good men, through many genera- | profound veneration, and the strongtions and in distant countries, have est prepossession in its favour. agreed in receiving the Bible as a II. The agreement of the sacred divine revelation. Many of them penmen among themselves is anhave been noted for seriousness, other cogent argument of their dierudition, penetration, and impar-vine inspiration. Should an equal tiality in judging of men and things. number of contemporaries, of the With much labour and patient in- same country, education, habits, vestigation, they detected the im- profession, natural disposition, and postures by which their contempo- rank in life, concur in writing a raries were duped; yet the same book on religious subjects, as large assiduous examination confirmed as the Bible, each furnishing his them in believing the Bible to be proportion, without comparing notes "the word of God," and induced together; the attentive reader, them to recommend it, living and whose mind had been long inured dying, to all others, as the source to such studies, would be able to of wisdom, hope, and consolation. discover some diversity of opinion In this view, the tradition of the among them. But the pehmen church has much weight; for what- of the Scripture succeeded each ever abuse has been made of the other, during the term of fifteen term, by such as were no part of hundred years: some of them were the true church, yet the whole princes, or priests: others shepcompany of those, who have wor- herds and fishermen, &c. : their nashiped the living God in spirit and tural abilities, education, habits, and truth (including them who ventured employments, were exceedingly vaand laid down their lives for con- ried: they wrote laws, history, proscience sake, and who were the phecy, odes, devotional exercises, most pious, holy, and useful men proverbs, parables, doctrines, conin every age), having unanimously troversy, &c. each man had his concurred in handing down to us distinct department: yet they all the Scriptures as a divine revela- exactly coincide, in the exhibition tion, and having very little differed they give us of the perfections, about the books which form a part works, truths, and will of God; of of that sacred deposit, must be al- the nature, situation, and obligalowed to be a consideration of great tions of man; of sin and salvation; importance. And I cannot but of this world and the next; and in suppose, that if a being of entire short, of all things connected with impartiality, of sound judgment, our duty, safety, interest, and comand holy disposition, should be fort, and in the whole of the reshown the two companies, of those ligion inculcated by them. They who have received and of those all were evidently of the same judgwho have rejected the Scriptures; ment, aimed to establish the same and should compare the serious- principles, and applied them to the ness, learning, and patient investi- same practical purposes. Apparent gation of truth, solid judgment, holy inconsistencies will indeed perplex lives, and composure in a dying the superficial reader: but they will hour, (without unmanly terror or vanish after a more accurate invesindecent levity,) of the one com-tigation: nor could ever any charge pany, with the character and con- of disagreement among the penmen duct of the other; he would be in- of the Bible be substantiated; for duced to take up the Bible with it can only be said, that they re

lated the same facts with different be evidently shown to have been circumstances, which are perfectly published in the very ages and reconcileable; and that they gave places in which they were said to instructions suited to the persons have been wrought, openly, in the whom they addressed, without sys-presence of vast multitudes, enetematically showing the harmony mies as well as friends; yet this of them with other parts of divine public challenge never called forth truth. They wrote not by concert, any man to deny that they were and bestowed no pains to avoid the really performed, nor was an atappearance of inconsistency; yet tempt of this kind ever made till the exact coincidence that is per- long afterwards. Can any man of ceived among them by the diligent common sense think, that Moses student is most astonishing, and and Aaron could possibly have percannot be accounted for on any ra- suaded the whole nation of Israel, tional principles, without admitting that they had witnessed all the that they "wrote as they were plagues of Egypt, passed through moved by the Holy Ghost." the Red Sea, with the waters piled

To this we may add, that the on each side of them, gathered the Scripture history accords, in a won- manna every morning, and seen all derful manner, with the most au- the wonders recorded in their histhentic records which remain of the tory, if no such events had taken events, customs, and manners of place? If, then, that generation the countries and ages to which it could not be thus imposed on, when stands related. The rise and fall could the belief of such extraordiof empires, the revolutions that nary events be palmed upon the have taken place in the world, and nation? Surely it would have been the grand outlines of chronology, impossible, in the next age, to per&c., are coincident with those suade them that their fathers had stated by most approved ancient seen and experienced such wonderwriters; whilst the palpable errors ful things, when they had never in these respects, detected in the heard a single word about them in apocryphal books, constitute one of their lives; and when an appeal the most decisive reasons for reject- must have been made to them, that ing them as spurious. The history these were things well known among of the Bible is of far greater an-them! What credit could have been tiquity than any other records ex- obtained to such a forgery at any' tant in the world; and it is remark-subsequent period? It would have able, that in many instances it shows been absolutely necessary, in making the real origin of those absurd fables, this attempt, to persuade the whole which disgrace and obscure all other people, that such traditions had histories of those remote times; always been current among them; and this is no feeble proof, that it that the memory of them had for was derived from some surer source ages been perpetuated by days and of information than human tradi- ordinances observed by them all; tion. and that their whole civil and reIII. The miracles by which the ligious establishment had thence penmen of the Scriptures confirmed originated: and could this have their divine mission to their con- possibly been effected, if they all temporaries, afford us also a most had known, that no such memorials convincing proof in this matter. and traditions had ever before been The account of these miracles may heard of among them? The same

