of Paul's imprisonment at Rome, while various other Asiatic Christians beside Luke were attending him, and that some of these returned to Asia during the continuance of the apostle's captivity; this will account satisfactorily for the early promulgation of Luke's Gospel in Asia.

ILLUSTRATION 7.

The truth of the Gospel history must be admitted; for even those whose depravity prompted them to disobey its injunctions, acknowledged its fundamental facts.

2

The first epistle of Peter, which was universally received as genuine, and those epistles of Paul which were addressed to particular Churches or to their officers,' shew, both in their superscriptions and in various particular passages, that the early existence of Christian churches was a well known fact. The Annals of Tacitus also corroborate what is stated in the Acts of the apostles (ch. 2 &c.) in regard to the multitudes of Christians not only in Judea and elsewhere, but even in Rome itself, before and during the reign of the emperor Nero.3 Hence we must necessarily infer that the facts, of the truth of which every Christian was required to profess his conviction, were actually believed by a great multitude of persons, at a time, when it was an easy thing to investigate their truth, but no easy matter to avow a belief of them; and, consequently, that these facts were not manifestly fictitious and false, but were really attended by evidence which appeared satisfactory on the closest investigation. Nor is it difficult to understand why some, who were acquainted with the facts on which the Christian religion is based, should

1 1 Tim. 1: 3. 3: 15. 4: 11 &c. Tit. 1: 5 &c.

21 Cor. 1: 2. 7: 17. 11: 16. 14: 33. 16: 1, 8 &c. 19. 2 Cor 8: 1. 11: 28. Gal. 1: 22. 2: 7-10. Rom. 15: 19-27.

3 See Annotationes ad philosophicam Kantii de religione doctrinam, § XIX. (1793,) where it is remarked, that this testimony of Tacitus authorizes the inference that the miracles of Jesus and his apostles must have been historically true.

nevertheless disavow Christianity. For, the fear which led them to conceal their favourable opinion of the cause of Jesus1, or at least not to venture actually to attach themselves to the Christians, nay, even the hostility which their conduct on some occasions betrayed, can be naturally accounted for, without impairing in the least the truth and indisputable certainty of the history of Jesus. Prejudice and passion, which in Christians nothing but the force of truth could entirely overcome, might have possessed so great an influence3 with persons of little love for truth, and of a contumacious spirit, as to urge them to dispute even the most indubitable facts. Thus, the inhabitants of his "own country" regarded the doctrines of Jesus with amazement, but were offended at the humility of his origin;4 the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day;"5 and the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, were displeased that Peter and John should preach Jesus as risen from the dead. Moreover, the truth of these facts was actually acknowledged by many, who were selfish enough to deny the consequences which flowed from them. Such persons did violence10 to their own conscience; and this,

1 See John 12: 42, 43. 3: 2. 7: 13. 9:21-23.

2 Acts 5: 12, 13. Compare" An address to a female friend, whose faith in the divinity of the Christian religion had become wavering," p. 74 &c. 3 See Ernesti Opuscula philologico-critica, p. 93 &c. ed. Lugd. Bat.

4 Matt. 13: 54 &c. 15: 12 compare v. 11. Luke 20: 19 compare v. 918. John 7: 47-52.

5 John 9: 16.

6 Acts 4: 2. 17: 32.

7 John 11: 47, 48 &c. Acts 5: 28. 6: 13 &c.

8 Matthew 27: 42. John 7: 3, 5, 21-26. 9: 16-18. 10: 21. 11: 47 &c. 12: 10, 11. Luke 13: 14, where the ruler of the synagogue acknowledges the miracle wrought by Jesus. Acts 2: 22 καθως και αυτοι οιδατε, as you yourselves also know. 4: 7. (comp. 3; 2-−8.) 14-16, 21, 22.

9 Matth 11: 16-19.

10 John 15: 22-25. Matth. 11: 20-24.

sometimes with the most impious and unblushing audacity,1 without any pretext at all; at other times under pretence of some difficulty attending those doctrines of Jesus in support of which miracles had been wrought before their eyes, or they attempted to account for these miraculous events by ascribing them to some cause, which, instead of recommending Christianity, would reflect disgrace and odium upon it.3 The real cause of the miracles recorded in the gospel history will hereafter be considered, (§ 8. Ill. 8.) all that needs to be proved in this place is, that the facts of the New Testament history are not fictitious, but were actually observed by eye and ear-witnesses, precisely in the manner recorded.

