sects, the Pharisees and Sadducees, 
 bore the chief sway among the Jews ; the former, by teaching 
 a mechanical religion, deceiving and tyrannizing over the peo- 
 ple ; and the latter, who adopted an Epicurean philosophy, 
 being supported by the principal characters of the nation ; 
 these, and many other circumstances, agree most exactly with 
 the accounts of Josephus, and other historians. 
 
 Among other instances may be mentioned the murder of 
 some " Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their 
 sacrifices" (Luke xiii. 1). Now the Galileans are frequently 
 mentioned by Josephus as the most turbulent and seditious 
 people, being upon all occasions ready to disturb the Roman 
 authority. And though it is uncertain to what event our Lord 
 refers ; it is probable that they were the followers of Judas 
 Gaulonitis, who opposed paying tribute to Caesar and sub- 
 mitting to the Roman government. A party of them coming 
 to Jerusalem during one of the great festivals, and presenting 
 their oblations in the court of the temple, Pilate treacherously 
 sent a company of soldiers, who slew them, and " mingled 
 their blood with their sacrifices." Jos. Ant. 1. xviii. 
 
 Again, Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, is termed by our 
 liOrd a " fox" (Luke xiii. 42) ; and he is described by Josephus 
 as a crafty and incestuous prince, with which the character 
 given him by our Lord, and the narratives of the Evangelists, 
 exactly coincide. 
 
 Nay, by the most undesigned coincidence, the accounts of 
 
148 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the Evangelists agree in some of the most minute particulars 
 with Josephus. 
 
 Thus we read in St. Luke, eh. iii. 14, that " the soldiers 
 likewise demanded of him (John the Baptist), saying. And 
 what shall we do ?" The Evangelist does not say, arpariojTaii 
 soldiers, but arparcvoixevoi, men actually under arms, or marching 
 to battle. Now, as we learn from Josephus that Herod was 
 at this time engaged in war with Aretas, a king of Arabia, 
 Michaelis concludes, that these military men were a part of 
 Herod's army, then on its march from Galilee, which must 
 of necessity have passed through the country where John was 
 baptizing. 
 
 Again, in the account of the execution of John, by order 
 of Herod (Mar. vi. 27), it is said, that " the king sent an execu- 
 tioner," o-TTfvovXarwjO, propcrly a sentinel. Now, as we learn 
 from Josephus (Ant. 1. xviii. c. v. ^ 1,2) that Herod was at this 
 very time engaged in the war with Aretas king of Arabia, in 
 consequence of Herod having divorced his daughter in order 
 to marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife ; and as this 
 event occurred at an entertainment given at the castle of Ma- 
 chaerus, while his army was on its march against his father- 
 in-law ; we are furnished with an additional reason why a 
 speculator^ or sentinel, should have been employed as an ex- 
 ecutioner ; and are thus enabled to discover such a latent and 
 undesigned coincidence as clearly evinces the truth of the 
 evangelical narrative. See Bp. Marsh, Lectures, P. v. pp. 
 78-82, and Home's Introduction, vol. i. pp. 101, 102. 
 
 In Acts xxiii. 5, St. Paul says of Ananias, " I wist not, 
 brethren, that he was the high priest." Now soon after the 
 holding of the first council at Jerusalem, Ananias, son of Ne- 
 bedenus, was deprived of the high priest's office, for certain 
 acts of violence, and sent to Rome, whence he was afterwards 
 released, and returned to Jerusalem. Between the death of 
 Jonathan, who succeeded him and was murdered by Felix, 
 and the high priesthood of Ismael, who was invested with 
 that ofiice by Agrippa, an interval elapsed in which this 
 dignity was vacant. This was the precise time when St. 
 Paul was apprehended ; and the Sanhedrim being destitute of 
 a president, Ananias undertook to discharge the ofiice. It is 
 probable that Paul was ignorant of this circumstance. See 
 Michaelis, Introd. vol. i. pp. 51-54. 
 
 8. To this it may be added, that the names still borne by places f 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 149 
 
 and traditions respecting many of them, still current on 
 the spot, tend further to confirm the reality of the facts 
 detailed in the Scriptures. 
 
 It is true, the geography of the Sacred writings presents 
 many difficulties, occasioned by the changes which Canaan 
 has undergone, especially for the last 2000 years. Many of 
 the ancient towns and villages have had their names so total- 
 ly changed that their former appellations are no longer dis- 
 cernible — several lie buried under their own ruins, and others 
 have been so long destroyed, that not a vestige of them re- 
 mains. Many of the towns were small, and, we may ration- 
 ally conclude, slightly built ; and consequently have perished 
 more than 2000 years ago. It would therefore be useless to 
 look for such places now ; though, in many instances, their 
 ancient names have been preserved, and their sites identified. 
 Several towns even in England, mentioned by CcBsar and 
 other writers, are no longer discernible : several have chang- 
 ed their names, and not a few their situation. On these ac- 
 counts it is very difficult to ascertain the precise situation of 
 many places mentioned in Joshua ; but this cannot affect the 
 truth of the narrative. Some of the principal cities in the 
 universe, as Babylon and Troy, are not only reduced to ruins, 
 but so completely blotted out of the map of the world, that 
 their situation cannot be ascertained. This circumstance 
 cannot invalidate the history of the ancient world, in Avhich 
 they made such a conspicuous figure ; nor can the authenticity 
 of the sacred writers be impaired because several places no 
 longer exist. 
 
 But, notwithstanding these things, sufficient traces of places 
 remain to evince their absolute accordance with the inspired 
 writers. Thus Abulfeda, speaking of the city of Midian, says, 
 ' Madyan is a city, in ruins, on the shore of the Red Sea, on 
 he opposite side to Tabuc, from which it is distant about six 
 lays' journey. At Midian may be seen the famous well at 
 which Moses watered the flocks of Shoaib (Jethro.) This 
 city was the capital of the tribe of Midian in the days of the 
 Israelites." 
 
 Respecting Pi-hahiroth, Dr. Shaw (Travels, p. 310) is of 
 opinion that Chiroth denotes the valley which extends from 
 the wilderne-s of Etham to the Red Sea. " This valley," he 
 observes, " ends at the sea m a small bay made by the east- 
 ern extremities of the mountains (of Gewoubee and Attackah, 
 
 13* 
 
150 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 between which the valley lies) which I have been describing, 
 and is called Tiah-Beni- Israel, i. e. the road of the Israelites, 
 by a tradition that is still kept up by the Arabs, of their hav- 
 ing passed through it ; so it is also called Baideah, from the 
 new and unheard of miracle that was wrought near it, by di- 
 viding the Red Sea, and destroying therein Pharaoh^ his 
 chariots and his horsemen J^ 
 
 The wilderness of Shur, which lay on the eastern shore of 
 the Hcroopolitic gulf of the Red Sea, is still called the desert 
 of Sdur, according to Dr. Shaw. 
 
 Elim, " where were twelve wells of water, and threescore 
 and ten palm-trees" (Exodus xv. 27), was situated on the 
 northern skirts of the desert of Sin, according to Dr. Shaw, 
 two leagues from Tor, and near thirty from Corondel, which 
 he conjectures to be Marah, where there is a small rill which 
 is brackish. He found but nine of the wells, the other three 
 being filled up with sand ; but the seventy palm-trees had in- 
 creased into more than two thousand. Under the shade of 
 these trees is the Hammam Movsa, or bath of Moses, which 
 the inhabitants of Tor have in great esteem and veneration, 
 and say that it was here the household of Moses was en- 
 camped. 
 
 Mount Sinai is called by the Arabs Jibhel Mousa, the Moun- 
 tain of Moses, and sometimes, by way of eminence, El Tor^ 
 the Mount, and is a range of mountains in the peninsula form- 
 ed by the gulfs of the Red Sea. It consists of several peaks, 
 the principal of which are Horeb and Sinai ; the former, still 
 called Oreb, being on the west, and the latter, called Tur Si- 
 na, on the east, at the foot of which is the convent of St. Ca- 
 therine. (See Niebuhr, Travels, p. 247.) 
 
 Mount Hor, on which Aaron died, was situated in Arabia 
 Petraea, on the confines of Edom. It is described by Burck- 
 hardt (in a letter to the Secretary of the African Institution, 
 and Travels in Syria, &c. pp. 420-423), as being situated on 
 the western side of a valley called Wady Mousa; in which 
 are found the ruins of the ancient Petra, and which is two 
 long days' journey north-east of Accaba (on the northern point 
 of the Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea), in the Djebel Shera, or 
 Mount Seir, and on the east side of the Araba, the valley which 
 forms the continuation of that of the Jordan. On the summit 
 of the mountain is the tomb of Haroun, or Aaron, which is 
 held in great veneration by the Arabs ; which agrees with 
 the testimonies of Josephus (Ant. 1. iv. c. 4), Eusebius, and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 151 
 
 Jerome {Onomast, in 9^p), all persons well acquainted with 
 these countries, who agree in proving that the sepulchre of 
 Aaron, in Mount Hor, was near Petra. When visited by Mr. 
 Legh, it was attended by a crippled Arab hermit, about 80 
 years of age, who conducted them into a small white build- 
 ing, crowned by a cupola, that contains the tomb of Aaron. 
 The monument is of stone, about three feet high ; and around 
 the chamber where it stood were suspended beads, &c., the 
 votive offerings of the devotees. (Macmichael's Journey, 
 p. 230.) 
 
 Respecting Dibon, in Gad, which Eusebius says was a 
 large town, near the river Arnon, Burckhardt (Travels in 
 Syria, p. 372) says, that when he was about an hour's dis- 
 tance north of the Modjeb or Arnon, he was shown to the 
 N. E. the ruins of Diban, the ancient Dibon, situated in the 
 low ground of the Koura, or plains of Moab. 
 
 Aroer was situated, according to Eusebius, on a mountain 
 on the north bank of the river Arnon. This is confirmed by 
 Burckhardt (Travels in Syria, &c. p. 372), who says it is 
 called Araayr, and is seated on the edge of the precipice, 
 at the foot of which the river flows. 
 
 Respecting Beth-nimrah, or Nimrim, Jer. xlviii. 34, probably 
 the Bethnabris mentioned by Eusebius, five miles north from 
 Livias, Burckhardt (Travels, p. 391) says, that " in the valley 
 of the Jordan, south of Abou Obeida, are the ruins of Nemri?i, 
 probably the Beth-nimrah of the Scriptures." 
 
 According to the same authority, Elealah, which is placed 
 by Eusebius a mile from Heshbon, is now called El Aal, 
 " the high," and is situated on a hill. 
 
 Thus also Heshbon, situated, according to Eusebius, 20 
 miles east of Jordan, is said by Jerome, who places it at the 
 same distance, to have been, in his time, a very considerable 
 city, and it still subsists, in ruins, under the name of Hesliban. 
 
 Respecting Og, king of Bashan, " which was called the 
 land of giants," Deut. iii. 13, Michaelis says, " The tradition 
 that giants formerly dwelt in this part still remains in Arabia, 
 only that it makes them rather taller than Moses does Og, and 
 calls the land in which '.hey lived, not Bashan, but Hadrach, 
 which name appears in Zech. ix. 1. I received this informa- 
 tion from the verbal communication of a credible Arab, who 
 was born on the other side of the Jordan, about three days' 
 journey from Damascus." Burder's Oriental Literat. vol. i. 
 p. 274. 
 
159 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Bethshean, the Scythopolis of the Greek and Roman writers, 
 was situated in the plain of Jordan, west of that river, 120 
 furlongs (south) from Tiberias, according to Josephus, and 
 600 furlongs (north) from Jerusalem (2 Mac. xii. 29), and was 
 the largest city of the Decapolis, and the only one on that 
 side of Jordan. It is now called after its ancient name, BisaUy 
 eight hours or twenty-four miles from Tiberias ; and is de- 
 scribed by Dr. Richardson, exclusive of its ruins, as " a col- 
 lection of miserable hovels, containing 200 inhabitants." 
 
 Dr. Richardson says, that in about twenty minutes, in an 
 easterly direction, from the cave of St. John (which is about 
 two hours or six miles, in a westerly direction, from Jeru- 
 salem), they came to the valley of Elah : which position 
 seems to agree with that of Shocoh and Azekah. He de- 
 scribes it as " a small valley, and the place of their encamp- 
 ment is pointed out where it narrows into a broad, deep 
 ravine ; part of it was in crop, and part of it was under the 
 plough, which was drawn by a couple of oxen. A small 
 stream, which had shrunk almost under its stony bed, passes 
 through it from east to west, from which, we are informed, 
 that David chose out five smooth stones, and hasted and ran 
 to meet the haughty champion of Gath. A well of water 
 under the bank, with a few olive-trees above, on the north 
 side of the valley, are said to mark the spot of the shepherd's 
 triumph over his boasting antagonist. Saul and his men 
 probably occ^ied the side of the valley which is nearest to 
 Jerusalem, on which the ground is higher and more rugged 
 than on the other side." 
 
 Bethlehem, called Bethlehem Judah (Ju. xvii. 7), to distinguish 
 it from another Bethlehem in Zebulun (Jos. xix. 15), and also 
 Ephratah, i. e. fruitful, is still called by the Arabs, Bait-el- 
 lahm, and is situated on a rising ground on the southern side 
 of a deep and extensive valley, and reclining from E. to W. 
 not quite six miles S. of Jerusalem. The surrounding country 
 is full of hills and valleys; and the soil is the best in all these 
 districts ; fruits, vines, olives, and sesamum, succeed ex- 
 tremely well. The village contains about 300 inhabitants, 
 the greater part of whom gain their livelihood by making 
 beads, carving mother of pearl shells with sacred subjects, 
 and manufacturing small tables and crucifixes. 
 
 Bethany was a village to the east of the Mount of Olives, 
 on the road to Jericho, 15 stadia (Jno. xi. 18), or nearly two 
 miles, as Jerome states, from Jerusalem. This village is now 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 153 
 
 riiiall and poor, and the cultivation of the soil around it is 
 nuch neglected ; but it is a pleasant romantic spot, shaded 
 •y the Mount of Olives, and abounding in vines and long 
 rass. It consists of from thirty to forty dwellings, inhabited 
 y about 600 Mohammedans, for whose use there is a neat 
 ittle mosque standing on an eminence. Here they show 
 he ruins of a sort of castle as the house of Lazarus, and a 
 TOtto as his tomb ; and the house of Simon the leper, of 
 /lary Magdalene, and of Martha, and the identical tree which 
 >ur Lord cursed, are among the monkish curiosities of the 
 )lace. See Maundrell, March 29. Richardson, vol. ii. p. 
 171. Buckingham, p. 200. 
 
 Gethsemane was a garden at the foot of the Mount of 
 31ives, beyond the brook Cedron ; an even plat of ground, 
 ays Maundrell (Journey, April 7), not above fifty-seven 
 /ards square, where are shown some old olive-trees, supposed 
 identify the spot to which our Lord was wont to resort. 
 
 Cana, a town of Galilee, now called Cane Galil, or Kcpher 
 Kejina, is situated, according to the authority of modern tra 
 v^ellers, between fifteen and sixteen miles west of Tiberias, 
 ibout six miles S. E. of Sephoris or Safoury, and between four 
 tnd five miles N. E. by E. of Nazareth. It is a neat little 
 tillage, pleasantly situated on the descent of a hill, facing the 
 ;outh-west, with a copious spring, surrounded with plan- 
 tations of olive and other fruit trees ; and contains about 300 
 inhabitants, chiefly Catholic Christians. Pococke saw a 
 large ruined building, the walls of which were entire, and 
 which they said occupied the site of the house of the marriage. 
 Near it was a large new Greek church ; and on the south 
 side of the village, near the fountain, there were the ruins of 
 another church, dedicated to St. Bartholomew, and said to 
 have been his house. " It is worthy of remark," says Dr. 
 E. D. Clarke, who visited Cana a few years ago, " that, 
 walking among the ruins of a church, we saw large massy 
 pots, answering the description given of the ancient vessels 
 of the country ; not preserved, but lying about, disregarded by 
 the present inhabitants, as antiquities with whose original 
 use they were unacquainted. From their appearance, and 
 the number of them, it was quite evident that a practice of 
 keeping water in large pots, each holding from eighteen to 
 twenty-seven gallons, was once common in the country." 
 (Travels, part ii. c. xiv. p. 445.) Compare the account of 
 the water pots, Jno. ii. G. 
 
154 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Aceldama^ also called the Potter^s Field, is situated about 
 half way down the ravine between Mount Zion, and the Hill 
 of Evil Counsel, on the side of the hill, and south of Jerusa- 
 lem. It is described by Maundrell (Journey, April 6), as 
 " a small piece of ground, not above thirty yards lung, and 
 half as much broad. One moiety of it is taken up by a 
 square fabric, twelve yards high, [an oblong square cavern, 
 about twenty-six paces long, twenty broad, and about twenty 
 feet deep, says Pococke,] built for a charnel-house. The 
 corpses are let down into it from the top, there being five 
 holes left open for that purpose. Looking down these holes, 
 we could see many bodies under several degrees of decay ; 
 from which it may be conjectured, that this grave does not 
 make that quick despatch with the corpses committed to it, 
 which is commonly reported." 
 
 9. By allusions to, or corrupt traditions of, the accounts of 
 the Sacred Writers. Such are those respecting 
 
 The Rainbow, given as a token between God and man, 
 Gen. ix. 13. Both Greeks and Latins have ever considered 
 the rainbow as a divine token or portent, and have deified 
 and made it a messenger of the gods. Thus Homer (II. xi. 
 28), speaking of the figures on Agamemnon's breastplate, 
 says, there were three dragons, whose colors were like the 
 rainbow, which Saturn (father of time) placed in the clouds 
 as a sign to short-sighted men. See also, JEn. v. 605, and 
 ix. 803. 
 
 The Rod of Moses, Exod. iv. 4, from which the heathen 
 have invented the fables of the Thyrsus of Bacchus, and the 
 Caduceus of Mercury. One Bacchus, according to Orpheus, 
 was born of the Nile ; or according to the common opinion, 
 on the banks of that river. He is expressly said to have 
 been exposed on the Nile, and hence called Nilus by both 
 Diodorus and Macrobius ; and in the hymns of Orpheus, he 
 is named Myses, because drawn out of the water. He is re- 
 presented by the poets to have been very beautiful and an 
 illustrious warrior, who overran all Arabia with a numerous 
 army of both men and women ; to have been an eminent law- 
 giver, who wrote his laws on two tables ; and to have 
 always carried in his hand the thyrsus, a rod wreathed with 
 serpents, by which he is reported to have wrought many 
 miracles. The caduceus or rod of Mercury, well known in 
 poetic fables, is another copy of the rod of Moses. He also 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 165 
 
 is reported to have wrought a multitude of miracles, particu- 
 larly to kill and make alive. Homer (Odyss. 1. xxiv. v. I) 
 represents Mercury taking his rod to work miracles, precisely 
 in the same way as God commands Moses to take his. 
 
 From the real manifestations of Jehovah in a cloud, Exod. 
 xix. 9, the heathen ascribed similar appearances to their false 
 gods. Thus in Homer, Jupiter is described on mount Gar- 
 garus, «M^« <J^ f<"' dvocv vetpoi earE^avcoro, <' Veiled in a fragrant 
 cloud" (II. L XV. v. 153), Minerva enters the Grecian army 
 
 TTopcpvptr) v£<pcXT] rrvKaaaca eavrrjv, " clad in a purplc cloud" (II, 1. 
 
 xvii. v. 551), and when Apollo attended Hector, ^incvog 0^011* 
 vc(pE\riv, " a veil of clouds involved his radiant head" (II. 1. xv. 
 V. 308.) See also II. 1. v, v. 186, 866, 1. xx. v. 150. Virgil, 
 ^n. ii. 616, x. 634, xii. 415. Ovid. Met. 1. iii. Fab. iii. 273. 
 Horat. Carm. 1. i. 
 
 From some disguised relation of the request of Moses to 
 see the glory of God, &c. (Exod. xxxiii. 18-20), the fable of 
 Jupiter and Semele was formed : she is reported to have en- 
 treated Jupiter to show her his glory, who was first very re- 
 luctant, knowing that it would be fatal to her ; but at last, 
 yielding to her importunity, he discovered his divine majesty, 
 and she was consumed by his presence. Ovid. Metam. 1. iii. 
 fab. iv. 5. 
 
 Similar to the account of Moses, v.'hen receiving the lau\ 
 being forty days and nights with the Lord in mount Sinai 
 (Exod. xxxv. 28), is the tradition mentioned in the books of 
 the Parsees, and also by several ancient writers, that Zoroaster 
 received, for some years together, the instructions of Ormuzd 
 in a mountain. From the familiar converse which Moses had 
 with God, it is probable the heathen invented the similar 
 accounts of their Zamolxis, who pretended to receive his laws 
 from Vesta and Minos, and Lycurgus, who is said to have 
 received his from Jupiter and Apollo, and several others 
 mentioned by Diodorus Siculus (1. i.), who adds, that Moses 
 had his from the God Jao, as he pronounces mn"" Jehovah. 
 
 What the Cherubim were we cannot determine. Some, 
 observing that the verb . ^^«^ herav, in Syriac, sometimes 
 means to resemble, make like, conceive the noun iT"i3, kcroov, 
 signifies no more than an image, figure, or representation of 
 any thing. Josephus (Ant. 1. iii. c. 6, ^ 5) says, they were 
 flying animals, like none of those which are seen by man, 
 but such as Moses saw about the throne of God. In another 
 
150 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 place (Ant. 1. vii. c. 3, § 3), he says, " As for the cherubim, 
 nobody can tell or conceive what they were like." These 
 symbolical figures, according to the description of them by 
 Ezekiel (ch. i. 10 ; x. 14), were creatures with four heads 
 and one body ; and the animals of which these forms con- 
 sisted were the noblest of their kind ; the lion, among the 
 wild beasts ; the bull, among the tame ones ; the eagle, 
 among the birds ; and man, at the head of all ; so that they 
 might be, says Dr. Priestley, the representatives of all nature. 
 Hence some have conceived them to be somewhat of the 
 shape of flying oxen ; and it is alleged in favor of this opinion, 
 that the far more common meaning of the verb i'lS: kerav, in 
 Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, being to plough, the natural 
 meaning of ^I'^^'z, keroov^ is a creature used in ploughing, 
 (Bochart, llieroz. P. 1, 1. ii. c. 38.) This seems to have 
 been the ancient opinion which tradition had handed down, 
 concerning the shape of the cherubim with the flaming sword, 
 that guarded the tree of life. (Gen. iii. 24.) Ovid's fable 
 concerning Jason's golden fleece being guarded by brazen- 
 footed bulls, breathing out fire, was perhaps derived from it. 
 
 10. Finally, by imitations of the Mosaic institutions, &c. ; 
 such as 
 
 The ark of the covenant, y^li^, aron, which denotes a chest 
 or cofi'er, in general ; but is applied particularly to the chest 
 or ark, in which the testimony or two tables of the covenant 
 were laid up ; on the top of which was the propitiatory or 
 mercy-seat ; and at the end of which were the cherubim of 
 gold, between whom the visible sign of the appearance of 
 God appeared as seated upon his throne. We meet with 
 imitations of this divinely instituted emblem among several 
 heathen nations, both ancient and modern. Apuleius (De 
 Aur. Asin. I. ii.), describing an idolatrous procession after the 
 Egyptian mode, says, "A chest, or ark, was carried by 
 another, containing their secret things, entirely concealing 
 the mysteries of religion." Plutarch (De Is. et Os.) describ- 
 ing the rites of Osiris, says, " On the tenth day of the month, 
 at night, they go down to the sea, and the stolists, together 
 with the priests, carry forth the sacred chest, in which is a 
 small boat or vessel of gold." In addition to these notices 
 respecting the imitations of the ark among the heathen, it may 
 be observed, that Pausanias (1. vii. c. 19) testifies that the 
 ancient Trojans had a sacred ark, in which was the image of 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 157 
 
 Bacchus. Tacitus (De Moribus German, c. 40) informs us, 
 that the inhabitants of northern Germany, our Saxon ances- 
 tors, in general worshipped Herthum or Hertham, i. e. mother 
 earth (plainly derived from fnit, eretz, earth, and fii^, am, a 
 mother) ; that to her in a sacred grove, in a certain island of 
 the jcean, a vehicle, covered with a vestment, was conse- 
 crated, and allowed to be touched only by the priests (2 Sa. 
 vi. 6, 7 ; 1 Ch. xiii. 9, 19), who perceived when the goddess 
 entered into her secret place, penetrale, and with profound 
 veneration attended her vehicle, which was drawn by cows. 
 (1 Sa. vi. 7-10.) A sacred ark was also discovered among 
 the inhabitants of Huaheine, one of the South Sea Islands, 
 by Captain Cook. (Voyage round the World, vol. ii. p. 252.) 
 
 The tahle of showhread. Imitations of this sacred utensil 
 also we find in the temples of ancient heathen nations. In 
 the temple of Juno Populonia, there was a magnificent table 
 for the utensils required at sacrifices and libations, as Macro- 
 bius (Saturnalia, 1. iii. c. 11) states from older accounts. F. 
 Montfaucoii (Antiq. vol. i. P. ii. 1. ii. c. 1) has given us a 
 draught of a very celebrated piece of antiquity, called the 
 table of Isis, which was a table made of brass, almost four 
 feet long, and nearly the same breadth. The ground work 
 was a black enamel, curiously filled with silver plates inlaid, 
 which represented figures of various kinds, distinguished into 
 several classes and compartments, and interspersed by various 
 hieroglyphics. Though nothing can be confidently asserted 
 respecting the signification, or the original design of this 
 table, yet it seems not improbable that it was an imitation of 
 the table of showbread. (See Shuckford's Sacred and Pro- 
 fane History connected, vol. ii. pp. 316-328.) 
 
 The tabernacle, and the temple, of which the heathen tem- 
 ples were evident imitations. They consisted of, 1. the area 
 or porch ; 2. the vao^, or temple ; 3. the adytum or holy place, 
 called also penetrale and sacrarium ; and 4. the O7rtff0o%o?, or 
 inner temple, where ihey had their mysteria, and which an- 
 swered to the Holy of Holies. One of the most complete 
 imitations of the tabernacle and its whole service is found in 
 the ancient temple of Hercules at Gades, now Cadiz, in Spain ; 
 in which the beams were so ancient that they were supposed 
 to be incorruptible. Women were not permitted to enter, nor 
 swine to come near it ; the priests wore no parti-colored vests, 
 but were clothed in fine linen, with bonnets of the same ; 
 lliey offered incense with iheir clothes ungirded (Exod. xx. 
 14 
 
158 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 26) ; tliey wore a stud of purple on their vest ; they ministe-- 
 ed bare tooted, kept the strictest continency, kept a perpetual 
 fire on their altars ; and had no image in their sacred place, 
 (See Silius Italicus, Punicor. 1. iii. v. 17-31.) 
 
 The sacred fire and lamp. The temple of Vesta seems to 
 have been formed on the model of the tabernacle, in v^rhich 
 the eternal fire, as it was called, at Rome, was kept perpetu- 
 ally burning by the vestal virgins ; and the nvp a<T/3e<TTov, inex' 
 tinguishahlc fire, of the Greeks at Delphi, were evident imi- 
 tations of this sacred fire. From this also the followers of 
 Zerdusht, or Zoroaster, and the modern Parsees, appear to 
 have derived their doctrine of the perpetual fire, which they 
 still worship as an emblem of the Deity. In the very 
 ancient temple of Hercules at Gades, as already stated, a per- 
 petual fire was kept burning on their altars. (Silius Ital. Pu- 
 nicor. 1. iii. V. 29.) 
 
 The golden candlestick. Herodotus (1. i. c. 62) states, that 
 " when the people have assembled in the city of Sais to sac- 
 rifice and to celebrate the festival, they light round their houses 
 lamps, which are filled with salt and oil, in which the wick 
 swims and burns the whole night. This festival is called the 
 feast of the burning of lamps, {\vxvoKair).) Even those Egyp- 
 tians who do not attend at this meeting do not fail to keep the 
 festival : so that lamps are burning at the same time not only 
 at Sais, but throughout all Egypt." As the Egyptians, ac- 
 cording to Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom. 1. i. c. 20), were 
 the first who used lamps in their temples, they probably 
 borrowed the used of them from the golden candlestick, n"li:?3 
 menorah, rather a chandelier, which was of pure gold, and is 
 described as having one shaft, with six branches proceeding 
 from it, adorned at equal distances with six flowers, like lilies, 
 with as many bowls and knops placed alternately. On each 
 of the branches there was a lamp ; and one on the top of the 
 shaft, which occupied the centre, making in all seven lamps. 
 Calmet remarks, that the ancients used to dedicate candle- 
 sticks in the temples of their gods, bearing a number of lamps. 
 Pliny (Hist. Nat. 1. xxxiv. c. 2) mentions one in the form of 
 a tree, with lamps like apples, which Alexander the Great 
 consecrated in the temple of Apollo. Athenasus (1. xv. c. 19, 
 20) mentions one which supported 365 lamps, which Diony- 
 sius the Younger, king of Syracuse, dedicated in the Pryte- 
 neum at Athens. 
 
 The Holy of Holies. According to a belief which was 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 159 
 
 universally prevalent among ancient nations, the innermost 
 sanctuary was the peculiar abode of the god to whom the 
 temple was dedicated. Into this part, no mortal except the 
 priest dared to enter ; which was therefore called the inac- 
 cessible {adytum, ahaton). Every uninitiated person, who 
 ventured to penetrate into the inner sanctuary, expiated his 
 boldness by a sudden death. Pausanias (1. x. c. 33, § 10) 
 relates, that at " the enclosure and inaccessible sanctuary of 
 Isis," near Tithorea, " a person, to whom, as not being ini- 
 tiated, access was not lawful, once out of inquisitiveness and 
 wantonness, entered the sanctuary when the pile [prepared 
 for the sacrifices] was already kindled : there he saw the 
 whole place full of spectres. Returning to Tithorea, and re- 
 lating what he had seen, it is said he immediately died. 
 Something similar was told me by a Phoenician. The Egyp- 
 tians are accustomed to celebrate a festival in honor of Isis, 
 at the time when, as they say, she mourned for Osiris. At 
 this time, a Roman governor of Egypt once sent a man, whom 
 he had bribed, into the sanctuary of Coptos. He indeed came 
 cut again ; but, in relating what he had seen, he fell down 
 dead on the spot." The same author (in his Boeotica) men- 
 tions the temple of Dindymene, which they thought was un- 
 lawful to open more than one day in the year ; and he says 
 of the temple of Orcus (in his Eliaca) that " it was opened 
 but once a year." 
 
 The cities of refuge. In imitation of these cities, the hea- 
 then had their a6'3^/a, and the Roman Catholics their privileged 
 altars. The appointment of these cities was a humane insti- 
 tution for the protection of the involuntary homicide ; for they 
 were designed only for the protection of such, by which they 
 were distinguished from the asyla of the Greeks and Romans, 
 &c. Similar privileged places are found among various na- 
 tions, though not attended with the same wise, equitable, and 
 humane regulations as among the Israelites. " The North 
 American Indian nations have most of them either a house 
 or town of refuge, which is a sure asylum to protect a man- 
 slayer, or the unfortunate captive, if they once enter it. The 
 Cheerake, though now exceedingly corrupt, still observe that 
 law so inviolably, as to allow their beloved town the privilege 
 of protecting a wilful murderer, but they seldom allow him to 
 return home afterwards in safety ; they will revenge blood 
 for blood unless in some very particular case, where the 
 eldest cai. redeem. In almost every Indian nation, there are 
 
IGO EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 several towns, which are called old, beloved, ancient, holy, or 
 white towns (white being their fixed emblem of peace, friend- 
 ship, prosperity, happiness, purity, Sic): they seem to have 
 been formerly towns of refuge ; for it is not in the memory 
 of the oldest people that ever human blood was shed in them." 
 Adair's Indians, p. 158. 
 
 The burnt-offerings, n^y, olah, from n^jj, alah, to ascend, 
 because this offering ascended, as it were, to God in flame 
 and smoke, being wholly consumed ; for which reason it is 
 called in the Septuagint o)^oKavTCJiia, a whole burnt-offering. 
 This was the most important of all the sacrifices ; and no 
 part of it was eaten either by the priest or the offerer, but the 
 whole offered to God. It has been sufficiently shown by 
 learned men, that almost every nation of the earth, in every 
 age, had their burnt-offerings, from the persuasion that there 
 was no other way to appease the incensed gods ; and they 
 even offered human sacrifices, because they imagined, as 
 Caesar expresses it (Com. de Bell. Gal. 1. vi,), that life was 
 necessary to redeem life, and that the gods would be satisfied 
 with nothing less. 
 
 The meat-offerings. Offerings of different kinds of grain, 
 flour, bread, fruits, &c., are the most ancient among the 
 heathen nations ; probably borrowed from the practice of the 
 true worshippers of God (Gen. iv. 3). Ovid (Fastor. 1. ii. v. 
 515) intimates, that these gratitude-offerings originated with 
 agriculture : — " In the most ancient times men lived by rapine 
 and hunting ; for the sword was considered more honorable 
 than the plough ; but when they sowed their fields, they dedi- 
 cated the first-fruits of their harvest to Ceres, to whom the 
 ancients attributed the art of agriculture, and to whom burnt- 
 offerings of corn were made, according to immemorial usages." 
 Pliny (Hist. Nat. 1. xviii. c. 2) observes, that " Numa taught 
 the Romans to offer fruits to the gods, and to make supplica- 
 tions before them, bringing salt cakes and parched corn ; as 
 grain in this state was deemed most wholesome." And it is 
 worthy of remark, that he further observes, the ancient Ro- 
 mans considered " no grain as pure or proper for divine ser- 
 vice that had not been previously parched." 
 
 The assigning of the skin of the burnt-offering to the priest. 
 All the flesh of the burnt-offerings being consumed, as well 
 as the fat, upon the altar, there could nothing fall to the share 
 of the priest but the skin ; which must have been very valua- 
 ble, as they were used as mattresses (Lev. xv. 17), and pro- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 161 
 
 bably as carpets to sit upon in the day, as they are still used 
 by some of the inhabitants and dervishes of the East. (Har- 
 iner, Observat. vol. i. pp. 155, 156.) It seems probable, as 
 Bp. Patrick remarks, that Adam himself offered the first sa- 
 crifice, and had the skin given him by God, to maki garments 
 for him and his wife ; in conformity w^ith which, the priests 
 ever after had the skin of the whole burnt-offerings for their 
 portion. The same custom prevailed in after times among 
 the Gentiles, whose priests employed them to a superstitious 
 purpose, by lying upon them m their temples, in hopes of 
 having future things revealed to them in their dreams. (See 
 Virgil, JEn. 1. vii. ver. 86-95.) The same superstition prevails 
 to the present day in the Highlands of Scotland. See Dc- 
 script. of Western Isles, p. 110. Pennant's Scottish Tour, 
 vol. ii. p. 30L 
 
 The co?isecration of the High-priest. Calmet remarks, that 
 the consecration of the high-priest among the Romans bore a 
 considerable resemblance to the consecration of the Jewish 
 high-priest. " The Roman priest, clothed with a garment of 
 silk, his head covered with a crown of gold, adorned with 
 sacred ribands, was conducted into a subterraneous place, over 
 which there was a floor of planks pierced through with many 
 holes. On this floor they sacrificed a bullock, whose blood 
 was freely poured out on the planks or floor, which, running 
 through the holes, fell upon the priest, who stood underneath 
 to receive this sacred aspersion, and who, in order to be com- 
 pletely covered with the blood, took care to present the whole 
 of his body, his clothes, face, eyes, nose, lips, and even his 
 tongue, to receive the drops of blood falling through the 
 pierced floor above. Being completely covered with ,this 
 sanguineous shower, he ascended from this subterranean place, 
 and was acknowledged and adored by the people as Pontifex 
 Maximus, or supreme high-priest." These rites, which bear 
 a striking similarity to those used in the consecration of Aaron, 
 and from which they are probably borrowed, and disguised by 
 their own superstitions, are particularly described by Aurelius 
 Prudentius, in his book entitled Romani Martyris Supplicium ; 
 from which Dr. Adam Clarke has selected the verses, the 
 substance of which is given above. 
 
 The supernatural Jire consuming the sacrifices. These 
 victims were consumed by a fire of no human kindling. Jose- 
 phus says (Ant. 1. iii. c. 8, § 6), that " a fire proceeded from 
 the victims themselves, of its own accord, which had the ap- 
 
 14.* 
 
162 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 pearance of a flash of lightning, and consumed all that was 
 upon the altar." It is not unlikely, that by the agency of the 
 electric spark, sent immediately from the Divine Presence, 
 the victims were consumed. The heathens, in order to give 
 credit to their vv'orship, imitated this miracle, and pretended 
 that Jupiter testified his approbation of the sacrifice by thun- 
 der and lightning. See Virgil, JEn. 1. xxi. v. 200. 
 
 The scapegoat. Most ancient nations had vicarious sacri- 
 fices, to which they transferred, by certain rites and ceremo- 
 nies, the guilt of the community at large. The white bull, 
 sacrificed by the Egyptians to Apis, was of this kind : they 
 cut off' the head of the victim, loaded it with execrations, that 
 *'if there was any evil hanging over them, or the land of 
 Egypt, it might be poured on that head," and then sold it to 
 the Greeks, or threw it into the Nile. (Herod. Euterp.) Pe- 
 tronius Arbiter (Satir. in fine) says, that it was a custom 
 among the ancient inhabitants of Marseilles, when afflicted 
 by any pestilence, to take one of the poorer citizens, who 
 oflfered himself for the purpose ; and having fed him for a 
 •whole year with the purest and best food, adorned him with 
 vervain, and clothed him with sacred vestments, they led him 
 round the city, loading him with execrations, praying that all 
 the evils to which the city was exposed might fall upon him, 
 and then precipitated him from the top of a rock. Suidas (in 
 T-epixlri^a ) obscrvcs, that it was a custom to devote a man an- 
 nually to death, for the safety of the people, with these words, 
 mpupnfia r,fiwi' ycvov, be thou our purifier, and throw him into the 
 sea, as a sacrifice to Neptune. To what has been here adduced 
 concerning these practices among various nations, we may 
 add, that the nearest resemblance to the scape-goat of the 
 Hebrews is found in the Ashummeed Jugg of the Hindoos ; 
 which is thus explained in the Code of Gentoo Laws, Section 
 IX : " An Ashummeed Jugg is, when a person, having com- 
 menced a Jugg (i. e. a religious ceremony), writes various 
 articles upon a scroll of paper, on a horse's neck, and dis- 
 misses the horse, sending along with the horse a stout and 
 valiant person, equipped with the best necessaries and ac- 
 coutrements, to accompany the horse day and night, whither- 
 soever he shall choose to go ; and if any creature, either man, 
 genius, or dragon, should seize the horse, that man opposes 
 such attempt, and having gained the victory upon a battle, 
 again gives the horse his freedom. If any one in this world, 
 or in heaven, or beneath the earth, would seize ibis horse, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES- 163 
 
 acd the horse of himself comes to the house of the celebrator 
 of the Jugg, upon killing that horse, he must throw the flesh 
 of him upon the fire of the Juk, and utter the prayer of his 
 deity : such a Jugg is called a Jugg Ashummeed, and the 
 merit of it, as a religious work, is infinite." 
 
 The offering of first fruits. This offering was a public 
 acknowledgment of the bounty and goodness of God for the 
 kindly fruits of the earth. From the practice of the people 
 of God, the heathen borrowed a similar one, founded on the 
 same reason. The following passage from Censorinus, De 
 Die Natali, is worthy of the deepest attention. " Our an- 
 cestors, who held their food, their country, the light, and all 
 that they possessed, from the bounty of the gods, consecrated 
 to them a part of all their property, rather as a token of their 
 gratitude, than from a conviction that the gods needed any 
 thing. Therefore, as soon as the harvest was got in, before 
 they had tasted of the fruits, they appointed libations to be 
 made to the gods. And as they held their fields and cities 
 as gifts from their gods, they consecrated a certain part in 
 the temples and shrines where they worshipped." Pliny is 
 express on the same point, and attests that the Romans never 
 tasted either their new corn or wine, till the priests had offered 
 the first-fruits to the gods. Ac ne degustahunt quidem novas 
 fruges aut vina, antequam sacerdotes primitias libassent. (Hist. 
 Nat. 1. xviii. c. 2.) See also Hor. Sat. 1. ii. v. 12, and Tibul- 
 lus, Eleg. 1. i eleg. i. v. 13, et eleg. V. v. 27. 
 
 The law of the Nazarite, Num. vi. 18, " And the Nazarite 
 shall shave the head of his separation," &;c. The hair, 
 which was permitted to grow for this purpose, was shaven off 
 as a token that the vow was accomplished. It was probably 
 from this practice of the Jewish Nazarites, that the Gentiles 
 learned the practice of consecrating their hair to their gods, 
 of which Suetonius relates an instance in his life of Nero 
 (c. xii. 11) ; informing us, that he cut off his first beard, and 
 put it into a golden box set with jewels, and consecrated it to 
 Jupiter Capitolinus. Homer relates (II. 1. xxiii. v. 142) that 
 Achilles, at the funeral of Patroclus, cut off his golden locks, 
 which his 'father had dedicated to the river-god Sperchius, 
 and threw them into the flood. From Virgil we learn that 
 the topmost lock of hair was dedicated to the infernal gods ; 
 see his account of the death of Dido, ^n. 1. iv. v. 698. 
 
 The dedication of the altar. The sacrifices of peace-offer- 
 ings were more numerous than the burnt-offering or the sin- 
 
164 EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 offering; because the priests, the princes, and as many 
 of the people as they invited, had a share of them, and 
 feasted, with great rejoicing, before the Lord. This custom, 
 as Mr. Selden observes (De Synedriis, 1. iii. c. 14, nu. 3, 6, 
 7), seems to have been imitated by the heathen, who dedi- 
 cated their altars, temples, statues, <fec., with much cere- 
 mony ; and the ancient Greeks TroXvrc^cdrepojj upcitxis, with more 
 sumptuous sacrifices. Among the Romans, they were dedi- 
 cated with plays, feasting, and public donations ; and at last 
 their feasts became anniversaries, as the feast of dedication 
 also was among the Jews, after the time of Anliochus. In 
 this feast, there were >,vx>'OKaia, or illuminations, as expressive 
 of the public joy. 
 
 The passover, of which nothing was to be left till the 
 morning. From this ordinance the heathen borrowed their 
 sacrifice, termed Propter Viam. It was their custom, previ- 
 ously to their undertaking a journey, to offer a sacrifice to their 
 gods, and to eat the whole, if possible ; but if any part was 
 left, they burned it with fire ; this was called propter viarriy 
 because it was made to procure a prosperous journey. It 
 was in reference to this, that Cato is said to have rallied a 
 person called Q. Albidius, who, having eaten up all his goods, 
 set fire to his house. " He has offered his sacrifice propter 
 viam^ said Cato, " because he has burned what he could not 
 eat." Macrobius, Saturn. 1. ii. 
 
 The feast of trumpets^ on the month Tisri^ the seventh 
 month of their ecclesiastical year, but the first of their civil 
 year, answering to our September. This, which was their 
 new year's day, was a time of great festivity, and ushered in 
 by the blowing of trumpets ; whence it was also called the 
 feast of blowing the trumpets. In imitation of this Jewish 
 festival, different nations began the new year with sacrifices 
 and festivity. The ancient Egyptians did so ; and the Per- 
 sians also celebrated their \^\j^i naw rooz, or new year's 
 
 day, which they held on the vernal equinox, and which 
 " lasted ten days, during which all ranks seemed to partici- 
 pate in one general joy. The rich sent presents to the poor; 
 and were dressed in their holyday clothes ; all kept open 
 house ; and religious processions, music, dancing, a species 
 of theatrical exhibition, rustic sports, and other pasfimes, 
 presented a continued round of varied amusement. bJven 
 the dead, and the ideal beings, were not forgotten ; rich viands 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 165 
 
 being placed on the tops of houses and high towers, on the 
 flavor of which the Peris, and spirits of their departed heroes 
 and friends, were supposed to feast." (Richardson's Dis- 
 sertation on the Languages, &;c., of Eastern Nations, p. 59.) 
 After the Mohammedan conquest of Persia, the celebration 
 of this period sensibly declined, and at last totally ceased, 
 till the time of Jelaladin (about A.D. 1082), who, coming to the 
 crown at the vernal equinox, re-established the ancient festi- 
 val, which has ever since been celebrated with pomp and ac- 
 clamations. 
 
 The law of heiresses. The similarity between this and 
 the law of the Athenians is so striking, that Grotius thinks 
 the latter an evident imitation. At Athens, in like manner, 
 an heiress was bound to marry, by the law of Solon, her near- 
 est relation, who inherited the estate. See Jac. Perizonii, 
 Dissert, de Leg. Voconia, vii. p. 137, and S. Petitus, Com- 
 ment, in Leg. Attic. 1. vi. tit. 1, p. 441. 
 
 Division of the sacrifices in making a covenant, Deut. xxix. 
 12. " That thou shouldest enter (Heb. pass) into covenant," 
 &c. This is an allusion to the solemn ceremony used by 
 several ancient nations, when they entered into covenant 
 with each other. The victims, slain as a sacrifice on this 
 occasion, were divided, and the parts laid ateunder : the con- 
 tracting parties then passed between them, imprecating as a 
 curse on those who violated the sacred compact, that they 
 might in like manner be cut asunder. Of the Divine insti- 
 tution of this ceremony, we have a detailed account in Gen. 
 XV. 9-17 : " And he said unto him, Take me a heifer of 
 three y-ears old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram 
 of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. 
 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the 
 midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds 
 divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the 
 carcasses, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was 
 going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram ; and, lo, a horror of 
 great darkness fell upon him." — " And behold a smoking fur- 
 nace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces." 
 
 Thus also Homer says, Mepovs t e^erafiov^ Kara Tt Kvicran £Ka\v\pav, 
 iiirrv^a Trotr/o-ajrcf, sir'avruv 6' cjixoderriaav. " 1 hey CUt the quarters 
 
 and cover them with the fat: dividing them into two, they 
 place the raw flesh upon them." St. Cyril, in his work 
 against Julian, shows that passing between the divided parts 
 of a victim was used also among the Chaldeans and other 
 
]66 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 people ; and Livy (1. i. decad. i. c. 24) has preserved the 
 form of the imprecation used on such occasions, in the ac- 
 count he gives of the league between the Romans and Al- 
 bans. Hence the expression (Jos. ix. 6), tT^nn 13^ itTnS, Mr- 
 thoo lanoo berith, " cut or divide with us a covenant ;" or 
 rather the covenant sacrifice offered on these occasions. The 
 same form of speech obtained among the Greeks and Ro- 
 mans. Thus Homer uses the phrase opKia rtuveiv^ to cut in 
 pieces the oath offerings, which he expressly says (II. iii. v. 
 245, 246) were two lambs ; and Eustathius on II. ii. v. 124, 
 
 remarks, ^^<^ ronrn ^cjcov dvoixevuv 01 em jicyaXois opKoi eyi'vovTO, " by the 
 
 cutting of sacrificed animals, oaths in important affairs were 
 confirmed." It is well known that the Romans had the simi- 
 lar expressions, ferire, icere, percutere, scindere fxdus, to 
 strike, smite, or cleave a covenant, for simply making or en- 
 tering into a covenant. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 1 . From the Sacred Writers expressly claiming Divine In- 
 spiration. 
 
 (1.) With respect to the Old Testament, from inspiration 
 being claimed by the prophets both for themselves and prede- 
 cessors. 2 Sam. 23. 1,2; Neh. 9. 30 ; Psal. 19. 7-11 ; Isa. 
 8. 20; Jer. 20. 7-9; 25. 3, 4; 27. 12-19; Eze. 1. 1-3; 38. 
 16, 17 ; Dan. 9. 12, 13 ; Mic. 3. 8-12 ; Zee. 1. 5, 6. 
 
 By their Writings being expressly recognised as inspired 
 by the Sacred Writers of the New Testament, and especially 
 by our Saviour. Matt. 4. 4-11 ; 5. 17, 18; 15. 1-14; Mar. 
 7. 1-9; Matt. 22. 29-32; Luke 16. 29-31; John 5. 39-47; 
 Matt. 12. 1^5 ; Luke 6. 3, 4 ; Matt. 12. 41, 42 ; Luke 4. 23- 
 27; Matt. 21. 15, 16; 22.41-46; Mark 12.35-37; Luke 
 24. 44-46 ; John 10. 32-39; Matt. 13. 13-15; 15. 7-9; 21. 
 13 ; Mark 7. 6, 7 ; Luke 4. 17-21 ; Matt. 24. 15 ; Mark 13. 
 14; Matt. 9. 13; 12. 7, 39-41; 16. 4; Luke 11. 29-32; 
 Matt. 10. 35, 36; 11. 10, &c. ; Luke 7. 27; Matt. 17. 10- 
 12 ; Mark 9. 11-13 ; Matt. 21. 42, 43 ; 26. 54-56 ; Luke 24. 
 27. 44-46. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 167 
 
 (2.) With respect to the New Testament, from the Sacred 
 Writers expressly claiming inspiration for themselves individu- 
 ally/ and for one another. 1 Cor. 7. 39, 40 ; 1 Th. 4. 6-8 ; 5, 
 23-28 ; 2 Pe. 3. 1-4, 14-16 ; 1 John 4. 4-6. 
 
 2. Because a great many wise and good men of all ages and 
 nations have agreed to receive the Bible as a Divine 
 Revelation. 
 
 (1.) Thus the Jews have uniformly acknowledged the Scrip- 
 turcs of the Old Testament as the Word of God. For the 
 testimony of the Jews, in the time of Christ, it is sufficient to 
 refer to the New Testament, and to Josephus (Cont. Apion, 
 
 1. i. § 8) ; and for the belief of the modern Jews, see their 
 confession of faith, which has been in use ever since the 
 thirteenth centurv, in Lamy's Apparatus Biblicus, vol. i. pp. 
 245, 246. 
 
 (2.) Christians also, from the earliest ages to the present 
 time, have testified their belief of the Inspiration both of the 
 Old and New Testaments, and in many instances laid down 
 their lives in testimony of their unshaken belief. The testi- 
 monies of the early Christians are collected and ably ex- 
 hibited by Dr. Whitby, in the General Preface to his Com- 
 mentary, ^ viii. pp. 24-26. 4to edit. 
 
 3. Because the matter contained in the Scriptures requires a 
 Divine Inspiration. Such as, 
 
 The history of the Creation, ascribed to God only. Gen. 1. 
 I ; Ps. 124. 8 ; 146. 6 ; Neh. 9. 6 ; Acts 14. 15 ; 17. 24 ;— . 
 and wrought by the second person in the Godhead, Jesus 
 Christ, John 1. 3, 10 ; 1 Cor. 8. 6 ; Eph. 3. 9; Col. 1. 16; 
 Heb. 1. 2; Rev. 4. 11. 
 
 The Deluge, Gen. 6. 13 ; 7. 
 
 Mysteries respecting a trinity of persons in the godhead, 
 Matt. 28. 19 ; 2 Cor. 13. 14 ; 1 John 5. 7 ; proved by divinity 
 being ascribed to different persons in the godhead. Gen. 1. 1 ; 
 
 2. 26 ; 2 Sam. 23. 2 ; Is. 6. 3 ; Hag. 2. 5 ; Zech. 3. 2 ; 4. 
 14; 13. 7; Matt. 3. 16; 17. 5; 28. 19; Luke 1. 35; John 
 14. 16, 26 ; 15. 26 ; 16. 13 ; 2 Cor. 13. 14. 
 
 In Deut. 6. 4, we read, nni^ mn^ irtibii mn"" PJ*^!)*^ y?aw, 
 Shema Yisrael, Ychowah Elohainoo, Yehowah aichod, " Hear, 
 Israel, JEHOVAH, our GOD, is one JEHOVAH." On this 
 passage the Jews lay great stress ; and it is one of the four 
 passages which they write on their phylacteries. On the 
 
168 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 word Elohim, Simeon Ben Joachi says, " Come and see the 
 mystery of the word Elohim : there are three degrees, and 
 each degree is by itself alone, and yet they are all one, and 
 joined together in one, and are not divided from each other." 
 Zohar, Lev. <^ 16, col. 116. 
 
 The Covenant of Grace, Jer. 31. 31 ; 32. 37; Heb. 8. 6-; 
 10. 16. 
 
 The Incarnation of the Son of God, Matt. 1. 18; Luke 1. 
 35; John 1. 1-14. 
 
 His mediatorial offices, as the only mediator between God 
 and man, 1 Sam. 2. 25 ; Job 9. 33 ; 1 Tim. 2. 5 ; Heb. 8. 
 6; 9. 15; 12. 24. 
 
 Redemption from sin and death, through his blood, 1 Cor. 1. 
 30; Gal. 3. 13; Eph. 1. 7; Col. 1. 14; Heb. 9. 12 ; 1 Pet. 
 1. 18; Rev. 5. 9. 
 
 The Atonement ; — Christ made an atonement for the sins 
 of the world. Is. 53. 4 ; Matt. 20. 28 ; 2 Cor. 5. 21 ; Gal. 3. 
 13 ; Tit. 2. 14 ; Heb. 9. 28 ; 1 Pel. 2. 24 ; 3. 18 ; 1 John 2. 
 
 2 ; 4. 10 ; which is received through Him, Rom. 5. 11. 
 
 Justification, which is not to be attained by the law. Acts 
 13. 39; Rom. 3. 20; 8. 3; Gal. 2. 16; 3. 11 ; Heb. 7. 19; 
 —nor by any other performance. Job 9. 2 ; 25. 4 ; Ps. 130. 
 
 3 ; 143. 2 ; but is given unto us by the grace of God ; Rom. 
 
 3. 24 ; 4. 4 ; 11. 5 ; Eph. 2. 8 ; 2 Tim. 1. 9 ; Tit. 3. 5 ;— 
 through the merits and blood of Christ, Acts 13. 38 ; Rom. 
 5. 9, 19 ; 1 Cor. 1. 30 ;— by the means of faith, Rom. 3. 22 ; 
 
 4. 16 ; Gal. 2. 16 ; 3. 11, 24 ; Eph. 2. 8 ; Heb. 10. 38 ; 11 
 7 ; and in answer to fervent prayer, Deut. 4. 29 ; Jer. 29. 13. 
 
 Adoption, the promise, marks, and effects of which are 
 stated, Isa. bQ. 5; John 1. 12; Rom. 8. 14 ; 2 Cor. 6. 18; 
 Gal. 3. 26 ; 4. 6 ; Eph. 1. 5 ; 1 John 3. 1 ; Rev. 11. 7. 
 
 For a more full detail of this evidence see the next section. 
 
 4. From the scheme of doctrine and morality contained in 
 the Bible being so exalted, pure, and benevolent, that God 
 alone could either devise or appoint it. Such as, 
 
 (1.) Concerning God. — The word D%nil*, elohim, which is 
 rendered God, in the singular m^&i, eloah, and in Arabic isJc\^ 
 allah, is derived from the Arabic, aul, alaha, he worshipped, 
 adored, was struck with astonishment, fear, or terror : and 
 hence he adored with sacred horror and veneration : it also 
 signifies, he succored, liberated, kept in safety, or defended. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 169 
 
 Hence we learn that tJ^n^it, elohim, denotes the sole object 
 of adoration ; the perfections of whose nature must astonish 
 all who contemptate them, and fill with horror all who rebel 
 against him ; that consequently he must be worshipped with 
 reverence and religious fear ; and that every sincere worship- 
 per may expect help in his weaknesses, &c., freedom from 
 the power, guilt, and consequences of sin, and support and de- 
 fence to the uttermost. See Dr. A. Clarke, on Gen. 1. 1. 
 The name mm , Yehowah, which we translate Lord, is the 
 name by which God had been known from the creation of the 
 world (Gen. 2. 2), and by which He is known to the present 
 day. Even the heathen knew this name of the true God, and 
 from it formed their Jao, Jeve, Jove, and Jupiter, i. e. Jovis 
 pater, father Jove, mn"', Yehowa, from mn, hawah, to be, sub- 
 sist, signifies He who is, or subsists, i. e. eminently and in a 
 manner superior to all other beings ; and is essentially the same 
 with mni^, eheveh, I AM, in Exod. 3. 14.— His unity, Ex. 20. 
 
 3 ; Deut. 4. 35, 39 ; 5. 7 ; 6. 4 ; 32. 39 ; Ps. 86. 10 ; Is. 37. 
 16 ; 43. 10 ; 44. 6; 45. 5 ; Jer. 10. 10 ; John 17. 3 ; 1 Cor. 
 
 8. 4-6 ; Gal. 3. 20 ; Eph. 4. 6 ; 1 Tim. 2. 5 ;— a spirit, John 
 4. 24 ; 1 Tim. 1. 17 ; 6. 16 ;— invisible, Ex. 33. 20 ; John 1. 
 18 ; 5. 37 ; Rom. 1. 20 ; Col. 1. 15 ; 1 Tim. 6. 16 ; Heb. 11 
 27 ; 1 John 4. 12 ; — the true God, Jer. 10. 10 ; — the living 
 God, Dan. 4. 34 ; 6. 26 ; Acts 14. 15 ; 1 Thess. 1. 9 ; Heb. 
 
 9. 14 ; 10. 31 ;— God and Lord alone, 2 Kings 19. 15 ; Neh. 
 
 9. 6 ; Ps. 33. 18 ; 86. 10 ; Isa. 37. 16, 20 ;— none else, or 
 beside him, Deut. 4. 35 ; 2 Sam. 7. 22 ; 22. 32 ; 2 Kings 5. 
 15 ; Isa. 44. 6, 8 ; 45. 5, 6, 14, 18, 21, 22 ; 46. 9 ; Hos. 13. 
 
 4 ; — none with him, Deut. 32. 39 ; — none before him, Isa. 43. 
 10 ; — none like him, or to be compared to him, Ex. 8. 10 ; 9, 
 14 ; 15. 11 ; Deut. 4. 12 ; 33. 26 ; 2 Sam. 7. 22 ; 1 Chr. 17. 
 10 ; Ps. 35. 10 ; 86. 8 ; 89. 6 ; Isa. 40. 18 ; 46. 5, 9 ; Jer. 
 
 10. 6, 7, 10 ; God is alone, — who can resemble Him ? He 
 is that eternal, illimitable, unimpartible, unchangeable, incom- 
 prehensible, uncompounded, ineffable Being, whose essence 
 is hidden from all created intelligences, and whose counsels 
 cannot be fathomed by any creature that even His own hand 
 can form.— Blessed, Ps. 119. 12 ; Rom. 1. 25 ; 1 Tim. 1. 11 ; 
 6. 15 ; — his name to be revered, Deut. 5. 11 ; — his great ma- 
 jesty, Hab. 3. 3; — incomprehensible. Job 11.7; Ps. 145. 
 3 ; — his superiority to idols, Is. 40. 12, &c. ; 41. 21 ; 44. 9 ; 
 45.20; 46. 5; Jer. 10. 12 ; — the creator of all things, Gen- 
 r 1, &c. ; Neh. 9. 6 ; Job 25. 7 ; Ps. 38. 6 : ^9. 11; 148. 
 
 15 
 
170 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 5 ; Prov. 3. 19 ; Is. 34. 1 ; 45. 18 ; Jer. 38. 16 ; Zee. 12. 1 ; 
 - — his works unsearchable, Ec. 8. 17 ; — the governor of all 
 things, Ps. 135. 6 ; — our constant preserver. Acts 17. 28; — 
 his immortality, Deut. 33. 27 ; 1 Tim. 1. 17 ; 6. 16 ; Rev. 4. 
 9 ;— his immutability, Ex. 3. 14, 15 ; Nu. 23. 19 ; Mai. 3. 5, 
 
 6 ; Rom. 1. 23 ; Heb. 1. 12 ; 13. 8 ; James 1. 17 ; — his incor- 
 ruptibility, Rom. 1.23 ; — his providence, Ex. 21. 13; Job 1. 
 12 ; 2. 6 ; 5.6; 23. 14 ; Ps. 65. 9 ; 75. 6 ; 105. 14 ; 113. 7 ; 
 127. 1 ; 147. 6 ; Pr. 16. 9,23 ; 19. 21 ; 20. 24 ; 21. 30 ; Ec. 
 9. 1, 11 ; Jer. 10. 23 ; Mat. 6. 26 ; 10. 29 ; John 3. 27. Those 
 events, wliich appear to us the effect of choice, contrivance, 
 or chance, are matters of appointment with God ; and the per- 
 suasion of this does not prevent, but rather encourage, the 
 use of all proper means ; at the same time that it confines us 
 to proper means, and delivers the mind from useless anxiety 
 about consequences. His eternity, Ps. 9. 7 ; 90. 2, 4 ; 93. 2 ; 
 102. 12, 24, 27 ; 104. 31 ; 135. 3 ; 145. 13 ; Is. 40. 28 ; 57. 
 15 ; 63. 16 ; Jer. 10. 10 ; Lam. 5. 19 ; Dan. 4. 3 ; 1 Tim. 1. 
 
 17 ; Rom. 1. 20 ; 2 Cor. 4. 8 ; 2 Pet. 1. 11 ;— first and last, 
 Isa. 41. 4 ; 44. 6 ; 48. 12 ; Rev. 1. 8 ; — his omnipresence, 1 
 Kings 8. 27; Ps. 139.7-10; "If I take the wings of the 
 morning," &c. Light has been proved, by many experiments, 
 to travel at the astonishing rate of 194,188 miles in a second 
 of time ! and comes from the sun to the earth, a distance of 
 95,513,794 miles, in 8 minutes and nearly 12 seconds ! But, 
 could I even fly upon the wings or rays of the morning light, 
 -which diffuses itself with such velocity over the globe from 
 east to west, instead of being beyond Thy reach, or by this 
 sudden transition be able to escape Thy notice. Thy arm 
 could still at pleasure prevent or arrest my progress, and I 
 should still be encircled with the immensity of Thy essence. 
 The sentiment in this noble passage is remarkably striking, 
 and the description truly sublime. — Pr. 15. 3 ; Jer. 23. 23, 
 24 ; 2 Chr. 6. 18 ; Eph. 1. 23 ;— omniscience, 1 Sam. 2. 3 ; 
 Job 26. 6 ; 28. 24 ; 34. 21 ; 35. 4 ; Ps. 33. 13 ; 44. 21 ; 94. 
 9; 139.2; Pr. 15. 11 ; Isa. 30. 18; Je. 32.19; Matt. 6. 
 
 18 ; 10. 29 ; Acts 15. 18 ; Heb. 4. 12, 13 ; 1 John 3. 20 ;— 
 his omnipotence, Gen. 17. 1 ; 18. 14; Job 9. 4; 23. 13; 37. 
 23 ; 42. 2 ; Ps. 35. 10 ; 62. 11 ; 68. 35 ; 135. 6 ; Isa. 26. 4 ; 
 40. 29 ; Jer. 32. 17 ; Dan. 4. 35 ; Matt. 19. 26 ; Luke 1. 37; 
 2 Cor. 12. 9 ; Is. 14. 24 ; Dan. 3. 17, 29 ; Rom. 1. 20 ;— his 
 -wisdom, Job 9. 4 ; 36. 5 ; Ps. 92. 5 ; 104. 24 ; 147. 5 ; Isa. 
 28. 19 ; Rom. 16. 27 : 1 Cor. 3. 19, 20 ; 1 Tim. 1. 17 ;— his 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 171 
 
 » 
 
 knowledge, 1 John 2. 3 ; 3. 6 ; 4. 6 ; Ps. U7. 4, 5. " He 
 telleth the number of the stars," &c. The fixed stars, in 
 general, are considered to be innumerable suns, similar to 
 thai in our system, each haAung an appropriate number of 
 planets moving round it ; and, where they are in great abund- 
 ance, Dr. Herschel supposes they form primaries and secon- 
 daries, i. e. suns revolving about suns ; and that this must be 
 the case in the milky way, the stars being there in prodigious 
 quantities; of which he gives the following proof: On Au- 
 gust 22, 1792, he found that in 41 minutes, not less than 
 258,000 stars had passed through the field of view in his 
 telescope ! What must God be who has made, governs, and 
 supports so many worlds, and who " telleth the number of 
 the stars ; and calleth them by name !" — His foreknowledge, 
 Gen. 18. 18 ; 1 Kings 22. 22 ; Rom. 8. 29 ; 2 Tim. 1. 9 ; 1 
 Pet. 1. 2, 20 ;— his perfection, Ex. 15. 7 ; Ps. 145. 12 ; Matt. 
 
 5. 48 ; — produces good from the evil designs of men. Gen. 45. 
 8 ; 50. 20 ; Job 5. 12 ; Ps. 33. 10 ; 76. 10 ; Pr. 16. 9, 33 ; 
 19. 21 ; — disposes of things as he pleases from the beginning, 
 Deut. 8. 18 ; 1 Chr. 29. 12 ; 2 Chr. 1. 12 ; Job 1. 21 ; 9. 12 ; 
 Ps. 75. 7 ; Dan. 4. J 7 ;— his justice. Gen. 18. 25 ; Deut. 32. 
 4;2Chr. J9. 7; Job 8. 3 ; 34.17; 35.10; Ps. 145. 17 ; 
 Jer. 9. 24 ; 32. 18 ; Dan. 9. 14 ; Ezek. 18. 25 ; Acts 17. 
 31 ; Rev. 15. 3 ; 19. 1, 2 ; — in not punishing children for the 
 sins of their parents, Deut. 24. 16 ; Ezek. 18. 2 ; — he often 
 delays his judgments, Ecc. 8. 11 ; — his chastisements to be 
 borne. Job 1. 21 ; 2. 10 ; Heb. 12. 5 ;— his mercy, Exod. 20. 
 6 ; 34. 6 ; 2 Sam. 24. 14 ; Ps. 57. 10 ; 86. 5 ; 100. 5 ; 103. 
 8 ; 119. 64 ; Isa. 1. 18 ; Joel 2. 13; 2 Cor. 1. 3 ; Eph. 2. 
 4 ; 1 Pet. 1. 3 ; 1 John 1. 9 ; — his love to Christians, 1 John 
 3. 1 ;— his goodness, Ps. 86. 5 ; 145. 9 ; Matt. 19. 17; — his 
 holiness. Lev. 19. 2 ; 1 Sam. 2. 2 ; 6. 20 ; John 17. 11 ; Isa. 
 
