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t.¥wjc.,
A
SHORT AND EASY METHOD
WITH THE
DEISTS;
WHEREIN THE CERTAINTY OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION
Is DEMONSTRATED hy INFALLIBLE PROOF, yrOW
FOUR RULES, ixihicli are incompatible to any impos-
ture that ever yet has beeUf or can possibly be.
IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND.
BY THE LATE
REV. CHARLES LESLIE, MA.
WITH A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR TO A DEIST,
UPON HIS CONVERSION BY READING HIS 1300K.
TO WHICH 13 PREFIXED,
A PREFACE,
BY THE REV. W. JONES, M.A.
AVTUOr. OFIHE CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, <^'C.
A NEW EDITION,
Published by Desire of the Society for
promoting Christian Knowledge.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINCxTON,
BonhftUers to the Societvjor Promoting Chriftian Knnwledge,
NO. 62, ST. Paul's chuhcu-yard j
Hy Law and GUtert, St. Jolm's S«{uat?, Clerkenwell.
1815.
//V^ B R 4^-^s.
3
J
A PREFACE
TO
MR. LESLIE'S
SHORT METHOD WITH THE DEISTS
TIJ'ANY attempts having lately been made upon,
the people of England, to /educe them from
the Chriftian Faith, and to lead them into deftruc-
tion, temporal and eternal; fomething fhould be
done tofecure them againfi profligate writers, the
declared apoftles of atheifm. I therefore rejoice to
find, that the Society for promoting Chriflian Know-
ledge, have refolvedto print and difperfe Mr. Les-
lie's Short Method with the Deifts, togetherwitb
its fequel, entitled^ The Truth of Chriflianity
demonflrated. The world affords nothing fo effec-
tual on the Chriftian evidences ; and I pray God to
give his bleffmg to their pious endeavours, by open^
ing the hearts of those zvho are in error to receive
the light of truth : and it is herefo reprefented to
thein, that they will receive it, unlefs afpirit oj
infatuation is gone forth amongft them; which^ may
God Almighty avert !
A S Jh
IV PREFACE.
In the former of thefe Tra8s, the argument is
fofhort andclear^ that the meanefi capacity may tin-
derfland it ; and Jo forcible^ that no man has yet
been found able to reftji it. When it zvas firft pub-
lijhed^ fome attempts were made ; but they Joon
came to nothing. The argument in brief is this.
The Chriftian Rcligio?i conjifis of fa5ls and doC'
irines, each depending on the other ; Jo thai if the
fa^is are irue^ the do5frines^ mufl be true. Thus,
for ex-ample i the refur region of Jefus Chriji is a
fan : our refurre^ion is a do^rine. Admit the
fan ; and the do^rine cannot be denied. The af-
cenfion of Jefus Chrifi is another faB : his return
from thence to judge the world is a do^rine : if the
fan be trut\ the do5irine mufl be fo likeivife. For,
argues the apojile, if the doSfrine be not true, the
fan mufl be falfe i if the dead rife not, then is
not Chrift raifed.
The truth of a matter of fan may be certainly
known, if it be attended with certain marks, fuch
as no falfe fan can pofftbly have. Thefe marks
are four. It is required^ fi^ft-) i^<^^ the fan be a
fenfible fan, fuch as mens outward fenfes can judge
of ■ fecondly, that it he notorious, performed pub-
lickly in the prefence of wit7ief[es ; thirdly, that
there be memorials of it, or monuments and anions
kept up in memory of it ; fourthly, that fuch monu-
ments and anions begin with the fan. It is the
dejign of Mr. Le (lie's book tofjeu, how thefe four
marks
PREFACE. V
marks do ail meet in thejaBs of Chrijliantty . A-nd
to the four marks, ivhich any true fa^ may have^
he has added four more^ in hisfecond tra^, which
are peculiar to thefaols of Chrijliantty .
Every reader^ to zvho?n the Short Method is
new, will be induced to think more highly of it, if
I tell him its hijhry j as I received it from Doolor
Delany, Dean of Down, in Ireland ,• who told me
he had it from Captain LeJJie, afon of the Author,
It was the fortune of Mr. Lejlie to be acquainted
with the Duke of Leeds of that time ; who obferved
to him, that although he was a believer of the
Chrijiian Religion , he was not fat is fed with the
common methods of proving it : that the argumeni
was long and complicated ; fo that fome had neither
leifure nor patience to follow it, and others were
not able to comprehend it : that as it zvas the na-
ture of all truth to be plain andfnnplt ; if Chrif-
iianity were a truth, there mujl hefomefJoort way
of fhewing it to he fo j and he wifJjed Mr. Lejlie
would think of it. Such a hint to fuch a man^ in
the f pace of three days, produced a rough draught
of the Short and Eafy Method with the Deijts ;
zvhich he prefented to the Duke ; who looked it
over, and then said, " / thought I was a Chrijiian
*' before, but I am jure of it now : and as I am
" indebted to you for converting me, Ijball hence^
" forth look upon you as my fpiritual father.'*
And he a^ed accordingly s for he never came into
A 3 his
Vi PREFACE.
bis company afterwards without a/king his hleffing.
Such is the Jlory : very nearly as Dr. Delany hiiii'
/elf would tell it, if he were now alive. The cir-
cumfances are fo memorable^ that there mufi have
heen fom'ething very extraordinary at the bottom to
account for them. And fo thought Dr. Middle t on ;
though the work affecled him in a very dijj'erait
manner. Feeling hozv necejfary it was to his prin-
ciples^ that he jhouldfome way rid himfelf of Mr.
LeJIie's argument » he looked out for fome falfe fa^^
to which the four jnarks might be applied : and
this he did for twenty years together, without be-
ing able to find one. This I learned from the late
Dr. Berkeley, fon to the celebrated Bijhop of Cloyne ^
who converfed much with the world, and I believe
would not have reported fuch a thing, but upon good
authority. I may mention another event, which
ought not to be forgotten, upon this occafion. An
anecdote it is not j becanfe it mufi be already known
to the public. Dr. Priejlley, that unaccountable
many like the Quaker, who went over to Conftan-
iinople to convert the Grand Seignior, wrote and
printed a letter to the infidels of France, with a
view of bringing them back to Chrifiianity : in
which letter he gives thetfi Mr. Lefiies argujnent,
as if it had been his ozvn ; for he fays not a word
of the author. The world looks upon the doBor as
me of the falfe apoftles of the age : but if he had
heen a true apojik^ and could work miracles j what
reafon
PREFACE. Vil
reajon have we to think that they would have more
effe^ upon the French, than miracles had upon the
Jews ? This world is the god of the French, as
it was of the Jews ; and its power to blind the
eyes is as great now as it was then. Befides, the
argument had been piiblijhed in France long before
the time of Dr, Priejiley, and is to be found in the
Oeuvres de St. Real, a rolle^icn of fmall pieces
en the Evidence of the Chrijiian Religion.
To thofe who take \ir. Lejlie^s tracis into their
hands, 1 have only this Jhort advice to give* I
befeech the^n to remember, thai if Chrijiianily be
true, it is tremendoujly true. All the great things
this world can fhew are as nothing in comparifon
of it. Heaven and Hell are the iffue. Its faUs
yet to come are as certain as tbofe that are pafi.
The trumpet fhall found, and the dead Jh all be
raifed — the heavens /hall be on fire, and the ek"
ments fhall melt with fervent heat — the angels
fhali gather the ele5l f God from the four winds —
all menfloall be called upon to give an account of
their words and actions — and they who now deny
Jefus Chriji, and hold him in defiance, Jhall fee
the heaven and earth fly away before his face, A
man mujl he ft tip i fed if he can think on thefe things
without fleeing from the wrath to come : and there
is no zvay but in the belief of Chriji ianity^ which
this book teaches,
A 4 , 1 feel
VlJl PRLFACE.
I feel myfelfjo deeply inter ejled in this defign cf
the Society i that I wi/b them all the aid and enceu^
ragement which Heaven and Earth can give them ;
and am their faithful Friend^
Arid devoted humbU Servant^
IFILLUM JONES.
NaVLANDj
Ftb. 33, 1799.
A SHORT
SHORT AND EASY METHOD
WITH THE
DEISTS.
SIR,
I. TN anfwer to yours of the third inftant, I
-■-much condole with you your unhappy cir-
cumftances, of being placed amongfl; fuch com-
pany, where as you fay, you continually hear
the facred Scriptures, and the hiftories therein
contained, particularly of Mofes, and of Chrift,
and all revealed religion, turned into ridicule,
by men who fet up for fenfe and reafon. And
they fay that there is no greater ground to be-
lieve in Chrift, than in Mahomet; that all thefe
pretences to revelation are cheats, and ever have
been among Pagans, Jews, Mahometans, and
Chriftians; that they are all alike impofitions
of cunning and defigning men, upon the cre-
dulity, at firft, of fimple and unthinking peo-
ple, till, their numbers increafing, their delu-
A 5 fioms
lo Leflie on Deifm.
fions grew popular, came at laft to be eftablifhed
by laws ; and tben the force of education and
cuftom gives a bias to the judgments of after
ages, till fuch deceits come really to be believed,
being received upon truft from the ages fore-
going, without examining into the original and
bottom of them. Which thefe our modern men
©f fenfe, (as they defire to be efteemed,) fay
that they only do, that they only have their
judgments freed from the flavifh authority of
precedents and laws, in matters of truth, which,
they fay, ought only to be decided by reafon ;
though by a prudent compliance with popula-
rity and laws, they preferve themfelves from
outrage, and legal penalties ; for none of their
corapleftion are addi6ted to fuffcrings or mar-
tyrdom.
Now, Sir, that which you defire from me,
is fome Ihort topic of reafon, if fuch can be
found, whereby, without running to authorities,
and the intricate mazes of learning, which breed
long difputes, and which thefe men of reafort
deny by wholefale, though they can give no
reafon for it, only fuppofe that authors have
been trumped upon us, interpolated and cor-
rupted, fo that no ftrefs can be laid upon them,
though it cannot be fhewn wherein they are fo
corrupted; which, in reafon, ought to lie upon
them to prove who alledge it^ otherwife ft
Leflie en Deifm, i x
is not only a precarious, but a guilty plea : and
the more, that they refrain not to quote books
on their fide, for whofe authority there are no
better, or not fo good grounds. However, you
fay, it makes your difputes endlefs, and they go
away with noife and clamour, and a boaft, that
there is nothing, at leaft nothing certain, to be
faid on the Chriftian fide. Therefore you are .
defirous to find fome one topic of reafon, which
IhouW demonftrate the truth of the Chriftian
religion, and at the fame timediflinguifh it from
ihe impoftures of Mahomet, and the old Pagaa
world j that our Deifts may be brought to this
left, and be obliged either to renounce their
reafon, and the common reafon of mankind, or
to fiibmit to the clear proof, from reafon, of
the Chriftian religion; which muft be fuch a
proof, as no impofture can pretend to, otherwife
it cannot prove the Chriftian religion not to be
an impofture. And, whether fuch a proof, one
fingle proof (to avoid confufton) is not to be
found out, you defire to know from me.
And you fay, that you cannot imagine but
there muft be fuch a proof, becaufe every
truth is in itfetf clear, and one; and therefore
that one reafon for it, if it be the true reafon,
muft be fufficient, and if fufficient, it is better
than many ; for multiplicity confounds, efpeci-
ally to weak judgments,
A 6 Sir^
.12 Leflie on Deifm.
Sir, you have impofed an hard tafk upon me,
I wifh I could perform it. For though every
truth is one, yet our fight is fo feeble, that we
cannot (always) come to itdire^ly, but by many
inferences, and laying of things together.
But I think, that in the cafe before us, there
is fuch a proof as you require, and I will fet it
down as fhort and plain as I can.
II. Firft, then, I fuppofe, that the truth of the
doftrine of Chrift will be fufficiently evinced,
if the matters of fa6l, which are recorded of
him in the Gofpels, be true : for his miracles,
if true, do vouch the truth of what he delivered.
The fame is to be faid as to Mofes. If he
brought the children of Ifrael through the Red
Sea in that miraculous manner which is related
in Exodus, and did fuch other wonderful things
as are there told of him, it mull neceffarily fol-
low, that he was fent from God : thefe being
the ftrongeft proofs we can defire, and which
every Deift will confefs he would acquiefce in,
if he faw them with his eyes. Therefore the
ftrefs of this caufe will depend upon the proof
of thefe matters of faft.
I. And the method I will take, is, firft, to
lay down fuch rules, as to the truth of matters
of faft in general, that where they all meet, fuch
matters of fa6l cannot be falfe. And then, fe-
condly, to fhew that all thefe rules do meet in
the
Leflie on Dei/m, 13
the matters of fa8:, of Mofes, and of Chrift ;
and that they do not meet in the matters of fa£t
of Mahomet, and the heathen deities, or can
poflibly meet in any iinpollure whatfoever.
1. The rules are thefe : ift. That the niat-
ters of fa6lbe fuch, as that men's outward fenfes,
their eyes and ears, may be judges of it, 2.
That it be done publicly in the face of the world.
3. That not only public monuments be kept up
in memory of it, but feme outward aftions to be
performed. 4. That fuch monuments, and fuch
a61ionsor obfervances, beinftituted,anddi) com-
mence from the time that the matter of fa6l was
done.
3. The two firft rules make it impofTible for
any fuch matter of fad to be impofed upon
men, at the time when fuch matter of fad was
faid to be dorie, becaufe every man's eyes and
fenfes would contradifl it. For example : fup-
pofe any man fbould pretend, that yeflerday
he divided the Thames, in prefence of all the
people of London, and carried the whole city,
men, women, and children, over to Southwark,
on dry land, the waters {landing like walls on
both fides : I fay, it is morally impolfible that
he could perfuade the people of London that
this was true, when every man, woman, and
child could contraditt him, and fay, that this
was a notorious falihood, for that they had not
feeh
14 Lellie on Deifm.
feen the Thames fo divided, or had gone over
on dry land. Therefore I take it for granted ~
(and I fuppofe, with the allowance of all the
Deifts in the world) that no fuch impofition
could be put upon men, at the time when fuch
public matter of fa6l was faid to be done.
4. Therefore it only remains that fuch ipat-
ter of fad might be invented fome time after,
when the men of that generation wherein the
thing was faid to be done, are all paft and gone;
and the credulity of after ages might be im-
pofed upon, to believe that things were done in
former ages, which were nor.
And for this, the two lad rules fecure us as
much as the two firft rules, in the former cafe;
for whenever fuch a matter of fa6l came to be
invented, if not only monument- were faid to
remain of it, but likewife that public adions
and obfervances were conftantly ufed ever fince
the matter of fa6l was faid to be done, the de-
ceit muft be deteQed, by no fuch monuments
appearing, and by the experience of every man,
woman, and child, who mufl knov/ that no fuch
a6lions or obfervances were ever ufed by them.
For example: fuppofe I fhould now invent a
ftory of fuch a thing done a thoufand years ago,
I might perhaps get fome to believe it; but if
I fay, that not only fuch a thing was done, but
that, from that day to this, every man, at the
age
Leflie en Deijm. 1 5
age oF twelve years, had a joint of his iittk
finger cut off; and that every man in the
nation did want a joint of fuch a finger; and
that this inftitution was faid to be part of the
matter of fa6l done fo many years ago, and
vouched as a proof and confirmation of it, and
as having defcended, without interruption, and
been conftantly praftifed, in memory of fuch
matter of faft, all along, from the time that
fuch matter of fa8: was done: I fay it is impof-
fible I Ihould be believed in fuch a cafe, becaufe
every one could contradict me, as to the mark
of cutting off a joint of the finger; and that
being part of my original matter of fadt, rauft
demonftrate the whole to be falfe.
III. Let us now come to the fecond point,
to fhew that the matters of fad of Mofes, and
X)f Chriftj have all thefe rules or marks before
mentioned; and that neither the matters of faft
of Mahomet, or what is reported of the heathen
deities, have the like : and that no impoflor can
have them all.
1. As to Mofes, I fuppofe it will be allowed
me, that he could not have perfuaded 600,000
men, though he hdd brought them out of Egypt
through the Red Sea; fed them forty years,
without bread, by miraculous manna, and the
other matters of fa6t recorded in his books, if
they had not been true, Becaufe every man's
■• % fenles
1 6 Lefiie on. Dei/m.
fenfes that were then alive, muft have contra-
dided it. And therefore he muft he ve impofed
upon a!! their fenfes, if he could have made
them believe it, when it was falfe and no fuch
things done. So that here are the firft and fe-
cond of the above-mentioned four marks.
From the fame reafon, it is equally impof-
fible for him to have made them receive his
five books, as truth, and not to have rejefted
them asamanifefl: impofture; which told of all
thefe things as done before their eyes, if they had
not been fo done. See how pofitively he fpeaks
to them, Deut. xi. 2, to verfe 8. " And know
" you this day, for I fpeak not with your chil-
*' dren, which have not known, and which have
'* not feen the chaftifement of the Lord vour
" God, his greatnefs, his mighty hand, and his
*' ftretched-out arm, and his miracles, and his
*' acls, which he did in the midft of Egypt,
" unto Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and unto
" all his land, and what he did unto the army
«' of Egypt, unto their horfes, and to their cha-
*' riots; how he made the water of the Red
" Sea to overflow them as they purfued after
« you ; and how the Lord hath deftroyed them
<' unto this day : and what he did unto you in
** the wilaernt fs, until ye came unto this place;
«< and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram,
*< the fons of Eliahj the fon of Reuben, how
« the
Leflie en Deifm. rj
** the earth opened her mouth, and {wallowed
" them up, and their houfholds, and their tents,
" and all the fubftance that was in their poffer-
" (ion, in the midil of all Ifrael. But your eyes
** have feen atl the great a6ls of the Lord, which
" he did," Scq.
From hence we mufk fuppofe it impoffible
that thefe books of Mofes (if an impoflure)
could have been invented and put upon the
people who were then alive, when all thefe things
were faid to be done.
The utmoft therefore that even a fuppofe can
llretch to, is, that thefe books were wrote in fome
age after Mofes, and put out in his name.
And to this, I fay, that if it was fo, it
was impoffible that thofe books fhould have
been received as the books of Mofes, in that
age wherein they may have been fuppofed to
have been firft invented. Why ? Becaufe they
fpeak of themfelves as delivered by Mofes, and
kept in the ark from his time. " And it came
*• to pafs, when Mofes had made an end of
•* writing the words of this law in a book,
*' until they were finifhed, that Mofes com-
" raanded the Levites who bare the ark of the
" covenant of the Lord, faying, take this book
*' of the law, and put it in the fide of the ark
" of the covenant of the Lord your God, that
'' it may be there for a witnefs againft thee,'.'
Deut»
1 8 Leflie c« Deifm,
Deut. xxxi. 24, 25, 26. And there was a
copy of this book to be left likewife with the
king. ** And it fhall be, when he fitteth upon
" the throne of his kingdom, that he fhall write
" him a copy of this law in a book, out of
" that which is before the priefts, the Le-
" vites ; and it fhall be with him, and he
" fhall read therein all the days of his life :
" that he may learn to fear the Lord his
" God, to keep all the words of this law
** and thefe ftatuces to do them." Deut. xviii.
18, 19.
Here then you fee that this book of the
law fpeaks of itfelf, not only as an hiitory or
relation of what things were then done, but as
the {landing and municipal law and ftatutes of
the nation of the Jews, binding the king as well
as the people.
Now, in whatever age after Mofes you will
fuppofe this book to have been forged, it was
impolfible it could be received as truth; becaufe
it was not then to be found, either in the ark, or
with the king, or any where elfe : for when firft
invented, every body muft know, that they had
never heard of it before.
And therefore they could lefs believe it to be
the book of their flatutes, and the (landing law
of the land, which they had all along received,
and by which they had been governed.
Could
Leilie on Deijm* 19
Could any man, now at this day, invent a
book of flatutes or a6ls of parliament for Eng-
land, and make it pafs upon the nation as the
only book of ftatutes that ever they had known?
As impolJIble was it for the books of Mofes
(if they were invented in any age after Mofes)
to have been received for what they declare
themfelves to be, viz. the ftatutes and muni-
cipal law of the nation of the Jews : and to
have perfuaded the Jews, that they had owned
and acknowledged thefe books, all along from
the days of Mofes, to that day in which they
were firfl invented; that is, that they had
owned them before they had ever fo much as
heard of them. Nay, more, the whole nation
muft, in an inftant, forget their former laws
and government, if they could receive thefe
books as being their former laws. And they
could not otherwife receive them, becaufe they
vouched themfelves fo to be. Let me afk the
Deifts but one fhort queftion : was there ever
a book of fham laws, which were not the laws
of the nation, palmed upon any people, fmce
the world began? If not, with what face can
they fay this of the book of laws of the Jews ?
Why will they Uy that of them, which they
confefs impoflible in any nation, or among any
people ?
But they muft be yet more unreafonable.
For
20 Leflie on Deijm,
For the books of Mofes have a further de-
inonftratioM of their truth than even other law-
books have : for they not only contain the
laws, but give an hiftorical account of their in-
ftitution, and the praftice of them from that
time : as of the paflbver in memory of the
death of the firft-born in Egypt*: and that
the fame day, all the firft-born of Ifrael, botli
of man and beafl, were, by a perpetual law,
dedicated to God : and the Levites taken for
all the firft-born of the children of Ifrael. That
Aaron's rod which budded, was kept in the
ark, in memory of the rebellion, and wonder-
ful deftru6lion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram^
and for the confirmation of the priefthood to the
tribe of Levi. As likewife the pot of manna,
in memory of their having been fed with it
forty years in the wildernefs. That the brazen
ferpent was kept (which remained to the days
of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 4.) in memory of
that wonderful deliverance, by only looking
upon it, from the biting of the fiery ferpents.
Num. xxi. 9. The feaft of Pentecoft, in me-
mory of the dreadful appearance of God upon
Mount Horeb, &c.
And befides thefe remembrances of particular
actions and occurrences, there were other foleraa
* Numbers viii. 17, i8.
inflitutions
Leflie on Deijm. '21
inftitiuions in memory of their deliverance out
of Egypt, in the general, which included all
the particulars. As of the Sabbath, Deut. v.
15. Their daily facrifices, and yearly expia-
tion ; their new moons, and feveral feafts and
fafts. So that there were yearly, monthly,
\\'eekly, daily remembrances and recognitions
of thefe things.
And not only fo, but the books of the fame
Mofes tell us, that a particular tribe (of Levi)
was appointed and confecrated by God, as his
priefts ; by whofe hands, and none other, the
facrifices of the people were to be offered, and
thefe folemn inftitutions to be celebrated. That
it was death for any other to approach the altar.
That their high pried wore a glorious mitre,
and magnificent robes of God's own contrivance,
with the miraculous Urim and Thummim in
his breaft-plate, whence the divine refponfes
were given *. That at his word, the king and
all the people were to go oui, and to come in.
That thefe Levites were likewife the chief
judges even in all civil caufes, and that it Wcis
death to refifl; their fentence t. Now when-
ever it can be fuppofed that thefe books of
Mofes were forged in fome ages after Mofes,
* Numbers XX vii. 21.
+ Deut xvii. 8 to 13. \ Chron. nxiii. 4.
it
22 Leflie on Deifm.
h is impoflible they could have been received as
true, unlefs the forgers could have made the
whole nation beheve, that they had received
thefe books from their fathers, had been inftruR-
ed in them when they were children, and had
taught them to their children; moreover, that
they had all been circumcifed, and did circumcife
their children, in purfuance to what was com-
manded in thefe books : that they had obferved
the yearly paffover, the weekly fabbath, the new
moons, and all thefe feveral feafts, fads, and
ceremonies commanded in thefe books : that
they had never eaten any fwines fiefh, or other
meats prohibited in thefe books : that they had
a magnificent tabernacle, with a vifible prieft-
hood to adminifter in it, which was confined to
the tribe of Levi ; over whom was placed a
glorious high-prieft, cloathed with great and
mighty prerogatives : whofe death only could
deliver thofe that were fled to the cities of re-
fuge*. And that thefe priefls were their ordinary
judges, even in civil matters : 1 fay, was it pof-
fible to have perfuaded a whole nation of men,
that they had known and praftifed all thefe things,
if they had not done it? or, fecondly, to have
received a book for truth, which faid they had
praftifed them, and appealed to that practice ?
* Numbers xxxv. 25, 28,
So
Leflie on Deijm. 23
So that here are the third and fourth of the marks
above-mentioned. <
But now let us defcend to the utmoft degree
of fuppofition, viz. that thefe things were
praQiifed, before thefe books of Mofes were
forged ; and that thofe books did only impofe
upon the nation, in making them believe, that
they had kept thefe obfervances in memory of
fuch and fuch things, as were inferted in thofe
books. ♦
Well then, let us proceed upon this fuppofi-
tion, (however groundlefs) and now, will not
the fame impoflibilities occur, as in the former
cafe ? For, firft, this muft fuppofe that the Jews
kept all thefe obfervances in memory of nothing,
or without knowing any thing of their original,
or the reafon why they kept them. Whereas
thefe very obfervances did exprefs the ground
and reafon of their being kept, as the Paflbver,
in memory of God's pafling over the children
of the Ifraelites, in that night wherein he flew
all the firft-born of Egypt, and fo of the reft.
But, fecondly, let us fuppofe, contrary both
to reafon and matter of fad, that the Jews did
not know any reafon at all why they kept thefe
obfervances; yet was it poffible to put it upon
them. That they had kept thefe obfervances
in memory of what they had never heard of be-
fore that day, whenfoev^r you will fuppofe that
thefe
24 Lellie on Deifm.
thefe books of Mofes were firft forged ^ For
example, fuppofe I fliould now forge fome ro-
niamic ftory, of ftrange things done a thoufand
years ago J and, in confirmation of this, fliould
endeavour to perfuade the Chriftian world, that
they had all along, from that day to this, kept
the -firft day of the week in memory of fuch an
hero, an Apolionius, a Barcofbas, or a Maho-
met; and had all been baptized in his name ; and
fwore,by his name, and upon that very book, ,
(which I had then forged, and which they never
faw before) in their public judicatures; that this
book was their gofpel and law, which they had
ever fince that time, thefe thoufand years paft,
univerfally received and owned, and none other.
I would a(k any Deift, whether he thinks it pof-
fible that fuch a cheat could pafs, or fuch a
legend be received as the gofpel of Chriftians;
and that they could be made believe that they
never had any other gofpel ? The fame reafon is
as to the books of Mofes; and mufl be, as to
every matter of fa8, which has all the four marks
before-mentioned; and thefe marks fecure any
fuch matter of faft as much from being invented
and impofed in any after ages, as at the time
when fuch matters of facl were faid to be done.
Let me give one very familiar example more
jn this cafe. There is the Stonehenge in Salif-
bury-Plain, every body knows it; and yet none
knows
Leflie on Deifm. 24
knows the reafon why thofe great ftoncs ^vere
fet there, or by whom, or in memory of what.
Nowfuppofe I fhould write a book to-morrow,
and tell there, that thefe ftones were fet up by
Hercules, Polyphemus, or Garagantua, in me-
mory of fuch and fuch of their aftions. And for
a further confirmation of this, fliould fay in this
book, that it was wrote at the time when fuch
aftions were done, and by the very a6lors them-
felves, or eye witnefTes. And that this book
had been received as truth and quoted by authors
of the greateft reputation in all ages fince.
Moreover that this book was well known in Eng-
land, and enjoined by aft of parliament to be
taught our children, and that we did teach it to
our children, and had been taught it ourfelves
when we were children. I aflc any Deift, whe-
ther he thinks this could pafs upon England ?
And whether, if I, or any other fliould infift
upon it, we fhould not, inflead of being be-
lieved, be fent to Bedlam ?
Now let us compare this with the Stonehenge,
as I may call it, or twelve great flones fet up at
Gilgal, which is told in the fourth chapter of
[ofhua. There it is faid, verfe 6, that the rea-
fon why they were fet up, was, that when their
children, in after ages, fhould afk the meaning of
iij it fhould be told them.
And the thing in memory of which they were
B fet
aS Leflie (j« Deifm.
fet up, was fuch as could not poffibly be impofed'
upon that nation, at that time when it was faid;
to be done, it was as wonderful and miraculous
as their palTage through the Red Sea.
And withal, free from a very poor objeftion,
which the Deifts have advanced againft that
miracle of the Red Sea : thinking to falve it by
a fpring-tide, with the concurrence of a ftrong
wind, happening at the fame time; which left
the fand fo dry, as that the Ifraelites being all
foot, might pafs through the oozy places and
holes, which it muft be fuppofed the fea left
behind it : but that the Egyptians, being all horfe
and chariots, ftuck in thofe holes, and were en-
tangled, fo as that they could not march fo faft
as the Ifraelites ; and that this was all the meaning
of its being faid, that God took off their (the
Egyptians) chariot wheels, that they drove them
heavily. So that they would make nothing ex-
traordinary, at lead, nothing miraculous, in all
this a6lion.
This is advanced in Le Clerc's Differtations
upon Genefis, lately printed in Holland, and
that part with others of the like tendency, en-
deavouring to refolve other miracles, as that of
Sodom and Gomorrah, &c. into the mere natu-
ral caufes, are put into Englifh by the well-known
T. Brown, for the edification of the Deifts in
England..
But
Leflie on Deifm, s^
But thefe gentlemen have forgot, that the If-
raelites had great herds of many thoufand cattle
with them ; which would be apter to ftray, and
fall into thofe holes and oozy places in the
ftrand, than horfes with riders, who might direQl-
them.
But fuch precarious and filly fuppofes are not
worth the anfwering. If there had been no more
in this paflage through the Red Sea than that of
a fpring-tide, Sec. it had been impoffible for
Mofes to have made the Ifraelites believe that
relation given of it in Exodus, with fo many-
particulars, which themfelves faw to be true.
And all thofe Scriptures which magnify this
a^ion, and appeal to it as a full demonftration
of the miraculous power of God, muft be re-
puted as romance or legend.
I fay this, for the fake of fome Chriftians, who
think it no prejudice to the truth of the Holy
Bible, but rather an advantage, as rendering it-
more eafy to be believed, if they can folve what-
ever feems miraculous in it, by the power of
fecond caufes : and fo to make all, as they fpeak,
natural and eafy. Wherein, if they could pre*
vail, the natural and eafy refult would be, not
to believe one word in all thofe facred oracles.
