A vindication of the truth of Christian religion against the objections of all modern opposers written in French by James Abbadie ... ; render'd into English by H.L.

CHAP. XVII.

Where we further answer the Objections of the In∣credulous.

OF all the Objects which the Christian Religion offers to our understanding, there is no one seems more to shock the Reason of a prejudiced and incredulous person, than the Death of the Messias. The Cross of Jesus Christ was, according to the Expres∣sion of an Apostle, a scandal to the Jew and a folly to the Greek. But in our opinion there is nothing bears more visible characters of Greatness and Divinity than that does. The Incredulous tell us, that could we but rid our selves of all our prejudices, we should be heartily ashamed to entertain such strange Ideas of God. And we also tell them, that could they once but free themselves of those passions which darken their understanding, they would certainly admire with us the wonders of so Divine an object. Who then is in the wrong in this thing? That will

best appear by the answers we shall make to their objections.

We find in the Person of Jesus Christ one who suf∣fered himself to be seized upon, and was afterwards nailed on a Cross, not having any one to deliver him from the power of his Enemies. This they object was a mark of his Weakness. For, say they, had he been the King of the Jews, why did he not come down from the Cross, and all the World would have belie∣ved on him? He died as one condemned by the grand Council of the Jews, which God himself had esta∣blished. This was he as was found guilty. He was seized with sorrowfulness even unto Death the day before his Passion, and cried out bitterly when he gave up the Ghost. This shews his wretched condition. He was made to suffer a punishment proper only for Slaves. It cannot therefore be doubted but that he died a most infamous Death. And who can imagin that Weakness, Guilt, or at least Condemnation, Wretchedness and Infamy should be the true Characters of the Son of God? Thus the Incredulous argue. We answer that Jesus Christ suffer'd by the determi∣nate Council of God; since the Scriptures fore∣told that he was to be wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, that he was to make his Soul an offering for sin▪ that he was to be cut off, but not for himself. And St. John the Baptist seeing him coming to him, at a time wherein it was very unlikely he should ever suffer, called him the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World, John 1. 29. Jesus Christ suffered voluntarily; he foretold all his own Sufferings to his Disciples, inviting them to take up their Cross and follow him. He told them that he had made choice of a Company of miserable and afflic∣ted Wretches in the World who were notwithstand∣ing to overcome the World, and by their sufferings establish the Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth. He

freely owned to them that he was not come to settle peace in the World, but the sword, that God would smite the Shepherd, and that the Sheep should be scattered, that they were to drink of the same cup with him, and be Baptised with his Baptism, that is, to taste the bitter cup of his Afflictions, and be Baptised with him with a Baptism of Blood. He intermixed his suffer∣ing with theirs, that they might the better bear them in remembrance. If we should in the least doubt whether Christ foretold his sufferings, we need only consider the design of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the time wherein this Ceremony was instituted. For unless we should call in question the real institution of that Sacrament, and so affirm that the Disciples out of an unaccountable and fantastical Extravagance, pretended only that Jesus Christ had instituted that Ceremony, when there was no such thing: it will appear that Jesus Christ foresaw his Death, that he prepared himself for it, and affirm∣ed he suffer'd it voluntarily for the Salvation of Man∣kind. The Sacrament of the Eucharist which he insti∣tuted in cold Blood certifies us of all these things. But because an involuntary Death would argue a certain kind of weakness, 'tis also most certain that nothing can better evince the strength and courage of Jesus Christ, than that tho' he foresaw the hor∣rours of an infamous and painful Death, yet he ex∣posed himself to it with such a constant will and firm Resolution, that by his example he shewed his Dis∣ciples, how he would have them imitate and com∣memorate his sufferings.

Jesus Christ was condemned to Death by a Nation seditiously stirred up against him, and by a Sanhe∣drin envious of his Glory: but he was justified by the Conscience of Judas, whose remorse for having be∣tray'd him, forced him to kill himself, and by the solemn declaration of Pilate, who washed his hands

in the presence of the Jews, to shew that he was in∣nocent of the Blood of that just Person. He was justi∣fied too by the voice of the Centurion, who saw the prodigies his Death was attended withall, and soon after by the mouths even of those who sought his ru∣in, and who being prick'd to the heart, cry'd out to the Apostles, Men and Brethren what shall we do, Act. 2. 37. And certainly 'tis a very great glory to our Messias, that the most guilty Conscience, the most unjust judges, the most insensible and hardened sort of Soldiers, and the most barbarous Murtherers should even bare record of his Innocence.