 6. 3 ; Rev. 4. 8; 15. 4 ; — his truth and faithfulness, Isa. 65. 
 16; 2 Cor. 1. 18, 20; Heb. 10. 23; 11. 11 ; 2 Peter 3. 9; 
 Rev. 15. 3 ; — exhortations to trust in him, Ps. 61. 62. 63. 64. 
 69. 70. 71. 75. 85. 86. 91. 94. 115. 116. 118. 121. 123. 125. 
 131 ; — his promises to the Israelites fulfilled, Josh. 21. 43 ; — 
 the sole object of worship, Exod. 20. 1 ; Deut. 4. 14, 39,40; 
 Luke 4. 8;— to be feared, Ps. 33. 8; 76. 7 ;~to be loved, 
 Matt. 22. 37 ; — to be obeyed, Acts 5. 29 ; — not to be tempted, 
 Deut. 6. 16 ; Matt. 4. 7; — to be imitated, Eph. 5. 1. 
 
 (2.) Concerning Christ. — He was above Moses, Heb. 3.5; 
 and all the Levitical priests, Heb. 7. 21 ; 8. 1, &c. ; — he was 
 
173 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 co-eternal with the Father, John 1. 1, 3 ; 17. 5 ; Col. 1. 17 ; 
 Heb. 13. 8; — he is co-equal with the Father, Matt. 28. 18; 
 John 5. 23 ; 16. 15 ; 17. 10 ; Phil. 2. 6 ; Col. 1. 16 ; 2. 9 ; 
 — he is of one substance with the Father, John 10. 30, 38 ; 
 12.45; 17. 11, 22; 14. 9; — though, in his humanity, in- 
 ferior to the Father, John 14. 28 ; — he is King of kings, 
 Lord of lords, and God of gods, Rom. 14. 9 ; Phil. 2. 9 ; Col. 
 
 2. 10, 15 ; 1 Pet. 3. 22 ; Rev. 17. 14 ; 19. 16 ;— he was one 
 with his disciples, John 17. 21 ; Heb. 2. 11, &c.; — he was 
 perfect man. Matt. 4. 2 ; 8. 24 ; 26. 38 ; John 1. 14 ; 4. 6 ; 
 11. 35; 12.27; 19. 28; Phil. 2. 7; Heb. 2. 14 ;— he was 
 without sin, though tempted as other men, John 8. 46 ; 2 Cor. 
 5. 21 ; Heb. 4. 15 ; 7. 26 ; 1 Pet. 2. 22 ; 1 John 3. 5 ;— he 
 learned obedience by suffering, Heb. 5. 8. He was perfect 
 God, this appears, 1. By his being expressly so called^ Is. 9. 
 6 ; Matt. 1. 23 ; John 1.1; Rom. 9. 5 ; Col. 2. 9 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 3. 16; Heb. 3. 4 ; 1 John 3. 16 ; 1 Pet. 1. 1 ; where the 
 margin reads, " our God and Saviour." This is certainly 
 the literal and proper rendering of the original, tov Qeov vf"ov 
 Kui coirripoi Ir](Tov XpicTov, and should have been received in the 
 text : it is an absolute proof that St. Peter calls Jesus GOD, 
 in the most proper sense of the term ; — 1 John 1.1, " That 
 which was from the beginning," &c., "O, which, in the neuter 
 gender, that uncreated, self-existent, and eternal excellence, 
 Jesus Christ. Thus he says, " I and my Father are o/?y?," 
 ev, riot Elf, (John 10. 30.) — 2. By his forgiving sins, Matt. 9. 
 2 ; Luke 5. 20 ; 7. 48 ; — 3. By his miracles, John 3.2; 5. 
 36 ; 10. 25, 38 ; 14. 10 ; — 4. By his knowing men's thoughts, 
 Matt. 9. 4 ; 12. 25 ; Mark 2. 8 ; Luke 5. 22 ; 6. 8 ; 9. 47 ; 
 11. 17, 20. The reasoning of the Pharisees (v. 17, and 
 Matt. 12. 24, 25) was not expressed, and Jesus, knoii-ing their 
 thoughts, gave ample proof of his omniscience. This, with 
 our Lord's masterly confutation of their reasonings, by a con- 
 clusion drawn from their own premises, one would have sup- 
 posed might have humbled and convinced those men ; but 
 the most conclusive reasoning, and the most astonishing 
 miracles, were lost upon a people who were obstinately de- 
 termined to disbelieve every thing that was good relative to 
 Jesus of Nazareth. John 2. 24 ; 6. 61 ; 21. 17 ;— 5. By his 
 taising himself from the dead, John 2. 9 ; 10. 17 ; — 6. By his 
 promising and sending the Holy Ghost, John 14. 26 ; 15. 26 ; 
 Acts 1.5, 2. 4 ; — 7. By the attributes of creation, omnipo- 
 tence, and omniscience^ 6lc., being ascribed to him, Col. 1. 16 ; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 173 
 
 Heb. 1.2; Phil. 3. 21 ; 1 Cor. 4. 5 ;— 8. By his expresshj 
 claiming it, John 8. 58, " Before Abraham was, I am." That 
 our Lord by this expression asserted his divinity and eternal 
 existence, as the great I AM, appears evident from the use 
 of the present tense, instead of the preter ; from its being in 
 answer to the Jews, who inquired, whether he had seen 
 Abraham; and from its being thus understood by the multitude, 
 who were exasperated at it to such a degree, that they took up 
 stones to stone him. The ancient Jews not only believed 
 that the Messiah was superior to, and Lord of all the pa- 
 triarchs, and even of angels (see Yalkut Simeoni on Isa. 52. 
 13; Bereshith Rabba on Gen. 28. 10 ; Zohar, Gen. fol. 88), 
 but that his celestial nature existed with God, from whom it 
 emanated, before the creation (Netzach Israel, c. 35, fol. 38), 
 and that the creation was effected by his ministry (Zohar, 1, 
 fol. 128, on Gen. 49. 11.) — John 9. 5, "I am the light of the 
 world." Our Lord here claims one of the titles given by the 
 Jews to the Divine Being. So in Bammidbar Rabba, ^ 15, 
 fol. 229, 1. "The Israelites said to God, Lord of the 
 universe, thou commandest us to light lamps to thee, yet thou 
 art the light of the world ;''' it was also a title of the Messiah, 
 (see Isa. 49. 6 ; 60. 1) ; and in a remarkable passage of 
 Yalkut Rubeni, fol. 6, it is said, on Gen. 1.4: " From this 
 we learn, that the Holy and Blessed God saw the light of 
 the Messiah, and his works, before the world was created ; 
 and reserved it for the Messiah and his generation, imder the 
 throne of his glory. Satan said to the Holy and Blessed 
 God, For whom dost thou reserve that light which is under the 
 throne of thy glory ? God answered, For him who shall 
 subdue thee, and overwhelm thee with confusion. Satan re- 
 joined. Lord of the universe, show that person to me. God 
 said, Come, and see him. When he saw him, he was 
 greatly agitated, and fell upon his face, saying. Truly this is 
 the Messiah, who shall cast me and idolaters into hell." He 
 was the Messiah spoken of by the prophets, Luke 24. 27 ; 
 John 1.45; 4.25; 5. 39 46; 11.27; Acts 26. 22 ;— he 
 came down from heave'J, John 3. 13, 31; 6. 38, 50; 16. 
 28 ;— for our sakes, M^tt. 18. 11 ; Luke 19. 10 ; John 3. 17 ; 
 10. 10 ; 12. 47 ; — he was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, 
 Matt. 1. 18 ; Luke 1. 35 ; — he died for our sins, Isa. 53. 8; 
 Dan. 9. 26 ; Mutt. 20. 28 ; Rom. 4. 25 ; 5.6; 1 Cor. 15. 3 ; 
 Gal. 1. 4 ; li.ph. 5. 2 ; Heb. 9. 28 ;— he abolished death, 
 2 Tim. 1. 10; — he rose again Ihe third day for our justj- 
 
 15* 
 
174 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 fication, Luke 24. 1 ; 46. 47 ; Acts 2. 24 ; 3. 15 ; 4. 19 ; 5 
 30 ; 10. 40 ; 17. 31 ; Rom. 10. 9 ; 1 Cor. 6. 14 ; 15. 3, 4 ; 
 1 Thes. 1. 10 ; Heb. 13. 20 ; 1 Pet. 3. 18 ;— he ascended up 
 to heaven, Mark 16. 19 ; Luke 24. 51 ; Acts 1. 2, 9 ; Eph. 
 4. 8 ; 1 Tim. 3. 16 ; — he sitteth on the right hand of God, 
 Mark 16. 19; Acts 7. 56 ; Eph. 1. 20; Col. 3. 1 ; Heb. 1. 
 3 ; 8. 1 ; 10. 12 ; 12. 2 ; 1 Pet. 3. 22 ;— his intercession, Rom. 
 8. 34 ; Heb. 7. 25 ; 1 John 2. 1 ; — all power given to him, 
 Matt. 28. 18 ; Eph. 1. 20 ; — he will come again to judge the 
 world. Acts 1. 11 ; 1 Thes. 4. 16 ; 2 Tim. 4. 1 ;— he will 
 reject the workers of iniquity, Matt. 7. 21 ; — his mediatorial 
 reign will have an end, 1 Cor. 15. 24 ; — he is the pattern that 
 we ought to follow, Matt. 11. 29; John 13. 15 ; Phil. 2. 5; 
 1 Pet. 1. 15 ; 2. 21 ; 1 John 2. 6 ; — he did not come to de- 
 stroy the law, Matt. 5. 17 ; — he was trusted in by Abraham 
 and the patriarchs, John 8. 56 ; Heb. 11. 1, &lc. ; — his mes- 
 sage to the seven churches, Rev. 1. 11, &c. ; — his names, 
 titles, and characters : Advocate, 1 John 2. 1 ; — Alpha and 
 Omega, Rev. 1. 8; 22. 13; — Amen, Rev. 3. 14; — beginning 
 of the creation of God, Rev. 3. 14 ; — branch, Zech. 3. 8 ; 6. 
 12 ; — corner-stone, 1 Pet. 2. 5 ; — living-stone, 1 Pet. 2. 4 ; 
 —David, Jer. 30. 9 ; Ezek. 34. 23 ; 37. 24 ; Hos. 3. 5 ;— 
 day-spring, Luke 1. 78; — deliverer. Acts 7.35; Rom. 11. 
 26 ; — Emmanuel, Isa. 7. 14 ; Matt. 1. 23 ; — first-begotten 
 from the dead. Rev. 1. 5; — first and last. Rev. 1. 17; — God 
 blessed for ever, Rom. 9. 5 ; — governor. Matt. 2. 6 ; — holy 
 one, Luke 4. 34 ; Acts 3. 14 ; Rev. 3. 7 ; — horn of salvation, 
 Luke 1. 69 ; — image of God, 2 Cor. 4. 4 ; — ^just one, Acts 3. 
 14; 7.52; 22. 14; — king everlasting, Luke 1.33; — king 
 of Israel, John 1. 49 ; — king of the Jews, Matt. 2. 2 ; — king 
 of kings, Rev. 17. 14 ; 19. 16 ;— lamb of God, John 1. 29, 
 36 ; — lamb who opened the sealed book, Rev. 5. 6 ; — true 
 light, John 1. 8, 9 ; 3. 19 ; 8. 12 ; 9. 5 ; 12. 35, 46 ;— Lord, 
 Matt. 3. 3 ; Mark 11.3 ;— Lord of glory, 1 Cor. 2. 8 ;— Lord 
 of lords, Rev. 17. 14 ; 19. 16 ;— lion of the tribe of Judah, 
 Rev. 5. 5 ; — maker and preserver of all things, John 1. 3, 
 10 ; 1 Cor. 8. 6 ; Col. 1. 16 ; Heb. 1. 2, 10 ; Rev. 4. 11 ;— 
 mediator, 1 Tim. 2. 5 ; — mediator of the new covenant, Heb. 12. 
 24 ; — Nazarene, Matt. 2. 23 ; — prince. Acts 5. 31 ; — prince 
 of life. Acts 3. 15 ; — prince of peace, Isa. 9. 6 ; — prince of the 
 kings of the earth. Rev. 1. 5 ; — prophet, Deut. lb. 51 ; Luke 
 24. 19 ; — redeemer, Job 19. 25 ; Isa. 59. 20 ; — our righteous- 
 ness, Jer. 33. 16 ; — root of David, Rev. 5. 5 ; — root and off- 
 
OF THE S.ACRED SCRIPTURES. 175 
 
 Spring of David, and bright and morning star, Rev. 22. 16 ; — 
 ruler, Mic. 5. 2 ; — Saviour, Luke 2. 1 1 ; Acts 5. 31 ; — shepherd 
 in the land, Zech. 11. 16; good shepherd, John 10. 11 ; — great 
 shepherd of the sheep, Heb. 13. 20 ; — son of the Highest, 
 Luke 1. 32 ; — son of God, Matt. 3. 17 ; 8. 29 ; Luke 1. 35 ; 
 — only begotten son, John 1. 14, 18 ; 3. 16, 18 ; — son of man, 
 Matt. 8. 20 ; John 1. 51 ;— son of David, Matt. 9. 27 ; 21.9; 
 — star and sceptre, Num. 24. 17 : — bright and morning star, 
 Rev 22. 16; — true, Rev. 3. 7; 10. 11 ; faithful witness, Rev. 
 1. 5 ; 3. 14 ; 19. 11 ;— word, John 1. 1 ;— word of God, Rev. 
 19. 13; — high-priest, Heb. 5. 1, &c. 
 
 (3.) Concerning the Holy Ghost, his names and characters ; 
 Spirit of God, Gen. 1.2; Matt. 3. 16 ; — Spirit of the Father, 
 Matt. 10. 20;— Spirit of Christ, 1 Pet. 1. 11; — Spirit of 
 grace, Heb. 10. 29; — Spirit of holiness, Rom. 1. 3; — Spirit 
 of truth, John 14. 17 ;— the Comforter, .lohn 14. 16, 26 ; 15. 
 26; — is omnipresent, Ps. 139. 7; — omniscient, 1 Cor. 2. 
 10 ;— eternal, Heb. 9. 14 ;— is God, Job 33. 4 ; Matt. 28. 19 ; 
 Luke 1. 35 ; Acts 5. 3, 4 ; spake by the prophets, Neh. 9. 
 30 ; Acts 7. 51 ; 1 Pet. 1. 11 ; 2 Pet. 1. 21 ; — wrought mira- 
 cles, Matt. 12. 28; Rom. 15. 19 ; — proceeds from the Father 
 and the Son, John 14. 26 ; 15. 26 ; 16. 7 ; Gal. 4. 6 ;— is 
 promised to men, Is. 44. 3 ; Ezek. 11. 19 ; 36. 26 ; Joel 2. 
 28; Matt. 3. 11 ;— by Jesus, John 14. 16, 26 ; 15. 26 ; 16. 
 7; — is ready to direct all Christians, Rom. 8. 9, 13, 16; 
 2 Cor. 1. 22 ; Gal. 4. 6 ; — his suggestions are carefully to be 
 attended to, Is. 63. 10 ; Eph. 4. 30 ; 1 Thess. 5. 19 ; — sanc- 
 tifieth, Rom. 15. 16; 2 Thess. 2. 13 ; 1 Pet. 1. 2 ;— his 
 ordinary and extraordinary gifts, Rom. 12. 6 ; 1 Cor. 12. 4, 
 &c. ; Gal. 5. 22 ; Eph. 5. 9 ; Heb. 2. 4 ; — to be born of him, 
 necessary, John 3. 3, &c. ; — blasphemy against him unpar- 
 donable, Matt, 12. 31 ; 1 John 5. 16. 
 
 (4.) Concerning Angels^ — wise, good, and immortal, 2 Sam. 
 14. 17, 20 ; Ps. 103. 21 ; Matt. 25. 31 ; Luke 20. 36 ; 1 Tim. 5. 
 21 ; — are created and imperfect beings, Job 4. 18 ; Matt. 24. 
 36 ; 1 Pet- 1. 12 ; — are appointed as guardians of men, Ps« 
 34. 7; 91. 11 ; Eccles. 5. 6; Matt. 18. 10; Acts 12. 15; 
 Heb. 1.14 ; — charged with folly. Job 4. 18 ; — ignorant of the 
 day of judgment. Matt. 24. 36; are in great numbers, Deut. 
 33. 2 ; Ps. 68. 17 ; Dan. 7. 10 ; Matt. 26. 53 ; Luke 2. 13 ; 
 Heb. 12. 22 ,- Jude 14 ; Rev. 5. 11 ; — are in The immediate 
 presence of God, Matt. 18. 10; Luke 1. 19 ; this is an allu- 
 .sion to the privilege granted by eastern monarchs to their 
 
176 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 chief favorites ; hence among the Jews the angels were 
 termed d^SS ^-5^^?D, " angels of the presence." Are of differ- 
 ent ranks, Dan. 10. 13; Jude 9; — are subject to Christ, 
 
 I Pet. 3. 22 ; Heb. 1. 6 ; — not to be worshipped, Judges 13. 
 16; Col. 2. 18; Rev. 19. 10; 22. 8 ;— worship God, Neh. 
 9. 6 ; Ps. 148. 2 ; — rejoice when sinners are converted, Luke 
 15. 10; — conduct souls to Paradise, Luke 16. 22. 
 
 (5.) Concerning the Devil, — his names and characters : 
 Abaddon, i. e. a destroyer, Rev. 9. 11 ; — accuser of the 
 brethren, Rev. 12. 10 ; — adversary, 1 Pet. 5. 8; — angel of 
 the bottomless pit, 9. 11 ; — Apollyon, i. e. a destroyer. Rev. 
 9. 11 ;— the beast. Rev. 19. 19, 20 ;— Beelzebub, Matt. 12. 
 24 ; Mark 3. 22, &c. ; deceiver, Rev. 12. 9 ; 13. 14 ; 20. 3 ; 
 — great dragon, Rev. 12. 7, 9 ; 20. 2 ; — evil one, John 17. 
 15 ; — god of this world, 2 Cor. 4. 4 ; liar and murderer, John 
 8. 44;— prince of this world, John 12. 31 ; 14. 30 ; 16. 11 ; 
 prince of the power of the air, Eph. 2. 2 ; — Satan, 1 Chr. 
 21. 1; Job 1. 6; Matt. 4. 10; Rev. 12. 9 ;— old serpent, 
 Gen. 3. 4, 13 ; 2 Cor. 11. 3 ; Rev. 12. 9 ;— sinner, 1 John 
 
 3. 8; — tempter, 1 Thess. 3. 5; — wicked one, Matt. 13. 19, 
 38 ; 1 John 2. 13 ; — he that had the power of death, Heb. 2, 
 14 ; — the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedi- 
 ence, Eph. 2. 2 ; — he appears in the Divine presence. Job 
 
 1. 6; 2. 1 ; — earnestly labors after man's destruction, Job 1. 
 7; 2. 2 ; Matt. 13. 19; 1 Pet. 5. 8 ; — may be conquered, if 
 properly resisted, Eph. 4. 27 ; 6. 10 ; 2 Tim. 2. 26 ; James 
 
 4. 7 ; 1 Pet. 5. 9 ; 1 John 2. 13; — his suggestions to be 
 carefully guarded against. Matt. 13. 19 ; 2 Cor. 11. 3 ; Eph. 
 6. 11 ; — inspires evil thoughts, and draws men into sin. Gen. 
 3. 1 ; 1 Chr. 21. 1 ; Luke 22. 3 ; .John 13. 2, 27; Acts 5. 
 3 ; 1 Cor. 7. 5 ; 2 Cor. 2. 11 ; — his suggestions are always 
 contrary to the word of God, or to faith, or charity, Matt. 4. 
 
 2, 6, 9 ; Eph. 6. 16 ; 1 John 3. 8, 10 ; — can do nothing with- 
 out God's permission, Judg. 9. 23 ; 1 Kings 22.22 ; Job 1. 
 12 ; 2. 6 ; 12. 16 ; Ezek. 14. 9 ; Matt. 8. 31 ; 2 Thess. 2. 
 
 II ; — is sometimes permitted to afflict men and disappoint 
 their desires, Job 1. 12; 2. 6 ; Luke 13. 16 ; 2 Cor. 12. 7; 
 
 1 Thess. 2. 18; Rev. 2. 10; — had power granted him of 
 working miracles, Ex. 7. 11, 22; 8. 7; Matt. 24. 24; 
 
 2 Thess. 2. 9 ; Rev. 13. 13 ; 16. 14 ; 19. 20 ;— and also to 
 possess human bodies, 1 Sam. 16. 14, 23; 18. 10; 19. 9; 
 Matt. 4. 24 ; 8. 16 ; 9. 32 ; — was formerly in heaven, but cast 
 out for his disobedience, John 8. 44 ; 2 Pet. 2. 4 ; Jude 6. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 177 
 
 The Devils are many, and of different ranks, acting under 
 vhe direction of one. Matt. 9. 34 ; 12. 24 ; Mark 5. 9 ; Luke 
 8. 27; Eph. 6. 12; Rev. ]2. 7, 9 ;— are reserved to farther 
 punishment, 2 Pet. 2. 4 ; Jude 6 ; Rev. 20. 3 ; — expect and 
 fear their final sentence, Matt. 8. 29 ; Mark 1. 24 ; James 2. 
 19 ; — sacrifices not to be offered to them ; Lev. 17. 7 ; Deut. 
 32. 17; 2 Chron. 11. 15; 1 Cor. 10. 20. 
 
 (6.) Concerning Man — his primeval dignity. Gen. 1. 26, 
 27 ; 2. 7 ; Ps. 8. 5 ; Ecc. 7. 29 ;— his fall, Gen. 3. 17 ; 6. 5 ; 
 8. 21 ; Ps. 14. 3 ; Jer. 17. 9 ; — universal corruption of his 
 nature, Job 14. 4 ; Ps. 51. 5 ; John 3. 6 ; Rom. 3. 23 ; Gal. 
 5. 17 ; Eph. 2. 1, <fcc. ; Col. 2. 13 ;— his mortality, Job 7. 10; 
 14. 5, 7, 10, 12 ; Ecc. 12. 7 ; Rom. 5. 12 ; 1 Cor. 15. 22 ;— 
 w^hat is best for him in this world, Ecc. 2. 24 ; 3. 12, 22 ; 5. 
 18 ; 7. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 ; 9. 7 ;— the great business of his life, 12. 
 13 ; Amos 4. 12 ; Luke 10. 27 ; Mark 8. 36 ; 2 Pet. 1. 10;— 
 his frailties, Ps. 62. 9; 78. 39; 103. 14; 144. 4; 146. 3; 
 Rom. 7. 18; 1 Pet. 1. 24; — his dignity restored by Christ, 
 1 Cor. 15. 49; Eph. 5. 25, 27; Phil. 3. 21 ; Col. 3. 4, 10; 
 Heb. 2. 10; 2 Pet. 1. 4; 1 John 3. 2. 
 
 (7.) Of the Sold — exists in a separate state, Ecc. 3. 21 ; 
 12. 7 ; Matt. 22. 32 ; Luke 8. 55, " And her spirit came again," 
 &c. This expression, thus used of one who had been dead, 
 strongly implies, that at death the soul not only exists separ- 
 ately, but returns and is re-united to the body, when it is 
 raised from the dead. — Luke 16. 22; 20. 37; there is a re- 
 markable passage in Josephus (De Maccab. c. 16), which 
 proves that the best informed among the Jews believed in the 
 immateriality and immortality of the soul, and that the souls 
 of righteous men were in the presence of God in a state of 
 happiness. " They who lose their lives for the sake of God, 
 live unto God, as do Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest 
 of the patriarchs." Not less remarkable is a passage in 
 Shemoth Rabba (fol. 159. 1), " Why doth Moses say (Ex. 32. 
 13), Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? R. Abin saith, 
 The Lord said unto Moses, I look for ten men from thee, as I 
 looked for that number in Sodom. Find me out ten righteous 
 persons among the people, and I will not destroy thy people. 
 Then saith Moses, Behold here am I and Aaron, Eleazar and 
 Ithamar, Phinehas, and Caleb, and Joshua ; but saith God, 
 There are but seven, where are the other three ? When 
 Moses knew not what to do, he saith, O Eternal God, G'l^n 
 tt'^n^n tan, do those live who are dead ? Yes, saith God. 
 
178 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Then saith Moses, If those that are dead do live, remember 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." — Luke 23. 43; Phil. 1. 23; 
 Num. 27. 16 ; ^an ^i> rm^hT ^■^ifi< mn'^, Yehowah elohey haroo- 
 clwth lechol basar, " Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh." 
 This address sufficiently proves, that this holy man (Moses) 
 believed man to be compounded of flesh and spirit ; and that 
 these principles are perfectly distinct. Either the materiality 
 of the soul is a human fable, or, if it be a true doctrine, 
 Moses did not pray under the influence of the Divine Spirit. 
 There is a similar form of expression in ch. 16. 2, " O God, 
 the God of the spirits of all flesh ;" and in Job 12. 10, " In 
 whose hand is the soul (c5:, nephesh) of all living; and 
 the spirit (mi, rooacli) of all flesh of man." These seem 
 decisive proofs, among many others, that the Old Testament 
 teaches that there is an immortal spirit in man ; for though 
 mi, rooach, sometimes denotes breath or wind, yet it certainly 
 has not that signification here, nor in the other passages cited. 
 
 (8.) Of Life—i\\e value of it, Ps. 49. 8; Matt. 16. 26; 
 Mark 8. 36 ; Luke 9. 25 ;— short and uncertain, 1 Chr. 29. 
 15 ; Job 7. 16 ; Ps. 39. 5 ; 90. 5, 6, 9 ; 103. 15 ; Is. 40. 6 ; 
 Luke 12. 20 ; James 4. 14 ; 1 Pet. 1. 24 ;— full of trouble and 
 vanity, Job 5. 7 ; 14. 1 ; Ecc. 1. 2; 12. S ^—long life, 
 promised as the reward of virtue, Ex. 20. 12 ; Deut. 5. 33 ; 
 6. 2 ; Pr. 3. 2, 16 ; 9. 11 ; 10. 27 ;— not to be preferred to 
 our duty. Matt. 10. 39; 16. 25; Mark 8. 35; Luke 9. 24; 
 17. 33 ; John 12. 25. 
 
 (9.) Of Death — how it came into the world, Gen. 3. 17, 19; 
 Rom. 5. 12; 1 Cor. 15. 22 ;— certain to all, Job 14. 5; 21. 
 13 ; Ps. 49. 19 ; 89. 48 ; Ecc. 8. 8 ; 9. 5 ; 11.8 ;— levels all 
 men, Job 1. 21 ; 3. 17, &c. ; Ecc. 5. 15; — to be frequently 
 thought of, Ps. 39. 1 ; 90. 12 ;— sometimes desirable. Job 3. 
 21 ; 6. 8; Phil. 1. 23 ;— sudden, a blessing, Job 21. 13;— 
 Christians have hope in it, 2 Cor. 5. 1, &c. ; — the second. 
 Rev. 2. 11 ; 10. 14; 21. 8. 
 
 (10.) Of Heaven — The place where holy souls dwell, 2 
 Kings 2. 1, 11; Luke 2. 15; Eph. 3. 15; Col. 1. 5 ; 1 Pet. 
 1. 4; the happiness of it, Ps. 16. 11 ; Dan. 12. 3; Matt. 5. 
 12; 13.43; Luke 12. 43; John 12.26; 17.24; 1 Cor. 2. 
 9 ; 13. 12 ; 1 Pet. 1.4; Rev. 14. 13 ;— degrees of happiness 
 in it, Matt. 16. 27 ; Luke 19. 17 ; John 14. 2 ; 1 Cor. 15. 41 ; 
 2 Cor. 9. 6; — who will be admitted into it. Matt. 5. 3-12; 
 John 3. 15; Rom. 2. 7; 1 Tim. 6. 19;— who will be ex- 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES, 179 
 
 eluded from it, Matt. 7. 21 ; Luke 13. 27 ; 1 Cor. 6. 9 ; Gal. 
 5. 21, &c. 
 
 (11.) Oi Hell — the place appointed for the punishment of 
 devils and wicked men, Ps. 9. 17 ; Pr. 15. 24; Matt. 5. 29; 
 10. 28 ; 23. 33 ; Mark 9. 43 ; Luke 12. 5 ; 16. 23 ; 2 Pet! 
 2. 4 ; — the horrors and punishments of it set forth, Matt. 13. 
 Jude 13 ; Rev. 14. 10 ; 19. 20 ; 20. 10, 
 -sufferings in it various, according to the degrees 
 of guilt. Matt. 11. 22 ; 23. 14 ; Luke 12. 47, 48 ;— the eternity 
 of the torments thereof asserted, Dan. 12. 2 ; Matt. 3. 12 ; 
 25. 46; Mark 9. 44; Luke 16. 26; Jude 13. 
 
 (12.) Of the Resurrection — Job's hope of it. Job 19. 25; — 
 David's, Ps. 16. 10 ; — of the dry bones, representing the 
 restoration of the Jews, Ezek. 37. 1, &c. In this vision, the 
 dry hones aptly represent the ruined and desperate state both 
 of Israel and Judah ; and the revivification of these bones 
 signifies their restoration to their own land after their captivity, 
 and also their recovery from their present long dispersion. 
 Although this is the primary and genuine scope of the vision, 
 yet the doctrine of a general resurrection of the dead may 
 justly be inferred from it ; for " a simile of the resurrection," 
 says Jerome, after Tertullian and others, "would never have 
 been used to signify the restoration of the people of Israel, 
 unless such a future resurrection had been believed and 
 known ; because no one attempts to confirm uncertain things 
 by things which have no existence." Mentioned to Daniel, 
 Dan. 12. 2, 13;— preached by Jesus, Matt. 17. 23; 22. 31 ; 
 John 5. 21, 28; — Paul's account of it, 1 Cor. 15. 1, &c. ; 1 
 Thess. 3. 13;— the first, 1 Cor. 15. 23; 1 Thess. 4. 16; 
 Rev. 20. 5. 
 
 (13.) 0{ future Judgment, — intimations of it, Ps. 1. 5 ; 9. 
 7; 50; Ecc. 3. 17; 11. 9; 12. 14 ;— to be administered by 
 Christ, Matt. 16. 27; 25. 31 ; John 5. 22, 27; Acts 10. 42 ; 
 17. 31 ; Rom. 2. 16 ; 2 Cor. 5. 10 ; 2 Tim. 4. 1 ;— the time 
 of it unknown. Matt. 24. 44 ; Mark 13. 32 ; 1 Thess. 5. 2 ; 2 
 Pet. 3. 10; — why delayed, 9.<iJ5; — to be preceded by false 
 Christs, Matt. 24. 5, 24 ; — the appearance of the man of sin, 
 2 Thess. 2. 8 ; 1 John 2. 18 ; — the preaching of the gospel to 
 all nations, Matt. 24. 14 ; Luke 21. 24; Rom. 11. 25; Rev. 
 14. 6 ; — the conversion of the Jews, Hos. 3. 5 ; Rom. 11.23, 
 &c. ; 2 Cor. 3. 16 ; — remarkable wars and other calamities, 
 Matt. 24. 6, 12 ; — the circumstances of it, a trumpet will be 
 sounded, Matt. 24. 31 ; 1 Cor. 15. 52; — a change will take 
 
180 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 place in the bodies that are raised, Matt. 22. 30 ; 1 Cor. 15. 
 42 ; Phil. 3. 21 ; Col. 3. 4 ; 1 John 3. 2 ; — a conflagration or 
 change in the world, Zeph. 3. 8 ; 2 Thess. 1.8; 2 Pet. 3. 
 7; — Christ coming in the clouds, Dan. 7. 10 ; Matt. 16. 27 ; 
 24. 30 ; 2G. 64 ; Luke 21. 27 ; Acts 1.11; 1 Thess. 3. 13 ; 
 4. 16; Rev. 1. 7; — who will then judge all men, Matt. 24. 
 31 ; 25. 31 ; Rom. 14. 10; 2 Cor. 5. 10; Jude 15 ; Rev. 
 20. 12 ; 22. 12 ; — the apostles to be judges with him, Matt. 
 
 19. 28; Luke 22. 30; 1 Cor. 6. 3 ;— the righteous will be 
 separated from the wicked. Matt. 13. 49 ; 25. 32. 
 
 (14.) Of Si7i, — wherein it consists, John 15. 22 ; Rom. 3. 
 20; 4. 15; 1 Cor. 15. 56; Jam. 1. 15 ; 1 John 3. 4 ; 5. 17; — in- 
 cident to all men, 1 Kings 8. 46; Job 15. 14 ; 25. 4 ; Ps. 130. 
 
 3 ; Pr. 20. 9 ; 24. 16 ; Ecc. 7. 20 ; Jam. 3. 2 ; 1 John 1. 8 ; 
 — comes from the heart, Matt. 15. 19; Jam. 1. 14; — pre- 
 svmptuous, the danger of it, Num. 15. 30 ; Ps. 19. 13 ; 59. 5 ; 
 Luke 12. 47 ; Rom. 1. 32 ; Ileb. 10. 26. 
 
 (15s) Of Holiness, — the necessity of it, Lev. 11.44; 19. 
 2; Ps. 4. 3; Rom. 6. 19 ; 12. 1 ; 13. 12 ; 2 Cor. 7. 1 ; Eph. 
 1. 4; 4.24; Phil. 1.27; Col. 1.10; 1 Thess. 2. 12 ; Heb. 
 12. 14 ; 1 Pet. 1. 15 ; 2 Pet. 3. 11 ; — a motive to it from the 
 holiness of God, Lev. 11. 44. 
 
 (16.) 0{ Rcpenta?ice — necessary, 1 Kings 8.47; Ps. 7. 12; 
 Ezek. 18. 30; Luke 13. 3; 15. 7 ; 24. 47; Acts 2. 38; 3. 
 19; 17. 30; 26. 20; 2 Pet. 3. 9 ;— wherein it consists, 1 
 Kings 8. 47; Ps. 15. 17 ; 119.59; Ezek. 18. 21 ; 36.31; 
 Hos. 14. 1 ; Joel 2. 12 ; — exhortation to it. Lev. 26. 40 ; Deut. 
 30. 1 ; Is. 1. 16 ; Jer. 3. 12 ; 4. 4 ; 22. 1 ; 26. 1, &c. ; Ezek. 
 18. 30 ; Hos. 6. 2 ; 12. 6 ; 14. 1 ; Joel 1.8; 2. 12 ; Am. 5. 
 
 4 ; Zeph. 2. 3 ; Zech. 1. 3 ; Acts 3. 19 ; — motives to it, 1 
 Sam. 7. 3 ; Neh. 1. 9 ; Job 22. 23 ; Ps. 32. 5 ; Is. 1. 16 ; 
 Jer. 4. 1 ; Ezek. 33. 11 ; Zech. 1.3; Rev. 2. 5 ;~if genuine, 
 will obtain pardon, Lev. 26. 40 ; Deut. 4. 29 ; 30. 1-3 ; Pr. 
 28. 13 ; Is. 55. 6, 7; Jer. 18. 8; 36. 3; Ezek. 18. 21 ; 36. 
 31 ; Acts 2. 38 ;— danger in delaying it, Ps. 18. 41 ; 119. 
 60; Pr. 1. 28; 29.1; Is. 55.6; Jer. 7. 16; 11.11; 14. 10; 
 Ezek. 8. 18; Mic. 3. 4; Zee!?. 7. 13 ; Matt. 25. 10; Luke 
 12.20; 19.44; Acts 3. 23 ; Rom. 13.12; 2 Cor. 6. 2 ; 
 Heb. 3. 7, 13; 12. 17; Rev. 2. 22. 
 
 (17.) Of Faith in God, — necessary to please him, Gen. 15. 
 6 ; Ex. 4. 31 ; 14. 31 ; Num. 20. 12 ; Deut. 32. 20 ; 2 Chr. 
 
 20. 20 ; Neh. 9. 8 ; Ps. 78. 22 ; 106. 12 ; Is. 7. 9 ; 43. 10 ; 
 Dan. 6. 23 ; Jon. 3. 5 ; Hab. 2. 4 ; John 14. 1 ; Rom. 4. 3 ; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 181 
 
 5. 1 ; Heb. 11.6 ; — the want of it a cause of sin, Num. 14. 
 11; Deut. 1. 32; 2Kingsl7. 14; Ps. 106. 13 ; Rom. 11. 
 23 ; Heb. 3. 19 ; — in Christ, necessary, Mark 1. 15 ; 16. 16 ; 
 John 1.12; 3.15; 5.24; 8.24; Acts 13. 39; 16. 31 ; Rom. 
 1. 16 ; 3. 26 ; 11. 20 ; 1 Cor. 1. 21 ; Eph. 6. 16 ; Heb. 10. 
 39 ; 1 John 5. 4 ; Rev. 21. 8 ; — must be unfeigned and dura- 
 ble, Rom. 10. 9 ; Col. 1. 23 ; 1 Tim. 1.5; 2. 8 ; Jam. 1. 6 ;— 
 the efficacy of it in the case of the apostles, Matt. 17. 20 ; 21 . 
 21 ; Mark 11. 22; Luke 17. 6 ; — insignificant without good 
 works, 1 Cor. 13. 2 ; Gal. 5. 6 ; James 2. 14 ; — demons have 
 it and tremble, Jam. 2. 19 ; — examples of it, Heb. 11. 
 
 (18.) Of Works, — Men are to be judged by them, Job 34. 
 11; Ps. 62. 12 ; Pr. 24. 12 ; Is. 3. 10 ; Jer. 17. 10 ; 32. 1 9 ; 
 Ezek. 7. 8, 27 ; 24. 14 ; Matt. 16. 27 ; Rom. 2. 6 ; 2 Cor. 
 
 5. 10 ; 1 Pet. 1. 17 ; Rev. 2. 23 ; 20. 12 ; 22. 12 ;—good, 
 arise from good principles. Matt. 7. 17 ; Jam. 2. 14, &c. 5 3. 
 
 13 ; — absolutely required, Matt. 5. 16 ; 2 Cor. 9. 8 ; Eph. 2. 
 10 ; Col. 1. 10 ; 1 Tim. 2. 10 ; 2 Tim. 2. 21 ; 3. 17 ; Tit. 2. 
 
 14 ; 3. 8, 14 ; Heb. 13. 16, 21 ; Jam. 2. 17 ;—of the Zaty will 
 not justify, Rom. 3. 20 ; 4.2; 11.6; Gal. 2. 16; Eph. 2. 
 8, 9. 
 
 (19.) Of the Grace of God, — necessary to the performance 
 of good works, 1 Kings 8. 58 ; Ps. 119. 32; 143. 10; John 
 
 6. 44 ; Rom. 8. 8 ; 1 Cor. 3. 6 ; 12. 3 ; 15. 10 ; Phil. 2. 13 ; 
 Heb. 13. 21 ; — is freely offered to every Christian, John 1. 
 12 ; Tit. 2. 11 ; 2 Pet. 3. 9 ; — will be effectual to those who 
 co-operate with it, 1 Cor. 15. 10; 2 Cor. 6. 1 ; Heb. 12. 15; 
 — will be increased to those who desire it, Matt. 13. 12 ; 
 Luke 8. 18 ; John 15. 2 ; — should be earnestly sought in 
 prayer, Prov. 2. 3, 4 ; Heb. 4. 16 ; James 1. 5. 
 
 (20.) Of Divine Assistance, — necessary in all our under- 
 takings, John 15. 5 ; 1 Cor. 15. 10 ; 2 Cor. 3. 5 ; Phil. 2. 13 ; 
 1 Tim. 1. 12 ; — promised upon proper application, Ps. 37. 4, 
 5 ; Isa. 58. 9 ; Jer. 29. 12, 13 ; Matt. 7. 11 ; 21. 22 ; Luke 
 11.9; James 1. 5 ; 1 John 5. 14; — instances and acknow- 
 ledgment of such. Gen. 14. 12 ; 1 Sam. 1. 10 ; 2 Kings 19. 
 20 ; 20. 5 ; 2 Chr. 33. 13 ; Job 42. 20 ; Ps. 3. 4 ; 118. 5 ; 
 120. 1. 
 
 (21.) Of Forgiveness of sins — promised by God on repent- 
 ance, Ex. 34. 6 ; 2 Chr. 7. 14 ; Ps. 32. I;"l03. 3; 130.4; 
 Pr. 28. ]3; Is. 1. 18 ; 55.7; Jer. 31. 34 ; Dan. 9. 9, 24 ; 
 Mark 1. 4 ; Luke 1. 77 ; 3. 3 ; 24. 47 ; Acts 2. 38 ; 5. 31 ; 
 8.22; 10.43; 13.38; Rom. 3. 25 ; Col. 1. 14 ; Heb. 8. 
 
 16 
 
182 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 12 ; James 5. 15 ; 1 John 2. 12 ; — to be sought with the 
 whole heart, Deut. 4.29; 1 Chr. 28. 9; Ps. 119.2; Jer. 29. 
 13; J Thess. 5. 17. 
 
 (22.) Of Regeneration, or a change of heart and life — ne- 
 cessary, John 1. 13 ; 3. 3 ; Rom. 12. 2 ; 2 Cor. 4. 16 ; 5. 17 ; 
 Gal. 6. 15 ; Eph. 4. 22 ; Col. 3. 8 ; 1 Pet. 1. 23 ; 1 John 3. 
 9; 5. 4, 18; — represented by baptism, John 3. 5; Rom. 6. 
 
 4 ; Col. 2. 12 ; Tit. 3. 5 ; applied to the resurrection, Matt. 
 19. 28 ; Rom. 8. 11 ; 1 Cor. 15. 42. 
 
 (23.) Of the Righteous— Aescnhed^, Ps. 112. 5; Pr. 12. 
 10 ; 13. 5 ; 21. 12 ; Matt. 12. 35 ; John 1. 47 ;— under sev- 
 eral characters, 2 Chr. 34. 2 ; Ps. 15. 1, &c. ; 37. 21 ; 112. 
 
 5 ; Pr. 10. 20 ; 12. 5, 10 ; 13. 5 ; 15. 28 ; 21. 26 ; 28. 1 ; 
 29. 7 ; Ezek. 18. 5, &c. ; Mark 6. 20 ; Luke 1. 6 ; Acts 10. 
 1, &c. ; 11. 24 ; Rom. 5. 7 ; — and wicked compared, Ps. 1. 
 37. 49. 58. 73 ; Pr. 4. 16 ; 14. 9 ; 28. 1, &c. ; Is. 3. 10 ;— 
 have the same fate in this world, Ec. 7. 15 ; 8. 14 ; 9. 2 ; — 
 their happiness and privileges, Ps. 37. 23 ; Pr. 12. 2 : 13. 
 22 ; 14. 14 ; 28. 5 ; Is. 33. 15 ; Rom. 2. 10 ; 5. 7 ; 10. 5, 
 9 ; 2 Cor. 3. 18 ; Eph. 2. 19 ; Col. 1. 12; 3. 4 ; Keb. 12. 
 14; UohnS. 2 ; Rev. 2. 7, 11, 17,26,28; 3. 5, 12, 21; 22. 
 14 ; Ps. 116. 15. " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the 
 death of his saints." That is, the Lord accounts the death 
 of His saints of so much importance, that he will not suffer 
 their enemies to cut them off before his appointed time ; all 
 the c^'rcumstances of their death being regulated by infinite 
 wisdom and love for their final and eternal benefit. Salt of 
 the earth, and light of the world, Matt. 5. 13, 14; — sons of 
 God, Rom. 8. 14, &:c. ; 1 John 3. 1, 2 ; — one with Christ and the 
 Father, John 17. 11, 21 ;— temple of God, 1 Cor. 3. 16;— 
 free from trouble, Ps. 91. 14 ; Pr. 1. 33 ; 16. 7 ; Is. 32. 17 ; 
 Rev. 7. 16 ; 21. 4 ; — to be remembered with respect, Ps. 
 112. 6 ; Pr. 10. 7 ; — to be blessed in their posterity, Ex. 25. 
 5,6; Deut. 4. 40; 12. 25; Ps. 37. 26; 103. 17; Pr. 11. 
 21 ; 12. 7 ; 14. 26 ; 20. 7 ; Luke 1. 50 ;— to inherit eternal 
 life, Dan. 12. 2 ; Luke 18. 30 ; John 3. 15 ; 4. 14 ; Rom. 2. 
 7; 1 Tim. 6. 19; Tit. 1. 2; 1 John 2. 25;'jude 21. 
 
 (24.) Of the VFic^efZ—characterized, Job 24. 2 ; Ps. 10. 
 3 ; 36. 1 ; 37. 21 ; 50. 17 ; 58. 3 ; Pr. 2. 12 ; 4. 16 ; 6. 12 ; 
 16. 27; 21. 10; 24. 2; Is. 59. 3; Ezek. 18. 16; 22. 6; 
 Rom. 1.29; 3. 11, &c. ; — compared to despicable things, 
 Ps. 1. 4 ; 58. 4 ; 59. 6 ; Is. 57. 20 ; Jer. 6. 30 ; Ezek. 2. 
 
 6 ; Hos. 13. 3 ; Matt. 7. 6, 26 ;— not to be envied, Ps 37. 1 ; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 183 
 
 73. 2 ; Pr. 23. 17 ; 24. 1, 19 ; Jer. 12. 1 ;— no peace to them, 
 Is. 57. 21 ; — their punishment in general, Job 15. 20 ; 18. 5 ; 
 20. 4 ; 27. 13 ;— due to them in this life, Ps. 11. 6 ; Pr. 11. 
 19, 21 ; 21. 15 ; 22. 8 ; Is. 57. 21 j Rom. 2. 8 ; Ps. 129. 6, 
 7. " Let them be as the grass upon the house-tops, which 
 withereth afore it groweth up ; wherewith the mower filleth 
 not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom." As 
 the tops of the houses in the East are flat, and covered with 
 plaster of terrace, they are frequently grown over with grass, 
 or other vegetable productions ; but, from the want of proper 
 nourishment, it is but small and weak, and from its elevation, 
 being exposed to the scorching sun, it is soon withered. If 
 grass, the mower cannot make hay of it ; if corn, the reaper 
 cannot make a sheaf of it. A more beautiful and striking 
 figure, to display the weak and evanescent condition of 
 wicked men, cannot easily be conceived. Abandonment to 
 their own lusts, Ps. 81.13; Is. 63. 17 ; — subjection to terror, 
 Ps. 53. 5 ; Pr. 28. 1 ; — exposure to shame, Ps. 53. 5 ; Pr. 3. 
 35 ; — the ruin of their family and name, Ps. 34. 16 ; 37. 28 ; 
 104. 35; Pr. 2. 22 ; 12 7; 14. 11 ; 24. 20 ;— without hope, 
 .Jobs. 13; Ps. 112. 10; Pr. 10.28; 11. 7 ;— eternal, Is. 66. 24 ; 
 Dan. 12. 2 ; Matt. 18. 8 ; 25. 41, 46 ; Mark 3. 29 ; 9. 43 ; Luke 
 3. 17 ; 2 Thess. 1. 9; Jude 7; — in proportion to guilt. Matt. 
 11. 22, &c. ; 23. 14; Luke 12. 47 ;— examples, in Cain, 
 Gen. 4. 11 ; — Er, the son of Judah, 38. 7 ; — of the family of 
 Eli, 1 Sam. 2. 31 ;— of Eli and his sons, 4. 11, 18;— of 
 Gehazi, 2 Kings 5. 27 ;— of Sennacherib, 19. 35, 37 ;— of 
 Judas Iscariot, Acts 1.18 ; — of Ananias and Sapphira, 5. 1 j 
 — of king Herod, 12. 23; — of Elymas, 13. 11. It seems 
 to have been a maxim among the ancient heathen, Gmu ovciSoq 
 Tov KaKovi cvSaifLovciv. " The prosperity of the wicked ^'s a re- 
 proach to God ;" but they had no just conception of a state 
 of future rewards and punishments. 
 
 (25.) Of Predestination, — the means of our redemption, 
 and the propagation of the gospel, were predestinated, Gen. 
 3. 15 ; 12. 3 ; 49. 10 ; Ps. 41. 9 ; Matt. 16. 18 ; Luke 18. 
 33; John 7. 30; 8. 20; 13. 21; Acts 16.7; Rom. 9. 9; 
 Eph. 5. 1, 11 ; — the establishment of Israel in Canaan, and 
 the destruction of several wicked states and kingdoms, pre- 
 destinated, Gen. 12. 7; 13. 15; Ex. 7. 4; 9. 16; Deut. 2. 
 30 ; Josh. 11. 20 ; Is. 44. 28 ; 46. 9 ; — particular persons have 
 been predestinated to advance God's glory, and to serve his 
 purposes in different manners: Pharaoh, Ex. 9. 16; the Ca- 
 
184 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 naanites, Josh. 11. 20; — Cyrus, Is. 44. 28; — Jeremiah, Jer. 
 1. 5 ; — Paul, Acts 9. 15 ; Gal. 1.15 ; — the Gnostics, Jude 4 ; 
 — the apostles, Luke 10. 20; 12. 32 ; — the first Christians, 
 Acts 2. 47 ; some Christians at Antioch, 13. 48; — some per- 
 sons have been predestinated to grace and glory, Luke 10. 
 20; 12.32; Acts 13.48; Rom. 8. 28; 9. 29; Eph. 1. 4; 
 2 Tim. 1. 9 ; 1 Pet. 2. 8 ; God frequently produces good from 
 men's evil intentions, and evil from their good intentions ; and 
 this is represented as his predestination, Gen. 50. 20 ; Job 5. 
 12 ; Ps. 33. 10; 127. 1 ; Prov. 16. 9, 33; 19. 21 ;— God is 
 frequently mentioned as disposing of the good things of this 
 world according to his will and pleasure, in such terms as 
 imply his predestination of those matters; as Deut. 8, 18; 
 1 Chr. 29. 12 ; 2 Chr. 1. 11 ; Job 1. 21 ; 9. 12 ; Ps. 75. 7; 
 Dan. 4. 17, &c. ; — grace is necessary for the performance of 
 our duty ; and as it can be obtained only in the use of means, 
 they who neglect the means are said to be predestinated to 
 destruction, and those who use them, to life ; Acts 3. 47 ; 
 Rom. 3. 24 ; Eph. 1. 4; 1 Thess. 5. 9 ; 1 Pet. 2. 8 ; Jude 
 4, &;c. 
 
 (26.) Of Election — an act of distinguishing love, Deut. 7. 
 8 ; — irrespective of any merit in the objects of it, Rom. 9. 11, 
 12, 16 ; Rom. 11. 5, 6. " Even so then at this present time 
 also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." 
 i. e. The election which proceeds from the mercy and good- 
 ness of God. " And if by grace, then is it no more of works, 
 otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, 
 then is it no more grace : otherwise work is no more work." 
 That is, it loses its character, or nature — that of claiming re- 
 ward as a matter of right, — Eternal, Eph. 1. 4 ; 2 Thess. 2. 
 13;— abiding, Rom. 9. 11; 2 Tim. 2. 19 ;— personal. Matt. 
 20. 23 ; 2 Tim. 2. 19 ;— of some of the chief of sinners, 1 Tim. 
 
 1. 15; — it is in Christ, Eph. 1. 4; — it is to holiness as the 
 means, and salvation as the end, Eph. 1. 4; 1 Thess. 5. 9. 
 
 (27.) Of Prayer — the obligation and use of it, 2 Chr. 7. 14; 
 Ps. 105. 4 ; Is. 63. 15, &c. ; Matt. 7. 7; Luke 18. 1 ; Phil. 
 4. 6 ; Col. 4. 2 ; 1 Tim. 2. 1 ; 1 Pet. 1.17 ;— a due prepara- 
 tion for it, Ps. 66. 18; 145. 18; Pr. 15. 8,29; 28. 9; Is. 1. 
 15; 29. 13; 59. 2; Mark 7. 6 ; 11. 25; John 9. 31 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 2. 8 ; Jam. 1. 6 ; 4. 3 ;— with fervor, Ps. 59. 17 ; Luke 6. 12; 
 11. 8; 18. 1; Rom. 12. 12; Ej)h. 6. 18 ;— frequent, Ps. 55. 
 17 ; 86. 3 ; 119. 164 ; Dan. 6. 10 ; Luke 2. 37 ; 18. 1 ; 21. 
 36 ; Acts 10. 2 ; 1 Thess. 3. 10 ; 5. 17 ; 1 Tim. 5. 5 ; 2 Tim. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 185 
 
 1. 3 ; 1 Pet. 4. 7 ; — without ostentation, Matt. 6.6; Luke 18. 
 1 1 ; — without vain repetitions, Ecc. 5. 2 ; Matt. 6. 7 ; — for all 
 conditions of men, Eph. 6. 18 j 1 Tim. 2. 1 ; — in the name of 
 Christ, John 14. 13; 15. 16; 16. 23; Eph. 5. 20; Heb. 13. 
 15 ; 1 Pet. 2. 5 ;— in public, Luke 1. 10 ; Acts 1. 4, 24 ; 2. 
 42 ; 21. 5 ;— in private, Ps. 66. 16 ; Dan. 6. 10 ; Matt. 6. 6 ; 
 14. 23; Luke 6. 12; Acts 10. 9, 30; — its prevalence when 
 properly made, Ps. 34. 15 ; 145. 18 ; Is. 30. 19 ; Jer. 29. 12; 
 Matt. 7. 7; John 15. 7; Jam. 1. 5; 5. 14; 1 Pet. 3. 12 ; 1 
 John 3. 22 ; 5. 14 ; — examples of it, of Abraham's servant, 
 Gen. 24. 12 ;— of Jacob, Gen. 32. 9 ;— of Moses, Ex. 32. 11, 
 31; Deut. 3. 23; Num. 14. 13-19; where we have the 
 words of the earnest intercession of Moses : they need no 
 explanation ; they are full of simplicity and energy. His 
 arguments with God, for he did reason and argue with his 
 Maker, are pointed, cogent, and respectful ; and while they 
 show a heart full of humanity, they evince the deepest con- 
 cern for the glory of God. The argumentum ad hominem is 
 here used in the most unexceptionable manner, and with the 
 fullest effect. He does not in the least excuse the sin of 
 Israel, or object to the justice of the awful sentence, or argue 
 that such conduct would not consist with the divine truth or 
 goodness ; but he pleads the appearance which it would have, 
 and the construction which the Egyptians and other neighbor- 
 ing nations would put upon it ; and he further pleads the name 
 of the Lord, and the example of his former forgiveness. — Of 
 Samson, Judg, 16. 28 ; — of Hannah for a child, 1 Sam. 1,10; 
 of David, 2 Sam. 7. 18; 1 Chr. 29. 10 ; Ps. 5. 1, &c., &c., 
 &c. ; — of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings 8. 
 22 ; 2 Chr. 6. 12 ; Solomon having ascended the brazen 
 scaflold, and stood up and blessed the people, he kneeled 
 down upon his knees, and offered up a comprehensive and 
 most excellent prayer, in which he puts seven cases, in all 
 of which the mercy and intervention of God would be indis- 
 pensably requisite ; and he earnestly bespeaks that mercy 
 and intervention, on condition that the people pray towards 
 that holy place ; and with a feeling heart, make earnest sup- 
 plication to the throne of mercy. — Of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19. 
 15 ; 20. 2;— of Manasseh in 'his distress, 2 Chr. 33. 12 ; — 
 of Jeremiah, ch. 32. 16-25. A prayer, for weight of matter, 
 sublimity of expression, profound veneration, just conception, 
 Divine unction, powerful pleading, and strength of faith, 
 seldom equalled, and never excelled. Historical, without 
 
 16* 
 
186 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 flatness ; condensed, without obscurity ; confessing the great- 
 est of crimes against the most righteous of Beings, without 
 despairing of His mercy or presuming on His goodness ; — a 
 confession that acknowledges that God's justice should smite 
 and destroy, had not His infinite goodness said, 1 will pardcm; 
 — of Daniel, Dan. 9. 3; — of Jonah, Jon. 2. 1, &c. ; — of 
 Habakkuk, Hab. 3. 1, &c., in which having nervously painted 
 the desolate state of Judea during the captivity, he, in the 
 two following verses (18, 19), exhibits the finest display of 
 his resignation, confidence, and holy triumph in the God of 
 his salvation. He saw that the evil, which the Spirit of God 
 enabled him to paint in all its calamitous circumstances, was 
 at hand, and unavoidable ; he submitted to this dispensation 
 of Providence ; and confided in His mercy and goodness. 
 " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit 
 be in the vines ; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields 
 shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut oft' from the fold, 
 and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I will rejoice in 
 the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord 
 God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' 
 feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places," — 
 Of Asa, 2 Chr. 14. 11 ;— of Jehoshaphat, 20. 6 ;— of Ezra, 9. 
 6 ;— of the Levites, Neh. 9. 5 ;— of Esther, Esth. 4. 16 ;— of 
 Amos, Am. 7. 2, 5 ; — of Zacharias for a son, Luke 1. 13 ; — 
 of Jesus at the resurrection of Lazarus, John 11. 41 ; — for his 
 disciples, 17. 1, &c. ; — in the garden. Matt. 26. 39 ; — of Cor- 
 nelius, Acts 10. 1 ; — for others, of Abraham for Abimelech, 
 Gen. 20, 17; — Isaac for his wife, 25. 21; — Moses for the 
 people, Ex. 32. 11 ; 33. 12; Num. 11. 2 ;— for Miriam, 12. 
 13 ; — of Samuel for the people, 1 Sam. 12. 23 ; — of the Chris- 
 tians for Peter, Acts 12. 5 ; — of Jesus for his executioners, 
 Luke 23. 34 ; — of Stephen for his persecutors. Acts 7. 60 ; — 
 of Paul for the Jews, Rom. 9 ; 10. 1 ; — of the church for him, 
 Rom. 15. 30;— for Christians, 2 Cor. L 11 ; Eph. 1. 16; 6. 
 18 ; Col. 4. 3 ; 1 Thes. 5. 25 ; 2 Thes. 3. 1 ;' Heb. 13. 18 ;— 
 for enemies. Matt. 5. 44 ; — proper to precede great undertak- 
 ings : — of Elisha before he raised the dead cliild, 2 Kings 4. 
 33 ; — of Jesus before the appointment of the twelve apostles, 
 Luke 6. 12 ; — of the apostles before the appointment of a 
 successor to Judas Iscariot, Acts 1. 24. 
 
 (28.) Of Praise of God, — exhortation to it, &c., Ps. 22. 23 ; 
 67. 3; 69.34; 119.164; Is. 38. 19 ; Acts 2. 47 ; 16.25. 
 " The sacrifice of praise," says St. Paul, " is the fruit of the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 187 
 
 lips." (Heb. 13. 15.) God creates this fruit of the lips, by- 
 giving new subject and cause of thanksgiving by His mercies 
 conferred on His people. The great subject of thanksgiving 
 is peace ; reconciliation and pardon offered to them that are 
 nigh, and to them that are far off; not only to the Jew, but 
 also to the Gentile. 
 
 (29.) Of Thanksgiving—^ duty, Dent. 8. 10 ; Ps. 51. 14 ; 
 69. 30 ; 92. 1 ; 139. U ; H7. 1 j Is. 25. 1, &c. ; Col. 3. 17 ; 
 1 Thess. 5. 18; 1 Tim. 4. 4 ; Heb. 13. 15 ; 1 Pet. 2. 9, &c. 
 
 (30.) Of Worship— 10 be paid to God only, Ex. 20. 4 ; 
 Matt. 4. 10 ; Luke 4. 8 ; Acts 10. 25 ; 14. 13, &c. ; Rev. 19. 
 10; 22. S',— public, required, Deut. 26. 10, 11; 2 Kings 17. 
 36 ; Ps. 22. 22, 25 ; 35. 18 ; 95. 6 ; 107. 32 ; 116. 14 ; 122. 
 1, 4 ; Matt. 18. 20 ; Acts 1. 14 ; 10. 33 ; Heb. 10. 25 ;— de- 
 cency to be observed in it, Ecc. 5. 1 ; Joel 2. 15 ; — rules re- 
 specting it, 1 Cor. 11. 1, &c. ; 14. 1, &c. 
 
 (31.) Of the Scriptures — given by inspiration, 2 Tim. 3. 
 16 ; — their use, Rom. 15. 4 ; — how to be received, Jam. 1. 
 21 ; — their blessings when received, Rom. 1. 16 ; 1 Cor. 1. 
 18; Eph. 2. 1, &c. ; 1 Pet, 1 ; — danger of rejecting them, 
 Mark 16. 16 ; Luke 10. 16 ; John 3. 36 ; 12. 48 ; Heb. 2. 3 ; 
 10. 28 ; 12. 25 ; Luke 16. 31. " If they hear not Moses and 
 the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose 
 from the dead." From this ansv/er of Abraham we learn, 
 that the Sacred Writings contain such proofs of a divine ori- 
 gin, that though all the dead were to rise, the proofs could not 
 be more evident, nor the conviction greater ; and that to es- 
 cape eternal perdition, and obtain eternal glory, a man is to 
 receive the testimonies of God, and to walk according to their 
 dictates. — To be frequently meditated upon, Deut. 6. 6 ; 11. 
 18 ; Ps. 1. 2 ; 119. 97; John 5. 39 ; 2 Pet. 3. 2 ;— a privi- 
 lege of the Jews, Rom. 3. 2 ; — designed for universal use, 
 Rom. 15. 4; 1 Cor. 10. 11 ; — the advantage of the study of 
 them, Ps. 19. 7 ; 119. 9, 72, 98, 103 ; Rom. 15. 4; Eph. 6. 
 17; 2 Tim. 3. 15; Jam. 1. 25. 
 
 (32.) Of the Church — holy catholic, how to be understood, 
 John 10. 16; Rom. 12. 5 ; 1 Cor. 10. 17; 12. 13; Gal. 3. 
 28 ; Heb. 11. 40 ; 12. 23 ; — sometimes means the whole con- 
 gregation of faithful people. Matt. 16. 18; Acts 2. 47; Eph. 
 3. 10, 21 ; Col. 1. 24 ; — sometimes a national, local, or pri- 
 vate congregation, Acts 14. 27 ; 18. 22 ; Rom. 16. 5 ; 1 Cor. 
 14. 23 ; 3 John 9 ; — sometimes the governors of the church, 
 
188 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Matt. 18. 17 ; Acts 14.27 ; — sometimes the place of worship, 
 
 I Cor. 11. 18; 14. 19,34. 
 
 (33.) Of Unity — of the Christian churchy John 10. 16 ; Rom 
 12.5; ICor. 10. 17; 12.13; Gal. 3. 28 ; Eph. 1.10;2. 
 19 ; 4. 13 ; 5. 23, 30 ; Col. 1. 18, 24 ; — among Christians, 
 recommended, Rom. 12. 16 ; 15. 5 ; 1 Cor. 1.10; 2 Cor. 13. 
 
 II ; Eph. 4. 3 ; Phil. 1. 27 ; 2. 2 ; 4. 2 ; 1 Pet. 3. 8. 
 
 (34.) Of Christian Ministers — in what light to be consider- 
 ed, 1 Cor. 4. 1 ; 2 Cor. 5. 20 ; 6.1; to have a regular calling, 
 John 10. 1 ; Acts 26. 16 ; 1 Tim. 4. 14 ; Tit. 1. 5 '^— their du- 
 ty, to be diligent, Rom. 12. 7 ; 1 Cor. 9. 16; Phil. 1. 20; 
 Col. 4. 4 ; 1 Tim. 4. 6, 13 ; 5. 17 ; 2 Pet. 1. 12 ;— to reprove 
 if necessary, 1 Thess. 2. 2 ; 1 Tim. 5. 20 ; 2 Tim. 4. 2 ; Tit. 
 
 1. 13 ; 2. 15 ; — to guard men from sin, 1 Cor. 4. 2 ; 1 Thess. 
 
 2. 11 ; 1 Tim. 4. 6 ; Heb. 13. 17; — to set good examples, 
 Matt. 23. 3 ; Rom. 2. 21 ; 2 Cor. 6. 4; 1 Thess. 2. 10 ; 2 
 Thess. 3. 7 ; 1 Tim. 6. 11 ; Tit. 2. 7 ; 1 Pet. 5. 3 ;— to be 
 peaceable and patient, 1 Cor. 9. 19 ; 2 Cor. 6. 3 ; 1 Tim. 3. 
 3 ; 2 Tim. 2. 24 ; Tit. 1. 7 ;— not worldly-minded, 1 Cor. 10. 
 33 ; 1 Tim. 3. 3 ; 2 Tim. 2. 4 ; Tit. 1. 7 ; 1 Pet. 5. 2 ;— to 
 be respected, Matt. 10. 40 ; Luke 10. 16 ; John 13. 20; 1 
 Cor. 16. 10, 16 ; Phil. 2. 29 ; 1 Thess. 4. 8 ; 5. 12 ; 1 Tim. 
 5. 17; Heb. 13. 7, 17; — entitled to a maintenance. Matt. 10. 
 10 ; Luke 10. 7 ; 1 Cor. 9. 7 ; Gal. 6. 6 ; 1 Thess. 2. 6 ; 2 
 Thess. 3. 9 ; 1 Tim. 5. 18 ; 2 Tim. 2. 6 ;~how to behave to 
 those who oppose them. Matt. 10. 14; Luke 9. 5; 10. 11"; 
 Acts 18. 6 ; Gal. 6. 1 ; 2 Tim. 2. 25. 
 
