" But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts ; and be ready always to give an answer to every man, that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." — 1 Peter, iii. 15. *' But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive ; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose them- selves: if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." — 2 Timothtj, ii. 23 — 25. ^.7 / 7'i- J. .MOVKS, TKMPl-K I'RINTlNO-OKKtCK, BOL'VKRIB »TRKST. PREFACE. It was not originally the intention of the Au- thor of the following pages to have troubled the Reader with a preface, which will account for the introduction of some remarks in the Conversations which would with more propriety have been in- serted in this place. The great importance of the subject, and the number of excellent works upon it already before the public, seem to make a few introductory observations necessary. To those well read in the best authors, the publication of any thing new, by one acquainted with them, and able to appreciate their worth, may afford matter of surprise; and the compiler of this very humble volume is not without some apprehension that the fact of its production may lead to the conclusion of incompetency to the task. It is, however, nei- ther from a blind zeal, ignorant of the great num- ber of writers, who have in fact exhausted the subject, and presented it under almost every va- riety of form of which it is capable, nor from the CDnfidence generally connected with superficial IV PREFACE. reading, that the present volume has originated. If old books could be got into general circulation among all classes as much as they deserve, there would be no occasion for new ones on sacred sub- jects; but so long as many are indifferent to re- ligion, as well as some opposed to it, no effort on its behalf, when conducted by right means, can be regarded as unnecessary. The critic who will read the attempt here made to explain the nature of the Evidences of Christianity, before he passes judg- ment upon it, will find that its object is to recom- mend Christianity, as defended in the pages of its best advocates ; to induce all into whose hands it j^y7^^i,VZ may fall to investigate the claims of religion, be- fore they venture to neglect its precepts, and to despise its warnings. The form of Conversations, under which the sub- ject is here presented, is not that which the author regards as the best which could be adopted, neither is the proof developed to that extent which it would bear ; and in many other particulars con- nected with the subject, additions of greater or less importance might with propriety have been made, had the present work been intended as a complete and systematic view of all that could be adduced in behalf of Christianity. The object. PREFACE. V however, of the author was to be read by those who cannot or will not read the works of abler men. That form, therefore, was adopted which experience has shewn most likely to succeed, and the argument developed to that extent only which the limits of a small and elementary work per- mitted. The references given to other writers in the course of the work, will shew it was by no means intended to limit the proof of the truth of the Christian Religion to the certainty of the facts and arguments here adduced ; and it is presumed that the advocates of the additional evidence, as derived from the doctrines of Christianity, which might have been brought forward, would not have wished it to appear in a mutilated or imperfect form. No argument, of course, could have been derived from the doctrines of Christianity, without first establishino; the fact of their existence in the Holy Scriptures, which would necessarily have in- volved a variety of considerations not adapted to a work of this kind, would materially have in- creased its bulk and expense, and consequently lessened the chance of its utility. It is appre- hended that few, if any, will be disposed to cavil at the assumed fact of the existence of those doc- a2 VI PREFACE. trines which are in any measure alluded to ; but if this be not the case, it must be observed, that the great weight of the argument is independent of them, and that the author leaves it for the Scriptures, fairly interpreted, to decide ; being fully convinced, that the more closely they are studied, the more incontrovertible will be found the evidences in their favour. As the sentiments of many of the authors made use of in the course of this work materially differ from those of others also quoted, upon points not connected with the arguments in which they re- spectively appear, the candid reader will certainly not impute to the compiler any intention of advo- cating their opinions, beyond what is expresshj stated. The difference of language, and a reso- lution of not making use of any translation un- sanctioned by public opinion, alone prevented con- siderable quotations being given from the princi- pal continental writers, which would have marked this yet more strongly. . In the quotations given, and the authors cited, no hope is entertained of meeting the wishes o^ all parties : if they are allowed in general to be good, it is all that can reasonably be expected. Had the limits of the work permitted, most gladly would PREFACE. Vll abundant specimens have been given from the works of all the most distinguished writers; but the thing v/as impossible : and, after the reduction of the work to about one third its original size, the compiler can only regret that the labours of Bentley, Clarke, Butler, Sherlock, Waterland, Pearce, Skel- ton, Dodwell, Baxter, Douglas, and many others, not quoted in this work, as well as some whose authorities are adduced, should be so little known, except to theological students. If it might be permitted in this place to call the reader's atten- tion to one quotation more, in addition to those in the body of the work, it would be the following from a laic, than whom none was better qualified to decide upon the value of our English writers. " But our own language has, from the Reformation to the pre- sent time, been chiefly dignified and adorned by the works of our divines, who, considered as commentators, controvertists, or preachers, have undoubtedly left all other nations far behind them. No vulgar language can boast such treasures of theo- logical knowledge, or such multitudes of authors at once learned, elegant, and pious. Other countries, and other com- munions, have authors perhaps equal in abilities and diligence to ours ; but if we unite numbers with excellence, there is cer- tainly no nation which must not allow us to be superior. Of morality, little is necessary to be said, because it is compre- 9 bended in practical divinity, and is perhaps better taught in Vlll PREFACE. English sermons than in any other books ancient or modern. Nor shall I dwell on our excellence in metaphysical specu- lations, because he that has read the works of our divines will easily discover how far human subtiity has been able to pe- netrate." — Idler, No. 91. It was intended to have given a complete list of all the English, and the principal foreign au- thors who have discussed the subject; but on trial it was found far to exceed the limits which it appeared desirable to preserve in a work of this kind. It may also be doubted whether a cata- logue of all the authors would be a useful ap- pendage to an elementary work, chiefly designed for young persons. A well-arranged selection of the best would perhaps be desirable; but the difficulty of selection is such, that not many would be in- clined to undertake it ; whilst the importance of such a list requires its being entrusted only to those really competent to the task. By a cata- logue raisonnt the evil of indiscriminate recom- mendation might be avoided, in giving the reasons of preference ; but the value of such a catalogue depends on the authority of the compiler ; and the writer of these observations has no pretensions to that character, which would confer the power of balancing the comparative merits of men of the / PREFACE. IX highest attainments, or would enable others to confide in decisions so delivered. If the work now submitted to the public have any weight, the references given will bg found sufficient, inasmuch as they will leave the unlearned and unskilful in the hands of far better guides, whose works will furnish abundant information as to the labours of others. For the omission of a detailed statement of the writers against Christianity, no apology is deemed necessary ; the reason of it, however, was in the bad faith which has generally been manifested on that side, in its authors availinsc themselves of the labours of the advocates of Christianity, to patch up a reputation for learning and research ; at the same time that they have not scrupled to make use of gross misquotation, and the repetition of argu- ments and statements repeatedly disproved. The author had no wish to shorten the labours of the disseminator of infidelity of the present day, by / presenting him with a catalogue of those pub- lications which might aid his exertions. Real objections have by no means been concealed, and it is trusted they will not be found unfairly stated; but being mere questions of argument, and not of fact, it mattered not from whom they originally pro- X PREFACE. ceeded. Those who read the authors in defence of the particular portions of the Evidences of Chrsitianity, will find the most full and explicit references to the works of objectors to such por- tions; and this is all that can be necessary. As little reference as possible has been made to those now living who have preceded in the same course, from motives of delicacy, and the belief that their merits are sufficiently known to enable any one, really desirous of reading the best living authors, to refer to them without hesitation. It is painful to withhold the expression of admiration so justly their due; but the wish to prevent any misconstruction of such expression prevailed over every other consideration. So far as use has been made of their works, the author trusts the object for which they have been brought forward will be deemed a sufficient apology for connecting their acknowledged strength with what may prove the weakness of the present work, so far as it is original. In all cases, however, the reader is requested carefully to distinguish between the fault of the compiler and the matter compiled, that no responsibility be attached to others unjustly. Still more earnestly is it requested, that those PREFACE. XI who may regard the whole as unsatisfactory will not suffer their minds to be prejudiced, in con- sequence of its deficiencies, against the cause it advocates. A decision is not unfrequently right, when the reasons given are wrong; and it is very possible, after the great quantity of reading through which the writer thought it a duty to wade in the first instance, a correct impression, so far as the result is concerned, may remain on the mind, when the various means by which that result is obtained have in some measure weak- ened the force of each. If, then, the summary now presented to his attention be deemed, after all, inconclusive, the reader is requested fairly to examine some good original treatise upon the point where he deems the present work defective or erroneous. If, on the contrary, this attempt (imperfect as it is) be found sufficient, let the reader, who is a stranger to the subject, judge w^hat must be the weight of the evidence when presented by such men as Bentley and Butler. CONVERSArfoNS ON THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. CONVERSATION I. BEATRICE. My brother and myself have a favour to request of you, my dear sir, which we hope you will not deny us, though we have some hesitation in ask- ing it. MR. E. The sooner I hear it the better. You may be sure that nothing short of necessity will occasion a refusal. EDWARD. Our hopes and fears alike arise from the nature of our petition. We are very desirous of learning from you, in conversation, the evidences for the Christian religion. MR. B. This is, indeed, more than I expected ; and I might answer, that, like yourselves, I am in- fluenced in two ways ; the importance of the sub- B 2 CONVERSATIONS ON THE ject putting it out of my power to refuse, at the same time that it makes me hesitate in acceding to your wishes. BEATRICE. Thank you, sir, for the first part of your an- swer, which the second only teaches us to value more. EDWARD. We are, indeed, aware that it is no slight task we impose upon you, my dear sir ; biit we have long been anxious upon the subject, on that ac- count. MR. B. You have then considered the subject, in some measure, already ; but do you think you will more clearly understand it in consequence of conversa- tions upon it ? BEATRICE. We hope so. In conversations, indeed, between ourselves, we have rather puzzled ourselves than otherwise, which perhaps was the necessary con- sequence of our attempting to argue upon a sub- ject of which we know a little, and only a little. MR. B. Not improbable. But what is the sum of your present knowledge ? BEATRICE. My brother knows more than I do ; but he has EVIDENC'ES of CHRISTIANITY. 3 only a kind of general and vague idea arising from books, which he has looked at, rather than ex- amined, and of which he has no distinct recollec- tion, owing to his having given himself up of late so exclusively to other studies. For myself, I can say very little ; indeed, I am almost ashamed to say, that I believe in the truth of the Christian religion because I feel I cannot do otherwise than believe — yet that is the fact. MR. B. Can you not, in some measure, ascertain the grounds of your faith ? BEATRICE. Perhaps I might by hard thinking ; but as I would much rather be able to " give to every one that asketh me a reason of the hope that is in me," — an answer founded on rational principles — • you would indeed render me an essential service by pointing out the particulars wherein the real strength of the arguments in favour of Christianity consist. EDWARD. And not less so to me ; for I find the little knowledge of the subject I at present possess wholly insufficient to satisfy my mind in many points. We both feel inclined to think that Christianity must be true, but are perplexed by 4 CONVERSATIONS ON THE the circumstance of its truth being yet disputed, and know not well how to reconcile our minds to the fact that many have rejected it. It is also very distressing when one accidentally meets with persons of a sceptical turn, to be forced to bear the sarcasms they throw out, or the ridicule which they cast upon religion, and feel that we have no right to reply, from ignorance of the subject. BEATRICE. And even in reading books we do not escape a painful sense of inferiority as well as indignation in meeting with passages that seem to strike at what we have been accustomed to reverence, but of which we cannot immediately see the falsity. MR. B. I believe many persons as well as myself could fully enter into your feelings ; and if I can, in any measure, enable you to build your faith upon a firm foundation, my labour will be abundantly repaid : but do you think you will derive greater advantage from conversations on the subject than by reading some good treatise ? BEATRICE. I shall feel more interested in conversations than in the continued arguments of a theological disquisition. I fear I have not sufficient strength EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 5 of mind to examine the truth of the assertions of a learned divine page by page. As Pope said to Atterbury, I always find the last author convince me. EDWARD. On the contrary, I feel myself generally so much inclined to spend too much time in balan- cing probabilities, making nice distinctions, and examining all conceivable objections, that in many cases I quite lose the thread of the discourse, and forget the real force of the principal argument. MR. B. It is well for you that you have found out these tendencies to error in your minds. BEATRICE. Most probably we should not, had we not con- versed together on the subject, when we found we differed so widely in opinion on many points, that we were led the more closely to examine ourselves, and each readily detected the faults of the other. EDWARD. It is on this account also that we should prefer continuing the consideration of the subject in conversations. In many cases we have perplexed ourselves needlessly, I am convinced, by losing sight of the great object we ought to have had in view, viz. the simple truth : and by dipping 6 CONVERSATIONS ON THE into many books I have only made the matter worse; for as fast as one difficulty was cleared^ another started up, of which the author perhaps took no notice ; and the habit of doubting I found much more easily acquired than discarded. BEATRICE. Do you not think, sir, that conversation has its advanta2:es in enabling; one to obtain much in- formation not usually met with in books, or dispersed in so great a number as to be almost out of reach, as well as in securing the thorough examination of each portion of the subject? MR. B. It undoubtedly has ; but perhaps its principal advantage will be found in its being the plan yourselves have suggested. My own knowledge of the subject has been acquired in a manner so very different, that I hardly know how far I shall be enabled to bring it before you in so clear and convincing a form as the importance of the sub- ject demands. Much, however, depends upon yourselves ; and as I shall take care to give you references to authors whose opinions are of far greater weight than mine, you must be careful not to attach any weakness to th-e argument as developed by me, till you have first examined the original ,works, and seen how far the apparent deficiency may be inherent in the nature of the EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 7 subject, or only the consequence of my ineffi- ciency. I should by no means consider myself justified in proceeding in this undertaking if I thought you would depend solely on my state- ments, and did not search whether these things be so or not. I shall give you a fair statement to the best of my power, remembering well the danger incurred by those through whom an offence cometh ; but as the subject is of so grave a nature, and so much depends upon it, I must entreat you well to watch over both yourselves and me, in which case I trust our conversations will prove a mutual benefit. BEATRICE. But you will not make our understanding the subject depend upon our reading the authors you refer to ? MR. B. I hope to be able to give you a clear and cor- rect idea of it, without your having occasion to refer to any work ; but I can only give you an outline, which you must yourselves fill up at your leisure, and according to your own peculiar wants and difficulties. EDWARD. But if the arguments you adduce are in them- selves satisfactory, where will be the need of further inquiry ? If not, it appears to me hardly probable that the perusal of many volumes in 8 CONVERSATIONS ON THE detail would strike more forcibly than their con- densed force delivered at once, MR. B. In the course of the inquiry it will, however, be necessaiy to consider various objections : now many of these, though found to be flimsy and worthless when examined, are yet specfous, and not easily overthrown in few words. There is no objection of consequence which has not been fully considered, and, in my opinion, satisfactorily answered ; but it is impossible for me, in many cases, to convey to your minds the force of the reasoning which has been employed in these answers, — and mere assertions are of no value* It is easy to produce the effect on the one side, but difficult on the other : not because truth is with the former, and not with the latter, but because truth has, in such cases, to be searched for diligently before it is apparent; and, till that is done, we cannot altogether reject the pretensions of falsehood, dressed in the garb of truth. It is in cases like these that full conviction can only be produced by full investigation, and from my anxiety not to injure the cause, which I cannot but believe to be divine, that I earnestly press upon you the necessity of inquiring fully in every case where you see reason to doubt the accuracy of my statements, or the correctness of my conclusions. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 9 BEATRICE. It would be unjust both to you, sir, and to the cause you advocate, not to follow your directions in this respect : but I trust you will, however, allow us the utmost latitude of personal inquiry which time will permit. EDW^ARD. And you will permit us to state, not only the objections which really have weight in our own minds, but also those which we have heard, and which, though they do not so much affect us, we yet find it difficult to answer properly. MR. B. Certainly ; but I would not have you waste your time in searching out difficulties, or in bringing objections which you are conscious do not deserve an answer. Inquire boldly and diligently as to what is the truth ; but remember that the inquiry is of too much importance to permit trifling and sophistry. EDWARD. There is then an objection which is somewhat connected with the observations you just now made, which seems to deserve some consideration. From what you there stated, it would appear, that no full conviction of the truth of Christianity, B 2 10 CONVERSATIONS ON THET unmixed with doubt, can be obtained withost diligent inquiry, proceeding from personal interest in the subject? ME. B. . Certainly not, if you mean rational conviction. EDV^ ARD. But if so, where is the right of censuring those^. who, not feeling sufficient interest in the subject^ have no motive for inquiry ? MR. B. But why do they not feel suffi^cient interest in the subject? Can a rational creature be justified in reoardino- what assumes to be a revelation of the will of his Creator with indifference ? EDW^ARD. But m.ight not a Deist rationally think that the world would do very well without Christianity, without any revelation ? MR. B. If you put this question with reference to the knowledge of God and of our moral duty, as ex- isting at the present day, which we can deduce from first principles, and which is generally tenned natural religion, your objection is unfairly stated; for the advocate for revelation argues, that the very knowledge which we now possess would, in EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 11 all probability, never have existed without reve- lation. You assume the point in dispute, if you take it for granted that all the religious know- ledge which we are now enabled. to found upon principles of strict reasoning, exclusively of reve- lation, has been discovered by the mere light of reason, " The lights of reason and revelation fall upon our path in rays so blended, that we walk like the summer evening traveller, who, enjoying at the same time the full orb of the moon, and the sun's solstitial twilight, is unable to ascertain the propor- tion in which he is indebted to each of these heavenly lumi- naries : and some of us, alas ! are such incompetent philo- sophers, as, because the greater is below our horizon, to attri- bute all to the less." — Napleton's Advice to a Student m Divi7iiti/. EDWARD. But the advocate for revelation is no more at liberty to assume, that our present knowledge of God and of our duty arises from revelation, than the Deist to affirm, that reason alone is sufficient. MR. B. Certainly not. EDWARD. But if we may argue from analogy and the powers of the mind, a,s developed in other pur- suits, may we not infer that reason is sufficient without revelation for our guidance ? 12 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. If the discovery of our duty towards God and man, as founded in religion, were a matter of mere curiosity, perhaps I might partially admit the truth of your supposition; but it is a matter of infinitely too much importance for us to suppose, that the great Creator would leave it to be deve- loped only in a long course of ages, by the slow advance of real knowledge and certain truth. BEATRICE. Admitting the possibility of human reason being sufficient to discover the truth, do you not see, brother, that, arguing from analogy, many ages would elapse, in all probability, before the prin- ciples of natural religion would be so established as to become binding upon the bulk of mankind ? MR. B. But we need not aro'ue only from analogy and the probabilities of the case : let us refer to facts, and you will find that the common sense of mankind is against you. Almost all nations have some notion of there having been a revelation or com- munication from the Creator to his creatures. Many have had their laws and civil polity founded in the idea of something of the kind ; and the philosophers of old, who were sceptical as to the truth of the popular religions, agreed as to their EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 1 n want of divine revelation to declare the will of God. Now subsequently to the establishment of Christianity this want of divine aid has no longer been felt, and there is therefore considerable pro- bability that Christianity is a divine revelation from the very argument brought forward by the Deists, as to there now being no necessity for any revelation ; nor can this be overthrown, except by shewing, not only that reason possibly might arrive at similar conclusions, as to natural religion and moral obligation, without the aid of revelation, but also that there is a strong probability that it actually did so, and that the results were imputed to revelation, for the sake of giving greater autho- rity to them in the eyes of those who would be little disposed to acquiesce in conclusions, backed only by their intrinsic excellence and the autho- rity of their fellow-men. EDWARD. There certainly would be a want of authority to establish the principles of natural religion, which revelation alone could supply. But is there that prima facie necessity ofinquiring into the truth of an alleged revelation which is generally supposed ? May not a person leave the matter to be discussed by those who are so disposed, without troubling himself about it, provided he invariably obeys the dictates of conscience ? 14 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. But how can he be said invariably to obey the dictates of conscience, who neglects to inform himself upon this subject? In order to establish your point, you should shew, that mankind are under no obligation to endeavour to obey the will of God ; for if they are, they must be under a necessity of inquiring into that will; and if not, there is an end of all religion, whether revealed or natural. The advocate for revelation arg^ues thus, and I do not see how his reasoning can be over- thrown : that, from whatever sources our knowledge may have been obtained, it is certain there is a God, the Creator of all things, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, and consequently a moral governor: that, from the relation in which man is placed to him, and the course of providence, it is probable he may have made a revelation of his will; and therefore no one is at liberty to reject, without inquiry, that which professes to be a divine revelation, unless it involves such evident absurdity that inquiry becomes needless. BEATRICE. The Christian would also insist further, that there is not any such evident absurdity in the supposition that Christianity is of divine origin, and hence would infer, that no one could be justi- fied in neglecting it. feviDENCES OF CHKISTI ANITY. 