As his testimony was honest, so it was disinterested. He had none of that literary pride and ambition which are a disgrace to the pursuit of truth, and lessen the credit of its champions. His profession debarred him from worldly emoluments and honours, and he aspired to no recompense, but that which flows from the nature of true religion, and the approbation of its Divine author. So that, if I were disposed to rest my faith on any human authority, it should be his.

I should regard the sanction of his decision as the next in credibility to inspiration itself, and almost entitled to implicit veneration. But this was what he never wanted; and he has so clearly and candidly represented the grounds of his own belief, that every person has an opportunity of judging for himself: and if there are any who, after such a discussion, can remain enemies or neuters, we must leave them to God and their own consciences, without entering into their hearts, or determining the motives by which they have been governed.

It must be acknowledged that revelation has met with many able and learned advocates, who have set the various evidence of it in the most striking points of view. Its internal excellence, and consistency with the divine perfections, have been clearly illustrated. The expediency of divine interposition has been fairly deduced from the errors and imperfections of philosophy. The propriety of the time of Christ's appearance has been proved from a concurrence of a multitude of circumstances; and the agreement betwixt reason and scripture has been fully ascertained: and many other arguments strongly presumptuous, though not decisive, in its favour, have furnished occasion for the display of much ingenious but unnecessary reasoning.

Let but the faithfulness of the sacred records be established, and the truth of those extraordinary facts which attested the divine mission of Christ be confirmed, and we may challenge the world to dispute the conclusions which are deducible from them.

The gospel he taught must be the oracle of truth, the rule of our faith and conduct, and the ground of our immortal hopes and expectations.

This important task was reserved for this learned author, and providence seems to have blessed him not only with talents and fidelity, but with an extent of life equal to the

execution of it.

To vindicate the evangelical historians from ignorance, incapacity, and collusion; to fix the credit of the sacred records by the concurrent testimony of Jews and gentiles, scoffers,

and apostates; to trace the progress of the church through several successive ages; and to show the regular and faithful transmission of the scriptures without innovation or corruption, were the great objects of his studies for many years: and such is the perspicuity with which he describes and illustrates the transactions of Christ's ministry, that he appears more like a contemporary with the apostles than an inhabitant of later ages.

If to this we add, that cloud of witnesses which he collected from all quarters, to give their sanction to the miracles, doctrine, moral sublimity, and wonderful effects of the christian religion, it must be allowed, that he has erected a monument to his great Master and himself, which shall last as long as the world endures.

As his writings justified and explained the leading facts of the New Testament, his character was a living pattern of its rules and precepts. His heart was full of the generous warmth of its benevolent spirit; but his sentiments were cool and dispassionate, the result of calm inquiry and steady conviction.

When he thought it his duty, and for the honour of revelation, to call in question common opinions, he did it with unaffected candour and modesty, and, at the same time, with that integrity and simplicity, which, if it did not bring over his adversary, never offended him. He was respectful without ceremony, friendly without officiousness, and obliging without mean compliances. He preserved a dignity of character without reserve, and united the acuteness of the critic with the manners of a gentleman and the spirit of a christian.

The goodness of his temper excited a prejudice in favour of his principles; and as his writings were free from acrimony, his life was clear of reproach.

On the whole, when I consider his ardour for truth, yet tenderness for error, his learning mixed with so much diffidence and humility, his zeal tempered with so much prudence, and his faith accompanied with so much benevolence; when I observe the simplicity of his deportment, his uniform and unaffected piety, his attachment to his Divine master, and goodwill to mankind, I cannot help saying, "This was the disciple whom Jesus loved.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

LETTERS BETWEEN DR. WADDINGTON, BIshop of
CHICHESTER, AND MR. LARDNER.

Reverend Sir,

Eton, near Windsor, Nov. 14, 1729.

I HAVE received at this place your most agreeable present of a Vindication, &c. against Mr. Woolston, and do beg leave to return you my most sincere and hearty thanks for it you have certainly took a very proper and christian way with him, and I wish it may have the designed effect upon him: I have no manner of objection to make against any one line in the book; you have pursued both him and his Jew very closely; and if they are capable of conviction, you seem to be the man whom God has raised up for that great service: I cannot say less of your excellent performance; and what I have said comes, I assure you, from the sincerity of my heart.

Will you then, dear Sir, give me leave, as sincerely, to take notice of a passage or two in your preface which as yet I cannot so well digest, if I take you right in them, and I am sure I have no intention to mistake you wilfully.

Page 4, you have these words, If by way of such a reply he means a reply without abusive, railing terms, or invoking the ' aid of the civil magistrate;' and a line or two after you oppose 'solid reasons and arguments' to 'pains and penalties:' Now these are passages that I own I cannot perfectly approve of: you seem in the first to put abusive, railing terms, upon the same foot with invoking the aid of the civil magistrate; and in the latter, to intimate as if pains and penalties had been demanded by somebody or other to be inflicted upon Mr. Woolston, to supply the place of solid reasons and arguments. If I am right in putting this interpretation upon your words, I must beg leave to say, that, in my poor opinion, there is no occasion for them; I don't know any one person of character, who, in writing against Mr. Woolston, has invoked the aids of the civil

n;

magistrate to inflict pains and penalties upon Mr. Woolston, for being an infidel, or writing against the christian religion; but only for writing against it in such a blasphemous, abusive, scandalous manner, as I think may very justly raise the indignation and resentment of every honest man, whether christian or not. The two bishops of London and St. David have expressly declared this in print and I believe it is the sentiment of many more of that order in the church, if not of all, that (as you very well express it in the 11th page of your preface) it is the plea'sure of Christ that men should not be compelled to receive his law by the punishments of this life, or the fear of them but that they should be left to propose their doubts and ob'jections provided it be done in a grave, serious manner.' But give me leave, dear Sir, to ask you, with some concern, whether Mr. Woolston has proposed his doubts and difficulties in a grave, serious manner? and if you say he has not done it, as I believe you will, do not you seem to intimate yourself, by putting in that reserve, as if you thought the civil magistrate might punish him for not observing it; or at least, that there is nothing, in punishing him for the breach of all the laws of christian charity and common decency, contrary to the will and pleasure of Jesus Christ? This then is the difficulty that sticks with me in respect to these passages in your preface and as I have very freely, and yet, I hope, in a very friendly manner, mentioned them to you, so I doubt not but you will, in the same free and kind way, endeavour to remove them; which will make me perfectly easy; for I am sorry to meet with any thing in your writings, (so truly serviceable to the christian religion,) that may give the least occasion of offence to the sincere lovers of Jesus Christ and his gospel. I am, with the utmost respect, esteem, and gratitude,

Reverend Sir,

Your affectionate
faithful friend,

EDWARD CHICHESTER.

To this Mr. Lardner answered as follows:

My Lord,

I HAVE received the favour of your very kind and friendly letter, for which I am greatly indebted to your Lordship. As your approbation of what I have written in the defence of christianity affords me the highest satisfaction, so it is no small concern to me that there has been any thing said in the preface