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 A N 
 
 ARGUMENT 
 
 In Defence of 
 
 CHRISTIANITY, 
 
 TAKEN FROM 
 
 The Concessions of the mofl antlent 
 Adverfaries. 
 
ARGUMENT 
 
 In Defence of 
 
 CHRISTIANITY, 
 
 TAKEN FROM 
 
 The Concessions of the niofl antieilt 
 Adverfaries, Jews and Pagans, Phi- 
 • liOsopHERS and Historians* 
 
 In which is fiiewn, 
 
 The different State of Infidelity in thofe early 
 Times, from what it now is. 
 
 To which is added, 
 
 An APOLOGY fbf fome of the Firft 
 Christian Fathers; 
 
 WITH 
 
 Some Remarks upon the Genuinenefs of the 
 Four Gospels. 
 
 By GREGORY "SHARPE, L.L.D. 
 
 Fellow of the Royal Society, and of the Society 
 of Antiquarians. 
 
 * 
 
 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for John Mill an, oppofite the Jd- 
 
 miralty-Office^ Whitehall, 
 
 *M.DCC.LV7 
 
Tatlani Oratio, p. 105. edit. Oxon. 1700. 
 
 ' / Jl:aU not take my evidences from our own 
 < authors^ but make life of your Greek au- 
 * thorities,* 
 
 J^TToSiS'n'Arrcu f/,ev nhr^ ca ccr<^pe^-) rots (crcc ^x^^h 
 
 Juftini dial. I, 
 
 * It is now prcjed, men, to thofe who have 
 *■ ears, and that from your own Confeffions* 
 
T O 
 'The Right Rev. Father in God Joseph, 
 Lord Bijhop of Rochefter, Dean of 
 We,ftminfter, and Chancellor of the 
 Order of the Bath ; 
 
 T})e Rev» E. Lew en, L.L, D. Chan- 
 cellor of the Diocefe of Rochefter ; 
 
 The Rev, J. Denne, £).Z>. Archdeacon 
 of the Diocefe of RochtR^r J and Pro- 
 locutor of the prefent Co?tvocation ; 
 
 The Rev, Fr. Hooper, D,D. ProSlor 
 in Convocation for the Diocefe of 
 Rochefter ; 
 
 'The Rev. the Clergy of the Archdeaconry 
 of Town-Mailing. 
 
 Reverend Father and Brethren^ 
 
 IT is with the greateft refpedl I pre- 
 fent the following difcourfe to you, 
 and intreat your acceptance of it, in 
 
 this 
 
[ vi] 
 
 this form, with the fame candor and 
 goodnefs you were pleafed to receive 
 the author and his fermon, when he 
 had the honour to deHver it before you, 
 at our laft vifitation, 
 
 I will not plead the requeft of fome 
 of my brethren, though I fhall always 
 efteem their requefts as commands, in 
 excufe for the publication of this dif- 
 courfe. The prevalence of Infidelity, 
 and too general difregard of religion, 
 the many open attempts from men of 
 all ranks againft it, as if it were an 
 enemy to human fociety, and the few 
 religious examples fet by thofe who 
 would do well to confider the extent 
 and influence of their example, call 
 for every aid, and every motive, to fu fa- 
 due the wicked defigns of fome, as 
 well as the lethargy of others, and ren- 
 der 
 
[ vii] 
 
 der every other excufe, at leaft, unne- 
 ceflary. 
 
 Not that the Chriftian religion is in 
 danger: No. It is not pojQible that 
 the gates of hell (hould ever prevail 
 againft it. It muft fubfift for ever, 
 and the author of it is certainly moft 
 able to protedl it againft the maHce and 
 utmoft efforts of all its enemies, and 
 will for ever prove the Deliverer of 
 all who believe in him. But they, who 
 difown his power and influence, have 
 no right, no claim to be protected by 
 him. And if, inftead of obeying the 
 precepts enjoined by the Chriftian re- 
 ligion, the people fliould unhappily 
 proceed, at laft, to difown all religious 
 obligation, it is moft certain the fo- 
 ciety could not long furvive fo fatal an^ 
 injury. 
 
 Who- 
 
[ viii ] 
 
 Whoever examines the characters of 
 men, and the moral ftate of the world 
 at prefent, under all the advantages it 
 has certainly received from the profef- 
 fion and pradlice of Chriftianity in it, 
 will have no reafon to think there are 
 too many motives for men to be good ; 
 but, on the contrary, find it neceffary, 
 inftead of taking any of them avi^ay, 
 to inforce them with all the authority 
 6f reafon and example. 
 
 He muft therefore be a mofl: wretch^ 
 ed politician indeed, who fhould op-^ 
 pofe, I do not fay the errors of Chrif- 
 tian men, but Chriftianity icfelf, efpe- 
 cially in a proteftant country, where 
 fuch an attack will give equal ftrength 
 to the different extremes of, Infidelity 
 and Superftition ; and thofe of the 
 Romifh perfuafion have never failed to 
 avail themfelves of thefe writings. 
 
 No 
 
[ ix ] 
 
 No Politician would pretend to go- 
 vern a people without the aid of reli- 
 gion ; and no religion has ever been 
 offered to the world, that could be 
 compared to the religion of Jefust Po- 
 liticians are feldom inclined to admit 
 of any alteration in eftabliflied reli- 
 gions ; and when they profeffedly op- 
 pofe the public faith, it is to be feared 
 it may proceed from other motives than 
 the public good. 
 
 The philofopher has as little reafon 
 as the politician, to objed: to the reli- 
 gion of Jefus, whofe charader and 
 do6|rines are incomparably more per- 
 fed:, more popular, and more ufeful, 
 than thofe of any of the antient hea- 
 thens. And of modern philofophers, 
 not of thofe, who have arrogantly 
 taken the name to themfelves, but 
 thofe whom all the world have agreed 
 
 b to 
 
to call by that iiame, and who have 
 furpajfled all that went before them in 
 the gfeatnefs of their difcoveries ; there 
 has fcarcely been oiie who has not di- 
 flinguiflied himfelf as much by his 
 faith in Chrift, as by his khdwlege in 
 nature. 
 
 I would riot have loft the prefent 
 opportunity of offering you the fer- 
 mon I delivered, on a like occafion, 
 feme years paft ; and which, I flatter 
 rnyfelf, was not lefs favourably heard 
 than'the prefent, if I did not hope for 
 ibiTie future opportunity of making 
 it public, when I may extend and»im- 
 prove it, by iliew^ing the evidences and 
 connexion of natural and revealed re- 
 ligion. But that v/as a different ar- 
 gument from this, in the difcourfe I 
 jiow have the honour to addrefs t6 
 you 5 and which, together with the 
 
 Notes, 
 
[xi] 
 
 Notes, the Apology for fome of the 
 firft Chriftian Writers, and Evidence 
 for the Four Gofpels, contains one en- 
 tire and diflind argument for the truth 
 of the Chriftian Religion ; and fuch 
 an argument as will remove the con- 
 troverfy out of the hands of ignorant 
 and unlearned Infidels, and confine 
 it to thofe only, who are capable of 
 inquiring into what was done in Pale- 
 fiine and Rome more than feventeen 
 hundred years ago. And as it ftates 
 the difference between the infidelity 
 of the antients and the moderns, and 
 fhews that the latter have, without any 
 authority, denied what the former, 
 from the great notoriety of the fadls, 
 were forced to admit, it affords a fuf- 
 ficient anfv/er to the moderns, by op- 
 pofing to them the conceffions of their 
 predecefibrs in Infidelity, who were 
 b 2 rather 
 
[ xii ] 
 
 rather better judges of what was fa6l 
 in or near their own times. 
 
 Notwithftanding all that has been 
 faid of late, in fome moliminous and 
 indigefted heaps of writing againft 
 theology, it is mofl: certain, from the 
 different fchemes of religion in every 
 age, as well as every nation in the 
 world, from the various attempts of 
 atheiftical and irreligious men, as well 
 as of fedaries (I fpeak not of modern 
 diflenters and fellow-proteftants) from 
 the birth of Chrift, to this day, and 
 from the controverfies that muft for 
 ever fublift, whilft the civil eftablifli- 
 ment of religion in one country is dif- 
 ferent from that of another, theology 
 muft be reckoned among: the learned 
 and ufeful ftudies, and they only who 
 cannot, or will not, diftinguifli be- 
 tween opinions that preferve the H- 
 
 berties 
 
[ xiii ] 
 bcrties of a people, and thofe that ne- 
 ceflarily ferve to inflave them, will 
 objed to this ftudy, as inconfiftent 
 with their own wicked views. 
 
 I am fure I have no occafion to 
 make any excufe to my learned bre- 
 thren for the Hebrew, Greek, and other 
 citations in the following notes. I was 
 inquiring into fads, and thought it 
 might be more fatisfadory, even to an 
 unlearned reader, to bring my evi- 
 dences along with me, and let them 
 Ipeak for themfelves, in their own 
 language, than to have them at too 
 great a diftance from their interpreter. 
 
 There are other evidences, which 
 I have purpofely omitted, fuch as th^ 
 eclipfe mentioned by Phlegon, and 
 Apollophanes, about the time of 
 our Saviour's crucifixion ; the appear- 
 ance of the fign Virgo, as defcribed 
 
 by 
 
[ xiv ] 
 by Abu-maafljar^ commonly called 
 Alkumafa?\ and others ; all the Siby- 
 line oracles, and the famous paffage 
 in Jofephus, where he doubts whether 
 it is lawful to fpeak of Chrift as a man, 
 and owns his miracles, &c. though I 
 am very far from thinking the laft is 
 not genuine : But they have all been 
 difputed by Chriflian men, and I v/as 
 deiirous of ufing fuch authorities only 
 as I think cannot be denied *. 
 
 I 
 
 ■* If there is any thing of moment yet left 
 in the Talmud, it will not be very difficult 
 for a man, tolerably well fkilled in rabbinical 
 letters, to coUeft from thofe v/ritings all that 
 relates to Jefus, his difciples, and the Chriftian 
 religion, by means of a copy of the Talmud, 
 printed at Venice, which formerly belonged 
 to the mofl learned Mr. Sclden, and is now 
 preferved amongft his books, in the Bodleian 
 library at Oxford. In this copy, whatever 
 relates to Chriftianity or Chriilians, is care- 
 fully blotted out with ink : And thefe pail-ages, 
 which are not many, may eaiiiy be difcovered 
 
 by 
 
[xv] 
 I believe I have not mifreprefented 
 any one of thofe antient teftimonies 
 cited by me, or forced them to fay 
 more in our language than they have 
 long fince faid in their own : But of 
 this you are the beft judges, and to 
 your candour and protection the au- 
 thor humbly dedicates both his labours 
 and himfelf, being, 
 
 Re%)ere7id Father and Brethren^ 
 Your moji dutiful^ 
 
 faithftd^ affeBionaiey 
 humble Servant^ 
 
 Gregory Sharpe. 
 
 by turning over the leaves, and be tranfcribed 
 from the fame pages, in any other fair copy 
 of the fame, or other editions where the pages 
 anfwer. When I infpefted this copy, I found 
 the word T\'&>^ (virgin) blotted out, though it 
 had, in that place, no reference to the bleiled 
 mother of our Lord; but it fhews the care 
 thai has been taken, to mark every word that 
 could relate to Chriflians, 
 
ACTS ii. 22. 
 
 Te men of Ifrael^ hear thefe words: 
 yefus of Nazareth^ a 77tan approved 
 of God mnong yoii^ by miraclesy and 
 wonders^ and fgns^ which God did 
 by him in the midfl of yoUy as ye 
 yourfelves alfo know, 
 
 3sm^'5e»4?g j^^^^ \\^i^ an affertion of 
 the fuUeft and flrongeft kind, 
 that the miflion of Jefus of 
 Nazareth was warranted by miracles ; 
 and not only fo, but that thefe mi- 
 racles were performed in fuch a man- 
 ner, as moreover warranted an appeal 
 to the fenfes of the peopje themfclves, 
 for the truth of them.. They were 
 
 B not 
 
[2] ^ 
 
 not done In fecret, but in public, be- 
 fore multitudes, in the temple, and 
 even in courts of judicature : And 
 though the Gofpel was preached to the 
 poor, it was offered to the rich, and 
 men of all conditions, all the world *, 
 were invited, and had the fame evi- 
 dence of indifputable miracles to en- 
 gage their aflent. 
 
 St. Paul, in anfwer to Feflus, and 
 to prove his words to be the *' words 
 " of truth and fobernefs," fays, " the 
 " king knoweth of thefe things, be- 
 " fore whom alfo 1 Ipeak freely ; for 
 
 * Chrlfti regnum ubique porrlgitur, ubi- 
 que creditor, ab omnibus gentibus fupra-enu- 
 meratis colitur, ubique regnat, ubique ado- 
 ratur, omnibus ubique tribuitur aequaliter, 
 Terttd. I . adverfus Judceos, 
 
 ' The kingdom of Chrift is univerfal : He 
 
 * is believed every-where, and worfhiped in 
 
 * all the nations above-named. He reigns 
 
 * over all, is every-v^^here the objedt of ado- 
 ' ration, and is equally made known to all 
 
 * in every place.* 
 
 ''I 
 
C 3 ] 
 
 " I am perfuaded that none of thefe 
 *^ things are hidden from him ; for this 
 *' thing was not done in a corner.'* 
 And fo far is the king from condemn- 
 ing Paul, that, if he had not appealed 
 unto Csefar, he declares he might have 
 been fet at liberty ; and inftead of 
 charging him, as did Feftus, with mad- 
 nefs, or with falfe reports, as deceiv- 
 ing others, or deceived himfelf, he 
 owns unto Paul, " almofl: thou per- 
 " fuadeft me to be a Chriftian." 
 
 Nor was Agrippa the only prince, 
 the only man of power and eminence, 
 who knew of thefe things, and who 
 was almofl: perfuaded to be a Chrif!:ian. 
 Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus, 
 before whom Elymas, the Sorcerer, was 
 ftruck blind, *^ when he faw what was 
 *' done, believed, being aftonifhed at 
 " the dodrine of the Lord." Ads xiii. 
 Dionyfius alfo, the Areopagite, a judge 
 and Senator of the Areopagus, one of 
 B 2 the 
 
[4] 
 
 the moft refpeded courts of Judicature 
 in Greece " believed with Damaris and 
 " others," Ads xvii. 34. The " noble- 
 '' man too, whofe fon was iick atCa- 
 " pernaum, himfelf beheved, and his 
 *' whole houfe.'* John iv. Nay, even 
 *' Among the chief rulers, many be- 
 " lieved on Jefus, but, becaufe of the 
 ^' Pharifees, they did not confefs him." 
 John xii. 42. And even of this rigid 
 fed we find believers mentioned in the 
 Ads XV. 5, 
 
 Saul, the perfccutor, had been 
 brought up at the feet of Gamaliel^ 
 and in the full iury of his zeal was, 
 by a fpecial miracle, converted to the 
 faith. And, laftly, Simon Magus, or 
 the magician, alfo believed : He who 
 had " bewitched the people of Sama^ 
 " ria, giving out that himfelf was fome 
 '' great one, and to whom," proceeds 
 the text, " they all gave heed, from 
 ^' the leafl to the greate ft, faying. This 
 7 '' man 
 
I 5 3 
 
 ^^ man is tlie great power of God, be- 
 ** lieved Philip, preaching the kingdom 
 " of God, and the name of Jefus 
 *' Chrift ; and when he was baptized^ 
 " he continued with PhiHp and won- 
 ** dered, beholding the miracles and 
 *' figns which were done." Nor is k 
 any reproach to the faith he had pro- 
 fefled, that he offered the apoftles 
 money for the power of giving the 
 Holy Ghoft ; for that very offer was a 
 proof of his belief in the reality of that 
 power : And, as the noble anfwer of 
 Peter lliews how fuperior to all mean 
 or mercenary confiderations the apoftles 
 were, " Thy money perifh with thee, 
 ^' becaiife thou haft thought the gift of 
 '' God may be purchafed with money," 
 &c. So the fubmiffion of Simon to 
 the fentence denounced againft him, 
 in thefe words, " Pray ye to the Lord 
 *' for me, that none of thefe thing?, 
 *^ v/hich ye have fpoken, come upon 
 
 '^ me 
 
[ 6 ] 
 
 ^^ me," argues a full perfuafion in him, 
 that nothing but his immediate re- 
 pentance could procure him an abfo- 
 lution. Ads viii. 
 
 It is not true therefore, that the firft 
 converts to the gofpel were all of them 
 men of low rank, or mean fortunes. 
 The works, that our Saviour did, were 
 not confined to the cells and cottages 
 of the poor ; they were public, they 
 were manifeft to all, and they teftified 
 of him, that his Father had fent him, 
 the expected Mefliah, the deliverer, 
 and the prince *. 
 
 But 
 
 * That the word Shiloh ^h'V Gen. xlix. 
 10. fignifies the deliverer^ may be proved 
 from the idea Jews and Chriflians have of the 
 Mefliah, and from the ufe of that word in 
 one of the oriental dialeds. JXJ^ Shala, lig- 
 niiies delivered^ and the beins; called to de- 
 liver from danger^ GoHus's Arabic Lexicon, 
 col. 1308. and for this fenfe the aiithorities 
 of Gieubaris and Ibn mariiph are cited. But 
 as the learned Schultcns, in his Origines, had 
 
 derived 
 
[7] 
 
 But as he was a prince without a 
 temporal power, a deliverer who ap- 
 peared unable to deliver himfelf, " a 
 " man of forrows and acquainted 
 " with griefs," the Jews, who had 
 
 derived Shiloh from jJLu, Sala, ' to liquidate 
 
 * or reftore things, that had been great- 
 *" ly difturbed, to tranquility, peace, and 
 
 * opulence,' p. 75. Origin. Hebr. I wrotd 
 to my moft learned friend Dr. Hunt, pro- 
 feffor of Hebr. and Arab, at Oxford, who 
 was pleafed to prefer the former derivation, 
 and to confirm it by the authority of the 
 great Arabic Lexicon Kamus, which ex- 
 pounds JX^- by 5Jivilco1 ^^ deliver, and 
 that e^Xji) ^9) Ci^'^ i:yo f^^^^ dijfrefs or 
 dejirudfion^ from whence the noun 5ip*Xil/ 
 virtus, robur, &;c. 
 
 And fince this I have met with the fame 
 derivation in the Horce Talmudica of SchoeU 
 genius, Tom. i. p. 1270. who thinks the 
 idea of prince and dominion, may likewife 
 be deduced from the ufe of the Hebrew 
 
 verb fh^ in Lament. I. ^. and Dan. iv, i, 
 !l3ut of this prophecy. Gen. xlix. 10. the 
 infertion of the letter (♦),&€. I have much 
 more to communicate than can be contained 
 in a (hort note, 
 
 formed 
 
[ 8 ] 
 
 formed very different conceptions of 
 him, and who were a grofs, fordid ^ 
 felfifh people, chofe to deny his mif- 
 fion, though they could not deny the 
 miracles that proved it. 
 
 Indeed it never was difputed, till 
 of late, whether Jefus and his dif- 
 ciples performed the miracles recorded 
 of them, in the Scriptures, of the New 
 Teftament : And furely it is as abfurd 
 to begin to deny them now, at the 
 diftance of more than feventeen hun- 
 dred years, as it would be to begin 
 to prove them, if they had never be-^ 
 fore been acknowleged. Remote fads 
 muft be left to as remote records, and 
 if they eftablifh them, it is in vain> 
 when it is too late, to conteft them. 
 
 The Gofpels have every internal 
 mark of genuine and authentic re- 
 cords ; and it is impoffible to read 
 them, and not fee they contain a 
 hiftory that could not be invented aftei: 
 
 the 
 
[ 9 ] 
 
 the deftrudllon of Jerufalem. There 
 are too many fads, and too many 
 circumftances of perfons, places, and 
 times, to be forged without a difcove- 
 ry y and it is abfolutely unimaginable, 
 that the difciples and their followers 
 fhould undergo the labours, and tor- 
 tures, atld miferies, and cruel deaths 
 they were expofed to, in fupport of 
 what they pretended to have feen or 
 heard, concerning a meek and humble 
 man, whofe kingdom was not of this 
 world, and who had been put to death 
 for the opinions they promoted, if all 
 was invention, atid they themfelves 
 were impoftors. 
 
 The difciples, who lived with Jefus, 
 could not poffibly be impofed upon, 
 for whatever delufion the light may be 
 liable to^ they certainly knew whether 
 they themfelves had a power of work- 
 ing miracles, and of talking languages 
 they had never learned. And Cls- 
 C ment 
 
[ lO ] 
 
 ment and Polycarp, who lived with 
 them, who died for the fame opinions, 
 and who were men of good under- 
 {landing, could be no more deceived 
 than they themfelves were. Irena^us 
 lived to converfe with Polycarp, and 
 Juftin the Martyr was older than Ire- 
 nseus ; and from thefe we have a re- 
 gular fucceflion of hiftorians, in num- 
 ber and authority fufficient to eftablifli 
 the credibility of ecclefiaftical hiftory. 
 
 No period of antient times is de- 
 livered down to us with fo much cer- 
 tainty, or is fo w^ell attefted by fuch 
 variety of evidence, as is that of the 
 gofpel. What other facts have ever 
 been fealed with the blood of fo many 
 martyrs ? Or what other opinions have 
 ever fpread and prevailed with fuch 
 rapidity, and force of conviction, as 
 thofe of the Chriftian Faith ? Pagan- 
 ifm, however general it may have 
 been, was not one religion, but one 
 jr name 
 
name for many very different fyftems 
 of religion ; and Mohammedifm, which 
 poflefles fo much of the globe, is alfo 
 a mixed perfuafion that allows both of 
 a divine difpenfation to the Jews, and 
 of the gofpel of Jefus. 
 
 But the different methods of pro- 
 pagating thefe religions in the world, 
 are fufficient to diftinguifli the true 
 from the pretended revelation. He, 
 who lays down his own life in fup- 
 port of his dodrine, gives us a much 
 better opinion of himfelf and his fin- 
 cerity, than he who plays the apoftle 
 and the murderer together. Patience 
 in fufferings, even unto death, is a 
 fairer proof of innocence than perfe- 
 cution and maffacres, And as nothing 
 ever honoured Chriftians more, than 
 the fuffering of their martyrs under the 
 perfecution of others, fo nothing ever 
 difgraced them fo much as their per- 
 fecuting one another, 
 
 C 2 But 
 
[12] 
 
 But no force, no artifice, no hu- 
 man policy, no vain ambition, no 
 proud fcience, had any {hare in the 
 firft advancement of the Chriftiai'^ 
 Faith. Kq ; it derived its fuccefs; 
 from its own intrinfic merit, from the 
 divine authority manifefted in it ; from 
 the awful truths it contained, from 
 the exalted moraHty it recommended, 
 and the univerfal charity it breathed. 
 It had not its foundation laid in en- 
 ticing words, it had not the fpecious 
 glofs, of human wifdom, but '■ de- 
 " monftration of the Spirit and of 
 *' power," (i Corin. ii. 45). or ia 
 other words, of prophecy and miracle^ 
 which rendered all fuch feeble aids yi>- 
 neceffary. 
 
 Alas ! v/hat is man's wifdom, that 
 we fliould lay fo much ftrefs upon it ? 
 How fhort is the fpace of time allowed 
 us to improve it ? Hov/ few are the 
 premifes we are able to comprehend ? 
 
 How 
 
[13] 
 
 Hdw fliort is the chain of reafoning 
 we are able to form ? How frail, how 
 feeble, how tranfitory are all the hy- 
 pothefes we are able to build ? How 
 much are we the dupes of our own 
 paffions ? How felfifh in all our ways ? 
 Ignorance mifleads us, pride and rafh- 
 nefs make us flight or overlook the 
 plaineft truths ; and little more than 
 anxiety and incertainty have been the 
 qrily genuine fruits of all our boafted 
 philofophy. What, therefore, a race 
 of beings raifed one degree above our- 
 felves might juflly regard with deri- 
 lion, we may fuppofe the greateft Be- 
 ing of Beings regarded with compaf- 
 fiion* However, thus much is gained 
 by the efforts we had made to trace 
 out a firfl: caufe, and unravel the 
 inextricable web of Providence, as to 
 fhew, notwithftanding our inability 
 to remove many doubts, that we are 
 religious as well as rational Beings. 
 
 Pri- 
 
[ r4] 
 
 Private happinefs, and public pro- 
 fperity, it had been difcovered, re- 
 quired a religious bafis : This the very 
 idolatries of the world had demon- 
 ftrated. But then thefe idolatries had 
 clofed up the door of truth, inftead of 
 opening it ; and darkened and be- 
 wildered the world, inftead of direct- 
 ing and enlightening it. In the fulnefs 
 of time, therefore, for his own glory, 
 and for the reftoring light and life to 
 the benighted fons of Adam, God him- 
 felf interpofed, and caufed a Sun of 
 Righteoufnefs to fhine upon them. 
 
 And one would have thought the 
 glad tidings of peace on earth, and 
 good-will towards men, offered freely 
 to all, would have been as gladly ac- 
 cepted by all. 
 
 To be told by a voice from heaven 
 what vvas our duty, and to fee heaven 
 opened to all, in confequence of our 
 difcharge of it, one would have 
 
 thoughtj 
 
thought, {hould have filled every heart 
 with gratitude, and every mouth with 
 praife. 
 
 But what was a ftumbling-block 
 to the Jews, proved alfo foolillinefs 
 to the Greeks ; and not only to the 
 vain, pretending, felf-conceited, fo- 
 phifts of former times, but to their re- 
 prefentatives ftill to be met with even 
 in ours. 
 
 To doubt modeftly, ought to be 
 tolerated, to inquire carefully is me- 
 ritorious, but to cavil petulantly, and 
 pronounce dogmatically in matters of 
 the utmoft confequence to the repofe 
 of government, the welfare of fociety, 
 and the general peace of mankind, is 
 not only to ad a very difingenuous 
 and unbecoming, but, give me leave 
 to fay, an anti-chriflian part. 
 
 It feems to argue, that the men 
 who ad: in this manner, love darknefs 
 rather than light, becaufe their deeds 
 
 are 
 
[16] 
 
 are evil. In order therefore, that 
 there may be fewer of thefe in the 
 next generation, for there have been 
 too many of them in thig, it is to be 
 wifhed, that greater care were to be 
 taken of the education of our youth : 
 If they were all early inftrudled in the 
 principles of religion, and religion 
 were placed upon its true balls, it 
 would be better for them and their 
 country ; and if to read the Bible, a 
 privilege fo dearly purchafed for us by 
 the blood of fo many of our fathers, 
 was a little more in fafhion than it is, 
 vice, and its offspring infidelity, would 
 be lefs popular than they are. 
 
