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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"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil.
"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil.
Now law was brought in so that transgression might abound; but where sin abounded, grace super-abounded;
Now law was brought in so that transgression might abound; but where sin abounded, grace super-abounded;
Since all can see that you are a letter of Christ transcribed by men, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts as tablets.
Since all can see that you are a letter of Christ transcribed by men, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts as tablets. Such confidence I have through Christ before God.
Such confidence I have through Christ before God. Not that I am sufficient in myself to reach any conclusion in my own wisdom; but my sufficiency is from God.
Not that I am sufficient in myself to reach any conclusion in my own wisdom; but my sufficiency is from God. It is he who has also made me sufficient as a minister of a new covenant; not of a letter but of a spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.
It is he who has also made me sufficient as a minister of a new covenant; not of a letter but of a spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive. If, however, the administration of death, written with letters and engraved on stones, began in glory, so that the children of Israel could not gaze steadily on the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face?? glory even then fading??8 how much more shall the ministry of the Spirit abide in glory?
If, however, the administration of death, written with letters and engraved on stones, began in glory, so that the children of Israel could not gaze steadily on the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face?? glory even then fading??8 how much more shall the ministry of the Spirit abide in glory?
For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, far more is the ministry of righteousness radiant in glory.
For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, far more is the ministry of righteousness radiant in glory. Indeed that which once was glorious has lost its glory, because of the glory which surpasses it.
Indeed that which once was glorious has lost its glory, because of the glory which surpasses it. For if that which was fading came in glory, far more will that which ever abides be glorious.
For if that which was fading came in glory, far more will that which ever abides be glorious. Therefore, cherishing such a hope, I use great freedom of speech.
Therefore, cherishing such a hope, I use great freedom of speech. I do not do as Moses did, who used to cover his face with a veil to keep the children of Israel from beholding the passing of a fading glory.
I do not do as Moses did, who used to cover his face with a veil to keep the children of Israel from beholding the passing of a fading glory. Nay, their minds were made dull; for to this very day, at the public reading of the Old Testament, the same veil rests thereon, because it is not revealed to them that in Christ the veil is taken away.
Nay, their minds were made dull; for to this very day, at the public reading of the Old Testament, the same veil rests thereon, because it is not revealed to them that in Christ the veil is taken away. Yes, to this very day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies on their hearts;
Yes, to this very day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies on their hearts; but when their heart turns to our Lord the veil is stripped away.
but when their heart turns to our Lord the veil is stripped away. (The Lord means the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord abides there is freedom.)
(The Lord means the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord abides there is freedom.) And we all, with unveiled faces, reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are ourselves continually being transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory, as by the Lord, the Spirit.
And we all, with unveiled faces, reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are ourselves continually being transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory, as by the Lord, the Spirit.
And the Scripture, anticipating God's justification of the Gentiles by faith, announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand in the words, In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed.
And the Scripture, anticipating God's justification of the Gentiles by faith, announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand in the words, In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed. So then they who are children of faith are blessed with Abraham the faithful;
So then they who are children of faith are blessed with Abraham the faithful; but a curse rests on those who have their root in the works of the Law; for it is written. Cursed is every one that continues not in all the things written in the Book of the Law, to do them.
but a curse rests on those who have their root in the works of the Law; for it is written. Cursed is every one that continues not in all the things written in the Book of the Law, to do them. And it is manifest that by the Law no man is justified in the sight of God. because The just shall live by faith,
And it is manifest that by the Law no man is justified in the sight of God. because The just shall live by faith, and the Law has nothing to do with faith, but declares, The man that has done these things shall live therein.
and the Law has nothing to do with faith, but declares, The man that has done these things shall live therein. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is every one who is hanged upon a tree),
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is every one who is hanged upon a tree), to the end that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
to the end that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit. Let me illustrate, brothers, from every-day life. When once a human testament is made, and formally ratified, no one sets it aside or adds to it.
Let me illustrate, brothers, from every-day life. When once a human testament is made, and formally ratified, no one sets it aside or adds to it. Now it was to Abraham that the promises were spoken, and to his offspring. God did not say, "offsprings" as if speaking of many, but "and to your offspring," as of one; and this is Christ.
Now it was to Abraham that the promises were spoken, and to his offspring. God did not say, "offsprings" as if speaking of many, but "and to your offspring," as of one; and this is Christ. I mean to say that the testament which God has already ratified could not be annulled by the Law which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the Promise void.
I mean to say that the testament which God has already ratified could not be annulled by the Law which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the Promise void. For if the inheritance comes from law, it no longer comes from a promise; but God did give it as a free gift to Abraham by a promise.
For if the inheritance comes from law, it no longer comes from a promise; but God did give it as a free gift to Abraham by a promise. To what purpose, then, was the Law? It was imposed later for the sake of transgressions, until the "Offspring" should come to whom the promise had been made. It was arranged through angels by the hand of a mediator.
