having been produced by caufes fo obviously inadequate, without the intervention of a fupernatural power.

This fubject has been treated in fo maf terly a manner by a modern writer on the internal evidence of the Chriftian Religion, h and the arguments drawn therefrom in fupport of its divine origin, ftated with fo much neatness, and pointed with fuch peculiar effect, that I fhall take the liberty of laying them before the reader without further apology.

He fays, "To ascertain the true fyftem, and genuine doctrines of this religion, after the undecided controverfies of above feventeen centuries, and to remove all the rubbish which artifice and ignorance may have heaped upon it in all that time, would indeed be an arduous task, which I shall by no means undertake; but to fhew that it cannot poffibly be derived from human wisdom, or human imposture, is a work, I think, of no great difficulty, and requi

(h) Soame Jenyns.-See his "View of the internal evidence of the Christian Religion," for the fubfequent extract.

ring no extraordinary abilities, and therefore I fhall attempt that, and that alone, by ftating, and then explaining, the following plain and undeniable propofitions."

"First, That there is now extant a book intitled the New Testament.

"Secondly, that from this book may be extracted a fyftem of religion intirely new, both with regard to the object and the doctrines, not only infinitely fuperior to, but unlike every thing which had ever before entered into the mind of man.

"Thirdly, that from this book may likewife be collected a system of ethics, in which every moral precept founded on reafon is carried to a higher degree of purity and perfection, than in any other of the wifest philofophers of preceding ages; every moral precept founded on falfe principles is totally omitted, and many new precepts added peculiarly correfponding with the new object of this religion.

"Laftly, That fuch a fyftem of religion and morality could not poffibly have been the work of any man, or fet of men; much

lefs of thofe obfcure, ignorant, and illiterate perfons, who actually did discover, and publish it to the world: and that therefore it must undoubtedly have been effected by the interpofition of divine power, that is, that it must derive its origin from God.”

PROPOSITION I.

"VERY little need be said to establish my first propofition, which is fingly this: That there is now extant a book intitled the New Teftament; that is, there is a collection of writings distinguished by that denomination, containing four hiftorical accounts of the birth, life, actions, difcourfes, and death of an extraordinary perfon named Jefus Chrift, who was born in the reign of Auguftus Cæfar, preached a new religion throughout the country of Judea, and was put to a cruel and ignominious death in the reign of Tiberius. Alfo one other historical account of

the travels, transactions, and orations of fome mean and illiterate men, known by the title of his Apoftles, whom he commiffioned to propagate his religion after his death; which he foretold them he muft fuffer in confirmation of its truth. To thefe are added several epiftolary writings, addreffed by these persons to their fellow-labourers in this work, or to the feveral churches or focieties of Chriftians, which they had established in the feveral cities through which they had passed.

"It would not be difficult to prove, that these books were written foon after thofe extraordinary events, which are the subjects of them; as we find them quoted, and referred to by an uninterrupted fucceffion of writers from those to the present times: nor would it be less easy to shew, that the truth of all thofe events, miracles only excepted, can no more be reasonably questioned, than the truth of any other facts recorded in any history whatever; as there can be no more reafon to doubt, that there existed such a perfon as Jesus Christ, speaking, acting, and fuffering in fuch a manner as is there de

fcribed, than that there were fuch men as Tiberius, Herod, or Pontius Pilate, his cotemporaries; or to fufpect, that Peter, Paul and James, were not the authors of those epiftles, to which their names are affixed, than that Cicero and Pliny did not write those which are afcribed to them. It might alfo be made appear, that these books having been wrote by various perfons, at different times, and in diftant places, could not poffibly have been the work of a fingle impoftor, nor of a fraudulent combination, being all ftamped with the fame marks of an uniform originality in their very frame and compofition.

"But all thefe circumftances I fhall pafs over unobserved, as they do not fall in with the course of my argument, nor are neceffary for the fupport of it. books were wrote by the

Whether thefe

authors whofe

names are prefixed to them, whether they have been enlarged, diminished, or any way corrupted, by the artifice or ignorance of tranflators or transcribers; whether in the historical parts the writers were inftructed by a perpetual, a partial, or by any inspira