ceptible, in a form the most engaging, tender, and elevated.

But we pause-and draw our argument to a close. We have taken a view of the peculiar character of our Lord as Mediator; of his private deportment as our example; and of his public and more elevated conduct as the founder of the Christian religion. The mind is lost in striving to collect the several parts.

of them.

We began with the various claims preferred by our Lord. We were startled at the variety and difficulty We yet found, as we proceeded, every one established in the most ample and satisfactory manner. The impression of reverence increased as we reviewed his conduct as the Son of God and Saviour of the world, as the Teacher of mankind, as a Man of Sorrows, and the Rewarder of his disciples. We were yet inore affected, as we considered the separate as well as combined excellencies of our Lord's personal conduct. When from this we proceeded to notice the public bearing of his life and ministry as the founder of our religion, we were only the more filled with astonishment at the majesty and sublimity of his character. The attempt to do justice to any portion of it is fruitless. It is difficult even to touch on the principal features. Enough, however, has been said to enable us to estimate the argument which it supplies in confirmation of our faith and love.

This argument, then, it will be found, springs from a FAIR PRESUMPTION upon the first statement of the case; rises yet higher when that case is contrasted with EVERY SIMILAR PRETENSION; proceeds upwards to a moral demonstration when the OTHER BRANCHES OF THE EVIDENCES are taken into account; and ceases not its course till it BEARS AWAY THE HEART of every competent and serious inquirer.

12

1. For what is THE FAIR PRESUMPTION on the VERY STATEMENT OF THE CASE, after reviewing such a character as that of the founder of the Christian religion? The life and spirit of the author of any religious system, when truly known, go far to determine the truth of his claims. If real sincerity, purity, benevolence, humility, disinterestedness, consistency, appear in the founder of a religion; if that individual present himself openly before the eyes of men; if he submit all his pretensions to their scrutiny; if, in addition, there appear in him calmness, composure, meekness; every thing the most opposite to enthusiasm and credulity; these things afford a strong presumption in favour of his cause, just as the contrary qualities would be so many presumptions against it.

No personal virtues can, indeed, strictly speaking, establish a divine Revelation, which must wait for its proper proofs; but such a character as that of our Lord, supposes those proofs and implies them; it is altogether so peculiar, so far elevated above any other that ever appeared, as to furnish in itself the strongest presumption of the truth of his pretensions,

2. The presumptive argument is raised yet higher, BY CONTRASTING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST WITH THAT of all otheRS who have assumed to be founders of a new religion. We challenge the whole world. We assert that there never was any religion but the Christian, which exhibited, in the person of its founder, a spotless model for its disciples to follow. We assert there never was any religion but the Christian, in which its author united excellence of example with purity of precept." We assert there never was any religion but the Christian, which professed to sum up all morality in the example of its legislator; and

33 Bishop James.

combined in it all the purest precepts, and the most lovely sentiments of moral excellency.

I look around for the founder of a religion with whom I may compare Jesus Christ. I see the masters of the philosophic sects; I see the orators and reputed sages of Greece and Rome-all is impure and debased. I see Zeno, and Socrates, and Diogenes, and Epictetus, and Plato, and Aristotle; I see Cicero, and Xenophon, and the Catos and Seneca inconsistency, vanity, profligacy, folly, cowardice, revenge, idolatry, obscure the fame of all. I can discern no perfectly pure and unstained character; I can select no model for the imitation of mankind. And then, I object to all these names. Not one is the founder of a religion. They were philosophers, discoursing in their petty academies, not authors of a system of religion, claiming the inspiration of Heaven, and professing to effect the spiritual deliverance of mankind. What I look for is the founder of a religious faithindependent, new, authoritative, ostensible.

The votaries of polytheism, with the fables entwined around their histories, come not up to my demand: and if they did, would only excite disgust, by their avowed profligacy, cruelty, and sordid covetousness. I want still the promulgator of a Revelation from heaven.

