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Paley, William, 1743-1805

"Evidence of Christianity"

" Jones's New and Full
Method. Append. vol. i. p. 589, ed. 1726.
_________

We meet with quotations of three of the Gospels within the compass of
half a page: "And in other words he says, Depart from me into outer
darkness, which the Father hath prepared for Satan and his angels,"
(which is from Matthew xxv. 41.) "And again he said, in other words, I
give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and venomous
beasts, and upon all the power of the enemy." (This from Luke x. 19.)
"And before he was crucified, he said, The Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be rejected of the Scribes and Pharisees, and be crucified,
and rise again the third day." (This from Mark viii. 31.)
In another place Justin quotes a passage in the history of Christ's
birth, as delivered by Matthew and John, and fortifies his quotation by
this remarkable testimony: "As they have taught, who have written the
history of all things concerning our Saviour Jesus Christ; and we
believe them." Quotations are also found from the Gospel of Saint John.
What moreover seems extremely material to be observed is, that in all
Justin's works, from which might be extracted almost a complete life of
Christ, there are but two instances in which he refers to anything as
said or done by Christ, which is not related concerning him in our
present Gospels: which shows, that these Gospels, and these, we may say,
alone, were the authorities from which the Christians of that day drew
the information upon which they depended.


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