15 MR. B. And still less in rejecting it without examin- ation, as some do. EDWARD. But. many have not the means of instituting an investigation into its truth ; and what are we to think when told, that '* he v:ho helieveth and is baptised shall be saved, but he that helieveth not shall be damnedV^ MR. B. Do you not see how you are confounding things that are unconnected with each other? Belief necessarily implies a knowledge of the subject to be believed : in the case of ignorance, there is neither belief nor unbelief. Wilful ignorance you have before seen to be criminal : you must know that the doctrine of Christianity is, that we shall be judged according to our works, — the motives which influenced us, and the means put in our power. EDWARD. Yet still if full conviction cannot be obtained without inquiry, and the bulk of mankind cannot inquire, from the very nature of the subject, and yet the defenders of Christianity allege, that the most serious consequences will ensue in a future state to all who reject it ; do not these circum- stances, taken together, constitute an argument of considerable force against it? If full conviction 16 CONVERSATIONS ON THE cannot be obtained without inquiry, and the bulk of mankind cannot so inquire, can we suppose God requires an impossibility? Must not the tenet be given up, or Christianity itself fall to the ground ? BEATRICE. But if the tenet be given up, it ceases to be a matter of importance whether Christianity be true or not, and it becomes merely a matter of curiosity whether mankind have been imposed on or not. MR. B. But upon what authority do you assume that the peculiar nature of the evidences in favour of Christianity is of that kind, that it can only be examined so as to carry conviction to the minds of a few ? EDWARD. It is generally regarded as the province of the learned : the bulk of mankind are altoo^ether in- capable of receiving and judging of the evidences of Christianity. MR. B. But with regard to all, can you not conceive the possibility of Christianity's possessing a cer- tain degree of evidence sufficient to produce con- viction ? EDWARD. Yes; but that which is false may, upon a par- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 17 tial view, and for a time, appear true. And how can the ilHterate Christian be sure he has not " followed cunningly devised fables ?" MR. B. Out of the thousands that make use of the common rules of arithmetic, and well-known results of geometry, how many do you suppose ever in- vestigated the truth of those rules, — how many are there able to investigate them ? EDWARD. Very few indeed. Almost every mechanic knows the forty-seventh proposition of the first book in Euclid, and confides in it implicitly in fact : but I suppose not one in a thousand of those who make use of it could prove it. MR. B. Yet the universal use made of it proves that the evidence for it is to their minds irresistible. What then is that evidence ? whence does it arise ? EDWARD. I should suppose from experience : they find it always true in practice, and therefore conclude it must be so in theory. MR. B. And may not the unlearned Christian find Christianity so invariably true in the excellency of its precepts and knowledge of human nature, as 18 CONVERSATIONS ON THE to draw a similar conclusion ? So far as his know- ledge went, he might have every reason to believe it true (the Christian asserts that he would), and no reason to believe it false, and would therefore be bound in conscience to obey it. BEATRICE. This would, however, suppose belief founded on erroneous principles, with regard to many. MR. B. Not on erroneous principles, but what to others would be defective principles. But all moral ob- ligation must depend on the situation in which we are placed, and the means put into our power. Now one distinguishing feature of the evidences of Christianity, as of its precepts, is, that whilst it includes the greatest, it descends to the least ; nor is there any intermediate stage in which it leaves the mind unsatisfied ; at least so the Christian asserts ; nor can he be confuted without that very examination which it is his object to obtain, EDWARD. But nothing is easier than making assertions, and threatening awful consequences : all religions do the same. The evidences of all, to the votaries of each, appear irresistible ; yet all cannot be right ; all, except one, must be false, nay, perhaps even all are false ; yet all profess to be divine revela- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 19 tions, and, according to your argument, are entitled to examination. BEATRICE. But examination of all is impossible, in the nature of things. MR. B. It is so, nor is it necessary. You forget that I limited my assertion as to the necessity of inquiry to those cases " where there ivas no such evident absurdity as to render inquiry needless.'^ BEATRICE. This restriction is certainly reasonable, and will greatly shorten the inquiry. EDWARD. But is it not objected to all pretences to reve- lation, that if God had revealed his ^vill to man- kind, he would have put the matter out of all doubt — made it fully apparent to all nations and every age? MR. B. But what have we to do with suppositions? We have to inquire into what has been done, not to speculate on what might have been done. No- thing can be more absurd or unphilosophical than to form mere hypotheses of the manner in which it may please God to act towards mankind. With- out revelation we are almost wholly in the dark: we know nothing of God but by his works and 20 CONVERSATIONS ON THE providence ; and the case of a revelation is one that we cannot measure by any known standard. We can only argue from analogy, and analogy certainly furnishes no grounds for believing that a revelation must be made in the manner you suppose. We know neither the subject, nor the extent, nor the manner in which it may please God to reveal his will to us. For any thing that we know to the contrary, the subject may be of such a nature as to render it expedient, if not absolutely necessary, that the revelation should be partial, and delivered in a manner very dif- ferent from our expectations. What we have to do is, to examine into the probability of its truth, its consistency, and agreement with the little we do know of God, through the medium of his works and moral government. EDWARD. It is also objected that Christianity is founded upon Judaism ; that one alleged revelation is thus made to supersede another, which is contrary to our notions of the perfection and unchangeableness of God. MR. B. But do those who thus object know the rules of the Divine Government ? Do they see the whole of the intentions of their Creator at a glance? Are they certain that the idea of change in the dispensations of God implies imperfection ? EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 21 May there not be an expediency, if not a necessity, that the infancy of society may require a different dispensation to that which is best adapted for a more advanced period, in the same manner that education in early Hfe is preparatory to that of riper years? May not Judaism and Christianity be parts only of one great whole, of which perhaps the w^hole will never be known in this stao^e of existence ? Recollect how many apparently con- tradictory phsenomena in the natural world are yet ultimately dependent upon one and the same general law, which was only discovered after the lapse of many ages. If you would discover the truth, you must collect facts rather than opinions, and examine their bearings upon each other, in- stead of suffering your attention to be wearied by straining at objects beyond your reach. BEATRICE. I do not see much force in my brother's obj ections ; but there is one which 1 have frequently heard, which appears to me deserving consideration. It is, that men are so differently formed, that they never can believe in the same manner : what is proof to one is not to a^nother; that, after all, it is a matter of uncertainty, and that it cannot matter what we believe, provided we do the same. MR. B. But this also assumes too much : for, though a 22 CONVERSATIONS ON THE sceptic may bewilder himself and all who attend to him by metaphysical arguments, there are certain things which our common nature irresistibly inclines us all to believe as true, which, whatever may be said to the contrary, influence us to act in a particular manner; and, after all, it is action which is the true criterion of belief. I would earnestly recommend to your perusal Dr. Beattie's *' Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth, in Opposition to Sophistry and Scepticism;" a work which you will not read with the less interest because it w^as the production of the author of the Minstrel. BEATRICE. O no ! I could apply his own words to himself : ^' But hail, ye mighty masters of the lay, Nature's true sons, the friends of man and truth ! Whose song, sublimely sweet, serenely gay, Amused my childhood, and inform'd my youth. O let your spirit still my bosom soothe, Inspire my dreams, and my wild wanderings guide ! Your voice each rugged path of life can smooth. For well I know, wherever ye reside, There harmony, and peace, and innocence abide." MR. B. As to the second part of your objection, that it cannot matter what we believe, provided our actions be the same ; admitting that it were true, as respects our conduct towards each other and its consequences, a moment's reflection will shew EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 23 you that nothing can be more false with re- spect to the relation in which we stand to our Creator, unto whom all the motives of our conduct are known. Christianity also inseparably unites behef and practice together in such a manner as to render it impossible for a man to practise Christian precepts as such, without the belief in Christianity as a divine revelation. EDWARD. But if inquiry into the truth of Christianity be necessary from the importance of the subject, and the possibility that it might be a revelation of the will of God, inasmuch as there was no prima facie absurdity involved in the supposition ; still it does not follow that it has greater claims to our attention than any other religion of which the same may be alleged ; and if a person is required to spend his time in inquiries of this nature, I do not see why he might not sit down to study the evidences in favour of Mohammedism. MR. B. It will not, however, be difficult to establish the claims of Christianity to investigation, in preference to any other religion. EDWARD. In what manner ? 24 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. The great object in this inquiry is the ascer- taining of truth, not the mere arguing for victory. EDWARD. Certainly. MR. B. If you were sitting down to study astronomy, and wished from observation to ascertain the true system of the world, how would you pro- ceed ? EDWARD. By collecting all the phenomena which pre- sented themselves to my attention, by arranging them with reference to their apparent importance and connexion with each other, and afterwards examining them in the most careful manner I could in detail, beginning with those which from their importance, or from the peculiar advantages I possessed of examining them, offered the greatest probability of my ascertaining the causes of what I saw. MR. B. Will you then pursue precisely a similar course with reo'ard to the relig^ious world ? You will find in it phsenomena equally interesting, and capable of leading you in like manner to their causes. What is the state of the world, as to religion, at this present time ? EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 25 EDWARD. There are a great number of religions, differing widely from each other, both as to their doctrines and as to the influence which they respectively possess. The classification of them would be a very perplexing affair : and then they are sub- divided into an infinite number of sects and parties ; so that it would be very difficult to as- certain even the mere matter-of-fact as to what was believed, and by whom it was believed. MR. B. Nevertheless, make the attempt. All nations either believe in the existence of one God or of more Gods than one. EDWARD. By this means I am enabled to put them under the heads of Theists and Polytheists, and may discard the latter from further consideration, from the evident absurdity of their tenets. MR. B The Theists you may also range under four heads — of Jews, Mohammedans, Christians, and Peists. In what do they agree, and in what do they differ ? EDWARD. They all acknowledge one God ; and the three first allege that he has made a revelation of his will to mankind : but these again differ as to the c 26 CON VERSATIONS ON THE extent of the revelation, and the persons to whom it was communicated ; all three agreeing as to the divine legation of Moses, the two last also adding that of Christ, and the last that of Mahomet. MR. B. So much for the fact of behef; now consider that of numbers. EDWARD. Here nearly all is left to the Christians and Mohammedans, the numbers of the other two being very small in comparison. MR. B. Lastly, take into account character and in- fluence. EDWARD. Here nearly all is left to the Christians. MR. B. Then has not Christianity the Jirst claims on your attention ? Again, if Christianity be founded in falsehood, Mohammedism at once falls to the ground with it, and, in the opinion of all except the Jews, Judaism also : so that the question ultimately reduces itself to Christianity, or no revealed religion ; as Paley has stated it in the beginning of his work on the Evidences. Further, Mohammedism cannot be from God, inasmuch as it professes to be of universal obligation, and yet commands observances which in the nature of EvlDEiNCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 27 things cannot be iiniversalii/ observed. The re- ligion said to have been promulgated by Moses and the other prophets previously to the destruc- tion of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the nation, was designed for that nation only, and we cannot therefore immediately argue as to its truth or falsity. The Jews of modern time and the rest of the world differ, however, as to the true inter- pretation of the religious books of the former ; and if the anti-Judaical interpretation be correct, modem Judaism is untenable, which is rendered almost a matter of certainty, by the fact that hitherto all their calculations and expectations have proved fallacious. Lastly, Christianity pro- fesses to be of universal obligation, and contains within it nothing repugnant to the possibility of the assertion. It has also stood the test of time, and has never yet been positively demonstrated to be false. It is held by the most enlightened nations in the world, and hence arises at least some degree of probability for its truth. Now, under all these circumstances, which are mere matters of fact acknowledged by foes as well as friends, the advocate for Christianity maintains its pre-eminent claims to a full investigation. Admitting, for argument's sake, the possibility that the Deistical creed is correct, accordino- to their own sentiments as to the importance of truth, they must, out of their own mouths, be condemned of God for not inquiring into the 28 CONVERSATIONS ON THE truth of a religion which at first appeared likely to be from Him. BEATRICE. This is to me perfectly convincing. I am only surprised at your arguing so long upon a point which I was not aware was disputed, as to the claims of Christianity to examination : and yet you have not brought forward the consequences in a future state, should the Christian statement prove true. MR. B. I have not, and for this reason, — a Christian may tell an unbeliever that his happiness or misery in a future state depends upon his conduct now, in reference to this religion : but the sceptic will be little moved by the mere assertion, unless other circumstances s^ive it weioht. He would probably reply, ** All other religions, in substance, say the same. I cannot enter into an examination of the merits of each — it is impossible ; and why should I prefer inquiring into one rather than another. Your arguments can only amount to probability, and other creeds may be supported by equal or stronger probabilities." BEATRICE. To this, then, your argument answers, that there is in the first instance not only far greater probability of its being true than any other, but also strong probability considered merely in itself; I EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 29 and that as no alleged revelation of w^hich there is only a possibility of its being from God, can be safely rejected without examination, so no excuse can remain for a neglect of inquiry into this. MR. B. And now I scruple not to add what I before omitted, that the awful consequences of rejection ought to have the greatest weight with every reflecting mind. If there were little chance of Christianity's being true, I grant that the fear of those consequences should have little weight ; for it is easy to raise any thing into importance by attaching to it the possibility of awful con- sequences : but when any real probability exists of any events taking place, as in this case, we know that the real importance of such an event to us is measured jointly by its probability and its consequences : now the consequences are infinite, in case Christianity be true ; and therefore he is inexcusable who rejects Christianity without ex- amination, or neo'lects its claims. 30 CONVERSATIONS ON THE CONVERSATION II. MR. B. Having seen the necessity of an inquiry into the truth of the Christian religion, we are naturally led to ask by Vvhat means we can ascertain it. EDWARD. We are here under great disadvantages, in that so long a period has elapsed since its first promul- gation. MR. B. But, in consequence, we have no reason to be- lieve that any further discoveries relative to the subject will hereafter be made. EDWARD. From the disagreement of its partisans among themselves, we are also deprived of the benefit of immediately ascertaining what is Christianity, and on what foundation it rests. BEATRICE. Yet this secures the certainty that there is no collusion. EDWARD. And from the rejection of it by many eminent men, we have some reason to fear that all inquiry will prove fruitless. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 31 MR. B. Their exertions against it have, however, been of the greatest use in ehciting truth, which is the great object we have in view. — Let us now see whence we can obtain information on the subject, confining ourselves strictly to facts which all ac- knowledge. We have, then, the existence of three religions, a good deal connected with each other, but of which the advocates of each maintain that the followers of the other two are deceived. We have the records to which these parties respectively appeal as containing the sum of their religions, and for which they claim a divine origin. We have, lastly, an immense mass of controversial writing upon the subject, which the advocates of each party regard as decisive. But Mohammedism over- throws itself; and hardly the shadow of a proof remains in behalf of Judaism : so that our atten- tion is only directed to the works of their advo- cates, so far as they may be likely to overthrow Christianity. EDWARD. We have also to consider the works of those who have rejected all revealed religion, as the modern Deists, and those who rejected Christianity at its first appearance among the Pagans. MR. B. At present I assume nothing, however, relative 32 CONVERSATIONS ON THE to the first appearance of Christianity ; that is a matter for future consideration. Now the truth of the religion, independently of what internal eri- dence of a divine origin its sacred records may furnish, evidently depends upon the truth of those records, and that upon the writings of those who have defended them. These writings also must be Considered in two classes. We either refer to them for arguments or for facts. With reference to the former, it is of no consequence when they were written, as truth is invariable; with reference to the latter, it is of the greatest consequence in some cases, and in all of considerable importance to determine their origin. BEATRICE. Will you give us a sketch of the history (if I may so call it) of the controversies which have taken place on the subject, and which have given birth to the writino:s which form the materials in question ? MR. B. You will find an admirable outline already tra- ced by the hand of a master in the first volume of Bishop Van Mildert's Boyle Lectures, and in the notes to it abundant references to the best sources of information. An historical survey of this kind, how- ever, implies some knowledge of the subject itself in the reader, as otherwise it is a mere recapitula- tion of disputes about names, to which no distinct EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 33 ideas are attached. You must, therefore, for the present content yourselves with references to the works which give an account of the various defend- ers and opponents of Christianity. The best of these is Leland's View of the Deistical Writers, which is very valuable, from giving a fair state- ment of their writings in detail, and a temperate reply to each, though rather tedious, from the nature of the subject. BEATRICE. The name of Deist only refers to modern writers against Christianity, I believe. MR. B. " The name of Deists, as applied to those who are no friends to revealed religion, is said to have been first assumed about the middle of the sixteenth century, by some gentlemen in France and Italy, who were willing to cover their opposition to the Christian revelation by a more honourable name than that of Atheists. One of the first authors, as I can find, that makes express mention of them, is Viret, a divine of great evidence among the first reformers, who, in the epistle dedica- tory prefixed to the second tome of his Instruction Chretienne, which was published in 1563, speaks of some persons in that time who called themselves by a new name, that of Deists." — Lela Nd's Vi€iD, S,-c . Letter I . Baruel's Memoirs of Jacobinism will give you sufficient information with respect to the French authors on the subject, and you w^ill find a great deal of useful information in Nichol's Literary c 2 34 CONVERSATIONS ON THE Anecdotes of the Eight eetith Century. Hartwell Home's Introduction to the Critical Study of the Scriptures, and Orme's Bibliotheca Biblica, also give references to some of the more important works ; and the Bibliotheca Bintannica of Dr. Watt, under the articles of Scepticism, Infidelity, &c. &c. will direct you to many more. — To you, Edward, I may also recommend the Bibliotheca Theologica Selecta of Walchius, and the Delectus Argumeiitorum et Syllabus Scriptorum, S)C. of Fabricius. It maybe as well to mention here, that some very valuable ar- ticles, either directly upon some branch of the evi- dences, or intimately connected with them, have appeared in various reviews, particularly the British Critic and the Quarterly Revieiv, which you will find well deserving of your attention, after you have acquired further knowledge of the subjects most agitated in controversy. The Boyle, Bamp- ton, Warburtonian, and Hulsean Lectures, together with various essays for prizes given at the Univer- sities and elsewhere, must not be forgotten; and, lastly, as the original Encyclopedie contains almost all that can be insinuated against Christianity, our English Bncyclop(£dias in general are well worth consulting on its behalf, both for the in- trinsic value of the articles, and the references they give to the authors from v/hose works they are compiled. BEATRICE. Must not a distinction be drawn between those EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 35 writers who establish facts, and those who merely argue from such facts. MR. B. Certainly ; in the first case w^ have principally to do with the truth of the statements ; in the second, with the soundness of the aro;uments. EDWARD. Does not the quantity of writing on the subject in some measure militate against it ? If the evi- dences are sufficiently convincing, surely it could never be necessary to write so much ; and the doubts and difficulties of its opponents must have some solid ground, or they would never be so often renewed. MR. B. Christianity is not answerable for the conduct of its advocates, further than it may be shewn to dic- tate it. You cannot infer the weakness of a cause from the imbecility of its defenders. But the advocates of Christianity you will find men of a very different class. The deep interest of the sub- ject has been the primary cause of the great number of publications on it. As to your second objection. Dr. Gerard will answer it for me. " There is no subject on which doubts and difficulties may not be started by ingenious and disputatious men ; and therefore, from the number of their objections, and the length of the controversy 36 CONVERSATIONS ON THE to which they give occasion, we cannot in any case conclude that the original evidence is weak, or even that it is not obvious and striking. Were we to presume that every principle is du- bious against which specious objections may be contrived, we should be quickly led into universal scepticism. The two ways in which the ingenuity of speculative men has been most com- monly employed, are dogmatical assertions of doubtful opi- nions, and subtle cavils against certain truths." -— Gerard's Dissertations, vol. ii. p. 4. EDWARD. I would not bring forward objections merely for the sake of shewing my own ingenuity in devising them; but, before I feel entirely satisfied as to the justice of your arguments against those who neg- lect to inquire into the truth of Christianity, and reject it without examination, — it appears to me necessary to shew that there is some reasonable prospect of their being able to come to a decision on the subject, — which I think is not the case : the dispute appears interminable. If there were any one treatise extant which Christians would agree in, as being that defence on which they were willing to rest the issue of the inquiry, there might be some hope of coming to a decision ) but when the whole Christian world is at variance, not only as to what is Christianity, but also as to how it is to be defended, surely some allowance must be made for men who have other things to attend to, as well as theological inquiries. MR. li. There is no solid argument in your objection : EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 37 any one who is really anxious on the subject will soon obtain sufficient information both as to what Christianity is, and by whom and in what manner it has been defended, and will naturally turn to the examination of that kind of proof which has most weight with him in other subjects. Besides, the clergy furnish a constant resource. EDWARD. But if Christianity be of that great importance which is alleged, why has not the whole body of proof been collected and arranged in such a manner as to enable every one at once to see all that can be said in its favour ? I know, indeed, that there are collections professing to be demonstrations of the truth of the Christian religion ; but there is none, so far afs I have ever heard, which all agree in holding forth as such. Christianity is either ca- pable of demonstration, or it is not : if the latter, I do not see how it can be defended at all, unless the threatening declarations of the New Testament are explained away; but if the former, why have we not such a proof as the Mtcanique Celeste is of the Newtonian system of the world ? MR. B. Because the nature of the subject hardly will admit of such a proof, and because if it did it would be useless. Absolute mathematical demon- stration cannot be obtained. All that is neces- 38 CONVERSATIONS ON THE sary to be obtained in proof of Christianity, is such a degree of probabihty as ought to induce men to act agreeably to it. For if it can be shewn that men act in other cases upon less proof than this question affords, their own conduct suffi- ciently proves the truth of the assertion of our Lord, "That this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world ; but that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." You refer to the Mecanique Celeste, as being an example of a perfect proof of the theory of uni- versal gravitation ; suppose a person in common life was desirous of knowing all " that could be said in favour" of that theory, how far would the Mecanique Celeste afford him assistance ? EDWARD. He would hardly understand a page of it. MR. B. Then where is the utility of your complete demonstration for common use ? The very first paragraph of the work alluded to altogether over- throws any argument you can raise from the ex- istence of the work itself, both as respects abso- lute demonstration and practical utility. If the observations on which astronomy is founded, and which demand the greatest degree of attention, as well as perfection of instrument, be incorrect ; or that refined analysis, which it requires the utmost EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 39 exertion of the mind to follow, be in any instance falsely applied, all falls to the ground. Need I remind you of the necessity there is for applying to the whole of the results obtained, in the most careful manner, the theory of chances, for the cal- culation of the probability of errors? EDWARD. But the proof of Christianity is not of so com- plicated a nature ; if it were, it would itself be an objection ; for it would be impossible that the bulk of mankind could understand it. MR. B. The full proof of Christianity, if systematically detailed, would be quite as complicated, and alto- gether removed above the reach of ordinary men : but a proof sufficient to convince every rational man is within the reach of all. BEATRICE. In what manner ? MR. B. A proof such as your brother demanded must ultimately depend upon the books of the Old and New Testaments, in their original languages : the orio'in of those books would therefore have to be ascertained, which would involve the question, also, of the authenticity and credibility of all those authors on whom we depended for informa- 40 CONVERSATIONS ON THE tion on the subject ; and these again dependent upon others ; and then would come the calculation of chances of error. Judge from this one portion of what would be requisite, what the whole would be. On the other hand, such a proof as ought to con- vince a rational inquirer, may be soon made out ; there are abundance already in circulation. Thus, when I say Christianity is the religion founded by Jesus Christ, as contained in the New Testament, which is a collection of writings of his first followers, and proves from facts which cannot be denied, and reasoning which cannot be overthrown, that the religion itself is from God ; which is further esta- blished by the Scriptures of the Old Testament, by the internal evidence of the excellency of the religion, and by the history of the world, — I sum up the proof of Christianity ; and if any one deny or doubt the truth of any of these assertions, I have a right to refer him to those authors whose works in detail fully prove these points. I may, to shorten his labour, give an analysis of the pro- cess used to establish each of these particulars ; but it can no more be expected that I should give all the detail, than that Laplace should have first established the truth of every proposition in pure mathematics of which he makes use. EDWARD. But Laplace quotes them because they are in- disputable : now the proofs of the particular pro- EVibEiSrCJES OV CHRIStlAHlTY. 