our first parents? What is the destiny of man? Whither are we journeying through this world? Was man created mortal and miserable, as at present? If a man die, shall he live again? Does he sink into non-existence at death? or is there a future life? Is there an almighty gracious Creator? Can a miserable mortal obtain the favour of God? Will he bless us with future happiness?"

Questions so momentous to mankind have frequently been asked by wise and thoughtful men; the most celebrated among the ancients-Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus and others-pondered these with solemn seriousness. But these great men, however elevated above the vulgar multitude, could offer only uncertain conjectures, without confidence in their own speculations. Cicero and Seneca, ashamed of the popular idolatries and abominations, professed to believe in one supreme God, while they offered worship to the fabulous divinities. Still, it seems probable that they had gained some rays of heavenly light from the avowed principles of the Jews, if not from the perusal of the Jewish Scriptures.

"Cicero," as the Rev. T. H. Horne remarks, "is justly considered as among the most eminent of those philosophers who argued for the immortality of the soul; yet he laboured under the same uncertainty that distressed their minds. Though he has treated the subject at considerable length, and has brought forward a variety of cogent arguments in behalf of this doctrine, yet, after he has spoken of the several opinions concerning the nature and duration of the

soul, he says, 'Which of these is true, God alone knows; and which is most probable, is a very great question.' And he introduces one complaining that, while he was reading the arguments for the immortality of the soul, he thought himself convinced; but as soon as he laid aside the book and began to reason with himself, his conviction was gone. All which gave Seneca just occasion to say, that Immortality, however desirable, was rather promised than proved by those great men.' While the followers of these great philosophers were thus perplexed with doubts, others of the heathen entertained the most gloomy notions—either imagining that they should be removed from one body to another and be perpetual wanderers, or contemplating the grave as their eternal habitation, and sadly complaining that the sun and stars could rise again, but that man, when his day was set, must lie down in darkness, and sleep a perpetual sleep.

Perfect satisfaction on subjects so important could be gained only by a revelation from God; and these, with many others of a kindred character, were anticipated in all their difficulty, and fully answered in the Holy Scriptures. While their various books meet all the anxieties of the most inquisitive of mortals, they plainly profess to have been the dictates, not of men, nor even of angelic beings, but of heavenly wisdom-the work of holy men, prophets, apostles and evangelists, sent and inspired for this special service by the Divine Spirit.

Christians have always claimed for the Holy

* Introduction to the Holy Scriptures, vol. i. p. 11.

Scriptures the honour of their being a Divine Revelation. This claim has been made in every age by the Jewish people for the books of the Old Testament, and the same claim has been made for the books of the New Testament, as the imperishable productions of Infinite Wisdom, given by his inspiration.

Inexpressibly important to us are the precious subjects of the Bible. And claiming, as it does, to be the entire collection of "the oracles of God," every reflecting person must regard them with supreme concern. Duty and interest unite to render the claims of the Scriptures imperative; and their own testimony is most inviting and consolatory to the serious reader. Experience confirms the declaration of the Apostle, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.)

That Divine Revelation is indispensably necessary for man, appears from the nature of true religion, and from the prevailing superstitions of the heathen. Religious belief, to be really beneficial to its possessors, must arise from the true knowledge of God. Religion springs from intelligent faith in the being and perfections of the glorious Creator; and it consists in supreme respect, and sacred veneration, with filial love, which are justly due from a rational being to his Divine Parent. But this reasonable and holy service of the heart and life has never been rendered

to God by any nation, or by any individual, while destitute of Divine Revelation.

History is clear and full in its testimony to this fact. Passing over the popular notions entertained by the common people in the heathen nations, it may be observed, that the wisest philosophers of Greece and Rome were unable to give a rational account of the Divine Being, or a worthy representation of his nature and perfections, as the self-existent Creator.

Dr. Adam Clarke, whose judgment few will call in question, thus states,—" The absolute necessity of a Divine Revelation is sufficiently established. If God be the sole fountain of light and truth, all knowledge must be derived from him. The spirit of a man may know the things of a man; but the Spirit of God can alone know and teach the things of God!' That is, the human intellect, in its ordinary power and operation, is sufficient to comprehend the various earthly things that concern man's sustenance and welfare in social life; but this intellect cannot fathom the things of God; it cannot find out the mind of the Most High; it knows not his will; it has no just idea of the end for which man was made; of that in which his best interests lie; of his own nature; of the nature of moral good and evil; how to avoid the latter, and how to attain the former, in which true happiness, or the supreme good consists. And these things it is the province of Divine Revelation to teach, for they have never been taught or conceived by man.

"How unspeakably are we indebted to God for giving us a revelation of his wILL and of his WORKS!

Is it possible to know the mind of God but from himself? It is impossible. Can those things and services which are worthy of, and pleasing to, an infinitely pure, perfect and holy Spirit, be ever found out by reasoning and conjecture? Never : for the Spirit of God alone can know the mind of God; and by his Spirit he has revealed himself to man, and in this revelation has taught him, not only to know the glories and perfections of the Creator, but also his own origin, duty and interest. Thus far it was essentially necessary that God should reveal his WILL; but if he had not given a revelation of his WORKS, the origin, constitution and nature of the universe could never have been adequately known. The world by wisdom knew not God. This is demonstrated by the writings of the most learned and intelligent heathens. They had no just, no rational notion of the origin and design of the universe. Moses alone, of all ancient writers, gives a consistent and rational account of the creation, an account which has been confirmed by the investigations of the most accurate philosophers."*

Every scholar knows that what the apostle declares concerning the sages of the greatest fame in the heathen world is perfectly justified by their writings which are most esteemed, and by their universal practice, that "the world by wisdom knew not God." (1 Cor. i. 21.) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts,

* Christian Theology, selected by Samuel Dunn, pp. 37, 38.