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For let us confider it in the Instance of any other Hiftorian, of Cæfar, for Example, who wrote his Commentaries, or an Account of his own Expeditions and Exploits; or of Livy, who flourish'd in the Time of Auguftus, and wrote the Roman Hiftory; neither of them very far diftant from the Time of those Evangelical Writers, whofe Character is now under Examination. Now what is the Evidence that any one has of the Truth of Cæfar's Account of the Gallick War, his paffing the Rubicon, his building a Bridge over the Rhine, &c. or of Livy's Relation of the Rife and Fortunes of the Roman People, their different Forms of Government, and the many remarkable Battles and Actions, wherein they were concern'd? what Evidence, I fay, has any one now of this, but that these Things were certainly recorded by the Writers, whofe Names they bear, and have fince that time been faithfully tranfmitted down to us?

Thefe Hiftories we believe to have been written by the Authors, whofe Names they bear, because, as to the Subftance and chief Circumftances of them, they have all along been acknowledg'd for the Writings of fuch Perfons, and have the Teftimonies likewife of feveral Contemporary Authors confirming them as fuch,

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fuch, by the References they make, and the Commendations they give of them,

Thefe Hiftories we believe to be true, because their Authors had fufficient Means and Opportunity of right Information; the one being an Eye-witness and principal Agent in the Events he relates, and the other compiling his Account of Things from the publick Records preferv'd in the Roman ṣrchieves and thefe Hiftories we believe to be genuine, and faithfully transmitted to us without any confiderable Alteration, by reason of the Regard, which was all along paid to them, the many Copies, which, from the very firft, were taken of them, and the concurring Tefti

mony of every fubfequent Age, without any manner of Sufpicion, or Mark of Imposture upon them.

This is the Proof, and all the Proof we have of the Truth and Authority of these Histories: And yet does any Man pretend to doubt, whether Cæfar wrote his Commentaries, or Livy the Roman Hiftory; or whether the Relations concerning the Foundation and great Turns of Government, or the remarkable Battles and Events which happened, were fhould call i lity of th

the Relation, would hardly escape being accounted unreasonably prejudic'd, and unaccountably fingular, in affecting thus to oppose the common Senfe of Mankind. To apply this to the prefent Cafe, we need only to say, that the GospelHiftory is of as clear and unquestionable Authority as any other antient History whatever, and in that Respect stands at least upon an equal Foot with Cæfar or Livy.

The Evangelifts, we own, were the Friends and Followers of Jefus; but if this must affect their Credit as Hiftorians, by parity of Reafon, every thing we read in any Raman or Greek Author may come under the fame Fate. We have hitherto indeed belived them implicitly, and upon their own Teftimony; but (if the Question should be put) how do we know, whether ever the Roman Empire prevailed, and extended it felf to the Bounds of the then-known World, as is pretended? For was not this related by Perfons of the fame Country, and, for that Reason, bound to aggrandize its Fame? And may not a thousand Records be loft, which, if they were now extant, would give a quite different turn to the Story? Carthage might have the better in the Conteft; HanniB 4 bal

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A Letter to a Deist, p. 17%

bal overthrow Scipio, and the Perfians quite fubdue the Macedonians, for any thing we know, fince the prefent Hiftories were written by Men of the Roman Intereft in one Cafe, and, in the other, all our Accounts of Alexander's Expedition were originally from the Greeks. These Authors, it is certain, had the fame Biafs of national Affection upon their Minds; but none of them gave the thousand part of that Evidence for their Fidelity, which the Writers of the Evangelical History did: and yet, what should we think of a Perfon, who should call in Question the best Histories of all Nations, merely because they were written by those of the fame Country? What indeed, but that he was going to deftroy all hiftorical Faith at once, fince Books of this kind muft not be wrote by Friends and Acquaintance, for fear of Partiality; nor could they be wrote by Strangers or Enemies, without giving a much greater Umbrage to fufpect both the Sufficiency of their Knowledge, and the Strength of their Integrity.

The Truth is, no tolerable Reason can be affigned, why Credit fhould not be given to facred, as well as profane History, unless it should appear, that there is not the fame Evidence of Credi

bility,

bility, or the fame Marks of hiftorical Truth inherent in the one, as may be fuppofed to be found in the other; which is the Queftion we are now going to confider.

of the

That, in the Reign of Tiberius, there The prelived such a Person as Jefus Chrift, and fent State fuffered Death under Pontius Pilate, the Cofpels. Roman Governour in Judæa, is what Chriftians in all Countries profefs; what Jews of all Ages have acknowledged; and what even Heathen Authors, (fuch bas Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny, jun.) have recorded. That this Jefus had, from the very firft, a Succeffion of Men to publish his Doctrines, and to testify to the World the Hiftory of his Life and Actions; and that, in a short space of Time, a certain Number of approved Hiftorians recorded them in Writing, to be the Pillar and Foundation of all Truth (as the Ancients call it) is what the earlieft Writers in the Chriftian Church relate, and our prefent Poffeffion of the Books themselves does imply. That the Books, which have defcended to us, are the fame which these Hiftorians indited,

the Writers of the very next Age, and every Age fince, have afferted; both Jews and Heathens, in their Tracts against

Vid. Grot. de veritate Chrift. Rel.
Bp. Gibson's firft paftoral Letter.

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