might be shown concerning the other diers, who guarded the sepulchre, miracles recorded in Scripture, espe- or the disciples, who were said to cially those of Christ and his apos- have stolen the body, to a public tles; and it might be made evident, trial; though they had the latter that the man who denies them to in their custody. The eleven aposhave been actually performed, must tles (to whom a twelfth was soon believe more wonderful things with- added) were a sufficient number of out any evidence, than those are competent witnesses, being men of which he rejects, though established plain sense and blameless lives; by unanswerable proof. But bre- they could not but identify the pervity will only allow me to insist on son of their Master, whom they one miraculous event, viz. the re- had so long attended; they unanisurrection of the Lord Jesus; for mously testified, that they had rethis being once proved, the whole ceived the fullest assurance of their Scripture is evinced to be a divine senses to his resurrection, and at revelation. His doctrine and au- length beheld him ascend up tothority establishes the authenticity wards heaven, till he was received of the Old Testament; and the out of their sight: and they perwitnesses of his resurrection were sisted invariably in this testimony the penmen of the New Testament. for many years. They were eviAlmost all human affairs are con- dently intimidated, to a great deducted by testimony; the concur- gree, by the crucifixion of their rence of two or three unexception- Lord, and backward to credit his able witnesses is sufficient to prove resurrection: they could have no any fact, that is in its own nature possible secular motive to invent credible and the resurrection of and propagate such a report; for a dead person, by Omnipotence, and ignominy, torture, and death must for the most important purposes, be the probable consequences of cannot reasonably be deemed in- espousing the cause of one, who credible. The ancient prophets had been crucified as a deceiver. had predicted the resurrection of In all other things they appeared the Messiah (Psalm xvi. 10; Isaiah, simple, upright, holy men: yet, if liii. 10-12): and indeed every in this they deceived, the world preintimation of his glorious and never yet produced such a company perpetual kingdom, when compared of artful and wicked impostors! with the prophecies of his suffer- Yet they evidently proposed no ings and death, implied that he advantage to themselves from their would rise again from the dead. deep laid and well conducted His very enemies knew, that he had schemes! They spent all the rest foretold his own resurrection within of their lives in promoting the rethree days, and took precautions ac-ligion of Jesus; renouncing every cordingly; yet the body was gone, earthly interest; facing all kinds and they could give no rational ac- of opposition and persecution; precount what was become of it. They pared habitually to seal their testihad the whole authority vested in mony with their blood; and most them; and their reputation was of them actually dying martyrs in deeply concerned: yet they rather the cause, recommending it with chose to bear the open charge of their latest breath. Moreover, the basest murder and prevarication when they went forth to preach imaginable, than excite any further Christ as risen from the dead, they inquiry; by bringing either the sol-were manifestly changed, in almost

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every respect, from what they had risen Saviour prevailed against all before been their timidity gave the combined power, learning, place to the most undaunted cou-wealth, superstition, and wickedrage; their carnal prejudices va-ness of the world, till Christianity nished; their ambitious contests was completely established upon ceased; their narrow views were the ruins of Judaism and Pagan immensely expanded, and zeal for idolatry! Here again, it may be the honour of their Lord, with love demanded, when could the belief to the souls of men, seem to have of such facts have been obtruded engrossed and elevated all the pow-on mankind, if they had never hapers of their minds. There were pened? Surely not in the age, also many other competent wit- when they were said to have been nesses to the same great event, witnessed by tens of thousands, even to the number of five hundred: who were publicly challenged to these too concurred in the same deny them if they could! Not in testimony to the end of their lives; any subsequent age; for the origin and neither fear, hope, nor dissen- of Christianity was ascribed to them, sion among themselves induced so and millions must have been permuch as one of them to vary from suaded, that they had always bethe testimony of the rest: nay, the lieved those things, which they apostates from Christianity never had never to that time so much as openly charged the apostles with heard of! We may then venture any imposition in this respect. A to assert, that no past event was more complete human testimony to ever so fully proved as our Lord's any event cannot even be imagined: resurrection; and that it would not for if our Lord had shown himself be half so preposterous to doubt, openly to all the people" of the whether such a man as Julius Cæsar Jews, and their rulers had persisted ever existed, as it would be to quesin rejecting him, it would have ra- tion, whether Jesus actually arose ther weakened than confirmed the from the dead. What then do they evidence and if they had unani- mean, who oppose some little apmously received him as the Mes- parent variations, in the account siah, it might have excited in others given of this event by the four a suspicion, that it was a plan con- Evangelists (which have repeatcerted for aggrandizing the nation. edly been shown capable of an easy

