execution of a man who had never been born, or known to teach, or put to death at all. Still less could a religion, founded on such false assertions, be received and prevail, in the very place and from the very time when these things were said to have occurred.

The only ground, then, which a sceptic can take, who means his statements or opinions to be examined, is, that Jesus did exist, and that the main circumstances of his history are true; but that with respect to his divinity, or his divine mission, he probably deceived himself; but certainly he deceived others, when he persuaded them to worship him, and to teach a religion under his authority and name.

I will consider the question on this ground. I will take the life, ministry, and public execution of Jesus as an historical fact. It may be denied; as men may deny any thing which they do not actually see, or hear, or feel. But it has this advantage over every other historical fact; that it has been regularly attested by per

sons believing it, and staking all that was most valuable to them upon its truth, from the date assigned to its occurrence to the present hour. It is not extravagant to say, that no memorial which was ever preserved of any past event has a thousandth part of the same title to be trusted, as the memorial of the life and death of Jesus, which is the Christian religion. We may challenge the ingenuity of all the world to show how that religion ever came to be set up, unless the main facts which it records did actually happen.

That religion was set up; and therefore it must be argued, that Jesus, having attracted some attention and raised a party in Judæa, during his life, with hopes which were cut short by his execution;-his followers, from some unknown motive, conspired to introduce a new religion, of which Jesus was made the author and head; and attributed to him such adventures, endowments, and doctrines, as might best suit their object.

It were too much to say, that this was impossible; and the phenomenon before us, the existing religion, if its origin were not indeed divine, may be accounted for on this supposition, and on no other.

18

CHAPTER II.

Opposition of Christianity to the Opinions prevailing amongst the Jews.

WHAT

HAT objection is there to the supposition stated at the conclusion of the preceding chap

ter, viz. that a party of Jews fabricated the religion, which they set out to teach in the name and under the authority of Jesus?

Before I can reply to this question, I must consider the nature of the religion, and of the people among whom it originated, and to whom it was proposed. Truth is lost in generalities. Any thing appears possible, or even probable, on cursory reflection, in a distant country, and when eighteen centuries have intervened. But whoever is in earnest, and afraid to judge wrong in so serious a question, must not lose himself in an imaginary period of confusion or anarchy, but carry himself back to the time and place

where the religion originated which it is supposed so easy to fabricate.

The scene of what is related in the Gospel is laid in Jerusalem. And there seems no room to deny that the religion of Jesus was there first formed into a system, promulgated, and practised. We shall be assisted in our judgment, by considering what was the state of Jerusalem at this time, as to size, civilization, religion, and popular opinion.

Jerusalem, at this period, was a city of considerable population. It was also a place of great resort, for those especially whose minds had been in any degree awakened to the subject of religion. Jews of wealth, talents, or learning, who were spread in the course of their various pursuits over the continent of Asia, were drawn annually to the capital of their nation, for the purpose of legitimate worship in the temple of their ancestors'. And we inci

Acts, ii. 5.