,a   ,letter   ,to the   ,reverend ,mr4 
,channing   ,relative to   ,his ,two    
,sermons   ,on   ,infidelity    ,by     
,george ,bethune ,english1 ,a4,m4       
,boston   ,printed for the ,author      
#ahac  ,,letter1 c4  ,rev4 ,sir1  ,your 
eloquent and interesting ,sermons on    
,infidelity1 ,i have read with the      
interest arising from the nature of the 
subject you have discussed1 and the     
impressive manner in which you have     
treated it4  ,as it is understood that  
the appearance of those ,sermons was    
owing to a ,book lately published by me1
 ,i request your pardon for a liberty ,i
 am about to take1 which in any other   
circumstances ,i should blush to presume
 upon-it is sir1 with deference1 and    
great respect1 to express my sentiments 
with regard to some of the arguments    
contained in them1 where the reasoning  
does not appear to me so unexceptionable
 as the language in which it is         
enveloped1 is eloquent and affecting4   
,there are also some opinions of yours  

relative to matters of fact1 in those   
discourses1 to which ,i would           
respectfully solicit your attention4    
,it afforded me much pleasure1 though it
 caused me no surprise1 to perceive you 
to say in your introductory remarks1    
that these ,sermons were designed to    
procure for the arguments for           
,christianity a serious1 and respectful 
attention and1 that if you should be so 
happy as to awaken candid and patient   
enquiry1 your principal object will be  
accomplished you wish1 that             
,christianity should be thoroughly      
examined1 you do not wish to screen it  
from enquiry4 ,it would cease1 you      
observe to be your support were you not 
persuaded that it is able to sustain the
 most deliberate investigation4  ,in    
considering ,christianity as a fair     
subject for discussion1 you do justice  
to the cause you so eloquently defend   
for ,christianity itself honestly1 and  
openly professes to offer itself1 to the
 belief of all mankind solely on account

 of the reasons which support it2 and   
since its learned1 and liberal advocates
 always announce1 and recommend it from 
the ,pulpit as reasonable in itself and 
confirmed by unanswerable arguments2 no 
one who believes them sincere can doubt1
 that they are perfectly willing to have
 its claims openly discussed and think  
themselves amply able to give valid     
reasons1 for the faith that is in them1 
and which they so earnestly invite all  
men to receive4  ,you observe1 p4 #ac1  
that the writings of ,infidels1 have    
been injurious not so much by the       
strength of their arguments1 as by the  
positive1 and contemptuous manner ,in   
which they speak of ,revelation1 they   
abound in sarcasm1 abuse1 and sneer1 and
 supply the place of reasoning1 by wit  
and satire4 ,if so sir1 it is all in    
favor of the cause you defend2 for the  
tiny weapons of wit1 and ridicule1 will 
assuredly fly to shivers under a few    
blows from the solid1 and massy club of 
sound logic4  ,the man who attacks any  

system of ,religion merely with wit1 and
 ridicule1 can never1 ,i conceive1 be a 
very formidable antagonist4  ,the mental
 imbecility of the man who could touch  
such a subject as religion in any shape 
with no other arms1 would render him a  
harmless adversary1 and the intrinsic   
weakness of such shining but slender    
weapons1 when encountered with something
 more solid1 would eventually render him
 a contemptible one1 ,i therefore cannot
 help doubting1 that wit and ridicule   
alone1 and unsupported by reasoning1 and
 good reasoning too1 could ever have    
been very successfully wielded against  
such a thing as the ,christian          
,religion1 by its opposers4  ,no man it 
appears to me of common understanding   
will ever resign his religion on account
 of a few jokes1 and bon mots4 ,the     
adherence of such men as are weak enough
 to be subverted by such trifles can do 
as little honor to ,christianity1 as    
their abandoning it for such reasons1   
can affect it with disgrace4 ,the belief

 of such men could never have been more 
than habit1 and their ,infidelity       
nothing else than a freak of folly1     
which is reproachful only to themselves4
  ,but after all1 this vehement         
objection to wit and ridicule1 appears  
to me a little imprudent2 for a         
sarcastic opponent might reply1 that    
sceptics1 have been not unfrequently    
attacked with irony most severe1 and    
sometimes sorely wounded by vollies of  
wit shot from the pulpit1 a place too   
where it can be done without fear of    
reprisals4  ,you know sir1 that the     
famous ,warburton1 for instance1 used to
 amuse himself with not only cutting    
down every unlucky sceptic that came in 
his way1 but he absolutely cut them to  
pieces with the edge of ridicule1 most  
bitterly envenomed too with something   
else4 ,it seems therefore a little      
unreasonable1 that what is fair for one 
party1 should not be so for the other   
too4  ,besides1 the advocates of a      
cause1 which is said not only not to    

fear examination1 but to challenge it1  
should not1 it appears to me1 when taken
 at their words shrink1 and draw back1  
on account of such trifles as wit1 and  
ridicule2 because the style of an       
investigation cannot certainly conceal  
the immutable distinction between a good
 argument and a bad one1 from such      
learned and penetrating adversaries as  
the ,clergy2 and moreover does it appear
 clear that an advocate after asserting 
a proposition1 and defying refutation1  
has any right to insist1 that his       
opponent should put his arguments in    
just such a form as would be most       
convenient to him8 ,what would a        
penetrating ,lawyer think of the cause  
of his opponent1 on finding him to      
insist upon his arranging his           
objections1 and expressing his arguments
 just so that it might be most easy to  
him to reply to them8  ,for my own part1
 ,i have no claims to wit1 and if ,i    
have been sometimes sarcastic it was    
more than ,i meant to be1 it was the    

premeditated consequence of bitter      
feelings arising from considering myself
 as having been betrayed by my credulity
 into taking a situation in society1    
which ,i had discovered ,i must quit at 
no less a hazard than that the          
destruction of all my plans and         
prospects for life4 ,at any rate ,i am  
satisfied1 that no ridicule of mine has 
been intentionally adduced by me in     
order to corroborate a false position1  
or a weak argument2 ,i believe that it  
seldom appears except in the rear of    
something more respectable and          
efficient4  ,you observe1 that          
,christianity deserves at least         
respectful1 and serious attention1 must 
be evident to every man who has honesty 
of mind4 ,nothing can be more true than 
this1 it is a subject which does deserve
 a respectful1 and serious attention3   
because every thing claiming to be from 
,god ought to be carefully1 coolly1 and 
respectfully examined on these accounts4
  #a4 ,if it be from ,god it is of the  

highest importance to the welfare of    
mankind that its truth should be        
investigated thoroughly1 and settled    
firmly4  #b4 ,because if it is not from 
,god it must be the fruit of either of  
error or fraud1 if of the first it ought
 to be rejected as a delusion2 if of the
 second it ought to be cast off as a    
deception practiced in the name of the  
,god of truth1 and therefore            
disrespectful to him4  ,it also merits1 
you most truly say1 a respectful        
examination on account of the character 
of its founder1 for the character of    
,jesus you justly consider as too       
excellent and unexceptionable to be     
reproached4 ,whatever may be said       
concerning the moral excellence of that 
person's character ,i will cheerfully   
assent to1 and ,i could not listen      
without disgust to language impeaching  
his moral purity4 ,this ,i can do       
without ceasing to suppose him an       
enthusiast2 for there appears to me to  
be too many marks of it in the ,new     