 (35.) Of the People, — their duty to God's ministers, ordina- 
 ry and extraordinary, Deut. 12. 19 ; 14. 27 ; 18. 6 ; 2 Chr. 
 36.16; Matt. 10. 14; Luke 10.16; 1 Cor. 4. 1 ; 9. 14; 
 Gal. 6. 6 ; Thess. 4. 8 ; 5. 12 ; 1 Tim. 5. 17 ; Heb. 13. 7, 17. 
 
 (36.) Of Voios — not to be broken, and rules concerning 
 them. A vow is a religious promise made to God for the 
 most part with prayer, and paid with thanksgiving. Vows 
 were either of abstinence (Nu. vi. xxx.), or the devoting of 
 something to the Lord, as sacrifices (ch. vii. 16), or the value 
 of persons, beasts, houses, or lands, concerning which the law 
 is here given. A man might vow or devote himself, his chil- 
 dren, his domestics, his cattle, his goods, &c. ; and respect- 
 ing the redemption of all these, rules are laid down in this 
 chapter (Lev. xxvii.) But if after consecrating these things 
 he refused to redeem them, they then became the Lord's 
 property for ever. The persons continued all their lives de- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 
 
 189 
 
 voted to the sanctuary ; the goods were sold for the profit of 
 the temple or the priests ; and the animals, if clean, were 
 offered in sacrifice, and if not proper for sacrifice, were sold, 
 and the price devoted to sacred uses. This is a general view 
 of the different laws relative to vows. The laws delivered 
 must have been very useful, as they both prevented and annulled 
 rash vows, and provided a proper sanction for the support and 
 performance of those which were rationally made. Num. 30. 
 
 I, &c. ; Lev. 27. 1 ; Deut. 23. 21 ; Ps. 50. 14 ; 56. 12 ; 66. 
 13 ; 76. 11 ; 116. 18 ; Ecc. 5. 4 ; Jer. 35. 6 ; — of a person, 
 Lev. 27. 2 ; — of a beast, 9 ; — of a house, 14 ; — of a field, 16 ; 
 —of Jacob, Gen. 28. 20 ;— of Jephthah, Judg. 11. 30, 35;— 
 of the Israelites against the Benjamites, 21. 1, &c. 
 
 (37.) Of Oaths— Xo be strictly performed. Num. 30. 2 ; Ps. 
 15. 4; Matt. 5. 33; — false ones condemned, Lev. 6. 3; 19. 
 12 ; Jer. 7. 9 ; Ezek. 17. 15 ; Zech. 5.4; 8. 17 ; Mai. 3. 5 ; 
 — light ones not to be taken, Ex. 20. 7; Lev. 19. 12 ; Zech. 
 5. 3 ; Matt. 5. 34 ; 23. 16 ; Jam. 5. 12 ; — taken by hfting up 
 the hand to God, Gen. 14. 22 ; — putting the hand under the 
 thigh, 24. 2 ; 47. 29 ;— by the name of God, Deut. 6. 13 ;— 
 examples, of God to Abraham, Gen. 22. 16 ; Heb. 6. 13 ; — 
 against Amalek, Ex. 17. 16 ; — against Moses, Deut. 4. 21 ; — 
 against the house of Eli, 1 Sam. 3. 14 ; — to David, 2 Sam. 3. 
 9; Ps. 89. 35; 110. 4 ;— against the Israelites, 95. 11;— 
 against the Assyrians, Is. 14. 24 ; — for the restoration of 
 Israel, 54. 9 ; 62. 8 ; — against the Jews going to Egypt, Jer. 
 44. 26 ; — imposed on Abraham's servant, Gen. 24. 3 ; — on 
 Joseph by Jacob, 47. 31 ; 50. 5 ; — on the Israelites by Joseph, 
 50. 25; — required in case of a pledge, Ex. 22. 11 ; — of a 
 wife suspected of adultery, Num. 5. 21 ; — of the spies by 
 Rahab, Josh. 2. 12. 
 
 (38.) Of Swearing — censured and forbidden, Matt. 5. 34 ; 
 Jam. 5. 12. 
 
 (39.) Of Christians — the term first used at Antioch, Acts 
 
 II. 26 ; — the salt of the earth, Matt. 5. 13 ; — the light of the 
 world, 14 ; — their privileges, 1 Pet. 2. 5, &c. ; Heb. 12. 22 ; 
 — the sons of God, 1 John 3. 1,2; Rom. 8. 14, &c. ; — one 
 with Christ and the Father, John 17. 11, 21 ; — all one body, 
 Eph. 4. 15, 16 ;~the temple of God, 1 Cor. 3. 16. 
 
 (40.) O^ Heretics — or schismatics censured, Rom. 16. 17; 
 1 Cor. 1. 10 ; 3. 3 ; 11. 18 ; 14. 33 ; Gal. 5. 20 ; Phil. 2. 2; 
 4. 2; 2 Thess. 3. 6, 14. 
 
196 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 (41.) Of Opposers — how to behave to them, Luke 9. 54 j 
 2 Thess. 3. 14 J 2 Tim. 2. 24. 
 
 (42.) Of Apostacy — the causes and danger of it, Matt. 12. 
 43 ; 13. 21 ; John 6. 60 ; 1 Tim. 4. 1 ; Heb. 6. 4; 10. 26, 
 38 ; 2 Pet. 2. 20 ;— of men, Gen. 3 ; 6. 1-6 ;— of many of 
 the disciples of Jesus, John 6. 66 ; — of some early Christians, 
 
 1 Tim. 1. 19. 
 
 (43.) Of the Sabbath — appointed, Gen. 2. 2 ; — charge to 
 keep it, Ex. 16. 23 ; 20. 8, 10 ; 23. 12 ; 31. 12 ; 34. 21 ; 35. 
 
 2 ; Lev. 23. 3 ; Deut. 5. 12 ; Jer. 17. 21 ;— offerings on it, 
 Num. 28. 9 ; — a breaker of it stoned, 15. 32 ; — how to be 
 kept, Neh. 10. 31 ; Is. 58. 13; Ezek. 20. 12 ;— given as a 
 sign to the Israelites. The apostle is here (Rom. 14. 5) 
 speaking of the Jewish fasts and festivals ; and of course his 
 observations do not regard the sabbath, which was instituted 
 at the creation ; and which being a type of " the rest which 
 remaineth for the people of God," must continue in force, aa 
 all types do, till the antitype, or thing signified, takes place, 
 that is, till the consummation of all things. 
 
 (44.) Of Alms-giving — recommended, Deut. 15. 7 ; Job 22. 
 7 ; 31. 16 ; Ezek. 16. 49 ; Luke 3. 11 ; 11. 41 ; Eph. 4. 28; 
 1 Tim. 6. 18 ; Heb. 13. 16 ; 1 John 3. 17 ;— will be reward- 
 ed, Ps. 41. 1; 112. 9; Pro. 14. 21; 19. 17; 22. 9; 28. 27; 
 Matt. 25. 35; Luke 6. 38 ; 14. 14; 1 Tim. 6. 18, 19 ; Heb. 
 6. 10 ; — the neglect of it will be punished, Job 20. 19 ; Pro. 
 21. 13 ; Ezek. 18. 12 ; Matt. 25. 40 ; — to be given chiefly to 
 the pious and deserving, Rom. 12. 13 ; 2 Cor. 9. 1 ; Gal. 6. 
 10 ; — not to the idle, 2 Thess. 3. 10 ; — according to men's 
 ability, Mark 12. 43 ; Acts 11. 29 ; 1 Cor. 16. 2 ; 2 Cor. 8. 
 12 ; 1 Pet. 4. 11 ; — cheerfully and speedily, Pro. 3. 27 ; Rom. 
 12. 8 ; 2 Cor. 8. 11 ; 9. 7 ;— not from ostentation, Pro. 20. 6 ; 
 Matt. 6. 1 ; — proper to attend fasting, Is. 58. 7. 
 
 (45.) Of Fasting — mentioned as a general duty of all 
 Christians, at some times, Matt. 9. 14, 15 ; Mark 2. 20 ; 
 Luke 5. 35 ; 2 Cor. 6. 5 ; — accompanying solemn prayer, 
 Ps. 35. 13 ; Dan. 9. 3 ; 1 Cor. 7. 5 ; — what kind is acceptable 
 to God, Is. 58. 3, &c. ; Joel 2. 12; Zech. 7. 9; Matt. 6. 17; 
 — to be proclaimed in a time of public calamity, Joel 1. 14; 
 2. 15; — the institution of several annual ones, Zech. 7. 3, &c.; 
 8. 19;— of Moses, forty days, Ex. 24. 18; Deut. 9. 9 ;— a 
 second time, 18 ; — of Daniel, 10. 2 ; — of Esther, 4. 15 ; — by 
 the Ninevites, Jon. 3. 5 ; of Jesus, xMatt. 4. 2 ; Luke 4. 2. 
 
 (46.) Of /(/o/a/ry— forbidden, Ex. 20. 4. This command- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 191 
 
 ment includes in its studied, express, and comprehensive 
 prohibitions, every species of idolatry ; particularly that 
 which is known to have been practised among the Egyptians. 
 See on the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. — 22. 20 ; 23. 
 13, 24 ; Lev. 26. 1 ; Deut. 4. 15-19. In these verses there 
 is also an allusion to the idolatrous worship in Egypt. Among 
 the Egyptians almost every thing in nature was the object of 
 their idolatry : among beasts were oxen, heifers, sheep, goats, 
 lions, dogs, monkeys, and cats ; among birds, the ibis, crane, 
 and hawk ; among reptiles, the crocodile, serpents, frogs, 
 flies, and beetles ; all the fish of the Nile, and the Nile itself; 
 besides the sun, moon, planets, stars, fire, light, air, darkness, 
 and night. These are all included in the very circumstantial 
 prohibition in the text, and very forcibly in the general terms 
 of Ex. 20. 4 ; the reason of which prohibition becomes self- 
 evident, when the various objects of Egyptian idolatry are 
 considered.— 11. 16 ; 17. 2 ; 18. 9 ; 27. 15 ; Ps. 97. 7 ; Jer. 
 2. 9 ; 1 Cor. 10. 14 ; 1 John 5. 21 ; Rev. 21. 8 ; 22. 15 ;— 
 the folly of it ridiculed, 1 Kings 18. 27; " And it came to 
 pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said. Cry aloud ; 
 for he is a god ; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he 
 is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be 
 waked." Such were the absurd and degrading notions 
 which the heathen entertained of their gods. " Vishnoo 
 sleeps four months in the year ; and to each of the gods some 
 particular business is assigned. Vayoo manages the winds ; 
 Vuroonu the waters, &c. According to a number of fables 
 in the pooranus, the gods are often out on journeys or ex- 
 peditions." Ward's View of the Hindoos, vol. ii. p. 124. 
 Ps. 115. 4-8 ; " Their idols are silver and gold, the work of 
 men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not : eyes 
 have they, but they see not : they have ears, but they hear 
 not : noses have they, but they smell not : they have hands, 
 but they handle not : feet have they, but they walk not : nei- 
 ther speak they through their throat. They that make them 
 are like unto them ; so is every one that trusteth in them." 
 They are metal, stone, and wood ; and, though generally made 
 in the form of man, they can neither see, hear, smell, feel, 
 walk, nor speak ! Even the wiser heathen made them the 
 objects of their jests. Thus Juvenal (Sat. xxii. 113.) "Dost 
 thou hear, Jupiter, these things ? nor move thy lips when thou 
 shouldest speak out, whether thou art of marble or of bronze ? 
 Or why do we put the sacred incense on thy altar from the 
 
192 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 opened paper, and the extracted liver of a calf, and the white 
 caul of a hog ? As far as I can discern, there is no difference 
 between thy statue and tliat of Bathyllus :" — a fiddler and 
 player, whose image, by the order of Polycrates, was erected 
 in the temple of Juno at Samos. In the succeeding verses 
 (13-18), we are presented with a beautiful contrast between 
 the God of Israel and heathen idols. He made everything ; 
 they are themselves made by men : He is in heaven ; they 
 are upon the earth : He doeth whatsoever He pleaseth ; they 
 can do nothing : He seelh the distresses, heareth and an- 
 swereth the prayers, accepteth the offerings, cometh to the 
 assistance, effecteth the salvation, and blesseth His servants ; 
 they are blind, deaf and dumb, senseless, motionless, and im- 
 potent. — 135. 15; Is. 44. 9. The Sacred Writers, observes 
 Bp. Lowth, are generally large and eloquent upon the subject 
 of idolatry : they treat it with great severity, and set forth the 
 absurdity of it in the strongest light. But this passage of 
 Isaiah, ver. 12-20, far exceeds anything ever written upon 
 the subject, in force of argument, energy of expression, and 
 elegance of composition. One or two of the apocryphal wri- 
 ters have attempted to imitate the prophet, but with very ill 
 success: Wisd. xiii. 11-19; xv. 7, &c. Baruch, ch. vi., es- 
 pecially the latter; who, injudiciously dilating his matter, and 
 introducing a number of minute circumstances, has very much 
 weakened the force and effect of his invective. On the con- 
 trary, a heathen author, in the ludicrous way, has, in a line or 
 two, given idolatry one of the severest strokes it ever re- 
 ceived : — Olim truncus eram Jicuhius, inutile lignum, Cufn 
 faber incertus faceretne Priapujn, Maluit esse deum : deus inde 
 cgo,furum aviumque Maxima fo?'mido. " Formerly I was the 
 stump of a fig-tree, a useless log ; when the carpenter, hesi- 
 tating whether to make me a Priapus or a stool, at last deter- 
 mined to make me a god ; thus I became a god, and a great 
 terror to thieves and birds." — 46. 1 ; Jer. 2. 26 ; 10. 3 ; — the 
 pimishment of it death, Deut. 13. 9 ; 17. 2 ; — the Canaanites 
 extirpated on account of it, Deut. 21. 29 ; — the monuments of 
 it to be destroyed, Ex. 23. 24 ; 34. 13 ; Deut. 7. 5, 25 ; 12. 1, 
 &c., 29 ; — all communications with idolaters forbidden, Deut. 
 5. 1, &c. ; — examples of it, of the Israelites in the golden calf, 
 Ex. 32. 1, &c. ; — in the worship of Baal-peor, Num. 25. 1, 
 &c. ; — after the death of Joshua, Judg. 2. 12 ; 3. 7 ; — after 
 the death of Gideon, 8. 33 ;— by the Danites, 18. 30; — of 
 Solomon, 1 Kings 11. 4 ; — by Jeroboam, 12. 28 ; — in the time 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 193 
 
 of Ahab, 18. 22 ;— of Ahaz, 2 Kings 16. 3 ;--of the Samari- 
 tans, 17. 29 ; — of Amaziah, 2 Chr. 22. 14 ;— of Manasseh, 
 33. 2 ; — covetousness so called, Col. 3. 5. 
 
 (47.) Of Sacrilege — forbidden and censured, Pr. 20. 25 ; 
 Mai. 3. 8 ; Rom. 2. 22. 
 
 (48.) Of Blasphemy. — Blasphemy, 0Xaa(priixia, either from 
 
 eXairreiv r/?j/ (priixriv, tO hurt Or blast the rcpUtatiOH, or from PaWuu 
 
 ran (prjfxaisy to smite with words, or reports, when applied to 
 men denotes injurious speaking, or calumny, and when used 
 in reference to God signities speaking impiously of his nature, 
 attributes, and works. — Against God punishable with death, 
 Lev. 24. 15, 16, 23 ; — blasphemer executed, 23 ; — of Senna- 
 cherib, 2 Kings 18. 17 ; 2 Chr. 32. 9 ; Is. 36. 1, &c. ;— of 
 the Pharisees in ascribing the miracles of Christ to Beelze- 
 bub, Matt. 9. 34 ; 12. 24 ; Mark 3. 22 ; Luke 11. 15 ; John 
 10. 20 ; — against the Holy Spirit not to be forgiven. Matt. 12. 
 31 ; Mark 3. 28 ; Luke 12. 10. 
 
 (49.) Of Afflictions — the appointment of God, Job 5. 6, 7 ; 
 14. 1 ; Ps. 75. 6, 7 ; 1 Thess. 3. 3 ; John 16. 33 ; 2 Tim. 3, 
 
 12 ;— no proof of guilt, Job 5. 7 ; .Ecc. 2. 14 ; Luke 13. 1, 
 &c. ; John 9. 2 ; — though sometimes the consequence of sin, 
 and the punishment of guilt, Gen. 3. 17; 4. 12 ; 2 Sam. 24. 
 
 13 ; 2 Kings 5. 27 ; Prov. 10. 4 ; 20. 4 ; 23. 29, &c. ; Acts 
 28. 4, &.C. ; — the effect of man's sin and folly, Prov. 19. 3 ; 
 22. 8 ; Lam. 3. 39 ; Hos. 10. 13 ; — suffered in consequence 
 of the discharge of duty, Gen. 39. 20 ; Ps. 69. 5, 7 ; Matt. 
 10. 17, 18, 22 ; 24. 9 ;— why permitted, Mich. 7. 9 ; John 9. 
 2, 3 ; 1 Cor. 11. 32 ; Heb. 12. 6 ;— not a mark of God's anger, 
 but of his love, Prov. 3. 12; Rev. 3. 19; — for the improve- 
 ment of virtue and the trial of faith, Deut. 8. 5; Job 5. 17; 
 Ps. 66. 10; 78. 34; 94. 12; 119.67,71,75; Prov.3.11; 
 Ecc. 7. 3; Is. 26. 9, 16; 48.10; Jer. 2. 30 ; Zeph. 3. 7 ; 
 Rom. 5. 3 ; Heb. 12. 5, 10 ; 1 Pet. 1. 6 ; — are sometimes the 
 means of bringing transgressors to a sense of duty, Deut. 8. 
 5 ; 2 Chron. 33. 11 ; Job 5. 17 ; 36. 8 ; Ps. 78. 34 ; 104. 12 ; 
 119. 67, 71, 75; Prov. 3. 11 ; Ecc. 7. 3 ; Is. 26. 9, 16 ; Jer. 
 2. 30 ; Zeph. 3. 7 ; Rom. 5. 3 ; Heb. 12. 5 ;— to be borne 
 with patience, Prov. 24. 10 ; 2 Tim. 2. 3 ; 4. 5 ; — instances 
 of such behavior, 1 Sam. 3. 18 ; Job 1. 21, 22 ; Acts 5. 41 ; 
 16. 25 ; 2 Cor. 7. 4 ; Heb. 10. 34 ; afflictions of persons bet- 
 ter than we have been greater than ours, 1 Cor. 4. 9 ; 2 Cor. 
 4. 11 ; Jam. 5. 10; 1 Pet. 5. 9 ; — especially those of Jesus 
 Christ, Rom. 8. 17 ; 2 Cor. 4. 10; 2 Tim 2. 12; Heb. 12. 
 
 J7 
 
194 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 3; 1 Pet. 2. 21 5 4. 13 j — God supports the righteous under 
 them, Ps. 9. 1 ; 34. 19 ; 37. 24 ; 41.3; 55. 22 ; Prov. 24. 
 16 ; Lam. 3. 31, &c. ; 1 Cor. 10. 13 ; 2 Cor. 12. 8 ; 2 Tim. 
 3. 11 ; 2 Pet. 2. 9. This David experienced, Ps. 31. "I 
 will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy : for thou hast consider- 
 ed my trouble j thou hast known my soul in adversities." In 
 the deepest adversities, when all forsook me, then I found 
 Thee to be my Friend and Supporter. Cicero says, "Amicus 
 certus in re incerla cernitur :" equivalent to, "A friend in 
 need is a friend indeed ;" and such a Friend is God : human 
 friendships may fail j but the Friend of sinners never. — An 
 abundant recompense will be made for them, Matt. 5. 10; 
 Luke 6. 22 ; Rom. 8. 18 ; 2 Cor. 4. 17 ; Jam. 1. 12 ; 1 Pet. 
 1. 7 J 21. 9 ; 3. 15 ; 4. 13 ; Rev. 2. 10 ; 7. 13-17 ;— we may 
 desire, and pray for deliverance out of them, 2 Kings 20. 1 ; 
 2 Chron. 33. 12 ; Ps. 6. 1 ; 7. 1 ; 18. 3, &c. ; Matt. 26. 39; 
 2 Cor. 12. 8; Jam. 5. 13; — how to behave to those who 
 suffer them, 2 Kings 8. 2, 9 ; Job 2. 11 ; 6. 14 ; 16. 5 ; 30. 
 25 ; Ps. 35. 13 ; Is. 58. 7, &c. ; Matt. 25. 35 ; Rom. 12. 15 ; 
 2 Tim. 1. 16-18 ; Heb. 13. 3 ; Jam. 1. 27. 
 
 (50.) Of Resignation *o tlie Divine will, — in Aaron, Lev. 
 10. 3 ;— in Eli, 1 Sam. 3. 18 ;— in Job, Job 1. 20 ;— in David, 
 2 Sam. 15. 26 ; Ps. 39. 9 ;— in Hezekiah, 2 Kings 20. 29 ;— in 
 Mary, Luke 1. 38 ; — in Jesus, Matt. 26. 42 ; Mark J4. 36 ; Luke 
 22. 42 ; John 18. 11 ; — in Paul, Phil. 4. 11 ; — recommended 
 to the church. Jam. 4. 10. 
 
 (51.) Of Trust in God, — a duty, and motives to it, Job 38. 
 41 ; Ps. 22. 4 ; 31. 19 ; 37. 3 ; 56. 3 ; 91. 2 ; 104. 27 ; 115. 
 9 ; 118. 8 ; 125. 1 ; 147. 9 ; Prov. 16. 20 ; 28. 25 ; 29. 25 ; 
 30. 5 ; Jer. 17. 5, 7 ; 39. 18 ; 1 Pet. 5. 7 \— declarations of it, 
 by Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18. 5 ;— by Asa, 2 Chr. 14. 11 ;— by 
 David, Ps. 3. 6; 27. 3 ; 57. 1 ; 61. 4 ;— by Isaiah, Is. 12. 
 2 ; — by Paul, 2 Tim. 1. 12 ; 4. 18 ; — in any thing besides 
 God censured, Job 31. 24 ; Ps. 33. 16 ; 44. 6 ; 49. 6 ; 52. 7 ; 
 62. 10 ; 118. 8 ; 146. 3 ; Is. 30. 1 ; 31. 1 ; Jer. 17. 5 ; 1 Tim. 
 6. 17. 
 
 (52.) Of the Fear of God, — recommended, Deut. 6. 13; 
 10. 12 ; Josh. 24. 14 ; 1 Sam. 12. 24 ; 1 Chr. 16. 25 ; Ps. 2. 
 11; 33. 8; Prov. 3. 7; 23. 17; Ecc. 12. 13; Mai. 1.6; 
 Heb. 12. 28; 1 Pet. 2. 17;— motives to it, Deut. 32. 39; 1 
 Sam. 2. 6 ; Job 13. 11 ; 28. 28 ; Ps. 34. 7, 9 ; 76. 7 ; 103. 
 13, 17 ; 111. 10 ; 130. 4 ; Prov. 1. 7 ; 14. 26 ; Matt. 10. 28 ; 
 Luke 1. 50; — opposed to presumption, Prov. 28. 14; Rom 
 
 i 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 195 
 
 11. 20; 1 Cor. 10. 12; Phil. 2. 12; Heb. 4. 1; 12. 28; 
 1 Pet. 1. 17; — happy effects of it, Ps. 25. 12 ; 112. 1 ; Prov. 
 9. 10; 16. 6; 19. 23; 22. 4; Ecc. 8. 12 ;— marks of it, 
 Prov. 8. 13 ; — of punishment, a motive to obedience, Job 31. 
 
 23 ; Luke 12. 5 ; 2 Cor. 5. 11 ;— the effect of guilt, Gen 3. 
 
 8 ; 4. 14 ; 32. 7 ; Acts 16. 38 ; 24. 25 ; James 2. 19 ;— o/ 
 man, the bounds of it, Deut. 7. 17, &c. ; Ps. 56. 4 ; 118. 6 ; 
 Prov. 29. 25; Is. 8. 12; 51. 7; Matt. 10. 26; Heb. 12. 
 
 (53.) Of the Love of men to God, Deut. 6. 5 ; 10. 12 ; Josh. 
 23. 11 ; Ps. 31. 23; Matt. 22. 37; — how to be expressed, 
 
 1 John 2. 5 ; 4. 21 ; 5. 3. 
 
 (54.) Of the Hope of eternal life^ — is founded on the 
 promises and merits of Christ, Col. 1. 27; 1 Thess. 1. 3 : 
 
 2 Thess. 2. 16; Tit. 1. 2; — said to be saved by it, Rom. 8. 
 
 24 ; — rejoicing in it, 12. 12 ; — a motive to virtue, Rom. 15. 
 4, 13; Heb. 3. 6 ; 1 Pet. 1. 13. 
 
 (55.) 0{ Despair, — to be guarded against, Ps. 34. 19; 37. 
 24; 113. 7; 140. 12; 145.14; Luke 18. 1 ; 2 Cor. 4. 8; Gal. 
 6. 9; 2 Thess. 3. 13 ; Heb. 12. 3. 
 
 (56.) Of Contentment, — recommended, Prov. 30. 8, 9 ; Heb. 
 13. 5 ; 1 Tim. 6. 6 ; 1 Cor. 7. 20 ;— of Esau, Gen. 33. 9 ;— 
 of Barzillai, 2 Sam. 19. 35 ; — of the Shunammite, 2 Kings 4. 
 13;— of Paul, Phil. 4. 11. 
 
 (57.) Of Anxiety, — about worldly things, to be avoided. 
 Matt. 6. 25 ; 13. 22 ; Luke 12. 22 ; John 6. 27 ; 1 Cor. 7. 32 ; 
 Phil. 4. 6; 1 Tim. 6. 8. 
 
 (58.) Of Conversion, — of sinners acceptable to God, Matt. 
 18. 14; Luke 15. 7, 10; — will ensure salvation, Ezek. 18. 
 27 ; Luke 15. 18, &c. ; — beneficial to those that promote it, 
 Dan. 14. 3 ; 1 Tim. 4. 16 ; James 5. 19 ; — the signs of it, Is. 
 
 1. 16; Joel 2. 13; James 4. 8. 
 
 (59.) Of Salvation^ or deliverance, — is from God only, Ps. 
 3. 8 ; Is. 43. 11 ; Hos. 13. 4 ; Jon. 2. 9 ;— or Divine favor, 
 offered to all, Ezek. 18. 32 ; 33. 11 ; John 1. 9, 29 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 2. 4 ; Tit. 2. 11 ; 2 Pet. 3. 9 ; 1 John 2. 2 -.—through the 
 mediation of Christ, John 3. 17 ; 12. 32 ; 14. 6 ; Acts 4. 12. 
 
 (60.) Of Confession, — of Christ, a necessary duty. Matt. 
 10.32; Mark 8. 38; Luke 9. 26; 12.8; Rom. 10.9; 2 Tim. 2. 
 12 ; 1 John 2. 23 ; 4. 15 ',—to God, Judg. 10. 10, 15 ; Ezra 
 9. 5 ; Neh. 1. 6 ; Ps. 32. 5 ; 38. 18 ; 41. 4 ; 51. 3 ; 119. 67, 
 176 ; Prov. 28. 13 ; Jer. 3. 13 ; Dan. 9. 5, 20 ; 1 John 1. 8, 
 
 9 ; — to one another, Lev. 5. 5 ; Num. 5. 7 ; Matt. 3. 6 ; Mark 
 1. 5 ; Acts 19. 18 ; James 5. 16. 
 
196 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 (61.) Of the Gospel, The word Gospel, from the Anglo- 
 Saxon god, good, and spell, a message or tidings, denotes 
 good tidings, exactly corresponding to the original term 
 EYArrEAION, from tv, good, and ayytlia, a message or ti- 
 dings; which is evidently intended to point out the good mes- 
 sage, or " glad tidings of great joy, to all people," peace and 
 reconciliation by Christ Jesus, which God by them proclaims 
 to the world. The blessings of it, Rom. 1. 16; 1 Cor. 1. 
 18 ; Eph. 2. 1, &c. ; 1 Pet. 1.1, &c. ; — superior to the law 
 of Moses, John 1. 17; 2 Cor. 3. 7; — the danger of rejecting 
 it, Mark 16. 16; Luke 10. 16; John 3. 36 ; 12.48; Heb. 2. 3 ; 
 10. 28 ; 12. 25 ; — to whom it is hidden, 2 Cor. 4. 3, 4 ;— no 
 other to be preached, Gal. 1. 8, 9; — the remarkable propa- 
 gation of it, Mark 4. 30 ; John 12. 32; Acts 2. 41 ; 4. 4 ; 6. 
 7 ; 12. 24 ; 13. 49 ; 19. 20 ; 1 Cor. 16. 9. 
 
 (62.) Of the Commandments, — the ten delivered by God 
 from Mount Sinai, Ex. 20. 1, &:c ; Deut. 5. 6, &c. ; — not abro- 
 gated by Christ, Matt. 5. 17 ; Mark 10. 17; Luke 18. 18; 
 — keeping them not a condition of life, Matt. 19. 17; Mark 
 10. 19; Luke 18. 20. 
 
 (63.) Of Moral duties, — exhortation to them, Rom. 22. 2, 
 &c. ; Eph. 4. 2; 5. 1, &c. ; Phil. 4. 8 ; Col. 3. 1 ; 1 Thess. 
 4. 1 ; 5. 4 ; Tit. 3. 8 ; Heb. 13. 1, &c. ; 1 Pet. 1. 15 ; 2 Pet. 1. 
 5 ; — comprised in a small compass, Mic. 6. 8 ; Matt. 7. 12 j 
 22. 37; Gal. 5. 14. 
 
 (64.) Of the Duty of man — in general, Deut. 10. 12; Josh. 
 22. 5 ; Ps. 1. 1, &c. ; Ezek. 18. 5 ; Hos. 12. 6 ; Mic. 6. 8 ; 
 Zech. 7. 9 ; 8. 16 ; Matt. 19. 16 ; 22. 37 ; 1 Tim. 6. 11 ; 2 
 Tim. 2. 22 ; Tit. 2. 11, &c. ; James 1. 27 ■,—a difference in 
 its value, 1 Sam. 15. 22 ; Hos. 6. 6 ; Matt. 9. 13 ; 12. 7 ; 23. 
 23; Luke 11. 42. 
 
 ip5.) Of Perseverance in duty — enjoined. Matt. 10. 22 ; 24. 
 13 ; Luke 9. 62 ; Acts 13. 43 ; 1 Cor. 15. 58 ; 16. 13 , Col. 
 1. 23 ; 2 Thess. 3. 13 ; 1 Tim. 6. 14 ; Heb. 3. 6, 14 ; 10. 
 38; 2 Pet. 3. 17; Rev. 2. 10,25. 
 
 (66.) 0( Instability — censured, 1 Kings 18. 21 ; Hos. 6. 4; 
 Eph. 4. 14 ; Col. 1. 23 ; James T. 6. 
 
 (67.) Of Marriage, — its institution. Gen. 2. 21 ; — indissolu- 
 ble. Matt. 19. 5, " And said. For this cause shall a man leave 
 father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife : and they 
 twain shall be one flesh ?" cleave, 7rpo(XKo\\r,er,(r€Tai, " shall be 
 cemented to his wife," as the Hebrew p^l, davak, implies ; a 
 beautiful metaphor forcibly intimating that nothing but death 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 197 
 
 can separate them. " Wherefore they are no more twain, 
 but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let 
 no man put asunder ;" joined together, awci^tv^cv, " hath yoked 
 together," as oxen in the plough, where each must pull equally 
 in order to bring it on. Among the ancients, they put a yoke 
 upon the necks of a new married couple, or chains on their 
 arms, to show that they were to be one, closely united, and 
 pulling equally together in all the concerns of life. — 1 Cor. 
 6. 16; Eph. 5. 31 ;— unlawful ones, Lev. 18. 1, &c. ; with 
 strangers forbidden to the Jews, Ez. 10. 1 ; Neh. 13. 23 ; — 
 lawful for all Christians, 1 Cor. 7. 38 ; 1 Tim. 5. 14 ; Heb. 
 13. 4 ;— when prudent, 1 Tim. 5. 14 ; 1 Cor. 7. 2, 9. " Let 
 every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her 
 own husband." In strictness, as Dr. Campbell observes, I 
 have no right to call that i^iov, own, which I enjoy in common 
 with others ; and no woman can call any man tSiov avrjp, " her 
 own husband," whom she has in common with other women. 
 In the New Testament we have always iSios avrjp, never iSia ywr], 
 *' his own wife ;" which is the more remarkable, as no such 
 an expression occurs in the Septuagint. For, during that dis- 
 pensation, things were on a different footing. The words 
 rendered " his own wife," are, rrjv eavTov ywr] ; for there was not 
 the same reason for the explicitly strong restriction, on that 
 side, which is contained in the word iSiog. This is absolutely 
 decisive against polygamy ; and places the husband and the 
 wife entirely on the same ground ; and as much forbids him to 
 take another woman, as it does her to cohabit with another man. 
 Not prudent in time of persecution, 1 Cor. 7. 1,7, 26. — St. 
 Paul evidently gave this advice in reference to the necessi- 
 ties of the church, or what he calls (ver. 26) the present dis- 
 tress ; for it would be perfectly absurd to imagine, that an 
 inspired apostle would, in the general, discountenance mar- 
 riage, since it was of the greatest importance to the existence 
 and happiness of future generations, and expressly agreeable 
 to a divine institution. — Between persons of different religions, 
 censured, Gen. 34. 14 ; Deut. 7. 3 ; Josh. 23. 12 ; 2 Kings 
 8. 18 ; 2 Cor. 6. 14 ;— none in heaven. Matt. 22. 30 ; Mark 
 12. 25 ; Luke 20. 35 ; — attended with feasting, Gen. 29. 22 ; 
 Matt. 22. 3 ; John 2. 1 ; — the happiness of a suitable one, Pr. 
 12. 4 ; 18. 22 ; 19. 14 ; 31. 10, &c. ;— the misery of an un- 
 suitable one, Pr. 12. 4 ; 19. 13 ; 21. 9, 19 ; 25. 24 ; 27. 15. 
 (68.) Of Husbands— their duty, Gen. 2. 24 ; Pr. 5. 15, 
 17* 
 
198 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 18 ; Mai. 2. 14, 15 ; 1 Cor. 7. 3 ; Eph. 5. 25 ; Col. 3. 19 , 
 1 Pet. 3. 7. 
 
 (69.) Of Wives — not to be slandered, Deut. 22. 13 ; — when 
 not to cohabit with, Lev. 20. 18 ; their duty, Gen. 3. 16; Eph. 
 5. 22 ; Col. 3. 18 ; Tit. 2. 5 ; 1 Pet. 3. 1. 
 
 (70.) Of Chastity— recommended, 1 Thess. 4. 3 ; Col. 3. 
 5 ; — an example of it in Joseph, Gen. 39. 7 ; — in Job, 31. 1. 
 
 (71.) 0{ AduUery—iorhidden, Exod. 20. 14; Lev. 18 20; 
 Deut. 5. 18 ; — punishable with death. Lev. 20. 10; Deut. 22. 
 22 ;— will be punished by God, Mai. 3. 5 ; 1 Cor. 6. 9 ; Heb. 
 13. 4; — not to be committed in thought, Matt. 5. 28 ; — the 
 temporal evils of, Prov. 6. 26, 32 ; motives to avoid it, Prov. 
 5. 15; 6. 32. 
 
 (72.) Of Parents— to be honored, Exod. 20. 12 ; Deut. 5. 
 16 ; Eph. 6. 2 ; — law against cursing them, Exod. 21. 17; 
 Lev. 20. 9 ; Pr. 20. 20 ; — or smiting them, Exod. 21. 15 ; — 
 their duty, to educate their children religiously. Gen. 18. 19 ; 
 Deut. 4. 9 ; 6. 6, 7 ; 11. 19 ; 32. 46 ; Ps. 78. 5 ; Pr. 22. 6 ; 
 Joel 1. 3; Eph. 6. 4; not to spare necessary correction, 1 
 Sam. 3. 13 ; Pr. 13. 24 ; 19. 18 ; 22. 15 ; 23. 13, 14 ; 29. 
 15, 17 ; — not to discourage them too much, Eph. 6. 4 ; Col. 
 3. 31 ; — to provide for their children, 2 Cor. 12. 14 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 5. 8 ; — partiality to children to be avoided. Gen. 37. 3, 
 4; Matt. 22. 16; 1 Tim. 5. 21; — their joy or sorrow from 
 their children's education, Pr. 10. 1; 15. 20; 17. 21,25; 
 19. 13 ; 29. 15, 17 ;— examples, of Abraham, Gen. 18. 19 ; — 
 of David, 1 Chr. 28. 9 ;— of Job, Job 1. 5 ;— of Lemuel, Pr. 
 31. 1 ; — of the parents of Timothy, 2 Tim. 1.5; 3. 15. 
 
 (73.) 0( Children — to be instructed. Gen. 18. 19; Deut 
 4-. 9; 6.6; 11. 19; Ps. 78. 5; Eph. 6. 4^',— their duty, to 
 regard the directions of th§ir parents, Lev. 19. 3 ; Pr. 1. 8 , 
 
 6. 20 ; 13. 1 ; 15. 5 ; 23. 22 ; Luke 2. 51 ; Eph. 6. 1 ; Col. 
 3. 20; — not to grieve their parents, Prov. 19. 62; — not to 
 rob their parents, Prov. 28. 24 ; — not to despise them, Deut. 
 27. 16; Pr. 15. 5,20; 23. 22; 30. 17; Ezek. 22. 7 ;— to 
 honor and maintain them, Ex. 20. 12 ; Deut. 5. 16 ; Eph. 6. 
 2, 3 ; — the smiting of their parents punishable with death, 
 Ex. 21. 15; Lev. 20. 9; Deut. 21. 18, &c. ;— not to bear 
 malice, but to love one another, John 13. 34 ; 15. 12, 17; 
 Rom. 12. 9, 10 ; Heb. 13. 1 ; 1 John 2. 9, 10 ; 3. 23 ; 4. 7, 
 11, 20 ; to sufier for the sins of their parents to the third and 
 fourth generation, Ex. 20. 5 ; Deut. 5. 9 ; — this to be reversed. 
 
 'Ezek. 18. 1, &€. ; — good, a blessing to their parents, Pr. 10. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 199 
 
 1 ; 15. 20 ; 23. 24 ; 27. 11 ; 29. 3 ; — wicked, and undutiful, a 
 disgrace and a curse, Pr. 10. 1 ; 17. 21, 25 ; 19. 13 ; 28. 7; 
 29. 15. 
 
 (74.) or Brethren — to forgive each oilier, Matt. 5. 23, 24 ; 
 18. 21, 22 ; — to bear one another's burdens, and admonish 
 each other. Gal. 6. 2 ; 2 Thess. 3. 13-15 ; — to confess their 
 faults, and pray for each other. Jam. 5. 16 ; — to love each 
 other, Rom. 12. 10; 1 Thess. 4. 9; Heb. 13. 9 ;— how to 
 prevent anger and hatred between, Matt. 18. 15. 
 
 (75.) Of Masters — their duty to instruct their servants as 
 well as their children. Gen. 18. 19 ; Josh. 24. 15 ; Acts 10. 
 
 2 ; — not to permit th^m to labor on the sabbath, Ex. 20. 10 ; 
 — to use them with tenderness, Lev. 25. 43, 46, 53 ; Deut. 
 24. 14 ; Job 31.13; Matt. 8. 5 ; Luke 7. 2 ; Col. 4. 1 ; Eph. 
 6. 9 ; — to pay them duly. Lev. 19. 12 ; Deut. 24. 15 ; Jer. 
 22. 13; xMal. 3. 5; Jam. 5. 4. 
 
 (76.) Of Servants — laws concerning them, Ex. 21. 2, 26, 
 &c. ; — fugitive, not to be delivered up, Deut. 23. 15 ; — not 
 to be oppressed, 24. 14 ; — an Israelite to have his liberty in 
 the seventh year, or at the Jubilee, Ex. 21. 2 ; 25. 40 ; — their 
 duty, to be diligent and obedient, Eph. 6. 5-7 ; Col. 3. 22 ; 1 
 Tim. 6. 1 ; Tit. 2. 9 ; 1 Pet. 2. 18;— not to purloin. Tit. 2. 
 10; — not to be slothful or wasteful, Pr. 18. 9 ; John 6. 12. 
 
 (77.) Of Magistrates — to be respected, Ex. 22. 28 ; Deut. 
 17. 8, &LC. ; Acts 23. 5 ; — heathen, to be obeyed by Christians, 
 Rom. 13. 1, 3 ; Tit. 3. 1 ; 1 Pet. 2. 13 ; — not a terror to the 
 good, but to the evil, 4. 7. 
 
 (78.) Of Old age-^to be respected, Lev. 19. 32 ; 1 Tim. 
 5. 1 ; — what renders it valuable and venerable, Pr. 21. 31 ; 
 20. 29 ; — the infirmities of it, Ecc. 12. 1, &c. ; as exemplified 
 in Barzillai, 2 Sam. 19. 33-40. The whole of this little 
 episode is extremely interesting, and contains an afl!'ecting 
 description of the infirmities of old age. The venerable and 
 kind Barzillai was fourscore years old ; his ear was become 
 dull of hearing, and his relish for even royal dainties was 
 gone : the evil days had arrived in which he was constrained 
 to say, " I have no pleasure in them :" (Ecc. 12. 1.) Non 
 eadem vini, atque cibi, torpente jmlato, gaudio, " Nor wine, nor 
 food, his torpid palate please." (Juvenal, Sat. x. v. 203.) As 
 he was too old either to enjoy the pleasures of a court, or to 
 be of any further service to the king, he finishes his affecting 
 address to the aged monarch, with the request that he would 
 6nff*er him to enjoy what old men naturally desire, to " die in 
 
200 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and 
 my mother ;" at the same time commending his son Chimham 
 to his kind offices. The duty required of it, Tit. 2. 2 ; — of 
 the antedilm-ians, Gen. 5. 1, &c. 
 
 (79.) Of Young persons — their duty, Lev. 19. 32 ; Pr. 1. 
 8 ; Ecc. 12. 1 ; Isa. 3. 5 ; Lam. 3. 27 ; Tit. 2. 6 ; 1 Pet. 5. 
 5 ; examples of good ones : Obadiah, 1 Kings 18. 12 ; — 
 Josiah, 2 Chr. 34. 3 ;— Jesus, Luke 2. 52 ;— Timothy, 2 Tim. 
 
 3. 15 ; — bad ones : Er, the son of Judah, Gen. 38. 7 ; — the 
 sons of Eli, 1 Sam. 2. 12 ; 3. 3, 22 ;— Absalom, 2 Sam. 15. 
 2, &:c. ; — those that mocked Elisha, 2 Kings 2. 23. 
 
 (80.) Of Truth— ox sincerity, Ps. 15. 2; 51. 6 j Pr. 3. 3; 
 8. 7; 12. 17, 19; 1 Cor. 5. 8; Eph. 4. 25 ;— purity of inten- 
 tion, Josh. 24. 14 ; 1 Sam. 12. 24 ; Ps. 15. 2 ;— Christian faith. 
 Gal. 3. 1 ; Jam. 5. 19. 
 
 (81.) Of I,ymD-_forbidden, Lev. 19. 11; Pr. 24. 28 ; Eph. 
 
 4. 25 ; Col. 3. 9 ;— hateful to God, Pr. 6. 16, 17 ; 12. 22 ;— 
 threatened with severe punishment, Ps. 5. 6 ; Pr. 12. 19 ; 
 19. 5, 9; Rev. 21. 8, 27; — abominable in the sight of men> 
 Ps. 101. 7 ; 119. 163 ; 120. 2 ; Pr. 13. 5 ; 19. 22 ;— charac- 
 teristic of a wicked man, Ps. 52. 3; 58. 3 ; Pr. 14. 5, 25; 
 Isa. 30. 9 ; — comes from the devil, John 8. 44 ; Acts 5. 3 ; — 
 examples, of Cain to God, Gen. 4. 9 ; — of Sarah, 18. 15 ; — of 
 Jacob to his father, 27. 18 ; of the prophet in Bethel, 1 Kings 
 13. 18; — of Gehazi, 2 Kings 5. 25; — of Ananias and Sap- 
 phira, Acts 5. 1, &c. 
 
 (82.) Of Honesty — in our dealings enjoined, Lev. 19. 13, 
 
 35 ; Deut. 25. 13 ; Pr. 11. 1 ; 20. 10, 14. " It is naught, it 
 is naught, saith the buyer : but when he is gone his way, then 
 he boasteth." Such tricks in trade, if not actionable, are 
 certainly dishonest ; and to make them a subject of boast is 
 to proclaim that a man is an artful knave, who has met with 
 another simple enough to be cheated. St. Augustin (De 
 Trinat. 1. xiii. c. 3) relates, that a certain mountebank, having 
 promised to show what was in every man's heart, stood up, 
 and in a single sentence redeemed his pledge : " Vili vultis 
 emere, et caro vendere." " You all wish to buy cheap, and 
 to sell dear." He was applauded ; for every one felt it to be 
 a description of his own heart, and was satisfied that all 
 others were similar. Pr. 20. 23 ; 28. 8 ; Jer. 17. 11 ; Hos. 
 12. 7; Mic. 6. 8, 11; Mark 10. 19. 
 
 (83.) Of Selling — frauds to be avoided in it. Lev. 19. 13. 
 
 36 ; 25. 14 ; Pr. 11. 1 ; 16. 11 ; 20. 10. 23. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 201 
 
 (84<.) Of Theft— (oThidden, Ex. 20. 15 ; Deut. 5. 19 ; Eph. 
 4. 28 ;— laws relating to it, Ex. 22. 1 ;^Num. 5. 5. 
 
 (85.) Of Equity — the great rule of it, Lev. 19. 18; Matt. 
 7. 12; 22. 39; Rom. 13. 8; James 2. 8 ; — Justice required 
 of man, Deut. 16. 20 ; Jer. 20. 3 ; Matt. 7. 12; Luke 6. 31 ; 
 Rom. 13. 7; Phil. 4. 8; Isa. 66. 1 ; Ezek. 45. 9 ; Mic. 6. 8. 
 
 (86.) Of Partiality— \o be avoided, Matt. 22. 16 ; .Jam. 2. 
 
 1, 9; Jude 16. 
 
 (87.) Of Meekness — exercise of, required. Gal. 6. 1 ; Eph. 
 
 4. 1, 2 ; 1 Tim. 6. 11 ; 2 Tim. 2. 25 ;— the fruit of the Spirit, 
 Gal. 5. 22, 23 ; Eph. 5. 9 ;— its blessedness, Ps. 25. 8 ; 37. 
 11; 147.6; 149.4; Pr. 3. 34; Isa. 57. 15; 66.2; Matt. 
 
 5. 5 ; 11. 29 ; Col. 3. 12 ; Jam. 3. 13 ;— of Abraham to Lot, 
 Gen. 13. 8 ;— of Moses, Num. 12. 3 ;— of Micaiah to the 
 prophet Zedekiah, 1 Kings 22. 24 ; — of Jeremiah, Jer. 26. 14 ; 
 —of Jesus, Isa. 53. 7 ; Matt. 11. 29 ; John 18. 19, &c. 
 
 (88.) Oi Patience, — recommended, Job 2. 10; Ps. 37. 1, 
 7 ; Pr. 3. 11 ; 24. 10 ; Ecc. 7. 8 ; Mic. 7. 7, 9 ; Luke 21. 
 19 ; Rom. 12. 12 ; 1 Thess. 5. 14 ; Heb. 10. 36 ; 12. 1, &c. ; 
 Jam. 1. 3; 5. 7; 1 Pet. 2. 19 ; 2 Pet. 1. 6 ;— of Moses, 
 Num. 12. 3 ;— of Job, Job 1. 20;— of David, Ps. 40. 1 ;— of 
 the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. 1. 3 ; — of the religious in former 
 times, Heb. 10. 34 ;— of Christ, Isa. 53. 7 ; 1 Pet. 2. 23. 
 
 (89.) Of Charity, and general benevolence. — Charity, from 
 the Latin charitas, properly signified love, though now re- 
 stricted to alms-giving. Recommended, Ex. 23. 4 ; Lev. 19. 
 18 ; Deut. 15. 7 ; 22. 1 ; Job 31. 16, &c. ; Pr. 24. 17 ; 25. 
 21 ; Ecc. 11.1; Matt. 7. 12 ; 22. 39 ; James 2. 8. 
 
 (90.) 0{ Love, — brotherly. Lev. 19. 18; Matt. 22. 39; John 
 13. 34 ; 15. 12, 17 ; Rom. 12. 9, 10 ; 13. 8 ; 1 Cor. 13. 1 ; 
 Gal. 5. 6, 13 ; 6. 2 ; Col. 3. 14 ; 1 Thess. 3. 12 ; 4. 9 ; Eph. 
 5. 1, 32 ; 5. 2 ; Phil. 2. 1 ; 1 Tim. 1. 5 ; Heb. 13. 1 ; James 
 
 2. 8 ; 1 Pet. 1. 22 ; 3. 8 ; 4. 8 ; 1 John 2. 9 ; 3. 10, 23 ; 4. 
 7, 11, 20; 2 John 5 ; — not in word but in deed, John 3. 18, 
 *' My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue ; 
 but in deed and in truth." " If love consisted in word only, 
 then love ceaseth as soon as the word is pronounced. Such 
 was the love between Balak and Balaam. But if love con- 
 sisteth not in word, it cannot be dissolved ; such was the love 
 of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the patriarchs." 
 Yalkut Rubeni, fol. 145. 4. The peculiar law of the gospel, 
 John 13. 34, " A new commandment I give unto you. That 
 ye love one another ; as I have loved yon, that ye also love 
 
202 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 one another." The Mosaic law commanded men to " love 
 their neighbor as theiWselves ;" and this implied that recipro- 
 cal and social love of believers of which our Lord spake : 
 but this was now to be explained with new clearness, enforced 
 by new motives and obligations, illustrated by a new example, 
 obeyed in a new manner, and carried to anew extent. They 
 were required to love each other for his sake, and in imita- 
 tion of him, — " even as I have loved you," — and be ready on 
 all occasions to lay down their lives for each other. By this 
 the primitive Christians were particularly known among the 
 Gentiles : " See, said they, how they love one another ; and 
 are ready to lay down their lives for each other." John 15. 
 12, 17 ; Gal. 6. 2 ; 1 John 3. 23 ; 4. 21. 
 
 (91.) Of Crw.c//y,— forbidden, Gen. 49. 5, &c. ; Deut. 25. 
 3 ; Pr. 11. 17 j 12. 10 ; Ezek. 18. 18 ;— of Simeon and Levi, 
 Gen. 34. 25 ; 49. 5 ;— of Pharaoh, Ex. 1. 14 ;— of Adonibe- 
 zek, Judg. 1. 7 ; — of Menahem, 2 Kings 15. 16 ; — of Jehoram, 
 2 Chr. 21. 4 ;— of Herod the great, Matt. 2. 16. 
 
 (92.) Of Mercy,— \\ie duty of man, Pr. 3. 3 ; Zech. 7. 9 ; 
 Luke 6. 36 ; 10. 30, &c. ; Rom. 12. 8; Col. 3. 12; Jam. 3. 
 17;— the reward of it, Ps. 37. 26; 112. 4, &c. ; Pr. 3. 4; 
 
 11. 17 ; 16. 6 ; 21. 21 ; Isa. 58. 6 ; Matt. 5. 7 ; Luke 6. 35 ; 
 Jam. 2. 13. 
 
 (93.) Of Sympathy^ — recommended, Ecc. 7. 2, 4 ; Rom. 
 
 12. 15; 1 Cor. 12. 26; Gal. 6. 2; Heb. 13. 3; 1 Pet. 3. 8. 
 (94.) Of £mjy,— condemned. Job 5. 2 ; Ps. 37. 1 ; Pr. 3. 
 
 31 ; 14. 30 ; 23. 17 ; 24. 19 ; 27. 4 ; Rom. 13. 13 ; 1 Cor. 
 3. 3 ; Gal. 5. 21 ; James 3. 14 ; 5. 9 ; 1 Pet. 2. 1. 
 
 (95.) 0{ Hatred, — to be guarded against. Lev. 19. 17; Pr. 
 10. 12, 18 ; 26. 24 ; 1 John 2. 9 ; 3. 15 ; 9. 20. 
 
 (96.) Oi Anger, — general advice to repress it, Ps. 37. 8; 
 Pr. 16. 32 ; " He that is slow to anger is better than the 
 mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a 
 city." So Ovid, Fortior est qui se, quam qui fortissima vincit 
 moenia, nee virtus altius ir(B potest, " He is more of a hero who 
 has conquered himself, than he who has taken the best forti- 
 fied city." (See also Horace, Odar. I. 2, Od. 2.) Alexander, 
 who conquered the world, was a slave to intemperate anger ; 
 and in a fit of it slew Clitus, one of his most intimate friends. 
 Q. Curtius, 1. viii. c. i. Arrian,l. iv. & Plutarch in x\lexandro. — 
 Pr. 17. 14 ; Eph. 4. 26, 31 ; Col. 3. 8 ; James 1. 19;— ex- 
 poses a man, and makes him incapable of friendship, Pr. 22. 
 24 ; 25. 8, 28 ; a mark of folly or madness, Job 5. 2 ; Pr. 12. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 203 
 
 16; U. 29 ; 19. 11 ; 27. 3 ; 29. 20 ;— may bring a man lo 
 destruction, Job 5. 2 ; Pr. 19. 19 ; Matt. 5. 22 ; — one of the 
 works of the flesh, Gal. 5. 20; — comes from pride, Pr. 13. 
 10; 21. 24; — its efl:'ects on others, Pr. 15. 1, 18; 17. 14-; 
 26. 21 ; 29. 22; 30. 33 ; — may be innocent, Eph. 4. 26 ; — 
 how pacified, Pr. 15. 1 ; 16. 24 ; 25. 15 ; Ecc. 10. 4 ; Matt. 
 5. 25 ; — Potiphar's wife to Joseph, 39. 13 ; — Simeon and Levi 
 to the Shechemites, 34. 27 ; 49. 6 ; — of Balaam to his ass, 
 Num. 22. 27; of Moses, Num.20. 10 ; Ps. 106. 33 ;— of Saul 
 to Jonathan, 1 Sam. 20. 30 ; — of Jonah, Jonah 4. 1 ; — of the 
 Jews against Jesus, Luke 4. 20 ; — of the elder son in the 
 parable of the prodigal, 15. 28 ; — of reasonable anger, of Jacob 
 Avith Laban, Gen. 31. 36 ; — of Moses with the sons of Aaron, 
 Lev. 10. 16 ; — at the rebellion of Korah, &c.,*Num. 16. 15; 
 — after the battle with the Midianites, 31. 14 ; — of Jesus with 
 the Pharisees, Mark 3. 5 ; — of God for sin, Gen. 6. 7 ; 30. 
 1, 2; Ex. 4. 14. 
 
 (97.) Of ilftf/zce— forbidden, Gen. 34. 7, 25; 37. 5, 18; 
 Pr. 17. 5; 24. 17; 26.24; Mark 6. 17; 1 Cor. 5. 8; 14. 
 20; Eph. 4. 31 ; Col. 3. 8; Tit. 3. 3 ; 1 Pet. 2. 1, 16— of 
 Cain to Abel, Gen. 4. 8 ; — of Esau to Jacob, 27. 41 ; — of Saul 
 to David, 1 Sam. 19. 10 ; — of Joab to Abner, 2 Sam. 3. 27 ; — 
 of Haman to Mordecai, Esth. 3. 6 ; — of the scribes and Phari- 
 sees to Jesus, Mark 11. 18, &c. 
 
 (98.) 0[ Peace— to be cultivated, Ps. 34. 14; 133. 1 ; Pr. 
 3. 30 ; 15. 17 ; 17. 1, 14, 17 ; 20. 3 ; 25. 8 ; Zech. 8. 19 ; 
 Mark 9. 50 ; Rom. 12. 18 ; 14. 19 ; 2 Cor. 13. 11 ; 1 Thess. 
 5. 13 ; Heb. 12. 14 ; 2 Tim. 2. 22 ; 1 Pet.- 3. 11 ;— by what 
 means, Pr. 15. 1 ; 25. 9, 15 ; Col. 3. 13 ; 1 Thess. 4. 11 ;— 
 given by Jesus, John 14. 27 ; — of God, Phi' 4. 7. 
 
 (99.) Of Peace makers, — their blessedness, Matt. 5. 9 ; 
 James 3. 18. 
 
 (100.) Of Quarrels— io be avoided, Pr. 3. 30; 17. 14- ; 20. 
 3 ; 25. 8 ; Col. 3. 13 ; — whence they arise, Jam. 4. 1. 
 
 (101.) Of the Tongue — the importance of governing it, Ps. 
 39. 1 ; Jam. 3. 2, &c. ; double, censured, 1 Tim. 3. 8. 
 
 (102.) Of Reviling or raz7mo-— forbidden. Matt. 5. 22 ; 1 Cor. 
 6. 10 ; 1 Pet. 2. 23 ; 3. 9 ; 2 Pet. 2. 1 1 ; Jude 9 ;— to be avoid- 
 ed, 1 Cor. 5. 11. 
 
 (103.) Of Taciturnity — recommended, Pr. 11. 12; 14. 3; 
 17. 28 ; Mic. 7. 5 ; Jam. 1. 19 ;— should be properly timed, 
 Pr. 25. 15; 29. 11. 
 
204 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 (104.) Of Scolding — clamorous, censured, Pr. 15. 1 ; Ep.>», 
 4. 31. 
 
 (105.) Of the Whisperer — an odious character, Pr. 16.28; 
 Rom. 1. 29 ; 2 Cor. 12. 20. 
 
 (106.) Of Tale-bearing— cei\^Mxedi, Lev. 19. 16; Pr. 11. 
 13 ; 17. 9 ; 18. 8 ; 20. 19 ; 26. 20, 22 ; 1 Tim. 5. 13 ; 1 Pet. 
 4. 15. 
 
 (107.) Of False Witness — laws against it, Ex. 23. 1 ; Deut' 
 19. 16, &c. ;— strictly forbidden, Ex. 20. 16 ; Pr. 6. 16, 19 ; 
 19. 5, 9, 28; 21. 28; 25. 18. 
 
 (108.) Of Covetousness—{oxh\Mer\, Ex. 20. 17 ; Deut. 5. 
 21 ; Rom. 7. 9 ; 13. 9 ;— censured, Pr. 23. 7 ; Luke 12. 15 ; 
 1 Cor. 6. 10 ; Eph. 5. 5 ; Col. 3. 5 ; 1 Tim. 6. 9 ; Heb. 13. 
 5; 1 John 2. 15; — threatenings against, Is. 57. 17; Jer. 6. 
 12, 13 ; Mic. 2. 1, 2; Hab. 2. 9, 11 ; Rom. 1. 18, 29 ;— of 
 Achan, Josh. 7. 21 ; — of Gehazi, 2 Kings 5. 20 ; — of Balaam, 
 Num. 22. 17, 21 ; 31. 8; 2 Pet. 2. 15 ; Jude 11 ;— of Ahab, 
 1 Kings 21. 22; — of Judas Iscariot, Matt. 26. 14; — of Ana- 
 nias and Sapphira, Acts 5. 1, &c. ; — the folly of it, Ecc. 4. 
 8. " The covetous man nothing can satisfy," as the poet 
 Saady has observed, " but the dust that fills his mouth when 
 laid in the grave." The more he gets, the more he 
 would get ; for Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia 
 crescit, " The love of money increases, in proportion as 
 money itself increases." A man may possess much earthly 
 goods, and yet have neither the heart nor power to enjoy 
 them. Possession and fruition are not necessarily joined to- 
 gether ; and this is also among the vanities of life, and was, 
 and still is a very " common evil among men." It belongs 
 to God as much lo give the power to enjoy, as it does to give 
 earthly blessings. This a wise heathen clearly saw and 
 well expressed : Di tibi divitias dederunt^ artemque fruendiy 
 " The gods have given thee riches, and the art to enjoy 
 them." Horace, Ep. I. i. ep. 4, v. 7. " An untimely birth 
 is better than he" (Eccles. 6. 3), which seems to come into 
 the world in vain, leaves it in obscurity and disgrace, has no 
 name to be remembered, and has neither seen the sun, nor 
 known any thing — even " this hath more rest than the other" 
 — the miser, who, with his coffers filled, should have lived a 
 thousand years, and had a hundred children, " whose soul 
 was not filled with good," who never could have enough, nor 
 yet enjoy what he had. It had rest in the womb, and now 
 rests in the gravQ ; its pain was transient ; its unhappiness a 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 205 
 
 mere negation of pleasure ; and it lived not, as the miser, to 
 incur guilt and misery. 
 
 (109.) Of Concupiscence (inordinate affection) — censured, 
 Ex. 20. 17 ; Gal. 5. 16 ; 1 Thess. 4. 5 ; 1 Pet. 2. 11. 
 
 (110.) Of jBnftery— censured, Ex. 23. 8 ; Deut. 16. 19 ; Job 
 15. 34 ; Pr. 17. 23 ; 29. 4 ; Ecc. 7. 7 ; Is. 5. 23 ; Ezek. 13. 
 19 ; Amos 2. 6. 
 
 (111.) Of C/5wry— laws against it, Ex. 22. 25 ; Lev. 25. 
 36 ; Deut. 23. 19 ;— censured, Pr. 28. 8 ; Ezek. 18. 8, 13, 
 17; 22. 12 ; — may be taken of strangers, Deut. 23. 20. 
 
 (112.) Oi Exaction — censured, Neh. 5. 6 ; 10. 31 j Ezek. 
 22. 12 ; 45. 9; Matt. 18. 28 : Luke 3. 13. 
 
 (113.) Of 0/?pre552on— forbidden, Ex. 22. 21 ; Ps. 12. 5 ; 
 Pr. 22. 16, 22 ; Jer. 22. 17 ; Ezek. 22. 29 ; Mic. 2. 2 ; 
 Zech. 7. 10. 
 
 (114.) Of Restitution for injuries — enjoined, Ex. 22. 5; 
 Lev. 6. 4 ; Num. 5. 7 ; not only confession, but restitution, 
 in every possible case, is necessary in order to obtain for- 
 giveness. 1 Sam. 12. 3 ; Ezek. 33. 15 ; " The sin is not 
 forgiven, unless that which is taken away be restored ;" says 
 Augustine. Luke 19. 8. 
 
 (115.) Of Self-interest — to be disregarded, 1 Cor. 10. 24 ; 
 Phil. 2. 21 ; 2 Tim. 4. 10 ;— of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25. 10. 
 
 (116.) Of Z>cm^— censured. Lev. 19.11; 25.14; Ps.5.6; 
 55. 23 ; Pr. 20. 17 ; Jer. 22. 13 ; 1 Cor. 6. 8 ;— of others, to 
 be guarded against, Pr. 14. 15 ; — in matters of religion, Jer. 
 29. 8 ; Matt. 24. 4 ; Eph. 5. 6 ; 2 Thess. 2. 3 \—self Is. 30. 
 10;— James 1. 22, 26. 
 
 (117.) Of Hypocrisy— censMX^A, Job 8. 13; 15. 34; 27. 
 8 ; 36. 13 ; Is. 29. 13 ; 33. 14 ; 58. 2 ; 59. 5 ; " They hatch 
 cockatrice's eggs, and weave the spider's web ;" weak and 
 unstable, says Mr. Paxton, as the spider's web are all the 
 professions and works of the hypocrite. The filaments which 
 compose the flimsy texture in which she dwells are finely 
 spun, and curiously woven ; but a single touch dissolves the 
 fabric : equally frail and evanescent are his wisest and most 
 elaborate contrivances. She fabricates her web to be at once 
 a covering to herself, and a snare to her neighbor ; and for 
 the same odious purposes he assumes the garb of religion : 
 but the deceitful veil which he throws over the deformity of 
 his character can remain only a short time ; like the spider's 
 web, it shall soon be swept away, and his loathsome form 
 exposed to every eye. Like her he shall perish in the ruins 
 
 18 
 
206 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 of the habitation which he constructed with so much care, 
 and where he reposed with such fatal security. Jer. 3. 10; 
 Ezek. 33. 31 ; Matt. 6. 2, 5 ; 7. 21 ; 23. 13, 23, 28 ; 24. 51 ; 
 Luke 12. 1 ; 16. 15; 1 Pet. 2. 1 ; Rev. 3. 1. 
 
