CHAPTER I.

OF THE EVIDENCE FOR THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARISING FROM PRINCIPLES WHICH IT CONTAINS.

THE

To speak of the evidences of chriftianity, to those who are ignorant of the nature of chriftianity, is almost hopeless labour; for they can but very imperfectly difcern their force. Let us fuppofe a man to have been born-in one of the houfes of Herculaneum, and to have dwelt in his fubterraneous manfion to the years of maturity. You wish to convince him, that there is a God; and you put into his hand, "RAY's widom of God in the Creation." I will not fay that the book is in fuch a fituation entirely deftitute of weight; but I will propofe another plan. First, bring him forth; and place him near the fummit of Vefuvius, when all is ftill: let him behold the fun shining in majefty; and take a view of the furrounding country, and of the neighbour ing ocean. Detain him till the day closes, and the ftars befpangle the firmament; and till the moon afterwards arifes in her brightness, and makes them disappear. With the morning light carry him down to the vineyards, and let him walk through the fields of corn, and feaft his eyes with the varied fcenes of nature. Put the book into his hands Will not the arguments appear with more than tenfold force? Proceed in like manner respecting christianity; for many weighty arguments in its favour rife out of the New Teftament, as thofe for the being of a God rife out of the works of creation.

now.

To the New Teftament, every one who would know what the Chriftian religion is, and who

would inquire after truth with any hope of fuccefs, is earnestly intreated to refort. The particulars here detailed will enable you to form fome idea of the leading principles of the gofpel; and, at the fame time, will be fufficient to convince you, that the New Testament is no common book. Some, especially of late, have endeavoured to reprefent it; and too many, without reading, have been ir duced to believe it to be a weak, ridiculous compilation. But perufe the following fections; and I have no doubt, but every impartial mind will be obliged to confefs, that the New Teftament is the most extraordinary performance which the world has ever feen.

SECTION I.

The Character of God as delineated in the New Tes

tament.

CONSISTENCY is a quality which it is not eafy for a writer to fupport, in the perfons introduced into his book. The higher the character, the more difficult is it to keep up the dignity which belongs to it. When God is introduced, the difficulty rifes to its highest pitch. Man may speak of man as to the general principles of his nature, with tolerable accuracy; but for man to speak of God, and to reprefent him in his nature and government, in fuch a manner that nothing fhall fall beneath the dignity of a being infinitely perfect, is an arduous task indeed. But the writers of the New Testament undertake it. Their volume may be called the book of God. He is introduced at

the very beginning; and he continues in our fight to the end. He appears in every page, nay almost in every sentence. There is a defcription of

his various attributes; and we fee him always clothed with power, wifdom, fanctity, rectitude, and goodness. He is held up to view as the creator and governor of the univerfe; and as the faviour of finful men. He fpeaks; he acts: we are told what he has faid; and what he has done. His extraordinary interpofition for the redemption of the human race, is delineated at full length; and we are instructed what he will do, till the end of the world, and through all eternity.

I fit down and inquire how the men of Galilee fucceed in their hazardous attempt. To my aftonishment I find nothing which it is beneath God to fay or do. Some things are above my comprehenfion; and I do not wonder, for he is God and not man. But there is nothing level to my capacity, concerning which I can fay, "It is unbecoming God to have spoken or acted thus." On the contrary, every thing appears worthy of God. His plans, fo far as I can understand them, are infinitely excellent. He is ever pursuing the general welfare in the highest degree; he is bringing good out of evil; and actually advancing the happiness of all who love and ferve him. Did it not lead me into too large a field, I would extend the defcription to the Old Teftament, the first volume of this book.

I am at no lofs to account for this, becaufe I believe the writers of the New Teftament were infpired. But how will you, who reject christianity, account for it? Whence did thefe illiterate men acquire fo juft and exalted ideas of the Supreme. Being?

But the argument is not prefented in all its extend of evidence, till we compare the New Tesla

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mire them.

ment with the writings of other men. The compofitions of the poets of Greece and Rome have been celebrated throughout the world. You adLet us take a view of the deities which these men, the theologians of the ancient pagans, have described. But their lufts, their quarrels, their revenge, their temper, and their conduct, are fo difgufting, that the mind cannot bear to inftitute a comparifon. How high do the Philofophers of the fame countries ftand in the annals of fame! But when we hear fome of them deny that there is a God, and fee others excluding him from the government of the world; and among the best of these fages, for one just fentiment of God, ten that are abfurd:-if we find more decent company, it is but little more inftructive. Equally needlefs is it to ftop with the votaries of Brahma and Buddha in the caft: they difcover a fimilar tafte, and prefent us with fimilar defcriptions of the object of their worship. Mahomet, it has been remarked, is a peculiar favourite with the oppofers of christianity. Let us attend to his representation of God: only be it remembered that he had the Old and New Teftament to copy from; but he could not copy. His features of deity are harsh and forbidding. Some of the divine perfections are left out: his God is imperfect. The men of Judea and Galilee alone could delineate the character of God. They have done it fo well, that in the most polished countries. at the prefent time, none can fay, "You have forgotten an attribute: we can improve the defcrip-. tion."-Were they not taught of God?

SECTION II.

The Charader of Jefus Chrift.

WERE there nothing elfe to diftinguish the New Teftament from other books, this alone would eftablish its fuperiority. That it is a real character which is drawn, and not a fiction, is evident from the very reprefentation. No human mind would ever have conceived fuch a one. We find nothing like it in any ancient writings: PLATO and ARISTOTLE had no fuch conceptions. Such a birth, fuch a life, fuch a death, lie beyond the bounds of human invention; for human invention is limited. and regulated by human paffions and pursuits. There is a peculiar fymmetry of features, a certain original and appropriate cast of countenance, which proves the portrait to be drawn from a real person; and not to be a fancy piece, which fprang out of the imagination of the painter. This is eminently the cafe in the life of Chrift. The difcerning reader will perceive it to be no romance, no effort of genius, to pourtray a remarkable character which never had exiftence; but a real perfonage who lived on earth, and did, and suffered, and ipoke, and acted, what is elated of him. If in any inflance human fagacity can difcriminate between real life and fiction, it is here; for a thousand circumftances are adduced, which furnish the fulleft opportunities of diftinguifhing the one from the other. The heated imagination of a writer may fancy that his hero acts naturally and according to character in the various fituations in which he places him; and thofe likewife with whom he has intercourse. But one reader, more converfant with a peculiar