the fenate of Ifrael, as a deceiver. For, on the 50th day after his crucifixion, there were no lefs than three thousand converted in Jerufalem by a fingle fermon of one of the Apoftles, wherein he infifted upon the miracles performed by Jefus as things known to all prefent (Acts ii. 41.), a topic which the Apofties in every fermon failed not to urge. See Acts x. 38. A few weeks after this, 5000 who believed are faid to have been prefent at another fermon preached in Jerufalem by the fame Apoftle, Acts iv. 4.-In the fecond year after our Lord's afcenfion, "the number of the difciples multiplied "greatly, and a great company of the priests," the most violent enemies of this novel religion, "became obedient to the faith," Acts vi. 7.-In the third year they multiplied fo exceedingly, that "there was a great perfecution against the church which was at Je rufalem, and they were all fcattered abroad throughout the region "of Judea and Samaria, except the Apoftles," Acts viii. 1.-In the third or fourth year, the spreading of the Chriftian faith was fo remarkable, even in the remoteft provinces of Palestine, that the high priest and council of Jerufalem, in order to put a stop to it, fent forth perfecutors as far as Damafcus. Of thefe, the ringleader was a zealous young man named Saul, who in this very journey was converted by Jefus appearing to him at noon-day; fo that he became forthwith an earneft preacher of the faith which he was going to destroy. Acts ix. 1-20.-About eight or ten years after our Lord's death, the difciples were grown fo numerous in Jerufalem and the country about, that they became the object of the jealousy of Herod himself. For, at the inftigation of the chief priests, he carried on the perfecution against them, by putting to death one of the Apoftles, and by imprifoning another, whom he intended likewife to flay, Acts xii, 1.—In the twenty-fecond year after the crucifixion, the difciples in Judea are faid to have been many myriads, Acts xxi. 20. θεωρείς αδελφε, ποσαι μυριάδες εισιν Ιεδαίων των πεπιςευκδίων. In this manner did the converfion of the Jews advance in their own country; than which a nobler proof of the truth of the Gofpels, as books of hiftory, can be defired. For if the things therein told had been false, would fuch numbers, upon the fpot where they were faid to be done, and at the very time too in which they happened, have given fuch credit to them, as on their account to have expofed themfelves to the moft grievous perfecution? 4. The fuccefs of the Gofpel, however, was by no means confined to Judea. Being preached in all the different provinces of the Roman empire, numbers of the Heathens, as well as of the Jews, believed. It feems, the evidence accompanying our Lord's miracles was fo ftrong, that it failed not to make an impreffion upon the minds of thole to whom it was propofed, whatfoever nation they were of. The converfion of the Gentiles is fo much the more remarkable, that almoft the very first triumphs of the Chriftian religion were in the heart of Greece itfelf, the nursery of learning and the polite arts; for churches were very early planted at Corinth, at Ephefus, at Berea, at Theffalonica, at Philippi, as is plain from the the hiftory of the Acts, and from Paul's Epiftles ftill remaining directed to churches in most of those cities. Even Rome herself, the feat of wealth and empire, was not able to refift the force of truth; many of her inhabitants embracing the Chriftian faith fo early as in the reigns of Claudius and Nero, and but a few years after our Lord's crucifixion, when the matters told them concerning him were recent, and it was eafy. to have difproved them, if they had been falfe, by many witneffes from Judea both Jews and Gentiles, who continually reforted to Rome either for bufinefs or pleasure, and by the conftant communication which fubfitted between the capital and all the provinces of the empire. 6. The converfions produced by the fermons of the Apoftles, happened in an age juftly celebrated for the height to which learning and the polite arts were carried by the Greeks and Romans, the renowned mafters of the fciences. The nations of Europe, Afia, and Africa, heretofore barbarous, were at this time remarkably civilized. In most countries knowledge was farther diffused and more univerfal than it had been in any former period. In fhort, it must be acknowledged, that there never was a more learned, more philofophical, or more difcerning age, then that in which the Chriftian religion was propofed to mankind. Befides, the world under the protection of the Roman government enjoying then efpecially profound peace, men of a fpeculative turn were every where at leifure to examine the matter with care; and as the different nations of the world were now united in one great empire, they had eafy communication with one another, and with the city of Rome, the centre of intelligence and correfpondence. So that every fenfible perfon,' who would take the trouble, had accefs to inform himself of the things faid to have been tranfacted in any part of the empire. It is therefore undeniable, that, when the Gofpel was first propofed, all ranks of men in all countries were as well fecured as poffible from. being impofed upon by falfe pretences of any kind. This circumftance renders the converfion of the world, notwithstanding it began with that of the common people, a ftrong prefumption of the truth of the Gospel-history. 