'speaks of his eating the flesh of a lamb, p. 340; and that he foretold to his disciples, they would give him up to his ' enemies, thereby making them wicked, though they were the companions of his table, p. 72.'

That before his sufferings he prayed in these words: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away,” p. 75. That he was betrayed by his disciples, though robbers are 'faithful to their leaders, p. 62, and 66. That none of his 'disciples dared to suffer for him, p. 86, and that he pro'fessed to undergo his sufferings in obedience to his Father, p. 75, and said, that "these things ought to happen," p. 332.'

That he was denied by one who knew him to be God, p. 71, to whom, as well as to the traitor, he had foretold what he would do, p. 72.'

It is intimated, that he spoke of coming again with an heavenly host, p. 337.'

'He speaks of Jesus as ignominiously bound, p. 282; as scourged, p. 79; as crowned with thorns, with a reed in his hand, and arrayed in a scarlet robe, and as condemned, 'p. 81; as having gall given him to drink when he was led away to punishment, p. 174; as shamefully treated in the sight of the whole world, p. 282; as distended on the cross, p. 82. He derides him for not exerting his divinity to punish those outrages, p. 81; as taking no vengeance on his enemies, p. 404; as incapable to deliver himself, and not delivered by his Father in his extremity, p. 41; and as greedily drinking gall and vinegar, through impa'tience of thirst, p. 82, and 340.

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'He observes, it was pretended, that when Jesus expired upon the cross, there was darkness and an earthquake, p. 94; that when he arose, he needed an angel to remove the stone of the sepulchre, though he was said to be the Son ' of God, p. 266. And according to some, one, according 'to others, two angels came to the sepulchre to inform the women of his resurrection, p. 266. That after his resur ́rection he did not appear to his enemies, p. 98; but first 'to a woman whom he had dispossessed, p. 94, and 104; ⚫ that he appeared to a few of his disciples, showing them 'the marks of crucifixion, and appeared and disappeared ' on a sudden, p. 94, &c. and 104. And he says; We take these things from your own writings, to wound you with your own weapons, p. 106.’'

Beside all these circumstances produced from the gospels, he speaks of Christ's pretending, that he should come again to burn the wicked, and to receive the rest to eternal

life with himself, p. 175. He refers to the christian doc'trine, of the fall of the angels, and their being reserved in bonds under the earth, p. 266.'

f

It is observable, that nothing is quoted by him from the Acts in his whole book; nor does he name St. Paul; but he quotes his epistles, particularly these words from 'the epistle to the Galatians, iv. 14, "The world is crucified ' unto me, and I unto the world," p. 273, which Origen says is all that he had taken from St. Paul. However, ' he has also these words of 1 Cor. iii. 29, "the wisdom of 'this world is foolishness with God," p. 283, and "an idol ' is nothing," 1 Cor. viii. 4; p. 293. But it is observable, that in the first of these quotations Celsus reproacheth the christians with their many divisions; and yet says, that however they differed, they agreed in using that expres'sion. He seems also, p. 242, expressly to refer to 1 Cor. 'xv. 51, 52; and 1 Thess. iv. 15-17, when he says, that the christians expected, that they only should escape in the burning of the world, and that not only they who are alive when it happens, but those also who have been a long ' time dead.'

Upon the whole, there are in Celsus about eighty quotations from the books of the New Testament, or references to them, of which Origen has taken notice. And whilst he argues from them, sometimes in a very perverse and malicious manner, he still takes it for granted, as the foundation of his argument, that whatever absurdities could be fastened upon any words or actions of Christ, recorded in 'the evangelists, it would be a valid objection against christianity; thereby in effect assuring us, not only that such a book did really exist, but that it was universally received by christians in those times as credible and divine. Who ⚫ can forbear adoring the depth of divine wisdom, in laying • such a firm foundation for our faith in the gospel-history, in the writings of one who was so inveterate an enemy to ' it, and so indefatigable in his attempts to overthrow it!'

To conclude: Celsus does not appear to have founded 'any single objection against christianity upon any of the 'spurious gospels, Acts, or Revelations; which, considering

e I think that Celsus was acquainted with the book of the Acts. And I would entreat the reader to observe the passages quoted from him above, at p. 243, 244, 251.

f Origen's words are these, p. 273, f. 7870 yap μovov año т8 Ilavλs ɛoikɛ μεμνημονευκέναι ὁ Κελσος. But I suppose, that Origen is not to be understood strictly, but rather in this manner: That Celsus had seldom quoted Paul: and now took notice of that expression with a design to expose it, so far as he was able.'

'his malice on the one hand, and the many foolish and exceptionable things to be found in them on the other, seems 'to be a good argument that he never saw them. Else he had hardly candour enough to forbear pleading such arguments as they might have afforded him; even though he had known that the christians did not esteem them of equal authority with those, which he has so furiously, but at the 'same time so impotently assaulted.' So far Dr. Doddridge.

