ther could be deceived themselves, nor would have impofed upon others; their teftimony must be received, as unquestionably true. Now the most inveterate enemies of the Chriftian religion cannot deny, but that the Evangelifts and Apoftles, whofe writings we now have, were all fuch, as we are going to fhew.

1. There appear in their writings an uncommon ftrain of wisdom, and a most extraordinary degree of holiness. And if integrity is neceffary to render a teftimony valid, theirs cannot be more authentick in this refpect, than it is. This fame argument is a proof of their fincerity, fince that quality is effential to an honest man. 2. But moreover their giving an account of their own weakneffes, is a very strong argument of their fincerity in all other refpects. They might juftly enough have concealed their own failings, fince it was not effential to the Chriftian faith, nor confequently to their miniftry, that they fhould be tranfmitted down to pofterity. If therefore they have made' mention of them, though prejudicial to their reputation, it is one of the strongest proofs in the world of their veracity in whatever else they have advanced. 3. They speak only of fuch things as they faw and heard, which they were themselves concerned withal, or had learned from those that were the eye-witneffes of them. It is manifeft from their difcourfes and reafonings, that they were not perfons liable to be impofed upon. Though they do not reafon according to the method obferved by the philofophers and orators of their own, and our age; yet there certainly teigns an excellent folidity, and a continued ftrain of good fenfe through all their writings. Befides, the things they speak of, are of fuch a nature, as not to admit of any delufion; they are not done in the dark, but generally in the day-time, and before all the world. To inftance in one particular; Was St. Luke's account of the birth of John the Baptift, of his father Zechariah's becoming dumb in the temple, and Elizabeth his wife's bringing forth, after the had been barren for a long time; was all this, 1 fay, a mere forgery, nothing could be easier than to display the falfhood of it, and every one would have laughed at the cheat. 4. For this very reafon it was impoffible they could deceive others, fuppofing they had had any fuch defign, because the impofture would have been too eafily found out. They must have invented lefs abfurd and palpable stories, if they had had a mind to impose upon the world. Most of the Apostles wrote but a few years after the death of JESUS CHRIST. An innumerable multitude of people, who had been witneffes of the things the Apoftles related, were ftill alive; now would the Apoftles have ventured to teach and write, that at fuch a time a man called JESUS of Nazareth was come from God; that he had revealed eternal life; that he had confirmed his doctrine by feveral remarkable miracles, which were performed in the face of the world; that after having preached throughout all Judea, in the fynagogues and other publick places, he had been condemned to death by the rulers of the Jews, and crucified under Pontius Pilate; that after three days he rose again; that, according to his promife, the Holy Ghoft was come down upon the Apoftles, on the day of pentecoft, and that they had spoken all kinds of tongues before all the people; that from thence they had difperfed themselves almost all over the world, and converted the best

part

part of it, confirining their doctrine with figns and miracles? Would the Apoftles, I fay, have dared to advance in their writings things of.. this nature, and not have thereby expofed themfelves to the fcorn and contempt of the world? It is certainly very improbable, that the Apoftles could be the authors of fo extravagant an impofture, and that they fhould be fuffered by the Jews to propagate it without restraint, fince it was fo much their intereft to put a ftop thereto. 5. Let us again fuppofe that the Apostles had contrived fuch an impofture; with what view could they do it? Men are feldom known do to mifchief for mifchief's fake, especially when the crime they would commit is attended with a vifible danger. They are always drawn in by fome intereft or paffion (). But no fuch thing is to be found here. The integrity of the Apoftles gives us not the leaft room to fufpect them of ambition, and had they had any advantage in view, they must have found themselves fadly mistaken, fince, as they themfelves declare, they were as the filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things. Their aim befides could not be to get riches, like mercenary teachers. They were poor, and would take nothing of any one. Their utter averfion för all kinds of pleafures was moreover no likely method to gain them the protection and applaufes of fenfual men, who love to have their paffions indulged. In short, they must have been the most imprudent of men, daily to expose themselves to certain death, only to maintain a heinous impofture. 6. The agreement between feveral witrielles difperfed here and there, who did not write in concert, and were by perfecutions hindered from carrying on a cheat; this agreement is a proof of no fmall weight. It often happens that several hiftorians write the fame hiftory, but you can never difcover in them a perfect uniformity, unlefs the fame memoirs have by them been perused.

