The certainty of the Christian revelation, and the necessity of believing it, established in opposition to all the cavils and insinuations of such as pretend to allow natural religion, and reject the Gospel / by Francis Gastrell ...

This I shall endeavour to make out; First, From the constant Tradition of such a Belief, together with many sensible and infallible Effects of it.

From the Neronian Persecution to the Council of Nice is about 260 Years; which is so short a Period, That 'tis hardly pos∣sible to imagine the Tradition of so im∣portant a Fact, as the general Profession of the Christian Religion, in any consider∣able Country or Nation, should, in the main Branches and Substance of it, be defective or corrupted within that Time; though there were no other remaining Monuments of it, but what were ob∣vious to every Man's own Observation at the Meeting of this Famous Council. And therefore since the Christians of this latter Period did look upon it as a certain Truth delivered down to them, That the Christians who lived in Nero's Time professed the same Faith they did, as 'tis plain from the Account before given of their Religion they must, we may very well conclude, That the Matter

of Fact was really so without further Proof.

But to remove all Doubts and Ob∣jections so general a Conclusion as this may be apt to create, the Truth and Credibility of the Tradition shall be more clearly made out in the following Man∣ner.

Several of those who were present at the Council of Nice might, of their own certain knowledge, be fully satisfied, That, for Fifty Year backward, the Chri∣stian Religion had been the same it was then, in the Countries from whence they came; That all this Time they had had the same Scriptures among them; That these Scriptures had constantly been read, both in publick and private; and (as far as fell within humane Cognizance) as con∣stantly, and in the same manner believed and esteemed, as they appeared then to be; That the Ceremonies of Baptizing and Communicating had been always universally used, at such Times, and upon such and such Occasions; That these, and several other Religious Performances, as Reading the Scriptures, Prayers, Exhortations, &c. had been constantly practised in publick, when Christians were assembled toge∣ther;

That Meetings, or Assemblies, for these Purposes were very frequent; That, besides other occasional Times, they al∣ways observed the First Day of the Week, as a Portion of Time which they thought themselves obliged to set a-part for the Performance of Religious Duties, and especially in Publick; That there were a constant Succession of Men, by certain Cere∣monies peculiarly appropriated to the Dis∣charge of some Religious Offices, which they did not think it Lawful for others, not so distinguished, to be concern'd in; That it was the particular Business of these Men to teach and instruct the rest in the Knowledge of the Christian Religion, and exhort them to a steady and exact Submission to the Rules of it; That there were some of these styled Bishops, who were by some different Marks of Distinction known from the rest of their Brethren, and presided over all Christians, both Clergy and Laity, in such a District, go∣verning and directing them all in Religious Affairs, and exercising certain Spiritual Powers of an extraordinary future Influence, in order to the preserving and inforcing the Belief and Practice of the Christian Re∣ligion. Such Customs and Actions as these,

in all which every Bishop must himself have bore a Share, must needs be infal∣libly known to those Bishops assembled at Nice, who were of Age enough to re∣member for so long together as Fifty Years, which may easily be supposed of several of them: And it may, with as much reason, be allowed, That these very Bishops might have, Fifty Years be∣fore their Meeting at Nice, convers'd with those who could have as distinctly re∣membred what was done for Fifty Years further backward, as they could remem∣ber what had happen'd since the Time we supposed they convers'd with them; from whom they might have been cer∣tainly inform'd, That all the foremen∣tion'd Matters of Fact had continued the same, for Fifty Years before they could have an immediate Knowledge of them them∣selves. And moreover, those who gave them this Information could have assu∣red them, That they never saw, or heard of any Body, that lived since their Time, who knew it otherwise; and this, with the same Allowance as in the former Case, will carry the Thing Fifty Years higher still.

And so far, I think, however uncer∣tain Tradition is justly accounted in the Conveyance of Doctrines and Opinions, the Tradition of such notorious Matters of Fact as these, so easily observed, so constantly present, so general, and so concerning, may be fully relied upon.

To make this plainer, by a like Instance in our Country, just about 150 Years ago, Edward the Sixth is reported to have been King of England; and the same Hi∣story which tells us so, (which I will suppose to be but just now written) ac∣quaints us, That, in his Time, the Chri∣stian Religion was generally professed through all this Nation, and much after the same manner it is now: But, particularly, that the same Scriptures were acknowledg'd, and the same Religious Customs and Ʋsages obtained, which are before mention'd in the other Case, viz. Baptism and Commu∣nion, Observation of the Lord's Day, Mini∣stration of Priests, Government of Bishops, &c. just as they are at this present. The Truth of all which we might be very well as∣sured of, if there were no History, or other Monuments, of what was done in the Reign of King Edward the Sixth ex∣tant, down from his Time to this; be∣cause,

by the former Supposition, there have been a great many Persons, who, during the Course of their Lives, com∣puted at no uncommon length, might have convers'd with those who liv'd in King Edward the Sixth's Time, and also with those who are now Living; and at such Ages of their several Lives, in which they may well be suppos'd capable of re∣membring and judging of what they saw and heard: From which intermediate Per∣sons, so many as are now Living, and convers'd with them, (which, I believe, are a great many) may have had sueh certain Information of the state of Religion in this Nation, during the Reign of that King, that they cannot possibly call in question. And if all these agree in their several Reports, without concerting with one another, the Evi∣dence of the same Matters of Fact they thus agree in will be as strong, with respect to us who enquire these Things of them, and much stronger than to any of them themselves in particular, who have not made the same Observations concerning the Agreement of others be∣fore them.

'Twould be no unreasonable Supposi∣tion to imagine, That there are some now Living, who have immediately convers'd with those who lived in Edward the Sixth's Time; but these are so few, and of so un∣usual an Age, that I shall not insist upon a Proof that might be made that way: But the other Case I have mention'd is easy and common, and lies open to every Body without a particular Computation of Time.

Upon which I shall further observe, That those, whose Testimony is allow'd sufficient for the Form and Kind of Reli∣gion professed in England, under Edward the Sixth, are, so far as that Period reaches, as good and capable Witnesses of the Condition of its Being, with respect either to its Original then, or any consi∣derable Alterations or Intermissions in it at any time since. Whether the Christian Reli∣gion was first introduced into this Country by Edward the Sixth, or any Body else in his Time, all the Inhabitants of it having immediately before been Jews, Heathens, or Mahometans; or whether it had been re∣ceiv'd and professed here, before he came to the Throne, must have been equally known, and in like manner conveyed down, by those

from whom we derive the other Matters of Fact with which this is supposed co∣temporary? And if any considerable Changes in the main Branches, or general and pub∣lick Ʋsages of it, such as are before in∣stanced in; or any Intermissions, either of the whole Profession, or of some of those publick Customs and Manners of Worship or Disci∣pline, should have happen'd at any Time since, these being more remarkable Facts than the uninterrupted Continuance of the same state and form of Religion, and falling later than the first Date of what we al∣low to be distinctly known and remem∣bred, must be granted to be as easily and surely delivered down to us, as those Things which are acknowledg'd to fall earlier, and yet came safe to our Hands.

Now to apply all this to the former Case: These Bishops in the Council of Nice, who came from such or such a particular Province of the Roman Empire, might be as fully assured, That the Chri∣stian Religion was professed 150 Years be∣fore in that Province, in the same Manner, founded upon the same Scriptures, and at∣tended with the same Customs, as it was at the Time of their assembling at Nice; as we of this Country can be assur'd,

That our Religion, Scriptures, and Religious Customs are the same now, that they were in the Reign of Edward the Sixth, King of England.

What particular Christian Customs, I mean, in both Instances has been suffi∣ciently expressed already; but what those Scriptures were, which I suppose the Ni∣cene Bishops unanimously acknowledg'd for the Word of God, and Rule of their Faith, and believed to have been written by the First Apostles and Disciples of Christ, and consequently to have been the same 150 Years before they met in Council as they were then, has not yet been de∣clared, and, by what was done in the Council, does not certainly appear: But, I think, there is no manner of Reason to doubt, but they were the very same which now go under the Name of the New Testament. For whether the Council of Laodicea, which was the first that made any Canon concerning the Books of Scrip∣ture, was before this Council of Nice, as some imagine, or about Forty Years after, as others more probably conclude, we have Arguments and Authorities enough to convince us, That all the Books of the New Testament were acknowledg'd by the

greatest part of the Nicene Fathers, and most of them by all.

'Tis plain, from all the publick Deci∣sions and Orders of the Council, That they are grounded upon some or other of the Books of Scripture now in our Hands, if they may be supposed to have been written before that Time: And that they were Eusebius, one of the Bishops of this Council, is a sufficient Witness; who, in a History he has left us, gives us an Account of the Time when they were all writ, and the Authors they were writ by; which is another very good Ar∣gument, That most of the Nicene Bishops had the same Bible: For Eusebius being not only present amongst, and conver∣sing with several of them, but having a great Share in the Management of the Controversy they came to decide, and be∣ing of a doubtful Faith in the main Point determined by them; or, as some suspect, a Favourer of the Side condem∣ned, must have had occasion either in publick Debate, or private Conversa∣tion, to have cited most of the Books he acknowledg'd for Scripture; and had any doubt arisen concerning the Authority of them, such a considerable and impor∣tant

Controversy as would have sprung from thence, would have produced a Determination of the Council upon it; or, to be sure, have been as much taken Notice of, and as faithfully Recorded, as any Thing else that was done there.

Besides, 'tis plain from the History we have of this Council, by Cotemporaries, and others of the Age immediately fol∣lowing, That some Scriptures were ap∣peal'd to, their Authority acknowledg'd, Forms of Expression drawn from thence, a Difficulty made of departing from Scripture-Terms till other equivalent Ex∣pressions were found necessary, to distin∣guish those who believ'd Scripture in a right Sence, from those who interpreted it wrong. And therefore, if Eusebius, or Athanasius, who were present at the Council, or any other Writer cotempo∣rary, or near in Time to it, says any Thing of this Nature, he must be judg'd to mean, That the same Scriptures were acknowledg'd by the Nicene Council, which he himself owns: So that if Euse∣bius, or Athanasius, own'd all the Books of the New Testament which we do, 'tis mani∣fest, That when he talks of the Scrip∣tures, in the Account he gives of the

Nicene Council, he must mean the same that he does when he mentions them up∣on any other Occasion. And the like will hold of other Writers.

But further, to put this Matter past all doubt, 'tis certain, That the Canon of Scripture was some time or other after∣wards fixed, as we find it now, with all the same Books in the New Testament that we have at present. The Occasion of making such a Canon was, because it was doubted of some of the Books, Whether they were the genuine Works of those whose Names they bore; and, if they were not, Whether they were of equal Authority with the rest. Now the way that was taken to remove all Ob∣jections, and fix the Authority of those Scriptures which were to be the unalter∣able Standard of the Christian Religion, was, by examining the general Tradition of all the different Churches where Christianity was professed; upon which Examination, when it was certainly known, That such and such Books, which were doubted of by some, because they had been but lately received among the Christians of those Provinces and Churches to which they belong'd, had been constantly ac∣knowledg'd

under the same Style and Character with the rest, by the Genera∣lity of the other Churches of Christians; these were likewise as universally re∣ceiv'd as the other, and their Authority in the same manner allow'd. The Con∣sent of so many different Churches in the same Opinion concerning certain Books, and, agreeably to their Opinion, in the same careful Preservation of them unal∣ter'd, most of which Churches had con∣tinued separate, and independent one of another, ever since the Date they ascri∣bed to those Writings, and several of them at such a Distance as to have had no communication with one another since that Time; such a Consent, I say, as this, whensoever the Canon of Scripture was first determined in a general Meeting, was thought sufficient to establish the Authority of any Book that was doubted of, and accordingly the whole Canon we now have, was afterwards universal∣ly acknowledg'd.

