ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



Ul 



the oration, in which that line is 

 found, actually came from Cicero's 

 pen. These instances, however 

 simple, may serve to point out to a 

 reader, who is little accustomed to 

 such researches.the nature and value 

 of the atguraent." 



We shall now proceed to give the 

 contents of the second part. 



Part II. Of the auxiliary evidences 

 of Christianity. — Chap. I Prophecy, 

 p. 67. Chap. II. 'I he morality of 

 the Gospel, p. 94. Chap. III. The 

 candour of the writers of the New 

 Testament, p. 166. Chap. IV, 

 Identity ofChrist's character, p.l 89. 

 Chap. y. Originality of Christ's 

 character, p. 2 1 7. Chap. VI. 

 Conformity of the facts occasionally 

 mentioned or referred to in Scrip- 

 ture, with thestateoflhings in those 

 times, as represented by foreign and 

 independent accounts, p. 221. 

 Chap. VII. Undesigned coinci- 

 dences, p. 295. Chap. VIII. Of 

 thehistory of the resurrection, p.302. 

 Vol. III. Chap. IX. The propa- 

 gation of Christianity, p. 1, <j 2. 

 Reflections upon the preceding ac- 

 count, p. 45. ^3. Of the success 

 of Mahometanism, p. 0"3. 



In treating of the morality of the 

 Gospel in chap. 4 of this part, Mr. 

 Paley skilfully abstracts a very ma- 

 terial part of S..Ienyn's internal evi- 

 dences of Chrbt'umiiy, (see p. 100.) 

 — where that author remarks the 

 difference between the morality of 

 Christ and that of mankind in ge- 

 neral. In doing this he has wisely 

 .shunned «he exaggerations which 

 render some pass.ages of his auilidr 

 exceptionable. On the apparently 

 accidental ct/incidrnres between 

 the .iccount of St. John and the 

 other Evangelists, and concerning 

 the identity of our Saviour's cha- 

 racter, Mr. P. has made some vtry 



acute remarks, very much in the 

 style of his Horce Paulince ; among 

 which the following is very stri- 

 king. 



*« The three first evangelists re- 

 cord, what is called our Saviour's 

 agony, i. e. his devotion in the gar- 

 den, immediately before he was ap- 

 prehended; in which narrative they 

 all make him pray, ' that the cup 

 might pass frorn him.' This is the 

 particular metaphor which thev all 

 ascribe to him. St. Matthew adds, 

 * O my Father, if this cup may not 

 pass away from me, except I drink 

 it, thy will be done.' Now St. 

 John does not give the scene in the 

 garden ; 'out wheq Jesus was seized, 

 and some resistance was attempted 

 to be made by Peter, Jesus, accord- 

 ing to his account, checked the at- 

 tempt with this reply r ' Put up 

 thy sword into the sheath ; the cup, 

 which my Father hath given me, 

 shall I not drink it ?' This is some-' 

 thing more than bare consistency j 

 it is coincidence : because it is ex- 

 tremely natural, that Jesus, who, 

 before he was apprehended, had 

 been praying his Father, that 'that 

 cup rn'ght pass away from him, 'yet 

 with such a pious retraction of hia 

 request, as to have added, ' if this 

 cup may not pass from me, thy 

 will be done;' it was natural. I say,, 

 for the same person, when hs actual- 

 ly was apprehended, to express the 

 resignation to which he had already 

 made up his thoughts, and to ex- 

 press it in the form of speech which 

 he had before used, ' the cup 

 wliicli my Father hath given me> 

 sh.ill I not drink it?' This is a co- 

 incidence between writers, in whose 

 narratives there is no imitation, but 

 great diversity." Vol If. p. 212. 



This is the observation of a mas- 

 ter. His sixth chapter^ pf this part, 



is 



