lieved in the doflrine of Chrifl to be the only vv^ay to
falvation have been deceived, v/e mud either deny al-
together a Divine Providence, or fay, the devil hatli
more power to deceive mankind, than God to dired:
them, which is worfe than the former j or elfe ailerr,

that



[ 83 ]

that there are no fuch beings as eitlier God or Devil,
but that all things came to pafs by blind chance and
fortune. If fo, it makes it flill more inexplicable why
fuch multitudes of rational creatures, the thoughful,
ferious, inquifitive part of mankind, as to fuch things,
fhould all be pofTefTed with the truth and certainty of
them ; and the greater the reprobate, the more igno-
rant, wicked, and profane any perfons are, the more
prone they are to mock and deride the religious and
inquifitive part of mankind, who believe them. If
fuch perfons fee miOre into reafon and truth than the
fober and judicious part of mankind, let us bid adieu
to humanity, and adore the brutes, if we admire their
judgments moft, who come the nearell to them.

The multitudes of the beforementioned peribns con-
fenting to the truths of the gofpel of Chril, could
have no other engagements to this confent, but only
their firm perfwafion of the truth of the dodlrine
conveyed by it, by reafon they who unanimouQy agree
in it, are fuch perfons whofe other defign and intereft
in the world differ as much as men's do. If it had
only been a confent of Jews, there might have been
fome probable pretence to have fufpected a matter of
interefl in it. But as to this thing, we find the Jews
divided amongft themfelves concerning it, do yet in-
violably preferve thofe facred records amongft them,
from which the truth of the dodrine of Chrifl may be
undoubtedly proved.

Had the chriftian religion been enforced upon th£
world by the Roman emperors at the time of its pro-
mulgation, there would have been fome fufHcient fuf-

H 2 plCQV



[ H ]

picion of a particular defign in it -, but on the contraiy,
though it came with no other authority or ftrcngth but
the evidence of its own truth, yet it made a flrange
and fudden alteration among perfons of all nations and
degrees of men in a very Ihort time, making its way
into the very heart of the Roman empire, fpreading
itfelf fo much, as that all forts and conditions of men,
in innumerable places, were faddenly become chriflians.
What common tye could there be to unite all thefe
perfons, if the undoubted truth and certainty of the
dodlrine of Chrift had not, which was hrft preached to
them by thofe perfons who were eye witnelTes of Chrifl's
a(51;ions, and had left facred records concerning the very
quinteifence of the do6trines of Chrift, thofe admira-
ble inftrudions, which were their only fure and certain
guide to heaven.

There are innumerable perfons who do acknowledge
the truth of chriftianity, and yet could heartily wifh
that the dodirines of it were not true : fuch are all thofe
perfons who are fenfual in their lives, and walk not
agreeable to the rules of the gofpel, yet dare not quef-
tion or deny the truth of it. Such who could heartily
wifh there was no future ftate, nor judgment to come,
that they miight indulge themfelves in this world with-
out fear of another : and yet their confciences are fo
far convinced of, and awed by the truth of it, that
they raife many perplexities and anxieties in their
minds, which they v/ould be m.oft willingly rid of, and
which they never thoroughly can be, till inftead of
having the namx of chrifcians, or being profefTors
©nly, they come to live the life of chriftians, and are

the



[ 8j ]

the difciples indeed of the blelTed JeHis ; and are be-
come experimentally acquainted with the truth and
power of the holy religion of Jefus, which he has af-
fured mankind ihall be the happy cafe of all thofe who
" hath his commandments and keepeth them, by ma-
" nifefting himfelf to fuch in a very peculiar way and
" manner," as promifed by him, recorded in John
xiv. 21. " who fhall know the truth fo as to make
*' them free," John viii. 32. and be fully fatisfied in
themfelves, *' the dofbrine is from God,'* vii. 17.

Therefore we find the more mankind have been ac-
quainted with the praflice of chriftianity, the greater
evidence they have had of the truth of it, and confe-
quently have been more fully and rationally perfuaded
of its veracity. There are fuch powerful evidences of
the truth of the do6lrine of Chriil, by the effedlual
workings of the fpirit of God upon their fouls, that all
other arguments, as to their own fatisfadion, may and
do fall fhort of thefe. The poet Dautes is very per-
tinent and fignificant, when he had introduced St,
Peter, afking him what it was his faith was founded
on, he anfwers, that the fpirit of God doth fo fully dif-
cover itfelf both in the Old and Nev/ Teftament, that
all other arguments are but dull and heavy, if com-
pared with it.

