and raises the standard of public opinion as to morals and religion,
432. Christianity has conferred, and is conferring, numerous substan-
tial benefits on individuals and nations; it has elevated the female
sex, 434; blessed the lower orders of society, 435; instituted charita-
ble designs for the relief of human wretchedness, 436; encircled age
with reverence, 437; given man a day of rest, 437; has infused into
Christian legislators and princes the temper of equity and mercy, 437;
conferred the blessing of equal distributive justice, 439; extends its
salutary influence to distant provinces, 440; and civilizes states, 441.
Effects, the ultimate, which Christianity will produce when all obstacles
are removed, ii, 205.
Egyptians, present state of, confirms ancient prophecies, i. 349.
Eusebius, quotation from, respecting the propagation of Christianity,
i. 387.
Evidences of Christianity, not to be continually dwelt upon, i. 12; but
occasionally, 13; and not in a way of testimony merely, 14; but in a
practical manner, 14; as in the early centuries, leading men on to
the inward excellencies of the religion itself, 15. They demand attention
at the present time on account of the young, 17; the lapse of time
since Christianity took its rise, 17; the decayed state of piety, 19; a
spurious philosophy spread far and wide, 20; the neglect of the Chris-
tian religion, 21; and the daring assaults of scepticism, 22. They are
forcible, 23; and may be Now considered with facility, from the diffu-
sion of education, 24; progress in the study of the law of evidence,
24; the avowed necessity of following nature, 24; and the revival of
primitive piety and zeal, 24. Their importance, 30, 31; their accu-
mulation, 412. The simplicity, variety, independence, and force of,
increase man's obligation, ii. 539. They have arisen in an incidental
manner, ii. 596. The actual mass at the present time, 602.
Evidences, external and internal, compared, and their respective places
and merit determined, ii. 2. The topics of the internal, stated, 6.
Evidences, external, recapitulation of, i. 530.
Evidences, internal, the nature of the argument arising from, ii. 574;
recapitulation of the details of, 577; correspond with the proba-
tionary and imperfect state of man, 581; are to be collected to-
gether, 583.
Example of his disciples, Christ the, ii. 143.
Facts now admitted assist the consideration of the question of evidences,
ii. 606.
Faith should practically correspond with what we admit in argument
respecting Christianity, i. 209.
Faith, definition of, ii. 432; the principle by which human society is
moved, 432; definition and illustration of faith in a divine Revelation,
433; distinction between faith exercised on human testimony and on
divine, 435; difference between a living and dead, 437; the corrup-
tion of man forms the great difficulty in exercising faith on divine
testimony, 436, 439; for man hesitates to exercise faith in Christianity,
although GOD is the author of the Revelation, 440; it regards man's
supreme interests, 440; and comes to him in the moment of danger,
441; the scriptural account of, 441; prayer for, 443; the reasonable-
ness of, after admitting the divine authority of Christianity, 443;
both as to the discoveries of the Christian religion, 445; and as to the
necessity of divine aid, 450; the extent of, 453; embracing every
part of Revelation, 455; assigning to each the relative importance
which it finds ascribed in Scripture, 457; but stopping where Reve-
lation stops, 459; and following, as much as possible, the language as
well as the sentiments of Scripture, 463; produces tranquillity, 464;
and is the principle of the Christian life, 467; must be vital and infiu-
ential, 437, 469; is obtained in answer to prayer for the grace of the
Holy Spirit, 443, 471; and is calculated to produce humility of mind,
474; implies an honest application of our natural understanding to
the Scriptures, 479; includes a willingness to submit it, together
with our heart, to all the truths which God has been pleased to reveal,
480; puts us in possession of many of the blessings of which the
Scriptures treat, 482; leads the Christian to seek the assistance of the
Holy Spirit, 484; guards him against the danger of hazardous inter-
pretations, or false use of difficult passages, 485: disposes him to
resort to all the necessary helps in order to obtain a sound interpreta-
tion of Scripture, 486. Historical, will only increase condemna-
tion, 306. A sound interpretation of Scripture springs directly from
Forgeries, the books of the New Testament cannot be, i. 109.
Fortitude and constancy of our Lord, ii. 151.
Gastrel, Bishop, quotation from, on the harmony of the Christian doc-
trines, ii. 69.
Gibbon's pride and presumption at the approach of death, ii. 406.
GOD, the being, perfections, and providence of the one living and true,
ii. 48; the doctrines emanate from the character of, 60.
