The Promises it vouchfafes, are the forgiveness of our fins, the refurrection of our bodies, and a ftate abfolutely happy for ever in heaven.

And lastly, the Worship of divine service it prescribes confifts in obedience to the law of God, in prayer for the pardon of our fins, and his protection, and in a grateful acknowledgment of what we owe him for all his benefits towards us.

The firft of these three parts of the Chriftian Religion, viz. the truth of the Matters of Fact it relates, may be faid to be the foundation of the other two, viz. the Promifes and commands.

It is impoffible to be perfuaded, that God hath created this world in which we live, and made mankind of one and the fame blood; that after the fall he promised to fave men, and did actually redeem them in fending Jefus Chrift, who fuffered death, and being raised the third day afcended into heaven, &c. I fay, it is impoffible to look upon thefe facts as true without being affured that God will accomplish the promises he hath made to us.

And it is as evident that we cannot be convinced of the truth of thefe matters, without being fenfible of a strong obligation laid upon us to perform all the duties of the Chriftian religion.

As foon as a man reflects upon his being God's creature, he finds himself naturally obliged to obey God univerfally, according to his utmost ability but when he comes further to believe, that God did not destroy the firft man for his difobedience, but was graciously pleased to promife him a Saviour for himself and all his pofterity; and when moreover he is affured, that God hath really fent this Saviour in the way and manner the Gospel relates to us; we cannot conceive but that he must find himself under the highest engagements imaginable of rendering to God a religious obedience, and believing his promises.

But there is yet another obligation whereby man is bound to obey God, to pray to him, and to offer him all manner of religious worship: God, by redeeming him, hath obtained a new claim to, and right over him; and a more indifpenfable obligation is laid upon man to submit himself to God, in all religious concerns, as being not only created but alfo redeemed by

him.

Reafon acknowledgeth, that if the truth of these things be once admitted, nothing can be more just and natural than thofe confequences which the Chriftians thence infer.

All the difficulty therefore that occurs in this matter, confifts in the proof of thofe facts which the Chriftian religion propounds to us; that is to fay, in proving the creation of the world, the fall of man, the promife of a redeemer, his coming into the world, his miracles, death, refurrection, afcenfion into heaven, &c. which are the foundations of the Christian Religion. And indeed thefe are the very matters of which Atheists and Libertines require a folid proof.

And it doth the more concern us to fatisfy their demands, forafmuch as the Jews, who are fcattered throughout the whole world, do oppofe our affertion, that the promise of fending the Meffiah is already accomplifhed, though they agree upon the matter with us in all other articles. Moreover, the performing this tafk may very much contribute to the con

verfion

verfion of a great number of bad Chriftians, whose fall and continuance in vices and licentiousness is to be afcribed to their being fo weakly perfuaded of the truth of thefe Fundamentals, and that because they have never confidered of them with fufficient attention.

That the CHRISTIAN RELIGION is founded upon Proofs of Matter of Fact.

F

ORASMUCH as, in order to establish the truth of the Chriftian Religion, we confine ourselves at prefent to thofe Proofs which make out the Matters of Fact it propofes; omitting all other arguments which may evidence the truth of it, though poffibly no lefs convincing; it is obvious, that the proofs we are to produce in confirmation of them, must be fuch as are proper to evince the truth of things long fince paft and done.

If we were treating of the events of the time we live in, it might be justly required that we should produce eye-witneffes of them: but forafmuch as the queftion here is concerning matters long fince past, it is natural for us to have recourse to history, which furnisheth us with the relations of those who were eye-witneffes of the fame; this being the only way left us to confirm our belief of things at fo great a distance from us.

I am beholden to history only for the knowledge I have of a Cyrus, an Alexander, or a Cæfar; and yet having read the account they give me of them, I find them matters I can no way rationally doubt of.