41 positions oil which the truth of Christianity de^ pends ate not so.. MR. B. Have they been disproved ? EDWARD. Not that I know of: but many eminent men have rejected Christianity, and have written against it. MR. B. You iiiay tely upon it, that had any actual de- monstration been made out against Christianity, you would not have been ignorant of the fact ; its enemies have been too active to let any thing of that kind be passed over. Now consider fof a moment the extent of proof on behalf of Christi- anity, and from how many quarters it has been open to exposure, if false. In its statements of historical facts, in criticism, in morality, in phy- sical truth. If it could have been positively proved, for example, that such a person as our Lord Jesus Christ never existed, or that the New Testament Was a forgery, or that it was contrary to soUnd morality, or that it contained statements con^ trary to what we know to be the real state of th6 earth, or commanded observances impossible, in the nature of things, to be observed by all men, at the same time that it professed to be of universal ob* ligation ; in any of these cases, the question would 42 CONVERSATIONS ON THE have been set at rest for ever. You have also just asserted, that many eminent men have written against it : now if they could thus have proved Christianity to be false, would they not have done it ? BEATRICE. Certainly; for by their writing against it, they shewed their wish to prove it false. MR. B. Yes; and by their not writing against it in those particulars where their peculiar knowledge best enabled them to detect falsehood, they have given us the strongest proof that there it was invulnerable. BEATRICE. So that the very fact you adduce is against you. MR. B. But there are other eminent men besides the Deists ; and what do you say to the testimony which they give on the points where they were best able to determine the truth or falsity of these propositions ? Why, those very men whose names stand the highest in each department are de- fenders of Christianity, and that because they knew, in what they were most immediately con- cerned with, the proof was decisive. Now, take these two facts together, and you will see there is EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 43 sufficient ground for belief that the professed proofs are real proofs. But if any one is disposed to doubt further, let him examine ; the whole is open to examination; but not condemn others for looking upon such points as proved, which those most inimical to Christianity, and peculiarly fitted to examine, have not disproved, as well as resting satisfied with the researches of its friends, who believed in consequence of those researches, and whose testimony in any other case would have been believed in such subjects as they were most conversant with. EDWARD. This, however, is placing the belief of many upon a lower ground than that of others. MR. B. It is, and in the nature of things it must be so. Men are placed in such an infinite variety of situa- tions, that the great Creator of all can alone be the judge as to where guilt attaches, and where it does not. All that I contend for is, that no suf- ficient reason can be adduced on behalf of actual infidelity, scepticism, or latitudinarianism, to mi- litate against the language of the New Testament. The Judge of all the earth shall surely do right ; and every circumstance of birth, education, and situation in life, will have its due weight with him : but the result of much reading and reflec- 44 CONVERSATIONS ON THE tion on the subject has led me to a conclusion which you may at present think harsh, — that the real cause of infidelity lies in the heart more than in the head ; in the will more than in the circum- stances of the individual EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 45 CONVERSATION IIL EDWARD. I FEAR I have wearied both you, sir, and my sister by my former objections; but my anxiety to have my mind at rest upon all preliminary points previously to entering upon the actual examination of the evidences themselves, induced me to press the doubts I have already expressed ; and for the same reason, I should wish to consider one more and very serious objection, which ap- pears to me to lie at the threshold of all further investigation, viz. that the whole proof of Christi- anity depends upon the veracity of those in terested in its defence. BEATRICE. Not all, brother. EDWARD. Yes, all, directly or indirectly. It is from Christians that we have our accounts of the origin and history of Christianity. It is from them we have received the Scriptures which con- tain its precepts ; from their hands, also, have we received the works of those who rejected this religion, and which may have been garbled to serve its cause. If even their own statement be correct, for fifteen hundred years every thing has 46 CONVERSATIONS ON THE been in their own power. Its defenders, in later ages, have been evidently interested in supporting it : of those who lived at an earlier period we know^ nothing but through the accounts of their successors. These defenders also have been the priests of this religion, and had therefore a further interest in maintaining it. How, then, can we rely upon any proof derived from such sources ? BEATRICE. This is, indeed, a strong charge; can you over- throw it, sir ? MR. B. As far as is necessary. I must, however, take it for granted that you are acquainted with what is generally believed to be the true history of Europe during the period you have alluded to. I must also beg you to give some attention to the present state of the Christian world. EDWARD. It is divided into a great number of sects, all at variance with each other. MR. B. You will not dispute, I suppose, the truth of those facts w^hich are acknowledged by persons of all parties, infidels as well as Christians. EDWARD. Certainly not. MR. B. And, I suppose, you will acknowledge that the EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 47 works generally received in the w^orld as the pro- ductions of the persons whose names they bear, for the last three centuries at least, w^ere really such. EDWARD. Undoubtedly ; the invention of printing sets the matter at rest. MR. B. Then it is certain that never were nations more opposed to each other than many of the Christian sects have been. Could there have been any system of deception in common among those who persecuted each other to death ? EDWARD. I should think not. MR. B. If theie had been any system of deception kept up among the priests, would it have been con- cealed, notwithstanding all the martyrdoms that took place ? EDWARD. No ; those who were put to death by Christians would never have died in the faith of Christ had they not believed the religion of Christ to have been from Heaven. MR. B. The whole of the documents, then, on which we rely could not have been forged subsequently to 48 CONVERSATIONS ON THE the Reformation. Now, of what character were the ages which preceded it ? EDWARD. They are generally called the dark ages, from the deplorable state of ignorance in which the great mass of the people were. MR. B. From the best sources of information relative to that period, what was the character of the clergy ? EDWARD. Very low indeed, both as to morals and as to intellectual attainments. MR. B. If then the documents of the period which preceded it were forged at that time, we should be compelled to believe that thousands of manu- scripts were written with the most consummate art, and dispersed with the greatest care, by men utterly unqualified for the task, and some of them containing sentiments most contradictory to the course of life they were pursuing ; docu- ments which when known must occasion the downfal of their own pretensions. EDWARD. That is wholly incredible. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 49 MR. B. If then the manuscripts of the fathers and the classics were really wi^itten by the persons whose names they bear, and at the times and in the places alleged (with the MSS. of the New Testa- ment I do not concern myself at present), how far is it probable such were corrupted by those Christians of the middle ages through whose hands they passed ? EDWARD. We know that the manuscripts of the classics were found neglected in the libraries of monks, who knew not the value of what they possessed. Those of the fathers were transcribed, and held of the greatest authority all over Europe. Any interpolation of the works of the former would never have been an object — any interpolation of those of the latter impracticable. MR. B. When these works were first edited, was it with reference to the interests of Christianity ? EDWARD. No : some of the revivors of literature were even suspected of infidelity ; and those who edited the Fathers never thought of making use of them to defend Christianity itself. MR. B. Then where does the slightest probability exist D 50 CONVERSATIONS ON THE that the documents on which we depend for the defence of Christianity are otherwise than what they profess to be — genuine productions of the persons whose names they bear, wTitten at the times and places alleged, and handed down in substance the same as originally written? For a more particular account, of course, I must refer you to the successive editors of each, who have laboured to send out the works of each author as free from defect as possible. EDWARD. But admitting that all the works to which it mgy be necessary to refer, in proof of the truth of Christianity, be genuine and unadulterated, it by no means follows that they are true. In some cases, at least, very little weight can be attached to the declarations of the fathers ; for I believe it is generally acknowledged, that they were both credulous, and addicted to exaggeration. MR. B. Perhaps so, and we must therefore be careful not to estimate their statements beyond their intrinsic value. EDWARD. But in some particulars we are almost certain they have recorded what they knew to be false : and is the testhiiony of such persons worth any thing? Does not their conduct throw strong suspicion on the rehgion itself? EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 51 MR. B. One of the most violent of those who have impeached their authority speaks thus : — "^^ The history of the Gospel I hope may be true, though the history of the church be fabulous. And if the ecclesiastic historians have recorded many silly fictions under the name of miracles, as they undoubtedly have, the blame must be charged to the writers, not to their religion. — Middleton^s Worki>y Tol. i. p. 131. 4to. ed. The use which I shall make of their works will be such as cannot be materially affected bv your objection. BEATRICE. Where they speak of things as passing under the public eye, or as being acknowledged by their enemies, or challenge investigation in cases where it could easily have been made, and would have decided the question, some degree of credit must be allowed them. It is not to be imagined that they would give their enemies so easy a triumph over them as to render themselves liable to certain exposure, by greatly departing from the truth in such points. EDWARD. In cases where their statements are corroborated by the acknowledgment of their enemies, or by the fact of no contrary statement having been published, which might reasonably have been expected, there appears no sufficient ground for 52 CONVERSATIONS ON THE withholding the assent we should give to any indifferent matter of well-authenticated histoiy. There must, however, be some cases in which we shall be reduced to their testimony alone, and that perhaps in points of great importance. MR. B. We must therefore the more carefully examine into the real probability or improbability of the truth of such portions. BEATRICE. But the evidence thus scattered through a variety of authors in different languages is com- pletely inaccessible to ordinary readers. MR. B. It has been collected, arranged, and translated, for their benefit, by the defenders of Christianity in later times. BEATRICE. But how can we place reliance upon wori:^ of this nature, made by any man who has a personal interest in maintaining one side of a disputed point ? MR. B. Surely ordinary readers may place reliance upon the accuracv of his translations, when, after a con- siderable lapse of time, his most acute and learned adversaries have never called their fidelity in ques- tion. Gibbon was no friend to Christianity, yel r EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 53 he placed the greatest reliance upon the labours of " the indefatigable Tillemont," and '' the laborious Lardner." It also so happens, that those who have laboured most in works of this kind could gain or lose very little, whatever might be the result. BEATRICE. Be that as it may, still it is reasonable to conclude, that personal interest does bias many of the defenders of Christianity, and prejudice many others of those who may be so circumstanced as not to have much to gain or lose. If men fancy Christianity to be a great public good in the first instance, it is hardly likely that their inquiries into its truth will be perfectly fair. MR. B. So far as the presenting a faithful statement of all that is known on the subject is concerned, such collectors of ancient testimonies have lono- o been open to detection by their adversaries ; but these havino' brouo-ht no counter-statements, the unlearned have a right to conclude the former are correct. As to opinions formed upon such col- lections, they must, of course, be tried by their intrinsic worth, and the degree to which they are borne out by the authorities adduced. In the fact of the matter being equally open to all parties, consists the real ground of confidence. ¥ 54 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. But considerable allowances, I think, ought to be made for the partiality which it is natural a man should feel for any line of argument which he may have struck out. I can hardly imagine any one so entirely destitute of personal feeling as to examine a matter of deep interest, when his view of it appears nearly established, with the same equal mind with which he commenced his inquiries. MR. B. But others do not feel this predilection ; many perhaps are opposed to it. There is a tendency, no doubt, in the minds of some to distort facts so as to further an hypothesis; but since this exists on the one side as well as the other, we are pretty certain that neither will allow the other to continue the publication of false statements, uncontradicted. EDWARD. But readers are prejudiced as well as writers. TJiose who wish to find Christianity true are not likely to examine statements in its favour with that degree of severity which the subject requires. MK. B. That some do not is certain ; but knowing your liability to err in this respect, you can the more diligently guard against it. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 55 EDWARD. But if the generality of readers do not, one very material point is gained against Christianity, viz. the alleged general superiority of the Christian advocates over their antagonists is accounted for, and no argument can be drawn from the fact of the prevalence of the religion, and its successful resistance of all the attacks that have been made upon it. All argument founded upon the conduct also of the defenders of Christianity must depend upon the probability that they were neither de- ceivers nor deceived ; but surely this probability is much diminished by the causes just mentioned ; and how then can it be inferred that Christianity must be true, because it has been advocated by wise and good and learned men ? MR. B. It cannot be inferred that it must be true ; but that it probabli/ may he true is not an unfair conclusion. The possibility that such men have been deceived must certainly be allowed ; but from this we can only infer that their example alone is not a sufficient reason for embracing this re- ligion, and that their reasons for so acting ought to be examined rather than implicitly received. EDWARD. But in addition to prejudice in favour of Chris- tianity, the clergy (on whom the task of de- 56 CONVERSATIONS ON THE fending it is naturally devolved) must have been interested as well as prejudiced advocates. MR. B. Are you sure that you can establish that point ? EDWARD. Many of the most eminent obtained high pre- ferment. MR. B. But was it in consequence of their labours in this' cause ? Was preferment a probable consequence ? I mean so far as to induce the clerical advo- cates to defend it ? EDWARD. I cannot say decidedly ; but it appears to me no very improbable supposition. MR. B, A more correct knowledge of church history would have tauo-ht you to form a very different conclusion. But whom do you regard as the more eminent clerical defenders of Christianity I EDWARD. My knowledge of the subject is only very light ; but the names which more immediately occur to me are those of Sherlock, Butler, War- burton, Watson, Porteus, Lesley, Leland, Bentley, Clarke, and Paley. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 57 ME. B. In o-eneral, what should vou think of the in- tellectual powers of these men ? EDWARD. Very highly. MR. B. You would not then think them liable to be deceived, where they gave vsufficient attention to the subject ? EDWARD. Not unless their wishes to find some opinion correct biassed them. MR. B. And you will allow that to this subject they did give sufficient attention ? EDWARD. Certainly : their superior advantages arising from their intimacy with it is one of the things which I think goes far to account for their supe- riority over their antas^onists. What chance could such a man as Paine have with Watson, even supposing the former had been right ? But the fact of their superior advantages does not ex- clude the probability of their being prejudiced and biassed by their wishing to prove Christianity true. MR. B. As to their wishes in early life, we know nothing ; D 2 68 CONVERSATIONS ON THE and it is too much to take it for granted, that they only inquired into the truth of Christianity after they had pledged themselves to support it. But, passing over that, do you think they were origin- ally strongly biassed in favour of the established creed or not ? EDWARD. Not perhaps strongly, but still in such a measure that they w^ould be contented with less proof than would have satisfied men of their acuteness in other subjects. MR. B. AVhat then is your idea of the nature of the evidences of Christianity ? Is its proof so strong as to put the matter out of all doubt ; or merely such as to persuade, in conjunction with prejudice and interest? I presume you would not assert, that these celebrated men w^ere conscious they were defending a bad cause ? EDWARD. ('ertainly not ; but the second position appears to me so far probable, as to deserve serious con- sideration : if the first were admitted, of course the whole ground of controversy would be given up. MR. B. Nevertheless, as the first aftbrds the most na- tural, full, and sufficient reason for the conduct of those whom you allow to have been very superior EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 59 men, even after all the deductions that can rea- sonably be made, the fact that such men have been the defenders of Christianity must afford some degree of probability of its truth ; but ad- mitting the second to be more correct, how comes it that there has been no honest man found amono* all the numerous and learned Christians, of all classes, who have undertaken the defence of that relioion, to avow the truth ? You acknowledo-e the ability, the acuteness, the learning of those you have mentioned ; and the list might, without much labour, be " greatly extended. Now how does it happen (if there was any weakness or de feet in the evidences), that tliey should have all professed the same conviction, have all pushed the matter into notice, and courted a discussion which they knew would prove fatal? We have instances of men changing one modification of Christianity for another ; relinquishing prefer- ment, and exposing themselves to persecution, for conscience sake. But where are those men of sound mind who, after a full investigation, have renounced the religion itself altogether ? Do you think you could bring forward any twelve men, of competent talents and learning, who are known to have been free from all bias ao;ainst Christi- anity, and who can be proved to have fullj/ ex- amined into its claims, who yet rejected it^ You think much of the power of prejudice \ but I will remind you of a set of advocates for Christianity 60 CONVERSATIONS ON THE who have been accused of a spirit very opposite to prejudice, and equally powerful — a love of in- novation and change ; advocates indeed, who have not left formal written treatises, but whose works will be remembered whilst the world lasts. Were the reformers, whose blood was poured out like water, men of light minds, prejudiced and inte- rested ? When they burst from the yoke of Rcme^ would they have retained that of Christ, had they doubted the verity of his religion ? Would it not have been as easy to die for Deism as for Chris- tianity ? Were the rack and the stake likely to endear the profession of that name ? No, no ! When Luther stood in the Diet of Worms, with the fate of Huss before his eyes, and said, " Thus I believe; I cannot do otherwise — God help me!" his faith was not weak nor ill grounded : when Ridley and Latimer expired in the flames, they had not lightly discriminated between the religion of Christ and that which condemned them to death. They knew there was a reality in Chris- tianity : they feared not man, who was able to kill the body, but God, who, after death, could destroy both body and soul in hell. Of the names you mentioned, some were men of remarkably in- dependent mind ; of a cast of character that scorned subjection to the dictates of any man, or set of men; who injured their own interests in life, in consequence of their freedom in speaking and acting. Is it probable that such men would have EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 61 suffered their minds to be blinded in that with which they were most conversant ? You just mentioned Leslie as one of the most eminent of the clerical defenders of Christianity. You per- haps were not aware, that, prior to the abdication of James II., he had made himself obnoxious to that monarch, from his steady opposition to the Papists, and afterwards became equally so to his successors, from his conscientious adherence to the exiled king; and in consequence was re- duced to great distress, towards the conclusion of his life. Would you not think him, then, worthy of belief, when you find him writing thus, with what he believed would be *' the last effort of his pen?" " If, in writing so much, and on so many subjects, mistakes have crept in, I hope they are not of importance ; and, such as they are, could I examine and discover, I should readily retract them, and disown nothing but artitice and malice, from which my own conscience acquits me, and God, I hope, who is greater, will not condemn me. I have always tliought it my duty to follow truth as closely as I could, without straying after worldly interest ; and though the providence of God, infinitely wise and righteous, hath, for a great part of my life, excluded me from the public exercise of that sacred office to which I was called, yet I have the comfort of having endeavoured in some degree to serve, against its various adversaries, the cause of God, of religion, and of that church in which I was bap- tised, educated, and received into holy orders. — And being now in a point of time to which eternity is near, you vdll be- lieve me if I declare (and to the world I would declare it), that in 62 CONVERSATIONS ON THE this communion I resolve to die, and expect to be saved, by the merits and mediation of Christ Jesus." — Leslie's 'Fheol. Works, folio. Pref. Ep. EDWARD. Still allowance must be made for habits of think- ing too favourable to the side they espoused — pro- fessional predilections. MR. B. A little more close examination will shew you that even the very habits of life of several of the most eminent of these men were unfavourable to your argument. What tendency had the mathe- matical pursuits of Watson and Paley to soften the severity of their judgment with regard to Christianity ? What tendency was there in the pursuits of Clarke and Butler to this end ? Was '' slashing Bentley/' think you, a man likely to be deceived in his critical investigations, or cowed into silence as to their results ? EDWARD. But their reputation and literary character might become involved in the defence. MR. E. How then came their reputation to be so ni- volved ? Was any necessity laid upon them to connect it with a weak argument? Were they likely men to do so ? Had they felt the weakness of the cause, would they have dared to court a full EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 