The grace of God manifested in the redemption of a fallen and guilty world through Jesus Christ—in the gift of the holy Spirit-in the establishment and spread of the gospel, and in the conviction, conversion, and sanctification of the souls of men, is a subject which the human mind must contemplate with mingled emotions of astonishment and joy.

But, whether this manifestation of grace is considered as an historic fact, recorded by the evangelists and apostles, or viewed in the light of the experience of thousands which comes within the circle of our own observation, we cannot but feel the force of the evidence with which it is attended ;-evidence capable of application on the same principles, and in the same way that it is applied for the confirmation of other truths.

This alone is sufficient to convince us, that, in the economy of grace, man is not governed by mechanical, but by moral laws. That the government of God over all his works is perfectly analogous-That intelligent beings are recognized in the capacity of reason that they must act as subjects of moral obligation, and be finally judged on the ground of such action.

These principles form the general outlines of a picture which the more particular delineations through this work are designed to fill up. The hand of the painter trembles at the task. The eye of the critical observer will, doubtless, discover many blemishes; but candor will be neither hasty nor rash in her decisions.

In forming the general heads under which the various materials are arranged, we have found it necessary to be as concise as possible, both in number, and expression. The number and order are as follows. 1. Divinity. 2. Biography. 3. Scripture illustrated. 4. The Attributes of God displayed in the works of Creation and Providence. 5. The grace of God manifested. 6. Miscellaneous. 7. Religious and Missionary intelligence. 8. Obituary. 9. Poetry.

It cannot be expected, where the general divisions are so limited, that there should be a critical connexion between each head, and every particular which may be placed under it: such connexion, however, will be preserved as far as the nature of the subject will admit. A treatise will not always be destined to the Miscellaneous department because it is compounded, or mixed; but its proper place will be determined by its leading character.

Before we close this address, we think it proper to caution our readers in general, and the members of the Methodist Episcopal

Church in particular, to guard against two evils. 1. Many persons, after they have read a pamphlet, lay it aside as a useless thing-It soon falls into the hands of children, or servants, where it is defaced or destroyed: or thrown promiscuously with the common news or waste papers, it is forgotten and lost in the lapse of time. Let it not be so with this Magazine. Recol lect that it contains many valuable subjects, the completion of which many require several numbers, and which may, sometimes form a chain to connect volumes.

Let parents consider the Methodist Magazine as a legacy for their posterity, and as soon as the last number for the year is received, have the whole bound together and carefully preserved.

2. Without offering any violence to the rights of men, we think ourselves authorized to caution our friends against purchasing, or encouraging the publication, sale, or purchase of any book, or books, directly or indirectly under the name or title of "Methodist," unless they are published and sold in conformity to the rules of the Discipline in such cases made and provided.

As an example of this kind of imposition, we give the following fact.-A short time past, a book was put into our hands by a friend, the title page of which begins thus, "The new Methodist Pocket Hymn-Book." This heterogeneous mass had its untimely birth in a back county of this state. It is a libel upon the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a reproach to her name.

It is like counterfeit coin, which could never obtain currency by its real worth, and therefore must circulate under a forged stamp.

We have no disposition to abridge the rights which a wise and liberal constitution secures to every citizen. Real merit should be suitably appreciated and encouraged wherever it exists. But that man who does not blush at the recollection of being the author of a book which can gain credit only from a borrowed title, must have learned the art of eluding the sensibilities of conviction.

If any man, after having read the sentimental, sublime and spiritual Hymns of Mr. Wesley, and other authors from whose works our Hymn-Book is composed, can sit down and derive either edification or entertainment from the common-place poetry of the day, we are far from wishing to lessen his enjoyment; but the honour of the Church, whose interests we are sacredly bound to promote, calls upon us, as far as our influence

EVIDENCES OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. 7

extends, to prevent the circulation of such publications under the sanction of her name.

That all persons into whose hands this work shall come may receive instruction, edification and comfort through its instrumentality, is the sincere desire, and earnest prayer of the Editors. J. SOULE & T. MASON.

DIVINITY.

EVIDENCES OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION.

Extracted from the new Edinburgh Encyclopædia.

1. Ir is not proposed by us in this article, to enter either into the history of the Christian religion, or into its morality and doctrines. We propose to confine ourselves to what have been called the Evidences of Christianity; or to exhibit a general view of those arguments, which go to prove that the New Testament is the authentic record of an actual communication from God to man.

