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LONDON:
SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,
COVENT Garden.
181
Of the direct historical Evidence of Christianity, and wherein it
is distinguished from the Evidence alleged for other Miracles.
Propositions stated
37
PROPOSITION I.
That there is satisfactory evidence, that many, professing to be
original witnesses of the christian miracles, passed their lives
in labours, dangers, and sufferings, voluntarily undergone in
attestation of the accounts which they delivered, and solely
in consequence of their belief of those accounts; and that
they also submitted, from the same motives, to new rules of
conduct
CHAPTER I.
Evidence of the sufferings of the first propagators of Christianity,
from the nature of the case
CHAPTER II.
from profane testimony
• 51
CHAPTER III.
Indirect evidence of the sufferings of the first propagators of
Christianity, from the Scriptures and other ancient christian
writings
CHAPTER IV.
Direct evidence of the same
CHAPTER V.
Observations upon the preceding evidence .
CHAPTER VI.
That the story, for which the first propagators of Christianity
suffered, was miraculous
CHAPTER VII.
That it was, in the main, the story which we have now, proved
by indirect considerations
PAGE
57
63
76
80
84
CHAPTER VIII.
The same proved from the authority of our historical Scriptures
99
CHAPTER IX.
Of the authenticity of the historical Scriptures; in Eleven
Sections.
SECT. I. Quotations of the historical Scriptures by ancient
christian writers
SECT. II. Of the peculiar respect with which they were quoted 141
SECT. III. The Scriptures were, in very early times, collected
into a distinct volume
SECT. IV. And distinguished by appropriate names and titles
SECT. V. Were publicly read and expounded in the religious
assemblies of the early Christians
SECT. VI. Commentaries, &c. were anciently written upon the
Scriptures
SECT. VII. They were received by ancient Christians of dif- ferent sects and persuasions
SECT. VIII. The four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, thir-
teen Epistles of Paul, the First Epistle of John, and the
First of Peter, were received without doubt, by those who
doubted concerning the other books of our present canon.
SECT. IX. Our present Gospels were considered by the adver-
saries of Christianity, as containing the accounts upon which
the religion was founded
SECT. X. Formal Catalogues of authentic Scriptures were pub-
lished; in all which our present Gospels were included
152
156
162
166
171
SECT. XI. The above propositions cannot be predicated of those
books which are commonly called apocryphal books of the
New Testament
173
Recapitulation.
CHAPTER X.
177
Of the direct historical Evidence of Christianity, and wherein it is distinguished from the Evidence alleged for other Miracles.
PROPOSITION II.
That there is NOT satisfactory evidence, that persons pretending
to be original witnesses of any other similar miracles, have
acted in the same manner, in attestation of the accounts which
they delivered, and solely in consequence of their belief of the
truth of those accounts
Consideration of some specific instances
201
The candour of the writers of the New Testament .
. 208
220
248
Conformity of the facts occasionally mentioned or referred to in
Scripture, with the state of things in those times, as repre-
sented by foreign and independent accounts
Undesigned coincidences.
. 269
295
298
302
SECT. II. Reflections upon the preceding account.
318
SECT. III. Of the success of Mahometanism
324