63 investigation of it ? Had Bentley and Warbiirton no enemies ? Were there none livino- who would have rejoiced to triumph over them? AVhy did they trouble themselves about the controversy, unless they believed it to be so important, that, at all events, investigation ought to take place, and the truth made manifest — unless they also re- garded their own side so safe, that they feared no consequences — and their own conviction of the truth of Christianity was so strong, that they were willing to risk their own credit upon it ? EDWARD. That their own reputation was dear to them, cannot be questioned ; and it is no harsh inference to conclude, that they would not lightly risk it for a doubtful cause ; but some allowance must be made for expectations of preferment in case of success. MR. B. To establish that, you must first shew that they were so keenly on the watch for preferment, and that there was a hope of it, arising from the line of conduct which they pursued, sufficient to have induced them to pursue it, which I am persuaded you are unable to do. But even were this the case, would it follow that there were no other, no shorter roads to preferment — or that none but this was adapted to the temper of their minds ? If they 64 CONVERSATlOxNS ON THE felt the cause weak, could they imagine that those above them, (who must have known it also,) would thank them for forcing it into notice — or that they should serve their own interests more effectually by turning aside from those paths of science and general literature for which nature appeared to have intended them, and in which they were fully conscious of their own power ? Again, have you a right to assume such a want of upright principle in so numerous a body as the defenders of Chris- tianity have now become ? Can you for a mo- ment imagine, that such an uncertain hope would prevail against reason and principle ; that men of talents, of learning, and of acknowledged integrity, in other points, would suffer their minds to be so biassed by an uncertain hope of this kind ; that they would run the risk of exposure, nay even court it, when the other means of rising^ into distinction were before them? Common sense tells us that such men would not so act; that no wise or able man would risk his character lumecessarili/ for that which he barely believed. We must therefore conclude, that the labours of such men would not have been undertaken without a full and over- powering conviction of the truth of Christianity, and did not arise from a belief so feeble as to re- quire the aid of church emoluments to strengthen it. — This subject has occuj)ied a considerable portion of our time; but as I wish you to examine the ori- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 65 ginal works, rather than to rely on the arguments I may select from them, it is of great importance that you do not suffer the conviction which I am confident those works will produce, to be weakened by unfounded assertions, as to interest and preju- dice in the authors; assertions easily made, but forming a miserable reply to the works in question. EDWARD. Is it not, however, to be regretted, that, in con- troversies on this subject, the defenders of Christi- anity had one very material advantage over their opponents, in that it was their principal study? MR. B. But is this advantage unfair? Can it, or ought it, to be objected to? With whom does the fault rest, if the parties are unequally matched in point of intellectual strength and acquirements? Whence are the defenders of Christianity to arise, if not from those who give up their lives to its ser- vice ? What would be the result if the professors of arts and sciences, in general, were suspected in their statements, merely because they were pro- fessors ? Am I to reject the experiments of Ne\vton, and refuse to look at his Principia, because he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge ? Am I to question the accuracy of Person, because he was Greek Professor? I cannot pretend to make the experiments in the one case, or to con- sult the manuscripts in the other; and I might be 66 CONVERSATIONS ON THE told, that each of these great men was interested and prejudiced ; yet who would not laugh at me, were I therefore to resolve I would pay no regard to either ? We cannot believe that the love of emolument, prejudice, or vanity, could so bias such men as to induce them to make false assertions of facts, in which they were liable to detection by all who envied their talents, coveted their situa- tions, or disliked their peculiar views. Why then should I doubt the accuracy of the critics of the New Testament, or turn a deaf ear to the argumen- tation of Butler or Paley ? EDWARD. But had the enemies of Christianity been as well versed in these subjects as its clerical advocates, the result might have been very different. MR. B. This is mere assumption; and I have equal right to assume, in reply, what appears to me a much fairer conclusion; that had the enemies of Chris- tianity read and thought more, they would have written less. In some cases, we know that increased knowledge of the subject has produced a very dif- ferent result; it has not only silenced, it has con- verted the enemies into the friends of Christianity. EDWARD. Do you then think the works of its advocates are to be received in the same manner as if thev EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 67 had been the productions of persons to whom the result were a matter of indifference ? MR. B. I think considerable allowance is always to be made for prejudice, as arising from the circum- stances of birth, education, disposition, and habits of life ; in the case of the clergy, also from attach- ment to their profession ; and, in some cases, for a predilection to certain courses of study in preference to others, and to peculiar lines of argument, which they have themselves invented or greatly improved. But I think they ought to be fully acquitted from the sweeping charge of acting from those interested motives which their enemies delight to impute to them ; and am fully persuaded that nothing but strong conviction would have produced the greater part of the many very able treatises which have been written in defence of Christianity. To their works, therefore, I would give all the attention which the character of the authors as well as the importance of the subject demands ; remembering, however,that, as men, they were Uable to be mistaken — as the abettors of a system, still more so. Their statements of facts, in cases where I w^as unable to verify them by an appeal to the original sources of information, I should be disposed to admit ; their reasonings on those statements I should wish to examine as strictly as possible ; and mere declama* tion I should reject altogether. BEATRICE. With this I shall be quite satisfied. 68 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. And I also. MR. B. Perhaps you may ; but I am not : for we have hitherto considered prejudice and interest as di- rected only in favour of Christianity; but some of its most distinguished opponents have been, most unquestionably, both interested and prejudiced against it. What was the moral character of the French philosophists who attacked it ? What sort of men have the Ens^lish Deists in oreneral been ? If you would take a just view of the subject, you must bear this in mind also ; and consider how far its opponents have had knowledge of the religion in question; from what sources they derived it; how they were situated; v/hat had been their habits of life; how far they were competent judges — consi- derations which will make no sceptic eager for an inquiry into the degree in which interest and pre- judice have affected the question. The language of this religion is, '' If any man will do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or of man" — a position as reasonable as it is pious ; but, among all the sceptics, where have we seen that reverent anxiety to ascertain the will of God, and to do it ? You have also particularly directed your arguments against the clergy of the Church of England, as interested and preju diced advocates : you must however remember, that it is not they alone who are the defenders of Chris- tianity : those of every other church do the same. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 69 in whatever circumstances they may be ; and you must allow, that this agreement, in those who in other respects differ widely, gives a strong pre- sumption in favour of Christianity. From the length of time this subject has detained us, I shall not press this upon you, but only remind you of two other particulars, not lightly to be passed over by you. EDWARD. What are they ? MR. B. That whatever deductions you now make on the score of interest and prejudice, only increases ten- fold the force of an aro^ument hereafter to be urg^ed on behalf of Christianity — the testimony of those who in privation and suffering maintained the truth of the Christian religion. EDWARD. And the second ? MR. B. That the defence of Christianity has by no means been exclusively in the hands of its ministers ; for there have existed a considerable number of lay- men, to whom the greater part of your objections are wholly inapplicable, who have, directly or indirectly, maintained its truth, and those men of the very highest order, neither the superficial nor the vain, neither bigots nor enthusiasts nor fanatics. I leave you to consider the names of Selden, Hale, Bacon, 70 CONVERSATIONS ON THE Milton, Boyle, Newton, Locke, Addison, Lyttel- ton. West, Johnson, Beattie, and Sir W. Jones; and these are merely taken from those who have flourished in our own country, and during the last two centuries. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 71 CONVERSATION IV. BEATRICE. We hope you are now at liberty, my dear sir, to enter upon such a development of the evidences of Christianity as may be best adapted to our use. MR. B I begin then by first stating what it is my in- tention to establish, and what I require to be granted me, in order to enable me to do so. My object is merely to exhibit a plain view of some of those facts and arguments which have most pow- erfully influenced my own mind, and which it ap- pears to me ought equally to influence yours. I shall not pretend to give you all the facts which have been thought to elucidate the subject, and which have already been collected for that purpose ; still less is it my intention to attempt the collect- inor all the arouments, which would be almost . ^n endless task ; but I shall not keep back a single objection, nor suppress a single circumstance which it appears to me ought to deserve considera- tion. But, even with these limitations, it will be necessary that we restrict our inquiries to the simple question, as to the truth of the Christian relio'ion, without entering into those of natural 72 CONVERSATIONS ON THE religion, or of the consequences which must follow as to doctrines, if Christianity be true. EDWAvRD. You assume, then, the existence of God, and the immortality of the soul? MR. B. The general belief in these points authorises me so to do. The first must be true, and the second at least sufficiently probable for my argu- ment ; and as I know you have both of you read Paley's " Natural Theology," and " Tremaine," I shall refer you to those works as sufficiently establishing them, and other preliminary points A\'iiich are necessai^. The latter is at once in- •J teresting and instructive: the former above all praise. BEATRICE. You will begin, then, with the quotation given in Tremaine from Paley ? MR. B. I shall, but do not bring it forward at present. I begin with the mere matter of fact that Chris- tianity exists. For i\ns fact there must have been some cause, and that cause is what it is necessary to ascertain. EDWARD. But though Christianity exists, who shall say EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 73 what is Christianity. The Christian world is split into ten thousand sects, which only agree in maintaining that the religion itself is true. MR. B. But if I say that Christianity is the religion founded by Jesus Christ, about 1800 years ago, in Judea, upon the basis of Judaism, and that by its excellence it prevailed over all other religions, to the extent now manifest, — would not all these sects agree with me? EDWARD. Certainly ; but I believe it is doubted by some whether such a person ever existed; and your statement cannot therefore be admitted as true, in itself, without proof. MR. B. And what proof do you require ? EDWARD. The same which would be necessary to establish any historical fact. MR. B, Is not the agreement of the Christian world upon it sufficient to establish it ? EDWARD. Their agreement only proves their belief, and that belief only leads us to infer the probability 74, CONVERSATIONS ON THE that it is founded upon some adequate cause. I should prefer the belief and testimony of enemies. MR. B. And that you have ; for but very few persons have been hardy enough to deny the fact. BEATRICE. What account do they give, then, of the matter? MR. B. Their assertion is, that no such person as the re- puted Founder of this religion ever existed ; that, in short, it w^as merely a symbolical representation of the sun which gave rise to the generally received accounts, and that the leading events of his life are to be taken allegorically, as referring to the heavenly bodies. BEATRICE. And is there any trace of this conjecture to be found in history? MR. B. Not the least ; and from the works alone of the enemies of Christianity we may prove the truth of the Christian statement. EDWARD. I should very much wish that to be done. MR. B. You shall have your wish. I would, however,' ^^ fiVir^ENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 75 x>bserve first, that there are three considerations of very great importance in this inquiry relative to the Christian statement ; for, in the first place, we possess a series of Christian records, the genuine- ness of which is unquestionable, up to the very time when this religion first appeared, in which the same statement now made by the Christians of our time is affirmed. Again; there has been no interval in which documents of this kind did not exist; and therefore we trace up the assertion of the fact by the Christians of every age, even to the very century in which the religion is said to have been first promulgated ; and, lastly, as the period assigned for the origin of this religion is one upon which perhaps more light has been thrown than on any other of those greatly removed from our own, no such suspicion rests upon the truth of these statements, as might have arisen had the period assigned been indefinitely removed, or in- volved in great obscurity. BEATRICE. These circumstances are so strongly in favour of the Christian statements, that, unless counter declarations can be produced by the enemies of Christianity, their testimony must be received. MR, B. Let us, then, turn to the accounts of the four great classes of those who have rejected Chris- 76 CONVERSATIONS ON THE tianity ; the Deists of the last three centuries, the followers of Mohammed, the Jews, and the Pa- gans. With regard to the first of these, their in- formation on the subject must be derived from sources equally open to us; and therefore their opinion, when unsupported by authorities of earlier time, is only of value as their opinion, and, con- sequently, if unfavourable to the Christian state- ment, could not weigh against the positive testi- mony given by the writers of preceding ages, that such was the belief in their time. But though their opinion if adverse would not materially af- fect the Christian statement, their opinion if in agreement with it must have weight, because we may reasonably conclude, from their rejection of Christianity, they would not have received the Christian statements as true, had they not ap- peared to them to have the force of truth. Turn- ing, then, to the works of the Deistical writers, w^e find that the modern opinion by some adduced against the fact of the existence of Christ, has not obtained generally among them ; in fact, very few indeed have entertained it; and consequently, from the conduct of the Deists themselves, we may reasonably conclude there is no solid foundation for it. EDWARD. It is only surprising that the objection should have ever been brought foi'ward at all. ti EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 77 MR. B. Proceeding to the next class of antagonists, we find the followers of Mohammed refer to the great work of the founder of their religion, as the supreme authority on this subject. By him, how- ever, the existence of Jesus Christ is not only ac- knowledged, but assumed as an essential part of the foundation on which his own claims are esta- blished. The country, the life and reputed death of the Founder of Christianity, must therefore at that time have been well known to be the same as at present believed. BEATRICE. This also carries us up to the beginning of the seventh century, and establishes the belief of the Christian statement at that period in the very countries where our Lord is said to have lived. MR. B. The testimony of the next body of adversaries is important, as being that of the descendants of those who had once possessed that country, and " of whom, as touching the flesh, Christ came," and in substance it agrees with the statement of the Christians ; for they allow that Christ was the founder of the religion which bears his name, and that he was put to death by their ancestors, before the destruction of Jerusalem. Now this last event is well known to have taken place in the year 70, and therefore it becomes certain, that the origin 78 CONVERSATIONS ON THE of Christianity could not have occurred later than a few years of the period assigned by its advocates. BEATRICE. Do the Jews assign no particular period for the appearance of Jesus ? MR. B. They do ; but as they differ among themselves, and are proved by the testimony of all other nations to be most careless as to their chronolo- gical statements, we can place no dependence on the date assigned by the majority, which is con- siderably earlier than that given by the Christians, and is positively contradicted by the testimony of another body of adversaries, on which greater reliance can be placed. EDWARD. From what particular authors do you obtain this information ? MR. B. From authority which the Jews hold in the highest estimation, that of the Talmud, the date of which may be referred to the year 500, and which, from the bitterness of its lanoruaoe against the Founder of Christianity, shews the compilers of it did not possess the power to deny the facts above mentioned ; whilst it leads us to suspect the truth of the imputations they cast upon him, and which you may see in Lardner. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 79 EDWARD. Then do you think it just to receive their decla- rations in the one case, and not in the other ? MR. B. There is a probability in favour of the former, which there is not as to the latter. On referring to the passages in question, you will find that the anecdotes bear such internal marks of falsity, that had they appeared at an earlier period they could hardly have been credited by any one ; but we have a further confutation of them in the ■fact, that previous assailants of Christianity, as devoted to their own faith as the compilers of the Talmud, and much more acute, have not left the slightest trace of their knowledge of any such transactions, which they hardly could have failed to mention if true. EDWARD. But what authority have these previous authors with the Jews ? MR. B. The Mishna, which was compiled by Rabbi Jehudah Hakkadosh, about the year 180, holds the highest place, and contains no proof against Christianity drawn from false statements, on the part of its friends, and casts no imputation of immorality on its Founder. It only laments the decline of religion, intimates its fears from the prevalence of the new faith, and confirms the fact 80 CONVERSATIONS ON THE of the destruction of Jerusalem having taken place at the time usually assigned. BEATRICE. We have, then, the testimony of the Jews, as well as of the Mohammedans, to the truth of the Christian statement. MR. B. There yet remains the testimony of the advo- cates of that religion which was overthrown by Christianity; they therefore cannot be less likely to state the truth than either of those already considered. Here, indeed, we have no work acknowledged by them as of supreme authority, as in the two last cases; and we must therefore trace the vestiges of Christianity, step by step, from the time of the last Pagans to the time when it first made its appearance. EDWARD. Those, however, who lived subsequently to the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the state, can hardly be of so much importance as those who preceded them. MR. B. The state of the Pagans under the Christian emperors, though certainly very unfavourable to them, was not, however, of such a nature as to preclude their giving us considerable information as to their opinion of Christianity, and the state EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 81 n which it had existed previously to its establish- ment. The very manner in which they write respecting it, proves as well that they w^ere under no constraint as to this expression of their opinions, as that they were not biassed in favour of the religion of the court. BEATRICE. But if they were men of character, surely their rejection of Christianity, under such cir- cumstances, ought to have great weight, since they lived near the times in which truth could best be discovered; and interest must have prompted many to embrace the new religion. MR. B. It is not without weight ; but this is not the place to consider it: we must pursue the more immediate object before us, viz. the obtaining certain knowledge as to the state of Christianity in their times and those which preceded them. EDWARD. It may, however, be conceived, they would not speak fully their opinion as to their own times. MR. B. Let us refer to facts. In the fifth century Proclus published eighteen arguments against the Christian religion, or rather against one tenet of it, that the world had not existed from E 2 .82 CONVERSATIONS ON THE -eternity. The works of Zosimus manifest the most bitter hatred of Christianity, undisguised and unsoftened ; and Hierocles so far provoked the popular feeling as to suffer severely irom their indignation. Rutilius scruples not to attack the monastic system, at that time becoming very popular, using no very measured expressions. " ^Vhat new mischief do we see, worse than the sorceries of Circe ? She metamorphosed the bodies of men into the shape of swine : this religion makes men brutes all over." — LarDNER'S Test, of Ant. Heath, clviii. BEATRICE. This would hardly have been tolerated in some countries now. MR. B. Eunapius, who lived at the close of the fourth century, speaks not less freely. I give you Lard- ner's translation, and refer you to him for further information. " And not only was the sacred warship abolished, but the sacred fabrics were thrown do^Ti, and all things had the same end with the vanquished giants in the fables of the poets : and the temples at Canobus underwent the same fate, Theodosius then reigning, Theophilus presiding over the affair, Euetius at the same time governor of civil affairs, and Romanus general of the soldiery, who, having never so much as heard of war, vented all their anger against stones and statues, and levelled the temple of Serapis to the ground ; and rifling away the con- secrated oblations, they gained a complete, though never con- tested and bloodless victory. For they fought so valiantly with statues and consecrated donatives, that they not only overcame them, but plundered them and carried them away. <<^; EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. And it was a part of their discipline, whatever they stolfethey kept concealed. They only carried not away the foundatic of the temple, by reason of the weight of the stones, which rendered them not easy to be removed. Thus these warlike and courageous champions, overwhelming all things with confusion and disorder, but foully defiled with avarice, gave out that they had overcome the gods, and boasted of their sacrilege and impiety. Then they introduced into the sacred places a sort of people called monks, — men, it is true, as to their outward shape, but in their lives swine, who openly suffered and did ten thousand wicked and abominable things. Nevertheless, to them it seemed to be an act of piety to trample under foot the reverence due to the sacred places : for every one that wore a black coat, and was content to make a sordid figure in public, had a right to exercise a tyrannical authority : such a reputation for virtue had this sort of men attained. But of these things I have already spoken in the Universal History. Then monks were settled at Canobus; who, instead of deities, as conceived in our minds, compelled men to worship slaves, and those not of the better sort neither. For picking up and salting the bones and skulls of those whom for many crimes justice had put to death, they carried them up and down, and shewed them for gods, and kneeled before them, and lay 'prostrate at their tombs, covered over with filth and dust. There were some of them (called martyrs, and ministers, and intercessors with the gods,) slaves that had served dishonestly, and been beaten with whips, and still bore in their corpses the scars of their villanies. And yet the earth brings forth such gods as these.'' — Lardner, c.liii. You will not, I think, after this specimen, suspect the Pagan testimonies of any undue predilection in favour of Christianity, nor of any reluctance to conceal what they deemed its weak- nesses. 