Nothing, but a series of divine communications, and of interferences with the established laws of nature, such as the scriptures speak of, could make amends for the disadvantages, and reconcile the disagreements, of man's condition. Nothing, but a revelation of the gracious purposes of the Divine Being, such as, it is alleged, was given unto the fathers, by the prophets, and in later times, unto us, by his Son, could remedy the evils of the present life, and raise man to his proper level in the scale of being, and ennoble his nature with the hope and promise of the future, and complete his education as an intellectual creature. Let him be addressed by revelation, and then will he be furnished with a source of the most important knowledge, and with the most worthy objects of pursuit, and with an exhaustless spring of consolation. Then will his views be extended beyond the weary pilgrimage he is destined to accomplish upon the earth. Then will he be sure that his present existence is only the introduction into life, the childhood of his being, the commencement of a course of usefulness, of glory, and of honour!

Revelation is, moreover, unspeakably important to man as a means of making him acquainted with the true character of God, of furnishing him with the strongest motives to the performance of duty, and with every encouragement to aspire after the highest degrees of excellence of which human nature is susceptible. It is certain, indeed, that nature teacheth us many truths respecting the character and ways of the Divine Being; but the superiority of revelation will be, in many

respects, perceived, when we consider, that, although we trace the effects of God's power, and witness the tokens of his presence, and behold the proofs of his goodness, throughout the works of nature, yet, He himself is invisible: 'He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.' He hath decreed, that the affairs of the world shall be administered by laws which present a severe and inflexible constancy. The powers, which are his ministers in the natural world, turn not aside at the voice of any prayer, nor change at any bidding; but onwards they. hasten to execute the Divine purposes. Though they proceed forth from God, they speak not of him in articulate sounds: neither do they proclaim what he hath decreed for us in the future dispensations of his government. Revelation, on the contrary, speaks to us of our Maker and Benefactor in language which cannot be misunderstood; it cheers us by the most delightful representations of the divine character: it reminds us of obligations we should otherwise overlook; of duties we should otherwise neglect; and of laws we should otherwise transgress: it guards us, on the one hand, from idolatry, man's besetting sin,—and on the other, from denying the existence of the Eternal God; it unfolds the Divine will and intentions with regard to us; and encourages us to a stedfast continuance in well-doing, by representations of the consequent approbation and favour of God, in the future stages of an interminable and happy life. Nature declares the Lord God to be good, and merciful, and gracious,

6

by symbols and by signs, often of doubtful import; but revelation confirms the glad tidings by posi tive declarations; and adds, moreover, the joyful assurance, that, to the penitent offender, he will forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin.' By the former, men know only that they have a Creator; by the latter, they are assured that he is their Father in Heaven.' And thus does the Divine Being connect man with himself by the most endearing ties, supply his most urgent intellectual wants, and afford him the most powerful motives to the pursuit of whatsoever may seem best calculated to render him a worthy steward in God's household, and acceptable in the sight of his Almighty Benefactor and Judge.

These are a few of the important uses to which revelation is subservient. Indeed, in whatever light it may be viewed, it will seem peculiarly adapted to the circumstances and wants of man, This does, as it seems to me, afford a strong ground of argument in favour of revelation, even before any direct evidences of its truth be examined. It is not, however, upon these grounds alone that revelation rests its claim to our regard. It is not upon such grounds that both the Jewish and Christian communities assert, that a revelation has been given to man. The Jew points to his ancient scriptures as the repository of the word of God. We Christians, also, acknowledge their divine authority, and believe, moreover, that, 'God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in these last days, spoken unto us by his Son.' Let

us further proceed to point out a few of the evidences of this faith, and to give a reason of the hope that is in us.

6

No sooner do we enter on the subject of revelation, than unbelievers assail us with objections as to the genuineness of the books of scripture. We will proceed to make here a few remarks on such objections. If, say they, it be found that the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, and Samuel, were not written by these persons, every part of the authority and authenticity of these books is gone at once." Dr. Watson, in his reply to Paine's Age of Reason,' notices this objection, and exposes the weakness of the argument, by showing, that a book may be authentic and not genuine, or genuine yet not authentic. For instance, a genuine book is one which is really the production of the person whose name it bears, though its contents may be merely the offspring of the author's imagination; as the tales of Mrs. Opie, or the works of Sir Walter Scott. In these cases the works are genuine, as being the productions of the reputed authors, but they want authenticity, as being fabulous and untrue.

An authentic book is one which relates matters of fact, although it may have been published either anonymously or under a feigned name. Anson's voyage, which was ascribed to one individual as its author, while it was, in fact, the production of another, has been mentioned as an example. So that a book may be authentic, that is,

* See Dr. Watson's Reply to Paine's Age of Reason.

may contain a true history of events, although it may not have been written by the person whose name it bears. Provided, therefore, the unbelever could even make good his assertion, that Moses, and Joshua, and Samuel were not the writers of the books to which their names are prefixed,, still it would be of but little avail to the cause of infidelity, since they may contain, notwithstanding, true histories of past events. In preferring the charge of spuriousness against the Mosaical books, the unbeliever adduces the following passage as one of his proofs. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which

1

Mavere upon the face of the earth.' Numb. xii. c. 3 v. This specimen of auto-biography appears to the unbeliever to exhibit too much vanity and selfconceit to have been penned by any modest man writing of himself. If Moses did write the passage,' says the objector, his testimony is unworthy of credit; and if he did not write it, then the books are not authentic histories.'

Without attempting to decide, whether or not the penning of such a passage, relating to himself, would authorize us to doubt the testimony of the historian: I would ask, is it fair to put the worst construction upon the passage with which a cavilling spirit could furnish us? Is it honourable, to charge a man with puerile vanity and self-conceit, who sacrificed the ease and the voluptuousness of Pharaoh's court, and chose the toils and privations of the desert? refusing,' as the Apostle, in aftertimes, emphatically said, ‘to be

+

to