cause of a belief in the religion with which they were connected.P

The Christian doctrine looks down on all these pretences from the glorious height on which it stands. The conviction of the probability of miracles for attesting the divine will, in the minds of all who admit the being and providence of God prepared the way; and the miserable impotency of all false religions in their pretences to them, left the whole field unoccupied for the clear and undoubted miraculous operations which usher in the scripture revelation. They stand as the single series of divine works, to attest the single series of divine communications which was ever made to man.

And here let us observe, that, as under the head of the authenticity, we found that the Christian books were the only records professing to contain a divine revelation written by the first teachers of that. revelation, and submitted to the examination of mankind; and as again under the head of the credibility of those books, we discovered that no account of the admitted facts of Christianity was ever given but the narrative therein contained; so now, under the head of miraculous operations, we see that no other religion was ever attempted to be established in the first instance by miracles, but the religion of the bible. Thus solitary, in unapproachable dignity, stands the proof of the gospel.

I. Are you not then convinced, for I must pass on to the CONCLUSION, by the statements laid before you? I address the docile and sincere. Does not the impression left on your minds by the review of the Christian miracles, resemble that which was produced on the multitudes in whose presence they were first wrought? Yes, all your previous hesitation and doubts are dispersed. You feel the force of truth. You are astonished beyond measure. You glorify God, with the people in our text, saying, We never

(p) The above remarks, with a slight variation, apply to the miraculous works ascribed to the Roman Catholic Saints.

saw it on this fashion. You bear witness to the grace and power and divine mission of the Son of God.

The impression, the first dictate of the unsophisticated conscience, the language of the heart of man, on reading the miracles of Christ, is, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel. This is the prophet that was to come into the world. He hath done all things well. We have probably now quite as strong evidence of the divine miracles as the first Christians. We have not seen them indeed with our eyes, and so the sensible proof cannot be so lively, but other parts of the demonstration are more clear to us. The concurring marks of the Messiahship of Christ are more distinct; the direct miraculous character of the wonderful works is better recognized. Those doubts, for instance, which arose from the notions of magic, of the occult powers of nature, and the agency of evil spirits, are passed away; and with the brighter light of modern philosophy and science, we distinguish far more decisively the miracles of Christ from the ordinary course of God's providence.

II. Let us then yield to the conviction which these miracles are designed to produce. Let us pray to God for his grace that we may renounce all interfering prejudices and appetites, and submit unreservedly to the Christian doctrine. Miracles only serve to introduce the Saviour, to verify his doctrine, to send us to his promises, his warnings, his encouragements. Miracles cannot give a right disposition of heart. That must be sought for from the Holy Spirit, whom our risen Lord poured out upon his church. We have great cause to fear for ourselves. If we harden our hearts to the voice of conscience, no arguments can convince, no moral proofs subdue. It is probable that external evidences to miracles COULD NOT be stronger than ours actually are, considering the nature and circumstances of man as a responsible creature. But this is nothing if the heart be fixed on the world and sensual pleasure; if the will be debauched by vice; if the understanding be perverted and blinded by pride and conceit.

Let the example of the heathen philosophers at the time of our Lord, be a warning to us. For what did Tacitus and Suetonius and Seneca and Pliny know of the Christian doctrine? What conviction did the miraculous works of Christ produce on their minds? The preaching of the cross was foolishness to them. In their proud search after wisdom, and their contempt of the whole Jewish nation, they looked not beyond the surface. They examined nothing with candour and seriousness. They never approached the Christian question. They dismissed it, so far as they heard of it by rumor, as unworthy their regard. With the same spirit as the modern literary unbeliever, they gave no heed to the divine message, bestowed no pains on ascertaining its truth, and lived and died in the gross and miserable bondage of their vices and ignorance. Such is the tendency of pride in the fallen heart of man. Let us guard against the first approaches to such a state of mind. Let us be led by the miracles to a serious study of the scriptures, that we may see the doctrine of a crucified Lord to be the power of God and the wisdom of God.

III. But we must not rest in a formal adherence to the Christian faith. The example of the Jews may warn us against this opposite, but not less dangerous, evil. They were near the Saviour. They saw his miracles. They received, at the time, the deepest impression of his divine mission. They knew and acknowledged, at first, that he was the Christ the Saviour of the world. But as our Lord afterwards, developed his character and doctrine, as he rebuked the vices of the Scribes and Pharisees, condemned their traditions, exposed their hypocrisy, expounded the spiritual nature of his kingdom, and called them to repentance and conversion, they began to hate his person and steel their hearts against his most decisive, miraculous works. They persuaded themselves that he opposed their law, which they well knew to be divine. They attributed his miracles to evil spirits. They tempted him by cavils, and watched for his words that they might accuse him. They persisted in their unbelief, till that came upon them which was spoken of by the prophets, By hearing ye shall

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[LECT. VII.

hear and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

That you may avoid this awful state, yield now to the conviction which calls you to heaven. Open wide the gate, so to speak, that the truth may enter in. Close your ears to vain objections, and your hearts to corrupt pleasures, and give yourselves up to preparation for the doctrine of Christ. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. The glorious apparatus of miracles brings you up to the feet of Christ. There fall prostrate. There confess your sins. There implore his mercy. There renounce every criminal passion. There supplicate the inward influences of grace. There enter upon new resolutions of obeying the religion you profess, and acting on the evidences you have received. Remember, the higher you rise in privileges, the lower will be your fall, if you abuse or neglect them. The knowledge you have been blessed with, cannot but bring with it a correspondent accountableness. Call to mind the doom of those cities in which our Lord's mightiest deeds had been performed-Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day.

May God grant that the blessed purpose of our Lord's miracles may be fulfilled in our humiliation and salvation! For this is their high end-These things were written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.

(q) St. Matthew xi. 21-23.

LECTURE VIII.

PROPHECY.

2 PETER i. 16-21.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

In the last lecture, we considered the proof of the divine authority of the Christian religion, derived from the miracles which were wrought in attestation of it.

We now proceed to consider the second great branch of the same proof, that from prophecy; the nature and importance of which are so fully developed in the words of the