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to every one without exception, that knows how to write with temper and decency. But for any one to lay down an evident falfhood, as his first principle, and on that falfe foundation, to scoff at, and ridicule the Chriftian revelation ; this looks not like the reafoning of an honest impartial enquirer, but like the effect of prejudice and malice, and is, I cannot help faying, a conduct unworthy either a well bred, or a virtuous man. I doubt not, but our author efteems Cicero, Seneca, and other writers of that age, much greater men than our Saviour and his apostles. If he can read them, and will be at the pains to confult them, he will find, that tho' they were no more believers in the religion of their country than he himself is, yet they wrote with more good manners, and with much greater regard and love to truth, than he hath fhewn in his prefent performance; and herein they deferve his imitation. The applying of the prophecies of the Old Tef tament to our Saviour, hath always been esteemed as a matter very difficult and uncertain; and various methods have been made use of, by Christian expofitors, to

explain

explain and defend them : an evident proof, that they did not build their faith on this foundation, either wholly, or, principally; but that they had other very strong reasons to fupport their belief in Jefus Chrift, and which more than ballanced the difficulty of their not being able to account for many of the prophecies of the Old Teftament, which they faw were actually applied to him by the writers of the New.

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CHAP. II.

Prophecies never urged by

s T, and his A

CHRIST,

poftles, as the fole proof of Christianity.

AVING fhewn in the

foregoing chapter, that

Christianity is fupported

by many other arguments, befides the Old Teftament prophecies; I pro

ceed to fhew farther, that the prophecies of the Old Teftament are so far from being the fole foundation of Chriftianity, that they are never once urged by the New Teftament writers, as the proper, mụch lels the only proofs of the divine autho

rity

rity and miffion of Chrift, on which depends the truth of Christianity. Our Saviour himself doth not place the truth of his mission on this, as the fole foundation nor any of his apostles after him.

In order to fet this matter in a clearer light, 'twill be neceffary to confider Jefus Christ under a twofold character, and as supporting each part of it with proper proofs. He is to be confidered as a prophet, or a messenger fent from God to mankind; and as the Meffiah, or that particular prophet, who was anciently promifed to, and had been long expected by the Jewish nation. It is evident that these are very different confiderations; whether Christ was a real prophet, and whether he was that particular prophet, and deliverer, spoken of in the facred writings of the Jews, and who, as they believed was to be the Saviour of their nation. The character of a prophet doth not infer that of the Meffiah; and the fame arguments which will abundantly prove the one, will be far from being a fufficient proof of the other. Doctrines taught by any perfon, claiming a divine miffion, agreeable to the nature of God, and conducive to the real happi

M 4

happiness of men, fupported by real miracles; or fuch works, wrought for fuch an end, as do plainly manifeft, and neceffarily infer the afliftance of fome fuperior being, are certain proofs that fuch a one's pretenfions are agreeable to the will and pleafure of God. But this will not prove him to be the Jewish Mefliah and Saviour, without the concurrence of other circumftantial evidence; viz. unless the ancient prophecies, defcriptions, and characters, relating to the Meffiah in the Old Teftament fcriptures, be referred by fuch a perfon to himself; and actually receive their proper accomplishment in him.

If then we examine by what arguments our Saviour endeavoured to fupport his character, as a prophet, or to prove that he acted by authority from God; we shall find they were fuch as were not at all pe. culiar to the Jewish ftate or circumstances; but proper for the conviction of all perfons, wherever his gofpel fhould be preached, or to whom the evidence of its truth fhould be fairly propounded. The grand characters of his divine miffion, and on which he laid the principal firefs, were his teaching the most excellent doctrines, and then

con

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