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I take them for some of the worst that have ever been published, some of those that have most misled the denominated Christians, and prevented them most from penetrating into the meaning and knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures and I cannot but regret very much that pious persons have esteemed and praised such a writer. Would it not have been more consistent with their reverence for the Bible, to reject him with contempt for his having presumed to alter parts of it? If after a cool and impartial discussion of his history, it should, on account of his misrepresenting the Old Testament as the particular and literal narrative of what concerned his own nation, be at last looked upon by this generation, as fabulous and false, the same as it was by his cotempararies; and if it is true, according to his learned translators, that "there are no writings extant of equal authority with "His, and which exhibit such incontestible evidence in "favour of the truths of Christianity;" what opinion shall we henceforth entertain of the relations that have been handed to us to countenance the Catholic system, by some of the early denominated Christians, who lived in an age of much greater simplicity, credulousness, and superstition than the present; and among whom, most likely, every devout person thought himself bound to receive implicitly, and without inquiry, whatever was presented to him in support of his religious notions, and to propagate it for the edification of others? Should it be proved, some day or other, by a competent authority, as I hope it will be, that this visible earth is no where mentioned in the Scriptures, then all the accounts that have been transmitted to us, to show that the events it speaks of have happened on this globe, will

fall to nothing, and will be considered as mere fables, undeserving the name of traditions. In the mean time, Theophila, I think it would be advantageous to you to compare them diligently with the Holy Writings, and to examine whether they can be reconciled with them. It seems to me that they cannot, and that they must be totally false, since it is impossible to make them agree with the Word of truth.*

Allow me to refer you particularly to the 24th chapter of St. Matthew, the 13th of St. Mark, and the 21st of St. Luke: wherein Christ speaks to his disciples of the approaching destruction of the Temple (which is commonly understood among us of the material edifice that was called so in the Jerusalem of which Titus got possession, but which I should rather understand either of

It is not in my power to say who were the first to whom Divine Providence was pleased to send the Gospel; whether they were pagans, or some of the scattered Jews. I am inclined to believe that they were persons living at a good distance from Jerusalem, having hardly any communication, perhaps none with it, and who, from want of intercourse with Judea, had no means to ascertain whether the facts mentioned in the New Testament had, or had not, happened literally, as it appeared to them; neither whether any of the Apostles, or any one that had conversed with them, and had been instructed by them, could be met with. One would imagine they would have spared no pains to find them out, with a view to obtain a gratifying confirmation of the reality of the events which they considered as true; and likewise some elucidation, which they must have wanted and wished for, on many points that seem hard to be understood. Ignorant as I am of the accounts of the first centuries of our era, I cannot tell whether any person has recorded with some semblance of truth, that any of the Apostles had ever been seen and spoken to on this earth which I doubt from the Gospel itself.

Solomon's philosophical temple, or of that alluded to in St. John, 2. 21. as being the only ones that are of moment to Christ's followers); and they beg of him to tell them when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of his coming, and of the end of the world.

In answer, he says, that many shall come in his name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many: that they shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, but not to be troubled; for all these things must come to pass before the end; that nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; that there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places; that they shall be delivered up to be afflicted; and shall be killed; and shall be hated of all nations, for his name's sake; that false prophets shall rise and deceive many; but that he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved; he adds that this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. He tells them what they are to do then he says to them that the tribulation will be such as never was since the beginning of the world, and never shall be. He repeats that there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, who shall show great signs and wonders; that the sun shall be darkened; that the moon shall not give her light; that the stars shall fall from heaven; that the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and that then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; that all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and that they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; that he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds,

from one end of the heaven to the other; that they shall be hated of all men for his name's sake, but that there shall not a hair of their head perish. He tells them, when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. He says that the people shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. He tells his disciples; and when these things shall begin to come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. He concludes thus: verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled: so he recommends again to them to take heed to themselves, and exhorts them to pray and watch always, that they may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man, who may come at such an hour they know and think not: and he promises to send them the Comforter, who will reveal all things to them. (I understand those things which he cannot say to them, because they are not yet in the degree of knowledge that would enable them to bear them; not having witnessed his meekness and resignation, while dead in sin; nor meditated on the very instructive way that his soul dies to sin, and gradually rises up from that grave to eternal glory, to the Spirit of his Father.)

There are other passages in confirmation of the above.

In the Acts, 1. 8. the Apostles are told that they shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon them; and that they shall be witnesses unto the

Lord, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. In 2. 4. they are filled with the Holy Ghost, and begin to speak with other tongues: 6. the multitude are confounded, because that every man, out of every nation under heaven, heard them speak in his own language: 13. in their amazement they take them to be drunken: upon which, 16. Peter tells them that this is which was spoken by the Prophet Joel: 17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.

Rom. 11. 25. Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is

written, there shall come out of Zion the

Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

13. 11. And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for

now is our salvation nearer than when we

believed.

12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.

16. 25. According to the revelation of the Mystery,

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