seems to have settled by time into a firmer and more compact state. Resume, then, your tranquillity, and employ the blessing of a secure abode to its proper uses. Thus will every renewed examination confirm your faith in the Christian Revelation.
But remember that, in order to this, you must continue in a practicable and heartfelt obedience to the blessed Saviour, who is the centre of divine truth; in whose doctrine, example, grace, all Christianity is comprised: and who with the Spirit of God is the divine agent in redemption. So will you have the witness in yourself. If you use Revelation, the evidence will break in upon your mind more and more; if you are not using it, nothing can render it clear: objections will arise, as noxious vapors, from the stagnant mass of notions and prejudices in your mind. God keeps things in his own hand. Truth, to be strongly seized, and fully understood, must be obeyed, loved, carried out into practice.
And be assured, that the highest effort of the human intellect, is to bow to the divine; the noblest exercise of the human powers, is to glorify God, and aspire after his favor; the truest liberty of man is a subjection to his all-perfect Creator and Lord; the only genuine source of human happiness, is the acquiescence of our will in the will of God.
All other advice is poison; all other means of elevation or happiness, are the swellings of disease, and the perverse dictates of a rebellious nature.
Man's probation consists in this one point; Will he humble his reason before God's all-comprehending knowledge, and his heart and affections before God's all holy and perfect commands?
Christianity is the highest reason; the purest morals; the only sound philosophy; the truest happiness of man.
All the discoveries in science illustrate the divine glory in creation; as all the researches of history, and all the testimony of experience, display the divine grace in Revelation. Each new discovery adds something to the impression, though little to the obligation under which we lie to obey and love God; for this obligation is so deep-rests on so firm a foundation-extends to so many points, and con
EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.
verges into so bright and luminous a centre, as to be little affected by a single argument, more or less clearly stated, or adequately perceived.
Soon will truth shine out without a cloud; soon will the folly of unbelief, and the wisdom of faith, be seen in other proportions than at present; soon will the moral obligation of obedience to such a Revelation as Christianity, and the unutterable guilt of rejecting it, appear in their just characters; soon will all the passing objections and cavils of men be dispersed as the early dew; soon will the day of probation be terminated for ever; this world, and all its occupations fade away; and an end be imposed on the present scene of things. Yes, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth, also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up.a Then SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN IN THE KINGDOM OF THeir father.b
It is with the purpose of preparing your inquiring minds for this sublime and awful consummation, that I have addressed you in these Lectures; which, undertaken with great apprehension and self-distrust, I would desire to lay, as an offering, on the altar of the Christian faith, humbly beseeching the God of all mercy to pardon the defects of the writer, and to bless and prosper what there is of truth in his statements and representations; and imploring that both author and readers may find mercy of the Lord in that
And now, after the example of my most revered predecessors in this argument, I would desire to conclude this my attempt, not in words merely, but from the sentiment of my heart, with that ascription of praise which the illuminating Spirit has himself left for our use:-Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now Amen.d
(a) 2 Pet. iii. 10-12. (b) Matt. xiii. 43. (c) 2 Tim. i. 18. (d) Jude i. 25.
Adaptation of Christianity to man.
Address to the docile and sincere
student, i. 173. Rulers and governors, ii. 390.
Ministers of Christ's church, 392. The humble and teachable, 396.
Advantages, which each individual has respectively enjoyed in a Christian land, un-
speakably augment the obligation to receive Christianity, ii. 353.
Alaric, soldiers under, a wonderful example of the power of Christianity over the
fierce passions of man, i. 276.
Apocryphal books of Old Testament, i. note, 145.
Apocryphal books of New Testament are destitute of the external proofs of authentic-
ity which belong to the Canonical books, i. 112.
Apostles, the, of our Lord, were twelve separate witnesses to the gospel facts, i. 139;
had a full knowledge of the things they attested, 139; were competent judges of the
facts to which they bore testimony, 139; were of transparent integrity of character,
140; men of sound minds, and by no means credulous, 141; relate events at the
spot where they occurred and before the multitudes who witnessed them, 142;
their subsequent lives were distinguished by unparalleled benevolence and holiness,
142; and they had nothing to expect for their testimony but temporal calamities and
death, 142. Gifts bestowed upon them by our Lord, 302.
