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 predictions concerning it gradually became so clear, that almost 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 numerous, pointed, and particular. They not only foretell that a Messiah should come; but they also specify the precise Time when he was to come; the Dignity of his Character, that he should be God and man together; from whom he was to be descended; the Place where he was to be born; the circumstances of his Birth, Manner of Life and Doctrine, his Sufferings and Death; Resurrection and Ascension; and the Abolition of the Jewish Covenant by the introduction of the Gospel. See a Table of the principal Prophecies relative to the Messiah, in the Appendix, No. VII.

The connection of the predictions belonging to the Messiah, with those which are confined to the Jewish people, gives additional force to the argument from prophecy; affording a strong proof of the intimate union which subsists between the two dispensations of Moses and of Jesus Christ, and equally precluding the artful pretensions of human imposture, and the daring opposition of human power. The plan of prophecy was so wisely constituted, that the passions and prejudices of the Jews, instead of frustrating, fulfilled it, and rendered the person to whom they referred, the suffering and crucified Saviour, who had been promised. It is worthy of remark, that most of these predictions were delivered nearly, and some of them more than three thousand years ago. Any one of them is sufficient to indicate a prescience more than human; but the collective force of all taken together is such, that nothing more can be necessary to prove the interposition of Omniscience, than

the establishment of their authenticity. And this, even at so remote a period as the present, we have already seen, is placed beyond all doubt.

CLASS IV.- Prophecies by Jesus Christ and his Apostles. Jesus Christ foretold,

1. The Circumstances of his own Death; Matt. xvi. 21. Mark x. 33, 34. Matt. xx. 18, 19. xxvi. 23. 31. all which were most minutely accomplished.

2. His Resurrection; Matt. xvi. 21. xxvi. 52. fulfilled in Matt. xxviii.

5. The Descent of the Holy Spirit; Luke xxiv. 49. Mark xvi. 17, 18. fulfilled in Acts ii.

4. The Destruction of Jerusalem with all its preceding signs and its concomitant circumstances; (Matt. xxiv. 1-28. Mark xiii. 1—23. Luke xxi. 5—24.) and the very generation that heard the prediction lived to be the miserable witnesses of its accomplishment.

5. The Spread of Christianity; and both sacred and profane historians bear testimony to the rapid propagation of the Gospel. The character of the age, in which the Christian Faith was first propagated, must be considered.

It was not barbarous and uncivilised, but was remarkable for those improvements by which the human faculties were strengthened.

The profession of Christianity was followed by no worldly advantage, but, on the contrary, with proscriptions and persecutions.

Sceptics, particularly Mr. Gibbon, have endeavoured to account for the miraculous success of Christianity from causes merely human; viz.

(1.) The inflexible and intolerant Zeal of the first Chris

tians.

This indeed might supply Christians with that fortitude which should keep them firm to their principles: but it could hardly be of service in converting infidels. No intolerance, however, existed among the primitive Christians; but, on the contrary, among their heathen persecutors.

(2.) The Doctrine of a Future Life.

The success which attended the preaching of this doctrine was owing rather to the demonstration of the Spirit and of power that accompanied it, than to the doctrine itself, which was by no means suited either to the expectations or the wishes of the Pagans in general. Men must have believed the Gospel, generally, before they believed the doctrine of a future life on its authority. (3.) The Miraculous Powers ascribed to the Primitive Church.

The actual possession of such powers by the apostles and first preachers of Christianity has already been proved. But when the numerous pretended miracles ascribed to the popular deities of the heathen, and the contempt in which they were held by the philosophers, and by other thinking men, are considered, the miracles ascribed to the first propagators of Christianity must have created a prejudice against their cause, which nothing could have subdued but miracles really and visibly performed.

(4.) The Virtues of the first Christians.

These Mr. Gibbon reduces to a mean and timid repentance for sins, and zeal in supporting the reputation of their society. But such virtues would have equally excited opposition to Christianity. The infidel historian does not account for the exemplary virtues of the first Christians; whose virtues arose from their faith, and not their faith from their virtues.

(5.) The Union and Discipline of the Christian Republic, as he terms the Christian Church.

