more information than a knowledge of the existence of the religion, of the general story upon which it is founded, and that no act of power, force, or authority, was concerned in its firft fuccefs, I fhould conclude, from the very nature and `exigency of the case, that the author of the religion during his life, and his immediate difciples after his death, exerted themselves in spreading and publishing the inftitution throughout the country in which it began, and into which it was firft carried; that, in the profecution of this purpose, they underwent the labours and troubles, which we obferve the propagators of new fects to undergo: that the attempt must neceffarily have alfo been in a high degree dangerous; that from the subject of the miffion, compared with the fixed opinions and prejudices of those to whom the miffionaries were to addrefs themselves, they could hardly fail of encountering strong and frequent oppofition; that, by the hand of government, as well as from the fudden fury and unbridled licence of the people, they would oftentimes experience injurious and and cruel treatment; that, at any rate, they must have always had fo much to fear for their personal safety, as to have passed their lives in a state of conftant peril and anxiety; and lastly, that their mode of life and conduct, vifibly at leaft, correfponded with the inftitution which they delivered, and, fo far, was both new, and required continual felf-denial, CHAP. CHAP. II. There is fatisfactory evidence, that many, profeffing to be original witnesses of the Chrif tian miracles, passed their lives in labours, dangers, and fufferings, voluntarily undergone in atteftation of the accounts which they delivered, and folely in confequence of their belief of thofe accounts; and that they alfo fubmitted from the fame motive to new rules of conduct. AFTER thus confidering what was likely to happen, we are next to enquire how the tranfaction is represented in the several accounts that have come down to us. And this enquiry is properly preceded by the other, for as much as the reception of these accounts may depend in part upon the credibility of what they contain. The obfcure and diftant view of Chrifti anity, which fome of the heathen writers of that age had gained, and which a few paffages in their remaining works incidentally discover to us, offers itself to our notice in the first place: because, so far as this evidence goes, it is the conceffion of adverfaries; the fource from which it is drawn is unfufpected. Under this head a quotation from Tacitus, well known to every fcholar, must be inferted as deferving of particular attention. The reader will bear in mind that this paffage was written about seventy years after Christ's death, and that it relates to tranfactions which took place about thirty years after that event. Speaking of the fire which happened at Rome in the time of Nero, and of the fufpicions which were entertained that emperor himself was concerned in caufing it, the historian proceeds in his narrative and obfervations thus; the "But neither these exertions, nor his largeffes to the people, nor his offerings to the gods, did away the infamous imputation under under which Nero lay of having ordered the city to be fet on fire. To put an end therefore to this report, he laid the guilt, and inflicted the most cruel punishments, upon a fet of people, who were held in abhorrence for their crimes, and called by the vulgar Chriftians. The founder of that name was Chrift, who fuffered death in the reign of Tiberius, under his procurator Pontius Pilate. This pernicious fuperftition, thus checked for a while, broke out again; and spread not only over Judea, where the evil originated, but through Rome alfo, whither every thing bad upon earth finds its way, and is practifed. Some who confeffed their fect were firft feized, and afterwards by their information a vast multitude were apprehended, who were convicted, not fo much of the crime of burning Rome, as of hatred to mankind. Their fufferings at their execution were aggravated by infult and mockery; for fome were disguised in the fkins of wild beafts, and worried to death by dogs-fome were crucified-and others were |