Part 74

_From its peculiar style._ How remarkably simple and plain! No histories were ever so plainly related as those of the Bible: no precepts were ever so clear, or promises less ambiguous. How wonderfully grand and sublime! Whenever the matter requires it, the style is

"Like the ladder in the Patriarch's dream, Its foot on earth, its height beyond the skies."

Witness many of the Psalms; the book of Job; the prophets, especially, Isaiah xl. and xliii.; and the Apocalypse. And how astonishingly concise and expressive! The sacred writers never burden their subject with a load of words. They express themselves in words few, and well-chosen--"in comely dress, without the paint of art." Witness the Proverbs; 1 Cor. xiii., etc. "Let there be light," is noticed by the great critic Longinus, as a truly lofty expression. And the style of Scripture has awakened the attention even of infidels. Rousseau was struck with the majesty of the Scriptures. His eloquent eulogium on the Gospel and its author is well known. Dr. Tillotson observes "The descriptions which Virgil makes of the Elysian Fields and the Infernal Regions fall infinitely short of the majesty of the holy Scriptures when describing heaven and hell, so that in comparison they are childish and trifling;" and yet, perhaps, he had the most regular and best governed imagination of any man, and observed the greatest decorum in his descriptions. "There are I know," said the elegant Joseph Addison, "men of heavy temper and without genius, who can read the words of Scripture with as much indifference as they do other papers; however, I will not despair to bring men of wit into a love and admiration of the sacred writings, and, old as I am, I promise myself to see the day when it shall be as much the fashion among men of politeness, to admire a rapture of St. Paul's, as a fine expression of Virgil or Homer; and to see a well-dressed young man produce an evangelist out of his pocket, and be no more out of countenance than if it were a classic printed by Elzevir."

_From its internal harmony._ Though written at different periods, by persons residing in different parts of the earth, and by persons whose natural abilities, education, habits, employments, etc., were exceedingly varied, yet where is there any real contradiction? The sacred writers exactly coincide in the exhibition they give us of God; of man; of sin and salvation; of this world and the next; and, in short, of all things connected with our duty, safety, interest, and comfort. They all were evidently of the same judgment, aimed to establish the same principles, and applied them to the same practical purposes. They could not write by concert--comparing notes, etc., for they lived in different times and places; and yet the exact coincidence that is perceived among them, by the diligent student, is most astonishing, and can not be accounted for on any rational principles without admitting that they "wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

"Whence, but from heaven, should men, unskilled in arts, In different nations born, and different parts, Weave such agreeing truths; or how or why Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie? Unasked their pains; ungrateful their advice; Starving their gains, and martyrdom their prize."

_From its striking impartiality._ The amanuenses or penmen of the Holy Ghost for the Scriptures were not contemptible or ordinary, but incomparable and extraordinary persons. As Moses, "the meekest man on earth," the peculiar favorite of God, with whom God "talked face to face;" the None-such of all the prophets in Israel. Samuel, the mighty man in prayer. David the King, "that man after God's own heart." King Solomon, that "wisest of all the Kings," whom God honored with the building of the Temple. Daniel, in whom was found "an excellent spirit," and great dexterity in "expounding secrets and mysteries." John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" above all the rest, who "leaned on Jesus' breast." Paul, "who was caught up into the third heavens," "whose writings," saith Chrysostom, "like a wall of adamant, compass about, or surround all the churches." In a word, "all of them holy men of God, moved by the Holy Ghost." The moral character of the sacred penmen is above suspicion: their greatest enemies have never attempted to throw the least stain upon their characters. Many of them were actually present at the scenes which they describe; eye-witnesses of the facts, and ear-witnesses of the discourses which they describe. They could not, therefore, be deceived themselves: nor could they have the least inducement to deceive others. They honestly record their own mistakes and faults, as well as the other particulars of the story. Every candid person must admit that the Scriptures are remarkable for faithfulness of narrative, and that, contrary to the practice of other histories, they do not conceal the faults of the persons they describe. The faults of Abraham and Jacob are detailed, as well as their virtues; and the incredulity of Thomas, and the defection of Peter, are not concealed, but faithfully recorded. The apostles, especially, seem everywhere to forget that they are writing of themselves, and appear not at all solicitous about their own reputation, but only that they might represent facts just as they were, whatever might be the consequences. Hence they readily confess, not only the meanness of their original employments, and the scandals of their former life, but their prejudices, follies, faults, unbelief, cowardice, ambition, rash zeal, foolish contentions, etc. How faithful is the pen of inspiration--here truth with impartial hand dips her pencil, now in brighter, now in darker colors, and thus draws her characters to the very life. Dr. Beattie justly says, "The style of the Gospel bears intrinsic evidence of its truth. We find there no appearance of artifice or party spirit; no attempt to exaggerate on the one hand, or depreciate on the other; no remarks thrown in to anticipate objections, nothing of that caution which never fails to distinguish the testimony of those who are conscious of imposture; no endeavor to reconcile the reader's mind to what may be extraordinary in the narrative; all is fair, candid, and simple." And we number this among the proofs of the Divine authority of the Bible.