A truly enlightened confcience, a real vital chrifbian,
difcovers fo much beauty, excellency, and dignity in
the facred fcriptures, that they charm and ravilh
the foul, which is unable to give a juft idea of it to
others, wko are not thus experienced, by reafon the
eyes of tlieir underltandings, are not illuminated to

H :? f€C



[ 86 ]

fee Its beauty and excellency, which a mind truly gra-
cious is invefted with. How common is it in the world
to find the attraction of beauty to be an unaccountable
thing ? One perfon does difcover beauty and charms in
fome thinas, which others look on as mean and ordi-
nary, if not contemptible ; and why may not it be
much more fo in fpiritual and divine things, by thofe
who want fpiritual eyes to difcover them ? Therefore
it is, that good men enjoy that fatisfadion in their
own confcience, relating to the truth of the gofpel,
which others do not attain to, though they likewife fee
the mofl rational, fhrong, and convincing evidences,
which induces them to believe its divine authority ;
which evidence is then mofl convincing, when it is fe-
conded by the peculiar energy of the fpirit of God
upon their fouls : but yet we fee the power and force
of the truth of thefe things may be fo great, even upon
fuch munds which are not yet moulded into the fafhion
of true goodnefs, that it does awe v/ith its light and
clearnefs, where it does not foften and alter by its
heat and influence. Therefore whence com*eth to pafs
that fuch povverful convidlions Hiould ftick fo clofc to
the confciences of thofe who would fain pull out thofe
piercing arrows, but that they find a greater power in
them than they are maflers of ? therefore they cannot
(land againfl the force with which they come upon
them, neither find any falve to cure the wounds which
are made within them, but by thofe very v/eapons
which were the caufes of them : and therefore v/hen
wicked perfons under conflicts of confcience, cannot eafe
themfelves by direct atheifm, or fmding reafons to cafl
off fuch conviclions, by difcovering any invalidity in

the



[ S7 ]
the tefdmony whereon the truth of thefe things depend,
it is a certain and fure argument that there is abundance
of truth in that tefliniony, when mankind would endea-
vour to perfuade themfelves to beheve the contran^
and yet cannot. The truth of this confent appears
from the unanimity of it among thofe perfons who
have yet ilrangely differed from each other in many con-
troverfies in rehgion. We fee hereby that this unanimity
is no forced or defigned thing, becaufe we fee the per-
fons agreeing in this, do verv much difagree from each
other in other things •, and the fame grounds and rea-
fons wherein they diiagree as to other things, vrould
have held as thefe too, was there no greater evidence of
the certainrr of thefe things than of thofe they difagree
in. It is not a queftion among thofe who differ fo
much about the fenfe of fcripture, whether the fcrip-
ture itfelf be the word of God, although the very ac-
counts on which mankind believe it to be fb hath been
the fubject of no mean controverfy.

All the different denominations of chriftians in the
Vv'hole world do agree in the matters of fact relative
to it.

That there was fuch aperfon as Jefus Chrifl, and that
he did many great and wonderful miracles ; that he
was crucified at Jerufalem, and rofe again from the
dead the third day -, now thefe fads contain the great
fuperflruclure of the chrillian faith : and tlierefore the
multitude of other conrroverfies in the v.orld ought to
be fo far from weakeninp; our faith as to the tnilh. of the
do<flrine of Chrift (which men of weak judgments, and
arheifiical and deiilical fpirits pretend) that it ought to

Vl 4 ' b^



[ 88 ]

be a ftrong confirmation of it, when we fee perfons
who peevilhly quarrel with each other about fome infe-
rior and lefs weighty parts of religion, do yet unani-
moufly confent in the principal foundation of chriflian
faith, and fuch whereon the neceffity of faith and obe-
dience, as the way to falvation, does more immediately
depend.

And this may be one great reafon why the infi-
nitely v/ife God may luffer fuch lamentable contenti-
ons and divifions to be in the chriflian church, that
thereby inquifitive perfons may fee if the chriflian re-
ligion had been a mere defign of fome politic per-
fons, the quarrelfome world (where it is not held in by
force) would never have confented fo long m the own-
ing fuch common principles which all their other con-
troverfies are built upon ; and although it be continu-
ally feen that in divided parties one man is apt to run
from any thing which is received by the other, and
men do generally think they can never run far enough
from thofe whofe errors they have once difcovered,
yet this principle hath not carried any confiderable
party of the chriflian world (out of their indignation
againfl thofe great corruptions which have crept into
the world under a pretence of religion) to the difown-
ing of the foundation of the chriflian faith, which muft
be pardy imputed to the fignal hand of Divine Provi-
dence, and partly to thofe flrong evidences which there
are of the truth of that teflimony which conveys to us
the foundation of the chriflian faith.

