Bra%w s£S *-: hh WW BKBB»ffl BK SB IflBfflHWffii tBBBf ■HH jfflffTO PK s JH in fiB H WBB Hi MWfiBWlWWJWWl flMBMB H8 Sraffim i^Tii/mij BsW BMMgmBiiB nmpHmi BHH wKf&wSHH @ i WWWW fll BSsHMflfii wH SKmRmhwmc fcM i CDrjDD Qd D iMrorjLiMB] WWW WW^nHnVnmHramHBI ^wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwl ^wj wr^ ^^wl ^°- ^ V '''/"''•'/VW'V' < ** V % '* ^\ LECTURES ON CHRISTIANITY: WHEREIN ITS NECESSITY, AUTHENTICITY, AND UTILITY, ARE SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCES HISTORICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, EXPERIMENTAL, AND .MISCELLANEOUS: With an Affectionate Appeal to those who have been entangled in the snare of Infidelity. BY REV. HIRAM GILLMORE. CLEVELAND: PRINTED BY FRANCIS B. PENNIMAN. 1837. DISTRICT OF OHIO, TO WIT . Be it remembered, that on the 11th day of April, Anno Dom- L. 5. ini, 1837, Hiram Gillmore, of the said District, hath deposited in this office the litle of a book, the title of which is in the Words following, to wit: "Lectures on Christianity; wherein its Necessity, Authenticity, and Utility, are supported by evidences, Historical, Philoso- phical, Experimental, and Miscellaneous; with an affectionate Appeal to those who have been entangled in the snare of Infidelity: By Rev. Hiram Gillmore.*' The right whereof he claims &s author, in conformity with an Act of Congress, entitled An act to amend the several acts respecting copy rights. Attest. WILLIAM MIXER, Clerk of the District. 3 J to f \ CONTENTS. PAGE. Preface, ----- 5 Introductory Remarks, - - - 11 Lecture I. — Necessity of Christianity shown from the doctrines, state of morals, and worship of heathen nations, ----- 17 Lecture II. — Necessity of Christianity, shown from the defects of natural religion, 31 Lecture III. — Divine authority and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures — their antiquity — wonderful harmo- ny and connection — preservation — morality, and pu- rity of style, - 57 Lecture IV. — Authenticity of Christianity shown from the moral character of Mioses — the Prophets — Christ and his Apostles — and the uncorrupted transmission of the writings containing their history, - 79 Lecture V. — x\uthenticity of Christianity shown from the nature and harmony of the doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures — the existence and nature of God — fall, and moral depravity of man — restoration of man to the Divine favor, through the merits of the vica- rious and sacrificial death of Christ— influence of the Holy Spirit, - - 105 Lecture VI. — Authenticity of Christianity shown from the nature and harmony of the doctrines taught in the sacrc5 boundless omnipotence acting at random, and control- led by no benefficent agency. In short, it obliterates every motive to the performance of noble and generous actions; damps the finest feelings and affections of humanity; leads to universal skepticism; cuts off the prospect of every thing which tends to cheer the traveler in his pilgrimage though life, and presents to his view nothing but an immense blank, overspread with the " blackness of darkness forever."' Such being the absurd consequences which flow from a denial of a revelation from God to man, and an entire trust for happiness in natural religion, we can easily discover the necessity of the christian religion, or something similar to it — that man may find a firm foundation on which to stand, and an asylum amid the disappointments and privations of his earthly existence: meet his great expectations, and fill his vast desires, concerning an immortal state of being. To these arguments, showing the necessity of revealed religion, we may only add, that in spite of all the exer- tions of men to confine their thoughts within the bounds of time, and their powerful struggles to satisfy their boundless desires with earthly possessions or pursuits \ their minds are still on the stretch, and their cry is " Give, give; 7 ' while they remain unsatisfied, burdened with remorse, disappointment, and fears. Christianity proposes a cure for all these evils; and it now remains for us to show whether there is suffi- cient evidence within our reach, to prove that it is of divine origin, and whether it can accomplished all that man desires, and all that it so unhesitatingly promises, u Vain mortal! seek not God witbin the shade , Impervious to thy twilight vision made. 56 NECESSITY OF CHRISTIANITY. But here, in this thy dawn of being, learn, In lowliness of wisdom, to discern The beam sent down to thee, the living ray, Prepared to guide thee on thy heavenly way. Then, from a purer, brighter, happier sphere, Shalt thou look down on depths unfathomed here, And view the Eternal, in his rule sublime, Upholding nature, and controlling time; In number, weight, and measure, ordering still His works of wisdom by his sovereign will; Through depths, o'er heights, which angel powers transcend; Conducting all to one harmonious end, Where every string, combined in concert sweet, In one hosanna to his name shall meet.'' PART SECOND. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. LECTURE III. Divine authority and inspiration of the holy scriptures. — Their antiquity — wonderful har- . mony and connection preservation morality, and purity of style. " The Bible. Hast thou ever heard Of such a book? The author, God himself; The subject, God and man, salvation, life And death — eternal life — eternal death. Dread words! whose meaning has no end: no bounds. Most wonderousbook! bright candle of the Lord! Star of eternity ! The only star By which the bark of man could navigate The sea of life, and gain the port of bliss Secruely." Having in the preceding lecture, endeavored to point out the defects of the systems of religion embraced by heathens and infidels, and to show that some other reli- gion was necessary to give us just views of God, and happify mankind, we may now proceed to authenticate the truth and divine origin of the christian system, as tauhgt in the Old and New Testament scriptures. And as the truth of the scriptures has been questioned, we shall in the first place endeavor to establish their divine authority and inspiration. And before we enter upon 58 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. the argument, it may be proper to show the temper of mind with which we ought always to be governed in our researches after truth. If a revelation of truth, necessary for the instruction and moral correction of mankind, is to be found in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, it is of the utmost importance that we, with candor and industry, search for the evidence by which the truth of these scriptures are established. Instead of wishing to dis- cover that the claims of the scriptures to divine author- ity are unfounded, every humble and sincere man, who, conscious of his own mental infirmities, and recollecting the perplexities in which the wisest men have been involved on religious and moral subjects, will wish to find at length an infallible guide, and examine the evi- dences of the Bible with an anxious desire to find it true — feeling that, should he- be disappointed, he has met with a painful misfortune, and not a matter for triumph. If this temper of mind, which is perfectly consistent with full and even critical examination of the claims of scripture, does not exist, the person destitute of it can be neither a sincere nor an earnest inquirer after truth. I. The antiquity of the books which contain the his- tory, the doctrines, and the statutes, of the Jewish and Christian lawgivers, is first to he considered. The importance of this fact in the argument, is obvi- ous. If the writings in question were made at, or very near, the time in which the miraculous acts recorded in them were performed, then the evidence of these events having occurred, is rendered the stronger — for they were written at the time when many were still living AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 59 who might have contradicted the narration, if false ; and the improbability is also greater, that, in the very age and place when and where those events are said to have been performed, any writer would have dared to run the hazard of prompt, certain, and disgraceful detection. It is equally important in the evidence of prophecy; for if the predictions were recorded long before the events which accomplished them took place, then the only question which remains is, whether the accomplishment is satisfactory; for then the evidence becomes irresistible. With respect to the scriptures of the Old Testament, the language in which they are written is a strong proof of their antiquity.* The Hebrew ceased to be spoken soon after the Babylonish captivity, and the learned agree that there was no grammar made for the Hebrew till many ages after. The difficulty of a forgery, at any period after the time of the captivity, is therefore apparent. Of these books, too, there was a Greek translation made about two hundred and eighty-seven years before the christian era, and deposited in the Alexandrian Library. Josephus gives a catalogue of the sacred books among the Jews, in which he express- ly mentions the five books of Moses, thirteen of the prophets, four of hymns and moral precepts, and if, as many critics maintain, Ruth was added to Judges, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah to his prophecies, the number agrees with those of the Old Testament as it is received at the present day. *The mixed language of the New Testament could only have been written at the time in which it is said the Apostles wrote. F 60 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY* The Samaritans, who separated from the Jews many hundred years before the birth of Christ, have, in their language, a Pentateuch, in the main exactly agreeing with the Hebrew. And many of the pagan writers speak of Moses not only as a lawgiver and prince, but as the author of books esteemed sacred by the Jews, If the writings of Moses, then, are not genuine, the forgery must have taken place at a very early period. And if the writings ascribed to Moses do not in reality belong to him, to whom do they belong'? If they were forged, by whom were they forged? Or at what period did they first make their appearance? They must have been written by some author; and is it not reasonable to conclude that their author, the time when written, or object of their appearance, would have been mentioned by some contemporary or imme- diate successor? Could a code of laws entire!}^ new appear among us at this day, without being noticed in such a way that the notice would be transferred to posterity with as much correctness as the laws them- selves? And if, as some suppose, the forgery of the writings ascribed to Moses, was detected by ancient writers, and the books containing such detection are lost, we ask, why could not such books endure tho ravages of time, as well as those said to have been written by Moses? Surely, if the books ascribed to Moses are an imposition on mankind, the real friends of humanity, who have discovered the imposition, ought to have spared no pains to preserve the documents in which such imposition was detected. So far from there having been any detection of im- position, in the writings ascribed to Moses, there is no AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 61 to be found even oral testimony that that was the case. As to the books of the prophets, which, with some predictions in the writings of Moses, comprise the prophetic branch of the evidence of the divine authority of the revelations they contain, it can be proved from Jewish tradition, the list of Josephus, the Greek trans- lation, and from their being quoted by the ancient writers, that they existed many ages before several of those events occurred, to which we shall refer, in a proper place, as eminent and unequivocal instances of prophetic accomplishment. As to Christ, whose history is recorded by the four evangelists, and who is professedly the founder of that religion which has given rise to the New Testament scriptures, it is only necessary to say, that two histo- rians, whose antiquity no one even thought of disputing, have mentioned him by name; and have also mentioned his violent death, and the persecutions his followers suffered. These historians are Suetonius and Tacitus. Thus, not only the real existence of the founder of Christianity, but the period in which he lived, are ex- actly ascertained, from writings, the genuineness of which has never been doubted. We shall hereafter have occasion to show that the New Testament scriptures have been quoted by ancient opposers of Christianity, as well as believers in Christ, even while some of its penmen were still living; which strengthens the evidence of the antiquity of this part of sacred volume* And we shall only add, that baptism and the Lord's supper have been instituted as perpetual memorials of facts connected with the history of Jesus Christ, who ordained apostles and other ministers of hi* 62 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. gospel, to preach and administer the sacraments, and to govern his church, and that always, even unto the end of the world. The sacraments have continued by regular succession, to this day ; and no doubt ever will, while the earth shall last. Now, if these sacra- ments were not instituted at the time, and for the pur- pose mentioned in the New Testament, we ask, token, by ivhom, and for what, were they instituted? Those who deny the antiquity and authenticity of the New Testament scriptures are under obligation to answer these questions, before they accuse us of believing things not sufficiently authenticated. And until they tell us, who the first christian minister was, and show us a regular succession of ministers down to the present day, abstract from scripture history, our faith in their his- tory as laid down in the New Testament, and as corrob- orated by the history of the church, from the days of Christ and his apostles until, will now remain steadfast and immovable. II. The wonderful harmony and intimate connection subsisting between all the parts of scripture, are strong proof of its divine authority and original. Other historians differ continually from each other. The errors of the first writers are constantly criticised and corrected by succeeding adventurers, and their mistakes are sure to meet with the same treatment from those who come after them. Nay, how often does it happen that contemporary writers contradict each other, in relating a fact which happened in their own time, and within the sphere of their own knowledge! But in the scriptures there is no dissent or contradiction. They are not a book compiled by a single author, nor AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 63 by many hands acting in confederacy in the same age; for in such case there would be no difficulty in composing a consistent scheme; nor would it be astonishing to find the several parts in a just and close connection. But most of the writers of the scriptures, lived at very dif- ferent times, and in distant places, through the long space of about sixteen hundred years; so that there could be no confederacy or collusion; and yet their relations agree with, and mutually support, each other. Not only human historians, but philosophers, even of the same school, disagree concerning their tenets; whereas the two Testaments, like the cherubim, (Ex. xxv, 20,) look steadfastly towards each other, and towards the mercy-seat which they encompass. The holy writers, men of different education, faculties, and occupations — prophets, evangelists, apostles, notwith- standing the diversities of time and place, the variety of matter, consisting of the mysteries of providence, as well as mysteries of faith — yet all concur uniformly in carrying on u one consistent plan of supernatural doctrines; all constantly propose the same invariable truth, flowing from the same fountain through different channels. Go, then, to the sacred scriptures; examine them closely, candidly, and critically. Can you find one writer contradicting the statements or opinions of his predecessor? one historian who disputes any fact which another had stated? or the least disposition in one to excel another? Is there, in the prophets, any discre- pancy in doctrines, precepts, or predictions? However they vary in style, or manner of illustration, the senti- ment and morality are the same. In their predictions, F* 64 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. they exceed one another in particularity and clearness, but where is there any contradiction? This remark applies to the New Testament The leading doctrines of Christianity harmonize together. One writer may enlarge upon and explain what another has said; may add to his statement, and carry it further, but he never contradicts him. It is self-evident that the corruption of human nature; that our reconciliation to God by the atonement of his Son, and that the restora- tion of our primitive dignity, by the sanctifying influ- ence of the Holy Spirit, are all parts of one whole, united in close dependence and mutual congruity. The same essential agreement, and the same mutual dependency one upon another, obtains also among the chief practical precepts, as well as between the doctrines and precepts of Christianity. Whence, then, arises this harmony of the scripture? Had the writers been under no particular divine influence, they would have reasoned and speculated like others, and their writings would have opposed each other. But if they were in- spired; if they all wrote and spoke under the influence of the same Spirit, then is this harmony accounted for; and it is impossible to account for it upon any other principle. Hence we may conclude that all scripture is not only genuine and authentic, but divinely inspired. In opposition to this view of the harmony subsisting between the sacred writers, it has repeatedly been ob- jected that there are contradictions both to morality, as well as among the different writers themselves; and thence it has been inferred that they could not be inspir- ed. It is, however, worthy of remark, that the greater part of those, who, of late years, havo been most for- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 65 ward to charge the scriptures with contradictions, have been utterly incompetent to judge of the matter; having borrowed their objections from preceding opposers of revelation, who, instead of directing their attention to the original languages in which the scriptures were written, have formed their objections on various trans- lations in the modern languages of Europe. But the contradictions, as they are termed, are seeming only, and not real. They perplex only superficial readers. Nor is there one single instance that does not admit of a rational solution. The collation of manuscripts; a little skill in criti- cism, in Hebrew and Greek languages, (and even in the English;) their idioms and properties; and in the antiquities and customs of those countries where the scenes mentioned in the scriptures lay, and the affairs transacted, will clear the main difficulties; and a care- ful distinction of the different senses of words, as well as of the different subjects and times, together with the occasions on which the various books were written, will frequently remove the seeming contradictions, and render the harmony existing between the sacred writers as clear as the light of day. If some difficulties should still remain, let them be received as we do those of creation and providence, and they will form no objection to our reception of the gospel. III. As the wonderful harmony and connection of all the parts of scripture cannot rationally be ascribed to any other cause than being dictated by the same wisdom and Spirit, so also is their astonishing and (we may say) miraculous preservation, a strong instance -of God'i 66 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. providential care, a constant sanction and confirmation of the truth contained in them, continued by him without intermission, in all ages of the church. Whence comes it, that while the histories of mighty empires are lost in the waste of time, the very names of their founders, conquerors, and legislators are consigned to the silence and oblivion of the grave ? Whence comes it that the history of an insignificant people, and the settlement of God's church, should, from its very be- ginning, which is coeval with the world itself, to this day remain full and complete ? # Whence comes it that nothing is left of innumerable volumes of philosophy and polite literature, in the preservation of which the admiration and care of all mankind seemed to conspire, and that the scriptures have, in spite of ail opposition, come down to our time, entire and genuine I During the captivity, the Urim and Thummim, the ark itself, and every glory of the Jewish worship, were lost. During the profanation by Antiochus, whosoever was found with the book of the law was put to death, and every copy that could be found, burned with fire. The same impious artifice was put in practice by several Roman emperors, during their persecutions of the Christians, especially by Dioclesian, who triumphed in his supposed success against them. After the most barbarous havoc of them, he issued an edict, command- * There is a chasm in the Jewish history of nearly two hundred and fifty years, viz: between the death of Nehe- miah and the time of the Maccabees; but Judah being during that period a province of Syria, and under the prefecture of it, the history of the Jews is of course involved in that of the country to which they were subject. This was the case during their captivity. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 67 ing them, on pain of death, to deliver up their Bibles. Though many of them obeyed the command, the greater part disregarded it; and notwithstanding these and num- berless calamities, the sacred volume has survived, pure and uncorrupted, to the present time. It is worthy of consideration, that the Jews, in spite of all their prejudices, have preserved with scrupulous care, even those passages which most confirm the christian religion — the providence of God having been graciously pleased to make their blindness a standing evidence of the truth of the scriptures, and their obsti- nacy an instrument to promote his doctrine and his kingdom. To this may be added, the present low state of many churches, and the total annihilation of others, of which nothing now remains but the scriptures trans- lated for their use — happy, in this respect, that their particular misfortune is of service to the general cause: inasmuch as so many copies, in so many different lan- guages, preserved under so many untoward circum- stances, and differing from each other in no essential point, are a wonderful proof of their authenticity, authority, and divinity. All the designs of the enemies of the Bible, whether ancient or modern, have been defeated. The holy records still exist, and will exist, while there is a sinner on earth to warn, or a saint to encourage. IV. Our next argument in favor of the divine author- ity of the sacred scriptures, is drawn from their mo- rality. Every one who will impartially examine the high standard of the morality of Christianity, as exhibited in the scriptures, will easily discover its extraordinary 63 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. elaims. It can with safety be said, that no system of morality can be found on the globe, that is so pure, and so well calculated to regulate the hearts and lives of men, as that, taught, and authoritatively enjoined, in the New Testament, and which had been more limitedly taught in the Old. We have already seen the nature of that morality taught by the most enlightened and virtuous heathens, that natural religion was unable to ascertain, and lay down proper principles of moral rectitude, so that we are now better prepared to appreciate and admire the morality of Christianity. The celebrated Locke has eaid that, "The morality of the gospel doth so far excel that of all other books, that, to give a man a full knowledge of true morality, I would send him to no other book but the New Testament." And even Lord Bolingbroke himself has said that, " The gospel is, in all cases, one continued lesson of the strictest morality, of justice, of benevolence, and of universal charity." * Paine professed respect for the character of Jesus Christ, notwithstanding all that he said and wrote against him. " He was," says he, " a virtuous and an amiable man. The morality that he preached and practiced, was of the most benevolent kind." If the enemies of the christian religion, whose examinations into the in- ternal evidences of the holy scriptures are limited, and whose prejudices are strong against Christianity, make such concessions, and thus wield the sword of truth against themselves, what exalted views must the candid and arduous inquirer after truth have, of the system of ♦Works, vol. V. p. 133, cited by Morrison, to whom we are indebted for much important matfer. 69 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. morality contained in the several books of the Old and New Testaments ? What habit of known evil does it not proscribe ? What irregular passion does it not forbid ? What acknowledged virtue does it not enforce? W T hat kindly affection does it not inculcate ? How lofty is its standard of action ! Though self-interest is not, and cannot be, excluded from a system so adapted to the nature of man, yet it is only permitted to occupy a subordinate place in the morality of the gospel. There men are urged to endure and act "as seeing Ilim who is invisible ;" there we are commanded to do no act of beneficence to be seen of men ; there the honor of God, and the good of others, are the objects at which they are called habitually to aim ; there the surface morality of the world is treated with scorn, and a right state of the thoughts and affec- tions is imperatively demanded ; there meekness, and humility, and condescension, are represented as the true path to greatness ; there haughtiness and pride are associated with all that is mean and worthless ; there an assuming and lofty air is forbidden, even in the ordinary intercourse of social life; there covetousness is branded as idolatry, hatrecj as murder, and hidden lust as adul- tery ; there every species of resentment is absolutely prohibited ; there the refusal to forgive an injury is described as an effectual barrier in the way of the exer- cise of the divine mercy; there all detraction, all back- biting, all evil speaking, all envy, all malice, all circumvention, are shown to be inconsistent with the hope of eternal life, and the state of acceptance through a Redeemer. There is, indeed, one grand peculiarity belonging to 70 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. the morality of Christianity, which distinguishes it from that of every other system, viz : the sublime and all- subduing character of its motives. Who can glaneo for a moment at the morality of the Bible, without coming into contact with those mighty and heart-stirring considerations, which are fitted to rouse all the sensi- bilities of human nature, and to subdue into willing and grateful obedience the most stubborn and rebellious of our race ? Let the following examples of the class of motives referred to suffice : " Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice ; and be ye kind one to another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you/' "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another." " Let nothing be done through strife, or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves-" "Fc are bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are his." How mean and poverty-stricken are the motives of all other systems, when compared with the religion of Jesus Christ ! A book which founds its code of morals upon such considerations, can never be the production of man. In the wide range of his efforts, there is nothing analogous. The fair inference, therefore, is, that a greater than man speaks to us in the living oracles. The enemies of revelation themselves being judges, what can they predicate of its probable tendency on men, but unmixed good ? Must they not, however re- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 71 luctanlly, concede, that the principles of Deism are feeble and powerless, as a system of moral renovation, compared with the high and holy dictates of the gospel? Now the argument for the divine origin of Christian- ity, arising from its transcendent morality, may be viewed in various lights. In the first place, how comes it to pass, that of all the religions which have sought to obtain the suffrages of mankind, that of Jesus of Naz- areth is incomparably the most pure and benevolent in its tendency ? How comes it to pass, moreover, that among a rude people, such as were the Jews, there should have arisen a system of faith and worship, which, for grandeur of conception, and sanctity of character, outstrips all the other records of time ? Is there not in this very circumstance a presumption of the highest order in favor of the divine origin of Christianity ? But supposing, in the second place, that the apostles of our Lord were chargeable with the crime of dex- terously imposing a false religion upon mankind, how happens it that they set themselves with such zeal and ardor to oppose the prejudices and preconceived notions of their countrymen ? How happens it that they took the very method the least likely to conciliate their good opinion and to secure their hearty approval ? How happens it that in their system of morality they not only struck a death blow at the pride and hypocrisy of their own nation, but insisted on a purity of heart and life, which they knew must expose them to the hatred and derision of all mankind ? Upon a: mere human calcu- lation, they adopted a method which could only issue in a perfect failure. Had they flattered the depravity of man ; had they introduced a scheme which winked at G 72 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. any of his corruptions ; had they imitated the subse- quent conduct of the false Prophet ; had they promised to their disciples a life of ease and sensual indulgence ; had they exhibited in their own history an exemption from poverty, reproach, persecution, and death ; in a word, had there been any one thing in the scheme of doctrine they taught, to secure the esteem, and to call forth the approbation of a corrupt and vitiated state of society, we might then have been left to suspect that they had artfully constructed a system to suit the de- praved taste of mankind ; and to raise themselves to notoriety by pandering to the vices of human nature. But when the very reverse of this is the case ; when the morality of the gospel is so lofty and unbending as to surrender none of its claims to meet the prejudices either of Jews or Gentiles ; when it is so pre-eminent as to stand forth in solitary grandeur, amid the religions of all ages and all nations; when it is found to embody every quality which is fitted to diffuse peace, and justice, and benevolence, among mankind ; when it is impos- sible to detect in it a single precept which would not elevate the character of man, and augment all his per- sonal and relative enjoyments, what ought any thoughtful or consistent mind to conclude respecting it, but that it is the offspring of the Fountain of all Purity, and that it has been vouchsafed by Him in mercy, to heal the distempers and redress the miseries of our fallen race I As the opinion of infidel champions is held most sacred by their disciples, for* their sakes, we will close our remarks on this item in the words of one of them, who, unhappily for himself, did not allow the convictions of his judgment to rule his decisions, or to form his char- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 73 acter. "The gospel, that divine book, the only one necessary to a Christian, and the most useful of all to the man who may not be one; only requires reflection upon it, to impress the mind with love for its Author, and resolution to fulfil his precepts. Virtue never spoke in gentler terms ; the profoundest wisdom was never uttered with greater energy, or more simplicity. It is impossible to rise from reading it without a feeling of moral improvement. Look at the books of the philoso- phers, with all their pomp; how little they are, compared with this ! Shall we say that the history of the gospel is a pure fiction ? This is not' the style of a fiction ; and the history of Socrates, which nobody doubts, rests upon less evidence than that of Jesus Christ. After all, this is but shifting the difficulty — not answering it The supposition that several persons had united to fab- ricate this book, is more inconceivable than that one person should have supplied the subject of it. The spirit which it breathes, the morality which it inculcates, could never have been the invention of Jewish authors; and the gospel possesses characters of truth so striking, so perfectly inimitable, that the inventor would be a more astonishing object than the hero."* V. We come, fifthly, to the argument drawn from the unrivalled sublimity of the diction of the sacred writings. The human mind can conceive nothing more elevated, more grand, more glowing, more beautiful, and more elegant, than what we meet with in the sacred writings • J. J. Rousseau, vol. xxxvi. of his works, p. 36, Paris od., 1778—93, cited by Morrison. 74 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. of the Hebrew bards. The most ineffable sublimity of the subjects they treat upon, is fully equalled by the energy of the language, and the dignity of style. Some of these writings, too, (as already shown,) exceed in antiquity the fabulous ages of Greece, as much as in sublimity they are superior to the most finished produc- tions of that celebrated people. Moses stands unri- valled by the best of them, both as a poet, orator, and historian. In the writings of Moses, whatever is meant to be a practical law to the nation, is expressed with the greatest accuracy and precision. That part of the commencement of the narrative which regards the in- ternal man is also universally intelligible, insomuch that it can be easily comprehended by the most ignorant, by a savage, or by a child almost as soon as he has the power of speech. All that regards universal history, the ramifications of our race, and the early fate of men (so far as these have any connection with our religious belief) are most clear and conspicuous. Whatever, on the other side, can serve only as an amusement of our curiosity, is wrapped by Moses in obscurity and mys- tery. What he tells us, with hieroglyphical brevity, concerning the first fathers of the primitive world, has been spun out by the Persians, the Indians, and Chinese, into whole volumes of heathen mythology, and been invested with a crowd of half-poetical, half-metaphysical traditions. The writings of David, Solomon, and Isaiah are set forth with a splendor and sublimity, which, considered merely as poetry, excite our wonder, and disdain all comparison with any other compositions — they form a fountain of fiery and godlike inspiration, of which the greatest of modern poets have never been AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 75 weary of drinking, which has suggested to them their noblest images and most magnificent flights. Isaiah excels all the world in almost every kind of composition. Solomon stands unrivalled by the best in ancient Greece, as a moralist, naturalist, and pastoral writer; Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nahum, Joel, and some of the other prophets, as orators, or poets, or both. Homer and Virgil must yield the palm to Job, for true sublime. The four evangelists are eminent as orators and historians. Peter and James, Luke and John, are authors of no ordinary rank ; and Paul is the most sublime of writers and eloquent of orators, as was acknowledged byLonginus. M I will confess," says Rousseau; " that the majesty of the scriptures strikes me with admiration, as the purity of the gospel hath its influence upon my heart. Peruse the works of our philosophers, with all their pomp of diction : how mean, how contemptible, are they, com- pared with the scriptures !" This forced opinion of Rousseau is confirmed by that of men vastly his superiors in learning and virtue. Sir William Jones has penned the following striking, but just eulogium, on the style and manner of the sac- red writers: " The collection of tracts, which we call, from their excellence, the scriptures, contain, independ- ently of a divine origin, more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important his- tory, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence, than could be collected within the same compass from all other books that were ever composed in any age or in any idiom." Others, of equal learning and piety, might be brought forward to bear testimony, whose opinions G* 76 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. on this subject are the same. But let all examine and judge for themselves. Look at the pathetic story of Joseph and his brethren-; Moses' account of the crea- tion; his song at the Red Sea, and on the borders of the promised land; the sublime narrative of the giving of the law at Mount Sinai; the celebrated proohecy of Balaam; the prayer of Solomon at the dedica- tion of the temple; the visions of the Jewish pro- phets, particularly those of^ Isaiah; the odes of Jesse's son; the matchless sermon on the mount; the public appeals of the apostles before heathen tribunals: and the mystic symbols of the Apocalypse, and you cannot but be struck and awed w r ith the unrivalled dic- tion, the surpassing imagery, and the lofty conceptions of the sacred penmen. Let all the other books of anti- quity be produced; let the classic page disclose its richest stores; let the entire mass of apocryphal writings undergo the strictest scrutiny; let Egypt, and Greece, and Arabia, bring forth the proudest monuments of their genius; let tho most dazzling passages of the Koran (that were not derived from the scriptures) be separated from the mass of its absurdities; let all ages and all nations vie with the Jewish and Christian scriptures, and it will be seen, by a judge of the most inferior grade, that no argument can be held for a single mo- ment as to the comparative grandeur of the book called the Bible. That it throws the whole round of other productions into the shade, and that it is written alto- gether in a style and manner which admits of no suc- cessful rival or counterfeit. The writers of the Old and New Testaments do not claim the honor of having written the different books AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. i i ascribed to them, only under the influence of inspiratioyi. And if they were not inspired, whence the sublimity of their language? Whence their striking imagery? Why do we not discover the same sublimity in the writings of their contemporaries or successors, belonging to the the same nation, possessing greater advantages? Why do we see the Bible the fittest book in the world to be the standard of ancient literature, of morality, of doc- trines, of style, and a standing monument of God's providential care? We can defy all the sons of infidel- ity, to show us any thing like it, or second to it. It is indeed a richly fraught magazine of all true excellence in matter and composition and style. The conclusion is irresistible, the Bible is true; the Bible is inspired; the Bible is the icord of God. Hence, Christianity, whose necessity, authority, doctrines, precepts, utility, and divine origin are recorded in the scriptures, must be that religion ordained of God to restore man to hap- piness and heaven. LECTURE IV. Authenticity of Christianity shown from the moral character of moses the prophets Christ and his apostles — and the uncorrupted transmission of the writings containing their HISTORY. u There stand the messengers of truth! There stand The legates of the skies! Their theme divine; Their office sacred; their credentials clear. By them the violated law speaks out Its thunders; and by them, m strains as sweet As angels use, the gospel whispers peace. They stablish the strong, restore the weak; Reclaim the wanderers; bind the broken hearts. '' In the following lecture, we shall notice the evidence of Christianity derived from the moral character of its founder, and of the sacred penmen; also the uncorrupU cd transmission of the sacred writings. Every candid mind must acknowledge, that there is much depending on the moral character of those who professed to have received a revelation from God, and left on record the same for the consideration and bene- fit of mankind. For it is reasonable to suppose that an infinitely wise and good Being would cause the streams of life to flow down to man, through as pure channels as the nature of the case would require. And we are informed that even angels, oh some occasions were sent to earth on errands of salvation. But God's most ordinary means of speaking to man has been through AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 79 his fellow men, whose moral characters were in ac- cordance with the morality of that religion they preach- ed to others, and who were qualified by the Almighty to make known his will to the nations of the earth. We shall now endeavor to show that the moral char- acter of the prophets; of Jesus Christ and his apostles, was such as we would naturally suppose it should be, in order to be credited as ambassadors from God to man; and that they endeavored most scrupulously to conform to those doctrines and precepts which they so strictly imposed upon others by the authority of Him by whom they professed to be inspired. I. Moses, the Jewish laivgiver, in all his actions, presents an illustrious moral character. Hg faithfully discharged the trust reposed in him, and totally forgetting himself, and his own secular in- terest, with that also of his family, he labored inces- santly to promote God's honor and the people's welfare, which, on many occasions, he showed were dearer to him than his own life. Moses was in every respect a great man; for every virtue that constitutes genuine nobility, was concentra- ted in his mind, and displayed in his conduct. He ever conducted himself as a man conscious of his own integ- rity, and of the guidance and protection of Heaven. He therefore betrays no confusion in his views, nor indecision in his measurs; he was ever without anxi- ety, because he was conscious of the rectitude of his motives, and that the cause which he had espoused was the cause of God; and that His power and faithfulness were pledged for his support. His courage and forti- tude were unshaken and unconquerable, because his SO AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. reliance was unremittingly fixed on the unchangeable- ness of Jehovah. He left Egypt, having an eye to the recompense of reward in another world; and never lost sight of this grand object. He was therefore neither discouraged by difficulties, nor elated by prosperity. His refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and thereby renouncing the claim he had on the treasures and glory of Egypt, proves that he was not influenced by secular views in the government of the miserable multitudes which he led out of that country. His renunciation of the court of Pharaoh, and its advantages, was the amplest proof that he neither sought nor expected honor or emolument in the wilderness, among a people who had scarcely any thing but what they received immediately from the hand of God. Witness his disinterestedness in reference to his family, as well as himself. His own tribe, that of Levi, he left without any earthly possessions; and though to minister to God was the most honorable employment, yet the Levitcs could never arise to any political con- sequence in Israel. Even his own sons became blended in the common mass of th© Levites, and possessed no kind of distinction among their brethren. Of the spoils taken in war, we never read of tho portion of Moses; he had none; he wanted none. His treasure was in heaven; and where his treasure was, there also was his heart. When he died, he left no other property than his tent behind him. By the disinterestedness of Moses, two points are fully proved. 1st. That he was satisfied, fully so, that his mission was divine, and that in it he served the AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 81 living God; and 2dly, That he believed in the immor- tality of the soul, and the doctrine of future rewards and punishments — and therefore he labored so to pass through things temporal, that he might not lose tha things that are eternal. The manner in which he bore the sentence of hi* exclusion from the promised inheritance, is an addi- tional proof of his persuasion of the divinity of his mission, and of the reality of the invisible world. No testiness; no murrnering; no expatiating on former services; no passionate entreaties to have the sentence reversed, appear in the spirit or conduct of this truly great man. Though he offended Jehovah at the waters of Meribah, and consequently was publicly reprehended as the leader of Israel, and excluded from the promised hind, yet he was permitted to view it from the Mount, where he had familiar conversation with his Maker, yielded up the ghost, and suddenly passed from the verge of the earthly, into the heavenly Canaan. His body was buried by God himself; which is an honor no other human being ever received. Let it be remembered that the acts of Moses, as a legislator, should not be ascribed to him as a private character. In his legislative character, he had author- ity to do that which would have incurred guilt, if done as a private man. Hence, cruelty, or barbarity, could not be attributed to him, any more than they could bo attributed to legislators of the United States, while they adopt laws for the defence of our country, and the pun- ishment of individuals or nations that violate our rights. Moses' Hebrew extraction, the comeliness of his person, \\\% Egyptian education, his natural firmness and con- 82 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. stancy of character, all concurred with the influences of the Divine Spirit, to make him in every way qualified for the great work which God had given him to do; and who performed it according to the Divine will. His untarnished moral character must give weight to his testimony, and strengthen the evidence in favor, of revealed religion. We have been thus lengthy on the character of Moses, in consequence of the intimate connection between the religion of the Jews and that founded by Jesus Christ ; and in consequence of his being quoted by Christ and his apostles as having been divinely inspired. II. We shall next notice the moral character of the prophets ichose writings are found in the Old Testament. The character of the holy prophets is perfectly agreeable to the exalted notions we might reasonably form of ministers inspired of Heaven. Their call was extraordinary ; their piety deep, and unshaken by ca- lamities ; their persecutions were various, and often extended to martyrdom ; and their lives were wholly devoted to the exercise of their divine mission. We are aware that an attack has been made upon the char- acters of David and Solomon, on account of their di- gressions from the precepts of that religion they inculcated. That David, in some cases, grievously departed from God, who would attempt to deny ? His adultery with Bathsheba, and the consequent murder of the brave Uriah, were crimes of a deep dye; and David, in this instance, may be considered an awful example of apos- tacy from religion. But these evils, with David, never existed in habit. They made no part of his general AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. S3 character ; and his repentance on account of that which was his greatest blot, was the deepest and most exem- plary we have on record. If a man have fallen into sin, and made the speediest return to God by confession and repentance, that transgression is no part of his character. He does not repeat it ; he loathes and abhors it. It requires malice against God's book, to say that this crime was a part of David's character. There are three tilings connected with this part of David's life, •calculated to establish the truth of his history and the general purity of his moral character. The first is, his confession and repentance. When Nathan, the prophet of C : I to David, "Thou art the man,"' he appears to have been transfixed, and brought into the dust before the m of truth, and cries out, -" I have sinned against the Lord/ ? He fasted, and wept, and prayed. The second is his punishment. Nathan saith unto him, M M - hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight ? Thou hast killed Uriah, the Ilittite, with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife — therefore the sword shall not depart from thine house. Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house/ 7 and Nathan adds, " The Lord also hath put away thy sin ; thou It not die. Howbeit, because thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die !" Now behold his punishment. He loses four sons by untimely deaths, viz : this son of Bathsheba, on whom David had set his heart, was slain by the Lord; Amnon murdered by his brother Absalom ; Absalom slain in the oak, by Joab ; and Adonijah slain by the order of H 84 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. his brother Solomon. The sword and calamity did not depart from his house, from the murder of the wretched Amnon by his brother, to the slaughter of the sons of Zedekiah, before their father's eyes, by the king of Babylon. His daughter was dishonored by her own brother; and his wives contaminated, publicly, by his own son ! How dreadfully, then, was David punished for his sin I Who w T ould repeat the transgression, to share in its penalty ? The third circumstance referred to, is, the whole transaction being recorded by the sacred penman. Surely, men who wished to impose a false religion upon mankind, would not record the crimes of their own party, especially such crimes as are here charged upon David ! A representation o£ purity, in ev- ery respect, would much better serve the purpose of such men. Knowing that if their crimes were brought to light, and even incorporated into the history of their religion, they could not so easily persuade men to join in with them. The inspired penmen do not endeavor to conceal their own faults, any more than the faults of others ; and when they speak of their good qualities, they acknowledge God to be the author of them. Da- vid's confession and repentance, prove his honesty, and consciousness of having sinned. His punishment proves the justice of God, and the transaction being left on record proves the honesty and inspiration of the re- corder. David's pretended cruelty to the Ammonites, has been adduced as a proof of a hard and wicked heart ; but a few words will show that the charge is unfounded. It is said, in 2 Samuel, 12: 31— " He brought forth the AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 85 people, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln/ 7 The simple meaning of this passage is, he brought the people into subjection, and employed them in saicing y making iron harrows, or mining, for the word means both ; and in hewing of wood, and making of brick. Some who were better skilled in cavilling than in bibli- cal criticism, have pretended that David was guilty of sawing asunder, hacking, chopping, and hewing human beings ! His moral character, in the general, is worthy of imitation, by the wisest and best of mankind. We contend, that in the case of David, a life so long, so holy, so useful, and (except in the instances referred to) so truly exemplary, entitles him to the character of a holy man of God ; and, allowing but a little for the dispensation under which he lived, one of the holiest, ii not the holiest potentates, that ever wore a crown, or wielded a sceptre. On the whole, we can say with Dr. Delo - a true believer; a zealous adorer of God ; a teacher of His law and worship, and an inspire r of His pr mple; a perpetual and inexhaustible fountain of true piety; a consummate and unequalled hero ; a skilful and fortunate captain ; ady patriot; a wise ruler; a faithful, generous, and magnanimous friend ; and what is yet rarer, a no less generous and magnanimous enemy. A true penitent, a divine musician, a sublime poet, and an inspired prophet, By birth a peasant, and by merit a prince. In youth a hero, in manhood a monarch, and in age a sain As to Solomon, there can be no doubt but that in his old age he relapsed into idolatry, and in many things 86 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. disobeyed the God of his fathers; and the awful obscu- rity in which his last days were enveloped, appears to confirm the truth of his apostacy. But there is equal testimony that Solomon, in his youth, sustained a good moral character, and was eminently wise, and beloved of his God. His very name, which signified the peace- able, at once indicated the state of the country ; for he had rest on every side during his reign ; and also the character of his own mild, pacific mind. To the dying charge of his pious father, relative to the building of a temple for the Lord, he paid the most punctual attention. His zeal in the cause of true religion, and high respect for the honor of God, are strong indications of a pious soul. Had we no other proof of this, than his prayer for wisdom, and his prayer at the dedication of the temple, it would put the matter forever beyond dispute, independently of the direct testimony of God himself on the subject. He loved the worship and ordinances of God ; and was a pattern to his subjects in the strictest attention to religious duties, He even exceeded the re- quisitions of the law, in the multitude of his sacrifices ; and was a careful observer of those annual festivals, so necessary to preserve the memory of the principal facts of the Israelitish history, and those miraculous inter- ventions of God in the behalf of that people. The wisdom of the East has been ever celebrated ; and, if we may believe their own best writers, much of what tbey possess has been derived from Solomon ! Enco- miums of his wisdom are every where to be met with in the Asiatic writers ; and his name is every where famous in the East. Most of the oriental historians, poets, and philosophers, mention "Solomon the son of AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 87 David."