But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through his name.

THE only remaining supposition, is that the evangelists, the apostles, and many writers and preachers of the gospel, have all entered into a confederacy of imposing their story upon the world; for if the facts they relate, and their relation with respect to them, were of such a nature that they could not by any possibility be mistaken-that no enthusiasm or even madness will account for their being deceived in them -there is nothing left but either to admit these facts to be true, or to say that the disciples purposely joined and went about to cheat and deceive men. Now before we proceed any further, I would observe that this may always be said. In any cause or trial, let the fact be proved ever so clearly by witnesses ever so positive or many, or of ever so good character, it is easy to say that they have combined to im

pose upon the court-it is easy to say so, but nobody believes it, nobody attends to it, or is affected by it. The cause is decided upon the testimony of these witnesses, and every one can rest satisfied with the decision, and can have no doubt about the matter; whereas those who were interested on the other side, when they had nothing else left to say, would have insinuated that the witnesses were all forsworn, and that it was all a story not to be believed.

But to return-let us now inquire into the probability, or even the possibility, of the supposition, that it was a conspiracy in the friends of Christianity to carry on a cheat.

Now the first impression which this supposition includes, and which alone, I conceive, would stagger the belief of any reasonable man, is that a handful of fishermen in a small town, near the lake of Galilee, should take into their heads a scheme of covertly setting up a new religion, and converting the world to it, and should leave their homes, families, and business, upon this errand, and should expect success in it by means of a tale made up of lies and forgeries. Is this creditable? Is it conceivable? Is it consistent with any principle in human nature or in the nature of things? Is there any instance of such an attempt in the history of the world? That Mahomet at the head of a victorious army should set up pretensions to a divine commission, and endeavour to establish a religion which redounded so much to the interest and glory of himself and his family, is nothing un

natural. With these advantages Mahomet appealed, as did the apostles, to public miracles. Had the apostles been statesmen or philosophers, there would have been more likelihood of such contrivances amongst them, as such men may some of them entertain ambitious views, and from their influence and celebrity might imagine themselves qualified for such an undertaking; but that a set of low and illiterate mechanics (for from such it is allowed both by friends and enemies that christianity originated) should conceive a plan of this kind, knowing all the while the falsehood of what they were delivering, is too wild and extravagant a supposition to account for any of these stories; for, always active in finding out what may supply their wants-in carving and contriving at all times, the lower, laborious part of mankind have enough to do to support themselves and their families -their wants, their occupation, their domestic duties. and affections are sufficient to engage the whole of their attention and employment. Is a scheme of setting up a religion in the world very likely to interest or engage such as these? or is it probable that such as these should plot and contrive together to do nothing less than to overturn the established religion in all countries of the world, and introduce into the place of it a fabulous tale of their own contriving? I know that we have examples of people of very low estate and little education quitting their own calling to turn preachers of religion; but that bears no resemblance to the present case, for these persons are

most, or all of them, I think, sure of what they go about: whereas the apostles, evangelists, and first founders of christianity must, according to this account, have been impostors, and have known in their own breasts that they were so. Besides, these persons are led to what they do by the example of others in superior station, and after all do not aspire at founding a new religion, but only an unusual method of explaining or propagating the old one.

But secondly, what was it that all the apostles went about to overturn-the attachment of men to virtue and holiness? It must be allowed, whether what they wrote and preached was true or false, that the behaviour and morality which they inculcated were excellent; since all acknowledged, even those who were inclined to question the religion most, that whatever they inculcated, they required. They insisted upon the most perfect purity, benevolence, justice, obedience, piety. Now, what would this accomplish? Was it from a virtuous motive that they enjoined on all their followers these virtues, as they certainly did? Such a motive excludes the supposition of imposture. In many instances the best motives. may be mistaken; but it is impossible that with these motives any one could carry on a continued deliberate plan of deceiving and cheating others. Read those passages of the epistles especially, which exhort to virtue and holiness-with what a strain of lively earnestness and zeal the exhortations run! with what threats and denunciations they warn men from

vice! with what entreaties they invite them to virtue! how they over and over again declare and protest the worth of a life of virtue, that religion without such a life is nothing-that nothing else, that nothing besides holiness in heart, principle, and practice, would conduct themselves and their followers to salvation! and then reflect, how we are to believe that the authors of the Epistles were all the while themselves carrying on a cheat and an imposture, knowing in their hearts that what they were telling their followers was all falsehood and fable.

Thirdly, what had the apostles to gain by the scheme? did they distinguish themselves or their families? did any of them advance thereby their posterity to honours, and favours, and high states? was there any prospect or probability of such advancement? Here is an infallible rule, an impostor has always something to get by his imposition: he may not get it; that is another thing; he aims at some advantage to himself or friends; and thus it becomes a natural consideration and inquiry, was there any interest to bias them? Now if ever men were disinterested, the apostles were; upon all occasions they declined and reprobated the idea of taking any thing of their converts. "I have coveted," says

Saint Paul in his pathetic farewell to the church of Macedonia, "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel; nay, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my necessities, and to them that were with me." When Simon Magus offered them