whatever were those objects, he himself is asserted to have possessed the power of controuling the laws of nature, by the performance of miracles. The apostles are all asserted to have possessed the same power. This runs throughout the whole of the New Testament; to this, they always appealed, upon this, they rested all their credibility; and they asserted this power to be divine. Keeping this in mind, consider the period in which they lived, the nature of the language in which they wrote; consider the personifications with which every part of the Bible abounds; scarcely is there an attribute of the Deity, an affection or passion of the human mind, good or bad, which is not personified; then judge whether the following observation is too strong. That it would have been next to an impossibility, not to have repeatedly per-. sonified this divine influence, these astonishingly miraculous powers. That, not to have personified them, would have formed a very strong internal evidence against the truth of the Christian religion. It would have formed almost decisive evidence that the writers did not live in that age, did not live in that country, which is asserted of them: that the present reputed authors were not the real authors of the books; but that they were forgeries fabricated at a much later period!! Then say not, Christians, that we are not the friends of the scriptures; say not, that we do not believe, do not vindicate them. In truth, I think we are their greatest friends. "In vain, shall all its foes devise To shake my faith with treach'rous art; My soul thy wisdom justifies, And binds thy gospel to my heart." It would have formed almost decisive evidence that the writers did not live in that age, did not live in that country, which is asserted of them: that the present reputed authors were not the real authors of the books; but that they were forgeries fabricated at a much later period!! Then say not, Christians, that we are not the friends of the scriptures; say not, that we do not believe, do not vindicate them. In truth, I think we are their greatest friends. "In vain, shall all its foes devise To shake my faith with treach'rous art; My soul thy wisdom justifies, And binds thy gospel to my heart." |