Since therefore we find, That all the Scriptures of the New Testament were uni∣versally received some time after the Ni∣cene Council; and, since the Establishment of the Canon, and universal Submission

to it, were founded upon a general Tra∣dition, so faithfully preserved in the far greatest part of Christian Churches, that all other Christians were fully satisfied of it: From hence it follows, That the greatest part of the Nicene Bishops must own the same Scriptures we do now, because the greatest part of the Churches from whence they came did.

But, not to insist upon this, we will consider only those Scriptures which were never doubted of by any Christians, and consequently must have been received by the whole Council of Nice. These were, according to Eusebius, who in his History gives us a Catalogue of them, the Four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Thirteen Epistles of St. Paul, which have his Name to them, the First Epistle of Pe∣ter, and the First Epistle of John. And Eusebius could not say this, had he known of any of his Fellow-Bishops of the Council, who denied either the Autho∣rity or general Reception of any of these Books.

Supposing therefore, That these were the only Scriptures acknowledg'd by all the Nicene Bishops; then what was said before, concerning several Religious Cu∣stoms

and Practices there mention'd, will hold in like manner of those Books of Scrip∣ture; and such or such a particular Bi∣shop, that was present at this Council, might himself, by a short, easy, and un∣questionable way of conveyance, be as∣sured, That for 150 Years last past, the same Scriptures had been acknowledg'd, as well as the same Religious Customs pra∣ctised in that Church and Province from whence he came, and consequently, That the main Scheme of Christian Doctrine, and the publick Profession of it, had been all that Time the same.

Now if we apply the foregoing Obser∣vations to all the several Bishops of this Council, and suppose them all satisfied of the constant Tradition of the same Scriptures & Customs as are before specified, in the several Churches and Provinces from whence they came, as the History of these Times relates the Matter of Fact to have been; then is the unanimous con∣sent of all these Bishops an infallible Ar∣gument of the truth of what they testi∣fie.

And, if there had not been such a con∣stant Tradition in any of these Churches or Provinces as we suppose, then the

Original Introduction, or Intermission of any of those Scriptures or Customs within the same compass of Time, would have been in the same Way and Manner, and with the same Certainty known to the Bi∣shops of those Churches and Provinces, where such Introduction, or Intermission happen'd; and, what was first introdu∣ced among them, might as easily and surely have been traced to the Country or Province from whence it was derived to them, and the Manner and Occasion of the Conveyance as certainly remem∣bred, as the continued Tradition of the same State of things could have been; and, then the enquiry may be made in those Churches and Provinces which did not derive their Religion from any other, within the time before set of 150 Years; and so far the Argument from Tradition will most undoubtedly hold according to the former Supposition laid down.

But, however this be, whether we suppose that all the Countrys and Provin∣ces from whence the Nicene Bishops came, had profess'd the Christian Religion for 150 Years before this Council met, or that some of them had received it later; the Tra∣dition concerning the continued Ʋniformi∣ty

of the Scriptures and Religious Customs which I have before given an account of is equally to be relied on for that whole space of Time; for, the Tradi∣tion of any thing being preserved by a Succession of Men, and not a constancy of Place, There was no Person at this Coun∣cil, but was capable of informing him∣self with great certainty, that the Chri∣stian Religion had been in the World, and the same Scriptures and Religious Customs they then had in the Church he belonged to had been in like manner, constantly own'd and receiv'd by those that pro∣fess'd the Christian Religion for 150 Years before that time, either in the Country he himself was then of, or in some other from whence that Religion, and those Scriptures and Customs were derived to them. The Succession of the Persons conveying such a Tradition is so very short, that no change of Place is sufficient to disturb or interrupt the Conveyance, and therefore, no Person that gave him∣self the trouble of a faithful Enquiry, could be mistaken in it; and it must be allowed to have been the concern of all to enquire; and, since 'tis plain that all the Bishops did acknowledge these things

to be of greater Antiquity, and of uninter∣rupted continuance, as all pretences to the Christian Religion do necessarily in∣ferr; it must also be supposed that seve∣ral of them had taken particular care to satisfie themselves of the truth of these Matters, and that none of them had met with any contrary accounts that shock'd their Faith.

Thus does it manifestly appear from the certainty of bare Tradition only, with∣out the assistance of any concurrent Mo∣numents of a more fix'd and lasting signi∣fication to strengthen it, that for 150 Years before the Council of Nice, the Chri∣stian Religion was in the main Foundation and Substance, and in the principal In∣stitutions of it, the same it was then, wheresoever it was profess'd at either of these times: And, by accounts written about this latter Period, by Persons that were present at the Council then Assem∣bled, who could be sure of the Tradi∣tion themselves in some Countrys, and could receive the like Information from the other Bishops Assembled with them, as to the Places they came from, it is likewise certain that in most, if not all the Provinces and Cities, any of the

Nicene Bishops belong'd to, the Christian Religion had been established 150 Years before the Meeting of that Council, and in the same manner profess'd during that whole Term.

Taking it therefore for granted, that the Christian Religion was by large num∣bers of Men profess'd in the greatest part of the Roman Empire 150 Years before the Council of Nice, in the same manner it was at the Meeting of that Council; this Agreement of so many several di∣stinct Countries in the same Religion, ne∣cessarily proves that that Religion must have been derived to them all from some common Original; and, since, as has be∣fore been observed, the Chief Gover∣nor of all these Provinces and Countries, was always, till the Person that then Reigned, of a Religion opposite to that which was then profess'd by so many of his Subjects, and consequently cannot be supposed by any Decree or Law of his, to have introduced this into all his Do∣minions at once; it evidently follows from hence, that this Religion must have been published and entertain'd in some one Countrey or Province first, before it was heard of in any of the other; and in some

particular Town or City of that Province, except we suppose a great many first In∣ventors concerting a Scheme and agree∣ing to publish it all at the same time, in several Countries, or several parts of the same Country, which is a very un∣likely Supposition, will hardly be ob∣jected here, and, if it was, would do the Objectors little service, as might easily be proved if there was occasion.

Whatever Country then we suppose the Christian Religion first published in, we must allow some time for its spreading through that Country, and being after∣wards propagated and fix'd in so many other Nations of different Manners, Tempers and Languages as the several Provinces of the Roman Empire were, in which the Christian Religion was 150 Years before the Council of Nice esta∣blished, and flourished, notwithstanding all the opposition a New Religion unsup∣ported by Civil Power must meet with.

Now if we allow about Threescore Years for all this, and according to the natural progress of Things, 'tis incredi∣ble the Christian Religion should from any one City or Province of the Roman Empire, in so short a time, be diffused so

far, be embraced by so many, and be established so sare, under all the disavan∣tages that such a Religion must be at∣tended with; yet, allowing but Three∣score Years or thereabouts for so won∣derful an Event, this added to the 150 before accounted for, brings us to the time of Trajan. We are sure therefore, that the Christian Religion could not have a later Original than under the Reign of Trajan: But 'tis plain from an Eminent Minister of his Court, that there were then vast numbers of Christians in the Roman Empire, and in Provinces very remote from Rome, as well as within the di∣strict of Rome it self, and the account he gives of that Religion, manifestly shews that it was so far the same with what was found in the Scriptures, and profess'd by all Christians at the time of the Council of Nice.

Since therefore, as has before been proved, the Christian Religion was the same 150 Years before the Council of Nice as it was then; since in some of those very Provinces and Cities of the Roman Empire, where the same Christian Religion was profess'd 150 Years before the

Council of Nice, we find that the Chri∣stian Religion was likewise profess'd; and there were great numbers of Christians about Threescore Years before that time, under the Reign of Trajan; and the account we have of these Christians and their Religion by Heathen Authors, agrees exactly with the Character of the Chri∣stian Religion which not long af∣terwards, we find, generally maintain'd, then it follows from hence, that in those particular Places, the Religion was the same in the time of Trajan, it was Three∣score Years afterwards; and consequently, that being but 150 Years before the Coun∣cil of Nice, the same it was then: And, if the Christian Religion was as far spread in the time of Trajan, as it was Sixty Years afterwards, the same will hold as to all the Roman Empire; and, if it was not, it must be derived to those Provinces that wanted it, from those where it was profess'd, which amounts to the same thing; for, if the Christian Religion in the time of Trajan was not the same it was Sixty Years afterwards; no account can be given of so general and wide an Agreement then in so many diffe∣rent Provinces, as has already been prov'd

the same Christian Religion was profess'd in at that time, in all which, the Re∣ligion then profess'd, must be supposed different from the Original it was de∣rived from Sixty Years before, even in those very Provinces, where it had been so long ago established, as well as in those where it was later entertain'd, which is absurd to imagine.

And further, since by the account we have of these Times, it plainly appears, that the Christian Religion was very far spread under the Reign of Trajan, and consequently published long before; and since as far as it was then spread, it was the same it was Sixty Years afterwards, when, as we have already proved, the greatest part of the Roman Empire agreed in the same general Form or Scheme of Re∣ligion which was profess'd at the Council of Nice, and in the same Religious Insti∣tutions and Practices as were then in use; it follows from hence, and from what has been before advanced, that the Chri∣stians we find in Nero's Time, were of the same Religion and Faith with those that lived at the time of the Council of Nice; and consequently, that all the common Historical Matters of Fact mention'd in

the New Testament, respecting the Original of the Christian Religion, the Place where it first appeared, the Time and Manner of Pub∣lishing and Propagating it, the Characters of those concern'd in the Work, and the Fortune that attended both them and their Doctrine, must necessarily be true, as I shall endeavour to shew more par∣ticularly by summing up the whole Ar∣gument in this manner.

It has been proved before, That the generality of Christians at the time of the Council of Nice, acknowledg'd all the same Scriptures that we do now, and that most of the Books of the New Testament were universally received then, and believed by all Christians of that Time, to have been so from their first appearance in the World. The Books which were thus universally received, were as universally thought to have been written by those Authors to whom they are ascribed, and to have been all written by their several Authors, at several times, between the end of Caligula's Reign and the beginning of Trajan's. And indeed, if they believ'd the Scrip∣ture-History, as 'tis plain the Christians, who received these Books, did, they must

have believed likewise, that all the Books of the New Testament, being written by such Authors whose Names they bear, were writ within the compass of Time assigned for them; for from the Time and Manner of the Publication of the Chri∣stian Religion, it appears that they could not have been any of them writ∣ten sooner; and from the Age of the Authors, it is plain that they could not have been Works of a later Date.

