may be fo far blinded in his Understanding, as to reject all the poffible Means of his Reformation; nay, even upon the Suppofition, that fome departed Friend of his fhould appear to him from the Dead in order to reclaim him; yet, fuch may his Perverfenefs be, as to make no ferious Reflection 'upon this important Event, but, on the contrary, fortify himself in Wickedness, by fuppofing that the Apparition was but an idle Dream, the Sport of a wanton Imagination, or the Effect of fome melancholy Mood, and, to drive out the Thoughts of it, return to his lewd and licentious Courfes again. But what Affinity has this to a Man's pretending to come with a Commiffion from Heaven, in order to establish a new Religion, and (to juftify his Pretences) curing all Diseases in an Inftant, removing all natural Defects, with a Touch, and even raising the Dead to Life again with a Word fpeaking? Can the Ethiopian change his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots? Is the Cafe of the one: Can God countenance a Lye, or communicate his Power to an Impoftor? Is the Cafe of the other. * Jer. xiii. 23. We⚫ The different manner We allow indeed, that the firft Preachers of the Gospel made use of the Prothe Apo- phefies of the Old Teftament in order to ftles ap convert Men to the Chriftian Religion : plying to the fews But then it is to be obferv'd, that the and Gen- Converts, to whom they made this Application, were Jews, who believ'd the Divine Authority of the Prophets, and not Gentiles, who had no fuch Perfuafion. tiles. *Thus St. Paul, in his Discourse with the Jews at Antioch, begins with the Call of Abraham, and, after a fhort hiftorical Deduction of Matters from thence to the Time of David, he adds, Of this Man's Seed hath God, according to his Promife, raised unto Ifrael a Saviour Jefus: Where we may plainly perceive, that the Apoftle's whole Argument refts upon the Authority of the Prophets; whereas the fame St. Paul, preaching to the People of Athens, argues from quite different Topicks. He fays not one Word of the Prophets, to whofe Miffion and Authority the Athenians were perfect Strangers, but begins with declaring to them i God, who made the World and all things therein; than goes on condemning all idolatrous Practices, and affuring them that God is not worshipped with Mens Hands, as * The Ufe and Intent of Prophecy. A&t xiii. 23. A&s xvii. 34, &c. as though he needed any Thing; next accounts for the Times of Ignorance, at which God winked; and fo tells them at laft, that God now expects every Man to repent, having appointed Jefus Chrift to be the Judge of all Men; and, for the Proof of this, he appeals to the Truth of Chrift's Refurrection, whereof he hath given Affurance, fays he, unto all Men, in that he hath raised him. from the Dead. Now, why the Apoftle's Argument upon one and the fame Subject, in Acts xiii. and xvii, fhould be fo widely different, the only true Reason, that can be given, is, the different Circumftances of the Persons, to whom he deliver'd himself. In Acts xiii, he argues profeffedly with Jews, to whom were committed the Oracles of God, and who, from these Oracles, were well inftructed in the Marks and Characters of the Meffiah. It had been highly abfurd therefore to reafon with them upon other Arguments, till he had first convinc'd them by their Prophets, and, having fo convinc'd them, it would have been impertinent. To them therefore he urges and applies the Authority of the Prophets only. But to the Athenians, who knew not the Prophets, or, if they knew them, had no Veneration for them, it had been quite 77 Why St. Paul and St. Peter might quote the Prophets before tiles. quite ridiculous to offer Proofs from Prophecy; and therefore he chuses rather to appeal to the principles of natu fal Religion, and to the Miracles of the Gofpel, the Fame of which had probably, long before, reached to Athens, and the Truth of which (they being mere Matters of Fact) was capable of undeniable Evidence and Demonftration. m * St. Paul indeed, in his Defence both 1 before Felix and Agrippa, appeals to the Law and the Prophets; and St. Peter in his Difcourfen before Cornelius, urges their Teftimony in Confirmation the Gen of Chrift's Divine Miffion. But, when we confider, in St. Paul's Cafe, that the nature of the Accufation, laid against him, made it neceffary for him to appeal to the Old Teftament, to which Felix and Agrippa, having liv'd fo long among the Jews, could hardly be accounted Strangers; and that, in St. Peter's Cafe, the mention he makes of the Prophets to one, who was a Profelyte (as Cornelius was) worfhipping the God of Ifrael, and believing the Scriptures of • the Old Teftament, was no more than proper and feafonable; we fhall hardly be induc'd to think, that thefe Cafes are *Vid. Grounds and Reasons, p. 80, 96. !A&s xiv. AЯs xvi. Auts x. their plain and are any tolerable Exception to the general Rule, which the Apostles had, of applying the Teftimony of the Prophets to their Jewish Converts only; and (which I may add) of applying them in their obvious and literal, not any remote or myftical Senfe. For had they applied them in And that this manner, how can we imagine, that they ufufuch a Number of Jews of all Degrees, plied ally apRulers, Priefts, and Scribes of all Sects, them in Men of Learning, and who, by their Profeffion and Station, were oblig'd to obvious know the Scriptures, fhould forfake the Sense only. Religion they were accuftom'd to, upon the Authority of Paffages, which, in their plain Meaning, were fo far from countenancing, that they openly confronted the new Religion they were to embrace, without any View of worldly Intereft, with the certain hazard of · their Lives here, and the lofs of God's Favour hereafter, in Cafe of Infince rity. Fancy what we will of the Weaknefs, or Enthufiafm of thofe, who set about converting the Jews in the Method of impertinent Citations; their Weaknefs could not make their Proofs ftrong, nor infufe Credulity into Men perfectly qualified to judge, as having • Bp. Chandler's Defence of Chriftianity. the |