Grace of GOD is now turning the minds of men to the most effective
statement of the whole argument, ii. 608.
Grandeur and sublimity of the Christian doctrines, ii. 63.
Harmony of the Christian doctrines, ii. 65.
Heathen world, before the coming of Christ, had lost the doctrine
of the being of God, i. 63; they had no standard of morals, 64; no
moral teaching, 65; they were impure and abominable even in their
religion, 66; their depravity, both as to knowledge and practice,
deep and universal, 67; and they had no principle of reformation, 69;
the wisest heathens confessed their despair, 87.
Heathen countries of the present day, the state of, prove to us that un-
assisted reason cannot enlighten and sanctify mankind, i. 77; the
moral and religious state of India, 77; Western or Southern Africa,
79; America and China, 80; an uniformity in their vices, 80; their
miserable condition should awaken our sympathy, 91.
Heathen writers admit the facts of the gospel history, i. 178.
Heavenly reward promised by our Lord to his disciples, ii. 141.
Hindrances which impede the full effects of the Christian religion, ii.
190; foretold by Christianity, 204.
HOLY SPIRIT, the personality and operations of, ii. 55.
Hooker's last words, ii. 409.
Hope, the Christian's, defined, i. 1; the reason of it as given by Chris-
tians of the first century, 2; of the second and third century, 4; of the
ninth, tenth, or twelfth century, 6; of the eighteenth or nineteenth
century, 7; to be always given with meekness and fear, 10, 32.
Horsley, Bishop, on the inspiration of the New Testament, i. note,
477, 509.
Humble and teachable minds admit spontaneously the inspiration of the
Scriptures, i. 527.
Hume's death-bed, ii. 408.
Humiliating, the Christian doctrines are, ii. 72.
Humiliation of our Lord, ii. 139.
Japheth, the present state of the descendants of, agrees with the prophecy
concerning them, i. 352.
Jerome, St. testimony of, to the authenticity of the books of the New
Testament, i. 138.
Jews, the dispersion of, i. 340; a standing miracle, 366.
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, A. D. 70, testimony of, to the authenticity
of books of New Testament, i. 135.
Impostor, an, could not have invented the facts of the New Testament,
i. 224.
Infidelity blots out all Revelation, i. 88; attempts to oppose reason to
faith, ii. 444.
Infidels, the wretched systems of, ii. 118; horrify the sincere inquirer
after morality, 120. The admissions of, respecting the character of our
Lord, 173. Lives and deaths of, compared with those of sincere
Christians, 367; as to the maintenance of the principles of morals
and religion held by them in common, 369; their respective discharge
of the duties of domestic and social life, 374; their benevolence and
goodwill towards men, 383; their public labours and the writings
they have submitted to the eye of mankind, 391; their deaths, 403;
and preparation for an eternal state of being, 418. Every one should
examine with which company he is walking in the journey of life, 427.
See Unbelievers.
Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures most important, i. 452; that of the
Old Testament asserted by our Lord and his apostles, 458; that of
the New Testament inferred from that of the Old, 458; confirmed by
the promise made by our Lord, and by the gifts received in conse-
quence, 468; claimed by the apostles themselves, 481; and attested
by the early Christian church, 488; the wonderful union of divine
and human agency in the inspiration of Scriptures, 498; the extent
of inspiration, 505; and the advantages which we derive from both,
513; the admission of it essential to the right reception of Christianity,
520; tends to shut out the most pernicious evils, 522; and is the
spontaneous dictate of the humble and teachable, 527.
Interests, the immense, at stake, carries the obligations of Christianity to
an inconceivable height, ii. 560.