For if things be not as they are told in any re-
lation, that relation muft be falfe. And if falfe
in part, we cannot truft to it, either in whole or
in part.
B 1 Here
JtS Leflie on Deijm.
Here are to be excepted mif-trandations and
errors, either in copy or in prefs. But wher«
there is no room for fuppofing of thefe, as where
all copies do agree ; there we muft either receive
all, or rejeO; all. I mean in any book that pre-
tends to be written from the mouth of God.
For in other common hiftories, we may believe
part, and rejeft part, as we fee caufe.
But to return. The paffage of the Ifraelites
over Jordan, in memory of which thofe ftones
at Gilgal were fet up, is free from all thofe little
carpings before-mentioned, that are made as to
the. paffage through the Red Sea. For notice
was given to the Ifraelites the day before, of this
great miracle to be done, Jolh. iii. 5. It was
done at noon-day, before the whole nation. And
when the waters of Jordan were divided, it was
not at any low ebb, but at the time when that
river overflowed all his banks, ver. 15. And
it was done, not by winds, or in length of time,
which winds muft take to do it : but all on the
fudden, as foon as the " feet of the priefts that
" bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the
*' water, then the waters which came down from
" above, ftood and rofe up upon an heap, very
" far from the city Adam, that is befide Zaretan :
" and thofe that came down toward the fea of
"the plain, even the fait fea, failed, and were
** cut off: and the people paffed over, right
" againft
Leflie on Deifm. 2f
** againft Jericho. The priefts flood in the midft
" of Jordan, till all the armies of Ifrael had
" pafTed over. And it came to pafs, when the
" priefts that bare the ark of the covenant of the
" Lord werecome up, out of the midft of Jordan,
" and the foles of the priefts' feet were lift up
" upon the dry land, that the waters of Jordan
" returned unto their place, and flowed over all
*' his banks as they did before. And the people
" came out of Jordan, on the tenth day of the
" first month, and encamped in Gilgal on the
" eaft border of Jericho, and thofe twelve ftones
" which they took out of Jordan, did Jofhua
" pitch in Gilgal. And he fpake unto the
'' children of Ifrael, faying, When your children
" fhall afk their fathers in time to come, faying^
" What mean thefe ftones.? Then fhall ye let
" your children know, faying, Ifrael came over
** this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your
" God dried up the waters of Jordan from before
" you, until ye were paffed over; as the Lord
" your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried
" up from before us, until we were gone over,
" that all the people of the earth might know
" the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty : that
*' ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.'*
Chap. iv. from ver. 18.
If the paffage over the Red Sea had been only
taking advantage of a fpring tide, or the like,
B 3 how
30 Leflie on Deifm.
how would this teach all the people of the earthj
that the hand of the Lord was mighty ? How
would a thing no more remarkable have been
taken notice of through all the world ? How
would it have taught Ifrael to fear the Lord, when
they muft know, that notwithftanding of all thefe
big words, there was fo little in it ? How could
they have believed, or received a book, as truth,
which they knew, told the matter fo far otherwifc
from what it was ?
But, as 1 faid, this paffage over Jordan, which
-is her€ compared to that of the Red Sea, is free
from all thofe cavils that are made, as to that of
the Red Sea, and is a further atteftation to it,
being faid to be done in the fame manner as was
that of the Red Sea.
Now, to form our argument, let us fuppofe,
tTiat there never was any fuch thing as that paffage
•over Jordan. That thefe ftones at Gilgal were
fet up upon fome other occafion, in fome after
age. And theri, that fome defigning man in-
vented this book of Jofhua, and faid, that it was
wrote by Jofliua at that time. And gave this
ftonage at Gilgal for a teftimony of tlie truth of
it^ Would not every body fay to him, we know
the ftonage at Gilgal, but we never heard before
of this reafon for it? Nor of this book of Jofhua?
Where has it been all this while ? And where,
and how came you, after fo many ages, to find
It?
LeUie on Deifm. 3!
it? Befides, this book tells us, that this pafTage
over Jordan was ordained to be taught our chil-
dren, from age to age : and therefore, that they
were always to be inftru6led in the meaning of
that ftonage at Gilgal, as a memorial of4r. But
we were never taught it, when we were children ;
nor did ever teach our children any fuch thing.
And it is not likely that could have been forgot-
ten, while fo remarkable a ftonage did continue,
which was fet up for that and no other end !
And if, for the reafons before given, no fuch
impofition could be put upon us as to the ftonage
in Salifbury-Plain; how much lefs could it be
to the ftonage at Gilgal?
And if where we know not the reafon of a
bire naked monument, fuch a ftiam reafon can-
not be impofed, how much more is it impoffible
to impofe upon us in aftions and obfervances,
which we celebrate in memory of particular paf-
fages ? How impoftible to make us forget thofe
paffages which we daily commemorate; and
perfuade us, that- we had always kept fuch in-
ftitutions in memory of what we never heard of
before ; that is, that we knew it, before we
knew it !
And if we find it thus impoffible for an im-
pofition to be put upon us, even in fome things
which have not all the four marks before-men-
tioned ; how much more impoffible is it, that
B 4 any
32 Leflie on Deifm.
any deceit fhould be in that thing where all the
four marks do meet !
This has been (hewed in the firft place, as to
the matters of faft of Mofes.
2. Therefore I come now (fecondly) to (hew,
that as in the matters of fa6l of Mofes, folikewife
all thefe four marks do meet in the matters of
faft, which are recorded in the Gofpel of our
ble(red Saviour. And my work herein will be
the (horter,becaufeall that is faid before of Mofes
and his books, is every way as applicable to
Chrift and his Gofpel. His works and his mi-
racles are there faid to be done publicly in the
face of the world, as he argued to his accufers,
" I fpake openly to the world, and in fecret have
" I faid nothing," John xviii. 20. It is told,
Adls ii. 4I5 that ihree thoufand at one time; and,
A6ls iv. 4, that above (ive thoufand at another
time, were converted, upon convi6lion of what
themfelves had feen, what had been done pub-
licly before their eyes, wherein it was impo(rible
to have impofed upon them. Therefore here
were the two lirft of the rules before-men-
tioned.
Then for the two fecond : Baptifm and the
Lord's Supper were inftituted as perpetual memo-
rials of thefe things; and they were not inftituted
in after ages, but at the very time when thefe
things were faid to be done; and have been ob-
ferved
Leflie on Deifm. 3.3,
ferved without interruption, in all ages through
the whole Chriftian world, down all the way
from that time to this. And Chrifl: himfelf did
ordain apoflles and other minifters of his Gofpel,
to preach and adminifter the facraments; and ta
govern his church : and that always, even unto
the end of the world *. Accordingly they have
continued by regular fucceffion, to this day : and,,
no doubt, ever fhall, while the earth fliall lalt^
So that the Chriftian clergy are as notorious a
matter of fa6l, as the tribe of Levi among the
Jews. And the Gofpel is as much a law to the
Chriftians, as the book of Mofes to the Jews i
and it being part of the matters of fa£l related in
the Gofpel, that fuch an order of men were ap-
pointed by Chrift, and to continue to the end of
the world; confequently, if the Gofpel was a
fiftion, and invented (as it muft be) in fome
ages after Chrift ; then, at that time when it was
firft invented, there could be no fuch order of
clergy, as derived themfelves from the inftitution
of Chrift; which muft: give the lye to the Gofpel,
and demonftrate the whole to be falfe. And the
matters of faft of Chrift being preifed to be true,
no otherwife than as there was at that time Twhen-
ever the Deifts will fuppofe the Gpfpel to be
forged) not only public facraments of Chrift 's
* Matt, xvlii, zo*.
B ^ inftitu^
34 Leflie on Deifm,
inftitution, but an order of clergy, likewife of
his appointment to adminifter ihenn : and it beings
impoffible there could be any fuch thinos before
they were invented, it is as impoffible that they
fhould be received when invented. And there-
fore, by what was faid above, it was as impoffible
to have impofed upon mankind in this matter,
by inventing of it in after-ages, as at the time
when thofe things were faid to be done.
3. The matters of fafl of Mahomet, or what
is fabled of the deities, do all want fome of the
aforefaid four rules, whereby the certainty of
matters of faft is demonftrated. Firft, for Ma-
homet, he pretended to no miracles, as he tells
us in his Alcoran, c. 6, Sec. and thofe which are
commonly told of him pafs among the Mahome-
tans themfelves, but as legendary fables : and,
as fuch, are rejected by the wife and learned
among them; as the legends of their faints are
in the church of Rome. See Dr. Prideaux's
Life of Mahomet, page 34.
But, in the next place, thofe which are told
of him, do all want the two firft rules before-
mentioned. For his pretended converfe with the
moon : his merfa, or night journey from Mecca
to Jerufalem, and thence to heaven, &c. wer«
not performed before any body. We have onl/
his own word for them. And they are as ground-
Jefs as the delufions of the Fox or Muggleton
among
8
I.eflie ok Deifm.
among ourfelves. The fame is to be faid (in the
fecond place) of the fables of the heathen gods>
of Mercury's ftealing flieep, Jupiter's turning
himfelf into a bull, and the like; befides the folly
and unworthinefs of fuch fenfelefs pretended
miracles. And moreover the wife among the
heathen did reckon no otherwife of thefe but as
fables, which had a mythology, or myftical mean-
ing in them, of which feveral of them have given
us the rationale or explication. And it is plaih
enough that Ovid meant no other by all his Me-
tamorphofes.
It is true, the heathen deities had their priefts :
they had likewife feafls, games, and other public
inftitulions in memory of them. But all thefe
want the fourth mark, viz. that fuch priefthood
and inftitutions fhould commence from the time
that fuch things as they commemorate were faid
to be done; otherwife they cannot fecure after
ages from the impofture, by dete6ling it, at the
time when firft invented, as hath been argued
before. But the Bacchanalia, and other heathen
feafts, were inftituted many ages after what was
reported of thefe gods was faid to be done, and
therefore can be no proof. And the priefts of
Bacchus, Apollo, &c. were not ordained by
thefe fuppofed gods : but were appointed by-
others, in after ages, only in honour to them.
And tlierefore ihefe orders of priefts are no evi-
B 6 der^ce
36 Lt{[ie OH Dei/m.
dence to the matters of fa£t which are reported
of their gods.
IV. Now to apply what has been faid. You
may challenge all the Deifts in the world to fhew
any a£lion that is fabulous, which has all the four
rules or marks before-mentioned. No, it is im-
poffible. And (to refume a little what is fpoke
to before) the hiftories of Exodus and the Gofpel
never could have been received, if they had not
been true; becaufe the inftitution of the prieft-
hood of Levi, and of Chrift; of the Sabbath,
the Paflbver, of Circumcifion, of Baptifm, and
the Lord's Supper, Sec, are there related, as
defcending all the way down from thofe times,
without interruption. And it is full as impoflible
to perfuade men that they had been circumcifed
or baptized, had circumcifed or baptized their
children, celebrated pafTovers, fabbaths, facra-
ments, <&:c. under the government and adminif-
tration of a certain order of priefls, if they had
done none of thefe things, as to make them be-
lieve that they had gone through feas upon dry
Jand, feen the dead raifed, &c. And without
believing thefe, it was impoflible that either the
iaw or the gofpel could have been received.
And the truth of the matters of fad of Exodus
and the gofpel, being no otherwife preffed upon
men, than as they have pra6lifed fuch public
mftitutions, it is appealing to the fenfes of man-
kind
Leflie on Dei/m, 37
kind for the truth of them ; and makes it ira-
poflible for any to have invented fuch (lories in
after ages, without a palpable deteftion of the
cheat when firft invented ; as impoflible as to
have impofed upon the fenfesof mankind, at
the time when fuch public matters of fad were
faid to be done,
V. I do not fay, that every thing which wants
thefe four marks is falfe : but, that nothing can
be falfe, which has them all.
I have no manner of doubt that there was
fuch a man as Julius Casfar, that he fought at
Pharfalia, was killed in the fenate-houfe, and
many other matters of fa£l of ancient times,
thoiigh we keep no public obfervances in me-
mory of them.
But this fhews that the matters of fa6l of
Mofes and of Chrift, have come down to us
better guarded than any other matters of fa£l,
how true foever.
And yet our Deifts, who would laugh any
man out of the world as an irrational brute, that
(hould offer to deny Ca^far or Alexander, Ho-
mer or Virgil, their public works and adions,
do, at the fame time, value themfelves as the
only men of wit and fenfe, of free, generous,
and unbiaffed judgments for ridiculing the hif-
tories of Mofes and Chrift, that are infinitely
better attefted, and guarded with infallible marks
which the others want,
VL Befides
^S- Leflie on Deifm.
VI. Befides that the importance of the fub-
je6l would oblige all men to enquire more nar-
rowly into the one than the other: for what
confequence is it to me, or to the world, whe-
ther there was fuch a man as Casfar, whether he
beat, or was beaten at Pharfalia, whether Ho-
mer or Virgil wrote fach books, and whethet
what is related in the Iliads or y£neids 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 oppofe
or juftify the truth of thefe 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 thefe, than of any other matters of
facl ; 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 laft
importance to them.
How unreafonable then is it to reje6l thefe
matters of fa6t, fo fifced, fo examined, and fo
attefted as no other matters of faft in the world
ever were; and yet to think it the moft highly
unreafonable, even to madnefs, to deny other
matters of fa8:, which have not the thoufandth
part of their evidence, and are of no confequence
at all to us whether true or falfe \
VII. There
Lertie on Deifm. 33
VII. There are feveral other topics, from
whence the truth of the Chriftian Religion is
evinced to all who will judge by reafon, and
give themfelves leave to confider. As the im-
probability that ten or twelve poor illiterate
fifhermen fliould form a defign of converting
the whole world to believe their delufionsj and
the impofTibility of their efFefling it, without
force of arms, learning, oratory, or any one vi-
fible thing that could recommend them ! And
to impofe a dotlrine quite oppofite to the lulls
and pleafures of men, and all worldly advantages
or enjoyments ! And this in an age of fo great
learning and fagacity as that wherein the Gofpel
was firft preached ! That thefc apoftles fhould
not only undergo all the fcorn and contempt,
but the fevered perfecutions and moft cruel
deaths that could be infliBed, 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 themfelves knew
to be lies. And the apoftles muft know what
they thought to be lies, if it was fo, becaufo
ihey fpoke of thofe things which, they faid,
they had both feen and heard, had looked upon
and handled with their hands, &:c *.
* Afts iv, 20. I John i. \,
Neither
40 Leflie on Beifm.
Neither can it be, that they, perhaps, might
have propofed fome temporal advantages to
themfelves, but miffed of them, and met with
fufferings inftead of them : for, if it had been
fo, it is more than probable, that when they
faw their difappointment, they would have dif-
covered their confpiracy ; efpecially when they
might not have only faved their lives, but got
great rewards for doing of it. That not one
of them fhould ever have been brought to do
this.
But this is not all ; for they tell us that their
Mafter bid them expeft nothing but fufferings
in this world. This is the tenure of that Gofpel
which they taught ; and they told the fame to
all whom they converted. So that here was no
difappointment.
For all that were converted by them, were
converted upon the certain expe8:ation of fuf-
ferings, and bidden prepare for it. Chrift
commanded his difcipies to take up their crofs
daily, and follow him; and told them, that in
the world they ffiould have tribulation; that
whoever did not forfake father, mother, wife,
children, lands, and their very lives, could not
be his difcipies ; that he who fought to fave his
life in this world, fliould lofe it in the next.
Now that this defpifed dodrine of the crofs
ihould prevail fo univerfally againft the allure-
ments
Leilie on Detftfi. 4T
ments of flefh and blood, and all the biandifli-
raents of this world; againll the rage and per-
fecution of all the kings and powers of the earth,
muft fhew its original to be divine, and its pro-
teftor almighty. What is it elfe could conquer
without arms; perfuade without rhetoric ; over-
come enemies ; difarm tyrants; and fubdue em-
pires without oppofition !
VIII. We may add to all this, theteftimonies
of the moft bitter enemies and perfecutors of
Chriftianity, both Jews and Gentiles, to the
truth of the matter of fad of Chrift, fuch as
Jofephus and Tacitus ; of which the firfl flou-
rifhed 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
fa6l ilfeif of Chrift : but their confeffing to it,
as likewife Lucian, Celfus, Porphyry, and Ju-
lian the apoftate ; the Mahometans fince, and
all other enemies of Chriftianity that havearifen
in the world, is an undeniable atteftation to the
truth of the matter of fad.
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 woid, that is proof, than what
he
4« Leflie on Deifm.
he faw and heard upon the Holy Mount, when
our blefTed Saviour was transfigured before him
and two other of the apoftles : for having re-
peated that pafTage as a proof of that whereof
they were eye witnefTes, and heard the voice
from heaven giving atteftation to our Lord
Chrift, 2 Pet. i. 16, 17, 18. he fays, verfe 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
exaClly fulfilled in him.
Men may difpute an impofition or delufion
upon our outward fenfes. But how that can
be faHe, 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 Me-
thod with the Jews. And even the Deifts muft
confefs, that that book we call the Old Tefta-
ment, 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 MefTiah, with
the fulfilling of them, as to time, place, and
all other circumftances in the perfon, birth,
life, death, refurreftion and afcenfion of ovir
blefled Saviour, will find this proof what our
apoftle
Leflre on Deifm. 43
apoftle here calls it, *' a light fhining 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 contrived to countenance a new
cheat: and nothing could be a cheat, that could
fulfil all thefe.
For this therefore I refer the Deifts to th«
Method with the Jews.
I defire them likewife to look there, feQ. xi.
and confider the prophecies given fo long ago,
of which they fee the fulfilling at this day with
their own eyes, of the ftate of the Jews for
raany ages paft and at prefent, without a king
or prieft, 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
diftin6l people from all others of the whole
earth. Whereas thofe mighty monarchies
which opprefled the Jews, and which com-
manded the world in their turns, and had the
greateft human profpeft 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 blefT-
ed Saviour, concerning the prefervation and
progrefs of the Chriftian church, when in her
fwaddling
44 LeQ'ie on Dei/'m.
Twaddling cloaths, confifting only of a few poor/
fifhermen. Not by the fvvord, as that of Ma-
homet, but under all the perfeculion of men
and hell : which yet fhould not prevail againft
her.
But though I oflTer thefe, as not to be flighted
by the Deifts, to which they can fhew nothing
equal in all prophane hiftory, and in which it
is impoflible 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 Mef-
fiah, which have been fmce the world began.
And that general expectation of the whole
earth, at the time of his coming, infilled upon
in the Method with the Jews, fed. 5, is gready
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 autho«
rity.
I mean, if it were poflible that a true miracle
could be wrought in contradi6lion to them : for
that would be for God to contradift himfelf.
But no fign or wonder, that could pofTibly be
folved, fhould fliake this evidence.
It is this that keeps the Jews in their obfli-
nacy ; though they cannot deny the matters of
fa6l done by ourbleffed Saviour to be truly mi-
racles, if fo donp as faid. Nor can they deny
that
Leflie on Deifm, ^^
that they were fo done, becaufe they have all
the- four marks before-mentioned. Yet they
cannot yield ! Why ? Becaufe they think that
the Gofpcl is in contradiclion to the law;
which, if it were, the confequence would be
unavoidable, that both could not be true. To
folve this, is the bufinefs of the Method with
the Jews. But the contradiftion which they
fuppofe, is in their comments that they put
upon the law; efpecially they expe6l a literal
fulfilling of thofe promifes of the reftoration 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 Pro-
phets. And many Chriftians do expe6l the
fame, and take thofe 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
miraculoufly preferved, according to the pro*
phecies fo long before of it. And when that
time fhall come, as they are the mod honour-
able and ancient of all the nations on the earth,
fo will their church return to be the mother
Chriftian church asfhe was at firftj and Rome
muft furrender 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 muft
be, when the fulnefs of the Gentiles fliall meet
with
46 Leflie on Deifm.
with the converfion of the [ews. For no na-
tion will then contend with the [ews, nor
church with Jerufalem for fupremacy. AJl
nations will be ambitious to draw their original
from the Jews, " whofe are the fathers and
'* from whom, as concerning the fiefh, Chrift
«' came."
Then will be fulfilled that outward gran-
deur and reftoration of the Jews and of Jeru-
falem, which they expe61;, purfuant to the pro-
phecies.
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 beginning;
for they expefl: to go through great confli61:s
and trials with their MelTiah (as the Chriflian
church has done) before his final conqueft, and
that they come to reign with him. So that this
is no obftrudion to their embracing of Chriftia-
nity. They fee the fame things fulfilled in us,
which they expeft themfelves; and we expe8;
the fame things they do*
I tell this to the Deifts, left they may think
that the Jews have fome ftronger arguments
than they know of, that they are not perfuaded
by the miracles of our blefled Saviour, and by
the fulfilling of all the prophecies in him, that
were made-concerning the Meffiah.
As
Leflie e« Deifm. i^
As I faid before, I would not plead even mi-
racles againd thefe.
And if this is fufficient to perfuade a Jew,
it is much more fo to a Deifl:, who labours not
under thefe objefclions.
Befides, I would not feem to clafh with that
(in a found fenfe) reafonable caution ufed by
Chriftian writers, not to put the ifTue of the truth
wholly upon miracles, without this addition,
when not done in a contradi6lion to the revela-
tions already given in the Holy Scriptures.
And they do it upon this confideration, that
though it is impoffible to fuppofe that God-
would work a real miracle, in contradi6lion to
what he has already revealed ; yet, men may
be impofed upon by falfe and feeming miracles,
and pretended reveUtions, (as there are many
examples, efpecially in the church of Rome)
and fo may be fhaken in the faith, if they keep
not to the Holy Scriptures as their rule.
We are told, 2 ThefT. ii. 9, '* of him whofe
" coming is after the working of Satan, with^
" all power and figns, and lying wonders."
And Rev. xiii. 14. xvi. 14, and xix. 20. of.
the devil, and falfe prophets working miracles.
But the word, in all thefe places, is only '1.%^1'ix^
S4gm, that is, as it is rendered, Matti xxv. 24,
which, though fometimes it may be ufedto fig*>
nify real, miracles, yet not; always, not in thele
places.
^8 Leflie on Deifm,
places. For though every miracle be a figii
and a wonder, yet every fign or wonder is not a
miracle.
X. Here it may be proper to confider a
common topic of the Deifts, who, when they
are not able to (land out againft the evidence
of faft, that fuch and fuch miracles hav^e been
done, then turn about, and deny fuch things to
be miracles, at lead we can never be fure whe-
ther any wonderful thing that is fhewn to us be
a true or a falfe miracle.
And the great argument they go upon is this,
thai a miracle being that which exceeds the
power of nature, we cannot know what exceeds
it, unlefs we knew the utmoft extent of the
power of nature ; and no man pretends to know
that, therefore that no man can certainly know
whether any event be miraculous; and, confe-
quently, he may be cheated in his judgment be-
twixt true and falfe miracles.
To which I anfwer, that men may be fo
cheated, and there are many examples of it.
But that though we may not alwa\ s know
when we are cheated, yet' we can certainly tell,
in many cafes, when we are not cheated,
. For though we do not know the utmoft ex-
tent of the power of nature, perhaps in any
one thing ; yet it does not follow that we know
not the nature of any thing in fome meafure ;
and
Leflie on Dei/m. 49
anch:hat certainly too. For example, though I
do not know the utmofl; extent of the power of
fire, yet I certainly know that it is the nature of
fire to burn; and that when proper fuel is admi«
niftered ta it, it is contrary to the nature of fire
not to confume it. Therefore, if I fee three
men taken off thcflreet, in their common wear-
ing apparel, and without any preparation caft
into the midft of a burning fiery furnace, and
that the flame was fo fierce that it burnt up
thofe men that threw them in, and yet that
thefe who were thrown in fliould walk up and
down in die bottom of the furnace, and I Ihould
fee a fourth perfon with them of glorious ap-
pearance, like the Son of God. And that thefe
men fliould come up again out of the furnace,
without any harm, or fo much as the fmell of
fire upon themfelves or their clothes, I could not
be deceived in thinking that there w^as a ftop put
to the nature of fire, as to thefe men ; and that
it had its effeft upon the men whom it burned,
at the fame time.
Again : though -I cannot tell how wonderful
and fudden an increafe of corn might be pro-
duced by the concurrence of many caufes, as a
warm climate, the fertility of the foil, &:c. yet
this I can certainly know, that there is not that
natural force in the breath of two or three words,
fpoken to multiply one fmall loaf of bread fo
C faft,
50 'LqIMc on Dei/}n, '
faft, in the breaking of it, as truly and really, .,
not only in appearance and fnew to the eye,
but to fill the bellies of feveral thoufand hungry
perfons j and that the fragments fiiould be much
more than the bread was at firft.
So neither in a word fpoken, to raife the dead,
cure difeafe.s &c.
Therefore, though we know not the utmofl
extent of the power of nature; yet we certainly
know what is contrary to the nature of feveral
fuch things as we do know.
And therefore, though we may be cheated,
and impofed upon in many feeming miracles and
wonders ; yet there arc fome things wherein we
may be certain.
But further, the Deifls acknowledge a God of
an Almighty power, who made all things.
Yet they would put it out of his power to
make any revelation of his will to mankind.
For if we cannot be certain of any miracle, how
ihould we know when God fent any thing extra-
ordinary to us ?
Nay, how fhouldwe know the ordinary power
of nature, if we know not what exceeded it?
If we know not what is natural, how do we
know there is fuch a thing as nature ? That all
is not fupernatural, ail miracles, and fo difpufa-
ble, till we come to downright fcepticifm, and
doubt the certainty of our outward fenfes, whe-
ther
Leilie on Deifm, 5^
tlier we fee, hear, or feel ; or all be not a mira-
culous iliufion !
Which, becaufe I know the Deifls are not
inclined to do, therefore I will return to purfue
my argument upon the conviclion of our out-
ward fenfes, defiring only this, that they would
allow the fenfes of other men to be as certain
as their own ; which they cannot refufe, fince
without this they can have no certainty of their
own.
XI. Therefore, from what has been faid, the
caufe is fummed up fliortly in this ; that though
v.'e cannot fee what was done before our time,
yet by the marks which I have laid down con-
cerning the certainty of matters of fa6l done be-
fore our time, we may be as much affured of
the truth of them, as if we faw them with our
eyes; becaufe wh^.tever matter of fa6t has all
the four marks before-mentioned, could never
have been invented and received but upon the
conviction of the outward fenfes of all thofe who^
did receive it, as before is demonflratcd. And
therefore this topic which I have chofen, does
ftand upon the convitlion even of men's outward
fenfes. And fmceyou have confined me to one
topic, I have not infifted upon the other, whici^
I have only named,
XII. And now it lies upon the Deifts, if they
would appear as men of reafon, io fhew ^om^
c 2 matter
52 Ltdie on Dej/m.
matter of fa8 of former ages, which they allow
to be true, that has greater evidence of its truth,
than the matters of fad of Mofes and of Chrift ;
otherwifethey cannot, with any fhewof reafon,
Teje6l the one, and yet admit of the other.
But I have given them greater latitude than
this, for I have fliewn fuch marks of the truth
of the matters of faft of Mofes and of Chrift ;
as no other matters of fadl of thofe times, how-
ever true, have, but thefe only : and I put it
upon them to fliew any forgery that has all thefe
marks.
This is a fhort iffue. Keep them clofe to this.
This determines the caufe all at once.
Let them produce their ApoHonius Tyanseus,
whofe life was put into English by the execrable
Charles Blount *■, and compared with all the wit
and
* The hand of that fcorner, which durft write fuch out.
rageous blafphemy againft his Maker, the Divine Ven-
geance has made his own executioner. Which I would
not have mentioned (becaufe the like judgment has be-
fallen others) but that the Theiftical Club have fet this up
as a principle, and printed a vindication of this fame
Blount for murdering himfelf, by way of juftification of
felf-murder ; which fome of them hav<. fince, as well as
formerly, horridly praflifed upon thernfelvfis. Therefore
this is no common judgment to which they are delivered,
but a vifible mark fet upon them, to fiiew how far God
has forfakeu them; and as a caution to all Chriftians, to
beware
Leflie on Deifm, 53
and malice he was raafter oF, to the life and mi-
racles of our bielTed Saviour.
Let them take aid from all the legends in
the Church of Rome, thofe pious cheats, the
foreft difgraces of Chriflianity ; and which have
bid the faireft of any one contrivance, to over-
turn the certainty of the miracles of Chrift and
his apoftles, the whole truth of the Gofpel,
by putting them all upon the fame foot : at leaft
they are fo underftood by the generality of their
devotees, though difowned and laughed at by
the learned, and men of fenfe among them.
Let them pick, and choofe the mod probable
of all the fables of the heathen deities, and fee
if they can find in any of ihcfe, the four marks
before-mentioned.
Otherwife let them fubmit to the irrefragable
certainty of the Chriftian religion.
XIIL But if, notwithftanding all that is faid,
the Deifls, will ftill contend that all this is but
priefl-craft, the invention of priefts for their
own profit. Sec. then they will give us an idea
^of priefts, far different from what they intend :
for then we mull look upon thefe priefts, not
only as the cunningeft and wifeft of mankind,
beware of them, and not to come near the tents of thefe
wicked men, left they perilh in their deftrudion, both of
foul and body.
c 3 but
M Ledie en Dei/m.
but we fiiall be attempted to adore them as Dei-
ties, who h<ive fuch power as to impofe at their
pleafure, upon the fenfes of mankind, to make
them believe that they had pra6'lired fuch pub-
Jick inftitutions, enaded them by laws, taught
them to their children, &c. when they had
never done any of thefe things, or ever fo nluch
as heard of them before: and then, upon the
credit of their believing that they had done fuch
things as they never did, to make them further
believe, upon the fame foundation, whatever
they pleafed to impofe upon them, as to former
ages : I fay, fuch a power as this mud exceed
all that is human; and confequently make us
rank thefe priefls far above the condition of
mortals.
