of writers to a contact with the hiftorical books of the New Teftament, and to the age of the firft emiffaries of the religion, and to deduce it, by an unbroken continuation, from that end of the train to the prefent.

The remaining letters of the apostles (and what more original than their letters can we have) though written without the remoteft defign of tranfmitting the history of Chrift, or of Christianity, to future ages, or even of making it known to their contemporaries, incidentally disclose to us the following circumftances: Chrift's defcent and family, his

innocence, the meeknefs and gentleness of his "character (a recognition which goes to the whole "gofpel hiftory), his exalted nature, his circumci"fion, transfiguration, his life of oppofition and fuffering, his patience and refignation, the ap"pointment of the eucharist and the manner of it, "his agony, his confeffion before Pontius Pilate,

his ftripes, crucifixion, burial, refurrection, his appearance after it, firft to Peter, then to the reft "of the apoftles, his afcenfion into heaven, and his defignation to be the future judge of mankind: "the ftated refidence of the apoftles at Jerufalem, the working of miracles by the first preachers of the gofpel, who were alfo the hearers of Chrift*:

66

*Heb. ii. 3. "How fhall we escape if we neglect fo great falvation, which, at the firft, began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God alfo bearing them witnefs, both with figns and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghoft." I allege this epiftle without hefitation, for whatever doubts may have been raifed about its author, there can be none concerning the age in which it was written. No epiftle in the collection carries about it more indubitable marks of antiquity than this does. It fpeaks, for instance, throughout, of the temple as then standing, and of the worship of the temple as then fubfifting. Heb. viii. 4. "For if he were on earth, he fhould not be a

prieft,

"the fuccefsful propagation of the religion, the per fecution of its followers, the miraculous conver "fion of Paul, miracles wrought by himself, and alledged in his controverfies with his adverfaries, ❝ and in letters to the perfons amongst whom they "were wrought; finally, that miracles were the figns of an apoftle*."

In an epiftle bearing the name of Barnabas the companion of Paul, probably genuine, certainly be longing to that age, we have the fufferings of Chrift, his choice of apoftles and their number, his paffion, the fcarlet robe, the vinegar and gall, the mocking and piercing, the cafting lots for his coatt, his refurrection on the eighth, (i. e. the first day of the week) and the commemorative diftinction of that day, his manifeftation after his refurrection, and laftly, his afcenfion. We have alfo his miracles, generally but pofitively referred to in the following words: "finally teaching the people of Ifrael, and doing many wonders and figns among them, he preached to them, and fhowed the exceeding great love which he bare towards them §."

In an epiftle of Clement, a hearer of St. Paul, although written for a purpofe remotely connected with the Chriftian hiftory, we have the refurrection of Chrift, and the fubfequent miffion of the apoftles, recorded in thefe fatisfactory terms: "The apoftles

have preached to us, from our Lord Jefus Chrift " from God-For having received their command, and being thoroughly affured by the refurrection of

prieft, feeing there are priefts that offer according to the law." Again, Heb. xiii. 1o. "We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which ferve the tabernacle."

* 2 Cor. xii. 12. Truly, the figns of an apofile were wrought among you in all patience, in figns and wonders, and mighty

deeds.'

Ep, Bar. c. vii.

Ibid. c. vi. § Ibid. c. v.

our

"our Lord Jefus Chrift, they went abroad, pub"lishing that the kingdom of God was at hand*." We find noticed alfo, the humility, yet the power of Chriftt, his defcent from Abraham, his crucifixion. We have Peter and Paul reprefented as faithful and righteous pillars of the church, the numerous fufferings of Peter, the bonds, ftripes, and ftening of Paul, and more particularly, his extenfive and unwearied travels.

In an epiftle of Polycarp, a difciple of St John, though only a brief hortatory letter, we have the humility, patience, fufferings, refurrection, and afcenfion of Chrift, together with the apoftolic cha racter of St. Paul diftinctly recognized. Of this fame father we are alfo affured by Irenæus, that he (Irenæus) had heard him relate," what he had received from eye-witneffes concerning the Lord, "both concerning his miracles and his doctrine §."