6. Though, in the eyes of human wisdom, the mean condition of the generality of the first converts may feem difhonourable to the Chriftian caufe, in reality it adds great weight to the evidence of the Gospel-history. Accordingly, Jefus himself rejoiced in it, and more than once folemnly returned thanks for it. Luke x. 21. "At "that time Jefus rejoiced in fpirit, and faid, I thank thee, O Fa- ' "ther, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft hid these things "from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes : "Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight." The Apostle Paul likewife gloried in the mean condition of the first con1 Cor. i. 26. "You fee your calling, Brethren, how that many wife men after the flesh are called.-But God has chofen "the foolish things of the world to confound the wife; and God "has chofen the weak things of the world to confound the things verts. s not " which which are mighty; and bafe things of the world, and things which are defpifed, hath God chofen, yea, and things which are 66 not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh fhould glory "in his prefence." Our Lord and his Apoftles thus rejoiced in the converfion of the common people, upon the first publication of the Gospel, because they knew this circumftance above all others would prove the truth of their miracles, and render the doctrines and facts, for the confirmation of which they performed them, highly credible in all fucceeding ages. It is well known, that the bulk of mankind are incapable of comprehending any long train of reasoning, and therefore in vain are they perfuaded to relinquith the opinions in which they have been educated, by fuch arguinents, however just and conclufive they may be. Proofs addreffed to their fenfes are what ftrike them moft. Hence no arguments fo efficacious for impreffing the minds of the populace, as great and evident miracles. Thefe alone have force to make them lay afide religious notions early imbibed, or counteract their strongeft inclinations. Nor, in fact, has any other evidence ever been found fufficient to change men's opinions and practices in thefe particulars. Wherefore, feeing the common people were converted immediately on the first publication of the Gospel-history, without being influenced by the previous converfion of the great men, it is a fhining proof of the truth of the miracles which the first preachers of the Gospel are faid to have performed, in confirmation of their fermons : because, by mere reasoning, the vulgar never could have been brought,, in any confiderable number, to forfake their native religions. And we may believe the wisdom of God ordained their converfion to precede that of their rulers, on purpofe to give credibility in after-times to the miracles which from the beginning were wrought in fupport of the Chriftian caufe. Perhaps likewife, in ordering the converfion of the common people to precede that of their rulers, God intended to manifeft his juftice and goodness, as well as his wifdom. For as they had been at first feduced, and were all along upheld in their fuperftition by the policy of their governors, it was both juft and good in God, early to put them in the way of gaining the happiness of immortality. Accordingly thefe men, having hitherto lived in deplorable ignorance of God, every where joyfully embraced the doctrines of the Gospel, which enlightened and comforted them under the manifold afflictions of this life and fo being drawn off in great numbers from GentiJifm, that horrid fuperftructure of impiety and folly, which the ftatesmen in all countries had reared on the foundation of the credulity of the multitude, fell to the ground at once, and by its fall aftonished the rulers themselves, who could no longer refift the evidence and influence of truth. 7. But though the generality of the first converts to Christianity in all countries were people in the middle and lower ftations of life, it ought not to be forgotten, that from the very beginning there were not wanting fome of the better fort every where, whofe con verfion verfion added both luftre and dignity to the Gofpel triumphs. Thus, among the first converts of the Jewish nation, we find perfons of no lefs rank than Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, noblemen and members of the fenate of Ifrael; Jairus, a ruler of the fynagogue that was at Capernaum, a nobleman living in the fame town, whofe fan Jefus recovered out of a fever; Manaen, Herod the Tetrarch's fofter-brother; Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's fteward; Zaccheus, chief of the publicans at Jericho; Mary Magdalene, a woman of note; Apollos, remarkable for eloquence; Paul, learned in the Jewish law; together with many of the chief rulers, who did not confefs him because of the Pharifees (John xii. 42.); and a great company of the priests in Jerufalem, who became obedient to the faith (Acts vi. 7.), and whofe office and literature rendered them confpicuous.