Interpretation, the sound, of Scripture, ii. 477; springs directly from a
true faith, which implies an honest application of our natural under-
standing to the Scriptures, 479; includes a willingness to submit our
understanding and heart to all the truths which God is pleased to
reveal, 480; puts us in possession of many of the blessings of which
the Scriptures treat, 482; leads the Christian to seek the assistance of
God's Holy Spirit, 484; guards him against the danger of hazardous
interpretations, or a false use of difficult passages, 485; disposes him
to resort to all necessary helps, 486; common sense, and the ordinary
laws of human language, suggest that the simplest sense is, gene-
rally, the true one, 490; the occasion of the books being written
should be consulted, 491; brief passages explained by those which
are more full, 492; figurative and poetical parts interpreted by
their appropriate laws, 494; we should suspend our judgment where
a passage is, after all, not obvious, 496; the scope and analogy of
truth will either solve all material difficulties, or render them practi-
cally useful, 498. The inspiration which belongs to the Bible, re-
quires us, in interpreting its contents, to rise to the sublimity of the
Scripture mysteries, 500; to give to the last portion of Revelation
that weight which it may justly claim, 501; to discover the lustre of
what is permanent and uniform, amidst all that is temporary, local,
and extraordinary, 503; to distinguish between vital Christianity and
what is merely nominal adherence to its external ordinances, 505; to
derive from Scripture the use, place, and bearings of truth, as well as
the truth itself, 507; not to force the simple meaning of Scripture,
either to express or exclude mysteries, according to our turn of mind,
510; and not to reduce divine truths to a human system, 514. The
diversity of interpretations has been greatly exaggerated, 516; is not
chargeable on Christianity, 517; falls chiefly on subordinate matters,
518; the evils may be avoided in practice, 516; the universal church
bas presented but one front of truth to mankind, 519. Vital Chris-
tianity in the heart can alone interpret aright, 520.
Josephus, testimony of, to the facts of Christianity, i. 180.
Irenæus' testimony to the inspiration of the New Testament, i. 491.
Ishmael, the present state of the descendants of, agrees with the pro-
phecy concerning them, i. 348.
Julian, the apostate, allows the facts of Christianity, and admits the
gospels as the works of the apostles, i. 142.
Justification by faith only is the leading truth of the whole gospel,
ii. 54, 72.
Justin Martyr, testimony of, to the authenticity of the books of the
New Testament, i. 136; to the inspiration, 491.
Koran of Mahomet condemned by its contents, i. 114.
Lardner, Dr., quotation from, as to the number of quotations from
Scripture in the works of Irenæus, i. 131.
Latimer's last words, ii. 413.
Lectures, order of, i. 26.
Life, the Christian's holy, best defence of Christianity, i. 32.
Love of Christ constrains, ii. 107.
Love of Christians to the Bible, attested by Pamphilus, i. 139; Valens,
139; Constantine, 140; has furnished us with the proofs of its authen-
ticity, 166. Exhortation to the duty, 167.
Mahometanism, propagation of, i. 399.
Mahomet does not venture to question the facts of Christianity, i. 188;
apostacy of, 354.
Man, every, lies under an obligation to obey the divine Revelation.
See Obligation.
Man's guilt and condemnation as a transgressor against God, ii. 50.
Manner in which the evangelists give the character of our Lord, ii. 164.
Manuscripts of the New Testament, the number and antiquity of, i. 144.
Medals, by their inscriptions, attest the credibility of the gospel history,
i. 189.
Meditations supposed to be made by one who has made a trial of the
blessings of Christianity, ii. 301.
Meekness and lowliness of spirit of our Lord, ii. 148.
Men of the finest talents convinced by the Christian history, i. 187, 397.
Messiah.
Ministers of Christ's church, address to, ii. 615; in danger of mistaking
talents for the operations of grace, 617; need expansive charity, 618;
diligence and compassion in their pastoral duties, 620; and should pay
attention to the subject of evidences, 621.
Miracle, definition of a, i. 232. The wonderful actions ascribed to our
Saviour and his apostles, and called miracles, really took place, 217.
In every miracle, there are two distinct and palpable facts, 218; these
are attested by the credibility of the books, 220; the converts of the
first century believed them, 221; monuments were set up in memory
of them, and continue to the present day, 223; the account itself, as
recorded in our books, establishes them, 226. Objections against the
credibility of miracles answered, 228. The wonderful actions were
plain and palpable miracles, 234; they were done by Christ and his
apostles, as divine acts, 234; before the Jewish nation, 236; consisted
of numerous and various suspensions of the course of nature, 236;
produced permanent effects, 239; and were wrought for a high and
holy end, 240. The miracles of which our Lord was the subject, 239.
Our Saviour and the apostles appealed to them in proof of their mission,
241; they had been predicted as the express evidence of Messiah, 242;
they form an appropriate attestation to a divine religion, 243; they
were performed by those who had all other signs of a divine mission,
244; the inference from them to the truth of Christianity is con-
clusive, 245; they are incorporated with the instructions of Chris-
tianity, 246; confirmed by the success of the gospel, 248. The religion
of the Bible, the sole religion, set up and established by miracles,
249.
Missions, success of Christian, i. 400.
Moral government of God, the end of, promoted by the Christian doc-
trines, ii. 71.
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