we must recur to the fundamental arguments in defence of our Religion. On all eccafions, but especially in seasons like the present, we should more particularly labour to convince the young and the uninformed by statements, which in the judgment of cool and reafonable enquirers may appear irresistible, that Christianity is not an human fiction, but the undoubted Revelation of God. All inferior confiderations fhould in the first inftance be entirely neglected; and the attention fhould be folely directed to this one momentous truth. When, after a full and candid investigation, it has been deeply impreffed upon the mind, the fubtleties of the fophift will be vain, and the wit of the fcoffer will be heard with indignation or disgust. One decifive teftimony in favour of a miraculous interpofition, when established beyond the poffibility of doubt, muft operate upon the mind of the modern Christian, with the fame refiftlefs effect, which was produced among the early converts, when they beheld Chrift and his Apostles by a word, or by a touch, restoring fight to the blind, and making the lame to walk.

Meta

Metaphyfical difcuffion, fallacious reafoning, and brilliant wit, have been directed, with uncommon energy, against the preternatural evidences, which eftablifh the divine claims of Revelation. The existence of Miracles, and the truth of Prophecy, have been affailed by every fpecies of attack, which could fuggeft itself to men, who seem to have been actuated by a fpirit of systematic oppofition, of hardened prejudice, and fometimes, it is to be feared, even of inveterate malignity.

I fhall not, therefore, I truft, undertake an useless or unwelcome office, if I direct your attention to one of the two great preternatural evidences, by which the divine origin of Christianity has been afferted and confirmed.

That men would not be left to the infufficient and treacherous guidance of their own unaided reafon, upon the fubject of Religion, but that their Maker would afford them additional affistance, and reveal the important truths, upon which their eternal happiness depends, must be allowed,

B 3

allowed, by all candid and difpaffionate enquirers, to be in the highest degree probable. We are indeed compelled to admit this probability both by our juft conceptions of the benevolence of the Creator, and by the urgent wants of the creature, as acknowledged in the modeft confeffions of the wifest philosophers a of antiquity, and demonftrated by the religious ignorance and moral depravity of the whole Pagan world, The hiftory of all nations from which the light of Revelation has been withholden, the prevailing unconsciousness of a fuperintending Providence, the horrid rites by which they have fometimes been polluted, the corrupt fentiments by which they have always been partially degraded, the errors of principle, and the baseness of practice, which they exhibited, and the cheerless uncertainty, with which, even in ages fcience and refinement, they contemplated the profpect of a future world,-these circumstances collectively confidered abundantly justify our expectation, and even

of

Plato in Alcibiade ii. Id. in Apol. Socrat. Cic. Tufcul. Quæft. 1. i. Plato de Republica, 1. vi. Plato de Republica, 1. vi. See alfo Clarke's Evidence of Natural and Revealed Religion, fect. 6, 7.

clearly

clearly demonftrate the ftrong neceffity of a divine Revelation.

But it is indispensably requisite, that he, who offers himself to the notice of mankind as the Meffenger of the fupreme Being, fhould afford indubitable proofs of the reality of his facred commiffion. These proofs muft confift of a difplay of powers, which exceed the utmost poffible efforts of mere human ability. He, who acknowledges, that the Almighty was able to create and give order to the whole univerfe, must affuredly allow, that he is able alfo, by a miraculous interpofition, to suspend that general order in any fubordinate part. That he would be induced to suspend it, for the fake of affording a divine fanction to his own gracious Revelation, is a fuppofition rendered highly probable by the peculiar circumstances of the occafion. In the corrupted state of mankind, even the pureft systems of moral and religious instruction must be rendered eminently more effective by the authority of a divine atteftation. The inquifitive and the confiderate may, not unreasonably perhaps, hesitate to receive it

as the will of the fupreme Being, unlefs it is authenticated by vifible proofs of his interpofition in its favour. The paffions of men are fo inordinate, and their depravity fo flagrant, that if the truth of a Revelation depended upon affertion alone, the enterprizing and the wicked would often impiously pretend to a divine commission, in order to increase their authority, and promote their worldly defigns. Thus unless the real Revelations of the Almighty had been established by proofs of divine perfection, which are raised far above the reach even of the moft ingenious artifice, mankind would be conftantly perplexed by the claims of contending fyftems of Religion; and, not being able to afford implicit confidence to any one in particular, might at length become incredulous and indifferent towards all.

A preternatural evidence, therefore, in proof of Divine Revelation, not only may be reasonably expected, but appears to be indifpenfably requifite...

It has pleafed the Almighty to attest the

truth