sea will not obey them, and the pu-ja sigh, in the ruins of Agrigentum or trid carcass will not hear them. You Palmyra; so you cannot persuade need not suffer yourselves to be de- yourselves to believe, that the deprived of the weight of this argu- nunciations of the prophets against ment, from its having been observed, the haughty cities of Tyre or Babythat the Fathers have acknowledged lon, for instance, proceeded from the the supernatural part of Paganism; inspiration of the Deity. There is since the Fathers were in no condi- no doubt, that by some such general tion to detect a cheat, which was kind of reasoning, many are influsupported both by the disposition of enced to pay no attention to an arguthe people, and the power of the ci- ment, which, if properly considered, vil magistrate; and they were, from carries with it the strongest convicthat inability, forced to attribute to tion.

infernal agency what was too cun- Spinoza said, That he would have ningly contrived to be detected, and broken his atheistic system to pieces, contrived for too impious a purpose, and embraced without repugnance to be credited as the word of God. the ordinary faith of Christians, if With respect to prophecy, you he could have persuaded himself of may, perhaps, have accustomed your- the resurrection of Lazarus from the selves to consider it, as originating dead; and I question not, that there in Asiatic enthusiasm, in Chaldean are many disbelievers, who would mystery, or in the subtle stratagem relinquish their deistic tenets, and of interested priests: and have given receive the gospel, if they could peryourselves no more trouble concern- suade themselves, that God had ever ing the predictions of sacred, than so far interfered in the moral governconcerning the oracles of Pagan his- ment of the world, as to illumine the tory. Or, if ever you have cast a mind of any one man with the knowglance upon this subject, the dissen-ledge of future events. A miracle sions of learned men concerning the strikes the senses of the persons who proper interpretation of the revela- see it, a prophecy addresses itself to tion, and other difficult prophecies, the understandings of those who bemay have made you rashly conclude, hold its completion; and it requires, that all prophecies were equally un- in many cases, some learning, in all intelligible; and more indebted for some attention, to judge of the cortheir accomplishment, to a fortunate respondence of events with the preconcurrence of events, and the pli- dictions concerning them. No one ant ingenuity of the expositor, than can be convinced, that what Jeremito the inspired foresight of the pro- ah and the other prophets foretold phet. In all that the prophets of the of the fate of Babylon, that it should Old Testament have delivered, con- be besieged by the Medes; that it cerning the destruction of particular should be taken, when her mighty cities, and the desolation of particu- men were drunken, when her springs lar kingdoms, you may see nothing were dried up; and that it should but shrewd conjectures, which any become a pool of water, and should one acquainted with the history of remain desolate for ever; no one, I the rise and fall of empires, might say, can be convinced, that all these, certainly have made: and as you and other parts of the prophetic dewould not hold him for a prophet, nunciation, have been minutely fulwho should now affirm, that London filled, without spending some time in or Paris would afford to future ages, reading the accounts, which profane a spectacle just as melancholy, as historians have delivered down to us that which we now contemplate, with concerning its being taken by Cyrus;

and which modern travellers have truth of any one miracle, or of the given us of its present situation. completion of any one prophecy, you Porphyry was so persuaded of the will resolve all your difficulties (concoincidence between the prophecies cerning the manner of God's interof Daniel and the events, that he was position, in the moral government of forced to affirm the prophecies were our species, and the nature of the written after the things prophesied doctrines contained in revelation) of had happened; another Porphyry into your own inability fully to comhas, in our days, been so astonished prehend the whole scheme of divine at the correspondence between the providence.

prophecy concerning the destruction. We are told, however, that the of Jerusalem, as related by St. Mat- strangeness of the narration, and the thew, and the history of that event, difficulty of the doctrines contained as recorded by Josephus; that, ra- in the New Testament, are not the ther than embrace Christianity, he only circumstances which induce you has ventured to assert (contrary to to reject it; you have discovered, you the faith of all ecclesiastical history, think, so many contradictions, in the the opinion of the learned of all accounts which the Evangelists have ages, and all the rules of good criti- given of the life of Christ, that you cism) that St. Matthew wrote his are compelled to consider the whole Gospel after Jerusalem had been tak- as an ill-digested and improbable en and destroyed by the Romans. story. You would not reason thus You may from these instances per-upon any other occasion; you would ceive the strength of the argument not reject as fabulous the accounts from prophecy; it has not been able given by Livy and Polybius of Hanindeed to vanquish the prejudices of nibal and the Carthaginians, though either the ancient or the modern Por-you should discover a difference bephyry; but it has been able to com- twixt them in several points of little pel them both, to be guilty of obvious importance. You cannot compare falschoods, which have nothing but the history of the same events as deimpudent assertions to support them. livered by any two historians, but

