into competition with what to numbers must have been the greatest trial, viz. the pure and holy life inculcated in these writings; which is so contrary to what we know to have been the general practice of the world, that it seems wholly incredible that men should have tied themselves down to its observance, without the fullest conviction that the authority which commanded it was paramount. Maria. And that authority evidently depended on the genuineness of these writings, which therefore they would not have acknowledged but upon conviction.

Mr. B. You must ever bear this in mind, that the New Testament was not to them a mere record of facts and opinions, which some might believe, and others not; it was, indeed, a record of facts, but of facts to which they were to be ready to bear witness with their blood; a record of precepts, on the observance of which depended all their hopes of salvation. So long as the New Testament existed, and the persecutions of the church continued, (and who could hope that if the former was promulgated the latter would cease?) the Christian was tied down to a line of conduct, such as the world had known no instance of before; to resist not evil;" "to do good

unto them that hate you, and pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you;" "to return good for evil;" "to be ready to lay down their lives for the brethren, " —were precepts, when connected with religious authority, such as the world had never seen before. Some philosopher might have approximated to one, and, some patriot occasionally exemplified another; but to make precepts like these universally binding, had never entered into the imagination of any one, before the promulgation of Christianity, and it is impossible that they would have been allowed as such upon any but the greatest authority.

Maria. And all the authority rested upon these books, so that if they could haye proved these spurious, they might have retained what they liked, and discarded the

rest.

15 On what does Maria say that the authority of these writings depended?-16 What does Mr. B. tell her she must ever bear in mind?-17 To what novel rules of conduct was the Christian bound by his religion?-18 How would the philosopher and patriot have viewed such rules?

Mr. B. Again, there is a sobriety in Christianity as delivered in the New Testament, amidst all its high claims, which must have been a grievous restraint on any other supposition than that of its truth; the yoke of Christ would then be easy, and his burden light: but if any doubt had attached to the genuineness of these writings, I think the Christian world would never have been kept so long in subjection by them, when the common passions of mankind must have strongly prompted a different line of conduct. You may see in Gibbon how intimately Paganism was interwoven with the constitution of civil society, how much it affected every walk of life; you may see, by the conduct of the more virtuous emperors, in what a strange situation the world was placed by the pretensions of Christianity; and then you may form some estimate of the degree of assurance which the Christian must have possessed, to induce him to persevere in a course which compelled him to go so far, and permitted him to go no farther; which commanded him to "live soberly, righteously, and godly;" "to seek peace, and ensue it;"" in all simplicity and godly sincerity to have his conversation in the world; "to do good unto all men, especially them that were of the household of faith;" and yet forbade the least approaches to the sinful habits and practices of those by whom he was surrounded; and compelled him to become, in the eyes of others, a fool, that he might win Christ;" to account it "all joy when he fell into affliction;" and in all respects to act on principles which even the wise and good among the heathen could not understand, and which the most merciful princes hardly could tolerate.

وو

Edward. Had the New Testament allowed the Christians to propagate their religion by the readiest means which presented, or to compound for the loss of some pleasures by indulgence in others, we could not have

19 How would the sobriety of Christianity have operated with its followers, on their belief in its genuineness?-20 What may we see in Gibbon relating to this subject?-21 After seeing his statements, of what is it said that we may form some estimate?-22 What circumstances might well have led Christians to careless habits of investigation in relation to the genuineness of the scriptures?

wondered at their not too narrowly investigating its genuineness; but its severe restrictions, and claims to entire obedience in a line of conduct which must render them obnoxious to others, would certainly, one would think, render them cautious in admitting its authority.

Mr. B. But, beyond all this, we know that there was a tendency in the Christians to go beyond the letter of the New Testament in some things, and fall short of it in others: their own practice is a sufficient proof that there was a necessity of admitting the genuineness of these books which could not be overcome. The conduct of heretics proves the same. The steady light of the Gospel was ever fatal to the phantoms of darkness, which were forced to retire into an obscurity alone able to give them some resemblance of reality.

Edward. How did those heretics act who disputed the genuineness of the New Testament?

