their fituation, and of the character of the fupreme being, might have been led to expect, or at least to wish for some extraordinary interpofition, to fave a finking world, to restore the knowledge and worship of the one true God, and to provide more effectual fanctions of virtue.

CHAP

CHAPTER III.

THE EVIDENCES OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS, DERIVED FROM TESTIMONY,

AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF ITS FRIENDS.

SECTION I.

Of the authenticity of the books of scripture.

UCH revelations as the Jewish and christian

SUCH

being highly probable, or not unlikely to be true, what we have to do, in order to afcertain their proper credibility, is to confider whether the accounts of miracles, faid to have been wrought in atteftation of them, may be depended upon. In other words, we are to enquire whether the books, which we ufually call the fcriptures, contain a faithful history of facts. For, if what we there read be true, the divine being has unquestionably interpofed in the government of the world, and many perfons, in proof of it, have worked the most undeniable miracles; having performed fuch things as no men could have done, except they had been authorised and empowered by him who appointed

the

the laws of nature, and who alone can fufpend or control them.

Now it may be fhewn that, according to all the rules of judging concerning the value of teftimony, we must admit the truth of these hiftories, if the books themselves be genuine, that is, if they were written by the perfons whofe names they bear, or in the circumftances in which the contents of them reprefent them to have been written; if, for inftance, the books of Mofes were written by Mofes; or, which is the fame thing with respect to their credibility, if they were written by any perfon who copied from, or digested what he had written, though they might add fome circumftances of later date; or indeed if the chief of their contents were written by any perfon who was contemporary with Mofes. The book of Jofhua will alfo be genuine, if it was either written by Joshua himself, by any of his contemporaries, or by any person who lived with in a fufficient time after his death, fo as not to be unacquainted with the tranfactions of which he gives an account. The fame observation may be made concerning all the remaining books of the Old Teftament, and likewife thofe of the New; because fuch perfons as the apoftles, or their contemporaries, were (as will be fhewn at large) in circumftances, in which they could not poffibly have been impofed upon themselves, and also in which, we cannot reasonably fuppofe, they could be under

the

the influence of any fufficient motive to attempt to impofe upon others.

Now, that the books of fcripture are genuine, we have, in all refpects, the fame reafon to believe as we have to receive any other antient writings as genuine; as that the books of Homer, for instance, were written by Homer, thofe of Thucydides by Thucydides, thofe of Tacitus by Tacitus, or any other of the moft celebrated antient writings, by their reputed authors, or their cotemporaries. In all these cafes, the proof is fimply this, that fuch writings have been quoted and referred to, as the works of their reputed authors, or their cotemporaries, by fubfequent writers, without any confiderable variation, to the prefent time. Nay, we have much stronger evidence for the authenticity of the most important of the books of scripture, than we have for that of any other writings in the world; because they are much oftener quoted, and referred to, in every age, from the very times in which they were written, quite down to the prefent; which has been owing to nothing but the very great credit they have gained, in confequence of their being confidered as of the greatest importance to mankind.

Indeed, fo convincing has been the evidence of the authenticity of the books of fcripture, that it had been almoft univerfally allowed, by thofe who have hated and oppofed the fyftem of religion which

they

they contain. Neither the Jews, for inftance, nor any early writer among the heathens, who undertook to controvert the principles of christianity, ever intimated that they had fo much as a doubt concerning the genuineness of the books which contain an account of it. The four gospels are particularly mentioned by Julian, and a very confiderable part of the contents of them are quoted by Celfus. Accordingly, these, and other early oppofers of christianity, admit the truth of the history in general, without excepting what is miraculous in it; afcribing these wonderful works either to the agency of fome evil spirit, or endeavouring to account for them in fome other manner, in which the interpofition of the divine being in favour of Chrift and the apostles, might not be neceffary.

It affords an argument exceedingly favourable to the authenticity of the books of the New Teftament, that they were very foon tranflated into various foreign languages, and that a multiplicity of copies, both of the originals, and of these translations, were likewife presently dispersed into all parts of the known world, which at that time abounded with men of reading and curiofity; and that all our present copies, both of the originals and of these translations, agree with one another, and with the quotations made by antient writers from them, in every thing material. We have, therefore, all the reason in the world to conclude, that VOL. I. thefe

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