 It has been hinted, that men are 
 religious as well as rational beings, 
 ever influenced either by true religion, 
 or the abufe of it, which is fuperftl- 
 tion ; for no man is entirely free from 
 the dominion of one or the other. 
 His hiftory, as well as his nature, 
 
 prove 
 
C^7] 
 
 prove this to be true ; as alfo, that he 
 is not to be governed but by religion ; 
 that fociety cannot fubfift without re- 
 ligion ; and that laws derive their ufe- 
 fulnefs and efEcacy from it : For where 
 there is no religion, there can be no 
 Gonfcience; where there is no con- 
 fcience, there can be no fenfe of obli- 
 gation ; and where there is no fenfe of 
 obligation, laws will be of little ufe. 
 
 Since, therefore, man muft be of 
 fome religion or other ; fince it is no- 
 torious the worft men are the moft 
 fuperftitious *, and he who pretends 
 
 to 
 
 * Many inilances may be produced out of 
 hlftory to prove this affertion, but I fhall 
 content myfelf with only that of Lucius Cor- 
 fielius Sylla, who v/as one of the moft pro- 
 fligate and moft fuperftitious men in the world. 
 He was guilty of every vice, and every fpecies 
 of barbarity : His own houfe v/as a fcene of 
 dreadful excution. He w^s a flave to dreams 
 2nd omens, and yet fo impiou?, as to cut 
 D -down 
 
[ i8 3 
 
 to believe the leaft, is the moft pre- 
 pofterous and paradoxical, if not more 
 credulous than others ; the honeft and 
 the fenfible will enquire after true re- 
 ligion, and having found it, follow it 
 as their beft diredlor. 
 
 In the fearch after this faithful 
 guide, in the facred writings, they 
 will hear of revelations that lay claim 
 to the confirmation of miracle and 
 prophecy ; and, fince the extindion 
 of paganifm, they will find no reli- 
 gion raifed up on fo firm foundation. 
 In fliort, if they believe the times' 
 for the coming of MefTiah are pafi:, 
 and that the peculiar additions of 
 
 down the facred groves at Athens. He fa- 
 crilegioufly felzed upon the treafures of the 
 temples, particularly thole of Epidaurus, 
 Olympia, and Delphi j and yet was fuperfri- 
 tious enough to afcribe his fafety in battle, to 
 a. iitde image he wore in his bofom of Apollo, 
 the very deity he had robbed. Read his. 
 whole life as it is in Plutarch. 
 
 Mo- 
 
[ 19 ] 
 
 Mohammed to the Jcwifh and Chrl^ 
 ftian revelations, are his own, they 
 will find the Chriflian the only reli- 
 gion in the world *. And when they 
 
 ex- 
 
 * The following pafla^es taken from La 
 Bibliotheque Orientale d'Herbelot, are {\:if' 
 ficient to prove what is here laid of the Mo- 
 hammedans. 
 
 L' Alcoran donne ce titre (Seddik) au pa- 
 triarch Jofeph, a Jefus-Chrift, et a la faintc 
 vierge Marie fa mere. Ce mot Seddik fig- 
 nifie Temoin iidele et autentique. Article 
 Ahubecre, 
 
 Remarquez encore que les Mufulmans pen- 
 dant qu'ils doutent des miracles de leur pre- 
 tendu prophete, croyent fans exception ceux 
 de Moyfe, et avoiient non feulement ceux 
 de Jefus-Chrift, mais qu'ils lui en font faire 
 beaucoup d'autres dans les annees de fon 
 enfance, defquels I'evangile ne fait aucun 
 mention. Article Aicit. 
 
 Bad Meffih fignifie le vent ou le fouiHe du 
 Meffie, Les Perfans appellent ainfi la puif- 
 fance que Jefus-Chrift avoit de faire des mi- 
 racles, parce qu'ils difent que, par fon feul 
 fouffle, non feulement il relfufcitoit les morts, 
 mais il donnoit auifi la vie aux chofes inani- 
 mees. 
 
 D 2 Ceux 
 
[ 20 ] 
 
 examine it, they will difcover in it all 
 the marks of a divine original. 
 
 This 
 
 Ceux, qui font mieux inftruits parmi eur 
 des chofes qui regard le Chriilianifme, avou-^ 
 ent que Tevangile qui eft aujourd'hui entre 
 les mains des Chretiens, aufli-bien que celuy 
 qui y etoit au terns que le faux prophete' 
 Mahomet parut, eft le veritable evangile de 
 Jefus-Chrift, et qu'il n'y en a point d'autre. 
 Engil. 
 
 On trouve parmi les traditions authentiques 
 des Mufulmans, celle qui porte que Jefus- 
 Chrift, qu'ils appellent Ilia, doit, a fon fecond 
 avenement,reunir toutes les religions et toutes'les 
 fedies difFerentes au Mufulmanifme. EJlam, 
 
 Mahadi dire6leur et pontife dans la reli- 
 gion Mufulmane, le furnom du dernier Imam 
 de la race d'Ali. Les Perfans croyant que cet 
 Imam doit fe joindre a Jefus-Chrift pour 
 combattre I'Antichrift et ne faire de deux lois 
 Chretienne et Mufulmane qu'une feule. 
 
 Tons conviennent unanimement qu'il (Mo- 
 hammed AboulcalTem, i. e. Mahadi) doit 
 paroitre'a la fin du monde, immediatement 
 avant le fecond avenement du Meflie, pour 
 reunir toutes les fe6tes des Mufulmans en 
 une feule, et toutes les religions difFerentes au 
 Mufulmanifme, p. 604. 
 
 Vpyez le paffage de I'Alcoran ou il eft 
 
 parle 
 
[ 21 ] 
 
 This I have touch'd upon already ; 
 but my fubjed: requiring me to en- 
 large upon it, I muft take leave to 
 
 add, 
 
 parle de ces foiTes ou pults de feu au Chapi- 
 tre 85. eft en ces termes les gens qui ont 
 prepare les foffes pleins, Sec, on fait fouftrir 
 ^ux iideles. Et Ton peut remarquer que Ma^ 
 hornet reconnoit en cet endroit que les Chre- 
 tiens de ce terns la etoient fideles, c'eft-a-dire, 
 qu'ils faifoient profeffion de la veritable foy. 
 
 II eft parle de la fainte Vierge tres honor- 
 ablement en plufieurs endroits de 1' Alcoran, ou 
 Ion trouve meme un chapitre en tier qui porte 
 fon nom. 
 
 To thefe paflages in Herbelot may be add- 
 ed the fentiments of Achmet Benabdalla, the 
 African phyfician, in a letter to Maurice, prince 
 of Orange, and Emanuel of Portugal, in an- 
 fwer to this queftion, ' What think the Moors 
 f of our Lord Jefus Chrift?' Dico eum haberi 
 apud nos prophetam, et nuntium Dei (ut Au- 
 riacus princeps Mauritius tunc etiam dixit) et 
 benedid:am Dei fanftam, Mariam ejus matrem 
 et dominam noftram virginem, qus peperit et 
 concepit miraculo ex Deo omnipotenti. * I 
 ^ anfwer, fays the African, that he is held by 
 * us to be a prophet, and the meflenger of God 
 f (as Maurice, prince of Orange, then faid) and 
 
 * Qur 
 
[ 22 1 
 
 add, That it is an inftitution, in itfelf, 
 worthy of God to command, and of 
 man to obey ; a reafonable fervice, well 
 adapted to the different natures of God 
 and man ; a covenant between them 
 of grace and mercy, with the condi- 
 tions to be performed by us, that we 
 may be partakers of them ; deHvered 
 to the world by the Mediator, Jefus 
 Chrift, the Advocate for frail, degene- 
 rate man, his Saviour, Redeemer, King, 
 and at the refurrecSion of the dead his 
 Judge. Awful and moft interefting 
 truths, promulgated with authority 
 from on high, attefted by the powers 
 of heaven, and the providence of God, 
 
 ' our lady the virgin Mary his mother, to 
 ' be blelTed of God, holy, who brought him 
 ' forth, and conceived him miraculoufly by the 
 ' Almighty power of God.' This letter of Ach-- 
 met's was given to Wagenfeil, author of the 
 Tela ignea Satance, and after his death, a very 
 few copies of it (pauciffima exemplaria) were 
 printed bv bis fon at Altdorf. 
 
 by 
 
[ 23 } 
 
 by miradcs and prophecies. Inftances 
 of the latter we may behold with our 
 own eyes, in the accompli (hment of 
 the New Teftament predi^ions, de- 
 claring, long before, what would be 
 the fate, what the peculiar corruptions 
 of the church of Chrift in after-ages ; 
 and as we cannot but fee this, if we 
 look into the weftern world, we can 
 have no reafon to deny the former, 
 •lince prophecy fulfilled is itfelf an un- 
 deniable inftance of miracle *. 
 
 A religion from heaven feem'd to 
 demand this proof of its origin : and 
 
 * 'Q.S ytoti eye Tovrtcv yt/uLCiS, m e(pr)i', rov \r\erQUU 
 Xaf/ Twv //gT aVTov yey/jcofjisyuv '7i7Poyvcc<^nv eiri" 
 
 yiv/ia^^cci Tois TTL^ivovai xa« ofxoAQyoucnv aujoif. 
 
 * So from thefe, as I fald, we know that 
 
 * Jefus had foreknowlege of what fliould 
 
 * come to pafs after him, and from many 
 ' other things, which he foretold fliould hap- 
 
 * pen to thole who believed and confeiTed him 
 
 * the Chrift; Juftini. Dialog. I. 
 
 furely 
 
t 24 ] 
 
 furely the reftoration of man may 
 as well deferve the public atteftation 
 of heaven, as the creation of him ; 
 and it may be equally difficult to 
 account for either, without miracle or 
 revelation. . 
 
 To create is an extraordinary ex- 
 ertion of divine power, at lead it 
 muft appear fo to us ; and whenever 
 man was newly made, as he could 
 not be left at once to himfelf, deftitute 
 of all knowlege, and uninformed of 
 the confequences of all his adions, 
 fo any fuch information or revelation, 
 muft have been equal to prophecy : it 
 is in vain therefore, to objed againft 
 the Chriftian Religion, on account of 
 its being fupported by miracle and pro* 
 phecy, fince there can be no religion 
 without them. 
 
 If then we are forced to acknow-* 
 lege not only that miracles may be, 
 but that they adually have been per- 
 
 form'd, 
 
form'd, it will be very unreafonable 
 to refufe our afient to thofe of the 
 gofpel. 
 
 Notwithftanding the great growth 
 of Infidelity of late, and the many 
 writings in its favour, which ferve td 
 increafe the number of unbelieving, 
 iliperficial men ; notwithftanding the 
 yet greater number of unbelievers, 
 who are not readers, and who hav^ 
 never examined the merits of the 
 Chriftian caufe ; it is very certain, no- 
 thing, now faid or done, can invalidate 
 the evidence for fadis accompliflied 
 more than feventeen hundred years ago. 
 Infidelity would have begun with con- 
 tefting the fads, if they had not been 
 too confpicuous, and too well attefted, 
 to admit of any difpute: But as it 
 did not in thofe early days difpute 
 thofe fads, it is certainly now too late 
 to di(pute them. Whence then ariles 
 this fpirit of contradidion, in thefe 
 
 E later 
 
[ 26 ] 
 
 later times ? Have any of our fophifts 
 difcovered any antient records that con- 
 tradict the hiflory of the New Tefta- 
 nient? No, they do not pretend to 
 any thing Hke it. Have they any new 
 evidence, any other materials to work 
 with, than what the old Infidels had 
 fiirnifhed long ago ? Why no ', the 
 evidence remains as it did, but Infi- 
 delity itfelf is changed. 
 
 The firfl or old infidels lived too 
 near the times of Jefus and the apoftles, 
 to deny or difpute the miracles per- 
 formed by them ; and the modern 
 think themfelves at liberty to do both, 
 only becaufe the glaring notoriety of 
 the feveral fads upon record has, in 
 the courfe of fo many ages, been ne- 
 ceffarily worn off. And I muft afk 
 again, if neither Chriftians nor Hea- 
 thens, neither Jev*^s nor Muffulmans 
 ever denied the facls recorded by the 
 evangelifts ; if nor CelfuSj nor Por- 
 I phyry, 
 
[ 27 ] 
 
 phyry, nor * Julian, nor long after 
 them the Mohammedans, ever denied 
 
 the 
 
 * In the iixth book of Cyril againft JuHaa> 
 are the following paflages, by which it ap- 
 pears that Julian, though he would have di- 
 miniflied the glory of our Lord's miracles, 
 could not deny them. 
 
 oisrccL rovs xuAAovs ;cai TvipAoui ictaccS-cciy xaci 
 S<x.ifj,ovo)v rccs S(pop'iCLC,€iv €v Erj^actiSa, kcci sv Be-. 
 ^avioc Tccis ■KOOfJLcLiS T jxsyi^oov epyojy eivoci. p. I (^ I. 
 edid. Spanhem. 
 
 ' Jefus did nothing worthy report, unlefs 
 ' any one think to heal the lame, and the 
 ' blind, and to cure demoniacs, in the towns 
 * of Bethfaida and Bethany, are fome of the 
 
 ' greatefl: works.' 
 
 /iCw^' Siri TVS 2raAcc(\yriSy "icoii tcc <^cciu.ovicc i}^iXca>~ 
 pojVy w5 cTg vf/.ai OeAcls, Tou ovpccvov XXL Ti]v yw 
 ci7r€pyctaafj.ei'0i' ou yap S:i tccvtcc TSro/^y.riy.s tis 
 
 r,75. Cyril, contra Julian, lib. vi. 
 
 ^ Jefus conimanded fpirits, walking on the 
 
 ^ fea, and driving out demons, and, as you 
 
 *■ will have it, made the heaven and the earth : 
 
 E 2 'But 
 
[ 28 ] 
 
 the miracles of jefus, for what other 
 reafon, or on what new grounds, are 
 they denied now ? 
 
 But 
 
 * But no one of the difciples hath dared to 
 5 fay this of him, except John only.' p. 313. 
 
 Julian was inilrudted in grammar by Mar- 
 donius the eunuch, an heathen j in rhetoric, 
 by Eubolius, who v/as far from being fleady 
 in the faith ; and the good defigns of the 
 emperor, and of Eufebius the biihop, were 
 fruftrated by Maximus the philofopher. He 
 does not appear to have ever been a Chrifl:ian» 
 He conformed for his own ends, and de- 
 clared himfelf a heathen as foon as he could 
 do it with fafety to his perfon and dignities. 
 Too much has been complaifantly faid of his 
 parts and learning j for he is far from being a 
 writer of the firll clafs. He was exceedingly 
 fuperflitious, thinking it more reafonable to 
 worfhip the fun than what is not an objecft of 
 fight. There is more of malice and envy 
 than true wit in his Casfars, and his reproach- 
 ftd treatment of the Chriftians, was as cruel 
 as it was unjuft j to take away their fortunes, 
 and tell them he thereby made them partakers 
 of a gofpel-gleflingj for bleiled are the poor. 
 
 /Iff 
 'srpQC'ipijla.L) ly e.i ir\v B(X(Ti?',eia,y TOjy QVpc(.vojy €vo- 
 
[29] 
 
 But if we had no other information 
 than the New Teftament itfelf gives, 
 
 it 
 
 <r<WTgpOJ> TOpeVQOOO-lj 'ZupoS TOVTO CTUVCtym'l^OfJLiVQli 
 
 rois ctv^PMTToiii avTojv ret ^p-ii fxccroc rn? ES'eo^n' 
 Ycav gx)cA)jo-<a$, ccTravrcc €xeheva-xu.ev ccvoe.^y)(p^y}vaci, 
 iio^na-QfJLivcc rois crpccTLcJicctSy Kcci tcc xlrifxalcc T015 
 TjjuLelepoii 'ujpo'^evyiPoa 'vjoi^ctron. ivoc TrivMfjuvQi 
 <jru(ppovooa-ii xai /x/j q'ipnhMaiv 'as en eKTri^ovaiVy 
 Qvpacnov BacriAftas* Ton oixovcn Se tyiv ES'Sojccu 
 'UTpoctyopivofxev (X7ri'^2&cx,i "xcca-m q-'uaSMi xccl 
 ^iAov6iXicc?f ivoc jxi) TYiv Ti/xSTSpxy (^iXocv^pooTTiccv 
 xivrxTccvTi^i xaO' vjjmv ctVTooy vmsp rm roou xoivuv 
 ecTcc^iacs S'lwiv Tia-yfli) ^ifei xcci (pvyri xcci Trvpi ^)j- 
 
 ^ since it is provided by a moft aftonifhing 
 
 * law, that they may with lefs trouble enter 
 
 * into the kingdom of heaven ; to affift thefe 
 
 * men in this affair, we have commanded all 
 
 * the effects of the church of the EdeiTeni to 
 
 * be taken away, and diftributed to the fol- 
 
 * diers, and their poffeffions to be added to 
 ' our own private ones : That by being poor 
 *■ they may become wife, and not be deprived 
 
 * of that heavenly kingdom they now hope- 
 
 * for. V/e command the inhabitants of EdelTa 
 
 * to avoid all fedition and flrife, left they 
 ^ provoke our humanity, and you be made to 
 
 * fufFer for the common difturbance, and be 
 
 * punlfh- 
 
r 30 ] 
 
 it fhoiild feem fufficient ; for I believe 
 very fcw^ if any, have ever critically 
 confidered the ftyle and compofition of 
 thefe writings, the wifdom and oeco- 
 conomy of the divine difpenfation ; 
 the truth and harmony of the rela- 
 tions they contain ; the ftrid: unifor- 
 mity of characfher preferved by the 
 perfons whofe hiflories are related ; 
 but have been thoroughly convinced 
 
 ' puniflied with fire, fword, and banifli- 
 ' ment.' 
 
 He could do more than this, if the letter 
 to the Jews, afcribed to him, be genuine, 
 where he fays, fpeaking of fome who were 
 defirous of oppreffing the Jews, and who had 
 been admitted to the table of Conftantius. 
 
 Oui fjLiv eyct) €v X^po-iv g/xais Xci,9>oy.ivo<iy en (io- 
 
 €ivcci Trap r)fxiv rm ccvrow airooheicci. 
 
 * Whom I feized with my own hands, ?nd 
 
 * deflroyed, by thrufting them into a pit, that 
 
 * there might be no report amongft us left of 
 ' their deftru6tion.' See the note, p. 113, 
 114.. of an introdudion to Univerfal Hiflory, 
 tranllated from the Latin of Baron Kolberg. 
 
 and 
 
[31 ] 
 
 and fatlslied of their authenticity and 
 truth. 
 
 To this we may add the hiftorical 
 accounts handed down to us from the 
 apoftolic days, by Chriftian writers, 
 to whom nothing can be objeded, but 
 that they were Chriflians ; that is, well 
 informed of what they relate. And 
 then, if we condder the amazing fuc- 
 cefs it met with, l]3reading itfelf, in a 
 few years, over all the known world ; 
 it is not poffible to add any thing 
 more to fuch clear manifeftation of 
 the truth, as it was in Jefus ; unlefs 
 we can fhew, that the adverfaries 
 themfelves have acknowleged many of 
 the fads : And ev^en this I fhall foon 
 do from their own writings : after 
 which, what will remain for the un- 
 believer, if he will continue an un- 
 believer, but to ihift his ground once 
 again, and by attacking the religion, 
 inftead of the hiftory of Jefus, deny 
 
 Cbrijlia72ity 
 
[32] 
 
 Chrtjltanity to be as old as the Crea^ 
 tion. 
 
 So public, confpicuous, and incon- 
 conteflable therefore were the miracles 
 of our Lord, that his enemies chofe 
 rather to blafpheme the power, than 
 deny the fa6t : inftead of acknow* 
 leging thefe miraculous inftances of 
 goodnefs and mercy, as well as of 
 divine power, to proceed from the 
 one and only God, they malicioufly 
 reported them to be the works of Bel- 
 zebub, the prince of demons. But af- 
 terwards, when the powxr of demons, 
 or Idolatry, was difcovered to be vain, 
 they afcribed the great actions of our 
 Lord to his fkill in magic ; and other 
 later Jews, to his having ftole from a 
 ftone in the fanduary *, which never 
 
 was 
 
 * The iliory of the founciation-flone, call- 
 ed XX^'^tW is ill Toledoth Jeiliu, near the be- 
 ginning, told in thefe words, 
 
C ^z ] 
 
 was there, the true reading of the 
 name of God : but neither Jew nor 
 
 Gen- 
 
 Di^n pipn n^■^ v':^;?! Dinnn 's '^i? -l^^{ ps* D'^ 
 
 D^trnp,^ »r"ip nns ^p Dms< i^m m?^:^'^ rr^nj V^s^ 
 DuVj iD^T Dj::jiiJ» 'D ^21 hi!iiy^2 inKT ;'Q*:3 "inji 
 ins ^noi nv-i.vn 12 D*n::iJ vn ^tzo n'Q dot 
 r:3:"i ... Dn\s n^'^n i:s^q D^nns nra^n rn n^nm 
 
 n'^^ n>j inm i^ ::50^ i^j^^ o^n n'::rm -i'*jn 
 
 * And in that time there was Shem-mapho* 
 ' refch (the diftinguiflied name of God) en- 
 
 * graved in the holy houfe (temple) upon the 
 
 * fonndation-ftone. For as king David dug 
 '*''the foundation, he found tliere a flpne ov^r 
 •'-the mouth of the abyfs, afid upon it was 
 
 * engraved the namcj and he took it up and 
 *^ depofited it in the holy of holiyS. — x^nd they 
 'made two lions of brafs by the names (by 
 ^ inchantment) and placed them over the door 
 
 * of the holy of liolies, one on the rights the 
 ' other on the left. And every one who en- 
 
 * tered and learned the name as he went out 
 
 * (hearing) the lions bark, and from fear and 
 
 F ' per- 
 
[ 34 ] 
 
 Gentile ever thought of denying the 
 miracles. The difpute of old, betvreen. 
 
 * perturbation, the names efcape him and are 
 ' forgot (frightened by the roaring of the lions 
 
 * he forgets the name he had juft before learn'd) 
 
 * And he (Jefas) entered the temple, and 
 
 * learned the name of the holy letters, and 
 
 * writ the name upon paper, and pronounced 
 ^ the name that it fliould not hurt him, and 
 
 * he cut open his flefh, and hid the paper 
 
 * with the name.' 
 
 The temple was not built by David, but 
 by Solomon, how then could David depofite 
 this ftone in the holy of holies ? If we believe 
 the Mifhna, this ftone was known long be- 
 fore the days of David. 
 
 Joma. c. 5. §. 2. 
 
 * From the time the arc failed, there was 
 ' a ftone, within the memory of the iirft pro- 
 
 * phets, called the foundation-ftone, three 
 
 * fingers high from the ground,' 2. But Jo- 
 fephus, fpeaking of the holy of holies, fays 
 exprelly, •■ There was nothing at all laid in it, 
 
 them 
 
[ 35 1 
 
 them and Chriftians, was not con- 
 cerning the fads, buc the caufe. 
 
 We read of many thoufands, Acls 
 xxi. 20. who beheved in Jefus, but 
 who, neverthelefs, circumcifed their 
 children, and walked after their own 
 cuftoms ; and who were fo offended 
 with the great apoftle of the Gentiles, 
 as to lay hands on him, and bring 
 him to a trial before P'eftus and Agrip- 
 pa. Tiiefe had no motives for con- 
 vidion, but what arofe from the evi- 
 dence of hS:Sy and were converts to 
 them only, and not to the apoftles. 
 
 From (uch fort of believers proceed- 
 ed many Itrange feds, and certain fpu- 
 rious editions of the gofpel. But of 
 thefe there are many more names than 
 books * -y all of them are founded up- 
 on 
 
 * The gofpel of the Nazarenes, the Ebion- 
 ites, the twelve apoftles, according to the He- 
 brews, of Bartholomew, Cerinthus, was the 
 
 F a fame, 
 
[ 36 ] 
 
 on the true gofpels, but charged with 
 fuch abfurd additions, as ferve to pro- 
 claim their forgery, and to promote, 
 rather than leflen, the credibiHty of the 
 true gofpels ; which come to our hands 
 from the lafi: and moft beloved dif- 
 ciple of Jefus : And from that time to 
 this, the church never admitted any 
 other, nor, in all its contrpverlies, fuf- 
 fered any alterations wilfully to be 
 made, in favour of any prevailing opi- 
 nions ; but orthodox and heretic con- 
 ftantly appealed to the fame decifive 
 authority, the fame book. And from 
 the commentaries and controverlies of 
 Chriftian men, and the citations they 
 have feverally made of Scripture, at 
 different times, and in very diftant 
 places, we have the fureft evidence 
 that the copy of the Scriptures we 
 poffefs is genuine. 
 
 fame, in all probability, with the Hebrew 
 gofpcl of St. Matthew, interpolated. 
 
 And 
 
[37 3 
 
 •And that there may be no doubt of 
 miracles having been performed by Je~ 
 fus and his difciples, we will now call 
 upon the antient Jews and Pagans, to 
 declare what they knew of thefe mat- 
 ters. 
 
 The firft and moft inveterate ene- 
 mies of Chrift and Chriftians were 
 the Jews, who expedled a conqueror, 
 not over death, but kingdoms ; not one 
 to fave, but to deftroy ; they wanted 
 a redeemer, not to deliver them from 
 the power of fin, but the yoke of their 
 enemies ; they deiired not fo m.uch 
 the falvation of the world, as the de- 
 ftrudion of Rome ; and inftead of a 
 pious refignation to the good defigns 
 of providence, they thirfted for re- 
 venge, dominion, and the fword. Dis- 
 appointed in all thefe expedlations, 
 ;hey crucify their only Mefliah, the 
 Lord of life ; and having rejected him, 
 they were fo far rejeded by him, as to 
 
 be 
 
r 38 ] 
 
 be drove into a ftate of difperfion ; in 
 which they now are, and will conti- 
 nue to be, " until the fulnefs of the 
 <' Gentiles be come in *." This dif- 
 perfion, 
 
 Dnn^i:y nrs^i T)h:i ^joir' ^:3^^^ oiy nn * 
 
 Maimonides de Chrifto, §, 4. 
 
 ' And he (Jefus) was the caufe (or it was 
 ' on his account) that Ifrael periflied by the 
 ^ fword, that their remains were difperfed and 
 
 * opprefTed, the law changed, and the greater 
 
 * part of the world perverted.' 
 