This being the general Faith of all Christi∣ans at the Time of the Council of Nice, must likewise, according to what has been al∣ready proved, the universal Belief of Chri∣stians 150 Years before this Council sat; and if the same Scriptures were in the same Manner received and acknowledg'd, in the great∣est part of the Roman Empire, 150 Years before this Council of Nice, they must have been generally known and receiv∣ed in the Time of Trajan, as far as the Christian Name then reach'd, they could not otherwise have been propagated so far and wide in less than Threescore Years time; And if the Christians in Tra∣jan's Time knew and believ'd these Scrip∣tures, then was the Christian Religion under Trajan the same it was under Nero: For in every Book of the New

Testament the Author plainly supposes the Christian Religion established, and all the principal Matters of Fact, and Do∣ctrines there recorded, believed before he wrote; and therefore, if all or any of these Books were received at Rome in the Time of Trajan (as the Epistle to the Ro∣mans must have been when Sixty Years af∣terwards it was believed by the greatest part of the Roman Empire to have been sent to them) then does it follow that all the Christians that received them must have certainly known that they be∣lieved the same Facts and Doctrines which they found in those Books ever since they profess'd the Christian Religion; and that all others who were of the same Name, must have profess'd to believe the same things too, (the Nature of that Re∣ligion so requiring) and consequently, that the Christian Religion at Rome was the same in the Time of Nero it was then, the Neronian Persecution being not above Thirty five Years before the Reign of Trajan; which is so short a Period, that several Christians of Trajan's Time, might have been Christians under Nero too, and must have known whether Chri∣stianity then Preach'd to them, was the

same with what they found written, supposing they were converted be∣fore they had seen any of the Books of the New Testament; and if they were not, they might as easily have inform'd them∣selves, whether that part of the Christi∣an History they found in these Books respecting Rome, and particularly Nero's Time were true or not: And their Con∣version to Christianity by the means of these Books necessarily proves them sa∣tisfied of the truth of the Relations there given.

Now if most of the Books of the New Testament were received in Trajan's Time, and if Christianity was the same under Nero as under Trajan, and the same Preach'd as Written, then does it neces∣sarily follow, not only that these Books were written by those Authors whose Names they bear, some time between the Death of Tiberius, and beginning of Trajan's Reign; but that all the common Historical Facts mention'd in the New Testament, and which I have undertaken to prove under this Head, are certainly true; otherwise they could not have been so generally and firmly believed, so near the Time they are there reported

to have happen'd in. For the Chri∣stians that lived in Trajan's Time, and received these Books as written by such Authors, must consequently believe that the first Promulgation of the Gospel or Christian Religion by Jesus Christ, happen'd but Seventy Years before, and that du∣ring that space it was Preach'd through∣out the Roman Empire, by such Persons, and in such a Manner, as is there related; that it was embraced by great numbers of People in all the considerable Provinces, and Cities of it, established by the Ʋnion of large Societies and Congregations under the same common Form of Discipline, and Witness'd and Confirm'd by the various Sufferings of the first Teachers, and mul∣titudes of their Disciples; and the Chri∣stians that lived in Nero's Time, must have believed most of this to have hap∣pen'd in half that space.

Thus by the help of meer Tradition only, does it plainly appear, that the Chri∣stian Religion was the same at the Time of the Council of Nice, as it was when it was first Publish'd and Preach'd to the World; and consequently, that all the principal Matters of Fact in the New Testa∣ment, such as I have before given an ac∣count

of, were all along believed by those who Styled themselves Christians; and therefore all those common Historical Facts, the certainty of which 'twas my present business to shew, must be true.

All the Authority I have made use of to strengthen this Tradition, is the Testi∣mony of some Heathen Authors of un∣questionable Credit for the proof of this one point only, that there were a great many Persons Styled Christians, who were persecuted for what they be∣lieved and did as such, at Rome, by Ne∣ro, and in other remote Provinces of the Roman Empire by Trajan: Which two Matters of Fact happening at such parti∣cular distances from the supposed Ori∣ginal of the Christian Religion, I chose to mention rather for the better Illustra∣tion of the Matter I was to prove, than for any distinct proof of it. For, taking it for granted that the Matters of Fact concerning the Council of Nice, and the State of the Christian Religion at that time, were such as I have represented; and, allow∣ing further, what, I think, I have prov∣ed, that the Christian Religion was pro∣fessed in most, if not all the same Places from whence the Nicene Bishops came,

and in the same manner, as to the Belief of the Scriptures, and use of those Religi∣ous Customs and Institutions I have before instanced in, 150 Years before as it was then, it follows from hence, that, with∣out the help of any particular Testimony of Heathen or other Writers, or any other Ancient Monuments of History, that all those common Matters of Fact which I have mention'd at the beginning of this Head, must needs be true. For, accor∣ding to this Supposition, the greatest part of the Roman Empire, believing the Books of the New Testament 150 Years before the Council of Nice, must consequently believe that in less than 150 Years be∣fore that Time, the Christian Religion was first published to the World at Jerusalem, there being no such Thing as a Christian before; and that, within that space of Time down from the first Publication of the Gospel to their present Belief of it, it must have been Preached and Pro∣pagated through the greatest part of the known World, in the Way and Man∣ner recorded in the Books of the New Testament, and that the same Persons who Preach'd it were the Authors of those Books; Copies of which had been dis∣pers'd

so far, and multiplied to so great great a variety, that most of the Peo∣ple that profess'd the Christian Religion in every Country, had them in their Hands; which Matters of Fact, and other Particulars depending upon them, if they had not been true, could never have been so generally believed at a Time so near that in which they were supposed to happen, that the first and re∣motest of all, was not 150 Years past, and the others must fall out much later.

But further, besides this proof that I have brought from Tradition, there are a great many other concurrent Authorities which do not only confirm the Certainty of the Tradition, but are of themselves a distinct and sufficient Evidence of the same Truths which we have already proved that way. For, at the same Period of Time wherein we have chosen to con∣sider the State of the Christian Religion, and from whence we have traced it up to its first Original, and shewed the Constancy and Integrity of the Con∣veyance, viz. At the Meeting of the first General Council of Nice, we find a great

many fixt and standing Monuments of se∣veral Ages and different Places, that eve∣ry body might have recourse to, and exa∣min when they pleased; all which did very exactly and fully prove the Antiquity and uninterrupted continuance of the Christian Faith, as to all the principal Matters of Fact related in the New Testament.

Eusebius, one of the Bishops of the Nicene Council, before mention'd, has writ a History of the Christian Reli∣gion from its first appearance in the World down to his own Time, and the Book is now extant, warranted to be his by the Testimony of abundance of succeeding Writers, and question'd by none. Now in this History he gives us a very large and particular account of the State and Condition of Christianity in all the several Places of the World, wherever he could learn it had been entertain'd: which Ac∣count consists of a vast variety of Mat∣ters of Fact, beside those already in∣stanced, in as preserved by Tradition, the Memory of most of which, was not on∣ly preserved the same way, but was further secured by lasting Monuments and Records.

The most remarkable Matters in him, which I think sufficient to my present

purpose to mention for the further Con∣firmation of those Truths I have already proved, may be referred to these three Heads, Customs and Ʋsages; Relicks, Buil∣dings, and other such like Monuments; Books and written Words.

And first it is to be observed that, at the time of the Council of Nice, besides those Religious Customs and Institutions be∣fore instanced in, which were general and constant in all Ages and Countries since the first Original of Christianity, there were several other Customs and Ʋsages then Practised; some of which obtain∣ed as generally as the former did, and others were confined to some particular Places: such were the Annual Feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost; stated times of the Year and Week for Fasting; Anniversary Commemoration of the Suffer∣ings of Martyrs, and often Meeting at the Places where they Suffered; using the Sign of the Cross upon several occasions; calling Children by the Names of the first Apostles and Saints, &c. These, and many other such like Customs as these, are plainly found∣ed upon, and suppose an antecedent Be∣lief of Christianity, and particularly those

principal Facts Recorded in the New Testa∣ment, upon which the whole Christian Re∣ligion turns. These therefore are both fresh proofs of the Truth of those Facts we have undertaken to prove, and do also strengthen and confirm the Tradi∣tion of those other Customs and Insti∣tutions we have before instanced in; especially if we consider what the same History, that gives us this account, informs us of, viz. that the Christian Customs now mention'd, were not look'd upon as such necessary parts of that Religion, nor of so early an Original as the other; and that both these and the former were in seve∣ral Places and Ages practised after several Manners, with different additional Rites and Ceremonies; which general Reception of some Customs and general distinctions be∣twixt Necessary and Ʋnnecessary, Sub∣stance and Manner in all that were re∣ceived, are certain Arguments of a sin∣cere and well-examin'd Tradition.

Another Set of Testimonies which Eusebius furnishes us with, in behalf of the Christian Tradition, are Relicks, Buil∣dings, and other such like Monuments; se∣veral of which were remaining in his

Time, and seen by him himself; such were Christian Burying-Places and Sepul∣chres with the Names of Christians upon them; particularly those of Peter and Paul; Statues and Pictures, particularly the Statue of the Woman cured by Christ of the Bloody Flux; Pictures of Christ, Peter, and Paul, in colours: These were all seen by Eusebius himself, as was likewise the Episcopal Chair of James at Jerusalem, several Christian Libra∣ries, and several Christian Temples, before they were pull'd down and destroyed by the Order of Dieclesian. These, and many other such like Monuments remaining in Eusebius's Time, whether all the Particu∣lar Traditional Reports concerning them were true or false, might easily be per∣ceived upon view, or divers other ways be known to be Ancient; and, whatever Age they were of, they must be good proofs of the Belief of the Men of those Times, and consequently of the truth of Christianity, so far as we are now con∣cern'd to prove it.

But the Tradition of Christianity from its first Original, down to the Council of Nice, with all the principal Matters of

Fact upon which it is built, is further and more especially secured to us, and the truth of all the foregoing Testimo∣nies confirm'd by Books and written Re∣cords: vast Numbers of which of diffe∣rent Kinds and different Ages, written by several Men of different Countries, Cha∣racters, Designs, and Religious Persuasions were extant in Eusebius's Time; a great many of which were generally known, multitudes of Copies of them being disper∣sed throughout the World; and several of these Writings were carefully preserved in particular places, and either never communicated further by any Tran∣scripts or Copies, to remaining there to be seen in their Primitive State after Transcription.

Now all these Writings, of what kind soever they are, whose Authority is made use of for the establishing the Christian Faith, I shall rank under certain distinct Heads, in order to shew what sense and weight they have in the proof of what they are brought to maintain.

The several Books and Writings then to be considered, are: Copies of the Holy Scriptures, viz. of the Books of the Old and New Testament; Publick Acts and

Records belonging properly to Societies, and not to particular Authors; Genuine Writings of profess'd Christians, who by reason of their common Agreement in some certain Doctrines of Christianity are Styl'd Orthodox; Books writ by Hereticks, who were Men of particular Opinions diffe∣rent from those commonly received by other Christians; Jewish and Pagan Books, containing such Things as have Rela∣tion to Christianity; Forged and Suppositi∣tious Writings of uncertain Authors, which do some way or other concern the Christian Religion.

As to Copies of the Scriptures found in the hands of Christians in Eusebius's Time, I have these Things to observe; that they were then multiplyed to so great a Variety, that hardly a Christian Fami∣ly was without some of the Books; That they were Translated into several different Languages; That in those Coun∣tries, where the Translations were of common use, a great many Copies in the Original Language were preserv'd; That in most of the great Cities and Epis∣copal Churches, there was a Copy in the Original Language more ancient than the

rest, from whence the other Copies were taken, and Translations made; That such Copies as these might not only by Tra∣dition, but by several intrinsick Marks be known to be ancient, and their Age pretty nearly determined; That, upon comparison, there was a very great A∣greement betwixt these ancient Copies pre∣served in several very distant and remote Churches; That such care had been ta∣ken in Transcribing and Translating from them, that the differences found between any Copies either of the Originals or Translations were very inconsiderable; That all Christians thought themselves con∣cern'd to preserve the Jewish Canon of Scripture, as well as the New Testament; and therefore Copies of the Old Testament in the Original Tongue, and Translations of it into several Vulgar Languages were multiplied, carefully Transcribed, and kept together with those of the New; That up∣on a diligent search into the Matter it was found, that, besides those Copies of the greatest part of the Books of the New Testament which were alike to be met with in all Christian Churches, there were others received in some Churches, and by a constant Tradition then vouch'd

to be as early, and of as great Authority as the rest.

