Reference: Christianity
Fausets
(See JESUS CHRIST.) The law and Mosaic system, though distinct from the gospel, yet clearly contemplates the new dispensation as that for which itself was the preparation. The original promise to Abraham, "in thee ... and thy seed ... shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Ge 12:3; 22:16), still awaited its fulfillment, and the law came in as the parenthesis between the promise of grace and its fulfillment in Christ the promised "seed." Ro 5:20; "the law entered (as a parenthesis, incidentally, Greek) that the offense might abound." Ga 3:8-25; "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith; but after that, faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster."
Jacob's prophecy contemplated the theocratic scepter passing from Judah, when Shiloh should come as the gatherer of the peoples to Himself (Ge 49:10). Many psalms (as Psalm 2; Psalm 72; Psalm 22; Psalm 67) and all the prophets (compare Isaiah 2; Isaiah 53) look forward to the Messiah as about to introduce a new and worldwide dispensation. Nay, even Moses himself (De 18:15, etc.) announces the coming of another Lawgiver like him, about to promulgate God's new law; for to be like Moses He must be a lawgiver, and to be so He must have a new law, a fuller development of God's will, than Moses' law, its germ. Psalm 110 declared that His priesthood should be one "forever, after the order of Melchizeded" (the king of righteousness and king of peace), to which the Levitical priesthood did homage in the person of Abraham their ancestor, paying tithes to Melchizedek (compare Hebrew 6-7).
The law was the type; the gospel was the antitype (Heb 10:1-10). Christ came not to destroy it (i.e. its essence) but to fulfill (complete) it (Mt 5:17). The letter gives place to the spirit which realizes the end of the letter (2Co 3:3-18). As also Jeremiah foretells (Jer 31:31-34; compare Heb 8:4-13; 10:15-18). If Christianity had not been of God, it could never have prevailed, without human might or learning, to supersede the system of the mightiest and most civilized nations (1 Corinthians 1-2). Its miracles, its fulfillment of all prophecy, and its complete adaptation to meet man's deep spiritual needs, pardon, peace, holiness, life, immortality for soul and body, are the only reasonable account to be given of its success.
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Think not that I have come to make the law or the prophets of no effect. I have not come to make them of no effect, but to give them their full efficiency.
Think not that I have come to make the law or the prophets of no effect. I have not come to make them of no effect, but to give them their full efficiency.
But, besides the first offense, law was introduced, in order that offenses might abound: but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
But, besides the first offense, law was introduced, in order that offenses might abound: but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
you are well known to be a letter of Christ, written by us as his ministers, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
you are well known to be a letter of Christ, written by us as his ministers, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Now, confidence such as this we have, through the Christ, toward God;
Now, confidence such as this we have, through the Christ, toward God; not that we are able, of ourselves, to devise any thing, as from ourselves; but our ability is from God,
not that we are able, of ourselves, to devise any thing, as from ourselves; but our ability is from God, who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of letter, but. of spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.
who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of letter, but. of spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive. For if the ministering of death, by means of a covenant that was written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses, on ac count of the glory of his face, which glory was to come to an end:
For if the ministering of death, by means of a covenant that was written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses, on ac count of the glory of his face, which glory was to come to an end: how shall not the ministering of the spirit be more glorious?
how shall not the ministering of the spirit be more glorious? For if the ministering of condemnation be glory, much more does the ministering of righteousness surpass in glory.
For if the ministering of condemnation be glory, much more does the ministering of righteousness surpass in glory. For that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that surpasses.
For that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that surpasses. For if that which was to come to an end was glorious, much more that which is to remain is glorious.
For if that which was to come to an end was glorious, much more that which is to remain is glorious. Since then we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech,
Since then we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech, and do not as Moses did, who put a vail over his face, so that the sons of Israel could not steadily look to the end of that which was to come to an end.
and do not as Moses did, who put a vail over his face, so that the sons of Israel could not steadily look to the end of that which was to come to an end. But their minds were blinded: for till this day, in the reading of the old covenant, the same vail remains not taken away, which vail is removed in Christ.
But their minds were blinded: for till this day, in the reading of the old covenant, the same vail remains not taken away, which vail is removed in Christ. But to this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart:
But to this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart: but whenever their heart shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
but whenever their heart shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And we all, with unvailed face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.
And we all, with unvailed face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.
For the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached beforehand the gospel to Abraham, saying: In you shall all the nations be blessed.
For the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached beforehand the gospel to Abraham, saying: In you shall all the nations be blessed. So, then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
So, then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that does not continue in all things written in the book of the law to do them.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that does not continue in all things written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by law in the sight of God, is evident: for the just by faith shall live.
But that no one is justified by law in the sight of God, is evident: for the just by faith shall live. The law, indeed, is not of faith; but he that does these things shall live by them.
