Lactantius saw so little force in the miracles of Christ, exclusive of the prophecies, that he does not hesitate to affirm their utter inability to support the Christian religion by themselves. [Lactan.  Div.  Inst.  L. v. c. 3.]

Celsus, observing upon the words of Jesus, that “false prophets and false Christs shall arise, and show grant signs and wonders,” sneeringly observes, “A fine thing truly! that miracles done by him should prove him to be a God, and when done by others should demonstrate them to be false prophets and impostors.”

Tertullian, on the words of Jesus, here referred to by Celsus, says as follows;

“Christ, foretelling that many imposters should come and perform many wonders, shews, that our faith cannot without great temerity be founded on miracles, since they were so early wrought, by false Christians themselves.” [Tertul. in Marc.  L. ii. c. 3.]

Indeed, miracles in the two first centuries were allowed very little weight in proving doctrines.  Since the Christians did not deny, that the heathens performed miracles in behalf of their gods, and that the heretics performed them as will as the orthodox.  This accounts for the perfect indifference of the heathens to the miracles said to have been performed by the founders of Christianity.  Hierocles speaks with great contempt of what he calls “the little tricks of Jesus,” And Origen, in his reply to Celsus, waves the consideration of the Christian miracles:  “for (says he) the very mention of these things sets you heathens upon the. broad grin.”  Indeed, that they laughed very heartily at what in the eighteenth century is read with a grave face, is evident from the few fragments of their works written against Christianity which has escaped the burning zeal of the fathers, and the Christian emperors; who piously sought for, and burned up, these mischievous volumes to prevent their doing mischief to posterity.  This conduct of theirs is very suspicious.  Why burn writing they could so triumphantly refute, if they were refutable?  They should have remembered the just reflection of Arnobius, their own apologist, against the heathens, who were for abolishing at once such writings as promoted Christianity.—­“Intercipere scripta et publicatam velle submergere lectionem, non est Deos defendere, sed veritatis testificationem timere."[Arnob. contra Gentes.  Liber ni.]—­E.

* Before going into the consideration of the following prophecies, the author would warn the reader to bear in mind, that whether these prophecies ever will be fulfilled, is a question of no import in the world to the question under consideration, which is—­whether they have been fulfilled eighteen hundred years ago, in the person of Jesus Christ, who is asserted by Christians to be the person foretold in these prophecies, and to have fulfilled their predictions.  This question can be easily decided, and only, we think, by appealing to past history, and to the scenes passing around us, and comparing them with these predictions.—­E.