 (118.) 0( Pride, or conceit— reproved, Ps. 101. 5 ; 131. 1; 
 138. 6 ; Pr. 3. 7 ; 6. 17 ; 8. 13 ; 14. 16 ; 16. 18 ; 17. 19 ; 
 21. 4 ; 26. 12 ; 29. 23 ; Ecc. 7. 16 ; Is. 5. 21 ; Jer. 9. 23 ; 
 Luke 1. 51 ; 18. 9 ; Rom. 12. 16 ; 1 Cor. 4. 7 ; 8. 2 ; 2 Cor. 
 10. 18; Gal. 6. 3; Phil. 2. 3; Jam. 4. 6; — or ambition to 
 exalt one's self, Ps. 131. 1 ; Pr. 17. 19; 18. 2; 25. 6 ; Jer. 
 45. 5 ; — reproved. Matt. 18. 1 ; 20. 20 ; Luke 22. 24 ; Mark 
 9. 34 ; 10. 42 ; Luke 11. 43 ; 14. 9 ; Rom. 12. 16 ; 1 Thess. 
 
 2. 6 ; — motives to guard against it, Ps. 10. 4 ; 12. 3 ; 18. 27 ; 
 Pr. 6. 17 ; 13. 10 ; 15. 25 ; 16. 5 ; 28. 25 ; Is. 14. 13, &c. ; 
 —the marks of it, Ps. 13.4; Pr. 17. 19; 30. 12; Matt. 23. 
 5 ; Luke 11. 43; John 7. 18 ; — of Korah, Dathan, and Abi- 
 ram, Num. 16. 1 ; — of Haman, Esth. 3. 1, &c. ; — of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, Dan. 4. 30 ; — of Simon Magus, Acts 8. 9, 10; — 
 of Herod Agrippa, 12. 22. 
 
 (119.) Of i^M/m%— recommended, Ps. 138. 6; 144. 3; 
 Pr. 11.2; 16.19; 18.12; 22.4; 25.7. Be humble ; af- 
 fect not high things ; keep thyself quiet ; and thou shall live 
 at ease, in safety, and in peace. " Why was it," says a wise 
 heathen on this subject, " that Da3dalus winged his way safely, 
 while Icarus his son fell, and gave name to the Icarian sea ? 
 Was it not because the son flew aloft, and the father skimmed 
 the ground? For both were furnished with the same kind of 
 wings. Believe me, that he who lives privately, lives safely ; 
 and every one should live within his own income. Envy no 
 man ; pray for a quiet life, though it should not be dignified ; 
 seek a friend ; and associate with thine equals." Ovid, Trist, 
 1. iii. El. 4.. V. 21-28. Is. 57. 15 ; Mic. 6. 8 ; Matt. 18. 4 ; 
 23. 12 ; Luke 18. 14; Rom. 12. 3, 10, 16; Phil. 2. 3; Col. 
 
 3. 12 ; James 4. 10 ; 1 Pet. 2. 17 ; 5. 5 ; — examples of it in 
 Elijah, 1 Kings 19. 4; — Daniel, Dan. 2. 30; — the Psalmist, 
 Ps. 131. 1 ; — John the Baptist, Luke 3. 16 ;— Peter, Acts 3. 
 ''2 ; 10. 26 ;— Paul and Barnabas, 14. 15 ;— Paul, 1 Cor. 15. 
 9; 2 Cor. 12. 11; Eph. 3. 8 ; 1 Tim. 1. 15. 
 
 (120.) Of Mocking— d.i others censured. Job 13. 9 ; Ps. 35. 
 16; Pr. 17. 5; 30. 17; — of Ishmael at the birth of Isaac, 
 Gen. 21.9 ; — of young men at Elisha, 2 Kings 2. 23 ; — of the 
 Athenians at Paul's preaching. Acts 17. 32. 
 
 (121.) Of Scoffers — at God and religion described and con- 
 
 J 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTTTRES. 207 
 
 demned, Ps. 1. 1 5 Pr. 3. 34 ; 9.7; 13.1; 14.6; Is. 29. 
 20; 2 Pet. 3. 3 ; — at their neighbors, censured, Pr. 10. 10. 
 
 (122.) Of Obedience, — the rewards of it. Lev. 25. 18 ; 26. 
 3, &c.; Deut. 11. 13, 22; 28. 1, &c. ; 30. 1, &c. ;— with 
 threatenings in case of disobedience, Deut. 8. 1, &c. ; 29. 9, 
 &c. ; — must be universal, 2 Cor. 7. 1 ; Jam. 2. ]0, 11 ; — bet- 
 ter than sacrifice, 1 Sam. 15. 22 ; Ps. 50. 8 ; 51. 16 ; Pr. 15. 
 8 ; Is. 1. 1 1, &c. ;— Jer. 7. 21 ; Hos. 6. 6 ; Am. 5. 22 ; Mic. 
 6. 6; Matt. 9. 13 ; 12. 7. 
 
 (123.) Of Disobedience;, curses attending it, Lev. 20. 14; 
 Deut. 28. 15. 
 
 (124.) Of Temperance, — recommended, Pr. 23. 1 ; 1 Cor. 
 9. 25 ; Gal. 5. 23 ; Eph. 5. 18 ; Tit. 1. 8 ; 2. 2 ; 2 Pet. 1. 6. 
 
 (125.) Oi Drunkenness — censured, Pr. 20. 1 ; 23. 31 ; Is. 
 5. 22 ; Luke 21. 34 ; Rom. 13. 13 ; 1 Cor. 5, 11 ; Eph. 5. 
 18 ; 1 Thess. 5. 7 ; 1 Pet. 4. 3 ; — leads to other vices, Pro. 
 23. 31-33 ; Is. 5. 11, &c. ; 28. 7 ; Hos. 4. 11 ; Hab. 2. 5 ;— 
 to poverty, Pr. 23. 21 ;— destroys health, Pr. 23. 29, 30 ; — 
 the cause of quarrels, Pr. 23. 29, 30 ; — excludes from the 
 kingdom of heaven. Matt. 24. 49 ; Luke 12. 45 ; 1 Cor. 6. 
 10 ; Gal. 5. 21 ; — examples of it, of Noah, Gen. 9. 21 ; — of 
 Lot, Gen. 19. 33, 35 ;— of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25. 36 ;— of Elah, 
 
 1 Kings 16. 9;— of Benhadad, 1 Kings 20. 16. 
 
 (126.) Of j¥wr6/er— forbidden, Ex. 20. 13; Deut. 5. 17;— 
 punishable with death, Gen. 9. 6 ; — laws relating to it. Num. 
 35. 30; Lev. 24. 17 ; — uncertain, how expiated, Deut. 21. 1 ; 
 — of Abel by Cain, Gen. 4. 8 ; — of the sons of Gideon, Judg. 
 9. 5, 24 ; — of Abner by Joab, 2 Sam. 3. 27 ; — of Amasa by 
 Joab, 2 Sam. 20. 8 ;— of Baasha by Zimri, 1 Kings 16. 9 ; — 
 of Naboth by Ahab, 1 Kings 21. 8 ; — of Zechariah by Joash, 
 
 2 Chr. 24. 21 ;— of Zechariah king of Israel by Shallum, 2 
 Kings 15. 10; — of Amon by his servants, 2 Kings 21. 23. 
 
 (127.) Of Revenge — to be refrained from. Lev. 19. 18; 
 Pr. 20. 22 ; 24. 29 ; Matt. 5. 39 ; Rom. 12. 19 ; 1 Thess. 5. 
 15; 1 Pet. 3. 9. 
 
 (128.) Of Enemies, — their cattle to be brought to them if 
 found astray, Ex. 23. 4 ; — their misfortunes not to be rejoiced 
 at. Job 31. 29 ; Ps. 35. 13 ; Pr. 24. 17 ;— good to be done for 
 their evil, Pr. 25. 21 ; Matt. 5. 44 ; Luke 6. 27, 35. 
 
 (129.) Of Fornication — forbidden to the Israelites, Lev. 19. 
 29 ; Deut. 23. 17 ; — a law concerning it, Deut. 22. 28 ; — cen- 
 sured in general, Pr. 2. 16 ; 5. 3 ; 6. 25 ; 7. 6 ; 22. 14 ; 23. 27 : 
 29. 3 ; 31. 3 ; Ecc. 7. 26 ; IIos. 4. 11 ; Matt. 15. 19 ; Mark 
 
208 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 7. 21 ; Acts 15. 20 ; Rom. 1. 29 ; 1 Cor. 5. 9 ; 6. 9 ; 13. 15 
 2 Cor. 12. 21 ; Gal. 5. 19; Eph. 5. 3, 5 ; 1 Thess. 4. 3 
 1 Tim. 1. 10; Heb. 12. 16; 13.4; Rev. 2. 14, 20; 21.8 
 22. 15 ;— motives to avoid it, Pr. 2. 16 ; 5. 3 ; 6. 24 ; 7. 5 
 9.18; 29.3; Hos. 4. 10; iCor. 6. 18; Eph. 5. 5 ; Col 
 3.5; Heb. 13. 4; Jude 7 ; Rev. 21. 8 ; 22. 15 ;— laws re 
 lating to it, Ex. 22. 16 ; Lev. 19. 20 ; — the price of it not to 
 be given to the sanctuary, Dent. 23. 18. 
 
 (130.) Of Scnsiiality — censured. Am. 6. 4; Luke 16. 19, 
 &c.; 1 Cor. 15. 32; Jam. 5. 5. 
 
 (131.) Of Lusts — of the flesh to be repressed, Matt. 5. 29 ; 
 
 15. 19 ; Rom. 8. 13 ; 1 Cor. 9. 27 ; Gal. 5. 16, 19 ; Col. 3. 
 5 ; 1 Pet. 2. 11 -,— unnatural, Rom. 1. 26 ; Eph. 5. 12 ; 1 
 Thess. 4. 5. 
 
 (132.) Of the Flesh, — the motions of it tending to sin, 
 Rom. 7. 5 ; — not to walk after it, but after the Spirit, Rom. 8. 
 9, 12 ; 13. 14 ; — the works of it, Gal. 5. 19 ; — to be abstained 
 from, 1 Pet. 2. 11; 2 Pet. 2. 10. 
 
 (133.) Of the Body, — to be kept pure, Rom. 12. 1 ; 1 Cor. 
 6. 13 ; 1 Thess. 4. 4 ;— not to be disfigured, Lev. 19. 28; 21. 
 5 ; Deut. 14. 1 ; — changed at the resurrection, Matt. 22. 30 ; 
 
 1 Cor. 15. 42, 51; Phif. 3. 21. 
 
 (134.) Of Self-denial— Si Christian duty. Matt. 16. 24 ; Mark 
 
 8. 34 ; Luke 9. 23. 
 
 (135.) Of Purity of heart, or perfection of character — re- 
 quired, Rom. 6. 19 ;'Eph. 1.4; Phil. 2. 15 ; 2 Pet. 3. 14; 
 — respecting the works of the flesh, Gal. 5. 16; Eph. 5. 3; 
 Col. 3. 5; 1 Pet. 2. 11. 
 
 (136.) Of the Heart — should be pure. Josh. 24. 14 ; 1 Sam. 
 
 16. 7 ; 1 Chr. 28. 9 ; 29. 17 ; Ps. 7. 8 ; 24. 4 ; 51.6; 73. 1 ; 
 119.80; 125.4; Pr. 4. 23 ; 23.26; 24.9; Matt. 5. 8 ; Luke 
 8. 15; 11. 39; Rom. 2. 29 ; 1 Tim. 1. 5 ; 2 Tim. 2. 22; 
 James 4. 8 ; — the evidence of its being so, Ps. 15. 4 ; Matt. 
 12. 35; 15. 18; Luke 6. 45; James 3. 11 ;— under the 
 direction of God, and therefore a subject of prayer, 1 Kings 
 8. 58; Ps. 51. 10; 119. 36; 141.4; Jer. 32. 40 ; Gal. 4. 6; 
 
 2 Thess. 3. 5. 
 
 (137.) Of Thoughts — govern the actions, and therefore to 
 be attended to, Pr. 4. 23 ; 23. 7 ; Matt. 5. 28, &c. ; 15. 18; 
 Acts '26. 9 ; Rom. 2. 15 ; 2 Cor. 10. 5 ; 1 Tim. 1. 13. 
 
 (138.) Of Wishes — evil, to be suppressed. Job 31. 1, 30, 
 Ps. 40. 14. 
 
 (139.) Oi Perfection— io be aimed at, 1 Kings 8. 61 ; Matt. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 209 
 
 5. 48 ; Luke 6. 36 ; 2 Cor. 13. 9, 11 ; Eph. 5. 1 ; Heb. 13. 
 21 ; — not attainable by man, Job 4. 18 ; 15. 14 ; Pr. 20. 9. 
 
 (140.) Of Merit — not to be pleaded with God, Deut. 9. 4 ; 
 Job 35. 7 ; Pr. 16. 2 ; Rom. 4. 2 ; 11. 6 ; 2 Tim. 1. 9 ; Tit. 
 3. 5. 
 
 (141.) Of Ingratitude — censured, Ps. 7. 4; 100. 7, &c. ; 
 Pr. 17. 13 ; Jer. 3. 5 ; 2 Tim. 3. 2 ; — of Pharaoh's butler to 
 Joseph, Gen. 40. 23 ; — of the Israelites to the family of 
 Gideon, Judg. 8. 34 ;— of Saul to David, 1 Sam. 18. 6, &c. 
 
 (142.) Of Murmuring — or unreasonable complaining, cen- 
 sured, 1 Cor. 10. 10 ; Phil. 2. 14 ; Jude 16 ;— of the Israelites 
 at Moses in Egypt, Ex. 5. 20; 14. 11 ; — at Marah, Ex. 15. 
 23 ; — at Sin for want of bread, Ex. 16. 2 ; — for water, Ex. 17. 
 2; — at Taberah, Num. 11. 1; — at the report of the spies, 
 Num. 14. 1 ; — after the death of Korah, &c., Num. 16. 41 ; — 
 loathing manna, &c., Num. 21. 5. 
 
 (143.) Of Infidelity, or unbelief— ihe causes of it, John 5. 
 44 ; 2 Cor. 4. 4 ; Eph. 2. 2 ; 2 Thess. 2. 12 ;— consequences 
 of, Matt. 24. 11, 12; 2 Tim. 3. 2-5; 2 Pet. 2. 12 ;— the 
 danger of it, Mark 16. 16 ; Luke 12. 46 ; Rom. 1. 28 ; 2 Tim. 
 2. 12 ; Rev. 21. 8; — of the Israelites, Ps. 106. 24 ;— of the 
 inhabitants of Nazareth, Matt. 13. 57 ; — of the brethren of 
 Jesus, John 7. 5 ; — of the Jews at Jerusalem, John 12. 37 ; — 
 at the preaching of Paul, Acts 12. 44. 
 
 (144.) Of Infidels or Unbelievers — Christians should not 
 marry with them, 2 Cor. 6. 14, 15, 19 ; — to be shunned, Matt. 
 6. 15 ; Rom. 16. 17 ; 1 Tim. 6. 5 ; Phil. 3. 2 ; 2 Thess. 3. 6, 
 14 ; — how to be distinguished in order to be avoided, 1 Thess. 
 5. 21 ; 1 John 4. 1-3 ; — threatenings of God against, Pr. 3. 
 34 ; 19. 29 ; Jer. 14. 15 ; 23. 32 ; — obstinate, their fate, Mark 
 16. 16; Luke 12.46; Heb. 3. 19 ; 4. 1 ; Rev. 19. 20; 20. 
 10; 21. 8. 
 
 (145.) Of Conscience — common to all men, Pr. 20. 27 ; 
 Rom, 2. 14, 15 ; — a weak one to be respected, Rom. 14. 2 ; 
 1 Cor. 8. 12 ; — the happiness of a good one. Job 27. 6 ; Pr. 
 14. 14; 28. 1; 29. 6 ; Rom. 14. 22; 2 Cor. L 12; Gal. 6. 
 4 ; 1 Tim. 1.19; 1 John 3. 19, 21 ; Acts 23. 1 ; 24. 16 ; 1 
 Cor. 4. 4 ; 2 Tim. 1. 3 ; Heb. 13. 18 ;— the terror of an evil 
 one. Gen. 42. 21 ; 2 Sam. 24. 10; Ps. 38. 3 ; 40. 12; Pr. 
 14. 14 ; 18. 14 ; 28. 1 ; 29. 6 ; Matt. 27. 3 ; Acts 24. 25 ; 
 Tit. 1. 15. 
 
 (146.) Of Temptations — whence they arise, Jam. 1. 13; — 
 18* 
 
210 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 to be guarded against, Matt. 6. 13 ; 26. 41 ; Epli. 6. 10, &c. ; 
 
 1 Pet. 5. 9. 
 
 (147.) Of the Tempting of God— censured, Ex. 17. 2, 7; 
 Dent. 6. 16; Ps. 78. 19; 95. 9; Is. 7. 12; Malt. 4. 7 ; 1 
 Cor. 10. 9. 
 
 (148.) Of Company— hsid, to be avoided, Ps. 1. 1 ; 26. 4 ; 
 Pr. 1. 10; 2. 12; 4. 14, 15; 12. 11 ; 13.20; 14.7; 19. 27; 
 22. 24 ; 28. 7, 19 ; 29. 24 ; Rom. 1. 32 ; 1 Cor. 5. 9 ; 15. 33 ; 
 
 2 Cor. 6. 14 ; Eph. 5. 7 ; — may be necessary, and do good, 
 Matt. 9. 10; 11.19; Mark 2. 15; Luke 15.2; iCor. 5. 10; 
 1 Thess. 5. 14 ; — of the virtuous, beneficial, Pr. 13. 20. 
 
 (149.) Of Example — good, to be followed, Luke 10. 37; 
 John 8. 39 ; 1 Cor. 4. 16 ; 11. 1 ; Phil. 3. 17; 4. 9 ; 1 Thess. 
 
 I. 7 ; 2 Thess. 3. 9 ; Heb. 6. 12 ; James 5. 10 ',—evil, to be 
 avoided, 1 Cor. 10. 6 ; 2 Pet. 2. 6 ; Jude 7 ; — of Christ, Matt. 
 
 II. 29 ; John 13. 15, 34 ; Rom. 15. 5 ; Phil. 2. 5 ; Heb. 3. 
 1 ; 12. 2 ; 1 Pet. 2. 21 ; 1 John 2. 6. 
 
 5. From the harmony of the Sacred Writers. Of this the doc- 
 trines and precepts exhibited under the preceding head will 
 furnish ample confirmation, especially if the parallel pas- 
 sages of the several texts referred to be consulted. It will, 
 therefore, only be necessary here to state a few evidences 
 of their agreement, derived from the undesigned coincidences 
 discoverable in the writings of the apostles, and to recon- 
 cile any apparent discrepances that occur. 
 
 Of undesigned coincidences, the following may be taken as a 
 sample ; and for a further elucidation of this subject, the reader 
 is referred to the excellent work of Dr. Paley, entitled Horae 
 Paulinae. 
 
 Acts xxvii. 20. " For this cause therefore have I called for 
 you, to see you, and to speak with you : because that for the 
 hope of Israel I am bound with this chain." That is, the 
 chain with which he was bound to the *' soldier that kept him" 
 (ver. 16); a mode of custody which Dr. Lardner has shown 
 was in use among the Romans, It is in exact conformity, 
 therefore, with the truth of St. PauFs situation at this time, 
 hat he declares himself to be " an ambassador in a c/mm," 
 iv a\vcti (Eph. vi. 20) ; and the exactness is the more re- 
 markable, as a>i"^'f, a chain, is nowhere used in the singular 
 number to express any other kind of custody. 
 
 Rom. XV. 19. " Through mighty signs and wonders, by 
 the power of the Spirit of God ; so that from Jerusalem, and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 211 
 
 round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel 
 of Christ." Illyricum, or Illyria, was a country of Europe, 
 lying N. and N. W. of Macedonia, on the eastern coast of 
 the Adriatic gulf, opposite Italy. It was distinguished into 
 two parts : Liburnia north, now Croatia ; and Dalmatia south, 
 still retaining the same name. The account of St. Paul's 
 second visit to the peninsula of Greece, (Acts xx. 1,) says 
 Dr. Paley, leads us to suppose, that, in going over Macedonia, 
 he had passed so far west, as to come into those parts of the 
 country which were contiguous to Illyricum, if he did not enter 
 Illyricum itself. The history and the epistle therefore so far 
 agree ; and the agreement is much strengthened by a coin- 
 cidence of time ; for much before the time when this epistle 
 was written, he could not have said so, as his route, in his 
 former journey, confined him to the eastern side of the penin- 
 sula, a considerable distance from Illyricum. 
 
 Rom. xvi. 3. *' Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers ia 
 Christ Jesus." Had the notes of time in this epistle fixed 
 the writing of it to any date prior to St. Paul's first residence 
 at Corinth, the salutation of Aquila and Priscilla would have 
 contradicted the history, because it would have been prior to 
 his acquaintance with these persons. If they had fixed it 
 during that residence at Corinth, during his journey to Jeru- 
 salem, or during his progress through Asia Minor, an equal 
 contradiction would have been incurred, because, during all 
 that time, they were either with St. Paul, or abiding at 
 Ephesus. Lastly, had they fixed this epistle to be either 
 contemporary with the first epistle to the Corinthians, or 
 prior to it, a similar contradiction would have ensued, for 
 they were then with St. Paul. As it is, all things are con- 
 sistent. 
 
 2 Cor. viii. 19. " And not that only, but who was also 
 chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, 
 which is administered bjsiiis to the glory of the same Lord, 
 and declaration of your ready mind." By " this grace" is 
 meant the charitable contributions for the saints in Judea; 
 respecting which. Dr. Paley has some excellent remarks. 
 There is, he observes, a circumstance of nicety in the agree- 
 ment between the two epistles, which, I am convinced, the 
 author of a forgery would not have hit upon, or which, if he 
 had hit upon it, he would have set forth with more clearness. 
 The Second Epistle speaks of the Corinthians as having be- 
 gun this eleemosynary business a j^ear before, (ver. 10, ch. 
 
212 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ix. 2.) It appears, however, from other texts in the epistle, 
 that the contribution was not yet collected, or paid ; for 
 brethren were sent from St. Paul to Corinth, *' to make up 
 their bounty," (ch, ix. 5.) They are urged " to perform the 
 doing of it," (ver. 11,) " and every man was exhorted to give 
 as he purposed in his heart," (ch. ix. 7.) The contribution, 
 therefore, was in readiness, yet not received from the con- 
 tributors ; was begun, was forward long before, yet not 
 hitherto collected. Now this representation agrees with 
 one, and only with one, supposition, namely, that every man 
 had laid by in store, had already provided a fund, from which 
 he was afterwards to contribute — the very case which the 
 First Epistle authorizes us to suppose to have existed; for in 
 that epistle, St. Paul had charged the Corinthians, " upon the 
 first day of the week, every one of them, to lay by in store, 
 as God had prospered him," (1 Cor. xvi. 2.) 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 1. "This is the third time I am coming to 
 you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every 
 word be established." Here an apparently considerable 
 chronological difficulty occurs, the Apostle mentioning his 
 design of visiting Corinth a third time ; whereas only one 
 visit before the date of this epistle is noticed in the Acts, 
 (ch. xviii. 1.) This difficulty is thus solved by Dr. Paley, 
 with his usual judgment and ability : at length, however, he 
 observes, it occurred to my thoughts to inquire, whether the 
 passage did necessarily imply that St. Paul had been at 
 Corinth twice, or whether, when he says, " This is the third 
 time I am coming to you," he might mean only that this was 
 the third time that he was ready, that he was prepared, that 
 he intended to set out on his journey to Corinth. I recollected 
 that he had once before this purposed to visit Corinth, and had 
 been disappointed in this purpose ; which disappointment 
 forms the subject of much apology and protestation in the first 
 and second chapters of the epistle# Now, if the journey in 
 which he had been disappointed was reckoned by him one 
 of the times in which *' he was coming to them," then the 
 present would be the third time, i. e. of his being ready and 
 prepared to come ; although he had been actually at Corinth 
 only once before. This conjecture being taken up, a farther 
 examination of the passage and the epistle, produced'proofs 
 which placed it beyond doubt. " This is the third time I am 
 coming to you." In the verse following these words he adds, 
 " I told you before, and foretel you, as if I were present the 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 213 
 
 second time ; and being absent, now I write to them which 
 heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, 
 I will not spare." In this verse the Apostle is declaring be- 
 forehand what he would do in his intended visit : his expres- 
 sion, therefore, " as if I were present the second time," relates 
 to that visit. But if his future visit would only make him pre- 
 sent among them the second time, it follows that he had been 
 already there but once. Again, in the fifteenth verse of the 
 tirst chapter, he tells them, " In this confidence I was minded 
 to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit." 
 Why a second, and not a third benefit ? why Ssvrepav and 
 not rpirriv xdoii/, if the rpirov ep^oijat, in the thirteenth chap- 
 ter, meant a third visit ? for though the visit in the first chap- 
 ter be that visit in which he was disappointed, yet, as it is 
 evident from the epistle, that he had never been at Corinth 
 from the time of the disappointment to the time of writing 
 the epistle, it follows, that if it were only a second visit in 
 which he was disappointed then, it could only be a visit 
 which he proposed now. But the text, which I think is de- 
 cisive of the question, if any question remain upon the sub- 
 ject, is the fourteenth verse of the twelfth chapter — " Be- 
 hold, the third time I am ready to come to you" — ijov, Tptrou 
 
 troijius £%w e\9eiv npos Vfias- It IS VCry Clear tliat trie rpirov eroi^ws 
 
 sx<^ ^y^deiv of the twelfth chapter, and the rpCrov rovro epxojj^ai of 
 the thirteenth chapter, are equivalent expressions, were in- 
 tended to convey the same meaning, and to relate to the same 
 journey. The comparison of these phrases gives us St. 
 Paul's own explanation of his own words ; and it is that very 
 explanation which we are contending for, viz., that rphov rovro 
 epxojiai does not mean that he was coming a third time, but 
 that this was the third time he was in readiness to come, 
 rpirov Iroiiiuis e'xco. Upou the wholc, the matter is sufficiently 
 certain ; nor do I propose it as a new interpretation of the 
 text which contains the difficulty, for the same was given by 
 Grotius long ago, but I thought it the clearest way of explain- 
 ing the subject, to describe the manner in which the diffi- 
 culty, the solution, and the proofs of that solution, successive- 
 ly presented themselves to my inquiries. Now, in historical 
 researches, a reconciled inconsistency becomes a positive 
 argument. First, because an impostor generally guards 
 against the appearance of inconsistency ; and secondly, be- 
 cause when apparent inconsistencies are found, it is seldom 
 that any thing else but truth renders them capable of recon- 
 
214 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ciliation. The existence of the difficulty proves the want or 
 absence of that caution, which usually accompanies the con- 
 sciousness of fraud ; and the solution proves, that it is not 
 the collusion of fortuitous propositions which we have to deal 
 with, but that a thread of truth winds through the whole, 
 which preserves every circumstance in its place. 
 
 Apparent discrepances between the sacred writers are of 
 various kinds, arising from various causes, and have been ar- 
 ranged under different classes, according to their several cir- 
 cumstances. As, however, it is doubtful under which class 
 some of the instances should be placed, or to ascertain pre- 
 cisely from what cause the apparent contradiction arose, it 
 will be preferable upon the whole to detail them in the order 
 of Scripture, leaving the reader to decide upon their nature. 
 
 Gen. xxxvi. 31. " And these are the kings that reigned 
 in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the 
 children of Israel." As there was no king in Israel in the 
 time of Moses, this has been adduced as a proof of his not 
 being the author of the book of Genesis. But Moses proba- 
 bly alludes to the promise which God made to Jacob (ch. 
 XXXV. 11), that kings should proceed from him; and here 
 states that these kings reigned before that prophecy began to 
 be fulfilled. 
 
 Exod. vi. 3. " And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, 
 and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my 
 name JEHOVAH was I not known unto them." If Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob did not know the name JEHOVAH, then 
 Moses must have used it in Genesis by prolepsis or anticipa- 
 tion. But probably we should, with Mr. Locke and others, 
 read it interrogatively, for the negative particle 5<^, lo, not, has 
 frequently this power in Hebrew : " I appeared unto Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name of God Almighty, and by my 
 name JEHOVAH was I not also made known unto them ?" 
 
 Exod. xii. 40. " Now the sojourning of the children of 
 Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty 
 years." The Samaritan Pentateuch, in all its manuscripts 
 and printed copies, reads : ina'^ niL'j^ dm^i^l '^m'^TD^ "^^i ^irilz"} 
 : HD^ZJ til^'n yn^i<1 ns© ti^m^lD tl"«'^2r?2 yns^m ^53^ Y^aCi " Now the so- 
 journing of the children of Israel, and of their fathers in the 
 land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt, was 430 years." 
 The Alexandrine copy of the Septuagint has the same read- 
 ing ; and the same statement is made by the Apostle Paul, 
 in Gal. iii. 17, who reckons from the promise made to Abra- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 215 
 
 ham to the giving of the law. That these three witnesses 
 have the truth, the chronology itself proves ; for it is evident 
 that the descendants of Israel did not dwell 430 years in. 
 Egypt ; while it was equally evident that the period from 
 Abraham's entry into Canaan to the Exodus is exactly that 
 number. Thus from Abraham's entrance into the promised 
 land to the birth of Isaac was twenty-five years ; Isaac was 
 sixty at the birth of Jacob ; Jacob was 130 at his going into 
 Egypt ; where he and his children continued 215 years more ; 
 making in the whole 430 years. See Kennicott's Disserta- 
 tion on the Hebrew Text. 
 
 Num. iv. 39. " All that were numbered of the Levites, 
 which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of 
 the Lord, throughout their families, all the males from a month 
 old and upward, were twenty and two thousand." This total 
 does not agree with the particulars ; for the Gershonites were 
 7500, the Kohathites, 8600, and the Merarites, 6200, which 
 make a total of 22,300. Several methods of solving this 
 difficulty have been proposed by learned men. Houbigant 
 supposes there is an error in the enumeration of the Koha- 
 thites in ver. 28 ; the numeral r^ii:, shesh, "six," being writ- 
 ten instead of r^r, shalosh, " three," before hundred. Dr. 
 Kennicott's mode of reconciling the discrepance, however, 
 is the most simple. He supposes that an error has crept into 
 the number of the Gershonites in ver. 22, where instead of 
 7500, we should read 7200, as 1 caph final, which stands for 
 500, might have been easily mistaken for ^ resh, 200. (Dr. 
 Kennicott on tlm Hebrew Text, vol. ii. p. 212.) Either of 
 these modes will equally reconcile the difference. 
 
 Num. viii. 24. " This is it that belongeth unto the Le,vites : 
 from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in 
 to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congrega- 
 tion :" In ch. 4. 3, the Levites are appointed to the service 
 of the tabernacle at the age of thirty years; and in chap. 23. 
 24, they are ordered to commence their work at twenty years 
 of age. In order to reconcile this apparent discrepance, it is 
 to be observed, 1. At the time of which Moses speaks in ch. 
 4. 3, the Levitical service was exceedingly severe, and con- 
 sequently required full grown, robust men to perform it : the 
 age of thirty was therefore appointed as the period for com- 
 mencing this service, the weightier part of which was proba- 
 bly there intended. 2. In this place God seems to speak of 
 the service in a general way ; hence the age of twenty-five is 
 
216 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 fixed. 3. In David's time and afterwards, in the fixed taber 
 nacle and temple, the laboriousness of the service no longer 
 existed, and hence twenty years was the age appointed. 
 
 Num. XXV, 9. " And those that died in the plague were 
 twenty and four thousand." St. Paul reckons only twenty- 
 three thousand ; though some MSS. and versions, particularly 
 the latter Syriac and the Armenian, have, as here, 24,000. 
 Allowing the 24,000 to be genuine, and none of the Hebrew 
 MSS. exhibit a various reading here, and the 23,000 of St. 
 Paul to be also genuine, the two places may be reconciled by 
 supposing, what is very probable, that Moses includes in the 
 24,000, the 1000 men who were slain in consequence of the 
 judicial examination (v. 4), as well as the 23,000 who died 
 of the plague ; while St. Paul only refers to the latter. 
 
 Num. xxvi. 11. "Notwithstanding the children of Korah 
 died not." It seems to be intimated in ch. xvi. 27, 31-33, 
 that not only the men, but the sons and the little ones of Ko- 
 rah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed up by the earth- 
 quake ; but the text here expressly affirms, that the children 
 of Korah " died not ;" and their descendants were famous 
 even in David's time. On a close inspection, however, of 
 verse 27 of the above-mentioned chapter, we shall find that 
 the sons and the little ones of Dathan and Abiram alone are 
 mentioned. There is no mention of the children of Korah ; 
 they, therefore, probably either not consenting to their father's 
 crime, or speedily repenting, were preserved when he was cut 
 off; while it appears that those of Dathan and Abiram perish- 
 ed with their fathers. ^ 
 
 Num. xxxi. 3, 17, 18. " And Moses spake unto the people, 
 saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them 
 go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. 
 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill 
 every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But 
 all the women children, that have not known a man by lying 
 with him, keep alive for yourselves." It was God's quarrel, 
 not their own, that they were now to take up. These people 
 were idolaters, and had seduced the Israelites to practise the 
 same abominations ; idolatry is an offence against God ; and 
 the civil power has no authority to meddle with what belongs 
 to him, without especial directions, certified as in this case, 
 in the most unequivocal manner. Private revenge, ambition, 
 or avarice were to have no place in this business : Jehovah 
 is to be avenged ; and through Him, the children of Israel 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 217 
 
 (ver. 2), because they were nearly ruined by their idolatries. 
 If Jehovah, instead of punishing sinners by earthquakes, pes- 
 tilence, or famine, is pleased expressly to command any per- 
 son or people to avenge his cause, this commission justifies, 
 nay, sanctifies, war, massacre, or devastation. Though none 
 can at present show such a commission, yet the Israelites 
 could ; and it is therefore absurd to censure Moses, Joshua, 
 and Israel, for the dreadful slaughter made by them. God 
 himself passed sentence of condemnation, and employed them 
 merely as ministers of his vengeance ; and unless it could be 
 proved that the criminals did not deserve their doom, or that 
 God had no right to punish his rebellious creatures, such ob- 
 jectors only show their enmity to God by becoming the un- 
 solicited advocates of his enemies. 
 
 The sword of war should spare women and children, as 
 incapable of resisting ; but the sword of justice knows no dis- 
 tinction, except that of guilty or not guilty, or more or less 
 guilty. This was the execution of a righteous sentence upon 
 a guilty nation, in which the women were the greatest crimi- 
 nals ; and it may safely be said, that their lives were forfeited 
 by their personal transgressions. With respect to the execu- 
 tion of the male infants, who cannot be supposed to have been 
 guilty, God, the author and supporter of life, who has a right 
 to dispose of it when and how he thinks proper, commanded 
 it : and " shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" 
 
 It has been groundlessly asserted, that Moses here author- 
 ized the Israelites to make concubines of the whole number 
 of female children ; and a formidable objection against his 
 writings has been grounded upon this monstrous supposition. 
 But the whole tenor of the law, and especially a statute re- 
 corded in Deut. xxi. 10-14, proves most decisively to the con- 
 trary. They were merely permitted to possess them as fe- 
 male slaves, educating them in their families, and employing 
 them as domestics ; for the laws concerning fornication, con- 
 cubinage, and marriage, were in full force, and prohibited an 
 Israelite even from marrying a captive, without delays and 
 previous formalities ; and if he afterwards divorced her, he 
 was to set her at liberty, " because he had humbled her." 
 
 2 Sam. i. 6-10, compared with 1 Sam. xxxi. 3-6. The 
 story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed 
 for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next 
 probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the 
 case, except the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, 
 
 19 
 
218 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to 
 have been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped 
 from ihe body of the unfortunate monarch. It is remarkable, 
 that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience 
 and ill-limed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should 
 now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by 
 one of those very people. 
 
 In 2 Sam. xxiii. 13, we read, " And three of the thirty 
 chiefs went down, and came to David in the harvest time un- 
 to the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines 
 pitched in the valley of Rephaim," &lc. But by the enumera- 
 tion, and from verse 39, we learn that instead of thirty they 
 amount to " thirty and seven in all." From the number of 
 these officers then being thirty-seven, it is almost self-evident 
 that tD"'">L';'r, cannot denote the thirty, as rendered in verse 13, 
 <&;c., but some particular description of men, or officers ; for 
 it can scarcely be said, with propriety, that we have thirty- 
 seven out of thirty ; and besides, in the parallel place in 1 
 Chronicles there are sixteen added ! Q^^'J^D, should most 
 probably be read, instead of shaloshim, thirty, shalishim, as it 
 is in verse 8, and ch, 11. 11, and ExoA. xiv. 7, captains : 
 where Ixx. render rptcrarai, which Jerome (on Ezek. 33) says 
 among the Greeks is the name of the second rank after the 
 royal dignity. 
 
 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. " And Joab gave up the sum of the number 
 of the people unto the king : and there were in Israel eight 
 hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword ; and the 
 men of Judah were five hundred thousand men." In the par- 
 allel place in Chronicles xxi. 5, 6, the men of Israel are said 
 to be 1,100,000, and the men of Judah 470,000 ; to reconcile 
 which, it has been observed, that the imbodied troops of the 
 Israelites were not reckoned here ; and that, there being 
 twelve companies of 24,000 each, and allowing to each 1,000 
 officers, the deficiency is exactly supplied. So to account for 
 the deficiency in Judah, some are of opinion that the legionary 
 soldiers are included in the one account and not in the other. 
 It should, however, be observed, that the Syriac in Chronicles 
 has 800,000, as in the parallel passage of Samuel. 
 
 1 Kings V. 11. "And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thou- 
 sand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty 
 measures of pure oil : thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by 
 year." " Twenty thousand baths of oil" are mentioned in 
 Chronicles (ch. 2. 10) ; and the Syriac, Arabic, and Septuagint 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 219 
 
 also have here " twenty thousand measures." But as barley 
 and wine are also spoken of there, it is probable, that the 
 wheat mentioned here, and the small quantity of fine oil, was 
 intended for the use of Hiram's own family, while that in 
 Chronicles was for his workmen. 
 
 1 Kings V. 16. " Beside the chief of Solomon's officers 
 which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, 
 which ruled over the people that wrought in the work." In 
 the parallel passage of Chronicles (ch. 2. 18), it is " three 
 thousand six hundred," which is also the reading of the Sep- 
 tuagint here, and which is probably the true reading. 
 
 1 Kings viii. 65, 66. " And at that time Solomon held a 
 feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the 
 entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the 
 Lord our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen 
 days. On the eighth day he sent the people away ; and they 
 blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of 
 heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David 
 his servant, and for Israel his people." In the parallel pas- 
 sage of Chronicles (ch. 7. 10), this is termed " the three and 
 twentieth day of the seventh month," that is, the ninth da^f of 
 the dedication ; which Jarchi reconciles by supposing that 
 Solomon gave them leave to return on the eighth day, and 
 many of them did then return ; and that he dismissed the re- 
 mainder on the ninth, or 23d of the seventh month. 
 
 1 Kings xiii. 20-22. " And it came to pass, as they sat 
 at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet 
 that brought him back : And he cried unto the man of God 
 that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Foras- 
 much as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast 
 not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God com- 
 manded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and 
 drunk water in the place, of which the Lord did say to thee, 
 Eat no bread, and drink no water ; thy carcass shall not come 
 unto the sepulchre of thy fathers." " A great clamor," says 
 Dr. Kennicott, *' has been raised against this part of history, 
 on account of God's denouncing sentence on the true prophet 
 by the mouth of the false prophet ; but, if we examine with 
 attention the original words here, they will be found to signi- 
 fy either ' he who brought him back,' or, ' whom he had 
 brought back,' for the very same words, in^^^Dn "IIDJ*, asher he^ 
 shivo, occur again, ver. 23, where they are now translated, 
 * whom he had brought back ;' and where they cannot be trans- 
 
220 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 lated otherwise. This being the case, we are at liberty to 
 consider the words of the Lord as delivered to the true prophet, 
 thus brought back ; and then the sentence is pronounced by- 
 God himself, calling to him out of heaven, as in Gen. 22. 11. 
 And that this doom was thus pronounced by God, not by the 
 false prophet, we are assured in ver. 26. ' The Lord hath 
 delivered him unto the lion, according to the word of the 
 Lord, which He spake unto him.' Josephus [and also the 
 Arabic] asserts, that the sentence was declared by God to the 
 true prophet." 
 
 1 Kings XV. 6. " And there was war between Rehoboam 
 and Jeroboam all the days of his life." Instead of Rehoboam, 
 fourteen MSS., the Arabic, and some copies of the Targum, 
 read Abijam. The Syriac has, " Abia, the son of Rehoboam ;" 
 and the Editio Princeps of the Vulgate has Abia. This is 
 doubtless the true reading, as otherwise it would be an un- 
 necessary repetition of ch. 14. 30, and a repetition which 
 interrupts the history of Abijah. This then agrees with 2 
 Chr. 13. 3, &c. 
 
 1 Kings XV. 32. " And there was war between Asa and 
 BaSsha king of Israel all their days." That is, there was a 
 constant spirit of hostility kept up between the two kingdoms, 
 and no doubt frequent skirmishing between the bordering par- 
 ties ; but there was no open war till Baasha king of Israel 
 began to build Ramah, which was, according to 2 Chr. 15. 
 19; 16. 1, in the thirty-sixth year of Asa; but according to ch. 
 16. 8, 9, Baasha was killed by Zimri in the twenty-sixth year 
 of Asa, and consequently he could not make war upon him in 
 the thirty-sixth year of his reign. Chronologers endeavor to 
 reconcile this, by saying that the years should be reckoned, 
 not from the beginning of Asa's reign, but from the separa- 
 tion of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. We must either 
 adopt this mode of solution, or admit that there is a mis- 
 take in some of the numbers, probably in the parallel places 
 in Chronicles, but which we have no direct means of cor- 
 recting. 
 
 1 Kings xvi. 8. " In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king 
 of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in 
 Tirzah, two years." Baasha began to reign in the third year 
 of Asa, and reigned 24 years ; yet he died and was succeeded 
 by Elah in the 26th year of Asa ; and in like manner Elah, 
 who began to reign in the 26th year of Asa, and was killed in 
 the 27th, is said to have reigned two years. Thus it is evi- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 221 
 
 dent that a part of a year is calculated as a whole year. In 
 the Chinese annals, the whole year in which a king dies is 
 ascribed to his reign, the years of the succeeding king being 
 reckoned only from the beginning of the following year. 
 Jackson's Chr. Ant. vol. II. p. 443. 
 
 1 Kings xvi. 23. " In the thirty and first year of Asa king 
 of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years : six 
 years reigned he in Tirzah." As it is stated in verses 10 and 
 15, that Zimri began to reign in the 27th year of Asa ; and as 
 he reigned only seven days, and Omri immediately succeeded 
 him, this could not be in the 3 1st, but in the 27th year of Asa. 
 Jarchi, from Sedar 01am, reconciles this, by stating that Tibni 
 and Omri began to reign jointly in the 27th year of Asa ; and 
 that Tibni dying about five years afterwards, Omri began to 
 reign alone in the 31st year of Asa. 
 
 1 Kings xviii. 1. " And it came to pass after many days, 
 that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, 
 saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab ; and I will send rain 
 upon the earth." This form of expression, both in Hebrew 
 and Latin, means " after the third year," i. e. some time be- 
 tween the third and fourth year. Thus when Horace says, 
 Nonum prematur in annum, he means that it was " to be kept 
 full nine years," and not any space between eight and nine. 
 Hence this statement agrees with that of our Lord (Luke iv. 
 25), and St. James (ch. v. 17), who say that the drought last- 
 ed three years and six months ; and the fact itself is attested 
 by Menander, who, as cited by Josephus, says it happened in 
 the time of Ithobalus, the father of Jezebel. 
 
 2 Kings viii. 26. " Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah 
 when he began to reign ; and he reigned one year in Jeru- 
 salem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter 
 of Omri king of Israel." In the parallel passage of Chroni- 
 cles (ch. 22. 2), it is said, "forty and two years old was 
 Ahaziah when he began to reign ;" but this is evidently a 
 mistake, as it makes the son two years older than his own 
 father !^ For, his father began to reign when he was thirty- 
 two years old, and reigned eight years, and so died, being 
 forty years old. See ver. 17. Twenty-two is doubtless then 
 the true reading in Chronicles, and it is supported by several 
 MSS. and Versions. 
 
 2 Kings xxiv. 6. " So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers." 
 As Jehoiakim was " buried with the burial of an ass," (Jer. 
 xxii. 18, 19; xxxvi. 30), the expression, "slept with his 
 
 19* 
 
222 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 fathers," can only mean that he died, without determining 
 what became of either body or soul. 
 
 Ibid. " And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead." As 
 this man reigned only three months, and was a mere vassal 
 of the king of Babylon, his reign is scarcely reckoned ; and 
 therefore Jeremiah (ch. xxxv. 30) says of Jehoiakim, " he 
 shall have none to sit upon the throne of David." 
 
 2 Kings xxiv. 8. " Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when 
 he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months." 
 In the parallel place (2 Chr. xxxvi. 9), he is said to be only 
 eight years old; but this must be a mistake, for we find that 
 having reigned only three months, he was carried captive to 
 Babylon, and there had wives ; and had he been of such a 
 tender age, it could scarcely have been said that, as a king, 
 " he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." The 
 Syriac and Arabic in Chronicles agree with the parallel place 
 in Kings, and have " eighteen years ;" which, as Scaliger 
 observes, is no doubt the genuine reading. 
 
 2 Kings XXV. 19. *' And out of the city he took an officer 
 that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that 
 were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, 
 and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the peo- 
 ple of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land 
 that were found in the city." In the parallel place of Jere- 
 miah (ch. lii. 25), it is said that he took seven who were men 
 near the king's person : the same number is found in the 
 Arabic in this place ; while the Chaldee has no less than 
 ffty : but in Jeremiah, this, as well as all the rest of the 
 Versions, reads seven. Probably there were no more than 
 Jive at first ; or, perhaps, Jeremiah reckoned with the fiv^e the 
 officer that was set over the men of war, and the principal 
 scribe of the host, mentioned here, as two with the five ; and 
 thus made seven in the whole. » 
 
 1 Chron. i. 36. " The sons of Eliphaz ; Teman, and Omar, 
 Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek." Here, 
 according to our present text, Timna is reckoned among the 
 sons of Eliphaz ; but it appears from the parallel passage of 
 Genesis (ch. xxxvi. 12), that she was the concubine of Eli- 
 phaz, and mother of Amalek. Agreeably to this, the Arabic, 
 and the Alexandrine copy of the Septuagint, read here, " Timna, 
 also, who was the concubine of Eliphaz, bare him Amalek." 
 
 1 Chron. xi. 13. " He was with David at Pas-Dammim, 
 and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 223 
 
 where was a parcel of ground full of barley ; and the people 
 fled from before the Philistines." In Samuel it is " a piece 
 of ground full of lentiles ;" and there is probably a mistake of 
 t!"'*nS'"j:, seorim, " barley," for ti'ir::i5>, adashim, "lentiles," or 
 vice versa. Some, however, think there were both lentiles 
 and barley in the field, which is not unlikely. 
 
 1 Chron. xix. 7. " So they hired thirty and two thousand 
 chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people ; who came 
 and pitched before Medeba." Thirty-two thousand soldiers, 
 exclusive of the thousand sent by the king of Maachah, are 
 mentioned in the parallel passage (2 Sam. 10. 6) ; but of 
 chariots or cavalry there is no mention ; and the number of 
 chariots stated here is prodigious, and beyond all credibility. 
 But as the word ij^, raichev, denotes not only a chariot, but a 
 rider (see Is. 21. 7), it ought most probably to be rendered 
 here, in a collective sense, cavalry ; and then the number of 
 troops will exactly agree v/ith the passage of Samuel. It is 
 probable, that they were a kind of auxiliary troops who were 
 usually mounted on horses, or in chariots, but who occasionally 
 served as foot soldiers, 
 
 1 Chron. xix. 18. " But the Syrians fled before Israel ; 
 and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which 
 fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed 
 Shophach the captain of the host." Compared with 2 Sam. 
 X. 18. " And the Syrians fled before Israel ; and David slew 
 the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty 
 thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of iheir 
 host^ who died there." On the apparent discrepance in the 
 numbers of the charioteers, see p. 64, supra. Respecting 
 the 40,000 horsemen in Samuel being termed footmen in 
 Chronicles, it may be observed, that if these troops were, 
 as we have supposed, a kind of dismounted cavalry, the 
 terms footmen and horsemen might be indifferently applied to 
 them, 
 
 1 Chron. xxi. 11, 12, " So Gad came to David, and said 
 unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee either three 
 years' famine," &c. In 2 Sam. 24. 13, it is seven years ; 
 but the Septuagint has there '■?'« e^*?, three years, as here ; 
 which is, no doubt, the true reading, the letter T, zayin, seven, 
 being mistaken for 3, gimmel, three. 
 
 1 Chron. xxi. 20. " And Oman turned back, and saw the 
 angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves." The 
 Syriac and Arabic say, " David saw the angel," and make 
 
224 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 no mention of Oman in this place ; but the Septuagint says, 
 
 Kai erreffTpcipev Opva, koi ctSc rov BaaiXca, " And OlTia tumed, and 
 
 saw the king ;" and one of Dr. Kennicott's MSS. has ^^^n, 
 hammelcch, " the king," instead of "p^)3n> hammaldch, " the 
 angel." Houbigant translates it in the same manner ; and 
 vindicates his version from the parallel place, (2 Sa. 24. 40,) 
 where it is said he saw David ; but not a word is there of his 
 seeing the angel It is true that the seeing of David is men- 
 tioned in ver. 21 ; but Houbigant supposes that this verse re- 
 fers to his seeing the king while he was at a distance ; and 
 the 21st to his seeing him when he came into his thrashing' 
 floor. In the first case, he and his sons were afraid when 
 they saw the king coming, and hid themselves ; but when 
 he entered the thrashing-floor, they were obliged to appear 
 before him. 
 
 1 Chron. xxiii. I. " Now the Levites were numbered 
 from the age of thirty years and upward ; and their number 
 by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand." 
 Compared with ver. 24-27. " These were the sons of Levi 
 after the house of their fathers, even the chief of the fathers, 
 as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that 
 did the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from 
 the age of twenty years and upward. For David said, The 
 Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they 
 may dwell in Jerusalem for ever ; and also unto the Levites ; 
 they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it 
 for the service thereof. For by the last words of David the 
 Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above." 
 At first David appointed the Levites to serve from thirty years 
 old and i/pivards ; but considering, probably, that the temple, 
 which was about to be built, with its courts, chambers, <fcc., 
 would require a more numerous ministry, he fixed this period, 
 by the subsequent regulation, at twenty years and upwards. 
 In the time of Moses, the age was from thirty years to fifty ; 
 here this latter period is not mentioned, probably because the 
 service was not so laborious now ; for the ark being fixed, 
 they had no longer any burdens to carry ; and therefore even 
 an old man might continue to serve. 
 
 2 Chron. iv. 3. " And under it was the similitude of oxen. 
 which did compass it round about : ten in a cubit, compassing 
 the sea round about Two rows of oxen were cast, when it 
 was cast." In the parallel passage of Kings, (1 Kings vii. 
 24,) instead of fti-npi bekarim, " oxen," we have a'^yp^, pe- 
 
 1 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 225 
 
 kaim, " knops," in the form of colocynths, which last is sup- 
 posed by able critics to be the reading which ought to be re- 
 ceived here : ^'^'^p^, bekarim, " oxen," being a mistake for 
 t'l^pS, pekaim, " knops." Houbigant, however, contends that 
 the words in both places are right ; but that >^p^, bakar, does 
 not signify an ox here, but a large kind of grape, according to 
 its meaning in Arabic. But Dr. A. Clarke states that Jij, 
 
 hakar, or X,mJLi, bakarat, has no such meaning in Arabic, 
 
 though the phrase wiLj|> ^^wuc aino Ubikri, or " ox eye," 
 
 signifies a species of black grape, very large and of incredi- 
 ble sweetness ; that consequently the criticism of this great 
 man is not solid ; and that the likeliest method of recon- 
 ciling the two places is supposing a change in the letters 
 as above. 
 
 2 Chron. iv. 5. " And the thickness of it was a hand- 
 breadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a 
 cup, with flowers of lilies ; and it received and held three 
 thousand baths." In the parallel passage (1 Kings vii. 26) 
 it is said to hold only two thousand baths ; which some think 
 may be reconciled by supposing that the quantity of water 
 which was commonly in it was 2G0O baths, but that, if filled 
 up to the top, it would hold 3000. But, as the Babylonish 
 cubit was less than that of the ancient Hebrews, it might be 
 the same with measures of capacity ; so that 2000 of the 
 ancient Jewish baths might have been equal to 3000 of 
 those used after the captivity. The Targum cuts the knot : 
 " It received 3000 baths of dry measure, and held 2000 of 
 liquid measure." 
 
 2 Chron. v. 10. " There was nothing in the ark save the 
 two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord 
 made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came 
 out of Egypt." In the parallel passage in the Epistle to the 
 Hebrews (ch. 9. 4), it is expressly stated that in the ark were 
 " the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, 
 and the tables of the covenant ;" but it is evident that the apostle 
 speaks there of the tabernacle erected by Moses, and of the 
 state and contents of that tabernacle in the time of Moses ; 
 and in the temple there were several things added, and sev- 
 eral left out. 
 
 2 Chron. xxii. 9. The account in the parallel passage (2 
 Kings X. lO-H) is somewhat different, "The current of the 
 
226 
 
 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Story at large is this," says Dr. Lightfoot (Works, vol. i. p. 
 88), " Jehu slayeth Joram in the field of Jezreel, as Ahaziah 
 and Joram were together ; Ahaziah seeing this flies, and gets 
 into Samaria, and hides himself there. Jehu marcheth to 
 Jezreel, and makes Jezebel dog's meat : from thence sends 
 to Samaria for the heads of Ahab's children and posterity j 
 which are brought to him by night, and showed to the people 
 in the morning. Then he niarcheth to Samaria, and, by the 
 way, slayeth forty-two of Ahab's kinsmen ; and findeth Jeho- 
 nadab, the father of the Rechabites. Coming into Samaria, 
 he maketh search for Ahaziah ; they find him hid, and bring 
 him to Jehu, and he commands to carry him towards Gur, by 
 Ibleam, and there to slay him. — They do so : smite him in 
 his chariot, and his charioteer driveth away to Megiddo be- 
 fore he dies." 
 
 Ezra i. 11. " All the vessels of gold and of silver were 
 five thousand and four hundred." Instead of 5400, the enu- 
 meration of the articles in ver. 9, 10, only amounts to 2499 ; 
 but in the parallel account, Esdras, ch. 2. 13, 14, the amount 
 is 5469, as will be evident from the following statements : — 
 
 IN EZRA. 
 
 Gold chargers . . . . 30 
 Silver ditto .... 1000 
 
 Knives 29 
 
 Gold basins .... 30 
 
 Silver ditto 410 
 
 Other vessels . . . 1000 
 
 IN ESDRAS. 
 
 Said to be ... . 5400 
 But only 2499 
 
 Gold cups 
 Silver cups . 
 Silver censers 
 Gold vials 
 Silver vials . 
 Other vessels 
 
 Total . 
 Surplus 
 
 1000 
 1000 
 29 
 30 
 2410 
 1000 
 
 5469 
 
 69 
 
 Deficiency .... 2901 
 
 It is supposed that they actually amounted to 5400, but that 
 only the chief of them were specified, the spoons, &c. being 
 omitted. 
 
 Ezra ii. 64. " The whole congregation together was forty 
 and two thousand three hundred and threescore." Though 
 the sum total, both here and in Nehemiah, is equal, namely, 
 42,360, yet the particulars reckoned up only make 29,818 in 
 Ezra, and 31,089 in Nehemiah ; and we find that Nehemiah 
 mentions 1765 persons which are not in Ezra, and Ezra has 
 494 not mentioned in Nehemiah. This last circumstance, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 227 
 
 which seems to render all hope of reconciling them impossi- 
 ble, Mr. Alting thinks is the very point by which they can be 
 reconciled ; for, if we add Ezra's surplus to the sum in Ne- 
 hemiah, and Nehemiah's surplus to the number in Ezra, they 
 will both amount to 31,583 ; which subtracted from 42,360, 
 leaves a deficiency of 10,777, which are not named because 
 they did not belong to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, or 
 to the priests, but to the other Israelitish tribes. 
 
 Neh. vii. 26. " The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a 
 hundred fourscore and eight." The Septuagint reads here 
 the same as in the parallel place (Ezra 2. 21, 22), Yiol BaiOaXeii^ 
 
 tKOLTOv EiKoatrpzti' vtoi Kno-pa [^AlCX. A.v£T(i>ba\ TrevrriKovrae^. ' 1 he 
 
 hildren of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty and three ; the 
 children of Netophah, fifty and six." Though this reading is 
 not found in any Hebrew MS. yet collated, it is doubtless the 
 true one. 
 
 Neh. vii. 33. " The men of the other Nebo, fifty and 
 
 two." The Alexandrian MS. adds, Yioi MayaiSoa, «arov ^zevrrjKOVTae^, 
 
 *' The children of Magbish, a hundred fifty and six," as in 
 Ezr. 2. 30. 
 
 Neh. vii. 44-. " The singers : the children of Asaph, a 
 hundred forty and eight." One of Dr. Kennicott's MSS. 
 (lio) reads in the parallel place of Ezra (ch. 2. 41, where 
 the present reading is 128), " a hundred and forty and eight," 
 as here. 
 
 Neh. vii. 48. *' The children of Lebana, the children of 
 Hagaba, the children of Shalmai." After Hagaha, the Alex- 
 andrian MS. of the Septuagint inserts here, vioi KkovS, vwi Oura, 
 vioi Knrap, vioi Aya,/?, " The children of Akoud, the children of 
 Outa, the children of Ketar, the children of Agab," or Hagab, 
 which more nearly agrees with Ezra, 2. 45, 46 ; and in the 
 latter verse, not only the Keri and Septuagint, but many of 
 Dr. Kennicott's MSS. read '^I'n^a, Shalmai, as here. A more 
 extensive collation of MSS. would doubtless tend still more 
 to harmonize both the names and numbers ; and for a more 
 ample reconciliation, see the notes on these books. 
 
 Ps. Ix. title. " To the chief Musician upon Shushan-eduth, 
 Michtam of David, to teach j when he strove with Aram-na- 
 haraim, and with Aram-zobah, when Joab returned, and smote 
 of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand." In 1 Ch. 18. 
 12, this victory is ascribed to Abishai, and the number is said 
 to be 18,000; and in 2 Sam. 8. 13, it is attributed to David 
 and the persons slain are said to be 18,000 Syrians. But as 
 
228 EVIDENCE OF THE IxVSPIRATION 
 
 Abishai acted under Joab, and Joab under David, it might 
 very naturally be ascribed to the two latter : instead of Q*i»^ 
 aram, " Syria," in 2 Sam. 12 MSS. and the versions have 
 t";i*, Edom. ; and it is probable, that t]bi5 ll'^^ t'^3U:, shenayim 
 asor aihph, 12,000, is here a mistake for tfii^ ^©5 rtl^affi, she- 
 monah asor ailcpli, 18,000. 
 
 IMatt. xxvii. 9, 10. " Then was fulfilled that which was 
 spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the 
 thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom 
 they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for 
 the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." The words 
 here quoted are not found in Jeremiah, but in Zechariah ; and 
 a variety of conjectures have been formed in order to recon- 
 cile this discrepance. The most probable opinion seems to 
 be, that the name of the prophet was originally omitted by the 
 Evangelist, and that the name of Jeremiah was added by some 
 subsequent copyist. It is omitted in two MSS. of the 12th 
 century, in the Syriac, later Persic, two of the Itala, and in 
 some other Latin copies ; and what renders it highly proba- 
 ble that the original reading was Sia tov -po<prirov, hy the prophet, 
 is, that St. Matthew frequently omits the name of the prophet 
 i» his quotations. — See ch. 1. 22 ; 2. 5, 15 ; 13. 35 ; 21. 4. 
 This omission is approved of by Bengel, Dr. A. Clarke, and 
 Home. 
 
 Matt, xxvii. 28. " And they stripped him, and put on him 
 a scarlet robe." St. Mark (ch. xv. 17) calls it a purple robe ; 
 but by nopipvpa is denoted whatever is of a dazzling red ; and 
 the words kokkikov, scarlet, and Kop(pvpa, purple, are not unfre- 
 quently interchanged. 
 
 Matt, xxvii. 34. " They gave him vinegar to drink mingled 
 with gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would not 
 drink." St. Mark says, " wine mingled with myrrh ;" but as 
 the sour wine used by the Roman soldiers and common peo- 
 ple was termed oivos, wine, and o|oj, vinegar, (yin aigre, French,) 
 is sour wine ; and as ^o\r,, gall, is applied to bitters of any 
 kind, it is not difficult to reconcile the two accounts. 
 
 Mark v. 2. " And when he was come out of the ship, im- 
 mediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an un- 
 clean spirit." St. Matthew (ch. viii. 28-34) gives a brief 
 account of two demoniacs who were dispossessed on this oc- 
 casion ; but Mark and Luke omit the mention of one (who 
 was perhaps not so remarkable), in order to record that of the 
 other more fully. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 229 
 
 Mark vi. 8, 9. — " And commanded them that they should 
 take nothing for their journey, save a staff only, no scrip, no 
 bread, no money in their purse : but be shod with sandals ; 
 and not put on two coats." St. Matthew says, they were to 
 take, " neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves ;" but 
 this precept plainly means, " Go just as you are ; take no 
 other coat, shoes, or staff, than what you already have." 
 
 Mark x. 46. " And they came to Jericho : and as he went 
 out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of peo- 
 ple, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway 
 side begging." St. Luke (ch. 18. 35, &c.) says, that this 
 took place, " as he was come nigh unto Jericho," and after- 
 wards records an event which took place in that city. But 
 the words £" t"" syyi^civ avTovaihpi'}(^w, may be rendered, " When 
 he was nigh Jericho," which is equally true of him who is 
 gone a little way from it, as of him who is come near it; ^d 
 as it is probable that Jesus stayed some days in the neighbor- 
 hood, this might occur as he went out of the city during that 
 time, and he might afterwards re-enter it. St. Matthew (Matt. 
 XX. 29, &c.) mentions two blind men who received their 
 sight on this occasion ; but Bartimeus was probably the more 
 remarkable of the two, and therefore mentioned by name. 
 
 Mark xiv. 3. " And being in Bethany in the house of Si- 
 mon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having 
 an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious ; and 
 she brake the box, and poured it on his head." *' It appears 
 to me more probable," says Dr. Doddridge, " that Matthew 
 and Mark should have introduced this story out of its place ; 
 that Lazarus, if he made this feast, (which is not expressly 
 said by John,) should have made use of Simon's house, as 
 more convenient ; and that Mary should have poured this 
 ointment on Christ's head and body, as well as on his feet ; 
 than that, within the compass of four days, Christ should have 
 been twice anointed with so costly a perfume ; and that the 
 same fault should be found with the action, and the same 
 value set upon the ointment, and the same words used in de- 
 fence of the woman, and all this in the presence of many of 
 the same persons ; all which improbable particulars must be 
 admitted, if the stories be considered as different." The re- 
 buke which Judas received from Christ at this unction deter- 
 mined him in his resolution to betray his Master; and there- 
 fore Christ's rebuke and Judas's revenge are united as cause 
 and effect, by Matthew and Mark. 
 
 20 
 
230 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Mark xvi. 1, 2. '* And when the sabbath was past, Marv 
 Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had 
 bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 
 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they 
 came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun." Mr. West 
 supposes, that the women made two different visits to the 
 sepulchre ; and in consequence of that, two distinct reports 
 to the disciples ; — that Mary Magdalene, with the other Mary 
 and Salome, set out not only early, but very early in the morn- 
 ing, ^lav npwi, i- e. before the lime appointed to meet Joanna 
 and the other women there. (Lu. xxiv. 10.) This interpre- 
 tation, which is adopted by several eminent writers, is very 
 probable, and reconciles the apparent discrepance in the 
 Evangelists. Mary Magdalene, as well as Peter, was evi- 
 dently at the sepulchre twice on the morning of the resurrec- 
 tioD. The first time of her going was some short time before 
 her companions, the other Mary and Salome (Matt, xxviii. 1) ; 
 and observing that the stone had been removed, she returned 
 to inform Peter and John. In the mean time, the other Mary 
 and Salome came to the sepulchre, and saw the angel, as re- 
 corded by Matthew and Mark. While these women returned 
 to tVie city, Peter and John went to the sepulchre, passing 
 them at some distance, or going another way, followed by 
 Mary Magdalene, who stayed after their return. This was 
 her second journey, when she saw two angels, and then Jesus 
 himself, as here related ; and immediately after Jesus appear- 
 ed to the other women, as they returned to the city. (Matt, 
 xxviii. 9, 10.) In the mean time Joanna and her company 
 arrived at the sepulchre, when two angels appeared to them, 
 and addressed them as the one angel had done the other 
 women. (Luke xxiv. 1-10.) They immediately returned to 
 the city, and by some means found the apostles before the 
 others arrived, and informed them of what they had seen ; 
 upon which Peter went a second time to the sepulchre, but 
 saw only the linen clothes lying. (Luke xxiv. 12.) See 
 Markland, Lampe, Tittman, &c. 
 