I acknowledge that the certainty we have of things long fince paft, is much inferior to that which we have of matters confirmed to us by eyewitneffes. Nevertheless, because it is evident that the events of ancient times cannot be confirmed but by proofs of this nature, it has never entered into the minds of any to account the existence of such men as Cyrus and Alexander for fables, upon the pretence that none now alive did ever fee them, or because there are fcarce any traces left of those empires of which they were the founders.

Indeed the certainty we have of thefe things is fuch, as nothing can be fuperadded to it; for though it be founded on the authority of hiftorians who lived many ages ago, yet withal we are to confider that the matters related do not only carry the idea of probability and truth along with them, but that they are the very ground and foundation of all the hiftories of following ages; which cannot be questioned, if we confider the connexion and dependence of the things related, according to the light of fenfe, and the equity of reason.

A Matter

A Matter of Fact then is accounted certain, when it is attefted by those who were eye-witneffes of it, when recorded by an hiftorian who lived amongst those who had perfect knowledge of it; when the matter is not gainfaid or contradicted by any; if we find it penned at a time when the things could not be related by any otherwife than indeed they were, without expofing themselves to public derifion; and laft of all, when the matter is found to be of that nature, as none could be ignorant of it, either because it was the intere of every one to be informed of it, or because the thing was fo public that it could not be hid from any; or laftly, because of its natural connexion with all those other events which neceffarily depend on it.

To fpeak plain, it is very unjust to demand either more proofs, or fuch as are of another nature, for the confirmation of the truth of our religion, than are required to verify any other matters of fact. Why fhould not the teftimony of Noah's children be fufficient to conclude there was fuch a man as Methusalem, in cafe they affure us that they have seen him? Or why should not the teftimony of Methufalem be of credit enough to prove there was such a man as Adam, if he avers that he saw him, and conversed with him? Do we not every day give credit to the account which old men give us of their predeceffors, efpecially when we find that what they relate hath an exact reference and connexion with those things we are eye-witneffes of ?

But it is an easy thing to make it appear, that the proofs which evidence the truth of the matters which our religion propofeth, are infinitely more strong and convincing.

AH the circumstances we can imagine proper to evince the truth of any relation, do concur to place the matters recorded in holy Scripture beyond the reach of doubt or uncertainty.

We account the fingle teftimony of an hiftorian a fufficient proof that there was once a very famous temple at Delphos or Ephefus, notwithftanding that all the monuments remaining at this day to confirm his relation be very doubtful and defective. Whereas I fhall make it appear that an entire nation, yea, many nations, do atteft the truth of those matters which the Chriftian Religion propofes; and that all the actions, difcourfes, and whole series of events thereto relating, do furnish us with an infinite number of characters which invincibly fignalize the truth of the holy Scriptures,

CHAP. III.

Some General Remarks, in order to establish the Truth of Holy. SCRIPTURE.

CORASMUCH as I have undertaken to prove the truth of the Matters of Fact contained in our Religion from the teftimony of the penmen of the Old and New Teftament, it will be proper, in order to the executing of my defign, to begin with a general proof of the truth of the said books; which will not be difficult, if one makes the following remarks.

The firft is, That it appears from the five books of Mofes, that he wrote the hiftory of the creation of the world, and of the promise of the Meffiah; of the deluge, the rife and pedigree of the feveral nations of the world, of the divifion of tongues; and in particular, the hiftory of the family of Abraham until the entering of the children of Ifrael into Paleftina, 2552 years after the creation of the world.

