Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1817-12-09
ANCIENT TESTIMONIES /,
concerning Jesus Of .Nozsreth, &c.-NO. X.
FROM THE GAZE.

Dec. L, 1871.
CELSIUS, seems willing to acknow ledge that Je
sus was an Angel; but says he ought not to be
distinguished from other Angels who are said to
have appeared 10 Moses, to Mary, to Joseph and
many others. lie says that Jesus wrought mira
cles but that it was done by the power of Magic,
having learne! the spells and charms 0! the Egyp
tians, after he carried thither, by Joseph his
father, To avoid the persecution OF Herod. That
he was foretold by the ancient prophets, he does
not deny but contends that these prophecies will
apply TO Others as well as jesus and places them
on the same ground with the Soothsayers and Ora
cles of the Greeks and other Heather nations.
He also acknowledges that Jesus reached his
whole life time, aud that he died openly in view
the whole world
There are many other things which go to prove
that CELSIUS was acquainted with the Gospels. He
produces several of Saviour's savings there re-
corded as that . IL is easier fora Camel 10 go
through the eye ofG needle, than for rich man TO
enter info the sngdont of God J" that " TO him ucbo
sn,iteS on the one cheek, ICE must turn the other
that is moi possible to serre tco masters His pre-
cepts, against hoaghiJulnesS for toaaorr0fc, by
comparison which he draws from Ur0wS and lilies
His foretellng, that false prophets acouh arise and
leork aconders; his saying . Eoe unto you, &c
he also mentions some passages from the apostle
Paul. such as these " The tcortd is crucifed unt0
me and unto the worM - (" The acisdom of men Is
foo!ishress uith God: f" an Idol is nothing &c,"-
Upon the whole, there are about eighty quota.
tions in CELSIUS of which Origen takes notice And
whilst be argues in perverse and malicious
ner, he still takes ii for granted the foundation
ofhis argument, that whatsoever absurdties he
could fasten upon the words or actions of Jesus
recorded in the Evangeists il would be valid OBJ
lection against christianity thereby assuring us
not only that such book did really exist but that
il was universally received by Christians in those
times as credible and divine.
| have before remarked that CELSIUS lived at no
great distance FROM the Apostolic age, and al a
time when all religions were tolerated but the
christians when no evidence was stifed--no books
destroyed bat the christian. j also add, that if he
wrote as some contend, about the year A. ID. f47
he might have been born before the death of St
John the Evangelist, who, it is well known, lived
TO be near 100 years ofage. And yet CELSIUS la
boured under the same want of evidence, as Woods
ton Tindal and others, and had only the gospel to
search, for evidence against the gospel. strong
evidence that there never had been any books Of
any credit in the world, that questioned the truth
of the gospel facts, when so spitelul, and artfu
adversary as CELSIUS made no use Of then
Nor can it be supposed that CELSIUS would have ad-
mitted the miracles of Christ real facts, had he
not been compelled to il by the universal consent
of all men in the age he lived.
The fragments of the work Of CELSIUS are undoub-
tedy of great Importance and il is fortunate TO the
christian world that all his objections are preSer
we'd in his own language, by the learned Oriscn
who wrote an answer to them after minute exam
ination of them, even of those that appeared to
Elm most frivolous.
The use TO be made fall this is, that il appears
with an uncontested evidence, by the testimony,
OF one of the most malicious and viruent adver.
saries the christian religion ever had /; and who
was also man of abilities and learning, tthat the
writing OF the evangelsts were extant Ia his time
which was in the second Century, and not long af
ter the death of ST. John the evangelist and that
these accounts were written by the Disciples Of Je-
sus and consequently at the time when the facts
there related were done. The foregoing account
of the writings. of Celsul imperfect as it
is, may be an indhcenlent, for US, TO admire the
depth of divine wisdom, in laying such firm foun-
daton for our faith 10 the gospel history, in the
writings of one who was so inveterate an enemy
to it, aud indefatgabe in bis attempts to over
throw il.
ETrata.-In my last number, there was an error
of the press. Instead Of Gospels then extinct
read extant