OF CONTENTS.

d. Issued in a remote, a barbarous, and a superstitious age,

it still presents an embodiment of wisdom un-

rivalled; and to this hour

e.

f.

It constitutes the acknowledged basis of all wise and

efficient legislation.

Whence came it ?-if not from "The Finger of God?"

II. Second Proof: From the Epistles of Paul.

Prof. Newman's testimony to "L THE UNAPPROACHABLE

GREATNESS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT."

III. Third Proof: From the fossilized facts of Christianity.

Given: The writings of Philo on the one hand, and "The

Shepherd" of Hermas on the other, to account for the in-

terjection of St. John's Gospel and St. Paul's Epistles

between them.

IV. Fourth Proof: From the admissions of our opponents.
E.g., Theodore Parker.

CHAPTER XIII.

IT IS CERTAIN: THAT THE LIFE OF CHRIST ALONE IS SUFFICIENT TO

DEMONSTRATE THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY.

II. But on any other than Christian principles this fact (always unde-
niable) is perfectly unaccountable.

On Christian principles the explanation is clear, consistent,

and conclusive.

III. Jesus Christ is GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH: the visible moral em-

bodiment of an invisible moral Deity.

Analogy between physical, intellectual, and moral manifesta-

tions of God.

IV. Jesus Christ is THE GREAT EXEMPLAR: "Leaving us an example."

1. Philosophical necessity for this.

V. The Result: GOD HATH SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON.

xxix

394

CHAPTER XIV.

IT IS CERTAIN: THAT THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST TO THE TRUTH OF CHRIS-

TIANITY RECEIVES IRRESISTIBLE FORCE FROM THE

PERFECTION OF HIS CHARACTER.

PAGE 402

I. 1.

The fact that Christ did work miracles is admitted

a.

b.

By the early adversaries of Christianity (Celsus, Porphyry,

Julian.)

By both the earlier and later Jews.

2. It is further established by the numbers and constancy of

a.

b.

the early Christians.

Important testimony of Tacitus.

Force of the evidence of Christ's cotemporaries.

II. Christ's own testimony to the fact.

Opposed to this testimony there are but two suppositions possible:
Was it mistaken ?

1.

1.

2.

By the utter failure of every sceptical hypothesis to account
for the facts. (Fichte, Carlyle, Renan.)

By the admissions of sceptics themselves. (Rousseau, Theo-
dore Parker.)

IT IS CERTAIN:

CHAPTER XV.

THAT THE OLD ARGUMENTS IN PROOF OF THE TRUTH OF

CHRISTIANITY ARE NOT ANTIQUATED. THEY STILL REMAIN

UNANSWERED.

It is certain that the writers of the Bible were not bad men.

419

I. 1.

2.

But being good men, they were true.

Therefore They were divinely inspired.

4. No escape from this dilemma :—

The Bible is either of Divine Inspiration or of human invention.

But good men could not falsely lay claim to an Authority they

did not possess;

And bad men could not, by any conceivable possibility, have
produced a Book of superhuman excellence;

The Bible therefore is not of man, but of God.

II. The conduct of the writers demonstrates the divinity of the mission.

E.g., 1. MOSES.

If he was not a divinely inspired messenger, he was a menda-

cious and cruel impostor.

But his disinterestedness proved his sincerity.

An impostor never forgets himself:

But Moses forgot himself to the last.

2. PAUL.

A sanguinary zealot; and yet

The writer of the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to

the Corinthians.

His sound judgment.

His freedom from enthusiasm.

His idea of a universal religion.

His labours; his sufferings; his aims.

Was falsehood ever attested by evidence like his? Never!

III. PALEY'S GREAT ARGUMENT IS STILL UNANSWERED:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Though often disparaged and reviled.

His demonstration is admitted, by our opponents themselves,

to be "perfect."

He adduces "uncontested and incontestable" facts; which
are "without a parallel."

These facts "cannot be accounted for " except by admitting

the Truth of Christianity.

He establishes the authenticity of the Christian Scriptures;

And characteristically distinguishes the Christian Miracles
from all other miracles whatsoever.

The force of the argument is to this hour unimpaired.

IV. BISHOP BUTLER'S ARGUMENT ALSO IS STILL UNANSWERED AND-UN-

ANSWERABLE.

Our opponents' dislike of it.

By this argument, it is shewn

1.

That the doctrine of a future life must be admitted even on

the evidence of Reason alone.

2.

3.