 It is evident from Jofephus, the Jewifh 
 hiftorian, that James was put to death not 
 long before the deftrudtion of Jerufalem j and 
 Origen cites Jofephus (though it be an error) 
 for faying, that the death of James was the 
 deflrudion of that city. I think the caufe of 
 Origen's miftake was no other than his own 
 reafoning upon the paflage, as it now flands 
 in Jofephus ; by which it is plain, that the 
 putting James to death was almoft univerfally 
 refented by the people, as a wicked abufe of 
 power : and that commotions iliould arife 
 from thence, and be followed by the ruin of 
 the ftate, does not feem to be a ftrange con- 
 
 clufion. 
 
t 39 ] 
 
 perfion, as well as the deftrudion of 
 the city of Jerufalem, they own to 
 have been the confequence of his 
 death, or to have been caufed by him : 
 And in the antient writings of their 
 Rabbi's, often fpeak of him as * lifted 
 up or crucified. They call him f Je- 
 fus of Nazareth ; the + fon of Mary ||, 
 
 the 
 
 cliilion. Maimonides, we know, afcribes the 
 deftrudlion of Jeruialem to our Lord. And 
 when we confider how difficult it muft have 
 "been to cite palTages from fuch volumes, as the 
 antients ufed, and without indexes, it mufl 
 not be thought partial in us, if we pardon 
 Origen, not only for this miftake, but for 
 his omiffion alfo of the famous palTage con- 
 cerning Jefus (fee the remarks of the learned 
 Dr. Fofter upon this place) which may have 
 been in the original Jofephus, even though it 
 were wanting in Origen's copy. 
 
 paflim. ^"hntl * 
 
 J paffim. Sanhedrin. n!C1i"]Vk^' -f^ 
 
 Sanhedrin. ^^I^D^DHO || 
 
 But this is an error, for it was Jofeph her 
 hulbandwho was the fon of Eli. Sec the an- 
 notations 
 
C4o] 
 
 the daughter of EH, whofe (on he was 
 without the knowlege of her hufband. 
 
 After 
 
 notations of Wagenfeil upon Toledoth Jefliu. 
 Schoetgenius's hors Talmudlcs, vol. II. p. 
 702. And Ezardus upon the Avoda Sara; 
 who, however, is miftaken, p. 304,. vol. I. 
 in faying that Jefiis was, out of contempt, 
 called ")JJ ")3 1JI3 ' a carpenter, the fon of a 
 ' carpenter, in Gemara^ fol. 50. 2. for there 
 is no mention of Jefus in that place. 
 
 In the Toldoth Jelhu, publifhed by J. J. 
 Huldric, i/of. and which is very different 
 from that publiflied by Wagenfeil, there is 
 mention made of the murder of the inno- 
 cents, p. 12. 
 
 * And the king gave orders for the putting 
 
 * to death every infant to be found in Beth- 
 
 * lehem, and the king's melfengers kill every 
 
 * infant, according to the royal order. 
 
 There is another tedimony for this {laughter 
 in Macrobii Saturn. 1. 2. c. 4. Cum audiviffet 
 Auguftus, inter pueros, quos in Syria Herodes 
 rex Juda:orum infra bimatum juffit intcraci, 
 lilium quoque ejus occifum, ait, melius efl 
 Herodis porcum eife quam filium. 
 
 ' When 
 
C 41 ] 
 
 After this, they fay, he fled into * Egypt, 
 and there learned thofe magic arts, by 
 which he was enabled to perform all 
 
 his 
 
 * When Auguftus heard that Herod's own 
 
 * fon was killed amongft the infants, under 
 
 * two years of age, put to death, in Syria, by 
 ' his father's order, he faid it was better to be 
 ' Herod's hog, than his fon.* 
 
 Sixtus Senenfis, in his Bibliotheca, pretends 
 to have read the fame anfwer in Dion Caffius, 
 but it is not in any of our copies, all of which 
 want that part of his hiftory. Cedrenus too, 
 fays, that Herod was diftinguifhed by the 
 name of UaiS'oKlovogj or flayer of children, but 
 he does not mention his author. 
 
 Sanhedrin, fol. 107. 2. 
 
 * V/hen Jannasus the king put the Rabbi's 
 
 * to death, R. |ofliua, the fon of Perichia, 
 
 * and Jefus, fled to Alexandria in Egypt/ 
 
 Shabbat. fol. 104. b. 
 
 * The fon of Satda brought with him mar- 
 
 * gic arts, from Egypt, inferting them in his 
 ' fiefli.' 
 
 G The 
 
[ 42 ] 
 
 his miracles. Again, they own two 
 II witneffes were fuborned to fwear 
 againft him, and declare that he 
 was + crucified on the evening of the 
 
 Paf- 
 The comment upon this is, 
 
 * He could not bring away the writings, 
 
 * for the magicians fearched every one on his 
 
 * departure, that he might not carry away 
 ' the incantations to (the fons of) other coun- 
 
 * tries/ 
 
 Ti'^ n:2 p2^nn n'22 Dny )b ra^t^'iDi 'd^jsjh 
 ^;n"in n.Njn "u»k j^im i^ip m^ pr^itri ims^ fwn 
 
 . ' To none of thofe guilty of death, by the 
 ' Jaw, are fnares laid, except him (who has 
 
 * endeavoured to pervert another to idolatry 
 ' and ftrange worfhip) how do they perform 
 ' it to him ? They light a candle in an inner 
 
 * room, and place the evidences in one with- 
 
 * out, lb that they may fee him and hear his 
 *- voice, without liis feeing them.' 
 
 ' And 
 
[43] 
 
 PafTover. Mention is alfo made in 
 thefe writings, of feveral of his f dif- 
 ciples, of Matthew, ThaddaeuSj and 
 Bauni, the name of him who was af- 
 ter- 
 
 * And fo they did to the fon of Satda (placed 
 
 * men privately in tlie next room, to be evi- 
 
 * dence againft him) in Lud, and fufpended 
 
 * him on the crofs, on the evening of the 
 
 * Paflbver/ 
 
 Sanhedrin, c. vi. fol. 43. i. fin. 
 
 ' The Rabbins fay that Jefus had five dif- 
 
 * ciples, Mathai, Nakai, Nezer, Boni and 
 
 * Toda/ 
 
 See Buxtorf's Talmud. Lexicon, col. 1458. 
 under ICDD. Wagenfeil upon Toledoth Jefhu, 
 p. 17, 18, 19. Schoetgenius, Horae Talmud, 
 vol. ii. p. 699. 703. The pallages marked || 
 and J, are cited by Buxtorf, in his Talmudic 
 Lexicon, col. 1458, Schoetgenius reading in 
 the next page of the Lexicon, Duo falfi teftes 
 contra ipfum pronunciarunt [produdi] * Two 
 ' falfe witneffes pronounced [produced] againft 
 
 * him,* but not reading v^^hat is faid in the 
 
 G 2 preced- 
 
[ 44 ] 
 terwards called Nicodemus, and of 
 whom, as a very great, and good, and 
 pious ruler, much is related in thefc 
 books. In one of them * Eliezer tells 
 
 his 
 
 preceding page, denies that Buxtorf has cited 
 any authority for this; loco non fimul indicate, 
 non tamen eft quod fidem ejus in dubium 
 vocemus, p. 706. vol. ii. Hot. Talmud. 
 
 •JON iDty i<»J3D "iBD ^'ii apj^»i n!:i:n w^ n»Df?n» 
 
 n:iT ?jnxo njcun ^^' 'jno*^ -jD'^ iqk i^di^ 
 
 pipD^ iNa nsu^DH aipDo aiK" njir ?:nt< tj^ ni^inp 
 
 : nam *JNJm id'?* nsijisn 
 
 Avoda Sara, c. i. p. 130. Ezardus. 
 
 * Walking in the high ftreet of Zippor, 
 
 * and I found one of the difciples of Jefu of 
 
 * Nazareth, James, a man of the town of 
 « Secania, who faid to me, it is written in 
 
 * your law, Deuter. xxiii. 18. Thou Jhait not 
 
 * iring the hire of an harlot And I did not 
 
 ' anfwer him, and he, adding, faid to me, Je- 
 
 * fus of Nazareth taught me the meaning of 
 ? Micha. i. 7. For Jhe gathered it of the hire 
 
[45] 
 his friend Akiba, that he met with 
 James, a difciple of Jefus of Nazareth, 
 in Zippor, a town in Gahlee; who 
 gave him the interpretation of a paf- 
 fage in the Old Teftament, which he 
 had received from Jefus, and with 
 which Ehezer was, at that time, pleaf- 
 ed. That the difciples of Jefus had 
 the power of working miracles, and 
 the gift of healing, in the name of 
 their mafter, is confefs'd by thefe 
 Jews ; who give an inftance of it ia 
 the grand fon of Rabbi Jofhua, the fon 
 of Levi, who being in great danger, 
 one of the difciples came, and would 
 have cured him, in the name of Jefus *• 
 
 This 
 
 * of an harlot y and they Jhall return to the 
 
 * hire of an harlot. From an impure place 
 ' they came, to an impure place they fhall 
 
 * go. And this interpretation (fays R. Eliezer) 
 ^ pleafed me.' 
 
 ni nrt n^-ik vS':^ '^h mn "f?Dn h>v nn^a ia * 
 
 3 ")DN 
 
[46] 
 This power is again acknowleged, in 
 
 : ijn p n'h nnim p pd:^ n^t ri'D if?}* rr^ .s^n n*: 
 
 Sabbat. Hierofol. Shemona Sheratz. 
 
 * The grandfon of R. Jofe, fon of Levi, 
 
 * fwallowed (fomething) and there came one 
 
 * of the fons of men, and whifpered (fome- 
 
 * thing) in the name of Jefus, the fon of Pan- 
 ' dira, and he was about to (or did) recover : 
 ' On his departure he (R. Jofe) fays to him, 
 
 * what did you whifper ? he (James) fays to 
 
 * him, fuch a word. He faid, better were it 
 
 * for him to die, and not have heard it. And 
 
 * fo it happened unto him.* 
 
 Thus it is in the PiigioJiJei, publidied witH 
 annotations, by de Voifin, p. 2po. But in the 
 notes to the fecond chapter of the Avoda fara, 
 by Ezardus, p. 3 1 1 . it is cited differently, 
 p^S: 13 for 5)»Bnr2- rVT\ inftead of i<\n. DirrNI 
 for DrJXV n**0 for D'D. and p ^^ without ];iyi^. 
 Which reading is confirm'd by a copy of the 
 Talmud confultcd, on this occafion, by Dr, 
 Hunt, who obferves that the fame palTage oc- 
 curs again in the following chapter of the fame 
 Talmud, ain Momedin ; where it is ^♦DlS'nin VO^ 
 Vo ' and not to have heard this word^ which 
 is fuller and plainer than either p ^'^ or 
 
 the 
 
C 47 ]' 
 
 * the cafe of the fon of Dania, grand- 
 fon of Ifhmael, who was dying of the 
 bite of a ferpent, when James, the 
 fame who had the conference with 
 EUezer, came and offered to cure the 
 
 imjo-i^ K'JDD -13D t:'\N 2py' i<2) rnj isj^^ntj* 
 
 nr\ii,T^ t;^ "id in ns^ nraj^ p^son zs^i imD 
 : mnD:i "jnoirj nn2:n -nni^ "isud' 
 
 Avoda Sara, 2 cap. p. 48. by Ezardus. 
 
 ' There was an inftance of this in the fon 
 
 * of Dama, the fifter's fon of R. Ifmael, who 
 
 * was bit by a ferpent : And there came James, 
 
 * a man of the town of Secania, to heal him, 
 
 * but R. Ifhmael would not fufFer him. And 
 
 * he (the young man) faid to R. Ifhmael, my 
 uncle, fufFer that I be healed by him, and 
 I will produce a palTage from the law, to 
 prove it lawful j .... he fcarcely uttered thefe 
 words, when the fpirit fail'd him, and he 
 died. R. Ifmael fpokc over him aloud, 
 faying, BlefTed art thou, O fon of Dama, 
 that thy body is pure, and thy foul hath de- 
 parted pure cut of it.' 
 
 young- 
 
[48 ] 
 
 young man, but the grandfather for- 
 bad it, and he died. In a much later 
 work of the Jews, and that the moft 
 virulent of all the invectives againft 
 Jefus, his power of railing from the 
 dead, and healing leprous perfons, is 
 acknowleged over and over again *. 
 
 To 
 
 Dpi cijip ^Nj tDi:;? mD::;^n en::n ^h a^t^y) 
 ^n»i v^jT ^^< mo;^'! op^i fn»ji ik'^i ii;? onhp 
 urh "JDNn inon^i lann ns* tD's^'JKn iK-in 
 
 ■ * And he faid, Bring hither to me a dead 
 *, man, and I will reftore him to life. And 
 < they ran and broke open a fepulchre, and 
 
 * found in it nothing but dry bones, and they 
 
 * haften to him to tell him, that they found 
 
 * nothing but bones. And he faid bring them. 
 
 * And they brought them, and he joined the 
 
 * bones, bone to bone, and brought over 
 
 ' them 
 
C 49 ] 
 
 To thefe conceffions we may add, what ' 
 Jofephus has faid of the time when 
 the Jews, according to their prophets, 
 
 ex- 
 
 * them, fkin and flefh, and finews, and he 
 ' arofe and flood upon his feet and lived. 
 ' And the men, who beheld, wondered at 
 ' the thing. And he faid to them, do you 
 
 * wonder at this ? Bring me one that is a 
 
 * leper, and I will cure him. And they 
 
 * brought to him a leper, and he cured him 
 
 * alfo, by the name Hammaphorafli. And 
 
 * when they beheld thefe things, they fell 
 ' down and worfhiped him, and faid unto 
 
 * him, of a truth thou art the Son of God.* 
 
 tn'^n DK non vh:; it :d^^'\ ins* no "h vvijn 
 
 J'oledotb JeJJjtij by Wagenfeil, under the 
 title of Igfiea tela Satana. 
 
 ' And Jefus faid. Bring hither to me a , 
 ' leper, and I will heal him. And they 
 
 * brought him a leper, and he put his hand ^ 
 ' upon him, and pronounced the great name, 
 
 H * and 
 
[50 ] 
 expelled Meffiah, the Prince and the 
 DeHverer; and what he has faid of 
 John the Baptift, and his death, and 
 
 of 
 
 * and the man was cured, and he became 
 
 * again like the flefli of a child j moreover, 
 
 * Jefus faid, Bring hither to me a dead body, 
 
 * and they brought him one that was dead : 
 
 * he laid his hand upon him, and pronounced 
 ' the name, and he came to life, and ilood 
 
 * upon his feet.' 
 
 It is neceflary to obferve here, that in the 
 abflra^l of the Talmud, which is in common 
 ufe with the Jews, and alfo in the printed co- 
 pies of MedraOi Kohelet, the name of Jefus 
 is omitted j but in the Tofaphoth, or mar- 
 ginal additions to the Avoda Sara, it is ex- 
 prefTed thus -, 
 
 : ^^y HD^DD ' ♦JJ3?&' nsD ^'♦N npp 
 
 ^ James, a man of the town of Secania, 
 < one of the difciples of Jefus.' And in the 
 Glofs of Jarchius ; 
 
 ::'^2 )nwrh lO'^ x'^2^ isd ^y>^{ 2py'> i<y> 
 
 ' And there came James, a man of the 
 
 * town of Secania, to him, to cure him in 
 
 * the name of his mailer Jefus.' 
 
 2 Com- 
 
[ 51 ] 
 
 of the murder of James, the brother 
 of Jefus. 
 
 And now we may furely be per- 
 mitted to infer, that fo many gofpel. 
 fads would never have been admitted 
 by thefe early Jews, if the gofpel- 
 hiftory had not been true; for they, 
 of all adverfaries, would not have 
 borne their teftimony alfo to the mi- 
 raculous powers of Chrift, and his 
 apoftles, if they could have been de- 
 nied. And whatever they may have 
 faid on the other fide * againft our 
 
 Sa- 
 
 Compare the annotations of de Voifin to 
 iho, Pugiojidei^ p. 298. with thofe of Ezardus 
 to the fecond chapter of Avoda Sara, p. 3 13. 
 
 The reafon why the old Rabbins refufed 
 to have their grand-children cured ^V^ 015^3 in 
 the name of Jefus, was, becaufe Chriftians 
 are efteemed minim^ or heretics, by them, and 
 the name of Jefus is, to them, an Avoda Sara, 
 or idolatry. 
 
 * See Sepher Toledoth, publifhed by Wa- 
 genfeil. This book applies all that is faid of 
 Mary, the drefler of women's hair, in the 
 
 H 2 Talmud, 
 
Saviour or his mother, by miftaking 
 Mary Magdalene,, for the mother of 
 
 Jefus, 
 
 Talmud, to the mother of Jefus. The cir- 
 cumftances being fo many, and fo exadly the 
 fame, it is hardly poffible to fuppofe that 
 the Jews could mean any other by Jefliu, the 
 fon of Satda, than our Lord Jefus Chrift: 
 nor is there any pretence againfl this, but 
 what arifes from a miftake in the Jewifh 
 chronology. But the Jews are well known 
 to be very bad cbronologers at beft, and in 
 this cafe are moft remarkably inconfiftent. 
 So that they are of no authority in determining 
 the age of Jefus, as will appear from the fol- 
 lowing colledions. 
 
 The fon of Satda (Mary) and Pappus, fon 
 of Jehuda, by Pandeira, the difciple of Jofhua 
 ben Perachija, lived in the reign of Alexander 
 Jannaeus, an. m. 3^70. See Zemach David. 
 Pappus was living before Akiba died, anno 
 mund. 3880. And Mary, the mother of Je- 
 fus, is faid to have lived in the times of 
 Akiba. Here then is an anachronifm of about 
 two hundred years. 
 
 Another proof of the confuiion and incer- 
 tainty of their chronology is, according to 
 them, Mary lived under the fecond temple, in 
 the time of Alexander Jannasus 3 but the angel 
 
 of 
 
[ 53 ] 
 
 Jefus, and by charging her fon v/ith 
 the exercife of magic, and with other 
 
 calum- 
 
 of death is faid to be with R. Bibi ben Abai, 
 and to order Mary (the fame Mary diftinguifh- 
 ed by them, in this and feveral other places, 
 as one who drefs'd women's heads) to be 
 brought to him, that is, according to Jar- 
 chius, to be kill'd. But Bibi hved Jong af- 
 ter the fecond temple, and is reckoned one 
 of the Gemarifts. 
 
 See all this proved by Ezardus, in his notes 
 to the firft chapter of Avoda Sara^ p. 300, 
 301. and by Voiiin, in his annotations upon 
 the ^ugio Jidei^ p. 299. 
 
 Again -, the fon of Satda, as it is in Wa- 
 genfeil's Toledoth Jefhu, lived under Alex- 
 ander Jann^eus, and performed fome of his 
 miracles in the prefence of queen Helena. 
 Now Alexander lived before the Casfars reign- 
 ed in Rome, a. urbis c. 675-. And Helena, 
 when Claudius reigned, a. u. c. 794. Alex- 
 ander reigned twenty- fix years. So that here 
 is, by this account, an anachronifm of about 
 a hundred years. 
 
 * Helena, queen of the Adiabeni, and her 
 * two fons Monbaz and Ifates, became pro- 
 
 * felytes 
 
[54] 
 
 ealumnies, is eafily removed, by con- 
 fidering the moral and religious cha- 
 rader of our Lord, which is far 
 greater than ever was reprefented in 
 any other perfon in the vi^orld. He, 
 of all philofophers or legiflators, was 
 the only one who confirmed every law, 
 and every precept of his own making, 
 by his own example : He was King, 
 Prieft and Prophet, and yet the Ser- 
 vant of his own difciples, the fubjed: 
 of his own laws ; meek, humble, and 
 obedient, even unto the death of the 
 crofs, the end he had foretold of him- 
 felf. He, of all men, alone was free 
 from fin, ^^ "who did no violence, 
 " neither was any deceit in his mouth ;" 
 and it is impofilble to read his ftory, 
 and not rejedl the calumnies and blaf- 
 
 * felytes in the Days of Claudius Casfar.* 
 Zemach David. See Buxtorf 's Talmud Lexi- 
 con, under 3JD. 
 
 * Ifaiah liii, 
 
 pliemous 
 
C 55 ] 
 
 phemous afperfions of Jews and Gen- 
 tiles. 
 
 Again, there is nothing in the got- 
 pels, nor in Jofephus, that intimates 
 the leaft refledlion on the charadler of 
 the bleffed Mary * : On the contrary, 
 the great regard and tendernefs ex- 
 preffed by Jefus for his mother, and 
 the excellent character of James, the 
 brother of Jefus, as it is reported by 
 the Jewifh hiftorian, feem fufScient to 
 declare her innocent -f. If 
 
 * There is a pafTage in MafTecheth Kallah, 
 fol. 1 8. 2. in which Akiba, the great Akiba 
 of the Jews, promifes her eternal happinefs, 
 if fhe will confefs the truth concerning her 
 fon. She is then iaid to have owned, that he 
 was fpurious. But on requiring Akiba to 
 confirm his promife by an oath, it is faid, 
 
 * R. Akiba fwore with his lips, but denied 
 * it in his heart.' What credit can be given 
 to fuch a witnefs as this ? Schoetgenius, vol.ii. 
 p. 6^6. 
 
 "y TauTo. Trccvlcc c(,vS7r?\.<x.(Tau iiri y.cSxipea-a rvs 
 
 ilvycx.y'io 
 
[ 56 
 
 If we now inquire of the Greeks 
 and Romans, after what was done in 
 
 Pale- 
 
 i-^vvoLVio ycto ctAAws ■^ivS'oTTOiriaa.i S'lct to cr(poS''pc& 
 
 'UTCCpcC'^O^OV T'/IV iq'opiOiVy iCj fJLYI ooaTTSpei CtXBaiM^ 
 
 cuFxccrxbe^octy on ax, cctto auuijucop ccvupcoTroii 
 yxfyMu Inass eyevvv^ri' ^ ccKo^cauov ys 7)v rss fJLY) 
 cvhtccToSifj.evds T'l) --srccpcc^o^M yevvnaei th lnaa 
 
 'mXctCjCLl TX ■vlg'jj''®-* TO S'i y.YI TZTL^CCVCiOS CtUrii> TSTii) 
 
 'woDiactii ctXAoc //.era, Ttf lyipnaat, cri ax, cctto 
 TH lcf}(m(p 'sra.p^si'^ avvs^ctoS tov h-iaavy roii 
 axBeiv ^ gAg-j'^fti' GcvctTrXocrr jJicclcc Svpocjuievois, ivocp- 
 ya ii)v -Xgtvo^os* ctpct yrcp evXoyovj r ToaccvTcc vw2o 
 TH yevds Toov ccivpcoTrcfjy ToAfXYKTctvlcCj ivcc TO oaov 
 iir ccvImj TTccinSS 'EAA^i'SS ^ (ictpQapoi xpiuiv ^Siccv 
 'wpoaSoxYiactVTiSiOtTroq^caai /xstcc rm xccxict^y ttccvtx 
 Se "vypctTioodiv ccpsaKoviooi rco toov oXoov (^tifAnpy^j 
 'zucx.pcc^ oS,ov jxiv fjLT) ecy',:xsyxi yivvncnVi "mccaoov Ss 
 yeyeaeooy 'Zijoipxvofx.ccTccTr]v ^ ai^K^nv'y &C. 
 
 Origen. contra Celfum, p. 25-, 26. 
 
 * All thefe things they feigned, in order 
 
 * to fet afide the miraculous conception by the 
 
 * Holy Ghoft. For they might, otherwife, 
 
 * mifrepreient the hiftory, as fabulous, becaufe 
 
 * exceedingly miraculous, and deny, though 
 ' inwardly convinced, that Jefus was not born 
 ^ in the common way of the married flate of 
 
 * men j and confequently invent a falfe ftory, 
 
 * not acknov/leging the miraculous birth of 
 
 ' Chrift. 
 
[ 57 ] 
 
 Paleftine, we fliall find much in fa- 
 vour of our religion, related by the 
 Chriftian fathers *. According to 
 
 their 
 
 Chrift. But they did not render it pkufible ; 
 for, having admitted that the Virgin was not 
 with child of Jefus by Jofeph, it muft ap- 
 pear to all, who can difcern and confute 
 fid:ions, to be a manifeft forgery. For is it 
 at all probable, that one who has dared fo 
 much for human kind, that, as much as in 
 him lay, all (men) Greeks and Barbarians, 
 from the expe6tance of divine Judgment, 
 might abftain from evil, and do every thing 
 plealing to the Founder of the Univerfe ; 
 (hould himfelf not be diftinguifhed by an 
 extraordinary birth, but be the offspring of 
 a mod infamous, and moft wicked proftitu- 
 * tion,' &c. 
 
 * Vetus erat decretum ne qui Deus ab im- 
 peratore confecratur nifi a fenatu probatus. Scit 
 M. iEmilius de deo fuo Alburno : fin primo 
 contra Marcionem idem meminit fed a Me- 
 tello non iEmilio] Facit et hoc ad caufam 
 noftram, quod apud vos de humano arbitratu 
 divinitas penfitatur, nifi homini Dens placuerit, 
 Deus non erit, homo jam deo propitius efTe 
 debcbit. Tiberius ergo, cujus tempore nomen 
 Chriftianum in feculum intravit, annunciata 
 
 I fibi 
 
[S8] 
 
 their reports, Tiberius, informed by 
 Pilate of the refurredion of our Lord, 
 
 moves 
 
 fibi ex Syria Paleflina quae illlc veritatem iftlus 
 divinitatis revelarant, detulit ad fenatum cum 
 prsrogativa fuffragii fui. Senatas, quia non 
 ipfe probaverat, refpicit: C2:far in fententia 
 manfit, comminatus periculum accufatoribus 
 Chriftianorum. Confulite commentarios ve- 
 Itros, illic reperietis primum Neronem in hanc 
 fed:am turn maxime Romae orientem, Caefa- 
 riano gladio ferocifTe. Sed tali dedicatore dam- 
 nationis noflras etiam gloriamur. Qui enim 
 fcit ilium, intelligere potefl non nil! grande 
 aliquod bonum a Nerone damnatum. 
 
 TertuUiani Apologet. p. 6. RIgalt. 
 
