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more than fourscore years, coming in at that time, gave thanks unto the Lord, and spake of him, that is, of Jesus, to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

St. Luke declares that these testimonies were given publicly in the temple before the people, which he never would have dared to assert, thus boldly, if it had not been so; and if the matters were truly so, then is the miraculous conception true.

5. The coming of the wise men from the east to Jerusalem, to seek, find, and adore the infant Saviour, is a wonderful attestation of the same truth. And many others might be added, but I forbear; for, indeed, the evidence is so full and satisfactory, that (allowing the scripture history to be true, and the resurrection and ascension of Jesus to be undeniable facts, which I have before provėd) I cannot see with what colour the miraculous conception of our Saviour Jesus Christ can be denied. See St. Matt. i, ii. St. Luke i, ii. which four chapters are chiefly taken up with this important subject, and those matters that stand connected therewith.

As for the account of the creation and fall of man, which you endeavour to render so ridiculous, I shall only observe upon it, that if we reject the short, simple, plain, clear and instructive history given us in the three first chapters of Genesis, we must remain entirely ignorant of things that are highly important and interesting, and of which I should suppose every thinking man would wish to be informed; and I should imagine that a wise and good God would not fail to give us the best possible information upon that had. And if this information is not found in the Bible, we must despair of finding it elscwhere; for the oldest writings in the world besides the scriptures, make no pretensions to the antiquity of the writings of Moses. And the accounts they give us of these subjects, are no more to be compared with the scripture account, either for clearness or consistency, than a candle is to the sun for light and brightness.

The many dreadful and horrid reflections that you make upon the sufferings and death of Jesus, and especially upon the doctrine of redemption through his blood, might give occasion for much more to be written upon those subjects, than I have written altogether; but as I expect that abler pens than mine will be employed against your Age of Reason, I doubt not but some of them will defend that part of the christian system; which I have endeavoured to do in some other of my publications, and I shall be willing to enter the lists with you upon this subject also, if the public appear to desire it.

death, might be fulfilled: this is the only reason given by the evangelists, in the account they give us of his sufferings. And this was of great importance, for if any of the prophecies had fallen to the ground, the evidence of divine revelation would have been greatly weakened.

2. To confirm his doctrine, by sealing his testimony with his blood.

3. To sympathize in his death with his brethren of the human race, who were subject to death.

4. To set and leave us an example, that we should follow his steps: this is much insisted upon by St. Peter in his first epistle.

5. But especially, that glorious design of the death and resurrection of Christ, which I mentioned in my last letter, is what reason must approve of: for this grand design of abolishing death, and bringing life and immortality to light, was worthy of him; and no greater evidence of its truth could have been reasonably desired, than has been given by his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. And it is abundantly evident by the proofs of these two latter facts, that his. designs in suffering death were great, important, and worthy of God. And if you cannot yet bear to look upon all the reasons which the scriptures give for his sufferings, and especially upon that of redemption through the blood of the cross, be careful not to reject that event, in which reason may certainly observe the beauty and importance of the five designs mentioned above.. And if you should ever come to feel and know your fallen estate, you would then rejoice to believe in that glorious Redeemer who was wounded for our transgressions; and who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Till then I would wish you to suspend your judgment, and as far as you can approve, but do not condemn what you do not understand.

You have endeavoured by a little ridicule to overthrow the miracle of Jonah's being swallowed by a large fish, and kept alive for sometime there and afterward delivered. Is this too hard for God? more than infinite power can perform? Some suppose the account not true, because none of those fishes that we commonly call whales are found in the Mediterranean; but if such persons knew that the eastern nations are accustomed to call any large fishes, whales, and any considerable collection of waters, seas, they might spare themselves the folly of such weak remarks. There are fishes enough in the Mediterranean of the shark kind, that have sufficient throats to swallow a man whole, and bellies large enough to hold him. And I believe Almighty power is both able to cause a fish to swallow a man and to preserve the man alive in his belly part of three nights and days, and then to command the fish to bring him so near to the shore as to cast him out upon dry land. If God can perform this, it will be hard for you to prove that he did not; especially as the prophet by refusing to obey the divine message which he had received, and attempting to avoid the prei. That the scriptures of the prophecies, sence of God, or to go so far off that he could that predicted his sufferings, wounds and 'not be sent to Nineveh, gave the highest pos

