not of fuch as poffefs that ftupid infenfibility, which fome are pleased to dignify with the name of philofophy.

It should therefore be expected that those philofophers, who never felt the want of religious confolations, would yet have the humanity to confider the very different fituation of the reft of mankind; and not endeavour to deprive them of what habit, at least, if they will not allow it to be nature, has made neceffary to their morals, and to their happiness. It might be expected that humanity would prevent them from breaking into the last retreat of the unfortunate, who can no longer be objects of their envy or refentment, and tearing from them their only remaining comfort. The attempt to ridicule religion may be agreeable to fome, by relieving them from a restraint on their pleasure; and may render others very miferable, by making them doubt thefe truths, in which they were moft deeply interested, but it can convey real good and happiness to no one individual.

Comparative View,

SECTION XIII.

The Manner in which the Books of the Old and New Teftament have been handed down from Age to Age,proves both their Genuineness, and the Truth of the principal Facts contained in them.*

FOR, firft, it refembles the manner in

which all other genuine books, and true hiftories have been conveyed down to pofterity. As the writings of the Greek and Roman poets, orators, philofophers, and historians, were esteemed by these nations to be tranfmitted to them, by their forefathers, in a continued fucceffion, from the times when the respective authors lived, fo have the books of the Old Teftament, by the Jewish nation, and thofe of the New, by the chriftians; and it is an additional evidence, in the last case, that the primitive chriftians were not a distinct nation, but a great multitude of people, difperfed through all the nations of the Roman empire, and even extending itself beyond the bounds of that empire. As the Greeks and the Romans always believed the principal facts of their hiftorical books, fo the

* The ingenious Dr. Hartley, whose works are a treasure to every fcientific mind, has stated the evidences for the truth of christianity, in a clear, convincing, and perfpicuous manner. This and the three following fections, are selected and abridged from the writings of that eminently great and learned man.

1

Jews and chriftians did more, and never feem to have doubted the truth of any part of theirs. In fhort, whatever can be faid of the traditional authority due to the Greek and Roman writers, fomething analogous to this, and for the moft part of greater weight, may be urged for the Jewish and christian. Now as all fober minded men admit the books usually ascribed to the Greek and Roman Listorians, philofophers, &c. to be genuine, and the principal facts related or alluded to in them to be true, and that one chief evidence for this is the general traditionary one here recited, they ought therefore to pay the fame regard to the books of the Old and New Testament, fince there are the fame or greater reasons for it.

Secondly, if we confider the circumstances recited in the laft paragraph, it will appear, that these traditionary evidences are fufficient ones; and we fhall have a real argument, as well as one ad hominem, for receiving books fo handed down to us. For it is not to be conceived, that whole nations should either be impofed upon themselves, or concur to deceive others, by forgeries of books or facts. These books and facts must therefore, in general, be genuine and true; and it is a strong additional evidence of this, that all nations must be jealous of forgeries, for the fame reasons that we are.

Hartley's Obfervations on Man, Vel. H.

SECTION XIV.

The Agreement of the Books of the Old and New Teftaments with themselves and with each other, is an Argument both of their Genuinenefs and Truth.

THE truth of this propofition will be

evident, if a sufficient number of thefe mutual agreements can be made out. It is never found, that any fingle perfon, who deviates much from the truth, can be fo perfectly upon his guard as to be always confiftent with himself. Much less therefore can this happen in the case of a number, living alfo in different ages. Nothing can make them confiftent, but their copying faithfully after real facts. The inftances will make this clearer.

The laws of the Ifraelites are contained in the pentateuch, and referred to in a great variety of ways, direct and indirect, in the hiftorical books, in the Pfalms, and in the prophecies. The hiftorical facts alfo in the preceding books are often referred to in thofe that fucceed, and in the Pfalms and prophecies. In like manner the gofpels have the greatest harmony with each other, and the Epiftles of St. Paul with the Acts of the Apoftles. And indeed one may fay, that there is fcarce any book of either Old or New Teftament, which may not be fhewn to refer to many of the reft, in fome way or other. For it is to be observed, that the Bible has been studied and comment

ed

upon far more than any other book whatfoever; and

that it has been the business of believers in all ages to find out the mutual relations of its parts, and of unbelievers to fearch for inconfiftencies; also that the first meet every day with more and more evidences in favour of the fcriptures, from the mutual agreements and coincidences here confidered; and that unbelievers have never been able to allege any inconfiftencies that could in the leaft invalidate the truth of the principal facts; I think, not even affect the divine inspiration of the historical books, according to the second or third hypothesis above mentioned.

It will probably illuftrate this propofition, to bring a parallel inftance from the Roman writers. Suppofe then that no more remained of these writers than Livy, Tully, and Horace. Would they not by their references to the fame facts and customs, by the fameness of ftyle in the fame writer, and differences in the different ones, and num. berlefs other fuch like circumftances of critical confideration, prove themselves, and one another to be genuine, and the principal facts related or alluded to, to be true?

It is alfo to be observed, that this mutual harmony and felf confiftency, in its ultimate ratio, is the whole of the evidence which we have for facts done in antient times or diftant places. Thus, if a perfon was fo fceptical as to call in question the whole Roman history, even the most notorious facts, as their conquefte firft of Italy and then of the neighbouring countries, the death of Cefar, and the fall of the western empire by the invafion of the Goths and Vandals, with all the evidences of thefe from books, inscriptions, coins, customs, &c. as being all forged in order to deceive, one could only fhew him, that it is inconfiftent with what he sees of human nature; to fuppofe that