The Evidences of Christianity in Their External Or Historical Division ... - Charles Pettit McIlvaine - Google Libros

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The religion of the Bible is the only one which, on its first introduc-

tion, appealed to prophecy for the credentials of its founder, . 244

The weight of the evidence from prophecy, and the moral grandeur

with which it appears in evidence of Christianity, can be appreci-

ated only by a full view of the immense scheme and extent of the

prophecies in the Bible,

The fulfilment of a selection of miscellaneous prophecies exhibited.
Prophecies concerning Zedekiah, the destruction of Babylon, and
of Tyre; concerning Egypt; concerning the country and cities of
Judea; concerning the Jews; concerning the empires of Chaldea,
Persia, Macedon, and Rome, in Daniel, .

The fulfilment of prophecies concerning Christ,

1. Those which relate to the time and circumstances of his ad-

2. Those which speak of his life, sufferings, death, resurrection, and

increase of his kingdom,

The idea of chance, as explaining the coincidences mentioned,

Three conclusions from the prophetic argument, as exhibited,

PROPHECY-Continued,

Christ was the author, as well as the subject, of prophecies.

By prophecy, as well as miracles, he proved his divine mission.

None of his prophecies more impressive than those concerning the

destruction of Jerusalem. These selected for present considera-

It is well ascertained that these were published before the event, 278

1. The prediction of the appearing of false Christs, deceiving many,

by signs and wonders, prior to the main event,

2. Of wars and rumors of wars preceding the siege of Jerusalem, 283

3. Of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places, . 284

4. Of fearful signs from heaven,.

5. Of the persecution of Christians as one of the signs of approaching
desolations,

6. A consequent declension of religion among the professed disciples

7. The preaching of the gospel in all the world for a witness before

the event should come,.

8. Jerusalem compassed with armies, and the escape of the Chris-

9. The method of the siege,

10. The unparalleled tribulation,

11. The complete destruction of the city and temple,

12. The captivity of the Jews in all nations,
Jerusalem trodden down of the Gentiles,

Attempt of Julian to rebuild the temple,

Brief view of the condition of Jerusalem to the present time,
13. The time between the prophecy and its fulfilment,
Reflections on the preceding particulars,

THE PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY,

The proof of Christianity as a divine revelation has already been twice

finished: first, by the argument from miracles; secondly, by that

A third independent proof is now to be undertaken.

In estimating the propagation of the gospel as an evidence of divine
attestation, consider,

1. The difficulties which its first promulgators encountered, .

1. The novelty of the idea of propagating a new religion, to the exclu-

sion of all others,

2. The peculiarity of the gospel, as a system of doctrine, and a rule

of heart and life,

3. From the above, it results that the propagation of Christianity

must have been opposed by all the influence of every priesthood,

heathen and Jewish,

4. The opposition of the magistrate was added to that of the

5. To these associated powers were added the opposing prejudices and

passions of all people, .

6. The wisdom and pride of the heathen philosophers were not the

least formidable opponents,

.

...

7. All these opponents derived the greater influence from the peculiar

character of the age,

8. They appear the more formidable in contrast with the peculiar

character of the men to whom the propagation of the gospel was

9. And by a consideration of the circumstances of depression and

discouragement under which those men began their work, 335

10. And of the mode they adopted,

11. They were met everywhere by the fiercest persecution,

It is certain that they understood the difficulties and anticipated the

dangers of their undertaking,

II. The success of the apostles in propagating the gospel,

A brief view of the progress of Christianity during about seventy
years from the commencement of its promulgation,

342-349

This rapid extension compared with that of the doctrines of heathen

And with the propagation of Mohammedanism, .

And with the success attending efforts at the present day for the

establishment of Christianity among the heathen,

The propagation of the gospel by the apostles was a miracle,

The absurdities necessarily attaching to any effort to account for it

on other grounds than that of the power and favor of God, 358

The argument from propagation is not yet complete. It is yet to

receive immense additional force from the success which is yet

promised to the gospel,

THE FRUITS OF CHRISTIANITY,

A fourth line of argument, and a fourth independent proof commenced

in this lecture.

