writer as prefuppofed as matters of fact, which were univerfally known at the time when he wrote. The little unimportant, foreign events of the first century, which in the books of the New Teftament, and especially in the hiftorical, are touched on only cafually and very flightly, in fo unftudied and unaffected a manner, evince a writer, to whofe memory these facts were still quite recent, and who presupposed that his contemporaries were as well acquainted with them as himself. I fhall give examples of this in the course of the work.

They are faid to have been immediate witnesses of their narratives, or to have themselves feen and heard what they relate. Even this circumftance is every where clearly difcoverable. They relate with the confidence of men who are convinced that their readers already know that they themselves faw and experienced all, and that their affertions

may

may therefore be confidered as proofs. They relate, without mentioning the eras of their hiftory, or carefully characterising the perfon of whom they make mention: in fhort, like men who wrote for readers that were their contemporaries, that lived at the very time in which their hiftory happened, and knew, or might eafily have known, the perfons themselves.

They are faid to have been all, except one, unlearned men. And who does not remark in the writings of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John, St. Peter, St. James, and St. Jude, that they were compofed by perfons who were indeed perfectly certain of the facts they relate; poffeffed alfo of found judgment, and in part of excellent natural talents, yet totally devoid of learning, and what is properly called fcience? We find in their works no profound inferences; no refutations which betray fubtilty; no expreffions or fimilies

taken

taken from the walks of feience; no acquired knowledge of the world. In every part the tone of an honeft hiftorian is perceptible, but of one to whom it never occurred to argue on his narrative as a philofopher. Compare their writings with thofe of St. Paul. If we even put out of the queftion the Epiftle to the Hebrews, which is replete with Jewifh learning; yet what profound inferences are drawn in the Epiftle to the Romans? What a variety of fine knowledge, and how much adroitnefs in defending himself with delicacy and fubtilty against the accufations of his enemies, are betrayed in the Epiftles to the Corinthians? With what acutenefs does he oppofe the doctrine of the neceffity of circumcifion, and of adherence to the Mofaic law, in the Epiftle to the Galatians? The Epiftles to the Ephefians, Philippians, Coloffians, and Thef

e Particularly ch. v. 9.
C

d ch. iii.

falonians,

falonians, contain a variety of fimilies taken from profane knowledge; allufions to foreign cuftoms; a luxuriance of ideas; pathethic and ftrong refutations of accufations. The Epiftles to Timothy and Titus fhew in particular a mind which, from experience and philofophic obfervation of the world, had obtained confiderable legislative knowledge. And the Epiftle to Philemon has almoft, if I may be allowed to say it, the ftyle of courtly urbanity.

If, therefore, we knew nothing of the real authors of these books, and were to form our judgment of them only from what we difcover internally, we fhould fuppofe that they were written by native Jews, during the first century, and by immediate witnesses, and that only one of them was a fcho

e For example, Ephef. ii. 20-22. iii. 14-19. iv. 9. 10. v. 3. vi. 10-17. Philip. ii. 17. Coloff. it 14-18. 1 Theff. iv. 13-18, &c.

lar.

lar. This matter deferves a more am

ple inquiry.

The Scriptures of the New Teftament are compofed in the Greek languagė. This agrees very accurately with the accounts we have of their authors, and of the time and defign of their compofition. The Greek language was at that period, in the firft century of the Romah monarchy, and had been, fince Alexander the Great, a kind of univerfal language, juft as the French is. at present. It was understood and spoken by Greeks, by Romans, and by` Jews. The greater part of the Chriftians alfo, especially of those to whom the Epiftles of the New Teftament are addreffed, would not have comprehended them fo univerfally in any other language. At Corinth, Theffalonica, Coloffe, and in Galatia, fcarcely was another language understood. Befides the Latin and Aramaan tongues, the Greek

C 2