Apparent contradictions in man, accounted for by the Christian Revelation, ii. 37.
Authenticity of writings defined, note, i. 83; discovered by their contents, 92.
Authenticity of the Old Testament, connected with that of the New, i. 81, 143.
Authenticity of the books of the New Testament stands on the authority of apostle
Paul, i. 82; Illustrated by that of the Book of Common Prayer, 84; Dooms-day
Book, 84; Institutes of Justinian, 84; Ancient Classics, 85; Manifest from their
contents, 93; and, by analogy, from the conduct of men respecting legal deeds, 95.
The proofs of, which we possess, are irradiations of the divine glory, 96; and de-
mand our sincere confidence, 97. They consist of the testimony of witnesses, in
succession, from the present day up to the time of the apostles, 99; a specimen
of their testimony, 104; of the progressive settlement of the sacred canon, 106; the
admissions of Heathen and Jewish adversaries, 108; the number and antiquity of
our manuscripts, 110; the style and manner of the books, 113; unexpected confir-
mations, 116.
Babylon, destruction of, i. 228.
Bacon's, lord, remark on the office of reason, ii. 294; on interpretation of Scriptures,
note, 332.
Beneficial effects of Christianity. See Effects of Christianity.
Benevolence and compassion of Jesus Christ, ii. 112.
Benevolence, the cement of national virtue, ii. 391.
Boyle, the Honorable Robert, the character and conduct of, ii. 252.
Canaanites, the history of, shows the fulfilment of prophecy concerning them, i. 230.]
Candid and sincere mind, all is light in Christianity to the. i. 344.
Canon of Scripture, the progressive settlement of, i. 102.
Celsus, the Heathen philosopher, admits the genuineness of the New Testament,
i. 108.
CHRIST must be received into the heart, as well as the miracles he wrought be be-
lieved, i. 175. The character and conduct of our LORD JESUS, ii. 99; his claims,
100. His conduct as MEDIATOR, 102; the SON OF GOD, and the SAVIOUR of
the world, 103; a teacher and revealer of the will of GOD, as to his manner, digni-
fied and forcible, 104; yet mild and attractive, 105; as to his matter, grand, and
yet intelligible, 106; earnest, and yet wise, 106; in a state of humiliation, 103; prom-
ising to his disciples a heavenly reward, 109. As a PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, an
example of human virtue, 110; piety and devotion to his heavenly Father, 111; be-
nevolence and compassion towards man, 112; meekness and lowliness of spirit, 113;
superiority to the world, 114; strict temperance, and command of the inferior ap-
petites, 114; fortitude and constancy, 115; prudence and discretion, 115; all these
unalloyed with the kindred failings, 116; opposite graces in equal proportion, 116;
carried to the utmost height, and continued in one even tenor, 117; with a peculiar
harmony, 117. AS THE FOUNDER of the Christian religion, 118; his suitableness
to the necessities of man, 118; the surprising novelty and sublimity of his deport-
ment, 119; the different parts of his character correspond with his undertaking, 120;
the impression and effect of his whole public character, 121; the manner in which
it is given by the evangelists, 122. The argument in favor of Christianity, springs
from a fair presumption upon the first statement of the case, 124; rises higher when
contrasted with every pretension, 125; becomes a moral demonstration, 127; and
bears away the heart of every serious inquirer, 129.
Christian, the true, feels the necessity of Revelation, i. 75, 77.
Christians should take care that the good effects of Christianity be the result of
religious principles in themselves, i. 236; must not stop short in its temporal benefits,
286; and will find its advantages in proportion to the development of its strength
and energy, 268. Young Christians should continue in the things they have been
assured of, 315.
Christian nations, the state of, shows that Revelation was necessary, i. 73; viewed
in the sixteenth century, 73; at any period, 74; at the present day, 74. The ad-
vantages they possess, 78.
Christian Revelation speaks a decisive language, ii. 32; unfolds all the mysteries of
man's condition, 35; accounts for the apparent contradictions of his state, 37; and
addresses him on this footing, 38. Provides also a remedy for all his wants, 39;
and is calculated for universal diffusion, 44.
Christianity courts inquiry; i. 25; is not a speculation, 42; requires her students to
be of a meek and docile disposition, 45. The only religion set up and established
by miracles, 171. Effects of, 269. Admission of the inspiration of the Scriptures
essential to the right reception of Christianity, 330. Connives at no one vice, ii.
