in the midst of his Enemies, and extorted a Confeffion from the Devils themselves, of his Divine Power. And if the Apostles had not been well affured, and abfolutely certain of his Resurrection, they would never have had the Confidence, and the Folly, (for it could have been no less) to maintain fo foon after his Death, in Jerufalem, the City where he was crucify'd, that he was rifen from the Dead; they would never have chofen that, above all places, to preach this Doctrine, and work their Miracles in, if they had not been true : at leaft, they would never have done it, at the great and folemn Feaft of Pentecoft, to provoke the Jews to expose them to all the World for Impoftors; no, they would have taken time to have laid their Defign with fome better Appearance and Contrivance: to be fure, they would have avoided Jerufalem as much as they could, and above all times, at fo folemn a Festival as that of Pentecoft, they would have gone rather to the remotest Corners of the Earth to have told their Story, than have run the Hazard of fuch a Discovery. But when they ftood the Teft of all that the Jews could fay or do to them, when in that very City, where he had been fo lately crucify'd, they told the Jews to their face, and before that numerons Concourfe of People, which was then met together at Jerufalem, that they were Murtherers; that they murther'd their Meffias, but that he was rifen from the Dead, and that by virtue of his Refurrection they spoke thofe Languages, and did thofe Works, which they then faw and heard: This was plain and open Dealing, and there could be no Deceit in it; if any thing of this could have been difprov'd, they had been for ever filenced: but their worft Enemies were fo far from being able to difprove what they faid, that about three thoufand Converts were made on the day of Pentecoft.

The innocent and divine Life of our Saviour, the Holiness and Excellency of his Doctrine, the SimpliD d

city,

city, and Meeknefs, and Conftancy of his Disciples, the Continuance of Miracles for feveral Ages in the Church, the wonderful Propagation of the Gofpel by a few poor, ignorant, defpifed, and perfecuted Men, every Paffage, every Circumftance, in the whole Dif penfation of the Gofpel, is full of Evidence in proof of it. But thus much in this place fhall fuffice, all Particulars having been largely infifted upon in their proper places.

That no manner of Confirmation might be wanting to our Religion, Apoftates themselves have given to all the Arguments above mention'd, an additional, accidental Strength and Force, which they fo little need. Judas had been the Disciple and constant Attendant of Chrift, and knew all that an Accufer would defire to know of one, whom he had betray'd. But what could he lay to his Master's Charge? Could he difcover, or durft he invent, any thing against him? Did he not die in the Confeffion of Chrift's Innocence, and of his own Guilt in betraying him? Porphyry had taken great pains in studying all the Sects of Philofophy, and in examining all Religions, but he became fuch an Enthufiaft, that no Philofophy, no Religion, could please him: He reprefented Socrates under a very ill Character, but gave this Teftimony of Chrift, after he had renounced the Chriftian Religion; that b he was a moft pious Perfon, and is gone to Heaven, and ought not to be reviled. The Emperor Julian had been a Reader in the Church, and had exact Knowledge of the Manner of Life and Difcipline and Doctrine among Chriftians; he had all the Opportunities of acquainting himself with whatever the Jews or Heathens, formerly or in his own time, had fug

a

a Porphyr. apud Cyrill. contr. Jul. I. vi. p. 185, 186. Ed. Lipf. Socrat. Hift. 1. iii. c. 23.

Apud Eufeb. Demonftr. 1. iii. c. 6.

gefted,

с

gefted, and knew how to make the moft Advantage of any thing, that fell under his own Obfervation, or which he had learnt by the Information of others, against a Religion, which all his Power, and Learning, and Subtilty, were employ'd to deftroy. Yet this Apostate Emperor recommended the Charity, Piety, and good Converfation of the Chriftian Bifhops to the Imitation of his own Priefts: He could not deny the Miracles of Mofes and Elias, and of Chrift himself. For what Reafon, but because he found it impoffible to difprove them? He had the Roman Archives in his Poffeffion; Why did he not confute what Justin Martyr and Tertullian had publifh'd from them, concerning the Birth of Chrift, and the Acts of PiLate relating to his Miracles and Refurrection? would he have had Recourfe to remote Arguments, and tedious Reasonings, if the Jews, whom he fo highly favour'd in Oppofition to the Gofpel, or any other Enemies of Christianity, could have furnifh'd him with Evidence against the Matters of Fact, upon which our Religion entirely depends?

