than was adopted by the only two gentlemen who thought proper to make any public attack upon the first edition, by clearly reconciling 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 His

·tories, and the historical evidence of their authenticity.. 11 II. The only certain evidence of the truth of any Divine Revelation .......

........ 26 III, Reasons why the testimony of those writers whom the Church

call Orthodox, cannot afford us satisfaction............ 26 TV. Further reasons for not admitting the testimony of the Fa

thers of the Church, of the second and third centuries.. 30 y. Still greater defects in their testimony, derived from the re

ceived maxim of those schools of Philosophy in which
they had all been educated .

........ 33 VI. Reasons for preferring the Histories of Luke, and making

Section.

page.

III. Prophecies-Two of the Baptist-of fasting-of the death

and resurrection of Jesus--Of the kingdom of God .... 5

IV. Destruction of Jerusalem—Parable of the mustard-seed and

leaven-Doctrine of atonement-Whether few shall be
saved-Answer of Jesus to those who counselied him to
quit Galilee .....

...............*101
V. The suddenness of the Jewish destruction - The unjust ,

- Judge---General want of faith at Christ's coming--Pará..
· ble of the ten pounds--Lamentation over Jerusalem

Why these predictions could not be written astet Jerusa-,.!
lem was destroyed-Tlie. husbandmen and .vineyard
Promise of baptism with the Holy Ghost-Importanti

observations ....pro...0...1. 13*.......... 118

VI. Review of the evidence in favour of this: Gospel-Silas, 7.

the real author of this History, and of the Acts of the

- Apostles-Reflections on the evidence of the authenticity, .;

· accuracy, and credibility of the two Histories of Silas or

. Luke ............. ........................................... 18%

CHAP. II-Gospel according to Mattheweis
I. General remarks-Not a translation from another language

Not written till after. Luke's-Nor_before the second

century ......

.......... 143

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

return from Egypt, :...po..... .mpód. 148.

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

fast and temptation ................................ 161

. Instance of the author's imperfect knowledge of Palestine ,

-Contradiction to Luke-Decapolis-No such country,
Distribution of the Jewish territory by the RomansCon--
cluding remarks oorroosi..........ciricords .... 103

CHAP. IV.-Gospel according to Matthew continued. Section.

Page. I. The Sermon upon the Mount-Improbable that it was de

livered at such time and place-Its assertion respecting
the Law contradictory to the Prophets of both Covenants
--That the Lord's Prayer was taught at this time, incon-
sistent with Luke's History--Inconsistency of the direc-

tions given for fasting-Casting pearls before swine ...: 173 II. Miracle of healing the Centurion's servant of the demons

in the herd of swine-Enumeration of the names of the
twelve Apostles--Kingdom of Heaven suffering violence,
and taken forcibly by violent men-Another misapplica-
tion of this writer of one of the old prophecies-The au.
thor ignorant of the meaning of the sign which Jonah was
to the Ninevites ........

......... 184 fil. Remarks on the parables of this writer compared with those

of Luke-Parable of the sower-Ditto of the man who
sowed good seed in his field-Two ditto transcribed from
Luke-Ditto of the merchant seeking goodly pearls---Pa-

rable of the net cast into the sea : ....... ......... 192 IV. Cause of the death of John the Baptist-That man is defiled,

not by that which goeth into his mouth, but that which
cometh out-Parable of the king that took account of his

servants-Different kinds of eunuchs ..... ......1..202 V. Purable of the householder hiring labourers into his vineyard

-Misapprehension of the writer of Zechariah's meaning in
the words, “ an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass”-Para-
ble of the man who had two sons-Parable of the house-
holder who planted a vineyard and let it out-Parable of

the king who made a marriage for his son ............ 209 VI. Inconsistency of this writer with Luke, in the time as.

signed for our Lord's making his pathetic ejaculation
over Jerusalem--Parable of the ten virgins-Ditto of the
talents-This writer's description of the day of judgment
-History of the institution of the Lord's Supper, and its

inconsistency with that of Luke ......... .........218 VII. Subsequent contradictions between this writer and Luke,

to the conclusion of his Gospel, which infallibly prove that one of them is fabulous and false .....pro....... 297

Section.

Page. VIII. Miracles of Jesus recorded by this writer-Testimony of

the prophecies recorded in this Gospel — Prophecy of
the destruction of Jerusalem ........ ........ 248

CHAP. V.-Gospel according to Mark,
1. General remarks--Style in which it is written-Its man-

ner of beginning—And contradictory conclusion-
Enumeration of the names of the Apostles-Parable
of the sower ........,

....... 256 II. That the Apostles anointed the sick-they healed with oil

Origin of extreme unction-Jesus curing a person deaf
and dumb-Inconsistency of this Gospel with both the
preceding, respecting the sign of the Prophet Jonas--
Jesus giving sight to a blind man-Prophecy of the re-
compense of persecuted Christians, even in the present
life--Prediction respecting Peter's denying his Master.. 261

Enum

of the

CHAP. VI. -Gospel according to John.
I. Remarks on the style in which this Gospel is written-

Contradiction between this writer and Matthew, re-
specting John the Baptist- This writer's inconsistency
with Luke in his account of the first disciples of Jesus,
and of their motives for following him-Similar inconi-
sistency respecting our Lord's driving the traders out
of the temple .................

..... 267 II, The writer's assertion that Jesus by his disciples baptized

more persons than John, before John was cast into pri-
son-The discourse of Jesus with the woman of Sa-
maria-Assertion of our Lord, that other men labour-
ed, and that his disciples reaped the fruits of their
labour-The writer's confused account of the feasts of
the Jews-His ignorance that one of the Apostles was
the brother of Jesus-Inconsistency of this writer's ąc-
count of the places of our Lord's residence with that
given us by Luke ...........

....... 274 III. His contradiction to Luke, in the circumstances which

preceded, accompanied, and followed our Lord's cru-
cifixion ...................................

284