Class
Book
University of Chicago Library
Qic^
GIVEN BY
V..TW
Besides the^tain topic this book also treats of
Subject No. On page Subject No. On page
JOHN GRIGG,
No. 9, N. FOURTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA,
Among other valuable Theological, Medical, Law, and Miscella-
neous Books, has published the following :
1. JOSEPHUS'(FLAVIDS) WORKS,
the learned and authentic Jevyish
historian, and celebrated warrior;
containing twenty books of the
Jewish antiquities, seven books of
the Jewish war, and the life of Jose-
phus, written by himself. Trans-
lated from the original Greek, ac-
cording to Havercamp's accurate
edition ; together with explanatory
notes and observations; by the late
WILLIAM WHISTON, A.'M. Complete
in 2 vols. 8vo., and embellished with
elegant Engravings.
" This is the only edition of this -work which
combines economy, elegance, and legibility. It
is one of J. Grigg's series of Library Classics."
~2. GOLDSMITH'S ANIMATED
NATURE. In 4 vols. Svo. Illustrated
with 85 copper-plates.
" The celebrity of this amusing and instruc-
tive Natural History, whether as to matter or
as to the beauty of style for which the author
was so justly preeminent, renders aught of com-
mendation "here unnecessary. It may not be
amiss to state, however, that this is the first
American edition in which a successful effort
has been made to render it a book which should
rival in elegance of appearance the renown of
its author."
3. RUSH ON THE DISEASES
OF THE MIND. New fine edition.
1 vol. Svo. Library Edition.
"This work is valuable and highly interest--
in^ for intelligent readers of every profession:
'it .is replete with curious and acute remarks,
both medical and metaphysical."
4. SAY'S POLITICAL ECONO-
MY. A Treatise on Political Econ-
omy, or the Production, Distribu-
tion, and Consumption of Wealth.
By J. B. Say. Fourth edition, with
Additional Notes, by C. C. Biddle,
Esq. 2 vols. in 1, Svo.
"He is the most popular, and perhaps the
most able writer on Political Economy since the
time of Smith." North .imcrican Review.
"It would he equally advantageous to the
constituents and the incumbent, were every
man holding any public office of the least im-
portance, conversant with the pages of this
book."
A
5. THE AMERICAN CHESTER-
FIELD, or Way to Wealth, Honor,
and Distinction. In a handsome
pocket volume, with a steel plate
frontispiece.
" This little epitome of good morals and good
manners has been productive of improvement
in many, who cheerfully acknowledge it ; and
attribute their polished deportment, whether at
the table or in the company of fair ladies, to a
careful perusal of this American, Gentlenian's
ManuaL"
6. BENNET'S (Rev. John) LET-
TERS TO A YOUNG LADY, on
a variety of subjects calculated to
improve the heart, to form the man?
ners, and enlighten the. understand-
ing. Also in a neat pocket volume,
with a plate.
"A suitable companion for the preceding
popular compilation. As the American Ches-
terfield appertains to the duties of the Gentle*
man; so this beautifully written book claims a
place in the cabinet ot every Lady."
7. A DICTIONARY OF SELECT
AND POPULAR QUOTATIONS,
which are in daily use ; taken from
the Latin, French, Greek, Spanish,
and Italian languages : together
with a copious collection of Law-
maxims and Law-terms ; translated
into English: with Illustrations,
historical and idiomatic. Sixth
American edition, corrected, with
additions. 1 vol. 12mo.
" No one who is aware of the existence of
such a book will nesrlect to procure it. It is of
admirable value ; and we shrewdly suspect that
many a one, by its means, has exhibited in his
conversation aft the fruits of an intimate ac-
quaintance with foreign languages. Who
would not appear wise at so small a price J"
British Journal.
8. SENECA'S MORALS. By
way of abstract to which, is added
a Discourse, under the title of an
After-Thought, by Sir Roger L'Es-
trange, Knt. A new fine edition, in
1 vol. ISmo.
"A most celebrated Roman Philosopher,
Moralist and Statesman." Gorton.
1
STANDARD WORKS
Published by James Kay, Jun. <$f Co., Philadelphia, and
John L Kay <$ Co.. Pittsburgh.
1. MACKENZIE'S FIVE THOU-
SAND RECEIPTS in all the useful
and domestic arts: in 1 vol. large
8vo., improved and enlarged by the
correction of numerous errors, and
the addition of a large number of
Original Receipts; a Treatise, with
wood-cuts, on Carving; and the
Medical Part rewritten and adapted
to this country by an American
Physician.
[" This work, purified, as it is in the present
corrected edition, of its errors, (particularly in
the Medical Department,) recommends itself to
the attention of every one. We know not a sin-
gle family which ought to deny itself the posses-
t ion of this book. We consider it as peculiarly
characteristic of the present age, that by im-
mense labor and infinite research there should
have been collected into one convenient volume,
those fruits of the useful experience, observa-
tions, and discoveries of past ages, which, ere
this, must have been sought for in at least one
thousand volumes. It is not only valuable to
families in general, in the economy, comfort,
and preservation of life; but we beg leave to
point it out to the clergyman, who, in remote
parts of the country, is often called upon to heal
the pains of the body as well as the anguish of
the soul ; to the physician, who will find there-
in many novel bints for his guidance, as well as
suggestions which, in sudden emergencies, may
save lifej and to the druggist and apothecary,
for its numerous medicinal preparations.'"]
2. EVENINGS AT HOME, or The
Juvenile Budget Opened: consisting
of a Variety of Miscellaneous Pieces
for the Instruction and Amusement
of Young Persons. By Mrs. BAR-
BAULD and Dr. AIKIN. In 2 vols.
JSmo. Illustrated by 100 Engravings.
"Evenings at Home should find a place in
every School Library. No other Juvenile Book
can be named-, which comprises, in the same
space, such a variety of information, so admira-
bly adapted to the capacities and tastes of the
Young. Kay's Philadelphia edition of this popu-
lar work is very beautifully illustrated." Es-
says cm School Keeping by J. Frost.
3. THE YOUNG CADET; or
Henry Delamere's Voyage to India :
with his Travels in Hindostan,
and his Account of the Burmese
o
War, and the Wonders of Elora.
By Mrs. HOFLAND, Author of
'The Son of a Genius,' 'Integrity,'
'Moderation,' &c. With copptgr-
plates. In 1 vol. I8mo.
"Every production within our knowledge, by
the author of this work, has possessed the un-
doubted stamp of genius, and invariably receiv-
ed the meed of applause as soon as seen and ap-
preciated by the reading part of the community.
The present little volume, from the same pen,
of course brought with it the almost certain
pledge of worth, and a perusal of its contents
has fully confirmed our anticipations. Like ' The
Young Pilgrim,* and .some other of Mrs. Hof-
land's works, it strictly coincides with recent
historical events, and antiquarian discoveries,
with correct and original relations of which she
has been favored from high authority ; and the
whole is interwoven with interesting stories or
connecting chains of narrative, related in thi .
lady's usual inimitable manner." London
Montldy Review.
4. THE YOUNG PILGRIM: or
Alfred Campbell's Tour to the East;
and his Travels in Egypt, Palestine,
Nubia, Asia Minor, Arabia, Petrsea,
&c. Also by Mrs. HOFLAND. With
copperplates. In 1 vol. 18mo.
5 FIELDING'S SELECT WORKS:
Comprising 'The History of Tom
Jones,' ' The Adventures of Joseph
Andrews,' 'Amelia,' and ' The His-
tory of Jonathan Wild the Great.'
In 2 vols. 8vo. Library Edition.
"In making this selection, the Publishers
have been guided by the public judgment alone.
They have, in short, presented under
the name of Select Work?, no more than what
have long and universally received the fullest
approbation ; and these, "it may confidently be
said, will be transmitted (o .he ta-est posterity."
" Fieldingand Smollett were both so eminently
successful as novelists, that no other English
author of that class has a right to be mentioned
in the same breath with them." Sir Walter
Scott.
li. LOCKE'S ESSAYS: Compris-
ing, in ono handsome octavo vo-
lume, his Essay concerning Human
Understanding, and his Treatise of
the Conduct of the Understanding
With a Life of the Author.
PUBLISHED BY
JAMES KAY, JUN. & CO., PHILADELPHIA, AND
JOHN I. KAY, & CO., PITTSBURGH.
I. BUCK'S THEOLOGICAL DIC-
TIONARY, Library Edition. A
Theological Dictionary, containing
Definitions "of all Religious Terms;
a Comprehensive View of every ar-
ticle in the System of Divinity; an
impartial Account of all the Prin-
cipal Denominations which have
subsisted in the Religious World
from the Birth of Christ to the Pres-
ent Day: together with an Accurate
Statement of the most Remarkable
Transactions and Events recorded
in Ecclesiastical History. By the
Rev. CHARLES BUCK. New Amer-
ican, from the latest London edition.
Revised, and improved by the addi-
tion of many new Articles, and the
whole adapted 'to the present state
of Theological Science and of the
Religious World. By the Rev. GEORGE
Basil, A. M. With an Appendix:
containing impartial and elaborate
Histories of, 1. The Methodist Epis-
copal Church in America; 2. The
Presbyterian Church in the United
States ; 3. The Methodist Protestant
Church; 4. The Baptists of the
United States ; and, 5. The Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church in the
United States : the four latter writ-
ten expressly for this work.
Advertisement by the Publishers.
It is not without considerable satisfaction that
the Publishers announce to the Christian world
that this their improved edition of BUCK'S
THEOLOGICAL JJICTIONARY, published
one year ago, has, in the course of the inter-
vening time, met with the unprecedented sale
of fourteen thmitand copies. It affords the
surest evidence that the labors of the Rev. Mr.
Bush, in supplying the defects and correcting
the errors which the lapse of time had pro-
duced in this invaluable work, have been duly
appreciated by the Public ; ant^ amply rebuts
the extraordinary assertion, that the antiquated
edition of this work (heretofore the only one
which could be purchased) was likewise the
only "genuine" one an edition remarkable
for being between fifty and one hundred years
Behind the present age in historical and statis-
tical facts, and peculiarly unadapted to the
wants of this country, from the circumstance
of its being written originally for British pe-
rusal, and, in its " local allusions and bearings,"
referring to affairs as they were in England.
Animated by the success which has crowned
their efforts, the Publishers issue the present en-
larged and still more highly improved edition
of tliis work. In confirmation of this, they re-
fer -to the Appendix, in which will be found
kngthy Autoriet of five important c/iurc/icj in
this country; and also to the NUMEROUS EM-
BELLISHMENTS (sixteen in number') which
have been interspersed' throughout the volume,
illustrative of perhaps the only subject which
would admit of a sufficiently interesting variety.
Although this edition of Buck's Dictionary con-
tains considerably more matter than any other
edition everjpublished in the United States, it it
the intention of the Publishers, from time to
time, to swell the Appendix by such additions
to it as may be truly valuable to the work, and
beneficial to the furtherance of Christian know-
ledge. They have also made arrangements for a
finer and thicker paper than has heretofore been
deemed necessary. For a reimbursement of the
heavy expenses hereby incurred, they look with
confidence to a sale which has already. once lib-
erally compensated their labors.
"\Ve name this edition a second time that
we may find an opportunity to recommend it as -
a great improvement upon all preceding editions
of the work. The numerous editions and ex-
tensive sale of Buck's Dictionary sufficiently
prove how well it is adapted to supply the want
of the Christian public. Whatever the defects
of the original may have been, it was the only
compilation of the kind, and could be replaced
by no similar book in the Emjlish language.
The additions made by the American Editor are
numerous and satisfactory, and the neatness and
cheapness of the work place it within the reach
of every family." Hiblical Repertory and The-
ological Reiriew. '
II. FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS.
A 'Universal History of Christian
Martyrdom : from the Birth of our
Blessed Saviour to the Latest Peri-
ods of Persecution. Originally com-
posed by the Rev. JOHN FOX, A.M.,
and now corrected throughout: with
copious and important additions re-
lative to the Recent Persecutions in
the South of France. In 2 vols.
8vo., beautifully printed on fine and
O
Kay's StanitarU ecological
remarkably strong paper. Being the
only complete and unmutilated edi-
tion of this work ever presented to
the American Public. Embellished
with a Portrait of the venerable Fox,
and Sixty Engravings illustrative of
the Sufferings of the Martyrs in all
ages of the world.
