The Consistency of the Whole Scheme of Revelation with Itself and with Human Reason (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1832 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXVII. Of the Evidence of the Truth of Revelation afforded by the low Condition in Life, the absence of Literary Acquirements, and the impossibility of Confederacy in its respective Promulgators. The character and condition in life of the first preachers of Christianity, and of revelation in general, suggest, again, another argument in favour of the truth of their doctrines, which it would perplex the Infidel to overthrow. The following reply of Lactantius, to the assertions of one of the early impugners and persecutors of our faith, may be appositely applied, not to the case of Peter and Paul only, but to that of almost all the respective authors of the inspired books, both Jewish and Christian. "Tantum abest a Divinis Uteris repugnantia, quantum ille (adversarius videlicet) abfuit a veritate et fide. Prsecipue tamen Paulum Petrumque laceravit ceterosque discipulos, tanquam fallaciie seminatores, quos eosdem tamen rudes et indoctos fuisse testatus est; nam quosdam eorum piscatorio artificio fecisse qutestum: quasi cEgre ferret quod illam rem non Aristophanes aliquis aut Aristarchus commentatus sit. Abfuit ergo ah his fingendi voluntas el astutia, quoniam rudes fuerunt. Aut quis possit indoctus apta inter se et cohierentia fingere, quum philosophorum doctissimi Plato et Aristoteles et Epicurus et Zenon ipsi sibi repugnantia et contraria dixerint? heec est enim mendaciorum natura, ut cohserere non possint. Illorum autem traditio, quia vera est, quadrat undique, ac sibi tota consentit; et ideo persuadet quia constanti ration e suffulta est." This observation, which carries with it great weight, when directed to the various component parts of Scripture individually, is perfectly unanswerable when applied to the entire and consistent scheme of revelatio...