curred reproach and perfecution, even unto death, for the fake of the gofpel, at the first promulgation of it, fhould, all of them, for fo long a courfe of time, have been fo infatuated, as to risk and abandon every thing, without a well-grounded hope of a fufficient recompenfe; that is, without a rational conviction concerning the refurrection and power of Christ.

Befides, they all of them pretended to fome miraculous gift, and cannot be fuppofed to have continued to act the part which they did through life, without a confcioufnefs of their having, and exerting fuch miraculous powers on proper occafions.

If the heads of the apoftles and other primitive christians had been turned by the moft prepofterous ambition, and they had meant nothing farther than to make themfelves confpicuous in the world, it can hardly be fuppofed but that fome of them, at leaft, would have thought of fetting up for themselves, and that the ableft among them would have endeavoured to make tools of the

reft.

reft. On the contrary, there is not the least appearance of any one of them endeavouring to affume authority over the reft; but they perfift through life, as brothers and fellow labourers, in their allegiance to their crucified Lord, referring all their mighty works to his power and spirit.

With this humility and perfect harmony they preached the religion of their mafter, not only when they were together, but when they were feparated from one another, in very diftant countries; where, if what they performed were mere tricks of their own, they had an opportunity of establishing themselves independently of one anoEven the apostle Paul, who preached the gospel without conferring with any of the other apostles, purfued the fame conduct, engaging in the very fame perfecuted intereft, and promoting it by the very fame methods.

ther.

This unambitious conduct of the apostles is the more remarkable, as before the crucifixion of Chrift, fome of them appeared to

be of a different character, eagerly afpiring after worldly honours, and ambitious of pre-eminence over their brethren. This, and other remarkable changes in their difpofition and conduct after the death of Christ, and especially their fuddenly taking courage to preach the gofpel in the face of the greatest dangers, immediately after their cowardly defertion of their mafter, and after a catastrophe which intirely overturned all their fond hopes and expectations. from him, are easily accounted for on the hypothefis of their having been endued with power from on high, on the day of Pentecoft, but are inexplicable, on the known principles of human nature, without such an hypothefis.

Chriftians, even in the times of the apoftles, were divided into various fects and parties, and the contention was carried on with great heat and animofity among them, fome of them oppofing the apostles themfelves. Now, had any of them been but fufpected of contriving or conniving at a fraud, with refpect to the foundation of

the

the religion they profeffed, it could not, in thofe circumstances, but have been detected and expofed. Yet in arguing with these divided christians, the apostle Paul fcruples not to appeal to miracles wrought among them, and even by them, and gives particular directions about the moft proper ufe of the fupernatural gifts of which they were poffeffed. In thefe circumftances how could he have written in this manner, if he had been fenfible that no fuch miracles had been wrought, and no fuch fupernatural gifts poffeffed either by himself or them,

That the apofles and primitive chriftians could not expect to make any lasting advantage of their impofture, admitting that their ruling paffion was the ambition of being the founders of a new religion, may be argued from this confideration, that for fome time they univerfally expected the fecond coming of Chrift, to put an end to the world, in that very generation.

If Christ and his apoftles were not the weakest of all enthufiafts, which their whole conduct

conduct fhews them not to have been, they could not but know whether they were infpired of God, and had a power of speaking and acting in his name, or not. Now that men of virtue fhould pretend to act from God, at the fame time that they knew that they had no fuch commiffion, cannot be fuppofed. It follows, therefore, that, not being grofs and weak enthusiasts, they could not be under an illufion themselves; and being good men, friends of virtue, and fhewing the most genuine marks of an unfeigned reverence for God, and for truth, they would not attempt to impofe others.

upon

That the apostles were men poffeffed of the greatest cunning, fo as to conduct, with ability and fuccefs, all the parts of so complex an impofture, and which required fo many agents of ability equal to their own, and that at the fame time they were dupes to the groffeft illufions, are contradictory fuppofitions. To a certain degree, indeed, there may be a mixture of artifice and enthusiasm; and therefore men may be de

ceived