But it is an incontrovertible fact, that the Gospel was propagated, before its professors were sufficiently numerous to establish a discipline, or to form themselves into a society.

V. Notwithstanding the variety and force of the evidence in favour of Christianity, its opposers continue to raise a variety of objections; viz.

OBJECTION 1. The rejection of Christianity by the unbelieving JEWS, in the time of Christ, and also by the greater part of the GENTILES,

In reply to this objection, we may

ANSWER 1.-As to the Jews-That the Almighty does not

force the judgment, and that their wickedness and strong prejudices blinded their understandings, and prevented them from receiving the evidences of the Gospel. Anger, resentment, selfinterest, and worldly-mindedness induced the scribes and pharisees to reject Christ and cause him to be put to death, and to prevail upon the people at large to reject the Gospel. Such were the principal causes of the infidelity of the Jews and of their rejec tion of Christ at first: nor is it difficult to conceive what may be the reasons of their persisting in their infidelity now.

For

(1.) In the first place, on the part of the Jews, most (if not all) the same reasons which gave birth to their infidelity, continue to nourish it, particularly their obstinacy, their vain hopes and expectations of worldly greatness, and the false Christs and false prophets who at different times have risen up among them. To which may be added their want of charitableness towards Christians, and their continuing to live insulated from the rest of mankind.

(2.) Secondly, on the part of the world, the obstacles are, the prevalence of Mohammedism, and other false religions, the schisms of Christians, the unholy lives of many nominal Christians, and the cruelties, which have at various times been inflicted on this unhappy people. So far, however, is the infidelity of the Jews from being an objection to the truth of the Gospel, that, on the contrary, it affords us a great number of unsuspected witnesses to the truth of the Old Testament: and many predictions of Moses and the prophets, of Christ and his apostles, are remarkably fulfilled. It is also a great advantage to the Christian Religion, to have been first preached and propagated in a nation of unbelievers: for nothing but divine truth could have stood the trial, and triumphed over all opposition.

ANSWER 2. With regard to the rejection of the Gospel by the GENTILES, many of the preceding observations on the infidelity of the Jews are equally applicable to them. Both Jews and Gentiles were influenced by the prejudices of education, — by hatred of the pure morality of the Gospel,-by the temporal inconveniences which attended the profession of Christianity, and the temporal advantages to be obtained by rejecting or opposing it,-by the mean appearance, which Christ had made in the world, and by his ignominious death, which they knew not how to reconcile with the divine power ascribed to him by his disciples.

The Gentiles also had other causes of unbelief peculiar to themselves, viz. the high notion entertained by them, of the efficacy of magic, of charms and incantations, and of the power of demons and demi-gods; their indifference about religion in general, the utter incompatibility of Christianity with the established worship of their several countries, the bad opinion which they had of the Jews in general, of whom Christians were for some time accounted to be a sect, the false doctrines and crimes of heretical teachers and vicious professors of Christianity, - and, lastly, the antiquity of paganism.

The prevalence of Mohammedism over

a considerable portion of the world.

ANSWER.The prophecies are fulfilled, when all parts of the world shall have had the offer of Christianity; but it by no means follows that it shall be upheld among them by a miracle. The present state of those countries, where the Koran is received, is an accomplishment of prophecy; inasmuch as it was foretold that such an apostasy would take place. The rapid progress of Mohammedism is not to be compared with the propagation of Christianity; for Mohammed came into the world at a time exactly suited to his purposes, when its policy and civil state were favourable to a new and ambitious conqueror : and he availed himself of every means, especially force of arms, to promote the diffusion of his pretended revelation.

OBJECTION 3.-Christianity is known only to a small portion of mankind.

ANSWER.

-

- For one who professes deism, we shall find in the World ONE THOUSAND who profess Christianity.

The partial propagation of the Gospel, with the other objections brought against Christianity, having rendered its divine original a matter of dispute, the tendency of these disputes has been to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to make Christians draw their religion from the Scriptures alone.

The not having more evidence for the truth of the Gospel is not a sufficient reason for rejecting that which we already have. If such evidence were irresistible, it would restrain the voluntary powers too much, to answer the purpose of trial and probation. "Men's moral probation may be, whether they will take due care to inform themselves by impartial consideration; and afterwards,