have been impossible for the apostate Church to fulfil those prophecies, by disregarding the latter and paying devout attention to the former. That many therefore of those scriptures, which form the most essential part of the canon of the apostate Church, must be fabulous and false, seems as certain, as that the word of God is true. Strongly impressed with this apparently inevitable consequence from those prophecies, and dissatisfied with all the external evidence which the case admits, he turned his attention more particularly to those internal marks of authenticity or spuriousness, which genuine or fictitious scriptures must always necessarily contain. And that attentive examination brought him to the conclusions which he here submits to public consideration. He does this the more cheerfully, because the subjects of discussion, like the Gospel of Christ itself, are level to common capacities, and intelligible to every person who will exert his rational faculties about them: for where the detection of forgery and falsehood depends upon gross and palpable inconsistencies and contradictions, it is not peculiarly the province of that critical skill which requires a knowledge of the original language of the scriptures attainable to few; but, when those contradictions are pointed out, becomes the proper business of the common sense of every reader of even the vulgar translations. He is fully persuaded, that nothing can so effectually amend and bless mankind, as a general, rational comprehension and well-grounded belief of the Gospel Covenant; and that nothing can so much promote the cause of Christian truth and piety, as the distinguishe ing them from fabulous falsehood and impious superstition. Unconnected for near thirty years with any religious sect or party what soever, disapproving in every point of view of the office of a teacher of so plain a thing as Christianity, considered as a lucrative occupation, and much too far advanced in life to have any temporal interest in view, the Author trusts his mind has been perfectly unbiassed and impartial in its inves tigations. But if he should have deceived himself, and be judged by others to be in the wrong, still his errors, if found to be such, may most easily be exposed and refuted; and no one will be better pleased than himself with their just and candid refutation. Should this, however, be attempted, he hopes it will be effected in a more manly, rational manner, than was adopted by the only two gentlemen who thought proper to make any public attack upon the first edition, by clearly recon ciling the several objectionable passages, as the scriptures really exist, without recurring either to any human authority, or to a fanciful transposition of paragraphs, or to hypothetical systems unwarranted by the Gospels themselves; for, by such means, a man of a fertile imagination may possibly frame an ideal history of Jesus, which may comprehend the most incongruous circumstances, as geometricians can contrive to draw a circle of some diameter or other through any three points which lie not in a right line; but, if such modes of interpreting scripture may be allowed, the most ingenious novel-writer will make the ablest commentator; and in removing the difficulties of the evangelical histories, will far surpass the efforts of the most learned doctors of Christendom. TABLE OF CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION. Section. Page. I. General remarks upon the contents of the Evangelical Histories, and the historical evidence of their authenticity.. 17 II. The only certain evidence of the truth of any Divine Revelation ... III. Reasons why the testimony of those writers whom the Church VI. Reasons for preferring the Histories of Luke, and making CHAP. I.-Gospel according to Luke. I. Remarks on the style and composition of this Gospel-Cor- II. Interpolations in the Lord's Prayer-Baptism of Jesus- III. One of greater importance in the two first chapters-Some CHAP. II.Gospel according to Luke continued. I. Agreement between the internal and external evidence in necessary to prove the truth of revelation II. Miracles recorded in this Gospel 21 26 30 33 44 *53 *57 any historian of a divine * The Sections in the pages marked thys (*), were omitted in the printing; but the fresh paragraph in each, denotes where they ought to have been inserted. III. Prophecies-Two of the Baptist-Of fasting-Of the death and resurrection of Jesus Of the kingdom of God IV. Destruction of Jerusalem-Parable of the mustard-seed and leaven-Doctrine of atonement-Whether few shall be V. The suddenness of the Jewish destruction-The unjust Judge General want of faith at Christ's coming-Para- ble of the ten pounds-Lamentation over Jerusalem- Why these predictions could not be written after Jerusa- lem was destroyed-The husbandmen and vineyard- Promise of baptism with the Holy Ghost-Important VI. Review of the evidence in favour of this Gospel-Silas, the real author of this History, and of the Acts of the Apostles-Reflections on the evidence of the authenticity, II. Observation respecting the two first chapters-The Au- thor's genealogy of Jesus-Its inconsistency with his own. purpose-Misapplication of the celebrated prophecy of Isaiah-Ditto of the prophecy of Micah-Fable of the magi and star-Ditto of Herod's massacre of the inno- cents-Perversion of a prophecy of Hosea-Ditto of one of Jeremiah-A fictitious prophecy not to be found-The III. Remarks on the history of John's baptism--The author ignorant of the meaning of the kingdom of God-Direct contradiction to Silas or Luke-Our Lord's forty days IV. Instance of the author's imperfect knowledge of Palestine -Contradiction to Luke-Decapolis-No such country- |