the gospel, the more perfectly does he become the example of whatever is lovely and of good report. No infidel ever rose higher than the chill composure of a Stoic's firmness, in the trial of death. Multitudes and the chief of infidels have, in that honest hour, abandoned their sentiments with horror. On the other hand, no Christian ever regretted, when dying, that he had believed the gospel; all have only wished they had followed it more diligently; and in cases innumerable, disciples of Christ have risen to the most triumphant emotions of joy and praise, and the most exulting assurance of eternal life and glory, in the very act of departing for eternity.

Is a tree known by its fruits? Then which of these is the tree of life? Which looks like truth? Which is to be cut down, and cast into the everlasting burning?

The whole argument of this and the preceding lecture may be well concluded with an applicable and true saying of Hume. Being asked by a friend, to whom he used to refer his essays previously to publication, whether he thought that if his opinions were universally prevalent, mankind would not be rendered. more unhappy than they were; and whether he did not suppose that the curb of religion was necessary to human nature: "The objections," answered he, "are not without weight, but ERROR NEVER CAN PRODUCE GOOD." Such is precisely the text of this and the preceding lecture. "Do men gather grapes of

thorns, or figs of thistles?" its fruits," said the Saviour.

"The tree is known by

66 'Error never can pro

duce good," said the man who denied him. By this let the comparative merits of Christianity and infidelity stand or fall.

How imperative, then, is the exhortation to all professors of the religion of Jesus, "Let your light shine before men." "Be careful to maintain good works." "Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." To you is committed the honor of Christianity among the unbelieving and disobedient. Its most legible and universally imposing evidences are found in the living epistles of those who, under the influence of its saving truth, are seen devotedly "following after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness;" "using the world as not abusing it;" looking for death as not fearing it; cheerful in all duty while they remain on earth; happy when the time comes for them to depart out of it unto the Father. Ah, if all that are numbered among Christians were thus radiant in the beauty of holiness, how soon. would the whole earth be filled with the praise of the Lord! Then indeed would the church put on strength. Then would the Gentiles come to her light, and kings to the brightness of her rising: all they that despise her should bow themselves down at the soles of her feet; and they should call her, "The city of the Lord; the Zion of the holy One of Israel.”*

LECTURE XII.

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT, AND APPLICATION TO OBJECTIONS.

IN the course of the preceding lectures, I have been enabled by a kind Providence to spread before you a comprehensive view of the external evidences of Christianity. Although one whole division of our forces, and one of no secondary consequence, has not been brought into the field, and of that which has been employed several important subdivisions have been held in the background for want of room to display them, enough, I trust, has been done to give you an impressive idea of what the strength of the cause must be, when all the immense variety of auxiliaries composing its host are arranged together under command of a mind capable of using them to the best advantage. It would stand like the massive squares of British infantry at Waterloo, to which the boasting enemy rode up again and again, in the full confidence of sweeping them before the impetuosity of their charge. But "their onset and reception was that of a furious ocean pouring itself against a chain of insulated rocks."*

Before relinquishing our course, it is important to take a brief retrospect of the ground we have been

* Scott's Napoleon.

over, that we may gather into united and coöperating force the several lines of argument which as yet have been employed only in their separate efficiency.

After having divided the whole field of evidence into the two general departments of external and internal, and separated the former, as that to which our course would be confined, we proceeded to lay the foundation of all our subsequent reasonings by making good the AUTHENTICITY OF THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, and the CREDIBILITY OF THE HISTORY CONtained therein. In reference to the question of authenticity, we instituted an inquiry whether there is sufficient evidence that the several scriptures composing the New Testament were written by the men whose names they bear, the original apostles and disciples of Christ. For an answer to this, we pursued precisely the same method as in determining the authenticity of any other writings. The evidence required in such investigations was shown to be so unaffected by time, that whether a book be ascribed to the Christian era, or to five centuries earlier or later, a similar description of proof would possess a similar conclusiveness. That for the authenticity of the books of the New Testament was presented under the following heads: They are quoted or alluded to by a series of writers extending in unbroken succession from the present to the apostolic age. In the earliest writers of this series, as well as the later, they are treated with peculiar respect, as possessing an authority belonging to no other books, and as conclusive in all questions of religion; they were collected at a very

early period into a distinct volume; were publicly read and expounded in the assemblies of the primitive Christians; commentaries were written upon them; harmonies were formed out of them; different copies were carefully compared, and versions were made into different languages, in the first centuries of Christianity. Hence, it appeared that the agreement of the ancient church, as to what were the authentic books of the New Testament, was complete, and was no more imperfect among the various sects of heretics than among the orthodox fathers. None of these several heads of evidence attach to any of those spurious writings commonly called apocryphal scriptures, while the marks of the spuriousness of these can be asserted with regard to none of those which are esteemed as authentic. In confirmation of the mass of testimony adduced in support of these propositions, we exhibited a most important collection of proofs from the writings of the early adversaries of Christianity. The style and language of the New Testament were spoken of, as in perfect agreement with the local and other circumstances of its reputed writers; as in perfect harmony with their known character, and with the age and country in which they lived; and such as could not have been produced in any age subsequent to theirs. In conclusion of the whole argument, we endeavored to show that such was the necessity of detection in case of a forgery, during the primitive centuries, that had the books in question been deficient in the evidence of apostolic origin, nothing less than a miracle could account for their early and universal