Two sorts of objections, or accusations, are brought against them.  One charges fraud and deceit on the transaction itself; the other charges the evidence as forged, and insufficient to support the credit of so extraordinary an event.

        There are also three periods of time to be considered.

The first takes in the ministry of Christ, and ends at his death.  During this period the fraud is supposed to be contrived.

The second reaches from his death to his resurrection.  During this period the fraud is supposed to be executed.

The third begins from the resurrection, and takes in the whole ministry of the apostles.  And here the evidence they gave the world for this fact is the main consideration.

As to the first period of time, and the fraud charged upon Jesus, I must observe to you, that this charge had no evidence to support it; all the facts reported of Jesus stand in full contradiction to it.  To suppose, as the council did, that this fraud might possibly appear, if we had any Jewish books written at the time, is not to bring proof, but to wish for proof:  for, as it was rightly observed on the other side, how does Mr. A. know there were any such books?  And since they are lost, how does he know what was in them?  Were such books extant, they might probably prove beyond dispute the facts recorded in the gospels.

You were told, that the Jews were a very superstitious people, much addicted to prophecy; and particularly, that they had a strong expectation about the time that Christ appeared, to have a victorious prince rise among them.  This is laid as the ground of suspicion; and, in fact, many imposters, you are told, set up upon these notions of the people; and thence it is inferred, that Christ built his scheme upon the strength of these popular prejudices.  But when this fact came to be examined on the other side, it appeared, that Christ was so far from falling in with these notions, and abusing the credulity of the people, that it was his main point, to correct these prejudices, to oppose these superstitions; and by these very means he fell into disgrace with his countrymen, and suffered as one who, in their opinion, destroyed the Law and the Prophets.  With respect to temporal power, so far was he from aiming at it, that he refused it when offered:  so far from giving any hopes of it to his disciples, that he invited men upon quite different terms:  To take up the cross, and follow him.  And it is observable, that, after he had foretold his death and resurrection, he continued to admonish his disciples of the evils they were to suffer; to tell them, that the world would hate them, and abuse them; which surely to common sense has no appearance that he was then contriving a cheat, or encouraging his disciples to execute it.