CHRISTIANITY. 



381 



ni- religion, and account for a phenomenon in ancient history 

 that is otherwise inexplicable, the existence and preserva- 

 tion of one solitary monument of pure theism in the 

 midst ff a corrupt and idolatrou- world. 



138. But to descend a little further. We gather from 

 the state of opinions at the time of our Saviour so many 

 testimonies to the clearness of the old prophecies. The 

 time and the place of our Saviour's appearance in the 

 world, and the triumphant progress, if not the nature of 

 his kingdom, were perfectly understood by the priests 

 and chief men of Judea. We have it from the testimony 

 of profane authors, that there was, at that time, a gener- 

 al expectation of a prince and a prophet all over the East. 

 Th<- destruction of Jerusalem was another example of 

 the fulfilment of a clear prophecy ; and this, added to 

 other predictions uttered by our Saviour, and which re- 

 ceived their accomplishment in the first generation of the 

 Christian church, would have its use in sustaining the 

 faith of the disciples amidst the perplexities of that anxi- 

 ous and distressing period. 



139. We can even comedown to the present day, and 

 point to the accomplishment of clear prophecies in tbe ac 

 tual history of the world. The present state of Egypt, and 

 the present state of the Jews, are the examples which we 

 fix uj on. The one is an actual fulfilment of a clear pro- 

 phecy ; the other is also an actual fulfilment, and forms 

 in itself the likeliest preparation for another accomplish- 

 ment that is yet to come. Nor do we conceive, that 

 these clear and literal fulfilments exhaust the whole of 

 the argument from prophecy They only form one part 

 of the argumen , but a part so obvious and irresistible, 

 as houla invite every lover of truth to the examination 

 of the remainder. They should secure such a degree 

 of respect fur the subject, as to engage the attention, 

 and awaken even in the mind of the most rapid and su- 

 perficial observer, a suspicion that there may be some- 

 thing in it. They should soften that contempt which 

 repels so many from investigating the argument at all, 

 or at all events, they render that contempt inexcusable. 



140. The whole history of the Jews is calculated to al- 

 lure the curiosity, and had it not been leagued with the de- 

 fence and illustration of our faith, would have drawn the 

 attention of many a philosopher, as the most singular ex- 

 hibition of human nature that ever was recorded in the 

 annals of the world. The most satisfying cause of this 

 phenomenon is to be looked for in the history, which 

 describes its origin and progress ; and by denying the 

 truth of that history, y*.u abandon the only explanation 

 which can be given of this wonderful people. It is quite 

 in vain to talk of the immutability of Eastern habits, as 

 exemplified in the n.itions of Asia. What other people 

 ever survived tht same annihilating processes ? We do not 

 talk of conquest, where the whole amount >f tht effect 

 is tn general a change of dynasty or of government ; but 

 wiiere the language, the habits, the denomination, and 

 above all, the geographical position, still remain to keep 

 up the identity of the people. But in the history of the 

 Jews, we see a strong indestructible principle, which 

 maintained them in a separate form of existence amid 

 changes that no other nation ever tuivived. We confine 

 cursives to the overthrow of their nation m the first ' 

 century of our epjch, and appeal to the disinterested 

 testimonies of T.ciius and J .-sephus, if ever the cruelty of 

 war devised a process of more terrible energy for the ut- 

 ter extirpation of a name, and a remembrance from the 

 world. They have been dispersed among all countries. 



i in.) have no common tie of locality or governn.ent to 

 keep them tog'-l-ier. All the ordinary principles of as 

 whicU make law, and religion, and manners, 



su much a matter of geography, are in their instance Christiani- 

 suspended. Even the smallest particles of this broken tY " 

 mass have resisted an affinity of almost universal opera- """^ 

 tion, and remain undiluted by the strong and overwhelm- 

 ing admixture of foreign ingredients. And in exception 

 to every thing which history has recorded of the revolu- 

 tions of the speck's, we see in this wonderful race a vi- 

 gorous principle of identity which has remained in undi- 

 mmished force for nearly two thousand years, and still 

 pervades every shred and fragment of their widely scat- 

 tered population. Now, if the infidel insists upon it, 

 we shall not rest on this as an argument. We can afford 

 to give it up; for in the abundance of our resources, we 

 feel independent of it. We shall say that it is enough, 

 if it can reclaim him froir, his levity, and compel his at- 

 tention to the other evidences which we have to offer 

 him. All we ak of him is to allow, that the undeniable 

 singularity which is before his eyes, gives him a sanction 

 at least, to examine the other singularities which we 

 make pretension to. If he goes back to the past history 

 of the Jews, he will see in their wars the same unexam- 

 pled preservation of their name and their nation. He will 

 see them surviving the process of an actual transporta- 

 tion into another country. In short, he will see them to 

 be unlike all other people in what observation offers, and ' 

 authentic history records of them ; and the only conces- 

 sion that we demand of him from all this, is, that their 

 pretension to be unlike other people in their extraordi- 

 nary revelations from heaven is at least possible, and de- 

 serves to be enquired into. 



141. It may not be out of place to expose a species of 

 injustice, which has often been done to the Christian ar- 

 gument. The defence of Christianity consists of several 

 distinct arguments, which have sometimes been multi- 

 plied beyond what is necessary, and even sometimes be- 

 yond what is tenable. In addition to the main evidence 

 which lies in the testimony given to the miracles of the 

 gospel, there is the evidence of prophecy ; there is the evi- 

 dence of collateral testimony ; there is the internal evi- 

 dence. The argument under each of these heads, is 

 often made to undergo a farther subdivision; and it is 

 not to be wondered at, that, in the multitude <-.f observa- 

 tions, the defence of Christianity may often be made to 

 rest upon ground, which, to say the* least of it, is pre- 

 carious or vulnerable. Now the injustice which we com- 

 plain of is, that when the friends of our religion are dis- 

 lodged from some feeble outwork, raised by an unskilful 

 officer in the cause, its enemies raise the cr) of a decisive 

 victory. But, for our own part, we could see her driven 

 from all her defences, and surrender them without a sigh, 

 so long as the phalanx of her historical evidence remains 

 impenetrable. Behind this unsealed barrier, we could 

 entrench ourselves, and eye the light skirmishing before 

 us with no other sentiment than of regret, that our 

 friends should, by the eagerness of their misplaced zeaf, 

 have given our enemy the appearance of a triumph. 



142. We offer no opinion as to the two-fold interpreta- 

 tionof prophecy ; but thoughit were refuted by argument, 

 and disgraced by ridicule, all that portion of evidence 

 wh'ch lies in the numerous examples of literal and un- 

 ambiguous fulfilment remains unaffected by it. Many 

 there are, who deny the inspiration of the Song of Solo- 

 mon. But in what possible way does this affect the re- 

 cords of the evangelical history ? Just as much as it 

 affects the Lives of Plutarch, or the Annals of Ta- 

 citus. There are a thousand subjects in which infidels 

 may idly push the triumph, and Christians be ae idly 

 galled by the severity, or even the truth of their observa- 

 tions. We point to tbe historical evidence for the New 