 Tertulllan, who lived at the end of the 
 fccond century, and publifhed his book de 
 Pallio about the fifteenth of Severus, a. c. 207. 
 lays, ' By an ancient decree, not any God 
 
 * was to be confecrated by the emperor, un- 
 
 * Icfs approved of by the fenate, as M. ^Emi- 
 
 * lius knows was the cafe of his Dens Albur- 
 ' 7ms : (See the fame cited in the firft againfl: 
 ' Marcion, where is Metellus inftead of iEmi- 
 
 * lius) and this makes for our purpofe, as it 
 
 * proves you fubject the divinity to human ar- 
 < bitration ; unleis the God pleafes man, he 
 ' fliall not be a God, and men now muft be 
 
 * pro- 
 
[ 59 ] 
 
 moves the fenate for his reception into 
 their pantheon, or inroHment amongft 
 
 their 
 
 propitious to the Deity ! Tiberius therefore, 
 in whofe reign the Chriftian name entered 
 the world, being informed, from Paleftiiie 
 in Syria, of thofe things done there to ma- 
 nifefl the truth of this divinity, notified it 
 to the fenate, with the prerogative of Jiis 
 own fuffrage ; the fenate, becaufe he had 
 not laid before them the proofs, rejected it. 
 GcEfar continued in the fame mind, threaten- 
 ing thofe who informed againft the Chrif- 
 tians. Confult your own records, you will 
 there find that Nero (who did not even fpare 
 his own mother) was the firft who furioufly 
 employed the royal fword againft this {^di^ 
 which then increafed greatly at Rome. But 
 in fuch an author of our condemnation we 
 even glory, for whoever is acquainted with 
 his character, may know that nothing was 
 condemned by Nero, but what was greatly 
 good.' 
 
 However, the apotheofis of our Lord did 
 not depend upon an order of the fenate. The 
 truth of his afcenfion is of more divine au- 
 thority, than political debates, or intereft of 
 parties. And whether Tiberius afted the part 
 given him by Tertullian, is matter of difpute. 
 
 I 2 He 
 
[ 60 3 
 
 their Gods : Vefpafian and Titus dread 
 
 his 
 
 He who would fatlsfy himfelf, may read 
 Faber, Bafnage, Vandale, agalnft it^ Pearfon, 
 Huetlus, and Steph. Le Moyne, for it. 
 
 That Tiberius was informed by Pilate, is 
 mentioned in this manner by Tertullian ; Ea 
 omnia fuper Chrifto Pilatus, et ipfe jam pro 
 fua confcientia Chriftianus, Caefari turn Tibe- 
 rio nunciavit. ' Pilate, who was in his con- 
 
 * fcience now a Chriftian, made known to 
 ' Tiberius Caefar all things concerning Chrift.* 
 And again, Eum mundi cafum relatum, in ar- 
 chivis veftris habetis. * You have this event, 
 
 * in which the w^orld is concerned, recorded 
 ' in your archives/ This has alfo been dif- 
 puted. But as it was ufual for the governors 
 of provinces to tranfmit to the emperors an 
 account of daily occurrences, it is not poffible 
 to fuppofe Pilate would have been permitted 
 to have been iilent, concerning the commo- 
 tions that had arifen in his province, on ac- 
 count of the man Jefus. And it is moil: pro- 
 bable, that thefe adls, fo often referred to by 
 Juftin Martyr, Tertullian, and others, were 
 deftroyed by the heathens, before the time of 
 the Chriflian emperors, and are therefore loil 
 to the world. For as to the gofpel of Nico- 
 demus, called alfo the Adts of Pilate, it feems 
 to have been forged towards the end of the 
 
 ^ third 
 
[6i ] 
 
 his power and influence : * Adrian 
 purpofes divine honours to him, and 
 
 forbids 
 
 third century. See Gaufabon's exercltat. Span- 
 heim's ecclef. hill. Fabrlcius's codex Apo- 
 cryphus ; and the very learned Mr. Jones's 
 Canon of the New Teftament. 
 
 * Chriftianos effe paiTus eft. 
 
 Matutinis horis in larario fuo (in quo & 
 divos principes, fed optimos eledtos & aninias 
 fandiores, in queis & Apollonium & quan- 
 tum SCRIPTOR TEMPORUM SUORUM DIGIT, 
 
 Christum, Abraham, & Orpheum, & hu- 
 jufcemodi Deos habebat, & majorum effigies) 
 
 rem divinam faciebat Chrifto templum 
 
 facere voiuit, eumque inter Deos recipere, quod 
 & Adrianus cogitafle fertur, qui templa in om- 
 nibus civitatibus fine fimulacris jufferat fieri : 
 quag hodie, idcirco quia non habent numina, 
 dicuntur Adriani : quae ille ad hoc parafife di- 
 cebatur : fed prohibitus eft ab iis, qui, con- 
 fulentes facra, repererant omnes Chriftianos fu- 
 turos, fi id optato eveniilet, et templa reliqua 
 deferenda. 
 
 * He tolerated Chriftians. 
 
 * He performed his devotions in the morn- 
 
 * ing in his oratory, in which were the em- 
 
 * perors, the beft, the chofen and more divine 
 
 * fpirits, among whom was Apollonius, and as 
 
 * A 
 
[ 62 ] 
 
 forbids the worfhiping of idols. Se- 
 verus and Antoninus pius, erefted fta- 
 tues to him, and worfliiped him. If 
 
 * A WRITER OF HIS OWN TIMES DECLARES, 
 
 ' Christ, Abraham and Orpheus, and Gods 
 
 * of this fort, and the effigies of his anceftors. 
 
 ' He would have ere dted a temple to Chrift, 
 ' and have admitted him among the Gods, 
 ' which Adrian is reported alfo to have had in 
 ' view, when he commanded the temples in all 
 ' the cities to be made without images in them j 
 ^ and which are now called Adrian's, becaufe 
 
 * they have no Gods j which he was reported to 
 ' have prepared for this purpofe, but was for- 
 ' bid by thofe, who, confulting their oracles, 
 ' found, that all men would be Chriftians, if 
 ' that fhould fortunately happen, and that all 
 
 * other temples would be deferted.' 
 
 From the life of Alexander Severus, by 
 ^lius Lampridius, according to the firft 
 printed edition. Some fay it was wrote 
 by Julius Capitolinus. But there was a 
 MSS. copy of it in the Palatine Library, 
 which gives it to i^lius Spartianus, who 
 lived in the reign of Dioclefian, towards 
 the end of the third, and beginning of 
 the fourth century. 
 Note, If the reader chufes to refer opfaio to 
 Adrian, he will then read ' according to his 
 '■ wiflieb' inftead of the word ' fortunately.' 
 
 thefe 
 
[ 63 ] 
 
 thefe fads are objeded to, as coming 
 from Chriftians, let me afk, what is 
 to be expeded from other writers, who 
 had not knowlege of thefe affairs fuf- 
 ficient for their own convidion ? What 
 from the Roman hiftorians, and claffic 
 authors, as they are called, of affairs 
 in Judea, or the Chriftian faith ? The 
 hiftories by Dionyfius, Livy, Juftin, 
 conclude before the times of Chrift. 
 Eutropius, Paterculus, Florus, Sextus, 
 publifhed only fhort, very fliort abridg- 
 ments of the Roman hiftory, with 
 little regard to the fate of other na- 
 tions. Suetonius and Tacitus confine 
 themfelves almoft entirely to the lives 
 and charaders of their own emperors ; 
 but yet they * both of them mention 
 Chrift, and the latter exprefly fpeaks 
 
 * Suetonius in Claudio, c. 25. Tacitus, 
 lib. XV. Autor nominis ejus Chriftus, qui, 
 Tiberio imperitante, per procuratorem Pilatum 
 fupplicio affe<5tus erat. 
 
 •f 
 
[ 64 ] 
 
 of him as ^' the Author of the Chriflian 
 " name, who, in the reign of Tiberius, 
 " was put to death by Pilate, the Ro- 
 " man deputy." Befides thefe there 
 is not another author extant of this 
 fort, from whom any evidence of 
 thefe matters could reafonably be ex- 
 pected, unlefs it be from Dio Caflius, 
 and that part of his hiftory, which in- 
 cluded a period of five years before, 
 and as many after our Saviour's time, 
 
 is loft *. 
 
 Pliny 
 
 * The Chriflians are charged with having 
 deftroyed the writings of their adverfaries, and 
 if the charge be true, it muft be allowed they 
 have diminiflied the evidence arifingfrom fa6ls, 
 for the truth of the Chriftian religion, by de- 
 ftroying the conceflions, together with the ca- 
 lumnies of their adverfaries. Theodofius the 
 younger, indeed, ordered the writings of Por- 
 phyry, and others, co7itra religtojum Chri/iia?io- 
 riun ctdttifn, againft the religious worfhip of 
 the Chriflians, to be burnt. But was Theo- 
 dofiiis, or Chriftian men, the firft who de- 
 ftroyed irreligious books ? Was it not * an 
 
 * antient 
 
[ 65 ] 
 
 f iintient practice of the RomanSj to deftroy 
 
 * every thing that might feduce the inhabi- 
 
 * tants of their city from the worfhip of their 
 ' gods/ See Valerius Maximus, l.i. c. i. No- 
 luerunt prifci viri quidquam in civitate Ro- 
 mana alTervari quo animi hominum a deorum 
 cuhu avocarentur. Are the Chriftians then 
 alone to be blamed for taking this method of 
 jQlencing the impiety of their adverfaries ? Did 
 not Julian urge it as one reafon why he de- 
 fired to have the books of George, bifliop of 
 Alexandria, fent to him after that bifhop's 
 
 death ? -ziroAAa S'e nv aoci t>7$ tmv TocAiXccioov J^i- 
 S'aaxccAicci cc ^sKoifJiViv fjcev TKpccvi^cci. Epift. p. 
 
 * For there are many (books concerning) the 
 *■ do6trines of the Galileans, which indeed I 
 ^ would have to be deftroyed.' But after all,we 
 are obliged to Cyril j for fome remains of Julian> 
 fuch as they are, and to Origen for all that re- 
 mains of Celfus 5 unlefs it be true^ as I have 
 heard, that Celfus againft the Chriftians is 
 ftill extant in the Arabic language, and thence 
 tranflated into French, but not publiflied. 
 Chryfoftom was fo far from thinking that the 
 Chriftians deftroyed the writings of the Pagans 
 againft them, that he feems to think, there 
 would not have been any left, if the Chriftians 
 had not been pleafed to honour them with their 
 notice. Touaros eq^i tojv vtt dulMv yeypxjmjuievMV 
 
 y.<f.i cii/.cc Tco ^(i'^i'^n.vcci xat a,7rz?.i^ix,\ to. :rcAAct' 
 
t 66] 
 
 Pliny •' and Julian fpeak of the 
 manners of the Chriftians, as moft 
 
 devout 
 
 €i Si Try Ti y.cLi Ivpevcu^ S'lxaoousvy Trocpoc ^pie^ia.voi9 
 TUTQ (Tca^oysvQv Ivpoi ns oci\ edit. Savil. p. 444' 
 vol. V. He faySj ' There was this ridiculous 
 ' circumftance attended their writings, that 
 
 * they were of no duration, for that many 
 
 * were loft as foon as known : But if any 
 
 * were preferved, they muft be looked for 
 
 * amongft the Chriftians.' Such was the re- 
 gard fliewn them by men of their own party. 
 And if they were defpifed then, we have no 
 reafon to lament their lofs now. What Am- 
 brofe fays, in the preface to his commentary 
 upon the gofpel of St. Luke, was equally true 
 of thefe writings, as of thofe fpurious pro- 
 dudlions, of which he fpeaks thus j Legimus 
 ne ip"noremus : lesimus non ut teneamus, fed 
 ut repudiemus, & ut fciamus qualia fint in qui- 
 bus ma^nifici ifti cor exaltant fuum. * We 
 
 * read for information ; not to receive, but to 
 ' rejedl, and that we may know with what 
 
 * thefe boafters lift up their heart.' 
 
 * Pliny, in one of his letters to Trajan, 
 fays, Ellent foliti ftato die ante lucem conve- 
 nire j carmenque Chrifto, quafi deo, dicere 
 fecum invicem, feque facramento non in fcelus 
 aliquod obftringere, fed ne furta, ne latrocinia, 
 iie adulteria committerentj ne fidem falkrent. 
 
[ 67 ] 
 
 ne depoiitum appellati abnegarentj qulbus 
 peradis morem iibi difcedendi fuifle, rurfufquc 
 coeundi ad capiendum cibum promifcuum, 
 tamen 6c innoxium. Plinii Epift. ^f. lib. x. 
 
 * The Chriftians were wont to aflemble on 
 
 * a certain day, before it was light, and recite 
 
 * a hymn to Chrift, as a Deity, in alternate 
 
 * ftrains, and to bind themfelves by an oath, 
 
 * not to any thing bad, but, on the contrary, 
 ' not to commit thefts, nor robberies, nor 
 
 * adulteries, not to falfify their faith, nor dif- 
 
 * own a pledge or depoflte, when called upon. 
 
 * Which over, it was ufual for them to de- 
 
 * part, and to meet again to eat together, in 
 ' a harmlefs v/av.'. 
 
 So Julian, in a letter addrefled to Arfaklos^ 
 chief of the Pagan priefts in Galatia, advifes 
 them to take example from the good practices 
 of the Chriflians. ^ There is not, fays the 
 
 * emperor, one of the Jews who begs, and 
 
 * the Galileans not only fupport their own 
 
 * (poor) but ours, U tojv /jlsv IsSaioov acTfti jme^ 
 rccile.' TpS(f}^cri Se ol SuojsCc^i Tcx.Aiha.ioi rjrpoi 
 TKs la,v\cavi Xj tus r)y.s]epHi. But it is ftrange, 
 that he fliould, on this occalion, call fuch Ga- 
 lileans Sv&jiCe'.s impiGus. In the former part 
 of the fame letter, alluding to the virtues of 
 the. Galileans, he afks ; 
 
 ffvyy^v^ncrev r] TTSpi ins ^ivni (^i^'.a.y^cxTrict. ^ Trepi tccs 
 
 K 2 'rci(pxi, 
 
[68 1 
 
 uifj.vorni "icoLlct TOP ^lov' oov tycctq^ov oiofJLcci ^pmctc 
 'sjccp 7]jji(av clAiSms eTTiT'iiS'eve^cci' xxi b-k, ccTro^p-n to 
 dfj-vov eivoci ToiBiov' aXhci "mctvTciS a7rafct7rAw$ 
 01 nsTSpi T7)v TolXoltiolv GidlV iSpeiSj 85 7) S'uaruTniaQVy 
 Yi 7r£i(Tov eivcLi a'zuHS'aciBSi n rm lepccri'uvs T^-curap-. 
 ^lots ccTro^ncrovj a fj.n -zupoae^oivlo. julsIcc ywetixcav 
 xai 'mctiS'aoy xcti mpoLirovtcav to/5 ^soiSy ccXXof, 
 
 avS^OlVTO TWV Ol^BTMV V VISCOV 71 TMV T CtXlAcCKfiV 
 
 yccjjiiloiv aaeCaurcov jjhv us tss S'g85> a^eoT/flcc cTg 
 ^eoa-€^c-ici.s 'urporifjLCfmcov' eirtnct Tt^xpccipsaov lepex 
 f/.y{]e ^sccTpcf} rsjctpccCccAAeiVi jw,;;?g sv xa7ryA«a) 
 
 Why do we not fee how much humanity 
 to ftrangers, concern for the burial of the 
 dead, and feigned chaftity of Hfe, have in- 
 creafed the religion oppofed to Paganifm, 
 Every one of which, I think, ought fin- 
 cerely and carefully, and habitually, to be 
 pradifed by us. Not that this chafte (or fo- 
 lemn) appearance is fufEcient. But, in ge- 
 neral, oblige all the priefls, by threats or 
 perfuafion, to be diligent, or difmifs them 
 from the prieftly function, if, with their 
 wives and children, and fervants, they do 
 not attend upon the gods, and fuffer the fer-r 
 vants, fons, or married Galileans, to be- 
 have irreligioufly towards the Gods, pre- 
 ferring impiety to godlinefs, Moreover, ex- 
 hort the prieft not to approach the theatre, 
 not to drink in taverns, &c, 
 
[69] 
 
 devout and exemplary. Porphyry ap* 
 plied feveral of the oracles to Chrift *, 
 
 and 
 
 Tts S'^v yevoilo voi tbtojv ol^lotic^q^ offoXoytcz 
 f/.cLX?\.ov TVS TH ncS' rijj(.cof 'TXToKsiJiiii ycx'^yjs, 7\v ev- q;5 
 (Teyircf^e 'zs-epi t«5 ex, Xayioiv (pi?^o(ro(pLcci iv tpirca 
 cvfypccfAfJLctri TsGa?5t/, uS'e ttws iiropcov occctcc Ae^/j/. 
 ^^5 ccTTo rris svepyaai avrm avvopccTcci tqh 
 (pi?\.cc?\.n^ea-iv 7i Tm 'zsepi clvIqv gy.S'ga cx,p{\ns S^'wcx,^ 
 
 fAlSt 
 
 ^pna-fjioi 'wepi Te 'Kpiq^s. 
 
 TJapccS'o^oy icroos S'Q^etiv a.v TKriy eivcti to ^sA- 
 Xov Xsye^a.1 v(p y]ij.c>}v' tov ycco Xp/f oj/ ci Oeoi 
 eucreCec^ctTov oc7re(pyjyccv%i x.cci ct^ccvxlcv yeyovolco 
 6V(pyffJi<iJs re uvtb imyn/xoysvaai. 
 
 Kai v'STo^cci STTiAeyei, nxepi ysv T8X/)f<f a BpooTi]'^ 
 troLVTMv SI e<^i (Beoi) (pvo'iy* 
 
 Ot It fjLSy ctuccvctrn 4'^%'^ ^ela (TcajJicc 'arpoCocivei^ 
 Ttyvooa-ita cofpiYi rslif/.Vf^€p(^' cchXcc ye 4^A^^ 
 Aft'p^ evae^in 'ixrpo(pepec^aTn eq'iv exavB* 
 
 'Evaef^etp'ouoy upcc €(pyi ctvioyj -^ rvy 4^^^'^ ccvjiSf 
 xccDcczc^ep 5^ Tuy a^^ooy, fjiercc ^ccvccrov ccTraQct- 
 rci,Ti£niyctii 7\v ce^&v avQSvroci t«5 ^pic^ictvui' 
 STrepooTwocyrcfjy S's S'ta ri e^o^cc^n, e^pwey, 
 
 'X.(>}fj.ci U.SV aS^paveaiy (3cccr<xvoii ctm Ttrpo^e^PirjloiL* 
 "^u^y} J^ ivae^euv as apctviov ireS'oy l^u* 
 
 Kat iiriXeyci jjhtoc tov ^pncrfxoy e^v^j ccvroS 
 ay ?fo-«/2w5, >^ €ii apavm uaTrsp oi evaeCeiS X^P^^" 
 cas* ooq^e tbtov fJLSy y /3Aao-(pw^>j<T«s, e/\ey]cr€-i<; 
 ^e Toiv (ZP^pcoTruu tav clvoiolv, Tuvtcc ^ ruy o 
 
 Flop* 
 
C 70 ] 
 
 Tlop(pvpios* ap yi> aTrargwi^ &> btos ; x av rcc (piXz 
 ©•g S'vacoTrSiTM roiv ciKeiOov pvifJicaci,' ?;^«$ toz ^ap 
 ay Tov rijjiBrepov XwTMoa Ih<78J' rov Xp'Tov ra 
 ©gy, ?^ Tijo.pcc rois IcvSla d^fj.oXoyi^jx^vov a yomcc 
 aSe (pccpfJiocxiac, aAA' evaefirj ' ^ S^iy.aioTa%v ^ 
 cro<pQv ^ apctvioov cc^iS'uu oiKYiTopa, 
 
 Eufebii Demonftrat. Evangelii, lib. iii. 
 
 ^ Is there any evidence you would more 
 
 '' readily embrace, than the confeffion of one 
 
 ' who was our profefled enemy ? Which he 
 
 * (Porphyry) has delivered in the third volume 
 ' of the treatife intituled, Philofophy from 
 
 * Oracles ; where he expreiles himfelf in 
 ' thefe very words. 
 
 * That the efficacy of the divine virtue, re- 
 
 * latlng to him, mud be vilible by its own 
 ' energy to the lovers of truth.' 
 
 * Oracles concerning Chrift. 
 
 * What we are going to fay may, to fome, 
 
 * perhaps, feem a paradox. For the gods 
 
 * openly declared Chrifl to be a moft pious 
 
 * and an immortal Being, and honourably re- 
 
 * ported his memory. 
 
 * And after this he fays. That, being con- 
 ' fulted concerning Chrift, whether he was a 
 ^ .God, the anfwer was, 
 
 * That the immortal foul continues after the 
 
 * body, 
 
 * He who is renowned for wifdom knows. 
 
 ' But the foul 
 I Of that man is moft excelling in wifdom, 
 
 ' He 
 
[70 
 
 ^ He acknowleges him, therefore, to be moft 
 
 * pious, and his foul, Hke others, after death, 
 
 * to be immortahzed, which the fenfelefs 
 ' Chriftians adore. But being afked,why he 
 
 * was puniflied, the oracle replied, 
 
 * The body indeed is ever liable to little 
 
 ' torments; 
 
 * But the mind of the pious refts in the 
 
 * plains of heaven. 
 
 * And, immediately after this oracle, he adds, 
 he was pious, and went to heaven, as other 
 pious perfons do. You ought not there- 
 fore to blafpheme him, but to pity the folly 
 of men. This now is what Porphyry has 
 faid. And was he a deceiver too? Be ra- 
 ther kindly affeded by the favourable words 
 of one of your own party. It is therefore 
 confelTed by your own writers, that Jefus 
 our Saviour, the anointed of God, was no 
 juggler, no Sorcerer, but pious, and moft 
 righteous and wife, and an inhabitant of the 
 arched heavens.' 
 
 I will only make this one obfervation upon 
 this long citation from Eufebius, That it con- 
 tains not only the opinion of Porphyry, but 
 the teftimony of their gods, or, if you pleafe, 
 of their priefls, who did not dare to deny the 
 excellence of the charadter of Jefus. Thefe 
 oracles cannot be called the forgeries of the 
 Chriftians : And whatever may be juftly faid 
 againft thofe of the Sibyls, thefc muft have their 
 2 weight 
 
t70 
 
 and reprefented him as '' pious and 
 *' immortalj as one who had defcend- 
 " ed into heaven, and fuperfeded * 
 ** the neceffity of other gods, who 
 " were become ufelefs to the public, 
 " fince his appearance in the world." 
 Celfus too f acknowlcged the extraor- 
 dinary 
 
 weight with all who regard the authority of Por- 
 phyry, or the teftimony of our adverfaries. 
 
 o)(peXeiccs ^^ela. Eufeb. prapar. 1. v. c. i. 
 
 •f* AvS'zu-Aa.ae S'S n eTSpov crvhcctrctTL^epsv^ 
 fx.iv 'S^-cas Tctis 'zuccpccS'o^ois S'vvcciJ.ecriVj as l^^crm 
 
 cvfico (loc, X^/<rctJ* ^icL^tx^-Keiv S" ccvlas /5aAo^-gro5 
 <y$ ccTTo fjiccye^cci 5^ a S'ft^t. S'uvcc^ei ysygun/Jiepccs' 
 (p'>)ai yap *^ avlav cy.QTiov Tp<x,(pevlac yj^apvYiaav 
 *' "Jet, Hi Aiyv7r%Vi SvvafJ.2(av nriycav Trsipa^eylai 
 *' Sice-i^ep STrave^Bai', Oeov fiT* e^arai ras S^uya/Jiea 
 " savlov avayopivovla> 
 
 E^&) cT'ex, QiS"^ otzj-ws av jxayos Yiyo^vicroclo ^lS'ix.-* 
 ^ai Aoyoi'} TreSovlcc [^Travlccj 'zs-paTleiVf 005 ©ga 
 xp/j/ovT©- lycac^ov eiri iraai Tois •mSTrpccy/JLe- 
 roii' Kai SToo Sictri^eyra tbs eav% y.a^nTaS) on 
 >;/>igAA8 ^pnaa^ai S'laxovois 'T'i)^ lavTS S'lS'ctfTKtxr- 
 Aras. Apa yxp €'/.en'OL arw d'lS^a^usvres Troieiv 
 ivva^JiCiS) vpm' ra; axvovTocij >? a/g Svvay.€ii 
 
[73] 
 
 dinary powers which Jefus exerted, 
 and by which he prevailed upon many 
 
 to 
 
 iiroisv ; TO fjiiv sv Xiyeiv on aS'ccfjiOJi S'urccfAeiS 
 BTOisvy aAAa 'mK^evaccvTSi aS'e/jiia, Koycav Ix-cc 
 vornliy 'wapccTT^vaiMS t>i sv S'lcc^syjiTcii ^AA7)v(ov 
 ao^iXy iTreS'coxav lauJas rcej tcxivov SiS^ctaic&ip Xoyov 
 CIS ccv eTTiS'iijUiva'coai ttcci'u e^iv ccAoyov' tivi yeto 
 ^ccppuvTii e^iS^eta->tov rov Xoyov ^ €x.ccivoTOjuiSv ; 
 €i cTg S^vvccfJiCis ireXav -k iyte-.voi' tiucc s^si ttSccvo' 
 TJjya TO fj-ccyni Toasrois y.ivSvvois sccvths -mapoc'^ 
 CelBAn/cevoct [eia-ccyoiTcis] S'lS'ccaxa.Mccv y.ccyetoLi 
 airctyopevaaccv* s S'oxa jxoi ocywyKraJ^oii- 'urpos Ao- 
 yov, a fxetcc o-zjatT^js ccAAct f^tioc ^Aevm €Lpyjju(.eyov, 
 Origen. contra Celfum, p. 30. 
 
 ^ But he [Celfus] feigned fomething elfe : 
 
 * he acknowleged the miracles Jefus perform- 
 
 * ed, by which he prevailed on many to fol- 
 
 * low him as Chrifl : but was delirous of ca- 
 
 * lumniating them as the effeds of magic, not 
 
 * of divine power. For he fays, he was 
 
 * brought up obfcurely, and was a hired fer- 
 
 * vant in Egypt, where he learned certain 
 ' powers, and returning thence, by means of 
 
 * his miracles, openly declared himfelf a God. 
 
