XXIII. But perhaps there may be other reafons befide prejudice, to incline a man to gives Mofes the preference, on the truth of whofe hiftory the government, manners, and religion of his countrymen were founded and framed; of whofe hiftory there are manifeft traces in the mod ancient books, and traditions of the Gentiles, particularly of the Brachmans and Perfees; not to mention the general atteftation of nature, as well as antiquity, to his account of a deluge; whofe hiftory is confirmed by the late invention of arts and fciences, the gradual peopling of the world, the very names of ancient nations, and even by the authority and arguments of that renowned philofopher, Lucretius, who, on other points, is fo much admired and followed, by thofe of your feci:. Not to mention, that the continual decreafe of fluids, the finking of hills, and the retardation of planetary motions, afford fo many natural proofs, which (hew this world had a beginning; as the civil or historical proofs abovementioned, do plainly point out this beginning, to have been about the time afligned in Holy Scripture. After all which, I beg leave to add one obfervation more. To any one, who confiders that, on digging into the IDial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 307 earth, fuch quantities of fhells, and, in fome places, bones and horns of animals are found, found and entire, after having lain there in all probability fome thoufands of years, it mould feem probable, that gems, medals, and implements in metal or ftone, might have laded intire, buried under ground forty or fifty thoufand years, if the world had been fo old. How comes it then to pafs, that no remains are found, no antiquities of thofe numerous ages, preceding the fcripture accounts of time; no fragments of buildings *, no public monuments; no intaglias, cammeoes, ftatues, bafib relievos, medals, inscriptions, utenfils, or artificial works of any kind, are ever difcovcred, which might bear teftimony to the exiftence of thofe mighty empires, thofe fucceffions of monarchs, heroes, and demi-gods, for fo many thoufand years? Let us look forward, and fuppofe ten or twenty thoufand years to come, during which time, we will fuppofe, that plagues, famines, wars, and earthquakes lhall have made great havock in the world; is it not highly probable, that at the end of fuch period, pillars, vafes, and ftatues now in being of granite, or porphyry, or jafper, ((tones of fuch hardnefs, as we know them to have lafted two thoufand years above ground, without any confiderable alteration) would bear record of thefe, and paft ages?
Or that fome of our current coins might then be dug up, or old walls and the foundations of buildings fhew themfelves, as well as the fhells and ftones of the primeval world, are preferved down to our times? To me, it feems to follow, from thefe confiderations, which common fenfe and experience, make all men judges of, that we may fee good reafon to conclude, the world was created about the time recorded in the Holy Scripture. And if we admit a thing fo extraordinary as the creation of this world, it ihould feem that we admit fomething ftrange, and odd, and new to human apprehenfion, beyond any other miracle whatfoever.
3o8 MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.]
XXIV. Alciphron fat muling and made no anfwcr, whereupon Ly fides expreffed himfelf in the following manner. I mull own, I mould rather fuppofe with Lucretius, that the world was made by chance, and that men grew out of the earth like pompions, than pin my faith on thofe wretched fabulous fragments of oriental hiftory. And as for the learned men, who have taken pains to illuftrate and piece them together, they appear to me no better than fo many mufty pedants. An ingenious free-thinker may, perhaps, now and then make fome ufe of their lucubrations, and play one abfurdity againft another. But you are not, therefore, to think, he pays any real regard to the authority of fuch apocryphal writers, or believes one fyllable of the Chinefe, Babylonian, or Egyptian traditions. If we feem to give them a preference before the bible, it is only becaufe they are not eftabliihed by law. This is my plain fenfe of the matter, and I dare fay it is the general fenfe of our feci:; who are too rational to be in earneft on fuch trifles, though they fometimes give hints of deep erudition, and put on a grave face to divert themfelves with bigots.
Alc — Since Lyfdes will have it fo, I am content not to build on accounts of time, preceding the Mofaic. I muft neverthelefs beg leave to obferve, there is another point of a different nature, againft which there do not lie the fame exceptions, that deferves to be confidered, and may ferve our purpofe as well. I prefume it will be allowed that hiftorians, treating of times within the Mofaic account, ought by impartial men to be placed on the fame foot with Mofes. It may therefore be expected, that thole, who pretend to vindicate his writings, mould- reconcile them with parallel accounts of other authors, treating of the fame times, things, and perfons. And, if we are not attached fingly to Mofes, but take our notions from other writers, and the probability of things, we fhall fee good caufe to believe, the Jews were only a crew of leprous Egyptians, driven from their country on account of that loathfome diftemper: And that their religion, pretended to have been delivered from heaven at Mount Sinai, was in truth learned in Egypt, and brought from thence.