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I shall now take another summary of the argument of Celsus, from Dr. John Leland of Dublin, in his Answer to Christianity as old as the Creation, Vol. ii. ch. v. p. 150— 154, omitting for the most part the references to the pages. Celsus, a most bitter enemy of christianity, who lived in 'the second century, produces many passages out of the gospels. He represents Jesus to have lived but a few years ago; he mentions his being born of a virgin; the angel's appearing to Joseph on occasion of Mary's being with child; the star that appeared at his birth; the wise men that came to worship him, when an infant, and 'Herod's massacring the children; Joseph's fleeing with the child into Egypt by the admonition of an angel; the Holy Ghost's descending on Jesus like a dove when he was baptized by John, and the voice from heaven, declaring him to be "the Son of God;" his going about with his disciples; his healing the sick and lame, and raising the dead; his foretelling his own sufferings, and resurrection; his being betrayed and forsaken by his own disciples; his 'suffering, both of his own accord, and in obedience to his heavenly Father; his grief and trouble, and his praying, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;" the ignominious treatment he met with, the robe that was put upon him, the crown of thorns, the reed put into his hand, 'his drinking vinegar and gall, and his being scourged and 'crucified; his being seen after his resurrection by a fanati'cal woman, (as he calls her, meaning Mary Magdalene,) and by his own companions and disciples; his showing them his hands that were pierced, the marks of his punishment. He also mentions the angel's being seen at his sepulchre, ' and that some said, it was one angel, others, that it was two; by which he hints at the seeming variation in the ' accounts given of it by the evangelists.'

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It is true, he mentions all these things with a design to ' ridicule and expose them; but they furnish us with an uncontested proof, that the gospels were then extant. Accordingly he expressly tells the christians: "These things we have produced out of your own writings," p. 106. And

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he all along supposeth them to have been written by 'Christ's own disciples, that lived and conversed with him; though he pretends, they feigned many things for the 'honour of their master, p. 69, 70. And he pretends, "that ' he could tell many other things relating to Jesus, beside 'those things that were written of him by his own disciples; but that he willingly passed them by," p. 67. We may 'conclude from his own expressions, both that he was sensible, that these accounts were written by Christ's own disciples, (and indeed he never pretends to contest this,) and that he was not able to produce any contrary accounts to invalidate them, as he certainly would have done if it had been in his power: since no man ever wrote with greater 'virulence against christianity than he. And indeed, how ' was it possible, for "ten or eleven publicans and boatmen,” as he calls Christ's disciples by way of contempt, p. 47, to have imposed such things on the world, if they had not 'been true, so as to persuade such vast multitudes to em'brace a new and despised religion, contrary to all their prejudices and interests, and to believe in one that had 'been crucified?'

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'There are several other things which show, that Celsus 'was acquainted with the gospels. He produces several of our Saviour's sayings there recorded, as "that it is easier 'for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a ' rich man to enter into the kingdom of God:" that "to him, • who smites us on one cheek, we must turn the other :" that "it is not possible to serve two masters," his precepts against thoughtfulness for to-morrow," by a comparison drawn from "crows and lilies:" his foretelling, that "false pro' phets should arise, and work wonders:" his saying, ❝ Woe

'unto you," &c. He mentions also some passages of the apostle Paul, such as these: "The world is crucified unto • me, and I unto the world. The wisdom of men is foolishness with God: an idol is nothing."

The use I would make of all this is, that it appears here ' with an uncontested evidence, by the testimony of one of 'the most malicious and virulent adversaries the christian religion ever had, and who was also a man of considerable 'parts and learning, that the writings of the evangelists were extant in his time; which was in the next century to 'that in which the apostles lived: and that those accounts were written by Christ's own disciples, and consequently that they were written in the very age in which the facts 'there related were done, and when therefore it would have 'been the easiest thing in the world to have convicted them of

falsehood, if they had not been true.' So far that learned author.

A third Summary of the argument of Celsus.

Once more, Dr. Sherlock, or whoever is the ingenious author of the Evidence of the Resurrection cleared up, has these following observations at p. 19 and 20.

For Celsus lived at no great distance from the apostolic age, at a time when all religions were tolerated but the christian; when no evidence was stifled, no books destroyed, but the christian. And yet Celsus laboured un'der the same want of evidence, as Woolston and his auxiliaries, and had only the gospel to search (as Origen more ⚫ than once observes) for evidence against the gospel. A strong proof that there never had been any books, of any credit in the world, that questioned the gospel facts, when so spiteful and so artful an adversary as Celsus made no ' use of them.'

• Celsus admits the truth of Christ's miracles; the differ ́ence between him and Origen lies in the manner of accounting for them; the one ascribing them to the power of God, the other to the power of magic. So that if the • considerer will stand to the evidence of his own witness, the question will not be, Whether the miracles are true in fact, (for that is granted on both sides,) but whether the 'truth of the miracles infers the divine authority of the performer. Now can it be supposed, that Celsus would • have admitted the miracles of Christ as real facts, had he 'not been compelled to it by the universal consent of all men in the age he lived ?'

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The truth is, that the objections of Celsus are preserved, and preserved in his own language. Origen's answer is 'not a general reply to Celsus, but a minute examination of all his objections, even of those which appeared to Origen • most frivolous. For his friend Ambrosius, to whom be dedicates the work, desired him to omit nothing. In order to this examination, Origen states the objections of Celsus in his own words; and, that nothing might escape him, 'he takes them in the order in which Celsus had placed them. Celsus, then, as it happens, is safe; and the con'siderer needs not to lament over him any more.'

The fragments of the work of Celsus are, undoubtedly, of great importance. I have endeavoured to do justice to them, not only by my own large extracts, but likewise by these observations and summaries of three learned men; hoping,