The law, indeed, is not of faith; but he that does these things shall live by them. Christ has bought us off from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us: (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:)
Christ has bought us off from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us: (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:) in order that the blessing of Abraham may come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through the faith.
in order that the blessing of Abraham may come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through the faith. Brethren, I speak of things common among men: No one sets a covenant aside, or enjoins any thing additional after it is confirmed, though it be a man's covenant.
Brethren, I speak of things common among men: No one sets a covenant aside, or enjoins any thing additional after it is confirmed, though it be a man's covenant. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring; he does not say: And to offsprings, as if he spoke of many; but as of one, And to your offspring, which is Christ.
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring; he does not say: And to offsprings, as if he spoke of many; but as of one, And to your offspring, which is Christ. And this I affirm, that the covenant which had been before confirmed by God with respect to Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, could not annul so as to make the promise of no effect.
And this I affirm, that the covenant which had been before confirmed by God with respect to Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, could not annul so as to make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance be by law, it is no longer by promise: but God bestowed it on Abraham by promise.
For if the inheritance be by law, it is no longer by promise: but God bestowed it on Abraham by promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added on account of transgressions, (till the offspring should come, to whom the promise was made,) having been appointed through the service of angels, in the hand of a mediator.
What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added on account of transgressions, (till the offspring should come, to whom the promise was made,) having been appointed through the service of angels, in the hand of a mediator. Now, a mediator for one is impossible; but God is one.
Now, a mediator for one is impossible; but God is one. Is the law, then, against the promises of God? It can not be. For if a law had been given which could have given life, surely righteousness would have been by law.
Is the law, then, against the promises of God? It can not be. For if a law had been given which could have given life, surely righteousness would have been by law. But the scripture has shut up all under sin, that the promise by faith in Christ Jesus may be given to those who believe.
But the scripture has shut up all under sin, that the promise by faith in Christ Jesus may be given to those who believe. But before the faith came, we were kept under law, being shut up to the faith which was to be revealed.
But before the faith came, we were kept under law, being shut up to the faith which was to be revealed. So, then, the law was our pedagogue that led us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
So, then, the law was our pedagogue that led us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But since the faith has come, we are no longer under a pedagogue:
For if he were on earth, he could not be a priest; because there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
For if he were on earth, he could not be a priest; because there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: and these serve the copy and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: See now, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern shown you in the mount.
and these serve the copy and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: See now, says he, that you make all things according to the pattern shown you in the mount. But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is established with reference to better promises.
But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as he is the mediator of a better covenant, which is established with reference to better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second. For, finding fault with them, he says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will ratify a new covenant for the house of Israel, and for the house of Judah:
For, finding fault with them, he says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will ratify a new covenant for the house of Israel, and for the house of Judah: not like the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt: because they continued not in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.
not like the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt: because they continued not in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord; putting my laws into their understanding, I will also write them upon their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people;
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, says the Lord; putting my laws into their understanding, I will also write them upon their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people; and they shall not teach, every one his citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest;
and they shall not teach, every one his citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest; because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more.
because I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more. In saying, A new covenant, he has regarded the first as out of use. Now, that which is out of use, and has become old, is ready to disappear.
In saying, A new covenant, he has regarded the first as out of use. Now, that which is out of use, and has become old, is ready to disappear.
For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with the same sacrifices, which they offer year by year continually, make a perfect expiation for those who come to them:
For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with the same sacrifices, which they offer year by year continually, make a perfect expiation for those who come to them: for then, would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshipers, after being once cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sins.
for then, would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshipers, after being once cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sins. There is, however, in these sacrifices, a remembrance of sins every year.
There is, however, in these sacrifices, a remembrance of sins every year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when he comes into the world, he says: Sacrifice and offering thou hast not desired, but a body thou hast prepared me;
Wherefore, when he comes into the world, he says: Sacrifice and offering thou hast not desired, but a body thou hast prepared me; in whole burnt-offerings and offerings for sin, thou hast had no pleasure.
in whole burnt-offerings and offerings for sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Then, said I, Behold, I come, (in the roll of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, God.
Then, said I, Behold, I come, (in the roll of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, God. After saying above, Thou didst neither desire, nor take pleasure in sacrifice and offering and whole burnt-offerings and offerings for sin, which are offered according to the law,
After saying above, Thou didst neither desire, nor take pleasure in sacrifice and offering and whole burnt-offerings and offerings for sin, which are offered according to the law, then he said, Behold, I come to do thy will: he takes away the first, that he may establish the second.
then he said, Behold, I come to do thy will: he takes away the first, that he may establish the second. By which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
By which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
And, indeed, the Holy Spirit is a witness for us. For after he had said before,
And, indeed, the Holy Spirit is a witness for us. For after he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; putting my laws in their hearts, I will also write them in their understandings:
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; putting my laws in their hearts, I will also write them in their understandings: he adds, And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more.
he adds, And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more. Now, where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Now, where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Hastings
When the name 'Christian' (see preceding art.) had come to be the specific designation of a follower of Jesus Christ, it was inevitable that the word 'Christianity' should sooner or later be used to denote the faith which Christians profess. The word does not occur in the NT, however, and first makes its appearance in the letters of Ignatius early in the 2nd century. But for 1800 years it has been the regular term for the religion which claims Jesus Christ as its founder, and recognizes in His Person and work the sum and substance of its beliefs.