47. The sum of, Jesus Christ, 130; supposed to be universal, 156. What it is, and
what it is not, 159. Directions for making a personal trial of it, 190. Is so excel-
lent in itself that the slightest external evidence is sufficient to oblige men to obey
it, ii. 343.
Clement, Bishop of Rome, A. D. 91 to 110, testimony of, to the authenticity of books
of New Testament, i. 104; to the inspiration, 313.
Coins, ancient, see Medals.
Common sense, it is an act of, to follow the proofs of Christianity, i. 342. Common
sense and the ordinary laws of human language assist us to the right method of in-
terpretation, ii. 316.
Compass, the Bible is the Christian's, i. 149.
Confirmations to the authenticity of the New Testament unexpected, i. 116. A re-
markable fragment discovered in 1740, 118. Medals and coins, 120.
Consolatory, the Christian doctrines are, ii. 69.
Constantine's the Emperor, attachment to sacred Scriptures, i. 107.
Contradictions of Infidelity and Paganism, ii. 65.
Converts. Men of the finest talents convinced by the Christian history, i. 134. The
moral and religious change wrought in the Christian, 256. Included persons of all
ranks, 257.
Conviction of the truth of Christianity is strengthened the more practically its propa-
gation is considered, i. 267.
Credibility of the Old Testament, i. 144.
Credibility of the New Testament defined, i. 124; illustrated, 125; established by the
authenticity of the books, 126; by the extraordinary prominence and small number
of the principal facts, 126; by the positive and various testimonies adduced, 127;
by the testimony of the governors of Roman provinces, 129; Heathen writers, 129;
Jewish historians, 131; by the conviction produced in the minds of men of the finest
talents, who, examining the pretensions of Christianity, met its claims at first with
prejudice and hatred, 134; by silence of Mahomet, 135; by existing rites and
usages, which sprang out of the facts of Christianity, 135; by ancient and authentic
monuments, coins, and medals, 136; by the character and circumstances of the sa
cred writers themselves, 137; fifteen witnesses, 139; possessing a full knowledge of
the things they attested, 139; and of which they were competent judges, 139; being
persons of the strictest integrity, 140; of sound minds, and by no means credulous,
141; relating events at the spot where they occurred, and before the multitudes
who witnessed them, 142; their subsequent lives marked by unparalleled benevo-
Jence and holiness, 142; while they had nothing to expect for their testimony but
temporal calamities and death, 142; no one came forward to complain of an im-
position, 143; if our accounts be false, where is the true one, 143.
Depravity of the human heart the greatest obstacle to the full reception of Chris-
tianity, i. 343.
Direction, the, which Christianity takes, ii. 134.
Directions for entering on a personal trial of Christianity as a matter of experience,
ii. 187; study Christianity in the Bible itself, 190; trace out in your heart and
character the truth of the particular statements of the Bible, as to the condition of
man and his guilt before God, 194; pray fervently for divine grace, 198; use the
means which God has promised to bless, 200; keep your eye fixed on the great
object which Christianity reveals, 201; observe how all the parts of it constitute a
whole, and meet all the necessities of your case, 203.
DIVINE AUTHORITY of Christianity established by miracles, i. 150; prophecy, 177,
200; its propagation, 243; preservation, 261; beneficial effects, 269; adaptation, ii.
25; doctrines, 52; morals, 76; example of Christ, 101; and tendency, 131.
Docile hearers, address to, ii. 129, 395.
Docility necessary in a student of Christianity; i. 45, 196, 241; essential to a sound
interpretation of Scripture, ii. 312, 336, 338.
Doctrines of Christianity, definition of, ii. 52; enumeration of the chief doctrines,
53; their divine excellency pointed out, 53; they all emanate from the character
of God, 53; possess simplicity, 61; surpassing grandeur and sublimity, 62; and an
harmony which stamps their divine authority, 63; meet all the necessities of man,
66; and yet promote the ends of God's moral government, 67; are deeply humili-
ating, 68; and yet sources of consolation, 69; they are the result of the great de-
sign of Almighty God, 70; augment the inward evidence of Christianity, 74; and
demand of the true Christian, love and gratitude to God, 74.
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