" We commend the enterprise of the Publish-
ers, which has induced them to incur the heavy
expense requisite for the production of this
costly and elegant book. They have thereby
rendered, a service to the cause of true Christi-
anity ; and we cannot doubt that they will meet
with ample remuneration, ia the approbation of
the Public. An additional recommendation is
furnished in the extreme lowness of the price t
thereby rendering the book accessible to the
pocket of every class of Christians. It is a work
of intense interest : and whether as a volume
of Ecclesiastical History, or for occasional peru-
sal, richly merits a place on the shelves of
every family library."
III. THE EVIDENCES OF CHRIS-
TIANITY". By ALEXANDER, WAT-
SON, JENYNS, LESLIE, and PALEY. In
2 Pocket Volumes bound in one:
beautifully printed, and on fine pa-
per. Embellished with a Portrait
of Watson. This work is composed
of the following valuable Treatises:
1. A Preliminary Discourse on the Evidences
of Christianity : with a Short Account of
the Treatises which these volumes contain.
By Archibald Alexander, D. D., Professor
of Theology in the Theological Seminary
at Princeton, N. 3.
2. Watson's Apology for Christianity, in an-
swer to Gibbon.
3. Watson's Apology for the Bible, in, answer
to Paine.
4. Jenyns's View of the Internal Evidence
of the Christian Religion.
5. Leslie's Short and Easy Method with tbe
Deists.
6. Paley's View of the Evidences of Chris-
tianity.
Extract from Dr. Alexander's Preliminary
Essay
In the selection of these Treatises the writer
tins had no concern, but he approves of the plan
of the editor, and is of opinion that by com-
prising so many works of standard excellence
in one convenient duodecimo, he will be ren-
dering a real service to the cause of revealed
religion, and will furnish a desired accommoda-
tion to students of theology ; and to others who
are obliged to regard economy in the purchase
of books. ...... It is not recollected that any
work precisely on the plan of the present publi-
cation, has been prepared. The writer has, in-
deed, seen, many years past, a little volume, en-
titled " The Panoply," which contained a part
of what is included In this selection ; but it was
never widely circulated, and has been long out
of print The writer has only to add his
sincere wishes for the success of this enterprise;
to that there may be encouragemeut for other
similar publications.
4
IV. BUNYAN'S HOLY WAR.
The Holy War made by King Shad-
dai upon Diabolus; to regain the
Metropolis of the World : Or, The
Losing and Taking again of the
Town of Man-Soul. By JOHN BUN-
YAN, Author of '?The Pilgrim's
Progress," &c. A New Edition.
With Explanatory, Experimental,
and Practical Note?, by the Rev.
GEORGE BUIIDEK, Author of
Village Sermons," " Notes on Pil-
grim's Progress," &c. In one volume,
12mo., fine paper, and handsomely
bound. .
List of Embetlishmeiits.l. The
Famous Battle between the Inhabit-
ants of the Town of^Vftm-SouI and
the Diabolonians. 2. The White
Flag with the Three Golden Doves,
set up as a favorable Signal before
the Town of Man-Soul. 3. Mr. De-
sires-Awake presenting the Petition
to Emanuel. 4. The Giant Diabolus
bound in Chains. 5. Prince Einan-
uel's Triumphal Entry into the Town
of Man-Soul. 6. Captain Credence
in Conference with the Lord Secre-
tary. 7. Burying the Dead, &c.i n the
Plains near the Town of Man-Soul.
V. THE SAME, with 2 plates, in
1 vol. 18mo.
VI. PALEY'S EVIDENCES OF
CHRISTIANITY. In Three Parts.
Part l:.Of the Direct Historical
Evidence of Christianity, and where-
in it is distinguished from the Evi-
dence alleged for other Miracles.
Part 2: The Auxiliary Evidences of
Christianity. Part 3: A Brief Con-
sideration of some popular objections
With a Portrait of the Author on
steel : and also his Life, from an able .
pen. In one Vol. 18mo. This in-
comparable work is now for the first
time .presented to the American
Public in a pocket form.
"The pious and philanthropic Douglas, of
Scotland, in a late work, expresses it as his
opinion, that EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, and
PALEY'S EVIDENCES, are the only two
treatises which are perfectly adapted to the busi-
ness of elementary instruction. This opinion
frnni a mind so comprehensive and so highly
gifted as that of the gentleman above mentioned,
cannot but recommend this work to the careful
perusal of all such persons as wish for full in-
formation and complete satisfaction on this mo-
mentous subject." Rai. Dr. Alexander, Printe-
ton, N. J.
Kay's Stantrartr
remarkably strong paper.. Being the
only complete and unmutilated- edi-
tion of this work ever presented to
the American Public. Embellished
with a Portrait of the venerable Fox,
and Sixty Engravings illustrative of
the Sufferings of the Martyrs in all
ages of the world.
" We commend the enterprise of the Publish-
ers, which has induced them to incur the heavy
expense requisite for the production of this
costly and elegant book. They have thereby
rendered.* service to the cause of true Christi-
anity ; and we cannot doubt that they will meet
with ample remuneration in the approbation of
the Public. An additional recommendation is
furnished in the extreme lowness of the price,
thereby rendering the book accessible (o the
pocket of every class of Christians. It is a work
of intense interest : and whether as a volume
of Ecclesiastical History, or for occasional peru-
sal, richly merits a place oil the shelves of
every family library."
ill. THE EVIDENCES OF CHRIS-
TIANITY". By ALEXANDER, WAT-
BON, JENYNS, LESLIE, and PALEY. In
2 Pocket Volumes bound in one:
beautifully printed, and on fine pa-
per. Embellished with a Portrait
of Watson. This work is composed
of the following valuable Treatises:
1. A Preliminary Discourse on the Evidences
of Christianity: with a Short Account of
the Treatises which these volumes contain.
By Archibald Alexander, D. D., Professor
of Theology in the Theological Seminary
at Princeton, N. J.
2. Watson's Apology for Christianity, in an-
swer to Gibbon.
3. Watson's Apology for (he Bible, in answer
to Paine.
4. Jenyns's View of the Internal Evidence
of the Christian Religion.
5. Leslie's Short and Easy Method with tbe
Deists.
6. Paley's View of the Evidences of Chris-
tianity.
Extract from Dr. Alexander''! Preliminary
Eaay
In the selection of these Treatises the writer
has had no concern, but he approves of the plan
of the editor, and is of opinion that by com-
prising so many works of standard excellence
in one convenient duodecimo, he will be ren-
dering a real service to the cause of revealed
religion, and will furnish a desired accommoda-
tion to students of theology ; and to others who
are obliged to regard economy in the purchase
of books. ...... It is not recollected that any
work precisely on the plan of the present publi-
cation, has been prepared. The writer has, in-
deed, seen, many years past, a little volume, en-
titled " The Panoply," which contained a part
of what is included, in this selection ; but it was
never widely circulated, and has been long out
of print The .writer has only to add his
sincere wishes for the success of this enterprise;
to' that there may be encouragement for other
similar publications.
4
IV. BUNYAN'S HOLY WAR.
The Holy War made by King Shad-
dai upon Diabolus; to regain the
Metropolis of the World : Or, The
Losing and Taking again of the
Town of Man-Soul. By JOHN BUN-
YAN, Author of '^The Pilgrim's
Progress," &c. A Ne.w Edition.
With Explanatory, Experimental,
and Practical Notes, by the Rev.
GEORGE BORDER, Author of
" Village Sermons," " Notes on Pil-
grim's Progress," &c. In one volume,
12mo., fine paper, and handsomely
bound.
List of Embellishments.!. The
Famous Battle between the Inhabit-
ants of the Town onM^n-Soul and
the Diabolonians. 2. The White
Flag with the Three Golden Doves,
set up as a favorable Signal before
the Towirof Man-Soul. 3. Mr. De-
sires-Awake presenting the Petition
to Emanuel. 4. The Giant Diabolus
bound in Chains. 5. Prince Einan-
uel's Triumphal Entry into the Town
of Man-Soul. 6. Captain Credence
in Conference with the Lord Secre-
tary. 7. Burying the Dead, &c. in the
Plains near the Town of Man-Sou).
V. THE SAME, with 2 plates, in
1 vol. I8mo.
VI. PALEY'S EVIDENCES OF
CHRISTIANITY. In Three Parts.
Part l:.Of the Direct Historical
Evidence of Christianity, and where-
in it is distinguished from the Evi-
dence alleged for other Miracles.
Part 2: The Auxiliary Evidences of
Christianity. Part 3 : A Brief Con-
sideration of some popular objections
With a Portrait of the Author on
steel: and also his Life, from an able .
pen. In one Vol. 18mo. This in-
comparable work is now for the first
time .presented to the American
Public in a pocket form.
"The pious and philanthropic Douglas, of
Scotland, in a late work, expresses it as his
opinion, that EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, and
PALEY'S EVIDENCES, are the only two
treatises which are perfectly adapted to the busi-
ness of elementary instruction. This opinion
from a mind so comprehensive and so highly
gifted as that of the gentleman above mentioned,
cannot but recommend this work to the careful
perusal of all such persons as wish for full in-
formation and complete satisfaction on this mo-
mentous subject" .Sen. Dr. Alexander. Prince-
ton, N.J.
J-,ms Kay 3 r fcC? I'hiladclphia .
John J.Kay i-C? Pitt a burs-
C~
THE
'
. . : : :..
? .
.
CHRISTIANITY.
BY
I ALEXANDER, WATSON,
JENYNS, LESLIE, AND PALEY.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
PUBLISHED BY
James Kay, Jun. & Co., 4 Minor Street, Philadelphia.
John I. Kay &. Co., 51 Market Street, Pittsburgh.
Stereotype Edition.
*
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1831, by JAMES
KAY, Jun. & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United
States in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
STEREOTYPED BY J. HOWS.
t
WATSON'S
APOLOGY FOR CHRISTIANITY;
WATSON'S
APOLOGY FOR THE BIBLE;
JENYNS'S
VIEW OP THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE OP THE CHRISTIAN
RELIGION;
LESLIE'S
SHORT AND EASY METHOD WITH DEISTS;
PALEY'S
VIEW OF THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.
WITH
BY
ARCH. ALEXANDER, D.D.
PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT PRINCETON
IN NEW-JERSEY, ETC. ETC-
PUBLISHED BY
James Kay, Jun. & Co., 4 Minor Street, Philadelphia.
John I. Kay & Co., 51 Market Street, Pittsburgh.
Stereotype Edition.
1
ADVERTISEMENT.
THE Collection of Treatises now offered to the pub
lie, upon the Evidences of the Christian Religion, will
be found to comprise, in a neat and condensed form, a
body of most important argument upon this interesting
subject. The Preliminary Essay of the Rev. Dr. Alex-
ander will afford the reader a useful survey of the
general topics, and also introduce more fully to his
acquaintance, the celebrated authors whose works we
have collected, PALEY, WATSON, JENYNS, and LESLIE.
It is believed that a large and respectable class of pri-
vate Christians, and especially students of theology, .
will find it an advantage to receive, in a pocket volume,
the most select fruits of learned labor in defence of
our holy religion. To those whose time does not allow
of extensive investigation, as well as those who con-
sult economy, this little compilation will prohably be
welcome ; more particularly as there is no volume, of
whatever size, in the English language, which offers
so valuable a syllabus of these fundamental discus
sions.
At a time like the present, when adventurous specu-
lation is at its height, there is no friend of Christianity
who may not profit by a recurrence to such a manual ;
in which he will find spread before his mind the great
proofs of religion, for the enlargement of his know-
ledge, the resolution of his doubts, and the abundant
corroboration of his faith. Any one of the works in-
cluded is singly valuable. One or two of them, in a
complete form, are exceedingly rare, and they consti-
9 - r *"* 1 .- *"*' '< "**.-*
!>**; " i* i,--...' t* p>T
^:-<".J _._.- v**
10 ADVERTISEMENT.
tute together a truly Christian panoply. The Pub-
lishers indulge some confidence, therefore, in com-
mitting this work to the impartial and enlightened
judgment of clergymen, theological students, inst:
ors of youth, and inquiring men of every class,
contains nothing characteristic of particular denoil
nations ; nothing which does not rest on the basis
our common Christianity.
This Collection is neatly printed, and embellished
with a likeness of Bishop Watson ; and no care or
labor has been spared in endeavoring to issue a book
in all respects worthy of public attention. Should it
meet with encouragement, it is proposed to follow it
;by similar .collections upon, allied subjects.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS.
VOL. I.
