above Three hundred Years after Chrift, that he might fhew that the Religion which came from Heaven, could need no human Aid, nor be fupprefs'd by any human Force; and that he might recommend the great Vertues of Meeknefs and Patience to the World by the Examples of Men as eminent for thefe, as for the Miracles they wrought, and might inftruct Mankind in a fuffering Religion. For to affure the World of the truth of it, he would not grant it protection from Chriftian Emperors, till most of the Empire was become Chriftian, and Chriftianity had diffused it felf into all the known parts of the Earth. For before the last Perfecution, begun by Dioclefian, the Church flourished as much, and had the favour of the Court, and of Great Men, in as high a degree almost, as under Conftantine himself; till their Profperity caufed their Sins, and thefe brought Perfecution. But at laft the perfecuting Emperors were forced by a Divine Power, manifefted in miraculous Difeafes inflicted on them, to restore the Chriftians to their former Liberty, in their Worship of God; that fo it might appear to all the World, that the Chriftian Religion needed no Patronage of Men; for God would compel its worft Enemies to become its Protectors, when he faw it fitting. And when Julian made it his great aim and bufinefs to reftore Paganism again in the World, he faw, to his grief, how ineffectual all his endeavours proved; he obferved that the Chriftian Religion ftill retained a general efteem and approbation, and that the Wives, and Children, and Servants of his own Priefts themfelves, were most of them Chriftians.

If any one then, upon a ferious confideration of all circumftances, can withstand the convicton of fo great Evidence; I would only ask him, whether he believes

• Eufeb. Hift. lib. viii. c. I.

P Sozom. lib. v. c. 16. & Julian. Epist. 49.

any

any History, or Relations of Matters of Fact, which he never faw, and defire him to fhew what degrees of Certainty he can difcern in any of them, which are not to be found here: and befides to confider, that if in a vicious and fubtile Age, a Doctrine fo contrary to Flesh and Blood, by fo weak and incompetent means, could obtain fo univerfally amongst Men of all Tempers, and Profeffions, and Interefts, in all Nations of the World, against fo violent oppofition, without the help of Miracles; this is as great a Miracle as can be conceived: either therefore the Chriftian Religion was propagated by Miracles, or it was not; if it was, then the Miracles, by which it was propagated, prove it to be from God; if it was not propagated by Miracles, the Propagation it felf is a Miracle, and fufficient to prove it to be from him.

CHA P. XVII.

Of the Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists.

T is juftly esteemed a fufficient reafon for the credibility of any Hiftory, if it be written by Men of Integrity, Men who have no fufpicion upon them of dishonesty, and have no temptation to deceive, and who relate nothing, but of their own Times, and within their own knowledge, though the Authors never fuffered any lofs, nor run any hazard in afferting what they deliver. But the Hiftory of Chrift has this farther advantage, that many of the moft confiderable things in it were done in the fight of his Enemies, and that which is an History to future Ages, was rather an Appeal to that Age, whether the things related were true, or not.

The History of our Saviour's Life, and Death, and Refurrection, and Afcenfion, as it hath been proved, U 2

was

was attefted by his Apoftles, to the faces of his very Crucifiers; and they all remained upon the place, where what they witnessed had been done, for feveral Years afterwards, declaring and preaching to all people, the things which they bad feen and heard. And foon after his Afcenfion, when all the proceedings against him were fresh in memory, they committed the fame to writing in Greek, which was the most common Language, and generally known at that time. St. Matthew, who first penn'd his Gospel, is faid to have written it in Hebrew or Syriack, (tho' it was soon after translated into Greek,) fo that whoever of the Jews did not underftand the Greek Tongue, might read the Gofpel in their own Language. Not long after the other Gospels were penn'd, and they were all in a fhort time difperfed into the feveral parts of the World, and tranflated into all Languages. It is particularly related, that St. John's Gofpel, and the Acts of the Apostles, were foon tranflated into the Hebrew Tongue.