On the credibility of the historical contents of the New Testament, the reader is referred to the following works: Kleuker, vol. III. part II. sect. 1. Hänlein, pt. I. chap. 4. § 2. Hug's Introd. pt. I. p. 83-87. Bogue's Essay on the divine authorp. 19, 25, 88-102.

ity of the New Testament,

1 Luke 16: 11. John 9: 24, 28, 34. 11: 49. and Acts 4: 17, 18, 21. 5: 17 (comp. v. 14-16,) 28: 40. 7: 54, 57 &c. 12: 3 comp. v. 11. 1 Thess. 2: 15. 2 John 7:27, 41 &c.

3 Matt. 9: 34. 12: 24. Acts 2: 13.

§ 6.

Jesus himself professes the divinity of his mission and doctrines.

It is therefore historically true, that the Founder of christianity, who (as Tacitus informs us, Annal. L. XV. c. 44.) was put to death by Pontius Pilate the Procurator, in the reign of Tiberius, did profess to be a divine messenger;(1) and that he neither derived his doctrines from other men, nor discovered them by the powers of his own mind,(2) but received them from God.(3) According to his own declaration, his conscientious reverence for God (John 5:30. 7: 18. 8: 29, 55.), and most intimate union with him (John 8: 16, 29. 14: 10. 10: 38. 16: 15.), rendered it impossible for him to communicate any thing solely by himself, or without the cooperation of God.(4) It was in virtue of this his constant union with God, that he demanded that all his communications(5) should be received, not as the doctrines of the mere man Jesus, but as the declarations of God (6) himself; and that they should therefore be regarded as perfect truth.(7) Hence he required, that in those things which transcend the limits of human knowledge, we should implicitly believe him upon his own authority; that we should receive his declarations as the testimony of one who had long been most intimately united with God,(8) and who had the most perfect acquaintance(9) (Matt. 11: 27. John 8:55.) with things divine, and lying beyond the reach of our knowledge. Accordingly, he assured his hearers, that nothing but irreverence for God,(10) which is itself criminal,(11) could prompt them to reject his doctrines; and on the contrary, that every one who believed him, believed God himself.(12) Nor

is there reason to fear, that his apostles and disciples might have misunderstood what he taught concerning his union with God; inasmuch as his pretensions were generally known, and were frequently disputed by his enemies, (Matt. 26: 63, 68. 27: 54. John 19: 7. 5: 18. 6: 41 &c. 10: 33, 36.)

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. Illustration. The expressions which Jesus used concerning the divinity of his mission, are these: os, o naτno aneoτειλει—έπεμψε με God the Father deputed sent me, John 8: 42. 6: 29. 17: 3. απέστειλας εις τον κοσμον thou didst depute (or send) me as an apostle into the world, John 17: 18, 23. 5: 37 &c. 8: 16, 18. 7: 16, 28: εγω εληλυθα εν ονοματι του πατρος μου I am come in my Father's name, John 5: 43; απ' εμαυτου ουκ εληλυθα, αλλα εστιν αληθινος ὁ πέμψας με I came not of myself, but he is true who sent me, John, 7: 28.

On the signification of these expressions of Jesus relative to the divinity of his mission and doctrines, and concerning faith in his divine authority; the reader may consult Süskind's historico-exegetical investigation of the question: "In what respect did Jesus assert the divinity of his religious doctrines and practice?" published Tubingen 1802; and the German edition of the two dissertations De sensu, quo suam Jesus doctrinam divinam perhibuerit. P. I. 1798, P. II. 1801. In this work of Süskind, the divinity (in the strict sense of the word,) of the doctrines and mission of Jesus, is proved from the declarations

1 Our blessed Saviour principally uses the words ñɛμñш and añoσTello to express his mission from the Father. The former is a more familiar term, and the latter, from which the word apostle is derived, is a more solemn word. Both have the same general signification: except in a few passages, such as John 10: 36. 17: 18, where the word алоσтελλш seems to contain an allusion to the apostolic office, which allusion is not perceptible in the English version "sent," which in other respects conveys the true sense of the original. S.