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That the

times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'* sufferings of the Jews during the siege of Jerusalem were of the most appalling description, is a fact fully confirmed by their historian Josephus; but their calamities did not end with the demoli tion of their city. Besides the amazing numbers that were slain by the sword, or that perished by famine, thousands of the wretched survivors were reserved to grace the triumph of their conqueror, and subsequently, to die, contending with beasts, in the theatres of the Roman empire. In fact, the whole nation was, as it were, proscribed, and the few that escaped the fury of war, were led away captives, or wandered about fugitives and outcasts. Thus was the prophecy of the Lord Jesus literally fulfilled; Jerusalem was 'trodden down of the Gentiles,' and her children were dispersed throughout all the nations. But it is not only in what occured at the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the inhabitants of Judea, that we have evidence of the truth of our Lord's predictions, we see them verified, even at the present day, in the oppressed state of this celebrated city, and in the condition of the Jews, scattered as they are, throughout every nation under heaven.

From our review of the subject, I conclude, therefore, that prophecy yields abundant evidence of the divine mission of Jesus, and, consequently, of the truth of Christianity. For, first, the prophecies of the Jewish scriptures, were fully accom

* Matt. xxiv. 21. Luke xxi. 24.

plished in the Lord Jesus. And, secondly, many remarkable predictions of the Lord Jesus himself, were literally and completely fulfilled. If, as the impugner of the scriptures asserts, religion be a fable, and revelation a dream, how shall these extraordinary coincidences be explained? My brethren, let us not be deceived: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;' let us show forth its excellence to the world by our works: let us manifest it to be the offspring of that wisdom from above, pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

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VIII.-INTERNAL EVIDENCE.

PART I.

Gradual progress of all the works and creatures of God to the perfection of their several states. Of the creation of the world.-Of man's condition.-Pursuits.-Character.-Of Religion and Morals.→→ Of the imperfection of character of certain individuals mentioned in the ancient scriptures.-Of David. Adapted to the circumstances of his age and country.-Jesus the Christian's examplar. The character of Jesus a powerful internal evidence of his divine mission.-Remarks on the prominent features of the character of Jesus.--Manner and style of teaching. Of exhibiting the evidence of a divine mission.-Of the greatness of his views and purposes.-Recapitulation.--Testimony of unbelievers to the transcendent excellence of the character of Jesus.Their opposition to Christianity inconsistent with this testimony.

How beautifully progressive are all the works and creatures of God! How gradually, and yet, how surely, do they undergo the several changes appointed to them, until they arrive at the perfection of their state, accomplish the purposes of their Creator, and pass away! What order, utility, and beauty, doth he cause to arise from unpromising beginnings; yea, often, from seeming confusion, worthlessness, and deformity!

As an exemplification of our remark, we may instance the several changes produced by creative power in the great work of preparing a habitation for the human race. 6 The earth,' says the sacred historian, 'was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.' When God said, 'Let there be light; and there was light,'-upon what a desolate scene must the first ray of morning have shone! Nevertheless, in process of time, the seas retired into their appointed beds, and the dry-land appeared, and spring cast over the unsightly masses of the earth her lovely mantle of green. The vegetable tribes successively came forth: the fruit trees put out their blossoms, and anon, yielded their fruit; and the children of the forest' waved their branches on high.

Almighty power, having provided a habitation fit for creatures endued with animal life, new forms of being were added to the previous works of God. Every 'creeping thing,' and 'winged fowl,' and beast of the earth, was brought forth abundantly; and the new creation teemed with life, and echoed notes of joy. Finally, man, the noblest earthly being, was created in the intellectual image of the Deity; and, to him, was assigned dominion over all the earth, and over every living thing that dwelleth upon the earth.

The law which the Divine Being prescribed to himself, in his original work of creation, was appointed by him to control and direct all the subsequent operations of nature. When the

husbandman commits the seed to the ground, he waits patiently until the earth yield her increase? -'first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear;' and when the united influence of sun, and air, and rain, shall have matured it, he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.' The trees of the forest are, proportionably. to their longevity and durability, a longer, or a shorter time, in attaining their perfection. The acorn, after having been deposited in the earth, sends forth its diminutive leaves, whose slender stem advances into a twig. Thence it becomes a sapling; and, finally a tall and stately tree, sheltering the fowls of heaven in its out-spreading. branches. Revolving centuries witness its pro-, gress towards maturity, and centuries pass away during its decline.

Sensitive nature, also, whether of the higher or lower ranks of being,-whether enjoying a transient, or a more extended existence, is subject to the same universal law. The Ephemera which starts into life at sun-rise, attains the perfection. of its nature at noon, and perishes with age in the evening breeze, or man, in his progress from wailing infancy, to the full vigour of his being, and, downward, to the dreary grave, passes through these several changes gradually. Nor, if we turn to the condition and circumstances of man, in whatsoever respect, shall we find it otherwise. In the eras of ancient time, man was. a. miserable savage, sheltering in caves and holes of the earth, thence, the constructor of a bower, with its interwoven branches and leaves. Anon,,

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