I. A Preliminary Discourse on the Evidences of Chris-
. tianity ; with a short account of the Treatises which
these volumes contain. By Archibald Alexander, D. D.,
Professor of Theology in the Theological Seminary at
Princeton, N. J. . . Page 15
IL An Apology for Christianity, in a Series of Letters,
addressed to Edward Gibbon, Esq., Author of the ' His-
tory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.'
By R. Watson, D. D., F. R. S., and Regius Professor of
Divinity in the University of Cambridge. ...... 45
III. An Apology for the Bible, in a Series of Letters, ad-
dressed to Thomas Paine, Author of a Book entitled
* The Age of Reason, Part the Second, being an Investi-
gation of True and of Fabulous Theology/ By R. Wat-
son, D. D., F.R. S., Lord Bishop of Llandaff, and Re-
gius Professor of Divinity in the University of Cam-
bridge. 105
IV. A View of the Internal Evidence of the Christian Re-
ligion. By Soame Jenyns, Esq. . 191
V. A Short and Easy Method with the Deists. In a Letter
to a Friend. By the Rev. Charles Leslie, M. A. . . 231
VOL. II.
VI. A View of the Evidences of Christianity. In three
Parts. By William Paley, D. D., Archdeacon of Car-
lisle 15
11
A
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE
ON
THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY:
WITH
A SHORT ACCOUNT
OF
THE TREATISES WHICH THESE VOLUMES CONTAIN.
BY
ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D. D.
PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IX THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT
PRINCETON, N. J.
13
B
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
WHATEVER may be the truth in regard to religion, it must be ad-
mitted to be the most important subject which can possibly occupy
the thoughts of a rational creature. It cannot be wise to treat it, as
many have done, with levity and ridicule : for even on the supposi-
tion that there is no true religion, it is a serious thing that it has
got such a hold of the human mind, that it cannot be shaken off; so
that men of the noblest powers of intellect and the highest moral
courage have been subdued and led captive by its impressions. And
they who boast a complete exemption from its influence, and glory
in the name of atheist or sceptic, do nevertheless often betray a
mind ill at ease, and in the extremity of their distress are sometimes
heard to call upon that God whose existence they have denied, and
to implore that mercy which they have been accustomed to deride.
It has been said, that atheists are of all men the most afraid of
invisible powers : they tremble at their own shadow, and are averse
to be left alone in the dark. They seem to be haunted with a secret
apprehension that 'the reality of religion will at some moment flash
upon their conviction. It is with them a common saying, that " fear
made the gods ;" but it would be much more true to assert, that fear
made atheists ; for what but the dread of a Supreme Being could be
a motive strong enough to lead men to contend so earnestly against
the existence of God ? Few men, even among the irreligious, are
willing to be reckoned atheists. Indeed, a man should first take
leave of his reason before he advocates an opinion demonstrated to
be. false by every thing which we behold. The name deist is
doubtless much more honorable than -atheist; but many who pro-
fess to believe in a great First Cause, have no more religion than
the atheist : their faith has no effect upon them, and can have none,
because their God is not a FERSON nor an intelligent voluntary
agent, by whom the world was made, but a sort of blind power,
15
16 DR. ALEXANDER'S
which pervades the universe ; a kind of active principle which
exerts itself hi ten thousand different ways, but has no existence
separate from the universe in which it dwells, and which it moulds
and animates. Such a God commands no respect, and inspires no
dread. No wonder that deists of this school have no religious feel-
ings, and, except in name, are not in the least distinguished from the
blindest atheists. Epicurus did not deny the existence of the gods ;
but he took care to invest them with such attributes, and to remove
them so far off", as to have no concern whatever in the creation or
government of the world. They were consequently not likely to
interfere with him hi his career of pleasure.
Give the sensualist a God who takes no notice of his conduct, and
who possesses no attribute which will lead him to punish the guilty,
and he will be well pleased with the idol, and may be disposed to
contend lor the reality of his existence. It is the JUSTICE of God
which drives men from his presence, to hide themselves hi the dark-
ness of infidelity. This guilty dread of the Almighty is a sure
evidence that man is not hi his right condition. An innocent crea-
ture would delight hi approaching to the Best of Beings.
But, leaving as incorrigible all those who deny the moral govern-
ment of God, let us see whether they who are advocates for natural
religion, are standing on safe and solid ground. It is a plausible
argument a priori, that God would not place man in this world
without furnishing him with the means of knowing, and the ability
to perform his duty ; and as reason is his guide in other matters, so
reason must be a sufficient guide hi matters of religion. But what
if man has forsaken the state hi which his maker placed him ? We
see that he is a free agent, and therefore he may have acted per-
versely, and brought himself into difficulties out of which he cannot
extricate himsel He may, by his own folly, have lost a large por-
tion of that knowledge, with which he was originally endowed. It
would be very unreasonable to make -this supposition, if nothing
but wisdom, rectitude, and purity had ever been observed hi the
human kind. But when we see how much ignorance, how much
palpable error, how much perverseness, how much moral disorder,
and how much misery are prevalent among men, we are constrained
to admit it to be probable, that the human race stand in need of
something more than' their own reason to guide them in the way
to happiness ; or even to assure them that happiness is attainable.
It is in vain to talk of the powers of nature and the light of reason,
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 17
when we "see millions of men groping in darkness, and stumbling on
the precipice of ruin. Man needs help ; he needs instruction ; he
needs a remedy for the moral disorders of his nature. And here the
question occurs, has any remedy been found effectual to remove or
mitigate these evils ? Has religion been able to do any thing for our
race? Alas! in regard, to most religions, they have rather aggra-
vated than cured the malady. We plead not for idolatry, in any of
its pompous forms : it carries absurdity and impiety in its very face.
It binds the soul of man with bonds the most cruel. It degrades
him to the dust, and renders him capable of every thing mean and
vile. There have been innumerable forms of idolatry; some of
which have been more mild and less monstrous than others ; but
every system of idolatry is an abomination. Towards God it is
treason and rebellion ; and in relation to man it is dealing and mur-
derous. Cruelty and obscenity have ever been the characteristics
of idolatry. Whether such religion is better or worse than blank
atheism, we need not stop to dispute. Both evils are deadly ; and
the choice would be difficult between some forms of superstition
and atheism itself.
When we reject all the religions which come under the denomina-
tion of Pagan superstition, all of which are idolatrous and demo-
ralizing, we have cast off a large part of what has gone by this
name, in all ages of the world ; and would to God it were as easy to
reject this whole system of absurdity, blood, and vileness from the
world, as it is to exclude it from all share in our approbation ! Here
then is one fact for which the deist should be able to account. It is,
that while the world has been for thousands of years overrun with
gross idolatry, which has infected the learned and polished, as well
as the rude, there have been some nations' exempt from this general
and debasing evil. Formerly, the small nation of the Jews, though
much less learned and refined than the Egyptians, Greeks or Ro-
mans, maintained the doctrine of the Unity of God, and the duty of
rendering to him spiritual worship and cordial obedience. For
nearly two thousand years past other nations have been found, cast-
ing off the gross superstitions of Paganism ; and at this time, when
we cast our eye over the map of the world, we descry some lumin-
ous spots from which the darkness of polytheism and gross idolatry
has been dispelled. Now it is a fact, obvious to every observer,
that the only people in the world who are exempt from gross idola-
try are those who have been enlightened by the Bible. I do not
B2
18 DR. ALEXANDER'S
except Mohammedans, for all the best parts of their system were
borrowed fiom the Bible. They are merely a corrupt sect of Chris-
tian heretics ; for they acknowledge the divine origin of both the
Jewish and Christian Scriptures, pretending, however, that these are
exceedingly corrupted and interpolated. -
But let us return to the question which I wish the deist to
exercise his ingenuity hi solving. It is, how it has happened that the
Bible has been the only means of destroying idolatry in the world ?
This effect is not confined to ancient times: very recently,
whole tribes of degraded savages have rejected then* idolatrous
superstitions, under the influence of Christianity. Look at the So-
ciety and Sandwich islands : look at the converted Greenlanders,
Hottentots, Caffres, and Negroes, and explain the strange and happy
transformation which has taken place. That must have been a
wonderful imposture which has been attended with effects so bene-
ficial to man. It cannot be denied, that Christianity and civilization
are nearly related to each other, and that those nations which per-
mit and encourage the free and general reading of the Scriptures,
are, everywhere, the foremost in the race of improvement, and in
.the enjoyment of rational liberty.
It is indeed objected by the deist, that Christianity has been the
occasion of innumerable evils ; that it has given rise to wars, and
many bloody persecutions. Now, it would be impossible to devise
an objection which has less foundation than this. I can hardly per-
suade myself, that any man who has carefully read the New Testa-
ment, can be serious in alleging such things against Christianity.
Christ, it is true, did predict that his religion would be the occasion
of strife and division, even amongst the nearest relatives ; but this
not fiom, any thing in itself which naturally tended to produce such
evils ; but entirely from the wickedness of men, who would set
themselves hi opposition fo the truth, and persecute those who em-
braced it: a persecution which would be more virulent towards
the members of their own families ; so that the prediction has often
1 been verified, " a man's foes shall be those of his own household."
It will also be conceded, that Christianity has often been misunder-
stood and grossly perverted by its professors ; and that under its sa-
cred name, though with an opposite spirit, persecutions have been
carried on, the mere recital of which is enough to make us shudder.
But who does not see, that, while it is as evident as the noon-day
light that this is not the genius of Christianity, the blame of these
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 19
evils cannot in justice be charged upon the system ? As well might
we charge liberty with all the wars and all the misery, occasioned
by the contests to maintain or recover this inestimable blessing. Any
system, however pure and benevolent, is liable to abuse in the hands
of men ; and hi all such cases, the system cannot be judged by its
perversion and abuse, but by an impartial examination of its own
genuine principles. Such an investigation Christianity challenges ;
and indeed a verdict has already been given in her favor, by many
of her opposers themselves. .They have not been able to resist the
wisdom, the purity, and the peaceful tendency of the gospel ; so
that unwilling praise has been extorted from themselves.
If the Christian religion is " a cunningly devised fable," there are
two things relative to it, which can never be satisfactorily accounted
ibr. The one is, that a falsehood should be surrounded with so
many of the evidences and circumstances, by which truth is charac-
terized , the other, that an imposture, proceeding from minds exceed-
ingly corrupt, should be marked with such purity in its moral prin-
ciples, and such a benevolent and peaceful tendency in all its pro-
visions and precepts. Whatever objections may be made to the
system of Christianity, these difficulties will stand in the way of the
deist ; and he never can overcome them.
Let us calmly contemplate this subject The Christian religion
is founded on facts, for the truth of which an appeal is made to tes-
timony, the ground on which all other ancient facts are received.
If these facts did really occur, then Christianity must be true. If
they did not, why can it not be shown ? Was there ever a case, in
which transactions so public, and in the truth of which so many
persons were interested, were so circumstanced as to baffle every
effort to detect the fraud attempted to be imposed on the world ?
Here then is a wonderful thing. The defenders of Christianity ap-
peal to facts attested by many competent and credible witnesses ;
they show that these witnesses could not themselves have been
deceived in the nature of the things, concerning which they give
their testimony; they demonstrate from every circumstance of
their condition, that they could have had no motive for wishing to
propagate the belief of these facts, if they had not been true ;
that, in giving the testimony which they did, they put to risk, and
actually sacrificed every thing most dear to men ; that, even if they
could have been induced by some inconceivable motive to propa-
gate what they knew to be false, it was morally impossible that
20 DR. ALEXANDER'S
they could have persuaded any persons to believe them ; because
the things related by them being of a recent date and public nature,
and the names of persons and places specified, nothing would have
been easier than to disprove false assertions so situated. Moreover,
the 'persons who first became disciples of Christ and members of
the church from the declarations of the apostles cannot be supposed
to have admitted the truth of these things without examination, for
every principle of self-preservation must have been awake to guard
them against delusion. By attaching themselves to this new sect
" everywhere spoken against," and persecuted both by Jews and
Gentiles, they did literally forsake all that man holds most dear in
this life. If there had existed no persons possessed of power and
sagacity, who were deeply interested in the refutation of falsehoods
which would implicate them in disgrace, the evidence would not be
so ovenvhelming as it is; but we know, that all the power and
learning of the Jewish nation, and also of the Roman Government,
were arrayed against the publishers of the gospel ; for just in pro-
portion as the report of these men gained credit, the conduct of
those who persecuted Christ unto death, would appear clothed in
the darkest colors. Why did they not, at once, come forward and
crush the imposture ? It has also been fully established by the
friends of revelation, that w r e are in possession of the genuine re-
cords published soon after the events occurred. There is no room
for any suspicion that the gospels were the fabrication of a later age
than that of the apostles ; or that they have been corrupted and in-
terpolated, since they were written. And finally, the effects pro-
duced by the publication of these facts are such as almost to con-
strain the belief, that the gospel' narrative is true : for the rapid and
extensive progress of the Christian religion can, upon no other
principles, be rationally accounted ibr. It would be as great a
miracle for a few unlearned fishermen and mechanics to be success-
ful hi founding a religion, which in a short time changed the whole
aspect of the world, as any recorded in the New Testament. Now,
supposing the facts in question to be true, what other, or greater
evidence of their truth could we have had, than we already pos-
sess ? What other facts of equal antiquity are half as well attested ?
