that he entered Jerusalem upon an ass, and that the whole city went out to meet him-that he applied to himself, Zech. 9: 9-that he wrought great wonders-that he charged the Jews with being a stiff-necked people that he applied to himself the 2d and the 110th Psalms-that he prophesied of his ascension, and that he should sit at the right hand of God-that he walked upon the sea-that he was betrayed by Judas-that the number of his disciples amounted to 2000 -that the Jews scourged him—that they crowned him with thorns that they gave him vinegar to drink-that he applied to himself Ps. 69: 21; 22: 1-that he alleged his blood should be an atonement for all mankind, and applied to himself Isa. 53: 5—that he was put to death in the evening of the Passover-that he was buried before the Sabbath began—that the belief in him increased more and more for thirty years next after his decease, and that his followers, called Nazarenes, gathered themselves together, by thousands and tens of thousands-that such belief became strong and spread abroad that he had twelve disciples, who traveled into twelve kingdoms and prophesied of him—that Israel went after them, and that some of them were men of reputation, and confirmed the doctrine of Yeshu, (Jesus,) and declared they were his messengers, and gathered unto them a great multitude from among the children of Israel. But these facts do not rest upon the Toldoth Yeshu and the Machril only, passages to the same effect are now to be found in both the Babylonish and the Jerusalem Talmuds. Vide Sanhedrim, Sabbath, A vodah Sarah, Masachteth Kallah, Sota, Gittin, Zeror Hammor, and many other Jewish writings."

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In a Samaritan chronicle, beginning with Joshua and ending with Mahomet, Jesus is spoken of as the Messiah, and honorable mention is made of him and his disciples."Bishop Chandler. Dr. Hemdington. "The Koran of Mahomet testifies to the extraordinary character of John the Baptist; the miraculous conception of Christ; that he restored the dead to life, and performed most of the miracles re

lated in the Gospels; that he will, at his second coming, unite all religions, and kill antichrist."-Sale's Koran, passim. "The Pagan writers of Greece and Rome abound with evidences, in regular succession, of the existence, character, and death of our Lord, and of his extraordinary mission; and they are to this effect: that at or about the time of his crucifixion, there was a miraculous darkness over different parts of the earth, at noon day, accompanied with an earthquake."-Phlegon, Eusebius, Tertullian, Origin, Bishop Wilson, Dr. McKnight.

"That an account of the character and crucifixion of our Lord was, immediately after that event had happened, rendered to the emperor Tiberius by Pontius Pilate, and that, in consequence, the emperor proposed to the senate that Jesus should be added to the list of the Roman gods."Acta Pilati. Justin Martyr's Ap. 76. Tertullian's Ap. c. 2. p. 22. Grotius. Bishop Pearson. Dr. McKnight. Dr. Lardner.

"That he was born, lived, and promulgated a new religion in Judea, in the reign of Tiberius; that he had many disciples; that he was crucified during the government of Pontius Pilate; that his followers became very numerous in the reign of Nero, and were exposed to dreadful persecutions, and amongst others, to that of being burned in the 'troublesome coat.' (tunica molesta.)"-Annals of Tacitus, lib. 13-15. "The 'troublesome coat' alluded to by Tacitus, was made like a sack of paper, or coarse linen cloth; and having been first besmeared within and without with pitch, wax, rosin, sulphur, and other combustible materials, or dipped into them, was put upon the person accused; and to keep him upright, so as to encourage the fire, his chin was fastened to a stake fixed in the ground. The testimony of Tacitus, as to this circumstance, is confirmed by Martial, lib. 10, Ep. 25, and by Seneca, Ep. 14. Juvenal Lat. 1. v. 155. 8, 285. Dr. Lardner.

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That there was amongst the Jews a considerable sect, whose leader was Christ, in the reign of Claudius. viz.

within fifty years after our Lord's death; that Christians were punished by Nero from the year 54-68."-Suetonius in Claudio, c. 25. Suet. Nero, c. 16. "That in the reign of Domitian (A. D. 95) the Christians suffered persecution; but that in the reign of Nerva (A. D. 96) the persecution was somewhat abated."-Dion. Cassius. Dr. Lardner. Dr. McKnight.

"That in the reign of the emperor Trajan, which was in the year of the Christian era 107, or within seventy-five years after our Lord's death, the Christians were extremely numerous throughout Pontus, Bithynia, and the whole Roman empire, and that they worshipped Christ as God."Pliny, lib. 10. 97, 98. That Christians or Galileans were known as a separate sect in the year 109."-Arrian's discourses of Epictetus, lib. 4, ch. 7.