Thus we fee how great and uncontrouled this con-
fent is, as to the matters of hd: delivered down from

the



f 89 ]

tlie eye-wknefTes of them concerning the a6tions and
miracles of the blefTed Jefus (which are contained in
the holy fcriptures as authentic records of them) and
what a fiire foundation there is for a firm aiTent to
the truth of the thing it contains from fo univerfal and
uninterrupted a tradition.

No rational account can be given for the admirable
fuccefs which the gofpel met with in the world in its
preaching, unlefs die do6trine and miracles of the
blelTed Jefus were undoubtedly true.

That the gofpel of Chriil has been propagated v/ith
very wonderful fuccefs is extremely evident from the
long continuance of it in die European part of the world.

That this wonderful fuccefs ihould be an evidence of

the truth of it will appear, if we confider how the doctrine

itsfelf was contrary to die general inclinations of the

world, and how the propagation of it was fo much

oppofed by all worldly power. The doclrine may be

confidered either as to its credenda, or matters of faith ;

or as to its agenda, or matters of life and practice :

both thefe were contrary to the inclinations of the

world-, the former feemed hard and incredible, the

latter harfh and impoffible. The matters of faith which

are to be believed by the world, were no fuch things

which we may imagine the vulgar part of mankind

would be very forward to run after, or embrace, be-

caufe contrary to the principles^ of their education, and

the religion they were brought up in. The genei'ality

of mankind are very tenacious of thofe principles and

prejudices which are fucked in at ^^ time of their

childhood and youth.

There



[ 90 ]

There are fome religions, the articles whei'eof are fo
wild and monflrous, one would think it were impolTible
that any rational creature iliould believe them : but
they believe them moflly or only for this poor reafon,
becaufe they are bred up under them : for moil certainly
it is a very great advantage, that any religion has againil
another, that it comes to fpeak firfl, and thereby infi-
nuates fuch an apprehenfion of itsfelf to the mind, that
becomes very difficult ever after to remove its prejudices,
and fo can't be eafily brought to alter their opinion
and judgment, though it be propofed in the mofl ra-
tional and convincing v/ay and manner.

All thofe who have been bred up under paganifm
and the mi oft grofs idolatry, have therefore a very pre-
vailing prejudice againft fuch a doflrine, which was in-
tirely irreconcileable with that religion which they had
been devoted to. The ftronger any prejudices are
fixed in the minds of mankind by education and cufcom,
the greater fcrength and power muft that neceflarily be
in the gofpel of Chrift, which did fo effedlually demo-
lifli thefe ftrong holds, and captivate the underftandings
of mankind to the obedience of Chrift.

Therefore Arnobius (Arnob. c. gentes 1. i.) tells
the heathens that it is impofTible to fuppofe fo many
perfons of fo many nations to be fo far befotted and
infatuated, as not only to believe a religion to be true,
which was contrary to that they were educated in, but
to venture their lives as well as eftates upon it, had it
not been difcovered to them in a moft certain and in-
fallible way, by fuch who had been eye-witneftes of
the aclions and miracles of Chrift and his apoftles.

This



[ 91 ]

This therefore is fufHcient to perfwadc and convince \
men on what firm foundations the faith of chriftians
Hands, when in fo Oiort a time it was fpread over all parts
of the world ; and by the gofpel the moil barbarous,
inhuman nations v/ere foftened into more than mere
civiUty.

That men of the greatefl wit and parts. Orators,
Grammarians, Rhetoricians, Lawyers, Phyficians, Philo-
fophers, have forfaken their former fentiments, and have
very cordially embraced the do<5trine of the bleffed Je-
fus. Therefore if the power of education be fo ftrong
upon the minds of mankind, to perfwade them of the
truth of the religion they are bred up under, (which
atheiftical and you deiflically difpofed perfons make
advantage of) this is fo fiir from weakening the truth of
chrillianity, that it proves a great confirmation of it :
its having obtained fuch great fuccefs upon its firfl
preaching in the world, and notwithftanding the higheit
prejudices from education were againft it. If then man-
kind be fo prone to believe that to be moil true which
they have only been educated under, it muft argue a
more than ordinary evidence and power in Chrifl*s reli-
gion, which unfettles, yea eradicates the very principles
of their education •, which not only caufes them to que-
llion the truth of them, but totally renounce them, and
embrace a religion diametrically oppofite to them. If we
confider the inveterate prejudices the principles of their
education were backed with among the heathens •, when
the gofpel of the blelTed Jefus was lirfl made known
to them, and what plaufible pretences they had of
continuing in this religion which they were brought up

in.