We have only given an abstract of this proof drawn from the character of the Apofties. It may be carried on a good deal farther by the fame way of reasoning. And it must certainly have a very great influence upon any man that will but make ufe of his reafon. For if a heathen, or a libertine will not admit of it, we may just ask them, whether they have any other rule to fatisfy themselves of the truth of any matter of fact, befides the character of the perfons by whom it is attefted. It is really ftrange that fo much credit fhould be given to prophane hiftory, and men fhould be fo very nice and over-cautious in embracing the chriftian religion, and the historical matters relating thereto, when there is not any heathen author that has, at leaft in the fame degree, any one of thofe qualifications that are to be found in the Apoftles, much less all of them together. Some write of things that happened at a great diftance of time from them. Such as were cotemporary, could not be witnelles of every thing; and then, how often are men biaffed by intereft, paffion, or flattery? Befides, as the greatest part of them treat only of fuch matters as are apt to excite people's curiofity, they might invent as many falfhoods as they pleased, in order to ftrike their readers

(*) 1 Cor. iv. 13.

with

with wonder and admiration. As for the Jews, if they refufe to admit, in behalf of the truth of the New Teftament, this kind of proof drawn from the character of the Apoftles, they muft needs betray their own caufe by fuch a refufal, there being no other proof of the truth of what is attefted by Mofes and the Prophets, than the integrity of thefe holy men.

This gives us an occafion of proceeding to another proof of the truth of the books of the New Teftament, that is, their agreement with the Old, at leaft in respect of thofe that acknowledge the authority of the latter. It is true that the Old Teftament feems to be contradicted in the New, efpecially in St. Paul's epiftles, who ftrenuoudly allerts the abrogation of the ceremonial law. Bet fince he fhews at the fame time how this law was fulfilled in the gofpel, there is only a feeming contradiction between them, and the relation or analogy between the Old and New Teftament gives fuch an infight into them, as muft needs be difcovered by every intelligent perfon. Had not St. Paul learned from revelation as well as tradition, that the Meffiah was the truth and fubftance of those things whereof the law was only a fhadow, it cannot be conceived how he could have invented fuch a fyftem. Befides, the fulfilling of the ancient prophecies in the Meffiah fhines fo confpicuoufly in the writings of the New Testament, and all these fo exactly center in JESUS CHRIST, that it is abfolutely impoffible a mind free from prejudice, fhould not be affected with these marks of truth and fincerity. The modern Jews are not indeed willing to own that these prophecies were fulfilled in JESUS CHRIST, or can be applied to him. But in aufwer to them, it will be fufficient to obferve, that all the prophecies which have by the writers of the New Teftament been applied to JESUS CHRIST, were by their ancient doctors thought to belong to the Meffiah. This might cafily be proved by feveral authentic teftimonies, did the bounds of this introduction allow it. We fhall therefore only obferve, that in the 1 Chaldee paraphrafes, which were written by Jewish authors, most of the prophecies of the Old Teftament, which are applied to JESUS CHRIST in the New, are there also applied to the Meffiah. Now let the Jews produce, if they can, any other fubject to which thefe prophecies can better agree than to our bleffed Saviour. If to this reflection we add what hath before been faid concerning the character of the Apoftles, it can never come into any man's mind, that doth in the leaft reflect on things, and is free from prejudice and paffion, that fo natural and fo exact an application of the ancient prophecies concerning the Meffiah, to JESUS CHRIST, can be of human invention. To fum up this argument: a book wherein every thing that feemed obfcure and unaccountable in the tceremonial law is fo excellently well cleared up and unfolded, and wherein the prophecies of the Old Teftament have fo exact a completion, must come from God. Now the New Teftament is fuch; and therefore the New Teftament must come from God,

But among all the arguments of the truth of the New Teftament, there is no one that ought to be more univerfally received, or is more agreeable to the defign of this Introduction, than that which is taken from the confideration of the nature of the things contained in thefe facred writings, There are indeed in the New Teftament mysteries that are

Q3

above,

above, and fome that feem even contrary to reafon. But this could be no real difficulty, would men, inftead of cavilling at them, as libertines are used to do, and instead of darkening myfteries by too fubtile interpretations, or diving too far into them, as most of the school-divines are known to have done, put a rational meaning upon the facred writings, fuch a meaning as is worthy of God, and adore at the fame time fuch things as we cannot comprehend. A very pernicious method hath in this regard prevailed in the world, which is to explain an obfcure point by an obfcurer. After all, the defign of the Chriftian religion is not fo much to reveal to us what God is in himself, as what he is to us; and our duty is rather to attain to a right understanding of the will of God revealed to us in the New Teftament, that we may duly perform it, than to attempt to penetrate into the fecrets of the divine wifdom. But, to fpeak the truth of the matter, that obfcu rity which God hath been pleased to diffufe over fome parts of the holy fcripture, is very often no more than a pretence used by fome men for rejecting all the reft, because they can no more be reconciled with their corrupt inclinations, than their reafon can account for the myfteries therein contained. Were the facred writings of the New Testament read with the fame spirit, as hath been just now taken notice of, we may venture to affirm that there is no few, heathen, or any other infidel, nor even a libertine, but what would find them excellently well fitted to dif cover the perfections of the Supreme Being, and to fupply all the wants of mankind, and that thofe who have written that book could not have done it out of their own invention.

