By RICHARD WATSON, D.D. F.R.S. LORD BISHOP of LANDAFF,
REGIUS PROFESSOR of DIVINITY in the UNIVERSITY of CAMBRIDGE.
Printed for T. EVANS in the Strand, and in the Great Market, Bury St. Edmund's; J. and J. MERRILL, Cambridge; J. FLETCHER, and PRINCE and COOKE, Oxford; P. HILL, Edinburgh; and W. M'KENZIE, Dublin.
Of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion. By DAVID HARTLEY, M. A. Lond. 1749. p. 1.
This Tract is printed from the fecond volume of Doctor Hartley's Obfervations on Man; it is written, as all the other parts of that work are, with fingular clofenefs of thought; and to be well un- derstood, must be read with great attention. Grotius; Abbadie Fabricius; Limborch; Jacquelot Houtteville; Pafcal; Stillingfleet; Stackhouse'; Benfon; Clarke; Leland; Lardner; Macknight; Chánd- ler; Jenkins; Stebbing; Fortin; Fofter; Nichols, and a great many other authors, have taken laudable pains in proving the truth of the Christian religion; but I know not any author, Grotius ex- cepted, who has, in fo fhort a compafs, faid more to the purpose on that fubject than Doctor Hartley has done in the tract which is here republished.
Of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion. ADDISON, Efq. p. 76.
This pofthumous Treatife of Mr. Addifon has been much ef teemed both at home and abroad: the general argument contained in it has been carried to a greater length by other authors fince his time; efpecially by Mr. Correven of Geneva; by Profeffor Bullet of Befançon; and by Dr. Lardner, who has treated it in all its parts with great accuracy in his Collection of Jewish and Heathen Tefti- monies to the Truth of the Chriftian Religion. There is, unfor- tunately, in many men, a ftrange prepoffeffion against every thing written by churchmen, in defence of the Chriftian religion ;- that "Priefts of all religions are the fame" that they defend altars on which their lives depend," with an hundred other expref- fions of a fimilar tendency, are frequent in the mouths of un- believers we fincerely forgive them this wrong; but as the charge of selfishness and hypocrity cannot, with any fhadow of propriety, be brought against Mr. Addifon, and fuch other laymen as have written in fupport of Chriftianity, we intreat them to give a fober attention to what thefe unprejudiced writers have advanced on the fubject furely eternal life is too important a concern to be jefted away in farcaftic witticisin, and frothy disputation.
Of the Argument for the Truth of Chriftianity arifing from the fulfilment of our Saviour's predictions concerning the deftruction of the Temple, and the City of Jerufalem, and the difperfion of the Jews. Being the third chap- ter of the first vol. of a Collection of Jewish and Heathen Teftimonies to the Truth of the Chriftian Religion. By N. LARDNER, D. D. 1764. p. 103.
The argument for the truth of Chriftianity which is taken from the hiftory of the deftruction of Jerufalemn as related by Jofephus, com- pared with our Saviour's prediction of that event recorded by the Evangelifts Matthew, Mark, and Luke, has always been confidered as one of the ftrongeft which can be urged, either against the Jews in particular, or against unbelievers in general. In modern times this argument has been illuftrated by Jackfon in the firft volume of his works, 1673; by Tillotson in the 12th vol. (8vo ed.) of his Ser- mons; by Kidder in his Demonftration of the Meffiah; by Whitby in his Commentary on St. Matthew, and in his General Preface; by Sharpe in a difcourfe intituled, The Rife and Fall of the Holy City and Temple of Jerufalem, preached at the Temple Church, 1764; and, to mention no others, by Jertin in the first vol. of his Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory. This author has alfo well proved, not only that the Gofpels, in which the predictions of Chrift relative to the deftruction of Jerufalem are delivered, were written before that event; but that the predictions themselves could not have been inferted into the Gofpels, as interpolations, after the event: the reader will not efteem this to have been an un- neceflary labour, who recollects the confidence with which Voltaire, with a view probably of evading the force of the argument in quef tion, declares that the Gospels were written after Jerufalem was destroyed-fans doute après la deftruction de Jerufalem.-Many an unbeliever is apt to think and fay, that he would have faith in the Gospel, if he could fee a man raised from the dead, or any one notable miracle performed in atteftation of its truth. Now the completion of an ancient prophecy is, to us who fee the completion, a miracle; and I would fincerely recommend it to every one, who is not steadfast in the faith, to examine carefully, and liberally, whether the prophecies-concerning Jerufalem being trodden under foot of the Gentiles-concerning the fterility of Palestine-the ftate of the Jewish people-the introduction of the Gentiles into the Church of God-the apoftafy of the latter times--the independency of the Arabs--the fervitude of Ham's pofterity, &c. have not been literally fulfilled. Thefe things are facts which fall within our own obfervation; and if we fearch the Scriptures, we fhall find that these facts were predicted long before either we or our fathers were born.
The prefent conftitution of the world, with refpect to the civiliza- tion, the religion, the liberty, or flavery of the different empires which fubfift in it, is but one ftage of the completion of the va- rious prophecies, which were of old delivered, concerning the for- tunes of individuals, nations and countries. We in our day's may fay what Tertullian, fpeaking of the accomplishment of Scripture prophecy, faid in his Quicquid agitur prænunciabatur, quicquid vi- detur audiebatur. The reader may find thefe fubjects difcuffed by Bp. Newton in his Differtations on the Prophecies; by Whiston in his Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecy; by Sharpe in his fecond Argument in defence of Chriftianity; by Lardner in his three Ser- mons on the Circumftances of the Jewish People, an Argument for the Truth of Christianity; by the author of the Principes de la Foi Chré- tienne; by the author of an Effay in the Univerfal Hiftory, on The Independency of the Arabs; by Bifhops Hurd, Hallifax, and Bagot, in their Sermons preached at Warburton's Lecture; by Jofeph Mede, and Henry More, in their respective works; and by Worthington in his Sermon preached at Boyle's Lecture, 1766, &c.
All the Actions recorded in the Gofpels are probable, p. 177.
This Tract is the 4th chap. of the 1ft book of the Truth of the Gospel History, by Macknight. Young men fhould render this short tract familiar to them by a frequent perufal of it; they will find in it very concife, but fatisfactory answers to many objections refpect- ing fome parts of our Saviour's conduct, the poffibility and the credibility of miracles, &c. which are, fometimes feriously, oftener in wanton mockery of religion, made fubjects of common conver- fation, and which never fail to leave a bad impreffion on the minds of those who know not how to reply to them.
Of the Argument for the Truth of the Chriftian Religion arifing from the converfion of the world to Christianity; taken from the Truth of the Gospel History. By JAMES MACKNIGHT, D. D. 1763. p. 199.
That great multitudes out of every nation in the then known world were converted from Heathenifm to Chriftianity, within a few years after the death of Jefus, is a fact allowed on all hands; the question is, whether this fact can be properly urged as a decifive proof of the divine origin of the Chriftian religion. And, with- out doubt, the fact, abftractedly confidered, cannot. The exten-
five propagation of a religion, how rapidly foever it may have been
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