SEC. XXVI. Of his remark, under the fame article, upon Paul's exclamation before the council,' Of the hope and refurrection of the dead I am cal'led in question,' 347 SEC. XXVII. Of his afferting in the fame place, from 1 Theff. iv, that the firft Chriftians made themfelves fure they should fee the end of the world; and of his faying, that Luke actually foretells it as what should happen in his life-time. 365 SEC. XXVIII. Of his faying in the Ignorant Philofopher, that Chrift's words, Mat. xviii. 17. were the cause of all perfecutions among Christians. 373 PART III.

Of Mr. Voltaire's falfe reflections on fome of the facred books. 389

SECT. I.

Of his faying, that some thought the first book of Samuel a composition fo late as the monarchy of the Greeks, in his Philofophy of Hiftory. 389 SECT. II.

Of his charge against Daniel's prophecies, as forged after the deftruction of the Perfian empire by the Greeks, in the fame Philofophy of Hiftory. 394 SECT. III. Of his calling, in the fame work, our book of Job an Hebrew translation of an Arabic original, and denying it to be a Jewish book. 407

SECT. IV.

Of his reflections, in his Philofophical Dictionary, against the genuineness of Solomon's writings. 445 SECT. V.

Of his infinuation that Matthew's Gofpel was not

written till after the taking of Jerufalem by Titus, from the mention of Zacharias's death. 477 SECT. VI.

Of his calling Toldos Jeschut quite contrary to our gofpels, and making it a more antient writing.

The Conclufion.

APPENDIX.

Concerning Mr. Voltaire's remarks upon the filence of cotemporary writers about the maffacre of the infants, the ftar, the miracles of Chrift, the darknefs and other prodigies at his death, which are recorded by the evangelifts.

527

487

515

ERRAT A.

Page 32. 1. 20. after these words, have done, add, and might fancy that Job lived when that calamity was at no great distance, as some others have thought, among whose arguments, &c.

.דוגה read דו Page 65. 1. 22. for

Page 1 80. 1. 6. from the foot, in note, for object, read subject,
Page 422. 1. 13. from the foot, for many, read mercy.

1

I

T is not the intention of the following sheets, to detract from Mr. Voltaire's real excellence. He is indeed, I acknowledge, a moft elegant, eafy, and fpirited writer, who abounds in many just and noble reflections, conducive to banifh ignorance, perfecution, and ferocity of manners out of the world, and to fpread knowledge, liberty, and civilization among men. Accordingly, his works are read with great avidity, and holden in high efteem by all in the prefent age, who make any pretenfions to tafte and refinement. Nevertheless, amidst all these agreeable and ufeful qualities, he appears to me often chargeable with a difregard to truth and candour, upon fome interefting fubjects which he handles. In particular, I think, he frequently fhews a want of veracity and fairness, where he speaks of the Jewifh hiftorian Jofephus, whofe works, notwithstanding feveral things in them liable to exception, are of much service to us Christians. For, as they confirm the truth of the accounts of his nation contained in the Hebrew fcriptures, fo they acquaint us with the civil and religious state of Judea, at the time of our Saviour's appearance; they inform us, there was then a general expectation of a great perfon to arise among the Jews, built upon prophecies in their facred books, whence many affumed the character, promifing to bestow upon them those advantages, which they fondly wifhed to receive by him. And, which is a principal advantage we derive from them, they bear very large and copious teftimony to the fulfilment of Jesus's predic

Thereafter, I will point out far more numerous wrongs he hath done the facred writers, by mifquoting or misinterpreting their words; which may ferve to refcue them, together with fome perfons whofe characters they celebrate, from that unreasonable fcorn and difpleafure, which he intended by these arts to excite against them.

Finally, I will confider and refute fome unjust reflections, or innuendos, which he hath thrown out against different canonical books, in order to preferve due honour and regard for them.

And, furely, every impartial judge will agree, the more accurate in his researches, the more upright in his narratives, and the more candid in his conclufions Mr. Voltaire fhall be found, upon the whole, about other matters, the lefs excuse and apology muft remain for an oppofite conduct and behaviour, where he treats of things generally revered, yea of things in their nature and confequences fupremely important, fince,upon fuch fubjects,the greatest attention and candour ought in all reafon to have been manifeft and confpicuous.

which were finished by him in the twenty-fixth year thereafter, being the thirteenth year of the reign of Domitian, and the fifty-fixth of his own life. And his later treatife, in two books, Concerning the Antiquity of the Jews against Apion, in the firft of which he establishes the early rife of his nation, from the writings of the Phenicians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, and even of the Greeks themselves, and confutes the calumnies caft upon them by Manetho, Chaeremon, and others; and in the fecond he proceeds to disprove the flanderous charges of Apion himself, against them and their rites. This Apion was an Egyptian grammarian, and one of the commiffioners on the part of the Gentiles in Alexandria to Caligula the emperor, when the whole Jewish people living there fent an embaffy to Rome, to complain of the injuries they had received, but he was dead ere Jofephus wrote.