_From its stupendous miracles._ Miracle, from miraculum, a wonder, a prodigy. "A miracle," says Horne, "is a sensible suspension or controlment of, or deviation from, the known laws of nature." It is a signal act of Divine Omnipotence, that which no other being but God can do. Miracles flow from Divine power, and are the proper evidence of a Divine mission. The _reality_ of the miracles recorded in Scripture, wrought by Christ, and by prophets and apostles, may be proved by the _number_ and _variety_--their being performed _publicly_, and not in a corner--before _enemies_ as well as before friends--_instantaneously_, and not by degrees--and _independent_ of all second causes--were such as _all men could examine_ and judge of--and all served _an important end_, worthy of a Divine author: viz., to establish Divine truth. How superior the miracles wrought by Moses and Aaron to those wrought by the wise men and the sorcerers and the magicians of Egypt! Witness the transformation of the rod, Exodus vii. 10-12--the production of the annoying vermin lice--Exodus viii. 16-19--the plague of darkness, Exodus x. 22-24--the dividing of the Red Sea, Exodus xiv. 21-31. These bear all the characters of true miracles. And how far above the pretended supernatural doings of Mohammed, and the alleged Pagan and Romish miracles, were the wonderful deeds of Christ and His apostles! For example, our Saviour stilled the tempest, calmed the ruffled ocean, walked upon the sea, fed the famished multitude, opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the ears of the deaf, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, cast out devils, raised the dead, and restored Himself to life; and His apostles healed the lame, cast out a spirit of divination, gave the Holy Ghost, restored the dead to life, etc. Every ingenuous mind must see in these all the characters of real miracles. Ponder Matt. xi. 2-6; and John xiv. 11. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler among the Jews, was so struck with the extraordinary character of our Lord's miracles that he came to Him, saying, "Rabbi," excellent master, "we know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with Him." And miracles we think, with Nicodemus, show that a prophet or religious teacher comes from God, because God would not work a miracle in attestation of a falsehood, or to encourage a false teacher. When, therefore, a miracle is wrought in confirmation of anything, or as evidence of anything, we know that the thing is true, because God has given to it His testimony. Every real miracle is a work of God, done by His permission, and with His concurrence; it is therefore, emphatically, the testimony of God. And that greatest of miracles, the resurrection of our Lord Himself from the dead, crowns the whole, and clearly attests the Divinity of the Bible, and the truth of the Christian religion.

_From its wonderful prophecies._ Prophecy is a declaration of something to come; a prediction of future events. It is the foretelling of such future things as were beyond the reach of human sagacity, and which, therefore, none but God could reveal. What mere man can foretell the events of to-morrow? Who can say what shall transpire in ages to come? This is the sole prerogative of God, who alone knows the end from the beginning. Now the Bible abounds with predictions which were uttered long before their actual fulfillment, and which no human sagacity or foresight could possibly conjecture or foretell. Take the first gospel promise given--the seed of the woman to bruise the serpent's head; and remember that this promise was delivered at least four thousand years before its fulfillment. The celebrated prediction of Jacob (Gen. xlix. 10) was uttered between sixteen and seventeen hundred years before it took place. Moses declared the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, etc. (Deut. xxviii. 49, etc.), fifteen centuries previously. In the first book of Kings (chap. xiii. 2, 3) there is a prophecy concerning Josiah by name, three hundred and thirty-one years; and in Isaiah (xlv. 1) concerning Cyrus, one hundred years, before either of them were born. According to the predictions of the prophets Nineveh has been desolated (Nahum i. 1, 2, 3); Babylon swept with the bosom of destruction (Isaiah xiii. 14); Tyre become a place for the spreading of nets (Ezekiel xxvi. 4, 5); Egypt the basest of the kingdoms, etc. (Ezekiel xxix. 14, 15). Daniel distinctly predicted the overthrow, in succession, of the four great empires of antiquity--the Babylonian, the Persian, the Grecian and the Roman, all of which has taken place. Not only are the leading features of the character of Christ delineated with the faithfulness of history hundreds of years before He appeared, but there is scarcely an incident in His life which prophecy has overlooked. And according to the predictions of the New Testament we see Jerusalem in ruins; the Temple not rebuilt; the Jews scattered, but not destroyed; the conversion of the nations to Christianity; the many anti-christian corruptions of the Gospel; the idolatry, tyranny and persecution of the Roman hierarchy, etc. What prescience does all this imply--prescience no where to be found but in God! "Let now the infidel or the skeptical reader meditate thoroughly and soberly on these predictions. The priority of the records to the events admits of no question. The completion is obvious to every competent enquirer. Here, then, are facts. We are called upon to account for those facts on rational and adequate principles. Is human foresight equal to the task? Enthusiasm? Conjecture? Chance? Political contrivance? If none of these, neither any other principle that may be devised by man's sagacity, can account for the facts; then true philosophy, as well as true religion, will ascribe them to the inspiration of the Almighty. Every effect must have a cause." Prophecy is a species of perpetual miracle. And the prophecies of Scripture do not come short of the fullest demonstration which the case will admit of, that the books that contain them are the unerring word of God.

