SERM. II.

or, in other Words, whether they were
Impoftors, or Perfons commiffioned by
God. Did they then wilfully confpire to
impofe upon others? Upon what Motives?
That of Vain-Glory? No, certainly. The
great Leaders of Parties may fometimes
expect to be transmitted down to Pofterity,
with Marks of Honour, and to leave be-
hind them a bright and lafting Track of
Glory. But their numerous Retinue of
Followers muft expect to die unnoticed, as
they lived unknown: Each of Them will
be loft in the Crowd, like fo many Cyphers,
undistinguished, and of no Confideration or
Moment, any farther than they contribute
to make the principal Figure, which was
placed at the Head of them, more confi-
derable. Now that Men fhould give up
the most weighty and valuable Confidera-
tions of this Life; nay Life itfelf, for in-
valuable Rewards in Heaven, and for an
'exceeding Weight of Glory; that they should
fufpend all Defire of Applause, till they re-
ceived the inestimable Applaufe of their
CreatorThis is eafily accounted for.
But that Men fhould give up their All here,
for Nothing in Reverfion; that they should
refign Life itself, without even expecting

SERM. II. that imaginary Life, a great Name after Death, merely to atteft and support an unprofitable Falfhood-This is highly incredible, abfurd, and impoffible.

I grant, that feveral may dye Martyrs for an Opinion, that is false; because though it be false, they may be perfuaded it is true. But Miracles, upon which Christianity is founded, are Matters of Fact, of which the early Followers of the Apostles muft have been Eye-Witneffes. And no Body

ever died to affert an Untruth in Matters of
Fact, as to which he could not be deceived,
fuppofing the Truth of his Senfes: Though
feveral have died, rather than renounce
Opinions, the Falfity of which they had
not Judgment enough to difcover. Much
lefs can it be imagined, that, under the
early Perfecutions of Nero and Domitian,
many Thousands of Chriftians would
go on
in an uninterrupted Track of Falfifying
wilfully, at the Expence of their Lives;
without one of them, even in the Article
of Death, deviating into Truth.

The numerous Converts to Christianity in the first Century, could not have believed it to be true, if it had been falfe. For they must have had an inward Conscious

nefs,

nefs, whether they had received thofe mi- SERM. II. raculous Gifts or not, for the Abuse and Mif-application of which St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians cenfures and reproves them. They must have had an abfolute Certainty, fuppofing no extraordinary Gifts were communicated to them, that he, from whom they received their Religion, and whofe Epiftles, as appears from St. Peter and others, were univerfally read as of divine Authority, was a shamelefs Impoftor. And yet they could not have professed the Belief of it, knowing it to be an Imposture, at a Time, when Christians were of all Men most miserable, without any Prospect of worldly Honour and Advantage, but with a certain Expectation of exquifite Torments; except upon a Suppofition that they loved Mifery and hated Happiness, as fuch.

Pliny, a Perfon of unfufpected Veracity, in the Reign of Trajan, not seventy Years after the Resurrection, in a Letter to the Emperor, informs him that, where he was Governor in Bithynia, a Place above twelve hundred Miles from Jerufalem the nearest Way; to arrive at which you must travel through feveral Nations, of different Languages,

T 3

SERM. II. guages,

guages, Syrians, Pamphylians, Carians, Lycians, &c. Chriftianity had fo far prevailed, that the Temples of the Gods were almoft defolated, their facred Rites a long Time intermitted, and there were very few that would buy any Sacrifices; notwithstanding great Severities were inflicted upon Chriftians of every Rank, Sex, and Age.

Juftin Martyr, who lived in the fame Century, informs us, in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, that there was no Nation in the known World, where fome did not pray to God in the Name of Jesus Christ. What shall we fay then? that the Apostles travelled from one End of the Earth to the other, without understanding the Languages of feveral Nations? Then it would have been impoffible to have made any Converts, by fpeaking to them in an unknown Tongue, Or fhall we say, that Men bred up in love Employments had a vaft Variety of Languages at Command? That would have been almost impoffible, if they had made it the whole Bufinefs of their Lives. In fhort there is no other Way of accounting for it, but by Infpiration: They could not acquire them; they must be the Gift of God. And when I confider, that they enlightened as many

Nations

Nations with a rational Devotion, and found SERM. II. Morality, as Alexander ravaged by the Force of Arms; that they did more in one Century to difabuse the World, and rescue it from human Sacrifices, and to propagate beneficial Truth; than the Philofophers had done for many Ages: I think, what was a mere Compliment, when applied to a certain great Hero, is but ftrict Juftice done to them, viz. that they were the Inftruments in tantis Rebus gerendis, quantas audere vix hominis; perficere nullius nifi Dei, "in

bringing thofe Things to bear, which merely to attempt was more than human; " but to perform was certainly God-like and "divine." That the Apoftles, though low, should overcome the Great; and though ignorant, should teach the Wife; can only be ascribed to him, who has chosen the weak Things of this World to confound the Mighty.

Befides, fuppofing the Apoftles had asferted without any Foundation, that at the Death of our Saviour, when the Moon was at the Full, and confequently, there could be no natural Eclipfe, yet there was a fupernatural one, and a Darkness of three Hours Continuance; that in the Metropolis.