4.

5.

That as a plain matter of fact we are now under God's

Government.

That the facts of every-day life" are such as to answer fully"

all objections to the doctrine of future Rewards and

Punishments.

That God's Government is Moral.

That our present state is one of Moral Discipline, or Trial;
That the very idea of Necessity or Fatalism is plainly opposed
to universal fact.

That Revelation is

a. An Authoritative republication of Natural Religion.

b. A revealing of things undiscoverable by Reason.

6. That all presumptions against miracles are untenable.

That the OBJECTIONS urged against "The)

7.

Scheme" of Christianity as well as those ARE FRIVOLOUS.

against its Evidence,

That Christianity rests on "PLAIN HISTORICAL FACTS WHICH

11
CANNOT BE SET ASIDE;"

On "EVIDENCE MORE THAN HUMAN 99

:

Hence "THE ABSURDITY OF ALL ATTEMPTS TO PROVE CHRISTI-

ANITY FALSE."

V. LESLIE'S DEMONSTRATION of the Truth of Christianity IS STILL

1.

2.

3.

4.

UNANSWERED, AND UNANSWERABLE.

This argument is particularly plain and simple.

It consists

In laying down such marks as to the truth of matters of fact

in general, that where they all meet, such matters of

fact cannot be false; and then

In shewing that they all do meet in the matters of fact of

Moses, and of Christ; and do not meet in those reported

of Mohammed, or of the heathen deities, nor can possibly

meet in any imposture whatsoever.

These infallible marks of truth are four: and

To these are added four more; three of which are peculiar to
the Christian Religion alone.

The Result is, that

"WE CANNOT IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITY OF A MORE PERFECT OR

ABUNDANT DEMONSTRATION."

CHAPTER XVI.

IT IS CERTAIN : THAT THE MOST RECENT, SUBTLE, AND POWERFUL ASSAULTS

ON THE BIBLE HAVE UTTERLY FAILED TO SHAKE THE FOUNDATIONS

1.

2.

OF OUR FAITH.

Their most distinguished Apologist admits that

Their Assertions "are assumed as certain, without a word of

proof: " and some of them even "wholly unsupported

by argument."

A fresh triumph for Christianity in the unanswerable argu-
ments of the Replies.

II. Dr. Colenso's productions.

Character of the Answers.

Dr. Mc. Caul, Mr. Birks, The Bishop of Ely.

Variety and completeness of these answers.

The positive evidence irrefragable.

Demolition of Dr. Colenso's argument on the Elohistic and

Jehovistic Psalms.

435

III. Renan's "Vie de Jesus" is a reductio ad absurdum.

The utter failure of the argument is

IV. 1.

2.

3.

4.

A further proof that Christianity cannot but be true.

"The Origin of Species," "The Antiquity of Man," "Man's

Place in Nature,"

With all their unquestionable ability

Have failed to point out one solitary indisputable fact at

variance with the Bible.

Science has its own proper certainty.

But The Speculations which (in the name of Science) are

arrayed against the Bible, are a mere tissue of uncer-

tainties. E.g.,

The supposed discovery at Jarrow.

Computations of the period required for the cooling of the

earth's crust.

Prof. Phillips on the defectiveness of the data required for

these computations.

The "abuse of arithmetic."

The Times on Sir C. Lyell's inaugural address.

"Scientific dogmatism."

"It is vain to deny that many so-called 'results' of

geology are hypothetical:-hypothetical in that sense

in which Newton protested against hypotheses."

CHAPTER XVII.

IT IS CERTAIN: THAT AGAINST THE EVIDENCE FOR CHRISTIANITY -CUMULA-

TIVE AND CONGRUOUS AS IT IS-OUR OPPONENTS ARE UNABLE

TO MAINTAIN ANY SINGLE ARGUMENT WHATEVER.

The two elements of a vigorous faith.

Review of the principal points of the argument.

IT IS CERTAIN

I.

That the "inner principle" is insufficient for human need.

II. That an "outer Law" is necessary.

III. That this outer Law must be attested by miracles.

IV. That the Bible is such a Law; and has been so attested.

V. That it is now substantially and essentially the same as when

first given.

VI. That-apart from the Bible-nothing is more true than the

great facts of Christianity.

VII. That of those facts the Bible supplies the only possible explanation.

VIII. That the actual connexion between the Facts and the Sacred

Books in which they are recorded is such as to stamp

the latter with the Authority of a Divine Inspiration.

445