Page images
PDF
EPUB

consequence of detection and failure, was, nevertheless, the most credible account that could be given of the matter. But it proceeds entirely upon the supposition of fraud, as all the old objections did. What account can be given of the body, upon the supposition of enthusiasm? It is impossible our Lord's followers could believe that he was rifen from the dead, if his corpse was lying before them. No enthusiasm ever reached to such a pitch of extravagancy as that: a spirit may be an illufion, a body is a real thing; an object of sense, in which there can be no mistake. All accounts of spectres leave the body in the grave. And, although the body of Christ might be removed by fraud, and for the purposes of fraud, yet, without any such intention, and by fincere but deluded men, which is the reprefentation of the apoftolic character we are now examining, no such attempt could be made. The prefence and the abfence of the dead body are alike inconsistent with the hypothesis of enthusiasm: for, if present, it must ] fent, fraud, not enthusiasm, must have carried it away.

have cured their enthusiasm at once; if ab

fent,

But further, if we admit upon the concurrent teftimony of all the histories, so much of the account as states that the religion of Jesus was set up at Jerufalem, and set up with afferting, in the very place in which he had been buried, and a few days after he had been buried, his refurrection out of the grave, it is evident that, if his body could have been found, the Jews would have produced it, as the shortest and completest answer poffible to the whole story. The attempt of the apostles could not have furvived this refutation a moment. If we also admit, upon the authority of St. Matthew, that the Jews were advertised of the expectation of Christ's followers, and that they had taken due precaution in confequence of this notice, and that the body was in marked and public custody, the observation receives more force still. For, notwithstanding their precaution, and although thus prepared and forewarned; when the story

of

of the refurrection of Christ came forth, as it immediately did; when it was publicly asserted by his disciples, and made the ground and basis of their preaching in his name, and collecting followers to his religion, the Jews had not the body to produce: but were obliged to meet the teftimony of the apostles by an answer, not containing indeed any impoffibility in itself, but absolutely inconfiftent with the fuppofition of their integrity; that is, in other words, inconfiftent with the supposition which would refolve their conduct into enthufiafm.

CHAP.

1

CHAP. IX.

The Propagation of Chriftianity.

In this argument, the first confideration is

the fact; in what degree, within what time, and to what extent, Christianity actually was propagated.

The accounts of the matter, which can be collected from our books, are as follow: A few days after Christ's disappearance out of the world, we find an assembly of difciples at Jerufalem, to the number of " about one hundred and twenty*;" which hundred and twenty were, probably, a little afsociation of believers, met together, not merely as believers in Christ, but as personally connected with the apostles, and with one another. Whatever was the number of believers then in Jerufalem, we have no reason to be surprised that so small a company should assemble; for there is no proof that the followers of Christ were yet formed into a society, that the society was reduced into any order, that it was at this time even understood, that a new religion (in the sense which that term conveys to us) was to be fet up in the world, or how the professors of that religion were to be diftinguished from the rest of mankind. The death of Christ had left, we may suppose, the generality of his difciples in great doubt, both as to what they were to do, and concerning what was to follow.

VOL. II.

* Acts i. 5.
P

lievers * Acts ii. 1.

This meeting was held, as we have already faid, a few days after Christ's ascenfion; for, ten days after that event was the day of pentecoft, when, as our history relates *, upon a signal display of divine agency attending the perfons of the apostles, there were added to the society " about

three

« PreviousContinue »