Let the deist choose any portion of ancient history, and adduce his
testimony in proof of the facts, and then compare the evidence in
their support, with that which the friends of Christianity have ex-
iubited for all the material facts recorded in the gospel ; and I shall
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 21
be disappointed if he do not, upon an impartial examination, find the
latter to be much more various and convincing.
But these facts are miraculous. This single circumstance is, in
the deistical creed, made to outweigh all the clearest evidence
which can be adduced. This therefore may be considered the root
of the error ; for when it comes to be fairly considered, it must ap-
pear to be nothing better than an unfounded prejudice. Why should
it be considered impossible or unreasonable for God to work a
miracle ? Every event was a miracle, before any laws of nature
were established. The creation of the universe was a magnificent
miracle. And if the great author of this system choose occasionally
to regulate it by an extraordinary interposition of his power, what
principle is violated ? Why should human reason so pertinaciously
object, as though God had denied himself, or contradicted our rea-
son ? But the deist insists, that never having seen miracles performed,
we cannot reasonably be expected to credit them, on the report of
others. And is it true, that it is unreasonable to believe what we
ourselves have never experienced? Upon this principle, the inhabit-
ants of the tropical regions ought never to believe in the existence
of snow or ice ; and the bund man should obstinately refuse to be-
lieve that there is any such thing as vision by the eyes ; . o? the deaf
man, that there is any such thing as hearing by the ears. Miracles
do require more proof than common events, as do other, .events of
an extraordinary kind, but when testimony of a. certain land and
degree is exhibited, the presumption naturally felt against the reality
of such events, is readily overcome in every unprejudiced mind. And
if any one wishes to disprove the truth of such facts, he must do it
by canvassing the evidence, and showing that it is insufficient, or
inconsistent and contradictory: or he must bring forward testi-
mony to rebut that which has been exhibited. This is the only ra-
tional method of proceeding in such a case ; yet it has not been pur-
sued by the opposers of Christianity. There is not to be found in the
numerous attacks on the New Testament, a single example of a
calm and impartial attempt to prove, by authentic, testimony, that
such facts as those recorded, never took place. But why has not
this been done ?
Why have not deists brought forward convincing testimony to
prove that these histories are false and unworthy of credit ; instead
of dealing in irrelevant objections, and throwing out dark suspicions
and innuendoes ? If the truth is on their side, why have they not
22 DR. ALEXANDER'S
been able to show that a fraud was committed, and a base impos-
ture palmed on the world ? The true reason is, that the testimony
for the facts recorded in the gospels cannot be impugned by direct
attack. There is confessedly no counter testimony. There are no
evidences of fraud or ill-design, in the books themselves. The his-
torians appear to be honest men, and continually speak and act as
if they had the fullest assurance of what they relate. They resort
to no artifice or finesse. They use no arts to gain popularity, or to
accommodate themselves to the prejudices of the people. They are
so impartial, that they conceal none of those things which were un-
favorable to their own character ; but freely acknowledge their own
faults and errors. Impostors, in the circumstances of the apostles,
never could have devised such an artless story ; they never could
have concealed so perfectly their own true character and design ;
and they could never have produced compositions of so great ex-
cellence. Let any man compare the genuine gospels with those
spurious ones which were afterwards circulated, under the names
of the apostles and apostolic men, and he will be struck with the
remarkable difference ; and yet, as far as relates to natural abilities
and learning, it is probable, that these latter writers were fully
equal to the evangelists. It is truly wonderful, that uneducated
men should have written histories so dignified, unimpassioned,
simple, and free from weaknesses and puerilities. Nothing can be
farther removed from an artfully contrived imposture, than the gos-
pels of the four Evangelists.
But let us, for a moment, assume the hypothesis, that the Chris-
tian religion is a cunningly devised fable. Let us take the ground
occupied by the deist, and let us reason on the subject, upon these
principles. And here we are at liberty to suppose any one of seve-
ral things, still taking it for granted, that the whole narrative is false,
so far as miracles are concerned. In the first place, then, let us sup-
pose that no such person as Jesus Christ ever lived upon the earth ;
but that the whole history from beginning to end is a forgery. The
difficulty on this hypothesis will be to account for the existence of
the Christian church, and for the reception of the gospels as true
history ; for, fix on what period you please, as that in which the im-
postor began to publish the narrative respecting the birth, life, death
and resurrection of Christ, it would seem altogether impossible,
when the circumstances are well considered, to conceive, how such
an enterprise should succeed. Indeed, upon this supposition, the-
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 23
New Testament would have carried its own refutation on its face ;
for it testifies that the church .began to be gathered immediately
upon the death of Jesus Christ, and had its commencement at Jeru-
salem. Now on the foregoing hypothesis, the publishers of this his-
tory began their preaching near to the time and at the place where
he was said to have lived and to have performed all the mighty
works which are recorded in the gospels. Let us imagine, then, an
impostor announcing these as facts at Jerusalem ; as facts which
had lately occurred, and which were witnessed by thousands
would not every man, woman, and child have exclaimed : " This
whole story is false these things could not have happened without
our hearing or knowing something of them. What an audacious
falsehood ! He pretends that for a long time this person, whom he
calls Jesus Christ, resided among us, and preached his doctrines
publicly, and wrought stupendous miracles ; but we know all this to
be false a barefaced imposture, unsupported by the shadow of
"evidence."
And if we assume the ground, that the attempt was made at any
other period, or in any other place, the absurd consequences flowing
from this hypothesis will be equally manifest Deists, therefore,
have not commonly been fond of taking this ground, although it is
iar the most consistent deistical hypothesis ; for if you admit that
part of the history which contains events not miraculous^ you can
hardly avoid receiving these also, so closely are they interwoven to-
gether, and dependent on each other. Volney, L'Aquinio, and a few
others; in the time of the French revolution, boldly advocated this
theory, and denied that any such persons as Jesus Christ or his apos-
tles ever lived in the world. Now as I said, this scheme is the most
consistent for the rejecters of Christianity ; but is it rational ? is it
" credible? I could persuade myself of the reality of a thousand well-
attested miracles, before I could believe that the whole world has
been deceived in such a matter. Indeed, it would at one stroke de-
stroy all the credibility of history ; for if Jesus Christ never existed,
from whom such a series of events have flowed down to our own
times, how can we be satisfied that any man whose exploits are re-
corded hi history ever lived ? According to this, Vblney might have
saved himself the trouble of accounting for the ruin of ancient
cities and empires; for perhaps, they never existed. True, he saw
the splendid ruins of Palmyra; but these exquisitely wrought pil-
lars might possibly have been a mere freak of nature, in one of her
24 DR. ALEXANDER'S
wild moods. Rational belief always lies in the midst between two
absurdities. While the deist shuns what he calls the weak credulity
of believing in miracles, he falls into the.monstrous absurdity of de-
nying all testimony. And in this case he can be confronted, not only
with the testimony of Christians, but with that of Heathen and
Jewish writers. TACITUS, SUETONIUS, and PLINY, all bear ample
testimony against this visionary theory. The first of these lived
during the first century of the Christian era. His character as an
historian stands too high to need any eulogium or description. After
giving an account of the terrible fire by which a large part of the
city of Rome was consumed, and of the exertions made to rebuild
and beautify the city, he adds, " But neither by human aid, nor by
the costly largesses by which he attempted to propitiate the gods,
was the prince able to remove from himself the infamy which had
attached to him in the opinion of all, for having ordered the con-
flagration. To suppress this rumor, therefore, Nero caused others to
be accused, on whom he inflicted exquisite torments, who were al-
ready hated by the people for their crimes, and were vulgarly de-
nominated CHRISTIANS. This name they derived from CHRIST then-
leader, who in the reign of TIBERIUS was put to death as a criminal,
while PONTIUS PILATE was procurator. This destructive superstition,
repressed for a while, again broke out, and spread not only through
Judea where it originated, but reached this city also, into which
flow all things, that are vile and abominable, and where they are
encouraged. At first, they only were seized who confessed that
they belonged to this sect; and afterwards a vast multitude, by the
information of these, who were condemned, not so much for the
crime of burning the city, as for hatred of. the human race. These,
clothed in the skins of wild beasts, were exposed to derision, and
were either torn to pieces by dogs, or were affixed to crosses; or
when the day-light was past, were set on fire, that they might serve
instead of lamps for the night."
SUETONIUS lived also at the close of the first and beginning of
the second century. In his life of Claudius the emperor, he haa
these words, "He banished the Jews from Rome who were con-
tinually raising disturbances, Christ (Chrestus) being their leader."
And in the life of Nero, he says, " The Christians were punished, a
sort of men of a new and magical religion."
But there is nothing among the testimonies of Heathen writers
of this period so full and satisfactory, with regard to the existence
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 25
and wide spread of Christianity, as the Letter of PIJNY the YOUNGER,
a translation of which, therefore, I will here insert, although it has
been often published.
" Pliny to the emperor Trajan wisheth health, &c. It is ray cus-
tom, Sir, to refer all things to you of which I entertain any doubt;
for who can better direct me in my hesitation or instruct my igno-
rance ? I was never before present at any of the trials of Christians ;
so that I am ignorant both of the matter to be inquired into, and of
the nature of the punishment which should be inflicted, and to
what length the investigation is to be extended. I have, moreover,
been in great uncertainty, whether any difference ought to be made
on account of age, between the young and tender, and the robust;
and also whether any, place should be allowed for repentance and
pardon; or whether those who have once been Christians should be
punished, although they have now ceased to be such, and whether
punishment should be inflicted merely on account of the name
where no crimes are charged, or whether crimes connected with
the name are the proper object of punishment. This, however, is
the method which I have pursued hi regard to those who were
brought before me as Christians. I interrogated them whether they
were Christians ; and upon their confessing that they were, I put
the question to them a second and a third time ; threatening them
with capital punishment; 'and when they persisted in their confes-
sion, I ordered them to be led away to execution : for whatever
might be the- nature of then* crime, I could not doubt that perverse-
ness and inflexible obstinacy deserve to be punished. There were
others addicted to the same insanity, whom, because they were Ro-
man citizens, I have noted down to be sent to the city. In a short
space, the crime diffusing itself) as is common, a great variety of
cases have fallen under my cognizance. An anonymous libel was
exhibited to me, containing the names of many persons who denied
that they were Christians .or ever had been; and as an evidence of
their sincerity, they joined me in an address to the gods, and to your
image, which I had ordered to be brought along with the images of
the gods for this very purpose. Moreover, they sacrificed with
wine and frankincense, and blasphemed the name of Christ; none
of which things can those who are realty Christians be constrained
to do. Therefore I judged it proper to dismiss them. Others named
by the informer, at first confessed themselves to be Christians and
afterwards denied it; and some asserted, that although they had
26 DR. ALEXANDER'S
been Christians, they had ceased to be such, for more than three
years, and some as much as twenty years. All these worshipped
your image and the statues of the gods, and execrated Christ. But
they affirmed, that this was the sum of their fault or error, that they
were accustomed, on a stated day, to meet together before day, to
sing a hymn to Christ in concert, as to a God, and to bind them-
selves by a solemn oath not to commit any wickedness but on the
contrary to abstain from theft, robbery, and adultery also, never to
violate their promise, nor deny a pledge committed to them. These
things being performed, it was their custom to separate ; and to
meet again at a promiscuous, innocent meal ; which, however, they
had omitted, from the time of the publication of my edict, by which,
according to your orders, I forbad assemblies of this sort. On receiv-
ing this account, I judged it to be the more necessary to examine by
torture, two females, who were called deaconesses. But I dis-
covered nothing except a depraved and immoderate superstition.
