limits of the particular tribe or nation to which they belonged; and least of all should we expect such a scheme from an unlettered Jew, enclosed as that nation was by an iron band of prejudice and hatred towards all other nations. The very conception of such a plan, and the attempt to execute it, by a person brought up in the most unenlightened portion of Judea, himself destitute of human learning, proves that he must have been either himself a divine person, or endowed with divine inspiration; but as he professes to be divine, his own claim, in such circumstances, inust be admitted.

Now if this argument is valid, it proves that the Scriptures are a revelation from God; for as was shown in the last chapter, Jesus testified to the inspiration of the Old Testament, and promised the gift of inspiration to his apostles, to enable them to write the New.

11. Another argument suitable for this place, is the remarkable, if not miraculous preservation of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is, of all books, most hated by wicked men ; yet there has not come down to us another book, bearing the proofs of equal antiquity, by many ages. Moreover, attempts have repeatedly been made, by persecuting kings and priests, to destroy all the copies of the sacred word. And while the Ark of the Covenant, the tables of stone, and the sacred utensils of the Jews, have long since ceased to exist, the Sacred Scriptures have come down to us with incontestible evidence of their genuineness, a fact which cannot be accounted for except we admit that the special protection of Providence

has preserved them. The fact already stated, respecting the preservation of the New Testament, in the writings of the fathers, applies here with great force.* And the same may be said of their universal diffusion. There is no other book in the world so widely diffused and so extensively read, at the present day, as the Bible. This book has, indeed, become the standard of literature in many languages. There are but two ways in which this can be accounted for, either of which is proof of the divinity of the Scriptures, one is, the direct providence of God, and the other, such an adaptation to the wants of men in the book itself as to give it universal currency. Probably both these agencies have contributed to the result. Why has not the Koran been universally circulated? It is translated into the English language; but no one buys or reads it, except from mere curiosity. Evidently because it is not such a book as the necessities of man call for.

12. We might proceed with the enumeration of points of this nature, which are familiar to the student of the Bible, almost indefinitely; but we will mention only one more. The Bible speaks to the heart and consciences of men. It is "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It is this which gives the Bible its power in restraining and reforming mankind. It gives such an accurate description of the character and feelings of men, as to produce the conviction that it could only have been

*See note, page 57.

written by the direction of Him who searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men. But this argument possesses a double power to the mind of one who has experienced the renovating influences of that Spirit which dictated the word of God. He not only sees therein, as in a mirror, his own native character; but he finds there described the very exercises and affections which he every day experiences in the Christian life; thus furnishing a living testimony to its divine authority. He has the witness in himself. This is what Christ alludes to, when he says, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." So if any would know whether the Bible is from God, or whether it be of men, let them receive and obey the gospel which it teaches, and they will have the witness in themselves that it is from God.

Thus I have endeavored to present a few of the leading internal evidences of the divine origin and authority of the Holy Scriptures, from which it appears that what the Scriptures teach concerning God commends itself to the reason and common sense of mankind, as being essential to the Supreme Creator and Governor of the universe,-that the Scriptures reveal things which could not be known, except by revelation from God; and yet when revealed, these truths commend themselves to the reason and consciences of men,-that the Scriptures reveal great facts, so entirely incomprehensible in themselves as to render the conception of them above the capacity

of finite beings, that the Scriptures contain a rational and consistent account of the origin of all things, and acccount, in a rational and satisfactory manner, for the present character and condition of man, the diversity of languages in the world, and many things which exist under the divine administration, which have perplexed the wisest of men,--that though the Bible is made up of a great number of different books, written in different ages, and by different authors, and in a great variety of style, yet there is a perfect agreement of doctrine and sentiment throughout, one grand design running through the whole,that the writers of the Bible profess to speak by inspiration of God; and unless what they profess was true, they were bad men; but that bad men could not make such a book as the Bible, and if they could they would not, because they would not write against themselves; for to do so would be like a house divided against itself,—that there is a majesty of style in the Sacred Scriptures found in no other book,-that the code of morals, laws, and institutions, as well as every thing it teaches, are so perfect as to show that it must have come from a perfect Being,-that the account which the Scriptures give of Christ, and his benevolent plan for the renovation and reformation of the world, bears the impress of divinity,-that the Scriptures have been preserved and diffused in such a manner as to show that they are under the special protection of God's providence, and, finally, that it speaks to the hearts and consciences of men. Each of these points furnishes a distinct and independent proof that the Bible is a revelation from God; and all of them to

gether, a series of proofs, strong and impregnable. And yet the diligent and humble student of the Bible will find these proofs constantly accumulating, to strengthen and confirm his faith, as he digs into this mine of sacred treasure.

But it may be asked, if such is the tendency of the study of the Bible, why is it that so many persons deny its divine authority? This question, however, is easily answered. Those who thus reject the Bible, or parts of the Bible, may be divided into three classes. The first never study the Bible with sufficient care to observe these evidences of its divinity. The second determine before hand that they will not believe certain doctrines; and when they study the Bible, and find it full of these very doctrines, which they hate, they are forced to the rejection of the greater part or the whole of the sacred volume. This is particularly the case in regard to the doctrines of vicarious atonement, and the eternal punishment of the wicked. These doctrines stand out so prominently throughout the whole Bible, that those who are determined not to believe them, are obliged to deny the inspiration of the greater portion of the Scriptures ; and this accounts for the downward tendency of those systems which reject these doctrines. There is no alternative but to embrace them, or give up nearly every thing contained in the Bible, except its bare and naked precepts. Such persons are completely under the dominion of prejudice, in the strictest meaning of the term. They have prejudged the case before examination. And is it to be wondered at, that one who disbelieves the doctrine of vicarious atonement,