irCPISTLE TO THE CtALA-TIAN^. 93 



This is directly iiifeiTed from the Acts of the ipostlcs, which, 

 in the second verse of the tAvelfth chapter, relates the death 

 of James the brother of John ; and yet, if. the fifteenth 

 chapter, and in a subsequent part of the history, records a 

 speech delivered by James in the assembly of the apostles 

 and elders. It is also strongly implied by the form of ex- 

 pression used in the epistle: "Other apostles' saw I none, 

 save James the Lord's brother f' that is, to distinguish him 

 from James the brother of John. 



To us who have been long conversant in the Christian 

 history as contained in the Acts of the Apostles, these points 

 are obvious and familiar ; nor do we readily apprehend any 

 greater difficulty in making them appear in a letter purport- 

 ing to have been written by St. Paul, than there is in intro- 

 ducing them into a modern sermon. But to judge correctly 

 of the argument before us, we must discharge this know- 

 ledge from our thoughts. Yfe must propose to ourselves the 

 situation of an author who sat down to the writing of the 

 epistle without having seen the history, and then the con 

 currences we have deduced will be deemed of importance. 

 They will at least be taken for separate confirmations of the 

 several facts, and not only of these particular facts, but of 

 the general truth of the history. 



For what is the rule wdth respect to corroborative testi- 

 mony which prevails in courts of justice, and which prevails 

 only because experience has proved that it is a useful guide 

 to truth ? A principal witness in a cause delivers his ac- 

 count ; his narrative, in certain parts of it, is confirmed by 

 witnesses who are called afterwards. The credit derived 

 from their testimony belongs not only to the particular cir- 

 cumstances in which the auxiliary witnesses agree with the 

 principal Mdtness, but in some measure to the whole oi his 

 evidence ; because it is improbable that accident or fiction 

 should draw a line which touched upon truth in so many 

 points. 



In like manner, if tvro records be produced manifestly 