-' They relate that he ascended the throne of Israel at the death of his father, when he was only twelve years of age; and that God subjected to his gov- ernment, not only men, but good and evil spirits, the fowls of the air, and the winds of heaven. They agree with the sacred writers, in stating that he employed en years in building the temple at Jerusalem. The wicked and abominable idolatry of Solomon in his old age, does not prove but that his moral character was good, when young, or that he was uninspired when he wrote. His writings, and the writings of other prophets or evangelists concerning him, condemn his own immoral and wicked conduct ; and we may again remark, that if they had been impostors, their wicked- ness would not be recorded by themselves. But they had no design or wish to deceive mankind ; they, there- fore, honestly and openly, included in their history their own digressions, which have been transmitted down to us for warnings and examples. We may only add, in relation to the other prophets, whose writings are now in our hands, that they adhered strictly to the rules of moral virtue, and the principles of that religion they inculcated ; for which they were violently persecuted by the powerful and the great, but could not be moved from their purpose. They suffered losses, and endured privations; but still with assiduity and perseverance they attended to the great business committed to their charge, and zealously promoted the honor of God, and the welfare of their species. They sought not the applause or honors of the world. They H* 8$ AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY paid due regard to the laws of their country, and taught others to do the same, when matters of conscience were not involved, and their inalisnable rights violated. Kings, emperors, and subjects, alike had their instructions and reproofs, while the strictest morality was authoritatively enjoined upon them, as well for their own sakes, as for the honor of God, and the good of mankind in general. And, lest their instructions should not have the desired effect, they let their own pious examples, as a light, shine before men, as worthy of imitation, and as an illustration of that religion they professed and taught. Something more than what we discover in the moral character of the prophets is necessary to qualify them to impose a false religion upon men; and if any marks of dishonesty had belonged to their character, they would have long since been discovered; whereas this is not the case, and no motives whatever can rea- sonably be attributed to them, but those by which they professed to be governed. They asked for no earthly emoluments; they sought none. They might have had them if they chose; but they, like Moses, " endured as seeing Him who is invisible, and chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."' These men, therefore, must have been under the influence of a supernatural agency when they wrote the scriptures of the Old Testament, for men of good moral characters would not profess. to be dictated by the Spirit of God, when this was not the case. III. But let us examine thirdly, the moral character of Jesus Christ of whom the Prophets lore witness. Let that character be fairly investigated, and we are AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 89 greatly mistaken if it will not produce a conviction that Christianity must be from heaven, and the scriptures that contain his history are the inspired word of God. That such a person lived, and suffered, and died in the land of Judea, is admitted equally by heathen and Jew- ish writers, and requires no formal proof, therefore, to establish the fact. Josephus, Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny the younger, place beyond all reasonable doubt the fact of his exist- ence, and the period of his life, ministry and death. But what object of astonishment and wonder do we behold in "the man Christ Jesus!" Trace him from the manger at Bethlehem to the cross on Calvary, and what a combination do you wit- ness of all that is innocent, and pure, and benevolent! Here is wisdom the most profound, in the absence of all the ordinary means of acquiring it. Here is a Being . in whom all the social and relative affections are not only seen to advantage, but in absolute perfection. Here are humility and dignity perfectly combined — the loftiness of moral excellence, without a single approxi- mation to the feeling of contempt for others. Here is a sanctity of character which never yielded to a single temptation, and never deviated from the path of recti- tude in a single instance; combined at the same time with a condescension and mercy which never spurned the miserable, and never frowned on the trembling penitent, conscious of his guilt and pleading for forgive- ness. Here is one who never resented an injury, and never forgot a kindness; who never thought of an enemy, but to bless him; or of a faithless friend, but to pity and forgive him. Here is one whose days were 90 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. devoted to the exercise of active benevolence, and whose nights were spent in communion with Heaven; who sought no reward of all his generosity; who wept tears of anguish over the approaching fate of those who persecuted him at every step of his existence with una- bated cruelty; and who spent his latest breath in pray- ing for his guilty and relentless murderers. Whence such a character as this? Was it from earth or heaven? If from earth, then where can we look for its great archetype? Not, surely, in the gentile world; for it infinitely surpassed even the ideal models which were laid down by the purest and most enlightened of its philosophers. Not in the Jewish world. For even the most cherished patriarchs were chargeable with imper- fections, at some period of their lives. And in the days of Jesus of Nazareth, the great body of the nation were peculiarly degraded, both as it respected the acquirements of the understanding, and the habits of life and conduct. Whence, then, this mysterious and wonderful personage; this Being so unlike all the generations of men who had preceded him, or who had followed after him; yet clothed in a human form, pos- sessed of human sympathies, and subject to human woes? No wonder that Rousseau, in his exquisite and well-known contrast between Socrates and Christ, should feel himself constrained to remark, that M the inventor of such a character would be a more astonish- ing object than the hero." " Is it possible," said he, speaking of the Bible and of the character of Christ, " Is it possible that a book, at once so simple and su- blime, should be merely the work of man? Is it possible that the sacred personage, whose history it contains, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 91 should himself be a mere man? Do we find • that he assumed the tone of an enthusiast or ambitious sectary? What sweetness! what purity! what an affecting grace- fulness in his delivery! What sublimity in his maxims! What profound wisdom in his discourses! W'hat pre- sence of mind! What sublimity, what truth in his replies! How great the command over his passions! Where is the man; where is the philosopher, who could so live and so die, without weakness and without ostentation? When Plato described his imaginary good man, loaded with all the shame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of virtue, he described exactly the character of Jesus Christ. The resemblance was so striking that all the fathers perceived it." Yet this was the strange and unhappy man, who, through the wick- edness and pride of his heart, declared, "I cannot believe the gospel." The confession of Mr. Chubb, the deistical writer, i3 correspondent with that of Rousseau. " In Christ," (says he,) " we have an example of a quiet and peace- ful spirit; of becoming honesty and sobriety; just, modest, upright, and sincere, and a most gracious tem- per and behavior. His life was a beautiful picture in its native purity and simplicity; and showed at once what excellent creatures men would be under the influ- ence of the gospel he preached to them.*-' Thus we see, that an impartial examination into the moral character of the great Founder of the christian religion, constrains his most inveterate enemies to ac- knowledge his superiority over all others. The learned Tertullian, in his apology for Christian- ity, about the year 200, after speaking of Christ's fi2 AUTHENTIC I^y OF CHRISTIANITY. crucifixion and resurrection, says, that " Tiberius, in whose time the christian name (or religion) had its rise, having received from Palestine, in Syria, an ac- count of such things as manifested the truth of Christ's divinity, proposed to the Senate, that he should be enrolled among the Roman gods, and gave his own prerogative vote in favor of the motion. n The histo- rian, iElius Lampridius, relates that the Emperor Alex- ander Severus, (who reigned from A. D. 222 to 235,) had two private chapels, one more more honorable than the other; and that in the former were deified emperors, and also some eminently good men, and among them Apollonius, and, as a writer of his time says, Christ, Abraham, and Orpheus, (whom he considered deities,) and the images of his ancestors." The same historian adds, that the Emperor "wished to erect a temple to Christ, and to receive him among the gods." This testimony proves that Christ lived, and was put to death in the reign of Tiberius; and that even heathens were struck with the purity of his character, and paid the highest respect to it, when they had a proper oppor- tunity for investigating it. So Christians, heathens, and infidels concur in placing the moral character of our Saviour at the highest point of perfection. We do, therefore, claim from infidels, if they will still continue to reject the truth, that they furnish us, upon their own principles, with some reasonable account of the source whence sprung the ineffable purity and benevolence of the Son of God. And if the history of his character be a mere fiction, how it happens that the prophets and apostles outstripped all the philosophers of Greece and Rome, in their descriptions of a good moral character? AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 93 Till they have accounted for these, they are chargea- ble with the utmost levity and irrationality in persisting in their unbelief. The conduct of Christ, towards his disciples and others, is perfectly inexplicable on the supposition of his being an impostor or enthusiast? Not the least step did he take to promote any scheme of earthly aggrandisement. Instead of exhorting his countrymen to rise and throw off the Roman dominion, when the captious political question was put to him, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Ccesar, or not ? he rather taught them the two-fold duty of discharging their seve- ral obligations to God and their sovereign. Instead of inculcating those fiery and vehement passions, which might best subserve the purposes of an impostor, aiming at an earthly kingdom, he rather enforced dispositions, which of all others would be the most prejudicial to such a scheme — meekness, humility, foregiveness, patience, submission, and non-resistance to injuries. Instead of eagerly availing himself of the golden opportunity, which once occurred, of acquiring the sovereignty of Israel, he unaccountably (on the supposition of his being an impostor) threw it away in mere wantonness, and lost it forever. It is utterly preposterous to believe that such would or could have been the conduct of an impostor. He, instead of adopting a system of dexter- ous conciliation towards the higher classes among the Jews, by flattering their prejudices, and by an adroit commendation, both of their doctrine and their practice, took such an extraordinary course, that in a very short time he effectually alienated all the ruling powers, and made them his bitterest enemies. Their favorble opin- 94 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. ions he directly controverted ; their hypocrisy he uncer- emoniously exposed; their corrupt practices he exhibited to the people in all their undisguised deformity ; and themselves he stigmatized with a severity at once austere and contemptuous. Such unwelcome truths did not fail to enrage the corrupt rulers of Israel at the bold reformer. And it need not be wondered at, if we grant that he was the true Messiah, but it is astonishing indeed, that an im- postor should deliberately act a part, which had an obvious tendency to irritate and provoke all the leading men of the nation, with his eyes wide open to the con- sequences. Such a supposition docs indeed beggar the utmost profusencss of credulity. His conduct, in regard to his disciples, was equally unaccountable on the supposition of his being an im- postor. An impostor, if placed in a similar situation, would have allured his followers by bountiful promises of worldly prosperity, as did Mohammed and others. But this was not the case with the Lord Jesus. He allured his countrymen to enlist under his banners, by promising them every sort of persecution, universal hatred, flight, banishment, excommunication, contempt, affliction, death. All these things were perfectly well known to his disciples ; and they had already before their eyes fulfilments of the Saviours declarations. There were no grounds for deception, no marks of dis- honesty, in the life and conduct of the Author of Christianity. "Never man spake like this man,'' was the honest confession of the officers who had been sent to apprehend him. " Truly this was the Son of God,' 7 was the acknowledgement of the centurion and his AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 95 companions, even while he was hanging upon the cross. To believe him an impostor, or an enthusiast, shows an incomparably higher degree of credulity, than to believe him a prophet really sent of God! IV. The character of the founder of Christianity having been thus fully vindicated, it might seem almost superfluous to discuss the character of his apostles, who record his history; for if Christ himself cannot be pro- nounced either an impostor or an enthusiast, except in despite of all evidence, both moral and historical, it must clearly follow, that neither can such imputation be reasonably cast upon those who acted in obedience to his commands, and who propagated the identical system which he himself originally promulged. Yet, since the speculations of infidelity respecting these earliest preachers of the gospel, are attended with numerous difficulties, it may not be altogether useless to consider their moral character also. Unprincipled persons may have availed themselves of the general reception of the gospel, and the general veneration en*- tertained for its founder, and may hence have contrived to erect upon these foundations a rich, powerful and thriving empire ; but, are we therefore logically bound to conclude that the apostles were robbers and hypocrites, as Mr. Volney calls them ? The existence of wicked and artful men within the pale of the christian church cannot, by any legitimate process of reasoning with which we are acquainted, demonstrate the falsehood of Christianity itself; or that the apostles were not possessed of good moral characters, and commissioned from heaven to preach the gospel. The misconduct of their successors cannot prove the apostles to be impostors ; I 96 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. and unless they can be proved to be impostors, Chris- tianity cannot be proved to be a fable. If, therefore, Mr. Volney wishes to include in his description the whole body of the christian priesthood, from the apostles down to the present time — a matter clearly necessary to the conclusiveness of his argument — he must give us something more than his own bare assertion, that he has accurately depicted the character of the apostles. And, on the other hand, if he does not wish to include the apostles in his description of the christian priesthood, then it is hard to comprehend how he has proved the apostles to be impostors, and thence, consequently, the gospel to be a cheat. But Mr. Volney does not appear to be very remarkable for close reasoning. His zeal in the cause of irreligion is apt to outrun his judgment. Now we readily grant, that during the lifetime of their master, the apostles entertained the ambitious hope, common to them with the rest of their countrymen, that he was about to establish a temporal sovereignty in which his tried adherents might expect the highest places of dignity and emolument. This, Peter might have had in view when he said, " Behold, we have for- saken all and followed thee; what shall we have there- fore V But whatever expectations of this sort were formed during the lifetime of Christ, must have been speedily dissipated by his unwelcome death. And so, in fact, they were. After the trifling resistance which one of his followers made upon his apprehension in the garden, all the disciples, we are told, forsook him and fled. With his crucifixion every hope vanished. Their language was, But we trusted that it had been he which should AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 97 have redeemed Israel, The turn of the expression im- plies that that expectation was at an end, and that the bitterness of disappointment had succeeded. Christ's disciples had once indeed believed that he was the promised Messiah; but the circumstances of his death had led them to suspect that they had been grievously mistaken in their opinion. Now had they been engaged in an imposture, it is presumable that they would have laid hold of the circumstance of Christ's death, as a most favorable one in order to deceive mankind, since all the prophets predicted that the Messiah should be cut off, and since the whole Jewish nation was looking for a Great Deliverer about that time. But, instead of availing themselves of this favorable circumstance, as a means of promoting their interests, very shortly after the death of Christ, disappointed and dispirited, they returned to their former temporal avocations, and no- thing more was heard of the affair, until, of a sudden, by the resurrection of their Master from the tomb, they displayed their recovered courage, though on different grounds, altogether different, from those on which they had heretofore exhibited so much confidence. Now the prominent object of their ambition was an eternal king- dom in a future world, and they even welcomed all those severe trials which had been announced as their earthly portion. Henceforth, we hear nothing more of any worldly, and interested, and selfish projects. They seem wholly absorbed in the plan of announcing, every where, their crucified preceptor — as one whose office it was to save his people from their sins ; to break the tyrannous yoke of cruel passions, and to conduct his faithful disciples to heaven by the road of much affliction 98 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. upon earth. In the prosecution of such a plan, they are content to endure sufferings from which human na- ture revolts. They are willing to lose all, and to resign all — character, wealth, comfort, and life, in the dis- charge of what they believe to be a bounden duty; and, as for recompense, the only remuneration which they seek or desire, is the beatific vision of their murdered and disgraced Lord in the future world of spirits. What they profess themselves, they teach to others. They freely invite all mankind to the participation of a life of misery, and trouble, and persecution; they affect not to conceal that their Master was ignominiously executed as a malefactor; they dissemble not the contempt, and hatred, and ruin of all worldly projects, which those who follow them must prepare to encounter. But then, as an allurement to those whom they addresss, they promise them abundance of comfort and happiness hereafter. Now the simple question is, if the apostles were im- postors, did they not know that they were palming an imposition upon the world ? And would they have suffered and done so much, for the purpose of deluding mankind into the belief of a mere fiction ? Every part of the conduct of the apostles — every page of their writings, show most indisputably that they themselves sincerely believed the truth of what they taught, and that they sustained good moral characters. Yet, in defiance of the strongest moral evidence — in defiance of the first principles of our sensitive nature — such is the credulity of the infidel that he finds it more easy to deem them impostors, than to acknowledge them the inspired messengers of heaven. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 99 From what we discover of the character and lives of the apostles, we must acknowledge that they were meek, humble, benevolent, consistent, just and good. Conse- quently, their testimony in favor of Christianity must be true; and the scriptures containing their history must have been written by the pen of inspiration. Euler, in his letters to a German princess, says, that "the holy life of the apostles and of the other primitive christians, appeared to him an irresistible proof of the truth of the christian religion. w Mr. Simpson's argument for the inspiration of the scriptures, will apply to Christianity in general, with much propriety and force ; and will close our remarks on the evidence drawn from the moral character of the sacred penmen : "Christianity must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men or devils, or ot God. It cannot be the invention of good men or angels; for they neither would nor could invent a religion, and tell lies all the time, saying, " Thus saith the Lord," when it was their own invention. It could not be the invention of bad men or devils; for they would not invent a religion which commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to hell to all eternity. Christian- ity, therefore, must be of God" V. Though Christianity be a divine religion, it may be possible, in the lapse of ages, that the record which discloses its leading doctrines and facts, has undergone some serious mutilation. Is this, or is it not the case ? This is an important inquiry, and it admits of an easy and satisfactory reply — a reply which must carry conviction to every candid mind as to the genuineness, authenticity, and I* 100 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. incorruptness of the sacred books. That they were written by the men whose names they bear, is a thing quite as well established as that the Eneid was composed by Virgil, or the Illiad by Homer. The very literary character of the Old and New Testament scriptures, would go far to prove that they are genuine productions. They exhibit a diversity of style, which shows that they were written by various authors, and they display an idiomatic peculiarity corresponding to the ages and circumstances in which they were written. If the sacred books are forgeries, then they must have been palmed upon the world by persons whose impos- ture could not be detected. But how could this occur in the matter of giving currency to public faith? Take, for instance, the books of the Old Testament scriptures. If they are not genuine productions, I ask who are the parties concerned in the iniquitous forgery? It could not be the men of heathen antiquity; for they were imperfectly acquainted with the national peculiarities and rites of the Hebrews; and were not likely, more- over, to stamp the seal of their approbation upon re- cords which accredited the posterity of Abraham as God's peculiar people, and condemned the whole gen- tile world as sunk in a state of idolatry and crime. It could not be the followers of Christ, for it is a matter of undoubted historical certainty, that the scriptures of the Jews existed many centuries before the christian name was ever heard of. It could not be the Jews themselves, for never was there a more uncomprom- ising exposure of the crimes, idolatries, and righteous chastisement of a rebellious and guilty nation than that which they contain. AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 101 If we look at the New Testament, it is equally un- reasonable to suppose that it is not a genuine produc- tion, and that it was not actually written by the men to whom it is attributed. Unbelieving Jews and gentiles were happily, in this instance, the guardians of revela- tion; for as they were equally opposed to the doctrine of Him whom they combined to crucify, and as they were both zealous in persecuting all who ranked them- selves as his humble and devoted followers, it stands to reason, that if the records of the christian faith had not been genuine narratives of facts, furnished by the very men who assume to be tbe writers, the dishonest effort would have been detected and exposed; and the whole world, and all succeeding generations, would have been warned against the iniquitous attempt to originate a history not founded in facts. The genuineness of the books of scripture was never called in question by friends or enemies. From the earliest period of Jewish history downwards, the He- brews regarded their sacred books as their peculiar treasure, and associated them all with their several authors, and ages. And, in like manner, the Christians, from the apostolic age to the present moment, have had a regular succession of writers, who have quoted, and authenticated, in various ways, the books which com- pose the New Testament canon. It is an interesting fact, that Celsus, and Porphyry, and Julian, and an endless race of enemies to Christian- ity, combine with the apostolic fathers, Barnabas, Cle- ment, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertulian, Ori- gen, and Eusebius, in accrediting the books of scripture as genuine productions. The most inveterate opponents 102 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. of revelation have been compelled to admit the fact that the Bible is no forgery. Nor is there the slightest reason to suspect that the scriptures have undergone any material alteration, or that they are not now in the same condition as when written by Moses and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles. To say that the original Hebrew and Greek manu- scripts of the Bible, or that the ancient versions and translations had not been deviated from in a single particular, would be to assume a position too lofty. In the process of transcribing some thousands of copies, before the art of printing was discovered, letters, sylla- bles, and even words, without the intervention of a miracle, must have been left out. But that there has been any serious or fraudalent omission or interpreta- tion, or that any one doctrine has been added or sub- tracted, cannot be shown by any enemy of revelation, and need not be apprehended by any humble minded, unlettered christian. As it respects the Old Testament scriptures, it is a well established fact that the Jews were their faithful guardians. They were often employed, indeed, in the act of transcribing them; but so strict were they in comparing the copies with the originals, that they num- bered both the words and letters. It is one of the wonders of providence, that God, for the preservation of these books, should make use of that scrupulous, and we might say, almost superstitious care, that was among those Jews whose office it was to keep the books of the Old Testament, the means of transfer- rins to us the sacred books uncorrupted. Among the AtTHENTICITT OF CHRISTIANITY. 103 one thousand one hundred and fifty ?nanuseripts and versions of the Old Testament which are still extant, there is an essential agreement; an agreement most wonderful and striking, showing beyond all conjecture or doubt, the uncorrupted preservation of these precious records. Nor is the protection less manifest which has been spread over the New Testament. The early multipli- cation of copies, together with the several translations into foreign tongues, rendered any serious deviation from the original manuscripts, utterly impossible. Be- sides, in the course of one century from the period of Christ's resurrection, the gospel was spread over the greater part of Lesser Asia, and over many portions of Africa and Europe. So that if any of the early Chris- tians, in any particular district of the world, had attempt- ed to alter or mutilate the sacred books, it would have been impossible that they should have escaped detection among the many disciples of Christ, spread over other sections of the globe. The early heresies, too, which sprang up among the professed followers of Jesus, ren- dered the corruption of the sacred books next to an impossibility. Indeed, it may be safely affirmed, that the Christians were never charged, by their bitterest enemies, with the crime of mutilating their scriptures, and that these sacred records, have suffered less from transcribers, copyists, and translators, than any other documents of a remote antiquity. It is true, that in translations, persons have labored to serve their own purposes, by translating this way and that, as they thought fit. But for alteration of copies, that is what no one has ever attempted: which is a thing so easily 104 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. spied out, that nothing is more so; and so must needs blast and dissever the cause and interest of that party it was designed to serve, and therefore could never be. It is, then, a most animating consideration, that by a variety of striking providences, it hath pleased Almigh- ty God to preserve to us unmutilated and uncorrupted, the very records which the first Christians held to be divine, and upon the doctrines and principles of which they were ready, in the midst of the greatest dangers, to repose their eternal all. It is highly consolatory to those who have but little time and few advantages for research, to be informed upon the most indubitable evi- dence, that in our English Bibles they have the same precious document which was read in the first assem- blies of the christian church; and that, in the multipli- cation of manuscripts and translations no serious or important alteration has been obtruded into the sacred text. For this fact, let the humble and devout Christian bless God; and in the contemplation of it let the infidel pause, and tremble; lest, peradventure, he should be found fighting against his Maker, and the interests of his soul. LECTURE V. Authenticity op Christianity shown from the harmony op the doctrines taught in the holy scriptures. — The existence and nature of God fall, and moral depravity of man restora- tion of man to the dlvine favor, through the merits of the vicarious and sacrificial death of Christ — influence of the Holy Spirit. " Should nature fail, and darkness hide the stars, And cover with a sable veil the sun, Unchanged and fixed, the truth of God remains, Nor knows the least decay. Here will I rest, With full assurance and unshaken faith. " If it could be made to appear that the doctrines of the Bible were unreasonable, and unworthy the character of the Almight} r , the evidence derived from their nature and harmony, would be of no weight. But though these doctrines be above reason, we hope to be able to make it appear in the two following lectures, that they are not contrary to reason, or derogatory to the divine character. I. The jirst and fundamental doctrine of Scripture is the existence of God. We have already shown that the speculations of phi- losophers, who denied revealed religion, have lead them into polytheism, atheism, uncertainty, and doubt. And it is evident that mankind would ever have remained ignorant of this great and fundamental doctrine, had not 106 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. the Almighty made an express revelation of the same. God is the only way to himself. He cannot in the least be come at, defined or demonstrated by human reason; for where would the inquirer fix his beginning? He is to search for something — he knows not what; a nature without known properties; a being without a name. It is impossible for such a person to declare or ima- gine what it is he would discourse of, or inquire into; a nature he has not the least apprehension of; a subject he has not the least glimpse of, in whole or in part; which he must separate from all doubt, inconsistencies, and errors; he must demonstrate, without one known or sure principle to ground it upon; and draw certain necessary conclusions whereon to rest his judgment, without the knowledge of one term or proposition to fix his procedure upon; and therefore can never know whether his conclusion be subsequent, or not subse- quent, truth or falsehood, which is just the same in science as in architecture, to raise a building without a foundation. Suppose a person, whose powers of argumentation are improved to the utmost pitch of human capacity, but who has received no idea of God by any revelation, whether from tradition, scripture, or inspiration, how is he to convince himself that God is? and from whence is he to learn what God is? That of which he knows nothing, cannot be a subject of his thought, his reason- ings, or his conversation. He can neither affirm or deny, till he knows what is to be affirmed or denied. From whence, then, is our philosopher to divine, in the first instance, his idea of an infinite Being, concerning the reality of whese existence he is in the second place, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY I0T to decide? Some have contended that the idea of God is innate', which supersedes the necessity of a revela- tion. But then every human being would be in posses- sion of it. Of this there is not only no proof at all, but the evidence of fact is against it; and the doctrine of innate ideas may with confidence be pronounced a mere theory, assumed to support favorite notions, but contra- dicted by all experience. We are all conscious that we gain the knowledge of God by instruction. And we observe, that, in proportion to the want of instruction, men are ignorant, as of other things, so of Cod. Peter, the wild boy; who, in the beginning of the last century, was found in a wood in Germany, far from having any innate sense of God or religion, seemed to be incapa- ble of instruction. And a deaf and dumb young man, who has been a student in the Philadelphia Institution for the deaf and dumb, thus, in writing, answers for himself on this and other points: " As I was not ac- quainted with religion before I went to that school, I had no idea of God. I was there taught that there was a God. T knew nothing of the creation or beginning of things. I thought the soil and the sun produced every thing. I thought the sun created all the heavenly bodies and the storms. I had not any thought nor idea of what became of men after death. I do not recollect of ever having thought any thing about men's spirits. I am thankful that ever I was taught to read and write; especially that 1 can read the Bible. " It is therefore to be concluded, that we owe the knowledge of the existence of God, and of his attributes, to revelation alone. But being now discovered, the rational evidence of both is copious and irresistible K 108 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. Tell men there is a God, and their mind ombraces it as a necessary truth. Unfold his attributes; and they will see the explanation of them in his works. They will discover that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work;" that " the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made — even his eternal power and Godhead." Atheism makes but little progress among mankind when the book of revelation is spread before them, and carefully perused, for a perfect accordance is seen to exist, between what they there discover, and the declar- ations of the book of nature. The scripture character of the divine Being, has satisfied the human mind on this great primary doctrine, and has given it a resting place which it never before found, and from which if it ever departs, it finds no demonstration until it returns to the " marvellous light" into which revealed religion has introduced us. A class of ideas, the most elevated and sublime, and which the most profound minds in former times sought without success, have thus become familiar to the very peasants in christian nations. Nothing can be a more striking proof of the appeal which the scripture char- acter of God makes to the unsophisticated reason of mankind. Revelation having discovered to us the existence and nature of the divine Being, which could never have been discovered without a revelation, are now seen to be perfectly reasonable and philosophical. Who can ra- tionally object to the following description of the scrip- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 109 ture character of God, given by Dr. A. Clark, in his note on Gen. i, 1 : " The eternal, independent, and self-existent Being: the Being whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or influence : He who is absolute in dominion: the most pure, most simple, and most spiritual of all essences: infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true, and holy: the cause of all being; the upholder of all things: infinitely happy, because infi- nitely good: and eternally self-sufficient; needing nothing that he has made: illimitable in his immensity: incon- ceivable in his mode of existence; and indescribable in his essence: known fully to himself, because an infinite mind can only be comprehended by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be deceived ; and who, from his infinite good- ness, can do nothing but what is eternally just, right and kind." Such a Being, can rationally be held up as an object of wonder, worship, adoration and praise, by every intelligent being in the universe. But ideas of overwhelming greatness and glory, mingled with awful mysteriousness, with which, to all finite minds, and especially to the minds of mortals, the Divine essence and mode of existence must ever bo invested, are derived from the very names ascribed to God in the sacred scriptures. From these we learn that he is self-existing, strong, powerful, almighty, supporter, Lord, judge, independent, all-sufficient, the merciful being, the gracious one, whose nature is good- ness itself, the loving God, long suffering, the great or mighty one, the bountiful being, the truth or true one, the preserver of bountifulness — he who bear.': away 110 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. iniquity, transgression, and sin — properly, the redeem- er, the forgiver, the pardoner, the being whose prero- gative it is to forgive sin and save the soul — the right- eous judge, who distributes justice with an impartial hand; and he who visits iniquity; he who punishes transgressions, and from whose justice no sinner can escape — the God of retributive and vindictive justice." It may be proper here to state, that Moses, the sacred historian, in his account of the creation, introduces a term which implies a plurality of persons in the divine Essence. He says, " In the beginning Elohim (or Aleim) created the heavens and the earth." This plural noun for the name of God, connected with verbs and persons singular, is used by Moses, in the short account of the creation, thirty different times, and perhaps five hundred times more, in one form or other, in the five books of his writings. By the use of this term, he no doubt intended to establish the doctrine of the trinity, as the language afforded other words in the singular number that would have answered his purpose equally well, if he did not design to record this doctrine as a doctrine of revelation — which is tenaciously believe-d by the Jews, and all orthodox Christians. Now this doctrine is so strongly represented in certain systems of the East, that we cannot doubt the source from whence they have been derived. The Hindoos believe in one god Brahma, the crea- tor of all things. And yet they represent him as subsisting in three persons; and they worship one or other of these persons throughout every part of India, And what proves that they hold this doctrine distinctly, is, that their most ancient representation of the deity is AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. Ill formed of one body and three faces. Nor are these representations confined to India alone; but they are to be found in other parts of the East. For we are told, by a late author, that in Hayti, and many other parts of America, the three manifestations of the deity — Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, are worshiped in upwards of fifteen different places; sixteen in Asia; two in Africa; eleven in Europe; and four or five in Polyne- sia — making in all about fifty. These coincidences are both surprising and interesting. For, notwithstanding the different triads, which are called by different n^nes in different countries, often meant the past, present and future, or power of life or death, or the rising, blazing and setting of the sun, or some other consimilar ideas, as heaven, earth and hell, yet they always apply to the triple manifestations of the deity, distinguished and personified in creation, preservation, and destruction. Does not this indicate a primitive conformity of reli- gious ideas in mankind all over the world? And all, no doubt, received an account of the creation, given by Moses, through the medium of tradition or otherwise, from which they derived the doctrine of the trinity. If the Hindoos and others did not derive their idea of a plurality of persons in the godhead from Moses, we ask from what source it was derived? If, as some allege, the doctrine of the trinity among Christians, be of recent origin, whence have the Hindoos derived it? When we shall have read all the volumes of history and philosophy on the subject, we will not have obtained a satisfactory answer to this question. Add to the names of God, the actions and attributes ascribed to him in scripture, and a great and glorious K* 112 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. character is brought to view, worthy of our high regard, supreme affections, and everlasting praise. II. We shall next notice the doctrine of the fall of man, and his moral depravity, as taught in the divine records. The Old and New Testaments agree in representing mankind as actually vicious, and capable, without moral check and control, of the greatest enormities; so that not only individual happiness, but social also, is con- stantly obstructed or endangered. To this the history of all ages bears witness, and present experience gives its testimony. All the states of antiquity crumbled down, or were suddenly overwhelmed by their own vices; and the general character and conduct of the people which composed them may be read in the works of their historians, poets, and satirists, which have been transmitted to our times. But Scripture not only assumes men to be actually vicious, but vicious in consequence of a moral taini in their nature, and what is thus represented as doctrine appeals to our reason through the evidence of unques- tionable fact. The strong tendency of man to crime, cannot be de- nied. Civil penal laws are enacted for no other purpose than to repress it. Every legal deed, with its seals and witnesses, bears testimony to that opinion as to human nature, which the experience of man has impressed on man; and history itself is a record chiefly of human guilt, because examples of crime have every where and at all times been much more frequent than examples of virtue. This tendency to evil, the Scriptures tell us, arises AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 113 from " the heart," — the nature and disposition of man; and it i3 not otherwise to be accounted for. Some in- deed have represented the corruption of the race, as the result of association and example; but if men were naturally inclined to good, and averse to evil, how is it that not a few individuals only, but the whole race have become evil by mutual association? This would be, to make the weaker cause the more efficient, which is manifestly absurd. It is contrary too, to the reason of the case, that the example and association of persons naturally well disposed, should produce any other effect than that of confirming and maturing their good dispo- sitions; as it is the effect of example and association, among persons of similar tastes and of similar pursuits, to confirm and improve the habit which gives rise to them. As little plausibility is there in the opinion which would acconnt for this general corruption from bad de- dication. How, if man in all ages had been rightly affected in his moral inclinations, did a course of delete- rious education commence? How, if commenced, came it, that what must have been so abhorent to a virtuously disposed community, was not arrested, and a better system of instruction introduced? But the fact itself may be denied, as the worst education inculcates a virtue above the general practice, and no course of education was ever adopted purposely to encourage immorality. In the scriptures alone we find a cause assigned which accounts for the phenomenon, and we are bound there- fore by the rules of philosophy itself to admit it. It is this, that man is by nature prone to evil. A third view of the condition of man contained in the scriptures, is, that he is not only under the divine au- 114 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. thority, but that the government of Heaven, as to him, is of a mixed character ; that he is treated with severity and with kindness also ; that, considered both as corrupt in his nature and tendencies, and as in innumerable instances actually offending, he is placed under a rigidly restraining discipline, to meet his case in the first respect, and under correction and penal dispensation with relation to the latter. On the other hand, as he is an object beloved by the God he has offended — a being for whose pardon and recovery divine mercy has made provision — moral ends are connected with these secu- rities, and nature and providence, as well as revelation, are crowned with instances of divine benevolence to -inning race. And only on the supposition or ad- of the moral depravity of man and the mixed racier of the moral government under which he lives, can the. various evils with which we are surrounded, both in the physical and moral world, be accounted for. It cannot be supposed that, if inhabited by a race of beings perfectly holy, and in the full enjoyment of the divine favor, this earth would be subject to destructive hquakes, volcanoes and inundations ; to blights and u'ths, the harbingers of famine ; to those changes in the atmosphere which induce wide-wasting epidemic disorders; to that general sterility of soil which renders labor necessary to such a degree as fully to occupy the time of the majority of mankind, prevent them from engaging in pursuits of an intellectual nature, and wear down their spirits; nor that the metals so necessary for man in civilized life ; and, in many countries, the ma- terial of the fire by which cold must be repelled, food prepared, and the most important arts executed, should authenticity op Christianity. 