Mr. B. The most important of these objectors were the Manichæans, of whom " Faustus pre-supposes the New Testament to contain a variety of true accounts relating to the actions and doctrines of Christ and his apostles; but that the several books are not merely interpolated (in which case the question would belong to another part of this work), but composed by certain unknown persons, who, living in a much later period than those to whom these writings are ascribed, have confounded in their narratives truth with falsehood.”—Michaelis, vol. i. p. 18. Eduard. What answer is given to this supposition? Mr. B. Michaelis replies:

1. It is not certain that all Manichæans thought like Faustus.

2. Even if Manes, their founder, thus thought, yet he only lived in the middle of the third century; he was a stranger, and totally unqualified, from ignorance of Greek, to form an adequate judgment.

3. Faustus, who lived 130 years later, was equally

23 But what ones must have rendered them cautious?-24 How does Mr. B. reply to Edward in speaking upon these points?-25 How did the heretics conduct, that disputed the genuineness of the New Testament?26 What are the two first propositions of Michaelis to the hypothesis of Faustus?

unqualified to investigate the subject, being illiterate in the highest degree.

4. His arguments are not built on historical ground, but on principles which have nothing to do with the subject.

5. It was the practice of the sect to reject all principles which did not correspond with their philosophy: and, lastly,

The answer which Augustin gave at the time

"For the same reasons for which the writings of Hippocrates and other Greek or Roman authors are maintained to be genuine, we conclude the books of the New Testament to have been written by the persons to whom they are ascribed.”

Edward. These reasons are very satisfactory.

Have

there been any similar attempts to disprove the genuineness of the New Testament?

Mr. B. You will find in Michaelis an account of a singular supposition against it, which was advanced by an Italian, in a letter to Le Clerc, and which Le Clerc confuted, though too absurd to deserve it. I would recommend you carefully to read the whole of the admirable chapter on the Authenticity of the New Testament, in Michaelis, with reference to the notes of Bishop Marsh. Of this chapter the translator observes, “In the chapter which relates to the authenticity of the New Testament, the evidence both external and internal is arranged in so clear and intelligible a manner, as to afford conviction even to those who have never engaged in theological inquiries: and the experienced critic will find the subject discussed in so full and comprehensive a manner, that he will probably pronounce it the most complete essay on the authenticity of the New Testament that ever was published."-Pref. p. iii.

Maria. What is the meaning of the word authenticity? is it the same as genuine?

Mr. B. You must take Bishop Marsh's definition, as it is to him I refer.

27 What is the fourth one?-28 What is the fifth one?-29 What is the answer of Augustin?-30 Have any attempts been made to disprove the genuineness of the New Testament?

"Some writers use the term authentic in so extensive a sense, as to make it include both the question of authorship, and the question of fidelity and truth. In this acceptation of the term, a book, though genuine, if written by the person to whom it is ascribed, is not authentic, unless the accounts which it contains are worthy of credit.

"Instead of employing the terms genuineness and authenticity, I employ the terms authenticity and credibility; the former to denote that a book was written by the author to whom it is ascribed, the latter to denote that the contents of the book are justly entitled to our assent. Lect. Part V. pp. 3, 4.

وو

Maria. It is, then, used in a sense corresponding to that of genuine. But what is the method pursued by Michaelis in this proof?

Mr. B. It is divided into twelve sections, as follows: § 1. Importance of this inquiry, and its influence on the question of the Divine origin of the Christian religion. § 2. Of objections made to these writings in general, and of those of Faustus the Manichæan in particular. §3. The New Testament is proved to be genuine on the same grounds as the works of profane authors.

§4. Positive grounds for the authenticity of the New Testament.

§ 5. Impossibility of a forgery, arising from the nature of the thing itself.

§ 6. Testimonies of the fathers and other Christian writers of the first centuries.

§ 7. Testimonies of the heretics of the first centuries. 8. Jewish and heathen testimonies for the authenticity of the New Testament.

9. Ancient versions.

10. Internal evidence; and, first, that derived from the style of the New Testament.

§ 11. Coincidence of the accounts delivered in the New Testament with the history of those times.

31 What is the meaning of the word authentic?-32 How is the argument of Michaelis divided?-33 Which are the two first of them?-34 Which are the third and fourth?-35 Which are the five next ones?-36 What are the tenth, the eleventh, and the twelfth?