,testament for the idea to be set aside 
by a few eloquent exclamations1 and     
notes of admiration2 if ,i am wrong in  
this idea or in others1 ,i will not     
prove indocile to arguments that shall  
sufficiently show the contrary4  ,you   
observe1 p4 #af4 another consideration  
which entitles ,christianity to         
respectful attention is this4 ,that     
,jesus ,christ appeared at a time when  
there prevailed in the east a universal 
expectation of a distinguished personage
 who was to produce a great and happy   
change in the world4 ,this expectation  
was built on writings which claimed to  
be prophetic1 which existed long before 
,jesus was born4  ,i cannot help        
thinking the very great stress which has
 been laid upon this rumour spread all  
over the east a little unreasonable4    
,for #a4 ,a rumour is not as ,i         
apprehend an adequate foundation on     
which to build such a thing as the      
,christian religion1 which claims to be 
derived from heaven4  #b4 ,those who    

have brought forward with so much       
earnestness this popular rumour1 have   
not1 ,i conceive1 paid due attention to 
the causes that might naturally have    
produced it1 which were possibly these4 
,there is in the ,jewish prophets       
frequent mention of a great deliverer1  
and it is represented that he should    
appear in the time when the ,jewish     
nation should be suffering under most   
grievous afflictions1 and who should    
deliver them therefrom1 ,now was it not 
perfectly natural for the ,jews1        
dispersed over ,asia1 to expect1 and to 
circulate the notion of this deliverer  
when their own sufferings1 inflicted by 
their enemies1 were intolerable8 ,if you
 will open ,josephus1 you will there    
read that about and after the time of   
the crucifixion of ,jesus the ,jews were
 dreadfully oppressed by the ,romans1   
and were designedly driven to           
desperation1 by ,florus with the express
 purpose of exciting a rebellion1 and   
thus prevent their accusing him of his  

crimes before the tribunal of ,caesar4  
,was it at all unnatural therefore for  
the ,jews thus oppressed1 and reading in
 their sacred books1 that they should be
 delivered from their oppressors by the 
appearance of their great deliverer when
 their sufferings were at the heighth2  
was it extraordinary that the ,jews1    
writhing under the lash of tyrannical   
conquerors1 and considering their then  
circumstances1 to expect this deliverer 
at that time8  ,and to conclude1 does   
it1 after all1 appear that this rumour  
prevailed in the life time of ,jesus1 or
 not till about thirty years after his  
crucifixion8  ,you add1 now this is a   
remarkable circumstance which           
distinguishes ,jesus from the founders  
of all other religions4 ,this was no    
doubt a slip of the memory1 as so       
learned a man as ,mr4 ,channing1 no     
doubt knows that the ,mahometans1 who   
are the most numerous sect of           
religionists now in the world1 affirm1  
that there was a very general           

expectation of their victorious prophet 
,mahomet1 about the time of his birth   
grounded on tradition1 and1 as they say1
 originally on very many texts of the   
,old ,testament1 which texts1 with      
divers more from the ,new ,testament1   
are urged by the ,mahometan ,divines as 
to the same purpose3 these texts1 and   
their irrelevancy are collected and     
shown by ,father ,maracci in his first  
,dissertation prefixed to his edition of
 the ,koran1 printed at ,padua #afih4   
,collins1 in his answer to the ,bishop  
of ,litchfield1 and ,coventry1 states   
this fact1 and refers to ,addison's     
first state of ,mahometanism p4 #ce4    
,life of ,mahomet before four treatises 
concerning the doctrine of the          
,mahometans1 p4 #i4  ,maracci's         
,appendix ad ,prodromum primum4p4       
#cf-df4  ,in p4 #ah1 you say1 that the  
prophecies with regard to the ,messiah1 
describe a deliverer of the human race  
very similar to say the least to the    
character in which ,jesus appeared4  ,i 

must confess that after reading again   
the prophecies collected in the third   
chapter of ,the ,grounds of             
,christianity examined this similarity  
still remains invisible to me4 ,i hope  
you will not be offended at my avowing  
that you appear to me to be sensible of 
the difficulty of this affair of the    
,messiahship1 for you content yourself  
with adducing that characteristic of the
 ,christ recorded in the ,old           
,testament1 his teaching and            
enlightening the ,gentiles with the     
knowledge of ,god1 and true religion1 as
 applicable to ,jesus1 and sufficient to
 prove him the ,messiah4 ,yet supposing 
that this characteristic would apply to 
,jesus1 it would not1 ,i think1 be      
sufficient to prove him to be the       
,messiah or ,christ3 since this         
characteristic is merely one among      
twenty other marks given1 and required  
to be found4  #b4 ,it would1 it appears 
to me1 prove ,mahomet the ,messiah      
sooner than ,jesus2 since ,mahomet in   

person converted more ,gentiles to the  
knowledge and worship of one ,god during
 his life time1 than ,christianity did  
in one hundred years4  #c4 ,but what is 
still more to the purpose1 it cannot1 ,i
 conceive1 apply to ,jesus at all1 since
 he did not fulfill even this solitary  
characteristic2 for he did not preach to
 the ,gentiles1 but confined his mission
 and teaching to the lost sheep of the  
house of ,israel4  ,it was ,paul who    
established ,christianity among the     
,gentiles4  ,in p4 #ah1 you appear to   
admit that all the characteristic marks 
of the ,messiah were not manifested in  
,jesus1 but will be manifested at some  
future period4 ,to which a ,jew might   
answer1 by politely asking you1 whether 
then you do not require too much of him 
for the present1 in demanding faith upon
 credit8  ,but that when ,jesus of      
,nazareth in this future time shall     
fulfill the prophecies2 will it not be  
time enough to believe him to be the    
,messiah8  ,you ask1 p4 #ai1 was ever   

character more pacific than that of     
,jesus8 ,can any religion breathe a     
milder temper than his8 ,into how many  
ferocious breasts has it already infused
 the kindest and gentlest spirit8 ,and  
after all these considerations is ,jesus
 to be rejected because some prophecies 
which relate to his future triumphs are 
not yet accomplished8  ,this argument ,i
 can easily conceive must have had great
 weight with such a man as ,mr4         
,channing1 whose heart accords with     
every thing that is mild and amiable4   
,but after all my dear sir1 what are all
 these considerations to the purpose8   
,show that ,jesus was as amiable and as 
good as the most vivid imagination can  
paint2 nay1 prove him to have been an   
angel from heaven1 and it will not1 it  
seems to me1 at all tend towards        
demonstrating him to be the ,messiah of 
the ,old ,testament1 and if his religion
 was as mild as doves1 and as beneficent
 as the blessed sun of heaven1 still ,i 
might respectfully insist1 that unless  

he answers to the description of the    
,messiah given in the ,old ,testament1  
it is all irrelevant1 and some          
prophecies 7or even one7 unaccomplished1
 which it is expressly said should be   
accomplished at the appearance of the   
,messiah1 are quite sufficient ,i       
conceive to nullify his claims4  ,in the
 #bith page you say that the ,gospels   
are something more than loose and idle  
rumours of events which happened in a   
distant age1 and a distant nation4 ,we  
have the testimony of men who were the  
associates of ,jesus ,christ2 who       
received his instructions from his own  
lips and saw his works with their own   
eyes4  ,i presume that after what ,i    
have represented to ,mr4 ,cary upon the 
subject of the ,gospels according to    
,matthew and ,john1 who know are the    
only ,evangelists supposed to have heard
 with their ears1 and seen with their   
eyes the doctrines and facts recorded in
 those books1 you will be willing to    
allow1 that this is very strong         

language4 ,you observe in your note to  
p4 #ai1 that the other writings of the  
,new ,testament1 7except ,luke1 ,acts1  
and ,paul's ,epistles7 may be all       
resigned1 and our religion and its      
evidences will be unimpaired4 ,this     
language too appears to me to be too    
strong1 since if you give up all but the
 writings you mention we shall by no    
means have the testimony of men who were
 the associates of ,jesus ,christ1 who  
received his instructions from his own  
lips1 and saw his works with their own  
eyes1 for in giving up so much do you   
not resign the gospels according to     
,matthew and ,john8  #b4 ,it requires   
some softening ,i think on these        
accounts2 since #a4 ,luke was not an    
eyewitness of the facts he records in   
his gospel1 it is only a hearsay story4 
#b4 ,it contradicts the other gospels4  
#c4 ,it has been grossly interpolated4  
#d4 ,the learned ,professor ,marsh in   
his dissertation upon the three first   
gospels of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1  