Whereupon, suspending further judicial proceedings, I have re-
course to you for advice ; for it has appeared to me, that the subject
is highly deserving of consideration, especially on account of the
great number of persons whose lives are put into jeopardy. Many
persons of all ages, sexes, and conditions are accused, and many
more will be in the same situation ; for the contagion of this super-
stition has not merely pervaded the cities, but also all villages and
country places; yet it seems to me that, it might be restrained and
corrected. It is a matter of fact, that the temples which were al-
most deserted begin again to be frequented ; and the sacred solem-
nities which had been long intermitted are again attended; and
victims for the altars are now readily sold, which, a while ago, were
almost without purchasers. Whence it is easy to conjecture what a
multitude of men might be reclaimed, if only the door to repent-
ance was left open."
The answer of the emperor Trajan to this remarkable letter of
Pliny is also still extant ; and there has never been a doubt raised
respecting the genuineness of either of them.
"Trajan to Pliny Health and happiness.
" You have taken the right method, my Pliny, in dealing with those
who have been brought before you as Christians ; for it is impossible
to establish any universal rule which will apply to all cases. They
should not be sought after : but when they are brought before you
nd convicted, they must be punished. Nevertheless, if anyone
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 27
deny that he is a Christian, and confirm his assertion by his con-
duct; that is, by worshipping our gods, although he may be sus-
pected of having been one ki time past; let him obtain pardon on
repentance. But in no case permit a libel against any one to be re-
ceived, unless it be signed by the person who presents it, for that
would be a dangerous precedent, and in nowise suitable to the
present age."
From these epistles, -written at the very commencement of the
second century, we learn how rapidly and extensively Christianity,
notwithstanding all opposition, had spread over the Roman empire.
Long before Pliny wrote, the temples and sacrifices had been
almost forsaken; and even now the multitude implicated in the
charge of being Christians was so great, that he suspended all judi-
cial proceedings against them, until he should consult the emperor
as to what was proper to be done.
It must by this time be sufficiently evident, that they undertake
the defence of a.desperate cause, who maintain the hypothesis, that
such a person as Christ never existed, but that he is merely a ficti-
tious being. -
Let us then in the next place inquire, what will be the conse-
quences of supposing that Jesus Christ did live and leach in Judea
about eighteen centuries ago, and that he was apprehended by the
Jewish rulers and priests, and at their instigation was crucified
under the procuratorship of Pontius Pilate, in the reign of the
emperor Tiberius ; but that all that is recorded in the gospels re-
specting his divine mission, his -miraculous birth, his wonderful
works, and his resurrection from the dead, was invented by certain
fraudulent disciples after the death of their Master. This I suppose
is the commonly received theory of deists, and if it cannot stand
the test of a thorough scrutiny, their cause is manifestly untenable,
and should be abandoned. Here again, there may be a choice in
the selection of the period when these miracles began to be pub-
lished, and these gospels to be received. If this is said to have oc-
curred immediately after the death of Christ, the same difficulties
press on the scheme, which were shown to follow upon the former
hypothesis: that is, if such an imposture had been attempted, the
falsehood of the history would have been evident to all the world.
To one making such declarations at Jerusalem, any one of the pec^-
pie might have replied, "The person concerning whom you testify
was known to us. He spent much of his time in this city, and was
28 DR. ALEXANDER'S
a teacher and public preacher, and was seized at the feast of the
passover by our rulers, and delivered over to Pilate as a seditious
and dangerous person ; but as to what you say about his raising the
dead, giving sight to the blind, health to the sick, and performing
other wonderful works, there is not a word of truth in it, and such
things were never heard of before and, moreover, these books
which you wish to palm upon us are utterly unworthy of credit,
and are replete with falsehoods, known to be such by all the peo-
ple of this land." How could any impostor have been successful
in gaming credence to his imposture in such circumstances ?
But the deist will select a later period for the commencement of
the fraud- Suppose we say, a hundred years after Christ was cru-
cified ; we cannot bring it lower down without encumbering the
hypothesis with greater difficulties and absurdities than by choosing
this time, on account of the testimonies of numerous Christian
writers in corroboration of the gospel-history. A hundred years,
then, after the death of Christ, some persons undertake to give out
and publish in writing that he performed those mighty works, which
none before had heard a whisper of. This imposture could not
then have been by the instrumentality of the immediate followers
of Christ, for these must have been dead. The question therefore
naturally arises, did the Christian Church exist before this time,
and on what principles was it founded ? If it did not exist before,
then the book now published would carry its falsehood on its face,
as it describes all the particulars of the first planting of the church
at Jerusalem, and its rapid extension over the world. If the church
did exist a fact capable of the clearest proof men must have be-
come the disciples of Christ without any persuasion that he was a
divine messenger, or possessed any extraordinary commission : yea,
the first Christians must have forsaken the religious customs of
their forefathers, and exposed themselves to every species of perse-
cution for the sake of a man who was crucified as a malefactor,
and without any belief that he had risen again and was now alive.
This indeed gives us a. new view" of the origin of Christianity, and
a new view of human nature also ; but is it a reasonable hypothe-
sis? Can any man believe it? How, upon these principles, can.
we account for the extraordinary progress of Christianity ? About
this time, it has been shown from the most respectable heathen his-
torians, this religion had extended over Asia Minor, and had
reached Rome : but by what means was this effected, when, ac-
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 29
cording to the hypothesis, there -was not a pretence of any thing
miraculous? And how did these cunning impostors who now
arose, contrive to persuade the Christian church that their religion
was founded on these miraculous facts, 'which they had never
heard of before ? And how did they bring it about that at once
these forged books should be received by every portion of the
church as the writings of the apostles and immediate followers of
Christ ? How wonderful, that a society existing in many different
countries should be persuaded henceforth to adopt an entirely new
creed, and to appeal to books as containing the true origin of their
religion, which were just now written by impostors, and replete
with extravagant falsehoods ! The whole thing is incredible, and
indeed impossible. Such an imposture could not have been suc-
cessful. It is not more certain that Christianity now exists, than
that the belief of miracles was coeval with its origin. A Christian
without belief of the divine mission and resurrection of Christ, is a
monstrous absurdity. And why did not the early enemies of Chris-
tianity, such as Celsus, Porphyry and Julian, lay open the impos-
ture? Why did they not utterly deny the facts recorded in the
gospel ? This they dared not do. Instead of this, they set them-
selves to account for these wonderful works by magic ; as did also
the Jewish doctors whose opinions are in the Talmud. This fact
shows most conclusively that in the early ages the current of uni-
versal tradition, as well as written records, was so strong hi favor
of the miracles of Christ, that they could not be successfully.de-
'nied. This led the opposers of the gospel to pretend that other
men had performed as great miracles as Jesus. And, perhaps, the
deist could not now adopt a wiser course than to admit' the mi-
raculous facts, and reason against them on the same principles as
the old impugners of the Christian religion.
, From every view which we can take of this subject, it is evident,
that whether the gospel be true or not, it is supported by all the
testimony and by all the collateral evidence which it could have,
if it were true. That is, we must believe this history, or relinquish
the principles of reason which guide us in other cases.
The historical evidence is the first great obstacle in the way of
adopting the' deistical hypothesis; the second is, that the purity,
consistency, and moral excellence of these writings cannot be re-
conciled with the idea that they are the works of vile impostors.
It is an old and trite argument, that such a book as the New Testa-
C2
30 DR. ALEXANDER'S
ment could not be the production of bad men, because it is stamped
with so much holiness, and is replete with such excellent views of
duty and pure morality, that men of depraved minds could have
possessed neither the ability nor the will to be the authors of it.
What wicked man would have ever thought of inventing such dis-
courses as those of Christ? Of how can it be conceived, that an
impostor, in. whom there must be a combination of the most de-
grading vices, could have given such pure and perfect lessons of
morality, as those contained in the Epistles of the Apostles ?
If, therefore, all historical documents were buried in oblivion, there
is that internal light beaming from every page of this sacred volume,
which will ever recommend it to the approbation of the good. And
this leads me to a remark, which may seem to be rather invidious,
but which is supported by -an overpowering weight of evidence,
that the true cause of deism is to be sought, not in the weakness
of the evidence of divine revelation, nor in the recondite nature
of the arguments by which it is supported ; but in the unhappy
state of mind with which the subject is approached. A heart
glowing with love to God and man^ in which all must acknow-
ledge moral excellence hi man consists; would so prepare the
mind to appreciate the evidences of Christianity, both external and
internal : that I am persuaded nothing more would be necessary to
produce a strong faith in the Scriptures of the New Testament; as
not only containing a true and faithful history, but as being given
by divine inspiration, and therefore, an infallible rule to guide us hi
all matters of truth and duty.
But it is now time that I should give some account of the trea-
tises included in the following volume. In the selection of these
the writer has had no concern, but he approves of the plan of the
editor, and is of opinion that by comprising so many works of
standard excellence in one convenient duodecimo, he will be ren-
dering a real service to the cause of revealed religion, and will
furnish a desired accommodation to students of theology; and
to others who are obliged to regard economy in the purchase
of books.
The grand problem which deists have hitherto failed to solve, is,
to 'account for the existence and rapid progress of Christianity.
No man was better fitted to remove this difficulty, had it been pos-
sible, .than Edward Gibbon, Esq., who had access to all the sources
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 31
>f information, which could be applied to the elucidation of this
point. And Christianity is so thoroughly incorporated with the
latter part of the history of the Roman empire, that the historian
)f this period is laid under a" necessity of giving some opinion
respecting the origin and progress of a system which soon gave
complexion to all the transactions of the civilized world. Although
Gibbon hated the Christian religion, and would willingly have lent
his aid to banish it from the earth ; yet he was too well aware of
the difficulty of the subject, to venture a direct and open attack on
this citadel of truth, which had already repelled with, triumph so
many assaults. His attempt, therefore, was to account -for this
extraordinary fact by referring it to natural causes. This, indeed,
was a very indirect method of attaining his end; for even if the
reasons assigned had been sufficient to account for the acknow-
ledged fact, yet these might not have been the real causes. It is a
sound rule of reasoning, that the causes which we assign to ac-
count for effects must not only be adequate, but true. If the con-
version of the world to Christianity could possibly be accounted
for without supposing the interposition of a supernatural power ;
it might nevertheless have been the effect of miraculous power.
But if he had succeeded in his attempt, the arguments for a divine
origin of our holy religion would have been greatly diminished ;
for it is a good rule, that what can be accounted for by natural
causes, ought not to be attributed to supernatural powers. It is
however, a strong presumptive proof in favor of the historical
evidence of the gospels, that such a man, with the stores of an-
cient knowledge open before him, did not venture .to attack it;
either by showing that the testimony was inadequate, or by ad-
ducing other evidence to invalidate that which has been given in
support of Christianity. His forbearance, it is .certain, was not
owing to a want of will, but to a want of power; and what
GIBBON perceived to be impracticable, in vain may any other in-
fidel undertake to perform. It cannot be said, that the historian
went out of his way to meet this question : he could not avoid it.
It lay so directly in his path, that he was obliged to .acknowledge
the divine origin of Christianity, or to account for its success in
some other way. The latter course he chose to pursue ; and we
have the result of his inquiries, or more properly his conjectures,
in the XV. and XVI. Chapters of his DECLINE AND FALL OF THE
ROMAN EMPIRE. In examining this hypothesis the intelligent and
DR. ALEXANDER
impartial reader cannot but be struck with the uncertainty and also
the inadequacy of the causes assigned for this extraordinary moral
revolution, by which the whole aspect and condition of the civil-
ized world has been entirely changed. It is a matter of some sur-
prise, that a mind so perspicacious, and so richly furnished, should
have been so far satisfied with the reasons assigned as to stake his
reputation as a man of sense and candor upon them, so as to con-
sent to give them to the' world, as an integral part of his splendid
work. It is, however, no matter of wonder that he did not pro-
duce more satisfactory reasons for this grand phenomenon. The
truth is, the more closely the circumstances of the case are inves-
tigated, the more manifest it will become, that nothing better can
be said. Infidelity has here done her best, and if she has failed to
achieve a victory, the blame should not be laid on her favorite
champion, but on the cause, which did not admit of a more plau-
sible defence. No sooner was the History of the DECLINE AND
FALL published, than a host of assailants entered the field, among
whom, however, Doctor WATSON, then Regius Professor of Divin-
ity at Cambridge, and afterwards bishop of Llandaff, stood pre-em-
inent. And while Gibbon treated his other antagonists rather
cavalierly, he spoke of Watson with great respect. His work
against Gibbon was published in the form of Letters to the histo-
rian, and entitled AN APOLOGY FOR CHRISTIANITY. This first
Apology of our author has been so long out of print, or at least so
little circulated in this country, that even young men of learning,
who have been attentive to the progress of this controversy, are
scarcely aware that such a book exists. It was judicious, there-
fore, to give it a conspicuous place in this selection. All the
friends of Christianity who are familiar with Dr. Watson's later
work, in vindication of the Bible, will be gratified to see any thing
else on this subject from his able pen. To this APOLOGY FOR
CHRISTIANITY is appended AN ADDRESS TO SCOFFERS, which has
been pronounced by good judges not to be surpassed in eloquence
and force, by any composition in the English language. To rescue
this excellent address from oblivion, is itself an object of no small
importance. And it is a composition as much adapted to our own
times, as to the period when it was first published.