Cri.< — Not to infill, on what cannot be denied, that an hiftorian, writing of his own times is to be believed, before others who treat of the fame fubje£t, feveral ages after, it feems to me that it is abfurd to expecl: we fiiould reconcile Mofes with profane hiftorians, till you have firft reconciled them one with another. In anfwer, therefore, to what you obferve, I defire you would confider in the firft place, that Manetho, Cheremon, and Lyfimackus had publifhed inconfiftent accounts of the Jews, and their going forth from Egypt: * In the fecond place, that their language is a plain proof, they were not of Egyptian, but either of Phenician, of Syrian, or of Chaldean original: And in the third place, that it doth not feem very probable to fuppofe, their religion, the bafis or fundamental principle of which was the worfhip of one only Supreme God, and the principal defign of which was to abolifh idolatry, could be derived from Egypt, the moft idolatrous of all nations. It muft be owned, the feparate fituation and inftitutions of the Jews, occafioned their being treated by fome foreigners, with great ignorance and contempt of them, and their original. But Strabo, who is allowed to have been a judicious and inquifitive writer, though he was not acquainted with their true hiftory, makes more honorable mention of them. He relates that Mofes, with many other worfhippers of one infinite God, not approving the image worfhip of the Egyptians and other nations, went out from Egypt and fettled in Jerufalem, where they built a temple, to one only God without images, f Sio MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.]
XXV. Alc. — We who aflert the caufe of liberty againft religion, in thcfe later ages of the world, lie under great difadvantages, from the lofs of ancient books, which cleared up many points to the eyes of thofe great men, Celfus, Porphyry, and Julian, which at a greater diftance, and with lefs help, cannot fo eafily be made out by us: But, had we thofe records, I doubt not, we might demolilh the whole fyftem at once.
Cri.-— And yet I make fome doubt of this; becaufe thofe great men, as you call them, with all thofe advantages could not do it.
Alc — That mull needs have been owing to the dulnefs, and ftupidity of the world, in thofe days, when the art of reafoning was not fo much known and cultivated as of late: But thofe men of true genius faw through the deceit themfelves, and were very clear in their opinion, which convinces me, they had good reafon on their fide.
Cri. — And yet that great man Celfus feems to have had very flight and inconftant notions: one while, he talks like a thorough Epicurean,• another, he admits miracles, prophecies, and a future ftate of rewards and punifhments. What think you, Alciphron, is it not fomething capricious in fo great a man, among other advantages which he afcribes to brutes above human kind, to fuppofe they are magicians and prophets •, that they have a nearer commerce and union with the divinity; that they know more than men; and that elephants, in particular, are of all others moil religious animals, and Uriel: obfervers of an oath. * Alc — A great genius will be fometimes whimfical. But what do you fay to the emperor, Julian, was not he an extraordinary man?
Cri. — He feems by his writings, to have been lively and fatirical. Further, I make no difficulty of owning • Origen, contra Celfura, L 4, that he was a generous, temperate, gallant, and facetious emperor: But at the fame time it muft be allowed, becaufe his own heathen panegyrift, Ammianus Marcellinus, * allows it, that he was a prating, light, vain, fuperftitious fort of man. And, therefore, his judgment, or authority can be but of fmall weight with thofe, who are not prejudiced in his favor.
Alc — But of all the great men, who wrote v againft revealed religion, the greateft without queflion was that truly great man, Porphyry, the lofs of whofe invaluable work can never be fufficiently lamented. This profound philofopher went to the bottom and original of things. He moft learnedly confuted the fcriptures, fhewed the abfurdity of the Mofaic accounts, undermined and expofed the prophecies, and ridiculed allegorical interpretations, f The moderns, it muft be owned, have done great things, and fhewn themfelves able men: Yet I cannot but regret the lofs of what was done by a perfon of fuch vaft abilities, and who lived fo much nearer the fountain-head; though his authority furvives his writings, and muft (till have its weight, with impartial men, in fpite of the enemies of truth.
