to guide our conduct upon so very slender and weak an evidence. We Christians have far surer proofs to go by. The whole of the sacred Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi, teem with the promised Christ; and again, from St. Matthew to the Revelation of St. John, we have the clearest, most authentic, and positive proofs of our Lord's birth, life, death, and resurrection. "The evidence of prophecy," as Bishop Horsley remarks, "lies in these two particulars; that events have been predicted which are not within human foresight; and the accomplishment of predictions has been brought about which must surpass human power and contrivance the prediction therefore, was not from man's sagacity, nor the event from man's will and design. And then, the goodness of the design, and the intricacy of the contrivance, complete the proof that the whole is of God." In short, we need only take a review of the prophecies and their fulfilment, to rise into such a faith in Jesus our Messiah, as neither the devil, nor his subjects the modern Infidels, will ever be able to shake. We have lately gone through every part of the Old Testament, and studied it long and closely, to try if we could possibly find a solution for very many passages in it, supposing there were no such person as Jesus in his twofold character. But although we have twisted and turned them in our mind a thousand different ways, the whole we must confess appear to us to be without meaning if Jesus be not the dwelt in him; for. to make full and ample atonement for the sins of the world, it was requisite for the sufferer to be God. God was manifested in the flesh, and suffered for us, to reconcile us to himself. The divinity of the blessed Jesus, and his atonement for sin, must stand or fall together. Those who deny the one, must of necessity deny the other; for man, could not redeem himself. The entire subject of the Gospel is, God the Son died for man, and rose again for his justification. We cannot mention one individual branch of the sacred Gospel which stands unconnected with the cross of Christ. We would beg leave to ask the infidel. whether there is any doctrine except that of the Christian, which can teach man how to obtain happiness in a future state? No such creed exists, nor ever did exist. Christ, the Saviour of the world, and God the Son. And after weeks, months, and years, spent in studying and reflecting on the Scriptures, we have at last come to this conclusion, that it requires far more faith to be an Infidel, than it does to be a Christian. FINIS. LONDON RICHARDS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. |