Jesus Christ suffered, but it was for our sakes: he gave himself up to the sorrow and anguish of Death, and made his life an offering for Sin. And if those wounds are counted honourable which a Subject re∣ceives sighting in the presence of his King, and if those which a King receives for the safety of his Subjects are esteemed yet far more glorious: what Glory then did Christ deserve, who suffered in the presence and by the will of his Father for the Salva∣tion of his People and Children, and who by his sufferings established such an Empire which no power can dissolve?

Lastly, Jesus Christ suffered a punishment proper only to Slaves; but we are also very certain, that during the time of his sufferings, he shewed himself to have a power over Nature her self, since the Graves were opened at his Death, the Rocks rent, the Sun was darkened, and the Vail of the Temple was rent in twain: And it is impossible that the Dis∣ciples of the Lord should have invented so sensible and signal matters of fact, against the fresh and pub∣lick knowledge which those men that lived in their days had of it, without being guilty of such an Ex∣travagance which is more than humane.

But here we will ask the Incredulous in our turn, whether a voluntary Death, an innocence publickly own'd, the sorrows and anguish which a man suffer∣ed out of Charity to the World, the homages which even insensible Creatures paid to him whom men scorned and condemned, were not certain Characters worthy of the Messias that had been promised us?

Indeed if you take away the proofs which evident∣ly shew Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, you may then call his Cross a scandal to him and the World, but whilst those proofs shall be left entire, his Cross will serve the more to illustrate his Majesty and Grandeur, and we shall not only then assert that it was a voluntary Death which he underwent, and a Death that was foretold us; but we shall also shew that it is as it were a looking-glass-like, wherein we may see at once all the vertues of man, and all the Attributes of God. There we may find the pa∣tience of a man, who suffered every thing from his equals, and from those who ought to have been his Servants and Disciples, the Charity of a man who pray'd for them that put him to Death; the Con∣stancy of a just man, who bore the burden of the ini∣quities of mankind; and the constancy of an inno∣cent man, who at once as it were wrestled with the fury of men, and the Justice of God. There we may see the Masterpiece of Divine Wisdom, the de∣signs of our Enemies frustrated, and the designs of God triumphing over the vain opinions and projects of men; the propitiation of sins made for us by the most dreadful parricide that was ever committed or conceived; the Synagogue buried in his grave whom they barbarously put to Death in defence of their priviledges; the Romans crowning a King with thorns who was to rule over all Nations, and putting a Reed instead of a Scepter into his hands, flesh and blood shewing us in the Death of Christ the true pat∣tern

of mortification; Jesus Christ dying attended with almost infinite numbers of Martyrs, who were willing to die in imitation of him, who was Conque∣rour of the World only by his shame, who crucify∣ed the flesh by the preaching of his Cross, and pro∣cured Rest and Peace to the Souls of them that dyed by the Anguish of his Agony.

We may also see the Justice and Mercy of God clearly manifested in his Death. For what other Victim could have better evinced Gods hatred for Sin? What present could have been made unto men, that could have better discovered Gods love to them? The Incredulous therefore reproach us with the meanness of an object, wherein the vertues of men, and the attributes of God himself are shewn in their greatest height and perfection.

But let him that any ways doubts, it, consider the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which is as it were a key that opens all these Events to us. To dye and re∣main under the power of Death, is indeed an evi∣dent mark of weakness and misery: but to dye and yet overcome Death by rising from the Grave, is the mark of a supernatural power and a divine glo∣ry. Thus Jesus Christ descended into the lower parts of the Earth for no other end but to ascend in∣to Heaven, as the Eye-witnesses of that great and notable Event did plainly testify.

But the Incredulous will not believe their report, and they further pretend, that they can find in hi∣story the example of a testimony very like that, which was nevertheless without contradiction repu∣ted to be a meer Imposture. We read say they, that after the Death of Romulus, there was a certain se∣nator, who having always lived in the repute of a very honest man, certified that Romulus was ascend∣ed into Heaven, where he was inserted among the

Gods, and that this Monarch had appeared unto him, &c. Is not this a matter of fact not unlike that which the Disciples testify'd of Jesus Christ through∣out the Universe?

'Tis very like it indeed, only it has these follow∣ing differences; there you read of a single person testifying that he had seen Romulus ascended into Heaven; but here you have a very great number of people who certifiy'd that they had seen Jesus Christ after his Resurrection. There it is pretended that a great and triumphant Monarch during the course of his life, was inserted amongst the Gods after his Death; (which agrees well enough with the com∣mon notions of the Vulgar) but here that a man died a Death proper only to Slaves; that he rose a∣gain and ascended into Heaven, which is a thing that could not easily enter of it self into any mans mind. There a Senator made use of a lie to free the Senate from the accusation of having murthered their King; but here we find men who exposed themselves to Death, and to torments, if it were possible more insufferable than Death it self, to bear witness of that they look'd upon as a Truth. There it appears that 'twas a cuning man who softned a multitude enraged for the murther of their King, by imposing upon their beleif: but here we have only simple and ignorant persons, who by their tes∣timony convinced even the most obstinate amongst the Learned, and engaged them also to suffer Martyrdom. There a single person barely affirmed without any proof, that Romulus had appeared to him: here we have such Witnesses as convince us of the Truth of their Testimony by the most real and sensible proofs in the World, viz. the extraordina∣ry and miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost confer∣red upon them, and which they themselves frequent∣ly imparted to others.