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That Christianity was an increasing and prevailing religion (particularly in Asia) in the reign of Adrian, who was himself favorable to it, A. D. 117."-Euseb. chron. 167. Justin Martyr. Dr. McKnight. Milner.

"That Christians were numerous in the reign of Titus, Antoninus Pius, A. D. 138.”—Dion. Cassius. Xiphilinus. Eusebius. Justin Martyr.

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That the Christians were numerous and well known in the reign of Marcus Antoninus, A. D. 161. That they had undergone severe persecutions, and that their fortitude in martyrdom was such as to be termed obstinacy."-Meditations of Marcus Antoninus, lib. 11, c. 3. Orosius. Mosheim. "That in the year 176 it was a common belief that, immediately before the birth of Christ, the Jews had uniformly expected a Messiah, who was to be the universal Judge and Lord of all the earth; that there were then extant, accounts of Jesus Christ, admitted by the enemies of Christianity to have been written by his disciples, which contain the history of his nativity, baptism, preaching, miracles, death and resurrection, and which expressly accorded with the relations of the Evangelists, especially

the genealogies of St. Matthew and St. Luke, the miraculous conception, the star in the east, &c. together with many passages in the Acts of the Apostles and in the different Epistles, and which are so numerous and so various as effectually to establish the general authenticity of the whole."-Celsus passim, as quoted by Origen. See also the dialogue at the end of Lucian's works, called Philopatris; see also Lucian de Morte Peregrini, who expressly asserts "that Jesus was crucified in Palestine because he introduced a new religion, and that he was worshipped by his followers as a God." To the same period I add the testimony of Ælius Aristides in his orations.

That Christ was known in the year 180 as having founded a new religion amongst the Jews, and in some connection with that of Moses."-Galen de differentia pul

suum.

That in the reign of Septimus Severus, A. D. 202, the Christians were persecuted as a distinct sect."-Spartian.

"That in the reign of Heliogabalus, A. D. 220, the Christians were well known, and that the emperor proposed to the senate that their religion should be introduced into the public religion of Rome."-Lamprid. Heliog. c. 3. 796.

"That the Christian religion was tolerated in the reign of Alexander Severus, (A. D. 222,) who numbered Christ among the deities, and that several minutiæ of that religion, such as the ordination of ministers, &c. were then familiar to the heathen world."-Lamprid. Alex. Sever.

"That in the reign of Maximin, the Thracian, A. D. 255, the persecution against the Christians raged violently."Salpicius Severus, lib. 2. c. 32.

"That the Gospel of St. John, and especially the first chapter, was known in the year 263."—Amelius. Eusebius. Dr. Lardner.

"That in the reign of Aurelian, A. D. 270, the Christians were known as a religious sect." Vopiscus, Vita. Aurel. "That in the year 270, the Christian religion was well

known, and the several books of the New Testament, recognized as containing the doctrines of that religion, corresponding with those we now have, including the genealogies of St, Matthew and St. Luke.-Porphyry passim, as quoted by. Jerome and others."-Jewish Repository, Vol II. 1815, p. 1.

Pardon me, my dear Benjamin, for detaining you so long with so many testimonies; but I thought it important to prove, not only that, there existed such a person as Jesus Christ, but also that he was publicly known, in person and in his followers, from the day of his death to the present period.

§ 3. I will now proceed to show why the Messiah is called Jesus, and why Jesus of Nazareth. It is evident, from the writings of the prophets, that to be called by such or such a name does not infer that the thing or person so to be called shall be commonly known. by that name, as a man is by the name by which he is known and distin guished from other men. It is enough that they shall be that which they are called, and that which is foretold shall truly belong to them. Thus it is said, "He that is left in Zion shall be called holy," i. e. he shall evidently appear to be holy. Isa. 4: 34. 60: 14. 62: 4. Jer. 3: 17, &c. Hence the Messiah was described by the Prophets by different names; some of which were descriptive of his natures, person, offices, &c. When the Messiah appeared, he was generally known by the name of Jesus. Thus, when the man born blind was asked who opened his eyes, he replied, a man that is called Jesus," John, 9: 11. This was typified by the change in the name of Moses' successor, whose original name was Oshea, but was changed into Yehoshua, which signifies the Lord shall save. The name Jesus was given and explained by the Angel who announced his conception, saying, "thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt. 1:21. It is descriptive of the great and blessed work for

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