From all which I think I may safely inferr, That the Writings of the New Testament were as early as they are pre∣tended to be, and that the Christian Reli∣gion had its Original in Judea, at the time assigned it; which being less than 300 Years before Eusebius; and the Books of the New Testament, which give an account of the Christian Religion, and plainly suppose an antecedent Propagation and Establishment of it in a great part of the World, being writ some time after the first Publication, Eusebius, or any other Per∣son of his Age, who throughly exami∣ned the Matter concerning the Copies of the Scriptures then received, must needs be satisfied from this Considera∣tion only, that the Books of the New Testa∣ment had as early a Publication in the World as is now ascribed to them, and consequently that the Christian Faith was somewhat earlier and the same then as it is in these Books represented to have been.

This will further be made out from the next sort of Writings to be conside∣red,

viz. Publick Acts and Records, belong∣ing properly to Societies, and not to par∣ticular Authors: such were Catalogues of Bishops, Decrees of Synods, Letters from Churches and Societies of Men, general Re∣cords of remarkable Matters, particular Acts and Monuments of Martyrs, Psalms, Hymns, Creeds, and Forms of Prayer.

The most famous Churches, especially those constituted by Apostles, kept the Succession of their Bishops with great care laid up in their Archives, recording their Names and days of their Death in a pair of writing Ta∣bles: This Eusebius tells us was the Cu∣stom of the Primitive Christians; and these Tables he assures us he diligently examined, and he was very exact in the Account he took of them, as particularly appears from what he says concerning the Church of Jerusalem, viz. That he found from Old Records fifteen Bishops, with their Names, who had succeeded in that Church, from the Apo∣stles to the Siege of the Jews in Adrian's Time; but could not find preserved in Writing the space of Time each Bishop spent in his Pre∣sidency over that See. The like diligence and exactness are observable in the Ac∣count he gives of the Succession of Bi∣shops

in several other Churches, most of their Names being set down, and the times of their several Succession, Pre∣sidency, and Death punctually determi∣ned, and Reasons given why he could not speak with the same certainty of the rest omitted.

There were likewise extant in his Time a great many Canons and Decrees, made by several Councils and Synods, convened at several times, in different Countries, and up∣on different occasions; as also several Letters writ from Churches and Societies of Men such as were the Epistles of the Churches of Vienna and Lyons to the Churches of Asia and Phrygia, concerning their Mar∣tyrs; Epistle of the Church of Smyrna con∣cerning the Martyrdom of Polycarp; E∣pistle of the Martyrs of Lyons to Eleuthe∣rus Bishop of Rome; Epistles of the Bi∣shops, and other Members of Synods, inforc∣ing the Observation of the Canons they made, &c. All which were, according to the Nature and Designs of them, either dispersed far abroad, and to be found in several Countries, or else care∣fully preserved in some particular places whither they were directed, and so re∣main'd

there to be seen by such as were pleased to consult them.

Besides such occasional Writings as these which, according to some particular Exi∣gencies of the Church, were sent abroad and communicated from one Society of Christians to others, there were in seve∣ral Places Publick Histories of all remarka∣ble Affairs that happened in each Place, continued down for a considerable space of Time: several of which Publick Hi∣stories or Records Eusebius consulted, as he himself assures us, particularly when he gives us that wonderful Relation of Agbarus King of Edessa, he says he took it out of the Publick Records kept at Edessa, wherein the Antiquities of the City and the Acts of Agbarus are contained: And a great many other Memorable Facts he came by the same way.

In this manner were more especially preserved the Acts and Monuments of such as had suffered Martyrdom upon the ac∣count of the Christian Religion. The Names of abundance of Martyrs, the Times when they Suffered, the various sorts and kinds of Sufferings they endured, with all the other Circumstances re∣lating

to their Persecution, were largely set forth in Writing, and the Records of them carefully kept in many Countries, where the Cruelty and Violence of the several long Persecutions, which had raged at several distant Periods of Time, were most remarkable.

Other Publick Writings extant in Eu∣sebius's Time, were Hymns and Psalms, Creeds and Forms of Prayer: Several of which, that were constantly used in the Publick Assemblies of Christians, were known to be of great Antiquity: And some of these ancient Forms of Wor∣ship were the same in many Churches, and several of them more or less diffe∣rent from one another.

Now 'tis plain to any one that examines any of these Publick Writings belonging to Societies of Christians, that, whensoever they were writ, and whether in all respects true or false, they are certain proofs of an antecedent Establishment and Belief of the Christian Religion, such as it was in Eusebius's Time, and such as it was, and is now found in the New Testament; and all the Accounts we have of the Age and other Circumstances of them, do

concurr to strengthen the Evidence al∣ready given of the Christian Tradition.

But the Truth of all those Matters of Fact related in the New Testament, which I have at present engaged my self to prove, will be more abundantly made out by a continued Succession of a vast number of Writings belonging to par∣ticular Persons, distinguish'd by the Ti∣tles of Orthodox Christians, Hereticks, Jews, and Heathens.

A great many of these Writings are mention'd by Eusebius, and had been with incredible industry read and exami∣ned by him. Several he gives the Ti∣tles of only, others he gives some Cha∣racter and Account of, and Transcribes large Passages out of them; a great many Or∣thodox Books he omits the mention of, for want of their Authors Names being prefix'd to them; others for want of be∣ing able to distinguish when their Au∣thors lived; and a great many he rejects the Authority of, though they made for the Cause of the Christian Religion which he maintained, because they had not sufficient Marks upon them, to prove they belong'd to the Persons and Times

they pretended to. Some of the Writings he quotes were lost in his Time, and only Fragments of them to be found in others that were entirely extant; several that were then extant and mention'd by him, were seen by a great many later Authors, and all his Quotations out of them are confirm'd to us by their Writings, but the Originals of them are now lost; and a great many remain entire still, and are plainly the same he represented them to be, and so are the Fragments of more ancient Authors contained in them: All which are certain Arguments of the Diligence and Sincerity of this Historian, and the Antiquity of those Books, whose Autho∣rity we are now to make use of.

In the next place then let us take a more particular view of these Writings, and consider the Age, Character, and other Circumstances of the Authors, the Subjects they treat about, and the Form and Manner in which they are writ.

As to the Age of those Christian Au∣thors we call Orthodox, some small Treatises and Fragments we have of such as lived together with the Apostles, and were immediate Witnesses of the

Doctrines delivered, and the mighty Works done by them; and several of these ancient Pieces are allowed to be Genuine by those whose Skill and Enqui∣ry into the Matter, have rendred them capable Judges. The Authors of the next Age who declare they lived with those who convers'd with the Apostles, are more, their Writings much larger, and of more unquestionable Authority than the other, being confirmed by more numerous Testi∣monies of following Writers, who in ve∣ry near Periods of Time continually succeeded them.

The Character of all these Writers was in some respects very like, and in others very different. Some of them were Jews and Heathens converted to Christianity; o∣thers were born of Christian Parents; ma∣ny of them were Greeks and writ in that Language, and many were of Roman Co∣lonies, and writ in Latin; but, though all the Authors we have, writ in one of these Languages, they were most of them of very different, and very remote Countries from one another: Several of the first Writers were Plain Simple Men, without the advantage of a Learned, Honourable, or Publick Education, others

of them were Philosophers, and Men very well vers'd in all the Heathen Learning; some were of Honourable Families, and Publick Employments; many of them were Bishops of the Christian Church, and lived in the most considerable Cities of the Roman Empire, and by that means had great opportunities of being acquain∣ted with the true State of Things in the World. In this they all agree that they were hearty Believers and zealous Asser∣tors of the Christian Religion, that they bottom'd their Faith upon the Books of the New Testament, that they made it the chief Business of their Lives and Writings to promote the Christian Faith, and that they were ready to bear Testi∣mony to the Truth of what they pro∣fess'd by resigning their Lives; the sin∣cerity of which disposition of theirs is confirm'd to us by the actual Martyr∣dom of several of them, who lived in such Times and Places, as gave them op∣portunities of manifesting their Faith and Christian Resolution this way.

But the general Character of these Wri∣ters, as well as the Authority of what they say, will be further made out from the consideration of the Subjects they writ a∣bout,

the several kinds and sorts of their Writings, and the Manner in which they are writ. All which I shall endeavour to bring under one view, and raise such Observations from them as will plainly confirm the main Conclusion I am to establish.

The common Subject of all the Books and Writings of the first Orthodox Au∣thors was the Christian Religion, though in several Ways and Methods discoursed of. Most of these concern the History of Christian Affairs, either expresly or occa∣sionally: For, besides those Authors, who purposely designed an Historical Relation either of the Church in general, or of some particular Ecclesiastical Matter, there's hard∣ly a Christian Writer within the Time of our present Enquiry, but has some occasion or other to mention several Historical Passages in almost every Book that he wrote, in order to some further end he proposed to himself in writing.

Now concerning the Writings of Chri∣stian Authors, considered under this Cha∣racter of Historians, I have these Things to observe.

First, That they do manifestly confirm the truth of all those Traditions and standing Monuments before mentioned. For we have frequent Proofs of the Antiquity of the Scriptures, and all those Religious Cu∣stoms and Institutions in use amongst Chri∣stians in Eusebius's time, and the General Tradition strengthen'd by abundance of New Circumstances; such were the great Controversies and Quarrels about some Christian Usages, (particularly Baptism, and the Feast of Easter) together with the Canons and Decrees that were made, and the Letters that were writ with relation to these Affairs. Here is likewise mention made of the same Christian Relicks and Mo∣monuments, and the same publick Acts and Records which Eusebius saw, and the Ac∣counts and Extracts of them in several Au∣thors agree with what Eusebius himself was witness of.

In the next place 'tis very plain, that they give us an account of several other Customs, Monuments and publick Acts, and abuudance of other particular Historical Passages, besides those mention'd in Eusebius; the Truth of which, or the Antiquity of their Fiction be∣ing

proved, they are so many new Argu∣ments in behalf of the Christian Tradi∣tion, or the truth of those Facts we are now to prove.