2. Nay, this were to make them outdo all
that has ever been related of the infernal powers :
for though their legerdemain has extended to
deceive fome unwary beholders, and their power
of working fome feeming miracles has been
great, yet it never reached nor ever was fup-
pofed to reach fo far, as to deceive the fenfes of
all mankind, in matters of fuch public and no-
torious nature as thofe of which we now fpeak,
to make them believe, that they had enabled laws
for fuch public obfervances, continually praQifed
them, taught them to their children, and had
been inftruded in them themfelves, from their
childhood,
htil'ie on Dei/m. 55
childhood, if they had never enabled, praQifed,
taught, or been taught fuch things.
3. And as this exceeds all the power of hell
and devils, fo is it more than ever God Al-
mighty has done fince the foundation of the
world. None of the miracles that he has fhewn,
or belief which he has required to any thing
that he has revealed, has ever contraditled the
outward fenfes of any one man in the world,
much iefs of all mankind together. For mi-
racles being appeals to our outward fenfes, if
they fhould overthrow the certainty of our out-
ward fenfes, muft deftroy with it all their own
certainty as to us; fince we have no other way
to judge of a miracle exhibited to our fenfes,
than upon the fuppofition of the certainty of our
fenfes, upon which we give credit to a miracle,
that is (hewn to our fenfes.
4. This, by the way, is yet an nnanfwered ar^
gument againftthe miracle of tranfubftantiation-,
and fhews the weaknefs of the defence which
the Church of Rome offers for ir, (from whom
the Socinians have licked it up, an-d of late
have gloried much in it amon.i^ft us) that the
doftrines of the Trinity or Incarnation contain
as great feeming abfurdities as that of Tranfub-
ftantiation : for I would afk, which of our
fenfes it is which the dodrines of the Trinity
or Incarnation do contradi6l ? Is it our feeing,
c 4 hearing,
$6 Leflie 0}i Tieifnu
hearing, feeling, taftc, orfmell ? Whereas Tran-
-fubftantiation does contradid all thefe. There-
fore the comparifon is exceedingly fliort, and out
of purpofe. But to return.
If the Chriftian religion be a cheat, and no*
thing el fe but the invention of priefts, and car-
ried on by their craft, it makes their power and
wifdom greater than that of men, angels, or
devils; and more than God himfelf ever yet
fhewed orexprefTed, to deceive and impofe upon
the fenfes of mankind, in fuch public and noto-
rious matters of faft.
XIV. And this miracle, which the Deifls muft
run into to avoid thefe recorded of Mofes and
Chrifl:, is much greater and more aftonifhing
than all the Scriptures tell of them.
So that thefe men who laugh at all miracles
are now obliged to account for the greateft of
all, how the fenfes of mankind could be impofed
upon in fuch public matters of faft.
And how then can they make the priefts the
mod contemptible of all mankind, lince they
make them the fole authors of this the greateft
of miracles !
XV. And fince the Deifts (thefe men of fenfe
and reafon) have fo vile and mean an idea of
the priefts of all religions, why do they not re-
cover the world out of the pofleffion and go-
vernment of fuch blockheads ? Why do they
fuffcr
Lefiie on Deiftn. 57
fuffer kings and ftates to be led by tbenn ; to
eftablifii their deceits by laws, and inflict penal-
ties upon the oppofers of them ? Let the Deifts
try their hands ; they have been trying, and are
now bufy about it. And free liberty they have.
Yet have they not prevailed, nor ever yet did
prevail in any civilized or generous nation. And
though they have fonne inroads among the Hot-
tentots, and fome other the moft brutal part of
mankind, yet are they (till exploded, and prielt?
have and do prevail againft them, among not
' only the greateft, but beft part of the world, and
the moft glorious for arts, learning, and war.
XVI. For as the devil does ape God, in his
inftitutions of religion, his feafts, facrifices, &:c.
folikewife in his priefts, without whom no re-
ligion, whether true or falfe, can ftand. Falfe
religion is but a corruption of the true. The
true was before it, though it be followed clofe
upon the heels.
The revelation made to Mofes is elder than
any hiilory extant in the heathen world. The
heathens, in imitation of him, pretended like-
wife to their revelations : but I have given thofe
marks which diftinguifh them from the true :
none of them have thofe four marks before-
mentioned.
Now the Deifts think all revelations to be
equally pretended, and a cheat -, and the priefts
c 5 ,0-f
^^ Leflle on Deifnu
of all religions to be the fame contrivers and
jugglers; and therefore they proclaim war equally
againft all, and are equally engaged to bear the
brunt of all.
And if the contefl be only betwixt the Deifls
and the priefls, which of them are the men of
the greateft parts and fenfe, let the effects deter-
mine it; and let the Deifts yield the viftory to
their conquerors, who, by their own confeflionj
carry all the world before them.
XVII. If the Deifts fay, that this is becaufe
all the world are blockhead^s, as well as thofe
priefts who govern them; that all the block-
heads except the Deifts, who vote themfelves
only to be men of fenfe ; this (befides the mo-
defty of it) will fpoil their great and beloved
topic, in behalf of what they call Natural Re-
ligion, againft the revealed, viz. appealing to
the common reafon of mankind ; this they fet
up againft revelation ; think this to be fufficient
for all the ufes of men, here or hereafter, (if
there be any after ftate) and therefore that there
is no ufe of revelation : this common reafon they
advance as infallible, at leaft as the furcft guide,
yet now cry out upon it, when it turns againft
them ; when this common reafon runs after re-
velation, (as it always has done) then common
reafon is a beaft, and we muft look for reafon,
not from the common fentiments of mankindj^
but only among the beau.^, the Deifts,
3 XVIU,
Leflie on Deifm, 59
XVIII. Therefore, if the Deifls would avoid
the mortification (which will be very uneafy to
them) to yield and fubmit to be fubdued and
hewed down before the priefts, whom of all
mankind they hate and defpife; if they would
avoid this, let them confefs, as the truth is^
that religion is no invention of priefts, but of
divine original ; that priefts were inftituted by
the fame author of religion ; and that their order
is a perpetual and living monument of the mat«
ters of fa6t of their religion, inftituted from the
time that fuch matters of fa£l were faid to be
done, as the Levites from Mofes, the Apofties
and fucceeding Clergy from Chrift, to this day 5
that no heathen priefts can fay the fame; they
were not appointed by the gods whom thev
ferved, but by others in after ages ; they can-
not ftand the teft of the four rules before-men-
tioned, which the Chriftian priefts can do, and
they only. Now the Chriftian priefthood aa
inftituted by Chrift himfelt^ and continued by
fucceffion to this day, being as impregnable and
flagrant a teftimony to the truth of the matters;
of fad of Chrift, as the Sacraments, or any other
public inftitutions; befides that, if the prieft-
hood were taken away, the facraments and other
public inftitutions^ which are adminiftered by
their hands, muft fall with them : therefore the- ■
devil has been moft bufy, and bent his CTreateft
^ ^ force:
6o Lcflie on Deifm.
force in all ages againft the priefthood, knowing
tliat if that goes down all goes with it,
XIX. With the Deifts, in this caufe, are
joined the Quakers and other of our DifiTenters,
who throw off the fucceffion of our priefthood,
(by which only it can be demonftrated) together
Mith the facraments and public feftivals. And if
the devil could have prevailed to have thefe
dropi, the Chriftianrcligionwould lofe thenioft
undeniable and demonftrative proof for the truth
of the matter of fa61; of our Saviour, upon which
(he truth of his do6lrine does depend. There-
fore we may fee the artifice and malice of the
devil, in all thefe attempts. And let thofe
wretched inllruments whom he ignoranily (and
Ibme by a mifguided zeal J has deluded thus to
undetermine Chriftianity, now at laft look back
and fee the fnare in which they have been taken :
for if they had prevailed, or ever fhould, Chrif-
lianity dies with them. At leaft it will be ren=
dered precarious, as a thing of which no certain
proof can be given. Therefore let thofe of
them who have any zeal for the truth, blefs
God that they have not prevailed : and quickly
Jeave them s and let all others be aware of
them.
And let us confider and honour the priefthood,
facraments, and other public inftitutions of
Chrift, not only as a means of grace and helps
to
LeOie on Deifm, 6i
to devotion, but as the great evidences of the
Chriftian religion.
Such evidences as no pretended revelation
ever had, or can have. Such as do plainly dif-
tinguifh it from all foolifh legends and impoftures
whatfoever.
XX. And now, laft of all, if one word of
advice would not be loft upon men who think
fo unmeafurably of themfelves as the Deifts,
you may reprefent to them what a condition
they are in, who fpend that life and fenfe which
God has given them, in ridiculing the greateft
of his bleffings, his revelations of Chrift, and
by Chrift, to redeem thofe from eternal mifery,
who fhall believe in him, and obey his laws.
And that God, in his wonderful mercy and wif-
dom, has fo guarded his revelations, as that it
is paft the power of men or devils to counterfeit:
and that there is no denying of them, unlefs
we will be fo abfurd as to deny not only the rea-
fon but the certainty of the outward fenfes, not
only of one, or two, or three, but of mankind
in general. That this cafe is fo very plain, that
nothing but want of thought can hinder any
to difcover it. That they muft yield it to be
fo plain, unlefs they can fhew fome forgery
which has all the four marks before fet down.
But if they cannot do this, they muft quit their
caufej and yield a happy victory over them-
felves :
62 Lcflie on Deifm.
felves : or elfe (it down under all that ignominy,
with which they have loaded the priefts, of
being, not only the mofl pernicious, but (what
will gall them more) the mod inconfiderate and
inconfiderable of mankind.
Therefore, let them not think it an under-
valuing of their worthinefs, that their whole
caufe is comprifed within fo narrow a compafs :
and no more time beftowcd upon it than it is
worth.
But let them rather refleft how far they have
been all this time from Chriftianity ; whofe ru-
diments they are yet to learn ! How far from
the way of falvation ! How far the race of their
lives is run before they have fet one ilep in the
road to heaven. And therefore, how much di-
ligence they ought to ufe, to redeem all that
time they have loft, left they lofe them felves for
ever; and be convinced, by a dreadful expe-
rience, when it is too late, that the Gofpel is a
truth, and of the la ft conXequence.
A LJtTTSJR.
LETTER
FBOM TRB
AUTHOR OF THE SHORT METHOD WITH
THE DEISTS.
SIR,
I HAVE reaa over your papers with great
fatisfaftion, and I heartily blefs God with
you, and for you, that he has had mercy upon
you, and opened your eyes, to fee the wondrous
things of his law, to convince you of thofe irre-
fragable proofs he has afforded for the truth
and authority of the Holy Scriptures, fuch as
no other writings upon earth can pretend to, and
which are incompatible with any forgery or
deceit. He has given you likewife that true
fpirit of repentance to bring forth the fruits
thereof^; that is, to make what fatisfa6lion you
can for the injuries you have done to religion,
by anfwering what has been publifhed formerly
by
64. ^ A Letter from the fame Author.
by yourfelf againfl it ; and being converted, you
endeavour to ftrengthen your brethren*
I. Creation.
You have laid the true foundation of the
being of God, againft the Atheift ; of his crea«
tion of the world, and providence, againfl the
afierters of blind chance. If all be chance, theft
their thoughts are fo too ; and there is no rea-
foning or argument in the world.
Others, becaufe they know not what to fay,
fuppofe the world, and all things in it, to have
been from eternity, and to have gone on, as now,
in a conftant fucccffion of men begetting men,
trees fpringing from trees, &:c, without any be-
ginning. ^
But if it was always as it is now, then every
thing had a beginning, every man, bird, beaft,
tree, &c. And what has a beginning, cannot
be without a beginning.
Therefore, as it is evident that nothing can
make itfelf, it is equally evident that a fuccef-
fion of things made muft have a beginning. A
fuccefTion of beginnings cannot be without a be-
ginning; for that would be literally a beginning
without a beginning, which is a contradiftion m
terms.
II. Pro-
A Letter from the fame Author, 6^
,',' . II. Providence.
And to' deny Providence in die firft caufc, is
the denvin^f of a God : whence we had our
providence ? For we find we have a providence
to forecaft and contrive how to preferve and
govern that which we make or acquire : there-
fore there mufl be a providence much more
eminently in God, to preferve and govern all
the works which he has made. He that made
the eye, does he not fee ? And he who put
providence into the heart of man, has he none
himfeif ?
And the glory of his wifdom and pov;er feems
greater to us in the a6ts of his providence than
even in thofe of creation, efpecially in his go-
verning the a6lions of free agents, without taking
from them the freedom of their will to do as they
lift, and turning their very evil into good by
the almightinefs of his wifdom. We fee great
part of this every day before our eyes, in his
turning the councils of the wife into foolifhnefs,
and trapping the wicked in the works of their
own hands. This ftrikes us more fenfibly,
and is nearer to us than the making of a tree
or a ftar; and we feel that over-ruling power in
his providence, which we contemplate in his
creation.
When
66 A Letter from the fame Author,
When the fins of men are increafed to pro-
voke God to take vengeance, he permits the
Ipirit of fury to incline their wills to war and
deltru6lion of each other, and nation rifes up
againft nation ; and when in his mercy he thinks
the punifhment is fufficient, he calms their rage
like the roaring of the fea, and there is peace.
And they are fo free agents in all this, that they
think it is all their own doing ; and fo really it
is, though under the unfeen direftion of a fup-
rior power.
But not only in the public tranfaBions of the
world his providence is obfervable; there is no
man who has taken notice of his own life, but
muft find it as to his very private affairs, a
thought fometimes darling into his mind to rid
him out of a difficulty, or fhew him an advan-
tage, which he could not find in much confi-
dering before. At other times a man's mind is
fo clouded as if his eyes were fliut, that he can-
not fee his way. Again, feveral events which
he thought moft funeft, and his utter ruin, he
finds afterwards to be much for the beft, and that
he had been undone if that had not happened
which he feared. On the other hand, many
things which he thought for his great benefit,
he has found to be for his hurt. This fhewsa
providence which fees further than we can, and
difpofes all our a6lions, though done in the full
freedom
A Letter from the fame Author. 67
freedom of our own will, to what events, either
good or bad for us, as he pleafes.
III. Revelation.
But thefe confiderations from the creation
and providence, though admirable and glorious,
are within the oracles of reafon, and are. but
earthly things, in comparifon of thofe heavenly
hings which God has revealed toman at fundry
imes, and in divers manners, and are recorded
n the Holy Scriptures, and which otherwife it
was impoffible for man to have known. " * For
what man is he that can know the counfel of
God ? Or who can think what the will of
the Lord is .»* For the thoughts of mortal
men are miferable, and our devices are but
uncertain ; for the corruptible body prefleth
down the foul, and the earthly tabernacle
weigheth down the mind that mufeth upon
many things; and hardly do we guefs aright
at things that are upon earth, and with labour
do we find the things that are before us : but
the things that are in heaven, who hath
fearched out ?"
This then muft be purely the fubjeft of re-
vclaiion ; but when the Deift is come thus far,
• Wifdom Ix, 13, 14, ij, iS,
he
68 A Letter from the fame Author,
he is entered into a wide field ; for all religions,
Jewifh, Heathen, Chriftian, and Mahometan,
pretend to revelation for their original.
To clear this point was the defign of the Short
Method with the Deifts, which gave the firft
opportunity to our converfation.
The Heathen and Mahometan religions not
only want thofe marks (there fet down) which
afcertain the truth of faft, but their morals and
worfhip are impure, and inconfillent with the
artributes of God; as the indulgence of forni-
cation and uncleannefs among the Heathen, and
their human facrifices (mod abhorrent to the
God of holinefs and mercy) and the filthy ob-
fcenity of their very Jacra ; befides the gr^eat
defed of their morals, which knew no fuch
thing as humility, forgivenefs of injuries, loving
their enemies, and returning good for evil. —
Some of their philofophers fpoke againft re-
venging of injuries, as bringing greater injury '
to ourfelves, or not worth the while; but not
upon the account of humanity and love to our
brethren, and doing them good, though they
did evil to us : and by the word humilitas^ they
meant only -a lownefs and dejedion of mind,
which is a vice ; but they had no notion of it as
a virtue, in having a low opinion of one's felf,
and in honour preferring others before us : this
they thought a vice and abje6tion of fpirits.
You
A Letter from the fame Author. 69
You may fee pride and felf-conceit run through
all their philofophy, befides their principle of
increafing their empire, by conquering other
countries who did them no harm, whom they
called barbarians.
Into this clafs comes likewife the Senfual Pa-
radife propofed by Mahomet, and his principle
of propagating his religion by the fword.
The Jewifli religion has all the certainty of
fad, and its morals are good; but becaufe of
the hardnefs of their hearts, they came not up
to the primitive purity, as in cafe of polygamy
and divorce, wherein our blefled Saviour reduces
them to the original. That from the beginning
it was not fo; and in feveral, other cafes men-
tioned in his Sermon upon the Mount.
Therefore the perfeftion of morals, and of
the true knowledge of God, was referved for
the Chriftian religion, which has, in more abun-
dant manner than even the Jewifli, the infalli-
ble marks of the truth of the fa6ls, in the mul-
titude and notoriety of the miracles wrought by
our bleffed Saviour beyond thofe of Mofes.— -
Which fully anfwers the objeftions of the Jews,
that Chrift wrought his miracles by Beelzebub ;
for then, as he faid to them, " By whom do
*' your children caft out devils ?" Was it by
the fpirit of God, or Beelzebub, that Mofes and
the prophets wrought their miracles ?
Then
70 A Letter from the fame Author,
Then from the purity and heavenlinefs of his
dodlrines, all levelled to deflroy the kingdom
of Satan, thofe wicked principles and idolatrous
worfhip which he had fet up in the world ; the
other anfwer of our bleffed Saviour concludes
demonftratively, of a kingdom divided againft
itfelf; that if Satan call out Satan to promote
that doQrine which Chrifl taught, we mufl: alter
®ur notion of the devil, and (uppofe him to-be
good, and his kingdom mufl; then be at an end ;
which we fee not yet done, for wickednefs ftill
reigns in the world.
IV, Obje6l. as to the Holy Trinity,
Againft thefe tilings reafon has nothing to ob-
jeft, but then prejudices are raifed up againft
what is revealed, as being of things that are
above our reafon, and out of its reach -, as,
chiefly the doBrine of the blefled Trinity.
In anfwer to which we may conhder, that if
fuch things were not above our reafon, there
needed no revelation of them, but only a bare
propofal of them to our reafon, made by any
body without any authority, and their own evi-
dence would carry them through.
In the next place, we mufl: acknowledge that
there are many things in the divine nature far
out of the reach of our reafon. That it mufl be
fo :
A Letter from the fame Author. 71
fo: for how can finite compivhend infinite?
Who can think what eternity is ? A duration
without beginning, or fiiccefljon of parts or
time! Who can fo much as imagine or frame
any idea of a being, neither made itfelf, nor by
any other? Of omniprefence ? Of a bound-
lefs immenfity? &c.
Yet all this reafon obliges us to allow, as the
nepeflary confequences of a firfl; caufe.
And where any thing is eftablifhed upon the
full proof of reafon, there ten thoufand objec-
tions or difficukics, though we cannot anfuer
them, are of no force at all to overthrow it. —
Nothing can do that, but to refute thofe reafons
upon which it is eftabliOied ; till when the truth
and certainty of the thing remains unfhaken,
though we cannot explain it, nor folve the diffi-
culties that arifes from it.
And if it is 10, upon the point of reafon,
much more tipon that of revelation, where the
fubje6l matter is above our realbn, and could
never have been found out by it.
All to be done in that cafe is, to fatisfy our-
felves of the truth of the faft, that fuch thinc^s
were revealed of God, and are no impoflure.
This is done, as to the Holy Scriptures, oy the
four marks before- mentioned.
And as to the contradiction alledged in three
being one, it is no contradiction, unlefs it be
laidj
72 A Letler from the fame Atilhor.
faid, that three are one, in the felf-ramererpe6t :
for in divers refpefts there is no fort of diffi-
cuhy, that one may be three, or three thoufand ;
as one army may confifl: of many thoufands, and
yet it is but one army : there is but one human
nature, and yet there are multitudes of perfons
who partake of that nature.
Now it is not faid that the three perfons in
the divine nature are one perfon, that would be
a contradiclion : but it is faid, that the three
perfons are one nature. They are not three and
one in the fame refpeO;, they are three as to
perfons, and one as to nature. Here is nocon-
tradiftion.
Again, that may be a contradiftion in one
nature, which is not fo in another : for example;
it is a contradi6tion that a man can go two
yards or miles as foon as one, becaufe two is
but one and another one: yet this is no con-
tradi6lion to fight, which can reach a ftar as foon
as the top of a chimney; and the fun darts his
rays in one inftant from heaven to earth : but
more than all thefe is the motion of thought, to
which no diftance of place is any interruption;
which can arrive at Japan as foon as at a yard's
diftance ; and can run into the immenfity of
poffibilities.
Now there are no words poflible, whereby
to give any notion or idea of fight or light to a
2 man
A Letter from the fame Author. 73
man born blind : and confequently to reconcile
the progrefs of fight or light to him from being
an abfolute contradi6lion ; becaufe he can mea-
fure it no otherwife than according to the motion
of legs or arms, for he knows none other ; ^
therefore we cannot charge that as a contradic-
tion in one nature, which is fo in another, un-
lefs we underftand both natures perfectly well ;
and therefore we cannot charge that as contra-
diQion in the incomprehenfible nature of being
three in one, though we found it to be fo in our
nature; which we do not, becaufe, as before-
faid, they are not three and one in the fame
refpeft.
Now, let us further confidcr, that though
there is no comparifon between finite and infinite,
yet we have nearer refemblances of the three and
one in God, than their is of fight to a man born
blind. For there l^ nothing in any of the other
four fenfes that has any refemblance at all to
that of feeing, or that can give fuch a man an\-
notion whatever of it.
But we find in our own nature, which i:> faid
to be made after the image of God, a very
rear refemblance of his Holy Triniiy, and of
the different operations of each of the Divine
Perfons.
For example : to knovt* a thing prcfen^, and
to remember what is paft, and to love or haie,
D arc
74 ^ letter from the fame Author.
are different operations of our mind, and per-
formed by different faculties of it. Of thefe,
the underftanding is the father faculty, and gives
being to things, as to us; for what we know
not, is to us as if it were not. This anfwers to
creation. From this faculty proceeds the fe-
cond, that of memory, which is a preferving
of what the underflanding has created to us.
Then the third faculty, that of the will, which
loves or hates, proceeds from both the other;
for we cannot love or hate what is not firfl cre-
ated by the underftanding, and preferved to us
by the memory.
And though thcfe arc different faculties, and
their operations different, that the fccond pro-
ceeds from the firll, or is begotten by it ; and
the third proceeds from the firft and fecond in
conjundlion, I'o that one is before the other in
order of nature, yet not in time; for they are
all congenial, and one is as foon in the foul as
the other; and yet they make not three fouls,
but one foul. And though their operations are
different, and the one proceeds from the other,
yet no one can act without the other, and they
all concur to every aft of each ; for in under-
ftanding and remembering, there is a concurrent
ad of the will to confent to fuch underftanding
or remembering, fo that no one can acl without
the other ; in which fenfe none is before or after
the
A Letter from the fame Author, 75
the other, nor can any of them be or exift with-
out the other.
But what we call faculties in the foul, v/c caii
perfons in the Godhead : becaufe there are per-
fonal aaions attributed to each of them : as that
of fending, and being lent ; to take ftelh, and be
born, &c.
And we have no other word whereby to ex-
prefs it; we fpeak it after the manner of men ;
nor could we underdand, if we heard any of
thofe unfpeakable words, which exprefs the Di-
vine Nature in his proper eifence ; tlierefore we
muff make allowances, and great ones, when
we apply words of our nature to the infinite and
eternal Being. We muft not argue ilriclly and
philofophicallyfroni them, more than from God's
being faid to repent, to be angry, &c. They are
words ad captum^. in condefcenfion to our weak
capacities, and without which we could not un-
der (land.
But this I fay, that there are nearer refcm-
blances afforded to us of this inclrabic myflery
of the Holy Trinity, than there is betwixt one
of our outward fenfes and another, than there is
to a blind man of colours, ot of ihe motion of
lipht or fight : and a contradiction in the one
will not infer a contradiction in the other ^
though it is impoiiible to be foived, as in the
D ii inliaice
76 A Leterfrom the fame Author.
inftance before given of a man born blind, till
we come to know both natures diftinftiy.
And if we had not the experience of the dif-
ferent faculties of our mind, the contraditlion
would appear irreconcileable to all our philo-
fophy, how three could be one, each diftin6l
from the other, yet but one foul : one proceed-
ing from, or being begot by the other ; and yet
all coeval, and none before or after the other :
and as to the difference betwixt faculties and
perfons, fubftance and fubfiftence, it is a puz-
zling piece of philofophy. And though we give
not a diftinft fubfiftence to a faculty, it has an
exiftence, and one faculty can no more be ano-
ther, than one perfon can be another : fo that
the cafe feems to be alike in both, as to what con-
cerns our prefent difficulty of three and one;
befides what before is faid, that by the word perfon,
when applied to God, (for want of a proper
word whereby to exprefs it,) we muft mean
fomething infinitely different from perfonality
araon2 men. And therefore from a contradic-
tion in the one (fuppofe it granted) we cannot
charge a contradiQion in the other, unlefs we
underftand it as well as the other: for how elfe
can we draw the parallel ? - »
What a vain thing is our philofophy, when
we would mcafure the incomprehenfible nature
by itl When we find it non-f)lufl in our own
nature,
A Letter from the fame Author. 77
nature, and that in many inftances. If I am
all in one room, is it not a contradi6lion that
any part of me fliould be in another room ? Yet
it was a common faying among philofophers,
that the foul is all in all, and all in every part
of the body : how is the fame individual foul
prefent, at one and the fame time, to aftuate
the diftant members of the body, without either
multiplication or divihon of the foul ? Is there
any thing in the body can bear any refemblance
to this, without a maniPcft contradiBion ? Nay,
even as to bodies, is any thing more a feU-
evident principle, thhn that the caufe muft be
before the effect ? Yet the light and heat of the
fun are as old as the fun ; and fuppofmg the fun
to be eternal, they would be as eternal.
And as light and heat are of the nature of the
fun, and as the three faculties before- mentioned
are of the nature of the foul, fo that the foul
could not be a foul if it wanted any of them ; fo
may we, from fmall things to great, apprehend
w'ithiijut any contradiction, that the three per-
fons are of the very nature and effence of the
Deity; and fo of the fame fubflance with it;
and though one proceeding from the other, (as
the faculties of the foul do, yet that all three
are con fubftantial, co-eternal, and of neceffary
exiftence as God is ; for that thefe three are
God, and God is thefe three. As underftand-
78 A Letter from the fame Author.
ing, memory, and will, are a foul; and a foul is
underftanding, memory, and will.
I intend (God willing) to treat of this fubje6l
more largely by itfelf; but I have faid thus
much here, to clear the way from that objeftion
of rejecting revelation (though wc are infallibly
fure of the faQ) becaufe of the fuppofed con-
tradiction to our reafon, in comparing it with
our earthly things.
Y . Of the Difference aiHon^ Chrijlians.
But now that from all the proofs of the cer-
tainty of the revelation we are come to fix in
Chriilianitv, our labour is not vet at an end :
for here you fee multiplicity of fe6ls and divi-
(ions, which our bleffed Saviour foretold fliould
come, for the probation of the ele6l : as fome
Canaanites were left in the land to teach the If-
raelites the ufe of war, left by too profound a
peace, they might grow lazy and ftupid, and be-
come an eafy prey to their enemies. So might
Chriftianity be loft among us : if we had nothing
to do, it would dwindle and decay, and corrupt
by degrees, as water ftagnates by ftanding ftill :
but when we are put to contend earneftly for the
faith, it quickens our zeal, keeps us upon our
guard, trims our lamp, and furbiflies the fword
of
A Le Her from the fame Author. "jg
of the fpirit, which might othervvife ruft in its
{"cabbaicl. And it gives great opportunity to
fhew us thewonderfiil providence and proteftion
oF God over his church, in preferving her
aoainft a vifibly unequal force. And in this
conteft, to Tome this high privilege is granted
m the behalf of Chrift, not only to believe on
him, but alfo fuffer for his fake*. Thefe go
to make up the noble army of martyrs and con-
ftiibrs, for ever triumphant in heaven. Odiers
conquer even here on eaith, that God's won-
derful doings may be known to the children of
men.
But as he who builds a tower, ought firft tt)
compute the expence, and he who goes to war
to confider his (hength; fo our blcffed Saviour
has inftrutled us, that he who will be his dif-
ciple, mud refolve beforehand to take up his
crofs daily, to forfake father and mother, and
wife and children, and lands and life itfelf, when
he cannot keep them with the truth and fince-
rity of the Gofpel. Therefore we muft put on
the " whole armour of God, that we may be
'• able to (land in the evil day, and having over-
" come all, toftand j for we wreftle not again ft
" flefli and blood, but againft principalities,
«' againfl: powers, againft the rulers of the dark-
* Phil. i. 29.
D 4 « nefs
8o A Letter from the fame Author.
** nefs of this world, againfl wicked fpirks in
*' high places."
And what is it we wreftle for? For the
great myftery of godlinefsj God manifeft in the
flefh, &c.
VI. The DoEirine of Satisfaction.
Here is the foundation of the Chriftian reli-
gion, that when man had finned, and was utterly
unabie to make any fatisfaftion for his fin, God
font his own Son to take upon him our flefli,
and in the faiTie nature that offended, to make
lull fatisfaftion for the fins of the whole world,
by h;is perfect obedience, and the facrifice of
himfelf upon the crofs.
Some fay, what need any fatisfaclion ? Might
not God forgive without it? It would ffiew
greater mercy. But thefe men confider not that
God is not onlyjuft, but he is jufiice itfelf; juf-
tice in the abftra6l; he is effeniial juftice. And
jurtice, by its nature, muft exaft to the utmoft
farthing, elfe it were not juftice; to remit is
mercy, it is not juftice; and the attributes of
God muft not fight and oppofe each other:
ihcy muft all ftand infinite and complete. You
may fay then, how can God forgive at all ? How
can infinite mercy and juftice (land together?
