1 66 return of Jesus' disciples put an end to the conversation. The latter, whether they knew the profession of the loquacious dame, or were more intolerant than their master, were scandalized and surprized at the tete-atete; yet none of them dared to criticise the conduct of Christ. On the other hand, the Samaritan woman seeing his retinue, believed in, reality that he was a prophet or the Messiah; so leaving her pitcher, she went directly to Sichar, "Come and see," said she to the inhabitants, a man who told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ ?"-The astonished inhabitants assembled, went out and met Jesus; and charmed with hearing him preach, without comprehending one word of his discourse, they invited him to come and reside with them. He yielded to their offers for two days only: the provisions purchased were put up in reserve, and the troop lived during that time at the cost of these heretics, delighted no doubt with defraying the expences of the Saviour and his followers. 3 All the marvellous in this adventure turns on Jesus having divined that the Samaritan lady had had five husbands, and lived at that time in criminal intercourse with a favourite. Yet it is easy to perceive that Christ could learn this anecdote, either in his conversation with the prating dame, or by public rumour, or some other very simple way. But unbelievers find another reason for criticising this relation of St. John: and laying aside the marvellous, they attack the truth of the transaction. All his tory attests, that in the time of Jesus Christ, Samaria was peopled by colonies of different nations, which the Assyrians had transported thither after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel. This would seem to exclude the expectation of the Messiah, in which, according to St. John, the Samaritans lived. Pagans and Idolators could not have very distinct notions of an event particular to Judea. If the Samaritans were the descendants of Jacob, it was not necessary to put into the mouth of the Samaritan woman these words, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say, Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." It was also absurd to make Jesus say, "ye shall no more worship the Father, either in this mountain or at Jerusalem; ye worship ye know not what." First, the law of Moses does not forbid the worshipping God in whatever place we may find ourselves. Secondly, the laws or usages of the Jews required, in the time of Christ, that none should offer sacrifice any where except in the temple of the capital: but the places of prayer depended on every man's own will and pleasure. Thirdly, it is absurd to aver, that the descendants of Jacob did not know the God whom they adored to be Jehovah, the God of Moses and the Jews; unless it is pretended, that they did not know whom they worshipped. On this head, indeed, since the mission of Jesus, Christians have undoubtedly nothing to reproach them with. Fourthly, The words of Jesus on this occasion seem to insinuate, that he wanted to abolish the worship of the Father; at least it is certain that Christians share their homage between him and his Son, which, faith apart, appears to annihilate the dogma of the unity of God. Moreover, Jesus did * * The dogma of the trinity is evidently borrowed from the reveries of Plato, or from the allegories under which that romantic philosopher chose to conceal his doctrines. It appears, that the Christian religion is indebted to him for the greater part of its dogmas. Plato admitted three Hypostases, or modes not guess rightly in saying, that the Father would be no longer worshipped either at Jerusalem, or on the mountain; for this Father has not ceased one instant to be worshipped there for these eighteen centuries past, by Jews, by Christians, and thereafter by Maho metans. If it is maintained that the Sanfaritan woman was a heathen, it is not very likely that she would have regarded Jesus as the Messiah, whom she neither knew of nor expected. Add also to this, that the Samaritans believed in Jesus on the word of a courtezan; a credulity of which Jews and Christians only could be susceptible. Jesus and his disciples were Jews, and in that character excluded from Samaria. It imports not therefore by whom the country was inhabited. Two days having elapsed, and the Samaritans of Sichar being, in all appearance, sufficiently instructed, Jesus quitted their city, and accompanied by his disciples, took the road of Upper Galilee. In this jour of being in the divinity: the first constituted the supreme God; the second, the Logos, word, or divine intelligence, proceeding from the first; the third is the spirit, or soul of the world. The early teachers of the Christian religion appear to have been Platonics; their enthusiasm probably found in Plato a doctrine analogous to their feelings. Had they been grateful, they would have recorded him as a prophet, or, at least, as one of the fathers of the church. The Jesuitical missionaries found a divinity at Thibet nearly similar to that of the Christians. By the Tartars God is called Kon-cio-cik, the only God, and Kon-cio-sum, the threefold God. They also give him the titles, Om, Ha, Hum, intelligence, might, power or word, heart, love. The number three was always revered among the ancients; because Salom, in the oriental languages, signifies three, it is made also to signify health, safety, and salvation. * ney, Christ, considering the bad disposition of his countrymen, thought proper not to enter the city of Na zareth, the place of his nativity. He applied to himself the famous proverb, that a prophet has no honour in his own country. It was otherwise in the rest of the province: as soon as the people knew of the arrival of Jesus, they neglected nothing to welcome him. St. Luke assures us that he was esteemed and honoured by every body.† There is reason to believe that these good people had beheld the wonders which he had operated in Jerusalem, during the festival of the passover In gratitude for these favourable dispositions, and for the faith he found among the Galileans, Christ did not content himself with instructing them, but confirmed his mission, and testified his love, by a crowd of prodigies. The number was doubtless very great, as St. Matthew is constrained to say vaguely, that he healed all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people ;§-that it was sufficient to present to him the sick, whatever diseases they might be afflicted with; lunatics, whose number was great in that country; idiots, hypochondriacs, and persons possessed with devils, had but to fly to him for relief, and their cure was certain. This multitude of miracles, for so they style the cures operated by Jesus, drew after him a crowd of idlers and vagabonds, as well from Galilee as from Jerusalem, Decapolis, Judea, and the country beyond Jordan. It was in this journey he made the acquisi tion of two famous disciples: they were brothers, sons of a fisherman of the name of Zebedee, and called James * St. John iv. 44. St. John iv. 45. § St. Mats iv. 28. and John. The first, though very probably he could not read, afterwards composed mystical works, which are even at this day revered by Christians. With respect to John, who was a very fine lad, he became the favourite of his master, and received from him marks of distinguished tenderness. He became afterwards a sublime Platonist, and, through gratitude, deified Christ in the gospels and epistles published in his name. The reputation and resources of Jesus were so great in Galilee, that to augment the number of his disciples it was only necessary for him to open his mouth and speak. The two disciples already mentioned he called with an intention to keep near his person. Wishing, however, to repose himself after the fatigues of preaching and miracles, he resolved to quit the cities, and retire to the sea coast. He conjectured, that to make himself desirable, and not waste his credit, it was prudent not to suffer himself to be seen either too long or too near. The people, fond of hearing the wonderful sermons of Jesus, followed him. Pressed by the crowd, he happily perceived two vessels; and throwing himself into one of them," precisely that which appertained to Simon Peter, the first of his disciples, he harangued the eager 'multitude from it." Thus the boat of a fisherman became a pulpit, from whence the Deity uttered his oracles. The Galileans, were not rich, and accordingly the troop of Jesus' adherents augmented. We find his four first apostles labouring in their trade of fishermen during the abode of the Messiah in the province. The day on which he preached in the vessel had not been fortunate for them; and the night preceding it had not been more favourable. Jesus, who knew more than |