Thirdly, I observe that most of these Authors, considered as Historians, were very Competent Judges and Credible Reporters of the truth of the Facts they relate. For either they were actual and immediate Witnesses of what they tell us themselves, or they took a great deal of care to in∣form themselves right, or the Facts were of that nature that they could not be de∣ceived though they did not examine them very strictly; and which way soever they came by them, they were Faithsul and Sincere in their Relation. Several things they tell us of their own Knowledge, others they quote their Authors for, and others they deliver only as Traditional Reports, which they distinguish also into Probable and Fabulous according to the Evidence that then appeared to them upon a diligent Examination. And several of them have given great Marks of their Diligence and Care in enquiring as well as Sincerity in reporting: as particularly Hegesippus, who gave an account of the Unity of Faith in

several Cities, after having travell'd through them, and convers'd with the Bishops of them; Clemens who used all the care he could to inform himself of the Truth and Sincerity of the Christian Tra∣dition from several Eminent Persons of different Countries; Irenoeus who care∣fully remember'd the Conversation he had with Eminent Christians in his Youth, and was very much concern'd to have his own Writings deliver'd down faith∣fully to Posterity: a proof of which first Remark concerning Irenaeus, we have in an Epistle of his to Florinus, quoted by Euse∣bus, part of which I think worth the Transcribing, when reproving Florinus for some ill Opinions he held, he speaks to him in this manner:

These Opinions the Presbyters who lived before our times, who also were the Disciples of the Apostles, did in no wise deliver unto thee: For I saw thee (when being yet a Child, I was in the Lower Asia with Polycarp) behaving thy self very well in the Pa∣lace, and endeavouring to get thy self well esteemed of by him; for I remem∣ber the things then done better then what has happen'd of late; for what we

learnt being Children increases toge∣ther with the Mind it self, and is closely united to it, insomuch that I am able to tell where the Blessed Polycarp sate and Discoursed; also his goings out and comings in, his manner of Life, the shape of his Body, the Discourses he made to the Populace, the familiar Con∣verse which he said he had with John, and with those who had seen the Lord; and how he rehears'd their Sayings, and what they were which he had heard from them concerning the Lord; con∣cerning his Miracles, and his Doctrine, according as Polycarp received them from those who with their own Eyes beheld the Word of Life, so he related them, agreeing in all things with the Scri∣ptures. These things by the Mercy of God bestowed upon me, I then heard diligently, and copied them out, not in Paper, but in my Heart; and by the Grace of God I do continually and sin∣cerely ruminate upon them.

And the same Irenaeus, at the end of one of his Pieces says thus.

I adjure thee who shalt Transcribe this Book, by our Lord Jesus, and by his Glorious coming to Judge the Quick and the Dead, that you compare what you shall Transcribe,

and correct it diligently according to that Copy whence you shall Trans∣cribe, and that in like manner you as∣cribe this Adjuration, and annex it to your Copy.

Which concern of Irenaeus for the faithful conveyance of Truths contained in his own Writings to Posterity, is a very good argument of his care in examining the Traditions and Writings that came down to him from elder times, respecting the same Impor∣tant Truths.

A great many other such like Instances as these may be given, where the Primi∣tive Christian Writers positively and ex∣presly declare, that they had seen and con∣vers'd with the immediate Successors of the Apostles, and with those upon whom several great Miracles had been wrought by them, & had themselves been Witnesses of a great many wonderful Gifts remain∣ing in the Church in their time; as like∣wise where they demonstrate by many sensible Marks and Signs, the great Care and Diligence they had taken in exami∣ning the Informations they received from remoter Hands, and all other concurring Presumptions arising from Circumstances of Fact, and Rational Inferences.

And as they were competent Witnesses and careful Relators in General, so are they more especially to be relied upon, as to those two great and concerning Matters of Fact the Scriptures of the New Testament, and Persecutions of Christians.

The Truth and Authority of the Scriptures was with much enquiry and examinati∣on Established: This every one made it his business to be well assur'd of; and a free disquisition concerning the truth of some or other of the Books of Scri∣pture is every where to be found among the Antient Writers.

Then as to the Persecutions they were so many, they continued so long together, were so widely spread, were attended with so vast a number of very new and remarkalbe Facts, and so many of the Wri∣ters lived in the heat of them, and had so large a share and concern in them them∣selves, that 'tis impossible that the accounts they give of them, should not be, most of them at least, very true.

The Fourth Observation I have to make upon the Historical part of the first Christian Writers, is that there are so ma∣ny Notes of time to be found in them, such a particular Designation of Places and Per∣sons,

and such a mixture of Jewish and Heathen Affairs with the Christian History, as rendred any Errours or Mistakes so li∣able to a discovery at those times, when the several Books that treat of these Mat∣ters were first Published to the World, that by not being confuted, they are, as to the main substance of what they de∣clare, irrefragably confirm'd.

The other Writings of OrthodoxChristians of the first Ages, which do not concern the History of Christianity, are either Vindi∣cations and Defences of the Christian Reli∣gion against all the Objections and Calum∣nies raised by any of the Enemies of it, or Explications of the Christian Doctrine, Government and Discipline, or Exhortations and Directions to Practise, or Animadversi∣ons and Reproofs for Errours and Offences: All which are written under the form of Orations or Apologies, Letters, Disputations, Comments, &c.

Now it's plain from all these Writings, that the several Authors of them were throughly convinced of the Truth of the Christian Religion: This appears from the Zeal and Warmth with which many of them writ upon several occasions to one another, and to Hereticks; the readiness they testifie to

quit all they have, and to lay down their Lives rather than do any thing contrary to their Profession; the concern they express for the continuance of their Fellow-Chri∣stians in the same Faith, and the Conver∣sion of others to Christianity; the Bold∣ness and Courage they shew to Persons of Power and Authority, when the truth of their Religion, or their own Innocence is call'd in question, and from many other unquestionable marks of Honesty, Sinceri∣ty, and a through Perswasion, visible almost in every Page.

'Tis manifest likewise that all these Authors believed the Scriptures of the New Testament, and Founded their Religion upon them. Several of them have writ Comments upon them, all quote them and confirm the Doctrines they deliver, and the Rules and Directions they give from them; and all their Writings plainly declare they were very well vers'd in them and influenced by the same Spirit that go∣verns there, and distinguishes those Wri∣tings from any other; and, when ever any Controversy happen'd in matters of Christian Faith or Practiced, the Appeal is constantly made to these Scriptures.

Several other Remarks and Observati∣ons might be drawn from the Writings of those Christians call'd Orthodox; but these are sufficient for what I design to prove by them, and so I pass on to consider what we have written by Heretieks, Jews and Heathens, with relation to Christi∣anity.

A great many things were written by Persons of these several Denominations in the Three first Ages of the Christian Aera, but very little of them that expressly concerns Christianity remains now, and a great many of these Writings were lost in Eusebius's Time; so that almost all we know of them is contained in the Ortho∣dox Writers: In many of which there are several considerable Fragments yet to be found, and accounts of what is lost. From all which we may collect that none of the Enemies of the Christian Re∣ligion, neither Hereticks, Jews nor Hea∣thens, did at any time offer to disprove or contradict those Christian Facts I have been now Establishing, but did in seve∣ral respects strengthen and confirm the truth of them,

We find by the Orthodox Writers, that there were in the most Primitive Times, and continually, in all the after-Periods of Christianity, a great many Hereticks of very different Characters and Opinions, who troubled the Peace of the Church, and en∣deavoured to corrupt the Christian Doctrine and Tradition. Their Writings are full of the strange Opinions of Hereticks; they are oftentimes very large in giving a Hi∣story of the Men, their vicious Lives, and wicked Designs; and in confuting their Absurd, and, for the most part, Blas∣phemous Doctrines. From hence we find that several of these Hereticks, in order to justifie their Errors, made use of all the Arts and Shifts they could; and some de∣nied one Book of Scripture, and some a∣nother; some took upon them to reform the Scriptures, and added what they thought serv'd their turn, or took away what they did not like; Others made new Scriptures, and put them out in the Names of the Apostles; but none of them denied the principal matters of Fact con∣tained in the New Testament, neither Mi∣raculous nor Common, though their Cha∣racter oftentimes allow'd, and their Cause requir'd such a denial, if the Evidence

of those Facts had not appear'd to them so strong as to render all contradiction Vain and Ineffectual.

The Jews who writ against the Christi∣an Religion, allow'd most of the principal matters of Fact Recorded of Christ in the New Testament, even his Miracles as well as the Common History of his Life; and when they deny the Reality they grant the Pretence, & are wholly concern'd to shew that Christ was not the Messias promised them, notwithstanding his extraordinary Character; because, as they thought, se∣veral of the Prophecies in the Old Testa∣ment, which were agreed on all hands to relate to the Messias could not be apply'd to Christ. In this consisted wholly the Con∣troversie betwixt them and the Christians; and therefore are the Jews of these times censur'd by the Christian Writers, as cor∣rupting the Old Testament in such Passages of it as seem'd to them to make most for the Christian Religion: Particularly Justin, in his Dialogue with a Jew, endeavors to evince, That several Testimonies of the Prophets which he quoted was cut out of the Bible by the Jews, which charge whe∣ther true or false, proves thus much, that

the Jews had no other way of resisting the Evidence of the Christian Religion, but by denying, or in some manner evading the Arguments drawn from the Prophecies of the Old Testament. Here they placed the chief strength of their Cause, and not in the Confutation of the Christian History; the greatest part of which is plainly grant∣ed in the Arguments they make use of to overthrow the Faith built upon it, and the Inferences drawn from it. Particularly Josephus does comfirm the truth of several of the Facts related in the New Testament, and such as necessarily determine the Ori∣riginal of Christianity.

The like account, in a great measure, may be given of the Heathens whose Wri∣tings do any ways concern Christianity: For neither those of them that were In∣strumental in the Persecution of Christians, nor those who endeavour to overthrow the truth of their Religion by Arguments, do deny any of those matters of Fact re∣lated in the New Testament, which we have distinguished by the Title of Common Hi∣storical Facts; and a great many of them are confirm'd by other Heathen Writers, who treat of their own affairs only, or

mention Christian Matters occasionally, as they happen'd to be intermixt with those Things they designedly writ about. Nay, some of those that writ expresly against the Christian Religion, do not only allow that Christ pretended to Mira∣cles, and that he did those Things Re∣corded of him in appearance, (as was the Opinion of several of them) but that he did really work those very Miracles he pretended to: But then they endea∣vour to lessen the Credit of them, and destroy the Doctrines built upon them, either by ascribing them (as many of the Jews likewise did) to Ma∣gick and Evil Spirits; or shewing that several of their own Religion had done as extraordinary Things as any that were attributed to Christ and his Apostles.

A great many of these Heathen Wri∣tings are quoted, some of them particu∣larly Answer'd and Confuted, and se∣veral large Pieces of them inserted in the Books of Christian Authors. There we find, besides a great many Passages out of Private Authors, and Common Tra∣ditions, several Rescripts, Edicts and Let∣ters of Roman Emperors, either mention∣ed or transcribed; and several Publick Acts

and Records compiled by the Authority of Heathens, and in their keeping, ap∣peal'd to with the greatest Confidence and Assurance imaginable, as extant in the Writers Time that Cites them, and generally known: Particularly we meet with divers of these Heathen Monuments in the Christian Apologies, which were at several times, by different Writers, De∣dicated to Roman Emperors, the Senate of Rome, and Governors of Provinces.

Many such Proofs and Evidences as these of the Christian Faith and History, are still to be found in the Christian Books which were writ before Eusebius, and are now extant: But there were al∣so extant in his Time several of the same Heathen Books out of which those Testi∣monies were taken, and others which gave the same Account of Christian Af∣fairs; which was look'd upon by Euse∣bius to be so notorious a Truth, that when he talks of the State of Christiani∣ty under Domitian, he confirms what he says by the Authority of Heathen Writers, without thinking it necessary to name any particular Author:

So mightily (says he) did the Doctrine of our Faith flourish in those

forementioned Times, that even those Writers who are wholly estranged from our Religion, (by which he plainly means Heathens) have not thought it troublesome to set forth in their Histo∣ries both this Persecution, and also the Martyrdoms suffered therein; and they have also accurately shewn the very Time; relating that in the Fifteenth Year of Domitian, Flavia Domitilla, Daughter of the Sister of Fabius Cle∣mens, at that time one of the Consuls of Rome, was, together with many o∣thers, banished into the Island of Pon∣tia, for the Testimony of Christ.

There are likewise several Heathen Au∣thors still separately extant, out of which may be Collected a great many Passa∣ges, which give a concurrent Evidence of the Truth of the Christian History as Ta∣citus and Pliny before quoted, and divers others; and there is nothing to be found in any of them that does, in the least, contradict any of the principal Matters Fact now to be proved.