115 be hidden deep in the bowels of the earth, so that a great body of men must be doomed to the dangerous and humbling labor of raising them ! These and many- other instances show a course of discipline very incon- gruous with the most enligthened views of the Divine character, if man be considered an innocent being* On the contrary, that he is under an unmixed penal administration, is contradicted by the facts, that the earth yields her increase ordinarily to industry ; that the destructive convulsions of nature are but occasional; and that, generally, the health of the human race pre- dominates over sickness, and their animal enjoyments over positive misery. To those diverse relations of man to God, as stated in the Bible, the contrarieties of nature and providence bear an exact adaptation. Assume man to be any thing else than what is represented in scripture, and they would be discordant and inexplicable; in this view they perfectly harmonize. Mail is neither innocent nor finally condemned — he is fallen and guilty, but not excluded from the compassion, and care, and benignity of his God. The evidence of man's moral depravity is so great and convincing, that even heathens have admitted the fact, though they were unable to account for the cause of this phenomenon in the moral world. The scriptures confirm the awful truth, that man has fallen from his original state of moral rectitude and happiness, and that he is the procuring cause of his own calamity. Thus the voluntary goodness of God is not impugned by the various evils which exist in the world ; for we see them accounted for by the actual corrupt state of man, and by a righteous administration, by which good- 116 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. ness must be controlled to be an attribute worthy of God. It would otherwise be weakness, or a blind passion, and not a wisely regulated affection. On the other hand, there is clearly no reason for resorting to notions of necessity, and defects in the essential nature of cre- ated things, to prove that God is good ; or, in other words, according to the hypothesis of some heathen philosophers, as good as the stubbornness of matter, and the necessity that vice and misery should exist, would allow. His goodness is limited by moral, not by physical reasons; but still, considering the globe as the residence of a fallen and perverse race, that glorious attribute is heightened in its lustre by this very circumstance. It arrays itself before us in all its affecting attributes of mercy, pity, long-suffering, mitigation, and remission. It is goodness poured forth in the richest liberality, where moral order permits its unrestrained flow ; and it is never withheld but where the general benefit de- mands it. Penal acts never go beyond the rigid neces- sity of the case; acts of mercy rise infinitely above all desert. But how did moral evil arise ? and how is this cir- cumstance compatible with the divine goodness? How- ever these questions may be answered, it is to be remembered that, though the answer should leave some difficulties in full force, they do not press exclusively upon the scriptures. Independent of the Bible, the fact is, that evil exists ; and the Deist who admits the exist- ence of a God of infinite goodness, has as large a share of the difficulty of reconciling facts and principles on this subject, as the Christian ; but with no advantage of AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 117 that history of the introduction of sin into the world which is contained in the writings of Moses, and none from those alleviating views which are afforded by the doctrine of the redemption of man by Jesus Christ As to the source of evil— setting aside the absurd notions of heathens concerning their co-eternal and independent principles, the one good and the other evil, from which all good and evil flow ; and the dogma which makes God himself the efficient cause, or author of sin, which is found in the writings of the most unguarded advocates of the Calvinistic hypothesis, though now generally abandoned by the writers of that school — we remark, that moral evil is the result of a voluntary abuse of the freedom of the will in rational and moral agents; and that, as to the human race, the first pair sinned by choice, when the power to have remained innocent remained with them. Thus " sin entered into the world, and death by sin." Man deprived himself of the moral image, approbation, and smiles of his Maker; and the emotions of his own heart, the derangements and commotions in the physical world, the consent of all nations, and the untarnished records of inspiration, are standing monuments and testimonials of man's corrupt nature, and fall from a state of purity and happiness. With this concurring testimony, who can for a moment doubt the faithfulness, and truth of scripture history on the subject of man's moral condition ? III. The next leading doctrine of Christianity is tlm restoration of man to the Divine favor, through the merits of the vicarious and sacrificial death of Christ Jesus. 118 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. To this many objections have been offered ; but, on the other hand, many important reasons for such a procedure have been overlooked. The Christian doctrine of atonement as a necessary merciful interposition, is grounded upon the liability of man to punishment in another life, for sins committed against the Law of God in this; and against this view of the future prospects of mankind, there can lie no objection of weight. Men are capable of committing si n, and sin is productive of misery and disorder. These positions cannot be denied. That to violate the laws of God and to despise his authority are not light crimes, is clear from their general effect upon society, and upon the world. The great sum of human misery, is the effect of actual offence, and as it is a principle in the wisest and most perfect human legislation, to estimate the guilt of individual acts, by their general tendency, and to proportion the punishment to them under that consideration, the same reason of the case is in favor of this principle, as found in Scripture; and thus con- sidered, the demerit of the sins of an individual against God, becomes incalculable. The Scriptures plainly declare that the punishment due to crime, will not be inflicted in full in this life, but in a future state; and that it will be final and unlimited. Without pursuing the argument further at present on this point, we remark, that the atonement for the sins of men which was made by the death of Christ, is represented in the Christian system, as the means by which mankind may be deliv- ered from this awful catastrophe — from judicial inflic- tions of the displeasure of a Governor, whose authority has been contemned, and whose will has been resisted, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 119 which shall know no mitigation in their degree, nor bounds to their duration; and if an end supremely great and benevolent, can commend any procedure to us, the scriptural doctrine of atonement commends this kind of appeal to our attention. This end it professes to accom- plish, by means, which, with respect to the supreme Governor himself, preserve his character from mistake, and maintain the authority of his government; and with respect to man, give him the strongest possible reason for hope, and render more favorable the circumstances of his earthly probation. These are considerations which so manifestly show, from its own internal consti- tution, the superlative importance of Christianity, that it would be exceedingly criminal to overlook them. How sin may be forgiven without leading to such misconceptions of the Divine character as would en- courage disobedience, and thereby weaken the influence of the Divine government, must be considered as a problem of very difficult solution. A government which admitted no forgiveness, would sink the guilty to despair; a government which never punishes offence, is a contradiction — it cannot exist. Not to punish, is to dissolve authority; to punish without mercy, is to de- stroy, and where all are guilty, to make the destruction universal. The authority of God must be preserved; and it ought to be observed, that in that kind of administration which restrains evil by penalty, and encourages obedience by favor and hope, we and all moral creatures, are the in- terested parties, and not the divine Governor himself, whom, because of his independant and efficient nature, our transgressions cannot injure. The reasons which L 120 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. compel him to maintain his authority do not terminate in himself. If he becomes a party against offenders, it is for our sake, and for the sake of the moral order of the universe, to which sin, if encouraged by a negligent ad- ministration, and by entire or frequent impunity, would be the source of endless disorder and misery; and if the granting of pardon to offence, be strongly, and even severely guarded, we are to refer it to the moral neces- ity of the case as arising out of the general welfare of accountable creatures, liable to the deep evil of sin, and not to any reluctance on the part of our Maker, to for- give, much less, to any thing vindictive in his nature — charges which have been most inconsiderately and un- fairly brought against the christian doctrine of Christ's vicarious sufferings. If it then be true, that the relief, of offending man, from future punishment, and his restoration to the divine favor, ought, for the interests of mankind them- selves, and for the instruction and caution of other be- ings, to be so bestowed, that no license shall be given to offence; that God himself, while he manifests his compassion, should not appear less just, less holy, than the maintenance of an efficient and even awful author- ity demands; that his commands shall be felt to be as compelling, and that disobedience shall as truly, though not so unconditionally, subject us to the deserved penal- ty, as though no hope of forgiveness had been exhibited we ask, on what scheme; save that which is developed in the New Testament, these necessary conditions are provided for? If it be said, that sin may be pardoned in the exercise of the divine prerogative, the reply is, that if this pre- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 121 rogative were exercised towards a part of mankind only, the passing by of the others, would be with diffi- culty reconciled to the divine character; and if the benefit extended to all, government would be at an end. This scheme of bringing men within the exercise of mercy, does not therefore meet the obvious difficulty of the case, nor is it improved by confining the act of grace to repentant criminals, for repentance does not restore health injured by intemperance, property wast- ed by profusion, a character once stained by dishonora- ble practices. If repentance alone can secure pardon, then all must be pardoned, and government dissolved, as in the case of forgiveness by the exercise of mere prerogative; if a selection be made, then different and discordant principles of government are introduced into the divine administration, which is a derogatory suppo- sition. Some, to avoid the force of these obvious difficulties, have added reformation to repentance, and would re- strain forgiveness to those only, who to their penitence add a course of future obedience to the divine law. But a change of conduct, does not, any more than repentance, repair the mischief of former misconduct. Even the sobriety of the reformed man, does not always restore health; and the industry and economy of the formerly negligent and wasteful, repair not the losses of extravagance. And what government, in flagrant cases ever suspends punishment in anticipation of a change of conduct^ In the infliction of the penalty, all the principles of government, established among men, look steadily to the crime actually committed, and 122 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. to the necessity of vindicating the violated majesty of the laws. Nothing can account for the practical corruption of mankind, but a moral taint in our hearts, a propensity of nature to evil and not to good; and that every other mode of accounting for the moral phenomenon which the history of man and daily experience present, is inconclusive and contradictory. How then is this sup- posed reformation to commence'? The whole of this theory assumes human nature to be what it is not; and a delusive conclusion must, therefore, necessarily re- suit. If man be totally corrupt, the only principles from which reformation can proceed, do not exist in his nature; and if we allow no more than that the propen- sity to evil in him is stronger than the propensity to good, it is absurd to suppose that in opposing propensi- ties the weakest should resist the most powerful — that the strcani of the rivulet should force its way against the tides of the ocean. The reformation, therefore, which is to atone for his vices, is improbable. The scriptures alone show, how God may be just, and yet the justifier o£ the ungodly. According to the plan here laid down, all the ends of government are answered. No license is given to offence; the moral law is unrepealed; the day of judgment is still appointed; future and eter- nal punishments still display their awful sanctions; a new and singular display of the awful purity of the divine character is afforded; yet pardon is offered to all who seek it; and the whole world may be saved. With such evidence of suitableness to the case of mankind; under such lofty views of connection with the principles and ends of moral government, does the doctrine of the atonement present itself. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 123 If it be important for us to know the extent and reality of our danger, by the death of Christ, it is dis- played, not in description, but in the most impressive action; if it be important that we should have assurance of the divine placability towards us, it here received a demonstration incapable of greater certainty; if grati- tude is the most powerful motive of future obedience, and one which renders command on the one part, and and active service on the other, "not grievous, but joyous," 7 the recollection of such obligations as the " love of Christ" has laid us under, is a perpetual spring to this energetic affection, and will be the means of raising it to higher and more delightful activity forever. All that can most powerfully illustrate the united ten- derness and awful majesty of God, and the odiousness of sin; all that can win back the heart of man to his Maker and Lord, and render future obedience a matter of affection and delight, as well as duty; all that can extinguish the angry and malignant passions of man to man; all that can inspire a mutual benevolence, and dispose to self-denying charity for the benefit of others; all that can arouse by hope, or tranquil ize by faith, is to be found in the vicarious death of Christ, and the principles and purposes for which it was endured. Ancient history tells us of a certain king who made a law against adultery, in which it was enacted that the offender should be punished by the loss of both eyes. The very first offender was his own son. The case was most distressing; for the king was an affectionate father, as well as a just magistrate. After much de- liberation and inward struggle, he finally commanded one of his own eyes to be pulled out, and one of his L* 124 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. son's. It is easier to conceive than to describe what must have been the feelings of the son in these most affecting circumstances. His offence would appear to him in a new light ; it would appear to him not simple as connected with painful consequence to himself, but as the cause of a father's sufferings, and as an injury to a father's love. If the king had passed over the law altogether, in the son's favor, he would have exhibited no regard for justice, and he would have given a very inferior proof of affection. This action justified the king in the exercise of clem- ency ; it tranquilized the son's mind, as being a pledge of the reality and sincerity of his father's gracious purposes toward him ; and it identified the object of his esteem with that of his gratitude. We cannot suppose any mode of conduct so admira- bly fitted to impress the stamp of the father's character on the mind of the son, or to associate the love of right and the abhorrence of wrong with the most powerful instincts of the heart. The old man not only wished to act in perfect consistency with his own views of duty, but also to produce a salutary effect on the mind of his son; and it is the full and effectual union of these two objects, which forms the most beautiful and striking part of this remarkable history. There is a singular resemblance between this moral exhibition, and the communication which God has been pleased to make of himself in the gospel. We cannot but love and admire the character of this excellent prince, although we ourselves have no direct interest in it ; and shall we refuse our love and admiration to the King and Father of the human race, who, with a kind- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 125 ness and condescension unutterable, has, in calling his wandering children to return to duty and happiness, presented to each of us a like aspect of tenderness and purity, and made use of an argument which makes the most direct and irresistible appeal to the most familiar and at the same time the most powerful principles in the heart of man ? A pardon without a sacrifice could have made but a weak and obscure appeal to the understanding or the heart It could not have demonstrated the evil of sin ; it could not have demonstrated the graciousness of God; and therefore it could not have led man either to hate sin or to love God. If the punishment as well as the criminality of sin consists in an opposition to the char- acter of God, the fullest pardon must be perfectly use- less while this opposition remains in the heart ; and the substantial usefulness of the pardon will depend upon its being connected with such circumstances as may have a natural and powerful tendency to remove this opposition, and create a resemblance. The pardon of the gospel is connected with such circumstances, for the sacrifice of Christ has associated sin with the blood of a benefactor, as well as with our own personal suffer- ings ; and obedience with the dying entreaties of a friend breathing out a tortured life for us, as well as with our own unending glory in his blessed society. This act, like that in the preceding illustration, justi- fies God, as a Lawgiver, in dispensing mercy to the guilty ; it gives a pledge of the sincerity and reality of that mercy : and, by associating principle with mercy, it identifies the object of gratitude with the object of esteem in the heart of a sinner. The doctrine of the 126 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. incarnation of the Deity, or " God manifest in the flesh,' ' is shadowed forth and confirmed by a doctrine of the East. The Hindoos believe that one of the persons in their Trinity was manifested in the flesh. Hence their fables of the incarnations of Vishnu. And this doctrine of the Deity is found over almost the whole of Asia. Whence, then, originated the idea that God should become man, or take our nature upon him ? The Hindoos do not consider that it was an angel merely, but God himself. The incarnation of God is a frequent theme of discourse among them, and we cannot doubt whence this peculiar tenet of religion has been derived. We must believe that all the fabulous incarnations of the eastern mythology are derived from the real incar- nation of Jesus Christ, or from the prophecies which went before it The doctrine of the atonement for sin, by the shedding of blood, is also found in the mythology of the East. To this day, in Hindoostan, the people bring the goat or kid to the temple, and the priest sheds the blood of the innocent victim, and even throughout the whole East, the doctrine of a sacrifice for sin seems to exist in one form or other. Thus, ever since "Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" — ever since Noah, father of the new world, " offered burnt-offerings upon the altar," sacrifices have been offered up in almost every nation : as if for a constant memorial before the world, that " without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." All these sacrifices can possess no virtue in remitting crime, only as they refer to the great sacrifice, offered on Calvary "for the sins of the whole world;" and AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 127 wherever the doctrine of the atonement made by Christ is proclaimed and believed, they are immediately dis- continued. "Seest thou, Loienzo, where hangs all our hope 1 Touched by the cross we live, or more than die; That touched not angels: more divine Than that which touched confusion into form. And darkness into glory : — That touch, with charm celestial, heals the paid Diseased — drives pain from gudt — lights life in death- Turns earth to heaven — to heavenly thrones transforms The ghastly ruins of the mouldering tomb." IV. Inseparably connected with the great doctrine of atonement, and adapted to the new circumstances of trial in which the human race was placed in consequence of the lapse of our first parents, is the doctrine of tlio influence of the Holy Spirit. This is a doctrine of revelation, and if the evidences of that revelation can be disproved, it may be rejected : i{ not, it must be admitted, whether any argumentative proof can be offered in its favor or not. That it is not unreasonable, may be first established. That God, who made us, and who is a pure Spirit, cannot have immediate access to our thoughts, our affections, and our will, it would certainly be much more unreasonable to deny than to admit ; and if the great and universal Spirit possesses this power, every physical objection, at least, to the doctrine in question is removed, and finite unembodied spirits may have the same kind of access to the mind of man, though not in so perfect and intimate a degree. Before any natural impossibility can be urged against this intercourse of spirit with spirit, we must know what no philosopher has ever professed to know — the 128 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. laws of perception, memory, and association. We can suggest thoughts and reasons to each other, and thus mutually influence our wills and affections. We employ for this purpose the media of signs and words ; but to contend that these are the only media through which thought can be conveyed to thought, or that spiritual beings cannot produce the same effects immediately, is to found an objection wholly upon our ignorance. All the reason in the case, considered in itself, is certainly in favor of this opinion. We have access to each other's minds; we can suggest thoughts, raise affections, influence the wills of others — and analogy, therefore, favors the conclusion, that, though by different and latent means, unbodied spirits have the same access to each other, and to us. If no physical impossibility lies against this repre- sentation of the circumstances of our probation, no moral reason certainly can be urged against the prin- ciple itself, which makes us liable to the contrary soli- citations of other beings. That God, our heavenly F?.ther, should be solicitous for our welfare, is surely to be admitted, and he who would except to this doctrine of scripture, must also except to the divine government, as it is manifested in the facts of experience, and which clearly makes it a circumstance of our probation in this world, that our opinions, affections, and wills should be subject to the influence of others, both for good and evil. Since, therefore, no reason, physical or moral, can be urged against the doctrine of divine influence ; since it is found to accord entirely with the actual arrange- ments of the divine government in other cases, every AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 129 thing is removed which might obstruct our view of the excellence of this encouraging tenet of divine revela- tion. The moral helplessness of man has been univer- sally felt, and universally acknowledged. To see the good and follow the evil, has been the complaiut of all; and precisely to such a state is the doctrine of divine influence adapted. As the atonement of Christ stoops to the judicial destitution of man, the promise of the Holy Spirit meets the case of his moral destitution. One finds him with- out any means of satisfying the claims of justice, so as to exempt him from punishment ; the other without the inclination or the strength to avail himself even of pro- claimed clemency and offered pardon, and becomes the means of awakening his judgment, and exciting, assisting, and crowning his efforts to obtain that boon, and its consequent blessings. The one relieves him from the penalty; the other from the disease of sin. The former restores man to the favor of God; the other renews him in his image. To this eminent adaptation of the doctrine to the condition of man, we may add the affecting view which it unfolds of the divine character. That tenderness and compassion of God to his offending creatures; that reluctance that they should perish ; that divine and sympathizing anxiety (so to speak) to accomplish their salvation, which were displayed by the "cross of Christ,"' are here in continued and active manifestation. A divine agent is seen " seeking, " in order that he may save "that which is lost ; ? " following the "lost sheep into the wilderness/' that he may " bring it home re- joicing ; delighting to testify of Christ, because of the ISO AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. salvation he has procured ; to accompany with his in- fluence his written revelation, because that alone contains " words by which men may be saved ;" affording special assistance to ministers, because they are the messen- gers of God, proclaiming peace; and, in a word, knocking at the door of human hearts ; arousing the conscience; calling forth spiritual desires ; opening the eyes of the mind more clearly to discern the meaning and application of the revealed word, and mollifying the heart to receive its effectual impression; — doing this too without respect of persons, and making it his special office and work to convince the mistaken ; to awaken the indifferent ; to comfort the penitent and humble ; to plant, and foster, and bring to maturity in the hearts of the obedient every grace and virtue. These are views of God which we could not have had but for this doc- trine; and the obvious tendency of them is, to fill the heart with gratitude ; to impress us with a deep convic- tion of the value of renewed habits ; and to admonish us of the infinite importance of a 'personal experience of the benefits of Christ's death, since the means of our pardon and sanctification, unapplied, can avail us nothing. But none can despair of conquering any evil habit, who steadily look to this great doctrine and cordially embrace it ; none can despair of being fully renewed again in the image of God, when they know that it is one of the offices of the Holy Spirit to effect this reno- vation; and none who habitually rest upon the promise of God, for all that assistance which the written word warrants them to expect in difficult and painful duties, and in those generous enterprises for the benefit of AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 131 others, which a hallowed zeal may lead them to engage in, will be discouraged in either. They will be ebvated into a decision, a boldness, an enterprise, a persever- ance, which no other consideration or trust could inspire. Such are the practical effects of this doctrine. It prompts to attainments in inward sanctity and outward virtue, which it would have been chimerical to consider possible, but for the aid of a divine influence ; and it leads to exertion for the benefit of others, the success of which would otherwise be too doubtful to encoui'age the undertaking. This doctrine is also confirmed and shadowed forth by the doctrines of the East. In the most ancient writings of the Hindoos it is asserted that the " divine spirit, or light of holy knowledge," influences the minds of men. And the man who is the subject of such influence, is called the "man twice born." Christ says, "except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." And the apostle adds, " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." These analogies are not casual, as every man who is versed in the holy scriptures, and in oriental mythology, well knows. They are general and systematic. The light of nature could not teach such doctrines as these found among the Hindoos, for they are above the light of nature, con- sequently they must be relics of the first faith of the earth, and strong characters of God's primary revela- tion to men, which neither the power of man nor time itself hath been able to destroy. And in consequence of the inhabitants having lost sight of the true God, they apply these doctrines to their false gods. M 132 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. Though the light of nature, or reason, could never have discovered these doctrines, independently of reve- lation; yet, when revealed, we discover nothing in them that is unreasonable, or that is not of practical and ev- erlasting benefit to our fallen race. And the nature and harmony of these doctrines, as taught in the holy scriptures, help to confirm the truth and exhibit the glory of that system of religion to which they belong. LECTURE VI. Authenticity of Christianity shown from the nature and harmony of the doctrines taught in the sacred scriptures immortality of the soul future rewards and punishments, and the resurrection of the human body from the DEAD. u To think on thee, though dim the thought; To guess thy pure perfection, though unknown; To feel thou art my Maker, and that aught That's noble in me may approach thy throne, Is evidence within me, that the spark Thy power hath kindled with unearthly fire, Where thought and consciousness thou didst impart, Shall nut like mere vitality expire; Eternal shall it be, o'er death to spring: Strong in its new existence it shall soar, And like a wild bird panting on the wing, Rise to that land where spring is evermore.'' I. Another doctrine clearly taught in the holy scrip- tures is, the immortality of the soul, which is both intimated and illustrated by evidence drawn from reason, experience, and philosophy. This evidence makes it possible, said probable, as w T ell as necessary, that the soul of man should survive the dissolution of the body, and be eternal in its duration. But for the certainty of the truth of this great doctrine, we are dependent on revelation alone, 134 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 1. The nature of the soul presents some indications of its immortality. Matter, however modified, can neither reason, perceive, nor will. Hence, that being which is endowed with these powers, must be distinct from the body. And as there can be no medium between material and immaterial, that primary principle which is conscious, which perceives, and which understands, must be immaterial; and thafr which is immaterial is a simple, uncompounded substance, consequently capable of an immortal existence. If the soul perish, it must be by dissolution, privation, or annihilation. By dissolution, we mean a separation of those parts or properties of any being, which are necessarily united, in order to the existence and identity of that being. By privation, we mean the subtracting something from any being, without which that being cannot subsist. And by annihilation, we mean not only the destruction of any and every modification which it might have assumed, but the utter destruction of all being, and the reduction of any substance to absolute nonentity. The soul cannot perish through dissolution, because it is not an assemblage of distinct substances, but, as has been already proved, a simple, uncom- pounded substance, and therefore has no parts to be dissolved. To suppose any substance capable of being dissolved which has no parts, is a contradiction — it sup- poses a separation of parts, in a being which has no parts to be separated. An exclusion of all parts is necessary to the exist- ence of an immortal substance; and to suppose a being to be dissolved, from the very nature of whose existence a capacity of dissolution is necessarily excluded, is a AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 185 flat contradiction — it is supposing a being to be capable, and yet incapable of dissolution, at the same time. Whatever has parts, cannot be immaterial ; and what has no parts can never lose them. To suppose an im- material substance to have parts, destroys its immateri- ality ; for it is a contradiction to suppose that to be immaterial, which by its parts is demonstrated to be otherwise ; and if the soul be immaterial, which has been already proved, it necessarily follows that it cannot perish by dissolution. Neither can it be conceived that the soul can perish by privation. For if privation imply the subtracting something from a substance, without annihilating the substance itself, (in which sense we here use it,) it is certain, that whatever substance undergoes privation, must be a subject capable of it ; and whatever is capa- ble of privation, must be capable of surviving the loss of that which privation takes away. We, therefore, in this place, consider privation as distinct from annihila- tion, the former implying the loss of something which is necessary to the being of any substance, and the latter implying the total nonentity of the substance itself. If, therefore, the soul perish by privation, the soul itself must have something included within its na- ture which it can lose without the total annihilation of its being. For where the substance itself is reduced to a perfect nonentity, it cannot be said to be thus reduced by privation, but by annihilation, which is not the sub- ject under immediate consideration. That a privation, when applied to compound bodies, may reduce to non- entity that cohesion of parts which it takes away, we readily admit : yet the substance itself from which the M* 130 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY, parts are taken, and between which cohesion is de- stroyed, must remain in existence and survive its loss. It is true, the modification of being in this substance may, and must be considerably changed; but this alter- ation in the modes of being, cannot affect the identity of being itself. A substance, and a modification of that substance are two distinct things. The peculiar modi- fication of being may be destroyed, while the substance remains ; but where the substance is destroyed, the modification which depended upon the substance for its existence, must necessarily perish with it. Privation can only apply to beings which are capable of separation and change ; for where privation takes place there must be a change, but the soul, being a pure, simple substance, cannot be separated or changed by privation, therefore it can never perish by its influence. It now remains to be considered, whether the soul can perish by annihilation. If it can, all rational proof of its immortality may be given up ; if not, the scriptural account of its immortality will appear consistent and reasonable. If the soul perish by annihilation, it must be either through the tendency of its own nature, or the application of external force. If an immaterial sub- stance has no parts — has nothing to lose — and cannot change, it must follow that such a substance cannot perish through the tendency of its own nature. A being which cannot change, can have no tendencies but such as are peculiar to its nature ; and that its natural tendency is to life, is demonstrated by its actual existence. And if it have a tendency to its own annihi- lation, it must tend to life, and not tend to life, at the §»;mne instant ; or, it must have a tendency to annihila- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRlSTIANiTTf. 137 tion, and yet have no such tendency, in the same mo- ment. In either case the contradiction is equal, and therefore no such tendency can possibly exist in the soul. As the soul cannot perish through the tendency of its own nature, the next consideration is, whether it can perish or not, from the application of external force ? All external force must be either natural or supernatural; and the means through which this external force must be applied, must be either material or immaterial. As an immaterial substance has no surface, it is a contra- diction to suppose that matter can ever be brought in contact with it. To suppose such a contact possible, is to suppose a surface in an immaterial being, which, at the same time, is supposed to exist without it. If matter can only act through the medium of matter, and an immaterial substance can be supposed to perish by it, matter must either act where it is not, or extend itself beyond its own being; but in admitting either, the mind is conducted to a contradiction. For when any portion of matter extends itself to an immaterial nature, it can no longer be moved from it; and that which is not removed from an immaterial nature, cannot be material. And to suppose matter to be thus extended, is to suppose it to be matter, and not matter, at the same time. Nor can any accession of power overcome the contradiction. No acquisition of power can alter the identity of its nature, without destroying its identity; or communicate to it a force of which its nature is incapable. The supposition includes not only a moral, but an absolute impossibility. To suppose matter to annihilate a nature with which 188 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. it has no physical connection, is to suppose it to act where it can have no influence, which every one must see is not only a moral, but an absolute, impossibility. It therefore follows, that the soul cannot perish by the instrumentality of matter, whatever influence be attri- buted to the propelling power. In fact, it appears im- possible to conceive the soul's annihilation according to the present laws of nature, and our means of knowing them. If the soul be reduced to nothing, we ascertain the existence of a point that denominates a nonentity. And to ascertain the certainty of what is admitted to have no kind of existence, supposes nothing itself to be identified, which is a contradiction. And in supposing that strange point to be ascertained, where entity ends, and where nonentity begins, (which must be admitted if annihilation be supposed possible,) we give a beginning to what we admit to have no kind of possible existence, which is a flat contradiction in terms. To suppose a nonentity to have no beginning, is to suppose an entity to have no end; and what has no end, instead of being annihilated, must be immortal. To give, therefore, a beginning to nonentity, is a contradic- tion in terms; and to deprive it of it, is to make the soul immortal. Annihilation is, therefore, impossible in the nature of things. It may be said, that the bodily organs, are the only and necessary media through which the soul acts, and when death takes place, the soul must, necessarily perish with the body. To which we reply, that the powers of reason, perception, and volition, being independent of sensation, as appears from the phenomenon of dream- ing, prove that the soul may exercise all its powers AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 139 when the senses are disolved; and consequently, that it is capable of an immortal existence. Again, if a limb of mine be dissected, or taken off, does that depreciate the eighth, or sixteenth part of my soul? Nay, I am as rational as ever; therefore, if my soul can exist without a part of the body, why not exist without the whole, or any part of it? Every man's own experience tells him, that the powers of the mind, are not at perfect liberty, while acting upon organs. There is a heaviness in consequence of mortality, which is the effect of sin; consequently, when the soul is liberated from this clay tenement, all its powers shall appear in their full strength and activity. If the soul cannot perish, through a material cause, it only remains to be considered whether its annihila- tion can proceed from an immaterial cause. Whatever this immaterial cause may be, it is certain, that it must possess intelligence, because an immaterial power which is abstracted from all intelligence, is a nonentity, of which we can form no conception. If then, the soul perish through an immaterial, intelligent power, or agent, this agent must operate in its effects, quite contrary to its own nature; and this necessarily ends in the same contradiction that the supposition does, of the sonl annihi- ilating itself. For suppose any intelligent agent to pos- sess a power which produces an effect which is contrary to itself, and while it retains a nature, which is contrary to the effect produced by it, is to suppose it capable of producing such an effect, and incapable at the same time. If, therefore, the soul cannot perish, by privation, dissolution, or annihilation, it necessarily follows, that it must be capable of an immortal existence. 140 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 2. The inexhaustible resources of knowledge and happiness which God hath provided for our enjoyment, and the continual progress which the soul is capable of making in virtue, strongly indicate the reality of a future state, and the immortality of the soul. For in this short life, we die before we have more than glanced on the works of creation; and those providences which so immediately concern us, we leave involved in clouds of darkness which the wisest of mortals are unable to penetrate, "Were man to live coeval with the sun, The patriarch pupil, would be learning still, And dying, leaving his lesson half unlearned.' , 3. The desire of immortality implanted in the human mind, is a strong presumptive proof that man is possess- ed of an immortal nature. There is no human being who feels full satisfaction in present enjoyments. The mind is forever on the whig hi the pursuit of new acquirements, of new ob- jects, and, if possible, of higher degrees of felicity, than the present can afford. These desires, restless and unbounded, are to be found agitating the breasts of men of all nations, of all ranks and conditions in life. Whether we choose to indulge in ignorance or to prosecute the path of knowl- edge; to loiter in indolence, or to exert our active powers with unremitting energy; to mingle with social beings, or to flee to the haunts of solitude — we feel a vacuum in the mind, which nothing around us can fill; a long- ing after new objects and enjoyments, whichthing no earthly can satisfy. Regardless of the past, and un- satisfied with the present, the soul of man feasts itself AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 141 on the hope of enjoyments which it has never yet pos- sessed. "Hnpe springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is. but always to be blest, The soul uneasy, and confined from home. Rests and expatiates in a life to come.''' That the desire of immortality is common, and natural to all men, appears from a variety of actions, which can scarcely be accounted for on any other principle, and which proves that the mind feels con- scious of its immortal destiny. The desire of existence, and of existence too which has no termination, appears to be the foundation of all our desires, and of all the plans we form in life. Annihilation cannot be an object of desire to any rational being. We desire something that is real, something that is connected with happiness or enjoyment; but non-existence has no object nor concern whatever belonging to it. When a wicked man, under a consciousness of guilt, indulges a wish for annihilation after death, it is not because nonexist- ence is in itself an object of desire, but he would choose it as the least of two evils: he would rather be blotted out of creation, than suffer the punishment due to his sins in the eternal world. It may also be remarked, that the desire of immor- tality, however vigorous it may be in ordinary minds, becomes still more glowing and ardent in proportion as the intellect is cultivated and expanded, and in propor- tion as the soul rises to higher and higher degrees of virtue and moral excellence* Since then, it appears that the desire of immortality is common to mankind, that the soul is incessantly 142 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY looking forward to the enjoyment of some future good, and that this desire has been the spring of actions the most beneficent, and heroic, on what principle is it to be accounted for? "Whence springs this pleasing hope, this fond desire, This longing after immortality? Or whence this secret dread, and inward horror, Of falling into nought? — Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction?" No satisfactory answer can be given to such ques- tions, if our duration be circumscribed within the limits of time, and the spark of intelligence we possess is quenched in everlasting night. The desires to which we now refer, appear to be an essential part of the human constitution, and, conse- quently, were implanted in our nature by the hand of our Creator; — and, therefore we must suppose, either that the desire of immortality will be gratified, or that the Creator takes delight in tantalizing his creatures with hopes and expectations which will end in eternal disappointment. To admit the latter supposition, would be inconsistent with every r rational idea we can form of the moral attributes of the Divinity. It would be inconsistent with his veracity, rectitude, wisdom, and benevolence. If there is no state either of punishment or reward beyond the grave, those desires of immortal duration, which seem at first view to elevate man obove the inhab- itants of this globe, actually place him below the level of the beasts of the field. They live divested of those innumerable cares and anxieties which harrass and AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 143 perplex the children of men, and they never wish to go beyond the boundary which nature prescribes. Through ignorance of the future, they pass from life to death, with as much indifference as from watching to sleep, or from labor to repose. But man, amid all his enjoyments and prospects which surround him, feels uneasy and unsatisfied, because he pants for happiness, infinite in duration. His hopes and desires overstep the bounds of time, and of every period we can fix to duration, and move onward through a boundless eternity. And if he is to be forever cut off from existence when his body drops into the grave, how dismal the continued apprehension of an everlasting period being put to all his enjoyments after a prospect of immortality has been opened to his view! How then shall we account for these anomalies? How shall we reconcile these appa- rent inconsistencies? In what light shall we exhibit the conduct of the Creator, so as to render it consistent with itself? There is but one conclusion we can form, id consistency with the moral attributes of God, which will completely unravel the mystery of man being animated with unbounded desires, and yet confined to a short and limited duration in the present world, and that is, that this world is not the place of our final destina- tion, but introductory to a more glorious and permanent state of existence, where the desires of virtuous minds will be completely gratified, and their hopes fully realized. 4. To what has been said on the immortality of the soul, add the proof, drawn from the moral powers of man, which cannot be fully exercised in this life. The fears and apprehensions which frequently arise in the N 144 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. mind, in reference to the punishments of a future world; and the doctrine of the soul's, immortality, which has obtained, in whole or in part, among all nations. And the rational conclusion is, that Christianity receives additional evidence, from the fact of its teaching this doctrine clearly, and authoritatively. II. Intimately connected with the above doctrine, the scriptures teach the doctrine of future rewards and punishments. Many of the arguments showing the probability, and consistency of the souFs immortality, apply with equal force to the doctrine now in question, consequently, but little more need be added, to show that a future state of rewards and punishments, is both reasonable and neces- sary. 1. Something more may be said in reference to the fearful apprehensions of the mind, and its fearful fore- bodings of futurity, when under the influence of remorse, which may be considered as intimations of a state of retribution in another world. As the boundless desires of the human mind, the vast comprehension of its intellectual faculties, and the virtuous exercise of its moral powers, are indications of a future state of more enlarged enjoyment, so, those horrors of conscience which frequently torment the minds of the wicked, may be considered as the forebo- dings of future misery and wo. For it appears as rea- sonable to believe, that atrocious deeds will meet with deserved opprobrium and punishment in a future state, as that virtuous actions will be approved o r and rewarded; and consequently, we find, that all nations who have believed in a future state of happiness for the righteous. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 145 have also admitted that there are future punishments in reserve for the workers of iniquity. Every man has in his own heart a moral sense which secretly condemns him when he has committed an atrocious crime, even when the perpetration of the crime is unknown to his fellow men, and when he is placed in circum- stances which raise him above the fear of human pun- ishment. There have been numerous individuals, both in the higher and lower ranks of life, who, without any external cause, or apprehension of punishment from men, have been seized with inward terrors, and have writhed under the agonies of an accusing conscience, which neither the charms of music, nor all the delights of the sons of men, have the least power to assuage. Of the truth of this position, the annals of history furnish many impressive examples. The following may suffice as specimens: — While Belshazzar was carousing at an impious ban- quet, the appearance of the fingers of a mams hand, and of the writing on an opposite wall, threw him into such consternation, that his thoughts terrified him, and his knees smote together. His terror did not arise from the fear of man; for he was surrounded by his guards and princes. Nor from the sentence of condemnation written on the wall; for he was then ignorant of the writing and its interpretation. But he was conscious of the wickedness of which he had been guilty, and of the sacriligious impiety in which he was then indulging. Tiberius, one of the Roman Emperors, was a gloomy, treacherous, and cruel tyrant. The lives of his people became the sport of his savage disposition. Barely to take them away was not sufficient, if their death was 146 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. not tormenting and atrocious. His cruelty and impiety were incessent, and revolting to every principle of decency and virtue. Yet this tyrant, while acting in the plenitude of his power, and imagining himself beyond the control of every law, had his mind tortured with dreadful apprehensions. Neither the splendor of his situation as an emperor, nor the solitary retreats to which he retired, could shield him from the accusations of conscience, but he himself was forced to confess, in a letter to the Senate, the mental agonies he endured as a punishment for his crimes. Antiochus Epiphancs was another impious and cruel tyrant. He laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, slaughtered 40,000 of its inhabitants in three days, and polluted, in the most impious manner, the temple, and the worship of the God of Israel* Some time afterwards, when he was breathing out curses against the Jews for having restored their ancient worship, and threatening to destroy the whole nation, he was seized with a grievous torment in his inward parts, accompanied with such terrors as no remedies could assuage. Worms crawled from every part of him; his flesh fell away by piece-meal, and the stench was so great that it became intolerable to the whole army; and he thus finished an impious life by a misera- ble death. During this disorder, he was troubled with a perpetual delirium, imagining that spectres stood con- tinually before him, reproaching him with his crimes — Similar relations are given by historians of Herod, who slaughtered the infants at Bethlehem, of Galerius, the author of the tenth persecution against the Christians, of the infamous Philip II. of Spain, and of many others whose names stand conspicuous on the rolls of impiety AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 147 and crime. It is related of Charles IX. of France, who ordered the horrible massacre of St. Batholomew, and assisted in this bloody tragedy, that, ever after, he had a fierceness in his looks, and color in his cheeks, which he never had before; that he slept little, and never sound; and waked frequently in great agonies, requiring soft music to compose him to rest, and at length died of a lingering disorder, after having undergone the most exquisite torments both of body and mind. Richard III. after he had murdered his innocent royal nephews, was so tormented in conscience that he had no quiet in his mind by day, nor could take any rest by night, but molested with terrifying dreams, would start out of his bed, and run like a distracted man about the chamber. Bessus the Pceonian being reproached with ill-nature for pulling down a nest of young sparrows and killing them, answered, that he had reason so to do. "Because these little birds never ceased falsely to accuse him of the murder of his father ;? This parricide had been till then concealed and unknown; but the revenging fury of conscience caused it to be discovered by him- self, who was justly to suffer for it. Many similar examples of the power of conscience in awakening terrible apprehensions of futurity, could be brought forward from the records of history, both ancient and modern — and there can be no question that, at the present moment, there are thousands of gay spirits immersed in fashionable dissipation, and profess- ing to disregard the realities of a future world, who, i{ they would lay open their inmost thoughts, would con- fess that the secret dread of a future retribution is a N* 148 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. spectre which frequently haunts them while running the rounds of forbidden pleasure, and embitters their most exquisite enjoyments. Now, how are we to account for such terrors of conscience, and awful forebodings of futurity, if there be no existence beyond the grave, especially when we consider that many of those who have been thus tormented have occupied stations of rank and power, which raised them above the fear of punishment from man ? If their schemes were accom- plished, their passions gratified, and their persons and possessions secured from temporal danger, why did they feel compunction and alarm in the prospect of futurity? for every mental disquietude of this description implies a dread of something future. They had no great reason to be afraid even of the Almighty himself, if his vengeance does not extend beyond the present world. They beheld no miracles of vengeance — no almighty arm visibly hurling the thunderbolts of heaven against the workers of iniquity. They saw that one event happened to all, to the righteous as well as the wicked ; and that death was an evil to which all must sooner or later submit. They encountered hostile ar- mies with fortitude, and beheld all the dread apparatus of war without dismay. Yet, in their secret retirements, in their fortified retreats, where no eye but the eye of God was upon them, and when no hostile incursion was apprehended, they trembled at a shadow, and felt a thousand disquietudes from the reproaches of an inward monitor which they could not escape. These things appear altogether inexplicable, if there be no retribution beyond the grave. 