to make them void and of none effect, by ascribing them to the arts of magic. "He casteth out devils through Beelzebub;" this was the cry of the Pharisees: "The Christians seem to prevail by the enchantments of demons," was still the explanation of Celsus and Porphyry. Among such a people it was not likely that many mighty works would be shewn forth; partly because of their credulity, and partly because of their unbelief. Accepting whatever professed to be supernatural, they were incapable of discerning that which alone was divine. Even if miracles were of frequent occurrence, it is not likely that in such an age they would tend greatly to the spread of Christianity: and we have no reason to think that they did. The conversion of some few individuals may perhaps have been due to this cause. But there is no well-authenticated instance, subsequent to the Apostolic age, of any large addition made to the fold of Christ by the intervention of miracles. We may well therefore doubt whether the ancient Church possessed in this respect any great advantage over ourselves.

Again, with regard to the miracles of Christ and his Apostles, we find the ancient apologists occasionally insisting on them, as an evidence of the truth of the Gospel, but fre

quently also waiving this argument, as if they did not expect it to have the same effect upon others which it had upon themselves. They declare that to their own minds it was entirely conclusive'. The mighty works of Jesus were to them a proof that he was no other than the Christ, the Son of God. But they anticipated that those works, like the miracles of their own time, would be referred by the heathen to the agency of sorcery and magic. And therefore they do not put forward the miracles, as has been done in later times, to bear the main brunt of the conflict; but having briefly noticed them, they leave them as it were in the background, and proceed to bring forward other arguments, not more forcible, but more likely, in their opinion, to convince the persons whom they addressed2.

Upon this branch of the evidences, therefore, it would appear that the preacher of the Gospel at the present time has no disadvantage, when compared with his predecessors of the early Church. In arguing from miracles, he is met by objections of a different kind from those which were formerly advanced. The attack has been shifted to an

1 Origen contr. Cels. 11. 48. The argument from miracles is strongly urged by Eusebius, Demonstr. Evang. II. p. 109, &c. 2 See Lecture III.

other ground, but is scarcely more formidable than it was before. He may now insist on the wonderful works of Christ and his Apostles, without any fear of their being attributed to magic. It is admitted that if the miracles really occurred, he who wrought them must have had his power from God. It is not sought now to depreciate the miracles, supposing them to be true, but to disparage the testimony by which they are authenticated. This attempt has been made in various ways; for error is manifold, its name is Legion: and when men have made up their minds to disbelieve, any hypothesis will serve their purpose. But no hypothesis has yet been framed, which does not involve such monstrous absurdities, and such insuperable difficulties, as to make the acceptance of the Gospel appear, in comparison, an easy, and indeed a necessary alternative. Every new hypothesis, when it has been tried and found untenable, becomes a further confirmation of the truth; and as the devils were forced to cry out and bear witness unto Christ, so we may claim the attacks of Celsus, of Hegel, and of Strauss, as unwilling testimonies to the truth of that Religion which they have unsuccessfully assailed.

But we must not forget, that besides en

countering the avowed sceptic, we have to preach to the heathen. And here it is to be confessed, that when we carry the light of the Gospel into those lands which still sit in darkness and superstition, we cannot produce such miraculous credentials of our mission as the early teachers were enabled to exhibit. The extraordinary gifts of the Spirit have been withdrawn; but have we nothing to shew instead, no other proofs, less instantaneous indeed, but not less permanent in their effects? I speak not now of the wonders of art and civilization, which the Christian bears with him to distant climes, and by means of which he may gain at once the attention and respect of the heathen, and dispose them to receive favourably the doctrines which he teaches. But is it not in his power still to display an irresistible evidence of his Religion, not the extraordinary gifts, but the ordinary and accustomed fruit of the Spirit, which is "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance1?" Will not the exhibition of these virtues avail, in the long run, to overthrow the strongholds of Satan, and to establish the Kingdom of Christ? Has it not done so in time past? will it not do so in the time to come? We 1 Gal. v. 22.

cannot now enter on this important subject. I will only appeal to the testimony of an ancient Father, who was in his day a great promoter of missions. I quote the words of St Chrysostom, not because they are his words, but because they are full of sense and wisdom, conveying an encouragement and a warning to our age, as well as to his own. In concluding one of his Homilies', he says:

1 Chrysostom. Homil. in Joannem. LXXII. (al. LXXI.) ad fin. I subjoin the original, of which the passage in the text is rather a paraphrase than a translation: Καὶ Ἕλληνας δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐπάγεται σημεία, ως βίος· βίον δὲ οὐδὲν οὕτως εἶναι ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀγάπη. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ποιοῦντας πολλάκις καὶ πλάνους ἐκάλεσαν· βίου δὲ ἐπιλαβέσθαι οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν καθαροῦ. Ὅτε μὲν οὖν οὔπω τὸ κήρυγμα διαδοθὲν ἦν, εἰκότως τὰ σημεῖα ἐθαυμάζετο· νῦν δὲ απὸ βίου χρὴ θαυμάζεσθαι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἐντρέπει Ἕλληνας, ὡς ἀρετή· οὐδὲν σκανδαλίζει, ως κακία· καὶ εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ πλεονεκτοῦντα, ἁρπάζοντα, τὰ ἐνάντια κελεύοντα, καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ως θηρίοις κεχρημένον τὸν κελευσθέντα καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾷν, λῆρον ἐρεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. Οταν ἴδῃ τρέμοντα θάνατον, πῶς δέξεται τοὺς περὶ ἀθανασίας λόγους ; Οταν ἴδῃ φιλαρχοῦντας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις δουλεύοντας πάθεσιν, ἀκριβέστερον ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μενεῖ δόγμασιν, οὐδὲν μέγα περὶ ἡμῶν φανταζόμενος. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν αἴτιοι, ἡμεῖς, τοῦ μένειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς πλάνης. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ δογ μάτων τῶν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς πάλαι κατέγνωσαν, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα δὲ ὁμοίως θαυμάζουσιν· ἐκ τοῦ βίου δὲ ἡμῶν κωλύονται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ διὰ λόγων φιλοσοφῆσαι, εὔκολον (πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τοῦτο ἐποίησαν)· ἐπιζητοῦσι δὲ τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπίδειξιν. ̓Αλλὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς παρ ̓ ἡμῖν ἐννοείτωσαν. Αλλ ̓ οὐδαμῶς πιστεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νῦν ζῶντας ἐπιζη τοῦσιν. Δεῖξον γάρ μοι, φησὶ, τὴν πίστιν διὰ τῶν ἐργῶν σου. ̓Αλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν· ἀλλὰ μαλλον ὁρῶντες καὶ θηρίου σπαράτ