truth of those things, which they published to others, are pointed out by one of them in the following words: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; (for the life was manifefted, and we have feen it, and bear witnefs, and fhow unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifefted unto us): that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you*." In certain cafes, we refuse to give credit, even to a perfon of unimpeachable integrity, because he hath not had fufficient opportunity to acquire a thorough acquaintance with his fubject; but if any be dif pofed to call in question the testimony of the apofiles, their doubts must spring from fome other fource than a well-founded fufpicion of partial, or inaccurate intelligence. What they saw and heard, they were fully qualified to relate.

The honefty of the apoftles, in the character of witneffes to the truth of the Christian religion, is not lefs evident than their competency. If none of those motives, by which men are induced

* John i. I.--- 3.

to

to bear false witness, can be conceived to have influenced them; if no fatisfactory reafon can be affigned for their conduct, but a conviction of the truth, he must be highly uncandid and unreafonable, who fufpects their veracity. They were not prompted by a fpirit of ambition, to form a scheme of immortalizing their names, by introducing a fyftem of faith, to be established on the ruins of every other religion. Such a scheme was not likely to occur to persons so mean and illiterate; and, though their views had been more afpiring than their condition warrants us to fuppofe, they would have been deterred from feriously thinking of it, by the obvious impoffibility of carrying it into effect. They were not fimulated by avarice; for they who had already forfaken all to follow their Mafter, could not hope to gain wealth in exchange, by a religion which taught men to defpife it, and which few of the rich were likely to embrace. It was not

the love of eafe which allured them to fubmit to labours which had no interruption, to perfecution in every city, to the fcorn of the world, to imprisonment and death. They cannot be con

ceived to have acted from a mere wish to im

pofe

pofe upon mankind; because deceivers would not have contrived the purest, the most fublime, the most benevolent religion, which the world ever faw; a religion, by which all falsehood and-impofture are forbidden under the penalty of ever lafting torments. In short, to whatever motive we attribute their conduct, no rational account of it can be given, till we refort to the fuppofition, that they were fully convinced of the truth of what they declared. In this cafe, we can conceive them to have renounced all temporal goods, and to have expofed themselves to all temporal ills, from an ardent and generous defire to communicate to their fellow men the inestimable bleffings of the gofpel; fupported under all their toils and fufferings, by the affurance of fuperna tural aid, and animated by the hope of a glorious recompenfe. But if their teftimony was not true, their conduct is inexplicable, unless they were madmen or enthufiafts; and of either of these charges, the fyftem which they taught, and the whole of their deportment afford an eafy and complete refutation. Madmen could not have devised a religion fo full of wisdom and order, in which duties grow fo naturally out of principles,

and the various parts fo admirably harmonize. Enthusiasts could not have talked fo rationally on fubjects so much calculated, as feveral topics in the gospel are, to inflame the imagination; nor have delivered a rule of life fo well adapted to the circumftances of mankind, and fo far removed from any thing exceffive or overftrained; nor have displayed zeal tempered with so much prudence; nor have acted, on many trying occafions, with fuch uniform dignity, and unruffled compofure.

Notwithstanding thefe confiderations, however, which might have fatisfied thofe, whom the apoftles addreffed, of their integrity, and are fufficient to put to filence the lying lips of infidelity, which brings against them a charge of impofture, I hefitate not to affert, that their teftimony would not have been believed, if they had not exhibited fuch evidence as demonftrated, that they acted by a divine commiffion; and, by neceffary confequence, may convince us, that their writings were inspired.

Let us attend to fome of the principal facts, which they attefted, and of the doctrines which they founded upon them. They taught, that Jefus

Chrift,

Christ, a man born of an obfcure mother, who had lived in poverty, and died an ignominious death, was the Son of the Moft High God; that having rifen from the dead, he had afcended to heaven, and was now conftituted the Lord of an gels and men; that to believe in him was the enly way to obtain the favour of God, and the enjoyment of eternal life; that men of all nations were bound to forfake the religion of their fa thers, and embrace his gospel; and that, at the elofe of time, he would appear in the clouds of heaven, raise the dead from their graves, and judge all mankind, according to their works. It may be added, that on thefe doctrines they reared a system of moral precepts, which, however agreeable to right reafon, must be acknowledged to be extremely uninviting to human nature, as governed by those propenfities, and inclinations, which are felt and acknowledged in every age, and in every climate.

It is impoffible to conceive a religion more repugnant than the Chriftian to the prejudices, and expectations of both Jews and Gentiles; of the Jews, who, misled by the figurative language of prophecy, which they interpreted under the in

fluence