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is as far beyond the power of man, is as great a miracle, and as contrary to the laws of nature, as raising a man from the dead! While therefore it may be said of the miracles performed 1800 years ago, that they are past and gone, the same cannot be said of prophecy: it is now before our eyes-the miracle is actually performing every day we live. Infidels feel so sore on this subject-it gives them such a severe wound-it puts them into such an awkward position, that they have used their utmost ingenuity, sophistry, and wit, to turn this subject, which they could not meet, into ridicule! The great question is, were the prophecies delivered before the events occurred?" No man but a most ignorant being, a fool, a madman, or a knave, will dare deny that the Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the New. (See Bible.) In fact this is as satifactorily proved as that the New Testament existed before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The nature of this little work will not allow the various prophecies and their fulfilment to be here recorded; but the reader may well refer to Newton or to " Keith on the Prophecies." Infidels having endeavoured to confound the Sacred Prophecies with the Heathen Oracles of Antiquity, the following table will exhibit their disengenousness on this head, as on every other subject connected with Divine Revelation.

Heathen Oracles.

Divine Prophecies contrasted with the Heathen Oracles. Divine Prophecies. 1. Almost all in the Old Testament referred to one stupendous event viz. the coming of the Messiah!

1. Almost all to satisfy mere curiosity, like our strolling fortune tellers!

>

2. The particular predic- 2. To promote the ambi

tions were almost always tious designs of kings, and contrary to the wishes of of princes.

Kings, &c.

3. Almost always spontaneous, and seldom responsive.

4. They gave dissatisfaction by not flattering the pride and the ambition of kings and of the people: thus condemning their vices. See Jehoshaphat.

5. The Prophets were never paid-never would receive any thing for what they declared. See 2 Kings v. 16. 26, 27.

6. Death the penalty of falsehood. Deut. xviii. 20. 7. The predictions were always recorded, and kept in the public offices, in books open to public inspection. 8. Studied simplicity: and the nearer the event approached, the more plain the predictions.

3. Seldom, if ever, spontaneous; but always responsive.

4. They pleased the king, prince, general, and people, by flattering their pride, and their ambition: thus encouraging their vices.

5. The Heathen priests
were always paid-never
gave responses without pay
-hence the inducement to
flatter--they acted just like
our fortune tellers.
6. No penalty whatever.

7. Never recorded: no such records or offices kept.

8. Studied ambiguity: so as to make their answers mean every thing, or any thing.

Finally, while the heathen responses may be considered in the light of pure guess-work, or a kind of oda or even, the sacred predictions were in fact like answering the question, how many constitute the odd, or how many constitute the even; and not is it odd, or even? Thus, when Croesus consulted the oracle at Delphi relative to his intended war against the Persians, he was told,

"he would destroy a great empire," which might be the case if either he conquered or' was defeated. Accordingly he made war against the Persians and was ruined! Herodtous 1. 1. c. 53. The answer given to Pyrrhus king of Epirus is remarkable," I say thou canst conquer the Romans-thou shalt go-thou shalt return— never shalt thou perish in war; but the Romans can conquer thee-thou shalt go, thou shalt never return― thou shalt perish in the war!”

Horace admirably describes this system of fraud and deception of the Heathen Oracle, in the following passage: “O son of Laertes, what I now foretell will either come to pass or it will not come to pass, for the great Apollo gives me to divine!" Sat. vi. Book ii. 59, 60. These are a few specimens of the heathen oracles, which Infidels have, as totally regardless of truth as of common honesty, dared to compare with the sacred predictions of the servants of the Living God. See Miracles.

