asion was
not built upon external miracles.--"Scarcely had he entered the
churchyard when he was struck," he tells us, "with awe and reverence,
having never before heard prayers pronounced with so much ardour and
transport as he observed amongst the supplicants at the tomb. Upon this,
throwing himself on his knees, resting his elbows on the tombstone and
covering his face with his hands, he spake the following prayer. O thou,
by whose intercession so many miracles are said to be performed, if it
be true that a part of thee surviveth the grave, and that thou hast
influence with the Almighty, have pity on the darkness of my
understanding, and through his mercy obtain the removal of it." Having
prayed thus, "many thoughts," as he sayeth, "began to open themselves to
his mind; and so profound was his attention that he continued on his
knees four hours, not in the least disturbed by the vast crowd of
surrounding supplicants. During this time, all the arguments which he
ever heard or read in favour of Christianity occurred to him with so
much force, and seemed so strong and convincing, that he went home fully
satisfied of the truth of religion in general, and of the holiness and
power of that person who," as he supposed, "had engaged the Divine
Goodness to enlighten his understanding so suddenly." (Douglas's Crit of
Mir. p. 214.)

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PART II.

OF THE AUXILIARY EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY

CHAPTER I.

PROPHECY.

Isaiah iii. 13; liii. "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall
be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at
thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than
the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut
their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they
see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath
believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he
shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there
is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid, as it
were, our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressi