ists generally belonged? Let the work be supposed to be executed merely by men, and the praises of Jesus Chris twould exceed in length the whole evangelical history. Its authenticity is proved, not simply by what is recorded, but also from the absence of what must have been expressed had it been the work of

man.

To support a perfect character through a long train of action has ever been deemed a hopeless task. It would seem that the natural defects of the human heart are an insuperable barrier to this, as it cannot supply the model. But the apostles and evangelists have, in a simple narrative of facts, exhibited the astonishing picture. They have presented to the world, what has often been desired and attempted, a character in every respect perfect, supported through a variety of interesting scenes. In public, their Master, whose history they relate, is attacked by enemies whom he silences; and in private, he appears among his friends whom he instructs. We see him in the most trying situations constantly displaying the same lofty superiority and wisdom, the same purity and meekness, the same dignity and condescension, and uniformly pursuing the great object of his ministry on earth. In this manner they have portrayed a character, combining every excellency, and carrying every virtue to the highest point, without the smallest flaw or defect. In performing this work, they confessedly stand alone. No writer besides, in all the indulgence of imagination, far less in descriptions drawn from real life, has ever achieved such a triumph.

To the accounts thus transmitted in their history, and promulgated in their discourses, they uniformly adhered, amidst the greatest opposition, trials, and

difficulties. They displayed a zeal which no opposition could quench, a fidelity which no temptation could shake, a courage which no danger could dismay; and most of them laid down their lives in attestation of the truth that they advanced.

The apostles could derive no personal advantage from testifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ, had it not taken place; on the contrary, if not true, they had every possible inducement to deny it. They knew the danger to which their attestation of the fact that he was risen exposed them, by which they provoked the rage of all men. By giving an opposite testimony, they would have obtained the countenance and favour of the rulers, who were so desirous of proving that he whom they had crucified was an impostor, and whose interest was so deeply involved in the question. On the supposition, moreover, that there had been no resurrection, the apostles would have been impelled to declare this, by the strong feeling of resentment they must have experienced on account of a fraud by which their credulity had been abused, and themselves subjected to the greatest dangers and hardships, and exposed to the utmost ridicule and contempt. But to their risen Lord they bore their testimony in a manner the most constant and uniform, without ever once retracting, although thereby exposed to all sorts of persecutions, and even to death itself. They bore it, not in places that were remote, but in Jerusalem itself; not at a distant period, but immediately after the event; not among friends, or persons who had no interest in the subject, but in the presence of those who had crucified their Master; not before people who were credulous and easily imposed on, or who possessed not the means of detection, but before the Jewish Sanhedrim,

before magistrates, and before kings. They testified not of a person unknown, but of one who during his life had publicly wrought many miracles, to which they appealed. On the persuasion of the truth of their testimony, they undertook the conversion of the whole world, which, of all enterprises, was the most difficult, and apparently altogether impracticable. They showed, by their writings and by their actions, that they were men of piety and probity; and that religion which they founded on their testimony, proves its divine character, as being an enemy to every sort of vice, and as enjoining all kinds of virtue.

If any refuse to credit the testimony of the apostles, they must do it on one or other of these grounds, either that they were deceived or deceivers. But to maintain either the one or the other of these alternatives, will be found a task of equal difficulty. If it shall be said that they were deceived, a little consideration will show it was impossible. Men may be deluded in matters of theory, and bewildered by ingenious speculations; their imaginations may be inflamed by enthusiasm, and the opinions which they ardently wish to be true they may at length be brought to believe. But though in these ways there may be enthusiasts in opinion, none can be found to be so in matters of fact, that are plain and obvious to the senses, which do not admit of deception or collusion, and which are constantly repeated for years. Such was the character of the facts which the apostles witnessed, and of the miracles which Jesus Christ is declared to have performed.

At length they beheld him put to death in the presence of multitudes. They saw his lifeless body taken down from the cross, and given up for burial. They once more beheld him alive, bearing those marks which

his crucifixion had impressed. Of his resurrection he had given them several previous intimations, which they afterwards plainly understood, although they did not well comprehend them at the time, being unable to reconcile them with the ideas they had formed of his character. They saw him at last ascend to heaven, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Before his ascension, Jesus Christ had promised to bestow upon his apostles, after his departure, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit. These accordingly, they inform us, they received, and, in consequence, were themselves enabled to work miracles. The sick were brought to them from all quarters, and all who applied for aid were healed. In thus performing miracles themselves, it is impossible they could be deceived. But one miraculous gift above all they possessed, in which the most determinedly incredulous cannot suppose there could be self-deception;—they were enabled to speak foreign languages, and intelligibly to address people from different countries in tongues which they had never learned, nor possessed any means of acquiring. Could they be deceived in this? The absurdity of the supposition is manifest. To reject the testimony of the apostles on the ground that they were themselves deceived, would discover a degree of incredulity amounting to positive infatuation; for never was there any thing more certain in this world, than that these men were not deceived.

There is, however, a second alternative, founded on the supposition that the apostles deceived others; but to such an imagination as this, every principle that actuates human nature stands directly opposed. They had been warned from the first of the difficulties that lay before them in the work in which they engaged,

and of the treatment they would assuredly experience. And of this they had seen an early example in the case of John the Baptist. But whatever expectation of a worldly kingdom they might have entertained, like the other Jews, before his death, the crucifixion of their Master must for ever have extinguished all their most fondly cherished hopes. They saw him expire in apparent weakness, amidst circumstances of agonizing distress on his part, and of triumph on that of his persecutors. They had then an opportunity, if they had chosen, to return to their own homes and occupations, which they had renounced for his service. In doing this, they were in no danger of molestation from the Jewish governors, who appear at that time to have considered them too contemptible to be worthy of the smallest notice. But not one of them departed. Though far from being credulous, as appears in the case of Thomas, and from other circumstances, or from being unsusceptible of the impression of fear, as the previous conduct of every one of them proves, all, on that trying occasion, stood firm. So far from being shaken by what they then saw, we find them, a short time afterwards, coming forward in a new character, without any of their former timidity or ignorance; but, on the contrary, with the greatest boldness, and the most complete information on the subject of their mission. Nothing can account for this extraordinary change, but the instructions which, subsequently to his resurrection, they declare they had received from their Master, and the promised inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

Before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Peter, the most forward and impetuous of the apostles, trusting to his own strength, declared, that though all men