_From its holy tendency._ It came immediately from God, and leads immediately to Him. It bears on it the stamp and impression of Deity; and is, emphatically and really, "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." It contains the most excellent precepts--the most weighty exhortations--and the most precious promises. The Bible teaches us the best way of living; the noblest way of suffering; and the most comfortable way of dying. The word of God, accompanied by His Spirit, conveys strength to the weak, wisdom to the simple, comfort to the sorrowful, light to those who are in darkness, and life to the dead. It introduces the infinite God as speaking in a manner worthy of Himself; with simplicity, majesty and authority.

_It places before us the most important doctrines._ For example, the doctrine of the Trinity of persons or substances in the Unity of the Godhead--the proper, supreme, and eternal divinity of Christ--the personality, divinity, and offices of the Holy Spirit--the great works of creation and providence--the fall of man from the mortal image of God--the necessity, nature, and extent of redemption--repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ--justification through the blood of the cross--the witness of the Spirit in the soul of believers--regeneration by the Spirit of God--holiness in heart and life--the resurrection of the dead--the general judgment--and the eternity of future rewards and punishments.

_It inculcates the highest morality._ The love of God, and the love of our neighbor--the doing to others as we would they should do to us--the forgiving of our enemies--the living "soberly"--in the use of food, apparel, and all things relating to ourselves, "righteously"--in the performance of all duties towards our neighbors, and "godly"--worshiping God in a right manner--the checking of all impurity of thought and desire--the rendering of honor to whom honor, and tribute to whom tribute, is due--the cultivation of humility, meekness, gentleness, placability, disinterestedness, truth, justice, beneficence, charity, and other virtues--and the avoidance of pride, discontent, despair, revenge, cruelty, oppression, contention, adultery, suicide, and other vices and crimes which injure mankind.

_It preserves from all error._ It is an infallible rule of judgment and of practice, and clearly teaches what we ought to believe and what we ought to do--it enlightens the mind, informs the judgment, instructs the heart, and saves from those "faults in the life," which "breed errors in the brain." All error--false judgment of things, or assent unto falsehood--springs from ignorance of the Scriptures, Mark xii. 24; John vii. 17; 2 Tim. iii. 13-17.

_It promotes holiness and peace here, as well as leads to happiness and heaven hereafter._ "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" Psalm cxix. 9, 103-105. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul," Psalm xix. 7-11. What an eulogy is this on the perfection of the sacred writings! the perfection of their utility--their certainty--their purity--their value--their comforts--their peace--and their sweetness. And this eulogy was pronounced by a prophet, a poet, and a king--no common assemblage.

_It secures to the lover of it, in a rich degree, the Divine favor._ "Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." "Such a heart," says Matthew Henry, "is a living temple of God; He dwells there, and it is the place of His rest; it is like heaven and earth, His throne and His footstool."

_And it furnishes the most powerful motives to the practice of its precepts._ For its rewards are such as "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard;" and its threats are eminently calculated to terrify offenders. The Bible everywhere abounds with an intenseness of zeal for the Divine glory, and with a depth of self-renunciation on the part of the writers. And what a contrast does it, in this respect, exhibit to all other productions of authorship! In Scripture, God is all in all: in other writings, man is always a prominent, and generally the sole claimant of praise and admiration. And no man can attentively peruse the sacred volume without being awe-struck. For O how solemn and inspiring! and how admirably calculated to restrain from sin, and to sublimate the views and feelings! We say, therefore, that no man can diligently read the Scriptures without becoming a wiser and better man. The celebrated John Locke, whose pure philosophy taught him to adore its source, said, with his dying lips, when tendering his advice to a young nobleman, "Study the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament; for therein are contained the words of eternal life: it hath God for its author--salvation for its end--and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter."

