This remarkable perfon did not ore and to wars miracles, but folemnly dead that he was commiffioned to preach .he 10 Gone of repentance, by way of prep2

r the coming of the Meffiah, and Manly declared that he knew be the perion by fome vifible token ar muing the talent of the spirit of God him, or which, he fays, it was fore

betuld be able to distin

gull me perlin to whofe miffion his own vs (perinu. Norvithilanding the great gala vhan John acquired, equal, if not myth of my of the former Jewith

1 not pretend to fet up for badly referred his disciples

vere zealously attached mjaltus of the rising reputation

of the new prophet.

Chilk was 20 declared to be the fon and mellinger of God by miraculous voices from here; the n of thefe was pronounced immediately upon his baptifm, probably in the hering of great numbers;

the

the fecond on the mount of transfiguration, when only three of his difciples were present; and the third in the temple, in the hearing of a promifcuous multitude, of whom fome, who were at a distance, thought that it thundered, and others faid that an See Luke iii. 22. angel fpake to him.

Mat. xvii. 5. John xii. 28.

To these three different kinds of evidence, namely, that of his works, of John the baptift, and of God his father, as well to that of antient prophecies, Jefus himself appeals in his converfation with the Jews. John v. 31, &c.

Some perfons feem to be furprized that we find so little in favour of christianity in the writings of Jews and Heathens, who lived about the time of its promulgation. But how can it be supposed that men should speak very favourably of a religion which they did not chufe to embrace? Befides, christianity has all that teftimony which can poffibly be had from adverfaries. It would be highly unreasonable to expect that Jews VOL. I,

Y

ог

or Heathens, continuing fuch, fhould exprefly acknowledge their belief of the refurrection of Chrift; but they acknowledge what is a sufficient ground of our belief, namely, that the difciples of Christ declared that he did rife from the dead, and that they professed to have feen and converfed with him after his refurrection. This is particularly done by Celfus, and the emperor Julian.

Such facts as thefe being admitted, we are certainly at liberty to reafon from them as well as they. The earlier Jews afcribed some of the miracles of Christ to the power of Beelzebub, and many of the later Jews to the fecret virtue of fome ineffable name of God, which they pretend that he stole from the temple, or to some arts of forcery, which they conceit that he learned in Egypt; but, the miraculous works of Chrift being allowed, we are certainly at liberty to laugh at fuch hypothefes as these, and may think that we at more reasonably in afcribing them to the power of God only.

Befides,

Besides, christianity has the teftimony of thousands, who, having been bitter enemies, became converts to it, on farther examination; and these are, in fact, the most valuable of all teftimonies. Indeed, all the early converts to christianity, the apostles themselves not excepted, may be confidered as belonging to this clafs; because they had strong prejudices to overcome before they could entertain the thought of such a Meffiah as Jefus was.

It were to be wished that unbelievers of the present age would carefully confider the evidences which were alledged in favour of christianity by Chrift and his apoftles themfelves, as they are proposed in the Gospels and the book of Acts, and endeavour to account for them. Let them particularly confider the objections that were made to them by the unbelievers of thofe days, and obferve what it was which they then took for granted, and let them confider whether, at this day, they can reafonably take lefs for granted; or putting themselves in the place of their predeceffors, whether they can, in Y 2

any

any other respect, make any improvement on their reasonings. If their objections to christianity were really weak and infufficient, their conduct must be condemned, even by modern unbelievers, who must acknowledge that, with their views of things, they ought to have become chriftians.

Now it is well known that all the early adverfaries of christianity, Jews and Gentiles, not only allowed the authenticity of the books of the New Teftament, but also admitted that miracles were really wrought by Christ and his apoftles, as an evidence of their having a divine commiffion. And it may be prefumed that men who were fo much interested in detecting the imposture of chriftianity, as the high priests and rulers among the Jews, and alfo as the heathen priests, philofophers, and magiftrates (fome of whom immediately, and all of whom very foon took alarm at the spread of chriftianity, being in the highest degree exafperated at it) and who had every poffible opportunity for examining the credentials of Chrift and his apoftles, would have taken

the