This
w
A Letter from the fame Author, 81
This queftion could never have been anfwer-
ed, if God himfelf had not fhevved it to us in
the wonderful ceconomy of our redemption:
for here is his juftice fatisHed to the leall iota,
by the perfeB obedience and pafTion of Chrift,
(who is God) in the fame human nature that of-
fended. Here is infinite wifdom exprefled in
this means found out for our falvation ; and in-
finite mercy in affording it to us. Thus all his
attributes are fatisfied, and filled up to the brim :
they contradifl not, but exalt each other.
His mercy exalts and magnifies his jufiice : his
juftice exalts his mercy, and both his infinite
wifdom.
Here is a view of God, beyond what all the
oracles Of reafon could ever have found out,
from his works of creation, or common provi-
dence! Thefe fhew his works, but this is his
nature, it is himfelf! The very face of God !
Before which the angels veil their faces, and
defire to look into this abyfs of goodnefs, and
power, and wifdom, which they will never be.
able to fathom, but ftill feed upon, and fearch
farther and farther into it, with adoration, to
eternity ! And they worfiiipour manhood thus
taken into God I And rejoice to be miniftering
fpirits to us, while upon earth.
This you and I have talked over at larffe •
and this I gave you as the fum and fubftance,
. D 5 the
82' A Letter from the fame Anthor.
the Alpha and Omega, of the Chriftian religion.
And now I repeat it as the fureft criterion to
guide a man in the difficulty before us, that is,
in the choice of a church, in the midft of all
that variety there is among Chriftians. Who-
ever hold not this do6lrine, join not with them,
Rftr bid them God fpeed.
VII. The SOCINIANS.
This will fave you from the Socinians, ox
the Unitarians, as they now call themfelves iti
England, who exprefsly deny this doctrine ;
for they deny the do6lrine of the Holy Trinity,
and the Divinity of Chrift, upon which it i^
founded. They confider Chrift no otherwife
than a mere man ; and propofe him only as ^
teacher and good example, to us. But then
they are confounded, wiih all their pretence to,
wit and rcafon, to give any account for his death,
which was not neceflfary to teaching, or being
an example •. that an angel, or a prophet, might
^ have been. Then they ^ay that he died to con-
lirm die truth o( his doclrine. But fet this doc-
trine of Satisfatlion afide^ and he taught nothing
new, except the improvement of fome morals :
befides, dying docs not confirm the truth of
any doctrine; it only ihews that he who dies for
it
A letter from the fame Author. 83;
it does himfelf believe it. Some have died for
errors : and the Socinian doftrine affords no
comfort, no affurance to us. For if we confider
Chrifl; only as a teacher or example, we have not
followed his precepts nor example : here is no-
thing but matter of condemnation to lis. But
if we look upon him as our furety, v^'ho has
paid our debt, as our facrifice, atonement, and
propitiation for our fins, and that we are faved
by his blood, (which is the language of the
Holy Scriptures, of which the Socinians know
no meaning) this is a rock and infallible affu-
ranee.
VIII. The Church of Rome.
As the Socinians have totally rcjccled this
doctrine, fo the Church of Rome has greatly
vitiated and deprelTcd it, by their do8;rine of
merit, and their own fatisfaftion, which they
make part of their facrament of penance. On
this is founded their purgatory, wherein fouls
who had not made full fatisfadlion upon earth,
muft complete it there. They deny not the
Satisfaftion of Chrifl, but join their own with itj
as if it were not fufficicnt»
a S JX. ne
84 A Letter from the fame Author.
- 1. Jhe Dissenters.
On the other han^, o-ir DifTenters run to the
contrary extreme : and becaufe our good works-
muft have no f}iare m the fatisfa£lion for fin,
which they cannot, as being unworthy, and
mixed with our infirmities and our fin ; there-
fore they make them not neceiTary, nor of any
efFeft towards our falvation. They fay that
Chrift did not die for any but the ele8, in whom
he fees no fin, let them live never fo wickedly.
They damn the far greatefl: part of the world
by irreverfible decrees of reprobation, and fay,
that their good works are hateful to. God, and
that it is not poffible in then- power to be faved,
let them believe as they will, and live never fo
religioufly. They take away free-will in man,
and make him a perfe6t machine. They make
God the author of fin, to create men on pur-
pofe to damn them; and to punifh them eter-
nally for not doing what he had made impoffible
for them not to do. They make his promifes
and threatenings to be of no effeft, nay, to be a
fort of burlefquing, and infulting thofe whom
he has made raiferables which is an hideous
blafphemy ! / _/ _^___^
C,r^ uA)U^*^^turK ^,^>=^-^^^ For
1144^ aJU>
A Letter from the Jam t Author. 85
For a folution in this matter, both as to faith
and works, I refer you to the homilies of faith
and falvation, and of good works, where you will
find the true Chrillian doflrine fet forth clearly '
and folidly.
I will not anticipate what you defign for your
fecond part, by entering into other difputes
there are among Chriftians ; only thefe will be
exceeding neceifary, to fettle well the notion of
the Church of Chrift, to which all do pretend
in various manners.
X. The true Notion of the Church^
Firft, therefore, the church mufl be confi-
dered not only a feft, that is, a company of
people believing fuch and fuch tenets, hke the
feverai fe6ls of the Heathen Philofophers; but
as a fociety under government, with governors
appointed by Chrift, invelled with fuch powers
and authority, to admit into and exclude out
of the fociety, and govern the affairs of the
body.
This power was delegated by Chrifl to his
Apoflles and their fucceffors to the end of the
world : accordingly the Apodles did ordain
Bifhops in all the churches which they planted
throug^hout the whole world, as the fupreme
governors^
t.*^ . ^ -^ ^'^
v^-VN
86 A Letter from the fame Author.
governors, and center of unity, each in his own
church. Thefe were obh'ged to keep unity and
communion with one another; which is there-
fore called Catholic Communion. And all thefe
churches confidered together, is the Catholic
Church : as the feveral nations of the earth are
called the world.
XI. Of an Universal Bishop.
And Chrifl appointed no Univerfal Bifhop
over his church more than an Univerfal Mo-
narch over the world. No fuch thing was
known in the primitive church, till it was fet up
firft by John, Bifhop of Conftantinople, then by
the Bifliop of Rome in the feventh century.
And as the whole world is one kingdom to God,
as it is written, " his kingdom ruleth over all,"
fo the feveral churches of the world are one
church to Chrilt. And the church of Rome's
faying that (lie is that one church, or fliew
us another, which can difpute it with us, in
univerfality, antiquity. Sec. is the fame as if
France (for example) fhould fay, who can
compare with me? Therefore I am the Uni-
verfal Monarch, or fliew me another. The
thing appears ridiculous at the firfl: propofal 3
for it nnuft be faid to Rome, or to France, that
if
A Letter from the fame Juihor. 87
if you were ten times greater than you are,
vou are yet but a part of the whole. And to
fay, who elfe pretends to it ? Why none. And
it would be nonfenfe in any one who did pre-
tend to it. One part may be bigger than
another; but one part can never be the whole.
And all refults in this, whether Chrift did ap-
f^oint an Univerfal Bifliop over all the churches
in the world? And we are willing to leave the
ifTue to that, if it can appear either from the
Scripture or antiquity. Befides, the reafon of
the thing; for as Gregory the Great urged
againft John, of Conftantinople, if there was
an Univerfal Bifliop, the Univerfal Church
mud fall, if that one Univerfal Bifhop fell j and
fo all muft come to center in one poor, fallible,
mortal man.
This obliged the Pope to run into another
monilrous extreme, and fet up for infallibility
in his own perfon, as the only fuccelTor of St.
Peter, and heir of thofe promifes made to him,
fuper banc petram, i^c. This was the current
do6lrine of the divines in the Church of Rome,
in former ages, as you may fee in Bellarmin,
dc Rom. Pontif. I. 4. c. 5. where he carries this
fo high as to afiert, that if the Pope did com-
mand the praftice of vice, and forbid virtue,
the church were bound to believe that virtue
was vice, and tb.at vice v;as virtue. And in his
preface
88 A Le tier from the fame Author.
preface he calls this abfoUite fupremacy of the
Pope, the fumma rei ChriJiiaUit, the fum and
foundation of the Chriftian religion. And that
to deny it was not only a firaple error, but a
pernicious herefy.
This was old Popery : but now it is generally
decried by the Papifts themfelves ; yet no Pope
has been brought to renounce it, they will not
quit claim.
When they departed from the infallibility
of the Pope, they fought to place it in their
General Councils : but thefe are not always in
bein^; and fo their infallibility muft drop for
feveral ages together; which will not confift
with their argument, that God is obliged by his
goodnefs, to afford always an outward and living
judge and guide to his church. Befides, that
inftances are found, where thofe councils they
call aeneral, have contradicted one another.
For which reafons, others of them place the
infallibility in the church diffufive: but this
upon their fcheme is indefinite, and the judge
of controvcrfy mull be fought among number-
Icfs individuals, of whom no one is the judge
or guide.
XII.
A Letter from the fame Author, ^(^
XII. 0/ Infallibility in ih3 Church.
But there is an infallibility in the church, not
perfonal in any one or all of Chriflians put to-
j^ether; for millions of fallibles can never make
an infallible. But the infallibility confifts in the
nature of the evidence, which having all the four
marks mentioned in the Short Method with the
Deids, cannot poffibly be falfe. As you and I
believe there is fuch a town as Conftantinople,
that there v;as fuch a man as Henry VIII, as
much as if we had feen them with our eyes :
not from the credit of any hiRorian oi traveller,
all of whom are fallible; but from the nature of
the evidence, wherein it is impolTible for men to
have confpircd and carried it on Vv'ithout con-
tradiftion, if it were falfe.
Thus, whatever doQrine has been taught in
tliC church (according to the rule of Vincentius
Lirineniis) fern per ^ uhique, & ab omnibus^ is the
Chrillian doftrine; for in this cafe, fuch docftrine
is a faft, and having the forefaid marks, muft
be a true faft, viz. that fuch dodrine was fo
taught and received.
This was the method taken in the council
called at Alexandria againft Arius; it was aflvcd
by Alexander, the Archbifhop, who prefided.
9© A Letter from the fame Author.
Cut's iinquam talia audivit * .?" Who ever Iieard
of this dotirine before? And it bein? anfwercd
by ail the Bifhops there aflembled in the nega-
tive, it was concluded a novel do^rinCjand
contrary to what had been univerfally received
in the Chriftian church. Thus every doftrine
may be reduced to faft : for it is purely fa8,
whether fuch doftrine was received or not.
And a council aflembled upon fuch an occa-
fion, fland as evidences of the fatl, not as judges
of the faith; wliich they cannot alter by their
votes or authority.
A council has authority in matters of difcipline
in the church; but in matters of faith, what is
called their authority, is their attejflation to the
truth of fa6i ; which if it has the marks before-
mentioned, muft be infallibly true : not from the
infallibility of any or all of the pcrfons, but from
the nature of the evidence, as before is faid.
And this is the fureft rule, whereby to judge
ofdoftrines, and to know what the Catholick
church has believed and taught as received from
the Apoftles.
And they who refufe to be tried by this rule,
who fay, we care not what was believed by the
Catholick church, either in former ages or now;
we think our own interpretations or criticifms
* Socrates, Hift. I. t. c. 5, Gr,
upon
A Letter from the fame Author. 91
upon fucb a text, of as great authoriry as theirs;
thcfe arc jiiftly to be fufpeilcd, nay, it is evident
that they are broaching fome novel doctrines,
which cannot ftand this tefh Befides the mon-
(Irons arrogance in fnch a pretence, thcfe over-
throw the foundation of that fure and infallible
evidenC'C upon which Chriftianity ii'ejf does
fland j and reduce all to a blind enthufiafm.
XIII. Of Ei'iscoPAcy.
But further, Sir, in your fearch after a church,
you muft not only conlidcr the doclrinc, but the'
government; that is, as I faid before, you mufi:
confider the church, not only as a fed, but as a'
fociety : for though every fociety founded upon
the belief of fuch tenets, may be called a fed,
yet every fc6t is not a fociety. Now, a fociety
cannot be without government, for it is that
which makes a fociety: and a government can-
not be without governors. The Apoftles were
inftituted by Chrift, the firfl governors of his
church; and with them and their fuccefTors he
has promifed to be to the end of the world. The
Apoftles did ordain Bilhops as governors in all
the churches which they planted throughout the
whole world; and thefe Bifiiops were efteemed
the fuccefTors of the Apoftles each in his own
church.
92 A Letter from the fame Author.
church, from the beginning to this day. This
was the current notion and language of aptiquity ;
0 nines ApoJIolor urn fiiccejforcs funt. That all Bi-
fliops were the fucceffors of the Apoftles, as St.
Jerome fpeaks, Epif. ad Evagr. And St. Ig-
natius, who was conftituted by the Apoflles Bi-
fhop of Antioch, falutes the church of the Tral-
lians, 'Ee Tw 7rKri^Ufji.xTi h 'Attoo-toAihco ^upxnTripi ;
in the plenitude of the Apoftolical chara&er. Tiius
it continued from the days of the Apoflles to
thofe of John Calvin; in all which time there
was not any one church in the whole Chrillian
world ihat was not cpifcopal. But now it is faid
by our DiiTenters, that there is no need of fuc-
ceilion from the Apodles, or thole Bifiiops infli-
tuted by them : that they can make governors
over themfelves whom they lift : and what fig-
nifies the government of the church, fo the doc-
trine be pure ? But this totally diffolves the
church as a fociety, the government of which
confjfts in the right and title of the governor.
And as the Apoflle fays, " No man taketh this
" honour to himfelfj but he that is called of God,
" as was Aaron *." And the difpute betwixt
him and Korah was not as to any point either of
dotlrine or worfhip, but merely upon that of
church government. And St. Jude, ver. ii,
* Heb. V. 4,
brings
A Letter from the fame Author. 93
brincTs down the fame cafe to that of the church.
And reafon carries it as to all focieties. They
who will not obey the lawful governor, but fet
up another in oppofition to him, are no longer
of the fociety, but enemies to it, and juftly for-
feit all the rights and privileges of it.
Now confidering that all the promifes in the
Gofpel are made to the church, what a dreadful
thing mud it be to be excluded from all thefe !
Befides, the church is called the pillar and
ground of the truth, as being a fociety infti-
tuted by Chrift, for the fupport and preferva-
tion of the faith. This no particular church
can attribute to itfelf, otherwife than as being a
part of the whole: and therefore, as St. Cy-
prian fays, " Chrift made the college of Bifhops
" numerous, that if one proved heretical, or
" fought to devour the flock, the reft might in-
" terpofe for the faving of it." This is equally
againft letting the whole depend upon one Ui>i-
verfal Bilhop; and againft throwing off the
whole epifcopate, that is, all the Bifiiops in the
world ; which would be a total dilfolution of the
church as a fociety, by leaving no governors in
it; or, which is the fame, fetting up governors
of our own head, without any authority or fuc-
cefiion from the Apoftles; which is rendering
the whole precarious, and without any founda-
tion. And it js a fuppofing that Providence is
more
94 ^ Letter from the fame Author.
more obliged to ftand by a church fct ap in
direct oppofition to his inftituiion, than by that
church which Chrift himfeiP has founded, and
promifed to be widi it to the end of the world.
Ai)d though he has permitted errors and here-
fies to overfpread feveral parts of it, at feveral
times, for the probation of the elect:, like the
waining of the moon, yet has he not left himfelf
without witnefs, and has rellorcd light to her,
purfuant to his promife, that the gates of hell
fhould not prevail againft her : and this by the
means of his fervants and fubflitutes, the Bidiops
of his church, whom he has not defcrted. All
of whom, through the whole world always did,
and ftill do maintain and own the Apollolic
Creed. And wherein fome, as the Arians, have
perverted the fenfe of fome articles, that lafted
but a fhort time; and the truth has been more
confirmed by it, in the unanimous confent and
teflimony of the whole cpifcopal college, to the
primitive dottrine which they have received from
the beginning. God healed thefe herefies in his
own way, by the Bifhops and Governors of his
church, whom he had appointed, and without
any infraciion upon his own inftituiion.
And it is obfervable that thefe hcrehcs began
bv infraction, which men made upon ins jnftitu-
tion of Biihops, as Arius, an ambitious prcfby-
ter, firft role u^) againlt his Bifho[, before he
was
A Letter from the fame Author. g/j
was given up to that vile herefy, which he
vented afterwards by degrees, to gain a party
after him, thereby to maintain the oppofiiion
%vhich he had made againft his Bifhop : and, by
~a lafl judgment, he fell from one error to ano-
ther, till at lad he completed that deteftable he-
refy which bears his name.
And in all the annals of the church, whether
under the law or the gofpel, there is not one
inftanceofa fchifm againft the priefthood which
God had appointed; but great erro'-s in doftrine
and worfliip did follow it. Thus the pricfthood
\vhich Micah let up of his own head, and that
which Jeroboam fet up in oppoiition to that of
Aaron, both ended in idolatry. Thus the no-
vations andDonatifts, who made fchifms againft
their Bifliops, fell into grievous errors, though
thiy did not renounce tlie faith.
And into what grofs errors, both as to doc-
trine and worfliip, has the church of Rome
fallen, fince her Bifhop fct up for univcrfality,
and thereby commenced that grand fchifm againft
all the Bifhops of the earth, whom he fought to
deprefs under him; but while he would thrnfl:
other churches from him, he thruft himfelf from
the Catholic church.
What hydra hertfies, and monftrous \t^?>^
(fifty,v-)r fixty a: onetime, of which we have the
names) flowed like a torrent i ito England, in
the
gS A Letter from the fame Author.
the times of forty one, after epifcopacy was
thrown down !
So evident is that faying, that the church is
the pillar and ground of the truth, that we can
hardly find any error which has come into the
church, but upon an infra6{;ion made upon the
epifcopal authority.
XIV. An infallible Demonfiration of Epifco-pMy.
For which this is to be faid, that it has all
the four marks before-mentioned, to afcertain
any fafl, in the concurrent teftimony of all
churches, at all times ; and therefore muft infal-
libly be the government which the Apoftles left
upon the earth. To which we muft adhere till
a greater authority than theirs (liall alter it.
I doubt not but that all this will determine
you to the Church of England, and keep you
firm to epifcopacy, as a matter not indifferent.
And I pray God, that " he who hath begun a
" good work in you, may perfect it until the
'f day of Jefus Chrift. Amen."
FINIS.
PiintcJ by Law and Ciilbtrt, St. Jolm's Square, Londou.
THE
Truth of Chriflianity
DEMONSTRATED,
IN A
DIALOGUE
BETWIXT A
CHRISTIAN AND A DEIST;
i
Wherein the Cafe of the JEWS is hkezcvje \
cotfidered.
^Si'^^'wf*' ^^.^^i" V- rf" rf
BY THE LATE
REV, CHARLES LESLIE, M.A.
I-
A NEW EDITION,
Published hy Desire of the Society fou
PROMOTING ChRJSTIAN KNOWLEDGE.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOR V. C. AND J. niVINGTON,
(B()0KSEl.t.Kf.3 T'l IHK SOCrlTY,)
NO. 62, ST. PAUI/S CHURCH-YARD;
By Law and Gilbert, St. John's Square, Cl-jrkenwell.
1815.
ADVERTISEMENT
To THE
PRESENT EDITION.
The following Piece may he confidered as a
Sequel to A short and easy Method with
THE Deists, hy the fame Author^ lately repub-
lifloed by Defire cf The Society for promoting
Chriftian Knowledge; with a Preface, by the
Rev. W. Jones, u. a. Author of '' 7'be Catholick
DoBrine of the Trinity^' ^c.
A %
■THE
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY
DEMONSTRATED,
(i.) Christiant,
IT is ftrange you fiiould (land it out fo againft
your own happinefs, and employ your whole
wit and fkill to work in yourfelf a difbelief of
any future rewards or punifhments, only that
you may live eafy (as you think) in this world,
and enjoy your pleafures. Which yel you can-
not enjoy free and undifturbed from the fear of
thofe things that are to come, the event of which
you pretend not to be fure of; and therefore
are fure of a life fall of trouble, that admits not
of any confolation, and of a miferable and wretch-
ed death, according to the utmofl that you your-
felf propofe.
A 3 Deist.
6 The Truth of Chrifiianity demonjt rated.
Deist. How can you fay that, when I pro-
pofe to live without any fear of thofe things? I
fear not hell, and I have difcarded the expeB.a-
tion of heaven, becaufe I believe neither.
Chr. Are you fure thereare no fuch things ?
De. That is a negative, and I pretend not to
prove it.
Chr. Then you muft remain in a doubt of it.
And v;hat a condition it is to die in this doubt,
when the iffue is eternal mifery ! And this is
the utmoft, by your own confeflion, that you can
propofe to yourfelf. Therefore I called yours
a difbelief, rather than a belief of any thing. It
is we Chriftians v/ho believe, you DeiRs only
difbelieve.
And if the event fhould prove as you would
have it, and that we fhould all be annihilated
at our death, we Ihould be in as good a con-
dition as you. But on the other fide, if the
event fliould prove as we expe61 it, then you
are eternally miferable, and we eternally happy.
Therefore one would think it the wifeft part to
take our fide of the queftion; efpeciylly confi-
defing that thofe poor pleafures, for the fake
of which you determine yourfelvcs againil us,
are but mere amufements, and no real enjoy-
ments. Nay, we had better be without them
than have them, even as to this life itfelf. Is not
temperance and a healthful conftitution more
pleafant
The Truth of Chrijlianity icmonftrated. 7
pleafant than thofe pains and aches, fick head and
flomach, that are infeparable companions of de-
bauchery and excefs, befides the clouding our
reafon, and turning fottifii in our underftanding ?
De. We take pleafure in them for the time,
and mind not the confequences.— But howeverj,
a man cannot believe as he pleafes. And there-
fore, notwithftanding all the glorious and ter-
rible things which you fpeak of, it makes no-
thing to me, unlefs you can evidently prove
them to be fo. And you mud flill leave me
to judge for myfelf, after you have done all you
can.
Chr. What I have faid, is only to difpofe
you to hear me impartially, and not to be pre-
judiced againfl: your own happinefs, both here
and hereafter,
(2.) De. Well, without more prefacing, the
cafe is this : I believe a God, as well as you j
but for revelation, and what you call the Holy
Scriptures, I may think they were wrote by
pious and good men, who might take this me-
thod of fpeaking, as from God, and in his
name, as fuppofing that thofe good thoughts
came from Him, and that it would have a ereater
effe6l upon the people ; and might couch their
morals under hiftories of things fuppofed to
be doncj as feveral of the wife Heathens have
A 4 taken
8 7l7e Truth of Chrijlianity demoufirated.
taken ihis courfe, in what they told of Jupiter
and Juno, and the reft of their gods and god-
defles. But as to the fa6ls themfelves, I believe
the one no more than the other ; or that all the
fa6ls in Ovid's Metaraorphofes, or in vEfop's
Fables, were (rue.
Chr. You feem willing by this to preferve a
refpe6lful efteem and value for the Holy Scrip-
tures, as being wrote by pious and good men,
and with a good defign to reform the manners
of men.
But your argument proves direQly againft the
purpofe for which you brought it, and makes
the penmen of the Scriptures to be far from good
men, to be not only cheats and impoftors, but
blafphemers, and an abomination before' God.
For fuch the fame Scriptures frequently call
thofe who prefume to fpeak as from God, and
in his name, when he had not fent them, and
given them authority fo to do. And the lavv in
the Scriptures condemns fuch to be ftoned to
death as blafphemers.
It was not fo with the Heathens, their mo-
ralifts did not ufe the ftyle of " Thus faith the
'^ Lord;" a.nd their philofophers oppofed and
wrote againft one another without any offence.
For all the matter was which cf them could rea-
fon beft ; they pretended to no more.
And for the fads of the fables of their gods,
themfelves
The Truth of Chriflianity demondrafecL 9
fhemfelves did not believe them, and liave wrote
the mythology or moial that was intended by
them.
De. But many of the common people did
believe the fa6ls themfelves. As it is with the
common people now in the church of Rome^
who believe the mod fenfelefs and ridiculous
ftories in their books of legends to be as true
as the Gofpel; though the more wife among
them call them only pious frauds, to encreafe
the devotion of ihe people. And fo we think
of your Gofpel itfelf, and all the other books
you fay were wrote by men divinely infpired.
We will let you keep them to cajole the mob,
but when you 'would impofethem upon men of
fenfe, we muPc come to the tefl with you.
Chr. That is what I defire; and to fee whe-
ther there are no more evidences to be given for
the truth of Chriftianity, that is, of the Holy
Scriptures, than are given for the legends, and
all the fabulous ftories of the Heathen gods.
And if foj I will give up my argument, and
confcfs that it is not in my power to convince
you.
De. I cannot rcfufe to join iffue with you
upon this. To begin, then, I defire to know
your evidences for the truth of your Scriptures^,
aad. the fafts- therein related,
A 5 (3.) Che-
10 The Truth of Chriftianity demonftraied.
(3.) Chr. If the triuh of the book, and the
fadls therein related be proved, I fuppore you
wiil not deny the doctrines to be true.
Dfi. No; for if I faw fuch miracles with my
QyQs as are faid to have been done by Mofes
and Chrift, I could not think of any greater
proof to be given, that fuch an one was fent of
God. Therefore, if your Bible be true as to the
fa6ls, I muft believe it in the doftrine too. But
there are other books which pretend to give us
revelations from God, and we muft know which
of thefe is true.
Chr. To diftinguifli this book from all others
\vhich pretend to give revelations from God,
thefe four marks or rules were fet down.
I. That the fafts related be fuch of which
men's outward fenfes, their eyes and cars, may
judge.
[This cuts off enthufiaftical pretences to re-
velation, and opinions which may be propagated
in the dark, and like the tares, not known till
they are grown up, and the firft beginning of
them not difcovered.]
JI. That thefe fadls be done openly in the.
face of die world.
III. That not only public monuments, but
outward inllitutions and aftions fhould be ap-
pointed, and perpetually kept up in memory of
them,
IV. That
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonftraied. 1 1
IV. That thefe inftitutions to be obfervcd
fliould commence from the time that the fatts
were done; and conleqijently that the book
wherein thefe fafts and inftitutions are recorded,
fhould be written at the time, and by thofe who
did the fa6ls, or by eye and ear-witncffes. For
that is included in this mark, and is the main
part of it; to prevent falfe (lories being coined
in after ages of things done many hundred years
before, which none alive can difprove. Thus
Mofes wrote his five books containing his
adions and inftitutions ; and thofe of Chrift were
wrote by his difciples, who were eye and ear-
witneffes of what they related. And particular
care was taken of this, as you may fee, A£ls io
21, 2 2, upon choofing one to fupply the place
of Judas. " Wherefore of thefe men which.
" have Gompanied with us, all the time that
" the Lord Jefus went in and out among, us,,
" beginning from the baptifm of John, until
" that fame day that he was taken from us, mufl'
" one be ordained to be a witnefs with us of
" his refurreclion." And St. John begins his
firft Epillle thus: " That which was from the
" beginning, which we have heard, which we-
«' have feen with our eves, which we have-
" looked upon, artd our hands have handled — ■■
** That which we have feen and heard. declare:
'* we unto you.''
A 6 l! have-
1 2 The Truth of Chrijlianity demon fi rated.
I have explained this fourth mark, becaufe
tlie author of the deteclion, either wilfully or
ignorantly, feems not to underfland it. And this
alone overthrows all the ftories he has told,
■which he would make parallel to the faQs of
Mofes and of Chrift ; and therefore alledges
that they have all thefe four marks. But he
mud begin again, and own that. thefe four marks
flill fland an irrefragable proof of the truth of
any fafl; which has them all, till he can produce
a book which was wrote by the actors or eye-
witneffes of the fa6ls it relates, and fhew that
fuch fa8s, having the other three marks, have
been detefl:ed to be falfe. Which when he can
Aoj I will give him up thefe four marks as an
infufficient proof, and own I was mifiakcn in
them. But hitherto they have (tood the teftj
for he himfelf will not fay, he has produced any
fuch book in all his deteftion.
If he fays that fads may be true, though no
fuch book can be produced for them, and
though they have not all the aforefaid marks, I
•will eafily grant it. But all I contend for is, that
whatever has all thefe four marks, cannot be
falle. For example; could Mofes have per-
fuaded fix hundred thoufand men that he had
led them through the fea in the manner related
in Exodus, if it had not been true? If he could.
It would have been a greater miracle than the
other.
The Truth of Chrifiianity demonjlrated. 1 3
other. The like of their being fed forty years
in the wildernefs v^iihout bread, by manna
rained down to them from heaven. The like
of Chrift's feeding five tlwufand at a time with
five loaves; and fo of all the reft. The two firft
marks fecure from any cheat or impofture at
the time the fa6ls were done, and the two laft
marks fecure equally from any impofitionin after
ages, becaufe this book, which relates thefe facts
fpeaks of itfelf as written at that time by the
aclors or eye-witnefles, and as commanded by
God to be carefully kept and preferved to all
generations, and read publicly to all the people,
i«tftated times, as is commanded, Deut. xxxi. lo,
II, 12. And was pra6lifed, Jofli. viii. 34, 3^,
Xeh. viii. 8cc. And the inftitutions appointed
in this book were to be perpetually obferved
fiom the day of the inftitution for ever among
thefe people, in memory of the faQs, as the
paffover, Exod. xii. and fo of the reft. Now
fuppofe this book to have been forged a thoy-
fand years after Mofes, would not every one
fay when it firfl appeared, we never heard of
this book before, we know of no fuch inditu-
tions, as of a paffover, or circumcifion, or fab-
baths, and the many feafts and fafts therein ap-
pointed, of a tribe of Levi, and a tabernacle
wherein they were to ferve in fuch an order of
Priefthoodj &c. Therefore this book mull be
1 4 The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjlraied.
anjerrant forgery, for it wants all thofe marks li
gives of itfelfj as to its own continuance, and of
thofe infiitutions it relates. No indance can be
fhewnriince the world began of any book focir-
camftantiated, that was a fors^ery, and paffcd as
truth upon any people. 1 think it impofnble;
and therefore that the four marks are Mill an
invincible proof of the truth of that book, and
thofe fafts wherein all thefe marks do meet.
