plete pages to a comparison between our Saviour, and the pride of the heathen world, the illustrious Socrates; and (though a professed Deist) has pronounced the former to have been infinitely the greater character of the two.

I pass to a fourth species of evidence, which stands independent of sight, for this is the only kind of evidence I shall now bring forward, such as cannot be injured by time, such as is equally strong in Britain as in Judea, such as man may study in his closet, ten thousand miles from Calvary, with equal conviction and benefit.

4. Such as arises from the doctrines and precepts of the Gospel.

And here a wide field opens upon us. The doctrines of the Gospel are equally remarkable for sublimity and for perspicuity; they strike us by their simplicity, as well as by their grandeur; they ascend to heaven, and go down to earth; they point out our origin, our present state, our final destination; they discover that country to which we are tending, and point to mansions of eternal happiness and rest, reserved for the righteous above. The precepts enjoined by our Lord, are so plain in themselves, and so clearly delivered, that "he who runs may read,"

and "the way-faring man, though a fool, need not err therein." As its doctrines are calculated to inform the head, its precepts are admirably adapted to reach the heart, and influence the conduct. There is no situation in which we can be placed, for which they do not present an example; they apply equally to the rich and the poor, to the learned and the ignorant, to the aged and to the young; they reach the peasant in his cottage, equally with the monarch on his throne, and are thus rendered of general and universal benefit.

5. Let us examine the manner of the narrative.

Had the Evangelists delivered their accounts precisely in the same words, it would have been pronounced an imposture; had they, on the other hand, materially differed in essentials, it would have been liable to the same censure; had they spent much time in dwelling on the praises of their Master, their motives would have been suspected; had they omitted to mention their own faults, they would have stood accused of unfairness; had the history been without order, it would have been a chaos; had it been systematic, it would have been deemed formal and precise. Examine the Epistles of St. Paul, and compare them with the narration in the Acts,

and you will perceive the most minute coincidence, the most perfect ha rm ony. Does he, when writing to the Church at Corinth, mention various imprisonments, and different species of persecutions which he had endured in different cities? Look to the history in the Acts, and you will there find the account of such persecutions circumstantially recorded. Archdeacon Paley has enriched the world with a beautiful harmony of the Epistles, with the Acts of the Apostles, in that invaluable work, entitled, "Horæ Paulinæ," (hours devoted to the study of Paul's history ;) he has brought together the parallel passages, and proved the most exact coincidence in circumstances the most minute. Divide a plank of wood; Will the parts tally? it would be admitted as evidence of their identity in any court. So must the letters of St. Paul, and the account of his travels in the Acts, combine to prove their united authenticity.

6. We derive ground for belief from the rapid promulgation of the Gospel.

And in this portion of evidence, we have the pre-eminence even over the Apostles themselves. Notwithstanding the disadvantages attending its first appearance upon earth, notwithstanding the prejudices it had to encounter, the passions to subdue, and the

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difficulties to overcome, this simple religion made an astonishing progress; without arms, it disarmed a world, and not only Judea, but far distant nations, were soon blessed with its enlivening beams. Mr. Gibbon, the Roman historian, enumerates many causes which contributed to the speedy establishment of Christianity, and with his usual specious reasoning, draws from thence an argument against any miraculous interposition. mentions the harmony of the early Christians, their readiness to assist each other, their disinterestedness, their weanedness to the world, and their thoughts being ever directed towards heaven. All these causes may (and undoubtedly have) operated towards the spread of the Gospel; but, in the consideration of this subject, we should not rest in second causes, but go back to the primary source. What caused such harmony to subsist? What prompted their zeal for each other's welfare? What occasioned their disinterestedness? What drew their affections and desires from earth? What fixed them on heaven? Doubtless, these effects may all be ultimately ascribed to the knowledge and spirit of Christianity; and thus, far from weakening, they support the argument they were intended to invalidate.

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7. An evidence in favour of Christianity may be derived from its influence on the lives of its followers.

Where a bad disposition has been softened, where evil habits have been subdued, where the general conduct has been amended, where an undutiful son, or a careless husband, has been changed, by the mild influence of the Gospel, into a consistent character; such instances (and there are many such) speak loudly in its favour, and hold out a species of evidence which all must feel, and which we, at the expiration of eighteen centuries, have equal opportunities of judging, with those who lived at the time of our Saviour's appearance upon earth.

O Thomas! I envy not thy assurance! If these seven branches of evidence are not deemed sufficient to convince any person of the truth of the Gospel, that man is not only unworthy of the bounties of Heaven, but even of the supports of earth!

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I proceed, in the third place, to show, that the words spoken by our Saviour in the text, imply, that such belief is entitled to peculiar commendation. Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed." Faith then becomes a moral prin