Christianity presents itself to us under two aspects
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And she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus; for he will save his people from their sins.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease, and every kind of sickness among the people.
Think not that I have come to make the law or the prophets of no effect. I have not come to make them of no effect, but to give them their full efficiency.
You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill, shall be liable to the sentence of the judges.
You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill, shall be liable to the sentence of the judges.
You have heard that it was said: You shall not commit adultery.
You have heard that it was said: You shall not commit adultery.
Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not swear falsely, but shall pay to the Lord your vows.
You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.
You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.
You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.
Be you therefore perfect, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Therefore, by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these words, that the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:
And Jesus went through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every infirmity.
The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the most distant parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
The Son of man will send forth his angels, and collect out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who work iniquity,
And I say to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.
But if he refuse to hear them, tell it to the church; and if he also refuse to hear the church, let him be to you as a heathen man and a publican.
They said to him: Why, then, did Moses command us to give a bill of divorce and put her away?
saying: Teacher, Moses commanded, If any one die without children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.
While the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them a question,
But after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
He was the true Light, which, coming into the world, gives light to every man.
You worship you know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews.
Then Jesus said to them: Verily, verily I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying: I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead; whom do you make yourself?
A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jesus said to him: Have I been so long with you, and have you not known me, Philip? He that has seen me, has seen the Father; and how say you, Show us the Father?
Abide in me, and I will abide in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.
In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and in this you will be my disciples.
This is my commandment: That you love one another, as I have loved you.
This is my commandment: That you love one another, as I have loved you.
These things I command you, that you may love one another.
Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made this same Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
And Peter said to them: Repent, and be immersed, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, in order to the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
and you slew the Author of life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
And believers in the Lord were more and more added to them, multitudes both of men and women;)
#VALUE!
And the believers that were of the circumcision, as many as had come with Peter, were astonished, because on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit:
But some of them were men of Cyprus and Gyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that they met together in the church for a whole year, and taught a great multitude; and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Be it known to you, therefore, brethren, that through this man is preached to you the remission of sins:
But the unbelieving Jews excited and embittered the minds of the Gentiles against the brethren.
and yet he did not leave himself without testimony, doing good, and giving you rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.
And he came to Derbe and Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess, who was a believer; but his father was a Greek.
and, having brought them out, he said: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your house shall be saved.
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said: Men of Athens, I perceive that in all respects your reverence for demons excels that of other men.
that they might seek for God, if perhaps they would feel after him, and find him, although, indeed, he is not far from every one of us. For in him we live, and move, and have our being: as also some of your own poets have said: For we his offspring are.
(for, since the creation of the world, his attributes, which are invisible, are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, both his eternal power and divinity,) that they may be without excuse; because, when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful; but they became perverse in their reasonings, and their wicked heart was darkened;
For when the Gentiles, who have not a law, do, by nature, the things of the law, these who have not a law, are a law to themselves,
But God makes known his love to us in this, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us:
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and members one of another.
Owe no one any thing, except to love one another; for he that loves another, has fulfilled the law.
Love works no evil to our neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Because God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to him self, not charging their offenses to them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to him self, not charging their offenses to them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
So, then, the law was our pedagogue that led us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might buy off those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption.
For all the law is fulfilled in one commandment, in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace,
and subjected all things under his feet, and made him head over all things for the church,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through the faith;
but speaking truthfully in love, we might grow up in all things, into him who is the head, even the Christ,
for the husband is the head of the wife, as the Christ also is the head of the church; and he is the savior of the body.
in order that he might present it to himself a glorious church, having neither stain, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,
But when the kindness and philanthropy of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
looking to Jesus the author and finisher of the faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
And he carried me away in spirit to a mountain, great and high, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Watsons
CHRISTIANITY, the religion of Christians. By Christianity is here meant, not that religious system as it may be understood and set forth in any particular society calling itself Christian; but as it is contained in the sacred books acknowledged by all these societies, or churches, and which contained the only authorized rule of faith and practice.