7in his notes to ,michaelis'            
,introduction to the ,n4 ,t47           
represents1 and gives ingenious reasons 
to prove1 that those gospels are        
,compilations from pre-existing         
documents1 written by nobody knows who4 
,so that the pieces from which the three
 first gospels were composed were1      
according to this ,hypothesis1          
anonymous1 and the gospels themselves   
written by we do not know what authors2 
and yet1 you know sir1 that these       
patch-work narratives of miracles have  
passed not only for credible1 bat for   
inspired6  #e4 ,the ,book of ,acts was  
rejected by the ,jewish ,christians1 as 
containing accounts untrue1 and         
contradictory to their ,acts of the     
,apostles4  ,it was rejected also by the
 ,encratites1 and the ,severians1 and ,i
 believe by the ,marcionites4  ,the     
,jewish ,christians were the oldest     
,christian ,church1 and they pronounced 
that the ,book of ,acts in our ,canon   
was written by a partizan of ,paul's2   

and it will be recollected that our     
,book of ,acts is in fact1 principally  
taken up in recording the travels and   
preaching of ,paul1 and contains little 
comparatively of the other ,apostles4   
,the ,jewish ,christians had a ,book of 
,acts different from ours4 ,and besides 
the fact1 that the oldest ,christian    
church1 the mother church of ,judea1    
with whom we should expect to find the  
truth if any where1 rejected the ,acts1 
,chrysostom ,bishop of ,constantinople1 
at the end of the #dth century1 in a    
homily upon this ,book says1 that not   
only the author and collector of the    
,book1 but the ,book itself was unknown 
to many4 ,this mother church had not    
only a book of ,acts of the apostles    
different from ours1 but also a gospel  
of their own1 called the gospel of the  
twelve apostles1 which is supposed by   
the learned in important particulars to 
differ from ours4 ,according to         
,augustine however1 this gospel was     
publickly read in the churches as       

authentick for #cjj years4 ,this gospel 
in the opinion of ,grabe1 ,mills1 and   
other learned men1 was written before   
the gospels now received as canonical4  
,see ,toland's ,nazarenus4  #f4 ,the    
,epistle of ,paul to the ,romans1 those 
to the ,ephesians1 and ,colossians1 are 
nearly proved to be apocryphal by       
,evanson1 and about the rest there are  
some suspicious circumstances4 ,you     
refer the reader of your ,sermons in    
that note to ,paley's ,evidences1 #ith  
chapter1 for evidence for the           
authenticity of the rest of the gospels2
 but if the reader goes there he will   
find1 that all the testimony ,paley     
quotes for the first #bjj years after   
,christ except that of ,papias1         
,irenaeus1 and ,tertullian1 7the value  
of whose testimony to the authenticity  
of the gospels1 has been considered in  
the #afth ch4 of my work2 and which may 
further appear from these circumstances1
 that ,irenaeus considered the ,book of 
,hermas an inspired ,scripture as much  

as he did the four gospels1 and that    
,tertullian contended stoutly for the   
inspiration of the ridiculous book of   
,enoch1 one of the most stupid forgeries
 that ever was seen17 the quotations and
 supposed allusions in the earlier      
fathers are uncertain1 since it is      
acknowledged by ,dodwell1 and also by   
others1 that it cannot be shown with any
 certainty1 whether these quotations and
 allusions belong to ours or to         
apocryphal gospels4  ,and to conclude1  
would you not require as much evidence  
for the authenticity of the gospels1    
which relate supernatural events1 as we 
have for most of the classics1 and yet  
if you examine the subject closely1 you 
will be satisfied to your astonishment  
that we have not so much as we have for 
the works of ,virgil or ,cicero2 and    
that we have not by a great deal so much
 testimony for the miracles of ,jesus1  
which were supernatural events which    
require at least as great proof as      
natural ones as we have for the deaths  

of ,pompey and of ,julius ,caesar1      
though you seem from your note to think 
otherwise4 ,as to ,celsus1 ,porphyry1   
and ,julian1 if they allowed the gospels
 to be genuine1 they might have done so1
 and taken advantage of such an         
allowance to show that they could net1  
from their contradictions1 have been    
written by men having a mission from the
 ,god of ,truth4 ,but ,sir1 is it       
certain that they did acknowledge it8   
,since the only fragments of their works
 upon ,christianity we have remaining1  
are just such parts as their ,christian 
answerers have picked out1 and selected2
 the works themselves were carefully    
burned4 ,and that these answerers have  
not acted fairly may be more than       
suspected1 ,i think from a hint given us
 by ,jerom1 7which you will find in ,dr4
 ,middleton's ,free ,enquiry7 that      
,origen in his answer to ,celsus1       
sometimes fought the devil at his own   
weapons1 i4e4 lied for the sake of the  
truth2 and it is notorious1 that the    

,fathers of the church allowed this to  
be lawful1 and practiced it abundantly4 
,see the note at the end4  ,you allow in
 the #bjth page that the sincerity of   
the propagators of opinions is no proof 
of their truth2 and yet you seem to     
think1 that the twelve apostles must    
have been correct1 because the opinions 
they propagated were1 you think1        
contrary to their prejudices as ,jews4  
,this argument cannot1 ,i conceive1     
support the consequences you lay upon   
it1 were it true that the apostles had  
abandoned their opinions as ,jews about 
the nature of the ,messiah's ,kingdom4  
,but ,i believe you will not be a little
 surprized1 when ,i shall show you1 that
 in preaching ,jesus as the ,messiah    
they did by no means adopt the very     
spiritual ideas you ascribe to them1 but
 in fact believed that ,jesus would soon
 return and restore the ,kingdom to     
,israel in good earnest1 and in a sense 
by no means spiritual4 ,this argument1  
if ,i can establish it1 you observe1    

sir1 no doubt1 must consequently subvert
 a very considerable part of your       
system1 by which you endeavour to       
account for the discrepancies which you 
do allow as yet to subsist between the  
prophecies of the ,messiah1 and ,jesus  
of ,nazareth4 ,i beseech you therefore  
to heed me carefully4  ,in ,luke i4     
verse #cb4 ,the angel tells ,mary that  
her son ,jesus should be great1 and be  
called3 the son of the ,highest and the 
,lord ,god shall give unto him the      
throne of his father ,david1 and he     
shall reign over the house of ,israel   
forever and to his kingdom there shall  
be no end1 and in verse #fg1 c4         
,zachariah1 by the inspiration of the   
,holy ,ghost too1 thus praises ,god     
concerning ,jesus ,blessed be the ,lord 
,god of ,israel1 because he hath visited
 and redeemed his people1 and he hath   
raised up an horn of salvation for us in
 the house of his servant ,david2 as he 
spake by the month of his holy prophets 
which have been since the world began1  