84 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. It is also evident, that though the popular feel- ing was turned against idolatry, there yet remained a strong body of the philosophising Pagans, who preferred it to Christianity. BEATRICE. They also give a very disgusting picture of Christianity. MR. B. It is drawn by the hand of an enemy, you must recollect; the next testimony I shall cite gives somewhat a different idea : Ammianus Marcelli- nus, in one place, speaks of the office of a Chris- tian bishop as "' recommending nothing hut justice and lenitif r and in another, still more expressly reasons against the luxury of the metropolitan prelates. " But tliey might be happy indeed, if, despising the grandeur of the city, which they allege as an excuse for their luxury, they would imitate the life of some country bishops, who, by their temperance in eating and drinking, by the plainness of their habit, and the modesty of their whole behaviour, approve themselves to the eternal Deity, and his true worshippers, as men of virtue and piety." — Lardner, c. li. Speaking of Constantius, he gives this character of the religion itself: — "The Christian religion, which is in itself plain and simple, he adulterated with a childish superstition: for studying it with a vain curiosity, instead of a sober modesty, lie raised many EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 85 dissensions, which, when caused, he cherished and increased by a strife about words." — Lardner, c. li. BEATRICE. These extracts give a very different impression to the last ; there is a distinction evidently drawn between Christianity and corruptions of it. MR. B. The whole of this author's statements are so ac- cordant w^ith those of the Christians, that I wish time permitted my giving more ; but I must con- tent myself with observing, that he speaks of the Christian sects being very bitter against each other, and conveys the idea of Christianity being decidedly the religion of the great body of the people, and yet he praises Valentinian, because " He stood neuter between all the diversities of religion, and was troublesome to none ; nor did he require any one to follow either this or that. Nor did he strive by severe edicts to bend the necks of his subjects to his own way of worship; but left matters untouched in the condition he found them." — Lard- NER, c. li. EDWARD. There is, however, in these extracts, little refer- ence to the state of Christianity before the time of its establishment. MR. B. There is; but even silence here becomes importr ant ; for had the Christian accounts been false, as to leading facts, we can hardly suppose they would 86 CONVERSATIONS ON THE have been passed over by authors Hke those we have referred to. The gradual decline of Pagan- ism afforded ample time for full investigation; and certainly, of all persons, the philosophers of Alexan- dria and Athens had the best means of detecting falsehood, had it existed; and we may, therefore, regard their silence as strongly corroborative of the \ truth of the Christian statements as to the origin and progress of the religion. BEATRICE. There does not appear any trace of Christianity having been promulgated by means similar to those employed by Mohammed. Idolatry was indeed put down ; but there is no proof that con- version was pressed upon the people, though the example of the court must have had great influ- ence. MR. B. The next authority to be produced will not make this conduct of the Christians less remark- able. Libanius, in his funeral oration on the em- peror Julian, has the following memorable passage, which clearly shews in what state Christianity had been in the earlier stages of its progress. " Having paid all honours due to Constantius, he began with remedying matters relating to the gods, sacrificing in the view of all, and expressing his satisfaction in those who followed him, and deriding those who did not, and endeavouring to per- suade them to imitate him, but witiiout compulsion. Indeed, EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 87 they who were in wrong sentiments w^ere filled with fear, and expected pulling out of eyes, beheadings, and rivers of blood flowing from innumerable slaughters ; and that this new lord would find out new ways of torture ; and that fire and sword, and drowning and burying alive, and amputation of limbs, would be trifling things. Such things had been practised by those who went before ; but now more grievous things were ex- pected. But Julian dissented from those who had practised such things, as not obtaining the end aimed at ; and he was sensible that no benefit was to be expected from such violence. For men labouring under diseases of the body may be relieved by bandages; but a false opinion about the gods is not to be expelled by cutting and burning ; and if the hand sacrificeth, the mind reproves the hand, and condemns the infirmity of the body, and still approves what it approved before. There is only an appearance of a change, but no real alteration of senti- ment. Moreover, they who comply are pardoned afterwards, and they who die (under torture) are honoured as gods. " Considering, therefore, these things, and observing likewise that their affairs had been increased by slaughters, he declined what he could not approve of. Thus he brought over all to the truth who were to be persuaded; but did not compel those who were in love with falsehood." — Lardner, c. xlix. EDWARD. This is indeed very important testimony. There is no mention made here of any cause for persecu- tion, beyond the holding these sentiments ; nor of any cause of success on the opposite side, beyond the endurance of sufferings. MR. B. We have also an oration by the same author, on behalf of the temples, which is translated at 88 CONVERSATIONS ON THE " length in Lardner, and which establishes some very important facts in addition to the above, one of which is, that Christianity was at that time the prevailing religion, and heathenism in a weak and declining state; and another, that the Christian laws "do not 'permit persecution, hut commend per^ suasion, and condemn compulsion.'^ BEATRICE. But does not the appeal to Christian principles imply some degree of persecution existing ? MR. B. The oration is addressed to Theodosius, and the occasion of it was the pulling down of some tem- ples, without the express orders of the emperor. That no authorised persecution of the Pagans took place, and that the emperor did not sanction any outrages which the populace might perpetrate under the pretext of zeal for Christianity, is abun- dantly manifest from the whole oration ; but one passage is so remarkable, that, notwithstanding the time already spent in examining extracts upon this subject, it cannot be omitted. He asserts that those who had suffered from Christian zeal were not liable to penalties from having acted contrary to law : and continues — " Of which there would have been some appearance, if you, O Emperor, had published a decree to this purpose. ' Let no man witliin my empire believe in the gods, nor worship EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 89 them, nor ask any good tiling of them, neither for himself nor for his children, unless it be done in silence and privately ; but let all present themselves at the places where I worship, and join in the rites there performed. And let them offer the same prayers which they do, and bow the head at tlie hand of him who directs the multitude. Whoever transgresses this law shall be put to death.' It was easy for you to publish such a law as this ; but you have not done it, nor have you, in this matter, laid a yoke upon the souls of men. But though you think one way better than the other, yet you do not judge that other to be an impiety for which a man may be justly punished. ' Nor have you excluded those of that sentiment from honours, but have conferred upon them the highest offices, and have given them access to your table to eat and drink with you. This you have done formerly and at this time : besides others, you have associated to yourself (thinking it advantageous to the govern- ment) a man who swears by the gods, both before others, and before yourself; and you are not offended at it; nor do you think yourself injured by those oaths ; nor do you account him a wicked man who placeth his best hopes in the gods." — Lardner, C. xlix. EDWARD. Yet, ultimately. Paganism was suppressed by the emperors. MR. E. It was not so much suppressed by them, as it was left by them to its own strength for defence, and sunk, in consequence, gradually, as might have been expected. The countenance afforded by the emperors to Christianity was, undoubtedly, Df the greatest consequence to it ; but it must be 'emembered, it was not they who made the new :*eligion powerful in the first instance ; the first and 90 CONVERSATIONS ON THE great steps had already been made by the new faith; it had been found invincible before the state joined its strength to it. Indeed it is very questionable whether some of the emperors ever would have advocated it, had they not felt its in- fluence to be irresistible. BEATRICE. You regard, then, the patronage given to Chris- tianity as the effect, not the cause, of its general reception ? MR. B. Certainly; though I am willing to allow, that the countenance thus given to it materially con- tributed to its universal reception afterwards. BEATRICE. But do you think, had the court continued Pagan, that Christianity would have supplanted Paganism ? MR. B. In reality it would, though not in appearance ;' arguing from the state in which the two religions were at the commencement of the third century ; the nominal change of the religion of the state might have been retarded, but it could not have been prevented : the principles on the side of Christianity had proved themselves too powerful for any weapons which Paganism was able to produce. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 91 EDWARD. The light which is thrown on the subject by the quotations you have produced, appears to me calculated to give great interest to a further in- vestigation of the causes which could have led to so remarkable a result. BEATRICE. One would naturally suppose there'' must have been great strength in Christianity, or great weakness in Paganism ; since whatever advantage the protection of the state afforded to the first after its establishment, appears, by the statement of Libanius, to have been afforded to the other previously, with the addition of severe suffering being inflicted on those who professed Christi- anity. MR. B. The statements of the heathen writers who lived subsequently to the establishment of Chris- tianity, appear fully to bear out the truth of the Christian statements, so far as they go. We find in them no trace of Christianity having arisen at a different time, or under different circumstances from those alleged; no intimation of there being any doubt then entertained upon this subject. It appears certain, also, that the avowed tenets of the Christians, as to persecution, were the same as what its apologists now state; and from all that we can collect from the remaining documents 92 CONVERSATIONS ON THE of their enemies, we have every reason to believe, Christianity at the time of its nominal establish- ment w?ls received by great numbers, throughout the v^^hole extent of the empire, and had not at- tained that general reception by any other means than the strength derived from the very principles of the religion itself. EDWARD. Do you then think the majority of the inhabit- ants of the Roman empire had embraced Chris- tianity before the declaration of Constantine in its favour ? MR. B. By no means ; for the embracing it was at- tended with penalties too terrible for such a ge- neral reception among those who were indifferent as to religion : but it appears to me certain, that there was so general a reception of it among those who did feel an interest in religion, as to give it the greater force. You must measure the strength of a religious party not by mere names or appear- ances, but by the numbers of those who really are attached to it, and the degree to which they are attached. Considered in this point of view, there can be no doubt that the Christians were de- cidedly the most powerful religious party in the empire ; for their numbers are sufficiently attested both by friends and foes; and their attachment to their faith not only withstood the most violent EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 93 attacks, but wearied out their persecutors. The result proved, that the means employed for its subversion were wholly ineffectual. The ease with which Paganism was supplanted by Chris- tianity in the first instance, under Constantine, and the readiness with which the empire reverted to this religion, after all the labours of Julian to overthrow it, immediately upon that emperor's death, prove decidedly that the Gospel, which in its commencement had been but as a grain of mustard seed, had struck deep root, and spread forth its influence through all lands. i. 94 CONVERSATIONS ON THE CONVERSATION V. MR. B. In our last conversation we satisfied ourselves as to the existence of Christianity up to the time of the emperor Julian, and found no evidence of its having had any other origin than what is com- monly assigned. In further tracing the vestiges of this religion, you must be aware, from the very nature of the case, that we cannot reasonably expect such strong evidence as we have had in the preceding part of our inquiry. EDWARD. Certainly; if Christianity was originally pro- fessed only by an obscure and despised sect, in a remote province of the Roman empire, it would be unreasonable to expect it should attract that attention which it afterwards obtained, when it became the religion of a material portion of the whole people. MR. B. It is also probable, that if such were its origin in the first instance, it would " be every where spoken against :" for we know that there was a general prejudice against the Jews ; and the Christian statement, as to the death of its Founder, was not ikely to allure the votaries of the esta- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 95 blished superstitions. From the testimony of Libanius, it appeared that the Christians previ- lOusly to their obtaining the ascendency had been cruelly persecuted; and it hence becomes by no means improbable that they were also calumni- ated; and the more so, if the hatred of the Chris- tians to idolatry, which we have already seen, was manifested during the period in which the power remained in the hands of its abettors. But let us now turn from conjecture to examination, and we shall find the truth of these observations con- firmed by facts. During the latter part of the period under consideration, Christianity was an object of the greatest interest, and its opposers were equally anxious to overthrow its principles, and intimidate its professors into a renunciation of them. During the second century it was by ao means so much the object of general attention ; for its success was not then so decided as to threaten the subversion of the established creed ; and in the first we only find such traces of it as inight have been expected would remain of a sect which had its origin in a country, the inhabitants of which were generally disliked, and the religion 3f which was not understood. BEATRICE. But does the increased knowledge of Christi- anity which the Pagans had, in consequence of ts universal dissemination, prove favourable to it ? 96 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. It does ; inasmuch as accusations of horrible crimes, practised by the Christians at secret meet- ings, were afterwards laid aside as untenable, although the disposition of its enemies yet re- mained unchanged. BEATRICE. And is there no trace of any other origin than the one commonly assigned to Christianity, per- ceptible in their writings ? MR. B. Not the least ; but abundant confirmation of the Christian statements on the subject. BEATRICE. But what sort of writers are those which thus corroborate them ? MR. B. The works in question may be divided into three classes. Imperial edicts relative to the Christians ; the works of professed antagonists of Christianity; and, lastly, those of writers who incidentally allude to it. BEATRICE. Have the first come down to us entire? MR. B. Unfortunately they have not. Lactantius re- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 97 lates that Uipian, who flourished at the beginning of" the third century, made a collection of the edicts against them, which he inserted in his work on the Duty of a Proconsul; but this being no longer extant, we are forced to content ourselves with the fragments which yet remain interspersed in tlie writings of contemporary authors. EDWARD. But can we rely on such evidence, if trans- mitted only through the medium of Christians ? BEATRICE. According to the conclusions drawti in a former conversation, we must (provided there is no in- ternal evidence militating against them), since the facts must have been matters of public notoriety; and it is not likely in such a point the Christians would run an unnecessary risk of exposure, MR. B. And in this case, the testimony of Pagans al- Iready adduced is greatly in favour of their accu- racy; and they also bear the strongest internal [marks of genuineness. EDWARD. How hio-h does our knowledge of the conduct pursued by the emperors extend ? F 98 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. We have mention made by heathen writers of persecutions carried on against the Christians to the first, viz. that of Nero, in the year 67 : but our knowledge of the declared sentiments of the emperors does not extend higher than the year 110, when Trajan appears to have given the ^rst general directions as to the conduct which was in future to be pursued by the public officers towards them. EDWARD. You speak of the emperors as the persecutors of the church. Are we warranted from the records which have come down to us, in regarding them as such ? BEATRICE. Surely not all : there were some excellent men among them. MR B The conclusion which Lardner draws from a very careful examination of all the remaining do- cuments which can throw light upon the subject' is, that " Christianity, from the time of its first appearance in the world, was all along in a state of persecution till the time of Constantine." He afterwards explains himself more at large as! follows : " These things are sufficient to assure us, that the Christiana tlCi EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 99 in this period were generally in suffering circumstances, and were liable to suffer. " Nevertheless, after all, it is not to be supposed, that per- secution was always violent and uninterrupted : there might be some abatements of those troubles, and some seasons of rest and peace : what they were, may be collected from what we have seen in this and the preceding volume ; and I shall here reckon them up in a summary manner. We reckon that Nerva was favourable to them, who, when he repealed the other acts of Doraitian, repealed also his law agamst the Chris- tians. His successor, Trajan, published an edict against the I Christians, which, as has been often hinted already, never was • abrogated, but continued in force so long as heathenism sub- sisted in the Roman empire. Nevertheless, we can perceive that in the reigns of Adrian and Titus Antoninus there were some edicts or rescripts which were favourable to them; though, during those very reigns, many Christians still suffered in almost eveiy part of the empire. Tliey also received some favour from Alexander Severus and Philip. They might also enjoy peace and tranquillity in the reigns of Coramodus and Caracalla, who did not much concern themselves about the affairs of religion. The first years of Valerian, and the reio-n of Gallienus, after Valerian's captivity, were favourable to them ; as likewise the former part of the reign of Diocletian when the Roman empire was disturbed by enemies on even side, '' When therefore I say, that all this while Christianity was in a state of persecution, I am willing that proposition should be understood in a mild and qualified sense. — Larbner, c. xli. BEATRICE. Then to whom are the persecutions more par- ticularly attributed ? MR. B. To Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Marcus Antoninus, 100 CONVERSATIONS ON THE Severus, Maximin the Thracian, Decius, Gallus, Valerian, Aurelian, and, lastly, Diocletian and his colleagues. EDWAKD. You do not put Julian in this list ? MR. B. He was in one sense a bitter persecutor of the Christians, for he bent all the powers of a very strong: mind to their subversion : but he did not pursue the same cruel method which had been so frequently tried by his predecessors ; because he was aware it had turned out to the advantao'e of the relisiion he was anxious to overthrow. EDWARD. But yet you do not regard him as a tolerant emperor ? MR. B. He was only tolerant so far as his interest com- pelled him to be tolerant : he eagerly sought for pretexts to banish the Christian clergy, and by an edict, which the Pagan writers themselves repro- bate as cruel and most unworthy of him, prohi- bited Christians from nractising; the liberal arts. BEATRICE. He must have feared the intellectual as well as the numerical strength of the Christians. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 101 MR. B. He unquestionably did so : and it is of some importance to our argument to know, that though Christianity sprang from a low and obscure origin, according to the statement of its adversaries, yet when it came to be known, and when persecution was most violent, it yet numbered among its followers men of the first talents and most pro- found learn ino^. BEATRICE. Might not some other cause besides a difference in religion have prompted the persecutions ? MR. B. Christianity occasioned not so much a difference of religion as an opposition of religions. Judaism had been freely tolerated, like all other religions which did not interfere with that of the state. But the evident tendency of Christianity was to overthrow all other creeds ; it admitted of no com- promise, and consequently no way was left but to put it down by force, or to leave the matter to be decided by time and truth : the passions and interests however of the persecutors were too much pledged in behalf of Paganism to permit them to do the latter, and the former was the necessary result. However shocking the con- tinued persecutions of the Christians may appear to us, it cannot be a matter of surprise, that a religion, the avowed object of which was 102 CONVERSATIONS ON THE the overthrow of all others, should instantly create a host of enemies, little disposed to ex- amine its real character. The Christians them- selves, from the earliest times, expected persecu- tions, as a natural and almost unavoidable result of their profession ; and the wonder is, that, under such circumstances, any should have been induced to embrace it. To those who knew little of it the conduct of such appeared perfect madness : it was commonly spoken of and regarded as such; but it was also deemed too pernicious a phrensy to be overlooked or neglected. BEATRICE. This, then, was a sufficient cause ; but might not another have existed in the licentious conduct of the Christians ? MR. B. We have no such reason assigned in any of the edicts, nor is any such reason for persecution alleged by the apologists for Paganism, which could hardly have been omitted had the cause existed. BEATRICE. Were the sufferino^s of the Christians in these persecutions very severe ? MR. B. They depended, in a great measure, upon the disposition of the governors in the provinces ; EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 103 in some cases, they appear to have been very great ; but for the details we are forced to depend F on Christian writers, in whom we may naturally suppose there was a tendency to exaggerate the sufferings of the faithful. EDWARD. But were the persecutions so severe as to become a certain test of the sincerity of the suf- ferers ? MR. B. Of that there can be no doubt : and to some the extremity of their torments would even prove more. " Under this head, I cannot omit that which appears to me a standing miracle, in the three first centuries ; I mean that amazing and supernatural courage and patience which was shewn by innumerable multitudes of martyrs, in those slow and painful torments that were inflicted on them. I cannot conceive a man placed in the burning chair at Lyons, amidst the insults and mockeries of a crowded amphitheatre, and still keeping his seat; or stretched upon a grate of iron, over coals of fire, and breathing out his soul amidst the exquisite sufterings of such a tedious execution, rather than renounce his religion, or blaspheme liis Saviour. Such trials seem to me above the strength of human nature, and able to overbear duty, reason, faith, conviction, nay, and the most absolute certainty of a future state. Humanity, unassisted in an ex- traordinary manner, must have shaken off the present pressure, and have delivered itself out of such a dreadful distre>s, by any means that could have been suggested to it. We can easily imagine that many persons in so good a cause might 104 CONVERSATIONS ON THE have laid down their lives at the gibbet, the stake, or the block ; but to expire leisurely among the most exquisite tortures, when they might come out of them even by a mental reservation, or an hypocrisy, which is not without the possibility of being followed by repentance, has something in it so far beyond the force and natural strength of mortals, that one cannot but think that there was some miraculous power to support the sufferer." — Addison's Evidences, § vii. No. 4. BEATRICE. Does this conclusion appear to you correct I ) MR. B. It is not an unnatural one for a Christian to make ; but it would hardly be allowed by an antagonist : and therefore I shall only press the point of the sufferings of the primitive Christians as sufficiently attesting their sincerity. BEATRICE. But is the fact of their endurance of sufferings sufficiently attested by contemporary and Pagan authors ? MR. B. The following quotations perhaps will satisfy you. Marcus Aurelius writes in his Medita- tions : — *' How happy is that soul which is prepared to depart presently, or to be extinguished, or dispersed, or to remain along with it ! But let this preparation arise from its own judgment, and not from mere obstinacy, like that of the EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 105 Christians, that you may die considerately, witli a venerable composure, so as even to persuade others into a like disposition, and witliout noise and ostentation.'' In the year 311, Galerius published the follow- ing edict : — " The emperor Caesar Galerius Valerius Maximian, invin- cible, august high priest, to the people of the provinces. Among other things which we have ordered, with a xievf to the benefit and prosperity of the public, we did indeed formerly strive to correct all things according to the ancient laws and established constitution of the Romans ; and, among other things, that the Christians, who had forsaken the religion of their ancestors, should return to a right mind : forasmucii as by some means such an obstinacy had seized them, and sucli was their folly, that they followed not the institutions of the ancients, which possibly some of their own ancestors had appointed ; but, according to their own fancy, and just as they pleased, they made laws for themselves, to be observed and followed by them, and in many places they drew over mul- titudes of people to follow their customs. Wherefore, when after we had published our edict, that they should return to the institutions of the ancients, many have been exposed to danger, and many have been greatly afflicted, and have undergone various kinds of deaths ; and forasmuch as great multitudes yet persist in their opinions, and we have perceived that they give not due worship and reverence to the immortal Gods, nor yet worship tlie God of the Christians ; we, duly considering our accustomed mildness and humanity, with which we are w^ont to dispense pardon to all men, have thought proper readily to hold forth to them tliis indulgence ; that they may at length be Christians, and that they may rebuild the houses in which they have been used to assemble, provided they do nothing con- trary to good government. By another letter we shall make F 2 106 CONVERSATIONS ON THE known our pleasure to the judges, for the direction of their conduct; wherefore, agreeably to this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our welfare, and for that of the public, and for their own, that on all sides the public may be preserved in peace and safety, and they may live securely in their own habitations." — Lardner, c. xl. Eusebius has also preserved the following official letter of Sabinus, at that time prefect of the prgetorium, to the governors of the pro- vinces : — " The majesty of our most sacred lords the emperors, in- fluenced by the pious and devout principle with which tlieir minds are filled, have long since designed to bring all men to the right and true way of living ; and that they who have em- braced different usages from the Romans should be induced to give due reverence to the immortal Gods. But such is the obstinacy and perverseness of some men, that neither the justice of the imperial edicts, nor the imminent danger of punishment, could prevail upon them. Forasmuch, therefore, as by this means it has happened, that many have brought themselves into great dangers, our most sacred and powerful lords the emperors, agreeably to their innate piety and cle- mency, considering it to be far from their intention that upon this account many should be exposed to danger, have com- manded us to write this letter to you, and to direct you, that if any of the Christians should be found practising the worship of their sect, you should not bring him into any danger, nor give him any trouble, nor appoint any punishment to him upon that account. Forasmuch afi it has been manifestly found, by the experience of a long course of time, that they cannot by any mtan^ whatever be induced to depart from this obstinacy of disposition, you are therefore to write to the curators and other magistrates. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 107 and to the governors of the villages of every city, that they are no longer to concern themselves in this affair." — Labdner, BEATRICE, These documents are certainly sufficient to esta- blish the fact of the sufferings of the primitive Christians on behalf of their faith. MR. B. You will find some other docun^nts equally in- teresting in Lardner ; but t must now turn to the second class of authors who have given us inform- ation as to the state of Christianity, prior to the downfall of Paganism ; viz. professed antagonists. EDWARD. Their accounts, if faithfully preserved, will hardly have less weight than those of the last class. MR. B. Unfortunately, we have only got these works in fragments, owang, partly, to the indiscreet zeal of the early Christians, and, partly, to the neglect into which they fell after the establishment of Christianity. BEATRICE. But this is a most serious loss, and reflects hea- vily upon those who destroyed them. Some of them possibly contained a full vindication of those eminent men among the Pagans who rejected Christianity. 108 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B The loss is indeed great, as it is from their writ- ings we draw some of the strong-est aro-uments in favour of Christianity ; but we have sufficient re- mains to shew of what nature were the arguments by which Paganism was defended, and there is every reason to believe that the statement of Chry- sostom respecting them is correct, when he says : — " The books written against Christianity were so contempt- ible, that they had been all, in a manner, lost long ago. Many of them perished almost as soon as they appeared. But if they are still to be found any where, it is among the Christians." EDWARD. Is there reason to believe that any treatises written by very superior men have been wholly lost ? MR. B. There is not: the greater part of the treatises which appear to have excited attention on account of the learning and ability displayed in them, viz. those of Celsus, Porphyry, and the emperor Julian, are preserved to us in the replies respectively made to them. Of others, as Hierocles and Pronto, we have only a few passages referred to byTertullian, Lactantius, and other Christian advocates. ' BEATRICE. At what time did these authors write ? .K EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. MR. B. Celsus is supposed to have written his work against the Christians, entitled **The True Word," about the year 176; Porphyry wrote nearly one hundred years subsequently ; and Julian about the year 361 : so that sufficient time elapsed for the arguments of each to have their weight with the pubhc. BEATRICE. Does it appear, from the remains of these au- thors, that they were men of sufficient acuteness to be regarded as able opponents of Christianity ? MR. E. They have generally been considered as such. The arguments they make use of are of the kind that reasonably might be expected from persons situated as they were. There can be no doubt that they were most anxious to overthrow the Christian religion; and if the arguments they ad- duce be not sufficient so to do, we have far more reason to impute their failure to the weakness of the cause than to the folly or negligence of its advocates. EDWARD The talents of the emperor Julian are so well known, that it seems only reasonable to infer that nothing more could be adduced against Chris- tianity, in his days, than what he himself brought forward. 110 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. Porphyry also appears to have been a man of no common talents or attainments. Of Celsus we know little, but from his w^ork cannot think meanly of his abilities. BEATRICE. And what is the sum of the information derived from their works respecting Christianity? MR. B. Celsus informs us, that the Christians were at first few in number, but had increased greatly, and divided into parties among themselves ; that they were in a state of persecution — their assemblies being forbidden, and the punishment of death hanging over them ; yet they continued performing and teaching those things agreeably to their sen- timents privately, and that they even died for Christ's sake, for which he derides them. He also fully establishes many of the leading events of the life of Christ. Porphyry speaks of the Christian religion as '^Barbarian temerity,^' as " contrary to the laws ;'^ and in a work of his on Abstinence, we find him alluding to ''some mean people, who, havins embraced rules different from their former way of life, will endure to be torn limb from limb, rather than return to their old course ; who ab- stained from some animals, which they once eat greedily, with more care than from human flesh ;" meanino; the Christians, who abstained from things EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. Ill offered in sacrifice to idols. Julian speaks of Jesus as the Founder of Christianity ; as having been born in the reign of Augustus, at the time alleged by the Christians, and in many other important particulars confirms the truth of the Christian statements. EDWARD. We may therefore certainly conclude, that, in the main, the Christian account of the origin of this relio'ion is correct; for it cannot be conceived, that so many acute adversaries would all pass over a false statement on this point, and even confirm it, BEATRICE And though the Christians suffered persecution in consequence of their attachment to this religion, yet it prevailed over all opposition. MR. B. As we shall have occasion to return to the testi- mony of these authors again, I shall hasten to give you some specimens of the third class of writers who have given us information on the sui)ject of Christianity. Spariian, who wrote at the commencement of the fourth century, says, that " Septimius Sevems forbade, under a severe penalty, that any should become Jews. A like edict was published by him against the Christians." — Lardner,q. xxiii. Lampridius, who flourished about the same time, informs us, that 112 CONVERSATIONS ON THE " Alexander Severus tolerated the Christians ; that he de- signed the building a temple to Christ, and receiving him into the number of the deities, which Adrian also is supposed to have thought of before, who ordered temples without images to be erected in all cities ; which temples, at this very time, because they have no deities in them, are called Adrian's. And he is said to have prepared them for that purpose, but was forbid by those who consulted the oracles ; they having found, that, if that was done, all men would become Christians, and the other temples would be forsaken," — Lart^ 'ER, c. xxv. Again, speaking of Alexander — " When he was about to appoint any to the governments of provinces, or to other like offices, he published their names, inviting the people, if they had any crime to lay to their charge, to produce their evidences; at the same time declaring, that if any charged what he could not prove, he should be put to death. And he said, ' It was a miserable thing, that when the Christians and Jews observed this method of publishing the names of their priests before they were ordained, the like care should not be taken about the governors of provinces, with whom the lives and fortunes of men were entrusted.' " When the Christians had seized a spot of ground which was public, and, on tlie other hand, the victuallers said it ought to be granted to them, he gave this rescript, * That it was bet- ter that God should be worshipped there, in any manner, than tliat the ground should be granted to the victuallers.' " He would often use a saying, which he had heard from some Jews or Christians, and which he well remembered ; and when any one was corrected, he ordered the crier to proclaim, * What you would not have done to yourself, that do not you to another:' which saying he so highly esteemed, that he ordered it to be engraved upon his palace and upon public buildings." — Lardner, c. xxv. BEATRICE. These circumstances, though interesting, are EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 113 however related by authors who lived subse- quently to the events. MR. B. We will ascend, then, to a more remote period. Galen, blaming a person for not giving a demonstra- tion of certain things which he had advanced, says, " So that we seem rather to be in a school of Moses, or Christ, where we must receive laws without any reason as- signed, and that in a point where demonstration ought not by any means to be omitted." — Lardner, c. xxi. And elsewhere, " It is easier to convince the disciples of Moses and Christ than physicians and philosophers, who are addicted to parti- cular sects. '^ — Lardner, c. xxi. Contemporary with Galen, were ^lius Aristides, and Dion Chrysostom, who are supposed to allude to the Christians in passages expressive of con- tempt and dislike to a new sect at variance with the philosophy and religion of the times. Much m.ore important than their testimony is that of Lucian, who appears to have been acquainted, not only with the Christians, but also with the book of Revelation. In one place he speaks of them along with "atheists and Epicureans," and says that Pontus was full of them. In another, we have the following passage, speaking of a person named Peregrinus: — " At which time he learned the wonderful doctrine of the Chris- 114 CONVERSATIONS ON THE tianSjby conversing with their priests and scribes near Palestine : and in a short time he shewed they were but children to him, for he was prophet, high priest, ruler of a synagogue, uniting all offices in himself alone. Some books he interpreted and explained, others he wrote, and they spoke of him as a god, and took him for a lawgiver, and honoured him with the title of master. They therefore still worship that great man who was crucified in Pa- lestine, because he introduced into the world this new religion. For this reason Proteus was taken up and put into prison, which very thing was of no small service to him afterwards, for giving reputation to his impostures, and gratifying his vanit}'. The Christians were much grieved for his imprisonment, and tried all ways to procure his liberty. Not being able to effect that, they did him all sorts of kind offices, and that, not in a careless manner, but with the greatest assiduity : for even betimes in the morning there would be at the prison old women, some widows, and also little orphan children; and some of the chief of their men, by corrupting the keepers, would get into prison, and stay there the whole night w^ith him, and there they had a good supper together, and their sacred discourses. And this excellent Peregrinus (for so he was still called) was thought by them to be an extraordinary person, no less than another So- crates : even from the cities of Asia some Christians came to him, by order of the body, to relieve, encourage, and comfort him ; for it is incredible what expedition they use, when any of their friends are known to be in trouble. In a word, they spare nothing upon such an occasion, and Peregrinus's chain brought him a good sum of money from them : for these mise- rable men have no doubt they shall be immortal, and live for ever ; therefore they contemn death, and many surrender them- selves to sufferings. Moreover, their first lawgiver has taught them that they are all brethren when once they have turned and renounced the gods of the Greeks, and worship that master ol" theirs who was crucified, and engage to live according to his laws. They have also a sovereign contempt for all tlie things of this world, and look upon them as common, and trust one EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 115 aiiother with them, without any particular security : for which reason any subtle fellow by good management may impose upon these simple people, and grow rich among them. But Peregrinus was set at liberty by the governor of Syria, who was a favourer of philosophy ; w^ho, perceiving his madness, and that he had a mind to die in order to get a name, let him out, not judging him so much as worthy of punishment." — " Then," as our author says, " Peregrinus returned to his native place, Parium, in hopes of recovering his father's estate ; but meeting with difficulties, he made over to the Parians all the estate he might expect from his father, who then extolled him as the greatest of philosophers, a lover of his country, and another Diogenes, or Crates. He then went abroad again, well supplied by the Christians with all travelling charges, by whom also he was accompanied, and he lived in great plenty. Thus it went with him for some while. At length they parted, having given them also some offence, by eating, as I suppose, some things not allowed of by them." — Lardner, c. xix. To ascend yet higher ; in the beginning of the second century we have the follow^ing supposed allusions to the Christians in Epictetus : *' When we see a man inconstant to his principles, we say he is not a Jew, but only pretends to be so ; but when he has the temper of a man dipped and professed, then he is indeed, and is called a Jew." — Lardner, c. x. The second is more decisive : " Is it possible that a man may arrive at this temper, and become indifferent to those things, from madness or from habit, as the Galileans, and yet that no one should be able to know, by reason or demonstration, that God made all things in the world ?" — Lardner, c. x. 116 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. This confirms the received account of the suf- ferings of the Christians to a very early period, for Epictetus lived in the time of Trajan, » MR. B. The two next testimonies are still more import- ant; for they are those of Trajan himself, and the Younger Pliny. They have often been referred to ; and it is not easy to evade the conclusion, in fa- vour of the truth of the Christian statements, to which they evidently lead. " Pliny to Trajan. " It is my constant custom, sir, to refer myself to you, in all matters concerning which I have any doubt. For who can better direct me when I hesitate, or instruct me when I am ignorant? I have never been present at any trials of Christians, so that I know not well what is the subject matter of punish- ment or of inquiry, or what strictness ought to be required in either. Nor have I been a little perplexed to determine whe- ther any difference ought to be made on account of age, or whe- ther the young and tender, and the full grown and robust, ought to be treated all alike ; whether repentance should entitle to pardon, or whether all who have once been Christians ought to be punished, though they are now no longer so ; whether the name itself, although no crimes be detected, or crimes only be- longing to the name, ought to be punished. Concerning all these things, I am in doubt. " "In tlie mean time, I have taken this course with all who have been brought before me, and have been accused as Christians. I have put the question to them, whether they were Christians? Upon their confessing to me that tiiey were, I repeated the question a second and a third EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 117 time, threatening also to punish them with death. Such as still persisted, I ordered away to be punished ; for it was no doubt with me, whatever might be the nature of their opinion, that contumacy and inflexible obstinacy ought to be punished. There were others of the same infatuation, whom, because they are Roman citizens, I have noted down to be sent to the citv. "In a short time, the crime spreading itself, even whilst under persecution, as is usual in such cases, divers sorts of people came m my way. An information w^as presented to me, without men- tioning the author, containing tlie names of many persons, who, upon examination, denied that they were Christians, or ever had been so ; who repeated after me an invocation of the Gods, and with wine and frankincense made supplication to your ima^e, which for that purpose I had caused to be brought and set be- fore them, together with the statues of the deities ; moreover, they reddled the name of Christ: none of which things, it is said, they who are really Christians can by any means be com- pelled to do. These therefore I thought proper to discharge. Others were named by an informer, who at first confessed themselves to be Christians, and afterwards denied it. The rest said they had been Christians, but had left them; some three years ago, some longer, and one or more above twentv years. They all worshipped your image, and the statues of the Gods : these also reviled Christ. They affirmed, that the whole of their fault or error lay in this ; that they were wont to meet together on a stated day, before it was light, and sing among themselves alternately a hymn to Christ, as a God, and bind themselves by an oath, not to the commission of anv wickedness, but not to be guilty of theft, or robbery, or adulterv, never to falsify their word, nor to deny a pledge committed to them, when called upon to return it. When these things were .performed, it was their custom to separate, and then come to- gether again to a meal, which they eat in common, without any disorder : but this they had forborne since the publication of my edict, by M'hich, according to your commands, I prohibited assemblies. After receiving this account, I judged it more 118 CONVERSATIONS ON THE necessary to examine, and that by torture, two maid-servants, which were called ministers ; but I have discovered nothing besides a bad and excessive superstition. Suspending, there- fore, all political proceedings, I have recourse to you for advice, for it has appeared unto me a matter highly deserving consi- deration, especially on account of the great number of persons who are in danger of suffering. For many of all ages and every rank, of both sexes likewise, are accused, and will be accused ; nor has the contagion of this superstition seized cities only, but the lesser to\\Tis also, and the open country. Nevertheless, it seems to me that it may be restrained and corrected. It is certain that the temples, which were almost forsaken, begin to be more frequented ; and the sacred solemnities, after a long in- termission, are revived. Victims likewise are every where bought up, whereas for some time there were few purchasers ; whence it is easy to imagine that numbers of men might be reclaimed, if pardon were granted to those who shall repent." " Trajan to Pliny wishes health and happiness. You have taken the right method, my Pliny, in your proceedings with those brought before you as Christians; for it is impossible to establish any one rule that shall hold universally. They are not to be sought for. If any are brought before you and are convicted, they ought to be punished. However, he that denies being a Chris- tian, and makes it evident in fact, that is, by supplicating to our Gods, though he be suspected to have been so formerly, let him be pardoned, upon repentance. But in no case of any crime whatever may a bill of information be received without being signed by him who presents it; for that would be a dangerous precedent, and unworthy of my government." — Lardnep, c. ix. BEATRICE. This indeed is testimony ! MR. B. As we are now advancing to the termination of EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 119 this part of our inquiries, I shall not stop to make observations on these letters at present ; but give you the last testimonies which I purpose to adduce, viz. those of Suetonius and Tacitus. The first of these says, that in the reign of Nero, " The Christians were punished ; a sort of men of a new and magical superstition." And, speaking of Claudius, " He banished the Jews from Rome, who were continually making disturbances, Chrestus being their leader." — Lard- NER, c. viii. EDWARD. The inaccuracy as to name and fact here shows that the Christians had not yet excited great attention from their religion. -AIR. B. We now come to the more important testimony of Tacitus : — " But neither all human help, nor the liberality of the em- peror, nor all the atonements he offered to the Gods, availed to abate the infamy he lay under of having ordered the city to be set on fire. To suppress, therefore, this common rumour, Nero procured others to be accused, and inflicted exquisite torments on those people who were in abhorrence for their crimes, and were commonly known by the name of Christians. They had their denomination from Christus, who in the reign of Tiberius was put to death as a criminal, by the procurator Pontius Pilate. This pernicious superstition, though checked for a time, broke out again, and spread not only over Judea, the source of this evil, but reached the city also, whither flow 120 CONVERSATIONS ON THE from all quarters all things vile and shameful, and where they find shelter and encouragement. At first, they only were apprehended who confessed themselves of that sect; after- wards, a vast multitude discovered by them : all which were condemned, not so much for the crime of burning the city, as for their enmity to mankind. Their executions were so con- trived as to expose them to derision and contempt. Some were covered over with the skins of wild beasts, and torn to pieces by dogs; some were crucified; others, having been daubed over with combustible materiols, were set up as lights in the night time, and thus burned to death. Nero made use of his own gardens as a theatre upon this occasion, and also exhibited the diversions of the circus; som.etimes standing in the crowd as a spectator, in the habit of a charioteer; sometimes driving a chariot himself: till at length these men, though really criminal, and deserving exemplary punishment, began to be commiserated, as people who were destroyed, not out of a legard to the public welfare, but only to gratify the cruelty of one man." — Larbner, c. v. To these sufFerino-s of the Christians the two poets, Juvenal and Martial, are generally sup posed to allude. The former says — " Psow dare To glance at Tigellinus, and you glare In that pitch'd sheet in which such crowds expire, Chain'd to the bloody stake, and wrapp'd in fire." Lakdxer, c. vi'. The latter, in an epigram, compares the for- titude of the Christians -with that of Mucius. You will now, I think, not refuse to acknow- led2;e the truth of the following conclusions : buti EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 121 if you have still any doubts upon them, I would refer you for full proof to Lardner. First. — It appears a notorious and undeniable fact, that there really did exist, at the time he is said to have existed, an extraordinary character, known by the name of Jesus Christ ; that it was commonly reported that he had performed many miracles, and that in consequence of his attaching numerous followers to him, he was put to death ; that these followers, instead of being intimidated by that event, asserted that he had arisen from the dead, and, in defiance of all opposition, pro- pagated this new faith throughout the Roman empire with singular success. Secondly, — That the Romans in general hated and despised this new sect, and oppressed it to a great degree ; but that they were also in a great degree ignorant of its origin, its Founder, and its doctrines ; and that, consequently, though their testimony, as far as it goes, is of great importance in confirming the statements of the Christian writers, yet the want of their testimony in other particulars cannot militate against nor materially weaken those statements. Thirdly. — The opinion entertained by men thus prejudiced against the Christians does not in any measure lead us to believe that the latter had any secular views of advantage, directly or indirectly ; they represent them as numerous, but not learned, polite, or prudent. A readiness to G 122 CONVERSATIONS ON THE meet death, an obstinate perseverance in then opinions, and a devoted zeal in the propagation of their faith, appear to have characterised their pubUc conduct. Their private character appears to have been blameless, and even high, but their doctrines and general spirit utterly contrary to the opinions then prevalent; and that consequently, however desirous they might be to increase their numbers, they did not do it by an appearance of agreement with any of the numerous sects and parties then existing, or by a willingness to blend their own sentiments or compromise their own principles with those of others. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 123 CONVERSATION VI. BEATRICE. I HAD no idea, previously to our last conversa- tion, that so many important facts relative to the history of the Christian religion could have been established solely by the testimony of adversaries. Has it ever been attempted before ? MR. B. There is a very good French work by a learned man of the name of Bullet, which was translated into English by a Mr. Salisbury ; but unfortu- nately both the original and the translation are very scarce, and their authors little known, ex- cept to those who make a point of inquiring into works of this kind. EDWARD. Your references were commonly made to Lard- ner. MR. B. They were so, as being better adapted for im- mediate reference than any other, and on account of the reputation that author has justly acquired for correctness. EDWARD. It seems, however, that the same facts made a different impression upon the mind of Gibbon. 124 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. They did, and there is something very remark- able in his infidelity. We find him confiding almost implicitly in the statements of Lardner, Fabricius, Tillemont, and other laborious investi- gators into the real history of those times, and treating Voltaire and others like him with quiet contempt; yet desirous, when Christianity was concerned, of believing the latter rather than the former. Gibbon has, in a great measure, enabled us to account for his infidelity ; and the facts of the case remain unimpeached notwithstanding his scepticism. You are both of you aware, no doubt, that Dr. Watson pubhshed the '* Apology for Christianity" in reply to him; a work de- servedly popular. In his reply to Davies, Gibbon has made some remarks on others of his antago- nists, not destitute of justice ; but it is hardly worth your while to spend much time on the controversy. In the Encyclopeedia Britannica you will find an examination of the reasons assigned by Mr. Gibbon for the success of Chris- tianity ; and in the first chapter of Paley's Evi- dences some very judicious observations con- nected with the subject. EDWARD. I do not see how it can be denied, unless all confidence in history be shaken, that Christianity was indeed established at the time, by the person EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 125 and under the circumstances alleged, so far as merely the ordinary course of nature is concerned : and it appears certain that the contemporary Pagans regarded the professed belief of the Christians as proceeding from conviction ; so that I would allow the sincerity as well as the zeal of the early Christians ; but we yet appear too far removed from the first century to have any certainty that what we now call Christianity is really the religion originally promulgated by Christ. It appears probable, that for some time it did not excite such attention from those without the pale of the church as would be a security to us that no material alterations, additions, or omis- sions, had been made in it from time to time. BEATRICE. It is even to this day disputed what is Christi- anity, among those who profess it ; and the an- swer, that it is the religion founded by Jesus Christ, is not sufficient. MR. B. It is only part of the answer which is requisite : and I add, therefore, that Christianity is the re- ligion taught in the New Testament. BEATRICE. But do all Christians allow this ? 