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confidered as compofing a fingle evidence only, but as containing diftinct and independent atteftations of the truth of Chriftianity; for it is evident from their contents, that they were written by different perfons, at various times, and upon various occafons. Even the little circumftances in which they differ from each other have their use, as they tend to prove that there was no plan preconcerted by the writers, with a view to excite wonder, and obtain credit by any ftudied uniformity of reprefentation.

He who peruses the Gofpels and Epiftles with attention, must be ftruck by a remarkable peculiarity of narrative and argument, which runs through every part of them. There is no appearance of artifice in the facred Writers; no endeavour to raise the reputation of friends, or depreciate the characters of enemies. There is no effort made to reconcile the mind of, the reader to what is marvellous in their narrative; no ftudied attempt to fire his imagination, or roufe his paffions in their caufe. All is fair, temperate, and candid. Vain, it is true, were the fearch for thofe ornaments which diftinguish the claffical writers: but ftill in their works there is frequently a pleafing fimplicity, and fometimes a fublimity of expreffion, although these beauties feem rather to rife naturally out of the fubject, than to refult from the labour of compofition, or any choice or arrangement of words. One circumftance there is, in which the New Teftament rifes to an elevation,

which no other book can reach. Here prefides the majesty of pure and unsullied truth, which fhines in unadorned but awful ftate, and never turns afide to the blandifhments of flattery, or liftens to the infinuations of prejudice, or calumny. Here alone fhe invariably fupports the fame dignified and uniform character, and points with equal impartiality to Peter now profeffing his unalterable fidelity, and now denying his Lord;to the Apostles at one time deferting Chrift, and at another, hazarding their lives by the bold profeffion of his Gofpel. And these plain characters of truth afford the cleareft evidence of the infpiration of the facred books, The Holy Spirit, whofe affiftance was promifed to his difciples by their heavenly Mafter, guarded them from error in their narratives, in the statement both of their precepts and doctrines. Upon fuch momentous points, as contribute to form the rule and standard of faith and practice, they were guided by the divine wisdom, and thus are raised to a degree of authority and credibility unattainable by all other writers.

"It doth not appear, that ever it came into the mind of these writers, how this or the other action would appear to mankind, or what objections might be raised upon them. But without at all attending to this, they lay the facts before you, at no pains to think, whether they would appear credible or not. If the reader will not believe their teftimony, there is no help for it;

they

they tell the truth, and attend to nothing else. Surely this looks like fincerity, and that they publifhed nothing to the world, but what they believed themselves."

An inquiry into the authenticity of the books of the New Teftament is of great importance. If they are as ancient as they are reputed to be; if they were certainly written by the perfons to whom they are afcribed, and have all the requifite characters of genuinenefs, we may venture to affert with confidence, that the facts contained in them are undeniably true. For fuppofing fuch actions as have been attributed to Chrift never to have been performed, fo great must have beeņ the effrontery, as well as the ingenuity, of the fa bricators of this ftory, if they proceeded to publifh as true what they knew to be falfe, as to exceed the bounds of belief: and if, even for the fake of argument only, we fuppofe them to havę combined in a confederacy for fuch a purpose, what would have been the confequence? They would only have given the defired advantage to their acute, active, and implacable enemies, who would quickly have detected the falsehood, facrificed the abettors of it to their juft indignation, and ftigmatized the Chriftian Religion for ever as an impofture and a fable.

In the prefervation of the New Testament, we

♦ Duchal, quoted by Paley, vol. ii. p. 182.

may

may obferve a very striking inftance of the fuperintendence of divine Providence, ever watchful for the happiness of mankind. Notwithstanding the various diffentions which have continued to prevail in the Chriftian Church, ever fince its first establifhment, the Books containing the principles of the Religion itself, are come down to us who live at the distance of nearly eighteen Centuries from the time of their Authors, in a pure and unadulterated condition: fo that whenever the Chriftian faith has been corrupted, its deviation from a ftate of purity could always be detected by an appeal to the moft indifputable authority. Nor has the stream of time merely conveyed to us this divine treasure, uninjured and fecure; but even in the midft of the most violent perfecutions, and the darkeft fuperftition, the Christian faith has been fo protected by divine care, that it has never been wholly loft to the world. Some believers in every age have had the courage, like their divine Mafter, to witness a good confeffion, and let the light of their example shine before their depraved contemporaries.

II. The Character of our Lord.

This character, as reprefented in the plain and energetic narratives of the Evangelifts, is marked by qualities the most extraordinary, and the most tranfcendent. Every account of every other perfonage, whether portrayed by the fancy of

the

the poet, or defcribed by the accuracy of the hiftorian, leaves it evidently without an equal, in the hiftory of mankind.

If the conduct of those who bear a refemblance to Chrift as the founders of religious establishments be examined, thefe affertions will receive the fulleft confirmation. They all accommodated their plans to human policy, and private intereft-to exifting tenets of fuperftition, and to prevailing habits of life. The Chriftian Lawgiver, more fublime in his object, and more pure in his motives, aimed at no recommendation of his precepts by courting the prejudices, or flattering the paffions of mankind. The inftitutions of Numa the fecond King of the Romans, of Brama the Lawgiver of the various tribes of India, and of Confucius the great Philofopher of China, were evidently adapted to the exifting habits, and prevailing inclinations of their people. They feem indeed to have been founded altogether upon them. Mahomet, the great impoftor of Arabia, fuited the rules of his Koran, and the rewards of his paradife, to the manners and defires of a warlike and a fenfual people. In his character and conduct he prefented a ftriking contraft to Chrift. Ambition and luft were his reigning paffions. He maintained, that he received his Koran from heaven: but its frivolous and abfurd contents fufficiently indicate the falfehood of his pretenfions. With a degree of effrontery still more impious, he pleaded a divine authority for the boundless gratification of his fenfuality:

and

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