 " * But I do not underftand how a magician 
 
 * could confiftently and earneftly promote a 
 
 * dodlrine that perfuades every one fo to a(5t, 
 
 * as if he was to give an account of all his 
 
 * adions to God in judgment 3 and fo to pre- 
 
 h * pare 
 
[74] 
 
 to follow him, as the Mefliah : But, 
 willing to calumniate them, he feigned 
 they were not the effeds of divine 
 power, but of magic, which he had 
 learned in Egypt. His objedions are 
 the fame with thofe of the Jews, from 
 whom he borrowed them. 
 
 ^ pare and inftrud his difciples, who were to 
 ' be employed in the promulgation of his 
 
 * dodtrine. Did they work miracles, and by 
 
 * them prevail with their hearers, or did they 
 
 * work no miracles ? To fay they did not per- 
 
 * form any miracles, but relying on no fuffi- 
 
 * ciency of reafon, after the manner of the 
 ' Greeks in their logic, fet themfelves to teach a 
 
 * new dodrine where-ever they came, is very 
 
 * abfurd. What encouragement had they to 
 
 * teach this doctrine, and cut out this new 
 ' work ? But if they wrought miracles, what 
 ' probability is there, that magicians would 
 
 * expofe themfelves to fuch dangers, to intro- 
 
 * duce a dodlrine that forbids magic ? But it 
 
 * is not v/orth while ferioufly to contend againft 
 ' a difcourfe that abounds more with ridicu- 
 
 * lous cavil than reafon.' 
 
 In the edition in i ^'j'j, for y^^iact^ai inungiy 
 read xp^icrxc^ai uti, as in Field's edition, 
 
 '■^ ^^^S- Such 
 
[75] 
 
 Such was the ftate of Infidelity in 
 the firft ages of the Chriftian profef- 
 fion, when the hiftory of our Lord 
 and his difciples could not, if a for- 
 gery, have been impofed upon both 
 Jews and Gentiles, who then had op- 
 portunities of difcovering a fraud, if 
 there had been any, and who would 
 not have acknowleged fo many facls 
 as they did, could they, with any pre- 
 tence, or any degree of probability, 
 have denied them. 
 
 The judicious Mr. Locke feems to 
 have laid great ftrefs upon the con- 
 cefiions of our adverfaries, and to have 
 been of opinion, that it was directed 
 by Providence that the miracles fhould 
 not be denied. " The evidence of 
 *' our Saviour's miffion from heaven 
 " is fo great, fays this eminent phi- 
 " lofopher, in the multitude of mi- 
 *' racks he did, before all forts of peo- 
 " pie 'y (which the Divine Providence 
 L 2 ''^nd 
 
[ 76] 
 
 and Wifdom has fo ordered, that 
 they never were, nor could be, de- 
 nied by any of the enemies and op- 
 pofers of Chriftianity) that what he 
 deUvered cannot but be received as 
 the oracles of God, and unqueftion- 
 able verity *." p. 256. of the rea- 
 
 fonable- 
 
 * Even Lucian calls the Chriftian dodrine 
 ^dVfj.ct^^-/] aoQ^ioc Tuv Xp/r'arwr, the miraculous 
 or wonderful wifdom of the Chriftians. See 
 his death of Peregrinus. Where he fpeaks of 
 Toy fj-iyccv ey^avov en aeCyaiv ctvbpooTrov, tov ev 
 TlccActic^WYf cx,voccyKoXicnri^ivrct, on -icocivm raw 
 riiv TsAsTwv eicn^yxyev es tov (iiov- — ' that great 
 ^ man they now revere, who was crucified 
 
 * in Paleftine, becaufe he introduced this 
 
 * new religion into life.' And, foon af- 
 ter, he gives the following account of the 
 Chriflians 5 
 
 i ne7rsiy.tx,at yocp avrsij ot 'nay.o^a.iju.oves, to fjCiy 
 chovj a^cciccToi eas^oci ycoci (iiu)c2Srai rov ctfH. 
 ^poi'ov' TTocp y^ai xa,Tcc(ppoi"ciai t» ^ccrccTHy iccci. 
 exQvrss a.v%s a.iriS'iS'occcrn' oi iroXKoi' eiriira. <^s 
 ■o rojM,o9gTW5 'ZtrpciOTOi STTaasv cLVT^Sy 00s aS'eAcpai 
 TTctvTSS Ciiv aAA»?A&.'j^* e7rei(S^(XV a7ra§ 'mccpcc^ccv 
 
 T£5, 3*^85 fJLSV T85 cAAjJJ'iXyS CLTa.^V^<7(aVTCCi) TOV 
 
[ 77 ] 
 fonablenefs of Chriftianity. See alfo 
 
 p. 263. 
 
 We 
 
 (Tg oLviaytoXo'vsicrjJiivQV eaavov (ro(piq'inv avrcov, tupoa" 
 avvooa-i, occci xctToc tbs exavv vojjlss (^icoari* xocrotr 
 q)poviiaiv av a'TTOLVTcav gfz/T))$, TcoLi Tcoivcc riyavrctiy 
 ccvev nrivo'i cfupifias TTK^eeas ret, roiccvrcc TccpctS^i^ 
 ^ufAivoi, Lucian. 'zirspi tws riepeypiya reAsurnS' 
 
 * Thefe unhappy men perfuade themfelves, 
 
 * that they are altogether (here Lucian feems 
 ' to allude to the refurredion of the body, as 
 ' well as the immortality of the foul) im- 
 
 * mortal, and (hall live for ever. And there- 
 
 * fore it is they defpife death, and many 
 
 * willingly give themfelves up unto it. More- 
 
 * over, this lav/giver was the firft who per- 
 ' fuaded them, that they fhould be as brethren 
 
 * to one another. As foon as they left us, 
 
 * that they fliould deny the Grecian deities, 
 
 * and adore their mafter, him who was cru- 
 
 * cified, and live in conformity to his laws. 
 ' They therefore were contemners of all alike, 
 
 * and held all things common, receiving fuch 
 
 * without any certain proof.* 
 
 Monf. le Fevre has publifhed this part of 
 Lucian by itfelf, and is fo angry with thofe 
 who would, on account of fome cxpreffions 
 againft the Chriftians, not publifh it, as to 
 (hew that he, on the contrary, publi(hed it 
 
 only 
 
r 78 ] 
 
 We have therefore all the evidence 
 from fads, that can reafonably be ex- 
 peded ; for we have the teftimony of 
 fome of the earliefl and mofl: inveterate 
 enemies to the Chriftian caufe, for the 
 miraculous powers of its author, and 
 his immediate followers ; and the ae- 
 knowlegcment at leaft, of other ad- 
 only for the fake of thofe expreflions. ThiS' 
 angry critic neglecting, as the Latin tranftators 
 have done, the article o prefixed both to vofjt.o- 
 Moi and -^pxloi, hie vel ilk le^ijlator qui pri- 
 muSy &c. moft abfurdly fuppofes this firft law- 
 giver not to be Chrifl, but Paul, becaufe the 
 latter fpeaks of the brethren ; as if it had not 
 been the doctrine of Jefus that his difciples 
 iliould love one another ! Again, he changes 
 v,QivoL common^ into y,gj'a 'uain^ empty^ for no 
 good reafon that can be given : for the fenfe 
 does not require any fuch alteration, nor is the 
 real difficulty removed by it. The miftake 
 is not in the original Greek, but in the Latin 
 tranilation, where iricris is rendered, by Fides, 
 faith, in (lead of evideiice. And that this is no 
 forced fenfe, may be proved from the beft 
 Greek authors, who have ufed tti^h ccxpiCyjs, 
 for certain evidence, 
 
 verfa- 
 
[79] 
 
 verfaries, which is moft unexception- 
 able evidence , and, when added to the 
 other authorities from hiftory, of pro- 
 phecy fulfilled, and the harmony, and 
 many internal excellencies, of the Scri- 
 ptures of the New Teftament, will 
 render it much more eafy to account 
 for the fuccefs of Chriftianity at firfl:, 
 than for the oppofitions that have 
 fince been made to it. 
 
 Whilft the political, as well as reli- 
 gious ufe of facrifices and oracles, pre- 
 vailed in the world ; whilft the fuperb 
 and magnificent parade of Pagan ce- 
 temonies fubfifted : fo Ions as the 
 multitudes of the hofts of heaven, in- 
 ftead of the God of hofts, were wor- 
 Aliped ; all the oppofition that a vain, 
 fuperftitious and idolatrous world could 
 raife againft the gofpel, and the pro- 
 feffors of it, was to be expedled : But 
 now, fince Chriftianity has, every- 
 where. 
 
[ 80 3 
 
 where, diffufed its light and influence, 
 and Pagan ifm is no more, there can 
 be no reafon to oppofe it. 
 
 The peculiar and diftinguifhing 
 dodrines of Chriftianity cannot, furely, 
 whatever is pretended, give offence to 
 any man. That we are to forgive and 
 be forgiven ; that anger, and every 
 rude and tumultuous paflion, is to be 
 fubdued ; that men are to relpe^t God 
 as their Father, and one another as 
 brethren, and to bring forth the fruits 
 of that love, which is the end of the 
 commandment, out of a pure heart, 
 a good confcience, and faith unfeign- 
 ed : And that their defedive, but lin- 
 cere and diligent obedience, will be ac- 
 cepted of by him, according to the a<^ 
 of grace our Saviour, the Mefliah, hath 
 publifhed in behalf of poor degenerate 
 man : Thefe, with a difcovery of the 
 charader and offices of Chrift, and 
 
 all 
 
[8x] 
 
 all the illuftrations of the future world, 
 can never be reafons, to men of fenfe 
 and goodnefs, againft the Chriftian 
 religion ; but, on the contrary, muft 
 ever ftand, as fo many undeniable con- 
 firmations of its divinity. 
 
 As, therefore, both the doctrines and 
 the miracles reciprocally authorife and 
 illuflrate each other, we may fafely. 
 defy both the wit and the mahce of 
 its mofl: determined adverfaries to de- 
 firoy or undermine it. 
 
 Being of God, it muft ftand, and 
 the gates of hell can never prevail 
 againft it. 
 
 But then, let us never forget_, that 
 our faith is to be approved by our 
 works : That a holy religion calls for 
 a holy life ; and that we can never 
 confute gainfayers fo eftedtually, as 
 by difcharging the duties we recom- 
 mend : That is, by letting our light 
 
 M fo 
 
[ 82 ] 
 
 fo fliine before men, as that they, fee- 
 ing our good works, may glorify our 
 Father which is in heaven. 
 
 To whom, with the Son and Holy 
 Ghoft, be afcribed all fupreme 
 power, dominion, honour, glory, 
 now and for evermore. Ame?t^ 
 
 A N 
 
A N 
 
 APOLOGY 
 
 For Some of the 
 
 Firft Ch r I s t I a n Writers. 
 
 WITH 
 
 Some REMARKS upon the Ge- 
 nuinenefs of the Four Gospels. 
 
 Plujieurs perfonnes^ rC aiant pas pour ies peres de 
 
 reglife tout le refpe^l qiCil faudroit, fe plaifent a 
 Us taxer d'une avevgle credulite. 
 
 Monf. Bayle. 
 
[ss] 
 
 A N 
 
 APOLOGY 
 
 For Some of the 
 
 Firft Chriftian Writers, ^c. 
 
 THAT the argument, contained 
 in the preceding difcourfe, may 
 be complete, I have thought proper 
 to fubjoin fome few obfervations upon 
 the many falfe Gofpels that have, by 
 Toland, and another late writer, been 
 confidered as objections to the de- 
 termining which are true, and upon 
 the charaders of fome of the fathers 
 who lived in, or immediately after, the 
 days of the apoftles, and from whom 
 their fucceffors received the copies of 
 thofe Gofpels, and other facred writ- 
 ings, which have been delivered down 
 
 to 
 
[56] 
 
 to us, and arc received by us as ge- 
 nuine. 
 
 It will not admit of difpute, whe- 
 ther the Gofpels we now have (and no 
 other were ever received by the Chrif- 
 tian church) are the fame that Juftin 
 the martyr and Irenaeus made ufe of: 
 for the former of thefe good men 
 largely cites many paffages that prove 
 them to be the fame ; and the latter 
 writ exprefly againfl Marcion, Valen- 
 tinuSj Baiilides, and others, by whom 
 the genuine Gofpels_, as well as the 
 genuirx religion of Jefus, were very 
 grofly corrupted. 
 
 Nor would it admit of difpute, whe- 
 ther Clemens of Rome, Poly carp, and 
 Juitin, and other pious men, who, 
 having lived either with the apoftles, 
 or with thofe who had been conver- 
 fant, and even intimate, with them, 
 may be juftly called apoftolical, were 
 men oi that ftamp as to forge, and 
 
 impofe 
 
[ 87 ] 
 
 impofe their forgeries upon mankind, 
 if the lives and characters of thefe 
 men were better known than they are. 
 It is often a fufficient reafon for abufe, 
 that the perfon to be abufed is not 
 known ; for many there are of fuch 
 unhappy temper, as to indulge in ca- 
 lumny and fcandal, though unpro- 
 voked, if they only think themfelves 
 fecure from an immediate detedion. 
 
 The greater the objed, the more 
 fpirited and great it is held by fuch to 
 calumniate it ; and they would pafs for 
 brave, becaufe they are impious ; when 
 the- utmoft bravery of this fort is nei- 
 ther more nor lefs than the moft con- 
 fummate impudence. But the cha- 
 racters of thofe, who pretend to draw 
 the characters of other men, fliould 
 firft be confidered ; and, if they are 
 found to be paffionate, and prejudiced, 
 and abufive, they will generally be 
 thought to giye their owa characters, 
 7 wlulTc 
 
C 88 ] 
 
 whilft they mifreprefent and maligrt 
 others. If a man fhould charge the 
 late Dr. Clarke with impiety y and yet 
 himfelf blafpheme the God of Mofes 
 and of Paul, it muft appear as ridicu- 
 lous as it is bafe ; and if the fame per- 
 fon fhould fpeak of the author of the 
 Religion of Nature deHneated, as a 
 lunatic, and a patient of Dr. Mon- 
 roe's, there will arife fome fufpicion 
 that this language, and this treatment, 
 muft proceed from lefs honourable mo- 
 tives, than a zeal for truth, or, than 
 the calm fpirit of philofophy will ad- 
 mit. And in this cafe, the greater 
 the man, the more inexcufable his of- 
 fence againft decency and good man- 
 ners *. But if the living are not 
 
 free 
 
 * Page 5?4. of tlie Idea of a Patriot King, 
 Dr. Clarke is charged, by the author, as one 
 who '* impiGziJIy allerts" (things he never did 
 affert) as being '* a prejumptuous dcgmatijt •" 
 and then the author taking the Pv^eli^ionifl 
 
 upon 
 
[ 89 ] 
 free from calumny, how £hall the dead 
 efcape it ^ and if our neighbour is abufed, 
 
 who 
 
 upon him, falls into this pious ejaculation... 
 " God forbid r p. 5. vol. v. 8vo. of Philo-^ 
 foph. works. Dr. Clarke is called an " auda- 
 cious^ *uain fophifl.'* And p. 54. vol. v. it is 
 faid, " nothing but the extremeji jiupidity of 
 mind, or pervej-fe?iefs of fpirit, and difregard 
 to truth, can make any man affirm like him 
 (Dr. Clarke) that moral iitneffes are, &c. as 
 manifefl as mathematical truths. 
 
 Mr. Woollafton is treated in the fame 
 rude manner, by this peerlefs philofopher, 
 who, p. 393. vol. iv. calls him the " whining 
 philofopher." And p. 376. vol. iv. when Mr. 
 Woollafton argues for the immortality of the 
 foul, it is *' madnefsj ?ionfenJe, a miftake in the 
 delirium of metaphyiics." And again, after 
 a very partial and defective account of Mr. 
 WooUafton's arguments for the immateriality 
 and immortality of the foul, the author of 
 Works called philofophical, fays, ^' I will de- 
 *' tain you no longer about fuch dlfcourfe, as 
 " would convince you, if you heard it at 
 ** Monroe's, that the philofopher who held it, 
 " was a patient of the doctor, not yet per- 
 ** fedtly reftored to his fenfes," p. 219. vol. i. 
 Is this philofophy ; this reafoning ? and could 
 Dr. Clarke and Mr. Woollafton, when dead, 
 
 N pro- 
 
[90] 
 
 who may foon hear, and as foon refent 
 it, how eafy will it be to abufe men who 
 have been dead ages paft, and who have, 
 of late, been feldom mentioned, but for 
 the fake of abufe and ridicule. 
 
 Some men had lifted up the autho- 
 rity of the fathers higher than could be 
 juftified: They were not content to 
 make faints of them, but their opinions 
 mufi: be decifive in all matters of faith, 
 and religious controvcrfy. 
 
 From one extreme are the fathers 
 fallen to the other, from having been 
 
 provoke this, or any man, to rail again ft them in 
 this unworthy and indecent manner,who,when 
 living, were as remarkable for the excellency of 
 tlieir difpofitions, and moral virtues, as for the 
 powers of their minds, and the extent of their 
 knowlege and reading j in all which they were 
 ornaments, and an honour to their country, 
 and were dillinguillied as fueh ; which was 
 enough to provoke this foul-mouth" d^ very 
 trijVnig critic, and dogmatical pedant i^^tit are 
 Ills own words, p. 5^2. vol. iii. 8vo.) to fnarl 
 at and abufe them in this outrageous manner. 
 
 almofl 
 
[ 91 ] 
 
 almoft Gods, they are become lower 
 than the children of men. The great 
 reverence the Chriftian world once had 
 for them, may have proceeded from 
 the excellence of their charaders, and 
 a frequent reading their produdions ; 
 for it is hard to read them, and not 
 to be prejudiced in their favour : And 
 that this efteem is now gone, may be 
 owing to a neglect of their writings : 
 and perhaps they who have been mofl: 
 free in their cenfures of them, have 
 been leaft converfant in their works. 
 Men who knew nothing more of them, 
 than that they were Chriftians, ftrangers 
 to their very names *, as well as to 
 
 their 
 
 * Qllj^us fi laboriofam aliquam defen- 
 iionem parare velim, omnium fini vaniffimus -, 
 cum fciam hxc, non ex judicio, fed ex ne- 
 quitia, & infita quadam improbltate animi, 
 aut faltem ex impotentia, fummaque levitate, 
 provenire. Quomodo enim ex judicio hjEC 
 decernant ? ni(i forte tarn acre 6c ftupendum 
 judicium habeant, ut de illis, quae non intelli- 
 
 N 2 gunt. 
 
[92] 
 
 their real characters and writings, are 
 moft ready to purfue and join the cry 
 againft them, as if they had been the 
 very worft, or the very v^eakeft of 
 men. But for the fake of juftice and 
 honour, let us not condemn men with- 
 out knowing what can be faid for 
 them y nor, for the fake of common 
 fenfe, as well as common honefty, con- 
 demn them without knowing what it 
 IS they have done. From fuch vo- 
 luminous writings, many ftrange things 
 may and have been produced, but this 
 is not pecuhar to the Chriftian fathers; 
 and if men or books are to be judged 
 of only by their faults,, who fhall be 
 faved ? It woukl be thought very par- 
 tial, and very unjuft, to glean from 
 Diodorus^ Herodotus, Livy, Pliny, 
 Plutarch, and other good and antient 
 
 gunt, re<5le fentlre & judlcare valeant. In 
 praefat. ad Jomam, cod. Talmud, per Robert. 
 Shcringhain. 
 
 pagan 
 
[93 ] 
 
 pagan writers, the rubbifh of all forts 
 that may be found in their writings, 
 by a man who has the dirty dilpofition 
 to look after fuch filth, and impofe his 
 medley of faults upon the world for a 
 ipecimen of the veracity and approv- 
 ed abilities of thofe authors. But this 
 has been done over and over again 
 with the fathers; fo that their lateft 
 enemies are not intitled fo much as to 
 the merit of difcoverers ; nor have 
 they added much to the old heap, 
 though they have much to clamour 
 and-abufe. 
 
 When Herodotus, the father of the 
 Greek hiftorians, was cenfured by 
 ecclefiaftics for the fictions in his writ- 
 ings, Harry Stephens undertook the de- 
 fence of him, by recriminating upon his 
 adverfaries, and publifhed an amazing 
 colledion of forgeries, and fictions, and 
 rogueries, in his famous apology. And 
 when the chriftian fathers, and even 
 4 fome 
 
[ 94 ] 
 
 fome of the lateft and the worft of 
 them, were cried up above their value, 
 and they were made to ferve the pur- 
 pofes of intolerant opinions, it was 
 time to fhew they were no Gods. 
 From hence others took the opportu- 
 nity to treat them, as if they had been 
 worfe than the worft of men, and 
 Chriftianity has been wounded through 
 their fides. But is there no medium 
 between the two extremes ? and are 
 they fallen fo low, as not only to be 
 cenfured, but to be defpifed ? Arc 
 they all to be condemned by the lump, 
 and thrown afide, at laft, as ufelefs 
 to the world ? Yes, when religion and 
 learning are upon the departure, thefe 
 muft pack up and go along with them. 
 They have mutually fupported each 
 other, and when they fall, they muft 
 fall together. 
 
 Religion is necefiary to a ftate ; no 
 people ever have been governed without 
 
 it, 
 
[95] 
 
 it, and the decline of the one, has been 
 the ruin of the other. It may be fo 
 mixed with other things, as to become 
 foul and mifchievous,and then it fhould 
 be reformed ; but it is very impolitic and 
 weak, as well as wicked, to be always 
 pulling down without having any thing 
 to put up in the room of a pillar, fo 
 neceflary to the fl:ru6lure and exiftencc 
 of all fociety and laws. 
 
 To the fathers we appealed,in defence 
 of the reformation, and it is for the ho- 
 nour of Proteftants, to have their opi- 
 nions and pradlice conformable to thofe 
 of the apoftolic age. And I fee no rea- 
 fon any politician can have for running 
 down the fathers of that age, and the 
 proteftant religion of this, unlefs it 
 be to introduce the fuperftition of the 
 laft age, which was popery. For every 
 attempt to drive out the one, is an in- 
 let for the admiflion of the other ; and 
 as men cannot do without a religion^ 
 
 if 
 
[96] 
 
 if what they have now is decried fo as 
 to become ufelefs, they will imme- 
 diately have recourfe to the old one ; 
 which muft, in the end, be as fatal 
 to the proteftant fucceffion, as to the 
 proteftant religion. 
 
 It is of great confequence to every 
 Chriftian, to know the rife and progrels 
 of his religion, which have always been 
 confidered as one good argument, at 
 leaft, in fupport of it. Nor is it lefs ne- 
 ceiTary to be acquainted with the hiftory 
 of theological opinions, that we may dif- 
 tinguifh between antient and modern 
 theology ; between the dodrines of the 
 firft ages, and thofe which are faid 
 to have been always received in the 
 Chriftian church, though they are no 
 where to be found, for fome centuries at 
 leaft, after the apoftolic times. Not that 
 the opinions of the earlieft writers after 
 the Chriftian's bible, v^hich is the only 
 religion of proteftants, was completed, 
 
 are 
 
C 97 ] 
 
 are infallibly to be received as of equal 
 authority with Scripture, or of any au- 
 thority without the concurrence of re- 
 velation or reafon, or the evidence of 
 fa^ls ; for fome of them, particularly 
 TertulUan and Orlgen, are fuppofed 
 to have fallen into great errors, and 
 none of them, who had been brought 
 up in the pagan fchools before, laid 
 afide the opinions any more than the 
 drefs of philofophers. 
 
 Not only asChriftianSjbut as fcholars, 
 as curious in antiquities, or delighted 
 with hiftory, we fhould flievv fome re- 
 gard to thefe antient writings, which 
 contain many things relating, not only 
 to the hiftories of men, but the know- 
 lege of antient rites and laws, and 
 cufloms, demonology and philofophy. 
 And when we confider the excellence, 
 and elegance, and ufcfulnefs *of the 
 Greek language, we muft own, that 
 
 it is greatly beholden to the labours of 
 
 O fuch 
 
[ 98 ] 
 
 fuch Chriftian men as Suidas, Photius, 
 Clemens Alexandrinus, and others, who 
 have preferred many fine palTages from 
 antient authors, and much of antient 
 hiftory, which, but for them, had been 
 entirely loft. And, perhaps, the know- 
 lege and ufe of that language would 
 not have been fo extenfive as it has 
 been among the moderns, if the Chrif- 
 tian fathers had never been in higher 
 repute than at prefent. Whenever it 
 fhali be thought neceflary to read the 
 Greek fathers, the Greek language muft 
 be cultivated ; and if the learned Ma- 
 dam Dacier was not miftaken in her 
 affertion, that true tafte is infpired by 
 the Iliad, our manners will improve 
 with our learning ; and therefore both 
 decline, if, inftead of being obliged to 
 read Greek, men fliall be reproached 
 for reading Chryfoflom or Clemens. 
 But if the Greek fathers are negleded, 
 they who have written in the Roman 
 
 tongue 
 
[ 99 ] 
 
 tongue may be better received, as that 
 language is more generally underftood ; 
 and it cannot be denied that there is 
 a noble fpirit and force in Tertullian, 
 much learning in Jerom and Auftin, 
 and great elegance in Laclantius. 
 
 At this time, however, I fhall con- 
 fine myfelf to a few of the firft Chrif- 
 tian fathers ; for they are very far from 
 being all of equal ufe, or equal autho- 
 rity and goodnefs. 
 
 It is not of much confequence to in- 
 quire what may have been the charadlers 
 pf fomeof the later writers, if the firft are 
 not worth your regard and confidence. 
 And it is abfurd and ridiculous, as the 
 lateMr. Pope's learned friend very juftly 
 obferved, (let the m.an who pretended to 
 be affronted by it, have been as angry 
 as he pleafcd) to admit the Gofpels, and 
 at the fame time attempt to deftroy the 
 credit of thofe from whom we receive 
 them; efpecially when the fame in- 
 O 2 con- 
 
C 100 ] 
 confiftent writer tells us, in another 
 place, that there are forty other dif- 
 ferent Gofpels. But he is willing to 
 admit them upon the authority of the 
 council of Laodicea, which was not 
 held till after the middle of the fourth 
 century, anno Chrifti 364. * and is 
 appealed to by the Papifts, as giving 
 
 * See the poftfcript to the principles of the 
 reformation, concerning church communion, 
 p. 212. of a colledion of trads, publiflied 
 1 705). under the title of, An Account of the 
 growth of Deifm in England. 
 
