the reproachful name on Him, of Talun, or a person that was hanged, and call the Christians, the fervants of Talui. Though they difown him to be the Messiah, yet they never refufe there being fuch a Perfon. Their learned countryman Jofephus (no christian) his testimony concerning him is well known to all the learned world, Antiq. Jud. lib. xviii cap. 4. p. 261. Edit Genev. 1935. where he plainly teftifies of the life, miracles, crucifixion and refurrection of Jefus Chrift, and of the fulfilling of the prophecies in him, and of the wonderful converfion both of Jews and Gentiles to the faith of his gospel Some indeed question the genuineness of this paffage of Jofephus, but without just ground; for we find this teftimony taken notice of as his by very ancient writers, as Eufebius in Hift Ecclef. lib. I cap ii. pag. 30. Edit. Parif. 1659, in vita Tiberii; alfo by Nicephorus Califtus, by Sozomen, by Ferom, by Idorus Pelufiola, &c.

Object. This paffage is not taken notice of by the ancient defenders of Chriftianity, as Juftin Martyr, Origen, Tertullian, &c. Anf. The reafon of this might be, the copies of Jofephus they chanced to make use of might want this teftimony, which, in all likelihood, was razed out of as many copies as the malicious Jews could come at: For this teftimony of fuch a famous man as Jofephus, one of their own country and religion, against the Jews, for treating fuch an excellent Perfon fo barbaroufly, could not but expofe them as an execrable generation through all the world. So that it is not to be doubted but they would ufe all poffible artifices to take out this teftimony of Jofephus, wherever they had the management of the copies, either by themfelves, or others, their emiffaries for that purpofe. Bat it was not poffible for them to compafs the razing it out of all the copies difperfed up and down the world. Befides, this famous testimony hath the manifeft ftamp of Josephus his ftyle and diction. Again, we have certain e-, vidence of other teftimonies being razed out of Josephus For Eufebius (we find) quotes fofephus as recording how juft and righteous à man James was, called the brother of Christ, and saying, that the fober and

more confiderate men among the Jews believed the deftruction of Jerufalem to be a punishment inflicted on them for murdering of him. Likewife we have Origen, and Jerom, and Suidas, quoting Jofephus for the fame paffige. And yet in our days there is no fuch paffage to be found in Jofephus. Now, would fo many authors have agreed in appealing to Jofephus for fuch a paffage, if they had not really found it in him? Would it not have expofed their caufe to the contempt of all, the world, to have afferted a thing which every body could have refuted as false?

11. Ancient pagan writers have owned the fame thing concerning Chrift, as Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny, &c. Yea, Lucian exprefsly owns the crucifixion of Chrift, though he jeers both him, and the Chriftians his worshippers, on that account: So doth Julian the apoftate; he owns the truth of facts concerning Christ, though he endeavours what he can to leffen the reputa tion of his life and miracles, and alledges, that all he did was no great matter, but only to open the eyes of the blind, reflore limbs. to the lame, and deliver perfons poffeffed from the power and enchantments of devils, which he feemed to make little account of. It is true, he doth not notice his railing the dead, but paffes that by in filence, being what he could not pretend to anfwer. The Jews alfo owned the miracles ;, but alledged that he did all his wonderful works by virtue of the facred tetragrammaton Alfo Celfus, that enemy of Chriftianity, confeffes the truth of Chrift's nativity, his journey into Egypt his paffing from place to place with his difciples, the fact of his miracles, his being betrayed, and, laftly, his death and paffion. I grant they make all theie conceffions, in order to their fcoff and ridicule: However, it fhews the things were fo evident, they could not be denied; but Origen fufficiently chastises and expofes him for railing.

12. It is certain, that the writings of Matth., Mark, Luke, and John, concerning the life and actions of Chrift and his apoftles, were their genuine compofitions, and not the writings of any other. To confirm this, confider that there is no reafon to doubt, that the first teachers of the Christian

