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for the propofition which forms the subject of the first part of our prefent work, viz. that the original witneffes of the Christian history devoted themselves to lives of toil, fuffering, and danger, in confequence of their belief of the truth of that history, and for the fake of communicating the knowledge of it to others.

Thirdly, it proves that Luke, or whoever was the author of the Acts of the Apostles (for the argument does not depend upon the name of the author, though I know no reafon for questioning it), was well acquainted with St. Paul's hiftory; and that he probably was, what he profeffes himself to be, a companion of St. Paul's travels: which, if true, establishes, in a confiderable degree, the credit even of his gofpel, because it fhows, that the writer, from his time, fituation, and connections, poffeffed opportunities of informing himself truly concerning the tranfactions which he relates. I have little difficulty in applying to the Gospel of St. Luke what is proved concerning the

Acts

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Acts of the Apoftles, confidering them as two parts of the fame hiftory; for, though there are inftances of fecond parts being forgeries, I know none where the second part is genuine, and the first not so.

I will only observe, as a fequel of the argument, though not noticed in my work, the remarkable fimilitude between the ftyle of St. John's gofpel, and of St. John's firft epiftle. The ftyle of St. John's is not at all the ftyle of St. Paul's epiftles, though both are very fingular; nor is it the ftyle of St. James's or of St. Peter's epiftle: but it bears a resemblance to the ftyle of the gospel infcribed with St. John's name, fo far as that resemblance can be expected to appear which is not in fimple narrative, fo much as in reflections, and in the representation of difcourfes. Writings fo circumftanced, prove themselves, and one another, to be genuine. This correfpondency is the more valuable, as the epiftle itself afferts, in St. John's manner indeed, but in terms fufficiently explicit, the writer's personal know

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ledge of Chrift's hiftory: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life; that which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you." Who would not defire, who perceives not the value of an account, delivered by a writer fo well informed as this?

* Ch. i. ver. I. 3.

CHAP.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the Hiftory of the Refurrection.

THE hiftory of the refurrection of Christ

is a part of the evidence of Christianity; but I do not know, whether the proper ftrength of this paffage of the Christian history, or wherein its peculiar value, as a head of evidence, confifts, be generally understood. It is not that, as a miracle, the refurrection ought to be accounted a more decifive proof of fupernatural agency than other miracles are; it is not that, as it ftands in the Gofpels, it is better attefted than some others; it is not for either of these reasons, that more weight belongs to it than to other miracles, but for the following, viz. That it is completely certain that the apoftles of Christ, and the firft teachers of Christianity, afferted the fact. And this would have been

certain, if the four Gospels had been loft, or never written. Every piece of fcripture re

cognizes

cognizes the refurrection. Every epistle of every apostle, every author contemporary with the apostles, of the age immediately fucceeding the apoftles, every writing from that age to the present, genuine or fpurious, on the fide of Chriftianity or against it, concur in representing the refurrection of Chrift as an article of his hiftory, received without doubt or difagreement by all who called themselves Christians, as alledged from the beginning by the propagators of the inftitution, and alledged as the centre of their. teftimony. Nothing, I apprehend, which a man does not himself fee or hear, can be more certain to him than this point. I do not mean that nothing can be more certain *than that Chrift rofe from the dead; but that nothing can be more certain, than that his apostles, and the firft teachers of Chriftianity, gave out that he did fo. In the other parts of the gospel narrative, a question may be made, whether the things related of Chrift be the very things which the apoftles and first teachers of the religion delivered concerning him? And this queftion depends a good

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