fianity wrote against the cause itself, or against its abettors. To fhew this, is the defign of the préfent fection,

1. First of all then, Suetonius reprefents the Chriftians to have been very numerous in Rome, fo early as the reign of Claudius, who fucceeded to the empire A. D. 41. about feven years after our Lord's death. Claud. cap. 25. Judæos, impulfore Chrifto," affidue tumultuantes," &c. But of this teftimony enough has been faid B. II. C. III. § 1. p. 299.

2. Tacitus likewife, who wrote about thirty years after our Lord's death, tells us that Chrift was the founder of the Chriftian religion, that he lived in Judea under the reign of Tiberius, that he had many difciples, and that he was put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate. See the original paffage with remarks in the following fection, Art. I.

3. Arrian was the difciple of Epictetus, the Stoic philofopher, who lived at Rome in the reign of Nero, about 25 years after our Lord's death. Wherefore botli the mafter and the fcholar being contem-> porary with Peter and Paul, they may have. feen these apostles in Rome. This Arrian, in the fecond book of his Commentary upon Epictetus' Manual, chap, jx, towards the end, fpeaks of baptized and elected perfons, whom he calls Jews; but who, from the cir cumftance of their baptifm and election, must have been converted to Chriftianity; and tells us, that in their conduct they were always fteady to their principles, in fo much that when a man's practice did not correfpond with his profeflions, the common faying was, he is not a Jew (or Chriftian), but a diffembler.

4. Juftin Martyr, ju his Dialogue with Trypho, which he coinmitted to writing about the year 146, defcribes the progrefs of Chriftianity as follows. "There is no nation, whether of Barbari

ans, or Greeks, or any others, what names foever they are called "by, whether they live in waggons, or without houfes, or in tents, among whom prayers are not made and thanksgiving offered up to the Father and Creator of all, through the name of the crucified Jefus," Dial. p. 345.

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5. Lucian the Syrian philofopher, who lived under Adrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius, about 120 years after Chrift's death, in his hiftory of the death of Peregrinus, having told how this philofopher joined the Chriftians in Palestine, and became a man of great note among them, adds, that having been taken into cuftody on the fcore of his new doctrine, this mishap did much "contribute to his glory, and helped to bring him into credit. For▾ "upon this cws the Chriftians, who of his private diftrefs made "their public calamity, began to fet heaven and earth at work, for the "endeavouring to procure his enlargement; which fecing they could "not bring about, they paid him all the devoirs imaginable, by way of fweetening and mollifying his imprifonment. A whole troop of old women, widows, and orphans, were feen by break of day at his prifon door, and the principal paffed the nights with him, after having corrupted the jaylor. They banqueted there too, and cele

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"brated their myfteries; and deputies came thither from their "churches of Afia, for the affuring him of the grief they lay under ❝on his account, and for the offering him their affiftance. For it is "almost incredible what care and diligence they ufe on fuch occafions, fparing nothing for the relieving one another in neceffity: infomuch "that they fent him money from all parts on this pretext; and this "their charity proved to him a vaft revenue. In a word, thofe mife"rable creatures defpife all things and death itfelf in hopes of immor"tality, and offer themselves willingly to punishments. For their "first legiflator made them believe they are all brethren, when once "they have renounced our religion! and that adoring their cruci"fied Saviour, they live according to the laws (namely of their "own religion) fo as they defpife all, and believe all is in common, "receiving his dogmas with a blind obedience." Spence's tranflation. From this teftimony it plainly appears how numerous the Christians were in Lucian's time, not much above 100 years after Chrift's death. In this likewife the crucifixion of Jefus is acknowleged; he is called by the name of Saviour, the attachment of his difciples to his doctrines and precepts is fhewed; and their behaviour towards one another is described; and all in a manner very conformable to the reprefentation given of these things in the books of the New Teftament: on which account this is juftly esteemned a very valuable relick of antiquity.The fame Lucian, in his Pfeudomantis, informs us, that the Chriftians of Pontus having fet about expofing Alexander's impofture, he complained that Pontus was full of them. His words are, "When feveral wife men had discovered "the cheat, and particularly the philofophers of the Epicurean fect, "he exclaimed that all the country was filled with Chriftians and blafphemers, who fowed calumnies against him; and com"manded that the people fhould ftone them, if they expected the "favour and bleffing of God upon their land." Spence's tranflation, p. 255. The Epicureans and Chriftians, it feems, agreed in this, that both of them were active in expofing the folly of the commonly practifed worthip. Hence by the bigoted Heathens they were always joined together.-Morcover, Lucian tells us, that the Chriftians were every where the objects of public odium, and that they were ranked with Atheists, as being equally impious. For, in his account of the myfteries celebrated in Pontus by Alexander, he fays, the Chriftians were excluded along with Atheists and Epicureans, by a folemn proclamation, the form of which was the fame with that ufed at Athens in the celebration of the myfteries there. "He had alfo inftituted a kind of fociety "or fraternity, wherein they caried torches with various cere"monies, which lafted for three whole days. On the firft they pro"claimed as they do at Athens: If there be any Epicurean, or "Chriftian, or Atheift, who is come to make a mock of our myf"teries, let him depart; but let the true believers be initiated in "God's name.' Then he, marching in the front, cried out, Hence