126 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. I think I may say it is universally allowed ; but from the multitudes of sects now existing, which assume the Christian name, it is not in my power positively to assert the fact. I can, however, do what is of more importance ; I can prove that from the earliest times this has been the case with regard to the great mass of Christians ; and as the nature of the subject evidently prevents the possibility of proving more, this ought to be suf- ficient. EDWARD. It will be quite sufficient. MR. B. In the first place, then, I must observe, that though we have some information on the subject from the adversaries of Christianity, we must of course look to the Christian writers for the know- ledge of what, in their time, was regarded as constituting the sum and substance of the Chris- tian religion : and having established the great facts of the existence of Christianity, at different periods, and under peculiar circumstances, from the testimony of enemies alone, I am certainly at liberty to argue from thence, in order to account for any deficiency of their testimony in other respects. Now when we find the religion in question despised and treated as madness, looked EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 127 upon as the offspring of excessive credulity, and regarded as unworthy the attention of sensible men, you cannot be surprised that its enemies should not be acquainted with its authentic documents, and that they should give us little information on the subject. EDWARD. From those who more particularly attacked it in their writings we might, how^ever, expect more. MR. B. We might, and here we have ; for Juhan, Porphyry, and Celsus, do confirm not only the existence of the New Testament, at the periods in which they wrote, but even direct their attacks against its statements and reasonings, as being the great foundation of Christianity. BEATRICE. This would establish the fact of its being gene- rally regarded as 07ie of the statements on which Christianity rested, but not as being the only one. MR. B. But as their attacks do not extend to any other, we cannot infer even the existence of any other, as received by the Christians, as of authority among them ; and by the works of Christian writers we may prove that no other was then so received. 128 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. Will you then establish that point ? MR. B. We may divide the Christian world into four great classes, — the Protestant, the Roman, the Greek, and the Oriental churches. I need hardly remind you that the Bible, and consequently the New Testament, is the basis of the religion of Protestants ; and you will easily ascertain, by referring to the decrees of councils and con- fessions of faith, that the same is true of the other churches, though they have, in the course of time, made additions unknown to the Christians of an earlier period. Let us then advance to those regions where Christianity was first esta- blished, and ascend to those times in which it may be reasonably supposed to have existed in greater purity. BEATRICE. But what is the New Testament ? How would you define it, relatively to this inquiry ? MR. B. The New Testament is a collection of writings purporting to give an account of the life and doctrine of the Founder of Christianity, and other important documents relative to his religion, which has in all ages been regarded by Christians as sacred, and of Divine authority. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 129 BEATRICE. That sacred writings should exist, is probable from most religions having had such ; that such did exist, is also probable, from the objections of the adversaries of Christianity being directed against particular statements and doctrines; but that those which are now regarded as such v/ere the same, can only be established by a complete chain of testimony from that time to this. Can such be produced ? MR. B. It can. The objections of Julian and others clearly identify the writings against which they directed their attacks with those now reverenced by Christians. Our manuscripts of the New Tes- tament reach, at least, to the fifth century, if not higher ; and we can both prove the existence ot sacred writings among the primitive Christians, and identify ours with theirs. According to the best accounts we have (Pagan and Christian), the four great cities, from which this religion spread itself into all parts, were Antioch, Alexan- dria, Rome, and Constantinople; the destruction of Jerusalem having, at an early period, deprived it of the importance otherwise due to it as the mother church. But our manuscripts of the New Testament are traced to these sources; and beyond the time to which these manuscripts reach we have other means of continuing the chain of evidence to the earliest periods. g2 130 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BEATRICE. But if the New Testament be a collection of" writings, there must have been a time when those writings were not collected. How far, then, can you trace the New Testament, as an authoritative collection? and what possessed authority before the time of the collection being made ? MR. B. At the conclusion of the fourth century there appears no reason to doubt, that the collection now admitted as of authority was then so esteemed universally (or with very slight excep- tions, which do not affect the main argument as to the truth of Christianity.) At the conclusion of the third century, you will recollect, that the contest between Paganism and Christianity was very violent, and that, from the known state of the Christian world, as ascertained from our former examination, it would be very improbable that all parts of it should be strictly in union with each other as to the details of Christianity, though they w^ould probably agree in the main. We also learn from the Christian contemporary writers, that in the last persecutions their sacred writings were more particularly sought for and destroyed. From the desfree to which the Christians were scattered over the empire, it is also probable, that the collections in all cases might not be com- plete ; and if the reverence paid to these writings EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 131 depended upon the credit due to their authors (a supposition extremely probable in itself), it seems not unlikely that some parts would be only par- tially received for a time. Now let us examine into the facts of the case. Augustine, in the fourth century, speaks of the Scriptures being read publicly in the churches as of authority. Cyprian in the third of the same ; Tertullian and Justin in the second of the same. BEATRICE. The pubhcity which was given to them is some security for their preservation in the same state. MR. B. These writings were also held in the very highest estimation : Cyprian calls them Books of the Spirit, Divine Fountains, Fountains of the Divine Fulness. In the preceding century, Theophilus designates them as the Evangelic Voice ; Clement of Alexandria, as Sacred Books, Divine Scriptures, Divinely Inspired Scriptures, Scriptures of the Lord, the True Evangelical Canon ; Irenaeus also, as Divine Scriptures, Divine Oracles, Scrip- tures of the Lord, Evangelic and Apostolic iWritings ; and not to mention the additional testimonies of Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, and Justin Polycarp, whose own writings have the greatest weight, as living immediately after the 132 CONVERSATIONS ON THE apostolic times, quotes them as the Oracles of the Lord, and as the Holy Scriptures. EDWARD. But these testimonies only prove the existence of Sacred Scriptures; they do not identify them with ours. MR. B. But in addition, the quotations they give from the books they thus speak of at least prove that our Sacred Scriptures contain the same which their Sacred Scriptures did, and therefore there is a very great probability that they are the same. BEATRICE. How high is the collected body of writings known under the name of the New Testament thus traced up ? MR. B. Origen is the first who makes use of the ex- pression; but it was probably used before his time; and the collection is generally acknowledged to have been made at the end of the first century. We trace ils collected form also in versions, the earliest of which, the Syriac, was made about that period. You must then observe, that these Sacred writings were received as of authority in all places where Christianity was embraced, by all who bore the Christian name ; they were regarded as pos- EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 133 sessing an authority to which no other writings could pretend : as such they were pubhcly ex- plained ; translated into various languages ; har- monised and commented upon 5 and in all respects, both by friends and foes, regarded as the founda- tion of Christianity. BEATRICE. But why was this regard paid to them ? MR. B. Because they were universally believed to be the productions of the first and chosen disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord, and by his followers were also regarded as divinely inspired. BEATRICE. Then it must be of the greatest importance to be quite certain that all the books in our collection are the same as all the books in theirs? MR. B. It is so ; for if not, we can neither prove nor disprove the truth of Christianity; and to this inquiry we must therefore proceed : and being- certain they had collections of sacred writings, we must examine whether ours are the same ; or, in other words, inquire into the C(nion of the New Testament, and its integrity. 134 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BEATRICE. What is the meaning of the words canon and integrity ? MR. B. The word canon signifies, in the writings of the fathers of the third and fourth centuries, a list or catalogue, though its primary meaning is a rule. Bishop Marsh's definition is, " Canonical books signify those which were admitted by public authority into the catalogue of writings destined for the service of the church." — Notes to MiCHAELIS, vol. i. p. 376. You must not attach any further sense to the word than this. The inquiry into the integrity of the New Testament relates to the portions of the different books thus esteemed canonical, that we may be certain we have got the same books in the same state in which they were originally published. BEATRICE. And how is this determined ? MR. B. By historical inquiry and criticism. BEATRICE. I thouD-ht criticism had related to the com- aienting on books ? MR. B. Sacred criticism is now restricted to ascertainms, EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 135 the text of the author, and the interpretation of Scripture made a distinct branch, on account of the great importance of each. EDWARD. Before you proceed, let me be quite certain that I understand the different portions of the argu- ment which you are now developing. If I under- stand you aright, it is as follows : Christianity is said by its advocates to be the religion of Jesus Christ as contained in the New Testament, which is a collection of documents professing to be written by his first disciples, and on that account now held to be of the highest authority. From historical evidence, we find that this religion was founded by Jesus Christ, and that his followers in all ages have possessed documents of this na- ture. It remains to be proved that these writings which we possess are the same which the first Christians possessed, and of which they asserted the authority. If that can be established, we then shall have decided what Christianity is, and shall be enabled to examine its claims to a Divine origin. MR. B. You are correct; and we will therefore proceed to examine the evidence which is adduced to prove these assertions. And first, it is necessary to state, that the New Testament we have consists of the following books : 136 CONVERSATIONS ON THE One Gospel, or account of Christ, ascribed to Matthew. One Gospel ascribed to Mark. One Gospel,and a continuation, ascribed to Luke. One Gospel, a general epistle, and two private epistles, and a book of prophecies, pro- fessing to be by John. Thirteen epistles professing to be by Paul, and one without name, ascribed to him. Two epistles by Peter. One epistle by James. One epistle by Jude. So that, in all, we have eight authors, and tw^enty-seven books. All these are alleged to have existed, and to have been generally known from the first century, and to have been received as of authority, wherever they were known, as soon as it was ascertained or believed that they were the productions of the persons whose names they bear. Now in the third and fourth centuries we have no less than twelve catalogues of the books then received in the Chris- tian Avorld as of authority. Their authors are as follow : A. D. 1. Origen, Presbyter of Alexandria 210 2. Eusebius, Bishop of Cesarea 315 3. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria 315 4. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem 340 5. Bishops at Council of Laodicea 364 6. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis 370 EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 137 A. D^ 7. Gregory Naz. Bishop of Constantinople 375 8. Philastrius, Bishop of Brixia 380 9. Jerome 382 10. Rufinus, Presbyter of Aquileia 390 11. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo 394 12. Forty-four Bishops at Council of Carthage. Of these twelve, five, viz. those of Athanasius, Epiphanius, Rufinus, Augustine, and that of the Council of Carthage, are precisely the same as ours ; and to these may be added three more, viz. those of Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome ; but their accounts will require more particular consider- ation. The remaining four omit the book of Revelation ; and that of Philastrius only has thirteen instead of fourteen epistles of St. Paul, probably omitting the Epistle to the Hebrews. BEATRICE. What are the peculiarities of the statements of Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome ? MR. B. Origen omits the epistles of James and Jude in his catalogue, but owns them both in other parts of his writinsfs. Eusebius speaks of the book of Revelation as being rejected by some, but retained by others; and with regard to the other books, makes a dis- tinction between those which had always been 138 CONVERSATIONS ON THE universally received, and those which had for a time been only generally acknowledged. Jerome speaks of doubt as attached by some to the Epistle to the Hebrews. Upon the statements of each of them I shall hereafter make some observations ; but the whole is now presented to your view at once, that you may see the uniformity of opinion which prevailed during^ these two centuries throughout the Chris- tian world as to these books ; for we cannot argue from the omission of the book of Revelation in some of their catalogues, to its not being ofautho- ritv ; for we know that in the Church of England this very book is esteemed canonical, but is omitted in the regular public reading of the Scriptures ; and there appears no reason to doubt, that the peculiar nature of the work was the rea- son of its omission in the instances before us. BEATRICE. Admitting this, which certainly is not impro- bable, the agreement is decisive as to the authority ofbooks bearing the names of ours; for I observed, that the writers lived in places widely apart from each other. EDWARD. Their names also are of the highest authority. I recollect most of them in Gibbon; and several were decidedly opposed to each other; so that I EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 139 think there can be no doubt that these books really were then received. MR. B. From the wide extension of Christianity, and the uniformity of opinion respecting nearly all these books, we may certainly conclude, that the gene- ral dissemination of them must have been effected some time. From the difference in opinion which existed, we may be assured, that there was no collusion in the case : and from the talents and learning of those who give us these lists, v/e may also rely upon them as not having imposed only upon the unwary and unskilful: but this is not all ; the very disagreement which subsists between these lists, with regard to the Epistle to the He- brews and the book of Revelation, is of consider- able importance ; for it is remarkable, that the Epistle to the Hebrews was only doubted of in the countries most remote from the people to whom it was addressed, and by those least qualified to de- cide upon it. The Roman Church did not receive it, but Jerome did : and his reason for it is, that in so doing he followed the example of those of an earlier period. Only the writings of the apostles and evangelists were admitted into this canon ; and this epistle having no name attached to it, those who lived in Italy might reasonably doubt, when the Christians in the East, who had received it from their fathers as the work of St. Paul, did not hesitate ; and Jerome, who was well acquainted with the East, and had studied the subject 140 CONVERSATIONS ON THE thoroughly, is to us far greater authority than the bishop of Brixia or the inhabitants of Italy of that period. BEATRICE. But the book of Revelation is omitted in the catalogues of those who lived in the East, whilst it is admitted in the West. MR. B. The reason of its omission in the first instance I have before given : the reason of its appearing in the second, probably arose from the authority of Irenoeus, bishop of Lyons, who was the pupil of Polycarp, the disciple of St. John, and who ex- pressly assigns it to him. EDWARD. What are the books mentioned by Eusebius as having been only generally received for a time ? MR. B. The Epistle of St. James, the 2d of St. Peter, and the 2d and 3d of St. John, and that of St. Jude. BEATRICE. These form but a very small portion of the New Testament, as now received. MR. B. Were it necessary, we might establish the truth of Christianity without their aid : but the situation EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 141 of the Christians during the times of the persecu- tions sufficiently accounts for the non-universality of the reception of these documents. The caution of the churches in not receiving rashly any thino- to which they gave supreme authority, is good se- curity to us, in that they v^^ould not ultimately have received them, but from conviction. BEATRICE. It might naturally be expected, that when the Christians regarded these Scriptures as divinely inspired, they would be very cautious what books they put into the number. MR. B. Undoubtedly; for these Scriptures were to them the rule of life ; and the third century was not a time for persons to be indifferent as to the writings on which their hopes were founded. Origen is not only remarkable for his superior learning ; he suf- fered, as well as wrote, in defence of Christianity — and his father had been put to death for it; so that there was every motive for the son to take the utmost care not to be imposed upon by records assuming the authority which these do. He also could hardly be deceived, on account of his su- perior attainments and peculiar advantages; and so far was he from implicitly following the opinions of others, that he was severely censured for the freedom in which he indulg-ed. His authority. 142 CONVERSATIONS ON THE therefore, as well as that of Eusebius and Jerome, who were well qualified to determine the truth, ex- tends not merely to his own time, but to that be- fore it; and if we have not in the second century regular catalogues like those we have already ad- duced for the fourth and third, we are not thence to conclude that the collection was not formed — for their testimony implies more ; we can only infer that it was not then customary (most probably, because not necessary) to make out particular lists ; for we find nearly all these books named, though not in formal catalogues, as having this high au- thority, by Tertullian, by Clement, who preceded Origen at Alexandria, and by Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, a man singularly well qualified to determine the question, from his connexion with Polycarp. BEATRICE. And do these mention all the books ? MR. B. Not all ; for they only mention and quote them as their subjects required: but we have very little left to desire. Tertullian^ the most ancient of the Latin fathers, names and quotes the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, as the work of Mat- thew, Mark, Luke, and John. Of the Epistles of St. Paul he expresses no doubt, except on the Epistle to the Hebrews, which he ascribes to Barnabas. He does not quote the short Epistle to Philemon, EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 143 the 2d Epistle of St. Peter, and the 2d and 3d of John; and it is doubtful whether he quotes St. James. Clement of Alexandria had travelled through the countries in which the books of the New Testament are said to have been first pub- lished ; and, living near to the apostolic times,there can be no doubt he had the amplest means of knowing the truth. He had also been educated in the Greek philosophy, and was little likely to have submitted himself to the authority of the New Testament, without full conviction of the justice of its pretensions. His character, his learn- ing, the time and place of his birth, and the events of his life, add great weight to his testimony, which is singularly full. The fragments of his works which remain contain numerous quotations from the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The Epistle to the Hebrews he expressly ascribes to St. Paul ; and leaves only one of that apostle's epistles unquoted, viz. the Epistle to Philemon ; which, from its brevity and private nature, was not at all likely to be quoted in the subjects on which he wrote. He quotes also the Epistle of St. James, the 1st of St. Peter, the 1st of St. John, the Epistle of St. Jude, and the book of Revelation. BEATRICE. He has only then left unq uoted that to Phile- mon, the 2d of St. Peter, and the 2d and 3d of St. John. 144 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B, The last writer necessary to be mentioned is Irenaeus, who was of Greek origin, and probably born before the conclusion of the first century. We have his testimony to the four Gospels, tp the Acts of the Apostles, to the Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, and .Titus, duly ascribed to their reputed author. He has no Quotations from the Epistle to Philemon, pro- bably from the same cause which in other cases prevented it ; and none from that to the Hebrews, for which we have a sufficient reason ; for those as^ainst whom he wrote were members of the Latin church, which had not then admitted it, and he consequently could not adduce its authority against them. He also quotes the Epistle of St. James, both the Epistles of St. Peter, and the 1st and 2d of St. John. The last of St. John, and that of St. Jude, he does not quote, apparently from not re- quiring them in the controversies in which he was engaged. Lastly, as was before mentioned, he gives the fullest testimony to the book of Reve- lation, composed by St. John, the apostle and evangelist. E D \v A R D . This brin2:s us to the asre succeedino- that assigned to the writers themselves ; so that little more testimony can be needed. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 145 MR. B. There is additional evidence, but it is not neces- sary for what I wish to establish. The writers who occupy the short remaining period are called the apostolic fathers, from their having been contem- poraries of the reputed writers of these books. Their w orks only enable us to prove the existence of material portions of the books in question ; for they do not quote them as the writers already con- sidered were in the habit of doing; so that there are but very few of the books whose authority can be established by them, as the Epistle to the Corin- thians. EDWARD. It seems, then, that we may divide the history of the New Testament into three periods : the first, that in which it was written and published ; the second, that in which it was collected ; and the third, that in which it was received as of authority in its collected form ? MR. B. We may ; and beginning with the last, we have seen that it was then universally received as of Di- vine authority, because the various parts had pre- viously, in the second period, been generally so re- ceived : and the whole of the testimony adduced gives this reason only for its parts having been so received, viz. because they were genuine, i. e., really written by the persons whose names they bear. H 146 CONVERSATIONS ON THE EDWARD. This, however, is only their behef. It does not f follow that it is genuine because they believed it ^ to be so. MR. E. ! It does not ; but it is a great point gained to- wards it, that all Christians, in every age, have so regarded them up to the very age immediately succeeding that in which the writings first ap- i peared. BEATRICE. But you have only established that books, bear- ino^ the same titles as those found in .our New Testament, were thus regarded as of Divine au- thority, because believed to be genuine produc- tions of the persons whose names they bear. MR. B. In our next conversation, then, we will consider the parts of those books, and endeavour to ascer- tain the integrity of the New Testament ; a sub- ject of such great importance, that not only the chapters but even the verses demand the closest attention. BEATRICE. That I can easily conceive : for if the supposi- tion of its being not only genuine, but inspired, be correct, too much importance cannot be at- tached to it. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 147 CONVERSATION VII. BEATRICE. We have now to consider the arguments which are brought forward to establish the integrity of the Scriptures of the New Testament. MR. B. The means by which we are enabled to do this consist in the quotations of these writings, the Versions which have been made of them, and the numerous manuscripts which are yet extant. EDWARD. Is there so much of the New Testament in quo- tations as certainly to identify the books we have with those which we know were received as of authority ? MR. B. Abundantly so. Speaking of TertuUian, Lardner says, "There are perhaps more and larger quotations of the small volume of the New Testament in this one Christian author than of all the works of Cicero, though of so uncommon excel- lence for thought and style, in the writers of all characters for several ages. And there is a like number of quotations of the New Testament in St. Irenaus and St. Clement of Alexandria, both writers of the second century." — Vol. iii. p. 435. 4to ed. In later times, with the increase of Christian 148 CONVERSATIONS ON THE writers, we have of course a corresponding in- crease of quotations from the sacred writings ; and by all these, we are enabled fully to ascertain the fact, that the books we regard as sacred were, in all respects, the same as those which were then esteemed of divine authority. • BEATRICE. But are there quotations in the apostolic fathers also? MR. B. There are. The names of the apostolic fathers are Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp ; and though it is not certain that all the works usually ascribed to these are really genuine, of their great antiquity there can be no doubt ; and the passages of the New Testament found in their writings are thus fully attested to have been at that early period received as of au- thority. Now out of these five, all of them quote the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistle to the Romans, both Epistles to the Corinthians, the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephe- sians, Hebrews, the Second Epistle to Timothy, and the First Epistle of St. Peter; four quote the Gospel of St. Luke, the Epistle to the Philippians, and the First Epistle to the Thessalonians ; three quote the Gospel of St. Mark, the Epistle to the Colossians, the Second Epistle of St. Peter, and the First Epistle of St. John ; two quote the Gospel of EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 149 St. John, the First Epistle to Timothy, the Epistle to Titus, the Epistle of St. James, the Second Epistle of St. John, and the book of Revelation ; and all the remaining book of the New Testament, viz., the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, that to Philemon, the Third Epistle of St. John, and that of Jude, are quoted b}^ some one or other of the five. The writings of all the five also occupy so small a space, that we have reason to be surpri- sed at the number of passages, the authority of which is thus ascertained, and, w hen we review the w^hole, can have no doubt that our New Tes- tament does truly contain the real belief of the first Christians; so that by it we may fairly try the pretensions of Christianity to a Divine origin. EDWARD. You mentioned the versions of the New Testa- ment as another means of ascertaining the integrity of the New Testament. MR. B. The versions are indeed of great importance in corroborating it, and it is necessary that you should have some knowledge of them. They are as fol- low : — 1. The Peschito or ancient Syriac, made about the year 100. 