But fince I am come upon this fubjefl; again,
I will endeavour to improve it, and give four
other marks, fome of which no fa61, however
true, ever had, or can have, but the fa£l of
Chrifl alone. Thus while I fiipport the fad o^
Mofes, I fet that of Chrift above him, as the
lord is above the fervant. And the Jews being
herein principally concerned, I will confider
their cafe likewife as we go along; therefore I
add this fifth mark as peculiar to our Bible, and
to diftii.guifli it from all other hiftories which
relate fafts formerly done.
(V.) That the book which relates the fa6ls
contains likev;ife the law of that people to whom
it belongs, and be their ftatute book by which'
their caufes are determined. This will make
it impoflible for any to coin or forge fuch a.
book, fo as to make it pafs upon any people.
For example; IfJ Should forge a ilatute book
for England, and publifli it next term, could I
make
The Truth of Chrijlianity ddvionflrated. 1 5
make all ihe judges, lawyers, and people be-
lieve, that this was their true and only ftatute-
book by which their caufes had been deter-
mined thefe many hundred years paft ? They
muft forget their old llatute-book, and believe
that this new book, which they never faw or
heard of before, was that fame old book which
has been pleaded in Weftminfter-Hall for fo
many ages, which has been fo often printed, and
the originals of which are now kept in the
Tower, to be confulted as there is occafion.
De. I grant that to be impoffible. But how
do you apply it ?
Chr. It is evident as to the books of Mofes,
which are not only a hiftory of the Jews, but
their very ftaiute-book, wherein their muni-
cipal law, as v/ell civil as ecclefiaftical, was con-
tained.
De. This is fo indeed as to the books of
Mofes, to which they always appealed : " To
the law and to the Teflimony." And they had
no other ftatute-book. But this will not agree
to your Gofpel, which is no municipal law, nor
any civil law at all, and no civil caufes were
tried by it.
Chr. The law was given to the Jews, as a
diftinftand feparate people from all other nations
upon the earth ; and therefore was a municipal
law particularly for that nation only of the Jews.
But
15 The Truth of Chriffianity deimnfiratedi.
But Chriftianity was to extend to all the nations
of the earth ; and Chriftians were to be gathered
out of all nations; and therefore the Gofpel
could not be a municipal law as to civil riahts
to all nations, who had each their own muni-
cipal laws. This could not be without defiroy-
ing all the municipal laws in the world, of
every nation whatloever; and then none could
be a Chriftian, without at the fame time be-
coming a rebel to the government where he
lived. This would have been for Chrifl: to have
immediately fet up for univerfal and temporal
King of all the world, as the Jews cxpe8ed of
their Meffigh, and therefore would have made
Chrift a King, j But he inftrucled them in the ;
,, fpiritual nature of his kingdom, that it wasv
/not " (jf this world," nor did refped their'
temporal or civil matters ; which therefore he
left in the fame ftate he found them, and com-
manded their obedience to their civil governors,
though Heathen, not only for wrath, but alfo
for confcience fake. And as to the law of
Mofes, he left the Jews flill under it, as to their
civil concerns, fo far as the Romans under whofe
fubjection they then were, would permit them.
As Pilate faid to them, *' Ye have a Jaw; and
" judge ye him according to your law."
But the Gofpel was given as the fpiritual and
ecclefiafrical law to the Church whitherfoevcr
difpcrfed
The Truth of Chriftianity demonjlrated. 1 7
difperfed through all nations ; for that did not
interfere with their temporal laws, as to civil
government. And in this the fifth mark is
made ftronger to the Gofpel than even to the
law ; for it is eafier to fuppofe that any forgery
might creep into the municipal law of a par-
ticular nation, than that all the nations whither
Chriftianity is fpread fhould confpire in the cor-
ruption of the Gofpel, which to all Chriftians
is of infinitely greater concern than their tem-
poral laws. And without fuch a concert of all
Chrlftian nations and people fuppofed, no fuch
forgery could pafs undifcovered in the Gofpel,
which is fpread as far as Chriftianity, and read
daily in their public offices.
De. But I fay it is difcovered, as appears by
the multitude of your various leftions.
Chr. That cannot be called a forgery; it is
nothing but fuch miftakes as may very eafily
happen, and are almofb unavoidable, in fo many
copies as have been made of the Gofpel, be-
fore printing was known. And confidering the
many tranflations of it into feveral languages,
where the idioms are different, and phrafes may
be miftaken, together with the natural flips of
amanuenfes, it is much more wonderful that
there are no more various leftions, than that
there are fo many.
But in this appears the great providence of
God
1 8 The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjirated.
God in the care the Chriftians took of this, that
they have marked every the leaft various lec-
tion, even fyllabical : and that among all thefe
there is not found one which makes any altera-
tion eithei in the fafts, or in the doctrines. So
that inflead of an objeflion, this becon7es a
ftrong confirmation of the truth and certainty of
the Gofpel, which (lands thus perfectly clear of
fo much as any doubt concerning the fads or
the doflrines therein related.
But I will now proceed to a flrongcr evidence
than even this, and all that has been faid before >
which I have made the fixth mark, and that is
the topic of prophecy.
(V^I.) The great faO; of Chrift's coming into
the world was prophefied of in the Old Teda-
ment from the beginning to the end, as it is
faid, Luke i. 70. " By all the holy prophets
*' which have been fince the v»?orld began."
This evidence no other fa 61 ever had; for
there was no prophecy of Mofes, but Mofes
himfelf did prophecy of Chrilt, Deut. xviii. 15.
(applied Acls iii. 22, 23, 24.) and fets down the
feveral promifes given of him. The firft Vv'as to
Adam, immediately after the fall, Gen. iii. 15,
where he is called the feed of the woman, but
not of the man, becaufe he was to have no man
for his father, though he had a woman to his
mother. And of none other can this be faid,
nor
The Truth of Chrijlianity demon(lrated. 1 9
nor thai he fhould " bruife the ferpent's head,"
that is, overcome the devil and all his power.
He was again promifed to Abraham, as you
may fee, Gen. xii. 3. xviii. 18. See this applied
Gal. iii. 16.
Jacob did exprefslv prophefy of him, with a
mark of the time when he fhould come, and
calls him " Shiloh," or " He that was to be
" fent." Gen. xlix. 10.
Balaam prophefied of him by the name of the
ftar of Jacob, and fceptre of Ifrael. Numb.
xxiv. 17.
Daniel calls him the Meffiah, the Prince; and
tells the time of his coming, and of his death,
Dan. ix. 25, 26.
It was foretold that he fhould be born of a
virgin, Ifa. vii. 14. In the city of Bethlehem,
Micah v. 2. Of the feed of Je(fe, Ifa.xi. t. 10.
His low eflate and fufFcrings are particularly de-
fcribed, Pfjl. xxii. and Ifa. liii. And his refur-
re61ion, Pfal. xvi. 10. That he fliould fit upon
the throne of David for ever, and be called
'» Wonderful,' the " Mighty God," the
" Prince of Peace," Ifa. ix. 6, 7. " I'he Lord
" our righteoufncfs," |er. xxxiii. 16. Jehovah
Tfidkcnu, (an incommunicable name given to
none but the great God alone.) And Immanuel,
that is, " God with us," Ifa. vii. 14. And
David whofe fon he was, according to the flefh,
called him his lord. Pfal. ex. i.
The
20 The Truth of Chriftiamly demonjlrated.
Thecaufe of liis fufferings is faid to be for
the fins of the people, and not for himfeif, I fa.
liii. 4, 5, 6. Dan. ix. 26.
And as to the time of his coming, it is ex-
prefsly faid, (to theconfufion of the Jews now)
that it was to be before the fceptre fhould depart
from Judah, Gen. xlix. 10. \n the fecond tem-
ple, Hag. ii. 7, g. Within feventy weeks of
the building of ir, Drsn. ix. 24, that is, (accord-
ing to the prophetical known ftile of a day for
a year) wiihin four hundred and ninety years
after.
(1) From thefe and many more prophecies
of the Meffiah or Chrift, his coming was the
general expeQalion of the Jews from the be-
ginning, but more efpecially about the time in
which it was foretold he fhould come, when fe-
veral falfe Mefliahs did appear among them.
And this expcclation ftill remains with them,
though they confefs that the time foretold by all
the Prophets for his coming, is paft.
But what I have next to offer will be more
flrange to you. You may fay it was natural for
the Jews to expeO; their Meffiah, who was pro-
phefied of in their book of the law, and was to
be a Jew, and King of all the earth. But what
had the Gentiles to do with this ? There were
no prophecies to them.
Therefore what I have to fliew you isj, that
thefe
The Truth of Chrijlmrjiy demonjlraled. 21
thefe prophecies of the MeOTiah were likewife
to the Gentiles. For it is faicl he (hould be the
expeftation of the Gentiles, as well as of the
Jews. And Gen. xlix. 10. That the gathering
of the people (or nations) fhould be to him.
In the vulgar it is rendered expe^atio gentium.
*' The expectation of the Gentiles." He is
called '* the defire of all nations," Hag. ii. 7.
And I will fliew you the general expectation the
^Gentileshad of his coming, about the time that
he did come.
They knew him by the name of the Eaft.
Their tradition was, that the Eaft fliould ^^xq-
VdW^iitvalefceret on'rns, as I will fliew you pre-
fently. But firft let me tell you, that the Holy
Scripture often alludes to him under this de-
nomination. The blood of the great expiatory
facrifice was to be fprinkled towards the Eaft,
Lev. xvi. 14, to ftiew whence the true ex-
piatory facrifice fhould come. And he is thus
frequently ftiled in the Prophets. Zech. iii. 8.
It is faid, according to the vulgar, " I will
'* bring forth my fervant the Eaft." And
chap. vi. 12. *' Behold the man whofe name
" is the Eaft." Our Englifii renders it in both
places the branch, for the Hebrew word bears
both fenfes. But the Greek renders it 'Av«toa^,
which we tranflate the "day fpring," Luke i. 78.
and put on the margin fun-rifing or branch.
The
2 2 The Truth of ChrijUanlty demonjlrakd.
The vulgar has it oriens ex allo^ the Eafl or
Sun-rifing from on high. He is called the
*' Sun of righteoufnefs," Mai. iv. 2. And it is
faid, I fa. Ix. 3. "The Gentiles fliall come to
*' thy light, and kings to the brightnefs of thy
'« rifmg."
(2.) Nou', Sir, how literally was this ful-
filled in the Magi (generally fuppofed to be
Kings) coming from the Eaft, led by a ftar
v^hich appeared to them in the Eaft, to worfhip
Chrift when he was born, and to bring prefents
unto him as unto a king ? As it: is told in the
fecond of St. Matthew.
De. Why do you quote St. Matthew to me?
You know we make no more of him than of
one of your kgend writers, and believe this
ftory no more than that thefe three kings are
now buried at Cologne.
(3.) Chr. You make great ufe of the le-
gends, and anfwer every thing by them^ and I
confefs they are the greateft affront to Chrif-
tianity, and (if poffible) a difproof of it, as it
muft be to thofe who will place them upon the
fame foot with the Holy Bible, as too many do
in the Church of Rome, and cry, we have the
authority of the Church for both. And they
are taught to receive the Holy Scriptures upon
the
The Truth of Chrijiianiiy demonjlraied. 23
the authority of the Church only. But my bu-
linefs is not with thera now; I fliall only fay,
that when they can bring fuch evidences for
the truth of their legends, or for any particular
faft in them, as I do for the Holy Scriptures,
and in particular for the fa£l of Chrilt, then I
will believe them.
De, Will you believe nothing that has not all
thefe evidences you produce ?
(4.) Chr. Far from it: for then I muft be-
lieve nothing but this fingle fa8; of Chrift: be-
caufe no other facl in the world, no, not of all
thofc recorded in Holy Scriptures, has all thefe
evidences which the fa6l of Chrift has. And
fo God has thought fitting, that this great fa8:
above all other fafts, of the greateft glory to
God, and importance to mankind, fliould ap-
pear with greater and more undeniable evidence
than any other faft ever was in the world.
De. We are now upon the particular faQ of
the Magi or wife men coming to Chrift. Have
you any more to fay as to that ?
(5.) Chr. It has thofe fame evidences that
the truth of the Bible in general has, which are
more than can be produced for any other book
in the world. But now as to this fa6l in parti-
cular, St. Matthew was the firft who wrote the
2 Gofpel,
24 The Truth of Chrifiianity dnnonftrated.
Gofpel, and it was in the fame age when this
fafl was faid to be done. And can you think
it poffible that fuch a f"a6t as this could have
pafTed without contradiclion, and a public ex-
pofing of Chrifiianity, thicn fo defirable and fo
much endeavoured by the unbelieving Jews,
their high-prielts, elders, &c. as the only means
for their own prefervation, if the fad had not
been notorious and fredi in the memory of all
the people then at Jerufalem, viz. that thefe
wife men came thither, and that Herod and the
whole city were troubled at the news they
brought of the birth of the King of the Jews ;
that Herod thereupon gathered all the chief
Priefts and Scribes of the people together, that
they might fearch out of the Prophets, and
know the place where Chrift fhould be born;
and then the flaughter of the infants in and
about Bedilehem, and in all the coafts thereof,
which followed — 1 fay could fnch a fa 61 as this
have pafled at that very time, if it had not been
true ? Could St. Matthew have hoped to have
palmed this upon all the people, and upon thofe
very fame chief Priefts and Scribes who, he faid,
were fo far concerned in it ? Would none of them
have contradicled it, if it had been a forgery ?
Efpecially when the detefting it would have
ftrangled Chriftianity in its birth ? Would not
they have done it who fuborned falfe witnefTes
4 againft
The Truth of Chrijliamt} demonJJrated. 25
againfl: Chrift, and gave large money to the
foldiers to conceal (if pofTible) his refurreftion?
Would not they have done it, who perfecuted
Chriftianity with all fpite and fury, and invented
all imaginable falfe (lories and calumnies againft
it ? Whereas here was one at hand, this of the
Magi, which, if falfe, could have been fo eafily
dete6led, by appealing to every man, woman,
and child, I may fay, in Jerufalem, Bethlehem,
and even in all Judea; who, no doubt, had
heard of the terrible maflacre of fo many infants,
and the caufe of it.
De. I can give no account why the writers
againft Chriftianity did not offer to contradi6t
this fa8; of the ftar and the Magi, which is put
in the very front of this Gofpel of St. Matthew.
And there it is called his (Chrift's) ftar. *' We
have feen his ftar in the Eaft." — As if God had
created a new and extraordinary ftar on purpofe,
as the fignal of Chrift hung out in the heavens,
to give the world notice of his birth. But did
none of the heathen Philofophers take notice of
this ftar, or of his relation given of it by vour
St. Matthew ?
(6.) Chr. Yes. For Chalcidius in his com-
ment upon Plato's Timaeus, fpeaking of the
prefages of ftars mentioned by Plato, adds as a
further proof, EJi quoque alia venerabilior ^
B JanQion
£5 The Truth of Chriftlanity dcmonfirated.
Jan5liorhifioria. — There is likewife another more
venerable and holy hiftory, by which I doubt
not he means this of St. Matthew ; for what he
tells feems to be taken out of it, *' That by
" the rifing of a certain unufual ftar, not plagues
*^ and difeaCes, but the defcent of the venerable
" God, for the falvation and benefit of mortals,
*' was obferved by the Chaldeans, who wor-
" fhipped this God newly born, by offering
" gifts unto him."
De. This makes thofe Magi or wife men to
have been Chaldeans, who I know were the moft
noted then in the world for the moft curious
learning, particularly in aflronomy. And they
v,'ere likewife Eaft of Jerufalem, fo that it might
be well faid they came from the Eaft, and had
feen his ftar in the Eaft. But I cannot imagine
how they fliould read the birth of a God in the
face of a new ftar: and how that ftar fliould
fend them particularly to Jerufalem, though I
may fuppofe it pointed them weft ward.
(7.) Chr. This will be eafier to you, when
you know, that all over the Eaft there was a
tradition, or fixed opinion, that about that time
a King of the Jews would be born, who fhould
rule the whole earth. And the appearance of
this extraordinary ftar in the Eaft was taken by
them as a fign that he was then born. And
5
whither
Tho. Truth of' Chrijliamty demonjirated, 2 7
whither fliould they go look for the King of
the Jews, but to Jerufalera ? And when they
came thither they enquired, faying, " Where
'* is he that is born King of the Jews ? For \vc
'* have feen his ftar in the Eaft, and are come
" to worfliip him." This made Herod gather
the Priefts and Scribss together. And they by
fearching the Prophets found that Bethlehem
was the place; whereupon the wife inea went
to Bethlehem; and to convince them that they
were right, the ftar which they had feen in the
Eaft appeared totliem again, and, '• went before
. ^' them till it came and ftood over where the
" young child was." This made them " rejoice
" with fuch an exceeding great joy."
De. This would go dow'n in fume meafurc
with me, if you could make good your firft
pojlidatum, of fuch a current tradition or opinion
iii the Eaft; but for this you have given no fort
of proof. And all the reft v.'hich you have in-
ferred from thence muft come to the ground
with it, if it be not fupported. I confefs it
would feem as ftrange to me as the ftar to the
wife men, if God had (we know not how, it is
unaccountable to us) fent fuch a notion into the
minds of men, and at that time only, of fuch
a King to be born, and that he fiiould be a
Jev;, (ihe then moft contemptible people in
the world, fuhdued and conquered by the Ro-
B 2 mans)
iiS The Truth of Chrijlianity demonJlrateJ.
mans) and that he was to be King of the Jews,
and thence to become King of all the earth,
and conquer his conquerors. The Romans
would have looked with difdain upon fuch a no-
tion of prophecy as this; it would have made
fome ftir among them, if they had heard of it,
or given any credit to iu
(8.) Chr. You argue right ; and I will fhew
3'ou what ftir it made among them, and I hope
you will take their word, as well for this Eaftern
tradition, as for the cffefts it had among them-
felves. Nav, thev wanted not the fame tradi-
tion among themfelves, and exprefs prophecies
of it in their Sibyls, and otherwife. So that the
fame expeftation of the Mcfliah was then cur-
rent overall the earth, with the Gentiles as well
as with the Jews.
Tacitus in his Hiftory, 1. v. c. 13. fpeakfng
of the great prodigies that preceded the de-
ftruftion of Jeiufalem, fays that many under-
flood thefe as the forerunners of that extraor-
dinary Perfon whom the ancient books of the
Piiefts did foretel fhould come about that time
from Judea, and obtain the univerfal domi-
nion ; his words are, " Pluribus per/uafiQ incrat^
atitiquis Jacerdotum Uteris contineri^ eo ipfo tern-
fore fore ^ ut valefceret Oxx^n?,^ profe^ique Judaea
rerum potirentur ;" i. e. ** Many were perfuaded
that
The truth of Chrifliamiy demonjlrated. 0J9
that it was contained in the old writings of the
Priefts, that at that very time the Eall fhould
prevail, and the Jews (hould have the dominion."
And Suetonius in the Life of Vefpalian, c. i. n.
4. fays, " Percrebuerat Oriente t6to veius ^
conjlans opiniOy ejje in fatis, ut eo tempore, ]ud3£2L
profe&i rerum potirentur r i. e. "That it was
an ancient and conftant opinion (or tradition)
throughout the whole Eaft, that at that time thofe
who came from Judea fhould obtain the domi-
nion;" that is, fome Jew fhould be univerfal
king. Therefore Cicero, who was a common-
wealths-man, in his fecond book of Divination,.
fpeaking of the books of the Sibyls who like,
wife foretold this great King to come, fays.,
** Cum antiflibus aganius, i^ quidvis potius ex illis
lihrisy quam regem proferant : quern Roma poji
bac nee Diiy nee homines ejfe patientur ;' i.e. —
*' Let us deal with thefe Priefts, and let them
bring any thing out of their books, rather than
a king : whom neither the Gods nor men will
fufFer after this at Rome."
But he was miftaken, and had his head cut ofF
for writing againfl kingly government. And-
others more confiderable than he laid greater
ilrefs tipon thefe prophecies, even the whole
Senate of Rome, as I come to fhew you.
Whether thefe Sibyls gathered their prophe .
cies out of the Old Teftament, is needlefs here
B 3 to
30 The 7) uth of Chrijliamty demonjlratecl.
to examine. I am now only upon that general
expeflation which was then in the world of
this great and univerfal King to come about that
time.
/'9.) The fame year that Pompey took Jc-
rufalem, one of thefe oracles of the Sibyls made
a great noife, which was, " That nature was
about to bring forth a King to the Romans."
Which, as Suetonius relates in the Life of
Augudus, c. 94. did fo terrify the Senate, that
they made a decree to expofe, that is, deftroy
all the children born that year. Senatum ex ter-
ritiim cenfuijfe^ ne quis illo anno gev.it us educaretur,
Thar none born that year fhould be brought up,
but expofed, that is, left in feme wood or dcfart
place toperifii. But he tells how this dreadful
fentence was prevented. Eos qui gravidas tix-
91-es haherent, quad ad fe qui f que fpem iraberet^
curdjfe ne Senatus confultum adarariumdeferretiir.
That thofe Senators whofe wives were wim
child, becanfe each was in hopes oj having
this great King, took care that the decree of
the Senate fhould not be put into the asrarium
or trcafury, without which, by their conftitu-
lion, the decree could not be put in execuiion.
And Appian, Plutarch, Sallufl, and Cicero,
do all fay, that it was this prophecy of the Si-
byls which raised the ambition of Corn. I.en-
tulus
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjirated. 3 1
till LIS at that time hoping that he fliould be this
King of the Romans. Virgil, a few years be-
fore the birth of Chrift, in his 4th Eclogue,
quotes a prophecy of one of thefe Sibyls fpeak-
ing of an extraordinary perfon to be born abowt
that time, who Ihould introduce a golden age'
into the world, and reftore all things, and (hould
blot out our fins.
■ Si qua vianentfceleris'vfftigia'nojiri, '■ •
And calls him, -
Chara Dciim fobolesy magnum J'ovis incremefjtiif;}.,.
Dear offspring of the Gods, and great fon of
Jove.
Ke defcribes a new flate of things like the
** new heavens" and "new earth/' I fa, Ixv, 17.
Magnas ah integrofeclorum nafcitur ordo.
A great order of ages does begin, wholly new..
And as Ifaiah defcribes the happy ftate in the
*' new earth," that " the lion and the iamb fhould
feed together, the ferpent eat duft, and that:
they fhould not hurt or deflroy in all the holy -
mountain," Ifai. Ixv. 25. Virgil does almofl;
repeat his words :
B 4 'Nee
92 The Truth of Chrifiianity demonjlrated.
Nee magnos metuent armenta leones.
Occidet ^ ferpens^ i3 fallax herbaveneni
Occidet.
AndasGodintroducestheMeffiah with faying,
*' I will fhake the heavens, and the earth, and
thefea," Hag. ii. 7. Virgil does in a manner
tranflate it in this Eclogue, introducing the great
perfonthen to be born, and the joy which (hould
be in the whole creation.
A/pice coJTvexo nuiantem pondere mundum,
Terr of q; tra^ufq ; man's, Ccelumqj profundum>
A/pice venturo Icetentur ut omnia feclo,
Lo ! teeming nature bending with its load.
The earth, the ocean, and the heavens high,
Behold how all rejoice to greet the coming age.
Here the poet defcribes nature as in labour
to bring forth this great King, as the other Pro-
phecy of the Sibyls before- mentioned fpeaks.
And he fays, Aderit jam tempiis. That the time
was then at hand.
Jam nox a progenies aelo demittitur alto.
Now a new progeny from heaven defcends.
And he appliesit to Saloninus, the fon of Polli
the conful, then newly born, as if it was to be
fulfilled
The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjirated, 33
fulfilled in him. But as there was nothing lik
it in the event ; fo thefe words are too great to
be applied to any mortal, or the reign of any
King that ever was in the world; or to any
other but to the Meffiah, the Lord of heaven
and earth.
(10.) De. But you know the authority of
thefe Sibyls is difputed. Some fay the Chrif-
tians did interpolate them, and added to them in
about a hundred years after Chrift.
CiiR. It is true, the Chrillians did often quote
them againft the Heathens, as St. Paul quoted
the Pleathen Poets to the Athenians, A6ts xvii.
28. And Clem. Alexandrinus in hisStrom. 1. 6.
fays, that St. Paul quoted the Sibyls likewife
in his Difputations with the Gentiles. And the
Chriftians were called Sibyllianifts, from liicir
quoting the Sibyls fo often. But Origen, '\\\
his anfwer to Celfus, 1. 7. challenges him to
Ihew any interpolation made by the Chriftians,
and appeals to the Heathen copies which were
in their own polfeflion, and kept with great
care.
But what I have quoted to you out of Virgil
was before Chrift was born, and therefore clear
of all thefe objeftions.
De. Then the Jews muft have had fome hand
in them. As likewife in that Eaftern tradition
you have fpoken of.
B 5 Chr.
34. The Truth of Chrijiianiiy deuionji rated.
Chr. If fo, you muft fuppofe that the Jews
had it from their own Prophets. And this will
be a (Irong confirmation that the lime of the
Meffiah's coming as plainly told in the pro-
phets.
(li.) De. What fay the Jews to this ? For
I cannot imagine how they can get off of it.
Chr. Some of them fay, that the Mefhah
put off his coming at the appointed time, be-
caufe of their fins. Others fay, he did come
at the time, but has concealed himfclf ever
fince,
De. Thefe are mere excufes. Do they pre-
tend any prophecy for this ? But to what pur-
pofe? For thefe excufes fliew, that prophe-
cies are no proofs, becaufe if they may be thus
put off, they can never be known. And they
may be put oft' and put off to the end of the
■world.
.. (12.) Chr. But now. Sir, as to your point.
If this general expectation, both eafl and weft,
of the great King of the Jews to be born about
that very time that he did come, was occafioned
by the Jewifh tradition of it, ftrengthens the
truth of the Holy Scriptures, whence the Jews
had it. But otherwife, if God, we know not
how, did fend fuch a notion into the minds of
men.
The Truth of Chrifiiantty demonjlrated. 35
men, all over the world, at that particular time,
and never the like, either before or fince, theri
the miracle will be greater, and the atteftation
to the coming of Chrift ftronger, and as you
faid, it will be more v/onderful and more con-
vincin'T to vou, than the flar was to the wife
men in the eaft.
De. I muft take time to anfwer this. I made
nothing at all of this of the Magi, and theftar,
and of Herod's flaying the infants upon it. I
thought it a ridiculous Ilory, and to have no
foundation in the world. But when I fee Sue-
tonius telling us of the decree of the Senate of
Rome todeltroy all the children born that year,
and for the fame reafon, for fear of this great
King that was then to be born ; I muft think
there was a ftrange chiming in of things here,
one to anfwer the other. I know not how it
happened. By chance, or how ! .
(13.) CiiR. You cannot imagine therecould
be any concert in this matter. That the Chal- •
deans, and Romans, and Jews, fhould all agree
upon the point, and hit it fo exa6lly, without
anyone of them difcovering the contrivance!
efpecially when it was fo terrible to both the
Romans and the Jews, that they took fuch dcf-
perate methods to prevent it as to deftroy their
own children i
B 6 D£.
y
3^ The Truth of Cbriftianity demenfiraied*
De. It is ridiculous to talk of a concert. I
will not put my caufe upon that. Would they
concert what they thought their own dcftruftion ?
Befides, the Jews and Romans were then ene-
mies ; and the Chaldeans were far off, and had
little correfpondence with either of them. And
fuch an univerfal notion could not be concerted.
Whole nations could not betrufted with a fecret.
And if they all kept it, and agaitift their own
intereft too, it would be as great a miracle as
any in your Bible.
(14.) Chr. How much more impoflible is it
to fuppofe, that there (hould be a concert be-
tween different ages, between all the ages from
Adam downwards, in all thofe prophecies of the
coming of the Melliah ? How (hould they know
it but by revelation ? And would they have all
agreed fo exaflly as to the time, place, manner,
and other circumftances, if it had been a forgery
contrived bydifferentperfonsand in diiferentages?
(15.) This is an argument which St. Peter
thought ftronger than the convi£lion even of our
outward fenfes, for having fet down what he and
the other two Apoftles had both feen and heard
upon the holy Mount, he adds, "We have
** yet a more fure word (that is, a ftronger
** proof) of prophecy, whereunto ye do well
« to
The Truth of Cbrijiiamty demonfirated. 37
« ro take heed, as unto a light that fhineth in
" a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
** day-ftar arife in your hearts." 2 Pet. i. 19. —
And he enforces it thus, " For the prophecy
«' came not in old time by the will of man, but
*« holy men of God fpake as they were moved
« by the Holy Ghoft."
De. I will grant his argument {o far, that
it is eafier to fuppofe the fenfes of three men,
or of all the men in the world to be impofed
upon, than that Adam, Abraham, and I had
concerted together. But I will not give you
my anfwer yet Have you any more to fay
upon this head of prophecy ?
Chr. I need fay no more till your anfwer
comes. For you have granted that this proof
is (Ironger than what we fee with our eyes.
(16.) But that your anfwer may take in all
together, I will give you fomething further. I
have fet down already fome of the great pro-
phecies of the coming of Chrift, his fufferings,
death, and refurreftion. But there are others
which reach to feveral minute circumflances, fuch
as cannot be applied to any other fatl that ever
yet happened, and which could not have been
. forefeen by any but God ; nor were known by
the adlors who did them, elfe they had not done
them. For they would not have fulfilled the
Prophecies
38 The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjirated.
Prophecies that went before of Chrift, in ap-
plying them to him whom they crucified as a
falfe Chrift.
See then how literally feveral of thefe Pro-
phecies were fulfilled. As Pfal. Ixix. 21. —
" They gave me gall to eat and vinegar to
" drink," Then read Matt, xxvii. 34. '* They
•^ gave him vinegar to drink mingled with
« gall." Itisfaid, Pfa. xxii. 16, 17, 18. "They
" pierced my hands and my feet — They ftand
*' flaring and looking upon me. They part my
*' crarments among them, and caft lots upon
*' my vefl-ure." As if it had been wrote after
John xix. 23, i\. It was merely accidental in
the foldiers, ihey would not tear his coat, bccaufe
it was woven and without feam, therefore they
caft lots for it: thus fulfilling this Scripture,
without any knowledge of theirs, for they were
Roman foldiers, and knew nothing of the Scrip-
ture. Again it is {'aid, Pfal. xxii. 7, 8. " All
" they that fee me, laugh me to fcorn ; they
'* flioot out their lips and fhake their heads,
" faying, He irufted in God that he would de-
«' liver him : let him deliver him if he will
« have him." Compare this with Matt, xxvii.