At length, I descry one arising obscurely in the eastern regions of Christendom, at a time when its primitive faith was peculiarly corrupted and debased. I SEE MAHOMET APPEAR. I obtain what I required; I compare his claims; I ask what were his professions; what his personal character; what his promises to his followers; what the spirit he breathed; what the example he set? I have not long to wait for a reply. The case speaks for itself. I see him indulge in the grossest vices; I see him transgressing perpetually even the licentious rules which he had prescribed to himself; I hear him lay claim to a special commission from heaven to riot in the most unlimited sensuality.

:

This is more than enough for my argument. But I look again I see him violent, rapacious, impetuous, sanguinary; I see him pay court to the peculiar vices of the people amongst whom he wished to propagate his doctrine; I see him promise, as the rewarder of his followers, a voluptuous paradise, where the objects of their base affections were to be almost innumerable, gifted with transcendent beauty and eternal youth. I can examine no further.

From a character so base, I turn to the holy Jesus; I contrast-but I pause. I cannot insult your feelings by comparing all the points of ineffable purity and loveliness in the Founder of Christianity, with the compound of sensuality, pride, and cruelty, in the eastern impostor. You feel how the presumption of the truth of our religion is heightened, inconceivably heightened, by the contrast in the only case at all similar, found in the lapse of ages.3

39

39 Bishop Sherlock has admirably touched this argument. "Go to your natural religion; lay before her Mahomet and his disciples, arrayed in armour and in blood, riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands and tens of thousands, who fell by his victorious sword; show her the cities which he set in flames, the countries which he ravaged and destroyed, and the miserable distress of all the inhabitants of the earth. When she has viewed him in this scene, carry him into his retirements. Show her the prophet's chamber, his concubines and wives; let her see his adultery, and hear him allege Revelation and his divine commission to justify his lust and his oppression.

"When she is tired with this prospect, then show her the blessed Jesus, humble and meek, doing good to all the sons of men, patiently instructing both the ignorant and perverse : let her see him in his most retired privacy; let her follow him to the mountain and hear his devotions and supplications to God. Carry her to his table to see his poor fare, and hear his heavenly discourse. Let her see him injured, but not provoked; let her attend him to the tribunals, and consider the patience with which he endured the scoffs and reproaches of his enemies. Lead her to his cross; and let her view him in the

3. But this presumption proceeds upwards to a moral demonstration, WHEN THE OTHER BRANCHES

OF THE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE ARE TAKEN INTO

THE ACCOUNT. For we are to recollect that the holy life and astonishing loveliness and majesty in the conduct of our Lord are only a confirmatory evidence. They stand amongst our internal proofs. They are sustained by all those direct credentials of a messenger from heaven, which we exhibited in the first part of our course. We have this unparalleled holiness, this union of divine and human excellency in HIM, whom the prophecies pointed out as to appear at the very time and in the very manner he did, as about to bear this very character, and perform these very miracles, and teach this self-same doctrine. We have this mingled glory and humiliation and innocency in HIM, whose astonishing miracles testified that he was the messenger of the Almighty and the Saviour of the world. In a word, all the mass of external testimony which surrounds the divine revelation of the Bible, pours its full effulgence upon the person of Jesus Christ; whilst the person and works of Jesus Christ fulfil the prophecies, include the miracles, are followed by the propagation of the religion, and are developed in its prominent and abiding good effects upon mankind. In like manner, all the internal proofs are, as it were, only a part of the life of Christ. The adaptation of Christianity to the state and wants of man, its sublime doctrines, its spotless morals, are comments on the gracious and condescending character, the meritorious sacrifice, the immaculate personal virtues of agony of death, and hear his last prayer for his persecutors,Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'

"When natural religion has viewed both, ask-which is the prophet of God? But her answer we have already had, when she saw part of this scene through the eyes of the centurion who attended at the cross; by him she spake and said, 'Truly, this man was the Son of God.'"-Bishop Sherlock's Sermons, 1.271.