thou forfaken me? that he died, was buried, and rofe again the third day, as he had promifed before his death.

But what is it that this JESUS teaches to thofe that would follow him? His Apoftles in his name require all men to renounce the pleafures of this life, to abhor polygamy and fornication, and inftead of revenging an affront, to turn the other check to him that fmites us, and to leave our cloak alfo with him who takes our coat from us; to go two miles with him who conftrains us to guide him one; to love our enemies, and to with well, and pray for those that despitefully use us, and perfecute us.

But what rewards will he give to his fervants? The Apostles anfwer, That he promises nothing that is confiderable in this life, but an everlasting happiness in the world to come.

It is vifible that nothing feems to be worse contrived to gain credit than this ftory. The weakness of Jefus Chrift is vifible, he was crucified; what ground is here to believe that he was able to perform his promises? The service he prescribes is very rough, the reward he propofes is at a great diftance, and moreover, it is such as appears very doubtful to thofe who are not furnished with strong impreffions of the immortality of the foul, and of a life to come.

But on the other hand, the Apoftles folidly demonftrate that he is GOD, and not a meer man, that he can raise the dead, and that he can perform his promifes. Tho' they do not fay, Bring hither the blind, the lame, and the deaf, and we will heal them in his name; prefent your dead to us, and we will raise them in the name of that Jefus who is born of Mary, of that Jefus who died, and cried out on the crofs, My God, my God, Why haft thou forfaken me? (For I acknowledge that this miraculous power which they had received, was only exerted upon certain occafions, which the Spirit of God made choice of.) Yet they did that which was equivalent, for when blind men were brought to them, they faid, Ye blind, in the name of Jefus, recover your fight; and in like manner to the lepers, to poffeffed perfons, to the fick of the palfey, to the dead. Upon this all were converted, and the cross of Jefus Chrift triumphs.

There are three forts of people in the world, wife men, men of a middle fort, and fuch as are of a lower capacity; and feveral of these three orders of men made profeffion of the Chriftian religion, as well amongst the Jews as Heathens.

CHA P. XVI.

That the Chriftian Religion is founded on Proofs of Fact, and that confequently nothing in the World fo certain as the Truth of it.

T

HIS reflexion ought to be made more than once, because there

is nothing fo proper to establish the truth of the Chriftian religion Cxx beyond all contest, or that will confound Atheists, prophane perfons, and Jews, who endeavour to oppose it more effectually.

I fay then, that the chief articles on which the whole Chriftian religion is grounded, are confirm'd by proofs of fact, that is, by witneffes whofe evidence cannot be queftioned, without fhaking all the certainty which we can have of any thing in this world, and without rejecting all the means whereby we can affure ourselves of the knowledge which we enjoy.

Many particular events which were perfectly divine, happened at the birth of John the Baptift, the forerunner of the Meffiah; they were known throughout all the hill country of Judea; they happened to a priest, that is, a publick perfon; and it was when he was employ'd in his publick function in the temple; they are seconded by miracles which were known to the whole nation of the Jews; they are follow'd by the publick miniftry of John the Baptift, a man who cenfures all Judea, who openly declares himself the forerunner of the Meffiah, and who hath a great number of Difciples, who are diftinguifh'd from thofe of our Saviour, who were spread throughout all Judea, and who continued after the death of our Saviour; thefe were Difciples of a man, who befides all this, doth not keep up any correfpondence with our Saviour, and who at left falls by the hand of Herod for cenfuring his inceft and lufts.

JESUS CHRIST is born in Bethlehem under Auguftus, a fact of which the Roman commiffioners were witneffes, and which the records of that empire preferv'd as long as they were in being.

That the Angels teftified their joy at his birth, is a fact which was confirm'd by the fhepherds of Bethlehem, long before Jesus Christ had any Difciples.

That a new ftar conducted the wife men of the East to Bethlehem, was an illuftrious fact, and of which Herod, and the priests, and great men amongst the Jews, were exactly informed; and the Apoftles would have found it a very difficult matter to impose this upon them, if the thing had not been diftinctly known.

