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    Tvith him . He was besides struck blind an < J afterwards miraculously cured by the Hands of Ananias . This could not have been the effect of a heated imagination . How can it be accounted for except on the supposition that the miracle was real ? .

    And this supposition not only accounts satisfactorily for the difference in his conduct , but will not appear unreasonable if it be considered that Paul was a zealous , though mistaken religionist before this event ; that even when he was- a furious persecutor , he meant to perform an acceptable service to his IVIaker ; but that his prejudices against the Christians were so inveterate that

    nothing short of a palpable miracle could convince him that their profession was true ; that there was no miraculous change in his disposition , but only a proper direction given to his zeal ; and that there needed nothing , else to convert him into a very labprious . promoter of the truth . When these circumstances

    are fairly considered , it will perhaps be admitted by the candid inquirer , not only that the miracle performed for the conversion of Paul , "was not iC an . incredible thing , " but that it was worthy of Divine power , and one of the most useful that ever was wrought . But * ' Paul was not insensible to the

    charms of power . * Will ** A Churchman" permit me to ask if he would have accepted of Paul ' s pre-eminence , attended "with Paul's persecution ? or i £ he thinks any other man would , . who enjoyed the right use of h > s understanding , if he were not firmly convinced and perfectly satisfied in his own mind , that what he taught was true ?

    What is observed respecting the general circumstances of Jerusalem and of Rome may perhaps be admitted . Many of them might be favourable to imposture , and many impostures no doubt existed . . Still this does not prove that there could be no such thing as a revelation free from deceit . It should

    certainly excite us to make a more careful and more rigid inquiry into the circumstan- / ces attending * the origin and progress or our religion ; but cannot justify us in rejecting it without examination . If its evidence be defective , let it be given up ; but not mereiy because there' were some impostors ;

    Had the Christian religion been founded on deception , it might have been detected aad exposed with the

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    greatest advantage , at the time when , and at the place where , it first originated . And why was it not then detected and exposed ? Wljy was not the lifeless corpse of its founder publicly exhibited after the time , when according to his prediction , he was to rise from the dead ? Did his enemies want the will

    or the power thus to refuse hjs pretensions ? We are informed that they set a guard over his sepulchre , and most probably for this very purpose . But what was the result ? At the expected time the body was gone . His disciples , affirmed that he was risen ; and the soldiers declared that he had been stolen away while they were asleep .

    But it ' may be replied , that this is the account given by his own di .-ciples . From whom besides his disciples could weext pect such an accotfnt admitting it to be true ? Who could consistently receive it without ^ becoming his disciple ? If it were related as matter of fact by one who notwithstanding did not profess to

    believe in his religion , should we not reasonably question his sincerity ? Whereas if he embraced the religion and thereby exposed himself to severe persecution , his integrity would be evinced beyond all reasonable doubt ; and this was precisely the conduct of the first followers of Christ .

    : Still it may be argued , all this , including the conduct of the first Christians , is related only by Christians . Very true ; but it is a clear and consistent account ; it is not contradicted by any -cotemporary historians ; -and it mu > t

    have been along time before Christiani ty was sufficiently prosperous to induce any one to foige any thing * relative to it ; and had an attempt been made to forge an account of its origin , I do not see for reasons stated before , how it could possibly have succeeded . 44 1

    No one , ' we are told , " is pesecutcd , before he 16 noticed and distinguished , and it is agreeable to the principles of human action , that men hazard the chance of suffering for the pleasure of distinction . " Vory few , we may presume , except the wildest enthusiasts ,

    would expose themselves to almost certain sufferings and death , for the sakq of being ranked amongst the leaders of a party . And after what kind of distinction can we suppose them . to have aspired ? Pr . e-eminence in disgrace ; to be the leaders of a sect that was every where spoken against . " Is such a dia-

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    666 Mr . All chin * s Answer , to the Churchman ' s Reply .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1808, page 666, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2399/page/30/