will require but few arguments to fhew that the miracles contained in it, are true, that the writers were inspired persons, and that our holy faith is a revelation of the will of God.

On this fubject the learned author of the following work, Dr. Lefs, had himself entertained doubts during many years of his life: for his own private fatisfaction he instituted a fevere and rigid inquiry: the refult is exhibited to the Public in the present treatise; and to himself the confequence was a folid, rational, and fatisfactory conviction. The Original was put into my hands, during my refidence in Germany, by a perfon of diftinguished worth: on perusal it appeared to me extremely well calculated, from its concifenefs, perfpicuity, and severity of examination to produce the fame effect on others, and to be of service to the Chriftian caufe; as I cannot conceive it poffible for any man, who honestly and impartially feeks after truth, to read it with the attention which the fubject demands, without receiving the fame conviction which the author himself obtained. This opinion of the original work first led me to form the defign of tranflating it into my native language.

Few

Few are the writers who have exprefsly treated on the Authenticity of the books of the New Teftament, and fewer still who have done it in a manner always fatisfactory to the reader. Du Pin is miferably defective: and Jones feems to have been anxious rather to fhew that certain writings are Apocryphal, than to prove that the books of the New Teftament are Canonical. Indeed he has paffed over all the Epiftles and the Apocalypfe without paying the leaft regard to them.

But fince his time Dr. Lardner has employed immenfe labour and profound erudition on the fame fubject: nor do I know any man to whom the Chriftian world has more obligations than to the author of the Credibility of the Gospel-History. He appears to have almost exhausted his subject, and to have rendered any fubfequent undertaking of a fimilar nature perfectly unneceffary. Inftead of giving my own opinion on the difference between the prefent treatise and the voluminous work of Lardner, I will lay before the reader the fentiments of the great Michaelis and of the Rev. Herbert Marfh, one of the most accurate Theological scholars that any age or country has ever produced. "The best treatises" fays Michaelis upon

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upon this fubject (the authenticity of the New Teftament) are Lardner's Credibility of the Gofpel-Hiftory, and Lefs's Truth of the Chriftian Religion (the subject of the following fheets). The former of thefe works, which has been cenfured for its prolixity, contains a very large collection of teftimonies from the Fathers and other ancient writers, and is highly va luable to those who would examine the whole feries of evidence for the authenticity of the New Teftament. The works of Lardner have been lefs read, than they deserve: every one interested in this inquiry fhould possess them, were it only for occafional reference, and they are indifpenfible to a clergyman, who cannot remain indifferent on fo important a fubject, and whofe duty is not only to believe but to convinced. The latter of these works is more agreeable to read because prolixity is avoided, and it is easy to overfee the whole chain of reafoning at a fingle view. Various. teftimonies which Lardner had quoted, are omitted by Lefs, because they were not fufficiently convincing, and he has fupplied what Lardner had omitted. Every reader will remark, in perufing this treatife, what I have learnt in frequent converfation with the author,

that it is the refult of a confcientious, even anxiously confcientious inquiry, which he had inftituted for his own private conviction. Doubts on which Lardner never thought, he has felt and proved." Thus far Michaelis: and his learned tranflator has borne his teftimony to the value of the present work in a note to the paffage juft quoted: " It would be impoffible" fays he " to give an abridgement of it in these notes, as the author himself is very concife: but the whole deferves to be tranflated in a feparate work."-To the tef timony of fuch authorities I will add nothing: that which has obtained the praise of Michaelis, and the recommendation of Marsh, needs no further panegyric.

I have only to fay a few words in respect to the tranflation.-It is made from the laft edition of the Original printed at Gottingen 1786, and is always, it is hoped, faithful to the sense of the author, and generally as literal as the peculiar idioms of the different languages will allow. The whole work of Dr. Lefs, which is called by the general name of Geschichte der Religion, or Hiftory of Religion, is comprised in three volumes. The firft is employed on the hiftory of both natural and revealed Re

ligion. In the fecond the divine origin of Chriftianity is proved at large. And the third is occupied with the examination and refutation of objections to the Christian Religion.

As the following treatise is taken from the body of a work of fuch magnitude, which is only divided according to the grand divifions of the fubject, I conceived it neceffary to alter its form by breaking it into the fubdivifions of books, chapters &c.; in order that the connection of one part with another might be more readily perceived, and the whole more eafily comprehended. From the same cause I have fometimes omitted a word, a fentence, or even a whole paragraph, which appeared unneceffary in the prefent inquiry, and had an evident reference to parts of the work unconnected with the fubject of these sheets.

In the quotations from the Holy Scriptures, Lefs has frequently paraphrafed the paffage, from a defire to convey the sense without retaining the obsolete phraseology of the authorised tranflation of his country. It was my wish to have always adhered literally to our English verfion; but, as a translator, I have been obliged, in order to retain my author's argument, to retain the form in which it is

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