fuch as are no Friends to Revelation, that there are certain Seasons when any thing will pass upon the world, under the Notion of Religion: which has, no doubt, a good deal of truth in it, with regard to the general belief of things mar vellous, and extraordinary: But from all that is gone before, I think it fufficiently appears, that this Age was by no means fuch; that it can neither be charg'd with Ignorance, nor Credulity; that it cannot be fufpected of any extraordinary Difpofition to receive fuch a Doctrine as that of Christianity, and from fuch hands; were it not manifeftly true, and of Divine Authority and that therefore the examination into the Grounds thereof, at its first propagation, and the full Conviction which each Party must have had, before it would be able to gain admittance with them, might fairly ferve for all fucceeding Generations; and must be allow'd to add one of the strongest confirmations to it.

Laftly, this Age was the best qualify'd to hand it down to Pofterity. As it was an inquifitive, and difcerning one, fo it was no lefs letter'd, and historical. The Auguftan Age is remarkable to this day for the number of its Writers. There is none better known; fcarcely any of which fo full and particular accounts are given. The Roman Empire had been juft fettled; and the minds of its chief Members turn'd from Arms and Action, to Works of Genius and Speculation; fond of celebrating its conquefts, and recording its Glory, they gave themselves up to the Study

a Voltaire's Letters, L. 7. To the fame purpose (if I miftake not) are fome parts in the Life of Homer, 1 Ed. and feveral pallages in Bayle's Dict. and the Characteristicks.

of

of Eloquence, and good Writing. Their Chro nology had been lately reform'd, and adjusted; exact Reviews were taken of the most diftant Provinces; the Number, Names, Employments, Quality, Eftates, of their Inhabitants, regifter'd; and all remarkable Acts, and Occurrences, tranfmitted to Rome, the Capital of the World. In fuch a State of affairs, no great Event could lie conceal'd, or be long call'd in question: At fuch a time therefore was it not highly proper to introduce this new, furprifing Scene upon the Stage of the World; where its Æra must be fix'd beyond all future Controverfy? Had Chrift come in an obfcure, fabulous Age, by this time we might perhaps have doubted, whether ever there was any fuch Perfon; at least, whether any thing relating to him could be well de pended on. It was by no means fit, that a thing of this Confequence fhould be done in a Corner, and left to vulgar Report, and uncertain Tradition; to be foon dropt again; or blended, and difguis'd with Fiction, and Romance: This therefore commenc'd in an Age of the World, when the Copiousness, and Certainty of its History ferv'd, both to spread it more univerfally, and preferve it more fecurely: when many took in hand to fet forth a Declaration of those things, which were moft furely believ'd among them; whereby we have more ample and authentic Memoirs of Church History, than could ever have been expected before that Period; and

b See Lardner's Credibility, B. 2. c. I. S. 2.

This is to be understood with an Exception to the thirty years between Nero and Trajan, to which time all the common Complaint of Want of Ecclefiaflical Writers ought, I

whereby the Time when, the Place where, and Perfons under whom, the most material Occurrences happen'd, were afcertained by Writers of different Nations and Profeffions; by Romans, Jews, and Greeks.

These several Circumstances confpire to bring the Miffion of Chrift very near the Time in which he came. There is one more, which feems to fix it precisely to that; at least will shew, that it could not be fooner, confiftently with the common Course of Providence, and moral Government of the World; admitting likewise the par ticular Scheme already fpecify'd, viz. of his defcending from the Jews; I mean, the Circumftance of their then being in Subjection to the Roman Government, so far as to have the Power of Life and Death, in most cafes, taken from them b.

think, to be limited. The Caufe of this is affign'd by Vitringa Obf. Sacr. L. 4. c. 7. S.9. p.904, &c. why no larger Accounts of the Apoftles, See Dr. Hartley's Observations on Man. V.2. p. 121.

b John 18. 31. How far this was fo, fee Lardner Cred. B.1. c. 2. S. 5. par. 7. P. 49, &c. 2 Edit. The particular Instance of St. Stephen's Murder, which is brought to prove the contrary by the Authors of Univerf. Hift. [v.4. p. 236. Not. R.] does not feem fufficient for that purpofe, but rather looks like an Act of the Zealots, though his Trial was begun regularly; [fee Bafnage, B. 5. c. 2. S.8.] and the Cafe of St. Paul, mention'd in the fame Book [N.O. p. 257.] feems to fhew, not that they pretended to an executive Power in his Time, but that even their Judicial one was then interrupted, to prevent the like Outrages. This Point feems to be pretty exactly ftated in Millar's Ch. Hift. c. 7. p. 536. comp. Bafnage ibid. S.7. and Whitby on John 18. 31. One would think their own Judgment of the thing might be inferr'd from Hieros. Sanhedr. fol. 18. col. 1. Traditio eft, quadraginta annos ante excidium Templi ablatum fuiffe jus vite et mortis. et ib. fol.242.

