even of a probable story, should be given as a motive for
believing this one, that has upon the face of it every token of absolute
impossibility and imposture.

The story of Herod destroying all the children under two years old,
belongs altogether to the book of Matthew; not one of the rest mentions
anything about it. Had such a circumstance been true, the universality
of it must have made it known to all the writers, and the thing would
have been too striking to have been omitted by any. This writer tell us,
that Jesus escaped this slaughter, because Joseph and Mary were warned
by an angel to flee with him into Egypt; but he forgot to make provision
for John [the Baptist], who was then under two years of age. John,
however, who staid behind, fared as well as Jesus, who fled; and
therefore the story circumstantially belies itself.

Not any two of these writers agree in reciting, exactly in the same
words, the written inscription, short as it is, which they tell us was
put over Christ when he was crucified; and besides this, Mark says, He
was crucified at the third hour, (nine in the morning;) and John says it
was the sixth hour, (twelve at noon.) [According to John, (xix. 14)
the sentence was not passed till about the sixth hour (noon,) and
consequently the execution could not be till the afternoon; but Mark
(xv. 25) Says expressly that he was crucified at the third hour, (nine
in the morning,)--Author.]

The inscription is thus stated in those books:

Matthew--This is Jesus the king of the Jews. Mark--The king of the Jews.
Luke--This is the king of the Jews. John--Jesus of Nazareth the king of
the Jews.

We may infer from these circumstances, trivial as they are, that those
writers, whoever they were, and in whatever time they lived, were
not present at the scene. The only one of the men called apostles who
appears to have been near to the spot was Peter, and when he was accused
of being one of Jesus's followers, it is said, (Matthew xxvi. 74,) "Then
Peter began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man:" yet
we are now called to believe the same Peter, convicted, by their own
account, of perjury. For what reason, or on what authority, should we do
this?

The accounts that are given of the circumstances, that they tell us
attended the crucifixion, are differently related in those four books.

The book ascribed to Matthew says 'there was darkness over all the land
from the sixth hour unto the ninth hour