At the close of the course, it is needful to take a review of the whole field, and of the contest which we have lately maintained. The external proofs of divinity which revelation can produce, may be classed under the heads of miracles, existing facts, past history, and fulfilled prophecy.

I. The evidence arising from miracles.

The slightest attention to the general temper of mankind with regard to God and eternity, will convince every reasonable man, that, even if our Creator really had commissioned any one of our race, to speak to the rest, and give us the most important information which we could not otherwise obtain, it would be in vain for the messenger merely to say, "God has sent me to speak to you." Such is the general indifference to spiritual and eternal things, that the great mass of mankind would be like the "deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, and refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer, charming never so wisely." To rouse the attention of the careless, therefore, as well as to challenge the faith of the incredulous, it is necessary to give some striking signs and proofs, when God sends us an extraordinary message by the lips of man.

Deep in the centre of the human mind is seated the conviction, that, with omniscience dwells omnipotence, or that the All-wise is also the Almighty. When, therefore, we are called to listen to divine instructions and commands, nothing is more proper than to shew that he who addresses us has supreme power over us, and that it is at the peril of our safety we refuse to hearken. To this conviction the

miracles of Scripture appeal. The infidels, finding themselves unable to meet the evidence which attends the miracles that eonfirm revelation, affect to treat the whole thing as incredible: how different would have been their tone, if revelation had produced no miraculous signs of its divine origin! Then unbelievers would have made miracles to be every thing now they attempt to make them out to be nothing.

We have, however, a right to examine whether those works to which the Scriptures appeal are real miracles, the effects of divine power; in order to be well assured that we are not imposed upon by deceptive appearances. This is sufficiently proved to the conviction of every honest inquirer after truth. The works to which revelation appeals are well known to be such as no mere man has power to perform. This is unquestionable in the case of raising the dead. The works were wrought in the face of day, before all sorts of witnesses, foes as well as friends. They have been subjected to the severest scrutiny; all the powers of the world being armed against the messengers of heaven. If we have not seen the miracles ourselves, sufficient evidence has come down to us to claim our deliberate and rational belief.

That the miracles which prove the Scriptures to be divine bore these characters of veracity, I have shewn in the first lecture. To put this in the strongest light, I have considered what must be the hypothesis of unbelievers. One of two things they must be supposed to say. They may affirm that

the miracles were mere juggling tricks, performed by men who, not being commissioned from heaven, had no more power to work real miracles than we have; but being adroit, contrived to deceive the senses of spectators, and to make them believe that miracles were wrought. This hypothesis I met by challenging infidels to do the same. In former ages, men might ascribe every thing for which they could not account, to magic, as the Jews still ascribe the miracles of Jesus to the magic power of the Shem Hamphoresh, the name Jehovah. But of this wretched subterfuge, infidels would not avail themselves. They, therefore, must own that, if the prophets and apostles were not armed with divine powers, any other man may do what the apostles really did. Then let infidels do the same. If they were sincere, they would accept the challenge. They would reply, "well, we will shew you, that we can do whatever your prophets and apostles really did, that is, deceive the senses of men." For, according to the infidel's hypothesis, they are well able. If Moses and the prophets, Jesus and the apostles, were what the infidels would make us believe, those ancient personages had no higher powers than modern infidels possess; and therefore these can now do all that those ever really did. But what has been the result of the challenge? It was delivered in no soft tone, couched in no measured terms. For I wished to sting them to a reply. But though they came, and saw me fling down the glove, not one of them ventured to pick it up. None of their heroes had courage enough to look the ar

gument in the face. No voice was heard to say, "that is as fair as it is bold, and here we will meet you; and shew that we can do all that prophets and apostles ever really did."

But infidels may adopt another, and only one more, hypothesis.-They may say, the prophets and apostles did not even deceive men, at the time, with any pretence to miracles; but the whole story was invented after these works were said to have been performed. Here again, I might meet them with a challenge to do the same. Let infidels, without even pretending to work miracles, so as to deceive the senses of men, spread a report that they have done wonders, raised the dead, fed thousands, cured all sorts of diseases, and controlled the elements of nature on a grand scale. Let them procure credit to such a report, and induce men by hundreds to suffer the loss of all things, and even of life itself, for their faith in this false report. Let them create a glorious army of martyrs to this faith. Still they are dumb, no voice says, "we will." No preparations are made to rival apostles in their own line.

To these plain matters of fact, then, what do infidels oppose? Nothing but abstract theory. Certain speculations on the nature of miracles are set up against the evidence of our senses, and of all history. If Christians had acted thus, what clamorous exclamations, what bursts of laughter should we have heard from infidels! They would have told us, we might as well attempt to batter down the fortress, or the rock of Gibraltar, with feathers or with snow-balls, as to overturn facts by abstract

propositions. Let not infidels, after this, taunt Christians with deceiving men out of their senses by fair speeches.

Still it may be said, if these theories which infidels advance against miracles are false, they can be shewn to be false. We answer, "not always, and by every man." Plain honest men, of sound sense, who can tell when they see a brother raised from the dead, are not always logicians, to be able to detect mere sophisms, and to shew the falsehood of the major or minor of a syllogism, or to pronounce a non sequitur on the conclusion. Religion was intended, not merely for logicians, but for all; for the simple and unlearned, as well as for the metaphysical and acute. The greater part of infidels shew too clearly, that they are not able to detect the falsehood of an argument; for they do not even understand the abstract propositions by which the better educated among them succeed in deceiving the rest.

But I hear them retort, "surely among Christians some may be found to detect the fallacies of infidels, and to shew that, when they attempt to overturn facts by arguments, the arguments themselves are false. For what are Christian ministers supported; and of what use is their boasted learning, if they cannot detect the falsehoods of infidels ?" There is much justice in this reply; and if Christians cannot refute infidels, we have reason to be ashamed either of their cause or of its advocates. It is for this reason, that, abjuring all interference of force and human laws, we employ such Lectures as these, to