To what purpose, then, was the Law? It was imposed later for the sake of transgressions, until the "Offspring" should come to whom the promise had been made. It was arranged through angels by the hand of a mediator. (Now a mediator implies more than one person, but God is only one.)
(Now a mediator implies more than one person, but God is only one.) Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would actually have come from law;
Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would actually have come from law; but the Scripture has shut up the whole world in prison together under sin, in order that the promise due to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who have faith.
but the Scripture has shut up the whole world in prison together under sin, in order that the promise due to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who have faith. Before the Faith came we were perpetual prisoners under the Law, in preparation for the destined faith about to be revealed.
Before the Faith came we were perpetual prisoners under the Law, in preparation for the destined faith about to be revealed. So the Law has been our tutor-slave our pedagogue to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith;
So the Law has been our tutor-slave our pedagogue to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith; but now that the Faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor-slave.
Now were he on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there are here those who present the gifts according to the Law??5 those priests who serve a mere outline and shadow of the heavenly reality, just as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to build the Tabernacle. "See", he says, "that you make everything on the pattern showed you on the mountain."
Now were he on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there are here those who present the gifts according to the Law??5 those priests who serve a mere outline and shadow of the heavenly reality, just as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to build the Tabernacle. "See", he says, "that you make everything on the pattern showed you on the mountain."
But Jesus has obtained a better ministry, by so much as he is also Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.
But Jesus has obtained a better ministry, by so much as he is also Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises. For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second.
For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second. But finding fault with them, He says. "There are days coming," says the Lord, "When I will establish with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant;
But finding fault with them, He says. "There are days coming," says the Lord, "When I will establish with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; Not according tot he covenant which I made with their forefathers, On the day when I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in my covenant, And therefore I disregarded them," says the Lord.
Not according tot he covenant which I made with their forefathers, On the day when I took them by the hand to lead them forth out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in my covenant, And therefore I disregarded them," says the Lord. "For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel, After these days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their minds, And upon their hearts will I write them; And I will be their God, And they shall be my people;
"For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel, After these days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their minds, And upon their hearts will I write them; And I will be their God, And they shall be my people; And they shall not teach every man his fellow citizen, And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; For all shall know me, From the least to the greatest of them.
And they shall not teach every man his fellow citizen, And every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; For all shall know me, From the least to the greatest of them. For I will have mercy upon their wrong-doings, And their sins I will remember no more."
For I will have mercy upon their wrong-doings, And their sins I will remember no more." By calling the covenant "new," He has made the first one obsolete; and whatever is becoming obsolete and aged, is near to vanishing.
By calling the covenant "new," He has made the first one obsolete; and whatever is becoming obsolete and aged, is near to vanishing.
For the Law, being only a shadow of the good things to come, and not their very substance, its priests cannot with the same sacrifice which year after year they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.
For the Law, being only a shadow of the good things to come, and not their very substance, its priests cannot with the same sacrifice which year after year they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered? Because the worshippers having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sin.
Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered? Because the worshippers having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sin. But on the other hand, in these sacrifices sins are called to memory, year after year.
But on the other hand, in these sacrifices sins are called to memory, year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. It is for this reason that the Christ, on coming into the world, declared. Sacrifice and offerings thou dost not desire, But a body didst thou prepare for me;
It is for this reason that the Christ, on coming into the world, declared. Sacrifice and offerings thou dost not desire, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sin offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure.
In whole burnt offerings and sin offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, "I am come??n the roll of the book it is written of me??o do thy will, O God."
Then I said, "I am come??n the roll of the book it is written of me??o do thy will, O God." First when it is said, Thou hast no longing for, thou takest no delight in Sacrifices and offerings, or whole burnt offerings and sin offerings,
First when it is said, Thou hast no longing for, thou takest no delight in Sacrifices and offerings, or whole burnt offerings and sin offerings, (offerings regularly made under the law), and then it is added, Lo, I come to do thy will, he does away with the first, in order that he may establish the second.
(offerings regularly made under the law), and then it is added, Lo, I come to do thy will, he does away with the first, in order that he may establish the second. And it is by this will that we have been sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And it is by this will that we have been sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And the Holy Spirit also gives his testimony, when he said:
And the Holy Spirit also gives his testimony, when he said: "This is the covenant I will make with them After those days," says the Lord. "I will set my laws upon their hearts, And I will inscribe them on their minds."
"This is the covenant I will make with them After those days," says the Lord. "I will set my laws upon their hearts, And I will inscribe them on their minds." Then he adds, And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Then he adds, And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. But when these have been remitted, there is no more any offering for sin.
But when these have been remitted, there is no more any 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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"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife home, for what is begotten in her is by the Holy Spirit; and she will bear a son, and you are to call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
Then Jesus went about through Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and infirmity among the people.
"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil.
"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "Thou shall not commit murder, and "He who commits murder shall be liable to condemnation by the court;
"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, "Thou shall not commit murder, and "He who commits murder shall be liable to condemnation by the court;
"You have heard that it was said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery.
"You have heard that it was said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery.
"Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You must not forswear yourselves, but must perform your vows to the Lord.