This one doctrine of the gospel, viz. salvation through a crucified Redeemer, is that which St. Paul informs us was in his time, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks; and so it remains to the Deists of these latter ages. But as Christ had many designs in dying on the cross, so a number of them are such as reason itself will not hesitate to approve of; as,

sible occasion and provocation to the Deity, to exert his power to stop and disappoint Jonah, and yet to preserve him, humble him, and at length, cause him to go and deliver the message that was sent by him to the Ninevites, which was attended with most surprising effects. I can see nothing here ridiculous, or unworthy of God. When I first heard this part of your book read, I said, "If there is any wit in that ridicule, I must acknowledge that I have not enough to see it."

earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas: and behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

St. Matt. xvi. 4. "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas."

St. Luke xi. 29, 30, 32. "And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so shail the Son of Man be to this generation. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

So people must either believe the history of Jonah, as related in the scripture, or must judge the Saviour an ignorant person, or an impostor, or that the evangelists assure us, that he said what he did not. For my own part, I shall choose the first, let others do as they will.

I have frequently heard and read this miracle of Jonah's being swallowed by the fish, ridiculed, denied, or explained away, by infidels, Deists, and even professing Christians; but I never heard any object to, or dispute, or attempt to ridicule those great miracles recorded in the book of Daniel; the preservation of the three men in the fiery furnace, into which they were cast by the command of the king of Babylon, for refusing to bow down to his golden image; and that of Daniel himself in the den of lions, who was cast there for making supplication to JEHOVAH. These were as great miracles as the preservation of Jonah, and the first seems far more astonishing; but then these were done before the kings of Chal dea, and Media and Persia, and in the presence of all their nobles, and many thousands of their subjects; and the peculiar circumstances were such, that a thinking man could about as soon disbelieve the being and perfections of a God, as refuse his assent to the belief of these most wonderful miracles after a serious consideration of the cases, as stated in Dan. iii. and vi. And besides, these miracles occasioned two public decrees or edicts, registered and published through the vast do-lation, it is hardly worth my while to notice minions of those kings, stating and attesting these astonishing displays of Almighty power, so publicly made known; and forbidding all their subjects, under pain of death, to speak any thing amiss of such a God, commanding them to tremble and fear before him; since none but he could deliver after such a

sort.

But though the account of Jonah had not all those remarkable circumstances to corroborate it, as the above mentioned miracles had; yet those who pay any considerable regard to the person and character of Christ, can have no more doubt of Jonah's being swallowed by a fish, than of any other fact; because the Saviour himself often mentioned it, and alluded to it, which he would not have done, if it had not been true; and therefore in refusing to believe it, the character of Jesus is set at nought. The following quotations are therefore made for the confutation of those who profess to be Christians, and yet join with you in ridiculing this piece of scripture history.

St. Matt. xii. 38-41. "Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no sign given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's (or fish's) belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the

The history of Jonah, and his being imprisoned in the belly of the fish, was typical of our Saviour's death and burial; and his coming out alive, was a figure of our Lord's resurrection; consequently those who laugh at the former must reject the latter; and this but ill becomes Christians.

After the many proofs of real miracles, which I have drawn from the scriptures, far more than barely enough to prove divine reve

what you have said, respecting what you call the most extraordinary of all things, called miracles, in the New Testament, that of the der l flying away with Jesus Christ, &c. I do not know that this was ever called a miracle by any author before yourself, and the New Testament does not say that the devil flew away with Jesus Christ; there were other methods of taking him from place to place, besides that of flying. But as Jesus suffered himself to be tempted by the prince of the power of the air, he doubtless gave him a fair opportunity of trying all his arts, by which he has so often prevailed over mankind, but by which he could not prevail in the least degree over our Redeemer. Satan tempts mankind without appearing visibly to them, because they have that tinder within them, upon which the sparks of temptations too often light with success; but as the prince of this age, or the devil, hath nothing in Christ, as he says, "The prince of this world (or age) cometh, and hath nothing in me;" St. John xiv. 30: so, doubtless, in order to tempt him. Satan appeared in a visible form, and spake to him in an audible voice, or else I cannot see how he could tempt Christ at all, which he certainly did for Jesus "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. iv. 15.