Quam

By all that we know of that Generation, we have reafon to believe, that if they had been at Liberty, they would certainly have cut him off, as foon as ever he appear'd to correct their grofs Errors, and to reprove their many Abuses in Religion; to disappoint all their fond Hopes of temporal Grandeur, Wealth, and Power; and humble their fpiritual Pride, by reducing them to a Level with all fuch as feared God, of every Nation under Heaven. And accordingly, when they faw he was not a Messiah for their Purpose, we find them immediately refolv'd to feize, and dispatch him; as they would undoubtedly have done, if they had had fufficient Power: but being, in a great measure, deprived of it, they were obliged to have recourfe to Stratagem; continually laying wait for fomething to accuse him of

Quadraginta annis ante vaftatum Templum ablata funt Judicia capitalia ab ISRAELE. comp. Allix, Judgment of the Jewish Church, &c. p.49. Though Dr. Lightfoot is of a different Opinion, and produces feveral Inftances in Confirmation of it. [Op. Lat. v.2. p. 371.] It must be confefs'd, that the learned Mr. Bifcoe [Boyle's Lect. c.6.] has made it very probable, that the Jewish Magiftrates had often, even in those Times, the Power of inflicting capital Punishments allowed them; but yet he grants, that they were often prevented by the Roman Governours; [ib. p. 225.] 'tis plain their State was about that Time in great Confufion; and it appears, that they durft not exert fuch a Power, upon the Occafion abovementioned; nor in their then Circumftances, could at laft have compaffed our Saviour's Death in any regular, judicial Way, without Application to a Roman Governour; which comes to pretty near the fame Thing, with refpect to the main Part of the prefent Argument.

• How foon their Rulers perceiv'd this, and what a different Conduct it produced at firft in them, and that of the common People toward him, fee Lardner's Cred. V.1. p. 288, &c.

to the Romans; tempting him, and trying all Methods to draw him into any Act, which might be conftrued Treafon, or Difaffection to their Government: on which account also we find him behaving with fo much Caution, and Referve before them; keeping in private, as much as was poffible, and confiftent with the End for which he came, charging his Difciples not to make him known; moving from place to place in order to avoid Tumults'; preventing his being proclaim'd the Meffiah'; and declining any direct Answer, when queftion'd about it; till he had finished the Work of his Miniftry; and fulfill'd every thing in the Scriptures concerning him ‡. No former

P Luke 5. 16. Job. 7.1.-11.54.

9 Matt. 12. 16.

Sæpe Chriftus fugiebat hominum turbam dum lacum trajiceret, forte ut vitaret omnem tumultus fpeciem, utque obviam iret feditionibus, quas homines rerum novarum cu pidi, quos multos tunc temporis in Judæa fuiffe notum eft, potuiffent ejus nomine abutentes concitare. Si magna hominum imperitorum multitudo diu congregata fuiffet, facile contra Romanos, quorum jugum iniquo animo ferebant, moliri aliquid potuiffet, præfertim cum Jefum effe Meffiam credere aut fufpicari coeperant. Maximi autem erat momenti Evangelio exorienti omnes turbas turbarumque vel ipfam fufpicionem vitari; parati enim erant Primores Judæorum Chriftum adcufare, apud Procuratorem Cæfaris, qui hujufmodi delationibus accipiendis jam nimium propenfus erat. Vide hiftoriam adminiftrationis Pilati apud Jofephum. Cleric. in Matt. 8. 18. Comp. infra p. 295.

Mark 3. 12. Luke 4.41. Job. 10. 24.-11. 4, &c. See Locke, Reafonableness of C. p. 487, &c. Fol.3d. Ed. [or Lardner, Cred. B.1. c.5. p.286.] where may be found a full Anfwer to the Moral Philofopher's Obfervations on this Subject, V.3. p.189. who concludes, as is ufual, with a very falfe Account of the Matter, viz. that our Saviour all along, from first to laft, [witness Mat. 26. 64. Mar. 14. 62. Luke 22. 70. Joh. 18. 37.] difclaim'd the Meffiahfhip among them,' i. e. the Jews. Comp. Whitby on Matt. 9. 30.

The