2. The unequal distribution of rewards and punish- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 149 ments in the present state, viewed in connection with the justice and attributes of God, forms another powerful argument in support of the doctrine of a future state. It is clearly discovered that the natural tendency of virtue or an obedience to the laws of God, is to produce happiness. In like manner, the natural tendency of vice is to produce misery. By connecting happiness with the observance of his laws, and misery with the violation of them, the Governor of the world, in the general course of his providence, gives a display of the "itude of his character, and the impartiality of his allotments towards the subjects of his government. But although these positions hold true in the general course of human affairs, there are innumerable cases in which the justice of God and the impartiality of his procedure would be liable to be impeached, if this world were the only scene of rewards and punishments. We behold a man dragged to the prison, or the scaffold, to be deprived of his liberty, or his life, for a small offence; while the tyrant, who has plundered provinces, and murdered millions of human beings — who has wounded the peace of a thousand families, and produced universal conster- nation and despair wherever he appeared, regales him- self in the midst of his favorites, in perfect security from human punishments. Instead of being loaded with fetters, and dragged to a dungeon to await in hope- less agony the punishment of his crimes, he dwells amidst all the luxuries and splendors of a palace : his favor is courted, his praises chanted, and historians stand ready to transmit his fame to future generations. How does the equity of the divine government appear in such cases, in permitting undue punishment to be 150 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY* inflicted on the least offender, and in loading the greatest miscreant with unmerited enjoyments ? Again : in almost every period of the world, we behold men of piety and virtue, who have suffered the most unjust and cruel treatment from the hands of haughty tyrants and blood-thirsty persecutors. It would require volumes to describe the instruments of cruelty which have been invented by these fiend-like monsters, and the excruciating torments which have been endured by the victims of their tyranny, while justice seemed to slumber, and the perpetrators were permitted to exult in their crimes. If the present be the only state of pun- ishments and rewards, how shall we vindicate the rec- titude of the Almighty in such dispensations ? We must either conclude that no moral Governor of the world exists, or that justice and judgment are not the foundation of his throne ! 3. A careful survey of the moral world, forces tha same conclusion upon the mind. We shall only notice the argument as illustrated from a consideration of those moral perceptions implanted in the human constitution, which may be considered as having the force of moral laws proceeding from the Almighty. The difference between right and wrong, virtue and vice, is founded upon the nature of things, and is perceptible by every intelligent agent whose moral feelings are not altogether blunted by vicious in- dulgences. Were a man to affirm that there is no difference between justice and injustice, love and hatred, truth and falsehood — and that it is equally the same with those who in their lives observe them, and those who do not — he would at once be denounced as a fool, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 151 or a madman, and hissed out of society. The difference between such actions is eternal and unchangeable, and every moral agent is enabled to perceive it. We can choose to perform the one class of actions, and to refrain from the other; we can comply with the voice of con- science, which deters us from the one, and excites us to the other; or we can resist its dictates, and we can judge whether our actions deserve reward or punish- ment. Now, if God has endowed us with such moral perceptions and capacities, is it unreasonable to suppose, that it is equally indifferent to him whether we obey or disobey the laws he has prescribed ? Can we ever suppose that He who governs the* universe is an uncon- cerned spectator of the good or evil actions that happen throughout his dominions ? If such suppositions cannot be admitted, it follows that man is accountable for his actions, and that it must be an essential part of the divine government to bring every action into judgment, and to punish or reward his creatures according to their works. And if it appear, in point of fact, that such retributions are not fully awarded in the present state, nor a visible distinction made between the righteous and the wicked, we must necessarily admit the conclusion that the full and equitable distribution of punishments and rewards is reserved to a future world, when a visible and ever- lasting distinction will be made, and the whole intelligent creation clearly discern between him that served God, and him that served him not. III. But, that both natures in which the actions of men are performed, may be re-united in their eternal state of rewards and punishments, the scriptures teach, that the body which has become subject to death by sin, 152 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. shall arise from the dead, and survive the ruins of the tomb — " they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation." This doctrine is one of the peculiar discoveries of revelation; for, although some idea of the immortality of the soul was found among the ancient sages of the heathen world, they never seem to have formed the most distant conception, that the bodies of men, after putrefying in the grave, would ever be reanimated ; and hence, when Paul declared this doctrine to the Athenian philosophers, he was pronounced to be a babbler. And even now, those who subscribe to this sublime and con- soling truth, are called babblers and fools, by the pro- fessed philosophers of the day — to whom we reply, ki Why should it be thought a thing incredible, that God should raise the dead P Greater effects of almighty power, than raising the dead to life, are daily exhibited before our eyes — effects, too, which are equally mys- terious — yet because they are not immediately connected with theology, we cordially believe them, though they are perfectly inexplicable. But when divinity comes forward with its sublime mysteries, we are ready to conclude that they are too unphilosophical for our great minds to embrace ! Were men as consistent upon the subject of religion, as upon many other subjects, the moral world would wear entirely a different aspect. If the phenomena of nature do not induce men to renounce their belief in natural philosophy, why should the mysteries of revealed religion be considered ade- quate reasons for their rejecting it ? There is too much reason to fear that the consequences connected with a AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 153 resurrection of the body from the dead, are the greatest reasons why this doctrine is rejected. For, those who pretend to disbelieve it, are of that class who are im willing to be judged " according to the deeds done in the body." And as it is natural for them to seek some cloak for their crimes, and some reason for their unbe- lief, they pretend that the doctrine of the resurrection, as well as many other doctrines of revelation, is not philosophical. They cannot comprehend it, therefore they cannot believe it. We do not pretend that this doctrine can be fully comprehended, yet we know that it can be as easily comprehended as the nature of light, caloric, electricity, magnetism, and many other things in natural philosophy, which we do not disbelieve on account of the mysteries connected with them. And though we are indebted to revelation alone, for this important doctrine, it may not be as unphilosophical as many pretend to believe. We are confident that the restoration of the human body from the dead, is wholly a supernatural work, and must be resolved into the miraculous power of Almighty God. Consequently, it will not be brought about by the laws adopted for the regulation and control of the material universe. Yet many things in nature appear to bear such a striking resemblance to the res- urrection of the body from death to life, that they may be considered as illustrations of this pleasing and glorious truth, and which tend to assist us in forming a conception, not only of the possibility of a resurrection, but also of the manner in which it may probably be effected, when the power of Omnipotence is interposed. 1. The transformations of insects afford us a beautiful illustration of this subject 154 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. The may-bug beetle burrows in the earth, where it drops its egg, from which its young creeps out in the shape of a maggot, which casts its skin every year, and, in the fourth year, it bursts from the earth, unfolds its wings, and sails in rapture through the air. A strik- ing emblem of the resurrection of the bodies of the righteous. All the butterflies which we see fluttering about in the summer months were originally caterpillars. Before they arrive at that highest stage of their existence, they pass through four different transformations. The first state of a butterfly is that of an egg ; it next assumes the form of a loathsome crawling icorm ; after remain- ing some time in this state, it throws off its caterpillar skin, languishes, refuses to eat, ceases to move, and is shut up, as it were, in a tomb. In this state, the animal is termed a chrysalis ; it is covered with a thin crust or shell, and remains sometimes for six or eight months without motion, and apparently without life. After remaining its allotted time in this torpid condition, it begins to acquire new life and vigor ; it bursts its imprisonment, and comes forth a butterfly, with wings tinged with the most beautiful colors. It mounts the air, ranges from flower to flower, and seems to rejoice in its new and splendid existence. How very different does it appear in this state from what it did in the preceding stages of its existence ! How unlikely did it seem that a rough, hairy, crawling worm, which lay for such a length of time in a death- like torpor, and enshrouded in a tomb, should be rean- imated, as it were, and changed into so beautiful a form, and endued with such powers of rapid motion ! Perhaps AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 155 the change to be effected on the bodies of men, at the general resurrection, may not be greater, nor more wonderful in its nature, than are the changes which take place from the first to the last stage of a caterpil- lar's existence. 2. There is another illustration, taken from a consid- eration of the chemical changes of matter, which has a -still more direct bearing on the doctrine of a resur- rection. We know that substances which are invisibly incor- porated with air, water, and other fluids, and which seem to be destroyed, may be made to re-appear in their original form by the application of certain chemical re-agents. What is more common than to dissolve gold and silver in their proper liquors, and yet when those opaque bodies are so wonderfully diffused, they become transparent, and quite vanish out of sight, the chemist by easy means can recall them again into a solid mass, not losing the least particle. Why then, should it be thought incredible that God should recall all the scattered particles of man's body 1 Again : Hermes' tree, or the philosophical plant, when an entire vegetable, was reduced to dust and ashes, and resuscitated to all its pristine properties and simil- itude, and may in a strict sense be called the same plant. If man, by a chemical process, can restore a decomposed plant to its former state, is it unphilosoph- cal to suppose that God will restore the scattered and inactive dust of his creature man ? Once more : it is well known that carbon, which forms an essential part of all animal and vegetable substances, is found to be not only indestructible by O 156 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY age; but, in all its combinations, which are infinitely diversified, it still preserves its identity. In the state of carbonic acid, it exists in union with earths and stones in unbounded quantities ; and though buried for thou- sands of years beneath immense rocks, or in the center of mountains, it is still carbonic acid, for no sooner is it disengaged than it rises with all the life and vigor of recent formation, not in the least impaired by its torpid inactivity during a lapse of ages. In addition to these facts, it may be stated, that pro- vision has been made for the restoration of the fallen leaves of vegetables, which rot upon the ground, and, to a careless observer, would appear to be lost forever. It has been shown, by experiment, that whenever the soil becomes charged with such matter, the oxygen of the atmosphere combines with it, and converts it into carbonic acid gas — the consequence of which is, that this very same carbon is, in process of time, absorbed by a new race of vegetables, which it clothes with a new foliage, and which is destined to undergo similar putrefaction and renovation until the end of time-. These facts, and others of a similar description which might be stated, show that though human bodies may remain in a state of putrefaction for ages, in the earth or in the waters ; yet their component parts remain unchanged, and in readiness to enter into a new and more glorious combination, at the command of that Intelligence to whom all the principles of nature and all their diversified changes are intimately known ; and whose power is able to direct their combinations to the accomplishment of his purposes. AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 157 3. Seed-time and harvest present another illustration of the doctrine of the resurrection. See that farmer scattering his grain over the surface of the earth. Is it not like " water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again V 9 Why does he throw away the staff of life? Behold, he buries it from our sight with the plough or the harrow. How wasteful ! How inconsistent ! The grain begins to putrefy. Surely the man has lost both his labor and his grain ! "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die." Wait a while and see the result. You may be skeptical on this subject, but the farmer possesses philosophy enough to believe that his labor will not be in vain; that, after all the alteration his grain undergoes, it will sprout into a blade, and then bring forth a body after its kind. It requires the power of God to produce this effect ; and the same power is competent to raise the bodies of men from the confines of the tomb. We are aware that an objection against the doctrine of the resurrection has been raised, on the ground of men feeding upon animals which have fed upon men, and of men feeding upon one another. But if we keep in view the identity of the human body, which is proved by its retaining scars, shrunk sinews, &c. during life ; and the superintendence of a Being of infinite power and wisdom, which can as easily extend to a million, as to a thousand particles of matter, the force of this ob- jection will soon be done away. Another objection to the resurrection of the body, has been drawn from the changes of its substance during life. The answer to this is, that allowing a frequent 158 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY, and total change of the substance of the body (which, however, is but a hypothesis) to take place, it affects not the doctrine of scripture, which is, that the body which is laid in the grave shall be raised up. But then, we are told, that if our bodies have in fact undergone successive changes during life, the bodies in which we have sinned, or performed rewardable actions, may not be, in many instances, the same bodies as those which will actually be rewarded or punished. We an- swer, that rewards and punishments have their relation to the body, not so much as it is the subject, but the in- strument of reward and punishment. It is the soul only which perceives pain or pleasure, which suffers or enjoys, in a moral sense, and is therefore the only re- wardable subject. Were we, therefore, to admit such corporeal mutations as are assumed in this objection, they affect not our accountability. The personal iden- tity, or sameness of a rational being, consists in self- consciousness. By this every one is to himself what he calls self, without considering whether that self be continued in the same or divers substances. It was, by the same self which reflects on an action done many years ago, that the action was performed. And as the above objection contradicts the common sense of man- kind, there can be no weight in it. 4. We will notice one more illustration of the doc- trine of the resurrection, and we shall close our remarks on this branch of evidence, authenticating the christian religion. Autumn and spring present a periodical emblem of death and the resurrection. See the vegetable world fading and dying. All its life and beauty disappear. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 159 The chilling blasts of autumn, and then of winter, sweep over the forest, while nature puts on all her ha- biliments of mourning. But soon the chains of death are severed ; the sun begins to pour forth its vivifying rays ; the gentle showers descend ; the vegetable king- dom awakes to life, and a thousand glad hearts and melodious songsters hail the return of spring. Here is a change similar to that produced in the morning of the resurrection, when the trump of God shall sound, and they that are in their graves shall come forth, to realize an immortality of happiness or wo. The body is sown in weakness, but raised in power. It is sown in corrup- tion, and raised in incorruption. It is sown an animal body, but raised a spiritual body — that is, so organized as to be adapted to that eternal world of spirits it is now to inhabit. This resurrection is by virtue of the atone- ment made by Christ for fallen man ; and if men do not arise to a glorious immortality, it is their own fault, for ample provision has been made for them ; while if they arise to the resurrection of the just, it is through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, they having received the atonement through repentance and faith. If Christianity, then, teaches the doctrine of the existence and nature of God — the fall, depravity and redemption of man — the influence of the Holy Spirit — the immortality of the soul — the doctrine of future rewards and punishments, and the resurrection of the human body from the dead* — doctrines not taught by * We think it superfluous to mention other doctrines of the Bible, in order to show their harmony, &c. For if these great primary doctrines are confirmed, the truth of all others need not be doubted. O* 160 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. other systems, independently of revelation, which are so well adapted to the nature and condition of man, and some of which receive so many illustrations and corresponding evidences from philosophy, reason, and experience, do we not sin against light and knowledge, and act like men the most unreasonable and wicked if we wilfully neglect it 1 LECTURE VII. Authenticity of Christianity shown from the TESTIMONY OF ANCIENT WRITERS CONCERNING UNU- SUAL EVENTS AND FACTS RECORDED IN SCRIPTURE OF COINS, MEDALS, AND ANCIENT MARBLES, AND OF TRADITION. Not only the doctrines of the Bible are confirmed and illustrated by testimony drawn from various sources, but also many of the unusual events recorded therein, are confirmed by coins, medals, ancient marbles, tradi- tion, and the testimony of ancient historians- In noti- cing the unusual events and facts recorded in scripture, we shall — I. Notice those found in the History of the Old Testament. 1. The truth of the MosaiG account of a universal deluge is confirmed by the tradition of it, which has universally obtained. If such an event has ever hap- pened, it is natural to expect that some traces of it will be found in the records of pagan nations, as well as in those of scripture. Indeed, it is scarcely probable, not to say possible, that the knowledge of so great a calam- ity should be utterly lost to the rest of the world, and be confined to the Jewish nation alone. We find, however, that this is by no means the case. A tradition of the deluge, in many respects accurately 162 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. coinciding with the Mosaic account of it, has been pre- served almost universally among the ancient nations. And the further we go back, the more vivid the traces appear. The reverse of this would happen, if the whole were originally a fable. The history would not only be less evidently diffused; but the more remote our researches, the less light we should obtain; and however we might strain our sight, the objects would by degrees grow faint, and the scene would terminate in clouds and darkness. Besides, there would not have been that correspondence and harmony in the traditions of different nations, which so plainly subsisted among them. Now this could not be the result of chance, but must necessarily have arisen from the same history being universally acknowledged. These evidences are derived to us from people who are of different ages and countries, and, in consequence, widely separated from each other. And what is extraordinary, they did not know, in many instances, the purport of the data which they transmitted, nor the value and consequence of their intelligence. In their mythology they adhered to the letter, without considering the meaning; and ac- quiesced in the hieroglyphic, though they were stran- gers to .the purport of it. With respect to ourselves, it is a happy circumstances, not only that the histories have been transmitted to us, but also that, after an inter- val of so long a date, we should be able to see into the hidden mystery, and from these crude materials to obtain such satisfactory truths. We now proceed to notice a few of the most striking of these traditional narratives. Berosus, the Chaldean historian, following the most AtTHENTlClTY OF CHRISTIANITY. W$ ancient writings, as Josephus affirms, has related the same things as Moses, of the deluge, and of mankind perishing in it ; and likewise the ark in which Nockus, the restorer of the human race, was preserved, being carried to the summit of the Armenian mountains. Hieronymus, the Egyptian, who wrote the antiqui- ties of the Phoenecians, Nicholus of Demascus, and many others, mention these things, as Josephus also testifies. Further : there is a fragment preserved by Abyden- rus, an ancient Assyrian historian, in which mention is made of the deluge being foretold, before it happened, and of the birds being sent forth three different times to see whether the earth was dried, and of the ark being driven into Armenia. He and others agree with Moses in the main circumstances ; bat in lesser particulars sometimes adulterate the truth with fabulor.s mixtures* Alexander Polyhistor, another ancient historian, is cited by Cyril of Alexandria, together with Abydenus, and both to the same purpose. He says, that in the reign of Xisuthrus, (the same as Noah,) was the great deluge; that Xisuthrus was sav- ed — Saturn having predicted to him what should happen, and that he ought to build an ark, and together with the fowls, and creeping things, and cattle, to sail in it. Among the Greeks, Plato mentions the great deluge? in which the cities were destroyed, and useful arts were lost; and suggests that there was a great and univeral deluge before the particular inundations celebrated by the Grecians. He plainly thought that there had been several deluges, but one greater than the rest. More- over, it was the tradition of the Egyptians, as Diodorus 164 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. informs us, that most living creatures perished in the deluge, which was in Deucalion's time. Ovid's des- cription of Deucalion's flood,* is so striking, that it is difficult to lose sight of its identity with Noah's flood, described by Moses. Plutarch, in his treatise on the sagacity of animals, observes that a dove was sent out by Deucalion, which entering into the ark again, was a sign of serene weather. Homer, also, plainly alludes to the particu- lar of the rainbow, by calling it a sign, or token, to men. Lucian mentions more than once the deluge in Deu- calion's time, and the ark which preserved the small remnant of human kind. He describes, also, the parti- culars of Deucalion's flood, after the example of Noah's flood. "The present race of men was not the first; but the former generation was all destroyed. This second race sprang from Deucalion. The former was a wicked and profligate generation; for which reason this great calamity befell them. The earth gave forth abundance of water ; great showers of rain fell ; and the rivers increased, and the sea swelled to such a de- gree that all things were water, and all men perished. Deucalion alone was left for a second generation, on account of his prudence and piety ; and he was pre- served in this manner: He built a great ark, and enter- ed into it, with his wife and children; and to him, swine and horses, and lions, and serpents, and all other creatures which the earth maintains, came in pairs. He received them all, and they hurt him not. On the * See Davidson and Clark's translation of Ovid. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 165 contrary, there was by divine instinct great friendship among them, and they sailed all together in the same ark, as long as the water prevailed." At the beginning and in the conclusion, he professes to have received this account from the Grecians, so that he cannot be suspected of borrowing it from the scriptures. The orthodox among the ancient Persians, believed in a deluge, and that it was universal, and everwhelmed the whole earth. Similar traditions have prevailed in the East among the Hindoos, Burmans, and Chinese: Of these, the tradition of the Chinese is particularly worthy of note, as it not only refers, both directly and indirectly, to the deluge itself, but also to the cause of it. The same tradition of a general flood is also to be traced -among the ancient Goths and Druids, as well as among the Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, and Nicaraguans; to whom may be added the inhabitants of Western Caledonia, the Otaheiteans before their conversion to Christianity, and also the Sandwich Islanders. The Mosaic account of the deluge is also confirmed by a coin struck at Apamea in the reign of Philip the elder.* On the reverse of this medal is represented a kind of square chest, floating upon the waters: a man and a woman are advancing out of it, to dry land, while two other persons remain within. Above it, flutters a dove, bearing an olive branch; and another bird, possibly a raven, is perched upon its roof. In one ot the front pannels of the chest, is the word Xoe, *Philip was the father of Alexander the great, and was murdered in the 47th year of his age, and 2 4th year of his reign, before Christ about 336 years. 168 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. in ancient Greek characters. From these various evidences it is manifest, that the heathens were well acquainted with all the various circumstances of the universal deluge; that their traditions (though largely blended with fable) bear a striking resemblance to the narrative of Moses; and that the moral certainty of that great event is established on a basis sufficiently firm to bid defiance to the cavils of skepticism. Instead, therefore, of asserting (as it has been con- trary to all the evidence furnished by natural and civil history) that we have no sufficient evidence to induce us to believe that the deluge ever took place — let the ingenuity of unbelief first account satisfactorily for this unusual agreement of the Pagan world. She may then, with a greater degree of plausibility, impeach the truth of the scriptural narrative of the deluge. "To establish the assertion/*' says Mr. Taylor, "that Deity has condescended to make known his intentions to man, he invites reasoners against revelation to investigate the instance of Noah. Was the deluge, he asks, a real occurrence? All mankind acknowledge it Wherever tradition has been maintained, wherever written records are presented, wherever commemo- rative rites have been instituted, what has been their subject? The deluge, deliverance from destruction by a flood. The savage and the sage agree in this: North and South, East and West, relate the danger of their great ancestor from overwhelming waters. But he was saved: and how? By personal exertion? By long supported swiming? By concealment in the highest mountains? No: but by enclosure in a large floating edifice of his own construction — his own construction AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 167 for this particular purpose. But this labor was long; this was not the work of a day; he must have for eknown so astonishing an event, a considerable time previous to its actual occurrence. Whence did he receive this knoicledge? Did the earth inform him, that at twenty, thirty, or forty years distance, it would disgorge a flood* 1 Surely not. Did the stars announce that they would dissolve the terrestrial atmosphere in terrific rains? •Surely not Whence then had he this foreknowledge? Did he begin to build when the showers first descended I This was too late. Had he been accustomed to rains formerly — why think them now of importance? Had he never seen rain — what could induce him to provide -against it? Why this year more than last year? Why last year more than the year before? These inquiries are direct: we cannot flinch from the fact. Erase it from the Mosaic words; still it is recorded in Greece, in India, and in Britian; it is registered in the very sacra of the pagan world; and is annually renewed by commemorative imitation, where the liberty of opinion is not fettered by prejudices derived from Hebrew insti- tutions, or by the "sophisticated" inventions of Chris- tianity. "Go, infidel,"' he adds, "turn to the right hand, or to the left; take your choice of difficulties : disparage all mankind as fools, as willing dupes to superstitious commemoration, as leagued throughout the world to delude themselves in order to impugn your wisdom, your just thinking, your love of truth, your unbiased integrity; or allow that this fact, at least this one fact, is established by testimony abundantly sufficient; but remember, that if it be established, it implies a commit nl cat iuii from Goo to man. Who could inform Noah? P 168 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. Why did not that great patriarch provide against fire? against earthquakes? against explosions? Why against a deluge? Why against water? Away with subterfuge. Say frankly this was the dictation of Deity; say, 'only He who made the world could predict the time, the means, the cause of this devastation; only He could excite the hope of restoration, or suggest a method of deliverance.' Use your own language; but permit an humble believer to adopt language already recorded: 'By faith, Noah being learned of God, of things never seen as yet, in pious fear , prepared the Ark to the saving of his family, by which he condemned the world.' May a similar condemnation never rest on us, who must at least admit the truth of one text in the Bible, or stand convicted by the united voice of all mankind, and by the testimony of the earth, the now shattered earth itself. " 2. The departure of the Israelites from Egypt, under the command of Moses, is confirmed by Justin, a heathen historian. In his history of the Jewish nation, he tells us that some time after the birth of Moses, "The Egyptians had the leprosy amongst them; that upon consulting their oracle for a cure, they were directed to send away all their infected persons out of the land, under the conduct of Moses. Moses undertook the command of them, and at his leaving Egypt, stole away the Egyptian Sacra. The Egyptians pursued them in order to recover their Sacra, but were compelled by storms to return home again. Moses, in seven days, passed the desert of Arabia, and brought the people to Sinai.' 5 This account, is indeed short, imperfect and full of AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 169 mistakes ; but so are the heathen accounts of Jews and their affairs. This is in consequence of their not making a true inquiry into their history. Yet there are many things related of them, that perfectly correspond with the Jewish history recorded in the Old Testament. Had more pains been taken by Justin, in examining the Jewish history, a more correct and particular account would have been given by him. Yet, he has said enough to confirm the truth of this part of sacred history. We, however, may add to this the following curious Egyptian traditions, preserved by an ancient writer, Artapanus, who wrote a history of the Jews, about one hundred and thirty years before Christ. " The Memphites relate, that Moses, being well ac- quainted with the country, watched the influx of the tide, and made the multitude pass through the dry bed of the sea. But the Heliopolitans relate, that the King, with a great army, accompanied by the sacred animals, pursued the Jews, who had carried off with them the substance of the Egyptians ; and that Moses having been directed by a divine voice to strike the sea with his rod, when he heard it, touched the water with his rod; and so the fluid divided, and the host passed over through a dry way. But when the Egyptians, entered along with them, and pursued them, it is said that fire flashed against them in front, and the sea, returning back, overwhelmed the passage. Thus the Egyptians perished, both by fire, and by the reflux of the tide." The latter account is extremely curious. It not only confirms scripture; but it notices three additional cir- cumstances. 1. That for their protection against the 170 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. God of Israel, the Egyptians brought with them the sacred animals; and by this means God executed judg* ment upon all the bestial gods of Egypt, as foretold, Ex. xii, 12, that perished with their infatuated votaries; completing the destruction of both, which began with smiting the first born both of man and beast. 2. That the recovery of the jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, which they asked and obtained of the Egyptians, according to the divine command, Ex. xii: 35, 36, was a leading motive of the Egyptians to pursue them; as the bringing back the Israelites to slavery had been with Pharoah and hrs servants, or officers.. 3. Thait the destruction of the Egyptians was partly occasioned by lightning and thunderbolts from the presence of the Lord; exactly corresponding to the Psalmist's sublime description: "The waters saw thee> O God, the waters saw thee, they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out water, the air thundered, thine arrows went abroad. Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he shot forth lightnings, hailstones, and coals of fire, and discomfitted them. Then the channels of water were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils." 3. The narrative of the invasion of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, and of the carrying of the ten tribes into captivity, which is related in 2 Kings xvii: 6, xviii. 10, is confirmed by certain ancient sculptures, on the mountain of Be-Sitoon, near the borders of the ancient Assyria. For the knowledge of tfeese antiquities we are indebted to the persevering AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 171 researches of Sir Rober Kerr Porter, by whom they were first discovered and who, after discovering them says: — "The design of this sculpture appears to tally so well with the great event of the total conquest over Isreal, by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and the Medes, that I venture to suggest the possibility of this bas-relief having been made to commemorate that final achievement. Certain circumstances attending the entire captivity of the ten tribes, which took place in the second attack on their nation, when considered, seem to confirm the conjecture into a strong probability/' 4. The account of the war, carried on by Pharaoh Necho against the Jews and Babylonians, (which is related in the second book of Chronicles,) is confirmed by the testimony of the Greek historian, Herodotus, and especially by the recent discoveries of the enter- prising traveller, M. Belzoni, among the tombs of the Egyptian sovereigns. The following is the narrative of the sacred historian in 2 Chron. xxxv. 20 — 24. "After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho, King of Egypt, came up to fight against Char- chemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, what have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 172 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. "And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, have me away; for I am sorely wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and wa3 buried in one of the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. " And again, xxxvi. 1 — 4. "Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. "And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him into Egypt." These passages prove the power and conquests of Pharaoh Necho ; and if we turn to Herodotus, we shall find a wonderful agreement with many of the particu- lars. " Now, Necos was the son of Psammeticus, and reigned over Egypt ; it was he who began the canals, &c. ; and he employed himself in war-like pursuits, building galleys, both on the Mediterranean and on the Red Sea, the traces of his dockyards still existing; and these he used when lie had occasion for them : and Necos joined battle with the Syrians and conquered them, and after the battle, he took Cadytis, a large city of Syria. And having reigned, in the whole, six- teen years, he died and left the throne to his son Psam- mis." Cadytis is again mentioned by this historian, as AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 173 belonging to the Syrians of Palestine ; and as a city not less than Sardis — so that there is no doubt that he intended Jerusalem, which (it is well known) was some- times called Kadesh or Holy. We now come to the researches of M. Belzoni, in the tomb of Psammethis or Psammis, the son of Pharaoh Necho. 44 In one of the numerous apartments of this vener- able 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 Persians. 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 these who at this day walk the streets of London. After them came the men with smaller beards and curled whiskers, with double spreading plumes on their heads, tattoed, and wearing robes or mantles, spotted like the skins of wild beasts; these are Persians or Chaldeans. Then lastly came four negroes with large circular ear-rings, and white dresses supported by a belt over the shoulders; these are Etheopians.*' Among the hieroglyphics contained in Bebzoni's • drawings of this tomb, Dr. Young, (Secretary to the Royal Society) who is pre-eminantly distinguished for his successful researches in archaiology has succeeded 174 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. in discovering the names of Nichoa (the Necho of the scriptures, and Necos of Herodotus) and of Psammethis. 5. The truth of Shishak's victory over Rehoboam, as related in 2 Chron. xii., has lately received a most re- markable confirmation. One of the great palaces of the Egyptian kings, at Karnac, was partly built by Shishak, or, as the Egyptians called him, Sheshonk ; and on one of the walls, which is standing, Cham- pollion, in his visit to Thebes, in 1828, discovered a piece of sculpture representing the victories of this Pharaoh, who is dragging the chiefs of thirty conquered nations to the idols worshiped at Thebes. Among the captives is one, the hieroglyphics upon whose shield contain the words, "Joudaba Malek," which means king of Judah. The figure, therefore, represents Re- hoboam, the only Jewish king vanquished by Shishak ; and thus, after the lapse of two thousand eight hundred years, we have the unexceptionable testimony of an enemy to the faithfulness of scripture history. 6. Lastly, the triumphal arch erected at Rome, by the Senate and Roman people, in honor of the emperor Titus, (which structure is still subsisting, though greatly damaged by the ravages of time,) is an undeniable evi- dence of the truth of the historic accounts which describe the dissolution of the Jewish state and government, and also relate the conquest of Jerusalem. This edifice likewise corroborates the description of certain vessels used by the Jews in their religious worship. In this arch are still distinctly to be seen, the golden candle- stick, the table of shew-bread, with a cup upon it, and the trumpets which were used to proclaim the year of Jubilee. And there are extant several medals of Judea AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 175 vanquished, in which the conquered country is repre- sented as a desolate female, sitting under a tree, and which afford an extraordinary fulfilment of Isaiah's prediction, (Isa. iii: 26,) delivered at least eight hundred years before, as well as a striking illustration of the first verse of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. These illustrations and confirmations are sufficient to establish the truth of the Old Testament history, with candid inquirers after truth; we shall, therefore — II. Give some similar testimony to confirm the history of the gospel. 1. There have been lately discovered in India, certain Shanscrit writings containing testimonies of Christ. They relate to a Brinee, who reigned about the period of the Christian era, and whose history, though mixed with fable, contains particulars which correspond, in a surprising manner, with the advent, birth, miracles, death, and resurrection of our Saviour. The event mentioned in Matt, ii: 2, is exactly recorded, namely — " that certain holy men, directed by a star, journeyed toward the west, where they beheld the incarnation of the Deity ;" and this testimony of the Hindoo writer accords with that of Chalcidius, the ancient commen- tator on Plato, who adds, " that the infant Majesty being found, the wise men worshiped, and gave gifts suitable to so great a God." The important Hindoo records referred to above, have been translated by Mr. Wilford, a learned Orientalist, and has deposited the originals among the archives of the Asiatic Society. 2. The ancient Romans were particularly careful to preserve the memory of all the remarkable events which happened in the city; and this was done either in 176 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. their Acts of the Senate, or in the Dally Acts of the People, which were diligently made and kept at Rome. In like manner, it was customary for the governors of provinces to send to the emperor an account of remark- able transactions that occurred in the places where they resided, which were preserved as the acts of their respective governments. In conformity with this usage, Pilate kept memoirs of the Jewish affairs, during his procuratorship, which were therefore called Acta Pilati. Referring to this usage, Eusebius says, " Our Saviour's resurrection being much talked of throughout Palestine, Pilate informed the emperor of it, as likewise of his miracles, of which he bad heard ; and that, being raised up after he had been put to death, he was already believed by many to be a god." These accounts were never published for general perusal, but were deposited among the archives of the empire, where they served as a fund of information to historians. Hence we find, long before the time of Eusebius, that the primitive Christians, in their disputes with the Gentiles, appealed to these acts of Pilate, as to most undoubted testimony. Thus Justin Martyr, in his first apology for the Chris- tians, which was presented to the emperor Antonius Pius and the Senate of Rome about the year 140, having mentioned the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and some of its attendant circumstances, adds, "And that these things were so done, you may know from the Acts made in the time of Pontius Pilate." Afterwards, in the same apology, having noticed some of our Lord's miracles, such as healing diseases and raising the dead, he says, "And that these things were done by him, you may know from the Acts made in the time of Pontius Pilate." AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 177 3. We have already shown that the learned Tertul- lian, who, in his apology for Christianity, tells us that Tiberius, being convinced of Christ's divinity, proposed to the Senate that he should be enrolled among the Roman gods, and gave his own vote in favor of the motion. And we may add, that after speaking of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, and his appear- ance to the disciples, who were ordained to publish the gospel over the world, he thus proceeds : "Of all these things relating to Christ, Pilate himself, in his con- science already a Christian, sent an account to Tibe- rius, the emperor " These testimonies of Justin and Tertullian are taken from public apologies for the christian religion, which were presented either to the emperor and senate of Rome, or to the magistrates of public authority and great distinction in the Roman empire. Now it is incredible that such writers would have made such appeals, especially to the very person in whose custody these monuments were, had they not been fully satisfied of their existence and contents. m 4. Suetonius, a Roman historian, who flourished in the reign of the emperor Trajan, A. D. 116, refers to Christ when he says, that "Claudius Ca-sar expelled the Jews from Rome, because they raised continual tumults at the instigation of Christ, who, it is well known, was sometimes called Christus, and his disciples Christians. This event took place A. D. 52. 5. Tacitus, the historian, who also flourished under Trajan, A. D. 110, and contemporary with the apostles, when writing the history of Nero, Claudius'" successor, 178 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. and speaking of Christians, A. D. 64, says that " The author of that sect (or name) was Christns, who in the reign of Tiberius was punished with death, as a crim- inal, by the procurator, Pontius Pilate." And the younger Pliny, in his celebrated letter to Trajan, written A. D. 107, says that Jesus was wor- shiped by his followers as God. "They sing among themselves, alternately, a hymn to Christ as God." In this letter, Pliny also says, that the Christians bound themselves by an oath, not to commit any wickedness ; that he had examined some of them by torture, partic- ularly two maid-servants called ministers, or deacon- esses, and discovered no fault in them but an evil and excessive superstition, the contagion of which had seized towns, cities, and the open country. He assured Trajan that " a great number of persons" professing Christianity, " were in danger of suffering: for many, of all ages and every rank, of both sexes, likewise, were accused." This letter, in connection with the emperor's reply, which was written in the same year, furnish important testimony to the state of Christianity, and to the purity of christian principles. They attest the innocence, fortifude^jsind virtue of the first Christians. From the former, it is evident that no crime, besides that of their religion, was proved against any of those who were brought before Pliny ; that they tenaciously worshiped Christ as God ; and that in a short space of time — not eighty years after the crucifixion, nor seventy after the disciples of Jesus began to make any mention of him to the Gentiles — Christians had circulated themselves throughout the province of Pliny, in cities, villages, and AUTftENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 179 in the open country, which proves that Christianity had been planted there long before his arrival. 6. Porphyry, A. D. 270, acknowledges that Christians were very numerous in the Roman empire, and unwil- lingly admits the miracles wrought by the apostles — which, however, he ascribes to the magic art ; and he endeavors to expose them to popular reproach, by insin- uating that they were the causes of the calamities that befell the Roman empire. He not only allowed that there was such a person as Jesus Christ, but also hon- ored him as a pious person, who was conveyed into heaven, as being approved by the gods. Julian, A. D. 361, though he endeavors to lessen the .number of the early believers in Jesus, yet is con- strained to acknowledge that there were multitudes of such men in Greece and Italy, before John wrote his gospel, and that they were not confined to the lower classes. Men of character, such as Cornelius, a Roman centurion at Cesarea, and Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus, being converted to the christian faith, before the end of Claudius' reign, (who ascended the imperial throne A. D. 41, and died A. D. 54,) and he frequently speaks, with much indignation, of Peter and Paul, those two great apostles of Jesus, and successful preachers of the gospel. So that, upon the whole, the apostate Julian has undesignedly borne testimony to the truth of many things recorded in the New Testament. He aimed to overthrow the christian religion, but has con- firmed it. He acknowledges that Jesus had a sovereign power over impure spirits ; that he walked on the sur- face of the deep, and expelled demons. He endeavored to depreciate these wonderful works, but in vain. His Q 180 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. arguments against the christian religion are perfectly harmless, and insufficient to unsettle the weakest chris- tian; for he has not made one objection of any moment against Christianity, as contained in the genuine and authentic books of the New Testament. 