39> 4ij 42> 43. " And they that paffed by re-
s' viled him, wagging their heads, and faying —
" Come down from the crofs. Likewife alfo the
" chief priefts mocking himj with the fcribcs and
<• elders^
The Truth of ChrijlLmity demonjlrated. 39
«6 elders, faid — He triifted in God, let him de- '
" liver him now if he will have him, for he
« faid, I am the Son of God." It is faid again,
Zech. xi. 10. " They fliall look upon me whom
" they have pierced." His very price was fore-
told, and how the money fhould be difpofcd of,
Zech. xi. 13. fulfilled Matt, xxvii. 6, 7. And his
riding into Jeriifalem upon an afs, Zech. ix. 9.
which the learned Rabbi Saadia expounds of
the Meffiah. That he fhould fufFer with ma-
lefaftors, Ifai. liii. 12. That his body fhould
not lie fo long in the grave as to fee corruption,
Pfal. xvi. 10.
Many other circumftances are told which
cannot be applied to any but to Chrifl. I have
fet down thefe few, that you may take them into
confideration when you think fit to give your
anlwer as to this head of Prophecies.
And you are to take caj:§ -to find fome other
fatt guarded with Prophecies like this. Or elfe
you muft confefs that there is no other fa6l that
has fuch evidence as this.
(17.) But before I leave this head, I mufli
mention the Prophecies in our Bible of things
yet to come to the end of the world, and of|
the new heavens and new earth that Ihall fuc«
ceed.
De. Thefe can be no proofs here, becaufe we
cannot fee the fulfilling of them,
Chr
40 The Truth of Chriftianity demonflrated.
Chr. You may believe what is to come, by
the fulfilling you have feen of what is pad. But
I bring this now to (hew you, that there is no
other law or hiftory in the world that fo much
as pretends to this, or to know what is to come.
This \% peculiar to the Holy Bible, as being
written from the mouth of God.
You have feen how the current of the Pro-
phecies of the Old Teftament did point at and
center in that great event the coming of the
Meffiah.
When he was come, then he told us more
plainly of what was to come after him, even to
the confummation of all things. And by what
we have feen exa6tly fulfilled of all he told us
to this time, we mufl believe what remains vet
to come.
(18.) How particularly did he foretel the de-
ftru6tion of Jerufalem and the temple, Matt,
xxiv. And that that age fhould not pafs till it
Ihould be fulfilled ? And his very expreffion was
literally fulfilled. That there fhould not be left
one ftone upon another in the temple, for the
very foundations of it were ploughed up by Tur-
nus Rufus. See Scaliger's Canon. Ifagog. p,
304.
When Jerufalem was firfl befieged it was full
ofChriftians. But the fiege was raifed unac-
countably
'Ilae Truth of Chrifiianity demonjirated. 41
countably and for no reafon that hiftory gives.
In which time the Chriftians feeing thofe figns
come to pafs which Chrift had foretold would
precede its deftrudion, and particularly laying
hold of that caution he gave, " Then let them
" that are in Judea flee to the mountains", and
that in fuch hafle, as that he that was in the
field was not to return (to Jerufalem) to fetch
his garment, or he on the houfe top there to
ftay to take his goods with him ; accordingly
all the Chriftians left Jerufalem, and fled to
Pella, a city in the Mountains. And as foon
as they were all gone, the Romans returned
and renewed the fiege. And fo it came to pafs,
that when Titus facked the city there was not
one Chrifl:ian found there, and the defl.ru6lion
fell only upon the unbelieving Jews. The others
efcaped, as Lot out of Sodom, by believing the
prediflion of that ruin,
(19.) Another very remarkable predi6lion of
our bleffed Lord in that fame chapter was of the
many falfe Chrifts that fliould come after him;
and he warned the Jews not to follow them, for '
that it would be to their deftruQion. " Behold,
*' (fays he, ver. 25.} I have told you before.'*
But they would not believe him; and accordingly
it came to pafs. Jofephus in his Antiquities of
the Jews, 1. xviii. c. 12. 1. xx. c. 6. And De
42 The Truth of ChrijJianiiy demoitft rated.
Bell. Jud. 1. vii. c. Ji. tells of abundance of
thefe falfe Meffiahs, who appeared before the
deftruftion of Jerufalem, and led 'the people
into the wildernefs, where they were miferably
deftroyed. The very thing of which our Sa-
viour cautioned them, ver. 26. " Ifthey fay unto
'* you, Behold, he (that is Chrift) is in the de-
" fert, go not forth." And De Bell. Jud. 1.
\n. c. 12. Jofephus fays, that the chief caufe
of their obftinacy in that war with the Romans,
was their expeftation of a Meffiah to come and
deliver them, which brought on their ruin, and
made them deaf to the offers of Titus, who
courted them to peace.
And fmce the deftrudion of Jerufalem there
have been fo many falfe Meffiahs, that Johannes
a Lent has wrote a hiflory of them, printed
HerboncC, 1697. Which brings them down as
far as the year 1682. And tells the lamentable
deftru6lion of the Jews in following them.
(20.) But the next Prophecy of our blefied
Lord which I produce is more remarkable than
thefe; and of which you fee the fulfilling in a
great meafure, viz. That his Gofpel fhould
prevail over all the world, and that the gates of
hell fhould not prevail againfl it : and this told
when he was low and defpifed, and had but
twelve poor fifherraen for his followers : and
that
T^he Truth of ChriJUanity demoiijh-aied. 43
fliat his religion fliould conquer, not by the
fword, like Mahomet's, but by patient fuffering,
as lambs among wolves. And iii this ftate the
churchendured mofl terrible perfecutions, when
all tiie rage of hell was let lool'e againft her, for
the firft three hundred years, without any help
but from heaven only; till at laft, by the Divine
Providence, the great Emperor of Rome, and
other mighty Kings and Princes, without any
force or compulfion, did voluntarily and freely
fubmit their fcepters to Chrift.
No religion that ever was in the world was
fo begun, {o propagated, and did fo prevail : and
hence we alTuredly truft, that what remains will
be fulfilled, of the promife of Chrift: to his church
in the latter days.
But I fpeak now only of this Prophecy fo long
beforehand, and when there was fo little appear-
ance of its coming to pafs fo far as we have i^Qn
already.
Let me here remember one particular paf-
fage foretold by Chrift concerning the woman,
who anointed his body to the burying, that
" wherefoever this Gofpel fhall be preached
" throughout the whole world, this alfo that fhe
" hath done fiiall be fpoken of, for a memorial
" of her." Mark xiv. 8, 9. And we fee how
it is fpoken of to this day.
De. If this book had been loft, we had not
heard of this Prophecy.
CllR,
44 ^T?*? Truth of Chrijiianiiy demonjirated.
Chr. So you may fay of all the Bible, or of
any other book: but Providence has fulfilled
this Prophecy by preferving the book : and it
is a prophecy that this book, at Icaft tbis fa6l
of the woman, fhouid be preferved for ever,
and it may be preferved though that book were
loft.
(21.) De. When prophecies are fulfilled,
and the events come to pafs, they are plain to
every body ; but why might they not have been
as plain from the beginning? And then there
could have been no difpute about them, as if it
had been faid, that fuch a one by name, at fuch
a time, and in fuch a place, ftiould do fuch
things, (fee.
Chr. Becaufe God having given man free
will, he does not force men to do any wicked
thing : and it would be in the power of wicked
men to defeat a Prophecy againft themfelves,
as to the circumftance of time, place, or the
manner of doing the thing.
For example, if the Jews had known that
Chrift had told his Apoftles he was to be cruci-
fied, they would not have done it ; they would
have ftoned him as they did St. Stephen ; for
that was the death appointed by the law for blaf-
pheray : and they feveral times attempted to
have ftoned Chrift for this, becaufe he faid I am
the
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjirated. 45
the Son of God. John viii. 59. x. 31, 32, 33.
But crucifixion was a death" by the Roman law.
Therefore the Jews, to fulfil this Prophecy (but
not knowing it) delivered Chrift to the Romans
to be put to death. Yet he told them fo much
of it, that after he was crucified they might
know it, as he faid to them, John viii. 28. —
" When ye have lift up the Son of Man, then
" fhall ye know that I am he." And chap. x. 32,
33. " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
" will drav? all men unto me. This he faid,
" fignifying what death he fhould die." BiR.
they underftood it not till they had done it; then
they knew what the lifting up meant. And chap,
xviii. 31, 32. when Pilate would have had them
judge him according to their law, which was
llo»ing, they were cautious at this time only,
and faid, " It is not lawful for us to put any
man to death ;" becaufe they were then under
the government of the Romans. But the next
words fiiew the defign of Providence in it, *' that
" the faying of Jefus might be fulfilled, which
** he fpake, fignifying what death he fliould
** die." They had no fuch caution upon them
when they ftoned St. Stephen after this, nor the
many times before when they took up flones to
ftone the fame Jefus.
Then again, the piercing his fide with the
fpear was no part of the Roman fentence of ex-
ecution.
4,6 The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjlrated.
ecution, but happened feemingly by mere acci-
dent : for the fentence of the law was to hang
upon the crofs till they were dead ; but that being
the day of preparation for the Sabbath, which
began that evening foon after Chrift and the
thieves were faftened to the crofs, before it
could be fuppofed they were dead, therefore,
" that the bodies might not remain upon the
'• crofs on the Sabbath-day," the Jews befought
Pilate that their legs might be broken (which
v/as no part of the fentence neither, but done)
left they fhould efcape when taken down. Ac-
cordingly the legs of the thieves were broken,
for they were yet alive, and the reafon why they
brake not the legs of Chrift was, becaufe " they
faw that he was dead already;" but to make
fure, one of the foldiers pierced his fide vi'ith
a fpear : little knowing that they were then ful-
filling Prophecies, as that a " bone of Him
*' fiiould not be broken." And again, *' They
*' fhall look on him whom they pierced." As
little did the foldiers think of it when they were
calling lots upon his veil u re : and the chief
Priells (if they had known it or reflefted upon
it) would not have upbraided him in the very
words that were foretold in Pfalm xxii. which
I have before quoted. And they would have
contrived the money they gave to Judas to have
been one piece more or lefs than juft thirty :
they
The Truth of Cbrifiianity demonjiraied. 47
they would not have come fo punclually in the"
way of that Prophecy, Zech. xi. 12, 13. — ■
" They weighed for my price thirty pieces of
filver." And they would have bought any other
field with it, but efpecially not that of the Potter,
which Zechaiiah there likewife mentions.
And as the enemies of Chrift did not know
they were fulfilling thefe Prophecies of him, fo
neither did hisdifciples at the time when they were
fo doing. And it is faid, John xii. 16. " Thefe
" things underllood not his difciples at the firft ;
*' but when Jefus was glorified, then remem-
*' bered they that thefe things were written of
" him, and that they had done thefe things unto
*• him." This makes the falfiUing thefe Pro-
phecies vet more remarkable.
Where Providence fees that Prophecies will
Bot be minded, they are more exprefs and plain :
as .likewife where the paffions and intercfts of
men will hurry them on towards fulfilling them.
Thus Alexander the Great is defcribed as plainly
almoft as if he had been named, Dan. viii. 20,
21, 22. And it is faid, that this Prophecy,
which was fhewed him by the High Prieft. at
Jerufalem, did encourage him in his expedi-
tion againft the Perfians. But it is not fo when
a man is to do foolifh and wicked things, and
things hurtful to himfelf; for if thefe were told
plainly and literally, it would be in his pov/er to
do
4-8 The Truth of Chrijlianity demonflrated.
do otherwife; unlefs God fhould force his will,
and then he would not be a free agent,
(22.) De. I muft have recourfc to the Jews
in anfwer to thefe Prophecies of the MefTiah
which you have brought; for they owning thefe
Scriptures as Revelations given them by God,
muft have fome folution or other for them, or
elfe give themfelves up as felf-condemned.
Chr. The anfwers the Jews give will con-
x-ince you the more, and render them indeed
felf-condemned.
Before the coming of Chrifl; the Jews under-
ftood thefe texts as we do, to be certainly meant
of the Mefliah, and of none other.
But fince that time they have forced them-
felves to put the mod ftrained and contradiftory
meanings upon them; for they agree not in
their expofitions, and the one does manifeftly
deftroy the other.
Thus that text I before quoted, Gen. xlix.
10. was underftood by the Chaldee and an-
cient Jewifh interpreters to be meant of the
MefTiah.
Yet of their modern Rabbles fome fay, that
it was meant of Mofes; but others reje6l that,
firft, becaufe it is plain that the gathering of
the nations or Gentiles was not to Mofes. Se-
condly, becaufe the fcepter was not given to
Judah
The Truth of Chrijilanity demonjlrated, 49
Judah till long after Mofes. The firft of it that
appears was Judg. xx. 18. when Judah was
commanded by God to '*go up firft," and lead
the reft of the tribes; and David was the firft king
of the tribe of Judah. Thirdly, becaufe Mofes
did prophefy of a greater than himfelf to come,
to whom the people fhould hearken, Deut,
xviii. 15, 18, 19.
For thefe reafqns other Rabbles fay it could
not be meant of Mofes, but they apply it to the
tabernacle of Shiloh. This was only for the
fake of the word Shiloh, for otherwife it bears
no refemblance either to the gathering of the
Gentiles, or the fceptre of Judah: and though
♦.he houfe of God was firft fet up at Shiloh, yet
it was removed from thence, and eftablifhed at
Jerufalem ; which was the place of which Mofes
fpoke that God would place bis name there, as I
fhall (hew you prefently, ^
This interpretation therefore being reje6tecf,
other Rabbies fay, that this Prophecy muft be
meant of the Mefliah, but that by the word
fceptre is not to be underftood a fceptre of rule
or government, but of correQion and punifh-
mcDt, and that this fhould not depart from Ju-
dah till Shiloh came. But the text explaining
fceptre by the word law-giver, that the fceptre
fhould not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver
from between his feet until Shiloh came, over-
C throws
^o The Truth of Chrijiianity devtonjlrated.
throws this interpretation, and fhews the fccp-
tre here mentioned to be meant of a fceptre of
rule and government. Again, Jofhua gave them
reft from their enemies round about; and the
land had reft many years under their judges; and
David delivered them out of the hands of their
enemies; and tinder Solomon they were the
richeft and happieft people upon earth ; and
frequently after they were in good condition
and at eafe : fo that the fceptre of corredion
did often depart from them before Shiloh came.
This is fo evident, that others of them allow
this fceptre to be a fceptre of government; but
they fay the meaning is, that the fceptre fliall
not finally or for ever depart from Judah, be-
caufe the Meffiah w-iil come and reflore it to
f udah again. But this is adding to the text, and
making a new text of it, and quite different from
the former, nay direftly oppofite to it; for the
text fpeaks only of the departing of the fceptre,
but nothing of the reiloring it ; and it cannot be
reftored till once it is departed : therefore this
cxpofition faying it " fhall depart," and the text
faying " fliall not depart," are drreclly con-
trary.
Laftly, there are others who throw afide all
thefe excufes, and fay, that the fceptre or do-
minion is not yet departed from Judah, for that
fome Jew or other may have fome fort of rule
or
Thi Truth of Chrijiianity demonjl rated, 5 1
or government, in fome part or other of the
world, though v;e know it not.
De. As if the Jews (who hold the befl cor-
refpondence with one another of any people)'
could not tell this place, if there were any fuch
where they were governed by their own laws,
and by governments of their own nation, though
in fubjeftion to the government of the country
where they lived.
Thefe falvos of the Jews are contradi£lory to
each other, they are poor excufes, and fhew their
caufe to be perfeflly deftitute.
But I have an objeftion againft this Prophecy,
which affefts both f ews and Chriftians : that the
regal fceptre did depart from the tribe of Judah
long before your Shiloh came.
Chr. Firlt, this Prophecy does not call the
fceptre a regal fceptre, and therefore denotes
only government in the general.
Secondly, The whole land and the nation
took their name from Judah. It was called the
land of Judah, and the nation took the name
of Jews from Judah, as before that of He-
brews from Heber their progenitor, Gen. x. 25.
And this Prophecy fpoke of thofe times when
Judah fhould be the father of his country, and
the whole nation fhould be comprehended un-
der the name of Judah: and therefore judah
holds the fceptre wherever a Jew governs.—
c 2 Befides
5 2 The Truth ef Chrijiianity demonjlrated,
Befides the words fceptre and throne are ufed
in relation to inferior governors, to tributary
kings, and kings in captivity ^ thus it is faid,
that thirty-feven years after the captivity of |u-
dah, the king of Babylon fet the throne of Je-
hoiachin, king of Judah, above the thrones of
kings that were with him in Babylon. 2 Kings
XXV. 27, 28. This was more than half the time
of the captivity ; and this was continued to Je-
hoiachin all the " days of his life," (ver. 29,
30.) which might laft till the end, or near the
end, of the captivity. But befides the king, the
Jews had governors of their own nation allowed
them, who were their archonites or rulers; and
they enjoyed their own laws, though in fui)jec-
tion to the King of Babylon. The elders of
Judah (which was a name of government) are
mentioned in the captivity. Ezek. viii. i. And
the chief of the Fathers of Judah, and the
Priefts and the Levites. Ezra i. 5. And after
the -captivity, they had a trifhahta or governor of
their own nation. Ezra ii. 63. Neh. viii. 9. —
And the throne or the governor is named. Neh.
iii. 7. So that here was Hill the throne or fcep-
ire of Judah.
And from the time of the Maccabees to their
conqueft by the Romans, the fupreme authority
was in their High Priefts ; as it was afterwards,
"ftut in fubjedion to the Romans; and they en-
joyed
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonftrated, 53
joyed their own laws. — " Pilate faid unto them,
" lake ye him, and judge him according to your
*' law." John xviii. 31. And though they an-
fwered, " Jt is not lawful for us to put any man
" to death; the reafon is given in the next
verfe, " That ihe faying of Jefus might be ful-
" filled which he fpakc, fignifying what death
** he fliouid die." For crucifixion was a Ro-
man death;" but ftoning, by the law of Mofes,
was the death for blafphemy, of ^vhich they ac-
cufcd iiim. And they afterwards floned St.
Stephen for the fame (alledged) crime, accord-
ing to their own law. Their High Priefts and
Council had full liberty to meet when they
pleafed, and to a6l according to their law. And
Chrift. himfelf owns they " fat in Mofes's feat."
Matth. xxiii. 2. The High Priefl fat to judge
St. Paul, who applied to him that text, Exod.
xxii. 28. " Thou {halt not revile the gods, nor
" curfe the ruler of thy people, or fpeak evil
'• of him," as the Apoftie renders it, A6ts.
xxiii. 5. So that here the government was flill
in the Jews, though in fubjedion to the Romans;
and thus it continued till the deftruciion of Je-
rufalem and the temple by the Romans. But
fince that time they are difperfed in all coun-
tries, and have no governor or ruler of their
own in any. The fceptre is entirely departed
from them.
c 3 De.
54 1^^ Truth of Chriftianily demonftrated.
De. It is impoffible but the Jews muft fee
the difference of their ftate before the deftruc-
tion of Jerufalem, and fince, and of their con-
dition, as to government in their feveral captivi-
ties, and now in their difperfion. In the former,
they had ftill a face of government left among
themfelves : but now, none at all. And their
excufes which you have mentioned, render them
indeed felf-condemned.
What do they fay^ to that text you have
quoted, Jer. xxiii. i-]^ &c. that David Ihould
never want a fon to fit upon his throne, &c.
You Chriftians apply it to Chrifl, who was called
the Son of David; but to whom do the Jews
apply it ?
Chr. Some of them fay, that David will be
raifed from the dead, and made immortal, to
fulfil this prophecy. Others fay, that after the
Meffiah, who is to be of the feed of David, he
fhall thenceforward no more want a fon, &;c.
De. Both thefe interpretations are in flat con-
tradition to the text. The text fays, fliall ne- ^
ver want; thefe fay, fiiall want for a long time;
they mufl confefs now for near feventeen hun-
dred years together, and how much longer they
cannot tell. They have had none to fit in Mo- .
fes's feat, or on the throne of David, though in
fubjedion to their enemies, as they had in the
worfl of their captivities ; but have not now in
their difperfion.
But
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonftrated, 55
But is there any difFerence betwixt what you
call the cathedra, or feat of Mofes, and the
throne of David ?
Cmr. None as to government; for Mofes
was king in Jefhurun, Deut. xxiii. 5. but Da-
vid was the firfl: king of the tribe of Judah,
which was to be the name of the whole nation ;
and Chrifl wa5 called the King of the Jews. It
■was the title fet upon his crofs. But after him
none ever had that title to this day.
De. This is not to be anfwered by the Jews.
Bat pray what perfon is it do they fay was
meant in the liiid. of Ifaiah, which you have
quoted ?
Chr. They will not have it to be any per-
fon at all; for they can find none, except our
Chrift, to whom thefe prophecies can any way '
be applied. Therefore they fay it mud be
meant of the nation of the Jews, whofe fuf-
ferings, &:c. are there defcribed in the name of
a perfon, by which the people are to be under- .
Hood.
De. But the people and the perfon there de-
fcribed as fuff'ering, (&c. are plainly contradif-
tinguifiied. It is faid, ver. 8. " For the tranf-
" greffion of my people was he flricken."—
And ver. ;], 4, &c. " We," (the people) " like
" flieep have gone aftray And the Lord hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all," that is, of
c 4 the
$6 The Truth of Chrlfiiamty demmftrated.
the people : who are here called wicked. But
he is called " My righteous fervant, who did
■*' no violence, neither was any deceit in his
'« mouth." Therefore this people and ihe pcr-
fon here fpoke of could not be the fame. They
are oppofed to each other. The one called
righteous, the other wicked. The one to die
for the other, and to juftify the otiier. " By
" his knowledge fliall my righteous fervant juf-
" tify many," &c.
Chr. The Jews before Chrift came under-
flood this prophecy of the Meffiah, as indeed it
can be applied to none other: but the Jews
fmce Chrift, to avoid the force of this and other
prophecies which fpeak of the fufferings and
death of the MefTiah, have invented two Mcf-
fiahs, one Ben Jofeph, of the tribe of Ephraim,
'who is to be the fufFering Mefliah, the other
Ben-David, of the tribe of Judah, who is to
triumph glorioufly, and fl:iall raife from the dead
all the Ifraelites, and among them the firft Mef-
fiah, Ben-Jofeph.
De. Does the Scripture fpeak of two Mef-
fiahs, and the one raifing the other?
Chr. No; not a word: but only of the
Meffiah, which fhews it fpoke only of one.—
It mentions the twofold ftate of this MelTiah, the
firfl fuffering, the fecond triAnphing. Whence
the modern Jews have framed to themfelves
thefe two Melfiahs.
De.
The Truth of Chrijiianity demo7tJirated, 57
De. This is fhamefull And plainly to avoid
the prophecies againll them.
Chr. This of Ifaiah is fully explained, Dan,
ix. 24, Scz, where it is faid, that the Mefliah the
Prince fhould be cut off, but not for himfelf,
but for the tranfgreffions of the people, " To
" make an end of fins, and to make reconci-
" liation for iniquity." And that this was to be
within four hundred and ninety years after the
building of the fecond temple, which I have,
mentioned before.
De. I cannot imagine how the Jews get clear*
of this.
Chr. They cannot. But in fpite to it,, they^
feek now to undervalue the whole book of Da-
niel, though they dare not totally rejeO: ir,, be-
caufe it was received by their forefathers, who
preceded Chriil. But about a hundred years-
after Chrifl; they made a new diftribuiion of the.
books^ of the Old Teftamcnt, different from
their fathers, aud took the book of Daniel out of
the middle of the Prophets, where it was placed,
before, and put it kft of all. But more thaUr
this, to leifen the credit oi^ this book,, they ad-
ventuj;ed to Iliake the authority of their whole
Scriptures; for they took upon them to make
a diflinttion of the books of 1 ihe Scripture^ .
and made them not all infpired or canonical, hut
fome of them, they called 'Ayjiyg«^»^ that isj holy.
c 5 or-
58 The Truth of Chriftianity demonjirated,
or pious books, though in a lower clafs than
thole called infpired or canonical Scriptures. —
And they put the book of Daniel into the in-
ferior clafs; but in that book Daniel fpeaks of
himfelf as having received thefe prophecies ini-
mediately from an angel of God. Wherein if
he told us the truth, it muft be put in the higheft
clafs of canonical Scripture; but if he told us
falfe, then this book is quite through all a lie,
and blafphemous too, in fathering it all upon
God! So that tlie diftinBion of our modern
Jews confounds themfelves. And fince they
allow this book of Daniel a place among the
'Ayioy^afpflj, or holy writings, they cannot deny
it to be truly canonical, as all their fathers owned
it before the coming of Chrift. And if they
throw off Daniel, they mufi: difcard Ezekiel
too: for he gives the higheft atteftation to Da-
niel that can be given to mortal man; he makes
him one of the three moft righteous men to be
found in all ages, and the very ftandard of wif-
dom to the world. Ezek. xiv. 14, 20. xxviii. 3.
De. What do they fay to Hag. ii. 7, 9. where
it is faid, that Chrift was to come into the fecond
Temple ?
Chr. Some* of them fay, that this muft be
ireant of a temple yet to be built.
De. This is denying the prophecy; for it is-
faid, ver. 7, ** I will fill this houfe with glory j,
« &c."
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjlrated, 59
" &c." And ver. g. " The glory of this lat-
" ter houfe — And in this place will I give
" peace, &c." but I am not to defend the caufe
of the Jews. It feems to me very defperate. I
own you Chriftians have the advantage of them
in this.
Chr. And I hope it will have fo much effedl:
with you, as to make you confider ferioufly of
the weight of this argument of prophecy we have
difcourfed.
De. Let us at prefent leave this head of pro-
, phecy. Have you any further evidence to pro-
duce for your Chrift ?
(VII.) Chr. I have one more, which is yet
more peculiar to him than even that of pro-
phecy. For whatever weak pretence may be
made of fome prophecies among the Heathenj
as to fome particular events, of little confe-
quence to the world, yet they never offered at
that fort of evidence I am next to produce;
which is not only prophecies of the faft, and that
from the beginning of the world, but alfo types,
refemblances, and exhibitions of the fa6l, in out-
ward fenfible infiituiions, ordained as law from
the beginning, and to continue till the faQ they
prefigured fhould come to pafs*
(i.) Such were the facrifices inftituted hy
God immediately upon the fall>. (and upon his
c 6 proraife
6o The Truth of Chrifiianity demonftrated.
proraife of the life-giving feed, (Gen. iii. i^,)
as types of that great and only propitiatory fa-
crifice for fin which was to come. Whofe blood
they faw continually flied (in type) in their daily
facrifices.
Thefe were continued in the Heathen pofte-
rities of Adam by immemorial tradition from
the beginning, though they had forgot the be-
ginning of them, as they had of the world, or
of mankind; yet they retained fo much of the
reafon of them, as that they had univerfaliy the
notion of a vicarious atonement, and that our
fins >yere to be purged by the blood of others
fuffering in our ftead. As likewife, that the
blood of bulls and goats could not take away
fin, but that a more noble blood was neceffary.
Hence they came to human facrifices, and at
5aft to facrifice the greateft, moft noble, and
moft virtuous ; and fuch offered themfelves to
fee facrificed for the fefety of the people. As
'Codrus, King of the Athenians, who facrificed
himfelf on this account. The like did Curtius
for the Romans, as fuppofing himfelf the bravefl
and moft valuable of them all. So the Decii,
ihe Fabii, &c. Agamemnon facrificed his
daughter Iphigenia for the Greek army ; and the
King of Moab facrificed his eldeft fon that Ihould
liave reigned in his ftead, 2 Kings iii. 27. Thus
the ^ac^:ificing (not their fervaiits or Haves, but)
f their
7}je Truth of Chirifiianity demonjlrated, 6 1
their children to Moloch, is frequently mentioned
of the Jews, which they did in imitation of the
Heathen, as it is faid, Pfal. cvi. 35, 36, 37, 38.
" They were mingled among the Heathen, and
'• learned their works; and they ferved their
** idols — Yea they facrificed their fons and their
*' daughters unto the idols of Canaan, &C.*'—
Purfuant to which notion, the prophet intro-
duceth them arguing thus : " Wherewith fhall
" I come before the Lord, and bow myfelf be-
*' fore the high God ; Shall I come before him
" with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year
" old? Will the Lord be pleafed with thoufands
" of rams, or with ten thoufands of rivers''of
" oil ? Shall I give my firft-born for my iranf-
" greffion, the fruit of my body for the lin of
*' my foul?" Micah vi. 6, 7. They were
plainly fearching after a complete and adequate
fatisfaftion for lin ; and they thought it necef-
fary.
De. No doubt they thought fo ; but that did
not make it neceffary.
Chr. Thedoftrine of fatisfa6lion is a fubje6l
by itfelf; which I have treated elfewhere, in my
anfwer to the examination of my laft dialogue
againft the Socinians. But I am not come fo
far with you yet ; I am now only fpeaking of
facrifices as types of the fucrifice of Chrilt.
(2.) And
62 The Truth of Chrifiianity demonfirated.
(2.) And befides facrifice in general, there
were afterwards fome particular facrifices ap-
pointed move nearly expreffive of our redemp -
tion by Chrifl:. As the paflbver, which was
inflituted in memory of the redemption of the
children of Ifrael (that is, the church) out of
Egypt, (the houfe of bondage o^ this world,
where we are in fervitude to fin and miferyj in
the night when God flew all the firftborn of the
Egyptians : but the deftroyer was to pafs over
thofe houfes where he faw the blood of the
Pafchal Lamb upon the door-pofts. And it
was to be eaten with unleavened bread, expreff-
ing a fincerity of the heart, without any mix-
ture or taint of wickednefs. And thus it is ap-
plied, 1 Cor. V. 7, 8. " Purge out therefore
" the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump,
*' as ye are unleavened. For even Chrift our
" pafTover is facrificed for us. Therefore let us
" keep the feaft, not with old leaven, neither
'* with the leaven of malice and wickednefs,
" but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and
« truth."