Watson's SECOND APOLOGY, entitled AN APOLOGY FOR THE BI-
BLE, is a work much better known in this country than the former.
This was written in answer to the second part of PAINE'S AGE or
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 33
REASON. Paine had, by his political Essays, which were well
suited to the spirit of the times, acquired a high reputation in this
country as a clear and forcible writer. There had never appeared
a work in favor of infidelity so well adapted to diffuse the poison
through the mass of society. His style was perspicuous, pointed,
and energetic ; and was spiced with that species of profane ridi-
cule, which is always found to be remarkably congenial with de-
praved minds. Moreover, his apparent exemption from all consci-
entious scruples, with an imposing confidence in the truth of his
own opinions, recommended his work to multitudes, whose con-
stant effort had been to free themselves from the shackles of con-
science, the power of which was chiefly owing to the remains of a
religious belief. Such men exulted in finding their own half-
formed opinions and wishes boldly brought out, and the truths
which they hated, because they were annoyed by them, turned into
ridicule. It is impossible to calculate how much evil was pro-
duced by the profane writings of this impure and intemperate man.
Seldom has a defender of the faith stepped forth more opportunely
than did bishop Watson, on this occasion. Former infidels had for
the most part fought in disguise; they did not openly declare
themselves to be the enemies of the Bible. Their reasonings were
often abstruse and metaphysical ; or so obscure, and remote from
common apprehension, that their books were read only by a few
of the learned. But here was a most open, undisguised, and au-
dacious attack on Christianity ; and it was circulated with an in-
dustry not often exceeded. To counteract this popular and dan-
gerous work, bishop Watson composed his answer in a perspicuous,
pleasing, and popular style. His extensive learning and intimate
acquaintance with the subject enabled him, with manifest ease, to
detect the mistakes and expose the sophistry of Paine, who was
really an ignorant man, and so little acquainted with the subject on
which he undertook to write, that when he published his first part
of the Age of Reason, he seems never to have read the Bible ;
and acknowledges that he had no copy at hand. He afterwards
procured a Bible, and in some way, went over it, gleaning up such
stale objections and arguments, as had been answered a hundred
times ; but which he . brought forward with all the boasting of a
man who had just made a wonderful discovery. Watson, through-
out the work, maintains his dignity and treats his antagonist with
courtesy ; which, taking into view Paine's profane raillery, was no
34 -DR. ALEXANDER'S
easy task. In only one instance does he seem to yield to a feeling
of indignation ; and every reasonable man will acquit him of un-
due severity, when he considers the provocation given by this im-
pure infidel. And on that occasion he does no more than apply to
him the words of Paul to Elymas the sorcerer, " O full of all
subtilty and mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of
the Lord?"
It is impossible to calculate how much the Christian community
is indebted to bishop Watson, for this able, popular, and seasonable
vindication of the Bible, against the most virulent and audacious
assault ever made upon it The work was extensively circulated,
and very generally read ; and in most cases served as an effectual
antidote to the poison of the Age of Reason. Other solid answers
to Paine were published ; and with a limited circulation were
useful ; but none of them held any competition with the APOLOGY
FOR THE BIBLE ; which quickly passed through numerous editions,
both in Great Britain and in this country; and produced a salutary
effect far beyond any other work of a similar kind, which has been
published within the recollection of the writer. Since, however,
the heat of the controversy has subsided, this valuable work is less
frequently met with ; it is therefore of importance that it should
have a place in a manual, where it may be perused again and
again, by the rising generation. And this is the more necessary,
since a new edition of "The Age of Reason" has recently been
published in one of our large cities; and as it is evident that the
rancorous spirit of infidelity will, as heretofore, gather up the
blunted but envenomed shafts which have so often been repelled
by the shield of truth, and will continue to renew its desperate
assaults against the citadel of divine revelation, until the time
shall come when the grand adversary and patron of infidelity shall
be driven from the earth and confined to the bottomless pit.
Some persons have expressed surprise and a degree of dissatis-
faction at the title, APOLOGY, which bishop Watson has chosen to
give to both his vindications of divine revelation. It seemed to
them that this word conveyed the idea of something defective, or
erroneous ; and they have been ready to say, that neither Christi-
anity nor the Bible needed any apology. Now, it is true, that our
English word is so understood by most who hear it ; but according
to its etymology and ancient use, its import is "a defence." An
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 35
APOLOGY ia the rendering a reason for any thing. And thus it was
the usual name given by the early fathers to their defences of
Christianity, and to these bishop Watson doubtless alludes in the
title which he has selected.
There are few books concerning which it is more difficult to
speak, without being misunderstood, than SOABIE JENYNS'S INTER-
NAL EVIDENCES op THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, which occupies the
third place in this collection. That the author exhibits those argu-
ments here, which had produced a full persuasion of the truth of
the New Testament in his own mind, there is little reason to
doubt : and that the perusal of this little work has wrought a sim-
ilar conviction in the minds of many other intelligent persons, is a
fact of which there is not wanting abundant proof. And, indeed,
judging from the impression which this luminous argument makes
on my own mind, I can scarcely conceive how any ingenuous man
can resist its force. It is said, I know not upon what authority, that
Jenyns began to read the New Testament, with the view of
writing against it, but arose from the perusal a confirmed believer ;
and then gave his own recently received views and convictions,
In this little work. A tradition of the same kind has been handed
down respecting several other learned men ; particularly the fine
classical scholar Mr. West.
SOAME JENYNS was, no doubt, an eccentric genius, and enter-
tained many extravagant opinions, which badly cohere with a sys-
tem of Cliristian doctrines. And even in this little work on the
EVIDENCES, which I can cordially recommend in the main, I would
by no means make myself responsible for every opinion which the
author has expressed. There is strong evidence, however, to in-
duce us to believe, that this ingenious writer actually .experienced
the salutary efficacy of those truths which he so ably defended.
His LECTURES on religious subjects, which were from time to
time delivered to a company of select friends, breathe so much of
the spirit of genuine piety, that it is hard to believe the writer was
not a sincere, Christian.
In further attestation of the value of this work on THE INTER-
NAL EVIDENCES, it may be remarked, that Paley refers to it as
containing every thing which is necessary on this branch of the
subject; and accordingly he omits making any observations on
this topic. .
The writer would also mention, that he has often heard it as-
36 DR. ALEXANDER'S
serted, and never contradicted, that the late PATRICK HENRY, the
celebrated orator of Virginia and of the American revolution," had
been in early life skeptical, but was fully satisfied of the truth of
the Christian religion,, by the perusal of this little treatise of SOAME
JENYNS. And it is a well-known fact, that the work was re-print-
ed in a pamphlet form, while he was governor of Virginia, and
was widely circulated through the State ; and, as was said and be-
lieved, under his auspices. It is, at any rate, undoubtedly true thai
from this period of his life he was the zealous and open advocate
of divine revelation, until his dying day. This fact is not left to be
handed down merely by tradition ; as he took care to leave a full
and explicit testimony in favor of Christianity, inserted in his last
will and testament, which is on record.
The subject of the INTERNAL EVIDENCES has been ably treated
by other authors. Fuller, Sumner, arid Erskine have" all written
well on this topic ; but by none of these productions has this little
work of Jenyns been at all superseded.
LESLIE'S EASY METHOD WITH THE DEISTS, occupies the fourth
place in this collection ; but though least, it is not the weakest in
argument This little work may be considered the standing re-
proach of deists, ever since it was first published. It lays down
certain criteria of the truth of historical facts, which it is asserted
are applicable to no other than real events. It is shown that all
these marks of truth are found to exist in the Mosaic and Evan-
gelical narratives ; and a challenge is given to the infidel to ad-
duce any statement of facts, known to be false, to which they do
apply. Now this is fairly bringing the subject to issue ; and if the
deist is unable to show that these circumstances meet in other
cases, whereit is acknowledged that the story is false or uncertain,
then certainly, the verdict in the mind of every impartial man
should be in favor of the truth of the Bible history. No answer
to this work, as far as I know, has ever been attempted ; and after
it has been so long before the public, it may be fairly concluded
that no satisfactory answer can be given. Here then we have a
demonstration of the truth of divine revelation, comprised within a
few pages ; and although it has been often re-published, yet it can-
not be too frequently presented to the view of the public, and es-
pecially of the 'rising generation.
The last treatise in this volume is one concerning which it is
wholly unnecessary for me to speak, by way of commendation.
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 87
PALEY'S EVIDENCES is a work, which by its merit has become a
text-book in the higher seminaries of learning, both in, Great
Britain, and in this country ; and -as long as our educated young
men are required carefully to study this manual, there will be
small danger of their being led away by the plausible but flimsy
objections of deists. It is of immense importance to pre-occupy
the young mind with just views of the evidences of divine reve-
lation, before they are exposed to the pestiferous assaults of infidel-
ity. Young men whose prepossessions are in favor of the Bible,
but who want proper instruction on this subject, when they come
to encounter the . sophistical arguments of skeptics, .either expe-
rience a subversion of their faith, or are thrown into distressing
perplexity.* No course of education is complete, or even safe,
which does not include a thorough examination of the Evidences
of the authenticity and inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures. There
is danger, at present, of imbibing a sickly liberality in regard to
religion, the tendency of which is to place truth and error on an
equal footing. It is true, in a country where so many conflicting
sects exist, it is not expedient that the creed of any one Christian
denomination should be inculcated in our public seminaries, to the
exclusion of all others; yet certainly the fundamental principles
of natural and revealed religion, in which all true Christians agree,
ought not to be proscribed. There is a point beyond which con-
cession cannot go, without an abandonment of the cause of truth,
and with it, of all sound morality ; for what else but truth can
form the basis of pure morality? However loud may be the
clamor against sectarianism, let us not be moved by it to abandon
the fortress of truth: and if the Bible is rejected, or viewed as a
book of dubious authority, there remains no other solid ground on
which the friends of religion and morality can make a stand.
Few men have ever lived who were as well qualified to esti-
mate the value of historic evidence, and to form an impartial judg-
ment of the force of human testimony, as Doctor Paley. His per-
spicacity of intellect, his sobriety of judgment, his unbiassed love
of truth, and his patient investigation of all circumstances, fitted
him peculiarly for the defence of the great principles of natural
and revealed theology. If any fraud or imposture had existed in
regard to the Christian religion, by which the minds of others had
been blinded, it would be difficult, from the whole catalogue of
the learned, to select a man better suited to detect and dispel the
D
38 DR. ALEXANDER'S
illusion. He is less profound than Butler, but his views and rea-
sonings are much more on a level with the understanding of the
bulk of mankind. The former collects and converges to a focus
the feeble and scattered rays of light which pass unnoticed by
others ; the latter, neglecting weak arguments, seizes on the strong
points of evidence in every subject, and exhibits them in a light so
clear and steady, that he carries along with him the convictions of
every mind, not closed against the force of truth, by strong and in-
veterate prejudice. Thus in his EVIDENCES he fixes on a single
fact, the truth of which cannot be denied ; namely, that in the
commencement of the Christian religion many persons did volun-
tarily undergo the severest sufferings and persecutions in confirma-
tion of their faith in this system. This fact, as we have seen, is
fully attested by the highest Heathen as well as Christian authori-
ties, and is now questioned by none. On this single point PALEY
erects his battery, and his conclusion cannot be evaded without
a renunciation of common sense, or of the commonly-received
laws of evidence. It detracts something from the interest, and in
my opinion, from the effect of this treatise, that the author con-
sidered it necessary to descend to so many minute details, in estab-
lishing the authenticity of the sacred books of the New Testa-
ment. For full satisfaction to the person who wishes to go into a
thorough investigation, the testimonies here adduced are too je-
june : it would be better to refer such an inquirer to JONES and
LARDNER at once ; and for common readers, these details only
serve to interrupt the argument. To others, however, this work
of Paley seems, in all respects, to approximate perfection. The
pious and philanthropic Douglas, of Scotland, in a late work, ex-
presses it as his opinion, that EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, and PALEY'S
EVIDENCES, are the only two treatises which are perfectly adapted
to the business of elementary instruction. This praise seems to me
somewhat extravagant ; for in my humble opinion, PALEY'S NATU-
RAL THEOLOGY is superior to Ms EVIDENCES, as an elementary
treatise ; but this opinion from a mind so comprehensive and so
highly gifted as that of the gentleman above mentioned, cannot but
recommend this work to the careful perusal of all such persons as
wish for full information and complete satisfaction on this mo-
mentous subject. And in regard to the propriety of giving it a
place in such a selection as this, there can be but one opinion. In-
deed, whatever else had been included in the volume, if this had!