that we should be saved from our enemies
 and from the hand of all that hate us1 
c4 that we being delivered from the hand
 of our enemies should serve him with   
holiness and righteousness before him   
all the days of our lives4  ,see the    
,original4 ,you see1 sir the notion that
 these words allude to1 they certainly  
appear to me to mean something else than
 deliverance from spiritual foes4  ,see 
also in the #b;d ch4 #be verse1 where   
,simeon a man who was looking for the   
consolation of ,israel and was full of  
the ,holy ,ghost1 expresses similar     
sentiments4 ,and ,anna the prophetess   
also spake concerning ,jesus to all who 
were expecting deliverance in           
,jerusalem1 i4e4 undoubtedly deliverance
 from the ,romans4 ,the carnal ideas of 
the ,apostles with regard to the nature 
of their ,master's ,kingdom1 and their  
consequent expectations with regard to  
,jesus1 before his crucifixion1 are     
acknowledged2 and in the #bdth chapt4 of
 ,luke #bast v4 they say in despair1    

,but we trusted that it had been he who 
should have redeemed ,israel4 ,and after
 the resurrection1 and just before the  
ascension of ,jesus1 after they had been
 for forty days instructed in the things
 pertaining to the kingdom of ,god1     
which was the same as that of the       
,messiah1 by ,jesus himself1 they do not
 seem to have had the least idea of the 
metaphysical kingdom of modern          
,christians1 for they ask him1 ,lord    
wilt thou now 7or at this time7 restore 
the kingdom to ,israel8 ,and his answer 
is1 not that it should never be         
restored1 but that it was not for them  
to know the times1 and the seasons1 see 
,acts #a4 ,and even after the day of    
,pentecost1 ch4 iii4 verse #ai1 ,peter  
tells the ,jews to repent1 that their   
sins may be blotted out when the times  
of refreshing i4e4 of deliverance shall 
come from the face of the ,lord1 and he 
shall send ,jesus ,christ i4e4  the     
,messiah before preached1 7or promised7 
unto you1 whom the heavens must receive 

until the times of the restoration of   
all things which ,god hath spoken by the
 mouth of all his holy prophets since   
the world began4 ,from this we see1 that
 the ,apostles thought that ,jesus was  
gone to heaven for a time1 and was to   
return again there is no mention        
whatever in the ,prophets of a double   
coming of the ,messiah and fulfill the  
prophecies with regard to the           
restoration of all things to a          
paradisiacal state1 and the temporal    
kingdom of the ,messiah sitting upon the
 throne of ,david in ,jerusalem1 all    
which is contained in the words of the  
holy prophets which have been since the 
world began4 ,and what sort of a kingdom
 it was to be will appear from the not  
very spiritual description of the reign 
of ,jesus upon earth during the         
,millennium1 described in the #bjth     
chapter of ,revelations1 and not only   
so1 but the author of that book         
represents the final1 and permanent     
state of the blessed as fixed1 not in   

heaven1 as modern ,christians suppose1  
but on a new earth1 or the earth        
renewed1 and in a superb city1 called   
the new ,jerusalem4  ,in fact1 the ideas
 of the twelve ,apostles upon the       
subject of the kingdom of the ,messiah  
were precisely as carnal as those of    
their unbelieving brethren of the       
,jewish nation4  ,they believed1 as has 
been shown abundantly in the #aeth      
chapter of ,the ,grounds of             
,christianity ,examined1 that their     
,master ,jesus would come again1 as he  
had told them he would1 in that         
generation1 and perform for ,israel all 
the glorious things promised2 that he   
would come in a cloud with power and    
great glory1 and all the holy angels    
with him2 that many from the east1 and  
from the west should sit down with      
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob in that    
kingdom2 and that the disciples were to 
eat and drink at ,jesus' table in his   
kingdom1 and were to sit on twelve      
thrones judging the twelve tribes of    

,israel4 ,the author of the book of     
,revelations1 after describing the      
magnificence and felicity of ,jesus'    
kingdom upon earth1 represents him as   
saying that he should come quickly3 and 
in the first chapters1 that they who had
 pierced him should see him coming in   
the clouds4 ,the ,apostles1 as appears  
from the epistles1 were on tiptoe with  
expectation1 and frequently assured     
their converts that the ,lord is at     
hand1 the judge stood before the door1  
c4  ,and to conclude1 ,can you not now1 
sir1 conceive1 and guess the cause of   
the gradual disappearance of the ,jewish
 ,christians after that generation had  
passed away8 ,the fact was1 that the    
,jewish ,christians never dreamed of    
that figment a spiritual ,messiah4 ,they
 expected that ,jesus would come again  
in that generation as he had told them  
he would2 he did not come2 in           
consequence the ,jewish ,church1 after  
waiting1 and waiting a great while1     
dwindled into annihilation4  ,you       

conclude your most eloquent sermons by  
an appeal to the feelings in behalf of  
opinions which ought ,i think to be     
defended by reason and proof rather than
 by sentiment4 ,you complain of ridicule
 in an examination of this kind4 ,i hope
 you will excuse my expressing some     
doubts whether eloquent sentiment1 and  
appeals to the feelings are less        
exceptionable in a discussion of the    
causes why we ought to give             
,christianity a respectful and          
dispassionate examination4 ,if ,i were  
so happy as to be so eloquent as you1   
and in a manner which such power of     
persuasion as you possess would give me 
ability to do1 had described the        
burnings1 the tortures1 the murders1 and
 the plundering of the ,jew's during the
 last thousand years1 in order to cause 
my readers to wish to find reason to    
hate ,christianity2 would you not have  
said it was unfair8 ,it cannot be       
necessary to inform so finished a       
scholar as ,mr4 ,channing1 that in a    

discussion about the truth of a system  
the consideration of the consequences of
 the system's being proved to be false1 
is irrelevant and contrary to rule4 ,you
 will say that you were not discussing  
the truth of a system1 but the reasons  
why we should give it a respectful      
examination4 ,this is true-,the question
 you advised your auditors to examine   
was1 whether the ,christian religion was
 true or otherwise4 ,be it so4 ,i appeal
 then to your candour1 whether it was   
the way to send them to the important   
enquiry unprejudiced and unbiased1 to   
impress them by authority1 and by       
arguments which are good only when used 
as subsidiary to proof or demonstration 
and by terrifying them with what you    
imagine would be the consequences of    
finding that ,christianity is unfounded8
 ,ah sir1 does the advocate of a cause  
founded on adamant wish to dazzle the   
judges and fascinate the jury before he 
ventures to bring the merits of his     
cause to trial8 ,must they be made to   

shed tears1 must their hearts be made to
 feel that you are right1 in order that 
their understandings may be able to     
perceive it8 ,should the learned and    
able champion of a system1 who offers it
 as true1 and to be received only       
because it is true1 when its claims are 
threatened with a scrutiny1 lay so much 
stress upon its supposed utility when   
the question is its truth8 ,is it an    
argument that ,christianity is true1    
because if false1 you think we should   
have no religion left8 ,this argument no
 doubt looks ludicrous to you1 and yet  
,i am told that it has been gravely     
offered by some well meaning men after  
reading your sermons1 who thought it of 
no small weight4 ,you may see from this1
 my dear sir1 how easily simplicity is  
satisfied4  ,you lay great stress upon  
the comforts derived from believing     
,christianity true4 ,but ought men to be
 encouraged to lean and build their     
hopes on what may perhaps when examined 
turn out to be a broken reed8 ,the      