PROPHECY. Circumstances connected with the Lord Jesus Christ, predicted hundreds of years before

the Christian Era:

1. For the redemption of sinners. Gen. iii. 15. Isa. ix. 6, 7; liii. Dan. ix. 24. 27.

2. Before the destruction of the second Temple. Haggai, ii. 7. Mal. iii. 1.

3. Before the dominion of the Jews was taken away. Gen. xlix. 10. Luke, ii. 1. 7.

4. General expectation. Haggai, ii. 7. 9. Tacitus, Josephus, Suetonius. Matt. ii. 1. 10.

5. Born of a virgin. Gen. iii. 15. xxxi. 22.

John, i. 19. 45.

Isa. vii. 14. Jer.

6. The son of Abraham. Gen. xxi. 1. 12. With Matt. i. 16.

7. The son of Isaac, and not of Ishmael. Gen. xvii.

16. 21. Matt. i. 16.

8. The son of Jacob, and not of Esau. 24. 34; xxvii. 29; xxviii. 13, 14.

Gen. xxv.

With Matt. i.

9. From the tribe of Judah. Gen. xlix. 8. 12. Matt. i.

10. From Jesse, the father of David. Isa. xi. 1. Matt. i. 16.

11. From David, the youngest son. 1 Sam. xvi. 1. 13. 2 Sam. vii. 12. 15. Ps. lxxxix. 19. 37.-Matt. i. 12. A messenger was to go before him. Mal. iii. 1. John, i. 19. 34; and iii. 26. 36.

13. This messenger was to be in the wilderness. Isa. xl. 3, 5. Matt. iii. 1. 6.

14. Messiah was to be born, not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem. Micah, v. 2. Matt. ii. 1.

15. He was to go down into Egypt. Hosea, xi. 1. Matt. ii. 13. 23.

16. To be rejected by the Jews. Isa. liii. 1. Rom. x. 1. 3. 21.

17. The Jews were to have a veil over their eyes. Isa. vi. 9, 10. 13; xxix. 9, 10.

18. He was the chief corner stone. Isa. xxviii. 16; viii. 13, 14. Acts, iv. 11, 12. Ps. cxiii. 22, 23.

19. He was to ride into Jerusalem on an ass. Zachariah, ix. 9. Matt. xxi. 1. 11.

20. To be sold for thirty pieces of silver, and cast to the potter. Zachariah, xi. 12, 13. Matt. xxvi. 14. 16. 21. His followers were to forsake him. Zachariah, xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 56.

22. To finish his employment in about three years and a half. Dan. ix. 27.

23. To be actually scourged, and smitten on the face and spit on. Isa. 1. 6. Matt. xxvii. 26.

24. To be wounded in the hands. Zachariah, xiii. 6. Isa. liii. 9; and

25. To be taken with wicked men.

to be buried in a rich man's tomb. Ditto.

26. To be put to death at the end of 490 years after the commandment should go forth, to restore and build Jerusalem. See Daniel.

27. To receive vinegar and gall. Ps. Ixix. 21.

28. His enemies to part his garments, &c. Ps. xxii. 18.

29. Not a bone of him to be broken. Exod. xii. 45. Numb. ix. 12. John, xvi. 34.

30. His side pierced. Zachariah, xii. 10. John, xix.

34.37.

31. Not to see corruption. Ps. xvi. 10. 32. To enlighten the Gentiles. Isa. lx.

PROPHETS, False. That false prophets existed among the Jews, we do not pretend to deny: indeed we cheerfully admit it; and for this simple reason; such characters having existed is tolerable good evidence, that there had also been genuine, or real, prophets. (See Miracles. Prophecy.) Those pretenders were the greatest curse to the Jewish nation. They were the cause of nine tenths of the calamities and misfortunes that befel the Jews; they were little else than sycophants; always about the Jewish kings; ready, on all occasions, to flatter, deceive, and encourage ambitious views; to feed pride; and thus plunge the nation into wars and bloodshed. Hence, they were worse than ordinary murderers; for they were wholesale murderers, having been the authors of the murders of thousands! Hence, he justice of Almighty God, in oftentimes ordering such persons to be exterminated.

Those do greatly err, who think that God ordered