But, besides these Writings which are acknowledged to be Genuine, and the true and proper Works of those Persons

whose Names they bear, whether Or∣thodox Christians, Hereticks, Jews or Hea∣thens, there were a great many other in the Primitive Times of Christianity, written by uncertain Authors; and either purposely Published under false Names and Titles, with a design to promote the Be∣lief of the Christian Religion in general, or to advance and defend some particular Notions and Practices which the Authors of them approved, and had a mind to re∣commend to the World; or else by some mistake ascribed to those Persons to whom they did not really belong. Such were a great many false Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Revelations, and several other Histo∣rical and Doctrinal Discourses, Published under the Names of Christ, the Virgin Ma∣ry, the Apostles, and Eminent Christians of the succeeding Ages; such were also several Letters said to be Writ by Pilate, Seneca, and Lentulus, the Oracles of the Sybils, and several other Writings attri∣buted to some considerable Heathens, a Passage in Josephus relating to Christ, &c. All which, supposing them all Forged, or only some of them so, some accidental∣ly mistaken, and others doubtful; whoever were the Authors of them, so long as it

plainly appears they were of such and such Antiquity, they are certain proofs of the general Faith of Christians, at the respective Times when any of them were Published, and consequently of the Truth of those Facts in question; forasmuch as they all evidently suppose an antecedent Belief of the Christian Religion, found∣ed upon those Facts, as is visible by all the Remains we have left of them; and therefore are as good Arguments of the Truth of what I am proving, as the most Genuine unquestionable Writings of any other Author whatsoever, viz. That the common Historical Facts related in the New Testament are true.

Which Point, I think, is proved by such a multitude and variety of Evidence, that I may take it for granted, That Jesus Christ who lived and was Crucified at Jerusalem, in the Reign of Tiberius Ce∣sar, was the first Author of the Christian Religion; That the Characters, Sufferings and Pretences of Christ and his Apostles, and the Doctrines taught by them, were the same we find represented in the Books of the New Testament, and that the Christian Religion there delivered, was

propagated through the World, and those Books writ, according to the Time, Man∣ner, and Circumstances there mention∣ed, between the middle of Tiberius, and the beginning of Trajan's Reign; and consequently that the Christian Faith, as to the principal Facts and Doctrines con∣tain'd in the New Testament, was always the same, from the Time of Tiberius to the Council of Nice, and from thence to the present Age; the greatest part of the Scriptures having been always acknowledged to be the Genuine Works of those whose Names they bore, and to contain the un∣alterable grounds of the Christian Reli∣gion; and the Sum of what Christians were obliged to believe.

2. In the next place then, I am to prove that those extraordinary Facts Re∣corded in the New Testament, which we call Miracles and Prophecies, were really true, according the Relation there given of them.

That they were constantly believed to be true by all Christians ever since the Time in which they are first said to happen, has already been proved; but

whether their Faith was well grounded, or not, is now the Enquiry: That it was, I shall prove by shewing that the Miracles and Prophecies Recorded in the New Testament, are related and attested in such a manner, that the Truth of them cannot possibly be called in que∣stion.

But that the strength and validity of what I have to say upon this Head, may be better, and more clearly per∣ceived, I think fit, by way of Intro∣duction, to shew,

First, What I mean by Miracles and Prophecies; and,

Secondly, What kind of Evidence these Facts are capable of, and which way they are to be proved.

By Miracles, then, I would now be understood to mean only strange unusual Events, out of the common Road and Course of Things, which by all the Knowledge we have of Nature, we can∣not tell how to bring to pass, nor ac∣count for, when they have happened: And these are to be distinguished into such as are absolutely, at all Times

strange, and not to be accounted for by what we know of the Power and Force of Nature, as the Resurrection of the Dead, &c. And such as are so only in consideration of some particular Circumstances; as healing the Sick, which is in it self no strange Thing, but only when 'tis done in a shorter Time than Medicines were ever known to operate, or without the assi∣stance of any visible means, or the like.

By Prophecies, I here understand Rela∣tions of such future Events, as have no perceivable connexion with the State of Things at the Time when they are ut∣tered.

This is all I mean at present by Mira∣cles and Prophecies; and every Body I am sure will allow me that there are a great many such Matters of Fact as these mention'd in the New Testament: How, and by what means they were done, whether they were Natural or Supernatural Effects; whether they were the Works of Art or Magick; whether God or Man, or some Good or Evil Spirit was the Autohr of them, is not my present business to enquire; that belongs to a∣nother place: All that I have now un∣dertaken to shew, is that they were some

way or other really done, according to the Relation we have of them in the New Testament.

Now I know of no other way of proving this, but by the Number and Character of the Witnesses who attest the Truth of these Facts, and by the Na∣ture and Circumstances of the Facts them∣selves, according as they appear from the Account the Witnesses give of them. If the Witnesses are such, as we have no reason to think, could be deceived them∣selves in what they relate, or would of∣fer to impose upon others; and if the Facts are such as could not be represen∣ted by the Witnesses otherwise than they were, without a certain discovery of the Falshood of their Relation, nothing more can be required to justifie our Belief of the Miracles and Prophecies Recorded in the New Testament.

This being premised, I shall endea∣vour to shew that the Christian Miracles and Prophecies Recorded in the New Testament, have all the forementioned Characters of Truth belonging to them, and are therefore very reasonably and justly believed to be true; which is the

Thing I have obliged my self to make good, and shall prosecute my Design in the following Method.

First, I shall consider the Miracles by themselves, and this according to the diffe∣rent Periods in which they were done, and the different Persons they were done by.

Secondly, I shall consider the Prophe∣cies apart according to the same distincti∣on of Times and Persons, as I observe in treating of Miracles.

Thirdly, I shall make some general Reflections with Relation to the proof of the Christian Miracles and Prophecies taken altogether.

First, Then as to Miracles; 'tis very plain that a great many such Facts as these, that I call Miracles, are said to be done by Jesus Christ: This is every where asserted or supposed in the New Testament; and the Gospels give a very particular and circumstantial Account of several of them. 'Tis certain also, from the general Proofs before given of the History of the New Testament, that these Miracles were be∣lieved by the first Christians, both by those that lived in Judea, and those that

dwelt in other Countries; and the real Truth of them will as evidently appear, if we consider the Grounds and Reasons upon which they were at first believed.

The greatest part of the Miracles Re∣corded of Christ, were done in the pre∣sence of great Multitudes, at the most Publick Places in Judea, and at the most solemn Times of Meeting: Nay, he was so constantly imployed in Travelling and going about, and performing so many Signs and Wonders where-ever he came, and gave so many repeated instances of his Power in the same Places, that there were very few in that whole Country, who had not seen some of his mighty Works themselves; and therefore the sole Ground and Reason upon which the generality of the first Christians of Pa∣lestine believed these Miracles, was the Testimony of their own Senses.

The Facts themselves were so level to their Capacities, and the manner of do∣ing them was so open, and so easily and fully perceived, that they found no rea∣son to distrust their Senses, and there∣fore they readily concluded them to be true.

A great many of the first Believers of Christ's Miracles, had a further and more intimate perception of the Truth of them than the rest, viz. those upon whom some of the Miracles were wrought, or who were made to have a share in the Actions themselves: Such were all those that were healed or fed by Christ, that had Devils cast out of them, that had their secret Thoughts or private Actions revealed to them, &c.

Those who saw none of these mighty Works themselves, but believed upon the Testimony of others, were confirm'd in their Faith by an universal concurrence of all Persons their Curiosity or Concern disposed them to enquire of: For, as we read in the New Testament, all kinds of People believed the Miracles of Christ; not only those who reverenced his Per∣son and Character, and imbraced his Doctrine, but even those who despised him and set him at nought, and reject∣ed his Gospel.

The Scribes and Pharisees who were the most Powerful and most Zealous E∣nemies of Christ and his Gospel, acknow∣ledged his Miracles, but attributed them to Evil Spirits. Some of the Pharisees

could not deny his wonderful Cure of a Blind Man, but would not allow that he was of God, because he kept not the Sab∣bath-day; though others of them said, how can a Man that is a Sinner do such Mira∣cles? None of the Jews, upon the strictest Examination, were able to disprove this or any other of his Miracles; but not∣withstanding, they would not believe in Christ or embrace his Doctrine, because they were Moses's Disciples, and they knew that God spake unto Moses; but as for that Fellow who cured the Blind Man, they knew not from whence he was.

The Chief Priests and Elders never doubted of the mighty Works done by him, but only question'd his Authority in doing them. Among the Chief Rulers many believed on him, but did not confess him, lest they should have been put out of the Synagogue. His Country-men ac∣knowledg'd that mighty Works were wrought by his hands, but were offended because so mean a Person did them, whose Birth, Relations and Education they knew. The Gergesenes were asto∣nished at the wonderful Things he did, though they besought him to depart out of their Coasts: And the Devils confessed

his Power before they were cast out, though he came to torment them before the time. A great many were convinced of the Truth of his Miracles, but did not hearken to what he taught, because none of the Rulers or Pharisees believed on him; and because they took him for a Galilean, and thought that no Prophet arose out of Galilee. Several would not believe on him, because they knew whence he was; and when Christ came, no Man they supposed knew from whence he was; though they were thus answered by others who be∣lieved, when Christ cometh will he do more Miracles than these which this Man has done? Some were entirely satisfied of his Mira∣culous Power, by being healed by him, as Nine of the Ten Lepers, and neverthe∣less regarded him not. Abundance of People accompanied him where-ever he went, and were continual Witnesses of the Signs and Miracles done by him, and yet followed him not for the sake of them, but because they were fed by him. And many there were that believed in his Name when they saw the Miracles that he did; but Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all Men. So that all these bore Testimony to the Truth

of the greatest part of Christ's Mira∣cles, as well as those who became his Disciples, and imbraced his Doctrine.

But other Miracles there are Recorded of Christ, which were done in the pre∣sence of his Apostles and Disciples only, who already believed on him; some of which continually attended him, and o∣thers of them were very frequently with him. Several of these Miracles were done in his Life-time; sometimes be∣fore the whole Twelve, who are pecu∣liarly Styled Apostles; sometimes before a Select Number of the Twelve; some∣times before a promiscuous Company of his Apostles and Disciples together: After his Death, he appeared at several times to different Persons and different Com∣panies; but his Resurrection, and what∣ever he did or said during Forty Days Conversing upon Earth after he was ri∣sen, his Ascension into Heaven, and Mission of the Holy Ghost, with many extraordinary Signs and Wonders, none were Witnesses of, but his own Disciples and Followers: and therefore the Truth of all these Miracles must prin∣cipally depend upon the Credit of the Disciples of Christ that relate them.

Besides all these wonderful things im∣mediately attributed to Christ himself, we meet with several others in the New Testa∣ment, which are represented as done by some other Power, but are such as have a manifest relation to Christ, and are de∣signed to confirm the truth of his Pre∣tences: Such were the Appearance of Angels to Mary the Mother of Christ, Za∣chariah the Father of John, and to the Shepherds; the appearance of a Star in the East to the Wise-Men; the Dumb∣ness of Zachariah, and other Signs that attended the Birth of John and Christ; the Dove and Voice from Heaven at the Baptism of Christ; the Darkness, Earth∣quake, Renting of the Vail of the Tem∣ple, and Resurrection of dead Bodies at his Crucifixion. Several of these things could not be known immediately to the Evan∣gelists that relate them, or to any other Di∣sciples of Christ, but to those only whom they are told of, and upon their credit we must in a great measure rely for the truth of them; but several of them were very publick; and consequently the truth of these rests upon the Testimony of a great number of Witnesses besides those that relate them.