Cri. — Porphyry, I grant, was a thorough infidel, tho* he appears by no means to have been incredulous. It feems he had a great opinion of wizards and necromancers, and believed the myfteries, miracles, and prophecies of Theurgifts and Egyptian priefts. He was far from being an enemy to obfeure jargon, and pretended to extraordinary extafies. In a word, this great man appears to have been as unintelligible as a fchoolman, as fuperftitious as a monk, and as fanatical as any quietift or quaker: and, to complete his character as Minute Philofopher, he was under ftrong temptations to lay violent f Luc Holftenius dc vita & fcriptis Porphyrii.
hands on himfelf. We may frame a notion of this patriarch of infidelity, from his judicious way of thinking upon other points, as well as the chriftian religion. So fagacious was he as to find out, that the fouls of infe&s, when feparated from their bodies, become rational: that demons of a thoufand fhapes aflift in making philtrums and charms, whofe fpiritual bodies are nourifhed and fattened by the fteams of libations and facrifices: That the ghofts of 'thofe, who died violent deaths, ufe to haunt and appear about their fepulchres. This fame egregious philofopher advifeth a wife man not to eat flefh, left the impure foul of the brute that was put to violent death {hould enter, along with the flefh into thofe who eat it. He adds, as a matter of fa£t, confirmed by many experiments, that thofe who would infinuate into themfelves the fouls of fuch animals, as have the gift of foretelling things to come, need only eat a principal part, the heart, for inftance, of a ftag or a mole, and fo receive the foul of the animal, which will prophefy in them like a God.* No wonder if men, whofe minds were preoccupied by faith and tenets of fuch a peculiar kind, fhould be averfe from the reception of the gofpel. Upon the whole, we defire to be excufed, if we do not pay the fame deference to the judgment of men, that appear to us whimfical, fuperftitious, weak, and vifionary, which thofe impartial gentlemen do, who admire their talents, and are proud to tread in their footfteps.
Alc. — Men fee things in different views: what one admires another contemns: it is even poffible for a prejudiced mind, whofe attention is turned towards the faults and blemifhes of things, to fancy fome fhadow of defect in thofe great lights, which in our own days have enlightened, and ftill continue to enlighten the world.
* Vide Porphyrium de abftinentia, de facrificils, de piis, & demonlbu& XXVI. But pray tell me, Crito, what you think of Jofephus? He is allowed to have been a man of learning and judgment. He was himfelf an aiTerter of revealed religion. And chriftians, when his authority ferves their turn, are ufed to cite him with refpe£L Cm. — All this I acknowledge.
Alc. — Mufl it not then feem very ftrange, and very fufpicious to every impartial inquirer, that this learned Jewy writing the hiftory of his own country, of that very place, and thofe very times, where and when Jefus Chrifl made his appearance, fhould yet fay nothing of the character, miracles, and doctrine of that extraordinary perfon? Some ancient chriftians were fo fenfible of this, that, to make amends, they inferted a famous paffage in that hiftorian 5 which impofture hath been fufficiently detected by able critics in the laft age.
Cri. — Though there are not wanting able critics on the other fide of the queftion, yet, not to enter upon the difcuflion of that celebrated paflage, I am content to give you all you can defire, and fuppofe it not genuine, but the pious fraud of fome wrong-headed chriftian, who could not brook the omiffion in Jofephus: But this will never make fuch omiffion a real objection againft chriftianity. Nor is there, for ought I can fee, any thing in it whereon to ground either admiration or fufpicion; inafrnuch as it (hould feem very natural, fuppofing the gofpel account exactly true, for -Jofephus to have faid nothing of it; confidering that the view of that writer was to give his country fome figure in the eye of the world, which had been greatly prejudiced againft the Jews, and knew little of their hiftory, to which end the life and death of our Saviour would not in any wife have conduced; confidering that Jofephus could not have been an eye-witnefs of our Saviour or his miracles; confidering that he was a Pharifee of quality and learning, foreign as well as Jewi/h, one of great employment in the (late, and that the gofpel was preached to the poor -, that the fir ft inftruments of fpreading it, and the firft converts to it, were mean and illiterate, that it might not feem the work of man, or beholden to human intereft or power; confidering the general prejudice of the Jews, who expected in the Mefftah a temporal and conquering prince; which prejudice was as flrong, that they chofe rather to