Five Pebbles from the Brook | Page 3

a note to p. 458, to a work of
Lessing's, which he says, "ought to be read by every one who is
overfond of Harmonies." This work of Lessing's, if I recollect right,
maintains, that all hopes of harmonizing the evangelists, of reconciling
their contradictions, must be given up. [See Lessings Sammliche,
Schriften, ch. v. S. 150, as quoted by Mr. Everett, p. 458.]
Now these contradictions, if they do exist, unquestionably argue one of
two things; either fraud, or want of accurate information in their
authors, as no man who wishes to be considered "compos mentis" will
deny, because, accurate information excludes the possibility of
contradiction in authors willing to tell the truth, and much more in
inspired authors, who must be incapable of writing anything but the
truth.
The Christian, therefore, must, it seems to me, on account of these
contradictions, allow one of two things; either, that the evangelists were
fraudulent men, or else that the Gospels were not written by the
Apostles and immediate followers of Jesus: because want of accurate
information, cannot be supposed of the Apostles and immediate
followers of Jesus; as having been constantly with him, from the
beginning, to the end of his ministery, they must have been perfectly

acquainted with his actions and doctrines. Neither can lapse of memory
be urged; because the Gospels represent Jesus as saying, John ch. xvi.
26, that they should have the aid of inspiration, which "should, bring all
things, to remembrance;" and in Acts ch. iv. 31, all the followers of
Jesus are represented as having actually received the effusion of the
Holy Ghost: of course want of accurate information, and lapse or
memory in them cannot be supposed.
The Christian, therefore, must allow, since contradictions do exist, if he
would avoid accusing the Apostles and disciples of Jesus of fraud, that
the Gospels were not written by the Apostles and first followers of
Jesus, but that they were written by men, who had no accurate
information about the events they record. It is therefore plain, that the
miracles recorded in the Gospels, are incapable of proof. For what
Christian in his senses can ask another man to believe accounts of
miracles, which accounts, he must at the same time allow, were written
by fraudulent men, or by men who had no accurate information upon
the subjects about which they write.
The edge of this, as I think, smites right through the neck of Mr.
Everett's argument on which his work depends, and leaves his book--"a
gasping head---a quivering trunk." Sic transit gloria mundi.
But in order to make Mr. Everett still farther Sensible how easily his
argument can be "overturned, overturned and overturned," I will
suppose a reasonable and reasoning man, desirous to verify the claims
of the books of the New Testament as containing a Revelation from
God, to set down to scrutinize with anxious solicitude every argument
of internal and external evidence, in favour of their authenticity, and
authority, in the hope of becoming satisfied of the truth of their claims.
But in the course of his examination, such a man will assuredly find,
that almost every step in his inquiry, is an occasion of doubt and of
difficulty.
Books containing Revelations from the Supreme, must be consistent
with themselves. But he will observe on a careful perusal of the
evangelists, that the contradictions, particularly in the narratives of the
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, are numerous; and that all the

ingenuity of Christian writers, has been exhausted in vain in the attempt
to reconcile them; for example, the Gospel called of Matthew says, ch.
iii. 14, that John the Baptist, knew Jesus when he came to him to be
baptised, (which was very probable on account of the relationship and
intimacy subsisting between Mary the mother of Jesus, and: Elizabeth
the mother of John, as mentioned in the Gospel called of Luke, ch. i. 18,
it could hardly have been otherwise) but the author of the Gospel called
of John says, ch. i. 31, that John knew him not, until he was designated
by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him.
Again, it is said in the Gospel called of John, ch. ii. 14. that Jesus, on
his first visit to Jerusalem after he had commenced his preaching, cast
the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, whereas the Gospel called of
Matthew, and also those called of Mark and Luke, represent this to
have been done by Jesus at his last visit to Jerusalem. See Matt. ch. xxi.
12. Mark ch. xi. 15. Luke ch. xix. 45.
Again, the author of the Gospel called of John, represents the last
supper or Jesus with his Apostles, to have taken place (See ch. xiii. 1.
and ch. xviii. 28.) on the eve before