affirm, that it is sufficient for man in his present imperfect condition. It need not, then, be matter of complaint, that God has sealed up our intellects in darkness and silence, by the revelation of his word; on the contrary, while he has thus rendered unnecessary the speculations of vain and inflated minds, he has opened to the humble, however intellectually capacious and energetic, a field of contemplation too ample to be fully traced till the shadows of mortality flee away, and we stand upon the mount of eternal and unimpeded vision.

Nor is this all, since, to a certain extent, our reason may be profitably employed in searching into the reasons of the divine conduct and counsel. All research of this kind must, it is true, be conducted with immediate and constant reference to the testimony of revelation; and even then we shall certainly meet with much that is mysterious. Yet we need not scruple to affirm, that we may ascertain the grounds of the divine government quite as fully as is required for all practical purposes. Into questions of curious speculation we are not invited to enter; but so far

as it is possible for intellectual man, in his present state, to appreciate the divine counsels, in order to bring the perfect approbation of the understanding, as well as the entire devotion of the heart, to the service of God, so far may we trace the reason of those arrangements of which the Bible testifies; and this, I think you will admit, is all that we can rationally require.

It is the remark of a celebrated modern philosopher, that the mind of man delights in analogies; and for this peculiar appetite, God, in his mercy, has made very extensive provision. Some of these are to be found even in the natural world; and others in those facts of the moral government of God which are palpable to our senses, and open to daily observation. Some of them are purely illustrative; others seem to be, also, confirmatory, not as rendering the testimony of God more certain, but as strengthening our imperfect belief. Thus far has our gracious Creator condescended to our infirmities. The Bible supplies us with many analogical suggestions, both for the clearer elucidation, and for the more abundant confirmation, of its truths; while the

course of things around us supplies us with others and so far as the most trivial incident of human life tends to shed fresh light upon the truth of revelation, or to confirm our faith in it, so far we may fairly gather, that the institution of such analogies is a very proper and advantageous employment of our intellectual faculties.

On these several modes of employing reason in matters pertaining to revelation I shall have occasion to remark hereafter. My present communication has been protracted beyond my original design, and here therefore I take my leave.

LETTER III.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

IN In my last letter I alluded to the employment of reason in matters of revelation. This, you will recollect, respected, 1. Christian evidences. 2. Interpretation. 3. The grounds of the divine conduct. And, 4. Analogy. In discussing any doctrine supposed to be stated

in Scripture, it is, of course, desirable, and even necessary, that there should be, on all hands, a clear understanding of the weight attributed to the evidences of the inspiration of the Bible, and that there should be admitted a common scheme of interpretation. It is not in all cases required, that there should be a specific reference to these topics; because among certain classes of Christians they are distinctly understood and unhesitatingly received in the same sense. In the case before us, however, as you will perceive from the sequel, it is needful that we should be more minute, and that we should draw some conclusions from these subjects, which may serve to confirm propositions already stated, and to prepare your mind for other views which I shall hereafter have occasion to bring before you.

I think it not improbable that you may have been struck with the stupendous character of Scripture miracles, and the great variety and minuteness of Scripture prophecy. Indeed, it is scarcely possible that you should have directed your attention to these subjects at all without having received this impression. But the pecu

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liarity to which I wish particularly to call your observation is, the succession of these wonders for so many ages, and the considerable number of individuals gifted with the extraordinary power which they imply. You will remark, that it is incontestably evident, that from the time of Moses, (to go no higher,) down to the period when Christianity had obtained a considerable footing in the world, there were, with some intermission, individuals whom God empowered to attract the attention of mankind, by the working of miracles, and the prediction of future events. It may indeed consist with the wisdom of man, to employ mighty agencies for the production of inconsiderable results; but it is a remark not more trite than true, that it is the divine plan to reverse that method, and to educe the grandest events from causes and by means exceedingly simple, and apparently insignificant.

What then is the system of truth for the ascertaining of which the grand succession of miracles and prophecy was appointed? Does it merely consist of doctrines which equally belong to what is called "natural religion," and which are more or less discoverable by