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no cause can be assigned for their declaring the present scriptures , which are so condemnatory of that character , to be authentic , and other works quite in the spirit of that character , to be unauthentic , but the notoriety of the falseness of these and of the
truth of those . This argument is so important that the author deserves the privilege of stating it for himself "I will suppose a case , by way of illustrating- my argument : —Had it so happened respecting the Walcheren
expedition , the impeachment of the Duke of York , or . on the charge against Lord Casilereagh for bartering" sej&ts in the House © f Commons , on each of which occasions , it was evident to jail , that it was the interest and wish of ministers to screen the
parties accused ; I say , had it so happened that there had been documents of a contradictory nature presented to the House of Commons , one completely condemning , and the other as entirely acquitting the parties $ and had the ministers received the documents as genuine which condemned , and rejected as spurious those which would
liave acquitted them ; would it not have been allowed by all , that the motives which prompted them thus to act were , that the eYideuee was so strong and decisive in favour of one , and so contrary to the other , that they could not act otherwise , however wjell disposed they
might be so to do ? Or , suppose a lord chancellor of England sitting- in judgment on a case where his own life , honour and fortune , were at stake ; that he was in possession of a variety of documents , spme © f which , if received as true , would entirely acquit him , while the others if received as authentic must condemn him . ^» " ^ « . ¦ v - — ***** ^ - * U *>* . « . V * J . I ; * . ^ - > 111 Ut ? t ^ . V / ll \ 1 ^ . 111 if JtJlil *
and that when the matter came for tr ^ al lie should acknowledge those which were against him to be lr _ ue , and utterly reject as false those which were in his favour ; would any man hesitate in saying that lie Jtnew that a different conduct would l > e of no avail , because he was convinced that such was the evidence in favour of those
against him , and against such as were for him , that it was impossible to destroy | hat evidence by any evasion whatever ? And after such an admission , could any person doubt the validity of those writing-s he had acknowledged to be true , while his disposition and interest so powerfully pleaded in behalf of Ins rejecting- them ?
3 ut if a / ter he had acknowledged their truth , he wished to avoid the consequences , end keep these writings in his own possession , what should we naturally expect would be his conduct ? Why , that he would do all in his power to keep them from public vietr , and especially from the sight of those persons immediately interested \ n
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them . This , in my opinion , is a case in point with those who voted the New Tes tanaent to be genuine records of Christianity , and rejected all others . A cl amour had been raised against their usurpations they were constrained to call a council ' and sit in judgement upon themselves ; thev collected tog-ether all the writings
respecting" Christianity 5 and such was the force df evidence in behalf of some , and against others , that they were obliged to reject a * spurious the documents that favoured their cause , and to receive as genuine those which condemned it ; but being in posses , sion of power , they contrived to-shut these genuine writings from public view , and at last imposed pains and penalties here
and hereafter upon those who even dared to read them , lest they should explain them so jas to condemn their conduct . I say , then , it is to the advantage of Ghistianity tliat they did not collect these writings till the time Mr . Paine mentions , when the church was at its zenith of corruption ; as it offers to us an infallible proof that the writings they have admitted were really genuine and authentic .
" Here then I call for an adequate cause for their having so acted , and I defy any man to assign even a probable one , if we admit the possibility of the writings of the New Testament being- otherwise than genuine or authentic 5 for bad there been a shadow of doubt against them , these men must and would have rejected them , their
disposition and interest calling so loudly for it ; but I will now assign a cause why they did receive them , and why they rejected the others . In the first place , those writings which were received were very extensively diffused ; they were read ia every Christian society 5 they were valued and preserved with care by the first Christians , particularly by those who had
escaped the general contamination $ they had been quoted by all the early writer ? , and brought with them such evidence , tbqt though they condemned all the doctrines and practices of the council , they did not dare to reject them 5 while the others which they did reject , were so notoriously known to be false , tbat although they effectually suited their purpose , they did not dare to retain them ; for what other cause can he
assigned for their receiving the one in preference to the other , so contrary to their interest and disposition ? If any otber ^ dequate cause can be shewn , I shall be happy to see u 5 but if it cannot , * nd the cause I have" assigned is , aa I believe it \\\
to be , not only an adequate , but the oy adequate cause , then Christianity n » ust triumph , and thb objection , which has been brought so confidently to prove th « New Testaments be false , does most infallibly prove it to be true . " Fp- 67—69 . The R / esumction of Christ is the
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516 Jleview . w-Christopkilu& on the Evidences of Revealed Religion .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1815, page 516, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1763/page/52/
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