The books extant at present in the New Testa- ment are the fame writings which were This is proved 2. Because an univerfal corruption of these writ- ings was impoffible: nor can the leaft veftige of fuch a corruption be found in 3. From the agreement of the manuscripts SECT. IX. They fuffered for the truth of their narration every thing, even death. And PART I. THE AUTHENTICITY OF. THE NEW TESTAMENT. BOOK I. Öf the Internal Evidence. CHAP. I. The Neceffity of this Inquiry. THE faith of Chriftians is thus diftinguished from all the other religions of the world: it pronounces Jefus to be the Redeemer of men, promised by God, the only cause of their falvation, and afferts his doctrine to be undeniably true. Should there, then, never have exifted in the world a perfon, who, in the time of the Roman Emperour Auguftus, was born at Bethlehem of Mary, a Jewish virgin, and known to his countrymen by the name of Jefus; fhould this Jefus never have performed any miracles, in order to prove the truth of his doctrines; fhould he not have arifen from the dead; fhould he, laftly, have never uttered any true prophecies; then the Articles of the Chriftian Faith are, without doubt, a forgery. But fhould these facts be incontrovertibly true, then it is equally incontrovertible, that the religion of Chriftians is alfo true. The Chriftian religion, therefore, is founded on facts, and confequently must be proved in the fame manner as we prove the truth of other hiftorical fubjects. The evidences which Chriftians adduce for the truth of thefe facts, are contained in the Books of the New Teftament. The authors of these books are the witneffes, on whofe credit Christians believe that history. If, therefore, the credibility of thefe authors, and of their writings, can be as ftrictly |