7. Celsus, one of the bitterest antagonists of Chris- tianity, who wrote in the latter part of the second cen- tury, speaks of the founder of Christianity, as having lived but a few years before his time; and mentions the principal facts of the gospel history relative to Jesus Christ, declaring that he had copied the account from the writings of the evangelists. He quotes these books, and makes extracts from them, as being composed by the apostles and companions of Jesus, and under the names which they now bear He takes notice particularly of his incarnation ; his being born of a virgin ; his being worshiped by the magi ; his flight into Egypt, and the slaughter of infants. He speaks of Christ's baptism by John ; of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and of the vOice from heaven declaring him to be the Son of God; of his being accounted a prophet by his disciples, who worshiped him ; and notices all the circumstances attending the crucifixion of Christ, and his appearing to his disciples afterwards. He frequently alludes to the Holy Spirit; mentions God under the title of the Most High ; and speaks collectively of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He acknowledges the miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, by which he engaged multitudes to ad- here to him as the Messiah ; but ascribes them to the magic art, which (he says) Christ learned in Egypt. 8. Lucian, the contemporary of Celsus, though a AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 181 bitter enemy of the Christians, in his account of the philosopher Perigrinus, bears authentic testimony to the principles of Christianity — that its founder was cru- cified in Palestine, and worshiped by the Christians, who entertained peculiarly strong hopes of immortal life, and great contempt for the world and its enjoy- ments ; and that they courageously endured many afflictions on account of their principles, and sometimes surrendered themselves to sufferings. Honesty and probity prevailed among them to such an extent, tha* they trusted each other without security. Their Master had earnestly recommended to all his followers mutual love, by which also they were much distinguished. In his piece, entitled Alexander or Pseudomantis, he says, that they were well known in the world by the name of Christians ; that they were at that time numerous in Pontus, Paphlagonia, and the neighboring countries ; and finally that they were formidable to cheats and impostors. There are also numerous allusions to the writings, principles, and practices of ancient Christians, in the dialogue entitled Philopatrics, which, 0l not written by Lucian himself, to whom it is usually ascribed, was composed not long after his time. 9. The fortitude and constancy of Christians under persecution, are referred to by Epictetus, A. D. 109, under the name of Gallileans. The emperor, Marcus Antonius, A. D. 161, mentions the Christians as exam- ples of obstinate contempt of death. And Galen, A. D. 200, acknowledges the constancy of Christians in their principles. 10. Publius Lentilius, in a letter to the Senate of Rome, describes the person of Jesus Christ in the fol- 182 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. lowing manner: " He was a man of tall stature, a very comely and reverend countenance: such as may be both feared and loved. His hair, of the hue of a ripe chesnut, plain down to the ears, below more orient and curling, waves about the shoulders, and forked in the middle — forehead delicate and plain — face without spot or wrinkle, and of a lovely red — nose and mouth without blemish — beard thick, not long, but forked — his look innocent and mature — eyes grey, clear, and quick — terrible in reproving, in admonishing courteous, and fair spoken — pleasant in converse, mixed with gravity. None have seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep. Excellently proportioned in body, hands and arms, most delectable to behold. He raiseth the dead, and cureth all manner of diseases." 11. Josephus, the Jewish historian, in a passage of his Jewish Antiquities, which the opposers of Christian- ity (unable to resist its force) have, contrary to all evidence, affirmed to be spurious, bears the following testimony to the character, miracles, and doctrines of Jesus Christ. After relating a sedition of the Jews against Pontius Pilate, which the latter had quelled, he says: " Now there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man: for he performed many wonderful works. He was a teacher of such as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him many of the Jews, and also many of the Gentiles. This was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the sugges- tion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him from the first did not cease to adhere to him. For he appeared to them, alive again, on the third day ; the divine proph- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 153 els having foretold these and ten thousand other things concerning him. And the tribe (or sect) of Christians, so named from him, subsists to this time/' 12. The Talmuds,* though blended with much false- hood and malicious insinuations against Jesus Christ, refer to his nativity; relate his journey into Egypt ; and do not deny that he performed numerous eminent mir- acles. In this work it is acknowledged that the disciples of Jesus had the power of working miracles, and the gift of healing in the name of their Master; and several of their names are mentioned. In a much later work of the Jews, called the " Tole- doth Jesu/ ? Christ's power of raising the dead, and healing leprous persons, is repeatedly acknowledged. 13. The eclipse at the time of our Saviour's death, recorded in the New Testament, has been proved to have taken place, and to be a deviation from the ordinary course of nature. All eclipses of the sun happen at the new moon ; but this happened at the full, when the passover was celebrated. And the eclipse at our Sav- iour's death lasted three hours, or from the sixth to the ninth hour, (meaning from mid-day till three in the afternoon,) whereas no ordinary eclipse can occasion total darkness over any place for more than a few minutes ; because the eclipse is occasioned by the body of the moon being in a strait line between that place and the sun, and the body of the sun is so much larger than *The Talmuds are composed of a collection of Jewish traditions, called MUHma, or text, and Gemara, that is, perfection, or commentary. These traditions were com- mitted to writing about the middle of the second century, by Rabbi Jehudah. Q* 184 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. that of the moon, that the shadow of the moon cannot occasion a total darkness on any one place for any length of time. In both these respects, then, that eclipse was extra- ordinary. There being so many difficulties in believing that the eclipse was a natural one, that a rational in- quirer will discard the idea of the moon being the cause of the darkness ; and ascribe it to the immediate agency of God in darkening the atmosphere, that while thoughtless men beheld the sufferings of Christ with indifference, nature herself might put on mourning. The darkness was not confined to Judea, for we read of a heathen philosopher in a distant land, who, on seeing it, and knowing that it could not be occasioned by an eclipse, exclaimed, "either the God of nature suffers, or the frame of the world is dissolving !" Phlegon, a native of Tralles in Lydia, author of some historical Tracts, under Adrian, informs us, that in the 202d Olympiad, or 4764th year of the Julian period, there was an eclipse, the same as this mentioned here, which could be no other than this — for an ordi- nary one never totally hides the sun from any one part of the earth above four minutes. Besides it must have been miraculous, because no eclipse ever happens at full moon, it being at that time in the opposite side of the heavens. Tertullian, in his Apology for the Christians, which is addressed to their heathen adversaries, expressly says, "At the moment of Christ's death, the light de- parted from the sun, and the land was darkened at noon- day^-wm'ch wonder is related in your own annals, and is preserved in your archives to this day." AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 195 If the account of this extraordinary darkness had not been registered, Tertullian would have exposed both himself to the charge of asserting a falsehood, (which charge was never brought against him,) and also his religion to the ridicule of his enemies. It is further particularly worthy of remark, that the darkness and earthquake at the crucifixion are both explicitly recog- nized and mentioned as facts, by that acute adversary of Christianity, Celsus, who would not have made such an admission if he could have possibly denied them. The concurring testimony of Phlegon, Tertullian, and Celsus, is sufficient to establish the history of the New Testament concerning this supernatural phenom- enon. 14. Mohammed, who lived in the latter part of the fifth, and former part of the sixth century, though he assumed the honor of delivering to mankind a new revelation, expressly acknowledged the authority of the Gospels. He speaks of Jesus Christ and his mother, by their names, and calls him the Word of God. He says that he was miraculously born of a virgin ; acknowledges the truth of his miracles and prophecies ; and speaks of his death and ascension ; of his apostles ; of the unbelief of the Jews ; of Zach- ariah, the father of John the Baptist, and of the Baptist himself — describing his character perfectly conformable to the Gospels. 15. In the " Shepherd," or " Pastor/' of Hermas, published A. D. 100, there are several expressions so closely resembling the style and sentiments of the Apocalypse, as to render it more than probable that he had read and imitated this book. The allusions of this 188 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. father sufficiently show that he held the Apocalypse, and other books of the New Testament with very high respect. Ignatius, A. D. 107, and Polycarp, A. D. 140, were acquainted with the Apocalypse, and the latter cited it once in the only epistle of his that has come down to our times. And the pious and sublime prayer which this holy man uttered at the awful moment when the flames were about to be kindled around him, begins with the identical words of the elders, in Rev. xi: IT. 11 We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. " There is likewise strong reason to believe that it was received byPapias, A. D. 116. Thus do both friends and enemies of Christianity, from its origin to its complete establishment in the known world, in the fourth century, unite in giving an honorable testimony to the character of Christ, to the reality of his miracles, to the genuineness, authenticity, and credibility of the New Testament, and the wide and rapid progress of the christian religion. That many profane writers, have been entirely silent concerning many important articles of scripture history, we acknowledge ; but their silence can easily be ac- counted for by the following facts. 1. Many books of those remote ages are lost, in which it is very possible that some mention might have been made of these facts. 2. Some of the Roman historians, whose works have come down to our time are defective. 3. Of the few remaining historians who wrote about the ages in ques- tion, mostly were engaged on other subjects ; to which AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 187 it is to be added, that no profane historians, whether Jews or heathens, take notice of all occurrences. 4. Several of the facts relating to Christ and his mira- cles, coming from Jews, would be slighted as fabulous by the Gentile writers, especially considering, on the one hand, how common prodigies and magical stories were in that day ; and on the other hand, how super- stitious and credulous the Jews were reputed to be. Their silence, therefore, is as strong a proof as their express testimony could have been. Upon the whole, we may venture boldly to assert, that even if this fact be destitute of support from profane writers, it is a deficiency which may easily be dispensed with. We believe many things upon the evidence of one credible witness, why not believe upon the testimony of concurring nations ? divided, indeed, among them- selves, in other particulars, but all uniting to confirm the truth of the facts related in the gospel : and there- fore, even though the christian institution had perished with the apostles, and there were not in the world at this day, so much as one Christian, we should have the most unquestionable evidence that the persons and actions recorded in the gospel, and attested by the con- curring voice of all nations, really existed in the coun- try of Judea, during the reign of Tiberius, as the evan- gelists have assured us. 16. We shall now add the testimony of a few other coins and medals, to the truth and faithfulness of the history of the New Testament. In Acts, xiii. 7, the Evangelist Luke, relating the travels and actions of Paul, in Cyprus, gives to Sergius Paulus, the Roman governor of that island, the Greek 183 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. title of Anthupatas, which was applied only to those governors of provinces, who were invested with pro- consular dignity. And on the supposition that Cyprus was not a province of this description, it has been in- ferred that the title given to Sergius Paulus in the Acts of the Apostles, was a title that did not properly belong to him. A passage, indeed, has been quoted from Dion Cassius, who, speaking of the governors of Cyprus, and some other Roman provinces, applies to them the same title which is applied to Sergius Paulus. But as Dion Cassius is speaking of several Roman provinces at the same time, one of which was certainly governed by a proconsul, it has been supposed, that for the sake of brevity, he used one term for all of them, whether it applied to all of them or not. That Cyprus, however, ought not to be excepted, and that the title which he em- ployed as well as St. Luke, really did belong to the Roman governors of Cyprus, appears from the inscrip- tion on a coin belonging to Cyprus itself and struck in the very age in which Sergius Paulus was governor of that island. It was struck in the reign of Claudius Csesar, whose head and name are on the face of it; and in the reign of Claudius Csesar, Paul visited Cy- prus. It was a coin belonging to the people of that island, as appears from the word Kupriown on the reverse; and though not struck while Sergius Paulus himself was governor, it was struck, as appears from the inscription on the reverse, in the time of Proclus, who was next to Sergius Paulus in the government of that island. And on this coin the same title is given to Proclus, which is given by St. Luke to' Sergius Paulus. That Cyprus was a proconsulate is also evident from AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 189 an ancient inscription of Caligula's reign, (the prede- cessor of Claudius,) in which Aquius Scaura is called the proconsul of Cyprus. In Acts xvi, 11, Luke says — u We came to Phillippi, which is the chief of that part of Macedonia, and a colony/' Or more correctly, "Phillippi, a city of the first part of Macedonia/*'" or Macedonia Prima. And is an instance of minute accuracy, which shows that the author of the Acts of the Apostles actually lived and wrote at that time. The province of Macedonia, it is well known, however, had undergone various changes, and had been divided in various portions, and particu- larly four, while under the Roman government. There are extant many medals of the first province, or Mace- donia Prima, mostly of silver, with the inscription, Makedonone Prothecs, or the first part of Macedonia; which confirm the accuracy of Luke, and at the same time show his attention to the minutest particulars. * 17. In Acts xvi, 14, we read that Lydia, a dealer in purple from Thyatira, had settled at Phillippi. Now it is remarkable that among tha ruins of Thyatira, there is an inscription extant, with the words Hoi Bapics, (the dyers;) whence we learn that the art and trade of dy- ing purple were carried on in this city. 18. In Acts xvii. 23. Paul tells the Athenians that as he passed through their city, and beheld the objects of worship, he found an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God. No altar with this inscription has come down to our times; but we know from the express * Of this medal there are engravings in the fragments annexed t,o Calmet's Dictionary. 100 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY testimony of Lucian that there was such an inscription at Athens, And the occasion of this altar being erected, in common with many others bearing the same inscrip- tion, is thus related by Diogenes Laertius. — "The Athenians being afflicted with a pestilence invited Epimenides to lustrate their city. The method adopted by him was, to carry several sheep to the Areopagus; whence they were left to wander as they pleased, under the observation of persons sent to attend them. As each sheep lay down, it was sacrificed on the spot, to the propitious God, By this ceremony, it is said the city was relieved, but, as it was still unknown what deity was propitious, an altar was erected to the unknoicn God on every post where a sheep had been sacrificed." This and other public memorials, supply additional proof of the correctness of Pauls observations on the Athe- nians, that they were too much addicted to the adoption of earthly objects for worship and devotion. 19. In Acts xix. 35, the recording chancellor, or town clerk of Cyprus, in order to quell the tumult which had been raised there, by Demetrius and his workmen, who gained their livelihood by making silver shrines or models of the temple of Diana in that city, says to the Ephesians. What man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess of Diana? Beside other testimony there is now extant at Cyprus, an ancient Greek inscription, on a slab of white marble, which not only confirms the general history related in Acts xix. but even approaches to several sentiments and phrases which occur in that chapter. It would not be difficult to adduce additional testimo- AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 191 riles from medals and inscriptions, which have been collected and described by various learned modern travelers/ who have explored Greece and Asia Minor, but the production of farther testimony of this kind is unnecessary. Stronger proof than that already produced, it is impossible to bring, for the credulity of any fact recorded in history — even of the important transac- tions which have taken place in our own days on the continent of America, and to which our own nation has been a party. Do not the above medals, coins, and ancient mar- bles, present as much collateral testimony to the truth of the facts recorded by the sacred historians, as the 11 Waterloo medals, " distributed by order of Parliament, do to the truth of the victory of Waterloo obtained by British powers, in 1815 over the forces of Buonaparte? or the "Napolean medals/"' executed for the purpose of commemorating the achievements of the French armies. With such a vast amount of evidence in favor of Christianity before us, it is difficult for doubts, in rela- tion to its divinity and authenticity, to occupy our minds, unless we prefer falsehood to truth, and darkness rather than light R LECTURE VIII. Authenticity of Christianity shown from the miracles of scripture. " The christian faith, Unlike the timorous creeds of pagan priests, Was frank; stood forth to view, invited all To prove, exam'ne, search, investigate, And gave herself a light to see her by. Mysterious these — because too large for eye Of man; too lon^ for human arm to mete." It has been admitted, by all candid and impartial minds, that the miracles recorded in scripture, present indu- bitable testimony in favor of the divinity and truth of our holy religion. And even skeptics have acknowl- edged that, if these miracles were really performed, the Bible is true, and Christianity is not a cunningly de- vised fable. The possibility of miracles wrought by the power of God, can be denied by none but Atheists, or those whose systems are substantially Atheistic. To one who believes in a supreme Creator of all things, and the dependence of all things upon his power and will, miraculous interpositions must be allowed possible; nor is there any thing repugnant to our ideas of his wisdom and immutability, and the perfection of his works. They are departures from the ordinary course of God's operation; but this does not arise from AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 193 any natural necessity, to remedy an uniform evil, or to repair imperfections in his work; the reasons for them are moral, and not natural reasons, and the ends they are intended to accomplish are moral ends. They remind us, when they occur, that there is a power supe- rior to nature, and that all nature, even in its first and most uniform laws, depend upon Him. They are among the chief means by which he who is by nature invisible, makes himself, as it were, visible to his creatures, who are so prone to forget Him entirely, or to lose sight of Him by reason of the interposition of the veil of material objects. Granting, then, the possibility of miraculous interpo- sition on the part of the Great Author of nature, on special occasions, and for great ends, we proceed to notice some of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testaments ; and endeavor to ascertain whether they were wrought in confirmation of the doctrine and mission of the founders of the Jewish and Christian Religion. If this cannot be ascertained, the history which records these miracles must be mere fable, and, consequently, all evidence drawn from this source be given up. The definition of a true miracle, which we have adopted, may be here stated : A miracle is an effect or event contrary to the estab- lished constitution or course of things ; or, a sensible suspension or controlment of, or deviation from, the known laws of nature, wrought either by the immediate aet, or by the concurrence, or by the permission of God, for the proof or evidence of some particular doc 194 ALir;r>~TICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. trine, or in attestation of the authority of some pai uv- ular person. The force of the argument from miracles, lies in this : — that as such works are manifestly above human power, and as no created being can effect them, unless empowered by the Author of nature, when they are wrought for such an end as that mentioned in the defi- nition, they are to be considered as authentications of a divine mission by a special and sensible interposition of God himself. To adduce all the extraordinary works wrought by Moses and by Christ, would be unnecessary, In those we select for examination, the miraculous char- cater will sufficiently appear to bring them within our defmition. I. Out of the numerous miracles wrought by the agency of Moses, we select — 1. The Plague of Darkness. Two circumstances are to be noted in the relation given of this event, Exod. x. It continued three days, and it afflicted the Egyptians only, for "all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." The fact here mentioned, was of the most public kind; and had it not taken place, every Egyptian and every Israelite could have contra- dicted the account. The phenomenon was not produced by the sun, for no eclipse of that luminary can last so long. Some of the Roman writers mention a darkness by day so great, that persons were unable to know each other ; but we have no historical account of any other darkness so long continued as this, and so intense, that the Egyptians " rose not up from their places for three days." But if any such circumstance had again oc- curred, and a natural cause could have been assigned AUTttENTi^Vo^ CHRISTIANITY. 195 for it, yet even then the miraculous character of this event would remain unshaken ; for to what but to a supernatural cause could the distinction made between the Israelites and the Egyptians be attributed, when they inhabited a portion of the same country 1 Here, then, are the characters of a true miracle. The estab- lished course of natural causes and effects is inter- rupted by an operation upon that mighty element, the atmosphere. That it was not a chance irregularity in nature, is made apparent from the effect following the volition of a man acting in the name of the Lord of nature, and from its being restrained by that to a cer- tain part of the same country. "Moses stretched out his hand,' 7 and the darkness prevailed every where but in the dwellings of his own people. The fact being established, the miracle follows of necessity. 2. The destruction of the first born of the Egyptians may be next considered. This judgment was threaten- ed in the presence of Pharoah, before any of the other plagues were brought upon him and his people. The Israelites also were forwarned of it. They were di- rected to slay a lamb, sprinkle the blood upon their door posts, and prepare for their departure that same night. The stroke was inflicted upon the first born of the Egyptians only, and not upon any other part of the family. It occurred in the same hour. The firstborn of the Israelites escaped without exception. And the festival of " the passover" was that night instituted in remembrance of the event. Such a festival could not in the nature of the thing be established in any subse- quent age, in commemoration of an event which never occurred. And instituted at the time, the event must R* 196 AUTHENTICITY U^CMKfS-TJ-A>:iTY._ have taken place; for by no means could this larger body of men have been persuaded that their first born had been saved and those of the Egyptians destroyed, if the facts had not been before their eyes. The history therefore being established, the miracle follows — for the order of nature is sufficiently known to warrant the conclusion, that, if a pestilence were to be assumed as the agent of this calamity, an epidemic disease, how- ever rapid and destructive, comes not at the threat of a mortal, and makes no such selection as the first born of every family. 3. The miracle of dividing the waters of the Red Sea, merits particular consideration. In this event we observe, as in all others, circum- stances which exclude all possibility of mistake or col- lusion. The subject of the miracle is the sea; the wit- nesses, the hosts of Israel, who passed through on foot, and the Egyptian nation, who lost their king and his whole army. The miraculous characters of the event are — the waters are divided and stand up on each side; the instrument is a strong east wind, which begins its operation upon the waters, at the stretching out of the hand of Moses, and ceases at the signal, and that at the precise moment when the return of the waters woald be most fatal to the Egyptian pursuing army. It has, indeed, been asked, whether there were not some ledges of rocks where the water was shallow, so that an army, at particular times, might pass over; and whether the Etesian winds, which blow strong!) a 11 summer from the north-west, might not blow so vio- lently against the sea as to keep it back " on a heap." But if there were any force in these questions, it is AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 197 plain that such suppositions would leave the destruction of the Egyptians unaccounted for. To show that there is no weight in them at all, let the place where the pas- sage of the Red Sea was effected be first noted. Some fix it near Suez, at the head of the gulf. But if there was satisfactory evidence of this, it ought also to be taken into the account that formerly the gulf extended at least twenty-five miles north of Suez, the place where it ter- minates at present. But the names of places, as well as tradition, fix the passage about ten hours' journey lower down, at Clysma, or the valley of Bedea. The name given by Moses to the place where the Israelites encamped before . the Sea was divided Piha-hiroth, which signifies "the mouth of the ridge," or of that chain of mountains which line the western coast of the Red Sea; and as there is but one mouth to that chain through which an immense multitude of men, women and children, could possibly pass when flying from their enemies, there can be no doubt whatever respecting the situation of Piha-hiroth; and the modern names of conspicuous places in its neighborhood prove that those by whom such names were given believed that this was the place at which the Israelites passed the sea in safety, and where Pharaoh was drowned. Thus we have close by Piha-hiroth, on the western side of the gulf, a mountain called Attaka, which signi- fies deliverence. On the eastern coast opposite is a head-land called Has Musa, or "the cape of Moses ;" somewhat lower, Harnan Faraun, "Pharoalrs Springs;" while at these places, the general name of the gulf itself is Bahr-al Kolsum, " the Bay of Submersion/' in 193 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY, which there is a whirlpool, called Birket Faraun, the Pool of Pharoah. This, then, was the passage of the Israelites; and the depth of the Sea here is stated by Bruce, who may be consulted as to these localities, at about fourteen fathoms, and the breadth at between three and four leagues. But there is no " ledge of rocks;" and as to the " Etesian wind," the same tra- veler observes: "If the Etesian, blowing from the north-west in the summer, could keep the sea as a wall, on the right, of fifty feet high, still the difficulty would remain of building the wall to the left, or to the north. If the Etesian had done this once, they must have re- peated it many a time before or since, from the same causes." The wind which actually did blow, according to history, either as an instrument of dividing the wa- ters, or, which is more probable, as the instrument of drying the ground, after the waters were divided by the immediate energy of the divine power, was not a north wind, but an "east wind;" and, as Dr. Hales observes, "seems to be introduced by way of anticipation, to exclude the natural agency which might be afterwards resorted to for solving the miracle; for it is remarkable that the mon.soon, in the Red Sea, blows the summer half of the year from the north, and the winter half from the south — neither of which could produce the miracle in question." The miraculous character of this event, is therefore most strongly marked. An expanse of water, and that water a sea of from nine to twelve miles broad, known to be exceedingly subject to agitations, is divided, and a wall of water is formed on each hand, affording a passage on dry land for the Israelites. The phenom- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 19$ enon occurs, too, just as the Egyptian host are on the point of overtaking the fugitives, and closes at the moment when the latter reach the opposite shore in safety; and when their enemies are in the midst of the passage, in the only position in which the closing of the wall of water on each side could insure the destruction of so large a force ! 4. The falling of the manna in the wilderness, for forty years, is another unquestionable miracle, and one in which there could be neither mistake on the part of those who were sustained by it, nor fraud on the part of Moses. That this event was not produced by the ordinary course of nature, is rendered certain by the fact, that the same wilderness has been traveled by indi- viduals, and by large bodies of men, from the earliest ages to the present, but no such supply of food was ever met with, except on this occasion ; and its mirac- ulous character is further marked by the following circumstances : 1. That it fell but six days in the week. 2. That it fell in such prodigious quantities as sustained three millions of souls. 3. That there fell a double quantity every Friday, to serve the Israelites for the next day, which was their Sabbath. 4. That what was gathered on the first five days of the week stank and bred worms, if kept above one day; but that which was gathered on Friday kept sweet for two days; and 5. Thai it continued falling while the Israelites remained in the wilderness, but ceased as soon as they came out of it, and got corn to eat in the land of Canaan. 6. Let these very extraordinary particulars be considered, and. they at once confirm the fact, while they unequivocally establish the miracle. No people could be deceived in *200 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. these circumstances ; no person could persuade them of their truth, if they had not occurred ; and the whole was so clearly out of the regular course of nature, as to mark unequivocally the interposition of God. To the majority of the numerous miracles recorded in the Old Testament, the same remarks apply, and upon them the same miraculous characters arenas indu- bitably impressed. II. If we proceed to those of Christ, the evidence becomes, if possible, more plain and positive. They were clearly above the power of either human agency, or natural causes. They were public ; they were such as could not admit of collusion or deception; they were performed under such circumstances as rendered it impossible for the witnesses and reporters of them to mistake ; they were often done in the presence of malignant, scrutinizing, and intelligent enemies, the Jewish rulers, who acknowledged the facts, but attrib- uted them to an evil supernatural agency ; and there is no interruption in the testimony, from the age in which they were wrought to this day. A close examination of them will be sufficient to convince any ingenuous mind, that all the characters of real and adequately attested miracles meet in them. As the resurrection of Christ is a fact of such vital moment in the argument connected with miracles, and so often appealed to by the first teachers of Christianity, it may be adduced, with its convincing and irrefragable circumstances, as the foundation of this branch of evi- dence in favor of Christianity, which is the consum- mation of all those institutions embodied in the Jewish scriptures. The resurrection of Christ is a fact of a AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 201 distinctly miraculous character, and which was divinely attested on the day of Pentecost, and, subsequently, by indubitable marks of a supernatural interposition. For a person to rise from the dead, is a striking manifesta- tion of the mighty power of God ; and if it can be shown that Christ actually rose from the dead, accord- ing to his own predictions, it must of necessity follow that both the prescience and the omnipotence of the Almighty were associated with the wondrous event Many skeptics have been ready to admit, that if the resurrection of Christ could be fully established, their opposition to Christianity must cease. It was impossible for them to concede less than this ; and the zealous efforts they have made to repudiate the evidence of our Lord's resurrection, sufficiently proves their anxiety to get rid of a fact, which, if properly established, must, as by some mighty convulsion, shiver infidelity to atoms, and u leave not a wreck behind." As the doctrine con- tended for is of such vast importance to the full devel- opement of the truth of Christianity, it is a peculiarly happy circumstance, that the evidence upon which it stands is of such a diversified and powerful kind — bearing, as it were, an exact proportion to the com- manding position which it occupies in the christian scheme. With the fact of Christ's resurrection from the dead, the whole system of Christianity must stand or fall ; to bear witness of this fact the office of apostles was mainly established; upon its reception our salvation vitally depends; and by its all-powerful influence be- lievers are inspired by the animating hope of eternal life. By this event, also, Christ was " declared to be the 202 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. Son of God with power ;" by it the perfection of his atonement was fully announced ; and by it the evidence, pattern, and earnest of the resurrection of our vile bodies, were strikingly displayed. How momentous, then, upon the showing of Christianity itself, is the doctrine of Christ's resurrection ! How firm ought our faith to be in the evidence by which it is supported ! And how cautious and thoughtful ought he to be, w T ho ventures to treat it as an imposture of human device] The fact of Christ's death is admitted both by friends and enemies, as already shown in a former lecture. Nor was the place of his burial less manifest than the fact of his death. No secrecy was attempted to be practiced in this matter, by Joseph of Arimathea, or any of the rest of Christ's disciples. The request, indeed, that they might be put in possession of the body of Jesus, was complied with ; but all their move- ments were watched with nicest scrutiny, and a Roman watch of sixty soldiers was instantly set over the place of sepulture. That Christ died, then, and was buried, no one can doubt. Jews and heathens confirm the facts. Yet in a period short of three full days, notwithstanding the strict watch of a Roman guard, the body of Christ, by the admission of the disciples and Pharisees, is removed from the tomb. A rumor of the event instantly spreads, and enemies have their particular mode of accounting for it. Which account, then, bears upon it the signa- ture of truth — the disciples', or the Jews'? They cannot both be true, for they are contradictory. The disciples say that two women, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Salome had repaired to the sep- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 203 ulcher, for the purpose of perfuming the body of Christ with eastern spices; and that an angel appeared to them, rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulcher, and inviting them, in the language of condescension, to look into the now empty tomb, where their Lord had been placed on the evening of the crucifixion, but from whence he had now risen in the exercise of an omnipo- tent power, It is, moreover, stated by the disciples, that the women received commission from the angel to announce a risen Christ to the rest of his followers^ From the same source, we learn that others subsequently repaired to the tomb, and found the body of Christ removed, and only the linen in which it was wrapped left behind ; that the fact of an actual resurrection was demonstrated by the appearance of Christ to several of his disciples, both alone and in full assembly ; that the eye saw him ; that the hand touched him ; that the mind entered into fellowship with him ; that some enjoyed the benefit of his conversation, partook of food with him, listened to his instructions, received his commands, and for the space of more than five weeks, had more or less intercourse with him — when, at the end of this period, and after he had given commission to his apos- tles, he finally conducted his disciples to a mountain in Galilee, and rose to his native heavens in their admiring presence. Such is the account of Christ's resurrection, as fur- nished by his friends. And what is there in the opposite scale ? Nothing whatever. It is said, indeed, by the Sanhedrim, that the disciples stole the body of Jesus while the watch slept ! This is verily all, in the shape of fact, that the Jews ever attempted to oppose to the S 204 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISIATNITT. combined testimony of the disciples; and it is so utterly absurd, that nothing but the consternation occasioned by the astounding fact of the resurrection, could have tempted them to induce the watch, by an act of bribery, to make such a statement. Either the watch were asleep or awake. If awake, how could an armed body of sixty men have allowed the disciples to rob the tomb of its sacred inhabitant ? And, if asleep, how could they bear testimony to the theft of the disciples ? This wild and extravagant fabrication, however, was speedily abandoned. Not once is it adverted to on those trials of the apos- tles which soon took place at Jerusalem, on account of their bold and open proclamation of their Master's resurrection. Though the apostles were cited before that very body who had given currency to the report of the disciples' theft, they are not even once taxed with the crime; not even a whisper escapes the lips of the Sanhedrim on the' subject; not one of all the watch is brought forward to confront the apostles, and to shame them out of their adherence to the imposture of the resurrection. On the contrary, an influential member of the Jewish Council advises forbearance to the wit- nesses of the resurrection, and intimates even the pos- sibility of the event itself.* If the Sanhedrim had had the slightest belief of the wicked story invented, would they have adopted such a course? Undoubtedly not. Now was the time to muster all their strong evidence against the facts of the resurrection, and to prevent its further currency among the people. But nothing what- * Acts v, 33—40. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 205 ever of this kind is resorted to. Persecution and threat, are the only weapons employed to check the rising doctrine; and a whole assembly of men, deeply involv- ed in. the consequences of the resurrection, not only succumb to the counsel of an individual, but apparently acquiesce in the hypothetical admission that the entire doctrine of the apostles may yet prove itself to be of God. There is not, then, an atom of contradictory testi- mony to the fact of the resurrection as stated by the apostles. If we reject their account, we are left in a state of the wildest conjecture as to what became of the body of Jesus. Look, then, at their testimony, and see if it bears along with it the credentials of truth. Upon a review of the gospel history itself, was there any thing improbable in the occurrence of Christ's resurrection? Did he not, again and again, in the presence of friends and enemies, predict the event, and point to it as the great seal of his mission? and did he not furnish axamples of the same mighty power in the resurrection of Lazarus, and of the widow's son, as well as ia many other demonstrations of his eternal power and Godhead? Before anyone can show that the event of Christ's resurrection was by no means to be anticipated, he must disprove the entire facts of our Lord's history, and thereby subvert the testimony of heathens, Jews, and Christians. The question is, were the apostles deceived, or did they attempt to deceive others? The former of these could not have been the case; for they had every possible opportunity of identi- fying their Lord's person which could possibly be fur- nished, or which could ever be regarded by the most 206 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. scrupulous, as necessary. The very doubts of their own minds contributed to add strength to the conviction which they acquired of their Lord's identity; and for the space of full forty days they were enabled, in a suc- cession of interviews, to correct any sudden or errone- ous impression, and to settle themselves in the triumph- ant belief that Christ was risen indeed. Nor was there one sign of an imposture attaching to to these simple-hearted witnesses of the resurrection. There is no attempt to furnish one uniform record of the transaction. On the contrary, we have four diifer- ent accounts of the resurrection, so distinct as to show that each writer aimed at the truth, and was under no apprehension of discrepancy in his statements; and yet so entirely harmonious that the apparent contradictions only tend to establish the validity and perfect consis- tency of the history. It may be asked, moreover, when and where did the apostles of our Lord begin to proclaim the event of the resurrection? Why, at the very period of its alledged occurrence, and in the very city of the crucifixion. When they were once convinced of the great and glo- rious event themselves, they were bold as lions in its defence, and were not afraid to give utterance to their convictions in the presence of those who must have possessed the best means of detecting the imposture, if any such had been practiced. The most subtle and disputatious of the Jewish nation heard their testimony. Malice, and wit, and power, were all enlisted against them; but the new doctrine prevailed, and fresh instan- ces of miraculous power, in the gift of tongues, and ia the ability to heal all manner of diseases, accredited AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 207 he apostles as the commissioned servants of the Most High. And we may add, that a more complete human testimony to any event cannot be imagined ; for if our Lord had shown himself "openly to all the people" of the Jews, and their rulers had still persisted in reject- ing him, it would have rather weakened than confirmed the evidence ; and if they had unanimously received him as Messiah, it might have excited in others a sus- picion that it was a plan concerted for aggrandizing the nation. With respect to the pretended miracles of heathens, and of the Roman Church, we may observe, that it was natural to expect that pretences to miraculous powers should be made under every form of Religion, since the opinion of the earliest ages was in favor of the occurrence of such events ; and as truth had been thus sanctioned, it is not surprising that error should attempt to counterfeit its authority. But they are all deficient in evidence. Many of them are, indeed, ab- surd, and carry the air of fable ; and as to others, they are vouched to us by no such testimony, as can induce a prudent man to give them credit. They are not re- ported by any eye witnesses of them, nor by any per- sons on whom they were wrought. Those who relate them do not even pretend to have received them from eye witnesses ; we know them only by vague reports, the original of which no one can exactly trace. The miracles ascribed to Pythagorus were not reported until several hundred years after his death ; and those of Apollonius, one hundred years after his death. Many instances which are given, especially among the Papists, may be resolved into imagination ; others, S* 208 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. both Popish and Pagan, into the artifice of priests, who were of the ruling party, and therefore feared no pun- ishment even upon detection ; and in almost all cases, we find that they were performed in favor of the domi- nant religion, and before persons whose religious pre- judices were to be flattered and strengthened by them y and of course, persons very much disposed to become dupes. We may reasonably suspect any accounts of miracles to be false, if they are not published till long after the time when they are said to have been perform- ed — or if they were not first published in the place where they are said to have been wrought — or if they probably were suffered to pass without examination, in the time, and at the place where they took their rise. These are general grounds of suspicion, to which may be added particular ones, arising from any circumstan- ces which plainly indicate imposture and artifice on the one hand, or credulity and imagination on the other. Before such tests, all Pagan, Popish, and other pre- tended miracles, without exception, shrink : and they are not for a moment to be brought into comparison with works wrought publicly— in the sight of thousands, and those often opjyoscrs of the system to be established by them — works, not by any ingenuity whatever to be resolved into artifice on the one part, or into the effects of imagination on the other- — works, performed before scholars, statesmen, rulers, persecutors, of which the instances are numerous, and the places in which they occurred various — works, published at the time, and on the very spot — works, not in favor of a ruling system, but directed against every other religious establishment under heaven ; and for giving their testimony to which, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 209 the original witnesses had therefore to expect, and did in sv. e reproach, stripes, imprisonment, and death. In the miracles which our Lord performed, he not only evinced his divine power, but fulfilled many impor- tant prophecies relating to him as the Messiah. T they afforded a two-fold evidence of his authority. In iral of them we perceive likewise i -:riking refer- ence to the special object of his mission. He continually applied these wonderful works to the purpose of incul- cating and establishing doctrines, no less wonderful and interr ; of men. The same may likewise be remarked of the miracles recorded of the apostles, after our Lord's departure from this world — in none of which do we find any thing done for mere ostentation; but an evident a:: tion to the great purpose of the gospel, that of *' turning men from darkness unto light, and from the pow- Satan unto God.* ? It seems impossible for any think- ing man, to take such a view as this of the peculiar zn and use of the scripture miracles, and not to perceive in them unerring counsels of infinite Wisdom, ell as the exertions of infinite Power. When we ral parts of this stupendous scheme : harmonizing and co-operating for the attainment of one specific object, of the highest importance to the whole race of mankind; we cannot but be struck with a con- lion of the absolute impo ^ of imposture enthusiasm, in any part of the proceeding. We are compelled to acknowledge, that they exhibit proo:\ ..ie agency, carried on in one continued srr.e?. such as no other system have ever pretended to: such as 210 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. only surpasses all human ingenuity, but seems impossi- ble to have been effected by any combination of created beings. On miracles, therefore, like those which attest the the mission of Moses and of Christ, we may safely rest the proof of the authority of both, and say to each of them, though with a due sense of the superiority of the latter to the former, " Rabbi, we know that thou art a Teacher sent from God, for no man can do these mira- cles which thou doest, except God be with him." It is unreasonable, then, in the extreme, to refuse credit to the doctrines of Christianity, standing as they do upon such an irrefragible basis. God has spread over them the shield of omnipotence, and he who will not be convinced by a well authenticated testimony of miracles, would not be persuaded though one actually rose from the dead. The divine wisdom and condescension have been ex- hibited in performing and recording various and nume- rous miracles, in order to attest the truth of revealed religion, to induce men to embrace it, and be governed by its holy precepts; as well as to remove all possible grounds for objections from the skeptical world. For example, Jesus of Nazareth professed himself sent from God. He with a word calms a tempest at sea. This one looks on as a miracle, and conse- quently cannot but receive his doctrine. Another thinks this might be the effect of chance, or skill in the weather, and no miracle; and so stands out — but after- wards, seeing him walk on the sea, owns that for a miracle, and believes ; which yet upon another has not that force, who suspects it may possibly be done by the At'THENTlClTY OF CHRISTIANITY. 