expiring ,indian dies in peace-holding a
 cow's tail in his hand4 ,if he was in  
his full health1 and vigour of          
understanding1 would you think ,it      
charitable to let that man remain       
uninformed of his delusion in trusting  
to such a staff of comfort8 ,would you  
not endeavour to enlighten him1 and make
 him ashamed of his superstition8 ,i    
know you would1 and you would do him a  
kindness deserving his gratitude4 ,to   
conclude1 the ,christian religion is    
either a divine and solid foundation of 
morals1 hope1 and consolation1 or it is 
not4 ,if it is1 there is no reason in   
the world to fear1 that it can be       
undermined1 or hurt in the least4 ,to   
believe so would be ,i conceive to doubt
 the ,providence of ,god4 ,for it cannot
 be supposed1 that a religion really    
given by the ,almighty and ,all wise can
 be undermined by a wretched mortal1 a  
child of dust and infirmity2 the        
supposition is monstrous1 and therefore 
no examination of its claims ought to be

 deprecated1 or frowned at by those who 
think it founded on adamant1 for no man 
shrinks at having that examined which he
 is positively confident of being able  
to prove4  #b4  ,if this foundation be  
not divine and solid it ought ,i        
conceive to be undermined1 and          
abandoned4 ,for willfully1 and knowingly
 to suffer confiding men to be duped1 or
 allured into building their hopes and  
consolation upon a delusion1 is in my   
opinion to maltreat1 and to despise     
them4 ,and to suffer them to be imposed 
upon is both unbrotherly and dishonest4 
,and to advocate1 or to insinuate a     
defense of an unsound foundation upon   
the principle of pious frauds1 viz4     
because it is supposed by its defenders 
to be useful1 you will no doubt agree   
with me is both absurd1 and immoral4    
,for in the long run truth is more      
useful than error1 nothing 7says ,lord  
,bacon7 is so pernicious as deified     
error4 ,and it must not be supposed1 or 
insinuated1 that the good ,god has made 

it necessary1 that the morals1 comfort1 
and consolation of his rational         
creatures should be founded on1 or be   
supported by a mistake and a delusion2  
for it would be virtually to deny his   
,providence4  ,in fine1 ,christianity   
come to us as from ,god1 and says to us1
 ,he that believeth shall be saved1 and 
he that believeth not1 shall be damned4 
,therefore1 he that receives such       
extraordinary claims without            
examination1 is in my opinion1 a wittol2
 and he who suffers himself to be       
compelled to swallow such pretensions   
without the severest scrutiny1 according
 to my notions of things1 has no claims 
to be considered as a man of common     
sense4  ,before ,i close my letter1 it  
occurs to me to observe1 that you appear
 to me to have misconceived the state of
 the case1 in representing in your      
sermons1 that if you give up            
,christianity you will have no religion 
left4 ,christianity1 if ,i understand   
it1 is properly contained and taught in 

the ,new ,testament alone4 ,i am not    
aware1 my dear sir1 that if you were to 
give up the ,new ,testament you would be
 without a religion1 or even what you   
acknowledge as divine revelation4 ,it   
appears to me1 that a ,christian might1 
if he chose1 give up the ,new ,testament
 and place himself on the footing of the
 devout ,gentiles mentioned in the      
,acts1 who worshipped the one ,god1 and 
kept the moral law of the ,old          
,testament4 ,you will recollect1 that ,i
 have not attempted to affect the       
authority of the ,old ,testament which  
you acknowledge to contain a ,divine    
revelation4 ,i never shall because1 ,i  
would never quarrel with any thing      
merely for the sake of disputing4       
,whether the ,old ,testament contains a 
revelation from ,god1 or not1 its moral 
precepts are1 as far as ,i know         
unexceptionable2 there is not1 ,i       
believe1 any thing extravagant or       
impracticable in them1 they are such as 
promote the good order of society4 ,its 

religion in fact is merely ,theism      
garnished1 and guarded by a splendid    
ritual1 and gorgeous ceremonies2 the    
belief of it can produce no oppression  
and wretchedness to any portion of      
mankind1 and for these reasons ,i for   
one will never attempt to weaken its    
credit1 whatever may be my own opinion  
with regard to its supernatural claims4 
,in fact1 to speak correctly1 the ,old  
,testament is at this moment the sole   
true canon of ,scripture1 acknowledged  
as such by genuine ,christianity2 it was
 the only canon which was acknowledged  
by ,christ1 and his immediate ,apostles4
 ,the books of the ,new ,testament are  
all occasional books1 and not a code or 
system of religion2 nor were they all   
collected into one body1 nor declared by
 any even human authority to be all     
canonical till several hundred years    
after ,jesus ,christ4 ,they are books   
written by ,christians1 and contain     
proofs of ,christianity alleged from the
 ,old ,testament1 but contain           

,christianity itself no otherwise1 it   
appears to me1 than as explaining1      
illustrating1 and confirming            
,christianity supposed to be taught in  
the ,old ,testament4 ,they are mostly1  
where they inculcate doctrines1         
,commentaries on the ,old ,testament    
deriving from thence1 and giving what   
the writers imagined to be contained in 
and hidden under the letter of it4  ,and
 upon the same principle that the books 
of the ,new ,testament were received as 
canonical1 so was the ,pastor of        
,hermas1 the ,book of ,enoch1 and       
others1 just as highly venerated by the 
early ,christians4 ,but they did not at 
first1 as ,i apprehend their            
expressions1 rank them with the ,old    
,testament1 which was called the        
,scriptures1 by way of excellence4 ,the 
,old ,testament was in fact supposed by 
the writers of the ,new1 to contain     
,christianity under the bark of the     
letter2 and they represent ,christianity
 as having been preached to the ancient 

,jews under the figure of types1 and    
allegories4 ,see ,gal4 iii4 #h4 ,heb4   
xi4 and the first ,epistle of ,paul to  
the ,corinthians1 ch4 x4 ,in a word1 the
 ,apostles professed to say none ether  
things than those which the prophets and
 ,moses did say4 ,acts xxvi4 #bb1       
,jesus and his ,apostles do frequently1 
and emphatically style the books of the 
,old ,testament ,the ,scriptures1 and   
refer men to them as their rule1 and    
canon4 ,and ,paul says1 ,acts xxiv4 #ad1
 ,after the ,christian way1 which ye    
call heresy1 so worship ,i the ,god of  
my fathers2 believing all things that   
are written in the law1 and the         
prophets4 ,but it does not appear1 that 
any new books were declared by them to  
have that character4 ,nor was there any 
new canon of ,scripture1 or any         
collection of books as ,scripture made  
whether of ,gospels or ,epistles during 
the lives of the ,apostles2 as is well  
known to you4--,and if neither ,jesus   
nor his apostles declared any other     

