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another should be asked; namely, was the advent of such a person a matter of expediency or necessity? I should reply in the words of Paley, that “I deem it unnecessary to prove. that mankind stood in need of a Revelation, because I have met with no serious person who thinks that, even under the Christian dispensation, we have too much light, or any degree of assurance that is superfluous'." Taking it for granted then, that there were at the time of the advent of our Saviour, and but for that advent, there would be now some things highly important for us to know, but absolutely beyond our faculties to discover; I shall enquire, whether the light which he has thrown upon those vital, but perplexing subjects, be not sufficient (independently of the direct proofs which we have,) to render it in the highest degree probable, that he was that Person, whose appearance the Baptist, in common with his countrymen, at that time expected ?--The ?—The

answer returned by our Lord to his question, is well known. He referred to his miracles, and to their beneficent character, and to the fact that his Gospel was preached to the poor:

1 Evidences, vol. i. p. 1.

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that is, that it was addressed to all mankind, (for if it was intelligible to the humblest classes of society, it must of necessity be so to those of more elevated condition)-he referred to these things as proofs that he was commissioned by a Being of boundless power and goodness, to proclaim religious truth to the world!

It was formerly much more the custom than it is at present, to insist upon the principles of what is called natural religion. Many very able and excellent men have employed much learning, ability, and ingenuity, in treating of this topic: amongst whom I know of none more distinguished and more successful, than a writer of the last century, Mr. Wollaston; yet, even in his profound and admirable reasoning, there lurks this fallacy-That it proceeds from a mind thoroughly enlightened by the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and by all the deductions which, in a long course of ages, have been established upon their foundation. However just, therefore, his arguments may be, it remains to be proved, whether they could be invented by any one who was totally uninformed of the doctrines of Revelation: and whether, in fact,

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Wollaston's Religion of Nature, page 399.
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pied the minds of reflecting men, that of a future state is undoubtedly the most momentous. Whether this life be the whole of our existence, or but a stage in our progress to another, it concerns us above all things to know. Now, it is not enough to say, that the wisest of the heathen philosophers had doubts upon this matter, and that very few of them advanced even so far as that; but we may safely affirm, that the united wisdom of all the sages who have ever lived, would be insufficient to determine this point with certainty. What was the precise state of the question amongst the Jews at the coming of our Saviour, is not quite clear. We read, indeed, that they were divided upon it. For that the Sadducees say, there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. But Grotius is of opinion, that this notion of the Pharisees was founded rather tradition and conjecture, than upon any upon certain grounds. This at least is clear, that if they were firmly convinced of it, their conviction could only be derived from the doctrines of their prophets, who, being inspired

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Upon Matthew xxii. 28.

to predict the coming of the Saviour, might also foretel one of its most important conseof this great

quences; namely, the clearing up of this point;-in other words, that their knowledge must be traced to Revelation. For, notwithstanding all that has been written upon that subject, if it were possible for us to unlearn all that we have acquired from that source; I would put it to any man, whether, even in the present highly cultivated state of the reasoning faculties, his mind must not instantly relapse into all that doubt and perplexity, which the wisest men of antiquity felt and expressed upon this awful subject. Our Saviour then, in bringing life and immortality to light, by assuring us of a future state of retribution, has communicated to us from heaven that information, which only from thence we could obtain; and has finally settled that great question upon which we must otherwise have speculated continually, and speculated in vain.

But it is obvious, that even this information, important as it is, would have been almost useless if it had rested there. The knowledge of a future life, with its rewards and punishments, would have been any thing but a blessing to us, if we had not also been

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