as Mr. Henry observes, to describe things "as they are in themselves, and in their own nature, to "fatisfy the curious; but as they are in relation "to this earth, to which they ferve as lights; and "this is enough to furnish us with matter for praise " and thanksgiving." The miracles of Jefus were never performed to gratify curiofity. If the afflicted, or any on their behalf, present their petition, it is invariably heard and answered: but if the pharifees come and fay, Mafter, we would fee a fign from thee; or if Herod hope to fee a miracle done by him, it is refused.* When one faid to him, Lord are there few that be faved? he anfwered, Strive to enter in at the ftrait gate: for many, I fay unto you, will feek to enter in, and shall not be able.† There is nothing in the Scriptures tending in its own nature to excite levity or folly. They fometimes deal in the most cutting irony; but it is never for the fake of displaying wit, or raising a laugh, but invariably for the accomplishment of a serious and important end. A ferious mind finds every thing to gratify it, and nothing to offend it: and even the moft profligate character, unless he read them in search of fomething which he may convert into ridicule, is impreffed with awe by the pointed and folemn manner in which they address him. It may be faid of the fcriptures, and of them only, that they are free from affectation and vanity. You may fometimes find things of this fort defcrib ed by the facred writers; but you will never difcern any such spirit in the defcriptions themfelves. Yet were they as men subject to human imperfec tions: if therefore they had not been influenced by divine inspiration, blemishes of this kind must have appeared in their writings as well as in thofe of other men. But in what inftance have they affumed a character which does not belong to them; or difcovered a wish to be thought more religious, more learned, or more accomplished in any way than they were? Nor were they lefs free from vanity than from affectation. They were as far from making the most of what they were, as from aiming to appear what they were not. Inftead of trumpeting their own praife, or aiming to tranfmit their fame to pofterity, feveral of them have not fo much as put their names to their writings; and those who have are generally out of fight. As you read their hiftory, they feldom occur to your thoughts. Who thinks of the Evangelifts when reading the four gofpels; or of Luke while reading the Acts of the Apoftles? Mr. Paine weaves the laurel on his own brows, vainly boafting that he has "written a book under the greatest difadvantages, which no Bible believer can answer;" and that with his axe upon his fhoulder, like another Sennacherib, he has paffed through, and cut down the tall cedars of our Lebanon. * But thus did not the facred writers, even with regard to heathenifm, becaufe of the fear of God. Paul in one inftance, for the fake of anfwering an important end, was compelled to speak the truth of himself, and to appear to boaft; yet it is eafy to perceive how much it was against his inclination. A boafter and a fool were in his account fynonymous terms.† * Age of Reafon, Part II. Pref. p. vi. and p. 64 The facred writers, while they respect magiftracy, and frown upon faction, tumult, and sedition, are never known to flatter the great. Compare the fuftian eloquence of Tertullus with the manly fpeeches of Paul. Did he flatter Felix? No; he reafoned of righteoufnefs, temperance, and judgment to come, and Felix trembled. Did he flatter Feftus or even Agrippa? No; the highest compliment which proceeded from him was that he knew the latter to be expert in all customs and questions among the Jews, and to maintain the divine infpiration of the prophets, which declaration, with the whole of this admirable apology, contained only the words of truth and fobernefs. They discover no anxiety to guard against feeming inconfiftencies, either with themselves, or one another. In works of impofture, efpecially where a number of perfons are concerned, there is need of great care and caution, left one part should contradict another; and fuch caution is eafily perceived. But the facred writers appear to have had no fuch concern about them. Confcious that all they wrote was true, they left it to prove its own confiftency. Their productions poffefs confiftency; but it is not a studied one, nor always apparent at firft fight it is that confiftency which is certain to accompany truth.* * " There is one argument," fays Mr. Wilberforce, in his late excellent Treatife," which impreffes my mind with particular force. "This is, the great variety of the kinds of evidence which have been "adduced in proof of Christianity, and the confirmation thereby af"forded of its truth:-the proof from prophecy-from miracles"from the character of Christ-from that of his apoftles-from the "nature of the doctrines of Chriftianity-from the nature and ex-"cellence of her practical precepts-from the accordance we have There is an inimitable fimplicity in all their writings, and a feeling fenfe of what they write. They come to the point without ceremony or preamble; and having told the truth, leave it without mingling their own reflections. This remark is particularly exemplified by the four evangelifts in narrating the treatment of their Lord. Writers who had felt lefs would have faid more. There is fomething in all they fay which leaves behind it a fenfation produced by no other writings; fomething peculiarly fuited to the mind when in its moft ferious frames, oppreffed by affliction, or thoughtful about a future life; something which lately pointed out between the doctrinal and practical system of Christianity, whether confidered each in itself, or in their mutual "relation to each other-from other fpecies of internal evidence, afforded in the more abundance as the facred records have been "fcrutinized with greater care-from the accounts of cotemporary, 66 or nearly cotemporary writers-from the impoffibility of account*ing on any other supposition, than that of the truth of Christianity, "for its promulgation, and early prevalence: thefe and other lines "of argument have all been brought forward, and urged by dif"ferent writers, in proportion as they have ftruck the minds of dif"ferent obfervers more or lefs forcibly. Now granting that fome "obfcure and illiterate men, refiding in a diftant province of the "Roman empire, had plotted to impofe a forgery upon the world; "though fome foundation for the impofture might, and indeed "muft, have been attempted to be laid; it seems, at least to my un"derftanding, morally impoffible that fo many species of proofs, and "all fo ftrong, fhould have lent their concurrent aid, and have "united their joint force in the establishment of the falfehood. It may affift the reader in eftimating the value of this argument, to "confider upon how different a footing, in this respect, has rested every other religious fyftem, without exception, which was ever proposed to the world; and indeed every other hiftorical fact, of "which the truth has been at all contefted." Practical View, &c. pp. 301--368, 3d. Ed. gives melancholy itself a charm, and produces tears more delicious to the mind than the most highflavoured earthly enjoyments. By what name fhall I exprefs it? It is a favour of life, a favour of God, an unction from the Holy One.. Mr. Paine can fee no beauty in the New Teftament narratives: to him there appears nothing but impofture, folly, contradiction, falfehood, and every thing that marks an evil cause. And I fuppofc he could fay the fame of the things narrated; of the labours, tears, temptations, and, fufferings of the Lord Jefus, and of every thing elfe in the New Teftament. Mr. Paine, however, is not the only instance wherein men have lacked understanding. The Jews faw no beauty in the Saviour that they: fhould defire him: and there are perfons who can fee no beauty in any of the works of God. Creation is to them a blank. But though the eyes of a fool are at the ends of the earth, for want of objects to attract them, yet wisdom is before him that underftandeth. If Mr. Paine can fee no beauty in the facred pages, it does not follow that there is no beauty to be feen. Let any perfon of candour and difcernment read over the four Evangelists, and judge whether they bear the marks of impofture. If he have any difficulty, it will be in pre-ferving the character of a critic. Unless he be perpetually on his guard, he will infenfibly lofe fight of the writers, and be all enamoured of the great object concerning which they write. In reading the nine laft chapters of John, he will perceive the writer to be deeply affected. Though a long time had elapfed fince the events had taken * Prov. xvii. 24. |