remote ancestors; and deriding as vain fictions every object of their adoration, even all the tutelary deities of their empire: but it alfo touched their jealoufy in the tenderest point, by suggesting a prospect of the revolt of Judea, and holding forth to their imaginations a competitor of Cæfar, and the portentous appearance of the long expected fovereign (c), whom fate (c) Percrebuerat oriente toto vetus et conftans opinio, effe in fatis ut eo tempore Judeâ profecti rerum potirentur. Sueton. lib. viii. c. 4. Pluribus perfuafio inerat, antiquis facerdotum literis contineri, eo ipfo tempore fore ut valefceret oriens, Judæâque profecti rerum potirentur. Tacit. Hift. lib. v. 13. vol. iii. p. 816. Delph. ed. Par. 1686. In the conduct of Pilate, as recorded in the New Teftament, the operation of the jealousy in question is manifest. "And Jefus ftood before the governor; and the governor « asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?" Matt. xxvii. 11. See alfo Mark xv. 2. Luke xxiii. 2, 3. John xviii. 33.37. "And from thenceforth Pilate fought to releafe "him. But the Jews cried out, faying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæfar's friend; whofoever maketh « himfelf a king speaketh against Cæfar. When Pilate "therefore heard that faying, he brought Jefus forth, and "fat down in the judgement-feat," &c.—John xix. 12. 16. The fuperfcription affixed on the crofs by Pilate's direction spoke the fame language. After the death of Chrift, his apoftles felt the effects of this jealoufy even in the diftant provinces fate had deftined to arife in the eaft. The founder of Christianity had neither those favourable circumstances to turn to his advantage, of which other teachers of new, religions have availed themselves; nor did he refort to those methods of proceeding to which they have owed their fuccefs. He did not, like Mahomet, make his attempt in a place where there was no established religion. He did not, like Mahomet, pay court to a particular fet of men, or a particular fect; nor, like him, artfully conciliate perfons of all the different religious perfuafions in the country, by adopting and incorporating info his own fyftem fome of the -principal of their respective tenets; nor, like him, direct the propagation of his doctrine by the fword; nor, like him, permit licentious i provinces of the Roman empire. When St. Paul preached the Gofpel at Theffalonica, his enemies ftirred up the populace against him; and, not finding him, "they drew Ja"fon and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, cry"ing, Thefe that have turned the world upfide down are "come hither alfo; whom Jafon hath received, and these ❝all do contrary to the decrees of Cæfar, saying that there " is another King, one Jefus. And they troubled the "people, and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things." Acts xvii. 6-8. indulgences, and promife licentious rewards to his followers. He did not confine his inftructions to folitudes and obfcure hamlets; but delivered them in the most public manner, in populous cities, in the moft frequented parts of Jerufalem itfelf. He did not reft his pretenfions on any fpecies of evidence of a fecret nature, or in any refpect not ge nerally cognisable by his cotemporaries; but appealed to profeffed miracles performed in the fight of multitudes, and of such a kind that every man could judge as to their reality. He was not permitted by the contempt or the fupineness of his enemies to proceed unmolefted in making profelytes; but was actively oppofed from the beginning by the priests and chief men of the national religion; was repeatedly in danger of lofing his life; and, after a fhort ministry of about three years duration at the utmoft, was delivered to the civil power, and crucified as a malefactor. Yet notwithstanding this event the progress of the religion continued. The disciples of Christ, though they could have no reason to expect better treatment than their mafter had received; though they expected, as they had been been taught by him and profeffed to expect, nothing in the prefent life but troubles and perfecutions, perfevered in preaching the fame religion as he had taught, with this additional and extraordinary circumftance, that their mafter, on the third day after his crucifixion, had arifen from the dead: and encountered the severest punishments, and death itself, rather than cease from publishing and attesting doctrines and facts which, if fale, they could not but know to be fo; and from the preaching of which, if true, they could look for no present advantage. And from thefe humble beginnings, and by these unpromising methods, did Christianity make its way fo fuccessfully, that, within three centuries from the first preaching of Chrift, it penetrated to the remoteft extremities of the Roman empire, and established itself on the ruins of every other religion which it found exifting. When all these circumftances are confidered, and they are fuch as unbelievers in general are ready to admit, it feems nearly impoffible not to come to the following conclufion that a religion of fuch an origin, and avowedly aim ing at fuch objects; a religion thus deftitute of all worldly means of credit and support, thus provoking and experiencing every kind of worldly oppofition, could never have obtained belief and acceptation, if its pretenfions had not been founded on irrefiftible truth; and confequently, that its establishment under all these circumftances affords fo very strong a prefumption that it is true, as neceffarily to render every competent judge to whom they are known, and who doubts or difbelieves Chriftianity, criminal in the fight of God, if he does not carefully examine into the specific evidence by which that religion is fupported. This is the conclufion to which it has been my object to lead by fair reasoning the candid reader, who diftrufts or denies the truth of the Christian revelation. If this conclufion appears to him well established, he will naturally feek for a detailed account of the evidence of the Christian religion in treatises (d) written profeffedly (d) Dr. Paley's View of the Evidences of Christianity, and Dr. Beattie's Treatife on the fame fubject, and Dr. Paley's |