[ 92 1

in, fiich as the pretended antiquity of it above thechrift-
ian, it is to be wondered that fo many were fo foon and
eafy prevailed with to overcome their prejudice.
The grand thing pleaded againft the chriftians was,
that they thought themfelves wifer than their forefa-
thers. Cotta in Tully, De Nat. Deorum, 1. 3. laid
this down, that the main pr-inciple of Pagan rehgion
was, to believe the tradition of their forefathers, al-
though there be no exiilence in reafon for it. And
after he liad difcovered the vanity of the iloical argu-
ments about religion, concludes with this, as the only
thing that he refoJved his religion into, as follows :

" It is enough for us (fay they) that it comes by
*' tradition from our forefathers."

La6lantius fully fets forth the manner of pleading
ufed by the heathens againft the chriftians in the point
of antiquity, La6lant. dc Orig. Error. 1. 2. c. 6. That
they counted tradition infallible, and knew no other
way to find the truth of religion, but by its being con-
veyed down to them from their forefathers.

How fimilar do fuch perfons plead, who contend for
the corruptions crept into the chriftian church, who
make ufe of the famiC weak pretences for them, viz. that
they were delivered down from the Fathers ? Who arc
you (fay they) that will fee farther than antiquity ^ Now
the very fame arguments by which the profeflbrs of chrift-
ianity juftified the truth of their religion, (notwithftand-
ing this pretended antiquity) will, with equal force, hold
for a reformation of fuch inveterate abufes, which, un-
der a pretence of antiquity, have crept into the chriftian.

church.

"Where



t 93 ]

Where reafon and mere authority ftands In oppofition,
he muft be of a very weak underftanding that knows
not on which fide to determine, with the greateft flreno-th
of argument, the jufteft way of reafoning.

Arnobius fpeaks thus, c. gent. 1. 2. when mankind
are charged with revolting from the rehgion of their
forefathers, the fad is not prefently to be condemned,
but men are to fee to examine the reafons of it. Neither
ought they fo much to look at what religion they have
left, as what it is they have embraced. If mere departing
from the religion of our anceflors be the great fault, all
thofe who own themfelves to be chriflians were them-
felves guilty of it, when they revolted from heathenifm.
If it be here faid the cafe is different, becaufe there
was fufficient reafon for it, which there is not, as to the
corruptions crept into the chrillian church : if fo, then all
the difputes are taken off from matter of fad, or from
the caufes inducing to it.

Therefore if the proteftants be not able (as to the
reafons and caufes of their feparations from the Romifh
church) to manifeft that they were fufHcient and rational
to every unprejudiced reafonable mind, let them then be
blamed and charged with herefy, but not before.

The rational and jufl definition of herefy is, that it
holds and fupports opinions contrary to the fundamen-
tal points of religion, which is th$ cafe of the church
of Rome, who pronounces herfelf infallible, and that no
chriflians of any other denomination are in a falvable
condition.

But



[ 94 ]

But as ignorance is an infeparable companion of
impudence, it is the only poffible excufe that can be
made for them. As for thofe who know better,
intereft fways them, and they are more knaves than
fools, for by their craft they get their wealth.

The principles of the Reformation are juilifiable up-
on the fam.e authority of reafon which the embracing
of chriftianity was, when mankind from among the
heathens becamie chrillians, and that the arguments
madeufe of by theRomifh church againit the Proteflants
leparating from them, are fuch as would have juilified
a pagan philofopher too, in not embracing chriflia-
nity : or if it be unlawful for any party of men to divide
from others in matters of religion, which pretend anti-
quity and univerfality only, it had been unlawful for Phi-
lofophers to have deferted Paganifm, as well as for Pro-
tefianrs to defert Popery : for according to the principles
of the Fvomanills, the judgment in the cafe of the fe-
paration, and of the taith of religion, lies in the party
from which they depart.

