inclinations, fet themfelves at variance with their own relations, deliberately throw away their poffeffions, go calmly to torture, and willingly fubmit to the most painful and ignominious deaths. I appeal to every rational and unprejudiced man, if this be not marvellous indeed? For it fuppofes, that, when the gofpel was firft preached, the effential principles of human nature, and the invariable rules of human conduct, were entirely fuperfeded in all thofe who anciently gave credit to the gospel.

If, notwithstanding all we have faid, it is ftill pretended that the Heathens fomehow or other may have been converted, without having had proper evidences of the truth of the gofpel-history laid before them, I would have our adverfaries to confider the cafe as it actually food. The apoftles, who preached the Chriftian religion, were most defpicable in the eyes of all the Gentiles, by reafon both of their country and their religion; they were ftrangers of the loweft clafs of mankind, whofe honefty they could have no affurance of; their cloaths were often old and ragged, for the great apoftle of the Gentiles mentions his own nakednefs among his fufferings, 1 Cor. iv. 11. They told ftories of miracles done at a great diftance, which would appear to every one utterly incredible; and they required the world to yield divine honours to a man, who by their own confeffion was rejected by their countrymen, and crucified as a deceiver of the people. In fuch circumftances, is it to be fuppofed that any perfon in his right wits would give them credit upon their own fimple report; especially as they took no pains to conceal the great and immediate dangers which attended the belief of these things? No: mankind could never have been engaged to give the leaft heed to their ftrange ftory, unless they had feen them work evident miracles, fuch as the Chriftian records affure us they did perform. Without this kind of proof, it would have been a greater miracle than any that is afcribed to the apoftles, if mankind in every country had given them credit in an affair fo extraordinary. Here therefore the ftrefs of the matter is justly placed by the friends of Chriftianity. And it is with the highest reafon they believe the proof of miracles to have been been given every where, in fupport of the gofpel-history, by the first preachers thereof; because without this proof, together with the concurring influence of the grace of God upon the minds of the Gentiles, the latter could never have been prevailed upon in fuch numbers to embrace the gospel under perfecution. This all must acknowledge without hefitation, who know any thing of the influence which men's lufts, paffions, prejudices, and interefts, have over their wills; and how great a ftrength of conviction is requifite to overcome the united force of this influence joined in one and the fame perfon; as was the cafe with all in the firft ages who embraced the gofpel.

SECT. V.

SECT. V.

V. The truth of the gospel-history proved from the converfion of the learned Jews and Heathens in the early ages.

THE belief of the gofpel hiftory, which the men of genius and education both among the Jews and Gentiles were impreffed with, who in the firft ages embraced Chriftianity, is an argument for the truth of the gospel- hiftory fo illuftrious, that it well deferves a feparate confideration. Thefe men embraced Chriftianity after having duly examined its evidences. Their character and education qualified them to judge of an affair of this fort. Their converfion was attended with no worldly advantage whatever, but with all manner of disadvantages. It is therefore beyond difpute, that they were fully convinced of the reality of thofe facts, for the belief of which they made fhipwreck of life and its joys. Moreover, their character for wifdom and learning leaves no room to doubt that they examined the proofs of the facts they received with that accuracy which the importance of their confequences demanded, and that they yielded not until conftrained by the dint of irrefiftible

evidence.

I. Among the learned Jews converted to Chriftianity in the firft age," the great company of the priests who became obedient to the "faith," Acts vi. 7. may juftly be mentioned. But the inftance which merits moft attention, is the converfion of Saul, afterwards called Paul. This perfon, in the Chriftian record, Acts xxvi. is faid to have given an account of himself and of his converfion, to King Agrippa, and to Queen Berenice, in the hearing of Portius Feftus the Roman governor of Judea, of his chief captains, of the principal men of the city of Cæfarea, of the Jews who had come from Jerufalem to accufe him, and of a great concourfe of people affembled, as is ufual, to witnefs fuch tranfactions. The hiftory of the Acts, which narrates this folemn public tranfaction, came abroad at the time when, and in the country where, it is faid to have happened. We must allow, therefore, that this tranfaction is no fiction of the hiftorian. Saul actually made the defence which is afcribed to him. And he made it in the presence of Agrippa, Feftus, and the reft. This point fixed, we are fure that the account which Saul gave of himself in the hearing of this great affembly is agreeable to truth; because, if any particular mentioned by him before perfons of the first rank, and others from all parts of Judea, had been falfe, he might easily have been detected. Befides, his accufers were present, among whom perhaps were fome of his former affociates, who, being enraged at his apoftacy, appeared now as his profecutors. Thefe, being well acquainted with his hiftory, must have immediately contradicted and confuted him, to the utter ruin of his caufe, if he had in the leaft departed from truth in the account which he gave of himfelf, To conclude, Saul on this occafion openly affirmed, that his character and conduct from his youth up were known to most of the

