More particularly: If Chrift is recorded to bave wrought miracles in Paleftine, St. Andrew in Greece, St. John in Parthia, St. Philip in Phrygia, St. Bartholomew in Arabia, St. Matthew in Ethiopia, St. Thomas in India, St. Simon in Libya, St. Jude in Mefopotamia, St. Peter at Rome, and St. Paul in almost every part of that extenfive Empire, and all at or near the fame time, fo that the fame of them must be spread, as it were, at once over much the greatest part of the habitable World; if likewife, befides this, the very bodies, the veftments, and even fhadows of the Apoftles were the occafion of a multitude of miracles, according to the most authentic accounts both of the Sacred Writings and Primitive Fathers ; then it is certain, that as the Heathens living at that The former of these confequences is what the Jews have long fince deduced from the fame difficulty, in regard to themselves; and we are not only informed by their own great defender *Orobius, that the principal reafon of their National Infidelity is grounded on the fuppofition that Christ's miracles must be falfe, because they were rejected by the Sanhedrim and the people; but I am likewife affured by the present Profeffors of Judaism that this is one of the grandest and most unfurmountable obftacles to their reception of the Chriftian faith. Now *Orob. ap. Witfium de Mirac. Jef, Sect. 19. if that time could either fee the wonders, or enquire into the nature of them better than we can at this diftance, and yet flighted and rejected them; we muft either follow them as Guides in this case, or else we must shew that there must be something extremely fingular in their circumftances and fituation: i. e. in fhort, Christianity must either be an imposture, or the Heathens must in part be infatuated. I have been more particular in unfolding the confequences of this odd appearance in Antiquity, because I find that many either could not, or would not understand my defign; nay, and that even those whofe peculiar business it was to fearch things to the bottom have fallen into the com if fuch a conclufion is natural or obvious to a Jew, it fhould be much more fo to a Deift; in as much as it is certain that in the infancy of the Gospel the Jews were in fact more influenced by the Chriftian miracles than the Gentiles, and were converted on the appearance of them in much greater numbers, notwithstanding they were under the power of as obftinate and inveterate prejudices as the heart of man could admit. And though it is objected to me that the Deifts themselves have not urged this difficulty, yet I could fhew that it was a fecret neither to them nor to their adverfaries, if it was at all material. But it is much more fo to intimate to the Reader that common delufion of the malevolent or unatten tive: for this reafon I must proceed farther Still, and illuftrate the whole by a parallel inftance. Suppofe then it should happen in the metropolis of this Kingdom, or any other eminent city, that a feries of extraordinary miracles were now said to be wrought, which the present generation should for the most part reject, but their descendants fome centuries after should admit: - Now it must either 3 that the facred caufe, againft which we are fure that the gates of Hell cannot prevail, wants no kind of fraud or artifice to support it, that it ought to be freed (and can be freed) from all material objections whether Infidels have mentioned them or no; nay and that these Infidels themselves, by feeing that we have nothing to impose on their understanding, but that we join with them in bringing to light all that can be said in their behalf, will have a much better opinion both of our caufe, and it's Profeffors, than if we took the mean and difingenuous method fome of my adverfaries have fuggefted, and refolved to ftifle at it's birth every appearance of difficulty, that looked any ways unfavourable to the Chriftian name. This is the cafe with the two writers just mentioned; the one of which is so peevifh as to allow me to be actuated by nothing but vain-glory, the other so furious as to imagine that I had nothing in view but the fubverfion of Christianity; and both of them are so careless as to think it a real objection to my Work to introduce two or three either be shewn that the former were under fome ftrong delufion in regard to the rejection of these prodigies, or else it must follow that the latter are under as ftrong a delufion in regard to their admiffion. What is bere fuppofed of the Metropolis of this Kingdom did in fact come to pass in the Metropolis of the World. - St. Peter and St. Paul, whofe very bodies brought about fuch prodigies in Jerufalem, cannot be thought to be defective in them three examples of Pagans expreffing fome regard to, or actually converted by Miracles; when the real wonder is, that, if they thought so highly of them as Christians, they were not almost all brought over as one man by the preaching of Chrift and his Apoftles in the demonftration of Spirit and of power. This is the objection of the Jews juft mentioned, who own indeed that fome particulars amongst them were converted, yet ftill the grand difficulty remains with them, that there were no more. There is yet another Writer of a different clafs from these for candour and impartiality, which yet have not hindered him from talking of this fubject much in the fame manner: nay and, what is more ftrange, they have not hindered him from going out of his way to oppose my doctrine, at the fame time that he has faid much to confirm it; and seems not indeed to be fenfible that the premises he contends for are one of the principal supports both of my opinion and his own. + Le Moine's Treatife on Miracles, b them at Rome: Yet antient Rome rejected them with just as much fcorn, as the present admits them with reverence; tho' the former must be the best judge of them in all respects: What then must be faid? Why that either the Heathen city had fome fingular prejudices in regard to this point, or that the Chriftian city is only carrying on a gainful and well-devifed fable. To try to evade this difficulty by faying that the inhabitants of old Rome, for ought we know to the contrary, had the respect for thefe miracles which became them, is fhewing fuch a profound and wretched ignorance of Antiquity as we would not willingly impute to any one that has thought it worth his while to look into the most fuperficial accounts of it: For on this fuppofition not only the entire ignorance of the Romans for fome generations of every thing relating to the Chriftian Religion, but their utter contempt of it, when it was brought to view; the filence of their Hiftorians in regard to the very existence of the Apostles who were amongst them; the filence of their Writers, whofe very business it was to fearch after strange stories of art and na-the filence of the Church Hiftorians themfelves, whofe more peculiar province it was to let ture; us |