ceived themselves, and endeavour to deceive others. But the degree in which it is neceffary, for the purpose of infidelity, that these two opposite qualities fhould be found in Christ and his apostles, and in all those who must neceffarily have been in the fame scheme, is abfolutely impoffible, while human nature is what it is; and no example of any thing approaching to it can be found in the history of mankind.

Most of the preceding arguments are peculiarly ftrong with refpect to St. Paul. He had been an inveterate enemy, and perfecutor of the chriftians, a man of great ability, learning, activity, and influence with the leading men of his country; fo that he had every thing in this world to expect from his oppofition to christianity, and nothing but perfecution, ignominy, or almost certain death from embarking in that cause. Yet, notwithstanding this, he fuddenly, and without difcovering any marks of infanity, or giving any inftance of abfurdity of conduct in other refpects, preach

cd

ed that doctrine which he had oppofed, and continued in it to the end of a laborious and painful life, which terminated in a bloody death.

How this can be accounted for, excepting in the manner in which he himself explains it, is to me impoffible to conceive. But upon his hypothefis every thing is perfectly eafy. He fays that Chrift fpake to him in perfon, to convince him of his error, and of the folly of his purfuits, after he had been thrown down from his horfe, by the flashing of a fupernatural light, as he was on his road to Damafcus, And this fact is itself extremely probable from the circumftances of it,

This was not in the night time, when apparitions are commonly pretended to be fen, but at mid-day; not when he was alone, and his mind fubject to a fudden panic, or fit of remorfe, but in company; and not in the company of chriftians, or of those who fw and heard enough to make them become

chriftians,

chriftians, but of inveterate enemies to chriftianity, probably his favourite companions, and who when they were afterwards appealed to, could not contradict the facts, of the extraordinary light, and the found of a voice, though they could not distinguish the words; nor could they deny that he was actually ftruck blind. He was confirmed in the truth of what he was informed of in this vifion by, recovering his fight, as Chrift at the fame time foretold, on the Ananias who baptized him.

prayer of

The treachery of Judas Iscariot affords a ftriking evidence of the innocent character, and divine miflion of Chrift. Circumftanced as this traitor was, and difpofed as he must have been, he would certainly have given information of any finifter defign of Christ, if he had known of any fuch thing; and he had the fame means of information as the rest of the apoftles. His hanging himfelf was natural enough as the effect of extreme agony and remorfe of mind, after fo bafe a piece of treachery, but altogether unaccountable upon the fuppofition that,

by

by telling the truth only, he might have gained a confiderable reward, and at the fame time have established himself in the efteem of his country, by exposing an impoftor who was the object of general odium, and especially with those who had the chief influence in public affairs.

Upon the whole, it cannot, I think, but be allowed, that the testimony that is given to the history and miracles of Chrift, of which we have an account in the books of the New Teftament, is the teftimony of men who were competent witnesses in the cafe; having had the fairest opportunity of fatisfying themselves concerning the facts, and who had no motive, that we can imagine, for impofing upon the world with respect to them.

Befides the evidence of the divine miffion of Chrift which arifes from the testimony to the reality of his miracles, by those who faw and converfed with him, and the tacit acknowledgement of all his cotemporaries, we have (on the authority of the fame hif

torians)

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torians) the evidence which arises from the teftimony of another prophet, whose claim to a divine communication was allowed by almost the whole body of the Jewish nation, and even the teftimony of God himself, declared in supernatural voices from heaven.

The teftimony of John the baptist is of confiderable importance to the evidence of christianity. The circumstances which attended his birth were very extraordinary, and excited great expectations concerning him. He led a remarkably auftere life, without any connection with the world, or its affairs, and had no perfonal knowledge of Jefus, though they were related. By his exemplary virtue he fo far gained the esteem and confidence of the body of the Jews, that the most bigotted and envious of the Pharifees and chief priests, notwithstanding their authority with the people, durst fay in public that he was no prophet. He even died a martyr to his integrity and fidelity, in reproving king Herod.