principal

principal people in Jerufalem, who could atteft the truth of what he faid, more especially concerning his perfecuting the difciples of Jefus, a particular relation of which he now gave in the hearing of the whole affembly, Acts xxvi. 4. "My manner of life from my "youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jeru* falem, know all the Jews. 5. Which knew me from the begin"ning, (if they would teftify) that after the most straitest sect of our "religion, I lived a Pharifee.... 9. I verily thought with myself, "that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of "Nazareth. 10. Which thing 10. Which thing I alfo did in Jerufalem and many "of the faints did I fhut up in prifon, having received authority "from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 11. And I punished them oft in every fynagogue, and compelled them to blafpheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I perfecuted them even unto ftrange "cities." See likewife chap. xxii. 5. where on the stairs of the caftle Antonia, in the hearing of the multitude, he openly appealed, for the truth of his having perfecuted the Chriftians, to the high prieft and all the eftate of the elders from whom he received his commiffion.It is certain, therefore, that in his younger years Saul was a violent perfecutor of the Chriftians; that he punished them oft in every fynagogue; and that his zeal carried him fo far as to make him perfecute them even in ftrange cities. And as it is certain that Saul in his younger years was a furious perfecutor of the Chriftians, it is equally certain that afterwards he became a zealous preacher of the faith which he once deftroyed. It was for the preaching of this faith, that he was now in chains, had fuffered a long imprisonment, and was to be judged by Cæfar at Rome. An alteration of conduct fo extraordinary, in a perfon of Saul's fenfe and learning, can be accounted for only by one of three fuppofitions. Either, first, He was hurried into it by fome unaccountable enthufiafm wherewithal he was feized. Or, 2. Knowing the whole to be a fraud, he became a preacher of Chriftianity for the fake of fome advantage which he propofed to himself from that way; fo that his converfion was a downright cheat. Or, 3. We must receive the account which he himself gave of his apostleship, His enmity against Chriftianity and its difciples was difarmed by Jefus appearing to him from heaven, and giving him a commiffion to preach the gofpel. Now of these fuppofitions in their order, And,

i. We are fure that Saul's converfion was not the effect of enthufiafm. For, firft of all, the pretended vifions, revelations, and divine communications wherein enthufiafts deal, are all known to be the effects of their own imagination heated with intenfe meditation on fubjects which they have perfuaded themfelves into the belief of, without any reafon at all. Now fo far was this from being the cafe with Saul, in what happened to him on the road to Damafcus, that, instead of having perfuaded himself into the belief