ye Chriftians; and the whole multitude answered, "Hence ye Epi"cureans." Spence's tranflation.

6. The emperor Marcus Aurelius, who fucceeded to the empire A. D. 161, in his Meditations, Lib. xi. § 3. fpeaks of the Chriftians as exifting in his time, and mentions their fortitude in fufferings, calling it obftinacy. For, defcribing the condition of the foul of a virtuous man, he reprefents it as ready to be feparated from the body, or to be extinguished, or to be diffipated, or to exift a while longer: then adds, "That it is thus prepared, muft proceed from its own proper judgement, and not from pure obftinacy, as is the cafe with "the Chriftians."

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7. Galen the phyfician, who was born at Pergamus A. D. 131, in the reign of the emperor Adrian, has fpoken alfo of the Chriftians, and of the firmnefs wherewith they maintained their faith. Says he, "One may fooner prevail with the followers of Mofes and "Chrift to change their principles, than with those physicians and "philofophers who are engaged in fects."

8. Irenæus, in his Treatife against Herefies, which, according to Dodwell, he published A. D. 176, has accidentally defcribed the ftate of the church in his time, by obferving that the Chriftian "religion was diffused through the whole earth to the very ends of "it." This is the more to be remarked, confidering that the perfecutions had been fo very fharp and numerous and of long continuance, and fo clofe on the back of one another.

9. Tertullian, in his Apology, published A. D. 200, gives an ac count of the prevalence of the Chriftian faith in his time, For, addreffing himself to the Roman governors, probably the proconful in Africa, and the chief magiftrate refiding in Carthage, he fays, Apologet. c. 37. "We are but of yefterday: nevertheless we have "filled every thing belonging to you; cities, iflands, villages, free "boroughs, affembling places, the armies themselves, the wards, "the rolls of Judges, the palace, the fenate: we leave to you no"thing but the temples."The fame author, Adverf. Judæos, cap. 7. affirms that all the nations had believed in Chrift, "Par"thians, Medes, Elamites, and thofe who inhabit Mefopotamia, "Armenia, Phrygia, Capadocia, and the inhabitants of Pontus, "and Afia, and Pamphilia; they who tarry in Egypt, and they "who inhabit the region of Africa, beyond Cyrene, both Romans "and natives. Likewife the Jews in Jerufalem, and the other nations: fo that already the various tribes of Getuli, and the many "countries of the Moors, and all the provinces of Spain, and the "different nations of Gaul, and the parts of Britain inacceffible to "the Romans, are now fubject to Chrift: and the Sarmatians, and "Dacians, and Germans, and Scythians, and many remote nations "and provinces, and many iflands to us unknown, which we can"not enumerate, in all which places the name of Chrift, who is "already come, reigns."

10. Porphyry likewife, the Tyrian philofopher, in the life which he wrate of his mafter Plotinus, who was born in the 13th year of

the

the emperor Severus, A. D, 206, informs us, that while Plotinus lived in Rome, whither he came in the fortieth year of his age, A. D. 246, there were many Chriftians in the City. De vitâ Plotin. c. 16.

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11. Cornelius was bishop of Rome in the time of the Decian perfecution, A. D. 251. He, writing to Cyprian bishop of Carthage, gives the following account of the church at Rome. We have in

this place forty-four prefbyters, feven deacons, and as many fub"deacons; and widows, and other perfons maintained by the church, fifteen hundred." Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. Lib. vi. C. 43Now fuppofing every twentieth person to have received maintenance, there will have been no lefs than thirty thousand Chriftians in Rome at this time. A vaft number, confidering that, the emperors hav ing their usual refidence in this city, their edicts for perfecution muft have been executed with the utmost rigour, under their eye, and by their direction.

