weighing, so it was in all its force and in all its point: it could be neither denied nor evaded, it was unsuspected and undisputed, it was conclusive and was insuperable.

And now in these latter times, when we have chiefly to deal with those who admit a previous revelation, as Jews, Mahometans, and most species of infidels, the argument from prophecy is more suitable, and less liable to suspicion and to objection or to evasion, and therefore more successful and irresistible than that from miracles; because it is taken from their own admissions and their own principles; whilst the other, viz. that from miracles, is open to be contravened or eluded by former miracles, as in the case of the Jews; or by pretended miracles, and lying wonders, as in the case of the Mahometans.

Such seems to have been the sense and reasoning of St. Peter, who, after having related the most convincing miracle and the most direct proof and irrefragable testimony, to the supreme majesty and glory of his Lord and Master in his own time and under his own eye, adds, “Ye have yet a more sure word of prophecy, to which ye do well to take heed." In which conclusion and admonition, if he does not contrast the argument of prophecy with that of miracles in general, he seems at least to contrast it with that to be derived from the sublime and glorious miracle of the Transfiguration, which he had then and there

reported to them. To the same effect, and still more distinctly and unequivocally, is the answer of Abraham to the rich man in the Gospel of St. Luke: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead;" which in its plainest and lowest sense must place the argument from prophecy in general on higher ground, and attach to it greater importance than to that arising from any of the most extraordinary and decisive interventions of Providence, even when they are under our own observation, and subject to our own senses. Both texts indeed unite to assert and to establish the singular influence and efficiency of prophecy, in gaining on our minds, convincing our judgments, and influencing our opinions, in removing our doubts, and strengthening our faith; and therefore strongly recommend it for the purpose of advocating the cause, and confirming the truth and certainty of the Christian religion; being not only, like miracles, a proof of the truth, and a test and evidence of the Divine will and interference, but having also other advantages peculiar to itself; like wine, it improves by age, and acquires with it not merely ripeness and maturity, but also strength and excellence. Time, which wears out and destroys almost every thing else, only contributes to stamp the value and to augment the influence and the benefits of prophecy; it is, therefore, from this circumstance

alone possessed of amazing powers; it is a motion continually accelerated; it is a weight perpetually descending, and therefore constantly increasing its force and impulse as it descends. It is the cone, weak and narrow perhaps at top, but insensibly and incessantly enlarging itself, till it becomes a vast and solid mass, immense in weight and bulk, and irresistible in force and effect. Its services in the beginning of the Gospel are well known, whose first preachers constantly appealed to it, and triumphantly evinced from it, that Jesus was the Christ, and set an example to all future preachers of the manner in which the Christian faith is to be first taught and impressed upon the minds of the ignorant and the unsettled; and pointed out the means and the weapons by which it is to be best promoted, and defended, against the deceiver and the infidel. For if it so signally contributed to lay the foundation, it must be no less useful and necessary to enlarge the fabric and to complete the structure of the spiritual house and true temple of God. The first offer of mercy, and the earliest notice of forgiveness after man's disobedience, had been communicated and embodied in a prophecy, and such a prophecy! So profoundly conceived and so providently expressed; uniting in itself such depth of meaning and such extent of bearing, and of completion, as to embrace almost all other promises, and to involve nearly all succeeding prophecies, "The

seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." Most future prophecies may be considered in some degree comments on this text, and expansions of this abridgement; and the stream of prophecy commencing in this manner almost with that of time, coincides with it also in progressive growth and enlargement, till both, having traversed together the whole extent and compass of this world, shall be lost in the next.

Prophecy is peculiarly adapted to our desires and our necessities, and addresses itself to the condition and the capacities, to the weakness and the wants, of our nature; we seek with restless avidity to discover what is before us, and anxiously long to rend the veil which separates the future from the present, and which conceals the unknown and yet untravelled regions of this life, and of that which is to come; and this we do not without reason, or from mere caprice, or unfounded or unwarranted curiosity; our hopes and fears, our happiness and misery, depend on what is before us. The past cannot be prevented nor amended, the present cannot be altered nor avoided, the future alone is in those respects within our reach and in our power, and is therefore deserving of our most serious inquiry and most earnest attention. And not only our own future lot and wellbeing, but those also of our friends, of our country, of the church, and of the world, stimulate the ardour of our inquiries, and increase the intensity of our

solicitude. Who is so deplorably selfish and heartless as to feel no concern, and to take no interest, in the future happiness and misery of his fellow-creatures? By these various sources of influence and cords of attraction, therefore, prophecy excites our regard and commands our attention, seizes the current of our thoughts, and the bent of our minds; falls in with our wishes, engages our affections, and wins our hearts. Even our curiosity is subjected to its empire, and the imagination is enlisted in its service. Its figurative language and peculiar manner, its proverbial dress, and dexterous employment of the objects of time and sense, to designate what is future and spiritual, being aptly and admirably contrived to insinuate itself into our hearts, and to gain possession of our minds; to influence our opinions, and to persuade our judgments; to overcome our doubts and to remove our objections; to inform the ignorant and to persuade the incredulous; to strengthen conviction of what is unseen, and to confirm anticipation of what is to come. With the greatest reason, therefore, and the deepest wisdom, it has always been the advocate of truth and the handmaid of religion, to produce a strong assurance of the one, and to excite a deep and permanent respect and obedience to the other; to engage our hopes and fears on their side, and thereby to create vigilance in conduct, and diligence in duty, earnestness in