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mise, which he gave to them after the resurrection, with a command to continue in Jerusalem until it was fulfilled. In the 2d chapter of the same book, the important and interesting fact of the fulfilment of this promise by the descent of the Holy Spirit is recorded; with an ample statement, which is corroborated by various other passages of Scripture, of the wonderful effects which followed, in the power to work miracles, and the gift of tongues, which he communicated to the apostles; and the rapid and almost universal spread of the Gospel which immediately took place. It is also pleasing to all who feel interested in the cause of Christianity to recollect, that although the influences of this divine Agent have frequently been suspended in measure, yet they have never been entirely withdrawn from the church. In the present day, he is still carrying on his ordinary, but not less effective operations, by quickening the dead in trespasses and sins, by subduing the power of sin in the hearts of men, by bending their stubborn wills in holy submission to the Saviour, and by extending and establishing his kingdom more and more in the world.

An appeal to this fact, we therefore conceive, is sufficient to bring the matter in dispute at once to an issue; i. e. The Saviour's resurrection, which is the subject of our enquiry, is by this descent of the Holy Spirit, and by his continued operations in the church, established on the most solid basis. By this it is satisfactorily ascertained, and incontestibly proved, that he actually did rise from the dead, according to his own previous declaration:- -consequently, by his thus rising, (which event he antecedently referred to, as the test or standard of subsequent appeal,) he has demonstratively proved the truth and divine authority of his mission, and also of the Christian Scriptures, which being the records of that mission, are of necessity equally substantiated by the same glorious and triumphant event.

Should the reader not be able to comprehend the force of this abstract reasoning, he will, if he attend to the fol

lowing illustration, by which the argument is brought to bear upon the subject of our investigation, be convinced that the inference which in this concluding paragraph I have drawn from the resurrection is both natural and correct. Suppose a man becomes surety for his neighbour, and engages, as his neighbour's security, to pay, in case of his inability, a certain sum of money. Should he on this account be afterwards arrested, and thrown into prison for payment of the stipulated sum, it of course follows, that he will not be liberated from his confinement until he has fulfilled his engagement, or in some way or other made satisfaction to the parties to whom, by his yoluntary contract, he made himself responsible. So Christ, the great and exclusive Surety of mankind, was arrested by the justice of God, on account of the sins which he had engaged to expiate, and confined in the prison of the grave. His liberation, therefore, from that prison, proves that his expiatory sacrifice was accepted, and the debt which he had engaged to defray fully discharged; because nothing but this could possibly procure his release. Had he not been a divine teacher, or had his work not been fully perfect in every respect, he would have remained, as all men in the ordinary course of nature do, in the prison of the grave to the present day. The satisfactory manner, therefore, in which his resurrection is substantiated, and the sufficiency of proof which arises from it in confirmation of the truth and divine authority of the Bible, and of the divine message which, being as he was a teacher sent from God, he bore to mankind, were there no other proof, are of themselves sufficient to satisfy every reasonable and candid enquirer, that the Bible is, and that it alone is the true revelation which, as a light shining in a dark place, God has graciously given to direct a guilty and benighted world into the way of life and salvation.

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CHAPTER IV.

On the Sufferings and Conduct of the Apostles.

Principles of the Argument, derived from the Labours and Sufferings of the Apostles in the Cause of Christianity.

Selfishness, it is evident to every observer of mankind, is a prevailing principle, and distinguishing trait of the human character. A desire to promote the public welfare enters but little into the actions of the generality of men. Hence it is, that whilst multitudes, under the influence of the above-stated principles, are ever found ready to engage in hazardous and painful undertakings, there are but few in the world who have sufficient philanthropy to sacrifice, by a life of painful self-denial, their private interest and personal comfort at the altar of public benevolence.

Attested and confirmed as the truth of this observation is by our every-day experience, we are, by our knowledge of this commonly prevailing rule of action, naturally led, if we see a man undertake a difficult and dangerous enterprise, to conclude that personal aggrandisement, in some way or other, must necessarily be the object of his ambitious pursuit.

Suppose, however, instead of taking it for granted that he is actuated by mercenary motives of this kind, we enter into a close examination of his conduct, and in the course of this examination find that we have been mistaken in the previous apprehension which we had formed as to the object by which he was influenced-suppose, to our astonishment, we discover, that the undertaking in. which he has engaged demands far more costly sacrifices than we had previously imagined, subjects him to all that is revolting to human nature, and perpetually exposes him to death, in the most terrible and terrific forms

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-suppose also, that by the investigation it is clearly de. monstrated, that in the course of painful exertion which he uniformly pursues, he is not, according to our preconception, influenced by the love of wealth, neither by a spirit of pride or ambition, nor any other desire to promote his own private interest-suppose it is also equally ascertained and clearly proved, that he is not a fanatic, neither labouring under any mental delusion, but, in the use of the best adapted means, pursues his object in a steady persevering manner-we must, on this discovery, (as a necessary consequence,) naturally conclude, that he is under the influence of some extraordinary principles and motives of action, not common to mankind in general.

Allow me to prosecute this illustration, and still further to suppose, that in our endeavours to ascertain the real and mysterious motives by which the individual I have here described is actuated, in his voluntary labours and painful exertions, we learn, either directly from himself, or indirectly from others who have received creditable information on the subject, that the secret spring of his actions is an extraordinary communication which he professes to have received from the Deity. To this communication is annexed a command, by which he is required to make the contents of it known to the world; and it is therefore in conformity to this command, and with a view to promote the happiness of mankind, which is intimately connected with their knowledge of this revelation, that he thus labours and exposes himself to suffering and pain. We must, on making such a discovery as this, certainly acknowledge that, so far as he is individually concerned, he undoubtedly has an implicit faith in the truth of the communication which he professes to have received; i. e. he gives, by his conduct in subjecting himself to a life of patient self-denial, a demonstrative proof that he is an honest and sincere man, and pursues, on the ground of principle and conviction, the plain path of duty, according to the directions contained in the re

velation which he asserts he has been privileged to receive.

Admitting that a case exactly corresponding with what I have here described came before us, what, I ask, would be the inference which we should draw from this testimony of the sincerity of this extraordinary character? If we did not look upon it as amounting to satisfactory proof, we must, according to all the common principles of action, at least acknowledge that it ought to be considered as a strong presumptive evidence that he actually has, according to his profession, received a communication from above.

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Should the enquiring reader now be anxious to know whether such a circumstance as this ever occurred in the world, I answer in the affirmative, and direct him, for a proof of my assertion, to the labours and sufferings of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, as they are described in the following sections, for an example of the actual existence of what I have now been supposing. These servants of the Most High, with a holy freedom from every sinister motive, laboured, and suffered, and died to propagate the gospel: we are therefore warranted to assert, that the gospel is, by these characteristic marks of their sincerity, sufficiently authenticated to justify our reception of it, as the exclusive revelation which God has given to guide men, as the subjects of his moral government, into the way of happiness and eternal life.

SECTION 1.

Examination of the Motives by which the Apostles were actuated in their Endeavours to promote the Spread of the Gospel.

It must be evident to all who are acquainted with the contents of the New Testament, that the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ could not be influenced by selfishness, in their endeavours to accelerate in the world the interests of the religion with which he had intrusted them. As

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