they in like manner confirmed their fucceffors in the faith of Chrift. Thus the memory of the great articles of the evangelical hiftory was handed down from age to age, furrounded with the brighteft luftre of evidence Because vaft numbers of fenfible and virtuous men could not be fuppofed fo entirely void of the fear of God and of all concern for their own falvation, as with their dying breath to maintain a parcel of forgeries, whether of their own invention or of the invention of their predeceffors; or though they had actually engaged in a fraud of this nature, without regarding the confequences; could any reasonable perfon fancy their own fortitude was fufficient to carry them through fuch fiery trials, in fupport of downright falfehoods? No. Suppofitions of this kind plainly exceed all the capacities of mortaJity and therefore they are to be treated as mere chimeras.-The truth is, it must be acknowledged, that the learned Heathens, in the firft ages, had every where opportunity of examining the proofs of the Gofpel-history; that they did examine them with care; that upon examination they found this hiftory attended with irrefiftible evidence; and that they embraced it with the firmeft perfuafion. For they quitted their native religion, they bade adieu to the purfuit of ambition, they ftripped themselves of all the advantages of the prefent time, they fubjected themselves to the heaviest fufferings, and moft of them ended their lives in torment. Wherefore, though these men lived at a great diftance from Judea, the fcene of our Lord's miniftry, the teftimony which they have borne to the truth of the Gospelhiftory by their converfion, ought to have great weight with us, especially as their integrity in this teftimony is beyond exception.

To the above indeed it is objected, that, from the converfion of the learned Heathens, no argument can be drawn in behalf of the Gospelhiftory, becaufe in their writings we meet with fuch ridiculous notions, fuch childish reafonings, and fuch credulity, as bespeak them to have been men of fhallow capacities, whofe judgment in a matter fo important as the evidences of the Gofpel-history is by no means to be relied on. But,

1. With respect to the abfurd opinions for which fome of the Fathers are defpifed, it ought to be confidered that these were the relics of their heathenifh prejudices, which even with the affiftance of Gofpel light they were not able wholly to fhake off. Nor will this feem strange to thofe who confider how deeply the notions we receive from education, remain imprinted in our minds through the whole of life. The wifeft of the Heathens, not excepting the phiJofophers themfelves, believed that the gods had intercourfe with women. Hence fprang the race of the heroes. If any doubt concerning the prevalence of this fancy is entertained, Paufanias and Plutarch, philofophers of great reputation, may be cited, reafoning gravely on the fubject. Even Celfus and Porphyry, after they had read the Gospels, did not relinquish this notion. But the most ftriking proof of the prevalency of this opinion, we have in the flory told by Jofephus, Ant. xviii. 4. of Mundus and Paulina. This Roman lady, it feems, was greatly devoted to the worship of

Ifis. At the intreaty of Mundus, who was defperately in love with her, and whofe folicitations fhe had rejected with the utmoft deteftation, the priests of Ifis perfuaded her that the God Anubis entertained a paffion for her. Elated with fo great an honour, Paulina, with her husband's confent, fpent a night in the temple, and had Mundus introduced to her under the notion of the God. Mundus himself revealed the fecret, which occafioned the punishment of the priefts, and the demolition of the temple. Confidering therefore how general this notion was, concerning the intercourfe of the gods with women, is it any wonder to hear Juftin Martyr, Athenagoras, and others, who, by their converfion, were not entirely divefted of their Heathenifh prejudices, uttering very ftrange fentiments concerning the love which demons (fo they termed all the Heathen Gods) bare to women? especially when it is remembered, that in this fancy they may have been confirmed by misunderstanding the paffage of Genefis, which speaks of the fons of God marrying the daughters of

men.

2. With regard to the childish reafonings found in the writings of the Fathers, it is more than probable they were led into them by that branch of their education called rhetoric. This art taught people to declaim upon all fubjects, and to reafon plaufibly on both fides of any queftion. Hence, in thefe declamations, the great matter was to argue, not only from folid topics, but to advance every thing which in fuch a cafe could be made to have the fhew of probability. This kind of difcourfes therefore admitted of figurative fenfes, forced allufions, and allegorical interpretations. The latter efpecially were greatly in vogue, taking their rife from the grofs abfurdities of the commonly received theology. For the philofophers, especially after the introduction of Christianity, being alhamed of fuch things, explained them allegorically, and drew from them the mysteries both of natural philofophy and morality. Hence the humour of allegorizing, which made fo great a figure in the Pagan theology, paffed into all other fubjects, and allegorical fenfes ingeniously elicited were efteemed weighty arguments. Wherefore when we find Juftin, from the four pillars of a houfe, the four quarters of the world, and the cherubim, proving that there ought to be four Gofpels; or when we find him, with great affectation, declaiming upon the cross of Chrift, and making it by ftrained comparisons to be reprefented by every thing almoft in nature, we ought not to attribute these things to any weaknefs of judgment in the man, but fhould look upon them merely as the effect of his education, and as a compliance with the prevailing mode of the times; there being in reasoning a fashion, as in every thing elfe.

