ing-there is a dark gloom before him-he must reflect, and his reflections must be on the dark waste of dreary annihilation! He feels uneasy! It is because he seeks rest where the God of nature has never designed him to rest.— He may resort to any amusements or diversions or to sensual and criminal pursuits to banish unwelcome thoughts from his mind; but yet he will ever look around upon the darkness that envelopes his destiny with secret agony. He will say "I believe not in revelation. I am not so foolish as to be superstitious. I am of a higher and nobler spirit, and must despise the man, who knows no better than to be christian. Yet I wish christianity were true. I would give all I am worth to have it so." But take the noble and wise deist, who knows so much of the efficiency of nature and the superiour joys of infidelity. Let him lose his property. Do his doubts supply the loss? Next take his companion, his children, and his last earthly friend-where now is his comfort! His broken and wounded spirit now looks back upon life, and beholds all as a fleeting dream-a scene of blasted hopes-a waste of darkness and sorrow, with here and there a sunny spot to make the gloom the more visible. Can he now throw himself on the future and rest in the assurance and hope of deism? Or can he press his atheism to his breast, and say "welcome blighted hopes, and blasted aspirations; for here in darkness, death, and annihilation, my joy is full ?" Or let him be thrown upon the sick bed-let his physician tell him his case is hopeless -let schorching fevers and wracking pains burn upon his Can he smile serene to gaze then upon the beauties of his noble doubts? He sees his little ones about to be left to the cold charities and fearful uncertainties of an unfriendly world-he sees them innocent, artless, and he must leave them for ever! Can he recommend to them the strong consolations and high moral restraints of infidelity? Can he cheer and comfort them with the doctrines of "eternal sleep?" Can he commend them to the protec

nerves.

tion and care of Chance, and tell them that they are to be accountable only to their fellow beings for their actions?

While the prosperous and stoical unbeliever feels tolerably satisfied at times, and uses efforts to disseminate his dreary and comfortless doctrines, little does he think of the far different situation of thousands of his fellow beings.Could he survey the abodes of human wretchedness and wo-could he see the millions that have no worldly support and no hope this side of heaven, he would then realize the necessity of that gospel which alone imparts resignation, joy, and triumph to the afflicted, the miserable and the dying. Could he go to the poor cottage, and see the lonely and neglected and toil worn subjects of penury and want; and see the bright gleam of joy light upon their countenances as they knelt at the morning and evening altar; and hear them thank their heavenly Father for the unbounded riches of that glorious world, where trial and grief shall be no more-could he do this I say, and tell them that all their joys were unsubstantial dreams!

Could he walk the lonely retreat, and accidentally behold the kneeling mother; and hear her call on God, in a transport of faith, to save her son from the gambler's fate or the drunkard's end, and could he still be an infidel?

Could he go to the chamber of sickness and pain, and see a fellow being in the closing scene of mortal life-could he see the features of the dying lighted up with the antedate of eternity, and hear the lips exclaim, "I long to go and be with Jesus," could he-O could he break this beavenly calm! Could he breathe the withering clouds of darkness and doubt upon this morning of heaven! Could he snatch the aspiring and joyous spirit from the portals of immortality, and blast it with doubts darker than the pall that covers the dead. Could he here in the the solemn presence of death, array his light of nature against the majesty and glory and power of the christian hope!-Nohe could not the attempt would freeze his nerves, and

blast him as a demon. Here the invisible power of the Deity will hold the mind; and nature herself will plead for religion. Here infidelity drops off its tinseled mask, and shrinks and trembles, abashed and ashamed, at the unfolding grandeur and power of christian truth. Is not that religion then which always makes its true followers good, virtuous and happy; which imparts hope and joy and bliss to every period of life and death; which has so improved our social and moral condition; which alone can promote these objects; is it not necessary to men? All must answer yes. That God then who has given us eyes, ears, tastes, smells, speech, teeth, hands, feet, mind, air, earth, light, timber, water, harvests, and every thing else necessary for us, has also given this great essential moral blessing. Yes it is so. God has given it us; but like many other blessings of his providence, we have power to improve or neglect it, and our happiness or misery will be accordingly.

