would reflect upon the character of the Creator. But the Bible declares that he was originally created holy, with ability to choose between good and evil; and it gives a history of his fall from the estate in which he was created, which is both rational in itself, and consistent with the infinite holiness of God. And this evidence is greatly strengthened by the fact, that the account contained in the Bible is the only one which furnishes a satisfactory explanation of the present character and condition of the human race, and of the world in which we live. Without this account, we should be left, in regard to this matter, in total darkness.

The same may be said, also, of the diversity of languages in the world; and of many other things which exist under the Divine administration, which have perplexed the wisest of men. But for this ex

planation, we should be at a loss to account for the existence of suffering, under the wise administration of a Supreme, beneficent Being. But in the Bible it is explained in a manner which commends itself to the conscience of every man. Here, suffering is connected with the curse pronounced upon the head of the race, as part of the penalty of disobedience; and we are taught to regard. it as the punishment of sin. Yet David was perplexed to discover, that the sufferings and trials of this life come alike upon both the righteous and the wicked. And he could find no explanation of the mystery, till he went into the sanctuary, to inquire of God; and there he learned that this world is a state of trial and probation, and that exact retribution is reserved for another world. This is what the Scriptures teach; and they further explain

the mystery, by declaring that the sufferings of the righteous are not retributive punishments, but fatherly corrections, designed for their good.

6. The Bible is proved to be a revelation from God, by the agreement of its parts. This wonderful volume is made up of more than sixty different books, professedly written by more than thirty different authors, at various times, during a period of about fifteen hundred years. And that they were so written, is evident from the fact, that every author has a style peculiar to himself, and every book bears unequivocal marks of the age in which it professes to have been written. For example, the Penteteuch could not have been written after the captivity, because it is in pure Hebrew; but after the dispersion of the Jews among other nations, their language contained a mixture of the languages of the people among whom they sojourned; and so of the other books, every one contains inherent evidence of having been written in the age to which it is ascribed. Yet all the parts of this book completely harmonize. One grand design runs through the whole, as it were a chain to bind it together; and there is the most perfect harmony of sentiment and doctrine throughout the whole. This allegation will bear the most rigid scrutiny; and the more it is examined, the more apparent it will be. All the books of the Bible agree most perfectly in their representations of God, of human character, and of the way of salvation; and, indeed, on every subject upon which a sentiment is advanced. It would not be possible to form a volume, at the present day, by collecting together the same number of books,

written by an equal number of persons belonging to the same religious denomination, without a diversity of opinion. Nor would it be possible to select thirty men, who, without concert, should write a volume of this size, without any clashing of opinion. But bere we have a volume written by upwards of thirty different authors, varying in their education and modes of thinking, according to the customs and habits of different ages; written, too, in different languages. To believe that such a number of books could be produced, without concert, by such a number of uninspired men, at such intervals of time, which should maintain such perfect agreement, consistency, and harmony throughout, requires a degree of credulity beyond any thing ever charged upon believers in the Bible. And to believe that these books were forged by an individual, involves the absurdity of believing that one man could write in so many different styles; that he could imitate the shades of variation in a language at different periods of time; counterfeit the peculiarities of different ages; and make all his authors perfectly agree with the characters ascribed to them; and all this, to such perfection as to defy detection. An impostor, to accomplish such an undertaking, must be more than human. We know, indeed, that contradictions are charged upon the Bible; but these apparent contradictions vanish on a close scrutiny, made by one who is willing to receive the truth. They have weight only with the superficial or unwilling student. And there is not only this agreement in all its parts, but a progressive developement of a grand and glorious scheme from the beginning,

which could not, by any possibility, have been continued, carried on and consummated, by different individuals, during a period of fifteen hundred years, except by the direction of God. Nor can we select particular portions of the Bible, and say this or that only is to be regarded as the word of God, without marring the beauty and disturbing the harmony of the whole. It would be like striking off a particular continent or sea, and denying it a place as a part of this world; or like striking out one of the planets from the solar system.

7.

The writers of the Bible profess to speak by the inspiration of God. This was proved beyond dispute in a former chapter. But if the writers of the Bible were good men, they would not have professed what was not true, especially as they represent God as regarding liars with abhorrence, and expressly declare that the righteous will not lie. It has also been shown that, from the very nature of the case, they could not have been mistaken. But this book could not have been written by bad men, without contradicting all that we know of human nature; because it would be acting against themselves. It represents God as infinitely holy, and unchangeably opposed to sin. It denounces the most terrible threatenings against sinners. It represents the natural feelings of men as opposed to God-at enmity with him. It represents God as angry with the wicked, and in an attitude of threatening and judgment. Its doctrines are directly opposed to the natural feelings of men; yet there is a most perfect agreement between these doctrines and the character of a just and holy God. Moreover, the scheme of reconciliation between God

and man, proposed in the Bible, is directly opposed to the natural feelings of men; and calculated to humble the pride of their hearts, bring them to renounce all idea of personal merit, and submit themselves, unconditionally, to their offended Sovereign. Can any one believe such an absurdity, as that bad men would write such a book against themselves? There is no book in the world that wicked men hate so much as the Bible; and no book over which they would rejoice more if it were struck out of existence. This is the natural feeling of all men. It follows, then, that the Bible was neither written by good men without inspiration, nor by bad men for wicked purposes; it must, therefore, be the work of God.

8. No one can be conversant with the Bible without perceiving a majesty of style, commanding awe and reverence, which attaches to no other writings. The impression made upon the mind is, that God is speaking. The language of the evangelist, when comparing the teaching of Christ with that of the Scribes and Pharisees, applies with equal force to the whole Bible, in comparison with other writings: "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes." This is especially apparent when compared with the Apochryphal writings, the Koran, or the sacred books of the heathen. The Bible speaks as if the right of its Author to command, or to determine what is truth, were unquestioned; and it never once betrays the consciousness of pretension, or the inability of its Author to enforce what it commands.

6. Another internal evidence of the divine origin of the Bible is, the perfection of its code of morals, its