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Opinion of the age and country in which his ministry was exercised. It was no part of the object of bis revelation, to regulate men's opinions concerning the action of spiritual fubftances upon animal bodies. At any tate it is unconnected with teftimony. If a dumb person was by a word restored to the use of his speech, it fignifies little to what cause the dumbness was afcribed; and the like of every other cure wrought upon those who are faid to have been poffeffed. The malady was real, the cure was real, whether the popular explication of the caufe was well founded, or not. The matter of fact, the change, fo far as it was an object of sense, or of teftimony, was in either cafe the fame..

Secondly, that, in reading the apoftolic writings, we diftinguish between their doctrines and their arguments. Their doctrines came to them by revelation properly so called; yet in propounding these doctrines in their writings or difcourfes, they were wont to illuftrate, fupport and enforce them,

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by fuch analogies, arguments, and confider ations as their own thoughts fuggefted Thus, the call of the Gentiles, that is, the admiffion of the Gentiles to the Chriftian profeffion without a previous fubjection to the law of Mofes, was imparted to the Apoftles by revelation, and was attefted by the miracles which attended the Chriftian miniftry amongst them. The Apostle's own affurance of the matter refted upon this foundation. Nevertheless, St. Paul, when treating of the subject, offers a great variety of topics in its proof and vindication. The doctrine itself must be received; but is it neceffary, in order to defend Christianity, to defend the propriety of every comparison, or the validity of every argument, which the apoftle has brought into the difcuffion? The fame obfervation applies to some other instances; and is, in my opinion, very well founded. "When divine writers argue upon any point, we are always bound to believe the conclufions that their reasonings end in, as parts of divine revelation; but we are not bound to be able to make put, or

even to affent to, all the premises made use of by them, in their whole extent, unless it appear plainly, that they affirm the premises as expressly as they do the conclufions proved by them *.”

* Burnet's Expos. art. 6.

VOL. II.

X

СНАР.

CHA P. III.

The Connection of Chriftianity with the Jewish Hiftory.

UNDOUBTEDLY,

NDOUBTEDLY, our Saviour affumes the divine origin of the Mofaic institution: and, independently of his authority, I conceive it to be very difficult to affign any other caufe for the commencement or exiftence of that inftitution; especially for the fingular circumftance of the Jews adhering to the unity, when every other people flid into polytheism; for their being men in religion, children in every thing else; behind other nations in the arts of peace and war, fuperior to the most improved in their fentiments and doctrines relating to the deity*. Un

doubtedly

* "In the doctrine, for example of the unity, the eternity, the omnipotence, the omniscience, the omniprefence, the wisdom and the goodness of God; in their opinions concerning providence, and the creation, pre

fervation,

doubtedly alfo, our Saviour recognises the prophetic character of many of their ancient writers. So far, therefore, we are bound as Chriftians to go. But to make Christianity anfwerable with its life, for the circumftantial truth of each feparate paffage of the Old Teftament, the genuineness of every book, the information, fidelity, and judgement of every writer in it, is to bring, I will not fay

fervation, and government of the world." Campbell on Mir. p. 207. To which we may add, in the acts of their religion not being accompanied either with cruelties or impurities; in the religion itself being free from a species of fuperftition which prevailed univerfally in the popular religions of the ancient world, and which is to be found perhaps in all religions that have their origin in human artifice and credulity, viz. fanciful cor nections between certain appearances, and actions, and the destiny of nations or individuals. Upon thefe conceits refted the whole train of auguries and aufpices, which formed fo much even of the ferious, part of the religions of Greece and Rome, and of the charms and incantations which were pra&ifed in those countries by the common people. From every thing of this fort the religion of the Jews, and of the Jews alone, was free. Vid. Priestley's Lectures on the Truth of the Jewish and Chriftian Revelation, 1794.

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