 Mark xvi. 5. " And entering into the sepulchre, they saw 
 a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white 
 garment, and they were affrighted." This appears to have 
 been a different angel from that mentioned by St. Matthew. 
 The latter sat in the porch of the tomb, and had assumed a 
 terrible appearance to overawe the guard (Matt, xxviii. 1); 
 but this appeared as a young man, within the sepulchre, in 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 231 
 
 the inner apartment. The two angels spoken of by St. John 
 (chap. XX. 11) appeared some time after these ; but whether 
 they were the same or different cannot be ascertained ; neither 
 can it be affirmed that the angels which manifested them- 
 selves to the second party of women, recorded by St. Luke 
 (ch. xxiv. 4), were the same or different, Mary Magdalene 
 and the other Mary saw only one angel in white, sitting on 
 the stone which he had rolled from the door of the sepulchre ; 
 but the women here mentioned (Luke xxiv. 4) saw no angel 
 till they had entered the sepulchre, when two appeared to 
 them in " garments shining like lightning," as the word imports. 
 This, and several other variations, show there were two dis- 
 tinct companies of women, who went successively to the 
 tomb on the morning of the resurrection ; which renders the 
 whole account clear and consistent. See supra. 
 
 Luke V. 3-lL This account of the calling of Peter and 
 Andrew, James and John, will be found, as Dr. Townson 
 observes, on a near inspection to tally marvellously with the 
 preceding ones of Matthew and Mark ; and is one of the 
 evidences, that the Evangelists vary only in the number or 
 choice of circumstances, and write from the same idea of the 
 fact which they lay before us. Though St. Matthew and 
 Mark do not exactly tell us, that St. Peter was in the vessel 
 when he was called by Christ, they signify as much in saying 
 that he was casting a net into the sea ; and though only St. 
 Luke informs us that James and John assisted Peter in land- 
 ing the fish, yet it is implied, for Mark says, that when Christ 
 had gone a little further, he saw them mending their nets, 
 which had been torn by the weight of fish hauled on shore. 
 
 Luke xxii. 34. " And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock 
 shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny 
 that thou knowest me." St. Matthew (ch. xxvi. 34), and 
 Mark (ch. xiv. 30), say, " this night ;" but both expressions 
 are right, because the Jewish day of twenty-four hours began 
 with the evening, and ended with the evening of the follow- 
 ing day. 
 
 Luke xxii. 58. " And after a little while another saw him, 
 and said. Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am 
 not." A maid challenged Peter in the second instance ac- 
 cording to Matthew and Mark, the latter of whom says ex- 
 pressly, nnaiSicKT,, " the maid," not the one mentioned in v. 62, 
 but aWn, another, as St. Matthew stales (ch. xxvi. 71), her 
 who was the janitrix, or door-keeper (John xviii. 17), yet here 
 
232 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 it is said crepos, another (man) and he also answers to a man. 
 But erepos, as Wetstcin shows, may be, and is in innumerable 
 instances, applied to a female ; and Matthew says, " she said 
 to them that were there," and Mark, " she began to say to 
 them that stood by." So that the maid gave the information 
 to those around her, and some man charged Peter with it. 
 Probably several joined in the accusation, though he answered 
 to an individual, for St. John says, " They said unto him," &c. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 33, 34. " And they rose up the same hour, and 
 returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, 
 and them that were with them, saying. The Lord is risen in- 
 deed, and hath appeared to Simon." From Mark xvi. 13, we 
 learn that the apostles did not believe the testimony even of 
 the two disciples from Emmaus, w^hile it is here asserted they 
 were saying, when they entered the room, "The Lord is 
 risen," &:c. This difficulty is removed by rendering interroga- 
 tively, " Has the Lord risen?" &c. 
 
 Jno. xix. 19. " And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the 
 cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH 
 THE KING OF THE JEWS." The apparent discrepance 
 between the accounts of this title given by the Evangelists, 
 which has been urged as an objection against their inspiration 
 and veracity, has been most satisfactorily accounted for by 
 Dr. Townson ; who supposes, that, as it was written in He- 
 brew, Greek, and Latin, it might have slightly varied in each 
 language ; and that, as St. Luke and St. John wrote for the 
 Gentiles, they would prefer the Greek inscription, that St. 
 Matthew, addressing the Jews, would use the Hebrew, and 
 that St, Mark, writing to the Romans, would naturally give 
 the Latin. 
 
 Jno. xix. 14. " And it was the preparation of the passover, 
 and about the sixth hour : and he saith unto the Jews, Behold 
 your king i" Instead of EKm, sixth, several MSS. and Fathers 
 have rptm, third, as in the parallel place, Mark xv. 25, 33, 34, 
 
 Jno. xix. 29. " Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar : 
 and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, 
 and put it to his mouth." This hyssop is termed a "reed" by 
 Matthew (ch. xxvii. 34, 48), and Mark (ch, xv. 36) ; and it 
 appears that a species of hyssop, with a rccdij stalk, about two 
 feet long, grew about Jerusalem, See Bochart. 
 
 Acts i, 12. " Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the 
 mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's 
 journey." A sabbath day's journey was 7^ furlongs ; and 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTTTRES. 233 
 
 the town of Bethany (whence our Lord ascended, according 
 to Luke xxiv. 50) was 15 from Jerusalem. But the first re- 
 gion or tract of mount Olivet, called Bethphage, extended from 
 the city a sabbath day's journey, where the tract called Betha- 
 ny began ; and from this place our Lord ascended. See 
 Lightfoot. 
 
 Acts vii. 4. " Then came he out of the land of the Chal- 
 deans, and dwelt in Charran : and from thence, when his 
 father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye 
 now dwell." From Gen. xi. 26, it appears that Abram was 
 born when Terah was 70 years of age ; and he departed from 
 Haran when 75 (Gen. xii. 4) ; while Terah lived to the age 
 of 205 years (Gen. xi. 32.) Instead of 205, however, the 
 Samaritan has 145, which reconciles this discrepance ; but it 
 is not improbable, that Abram was in reality born when his 
 father Terah was 130 years old ; and that he is merely men- 
 tioned first in Gen. xi. 26, by way of dignity. 
 
 Acts vii. 6. " And God spake on this wise, That his seed 
 should sojourn in a strange land ; and that they should bring 
 them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years." 
 St. Stephen here uses the round number 400, leaving out the 
 odd tens ; for it is evident, from the parallel passages, as well 
 as Josephus (Ant. 1. ii. c. 1, § 9. Bel. 1. v. c. 9, § 4), that the 
 real number of years was 430. 
 
 Acts vii. 14. " Then sent Joseph, and called his father 
 Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls." 
 In the Hebrew text (Gen. xlvi. 27), the number of persons is 
 threescore and ten ; but St. Stephen quotes from the Septua- 
 gint, which adds the five sons of Ephraim and Manasseh to the 
 account. After Gen. xlvi. 20, the Septuagint adds, " These 
 were the sons of Manasseh, whom his Syrian concubine bore 
 nnto him ; Machir ; and Machir begat Galead. The sons of 
 Ephraim, Manasseh's brother ; Sutalaam and Taam : and the 
 sons of Sutalaam, Edem. Threescore and six were before 
 mentioned (ver. 26),«go that Joseph and his two sons together 
 with Jacob himself, complete the seventy persons enumerated 
 in ver. 27 ; and the numbers in verses 15, 18, 22, 25, amount 
 to that number. The addition of five persons in the Septua- 
 gint, in ver. 20, was either the cause or the consequence of 
 another difli'erence in this verse ; for in that version, the num- 
 ber is seventy-five. 
 
 Acts vii. 15, 16. " So Jacob went down into Egypt, and 
 died, he, and our fathers. And were carried over into Svchem, 
 
 20* 
 
234 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of 
 money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem." Of the 
 two burying places of the patriarchs, one was at Hebron, the 
 cave and field which Abraham purchased of Ephron the 
 Hittite (Gen. xxiii. 16, &;c.) ; the other in Sychem, which 
 Jacob (not Abraham) bought of the sons of Emmor (Gen, 
 xxxiii. 19.) To remove this glaring discrepance, JMarkland 
 interprets -ioa.from, as it frequently signifies with a genitive, 
 and renders, " And were carried over to Sychem ; and after- 
 wards from among the descendants of Emmor the father, or son 
 of Sychem, they were laid in the sepulchre which Abraham 
 bought for a sum of money." This agrees with the accoimt 
 which Josephus (Ant. 1. ii. c. 8) gives of the patriarchs ; that 
 they were carried out of Egypt, first to Sychem, and then to 
 Hebron, where they were buried. 
 
 Acts vii. 43. " Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, 
 and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to 
 worship them : and I will carry you away beyond Babylon." 
 In the passage of Amos (ch. v. 27), to which St. Stephen re- 
 fers, it is beyond Damascus ; but as Assyria and Media, to 
 which they were carried, was not only beyond Damascus, but 
 beyond Babylon itself, he states that fact, and thus fixes more 
 precisely the place of their captivity. 
 
 6. From the multitude of Miracles, which nothing but the in- 
 finite power of God could effect. 
 
 As, however, erroneous notions have obtained respecting 
 miracles, I beg leave to present the excellent definition and 
 explanation of their nature, nearly in the language of Professor 
 Lee. *' A miracle is an event such as to exceed the pou-er of 
 man to effect, brought about either for the purpose of fulfilling 
 something predicted in a former revelation, or for furthering its 
 objects and ends in one way or other.'''' 
 
 " These additional restrictions have been given for the fol- 
 lowing reasons : first, Miracles do not appear to have been 
 afforded, except in cases where they were absolutely wanted, 
 that is to say, either for the purpose of furnishing man with a 
 revelation at the first, or of fulfilling such parts of it as con- 
 sisted of predictions, and stood in need of such fulfilment, 
 and thus to make it binding upon all." 
 
 " Another reason for these restrictions is : God cannot he 
 inconsistent with himself Everything, therefore, laying claim 
 to the authority of a miracle, but tending in any degree to 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 235 
 
 thwart or contradict the declarations of a prior revelation, 
 must be false ; and in this case too, of whatever date such 
 pretended miracle might be, we can have no possible doubt 
 that it was an imposture." 
 
 " It will be necessary here to show in what respects the 
 usual definition of miracles appears to be defective, in order 
 to justify the proposal of another. If then we define a miracle 
 by saying. That it is something which must suspend or con- 
 travene the ordinary operations or laws of nature, we shall 
 lay down a condition which will prove useless in a great 
 variety of cases, and inapplicable in many others. We have, 
 for example, numerous predictions and other revelations made 
 in the Bible, in which not so much as one law or operation 
 of nature has either been suspended or contravened. Such 
 are all or most of the prophecies delivered ; and the same 
 may be said of many of the miraculous events brought about : 
 such as the Babylonian captivity, with its termination and the 
 restoration of the Jews to Palestine, the fall of the Jewish 
 polity, &c., which, taken in connexion with their several 
 circumstances, were truly miraculous ; but in which, never- 
 theless, none of the general laws or operations of nature were 
 either suspended or in any way contravened. Besides, it may 
 be justly doubted, whether we have knowledge enough to 
 determine, in a great variety of cases, when the ordinary laws 
 of nature are suspended or not : and, although we may lay 
 claim to some general knowledge on this head, yet it will 
 never be in our power to affirm, whether many of those things 
 which appear to us to have been thus brought about, do in 
 truth contravene or suspend any of the primary laws, under 
 which it has pleased the Almighty to place this system of 
 things. But we can determine with sufficient accuracy and 
 certainty, how far the exertion of human powers, properly so 
 called, will go : we may, therefore, safely rest our question 
 on these grounds." 
 
 In addition to the miraculous displays of divine power al- 
 ready detailed, (see pp. 71-80, 133-145 supra,) the following 
 may be more particularly adduced in this place. 
 
 (1.) The miraculous destruction of Sodom and the cities 
 of the plain. In perfect accordance with the annunciation 
 of this event by the Lord to Abraham (Gen. xviii.) and Lot, 
 (Gen. xix. 1-23,) the sacred historian relates, ver. 24, 25 ; 
 " Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brim- 
 stone and fire from the Lord out of heaven ; and he over- 
 
236 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 threw those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants 
 of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." The 
 word rendered " brimstone" {q. d. brennestone, or brinne- 
 stone, id est, burning-stone) is always rendered by the LXX. 
 *' sulphur," and seems to denote a meteorous injlammahle mat- 
 ter. " We may safely suppose," says Dr. A. Clarke, " that 
 a shower of nitrous particles might have been precipitated 
 from the atmosphere, here, as in many other places, called 
 heaven, which by the action o^ fire, or the electric fluid, would 
 be immediately ignited, and so consume the cities." 
 
 The Psalmist, describing the providence and justice of 
 God, (Ps. xi. 6,) says, " Upon the wicked he shall rain 
 snares, fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest : this 
 shall be the portion of their cup." The word snares, ta'^nS) 
 pachim, Bp. Lowth (Prselect. xii.) explains by halls of fire ^ 
 bolides, (Pliny, 1. xi. 26,) or simply lightning. This is a 
 manifest allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
 
 (2.) The miraculous change of Lot's wife into a pillar of 
 salt. The command of the Lord was : " Escape for thy 
 life ; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain ; 
 escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed," (ver 17.) 
 But, in total disregard of this merciful warning. Lot's " wife 
 looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of 
 salt." Tarrying too long in the plain, she was, most proba- 
 bly, struck dead with lightning, and stiffened in the place 
 where she stood ; while the nitro-sulphureous matter which 
 descended, or the asphaltus, which abounds in the plains, 
 incrusted her, and being, as it were embalmed, she became a 
 salso-bituminous mass or pillar. 
 
 (3.) The flourishing of Aaron's rod, Num. xvii. 6-8. " And 
 Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of 
 their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, 
 according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods ; and the 
 rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the 
 rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. And it 
 came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the taber- 
 nacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house 
 of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed 
 blossoms, and yielded almonds." This fact was so unques- 
 tionably miraculous, that no doubt could remain on the minds 
 of the people, or the envious chiefs, of the divine appoint- 
 ment of Aaron. A sceptre or staff of office resuming its 
 vegetative life, was considered an absolute impossibility 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 237 
 
 among the ancients ; and as they were accustomed to swear 
 by their sceptres, this circumstance was added to establish 
 and confirm the oath. A remarkable instance of this we 
 have in Komer, (11. i. v. 233, et seq.,) where Achilles, in his 
 rage against Agamemnon, swears, Nat //a roic aKfj^rrpov, to hcv 
 
 ohTTOTC (pvWa Kai o^ovs (pvcrei, eirci6r} npoira roiiriv ev opecrai \c\onr£i> ovS' ava- 
 
 eriXriasr " By this sceptre which shall never bud, nor boughs 
 bring forth, nor yet grow green again, since having left its 
 trunk on the mountains." Virgil [JEn. 1. xii. v. 206, et seq.) 
 represents king Latinus swearing in the same way, to con- 
 firm his covenant with iEneas. Huet, bishop of Avranches, 
 is of opinion, (Quest. Alnet. 1. ii. c. 12,) that this miracle 
 gave rise to the Greek tradition of the club of Hercules, 
 which sprouted again when put into the earth. (Pausanias, 
 1. ii. c. 31, § 13.) 
 
 (4.) The destruction of the first-born of Egypt, Exod. xii. 
 29, 39. " And it came to pass, that at midnight, the Lord 
 smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first- 
 born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the first-born of 
 the captive that was in the dungeon ; and all the first-born 
 of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his 
 servants, and all the Egyptians ; and there was a great cry 
 in Egypt ; for there was not a house where there was not 
 one dead." When God miraculously destroyed all the first- 
 born of the Egyptians, he spared those of the Israelites ; and, 
 in commemoration of that event, he was pleased to appoint 
 that all the first-born males " should be set apart unto him- 
 self." (Ex. xiii. 12, 16.) God was (Num. iii. 12) pleased to 
 relinquish this claim, and to appoint the whole tribe of Levi 
 to attend his immediate service in their stead. The reason 
 generally assigned, why God should give this honor to the 
 Levites in preference to the other tribes, is because of the 
 extraordinary zeal they manifested against idolatry in the case 
 of the golden calf, (Ex. xxxii. 26-28 ; Deut. xxxiii. 9.) See 
 also pp. 76, 127, supra. 
 
 (5.) The speaking of Balaam's ass. Num. xxii. 25. " And 
 the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Ba- 
 laam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me 
 these three times ?" And where is the wonder of all this ? 
 If the ass had opened her own mouth, and reproved the rash 
 prophet, we might well be astonished ; but when God opens 
 the mouth, an ass can speak as well as a man. It is to no 
 purpose to speak of the construction of the ass's mouth, of 
 
238 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 the formation of the tongue and jaws being unfit for speaking 
 for an adequate cause is assigned for this wonderful effect — 
 " The Lord opened the mouth of the ass ;" and no one who 
 believes in a God, can doubt of His power to do this and 
 much more. Even the heathen did not think such things be- 
 yond the power of their deities. Of animate and inanimate 
 things receiving for a short time the gift of speech the heathen 
 mythology is full. Witness the ass of Silenus ; ihe ram of 
 Phryxus ; the bull of Europa ; the lamb in Egj^pt, in the reign 
 of Boccaris ; the elephant of Porus ; and the horses of Achil- 
 les and Adrastus. See Bochart, Hieroz. P. I. 1. ii. c. 14. 
 Huet, Alnct. Quajst. 1. ii. c. 12, n. 26. Universal Hist. vol. 
 ii. b. 1, c. 3, n. 1, and Homer, ii. 1. xvii. 4-26, xix. 405. 
 
 (6.) The preservation of the Israelites' raiment in the wil- 
 derness, Deut. viii. 4. " Thy raiment waxed not old upon 
 thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years." Many 
 have supposed the meaning of this text to be, that " God so 
 amply provided for them all the necessaries of life, that they 
 never were obliged to wear tattered garments, nor were their 
 feet injured for lack of shoes or sandals." Now, though the 
 Israelites doubtless brought out of Egypt more raiment than 
 what they had upon them ; and they might manufacture the 
 fleeces of their flocks in the Avilderness, and also might be 
 favored by Providence with other supplies from the neighbor- 
 ing nations or travelling hordes of Arabs ; yet, when we con- 
 sider their immense numbers, their situation and long contin- 
 uance in the wilderness, and the very strong expressions 
 made use of in the text, there seems no reason to question 
 the extraordinary and miraculous interposition of God in this 
 respect, as well as in others, not less stupendous in their na- 
 ture, or constant in their supply. 
 
 (7.) The miraculous passage of the Jordan, Joshua iii. 15 — 
 17. " And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, 
 and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in 
 the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks 
 all the time of harvest,) that the waters which came down 
 from above stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the 
 city Adam, that is beside Zaretan : and those that came down 
 toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were 
 cut oft'; and the people passed over right against Jericho. 
 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
 stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the 
 Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were 
 
OF THE SACRED SCBIPTURES. 239 
 
 passed clean over Jordan." The ordinary current of the Jor- 
 dan, near where the Israelites crossed, is said, by Maundrell, 
 to be about 20 yards across, deeper than a man's height, and 
 so rapid, as there is no swimming against it. It has, how- 
 ever, two banks ; the first, or iimer one, is that of the river 
 in its natural state, and the second, or outer one, about a fur- 
 long distant, is that of its overflowings, which it does when 
 the summer's sun has melted the snow on mount Lebanon and 
 Hermon, in the months of March and April. And this was 
 the time which God chose that the Israelites should pass over 
 it ; that a miraculous interposition might be necessary ; and 
 that, by the miracle, they might be convinced of his omnipo- 
 tence. " There are two obvious natural causes," says Mr. 
 King (Morsels of Grit. vol. iii. p. 285), " by which the effect 
 here described might be produced ; though most certainly the 
 bringing either one or both of them to act on the precise oc- 
 casion, and so very powerfully, could only be the immediate 
 command of God, the great Creator of all those powers in na- 
 ture. The one might be an earthquake. The other cause 
 might be a strong south, or south-west wind, which might 
 drive back and retard the flowing of the waters above Jeri- 
 cho ; while those below more easily found their way to the 
 Dead Sea, and left a fordable passage at the appointed place. 
 Either or both these causes might operate. We are by no 
 means without experience, of instances of such natural causes 
 sometimes producing similar effects, in what is called the 
 natural course of things. We find on record, that in the year 
 1645, there arose, in the morning, so furious a wind at Geneva, 
 that it laid dry the bed of the impetuous Rhone above the 
 bridge ; insomuch that many crossed quite over it dry, on 
 foot ; and the son of M. D'Aubigny even picked up some an- 
 cient medals therein ; the passage continuing free during an 
 hour's time. This, and the other miraculous events attendant 
 on the journey of the Israelites from Egypt, the Psalmist de- 
 picts in energetic and sublime language in Ps. 114 ; on which 
 Mr. Addison properly observes (Spect. 461), that the author 
 of this Psalm designedly works for effect, in pointing out the 
 miraculous effects, without mentioning an agent ; till, at last, 
 when the sea is seen rapidly retiring from the shore, Jordan 
 retreating to its source, and the mountains and hills running 
 away like a flock of affrighted sheep, that the passage of the 
 Israelites might be every way uninterrupted ; then the cause 
 
240 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 of all this is suddenly introduced, and the presence of God in 
 his grandeur solves every difficulty. 
 
 (8.) The miraculous taking of Jericho, which strictly ac- 
 corded with the prediction, Josh. vi. 3-5. " And ye shall 
 compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about.lhe 
 city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests 
 shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns : and 
 the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the 
 priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to 
 pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, 
 and when ye hear the sound of' the trumpet, all the people 
 shall shout with a great shout ; and the wall of the city shall 
 fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man 
 straight before him." (Compare ver. 12-20.) The words 
 t'^bm%1 tiTn&lIS- shopheroth hyyovelim, should rather be render- 
 ed jubilee trumpets, i. e. such as were used on the jubilee, 
 which were probably made of horn or silver : for the entrance 
 of the Israelites into Canaan was indeed a jubilee to them, (See 
 Lev. 25. 11, &c. :) — instead of the dreadful trumpet of war, 
 they were ordered to sound the trumpet of joy, as already con- 
 querors. The words ri">r:nn ^■^SJn tin^n n^sai, wenaphelah cho- 
 math hair tachteyha, are literally, " and the wall of the city 
 shall fall down under itself;" which appears simply to mean, 
 that the wall shall fall down from its very foundation ; which 
 was probably the case in every part, though large breaches in 
 different places might have been amply sufficient first to admit 
 the armed men, after whom the host might enter to destroy 
 the city. There is no ground for the supposition, that the 
 walls sunk into the earth. 
 
 (9.) The standing still of the sun and moon at the com- 
 mand of Joshua, Josh. x. 12. " Then spake Joshua to the 
 Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites 
 before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Is- 
 rael, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; and thou, Moon, in 
 the valley of Ajalon." Joshua doubtless acted, on this occa- 
 sion, by an immediate impulse upon his mind from the Spirit 
 of God. It would have been improper either that he should 
 speak, or that the miracle should be recorded, according to the 
 terms of modern astronomy. The sun appeared to the Isra- 
 elites over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, 
 which is supposed to have been situated in a different direc- 
 tion : and there they appeared to be stayed in their course 
 for " a whole day j" either for the space of about twelve or 
 
OF THE SACKED SCRIPTURES 241 
 
 fourteen hours, or for the time of one diurnal revolution. 
 Many inquiries have been made concerning the way in which 
 this miracle was wrought, and many difhculties and objections 
 have been urged against understanding it literally. But the 
 fact is authenticated by the divine testimony ; and the man- 
 ner in which it was accomplished lies entirely out of our 
 province, because beyond our comprehension. 
 
 (10.) The appearance of Samuel to Saul, 1 Sam. xxviii. 
 11-20. There is considerable diversity of opinion, both 
 among learned and pious men, relative to this appearance to 
 Saul. Some say it was the devil who personated Samuel ; 
 and others maintain it was all an imposition of this cunning 
 woman, and that there was no supernatural agency at all. 
 But the most probable opinion seems to be, that Samuel him- 
 self did actually appear to Saul, not by the pov/er of enchant- 
 ment, but by the appointment and especial mercy of God, to 
 warn this infatuated monarch of his approaching end, that he 
 might make his peace with his Maker. There is not the 
 smallest intimation of chicanery or Satanic influence given in 
 the text ; but, on the contrary, from the plain and obvious 
 meaning of the language employed, it is perfectly evident that 
 it was Samuel himiself, i<'',n 1:541 ?3r, Shemooel Jioo, as it is ex- 
 pressed in ver. 14. Indeed, the very soul of Samuel seems 
 to breathe in his expressions of displeasure against the dis- 
 obedience and wickedness of Saul ; while the aw^ful pro- 
 phetic denunciations, which accordingly came to pass, were 
 such as neither human nor diabolical wisdom could foresee ; 
 and which could only be known to God himself, and to those 
 to whom he chose to reveal them. 
 
 (11.) The death of the disobedient prophet. 1 Kings xiii. 
 28. " And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, 
 and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass : the lion 
 had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass." All here was 
 supernatural. The lion, though he had killed the man, yet, 
 contrary to his nature, did not devour him, nor tear the ass, 
 nor meddle with the travellers that passed by j while the ass 
 stood quietly by, not fearing the lion, nor betaking himself to 
 flight ; both stood as guardians of the fallen prophet, till this 
 extraordinary intelligence was carried into the city, which 
 rendered the miracle more illustrious, and plainly showed that 
 this event did not happen by chance. This concatenation of 
 miracles marked the death of the man of God, as a Divine re- 
 buke for his disobedience in eating bread at idolatrous Bethel; 
 
 21 
 
j^ft EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 and here we see, as in various other cases, that *' often judg- 
 ment begins at the house of God." The true prophet, for 
 suffering himself to be seduced by the old prophet, and for re- 
 ceiving that as a revelation from God which was opposed to 
 the revelation which himself had received, and which was 
 confirmed by so many miracles, is slain by a lion, and his 
 body deprived of the burial of his fathers ; while the wicked 
 king and the fallen prophet are both permitted to live. 
 
 (12.) The feeding of Elijah by ravens. 1 Kings xvii. 2-6. 
 *' And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee 
 hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook 
 Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou 
 shalt drink of the brook ; and I have commanded the ravens 
 to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the 
 word of the Lord : for he went and dwelt by the brook Che- 
 rith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread 
 and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening ; 
 and he drank of the brook." Some have thought that the 
 prophet Elijah, instead of being fed by ravens, was supplied 
 by merchants, or Arabians, or the inhabitants of the city Arbo. 
 But, L S'l^^y, orevim, is never used singly to denote merchants ; 
 nor would God have said, generally, that he had commanded 
 the merchants, but have specified what merchants he had 
 commanded. 2. The word is not read orevim but aravim 
 when it signifies Arabs ; nor is it likely that they should be 
 found in that district. 3. The inhabitants of inn5>, Arbo or 
 Orbo, if any city of that name then existed, must have been 
 called, according to the genius of the Hebrew language, 
 ^"112^5, arboyim, or f^^niJ), arbonim, not D^^n*)?, orevim. 4. The 
 solemn declaration of good Obadiah, that Ahab took an oath 
 of every people, that he was not concealed among them, shows 
 that his situation required the utmost privacy, even to solitude, 
 and that it was impossible for him to remain concealed among 
 the inhabitants of the country. 5. When the brook was dried 
 up, the prophet was obliged to quit his asylum, which he 
 needed not to have done had a people been his suppliers, as 
 they could have brought him water as well as food. 6. Hence 
 we may justly conclude, that these orevim were true ravens, 
 as it is rendered in nearly every version. 
 
 (13.) The destruction of the children, or young men, who 
 mocked Elisha, by bears, 2 Kings ii. 23, 24. " And he went 
 up from Bethel and as he was going up by the way, there 
 came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 243 
 
 and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head ; go up, ^hou bald 
 head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed 
 them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two 
 she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of 
 them." The words Q^^ttp C^n^D, n'earim hetannim, not only 
 signify little children, but young men ; for pp, katon, signifies 
 not only little, but young, in opposition to old ; and ^3>D, naar, 
 signifies not only a child, but a young man, grown to years of 
 maturity : thus Isaac is called ^53, when twenty-eight years 
 old, Joseph when thirty-nine, and Rehoboam when forty. 
 These idolatrous young men, having heard of the ascension 
 of Elijah, without believing it, blasphemously bade Elisha 
 follow him. The venerable prophet, from a divine impulse, 
 pronounced a curse " in the name of the Lord ;" which was 
 immediately followed by the most terrible judgment ; thus 
 evincing the source from which it flowed. 
 
 (14.) The supply of water to the combined armies of 
 Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, according to 
 the word of Elisha, 2 Kings iii. 16-20. " And he said, Thus 
 saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith 
 the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain ; 
 yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, 
 both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but a 
 light thing in the sight of the Lord : he will deliver the 
 Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every 
 fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good 
 tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece 
 of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning, 
 when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came 
 water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with 
 water." This supply was altogether miraculous ; for there 
 was neither wind nor rain^ nor any other natural means to 
 furnish it. 
 
 (15.) The feeding of a hundred men by Elisha on twenty 
 barley loaves, 2 Kings iv. 42-44. " And there came a man 
 from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the 
 first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in 
 the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that 
 they may eat. And his servitor said, What, should I set this 
 before a hundred men ? He said again. Give the people, 
 that they may eat : for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, 
 and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they 
 did eat and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord." 
 
244 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Probably " the full ears of corn in the husk" were parched 
 corn, or corn to be parched ; — full ears, before they are ripe, 
 parched on the fire ; a very frequent food in the East. The 
 loaves were probably extremely small, as their loaves of bread 
 still are in eastern countries. But small as this may appear, 
 it would be a considerable present in the time of famines 
 though very inadequate to the number of persons. 
 
 (16.) The causing of iron to swim by Elisha, 2 Kings vi. 
 5-7. " But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into 
 the water : and he cried, and said, Alas, master ! for it was 
 borrowed. And the man of God said. Where fell it ? And 
 he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and 
 cast it in thither ; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, 
 Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it." 
 This simple means could have no natural tendency to raise 
 the iron, and cause it to swim : it was only a sign, or cere- 
 mony, which the prophet chose to employ on the occasion. 
 This was, then, a real miracle ; for the gravity of the metal 
 must otherwise still have kept it at the bottom of the river. 
 
 (17.) The destruction of Sennacherib's army, 2 Kings xix. 
 35. " And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the 
 Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a 
 hundred fourscore and five thousand : and when they arose 
 early*in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." 
 In conformity to the prediction of this astonishing event by 
 the prophet Isaiah, ver. 7, " Behold, I will send a blast upon 
 him," &c., it is probable this angel, or messenger, was the 
 simoom, or hot pestilential wind, which is so frequent in 
 eastern countries, and often destroys vast numbers in a 
 moment. See Thevenot, Trav. P. i. b. ii. c. 20, P. ii. b. i. 
 c. 20, b. ii. c. 16. The destructive nature of the Sam, Simoom, 
 Smoom, or Samiel, is mentioned by almost all travellers. 
 When this pestilential wind advances, which it does with 
 great rapidity, its approach is indicated by a redness in the 
 air ; and, when sufficiently near to admit of being observed, 
 it appears like a haze, in color resembling the purple part of 
 the rainbow, but not so compressed or thick. The principal 
 stream of the blast always moves in a line, about twenty yards 
 in breadth, and twelve feet above the surface of the earth, but 
 its parching influence pervades all places to a considerable 
 distance. The only means of preservation from its noxious 
 influence, is to lie flat, with the face upon the ground, till the 
 blast be over. Camels and other animals instinctively per- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 245 
 
 ceive its approach, and bury their mouths and nostrils in the 
 ground. It rarely lasts more than seven or eight minutes, 
 but so poisonous are its effects, that it instantly suffocates 
 those who are unfortunate enough to inhale it. 
 
 The circumstances connected with this event is the subject 
 of the 29th and four following chapters of Isaiah, as Bishop 
 Lowth observes — namely, the invasion of Sennacherib ; the 
 great distress of the Jews while it continued ; their sudden 
 and unexpected deliverance by God's immediate interposition 
 in their behalf; the subsequent prosperous state of the king- 
 dom under Hezekiah ; interspersed with severe reproofs, and 
 threats of punishment, for their hypocrisy, stupidity, infidelity, 
 their want of trust in God, and their vain reliance on the 
 assistance of Egypt ; and with promises of better times, both 
 immediately to succeed, and to be expected in the future age. 
 
 In conformity with the preceding view of the agency em- 
 ployed by the Lord in effecting this miraculous overthrow, 
 are the other terms employed by the prophet in these chap- 
 ters. In foretelling the distress of Jerusalem he exclaims 
 (ch. xxix. 1, 2), " Wo to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where 
 David dwelt ! add ye year to year ; let them kill sacrifices. 
 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and 
 sorrow : and it shall be unto me as Ariel." Or, as Bishop 
 Lowth renders it, " and it shall be unto me as the hearth of 
 the great altar ;" that is, it shall be the seat of the fire of 
 God, which shall issue from thence to consume his enemies. 
 The hearth of the altar is expressly called ^55^1^5 ariel, by 
 Ezekiel, ch. iii. 15; which is put, in the former part of the 
 verse, for Jerusalem, the city in which the altar was. So 
 again in Is. xxx. 31, 33, " For through the voice of the Lord 
 shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. 
 For Tophet is ordained of old ; yea, for the king it is pre- 
 pared : he hath made it deep and large : the pile thereof is 
 fire and much wood ; the breath of the Lord, like a stream 
 of brimstone, doth kindle it." Tophet was a part of the valley 
 of Hinnom, south-east of Jerusalem, where the Canaanites, 
 and afterwards the Israelites, sacrificed their children to 
 Moloch ; and it is here used by metonymy, for the place 
 where the Assyrian army was destroyed, which appears to 
 have really happened on the opposite side of Jerusalem, near 
 Nob, Isa. x. 32. 
 
 (18.) The recovery of Hezekiah from a dangerous sick- 
 ness, 2 Kings XX. 7, " x\nd Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. 
 21* 
 
246 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 And they took and laid it on the bile, and he recovered.'* 
 YTTJ^i sheckin, from the Arabic, v,:-£rv,^v, sachana, to be hot, 
 signifies an inflammatory tumor, or burning bile : and some 
 think that Hezekiah's malady was a pleurisy ; others that it 
 was the plague ; and others, the elephantiasis, a species of 
 leprosy, as one of the Hexapla versions renders in Job 2. 
 7. A poultice of figs might be very proper to maturate a bile, 
 or dismiss any obstinate inflammatory swelling, and the pro- 
 priety of such an application is expressly mentioned by Pliny 
 (1. xxii. c. 25, 1. xxiii. c. 7) ; but we cannot discuss its pro- 
 priety in this case, unless we were certain of the nature of 
 the malady. It was, however, the natural means which God 
 chose to bless for his recovery ; and without this interposi- 
 tion, he must have died. 
 
 (19.) The going back of the shadow ten degrees on the 
 sun-dial of Ahaz, 2 Kings xx. 8-11. "And Hezekiah said 
 unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal 
 me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the 
 third day ? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of 
 the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken ; 
 shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten de- 
 grees ? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the 
 shadow to go down ten degrees : nay, but let the shadow re- 
 turn backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried 
 unto the Lord : and he brought the shadow ten degrees back- 
 ward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz." 
 What these degrees were, or how dials were then construct- 
 ed, is wholly uncertain. It is probable that this miracle was 
 effected by refraction, rather than by arresting the motion of 
 the earth. The Hebrew might be rendered " the steps of 
 Ahaz.'* The researches of curious travellers in Hindostan, 
 observes Bp. Stock, have lately discovered in that country, 
 three observatories of similar form, the most remarkable of 
 which is to be seen within four miles of Delhi, the ancient 
 capital of the Mogul empire. A rectangled triangle, whose 
 hypotenuse is a staircase, (apparently parallel to the axis 
 of the earth,) bisects a zone, or coping of a wall, which wall 
 connects the two terminating towers at right and left. The 
 coping itself is of a circular form, and accurately graduated, 
 to mark, by the gnomon above, the sun's progress before and 
 after noon. According to the known laws of refraction, a 
 cloud, or body of air, of different density to the common at- 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 247 
 
 niosphere, interposed between the gnomon and the coping, 
 or dial plate below, would, if denser, cause the shadow to 
 ascend the steps on the coping by which it had gone down, 
 and if rarer, a contrary event would take place. 
 
 (20.) The miraculous defeat of the Philistines in behalf 
 of David. 1 Chr. xiv, 15, 16. " And it shall be, when thou 
 shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry-trees, 
 that then thou shalt go out to battle : for God is gone forth 
 before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. David there- 
 fore did as God commanded him : and they smote the host 
 of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer." Some, tak- 
 ing the word fiij^^n, bechaim, translated " mulberry-trees," as 
 a proper name, render, " when thou shah hear a sound of go- 
 ing upon the summits of Bechaim ;" others understanding 
 ffii^^i, rosh, " a top," in the sense of beginning or entrance, 
 read, " when thou hearest a sound of footsteps at the en- 
 trance of the grove of mulberry-trees ;" and others think a 
 rustling among the leaves is intended. The Targumist 
 reads, " When thou shalt hear the sound of the angels com- 
 ing to thy assistance, then go out to battle ; for an angel is 
 sent from the presence of God, that he may render thy way 
 prosperous." If there had not been an evident supernatural 
 interference, David might have thought that the ruse de 
 guerre which he had used was the cause of his victory. 
 
 (21.) The miraculous preservation of Shadrach, Meshach, 
 and Abed-nego, in the fiery furnace. Dan. iii. 26, 27. " Then 
 Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery 
 furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
 nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and 
 come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
 came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, gov- 
 ernors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gather- 
 ed together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had 
 no power, nor was a hair of their heads singed, neither 
 were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed 
 on them." The heathen boasted that their priests could walk 
 on burning ooals unhurt : and Virgil (^n. 1. xi. 785) men- 
 tions this of the priests of Apollo of Soracte. Varro, how- 
 ever, tells us that they anointed the soles of their feet with 
 a species of unguent that preserved them from being burnt ; 
 but here all was supernatural, as the king himself acknow- 
 ledged. 
 
 (22 ) The madness miraculously inflicted on Nebuchadnez- 
 
248 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 zar, according to the interpretation of his dream by Daniel, 
 Dan. iv. 25. — " That they shall drive thee from men, and thy 
 dwelling shall be with the beast of the field, and they shall make 
 thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the 
 dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou 
 know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, 
 and giveth it to whomsoever he will," &;c. Compare ver. 
 29-36. All the circumstances of Nebuchadnezzar's case, 
 says Dr. Mead (Medica Sacra, ch. vii.), agree so well with a 
 hypochondriasis, that to me it appears evident he was seized 
 with this distemper, and under its influence ran wild into the 
 fields : then fancying himself transformed into an ox, he fed 
 on grass, after the manner of cattle ; and, through neglect of 
 himself, his hair and nails grew to an excessive length, so 
 that the latter became thick and crooked, resembling birds* 
 claws. Virgil (Eel. vi. 48) says of the daughters of Praetus, 
 who are related to have been mad, Implerunt falsis 7nugitihus 
 agros, " With mimic lowings they filled the fields." Every 
 thing was fulfilled that was exhibited in the dream and its in- 
 terpretation ; and God so ordered it in his providence, that 
 Nebuchadnezzar's counsellors and lords sought for him and 
 gladly reinstated him in his kingdom. It is highly probable 
 that he was a true convert, and died in the faith of the God 
 of Israel. 
 
 (23.) The preservation of Daniel in the lion's den, Dan. vi. 
 16-23. " Then the king commanded, and they brought 
 Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king 
 spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest 
 continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, 
 and laid upon the mouth of the den ; and the king sealed it 
 with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords ; that 
 the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel." All 
 this precaution served the purposes of Divine Providence. 
 There could be no trick or collusion here : if Daniel be pre- 
 served, it must be by the power of Jehovah the God of Israel. 
 And he was delivered ; and when the king inquired at the 
 den after his safety, he said, " O king, live for ever. My 
 God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that 
 they have not hurt me : forasmuch as before him innocency 
 was found in me ; and also before thee, O king, have I done 
 no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and 
 commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the deiL 
 
 I 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTITRES. 249 
 
 So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of 
 hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God." 
 
 (24.) The miraculous preservation of Jonah in the fish's 
 belly, &c. Some writers, from the supposed difficulties of 
 this Book, have considered it as a parabolic history^ or alle- 
 gory ; others have thought that the account of his being swal- 
 lowed by a great fish, praying in its belly, and being cast on 
 dry land, was a dream which he had when fast asleep in the 
 ship ; and others, with equal propriety, have contended that 
 by 3", dag, we should understand, not 3,Jish, but a.Jishing-cove, 
 or Jisking-boat ! Such absurd opinions are scarcely worthy 
 of notice ; they are plainly contrary to the letter of the text, 
 and the obvious meaning of language ; and are completely 
 overthrown by the appeal of our Lord to the main facts of this 
 history, and especially by the use which He makes of it. 
 (Mat. 12. 40 ; Lu. 11. 39.) This testimony puts an end to 
 all mythological, allegorical, and hypothetical interpretations 
 of these great facts ; and the whole must be admitted to be 
 a miracle from beginning to end, effected by the almighty 
 power of God. God, who commissioned Jonah, raised the 
 storm ; He prepared the great fish to swallow the disobedient 
 prophet ; He maintained his life for three days and three 
 nights in the bowels of this marine monster ; He led it to the 
 shore, and caused it to eject the prophet on dry land at the 
 appomted time ; He miraculously produced the sheltering 
 gourd, that came to perfection in a night ; He prepared the 
 worm which caused it to wither in a night. And how 
 easy was all this to the almighty power of the Author and 
 Sustainer of life, who has a sovereign, omnipresent, and ener- 
 getic sway in the heavens and in the earth ! The miraculous 
 preservation and deliverance of Jonah were surely not more 
 remarkable or descriptive of almighty power, than the multi- 
 plied wonders in the wilderness, the protection of Shadrach, 
 Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the fiery furnace, of Daniel in 
 the lions' den, or the resurrection of the widow's son ; — all 
 were deviations from the general laws of nature, and the or- 
 dinary course of human events, and evident demonstrations 
 of supernatural and miraculous interference. But foolish man 
 will affect to be wise, though born as a wild ass's colt ; and 
 some, because they cannot work a miracle themselves, can 
 hardly be persuaded that God can do it ! 
 
 (25.) The star which guided the Magi to Bethlehem, Matt, 
 ii. 9. " When they had heard the king, they departed, and, 
 
250 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 lo, the Star, which they saw in the east, went before them, 
 till it came and stood over where the young child was." It 
 seems evident, that this was neither a star, planet, nor comet ; 
 but a luminous meteor, of a star-like form, in our atmosphere, 
 formed by God for the express purpose of guiding the magi- 
 ans, not only to Bethlehem, but to the very house where the 
 child lay. 
 
 (26.) The dumbness of Zacharias, in accordance with the 
 prediction of the angel, Luke i. 20. " And, behold, thou shalt 
 be dumb and not able to speak, until the day that these things 
 shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, 
 which shall be fulfilled in their season." Compare ver. 22, 
 62-64. The word rendered dumb, o-<''"^w»'^ is properly silent: 
 for in this case there was no natural imperfection or debility 
 of the organs of speech, as in dumbness ; and the following 
 words, ^r)6vvayitvoi'Sa\ri(Tai, thou shalt uot bc able to speak, may 
 be regarded as merely explicative. This was at once a proof 
 of the severity and mercy of God ; of severity, in condemning 
 him to nine months' silence for his unbelief; of mercy, in 
 rendering his punishment temporary, and the means of making 
 others rejoice in the events predicted. 
 
 (27.) The raising of Jairus's daughter from the dead, Mark 
 V. 41-43. " And he took the damsel by the hand, and said 
 unto her, Talitha cumi ; which is, being interpreted. Damsel, 
 I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, 
 and walked ; for she was of the age of twelve years. And 
 they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he 
 charged them straitly that no man should know it ; and com- 
 manded that something should be given her lo eat." This 
 was to show that she had not only returned to life, but was 
 also restored to perfect health ; and to intimate, that though 
 raised to life by extraordinary power, she must be continued 
 in existence, as before, by the use of ordinary means. The 
 advice of a heathen on another subject is quite applicable : 
 Nee Deus intersit, nisi digims vindice nodus Incident. (Horace.) 
 " When the miraculous power of God is necessary, let it be 
 resorted to ; when not necessary, let the ordinary means be 
 used." — To act otherwise would be to tempt God. 
 
 (28.) The healing of a woman who had had an issue of 
 blood twelve years, &c. Mark informs us, that she " had 
 suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all 
 that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew 
 worse." (ch. v. 26.) No person will wonder at this account, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 25| 
 
 when he considers the therapeutics of the Jewish physicians, 
 in reference to diseases of this kind (for an account of which, 
 see Drs. Lightfoot and Clarke) : from some of their nostrums, 
 she could not have been bettered j from otliers, she must have 
 been made worse; from all she must have suffered many- 
 things j and from the persons employed, the expense of the 
 medicaments, and the number of years she was afflicted, it is 
 perfectly credible that she had spent all that she had. She 
 was therefore a fit patient for the Great Physician. Having 
 heard of Jesus, " she came behind him, and touched the bor- 
 der of his garment : and immediately her issue of blood 
 stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me ?" &c. (Luke 
 viii. 44, 45.) " Not that he was ignorant who touched him," 
 says Epiphanius (Ancorat. ^ 38, ciied by Bulkley), " but that 
 he might not be himself the divulger of the miracle, and that 
 llie woman, hearing the question, and drawing near, might 
 testify the singular benefit she had received, and that, in con- 
 sequence of her declaration, she might presently hear from 
 His lips, that her faith had saved her ; and that, by this 
 means, others might be excited to come and be healed of their 
 disorders." 
 
 (29.) The cursing of the barren fig-tree, Mark xi. 13, 14, 
 20. " And seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, he came, 
 if haply he might find any thing thereon : and when he came 
 to it, he found nothing but leaves ; for the time of figs was not 
 yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit 
 of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. And 
 in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried 
 up from the roots." The declaration, " for the time of figs 
 was not yet," as Dr. Campbell observes, " cannot be the rea 
 son why there was nothing but leaves on the tree j for the 
 fig is of that class of vegetables wherein the fruit appears be- 
 fore the leaf. But if the words be read as a parenthesis, the 
 aforesaid declaration will be the reason of what immediately 
 preceded, that is, of our Lord's looking for fruit on the tree. 
 The leaves showed that the figs should not only be formed 
 but well advanced ; and the season of reaping being not yet 
 come, removed all suspicion that they had been gathered." 
 St. Matthew informs us that this tree grew by the way-side ; 
 and was therefore not private, but public property ; so that 
 the destruction of it really injured no one. — Our Lord was 
 pleased to make use of this miracle to prefigure the speedy 
 ruin of the Jewish nation on account of its unfruitfulness un- 
 
252 KVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 tier greater advantages than any other people enjoyed at that 
 day ; and, like all the rest of his miracles, it was done with a 
 gracious intention — to alarm his countrymen, and induce them 
 to repent. 
 
 (30.) The healing the dumb demoniac, Matt. ix. 32, 33. 
 •' As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man 
 possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, 
 the dumb spake : and the multitudes n>arvelled, saying, It was 
 never so seen in Israel." It seems evident that this man was 
 dumb, not from any natural defect, but from the power of an 
 evil spirit ; for when the evil spirit was expelled, he was im- 
 mediately capable of speaking. The spectators were justly 
 surprised at these multiplied and astonishing miracles ; for in 
 one afternoon our Lord had raised the daughter of Jairus from 
 the dead, healed a woman with an issue of blood, restored 
 two blind men to sight, and cured this dumb demoniac ; and 
 all this in Capernaum. 
 
 (31.) The healing of great multitudes of maimed, 6lc. 
 Matt. xvi. 30, 31. "And great multitudes came unto him, 
 having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, 
 and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet ; and he 
 healed them : insomuch that the multitude wondered, when 
 they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the 
 lame to walk, the blind to see : and they glorified the God of 
 Israel." The word maimed, kvWovs, properly denotes those 
 who had lost a hand, arm, foot, &c. " It is reasonable to sup- 
 pose, that among the many maimed, who were brought on 
 these occasions, there were some whose limbs had been cut 
 ofT; and I think hardly any of the miracles of our Lord were 
 more illustrious and amazing than the recovery of such." 
 Dr. Doddridge. 
 
 (32.) The healing of a lunatic. Matt. xvii. 14-18. " And 
 when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a 
 certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have 
 mercy on my son : for he is lunatic, and sore vexed : for 
 ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And 
 I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 
 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse 
 generation, how long shall 1 be with you ? how long shall I 
 suffer you ? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the 
 devil ; and he departed out of him : and the child was cured 
 from that very hour." The word lutiatic, ff^Mvin^erai^ from 
 veXnyi, the moon, denotes one who was afTected with his dis- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 253 
 
 order at the change and full of the moon. This is the case 
 in some kinds of madness and epilepsy. This youth was no 
 doubt epileptic ; but it was evidently either produced, or 
 taken advantage of, by a demon, or evil spirit ; for though 
 these symptoms accord very much with those of epileptic 
 persons, and some have ventured to assert that it was no real 
 possession, yet the Evangelist expressly affirms, that he had 
 " a dumb spirit,'' which tare him, and that our Lord charged 
 him to come out of him, &c. If this had been only a natural 
 disease, as some have contended, could our Lord with any 
 propriety have thus addressed it ? If the demoniacal pos- 
 session had been false, or merely, a vulgar error, would our 
 Lord, the Revealer of truth, have thus established falsehood, 
 sanctioned error, or encouraged deception, by teaching men 
 to ascribe effects to the malice and power of evil spirits, 
 which they had no agency in producing ? Impossible ! Such 
 conduct is utterly unworth.y the sacred character of the Re- 
 deemer. 
 
 (.33.) The healing of two men possessed of a legion of 
 devils. Mark v. 1-16. That these v/retched men were not 
 merely mad, as some suppose, but really possessed of evil 
 spirits, appears clearly from the language employed, as well 
 as from the narrative itself. St. Matthew expressly at'- 
 firms, that they were " possessed with devils," or demoniacs, 
 Saiiiovi^oiitvoi ; St. Mark says, he had " an unclean spirit," i. e. 
 a. fallen spirit ; and St. Luke asserts that he " had devils (or 
 demons) a long time," and was called Legion, " because many 
 devils were entered into him." With supernatural strength 
 the demons burst asunder the chains and fetters with which 
 he was bound ; they address Christ as the " Son of the most 
 high God ;" they beseech him to suffer them to enter into 
 the swine ; and when he had given them leave, they " went 
 out and entered into the swine." These swine were in all 
 probability Jewish property, and kept and used in express 
 violation of the law of God ; and, therefore, their destruction 
 was no more than a proper manifestation of the justice of 
 God. By this was fully evinced the sovereign power of our 
 Lord, and the reality of diabolical agency ; for, says Dr. 
 Doddridge, "it was self-evident that a herd of swine could 
 not be confederates in any fraud ; their death, therefore, in 
 this instructive circumstance, was ten thousand times a greater 
 blessing to mankind, than if they had been slain for food, as 
 was intended. Had there been no reality in demoniacal pos- 
 
 22 
 
254 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 sessions, as some have supposed, our Lord would scarcely 
 have appealed to a case of this kind in Malt, xii, 43, &c., to 
 point out the real state of the Jewish people, and their ap- 
 proaching desolation. Had this only been a vulgar error, of 
 the nonsense of which the learned scribes and wise Phari- 
 sees must have been convinced, the case not being in point, 
 because not true, must have been treated with contempt by 
 the very people for whose conviction it was designed. Add 
 to which, that in Luke vii. 21 : — And in the same hour he 
 cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits," 
 evil spirits, nvevixara r.ovr^pa, are clcarly distinguished from bodily 
 disorders. 
 
 (34.) The healing of a deaf and dumb man, Mark vii. 32-45. 
 " And they bring unto him one that was deaf and had an im- 
 pediment in his speech ; and they beseech him to put his 
 hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, 
 and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his 
 tongue ; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto 
 him, Ephphatha, that is. Be opened. And straightway his 
 ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, 
 and he spake plain." This was clearly a symbolical action ; 
 for these remedies evidently could not, by their natural efli- 
 cacy, avail to produce so wonderful an efl'ect. As the ears 
 of the deaf appear closed, he applies his fingers to intimate 
 that he would open them ; and as the tongue of the dumb 
 seems to be tied, or to cleave to the palate, he touches it, to 
 intimate he would give loose and free motion to it. He ac- 
 commodated himself to the weakness of those who might not 
 indeed doubt his power, but fancy some external sign was 
 requisite to healing. It was also thus made manifest, that 
 this salutiferous power came from Himself, and that He 
 who by one word, e<p<paea, had healed the man, must be 
 Divine. 
 
 (35.) The feeding of four thousand with seven loaves, and 
 a few small fishes, Mark viii. 6-9. '* And he commanded 
 the people to sit down on the ground : and he took the seven 
 loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples 
 to set before them ; and they did set them before the people. 
 And they had a few small fishes ; and he blessed, and com- 
 manded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and 
 were filled : and they took up of the broken meat that was 
 left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about 
 four thousand : and he sent them away." This was another 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 255 
 
 incontestable miracle — four thousand men, besides women 
 and children (Matt. xv. 28), fed with seven loaves (or rather 
 cakes) and a few small fishes ! Here there must have 
 been a manifest creation of substance — for they all ate and 
 were filled. 
 
 (36.) The feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two 
 fishes, John n. 8-13. " One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon 
 Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which 
 hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes : but what are 
 they among so many ■? And Jesus said, Make the men sit 
 down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the 
 men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus 
 took the loaves : and when he had given thanks, he dis- 
 tributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were 
 set down ; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 
 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up 
 the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore 
 they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with 
 the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over 
 and above unto them that had eaten." It is scarcely possible 
 to imagine a more wonderful proof of the creative power of 
 Christ, than was here displayed. The loaves were of the 
 small kind, common in the country ; and the fishes were 
 small, probably the sort called ^3*^31^, by the Jews ; and yet, 
 after the five thousand were fed, twelve times as much, at 
 least, remained, as they at first sat down to ! 
 
 (37.) The calming of the tempest, Luke viii. 23, 24. " But 
 as they sailed he fell asleep : and there came down a storm 
 of wind on the lake ; and they were filled with water, and 
 were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, 
 saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and re- 
 buked the wind and the raging of the water : and they ceased, 
 and there was a calm." As the agitation of the sea was 
 merely the effect of the wind, it was necessary to remove the 
 cause of the commotion before the effect would cease. But 
 who, by simply saying. Peace, Be still (Mark viii. 39), could 
 do this but God ? One word of our Lord can change the face 
 of nature, and calm the troubled ocean, as well as restore 
 peace to the disconsolate soul. 
 
 (38.) The miraculous cures at the pool of Bethesda, John 
 V. 2-4. " Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a 
 pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having 
 five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, 
 
256 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 
 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, 
 and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling 
 of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease 
 he had." The sanative property of this pool has been sup- 
 posed by some to have been communicated by the blood of 
 the sacrifices, and others have referred it to the mineral 
 properties of the waters. But, 1. The beasts for sacrifice 
 were not washed here, but in a laver in the temple. 2. No 
 natural property could cure all manner of diseases. 3. The 
 cure only extended to the first who entered. 4. It took place 
 only at one particular time. 5. As the healing was effected 
 by immersion, it must have been instantaneous ; and it was 
 never-failing in its effects. All which, not being observed in 
 medicinal waters, determine the cures to have been miracu- 
 lous, as expressly stated in the text. 
 
 (39.) The raising of Lazarus from the dead. — John xi. 1- 
 44. The raising of Lazarus from the dead, being a work of 
 Christ beyond measure great, the most stupendous of all he 
 had hitherto performed, and beyond all others calculated to 
 evince his divine majesty, was therefore purposely recorded 
 by the evangelist John ; while it was omitted by the other 
 evangelists, probably, as Grotius supposes, because they 
 wrote their histories during the life of Lazarus ; and they did 
 not mention him for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews 
 against him ; as we find from ch. xii. 10, that they sought to 
 put him to death, that our Lord might not have such a monu- 
 ment of his power and goodness remaining in the land. — 
 " And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee 
 that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me 
 always : but because of the people which stand by I said it, 
 that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he 
 thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come 
 forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and 
 foot with grave-clothes : and his face was bound about with a 
 napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." 
 " Bound hand and foot with grave-clothes" denotes, " swathed 
 about with rollers," or bandages, Kcipian, long strips of linen, 
 a few inches in breadth, brought round the awScov, or sheet of 
 linen in which the corpse was involved, and by which the 
 apcj/mra, or spiccs wcrc kept in contact with the flesh. In re- 
 ply to skeptical objections, it is sufficient to observe, that he 
 who could raise Lazarus from the dead, could, with a much 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 257 
 
 less exertion of power, have so loosened, or removed, the 
 bandages of his feet and legs, as to have rendered it prac- 
 ticable for him to come forth. Tittman well observes, that 
 Lazarus was restored not only to life, but also to health, as 
 appears from the alacrity of his motion ; and this would con- 
 stitute a new miracle. 
 
 (40.) The restoring to sight one born blind. — John ix. 1- 
 34. " And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was 
 blind from his birth." " When he had thus spoken, he spat 
 on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed 
 the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, 
 Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, 
 Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came 
 seeing." " Since the world began was it not heard that any 
 man opened the eyes of one that was born blind." That there 
 are cases in which a person born blind may be restored to 
 sight by surgical means, we know ; but it is perfectly evident 
 that no such means were used by our Lord. And it is worthy 
 of remark, that, from the foundation of the world, no person 
 born blind had been restored to sight, even by surgical opera- 
 tion, till about the year 1728 ; when the celebrated Dr. 
 Cheselden, by couching the eyes of a young man, 14 years 
 of age, restored them to perfect vision. This was the effect 
 of well directed surgery : that performed by Christ was 
 wholly a miracle, effected by the power of God. The sim- 
 ple means employed could have had no effect in this case ; 
 and were merely employed as symbols. 
 
 8. By the prophecies contained in the Sacred Writings ; as 
 those respecting 
 
 (1.) Shem, which signifies name or renown; and his, in- 
 deed, was great both in a temporal and spiritual sense. The 
 finest regions of Upper and Middle Asia were allotted to his 
 family; as Armenia, Media, Persia, &c. (Gen. x. 21-31.) 
 But his chief renown consisted in his being destined to be the 
 lineal ancestor of the promised seed of the woman, to which 
 Noah might allude in his pious ejaculation, Gen. ix. 26. 
 " God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents 
 of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his servant :" these words 
 are ambiguous ; for they may mean either that God or that 
 Japheth shall dwell in the tents of Sliem. Jn either sense 
 the prophecy has been literally fulfilled. 
 
 (2.) [apheth, which denotes enlargement, and how won- 
 22* 
 
258 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 derfully have his boundaries been enlarged ! For not only 
 Europe, but Asia Minor, part of Armenia, Iberia, the whole 
 of the vast regions north of Taurus, and probably America, 
 fell to the share of his posterity. Gen. x. 2-5. 
 
 (3.) Ham, which signifies burnt or black ; and this name 
 was peculiarly significant of the regions allotted to his family. 
 To the Cushites, or descendants of Cush, were allotted the 
 hot southern regions of Asia, along the shores of the Persian 
 Gulf, Susiana or Chusistan, Sic. ; to the sons of Canaan, 
 Palestine and Syria ; to the sons of Mizraim, Egypt and 
 Lybia, in Africa. Gen. x. 6-20. Upon Canaan, the son of 
 Ham, Noah prophetically denounced the curse recorded in 
 Gen. ix. 25. " Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants 
 shall he be unto his brethren." Agreeably to this, the devoted 
 nations, which God destroyed before Israel, were descended 
 from Canaan : and so were the Phoenicians and the Cartha- 
 ginians, who were at length subjugated with dreadful destruc- 
 tion by the Greeks and Romans. The Africans, who have 
 been bought and sold like beasts, were also his posterity. 
 
 (4.) IsHMAEL, Gen. xvi. 12, where the word rendered 
 " wild" also denotes the " wild ass ;" the admirable descrip- 
 tion of which animal in Job xxxix. 5-8, affords the very best 
 representation of the wandering, lawless, freebooting life of 
 the Bedouin and other Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael. 
 Such is their predatory habit, that it became proverbial. (See 
 Je. iii. 2.) Sir J. Chardin, in a MS. note cited by Harmer 
 (ch. ii. Ob. 10), states that " the Arabs wait for caravans with 
 the most violent avidity, looking about them on all sides, 
 raising themselves up on their horses, running here and there 
 to see if they can perceive any smoke, or dust, or tracks on 
 the ground, or any other marks of people passing along." 
 When attacked by a powerful foe, they withdraw into the 
 depths of the wilderness, au fond du desert (Je. xlix. 8), as 
 Niebuhr expresses it (Descript. de I'Arabie, p. 329. Voyage, 
 tom. ii. p. 199), w^hither none can follow them. So M. 
 Savary (Lettre i. sur I'Egypt, tom. ii. p. 8) says, speaking 
 of the Bedouins, *' Always on their guard against tyranny, on 
 the least discontent that is given them, they pack up their 
 tents, lade their camels with them, ravage the flat country, 
 and, laden with plunder, plunge {s^ciifoncent) into the burning 
 sands, where none can pursue them." 
 
 (5.) The descendants of Esau, or the Edomites, who 
 possessed themselves of the country originally occupied by 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 259 
 
 the Horites (namely, Mount Seir), the descendants of Ham, 
 who appear to have been finally blended with their conquer- 
 ors. It was a mountainous though fertile tract, on the south 
 of Judah, including the mountains of Gebal, Seir, and Hor, 
 and the provinces of Uz, Dedan, Teman, &c. (Gen. xxv. 25, 
 30 ; Deut. ii. 12), forming a continuation of the eastern Syrian 
 chain of mountains, beginning with Antilibanus, and extend- 
 ing from the southern end of the Dead Sea, to the eastern 
 gulf of the Red Sea. It is evidently comprehended under 
 the modern names of Djebal and Shera, mentioned by Burck- 
 hardt. 
 
 The blessing bestowed upon Esau by his father Isaac was 
 in the following terms : " Behold, thy dwelling shall be the 
 fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above ; 
 and by thy sword shall thou live, and shalt serve thy brother ; 
 and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, 
 that thou shalt break his yoke from oft' thy neck." (Gen. 
 xxvii. 39, 40.) It is here foretold, says Bishop Newton, that 
 as to situation, and other temporal advantages, the two brothers 
 should be much alike. (See ver. 28.) Mount Seir, and the 
 adjacent country, were at first the possession of the Edomites ; 
 and they afterwards extended themselves farther into Arabia, 
 and into the south of Judea. But wherever they were situated, 
 in temporal advantages they were little inferior to the Israelites. 
 Esau had cattle, beasts, and substance in abundance, and he 
 went to dwell in Mount Seir of his own accord ; but had it 
 been such a barren and desolate country as some represent it, 
 he would hardly have removed thither with so much cattle. 
 The Edomites had dukes and kings reigning over them, while 
 the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. (Gen. xxxvi.) When 
 the Israelites, on their return, desired leave to pass through 
 the territories of Edom, it appears the country abounded with 
 fruitful fields and vineyards. (Num. xx. 17.) If the country 
 is barren and unfruitful now, neither is Judea what it was 
 formerly. 
 
 Subsequently they appear to have applied themselves with 
 great success to trade and commerce, their principal ports 
 being Elath and Ezion-gaber on the Red Sea; /and for up- 
 wards of 400 years they maintained their independence, till 
 the time of David, who entirely conquered them, slew several 
 thousands, and compelled the rest to become tributaries and 
 servants, placing garrisons among them to secure their obedi- 
 ence, agreeably to Gen. xxv. 23 ; xxvii. 29, 37, 40 ; (2 Sam. 
 
260 EVIDENCE OF THS INSPIRATION 
 
 viii. 14; 1 Kings xi. 15, 16; 1 Chr. xviii. 12.) Notwith- 
 standing the attempt of Hadad to revolt, they continued sub- 
 ject to Judah for about 150 years, being governed by viceroys 
 or deputies appointed by the kings of Judah. (1 Kings xi. 
 15-22; xxii. 47; 2 Kings iii. 7.) They revolted, however, 
 from Jehoram king of Judah, and ultimately succeeded in 
 rendering themselves independent, thus fulfilling Gen. xxvi. 
 40 (2 Chr. xxi. 8-10) ; though afterwards Amaziah and 
 Uzziah terribly ravaged their country, the former taking Petra 
 their capital, the latter taking Elath on the Red Sea. (2 Kings 
 xiv. 7j 2 Chr. xxv. 11, 12; xxvi. 2.) Subsequently they 
 invaded the south of Judah, and slew and took prisoners a 
 number of the inhabitants ; but they were quickly punished 
 for their cruelty by the Assyrians, who ravaged Edom and 
 destroyed Bozra their capital. When Nebuchadnezzar be- 
 sieged Jerusalem, the Edomites joined him, and incited him 
 to raze the city to its foundations. This cruel and implaca- 
 ble conduct, however, did not long go unpunished ; for, about 
 five years after the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar 
 conquered Edom, and rendered it a desolate wilderness. 
 Many of the Edomites, during the Babylonian captivity, being 
 driven from their ancient habitation by the Nabatheans, seized 
 upon the south-western part of Judea (Strabo, 1. xvi.) Wher. 
 the Chaldean monarchy was dissolved, they re-collected 
 themselves ; and, while part of them were incorporated with 
 the Nabathean Arabs, others seized upon the southern parts 
 of Judah. 
 
