Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-01-15

nc gives US an eXdmDle of who
appears not to have been unconmon i
'neSe ages-he gives US an example of >
'''an adhering 10 that system which int ;.
est ana education recommended. in onno-
a'1io'i 20 the evidence of niracIe4whicb
nc 'o'nltted 10 be true. Still, even ON this
;"ppoSH'on' It IS the most unlikely tbipo
- tue world, that he would have admi,te1
tne TACT OF our Slvior's resurrection into
MS history. 1t is most improbable. that !
testimony OF this kind would have bsan
gwen, even though the resurrec,ion of L..
suS Ohrl>t be ADMITTED and t0er,,orp
'ie want OF this testimony carries in !, no
argument that the resurrection IS false
n ,nJ'' h;,l H. however, in opposition 10 all
p'oo'o'ii'y' this tes,lm my had been given.
:. "ouiu nave been appealed 10 as most
striking confirmation OF the main fact If
t u evangelical history. 1t would nave
n9ofea away in all our elementary treat.
1885, anu been referred to as a master A.
Suihent IN every exposition of the eviJenc-
$ OF Christianity. ln6dels would have
been challenged to believe in il ON H..
strength OF their own flvorite evidence
'"e evidence OF classical historian. and
must nave been at loss how t. disnass
q this TACT when they saw an unbiased
neattlen giving his round and UNQUALIFIED
testimony IN lis favor.
Ltt Us now carry the supposition . stem
further Let us conceive that Tnritna not
only believed the tacf, and cave his ,e,,;
mo"y TO IT. but that he believed it so far
DIS 10 become a Christian. Is his tes,imo.
my to be refused, because he gives his ev.
!aehce OF ITS sincerity Tacitas assert.
, ING the TACT, and remaining hea,ben. i
not SO strong All argument for the trrth or
our odVlor'S resurrection, us Taci,us as
serting the fact aud becoming Cbris,i,n
10 Consequence OF it, Yel the mo,n4n,
that this transition is NADIA transition
,oy whoa, IN point Of fact. his testimony
becomes stronger-ln point of impress.
ION II becomes less and, by deln>ion
common to the lnfiel aud the believer
the argument ls held to be weakened bv
the very circumstance which imnans
greater force to IT. The elegant and ac.
rompilShed scholar becomes > believer
ne irath, The novelty, the importance of
thIs new subject, withdraw him from eve
ry other pursuit, He shares in fbe cam
anon enthusiasm OF tho cause. and o;vas
~ ms talents add eloquence TO the SUP
port OF 1t. Instead of the Roman bis,o-
flan' faeltus comes down to posteritv in I
the shape of Christian father, and the
nigh authority of his name is lost in =
crowd of similar testimonies.
A direct testimony to the miracles oil
the New Testament from the mouth of a
heather, Is not 10 be expected. We can.
not satisfy this demand of the in6dpl bn,
we can give him host of much stronger
testimonies than he is in quest of-the les
iinonles OF those men Who were heath |
ems, and who embraced hazardous and
dIsgracefnI profession. under a dee,
conviction Of those facts to which th.y |
gave their testimony. %, but Won now
iahd Us IN the testimony of Christians y |
MS Is very true; bnt j: is the very fac, |
OF their being Christians in which ~.
strength OF The argument lies. and -
facn OF the numerous fathers of the
ChrIStlan church, we see stronger .sti- |
mony than the required testimony of the
healhen Tacitus. We see men who. ifE
they had not been Christians, would have
risen to as high an eminence as Tacitus
IN the literature of the times: and whosp
direct testimonies to the gospel history
would, IN that case, have been most i'm
pressIve, even to the mind of an infideI.--
And are these testimonies to be less i'm
pfesslve, because they were preceded BY
conviction, and sealed by marlyrdom?
Yet though, from the nature of the
case, no direct testimony to the Christian
miracles from heather can be looked |
Tor, there are heather testimonies which |
form an important accession to the Christ
IAN argument. Such are the testimonies
10 the STATE Of Judea the testimonies to
those numerous particulars in governme1
and customs which are often ALLUDED 10 in
the New Testament, and give i, the air
Oh an authentic history; aud above all
the testimonies to the sufferings of the
primitive Christians, fo,n which we
learn, through channel clear of every
suspicion, tint Christianity, religion Of
facIs, was the object OF persecution at a
time, when eye-witnesses taught and eve.
witnesses must have died for it.
The silence of Jewish and heather
writers, when the true INTERPRETATION is /;
given 20 il, is all on the side Of the Christ {
ian argument Even though the mira
cies of the Gospel had been believed to be
true, II is most unlikely that the enemies
OF the Christian religion would have Civ |
en- their testimony to them; and the ab- {
sence OF this testimony is no impeachment
therefore upon the reality of these mira |
les. But if the miracles of the Gospel |
had been believed to be false, it is most !
likely that this falsehood would have been c
sserted by the Jews and hea.herrs of that
. sriod and the circumstance Of no such :