Then would the Jew moft readily embrace a doctrine, which, like the Old Teftament, teaches the unity of God, and exprefsly forbids all kind of idolatry, Then would he joyfully receive a mediator which frees him from a yoke, that had by the former mediator been laid upon him. If he will but caft his eye on the ends of the ceremonial law, which are difplayed in the New Teftament, he could not be surprised to find it abrogated. And as much as their former miferable ftate had made them earnestly defire the coming of the Meffiah, fo much ought their calamities, after the taking of Jerufalem, and the temple, which was the only place appointed for the performance of divine worship, have convinced them that the Meffiah is already come. The heathens, on the other hand, would no longer find any thing ftrange in the doctrine of one God, fince the wifeft among them have difcovered the abfurdity of a plurality of deities, and that there is reafon to believe Socrates died a martyr to the unity of God. It feems alfo that it would be no more difficult for pagans to acknowledge JESUS CHRIST to be the mediator between God and men, than to admit dæmons to that office (*). The offence of the cross would foon be removed by reflecting on the divine juftice and mercy, which are so very confpicuous therein. The Jews, by embracing the doctrine of JESUS CHRIST, would reap fome advantage from the crime committed by their ancestors. And the bea

then,

(*) By the demons they underflood their demi-gods, or the fouls of their deceafed heroes.

then, who thinks himself bound to offer numberless facrifices in order to atone for his fins, would adore the wisdom of God in fuffering the commiffion of this crime for the expiation of the fins of mankind.

All men in general, of what rank foever they be, or whatever religion they profefs, cannot but look with profound refpect, and a pious admiration, on a book which has thefe two characters. First, That lays before them that fupreme happiness, of which the author of our nature hath implanted an invincible defire within us; and which, fecondly, in order to lead them thereto, brings them only back to a fpiritual worship, to the dictates of their own confciences, and requires nothing of them, but what they would have been in duty bound to perform, even though no other law had been given them, if they would but have made a due ufe of their reafon. Where fhall we find a book, that teaches a worship more worthy both of God, and of a reafonable creature? It is plain and unaffected, free from all rites and ceremonies which are not either holy in themselves, or directly tend to make men holy in their lives and converfation, and is withal great and noble. It teaches us to love above all things the moft amiable of beings, and to express this love by a perfect and fincere,obedience to his commands. When had there been before, a more compleat collection of the whole duty of men, both towards God, themfelves and others? Muft not every honeft mind be overjoyed to fee natural right and equity refcued from the oppreffion, which, through the prevalence of men's paffions, they had fo long groaned under? The duties of justice, mercy, and brotherly love, thofe of temperance, contentment, firmness in times. of adverfity, patience under tribulations, all these are ftrenuously re- | commended there, and grounded upon the strongest motives. This bleffed religion, not content with regulating our outward actions, reaches as far as the inmoft receffes of our minds, teaching us to be pure in heart. Even the hardest prescriptions it contains, and fuch as are moft repugnant to the corruption of human nature, as felf-denial, &c. have fome foundation in the law of nature. For what is denying one's felf, but to put off a blind and inordinate felf-love, which hurries us into an ignoble flavery to our paffions, and proves our ruin, to let ourfelves be guided by another principle of felf-love, which will promote our falvation both here and hereafter? Martyrdoms and fufferings do not indeed effentially belong to a religion which was calculated for the happiness of mankind, but reafon itself teaches us, that we ought much rather to lose our lives, and even fuffer a thousand deaths, than difown our God, and forfeit our own falvation by criminal actions. If the Chriftian religion injoins its profeffors to blefs their enemies, ought we not in this particular to comply with the appointment of Providence, which has thought fit we fhould be expofed to them? Befides, this command of forgiving injuries, and being in charity with our enemies, prevents private acts of revenge, which would deftroy fociety, and leaves the fupreme Director of all things a right which he is extremely jealous of. In a word, if a lawgiver had a mind to frame a well regulated fociety, and make a nation happy, he could not have pitched upon fitter maxims, than those of the gospel, to promote the public good, as well as that of private perfons, and to procure to himself, at the fame