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Chrift is reprefented as purging the temple on the day that he arrived at Jerufalem, and that in another he is not faid to have done it till the day fellowing (and unbelievers do not pretend to have found any mistakes of more confequence than thefe) how do they invalidate the truth of the general hiftory? In reality, all fuch inconfiftencies as these are fo far from making it probable that the whole ftory is a fiction, that, according to the most eftablished methods of eftimating the value of teftimony, they give the greater air of truth to every particular of importance, in which they all agree. We fee, in fact, that true hiftory has always been written in the fame manner, and without particular contrivance and combination, and confequently without a very ftrong fufpicion of falfehood, hiftories of the fame period, and the fame tranfactions, could not be written otherwise.

Admitting, therefore, that the Evangelifts were misinformed with refpect to a variety of incidental circumstances, or even that they overlooked, or did not fufficiently attend to, fome of fuch particulars above-mentioned as might have fallen under their own obfervation, are thefe things of fuch a nature, as to dispose any person to call in question the reality of the principal miracles, or their hiftory of the death and refurrection of Chrift? And without this, the proper evidence of christianity is not in the leaft affected; becaufe, if thefe important C 5

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facts be true, we have ftill abundant reason to believe, that Chrift will come again to raise the dead, and judge the world, which is the great object and end of our chriftian faith.

The evidence for the truth of all the facts which are related by the fame hiftorian is by no means equal; because it will neceffarily happen, that he will have a better opportunity of procuring authentic information concerning fome of them than others. For this reason, the hiftory of the infanand childhood of Chrift cannot be faid to be as unexceptionable as the hiftory of his most important miracles; and unless these leading facts be difproved, the religion of Jefus Chrift ftands unfhaken.

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As I think this confideration of fome confequence to the evidence of chriftianity, I shall exemplify. my meaning, by referring my reader to the history of the wife men, who are faid to have come from the East, in order to pay their refpects to the newborn Jefus, directed by a miraculous light, in the form of a ftar, and also to the hiftory of the death and refurrection of Chrift. Both these histories are related by the fame Evangelift, Matthew; but the evidence of their truth is certainly very different, though both of them may be ftrictly true. The former of them is related by Matthew only, who does not fay that he could atteft it from his own knowledge, or fo much as intimate that he

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was an eye-witnefs to any part of the tranfaction; fo that it is probable, that he had it from the report of others, and of how many others, perhaps, in fucceffion, we cannot tell.

On the other hand, the hiftory of the death and refurrection of Chrift is related by three other Evangelifts, as well as by Matthew himself; and from the circumftances of the facts, it appears that they must have been known to all the difciples of Chrift, and to almoft the whole body of the Jewish nation; and, moreover, a great number of incontestable miracles were wrought by all the apostles, and other primitive Chriftians, exprefsly in confirmation of the power and authority which was conferred upon Chrift, and evidenced his refurrection. When, therefore, the evidence for the hiftory of the wife men is so very small in comparison of the evidence for the hiftory of the death and refurrection of Chrift, the former may be given up (though it is by no means neceffary to do it) without in the leaft invalidating the evidence of the other.

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When this manifeft difference in point of evidence, with refpect to facts related by the fame. Evangelifts, fhall be fufficiently attended to, our faith in the great and leading facts in the hiftory of Chrift, from whence we are led to believe him to be a teacher fent from God, and to expect his coming to judge the world, and to give to every man according to his works, will stand much firmer,

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and will not be liable to be fhaken by the exceptions which unbelievers are apt to make to fome inconfiderable circumftances in the hiftory of the Old or New Teftament, the credibility of which is, in reality, of no moment whatever to the proper evidence of the Jewish and chriftian revelations.

Chriftian divines having maintained the abfolute infpiration of every word of the canonical books of fcripture, has been attended with very bad confequences, by laying the fyftem of revelation open to fo many infignificant, but plaufible objections; and this kind of inspiration is as needless, as it is impoffible to be maintained. Befides, the infpiration of the original writers would have anfwered no end, unlefs every tranfcriber, and every tranflator of the books of fcripture had been infpired alfo; because a failure of inspiration in either of thefe cafes, would ftill have been a fource of error and mistake. Small errors, and miftakes of various kinds, are unavoidable in all writings; but fince they are of no material confequence, there was no reafon for guarding against them, even in the firft inftance.

Let us, therefore, read the canonical books of fcripture without expecting to find them perfectly unexceptionable in all the minutiae of things. Let us confider them as the productions of honeft and faithful men, well informed concerning all the great things of which they write, but not equally

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informed with respect to every punctilio they mention. Let us confider the great truths which they deliver, as from God, to be divine, and worthy of our highest regard; but when they argue and reason, either from facts or revealed doctrines, advancing opinions which are plainly their own, and for which they do not pretend to have the authority of revelation, let us confider them as the reafonings and opinions of men in their fituation, and with their means of information, which were in general very ample and fufficient, but ftill left them fallible, and treat them accordingly. St. Paul fays exprefsly, that fome of the things which he advanced were not from the Lord, but from himfelf only; and in other cafes the nature of the things will help us to diftinguish between them.

Many of the objections which have been made to revelation, have arifen from their ignorance of the manners and customs of the Jews, and other Afiatic nations; and others from an ignorance of the climate and geography of the country; but as the antient manners and cuftoms of the Eaft have continued, with little or no change, to the prefent times, the travels which have of late been made into Judea, and the neighbouring countries, have been the means of bringing us better acquainted with them, and of removing the objections. Many happy illuftrations of paffages of fcripture from travels into the Eaft may be found in an excellent work, in

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