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 39
been omitted, it would have been considered defective, by most
judicious readers.
It would have been easy to swell this volume to double its
present size, without a repetition of the same arguments ,- but the
Editor has rightly judged, that for ready circulation and convenient
use, as well as on the score of economy, a book of moderate size
will be best adapted to the greater number of readers. It is not
recollected that any work precisely on the plan* of the present
publication, has been prepared. The writer has, indeed, seen,
many years past, a little volume, entitled " THE PANOPLY," which
contained a part of what is included in this selection ; but it
was never widely circulated, and has been long out of print.
The writer has only lo add his sincere wishes for the success
of this enterprise ; so that there may be encouragement for other
similar publications. He is deeply persuaded, that the real welfare
of this growing nation can in no way be more effectually pro-
moted, than by inculcating sound principles of religion and mo-
rality among the people at large ; and that the greatest dangers
which menace our beloved country, are to be apprehended from
the progress of infidelity and vice. And let the adage that " a
grain of prevention is better than an ounce of cure," be remem-
bered, for it is as applicable to this subject as to any other. Every
man, therefore, who contributes any thing to the circulation of
good books .on the evidences of religion, is actually conferring a
benefit on his country, and while he promotes the cause of Chris-
tianity, at the same time performs thp duty of a good patriot. In
other countries religion is supported by the arm of civil authority,
and attacks on revealed religion are punished as crimes against the
state ; but here, Christianity must depend upon her own resources ;
and when assailed, can resort lo no other weapons but evidence
and argument. And this state of things is not to be regretted ; for
the truth is mighty, and will eventually prevail. But let all the
friends of truth perform the duty which is incumbent on them in
such circumstances. And especially, let the PRESS be put con-
tinually into requisition for this purpose. The influence of the
Press is incalculable, both for good and evil. And while, so much
that is corrupting to the community flows through this channel,
let the friends of truth, with fidelity and energy, apply the proper
remedy.
AN
APOLOGY FOR CHRISTIANITY,
IN
A SERIES OF LETTERS,
ADDRESSED TO
EDWARD GIBBON, ESQ.
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE
Ir
ROMAN EMPIRE.
BY
R. WATSON, D.D., F.R.S.
AND REGIUS PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF
CAMBRIDGE.
41
THE
AUTHOR'S ADVERTISEMENT.
I KNOW not whether I may be allowed, without the imputation of
vanity, to express the satisfaction I felt on being told by my book-
seller, that another edition of the APOLOGY FOK. CHRISTIANITY was
wanted. It is a satisfaction, however, in which vanity has no part ;
it is altogether founded in the delightful hope, that I may have been,
in a small degree, instrumental in recommending the religion of
Christ to the attention of some, who might not otherwise have con-
sidered it with that serious and unprejudiced disposition which its
importance requires.
The celebrity of the work which gave rise to this apology, has,
no doubt, principally contributed to its circulation : could I have
entertained a thought, that it would have been called for so many
years after its first publication, I would have endeavored to have
rendered it more intrinsically worthy the public regard. It becomes
not me, however, to depreciate what the world has approved ; rather
let me express an earnest wish, that those, who dislike not this little
book, will peruse larger ones on the same subject: in them they
will see the defects of this so abundantly supplied, as will, I trust,
convince them, that the Christian religion is not a system of super-
stition, invented by enthusiasts, and patronized by statesmen for
secular ends, but a revelation of the will of God.
LONDON, )
March 10, 1791. $
43
APOLOGY FOR CHRISTIANITY.
LETTER I.
Sni ; It would give me much uneasiness to be reputed an enemy
to free inquiry in religious matters, or as capable of being animated
into any degree of personal malevolence against those who differ
from me in opinion. On the contrary, I look upon the right of
private judgment, in every concern respecting God and ourselves,
as superior to the control of human authority; and have ever re-
garded free disquisition as the best mean of illustrating the doctrine,
and establishing the truth of Christianity. Let the followers of
Mahomet, and the zealots of the church of Rome, support their
several religious systems by damping every effort of the human in-
tellect to pry into the foundations of their faith: but never can it
become a Christian, to be afraid of being asked " a reason of the
faith that is in him ;" nor a Protestant, to be studious of .enveloping
his religion in mystery and ignorance ; nor the Church of England,
to abandon that moderation by which she permits every individual
ft sentire quce velit, et quai ssntiat dicere.
It is not, Sir, without some reluctance, that, under the influence
of these opinions, I have prevailed upon myself to address these
Letters to you ; and you will attribute to the same motive my not
haying given you this trouble sooner. I had, moreover, an expec-
tation, that the task would have been undertaken by some person
capable of doing greater justice to the subject, and more worthy of
your attention. Perceiving, however, that the two last chapters,
the fifteenth in particular, of your very laborious and classical his-
tory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, had made upon
many an impression not at all advantageous to Christianity ; and
that the silence of others, of the clergy especially, began to be
looked upon as an acquiescence in what you had therein advanced ;
I have thought it my duty, .with the utmost respect and good-will
towards you, to take the liberty of suggesting to your consideration.
a few remarks upon some of the passages, which have been es-
teemed (whether you meant that they should be so esteemed or not)
as powerfully militating against that revelation, which still is to
many, what it formerly was "to the Greeks foolishness;" but
which we deem to be true, to " be the power of God unto salva-
tion to everyone that believeth."
To the inquiry, by what means the Christian faith obtained so
45
46 Waisorfs Apology
remarkable a victory over the established religions of the earth,
you rightly answer, by the evidence of the doctrine itself, and the
ruling providence of its author. But afterwards, in assigning to this
astonishing event five secondary causes, derived from the passions
of the human heart, and the general circumstances of mankind, you
seem to some to have insinuated, that Christianity, like other im-
postures, might have made its way in the world, though its origin
had been as human as the means by which you suppose it was
spread. It is no wish or intention of mine to fasten the odium of
this insinuation upon you : I shall simply endeavor to show, that
the causes you produce are either inadequate to the attainment of
the end proposed ; or that their efficiency, great as you imagine it,
was derived from other principles than those you 'have thought
proper to mention.
Your first cause is, " the inflexible, and, if you may use the ex-
pression, the intolerant zeal of the Christians, derived, it is true,
from the Jewish religion, but purified from the narrow and unsocial
.spirit, which, instead of inviting, had deterred the Gentiles from
embracing the law of Moses." Yes, Sir, we are agreed that the ,
.zeal of the Christians was inflexible ; "neither death, nor life, nor '
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,"
could bend it into a separation "from the love of God which was
in Christ Jesus their Lord :" it was an inflexible obstinacy, in not
blaspheming the name of Christ, which everywhere exposed them
to persecution; and which even your amiable and philosophic
Pliny thought proper, for want of other crimes, to punish with death
in the Christians of his province. We are agreed, too, that the zeal
of the Christians was intolerant; for it denounced "tribulation and
.anguish .upon every soul of man that did evil, of the Jew first, and
also of the Gentile :" it would not tolerate in Christian worship
those who supplicated the image of Caesar, who bowed down at the
altars of Paganism, who mixed with the votaries of Venus, or wal-
lowed in the filth of Bacchanalian festivals.
But though we are thus far agreed with respect to the inflexi-
bility and intolerance of Christian zeal, yet, as to the principle from
which it was derived, we are toto coilo divided in opinion. You de-
duce it from the Jewish religion ; I would refer it to a more ade-
quate and a more obvious source, a full persuasion of the truth of
Christianity. What! think'you that it was a zeal derived from the
unsocial spirit of Judaism, which inspired Peter with courage to
upbraid the whole people of the Jews, in the very capital of Judea,
with having " delivered up Jesus, with having denied him in the
presence of Pilate, with haying desired a murderer to be granted
them in his stead, with having killed the Prince of life ?" Was it
from this principle that the same apostle, in conjunction with John,
when summoned, not before the dregs of the people (whose judg-
ments they might have been supposed capable of misleading, and
whose resentment they might have despised,) but before the rulers
,and the elders and the scribes, the dread tribunal of the Jewish
nation, and .commanded by them to teach no more in the name of
for Christianity. 47
Jesus boldly answered, " that they could not but speak the things
which they\had seen and heard? They had seen with their eyea,
they had bandied with their hands, the word of life ;" and no hu-
man jurisdiction could deter them from being faithful witnesses of
what they had seen and heard. Here, then, you may perceive the
genuine and undoubted origin of that zeal, which you ascribe to- .
what appears to me a very insufficient cause ; and which the Jewish
rulers were so far from considering as the ordinary effect of their
religion, that they were exceedingly at a loss how to account for
it : " now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they, were unlearned and ignorant men, they mar-
velled." The apostles, heedless of consequences, and regardless
of every thing but truth, openly everywhere professed themselves
witnesses of the resurrection of Christ; and with a confidence
which could .proceed from nothing but conviction, and which
pricked the Jews to the heart, bade "the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God had made that same Jesus, whom they had
crucified, both Lord and Christ."
I mean not to produce these instances of apostolic zeal as direct
proofs of the truth of Christianity ; for every religion, nay, every
absurd sect of eye.ry religion, has had its zealots, who have not
scrupled to maintain their principles at the expense of their lives ;
and we ought no more to infer the truth of Christianity from the
mere zeal of its propagators, than the truth of Mahometanism from
that of a Turk. When a man suffers himself to be covered with
infamy, pillaged of his property, and dragged at last to the block or
the stake, rather than give up his opinion ,- the proper inference is,
not that his opinion is true, but that he believes} it to be true ; arid
a question of serious discussion immediately presents itself upon
what foundation has he built his belief? This is often an intricate
inquiry, including in it a vast compass of human learning. A Bra-
min or a Mandarin, who should observe a missionary attesting the
truth of Christianity with his blood, would, notwithstanding, have a
right to ask many questions, before it could be expected that he
should give an assent to our faith. In the case, indeed, of the
apostles, the inquiry would be much less perplexed ; since it would
briefly resolve itself into this whether they were credible reporters
of facts, which they themselves professed to have. seen and it
would be an easy matter to show, that their zeal in attesting what
they were certainly competent to judge of, could not proceed from
any alluring prospect of worldly interest or ambition, or from any
other probable motive than a love of truth.
But the credibility of the apostles' testimony, or their competency
to judge of the facts which they relate, is not now to be examined ;
the question before us simply relates to the principle by which their
zeal was excited : and it is a matter of real astonishment to me, that
any one conversant with the history of the first propagation of
Christianity, acquainted with the opposition it everywhere met
with from the people of the Jews, and aware of the repugnancy
which must ever subsist between its tenets and those of Judaism,
48 Watson's Apology
should ever think of deriving the zeal of the primitive Christiana
from the Jewish religion.
Both Jew and Christian, indeed, believed in one God, and abomi-
nated irlolalry : but this detestation of idolatry, had it been unac-
companied with the belief of the resurrection of Christ, would
probably have been just as inefficacious in exciting the zeal of the
Christian to undertake the conversion of the Gentile world, as it
had for ages been in exciting that of the JBAV. But supposing, what
I think you have not proved, and what I am certain cannot be ad-
mitted without proof, that a zeal derived from the Jewish religion
inspired the first Christians with fortitude to oppose themselves to
the. institutions of Paganism; what was it that encouraged them to
attempt the conversion of their own countrymen? Amongst the
Jews they met with no superstitious observance of idolatrous rites;
and therefore amongst them could have no opportunity of "declar-
ing and confirming their zealous opposition to Polytheism, or of
fortifying, by frequent protestations, their attachment to the Chris-
tian faith." Here then, at least, the cause you have assigned for
Christian zeal ceases to operate ; and we must look out for some
other principle than a zeal against idolatry, or we shall never be
able satisfactorily to explain the ardor with which the apostles
pressed the disciples of Moses to become the disciples of Christ.