books to be canonical besides those of  
the ,old ,testament1 ,i would ask the   
,christian who did8 ,or who had a right 
and authority to declare or make any    
books canonical8 ,if ,christianity      
required a new canon1 or new digest of  
laws1 it should seem that it ought to   
have been done by ,jesus and his        
apostles1 and not left to be executed by
 any after them3 especially not left to 
be settled long after their deaths by   
weak1 enthusiastic1 ignorant1 silly and 
factious men1 such as the fathers1 who  
were so badly informed of the genuine   
writings of the founders of their       
religion1 that they were1 when they came
 to collect and make a new canon1       
greatly divided3 about the genuineness  
of all books bearing the names of the   
apostles1 and contended with one another
 bitterly about their authority2 and    
after all decree to be genuine some     
which are palpably forgeries4  ,but the 
truth is1 that the present ,new         
,testament ,canon1 was collected and    

established by the ,gentile ,christians4
 ,the ,jewish ,christians received none 
of them1 but acknowledged nothing for   
,scripture but the books of the ,old    
,testament which was the sole ,canon    
left them by the twelve apostles4       
,their ,gospel and ,acts1 if my memory  
does not deceive me1 they regarded as   
histories only4 ,they were merely a     
small body of ,jews who thought that    
,jesus was the ,messiah of the ,old     
,testament4 ,this article was the only  
one which made them ,heretical3 ,in all 
other respects they were as other ,jews 
after the way which their countrymen    
called heresy1 so worshipped they the   
,god of their ,fathers at the ,national 
,temple2 believing and preaching no     
other things than what they imagined    
,moses and the ,prophets did say4  ,i   
have made this statement and            
representation1 sir1 on two accounts4   
#a4 ,in order to repel the shocking and 
groundless imputation which ,i          
understand that some pains have been    

taken to fix upon me1 ,i do not mean by 
you1 sir1 for you know the contrary that
 the object of my late publication was  
to aim at destroying all religion1 and  
the annihilation of the publick worship 
of ,god1 a charge which ,i reject with  
horror1 and also with bitter            
indignation1 that it should ever have   
been attributed to me4 ,god forbid6 that
 the publick worship and stated         
reverence which all ought to pay to the 
,great and ,tremendous ,being from whom 
we receive life and its every blessing2 
and to whose ,providence we are subject2
 and by whose goodness we are sustained1
 should ever be caused to be neglected1 
or forgotten1 by any man1 or by the     
subvertion of any opinions whatever4    
,the propriety of the publick worship of
 ,god stands independent and without    
need of support from the peculiar       
doctrines of any sect4 ,and the idea    
that this great duty would be superceded
 by the dismission of the ,new          
,testament is so utterly groundless and 

absurd3 that to make it appear so1 any  
man has only to recollect that the      
public worship of the ,supreme existed  
before the ,new ,testament was written  
or thought of2 and to look round the    
world and see millions of men           
worshipping ,god in houses of prayer1   
who know nothing about the ,new         
,testament except by report4 ,i regard1 
sir1 the imputation ,i have spoken of1  
as either a gross mistake of the simple1
 or a cunning and deliberate calumny of 
the crafty4 ,i have made this statement 
and representation to show1 that it does
 not follow1 that in giving up the ,new 
,testament ,christians will be deprived 
of all religion4 ,for in retaining the  
,old ,testament they would adopt nothing
 new1 and would retain nothing but what 
they now acknowledge as containing a    
divine revelation2 and in giving up the 
,new ,testament they would not1 as ,i   
think has been shown1 give up a jot of  
what had ever any right to the name of  
,scripture4  ,whether however1 people   

give up both1 or retain one1 or both1 is
 their concern4 ,i have stated what ,i  
have merely to show1 that in giving up  
the ,new ,testament they would not      
necessarily give up more than a part of 
their bibles1 or any part of their      
bible1 except that whose authenticity   
cannot be proved2 nor any more of their 
faith1 than that part of it which for   
almost eighteen hundred years has       
produced interminable disputes among    
themselves and misfortunes1 and         
causeless reproach to others4  ,with    
great regard1 and the most respectful   
esteem1 ,i subscribe myself1 ,reverend  
,sir1 ,your obliged and humble servant  
,,geo4 ,,bethune  ,,english4    ,,note  
,jerom speaking of the different manner 
which writers found themselves obliged  
to use1 in their controversial1 and     
dogmatical writings1 intimates1 that in 
controversy whose end was victory1      
rather than truth1 it was allowable to  
employ every artifice which would best  
serve to conquer an adversary2 in proof 

of which ,origen1 says he1 ,methodius1  
,eusebius1 ,apollinaris1 have written   
many thousands of lines against ,celsus1
 and ,porphyry3 consider with what      
arguments and what slippery problems    
they baffle what was contrived against  
them by the spirit of the devil3 and    
because they are sometimes forced to    
speak1 they speak not what they think1  
but what is necessary against those who 
are called ,gentiles4 ,i do not mention 
the ,latin writers1 ,tertullian1        
,cyprian1 ,minutius1 ,victorinus1       
,lactantius1 ,hilarius1 lest ,i be      
thought not so much defending myself1 as
 accusing others1 c4  ,op4 ,tom4 #d4 p4 
#b4 p43#bef4  ,middleton's ,free        
,enquiry1 p4 #aeh4 ,it is remarkable    
that the names mentioned by ,jerom are  
the names of the early apologists for   
,christianity4 ,when the ,church got the
 upper hand however1 they found a better
 way to confute those wicked men1       
,celsus and ,porphyry1 than by slippery 
problems and by speaking not what they  

thought 7to be true7 but what was       
necessary against those who are called  
,gentiles1 viz4 by seeking after1 and   
burning carefully their troublesome     
works4 ,of the fathers of the ,church   
who were its pillars1 leaders1 and great
 men4 ,dr4 ,middleton observes in his   
,preface to his ,enquiry1 c1 p4 #ca1 as 
follows3 ,i have shown by many          
indisputable facts1 that the ancient    
,fathers were extremely credulous and   
superstitious1 possessed with strong    
prejudices1 and an enthusiastic zeal in 
favor not only of ,christianity in      
general1 but of every particular        
doctrine1 which a wild imagination could
 engraft upon it1 and scrupling no art  
or means by which they might propagate  
the same principles4 ,in short they were
 of a character front which nothing     
could be expected that was candid and   
impartial2 nothing but what a weak or   
crafty understanding could supply       
towards confirming those prejudices with
 which they happened to be possessed1   

especially where religion was the       
subject1 which above all other motives  
strengthens every bias1 and inflames    
every passion of the human mind4  ,and  
that this was actually the case1 ,i have
 shown also1 by many instances in which 
we find them roundly affirming as true  
things evidently false and fictitious2  
in order to strengthen as they fancied  
the evidences of the ,gospel or to serve
 a present turn of confuting an         
adversary3 or of enforcing a particular 
point which they were labouring to      
establish4  ,in p4 #ha of the           
,introductory ,discourse1 he says1 ,let 
us consider then in the next place what 
light these same forgeries those of the 
,fathers of the fourth century will     
afford us in looking backwards also into
 the earlier ages up to the times of the
 ,apostles4 ,and first1 when we reflect 
on that surprising confidence and       
security with which the principal       
fathers of this fourth age have affirmed
 as true what they themselves had either

 forged1 or what they knew at least to  
be forged2 it is natural to suspect1    
that so bold a defiance of sacred truth 
could not be acquired1 or become general
 at once1 but must have been carried    
gradually to that heighth1 by custom and
 the example of former times1 and a long
 experience of what the credulity and   
superstition1 of the multitude 7i4e4 of 
,christians7 would bear4  ,secondly1    
this suspicion will be strengthened by  
considering1 that this age the #dth     
century in which ,christianity was      
established by the civil power1 had no  
real occasion for any miracles4 ,for    
which reason1 the learned among the     
,protestants have generally supposed it 
to have been the very era of their      
cessation and for the same reason the   
fathers also themselves when they were  
disposed to speak the truth1 have not   
scrupled to confess1 that the miraculous
 shifts were then actually withdrawn1   
because the church stood no longer in   
need of them4 ,so that it must have been

