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enthusiasm, and the clear evidence of divine revelation. "The holy men of old," says he, "who were "sent to convince others, had a power given them to " justify the truth of their commission, and by visi " ble signs to affert their divine authority."

On this ground the first teachers of the gospel stand far removed from every suspicion of enthusiafm.-Never did they claim assent merely on an unsupported afsertion of being actuated by divine inspiration of having been driven by a fudden and irresistible impulfe of having seen a divine light infused into their fouls, needing no evidence but its own brightness. They did not appeal to obfcure and doubtful proofs, fuch as agitations of mind, or convulfions of body, visions by night, or secret whispers by day. No, they claimed the assent of mankind to doctrines established by facts-facts which were themselves miraculous, and direct proofs of a supernatural interference; or which exhibited the accomplishment of prophecies, and thus evinced that divine Providence had introduced the scheme of which they formed a part. Of these facts they had been themselves eyewitnesses, but they had not been the only witnesses ; frequently the events were most public and undeniable. -The refurrection of our Lord, his subsequent converse upon earth, and afcent into Heaven, with the defcent of the holy Spirit on the apostles, seem to have been the only leading facts, of which numbers,

).

• Lock. ib. § 15.

besides

besides Christians, had not been witnesses. Yet even these could not be termed private transactions; five hundred persons had seen our Lord at once, of whom, says St. Paul, addressing the d Corinthians, "the greater part " remain unto this present." -And instantly on the defcent of the Spirit, the apostles appeared in public; "" and when it was noised abroad the multitude came " together, for there were dwelling in Jerufalem Jews, "devout men out of every nation under heaven, "Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the " dwellers in Mefopotamia and in Judea, in Pontus " and Afia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in "the parts of Libya about Cyrene, strangers of Rome, "Jews and Profelytes, Cretes and Arabians, who " were all amazed hearing them speak in their own " tongues the wonderful works of God."-Three thousand persons on one day added to the church, proved the certainty of the miraculous power which convinced their reason and established their faith.

If a calm and steady appeal to plain and public events is such a proof of truth and foberness, as enthusiasm never can produce, that proof the evangelifts supplied.-Hear the language in which Peter addreff ed the afssembled populace of Jerufalem :-" Ye men " of Ifrael hear these words-Jesus of Nazareth, a

man approved of God among you, by miracles, and " wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the " midst of you, as YE YOURSELVES ALSO KNOw: him

:

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" being delivered by the determinate counsel and "foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and with " wicked hands have crucified and flain; this Jesus " hath God raised from the dead, whereof WE ALL " ARE WITNESSES". Exactly the fame is their language before the Jewish people, again collected by the fame of a new miracle, before the priests and elders, the rulers and scribes, assembled in council, to try and punish them, before Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, who dwelt at Cæfarea, not many miles distant from Jerufalem, who had called together his kinsmen and near friends, to receive the glad tidings of the gospel. In every place, and before every audience, they repeat this language; and furely this is the language of manly reason and confcious truth, not of folly and fanaticifm.

Yet convincing and rational as was the appeal to past facts, it was not the only evidence from which the apostles claimed the affent of mankind to the gofpel. They had been chofen as peculiar witnesses of the refurrection of their Lord; the credit of this fact therefore must have rested solely on their own veracity; and in distant countries the whole feries of facts appealed to, must have been unknown. Now, though they undoubtedly established their veracity upon the firmest ground, by teaching a doctrine of piety and purity, and fubmitting to distress and dan

Acts ii. 22-24 and 32.

Acts iv. 1-12.

& Acts iii. 13-18.

i Acts x. 36-43

ger

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ger of the feverest kind in its support; yet they were frequently enabled to evince their truth, and divine mission, by proofs more striking than any past transaction however notorious; by present miracles; by a direct appeal to the fenfes of their hearers.

They appealed to the effusions of the holy Spirit, proved at the moment by the miraculous gift of * tongues" God, Says the apostle, has shed forth that " which ye now fee and hear ;" they appealed to the man at that moment healed, whom all the people knew "to be the fame who had been daily laid at the " gate of the temple, to feek for alms, having been " lame from his mother's womb; but whom they now, full of wonder and amazement, faw walk"ing and leaping, and praising God."

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When Peter by a word restored to instant health, "Eneas, who for eight years had been confined to his "'bed"" all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron faw " him, who turned to the Lord." -Not less public was his raising Dorcas from death", "which was “ known throughout all Joppa, so that many believed " in the Lord."

When at Lystra, Paul with supernatural power, commanded one who had been a cripple from his birth, to rife and stand; and perfect strength was

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instantly bestowed on him. So public and fignal was the act, that the multitude of spectators exclaimed, the "Gods are come down to us in the likeness of " men," and scarcely were restrained from offering to them facrifices as to Gods.

But these particular instances are but a few, incidentally recorded, from a multitude, wrought by different apostles in different countries, and for confiderable periods of time. By all the apostles at Jerufalem "were many figns and wonders wrought among the people, so that there came a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerufalem, bringing fick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one.

At Samaria, where Philip spread the gospel, " and "the people with one accord gave heed to those things “which he fpake, hearing and feeing the miracles which "he did."

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At Ephefus, by Paul, for a period of two years, " so that all they which dwelt in Afia heard the word of "the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks, and God “ wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul."At Corinth, at Thessalonica, cities which were at that period most distinguished and enlightened, and

• Αcts v. 12. 16.

S

P Acts viii. 6. 9 Acts xix. 10. 12. Vid. 1 Cor. ii. 4. with the 12th, 13th, and 14th chapters. • Vid. I Theff. i. 5, 6. & v. 19, 20. and Benson's History of

the