Again : Does a determined opposition to, and an open abhorrence
of every the minutest part of an established religion, appear to you
to be the most likely method of conciliating to another faith those
who profess it? The Christians, you contend, could neither mix
with the heathens in their convivial entertainments, nor partake
with them in the .celebration of their solemn festivals : they could
neither associate with' them in their hymeneal nor funeral rites:
they could not cultivate their arts, or be spectators of their shows:
in short, in order to escape the rites of Polytheism, they were hi
your opinion obliged to renounce the commerce of mankind, and
all the offices and amusements of life. Now, how such an extrava-
gant and intemperate zeal as you here describe, can, humanly
speaking, be considered as one of the chief causes of the quick
propagation of Christianity, in opposition to all the established
powers of paganism, is a circumstance I can by no means compre-
hend. The Jesuit missionaries, whose human prudence no one
will question,' were quite of a contrary way of thinking; and
brought a deserved censure upon themselves, for not scrupling to
propagate the faith of Christ by indulging to their pagan converts a
frequent use of idolatrous ceremonies. Upon the whole it appears
to me, that the Christians were in nowise indebted to the Jewish
religion for the zeal with which they propagated the Gospel amongst
Jews as well as Gentiles ; and that such a zeal as you describe, let
its principle be what you please, could never have been devised by
any human understanding as a probable mean of promoting the pro-
gress of a reformation in religion, much less could it have been
thought of or adopted by a few ignorant and unconnected men.
In expatiating upon this subject you have taken an opportunity of
for Christianity. 49
remarking, that " the .contemporaries of Moses and Joshua had be-
held with careless indifference the most amazing miracles and that,
in contradiction to every known principle of the human mind, that
singular people (the Jews) seems to have yielded a stronger and
more ready assent to the traditions of their remote ancestors, than
to the evidence of their own senses." This observation bears hard
upon the veracity of the Jewish Scriptures ; and, was it true, would
force us either to reject them, or to admit a position as extraordinary
as a miracle itself that the testimony of others produced in the
human mind a stronger degree of conviction, concerning a matter
of fact, than the testimony of the' senses themselves. It happens,
however, in the present case, that we are under no necessity of
either rejecting the Jewish .Scriptures, or of admitting such an ab-
surd position ; for the fact is not true, that the contemporaries of
Moses and Joshua beheld with careless indifference the miracles
related in the Bible to have been performed in their favor. That
these miracles were not sufficient to awe the Israelites into a uni-
form obedience to the' Theocracy, cannot be denied ; but whatever
reasons may be thought best adapted to account for the propensity
of the Jews to idolatry, and their frequent defection from the wor-
ship of one true God, a " stubborn incredulity " cannot be admitted
as one of them.
To men, indeed, whose understandings 'have been enlightened
by the Christian revelation, and enlarged by all the aids of human
learning; who are under no temptations to idolatry from without,
and whose reason from within would revolt at the idea of wor-
shipping the infinite Author of the universe under any created
symbol ; to men who are compelled, by the utmost exertion of their
reason, to admit as an irrefragable truth, what puzzles the first prin-
ciples of all reasoning, the eternal existence of an uncaused being ;
and who are conscious that they cannot give a full account of any
one phenomenon hi nature, from the rotation of the great orbs of
the universe to the germination of a blade of grass, without having
recourse to him as the primary incomprehensible cause of it; and
who, from seeing him everywhere, have, by a strange fatality (con-
verting an excess of evidence into a principle of disbelief), at times
doubted concerning his existence anywhere, and made the very
universe their God; to men of such a stamp, it appears almost an
incredible thing, that any human being, which had seen the order
of nature interrupted, or the uniformity of its course suspended,
though but for a moment, should ever afterwards lose the impression
of reverential awe which they apprehend would have been excited
in their minds. But whatever effect the visible interposition of the
Deity might have in removing the scepticism, : or confirming .the
faith, of a few philosophers, it is with 'me a very great doubt,
whether the people in general of our days would be more strongly
affected by it than they appear to have been in the days of Moses.
Was any people under heaven to escape the certain destruction
impending over them, from the close pursuit of an enraged and
irresistible enemy, by seeing the waters of the ocean " becoming a
E
50 Watson's. Apology
wall to them on their right hand and on their left ;" they would, I
apprehend, be agitated by the very same passions we are told the
.Israelites were, when they saw the sea returning to his strength,
and swallowing up the host of Pharaoh ; they " would fear the Lord,
they would believe the Lord," and they would express their faith
and their fear by praising the Lord : they would not behold such a
great work with." careless indifference," but with astonishment and
terror; nor would you be able to .detect the. slightest vestige of
"stubborn incredulity" in their song of gratitude. No length of
time would be able to blot from their minds the memory of such
a transaction, or induce a doubt concerning its author; though
future hunger and thirst might make them call but for water and
bread, with a desponding and rebellious importunity.
But it was not at the Red Sea only that the Israelites regarded with
something more than a " careless indifference" the amazing miracles
which God had wrought ; for, when the law was declared to them
from mount Sinai, " all the people saw the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the noise of the tempest, and the mountain smoking;
and when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off: and
they said uiito Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear ; but
let not God speak with us, -lest we die." This again, Sir, is the
Scripture account of the language of the contemporaries of Moses
and Joshua ; and I leave it to you to consider whether this is the
language of "stubborn incredulity, and careless indifference."
We are told, in Scripture, too, that whilst any of the " contempo-
raries " of Moses and Joshua were alive, the whole people served
the Lord : the impression which a sight of the miracles had made
was never' effaced; nor the obedience, which might have been
expected as a natural consequence, refused, till Moses and Joshua,
and all their contemporaries, were gathered unto their fathers ; till
" another generation after them arose, which knew not the Lord,
nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." But " the people
served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the
elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of
the Lord that he did for Israel."
I am far from thinking you, Sir, unacquainted with Scripture,, or
desirous of sulking the weight of its testimony ; but as the words of
the history, from which you must have derived your observation,
will not support you in imputing " careless indifference " to the con-
temporaries of Moses,. or "stubborn incredulity" to the forefathers,
of the Jews, I know not what can have induced you to pass so se-
vere a censure upon them-, except that you look upon a lapse into
idolatry as a propf of infidelity. In answer lo this I would remark,
that with equal soundness of argument we ought to infer, that every
one, who transgresses a religion, disbelieves it ; and that' every in-
dividual, who in any community incurs civil pains and penalties, is
a disbeliever of the existence of the authority by which they are
inflicted. The sanctions of the Mosaic law were, in your opinion,
terminated within the narrow limits of this life; in that particular,
then, they must have resembled the sanctions of all other v civil
for Christianity. 51
laws : " transgress and die" is the language of every one of them,
as well as that of Moses ; and I know not what reason we have to
expect, that the Jews, who were animated by the same hopes of
temporal rewards, impelled by the same fears of temporal punish-
ments, Avith the rest of mankind,, should have been so .singular in
their conduct, as never to have listened to the clamors of passion
before the still voice of reason ; as never to have preferred a present
gratification of sense, in the lewd celebration of idolatrous rites,
before the rigid observance of irksome -ceremonies.
Before I release you from the trouble of this Letter, I cannot help
observing, that I could have wished you had furnished your reader
with Limborch's answers to the objections of the Jew Orobio, con-
cerning the perpetual obligation of the law of Moses. You have
indeed mentioned Limborch with respect,- in a short note ; but
though you have studiously put into the mouths of the Judaising
Christians in the apostolic days, and with great strength inserted
into your text, whatever has been said by Orobio or others against
Christianity, from the supposed perpetuity of the Mosaic dispensa-
tion; yet you have .not favored us with any one .of the numerous
replies which have been made to these seemingly strong objections.
You are pleased, it is true, to say, " that the industry of our learned
divines has abundantly explained the ambiguous language of the
Old Testament, and the ambiguous conduct of the apostolic teach-
ers." It requires, Sir, no learned industry to explain what is so ob-
vious and so express, that he who runs may read it. The language
of the Old Testament is this : " Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah ; not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt" /Phis, methinks, is a clear
and solemn declaration ; there is no ambiguity at all in it ; that the
covenant with Moses was not to be perpetual, but was in some fu-
ture time to give way to a "new covenant." Twill not detain you
with an explanation of what Moses himself lias said upon this sub-
ject; but you may try, if you please, whether you can apply the
following declaration, which Moses made to the Jews, to any pro-
phet or succession of prophets, with the same propriety that you
can to Jesus Christ: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a
Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto thee :
unto him shall ye hearken." If you think this ambiguous or obscure,
I answer, that it is not a history, but a prophecy ; and, as such, un-
avoidably liable to some degree of obscurity, till interpreted by the
,
Nor was the conduct.of the apostles more ambiguous than the
language of the Old Testament : they did not indeed at first com-
prehend the whole of the nature of the new dispensation ; and when
they did understand it belter, they did not think proper upon every
occasion to .use their Christian liberty; but, with true Christian
charity, accommodated themselves in matters of indifference to the
prejudices of their weaker brethren. But he who changes his con-
52 Watson's Apology
duct with a change of sentiments, proceeding from an increase of
knowledge, is not ambiguous in his conduct; nor should he be ac-
cused of a culpable duplicity, who, in a matter of the last import-
ance, endeavors to conciliate the good-will of all, by conforming in
a few innocent observances to the particular persuasions of different
men. .
One remark more, and I have done. In your account of the"
Gnostics, you have given us a very minute catalogue of the objec-
tions which they made to the authority of Moses, from his account
of the creation, of the patriarchs, of the law, and of the attributes of
the Deity. I have not leisure to examine whether the Gnostics of
former ages really made all the objections you have mentioned ; I
take it for .granted, upon your authority, that they did: but I am
certain, if they did, that the Gnostics of modem times have no reason
to be puffed up with their knowledge, "or to be had in admiration
as men of subtle penetration or refined erudition : they are all mis-
erable copiers of their .brethren of antiquity; and neither Morgan,
nor Tindal, nor Bolingbroke, nor Voltaire, have been able to pro-
duce scarce a single new objection. You think that the Fathers
have not properly answered the Gnostics! I make no question, Sir,
you are able to answer them to your own satisfaction, and informed
of every tiling that has been said by our " industrious divines" upon
the subject; and we should have been .glad, if it had fallen in with
your plan to have administered together with the poison its anti-
dote : but, since that is not the case, lest its malignity should spread
too far, I must just mention it to my younger readers, that Leland
and others, in their replies to the modern deists, have given very
full, and, as many learned men apprehend, very satisfactory an-
swers to every one of the objections which you have derived from
the Gnostic heresy. I am, &c.
LETTER II.
SIR; "The doctrine of a future life, improved by every addi-
tional circumstance which could give weight and efficacy to that
important truth,'! is the second of the causes to which you attribute
the quick increase of Christianity. Now, if we impartially consider
the. circumstances of the persons to whom -the .doctrine, not simply
of a future life, but of a future life .accompanied with punishments
as well as rewards; not only of the immortality of the soul, -but of
the immortality of the soul accompanied with that of the resurrec-
tion, was delivered; I cannot be of opinion, that, abstracted from
the supernatural testimony by which it was enforced, it could have
met 'with any very extensive reception amongst them. .
It was not that Icind of future life which .th6y expected ; it did not
hold out to them the punishments of the infernal regions as aniles
for Christianity. 53
faJbubas. To the question, Quid si post mortem maneant animi? they
could not answer with Cicero and the philosophers Beatos esse
concede ; because there was .a great probability that it might be quite
otherwise with them. I am not to learn, that there are passages to
be picked up in the writings of the ancients, which might be pro-
duced as proofs of their expecting a future state of punishment for
the flagitious ; but this opinion.was worn out of credit before the
time of our Saviour : the whole disputation in the first book of the
Tusculan Questions goes .upon the other supposition. Nor was the
absurdity of the doctrine of future punishments confined to the
writings of the philosophers, or the circles of the learned and polite ;
for Cicero, to mention no others, makes no secret of it in his public
pleadings before the people at large. You, yourself, Sir, have re-
ferred to his oration for Cluentius : in this oration, you may remem-
ber, he makes great mention of a very abandoned fellow, who had
forged I know not how many wills, murdered I know not how
many wives, and .perpetrated a thousand other villanies ; yet even
to this profligate, by name Oppianicus, he is persuaded that death
was not the occasion of any evil.* Hence, I think, we may conclude,
that such of the Romans as were not wholly infe