2. The Philoxenian Syriac, finished in 508. 3. The Jerusalem Syriac, of uncertain date. 4. The Coptic, for the use of Lower Egypt, date unknown. 5. The Sahidic, for the use of Upper Egypt,in the 2d century 150 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 6. The Arabic versions, probably made from the 7th to the 11th centuries. 7. The Ethiopic, supposed to have been made in the 4th century. 8. The Armenian, made by Miesrob at the end of the 4th centur}\ 9." Two Persian versions, of which the dates are undetermined. 10. The Latin Vulgate, by Jerome, finished in 384. 11. The Gothic, made by Ulphilas in the 4th century. 12t The Sclavonic, by Cyril and Methodius, in the 9th cent. 13. The Anglo-Saxon, made from the Old Latin. Of these, by far the most important are the Syriac and the Latin ; but all are of use, more or less, in enabling us to determine with certainty the inte- grity of the sacred text. BEATRICE. In what respects are the Syi'iac and Latin ver- sions so peculiarly valuable ? MR. B. The more ancient Syriac version was made at so early a period, that it does not contain all the books of the New Testament; omitting the Second Epis- tle of St. Peter, that of St. Jude, the Second and Third of St. John, and the book of Revelation. There can be little doubt, that if not made during the very lifetime of the apostles, it must have been made within a very short period after their deaths. The account given in our copies of the woman taken in adultery, is not to be found in it ; but in i R . B . Would you believe that Sallust wrote the various works of Cicero and the Commentaries of Csesar ? : EDWARD. Certainly not : it is impossible. MR. B. Not more impossible than that St. John should have written the narratives of St. Luke, St. Matthew, and St. Mark, the Epistles of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. James, and St. Jude. If the unani- mous testimony of all subsequent writers establish the facts in the one case, so they do in the other ; if the internal evidence makes the idea of forgery absurd in the one case, so it does in the other. EDWARD. But Cicero is an author sui generis ; no one but i Cicero could have written the works ascribed to . him. MR. B. And so is St. Paul an author sui generis ; and the impossibility attached to the forgery of works ascribed to him is as evident as that in a similar supposition with regard to the works of Cicero. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 217 BEATRICE. In both cases, it appears we know nothing of the authors but by the belief of those who lived sub- seque; tly to them, and through the examination of the accounts of those said to be contemporaries, and of the works said to be theirs. EDWARD. But the Roman orator acted so distinguished a :part, that no doubt can attach to him. MR. B. And did Paul of Tarsus do less ? According to the most favourable hypothesis that can be framed for you, all the natural advantages were on the side of Cicero. But look at the results. The Jew holds the world in subjection ; the greatest ad- mirers of the Roman are compelled to acknowledge his insufficiency. St. Paul's works cannot be over- throiun; those of Cicero, with all their learning, all their genius, all their charms of style, can tiardly be made even plausible, as respects religion. .^nd can you believe that writings which have pro- jiuced such effects are mere fictions? Is it credible, jhat what Porphyry and Julian could not shake is eserved for our days to overthrow j when, accord - ng to the principles of those who wish to invalidate arguments for the genuineness of the Scrip- res, the interval of time which has elapsed since L 218 CONVERSATIONS ON THE their promulgation is the great obstacle to ascer- tainino; the truth? EDWARD. But all the evidence in behalf of the gf iuine- ness of these works nearest the time of their pub- lication, is to be found in the writings of those who were bound to support them. MR. B. Whence could the evidence arise, if not from thence ? Are a man's friends, or his enemies, those to whom he chiefly writes? By whom can the fact of a letter's having been written be established; but by those to whom it is addressed,, and are best acquainted with the writer? What fuller proof can be given of their belief in its genuineness, than obedience to its injunctions, at the risk of loss of property, liberty, and even life itself; when those injunctions also are of a nature contrary to foniien habits, opinions, and incHnations? -1 i BEATRICE. ij The evidence indeed, as derived from the recep- tion of St. Paul's letters in the cities to whichi they are addressed, is to me irresistible ; for I caili iii never believe they could have been received there as of divine authority, had it not been a certaia? fact, that they had really been sent by St. Paut and known to be his, by those in whose hands they EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 219 first appeared. The time also is too limited for deception to have been practised. MR. B. TertuUian made use of this very argument, and insists upon the fact of the '' authentic letters'' existing in these cities, which, whatsoever meaning De attached to the words, must imply the fact of there being no doubt in those cities. In the epis- tles ascribed to the apostolic fathers, addressed to the cities themselves, we have also reference to Ithis fact, which reference could never have been made by any author if that had not been the case. EDWARD. With regard to the Epistles of St. Paul and the Acts of the Apostles, it does not appear possible certainly to have any doubt as to their genuine- ness; but with regard to the Gospels, I should ike to have had more information. MR. B. \ But if the '' Acts of the Apostles" be genuine, he Gospel of St. Luke, of which it is only a con- januation, must be so likewise ; and from the works St. Luke and St. Paul we obtain sufficient in- ibrmation by which to try the genuineness of the )ther authors. We learn from St. Paul, that Peter md James and John were pillars of the church ; rom St. Luke, the character of St. Matthew ; and , , 220 CONVERSATIONS ON THE from both, that of St. Mark. Besides this, \vt have the authority of those who best knew the truth for saying that the Gospel of St. Mark was derived from the statements of St. Peter, as that of St. Luke was sanctioned by St. Paul. Those of St. Matthew and St. John stand upon their own independent authority. But the agreement be- tween the various writings ascribed to St. John fully confirms the fact of their having proceeded from the same author : and when we consider that not the shadow of doubt ever existed as to the Gospel and the First Epistle; and that Irenseus, who derived his information from Poly carp, the disciple of St. John, expressly assigns to him the Apo- calypse ; and that the two short epistles, being pri vate, could not be expected to be universally re- ceived at once, but yet when known were received; you cannot doubt of the genuineness of the books ascribed to this apostle. BEATRICE. He also lived longer than the rest, so that t\ less chance remained for imposition. MR. B. That St. John lived to the end of the first cen- tury has been so long acknowledged, that he musi be sceptical indeed who would now call it in ques- tion; and the works ascribed to him (particularly the Gospel, which is, in our inquiry, of the greatest EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 221 importance) contain such abundant internal evi- dence of genuineness, in addition to external tes- timony, that there seems no evading the conclu- sion, that they were written by the '' beloved dis- ciple." EDWARD. But may we not suppose that the Gospel of St. Matthew was written by some other person about the time, and circumstances generally known and assigned to him, in order to give it authority ? MR. B. The Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew is supposed but the utmost which it can establish, indepen- dently of external evidence, is, that the religion is ot (according to our notions) unworthy of God. BEATRICE. Has it not been denied by some, that the (Gospel statements can be proved true by any means whatsoever ? MR. B. It has, from the circumstance of their relating nairacles. BEATRICE. And what is the argument made use of? If it oe valid, all further inquiry is needless. MR. B. It is this, — that a miracle is contrary to our experience, and therefore no testimony, however ;trong, can establish it. The fallacy of the ar- gument consists in the ambiguity of the word 232 CONVERSATIONS ON THE experience. It may be certain that a miracle is contrary to our own personal experience; but to say that it is contrary to universal experience, is what can never be proved, and is assuming the veiy question at issue. To prove that a miracle never did occur, would require a knowledge which man cannot possess. BEATRICE. This is a very contemptible method of quib- bling upon a serious subject. MR. B. It is, and as such I shall not dwell further upon it. In Leland's '' Deistical Writers'' you will | find some observations on the subject, and in '' Beattie's Essay on Truth," " Campbell on Miracles," and " Douo-las on Miracles," sufficient , answers to the objection. In the beginning of if Paley's Evidences, you will find some admirable observations on the same subject. EDWARD. But I have met with another objection, that seems much more formidable, which is, " that, we can never certainly know what is a miracle and what is not; for a miracle is a deviation from the accustomed course of things, and we are not sufficiently acquainted with the laws of nature to determine when the law is broken." EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 233 MR. B. This is one of the many instances in which it is attempted to explain away common sense by metaphysical refinement, and respecting w^hich I again refer you to Beattie. Suppose we do not know every thing relative to the ordinary course of all things, does it follow that our knowledge is so circumscribed that we cannot in some de- I termine as to whether the general course is observed or broken? An astronomer observes Lihe course of a planet, and determines the law by which that course is directed. He afterwards [obtains better instruments, and by fresh observa- tions ascertains that the course is not such as he had before concluded it to be. He examines his calculations, but can detect no error, and is I' thereby perplexed. He does not thence infer there is a miracle, and justly, because he is aw^are that he is not acquainted with every thing relative to the subject. Perhaps at a subsequent period he detects the cause of the deviations from what appeared to be the natural course dictated by the general law of attraction, to be latent in the universality of that law affecting other bodies, i which he had before neglected to take into the account. But what analogy is there between this and the case of a man born blind suddenly re- stored to sight; a cripple suddenly restored to the use of his limbs ; or of a man, who had died some days before, arising from the grave, on being 234 CONVERSATIONS ON THE commanded so to do ? I do not know every thing relative to the human body, and the changes it may undergo from various causes ; but I do know sufficient to inform me that the sound of the human voice has no power over the '* dull cold ear of death." I do not know every thing re- lative to the nature of water • but I do know that similar bodies similarly situated will be affected in the like manner by the same causes ; and that if on the sea of Galilee Peter was sinkino; at the time his Master walked upon it, that undoubtedly there was a suspension of the accustomed course of nature. V BEATRICE. I do not think my brother's objection much better than the first. EDWARD. But if a deviation from a law of nature take place, it must require amazingly strong evidence to prove it. MR. B. The whole resolves itself into a question of probabilities, and as such it ought to be con- sidered; viz. whether it is more probable that the miracle has taken place, or that those who bear witness to it are deceivers or deceived ? BEATRICE. But, from the nature of the miracles you have EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 235 just now cited in illustration, there appears no chance of deception. * MR. B. There can be very little ; but how^ever we will consider both cases. Now, with regard to the miracles of the New Testament, their probability rests upon the following probabilities; — that they cannot be disproved ; that the witnesses of them were not deceivers ; that they were not deceived ; that the cause of the performance of these miracles was such as made the interposition of Divine ^power necessary or expedient. BEATRICE. The reason of the three first I see, but not of the last. MR. B. A miracle may be said to have been wrought, ivhich I cannot disprove, and which is well attested, but which does not affect me ; but the miracles of the New Testament are expressly [given as proofs of the divine origin of the religion therein taught ; and therefore I must be quite certain of their connexion with God, and must be convinced that they are in agreement with what I know of him. If I found the reverse the case, I should conclude that there was a defect in some part or other of the preceding proof, though I might not be able to detect it; in the same manner that an absurd conclusion in mathe- 236 CONVERSATIONS ON THE matics is allowed to overthrow a theoiy, however plausible, which has led to it. EDWARD. Before we examine the miracles, will it not be as well to examine the credibility of the other parts of the New Testament ? since if we detect falsehood in common things, it is not unreasonable to distrust statements of extraordinary events. MR. B. Certainly ; and first, then, I observe, that with regard to all the leading facts, not miraculous, the statements of the New Testament were allowed by those who were able to have detected false- hood, had it existed, and who were most anxious to destroy their credit. From the enemies of Christianity, and its most bitter antagonists, we may prove the credibility of the New Testament. Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian, must have had the power to detect any gross falsehood ; and who that looks at the remains of their works can doubt their anxiety to overthrow Christianity ? But again, the leading facts have never been disputed. Paganism did not become extinct till the sixth century, and with the seventh arose Mahometan ism : Judaism never was extinct ; yet not one of these three bodies of adversaries have disproved the facts. It was reserved for those of later time to become sceptical upon these points. EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 237 BEATRICE. This is, however, only a general and negative argument in favour of their veracity. MR. B. Let us then descend to particulars, and ex* ; amine them in those points where we have most information from their adversaries, and the truth may positively be ascertained. It is not uncom- mon for rational and religious prejudices very materially to w^arp the mind. What accounts, [ then, do the New Testament writers give of them- selves and others, — and how far do these ag^ree with the statements of their adversaries ? Now, with regard to the Jews, look at their own books, their favourite authors, and you will find the nation was not in the least different from the accounts given of them by the writers of the New Testament. Or if you turn from these to Josephus, whom they now abhor, is his account any better ? Or do the Pagans give a more favourable account of this proud and bigoted nation ? Again, with regard to the Pagans, St. Paul's statements, strong as they are, do not go beyond those of their own writers, and even to the finer shades we find the same scrupulous accuracy. Or take the characters of individuals described by both parties. Do the accounts of Herod, Pilate, Agrippa, Felix, and others differ from 238 CONVERSATIONS ON THE those of Josephus and the Roman writers who have mentioned them ? EDWARD. 11 And in all these instances prejudice would be e likely to influence them. MR. B. J Again, with regard to themselves, in no re- spects do they appear to over-rate the character or influence of their converts, in order to mao-nifv their own importance. Pliny, you have seen, bears witness to the purity of their conduct ; nor do any other accounts enable us to detect false statements in this respect. EDWARD. Still these are in some respects general state- ments also : are they found equally correct in minutiae ? ' MR. B. j In general we find an accuracy of fact, and sometimes with an appearance of carelessness in expression, which is strongly corroborative of their veracity. To give one example, — St. Luke speaks of Sergius Paulus as proconsul of Cyprus. Now Strabo and Dio expressly state that Cyprus was a praetorian and not a proconsular province : and till very lately it was supposed, on their authority, that St. Luke was incorrect ; but closer investigation has proved his accuracy in EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 239 this respect, a coin having been found, bearing an inscription, in which the very term used by St. Luke occurs. We find similar accuracy wherever the scene of action is laid. Now even a learned man, however well informed on general topics, could hardly have preserved uniform accuracy in all points of a work of fiction on so extended a scale ; and the most consummate art would be requisite to preserve it with that appearance of freedom and careless- ! ness observable in these books. BEATRICE. If the apostles had not really lived and tra- velled as they profess to have done, it is then most improbable that they would have adhered to truth so closely, or indeed have been informed I of facts so minute, as to escape the observation of more learned men. MR. B. In the narratives of the Gospels, there is the same propriety of expression with regard to things^ purely local, which at least fully proves that the whole was so familiar to the writer's mind, that he naturally made use of proper and determinate expressions. Palestine to this day remains an evidence for the veracity of the evangelists, — a noble evidence, whose testimony cannot be silenced or misrepresented. 240 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BEATRICE. But if we find them correct with regard to historical and geographical minutiae, we must i conclude that they were writing altogether what was true ; or that they were engaged in compiling a laboured, false account with the greatest care, and affecting accuracy in some things, the truth of which could be ascertained, that they might be the more readily believed in others, when this was not the case. MR. B. Yet nothing can be more contrary to matter of fact than the latter supposition ; for from one end to the other common facts are mentioned with the greatest indifference, or merely alluded to so as to connect the narrative of the life of their Master with the history of the times, and enable all, by the mention of time and place, to ascertain the reality of the extraordinary occurrences on which their attention was fixed. There is no effort in the Gospels, no display; all minor considerations are lost sight of in the greatness of the subject on which the authors are engaged ; and even then, '■ it is not so much the giving a full account of our Lord, as the stating what they themselves knew, as in the case of St. Matthew and St. John, or of the truth of which they were assured by eye-wit- nesses, as in the case of St. Luke and St. Mark. i 1 f EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 241 EDWARD. If these writers had to support a false story, i it is indeed improbable that they should have thus acted ; that they should have neglected to avail themselves of their own advantao-es, and left themselves exposed to animadversion from the narratives being different. MR. B. But besides this positive testimony to the ve- racity of the evangelists, we must not omit the negative testimony afforded, in that their enemies never denied many things, which, if false, they must have had the power of detecting and ex- posing. It concerned the whole Jewish nation to shew the falsity of the pretensions of him whom they had put to death, to deny or to vindicate the accounts given of the conduct of their rulers, with regard to his crucifixion. It afterwards became a matter of the greatest consequence to the Roman empire to decide upon this question. The Chris- tians had increased in numbers and influence to a great degree, and persecutions only added to their strength. What then was the direct course to be pursued, if the Christian statements could be oroved false ? Certainly to prove that /ac^. The ivangelists had given all the details of the death )f the Founder of this religion with the utmost {are, and the Christian apologists in later times vere ever daring them to the proof. If Pilate M 242 CONVERSATIONS ON THE never had condemned our Lord to the pecuUar kmd of death, and under all the circumstances alleged, why was not the fact disproved ? The Christians justly laid the greatest stress upon the leading events of the life of their Master : that an extraordinary person was at that particular time expected to arise, was known throughout the whole of the eastern parts of the empire, and probably in the west also ; that the Jews were in full expectation that he was to spring from the house of David, and that the time for his appear- ance was come, is also known. The full belief of that nation induced them to brave all the power of the Roman empire, and to the very last they were sanguine in their hopes of the appearance of the Messias. Now under these circumstances a person did appear, whose life so influenced many, that the whole world was shortly after astonished at their boldness, their zeal, and perseverance. There appeared a stronger probability every year that they would ultimately succeed ; and yet neither Jews nor Romans, though most desirous to crush them, attempted that which would have had the greatest tendency. BEATRICE. The New Testament statements have never, then,. beeu shewn to be false, as regards our Lord ? MR. B. Tliey have not ; and on this I lay the greatest EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 243 stress ; for if there had been the means of proving them false, it is utterly incredible that they should have been acknowledged as true. BEATRICE. But all the New Testament statements have jiot been acknowledged as true. MR. B. None have been proved to be false, and some of the greatest importance have been owned true. EDWARD. What is confessed as true? MR. li. It is owned that Christ worked miracles. BEATRICE. But by whom ? MR. B. Both Jews and Pagans. BEATRICE. But by any near the time of Christ ? MR. B. Even by the first antagonist of his religion, 'Celsus. BEATRICE. But if he owned the fact, why did he not be- come a Christian? 244 CONVERSATIONS ON THE MR. B. Because he absurdly supposed those miracles could have been wrought by magic, which we know they could not. The Jews had the same mode of accountino; for them. Now no reasonino- upon the subject whatsoever can get over the stubborn fact, that the miracles of Christ were acknowledged by those of his opponents who lived nearest to his time, and had the best means of ascertaining the truth. EDWARD. But if this be admitted, the whole question seems decided. MR. B. It does not follow that because enemies as well as friends believed that he worked miracles, that therefore he did : it only follows, that we have no means of proving that he did not, by means of historical testimony. But unless we find reason to believe, from internal evidence, that deception was practised, then we must also conclude that those miracles were really wrought. EDWARD. And therefore we must examine as to the pro- bability of the apostles having been deceivers. BEATRICE. There can be little chance for any one who now M EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 245 attempts this, since their first enemies could not overthrow those statements in which fraud was most open to detection. EDWARD. We do not know that the miracles were so open to detection. The leading facts of the life of Christ might be true, exclusively of the miracles ; and the miracles may have been appended to it, to give authority to his precepts. BEATRICE. They may ; but, from my recollection of them, I do not think it probable ; for, though some of them were private, the greater part were public. EDWARD. But if it was believed that miracles could be performed by the powder of magic, they might have been less examined than they ought to have been at the time : the accounts were not published till after his death, and then probably with ex- aggerations, supposing that pretensions were really made to this power from the very beginning, which is by no means certain. MR. B. We will examine, then, into the probability that the apostles added these miracles, to give authority to the precepts of their Master. If it be supposed that our Lord Jesus Christ 246 CONVERSATIONS ON THE was only a very superior character, who vainly attempted the reformation of the Jewish nation, and was, in consequence, put to death ; and this is the only supposition that can be formed by those who admit historical testimony, but are unwilling to acknowledge the performance of miracles ; then we must inquire, of what nature was his doctrine and manner of life — how far it would be consistent with the allowance of an attempt to deceive for the purposes of general good — and how far it was acted upon by his apostles. EDWARD. Upon this hypothesis, then, our Lord w^ould be a sort of Jewish Socrates ; and his disciples, seeing the bad result of their Master's attempt to reform his nation without the assumption of miraculous powers, after his death gave him that to w^hich he himself made no pretension. MR. B. Now I think it is quite certain, that, if this had been the case, they would, at least, have made as free with his doctrines as with his life ; for with regard to his precepts, few could detect any false statements ; with respect to miracles, they were at the mercy of every enemy. BEATRICE. It certainly seems probable that they would EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. '247 somewhat soften and accommodate their state- ments to pubhc prejudice. MR. B. Now what are their doctrines ? what are the precepts put into the mouth of their Lord ? The world has never seen a stronger expression of detes- tation of hypocrisy and insincerity than the whole of these writino^s manifest. With reo-ard to the nature of God, as a Spirit, and with respect to his worshippers, who are to " icorship him in spirit and in triith/^ the language is uniform and de- cisive, to so great a degree, as utterly to exclude all idea of the men who spent their lives in pro- mulgating such opinions entertaining any hope that by deception they could recommend this re- ligion. Of those " ivho do evil that good may come/' they teach that " their damnation is Just ;" they threaten eternal vengeance against " all liars;'' and the most terrible miracle recorded in the volume is connected with " lyifig i