It is unparalleled the mischief which arises from treating a subject in an improper manner; for instance, to expect the same conviction to flow from matters of History, that the mind is forced to give to the precepts of Morality. Hence the endless disputes as to the validity of a " Book," which, when it is resolved into its distinct elementary parts, cannot admit of two opinions. Whenever a principle is apprehended by the Reason of man, all rational creatures must of necessity assent to it; for Reason cannot err: it is the last, it is the only standard of truth-Man should love virtue and shun vice.The only science that in any way can compare with Morality, in point of the purity and universality of its principles, is pure Mathematics. In both these sciences Reason decides in a universal and necessary manner-never to be reversed. Thus, that a circle is round receives immediate assent-so it always was, so it ever will be-if it ever was esteemed rational to be good, and irrational to be wicked, so it always was, so it ever will be.

How very differently is History circumstanced. A fact of history can have existed only at one point of time, and under no circumstances can it ever recur— for the time in which the fact took place has

evanesced, and will never more return-for instance, the birth of Christ. Now this important event is placed by historians in the first year of the present era; but for the truth or falsehood of this assertion we are constrained to rely on the testimony of some individual who records the fact, either from his own observation, or from its having been related to him by some one else, on whom he is obliged to depend. Even at the present moment, chronologists are at variance as to the truth of this truly momentous fact of history; some insisting that it was prior to the year one. Thus much is certain, that this glorious event must have happened either before, or after, or at, the point of time recorded in history, for no other case is possible. Now what universality is there when parties disagree!

The Miracles even come under the consideration of History, as being events that have addressed the senses of some individual, and been by him either recorded, or communicated to some one else, by whom they are recorded. Nor is it in the power of any person to prove that such circumstances have not occurred. Take for instance our Saviour's transfiguration. Here we have the testimony of three men, Peter, James, and John, who all declare that Christ's face shone like the b 2

sun, and that his raiment appeared as white as snow; then a cloud overshadowed them, and they were all very much frightened. These facts are recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and they all agree in the main circumstances. Surely this is authority enough to rank these events as historical facts. But what is still more in their favour is, that it is totally impossible for any human being to gainsay that these men did actually receive impressions on their senses, which produced such belief in their minds.

Nor do these events or the Miracles generally imply contradictions to the laws of nature. On the contrary, they absolutely confirm and establish these immutable laws of God, that so uniformly regulate his mundane system. Every Miracle, or sensible appearance, is stated to fill up a part of SPACE, and to have occurred at a certain point of TIME. So far from the Miracles either requiring the abrogation or even suspension of the unalterable laws of nature, they on the contrary actually confirm and fix these laws for ever. Nay, even the most ancient History that we know of also confirms these laws. The "Bible," in describing the very generation of our earth, states that every part filled up SPACE, and took place in TIME. So fixed and unaltera

ble are these laws of nature, that any testimony of a fact which neither fills the one, nor occurs in the other, cannot gain the least credit, nay, cannot even be conceived, therefore cannot form a part of history. It has been said by some writers on this subject, that it would be unbecoming the perfect wisdom of God to make laws and then break them. Facts are realities that have actually addressed the Senses of some Individual, consequently conformed to the laws of Time and Space; and it is only when they are related to other persons that they constitute HISTORY. But, if every fact recorded in history could be established beyond the possibility of doubt, this would not alter the nature of these facts, which are real events, having arisen and vanished in time: as the birth, ministry, and crucifixion of our Saviour, each of which occurred at some point of TIME, or they could not have occurred at all.

Different, indeed, are the DOCTRINES taught by Jesus Christ. These divine truths, when once uttered, remain unalterably the same-the strongest proof that they do not constitute any part of the changeable phenomena of nature, or exist where nature does in TIME and SPACE: they must consequently be out of

the sphere of things which are perpetually changing— that is to say, they are in ETERNITY, where no change can take place. Well, then, may we say that God's commandments partake of his own divine nature, and are like his ineffable self, immutable. It must now indeed be evident that the DOCTRINES of Christ are precepts of a perfectly pure Morality-of universal application; and when once acknowledged by REASON, though never perceived by the SENSES, are absolutely admitted by all reasonable creatures to form a code of divine laws, which admit of no dispute, but command instant CONVICTION: as, Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself—that is, be strictly virtuous, whatever may be the consequences. These laws are divine laws, and placed by the Deity in the Reason of man, so that he who fulfils these commandments will feel conscious of having done his duty, and he who neglects them feel a moral unworthiness.

It must now be obvious that these are pure, immutable, and consequently divine or spiritual, laws, and commanding not only for men, but for all beings endowed with Reason-even of a higher order-as angels for they are the very constituents of that