1817 Oct. 23

Not Paul

11

Ch. Miracles Quasi, Visions

3

§. 2 Visions

Upon so baseless a fabric as that of a vision―upon that and nothing more scarcely will any instance / a man venture / ever be found to seek to found a religion true or false. But for the foundation he found / saw / laid by Jesus, no such enterprize would even Paul himself have ventured to engage in have hazarded. But, ere that enquiry is at an end some it is imagined there will be in whose eyes upon a foundation not more substantial / solid / will have been placed a false edition of / superstructure erected upon / a true one.

To us who live / view the matter / in these our days the pretension of our Paul will present themselves / appear / as riding not merely on his alledged visions alone, but on these with the addition of a list of miracles. But whatsoever miracles or quasi miracles may have been collected for his support by his adherent and historiographer the nameless author of the Acts, it is upon his visions and his visions alone that we shall find him in his days resting his pretensions: nothing being said on these occasions by him of signs and wonders particularized or unparticularized.

But though in the circumstances in which he found himself we shall find him venturing his pretensions in appearance upon such unsubstantial ground, it will be only in appearance: never setting himself up in his own name―ever making use of the name of Jesus, and thus setting his foot on the basis / groundwork / laid by Jesus we shall find him thus tacitly but not the less effectually turning to his own present account whatsoever miracle he found ascribed to Jesus.