"It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts, In this dark vale of tears."

It does more--

"It sheds a lustre all abroad, And points the path to bliss and heaven."

[Illustration: SHISHAK AND HIS CAPTIVES ON SCULPTURED WALL AT KARNAC.]

"Tis for our light and guidance given." And O what a source of light, and strength and peace! How it clears the understanding, and fills the soul with sweet delight! How it quickens our inactive powers, and sets all our wandering footsteps right! And how its promises rejoice our hearts, and its precepts direct our lives!

"A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun; It gives a light to every age, It gives, but borrows none."

Ah! there are no words comparable to the Scriptures. None containing doctrines so useful--commands so reasonable--arguments so powerful. The lines of Scripture are richer than the mines of gold. How evidently suited to a sinful, sinning race! and how delightfully framed for the perfection of human happiness! What proofs of a Divine original! Show, if you can, in all this world, any one book of all that ever was produced in any age or nation, like the Bible. Ay, the Bible came from God; and it bears a moral resemblance to Him from whom it came. God is holy, just, and good; and the Bible is also holy in its nature, just in its requirements, and good in its provisions and tendency.

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF REHOBOAM.]

_From its beneficial effects._ It has wrought wonders in all ages, in all places, on all persons, and in all possible varieties of human life. Christianity--the religion of the Bible--has taught the great lessons of devotion, self-government, and benevolence. It has diffused and preserved literature--abated illiberal prejudices--produced humility, forgiveness of injuries, regard to truth, justice, and honesty, firmness under persecution, patience under worldly afflictions, and calmness and resignation at the approach of death--discouraged fornication, polygamy, adultery, divorces, suicide, and duels--checked infanticide, cruel sports, the violence of war, the vices of Kings and the assaults of princes--and rendered its sincere professors true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. It has improved the condition of females--reclaimed dissolute men--abolished human sacrifices--prevented assassinations of princes, and revolutions in states--encouraged hospitality to strangers--founded charitable institutions--emancipated slaves--abated the rigors of servitude--redeemed captives--relieved prisoners--protected widows and orphans--softened into tenderness and tears the hearts of despots--and given stability to thrones, wisdom to human laws, and protection to the people. Has it not done more for the honor of the prince and the weal of the subject than any other system?

_It has been a blessing to every country into which it has been introduced._ It has been a blessing to Britain. It has enwrapped in graceful robes the once naked inhabitants of this great country: it has built cities, cultivated forests, reared our temples, regulated our institutions, and rendered the country both powerful and happy. America has found in it her freedom and her peace. The wrongs of Africa have been mitigated and removed by its justice and generosity. Asia, and the isles of the sea, are waiting for its light and healing. In every Pagan country where it has prevailed, it has abolished idolatry, with its sanguinary and polluted rites; raised the standard of morality, and thus improved the manners of the people; and diffused far and wide the choicest blessings of heaven--freedom to the captive, light to the blind, comfort to the distressed, hope to the despairing, and life to the dying. Ask the people of New Zealand, of Taheita, of Tonga, cannibals, infanticides, murderers of whole islands, what it has done for the salvation of their souls. It is at once the desire of all nations, and the glory of all lands.

_And it has produced the most happy effects on multitudes of men._ It has enlightened the most ignorant; softened the most hardened; reclaimed the most profligate; converted the most estranged; purified the most polluted; exalted the most degraded; and plucked the most endangered from hell to heaven. What was it that transformed the persecuting and blaspheming Saul into a kind and devoted man? It was religion. What was it which brought the woman who was a sinner to bathe the feet of Jesus with her tears, and to wipe them with the hairs of her head? It was religion. What was it which produced the faith of Abraham, the meekness of Moses, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the placability of Joseph, the penitence and zeal of David, the gentleness of Stephen, the boldness of the prophets, the undaunted zeal of Paul, the heroism of Peter, and the sweet temper of "the beloved disciple?" It was religion. What was it which produced such purity of life, and gave such majesty in death, in the cases of Grotius, Selden, Salmasius, Hale, Paschal, Boyle, Locke, Newton, Boerhave, Addison, Maclaurin, Lyttleton, and a thousand others? It was religion.