7, and ii. 8, to Isaiah xli. 4, xliii. 11, and xliv. 6; John
xxi. 16, 17, and Revelations ii. 23, to 1st Kings viii. 39; John vii.
9, Jeremiah xi. 20, and xvii. 20, Revelations xx. 12,. to Isaiah xl.
10; and, to crown all, Jesus, in Revelations i. 13, 14,15, 16, 17, is
described in almost the same words as is the Supreme God; "the
Ancient of Days" in Daniel, 7th chapter; and were there not other
proofs in abundance to this purpose, this resemblance alone would
decide me.

I now leave it to the cool judgment of the reader, whether Jesus
prophecied truly, or did, or did not, teach the duty of paying
religious homage to other beings besides God? and, if so, it is
consequent, according to the tests by Christians acknowledged to
be given by God himself in Deuteronomy, that if Jesus was not
sent by, or from, him; for if he was--God's own words would be
contradicted by God's own deeds.

CHAPTER XVI.

EXAMINATION OF THE EVIDENCE, EXTERNAL AND
INTERNAL, IN FAVOR OF THE CREDIBILITY OF THE
GOSPEL HISTORY.

In the preceding chapters, I have taken the New Testament as I
found it, and have argued upon the supposition that Jesus and the
apostles really said, and reasoned, as has been stated. I will now
endeavour to show, by an examination of the authenticity of the
four gospels, that it is not certain that they were really guilty of
such mistakes as are related of them in those books.

*The life and doctrines of Jesus, and his followers, are contained in
the pieces composing the volume called the New Testament. The
genuineness of the books, i. e., whether they were written by those
to whom they are ascribed, must be judged of, from the external
testimony concerning them, and from internal marks in the books
themselves; for the miraculous acts therein, and therein only,
contained and related, cannot prove the truth and authenticity of
the books, because the authority and credibility of the books
themselves must be firmly established, before the miracles related
in them can reasonably be admitted as real facts.

Now, the external evidence in favour of these books, is the
testimony of those men called "the fathers;" and as the value of
testimony depends upon the character of the witnesses, it would be
proper, first, to state as much as, can be learned of these men. As
time will not permit me to adduce all that might be said upon this
subject, I shall here only take upon me to assert, that they were
most credulous, superstit