That the birth of Jesus Christ, and the arrival of the wife men affrighted Herod, was a publick thing, confirmed by the murther of the infants of Bethlehem, and reported to Auguftus, together with the death of Antipater; whereof Macrobius a Heathen, who was qualified for the knowledge of fuch a ftory, hath preferved the memory. Neither can this fact be called in queftion, because Jofephus makes no mention of it, fince fo famous a Heathen attefts it. Auguftus, faith he, having heard that among ft the infants which Herod the king of the Jews had caused to be kill'd in Syria, under

twa

two years of age, he had kill'd his own fon, faid, That it was better to be Herod's bog than his fon.

That Jefus Chrift was in Egypt, and that he returned from thence, is a fact with which the Jews to this day reproach our Saviour, as if he had learnt there the fecret of working miracles.

That he confounded the Doctors at twelve years of age, is a fact of which the whole nation of the Jews were informed, becaufe it happened at one of those three folemn feafts which brought up the whole nation to Jerufalem.

That Jefus Chrift was baptized by S. John, and that he received a moft glorious teftimony from him, is a fact of which all those Jews whom the miniftry of S. John had drawn to the river Jordan were witneffes.

That Jefus Chrift chofe for his Apoftles men without learning, and of the meanest of the people, that he lived with them three years and an half, preaching his doctrine, correcting the traditions of the Jews, working miracles, and foretelling things to come, are facts of which the whole people of the Jews were witneffes, and all the Romans that were in Judea were fully informed of them; yea, they were known to all the world. The Jews could not be ignorant of them, who came up to Jerufalem from all parts of the world to celebrate ten folemn feafts according to the law, during the time in which these things were acting, and from thence carried the report of them into feveral parts of the world where they were difpers'd.

It is evident alfo that Jefus Chrift laboured to perfwade men that he was the promised Meffiah; this was the moft confiderable fact in the world to the Jews, and which had relation to the most important point of their religion, and touched them the neareft: a fact which happened at a time when all were in expectation of the Meffiah, as appears by the confultation of Herod, when the Jews, who were oppreffed by the Romans, did moft earnestly figh for his appearance; a fact confirm'd by publick oracles, and known to the whole nation, yea to the Heathen themselves, for near three hundred years.

That Jefus Chrift, notwithstanding all his miracles, was crucified at the pursuit of the Jews, and by the order of Pontius Pilate, is a fact of which the whole people of the Jews were witneffes, because it happened at the feaft of the paffover, that is, at a folemnity where the whole nation of the Jews was affembled; it is a fact which no Heathens ever went about to deny, they reproached the Chriftians with it, who are fo little asham'd of it, that according to the orders of the fame Jefus, they celebrate the memorial of it in the facrament of the eucharift.

That there was thick darkness over all the land at the crucifixion of Jefus Chrift from the third hour till the fixth, that is, from nine of the clock till twelve, according to our way of computing the time, was a fact of that nature, that the whole nation of the Jews might eafily have convinc'd the Apostles of this impofture, if it had not been as confeffed a truth as the darkness in Egypt, before the departure of the If raclites.

That Jefus Chrift was raised the third day, is a fact attested by a great number of witneffes, the memorial whereof they celebrated every eighth

Hh 4

day

day as long as they liv'd, by a conftant law, because they confidered this refurrection as the feal of thofe truths which Jefus Chrift had taught them. 'Tis a fact, the truth whereof they have maintained before magiftrates, before the people, in all parts of the world. 'Tis a fact which they have publickly preached up, notwithstanding all prohibitions which have been made in fhort, it is a fact which they have afferted in the midst of the most cruel torments, and even until death.

That Jefus Chrift fent down upon his Apostles the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, is a fact of which all Jerufalem was a witnefs fifty days after the feaft of the paffover, when Jefus Chrift was crucified; it is as remarkable a fact as ever happened; twelve fishermen of Galilee, maintain in the face of the whole Jewish nation, that the fame Jefus whom the whole nation had demanded to be crucified but fifty days before, and who did actually fuffer upon an infamous crofs, is rifen from the dead, and afcended into heaven, after he had eaten and drunk with them, and had appeared feveral times to them after his refurrection, and that he had given them the power of speaking all forts of languages, and of healing all manner of diseases.

