they were banished, they were condemned to work in the mines, they were made to fight with wild beafts in the theatres for the diversion of the people (1 Cor. xv. 32), they were put to the torture, they were placed in red-hot iron chairs, they were crucified, impaled, burnt alive; in a word, they were made to undergo all the torments which cruelty and barbarity inflamed by rage could invent; torments the bare mention of which excites horror in the human mind. Now all these being things most grievous to nature, it follows, that whaever was the cause of them, would be received with the utmost reluctance and difficulty. Wherefore nothing but overbearing evidence, evidence fuch as they could not by any means refift, was able to make men in those circumftances acknowledge the truth of the Gospel-hif tory, and receive a religion founded thereon, which plunged them into fuch terrible misfortunes.

9. But the fufferings of the firft Chriftians may be viewed likewife in the light wherein Mr. Addifon has placed them; namely, as a fanding miracle for proving the truth of Chriftianity. "Treatife "of the Chriftian religion," § vii. 4. "Under this head I cannot "omit that which appears to me a ftanding miracle in the three first "centuries; I mean, that amazing and fupernatural courage or pa"tience which was fhewn by innumerable multitudes of martyrs, "in thofe flow and painful torments that were inflicted on them. I "cannot conceive a man placed in the burning iron chair at Lyons, "amidft the infults and mockeries of a crouded amphitheatre, and "ftill keeping his feat; or ftretched upon a grate of iron over coals "of fire, and breathing out his foul among the exquitite fufferings "of fuch a tedious execution, rather than renounce his religion, or blafpheme his Saviour. Such trials feem to me above the "ftrength of human nature, and able to overbear duty, reafon, "faith, conviction, nay and the moft abfolute certainty of a future "ftate. Humanity, unafiifted in an extraordinary manner, muft "have shaken off the prefent preffure, and have delivered itfelf out "of fuch a dreadful diftrefs by any means that could have been fug"gefted to it. We can cafily imagine that many perfons, in fo good "a caufe, might have laid down their lives at the gibbet, the ftake, the block; but to expire leifurely among the most exquifite tortures, when they might come out of them, even by a mental re"fervation, or any hypocrify which was not without a poffibility of "being followed by repentance and forgivenefs, has fomething in "it fo far beyond the force and natural firength of mortals, that one cannot but think there was fome miraculous power to fupport the fufferer. 5. We find the church of Smyrna, in that ad"mirable letter which gives an account of the death of Polycarp "their beloved bishop, mentioning the cruel torments of other "early martyrs for Chriftianity, are of opinion, that our Saviour "ftood by them in a vifion, and perfonally converfed with them, "to give them ftrength and comfort during the bitterness of "their long continued agonies: and we have the ftory of a young man, who, having fuffered many tortures, efcaped with life, and

་་

tr

tr

or

" told

told his fellow Chriftians of an angel who stood by him, and "wiped off the tears and fweat which ran down his face whilft he lay under his fufferings. We are affured at least, that the first "martyr for Chriftianity was encouraged, in his laft moments, by a "vision of that divine perfon for whom he suffered, and into whofe "prefence he was then haftening. 6. Let any man lay his hand

calmly upon his heart, and after reading thofe terrible conflicts ❝ in which the ancient martyrs and confeffors were engaged, when "they paffed through fuch new inventions and varieties of pain as "tired their tormentors; and afk himself, however zealous and fincere "he is in his religion, whether under fuch acute and lingering tor"tures he could ftill have held faft his integrity, and have profeffed his faith to the laft, without a fupernatural afftance of fome kind or other. For my part, when I confider that it was not an un"accountable obftinacy in a fingle man, or in any particular fet of

men, in fome extraordinary juncture; but that there were multi❝tudes of each fex, of every age, of different countries and condi❝tions, who for near 300 years together made this glorious confef "fion of their faith in the midft of tortures and in the hour of death; "I must conclude, that they were either of another make than men 66 are at present, or that they had fuch miraculous fupports as were "peculiar to thofe times of Christianity, when without them per"haps the very name of it might have been extinguifhed. 7. It is "certain, that the deaths and fufferings of the primitive Chriftians "had a great fhare in the converfion of thofe learned Pagans who lived in the ages of perfecution, which, with fome intervals and "abatements, lafted near 300 years after our Saviour. Justin Martyr, "Tertullian, Lactantius, Arnobius, and others, tell us, that this firft of all alarmed their curiofity, roufed their attention, and made "them seriously inquifitive into the nature of that religion which "could endue the mind with fo much ftrength, and overcome the "fear of death, nay raise an earneft defire of it, though it appeared

in all its terrors. This they found had not been effected by all the "doctrines of thofe philofophers whom they had thoroughly ftu❝ died, and who had been labouring at this great point. The fight of

thefe dying and tormented martyrs engaged them to fearch into "the history and doctrines of him for whom they fuffered. The "more they fearched, the more they were convinced, till their con"viction grew fo ftrong, that they themselves embraced the fame "truths, and either actually laid down their lives, or were always in a readiness to do it, rather than depart from them."

