Page images
PDF
EPUB

them were living to testify to its truth then when he wrote. -I. Cor. xv. 6. Would he have said that if he knew it to be false? Would he not have feared that unbelievers might inquire for those five hundred or most of them, that they might be examined on the subject, and thus expose him as an impostor?

Finally, the resurrection of Christ, with all the facts connected with the truth of christianity, is sustained by more positive and unquestionable evidence than any other event which passed prior to our existence. And only two things can be assigned, why, all do not believe that have any knowledge on the subject. One is because the miracles designed to convince are so extraordinary and marvelous; and the other is because christianity imposes an unwelcome restraint upon the vicious propensities of men.

The last reason, however, is rather an argument in favour of the truth of christianity; and the first is no objection. For if the miracles had not been extraordinary, all would have imputed them to the ordinary powers of men, and they would not have convinced any. Even extraordinary as they were, the early infidels knew of no way to manage them, but to attribute them to some magick art, and the Jews attributed them to the devil. They could not deny their existence. But why should not all that believe in a God, believe in a miracle, when well attested, as soon as an ordinary thing, so long as they do not believe it too great a work for God to perform? All that believe in a God, therefore, have not a single argument with which to oppose the grand truth presented in this number. But if they believe not in a God, when all creation eternally proclaims his existence, we cannot convince them. Could we speak for ever with a million of tongues, and every word a demonstration, we could never do more than begin the argument that there is a God. Admit this true-and every objection to christiany falls to the ground-if there be a God, christianity is proved beyond all controversy. If

there be not-then-ah-then-every thing is a miracle indeed!! We boldly say, that atheism or deism embraces millions of miracles, as often as christianity recognizes one. To conclude in the words of Saurin, "collect all these proofs together; consider them in one point of view, and see how many extravagant suppositions must be advanced, if the resurrection of our Saviour be denied. It must be supposed that guards, who had been particularly cautioned by their officers, sat down to sleep, and that, nevertheless, they deserved credit when they said the body of Jesus Christ was stolen. It must be supposed that men who had been imposed upon in the most odious and cruel manner in the world, hazarded their dearest enjoyments for the glory of an impostor. It must be supposed that ignorant and illiterate men, who had neither reputation, fortune nor eloquence, possessed the art of fascinating the eyes of all the church. It must be supposed, either that five hundred persons were all deprived of their senses at a time, or that they were all deceived in the plainest matters of facts; or that this multitude of false witnesses had found out the secret of never contradicting themselves or one another, and of being always uniform in their testimony. It must be supposed that the most expert courts of judicature could not find out a shadow of contradiction in a palpable imposture. It must be supposed that the apostles, sensible men in other cases, chose precisely those places and those times which were most unfavourable to their views. It must be supposed that millions madly suffered imprisonments, tortures and crucifixion to spread an illusion. It must be supposed that ten thousand miracles were wrought in favour of falsehood, or all these facts must be denied. And then it must be supposed that the apostles were idiots, that the enemies of christianity were idiots, and that all the primitive christians were idiots."

VIII. Evidence drawn from Prophecy.-An author defines prophecy to be "a miracle of knowledge, a declara

tion, or description, or representation of something future, beyond the power of human sagacity to discern or to calculate, and it is the highest evidence that can be given of supernatural communion with the Deity, and of the truth of a revelation from God."

Prophecy is often better evidence to us than any other kind of miracles; for in many cases we depend not on the testimony of others; but we know that things were predicted, and we see that they are fulfilled in our own time and before our own eyes; so that we become witnesses of the miracles ourselves. Some few remakable prophecies we will enumerate out of the many the Bible contains, which unanswerably prove its revelation. We will use the words of Horne:

