tion of their mafter at his arreft, and the bafe denial of him by Peter, who was one of the most zealous and refolute in the party, and the like, together with Jesus's cenfures and reproofs of their offences upon different occafions, though fome of them were sharp and severe; which is a great argument that only truth is here declared.-Further, notes of time, circumstances of place, names or titles of perfons interested, occafions of action and discourse, and many other particulars are marked, tending to render a detection of falfhood in the relations eafy, if there had been room for it, forafmuch as they facilitated accuracy and exactness of inquiries; and yet, though there could not be wanting inclination, as fomethings mentioned carried a reflection on individuals even of rank and figure, or on societies and bodies of men in general, wherefore they would doubtless raise resentment, and the whole was aimed to fubvert and overthrow the religions then established, with the lucrative trades and employments, and the favourite fhews and exhibitions depending thereon, there never was confutation of the narrative, nor any exposure any of them that compofed the fame as liars and deceivers as is manifeft from the speedy propagation of the gospel in the world, in spite of all opposition from prejudices of education, fecular intereft, and other causes.—There is obfervable likewise in the history, an unparallelled and unprecedented plainnefs and fimplicity of recital. For here we meet with no ftudied excufes and apologies for what might have been forefeen to shock and difguft, no parade of language or colouring of rhetoric to fet off their hero's actions or words, no laboured remarks to raise his honour, or

to illuftrate the virtues of his admirers, whatever oc cafion there was for it, no invectives and reproaches against his enemics for malice, injuftice, and like difpositions, as much as they fhewed these hateful qualities, in their cavils against his discourses and works, and in their attempts against his liberty and life. The reader is just entertained with a naked and unadorned detail of facts, and left to judge; which looks not like fiction, but is a prefumption of great fincerity. There is, moreover, among the four evangelifts, who cannot be with any fhadow of reason fufpected to have writ by concert and harmony, an agreement so entire and full, that the like is not to be found among fo many writers of the events and occurrences of any person's life. Finally, as it cannot be pretended that there is any thing incredible in itself in God's having raised up an extraordinary teacher among the Jews, furnished with fuch credentials as they reprefent, nor be alleged that they wanted fufficient capacities for understanding, whether fuch and fuch words were spoken,fuch and fuch works were done as they relate, fince to comprehend these plain matters of fact, there was not requifite any uncommon natural acuteness of intellectual faculties, or any artificial improvement of them by liberal education, so there are other things, befides the circumstances taken notice of in their manner of writing, which perfuade us of their fincerity in their teftimony. For they were perfons unblameable and irreproachable in their moral conduct; wherefore none of their most virulent adverfaries ever branded them for any vice and wickedness, whatever accufations they have thrown out against them of weakness and delufion, from zeal for their own cause,

the prefumption, therefore, from their character is that they wrote truth.-Again, there was no motive to incline them to deceive the world by a falfe narrative, for both the Jewish religion in which they were bred, and the Christian religion which they had embraced, and of the rife and principles of which they profeffed to give an account, most exprefsly prohibited, and most awfully threatened all lying and forgery; wherefore, instead of having any incitement to be false witneffes, even with a good intention, by hope of reward from God, they would be deterred from it by the fear of tremendous punishment from his juftice. And then, as to men, what could they expect by trying to pass upon them a false narrative in fupport of Christianity, which was every where perfecuted, but that, instead of changing their religious fentiments and manners in deference to their forgery, and loading them with wealth and riches, or raising them to power and authority for it, they should proceed against them with all civil penalties as notorious liars and impoftors, till after various miseries of bonds, fcourges, tortures, and the like, they were exterminated out of the world, the profelytes that had been already made by their preaching falling away through fhame and terror, as fnow melts before the fun.-I mean, unless they retracted their teftimony, which it will not be afferted they ever did, amidst all the fiery trial from their enemies which they endured. There was therefore no confideration to incline the evangelifts to attempt fuch a wild and extravagant cheat upon the world, as is imputed to them by those who make them guilty of falfhood in their narratives; and fhould not thefe arguments

K k

laid together, fatisfy us of the truth of the gospel-hiftory, upon which depends the truth and divinity of our religion?-Let this book then the Toldoth Jefhu never more be heard of, or set up in opposition to the books of our evangelifts.

THE

513

I

CONCLUSION.

have now finished what I proposed to perform.

For I have fhewed, as I think, that Mr. Voltaire hath shamefully misrepresented the Jewish historian Jofephus, in the accounts he gives us of his religious opinions, and in several relations of speeches and tranfactions which he profeffes to quote from his works, or to build upon his authority. I have likewife convicted him, according to my apprehenfion, of mifciting or misinterpreting the facred books in very many inftances, and often after a most unreafonable and perverfe manner; while it hath also been obferved, in expofing this his unfair and unjust treatment of them, that he hath not scrupled more than once to contradict himself*, or to affirm and

* To the examples of fuch inconfiftency which have been given, I may here add another, as it was omitted in its proper place. We have feen that, in his Ignorant Philofopher, under the article entitled, The Effects of the Spirit of Party and Fanaticifm, page 373. he makes mutual perfecution among Chriftians, even unto fpilling of blood, the necessary effect of our Saviour's words, Whomfoever liftens not to the church, ⚫ fhall be looked upon as a pagan and a publican.' Yet, in his treatise on Toleration, he spends the whole 14th chapter to fhew that Chrift hath not established fanguinary laws, and enjoined non-toleration, but preached up by his words and actions mildness, forbearance and indulgence; and more particularly ftill, having quoted this very paffage among the few paffages in the New Teftament from which the fpirit of perfecution hath inferred that tyranny and constraint in religious