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some things wbicli are unworthy of an apostle of Christ ; and , with this exception , oar author admits the received canon , though he properly intimates that , in our common editions of the New
Testament , it is desirable to distinguish between the £ > ooks which were universally admitted and those which were disputed : Mr . Evanson ' s Dissonance he informs
us ? ( 59 ) nas not . operated ( produ . ee d ) conviction upon his mind , in opposition to the unanimous Toice of Christian antiquity . At the occurrence of this
respected name , we trust that we shall be excused for adding a few words upon the publication and the character with which it is associated . We , too , have repeatedly read the Dissonance , hut never with conviction . It
contains , undoubtedly , some weighty remarks and some ingenious criticisms : yet , in the main , we cannot assent to its reasoning ; nor do "we always admire its spirit and its language . The testimony of the
early Christian writers it wholly sets aside , because many of their epmuiis were weak and childish ; and therefore they could not be competent witnesses of facts /
Several passages in the gospels of Matthew , Mark and John , it charges with inconsistency , if not with contradiction ; although most of them are explicable , and have , in fact , been explained , on the
pr inciples-of judicious and candid interpretation ! Much , neverth e less , as we differ from this author , we are among the first to do justice to the integrity of his character and the purity of his views . He was a sincere and
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exemplary Christian * : lits heart and his pen' were devoted to tlia cause of truth ; and ; in receiving the narratives of Luke and the epistles of Paul , he received testi - mony which , in Mr . B . ' s words , cc amply sufficient to establish the gospel history +. " To
abandon any of the evangelical writings which are capable qf a just and satisfactory defence , would indeed be pusillanimous : let not the memory of Mr . E . however , be stigmatized with the odious names of heretical and
unbelieving , in consequence of the New Testament which he used being smaller than our own : it is the New 'Testament still ;—for it is
the history of Christ ' s death and resurrection ! In the volume before us the writer of the Dissefnance is properly styled learned and excellent , and his industry ingenuity and exemplary integrity , are spok en of with admiration hut we have witnessed yrlih disgust the style and
temper of some recent attacks on his religious opinions ; and we cannot but wish that men who profess to be separate from the church of Rome won Id not even , appear to claim a portion of her assumed infallibility . To such of our readers as are impressed by Mr . Evanson's arguments in favour of the gospel of Luke exclusively ) we strongly recommend the considerations
ad-* See the Memoirs of his Life , &c . prefixed to his Posthumous Sermons , especially pp . xxxviii , xxxix . f Marsh says , " The truth of Christianity might subsist without a single re-r cord . Ib . Vol . I . p . 378 .
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272 Bclshara ' s Summary Ficzc .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1807, page 272, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2380/page/48/
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