211 assistance of a spirit. But vet the same person, seeing afterwards, our Saviour cure an inveterate disease by a word, admits that for a miracle, and becomes a convert. Another overlooking it in this instance, afterwards finds a miracle in his giving sight to one born blind, or in raising the dead, or his raising himself from the dead, and so receives his doctrine as a revelation coming from God. By all of which it is plain, that where the miracle is admitted, the doctrine cannot be rejected : it comes with the assurance of a divine attestation to him that allows the miracle, and he cannot question its truth. And the number, variety, and greatness of the miracles wrought for the confirmation of the doctrine delivered by Jesus Christ, carry with them such strong marks of an extraordinary divine power, that the truth of his mission will stand firm and unquestionable, till any one rising up in opposition to him shall do greater miracles than he'and his apostles did. This is one of those palp as ana trials, of which all mankind are judges ; and there needs no as- sistance of learning, no deep thought, to come to a certainty in it. Such care has God taken that no pre- tended revelation should stand in competition with what is truly divine, that we need but open our eyes to see, and be sure which came from him. The marks of his overruling power accompany it : and therefore to this day we find, that wherever the Gospel comes, it pre- vails to the beating down the strong holds of Satan, and the dislodging the prince of the power of darkness, driving him away with all his lying wonders ; which is a standing miracle, carrying with it the testimony of superiority. 212 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. " Under this head," says Addison, " I cannot omit that which appears to me a standing miracle in the first three centuries ; I mean that amazing and supernatural courage or patience which was shown by innumerable multitudes of martyrs, in those slow and painful tor- ments that were inflicted on them. I cannot conceive a man placed in the burning iron chair at Lyons, amid the insults and mockeries of a crowded amphitheatre, and still keeping his seat ; or stretched upon a grate of iron, over coals of fire, and breathing out his soul among exquisite sufferings of such a tedious execution, rather than renounce his religion or blaspheme his Saviour. Such trials seem to me above the strength of human nature, and able to overbear duty, reason, faith, conviction, nay, and the most absolute certainty of a future state. Humanity, unassisted in an extraordinary manner, must have shaken off the present pressure, and have delivered itself out of such a dreadful distress, by any means that could have been suggested by it. We can easily imagine, that many persons, in so good a cause, might have laid down their lives at the gibbet, the stake, or the block ; but to expire leisurely among the most exquisite tortures, when they might come out of them, even by a mental reservation, or an hypocrisy, which was not without a possibility of being followed by repentance and forgiveness, has something in it so far beyond the natural strength of mortals, that one cannot but think there was some miraculous power to support the sufferer." This miraculous fortitude of the first Christians under extreme sufferings, and painful and lingering deaths, first of all alarmed the curiosity, and roused the atten- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 213 tion of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius, Arnobius, and other learned Pagans, who lived in the ages of persecution, and made them seriously inquisitive into the nature of that religion which could endue the mind with so much strength, and overcome the fear of death, nay, raised an earnest desire of it, though it appeared in all its terrors. This they found had not been effected by all the doctrines of those philosophers whom they had thoroughly studied, and who had been laboring at this great point. The sight of these dying and tor- mented martyrs, engaged them to search into the his- tory and doctrines of him for whom they suffered. The more they searched, the more they were convinced; till their conviction grew so strong, that they themselves embraced the same truths, and either actually laid down their lives, or were always in readiness to do it, rather than depart from them. If there is any dependence, whatever, to be put in human testimony, we must admit that miracles were wrought by Moses, Christ, and his apostles ; as testimonials of their commission, and au- thenticity of those doctrines they taught. And were infidels as careful to investigate the evidence of mira- cles, as some heathens have been, their skepticism would vanish like the morning cloud. LECTURE IX. Authenticity of Christianity shown from cir^ cumstantial and personal types, and the ful- filment of prophecy. "These prophecies had tarried long; so long That many wagged their head, and taunting asked, When shall they come? But asked no more, nor mock'd; For the reproach of prophecy was wiped Away, and every word of God found true." I. Whatever may be weakly pretended with regard to the oracular predictions of Delphi or Dodona, the hea- thens never affected to prefigure any future event by types, or resemblances of the fact, consisting of analo- gies either in individuals, or in sensible institutions di- rected to be continued, until the anti-type itself should make its appearance. All persons acquainted with the divine records, must acknowledge that, from a very early period, Chi'ist was pointed to by a regular succession of circumstantial and personal types; and that He, as the great anti-type, perfectly corresponded with them. 1- We shall first give some examples of the circum- stantial types. 1. The Passover, appointed in memory of the great night, when the destroying angel who slew all the ''first born of Egypt/' passed over those houses upon whose door-posts the blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled; and directed to be eaten with what the AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 215 apostle calls " the unleavened bread of sincerity ami truth." 2. The annual expiation, in two respects- first, as the high priest entered into the holy of holies with the blood of the sacrifice, whose body was burnt without the camp, ** wherefore Jesus, also, that he might sanctify his people with his own blood, suffered without the gate/ 5 and " after he had offered one sacri- fice for sin, forever sat down at the right hand of God;" and secondly, as " all the iniquity of the chil- dren of Israel was put upon the head" of the scape goat. 3, The brazen serpent, by looking up to which the people were cured of the stings of the fiery ser- pents; and whose "lifting up" was, by Christ himself, interpreted as emblematical of his being lifted up on the cross. 4. The manna, which represented " the bread of life which came down from heaven." 5. The rock, whence the waters flowed, to supply drink in the wilderness — " and that rock was Christ." 6. The Sabbath, ^'a shadow of Christ;" and as a figure of his eternal rest, denominated " a sign of the perpetual ^covenant." And, lastly, to omit others, the temple, where alone the shadowy sacrifices were to be offered, because Christ, " the body," was to be offered there himself. 2. Of personal types, likewise, we shall confine our- selves to such as are considered in the New Testament. I. Adam, between whom and Christ a striking series of relations is remarked. (Rom. v, 12 — 21, and 1 Cor. xv, 45 — 49.) 2. Noah, who was " saved by water; the like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth now save us, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." 3. Melchise- dek, king of Salem, who was made like unto the Son of T 216 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. God, a priest continually. 4. Abraham, "the heir of the world," "in whom all the nations of the earth are blest." 5. Isaac, in his birth and intended sacrifice, whence also his father received him in a figure — that is, of the resurrection of Christ. He, too, was the promised seed, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blest. 6. Jacob, in his vision of the ladder, and his wrestling with the angel, whence he, and after him the Church, obtained the name of Israel. The Gentile world also, like Jacob, gained the blessing and heirship from their elder brethren the Jews. 7. Moses, in redeeming the children of Isarel out of Egypt, and interceding for them; in his faithfulness and excellency; and in his signs and wonders. 8. Joshua, called also Jesus, in acquiring for the Israelites the possession of the Holy Land, and as lieutenant to the " Captain of the host of the Lord." 9. David, upon whose throne Christ is said to sit, and by whose names he is frequently designated, in his pastoral, regal, and prophetical capa- city. 10. Jonah, in his dark imprisonment of three days, applied to Christ by himself. With these striking types before us, all pointing di- rectly to Jesus Christ, the author of Christianity, we are led to exclaim, " we have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write." II. We shall notice the evidence derived from scrip- ture prophecy. In its restricted and most appropriate use and accept- ation, the term prophecy denotes the foretelling of things future and unknown, and it is in this sense the word is used in the following remarks on this branch of evidence. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 217 The foretelling of future events depends upon a knowledge of them; or of the causes and connections of things, which, from established principles, necessa- rily issue in certain results. All men are possessed of a certain species of this sort of knowledge. They have a data which enables them not only to conjecture, but even to foreknow with certainty what shall come to pass. This data is either the result of experience, of reasoning upon well established principles, or upon testimony. We know that all the living shall die; that the trees will bud and blossom in the spring; that the moon will change; a comet appear; or that an eclipse of the sun will happen on a certain day. Men of ex- traordinary sagacity can penetrate into futurity, and sometimes guess, conjecture, and even foretell, upon a large accumulation of probabilities, certain political events. But still the limitations and utmost bounds of this knowledge are very narrow; and comparatively few are the events future of which any man can speak with certainty. But although we admit that such foreknowledge is possessed by many, yet the foundation on which it rests is not what skeptical philosophers allow it to be. For if they were put to the test, they could not prove any topics or data within the area of the premises from which they reason — that the sun will rise to-morrow; or that the laws of nature will continue to operate as they have done for a single day. Let them set about the proof of such a position. But that knowledge of future events which we call prophecy, or which is ne- cessary to the foretelling of future events, is possessed 21 8 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. by no mere man; and, therefore, no man, unaided by some supernatural knowledge, can foretell any future event, except such ashwe have already defined. For example, no man could have told, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, that in the colony in Virginia, from an old English family, there would, in less than two- centuries, arise a man who should be a firm and un- daunted asserter of his country ? s rights; and, by his- counsel and heroic achievements, after a seven years 7 struggle, not only succeed in detaching thirteen colonies from the despotism of England, but in establishing a new world of republics, surpassing the march of intel- lect, in advances towards national greatness, and in all the enjoyments of rational liberty, all nations upon the earth. No man, without supernatural aid, could have foretold such events. Now this is precisely the species of prophecy of which we are to speak in this branch of the argument. Such prophets, and such prophecies, do the sacred oracles present- • The existence of counterfeits and hypocrites, is a very stubborn and irrefragable proof that there is something genuine and authentic. Now amongst all nations there have been prophets. The pagans had their oracles, their auguries, and their divinations. Modern idolaters have their diviners and necromancers. Jews and Christians alone possessed, and gave the original of this idea. They alone afforded the realities of which these are the pretences. Great were the ends, and most important were the uses of prophecy, in the estimation of the Author of the christian religion. It is interwoven through the whole web* Scarcely a leaf is turned in the sacred volume. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 219 Avithout some prophetic enunciation. For giving men just views of God's omniciency; of his interest in the human family, and of his government or providence, and for inspiring them with the spirit of true devotion, the prophecies were promulged. But all prophecies have one single end in view — Mes- siah and his kingdom. Whether individuals, cities, tribes, nations, empires, proximate or remote ages, are the burden of the particular prophecies, Jesus, the Mes- siah, is the spirit and object of them all. Among the great multitude of prophecies that are found in the Old and New Testament, we select a few of those which relate to the fates of the great empires, nations, and cities of antiquity; to Messiah and his kingdom. 1. The first nation which claims our attention is EgyP^ an d tnat > especially, as it was the first nation that persecuted the children of Israel. In the 29th and 30th chapters of the prophecy of Ezekiel, we find pre- dictions of the fate of Egypt, delivered five hundred and eighty-nine years before the birth of Christ. The prophet here informs us, that " Egypt shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any above the nations — there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt." It is more than two thousand years since the prophecy was delivered, and Egypt has never recovered its liberties, but is to this day under the yoke of foreigners. It was conquered by the Baby- lonians; then by the Persians; and in succession passed under the dominion of the Macedonians, Romans, Sar- acens, Mamelukes, and Turks. No native prince of Egypt has ever restored his country to independence, T* 220 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. and ascended the throne of his ancestors; and the de- scendants of the ancient Egyptians are to this hour in the basest and most oppressed condition. Yet, in Egypt the human mind had made some of its earliest and auspicious efforts. The stupendous monuments of art and power, the ruins of which lie piled upon the banks of the Nile, or still defy the wastes of time, at- test the vastness of the designs and the extent of the power of its princes. Egypt, too, was possessed of great natural advanta- ges. Its situation was singularly calculated to protect it against foreign invasion; while its great fertility promised to secure the country it enriched from pover- ty, baseness, and subjection. Yet, after a long course of grandeur, and in contradiction to its natural advan- tages, Ezekiel pronounced that the kingdom should be " the basest of all kingdoms/' and that there should be " no more a prince of the land of Egypt." So the event has been, and so it remains; and that this won- derful prophecy should be passed over by infidels in silence, is deeply characteristic of their minds. It is not for the want of evidence that the word of God is rejected by them. The evil is not the want of light, but the love of darkn But we are aware that Ezekiel has been assaulted, for saying, in reference to Egypt, that " No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years." This infidels say " never came to pass, consequently it is false." We admit that no period can be pointed out from the age of Ezekiel to the present, in which there wjls no foot of man or beast to be seen for forty years AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 221 in all Egypt. But some think that only a part of Egypt is here spoken of; as the Delta is the only part that is, strictly speaking, entitled to be called Egypt- And the principal places mentioned in our sacred wri- tings, Zoan, Noph, and Tophanes; are all referable to the Delta. Probably little of them remains. No one can prove that this prediction was not accomplished, even so fully that the expressions might be used with- out hvperpole; for the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar was one of the same sweeping and devastating charac- ter as his invasion and conquest of Judea; and we know that the greater part of the inhabitants of that country were destroyed, or led captive, and that tho land generally remained untilled for seventy years — though not absolutely without inhabitant. .We shall next notice the prophecies respecting the four grand monarchies which have, in succession, reigned over the kings of the earth, viz: first, the Chaldean; secondly, the Medo-Persian; thirdly, the Grecian; fourthly, the Roman empires. Daniel, in his interpretation of Nebudchadnezzars dream, points out the fates of these great empires.* He says to Nebuchadnezzar, referring to the image whose u head was of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his body and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron of iron and part clay/' " thou art this head of gold — and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth; and the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; and the kingdom * Dan. ii. 222 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 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 — the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken," [or brittle.] Now history informs us that these predictions were literally fulfilled. We shall notice the different empires spoken of, in order as they stand in the prediction. 1. The Chaldean empire was called Assyrian in its commencement, the Chaldean from the country, and the Babylonish from its chief city. This was the first monarchy, begun by Nimrod, A. M. 1771, B. C. 2233; and ended with the death of Belshazzar, B. C. 538, after having lasted nearly seventeen hundred years, in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, it extended over Chal- dea, Assyria, Arabia, Syria, and Palestine. He was the head of gold. 2. The Medo-Persian empire was that which pro- perly began under Darius the Mede. By the capture of Babylon, B. C. 538, he terminated the Chaldean empire; and on the death of his father Cambyses, and his uncle, Cyaxares, B. C. 536, he became sole govern- or of the Medes and Persians; and thus established 1 a potent empire on the ruins of that of the Chaldeans — - fitly represented by "the breast and arms of silver." 3. The Macedonian or Greek empire, founded by Alexander the Great. He subdued Greece, penetrated into Asia, took Tyre, reduced Egypt, overthrew Darius Codomanus at Arbela, Oct. 2, B. C. 331 ; and thus ter- minated the Persian Monarchy. He crossed the Caucasus, subdued Hyreania, and penetrated India as far as the Ganges ; and having conquered all the countries that lay between the Adri- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 223 fltic sea and the Ganges, he died A. M. 3681, B. C. 323 ; and after his death his empire became divided among his generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. Thus this empire, founded on the ruin of that of the Persians, had rule over all the earth, and was strikingly represented by "the body and thighs of brass." 4. Dr. Clarke thinks that, the " legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay," means, in the first place, the kingdom of the Lagidse, in Egypt, commen- ced by Ptolemy Lagus, and that of Selucidse, commen- ced by Selucus Nicator, B. C. 312, both generals of Alexander the Great, whose kingdoms continued through a long race of sovereigns, the first lasting two hundred and eighty two years, and the second, two hundred and forty seven ; both of which rose out of the Macedonian or Grecian empire, and both termina- ted in that of the Romans, which is, in the second place, meant by the ' legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay." Thus the two legs of iron become absorbed in the Roman government, which also partook of the iron nature ; strong, military and extensive in its victories ; and by its various conquests united to and amalgamated with itself various nations, some strong, and some weak ; so as to be fitly represented in the symbolical image by feet and toes, partly of iron, and partly of clay. The empire became weakened by its conquests ; and although by mingling themselves with the seed of men, that is, by strong leagues and matimo- jaial alliances, they endeavored to secure a perpetual sovereignty, yet they did. not cleave to each other, and they also were swallowed up by the barbarous northern 224 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. nations, namely — the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Visi- goths, the Alans and Suevi, the Franks, the Vandals, the Burgundians, the Ileruli, and Rugii, the Saxons, and the Lombards ; which answer to the " ten toes of the image," and thus terminated those four most pow- erful monarchies. And that the predictions of Daniel concerning them have been fulfilled, every one who carefully examines them, must see and acknowledge. Another remarkable prophecy is that concerning Ishmael and his descend- ants. The angel of the Lord informed Hagar, the ser- vant of Abraham, while in the wilderness, that Ishmael, her son, would be " a wild man ; his hand would be against every man, and every men's hand against him/'' and that " he should dwell in the presence of all his brethren ;" and it was added : " Behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." All these prophecies res- pecting the posterity of Ishmael, have been remarkably verified. Strabo, frequently mentions the Arabian Phylarchs, or rulers of tribes ; and Melo, quoted by Eusebius, relates that twelve sons of Abraham depart- ing into Arabia, divided the region between them, and were the first kings of the inhabitants ; " whence," says he, " even to our days, the Arabians have twelve kings of the same names as the first. And " I will make him a great nation." This is again and again repeated. The Saracens, his descendants, made rapid and extensive conquests, and erected one of the largest empires in the world. " And he will be a wild man." It is said of Ishmael, (Gen. xx. 20.) that " he dwelt in AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY* 225 the wilderness, and his sons still inhabit the same wil- derness, and many of them neither sow nor plant " And he became an archer." Such the Arabs have been, and continue to this day. " His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him." Ishmael lived by prey and rapine in the wilderness ; and his posterity have all along infested Arabia, and the neighboring countries with their robberies and in- cursions. They live in a state of continual war with the rest of the world, and are both robbers by land and pirates by sea. They have been enemies to mankind, and the rest of mankind have been enemies to them ; and several unsuccessful attempts have been made to extirpate them. They go about in troops, and rob and plunder all whom they can by any means subdue. These robberies they also justify, "by alleging the hard usage of their father Ishmael, who being turned out of doors by Abraham, had the open plains and des- erts given him by God for his patrimony, with permis- sion to take whatever he could find there. And on this account, they think they may indemnify themselves as well as they can, not only on the posterity of Isaac, but also on all besides." They have from first to last maintained their independence ; and notwithstanding the -nost powerful efforts by the Ass} T rians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, Romans and Turks, to destroy them, they still dwell in the presence of all their brethren. Thus has this single nation stood out against the en- mity of the whole world for near 4000 years together. The great empires around them have all in their turns fallen to ruin, while they have continued the same from 226 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY the beginning. This, in the common course of human affairs, was in the highest degree improbable. These are the only people, besides the Jews, who have subsist- ed as a distinct people from the beginning. They, as well as the Jews, boast of their descent from Abraham, from whom also they profess to have derived circum- cision. It is worthy of remark, that for several centuries after the time of Mahomet, the Arabs were best known among the European nations, by the name of Saracens — the Araceni of Pliny, and the Hagarenes of scripture. They are a standing monument of the truth of pro- phecy, and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. The Jewish nation comes next under our notice. The kingdom of Israel was separated from all other nations, in order, that, through it, the kingdom of heaven, which was to be universal, might be introduced. In consequence of this separation, the Jews enjoyed uncommon privileges ; but, as they abused these privi- leges, their punishment has been as signal as their ex- altation. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, from the time when they were separated as a nation, there is a remarkable series of prophecies concerning them, to which an important addition was afterwards made by the Lord Jesus himself. To some of 1 these prophecies we shall now advert. In the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses says to Israel, " If thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I denounce unto you this day that you shall surely perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land whither thou passest over Jordan to AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY* 227 possess it." In the 28th chapter of the same book, a full detail is given of all the calamities that would over- take them if they should be disobedient. These predic- tions were all fulfilled, though not at once. Different enemies were brought against them, and they sustained several sieges, all pointed out in various predictions, which were ultimately and fully accomplished in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, when "wrath came upon them to the uttermost," and in their final and grand dispersion. We find it foretold, that an enemy was to be brought against them " from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth." Thus the Romans, whose significant standard was an eagle, were brought against them. It was expressly foretold, that not only the men, but women, should eat their own children. " Ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat" This was fulfilled, about six hundred years after the time of Moses, among the Israelites, when Samaria was besieged by the king of Syria, and two women agreed together, the one to give up her child to be boiled and eaten to-day, and the other to deliver up her son to be dressed and eaten to-morrow; and one of them was eaten accordingly. It was fulfilled again, about nine hundred years after Moses' day in the siege of Jerusalem, before the Baby- lonish captivity. Jeremiah bewails this in his Lament- ations: "The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children; they were their meat in the destruc- tion of the daughter of my people." And again, it was fulfilled, about fifteen hundred years after the time of Moses, in the last siege of Jerusalem by Titus. And U 228 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. we read in Josephus, particularly, of a noblewoman, illustrious for her family and riches, killing and eating her own child. Thus exactly were fulfilled the words of Moses concerning this great calamity that befell the Jews. Great numbers of the Jews were to be destroyed. This was literally fulfilled. Josephus computes that, during the whole siege, the number of those who were destroyed by it and by the war, amounted to eleven hundred thousand. They were to be sold unto their enemies, in Egypt, for bondmen and bondwomen, until none should buy them. This also was fulfilled. The markets were quite overstocked with them, and Josephus says that they were sold with their wives and children at the lowest price. They were to be scattered among all nations, where they should find no ease. They have been banished from city to city, from country to country. In many places they have been banished, and recalled, and banished again. In the latter end of the thirteenth century, they were banished from England; in the latter end of the fourteenth century, they were banished from France for the seventh time ; in the latter end of the fifteenth century, they were banished from Spain. Most of them paid dearly for a refuge in Portugal ; but, within a few years, they were expelled from thence also. Their property was to be taken from them, and they spoiled evermore. Frequent seizures have been made upon their effects, and they have been fined and plun- dered in almost all countries. Their " sons and their daughters were to be given unto another people." In Spain and Portugal, particu* AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 229 lariy, their children have been taken from them by order of the government, to be educated in the Popish religion. And when they were banished from Portugal, the king ordered all their children under fourteen to be taken from them and baptized. Moses told them that they should "be mad for the sight of their eyes which they should see." This was fulfilled in the reign of Richard the First, when the people in arms were to make a general massacre of them. They offered to ransom their lives with money, after trying unsuccessfully to defend themselves in the city of York, which they had seized on; but the offer being refused, in madness and desperation the men stabbed their wives and children, then retired into the king's palace, which they set on fire, in which they consumed themselves with the palace and furniture. "And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee." This prophecy we see and hear fulfilled almost every day. The word Jew is continually used as a proverb. They are generally hated. Moham- medans, heathens, and nominal Christians, however they may disagree on other points, yet agree in vilify- ing, abusing, and persecuting the Jews. Now that they should be a reproach and by-word, among those who were acquainted with their stubborn unbelief, their last great crime — their crucifixion of Christ, and who were acquainted with the prophecy concerning them, is not so strange. But to see them insulted and persecuted by the ignorant nations of the East — in the very words of prophecy, " trodden down of the heathen ;" trodden down by a people who never heard the name of Christ ; 230 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY who never heard that the Jews had rejected Christ, and who, in fact, punished the Jews without a knowledge of their crime — this, we say, appears to be an awful com- pletion of the divine sentence. The great cause and extent of their punishment, are thus stated by Paul, 1 Thess. ii. 15. "They both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have perse- cuted us, and they please no* God, and are contrary tc* all men. Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiks, that they might be saved ; to fill up their sins always, for the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost." Thus their own imprecation has been remarkably and awfralJy fulfilled — " His blood be upon us and our children. 77 The preservation of the Jews as a separate people, is as distinctly announced as their various calamities and dispersions. Jeremiah says, "Fear thou not, O Jacob, my servant, saith the Lord, for I am with thee ; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee ; but I ivill not make a full end of thee." Accordingly, though the Jews are dispersed among all nations, they still continue a distinct people, and yet they no where live according to their own laws — no where elect their own officers — and no where can they enjoy the full exercise of their religion. The most ancient and honorable pedigree can be traced up only to a certain period, and beyond that there is nothing but conjecture, obscurity, and ignorance. But the Jews can go up higher than any nation ; they can even deduce their pedigree from the beginning of the world. They may not know from what particular tribe or family they are descended; but they know certainly that they all sprung from the stock of Abraham. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 231 Notwithstanding they have had to endure so many- wars, massacres and persecutions, they still subsist, a numerous, a distinct, and a wretched people. All this has something in it which the common principles of human nature will not explain. The present situation of the Jews, and what it has been, especially for the last seventeen hundred years, when compared with the foregoing prophecies, and many others which stand recorded in the sacred volume, is sufficient to strike infidelity dumb, and confirm the truth of the divine predictions. Let all be upon their guard, lest the declaration applied to the Jews by Paul, be in them also verified. " Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish ; for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." U* LECTURE X. Evidence of prophecy — continued. We are now prepared to notice a few predictions con- cerning some of the ancient cities, the Messiah and his kingdom. I. As Jerusalem was the city where Jehovah mani- fested his glory in the Temple, was worshiped, and where Jesus appeared, we shall first notice a few pre- dictions respecting this city. In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, the Lord spake by the prophet Isaiah, and foretold the conquest of Israel by the king of Assyria ; as also the invasion of Judah by the same force — see chap. viii. 4. That these predictions were accomplished in the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah is too plain to be denied. It was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah, that the Chaldeans should " come and jight against Jerusalem, take it y and burn it with fire" Accordingly, " in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, came Nebu- zaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, and burnt the house of the Lord and the king's house ; and all the houses of Jeru- salem, and all the houses of the great men, burnt he with fire : and all the army of the Chaldeans that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of the city round about it." Thus Jerusalem was taken and destroyed, and its inhabitants (those who were not AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 233 slain) carried into captivity. But their restoration, and the rebuilding of the city and temple, had been also foretold by the prophets. Yea, the person who should be the principal instrument in this great work, was ex- pressly mentioned by name,Isa. xliv. 28. " The Lord saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure ; even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built ; and to the temple, thy foundation shall be laid." Even the length of their captivity had been foretold by the same prophet, before the destruction of the city, and after they were carried away captive to Babylon. " At the end of seventy years the Lord will punish the king of Babylon.*' Again, " Thus saifh the Lord ; after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this place." It is too plain to be denied, that from the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, when the first carrying away of Judah took place, to the first year of Cyrus, when the Jews returned, was exactly seventy years, being the time foretold by the prophets. As the destruction of the city and first temple — also the rebuilding thereof, had been foretold by the ancient prophets; so, also, we find the calamities which have since fallen upon Jerusalem and the temple, were fore- told by Jesus Christ, and are recorded by three of the evangelists. (Matt, xxiv; Mark xiii, and Luke xxi.) In Luke, Christ declares, "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, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave 234 * AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. in thee one stone upon another — because thou knewest not the day of thy visitation." That these things accordingly did take place, cannot easily be gainsayed — Josephus (who was himself an eye witness) having largely recorded the same in his history of the Jewish wars. Our Saviour has also spoken of awful events prece-* ding the destruction of the city — as recorded in Luke xxi. 11. "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful sights, and great signs shall there be from heaven." Hugo Grotius has reckoned up many earthquakes which happened in the reigns of Claudius and Nero, (and therefore preceded the destruction of Jerusalem,) at Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodica, Hierapolis, and Colossee. And Josephus relates, that in Judea, there happened vehement winds, dreadful thunderings and lightnings, and vast movings of the shaken earth. There was a famine in the fourth year of Claudius, which, according to Eusebius, oppressed the Roman empire, and Palestine in particular. Jose- phus speaks largely of fearly sights and great signs, saying — That a great sword seemed to hang over the city, or a comet pointing down upon it, for a year, which plainly seemed to portend their destruction by the sword. And that before the sun went down, there were seen in the clouds armies in battle array, and chariots encompassing the country and investing their cities, which there are, saith he, men still living to at- test. That the great gate of the temple, which twenty men could scarcely shut, and which was made fast with bolts and bars, was seen to open of its own accord. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 235 That at the ninth hour of the night, at the feast of un- leavened bread, as great a light shone-upon the temple and the altar, as if it had been noonday. That at the feast of Pentecost, when the priests went at midnight into the temple to attend their service, they first heard a kind of noise as of a movement from the place, and then a voice, saying, " Let us go hence. " This account Tacitus, a Roman, has thus epitomised: Armies seemed to meet in the clouds ; weapons were seen glittering there ; the temple seemed to be on a flame of fire from the clouds — and a divine voice was heard that the Deity was quitting the place, and a great motion as of his departing. He that shall compare the words of our Saviour with those of Josephus, concerning the Jewish wars, cannot but admire the wisdom of Christ, and own his predic- tions to have been divine. 2. The next city we shall mention, whose fate was foretold by the holy prophets, is Nineveh. This city was for many ages, the head of the Assy- rian empire. Its foundation was laid by Nimrod, grand son of Ha??i, who went out from Babel into the land of Assur, (the son of Shem) and conquering it, built Nineveh. It was fifteen miles square, laying on the east side of the river Tigris. The walls were one hundred feet high, and so broad that three coaches might meet and safely pass each other on the top. It had fifteen hundred towers on its walls, which were two hundred feet high, and fourteen thousand men were em- ployed eight years in building them. It contained about one million two hundred thousand inhabitants. Now, the prophet Nahum, says, chap. ii. 5, 6 — "He 236 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISIATNITY. shall count his worthies ; they shall stumble in their walk ; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared. But, behold ! the gates of the city shall be opened, and the palaces shall be dissolved. 7 ' Accordingly, it is reported by Diodorus Siculuj, that when the Chaldeans besieged Nineveh, a mighty deluge of waters overflowed and overthrew the wall by the space of twenty furlongs, by which the besiegers entered the city. As the seat of government was removed to Babylon, Nineveh was deserted, and became at first a place for birds and wild beasts, and lastly a fold for flocks to lie down in. 3. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah, predicted the fate of Tyre ; which predictions were fulfilled when Alexander the Great took the city and burned it with fire. The place where this famous city stood, is now properly a place for fishermen to spread their nets upon, as was foretold — as all travelers agree that there are only a few families there, who gain a scanty livelihood by fishing. 4. Babylon, too, was a subject of prophecy. But one prediction need be mentioned in relation to its fate. In Isaiah, chap, xiii, it is said, that " Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldean excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah* Neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there ; but wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there ; and the wild beasts of the island shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 237 pleasant places ; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged." This prophecy was fulfilled, when the city was taken by the Medes and Persians, under the command of Cy- rus, and his uncle Darius. Belshazzar was slain and the kingdom was turned to the Medes and Persians ; and soon Babylon began to be neglected. Afterwards (it is said) Alexander the Great purposed to repair it, and make it the capital of his empire ; but he dying there in a drunken fit, his successors removed the seat of their government to Antioch. The city being thus abandoned, the houses deserted and neglected, it first became a habitation for wild beasts and owls ; after- wards, the waters not being kept in their proper chan- nels, in that evil country, overflowed, and it became a ■pool of waters ; its broad walls fell down, and it became a total desolation ; and so completely is it now swept from the face of the earth, that e^ en its exact situation is scarcely to be discovered. So that it may properly be said, in the language of the prophet, to be swept with the besom of destruction. Time would fail to speak of Zidon, of Damascus, Ar, Heshbon, No, Noph, and other cities : we shall therefore — II. Notice some of those predictions, which relate to the Messiah. The great object of the prophecies of the Old Testa- ment is the redemption of mankind. This, as soon as Adam's fall had made it necessary, the mercy of God was pleased to foretell. And as the time for its accomplishment drew near, the prediction concerning it gradually became so clear, *hat almost 238 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. every circumstance in the life and character of the most extraordinary personage that ever appeared among men, was most distinctly foretold. The prophecies announcing the Messiah are numer- ous, pointed, and particular. A Messiah was to come. — Prophecy: Gen. iii. 15, He (the seed of the woman) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Compare Gen. xxii. 18, xii. 3, xxvl 4, xxviii. 4, and Psal. Ixx. 17, Isa. xl. 5. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. Hag. ii. 7. The desire of all nations shall come. Fulfilment, Gal. iv. 4. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, (four thousand years after the first prophecy was deliv- ered.) Rom. xvi. 20. The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. 1 John iii. 8. The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil, (that old serpent, Rev. xii. 9.) See, also, Heb. ii. 14, Luke ii. 10. I bring you good tidings of great Joy, which shall be to all people. The time when he should come. — Prophecy: Gen. xlix. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. The Messiah was to come at a time of universal peace, and when there was a general expectation of him; and while the second temple was standing, seventy weeks (of years, that is 490 years) after the rebuilding of Jerusalem. See Hag. ii. 6 — 9; Dan. ix. 23 — 25: Mai. iii. 1. Fulfilment. — When the Messiah came, the sceptre had departed from Judah; for the Jews, though govern- AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 239 ed by their own rulers and magistrates, yet were sub- ject to the paramount authority of the Roman emperors, as was evinced by their being subject to the enrollment of Augustus, paying tribute to Csesar, and not having the power of life and death. Compare Luke ii, 1, 3, 5 : Matt, ii, 20, 21: and the parallel passages; and John xx. 10, 15. When Jesus Christ came into the world, the Roman wars were terminated, the temple of Janus was shut, and universal peace reigned throughout the Roman empire; and all nations, both Jews and Gentiles, were expecting the coining of some extraordinary per- son. See Matt, ii, 1 — 10; Mak. xv. 43: Luke ii. 25, 38: and John i, 19 — 45, for the expectation of the Jews. The two Roman historians, Suetonius and Tacitus, confirm the fulfillment of the prediction, as to the expect- ation of the Gentiles. The dignify of his character — thatthe Messiah should be God and Man together. Prophecy.— Psal. ii. 7. Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, Jsa. 1 j ii. 3. A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, Isa. 18, 6. The mighty God, the everlasting Father, &c. Mic. 5, 2. Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Fulfillment.— Reb. 2, 8. "Unto the Sou, he saith, Thy throne O God, is forever and ever." Math. L 23. They shall call his name Emmanuel, that is, God with us. John i, 1, 14. And the Word was God. The Word was made fesh and dwelt among us. Rom. ix. 5. Of whom (the fathers) as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is God over all, blessed forever. See also Col. ii. 9: 1 John v. 20. From whom he was to be descended. — Prophecy. V 240 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. From the first woman Gen. iii. 15. From Abraham and his decendants, Gen. xii. 3, xviii. 18, viz: Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 4: Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 14 Judah. Gen. xlix, 10: Jesse, Isa. xi. 1: David, Psal. cxxxix. 4. 27; Isa. vi. 13, 14, ix. 7: Jer. xxiii. 5, and xxiii. 20, 21. Fulfillment. — Gal. iv. 4. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a -woman. Acts iii. 25. The covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham. "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth he blessed. See Matt. i. 1. Heb. vii. 14. It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah. Rom. xv. 12. Isaiah saiih there shall be a root of Jesse. John vii. 42. Hath not the scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of David. See also Acts ii. 30, xiii. 23: Luke i. 32. 'That the Messiah should be born of a Virgin. — Pro- phecy.— Isa. vii. 14. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son. Fulfillment. — Matt. 22, 23. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son." The place where the Messiah was to be born — Pro- phecy. — Mic. v. 2. Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah; yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, Ho that is to be ruler in Israel. Fulfillment. — Luke ii. 4 — 6. All went to be taxed (or enrolled,) every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, with Mary his espoused wife, unto Bethlehem, and while they were there, she brought forth her first born son. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 241 That a prophet, in the spirit and power of Ellas, or Elijah, should be the Messiah's forerunner and prepare his way. Prophecy. — Malachi iii. 1, and iv. 5: Isa. xl. 3: Luke i. IT. Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare my way before me. Fulfillment. — Matt. iii. 1. In these days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, say- ing, repent ye, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matt. xl. 14: Luke vik 27, 28. This is Ellas which was for to come. That he should begin to publish the Gospel in Gal- ilee. — Prophecy. — Isa. ix. 1, 2. In Galilee of the nations, the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. Fulfillment. — ZVIatt. iv. 12, 17. Now when Jesus heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. From that time Jesus began to preach and to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That the Messiah should confirm his doctrine by great miracles. — Prophecy. — Isa. xxxv. 5, 6. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be trnstopped; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing. Fulfillment. — Matt xi. 4, 5. Jesus said "Go and show John those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear." In ichat manner the Messiah was to make his public entry into Jerusalem. — Prophecy. — Zach. ix. 9. Re- joice greatly, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and haying salvation, 242 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt, the foal of an ass. Fulfillment.— Matt. xxi. 7—10. The disciples brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and set him (Jesus) thereon. And great multitudes spread their garments, &c. &c. Matt. xxi. 4, 5. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell ye the daughter of Zion. "Be- hold the king cometh," &c. &c- The circumstances of his death. — 1. That the Mes- siah should be poor and despised, and be betrayed by one of his own disciples, for thirl}/ pieces of silver; (at that time the ordinary price of the vilest slave;) with which the potters field should be purchased. Prophecy. — Isa. liii. 3. Ps. xli. 9, and Ps. iv. 12 — 14. Zach. xi. 12, 13. Fulfillment. — Luke ix. 58. 2 Cor. via. 9v Jofaa xk 35. Matt. xxvi. 14. Matt, xxvii. 3—8. 2. That the Messiah should suffer pain and death for the sins of the World. — Prophecy. — PsaL xxii. 16, 17. For dogs, (that is the heathens, whom the Jews called dogs,) have compassed me. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me, Isa. 1,6. I gave my back to the smite rs^ and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. Isa. liii. 5, 8. He was wounded for our transgressions: he was bruised for our iniquities: by his stripes we are healed* He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the trans- gression of my people was he stricken. Isa. liii. 12. And he bare the sin of many. « AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 243 Fulfillment. — Johrfxix. 1, 2. Then Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns — and they smote him with the palms of their hands. Matt, xxvii. 30: Mark xv. 19. And they did spit upon him, and smote him on the head. Mark xv. 25. And they crucified him. 1 Pet. ii. 23, 24. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffer- ed, he threatened not. Who hare our sins in his own body on the tree — (the cross.) 3. That the Messiah should he cruelly mocked and derided. Prophecy. — Psalm xx. 12, 13, 7, 8. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan (that is the wicked and furious Jews, who like the beasts fattened on the fertile plains of Bashan) "Waxed fat and kicked, (became proud and rebellious,) have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and roaring lion. All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, saying, he trusted in God that he would deliver him; let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. Fulfillment.— Mat xxvii. 39, 41, 42; Mark xv. 31, 32; Luke xxiii. 35, 38. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads. Likewise also, the chief priests, and the rulers also with them, derided, and mocking said among themselves, with the scribes and elders, He saved others, himself he cannot save ; if he be the Christ, the chosen of God, let him now come down from the cross, and save himself, that we may see, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now if he will have him ! And the soldiers y# 244 AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. also mocked him, saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. 4. That vinegar and gall should be offered to the Messiah upon the cross; and that his garments should be divided, and lots cast for his vesture. Prophecy. — Ps. lxix. 21. They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Ps. xxii. 18. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture Fulfillment. — John xix. 29 ; Matt, xxvii. 