Page images
PDF
EPUB

actually involved in the groffeft ignorance concerning their maker, and alfo concerning many important moral duties, and the fanctions of virtue in a future life; and, in confequence of this, they were abandoning themselves more and more to the most deftructive vices.

That God fhould fuffer his offspring of mankind to fall into fo deplorable a fituation, is only one branch of the complaint concerning the introduction and prevalence of evils in general; and fo long as goodness appears, upon the whole, to be the governing principle of the divine being, they should lead us to look for, and expect with confidence, a remedy for thefe and all other evils; and we may affure ourselves, that fuch a remedy will be provided, as foon as ever thefe evils fhall have answered the benevolent intention of him who has appointed, or permitted them.

So far, therefore, was fuch a revelation as I have been defcribing from being incredible,

credible, a priori; that, fince it has been proved to have been highly defirable, those of mankind who had a just idea of their fituation, and of the character of the fupreme being, might have been led to expect, or at least to wish for some extraordinary interpofition, to fave a finking world, to restore the knowledge and worship of the one true God, and to provide more effectual fanctions of virtue.

[ocr errors][merged small]

CHAPTER III.

THE EVIDENCES OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS, DERIVED FROM TESTIMONY,

AND ESPECIALLY THAT OF ITS FRIENDS.

SECTION I.

Of the authenticity of the books of fcripture.

SUCH

CH revelations as the Jewish and christian being highly probable, or not unlikely to be true, what we have to do, in order to ascertain their proper credibility, is to confider whether the accounts of miracles, faid to have been wrought in attestation of them, may be depended upon. In other words, we are to inquire whether the books, which we ufually call the fcriptures, contain a faithful history of facts. For, if what we there read be true, the divine being has unquestionably interpofed in the government

[ocr errors]

government of the world, and many perfons, in proof of it, have worked the most undeniable miracles; having performed fuch things as no men could have done, except they had been authorized and impowered by him who appointed the laws of nature, and who alone can fufpend or control them.

Now it may be shewn that, according to all the rules of judging concerning the value of teftimony, we must admit the truth of these hiftories, if the books themselves be genuine, that is, if they were written by the persons whose names they bear, or in the circumstances in which the contents of them represent them to have been written; if, for instance, the books of Mofes were written by Mofes, or, which is the fame thing with refpect to their credibility, if they were written by any person who copied from, or digefted what he had written, though they might add fome circumstances of later date; or indeed if the chief of their contents were written by any person who was contemporary with Moses. The book of Joshua will alfo be genuine, if it was

either

either written by Joshua himself, by any of his cotemporaries, or by any person who lived within a fufficient time after his death, so as not to be unacquainted with the transactions of which he gives an account. The fame obfervation may be made concerning all the remaining books of the Old Teftament, and likewife thofe of the New; becaufe fuch perfons as the apoftles, or their cotemporaries, were (as will be fhewn at large) in circumftances, in which they could not poffibly have been impofed upon themselves, and alfo in which, we cannot reasonably suppose, they could be under the influence of any fufficient motive to attempt to impose upon others.

Now, that the books of fcripture are genuine, we have, in all refpects, the fame reafon to believe, as we have to receive any other antient writings as genuine; as that the books of Homer, for inftance, were written by Homer, thofe of Thucydides by Thucydides, thofe of Tacitus by Tacitus, or any other of the most celebrated antient writings, by their reputed authors, or their VOL. I.

U

cotem

« PreviousContinue »