For notwithstanding their precaution and although thus prepared
and forewarned; when the story of the resurrection of Christ came forth,
as it immediately did; when it was publicly asserted by his disciples,
and made the ground and basis of their preaching in his name, and
collecting followers to his religion, the Jews had not the body to
produce; but were obliged to meet the testimony of the apostles by an
answer not containing indeed any impossibility in itself, but absolutely
inconsistent with the supposition of their integrity; that is, in other
words, inconsistent with the supposition which would resolve their
conduct into enthusiasm.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY.
In this argument, the first consideration is the fact--in what degree,
within what time, and to what extent, Christianity actually was
propagated.
The accounts of the matter which can be collected from our books are as
follow: A few days after Christ's disappearance out of the world, we
find an assembly of disciples at Jerusalem, to the number of "about one
hundred and twenty;" (Acts i.
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