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which was lost by the sin of Adam, namely, life everlasting in the flesh upon earth. The aim of all the Evangelists, who give us such a graphic description of the life of Jesus, was to establish that One article of Faith, that Jesus is "The Christ." The sum and substance of Matthew's Gospel is this, that Jesus was of the stock of David, and that he was born of a Virgin. These are considered perhaps, the strongest marks by which the true Christ was to be identified; but they are not all. They are confirmed, we are taught, by the following corroborative evidence. The Magi came to worship him as such, that is as "The King of the Jews." Herod, for the same cause, sought to kill him. John the Baptist proclaimed him. He declared himself; and his Apostles also preached, that he taught the law, not as a scribe, but as a man of authority-that is, as a man in a supreme position. He cured diseases by his word only, and did many other miracles, which were foretold the Christ should do. He was saluted king, when he entered into Jerusalem. He forewarned his disciples, and others, to beware of any except himself, who should pretend to be Christ. He was taken, accused, and put to death, for saying he was that king. The cause of his condemnation, written on the cross, was, "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews." All these, and All these, and many other examples of a like character, teach, (and teach nothing more nor less than this,) that men should believe that "Jesus is the Christ." We gather these quotations from the History of Jesus, written by Matthew. The other three Evangelists who wrote of him, with some few discrepancies, additions, and subtractions, say pretty much the same things. The whole and sole design therefore of the Evangelists, was to impress and establish this one idea.

Indeed John makes it the sum total of his history. "These things were written," says he, "that ye might believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name,' John, xx. 31-that is to say, life everlasting upon earth in the flesh. The Apostles, even in the lifetime of Jesus, were sent to preach the kingdom of God: "And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God."-Luke, ix. 2.And again, "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."-Matthew, x. 7. Now what can we gather from this, but that he sent them to preach that he was "The Messiah," "The Christ," "The King," which was to come? Their preaching, likewise, after his death, was the same. This is manifest from an account which Luke gives in the Book of Acts, of a riot which such preaching occasioned at Thessalonica. "The Jews," says he, "which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, these that have turned the world upside down, are come hither also, whom Jason hath received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar; saying that there is another King, one Jesus."-Acts, xvii. 5, 6, 7.

Jesus himself, no doubt, at one period of his life," favored this idea. The following suggestion which he made to the Jews with reference to himself evidences that he did, "Search the Scriptures; for in them think ye have eternal life; and they are they that testify of me." John, v. 39. Of course he could have reference, in these

ye

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words, to no other writings than those of the Old Testament, the New Testament not then being in existence. Admitting then that the Old Testament Scriptures do bear all the marks whereby men might have known Jesus when he came among them-such as those to which we have before referred, to wit: that he should descend from David; be born at Bethlehem, and of a Virgin; and that he should do great miracles by which it should be known that he was come to be a temporal King; and, The King of the Jews; which he never was-still, does this warrant theologians in putting a totally different construction. on it, by going further and saying that he was not only a temporal king, but that he was the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? What authority have they for doing this? We shall presently shew.

The principal evidence, which Christians have to produce in support of the Divinity of Jesus is the working of miracles. In order to claim credence for his miracles, they are necessarily compelled to admit the validity of the miracles of Moses and of the Old Testament generally, some of which are said to have been wrought by persons who were considered types of Jesus. We will examine into the nature of these first, therefore. must be admitted that there are some references made in the Scriptures themselves, to the power of working wonders, even by men who were represented to be at variance with God and His people. In fact, the ability to perform such acts is conceded to them. But they are also said to have been produced by magic and incantation.

Now it

For example, when we read that after the rod of Moses had been cast on the ground, and had become a serpent, (Exodus, vii. 2,) the magicians of Egypt did the same by their enchantments. Again, after Moses had turned the

waters of the Egyptian streams, rivers, ponds, and pools of water into blood-Exodus, vii. 22-the magicians did so likewise by their enchantments. And again, when Aaron had, by the power of God, brought frogs upon the land-Exodus, viii. 6-the magicians also did so by their enchantments, and they brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt."

Now, enchantment is not, as many think it, a working of strange effects by spells and words, but imposture and delusion wrought by legerdemain; and so far is it from being supernatural, that the impostors, who practice it, resort neither to the study of science nor of nature. Ail they do is to impose upon the ignorance, stupidity, and superstition of the most credulous. So that all that miracle-working consists in is this, that the enchanter has made himself master in the art of deception. It is, therefore, not a good or laudable thing to do; it is bad, wicked, and detestable; and abhorrent to every sensible mind.

What a reputation for miraculous powers (before the science of the course of the stars was discovered) might not a man have gained, had he truly foretold, that on a certain day or at a certain hour, the Sun would be darkened! A juggler, also, by handling the appliances of his profession, (if such tricks were not now ordinarily practised, might gain for himself such renown for ability to work miracles, as would suggest that he was aided by the devil, at least, if by no higher power.

But when we take a more sensible view of the matter, and look upon the impostures which are wrought by confederacy, there are few things, (however impossible they may appear,) that cannot be done or seem to be done. And, however, glaring the fraud may be, it still finds dupes enough ready to believe in it. Two men conspir

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ing, one to seem lame, the other to cure him with a charm, might deceive many; but many conspiring-one to seem lame, another to cure him, and all the rest to bear witness to the cheat-might deceive many men.

The seeming miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, (if it were ever enacted,) was, no doubt, the result of collusion; so also was the raising to life of the ruler's daughter, and of the son of the widow of Nain. We hesitate not to say the same in regard to all other instances, where the gaining of credence in miracle-working has been attempted.

None of the miracles, with which the old histories are filled, took place at a period of scientific culture. Scrutinizing observation, which has never once been deceived, teaches us that miracles never happen, save in times and countries wherein they are believed without examination, and before persons whose minds are already prepared to believe them. No miracle ever occurred, in the presence of men capable of testing its mysterious character. Neither common people, nor men of the world, are able to apply the test. It requires much precaution and long habits of scientific research. In our days, have we not seen almost all respectable people made dupes of by the grossest frauds and the most puerile illusions? Transactions said to be marvellous and attested by the whole population of small towns, have-thanks to a severer scrutiny-been satisfactorily explained. And, if it can be proved that no contemporary so-called miracle will bear to be inquired into, is it not probable also, nay, is it not more than probable, that the miracles of the past, which have all been performed among an ignorant populace, would equally present their share of illusion, were it possible to criticise them in detail?