"You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye, 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."
"You then must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
"Hence it is by their fruit you will know them. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Now when Jesus had finished his discourse, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
And Jesus continued to go throughout all the cities and towns, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and infirmity.
"The Queen of the South will rise in the judgment with this generation, and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and lo! a greater than Solomon is here!
"The son of man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all hindrances, and whoever practices iniquity,
"Moreover I say to you that you are Petros (a rock), and on this petra (rock) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.
"but if he will not heed the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax-gatherer.
They answered, "Why then did Moses command the husband to give her 'a written bill of divorce,' and so to put her away?"
"Master," they said, "Moses taught that if a man dies without issue, his brother is to marry the widow, and raise up a family for his brother.
Now while the Pharisees were together, Jesus put this question to them.
After John had been thrown into prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God.
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save the lost."
The true Light, which enlightens every man, was then coming into the world.
You are worshiping something you do not know. we know what we worship, for salvation comes from the Jews.
"In solemn truth I tell you," said Jesus in reply, "Moses did not give you the bread out of heaven, but my Father does give you the true bread out of heaven;
Once more Jesus addressed them. "I am the light of the world," he said; "He who follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the Light of life."
"You are not greater than our father Abraham, are you? And he died, and the prophets died. Who are you making yourself out to be?"
I give you a new commandment, Love one another!
I give you a new commandment, Love one another!
"Have I been so long among you, and yet you, Philip, have you not recognized me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Cause us to see the Father'?
"Abide in me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you, unless you abide in me.
"By this is my Father glorified, by your bearing abundant fruit, and so being my disciples.
"This is my command, Love one another as I have loved you.
"This is my command, Love one another as I have loved you.
"This is my command. to love one another. If the worlds hates you,
"Therefore let the whole House of Israel know assuredly that Gods has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified."
"Repent," answered Peter, "and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"The Pioneer of Life you put to death. But God has raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses of that fact.
Yet the people continued to hold them in high honor, and more and more believers in the Lord were joining them, both men and women.
And Philip said, "If you believe with your whole heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
And all the Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles also.
Some of them, however, were Cyprians and Cyrenaeans, who, on reaching Antioch, began to tell the Greeks also the Good News concerning the Lord Jesus.
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church, and taught many people. And it was in Antioch that the disciples first received the name of "Christians."
"Be it known unto you therefore, brothers, that remission of sins is proclaimed to you through this man;
But the disobedient Jews stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and embittered them against them against the brothers.
and yet he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness."
And he came also to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a certain disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewess, and of a Greek father.
and brought them out, saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" "Believe on the Lord Jesus," they answered, "and you will be saved, you and all your household."
So Paul stood up in the center of Mars Hill, and said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all respects you are remarkably religious.
"so that they might seek God, if perhaps they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from every on of us; "for in him we live and move and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, "'For we also are his offspring.'
For ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, even his everlasting power and divinity, has been clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made. So they have no excuse. For although they knew God, yet they did not glorify him as God, nor give him thanks; but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.
For they show that the work of the Law is written in their hearts, while their conscience bears them witness, as their reasonings accuse, or it may be defend, them,
But God gives proof of his love to us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved in his life.
so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and we are severally members of one another.
Never owe any one anything save the debt of brotherly love; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law.
Love never wrongs his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilment of the Law.
For God who said, "Out of darkness light shall shine," is he who has shone in my heart, that the sunrise of the knowledge of God may shine forth in the face of Christ.
how that God was in Christ reconciling a world to himself, not reckoning to men their trespasses; and that to me he has entrusted the message of that reconciliation.
how that God was in Christ reconciling a world to himself, not reckoning to men their trespasses; and that to me he has entrusted the message of that reconciliation.
So the Law has been our tutor-slave our pedagogue to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith;
But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem from captivity those under law, in order that we might receive our sonship.
For the whole Law has been fulfilled in this one precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
It is in him we have deliverance, the forgiveness of our trespasses, through his blood;
God has put all things under Christ's feet, and placed him as Head over all in the church,
that Christ may make his home in your hearts through your faith; that you may be so deeply rooted and so firmly grounded in love,
but holding the truth in love we shall grow up in every part into him who is our Head, even Christ.
because a husband is the head of his wife even as Christ is head of the church, his body, which he saves.
so as to present her to himself, the church glorified, without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish; but on the contrary holy and faultless.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
But when the kindness of God our Saviour, And his love toward men shined forth,
looking unto Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured a cross, despising shame, and has now taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain, huge and high; and he showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, descending 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,
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Then those who welcomed his message were baptized, and in that day about three thousand souls were added to them;
But many of those who had heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
And the word of the Lord continued to spread; and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was increasing exceedingly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
With these words he fell asleep. And Saul fully approved of his murder. On this very day there broke out a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostle were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
And he began at once to proclaim in the synagogues Jesus as the Son of God.
Now, at about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands to ill-treat certain members of the church;
And they, when they heard it, glorified God, and said to him. "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews, of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law.