In the remaining works of Ignatius, the contemporary of Polycarp, (yet,. like thofe of Polycarp, treating of fubjects in no wife leading to any recital of the Chriftian hiftory) the occafional allufions are proportionably more copious. The defcent of Chrift from David, his mother Mary, his miraculous conception, the ftar at his birth, his baptifm by John, the reafon affigned for it, his appeal to the prophets, the ointment poured on his head, his fufferings under Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch, his refurrection, the Lord's day called and kept in commemoration of it, and the Eucharift, in both its parts, are unequivocally referred to. Upon the refurrection this writer is even circumftantial. He mentions the apoftles eating and drinking with

+ Ibid c. xyi.

* Ep. Clem. Rom. c. xlii.
Pol. Eq. ad Phil. c. v. viii. ii. iii.
Ir. ad Flor. aq. Euf. 1. v. c. 20.

Chrift after he was rifen, their feeling and their handling him; from which laft circumstance Ignatius raises this juft reflection" They believed, being "convinced both by his flesh and fpirit; for this cause they defpifed death, and were found to be "above it *. "

Quadratus, of the fame age with Ignatius, has left us the following noble teftimony:-"The works "of our Saviour were always confpicuous, for they "were real: both they that were healed, and they "that were raised from the dead: who were seen "not only when they were healed or raifed, but for a long time afterwards. Not only whilst he dwelled "on this earth, but alfo after his departure, and "for a good while after it, infomuch that fome of them have reached to our times f.'

Juftin Martyr came little more than thirty years after Quadratus. From Juftin's works, which are ftill extant, might be collected a tolerably complete account of Chrift's life, in all points agreeing with that which is delivered in our fcriptures; taken indeed, in a great meafure, from thofe fcriptures, but ftill proving that this account, and no other, was the account known and extant in that age. The miracles in particular, which from the part of Chrift's history moft material to be traced, ftand fully and diftinctly recognized in the following paffage: He healed thofe who had been blind, and

deaf, and lame, from their birth, caufing, by his "word, one to leap, another to hear, and a third "to fee; and by raifing the dead, and making them to live, he induced, by his works, the men of that age to know him."

* Ad. Smyr. c. iii.

Ap. Euf. H. E. 1. iv, c. 3.
Juft. dial. cum. Tryph. p. 288. ed. Thirl.

It is unneceffary to carry thefe citations lower, because the history, after this time, occurs in ancient Chriftian writings as familiarly as it is wont to do in modern fermons; occurs always the fame in fubftance, and always that which our evangelifts reprefent.

This is not only true of those writings of Chrif tians which are genuine, and of acknowledged authority, but it is, in a great measure, true of all their ancient writings which remain; although fome of thefe may have been erroneoufly afcribed to authors to whom they did not belong, or may contain falfe accounts, or may appear to be undeferving of credit, or never indeed to have obtained any.Whatever fables they have mixed with the narrative, they preferve the material parts, the leading facts, as we have them; and, fo far as they do this, although they be evidence of nothing elfe, they are evidence that thefe points were fixed, were received and acknowledged by all Chriftians in the ages in which the books were written. At least it may be afferted, that, in the places where we were most likely to meet with fuch things, if fuch things had exifted, no reliques appear of any ftory fubftantially different from the prefent, as the caufe, or as the pretence, of the inftitution.

Now that the original ftory, the ftory delivered by the first preachers of the inftitution, fhould have died away fo entirely as to have left no record or memorial of its exiftence, although fo many records and memorials of the time and tranfaction remain; and that another ftory fhould have stepped into its place, and gained exclufive poffeffion of the belief of all who profeffed themfelves difciples of the inftitution, is beyond any example of the corruption of even oral tradition, and ftill lefs confiftent with the experience of written hiflory: and this