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Yet, it is faid, that the hiftories were put into, Sea.. XLV. and kept in the hands of believers, by which means The Newunbelievers were prevented from confuting them, Teftahad it been in their power, or inclination to do it. ment hif Vol. II. p. 204, 205: tories kept

This is too fuperficial to be admitted as of from unweight in argument; because, the great doctrine of believers. Christianity, which the apoftles were commiffioned to publish, taught, that Jefus Chrift was a divine prophet, who had been put to death by the Jews; whom God had raised from the dead, and exalted, by placing him at the head of dominion: and that he is appointed to raise the dead and judge the world. This meffage which they delivered, respects a fact, upon which their doctrine wholly rested, as to the truth and veracity of it. A fact that the people of Judea might be fully acquainted with; and that any foreigners might examine into, who travelled into Judea. And whofe teftimony might fatisfy others of their own countries. These ftood in no need of the hiftories being at first drawn up, in order to their conviction. And fo long as the apoftles lived, all nations wherever they came, had an ocular demonftration given them of the truth of the doctrine which they taught, from the miracles which they wrought in the name of Jefus. So that the hiftories of our Lord, and of his apoftles miniftrations, were not fo properly intended for the public ufe in their age in Judea, as for other parts of the world, and for the ufe of after-ages. There was, in fact, a more direct and full evidence afforded to the unbeliever, than if the writings which were but a record of that evidence, had been put into his hand. Facts are. moft ftubborn inconteftible things! they were eafily examined into, both in Jerufalem and elfewhere the vouchers of them being legal evi T 2

dence,

Sect.

Objection

dence, in the eyes of all men. And the abfurdity of the demand, made by the infidel-Jews, of an examination of their hiftories, whilst they were eye-witneffes to the evidences which the apostles were giving of thofe facts they related; the abfurdity of this would be glaring.-And here one might obferve, that notwithstanding the learned have not been able to fettle the precife time when the feveral gofpels were publifhed; yet, inafmuch as it is evident, that they were all published before the deftruction of Jerufalem; if we fuppofe them not publifhed till towards the latter end of the miniftry of the feveral historians, inafmuch as the apoftles doctrine was more generally known, it would be impoffible for thefe writings to have met with credit, had not their narratives agreed with their teachings. So that inftead of being an objection, it is a ftronger argument of the genuinenefs of them, than if they had been publifhed at the beginning of the apoftles miniftrations. And that the New Teftament writers were under a divine inspiration, does appear very emphatically from the important fenfe, which thofe authors always exprefs of the things they deliver; fince in refpect of their own abilities, they conftantly difcover the greatest modesty *.

But it is further faid, that thefe hiftories were XLV. firft wrote in Greek, a language that thofe illiterate Hebrews must have been strangers to, which being first is a circumftance of confequence in the prefent cafe. wrote in Vol. II. p. 205.

to their

Greek.

Admit they were, no injury was done thereby to the Jew, in his own country, who stood in no need of a written hiftory of facts, when fo many thousands

*See Dr. Doddridge's Differtation on the infpiration of the New Teflament.

thousands of living evidences were every where to be found, that had seen the proofs of Christ's divine miffion; and well knew that he who had been crucified, was now rifen again; and that God had raised him to the head of power; forafmuch as the apoftles were every where in Judea working miracles in his name, in teftimony of his being rifen from the dead. Had Mr. Chubb faid, that the request made by the Jews, viz. that Chrift would fhew them a fign from heaven, did prove, that they had never feen him work a miracle! This would have ferved to expofe his stupidity; but could not have answered any valuable purpose: for the very request fuppofeth that they had feen him work many miracles;. otherwife, they were ftupid creatures, to afk of him to work fuch a particular fort of miracle. They would not have prefcribed to him the mode and form of miracle that would gratify them, had they not been perfuaded of his miraculous power. But this by the way.

It is certain that the hiftory, tho' wrote in Greek, could be no injury to the Jew, in the first Century. And after the difperfion, as the Greek was most generally understood, it was the fittest language to write the facred hiftories in, and would make them the more extensively useful.