2. The lofty profession which Christianity makes as a religion, and the promises it holds forth to mankind, entitle it to the most serious consideration of all. For it may in truth be said, that no other religion presents itself under aspects so sublime, or such as are calculated to awaken desires and hopes so enlarged and magnificent. It not only professes to be from God, but to have been taught to men by the Son of God incarnate in our nature, the Second Person in the adorable trinity of divine Persons, "the same in substance, equal in power and glory." It declares that this divine personage is the appointed Redeemer of mankind from sin, death, and misery; that he was announced as such to our first parents upon their lapse from the innocence and blessedness of their primeval state; that he was exhibited to the faith and hope of the patriarchs in express promises; and, by the institution of sacrifices, as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, so that man might be reconciled to God through Him, and restored to his forfeited inheritance of eternal life. It represents all former dispensations of true religion, all revelations of God's will, and all promises of grace from God to man, as emanating from the anticipated sacrifice and sacerdotal intercession of its Author, and as all preparatory to the introduction of his perfect religion; and that as to the great political movements among the nations of antiquity, the rise and fall of empires were all either remotely or proximately connected with the designs of his advent among men. It professes to have completed the former revelations of God's will and purposes; to have accomplished ancient prophecies; fulfilled ancient types; and taken up the glory of the Mosaic religion into its own "glory that excelleth;" and to contain within itself a perfect system of faith, morals, and acceptable worship. It not only exhibits so effectual a sacrifice for sin, that remission of all offences against God flows from its merits to all who heartily confide in it; but it proclaims itself to be a remedy for all the moral disorders of our fallen nature; it casts out every vice, implants every virtue, and restores man to "the image of God in which he was created," even to "righteousness and true holiness."
3. Its promises both to individuals and to society are of the largest kind. It represents its Founder as now exercising the office of the High Priest of the human race before God, and as having sat down at his right hand, a mediatorial and reconciling government being committed to him, until he shall come to judge all nations, and distribute the rewards of eternity to his followers, and inflict its never-terminating punishments upon those who reject him. By virtue of this constitution of things, it promises pardon to the guilty, of every age and country, who seek it in penitence and prayer, comfort to the afflicted and troubled, victory over the fear of death, a happy intermediate state to the disembodied spirit, and finally the resurrection of the body from the dead, and honour and immortality to be conferred upon the whole man glorified in the immediate presence of God. It holds out the loftiest hopes also to the world at large. It promises to introduce harmony among families and nations, to terminate all wars and all oppressions, and ultimately to fill the world with truth, order, and purity. It represents the present and past state of society, as in contest with its own principles of justice, mercy, and truth; but teaches the final triumph of the latter over every thing contrary to itself. It exhibits the ambition, the policy, and the restlessness of statesmen and warriors, as but the overruled instruments by which it is working out its own purposes of wisdom and benevolence; and it not only defies the proudest array of human power, but professes to subordinate it by a secret and irresistible working to its own designs. Finally, it exhibits itself as enlarging its plans, and completing its designs, by moral suasion, the evidence of its truth, and the secret divine influence which accompanies it. Such are the professions and promises of Christianity, a religion which enters into no compromise with other systems; which represents itself as the only religion now in the world having God for its author; and in his name, and by the hope of his mercy, and the terrors of his frown, it commands the obedience of faith to all people to whom it is published upon the solemn sanction, "He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned."
4. Corresponding with these professions, which throw every other religion that pretends to offer hope to man into utter insignificance, it is allowed that the evidence of its truth ought to be adequate to sustain the weight of so vast a fabric, and that men have a right to know that they are not deluded with a grand and impressive theory, but are receiving from this professed system of truth and salvation "the true sayings of God." Such evidence it has afforded in its splendid train of MIRACLES; in its numerous appeals to the fulfilment of ancient PROPHECIES; in its own powerful INTERNAL evidence; in the INFLUENCE which it has always exercised, and continues to exert, upon the happiness of mankind; and in various collateral circumstances. Under the heads of Miracles and Prophecy, those important branches of evidence will be discussed, and to them the reader is referred. It is only necessary here to say, that the miracles to which Christianity appeals as proofs of its divine authority, are not only those which were wrought by Christ and his Apostles, but also those which took place among the patriarchs, under the law of Moses, and by the ministry of the Prophets; for the religion of those ancient times was but Christianity in its antecedent revelations. All these miracles, therefore, must be taken collectively, and present attestations of the loftiest kind, as being manifestly the work of the "finger of God," wrought under circumstances which precluded mistake, and exhibiting an immense variety, from the staying of the very wheels of the planetary system,
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Then they that gladly received his word were immersed, and on that day there were added to them about three thou sand souls.
But many of those who heard the word, believed: and the number of the men was about five thousand.
And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was greatly multiplied; and a great multitude of the priests became obedient to the faith.
And at that time there was a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem; and they were all dispersed throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
And Saul, still breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the chief priest,
and immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Sou of God.
At that time Herod the king undertook to afflict some of the church.
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said to him: You see, brother, how many myriads of the Jews there are that believe, and they are all zealous for the law.