 " That thefe four narratives, which we call 
 
 *' Gofpels, are genuine and original writings, 
 
 " and not romances, forged in the apoftles 
 
 *' names, we learn from the authority of the 
 
 *' clergy affembled at Laodicea ; in which 
 
 " council it was agreed, that the books of the 
 
 " New Teftament were genuine and authentic 
 
 ** records^ a. d. 164.." 
 
 Perhaps the author of works called Philo- 
 fophical, took his information from the above 
 book, and fuppofed the council of Laodicea 
 to have been held two centuries earlier than 
 the truth. 
 
 autho- 
 
[ lOX ] 
 
 authority to feme of thofe dodrines 
 that diftinguifh them from other Chrif- 
 tians. So that this egregious poHtician 
 does not chufe to admit Chriftianity, 
 till it became popery. 
 
 " En quelques-uns (canons) on voit 
 " des preuves evidentes du facrifice de 
 " la Meffe, du jeune du careme, de la 
 " diftindion de I'eveque et du pretre, 
 *< et de Tordre de la penitence pub- 
 " lique." MorerL 
 
 Thofe who lived with the difciples of 
 Tefus, and were admitted, noc only to 
 their friendfhip, but to a care and 
 charge of the churches, as Clemens 
 Romanus, Ignatius, and Polycarp, could 
 not but know their hiftory and opi- 
 nions ; and if they were good and ho— 
 neft, and fenfible, as well as pious 
 men, and communicated what they 
 knew, to fuch as were like themfelves, 
 there can be no better evidence, no fafer 
 conveyance of the Gofpels than this. 
 
 3 Hence 
 
[ I02 ] 
 
 Hence it becomes neceflary to in- 
 quire into the real charaders of thefe 
 men ; to fhew the opportunities they 
 had of knowing what they relate, and 
 from their characters the credit that is 
 due to their relations. To anfwer the 
 firft purpofe, it will be fufficient to fhew 
 when and where they lived ; for the 
 fecond, how they died, that they were 
 martyrs, and facrificed their lives in 
 atteftation of the truth of what they 
 profeffed to have received from the 
 difciples of Jeflis. 
 
 It is but of late that the cha- 
 raders of thefe fincere and honeft 
 men have been called in queflion, 
 and therefore it muft not be expedl- 
 ed, that any antient evidence fhould 
 be produced againft them. The pri- 
 mitive Chriftians were, indeed, very 
 grofly and very falfely calumniated by 
 the heathens ; but then they were fully 
 juftified by the apologifts, and even by 
 
 Julian 
 
[ I03 ] 
 Julian and Pliny. But as nothing can 
 be objeded, that is of any credit or 
 antiquity, againft the firft fathers of the 
 Chriftian Church, or againft the tefti- 
 mony of their friends ; fo neither is it 
 neceffary to produce any other wit- 
 nefles, in fupport of their charaders, 
 than what their own words and adions 
 afford. Let them fpeak for them- 
 felves, and let us determine their cha- 
 radlers from their condud. 
 
 To begin with Clemens the Roman, 
 a fellow-labourer with St. Paul, and one 
 whofe name is written in the book of 
 life. He was educated at Athens, and 
 being felicitous about the immortality 
 of the foul, and a future ftate, he has 
 recourfe, but in vain, to the fchools of 
 the philofophers, and to ^Egyptian 
 priefts ; but hearing of the Son of God, 
 in Judaea, and meeting with Barnabas 
 at Rome, and afterwards with St. Pe- 
 ter at Caefarea, he is inftruded, con- 
 verted. 
 
[ 104 ] 
 
 verted, and baptized, and becomes the 
 companion, as well as the difciple, of 
 Peter, for a great part of his Ufe. He 
 is faid to have brought over fome of the 
 firft famines in Rome to the Chriftian 
 faith, which rendered him extremely 
 odious to Torcutianus, a man of great- 
 power. At laft he is condemned, 
 if he will not facrifice to falfe Gods, 
 to be banifhed to Gherfon, there to 
 work in mines and quarries, the worft 
 and mod difgraceful of all punifh- 
 ments, or miferies, that could be in- 
 Aided on the human fpecies. In this 
 wretched ftate he finds fomeChriftians, 
 and converts many more, fo that pa- 
 ganifm was almoft extinguifhed there, 
 when Trajan fent Aufidius,with orders 
 to take Clemens on board a fhip, and 
 throw him into the fea, fo as that the 
 Chriftians might never be able to find 
 him again. Thus died this faith- 
 ful companion and follower of the 
 
 dif- 
 
[ '05 ] 
 
 difciples of our Lord, more than two 
 years after his banifhment, and about 
 ten from his having been fole bifhop 
 of Rome ; in the third year of Trajan, 
 and 98 th of Chrift. 
 
 And that he was of an excellent 
 dilpolition, and moft worthy the pro- 
 tedlion of fociety, as a friend to vir- 
 tue and mankind, and a devout, fin- 
 cere, and honeft man, is evident from 
 the following paffages in his genuine 
 epiftle. 
 
 " * Let us therefore be of an hum- 
 " ble mind, my brethren, throwing 
 
 " ofF 
 
 * Tcc7r&vo(ppov>ia-cojUiev yvj ocS'eAfpoi, cciro^ey.si'oi 
 
 7rC(.(TCX,V C(.K(X.C,0VCiOCVj Zj ^UCpOP ^ CC(ppOCjVVYIV X.Ci.1 oc- 
 
 yoi<i'"-Tct'7rc-ivo(ppQv»v]o)v yap ec^iv 'X.picfos, ax, 
 
 STTccipo^eroov Stti to TXTOiy.yiov ctvis Tov K^vpiov 
 
 lyiadv ^pit^ov 8 TO ccifj.ct u-wep v/^oov e-^oBij svrpcc- 
 
 TCOfASV T»5 TxTpOY)yiijU.eViii TlfJiCOV CClS'S^COfJiiV Tdi 
 
 S'evaMfy.eu rm 'za-cct^etccv tb cpoC-s xa Gsa* rocs yvrcti- 
 Kcc<; Tif/.Mv STTi ro ccyoc^ov <i'Lop^ciocro}fj.e^x' to ol^icc- 
 yoLTT'iuov T'/js (xyvacti »Go5 iv^Si^ccSrooaocv-) TO ay.e- 
 pcciov Tirjs 'Z!TpccvTrfl(^ ccVTOov (i'dAn/J^cc cciroS Ci'^CC- 
 
[ io6 ] 
 
 '' off all vain-glory, and arrogance, 
 
 " and folly, and wrath For Chrift 
 
 *' is with thofe who are of an humble 
 *' mind, not with thofe who tyrannize 
 " over his fold. ... Let us revere our Lord 
 ** Jelus Chrift, whofe blood was given 
 '' for us : Let us honour thofe who 
 " are fet over us ; refped: the aged ; 
 " teach youth the fear of God : Let 
 
 T(f)a-01V^ TO iTTiei-Kii T'DS yXwoc^m OiVTMV S'lCt T^J5 
 
 (poovm l<riyvi] (pctvspov 'arotna-oLTooaccVf ty)v ayacTrvv 
 ct'JTOJV '(Ji'n xalx "wpocTJiAicrai aAAa Trccai Toti 
 (fiaQufjLivQis Tov Qeov ocriMSy lanv TB-ccps^srooaotv. Ta 
 rre^-vcc rifj^oou tyis iv ^piq-'Cfj 'ZtJctiS'&tcti fxenxhccix^oc- 
 veToocrccv' jj-ccuSTOoorcci' Ti nrocTTSLvocppQavr/) 'mctpoL 
 ©g8 lOfAjGi, 7) ayoiTn ayvn 'sjo.pcc tco ©eco S'vvar 
 Tcti' 'ZiTOci (poCos ctvrs TCccAoi xcti fjiiya.iy Ttoci 
 CCioQoov irctvlctS TBS iV Ctulco QO-lOOi OLVCCC^pe(^0fJ.ivBi iv 
 xccbccpcL SiccvoicL' Hp^vmnc yccp e(^iv evyoiccu 9<.cci 
 iv^vfjivcreoov* « ^ ttvoyi ccvIh sp r]fjLiv sq'iUj tcoli otocv 
 ^SAH aViXol aVTTlV T'5 au iV UfJUV ysvvccLos'^ 
 
 Tii ivaTX<x^^v(^j Its 'wSTrXnpoCpopnfJiivQS ccyccnrvs j 
 ^iTccTOo^ Ei S^i ifJLt (p'ccais xa,i epis xcci ^lafxccluy 
 fx^upcio, ccTTc-iUiii y eacv /SyA^jS-g y,cii TTOico rac 
 'xspoq-a.o^ofj.ivcc VTTO TS 'srAriQovs, fJLOvov 'ZtTOifAPioy 
 Ttf Xp/T8 eipm'iveroi} /ulsicx, toop xcSsc^ccfJievoov 'zs-pea- 
 
 ^vr€p(t)v TTK^iVy (poCovy eip'/ivnv, \:zro/JiOpy)v, juf.cc- 
 
 ^powuJccPj iyupctl&iccy, ayp&xy xcci aucppoavvtiy. 
 
 '' US 
 
[ 107 ] 
 " us dire6l our wives to that which is 
 '^ good ; that they may fliew to all 
 " chaftity of mannerSjWorthy of love ; 
 '^ a fincere defire of meeknefs, that 
 " they may manifeft their moderation 
 " of fpeech, by filencej exercifing their 
 " charity, not partially, but to all alike 
 ** that fear God in holinefs. Let our 
 " children partake of Chriftian infti- 
 " tutes ; let them learn of what force 
 *' humility of mind is with God, how 
 *' prevalent is chafle love with him. 
 " How good and great is his fear, fav- 
 " ing all who turn unto him in holi- 
 " nefs, with a pure mind. For he is 
 " the fearcher of our thoughts and 
 " delires ; whofe breath is in us, and 
 " when he pleafes he takes it from us. ... 
 " Who amongfl: you is generous, who 
 '• compafiionate, who filled full of 
 " love ? let him fpeak ; and if difturb- 
 *' ance, contention and divifions have 
 " arifen on my account, I am ready 
 
 P 2 'to 
 
[ ^o8] 
 *' to depart, and go wherever you 
 " pleafe, and to do whatever the ge- 
 *' neraHty may require of me; only 
 " let the fold of Chrift be preferved 
 '' in peace, with the elders appointed 
 
 " over it And in the end, the good 
 
 "man prays for faith, fear, peace, 
 *' conftancy, purity, and fobriety." 
 
 Can any thing be objedled to the 
 teftimony of fo good a man ? or fhall 
 we difregard his authority, and blame 
 his weaknefs, for having illuftrated the 
 refurrection from the dead, by the fa- 
 ble of the Arabian Phoenix, believed 
 in his time ; and by fuch images as the 
 mutual fucceffion of the fetting and 
 the rifing fun, of night and day, of 
 feeds and fruits ? 
 
 If he believed the Phoenix to rife up 
 out of its own aflies, he v;^as not the 
 only one that believed it at that time ; 
 and many great and learned men have 
 
 believ- 
 
[ 1^9 3 
 
 believed as abfurd fidlions. Errors of 
 this fort were then more excu fable, 
 when the produdion of animals, from 
 no other parent than the earth, impreg- 
 nated by no other principle than heat 
 and moifture, was afferted by philo- 
 fophers as well as hiftorians *. We 
 mufi: not cenfure thofe authors for not 
 knowing more of philofophy, than had 
 been difcovered in their days. But al- 
 lowing that he was deceived in what 
 he had read of this extraordinary bird, 
 it will never follow that his evidence 
 is not to be taken for what he him- 
 felf faw, or knew, or did. 
 
 The next Chriftian father I fhall 
 mention, is Ignatius, who was intimate 
 with the apoftles, and, together with 
 
 ■* Caetei'Lim afpici aliquaiido in JEgypto earn 
 volucrem non ambigitur. De avi Phcenice. 
 Annal. 1. vi. Taclti. 
 
 * But that the bird itfelf is fometimes feen 
 * in Egypt, is not doubted.' 
 
 Euodius, 
 
[ "o 3 
 
 Euodius, chofen bifliop of the great 
 city of Antioch, by St. Peter and St. 
 Paul, who planted Chriftianity there. 
 Upon the death of Euodius^ Ignatius 
 prefided over that church alone, and 
 lived there forty years. He was con- 
 ftant in the performance of all the du- 
 ties of a Chriftian, and indefatigable 
 in his care of believers, proteding 
 and encouraging them under per- 
 fecution ; but did not think his own 
 charadler or fervices complete, unlels 
 he fuftered martyrdom. And when 
 Trajan came to Antioch, the good bi- 
 fhop was, on account of his religion, 
 committed to prifon and torture, and 
 then fent to Rome, to be devoured by 
 wild beafts. 
 
 Thus died Ignatius, when he was 
 /Upwards of eighty years old, in the 
 9th year of Trajan, and about the 
 107th of Chrift. There is an ac- 
 count of his laft: journey to Rome, 
 
 and 
 
[ "I ] 
 
 and martyrdom there, much efteemed 
 by Scahger, written by Philo and Aga- 
 thopus, who attended upon him : It 
 was publiflied by Ufher, and is ren- 
 dered into Englifh in Cave's life of this 
 father. 
 
 As fome good men have doubted 
 the genuinenefs of the epiftles of Ig- 
 natius, and it is very certain, that, if 
 they were written by him, they have 
 been very much interpolated fince ; I 
 fhall not produce more than one fhort 
 pafiage from the epiftle to the Ephe- 
 fians_, and in this leave out thofe words 
 which are printed in red letters in Ufher's 
 edition, the mark he ufed to diftin- 
 guifli what was fpurious. 
 
 * " See that the weed of the devil 
 *' be notfound in you...be watchful and 
 
 " fober 
 
 hfjLiVt •"•vyi-\ca€i <Tw(ppovr]aoiis tv Xpi^'w \r\(TB 
 
 z^ccTQi x,ocipoi Koiirov acriy cci<MJv^<o[J.iVi (po€rSot)fAev 
 Tt]y [Aexxpo^vixioLV TB ©«» fjLo(.Ahov yctg rvv f/.€A'> 
 
 3 y.HicLv 
 
[ "2 ] 
 
 " fober ill Chrift Jefus. Thefe that 
 '' remain are the laft times. Let us 
 *' reverence and fear the long-fuffering 
 " of God .... let us dread the wrath to 
 '^ come, rather than be in love v^^ith 
 *' the joy that is prefent in this life. 
 " But let prefent and true joy be to be 
 *' found in Chrift, which is true life." 
 
 Polycarp, bifliop, or rather angel of 
 the church of Smyrna, [Revelat. i.] 
 where he was educated, if not bornj 
 and where he fuffered martyrdom, 
 prefided feventy-four years over that 
 church, from the end of Domitian's 
 reign, to the perfecution under M. Au- 
 relius, when he fuffered, being about 
 a hundred years old. 
 
 Of this divine old man's writing, 
 there is only one epiftle left, which, 
 
 oLya.'rr)]crccjxr)v ev rco vw (iict)' eq^ca Si ti eve^Maa, 
 ^ciox y.a.1 ri ctXt)^ivy}-i to (jlovov Sf Xfii<rw lri(Tii 
 
 how- 
 
C"3] 
 
 however, ferves to fliew the excellence 
 of his difpofition and manners, as well 
 as his piety. He exhorts Chriftians 
 to * '' Stand faft in the pradice of 
 '^ thefe things, and follow the example 
 ^' of our Lord : be ye firm in the faith 
 ^' and unchangeable, lovers of thebro- 
 *' therhood, loving one another, united 
 '^ in truth, fhewing mildnefs of dif- 
 " pofition to each other^ defpiiing no 
 " man. When you can do good, do 
 
 " not defer it I exhort you there- 
 
 ^' fore, that ye abftain from covctouf- 
 '' nefs, and be chafte, and followers 
 *' of the truth. Abftain from all man- 
 " ner of evil." 
 
 * In his ergo ftate, & domini exemplar fe- 
 quimini, firmi in fide et immutabiles, fraterni- 
 tatis amatores, diligentes invicem, in veritate 
 fociati, manfuetudinem alterutri praeftantes, 
 nullum defpicientes. Cum poteftis benefacere, 
 
 nolite difFerre Moneo itaque vos ut ablli- 
 
 ncatis ab avaritia, & fitis cafti & veraces. Ab- 
 flinete vos ab omni malo. 
 
 Polycarpi Epift. ad Philiopenf. 
 
[ 114 ] 
 
 If fuch dodrine will intltle him to 
 any credit, Irenseus affures us, that 
 '' * Polycarp always taught thofe things 
 " which he had learned from the 
 *' apoftles, and which he delivered to 
 *^ the church, and which alone are 
 ** true. All the churches throughout 
 ^^ Aiia bear witnefs to this, as do the 
 '' SuccefTors of Polycarp, in his feat, to 
 " this day ; who was a far more wor- 
 " thy, faithful, fteady witnefs of the 
 " truth than Valentinus and Marcion, 
 " and other falfe teachers." 
 
 Irenasus knew well what he faid ; 
 for he had himfelf been the difciple 
 of Polycarp, and fucceeded the good 
 
 " TccVTct (rioA'jJiajSTros) cTzcTat^as ccGi a xai 
 Tracx rcioy AxoToAwj' ey-ccusu^ cc xcci t>i exy,/ojaia, 
 'STccpe(S^ooKe cc K(Zi [XQvcc e<riv cc?:Si) fxccprvpHaiy cli 
 xccra. TYiv Kaiccv sycK^vo'iai Trcto'cay y.cq. oi y-^xp'- 
 I'vv S'lccS^eyu.evoi rov m UoXv-KocoTra Bporor, -ztroAAw 
 a.^i07n<^or€pQV xflti (is^oiionpov cc^n^eiccs fxccprupcc 
 ovTo, noAt;>tac7ror, OvctXivTiv^i y.cci Mctpy^iojt'os ystt 
 Twy ?'.oi7rii}y xxxoyvCf}jj.ovct:V' 
 
 2 old 
 
[ XI5 ] 
 
 old Pothinus, as bifliop of Lyons, in 
 
 179. a time of dreadful perfecution. 
 
 Under Commodus, and part of the 
 
 reign of Severus, the Chriftians enjoyed 
 
 fome reft ; but, at laft, this excellent 
 
 bifliop, with almoft all the inhabitants 
 
 of that vaft and populous city, were 
 
 put to death, about the 202d or 208th 
 
 of Chrifl, and the i oth or 1 6th of Se- 
 
 verus. He was the author of a very 
 
 learned and o;ood book ap^ainft here- 
 to o 
 
 fies, in which is fhewn the abfurdity 
 of appealing to Marcion, Valentinus, 
 and other corruptors of Chriftian doc- 
 trines for gofpel truths. In this work 
 Irenaeus forbids his readers to expect 
 from him * " the art of compofition, 
 " which he had not ftudied, nor the 
 
 ' Aoyo)v TS^v/iy, riv fix, ewa9o/>cgi', are Svvx" 
 fj.iv (jvyipccpeooi, y^y ax, vax.'i^crcx./j'M', are xxA?ico^ 
 iria-fx.ov Ag^sojj', are Tri^crccvoTmo:,^ xr »5c otSctfj.ev' 
 
 Irenaei prasfat. 
 Q^ 2 " powers 
 
[ "6 ] 
 
 " powers of an author, v/hich he did 
 ^' not afted:, nor fine language, nor 
 " perluafive turns, to which he was a 
 '' ftr anger ; but with fimplicity^ truth, 
 ^' and plainnefs, &c." 
 
 To {hew what doctrines the church 
 received fi-om this plain honeft man, 
 it will be necefiary to recite part of a 
 letter he wrote to Florinus, upon his 
 defection from th^ truth, inclining to 
 the errors of Valentinus. 
 
 As this letter fhews the opinions of 
 Poly carp, as well as of Irenasus, to have 
 been truly apoflolical, and as they were 
 IP. after and difciple, 1 have joined their 
 lives together, though Juftin the mar- 
 tyr lived before Irensus. 
 
 * ^' The prelbyters who lived before 
 ^^ us, and who v/ere taught by the 
 
 " apoftles 
 
 Tccvnrcc Tec Soyfj-olo:. oi 'sipo ri/xci:!/ 'ZjpeaCviiipoi^ 
 ci Xj Toii ccTro^^ohois (TUfj^'^oiTDdccvTe^i a 'ZtTccp'sScoxSv 
 col. }ii^oj> yccp c-?, Trai^ o:y £Ti, €P tji xaTfij 
 Acna, 'iZ'xpcL ru) Pj^o/Wycc^pirM XccfJi'Zirpcoi 'mpccTlovToc 
 
 ev 
 
[ i»7 ] 
 
 " apoftlcs, did not deliver down tliefe 
 " tenets to you. For I remember to 
 " have feen you, vi^hen I was a young 
 " man, in leffer Afia, at Polycarp's, 
 " when you appeared with fplendor in 
 " the royal court, and took pains to 
 " approve yourfelf to him. For I re- 
 
 avlo)' iJictKXov yotp rcc rols S'locfji.vnfjiopevcot tcou 
 Svoty^o^ S^ioiyivojJLivMv' a,i ycco ex. 'wa.i^Oiv juLccun- 
 ceis aurccv^Bacci tv "^^XV ^vovvtccl ccvlrt' wsj-g fxe 
 S'vvoi^a.i Ciireiv ^ tqv tottov Sv co y,cSi^ofA.€vos J^ig- 
 Xeyilo fjLcfJictpios noAvx,a.p7roSj ^ rcti TrccpoS^as ccvla 
 itj Tas BiaoS'iS'iy ^ rov ^ocpoL'/ivpcc ra (im x^ t))v 
 T'd (TM/Jictlos iS^ictVy ^ Tcci SiccAi^eiS ui iiroieiio 
 -mpa TO 'ujXwoi, Xj TYiv fierce looccvvd crvt'cci'cc<^po-' 
 <p«j', cJs ct7rnyfeA?iey ^ rm fxira, tojv Xoiiroiv Tooy 
 (ciWocKOTcov rov Kvpiovy '■^ oui a.7refJLVY\jj.ov2ve ras Ao- 
 yas avloovy ^ 'nrspi ts Kup/a Tira vv a. Trap e>c- 
 cu'OjV axiixoa' Xj 'urspi toov Svyctfxeojv cturs ^ -zuepi 
 "TJ75 SiS'aaK(x.?iict5j 0J9 Tjuctpct Tcov avTO'Txiioov rm 
 '^ojYis TB Aoys 'wctpe.ArKpoo-, o YloAvxctp'mo'ii ctiDiJ- 
 ycXki Toivroc aufxCpooya reus ypa<pctiS' Tctvlct )^ 
 TOTg S'lcc TO eAeos ts ©gy to s^w Sfxoi yeyovoi 
 
 CUTdS^CtlOO? 11X,iiOVy V'jrOfJI.VilfJiCtTlC,OfJiei'0<i CtVloL SIC gv 
 
 ^xpTYi, aAA €v TYi Sy.-y} xccpS'ia.f yj olh S'lct t'av 
 yjtpiv T'd ©gy yvnaioos ocvicc avctfJiapvxojfJLxii &C. 
 
 Irenacus apud Eufcbium, lib. v. 
 " member 
 
[ "8 ] 
 
 , '' member thofe things better than fuch 
 '' as are more recent : What we learn 
 " in our youth, grows up with the> 
 " mind, and intimately unites with it. 
 " So that I can tell the place where 
 *' the bleffed Poly carp did fit when he 
 ^^ difcourfed, his going and returning, 
 " the manner of his life, and the form 
 ^' of his body, and the difcourfes he 
 '^ made to the multitude, and how 
 ^^ he would declare the converfation 
 '^ and intimacy he had with John and 
 '' others, who had feen the Lord, and 
 '• how he remembered their fayings, 
 ^^ and what he heard from them con- 
 " ccrning the Lord, of his miracles 
 " and his dodrine, as he received them 
 " from thofe, who, with their own 
 ^' eyes, beheld the Lord of life ; Po- 
 " Ivcarp declared thefe things confo- 
 ^' nant with the Scriptures. Thefe, by 
 " the mercy of God aiTifting me, I 
 ^' then diligently heard, committing 
 
 " them 
 
["9] 
 
 ^* them not to paper, but writing them 
 " on my heart ; and, by the grace of 
 ^^ God, I will ever continue to employ 
 " my mind in the fincere and genuine 
 " recolledion of them." 
 
 There appears, in this extract, fuch 
 fimphcity, and goodnefs, and warmth 
 of heart, as, one would think, fhould 
 affedl every reader, capable of being 
 moved by fuch excellent qualities, and 
 render it impojGible for him to think 
 that thefe are the men who have im- 
 pofed upon the world falfe fads, and 
 fpurious gofpels, and carried on their 
 hypocrify to death ; being not only 
 ready to dye for their opinions, but as 
 one of their worft adverfaries chufes 
 to exprefs it of one of them *, even 
 afpired unto martyrdom. 
 
 Before I proceed to Juftin Martyr, 
 
 I would obferve, that if fome falfe cir- 
 
 * Orlgen. See philofophical ^works, as 
 they are called. 
 
 cum- 
 
t I20 ] 
 
 cumftances have been added to the 
 true account of the death of Polycarp^ 
 he is not to be cenfured for them : 
 Whatever form the flames might have 
 aflumed ; w^hether there was a pigeon 
 feen to fly at that time, as it w^ere out 
 of the flame, or out of his fide; and 
 whether the fire v/as extinguiflied,by the 
 faint's blood gu filing from a wound he 
 received in the flames : Whether there 
 were any extraordinary appearances, or 
 no, that gave occafion for thefe reports, 
 the credit and character of the man 
 who fuftered cannot be impeached by 
 them, no more than the hfe or death 
 of JuHus Csefar can be difputed, be-^ 
 caufe of the omens and prodigies that 
 are reported to have foretold and at- 
 tended his death. A very little know- 
 lege of human nature will readily ac- 
 count for fuch reports, on fuch melan- 
 choly occafions : And whilft fome in- 
 fill upon the credibility of fuch rela- 
 tions, 
 
[I2l] 
 
 tionS) others make a contrary ufe of 
 them ; for if the firft beHeve too much, 
 the others believe nothing at all. But 
 to proceed, 
 
 Juftin the martyr was born at Nea- 
 polis in Samaria, and fo well informed 
 of the dodlrines of the apoftles, that, 
 in his epiftle to Diognetus, he ftiles 
 himfelf their difciple. , He was one of 
 the moft early, and moft learned, wri- 
 ters of the eaftern church. He was 
 a very able, diligent, and impartial 
 fearcher after truth. With this view, 
 like other antient fages, he travelled 
 into iSlgypt, and having examined all 
 the various fyflems of philofophy, pre- 
 ferred that of Plato to the reft. About 
 the year of Chrift 132. and the i6th 
 of Trajan, he was converted to the 
 Chrift ian faith. He gives a very par- 
 ticular account of the manner and 
 motives of his converfton, in his own 
 Writings. As he was walking by the 
 
 R fea 
 
[ 122 ] 
 
 lea fidcj he meets a grave man, who 
 difcourfes with him about philofophy 
 and religion, and being induced, by 
 his means, to confider the rehgion of 
 the Chriftians, he declares it to be 
 the only true philofophy. About the 
 beginning of the i^eign of Antoninus 
 Pius, he came to Rome, and dwelt 
 upon the Collis Viminalis near the Ti- 
 mothine baths. Here he is faid to 
 have written his firft apology for the 
 Chriftians, and to have oppofed the 
 rank errors of Marcion and others. Af- 
 ter this he revifits the Eaft, was at Ephe- 
 fus, and returns once more to Rome 
 again. In his fecond apology for the 
 Chriftians, he particularly exclaims 
 againft the injuftice and barbarity of 
 putting men to death, merely for be- 
 ing called Chriftians, without fo much 
 as accufing them of any crimes. He 
 had a famous di{J3ute with Trypho 
 the Jew, in w^hich he fliewed him- 
 
 felf 
 
[ 123 ] 
 
 felf to be well verfed in the prophetic 
 writings, though, perhaps, no great 
 critic in the Hebrew ; for he is charg- 
 ed with having given a falfe etymo- 
 logy of the word Satanas. One of 
 his word enemies was Crefcens, the 
 philofopher, a very bad man, but who 
 had influence enough over a fuperfti- 
 tious emperor to procure the imprifon- 
 ment and death of Jufcin, about the 
 165th year of Chrift. 
 