(3.) There was a double exhibition of Chrift
on the great day of expiation, which was but
once a year ; on which day only the High Prieft
entered into the holy of holies (which repre-
fented heaven, Exod, xxv. 40. Wifd. ix. 8.
Heb.
The Truth of Chrlflianity demonjlrated. 6^
Heb. ix. 24.) with the blood of the facrifice,
whofe body was burnt without the camp; to
fliew God's deteftation of fin : and that it was to
be removed far from us : and that we muft go
out of the camp, that is, out of this world,
bearing our reproach for fin, before we can be
quite freed from it. See how exaftly this was
fulfilled in Chrift, Heb. xiii. 11, 12, 13, 14.—
« For the bodies of thofe beafts whofe blood is
" brought into the fanftuary by the High Prieft
" for fin, are burnt without the camp. Where-
« fore Jefus alfo, that he might fandify the
" people with his own blood, fuffered with-
" out the gate. Let us forth therefore unto
«« him without the camp, bearing his reproach;
" for here we have no continuing city, but we
" feek one to come."
The other lively reprefentation of Chrift's
bearing our fins, and taking them away from us,
"which was made on the fame day of expiation,
was the fcape goat. Lev. xvi. 21, 22. "And
" Aaron fliall lay both his hands upon the head
" of the live goat, and confefs over him all the
" iniquities of the children of Ifrael, and all
" their tranfgreffions in all their fins, putting
" them upon the head of the goat, and fhall
" fend them away by the hand of a fit man into
*' the wildernefs. And the goat fhall bear upon
" him all their iniquities, into a land not inha-
" bited :
64 The Truth of Chnjiianlty demon/lrated,
*' bited: and he fhali let go the goat in the
" wildernefs." This is lb plain, that it needs
no application.
(4.) Another exprefs reprefentation of Ghrifl
was the brazen ferpent in the wildernefs, by
looking upon which the people were cured of
the ftings of the fiery ferpents. So in looking
upon Chrift by faith, the fting of the old fer-
pent, the devil, is taken away. And the liftino-
up the ferpent did reprefent Chrift being lifted
up upon the crofs. Chrift himfelf makes the
allufion, John iii. 14. "As Mofes lifted up the
*' ferpent in the wildernefs, even fo muft the
** fon of man be lifted up ; that whofoever be-
*' lieveth in him fliould not perifli, but have
" eternal life."
(5. ) He was likewife reprefenied by the
manna; for he was the true bread that came down
from heaven to nourifh us unto eternal life.
John 31 1036.
(6.) As alfo by the rock whence the waters-
flowed out to give them drink in the wildernefs.
'* And that rock was Chrift." i Cor. x. 4.
(7.) And he was not only their meat end
■drink, but he was alfo their conftant guide^ and
led
The Truth of Chriflianity demonjirattd, • 6^
led them in a pillar of fire by night, and of a
cloud by day. And the cloud of glory in the
temple, in which God appeared, was by the
Jews underftood as a type of the Mefliah, who
is the true Shechina, or habitation of God,
(8.) The fabbath is called a fhadow of Chrift,
Col. ii. 17. It is a figure of that eternal reft
procured to us by Chrifl; therefore it is called
a fign of the perpetual covenant, Exod. xxxi, 16,
i7« Eezk, XX. 12.
(9.) And fach a fign was the Temple at Je-
rufalcra, at which place, and none other, the
facrifices of the Jews were to be offered, Deut.
xii. 11, 13, 14. Becaufc Chrift was to be fa-
crificed there, and as a token of it, thofe facri-
fices which were types of him were to be offered
only there.
And To great ftrefs was laid upon thivS, that
no fin of the Jews is oftener remembered thai%
their breach of this command. It was a blot
fee upon their feveral reformationsj otherwife
good and commendable in the fight of God, that
the high places (where they ufed to facrifice)
were not taken away. This is marked as the
great dckO. in the reformation of Afa, i Kings
XV. 14. of Jehofliaphat, 1 King xxii. 43. of
Jehoafli, 2 Kings xii. 3. of Amaziah, 2 Kings
XV,
66 The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjirated.
XV. 4. of Jotham, ver. 35. But they were
taken away by Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 4. and
the people inftru6ted to facrifice and burn in-
eenfe at Jerufalem only. 2 Chron. xxxii. 12.
JTai. xxxvi. 7.
There was likewife a further defign of Pro-
vidence in limiting their facrifices to Jerufalem,
which was, that after the great propitiatory fa-
crifices of Chrift had been once offered there,
God was to remove the Jews from Jerufalem,
that they might have no lacrifice at all (as, for
that reafon, they have not had any part of the
world near thefe feventeen hundred years paft)
to inftru6l them. That (as the Apoftle fpeaks
to them, Heb. x. 26.) " there remaineth no
'* more" (or other) " facrifice for fins." And
fince by the law their fins were to be purged by
facrifice, they have now no way to purge their
fins; to force them (as it were) to look back
upon that only facrifice which can purge their
fins. And till they return to that, they muft
have no facrifice at all, but die in their fins. As
Jefus faid unto them, " I go my way, and ye
" fliall die in your fins. — For if ye believe not
" that I am he, ye fiiail die in your fins," John
viii. 21. 24.
And Daniel prophefied exprefsly, that foon
after the death of the Meffiah, the city of Je-
rufalem and the fanCluary fliould be defiroyed,
and
The Truth of Chrifiianiiy demonjlratcd. 6y
and that the facrifice fhould ceafe, " Even until
'* the confumraation, and that determined, fhall
" be poured upon the defolate." Dan. ix. 26,
27-
And this defolation of theirs, and what was
determined upon them, was told them likewife
by Hofea, chap. iii. 4. " For the children of
'* Ifrael fhall abide many days without a facri
" fice." But he fays in the next verfe, that
" in the latter days they fhall return, and feek
" the Lord their God, and David their king;"
that is, the Son of David, their Prince and Mef-
fiah. As he is called MefTiah the Prince, Dan»
ix. 25.
Thus as falvation was of the Jews, becaufe
Chrift was to come of them, fo this falvation
was only to be had at Jerufalem, where he was
to fuffer, and by which only falvation was to be
had.
(10.) De. This argument is to the Jews j and
if I were a Jew it would move me, becaufe they
never were fo long before without king, temple,
or facrifice.
Cur. But the prophecies of it, and thefe ful-
filled as you have feen ; and Chrift being fo
plainly pointed at, and the place of his pafTion,
by limiting the facrilices to Jerufalem only -, and
by caufing the legal facrifices to ccafe through-
out
6S The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjlrated.
out the world, to fhew that they were ful-
filled : all this is a llrong evidence to you
of the truth of thefe things, and of our Jefus
being the MelTiah, or Chrill, who was pro-
phefied of,
De. 1 cannot deny but there is fomething
remarkable in this, which I will take time to
confider; but I do not fee how the Jews can
ftand out againft this, becaufe this mark given
by Daniel of the Mefliah, that foon after his
death the facrifice fhould ceafe, cannot agree to
any after-MefTiah who fhould now come fo
many ages after the facrifice has ceafcd.
Chr. Since we have fallen into the fubjc6l
of the Jews, I will give you another prophecy
which cannot be fulfilled in any after- MeflTiah
whom the Jews expeft. And it will be alfo a
confirmation to you to the truth of the prophe-
cies of the Holy Scriptures,
Thus God fpeaks, Jer. xxiii. 20, 21, 22, —
•* thus faith the Lord, if you can break my
'* covenant of the day, and my covenant of
** the night, and that there fhould not be day
" and night in their feafon : then may alfo my
" covenant be broken with David my fer-
*' vant, that he fhould not have a fon to reign
** upon his throne; and with the Levites, the
<^ Priefts, my minifters. As the hofl of heaven
'* cannot be numberedj neither the fand of the
« fea
The Truth of Chrijikiniiy demnjirated. 69
" fea nieafured : fo will I multk)ly the feed of
*' David my fervant, and die Levites d^at minif-
** ter unto me." ^'
Now let the Jews tell in which Son of David
this is fulfilled, except only in our Chrift.
And how this is made good to the Priefls
and Levites, otherwife than as Ifaiah prophefied,
chap. Ixvi. 21, " And I will alfo take of them"
(the Gentiles) " for Priefts and for Levites,
" faith the Lord." And as it is thus applied,
I Pet. ii. 5, 9, and Rev. i. 6. And this evange-
lical priefthood is multiplied as the ftars of hea-
ven, (which ihey were frequently called) not like
the tribe of Levi, which could not afford Priefts
to all the earth.
And as I faid before of Jerufalem and the fa-
crifir.es there, that they are ceafed, to fliew they
are fulfilled, fo here, after the Son of David
was come, all his other fons ceafed, and the
very genealogy of their tribes, and fo of Jii-
dah, is loft, as alfo of the tribe of Levi, fo
that the Jews can never tell, if any after-Mef-
fiah fliould appear, whether he were of the tribe
of Judah, far lefs whether he were of the lineage
of David; nor can they fhew the genealogy of
any they call Levites now among them.
This is occafioned by their being difperfed
among all nations, and yet prefervcd a diftinft
people from all the earth, though without any-
country
yo The Truth of Chrijiianity demonftrated.
country of their own, or King, or Prieft, or
temple, or facrifice. And they are thus pre-
ferved by the providence of God, (fo as never
any nation was fince the foundation of the world)
to fhew the fulfilling of the prophecies concern-
ing them, and the judgments pronounced againft
them for their crucifying their MelTiah; and
that their converiion may be more apparent to
the world, and their being gathered out of all
nations, and reftored to Jerufalem (as is pro-
mifed them) when they fliall come to acknow-
ledge their Meffiah.
And God not permitting them to have any
king or governor upon earth, ever fince their
lafl difperfion by the Romans, (left they might
fay, that the fceptre was not departed from
Judah) is to convince them (when God fiiall
take the veil of their heart) that no other Mef-
fiah who can come hereafter can anfwer this
prophecy of Jeremiah, or that of Jacob, that
the fceptre fhould not depart from Judah till
Shiloh came.
(ii.) And it is wonderful to confider, how.
exprefsly their prefent ftate is prophcfied of,
that it could not be more literal, if it were to
be worded now by us who fee it. As that they
fhould be fcattered into all countries, fifted as
with a fieve among all nations, yet preferved a
people ;
7
The Truth of Chriftianity demonjlrated, 7 1
people J and that God would make an utter end
of thofe nations who had oppreffed them, and
blot out their names from under heaven. (As
we have feen it fulfilled upon the great empires
of the Aflyrians, Chaldeans, and Romans, who
one after the other had miferably wafted the
Jews) but that the name of the jews (the feweft
and pooreft of all nations) fhould remain for
ever, and they a people diftinft from all the na-
tions in the world, though fcattered among them
all. Read the prophecies exprefs upon this
point. Jer. xxx. 11. xxxi. 36, 37. xxxiii. 24,
25, 16. xlvi. 48. Ifai. xxvii. 7. xxix. 7, 8. liv.
9, 10. Ixv. 8. Ezek. vi. 8. xi. 16, 17. xii. 15,
16. Amos ix. 8, 9. Zech. x. 9. And it was
foretold them long before, that thus it would
be. Lev. xxvi. 44, and this "in the latter days."
Deut. iv. 27, 30, 31. Thus Mofes told them
of it fo long before, as the after-prophets fre-
quently; and you fee all thefe prophecies li-
terally fulfilled and fulfilling. The like cannot
be faid of any other nation that ever was upon
the earth ! So deftroyed, and fo preferved f
And for fo long a time ! Having worn out all
the great empires of the world, and ftill fur-
viving them ! To fulfil what was further pro-
phefied of them to the end of the world.
De. I cannot fay but there is fomething very
furprifing in this : I never thought of it before.
It
7 2 The Truth of Chrijlianiiy demonjtrated.
It • j a living prophecy, which we fee fulfilled and
ftill fulfilling at this day before our eyes. For
we are fure thefe prophecies were not coined
yefterday; and they are as exprefs and parti-
cular as if they were to be wrote now, after the
events are fo far come to pafs,
(12.) Chr. As the door was kept open to
Chrift before he came, by the many and flagrant
prophecies of him, and by the types reprc-
fenting him, fo was the door for ever fhut after
him, by thofe prophecies being all fulfilled and
completed in him, and applicable to none who
fiiould come after himj and by all the type?
ceafing, the fliadows vanidiing when the fub-
ftance was come. No Meffiah can come nowj
before the fceptre depart from Judah, and the
facrifice from Jtrufalem. Before the fons of
David (all except Chrift) fiiall ceafe to fit upon
his throne, none can come now, witliin four
hundred and ninety years of the building 01
the fecond Temple; nor corne into that very
Temple, as I have before fhewcd was exprefsly
propheficd by Daniel and Haggai,
De. I know not what the Jews can fay, who
own thefe prophecies.
Chr. They fay, that the coming of the Mef-
fiah at the time fpoke of in the Prophet?, has
been delayed becaufe of their fins.
Dc.
The Truth of Chrijlianity demmjiraied, 73
De. Then it may be delayed for ever, unlefs
they can tell us when they will grow better.
Bat, however, thefe prophecies have failed
which fpoke of the time of the Meflfiah's coming;
and they can never be a proof hereafter, be-
caufe the time is paft. So that, according to
this, they were made for no purpofe, unlefs to
fiiew that they were falfe; that is, no prophecies
at all!
But were thefe prophecies upon condition ?
Or was it faid that the coming of the Mefliali
fhould be delayed if the Jews were finful?
Chr. No : fo far from it, that it v;as ex-
prefsly prophehed that the coming of the Mef-
fiah fhould be in the mofl finful ftate of the
Jews, and to purge their fins. Dan. ix. 24.
Zech. xiii. i. And the aticient tradition of the
Jews was purfuant to this, that at the coming
of the MefTiah the temple ihould be a den of
thieves. Rabbi Juda in Maforeta. And a
time of great corruption. Talmud, tit. de Syne-
drio, and de Ponderibus, &:c.
But more than this, the verj- cafe is put of
their being moft llnful-, and it is exprefsly faid,
that this fliould not hinder the fulfilling of the
prophecies concerning the coming of the Mef-
fiah, fpoke of as the fon of David, 2 Sam. vii,
44, 15,16. Pfal. Ixxxix, ^o^ 33—37'
fiut it was propbefied that they Ihould not
^ kijov.*
74 '^^^ Truth of Cbrljlianity demonflraied.
know their MefTiah, and fliould rcje(5thim when
be came; that he lliould be a " Hone of ftum-
" bling," and a " rock of offence" to them.
Ifai. viii. 14, 15. And that " their eyes fhould
" be clofed," that they fhould not underftand
their own Prophets, chap. xxix. g, 10, 11. —
That their bailders fliould rejeQ: the head-flonc
of their corner, Pfal. cxviii. 22. And the like
in feveral other places of their own prophets.
And thus they miftook the prophecy concerning
the coming of Elias, whom it is faid they
knew not, " but did to him what they lifted,"
and fo the fameofChrift, Matt. xvii. 12. And
it is faid, i Cor. ii. 8, that " had they known
" it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
. " glory."
Be. This indeed folves the prophecies, both
thofe of the coming of the MefTiah, and of the
Jews not knowing him, and therefore rejefting
him J and likewife obviates this excufe ©f theirs;
for if they were very finful at that time, it was
a greater punifliment of their fin not to know,
and to rejetl their MefTiah, than his not coming
at that time would have been.
Chr. The great Tm mentioned for which
they were punifhed by feveral captivities, was
their idolatry, the laff and longeft of which cap-
tivities was that of feventy years in Babylon;
finc^ which time they have forfaken their ido-
latry.
The 7 ruth of Chrijiiamiy demonfi rated. 75
latry, and have never been nationally gailty of
it fince, but always had it in the ucraoft abhor-
rence. But fince their rejeQing their MefTi ih,
they have nov\r been near feventeen hundred
years not in a captivity, where they mi:>ht be
all together, and enjoying their own law, go«
vernment, and worlhip, in fome manner, but
difperfed over all the world, without country
of their own, or King, or Pried, or Temple,
or Sacrifice, or any Prophet to comfort them,
or give them hopes of a reftoraiion: and all
this come upon them, not for their old fin of
idolatry, but from that curfe they imprecated
upon themfelves, when they crucified their
Mefliah, faying, ' His blood be on us, and on
our children.' Which cleaves unto them from
that day to this, and is vifible to all the world
but to themfelves ! And what other fin can they
think greater than idolatry, for which they have
been puniflied fo much more terribly than for
ail their idolatries ; what other fin can this be,
but their crucifying the Mefiiah ! And here
they may fee their finful ftate, which they al-
lege as an excufe for their Mefliah 's not coming
at the time foretold by the Prophets, rendered
ten-fold more finful, by their rejetling him when
he came.
De. This is a full anfwer, and convincing as
D 2 to
76 The Truth of Chrljlianiiy d^mofijrafed.
to the Jews. Bat have you any more to fay to
me?
(13.) CiiR. I have one thing more to offer,
'Ahich may come under this head of types, and
that is, perfons who reprefented Chrift in feveral
particulars, and fo might be called perfonal
types.
And I will not apply thcfe out of my own
he.id, but as they are i^pplied in the New Tef-
tament, which having all the marks of the Old
Teftament, and ilronger evidence than thefe,
in thofe marks we are now upon, their authority
IS indifputable,
(i.) I begin with Adam, ^ho gave us life
and death too ; and Chrift came by his death to
reftore us to life again, even life eternal. Hence
Chrift is called the fecond Adam, and Adam is
called the figure of Chrift. The parallel be-
twixt them is infifted on, Rom v. 12, to the
end, and 1 Cor. xv. 45 to 50. Eve received
her life from Adam, as the church from Chrift.
She was taken out of the fide of Adam when
he was in a dead deep; and after Chrift was
dead, the facraments of water and blood flowed
out of his fide, that is, baptifm, whereby we
are born into Chrift, and the facrament of his
blood, whereby we are nouriflied into eternal
hfe.
(2.) Enoch
The Truth of Chrijiianity demonftrated. 77
(2.) Enoch was carried up bodily into hea-
ven : as Elijah. One under the patriarchal, the
other under the legal difpenfalion. In both, the
afcenfion of Chrift was prefigured.
(3.) Noah, a preacher of righteoufnefs to the
eld world, and father of the new. Who faved
the church by water, the like figure whereunto
even bapiifm doth alfa now fave us, 1 Pet. iii.
ao, 21.
* (4.) Melchifedec, that is, King of Righte-
oufnefs, and King of Peace, and Prieft of the
mod High God; who was made like unto the
Son of God, a priefl continually. Heb. vii.
^i 2> 3-
(5.) Abraham, the friend of God, and Fa-
ther of the faithful, the heir of the world, Rom.
iv. 13. In whom all the nations of • the earth
are bleffed. Gen. xviii. 18.
(6.) Ifaac, the heir of this promife, was born
after his father and mother were both paft the
age of generation in the courfe of nature, Gen,
xvii. 17. xviii. 11. Rom. iv. 19. Heb. xi. 11,
1 2. The neareft type that could be to the ge-
neration of Chrift wholly without a man.
And his facrifice had a very near refemblance
to the facrifice and death of Chrift, who lay three
days in the grave, and Ifaac was three days a
dead man (as we fay in the law) under the fen-
teiice of death, Gen. xxii. 4, whence Abraham
D 3 received
78 The Truth of Chrijltanity demonftrated.
received him in a figure, Heb. xi. 19, that is,^
of the refurreftion of Chrift. And Abraham
was commanded to go three days journey to fa-
cril'icelfaacupon the fame mountain, (according
to the ancients) where Chrifl: was crucified, and
where Adam was buried. Again the common
epithet of Chrift, i. e, " the only-begotten of
*' t-lie Father, and his beloved Son," were both
given to Ifaac, Gen. xxii. 2. Heb. xi. 17. For
he was the only fon that was begotten in that
miraculous manner, after both his parents were
decayed by nature. And he was the only fon
of the promife, which was not made to the {&Q.6,
of Abraham in general, but "in Ifaac fliall thy
** feed be called," Gen. xxi. 12. " He faith not,
" And to feeds, as of many, but as of one. And
" to thy feed, which is Chrift," Gal. iii. 16.
And as Ifaac, which fignifies rejoicing, or
laughing for joy, was thus the only begotten of
his parents, fo Abram fignifies the glorious fa-
ther, and Abraham (into which his name was
changed on the promife of Ifaac, Gen. xvii. 5,
16.) fignifies the father of a multitude, to ex-
prefs the coming in of the Gentiles to Chrift,
and the increafe of the Gofpel; whence it is
there faid to Abraham, " A father of many na-
*' tions have I made thee, and in thy feed all the
*' nations of the earth fliall be blefled."
Ifaac, who was born by promife of a free wo-
man.
The Truth of Chrijiianity demonfi rated. 7^
man, reprefented the Chriftian church, in oppo-
fition to Ifhmael, v;ho was born after the fleft,-
of a bond-maid, and fignified the jewifh church
under the law. See this allegory carried on,-
Gal. iv. 21, to the end.
(7.) Jacob, in hisVifion of the Ladder, (Gen.-
xxviii. 12.) fhews the intercourfe which was
opened by Chrifl betwixt heaven and earth, by
his making peace : and to this he alludes when
he fays, '' Hereafter you fiiall fee Heaven open,
*' and the angels of God afcending and defcend-
** ing upon the Son of Man," John i. 15.
And Jacob's wreftling wiih the angel, (Gen,
Xxxii. 24, &c. Hof. xii. 4.) and as it were pre-
vailing over him by force to blefs him, fhews
the ftrong and powerful interceffion of Chrift ;
whereby (as he words it, Matt. xi. 12.) " heaven
*^ fuffereth violence, and the violent take it by
** force." Whence the name of Jacob was
then turned to Ifrael, that is, one who prevails
upon God, or has power over him ; God re~
prefenting himfclf here as overcome by us :
and the name of Ifrael was ever after given to
the church. But much more fo when Chrift
came, as he faid, Matt. xi. 12. *• I'rcra the-
** days of John the Baptifl until now, the king-
*' dom of heaven fuffereth violence," &c. that
is, from the firfl; promulgation of Chrift being
come. Thenceforward the Gentiles began to
D 4 pre fs
So The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjirated,
prefs into the Gofpel, and as by force to take
it from the Jews. This was fignified in the
name Jacob, that is, a fupplamer, for the Gen-
tiles here fupplanted their elder brother the
Jews, and ftole the blefling and heirfhip from
them.
(8.) Jofeph was fold by his brethren out of
envy; but it proved the prefervation of them
and all their families : and Chrift was fold by
his brethren out of envy, Mark xv. lo, which
proved the means of their redemption : and
Chrift, as Jofeph, became Lord over his bre-
thren.
- (9.) Mofes calls Chrift a Prophet like unto
himfelf, Deut. xviii. 18. He reprefented Chrift
the great Lawgiver; and his delivering Ifrael
out o^ Egypt, was a type of Chrift's delivering
his church from the bondage of fin and hell.
(10.) Joftiua, called alfo Jefus, Heb. iv. 8,
overcame all the enemies of Ifrael, and gave
them pofleflTion of the Holy Land, which was a
type of heaven: and Chrift appeared to Jofhua,
as Captain of the I loft of the Lord, Jof. v. 14.
So that Joftiua was his Lieutenant reprefenting
him.
(11.) Sampfon, who by his fingle valour and
his own ftrength overcame the Philiftines, and
{Jew more at his death than in all his life, was a
reprefentation of Chrift, who *' trod the wine-
'* prefs
The Truth of Chnjianity demo>ifirated. 81
** prefs alone, and of the people there was none
" with him, but his own arm brought him fal-
« vation," Ifai. Ixiii. 3, 5. But his death com-
pleted his viBory, whereby he overcame all
the power of the enemy, " and having fpoiled
" principalities and powers, he made a fhew of
*' them openly, triumphing over them in his
** crofs," Col. ii. 15.
(12.) David, whofe Son Chrift is called,
fpeaks frequently of him in his own perfon, and
in events which cannot be applied to David, as
Pfal. xvi. 10. " Thou wilt not leave my foul in
'* hell, nor fuffer thine Holy One to fee cojrup-
" tion ;" for David has feen corruption. Chrift
ts faid to fit upon the throne of David, Ifai. ix.
7, And Chrift is called by the name of David,
Hof. iii. 5. and frequently in the Prophets.
David from a fhepherd became a King and a
Prophet, denoting the threefold office cf Chrift,
paftoral, regal, and prophetical,
(13.) Solomon, the v;ifeft of men, hispeace-
able and magnificent reign reprefented the tri-
umphal ftate of Chrift's kingdom, which is de-
fcribed, Pfal. Ixxii.infcribedfor Solomon, (thei;fc
called the king's fon) but far exceeding the
glory of his reign, or what can poflibly be ap-
plied to him, as ver. 5, 8, 11, 17. But his
reign came the neareft of any to that univerfal
and glorious reign there defcribed, particularly
r» 5 in
82 Tfje Trulb of Cbnjh'anily demonjl rated,
in his being chofen to build the temple, becaufe
lie was a man of peace, and had fhed no blood,
like David his father, who conquered the ene-
mies of Ifrael, but Solomon built the Church in
full peace; and as it is particularly fet down,
1 Kings vi. 7, and no doubt he was ordered by
God fo to do, " That the houfe when it was
" building, was built of (lone made ready before
*' it was brought thither ; fo that there was nci-
*' thcr hammer nor ax, nor any tool of iron
'^ heard in the houfe while it was building."
Which did denote that the Church of Chrift
was to be built, not only in peace, but without
noife or confufion, as Ifaiah prophcfied of him,
chap. xlii. 2. " He fliall not cry, nor lift up, nor
'* caufe his voice to be heard in the flreet: a
*• bruifed reed (hall he not break," <>rc. He
■svas not to conquer with the iword, as the If-
raelites fubdued Canaan, but to overcome by
meeknefs, and doing good to his enemies, and
patiently fufFering all injuries from them. And
fo he taught his followers, as St. Paul fays, 2
Tim, ii. 24. " The fervant of the Lord must
*• not flrivc, but be gentle unto all men. — la
*' meeknefs infi:ru6ling tbofe that oppo.fe them-
" felves," &c.
And I cannot think but there was forae imita^
tion of this peaceable temple of Solomon, in the
temple of Janus among the Romans; for that
was
The Truth of Chrljlianity demonjlraied, 8 j^
was never to be fliut but in time of peace ;
which happened rarely among them, but three
limes in all their hiflory. The lafl was in the
reign of Auguflus, in which time Chrift came
into the world, when there was a profound and
univerfal peace : and fo it became the Prince of
Peace, whofe birth was thus proclaimed by the
Angels, Luke ii. 14. " Glory to God on highy
" and on earth peace, good-will towards men,"
But to goon.- ■
(14.) Jonah's being three days and nights in
the belly of the whale, was a fign of Chrift's
being fo long in the heart of the earth. Chrifl
himfelf makes the allufion. Matt, xii; 40.
(15.) But as there were fevcral perfons, at
feveral times, reprefenting and prefiguring fe-^
veral particulars of the life and death of Chrift;
fo there was one (landing and continual repre-
fentation of him appointed in the perfon of the
High Pried under the law ; who, entering into
the holy of holies once a year, with the blood
of the great expiatory facrifice, and he only, to
make atonement for fm, did lively reprefent our
great High Prieit entering into Hearven, once
for all, with all his own blood, to ex^piate the
fms of the whole world. This is largely infifled
upon in the Epiflle to the Hebrews, chap, vij,
viii. ix. X.
And our deliverance by the death of Chriflis
D 6 reprefented.
84 The Truth of Chriftianity demonjlrated.
reprefentedj as in a pifture, in that ordinance of
the law, that the man-flayer, who fled to one of
tTie cities of refuge, (which were all of the cities
of the Levites) fhould not come out thence till
the death of the High Prieft, and no fatisfaftion
be taken till then, and then he fhould be ac-
quitted and " return into the land of his pofTef-
*' fion," Num. xxxv. 6, 25, 26, 27, 28.
And I doubt not but the Gentiles had from
hence their afyla or temples of refuge for cri-
minals.
(i.) De. There is a refemblance in thefe
things; but I would not have admitted them as
a proof, if you had not fupported them, at leaft
mod of them, with the authority of the New
Teftament. And it was not necelfary that every
one fhould be named in it; for thofe that are
named are only occafionally ; and I muft take
time to confider of the evidences you have
brought for the authority of the New Tefla-
fnent, which you have made full as great, if
not greater, than the evidences for the Old Tef-
tament.
Chr. I may fay greater upon this head of
Prophecies and Types, becaufe thefe are no
•proofs till they are fulfilled; though then they
prove the truth of thefe Prophecies and Types;
and fo the one confirms the other : but the
whole evidence of the law is not made appa-
rent
The Truth of Chrijlianity demouji rated. ^5
rent till we fee it fulfilled in the Gofpel. For
which reafon I call the Gofpel the ftrongelt
proof, not only as to itfelf, but likewife as to
the law; and the Jews, as much as in them
lies, have invalidated this ftrongeft proof for
the Old Teftament, which is the fulfilling of it
in the New. Nay, they have rendered thefe
Prophecies falfe, which, they fay, were not fuK
iilled at the time they fpake of, and never now
can be fulfilled. And as no fad but that of our
Chrift alone ever had his evidence of Prophe-
cies and Types from the beginnings fo never
can any other fa8: have it now while the world
lafts.
(2.) De. Why do you fay, never can haveit?
For may not God make what fa61 he pleafes,
and give it what evidence he pleafes ?
Chr. But it cannot have the evidence that
the fa6l of Chrifl has, unlefs at that difiance of
time hereafter, as from the beginning of the
world to this day. Becaufe God took care that
the evidence of Chrifl fhould commence from
the very beginning, in the promife of him made
to Adam, and to be renewed by the Prophets
• in all the after-ages till he fhould come : and the
evidence of him after his coming (in which I
have inftanced) and which continues to this day,
before it can belong to any other, mud have the
fame compafs of time that has gone to confirm
this
<5
§ 5 TJje Truth of Chrijlianity demonftraied.
this evidence, elfe it has not the fame evi-
dence.
(3,) De. By this argument the evidence grows
ftronger the longer it continues, fince you fay,
that the prophecies of the Scriptures reach to
the end of the world, and fo will be further and
further fulfilling every day.