In this manner are the Miracles of Christ, and all the Wonders and Signs that ac∣companied him, from his Conception to his Mission of the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles, Related and Attested in the New Testament.

But of the same Jesus Christ, who has so many wonderful things there reported of him, it is farther testified, that he con∣ferred a power of working Miracles up∣on a great many of his Followers, who believed in him; and that a great many Miracles were accordingly performed by their Hands. In his Life-time 'tis said, that he gave this Power to Twelve Apostles and Seventy Disciples, whom he sent out into all the Towns and Villages of Judea, with a Commission to Preach his Gospel, to cast out Devils, and to cure Diseases and they went about Preaching the Gospel, and Healing every where, and the Devils were subject to them through his Name. This we have their own Testimony for; and who∣ever were Cured or Dispossessed by them, and all that saw what they did are so ma∣ny more Witnesses of the Miracles they wrought, but none of the Particular Facts or Circumstances of them are men∣tioned.

After the Ascension of Christ we read that the Twelve Apostles, being all with one accord in one place, received a larger power of working all kind of Miracles by the Mission of the Holy Ghost; who, accord∣ing to the promise of Christ, was to be constantly with them, to guide and assist them in the whole course of their Mini∣stry. This Power immediately shewed it self by their speaking in several diffe∣rent Languages before unknown to them; the Witnesses of which Fact are not only these Apostles themselves, but a great many others that heard them; Parthians, and Elamites, and the Dwellers in Mesopota∣mia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pon∣tus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya, about Cyrene, and Strangers of Rome, Jews and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, who were amazed to hear Galileans speak in their Tougues the won∣derful things of God. Those also confirm the truth of the Fact who foolishly impu∣ted it to New Wine.

After this we read of a great many o∣ther Miracles of different kinds perform∣ed by several Apostles and Disciples, who received their Power immediately from Jesus Christ; and, by the account that is

given us of them, we find that the particu∣lar Facts were more numerous, more fre∣quent, and more publick then those of their Master Christ himself. The time of Christ's Ministry was but Three Years or thereabouts, the Exercise and Manifesta∣tion of his Power was confined to the Country of Palestine, and whatever mighty things he did, he did them in his own single Person: Whereas the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were a great many; all which were constantly imployed in Preaching the Gospel, and confirming it every where with Signs and Wonders, during the whole course of their several Lives; and they performed this Work with Diligence, not only in Judea and Sa∣maria, but in divers other Cities and Countries throughout the whole Roman Empire.

By which Account it plainly appears, that most of the same Persons, who were Witnesses of those Miracles of Jesus Christ, were also Witnesses of those that were done by the Hands of his Apostles and Di∣sciples; the truth of which was likewise owned and acknowledged by avast Multi∣tude more, both of such as believed the Gos∣pel, and of such as rejected and opposed it,

and violently Persecuted the Teachers of it.

To omit the Testimony of true Be∣lievers, thus it is Recorded concerning those upon whom the Gospel of Christ had no Power nor Influence: The Ru∣lers, Elders, Scribes and High Priests a∣mong the Jews, when they summoned Peter and John before them for curing a Lame Man, could not deny but that a no∣table Miracle had been done by them, which was manifest to all them that dwelt at Je∣rusalem. They were afterwards filled with Indignation, and took Counsel to slay them, because they could not restrain them from doing more Miracles in the Name of Christ; but they never questio∣ned the Truth of the Facts. Stephen full of Faith and Power, did great Wonders and Miracles among the people; but he was ac∣cused and condemned by the Council of the Jews, not for deceiving the People with false Miracles, but for speaking things against the Holy Place and the Law, for saying that Jesus should destroy that Place, and change the Customs which Moses delivered them; when at the same time it is said, that all that sat in the Council looking stedfastly on him, saw his Face as it

had been the Face of an Angel: Neither had they any Thing to object against his Life or his Works. Simon, the Sor∣cerer, to whom all the people in Samaria gave heed from the least to the greatest, looking upon him to be the great Power of God, was himself as well as those that were be∣witched by him, Baptized by Philip, and believed when he beheld the Miracles and Signs that were done: But afterwards we find, by the wickedness of his heart, which he discovered to Peter, that he was an Ene∣my to the true Doctrine of the Gospel. Elymas the Sorcerer, who was struck Blind by Paul, and yet not converted to the Faith, is another unwilling Wit∣ness of the Power of the Apostles. The People of Lystra confirm the same Truth who took Paul and Barnabas for Gods in the likeness of Men, by reason of the Miracles they saw performed by them, and afterwards, by the Instigation of the Jews, stoned Paul. The Damsel possess'd with a Spirit of Divination, and her Ma∣sters who saw the hope of their gains gone, by Paul's commanding the Spirit to come out of her, several Vagabond Jews Exor∣cists, who took upon them to cast out Evil Spirits in the Name of Jesus, but

suffered very much for the Impudence of their Pretences; and a great many other such like, were Witnesses of the Miracles of the Apostles, who by reason of some wicked or dishonourable Mo∣tives rejected the Doctrine they taught; or profess'd to imbrace it upon ill De∣signs; or, after they had received it made Shipwrack of the Faith: Great Complaints of all which sort of Men we find in the Epistles.

Thus are the Miracles of the first Apo∣stles and Disciples of Christ declared and attested.

But moreover it is Recorded of them, that they had not only a Power of work∣ing Miracles themselves, but that they were Authorized and Enabled by Christ and his Spirit to convey the like Power to others: And accordingly we find a great many Instances in the New Testament, where Miracles were wrought by private Christians, by Virtue of a Power they had received from the Apo∣stles, which was conferred upon them by Prayer and Imposition of Hands: After which Actions of the Apostles they are immediately said to be filled with the

Holy Ghost, and to have received the Gifts of the Spirit; which, according to the different exigencies of the Church, and the different qualifications of the Persons indued with them, were divers: And among these are reckoned the Gifts of Tongues and of Interpretation; the Gifts of Healing and of Miracles; which Gifts are said to be very common among the first Converts to Christianity, in all places where the Gospel was Preach'd; and the same is plainly implied by the fre∣quent Rules and Cautions that are given by the Apostles concerning the due Exer∣cise of them, and the fear and apprehen∣sion they often express, lest the Chri∣stians thus impowered, should, by co∣veting one anothers Gifts, or being puft up with those they were severally pos∣sessed of, neglect to apply themselves, as they ought to do, to the Edification of the Church of Christ.

This is the Scripture-Account of Mi∣racles, and these were those wonderful Facts believed by the first Christians; their full assurance of the Truth of which was the chief Ground and Mo∣tive

of their imbracing the Gospel or Doctrine of Christ.

There were likewise other strange Matters of Fact called Prophecies, which were most surely believed among them, and which contributed very much to their re∣ceiving the Gospel, and continuing in the Profession of Christianity without wavering; and these I shall consider in the same Way and Method I did Miracles. For there are several Prophecies Recorded in the New Testament as uttered by our Saviour himself, together with several other spoken with relation to him and fulfilled by him; o∣thers there are mentioned as spoken by the Apostles and Disciples of Christ who had received the Power of Prophecy immedi∣ately from him: 'Tis plain also from seve∣ral Instances and Passages in the Sacred Writings, that the Spirit of Prophecy was conveyed by the first Apostles and Di∣sciples to private Christians, and was very common among them.

The Prophecies spoken by our Saviour, were most of them delivered in private to his Disciples; some of which were not written till after the things happened, and the truth of these the Disciples are whol∣ly answerable for; and some of them

were Published in Writing before the things happened, and these might then, and may still be examined by the Cir∣cumstances of them; others of them were spoken publickly and frequently before great Multitudes of People, as those about his Suffering and Resurrection, &c. and seve∣ral, besides their being spoken openly, in the presence of many, were also spread abroad in Writing long before the Events actually happened, as particularly that remarkable one concerning the Destruction of Jerusalem.

Prophecies spoken of Christ in former times, with relation to his Person, Acti∣ons, Sufferings and Doctrine, with the several Circumstances belonging to the whole Dispensation of his Gospel, are to be found written in the Books of the Old Testament, which were manifestly wrote long before his coming into the World, and are now Extant, and might then, and may still be compared with those E∣vents related in the New, which are pre∣tended to be completions of them: And some Prophecies there are concerning our Saviour, spoken by Holy Persons a little be∣fore and after his Birth, and at his Presen∣tation in the Temple, as also others con∣cerning

John his Forerunner; and all the Preaching of John was Prophetical of Christ.

The truth of all which Matters of Fact does not depend wholly upon the Credit of the Prophets themselves, but upon the Testimony of those also that heard them; and some of them were spoken before much Company; particularly what John said of Christ was very publick, and fre∣quently repeated, and consequently there were great numbers of Witnesses of it.

The particular Prophecies of the first Apostles and Disciples, and other Christians, preserved in the New Testament, are but few, and most of the Events foretold, were so near the time of their Prediction, that we cannot certainly tell whether they were written before they were ful∣filled; but some of them there were many Witnesses of, and consequently the truth of them does not depend wholly upon the credit of their Relation.

But what is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures of the New Testament concerning the Gift of Prophecy in the Church, (by which Expression is often signified an extraordi∣nary Power of foretelling future Events as well as interpreting Scripture) is a plain Appeal to the Testimony of all Christans in

general: For, according to the account there given, so many were indued with it, that 'twas an easy matter in any place where the Gospel was spread, to be sa∣tisfied of the truth of the matter whe∣ther there were any Christian Prophets or not.

Thus have I taken a short view of the Miracles and Prophecies Recorded in the New Testament, and shewn how they were all attested, and upon what grounds they were at first believed.

In the next place, I shall make some ge∣neral Reflections upon the account here given, in order to evince the truth of these extraordinary Facts, and the reasonable∣ness of those Grounds upon which the first Christians believed them.

It has been observed before, that when any Matters of Fact are attested by such Witnesses as cannot be imagined capable of being deceived themselves, or willing to de∣ceive others, and the Facts related by them are such as could not possibly be represen∣ted falsly without a certain discovery, no greater evidence can be required for the proof of them: And that the Miracles and Prophecies mentioned in the New Testa∣ment

are such kind of Facts, and so attested, will plainly appear from the following Considerations.

First of all 'tis certain, from the account before given, that Christ pretended to do a great many Miracles, and that vast Mul∣titudes of People pretended to have seen a great many Miracles done by him, and to believe that what they saw was truly and really performed by his means; and some pretended further to have experienced the effects of this strange power in them∣selves: From whence it evidently fol∣lows, that all these Miracles so attested were true; because it was very easie for Christ to know whether he had such a Power as this or not, by an immediate Consciousness, and therefore he could not be deceived in pretending to what he had not; and the Sincerity, Innocence, and Integrity of his Life, the Disinterestedness, of all his Actions, the Humility and Up∣rightness of his Carriage, and the many Troubles, Sufferings and Afflictions he was actually exposed to upon account of these Pretences, and which by his great Wisdom and Knowledge of Men he easily soresaw would happen to him; all these, I say, do sufficiently assure us that

he would not offer to deceive others, by pre∣tending to such Works which he knew he had not done, or could not do.