io. It is worthy of confideration likewife, that the before-men. tioned perfons, of all characters, ages and fexes, in every country, were induced to renounce their native religions and to embrace the Gospel, not by the force of arms, the influence of authority, the refinements of policy, or the power of great examples. They were prevailed on to change their faith, merely by the preaching of a few illiterate mechanics and their affiftants, who were wholly

deftitute

1

deftitute of the advantages of birth, education, and fortune, and who, by condemning the established worship of all countries, were every where looked upon as the most flagitious of men. Of fuch importance in the prefent argument is this circumftance, that our Lord and his Apostles have laid a particular ftrefs upon it. For it is they who direct us to confider the illiterate character and low ftation of the first preachers of the gospel, as a proof that in the converfion of the world they acted by the power of truth, and with the affiftance of God, 1 Cor. iv. 7. "We have this treasure in earthen "veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not "of us." But the force of this argument will beft appear, if we confider the converfion of the world, Firft, fimply, as implying a change of men's religious opinions: Secondly, as attended with a thorough reformation of their manners: and, Thirdly, as expofing them to unspeakable fufferings in their perfons, reputations, and fortunes. The converfion of the world, viewed in these lights, fhews itfelf an effect infinitely fuperior to any human labour or perfuafion whatever, and therefore beyond expreffion fuperior to all the powers which a handful of the loweft of the people from fo defpicable a country as Judea can be fuppofed to have poffeffed.

Firft, The converfion of the world, confidered as a change of men's religious principles effected merely by the power of perfuafion, fuppofes that every convert was fhewed the abfurdity of his former faith, and was brought to fee that the faith now offered him was both rational and well founded. In order to this, if the perfons who converted the world were not affifted by God, they had the prodigious labour to undergo, 1. Of learning the languages of all the nations, whether barbarous or civilized, to whom they went, before they could fpeak a word to them, either concerning their ancient belief, or concerning the new faith they were come to offer to them. This itself was an obftacle which must have abfolutely marred their defign; and therefore this fingle confideration demonftrates, that in prevailing with multitudes in all countries to change their religious belief, the Apostles were infpired by God with the gift of tongues, as the Chriftian records affirm.-2. Allowing that, by any means you please to fancy, thefe men attained the knowledge of all languages in fuch perfection, that they could fpeak them fluently; to inftil knowledge effectually into the minds of the vulgar, was a matter of immenfe labour, requiring particular and frequent applications to every individual. If fo, how can we suppose twelve men fufficient for converting nations? Were they capable of addreffing all the individuals of thofe vaft multitudes, who in the different countries of Europe, Afia, and Africa, were brought to ferve the living God by their miniftry? No: fuch particular addreffes were impoffible; and therefore the converfion of the Gentiles could not be producedi by them. An event fo ftupendous must have been accomplished by means more effectual; means capable of swaying great numbers at once; namely, undeniable miracles wrought openly in proof of the doctrines which the Apoftles taught.3. To inftruct the multi

VOL. V.