12. Lampridius, a Heathen writer, who flourished in the reign of Dioclefian, A. D. 290, tells us, that the emperor Alexander Severus, who obtained the purple A. D. 222. had the image of Chrift in his private chapel, and would have built him a temple, and admitted him among the Gods, as he fays Adrian, who became empe ror A. D. 117. intended to have done, had not the priests affured him from their divination, that it would make all the world Chrif tians, and cause the other temples to be deferted. His words are, If he had leifure in the morning, he worshiped in his private chapel, wherein he had the deified emperors, making choice " however of the best. There alfo he had the more holy fouls, among whom was Apollonius, and, as a writer of that age fays, "Chrift, Abraham, and Orpheus, and fuch like Gods; alfo the image of his ancestors.--He intended to build Chrift a temple, and to receive him among the Gods; which Adrian likewife is faid to have defigned, who in every city caused temples to be raised without images, which, because they had no Gods, are at this day called Adriani. Thefe temples he is faid to have pre"pared for the end now mentioned; but he was hindered by thofe "who, having confulted the aufpices, found that if what he pro

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pofed were accomplished, all men would become Chriftians, and "the other temples would be deferted." Lamprid. apud Hift. Auguft. Script. p. 439. D. p. 351. E. 'Adrian began to conceive a favourable opinion of Chriftianity, about the beginning of the fecond century, that is, in the very infancy of the Gofpel. It feems, mankind thus early fhewed fo ftrong a difpofition to embrace our faith, that the emperor judged it good policy to adopt it into the fyftem of religions profeffed throughout the empire. But the Hea then priests forefeeing, that if this honour was conferred upon Chriftianity, the whole world would embrace it, and the temples be deferted, diverted the emperor from his purpofe, by feigning that the gods had given them premonition of the direful confequences..

13. Arnobius, formerly a Heathen teacher of rhetoric at Sicca in Africa, flourished A. D. 306. In his first book against the Gentiles, he speaks thus; "Is hot this an argument for our faith, that in fo little a space of time, the facraments of Chrift's great name "are diffufed over the world? That orators, grammarians, rheto"ricians, lawyers, phyficians, and philofophers, men of great genius, love our religion, defpifing thofe things wherein before they trufted? Slaves will rather fuffer torments for their mafters, "wives fooner part with their hufbands, and children rather be dif"inherited by their parents, than abandon the Chriftian faith."

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14. The emperor Julian, who obtained the purple A. D. 361, acknowledges, apud Cyrill. Lib. x. p. 327, that, in the days of John the Apoftle, great numbers in many cities of Greece and Italy embraced the religion of Jefus, which, on account of its fpreading nature, he calls a distemper wherewithal people were feized. By the confeffion therefore of Julian himself, Chriftianity even in his time was no recent forgery, but had exiftence as early as the Chriftiani records inform us.The fame Julian, in his letter to Arfakios, chief of the Pagan priefts in Galatia, which is the 49th epiftle, Oper. p, 429, gives an honourable teftimony to the practice of the antient Chriftians. His words are, "Do we not fee what has "chiefly increafed this impiety," fo he falfely calls the Chriftian religion: "their benevolence to ftrangers, their care to bury the "dead, and their feigned fanctity of life? every one of which ought "to be truly and carefully practifed by us. Not that this fanctity is fufficient; but in general oblige all the pricfts in Galatia, by "threats or perfuafions to be diligent, or difmifs them from the prieftly function, if with their wives, children, and fervants, they "do not attend upon the Gods, and do not hinder their fervants and children, or their wives, who are Galileans, to behave impioufly towards their Gods, and to prefer piety to impiety." Then he gives particular precepts concerning the behaviour of his priefts, whom he would have formed upon the model of the Chriftian priests, as it would feem. For he fays, "Exhort each prieft not to go to the theatre, not to drink in taverns, and to follow "no bafe or infamous trades; and thofe who obey you, honour, "and thofe who difobey, banish." Next, he orders houfes to be fet up for the entertainment of ftrangers, whether they were of the emperor's religion or not, and fettles a revenue upon them: adding, "For it is a fhame, that feeing there is no beggar among the "Jews, and thefe impious Galileans maintain not only their own "poor, but ours, that the latter fhould be deftitute of the help we "ought to afford them."

Thus, by a clear fucceffion of undoubted teftimonies, it appears that the Chriftian religion took its rife in Judea, as the Goipels affirm; that it began in the reign of the emperor Tiberius, the time fixed for it in the Chriftian records; and that from Judea it imme diately fpread itfelf into the neighbouring countries, and by degrees into all the provinces of the Roman éhipire, great multitudes every

where.