 The Jews having returned to their own land, the house of 
 Jacob and the house of Joseph did also break out as a flame 
 upon theldumeans(0bad. 18), for under Judas Maccaba^us they 
 attacked and defeated them several times, killed no less than 
 twenty thousand at one time, and more than twenty thousand at 
 another, and took their chief city Hebron, " with the towns 
 thereof, and pulled down the fortress of it, and burned the 
 towns thereof round about" (1 Mac. v. ; 2 Mac. x.) ; and at 
 last, about thirty years afterwards, his nephew, Hyrcanus, 
 son of Simon, took other of their cities, and reduced them to 
 the necessity of either embrachig the Jewish religion, or 
 of leaving their country, and seeking other habitations ; in 
 consequence of which they submitted to be circumcised, be- 
 came proselytes to the Jewish religion, and ever after were 
 incorporated into the Jewish church and nation, (Josephus, 
 Ant. 1. xiii. c. 9, § 1, or c. 17.) Thus they were actually 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 261 
 
 masters of Edom, a-nd judged and governed the Mount of Esau ^ 
 (Obad. 21.) 
 
 Before the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus, a body of 
 Edomites deserted the Jews, and got off, laden with booty ; 
 but since that period, their very name has perished from 
 among the nations, (Jer. xxv. Obad.) We know, indeed, as 
 Bp. Newton remarks, little more of the history of the Edom- 
 ites than as it is connected with that of the Jews : and where 
 is the name or the nation now ? They are swallowed up 
 and lost, partly among the Nabathean Arabs, and partly 
 among the Jews ; and the very name was abolished and dis- 
 used about the end of the first century after Christ. Thus 
 were they rewarded for insulting and oppressing their brethren 
 the Jews ; and, while at this day we see the Jews subsist- 
 ing as a distinct people, Edom is no more. Agreeably to 
 the words of this prophet, he has been " cut off for ever," for 
 his violence against his brother Jacob (ver. 10) ; and there 
 is now " not any remaining of the house of Esau, for the 
 Lord had spoken it," (ver. 18.) Their country is now barren 
 and unfruitful ; and their cities, even their ancient capitals, 
 Bozra and Petra, totally demolished and in ruins. See Pri- 
 deaux's Connexion, an. 129 ; Newton on the Prophecies, 
 Dissert, iii. ; and Burckhardt's Travels in Syria, &c. 
 
 (6.) Amalek. The Amalekites, a people of Arabia Petraea, 
 according to the Arabian historians, were descended from 
 Amalek, a son of Ham ; and resided in a tract of country on 
 the frontiers of Egypt and Canaan, south and south-west of 
 Canaan, between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, (Gen. xiv. 7 ; 
 Num. xxiv. 7-20 ; 1 Sam. xv. 7 ; xxvii. 8 ; 1 Chron. iv. 39, 
 40.) They were very formidable enemies to the Israelites, 
 whom they greatly annoyed in their march from Egypt to 
 Sinai, acting with great cruelty towards them on this occa- 
 sion ; to punish which, God not only enabled Joshua to ob- 
 tain a signal victory over them, but enjoined the Hebrews to 
 exterminate them from the earth, God then purposing that 
 Amalek, as a nation, should be blotted out from under heaven, 
 (Ex. xvii. 8-16 ; Deut. xxv. 17-19.) The following year 
 they assisted the Canaanites against the presumptuous Israel- 
 ites (Num. xiv. 45) ; and in the lime of the Judges, they first 
 assisted the Moabites, and then the Midianites, against Israel ; 
 on both which occasions they shared the miserable fate of 
 their allies, (Jud. iii. 13 ; vi. 6.) Spared till they had filled 
 up the measure of their iniquities, the purpose of God was 
 
262 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 carried into effect by Saul, upwards of four hundred years 
 afterwards. Nothing could justify such an exterminating de- 
 cree but the absolute authority of God ; and this was given : 
 all the reasons of it we do not know ; but this we know well, 
 the Judge of all the earth doth right. Saul being thus ap- 
 pointed to destroy them utterly, he effected it by cutting off 
 the greater part of them (1 Sam. xiv. 48; xv.) ; and a few 
 scattered bands of those who escaped this destruction, having 
 attacked and pillaged Ziklag, were completely destroyed or 
 routed by David, (1 Sam. xxx. 1-20.) After Haman the 
 Amalekite, who by his enmity to Israel drew down ruin upon 
 himself and friends (Es. iii. 7-9), there is no further mention 
 of them in the histories of mankind. 
 
 (7.) Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was situated on the 
 eastern bank of the river Tigris, opposite the present Mosul, 
 about 280 miles N. of Babylon, and 400 N. E. of Damascus, 
 in lat. 36° 20^ N. long. 73° 10' E. It was not only a very an- 
 cient (Gen. X. 11), but also a very great city. Strabo (1. 
 xvi.) says, that it was much larger than Babylon, the circuit 
 of which he estimates at 385 furlongs ; and, according to 
 Diodorus Siculus (1. ii.), it was an oblong parallelogram, ex- 
 tending 150 furlongs in length, 90 in breadth, and 480 in cir- 
 cumference, i. e. about 20 miles long, 12 broad, and 60 in 
 compass. This agrees with the account given Jon. iii. 3, of 
 its being "an exceeding great city of three days' journey," 
 i. e. in circuit ; for 20 miles a day was the common compu- 
 tation for a pedestrian. (See Herodotus, 1. v. c. 35.) It 
 was surrounded by large walls 100 feet high, so broad that 
 three chariots could drive abreast on them, and defended by 
 1500 towers 200 feet in height. Of its population, it is 
 stated in Jon. iv. 11, that it contained " more than six score 
 thousand persons, that could not discern between their right 
 hand and their left hand : and also much cattle." It is gen- 
 erally calculated, that the young children of any place are a 
 fifth of the inhabitants ; and consequently the whole popu- 
 lation of Nineveh would amount to above 600,000 ; which is 
 very inferior to that of London and Paris, though they occupy 
 not one quarter of the ground. In eastern cities there are 
 large vacant spaces for gardens and pasturages, so that there 
 might be " very much cattle." Agreeably to the prophecy 
 of Nahum, Nineveh was taken and utterly ruined by As- 
 suerus, or Cyaxares, king of Media, and Nabuchonosor, or 
 Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, B.C. 606 or 612. The 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 2o3 
 
 prophet declared, that at the approach of destruction she 
 should be drunken (Nah. iii. 11) ; and accordingly, Diodorus, 
 who with others, ascribes the taking of it to Arbaces the 
 Mede, and Belesis the Babylonian, relates, that while the 
 Assyrian army were feasting for their former victories, those 
 about Arbaces, being informed of their negligence and drunk- 
 eness, fell upon them unexpectedly, slew many, and drove 
 the rest into the city. So, according to the same inspired 
 writer, her shepherds and nobles were to desert her (ch. iii. 
 18) — that is, the rulers and tributary princes, who, as 
 Herodotus informs us, deserted Nineveh in the day of her 
 distress, and came not to her succor. Diodorus also says, 
 that when the enemy shut up the king in the city, many na- 
 tions revolted ; each going over to the besiegers for the sake 
 of their liberty ; that the king despatched messengers to all 
 his subjects, requiring power from them to succor him ; and 
 that he thought himself able to endure the siege, and re- 
 mained in expectation of armies which were to be raised 
 throughout his empire, relying on the oracle that the city 
 would not be taken till the river became its enemy. This 
 crack, Diodorus Siculus informs us (1. ii.), was an ancient 
 prophecy, received from their forefathers, that Nineveh should 
 not be taken till the river first became an enemy to the city : 
 and in the third year of the siege, the Euphrates (Tigris) be- 
 ing swollen with continued rains, overflowed part of the city, 
 and threw down twenty stadia of the wall ; thus fulfilling the 
 prophecy of Nahum (c. ii. 6), that " the gates of the rivers 
 should be opened." The king then thinking that the oracle 
 was fulfilled, the river having manifestly become an enemy 
 to the city, casting aside all hope of safety, and lest he should 
 fall into the enemy's hands, built a large funeral pyre in the 
 palace ; and, having collected all his gold and silver and 
 royal vestments, together with his concubines and eunuchs, 
 placed himself with them in a little apartment built in the 
 midst of the pyre, and burnt them, himself, and the palace 
 together. When the death of the king was announced by 
 certain deserters, the enemy entered at the breach the waters 
 had made, and took the city. Having thus taken the city, 
 the same historian states, the conquerors " dispersed the 
 citizens in the villages, levelled the city with the ground, 
 transferred the gold and silver, of which there were many 
 talents, to Ecbatana, the metropolis of the Medes ; and thus 
 
264 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 subverted the empire of the Assyrians : and Nineveh became 
 *' empty, and void, and waste," (Nah. ii. 10.) 
 
 Thus was the destruction of Nineveh effected a Httle more 
 than a century afterwards ; and its utter desolation is unani- 
 mously attested both by ancient and modern writers. " But," 
 as Bp. Newton justly observes, " what probability was there, 
 that the capital of a great kingdom, a city which was sixty 
 miles in compass, a city which contained so many thousand 
 inhabitants, . . . should be totally destroyed ? And yet so 
 totally was it destroyed, that the place is hardly known where 
 it was situated. We have seen that it was taken and destroy- 
 ed by the Medes and Babylonians ; and what we may sup- 
 pose helped to complete its ruin and devastation was Nebu- 
 chadnezzar's soon afterwards enlarging and beautifying 
 Babylon. From that time no mention is made of Nineveh by 
 any of the sacred writers ; and the most ancient of the hea- 
 then authors, who have occasion to say any thing about it, 
 speak of it as a city that was once great and flourishing, but 
 now destroyed and desolate. Great as it was formerly, so 
 little of it was remaining, that authors are not agreed even 
 about its situation. . . Lucian, who flourished in the second 
 century after Christ, aflirms, ' Nineveh was utterly perished, 
 and there was no footstep of it remaining, nor could you tell 
 where once it was situated.' . . . There is at this time a city 
 called Mosul, situated upon the western side of the river Ti- 
 gris, and on the opposite eastern shore are ruins of a great 
 extent, which are said to be the ruins of Nineveh. . . . But 
 it is more than probable, that these ruins are the remains of 
 the Persian Nineveh, and not of the Assyrian. Ipsm periere 
 ruiTKB : even the ruins of old Nineveh have been, as I may 
 say, long ago ruined and destroyed. Such an ' utter end' 
 hath been made of it ; and such is the truth of the Divine 
 predictions ! This perhaps may strike us the more strongly 
 by supposing only a parallel instance. Let us then suppose, 
 that a person should come in the name of a prophet, preach- 
 ing repentance to the people of this kingdom, or otherwise 
 denouncing the destruction of the capital city within a few 
 years. ... I presume we should look upon such a prophet 
 as a madman, and show no further attention to his message 
 than to deride and despise it ; and yet such an event would 
 not be more strange and incredible than the destruction and 
 devastation of Nineveh. For Nineveh was much the larger, 
 and much the stronger, and older city of the two ; and the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 265 
 
 Assyrian empire had subsisted and flourished more ages than 
 any form of government in this country ; so that you cannot 
 object the instability of the eastern monarchies in this case. 
 Let us then . . . suppose again, that things should succeed 
 according to the prediction ; the floods should arise, and the 
 enemy should come, the city should be overflown and broken 
 down, be taken and pillaged, and destroyed so totally, that 
 even the learned could not agree about where it was situated. 
 What would be said or thought in such a case ? Whoever 
 of posterity should read and compare the prophecy and event 
 together, must they not by such an illustrious instance be 
 thoroughly convinced of the providence of God, and of the 
 truth of his prophet, and be ready to acknowledge, ' Verily 
 this is the word that the Lord hath spoken, verily there is a 
 God that judgeth the earth V " 
 
 (8.) Babylon, whose destruction and utter ruin were pre- 
 dicted by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, &c., was situated in 
 the midst of a large plain, having a very deep and fruitful soil, 
 on the Euphrates, about 252 miles south-east of Palmyra, and 
 the same distance north-west of Susa, and the Persian gulf, 
 in lat. 32° 30' N., and long. 44° 20' E. According to Hero- 
 dotus, it formed a perfect square, each side of which was 120 
 stadia, and consequently its circumference 480 stadia, or 60 
 miles ; enclosed by a wall 200 cubits high, and fifty wide ; 
 on the top of which were small watch-towers, of one story 
 high, leaving a space between them, through which a chariot 
 and four might pass and turn. On each side were 25 gates 
 of solid brass ; from each of which proceeded a street, 150 
 feet broad, making in all 50 streets ; which, crossing each 
 other at right angles, intersected the city into 676 squares, 
 extending four stadia and a half on each side, along which 
 stood the houses, all built three or four stories high, and highly 
 decorated towards the street j the interior of these squares 
 being employed as gardens, pleasure grounds, &c. Its prin- 
 cipal ornaments were the temple of Belus, having a tower of 
 eight stories, upon a base of a quarter of a mile square ; a 
 most magnificent palace ; and the famous hanging gardens, or 
 artificial mountains raised upon arches, and planted with large 
 and beautiful trees. But the celebrated and costly buildings 
 of Babylon had been erected by the spoils of conquered na- 
 tions, and by the blood of multitudes ; and in the righteous 
 judgment of God, the royal family was destined soon to be 
 ruined, the seat of empire removed, and the city itself finally 
 
 23 
 
266 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 destroyed, as declared by the prophet Habakkuk. Houses 
 built and fortunes made by such iniquitous means, in most 
 cases become as chafT before the whirlwind of God's indig- 
 nation, 
 
 <'Hark! He answers. Wild tornadoes, 
 
 Strewing yonder seas with wrecks, 
 Wasting towns, plantations, meadows, 
 Are the voice with which He speaks." Cowper. 
 
 Cyrus was the instrument selected to effect this purpose 
 of the Almighty, " He who saith to the deep. Be dry, and 1 
 will dry up thy rivers : That saith of Cyrus, He is my shep- 
 herd, and shall perform all my pleasure" (Isa. 44. 27, 28), 
 which alludes to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus (here fore- 
 told by name more than a century before his birth), by laying 
 the bed of the Euphrates dry, and leading his army into the 
 city by night through the empty channel of the river. This 
 remarkable circumstance, in which the event actually corre- 
 sponded with the prophecy, was also noted by the prophet Jer- 
 emiah. In order to qualify him for the great work to which 
 he was called, Jehovah declared that " he would hold his 
 anointed Cyrus by the right hand, to subdue nations before 
 him" (Isa. 45. 1); and accordingly, Xenophon (I. 1) says 
 that Cyrus conquered the Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cap- 
 padocians,both the Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phcenicians, 
 Babylonians ; and also reigned over the Bactrians, Indians, 
 Cilicians, the Sacae, Paphlagones, and Mariandyni. Thus 
 was fulfilled this prediction, and another of the same prophet 
 (ch. 41. 25), in which Jehovah declares, " I have raised up 
 one from the north, and he shall come : from the rising of the 
 sun shall he call upon my name : and he shall come upon 
 princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay." 
 Here it should be remarked, that Media lay north of Babylon, 
 and Persia eastward ; and Cyrus commanded the forces of 
 both these nations ; and by his wonderful success, he tram- 
 pled down mighty monarchs as mortar, and as the potter treads 
 the clay. Cyrus had conquered Armenia, as well as Croesus, 
 king of Lydia, and subdued several nations from the jEgean 
 sea to the Euphrates, before he marched against Babylon ; and 
 Xenophon expressly informs us, that there were not only Ar- 
 menians, but both Phrygians and Cappadocians in the army 
 of Cyrus (Cyr. 1. 3. 7). Thus the Lord " called together 
 against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Aschenaz." 
 (Jer. 51. 28.) And the army of Cyrus was composed of Medes, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 267 
 
 Persians, Armenians, Caducians, Sacae, and other nations 
 which he had conquered ; all of which, arranged under the 
 Medes, came from the north, according to the prophecy of 
 Jeremiah (ch. 50. 9). " I will raise and cause to come up 
 against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north 
 country," &c. 
 
 Babylon was replenished from all nations by a concourse 
 of people, whom Jeremiah (ch. 50. 37) calls " the mingled 
 people," 2^5>, airev ; and iEschylus (in Pers. v. 52) denomi- 
 nates the inhabitants of the same capital iranniKTov oxhiv, "a mix- 
 ture of all sorts." All these, at the approach of Cyrus, sought 
 to escape to their several countries. " They wandered every 
 one to his quarter; none saved her." (Isa. 47. 15.) 
 
 The Babylonians, after the loss of a battle or two, never 
 recovered their courage to face the enemy in the field : they 
 retired within their walls ; and the first time that Cyrus came 
 with his army before the place, he could not provoke them to 
 venture forth, though he challenged the king to fight a duel 
 with him ; and the last time he came, he consulted with his 
 officers respecting the best mode of carrying on the siege, 
 " since," said he, " they do not come out to fight," (Xeno- 
 phon, 1. V. vii.) Thus " the mighty men of Babylon forbore 
 to fight, they remained in their holds : their might failed ; 
 they became as women." (Jer. xli. 30.) The city at this 
 time was furnished with provisions for twenty years, and the 
 void ground within the walls was able both by tillage and 
 pasturage to supply them with much more. (See Q. Curtius, 
 1. V. c. 1 ; Herodotus, 1. i. c. 190.) And from the impregna- 
 ble nature of their fortifications, they might deem themselves 
 secure ; but God " had laid a snare for them ;" and when 
 *' she was not aware" (Jer. 1. 24), Cyrus took the city by 
 surprise, by diverting the waters of the Euphrates ; though 
 the Euphrates being more than two furlongs broad, and deep- 
 er than two men standing upon one another, the city was 
 thought to be better fortified by the river than by the walls. 
 (Xenophon, Cyr. 1. vii.) Yet Cyrus, by draining the channel, 
 marched his army into the heart of the city. (Herodotus, 1. i. 
 c. 191.) And thus " a drought was upon her waters, and she 
 was dried up." (Jer. 1. 31.) All the streets of Babylon, lead- 
 ing on each side to the river, were secured by two-leaved 
 brazen gates ; and these were providentially left open when 
 Cyrus' forces entered the city in the night through the chan- 
 nel of the river, in the general disorder occasioned by the 
 
 L 
 
368 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 gTeat feast which was then celebrated ; otherwise, says 
 Herodotus (i. 180, 191), the Persians would have been shut 
 up in the bed of the river as in a net, and all destroyed. Je- 
 hovah thus *' opened before him the two-leaved gates ; and 
 the gates were not shut. He went before him, and made the 
 crooked places straight : he broke in pieces the gates of brass, 
 and cut in sunder the bars of iron." (Isa. xlv. 1.) Gobrias 
 and Gadates, when they entered Babylon, marched directly to 
 the palace, killing all they met ; and the gates of the palace 
 having been imprudently opened to ascertain the occasion of 
 the tumult, the two parties under them rushed in, got posses- 
 sion of the palace, and slew the king. (Xenophon, Cyr. lib. 
 vii.) And thus *' her young men fell in the streets, and all 
 her men of war were cut off." (Jer. 1. 30.) Besides the im- 
 mense store found by Cyrus, " a sword was upon her trea- 
 sures ; and they were robbed." (Jer. 1. 37.) The amount of 
 the gold and silver taken by Cyrus when he conquered Asia, 
 according to the account of Pliny (1. xxxiii. c. 15), was J6126,- 
 224,000 of our money, to which Sardis and Babylon greatly 
 contributed. 
 
 After this period Babylon was no more called " the lady 
 of kingdoms." (Isa. xlvii. 5.) Instead of being " the lady of 
 kingdoms," the metropolis of a great empire, and mistress of 
 all the East, it became subject to the Persians ; and the im- 
 perial seat being removed to Susa, instead of having a king, 
 it had only a deputy residing there, who governed it as a pro- 
 vince of the Persian empire. Cyrus having diverted the 
 waters of the Euphrates, which ran through the midst from 
 their channel, and the river being never restored to its pro- 
 per course, overflowed the whole country, and made it a 
 morass. And eventually it has become " a possession for the 
 bittern, and pools of water : and has been swept with the 
 besom of destruction." (Isa. xiv. 23.) Darius Hystaspes after- 
 wards took the city by stratagem, after a siege of twelve 
 months, A. M. 3888, B. C. 516, put 300,000 of the inhabitants 
 to death, demolished or took away the 100 gates of brass, and 
 beat down their walls from 200 to 50 cubits (Herodotus, 1. lii. 
 c. 159) ; and now not a vestige of these immense fortifica- 
 tions remains, to mark the site of this once mighty city ! 
 " The broad walls of Babylon were utterly broken, and her 
 high gates burned with fire." (Jer. li. 58.) Xerxes destroyed 
 all the temples of Babylon, B. C. 479, (Herodotus, 1. i. c. 
 183, &c.,) thus verifying the prediction of Jeremiah, that the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 269 
 
 Lord would " do judgment upon her graven images," (Jer. li. 
 52.) " Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were 
 upon the beasts, and upon the cattle : your carriages were 
 heavy loaden ; they are a burden to the weary beast. They 
 stoop, they bow down together ; they could not deliver the 
 burden, but themselves are gone into captivity." (Isa. xlvi, 1, 
 2.) Bel, called Belus, by the Greek and Roman writers, was 
 the same as Baal ; and Nebo is interpreted by Castell and 
 Norberg of Mercury ; the two principal idols of Babylon. 
 When the city was taken by the Persians, these images were 
 carried in triumph. (See Selden, De Diis Syris, c. i. xii. cum 
 addit. Beyeri.) The building of Seleucia nearly exhausted it 
 of its inhabitants ; a king of the Parthians carried a number 
 of them into slavery, and destroyed the most beautiful parts. 
 Strabo says (1. xvi.), in his time, about the Christian era, a 
 great part of it was a desert ; Jerome says, that in his time, 
 cir. A. D. 340, it was quite in ruins, the walls merely serv- 
 ing for an enclosure for wild beasts, for the hunting of the 
 kings of Parthia ; and modern travellers universally concur 
 in describing it in a stat* of utter desolation, a mass of shape- 
 less ruins, and the habitation of wild beasts and noxious rep- 
 tiles. (See Benjamin of Tudela, Itin. p. 76 ; Texeira, c. .5 ; 
 Rauwolfi", P. ii. c. 6 ; Delia Valle, P. ii. ep. 17; Tavernier, 
 vol. ii. b. ii. c. 5 ; Rich's Two Memoirs on the ruins of Bab- 
 ylon ; and Sir R. K. Porter's Travels, vol. ii. pp. 308-400.) 
 Thus have the remarkable predictions respecting the final de- 
 struction of Babylon received their completion. The prophe- 
 cy of Jeremiah (upwards of a century after those of Isaiah), 
 " that none should remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that 
 it shall be desolate for ever" (Jer. li. 62), was delivered 56 
 years before the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, 79 before its 
 capture by Darius, 150 before the time of Herodotus, 250 be- 
 fore that of Xenophon, and 2421 from the present time ; and 
 all historians, geographers, and travellers agree to show that 
 these predictions have been successively accomplished to the 
 latest period ! 
 
 (9.) Tyre, whose destruction by Nebuchadnezzar is fore- 
 told by Isaiah (ch. xxiii. 1, 14), and Ezekiel (ch. xxvi., xxvii.), 
 was a city of Phoenicia, on the shore of the Mediterranean, 
 24 miles south of Sidon, and 32 north of Accho or Ptolemais, 
 according to the Antonine and Jerusalem Itineraries, about 
 lat. 33° 18' N. long. 35'' 10' E. There were two cities of 
 this name ; one on the continent called Palae Tyrus, or old 
 
 23* 
 
270 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION' 
 
 Tyre, according to Strabo (1. xvi.) 30 stadia south of the other, 
 ■which was situated on an island, not above 700 paces from 
 the main land, says Pliny, (1. v. c. 18.) Old Tyre was taken 
 and utterly destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, after a siege of 
 13 years, B. C. 573, (Josephus, Ant. 1. x. c. 11. Cont. Ap. 1. i.) 
 During this long siege, the soldiers must have endured great 
 hardships : their heads would become bald by constantly 
 wearing their helmets ; and their shoulders be peeled by 
 carrying materials to form the works. '* Every head was 
 made bald, and every shoulder peeled : yet had he (Nebu- 
 chadnezzar) no wages, for his army, for Tyrus, for the service 
 that he had served against it." (Ezek. xxx. 18.) St. Jerome 
 asserts (in Is. 23. 6, and in loc), on the authority of the 
 Assyrian histories, that when the Tyrians saw their city must 
 fall, they put their most valuable effects on board their ships, 
 and fled with them to the islands, and their colonies, " so that 
 the city being taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy 
 of his labor." 
 
 Old Tyre was never rebuilt after its destruction by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, never afterwards rose higher than a village, and 
 there are now no traces left to mark its site, (see Pococke, 
 vol. ii. b. i. c. 20.) But the inhabitants having removed their 
 effects to the island, it afterwards became famous again by the 
 name of Tyre. It arose out of its ruins, after seventy years, 
 and recovered its ancient wealth and splendor, as foretold by 
 Isaiah, (ch. xxiii. 15-17.) " And it shall come to pass in that 
 day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to 
 the days of one king : after the end of seventy years shall 
 Tyre sing as a harlot. Take a harp, go about the city, thou 
 harlot that hast been forgotten ; make sweet melody, sing 
 many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. And it shall 
 come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord 
 will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit 
 fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face 
 of the earth." It was afterwards, B. C. 332, taken and burnt 
 by Alexander ; and the ruins of old Tyre contributed much 
 to the taking of the new city ; for with the stones, timber, 
 and rubbish, Alexander built a bank, or causeway, from the 
 continent to the island, thereby literally fulfilling the words 
 of the prophet, (Ezek. xxvi. 32.) " They shall lay thy stones 
 and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water." (Q. 
 Curtius, 1. iv. c. 2, Diodorus, 1. xvii.) It, however, speedily 
 recovered its strength and dignity, and 19 years afterwards 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 271 
 
 withstood both the fleets and armies of Antigonus. Agreeably 
 to the prophetic declarations (Ps. 45. 12 ; 72. 10 ; Is. '23. 18 ; 
 Zee. 9. 1-7), it was early converted to Christianity ; and 
 after being successively taken by the Saracens, Christians, 
 Mamalukes, and Turks, in whose hands it still remains, it had 
 become, v>'hen visited by Maundrell, Bruce, and other travel- 
 lers, literally " a place for fishers to dry their nets on." Ezek. 
 XX vi. 14. 
 
 (10.) SiDo.v, or Zidon. " Son of man, set thy face against 
 Zidon, and prophesy against it, and say. Thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Behold I am against thee, O Zidon ; and I will be 
 glorified in the midst of thee ; and they shall know that I am 
 the Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and 
 shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, 
 and blood into her streets ; and the wounded shall be judged 
 in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every'side ; and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord." Ezek. xxviii. 21-23. 
 Sidon was a celebrated city of Phoenicia, now Saide, situated 
 in a fine country on the Mediterranean, 400 stadia from 
 Berytus, and 200 (north) from Tyre, according to Strabo (1. 
 xvi.), one day's journey from Paneas, according to Josephus 
 (Ant. 1. v. c. 3), and 66 miles from Damascus, according to 
 Abulfeda. Tyre was a colony of the Zidonians, for the 
 prophet Isaiah (ch. xxiii. 12) addresses her as " the daughter 
 of Zidon," and the " Sidonians," says Justin (1. xviii. c. 3), 
 *' when their city was taken by the king of Ascalon, betook 
 themselves to their ships ; and landed and built Tyre." Sidoa 
 was therefore the mother city, and a more ancient, though a 
 less considerable city than Tyre ; and it is probable that it 
 was taken by the Chaldeans soon after the destruction of the 
 latter. It was afterwards burnt to the ground by the inhabi- 
 tants, to prevent it falling into the hands of Ochus. See 
 Prideaux, an. 351. 
 
 (11.) Egypt. The Egyptians^ or Mizrim, were descend- 
 ants of Mizraim, the son of Ham, (Gen. x. 6, 13.) Their 
 country, which is situated between 24^ and 32° n. lat. and 
 30° and 33° e. long., lay on the n. e. of Africa, west of the 
 Red Sea, and s. w. of Canaan, being bounded on the south by 
 Ethiopia, on the north by the Mediterranean, on the east by 
 the mountains of Arabia, and on the west by those of Lybia, 
 is about 750 miles in length from north to south, being one 
 long vale, till where the Nile, which runs through the middle 
 of it, is divided into several streams, and empties itself into 
 
272 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIrtATION 
 
 the Mediterranean ; in breadth from one to two or three days 
 journey, and even at the widest part of the Delta, from Pelu- 
 sium to Alexandria, not above 250 miles broad. It is ex- 
 tremely fertile in consequence of the annual overflowing of 
 the Nile ; and is said to have contained 20,000 cities, the 
 principal of which were, No, Zoan, On or Heliopolis, Noph or 
 Alemphis, Migdol, Pithom, Rameses, and Tahpanhes. Not 
 long after the dispersion from Babel, their monarchy was 
 founded by Mizraim ; which, according to the calculations of 
 Constance Mannasses, continued 1663 years, till the conquest 
 of Egypt by Cambyses.. B. C. 525. Their kings usually had 
 the surname of Pharaoh, under one of whom, Joseph, by his 
 prudence, saved the nation from the terrible effects of a famine 
 of seven years' duration. (Gen. xl.-xlvii.) Their cruel 
 oppression of the Israelites drew upon them ten fearful 
 plagues ; and, at last, their first-born were slain in one night, 
 and their army drowned in the Red Sea. (Exod. i.-xiv.) 
 From this period, no intercourse subsisted between the Egyp- 
 tians and Israelites till the reign of Solomon, who having 
 married a daughter of Pharaoh, established a considerable 
 trade between the two countries. (1 Kings iii. 1 ; vii. 8.) In 
 the reign of Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, 
 Shishak, who it seems first united Egypt under one king and 
 widely extended his empire in Asia and Africa, invaded the 
 kingdom of Judah, and despoiled the temple of its treasures. 
 (1 Kings xiv. 25-28. 1 Chr. xii. 1-9.) In his absence his 
 brother rebelled ; and after his death, his large empire fell in 
 pieces, and Egypt itself bent under the Ethiopians. Provoked 
 with their attempts to assist the Jews, the Assyrians under 
 Sennacherib invaded Egypt about B. C. 712, and ravaged the 
 country for three years. (Na. iii. 8-10.) Two years previ- 
 ously (B. C. 711:), Isaiah by the mouth of the Lord declared 
 (ch. xix. 2, 3). " And I will set the Egyptians against the 
 Egyptians : and they shall fight every one against his brother, 
 and every one against his neighbor ; city against city, and 
 kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail 
 in the midst thereof ; and I will destroy the counsel thereof." 
 This is a prophecy of what took place in Egypt about twenty- 
 two years after the destruction of Sennacherib's army, when, 
 upon the death of Tirhakah (B. C. 688), not being able to 
 settle about the succession, they continued for two years in a 
 state of anarchy, confusion, and civil wars ; which was fol- 
 lowed by the tyranny of twelve princes, who. seizing on, 
 
 \ 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 273 
 
 divided the country among them, and governed it for fifteen 
 years ; and at last, by the sole dominion of Psammiticus, who 
 having conquered his competitors, ascended the throne, and 
 which he held for fifty-four years. (Herodotus, 1. ii. Diodorus, 
 1. i.) Notwithstanding all his efforts to restore the power and 
 felicity of the nation, his wars with the Assyrians in Palestine, 
 and his provoking 200,000 of his troops to retire into Ethiopia, 
 greatly weakened the country. (Is. xviii.-xx.) About B. C. 
 610, Pharaoh-necho his son attempted to extend his power 
 on the ruins of the Assyrian empire, and took Carchemish on 
 the Euphrates, and rendered the Jewish nation tributary. But 
 Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 606, defeated his army, retook Car- 
 chemish, and pursued the Egyptians to the frontiers of their 
 country. Pharaoh-hophra, or Apries, as he is called by 
 Herodotus (1. ii. c. 161), having succeeded his father Psammis 
 on the throne of Egypt, A. M. 3410, B. C. 594, reigned twenty- 
 five years. Having entered into a confederacy with Zedekiah, 
 (Ezek. xvii. 15), he marched out of Egypt with a great army 
 to his relief; which caused Nebuchadnezzar to raise the siege 
 of Jerusalem to meet him. The Egyptians, on the approach 
 of the Chaldeans, not daring to engage in battle with so 
 numerous and well-appointed an army, retired into their own 
 country ; treacherously leaving Zedekiah and his people to 
 perish in the war into which they had drawn them ; for which 
 cause, the prophet Ezekiel (ch. xxix.), reproaching them for 
 their perfidy, denounces against them the judgments of God, 
 ch. xviii. 2-4. " Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all 
 Egypt : Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
 I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon 
 that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said. My river 
 is mine own, and I have made it for myself. But I will put 
 hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to 
 stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst 
 of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy 
 scales," &c. Herodotus (1. ii. c. 169) informs us, that Hophra, 
 or Apries, agreeably to the character given him by the prophet, 
 proudly and wickedly boasted of having established his king- 
 dom so surely, that it was not in the power of any God to 
 dispossess him of it. But God abaseth the proud. The sub- 
 jects of Pharaoh-hophra having rebelled on the destruction of 
 the army which he sent into Lydia against the Cyrenians, he 
 sent Amasis, one of his officers, to reduce them to their duty. 
 
274 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 But while he was addressing them, they placed the ensigns 
 of royalty on his head, and proclaimed him king. Amasis 
 accepted the title, and confirmed the Egyptians in their revolt ; 
 and the greater part of the nation declaring for him (chiefly 
 in consequence of the cruelty of Apries to Paterbemis another 
 officer, who had been sent to arrest Amasis, which he was 
 not able to effect), he was obliged to retire into Upper Egypt, 
 where he maintained himself for some years. The country 
 being thus weakened by intestine war, was attacked and easily 
 overcome by Nebuchadnezzar, in revenge for their having 
 attempted to assist the Jews and Tyrians, B. C. 572 ; and 
 having slain an immense number of the inhabitants, and driven 
 others out of the land, burnt their cities, and taken a pro- 
 digious booty, he returned to Babylon, leaving Amasis his 
 viceroy. After his departure, Apries marched against Amasis ; 
 and being defeated at Memphis, he was taken prisoner, carried 
 to Sais, and strangled in his own palace, thus verifying the 
 prophecy of Jeremiah, (ch. xliv. 30.) " Thus saith the Lord ; 
 Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra king of Egypt into the 
 hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his 
 life ; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of 
 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought 
 his life." 
 
 Thus also were accomplished the prophecies of Ezekiel 
 against this wicked prince and people, (ch. xxx. 21-24.) 
 " Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of 
 Egypt ; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put 
 a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God : Behold, I am against 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, 
 and that which was broken ; and I will cause the sword to 
 fall out of his hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among 
 the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 
 And I will strengthen the arms of the kinor of Babvlon, and 
 put my sword in his hand : but I will break Pharaoh's arms, 
 and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly 
 wounded man." When the king of Babylon took from the 
 king of Egypt, in the days of Pharaoh-necho, all his do- 
 minions in Asia, one of his arms was broken. God now 
 declared that he should never recover these territories, or 
 gain any ascendency in that part of the world ; nay, that his 
 other arm, which was now strong, should soon be broken, and 
 rendered utterly useless. This was fulfilled when Hophra 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 275 
 
 was dethroned and driven into Upper Egypt by Amasis ; and 
 when Nebuchadnezzar invaded and conquered that kingdom, 
 and enslaved, dispersed, and carried captive the Egyptians. 
 We learn from Berosus (apud Josephus, 1. ix. c. 11, § 1), 
 that Nebuchadnezzar sent several captive Egyptians to Ba- 
 bylon ; and from Megasthenes (apud Euseb. Prtep. Evang. 1. 
 ix. c. 41), that he transplanted others to Pontus ; and it is 
 proable, that at the dissolution of the Babylonian empire, about 
 forty years after (during which time this once populous coun- 
 try had continued almost utterly desolate), Cyrus permitted 
 them to return to their native country, agreeably to the 
 prophecy of Ezekiel, (ch. x^ix. 12, 13.) " And I will make 
 the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that 
 are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid 
 waste shall be desolate forty years ; and I will scatter the 
 Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through 
 the countries. Yet thus saith the Lord God ; At the end of 
 forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people 
 whither they were scattered." The Chaldean empire being 
 dissolved, the Egyptians under Amasis attempted to recover 
 their freedom ; but Cyrus marching his troops into their coun- 
 try, obliged them to acknowledge his authority. After his 
 death they again revolted from the. Persian yoke ; but Cam- 
 byses invaded and dreadfully ravaged their country, and 
 wholly subdued them, B. C. 525. They again, B. C. 487, 
 shook off the Persian yoke ; but were subdued by Xerxes, 
 who rendered their bondage more grievous. Instigated by 
 Inarus, king of Libya, whom they had acknowledged their 
 sovereign, they again revolted, B. C. 454; but were reduced 
 by Artaxerxes Longimanus, after a dreadful war of six years. 
 About B. C. 413, Amyrtaeus, who had some time reigned in 
 the fen country, attacked the Persian garrison with fury, and 
 drove them completely out of Egypt. After the Egyptians 
 had struggled with the Persians for liberty about sixty years, 
 a furious intestine war between Nectanebus and a Mendesian 
 prince exhausted their strength ; when Artaxerxes Ochus, 
 taking advantage of it, invaded and ransacked their country, 
 and made it a Persian province, B. C. 350. Thus " were 
 they given over into the hands of cruel lords" (Is. xxi. 4), 
 Nebuchadnezzar, who first conquered and ravaged Egypt, and 
 then, not only his successors, but Cambyses, the son of 
 Cyrus, and the whole succession of Persian kings till the 
 time of Alexander, who were in general hard masters, and 
 
276 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 grievously oppressed the country. When Alexander the 
 Great marched into Egypt, B. C. 332, the Egyptians, weary 
 of the Persian yoke, readily submitted to him as their power- 
 ful deliverer. For about 323 years after this they were govern- 
 ed by the Grecian Ptolemies, under four or five of whom 
 their country bade fair to recover its ancient splendor. Agree- 
 ably to the prophecy of Isaiah (ch. xix, 18-25), the knowledge 
 of the true God was disseminated in Egypt under the suc- 
 cessors of Alexander ; and an early reception given to the 
 gospel in the same country. The Romans next annexed it 
 to their dominions in the form of a province, A. D. 30 ; and 
 in A. D. 640, the Saracens, under Omar, conquered it, and 
 established the Mahommedan delusion, which has obtained 
 there ever since. About A. D. 970, the Moslem calif of 
 Gyrene wrested it from the calif of Bagdad ; and he and 
 his descendants governed it 200 years. About 1171, Saladin 
 the Curd craftily seized it j and he and his posterity governed 
 it for eighty years. It was next ruled by the Mamalukes, or 
 slave-usurpers, for 275 years; and in 1525, it was annexed 
 to the Ottoman empire, of which it still forms a part, being- 
 governed by a pacha and twenty-four begs or chiefs. Thus 
 has Egypt been the " basest of kingdoms," and has " not 
 been governed by a prince of the land of Egypt" for upwards 
 of 2000 years, (Jer. xxv. 46 ; Ezek. xxix. 32.) Having been 
 successiA^ely under the dominion of the Babylonians, Per- 
 sians, Macedonians, Romans, Saracens, Mamaluke slaves, 
 and Turks, to whom it remains in most abject servitude 
 to this day, it has thus continued a most base, or tributary 
 kingdom. See Bp. Newton. 
 
 (12.) The MoABiTES and Am.moxites, who were the de- 
 scendants of the incestuous offspring of Lot, (Gen. xix. 30-38.) 
 The former dwelt on the east of the Dead Sea, northward 
 of the Midianites, and along the banks of the river Arnon, in 
 a tract of country whence they had expelled the Emim, a 
 gigantic aboriginal race, who were of the offspring of Ham, 
 (Deut. ii. 11, 12.) The Ammonites had their residence 
 north-east of the Moabites, and east of the Reubenites and 
 Gadites, in the territory of which Rabbah was the capital, 
 and which they had wrested from the gigantic Zamzummim, 
 another part of the descendants of Ham, (Deut. ii. 18-22; 
 iii. 11.) They were violently hostile to the Israelites, whom 
 they terribly oppressed at various times ; but, after being suc- 
 cessively conquered by Ehud (Jud. iii. 13-20); Jephthah 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 277 
 
 (Jud. X. 11) ; and Saul (1 Sam. xi.) ; they were wholly sub- 
 dued by David, (2 Sam. x.-xii. ; 1 Ch. xviii.-xx.) For about 
 150 years they continued subject to the Israelites ; and after 
 the division of the kingdom, fell to the share of the ten tribes. 
 After the death of Ahab, the Moabites rebelled ; but were 
 severely chastised by his son Jehoram, and their country 
 nearly ruined, (2 Kings i. 1-3.) Both nations united in the 
 confederacy against Jehoshaphat, when their armies perished 
 in the attempt, (2 Chr. xx. ; Ps. Ixxxiii.) The kings of Israel 
 being no longer able to retain them in subjection, Uzziah and 
 Jotham, kings of Judah, conquered and made them tributary; 
 but it appears they regained their freedom during the unhappy 
 reign of Ahaz (2 Chr. xxvi.-xxviii.) While the Assyrians 
 ravaged the kingdom of Israel, the Ammonites and the Moab- 
 ites seized on the cities near them, and murdered the in- 
 habitants in the most inhuman manner ; but soon afterwards, 
 the Assyrians seized their wealth, burnt their cities, mur- 
 dered or carried captive many of their people, and desolated 
 their country. After the death of Esarhaddon king of As- 
 syria, they again asserted their independence. They un- 
 generously triumphed over the Jews when oppressed and 
 carried captive by the Chaldeans ; but they were soon in- 
 volved in the same calamity by Nebuchadnezzar, in revenge 
 for their assisting the Tyrians when he passed through 
 Syria in his way to Egypt. Josephus (Ant. 1. x. c. 2) ex- 
 pressly states, that five years after the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, Nebuchadnezzar turned his arms against the Ammonites 
 and Moabites, and entirely subjugated them ; and it is proba- 
 ble that the Arabs, and other nations east of Judah, then took 
 possession of their cities, and enjoyed the fruits of their land, 
 agreeably to the prophecy of Ezekiel, (ch. xxv.) After the 
 destruction of the Babylonian empire by Cyrus, many of tho 
 Moabites were afterwards restored to their country by him, 
 as we learn from Josephus ; but they were never restored to 
 their national consequence ; and perhaps their restoration in 
 the latter days spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah (ch. xlviii. 
 47), refers to the conversion of their scattered remnants to 
 the Gospel. They afterwards successively became subject 
 to the Persians, Greeks, and Romans. After the captivity, 
 they took every opportunity to distress the Jews ; till Judas 
 Maccabceus, provoked with their insults, particularly during 
 the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, invaded the Am- 
 monites with a small force, routed their armies, burned their 
 
 24 
 
278 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Cities, and made slaves of their wives and children (1 Mac. 
 V.) ; and about seventy years afterwards Alexander Jannaeus 
 reduced the Moabites into a state of slavery to the Jewish 
 nation. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, 
 all the tribes around Judea were denominated in general 
 Arabians ; and before the end of the third century, the Moab- 
 ites and Ammonites were not known as distinct people. The 
 country of Moab and Ammon is now inhabited by the Bedouin 
 Arabs ; where they pasture their flocks, and, no doubt, make 
 the ruins of Rabbah, their once proud capital, " a stable for 
 camels" (Ezek. xxv. 5), and other cattle, and their name has 
 utterly perished from the face of the earth. Thus Moab (as 
 well as Ammon) has long since ceased to be a nation ; " and 
 destroyed from being a people" (Jer. xlviii. 42) ; while the 
 Jews, agreeably to the Divine promise (ch. xlvi. 28), though 
 successively subdued and oppressed by the Egyptians, As- 
 syrians, Babylonians, Syro-Macedonians, and Romans (which 
 have also passed away, and are no more), and dispersed over 
 the face of the earth, subsist to this day as a distinct people 
 from all the nations of the world. 
 
 (13.) The Philistines, who were part of the posterity of 
 Mizraim, the second son of Ham (Gen. x. 14- ; 1 Chr. i. 11, 
 12) ; who, leaving Caphtor, or the north-eastern part of Egypt, 
 settled at an early period in a small strip of territory along the 
 shore of the Mediterranean, in the south-west of Canaan, hav- 
 ing expelled the Avites, who had before possessed it. (Deut. 
 ii. 23; Amos ix. 7; Jer. xlvii. 4.) As early as the tiifie of 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Ephraim, they were a powerful people, 
 in possession of several considerable cities ; and even at that 
 deriod discovered their enmity to the Hebrews. (Gen. xx., 
 xxi., xxvi. ; 1 Chr. vii. 21.) Though Joshua allotted their terri- 
 tories to the tribe of Judah, they long retained the fortified 
 cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Gath, which 
 constituted their five satrapies or lordships. They were per- 
 haps the most inveterate enemies the Israelites had to en- 
 counter ; never losing an opportunity of doing them a mischief. 
 They frequently conquered and held them in bondage ; and 
 though Samson, Samuel, and others were raised up to deliver 
 the Israelites out of their hands, yet they continued to main- 
 tain their independence till the time of David, who entirely 
 subjected them. (Jud. iii.31 ; xiii.,xvi. ; 1 Sam.iv., vii.,xiii.,xiv., 
 xvii.,xviii.,xxxi. ; 2Sam. vii., viii. ; 1 Chr. xiv. 8-17 ; xviii. 1.) 
 Towards the latter part of his reign they attempted to revolt 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 279 
 
 (2 Sam. xxi. 13-22 ; 1 Chr. xx. 4-8) ; and not long after the di- 
 Adsion of the Hebrew monarchy, they renewed the war with 
 the ten tribes. (1 Kings xv. 27; xvi. 15.) They joined in 
 the grand confederacy against Jehoshaphat to their own da- 
 mage (2 Chr. xx. ; Psa. Ixxxiii. 7-18) ; but under his son Je- 
 horam, they ravaged the kingdom of Judah, and sold multitudes 
 of the Jews to the Edomites and Greeks. (2 Chr. xxi. 16, 
 17 ; Amos i. 6 ; Joel iii. 6.) Although Uzziah, king of Judah, 
 had reduced part of their country, they again took up arms in 
 the days of Ahaz, and seized upon part of Judea (2 Chr. xxvi. 
 6 ; xxviii. 18 ; Isa. ix. 12) ; but about twenty years after, 
 Hezekiah reduced the whole of their country lo the brink of 
 ruin, (2 Kings xviii. 8 ; Isa. xiv. 29-31.) Not long after they 
 were attacked by the Assyrians (Isa. xx. 1); and to expel 
 their troops, Psammiticus, king of Egypt, reduced Ashdod by 
 a siege of twenty-nine years. After being greatly harassed 
 by the kings of Egypt, they were, with the other neighboring 
 nations, conquered by Nebuchadnezzar. Provoked with their 
 attempts to assist the Tyrians, he desolated their country, 
 burnt their cities, and murdered their inhabitants, according 
 to the prediction of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, (Jer. xlvii. ; Ez. xxv.) 
 Berosus (apud Josephus, Cont. Ap.) states that he subdued 
 Syria, Arabia, Phoenicia, and Egypt. Afterwards they fell 
 under the dominion of the Persians, under whose government 
 they recovered in some degree their former consequence : but 
 Alexander the Great, having destroyed Tyre, B. C. 332, 
 marched against their cities, which were then garrisoned with 
 Persian troops, took Gaza by storm (Strabo, 1. xvi. Arrian, 1, 
 ii.), and murdered or sold its inhabitants, and placed Macedo- 
 nian garrisons in all their fortified cities. After the persecu- 
 tion of Antiochus Epiphanes, they were gradually subdued by 
 the Maccabees. About B. C. 148, Jonathan, the brother and 
 successor of Judas Maccabaeus, subdued the whole country of 
 the Philistines, and Tryphon gave Jonathan the. whole of their 
 country from Tyre to Egypt, agreeably to the prediction of 
 Zephaniah, (ch. ii. 7; Josephus, Ant. 1. xviii. c. 9 ; 1 Mac. 
 xi. 57-59.) About fifty years afterwards, Alexander Jannaeus 
 burnt Gaza, and incorporated the remnant of the Philistines 
 with such Jews as he placed in their country (1 Mac. x. 69— 
 89), and now their very names have no existence, except in 
 history. ^ 
 
 (14.) The Chaldean, or Babylonian monarchy, the first of 
 the four great monarchies, respecting which the prophet Dan- 
 
280 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 iel has delivered the most astonishing predictions. These 
 monarchies are represented in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, 
 as interpreted by the prophet, under the figure of a human 
 being, (ch. 31-35.) " This image's head was of fine gold, his 
 breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 
 his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. . ." "A 
 stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon 
 his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 
 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the 
 gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of 
 the summer thrashing-floors ; and the wind carried them 
 away, that no place was found for them : and the stone that 
 smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole 
 earth." It appears from ancient coins and medals, that cities 
 and people were often represented by the figures of men and 
 women ; and Florus, in the prooemium to his Roman History, 
 represents the Roman empire under the form of a human be- 
 ing, in its difl^erent states from infancy to old age. A stupen- 
 dous human figure, therefore, was not an improper emblem of 
 sovereign power and dominion ; and the various metals of 
 which it was composed not unfitly represented the various 
 kingdoms which should arise ; while the order of the succes- 
 sion is clearly denoted by that of their parts. The same 
 monarchies were afterwards seen by the prophet in vision as 
 " four great beasts," which " came up from the sea, diverse 
 one from another," — a lion, a bear, a leopard, and " a fourth 
 beast, diverse from all the beasts that were before it." (Dan. 
 vii. 3, &c.) That is, four kingdoms (v. 17), called beasts 
 from their tyranny and oppression, emerging from the sea, i. e. 
 the wars and commotions of the world. 
 
 In the image, the head of gold represented the Chaldean 
 monarchy, as Daniel interpreted it to Nebuchadnezzar, (ch. ii. 
 37, 38.) " Thou, O king, art a king of kings : for the God 
 of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, 
 and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the 
 beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given 
 into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. 
 Thou art this head of gold," that is, the Chaldean monarchy, 
 over which Nebuchadnezzar was the only king of note ; by 
 whose conquests it was raised to the pinnacle of glory, and 
 in whose time it extended over Chaldea, Assyria, Arabia, Sy- 
 ria, Egypt, and Libya ; the head of gold represented its im- 
 mense riches. The rapid and extensive conquests of this 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 281 
 
 prince, and the decline and ruin under Belshazzar of this 
 monarchy, are denoted in the prophet's vision, ch. vii. 4. 
 •' The first was hke a lion, and had eagle's wings : I beheld 
 till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from 
 the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's 
 heart was given to it." Nebuchadnezzar having routed the 
 troops of Pharaoh-necho at the Euphrates, and taken Car- 
 chemish, succeeded his father B. C. 605 ; and, having raised 
 a formidable army of Chaldeans, Scythians, and others, he 
 subdued the Syrians, Jews, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, 
 and part of the Arabs. Enraged that the Tyrians had with- 
 drawn with their riches, after he had besieged them thirteen 
 years, he wreaked his vengeance on the Philistines and 
 Egyptians, who had assisted them, and terribly alarmed, if 
 not ravaged Ethiopia and Libya. He returned to Babylon 
 laden with spoil ; and having given himself up to idolatry and 
 pride, he was punished with a temporary alienation of mind, 
 as related in Dan. iv., and died after a reign of 43 years, B. C. 
 562. He was succeeded by his son Evil-merodach, who 
 reigned little more than two years, being put to death by 
 his own relations. Neriglisser, his sister's husband, and one 
 of the chief conspirators, reigned in his stead ; and, after a 
 short reign of four years, being slain by the Medes and Per- 
 sians in battle, he was succeeded by Laborosoarchod, a wick- 
 ed and inglorious prince, who was put to death by his subjects 
 for his tyrannical conduct and crimes. He was succeeded 
 by Belshazzar, called also Nabonadius and Labynitus, the son 
 of Evil-merodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar ; but Cy- 
 rus having taken Babylon, after a siege of two years, Belshaz- 
 zar was slain in the assault on his palace ; and with him ter- 
 minated the Babylonian empire, B. C. 538. 
 
 (15.) The Medo-Persiax empire, or that of the Medes 
 and Persians, whose union was denoted by the breast and 
 two arms of silver (Dan. ii. 32), and which was established 
 on the ruins of that of the Chaldeans on the capture of Bab- 
 ylon by Cyrus, B. C. 538. This union of the two nations, 
 forming one kingdom, was denoted by the second " beast like 
 to a bear," which raised up itself on one side, or one domin- 
 ion (Dan. vii. 5), being compared to a bear from their cruelty 
 and thirst for blood. In the prophet's vision by the river Ulai, 
 the Medo-Persian empire was represented by "a ram which 
 had two horns" (Dan. viii. 3), i. e. "the kings of Media and 
 Persia," as Gabriel interpreted it (vpr. 20), of which a ram 
 
 24* 
 
282 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 "Was the ensign ; and a ram's head with horns, one higher 
 than the other, is still to be seen on the ruins of Persepolis, 
 agreeably to the prophetic description ; " and the two horns 
 were high : but one was higher than the other, and the higher 
 came up last," intimating, that of the two kingdoms of which 
 it was composed, Media was the more ancient, but Persia, 
 after Cyrus, the most considerable. The Medes were the 
 descendants of Madai, son of Japheth (Gen. x. 2), and in- 
 habited the tract of country which lies between the Caspian 
 sea and Armenia on the north, Persia on the south, Assyria 
 on the west, and Parthia and Hyrcania on the east. It was 
 first raised into a kingdom by its revolt from the Assyrian 
 monarchy under Arbaces ; and after it had for some time en- 
 joyed a kind of republican government, Deioces, by artifice, 
 procured himself to be called king, and made Ecbatana his 
 capital, B. C. 700. After a reign of fifty-three years, he was 
 succeeded by Phraortes, B. C. 647, by Cyaxares, B. C. 625, 
 and by Astyages, B. C. 585 ; in whose time, Cyrus became 
 master of Media ; and the empire was transferred to the Per- 
 siajis, or Elamites, who were descended from Elam, the eld- 
 est son of Shem (Gen. x. 22), and originally inhabited a small 
 province east of Susiana, west of Caramania, south of Media, 
 and north of the Persian gulf. Previous to the time of Cy- 
 rus, Persia was subject to the Assyrian and Chaldean mon- 
 archs. He was heir to the Persian crown by his father Cam- 
 byses, and to the Median, by his mother Mandane ; and 
 having, with his Medo-Persian troops, conquered the three 
 powerful kingdoms of Lydia on the north, Egypt on the south, 
 and Babylon in the centre (denoted by the " three ribs in the 
 mouth of the bear, between the teeth of it," Dan. vii. 5), with 
 immense spoil, he founded the Persian empire, B. C. 530, 
 which became under him, and his successors, one of the most 
 considerable and powerful kingdoms of the earth. Thus, " the 
 ram pushed westward, and northward, and southward ; so that 
 no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could 
 deliver out of his hand ; but he did according to his will, and 
 became great." (Dan. viii. 4.) In the third year of Cyrus, 
 the angel Michael revealed to Daniel the fate of this and the 
 succeeding kingdom, saying, " Behold, there shall stand up 
 yet three kings in Persia." These were, Cambyses, son of 
 Cyrus ; Smerdis, the Magian impostor, and Darius Hystaspes. 
 " And the fourth shall be far richer than they all :" Xerxes, 
 pon of Darius, of whom Justin (1. ii. c. 10) says, that "there 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 283 
 
 was SO great an abundance of riches in his kingdom, that 
 when rivers were dried up by his army, yet his weakh re- 
 mained unexhausted." " And by his strength through his 
 riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia." Hero- 
 dotus (1. vii. c. 60) says, his army consisted of 5,283,220 
 men, besides the forces of the Carthaginians, consisting of 
 300,000 men, and 200 ships. (Diod. I. xi.) Artaxerxes 
 Longimanus having succeeded to the Persian throne, by his 
 extensive conquests extended the empire from India to Ethio- 
 pia, married Esther, and made Mordccai his chief minister, 
 (Est. i.-x.) The Persian monarchy subsisted for upwards 
 of a century after this period, till the unfortunate Darius Cod- 
 omanus was overthrown by Alexander the Great, who con- 
 quered the whole Persian empire, and erected that of the 
 Greeks, B. C. 331, with whose history that of the Persians 
 became blended, agreeably to the predictions of the prophet 
 Daniel, w^hich we shall immediately consider. 
 
 (16.) The empire of the Macedonians and Greeks. — • 
 The Greeks, comprehending the Athenians, Spartans, Eolians, 
 lonians, Dorians, &c., were the descendants of Javan, the 
 fourth son of Japheth. In the first periods of their history they 
 were governed by monarchs ; and there were as many kings 
 as there were cities. The monarchical power gradually de- 
 creased ; and the love of liberty established the republican 
 government : and no part of Greece, except Macedonia, re- 
 mained in the hands of an absolute sovereign. They gained 
 many splendid victories over the Persians, and gradually pen- 
 etrated into their territories ; and about B. C. 332, under 
 Alexander the Great, they erected an empire of their own 
 upon the ruins of the Persian, less opulent and showy, but 
 ntuch more powerful and warlike. The empire of the Mace- 
 donians, or " brazen coated Greeks" (Dan. ii. 32, 39), was 
 aptly denoted by the belly and thighs of brass, thus founded 
 by Alexander the Great, who terminated the Persian mon- 
 archy by the overthrow of Darius Codomanus at Arbela. 
 The same empire is designated by the same prophet as a 
 beast "like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four 
 wings of a fowl ; the beast had also four heads ; and domin- 
 ion was given to it:" the four heads denoting that it should be 
 divided into four parts by Alexander's generals. The same 
 great events are detailed more fully in the vision of the ram 
 and he goat (Dan. 8. 5-8), in which, says the prophet, " as I 
 was considering," behold, " a he goat," the empire of the 
 
284 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 Macedonians or Greeks, as interpreted by the angel Gabriel 
 (ver. 21), whose standard was z- goat, and who were called 
 iEgeadffi, or *' the goat's people," " came from the west," 
 Europe, lying westward of Asia, " on the face of the whole 
 earth, and touched not the ground : and the goat had a nota- 
 ble horn," Alexander the Great, " between his eyes. And 
 he came to the ram that had two horns," the Persian empire, 
 *' which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto 
 him in the fury of his power." He attacked Darius at the 
 river Granicus with the utmost fury ; and after a few engage- 
 ments subdued the Persian empire. " And I saw him come 
 close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against 
 him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns : and there 
 was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him 
 down to the ground, and stamped upon him : and there was 
 none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore 
 the he goat waxed very great : and when he was strong, the 
 great horn was broken ; and for it came up four notable ones 
 toward the four winds of heaven." That is, as the angel inter- 
 preted it (ver. 22), " Now that being broken, whereas four 
 stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, 
 but not in his power." After Alexander's death, in the prime 
 of life, and in the height of his conquests, his brother and two 
 sons were all murdered ; and the kingdom was divided among 
 four of his generals : 1. Seleucus, who had Syria and Baby- 
 lon, 2. Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor, 3. Ptolemy, who 
 had Egypt, and, 4. Cassander, who had Greece, &c. Equally 
 extraordinary was the fulfilment of the prophecies respecting 
 these successors of Alexander in the Greek empire, as deliv- 
 ered by the same prophet ; {ch. xi.) " And a mighty king shall 
 stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do accord- 
 ing to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom 
 shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds 
 of heaven ; and not to his posterity, nor according to his do- 
 minion which he ruled : for his kingdom shall be plucked up, 
 even for others beside those." That is, Alexander the Great, 
 ■whose kingdom after his death, as we have seen, was divided 
 into four parts. " And the king of the south shall be strong, 
 and one of his princes," i. e. Ptolemy Lagus, king of Egypt, 
 Cyrene, &c. " And (the latter) he shall be strong above him, 
 and have dominion ; his dominion shall be a great domin- 
 ion," i. e. Seleucus Nicator, who had Syria, <fec., to which 
 he added Macedonia and Thrace. " And in the end of 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 285 
 
 years they shall join themselves together ; for the king's 
 daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north 
 to make an agreement." After many wars between Pto- 
 lemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theos, 
 king of Syria, they agreed to make peace, on condition that 
 the latter should put away his wife Laodice and her sons, and 
 marry Berenice, Ptolemy's daughter. " But she shall not re- 
 tain the power of the arm ; neither shall he stand, nor his 
 arm : but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, 
 and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these 
 times." Antiochus recalled Laodice, who, fearing another 
 change, caused him to be poisoned, and Berenice, and her 
 son, to be murdered, and set her son Callinicus on the throne. 
 And the father of Berenice, Ptolemy, died a few years before. 
 " But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his 
 estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into 
 the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against 
 them, and shall prevail : and shall also carry captives into 
 Egypt their gods with their princes, and with their precious 
 vessels of silver and of gold." That is, Ptolemy Euergetes, 
 who, to avenge his sister's death, marched with a great army 
 against Callinicus, took all Asia from mount Taurus to India, 
 and returned to Egypt with an immense booty. " And he 
 shall continue more years than the king of the north." Cal- 
 linicus died an exile, and Euergetes survived him four or five 
 years. " So the king of the south shall come into his king- 
 dom, and shall return into his own land. But his sons shall 
 be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces : 
 and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: 
 then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fort- 
 ress," /. e. Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great, sons 
 of Callinicus. But the former being poisoned, the latter was 
 proclaimed king, retook Seleucia and Syria, and then, after a 
 truce, returned and overcame the Egyptian forces. " And 
 the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall 
 come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the 
 north : and he shall set forth a great multitude ; but the mul- 
 titude shall be given into his hand." Ptolemy Philopater, 
 enraged at Antiochus, marched against him to Raphia, en- 
 tirely defeated him, and obliged him to retreat to Antioch. 
 " And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall 
 be lifted up ; and he shall cast down many ten thousands : 
 but he shall not be strengthened by it. For the king of the 
 
286 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than 
 the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a 
 great army and with much riches. And in those times there 
 shall many stand up against the king of the south : also the 
 robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the 
 vision ; but they shall fall. So the king of the north shall 
 come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities : 
 and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his 
 chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to with- 
 stand. But he that cometh against him shall do according to 
 his own will, and none shall stand before him : and he shall 
 stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be con- 
 sumed." After fourteen years, Ptolemy Philopater having 
 been succeeded by Ptolemy Epiphanes, then a minor, Antio- 
 chus raised a greater army than before, and, having defeated 
 his best troops under Scopas, recovered possession of Ccelo- 
 Syria and Palestine, with all their fortified cities. *' He shall 
 also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole king- 
 dom, and upright ones with him ; thus shall he do : and he shall 
 give him the daughter of women, corrupting her : but she 
 shall not stand on his side, neither be for him." Being as- 
 sisted by the Jews, he purposed to subdue Egypt ; but, enter- 
 ing into a treaty with Ptolemy, he gave him his daughter 
 Cleopatra in marriage, thinking to engage her to betray the 
 interests of her husband ; but in which he was deceived. 
 " After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall 
 take many : but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the 
 reproach offered by him to cease ; without his own reproach 
 he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his 
 face toward the fort of his owm land : but he shall stumble 
 and fall, and not be found." He subdued most of the mari- 
 time places and isles of the Mediterranean ; but, being driven 
 from Europe by the Roman consuls, he took refuge in An- 
 tioch ; and, in order to raise the tribute they imposed upon 
 him, he attempted to rob the temple of Elymais, and was there 
 slain. " Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes 
 in the glory of the kingdom : but within few days he shall be 
 destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle." Seleucus Philo- 
 pater, who levied on his subjects the tribute imposed on his 
 father, and was poisoned by his treasurer Heliodorus. " And 
 in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall 
 not give the honor of the kingdom : but he shall come in 
 peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries." Antiochus 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 287 
 
 Epiphanes, called also Epimanes or madman, for his despi- 
 cable conduct. " And with the arms of a flood shall they be 
 overflown from before him, and shall be broken ; yea, also 
 the prince of the covenant. And after the league made with 
 him he shall work deceitfully : for he shall come up, and 
 shall become strong with a small people. He shall enter 
 peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province ; and 
 he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fa- 
 thers' fathers ; he shall scatter among them the prey, and 
 spoil, and riches : yea, and he shall forecast his devices 
 against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir 
 up his power and his courage against the king of the south 
 with a great army ; and the king of the south shall be stirred up 
 to battle with a very great and mighty army ; but he shall not 
 stand : for they shall forecast devices against him. Yea, they 
 that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his 
 army shall overflow : and many shall fall down slain. And 
 both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they 
 shall speak lies at one table ; but it shall not prosper : for 
 yet the end shall be at the time appointed." Antiochus de- 
 feated the army of Ptolemy Philometer ; and in the next cam- 
 paign made himself master of all Egypt, except Alexandria. 
 While they had frequent conferences at the same table, they 
 spoke lies to each other ; and the former returned to Syria, 
 laden with riches. " Then shall he return into his land with 
 great riches ; and his heart shall be against the holy cove- 
 nant ; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land." 
 The Jews having rejoiced at a report of his death, he took 
 Jerusalem, and slew 40,000 of the inhabitants, and polluted 
 the temple. " At the time appointed he shall return, and 
 come toward the south ; but it shall not be as the former, or as 
 the latter. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him : 
 therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation 
 against the holy covenant : so shall he do ; he shall even 
 return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy 
 covenant." He was compelled to retire from Egypt by Ro- 
 man ambassadors, which introduced the fourth great monarchy, 
 or that of 
 
 (17.) The Romans, denoted by the "legs of iron, and the 
 feet part of iron and part of clay" (Dan. ii. 33), and the fourth 
 beast with ten horns, (Dan. vii. 7.) The Romans, who derive 
 their name from their capital, Rome, were descended from 
 Japheth, by his son Javan or Gomer. From an obscure and 
 
288 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 base origin, and from small beginnings, and slow progress, 
 they destroyed the Grecian empire, and at length conquered 
 almost every nation : and Rome became " the mistress of the 
 world ;" her empire extending about 2600 miles from north to 
 south, and 3000 miles from east to west. " Thus the fourth 
 kingdom was strong as iron : forasmuch as iron breaketh in 
 pieces and subdueth all things : and as iron that breaketh all 
 these, it broke in pieces and bruised." They successively 
 adopted seven forms of government. For upwards of 200 
 years from the foundation of Rome, B. C. 753, they had kings. 
 From the expulsion of the Tarquins, B. C. 509, to B. C. 44, 
 they were governed by consuls, tribunes, decemvirs, and dic- 
 tators, in their turns. After this, to A. D. 476, they were 
 ruled by emperors, pagan and Christian ; and from that period 
 to A. D. 556, they were governed by Gothic kings. After 
 they had been ruled by a race of princes, remarkable for the 
 variety of their characters, the Roman possessions were di- 
 vided into two distinct empires by the enterprising Constan- 
 tine, 328. After having been frequently ravaged by the Goths, 
 Huns, Alans, and Vandals, the western empire began to be 
 divided into ten kingdoms, A. D. 480. Thus gradually was 
 fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel, (ch. ii. 41-43.) " And 
 whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, 
 and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided ; but there shall 
 be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the 
 iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were 
 part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly 
 strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron 
 mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the 
 seed of men : but they shall not cleave one to another, even 
 as iron is not mixed with clay." The Roman empire became 
 weakened by a mixture of barbarous nations, by the incursions 
 of whom it was torn asunder about the fourth century after 
 Christ, and at length divided into ten kingdoms, answering to 
 the ten toes of the image, and the ten horns of the beast. 
 The ten kingdoms into which the v/estern Roman empire was 
 divided were, primarily, according to Machiavel and Bp. 
 Lloyd, 1. The Huns in Hungary, A. D. 356. 2. The Ostro- 
 goths in Mossia, 377. 3. The Visigoths in Pannonia, 378. 
 4. The Sueves and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain, 407. 5. 
 The Vandals in Africa, 407. 6. The Franks in France, 407. 
 7. The Burgundians in Burgundy, 407. 8. The Heruli and 
 Turingi in Italy, 476. 9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 289 
 
 476. 10. The Lombards first, upon the Danube, 526, and 
 afterwards in Italy. Though the ten kingdoms differed from 
 these in later periods, and were sometimes more or less, yet 
 they were still known by that name. Justin II. totally abol- 
 ished the distinguished honors of Rome, A. D. 566, reduced 
 it to a level with the neighboring states, and made the exarch 
 of Ravenna the deputy governor. The Romish bishop having 
 obtained an imperial mandate declaring him universal bishop, 
 A. D. 606, began to grasp at civil power ; and in A. D. 756, 
 he actually became prince of Rome and the territories adja- 
 cent, and restored to that city part of its ancient privileges ; 
 and he still continues to hold the sovereignty, and to maintain 
 his independence, under the name of the Ecclesiastical States. 
 (18.) This, or the Papal Power, is that predicted by Daniel, 
 (ch. viii. 24-27.) " And the ten horns out of this kingdom 
 are ten kings that shall arise ; and another shall rise after 
 them ; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall 
 subdue three kings." This evidently points out the papal 
 supremacy, in every respect diverse from the former, which, 
 from small beginnings, thrust itself up among the ten king- 
 doms, till at length it successively eradicated three of them — 
 the kingdom of the Heruli, of the Ostrogoths, and of the Lom- 
 bards. " And he shall speak great words against the Most 
 High," in assuming infallibility, professing to forgive sins, 
 and to open and shut heaven, thundering out bulls and ana- 
 themas, excommunicating princes, absolving subjects from 
 their allegiance, and exacting obedience to his decrees in 
 open violation of reason and Scripture. " And shall wear 
 out the saints of the Most High," by wars, crusades, 
 massacres, &lc. " And think to change times and laws," 
 appointing feasts and fasts, canonizing saints, &c. " And 
 they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and 
 the dividing of time," i. e. 3| years, or, reckoning 30 days to 
 a month, 1260 days, equal to the same number of years in 
 prophetic language ; which if dated from the decree of Pho- 
 cas constituting him the supreme head of the church, A. D. 
 606, will terminate 1866. The same Anti-christian power is 
 described by the prophet in ch. xi. 36-39. "And the king 
 shall do according to his will ; and he shall exalt himself, 
 and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak mar- 
 vellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till 
 the indignation be accomplished : for that that is determined 
 shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his 
 
 25 
 
290 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god : for he 
 shall magnify himself above all." The preceding verses 
 (from V. 31) relate to the Romans ; who not only destroyed the 
 city and temple of Jerusalem, and crucified the Messiah, but 
 during almost 300 years, sought by every means to extirpate 
 Christianity. The conversion of Constantine, while it stopped 
 the rage of persecution, gave but little help to true religion. 
 The power first exercised by the emperors in calling and influ- 
 encing ecclesiastical councils, gradually passed into the hands 
 of the clergy ; and the bishop and church of Rome at last 
 carried it to an enormous length, magnifying themselves 
 above every god. " But in his estate shall he honor the God 
 of forces : and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor 
 with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant 
 things." Forces, or munitions, Heb. Mauzzim, or gods pro- 
 tectors, saints, and angels, who were invocated as inter- 
 cessors and protectors ; had miracles ascribed to them ; their 
 relics worshipped ; and their shrines and images adorned 
 with costly oflerings. But "the judgment shall sit, and they 
 shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it 
 unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the great- 
 ness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given 
 to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom 
 is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and 
 obey him." 
 