The fecond is, That the following books, viz. of Jofua, Judges, Ruth, the four books of Kings, of Chronicles, with the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, are a continuation of the faid hiftory, from the entering of the Jews into Palestina, until their re-establishment in the faid country, about the year of the world 3600. Here we read the conqueft of Paleftina under the conduct of Joshua, how it was divided amongst the tribes after they had deftroyed, drove out, or fubdued, the inhabitants thereof; how often they were brought into bondage by the bordering nations, whofe rife and pretenfions Mofes fets down. Here we have recorded the feveral names and actions of the judges which God from time to time raised to the Ifraelites, to reftore them to their first estate. Here we have an account of the establishment of a kingly government amongst them, which happened about the year 2909; as likewife of the divifion of this people into two kingdoms, which for three ages toge ther were moft oppofite in their interefts, and made great wars against each other, as well as as against their neighbouring ftates. We find here the utter ruin of the most puiffant of these two ftates, viz. that of Ifrael by the arms of the kings of Affyria, about the year of the world 3283; and after that, the deftruction of that of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of the Chaldeans, anno mundi 3416. And laft of all, we have an account of the Jews reftoration by Cyrus king of Perfia, and the ftate of the Jews under his fucceffors.

The third thing obfervable is, That in the remaining books of the Old Teftament we find feveral hiftorical relations relating to both kingdoms, with several prophecies relating to their decay and reitoration, as likewife many difcouries of morality and piety; and that all these relations and prophecies appear to have been writ at fuch a time, and with thofe circumftances, which have a natural reference to what the other books recite to us, and an cffential relation to the books and laws of Mofes, which we find to be the foundation of all thefe prophecies, rela

tions, and whatsoever elfe we find there concerning their government or religion.

The fourth is, That the books of the New Teftament contain an exact relation of the life of Jefus Chrift, who appeared to the world under the reign of Tiberius, of the eftablishment of his religion in the world, together with fome difputes with the Jews, who refufed to own him for the Meffiah promifed by the Prophets; and, laftly, prophecies, declaring what in procefs of time was to happen both to the Jews and Chriftians until the end of the world. Thefe books take the truth of Mojes's writings every where for granted, as alfo of the other facred writings of the Old Testament, both hiftorical, prophetical, and moral.

These four particulars do in a manner give us an entire idea of the holy Scripture; and we fhall fcarcely ftand in need of ought elfe to manifeft the truth of thofe writings, if we confider thofe undisputable matters of fact I am now to speak of, and will but make some very natural reflexions upon them.

The first is, That the Chriftians, notwithstanding their being divided into several fects and parties presently after our Saviour's time, have, and do still, in all places, every first day of the week, read the books of the New Testament tranflated into their refpective languages; so that it appears abfolutely impoffible that any fpurious writings fhould have been flipped in amongst them.

The fecond is, That as the Chriftians have had the books of the Old Teftament amongst them in Greek these 1600 years, fo the Heathens had them in that language 300 years before, being tranflated by order of one of the Ptolemy's kings of Egypt, whither a confiderable party of the Jews were carried, after that Alexander the Great had conquered the greatest part of Afia, having overthrown the empire of Perfia, to which the Jews were in fubjection.

The third is, That though the Jews had not all the books of the Old Teftament from the beginning of their commonwealth, they that followed the party of Jeroboam, and formed the kingdom of Ifrael, having only had the five books of Mofes amongst them; yet, notwithstanding their irreconcilable hatred against the houfe of David, they have most religiously preferved the faid books from anno mundi 3030, in which the divifions of the two kingdoms happened, even until this day.

The fourth and laft is, That as the Jews every where, at this day, read the books of Mofes and of the Prophets each fabbath-day (which is alfo obferved by the Samaritans), and the Chriftians read them every first day of the week; fo the Jews have always continued to read them for a long feries of ages, as efteeming it a great part of the fanctification of the fabbath. Befides which, they alfo folemnly read them every seventh year, in obedience to a law of Mofes, as being one of the principal parts of their religion.

I fay, that the fole confideration of these matters of fact (which are indifputable) are fufficient to prove in general the truth of the books of the Old and New Teftament.

Firft then, I affirm, that it is as ridiculous to maintain, that the books of the Old and New Teftament, tranflated into fo many languages, cited by an infinite number of authors, and which have been the Vol. I.

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fubject