2. Were a verbal communication to come to us from a person at a distance, there are two ways in which we might try to satisfy ourselves, that this was a true communication, and that there was no imposition in the affair. We might either sit in examination upon the substance of the message; and then from what we knew of the person from whom it professed to come, judge whether it was probable that such a message would be sent by him; or we may sit in examination upon the credibility of the messengers.

3. It is evident, that, in carrying on the first examination, we might be subject to very great uncertainty. The professed author of the communication in question may live at such a distance from us, that we may never have it in our power to verify his message by any personal conversation with him. We may be so far ignorant of his character and designs, as to be unqualified to judge of the kind of communication that should proceed from him. To estimate aright the probable authenticity of the message from what we know of its author, would require an acquaintance with his plans, and views, and circumstances, of which we may not be in possession. We may bring the

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greatest degree of sagacity to this investigation; but then the highest sagacity is of no avail, when there is an insufficiency of data. Our ingenuity may be unbounded; but then we may want the materials. The principle which we may assume may be untrue in itself, and therefore might be fallacious in its application.

ment.

4. Thus, we may derive very little light from our first arguBut there is still a second in reserve,-the credibility of the messengers. We may be no judges of the kind of communication which is natural, or likely to proceed from a person with whom we are but imperfectly acquainted; but we may be very competent judges of the degree of faith that is to be reposed in the bearers of that communication. We may know and appreciate the natural signs of veracity. There is a tone and a manner characteristic of honesty, which may be both intelligible and convincing. There may be a concurrence of several messengers. There may be their substantial agreement. There may be the total want of any thing like concert or collusion among them. There may be their determined and unanimous perseverance, in spite of all the incredulity and all the opposition which they meet with. The subject of the communication may be most unpalatable to us; and we be so unreasonable, as to wreak our unpleasant feelings upon the bearers of it. In this way, they may not only have no earthly interest to deceive us, but have the strongest inducement possible to abstain from insisting upon that message which they were charged to deliver. Last of all, as the conclusive seal of their authenticity, they may all agree in giving us a watchword, which we previously knew could be given by none but their master; and which none but his messengers could ever obtain the possession of. In this way unfruitful as all our efforts may have been upon the first subject of examination, we may derive from the second the most decisive evidence, that the message in question is a real message, and was actually transmitted to us by its professed author.

5. Now, this consideration applies in all its parts to a message from God. The argument for the truth of this message resolves itself into the same two topics of examination. We may sit in judgment upon the subject of the message; or we may sit in judgment upon the credibility of its bearers.

6. The first forms a great part of that argument for the truth of the Christian religion, which comes under the head of its in

ternal evidences. The substance of the message is neither more nor less than that particular scheme of the divine economy which is revealed to us in the New Testament; and the point of inquiry is, whether this scheme be consistent with that knowledge of God and his attributes which we are previously in possession of. 7. It appears to us, that no effectual argument can be founded upon this consideration. We are not enough acquainted with the designs or character of the being from whom the message professes to have come. Were the author of the message some distant and unknown individual of our own species, we would scarcely be entitled to found an argument upon any comparison of ours, betwixt the import of the message and the character of the individual, even though we had our general experience of human nature to help us in the speculation. Now, of the invisible God, we have no experience whatever. We are still further removed from all direct and personal observation of him or of his counsels. Whether we think of the eternity of his government, or the mighty range of its influence over the wide departments of nature and of providence, he stands at such a distance from us, as to make the management of his empire a subject inaccessi ble to all our faculties.

8. It is evident, however, that this does not apply to the second topic of examination. The bearers of the message were beings like ourselves; and we can apply our safe and certain experience of man to their conduct and their testimony. We know too little of God, to found any argument upon the coincidence which we conceive to exist betwixt the subject of the message and our previous conceptions of its author. But we may know enough of man to pronounce upon the credibility of the messengers. Had they the manner and physiognomy of honest men? Was their testimony resisted, and did they persevere in it? Had they any interest in fabricating the message; or did they suffer in consequence of this perseverance? Did they suffer to such a degree as to constitute a satisfying pledge of their integrity? Was there more than one messenger, and did they agree as to the substance of that communication which they made to the world? Did they exhibit any special mark of their office as the messengers of God; such a mark as none but God could give, and none but his approved messengers could obtain the possession of? Was this mark the power of working miracles; and were these miracles so obviously addressed to the senses, as to leave no suspiVOL. I.

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