 That he was a moft fincere, honefl, 
 and impartial man, a friend to reafon, 
 and a lover of truth, is evident from 
 this paffage in his firft apology. 
 " * Reafon advifes thofe who are true 
 
 '' philo- 
 
 "" Tbs '/.area. aX-twaxv evcreCca y,ai (piXocro'psi 
 fj.ovQv T aA/jBss Tijuiav y.ai (^epyav Aoyoi virayo- 
 p'i'je<i 'Z!xa,pa.n^[x€i''di So'^aa ■mx/^.xiMV s^aJtoAaowr, 
 cci' (pxv/\ai ojaiV' Ou yao y.oyov jxi) lir'eSrai to/5 
 a^iyco^i Ti 'mpa^afTiv v) S'oyfxaTicracnv (TCiJ(ppojv 
 Xoyoi xjirayopevc-i' aAA ex. ^urxvros rfoirs xa,i 'Tzrpo 
 rm IxvTS -^-'J^vs rov (^i?'.ahrj}}]y x.'a.v Bavxroi' 
 cL7rii?.T,',xi3 Tx ^Lxxix X'iyciv Tg y.xi 'zc^pxTie-iV 
 
 K 2 aipci- 
 
[ 124 ] 
 
 " philofophersj and truly religious to 
 " love and honour truth alone, refufmg 
 " to follow the doctrines of the an- 
 " tients, if they are wrong. For right 
 " reafon not only counfels us not to 
 " follow what is wrong, in dodrine 
 '^ or pradlice, but that by all means 
 " it becomes a lover of truth, though 
 " death threaten him, to make it his 
 *^ choice to fay and to do what is juft. 
 *' ....there are who take the name, and 
 *' put on the appearance of philofo- 
 " phers, but who do nothing worthy 
 " fuch a charader." 
 
 Of the morals and behaviour of 
 Chriftians, in his time, he fpeaks thus. 
 
 " * As our hopes are not confined 
 ^' to the prefent flate of things, we are 
 
 " not 
 
 ccipa^cci S'a. p. 4. ...xoci yao toi (pLXocroOiai ovo/xcc 
 y.cci o/Yifxa. eiriypixcpoi'icci tuH ci sSev cc^iou tyi^ V'vjq- 
 5^g(7gco5 Trpx^'rsaL. p- 9. edid. Sty. Thirlbius. 
 
 * AAA' iira 83c en to vw Tcti e/^.vriS'a?. e^of^ev, 
 ai'cttpBi'Tooi' a 7r€(ppoAi'/.ccjxiv ts kcu luccvTo^i ccttg- 
 
 iccve.y 
 
C 125 ] 
 
 " not much difturbed about thofe who 
 " put us to death, for we know we 
 '' muft die. But of all men we affift 
 " you moft, and contend moft for 
 ^' peace, who teach, that it is impoC- 
 " fible for the wicked, the covetous, 
 '^ the infidious, or the virtuous, to be 
 " hid from God ; and that every one 
 " fhall depart to everlafting punifh- 
 '' ment, or falvation, according to the 
 *' merit of his adions. If all men 
 
 ^av&iv o(peiXou.iv3' ctpooyoi S" vfj.iv xou o-vjuljuicc^qc 
 'Zupos e-iprwnv eafxev ^ujocvtoov fjicthhov ocvupooiroju, 01 
 TctVTcc (^Q^x^ofxevi w5 Aci9«j/ ©20 J', ytcotozpyov^ n 
 7rAiQV2y.rin'f 'j1 iTn^Bfxov^ v evxpsrov, ccS'vyxiou eircu^ 
 xcu Ikxc^ov iir aiuviav KoActaiv v awT'/iptccv xxt 
 a^txv Tcov TJupx^icav 'zuop'tve^ai' ei yxP Trxvres ccv" 
 ()pcf)7roi TauTa eytvcoaxoVi ajc av ns T'tW xxxixv ixipoi 
 o/jyov Jipero, yivMcrycon' ijuopeve^xi iir xio^viciv S'lcc 
 TTVpoi xxTccSixiii'f aAA' gjc 'zcxi'los Tpoir'd eccVToy 
 cvra^e y.xi ixoajJiCi aperrti ottojs tmu 'mxpx Qsn 
 TV^Yt ayct^ocVj XXI rooy xoAxf^vpioJV XTTYihXxiy.evQS 
 ft};, p. I 6. 
 
 Here inflead of evxpiiov^ who has fallen in- 
 to very bad company, I would chufe to 
 read ivxpov accurled. See Pleiychius. 
 
 " knew 
 
[ 126 ] 
 
 " knev/ thefe things, not one would 
 '' chufe t^e alternative, to be bad for 
 '' a little feafon, when he knows that 
 *' he rnuft undergo the fentence of fire 
 " in an everiafling ftate ; but, on the 
 *' contrary, by all means, reftrain him- 
 '^ felf, and put on the ornaments of 
 " virtue, that he may obtain good 
 " things from God, and be delivered 
 ^' from places of torment." 
 
 And in another place. 
 
 " * Many men and women of fixty 
 " and feventy years of age, who have 
 ^' learned Chrift from their youth, re- 
 " main incorrupt and pure : And it is 
 " our boaft, that we can fhevv fuch of 
 
 "'' Kcu 'oToAAoi nyei x.cu TrcAAa/, e^yixovrnT out 
 y.ai i^ S fLD^onBTCfj-j ci eye 'zc-cclSoou ey.ccdyirsuijiiiTotf 
 
 X'Byou-iv TO ocvccpiuu-ifiov tAjiBos toov €^ cc:-co/\<x.aia.i 
 fJiiza.^(xXovTOov xcu TccuTcc y^ccuourcov J h ycto tss 
 (S'Tiy.uiyi-) 8<^g TS> acfjcppovxiy sa y.erxvoixv szaAs- 
 areu Xp/<ro55 o-AAa t^p xc'i^cny y.xi xy.o?.x^'d^^ 
 y.xi (tlr/jdc,. p. 22. 
 
 every 
 
[ 127 ] 
 
 " every rank and age ; not to mention 
 " the innumerable multitude of thofe, 
 " who are taught thefe things, leaving 
 *' ofF intemperance. For Chrift did 
 '' not call the juft and chafte to repent, 
 " but the ungodly, the incontinent and 
 " unjuft." 
 
 " * And becaufe we refufe to facri- 
 " fice to thofe, to whom we had for- 
 *' merly done, we are made to fuffer 
 " extremeft tortures ; and being ex- 
 " pofed to death, we rejoice, trufling 
 " that God will raife us up through 
 " his Chrift, and render us incorrupt- 
 ^' ible, impaffible, and immortal." 
 
 That any good ftatefman, or fkilful 
 politician, or true philofopher, (hould 
 oppofe fuch men, or their principles, 
 
 fJ.iV^ VZUOfJ.iVOJ^iV Tecs £-l--aTa5 TiUMDlctS XXI Gaj'^- 
 
 Ty^si'oi ^ccipofASyy ixncf^evovrei cri arcx.<{"/i<rci riy.aS 
 ^ Oeai Six ra Xpi<ra aury, xxi a(p()aplbi^ xxi 
 
 UTTcScH XXl xhxVXTHi TTOlWCi. p. I^Q. 
 
 is 
 
[ 128 ] 
 
 is impofllble ; but the abettors of fu^ 
 perftitioii and tyranny, not being the 
 friends of fociety, truth, or virtue, can- 
 not be fuppofed capable of protecting 
 and promoting that which is neceffary 
 to their fupport, and certainly de- 
 fl:rud;ive of their own wicked fchemes. 
 Hence it was that the enemies of thefe 
 apoftolic men met with a very dif- 
 ferent treatment from the pagan go- 
 vernors ; for Simon, Menander, their 
 followers, and '' at this time," fays 
 Juftin, ^' ^' Marcion of Pontus, who 
 ^' teaches that there is another God 
 
 * MctpMMva Ss Tivct Tlovrixov^ 05 tcoli vvv €Ti 
 ^q'l S^iS^ocQ-y^oiv T85 -mei^ofJieviii ccAXov Tivcc voui^av 
 
 fjiei^oi'cx, Tis S'yiyj'spys ^eov 7r<xi'rS5 01 cctto mToov 
 
 opfJioofJiivoi y^piq'iu.vQi y-ccXiiVTai-f ov rpoTTov xcu 01 
 a Tcoipoov'dvrss twv avroov S'oyfy.otToov tols Q^iKoao" 
 (poiSj TO €7ri'>cccTn}opsfjievov ovoy.cc tjjs cpiAoaofpicci 
 •aoivov s^scTLP* ei S'i y.ctL rcc S^vorCpYifJicc ex-avcc fjjuuo- 
 ?\.oyBju'.€i'(X epycc -wpccrrda-ij P^v^vlccs fjcev ctvotrpoiriDVy 
 y.ex.1 nrcts ccv^S'iiv fj-i^zii^ Kcti cLvupctureioov accpxcau f^o" 
 pccSy a yivMaxofjiev' aAA oti jmn SicoTcovraij fxYi-* 
 tTg (fovsvovreti v(p vfjicav^ "kccv S'lcc to. S'oyy.a.Ti*^ 
 €Ti^cc[j.e^x» P«43. Apolog. i. 
 
 *' greater 
 
[ 129 ] 
 
 '' greater than the Creator .... all thefe 
 ^'^ ipawns are called Chriftians, in like 
 '* manner as men profefling different 
 *' fyftems are neverthelefs called by one 
 " common name philofophers. But 
 ^' whether they are guilty of fuch in- 
 " famous practices, as are fabuloufly 
 " reported, as putting out the lights, 
 '^ promifcuous embraces, feeding on 
 " human ilefh, we do not know; but 
 " we do know they are not perfecut- 
 '' ed, nor put to death by you, what- 
 " ever opinions they maintain." 
 
 Nothing could be more falfe than 
 thefe accufations were againfl: real 
 Chriflians, as is evident from the tefti- 
 mony of Pliny ; and fo far were they 
 from feeding upon human flefli, that, 
 as Tertullian obferves, " * they did not 
 
 * Ne animallum quldetn fanguinem in 
 epulis cfculentis habemus. 
 
 Tertul. Apologetico. 
 
 S " fo 
 
[ I30 ] 
 
 *' fo much as fuffer the blood of ani- 
 *' mals to be broijght upon their 
 «' tables." 
 
 After all that may have been faid in 
 favour of the honefty, and diligence, and 
 learning of juftin, it has not been fuf- 
 ficient to proted him againft the fevere 
 cenfures of hypercritical men, for hav- 
 ing inferted fome things in his writings, 
 which they mightily difapprove of. 
 Not to repeat the falfe derivation of 
 Satanas *, he is found to bear tefti- 
 
 ' mony 
 
 * Juftin Martyr's derivation of Satanas from 
 Safa and Nas, is not fo unaccountable as fome 
 have imagined it to be. For both thefe words 
 (•or, to fpeak more properly, parts of the fame 
 word) may eafily be derived from the Oriental 
 Languages, agreeably to the notion of a7roc-a- 
 rmc, here aj3^gned them, as will appear from 
 ^vhat follows : 
 
 Heb. nSDl^S decJlnavit, defexit, divertif. 
 
 Syr. .(.Axa, -250, the fame; from whence 
 \^SL '^ts.^ )-.^j:QXi^ Avertere fe poji Sa^ 
 tanam. Gr, 
 
mony to the cells in the ifland of 
 Pharos, where dwelt the tranflators of 
 
 the 
 
 Gr. s^eTpocTnaccv oiriaco ra Xaram. I Tim. v. 
 
 The Arab. IsHt likewife feems to favour the 
 notion of cciroc^oc'Tm. It figniiies, Dijiitit^ 
 longiiis remotus fuit, limit es excejjit ; but the 
 Heb. and Syr. are fufficient, as particularly 
 mentioned by the father, t>i lacTawj^, xat 
 
 Nas. 
 
 Heb. HDJ, Tentauity probavit, NSJ'J, De^ 
 cepity feduxit. 
 
 Syr. liaj, Tejtfavif, exploravit ; often ap- 
 ply 'd to the Devil, or Satan, in the N. T, 
 
 Arab. \— ,*«o', Retroceffit, recejjit^ &c. 
 
 The Greek, after Nas^ immediately adds, 
 g| e jj spf/.m-eict o(pi^ gjcAvjO)?, alluding perhaps to 
 Gen. iii. 13. 'JN'U^n, The ferpent beguiled me -, 
 ('J5<*irn, from the above-mentioned NtS^J^) and 
 hence our author, Apolog. I. p. 46. edit. 
 Thirlb. makes 09/5, aoiloivca^ and SiacCoAosy fy- 
 nonymous terms. — Apx'^yelm tmv jco-jcwi' <fa(- 
 
 IrenaBus(lib.v. cap. 21. p. 43 3. edit.Grabe) 
 gives the fame interpretation of Satan, as Juftia 
 Martyr does here ; — Satana enim verbiim He^ 
 braice apojtafam fignijicat j though he does 
 
 S z not 
 
[ 133 ] 
 
 the Jewlfli bible, called the Septuagint, 
 or Seventy, from the fuppofed num- 
 ber of 'perfons employed in tranflating 
 it. If Juftin had advanced any thing 
 here upon his own authority, or had, 
 like modern antiquarians, built up a 
 palace for thefe holy interpreters, out 
 of fome undiftinguifhable ruins, let 
 him have anfwered for his own inge- 
 nuity, or have been left to the mercy 
 of a modern critic ; but it happens, 
 that, in this place, he refers his readers 
 to the information of others ; and ex* 
 prefly declares he received the know- 
 lege of thefe things from the inhabi- 
 tants ; who told him that the veftigia 
 
 not mention the Hebrew verb ; but diis his 
 editor, Dr. Grabe, fupplies ; Si J'equctmiir in-, 
 terpretaticnem Irencei^ deducendum erit a 
 nzor, oj^od ^xwQiltiQ fignificdt feu deiicere. 
 
 The reader is obliged to Dr. Hunt, the 
 learned profefibr of Heb. and Arab, at Oxford, 
 for this note. 
 
 or 
 
[ 133 ] 
 
 or remains of certain little houfes he 
 faw in Pharos of Alexandria, were 
 the places where the interpreters did 
 live. 
 
 In his firfl: apology he charges the 
 Romans with having ercdted a ftatue 
 to Simon Magus ; and appeals to the 
 ftatue ftanding on the banks of the 
 Tiber, with this infcription, Simo?n 
 JanElo deo. I fhall not undertake to de- 
 fend Juftin, in the manner his late editor 
 has done ; who, having faid all that 
 could be faid, in favour of his author, 
 againft thofe who after ted this ftatue 
 to have been eredled to the Etrurian 
 Hercules, fays, " * if his opinion is 
 " afked, he muft own that he had 
 " adled the part of an advocate, rather 
 
 * "Siquls autem qu2?rat quid de hac re ipfe 
 fentiam, patroni me potius quam judicis partes 
 egiiTe negare non poiTum, quasque dixi non 
 tarn veritatis gratia quara Jyftini dixifTe, &c. 
 0. 42. 
 
 ^« than 
 
C 134 ] 
 
 " than a judge, and had not regarded 
 " truth fo much as the defence of his 
 *' author." But if he had caft his eye 
 upon this paflage in the fecond apo- 
 logy, " * no man is to be preferred 
 " to the truth," he muft have feen 
 that Juftin would not have fubmitted 
 to fuch defence. 
 
 Juftin, being no more a critic in La- 
 tin than in Hebrew, might eafily be 
 deceived in reading Semoni for Simoni ; 
 or receive it from fome other Chriftian, 
 without knowing more of the matter 
 than what was reported by others. If 
 he had been a Roman, the miftake 
 had been lefs pardonable ; but if taken 
 up in the fevereft manner, it is evident 
 he did not intend to deceive any one ; 
 for he addreffes himfelf to tie Senate, 
 who could not but know what gods 
 they had admitted into their general 
 
 ;j;g. p. 12 2. 1. 20. 
 
 pan- 
 
 
[ 135 3 
 
 pantheon. And no one argument he 
 makes ufe of, in defence of Chriftiani- 
 ty or Chriftians, at all depends upon 
 the exiftence of this ftatue. It would 
 hav^e been a reproach to the Romans 
 to have deified the forcerer, and that 
 is the moft that can be made of it. 
 
 But, as if this was not fiifficient for 
 abufe, as indeed it is little enough, a 
 French critic has been very liberal of 
 his cenfures againft all preachers^ mo- 
 dern as well as antient, becaufe Juftin 
 and Gregory Nazianzen had offended 
 him, by being fuppofed to have faid 
 what they never did fay, or, at leaft, 
 what cannot be found in any of their 
 writings. It was the more unfortunate 
 for Juftin, who was himfelf a philo- 
 fopher, that he fhould be charged with 
 fuch a crime, which was no lefs than 
 the making Ariflotle to have drowned 
 himfelf in the Euripus, when it was 
 well known he died on the fhore. But 
 4 neither 
 
[ 136] 
 
 neither Juftin nor Gregory report any 
 fuch thing. The miftake was Faber's, 
 and therefore he fhould have treated 
 it, as being his own, with more gentle- 
 nefs. " * In Greece, as at prefent, 
 ^' the holy orators, if it be right to 
 " diftinguifh thefe pulpit- cracks and 
 " cymbals of the mob, by fuch a 
 ^' namCj com7?207tly reported that Ari- 
 *' ftotle, becaufe he could not difcover 
 " the caufe of the tides that rife and 
 " fall feven times a day, in the Eu- 
 <^ ripus, threw himfelf, miferable as 
 
 * In Graecia, quern admodum hodleque fit, 
 oratores facri, fi tamen tanto nomine ilia pul- 
 pitoruin crepitacula, & plebiculae cymbala, 
 cohoneflari oporteat, vulgo di6titabant Arifto- 
 telem, cum illius leptens in dies fmgulos re- 
 ciprocationls caufam non potuilTet cognofcere, 
 ibi turn mifellum idc in Euripum dedilTe prse- 
 cipitem,& in maximam malam crucem abiilTe. 
 Juftinus cognomento Martyr, & Gregorius 
 Nazianzenus, qui primi, aut inter primos, banc 
 fabulam olim in Icripta fua retulerunt. 
 
 Jan. Fabri Epift. p i. 
 '' he 
 
[ 137 ] 
 
 ** lie was, headlong into it, and pe- 
 
 " rifhed. Juftin, called the Martyr, 
 
 ^^ and Gregory Nazianzen, were the 
 
 ** firft, or among the firft, who men- 
 
 *^ tion this in their writings.** But 
 
 the truth is, the fupercilious noify 
 
 critic, and not the pulpit- crack, is 
 
 here guilty of a very grofs miftake, 
 
 the more unpardonable, as it is moft 
 
 abulive, and without foundation. For 
 
 all that Juftin fays, in his cohortation 
 
 to the Greeks, is that " when * (Ari- 
 
 ^' ftotle) could not difcover the nature 
 
 *' of the Euripus in Chalcis [the me- 
 
 '^ tropolis of Euboea] greatly dejected 
 
 ^' with dilgrace and fliaaie, he depart- 
 
 '* ed this life.'* Gregory Nazianzen 
 
 fays no more ; and there is not a word 
 
 in either of thefe authors to fupport 
 
 the calumny of Le Fevre. On which 
 
 account Monf Bayle, no great patron 
 
 * OucTe T);i' TS EvpLTra (puanv t« ovtq^ gp-Xa/.- 
 
 T of 
 
of the fathers of the church, makes 
 this very pertinent refledion, in his 
 notes upon the Hfe of Ariftotle, that 
 '' * fome men, not having the regard 
 " they ought to have for the fathers, 
 *' have charged them with too much 
 '* creduHty." 
 
 This it is to condemn without read- 
 ing, and this fhould teach us not to de- 
 pend abfolutely upon the authority of 
 other men, who, becaufe they have ac- 
 quired the character of critics, impe- 
 rioufly demand univerfal affent to their 
 vain conjectures, and often groundiefs 
 aflertions. 
 
 And here I would obferve, once for 
 all ; that if riglit notions of the Deity, 
 and every moral relation and duty ; if 
 an uniform condud, built upon that 
 foundation j if fnicerity, even unto 
 
 * Pluileurs perfonnes, n' aiant pas pour les 
 peres de I'cglife tout le refped: qu'il faudroit, 
 ic plaifent a les taxer d'une aveugle credulite. 
 
 deathj 
 
[ ^39 ] 
 death; if free enquiry, right choice, 
 goodnefs, firmnefs, are proofs of fenfe 
 and wifdom, the citations already pro- 
 duced from Juftin, and other Chriftian 
 writers, muft fhew them to have been 
 as wife and fenfible, as good and pious. 
 The philofopher Juftin preferred the 
 Chriftian religion, becaufe it appeared 
 to him to be the true philofophy ; and 
 Clemens, for the information it gave 
 of the future ftate of the foul of man. 
 And fo far were they from being fu- 
 perftitious, that they judged with free- 
 dom, and condemned, and were con- 
 demned by, the fuperftition of their 
 days. 
 
 But Juftin, Irena^us, Papias, and 
 others, were Chiliafts, and believed in the 
 Millennium. They pretended to have 
 received this notion from the apoftles 
 themfelves ; and in fome late works, 
 called philofophical, it is faid, we ftiould 
 either receive this, or give up other 
 T 2 apouo- 
 
[ HO ] 
 apoftolical traditions : If we do not 
 believe they received this do&ine from 
 their mafters, it will . not be eafy to 
 determine what they received from 
 them ; or there can be no dependence 
 upon thefe primitive men. And how 
 they will anfwer this, who are unwilling 
 to admit of any Millennium, I can 
 no more conceive, than I can account 
 for the admitting the revelations of 
 St. John to be divine, and yet deny 
 what they fo manifeftly contain. The 
 Scriptures exprefly declare, that men 
 are to rife again at two periods ; the 
 firft is the refurredtion of the juft, " the 
 *^ fouls of them that were beheaded 
 ^' for the witnefs of Jefus, and for the 
 " word of God ; and which had not 
 *' worfhiped the beaft, neither his image, 
 " neither had received his mark upon 
 *' their foreheads, or in their hands : 
 *^ and they lived and reigned with 
 <^ Chrift a thoufand years. But the 
 
 '< reft. 
 
[ 141 ] 
 
 ** reft of the dead lived not again un- 
 " til the thoufand years were finifhed. 
 " This is the fir ft refurredion. Blefled 
 " and holy is he, that hath part in 
 " the fir ft refurredlion ! on fuch the 
 " fecond death hath no power ; but 
 " they Ihall be priefts of God and of 
 " Chrift, and {hall reign with him a 
 " thoufand years." Revel, xx. 
 
 However, in receiving this as an apo- 
 ftolic dodrine, it is not neceffary to ad- 
 mit the fenfual pleafures of Cerinthus, 
 nor the many ftrange notions that the 
 Chiliafts have added to this account of 
 a firft and fecond refurred:ion. It was 
 not the dodlrine of the Millennium, or 
 the belief that the juft were to reign 
 with Chrift a thoufand years before 
 the fecond refurredion, that difgraced 
 the Millennaries, but the delights and 
 enjoyments they connedled with it; 
 which, according to feme, were fo fen- 
 fual. 
 
C 142 ] 
 
 fual, that there could be no good au- 
 thority for them. 
 
 To this ihort apology for theffe early 
 fathers, it may not be improper to add 
 fome account of the manners of the 
 firft Chriftiansj as contained in the 
 old apologias ; that it may be feen 
 whether they deferved the cruelties in- 
 flided on them ; whether they dif- 
 graced or honoured the Chriftian pro- 
 feffion ; and whether they were not the 
 beft fubjeds, as well as the beft of 
 good men, and confequently their ca- 
 lumniators and tormentors, the very 
 worft of men : and yet the piety and 
 goodnefs of the one has been ridiculed, 
 when the tragic monfters have been 
 admired and applauded. 
 
 Athenagoras, who lived about the 
 middle of the fecond century, and 
 wrote his apoloo^y for the Chriftians, 
 betwen 165. and 170. anfwers for the 
 dodrines and pradices of Chriftians, 
 
 in 
 
[ 143 ] 
 in fuch a manner, as to fhew they de- 
 ferved the protedlon, not the punifh- 
 ment, of magiftrates. 
 
