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gurations of the Mofaic Law; and to make the Rewards and Punishments of another Life fo agreeeble to humane Reason, and fo worthy of Divine Majefty; this was a Scheme, which these poor illiterate Men were no more able to invent, than they were to create a World: And yet, notwithstanding the great variety and difficulty of this Province, 'tis wonderful to observe, how all the four Evangelifts, who wrote at different Times, and in diftant Places, agree, not only in the main Topicks, but fometimes in the most minute Circumftances; in fo much that, whenever they seem to difagree, (which chiefly arifes from their not confining themselves to the fame Words, or the fame Order of Time, and, with a little critical Observation, may eafily be reconciled) whenever they dif agree, I fay, it looks as if the Spirit of God defign'd on purpose that it should be fo, not only that they might be difindt Witneffes of the fame Things, but that all fucceeding Ages of the Christian World might fee with their Eyes, that they neither tranfcribed from one another, nor combin'd nor complotted together, like crafty Knaves.

e

I might here produce the Teftimony which God gave to the Truth of the

Grew's Cofmologia Sacra. p. 304.

Gospel,

Gofpel, * by Signs and Wonders, and by diverfe Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghoft; and what a mighty Proof the Evangelifts themselves gave of their Fidelity in compofing thofe Writings, which they, and Thousands more, were not afraid to feal with their Blood: But, because an Agreement with other Authors is always reputed a good Token of Hiftorical Probity, I fhall rather take notice of fome few Facts, whereby the profeffed Enemies of Chriftianity, both Jews and Pagans, have confirm'd the Authority of these Sacred Penmen.

The Te- f The coming of a King out of the ftimony of Eaft, who fhould do great and mighty thors. Actions, was a conftant Report (found

otherAu

ed on the Sibylline Prophefies) which pre

vail'd about the Time of our Saviour's Birth, and 8 Tacitus, (as a great Politician and Statesman,) will needs have it fulfill'd in Vefpafian or Titus, because they were called out of Judea to the Empire of Rome. The Appearance of a wonderful Star, at the Time of his Nativity is mention'd by h Pliny in his Natural Hiftory, under the Name of a bright Comet. The Murther of the Babes of Bethlehem is mention'd by Dion in his

Life

fEdwards's Truth and AuthoL. 2. & 25. Sa

*Heb. ii. 4.
rity of the Holy Scripture.
turnal, L. 2. c. 4.

Life of Octavius Cæfar; and Macrobius, (who relates the Thing more at large) tells us, that Herod, upon the account of the fame Jealousy, order'd his own Son to be flain. The Miracles that Jefus did, when he enter'd upon his Miniftry; the Title he laid claim to, of being the Meffias, or a divine Perfon fent from Heaven to redeem Mankind; and the Doctrines which he preach'd (as they are recorded in the Gospels) are acknowledg'd and confefs'd by Celfus, Julian, and Porphyry, as i feveral of the ancient Fai thers affure us. The Death of our bleffed Saviour, and the manner of his Suffering under Pontius Pilate, and in the Reign of Tiberius, is mention'd (as we faid) both by Tacitus and Lucian. The univerfal Eclipfe, which happen'd at the Time of his Paffion, is mention'd k by Dionyfius, before he was converted to the Faith. The terrible Earthquake which was at the fame time, is related by Dion, Pliny, and Suetonius; and the rending of the Veil of the Temple, (mention'd by three Evangelifts,) is teftify'd by the Jewish Hiftorian Jofephus, who, among other Paffages, has given us this memorable one concerning our Saviour Chrift.

2

C

Origin cont. Celfum. Cvril contr. Fulian: & Auguft. civ. Dei l. 22, c. 18, * Annal. 1. 18,

C. 44.

17

An Infe

rence

from the

Chrift.

"At this time there was one Jefus, a wife Man, if I may call him ແ a Man, for he did moft wonderful "Works, and was a Teacher of thofe, "who receiv'd the Truth with Delight: "He brought many to his Perfuafion, "both of the Jews and Gentiles. This “ was Chrift: And tho' he was, by the "Inftigation of fome of our Nation, and " by Pilate's Sentence hung on the Cross, yet thofe, who loved him at "firft, did not cease to do fo: For he

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came to Life again the third Day, and "appeared to them; the Divine Pro"phets having foretold these and in"finite other Wonders of him: And to "this Day there remains a Sect of Men, "who have from him the Name of "Chriftians." A Paffage, which (as 1 a learned French Author has fully prov'd) is far from being an Interpola

tion.

Upon a Review of what has been faid then, with Relation to the Evangewhole. lifts, viz. That they were honest and undefigning Men, recording Things plainly, and without any artful Infinuations, and fo free and impartial in their Accounts, as neither to conceal their Mafter's mean Condition, nor their own Faults and Failings; that they had fufficient

Mr. Martin.

ficient means of Information in what they were to Record, and no visible Intereft in the leaft, to fway them against their Knowledge; that they ventured to publish their Gofpels in a fhort Time after their Lord's Afcenfion, though they knew that Shame, and Perfecution, and Death itself (which they underwent with the utmost Bravery) would be the result of fo doing; that their Gofpels, when made publick, appear'd to be far above their Skill and Capacity to invent, fingly confider'd, and, when compar'd together, fufficiently uniform and confiftent; and (what is no mean Confideration) that their greatest Enemies have, in their own Writings, either afferted or acknowledg'd the moft material Parts of their Narrations: It muft needs follow, that, according to the genuine Marks of a true Hiftorian, we have greater Security, than any humane Hiftory can pretend to, of the Faithfulnefs of the Evangelifts, and of the Certainty of every thing contained in their Writings: That Perfons, fituated in their Circumftances, even confider'd as common Hiftorians, would not have deluded us with a falfe Reprefentation of Things, but then, confider'd in the Capacity of infpir'd Hiftorians, (which Chriftians in all Ages have efteem'd them) they could

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