though his style, often too concife, does not bring it within the comprehenfion of all readers: "Whenever," he says, "the course "of nature appears fuddenly altered, or interrupted, that interruption is termed a "miracle, and is fuppofed to be an effect "of an immediate act of God. Such a

66

66

judgment may be proved false, and the "miracle may be the refult of second caufes "or of a pre-established arrangement. The "effential good; which was to result from "it, might require this arrangement or

exception to the ordinary laws; but, if "there are miracles which imply an im"mediate act of God, this act became part "of the plan, as a neceffary means for happiness in both cafes the effect is the "fame with refpect to faith.".

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

WHETHER IT BE PROBABLE THAT THE WITNESSES OF THE GOSPEL WERE EITHER DECEIVERS OR DECEIVED.

I

Have supposed that the witneffes could

neither deceive nor be deceived. The first fuppofition was built on their integrity; the second, on the clearness of the facts.

The probability of the first fuppofition would, in my opinion, confiderably increase, if the facts attefted were admitted to be of fuch a nature that no man of found fenfe could have been deceived refpecting them.

I can easily conceive, that a falfe doctrine may gain credit: it is the understanding which is to judge of a doctrine, and the understanding is not always endued with fufficient powers to enable it to detect falfhoods of a particular kind.

But

But if the inquiry concern things which fall under our fenfes, things of public notoriety, things which happened at a time and in places where the witneffes were exposed to continual contradictions; if, finally, thefe things attack national, political, and religious prejudices; how can we fuppofe it poffible that impoftors, unless totally deprived. of their fenfes, could flatter themfelves that credit would be given to fuch things?

They would scarcely, I think, pretend to perfuade their countrymen and contemporaries, that a man, whose death was public and notorious, was rifen again; that darkness covered the land; that the earth fhook at the decease of this man, &c.; and, if we fuppose these impoftors illiterate men, and of the lowest class, it is still less reasonable to imagine that they would pretend to speak foreign languages, and abfurdly upbraid an entire and numerous fociety with making an ill use of the fame extraordinary gift, if that fociety. had not received it. I may be miftaken; but it seems to me, that fuch pretenfions, if false, could never have been admitted; and

this would seem to me ftill more improbable, if those who publicly profeffed the belief of thefe facts, and propagated them, expofed. themselves voluntarily to every thing of which men have the moft natural abhorrence, especially, if I difcovered in their narrations no marks of fanaticism.

The improbability, in fine, of this fuppofition, would seem to increase still more, if the public teftimony given of fuch facts had effected in the world a revolution much more aftonishing than thofe ever caufed by the most famous conquerors.

It follows, I think, in a legitimate manner, from the palpability of the facts, that the wit neffes of whom I have spoken could not be impofed upon themselves. Can I poffibly doubt whether the fenfes are competent, or not, to ascertain that a paralytic walks, that a blind man fees, that a dead man is raised? &c.

Let us fuppofe, particularly, that the point in question is the refurrection of a man, with whom the witneffes had lived in the most familiar manner for the space of feveral years. If that man had been condemned

demned to death by a fupreme tribunal; if he had publicly died a most painful death; if the tortures he underwent had left fcars on his body; if, after his refurrection, this man had appeared several times to those fame witneffes; if they had converfed and eaten several times with him; if they had recollected or examined his fcars; if, finally, they had formed the strongest doubts of his refurrection, and if their entire conviction: was owing to the repeated and concurring teftimonies of their their ears, eyes, and their touch; if, I fay, all these facts are supposed true, I fhould not be able to conceive how thefe witneffes could poffibly have been deceived. But further, if these attefted miracles, as I have already faid (0), formed an uninterrupted chain, all the links of which were closely rivetted together; if these miracles compofed, as it were, a well-continued difcourfe, the parts of which were dependent on and fupported each other; if the gift of speaking divers tongues argued ne

(a) Vide Part i. Chạp. vi.

E

f

ceffarily