SECTION II.

Supposing there was any deceit at all in the cafe; what the nature and defign of the whole impofture must have been; and who must have been concerned in planning it out, and carrying it on.

THE miraculous events, faid to have accompanied the birth of the Baptift, having thus approved themselves fuch as could not poffibly be forged, either by Luke, or any of Jefus's difciples, after John's death; or by John himself, or any one elfe in conjunction with him, several years after his birth; there remains but one fuppofition more, which can poffibly account for them on the foot of an imposture.

IF the events in queftion did not really come to pass, in that fupernatural manner in which they are related; then the whole muft have been a plot, concerted before the Baptift's birth, between his parents Zacharias and Elizabeth, and whoever else fhall appear to have been concerned with them in carrying it on. And all this muft have been contrived purposely to impofe their fon upon the Jews

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for that prophet, whom they expected God would fend to proclaim the coming of the Meffiah.

5. Ir is now therefore neceffary to confider, whether this fuppofition is at all more capable of being admitted, than either of the former. And to proceed in this enquiry with clearness and certainty, it will be requifite, in the first place, to take a full view of the whole scheme of that impofture, in the profecution of which, Zacharias muft, on this fuppofition, have been engaged; as well as to know certainly, what affociates he muft have been connected with, in carrying it on. Pub ; mot etg. Palat d'arle

THIS done, we may be enabled to determine the truth or falsehood of the fuppofition itself; from confidering the nature of the fuppofed defign; the circumftances and fituation of all the perfons concerned; and the manner in which, it hall appear, they muft actually have conducted it.

FOR, if the feveral circumftances of all thofe, who, on this fuppofition, muft have contrived the plot in queftion, fhould make it incredible for them to have been engaged in fuch an undertaking;if, befides, the fuppofed impofture itfelf fhould prove fo abfurd in its own nature, as to make it impoffible to believe, that any could be foolish enough to have planned it;and again, if feveral particulars fhould occur in uld have the progrefs of it; fuch as could not poffibly have E 3

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been adopted by them, if they had; Zacharias, and all concerned, must be acquitted of all fufpicion of deceit, and the prophetic character of the Baptift will be completely established.

By laying together fome circumstances of importance in the cafe, it will immediately, be feen, that if Zacharias was really engaged in the contrivance we have just been fuppofing, he could not be the only perfon who planned, and carried it on. On the contrary it will be found, that whatever forgeries were made public by Zacharias and Elizabeth relating to John; Jofeph and Mary muft not only have been thoroughly acquainted with, and acceffaries to them, but the plot itself must, from the beginning, have been concerted between them all.

Ir will appear likewife, that if the imposture fupposed with regard to John had any real existence, this alone was not the whole defign Zacharias muft have been engaged in concerting; but there must have beep, at the fame time, a fimilar plot laid, and put in execution, relating to Mary's fon; in the projection and fupport of which, Zacharias and Elizabeth muft have been jointly engaged with Jofeph and Mary themfelves. The truth of these affertions will presently appear...

SUPPOSING all the circumftances recorded of John's birth, to have been no more than the fe

veral particulars of a deep-laid impofture; Zacharias, we find, entered upon his defign, by pretending to have seen an angel in the temple, who foretold even the conception as well as the birth of his fon; commanding Zacharias, when the time came, to name him John; and declaring him ordained of God to be the immediate forerunner of the Meffiah. That to prevent people from queftioning the truth of fo extraordinary a revelation, he immediately feigned himself dumb; fignifying, that the angel had deprived him of speech, for a certain period, which he affigned as a punishment for his having doubted the truth of this aftonishing prediction. That, in due time after this, his wife Elizabeth was delivered of a fon, as he pretended the angel had foretold she should be. That to confirm ftill farther the angel's appearance in the temple, which was to ferve for the foundation of the whole impofture; Zacharias, at his fon's circumcifion, named him John; and immediately pretending to have had his fpeech inftantaneously reftored, according to the angel's pretended declaration, he began to return thanks to God for his gracious difpenfations. And, in fine, to give a still stronger fanction to the future divine character of his son, and to cover the whole plot with a greater air of folemnity, he himself immediately affumed the style of inspiration, and broke out E 4

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into a pretended prophecy; foretelling, that the Meffiah himself was at length on the point of ap. pearing; and, as before, that John was ordained to be his immediate forerunner

SUCH was the part Zacharias must have acted, in that scheme of impofture, which we are now fuppofing him to have contrived with regard to John.

As to his wife Elizabeth, the very nature of the cafe evidently fhews, that the muft unavoidably have been a party to the defign; and her beha viour, at the time of John's circumcifion, fufficiently proves it. "And it came to pass, that on "the eighth day they came to circumcife the child; " and they called him Zacharias after the name of

his father. And his mother anfwered, and faid, "not fo; but he shall be called John. And they "faid unto her, there is none of thy kindred, "that is called by this name. And they made "figns to his father how he would have him called; "and he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, "faying, his name is John. And they mar"velled all t."

;

HAD not Zacharias already engaged Elizabeth: in the profecution of whatever defign he had in view, with regard to John; we could not have

• Luke ch. is it in to Luke i. 59.

found