of princes, the petty projects of legislation. It treats only of the greatest and most important concerns. It is God's book; and contains nothing trifling, nothing unimportant, nothing superfluous. It speaks of eternity and eternal things. It reveals pardon and grace; it marks out the ways of peace and holiness. It shows exactly those things which it most concerns us to know, and which we could never understand nor settle of ourselves.

Now all this is exactly adapted to man. He is weak, ignorant, sinful; distracted with conflicting opinions, and wandering in the darkness and sorrows which his rebellion has occasioned. Still he is accountable. As such, the Scripture addresses him: so that no other creature but man could understand such a book as the Bible.

It is to him, however, the precise Revelation he needs. He finds peace of mind in its authoritative dictates. He feels the ground firm under him. He flies from human conjecture and the intricacies of opposing systems, to repose in the authority of the Bible. Man, when his attention is awakened to the subject, knows in his inmost soul that he wants direction-he knows that to make out truth for himself, in the way of discussion, is impossible. Though, when attacked, he will defend his powers of

VOL. II.

C

pend their obedience on the agreement or nonagreement of the doctrine with their pre-conceived notions. This would suppose a previous acquaintance with what a divine revelation should contain; and, if true, would altogether supersede the necessity of it. It is hard to say whether the pride or folly of such a notion be the greater. But sure it is, that such a mind would never discover any internal evidence of the truth of Christianity.

And yet this is the course pursued almost uniformly by unbelievers. They pass over the immense body of external evidences; they begin with inquiring into what they term the reasonableness of the things revealed; they plunge into metaphysics; they then, of course, misunderstand or pervert almost every article of the faith which they profess to examine; and, lastly, reject Christianity as not according with their notions of wisdom and expediency.

Not so the sincere inquirer. He receives Christianity with humble gratitude, on the ground of the external credentials with which Almighty God has been pleased to accompany it; and then he traces out, as he is able, those intrinsic excellencies of the matter revealed, which may confirm his faith and animate him in his obedience. He is so far from think

1 See Bishop Van Mildert.

ing that a revelation cannot come from God, because he sees not in every respect the fitness and reasonableness of its contents, that, on the contrary, he concludes that the revelation is wise, good, just, and fit to be received, because he has every reason to believe, from its external evidences, that it has a divine origin.'

It is in this manner we reason as to the works of nature and providence. When once we have admitted the being and perfections of an all-wise Creator, from the grandeur and contrivance and harmony pervading the general order of creation, we conclude that the unnumbered parts of it which we do not yet understand, are good, because they come from the same divine hand. Thus also, when we have once received a divine revelation on its undoubted miraculous proofs, we are bound to conclude that all the matter of it is good and right, because it comes from the God of truth and holiness.

It is necessary to observe, however, here,― what will be obvious to every considerate person, that the internal evidences do not arise from all the parts of revelation; but from those which are level in some measure to our comprehension, or addressed to our experience. They do not spring from the matter of revelation as it 'Bishop Gibson.

golden, silver, and iron ages were framed. Men applied themselves, now to the dignity and love of truth which seemed latent in human nature; and now to the passions and appetites which actually governed and controlled it. Reason and sensual pleasure divided the schools of learning. An unnatural pride and apathy, in opposition to all his tender and social propensities or a sensual indulgence, which contradicted his aspirations after intellectual and moral excellence, prevailed in the doctrines of the sages.

Revelation comes in and explains every thing-solves the enigma, casts a strong, clear light upon the history of man, tells him all his condition, and treats with him as in that condition, and no other.

The two facts which it reveals-first, the original dignity and uprightness of man, formed after the image of his Creator, and designed for knowing, loving, worshipping, obeying, and enjoying him for ever-and then the fall of man, and the loss of his Maker's favour and image, by sin, with the disorder, blindness, corruption, and rebellion which ensued-these two facts unfold at once all the phenomena.

The loose fabric of human conjectures cannot hold together. Fables about a primeval and a deteriorated state are of no value to mankind.

TO ITS DIRECTIONS, AND MAKING A TRIAL OF ITS PROMISED BLESSINGS.1

In these respects we have data to go upon. We have feelings; we are capable of judging in some respects of moral causes and consequences; we have means of tracing out the same indications of divine wisdom, the same holy ends and contrivances in the gospel, as we find in the general providential government of God in the world. We are thus applying the revelation to its proper purposes, considering it according to its own principles and structure, and advancing in our knowledge and admiration of its various parts.

This evidence is most important. It might indeed have pleased God, so far as we can judge, to give us a revelation so elevated in all its parts, as to furnish no internal evidences, or very slight ones, in the sense in which we now understand the term. We should have been still obliged to receive and obey it with humble thankfulness, and wait for the reasons of things in a future world. But it has pleased God to grant us a revelation, from many branches of which internal testimonies flow in rich abundance; and we have only to put them in their due place, and use them for their proper

Lect. xix. and xx.