fuffer. Now let us fuppofe that we poffeffed no other information concerning these books than that they were written by early disciples of Christianity; that they were known and read during the time, or near the time, of the original apoftles of the religion; that by Christians whom the apostles inftructed, by societies of Chriftians which the apostles founded, these books were received (by which term "received" I mean that they were believed to contain authentic accounts of the transaction upon which the religion refted, and accounts which were accordingly ufed, repeated, and relied upon), this reception would be a valid proof that these books, whoever were the authors of them, muft have accorded with what the apoftles taught. A reception by the firft race of Chriftians is evidence that they agreed with what the first teachers of the religion delivered. In particular, if they had not agreed with what the apostles themselves preached, how could they have gained credit in churches and focieties which the apostles established ?

Now the fact of their early exiftence, and not only of their existence but their reputation, is made out by some ancient teftimonies which do not happen to specify the names of the writers; add to which, what hath been already hinted, that two out of the four gofpels contain averments in the body of the hiftory, which, though they do not disclose the names, fix the time and fituation of the authors, viz. that one was written by an eye-witness of the sufferings of Christ, the other by a contemporary of the apoftles. In the gospel of St. John, (xix. 35.) after defcribing the crucifixion, with the particular circumftance of piercing Chrift's fide with a spear, the historian adds, as for himself," and he that faw it bear record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he faith true, that ye might believe. Again, (xxi. 24.) after relating a converfation which paffed between Peter and the difciple, as it is there expreffed, whom Jefus loved, it is added, "this is the disciple which teftifieth of these things and wrote thefe things." This teftimony, let it be remarked,

is not the lefs worthy of regard, because it is in one view imperfect. The name is not mentioned; which, if a fraudulent purpose had been intended, would have been done. The third of our prefent gofpels purports to have been written by the person who wrote the Acts of the Apoftles; in which latter history, or rather latter part of the fame history, the author, by using in various places the first person plural, declares himself to have been a contemporary of all, and a companion of one of the original preachers of the religion.

CHAP. IX.

There is fatisfactory evidence, that many per fons, profeffing to be original witnesses of the Chriftian miracles, paffed their lives in labours, dangers, and fufferings, voluntarily undergone in atteftation of the accounts which they delivered, and folely in confequence of their belief of the truth of thofe accounts; and that they alfo fubmitted, from the fame motives, to new rules of conduct.

"Of the Authenticity of the Scriptures."

NOT forgetting, therefore, what credit is

due to the evangelic hiftory, fuppofing even any one of the four gofpels to be genuine; what credit is due to the gospels, even fuppofing nothing to be known concerning them but that they were written by early dif ciples of the religion, and received with deference by early Chriftian churches; more especially not forgetting what credit is due to the New Teftament in its capacity of cumulative evidence; we now proceed to

ftate

ftate the proper and diftinct proofs, which show not only the general value of these records, but their fpecific authority, and the high probability there is that they actually came from the perfons whofe names they bear.

There are, however, a few preliminary reflections, by which we may draw up with more regularity to the propositions, upon which the close and particular discussion of the fubject depends. Of which nature are the following:

I. We are able to produce a great number of ancient manuscripts, found in many dif ferent countries, and in countries widely diftant from each other, all of them anterior to the art of printing, fome certainly seven or eight hundred years old, and fome which have been preserved probably above a thoufand years*. We have alfo many ancient

*The Alexandrian manufcript, now in the British Museum, was written probably in the fourth or fifth century.

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