the cheat when first invented; as impoffible as to have imposed upon the senses of mankind, at the time when fuch public matters of fact were faid to be done.

V. I do not fay, that every thing which wants these four marks is falfe: But, that nothing can be false, which has them all.

I have no manner of doubt that there was fuch a man as Julius Cæfar, that he fought at Pharfalia, was killed in the fenate-house, and many other matters of fact of ancient times, though we keep no public obfervances in memory of them.

But this fhews that the matters of fact of Mofes and of Chrift, have come down to us better guarded than any other matters of fact, how true foever,

And yet our Deifts, who would laugh any man out of the world as an irrational brute, that fhould offer to deny Cæfar or Alexander, Homer or Virgil, their public works, and actions, do, at the fame time, value themselves as the only men of wit and sense, of free, generous and unbiaffed judgments for ridiculing the histories of Mofes and Chrift, that are infinitely better attefted, and guarded with infallible marks, which the others want.

VI. Besides that the importance of the subject would oblige all me to enquire more narrowly into the one than the other: For what confequence is it to me, or to the world, whether there was fuch a man as Cæfar, whether he beat, or was beaten at Pharfalia, whether Homer or Virgil wrote fuch books, and whether what is related in the Iliads or Æneids be true or falfe? It is not two-pence up or down to any man in the world. And therefore it is worth no man's while to enquire into it, either to oppose of juftify the truth of these relations,

But our very fouls and bodies, both this life and eternity are concerned in the truth of what is related in the holy scriptures; and therefore men would be more inquifitive to fearch into the truth of these, than of any other matters of fact; examine and fift them narrowly; and find out the deceit, if any fuch could be found: For it concerned them nearly, and was of the last importance to them.

How unreafonable then is it to reject thefe matters of fact, fo fift, fo examined, and fo attefted as no other matters of fact in the world ever were; and yet to think it the most highly unreafonable, even to madnefs, to deny other matters of fact, which

have

have not the thousandth part of their evidence, and are of no confequence at all to us whether true or false!

VII. There are feveral other topics, from whence the truth of the Chriftian religion is evinced to all who will judge by reason,. and give themselves leave to confider. As the improbability that ten or twelve poor illiterate fishermen fhould form a defign of converting the whole world to believe their delufions; and the impoffibility of their effecting it, without force of arms, learning, oratory, or any one vifible thing that could recommend them! And to impofe a doctrine quite opposite to the lufts and pleasures of men, and all worldly advantages or enjoyments! And this in an age of so great learning and fagacity as that wherein the Gospel was first preached! That the fe apoftles should not only undergo all the scorn and contempt, but the fevereft perfecutions and most cruel deaths that could be inflicted, in atteftation to what themfelves knew to be a mere deceit and forgery of their own contriving! Some have fuffered for errors which they thought to be truth, but never any for what themselves knew to be lies. And the apostles must know what they taught to be lies, if it was fo, because they spoke of those things which they faid they had both feen and heard, had looked upon and handled w hands, &c.*

their

Neither can it be, that they, perhaps, might have proposed fome temporal advantages to themselves, but miffed of them, and met with fufferings instead of them: For, if it had been fo, it is more than probable, that when they faw their disappointment, they would have discovered their confpiracy; especially when they might not have only faved their lives, but got great rewards for doing of it. That not one of them should ever have been brought to do this.

But this is not all: For they tell us that their Master bid them expect nothing but fufferings in this world. This is the tenure. of all that Gospel which they taught; and they told the same to all whom they converted. So that here was no disappointment,

For all that were converted by them, were converted upon the certain expectation of fufferings, and bidden prepare for it. Christ commanded his difciples to take up their cross daily, and follow him; and told them, that in the world they should have tribulation; that whoever did not forfake father, mother, wife,

* Acts iv. 20. 1 John i. I.

children, lands, and their very lives, could not be his difciples; that he who fought to fave his life in this world, fhould lofe it in the next.

Now that this despised doctrine of the crofs fhould prevail fo univerfally against the allurements of flesh and blood, and all the blandishments of this world; against the rage and perfecution of all the kings and powers of the earth, muft fhew its original to be divine, and its protector almighty. What is it elfe could conquer without arms; perfuade without rhetoric; overcome enemies, difarm tyrants; and fubdue empires without oppofition!

VIII. We may add to all this, the teftimonies of the most bitter enemies and perfecutors of chriftianity, both Jews and Gentiles, to the truth of the matter of fact of Chrift, fuch as Jofephus and Tacitus; of which the first flourished about forty years after the death of Chrift, and the other about feventy years after fo that they were capable of examining into the truth, and wanted not prejudice and malice fufficient to have inclined them to deny the matter of fact itself of Chrift: but their confeffing to it, as likewise Lucian, Celfus, Porphyry, and Julian the apoftate; the Mahometans fince, and all other enemies of christianity that ha arifen in the world, is an undeniable atteftation to the truth of the matter of fact.