Moreover, it is objected, that they were written in a language which, it may well be fuppofed, the people of Galilee, Capernaum, &c. did not understand. Vol. II. p. 206.

An unfortunate objection this; because nothing could have more fully pointed out Mr. Chubb's unacquaintedness with the hiftorical account given us, than his inftances of Galilee, Capernaum, &c. for Galilee, where our Lord fo much refided, and Capernaum, ftood in the leaft need of fuch

hiftory..

hiftory. And as to Galilee, there were great numbers of Greeks refided in it, which makes the inftance much more unfortunate; fee Math. iv. 15. John xii. 20, 21, 22. In the latter text, Greeks are faid to come up to the feaft, and apply to Philip, who was of Bethfaida of Galilee: moft probably, because they were his neighbours, and he understood their language.

It is fufficient that the apoftles were acquainted with all the languages; and fo were judges what was the most proper to write their hiftories, and epiftles in. With me, it seems highly probable, that they would provide copies of the Gospel Hiftory for Greece and Rome, as well as for Syria. Their teftimony given to the truth and authenticity of those hiftories, would be convincing to all who attended their miniftrations. Every church would be furnished with an history of the life of Christ. I take this to be intended by St. Paul, when he writes thus to Timothy, 2 ep. i. 14. that good thing which was committed unto thee, that depofitum, keep; because of the Holy Spirit that dwelleth in us. This, I fuppofe to have been a copy of the Gofpel, given by St. Paul for the ufe of the Church at Ephefus. So I reckon he refers to a copy of the history of Christ, that he had conveyed to the Church at Rome, Rom. i. 16. when he mentions God's judging the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift, according to my Gofpel. And in his epiftle to the Galatians, he feems to have presented that Church with a copy, ch. i. 6-10. And when he is affirming his own fidelity in his office, he tells the Corinthians, 2 ep. ii. 17. We are not as many, who corrupt the word of God: we dare not corrupt it with any mixtures of our own. And he closeth his epiftle to the Ephefian Church, by declaring, that grace or fa vour, would be with all them that love the Lord

Jefus

ན་

Jefus Chrift in incorruption: i.e. who admitted of
no mixtures in the Gofpel plan. And if I mistake
not, by his farewel, when he fays, the grace of
our Lord Jefus Chrift be with you; he intends,
the written Gospel: that record of the love of
God! and fo emphatically called, the grace of
our Lord Jefus Chrift.-Hence he commands
Timothy to give attention to reading. What muft
he read? nothing more probable, than the depo-
fitum, the Gofpel, which would qualify him for
exhortation, and other forms of giving instructi-
on, I ep. iv. 13. To this written hiftory, I un-
derftand, Peter does allude, when he calls the
word of God, the incorruptible feed, and the fin-
cere milk of the word, 1 Pet. i. 23. and puts it in
oppofition to the mortality of the apostles, all
flesh is grafs that withereth, and even the flower
of it falleth away; but the word of God endu-
reth for ever, and this is the word, which by the
Gofpel is preached unto you.

It was neceffary, the apoftles fhould provide
the churches with copies of the gospel history,
that after their deceafe, they might be able to re-
fer all doctrines men taught to fome certain ftan-
dard; and by fuch comparison, might know their
value. This I fuppofe to have taken place, af-
ter the apostles had planted, and fettled churches
in the feveral parts of the world.

Sect.

lations,

Refpecting morality; Mr. Chubb thus reafons. As man's relations, obligations, and duties, all XLVI. arife from his prefent exiftence, and from what he Man's renow is and has; fo his prefent well-doing muft &c. all needs be the fpecial and more immediate object of arife from bis prefent regard. As to man's well-doing, in a his preconftitution of things to come, all the provifion be fent exiftis capable of making for it now, is to act fuitably to his manly character, and properly fill up the poft affigned him in this. Vol. I. p. 23.

The

ence.

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