3. As for the credulity of the Fathers, we ought to remember that thefe men having embraced Chriftianity at the expence of every thing dear in life, it was no wonder they were vehemently enamoured of it. Moreover, knowing it to be the will of God, that it should be established in the world, they were animated with the most fervent zeal for its fupport and propagation. In fueh circumftances, it was

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natural for them eagerly to embrace every opportunity of promoting its interefts, and every argument which had the leaft tendency, whether real or apparent, to fupport it. For their zeal, however commendable in itself, made them rafh and impatient of enquiry. Hence, without much examination, they took up with all the arguments and facts which feemed to favour Chriftianity, though in reality many of them tended to impair the reputation of the Gofpel. For example: the arguments which Juftin drew from the pretended ftatue of Simon Magus, the forged Sibylline oracles, the miraculous compofition of the Septuagint verfion of the Hebrew Scriptures, and fuch like matters, are altogether ridiculous, and, inftead of doing fervice to the Chriftian caufe, they hurt it greatly.-But, however credulous the primitive fathers may have been after their converfion in matters which favoured the caufe they had efpoufed, no man can imagine that the like credulity brought them over at firft to the Chriftian profeffion; because, in making the change, they had to combat with this very warmth of temper, from whence their credulity fprang, operating ftrongly in behalf of Heathenifm; for, in embracing Chriftianity, they acted in a direct oppofition to the united force of their ftrongest prejudices, to the full current of their most violent paffions, and to every poffible confideration of intereft. In fuch circumftances, their averfion to believe the facts contained in the Gofpels must have been as great as their propenfity to believe every thing fa vourable to the Chriftian caufe could poffibly be after their converfion; and therefore nothing could determine them to profefs themfelves Chriftians, but the cleareft evidence appearing on the fide of the facts recorded in the Gofpels, which are the foundations of the Chriftian religion.

Upon the whole, whatever caution is neceffary to be used in reading the writings of the primitive fathers, where they explain the fpeculative doctrines of Chriftianity in conformity to their ancient philofophical notions, or argue in behalf of the Gofpels by topics drawn from that rhetoric which in their younger years they had been taught to admire, or declare their belief of the facts which confpired with their zeal for propagating their religion, we may fafely truft to the judgment which before their converfion they paffed upon the general evidence of Chriftianity. In this part, the conclufion was forced upon them merely by the power of truth, not in conformity with, but in oppofition to their ftrongeft paffions, prejudices, and interefts. Moreover, the particular abfurd fentiments which they entertained through the prejudices of education, or the trifling arguments which they urged according to the ef tablished mode, or their credulity with refpect to fuch matters as flattered their favourite paffions after their converfion, ought no more to invalidate their teftimony in points where they were under no fuch influence, than the abfurd opinions or weak arguments of the most renowned philofophers can difcredit their teftimony and judgment in matters where they were under no biafs. In all cafes of this kind no more is requifite, but to take notice of the tendency

of a man's peculiarities, and to beware of haftily receiving his reports concerning fuch matters as, from his known prejudices, without any evidence, may have appeared to him certain and indubitable.

