Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-01-01

INV which can inpeach the miracles of
Christianity. or the integrity OF It's first
teachers.
Il may be observed, that in pursuing
the line Of contiguily from the days OF the
apostles, the written testimonies Tor the
truth Of the Christian miracles follow one
another in closer succession, than we have
any other example of in ancient history.
/ But what gives such peculiar and unpre-
cedented evidence 10 the history of the
! Gospel is, that in The concurrence OF the
/ multitudes who embraced it, and IN the
existence Of those numerous churches
and societies of men who espoused
/ the profession of the Christian faith,
we cannot but perceive, that every
small interval of tine between the writ
ten testimonies of authors is filled up by
materials so strong and SO firmly cement
ed, as TO presen. US with an unbroken
chain of evidence, carrying as much au-
thoritv along with it, as if it had been
diurnal record, commencing from the
days Of the apostles. and authenticated
Through its whole progress by the testI-
mony of thousands.
Every convert to the Christian faith in
those DAYS, gives one additional testimony
to the truth of the Gospel history. Is he
ii Gentle? The sincerity of his testimo-
my is approved by the prosecutions, the
sufefngs. the danger, and often the GER
tainty of marlyrdom, which the profess
ion of Christianity incurred. Is he a
Jew? The sincerity of his testimony is
approved by all these evidences, and in
addition TO them by this wei! known fact,
: that the faith and doctrine OF christianity
were in the highest degree repugnant TO
: the wishes and prejudices of that people.
1 1t ought never to be forgotten, that in as
: far as Jews are concerned Christianity
e does not owe single proselyte to its doc
: trEes, but to the power and creGlt OF lis
I evidences, and that Judea was the chic
: theatre on which these evidences were ex
l. hibi,ed 1t cannot be too often repeated
II that these evidences rest not upon algu
n ments, but upon facts; and that the time
and the place, and the circumstances, rem
:, dered these facts accessible TO the lnqul
J. ries of all who chose to be at the trouble
y of this examination. And there can b.
>, no doubt that this trouble was taken
l. whether we reflect on the nature of thC
1t Christian faith, as being so offensive t.
II the pride and bigotry OF toe Jewish PEG
Of Die, or whether we reflect on the conse
, quences Of embracing 1t, which were de
e fision, and hatred, and Punishment, ant
t death. We may be sure, that ste
e. which involved in it such painful sacrihc
irrI
IN and insufficient grounds. In the sacrltc
$ rs they made, the Jewish converts CAV
k every evidence of having delivered a
" honest testimony in favor Of the Christla
le miracles; and when we reflect, that ma
lie nv OF them must have been eyewitness
IS and all Of them had il in their power
d. verify these miracles, by conversation an
correspondence with bv-slanders, theI
IN can be no doubt, that it was not merely a
es honest, but IA competent testimony. The
oft is no fact better established, than that m
M NY thousands among the Jews believed
nv jesus and his apostles; and we have Their
&C. fore to allege their conversion, as a stror
mt. additional confirmation TO the written te
or timonv of the original historians.
the One of the popular objections agai
the the truth of the Christian miracles, is |
no. general infidelity of The Jewish people.
ess We are convinced, that at the moment
eX- proposing this objection, an actual de
snt, sion exists in the mind of the infdel.
= of his conception. the Jews and the Chr
-wo ians stand opposed 10 each other. ln
ter belief Of the later, be sees nothing bu
hes party OF an interested testimony, and
les, the unbeief of the former, he sees
ect whole people persevering in their ancI
the faith, and resisting the new faith on
leIe ground of its Insufficient evidences.
the forgets all the while, that the testimon
- great many of these Christians, L
vid- fact the testimony of Jews. He only
acts tends to them in their present capacity
lion, He contemplales them in the ligh
eye Christians, and anneXeS TO them all
was suspicion and incredibly which are
dull orally annexed TO the testimony OF an
erify terested party He is aware OF W
o, in they are at present, Christians and def
and ers of Christianity but he has lost s
n no of their original situation, and is tot
What unmndful of this circumstance, tina
pos their transition from Judaism to Chi
the anitv, they have given him the very
here dence he is in quest of. Had ano
y thousand Of these Jews renounced
n on faith Of their ancestors, and embraced
f the religion Of Jesus, they would have
every equivalent to thousand additional
: aud monies in favor Of Christianity, and
a foil monies 100 of tae strongest and most
fleet, suspicious kind, that can well be ina
scat ed. But this evidence would max
If the impression on the mini OF an iniicl,
which the strength Of ii is disguised, even
Irvine the eyes of the Christian. These