That they spoke divers languages is a fact most notorious, the truth whereof appears from the converfion of the world, which was found to be fill'd with their Disciples, but a few years after this fact was done.

That they had the power of healing all diseases as well as their mafter, is a fact the truth whereof is establish'd upon indifputable teftimonies, infomuch as their fucceffors received the fame gift by the laying on of their hands. Two hundred years after Tertullian mentions this gift, as being at that time well known amongst Christians.

That the Apostles, after they were rejected by the Jews, preached the Golpel to the Gentiles, who allo received it, is a fact of which there are fo many proofs in the world, that it cannot be called in queftion.

That the converted Jews ftrongly oppofed themfelves against the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles, pretending, as the Jews now do, that the Meffiah with his gifts and graces was confin'd to their nation, is a fact fo well attefted, that it cannot be called in queftion, if we confider the firft difpute, which gave occafion to the firft council of the Apofties, and to the contefts of S. Paul with thofe of his own nation.

That fince that time the Apoftles and their Difciples have maintained by their writings and difputes, and finally by their martyrdom, that Jefus was the Meffian; that they have conftantly stood to this claim, alledging the facts which the Gospel propofes, and maintaining that the matters there related were exact accomplishments of the promifes of God, and of the ancient prophecies: that all this is unquestionable, one needs only read their fermons and fpeeches fet down by S. Luke, and their epiftles; one needs only perufe the Heathen history, and the works of thofe that fucceeded the Apoftles, who followed their footsteps in eftablifhing the truth of the Chriftian religion.

That the Apoftles difcharged their followers from the ceremonies which Mofes prefcribed, obliging them only to the effentials of morality: that they annul'd the law which permitted divorces without fufficient caufe, and polygamy; these are things which none, who have read

their

their writings, or those of their first Disciples, can in the leaft quef

tion.

Laftly, That they foretold many things, as well as their master; that they published their predictions, which they have extended to the end of the world, and the return of Jefus from heaven to judge the world; and that they have recorded the particulars of many confiderable events, obferved by the Chriftians, which have happened from time to time; these are facts as well known, and as inconteftable, as any thing can be in the world of fuch a nature. Whole nations are witneffes of it, differing fects, interpreters who have several opinions concerning these prophecies, the contests of the Jews, the oppofition of Atheists, the cavils of Hereticks, the cruelty of tyrants, all these concur to prove clearly that the Christians received these prophecies from the Apoftles, as well as the truth of them, fince even these oppofitions were foretold as well as the perfecutions.

Thus I have given you a view of the greatest part of the most important articles which are contained in the Christian religion; and I think that they are fo folidly grounded upon proofs of fact, that I can affert with reafon, That no facts in the world can be produced, fo well eftablifhed as these are, which are the fundamentals of our religion.

What facts are there which are attefted by whole nations, as the miracles of Jefus Chrift were? What facts are there about which men were fo careful to inform themselves, as when a man pretends to the title of the Meffiah? What thing can we fuppofe that requires a ftronger conviction, because of the difficulties it involves, than that of the resurrection of Jefus Chrift? for those who were eye-witneffes of his crucifixion, that is, who had feen him punished by the magiftrate, the horrour of all his own people, and in all appearance forfaken of heaven.

To speak the truth, as there cannot be a greater inftance of fanatical folly, than to attribute to twelve poor fishermen, whofe mafter was crucified at Jerufalem, by publick order, and by an effect of the hatred of the whole nation, I fay, to attribute to them the design of perfwading that people, and the Gentiles alío, that this man was raised again from the dead, that he rules in heaven; that he has bestowed upon them the miraculous gifts of speaking all forts of languages, and healing all manner of diseases; if this Jefus had been never raised from the dead, nor had bestowed fuch gifts upon them, the mind of man not being capable of fo great folly: fo we have all the reafon in the world to conclude, That fince they have attested this fact, and confirm'd it by all the proofs which might convince thofe, who tho' they were not prejudic'd, yet were aftonifh'd at the difficulty of the things themfelves, fo that nothing can be more certain than facts fo confirmed, as we pretend that these actually

were.

CHAP. XVII.