b

The Evangelifts give fuck an account both of the Birth and Death of our Saviour, as must suppose them recorded at Rome. For there the cenfual Tables were kept, where, by St. Luke's account, the name of our Saviour must have been registred; and his Death and - Refurrection were fo remarkable, as they relate them, that according to the custom used in the Government of the Roman Provinces, the Emperor must have a relation fent him of them, and (as I have fhewn) both Juftin Martyr and Tertullian appeal to the Roman Records for the truth both of the Birth and Refurrection of our Saviour. The memory of the Massacre of the Infants by Herod is preferved to us by a Saying of Auguftus concerning Herod upon it, which is men

tioned in Macrobius a Heathen Author. For Auguftus was told, that among others Herod had caus'd his own Child to be flain; which, whether true or no, gave occafion to the Emperor to make this Obfervation, That it was better to be Herod's Swine than his Son. Tacitus mentions our Saviour's Suffering under Pontius PiLate, and Tertullian, in his Apology, tells the Heathens, that the miraculous Eclipfe of the Sun, which was at Christ's Death, stood upon record in their own Registers; whether it were for the Strangeness of the thing, it being contrary to the Course of Nature, or that their Superftition had made it cuftomary to regifter all the Eclipfes which happen'd. It must be acknowledg'd, that the Paffage in Jofephus concerning our Saviour, is not without its Difficulties: But at the fame time, it must be own'd, that it is altogether as unaccountable, that he fhould give no Character of Christ himself, nor of Chriftians; who, as we learn from Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny, were grown too confiderable to be overlook'd by a Jewish Hiftorian; who, according to all the Rules of History, ought to have mention'd them, as a numerous and prevailing Sect, at least, if he had no better Opinion of them. However, the Testimony given by Jofephus to the Virtue and Piety of St. John Baptist, must be admitted as unquestionable, fince nothing can be brought against it, but the like might be rais'd by acute and bufy Men against any other part of his History. In the Antiquities of Jofephus, as we now have them, mention is twice made of our Blessed Saviour; Once in his full Character, and a fecond time, in ftyling St. James, the Brother of Jefus, who is called Chrift. And next to thefe exprefs Teftimonies, (if they be rejected) his Silence is the best Evidence, which could be expected or defired of him. This proves, at least, that he had no

f

21.

h

f 1. 18. c. 7.
U 3

thing to write against Christ. For he, who forgot not the Story of Judas of Galilee, and of Theudas, would not have spared our Saviour, if the Accufations of the Jews had been true. Jofephus then feems to have follow'd Gamaliel's Advice: And now I fay unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counfel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But, if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, left haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed. Acts v. 38, 39.

What other Reafon can be align'd, why when Chrift is fpoken of by the Roman Hiftorians of that Age, an Account of him should be omitted by Jofephus, who had much more occafion to mention him, and greater opportunities to find out the Truth of all that had been preach'd or written of him? This is faid on Suppofition, that thefe Teftimonies of Jofephus were not genuine, which I fee no Reafon to fufpect.

The Dumbnefs of Zacharias till the Circumcifion of his Son John the Baptift, was a notorious publick thing, and the People who waited for him, and marvell'd that he tarry'd fo long in the Temple, perceiv'd at his coming out, that he had feen a Vifion, and all things relating to that Hiftory were noifed abroad through all the hill country of Judea, Luke i. 21. That the Wife-men came from the Eaft at the fight of the Star; that Herod heard of this, and was troubled at it, and all Jerufalem with him; that he gather'd all the Chief-Priefts and Scribes together, and demanded of them, where Chrift fhould be born; and that they anfwer'd, At Bethlehem of Judea, citing the Prophecy of Micah, that Herod, when he had enquired of the Wife-men concerning the Star, and enjoin'd them to bring him word where the young Child was, being difappointed by their returning home anoher way, flew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in

i Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 18. c. I.

k 1. 20. C. 2.

all