VI. The origin of christianity. True unless Jesus was an impostor.-As we do not expect to attempt a detailed view of the evidences of the divine revelation of the Bible, we shall now pass over to notice some of the points in evidence of the New Testament or christianity. It will be sufficient for oar purpose to inquire, whether Christ did exist, and did perform the miracles ascribed to him; and was crucified; and did rise again from the dead.

1. We all know that a system of religion, called christianity, does now exist; and that it is contained in certain books called the New Testament. That these books, teach the precepts, doctrines, miracles, death, and resurrection of one JESUS, to whom the system is attributed as its author. That according to this book, this Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the reign of Herod the King. That this is the christian era from which we reckon the years.

Now as these are facts, it is manifest, that this religion must have been founded and commenced at the time protended, or at some later period.

But could it have commenced since that period ?— Could any impostor or number of impostors have fabricated those books, and made the people believe, that they had existed ever since their pretended origin; that there had been multitudes of Christians when there had been none; that there were monuments and evidences of the former existence of christianity, when it had not existed before? No. Besides, these books say hard things of the Jews; they speak of their crimes, and accuse them of murdering the innocent Jesus. Now if these books had been fabricated since the time we suppose them to have been written, these Jews would have said at once, that this was a new thing; that they had never heard of it before, and that their nation had never before been accused of such crimes. But no such thing is pretended by any of the Jewish writers. Although they reject the resurrection of Christ, they never denied that he existed at the time pretended; and that the apostles existed and wrote the books as pretended by christians. Besides, if any such fabrication as the christian religion had sprung up new, since the time it is said to have originated, the infidel writers of the age when it sprung up, would certainly have exposed the imposition. But so far from this the early writers against christianity all admit that Jesus did exist at that time, and that the books ascribed to the apostles were written by them at the time alluded to.

Pontius Pilate, who governed in Judea, and gave up Jesus to be crucified, sent an account of the miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus, to the Roman emperor; as it was customary for the governours of provinces to send to the emperors accounts of remarkable events, which were kept in the archieves of the government. So Eusebius says "our Saviour's resurrection being much talked of throughout Palestine, Pilate informed the emperor of it, as likewise of his miracles, of which he heard." These records, made by the governour, or Roman senate, and left

in the archives of the empire for the benefit of historians, were called “ Acts." And Justin Martyr, A. D. 140, alluding to the events of Christ, says, “and that these things were so done you may know from the Acts made in the time of Pontius Pilate." This was in an address to the Roman emperor and senate; and if no such acts were there left by Pilate, of course he might have been detected. Afterwards in the same address, he speaks of Christ's healing the sick, raising the dead, &c. and adds,-" And that these things were done by him, you may know from the Acts made in the time of Pontius Pilate." Turtullian, A. D. 200, speaks of the death, resurrection, and appearance of Christ afterwards to his disciples, and adds, "of all these things relating to Christ, Pilate himself sent an account to Tiberius, then emperor."

Josephus plainly speaks of Christ and the introduction of his religion. Suetonius, a Roman historian of A. D. 116, speaks of Christ. Also Tacitus, speaking of the christians in A. D. 64, says, “the author of that sect is Christ, who in the reign of Tiberius was punished with death, as a criminal, by the procurator Pontius Pilate."

Of

Pliny, in A. D. 107 also speaks of Christ, as well as Elius Lampridius. And Tacitus and others declare that Nero fired the city of Rome only about 30 years after the time of Christ's death, and laid the act to the christians. course christians must have existed at that time. Now we ask, who could have imposed upon christians since that time with the New Testament; and made them believe that they had always had the New Testament; and had always revered it as the writings of Christ's immediate disciples, if it were not so? But we might show that writers have quoted from the New Testament in every age since the christian era, which shows that they did come into being at the time fixed for them.

Celsus was a strong and bitter enemy to christianity, who wrote about 150 years after Christ. Yet he admits that