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    " The former effect is or ought to be produced , when such circumstances and considerations are alleged as cannot be accounted for upon any other hypothesis than that which supposes the truth of the religion : but to accomplish the latter object , the circumstances in the documents of the religion which , as the sceptic thinks , are incompatible with the belief of their divine origin , must also be satisfactorily explained . "

    Taking it for granted that the truth of revelation implies the inspiration of every word in the Bible , the sceptic demands that all the apparent contradictions should be reconciled , which arise out of the literal interpretation of the sacred text ; and in this demand he is abetted by Mr . Noble . The question is , Does he think rightly ? Is he entitled to make such demand ? Or , rather , Is not the truth of the religion more easily and satisfactorily made out by abandoning this vain and needless attempt to reconcile trifling contradictions , by considering the credibility of the Scripture history as superior indeed in degree , but similar in kind , to that of all other history , and seeking for inspiration only in those parts which expressly lay claim to it ?

    The real nature of the evidence derived from miracles seems to be strangely misconceived in the following passage : " The perpetual theme of modern defenders of Christianity , is , miracles ; which , they shew , were certainly performed by Jesus Christ and the apostles , and which they extol as the proper evidences of a Divine Revelation . So far as relates to the latter assertion , the Deist is ready enough to take them at their word : he admits that miracles are proper evidences , and desires ,

    therefore , to see some performed . With the express terms of this request , the Christian advocate declines to comply ; but he undertakes to prove , instead of it , that the sceptics of former ages might , if they pleased , have had that satisfaction . But do not both parties somewhat mistake the matter ? If the evidence of miracles were so convincing as the Deistical writers usually suppose , how come some of their acutest reasoners to object to Christianity on that very ground , —because it records them among its documents ? If , on the other hand , that evidence were so essential as the Christian advocates

    admit , how can we account for their having ceased ; and ceased , not only in countries where the profession of Christianity is established , but even where attempts are made to sow in new soils the seed of the gospel ? Ought not this palpable fact to make the Christian hesitate about affirming so confidently , that miracles are so highly important as evidences of the truth of revelation ?"—Pref . p . iv . The demand to see a miracle performed is surely most unreasonable . B y the same rule every individual of the human race is equally entitled to have

    his scruples removed in the same way ; and miracles would thus be multiplied to such a degree as to interfere with the attainment of those objects for the sake of which the uniform course of nature was established . Is our author prepared to admit that a conviction , derived from the senses , of the reality of a miracle is an adequate proof of a divine commission , and at the same time to deny that any proof can be obtained from testimony of such facts having formerly taken place , sufficient to serve as the foundation of a rational belief ? If so , there is an end of all historical evidence , and we can

    rely upon nothing which is not exhibited in our own immediate presence . According to him , the labours of modern writers are inadequate to render us absolutel y certain of the reality of Scripture miracles , and this he considers as an advantage , because our minds are by this means placed in a sort of impartial equilibrium , which is peculiarly favourable to the search ( after hidden meanings , and assists us to reconcile what we find in hol y writ with our preconceived notions of what a revelation from God might to be .

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    Review . —Noble on the Inspiration of the Scriptures . 526

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 2, 1827, page 525, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1798/page/53/