SOME SHORT

REMARKS

ON

Britannicus's LETTERS, &C.

SIR,

HERE return you the Journals you fent me to perufe, with my hearty thanks for the favour. I read them with a great deal of pleasure, not because the argument appeared conclufive, but because the author thewed fo much modefty and good humour in the handling it. And as Britannicus's performance gave me delight, fo it induced me to draw up and fend you my thoughts upon it; prefuming, that if I fhould fhew the fame temper and good humour in my remarks, as he has done in his letters, (which I refolve to do) I fhould not offend either him or you, even tho' it should appear in the iffue, that I diffent in my judgment. from you both. For,

Tho' Britannicus has treated the fubject, as becomes a man and a Chriftian, with refpect to the fpirit and temper he has fhewn

in it, yet I think he has not done that fervice to the cause he undertook, as he propofed by it. This I imagine, will appear to be the cafe, when I have examined the principles he has laid down. I fhall not however, enter into those questions, viz. whether the refurrection of Chrift (which is the point this author builds upon) does, or does not prove the divinity of the chriftian revelation, fuppofing the fact true; or whether the evidence he has produced, affords a proper foundation for credit, with regard to the truth of that fact; but only fhew you, how the cafe will ftand upon his principles.

Britannicus reduces the controversy betwixt the Chriftians and unbelievers, into a narrow compass, and puts the truth or falseness of the christian religion upon the truth or falfeness of one fingle fact, viz. the refurrection of Chrift. He likewife fuppofes and allows, that if Chrift had wrought all thofe miracles before his death, which are recorded of him, he might notwithstanding have been but an impoftor, if he had failed in that one fact; or at least that the miracles, which Christ wrought before his death, were not sufficient to prove his meffage to be divine, if he had failed of rifing from the dead. And,

That it may appear, that I have not mifreprefented the author, whofe principles I am examining, I beg leave to exprefs his fenfe of this matter in his own words, as in letter the first, paragraph the third.

"The

"first point, in order of nature, is, the true foundation of the faith of a Chriftian; or of "his believing Jefus to have been fent into "the world by God." The ground or foundation of which belief, Britannicus obferves, "The nature of the thing fpeaks. It must "be fomething, that lies open and plain to all "who are equally concerned; fomething, which

was fixed at the very beginning, and not

"now to be devifed; fomething, which was "made the univerfal bafis and argument of

belief, by the very first preachers; and de"clared by them, fo to be. In short, it must "be fomething, upon which that belief fo depends, as to ftand with it, and to fall "without it. And this, if I (viz. Britannicus)

may be pardoned the pofitiveness of the "word, I affirm to be the one only fingle fact "of the refurrection of Christ from the dead. "For it is very evident, that, if this fingle

fact be well grounded, and tranfmitted "down to us with the marks of truth upon "it; then, and in fuch a cafe, our belief "ftands firm and unfhaken, notwithstanding we may not be able to account for all or any of thofe difficulties, which may arise upon other appearances, through the whole feries of the Bible; if they be fuch as do not at all affect this great point. And it "is as evident, on the other fide, if this one fact be not true, or not proved by credible authority fo to be; then, and in fuch cafe, "the belief of a Chriftian, as fuch, falls with

"it even though all other incidental quefti

ons and points of debate, from the creation "to the death of Chrift, fhould be supposed "ever fo favourable to his pretensions." Again in letter the fecond, paragraph the first. "I am endeavouring to point out to Chrifti"ans fome one point, which may be of the greatest use to them, as a short and cer"tain prefervative against the attempts of "unbelievers: and I have faid, that the single

fact of the refurrection of Chrift from the "dead, is that one point; because the belief "of a Chriftian in Chrift, does fo depend up"on this, that, without the truth of this fact, it must fall to the ground; and with "it, it must ftand."

Thefe things being laid down as principles, from hence I argue: If an impoftor could, by the help of fome foreign agent, perform all thofe works, which are allowed to be above the natural ability of man to perform, and which are allowed to be performed by Chrift before his death (which is the ftate of the cafe): then that foreign agent might, in the exercife of the fame power, raise the impoflor from the dead; and confequently the refurrection of Chrift does not prove the divinity of his miffion upon this author's principles, but rather thofe principles render the divinity of that miflion very uncertain.

if it should be urged, that Britannicus puts the cafe upon this iffue, becaule the railing a dead perfon to life, is a work above the natural