IX. But there is another argument more ftrong and convincing than even this matter of fact; more than the certainty of what I fee with my eyes; and which the apoftle Peter called a more fure word, that is proof, than what he faw and heard upon the Holy Mount, when our bleffed Saviour was transfigured before him and two other of the apostles; for having repeated that paffage as a proof that whereof they were eye witneffes, and heard the voice from heaven giving atteftation to our Lord Chrift, 2 Pet. i. 16, 17, 18. he says, ver. 19, "We have alfo a more fure word of "prophecy," for the proof of this Jefus being the Meffiah, that is, the prophecies which had gone before of him from the beginning of the world, and all exactly fulfilled in him.

Men may difpute an impofition or delufion upon our outward fenfes. But how that can be falfe, which has been fo long, even from the beginning of the world, and fo often by all the prophets in feveral ages foretold; how can this be an impofition or a forgery?

This is particularly infifted on in the Method with the Jews. And even the Deifts must confefs, that that book we call the Old

Testament, was in being in the hands of the Jews long before our Saviour came into the world. And if they will be at the pains to compare the prophecies that are there of the Meffiah, with the fulfilling of them, as to time, place, and all other circumstances in the perfon, birth, life, death, refurrection and afcenfion of our bleffed Saviour, will find this proof what our apostle here calls it," a light shining in a dark place, until the "day dawn, and the day-ftar arife in your hearts." Which God grant, Here is no poffibility of deceit or impofture..

Old prophecies (and all fo agreeing) could not have been con trived to countenance a new cheat: and nothing could be a cheat, that could fulfil all these.

For this therefore I refer the Deifts to the Method with the Jews.

I defire them likewife to look there, fect. xi. and confider the prophecies given fo long ago, of which they see the fulfilling at this day with their own eyes, of the state of the Jews for many ages paft and at prefent, without a king or priest, or temple, or facrifice, fcattered to the four winds, fifted as with a fieve, among all nations; yet preferved, and always fo to be, a diftinct people from all others of the whole earth. Whereas thofe my monarchies which oppreffed the Jews, and which commed the world in their turns, and had the greatest human profpect of perpetuity, were to be extinguifhed, as they have been, even that their names fhould be blotted out from under heaven.

As likewife, that as remarkable of our bleffed Saviour, concerning the prefervation and progress of the Christian church, when in her swaddling cloaths, confifting only of a few poor fithermen, Not by the sword, as that of Mahomet, but under all the perfecution of men and hell; which yet fhould not prevail against her,

But though I offer thefe, as not to be flighted by the Deists, to which they can fhew nothing equal in all prophane history, and in which it is impoffible any cheat can lie; yet I put them not upon the fame foot as the prophecies before-mentioned of the marks and coming of the Meffiah, which have been since the world began.

And that general expectation of the whole earth, at the time of his coming, infifted upon in the Method with the Jews, sect. 5, is greatly to be noticed.

But, I fay, the foregoing prophecies of our Saviour are fo ftrong a proof, as even miracles would not be fufficient to break their authority.

I mean, if it were poffible that a true miracle could be wrought, in contradiction to them: for that would be for God to contradict himself.

But no fign or wonder, that could poffibly be folved, fhould fhake this evidence.

It is this that keeps the Jews in their obftinacy; though they cannot deny the matters of fact done by our blessed Saviour to be truly miracles, if fo done as faid. Nor can they deny that they were fo done, because they have all the four marks before-mentioned. Yet they cannot yield! Why? Because they think that the gospel is in contradiction to the law; which, if it were, the confequence would be unavoidable, that both could not be true. To folve this, is the business of the Method with the Jews. But the contradiction which they suppose, is in their comments that they put upon the law; especially they expect a literal fulfilling of thofe promifes of the restoration of Jerufalem, and outward glories of the church, of which there is fuch frequent mention in the books of Mofes, the Pfalms, and all the Prophets. And many ariftians do expect the fame, and take those texts as literally as the Jews do. We do believe and pray for the converfion of the Jews. For this end they have been fo miraculously preferved, according to the prophecies so long before of it. And when that time fhall come, as they are the most honourable and ancient of all the nations on the earth, fo will their church return to be the mother Christian church as fhe was at firft; and Rome muft surrender to Jerufalem. Then all nations will flow thither; and even Ezekiel's temple may be literally built there, in the metropolis of the whole earth; which Jerufalem must be, when the fulness of the Gentiles fhall meet with the converfion of the Jews. For no nation will then contend with the Jews, nor church with Jerufalem for fupremacy. All nations will be ambitious to draw their original from the Jews, whofe are the fathers, and from whom, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came.

Then will be fulfilled that outward grandeur and reftoration of the Jews and of Jerufalem, which they expect, pursuant to the prophecies.

They pretend not that this is limited to any particular time of the reign of the Meffiah. They are fure it will not be at the