48 ; Mark xv. 36. And they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. John xix. 23, 24. And the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus t took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also his coat ; now the coat was without seam, they therefore said, let us not rend it, but cast lots whose it should be. 5. That not a bone of the Messiah should be broken ; but that his side should be pierced. Prophecy. — Ps. xxxiv. 20. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken. — Zech. xii. 10. And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced. Fulfillment. — John xix. 32 — 34. 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 nit his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith there came out blood and water. 6. That the Messiah should die tcith malefactors, and he buried honorably. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY'. 245 Prophecy, — Isa. liii. 9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. Fulfillment. — Matt xxvii. 38, 57 — 60. Then were there two thieves crucified with him. There came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, and begged the body of Jesus ; and he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb. 7. That the Messiah should rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven. Prophecy. — Ps. xvi. 9, 10. My flesh shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, (the separate state of departed spirits,) neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. — Ps. lxviii. 18. Thou hast ascended up on high ; thou hast led captiv- ity captive ; thou hast received gifts for men, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Fulfillment. — Acts ii. 31. (David) spake before of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, (Hades, or the separate state,) neither did his flesh see corruption. See also Acts xiii. 35 ; Matt, xxviii. 5, 6. The angels said unto the women, ' He is not here, for he is risen, as he said.' See Luke xxiv. 5, 6 ; 1 Cor. xv. 4. He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. — Acts i. 3. He showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs. — Mark xvi. 19 ; Luke xxiv. 51; Acts i: 9. So then after the Lord had spoken to them, while he was blessing them, and while they beheld, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. Com- pare, also, 1 Pet. iii. 22; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. vl. 20. 8. That the Messiah should send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. 946 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. Prophecy. — Joel ii. 28. I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy. Fulfillment. — See all these promises and predictions fulfilled in Acts ii. 1 — 4; iv. 31; viii. 17; x. 44; xi. 11.* From examination we find that Jesus Christ's own predictions, in reference to his sufferings, death, res- urrection, ascension, &c, perfectly accord with the above predictions of the prophets ; and were fulfilled in every respect. Besides these predictions of the prophets concerning the Messiah, we find a great number that refer to his offices, and that are peculiarly applicable to him, and none other. He was to be a Prophet and Teacher, to teach and enlighten mankind. He was to be the Mes- siah, Christ, or Anointed of God, to preach good tidings unto the meek. He was to be a Priest, to make recon- ciliation for the sins of the people. He was to be a Saviour, that he might save all that believe in his name. He was to be a Mediator, that he might mediate be- tween God and men ; an Intercessor, that he might inter- cede for transgressors. Messiah was to be a Shepherd, that he might take care of his flock. He was to be a King, superior to all others, the Head and Ruler of the Church. Yea, he was to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In concluding this head, we remark: That the manner in which the evangelical historians showed the fulfillment of the prophecies by Christ, is remarkable, for they did not apply them with hesitation, as if they were doubtful concerning their sense, or un- * See Home's Introduction, where a more extensive list of prophecies, with their fulfillment, is given. AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 247 decided as to their object. Their boldness of assertion bore the stamp and character of truth. They had the clearest proofs that their Master was the Messiah, and therefore were fully persuaded that all the prophecies centered in him. They appear to have had no concep- tion that this evidence could, in the nature of things, be referable to any one else ; and therefore they pressed the arguments drawn from the Old Testament upon the minds of the unconverted, with all the sincerity of con- viction, and all the authority of truth. We have given, in the two preceding lectures, a con- cise view of the predictions contained in the Old Testa- ment, concerning the Author of the christian religion, Such a variety of circumstances, therefore, predicted concerning one person, so many years before he was born, and of such an extraordinary nature — all accom- plished in Christ, and in no other person that ever ap- peared in the world — point him out, with irresistible evidence, as the Messiah, the Saviour of mankind. If only one single man had left a book of predictions con- cerning Jesus Christ, and had distinctly and precisely marked out the time, place, manner, and other circum- stances of his advent, life, doctrine, death, resurrection, and ascension ; a prophecy, or series of prophecies, so astonishing, so circumstanced, so connected, would be the most wonderful thing in the world, and would have infinite weight. But the miracle is far greater : for here is a succession of men, for four thousand years, who were widely separated from each other by time and place, yet who regularly, and without varia- tion, succeeded one another to foretell the same event. Here, therefore, the hand of God is manifest ; and 248 AUTHENTICITY Otf CHRISTIANITY. Jesits Christ is evidenced to be the Messiah. Since the beginning of the world, all the prophecies have been present to his mind ; he has taken from them all that seemed contradictory, when not considered in respect to him ; he has equally accomplished them, whether the things they predicted concerning him were humiliating or divine ; and has demonstrated that he is the center and end of them all, by reducing them to unity in his own person* Further ; by the accomplishment of the prophecies, which is the particular and incommunicable character of Jesus Christ, all seducers or messiahs, whether past or future, are convicted of imposture. A few consid- erations will fully prove this point. There is but one deliverer promised, and to one only do the scriptures bear testimony. Whoever, therefore, has neither been promised nor foretold, can be* nothing but an impostor; and whoever cannot ascend as high as the first promise, or grounds himself upon scriptures less ancient than those of the Jews, stands convicted of imposture by that circumstance alone, either because he has no title, or has only a false one. All the prophets foretold what the Messiah was to do and suffer. There can, therefore, be no doubt between him who has done and suffered what the prophets fore- told, and him who has no knowledge of their predic- tions, or has not fulfilled them. Among the predictions of the prophets, there are some that cannot be repeated, and which are so annexed to certain times and places, that they cannot be imitated by a false Messiah* It is necessary, for instance, that the true Messiah should come into the world before the AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 249 destruction of the second temple, because he was to teach there. It was necessary that he should lay the foundations of the church in Jerusalem, because from Mount Sion it was to be diffused over the whole world. Finally, it was necessary that the conversion of the Gentiles should be his work, or that of his disciples, since it is by this visible mark that the prophets point him out. Now the temple is no more ; Jerusalem is possessed by strangers ; the Jews are dispersed, and Gentiles are converted. It is clear, therefore, that the Messiah is come : but it is not less manifest, that no one else can repeat the proofs which he has given of his coming ; and consequently, no one else can accomplish what the prophets foretold would be fulfilled by the Messiah. The dispensation of prophecy appears to have been accommodated with great wisdom to the state of the church in every age, to comfort the people of God, and to confirm their faith, according as they and the state of religion required it. On Adam's fall ; on Abraham's separation from an idolatrous world ; on the dispensa- tion of the new economy by Moses; on the Babylonish captivity ; and on the commencement of Christianity, prophecies were communicated with a growing light, and they will become more and more luminous with the progress of events to the end of the world. V\ r hat stronger evidence can we require for our con- viction 1 Or what will avail, if this be found ineffectual? If we reject the evidence of prophecy, neither would we be persuaded though one rose from the dead. III. What can be plainer ? We see, or may see, with our own eyes, many of the scripture prophecies 250 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. accomplished. Besides the fulfillment of predictions concerning ancient kingdoms, nations, and cities, and those which relate to the Messiah, we will just add, that the prophecies by Daniel and others, concerning the kingdom of the Messiah, have been strikingly fulfilled. It was established at the time, in the place, and by the one appointed. It has gained the ascendancy over many other kingdoms. It has met with opposition. It has spread rapidly and extensively. It has retained its original characteristics, amid the rise, progress, glory and decline of other kingdoms. It was to be a spiritual kingdom, and it was to abide forever. None can survey it, and contemplate its stability and glory, without being constrained to cry out, " Great is the Holy One in the midst of thee !" And while infidels are making powerful exertions to overthrow this kingdom, their own wicked conduct is a fulfillment of prophecy. For the apostle of Christ tells us, that in the latter days some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrine of devils, and even deny the Lord that bought them. Our conclusion, therefore is, that if scripture prophecies are accomplished, the scriptures must be the word of God ; and if the scriptures are the word of God, the christian religion must be true. LECTURE XL Authenticity of Christianity, shown from a correct estimate of its early success, and the preserva- tion of the church. A correct estimate of the early success of Christianity, and the preservation of the church in all ages of the world, present additional evidence of the divine origin and truth of that religion we are endeavoring to au- thenticate. L Let us notice the evidence derived from the early success of Christianity, It would be most inconclusive to infer the supernatu- ral origin of Christianity from the mere fact of its success ; inasmuch as some of the greatest impostures the world ever knew have obtained, for many ages, a most powerful and extensive dominion over the human mind. The early prevalence of the gospel is, in itself, no decisive proof of its divine origin. Ere it can be re- garded as such, a number of circumstances must com- bine with the fact of its success, which admit of no just or rational solution but the admission of the finger of God. The question then is, did such circumstances evince themselves in the early triumphs of Christianity ? W 252 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. And, if they did, wherein did they consist ? and how do they admit of being exhibited in the shape of a con- clusive argument for the truth and divinity of the chris- tian religion ? We have already proved that Jesus of Nazareth was put to death in the reign of Tiberius, by the order of Pontius Pilate, his procurator. It is a fact equally true, that as early as the time of Claudius, who died within twenty years of the crucifixion, the religious assemblies of Christians were proscribed under open pretext that they were drawing men from the worship of the gods, as confirmed by Tacitus. It is a fact, that in the reign of Nero the followers of Christ endured persecutions of the most fearful kind, and that this wicked despot endeavored to fix upon them the stigma of burning Rome, though it was justly and loudly charged on him- self. It is a fact, that Pliny, the younger, a proconsul under the emperor Trajan, who was contemporary with Ignatius, and who flourished about seventy-five years after the death of Christ, describes the christian assem- blies in Bythinia and Pontus as consisting of a vast multitude, of all ages and sexes ; and speaks of Chris- tianity as an inveterate superstition which had spread itself not only through cities, but over villages and the whole country. Julian, A. D. 361, though he endeavors to lessen the number of the early believers in Jesus, yet is constrained to acknowledge that there were multitudes of such men in Greece and Italy before John wrote his Gospel ; and that they were not confined to the lower classes — men of character, such as Cornelius, a Roman centurion at Cesarea, and Sergius Paulus, proconsul at Cyprus, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 253 being converted to the faith of Jesus before the end of Claudius' reign. Porphyry, A. D. 270, acknowledges that Christians were very numerous in the Roman empire; and it is a fact, that christian churches were established in every province of the Roman empire within a very brief pe- riod of the death of Christ, and that thousands and tens of thousands of new converts maintained, with unsha- ken confidence, their adherence to the facts and promises of the gospel, amidst the heaviest persecutions and ca- lamities that ever befell mortals in this life. It is a fact, that the first propagators of Christianity were only fishermen of Galilee, and that they sought and obtained no human power in the prosecution of their undertaking. It is a fact, that the experiment of Chris- tianity was made in one of the most enlightened and refined periods in the history of the world, and on a theater which laid it open to the inspection of all Greece and Rome. It is a fact, that the first messengers of the cross entered into no compromise with the vices and corruptions of mankind, but that they denounced every system of evil, and sought to win men's applause by bringing them to perceive and acknowledge the exquisite loveliness of truth, and by teaching them to submit to a course of religious and moral discipline, which made them kind and forgiving, peaceful and holy. It is a fact, that the doctrine taught by the apostles of Jesus of Nazareth was in many respects new ; that it pro- claimed facts of a strictly miraculous nature ; lhat it sternly opposed every existing system of religion ; that it rebuked and condemned those vices and depraved habits which universally prevailed ; that, nevertheless, 254 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRJSIATNITY. it rapidly spread, and in less than three centuries sub- verted the religion of pagan Rome, and established itself on the throne of the Csesars. Had Christianity been adapted to the depraved inclina- tions of the human heart ; had it flattered men's pride, ambition, and vain glory ; had it promised or secured worldly honor and prosperity; had it been hailed by the great and noble of mankind ; had it been supported by human power, and defended by the swords and shields of the earth ; had conquering armies been its heralds, and the spoils of enemies its rewards; its success would then have been no mystery, and its triumphs would then have afforded no proof of supernatural influence. But if the reverse of all this were the case ; if Chris- tianity had nothing in it to pamper human corruption ; nothing to minister to the pride of the human heart ; no- thing to present to its disciples in the shape of worldly allurement; nothing to draw around it men of high renown ; nothing of power to terrify or subdue; nothing to support the courage of its professors, but the testi- mony of a good conscience and the hopes of a better life ; what shall be said if after all it triumphed? Yes, if, while it opposes itself to all the world, it prevail, what shall be said ? Let us look at the facts of this case, and impartially determine if there was any thing merely human in the original agencies of Christianity, to account for the results which followed their employ- ment. The results are these : The whole Roman empire, in a few short years, was pervaded by the gos- pel ; multitudes of Jews and Pagans were won over to the sincere belief of the facts of Christianity; the very aspects and institutions of society were completely AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 255 changed and remodeled by the new doctrine; the flames of persecution were borne with exemplary fortitude, patience and forgiveness; the cause triumphed by means of its very disasters; and the power which attempted to crush it, at last yielded to its influence. Such are the results — and what are the apparent agencies by which they were effected ! The doctrine of one who was crucified at Jerusalem between two thieves ; the preaching of a few iLiterate fishermen of Galilee ; and the exemplary zeal and consistency of those who ranked themselves as the disciples of the cross. If, then, the agencies of Christianity were merely human, or if they were nothing more than a system of deliberately adjusted imposture, how comes it to pass that there was so little in the apparent process to account for the effect produced ? If all was of man, how did it happen that a scheme so constituted obtained a footing among mankind ] Was it so easy a thing to subvert Jewish prejudice, in the very city of Jerusalem, and to silence the oracles of heathenism where they had ruled with despotic sway, that twelve fishermen, just quitting their nets, and determining to become the founders of a new religion, should be deemed equal to the task ? Let such a case be imagined to take place in our own nation. For if Christianity be not from heaven, nothing forbids the success of such another experiment on the credulity of mankind note, any more than formerly. But does any one in his sober senses believe that it could succeed, or that it would produce even any considerable impres- sion ? We have had, it is true, occasional excitement, produced by certain extravagant persons ; but their W* 250 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY* partial success has mainly depended upon their appeal to the general data of Christianity, and upon their pro- fessed adherence to its cardinal doctrines. We might challenge all the philosophers that ever lived, to invent, or to propagate any imposture answering to the char- acter of Christianity. The thing is impossible. Its facts and its success are solitary examples in the history of our world. Paganism, and the religion of the False Prophet, have nothing in common with them. The former accumulated its materials by a progressive de- parture from all right notions of the moral character of God, and by its marked coincidence with every thing base and polluted in human nature ; and the latter was propagated at the edge of the sword, and amidst all those promises of sensual indulgence which are so grateful to a nature prone to the love of sin. But Christianity stood forth in the spotless purity of its divine Author, and refused to own any as its true disciples who re- mained under the dominion of their crimes. It assailed men with none of the weapons of human power, but made its triumphant appeal to the understanding and the heart. It boasted of no earthly patronage ; but went forth in a secret and hidden power, which was "mighty to the pulling down of strong holds." All weakness in its exterior agencies, it became the wisdom of God, and the power of God, to the salvation of thousands and tens of thousands who embraced its merciful provision.-. It changed the very face of society, and effected revo- lutions in the manners, customs, and laws of mankind, which all other systems had failed to achieve. It is un- philosophical, in the highest degree, to trace its early prevalence to the mere influence of ordinary and sec- AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 257 ondary causes. There is no problem in the world's history bearing the least resemblance to it. The expe- rience of all mankind supplies no illustration of any thing like the success of Christianity, springing from mere human instrumentality, whether well or ill directed. Must men then acknowledge a miracle, in their zeal to get rid of a miraculous history? This is indeed very preposterous ; but it is, nevertheless, the condition to which those reduce themselves who would attempt to account for the mighty revolution produced by Chris- tianity upon mere natural principles. They discard the doctrine of miracles— they repudiate the testimony by which the miraculous facts of the gospel are handed down to mankind; but they call upon their disciples to believe, without a tittle of evidence, that the fishermen of Galilee could have done all that they did, and that Christianity could have gained all its conquests, without the slightest aid from heaven — nay, though imposture and deception were written on the entire undertaking. We demand of them an illustrative example, and we are sure that they cannot produce it. In the absence, then, of all experience to guide our course, and in oppo- sition to all enlightened calculations of what human agency can effect, in certain given instances, we are called upon by infidels to believe that the early success of Christianity might be traced to the operation of sec- ondary causes. To the mind of any unprejudiced person, this will present all the startling difficulty of a miracle, without any of that credible testimony by which alone a miracle can be shown to have taken place. It is nothing short of an insult offered to the understand- 258 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY ing of men, first to point them to the great moral and intellectual revolution which was produced by Christian- ity, within a short period of the death of its founder, and then to assign as its sole case, the zeal, energy, and talent of the fishermen of Galilee; and the credu- lity, love of novelty and versatility which obtain among mankind. Upon every skeptical theory, the early triumphs of the gospel are not only unaccounted for, but totally un- accountable. Such a change was never wrought by mere human means. The entire experience of the race, and all the great facts of history, combine to show the utter irrationality of supposing that a few obscure fishermen and mechanics could have baffled all the wisdom of the wise, brought to nothing the counsel of the prudent, and leveled in the dust the mightiest fabrics of superstition and vice. But when we admit the doctrine of a supernatural influence, according to the distinct announcements of Christianity itself, we are reminded of a cause ade- quate to produce the effects witnessed. Then we won- der not that the weakest instruments should prevail, that disaster should lead to triumph, and that the blood of the martyrs should be the seed of the Church. If the mighty power of God was with the apostles, no wonder that thousands should become obedient to their message. If the quickening of the living Spirit was seen, on the one hand, in external signs and wonders, rendering all gainsayers inexcusable; and, on the other hand, in inward, powerful, and all-subduing movements of the heart and conscience, what wonder was it if the congregated mulitudes of Pentecost trembled, repented, AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 2L9 and turned to God; and if the Pagan world responded to the mighty and gracious impulse? By the nature of the facts to be accounted for, then, no less than by the actual data of Christianity, are we driven to the conclusiou, that there was an interior and hidden, but all-controlling power, which accompanied and rendered effectual the early propagation of Chris- tianity, which lias watched over it from age to age, and which occasions all its success and all its blessed influ- ence in the day in which we live. But should it still be contended that the success of the apostles may be accounted for without reference to supernatural aid; let the question be answered why, when the same human means have since been employed in so many instances, nothing even approximating to the same results has ever ensued ? Jews are found at present .as numerous as ever. Some of the strongest obstacles which opposed the success of the gospel among them, in the apostolic age, do not now exist. They have no religious establish- ment; no regular priesthood; no power to persecute. Christianity, on the other hand, is established. Instead of appearing to the Jews as a thing of yesterday, advo- cated but by a few obscure men, as she did of old, she now presents herself under the sanction of eigh- teen centuries, illustrated by the learning of her disci- ples, professed by all civilized nations. It cannot be said that less human effort, in the aggregate, has been employed for the conversion of the Jews, than was used by the twelve apostles. Much more money has been expended; much more learning has been devoted; much more human power has been exerted ; many more in- 260 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. dividuals have been employed. The same gospel has been preached. The same arguments have been urged. And why should not corresponding effects appear? There is reason to think that there were more Jews converted by the apostles in one day, than have since been won over in the last thousand years. The simple explanation is and must be, that the great power of God was with the apostles for the establish- ment of the truth, in a degree far greater than that in which it is now vouchsafed to his ministers in promot- ing the wide extension of the truth. From the Jews turn to the heathens. There is no reason to believe that the heathenism of the present day is any more opposed to the propagation of Christianity, than that of the world in the age of the apostles. In- stead of twelve, there are hundreds of laborers in the field — men of education, talent, indefatigable zeal, un- daunted devotion. The art of printing has furnished them with facilities of which the apostles, unless it be conceded that they possessed the miraculous gift of tongues, were entirely destitute. The scriptures are now circulated in full, while in the days of St. Paul, the canon being incomplete, they were circulated only in parts. Id addition to all this, Christianity is recom- mended among many heathen nations, by the political importance of the countries from which its preachers have gone, and in some, by the actual co-operation of christian powers ruling in the midst of pagan institu- tions. With these important advantages; what is the success of present efforts among the heathen? Enough, indeed to reward all the zeal expended in their support; enough to show that still the power of God is with the AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 261 gospel, and that ample encouragement is given for all the increase of effort which christians can ever bestow on the heathen; but nothing comparable with the suc- cess of the apostles. Paul was instrumental in convert- ing more heathens, in thirty years, then all modern missionaries in the last five hundred. Explain this fact! It is absurd to attempt it, in view of all the circumstances of the case, except you admit the solution of Paul himself — "I have planted, and Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" Without this grand truth, "God gave the increase" Chris- tianity would have perished on the cross with its founder. We have now set before you a miracle, the evidence of which no eye can be too blind to see: Christianity universally propagated; and yet propagated by no earthly influence but that of the apostles. This is the miracle. It is as directly contrary to the laws of nature and to universal experience, as if, at the word of man, the desert of Arabia should bad and blossom like a fruitful garden, or the sepulcher give up its dead. As long as this one fact, the propagation of Christianity, shall remain, the gospel will be supported by a pillar of evidence which infidels can only remove by taking away the foundation of all inductive evidence, and bringing down the whole temple of human knowl- edge to their own destruction. Now, in conclusion, let us see what an unbeliever must believe in consist- ency with his profession. He must believe that the apostles were either such weak-minded men as to ima- gine that their crucified Master had been with them, from time to time, during forty days after his burial, 262 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. had conversed with them, and eaten with them, and that they had every sensible evidence of his resurrection, while in truth he had not been near them, but was still in his sepulcher; or else that they were so wicked and deceitful as to go all over the world preaching that he w r as risen from the dead, when they knew that it was a gross, fabrication. Suppose the unbeliever to choose the latter of these alternatives. Then he believes, not only that those men were so singularly attached to this untruth as to give themselves up to all manner of disgrace, persecution, and labor, for the sake of making all the world believe, it, know- ing that their own destruction could be the only conse- quence; but also, what is still more singular, that when they plunged, immediately at the outset of their min- istry, into an immense multitude of those, who having lately crucified the Saviour, were full of enmity to his disciples; they succeeded, without learning, eloquence, power, or a single conceivable motive, in making three thousand of them believe that he, whom they had seen on the cross, was indeed alive again; and believe it so fully, as to renounce every thing, and be willing to suffer any thing, for the sake of it, and this on the very spot where the guards that had kept the sepulcher were at hand to tell what was become of the body of Jesus. He must believe, moreover, that although in attempt- ing to propagate a new religion to the exclusion of every other, they were undertaking what was en- tirely new, and opposed to the views of all nations; although the doctrines they preached were resisted by all the influence of the several priesthoods; all the power AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 263 of the several governments; all the passions, habits, and prejudices of the people; and all the wit and pride ©f the philosophers of all nations; although the age was such as insured to their fabrications the most intel- ligent examination, with the strongest disposition to detect them, although, in themselves, these infatuated men were directly the reverse of what such resistance demanded, and when they commenced, were surround- ed by circumstances of the most depressing kind, and by opposers specially exulting in the confidence of their destruction; although the mode they adopted was of all others most calculated to expose their own weak- ness and dishonesty, and to imbitter the enmity and increase the contempt of their opposers, so that they encountered every where the most violent persecutions, till torture and death were almost synonymous with the name of Christian; although they had nothing to pro- pose, to Jew or Gentile, as a matter of faith, but what the wisdom of the world ridiculed, and the vice of the world hated, and all men were united in despising; although they had nothing earthly with which to tempt any one to receive their fabrication, except the necessity of an entire change in all his habits and dispositions, and an assurance that tribulations and persecutions must be his portion. Yet, when philosophers, with all their learning, and rank, and subtlety, and veneration, could produce no effect on the public mind, those ob- scure Galileans obtained such influence, throughout the whole extent of the Roman empire, and especially in the most enlightened cities, that, in thirty years, what they themselves (by the supposition) did not believe, they made hundreds of thousands of all classes, philos- X 264 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. ophers, senators, governors, priests, soldiers, as well as plebeians, believe, and maintain unto death; yea, they planted this doctrine of their own invention so deeply that all the persecutions of three hundred years could not root it up; they established the gospel so perma- nently that in three hundred years it was the established religion of an empire co-extensive with the known world, and continues still the religion of all civilized nations. This, says the unbeliever, they did simply by their own wit and industry; and yet, he well knows that preachers of the gospel, with incomparably more learn- ing, with equal industry, in far greater numbers, and in circumstances immeasurably more propitious, have attempted to do something of the same kind among heathen nations, and could never even approximate to their success. Still the apostles had no help but that of their own ingenuity and diligence! Such is the belief of the unbeliever. To escape acknowledging that the apostles were aided by miraculous assistance, he makes them to have pos- sessed in themselves miraculous ability. To get rid of one miracle in the work, he has to make twelve mira- cles, out of the twelve agents of the work. The Chris- tian takes a far different course. "Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." The weapons of their warfare icere not carnal, but mighty thought God, to the pulling down of strong holds. To which solution, philosophy or com- mon sense would award the prize of rational decision, it is easy to determine. The argument from the propa- gation and success, of Christianity is not yet complete. Satisfactory already, it is yet to receive an immense AUTHENTICITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 265 accession of strength* "The wilderness and the solitary place"-— the immense regions of Pagan and Mohamedan desolation, shall yet be glad for the blessings of the gospel, and the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose. II. Add to the early success of Christianity the pre- servalion of the church, the long existence of which must be pronounced, upon common principles of rea- soning, impossible. She finds in every man a natural and inveterate enemy. To encounter and overcome the unanimous hostility of the world, she boasts no political stratagem, no disciplined legions, no coercion of any kind, yet she expects to live forever. To mock this hope and to blot out her memorial from under heaven, the united strength of empires, has been frequently and perseveringly ap- plied. The blood of her sons and daughters has stream- ed like water. The tribes of persecution have sported over her sons, and erected monuments, as they ima- gined, of her perpetual ruin. But where are her tyrants, and their empires? The tyrants have long since gone to their own place; their empires have pass- ed, like shadows over the rock. They have succes- sively disappeared, and left not a trace behind. But what becomes of the church? She rose from her ashes fresh in beauty and might. She dashed down the mon- uments of her foes, and they who hated her, fled be- fore her. She has celebrated the funeral of kings and kingdoms, that plotted her destruction; and, with the inscriptions of their pride, has transmitted to posterity the records of their shame. How shall this phenomenon be explained? We now witness the fact! but who can unfold the mystery? The 266 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY, book of inspiration has made our wonder to cease, "TAe Lord her God, in the midst of her, is mighty/ 7 Armed with divine virtue, his gospel silent and unob- served, enters the hearts of men and sets up an ever- lasting kingdom. It eludes all the vigilance, and baffles ail the power of the adversary. Bars and bolts and dungeons are no obstacles to its approach; bonds, and tortures, and death, cannot extinguish its influence. Let no man despair (in these days of rebuke and blasphemy) of the chris- tian cause. Christ hath said, "Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" Let her enemies tremble and her friends rejoice! The early success of Christianity under such unto- ward circumstances, and the preservation and stability of the church of God, amid fire, faggots, tears, and blood, must stand as incontrovertible evidence of the operation of divine power and authenticity of the christian religion. PART THIR». UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. LECTURE XII, Christianity confers on the world great literary BENEFITS IS BENEVOLENT IN ITS CHARACTER AND OPERATIONS AND HAS A POWER AND TENDENCY TO REFORM MANKIND. The utility of Christianity, is a very important division of the subject under consideration ; and we cannot overlook it, without doing injustice to the cause of truth. But here we enter a boundless field, never fully ex- plored by finite man, and to the full extent of which no human eye can ever penetrate. Yet enough may be seen to convince us that the field is extensive, sublime and fruitful. We have already, in some measure, anticipated the fruits, or utility of Christianity; yet it may be proper to consider, more particularly, the benefits it confers on mankind. And though we bring this under a third gen- eral division of the subject, for the sake of arrange- ment, yet we consider it only a continuation of the evidence by which the truth and divine authority of Christianity are established. This is evidence, seen and read of all men, wherever the gospel has exerted an X* 263 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. influence— evidence, the force of which every man must feel, who carefully examines it — evidence, such as we might expect to see connected with a religion sent from heaven — evidence, the infidel world would be glad to blot from the page of history, and which has caused their system of religion, built upon false philosophy, to tremble to its center — evidence, that has kindled anew the songs of angels, and caused the sons of God to shout aloud for joy. We shall notice, I. The literary "benefits conferred on the world by Christianity, The most polished nations now in existence, are in- debted to Christianity for the preservation and diffusion of literature, and the elegant arts of painting, statu- ary, architecture, and music. Christianity has been instrumental in preserving and disseminating moral, classical, and theological knowledge, in every nation where it has been established. The law, the gospel, the comments on them, and the works of the fathers, were written in Hebrew, Greek or Latin ; so that a knowl- edge of these three languages became indispensably necessary to every man who would be an intelligent Christian. Christianity being contained in books, the use of letters became necessary to its teachers ; nor could learning have been entirely lost, while there was an order of men who were obliged to possess a moderate share of it to qualify them for the priesthood, and entitle them to its emoluments. In the time of Tacitus, A. D. 108, the German na- tions were strangers to letters ; and the following facts prove that other nations were likely to continue illiterate, UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 269 had not the teachers of the gospel exerted themselves for their instruction. The Goths, having made themselves masters of Athens, A. D. 270, brought together in one heap all the books they found there, and would have consumed the valuable treasure, had not one of them told his com- panions, that while the Greeks amused themselves with these, they neglected the art of war, and were easily overcome. Theodoric, a Gothic prince, A. D. 293, would not suffer the children of his subjects to be instructed in the sciences, imagining that such instruction enervated the mind, and rendered men unfit for martial exploits ; and that the boy who trembled at the rod, would never look undaunted on the sword or spear. But no sooner was Christianity propagated among barbarous nations, than they were taught the use of letters. Ulphilas, a Gothic bishop, A. D. 380, invented letters for his illiterate countrymen, translated the Bible into the vulgar tongue for their use, and instructed them in its doctrines; and some Goths soon became so well in- formed, that they compared their version with the Latin, the Greek, and the Hebrew originals. Before the introduction of Christianity into Ireland, the natives had no alphabet, no annals but their verses, their antiquities, the genealogies of their kings, and the exploits of their heroes. The more verses a man could repeat, the more learned he was deemed, while the bard who composed any thing new, was sure of being re- spected by the kings and people. This was the state of the Irish when the christian missionaries came to instruct them in the use of letters and in the truths of the gospel. 270 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY, Such a change, however, was wrought in them by Christianity and its teachers, that Ireland was styled the island of very pious and very learned men. Ansgari- ous, the chief apostle of the northern nations, not only preached the gospel to those barbarians, but established schools for the instruction of the youth in religion and letters. Cyril, and Methodius, who converted the Bul- garians, Moravians, and Bohemians, about the same time, previously invented the Slavic alphabet, and trans* Iated the Bible and some Greek and Latin authors into the Slavic tongue, for the purpose of expanding their narrow minds, and softening their hard hearts to mild^ ness and piety. Nearly the same may be said of other barbarians, who became proselytes to Christianity. In Russia, the teachers of Christianity recommended, at the same time, the gospel and letters; the rudiments of the arts, of law, and order ; and were seconded in their exertions by religious princes, who employed skillful Greeks for decorating the cities, and for the instruction of the people. A knowledge of the Greek and Roman clas- sics could not have been propagated so universally, had not the clergy found them necessary for understand- ing the scriptures and the works of the fathers. By these means, they possessed most of the learning of those times, and handed it down to their successors, who had the merit of collecting, transcribing, and preserving books, which otherwise must have per- ished, when a taste for erudition" was almost extinct, and the passion. of laymen was directed to arms. On the subversion of the Greek empire by the Mo- UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 271 hammedans, in 1450, literature took refuge in the west of Europe, where many of the clergy were among its most strenuous supporters. At length, learning emerged from the silence of the cloister, whither she had re- treated, and where she had been preserved from destruc- tion ; and her appearance was followed by a revival of all the blessings which she so eminently bestows. The reformation promoted still more the cause of learning; and its general diffusion has been aided most signally by the discovery and almost universal adoption of the art of printing. The modern opposers of revelation, however, ascribe all our improvements to philosophy. But it was religion, the religion of Christ, that took the lead. The Reformers opened to us the scriptures, and broke all the fetters that shackled human reason. Phi- losophy crept humbly in her train, profited by her labors and sufferings ; and now ungratefully claims all the honor and praise to herself. But if we render honor and praise to whom they are due, we must give Chris- tianity the credit of doing more for the preservation and diffusion of ancient literature, than all the philosophy of Greece and Rome. Indeed, it may safely be remarked, that when all the literature and philosophy conferred upon the world by Christianity are taken away, there is but little left. Christianity can boast of the greatest scholars, the greatest philosophers, the greatest statesmen, the great- est patriots, heroes and poets, that ever graced the literary or the moral world ! It is a matter of astonishment, that an attack should ever be made upon Christianity, on the score of litera- ture, when a large number of names, among clergy and 272 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. laymen, will be handed down with honor, as the bene- factors of mankind, while the names of Paine, Hume, Hobbes, Voltaire, and all the vile horde of sciolists, shall be damned to fame, as base calumniators of the sacred writings, and the characters of men, with whom, even in point of literature, they are no more worthy to be compared, than a dwarf with a giant. What shall we say, when such scholars as Barrow, Cudworth, Wilkins, Pearson, Durham, Flamstead, Hales, Bently, Bochart, Mede, Baxter, Chillingworth, S. Clarke, Berke- ley, Butler, Warburton, Watts, Doddridge, Lowman, Jorton, Lardncr, Withe rspoon, Robertson, Newton, Locke, Wesley, A. Clarke, Watson, and a thousand others, both living and dead, are involved in this un- founded censure ? Will any one dare assert, that these men were M too ignorant to embrace infidelity V 9 — that Christianity is embraced only by the illiterate, and that it has not proved a blessing to man, even in a literary point of view ? Christianity has not only given the means, but has prepared the way, for the diffusion of scientific knowledge, and all the blessings of civiliza- tion. The literary benefits conferred on the world by Christianity, are concisely but forcibly stated by Dr. Jorton. " To whom," says he, "are we indebted for the knowledge of antiquities, sacred and secular ; for every thing that is called philology? To Christians. To whom for grammars and dictionaries of the learned languages ? To Christians. To whom for chronology, and the continuation of history through many centuries? To whom for rational systems of morality and natural religion ? To christians. To whom for improvements UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY". 273 in natural philosophy, and for the application of these discoveries to religious purposes ? To Christians. To whom for metaphysical researches, carried as far as the subject will permit ? To Christians. To whom for the moral rules to be observed by nations in war and peace ? To Christians. To whom for jurisprudence, and political knowledge, and for settling the rights of subjects, both civil and religious, upon a'proper founda- tion I To Christians — not to Atheists, or Deists, some of whom (as Hobbes in particular) have been known advocates for tyranny. II. Christianity is a benevolent institution in its char- acter and operations. While it has produced the effects already adverted to, and prescribes the best rules for promoting family peace, domestic and individual happiness, it has also re- moved the great obstacles which have often impeded th -m. The condition of the inferior and dependent ranks of society has been ameliorated; and every varied form of human misery finds some alleviation from the active diligence of private benevolence, and the munificent provisions of public charity. The heathen had no public places for the accomoda- tion of the sick, the poor, the widow, or the orphan, nor was there a single hospital in the whole heathen world ; whereas every christian country abounds with charita- ble institutions for those humane purposes. The flow of divine benevolence proceeding from this pure source, has scarcely left any means untried, (especially in Eu- rope and America,) for meliorating the sufferings of the poor ; it has erected asylums for almost every form of 274 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. human misery, for all the children of the needy, that come under its observations, for the destitute and house- less ; it has extended itself to the abodes of guilt and crime, and has attempted to put within the reach of the prisoner all the comforts that are compatible with the strict claims of justice ; and it has even reached the inferior animals, by procuring for them a gentle treat- ment, and constituting them objects of legal protection. In vain may we search in the writings of pagan or in- fidel moralists for exhortation to benevolence like this : not a word is to be found in Cicero's Officiis, of active and liberal law to the poor, to slaves, to criminals, to the brute creation — in short, to any except friends and relations, or for mere worldly or selfish motives ; and if modern moralists do better, Christianity may claim the praise. What terminated the horrid gladiatorial massacres and murders, which destroyed so many thousands of unhappy persons among the Romans ? Christianity. What has protected widows and orphans against injus- tice ; the weak against the powerful in suits at law ; the goods and persons of the shipwrecked against plun- derers ; and in short, every description of persons against the distress which would otherwise have over- whelmed them ? Christianity. Hence, we discover, that in Christianity, the most degraded and disconsolate can find an asylum. True benevolence streams forth in all its precepts and operations. It breathes love to God, and good will to men, wherever found. III. Christianity has a power and tendency to reform mankind. We trust that we have already made it appear, that UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 275 natural religion, and infidelity in their different modifi- cations, were perfectly inadequate to reform mankind.