ject from any early Christian writer. Renan's conception as to the physical beauty of Jesus must, therefore, be purely ideal. Being a philosopher, however, he may have had access to sources of information of which we are ignorant; or, where the Old Testament scriptures, for instance, in speaking of Him, read physical deformity, he, perhaps, understands it physical beauty, and vice versa. His exegesis being scientific, according to his own idea of that term, his rules of interpretation are so diverse from and so much above, or below-as you please—other men's, there is really no knowing how to take him, or, as we have seen, what strange meaning he will draw from any given passage. But this, after all, is not at all surprising, because Renan, you know, is a rationalist.

I can assure the reader that it is not at all consonant with my feelings to be writing so much in a condemnatory strain; but such is the character of the work before me-in so odious a light does it represent the character of our blessed Lord, his Apostles, and God's truth generally, that I am really constrained to it from motives of jealousy for the honour and glory of God. So absurdly strange and irrational are his general religious views, taking, as he does, Christ and the Gospels for his guide-so ridiculous his interpretations of Scripture, as shown by his references to Scripture passages in proof of his positions-and so unnaturally strained and whimsical are the efforts which he makes to build up a theory of his own on the foundation of Christ, to the entire subversion of almost everything essential to the spiritual and eternal well-being of man; and all this in so artfully deceptive, highly coloured, and insinuating a manner that it behoves one, in replying, to lay to with a vigour and an earnestness of expression altogether unwonted in the case

of works less fraught with fundamental and fatal errors less attractively written, and therefore less dangerous to the spiritual and eternal interests of such as may be induced to read them.

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CHAPTER IX.

MIRACLES.

HOMAS, one of the disciples of our Lord, was not the last to say, "Except I see, I will not believe." Nor were "certain of the Scribes and Pharisees the last to say, "Master, we would see a sign." The passage, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe," is as applicable to the sceptics of the present day as it was to certain unbelieving Jews in the days of our Lord. Whoever, therefore, may have the happiness to participate in the blessing pronounced by Christ on those "who have not seen, and yet have believed," it is clear that His modern admirer, M. Renan, is not one of them. He would still see "signs and wonders," provided they were performed under certain scientific conditions, and in the presence of certain scientific gentlemen who might be supposed to be competent to judge of their character. A "sign" even from our Lord Himself, however much He may be admired for His probity and honour and general greatness of character, would not be acceptable or considered at all satisfactory, except under such conditions! Possibly, however, our Lord might object to such dictation, even though philosopher Renan were one of a deputation commissioned to broach the subject to Him. He would, perhaps, again exclaim, "There shall no sign be given you," except, it might be added, such as are performed in the presence of the multitude, and as are open to the eyes

of all who choose to be present when they are wrought. But be this as it may, no miraculous sign in confirmation of the Divine origin of the Scriptures may be looked for now, except such as is being produced by the wonder-working power of God in connection with the preaching of "the Word and Gospel of Christ," which is "the power of God unto salvation," supernaturally manifested in the conviction and conversion of sinners through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

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On this point the writer of a letter addressed to M. Renan, "Upon the Establishment of the Christian Religion," has expressed himself so admirably that it merits not only an extensive circulation, but the most solemn and earnest consideration of all who may have been in any degree sceptical upon the subject. M. Renan would see a miracle, and the writer attempts to show him one. He says: Permit me to-day to draw your attention to the establishment of the Christian religion, a fact upon which we naturally differ in opinion. Like you, I have striven to identify its cause with the mere force of man. I have failed in my endeavour. The supernatural, then, has been the only conducting thread which has helped me to escape from the labyrinth where I see you continually seeking to rectify yourself without ever doing it, and condemned to escape therefrom only when you shall have proved that there is nothing miraculous in the establishment of Christianity. digression. I go straight to the work. called the Christian, whose founder was Jesus, named the Christ. This religion, which has lasted eighteen centuries, and which calls itself the natural development of that Judaism which ascends near to the cradle of the world, had the Apostles for its first propagators.

Pardon this little There is a religion

"When these wished to establish it, they had for adversaries The national pride of the Jews; the implacable hatred of the Sanhedrim; the brutal despotism of the Roman emperors; the railleries and attacks of the philosophers; the libertinism and caste-spirit of the Pagan priests; the savage and cruel ignorance of the masses; the fagot and bloody games of the circus. They had an enemy in-every miser; every debauched man; every drunkard; every thief; every murderer; every proud man; every slanderer; every liar. No one of the vices, in fact, which abuse our poor humanity which did not constitute itself their adversary.

"To combat so many enemies, and surmount so many obstacles, they had only-their ignorance; their poverty; their obscurity; their weakness; their fewness. If you had been their contemporary at the moment when they began their work, and Peter had said to you-'Join with us, for we are going to the conquest of the world; before our word Pagan temples shall crumble, and their idols shall fall upon their faces; the philosophers shall be convinced of folly; from the throne of Cæsar we shall hurl the Roman eagle, and in its place we shall plant the cross; we shall be the teachers of the world; the ignorant shall declare themselves our disciples!'-hearing him speak thus, you would have said, 'Be silent, imbecile!' and, as you are tolerant from nature and principle, you would have defended him before the Sanhedrim, and have counselled it to shut up the fisherman of Bethsaida and his companions in a madhouse. And yet, sir, what you would have thought a notable madness is to day a startling reality, with which I leave you face to face."

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To the same effect is the following :-" Destitute of all