Some over-zealous interpreters of you will meet with many circumScripture have found prophecies in stances, which, though mentioned by simple narrations, extended real pre- one, are either wholly omitted or difdictions beyond the times and circum-ferently related by the other; and stances to which they naturally were this observation is peculiarly appliapplied, and perplexed their readers cable to biographical writings: but with a thousand quaint allusions and no one ever thought of disbelieving allegorical conceits; this proceeding the leading circumstances of the has made unthinking men pay less lives of Vitellius or Vespasian, beregard to prophecy in general; there cause Tacitus and Suetonius did not are some predictions however, such in every thing correspond in their as those concerning the present state accounts of these emperors; and if of the Jewish people, and the cor- the memoirs of the life and doctrines ruption of Christianity, which are of M. de Voltaire himself, were some now fulfilling in the world; and twenty or thirty years after his death, which, if you will take the trouble to to be delivered to the world by four examine them, you will find of such of his most intimate acquaintance: an extraordinary nature, that you I do not apprehend that we should will not perhaps hesitate to refer discredit the whole account of such them to God as their author; and if an extraordinary man, by reason of you once become persuaded of the some slight inconsistencies, and con

tradictions, which the avowed ene-ing notice of the times in which mies of his name might chance to they happened; but is it a just condiscover in the several narrations. clusion from their silence, to infer Though we should grant you then, that there really were no intervals of that the Evangelists had fallen into time between the transactions which some trivial contradictions, in what they seem to have connected? Many they have related concerning the instances might be produced from the life of Christ; yet you ought not to most admired biographers of antiquidraw any other inference from our ty, in which the events are related, concession, than that they had not as immediately consequent to each plotted together, as cheats would have other, which did not happen but at done, in order to give an unexcep- very distant periods: we have an obtionable consistency to their fraud. vious example of this manner of We are not, however, disposed to writing in St. Matthew; who conmake you any such concession: we nects the preaching of John the Bapwill rather show you the futility of tist with the return of Joseph from your general argument, by touching Egypt, though we are certain that the upon a few of the places which you latter event preceded the former by a think are most liable to your censure. great many years.

You observe, that neither Luke, John has said nothing of the instinor Mark, nor John, have mentioned tution of the Lord's supper; the oththe cruelty of Herod in murdering er Evangelists have said nothing of the infants of Bethlehem; and that the washing of the disciples' feet :no account is to be found of this mat- what then? are you not ashamed to ter in Josephus, who wrote the life produce these facts as instances of of Herod; and therefore the fact re- contradiction? If omissions are concorded by Matthew is not true. The tradictions, look into the history of concurrent testimony of many inde- the age of Lewis the fourteenth, or pendent writers concerning a matter into the general history of M. de of fact, unquestionably adds to its Voltaire, and you will meet with a probability; but if nothing is to be great abundance of contradictions. received as true, upon the testimony John, in mentioning the discourse of a single author, we must give up which Jesus had with his mother and some of the best writers, and disbe- his beloved disciple, at the time of lieve some of the most interesting his crucifixion, says, that she, with facts of ancient history. Mary Magdalene, stood near the According to Matthew, Mark, and cross; Matthew, on the other hand, Luke, there was only an interval of says, that Mary Magdalene and the three months, you say, between the other women were there, beholding baptism and crucifixion of Jesus; afar off: this you think a manifest from which time, taking away the contradiction; and scoffingly inquire forty days of temptation, there will whether the women and the beloved only remain about six weeks for the disciple, which were near the cross, whole period of his public ministry; could be the same with those who which lasted, however, according to stood far from the cross ?--It is diffiSt. John, at the least, above three cult not to transgress the bounds of years.--Your objection fairly stated moderation and good manners, in stands thus; Matthew, Mark, and answering such sophistry; what! Luke, in writing the history of Jesus have you to learn, that though the Christ, mention the several events Evangelists speak of the crucifixion, of his life, as following one another as of one event, it was not accomin continued succession, without tak- plished in one instant, but lasted se

veral hours? And why the women, | Bethany was not only the name of a who were at a distance from the town, but of a district of Mount Olicross, might not, during its continu- vet adjoining to the town. ance, draw near the cross; or from From this specimen of the conbeing near the cross might not move tradictions ascribed to the historians from the cross, is more than you can of the life of Christ, you may judge explain to either us, or yourselves. for yourselves, what little reason And we take from you your only re- there is to reject Christianity upon fuge, by denying expressly, that the their account; and how sadly you different Evangelists, in their men- will be imposed upon (in a matter tion of the women, speak of the of more consequence to you than same point of time. any other) if you take every thing for The Evangelists, you affirm, are a contradiction, which the uncandid fallen into gross contradictions, in adversaries of Christianity think protheir accounts of the appearances, by per to call one.