attribute our Saviour's miracles to the devil, than to acknowledge him to be the Chrift: Confidering alfo the hellifh diforder and confufion of the Jewijh ftate in the days of Jofephus: when men's minds were filled and aftonifhed with unparalleled wars, diflenfions, maffacres, and feditions of that devoted people. Laying all thefe things together, I do not think it ftrange, that fuch a man, writing with fuch a view, at fuch a time, and in fuch circumftances, mould omit to defcribe our blefled Saviour's life and death, or to mention his miracles, or to take notice of the ftate of the chriftian church, which was then as a grain of muftard feed, beginning to take root and germinate. And this will feem ftill lefs ftrange, if it be confidered, that the apoftles, in a few years after our Saviour's death, departed from Jerufa/em, fetting themfelves to convert the Gentiles, and were difperfed throughout the world; that the converts in Jerufa/em were not only of the meaneft of the people, but alfo few •, the three thoufand added to the church in one day, upon Peter's preaching in that city, appearing to have been not inhabitants, but flrangers from all parts, affembled to celebrate the feaft of Petitecojl; and that all the time of Jofephus, and for feveral years after, during a fucceflion of fifteen bifhops, the chriftians at Jerufakm obferved the Mofaic law, * and were confequently, in outward appearance, one people * Sulp. Sever. Sacr. Hift. L ft. & Eufeb. Chron. lib. poller.
with the reft of the Jews, which muft have made them lefs obfervable. I would fain know what reafon we have to fuppofe, that the gofpel, which, in its firfts propagation, feemed to overlook the great or confiderable men of this world, might not alfo have been overlooked by them, as a thing not fuited to their apprehenfions and way of thinking? Befides, in thofe early times might not other learned Jews, as well as Gamaliel^ fufpend their judgment of this new way, as not knowing what to make or fay of it, being on one hand, unable to quit the notions and traditions in which they were brought up, and, on the other, not daring to refill or fpeak againfl the gofpel, left they fhould be found to fight againft God? Surely at all events, it could never be expected, that an unconverted Jew fhould give the fame account of the life, miracles, and doctrines of Jefus Chrift, as might become a chriftian to have given: Nor, on the other hand, was it at all improbable, that a man of fenfe fhould beware to lefTen or traduce what, for ought he knew, might have been a heavenly difpenfation; between which two courfes, the middle was to< fay nothing, but pafs it over, in a doubtful, or a refpe&ful filence. And it is obfervable, that where this hiftorian occafionally mentions Jefus Chrijl in his account of St. James's death, he doth it without any reflection, or faying, either good or bad, though at the fame time, he fhews a regard for the apoftle. It is obfervable, I fay, that fpeaking of Jefus, his expreflion is, who was called the Chrift, not who pretended to be the Chrift, or who was falfely called the Chrift, but limply, tou legomenou Ckriftou. * It is evident, Jofephus knew there was fuch a man as Jefus, and that he was faid to be the Chrift, and yet he condemns neither him nor his followers; which to me feems an argument in their favor. Certainly, if we fuppofe Jofephus to have known, or been perfuaded, that he was an impoftor, it will be difficult to account for his not faying fo in plain terms. But, if we fuppofe him in Gamaliel's way of thinking, who fufpended his judgment, and was afraid of being found to fight againft God, it mould feem natural for him to behave in that very manner, which, according to you, makes againft our faith, but I verily think, makes for it: But what if Jofephus had been a bigot, or even a fadduceey an infidel, an atheift? What then! we readily grant there might have been perfons of rank, politicians, generals, and men of letters, then as well as now, Jews, as well as E?iglijhmeny who believed no revealed religion: And that fome fuch perfons might poflibly have heard of a man in low life, who performed miracles by magic, without informing themfelves, or perhaps ever inquiring about his million and doctrine. Upon the whole, I cannot comprehend why any man mould conclude againft the truth ©f the gofpel, from Jofephus' % omitting to fpeak of it, any more than from his omitting to embrace it. Had the firft chriftians been chief priefts and rulers, or men of fcience and learning, like Philo and Jofephus, it might perhaps with better colour have been objected, that their religion was of human contrivance, than now that it hath pleafed God by weak things to confound the ftrong. This I think fufficiently accounts, why, in the beginning, the gofpel might overlook or be overlooked by men of a certain rank and character.
