rectly contrary to this; by other kinds of perfons; and in very different times; by policy, or perfecution; in days of bigotry, blindness, and superftition.

'Tis an observation frequently infinuated by 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 marvellous 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 charged 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 serve for all fucceeding generations; and must be allowed to add one of the strongest confirmations to it.

Laftly, this age was the best qualified to hand it down to posterity. As it was an inquifitive, and difcerning one, fo it was no less lettered, and historical. The Auguftan age is remarkable to this day for the number of its writers. There is

none

+ Voltaire's Letters, L. vii. To the fame purpofe are fome parts in the life of Homer, 1ft Ed. and several paffages in Bayle's Dict. and the Characteristichį.

none better known; scarcely any, of which fo full and particular accounts are given. The Roman empire had been just fettled; and the minds of its chief members turned 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 of eloquence, and good writing. Their chronology had been lately reformed, and adjusted; exact reviews were taken of the most distant provinces; the number, names, employments, quality, estates, of their inhabitants, registered (c); 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 concealed, or be long called in queftion: At fuch a time therefore, was it not highly proper to introduce this new, furprising fcene upon the stage of the world; whereby its æra must be fixed 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 such person; at least, whether any thing relating to him could be depended on. It was by no means fit, that a thing of this confequence should be done in a corner, and left to vulgar report, and uncertain tradition; to be foon dropt again; or blended, and difguifed with fiction, and romance: this therefore commenced in an age the world, when the copioufnefs and certainty of its history served, both to spread it more univerfally,

(c) See Lardner's Credibility, B. ii. c. 1. fect, 2.

of

verfally, and preserve it more fecurely: when many took in hand to fet forth a declaration of thofe things, which were moft furely believed among them, for the ufe of both Jews and Gentiles (+); whereby we have more ample and authentic memoirs of church history, than could ever have been expected before that period *; and whereby the time when, the place where, and perfons under whom, the most material occurrences happened, were ascertained by writers of different nations and profeffions; by Romans, Jews, and Greeks.

These several circumstances confpire to bring the mission of Christ very near the time in which he came. There is one more, which feems to fix it precifely to that; at least will fhew, that it could not be fooner, confiftently with the common course of providence, and moral government of the world; admitting likewife the particular scheme already specified, viz. of his descending from the Jews; I mean, the circumstance of their being then in subjection to the Roman government, fo far as to have the power of life and death, in most cases, taken from them (D).

(+) See Dr. Owen's Obfervations on the Gofpels, paffim.

By

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 ecclefiaftical writers ought, I think, to be limited. The caufe of this is affigned by Vitringa, Obf. Sacr. Liv. iv. c. 7. fect. 9. P. 904, &c. Why we have no larger accounts of the Apostles, fee Hartley, Obf. on Man, Vol. II. p. 121.

(D) John xviii. 31. How far this was fo, fee Lardner, Cred. B. i. c. 2. fect. 5. Part vii. p. 49, &c. 2d Edit. The particular inftance of St. Stephen's murder, which is brought to prove the contrary by the authors of Univ. Hift. [Vol. IV. p. 236. not. R.] does not feem

By all that we know of that generation, we have reason to believe, that if they had been at liberty, they would certainly have cut him off, as foon as ever he appeared to correct their grofs errors, and 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 Meffiah for their purpose*, we find them imme

diately

fufficient for that purpofe; but rather looks like a tumultuous act of the zealots, though his trial was begun regularly; [fee Bafnage, B. v. c. 2. fect. 8. or Doddridge, Vol. III. fect. 15. p. 110.] and the cafe of St. Paul, mentioned in the fame book, [note O. p. 257.] feems to fhew, not that they pretended to an executive power in his time; but that even their judicial one was fometimes interrupted, to prevent the like outrages. This point feems to be pretty exactly flated in Millar's Ch. Hift. c. 7. p. 536. Comp. Bafnage, ibid. fect. 7. and Whitby on John xviii. 31. or Krebfii Obferv. in N. T. ex Jofepho. p. 64. 155, &c. One would think, their own judgment of the thing might be inferred from Hierof. Sanhedr. fol. 18. col. 1. Traditio eft, quadraginta annos ante excidium templi ablatum fuiffe jus vitae et mortis, et ib. fol. 242. Quadraginta annis ante vaftatum templum ablata funt judicia capitalia ab ISRAELE. Comp. Allix, Judgment of the Jewish Church, &c. p. 49. Though Lightfoot is of a different opinion, and produces feveral instances in confirmation of it. [Op. Lat. Vol. II. p. 371.] 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 fate 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 circumstances, 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. Comp. Doddr. Vol. II. p. 545. 547. 565. & III. p. 110. 345. 366.

How foon their rulers perceived this, and what a different conduct it produced at firft in them, and that of the common people, toward him, fee Lardner's Cred. Vol. I. p. 288, &c. Benfon's Life of Christ, ç. 8. fect. 5. p. 289. The difappointment of the latter alfo,

on

diately resolved 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 recourse to ftratagem; continually laying wait for fomething to accuse him of 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 so much caution, and reserve before them; keeping in private, as much as was poffible, and consistent 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 proclaimed the Meffiab||; and declining any direct answer, when queftioned about it §; till

he

on their feeing him given up to the greatest sufferings, may fufficiently account for that remarkable change of their behaviour towards him at laft, as is explained by Farmer, Enquiry into Chrift's Temptation in the wilderness, p. 98.

Luke v. 16. John viii. 1. xi. 54.

+ Matt. xii. 16.

Sæpe Chriftus fugiebat hominum turbam dum lacum trajiceret, forte ut vitaret omnem tumultus fpeciem, utque obviam iret feditionibus, quas homines rerum novarum cupidi, 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 cœperant. 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. viii. 18. Comp. infra p.

|| Mark iii. 12. Luke iv. 41.

John x. 24. xi. 4, &c.