The true results of any system of doctrine are always a correct expo-

nent of its character, as true or false.

This is a test to which the Saviour himself directed us,

It were well if infidelity were more frequently tried by this test, 363

The consideration of the fruits of Christianity divided into,

I. The effects of Christianity on society in general,

II. Its effects on the character and happiness of its genuine dis-

The former made the subject of this lecture.

A brief survey of the moral condition of the world at the first publi-

cation of the gospel,

1. The religion of the heathen in the age of the apostles,

2. The spirit of cruelty that reigned among them,

3. Their degrading vices,

The striking contrast wherever genuine Christianity has reign-
ed,

375-382

There is no possible way of accounting for this contrast, but by ascrib-
ing it to the direct influence of Christianity,

Confessions of infidels,

Illustrations of the fruit of Christianity in modern missions among

Defence of Christianity against the charge of being the cause of the

wars, persecutions, etc., which are connected with its history, 391

Application of the argument. The absurdities necessarily involved

in the creed of the infidel,

་

THE FRUITS OF CHRISTIANITY-Continued,

The trial of Christianity by its fruits is as philosophical as it is scrip-

tural. Eighteen centuries have afforded all conceivable opportuni-

ties of ascertaining what are its genuine fruits,

The present lecture confined to the fruits of Christianity in the char-

acter and happiness of its genuine disciples, .

Reason for placing such fruits among the external evidences,

1. The moral transformations which the gospel in all ages has noto-

riously wrought, cannot be accounted for but on the supposition of

a divine power accompanying its operations,

2. The fruits of Christianity in the lives of its genuine disciples, con-

trasted with those which notoriously characterize the lives of its

3. The fruits, etc., as displayed in the deaths of its genuine disci-

ples, contrasted with those exhibited in the deaths of its op-

Practical conclusion,

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT AND APPLICATION TO OBJEC-

The recapitulation of the argument in the preceding lectures, 458-474

This review leads to the consideration of,

1. The plainness and simplicity of the evidences of Christianity, 474

2. Their great variety and accumulation,

3. Their impressiveness;

4. The whole array is strictly philosophical,

The objection founded on the mysteriousness of certain things in

Christianity answered,

The objection that we cannot understand the reason of certain things

for which Christianity is responsible, answered,
. . 495

The injustice done to Christianity by placing her so exclusively on

the defensive. Let infidelity be placed in the same position,

INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES, AND CONCLUDING OBSER-

Christianity and the Scriptures are essentially associated. But the
proof of divine revelation in the former is no proof of divine

inspiration in the latter. Need of inspiration in the book which

tells us what Christianity is,

The proposition to be sustained in this lecture is, that

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,

Inspiration defined,

Having established the credibility of the Saviour and his apostles as

messengers sent of God, our direct reference in the present inquiry

is to what they have asserted; so that our simple question is, Does

the New Testament bear witness that the several books of the Bible

were treated by the Saviour or his apostles as divinely inspired? 508

I. The inquiry begun with regard to the books of the Old Testa-

1. The Saviour and his apostles regarded the Old Testament with at

least as much reverence as did the Jews in their day, . . 508

2. We have the direct assertion of the inspiration of the books of the

Old Testament by St. Paul, .
.. 510

II. The inquiry continued with regard to the books of the New Testa-

1. The inspiration of the New Testament may be naturally and

reasonably inferred from that of the Old,
512

2. The same conclusion necessarily follows from the evident inspira-

tion of the apostles in their preaching and other official acts, 514

3. If the apostles did not intend to produce this conviction, and it

be not well founded, they adopted the most likely means of leading

us into a most important heresy,

Practical address to readers in conclusion, .

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