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great, but unneceffary difficulties, into the whole fyftem. Thefe books were univerfally read and received by the Jews of our Saviour's time. He and his apoftles, in common with all other Jews, referred to them, alluded to them, ufed them. Yet, except where he exprefsly afcribes a divine authority to particular predictions, I do not know that we can ftrictly draw any conclufion from the books being so used and applied, befide the proof, which it unqueftionably is, of their notoriety and reception at that time. In this view our fcriptures afford a valuable teftimony to those of the Jews. But the nature of this teftimony ought to be understood. It is furely very different from, what it is fometimes reprefented to be, a fpecific ratification of each particular fact and opinion; and not only of each particular fact, but of the motives. affigned for every action, together with the judgement of praise or difpraise bestowed upon them. St. James, in his epiftle

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* v. II.

fays,

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fays, "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have feen the end of the Lord." Notwithstanding this text, the reality of Job's hiftory, and even the existence of fuch a perfon, has been always deemed a fair fubject of inquiry and difcuffion amongst Christian divines. St. James's authority is confidered as good evidence of the existence of the book of Job at that time, and of its reception by the Jews, and of nothing more. St. Paul, in his fecond epiftle to Timothy*, has this fimilitude: "Now, as Jannes and Jambres withstood Mofes, fo do these also refift the truth." These names are not found in the Old Teftament. And it is uncertain, whether St. Paul took them from fome apocryphal writing then extant, or from tradition. But no one ever imagined, that St. Paul is here afferting the authority of the writing, if it was a written account which he quoted, or making himself answerable for the authenticity of the tradition; much lefs, that he fo involves himself with either

iii. 8.

of thefe queftions as that the credit of his own hiftory and miffion fhould depend upon the fact, whether "Jannes and Jam bres withstood Mofes, or not." For what reafon a more rigorous interpretation should be put upon other references, it is difficult to know. I do not mean, that other paffages of the Jewish history ftand upon no 'better evidence than the hiftory of Job, or of Jannes and Jambres (I think much otherwife); but I mean, that a reference in the New Teftament, to a paffage in the Old, does not so fix its authority, as to exclude all inquiry into its credibility, or into the feparate reafons upon which that credibility is founded; and that it is an unwarrantable, as well as unfafe rule to lay down concerning the Jewish hiftory, what was never laid down concerning any other, that either every particular of it must be true, or the whole falfe.

I have thought it neceflary to ftate this point explicitly, because a fashion revived by Voltaire, and pursued by the difciples of his

school,

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fchool, feems to have much prevailed of late, of attacking Chriftianity through the fides of Judaism. Some objections of this clafs are founded in misconstruction, fome in exaggeration; but all proceed upon a supposition, which has not been made out by argument, viz. that the atteftation, which the author and first teachers of Christianity gave to the divine miffion of Mofes and the prophets, extends to every point and portion of the Jewish hiftory; and fo extends, as to make Christianity responsible in its own credibility, for the circumftantial truth, I had almoft faid for the critical exactnefs, of every narrative contained in the Old Tefta

ment.

CHAP.

X 4

age

CHAP. IV.

Rejection of Christianity.

WE acknowledge that the Christian religion, although it converted great numbers, did not produce an univerfal, or even a general conviction in the minds of men, of the and countries in which it appeared. And this want of a more complete and extenfive fuccefs, is called the rejection of the Chriftian hiftory and miracles; and has been thought by fome, to form a ftrong objection to the reality of the facts which the history contains.

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The matter of the objection divides itself into two parts, as it relates to the Jews, and as it relates to Heathen nations ; because the minds of thefe two defcriptions of men may have been, with refpect to Chrif tianity, under the influence of very different caufes. The cafe of the Jews, inasmuch as

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