 " * If you afk what are the doctrines 
 " in which we are brought up ? I an- 
 " fwer. Love your enemies; blefs them 
 " that curfe (you) ; pray for them that 
 *' perfecute you ; that you may be the 
 " children of your father which is in 
 " heaven If we were perfuaded that 
 
 yoi) Vfj.lv' ccy<xiTa)ii rovs i'/^b^'ds vuoov, svXoy'eiTS 
 Tus xccTctpooy.evBs^ 'zupoGSv^ei^c vzcrso toov S'loixov 
 TMV vf/.ciSf OTTOJS ysvy]^e ifoi th ttcctoo^ vjxmv .ra 
 
 tv rois Bpxuoi? Athenag. Leg. pro Chriftian. 
 
 p. 42. edit. Oxon si y^eu ya.^ h'x tqv evrctv- 
 
 vev l^iou j3ujae^ou TA^i-n-aafxi^cL-) y-'ctv evTroTrleveiv 
 svni'y S'yMvovTccs crccpxi xou ctifxcLTi-) yj xspS'Hi n 
 iiri^vjjActi fAcxrlas (lege gAaras) yivofJLivas^ctfJia.p-' 
 T€iv' iirei Se €(pecp'iixera.i fxiv ois €i'i'QSfj.€v^ oii ActAs- 
 fjLSVj Kcu vvKTcop xcu ^g6' rjfjitpoiv rou ^eov oiSocjxsvj 
 
 'TTCCVTCt S'S (pC05 CCVTOV OVTCCj TtCtl TO. iV T>) XOCpS'lOj 
 
 rifjioop opoiv^ TzSTreiausuxj tb evrccvusv aTraAAa- 
 yspTos /3/y, ftiov erepov [iiooa-e^atj xfxe.vovx n tcxtx 
 
 Athenag. Apolog. p. 14^. 
 1 " we 
 
[ H4 ] 
 " we Jliould live in this life only, it 
 " might be fufpeded, that we fhould 
 " be the fervants of flefli and blood, 
 *' or be led by lucre, or concupifcence, 
 *' to fin. But fince we know that 
 ^^ God is prefent with us, whenever we 
 *' think or Ipeak, by night or day ; 
 " that he is all light, and fees what- 
 '' ever paffes in our heart ; we are 
 " convinced, that departing out of this 
 " life, we {hall live in a better ftate 
 .*' than this, in heaven, not on earth.'* 
 
 Theophilus, who was made bifliop 
 of Antioch in 169. fpeaking of the 
 immoralities of heathens, the adulte- 
 ries of their gods, their cruel murders, 
 and tragical feafts, as that of Thyeftes, 
 fays '/ * Far be it from Chriftians to 
 
 '' ad 
 
 * Maxpav Ss aTCin 'Kpiq^ia.i'ois ev^vuv^in'Oi Tt 
 Toiaro 'arcoc^cuy 'ztrccp ois aw(ppo(Tvyy) 'TCccpiq'iVy 
 eyxpccT&ioc ccax&ircuy juLovoyccyja rnpe-ircuy ayveice. 
 ^vhctojirM-, a.S'ixia gx,7rop9«Tct{, ay.ccpTix gy-pi^a- 
 TO*, ^i'A.cx,io(juvn y.ihiTccTMy i'oy.os TroAiTSuercuy 
 
[ H5 ] 
 
 *' a£l, or even think, in this manner, 
 " with whom is modefty and the 
 " exercife of temperance. They allow 
 " but of one wife j they prefer ve them- 
 ^' felves chafte : (with them) unrighte- 
 '' oufnefs is deftroyed, fm extirpated, 
 " law adminiftered, religion pradifed, 
 '' God worshiped ; truth decides, grace 
 *' protects, peace furrounds them : 
 " The divine word is their guide, wif- 
 '' dom inflruds them. The life (Chrift) 
 " determines their reward, God reigns 
 ** over them." 
 
 Such was the relimon, fuch the be- 
 haviour, of the firft Chriftians. That 
 they too foon degenerated ; that error 
 and fuperftition, in time, mingled with 
 
 f^px^eveiy Xccpis (TVvryipc^y eicvvn X 'ouipicy-Z-Tna^ 
 Xoyoi clyioi 0(^nyciy (jo(^ict SiJ^cccnca. Qoorj ^p<xr 
 
 Lib. 3. Thcophil. ad Autolycum. 
 
 J Lege 'wepiaKiT€^' 
 
 U the 
 
C 146 ] 
 
 the truth, and debafed the pure Sim- 
 plicity of the gofpel-age ; and that 
 many weak paffagcs may be produced 
 from Chriflian writers, who, in other 
 refpecls, may be very valuable and 
 ufeful, is true : but then it muft ap- 
 pear, from what has been faid in favour 
 of the lirfl: followers of the difciples 
 of them,whofe lives and characters have 
 been here examined, that, however 
 they may have been miftaken in the 
 life and application of any pajGTage in 
 the Scriptures, they were, by no means,- 
 the corruptors of them ;- nor did they 
 Jraudukntly deliver to the church for 
 apoftolic what they had never received 
 from the apoftles. 
 
 If, therefore, the author of works 
 called philofophical meant to include 
 thefe men in the following charge 
 againft the fathers, and, under the word 
 tradition, all that was delivered by 
 them, even the Gofpels, and other 
 
 writ- 
 
[ 147 ] 
 writings of the New Teilament, he 
 defer ved the cenfure he has unworthi- 
 ly cafi: upon others, and muft have 
 been " very ignorant, or very impu- 
 " dent *." 
 
 If Toland had not publifhed his 
 Amyntor, and the late author of cer- 
 tain works called philofophical had 
 not unworthily trod in his fleps, with- 
 out confidering what had been fo un- 
 anfwerably written againft him, it 
 would not have been necefTary to have 
 faid more of the fpurious Gofpels 
 than this, that they were never ad- 
 mitted into the Chriftian Church from 
 
 <k 
 
 U 
 
 * " He who pretends to clear the reverend 
 fathers, by whom tradition was principally 
 conveyed down, from age to age, and to 
 deny this charge (that ecclefiaftical tradi- 
 tion has been, from the firfl and purefl 
 ages, founded, for the moll part, in ig- 
 norance, fuperftition, enthuliafm, andjraud) 
 muft be very ignorant himfclf, or very i?fi- 
 piidcnt^ p- 39. vol. iii. 
 
 U 2 the 
 
C h8 ] 
 
 the days of Polycarp, to the prefent 
 time. 
 
 But there are forty of them ! Yes, 
 and more too. And if there had been 
 forty times forty Gofpels, I cannot fee 
 how they could leffen the credit that 
 is certainly due to the four Genuine 
 Gofpels. The more Gofpels there are, 
 the more evidence there will be, if they 
 are antient Gofpels, of the common 
 fads related by all. And it will be 
 very hard to account for fo many 
 counterfeits, withouc allowing fome to 
 have been original. And if they were 
 contrived by the Ebionites, and fome 
 early fedaries, who did not admit the 
 dodrines and authority of the imme- 
 diate difciples of Jefus ; we, v/ho are 
 the followers of thofe difciples, and of 
 them only, who pretend to have their 
 writings, and their account of things, 
 can have nothing to do v/ith any other • 
 no more than he, who declares himfelf 
 
 an 
 
\ 
 
 [ 149 ] 
 
 an enemy to the God of Mofes and 
 of Paul can, whatever he may pretend, 
 have any real concern for any revela- 
 tion at all. 
 
 But let what remains of thefe Gof- 
 pels be read, as they are coUeded by 
 Fabricius in his Codex Apocryphus, 
 or by Mr. Jones in his Canon of the 
 New Tefkament ; let them fpeak for 
 themfelves, and let any man prefer 
 them to the four Genuine Gofpels if 
 he can : for I do not think it is dif- 
 puted, at prefent, whether the adver- 
 fary fhould be obliged to believe all 
 that the church thought proper to re- 
 jedl. The conteft with thefe men is not 
 about believing too much, but too 
 little. And therefore it will be time 
 enough to difpute about the Apocry- 
 pha, when they have admitted any 
 thing to be canonical. 
 
 What credit is due to Polycarp and 
 Irenasus, has been already fhewn 3 and 
 
 if 
 
[ ^50 ] 
 if they admitted the four GofjDels, it is 
 the ftronoefl: evidence that can be given 
 in their favour. The latter fays ex- 
 prefly, that there neither was, nor could 
 be, more tlian four Gofpds. Neque 
 plura nee minus quam quatuor * pof- 
 funt eflfe evangelia, lib. iii. c. 1 1 . And 
 Polycarp, in that excellent fragment 
 
 * Irenaeus has been ridiculed for this afier- 
 tion, by the author of works called phllofo- 
 phical. He compares the four Gofpels to the 
 four piiL.:'S of a hcufe, the quarters of the 
 world, and to the chciubim. And if this 
 was a fault in IrenGf-us, it was not peculiar 
 to him, it was rather the vice of the age. 
 There was a Pythagoric quaternary^ reTpctxlus 
 'ZiTv^ccyopixn) ogdoads, and many other numeri- 
 cal fancies. Philo wrote a book about the vir- 
 tue of numbers, 'ur€pi acibu.oH'y now loft. Phi- 
 lofophers, and Jews, and Heretics, and or- 
 thodox Chriflians, all played with numbers j 
 and one or two men ihould not be condemn' d 
 iin2;lv for what was almofl univerfil. But 
 as he ufes gz/i.o%.K, a vvord of fimilitude, what 
 he fays of the parallel circumftances of other 
 things having four parts, Ihould be confidered 
 rather as a coniparifon than a demonflration. 
 
 pre- 
 
preferred by Victor Capuanus, and 
 cited by Feuardentius, in his notes ort 
 the third book of Irenasus, gives a 
 rational account of the defign each 
 of the evangelifts had in writing his 
 Gofpel. 
 
 " ^ Matthew, writing to the He- 
 ^' brews, has inferted the genealogy of 
 *' Chrifl:, that he might fhew Chrift 
 ^' to be defcended of that race, front 
 
 * MatthtEus, ut Hebrasis fcribens, genear 
 
 logias Ciirifli ordinem texult, ut oflenderet 
 
 ab ea Chriftuni defcendifTe progenie, de qua 
 
 eum nufciturum univerii prophetas cecinerant; 
 
 Johannes autem, ad Ephefum conftitutus^ 
 
 qui legem tanqnam ex gentibus ignorabant, 
 
 a caufa noflras redemptionis evangelii lum^fit 
 
 exordium, qua? caufa ex: eo apparet, quod 
 
 filium fuum Deus pro noftra falute volu^t 
 
 incarnari. Lucas vero a Zacharise facerdotio 
 
 incipit, ut ejus lilii miraculo nativitatis, & 
 
 tanti prxdicatoris officio divinitatem Chrifti 
 
 gentibus dLxlararet. Unde & Marcus an- 
 
 tiqui prophetici myflerii competentia adventui 
 
 Cnrifti declarat, ut non nova fed antlquitus 
 
 prolata ejus praidicatio probaretur. 
 
 * 2 ^' whence 
 
[ 152] 
 
 " whence all the prophets had foretold 
 " he was to be born. But John, who 
 ** was fixed at Ephefus, where the Law 
 " was not known by the Gentiles, be^ 
 ^' gan his Gofpel with the caufe of our 
 *' redemption ; which caufe was ma- 
 " nifeft from this^ that God wilFd his 
 *' fon to be incarnate for our falvation. 
 ^' But Luke begins with the priefthood 
 " of !f acharias, that, by the miracle 
 " of his fon's nativity, and the office 
 ^' of fo great a preacher, he might 
 *' make known the divinity of Chrift. 
 <' And Mark, therefore, fets forth 
 " fome antient paflages of prophetic 
 *' myftery, agreeing to the coming of 
 ** Chrift, that his preaching might not 
 ^' feem a novelty, but be confomable 
 " to what had been antiently deli- 
 ^' vered.'* 
 
 Then Tertullian, who lived at the 
 end of the firft, and beginning of the 
 
 fecond 
 
[ 153 ] 
 fecond century, in his fourth book 
 againft Marcion, fays exprefly, that 
 " we have our faith from the apoftles 
 *^ John and Matthew, and the apo- 
 " ftolic Luke and Mark.'* Nobis fidem 
 ex apoftohs Johannes 6c Matth^eus in- 
 finuant, ex apoftoUcis Lucas & Marcus 
 inftaurant. 
 
 After him Clemens of Alexandria^ 
 objects * to any other than the four 
 Gofpelsi 
 
 Origen fays, over and over again, that 
 " there are no more than four Gof- 
 " pels received by the church." And 
 after him every Chriftian writer fays 
 the fame thins. 
 
 Thefe are the only Gofpels that are 
 cited as Scripture, by the moft antient 
 Chriftian writers, as may be feen in 
 Mr. Jones's Canon, and the learned 
 
 U?.ioii cv-ic ix'^y-^ '^° pyflov. Strom. 1. iii. 
 
 * That is not faid in the four Gofpels wc 
 * have delivered to us.' 
 
 X and 
 
[ '54 ] 
 
 snd laborious colledions of Dr. Larde- 
 ner : the contrary has been afferted by 
 Toland ; " but fuch unfair practice," 
 fays Mr. Jones, p. 87. vol. ii. '' was 
 " very cominon with this trifling wri- 
 " ter." It is very remarkable, that 
 in the dialogue of Juftin the Martyr 
 with Trypho the Jew, great part of 
 the Gofpel fads are recited, and never 
 once denied by Trypho. They are fc> 
 largely and fo often cited by Chriftiart 
 men, in different times and places, and 
 were fo often read in the churches', 
 that it is fcarce poffible to doubt the* 
 genuinenefs of the four Gofpels ; or to 
 believe them to have undergone any 
 conflderable change, or alteration, fince 
 they were firft written by the men 
 whofe names they bear *. 
 
 Another 
 
 ' * The Gofpel was indeed corrupted by 
 
 * Marcion, Valentin us, and perhaps Lucany 
 ' but Origen, at leaft, did not know that it was 
 
 * corrupted by any other.' MeTa^ccpcc^avTcti 
 
 I " J'g 
 
[155] 
 
 Another famous proof of the au- 
 thenticity of the Scriptures of the New 
 Teftament, is taken from the old Syriac 
 verfion, which was made in or near 
 the apoftles times. The conftant beUef 
 of theEaftern churches, and the confent 
 of almoft all learned men, greatly fa- 
 vour this argument ; as does alfo the 
 agreement of this verfion with the moft 
 antient copies of the Scripture in other 
 languages, and the omiffion of fome 
 paflages not found in them ; together 
 with the ufe of the old name Ake, 
 for Ptolemais (fee Pliny's Nat. Hift. 
 1. V. c. 1 9. and Stephanus t^^ipi TroAewr), 
 And although the churches of Syria 
 received the epiftle of Jude, the fe- 
 cond epiftle of Peter, and the fecond 
 and third epiftle of John as canonical, 
 in the fecond century, they are not 
 
 Si TO evccyTeXiov ccAAe^ yx. oiS'cty yi rm ociro Mao- 
 
 yJW^^ XOU T85 CCTTO OuccASl'Tll'B, OlfJLOU Se ^ 
 
 ff'di CCTTO Ayxary. contra Celfum, p. 77. 
 
 X 2 ia 
 
C 156 ] 
 
 inferted in this old verfion, which muft 
 therefore have been made before they 
 were known to have been written. 
 
 Hence it is manifefl:, that the au- 
 thenticity of the four Gofpels does not 
 abfolutely depend on tlie canon of 
 Scripture, annexed to the council of 
 Laodicea, which is wanting in fome 
 very antient manufcripts, and is not 
 found in Jofeph the /Egyptian's Arabic 
 Codex conciliorum *. Much lefs can 
 it depend upon that idle and ridicu- 
 lous ftory, related in the Synodicum 
 of Pappus, that the biflbops affembled 
 at the council of Nice, to determine 
 what books were canonical f, *' laid 
 '' them under the holy table, in the 
 
 * See the preface to the works of the learn- 
 ed Mr. John Gregory of Oxford. 
 
 "J* }iy yoco ro) 01x00 ra ©es X(XT&> 'wctpot t>i 
 
 ivpeui^vcu raci S-goTTj'Su^as fTrarw, tov KvpiQv e^cu- 
 Twcra/u,gri'7, 50 rccs xiCStlA'dSy ^< '^eyoviv-j VTroxotr 
 TwGsr. Syn. 34. 
 
 '^ houfe 
 
[ '57 ] 
 ^' houfe of God, and prayed that fuch 
 ^* as were divinely infpired, might be 
 " found upon the table, and the impure 
 " or apocryphal underneath ; which 
 ^' was done accordingly." 
 
 To read thefe fpurious produdions, 
 is fufficient evidence againft them; 
 which were contrived to account for 
 things of which the true Gofpels were 
 {ilent, as of the nativity of Mary, and 
 the infant acTtions of our Lord ; or 
 to fupport fome abfurd opinions that 
 could not he maintained upon the 
 principles of divine revelation. 
 
 The Gofpel of the nativity of Ma-^^ 
 ry, was the fame with the Protevange- 
 Hum of St. James, which are not to 
 be found in Origen's, nor any other 
 antient catalogue of facred books. 
 They are not cited by any of the an- 
 tient fathers ; were always rejcded by 
 them, and contain many idle and ri- 
 
 dicu- 
 
C 158] 
 
 diculous ftories, and fome things abfo- 
 lutely falfe. 
 
 The Gofpel of the infancy is full of 
 the moft abfurd ftories imaginable ; 
 contradids the true Gofpel, which 
 afierts, that the firft miracle performed 
 by Jefus was at the marriage-feaft 
 at Cana in Galilee ; is inconfiftent 
 with the filence of the four Gofpels, 
 ^nd of all the primitive Chriftians, con- 
 cerning any miracles performed in his 
 infancy, or prior to that at Cana : 
 And, from fome internal marks, is 
 known to have been written fome cen- 
 turies later than to be of that antiquity 
 it boafts. 
 
 The Gofpel of Nicodemus abounds 
 with as idle and abfurd lidions as any 
 of them. Pere Simon therefore afks, 
 Y-a-t-il rien de plus ridicule que Tevan- 
 oile attribuee a NIcodeme ? it contains 
 many contradldions, and falfe fads, 
 and is much later than it pretends to 
 be. As 
 
[ 159 1 
 
 As for the Gofpel of St. Andrew, if 
 there ever was fuch a book in the 
 world, it is now no where to be heard 
 of, but in fome copies of the decree 
 of pope Gelalius, which condemns it 
 as apocryphah ;; 
 
 The Gofpel of Thaddaeus alfo is- no?^ 
 where to be found but in this decree. - ' 
 
 The Gofpel of St. Bartholomew is 
 mentioned only by Jerome and Gela- 
 lius, who condemn it. - ;^ 
 
 The Gofpel of Barnabas, notwith^. 
 ftanding all that has been faid by To- 
 land, (who was capable of faying or 
 doing any thing that he thought would 
 difcredit revelation) and others, was> 
 not known to any writer in the four ^ 
 firfl: centuries, but was manifeftly forged 
 to ferve the purpofes of the Alcoran ; ^ 
 never fpeaks of Chrift, but as a pro- 
 phet only ; and exprefly mentions Ma-; 
 hornet as the paraclete by name, . * 
 
 The 
 
i i6o i 
 
 The Gofpel of Matthias wa^ not re- 
 ceived nor cited by any good writer^ 
 but rejeded for its impiety and abfur-^ 
 ditics. 
 
 The Gofpel of the Nazarenes, of 
 the Ebionites, of the twelve apoftles, 
 of Bartholomew, of Cerinthus, and 
 Merinthus (the fame man) and the 
 Golpel according to the Hebrews, are 
 all corruptions of the Hebrew copy of 
 St. Matthew's Gofpel ; are not in any 
 catalogue of the facred writings ; are 
 hot cited as Scripture, but rejeded as 
 apodryphal, by the firft Chriftian 
 writers ; were never read in the 
 Ghurches, and contain many things 
 that are falfe. 
 
 The Gofpel of Marcion was an in- 
 terpolated copy of St. Luke's Gofpel. 
 
 The Gofpel of Apelles, Ipurious ; 
 he was a difciple of Marcion. 
 
 The Gofpels of Hefychius and Lu- 
 
 cia nus, 
 
[ i5r j 
 
 cianus, were only corrupted copies of 
 thofe received by the Church. 
 
 The Gofpel of Tatian was an har- 
 mony of the four Gofpels. 
 
 The Gofpel of Philip, and the Gof- 
 pel of Perfedlion, were forgeries of the- 
 Gnoftics. 
 
 As was the Gofpel of Truth a for- 
 gery of the Valentinians. 
 
 And the eternal Gofpel, as it is 
 called, is a forgery of the thirteenth 
 century* 
 
 Balilidcs had a Gofpel, but he was 
 the difciple of Menander, and a gno- 
 ftic ; and probably the fpurious Gof- 
 pel of Peter was the fame with that 
 of Bafilides, forged by fuch of the 
 gnoftics as were called docetce^ heretics 
 of the fecond century, who held the 
 fufferings of Chrift not to have been 
 real, but apparent only, from ^ov,^.v to 
 feem. It contained many things that 
 
 Y were 
 
[ ^62 ] 
 
 were known to be falfe, and was ne- 
 ver received into the canon. 
 
 Scythianus too had a Gofpel which 
 is not extant ; he was the author of the 
 Manichean fedl. For Manes (whence 
 the word Manichees) was the flave 
 Curbicus, adopted by his miftrefs, who 
 had the poffeffion of the wealth and 
 papers of Terebinthus, the difciple of 
 Scythianus. 
 
 The Gofpel according to the ^^gyp- 
 tlans is not to be found in any cata- 
 logue of the lacred writings ; is not 
 cited as Scripture, but rejected as apo- 
 cryphal, and contains things that are 
 falfe. 
 
 The Gofpel of Eve was a monfter 
 of the gnoftics, full of ridiculous vi- 
 fions, and founded upon the fuppofi- 
 tion of Eve's having acquired fome ex- 
 traordinary knowlege of fpiritual mat- 
 ters, by her converfation with the fer- 
 
 pent. 
 
[ i63 ] 
 
 pent. It is mentioned by Epiphanius 
 only, and was not known to Gelafius. 
 
 Even Judas had his Gofpel, fays a 
 late writer of works called philofophi- 
 cal ; which he might have borrowed 
 from Tolandj who had made the fame 
 remark ; for which he was juftly cen-* 
 fured by Mr. Jones, in the following 
 manner; " Artfully faid indeed! A 
 *' fet of impious, beaftly, prophane 
 ^' wretches, (the Caianites) abandoned 
 " to all the exceffes of vice and im- 
 *' morality, forged a piece, under the 
 " name of Judas ; and this is to be 
 '' ranked in the fame clafs with thofe 
 " which contain the fublime doctrines, 
 *^ and holy precepts of Chriftianity.'* 
 
 Dr. Grabe, in a note upon the 17th 
 chapter of the firft book of Irena2us,men- 
 tions theGofpelof LeuciuSjWhich he fays 
 is in the library of the college of Corpus 
 Chrifti in Oxford. And from him it 
 is mentioned by Lamius, in his book 
 
 Y 2 De 
 
C '64] 
 
 De eruditione Apoftolorum ; and by 
 Fabricius, in his Codex Apocryphus; 
 but it is not in the catalogue of the 
 rnanufcripts of that college ; nor could 
 I find it, though affifted in the fearch 
 by a learned gentleman of that houfe. 
 
 Whoever is defirous of knowing more 
 of thefe falfeGofpels, may read the pro- 
 legomena to Dr. Mills' edition of the 
 Greek Teftament, the anfwers to To- 
 land's Amyntor, Itigius, Fabritius, La- 
 mius, Beaufobre,and particularly a new 
 and full method of fettling the canoni- 
 cal authority of the New Teftament, by 
 Mn Jeremiah Jones, 1726. In whofe 
 words, p. 269. p. II. I conclude, 
 *' Did Mr. Toland, and his friends, in 
 " thefc their vile attacks upon fo ex- 
 '^ cellent and divine a conftitution, not 
 '^ quibble and ji^gglc, and prevaricate, 
 " as they upon all occafions do, in their 
 *^ cil;itions out of the old records of 
 *^ Chriftianity ^a crime which they are 
 
 " ever 
 
[ i6s 3 
 
 *^ ever forward to charge upon others, 
 " who are much ;iiore clear of it) I 
 ^* fhould excufe myfelf, and the reader 
 " from the trouble of any remarks^ 
 " upon them, leaving them to their 
 *' flavifh Infidelity: But when I ob- 
 " ferve a perfon ranfacking and mufter- 
 " ing together all the filly trumpery of 
 ^' the antient heretics, grofly mifrepre- 
 '^ Tenting the books he cites, only with 
 *^ defign to fatisfy a bigotted humour, 
 *' againft the Chriftian Religion, I am 
 '' obliged, by my regards to the profef- 
 " fion I make of the name of Jefus, to 
 
 " lay open fuch vile impofture One 
 
 *' can fcarce tell whether his intention 
 *' of vilifying St. Paul, or the method 
 *' he ufeth to do fo, be the more de- 
 " teftable * ; This forry, unbelieving 
 
 *' critic 
 
 * Much abufe has been thrown upon the 
 
 character of St. Paul, by the late writer fo 
 
 often mentioned in the foregoing papers ; but 
 
 he is guilty of great unfairuefs, in not taking 
 
 2 notice 
 
[ ^66 ] 
 
 " critic governs his fkill by his wicked 
 ^' principles ; and has no other way 
 ** to judge of fpurious and genuine: 
 ^' books, than their oppofition to Chrif- 
 
 <c 
 
 tianity. 
 
 notice of what Mr. Locke had fald, in an- 
 fwer to his calumnies ; which he could not be 
 ignorant of, for he owns he had him in his 
 hand, and has been ready enough to quote 
 him when it has feemed to ferve his own pur- 
 pofe. But the rational and learned com- 
 mentary upon the epillle to the Hebrews, by 
 Dr. Sykes, is a fufficient anfwer to all that 
 Toland and his Follower have faid againfl 
 this apoftle. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 IPage 28, line 26, read gofpel-bleffing— « 30, /. 5. dele CO— « 
 33, /. 9, ofHeb, r. DU; ; /. 1 1, r. ay — 34. fcparate ';.'5n\i;D 
 *fV/,«, n-^S3.-i — j8^ yo//^ L) tQ the preceding letters — 41, dele 
 
 the jolltywing letters ; and ^tr\r]\ijy:pg„i v — 50, <. 22. r. ^^<ij -J^w 
 — 51, r. u3U71i— ?7, /, 20, r. confecraretur — 58, /. 6, re- 
 fpuit— 1- 69, /. 5, r. £';7-£5/p<«^i _ 72, /. 2, r. afcended — 73, /. 
 13, r. ffTJ-acTiK — 76, /. 23, iTTiS'tSoAcf — 112, /. 21, r. (*5,-CC- 
 '7rnaafJi.lv — 1 1 5. lajl line, r. ^(^^uTiKUi — • 1 25, /. 1 5. r. eTT/Ca- 
 Aai' — 135, lafi line, dele the. 
 
'^ 
 

\ 
 
 t 
 
 1