XXVII. Alc. — And yet it feems an odd argument in proof of any doctrine, that it was preached by fimple people, to fimple people.
Cri.— Indeed if there was no other atteftahon to the truth of the chriftian religion, this muft be owned a very weak one. But if a doctrine begun by inftruments, mean, as to all human advantages, and making its firft [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. Vy progrefs among thofe, who had neither wealth, nor art, nor power, to grace or encourage it, mould in a fhort time, by its own innate excellency, the mighty force of miracles, and the demon ftration of the fpirit, not only without, but againft, all worldly motives, fpread through the world, and fubdue men of all ranks and conditions of life, would it not be very unreafonable to reject or fufpecl: it, for the want of human means? And might not this with much better reafon be thought an argument of its coming from God?
Alc. — But dill an inquifitive man will want the teftimony of men of learning and knowledge.
Cri. — But from the firft century onwards, there was never wanting the teftimony of fuch men who wrote learnedly in defence of the chriflian religion, who lived, many of them, when the memory of things was frefli, who had abilities to judge, and means to know, and who gave the cleared proofs of their conviction and fincerity.
Alc. — But all the while thefe men were chriftians, prejudiced chriftians, and therefore their teftimony is to be fufpec~ted= Cri. — It feems then you would have Jews or heathens atteft to the truths of chriftianity.
Alc. — That is the very thing I want.
Cri. — But how can this be? Or if it could, would not any rational man be apt to fufpedt fuch evidence, and afk, how it was poflible for a man really to believe fuch things himfelf, and not become a chriftian? The apoftles and firft converts were thcmfelves Jewsy and brought up in a veneration for the law of Mofes> and in all the prejudices of that people: Many fathers, chriftian philofophers, and learned apologifts for the faith, who had been bred Gentiles, were without doubt imbued with prejudices of education: And if the finger of God, and force of truth converted both the one and the other from Judajfm, or Gentilifm, in fpite of their prejudices, to chriflianity, is not their teftimony fo much the ftronger? You have then the fuffrages of both Jews and Gentiles, attefting to the truth of our religion, in the earlieft ages. But to expect or defire the atteftation of Jews remaining Jews, or of Gentiles remaining Gentiles, feems unreafonable: Nor can it be imagined that the teftimony of men, who were not converted themfelves, mould be the likelieft to convert others. We have indeed, the teftimony of heathen writers to prove, That about the time of our Saviour's birth, there was a general expectation in the eaft, of a Mejfiah, or prince, who mould found a new dominion: That there were fuch people as chriftians: That they were cruelly perfecuted, and put to death: That they were innocent and holy in life, and worftiip: And that there did really exift in that time, certain perfons, and fa&s mentioned in the New Teftament: And for other points, we have learned fathers, feveral of whom had been, as I already obferved, bred heathens, to atteft their truth.
Alc — For my part, I have no great opinion of the capacity or learning of the fathers, and many learned men, efpecially of the reformed churches abroad, are of the fame mind, which faves me the trouble of looking myfelf, into their voluminous writings.
Cri. — I (hall not take upon me to fay, with the Minute Philofopher, Pomponatius,* that Origen, Bafil, Augujline, and divers other fathers, were equal to Plato, Arijlotle, and the greateft of the Gentiles, in human knowledge. But, if I may be allowed to make a judgment from what I have feen of their writings, I mould think feveral of them men of great parts, eloquence, and learning, and much fuperior to thofe who feem to undervalue them. Without any affront to certain modern critics, or tranflators, Erafmus may be allowed a man of fine tafte, and a * Lib. d% immorulitate animas, [Dial. VI.] MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. 31^ fit judge of fenfe and good writing, though his judgment in this point was very different from theirs. Some of our reformed brethren, becaufe the Romanijls attribute too much, feem to have attributed too little to them, from a very ufual, though no very judicious oppofition: Which is apt to lead men to remark defects, without making proper allowances, and to fay things which neither piety, candor, nor good fenfe require them to fay.
XXVIII. Alc. — But though I fhould acknowledge, that a concurring teflimony of many learned and able men throughout the firft ages of chriftianity may have its weight, yet when I confider the great number of forgeries and herefies that fprung up in thofe times, it very much weakens their credit.