But lastly, it may be objected that we see now a days certain Enthusiasts and Quakers pretending themselves inspired by the Holy Ghost, who re∣veals to them as they say, both what they should do and believe, whereas all men of sense know very well they do but dream all this while; and per∣haps too the Disciples might have falsly pretended they had received the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. It will soon be seen how wretchedly foolish and trivial this same objection is, if it be only considered that tho these Enthusiasts vainly boast of their being di∣vinely inspired, yet they pretend not to confirm their Doctrine by working any Miracles, or speak∣ing strange Languages, &c. They think themselves inspired in respect of their Doctrine only; and since they commonly speak in the stile of the Holy Scrip∣ture, which they have continually before their eyes, we have no reason to wonder at their taking for an inspiration a continual repetition of that they have so often read over. But the Apostles not only pre∣tended themselves inspired by the Holy Ghost, (that they might not advance any thing but what was Or∣thodox and conformable to the Holy Scriptures) but they affirmed also they had received some su∣pernatural and miraculous gifts, the truth of which they could at any time justify by their Works. And if you should doubt it, you need only observe they did not prove the same by meer speculations, but by calling to bear witness of what they said, the senses of those they spoke to, nay the eyes of the Jews themselves both their Masters and their Enemies too. He therefore being, say they, by the right hand of God exalted, has shed forth this which ye now see and hear, Acts 2. 33. If you should doubt whether St. Peter really spoke just after this manner to the Jews; the multitude of those Proselytes converted by the evi∣dence of this Demonstration, and a whole Church

purely founded by the efficacy of the same, will suf∣ficiently warrant the certainty of it. Should you suppose that the Disciples deceived the multitude, we will only remind you that they had to deal with several learned and skillful Adversaries, tho' they themselves were but simple and ignorant People. If you should imagin that the Vulgar delighted in suffering themselves to be thus miserably deluded, we will only put you in mind, that there could be no Faith more Grievous or terrible, according to the judgment of men, than that which they embraced when they turned Christians; that it highly concern∣ed them throughly to examin such matters of fact, the belief of which obliged them to suffer Martyr∣dom; that those of Berea who daily took care to compare the holy Scriptures, to know whether all things were really so as St. Paul had told them, cer∣tainly would not have failed to consult their eyes and ears, to be assured whether the Apostles had any reason to pretend they could do signs and wonders; this latter examination being more sure and easy than the former; that 'twas not once or twice only St. Paul boasted of having made himself known by many signs, miracles and wonders wrought by him in the presence of those he wrote his exhortations to; that every one of his Epistles is full of Declara∣tions of this kind, or of those things visibly relating thereunto; that he derived both his Arguments and the motives of his exhortations from that undeniably known effusion of the supernatural graces of the Ho∣ly Ghost. Certainly no man can imagin St. Paul so senseless as to write to the Corinthians in these Words, Wherefore, Brethren, covet to prophecy, and forbid not to speak with tongues, 1 Cor. 14. 19. supposing those gifts had not been actually visible in the Church; nor would he have taken so much care to remedy those disorders which arose from the abuse of those mira∣culous

gifts, as we have already observ'd he did. Neither would he have warned them that the end of Prophecying was to edifie the faithful, but that the gift of Tongues as being miraculous was to convince the Incredulous. Lastly, he would never have un∣dertook to correct the disorders of men, who valued those extraordinary Gifts more than Charity it self, as we see he did when he observed, that whether there were prophecies, they should fail, whether there were Languages, they should cease: but that Charity did ne∣ver fail.

But we may easily see by his words how fully he was perswaded of these things. He had so great an admiration for so many miracles, signs, and won∣derful works, which the Spirit of God wrought in the sight of men; that he knew not well what suit∣able name to give to that Divine principle. Some∣times he called it The excellency of the power of God, 2 Cor. 4. 7. sometimes, the exceeding greatness of his power, Eph. 1. 19. sometimes, the Excellency of the power of his might, Eph. 6. 10. All which ex∣pressions are to the full as Natural as they are strong, and discover to us beyond all the arguments in the World the Idea St. Paul had of those miraculous gifts, and consequently that too which we our selves ought to have of them.

Notes

• Plutarch in the life of Romulus.