Then as to the Persons pretending to have seen, and, for that reason, to believe his Mi∣racles, they could not be deceived; because the matters of Fact they are Witnesses of, are such as were the proper Objects of Sense, and were as easily, distinctly and fully perceivable, as any other the most common obvious Events dayly taken no∣tice of; so that every one who had Ears to hear, and Eyes to see, was a capable Judge of what Christ said and did, and there wanted no great skill or capacity of un∣derstanding to compare his Pretences with his Performances.

But those who felt the effects of this won∣derful Power in themselves, had a more in∣timate and more infallible preception of the truth of his Miracles, which gave them greater assurance of their not being deceived.

And when we consider the number of those who had all, at the same time, the same Preceptions, 'tis a further confirma∣tion of the truth and reality of the Appea∣rances; especially when we observed that a great many of these were possessed with

violent Prejudices against the Person and Doctrine of Christ, and were unwilling to believe any thing that seemed any way to justifie his Pretences.

And as all these Witnesses of the Mi∣racles of Christ, cannot possibly be ima∣gined to have been mistaken themselves, in thinking they perceived what they did not really perceive; so neither was it possible for them to deceive others, by telling them such things were done in their pre∣sence which they knew were not done: For, besides that 'tis utterly inconceivable how so great a Multitude of Persons of different Places, Degrees, and Opinions, as the first Witnesses of these Miracles were, should agree together to assert that they saw such Facts as were never done; and this constantly without any ones ever dis∣covering the Cheat; besides this, I say the Characters of the Witnesses will not suffer us to think they could entertain a design of imposing upon the World; and the Manner and Circumstances of their first Declaration of their Belief of the Mira∣cles, makes a Confederacy to deceive ut∣terly impossible.

As to the Characters of the Witnesses, they were either such Persons as after

they had seen, believed and imbraced the Gospel of Christ, or such as continued in the Religion they were before educated in, notwithstanding all the Miracles they saw: Most of the former sort were Per∣sons of remarkable Probity and Integri∣ty, and of great Simplicity of Life and Manners, who renounced all the Interests and Advantages of this present World, and exposed themselves to great variety of Troubles and Afflictions, for their con∣stant profession of their Faith in Christ, and his Miracles; and it cannot be supposed of Persons of this Character, that they would invent, and industriously propagate what they knew to be false, if the agreement of so many in the same design had been possible: But, if so many People could be supposed capable of forming such a de∣sign, and of putting on such a false Cha∣racter for the better promoting of it, it is not imaginable that they should be able to continue their Plot, and preserve their Character so long as they did, with∣out betraying themselves, when they lost and suffered so much for carrying on the Cheat, had no prospect of future success answerable to their present Sufferings, and might have been very well rewarded by

the Enemies of Christianity for a seasonable Discovery.

But all the Witnesses of Christ's Mira∣cles, who afterwards entertained his Gos∣pel were not of the same Character with the former; some of them confessed him with their Mouth, but in their Works de∣nied him; they acknowledged his Autho∣rity, and admired his Doctrine; but be∣ing led away by their Lusts, or distracted by the Cares of the World, they continued still in their Sins, and never lived up to those holy Rules he prescribed: These who never felt the power of the Christian Religion, could never be so concerned for the Interests of it, as constantly to vouch and maintain an unprofitable Lye in its defence; when 'tis very probable they might have had easier Consciences and better Fortunes for disproving the Pre∣tences it was built upon: Others of them made Shipwrack of their Faith, and turn'd again unto those beggarly Elements or Idols they were freed from, neither can these be suspected of justifying what they knew to be false in behalf of a Religion they had forsaken: 'Tis more reasonable to suppose, had they been privy to any de∣ceit,

that they would have been very zealous in the discovery of it.

Then as to those who rejected the Autho∣rity and Doctrine of Christ, and continued in the Religion they were at first Educa∣ted in, notwithstanding all the Miracles they saw; who, as we find by the Hi∣story of the Gospel, were frequently re∣proached by Christ and his Apostles for their Infidelity, and obstinate adherence to the Religion and Traditions of their Fa∣thers; the greatest part of whom, and those Persons of the greatest Dignity, Authority and Learning among them, made it their business to Persecute Christ and his Apostles, and all that professed the Christian Religion: 'Tis plainly as impos∣sible to imagine that Persons of this Cha∣racter should agree to own the truth of Christ's Miracles, which they knew to be false, as that honest sincere Christians who abhorred a Lye, and were throughly perswaded Eternal Misery was the certain Punishment of Lying, should conspire to deceive the World, by contriving, spread∣ing, and continually supporting, what they were sure was the grossest Cheat imagi∣nable.

But, without considering the Cha∣racters of the Witnesses, the Manner and Circumstances in which they first gave Testimony to the truth of Christ's Mira∣cles, makes a confederacy to deceive utterly impossible: For in many Instances of Publick Miracles in the New Testament, we find that, upon the sight of something done by Jesus Christ, the whole Multitude of Spectators immediately declared their Belief and Admiration by openly glori∣fying God, or expressing their Wonder to one another: So that it plainly appeats from hence, that they were all severally convinced of the truth and wonderful∣ness of what they saw before they could know one anothers Minds concerning it, and therefore the agreement of their Testimony could not be the effect of any antecedent concert among themselves.

Thus have I evidently proved the truth of the Publick Miracles of Jesus Christ; and whatever has been said upon this Sub∣ject will hold with the same, or rather greater degrees of certainty, concerning the Publick Miracles of the first Apostles and Disciples of Christ, who received that Power immediately from their Master; and of all other Christian Believers to whom

the same Gifts were conveyed by their Hands: For the Signs and Wonders Re∣corded to have been done by any of them were as easily known and distinguished by vulgar Senses and Capacities as those of Christ; the Characters and Circumstances of the Witnesses, so far as concerns the credi∣bility of their Testimony, was very near the same: But the number of those, who by an intimate consciousness of their own Power knew they performed such Works, of those who felt the Effects of this Mi∣raculous Power in themselves, and of those who saw the External Signs and Ap∣pearances of it in the Facts that were done, was very far greater than in the former Case; and the impossibility of a general agreement to deceive, more mani∣fest here than there; and consequently the truth of all these Facts is as evident as that of the other before proved.

As to the more Private Miracles done by Jesus Christ himself in the presence of his Disciples only, and the Signs and Wonders imployed by some other Power for the manifestation of Christ to a few chosen Persons, we have these reasons to believe them true.

The Facts were of the same nature, and as easy to be known and discerned as the other before mentioned; the several Wit∣nesses of these things which happen'd at several times, taken altogether, were a great many, which makes an agreement of them all to deceive, and a constant invincible Perseverance in a Cheat very difficult to imagine; the Characters of them, as far as appears from the History of the New Testament, were such as leave no room to suspect the Fidelity of their Relation; for they are all of them, the Apostles and first Disciples especially who are principally concern'd in the present Cause, represented as ho∣nest, sincere, undesigning Persons, that feared God and loved Mankind; that were free from Pride and Vanity; and were so far from seeking their own Interest or Ad∣vancement in this World, that they were despised, and set at nought, and evilly intrea∣ted whereever they came, and were, as to this Life, of all Men most miserable, for con∣stantly asserting the truth of the Re∣surrection and Ascention of Christ, and such other Facts now in question; all which they were as firmly perswaded of, as of any of the Publick Miracles of Jesus Crrist; and

several of them they Preach'd up as more necessary and impottant to be believed.

Besides all this, many of these Mira∣culous Facts, which were fully discovered only to a few, were accompanied with several Circumstances more publickly known, with which they have so near, and almost necessary a connexion, that 'tis very difficult to imagine these Circum∣stances should be true, and not the prin∣cipal Facts also; as will easily appear from the Instance of the Resurrection of Christ.

In the account of which wonderful Fact we find, that it was known to the Chief Priests and Pharisees among the Jews that Christ had said, while he was yet alive, after three Days I will rise again; for which reason they make Application to Pilate to secure his Sepulchre, that his Disciples might not come and steal him away by Night, and take occasion from thence to give out he was risen from the Dead. The Sepulchre was accordingly made sure by rolling a great Stone to the Door of it, by Sealing the Stone and setting a Watch: But 'tis further said that, at the time appointed and foretold for the rising of Christ, there was a great Earthquake, and that then the Angel of the

Lord descended from Heaven, and rolled back the Stone from the Door of the Sepulchre, and sat upon it; that his Countenance was like Lightning and his Raiment White as Snow; that the Keepers saw all these things, and, for fear of the Angel, did shake and be∣came as dead Men: Afterwards we read that some of the Watch came into the City and shewed unto the Chief Priests all the things that were done; that the Chief Priests when they were Assembled with the Elders, and had ta∣ken Counsel, gave large Money to the Souldi∣ers, to say, his Disciples came by Night and stole him away while they Slept; which the Souldiers accordingly did, upon their Pro∣mise to perswade the Governour if it should come to his Ears, and secure them.

Now if all these Circumstances were true, for the truth of all which the Chief Priests, Pharisees and Elders, Pilate, and the Souldiers that watch'd the Sepulchre of Christ, are cited as Witnesses, then is it certain that the Body of Christ was re∣moved out of the Sepulchre by an extra∣ordinary Power, agreeable to his own Prediction: The belief of which will render all the after-Accounts of Christ ve∣ry easie and probable, and the sincerity of the Witnesses that relate them will

take away all manner of doubt concern∣ing the truth of them.

Which Sincerity of the Witnesses is manifest, not only from the constant set∣tled Character of the Men, but from a great many peculiar Circumstances in the Relation it self that is given of this great and wonderful Event: Such as were the Ignorance of the Disciples of Christ, who knew not the Scripture that he must rise again from the Dead; their Fear and Flight when he was taken; their Sorrow and Disconsolate Dispair of seeing Israel Redeemed by him after he was Dead, as they trusted before it should; their A∣mazement and Astonishment, Terrour and Trembling when he appeared to any of them; the Trouble and Distrust some of them shewed upon his discovering himself to them; the suspence of others from believing by reason of their Joy and Wonder; the difficulty of believing and hardness of Heart in all of them, and parti∣cularly in Thomas, (who believed not them that had seen him after he was ri∣sen) till they were convinced by the Testimony of their own Senses: All which Passions are expressed in such a manner, as none but honest sincere Per∣sons,

who were throughly perswaded of the truth of things, were capable of ex∣pressing.

Several other Circumstances might be alledged, and all of them further inlarg∣ed upon, to confirm the truth of what I have advanced; and the like might be done in many other Facts besides that of the Resurrection, as may be plainly seen in the Gospel-account of them; but this single Instance is sufficient to shew that the truth uf the Private Miracles of Christ, is supported by the Publick Circumstances with which they were attended, as well as by the Characters of the Witnesses that related them.

But the greatest Confirmation of the Truth of all these Private Miracles of Christ, and the chief Ground upon which the first Christians believed them, was the Power of working New Miracles, which was so manifestly and remarkably upon all occasions exercised by the Relatours and Publishers of them. The Publick Miracles of Christ were such, and so well known and attested as made it very easie to believe he might do the like, or as great, or greater privately, in the presence of a few: And the publick Miracles of the

Apostles and Disciples of Christ, took away all Suspicion of their forging privates ones done by their Master; that extraordina∣ry Power they were indued with, being reckoned a certain Argument of the Di∣vine Favour to them, and consequently of their extraordinary Piety and Holi∣ness, which are Characters utterly in∣consistent with all Falshood and Lying Pretences.

Notes

• Pliny.
• Eus. Ec. H. l. 5. c. 26.
• Eus. E. H. l. 3. c. 18.