Cri.— Pray, Alciphron> would it be allowed a good argument in the mouth of a papift againft the reformation, that many abfurd feels fprung up at the fame time with it? Are we to wonder, that when good feed is fowing, the enemy mould fow tares? But at once to cut off feveral objections, let us fuppofe in fact, what you do not deny poflible, that there is a God, a devil, and a revelation from heaven committed to writing many centuries ago. Do but take a view of human nature, and confider, what would probably follow upon fuch a fuppofition: And whether it is not very likely, there fhould be half-believers, miftaken bigots, holy frauds, ambitious, interefled, difputing, conceited, fchifmatical, heretical, abfurd men among the profefiors of fuch revealed religion, as well as after a courfe of ages, various readings, omiffions, tranfpofitions, and obfeurities in the text of the facred oracles? And if fo, I leave you to judge, whether it be reafonable to make thofe events an objection againft the being of a thing, which would probably and naturally follow upon the fuppofal of its being.
Alc. — After all, fay what you will, this variety of opinions muft needs (hake the faith of a reafonable man.
32« MINUTE PHILOSOPHER. [Dial. VI.]
Where there are fo many different opinions on the fame point, it is very certain they cannot all be true, but it is certain they may all be falfe. And the means to find out the truth! When a man of fenfe fets about this inquiry, he finds himfelf on a fudden, ftartled and amufed with hard words and knotty queftions. This makes him abandon the purfuit, thinking the game not worth the chace.
Cri. — But would not this man of fenfe do well to confider, it muft argue want of difcernment, to reject divine truths for the fake of human follies? Ufe but the fame candor and impartiality in treating of religion, that you would think proper on other fubje£ts. We defire no more, and expect no lefs. In law, in phyfic, in politics, whereever men have refined, is it not evident they have been always apt to run into difputes and chicane? But will that hinder you from admitting there are many good rules, and juft notions, and ufeful truths in all thofe profeffions. Phyficians may difpute, perhaps vainly and unintelligibly, about the animal fyftem: They may aflign different caufes of diftempers, fome explaining them by the elementary qualities, hot and cold, moifl and dry, others by chymical, others by mechanical principles: Yet this doth not hinder but the bark may be good for an ague, and rhubarb for a flux. Nor can it be inferred from the different fects, which, from time to time, have fprung up in that profeffion, the dogmatic, for inftance, empiric, methodic, galenic, paracelfian, or the hard words, and knotty queftions, and idle theories, which have grown from them, or been ingrafted on them, that therefore we fhould deny the circulation of the blood, or reject their excellent rules about exercife, air, and diet.
Alc — It feems you would fcreen religion by the example of other profeffions, all which have produced fe&s and difputes as well as chriftianity, which according to you may in itfelf, be true and ufeful, notwithstanding many falfe and {ruitlefs notions ingrafted on it, by the wit of man. But certainly if this had been obferved, or believed by many acute reafoners, they would never have made the multiplicity of religious opinions, and controverfies, an argument againft religion in general.
Crt. — How fuch an obvious truth fhould efcape men of fenfe and inquiry, I leave you to account: But I can very eafily account for grofs miftakes in thofe, who pafs for free-thinkers, without ever thinking: Or, if they do think, whofe meditations are employed on other points of a very different nature, from a ferious and impartial inquiry about religion.
XXIX. But to return: What, or where is the profef-(ion of men, who never fplit into fchifms, or never talk nonfenfe? Is it not evident, that, out of all the kinds of knowledge, on which the human mind is employed, there grow certain excrefcences, which may be pared off like the clippings of hair, or nails in the body, and with no worfe confequence. Whatever bigots or enthufiafts, whatever notional or fcholaftic divines may fay or think, it is certain, the faith derived from Chrift, and his apoftles, was not a piece of empty fophiflry: They did not deliver and tranfmit down to us kenen apaten gumnen gnomen to ufe the expreffion of a holy confeffor.* And to pretend to demolifh their foundation for the fake of human fuperftructure, be it hay or ftubble, or what it will, is no argument of juft thought or reafon; any more than it is of fairnefs, to fuppofe a doubtful fenfe fixed, and argue from one fide of the queftion in difputed points. Whether, for inftance, the beginning of Gene/is is to be underftood in a literal or allegorical fenfe? Whether the book of Job be an hiflory or a parable? Being points difputed between chriflians, an infidel can have no right to argue from one fide of the * Socr. Hiftor. Ecclef. 1.
R r