Φησιν ο Κέλσος, Ει μεν δη θελησουσιν αποκρίνεσθαι μοι ως ου διαπειρωμένω, παντα γαρ
ειδα, αλλ' ως εξ ίσου παντων κηδομένω εν αν εχοι-Δοκεί δε μοι τοιούτον τι πεποιηκεναι,
ως ει τις τη Αιγύπτω επιδημησας, ένθα οι μεν Αιγυπτιων σοφοι, κατά τα πάτρια γράμματα,
πολλα φιλοσοφουσι περί των παρ' αυτοις νενομισμένων θείων, οι δε ιδιωται μυθους τινας ακου
σαντες ων τους λογους ουκ επίστανται, μέγα επ' αυτοις φρονουσιν· ωετο παντα τα Αιγυπτίων
εγνωκέναι, τοις ιδιωταις αυτών μαθητευσας, και μηδενι των ιερέων συμμίξας, μηδ' από τινος
αυτών τα Αιγυπτιων απορρητα μαθων.
Orig. cont. Cels. L. i.

FROM THE LONDON EDITION.

BOSTON:

CROCKER AND BREWSTER; HILLIARD, GRAY AND CO. ; COTTONS AND
BARNARD; AND BENJAMIN PERKINS AND CO.

1828.

BOSTON.

John Cotton, Printer, 184 Washington Street.

Jst
Тарерин Реов, сего

4-5-1932

PREFACE.

So numerous are the works which have been produced in vindication of the divine authority of the Scriptures and of the truth of the Christian Religion, so high the reputation of many of them, and so unquestionably great their merit, that it might almost appear like presumption in any one again to handle this argument. Certainly, however, while fresh attacks upon the foundations of the Christian Religion are continually being made, it is necessary that fresh works should be composed in its defence; even though they added no more that is new to the vindication of Revelation, than the renewed ranks of its assailants produce against it.

But laudable and useful as the production of works of this class is, he who now solicits the attention of the Public would never have appeared as an Author, merely to add to their number. He has long been impressed with a serious conviction, that fully to meet the difficulties which infidel writers have raised, it were necessary to put the controversy on a different ground from that which has been taken by the most popular of the Christian advocates. He is of opinion, that the ablest of their works are more adapted to silence, than to satisfy, even an ingenuous inquirer. The former effect is or ought to be produced, when such circumstances and considerations are alleged as cannot be accounted for upon any other hypothesis than that which supposes the truth of the religion but to accomplish the latter object, the circumstances in the documents of the religion, which, as the Sceptic thinks, are incompatible with the belief of their divine origin, must, also, be satisfactorily explained. This is what few of the modern advocates of Revelation attempt; and they who have attempted it have