And fince, as fure as there is a God, there must be a Reveal'd Religion; if any Man will difpute the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, let him inftance in any other Religion that can make a better Plea, and has more Certainty that it came from God; let him produce any other Religion that has more vifible characters of Divinity in it, and we will not fcruple to be of it; but if it be impoffible for him to fhew any fuch, (as has been prov'd) then he ought to be of this, fince there must be fome Reveal'd Religion; and if this Religion, which has more Evidence for it, than any other Religion can be pretended to have, and all that it could be requifite for it to have, fuppo

с

e Epift. 49. Fragment. Epift. p. 305. P. 343. e Ib. 1. vi. p. 191, 213.

4 Apud. Cyrill. 1. *.

Dd i

fing

fing it true, and which it is therefore impoffible to difcover to be false, if it were fo; if this Religion be not true, God must be wanting to Mankind, in what concerns their eternal Interest and Happiness; he must be wanting to himself, and to his own Attributes of Goodness, Juftice, and Truth. And therefore he, that upon a due Examination of all the Reafons and Motives to it, will not be a Christian, can be no better than an Atheist, if he discern the Confequence of things, and will hold to his own Principles; for there can be no Medium, if we rightly confider the Nature of God, and of the Chriftian Religion; but as fure as there is a God, (and nothing can be more certain) the Gospel was reveal'd by him.

H

CHA P. II.

The Refolution of Faith

Aving proved the Truth and Certainty of our Religion, I fhall in the laft place, upon thefe Principles, give a Refolution of our Faith, which is a Subject that has caus'd fuch unnecessary and unhappy Difputes amongst Christians in these latter Ages; for in the Primitive Times, this was no Matter of Controverfy, as indeed it could not then, and ought not now to be.

1. Confidering the Scriptures only as an Hiftory, containing the Actions and Doctrines of Mofes and the Prophets, and of our Saviour and his Apoftles, we have the greatest humane Teftimony, that can be, of Men, who had all the Opportunities of knowing the Truth of thofe Miracles, &c. which gave Evidence and Authority to the Doctrines, as Reveal'd from God, and who could have no Intereft to deceive

others,

others, but expofed themselves to all manner of Dangers, and Infamy, and Torments, by bearing Teftimony to the Truth of what is contain'd in the Scriptures; whereas Impostures are wont to be invented, not to incur fuch Sufferings, but to avoid them, or to obtain the Advantages and Pleasures of this World. This Teftimony amounts to a moral Certainty, or as it is properly enough called by fome, to a moral Infallibility, because it implies a moral impoffibility of our being deceived by it: fuch a Certainty it is, as that nothing with any reason can be objected against it. We can have as little reason to doubt, that Chrift and his Apostles did, and fuffered, and taught, what the Scriptures relate of them, in Jerufalem, Antioch, &c. as that there ever were fuch places in the World ; nay, we have that much better attefted than this, for many Men have died in Teftimony of the Truth of it.

II. This Teftimony being confidered with respect to the nature of the thing teftified, as it concerns eternal Salvation, which is of the greateft concernment to all Mankind, it appears that God's Veracity and Goodness are engaged, that we fhould not be deceived inevitably in a Matter of this confequence: So that this moral Infallibility becomes hereby abfolute Infallibility: and that which was before but Humane Faith, becomes Divine, being grounded not upon Humane Testimony, but upon the Divine Attributes, which do atteft and confirm that Humane Teftimony; and fo Divine Testimony is the ultimate ground, why I believe the Will of God to be delivered in the Scriptures; it is no particular revealed Testimony indeed, but that which is equivalent to it, viz. the conftant Atteftation of God by his Providence. For it is repugnant to the very notion of a God, to let Men be deceived, without any poffible help or remedy, in a matter of fuch importance. And thus we have the ground of our Faith abfolutely infallible, beDd 3

caufe