 a rash and dangerous experiment1 to    
begin to forge miracles1 at a time when 
there was no particular temptation to   
it2 if the use of such fictions had not 
long been tried1 and the benefit of them
 approved2 and recommended by their     
ancestors2 who wanted every help towards
 supporting themselves under the        
pressures and persecutions with which   
the powers on earth were afflicting     
them4''  ,thirdly1 if we compare the    
principal fathers of the fourth with    
those of the earlier ages4 ,we shall    
observe the same characters of zeal and 
piety in them all1 but more learning1   
more judgment1 and less credulity in the
 later fathers4 ,if these then be found 
either to have forced miracles          
themselves1 or to have propagated what  
they knew to be forged1 or to have been 
deluded so far by other people's        
forgeries as to take them for real      
miracles2 7of the one or the other of   
which they were all unquestionably      
guilty7 it will naturally excite in us  

the same suspicion of their             
predecessors1 who in the same cause1 and
 with the same zeal were less learned   
and more credulous1 and in greater need 
of such arts for their defence and      
security4  ,fourthly4 ,as the personal  
characters of the earlier fathers give  
them no advantage over their successors1
 so neither does the character of the   
earlier ages afford any real cause of   
preference as to the point of integrity 
above the latter4 ,the first indeed are 
generally called and held to be the     
purest3 but when they had once acquired 
that title from the authority of a few  
leading men2 it is not strange to find  
it ascribed to them by every body else2 
without knowing or inquiring into the   
grounds of it4 ,but whatever advantage  
of purity those first ages may claim in 
some particular respects1 it is certain 
that they were defective in some others1
 above all which have since succeeded   
them4 ,for there never was any period of
 time in all ecclesiastical history1 in 

which so many rank heresies were        
publicly professed1 nor in which so many
 spurious books were forged and         
published by the ,christians1 under the 
name of ,christ1 and the apostles1 and  
the apostolic writers1 as in those      
primitive ages2 several of which forged 
hooks are frequently cited and applied  
to the defence of ,christianity by the  
most eminent fathers of the same ages1  
as true and genuine pieces1 and of equal
 authority with the scriptures          
themselves4 ,and no man surely can doubt
 but that those who would either forge  
or make use of forged books1 would in   
the same cause and for the same ends1   
make use of forged miracles4 ,let the   
reader remember that the ,gospels       
according to ,matthew and ,john are     
forgeries1 and then apply this reasoning
 of ,dr4 ,middleton's to the miracles   
contained in those ,gospels4 ,with      
regard to all the miracles of the ,new  
,testament1 we know them only by report1
 and it is an acknowledged1 because a   

demonstrable fact1 that the age in which
 the accounts of these miracles were    
published1 was an age overflowing with  
imposture and credulity4 ,such1 says    
,bishop ,fell1 was the license of       
fiction in the first ages1 and so easy  
the credulity1 that testimony of the    
facts of that time is to be received    
with great caution1 as not only the     
pagan world1 but the church of ,god1 has
 just reason to complain of its fabulous
 age4 ,stillingfleet says1 that         
antiquity is defective most where it is 
most important1 ,in the awe immediately 
succeeding that of the apostles4 ,now be
 it recollected1 that the ,gospels first
 appeared in this age of fraud and      
credulity2 and be it further remembered1
 that the authenticity of the ,gospels1 
according to ,matthew and ,john can be  
subverted1 if marks of imposture1 which 
would cause the rejection of any other  
books1 are sufficient to affect the     
authenticity of those received as       
sacred4 ,it is to be remarked farther1  

that the church in its first ages was   
full of forged hooks1 giving accounts of
 the same events1 different from those  
of the books of the ,new ,testament4    
,the different sects1 and the church    
itself1 was torn by as many schisms then
 as it ever has been since1 who mutually
 accuse each other of corrupting the    
,christians scriptures1 and of lying1   
and cheating most abominably4  ,all     
reasoning therefore from books published
 at this time1 and whose authenticity is
 supported only by the testimony of     
acknowledged liars2 and which have been 
tampered with too as these certainly    
were1 is exceedingly unsatisfactory4    
,and yet such is the basis on which     
rests the credibility of the miracles of
 the ,new ,testament4  ,dr4 ,middleton1 
after having shown1 beginning at the    
earliest of the fathers immediately     
after the apostles1 that they were all  
most amazingly credulous and            
superstitious3 and having demonstrated  
from their own words1 that from ,justin 

,martyr downwards they were all liars1  
observes as follows1 p4 #aeg1 ,free     
,inquiry3 ,now it is agreed by all1 that
 these fathers1 whose testimonies ,i    
have been just reciting were the most   
eminent lights of the fourth century2   
all of them sainted by the catholic     
church1 and highly reverenced at this   
day in all churches1 for their piety1   
probity1 and learning4  ,yet from the   
specimens of them above given1 it is    
evident1 that they would not scruple to 
propagate any fiction1 how gross so     
ever1 which served to promote the       
interest either of ,christianity in     
general1 or of any particular rite or   
doctrine which they were desirous to    
recommend4 ,st4 ,jerom in effect        
confesses it1 for after the mention of a
 silly story1 concerning the ,christians
 of ,jerusalem1 who used to shew in the 
ruins of the temple1 certain stones of a
 reddish color1 which they pretended to 
have been stained by the blood of       
,zacharias the son of ,barachias1 who   

was slain between the temple and the    
altar1 he adds1 but ,i do not find fault
 with an error which flows from a hatred
 of the ,jews1 and a pious zeal for the 
,christian faith4 ,if the miracles then 
of the fourth century1 so solemnly      
attested by the most celebrated and     
revered fathers of the church1 are to be
 rejected after all as fabulous1 it must
 needs give a fatal blow to the credit  
of all the miracles even of the         
preceding centuries2 since there is not 
a single father whom ,i have mentioned  
in this fourth age1 who for zeal and    
piety may not be compared with the best 
of the more ancient1 and for knowledge1 
and for learning be preferred to them   
all4 ,for instance1 there was not a     
person in all the primitive church more 
highly respected in his own days than   
,st4 ,epiphanius1 for the purity of his 
life as well as the extent of his       
leaning4 ,he was master of five         
languages1 and has left behind him one  
of the most useful works which remain to

 us from antiquity4 ,st4 ,jerom1 who    
personally knew him1 calls him the      
father of all bishops1 and a shining    
star among them2 the man of ,god of     
blessed memory2 to whom the people used 
to flock in crowds1 offering their      
little children to his benediction1     
kissing his feet1 and catching the hem  
of his garment4 ,this holy man and light
 of the church1 the great man of his    
day1 asserts upon his own knowledge1    
that in imitation of our ,saviour's     
miracle at ,cana in ,galilee several    
fountains and rivers in his days were   
annually turned into wine4 ,a fountain  
at ,cibyra1 a city of ,caria1 and       
another at ,gerasa in ,arabia1 prove the
 truth of this4 ,i myself have drunk out
 of the fountain at ,cibyra1 and my     
brethren out of the other at ,gerasa2   
and many testify the same thing of the  
river ,nile in ,egypt4 ,advers4 ,haeres1
 #a4 #b1 c4 #acj4 ,middleton's ,inquiry1
 p4 #aea1 #aeb ,all the rest 7,dr4      
,middleton goes on to say7 were men of  