If v/e now do but apply this to the old Roman fenate,
or emperors, in the affair of the chriftian religion, and
the dividing from the heathen worfhip, we fhall quickly
find how eafy a matter it will be to make chriftianity
itsfelf a fchifm, and the dodlrine of Chrift the
greatefl hcrefy. But as ftrong as thefe pretences were
then, or fmce, the power of the doftrine of Chrifl
hath been fo great as to conquer them, and thereby to
manifefl it w^as of God, v/hen fuch potent prejudices
were not able to withftand it ^ of which antipathy their

firfl



[ 95 ]

firft greatefl charge againft chriftians was that of no-
veUifm : that they introduced a ftrange and unheard-of
Rehgion.

The common queflion then was. Where was your
rehgion before Jefus of Nazareth ? And the fame
queflion hath been fince afked the Proteftants by the
Papifts, Where was your rehgion before Luther ? And
the fame anfwer which ferved them, will ftand immove-
able now, viz. there, where no other true rehgion is
to be found, I mean in the written word of God, which
is only contained in the facred Scriptures of the Old and
New Teftamxent. For this was the grand weapon, where-
by the primitive chriftians defended themfelves againft
the aflaults of paganifm, notwithftanding its pretended
univerfality. Settlements by laws of heathen worlhip v/ere
fo much pretended and pleaded for, that as far as we can
find by the hiftory of the primitive church, the pretence
on which the chriftian fuffered was fedition,and oppoling
the eftablifhed laws.

It appears by Tertullian, Apol. c. 38. that the chrifti-
ans were reckoned among unlawful afTemblies : the po-
liticians and ftatefmen were all for preferving the civil
laws ; they troubled not themfelves much about any
religion, but only that which was fettled by their laws,
w^hich they fought to maintain and uphold ; for this rea-
fon, becaufe the ading contrary to it might caufe fome
difturbance to the civil ftate.

There were feveral laws which the chriftians v/ere
brought under and condemned for the breach of. The
law againft conventicles, (as they were frequently pleaf-
ed to ftile them) v/hich were the meetings of chriftians
together \ thence the places where the chriftians afiem-

bled



[ 96 ]

bled for the worfliip of God, were commonly called con-
venticles, Obfervat. in Amor. 1. 4. The reafon of it v/as
becaufe the heathens judged thofe affemblies of chrift-
ians to be illegal focicties. When the chriftians began
to be fomewhat numeroas, and had, according to the
principles of their religion, frequent afTcmblings for di-
vine worfhip, and did confederate together (by fuch fym-
bols as that of being wafhed with water, and eating and
drinking together, which was all the heathens appre-
hended by their ufe of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper)
the proconful and other magiftrates in their feveral pro-
vinces brought the chriftians under their edids, and fo
punifhed them for the breach of the laws.

It appears by Pliny, lib. x. cap. 97. in his epiftle to
Trajan, that this was the only or chief caufe for which
the wifer heathens did proceed againft the chriftians :
for we find the proconful troubled not himfelf about
the truth and evidence of the chriftian religion.

And when any chriftians were brought before him,
he frequently interrogated them whether they were chrift-
ians or not ; and if they perfifted in it that they were, then
he puniftied them, not fo much for their religion, and
for their ftedfaftnefs to the doflrines of Chrift, as for the
contempt of civil authority.

That which the chriftians now pleaded for them.felves
why they ftiould not be reckoned among the fadlions of
the people, was that which they gave in anfwer to Pliny,
viz. that all that they were chargeable with was, that
they on their foltmn days met together for divine v/or-
fhip, and to covenant with each other only for the prac-
tice



[ 97 ]'

tice of thofe things, which were as much for the good
of mankind in general, as it was for their own, viz.
that they would not injure and defraud others as to their
bodies or eftates ; but flill chriltianity was looked on by
them as a great innovation ; infomuch that the chriili-
ans were accufed of being enemies to mankind, as well
as to their laws, by reafon they drew more off from
their fuperflitious religion, than ever any fet of men
had done before.

When St. Paul preached at Athens, the firft accufation
againfl him was, that he was a preacher of ilrange dei-
ties, becaufe he preached to them " Jefus and the refur-
" reclion," Ads xvii. i8. And Demetrius at Ephefus
knew no fuch potent argument againfl St. Paul, as that
his religion dellroyed the worfnip of Diana, w^hom all
Afia and the world worfliipped, Adls xix. 17.

The primitive chriflians were then accounted as it
were antipodes to the whole world ; on which account
they were feverely dealt with. The reafon or ground the
heathens had for deteiting the chriflians was, that the
chriflians declared enmity againfl the idolatrous temples
and worfhip of the heathens.