Chriftian faith would use the most effectual means for pro-
pagating a doctrine they fo zealously efpoufed themfelves,
and they would not on that score neglect fo direct and ne-
ceffary a method for obtaining their end, as that of com-
mitting their doctrines to writing. This is what may be
rationally expected from the policy and care of the first
founders of any fect, as being a step fo neceflary, in
order to the prefervation and progrefs thereof.
the fects who have made any, figure in the world, have
taken this course, and fo have the founders of Christi
anity too. While the autographa, or original manu-
fcripts of thefe penmen were preferved in the church,
there was no accefs to impofe doctrines or facts on the
world in their names, contrary to what they had writ-
And Tertullian, who flourished at the latter end
of the fecond century, or the very beginning of the
third, intimates, that thefe venerable writings were pre-
ferved till his time. Again, no particular fect of Chrif-
tians could ever get the writings of the new teftament
fo forged or adulterate, but all the other fects of Chrif-
tians would have proclaimed the impofture to the world.
The enmity and quarrels among different parties, were
a ftrong guard on thefe facred books, that no defign-
ing party could ever foift into these books their own
notions, feeing the copies were dispersed among all the
fects.

ten.

MEDITATION III.

Of the certainty of CHRIST's Refurrection.

WE have many undeniable evidences of it: 1. The teftimony of many eye-witneffes; for, belides the apostles, who were witneffes of it in an eminent manner, there were many others: For Paul tells us, that in his time there were ftill remaining the greater part of more than 500, who did all at one time fee Jefus after his rifing again. Now, an impofture may lie concealed for a while in a few hands, but it is next

to

to impoffible that it should lie long undiscovered in the hands of a great many. It shocks a man to think, that fo many perfons fhould agree in all the punctilios of a notorious lie, and that they should agree to stand by it in fo peremptory a manner as these persons did, and never clash together in any inftance whatsoever. It is commonly obferved, that plots never thrive fo well as when there are few let into the secret; and large cabals of knaves and liars feldom fail to tell tales of one another.

2. These witneffes had perfonal knowledge of what they teftified: Yea, they not only declared that they faw Christ, but many of them, that they faw him frequently and familiarly, and that for a confiderable tract of time. They converted with him for forty days; they eat and drank with him; they faw him do feveral wondrous works; they received orders and instructions from him about the government of his church; he bid them, "Go, teach and baptize all nations;" he promised them his peace and bleffing in fo doing, to the end of the world; he commanded them to tarry in Jerufalem, till they were endued with power from on high; and a great many other things are recorded, that he faid to them; and after all, they faw him taken up from them, and afcend into heaven, angels ftanding by. Now, it never could be a dream or imagination in fo many men, men, for fo many weeks, to fancy all these things alike, without the least variation.

3 Confider the manner of the teftimony, and how they delivered it. They invoked God's tremendous name, and begged his affiftance and bleffing. They appealed to him as the omnifcient judge of the world, concerning the fincerity and integrity of their hearts. They declared they did not this of themfelves, but by God's order and appointment; and that he gave them power of working figns and wonders for the confirmation of all they faid, and accordingly wrought them before all men.

4. They did not teftify of a matter that was tranfacted at a distance from the place where they gave their testimony, nor a long time after the thing was done.

No,

No, there is no ground of objection on any of these accounts: For those men appeared upon the very spot that was the scene of the action, at Jerufalem, where Chrift was crucified, and where they affirmed he also rofe. They neither fent people a great way to enquire, nor did they defer the publication of it till Jefus Chrift was forgotten, and the ftory of his refurrection worn out of mind. No, instead of that, they did it while it was fresh in the minds and mouths of all men, and while those persons who could have confuted them were alive, and ready to be produced, if they had any thing to have advanced against it.

5 They did not make a fecret of this matter, but declared it in the most public and open manner that poffibly could be. It was not a story whispered among those of their own party, but proclaimed in the ears of all people, and at a time when Jerufalem was crowded with foreigners of all nations, and where was no want of perfons able and curious enough to enquire into the truth of all the strange reports they made. They went into the temple and into the fynagogues, and preached the refurrection of Chrift; yea, in the moft auguft councils of the Jews, they teftified it to the rulers and high-priests who had condemned Chrift. Peter's bold fpeech is most remarkable, Acts iv. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. And we fee how confounded the whole council was with their teftimony; and not one of them had the confidence to tell them that they were publishing a notorious lie.

6. Thefe perfons were men of fuch probity and virtue, that none of their adverfaries could ever call in question, nor fhew to the world that they were ill men.

7. They were perfons not bred up in courts, nor inftructed in the arts and intrigues of the world, able to perfuade people by elegant difcourfes, &c. No, they were generally mean, though plain and honeft men, and their difcourfes plain and homely: And though Paul was a man of polite learning, yet he would make no ufe of human learning in the propagation of Christianity.

8. They