which Jesus manifested himself to Before I put an end to this address, his disciples, after his resurrection I cannot help taking notice of an arfrom the dead; for Matthew speaks gument by which some philosophers of two, Mark of three, Luke of two, have of late endeavoured to overturn and John of four. That contradic- the whole system of revelation: and tory propositions cannot be true, is it is the more necessary to give an readily granted; and if you will pro- answer to their objection, as it is beduce the place in which Matthew says come a common subject of philosophthat Jesus Christ appeared twice, and ical conversation, especially amongst no oftener, it will be farther granted, those who have visited the continent. that he is contradicted by John, in a The objection tends to invalidate, as very material part of his narration; is supposed, the authority of Moses; but till you do that, you must excuse by showing that the earth is much me, if I cannot grant, that the Evan- older than it can be proved to be from gelists have contradicted each other his account of the creation, and the in this point for to common under- scripture chronology. We contend, standings it is pretty evident, that if that six thousand years have not yet Christ appeared four times, accord- elapsed, since the creation; and ing to John's account, he must have these philosophers contend, that they appeared twice, according to that have indubitable proof of the earth's of Matthew and Luke, and thrice, being at the least fourteen thousand according to that of Mark. years old; and they complain that The different Evangelists are not Moses hangs as a dead weight upon only accused of contradicting each them, and blunts all their zeal for other, but Luke is said to have con- inquiry.

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tradicted himself; for in his gospel The Canonico Recupero, who, it he tells us, that Jesus ascended into seems, is engaged in writing the hisheaven from Bethany; and in the tory of Mount Etna, has discovered Acts of the Apostles, of which he is a stratum of lava, which flowed from the reputed author, he informs us, that mountain, according to his opithat Jesus ascended from Mount nion, in the time of the second Punic Olivet. Your objection proceeds ei-war, or about two thousand years ther from your ignorance of geogra- ago; this stratum is not yet covered phy, or your ill will to Christianity; with soil, sufficient for the production and upon either supposition, deserves of either corn or vines; it requires, our contempt; be pleased, however, then, says the Canon, two thousand to remember for the future, that years, at least, to convert a stratum of

lava into a fertile field. In sinking which the heaps of iron slag, which a pit near Jaci, in the neighbourhood resembles lava, are covered with verof Etna, they have discovered evident dure, is different at different furnaces, marks of seven distinct lavas, one according to the nature of the slag, under the other; the surfaces of and situation of the furnace; and which are parallel, and most of them something of this kind is deducible covered with a thick bed of rich earth; from the account of the Canon himnow, the eruption which formed the self; since the crevices of this falowest of these lavas (if we may be al- mous stratum are really full of rich, lowed to reason, says the Canon, from good soil, and have pretty large trees analogy,) flowed from the mountain growing in them. at least fourteen thousand years ago. But if all this should be thought -It might be briefly answered to this not sufficient to remove the objection, objection, by denying that there is I will produce the Canon an analogy any thing in the history of Moses in opposition to his analogy, and repugnant to this opinion concerning which is grounded on more certain the great antiquity of the earth; for facts. Etna and Vesuvius resemble though the rise and progress of arts each other, in the causes which proand sciences, and the small multipli- duce their eruptions, and in the nacation of the human species, render ture of their lavas, and in the time it almost to a demonstration probable, necessary to mellow them into soil that man has not existed longer upon fit for vegetation; or if there be any the surface of this earth, than accord- slight difference in this respect, it is ing to the Mosaic account; yet, that probably not greater than what subthe earth was then created out of no- sists between different lavas of the thing, when man was placed upon it, same mountain. This being admitis not, according to the sentiments of ted, which no philosopher will deny, some philosophers, to be proved from The Canon's analogy will prove just the original text of sacred scripture; nothing at all, if we can produce an we might, I say, reply with these instance of seven different lavas with philosophers, to this formidable ob- interjacent strata of vegetable earth, jection of the Canon, by granting it which have flowed from mount Vesuin its fullest extent; we are under no vius, within the space, not of fourteen necessity, however, of adopting their thousand, but of somewhat less than opinion, in order to show the weak- seventeen hundred years; for then, ness of the Canon's reasoning. For according to our analogy, a stratum of in the first place, the Canon has not lava may be covered with vegetable satisfactorily established his main soil, in about two hundred and fifty fact, that the lava in question is the years, instead of requiring two thouidentical lava which Diodorus Sicu- sand for the purpose. The eruption of lus mentions to have flowed from Vesuvius, which destroyed HerculaEtna in the second Carthaginian neum and Pompeii, is rendered still war; and in the second place, it may more famous by the death of Pliny, be observed, that the time necessary recorded by his nephew, in his letter for converting the lavas into fertile to Tacitus; this event happened in fields, must be very different, accord- the year 79: it is not yet then quite ing to the different consistencies of seventeen hundred years since Herthe lavas, and their different situa- culaneum was swallowed up: but tions, with respect to elevation or we are informed by unquestionable depression; to their being exposed authority, that 'the matter which coto winds, rains, and to other cir- vers the ancient town of Herculacumstances; just as the time, in neum, is not the produce of one erup