Some have imagined that the highest pinnacle of the temple was like the spire of a church steeple, and therefore object to the relation on that account, supposing that Christ and Satan could not in person have stood there to

gether: out the highest pinnacle was only the very lofty battlement, where people might stand, but the height was so great, that I think it is particularly mentioned by Josephus, as enough to cause one's head to turn round or grow giddy to look down.

96, corresponding to the year of the world 4103, it is too absurd to think upon for a moment.

The Bible is therefore, the written existing word of God, in which we cannot be deceived; it proclaimeth his power, it publisheth his wisdom, it manifests his goodness and beneficence. And it teaches us to imitate the moral goodness and beneficence of God towards all his creatures; it forbids revenge, wrath, envy and malice, between man and man: and teaches us to love one another, and to do good to all, even to our enemies, and to be kind, even to useful beasts. It gives us the

You think "That the idea of the word of God existing in print, or in writing, or in This speech, is inconsistent in itself," &c. is to represent the Deity as far weaker and We can cause more insufficient than man. our words to exist in speech, writing, or print, as we please; and if we were always to live, and retain our faculties, we could with ease, preserve them free from any material altera-highest proofs and hopes of immortality that tions. But to deny our Almighty Creator, the infinitely wise, powerful, and good God, to have sufficient ability to cause his word to be spoken, written, or printed, and to preserve it pure, would in itself, excite laughter by its absurdity, did not the profaneness and blasphemy of it, excite detestation, and shock the serious mind. Who is the author of language? Who taught man at first to write, read and understand? Did not his Creator?

I have already proved that the Bible is the word of God, existing in writing and print: it has been miraculously preserved hitherto, and it will remain to the end of time; and a few errors, whether of copyists, translators, or printers, can no more hinder its being still the word of God, than the errors of the press in the several editions of your Age of Reason, make it not to be your production.

It was never possible at any one time, for any material addition, suppression or alteration to be made in the Bible, without being immediately detected; and as for fabricating the whole, which was written by different hands, from Moses down to St. John, during the space of near sixteen hundred years, from the year of the world 2512, the year that Israel came out of Egypt, till the "ear of our Lord

we could even wish for. And thus in every
respect, it bears evident marks of its divine
original. The nations that have not had the
Bible, or that do not read it, most disagree,
have most redundancies in their religion, as
well as most shocking deficiencies, and are
generally idolators; this is strange and unac
countable, if the book of creation is preferable
to the Bible to learn true religion from. When
the knowledge, belief, love, and practice of the
scriptures shall be universal, then shall all
The Lord
men be of one mind; all shall reverence their
Creator, and love one another.
An universal
shall be King over all the earth; and there shall
be one Lord, and his name one.
religion shall then prevail; God will turn to
the people a pure language, that they may all
See Zech. xiv. 9; Zeph.
call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him

with one consent.

iii. 9.

Having noticed the most material objections in your book, against the Christian system, and according to my small abilities, defended divine revelation against the ridicule (for I cannot call it argument) whereby you have sought to overthrow it, I now take my leave of you, and subscribe myself,

THE END.

Your sincere Friend, &c.

THE

EVERLASTING GOSPEL,

COMMANDED TO BE PREACHED BY

JESUS CHRIST, JUDGE OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD,

UNTO ALL CREATURES, (MARK XVI. 15,)

CONCERNING

THE ETERNAL REDEMPTION

FOUND OUT BY HIM, WHEREBY

DEVIL, SIN, HELL AND DEATH

SHALL AT LAST BE ABOLISHED, AND

THE WHOLE CREATION RESTORED

TO ITS PRIMITIVE PURITY:

BEING A TESTIMONY

AGAINST THE PRESENT ANTI-CHRISTIAN WORLD.

WRITTEN ORIGINALLY IN GERMAN

BY PAUL SIEGVOLCK,

PHILADELPHIA.

GIHON, FAIRCHILD & Co,

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