* And d the christian religion is unable to produce this much desired and necessary object, we may despair of ever seeing it accomplished. But, even a partial sur- vey of the effects of Christianity on the lives of men, and the great change in the moral state of things, since its introduction among us, show that it is fully compe- tent to reform the most profligate, and render society pleasant and prosperous. This need not be wondered at, when we reflect, that Christianity is of such a nature as to admit of being brought home, individually, with con- vincing and transforming power, to every man's bosom. This is what may be termed experimental evidence. Evidence, which every man may be conscious of in his own breast, and discover in the lives of others. Where is the man who ever betook himself to Christianity, without finding it to be the refuge of his weary and restless mind 1 Who could ever, upon actual trial, charge it with a lack of faithfulness to its own preten- sions ? Who ever embraced its animating hopes, with- out finding it productive of peace, and purity, and joy? Who ever became a true Christian without feeling the self-evidencing power of the Gospel ? Who ever be- lieved on the Son of God, without having proof, in his own heart, that the Bible is true ? Who ever made actual trial of Christianity, without finding it to be the 4 the wisdom of God, and the power of God, ? to the salvation of his soul ? Who ever knew the truth as it is in Jesus, without being made free by it from the * See Lecture St. 276 UTILITY OP CHRISTIANITY. thraldom of sin and the bondage of corruption 1 The man who is a genuine believer, is as fully conscious, as he is of existence, that Christianity is no cunningly devised fable. It has established its throne in the deep seated convictions of his heart. He has felt the trans- formation it has wrought: ' old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. ? His entire character has been favorably affected by it. Upon his once gloomy path it has shed the light of immortality ; and in his own person he beholds a monument of the truth and excellence of Christianity, which forbids him for- ever to doubt. By other evidences, indeed, his faith is confirmed; but in his peace of mind, in that hope which is full of immortality; and in the heavenward bearing of his once earthly character, he is enabled to feel that Christianity is to him, all that it professes to be. As the transforming power of the gospel, has been more strikingly exhibited in the conversion of heathens and infidels, than others who were not so violently opposed to it, we shall introduce a short list of each, as illustra- tions of the subject under consideration ; recollecting, however, that these are only examples, while thousands and tens of thousands might be added to the list, to strengthen this branch of christian evidence. The greater the sinner, the more powerful and visible must be their conversion and reformation. While heathen mythology and infidel philosophy have ever failed to reform the moral character of their adhe- rents, many, both learned and unlearned, both noble and ignoble, both rich and poor, both Mohammedans and Pa- gans, both Atheists and Deists, can testify that the gos- pel has proved the power of God to their salvation. UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 277 1. We read of Aristides, Quadratus, Dionysius, Athenian philosophers ; Flavius Clemens, of the Ro- man senate ; Justin Martyr, Tertulian, Lactantius, and Arnobius, who were early converts to Christianity. And Turtullian tells the Roman governors, that their corporations, councils, armies, tribes, companies, the palace, senate, and courts of judicature, were filled with Christians ; as Arnobius asserts, that men of the finest parts and learning, orators, grammarians, rheto- ricians, lawyers, physicians, philosophers, despising the sentiments they had been once fond of, took up their rest in the christian religion. Many of these were brilliant lights in the moral world, and unhesita- tingly died the death of martyrs. But we need not con- fine our researches to the early days of Christianity, to find subjects of its saving and reforming influence. These modern times can furnish many examples. Go no farther than to the Wyandot nation of Indians, at Upper Sandusky, and you can discover many trophies of redeeming grace. Hear the experience of one of that tribe, as related by himself to the Rev. Charles Elliott, missionary among that tribe a few years since : . " When I first," said Between-the-Logs, to Mr. Elli- ott, M embraced Christ's religion, my brother Bloodv- Eyes, was exceedingly mad against me for leaving the eld religion, and for taking up with this new religion. He often endeavored to persuade me to quit this new religion, by all the arguments in his power, as he loved me much, and was anxious for my welfare. I argued with him in this way : Brother, you know that before I embraced Christ's religion, I was a very wicked man, 278 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY, as we all were then. I used to get drunk, and in a drunken fit I killed my first wife. I also was guilty, like others, of a great many other sins. Brother, you know these things were so. But you also know, bro- ther, that since I became a Christian, Jesus saved me from these and all my other sins : and now, brother, I find great peace in my soul. My burden of sin is taken away. The Great Spirit came down into my heart. I feel very happy in being a Christian. I would recom- mend this religion to you, brother. I would recommend it to every one of our nation — it would do us all good. " When my brother, Bloody-eyes, could not persuade me to leave this new religion, as he called it, he began to be very mad at me. He forgot all the good feeling that a brother should have to a brother. He came to the full determination to kill me. He came to me, and said, brother, unless you will give up this new religion, I will kill you. I said, brother, the gospel is the power of God to my salvation ; and Christ himself said, he that loveth life more than me, is not worthy of me. If you kill me, I cannot help it. I cannot deny Christ. He loved me so well as to die for me, (and for you, too, brother,) therefore I cannot forsake his religion. This made him madder yet. He often repeated his threats, and I always gave him the same answer; for God made me very strong, and I found it easier to die than to deny my Saviour, who died for me. "One day, while I was in my cabin, and standing on - the floor, I saw a man at a distance across the plain, coming towards me. After a little I knew it was Bloody- Eyes. A little after, I saw he was armed as a war- rior, just as when he and I fought in the wars, side by UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 279 side. When he came a little nearer, I knew, from his walk, then his actions, and lastly his looks, that he was determined to kill me. I then thought — will I deny Christ ? My heart said no — for the gospel is the power of God, to my salvation ; and, unless I am will- ing to give up my life for Christ's sake, I am not wor- thy of him. If I die, let me die. Bloody-Eyes entered. He seized this long hair (catching his hair in his hand,) with his left hand, and wrapped it round his hand. He took hold of his tomahawk in his right hand, and raised it up, as prepared to strike. He then furiously cried out, 4 Brother, unless you give up this new religion, I will kill you.' "I said to him, mildly, (for I felt very happy, and had no fear,) * Brother, if you kill me, you may kill me ; but I cannot give up Christ's religion/ I went on to exhort him ; his countenance fell ; his hand that held my hair fell down ; his hand with the tomahawk fell down also, as if powerless, by his side. I still exhorted; he began to appear more confused ; he did not say one word more to me ; he stood awhile longer, looked at me, and then went out of the house, and proceeded home. He has never molested me since. I hope and pray he may get religion. I have prayed much for him." He did get religion ! Soon after this, at a meeting held by Mr. Elliott, Bloody-Eyes was found among the penitents invited to the altar for prayers, whose conver- sion is thus described by Mr. Elliott, an eye witness : '•Bloody-Eyes came, among others, and kneeled down just before me, with the bench between us, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, crying, Jesus, sementera — Jesus, Y* 230 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. have mercy! Just a little before this time, Between-the- logs, Mononque, and Hicks, went to the corner of the house, where Deunquat and the Cherokee sat trembling; Between-the-logs stood over the head chief, with his arms around his neck, entreating him to turn to Christ. Mononque kneeled before him, and prayed aloud for God to save Deunquat, who trembled like Belshazzar. John Hicks was equally engaged with the Cherokee. Between-the-logs did not yet notice his brother. We commenced singing, 'Come ye sinners, poor and needy/ in Wyandot and English. I kneeled down beside Bloody-Eyes, who was crying to God for mercy. He seized me fast round the neck, in his earnestness and agony of soul. I then remembered what his brother told me three or four weeks before. But the hands that held his brother's hair and the tomahawk, were then clasped round my neck, and the bench between us — the mouth and tongue that threatened death to a brother, were now employed in seeking mercy. I prayed, in English, for the murderer especially, and in general for all then seeking God's mercy. But it is impossible to write these things — I cannot approach a description. We prayed on. I entirely forgot what the chiefs were about; but I lifted my head after prayer, and glanced towards Deunquat. Between-the-logs then turned his face towards me, and caught a sight of me ; he also saw his brother beside me. In the twinkling of an eye he was with us — his arms around both our necks — all suffused in tears — all praying. After a moment's re- collection, I said, let all the congregation pray. Brother UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 281 Between-the-logs, pray for these penitents, but espe- cially for Bloody-Eyes. Such a prayer! What inter- cession ! There was glory there that could be touched and seen. What melting accents were uttered then! Between-the-logs was directly before the mercy-seat — then he seized on the horns of the altar — then he em- ployed such wrestling as Jacob had with the angel of the covenant, and cried, I will not let thee go till thou bless my brother, Bloody-Eyes ! Surely God heard prayer that very moment. If the sacrifice consumed with God's own fire, or the temple filled with the glory of the Lord, or the utterance of tongues at Pentecost, declared that God was present and heard prayer, surely it was equally certain to us all then, (and the conviction is now as strongly engraven on the tablet of my very soul as it was then,) that God manifested his glory, and converted the murderer's soul. Many more of the Wyandot nation have been happily converted to God, reformed in their lives ; and have adopted the manners and customs of civilization. Be- tween two and three hundred profess Christianity, and are ornaments to the church and to the world. Several other tribes have also, either in whole or in part, em- braced the christian religion ; and several belonging to the different tribes, are now preaching the everlasting gospel. We might produce many other examples from among the aborigines of our own country, to show the reforming power of the gospel ; but our limits will not admit of enlargement. Add to the above the conversion of Sabat and Abdal- lah, two Mohammedans of Arabia. The following are some of the most interesting facts concerning them, as 282 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. given by Mr. Buchanan : — " These two friends left Arabia, after paying their adorations at the tomb of their prophet at Mecca, and traveled through Persia, and thence to Cabul. Abdallah was appointed to an office of state under the king of Cabul, and Sabat left him there and proceeded on a tour through Tartary. While Abdallah remained at Cabul, he was converted to the christian faith, by the perusal of a Bible (as is supposed) belonging to a Christian from Armenia, then residing at Cabul. In consequence of its being death in the Mohammedan states, for a man of rank to become a Christian, Abdallah left Cabul -in disguise, and had gained the great city of Bochara, in Tartary, when he was met in the streets of that city by his friend Sabat, who immediately recognized him. Sabat had heard of his conversion and flight, and was filled with indignation at his conduct. Abdallah knew his danger, and at the feet of Sabat confessed that he was a Christian, and implored, by the sacred ties of their former friendship, to let him escape with his life. ' But, sir, (said Sabat, when relating the story himself,) / had no pity. I caused my servants to seize him, and I delivered him up to Morad Shah, king of Bochara. He w r as sentenced to die. An immense multitude, with the chief men of the city, attended his execution. He was offered his life, if he would abjure Christ — the executioner stand- ing by him with his sword in his hand. ' No,' said lie 'I cannot abjure Christ.' Then one of his hands was cut off at the wrist. He stood firm, his arm hanging by his side, with but little motion. A physician, by desire of the king, offered to heal the w r ound if he would recant. He made no answer, but looked up steadfastly UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 283 towards heaven, like Stephen, the first martyr, his eves streaming with tears. He did not look with anger to- wards me. He looked at me ; but it was benignly, and with the countenance of forgiveness. His other hand was then cut off. ; But, shy said Sabat, in his imperfect English, * he never changed; he never changed P And when he bowed his head to receive the blow of death, all Bochara seemed to say, what new tiling is thisT Sabat had indulged a hope that Abdallah would have recanted when he was offered his life; but when he saw that his friend was dead, he resigned himself to grief and remorse. He traveled from place to place, seeking rest and finding none. At last he came to Madras, in India. Soon after his arrival he was appointed by the English Government a Mufti, or expounder of the Mo- hammedan law — his great learning and respectable station in his own country, rendering him eminently qualified for that office. And now the period of his own conversion drew near. While he was at Yisagapatam, in the Northern Circars, exercising his professional duties, Providence brought in his way a New Testa- ment, in Arabic, (one of those copies sent to India by the " Society for promoting Christian Knowledge.**) He read it with deep thought, the Koran lying before him. He compared them together, and at length the truth of the word of God fell on his mind, as he expressed ir, like a flood of light, Soon afterwards he proceeded to Madras, a journey of three hundred miles, to seek christian baptism ; and having made a public confession of his faith, he was baptized by the Rev. Dr. Krer, in the English church at that place, by the name of Na- thaniel, in the twenty-seventh year of his age ; and has 284 UTILITY OP CKRISIATNITY. since been engaged in translating the holy scriptures into Arabic, for the benefit of his degraded countrymen. 2. We shall now notice the reforming power of Chris- tianity, as exemplified in the conversion of infidels* And we hope that this branch of evidence will have a proper bearing upon the minds of those who profess to be confirmed in infidelity, and others who may be halt- ing between two opinions. Without waiting to notice the thousands of Jews, who are a species of infidel, that have been converted to Christianity, and to lead holy lives, let us take a few modern infidels as examples, who have not only been changed in their sentiments, but reformed in their lives; and who have testified that Christ had power on earth to forgive sin, and fill them with "joy unspeakable and full of glory. " Charles Gildon, author of a book called the Oracles of Reason, was convinced of the fallacy of his own arguments against religion, and the danger of his situ- ation, by reading Leslie's Short Method with a Deist. He afterwards wrote a defence of revealed religion, entitled the Deist's Manual, and died in the christian faith. Lord Littleton, author of the History of Henry the Second, and Gilbert West, had both imbibed the princi- ples of unbelief, and had agreed together to write some- thing in favor of infidelity. To do this more effectually, they judged it necessary to acquaint themselves pretty well with the Bible. By the perusal of that book, however, they were both convinced of their error; both becanfe converts to the religion of Christ Jesus ; both took up their pens and wrote in favor of it — the former, UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 285 his Observations on the conversion of St. Paul ; the latter his Observations on the Resurrection of Christ — and both died in peace.* Pringle, though blessed with a religious education, contracted the principles of infidelity. But after care- fully examining the principles of the gospel of Christ, a full coviction of its divine original and authority was produced in his mind. The evidence of revelation appeared to him to be solid and invincible ; and the nature of it to be such as demonded his warmest accept- ance. Soame Jenyns, was brought back from the paths of infidelity, into which he had wandered, by examining the grounds upon which his unbelief was founded; became a firm believer in the Saviour of mankind, and wrote a small treaties in defence of the Gospel, entitled, a View of the Internal Evidences of Christianity. John, earl of Rochester, was a great scholar, a great poet, a great sinner, and a great penitent. After having, for some time, been engaged in the black cause of atheism, he was convinced of his error, by the force of truth, renounced his infidelity, embraced Christianity; and ordered a recantation of his former principles, signed by his own hand, to be published after his death, which is now extant. When he drew near the last stage of his sickness, about three or four days be- fore his dissolution, he said: — "I shall now die: but, Oh; *Lord Littleton, on his death bed, said to hia physician. The evidences and doctrines of Christianity, studied with attention, made me a firm believer of the christian religion. I have made it the rule of my life, and — it is the ground of my future hopes. 286 AUTHENTICITY OF CHRISTIANITY. what unspeakable glories do I see! What joys, beyond thought or expression am I sensible of ! I am assured of God's mercy to me through Jesus Christ! Oh! how I long to die and be with my Saviour." Duncomb Colchester, also, made a public renunciation of infidelity, and embraced the christian religion. And the Rev. Thomas Scott, thus relates his own experience on this subject: — "I feel myself impelled to declare, that I once was not much more disposed to credit the Scriptures than Mr. Paine, but twenty years employed in diligently investigating the evidences and contents of the bible, have produced in me an unshaken assurance that it is the word of God." We have an account of the conversion of another determined deist to the faith of Christ, in six letters from a minister of the reformed church, to Mr. Newton of London. While he was unacquainted with God, he was guilty of secret impurities, and a stranger to peace. Like a ship in a storm without rudder or pilot, he was hurried along by tumultuous passions, till he grew weary of life. In such a state of soul, and at such a crisis, the light of heavenly truth broke in upon his mind. The Lord spake, and it was done. The storm was hushed. The man was powerfully, and unexpectedly changed. The servant of sin became the servant of Christ; and after- wards became a successful preacher of that faith which lie before labored to destroy. Struensee, prime minister of Denmark, while in prison, for certain misdemeanors, of which he had been guilty, declared, after being brought from a state of infidelity to a serious sense of his situation. The UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY, 287 more I learn Christianity from scripture, the more I grow convinced, how unjust those objections are with which it is charged. I am fully convinced of the truth of the christian religion, and I felt its power in quieting my conscience, and reforming my sentiments. I own with joy, I find Christianity the more amiable, the more I get acquainted with it." Much more he said, in extol- ling the religion of the bible, Brandt, ihe companion of Struensee in guilt and mis- fortunes, with great freedom owned that his imprison- ment was the means of setting his soul at liberty. "For," said he, "when I believed myself to be free, I was a miserable slave to my passions; and now since I am a prisoner, truth and grace hath set me at liberty." He pitied the miserable condition of those that were under the yoke of unbelief and sin, which he himself had worn, and kept himself in it by reading deistical writings. He mentioned, among the rest, the works of Voltaire, to whom he owed very little that was good. He said he had spent upon his travels four days with this old advocate for unbelief, and had heard nothing from him but what could corrupt the heart and sound morals. He was very sorry for all this, but was much pleased, that he had found a taste for the true word of God, whose efficacy upon his heart, convinced him of its divine origin. Dr. Godman was an eminent anatomist and philoso- pher, but unfortunately, he formed his philosophical and religious opinions after the model of ihe French naturalists of the last century; the most distinguished of whom were deists and atheists ; and while assisted bv Z 288 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. such lights as these, and guided alone in his investigations by perverted reason, he became, as he tells us, an established infidel, rejecting revelation, and casting all the evidences of an existing God beneath his feet. In the winter of 1827, while engaged in his course of lectures in New York, he visited the death bed of a Christian; the death bed of a student of medicine. There he saw what reason could not explain, nor phi- losophy fathom. He opened his bible, and the secret was unfolded. From this time he became a devoted student of the scriptures. In a letter addressed to Dr. Judson, he says: — "I was once an infidel, as I told you in the West Indies. I became a Christian from convic- tion, produced by the candid inquiry recommended to you. I know of no other way in which death can be stripped of its terrors; certainly none better can be wished." The letter of which this is an extract, had its desired effect upon the mind of Dr. Judson, who also was entangled in the snare of infidelity, and who was, at the time he received the letter, in the last stage of consumption. He had no confidence but that of the skeptic — no hope but that of ceasing to be. Aware of the fatal nature of his disease, he had long been arming himself to meet the king of terrors with composure, that he might die like a philosopher — "vrith manly firm- ness;" but as he drew near to the grave, the clouds and darkness thickened around him, and he began to fear there might be something beyond this narrow prison. His infidelity began to give way, and he enquired with solicitude, "Is there such a thing as the new birth? and if so, in what does it consist?" lie at length con- sented to make the investigation recommended by Dr. UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 289 Godman. He took up the New Testament and read it in the spirit of candid inquiry. A conviction of the truth of its doctrines fastened upon him. He now soli- cited the advice and prayers of a pious clergyman.* After a severe struggle, the clouds were dissipated, light broke in upon his mind, and he was enabled to take hold of the promises. The remaining days of his life were devoted to fervent prayer, and the constant study of the scriptures, which filled his soul with divine composure, and enabled him to rely with undoubting confidence on the infinite merits of his Redeemer, and with his last breath to cry, "Peace, peace/ 5 And the last words uttered by Dr. Godman, who had been in- strumental in his conversion, were, "Lord Jesus, re- ceive ?ny spirit.*' We might swell the list of those who have been res- cued from the opening and devouring jaws of infidelity, but our limits and your patience forbid an increase. Permit us to add. however, that there are many others who are "living epistles, known and read of all men." There are remaining monuments of God's converting, reforming grace, who can testify, that the christian religion, is not a "cunningly devised fable." And who have blessed God a thousand times that they ever heard, believed and obeyed the Gospel, while the hopes of im- mortality inspire them with ardour in the service of their God, and their lives exhibit the reforming influence of the christian religion. X - - .- . — *The Rev. William Rayland. LECTURE XIIL Christianity constitutes its votaries happy — but a small amount op evidence given evidence constantly increasing what has been given NEVER BEEN ANSWERED- — OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED INFIDELITY TOO LONG BEEN PERMITTED TO ATTACK CHRISTIANITY WITHOUT DEFENDING ITSELF CON- CLUSION. In continuing our remarks on the utility of Christianity, wo shall in the next place endeavor to show that it im- parts substantial happiness to its jiossessor. This is a very important item in the discussion of this subject. For we are bold to aver, that if happiness cannot be found in the belief, experience, and practice of Christianity, it is not to be found in the* wide universe of God. Other systems of religion have been embrac- ed; different plans have been adopted, and different means have been used by mankind, but happiness has not been the result. "There is no peace to the wicked," has been found by them, to be a solemn truth. But, we think that it will appear certain, to all who trace effects to their legitimate causes, that all the na- tional peace and prosperity; all the domestic comforts of civilization, and all the individual happiness enjoyed by man, flow from revealed religion as their great foun- tain and source. At all events, no man has ever failed of obtaining happiness when he made application for it UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 291 in the way, and according to the rules prescribed by the Gospel. The religion of infidels, has been tested on a dying pillow; and has ever failed to impart support and happi- ness to its possessor, at the approach of death; and now let us take a look at the christian, in the same trving moment. Let his religion now be tested, and let his hopes and prospects be contrasted with those, who professed more wisdom, and made greater claims to reason and philosophy, than he. We commence with the great apostle of the Gentiles. After "glorying in tribulations, " and "rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake," for many years, Paul says, to his son Timothy, just as he was about to be executed for his religion — "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 crotcn of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." What confidence, what composure of mind, what resig- nation, what peace, and what prospects, are here ex- hibited ! Witness, also, Stephen, the first christian martyr. He prays for his wicked murderers, while they pour a shower of stones upon him : and the last words that fall from his lips, are — Lord Jesus, receive my spirit — while he gazes at the blest visions of eternal day, and makes his escape into the "bosom of his Father and his God." Passing over a host of christian martyrs, who tri- umphed in a dying hour, we shall now mention a few Z* 292 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY modern christians, who have died in the faith, and found Christianity their never failing support. Addison, was a very able and elegant advocate for the Bible, in life and death. Just before his departure, having sent for a young nobleman nearly related to him, who requested to know his dying commands — his answer was, " See in what peace a Christian can die !" Leland, after spending a long and exemplary life in the service of the gospel, closed it with the following words: "I give my dying testimony to the truth of Christianity. The promises of the gospel are my sup- port and consolation. They, alone, yield me satisfac- tion in a dying hour. I am not afraid to die. The gospel of Christ has raised me above the fear of death; for I know that my Redeemer liveth." Olympia Fulvia Morata, was one of the brightest or- naments of the reformation. She could declaim in Latin, converse in Greek, and was a critic in the most difficult classics. She became enamored of the scrip- tures, above ail other books in the world ; and when dissolution approached, she declared she felt nothing but u inexpressible tranquility and peace with God through Christ." Her mouth w?.s full of the praise of God, and she emphatically expressed herself by say- ing, " I am nothing but joy." Claude, during his last illness said : "I have care- fully examined all religions. None appear to me wor- thy of the wisdom of God, and capable of leading men to happiness, but the Christianas religion. The Protes- tant religion is the only good religion. It is found in the holy scriptures, the word of God," UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 298 About a week before he died, he said to his son and family, " I am leaving you ; the time of my departure is at hand." He afterwards, said, " I know in whom I have believed ; my whole resource is to the mercy of God ; I expect a better life than this." The Rev. Samuel Walker, was a minister of no or- dinary rank in the church of Christ. When his disso- lution drew near, after much former darkness, but the most assured confidence in God, he broke out to his nurse in this rapturous expression : "I have been upon the wings of the cherubim ! Heaven has in a manner been opened to me ! I shall soon be there !" Next day, to a friend who came to see him, he said, with a joy in his countenance, more than words can utter, "O, had I strength to speak, I could tell you such news as would rejoice your very soul ! I have had such views of heaven ! But I am not able to say more." Hervey, was an excellent scholar, and a believer in the Bible, with its most distinguished truths. At the close of life, he said to those about him, " How thank- ful am I for death ! It is the passage to the Lord and Giver of life. O welcome, welcome, welcome death ! thou mayest well be reckoned among the treasures of the Christian ! To live is Christ — but to die is gain ! Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 'peace /" Leechman, late principal of the college of Glasgow, at the close of his life thus addressed the son of a wor- thy nobleman : " I am glad you have had an opportu- nity of witnessing the tranquility of my last moments. But it is not tranquility and composure alone ; it is joy and triumph ; it is complete exultation /" His features kindled, his voice rose as he spoke ; "and whence," 294 UTILITY OP CHRISTIANITY. says he, "does this exultation spring? From that book, too much neglected indeed, (pointing to a Bible that lay on the table,) but which contains invaluable treasures ! treasures of joy and rejoicing ! for it makes us certain that this mortal shall put on immortality." Romaine, in his last illness, cried out, " I have the peace of God in my conscience, and the love of God in my heart ! Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ! Glory be to thee on high, for such peace on earth, and good will to men.'' When the never to be forgotten John Wesley, came to die, his language was — "I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me." M I'll praise my Maker with my breath," &c. Toplady, also, was supported with divine consolations during his last sickness. A few days before his death, he said to a friend, " O, what a day of sun-shine has this been to me ! I have not words to express it. It is unutterable. O, how good is God ! Almost without interruption, his presence has been with me. O, what delights ! Who can fathom the joys of the third heaven? The sky is clear ; there is no cloud ; come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." Janeway's dying words were : "If this be dying, dying is sweet. Let no Christian ever be afraid of dy- ing. Death is sweet to me! This bed is soft. Christ's arms, his smiles, and his visits, sure they would turn hell into heaven ! Come, and behold a dying man, more cheerful than ever you saw any man healthful in the midst of his sweetest enjoyments. Come, let us UTILITY OP CHRISTIANITY. 295 lift our voice in praise. I have nothing else to do ; Hallelujah ! Salvation, glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God ! And again we say, Hallelu- jah ! Methinks I hear the melody of heaven, and by faith I see the angels waiting to carry my soul to the bosom of Jesus, and I shall be forever with the Lord in glory." And who choose but to rejoice in all this ? His last words were, "Amen ! Amen !" General Washington, whose pious example is worthy of close imitation, when on his dying bed, said to his sympathizing, weeping friends around him, " Gentle- men I am dying, but I am not afraid to die." The immortal Bishop McKendree, in view of the past, the present, and the future, cries "All is well, all is well" and leaves the world in glorious triumph. While the talented, indefatigable Emory, with a falter- ing voice responds, "Amen!" steps from his earthly chariot,* into a chariot of fire, on which he rises to join the immortal throng in heaven. These are some of the glorious instances of the happifying influence of Christianity upon the mind of its possessor in the most trying circumstances. These instances are constantly increasing, and volumes might be filled with thejn to the eternal confusion of infidelity. We can defy all the sons of unbelief to show us an example of this kind, among all their brethren. Lives *Bishop Emory, is supposed to have been thrown from bis carriage, and killed, as he wis foimd near it in a senseless state, with his head much fractured. Just before he expir- ed, while a minister of Christ was praying, he revived a little, and whispered "Amen. ;r 296 UTILITY OP CHRISTIANITY. so useful, deaths so great, so noble, so glorious, cannot be found in all their ranks. These are all matters of fact. Most of the persons mentioned, were of the first reputation in their respec- tive spheres of action. Contrast these triumphant and happy deaths, with the deaths of Voltaire, Paine, Altamont, and others of the infidel school, and then ask, "which is preferable?'*' Does not wisdom teach us to say, Let me die the death of the righteous? There are two very important considerations which ought always to be kept in mind. The first is, many Infidels have renounced their infidelity on a dying bed, and deeply regretted that they had not lived Christians. The second is, no Christian has ever been known, to renounce Christianity on a dying bed, or to regret that they had not lived infidels. Christians may regret that they have not been more faithful in the cause of their Master, but they are never sorry, when they come to die, that they embraced the christian religion. Let these facts be remembered by all, especially by unbelievers in Christ. 2. Having extended our remarks beyond our intended limits, we must bring this compendium of christian evidence to a close. We do not however, close the subject, because the fountain of evidence is drained* For volumes could not contain, or ages disclose, all that God has done, to make known the riches of his grace to a fallen world, and induce mankind to be guided by the light of reve- lation. Evidence has been derived from the doctrines, morals, UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 297 and worship of heathens; the defects of natural reli- gion, from the antiquity, harmony and connection, morality, purity of style, and miraculous preservation of the sacred scriptures; from the moral character of the prophets, Christ, and his apostles, and the uncor- rupted transmission of the inspired writings, from the nature and harmony of the doctrines taught in the divine rewards; from the testimony of ancient histori- ans concerning unusual events and facts recorded in scripture, from coins, medals, and ancient marbles, and from tradition; from miracles, types and prophecy; from the early success of Christianity, and preservation of the christian church; and from the benefits conferred on mankind by Christianity. But could we but see all the separate streams united in one; could we measure at once the force of that majestic tide which collects its innumerable tributaries from all ages, and all nations, and ail hearts; could we appreciate its strength by an accurate estimate of all the obstructions with which earth and hell, have endeavored to resist its course — the mountains of difficulty which, in every century, it has rent asunder, or rolled away to clear its course; we should wonder, indeed, at what divine goodness has done to make us believers, and at what human obduracy has been able to withstand for the purpose of continu- ing in unbelief. And this astonishing flood of evidence is perpetually increasing. Every ad litional benefit which christianity bestows upon any portion of mankind; every additional conversion of a sinner to God; every holy life that is added to the shining ranks of the followers of Christ: every new triumph of christian faith over the trials of 298 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. life and the terrors of death; every increase in the ful- fillment of prophecy; every advance in the conquest of the gospel over the darkness of paganism; every new year of victory over all the resistance of pretended friends and unfaithful professors, of internal divisions, and infidel enmity, is a new stream to swell the many waters, which one day, like the deluge of old, will drown unbelief in its last refuge, and make all nations and kindred, know how precious as an ark of safety, is He who "came into the world to save sinners." 3. But have the evidences of Christianity that have existed for centuries, ever been answered 1 : Until they are, additional testimony is unnecessary. Infidels have attacked Christianity — but any thing may be attacked. They have slandered her doctrines, ridiculed her word, reviled her precepts, hated her holiness, and influenced many to go and do likewise ; but neither slander, nor reviling, nor hatred, nor ridicule, is the test of truth. Have infidels ever resorted to the one only fair and honest mode, of meeting, face to face, the whole array of testimony which Christianity advances, and endeav- ored coolly to prove, as a matter of historical evidence, that the authenticity of the New Testament, and the cred- ibility of its history, are not sustained ; that the miracles of Jesus have not been supported with adequate testi- mony; that the prophecies of scriptures have met their attestation in no accurate histories ; that Christianity was propagated by human force alone, and its fruits are those of a corrupt and deceitful tree ? We answer, no. There is no such effort in the books of infidelity. We read of speculations, opposed to our facts; insinuations, in answer to our testimonies; sneers, UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 299 in reply to our solemn reasonings; assertions, where we demanded arguments: levity and presumption, where an advocate of truth would have been serious and hum- ble. But we know of no such thing as a book of infi- delity, in any sense corresponding in the nature, or grounds, or spirit of its reasoning, with such arguments for Christianity as those of Paley, or Lardner, or Greg- ory, or Watson, and a thousand others, to which no man ever dared attempt a candid answer. Infidelity, like an insect on the pillar of some stupendous temple, that can see no further than the microscopic irregularities of the polished marble beneath its feet, may busy itself in hunting for little specks in the surface of. the noble fabric of Christianity ; but has no such eye, and takes no such elevated stand, as would enable it to survey the whole plan, and judge of its pretensions by the mutual adaptation of its parts, the harmony and grandeur of its proportions. If Christianity be considered a plain question of in- ductive philosophy — if it be supported by a competent number of well certified facts — then all true philosophy says, Christianity ought to be believed, notwithstanding any conjectural hypothesis to the contrary. Only confine yourselves to this mode of investigation, and submit yourselves to this simple law of evidence, and, like Newton, you may mount a ladder set on a rock, and reaching to the right hand of the throne of God. Proceed on any other principle, it can only lead you into inextricable confusion. Infidelity is all specu- lation. Reduce it to a residium of inductive reasoning, and you bring it to nothingness. Strip it of its envel- A2 300 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. opes of ingenious hypothesis, and bold assertion, and scoffing declamation, and you find nothing left but a man of straw — an ugly shape, to keep the hungry from the bread of life, which you need only approach to dis- cover that it is made of rags, and stuffed with rotten- ness ! 4. As to objections brought forward by infidels, we know of none, of any importance, which are not put to silence, and buried, by an appeal from what men think, to what men have done ; from speculation to testimony] from the ideas of objectors, to the facts of witnesses. The simple application o? the great principle of induc- tive philosophy, that whatever is collected by observation ought to be received, any hypothesis to the contrary not- withstanding, is the smooth white stone in the sling of David, which no champion of the Philistines, however gigantic in intellect or learning, or in the boast of either, can stand. We now speak of the chief objections. The ignorant ribaldry and ridicule of such an antagonist as Paine, who scraped the common sewers of infidelity for its very lowest and filthiest objections, are best an- swered in the profligate life and despairing death of the poor miserable man himself. As it is so often asked, " If the gospel is of inesti- mable importance to the happiness of man, and a won- derful exhibition of divine grace to sinners, why has not the infinitely good and merciful God extended it to all mankind ?" we may give the question a passing no- tice. Were it taught in the scriptures, that those who had never heard the gospel will be judged by its law, the objection would have force. Eut there is no such doctrine. There is reason in the objection only so far UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 301 as there is reason in a creature's requiring the Creator to explain his ways, and admit him to His councils, before he will believe them. Does a philosopher stand on such grounds 1 Does he doubt the immense difference between the gifts and blessings, the privileges and improvements, of a native of England, and those of a savage of Kamschatka, because he knows not for what reason it was so or- dained ? Does he denv that the former are inestimable, because not universal? Will one refuse to believe that he has a mine of gold in his field, or that the gold is not worth his seeking, because all men are not equally fa- vored ? Shall a husbandman despise the genial rain upon his grass, because his neighbor's place is dry? If God has not seen fit to reveal the reasons for which he has not distributed the gifts of nature, of providence, or of grace, with an equal hand, we find nothing to com- plain of. We still believe that those gifts are from above — are excellent, and distributed under the guidance of infinite wisdom. It is enough for us to know, that Jesus, by the grace of God hath tasted death for every man ; that repentance and remission of sins are preached in his name ; that the efficacy of his cross extends even to those who never heard his name ; that those who sin without a knowledge of the gospel are judged and punished ac- cording to the light they enjoy ; and that those who, in every nation, fear God and work righteousness, are accepted of him ; and finally, that this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and that the redeemed of the Lord, who come to Zion from heathen and christian lands, will all 302 CJTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. join in ascribing glory to God and the Lamb forever and ever. 5. But we do injustice to the cause in which we are engaged, by standing exclusively on the defensive. In- fidelity has too long been indulged with the privilege of attack. It is the stratagem of weakness, to put on a bold front, and make a desperate assault. Any arm can strike, but not every breast can repel a blow. It is high time infidelity were accused and brought to the bar. What proof of a single feature of doctrine or of moral principle can it produce, after having rejected such evi- dence as that of Christianity ? What satisfactory argu- ment for the obligation of any thing connected with natural religion — what proof even of the existence of God, can be offered as worthy of reliance, without a shameful inconsistency, by men who, in the immense power of evidence sustaining the divine authority of the gospel, can find nothing to convince them ? If infidels were put upon the defensive a little more frequently, they would have much less time to be creep- ing with poisoned arrows around the outworks of Chris- tianity. Let them point out, in the belief of the gospel, any thing like the contradictions and absurdities involved in a profession of infidelity ; and it shall be renounced as unworthy the countenance of a rational being, and derogatory to the character of Jehovah. This course of Lectures on Christianity we shall now close, with an affectionate appeal to the hearts of those who may have been allured, step by step, into the snare of infidelity; and on whom, we trust, our labor will not be spent in vain. It is our sincere desire to induce them to flee from the deadly snare, and to become exper- UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 303 imentally acquainted with a religion, cheerful in itself, and making those cheerful who are partakers of it ; cheerful in trouble ; cheerful out of trouble ; cheerful while they live : cheerful when they die ; and cheerful through hopes of gaining those regions of joy, where " sorrow and sighingshall flee away." W A Christian is the highest style of Brian." 13* CONCLUSION. An affectionate appeal to the hearts of those who have been entangled in the snare of infidelity. la making an affectionate appeal to the hearts of those who have been so unfortunate as to become entangled in the snare of infidelity, we are conscious of no motive but a desire to honor God, and to pluck them out of the snare. Regarding them as the victims of error, we arc devoutly anxious to see them extricated from it. Their creed we hold to be alike gloomy and ^pernicious ; and we would show them a more excellent way, and w T ould introduce them, with a bounding heart, into the light and liberty of Christianity. And we trust that the summary of evidence, laid before them in these lectures, may have a salutary effect upon their minds, and prove an additional incen- tive to encourage them to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, and to lay hold on the hope set before them. But, let me ask, have you all the difficulty about the evidence and truth of Christianity that you profess ? Or is your hesitancy of a very different order? Do you feci a repugnance to the holy requirements of Chris- tianity, and a consequent dread of the punishments which it threatens ? And does this prompt in you the baneful wish, "O, that it might not be true V* Remem- UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. 305 ber what Rochester said, "A bad life is the only grand objection to the Bible !" Has not this been very much the case with you 1 You have fallen into sinful courses: you have yielded to the ways of the world ; you have gone with the multitude to do evil ; you have forsaken your better fellowships ; you have learned to spend your Sabbaths in pleasure ; and you have gradually be- come more and more careless. In this state you have been very unhappy at times; you have thought, * well, what if, after all, the Bible be true ! What if, after all, the wicked shall be turned into hell V At this juncture, some one farther advanced in skepticism than yourself, has aided you in shaking off the galling yoke of con- science. He has put some infidel publication into your hand ; you have read it ; it has fallen in with your pre- vious wishes and habits ; you have said, this is the very thing I wanted ; and you have at last learned to revile the Bible, to set lightly by its hopes, and to talk slan- derously of its professors. Come now, my friend, and let us reason together. Look back on the process. Why did you so readily drink in the poison contained in the infidel volume ? Because you were in a state of mind very much the opposite of that which the Bible demands. But what have you found, my friend, in the regions of skepticism? You have relinquished the hopes of Christianity by Jesus Christ. What have you obtained in their place ? Have you found peace of m'nd 1 Will your present charac- ter and your present religion sustain you in a dying hour? Your fathers and brethren in infidelity have tried it, and have found it to fail. And do you wish to try it, and find it to fail you also ? Thousands of Chris- 306 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. tians have died triumphantly, and are you afraid to follow their footsteps ? Does it never occur to you, that ii Christianity be true, you are undone ? — that Yl it'be false, he who believes it can suffer no injury ? Who, let me ask you, are your companions ? What are your pur- suits? And what your hopes? We deeply feel for you, while we greatly blame you. You may have been inadequately instructed ; you may have seen bad exam- ples ; you may have witnessed great inconsistencies in some professors of religion. Granting, however, that all this may have been the case, still the interests of the soul are a personal concern. No man can stand in your place when you come to die. We beseech you, then, to arouse yourself from that lethargy into which sin and unbelief, acting and re-acting, have conjointly sunk you. Ask yourself the question, "what makes me a skep- tic? Is it because I have examined for myself, and know the gospel to be a fable? or is it because I desire that it may be one?" And why should you desire this? If Christianity does not meet your case, no other system can. Infidelity has not met your case; it has not awakened hope; it has not allayed despair; it has not ministered peace. No! it has only stupified a con- science which must yet awake; it has only taught you to put the evil day far away; it has only blinded you for a time to the dread prospects of a future, and im- pending eternity. Why, we ask again, should you wish that Christianity may not be true? Is it because you feel yourself guilty, and shrink from the condem- nation which it threatens? Well might you thus shrink if it did not reveal a remedy, as well as disclose a dis- UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. SOT ease and point out its consequences. Yov are guilty, yea, ten thousand times more guilty than ever you im- agined yourself to be; but what we maintain is, that if you turn away the eye of faith from the great sacrifice which Christianity reveals, you must sink forever be- neath the pressure of your guilt, and with this super- added horror, that you perished at the threshhold of mercy. Is it because you do not love the pure and holy de- mands of Christianity, that you turn away from it? Well; but is not this, its pure character, the proof of its celestial origin? and if so will it avail you to reject it? Will the holy life it requires, be less obligatory because you determine not to pursue it? Will the great Judge excuse you at last because you loved your sins more than his revealed will? Besides, what is to root out unholy inclinations, to correct bad habits, to superinduce devotions, and to raise the soul to God? Is it not divine meditation on the blessed word, under the influence of the Holy Spirit? Here is that consecrated fountain which, by the grace of God, shall quench your thirst of sin. Here you may read of the new heart till you know, by experience, what it is. Here is a divine deliverer, whose "name is called Jesus, because he saves his people from their sins." Here is a divine sanctifier, who can create within you a clear heart, and renew within you a right spirit. A few words more and we have done. Ask God to teach you. Ask him, if the Bible be from him, to enable you to come to the belief of it. Ask him to remove your blindness, to allay your prejudices, to prevent any sinful habit from giving a bias to your decision. And 308 UTILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. above all, ask him, through the atoning blood of the cross, to forgive your iniquities, to change your heart, and help you, by his grace, to walk in the light of his countenance all the days of thy life. Then shall thy darkness be turned into light, thy sorrow into joy, and thy blasting, infidel prospects, into prospects of gaining the undying glories of the world to come. Make no delay in this work; time is short; eternity is at hand; the Judge is at the door, and if you die a stran- ger to the hopes of Christianity, while retrospecting your life upon a dying bed, you will be constrained to adopt the language of the wretched Voltaire, on the miseries of earth. "I tremble at the review of this dreadful picture, to find that it contains a complaint against providence itself, and I loish I had never been born." 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