But God himself was also pleased reconciliation), to such an unparalto add his own testimony to that of leled complication of evidence, that his servants; conferring on them it did actually take place? the gift of the Holy Ghost, and en- IV. The prophecies contained abling them to impart the same in the Sacred Scriptures, and fulfilmiraculous powers to others, by the ling to this day, prove them to be laying on of their hands. Thus the divinely inspired. These form a number of witnesses continually in-species of perpetual miracles, which creased, the testimony was more challenge the investigation of men widely diffused, and no enemy in every age; and which, though could deny, that they, who attested overlooked by the careless and preChrist's resurrection, performed judiced, cannot fail of producing most stupendous miracles (Acts iv. conviction proportioned to the at13-16). In consequence of this, tention paid to them. The prothe unlettered, unarmed, and de-phecies of the Messiah, which are spised preachers of a crucified and to be found in almost all the books

of the Old Testament, when com- ranny, and persecution of the Roman pared with the exact accomplish- hierarchy; the division of the emment of them, as recorded in the pire into ten kingdoms; their conauthentic writings of the Evan-currence during many ages to supgelists, abundantly prove them to port the usurpations of the Church have been penned under the guid- of Rome; and the existence of ance of the Holy Spirit: whilst the Christianity to this day, amidst so existence of the Jews, as a people many enemies, who have used every differing from all others upon the possible method to destroy it; when face of the earth, and their regard compared with the predictions of to them, as the sacred oracles hand- the New Testament, do not come ed down from their progenitors, suf- short of the fullest demonstration ficiently vouch for their antiquity which the case will admit of, that (though further proof in abundance the books that contain them are the is at hand, did brevity admit of it). unerring word of God. According to the predictions of V. Only the Scriptures (and such these books, Nineveh hath been books as make them their basis) indesolated (Nahum, i. ii. iii.); Ba- troduce the infinite God as speakbylon swept with the besom of de- ing in a manner worthy of himself; struction (Isaiah, xiii. xiv.); Tyre with simplicity, majesty, and aubecome a place to dry nets in (Ezek. thority. His character, as there xxvi. 4, 5); Egypt the basest of the delineated, comprises all possible exkingdoms, &c. (Ezek. xxix. 14, 15). cellency, without any intermixture; These and many other events fulfil- his laws and ordinances accord to ling ancient prophecies, so many his perfections; his works and disages after they were delivered, can pensations exhibit them, and all his never be accounted for, except by dealings with his creatures bear the allowing that he, who sees the end stamp of infinite wisdom, justice, from the beginning, thus revealed purity, truth, goodness, and mercy, his secret purposes; that the ac- harmoniously displayed. The decomplishment of them might prove scription there given of the state of the Scriptures to be his word of in- the world, and of human nature, struction to mankind. widely differs from our ideas of In like manner, there are evident them; yet the facts unanswerably predictions interwoven almost with prove it to be exactly true. The the writings of every penman of records of every nation, the events the New Testament, as a divine of every age, and the history of attestation to their doctrine. The every individual, confute men's selfdestruction of Jerusalem, with all flattery in this respect; and prove, the circumstances predicted in the that the penmen of the Bible knew Evangelists (an account of which the human character better than may be seen in Josephus's History any philosopher, ancient or modern, of the Jewish Wars); the series of ever did. Their account teaches us ages during which that city hath what men are about, and what may been" trodden under foot of the be expected from them; whilst all, Gentiles;" the long continued dis- who form a different estimate of it, persion of the Jews, and the conver- find their principles inapplicable to sion of the nations to Christianity; facts, their theories incapable of the many antichristian corruptions being reduced to practice, and their of the gospel; the superstition, un- expectations strangely disappointcommanded austerities, idolatry, ty-led. The Bible, well understood,