the same character1 who spent their     
lives and studies in propagating the    
faith1 and in combating the vices and   
the heresies of their times4 ,yet none  
of them have scrupled1 we see1 to pledge
 their faith for the truth1 of facts    
which no man of sense can believe1 and  
which their warmest admirers are forced 
to give up as fabulous4 ,if such persons
 then could willfully attempt to        
deceive2 and if the sanctity of their   
characters cannot assure us of their    
fidelity1 what better security can we   
have from those who lived before them8  
,or what cure for our scepticism with   
regard1 to any of the miracles above    
mentioned8 ,was the first asserter of   
them1 ,justin ,martyr more pious1       
cautious1 learned1 judicious1 or less   
credulous than ,epiphanius8 ,or were    
those virtues more conspicuous in       
,irenaeus1 ,tertullian1 ,cyprian1       
,arnobius1 and ,lactantius1 than in     
,athanasius1 ,gregory1 ,chrysostom1     
,jerom1 ,austin8 ,nobody1 ,i dare say1  

will venture to affirm it4 ,if these    
later fathers1 then1 biased by a false  
zeal or interest1 could be tempted to   
propagate a known lie1 or with all their
 learning and knowledge could be so     
weakly credulous as to believe the      
absurd stories which they themselves    
attest1 there must be always reason to  
suspect1 that the same prejudices would 
operate even more strongly in the       
earlier fathers1 prompted by the same   
zeal and the same interests1 yet endued 
with less learning1 less judgment1 and  
more credulity4  ,such ,christian       
reader1 were the fathers1 the leaders1  
and the great men of the church1 and the
 apologists for your religion4 ,and it  
is upon the credibility of these        
convicted knaves that ultimately1 and   
substantially depends your belief4 ,for 
it is upon their testimony and tradition
 that you receive and believe in the    
authenticity of the ,n4,t41 its         
doctrines and miracles4  ,i hope that if
 you choose to build your faith upon the

 testimony of such witnesses1 that you  
will not think it unreasonable in me to 
presume to doubt the truth of opinions  
and miracles supported by the testimony 
of men like the fathers4 ,i am willing1 
because ,i think it reasonable1 to let  
every man follow his own judgment1 and  
do ,i ask too much to be permitted      
without offence to enjoy the same       
liberty with regard to these things2    
which ,i conceive no fair man will now  
say1 7if what has been brought forward  
be true7 are positively provable as     
true1 and worthy of unhesitating assent4
  ,for the case is thus4 ,the gospels   
are accused of being written by         
credulous and superstitious authors     
whose names are not certainly known2 as 
containing too inconsistent and         
contradictory accounts of prodigies and 
miracles2 and also palpable marks of    
forgery4  ,now to convince a thinking   
man1 that histories of such suspected   
character1 containing relations of      
miracles1 are divine or even really     

written1 by the persons to whom they are
 ascribed1 and not either some of the   
many spurious productions1 with which it
 is notorious and acknowledged1 the age 
in which they appeared abounded1        
calculated to astonish the credulous and
 superstitious6 or else writings of     
authors who were themselves infected    
with the grossest superstitious         
credulity1 what is the testimony8  ,for 
the first hundred years after the lives 
of the supposed authors1 none at all4   
,and the earliest fathers who speak of  
them are all convicted of gross         
credulity1 and incapacity to distinguish
 genuine from1 fictitious writings1 7for
 they admitted as genuine scripture many
 books confessedly nonsensical          
forgeries17 but what is worse1 are      
manifestly guilty by the evidence of    
their own words of having been palpable 
liars1 cheats1 and forgers4 ,but1 it is 
an obvious rule in the admission of     
evidence in any cause whatsoever1 that  
the more important the matter to be     

determined by it is1 the more unsullied1
 and unexceptionable ought to be the    
characters of the witnesses to be4 ,and 
when no court of justice among us in    
determining a question of fraud to the  
value of sixpence will admit the        
testimony of witnesses who are          
themselves notoriously convicted of the 
same offence of which the defendant is  
accused2  how can it be expected that   
any reasonable unprejudiced person      
should reasonably be required to admit  
similar evidence1 i4e4 the testimony of 
such men as the fathers in favor of the 
divine authority of books which are     
accused of being the offspring of fraud 
and credulity2 and which relate too to a
 case of the greatest importance        
possible1 not to himself only1 but to   
the whole human race86  ,for my own     
part1 ,i cannot2 and ,i think ,i could  
not without renouncing all those rules  
and principles of evidence1 and of good 
sense1 which in all other cases are     
universally respected4 ,and when we     

consider the character of those by whom 
these histories were first received and 
believed1 the unreasonableness of       
insisting upon the belief of these      
accounts will appear aggravated4 ,what  
was the character of the early ,gentile 
,christians8 ,this we can ascertain from
 only two sources--the writings of their
 leaders1 and those of their heathen    
contemporaries4 ,according to the latter
 they were very weak and credulous4 ,the
 primitive ,christians were perpetually 
reproached for their gross credulity by 
all their enemies4 ,celsus says that    
they cared neither to receive nor to    
give any reason of their faith1 and that
 it was an usual saying with them1 do   
not examine1 but believe only1 and thy  
faith will save thee4 ,julian affirms1  
that the sum1 of all their wisdom was   
comprised in this single precept1       
believe4 ,the ,gentiles1 says ,arnobius1
 make it their constant business to     
laugh at our faith1 and to lash our     
credulity with their facetious jokes4   

,the fathers on the other hand1 defend  
themselves by saying1 that they did     
nothing more3 on this occasion than what
 the philosophers had always done2 that 
,pythagoras' precepts were inculcated by
 an ipse dixit1 and that they had found 
the same method useful with the vulgar1 
who were not at leisure to examine      
things2 whom they taught therefore to   
believe1 even without reasons3 and that 
the heathens themselves1 though they did
 not confess it in words1 yet practiced 
the same in their acts4 ,middleton's    
,free ,enquiry4 ,introduc4 ,disc4 p4    
#ib4 ,lucian says1 that whenever any    
crafty juggler expert in his trade1 and 
who knew how to make a right use of     
things1 went over to the ,christians1 he
 was sure to grow rich immediately1 by  
making a prey of their simplicity4 ,de  
,morte ,pereg4  ,if we turn to the      
writings of the earliest fathers2 from  
these writings of the great men of the  
,church at that time we shall form but a
 very mean idea of the understandings of

 the little ones1 since their writings  
are not one whit superior to the godly  
,epistles of the lowest orders of       
fanatics in the last1 and present       
century1 they are remarkable for nothing
 more than manifesting the extreme      
simplicity1 and credulity1 together with
 the sincere piety of the writers4 ,the 
fathers who succeeded them were better  
informed1 but not at all behind them in 
credulity1 and enthusiasm4  ,tertullian1
 the most powerful mind among them      
during the first two hundred years1     
reasons as follows4  ,the ,son of ,god  
was crucified3 it is no shame to own it1
 because it is a thing to be ashamed of4
 ,the ,son of ,god died3 it is wholly   
credible1 because it is absurd4 ,when   
buried he rose again to life3 it is     
certain1 because it is impossible4 ,de  
,carne ,christi1 ,section #e4