Froni

1. "Ishmael's name and fortune were announced before he was born; particularly, that his descendants should be very numerous, and that he should beget twelve princes. The whole came to pass precisely as it was foretold.-. Compare Gen, xvi. 10-13. xv11. 20. and xxv. 12-18. I will make him a great nation, said Jehovah to Abraham, (Gen. xvII, 20,) and this prediction was accomplished as soon as it could be in the regular course of nature. Ishmael proceeded the various tribes of Arabs (also called Saracens, by christian writers,) who anciently were, and still continue to be a very powerful people. They might, indeed, be emphatically styled a great nation, when the Saracens made their rapid and extensive conquests during the middle ages, and erected one of the largest empires that ever were in the world. He will be a wild man (Gen. XVI. 12.) literally a wild ass-man, that is, as wild as a wild ass and the account of that animal, in Job xxxIx. 5-8, affords the best possible description of the wandering, lawless, and freebooting lives and manners of the Arabs.— Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? Whose house I have made thewilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. He scorneth the

multitude of the city neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing. God himself has sent them out free, and has loosed them from all political restraint. The same wilderness, in which their ancestor, Ishmael, dwelt more than three thousand seven hundred years ago, is still their habitation, and in the barren land, where no other human beings could live, they have their dwellings. They scorn the city, and therefore have no fixed habitation. For their multitude, they are not afraid. When they make depredations on cities, towns, or caravans, they retire into the desert with such precipitancy, that all pursuit is eluded; and in this respect, the crying of the driver is disregarded. They may be said to have no lands and yet the range of the mountains is their pasture; they pitch their tents and feed their flocks wherever they please; and they search after every green thing, are continually looking after prey, and seize every kind of property that comes in their way. It was further foretold that Ishmael's hand should be against every man, and every man's hand against him.— Sesostris, Cyrus, Pompey, Trajan, and other ancient sovereigns and potentates, vainly attempted to subjugate the wandering Arabs: though they had temporary triumphs over some tribes, they were ultimately unsuccessful. From the commencement of the Ishmaelites to the present day, they have maintained their independency: and if there were no other argument to evince the divine origin of the Pentateuch, the account of Ishmael and the prophecy concerning his descendants, collated with their history and . manner of life during a period of nearly four thousand years, would be sufficient: it may indeed, be pronounced absolutely demonstrative."

Again the same profound author says,

2. "The twenty-eighth chapter of the book of Deuteronomy contains a series of most striking predictions relative to the Jews, which are fulfilling to this very day. Bishop

Newton and Dr. Graves have shown its accomplishment at great length. Some of its leading features only can be here noticed. The great lawgiver of the Jews foretold that they should be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth,-scattered among all people, from one end of the earth, even unto the other,find no ease or rest,-be oppressed and crushed always-be left few in number among the heathen,-pine away in their iniquity in their enemies' land, -and become an astonishment, a proverb, and a bye-word unto all nations. These predictions were literally fulfilled during their subjection to the Chaldeans and Romans; and, in latter times, in all nations where they have been dispersed. Moses foretold that their enemies would besiege and and take their cities; and this prophecy was fulfilled by Shishak king of Egypt, Shalmaneser king of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, Epiphanes, Sosius and Herod, and finally by Titus. Moses foretold that such grievous famines should prevail during those seiges, that they should eat the flesh of their sons and daughters. This prediction was fulfilled about six hundred years after the time of Moses, among the Israelites, when Samaria was besieged by the king of Syria; again, about nine hundred years after Moses, among the Jews, during the siege of Jerusalem before the Babylonish captivity; and finally, fifteen hundred years after this time, during the seige of Jerusalem by the Romans. Though the Hebrews were to be as the stars of heaven for multitude, Moses predicted that they should be few in number, and his prophecy was fulfilled: for, in the last seige of Jerusalem, Josephus tells us that an infinite multitude perished by famine; and he computes the total number who perished by it and by the war in Jerusalem, and other parts of Judea, at one million two hundred and forty thousand four hundred and ninety, besides ninety-nine thousand two hundred who were made prisoners, and sold unto their enemies for bondmen and bondwomen: and, after their last overthrow by Hadrian, many thousands

« PreviousContinue »