of

of the refurrection of Jefus, and heating his imagination with intenfe meditation thereon, he looked upon it as a downright cheat; he took Jefus himself for a deceiver, he hated the Chriftians as deluded enthufiafts, or as bold impoftors, and therefore he perfecuted them to the death. To fuppofe that one in this temper was converted to Chriftianity by the power of enthufiafm, which produced in his diftempered brain a vifion of one whofe refurrection he denied, is to contradict the whole current of human experience.-In the fecond place, it ought to be remembered, that Saul was not the only perfon who faw this vifion. There were others in the company equally enemies to the Chriftian caufe with himfelf, and who therefore were in no difpofition to form any vifionary scene in favour thereof, who nevertheless" beheld a great light shining around them, above the "brightness of the fun at noon-day," Acts ix. 3. and who were fo aftonished with the vifion, that they ftood fpeechlefs, hearing a voice, though not the words fpoken, Acts xxii. 9. If this vifion proceeded entirely from Saul's enthufiafm, how came the imaginations of the whole company to be feized with precifely the fame phrenfy? Or how came they to be feized with it at the fame inftant? That there was not the leaft difference, either in the matter or the time of their phrenfy, is truly wonderful.-In the third place, if we believe that the appearing of Jefus to Saul on the road to Damafcus was the pure effect of his own enthufiafm, we muft affirm that the commiffion which he received from Chrift at that time, with all its confefequences, was in like manner the effect of enthufiafm; particularly, that the miracles by which he converted the Gentiles, existed no where but in his own imagination; that all the converts every where, who believed in Jefus, because they thought they faw his apoftle work miracles, were enthufiafts; that the power of working miracles and speaking with tongues, which the converted Gentiles received from this apoftle, were mere fallacies; that the fick themfelves whom they healed by virtue of this power, the lame whofe members they restored, and the perfons out of whom they caft devils, were deluded into the belief of cures, while no cure was wrought. Alfo we muft affirm, that the doctrine and precepts which he taught' were the pure effects of his own enthufiafm, notwithstanding they were diametrically oppofite to all his former principles and practices as a proud felf-righteous Pharifee. In fhort, if we fancy Saul was an enthufiaft in his converfion, we must believe that every thing he wrote, faid, or did, as an apoftle of Jefus, was the effect of diftraction; that all who gave the leaft heed to him were infected with the like madness; and that whole nations to whom he preached, and who believed that he wrought miracles, were under the power of the groffeft delufion; fuppofitions fufficiently extravagant to demonstrate their own abfurdity.-Laftly. I might here fhew that all the arguments, by which the other apoftles are cleared from the charge of enthufiafm, confpire with double force to prove that Saul was no enthufiaft. But I hall only obferve in general, that if, in the opinion

of

of Lord Shaftesbury and the Deifts, Socrates ftands vindicated from the charge of enthufiafm by "his penetration, his wonderful good "fenfe and extent of judgment, the command he had of his thoughts

and fentiments, the fubftantial truths, the noble inftructions he "propofed to mankind, his addrefs and infinuation, his conftant cheatfulness of mind, the univerfal rectitude of his manners;" Saul is much more effectually cleared from the fame charge by thefe qualities. For the Chriftian apoftle far excelled the philofophical patriarch in them all; as every judicious perfon must acknowledge, who compares the writings and conduct of Saul with the laboured accounts given of Socrates by his difciples, who have studied to enrich their mafter, by adding to his doctrines and difcoveries whatever the fund of their own imagination and eloquence was capable of fupplying.

2. You must acknowledge that Saul's converfion was not a matter of impofture, if you confider that in taking up the office of an apoftle no advantage was to be reaped by him, unless you reckon as gain that certain lofs of all worldly goods, and thofe heavy perfecutions to which the apostles, as the ringleaders of the fect of the Nazarenes, were especially expofed. Befides, in Saul's cafe the evils attending the change of his fentiments and conduct were particularly bitter. For he could not but forefee, that by his former affociates he would be detefted as an apoftate; and that their rage would prompt them by all means to compass the difcovery and punishment of his impofture. Nor is this all: there are particular circumstances attending Saul's converfion, which clearly prove his integrity, and which for that reafon muft not be overlooked. Such, as,-Firft, if he had acted the impoftor when he took the refolution of becoming a Chriftian preacher, he would have conferred with the chiefs in the confederacy before he publicly affumed that character, in order to learn from them the things he was to preach, left his ftory and theirs had been inconfiftent. Or, if he faw it neceflary to affume the cha'racter of an apoftle before he converfed with the others, common prudence would have directed him to feign his converfion as happening in Jerufalem, that he might have the authors of the fraud at hand to confer with privately. Or, if he was fo foolish as to be converted in a diftant country, and immediately to publish the ftory of his converfion, neceffity muft have obliged him to go forthwith to Jerufalem, where alone he could learn the fecrets of the impofture he was preparing himself to propagate. Yet none of all these courfes did this man take. For, notwithstanding his knowledge of Christianity could be no other than fuperficial, his converfion, according to his own account of it, happened near to Damafcus, at the distance of many miles from Jerufalem, and where all the Christians, knowing the errand on which he was come, fhunned him with the utmost care. Moreover, after his converfion he conferred neither with one nor other, as he himself tells the Galatians, chap. i. 16. "Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17. Neither went 1 up to Jerufalem, to them that were apostles

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