The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the OldEnglish, George Bethune
Religion
The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old
English, George Bethune
Rationalism
These strokes of character enable us to understand the man; and I
shall now go into the consideration of some of the arguments he
has deduced from passages in the Old Testament in support of his
opinions; after premising, that the truth of the story of the manner
of his conversion depends entirely upon his own assertion; and
whether his credibility be absolutely unimpeachable, can be easily
determined by an impartial consideration of the history of his
conduct already mentioned. I will only add upon this subject, that
in telling the story of his conversion, he ought to have had a better
memory; for in telling it once in xxvi. ch. of Acts, he says, in
describing his miraculous vision, that "those that were with me,
saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but heard not the words of
him that spake to me;" and thus he directly contradicts the story of
it recorded in Acts ix., where it is said, "that the men who
journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing
no one."
In the 9th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, v. 24, he thus
proves; that the Old Testament prophecied of the conversion of the
Gentiles, to the Gospel--"Even us whom he hath called, not of the
Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, as he saith also in Hosea "I
will call them my people, which were not my people; and her
beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in
the place where it was said unto them, you are not my people, there
shall they be called the sons of the living God."--Is not this to the
purpose? yet, in applying this passage to the Gentiles, Paul has
wilfully, (yes wilfully, for Paul was a learned man, and knew better)
perverted the original from its proper reference, and has passed
upon his simple converts., who did not know so much of the
Jewish Scriptures, as he did, a prophecy relating entirely to the
Jews, as referring to the Gentiles!! By turning to Hosea, Reader,
you will find this to be verily the case; here is the passage, "Then
said God, call his name (Hosea's son) Loammi, for ye (the
Israelites) are not my people, and I will not be your God, yet the
number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea,
which cannot be measured, nor numbered. And it shall come to
pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my
people, there shall it be said unto them, ye are the sons of the living
God." Hosea chapter i
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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