 (19.) This latter, or the kingdom of Messiah, is the stone 
 cut out of the mountain without hands, as interpreted by 
 Daniel (ch. ii. 44, 45) ; " And in the days of these kings 
 shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never 
 be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not be left to other 
 people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
 kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou 
 sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without 
 hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the 
 clay, the silver, and the gold ; the great God hath made 
 known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter : and 
 the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." 
 " In the days of these kings'^ that is, in the days of one of 
 these kingdoms (see Ruth i. 1), i. e. the Roman ; in which 
 the " God of heaven set up" the spiritual kingdom of the Mes- 
 siah, which shall yet " become a great mountain, and fill the 
 whole earth." 
 
 (20.) Prophecies respecting Christ, or the Messiah. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 291 
 
 ^ 1. General ones declaring the coming of a Messiah, 
 Gen. iii. 15 ; Deut. xviii. 15 ; Ps. Ixxxix. 20 ; Isa. ii. 2 ; ix. 
 6; xxviii. 16; xxxii. 1; xxxv. 4; xlii. 6; xlix. 1; Iv. 4; 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 24 ; Dan. ii. 44 ; Mic. iv. 1 ; Zech. viii. 8. 
 Jesus the same with Christ, or the Messiah, John i. 41 ; iv. 
 25; vi. 69; xx. 31 ; Acts xvii. 3 ; xviii. 5, 28. Compare 
 article Christ, pp. 171-174. 
 
 ^ 2. His excellency and dignity, and the design of his 
 mission, Gen. xii. 3; xlix. 10; Num. xxiv. 17-19. The 
 Targum of Onkelos translates this passage in the following 
 manner : " I shall see him, but not now ; I shall behold him, 
 but he is not near. When a king shall arise from the house 
 of Jacob, and the Messiah be anointed from the house of Is- 
 rael, he shall slay the princes of Moab, and rule over all the 
 children of men." Deut. xviii. 18 ; Ps. xxi. 1 ; Isa. lix. 20; 
 Jer. xxxiii. 15, 16. " In those days, and at that time, will I 
 cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David ; 
 and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 
 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell 
 safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, 
 The Lord our righteousness," or rather, as Bp. Pearson and 
 others render, " He that shall call her is The Lord our 
 righteousness ;" or, adopting the reading of some MSS. and 
 versions, *' And this is his name (iioD? shemo^ as five MSS. 
 liave) by which he (i^, /o, as one or two MSS., the Vulgate, 
 Chaldee, and Syriac read) shall be called, Jehovah, our 
 righteousness ;" agreeably to the parallel passage, ch. xxiii. 
 6. Dr. Blaney renders, " And this is he whom Jehovah 
 shall call. Our righteousness ;" and the parallel passage, 
 " This is the name by which Jehovah shall call him, Our 
 righteousness ;" but this is not only contrary to all the an- 
 cient versions, but has no consistent meaning; for our is here 
 a pronoun, without any antecedent. No man has adopted a 
 more likely way of explaining the phraseology of the Epistle 
 to the Hebrews, than Schoetgen, who has traced its peculiar 
 diction to Jewish sources ; and, according to him, the pro- 
 position of the whole Epistle is this : Jesus of Nazareth is 
 the true God. And in order to convince the Jews of the 
 truth of this proposition, the Apostle urges but three argu- 
 ments : — 1. Christ is superior to the angels. 2. He is su- 
 perior to Moses. 3. He is superior to Aaron. These argu- 
 ments would appear more distinctly were it not for the 
 improper division of the chapters ; in consequence of which. 
 
292 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ihal one excellency of the Apostle's is not noticed — his ap- 
 plication of every argument, and the strong exhortution 
 founded upon it. Schoetgen has very properly remarked, 
 that commentators have greatly misunderstood the Apostle's 
 meaning through their unacquaintance with the Jewish writ- 
 ings, and their peculiar phraseology, to which the Apostle is 
 continually referring, and of which he makes incessant use. 
 He also supposes, allowing for the immediate and direct in- 
 spiration of the Apostle, that he had in view this remarkable 
 saying of the Rabbins on Isaiah lii. 13 ; " Behold my servant 
 shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be 
 very high." Rabbi Tanchum, quoting Yalkut Simeoni, (P. 
 ii. fol. 53), says, n^n'^n ibf2 fit, " This is the king Messiah, 
 who shall be greatly extolled and elevated ; He shall be ele- 
 vated above Abraham ; shall be more eminent than Moses ; and 
 be more exalted than the ministering angels," ri^iL'H 'lii^^^):. 
 Or, as it is expressed in Yalkut Kadosh (fol. 144), " The 
 Messiah is greater than the patriarchs, than Moses, and than 
 the ministering angels."— t^^::;,'-, h-^^^^^ "p^ mnnn p ^ins rT^r)2!i. 
 These sayings the Apostle shows to have been fulfilled in 
 our Messiah ; and as he dwells on the superiority of our 
 Lord to all these illustrious persons, because they were at 
 the very top of all comparisons among the Jews ; He, ac- 
 cording to their opinion, who was greater than all these, 
 must be greater than all created beings. This is the point 
 which the Apostle undertakes to prove, in order to show the 
 Godhead of Christ; and therefore, if we find him proving, 
 that Jesus was greater than the patriarchs, greater than 
 Aaron, greater than Moses, and greater than the angels, he 
 must be understood to mean, according to the Jewish phrase- 
 ology, that Jesus is an uncreated being, infinitely greater 
 than all others, whether earthly or heavenly. For, as they 
 allowed the greatest eminence, next to God, to angelic be- 
 ings, the Apostle concludes, " That He who is greater than 
 the angels is truly God : but Christ is greater than the an- 
 gels ; therefore Christ is truly God." Nothing can be clearer 
 than that this is the Apostle's grand argument ; and the 
 proofs and illustrations of it meet the reader in almost every 
 verse. 
 
 ^ 3. His divinity, Ps. 2. 11 ; 45. 6, 7 ; "Thy throne, 
 God, is for ever and ever : the sceptre of thy kingdom is a 
 right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wicked- 
 ness : therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 293 
 
 oil of gladness above thy fellows." A greater than Solomon 
 is here ; and the person described is no other than the Messiah 
 as is acknowledged by many Jewish writers. The Targum 
 on ver. 3, says, " Thy beauty, ^^n^'^a'^lO 5*5^^, malka mesheecha^ 
 O king Messiah, is greater than the children of men ;" and 
 the apostle expressly quotes it as such, Heb. 1. 8, 9 ; Ps. 72. 
 8 ; 110. 1 ; Isa. 9. 6 ; 25. 9 ; 40. 10. In fact the prophecies 
 of Isaiah concerning the Messiah seem almost to anticipate 
 the Gospel history, and clearly predict his Divine character, 
 (Comp. ch. 7. 14, with Matt. 1: 13-23, and Luke 1. 27-35 ; 
 ch. 6. 9, 6 ; 35. 4 ; 40. 5, 9, 19 ; 42. 6-8 ; 61. 1 ; with Luke 
 4. 18; ch. 62. 11 ; 63. 1-4.) Jer. 23. 6 ; Mic. 5. 2; Mai. 
 3. 1 : " The Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his 
 temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight 
 in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." Aben 
 Ezra acknowledges that the Lord whom they sought and the 
 angel of the covenant are the same, the same thing being in- 
 tended under a double expression : "^^12 VCT[ ll^.n ^^n '\\1'^7\ 
 ii53 crjn "^S n'^^^H; and Kimchi says, "He is the King 
 Messiah, He is the Angel of the Covenant," rTiffi^n ^)2 6^in 
 
 § 4. The nation, tribe, and family he was to descend from, 
 Gen. 12. 3 ; 18. 18 ; 21. 12 ; 22. 18 ; 26. 4 ; 28. 14 ; 49. 8 ; 
 Ps. 18. 50; 89. 4, 29, 35-37, "Once have I sworn by my 
 holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure 
 for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be 
 established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in 
 heaven. Selah." That is, as long as the sun and moon shall 
 endnre, as long as time shall last, his kingdom shall continue 
 among men. The moon is probably termed a faithful witness, 
 because by her, particularly, time is measured. Her decrease 
 and increase are especially observed by every nation ; and by 
 these time is generally estimated, especially among eastern 
 nations : So many moons is a man old — so many moons since 
 such an event happened ; and even their years are reckoned 
 by lunations. Or, the rainbow may be intended ; that faithful 
 sign which God has established in the clouds, that the earth 
 shall no more be destroyed by water. Ps. 132. 11-17. 
 " There will I make the horn of David to bud : I have or- 
 dained a lamp for mine anointed." A horn is an emblem of 
 power and sovereignty ; and as one horn dropped off, another 
 spruno" up, till the budding forth of the Messiah, " the horn of 
 salvation" (Luke i. 69); and the lamp, or family, of David 
 
 25* 
 
394 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 was not extinguished, till " the Sun of righteousness arose 
 with healing in his wings." Compare his genealogy, Matt. 
 1. 1, &c. ; Luke 3. 23, &c. ; — conception, Matt. 1. 18; Luke 
 1. 26, Sic. ; and birth, Matt. 1. 25 ; Luke 2. 6. 
 
 § 5. The time when he was to appear, Gen. 49. 10 ; Num. 
 24. 17; Dan. 9. 24. "Seventy weeks are determined upon 
 thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, 
 and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for 
 iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal 
 up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." 
 That is, seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, which reckon- 
 ed from the seventh year of Artaxerxes, coinciding with the 
 4256th year of the Julian period, and in the month Nisan, 
 in which Ezra was commissioned to restore the Jewish state 
 and policy (Ezr. vii. 9-26), will bring us to the month Nisan 
 of the 4746th year of the same period, or A. D. 33, the very 
 month and year in which our Lord suffered, and completed the 
 work of our salvation. Ver. 25. " Know therefore and un- 
 derstand, that from the going forth of the commandment to 
 restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince 
 shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks : the 
 street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous 
 times." The seventy weeks are here divided into three 
 periods : 1. Seven weeks, or 49 years, for the restoration of 
 Jerusalem. 2. Sixty-two weeks, or 434 years, from that time 
 to the announcement of the Messiah by John the Baptist. 3. 
 One week, or 7 years, for the ministry of John and of Christ 
 himself to the crucifixion. Ver. 26. " And after threescore 
 and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 
 and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the 
 city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be with a 
 flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.'' 
 " The people of the prince that shall come" are the Romans, 
 who under Titus, after the expiration of the 70 weeks, de- 
 stroyed the temple and city, and dispersed the Jews. Hag. 
 ii. 7. " And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all 
 nations shall come : and I will fill this house with glory, saith 
 the Lord of hosts." This refers to a most important change 
 or revolution, which should take place during the continuance 
 of this temple, introducing a new and more glorious state of 
 the church. " Yet once more," Jehovah intended to change 
 entirely its external form, and to bring in that dispensation 
 which should endure to the end. This would be " a little 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 295 
 
 while," compared with that which had elapsed from the first 
 promise of the Messiah, or even from the giving of the law. 
 Then the Lord would "shake ihe heavens and the earth ;'^ 
 various convulsions and changes would take place in the 
 Jewish church and state, which would end in the abrogation 
 of the ritual law, and the ruin of their civil government, at- 
 tended with tempests, earthquakes, &c. These events would 
 be preceded by great revolutions among the nations ; the 
 Persian monarchy would be subverted by that of the Greeks, 
 and that by the Romans ; and at the appointed time, the 
 Messiah,." the Desire of all nations," whom all nations 
 should, and would desire. He, " in whom all the nations of 
 the earth should be blessed," would come, and fill that "house 
 with glory." Ver. 9. " The glory of this latter house shall 
 be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts : and in 
 this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts," Who- 
 ever compares the description of the temple of Solomon, in 
 the first book of Kings, with the most splendid accounts of 
 the second temple, however adorned with costly stones and 
 other magnificent decorations in after ages, must perceive, 
 that the former, being wholly overlaid with pure gold, was 
 incomparably more glorious than the latter in its greatest 
 magnificence ; and the Jews themselves allow, that the ark 
 of the covenant, fire from heaven, the Urim and Thummim, 
 the anointing oil, the Shechinah, or visible glory, and the 
 spirit of prophecy, which distinguished the former temple 
 were wanting in this. (Taanith, fol. 56, 1.) In nothing, in 
 fact, could the second temple excel the first in glory, except 
 in the personal presence of " the Desire of all nations," He 
 who is " the glory of the Lord," and the true temple " in 
 whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," and who 
 was the true Shechinah of which that of Solomon's temple 
 was merely a type. And if it be admitted that the presence 
 of the promised Messiah was intended, then it will follow 
 that " Jesus of Nazareth" was He ; for the second temple, in 
 which as the " Prince of peace" he preached peace and re- 
 conciliation with God, has been utterly destroyed for upwards 
 of seventeen hundred years. This illustrious prophecy the 
 ancient Jews correctly applied to the Messiah, though some 
 modern writers have made objections to its exact fulfilment by 
 the advent of Christ. It has been pretended, that the temple 
 in which our Saviour appeared was in reality not a second, 
 iut a third temple rebuilt by Herod ; but it is certain, that 
 
296 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 whatever alterations and additions were made by Herod, it 
 did not constitute an entirely new building. There was a 
 temple for the worship of Jehovah according to the law, 
 during all the forty-six years which were spent in repairing 
 or rebuilding it ; and consequently, one part must have been 
 taken down at once, as far as was needful for the purpose, 
 and no more ; but the old foimdations, and the most essential 
 parts of the structure no doubt remained. In fact no nominal 
 distinction between Zerubbabel's and Herod's temple was 
 ever made by the Jews ; but in popular language, both these 
 structures were spoken of as the second temple. On one 
 occasion, Josephus himself mentions only two buildings of 
 the temple ; a former in the time of Solomon, and a latter in 
 that of Cyrus ; and in the Chronicon Hebrseum, &:c., Ves- 
 pasian is said to have destroyed the temple four hundred and 
 forty years after it was built. The prophet, indeed, could not 
 have used greater precision of language, consistently with his 
 design of consoling the Jews ; for had he adopted such a dis- 
 tinction, it would have led them to expect the demolition of 
 the temple then building, and the erection of another in its 
 stead. It is also undeniable, that the Jews did, in conse- 
 quence of this prophecy, expect the Messiah to appear in this 
 temple, till after its destruction by Vespasian ; they then, in 
 order to evade its application to Jesus of Nazareth, applied it 
 to a third, which they expect at some future period. For the 
 same purpose, other Jewish writers, who are followed by 
 some modern commentators, contend that n^zn, chemdath^ 
 '' desire," which is in construction with a plural verb, ij^m, 
 oovdoo^ " and they shall come," should be read, m?2n, chem- 
 doth, desires," — " the desirable things of all nations shall 
 come ' which they understand of the valuable and rich 
 presents which various nations should bring into the temple. 
 But this alteration, though apparently sanctioned by some of 
 die ancient versions, is not acknowledged by any MS. yet 
 collated ; and it was evidently read in the singular by both 
 the Targum and Vulgate, which have, ^k^nnv ):'2 Vnizn yv^^'^l, 
 " and the Desire of all nations shall come," Et veniet desider- 
 atus cunctis gcntibus, " and the Desired Person shall come to 
 all nations." It has also been justly objected to this inter- 
 pretation, that it is inconsistent with the great solemnity of 
 the introduction ; and that the language itself, " the desirable 
 things of all nations shaU come,'' is highly improper, as it 
 should rather have been, " the desirable things of all nations 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 297 
 
 shall he brought,^'* a sense which j^n, 5a, never has in Kal^ but 
 only in Hophal. In fact, no aheration is needed to clear the 
 grammatical construction j for it is a well known Hebraism 
 for a Vierb or participle to agree with the latter of two con- 
 nected substantives, though in sense it strictly relates to the 
 former ; and thus litm, oovdoo, " they shall come," agrees, not 
 with m!^n, chemdath, " desire," its proper nominative, but 
 with d'lia, goyim^ " nations," with which it is in construction. 
 For similar instances the reader is referred to Gen. 4. 10 ; 
 Lev. 13. 9 ; 1 Sam. 2. 4 ; 2 Sam. 10. 9 ; 1 Ki. 17. 16 j Neh. 
 9. 6 ; .Job 15. 20 j 29. 10 ; 32. 7 ; Prov. 29. 25 ; Eccles. 11. 
 1 ; Is. 25. 3 ; Jer. 2. 34, in the Hebrew. To nothing else 
 indeed than the advent of the Messiah can this prophecy refer; 
 and nothing but the presence of the incarnate Son of God 
 could fiilfil the prediction, and render " the glory of this latter 
 house greater than of the former." This great event, and 
 this alone, agrees with the whole of the context ; with the 
 political convulsions by which it was preceded and followed, 
 and with the great and final religious revolution which it in- 
 troduced. 
 
 ^ 6. The place of his birth, Num. 24. 17, 19 ; Mic. 5. 2. 
 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among 
 the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth 
 inito me that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have 
 been from of old, from everlasting." The prophecy contain- 
 ed in ch. V. 1-5, says Dr. Hales, " is perhaps the most im- 
 portant single prophecy in the Old Testament, and the most 
 comprehensive respecting the personal character of the Mes- 
 siah, and his successive manifestations to the world. It crowns 
 the whole chain of predictions descriptive of the several 
 limitations of the blessed Seed of the woman to the line of 
 Shem, to the family of iVbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the 
 tribe of Judah, and to the royal house of David, here termina- 
 ting in his binh at Bethlehem, ' the city of David.' It care- 
 fully distinguishes his human nativity from his eternal gener- 
 tion ; foretels the rejection of the Israelites and Jews for a 
 season ; their final restoration, and the universal peace destined 
 to prevail throughout the earth in the Regeneration. It forms, 
 therefore, the basis of the New Testament, which begins with 
 his human birth at Bethlehem, the miraculous circumstances 
 of which are recorded in the introductions of Matthew's and 
 Luke's Gospels ; his eternal generation as the Oracle, or 
 Wisdom, in the sublime introduction of John's Gospel ; his 
 
298 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 prophetic character, and second coming, illustrated in the four 
 Gospels and Epistles, ending with the prediction of the speedy- 
 approach of the latter in the Apocalypse," (Re. 22. 20.) That 
 the ancient Jews understood this prophecy of the Meaieiah is 
 evident, not only from the decision of the chief priests and' 
 scribes (Matt. 2. 6), but also from many of the Jewish writers 
 which are now extant. Jonathan in his Targum expressly 
 apphes it to the Messiah; rendering it, " And thou Bethlehem 
 Ephratah, art thou too little to be numbered among the thou- 
 sands of the house of Judah ? From thee before me shall 
 come forth the Messiah to exercise dominion in Israel, whose 
 name is declared of old, from the days of eternity." — ^J21^ ^D^a 
 
 &^^^> "•^ni"!^. Ill the Targum on the Pentateuch ascribed to 
 the same author, on Gen. 35. 21, the tower of Edar, rendered 
 in Micah, " the tower of the flock," and which Jerome says 
 (Epist. 27) was near Bethlehem, and the place where the 
 birth of Jesus Christ was declared to the shepherds, is 
 expressly affirmed to be " the place from which the king 
 Messiah shall be manifested in the end of the days." — 
 jt^?3i^ ^-D3 i!t.n^'CJ2 5^-^?3 *i^r,i^T 1^:-^ yz]r,f2i fi<nnit- In Pirke 
 Eliezer also (c. 3), the passage in Micah is referred to the 
 Messiah ; and " his goings forth from the beginning," is inter- 
 preted by t^3)n j^^.n; !!^V»^' "I3> "when the world was not yet 
 created." See also Talmud Hieros. Berachoth, fol. 5, 1. In 
 fact, nothing can be clearer or more undoubted than the ap- 
 plication of this remarkable prophecy ; which was fully veri- 
 fied in the birth of our Saviour, by a peculiar act of Provi 
 dence, at Bethlehem. 
 
 § 7. That a messenger should go before him, Is. 40. 3 ; 
 Mai. 3. 1 J 4. 5. Malachi terminated the illustrious succes- 
 sion of the prophets, and sealed up the volume of prophecy, 
 by proclaiming the sudden appearance of the Lord, whom 
 they sought, in His temple, preceded by that messenger, who, 
 like a harbinger, should prepare his way before Him ; the 
 fulfilment of which prediction, by the preaching of John the 
 Baptist, and the advent of Jesus of Nazareth, the true Mes- 
 siah, and the Lord of life and glory, during the existence of 
 the second temple, fully attests the divinity of his mission, and 
 the Divine inspiration of his prophecy. Compare the account 
 of John the Baptist — his birth, Luke 1. 57; — his habit. Matt. 
 3. 1 ; his testimony to Jesus, John 1. 15, 19 ; 3. 27 ; Matt. 
 3. 11 ; Mark I. 7 ; — his preaching, Matt. 3. 1 ; Mark 1. I ; 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 299 
 
 Luke 3. 3; — imprisonment by Herod, Luke 3. 19; — and 
 death, Matt. 14. 1 ; Mark 6. 14 ; Luke 9. 7. 
 
 <5> 8. That he was to be born of a virgin, Gen. iii. 15 ; Is. 
 vii. 14, " Therefore the Lord himself shall give vou a sicn ; 
 Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call 
 his name Immanuel." " Behold the virgin," n?2>5'"n, lidalmah^ 
 as the word uniformly signifies (Gen. xxiv. 43 ; Ex. ii. 8 ; 
 Ps. Ixviii. 26 ; Pr. xxx. 19 ; Ca. i. 3 ; vi. 8) ; shall conceive 
 and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel. So 
 also St. Matthew, in recording the accomplishment of this 
 prophecy, "Behold, a virgin," &c., or rather, as o-^anQtvo<;^ 
 should have been rendered, as exactly corresponding with the 
 Hebrew HJ^b^Ti, hdalmah, " the virgin," the only one who ever 
 was, or ever shall be, a mother in this way. — Jer. xxxi. 22 : 
 " How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? 
 for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman 
 shall compass a man." "oa sniDn rc'l)':^ literally, A female 
 (" one who is only a woman, not a wife, namely a virgin," 
 says Cocceius) " shall encompass a man," or male child : 
 compare Job iii. 3. Which, together with the addition of a 
 new creation, may well be understood to denote the miracu- 
 lous conception. Hence the Jews have applied it determi- 
 nately to the Messiah. In Bereshith Rabba (Parash 89), it is 
 Baid, that as God punished Israel in a virgin, so would he 
 also heal ; and in Midrash Tillim, on Ps, ii., R. Huna, in the 
 name of R. Idi, speaking of the sufferings of the Messiah, 
 says, that when his hour is come, God shall say, " I must 
 create him with a new creation ; and so he saith, This day I 
 have begotten thee." 
 
 § 9. That he was to be worshipped by the wise men, Ps. 
 Ixxii. 10, 15 ; Is. Ix. 3, 6 : which was accordingly fulfilled 
 when he was visited by the Magi, Matt. ii. 1, &c., ver. 11, 
 " And when they were come into the house, they saw the 
 young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and wor- 
 shipped him : and when they had opened their treasures, they 
 presented unto him gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." 
 This was according to the universal custom of the people of 
 the East, who never approach the presence of a superior 
 without a present in their hands. This was, as Dr. Dod- 
 dridge remarks, a most seasonable, providential assistance, to 
 furnish them for a long and expensive journey to Egypt ; a 
 country where they were entirely strangers, and yet where 
 they were to stay for a considerable time. 
 
300 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ^10. That he should be carried into Egypt, Hos. xi. 1. 
 This prophecy doubtless referred ultimately to this event, aa 
 it is applied by St. Matthew, ch. ii. 15. 
 
 § 11. That there should be a massacre at Bethlehem, Jer. 
 xxxi. 15 ; Matt. ii. 16-18. See p. 143, supra. 
 
 ^ 12. That he was to be distinguished by peculiar grace 
 and wisdom, and by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him, 
 Is. xi. 2 ; xlii. 1 ; Ixi. 1. This prophecy is expressly re- 
 ferred to the Messiah by the Targumist, who renders, " Be- 
 hold my servant the Messiah," &lc. 5<n"^r?3 *i~i3> 5^n, ha avdt 
 meslit'ccha ; and it was amply fulfilled in the gentle, lowly, 
 condescending, and beneficent nature of Christ's miracles and 
 personal ministry ; his perseverance in the midst of opposi- 
 tion, without engaging in contentious disputation ; and his 
 kind and tender dealing with weak and tempted believers. 
 And these prophecies received a full accomplishment by the 
 effusion of the Holy Spirit when he was baptized, Matt, iii 
 13 ; xMark i. 9 ; Luke iii. 21 ; John i. 32. 
 
 ^ 13. That he should be a prophet, Deut. 18. 15 ; and that 
 he should preach the word of the Lord, Ps. 2. 7j Is. 2. 3; 
 61.1; Mic. 4. 2 ; — of the fulfilment of which the various dis- 
 courses and parables of our Lord furnish an ample evidence, 
 such as when taken to Jerusalem at twelve years of age, 
 Luke 2. 42 ; — his conversation with Nicodemus, John 3. 1, 
 &c. ; — with the woman of Samaria, 4. 1, &c. ; — his discourse 
 on the mount, Matt. 5 ; 6 ; 7 ; — a similar one on the plain, 
 Luke 6. 20 ; — his discourse with the Pharisees about fasting, 
 j\Iatt. 9. 14; Mark 2. 18; Luke 5. 33; when walking in the 
 corn fields, Matt. 12. 1 ; Mark 2. 23 ; Luke 6. 1 ;— to the 
 twelve apostles. Matt. 10.2; Mark 3. 13; Luke 6. 13 ; — 
 about the sin against the Holy Ghost, Matt. 12. 24 ; Mark 3. 
 22; Luke 11. 15 ;— about John the Baptist, Matt. 11.7; 
 Luke 7. 24 ; — about the heavenly bread in the synagogue at 
 Capernaum, John 6. 22, &c. ; — concerning his mission, 17 ; — 
 concerning traditions. Matt. 15. 1 : Mark 7. 1 ; — about a sign 
 from heaven. Matt. 16. 1 ; Mark 8. 11 ; Luke 12. 54 ;— by 
 foretelling his sufferings, Matt. 16. 21 ; 17. 22 ; Mark 8. 31 ; 
 Luke 9. 18 ; — concerning humility and forgiveness. Matt. 18. 
 1 ; Mark 9. 33 ; Luke 9. 46 ; — by foretelling the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, Luke 13. 34 ; 17. 20 ; 2i. 5 ; Matt. 24. 1, &c. ; 
 Mark 13. 1, &c. ; — his discourse with the Jews about his 
 mission, at the feast of tabernacles, John 7. 11 ; — his address 
 to the woman taken in adultery, 8. 1 : — with the Jev.^s about 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 301 
 
 his being the light of the world, 12 ; — concerning Abraham's 
 seed, 31 ; — about the Galileans slain by Pilate, 13. 1 ; — about 
 humility and suffering in his cause, 26 ; — about his being the 
 Messiah, at the feast of dedication, John 10. 22 ; — concerning 
 divorces. Matt. 19. 1 ; Mark 10. 1 ; — respecting a rich young 
 man. Matt. 19. 16 ; Mark 10. 17 ; Luke 18. 18 ;— foretelling 
 his sufferings a third lime, Matt. 20. 17 ; Mark 10. 32 ; Luke 
 18. 31 ; — his lamentation over Jerusalem, Luke 19. 41 ; — 
 concerning his mission, 30 ; — concerning the baptism of John, 
 Luke 20. 1 ; — about tribute to Caesar, Matt. 22. 15 ; Mark 12. 
 13; Luke 20. 20; — about the resurrection. Matt. 22. 23; 
 Mark 12. 18 ; Luke 20. 27 ; — about the great commandment, 
 Matt. 22. 35 ; Mark 12. 28 ; — about the Slessiah as the son 
 of David, Matt. 22. 41 ; Mark 12. 35 ; Luke 20. 41 ;— against 
 the Pharisees, Matt. 23. 1 ; Mark -12. 38 ; Luke 20. 45 ; — 
 his observation on the poor widow's mite, Mark 12. 41 ; Luke 
 21.1; — discourse on watchfulness. Matt. 24. 42 ; Mark 13. 
 33 ; Luke 21. 34 ; 12. 35; — description of the last judgment, 
 Matt. 24. 31-46 ; — his censure of the contest among the dis- 
 ciples about who should be greatest, Luke 22. 24 ; — about the 
 last supper, Matt. 26. 20 ; Mark 14. 18; Luke 22. 14;— his 
 discourse to comfort his disciples, John 14. 1, Sic. ; — compar- 
 ing himself to a vine, 15. 1, &c. ; — the promise of the Holy 
 Ghost, 16. 16, 26 ; 15. 26 ; 16. 7 ; — prayer for his disciples, 
 17. 1, &c. ; — discourse with two disciples going to Emmaus, 
 Luke 24. 13 ; Mark 16. 12 ; — his final instructions. Matt. 28. 
 18 ; Mark 16. 15 ; Acts 1. 3 ; 22. 17 ;— his Parables,— o( the 
 unclean spirit, Matt. 12. 1, 3; Luke 11. 24; — of the sower. 
 Matt. 13. 3 ; Mark 4. 3 ; Luke 8. 5 ; — of the tares. Matt. 13. 
 24 ; — of the grain of mustard-seed, 13. 31 ; Mark 4. 30 ; Luke 
 13. 18 ;— of the leaven. Matt. 13. 33 ; Luke 13. 20 ;— of the 
 hidden treasure, Matt. 13. 44 ; — of the pearl of great price, 
 Matt. 13. 45 ; — of the seed opening insensibly, Mark 4. 26; 
 — of the net cast into the sea, Matt. 13. 47 ; — of the unmerci- 
 ful servant, 18. 23 ; — of the laborers in the vineyard, 20. 1 ; — 
 of the two sons sent into the vineyard, 21. 28 ; — of the wick- 
 ed husbandmen, 33 ; Mark 12. 1 ; Luke 20. 9 ; — of the ser- 
 vant returning from the field, Luke 17. 7 ; — of the ten pounds, 
 Luke 19. 11 ; — of the invitation to the marriage feast. Matt, 
 22. 1 ; Luke 14. 16 ; — of the man without the wedding gar- 
 ment. Matt. 22. 11 ; — of the ten virgins, 25. 1 ; — of the talents, 
 14 ; — of the good shepherd, John 10. 1 ; — of the barren fig- 
 tree, Luke 13. 6 ; — of the prodigal son, 15. 11 ; —of the fool- 
 
 26 
 
302 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ish rich man, Luke 12. 13 ; — of the good Samaritan, 10. 3C; 
 — of the rich man and Lazarus, 16. 19; — of the unjust stew- 
 ard, 16. 1 ; — of the lost sheep, 15. 4; Matt. 18. 12 ; — of the 
 lost piece of money, Luke 15. 8 ; — of the importunate widow, 
 18. 1 ; — of the Pharisee and publican, Luke 18. 10 ; — of the 
 nobleman who went to receive a kingdom, 19. 11; — of the 
 creditor who had two debtors, 7. 41. 
 
 ^ 14. That he should work miracles, Isa. 35. 5, of which 
 prophecy the vast multitude of miracles eflected by our Lord 
 attests the completion. Thus he changed water into wine, 
 John 2. 1 ; — cured a nobleman's son of Capernaum, John 1. 
 46 ; — the demoniac in the S3'nagogue, Mark 1. 21 ; Luke 4. 
 33 ; — Peter's wife's mother, Matt. 8. 14; Mark 1. 29; Luke 
 4. 38 ;— cured a leper, Matt. 8. 1 ; Mark 1. 39 ; Luke 5. 12; 
 — the centurion's servant. Matt. 8. 5 ; Luke 7. 2 ; — raised 
 the widow's son at Nain, Luke 7. 11 ; — stilled a tempest. Matt. 
 8. 24 ; Mark 4. 35 ; Luke 8. 22 ; — cured the demoniac at Ga- 
 dara. Matt. 8. 28 ; :\Iark 5. 1 ; Luke 8. 27 ; — a paralytic at 
 Capernaum, Matt. 9. 1 ; Mark 2. 1 ; Luke 5. 17 ; — cured a 
 woman of a bloody issue, Matt. 9. 20 ; ?vlark 5. 25 ; Luke 8. 
 43 ; — raised Jairus's daughter, Matt. 8. 25 ; Mark 5. 41 ; 
 Luke 8. 54 ; — gave sight to two blind men. Malt. 9. 27 ; — 
 cured a dumb demoniac. Matt. 9. 32 ; — cured a man with a 
 withered hand. Matt. 12. 10 ; Mark 3. 1 ; Luke 6. 6 ; — 
 cured a blind and dumb demoniac, Matt. 12. 22; Luke 11. 
 14 ; — fed five thousand, INIatt. 14. 14 ; Mark 6. 30 ; Luke 9. 
 10; John 6. 1 ; — walked on the sea. Matt. 14. 22; Mark 6. 
 45 ; John 6. 15 ; — cured a lame man at the pool of Bethesda, 
 John 5. 2 ; — cured the Syrophoenician woman's daughter, 
 Matt. 15. 21 ; Mark 7. 24 ; — cured a person who was deaf, 
 and had an impediment in his speech, Mark 7. 32 ; — healed a 
 multitude of various diseases, Matt. 15. 30 ; fed four thousand, 
 Matt. 15. 32 ; Mark 8. 1 ; — cured a blind man, Mark 8. 22 ; 
 — was transfigured. Matt. 1 7. 1 ; Mark 9. 2 ; Luke 9. 28 ; 2 
 Pet. 1. 16; — cured a demoniac, Matt. 17. 14 ; Mark 9. 17; 
 Luke 9. 22 ; — healed ten lepers, Luke 17. 12-14 ; — cured a 
 man born blind, John 9. 1, &c. ; — cured an infirm woman, 
 Luke 10. 11 ; — cured a man who had the dropsy, Luke 14. 
 1 ; — raised Lazarus, John 11.1, &c. ; — cured two blind men 
 near Jericho, Matt. 10. 29; Mark 10. 46; Luke 18. 35;— 
 cursed the barren fig tree. Matt. 21. 17; Mark 11. 12. 
 
 <^ 15. That he should cast the buyers and sellers out of the 
 temple, Ps. 69. 9, which was fulfilled when he cleansed the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 303 
 
 lemple, as recorded in Matt. 21. 12; Mark 11. 11 ; Luke 
 19. 45 ; John 2. 14. 
 
 § 16. That he should be a priest and offer sacrifices, Ps. 
 110. 4. This Psahn was probably composed by David after 
 Nathan's prophetic address ; and from the grandeur of the 
 subject and the sublimity of the expressions, it is evident that 
 it can only refer, as the ancient Jews fully acknowledged, to 
 the royal dignity, priesthood, victories, and triumphs of the 
 Messiah. Accordingly, he died for our sins, Matt. 20. 28 ; 
 Rom. 4. 25 ; 5. 6 ; 1 Cor. 15. 3 ; Gal. 1. 4 ; Eph. 5. 2 ; 
 Heb. 9.28 ; — and is our high-priest, Heb. 5. 1, &c. 
 
 ^17. That he should be hated and persecuted, Ps. 22. 6 , 
 35. 7, 12 ; 109. 2 ; Is. 49. 7 ; 53. 3 ; and that the- Jews and 
 Gentiles should conspire to destroy him, Ps. 2. 1 ; 22. 12 ; 
 41.5; agreeably to which our Lord was taken and carried 
 before Caiaphas, Matt. 26. 57 ; IMark 14. 53 ; Luke 22. 56 ; 
 John 18. 12; — was brought before Pilate, Matt. 27. 11; 
 Mark 15. 1 ; Luke 23. 2 ; John 18. 28 ; — examined by Herod, 
 Luke 23. 6;— and crucified. Matt. 27. 33; Mark 15. 21 ; 
 Luke 23. 33 ; John 19. 17. 
 
 ^18. That he should ride triumphantly on an ass into 
 Jerusalem, Ps. 8. 2 ; Zech. 9. 9 ; which was actually the 
 case, Matt. 21. 1 ; Mark 11. 1 ; Luke 19. 29; John 12. 12. 
 The Rabbins thus expressly refer this prophecy to the Mes- 
 siah : " When Shapoor, king of Persia, said to Rabbi Samuel, 
 ' Yon say your Messiah will come upon an ass ; I will send 
 him a noble horse ;' he replied, ' You have not a horse with 
 a hundred spots like his ass.'" Bab. Sanhed. fol. 98. See 
 also Bereshith Rabba, fol. 66, 2, and 85, 3. Zohar in Gen. 
 fol. 127, 3, in Num. fol. 83, 4, and in Deut. fol. 117, 1, and 
 118, &c. 
 
 § 19. That he should be sold for thirty pieces of silver, 
 Zech. 11. 12 ; and that he should be betrayed by one of his 
 familiar friends, Ps. 41. 9 ; 55. 12 ; which was fulfilled when 
 Judas betrayed him. Matt. 26. 14, 15. "Then one of the 
 twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 
 and said unto them. What will ye give me, and I will deliver 
 him unto you ? And they covenanted with him for thirty 
 pieces of silver." Probably shekels or staters, as some read, 
 which, reckoning the shekel at 3^. with Prideaux, would 
 amount to about jG4 10.?., the common price for the meanest 
 slave ! See Ex. 21. 32. Matt. 26. 48, 49. " Now he that 
 betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall 
 
304 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 kiss, that same is he, hold him fast. And forthwith he 
 came to Jesus, and said. Hail, master ; and kissed him." 
 KarecpiXriaev, he kissed him affectionately/, eagerly, or repeatedly^ 
 from Kara, intensive, and ^(Xcoj, to kiss, still pretending the most 
 affectionate attachment to our Lord. 
 
 § 20. That his disciples should forsake him, Zech. 13. 7 ; 
 —fulfilled, Matt. 26. 56 ; Mark 14. 50-52 ; John 16. 32 ; and 
 when denied by Peter, Matt. 26. 69 ; Mark 14. 66 ; Luke 
 22. 54; John 18. 15. 
 
 ^ 21. That he should be accused by false witnesses, Ps. 
 27. 12 ; 35. 11 ; 109. 2 ; Compare Matt. 26. 59-61. " Now 
 the Chief Priests, and Elders, and all the Council, sought 
 false witness against Jesus, to put him to death ; but found 
 none : yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they 
 none. At the last came two false witnesses, and said. This 
 fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to 
 build it in three days." The words of our Lord were widely 
 different from this statement of them ; so that the testimony 
 of these witnesses was false, though it had the semblance of 
 truth. 
 
 § 22. That he should not plead upon his trial, Ps. 38. 13 ; 
 Is. 53. 7 ; and fulfilled as recorded in Matt. 26. 63 ; 27. 12- 
 14 ; Mark 14. 61 ; 15. 5 ; Luke 23. 9 ; John 19. 9 ; 1 Pet. 
 2. 23. 
 
 ^ 23. That he should be insulted, buffeted, and spit upon, 
 Ps. 35. 15, 21; — and should be scourged. Is. 50. 6. "I 
 gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that 
 plucked off the hair : I hid not^my face from shame and spit- 
 ting." The eastern people always held the beard in great 
 veneration ; and to pluck a man's beard is one of the grossest 
 indignities that can be offered. D'Arvieux (tom. iii. p. 214) 
 gives a remarkable instance of an Arab, who, having received 
 a wound in his jaw, chose to hazard his life, rather than suf- 
 fer the surgeon to cut off his beard. Another instance of the 
 utmost contempt and detestation is spitting. Throughout the 
 East it is highly offensive to spit in any one's presence ; and 
 if this is such an indignity, how much more spitting in the 
 face ? All this our Lord endured, Matt. 26. 67, 68. " Then 
 did they spit in his face, and buffeted him ; and others smote 
 him with the palms of their hands. Saying, Prophesy unto us, 
 thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee ?" Buffeted, cKoXatpiaav, 
 *' smote him with their fists," as Theophylact interprets, and 
 " smote him with the palms of their hands," enftamcap, " smote 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 305 
 
 him on the cheek with the open hand," as Suidas renders. 
 They offered him every indignity in all its various and vexa- 
 tious forms. Matt. 27. 26-30. " Then released he Barabbas 
 unto them ; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered 
 him to be crucified," &c. This of itself was a severe punish- 
 ment, the flesh being generally cut by the whips used for this 
 purpose ; so the poet, — Horribili sectere flagello, " To be cut 
 by the horrible whip." Hor. Sat. i. 3, 1. 119. 
 
 ^ 24. That he should be crucified, Ps. 22. 14, 17 ; John 
 19. 17, 18. "And he bearing his cross went forth into a 
 place called the place of a scull, which is called in the He- 
 brew Golgotha : where they crucified him, and two others 
 with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst." Cru- 
 cifixion was not a Jewish but a Roman mode of punishment. 
 The cross was made of two beams, either crossing at the top, 
 at right angles, like a T, or in the middle of their length, like 
 an X : with a piece on the centre of the transverse beam for 
 the accusation, and another piece projecting from the middle, 
 on which the person sat. The cross on which our Lord suf- 
 fered was of the former kind, being thus represented in all 
 old monuments, coins, and crosses. The body was usually 
 fastened to the upright beam by nailing the feet to it, and on 
 the transverse piece by nailing the hands ; and the person 
 was frequently permitted to hang in this situation, till he per- 
 ished through agony and lack of food. This horrible punish- 
 ment was usually inflicted only on slaves for the worst of 
 crimes. 
 
 ^ 25. That they should offer him gall and vinegar to drink, 
 Ps. 22. 15 ; 69. 21, " They gave me also gall for my meat ; 
 and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Bochart, 
 from a comparison of this passage with John 19. 29, thinks 
 that ::;5^^, rosh, is the same herb as the Evangelist calls vacr'OTzo?, 
 hyssop ; a species of which growing in Judea, he proves from 
 Isaac ben Orman, an Arabian writer, to be so bitter as not to 
 be eatable. Theophylact expressly tells us, that the hyssop 
 was added oj? ^r)\r)rtpiwki, as being deleterious, or poisonous; and 
 Nonnus, in his paraphrase, says, ^ptycv ■uo-o-uttco KEKtc,a(Tiitvov o^os oXedpov. 
 •' One gave the deadly acid mixed with hyssop." 
 
 ^ 26. That they should part his garments, and cast lots 
 upon his vesture, Ps. 21 18 ; literally fulfilled. Matt. 27. 35 ; 
 Mark 15. 24; Luke 23. 34; John 19. 23,24. "Then the 
 soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, 
 and mride four parts, to every soldier a part ; and also his coat : 
 '26* 
 
806 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 now the coat was without seam, woven from the top through- 
 out." Such was tlie ^'^f^', or t;oat, of the Jewish hioh priest, 
 as described by Josephus, Ant. 1. iii. c. 7, § 4. '* They said 
 therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots 
 for it, whose it shall be : that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
 which saith, 'I'hey parted my raiment among them, and for 
 my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the 
 soldiers did." 
 
 § 27. That he should be mocked by his enemies, Ps. 22. 
 6-8 ; 109. 25 : which was literally verified in the experience 
 of our Lord, Matt. 27. 39-44. " And they that passed by re- 
 viled him, wagging their heads, and saying. Thou that de- 
 stroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. 
 If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Like- 
 wise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and 
 elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be 
 the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and 
 we will believe him. He trusted in God ; let him deliver him 
 now, if he will have him : for he said, 1 am the Son of God." 
 Or, " if he delight in him," ^ Oc^ci avrov, for Hesychius explains 
 fieXw, by ev6oK<^, and evooKnaav, by nyanncav] and it frequently cor- 
 responds in the LXX. to the Hebrew yen? chaphatz, which 
 has that signification, and in the very passage (Ps. 22. 8) 
 from which this is a quotation. " The thieves also, which 
 were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." 
 
 § 28. That his hands and his feet shoidd be pierced. Zee. 
 xiii. 8; Ps. xxii. 10. "For dogs have compassed me: the 
 assembly of the wicked have enclosed me : they pierced my 
 hands and my feet." The textual reading is, ^"^i^r, kadri, 
 *' as a lion my hands and feet;" but several MSS. read 115^5, 
 I(aroo, and others have 11^, karoo, in the margin, which affords 
 the reading adopted by our translators. So the LXX. o^pv^av 
 X^'P'^i fov Kui noSas, and also the Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and 
 Ethiopic ; and as it clearly applies to the crucifixion of Christ, 
 whose hands and feet were pierced by the nails (John xx. 23- 
 27), there seems scarcely the shadow of a doubt that this is 
 the genuine reading; especially when it is considered, that 
 the other contains no clear sense at all. The whole differ- 
 ence lies between 1 icav and i yood, which might easily be 
 mistaken for each other. 
 
 § 29. That his side should be pierced. Zee. xii. 10; — and 
 that a bone of him should not be broken, Ps. xxxiv. 20. "And 
 I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 307 
 
 of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications ; and they 
 shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall 
 mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall 
 be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his 
 first-born." (Zee. xii. 10.) That this relates to the crucifixion 
 of Jesus of Nazareth, and to his being pierced by the soldier's 
 spear, we have the authority of the inspired apostle John in 
 afiirming ; and this application agrees with the opinion of 
 some of the ancient Jews, who interpret it of Messiah the son 
 of David, as Moses Hadarson, on Gen. xxviii., though Jarchi 
 and Abarbanel refer it to the death of Messiah the son of 
 Joseph, who they say was to be the sufl^ering Messiah, 
 M hile the former is to be the triumphant Messiah. " Then 
 came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the 
 other which was crucified with him. But when they came 
 to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not 
 his legs : but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, 
 and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And he that 
 saw it bare record, and his record is true ; and he knoweth 
 that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things 
 were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of 
 him shall not be broken. And again another Scripture saith. 
 They shall look on him whom they pierced." This was the 
 more remarkable, as Lactantius says (1. iv. c. 26) that it was 
 a common custom to break the legs of criminals upon the 
 cross ; which was done, we are told, at the instep with an 
 iron mallet ; and appears to have been a kind of coup de grace, 
 sooner to put them out of pain. It appears from this account, 
 that the spear went through the pericardium, and pierced the 
 heart ; and that the water, or aqueous humor, proceeded from 
 the former, and the blood from the latter. It afl^ords the most 
 decisive evidence that Jesus died for our sins ; and thus the 
 conduct of the soldiers was overruled to take away all pre- 
 tences to the contrary by which his enemies might have at- 
 tempted to invalidate the reality of his resurrection ; and to 
 accomplish two most important prophecies. 
 
 ^ 30. That he should be patient under his sufli'erings, Isa. 
 53. 7 ; and that he should pray for his enemies, Ps. 109. 4 ; 
 which was verified by the whole of our Lord's conduct under 
 his ignominious tre? tment, and especially when he said, 
 " Father, for give them ; for they know not what they do." 
 Luke xxiii. 34. 
 
 § 31. That he should die with malefactors, Isa. 53. 9-12; 
 
308 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 fulfilled when He was crucified between two thieves, Matt. 
 27. 38-44 ; Mark 15. 27, 28 ; Luke 22. 37 ; 23. 32, 33, 39- 
 43; John 19. 18, 31-35. 
 
 § 32. That there should be an earthquake at his death, 
 Zech. 14. 4 ; fultilled, Matt. 27. 45, 51-54 ; Mark 15. 33-38; 
 Luke 23. 44, 45 3 and a remarkable darkness, Amos 5. 20 ; 
 8. 9 ; Zee. 14. 6. See pp. 79, 144. 
 
 ^ 33. That he should be buried with the rich, Isa. 53. 9. 
 " And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich 
 in his death ; because he had done no violence, neither was 
 any deceit in his mouth." Rather, as Bishop Lowth and 
 others render, "And his grave was appointed with the wicked; 
 but with the rich man was his tomb ;" regarding the '2 beth^ 
 in •i'im?23, bemothaiv, as a radical, and deriving it from rn?22, 
 hamoth, a high or elevated place, or a tumulus, the sepulchres 
 among the Hebrews being generally erected on eminences. This 
 was fulfilled in the burial of our Lord by Joseph of Arimathea, 
 Matt. 27. 57-60 ; Mark 15. 43-46 ; Luke 23. 50-53 ; with 
 which the circumstances related by St. John (ch. 19. 39, 40) 
 agree — his burial being that of a rich man. "And there came 
 also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, 
 and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred 
 pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound 
 it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews 
 is to bury." Some have objected to the great quantity of 
 spices employed on this occasion ; but Josephus states (1. 
 xvii. c. 3, ^ 4) that 500 servants bearing spices attended the 
 funeral of Herod ; and 80 lbs. of opobalsam are said to have 
 been used at the funeral of R. Gamaliel. Talmud Messec. 
 Semach, c. 8. 
 
 § 34. That he should rise again from the dead, Ps. 16. 10; 
 " For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou 
 suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." The word hellj 
 from the Saxon hillan or helan, to hide, or from hoU^ a cavern, 
 though now used only for the place of torment, anciently 
 denoted the concealed or unseen place of the dead in gen- 
 eral ; corresponding to the Greek aS^g, i. e. aiSn^ ronoi, the 
 invisible place, and the Hebrew ^ns^n, sheol, from ^j^-j skaol^ 
 to ask, seek, the place and state of those who are out of the 
 way, and to be sought for. Ps. 30. 3; 41. 10 ; 118. 17; and 
 Hos. 6. 2, in which, the resurrection on the third day is 
 clearly predicted, see Acts 2. 25-32, and page 80, supra. 
 
 ^ 35. That he should ascend into heaven, and sit on the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 309 
 
 right hand of God, Ps. 16. 11 ; 24. 7 ; 68. 18; 110. 1 ; 118. 
 19 ; — for the fulfilment of these prophecies see Mark 16. 19 ; 
 Luke 24. 51 ; Acts 1. 2-9 ; Eph. *4. 8-10 ; Heb. 4. 14 ; 6. 
 20; 8. 1 ; 1 Peter 3. 22. 
 
 ^ 36. That his betrayer should die suddenly and misera- 
 bly, Ps. 55. 15, 23; 109. 17; and that the potter's field 
 should be bought with the purchase money, Zech. 11. 13, 
 — literally fulfilled, as recorded in Matt. 27. 3-10; Acts 1. 
 16-20 ; and see p. 154. 
 
 (21.) Prophecies concerning the Israelites or Jews, such as 
 the following : 
 
 ^ 1. That they should be exceedingly multiplied above 
 other nations. And Moses declared to them (Deut. 1. 10), 
 *' The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye 
 are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude." This was 
 the promise made by God to Abraham (Gen. 15. 5, 6), which 
 Moses considers now as amply fulfilled. Many suppose this 
 expression to be hyperbolical ; and others, no friends to re- 
 velation, think it a vain empty boast, because the stars, in 
 their apprehension, amount to innumerable millions. But, as 
 this refers to the number of stars which appear to the naked 
 eye, which only amount to about 3010 in both hemispheres^ 
 the number of the Israelites far exceeded this ; for, inde- 
 pendently of women and children, at the last census, they 
 amounted to more than 600,000. 
 
 § 2. That their land should enjoy her sabbaths while they 
 were in captivity. Lev. 26. 33-35. " And I will scatter you 
 among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you : 
 and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then 
 shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, 
 and ye be in your enemies' land ; even then shall the land 
 rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it 
 shall rest ; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye 
 dwelt upon it." This was fulfilled during the Babylonish 
 captivity : for, from Saul to the captivity are about 490 years, 
 during which period there were 70 sabbaths of years neg- 
 lected by the Hebrews. Now, the Babylonish captivity 
 lasted 70 years, and during that time the land of Israel 
 rested. 
 
 ^ 3. That the Babylonish captivity should continue seventy 
 years, Jer. 25. 11. " And this whole land shall be a deso- 
 lation, and an astonishment ; and these nations shall serve 
 
310 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 the king of Babylon seventy years." This prophecy was 
 delivered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and began to be 
 accomplished immediately ; and it was exactly seventy years 
 from this time to ihe proclamation of Cyrus for the return of 
 the Jews. 
 
 § 4. That their king, Zedekiah, should be taken captive 
 to Babylon, Ezek. 12. 13. " My net also will I spread upon 
 him, and he shall be taken in my snare : and I will bring 
 him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans ; yet shall he 
 not see it, though he shall die there." This was to intimate, 
 that though he escaped out of the city, the Chaldeans should 
 overtake him, and carry him to Babylon. Jeremiah had 
 predicted, that his " eyes should see the eyes of the king of 
 Babylon" (ch. 32. 4, 5), and here Ezekiel foretold, that he 
 should not see Babylon, though he should die there ; and 
 Josephus says that he thought the two prophecies so in- 
 consistent with each other, that he believed neither : yet 
 both were exactly fulfilled, and the enigma of Ezekiel ex- 
 plained, when Zedekiah was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at 
 Riblah, where he had his eyes put out, and was then carried 
 to Babylon, and there died, 2 Kings 25. 7. 
 
 § 5. That they should never more, after that period, be 
 guilty of idolatry, Ezek. 23. 27. " Thus will I make thy 
 lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom brought 
 from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine 
 eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more." These 
 severe judgments shall effectually deter you from idolatry, 
 and make you abhor the least approaches to it. This often 
 repeated prediction has received a most wonderful accom- 
 plishment. For neither the authority, frowns, examples, nor 
 favor of their conquerors or powerful neighbors, nor their own 
 fears, hopes, interests, or predilection for the sensual worship 
 of idols, could prevail with them to run into gross idolatry, 
 either during the captivity, or ever afterwards, to the present 
 day, a period of 2414 years ! 
 
 § 6. That they should be conquered by the Romans, 
 Deut. 28. 49-51. "The Lord shall bring a nation against 
 thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle 
 flieth ; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand ; a 
 nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the per- 
 son of the old, nor show favor to the young : and he shall 
 eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou 
 be destroyed : which also shall not leave thee either corn, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 311 
 
 wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy 
 sheep, until he have destroyed thee." Though the Chal- 
 deans are frequently described under the figure of an eagle, 
 yet these verses especially predict the desolations brought 
 on the Jews by the Romans : who came from a country far 
 more distant than Chaldea ; whose conquests were as rapid 
 as the eagle's flight, and whose standard bore this very 
 figure ; who spake a language to which the Jews were then 
 entire strangers, being wholly unlike the Hebrew, of which 
 the Chaldee was merely a dialect ; whose appearance and 
 victories were terrible j and whose yoke was a yoke of iron, 
 and the havoc which they made tremendous. 
 
 ^ 7. That they should endure the most dreadful distress in 
 the siege, Deut. xxviii. 52-57. " And he shall besiege thee 
 in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, 
 wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land : and he shall 
 besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which 
 the Lord thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the 
 fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daugh- 
 ters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, 
 and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress 
 thee : so that the man that is tender among you, and very 
 delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward 
 the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children 
 which he shall leave : so that he will not give to any of them 
 of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat : because he 
 hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, where- 
 with thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. The 
 tender and delicate woman among you. which would not ad- 
 venture to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for deli- 
 cateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the hus- 
 band of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her 
 daughter, and toward her young one that cometh out from be- 
 tween her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear : 
 for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the 
 siege and straitness, Avherewith thine enemy shall distress 
 thee in thy gates." The Roman armies at length besieged, 
 sacked, and utterly desolated Jerusalem ; and during this 
 siege, the famine was so extreme, that even rich and delicate 
 persons, both men and women, ate their own children, and 
 concealed the horrible repast lest others should tear it from 
 them. Josephus (De Bell. Jud. 1. vii. c. 2) gives a dreadful 
 detail respecting a woman named Mary, who, in the extremi- 
 
312 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 ty of the famine, during the siege, killed her sucking chiiil, 
 roasted, and had eaten part of it, when discovered by the 
 soldiers ! " Women snatched the food out of the very mouths 
 of their husbands, and sons of their fathers, and (what is most 
 miserable) mothers of their infants." (Josephus, De Bell. 1. 
 V. c. 10, ^ 3.) " In every house, if there appeared any sem- 
 blance of food, a battle ensued, and the dearest friends and 
 relations fought with one another ; snatching away the miser- 
 able provisions of life." (I. vi. c. 3, ^ 3.) " A woman distin- 
 guished by birth and wealth, after she had been plundered 
 by the tyrants (or soldiers) of all her possessions, — boiling her 
 own sucking child, ate half of him, and concealing the other 
 half, reserved it for another time !" (1. vi. c. 3, § 4.) 
 
 § 8. That they should be left few in number, Deut. xxviii. 
 62. " And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were 
 as the stars of heaven for multitude ; because thou wouldest 
 not obey the voice of the Lord thy God." In the siege of 
 Jerusalem, there died 1,100,000 persons, and more than 90,000 
 were carried captive ; and, having afterwards provoked the 
 Romans by their crimes and rebellions, they persecuted them 
 nearly to extirpation 5 to which, if the tens of thousands which 
 "were slaughtered year after year in every country be added, 
 it appears wonderful that there were any remains left. 
 
 § 9. That they should be scattered into all nations, and 
 treated with the greatest cruelty, Deut. xxviii. 63-67. " And 
 it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do 
 you good, and to multiply you ; so the Lord will rejoice over 
 you to destroy you, and to bring you to naught ; and ye shall 
 be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 
 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the 
 one end of the earth even unto the other ; and there thou shalt 
 serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have 
 known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt 
 thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest : 
 but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and fail- 
 ing of eyes, and sorrow of mind ; and thy life shall hang in 
 doubt before thee ; and thou shalt fear day and night, and 
 shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou 
 shalt say. Would God it were even ! and at even thou shalt 
 say, VVould God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart 
 wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes 
 ■which thou shalt see." After the conquest of their country 
 by the Romans, Hadrian, by a public decree, ratified by the 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 313 
 
 Senate, forbade any Jew to come even within sight of Judea ; 
 and hence they were dispersed over every quarter of the 
 globe, where they found no alleviation or respite from misery. 
 In no country are they treated as denizens : all suspect them 
 as enemies, and behave to them as aliens ; if they do not, as 
 has been too frequently the case, harass, oppress, and perse- 
 cute them, even unto death. 
 
 § 10. That they should be sold as slaves, Deut. xxviii. 68. 
 " And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, 
 by the way whereof I spake unto thee. Thou shall see it no 
 more again : and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies 
 for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you." 
 This verse seems especially to point out an event, which took 
 place subsequent to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, and 
 the desolation made by Adrian. Numbers of the captives 
 "were sent by sea into Egypt (as well as into other countries), 
 and sold for slaves at a vile price, and for the meanest offices ; 
 and many thousands were left to perish from want ; for the 
 multitude was so great, that purchasers could not be found 
 for them all at any price ! 
 
 §11. That their children should be forcibly taken from 
 them, Deut. xxviii. 32. *' Thy sons and thy daughters shall 
 be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and 
 fail with longing for them all the day long : and there shall 
 be no might in thine hand." In several countries, particular- 
 ly in Spain and Portugal, the children of the Jews have been 
 taken from them, by order of the government, to be educated 
 in the Popish faith. There have been some instances of such 
 cruelty even in Protestant countries. 
 
 § 12. That they should there be compelled to worship idols, 
 Deut. 28. 36. " The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king 
 which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither 
 thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve 
 other gods, wood and stone." The Israelites who were car- 
 ried captive by the Assyrians, and many of the Jews in Chal- 
 dea, were finally incorporated with the nations among whom 
 they lived, and were given up for their idolatry. It is proba- 
 ble, however, that this refers to Jews being compelled, in 
 Popish countries, to conceal their religion, and profess that 
 of the Romish Church. 
 
 »^ 13. That they should become a proverb and by- word, 
 Deut. 28. 37. " And thou shalt become an astonishment, a 
 proverb, and a by-word, among all nations whither the Lord 
 
 27 
 
314 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 shall lead ihee." The name of Jew has long been a prover- 
 bial mark of detestation and contempt, among all the nations 
 Avhither they have been dispersed, and is so to this day, whether 
 among Christians, Mohammedans, or Pagans. 
 
