Before concluding this chapter, we must notice four arguments of a more general character; all of which are undisputed, and all of which are distinctly in favour of the Jewish Religion. The first is that the Jews are all descended from one man, Abraham. They have always maintained this themselves, and there seems no reason to doubt it. Yet it is very remarkable. There are now about sixteen hundred million persons in the world, and if there were at the time of Abraham (say) one million men (i.e., males), each of these would, on an average, have 1,600 descendants now.[173] But the Jews now number, not 1,600, but over 12,000,000. This extraordinary posterity would be strange in any case, but is doubly so, considering that it was foretold. It was part of the great promise made to Abraham, for his great faith, that his seed should be as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude.[174]
[173] I.e., descendants in the male line; descendants through daughters are of course not counted.
[174] Gen. 22. 17.
The second is that the Jews are anyhow a unique nation. For centuries, though scattered throughout the world, they have been held together by their religion. And according to the Bible, their religion was given them for this very purpose, it was to make them a peculiar people, unlike everyone else.[175] If then it was, as far as it went, the true religion, revealed by God, the fact is explicable; but if it was nothing better than other ancient and false religions, it is hopelessly inexplicable.
[175] Deut. 14. 2; 26. 18.
The third is that the early history of the Jews, either real or supposed, has exerted a greater and more beneficial influence on the world for the last thousand years, than that of all the great nations of antiquity put together. Millions of men have been helped to resist sin by the Psalms of David, and the stories of Elijah, Daniel, etc., over whom the histories of Egypt and Assyria, Greece, and Rome, have had no influence whatever. And the effect of the Religion being thus unique, makes it probable that its cause was unique also; in other words, that it was Divinely revealed.
The fourth is that the Jews themselves always prophesied that their God, Jehovah, would one day be universally acknowledged.[176] And (however strange we may think it) this has actually been the case; and the God of this small and insignificant tribe—the God of Israel—is now worshipped by millions and millions of men (Christians) of every race, language, and country, throughout the civilised world. These are facts that need explanation, and the Truth of the Jewish Religion seems alone able to explain them.
[176] E.g., Ps. 22. 27; 86. 9; Isa. 11. 9; Zeph. 2. 11.
In conclusion, we will just sum up the arguments in these chapters. We have shown that there are strong reasons for thinking that the account of the Creation was Divinely revealed; that the origin of the Jewish religion was confirmed by miracles; and that its history was confirmed both by miracles and prophecies. And it should be noticed, each of these arguments is independent of the others. So the evidence is all cumulative and far more than sufficient to outweigh the improbability of the religion, due to its apparent partiality, which is the most important argument on the opposite side. Moreover, we know so little as to why man was created, or what future, God intended for him, that it is not easy to say whether the religion is really so improbable after all. On the other hand, the evidence in its favour is plain, direct, and unmistakable. And we therefore decide that the Jewish Religion is probably true.