Having fo many teftimonies furnished even by the Heathens themselves, especially by fuch of them as lived in the age when Chriftianity commenced, it cannot be doubted that our religion is as ancient as we fuppofe; that it began in Judea, the country where our Lord preached, wrought miracles, was put to death, and rofe again from the dead; that multitudes there believed on him foon after his refurrection; that from Judea the Chriftian faith quickly fpread itself into all the noted countries and cities of the Roman empire; that in these countries and cities numerous churches were early planted, more especially in Afia Minor, Greece, and Italy: in fhort, that the number of the difciples daily increafed every where, till at length the whole Roman empire became Chriftians. It is equally certain, that from the very beginning the profeffion of Chriftianity exposed men to the fevereft perfecution, firft from the rabble, afterwards from the magiftrates, who, it feems, found it neceffary to interpofe, in order to hinder the spreading of the Chriftian faith that Claudius, who fucceeded to the empire about feven years after our Lord's death, began the perfecution of the Chriftians, by banishing them from Rome and Italy; that Nero, about thirty years after Christ's death, carried matters to a much greater length, putting vast multitudes of them to death, not in Rome only, but in the provinces; that the fucceeding emperors imitated his example, iffuing edicts against the Chriftians in all parts of the empire, so that they were expofed to every evil which human nature can fuftain. Finally, that in this ftate matters continued for the space of three hundred years, till Conftantine, after the defeat of his rival Licinius, declared himself of the Chriftian faith, and abrogated the laws of the former emperors against the difciples of Jefus. From thefe known and undoubted facts it follows, that the particulars told of the Founder of Christianity in the Gofpels must be true, and that mankind had clear proofs laid before them of their truth; namely, the atteftations of many credible eye-witneffes, all concurring in the fame reports, and who verified their teftimony in that part which was moft liable to exception, by performing miracles equal to those which they afcribed to their mafter, and by communicating to their converts the power of working miracles. The apoftolical converts exercifing this power, with the other gifts of the fpirit, openly, became in all countries unquestionable vouchers of the truth of the Gofpel-history, offering proofs thereof, which no reasonable perfon who attended to them could refift. Without fuch arguments as thefe, it is impoffible to conceive how a few ftrangers in the lowest stations of life, coming from a far diftant defpifed nation, could have perfuaded multitudes of the Heathens every where to forfake the religions of their country, which were admirably adapted to gratify their fenfual inclinations, for the fake of another which brought along with it no temporal advantage whatever, but bound them up

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from all the sensual indulgences to which they had been accustomed, taught them to mortify their paffions, fet them at variance with their nearest relations, and exposed them to all manner of perfonal fufferings. Without the divine power going along with their fermons, it is ftill more impoffible to conceive how thefe men should have prevailed upon the Heathens in fuch numbers to reform their manners, after having long lived in habits of vice and fenfuality. The reasonableness of the Chriftian doctrines and precepts alone could never produce fuch aftonishing effects. Many of thefe, inftead of appearing reasonable, were downright ftumbling-blocks both to Jews and Gentiles. Salvation through a crucified Saviour, the fundamental article of the Chriftian faith, was fuch to the phiJofophers or men of reafon; and the mortification of their lufts and paffions would infallibly appear no other to men of pleasure. vain opinion of miracles, performed by the preachers of the Gospel, could as little convert and reform the world in the circumstances mentioned, if no miracles were really performed; because, however willing men may be, for the fake of amufement, to believe and repeat things marvellous, it never yet was found that any man, for the pleasure of believing and telling marvellous ftories, would part with his eftate, his liberty, his life. The very fuppofition of such madnefs is madnefs itfelf. In fhort, the world could not have been converted under perfecution, unless the Chriftian miracles, whereby the credibility of the. Gospel-hiftory was demonftrated, bad been beheld in all countries; because the performance of miracles in Afia could never have convinced mankind in Greece, or Italy, or Spain. Wherever the Gofpel was received, it made its way by force of the miracles which the Apoftles and their difciples performed in that very country, and by the influence of the fpirit of God accompanying their fermons. Withal, as the age in which the Apoftles convinced mankind of the truth of the Golpel-hiftory, was remarkable for the height to which learning and the polite arts were carried, the faculties of men in that age must have been greatly improved by culture; wherefore, though in all countries the common people were first converted, they were well fecured from being impofed upon by falfe pretenfions of any kind, and could judge of the miracles which the Apoftles wrought in fupport of their teftimony concerning Jefus. But there were many likewife of better flation converted to Chriftianity, proconfuls, Tenators, courtiers, magiftrates, philofophers, priefts, whofe education and character qualified them to examine with accuracy, and judge with certainty of the evidences of the Gospel-hiftory. I must therefore repeat it, that the converfion of fo many thoufands in Judea, where our Lord exercifed his miniftry, and that immediately after his death, joined with the numerous early converfions of perfons of all ranks among the Heathens, is an argument for the truth of the Gospel-history from fact, which it is not poffible to gainfay: especially as both Jews and Gentiles were converted in an enlightened age, and by their converfion expofed themselves to perfecution. And though in the writings