- Among the Gentile converts we find no lefs a person than a Roman proconful, Sergius Paulus by name, who governed the illand of Cyprus at the time of his converfion, and in honour of whom it is thought the Apoftle, who converted him, took the name At Ephefus, certain of the afiarchs or magiftrates are faid to have been Paul's friends, having no doubt conceived a good opinion of the caufe wherein he was engaged. Cornelius likewife, a Roman captain of great reputation for virtue, was an early difciple of Jefus. Dionyfius too, a judge and fenator of the Areopagus at Athens: Damaris, and others of note, in the fame city. Eraftus, treasurer of Corinth; Tyrannus, a teacher of grammar and rhetoric in Corinth; Publius, a nobleman, and probably the governor of the ifland of Malta; Philemon, a man of confiderable quality at Coloffe; Simon, a magician in Samaria; Zenas, a lawyer; nay, and the domeftics of the emperor himself; all of them perfons whofe education qualified them to judge of an affair of this kind, and whofe office and ftation rendered them confpicuous in the countries where they lived. The above are all mentioned in the facred records of the Chriftians. But there may have been, and no doubt were, others of the like ftation converted, whofe names are not taken notice of there. Even the Heathen hiftorians mention fome perfons of great note who were early converted; for inftance, Flavius Clemens, the conful, with his wife Domitilla, both of them relations of the emperor Domitian; M. Acilius Glabrio likewise, who was conful at Rome with Trajan. Moreover, we know that many of the Heathen philofophers were among the first disciples; fuch as Juftin Martyr, who, even after his converfion, continued the habit and profeffion of philofophy; Quadratus, Ariftides, and Athenagoras, philofophers of Athens; and in Alexandria, Dionyfius, Clemens, Ammonius, Arnobius, and Anatolius. In procefs of time, it was not a fingle perfon of figure in this city, or in that nation, who obeyed the Gofpel, but multitudes of the wife, the learned, the noble, and the mighty, in every country. Thefe, being all fully convinced of the truth of our Lord's pretenfions, and impreffed with the deepeft fenfe of his dignity, gave the moft folid evidence of their conviction, both by their worshipping him him as God, notwithstanding he had been punished with the ignomiDious death of a malefactor, and by making public profeffion of his religion, although they had been educated in the belief of other religions far more agreeable to the corrupt inclinations of the human heart, to defert which they had not the fmalleft temptation from honour or intereft. On the contrary, by becoming Chriftians they expofed themfelves to all manner of fufferings in their perfons, their reputations, and their fortunes. 8. This leads me to a confideration which adds weight to all the reft, and which therefore merits particular attention; namely, that the belief of Chriftianity was followed with no worldly advantage whatever, by which men could be fwayed to renounce their native religions, and embrace a form of worfhip fo different from every thing that was then practifed. On the contrary, by becoming Chriftians the Heathens denied themfelves many fenfual gratifications, which their own religions indulged them in; particularly fornication and drunkennefs, which they confidered as branches of the worship of God. Alfo, by becoming Chriftians, thefe men fubjected themfelves to a course of life rigid and fevere, very different from that to which they had been accuftomed, and which is fo agreeable to the flesh. For at their baptifm they bound themselves to renounce the world with its pleasures, as a facrifice neceffary in fuch times of perfecution, and to mortify the ftrongeft inclinations of their nature. By renouncing their religion, the Heathens likewife loft the affection of their relations, who perfifted in their ancient errors; they feparated themselves from their acquaintance, particularly in their facred folemnities; which would be the more grievous to them, as these were of a nature fit to strike their imagination and engage their paffions, much more than any thing of that fort among us. In fhort, by the profeffion of Chriftianity they denied themfelves all thofe fenfual pleafures which in every country are derived from the concurrence and fuffrage of the community, and to which a relifh is given by the joint participation of friends. Yea, they even loft most of the private and focial fatisfactions of life; having quite eftranged themfelves from their friends, and banished themfelves from their families-Nor was this all; by embracing our faith, the Heathens expofed themfelves to more terrible evils.ftill. From the very beginning, the profeffion of Christianity was attended with the continual hazard of all manner of personal sufferings; and in proportion as this religion fpread itfelf, the evils which followed the profeffion of it multiplied. For it is well known, that the Chriftians were not only foon excluded from all public offices and honours, but they were infulted and abused by the rabble, who looked upon them as Epicureans, Atheists, and the moft flagitious of men, and as fuch often executed punishment upon them with their own hands. By the magiftrates they were fubjected to heavy fines, their goods were confifcated, they were made to fuffer a variety of ignominious punishments, which to generous minds are more grievous than death. They were imprifoned and profcribed, they |