R

tude

tude is not only a matter of great labour, but of infinite difficulty, especially when their minds are prepoffeffed with contrary notions, which they have been taught to confider as divine. This was the cafe, not only with the Jews, but with all the idolatrous nations to whom the Apoftles offered the doctrines of the gofpel. The religions, in the belief of which the vulgar had been educated, were confidered by them as of divine original. Befides, these religions confpired with their paffions, were connected with their interefts, and in the practice of them the vulgar were confirmed by the countenance, authority, and example of the great men. The religions of the better fort, properly speaking, were the schemes of philofophy which they adopted. The peculiar tenets of those fchemes they efpoufed with the fame ftrength of faith wherewith Chriftians now-a-days embrace their feveral creeds and confeffions: and they defended them with the fame intemperate warmth. To bring the ignorant and the learned off from objects of this fort, was impoffible by means merely human. For the ignorant would not attend to difcourfes which flatly contradicted their favourite notions, and robbed them of their pleasures; and as for the philofophers, they would deteft a religion which overturned their feveral fyftems at once, difcovered their ignorance, mortified their pride, and ruined' their credit. Or if the philofophers were not fo highly provoked with this religion, they would at least defpife it, and laugh at the perfons who taught it: as we find the Athenians did, Acts xvii. 18, 32. It is therefore certain, that the fermons of the Apoftles, which made the Heathens renounce their religions, muft have been accompanied with a divine power, before which all oppofition vanifhed. Accordingly one of thefe men tells his converts, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. "The weapons of our "warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling "down of strong holds. Cafting down imaginations, and every "high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, "and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of "Chrift."

Secondly, The converfion of the world being attended with a great and wonderful reformation of manners in the Heathens who obeyed the gospel, is likewife a demonftration that in fpreading Chriftianity the Apoftles were exprefsly affifted by God. For however difficult it might be to alter the religious fentiments of mankind, it was an eafy matter, in comparison of the other tafk which the Apostles undertook and accomplished fo fuccefsfully. To perfuade the wicked to reform their lives, included in it many impoffibilities under one. The manners of men in thofe days were beyond measure corrupt. The picture, which the Apostle has drawn of them in the firft chapter of his epiftle to the Romans, however fhocking, is but too juft. The vices to which they were addicted were the effects of lufts and paffions rendered unconquerable by long habits of indulgence. In the commiffion of many acs of wickedness, they were authorised by the laws and difcipline

of

of their country. Some of the fouleft vices were permitted them by the opinion of their philofophers. And in all they were ftrengthened by the power of example, especially the example of their gods, by the allurements of pleafure, or by confiderations of intereft. To perfuade great numbers of mankind in these circumftances to forfake their vices, that is, to act contrary to nature, to habit, to example, to intereft, and to pleasure, what human eloquence was fufficient? Or if human eloquence was fufficient to persuade them, whence, I pray, were the converts to derive the power of thoroughly changing, or at leaft of fubduing their paffions, and of altering the whole bent and current of their nature? Whence the power of becoming pious, juft, charitable, chafte, temperate, meek, humble, heavenly-minded, amid an infinity of powerful temptations, and after having been unjuft, uncharitable, intemperate, proud, and worldly-minded, to a great degree? The Pagan converts themselves looked on the fudden and furprifing change of manners, wrought on thousands of the most profligate, as fomething miraculous. Origen in particular compares it to the curing of the lame and the blind, and to the cleanfing of lepers. Accordingly, this power in the Chriftian religion, whereby it produced effects fo glorious, recommended it not a little to the virtuous and inquifitive among the Heathens, who examined its evidences. By the confent therefore of all prudent men, it were ridiculous to the last degree, to fancy that the Apostles, by means merely human, produced this great change in the manners of fuch multitudes, formerly enslaved to their lufts, and fold under fin.

Thirdly, That which is most astonishing in this matter, and which moft clearly fhews the converfion of the world to be the effect, not of any human power or perfuafion, far lefs the effect of the perfuafion of an handful of people who were looked upon as the offscourings of the earth, is this; by forfaking their native religions, and embracing Chriftianity, the Heathens not only made fhipwreck of all the goods of this life, but expofed their perfons to fufferings, to torture, and to death. But of this enough has been faid in the foregoing articles. I therefore infer, upon the jufteft principles, that by fuch inftruments as the Chriftian Apostles, and in fuch circumftances of perfecution as the profeffion of the gospel brought men into in the early ages, the world could not have been converted, if the facts contained in the gofpels were falfe, and particularly if the Apoftles and firft preachers of Chriftianity wrought no miracles in confirmation of their reports concerning their Mafter.

11. The argument for the truth of the gospel-history, drawn from the converfion of the world to Chriftianity, is rendered complete by this confideration, That our religion has fubfifted through the course of seventeen centuries in full vigour, notwithstanding its R 2 enemies

Thus Amphitryon, speaking of Jupiter's intrigue with his wife Alcmena, fays, "Pcl "me haud pœnitet, fcilicet boni dividuum mihi dividere cum Jove." Plaut. Amphit. 8. v. fc. 1. See B. III. C. 4. fect. 4. No. I. art. 1. alfo the note p. 247.