 ^ 14. That nevertheless they should continue to be preserved 
 a distinct people. Num. 23. 10. " Lo, the people shall dwell 
 alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." They 
 shall ever be a distinct nation. This prophecy has been literally 
 fulfilled through a period of 3300 years to the present day. 
 For, notwithstanding their captivities and dispersion through 
 every country on the face of the globe, they still " dwell alone, 
 and are not reckoned among the nations ;" they have been 
 preserved from being confounded with their conquerors and 
 oppressors in foreign lands, in a manner absolutely unprece- 
 dented in the annals of the world. Nothing can account for 
 it, but the special Providence of God, to fulfil his pleasure, 
 as declared to the prophet Jeremiah, (ch. 31. 35-37.) "Thus 
 saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and 
 the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by 
 night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar ; 
 The Lord of hosts is his name : If those ordinances depart 
 from before me, saith the Jjord, then the seed of Israel also 
 shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus 
 saith the Lord ; If heaven above can be measured, and the 
 foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast 
 off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the 
 Lord." As surely as the heavenly bodies shall continue their 
 settled course, according to the appointment of the Creator, 
 to the end of time ; and as the raging sea obeys His mandate : 
 so surely shall the Israelites continue a distinct people. 
 Hitherto this prophecy has received a literal and most won- 
 derful accomplishment: the Jews, dispersed among all nations, 
 are yet not confounded with any, but remain a distinct people 
 among all the inhabitants of the earth ; while the great and 
 mighty monarchies, which successfully subdued and oppress- 
 ed the people of God, are vanished as a dream, and their very 
 names as well as power have become extinct in the world. 
 
 (22.) Prophecies of our Saviour respecting the destruction of 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Jerusalem, the ancient capital of Judea, is situated in long. 
 35 deg. 20. min. E., lat. 31 deg. 47 min. 47 sec. N. ; and, 
 according to the best authorities, 136 miles S. W. of Damas- 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 315 
 
 cus, 34 miles S. of Shechem or Nablous, 45 miles E. of Jaffa, 
 27 miles N. of Hebron, and about 20 miles W. of Jericho. 
 The city of Jerusalem was built on hills, and encompassed 
 with mountains (Ps. cxxv. 2), in a stony and barren soil, and 
 was about 16 furlongs in length, says Strabo, (1. xvi.) The 
 ancient city of Jehus, taken by David from the Jebusites, was 
 not large ; and stood on a mountain south of that on which the 
 temple was erected. Here David built a new city, called the 
 city of David, wherein was the royal palace. Between these 
 two mountains lay the valley of Millo, filled up by David and 
 Solomon ; and after the reign of Manasseh, another city is 
 mentioned called the second. The Maccabees considerably 
 enlarged Jerusalem on the north, enclosing a third hill ; and 
 Josephus mentions a fourth hill, called Bezetha, which Agrip- 
 pa joined to the former : this new city lay north of the tem- 
 ple, along the brook Kidron. Thus, according to the prophecy 
 of Zechariah (ch. ii. 4), Josephus informs us (Bel. 1. v. c. 4, 
 § 2), that Jerusalem actually overflowed with inhabitants, and 
 gradually extended itself beyond its walls, and that Herod 
 Agrippa fortified the new part, called Bezetha, 
 
 ^ 1. The signs by which it was to be preceded. 
 
 (i.) The First Sign, the appearance of false Christs, or 
 Messiahs, Luke xxi. 8. 
 
 " And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived : for 
 many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and the 
 time draweth near : go ye not therefore after them." Such 
 were Simon Magus (Acts viii. 9, 10), Dositheus the Samari- 
 tan (Origen, Cont. Cels. 1. 1) ; Theudas, when Fadus was 
 procurator (Joseph. Ant. 1. xx. c. 4, § 1) ; and the numerous 
 impostors who arose when Felix was procurator, who " were 
 apprehended and killed every day," (Ibid. c. 7, § 5.) 
 
 (ii.) The Second Sign, Wars and commotions, Luke xxi. 
 9, 10. 
 
 " But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not 
 terrified ; for these things must first come to pass : but the 
 end is not by and by." These may be seen in Josephus ; 
 and especially as to the rumors of wars when Caligula order- 
 ed his statue to be set up in the temple. Ant. 1. xviii. c. 9. 
 Bel. 1. ii. c. 10. 
 
 " Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, 
 and kingdom against kingdom." — This portended the dissen- 
 sions, insurrections, and mutual slaughter of the Jews, and 
 those of other nations, who resided in the same cities, in 
 
316 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 which thousands perished ; the open wars of different tetrar- 
 chies ; and the civil wars in Italy between Otho and Vitellius 
 Josephus, Ant. 1. xx. Bel. 1. ii. 
 
 (iii.) The Third Sign, Great earthquakes, Luke xxi. 11. 
 
 " And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and fa- 
 mines, and pestilences." — As that at Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, 
 Chios, Samos (see Grotius), Rome (Tacit. 1. xii.), Laodicea 
 (Idem, 1. xiv.), Hierapolis and Colosse, Campania (Seneca, 
 Nat. Quaest. 1. vi. c. i.), and Judea, (Josephus, Bel. 1. iv. c. 4.) 
 
 (iv.) Fourth Sign, Famines and pestilences, ib. 
 
 Thus there was a famine predicted by Agabus (Acts xi. 
 28), which was probably that which took place in the fourth 
 year of Claudius, which continued for several years, and in 
 which, says Josephus (Ant. lib. xx. c. 2), " many died for 
 want of food." 
 
 (v.) The Fifth Sign, Sights and signs from heaven, ib. 
 
 " And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from 
 heaven." — Josephus, in the preface to his history of the Jew- 
 ish wars, relates, that a star hung over the city like a sword, 
 and a comet continued a whole year ; that the people being 
 at the feast of unleavened bread, at the ninth hour of the night, 
 a great light shone around the altar and temple, and continued 
 an hour ; that a cow led to sacrifice brought forth a lamb ; 
 that just before sun-set chariots and armies were seen all over 
 the country fighting in the clouds, and besieging cities, &c. &;c. 
 
 (vi.) The Sixth Sign, the persecution of the Christians, 
 Luke xxi. 12-19. 
 
 *' But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, 
 and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and 
 into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my 
 name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Set- 
 tle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye 
 shall answer : for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which 
 all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 
 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and 
 kinsfolks, and friends ; and some of you shall they cause to 
 be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for ray 
 name's sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. 
 In your patience possess ye your souls." — The Acts of the 
 Apostles, and the history of the persecutions under Nero, 
 furnish a complete verification of this prophecy. See pages 
 82, 83, supra. 
 
 (vii.) The Seventh Sign, the preaching of the Gospel 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 317 
 
 throughout the world, Mark xiii. 10. " The Gospel must first 
 be published among all nations," for the fulfilment of which 
 see p. 43, supra. 
 
 ^ 2. The circumstances of the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 
 (i.) The surrounding it by the Roman armies, Luke xxi. 20. 
 "And when ye shall see Jerusalem encompassed with armies, 
 then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke xix. 43, 
 *' For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall 
 cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep 
 thee in on every side." " Cast a trench,'''' or " cast a bajik,''^ 
 or rampart, x'^P'^^- This was literally fulfilled when Jerusa- 
 lem was besieged by Titus ; who surrounded it with a wall 
 of circumvallation in three days, though not less than thirty- 
 nine furlongs in circumference ; and when this was effected, 
 the Jews were so enclosed on every side, that no person could 
 escape from the city, and no provision could be brought in. 
 See Josephus, Bel. 1. v. c. 12. 
 
 (ii.) The escape of the Christians who were then at Jeru- 
 salem, from it. Luke xxi. 21. " Then let them which are in 
 Judea flee to the mountains ; and let them which are in the 
 midst of it depart out ; and let not them that are in the coun- 
 tries enter thereinto." Accordingly, when Cestius Gallus 
 came against Jerusalem, and unexpectedly raised the siege, 
 Josephus (Bel. 1. ii. c. 19, 20) states, that many of the noble 
 Jews departed out of the city, as out of a sinking ship ; and, 
 when Vespasian afterwards drew towards it, a great multitude 
 fled to the mountains, (Ibid. 1. iv. c. 8.) And we learn from 
 Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. 1. iii. c. 5), and Epiphanius (Adver. 
 Nazar. 1. i. tom. 2), that at this juncture, all who beheved in 
 Christ left Jerusalem, and removed to Bella, and other places 
 beyond Jordan ; and so escaped the general shipwreck of 
 their country, that we do not read of one who perished in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 (iii:) The appearance of false Christs and false prophets 
 during the siege, Matt. xxiv. 23-26. " Then if any man shall 
 say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there ; believe it not. 
 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and 
 shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were 
 possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have 
 told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you. Be- 
 hold, he is in the desert ; go not forth ; behold, he is in the 
 secret chambers ; believe it not." Our Lord not only foretels 
 the appearance of these impostors, but also the manner and 
 
 27* 
 
318 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 circumstance of their conduct. Accordingly Josephus (Ant. 
 1. XX. c. 7, Bel. 1. ii. c. 13) says, that many impostors persua- 
 ded the people to follow them to the desert, promising them 
 signs and wonders done by the providence of God. (See also 
 Acts xxi. 38 ; Ant. 1. xx. c. 7 ; Bel. 1. vii. c. 11.) One per- 
 suaded the people to go up into the temple^ which being set 
 on fire by the Romans, 6000 perished in the flames, Bel. 1. 
 vi. c. 5. 
 
 (iv.) The miseries of the Jews during and subsequent to 
 the siege, Luke xxi. 22-24. " For these be the days of ven- 
 geance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 
 But wo unto them that are with child, and to them that give 
 suck, in those days ! for there shall be great distress in the 
 land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the 
 edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all na- 
 tions." Those who perished in the siege were 1,100,000, 
 besides vast numbers who were slain at other times and 
 places ; and nearly 100,000 were taken and sold for slaves; 
 and their nation has been dispersed in the countries for up- 
 wards of 1700 years, while their city has been trodden under 
 foot of the Romans, Saracens, Mamalukes, Franks, and Turks, 
 who possess it to this day. The miseries they endured were 
 such, that our Lord, foreseeing these evils, turned to the wo- 
 men who followed him to the crucifixion, and said, " Daugh- 
 ters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, 
 and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in 
 the which they shall say. Blessed are the barren, and the 
 wombs that never bare, and the paps that never gave suck. 
 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us ; 
 and to the hills. Cover us." (See Luke xxiii. 28-30.) The 
 destruction of Jerusalem, and the final desolation of the Jew- 
 ish state, was an evil associated with so many miseries, that 
 sterility, which had otherwise been considered an opprobrium, 
 was accounted a circumstance most felicitous. No history 
 can furnish us with a parallel to the calamities and miseries 
 of the Jews ; rapine and murder, famine and pestilence with- 
 in ; fire and sword, and all the terrors of war without. Our 
 Saviour himself wept at the foresight of these calamities ; and 
 it is almost impossible for persons of any humanity to read 
 the relation of them in Josephus without weeping also. He 
 might justly affirm, " if the misfortunes of all, from the begin- 
 ning of the world, were compared with those of the Jews, they 
 would appear much inferior in the comparison." Proem. § 4. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 319 
 
 (v.) The total destruction of the temple and city, Matt. xxiv. 
 2. "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things ? 
 verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone 
 upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Luke xix. 44, 
 *' And they shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy chil- 
 dren within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone 
 upon another ; because thou knewest not the time of thy visi- 
 tation." Luke xxi. 24, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down 
 of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." 
 Josephus (Bel. 1. vii. c. 1) says, that " Caesar gave orders that 
 they should now demolish the whole city and temple, except 
 the three towers Phaselus, Hippicus, and Mariamne, and a 
 part of the western wall ; but all the rest was laid so com- 
 pletely even with the ground, by those who dug it up from the 
 foundation, that there was nothing left to make those who 
 came thither believe it had ever been inhabited." The Jewish 
 writers also inform us, that Turnus Rufus, whom Titus had left 
 in command, ploughed up the very foundations of the temple. 
 When Dr. Richardson visited this sacred spot in 1818, he found 
 one part of Mount Zion supporting a crop of barley, and another 
 undergoing the labor of the plough : the soil turned up con- 
 sisted of stone and lime mixed with earth, such as is usually 
 iuet with in foundations of ruined cities. It is nearly a mile 
 in circumference ; is highest on the west side ; and, towards 
 (he east, falls down in broad terraces on the upper part of the 
 mountain, as it slopes down towards the brook Kedron. 
 (Travels, v. ii, p. 348.) Thus was literally fulfilled the ancient 
 prophecy of Micah also (Mic. iii. 12), "Therefore shall Zion 
 for your sake be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be- 
 come heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places 
 of the forest." The Jerusalem of Sacred History then is no 
 more. And, after having been successively destroyed by the 
 Babylonians and Romans, and taken by the Saracens, Crusa- 
 ders, and Turks, in the possession of the latter of whom it 
 still continues, not a vestige remains of the capital of David 
 and "Solomon ; not a monument of Jewish times is standing. 
 The very course of the walls is changed, and the boundaries 
 of the ancient city are become doubtful. The monks pretend 
 to show the sites of the sacred places ; but they have not the 
 slightest pretensions to even a probable identity with the real 
 places. The Jerusalem that now is, however, called by the 
 Arabs El Kouds^ or " the holy city," is still a respectable, 
 good-looking towfi, of an irregular shape : it is surrounded by 
 
320 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 high embattled walls, enclosing an area not exceeding two 
 miles and a half, and occupying two small hills, having the 
 valley of Jehoshaphat on the east, the valley of Siloam and 
 Gehinnom on the south, and the valley of Rephaim on the 
 west ; and containing a population variously estimated at from 
 20,000 to 30,000 souls. 
 
 (23.) Prophecies respecting Anti-christ, the man of sin, or 
 the grand apostacy from the faith. 
 
 2 Thess. ii. 3-14. " Let no man deceive you by any means : 
 for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away 
 first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition ; 
 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called 
 God, or that is worshipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the 
 temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember 
 ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things ? 
 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed 
 in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work : 
 only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the 
 way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the 
 Lord shall consume v/ith the spirit of his mouth, and shall 
 destroy with the brightness of his coming : even him, whose 
 coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs 
 and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteous- 
 ness in them that perish ; because they received not the love 
 of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause 
 God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe 
 a lie : that they all might be damned who believed not the 
 truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound 
 to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the 
 Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to 
 salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the 
 truth : Avhereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtain- 
 ing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 This Epistle bears the highest evidence of its divine in- 
 spiration, in this representation which it contains of the papal 
 power, under the characters of the " Man of sin," and the 
 *' Mystery of iniquity." The true Christian worship is, the 
 worship of the one only God, through the one only Mediator, 
 the man Christ Jesus ; and from this worship the church of 
 Rome has most notoriously departed, by substituting other 
 mediators, invocating and adoring saints and angels, wor- 
 shipping images, adoring the host, &c. Jt follows, therefore, 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 321 
 
 that " the man of sin" is the Pope ; not only on account of 
 the disgraceful lives of many of them, but by means of their 
 scandalous doctrines and principles ; dispensing with the most 
 necessary duties, selling pardons and indulgences for the 
 most abominable crimes, and perverting the worship of God 
 to the grossest superstition and idolatry. He also, like the 
 false apostle Judas, is "the son of perdition;" whether 
 actively, as being the cause of destruction to others, or pas- 
 sively, as being devoted to destruction himself. " He op- 
 poseih ;" he is the great adversary of God and man ; perse- 
 cuting and destroying, by crusades, inquisitions, and massa- 
 cres, those Christians who prefer the word of God to the 
 authority of men. " He exalteth himself above all that is 
 called God, or is worshipped ;" not only above inferior ma- 
 gistrates, but also above bishops and primates, kings and em- 
 perors ; nay, not only above kings and emperors, but also 
 above Christ, and God himself; " making even the word ot 
 God of none effect by his traditions," forbidding what God 
 has commanded, as marriage, the use of the Scriptures, &c. ; 
 and commanding, or allowing, what God has forbidden, as 
 idolatry, persecution, &c. " So that he, as God, sitteth in 
 the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." His 
 *' sitting in the temple of God" implies plainly his having a 
 seat in the Christian church : and he sitteth there, " as God," 
 especially at his inauguration, when he sits upon the high 
 altar in St. Peter's church, and makes the table of the Lord 
 his footstool, and in that position receives adoration. At all 
 times he exercises divine authority in the church ; " showing 
 himself that he is God ;" affecting divine titles, and assert- 
 ing that his decrees are of the same, or greater authority, 
 than the word of God. The foundation of popery was laid 
 in the apostles' days ; but several ages passed before the 
 building was completed, and " the man of sin revealed," in 
 full perfection ; when that " which hindered," the Roman 
 empire, was dissolved. " His coming is after the energy of 
 Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders," &c. 
 and does it require any particular proof, that the pretensions 
 of the Pope, and the corruptions of the church of Rome, are 
 ail supported and authorized by feigned visions and miracles, 
 by pious frauds, and impositions of every kind ? But, how 
 much soever " the man of sin" may be exalted, and how long 
 soever he may reign, yet, at last, *' the Lord shall consume 
 
322 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 him with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy him with 
 the brightness of his coming." 
 
 The same Anti-christian power is denoted by the Apostle 
 in 1 Tim. iv. 1-5. " Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, 
 that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giv- 
 ijig heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils : speak- 
 ing lies in hypocrisy ; having their conscience seared with 
 a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain 
 from meats, which God hath created to be received with 
 thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For 
 every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if 
 ii be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the 
 word of God and prayer." 
 
 This prophecy is manifestly similar in the general subject 
 to that in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians, though it 
 differs in the particular circumstance : and exactly corre- 
 sponds with that of the prophet Daniel on the same subject, 
 (Dan. xi. 38.) This important prediction might be more cor- 
 rectly rendered, " Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that 
 in the latter times some shall apostatize from the faith, giv- 
 ing heed to erroneous spirits, and doctrines concerning de- 
 mons, through the hypocrisy of liars, having their con- 
 sciences seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and com- 
 manding to abstain from meats," &c. How applicable these 
 particulars are to the corruptions of the church of Rome need 
 scarcely be insisted on. The worship of saints and angels 
 in that church is essentially the same with the worship of 
 demons among the heathen ; which has been established in 
 the world by books forged in the name of the apostles and 
 saints, by lying legends of their fives, by false miracles, 
 ascribed to their relics, and by fabulous dreams and rela- 
 tions ; while celibacy was enjoined and practised under pre- 
 tence of chastity, and abstinence under pretence of devotion. 
 None but the »Spirit of God could foresee and foretel these 
 remarkable events. 
 
 (24.) Prophecies respecting the seven churches of Asia. 
 
 ^ 1. Concerning the church of Ephesus, Rev. ii. 1-7. 
 Ephesus, a much celebrated city of lojiia, in Asia Minor, 
 and the metropolis of pro-consular Asia, was situated on the 
 river Cayster, and on the side of a hill, about 35 miles north 
 of Miletus, 40 south of Smyrna, 100 west of Laodieea, and 
 5 miles from the iEgean sea. It was particularly famous for a 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 32ti> 
 
 magnificent temple of Diana, 425 feet long, and 200 broad ; 
 which was supported by 127 columns 70 feet high. It had 
 become a ruinous place when the emperor Justinian filled 
 Constantinople with its statues, and raised the church of St. 
 Sophia on its columns, A. D. 528-566 ; and all that remains 
 of this once splendid city, about half a mile from the village 
 of Aiasaluck, when visited by Dr. Chandler, was inhabited 
 by " a few Greek peasants, living in extreme w^retchedness, 
 dependance, and insensibility." An American clergyman 
 who visited it in 1821, says, " not a human being lives in 
 Ephesus ; and at Aiasaluck there are merely a few Turkish 
 huts." The candlestick has now been removed out of its 
 place. 
 
 § 2. Concerning the church of Srmjrna, Rev. ii. 8-11. 
 Smyrna, now Ismir, is a celebrated city of Asia Minor, situ- 
 ated on the shore of the iEge.an sea, about 183 miles W. by 
 S. of Constantinople, 100 miles N. of Rhodes, and between 40 
 and 45 miles N. W. of Ephesus, in kit. 38^ 29' N. and long. 
 27° 25' E. It is at present about four miles in circumference, 
 extending about a mile along the shore, and has a very hand- 
 some appearance ; its population is about 120,000 souls. 
 
 § 3. Concerning the church of Pergamos, Rev. ii. 12-17. 
 Pergamos, now^ Bergamo, the ancient metropolis of Mysia, and 
 the residence of the Attalian kings, is situated on the river 
 Caicus, about 60 miles north of Smyrna, long. 27° E. lat. 39° 
 W N. It still retains some measure of its ancient import- 
 ance ; containing a population of about 15,000 souls ; and 
 having nine or ten mosques, two churches, and one syna- 
 gogue. 
 
 § 4. Concerning the church of Thyatira, Rev. ii. 18-29. 
 Thyatira, now Ak-hissar, is situated on a branch of the Cai- 
 cus, in an extensive plain, between Pergamos and Sardis, 48 
 miles S. E. of the former, and 10 hours N. W. of the latter, 
 and about long. 27° 49' E., lat. 38° 45' N. It consists of 
 about 1000 houses and 200 or 300 huts, nine mosques, one 
 Greek church, and one Armenian ; but the streets are narrow 
 and dirty, and every thing marks poverty and degradation. 
 
 § 5. Concerning the church of Sardis, Rev. iii. 1-7. Sar- 
 dis, the once proud capital of Lydia, and the residence of its 
 opulent monarchs, is now reduced to a wretched Turkish vil- 
 lage called Sart, the habitation of herdsmen, buffaloes, and 
 oxen, situated at the foot of mount Tmolus, on the banks of 
 the Pactolus, between thirty and forty miles east from Smyrna, 
 
324 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 about long. 28° 5' E., and lat. 38° 25^ N. The ruins of Sar- 
 dis are peculiarly grand, and lift up their heads, as if to assert 
 their ancient glory ; but it now contains not a single Christian 
 family. 
 
 § 6. Concerning the church of Philadelphia, Rev. iii. 8-14. 
 Philadelphia, so called from its founder Attains Philadelphus, 
 still exists in the town called Allah-shehr, " the city of God," 
 — " a column in a scene of ruins." It is situated on the slopes 
 of three or four hills, the roots of mount Tmolus, by the river 
 Cogamus, 27 miles E. S. E. from Sardis, about long. 28° 40', 
 lat. 38° 23^. The number of houses is said to be about 3000, 
 of which 250 are Greek, the rest Turkish ; and the Christians 
 have 25 places of worship, 5 of them large and regular 
 churches, a resident bishop, and 20 inferior clergy. 
 
 § 7. Concerning the church of Laodicea, Rev. iii. 15-19. 
 Laodicea and Hierapolis were both cities of Phrygia in Asia 
 Minor, between which, and equidistant from each, was situated 
 Colosse. Laodicea was situated near the Lycus, about 63 
 miles east of Ephesus ; and became one of the largest and 
 richest towns in Phrygia, vying in power with the maritime 
 cities. It is now called Eski-hissar, the old castle ; and be- 
 sides the whole surface within the city's wall being strewed 
 with pedestals and fragments, the ruins of an amphitheatre, a 
 magnificent odeum, and other public buildings, attest its for- 
 mer splendor and magnificence. But, when visited by Dr. 
 Chandler, all was silence and solitude ; and a fox, first dis- 
 covered by his ears peeping over a brow, was the only in- 
 habitant of Laodicea. 
 
 (25.) The prophecies concerning the church and the world 
 contained in the Revelation of St. John. 
 
 § 1. The opening of the seven seals. 
 
 (i.) The first seal, Rev. 6. 1,2. " And I saw when the 
 Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the 
 noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying. Come and see. 
 And I saw, and behold a white horse ; and he that sat on him 
 had a bow ; and a crown was given unto him : and he went 
 forth conquering, and to conquer." This seems to be a re- 
 presentation of the person and dignity of Christ, and the mild 
 and beneficent triumphs of his Gospel over all the powers 
 of paganism. Accordingly, accurate historians are of opinion, 
 that Christianity spread more rapidly and extensively just 
 fter this time (A. D. 96). than it had done before. 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 326 
 
 (ii.) The second seal, Rev. 6. 3, 4. *' And when he had 
 opened the second seal. I heard the second beast say, Come 
 and see. And there went out another horse that was red : 
 and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace 
 from the earth, and that they should kill one another ; and 
 there was given unto him a great sword." This refers to the 
 divine judgments of God on the enemies of Christianity under 
 Trajan and lladrian, from A. D. 100 to 138, in which periuJ, 
 by the most horrid wars and slaughters, 580,000 Jews, and 
 even a greater number of Greeks and Romans, are computed 
 to have perished. 
 
 (iii.) 'J'he third seal. Rev. 6. 5, 6. "And when he had 
 opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and 
 see. And I beheld, and lo, a black horse ; and he that sat 
 on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a 
 voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat 
 for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny ; 
 and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." This indicates 
 the dreadful scarcities with which Christ fought against the 
 enemies of his church, in the time of the Antonines, from A. 
 D. 138 to 193 ; during which, all the care of the emperors 
 and their ministers could only just prevent the horrors of en- 
 tire famine. The word " measure," choenix, signifies a mea- 
 sure containing one wine quarts and the twelfth part of a quart. 
 This measure was one man's daily allowance, as a penny, 
 7^J., was his daily wages. 
 
 (iv.) The fourth seal, Rev. 6. 7, 8. " And when he had 
 opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast 
 say. Come and see. And I looked and behold a pale horse : 
 and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed 
 with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth 
 part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and 
 with death, and with the beasts of the earth." This seal de- 
 scribes the dreadful punishment of the persecuting Roman 
 empire, by sword, pestilence, and famine, from about A. D. 
 211 to 270. 
 
 (v.) The fifth seal, Rev. vi. 9-11. "And when he had 
 opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them 
 that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony 
 which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, 
 How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and 
 avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And 
 white robes were given unto every one of them ; and it was 
 
 28 
 
326 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, 
 until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should 
 be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." This seal seems 
 a prediction of the terrible persecution under Dioclesian and 
 Maximian, from A. D. 270 to 304, which lasted longer, and was 
 far more bloody, than any or all by which it was preceded, 
 whence it was called " the era of the martyrs." 
 
 (vi.) The sixth seal. Rev. vi. 12-19. "And I beheld when 
 he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earth- 
 quake ; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and 
 the moon became as blood ; and the stars of heaven fell unto 
 the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when 
 she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed 
 as a scroll when it is rolled together ; and every mountain 
 and island were moved out of their places. And the kings 
 of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the 
 chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and 
 every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
 of the mountains ; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall 
 on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the 
 throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb ; for the great day 
 of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?" 
 This was an emblem of great revolutions in the civil and re- 
 ligious state of the world, attended by vast commotions of 
 every kind ; and represents the total subversion of the per- 
 secuting power by the victories of Constantine, and by his 
 accession to the imperial throne, and the entire and universal 
 change v/hich took place at that time, from A. D. 304 to 323. 
 The great lights of the heathen world were eclipsed and ob- 
 scured — the heathen emperors and Caesars were slain, the 
 heathen priests and augurs extirpated, and heathen officers 
 and magistrates removed, the heathen temples demolished, 
 and their revenues appropriated to better uses. The seventh 
 chapter is a continuation of the sixth seal ; and is a descrip- 
 tion of the state of the church in the time of Constantine, of 
 the peace and protection it should enjoy under the civil 
 powers, and of the great accession that there should be made 
 to it, both of the Jews and Gentiles. Eusebius and Lactantius, 
 who were contemporary writers, bear their testimony to the 
 completion of this prophecy ; and one of the medals of Con- 
 stantine, bearing on the reverse beata tranquillitas, " blessed 
 tranquillity," is a confirmation of their testimony. All the 
 historians who have written of these times also bear witness 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTI7RES. 327 
 
 of the vast numbers both of Jews and Gentiles who were 
 converted to the Christian religion. See Sulpicius Severus, 
 1. ii. p. 100. Socrat. Hist. 1. i. c. 15-20. Sozomen. 1. ii. c. 
 5-8, &c. 
 
 (vii.) The seventh seal, and the seven trumpets which it 
 comprised, Rev. 8. 1-6. 
 
 (^ 1.) The first trumpet. Rev. viii. 7. "The first angel 
 sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, 
 and they were cast upon the earth : and the third part of trees 
 was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." This re- 
 fers to the irruptions of the barbarous nations into the Roman 
 empire, from A. D. 338 to 412 ; and principally to the in- 
 cursions of the Goths under Alaric, who, after spreading 
 desolation by fire and sword throughout the provinces, took 
 and plundered Rome, A. D. 410, and slew all, without dis- 
 tinction of rank, sex, or age. 
 
 {^ 2.) The second trumpet. Rev. viii. 8, 9. " And the 
 second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burn- 
 ing with fire was cast into the sea : and the third part of the 
 sea became blood ; and the third part of the creatures which 
 were in the sea, and had life, died ; and the third part of the 
 ships were destroyed." This is an emblem of a mighty 
 destructive warrior ; and seems to refer to Attila and his 
 Huns, who, after Alaric, ravaged the empire during 14 years, 
 massacring, plundering, and destroying all before him in the 
 most barbarous manner. This period probably includes the 
 calamities which befell the empire from A. D. 412 to 450. 
 
 (^ 3.) The third trumpet. Rev. viii. 10, 11. "And the 
 third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, 
 burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of 
 the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters ; and the name 
 of the star is called Wormwood : and the third part of the 
 waters became wormwood ; and many men died of the waters, 
 because they were made bitter." This seems to refer to 
 Genseric, who, soon after xA-ttila's retreat, unexpectedly in- 
 vaded the empire with 300,000 Vandals and Moors, besieged 
 and took Rome, and abandoned it to the ravages of his troops, 
 from A. D. 450 to 456. As this assault was made on the 
 source of the Roman power and prosperity, and as he was a 
 bigoted Arian, and a cruel persecutor of the orthodox, he may 
 ius\]y be said to poison the fountains. 
 
 (^ 4.) The fourth trumpet, Rev. viii. 12, 13. "And the 
 fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, 
 
328 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 and the thivd part of the moon, and the third part of the stars ; 
 so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone 
 not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I be- 
 held, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, 
 saying with a loud voice, Wo, wo, wo, to the inhabiters 
 of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of 
 the three angels, which are yet to sound !" The splendor 
 of the Roman sun, after the ravages of Genseric, shone with 
 a feeble and expiring light, during eight short and turbulent 
 reigns, till it was extinguished by Odoacer, king of the Heruli, 
 under Momyllus, called in derision Augustulus, or the little 
 Augustus, A. D. 476, and its subordinate luminaries, which 
 faintly shone in the senate and consuls, expired, after several 
 changes, in A. D. 566 ; when the whole form of the ancient 
 government was subverted, and Rome itself was reduced, 
 from being the empress of the world, to a poor dukedom, 
 tributary to the Exarch of Ravenna. 
 
 (^ 5.) The fifth trumpet, Rev. ix. 1-12. " And the fifth 
 angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the 
 earth : and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 
 And he opened the bottomless pit ; and there arose a smoke 
 out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace ; and the sun 
 and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 
 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth : and 
 unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have 
 power. And it was commanded them that they should not 
 hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither 
 any tree ; but only those men which have not the seal of God 
 in their foreheads." The " fallen star," probably denotes the 
 bishop and church of Rome, which, by the corruptions of 
 which it was the source, centre, and principal support, opened 
 the door for Mohammed and his imposture, which is repre- 
 sented by the smoke ascending from the bottomless pit. The 
 locusts are the great armies of Arabians, which the impostor 
 raised, to spread desolation through the nations ; and it is re- 
 markable, that when Yezed was marching his army to invade 
 Syria, Abubeker charged him, to destroy no palm-trees, nor 
 burn any fields of corn, to cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any 
 mischief to cattle, only such as he killed to eat. The injury 
 was to be done " only to those men which have not the seal 
 of God in their foreheads," i. e. corrupt and idolatrous Chris- 
 tians ; against whom the Saracens chiefly prevailed. " And 
 to them it was given that they should not kill them." That 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 329 
 
 is, should not kill them as a political body, state, or empire ; 
 and accordingly, however they desolated the Greek and Latin 
 churches, they could not extirpate them, nor gain possession 
 of the empire. " But that they should be tormented five 
 months." Five prophetical months, each consisting of 30 
 days, and each day denoting a year, amount to 150 years ; 
 and accordingly, from the time that Mohammed began to pro- 
 pagate his imposture, A. D. 612, to the building of Bagdad, 
 when they ceased from their ravages, A. D. 763, are just 150 
 years. " And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, 
 when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek 
 death, and shall not find it ; and shall desire to die, and death 
 shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like 
 unto horses prepared unto battle ; and on their heads were 
 as it were crowns like gold, and their faces w^ere as the faces 
 of men," &c. 
 
 (§ 6.) The sixth trumpet, Rev. ix. 13-21. " And the sixth 
 angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the 
 golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel 
 which had the trumpet. Loose the four angels which are 
 bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels 
 were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and 
 a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men, i\.nd 
 the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred 
 thousand thousand : and I heard the number of them. And 
 thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, 
 having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone ; and 
 the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of 
 their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone." " Breast- 
 plates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone." This appears to point 
 out the scarlet, blue, and yellow colors, for which the Turks 
 have always been remarkable. The " four angels bound in 
 the Euphrates" denote their four sultanies bordering on that 
 river, where they were confined till after the period of the 
 Crusades. The time for which they were prepared, " an hour, 
 and a day, and a month, and a year," computing a year for 
 each day, amounts to 391 years, 15 days ; and from their first 
 conquest over the Christians, A. D. 1281, to the taking of 
 Cameniec from the Poles, A. D. 1672, which was the last 
 conquest by which their dominion was extended, is exactly 
 that period. " By these three was the third part of men kill- 
 ed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which 
 i ssued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, 
 
 28* 
 
'i'iiO EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 and in their tails : for their tails were like unto serpents, and 
 had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the 
 men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not 
 of the works of their hands, that they should not worship 
 devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and 
 of wood : which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk : neither 
 repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of 
 their fornication, nor of their thefts." That is, those of the 
 Latin and Greek churches, who escaped destruction, still per- 
 sisted in their idolatrous worship of demons, &c. 
 
 The prophecy contained in the little hook, Rev. x. This 
 little book was a kind of appendix to the larger book, and ap- 
 pears to have contained the former part of the succeeding 
 chapter (ch. xi. 1-14) ; which is an important supplement to 
 the ninth chapter, as it gives a general account of the state of 
 the western church, and all connected with it, during the pe- 
 riod of the fifth and sixth trumpets. 
 
 The prophesying of . the two loitiiesscs in sackcloth^ Rev. xi. 
 " And there was given me a reed like unto a rod : and the 
 angel stood, saying. Rise and measure the temple of God, and 
 the altar, and them that worship therein." This denoted, that 
 during the predicted period, there should be a small number 
 of true Christians, who conformed to the rule and measure of 
 God's word. " But the court which is without the temple 
 leave out, and measure it not ; for it is given unto the Gentiles : 
 and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two 
 months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and 
 they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore 
 days, clothed in sackcloth," &c. The court of the temple be- 
 ing " given to the Gentiles," intimates, that the greater part 
 should be only Christians in name, but Gentiles in wickedness, 
 idolatry, and persecution ; which should continue 42 months, 
 or 1260 prophetical days, or years, during which a succession 
 of witnesses should be raised up to bear testimony to the 
 truth. This refers to the idolatry and tyranny of the church 
 of Rome j and is probably to be dated from the time the pope 
 became universal bishop, A. D. 606, or when he was estab- 
 lished a temporal prince, A. D. 756. 
 
 The persecutiojis of the dragon and beast. Rev. xii., xiii. 
 1-10. " And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a 
 beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten 
 horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads 
 the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 331 
 
 unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and 
 his mouth as the mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave hinn 
 his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw- 
 one of his heads as it were wounded to death ; and his deadly- 
 wound was healed : and all the world wondered after the 
 beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power 
 unto the beast : and they worshipped the beast, saying, 
 V/ho is like unto the beast: who is able to make war 
 with him ? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking 
 ^reat things and blasphemies ; and power was given unto 
 him to continue forty and two months," &lc. This beast, the 
 same as Daniel's fourth beast (Dan. 7. 7), is the Roman or 
 Latin empire, whose capital was seated on seven hills, was 
 divided into ten kingdoms, and received its power from " the 
 dragon," or the idolatrous heathen empire. Both imperial 
 and papal Rome have arrogated to themselves the most blas- 
 phemous titles ; and the number of pious Christians who have 
 fallen a sacrifice to the latter is incalculable. The term, of 
 his power also exactly coincides with that during which " the 
 two witnesses prophesied in sackcloth," (ch. 11. 3.) 
 
 The second beast, Rev. 13. 11-18. " And I beheld another 
 beast coming up out of the earth ; and he had two horns like a 
 lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the 
 power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth 
 and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, 
 whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great won- 
 ders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the 
 earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on 
 the earth by the means of those miracles which he had 
 j>ower to do in the sight of the beast ; saying to them that 
 dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the 
 beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And 
 he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that 
 the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as 
 many as would not worship the image of the beast should be 
 killed. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and 
 poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or 
 in their foreheads ; an*d that no man might buy or sell, save 
 he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the num- 
 ber of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath un- 
 derstanding count the number of the beast : for it is the num- 
 ber of a man ; and his number is Six hundred threescore and 
 six." This second beast is the spiritual Latin empire, or 
 
3^ EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 the Roman hierarchy, or body of the clergy regular and se- 
 cular, denoted by its two horns ; with which its pretended 
 miracles, image worship, mark of the cross, excommuni- 
 cations from secular privileges, and name agree. The lat- 
 ter, whether we take Aarsivosi Latcinos, or n'i'i?2Tn, Romiith, 
 or ,, KarivT) paai\ctay " the Latin kingdom," equally amounts 
 to 666. 
 
 The state of the church in the wilderness, and the reforma' 
 tion from, and fall of Popery, Rev. xv. This chapter con- 
 tains a vision of the true " church, in the wilderness," during 
 the period of the domination of the beast and its image, and the 
 emblematical representations of the progressive reformation 
 from popery. The first angel (v. 6, 7) probably refers to tho 
 dawning of the reformation in the 12th, 13th, and 14th cen- 
 turies, particularly to the Waldenses and Albigenses ; the 
 second (ver. 8), to the Bohemians, with John Huss and 
 Jerome of Prague, in the 15th century ; and the third, to 
 Luther and his coadjutors, who protested against popery as 
 a damnable religion. But the voices of these angels not 
 having due influence and effect, the judgments of God, :is 
 here represented, will overtake the beast and its adherenls. 
 These, as well as the events in the following chapter, evi- 
 dently appear to be still future. 
 
 (§ 7.) The pouring out of the seven vials of the wrath of 
 God, comprehended under the seventh trumpet, Rev. xvi. 
 This chapter introduces the seven vials, all of which are 
 comprehended under the seventh trumpet, as the seven 
 trumpets were included under the seventh seal ; for they 
 contain "the seven last plagues," in which " is filled up the 
 wrath of God," on the persecuting idolatrous power. Not 
 only the concinnity of this prophecy requires this order, 
 but if these plagues be not the last wo, it is nowhere de- 
 scribed ; while the many fruitless attempts made to explain 
 them, plainly show that the hand of time must be the in- 
 terpreter. 
 
 The vision of the great ichore. Rev. xvii. "And there 
 came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and 
 talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither j I will show 
 unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sittelh upon 
 many waters : with whom the kings of the earth have com- 
 mitted fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been 
 made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Whoredom 
 in Scripture frequently denotes idolatry ; and how many kings 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 333 
 
 and nations has Papal Rome intoxicated " with the wine 
 of her fornications !" By the most subtle insinuations and 
 politic management, she has obtained and preserved her 
 ascendency ; attaching them to her usurped authority in 
 blind submission, inducing them to conform to her idola- 
 tries, and intoxicating and maddening multitudes, by their 
 zeal for that church, to murder their unoffending neighbors 
 by tens of thousands ! " So he carried me away in the spirit 
 into the wilderness." The desolate state of the true church 
 of Christ. "And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored 
 beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and 
 ten horns." Doubtless the church of Rome, as she sits upon, 
 or rules over the beast, which is the Latin empire, or the 
 temporal power by which she is supported. " And the wo- 
 man was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with 
 gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in 
 her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornica- 
 tion." Purple and scarlet are the distinguishing colors of 
 popes and cardinals, as well as of emperors and senators ; and 
 who can find adequate language to describe the pride, splendor, 
 and magnificence of the church of Rome ! " And upon her 
 forehead was a name written. Mystery, Babylon the Great, 
 the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." Her 
 religion is " a mystery of iniquity ;" and her very title of " the 
 Roman Catholic," or universal " church," entitles her to the 
 name of " Mystery, Babylon the Great." It is asserted by 
 several writers of good authority, that before the Reformation, 
 the word Mystery was written in letters of gold on the front 
 of the Pope's mitre. " And I saw the woman drunken with 
 the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of 
 Jesus : and when I saw her I wondered with great admira- 
 tion. And the angel said unto me. Wherefore didst thou mar- 
 vel ? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the 
 beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten 
 horns. The beast that thou savvest was, and is not ; and 
 shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition : 
 and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names 
 were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the 
 world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and 
 yet is." The Roman empire was the beast, or idolatrous 
 persecuting power, when under the Pagan emperors ; it ceased 
 to be so, when it became Christian : and became so again 
 under the Roman pontiffs, and shall "go into perdition." 
 
334 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 " And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads 
 are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there 
 are seven kings ; five are fallen, and one is, and the other is 
 not yet come j and when he cometh, he must continue a short 
 space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the 
 eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." The 
 seven kings are seven forms of government, which subsisted 
 among the Romans. The " five fallen" are kings, consuls, 
 dictators, decemvirs, and military tribunes ; the sixth, " the 
 one that is," is the power of the Caesars, or emperors ; and 
 the seventh is probably the exarch of Ravenna, or the duke- 
 dom of Rome. If this be reckoned a distinct form of govern- 
 ment, then the beast is " the eighth," but if it be deemed 
 too inconsiderable to be reckoned a distinct head, he " is of 
 the seven ;" but whether the seventh or eighth, he is the last 
 form of government in that idolatrous empire, and " goeth into 
 perdition." " And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten 
 kings, which have received no kingdom as yet ; but receive 
 power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one 
 mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 
 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall 
 overcome them : for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings : 
 and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faith- 
 ful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, 
 where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and na- 
 tions, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon 
 the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her de- 
 solate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with 
 fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and 
 to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the 
 words of God shall be fulfilled." The ten horns, which the 
 angel explained of " ten kings," or kingdoms, and which once 
 exalted and supported her ecclesiastical tyranny, will hate, de- 
 solate, strip, and devour her. They will be the principal in- 
 struments in the destruction of popery, and the ruin of Rome 
 itself. " And the woman which thou sawest is that great 
 city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." The 
 city which, at the time of the vision, " reigned over the kings 
 of the earth," was undoubtedly Rome ; and, from its founda- 
 tion, it has, in different ways, accomplished this object to the 
 present time. 
 
 ^ 2. The remaining prophecies respecting the fall of the 
 Mystical Babylon (ch. xviii.), which is in effect the same as 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 335 
 
 tlie destruction of the Great Whore ; the Marriage supper of 
 the Lamb, and the vision of the Word of God (ch. xix.) ; the 
 Millennium, the loosing of Satan, the destruction of Gog and 
 Magog, and the last resurrection (ch. xx.) ; the description 
 of the New heaven and New earth, and the heavenly Jeru- 
 salem (ch. xxi., xxii.), being all future, do not here require a 
 more specific notice ; and I would close this section, and this 
 work, by the following observations on the Book of Revela- 
 tion. Concerning this book. Dr. Priestley (no mean judge of 
 Biblical subjects, where his own peculiar creed was not con- 
 cerned) has declared, " I think it impossible for any intelligent 
 and candid person to peruse this Book without being struck, 
 in the most forcible manner, with the peculiar dignity and 
 sublimity of its composition, superior to that of any other 
 writing whatever ; so as to be convinced, that, considering 
 the age in which it appeared, none but a person divinely in- 
 spired could have written it. These prophecies are also 
 written in such a manner as to satisfy us, that the events 
 announced to us were really foreseen ; being described in 
 such a manner a^ no person, writing without that knowledge, 
 could have done. This requires such a mixture of clearness 
 and obscurity, as has never yet been imitated by any forgers 
 of prophecy whatever. Forgeries, written of course after the 
 events, have always been too plain. It is only in the Scrip- 
 tures, and especially in the Book of Daniel, and this of the 
 Revelation, that we find this happy mixture of clearness and 
 obscurity in the accounts of future events." The obscurity 
 of this prophecy, which has been urged against its genuine- 
 ness, necessarily resuhs from the highly figurative and sym- 
 bolical language in which it is delivered, and is, in fact, a 
 strong internal proof of its authenticity and divine original : 
 " For it is a part of this prophecy," as Sir Isaac Newton 
 justly remarks, " that it should not be understood before the 
 last age of the world ; and therefore it makes for the credit 
 of the prophecy that it is not yet understood. The folly of 
 interpreters has been, to foretel times and things by this 
 prophecy, as if God designed to make them prophets. By 
 this rashness, they have not only exposed themselves, but 
 brought the prophecy also into contempt. The design of 
 God was much otherwise. He gave this, and the prophecies 
 of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by 
 enabling them to foreknow things, but that, after that they 
 were fulfilled, they might be interpreted by the event ; and 
 
336 EVIDENCE OF THE INSPIRATION 
 
 his own Providence, not the interpreters, be then manifested 
 thereby to the world. For the event of things, predicted 
 many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that 
 the world is governed by Providence. For, as the few and 
 obscure prophecies concerning Christ's first coming were for 
 setting up the Christian religion, which all nations have since 
 corrupted ; so the many and clear prophecies concerning the 
 things to be done at Christ's second coming, are not only for 
 predicting, but also for effecting a recovery and re-establish- 
 ment of the long-lost truth, and setting up a kingdom wherein 
 dwells righteousness. The event will prove the Apocalypse ; 
 and this prophecy, thus proved and understood, will open the 
 old prophets ; and all together will make known the true re- 
 ligion, and establish it. There is already so much of the 
 prophecy fulfilled, that as many "as will take pains in this 
 study, may see sufficient instances of God's promise : but 
 then, the signal revolutions predicted by all the holy prophets, 
 will at once both turn men's eyes upon considering the pre- 
 dictions, and plainly interpret them. Till then we must con- 
 tent ourselves with what hath been already fulfilled." And, 
 as Mr. Weston observes, " if we were in possession of a 
 complete and particular history of Asia, not only of great 
 events, without person or place, names or dates, but of the 
 exactest biography, geography, topography, and chronology, 
 we might, perhaps, still be able to explain and appropriate 
 more circumstances recorded in the Revelation, under the 
 emperors of the East and the West, and in Arabia, Persia, 
 Tartary, and Asia, the seat of the most important revolutions 
 with which the history of Christianity has ever been inter- 
 woven and closely connected." History is the great inter- 
 preter of prophecy. " Prophecy is, as I may say," observes 
 Bishop Newton, " history anticipated and contrasted ; history 
 is prophecy accomplished and dilated ; and the prophecies 
 of Scripture contain the fate of the most considerable nations, 
 and the substance of the most memorable transactions in the 
 world, from the earliest to the latest times. Daniel and St. 
 John, with regard to those latter times, are more copious and 
 particular than the other prophets. They exhibit a series and 
 succession of the most important events, from the first of the 
 four great empires to the consummation of all things. Their 
 prophecies may really be said to be a summary of the history 
 of the world ; and the history of the world is the best comment 
 upon their prophecies .... and the more yon know of ancient 
 
OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES. 337 
 
 tnJ modern times, and the farther you search into the truth 
 of history, the more you will be satisfied of the truth of pro- 
 phecy." The Revelation was designed to supply the place 
 of that continued succession of prophets, which demonstrated 
 the continued providence of God to the patriarchal and Jewish 
 churches. " The majority of commentators on the Apocalypse," 
 Bsy? Mr. Townsend, " generally acted on these principles of 
 r>u^rj_ relation. They discover in this Book certain predic- 
 ■'ijf_>s of events which were fulfilled soon after they were 
 announced ; they trace in the history of later years various 
 coincidences, which so fully agree with various parts of the 
 Apocalypse, that they are justly entitled to consider them as 
 the fulfilment of its prophecies ; and, by thus tracing the one 
 God of Revelation through the clouds of the dark ages, through 
 the storms of revolutions and wars, through the mighty con- 
 vulsions which, at various periods, have agitated the world, 
 their interpretations, even when they are most contradictory, 
 when they venture to speculate concerning the future, are 
 founded on so much undoubted truth, that they have materially- 
 confirmed the wavering faith of thousands. Clouds and dark- 
 ness must cover the brightness of the throne of God, till it 
 shall please him to enable us to bear the brighter beams of 
 his glory. In the mean time, we trace his footsteps in the sea 
 of the Gentile world, his path in the mighty waters of the 
 ambitious and clashing passions of man. We rejoice to 
 anticipate the day when the bondage of Rome, which would 
 perpetuate the intellectual and spiritual slavery of man, shall 
 be overthrown, and the day-spring of united knowledge and 
 holiness bless the world." 
 
 THE END. 
 
 29 
 
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 1 
 
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 CONNECTION OF 
 
 SACRED AND PROFANE HISTORY. 
 
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 MEMOIR OF REV. HENRY MARTIN, 
 
 Chaplpin to the East India Company. By the Rev. .John Sargent, 
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 4 
 
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 OLD HUMPHREY'S ADDRESSES. 
 
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 OLD HUMPHREY'S OBSERVATIONS. 
 
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 THOUGHTS FOR THE THOUGHTFUL. 
 
 By Old Humphrey. Fourth Edition. 
 
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 WALKS IN LONDON, 
 
 And its Neighbourhood. By Old Humphrey. Third Edition. 
 
 HOMELY HINTS 
 
 To Sabbath School Teachers. By Old Humphrey. Second Edition. 
 
 MY GRANDPARENTS: 
 
 Dy Grandmother Gilbert, and my Grandfatlier Gregory. By Old Hun^ 
 phrey. 
 
 STROLLS IN THE COUNTRY. 
 
 By Old Humphrey. 
 
 THE OLD SEA CAPTAIN. 
 
 By Old Humphrey. 
 
 MEDITATIONS AND ADDRESSES 
 
 On the Subject of Prayer. By the Rev. Hugh White, A.M. Fourth 
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 THE BELIEVER: 
 
 A Series of Discourses. By the Rev. Hugh White, A.M. Second Ame- 
 rican, from the seventh Dublin Edition. 
 
 L U C I L L A ; 
 
 Or, the Reading of the Bible. By Adolphe Monod. Second Edition; 
 
 TALES OF THE SCOTTISH 
 
 COVENANTERS. 
 
 By Robert Pollok, A.M., author of the '< Course of Time." 
 
 A BOOK FOR THE SABBATH. 
 
 In Three Parts. — I. The Origin, Design, and Obligation of the Sabbatlu 
 II. Practicallmprovement of the Sabbath. HI. Devotional Exercises 
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 5 
 
R. CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE FAMILY OF BETHANY. 
 
 By L. Bonnet. With an Introductory Essay, by Rev. Hugh White. 
 
 Fourth American, from the eighth London Edition. 
 
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 glowing imagery, of living, breathing devotion. We recommend it for its intellectual 
 u well as its moral and spiritual qualities." — Albany Argus. 
 
 THE RETROSPECT; 
 
 Or, Review of Providencial Mercies. With Anecdotes of Various Chai 
 acters. By AHquis, formerly a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and now 
 a Minister of the English Church. Third American fi-om the eighteenth 
 London edition. 
 
 "The great popularity of this volume af pe*^-» from the large number of editions 
 through which it has passed in Great BritaLi in 4 short number of years, having now 
 reached the 17th edition, and proofs of its usefifness have not been wanting. Wo 
 can assure our readers that there are few wirks.ivf the kind so deeply interesting, or 
 60 well adapted to religious edification. W« cofvJiully recommend it." — Chris. Jnt 
 
 THE MARTYR LAMB; 
 
 Or, Christ the Representative of his Peo{»le in all Ages. By F. W. 
 Krummacher, D. D., author of " I lijah ihe Tishbite," &c. Fourth 
 Edition. 
 
 ELIJAH THE TI&UHBITE. 
 By F. W. Kru iimacuer. 
 
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 be the expression of a heart warmed by pictj)', wid »tu.C3jptible of the tenderest emo 
 tions. He displays a happy tact, in developii:,Y, in th,> nost pleasing manner, the cir 
 <!umstances of a scriptural incident or chara^aiir, and .>f ieriving from it practical 
 lessons." — Presbyterian. 
 
 MCCRIE ON ft\rST}'J6rR. 
 
 Lectures on the Book of Esther. By tbn Rev. TLomas McCrie, D.D., 
 author of " Life of John Knox," &c. 
 
 A TREATISE ON PRAVtiR; 
 
 Designed to assist in the devout dischargj w of thai c'uty. By the Rev 
 
 Edward Bickersteth. 
 
 MICHAEL KEM /', 
 The Happy Farmer's Lad. A Tale of Rustic Lifvj, i^lu&*rat;ive of the 
 
 Scriptural Blessings and Temporal Advantages oif y^\tly Piety. By 
 
 Anne Woodrooffe. Second Edition. 
 
 •' Thoroughly and intensely have we read this b<v»U, ' becaU'V*, ^'^ Talbot said of 
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 ous disposition aiid firm principles of Michael, and w© wished tc ?e« >o / tbey would 
 bear him through trying scenes. So much for the increst which tufe iury excites, 
 the other merits of the book are not inferior." — Baptir' Advocate. 
 
 COMFORT IN AFFLIvOTION. 
 
 A Series of Meditations By the Rev. James Biv'^hanan, one of the Min 
 
 isters of the High Church, Edinburgh. From tlie nin*h Edinb. Edition. 
 
 LIGHTS 36 SHADOWS OF SCOTTISH LIFE. 
 
 By Professor Wilson. 18mo. 
 
 MEMOIR OF MARY LUNDIE DUNCAN. 
 
 Second American Edition. 18mc. 
 
 PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
 On the Second Advent. By the Rev. Hugh White, A..M. 18rno 
 
R CARTERS PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 PERSUASIVES TO EARLY PIETY. 
 
 By the Rev. J. G. Pike. 
 
 DODDRIDGE'S RISE AND PROGRESS. 
 
 ^se and Progress of Religion in the Soul. Illustrated in a Course of Se- 
 rious and Practical Addnisses, suited to persons of every character and 
 circumstance, with a Devout Meditation or Prayer subjoined to each 
 chapter. By PhlHp Doddridge, D.D. 
 
 THE COTTAGE FIRESIDE^ 
 
 Or, the Parish Schoolmaster. By the Rev. Henry Duncan, D.D. 
 
 "This is u reprint of a Scotch work, by a clergyman of high standing, who does 
 not now for the first time appear as an author. The narrative is constructed with 
 great beauty, and is designed at once to illustrate and remedy some of the principal 
 evils connected with domestic education. The work may very properly occupy Uie 
 attention botii of parents and children ; and it will be read witii pleasure by all who 
 can relish the simple and beautiful in thought and expression." — Argus. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATED, 
 
 In a Course of Lectures delivered in the Argyle Chapel, Bath. By Rev. 
 William Jay. New Edition. 
 
 "It has all the peculiar marks of Jay's mind ; perspicuity of arrangement, simpli- 
 city and occasional elegance of diction, deep-toned piety and copiousness of senti- 
 ment. In recommending such a book we are conscious of doing a service to the 
 cause of piety, by promoting the spiritual-mindedness, and consistent, symmetrical 
 c induct of every Christian who prayerfully peruses it." — Baptist Advocate. 
 
 NA^ORKS OF REV. HENRY SCOUGAL. 
 
 Containing the Life of God in the Soul, &c. 
 
 DEV/ OF ISRAEL, 
 
 A.nd the Lily of God ; or, a Glimpse of the Kingdom of Grace. By F. 
 W. Krummacher, D.D. Second American, from the second London 
 Edition. 
 
 CHRISTIAN FRAGMENTS; 
 
 Or, Remarks on the Nature, Precepts, and Comforts of Religion. By 
 John Burns, I\LD., F.R.S., Regius Professor of Surgery in the Univer- 
 sity of Glasgow, &c. &c. 
 
 "The different pieces constitute so many distinct, though sometimes brief, disquisi- 
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 Hn approaching judgment. They display sound tliought, evangelical sentiment, cor- 
 ect doctrine, and an elevated tone of Christian feeling." — Advocate. 
 
 CHRISTIAN FATHER AT HOMEj 
 
 Or, a Manual of Parental Instruction. By W. C. Brownlee, D.D. 
 A GLIMPSE INTO 
 THE V/ORLD TO COME, 
 n a Waking Dream. By the late George B. Phillips. With Extracts 
 illustrative of his Spiritual Progress; and a Brief Memoir, by Mrs. 
 Duncan, author of " Mi-moir of Mrs. Mary Luiidie Dimran," &cc. 
 "This is altogether an extraordinary production. The small portion of it which 
 fives it its title, is a strain of fervent pious imaginings, based however upon the ora- 
 cles of God. One cannot easily read it without gaining a more deep and Eolid im 
 prossion of t!io other world.'' 
 7 
 
R. CARTER'S PUBLICATIONS, 
 
 INFANT PIEXY. 
 
 A Book for Little Children. By Baptist W. Noel, M.A. 
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 us a simple record of the pious lives and happy deaths of several little children on 
 both sides of the Atlantic. The work is well adapted to accomplish the benevolent 
 design of its author, by leading little children to remember their Creator." — Albany 
 Evening JournaL 
 
 A MEMOIR OF JOHN HUSS. 
 
 Translated from the Gorman. 
 
 "To many who are familiar with the life of Martin Luther, that of Johnlluss, who 
 preceded liini, and prepared the German mind for his more extended labours, is com- 
 paratively little known. The true character of Romanism is displayed in the treat- 
 ment of each, but some of the darkest shades are seen in the case of Huss." — Baptist 
 Advocate, 
 
 HELEN OF THE GLEN. 
 
 A Tale of the Scottish Covenanters. By Robert Pollok, A.M. 
 
 THE PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
 By Pollok-. 
 
 RALPH GEMMELL. 
 
 By Pollok. 
 
 JESSY ALLAN, 
 
 The Lame Girl. By Grace Kennedy, author of " Anna Ross," &c. 
 "It is an affecting tale, and strikingly illustrates the power of religion, and its ful^ 
 adequacy to human wants in every emergency." — Christian Mirror. 
 
 SINNER'S FRIEND. 
 
 From the eighty-seventh London Edition, completing upwards of half a 
 
 million. 
 
 ^^ This little Work has been translated into sixteen different languages. 
 
 "It is designed by its direct appeals, to arrest the attention of the most careless 
 
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 witli reading."' — Preshrjtcrian. 
 
 "^It is fitted to be an admirable auxiliary to ministers in the discharge of their 
 duty." — Albany Daily Advertiser. 
 
 DECAPOLISj 
 
 Or, the Individual ObligTitions of Christians to save Souls from Death. An 
 Essay. By David Everard Ford. Fifth American, from the sixth 
 London Edition. 
 
 "This book is an exhortation to Christians, and Christian ministers, to exerciee 
 greater faithfulness in saving souls from eternal death. We have read it with much 
 pleasure, and we hope with some jirofit. The book is niOBt beautifully got up ; and 
 we could wish that it might Reread and pondered by every one who indulges a hope 
 that he is a Christian." — N. Y. EcangelisU 
 
 SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Anecdotes Illustrative of the Shorter Catechism. By .Tohn Whitecross. 
 New Edition. 
 
 "This will relieve the catechism of a difficulty which many have felt in respect to ii 
 —that it is too abstract to be comprehended by the mind of a child ; here every truth 
 is seen in its practical relations, ai.d beconips associated in the mind with some inter- 
 esting fact which is fitted at once to make it plain to the understanding, to lodge it ia 
 (he racinorv, and to impress it upon tlie \\c:ixi."~-Vaily Adicrtifcr 
 8 " 
 
R. CARTER'S P U B F, I C A T IONS. 
 
 MEMOIR OF JOHN D. LOCKNA^OOD. 
 
 Being Reminiscences of a Son by his feather 
 ••A gifted mind and cultivated powers, hallowed and controlled by a sweet and 
 trustful pic'y ; the simplicity of childhood mingled with the seriousness and discre- 
 tion of mature ago, — we are sure do one could watch his brief career, terminating in 
 a death, though sudden, not unprepared for, without deep interest. We have read 
 it with unmingled pleasure and profit " — iV. Y. Evangelist. 
 
 PERFECT PEACE. 
 
 Letters Memorial of John Warren Howell, Esq,, of Bath, M. R. C. S. 
 
 By the Rev. David Pitcairn. With an Introduction by the Rev. John 
 
 Stevenson, author of " Christ on the Cross," " The Lord our Shepherd 
 
 &c. 
 
 PROFESSION IS NOT PRINCIPLE; 
 Or the Name of Christian is not Christianity. By Grace Kennedy, authoi 
 
 of "Jessy Allan," "Anna Ross," &c. ^ 
 
 GOSPEL PROMISES. 
 
 Being a Short Yievr of the Great and Precious Promises of the Grospel. 
 By the Rev. Joseph Alleine, author of " An Alarm to the Unconvert- 
 ed," &c. 
 
 LIFE IN EARNEST. 
 
 Six Lectures on Christian Activity and Ardour. By the Rev. Jame 
 Hamilton, author of " Harp on the Willows," &c. 
 
 MY GRANDMAMMA GILBERT. 
 
 By Old Humphrey. 
 
 MY GRANDFATHER GREGORY. 
 
 By Old Humphrey. 
 
 MEMOIR OF HANNAH SINCLAIR. 
 
 By the late Rev. Legh Richmond. From the nineteenth London Edition. 
 TRUE HAPPINESS; 
 
 Or, the Excellence and Power of Early Religion. By J. G. Pike, author 
 of " Persuasives to Early Piety," &c. Second Edition. 
 
 CHARLIE SEYMOUR; 
 
 Or, the Good Aunt and the Bad Aunt. By Miss Catharine Sinclair, au- 
 thor of " Modern Accomplishments," &ic. Third Edition. 
 
 LIVE NA^HILE YOU LIVE. 
 
 By the Rev, Thomas Griffith, A.M., Minister of Ram's Episcopal Church, 
 Homerton. 
 
 CROOK IN THE LOT; 
 
 Or, a Display of the Sovereignty and Wisdom of God in the Afflictions ot, 
 Men, and the Christian's Deportment under them. By the Rev. Thomas 
 Boston. 
 
 A TRIBUTE OF PARENTAL AFFECTION 
 
 To the Memoiy of my beloved and only Daughter, Hannah Jerram, with 
 a Short Account of the last Illness and Death of her elder Brother, 
 Charies Stranger Jerram. By the Rev. Charles Jerram, A. M., 
 Vicar of Cobham, Surrey. From the fifth London Edition. 
 9 
 
R. CARTER'S PURMCATIONS. 
 
 THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 Bickorsteth's Treatise on the Lord's Supper. With an Introduction, 
 Notes, and an Essay. By G. T. B-dell, D.D. Fifth Edition. 
 
 COMMUNICANT'S COMPANION. 
 
 By the Rev. Matthew Henry. With an Introductory Essay, by the Rev. 
 John Brown of Edinburgh. 
 
 BAXTER'S CALL. 
 
 Now or Never, Sec. With an Introductory E~;say, by Dr. Chalmers. 
 
 RELIGION AND ETERNAL LIFEj 
 
 Or, Irreligion and F^tenial Death. By J. G. Tike. 
 
 THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 A Tale. By Mrs. Cameron. 
 
 LIFE OF REV. JOHN NENA^TON. 
 
 Written by himself, and continued to his Death. By the Rev. Ricli. Cecil. 
 
 THE HARP ON THE \A/ILLO\A^S. 
 
 Remembering Zion, Farewell to Egypt, The Church in the House, The 
 Dew of Hermon, and the Destination of the Jews. By the Rev Jas. 
 Hamilton, of London. From the forty-fifth London Edition. 
 
 SABBATH MUSINGS. 
 
 By Caroline Fiy. 
 
 HERVEY'S MEDITATIONS 
 
 AND CONTEMPLATIONS. 
 New Edition. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION 
 
 IN EUROPE. 
 
 With a Cluonoloiry. 
 
 MY SCHOOL-BOY DAYS. 
 
 SORROWING, YET REJOICING. 
 
 Or a Narrative of Successive Bereavcmeins in m Clergyman's Family. 
 
 DIVINE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 By J.G. Pike, author of " True Ha[ipiiiess." Sec, &c. 
 
 A WORLD NA^ITHOUT SOULS. 
 
 By J. W. Cunningliam, A.M., Vicar of Harrow. 
 
 THE WORLD'S RELIGION. 
 
 As contrasted with genuine Christianity, by Lady Colquhoun. 
 
 ADVICE TO A YOUNG CHRISTIAN, 
 
 On the inportance of aiming at an elevated standnrd of piety. By a Village 
 Pastor, with an Introduclion by Rev. Dr. Alexinifler, of Princeton, N. J 
 
 CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE. 
 
 By the Author of " Christian Retirement " 
 
 10 
 
BS480 .G81 
 
 The genuineness, authenticity, and 
 
 Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00051 9514