This is contrary to what one of your doftors
has lately advanced, who pretends to calculate
the age of evidences*, that in fuch a time they
decay, and in fuch a time mufl die. And that
the evidence of CLriftianity having lafled fo
long, is upon the decay, and muft wear out
foon, if not fupplied by fome frefii and new evi-
dence.
Chr. This may be true as to fables, which
have no foundation : but is that Prophecy I
mentioned to you of the difperfion and yet won-
derful prefervation of the Jews, lefs evident to
you, becaufe it was'made fo long ago?
De. No. It is much more evident for that.
If I had lived at the time when thofe Prophe-
cies were made, I fancy I fliould not have be-
lieved one word of them ; but wondered at the
affurance of thofe who ventured to foretel fuch
improbable and almoft impoffible things.
-* Craia:, TheoIogi£e Chriftianae Piincipia Mathematica
1699,
And
The Truth of Chrifiianity demonflrated. 87
And I flioLild have thought the fame of what
you have told me of your Chrift, foretelHng the
progrefs of hisGofpel, at the fiift fovery flender
appearance of it, and by fach weak and impro-
bable means, as only fufFering and dying for it,
which to me would have feemed per fed defpair,
and a giving up the caufe.
I fliould have thought of them (as of others)
who prophefy of things after their time, that
they might not be contradicted while they
iived.
But my feeing fo much of thefe Prophecies
concerning the Jews, and the progrefs of the
Gofpel, come to pafs fo long time after, is the
only thing that makes me lay ftrefs upon them,
and which makes them feem wonderful to me.
Chr. When the prophecies fhall all be fully
completed at the end of the world, they will
then feem ftrongeft of all; they will then be
.undeniable; when Chrift fhall vifibly defcend
from heaven(in the fame manner as he afcended)
to execute both what he has promifed and threat-
ened. And in the mean time, the Prophecies
lofe none of their force, but their evidence cn-
creafes, as " the light fliineth more and more-
" unto the perfe6l day."
(VIII.) De. I obferve you have made no ufe
of that common topic of the truth and fincerity
\ of
88 Tlje Truth of Chrijliault) demonjlrateS.
of thofe penmen of the Scriptures^ and what
intereft they could have in fetting up thefe things
if they had been falfe^ for this can amount, at
moft, but to a probability r and you having pro-
duced ihofe evidences which you think infallible^
it might feem a leflening of your proof to infilt
upon bare pro-babilities ; fo that I fuppofe you
give that up.
(i.) Chr. No, Sir, I give itnot up, though I
have not made itthechief foundation of my argu-
ment; and if it were but a probability, it wants
not its force; for it is thought unreafonable to
deny a flagrant probability, where there is not
as ftrong a probability on the other fide, for then
that makes a doirbt : but otherwife, men ge-
nerally are fatisfied with probabilities, for that
is the greateft part of our knowledge. If we will
believe nothing but what carries an infallible
demonftration along with it, we muft be fceptica
in moft things of the world; and fuch were
never thought the wifeft men.
But befides, a probability may be foonerdif-
cerned by fome than the infallibili^ty of a demon-
ftration ; therefore we muii not lay afide proba-
bihties.
But in this cafe, I think there is an infallible
afTurance, as infallible as the fenfesof all man-
kind ; and I fuppofe you will not alk a
greater.
(2.) DEr
The Truth of Chriftianily demonjlrated. 89
(2.) De, How can you fay that ? When the
fufFering of affli8ions, and death itfelf, is but a
probability of the truth of what is told us : be-
caufe fome have fuffered death for errors.
Chr. But then they thought them true; and
men may be deceived in their judgments: we
fee many examples of it. But if the fa6ls related
be fuch, as that it is impoflible for tbofe who
tell them to be impofed upon themfclves, or for
thofe to whom they are told to believe them, if
not true, without fuppofing an univerfal decep-
tion of the fenfes of mankind, then I hope I
have brought the caOs up to that infallible de-
monftration Ipromifed: and this is the cafe of
the fafts related in Holy Scripture. They were
told by thofe who faw them, and did them, and
they were told to thofe who faw them likewife
themfelves: and the relators appealed to this :
fo that here could be no deceit.
De. I grant there is a great difference be-
tween errors in opinion, and in fa6l; and that
fuch fa6ts as are told of Mofes and of Chrift,
could not have paffed upon the people then alive,
and who were faid to have feen them. And I
find that both Mofes, Chrift, and the Apoftles,
did appeal to what the people they fpoke to had
feen themfelves.
Chr. With this confideration, their patient
fuffering, even unto death, for the truth of what
they
90 The Truth of Chrijlianiiy demovftrated.
they taught, will be a full demonftration of the
truth of j^ ,
(3.) Add to this, that their enemies who per-
fecuted them, the Romans, as well as Jews, to
whom they appealed as witnefles of the fads, did
not offer to deny them.
Thai: none of the apoftates from Chriftianity
did attempt to detecl any faifliood in the fads ;
Jhough they might have had great rewards if they
could have done it; the Roman emperors being
then perfecutors of Chridianity, and for three
hundred years after Chrift. And Julian the em*
peror, afterwards turned apoflate, who had been
initiated in the facra of Chiiftianity, yet could
not he dete6l any of the faas.
(4.) And it was a particular providence for
the further evidence of Ghriftianity, that all the
civil governments in the world were again fl it
for the frril three hundred years, left it might be
iaid, (as it is ridiculoufly in your Amintor) that
the awe of the civil government might hinder
thofe who could make the deteSion.
Now, Sir, to apply all that we have laid, I de-
fire you would compare thefe evidences I have
brought for Chriftianity, with thofe that ara
pleaded for any other religion.
There are but four in the world, viz. Chrif-
tianity, Judaifm, Heathenifm, and Mahome-
tan lfm»
(r.) Chrif-
The Truth of Chriftianily demonflrated. 91'
' (1.) Chriftianity was the firfl ; for from the
fiift promife of Chrifi: made to Adam during the
patriarchal and legal difpenfations, all was Chril-
tianity in type, as I have fhewed.
And as to Mofes and the law, the Jews can-
give no evidence for that, which will not equally
eftablifh the truth of Chrift and the Gofpel. Nor
can they difprove the fafts of Chrifi by any
topic, which will notlikewife difprove all thofe
of Mofes and the Prophets. So that they are
hedged in on every fide : they mufl either re-
nounce Mofes, or acknowledge Chrifi.
Mofes and the law have tlie firfl five evi-
dences, but thicy have not the fixth and the fe-
venth, which are the flrongefl.
This is as to Judaifm before Chrifi came;
but fince, as it now flands in oppofition to Chrif-
tianity, in favour of any future Mefiiah, it has
none of the evidences at all. On the contrary,
their own prophecies and types make againfl
them; for their prophecies are fulfilled, and
their types areceafed, and cannot belong to any
other Meffiah who fliould come hereafter. They
(land now more naked than the Heathens or the
Mahometans.
(2.) Next for Heathenifm, fome of the fads
recorded of their gods have the firfl and fecond
evidences, and fome the third, but not one of
them the fourth, or any of the other evidences.
But
$2 The Truth of Chrifitanity damnfirated.
But truly and properly fpeaking, and if we
vlll take the opinion of the Heathens them^
felves, they were no facts at all, but mytholo-
gical fables, invented to exprefs forne moral
virtues or vices, or the hiftory of nature, and
power of the eiements, &c. As likewife ta
turn great part of the hiftory of the Old Tef-
tament into fable, and make it thejr own, for
they difdained to borrow from the Jews. They
made gods of men, and the mod vicious too :
inforT!!K:h that fome of their wife men thought
it a corruption of youth to read the hiftory of
their gods, whom they rcprefented as notorious
liars, thieves, adulterers, &c. though they had
fome mythology hid under all that.
And as men were their gods, fo they made
the firft man to be father of the gods, and called
him Saturn, not begot by any man, but the foa
of Coelus and Vefta; that is, of heaven and
eanh. And his maiming his father with a fteel
fcythe, was to fhew how heaven iifelf is im-
paired by time, whom they painted with wings
and a fcythe mowing down all things. And Sa-
turn eating up his own children, was only to ex-
prefij how time devours all its own produQions:
and his being depofed by Jupiter his fon, fhews,
that time, which wears away all other things, is
worn away itfelf at laft.
■ Several of the headien authors have given us
the
The Truth of Chrifltanity demonjl rated. 93
the mythology of their gods, with which I will
not detain you.
They exprefTed every thing, and worfliipped
every thing under the name of a god, as the god
of deep, of mufic, of eloquence, of hunting,
drinking, love, war, Sec. They had above thirty
thoufand of them; and in what they told of
them, and as they defcribed themj they often
traced the facred (lory.
Ovid begins his Metamorphofes with a perfe6l
poetical vcrfion of the beginning of Genefis j
Ante Mare et 7W///J.— Then goes on with the
hiftory of the creation ; the formation of man
out of the dud of the earth, and being made
after the image of God, and to have dominion
over the inferior creatures. Then he tells of
the general corruption, and the giants before the
flood, when the earth was filled with violence;
for which all mankind, with the beafts and the
fowl, were deftroyed by the univerfal deluge,
except only Deucalion and Pyrrha his wife, who
were faved in a boat, which landed them on the
top of Mount ParnafiTusj and that from thefe
two the whole earth was re-peopled. I think
it will be needlefs to detain the reader with an
application of this to the hiftory of the creation
fet down by Mofes, of the flood, and the ark
wherein Noah was faved, and the earth re»peo*
pled by him, &c,
And
'54 l'^'^^ Truth of Chrijlianity demonjl rated.
And Noah was plainly intended likewife iii
their god Janus, with his two faces, one old,
looking backward to the old world that was de-
flroyed ; the other young, looking forward to
the new world that was to fpring from him.
So that even their turning the facred hiftory
into fable, is a confirmation of it. And there
can be no comparifon betwixt the truths of the
fa6ls fo attefted, as I have fhewed, and the fables
that were made from them.
(3.) Laftly, as to the Mahometan religion,
it wants all the evidences we have mentioned,
for there was no miracle faid to be done by
Mahomet, publicly and in the face of the
world, but that only of conquering with the
fword. Who faw his Mefra, or Journey from
Mecca to Jerufalem, and thence to heaven
in one night, and back in bed with his wife in
the morning? Who was prefent and heard the
converfation the moon had with him in his
tave? It is not faid there was any witnefs. —
And the Alcoran, c. vi. excufes hisnot working
any miracles to prove his miffion. They fay
that Mofes and Chrift came to fhew the cle-
mency and goodnefs of God, to which miracles
were neceffary : but that Mahomet came to fliew
the power of God, to which no miracle was need-
ful but that of the fword.
(1.) Ar>d his Alcoran is a rhapfody of HufF,
without
The Truth of Chrijiianity dcmonjlraled. 95
-without head or tail, one would think wrote by
a mad man, with ridiculous titles, as the chapter
of the Cow, of the Spider, Sec.
And their legends are much more fenfelefs
than thofe of the Papifls; as of an angel, the
diftance betwixt whofe two hands is feventv
thoufand days journey. Of a cow's head with
horns which have forty thoufand knots, and forty
days journey betwixt each knot: and others
which have feventy mouths, and every mouth
feventy tongues, and each tongues praife God
feventy times a day, in feventy different idioms.
And the wax candles before the throne of God,
which are fifty years journey from one end to
the other. The Alcoran fays, the earth was
created in two days, and is fupported by an ox,
which ftands under it, upon a white ftone, with
his head to the eaft, and his tail to the weft, hav
ing forty horns, and as great a diftance betwixt
every horn as a man could walk in a thoufand
years time.
Then their defcription of heaven is a full en-
joyment of wine, women, and other hkegiofs
fenfual pleafures.
(2.) When you compare this with our Holy
■Scriptures, yon will need no argument to make
you fee the difference. The Heathen orators
have admired the fublime of the iiy\t of our
Scriptures i no writing in the world ccmes near
«>
^6 Thf Truth of Chrijiianity demonfi rated*
it, even with all the di fad vantage of our tranf-
lation, which being obliged to be literal, mufi:
lofe much of the beauty of it. The plainnefs
and fuccinQiiefs of the hiftorical parr, the me-
lody of the Pfalms, the inftru6tion of the Pro-
verbs, ihemajefly of the Prophets, and, above
all, ihateafy fweetnefs in the New Teftament,
where the glory of heaven is fet forth in a grave
and moving expreflion, which yet reaches not
the height of the fubjeft; not like the flights
of rhetoric, which fet out fmall matters in great
words. But the Holy Scriptures touch the
heart, raife expectation, confirm our hope,
ftrengthen our faith^ give peace of confcience,
and joy in the Holy Ghoft, which is inexprefli-
ble. And which you will experience when you
once come to believe; you will then bring forth
thefe fruits of the Spirit, when you receive the
word with pure affeQion, as we pray in our Li-
tany.
(3.) But, Sir, if thenc is truth in the Al-
coran, then the Holy Scriptures are the Word
t)f God > for the Alcoran fays fo, and that it
was Tent to confirm them, even the Scriptures
both of the Old and New Tcftament ; and it
cxprefsly owns our Jefus to be the MefTiah. At
the end of the fourth chapter it has thefe words:
** The Meffiah, Jefus, the fon of Mary, is a
prophet, and an angel of God, his Word and
his
Tbe Truth qf Cbrijtianity demofijlrated. 97
his Spirit, v;hich he fent to Mary." But it
gives him not the name of Son of God, for
this wife reafon, chap, vi, *^ How fliall God
have a fon, who hath no wives ?" Yet it owns
Jefus to be born of a pure virgin, without a man,
by the operation of the Spirit of God. And in
the fame chapter this Mahomet acknowledges
his own ignorance, and fays, " I told you not
that I had in my power all the treafures of God,
neither that I had knowledge of the future and
paft, nor do affirm that I am an angel, I only
aft what hath been infpired into me; is the blind
like him that feeth clearly?" And after fays,
*' I am not your tutor, every thing hath its time,
you fhall hereafter underftand the truth."
This is putting off, and bidding them expeft
fome other after Mahomet. Butour Jefus faid, he
was our tutor and teacher, and that there was
none to come after him. Mahomet faid he was
no angel J but that Jefus was an angel of God.
But when God bringeth Jefus into the world,
he faith, " Let all the angels of God worfliip
" him," Heb. i. 6. And he made him Lord of
all the angels. Mahomet knew not what was paft
or to come; but our Jefus knew all things, and
what was in the heart of every man, John ii. 24,
S5. which non<! can do, but God only, i Kmgs
viii. 30. and foretold things to come to the end
ol the world, Mahomet had not all the trea-
E fures
gS The Truth of Chrijlianity devionft rated.
sures of God: but in jefus are hid "all the
" treafures of wildora and knowledge. For in
'* him dwelleth all the fulnefs of the Godhead
•« bodily," Col. ii. 3, 9.
A^ain, Mahomet never called himfelf the
Meffiah, or the Word, or Spirit of God, yet all
thefe appellations he gives to our Jefus.
There were prophecies of Jefus which we
have feen : were there any of Mahomet ? — ■
None; except of the " falfe Chrifts and falfe
" Prophets," which Jefus told fliould come
after him, and bid us beware of them, for that
they fliould deceive many.
(4.) De. But if Mahomet gave thus the pre-
ference to Chrifl in every thing, and faid that
his Alcoran was only a confirmation of the Gof-
pel: how came he to fet it up againft the Gol^
pel, and to reckon the Chriftians among the un-
believers ?
Chr. No otherwife than as other heretics
did, who called themfelves the only true Chrif-
tians, and invented new interpretations of the
Scriptures. The Socinians now charge whole
Chriftianity with apoftacy, idolatry, and poly-
theifm : and the Alcoran is but a fyftem of the
old Arianifm, ill digefted, and worfe put toge-
ther, with a mixture of fome Heathenifm and
Judaifm; for Mahomet's father was a Heathen,
his mother a Jewefs, and his tutor was Sergius
the
Tht Truth of Cbrijlianlty demonjirated. 99
tlie Monk, a Neftorian ; which left was a branch
of Arianifm : thefe crudely mixed made up the
farrago of the x\lcoran ; but the prevailing
part was Arianifm; and where that fpread itfelf
in the Eaft, there Mahometanifm fucceeded,
and fprung out of it, to let all Chriftians fee
the horror of that herefyf And our Socinians,
now among us, who call themfelves Unitarians,
are much more Mahometans than Chriftians.
For except fome perfonal things as to Mahomet,
they agree almoft wholly in his doftrine; and
as fuch addrefled themfelves to the Morocco
ambafTador here in the reign of King Charles II,
as you may fee in the Preface to my Dialogues
againft the Socinians, printed in the year 1708.
Nor do they fpeak more honourably of Chrift
and the Holy Scriptures than the Alcoran does :
and there is no error concerning Chrift in the
Alcoran but what was broached before by the
heretics of Chriftianitv: as that Chrill did not
fuffer really but in appearance only, or that fome
other was crucified in his ftead, but he taken up
into heaven, as the Alcoran fpeaks.
So that in (triftnefs, I fhould not have reck-
oned Mahometanifm as one of the four religions
in the world, but as one of the herefies of Chrif-
tianity. But becaufe of its great name, and its
having fpread {o far in the world, by the con-
^uefts of Mahomet and his followers, and that
£ 2 it
I oo The Truth of Chrijiianity dcmonjlrated,
it is vulgarly underftood to be a diftin6t religion
by itfelF, therefore I have confidered it as fuch.
h nd as to your concern in the matter, you fee
plainly, that the Alcoran comes in atteftation
and confirmation of the fa6ls of Chrift, and of
the Holy Scriptures.
De. I am not come yet fo far as to enter into
the difputes of the feveral feds of Chriftianity,
but as to the fad of Chrift and of the Scriptures
in general, Mahometanifra I fee does rather con-
firm than oppofe it.
Chr. What then do you think of Judaifm, as
it now ftands in oppofition to Chriftianity ?
De. Not only as without any evidence, the
time prophefied of for the coming of the Mef-
fiah being long fince paft : but all their former
evidences turn diredly againft them, and againft:
any Mefftah who ever hereafter fhould come.
As that the fcepter fhould not depart from Ju-
dah; that he fhould come into the fecond tem-
ple; that the facrifices fhould ceafe foon after
his dcaith; that David ftiould never want a fon
to fit upon his throne; that they fhould be many
days without a king, and without a prince, and
without a facrihce, &:c. which they do not fup-
pofe ever will be the cafe after their Meffiah is
come. So that they are wimeffes againft them-
i'clves.
Chr*
The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjlrated. lOi
Chr. And what do you think of the ftorics of
the Heathen gods? i
De. I believe them no more than all the fto-
rles in Ovid's Metamorphofes. Nor did the
wifer Heathens believe them, only fuch filly
people as fuck in all the Popifli legends without
examming.
And to tell you the truth, I thought the fame
of all your ilories in the Bible: but I will take
time to examine thofe proofs you have given
me.
For we Deifls do not difpute againft Chrilli-
anity, in behalf of any other religion of the Jews,
or Heathens, or Mahometans, all which pretend
to revelation; but we are againfl: all revelation;
and go only upon bare nature, and what our
own reafon diftates to us.
(i.) Chr. What nature didates, it dilates
to all, at leaft to the mofl and the generality of
mankind; and if we meafure by this, then it
will appear a natural notion, that there is ne-
ceflity of a revelation in religion: and herein
you have all the world againil you from the very
beginning. And will you plead nature againil
all thefe?
De. The notion came down from one to ano*
iher, from the beginning, we know not how.
Chr. Then it was either nature from the be-
ginning, or elfe it was from revelation at the be-
E 3 ginning;
I02 The Truth of Chriftianity demonji rated.
ginning; whence the notion has defcendecl
through all pofterities to this day.
(2,} And there wants no reafon for this: for
when man had fallen and his reafon was corrupted
(as we feel it upon us to this day, as fenfibly as
the difeafes and infirmities of the body) was it
not highly reafonable that God Ihould give us a
law and dire6lions how to ferve and worfliip him?
Sacrifices do not fcem to be any natural inven-
tion : for why fhould taking away the life of my
fellow-creature be acceptable to God, or a woi-
/hipof him? It would rather feem an offence
againft him. But as types of the great and
only propitiatory facrifice of Chrift to come, and
to keep up our faith in that, the inftitution given
with the revelation of it appears mod rational.
And that it was necefTary, the great defection
fhews, not only of the Heathens, but of the
Jews themfelves, who, though they retained the
inftitution, yet, in a great meafure, loft the true
meaning and fignification of it; and are now to
be brought back to it, by reminding them of
the inftitution and the reafon of it.
Plato in his Alcibiad. ii. de Precat. has the
fame reafoning, and concludes, that we cannot
know of ourfelves what petitions will be pleafing
to God, or what worfhip to give him : but that
it is necefTary a lawgiver fhould be fent from
heaven to inftruct us ; and fuch a one be did
expe6l ;
The Truth of Cbrijiianity demonfirated. 1 03
expeft; and '* O hov^ greatly do I defire to fee
that man ?" fays he, and " who he is ?" The
primitive tradition of the expeded Meffiah had
no doubt come to him^ as to many others of the
Heathens, from the Jews, and likely from the
perufal of their Scriptures.
. For Plato goes further, and fays, (de Leg. I.
4.) that this lawgiver mud be more than man;
for he obferves, that every nature is governed
by another nature that is fuperior to it, as birds
and beafts by man, who is of a diftinft and fu-
perior naiure. So he infers, that this lawgiver,
■who was to teach man what man could not know
by his own nature, muH; be of a nature that is
fuperior to man, that is, of a divine nature.
Nay, he gives as lively a defcription of the
perfon, qualifications, life, and death of this
divine man, as if he had copied the liiid. of
Ifaiah: for he fays, (dc Repub. 1, 2.) that this
juft perfon muft be poor and void of all recom-
mendations but that of virtue alone; that a
"wicked world would not bear his infl.ru£lions and
reproof, and therefore, within three or four years
after he began to preach, he fhould be perfe-
cuted, imprifoned, fcourged, ?nd at lail put to
death ; his word is ^ k)/a.yj.\>hKi\j 3-r>£Taj, that is,
cut in pieces, as they cut their facrifices.
Y^iz^ Thefe are remarkable paffages as you
s 4 apply
104 ^"^^ Truth of Chrijilantty demonfirated^
apply them ; and Plato was three hundred years
before Chrift.
But i incline to think that thefe notions came
rather from fuch tradition as you fpeak of, than
from nature; and 1 can fee nothing of nature in
facrilices, they look more like inftitution, come
that how it will.
(3.) CnR. It is ftrange that all the nations
in the world fhould be carried away from what
you call nature; unlefs you will take refuge
among the Hottentots at the Cape of Good
Hope, hardly diftinguifhable from beafts, to
ihew us what nature left to itfelf would do !
and leave us all the wife and polite world on the
fide of revelation, either real or pretended; and
of ooinion that mankind could not be without
it: and my bufincfs now with you has been to
diftinguifh the real from the pretended.
(4.) De. By the account you have given,
there is but one religion in the world, nor ever
was : for the Jewifh was but Chriflianiiy in type,
though in time greatly corrupted : and the Hea-
then was a greater corruption, and founded the
fableii of their gods upon the facts of Scripture:
and the Mahometan you fay is but a herefy of
Chriftianity. So that all is Chriftianity fiill.
Chr. It is true God gave but one revelation
to the world, which was that of Chrift : and as
that was corrupted, new revelations were pre-
teridedc
T}:e Truth of Chrijliamiy demonft rated. 105
tended. But God has guarded his revelations
•with fuch evidences, as it was not in the power
of men or devils to counterfeit or contrive any-
thing like them. Some bear refembknce in
one or two features, in the firft two or three
evidences that I have produced; but as none
reach the fourth, fo they are all quite deftitutc of
the leaft pretence to the remaining four. So-
that when you look upon the face of divine re-
velation, and take it altogether, it is impoiTible
to miftake it for any of thofe delufions which
the devil has fet up in imitation of it. And they
are made to confirm it, becaufe all the refem-
blance they have to truth, is that wherein they
are any ways like it, but when compared with it,,
they (hew, as an ill drawn pifture, half man half
beafl, in prefence of the beautiful original.
(5.) De. It is ftrange, that if the cafe be thus^
plain as you have made it, the whole world is-
not immediately convinced.
Chr. If the feed be never fo good, yet if it
be fown upon flones or among thorns, it wilt
bring forth nothing. There are hearts of ftone^
and others fo filled with the love of riches, witlr
the cares and pleafures of this life, that they wilt
not fee, they have not a mind to know any thing
which they think would diilurb them in their
enjoyments, or lelTen their opinion of them, foE
that would be raking away fo much of their
s 5 pleafuie_j
io6 The Truth of Chrifiianity demonjirated.
pleafiire; therefore it is no eafy matter to per-
JTuade men to place their happinefs in future ex-
pectations, which is the import of the Gofpel.
And in preffing this, and bidding the worldly-
minded abandon their beloved vices, and telling
the fatal confequences of them, we mufl expe6l
to meet not only with their fcorn and contempt,
but their utmoft rage and impatience, to get rid
of us, as fo many enemies of their lulls and plea-
fures. This is the crofs which our Saviour pre-
pared all his difciples to bear, who were to fight
againft. flefli and blood, and all the allurements
of the world; and it is a greater miracle that
they have had fo many followers in this, than
that they have gained to themfelves fo many
enemies. The world is a ftrong man, and till a
flronger than he come (that is, the full perfua-
fion of the future ftate) he will keep pofTefTion,
And this is the viftory that overcometh the
\vorld, even our faith. But we are told alfo that
this faith is the gift of God ; for all the evidence
in the world will not reach the heart, unlefs it be
prepared (like the good ground) to receive the
do6lrine that is taught. Till then prejudice will
create obftinacy, which will harden the heart like
a rock, and cry, Non perjuadehis^ etiamfi -per-
Jaaferisl " I will not be perfuaded, though I
ihould be perfuaded!"
You mud confider under this head^ too, the
many
The Truth of Chrlftianity demonjlrated. 107
many that have not yet heard of the Gofpel:
and of thofe that have, the far greater number
■who have not the capacity or opportunity to
examine all the evidences of Chriftianity, but
take things upon trufl, juft as they are taught.
And how many others are carelefs, and will no'
be at the pains, though they want not capacity to
enquire into the truth? All thefe claffes will
include the grcateft part of mankind. The ig-
norant, the carelefs, the vicious, and fo the ob-
llinate, the ambitious, and the covetous, whofe
minds the god of this world haih blinded.
But yet in the midft of all this darknefs, God
hath not left himfelf without witncfs, which will
be apparent to every diligent and fober enquirer
that is willing and prepared to receive the
truth.
(6.) Good Sir, let me afk you, though you.are
of no religion, as you fay, but what you call na-
tural ; yet would you not think me very brutal,
if I fhould deny that ever there was fuch a man
as Al-exander, or Caefar, or that they did fuch
things? If 1 (hould deny all hillory, or that
Homer, or Virgil, Demofthenes, or Cicero,
ever wrote fuch books ? Would you not think
me perfectly obftinate, feized with a fpirii of
contradiQion, and not fit for human converfaf
lion ?
And yet thefe things are of no coufcquence 10
£ 6 m^3
9
io8 The Truth of Cbnjliamty demonjl rated.
me, it is not a farthing as to my intereft, whether
they are true or falfe.
Will youthen think vourfelFarearonable man
iP, in matters of the greateft importance, even
your eternal (late, you will not believe thofe
fatts which have a thoufand times more certain
and indifputable evidence ? Were there any pro-
phecies of Caefar and Pompey ? Were there any
types of them, or public rnftitutions appointed
by a law, to prefigure the great things that they
ihould do ? Any perfons who went before them,
to bear a refemblance of ihefe things, and bid us
cxpe6fe that great event? Was there a general
cxpeBation in the world of their coming, before
or at the time when they came? And of what
Gonfequence was their coming to the world, or
to after ages? No more than a robbery com-
mitted a thoufand years ago !
Were the Greek and Roman hiflories wrote
by the perfons who did the fads, or by eye-
witnefi'es ? And for the greater certainty were
thofe hiflories made the flanding law of the
country ? Or were they any more than our
Ilolinfhead and Stow, &c. ?
Mufl we believe thefe, on pain of not being
thought reafonable men? And are we then un-
reafonable and credulous, if we believe the fatls
of the Holy Bible ! which was the (landing law
of the people to whom it was given, and wrote
or
The Truth of Chrijfianity demonjirated. 109
or diftated by thofe who did the fafts, with pub-
lic inftitutions appointed by them as a perpetual
law to all their generations; and which, if the
fadls had been falfe, could never have pa fled at
the time when the fa6ts were faid to be done;
nor for the fame reafon, if that book had been
wrote afterwards; becaufe thefe inftituiions (as
circumcifion, the pafibver, baptifm, &c.) w^ere
as notorious fafts as any; and that book faying
they commenced from the time tha: the fatts
were done, muft be found to be falfe, whenever
it was trumpt up in after ages, by no fuch infti-
tutions being then known. Not like the feafts,
games, &:c. in memory of the Heathen gods,
which were appointed long after thofe fads were
faid to be done : and the like inftitutions may
be appointed to-morrow in memory of any falf-
hood faid to be done a thoufand years ago; and
fo is no proof at all. And though a legend, or
book of (lories of things faid to be done many
years paft, may be palmed upon people, yet a
book of Itatuies cannot, by which their caufes
are tried every day.
Are there fuch prophecies extant in any pro-
fane hiftory fo long before the facis there re-
corded, as there are in the Holy Scriptures of
the coming of the Meffiah ?
Were there any types or forerunners of the
Heathen Gods, or Mahomet?
S Is
no The Truth of Chrijiianity demonjlrated.
Is there the like evidence of the truth and fin-
cerity of the Greek and Roman hiftorians, as of
the penmen of the Holy Scriptures?
Would thefe hiftorians have given their lives
for the truth of all they wrote ?
Did they tell fuch fafts only, wherein it was
impoflible for themfelves to be impofed upon,
or that they ihould impofe upon others ? No-
thing but what themfelves had feen and heard,
and they alfo to whom they fpoke ?
Did they expe8; nothing but perfecution and
death for what they related? And v;ere they
bidden to bare it patiently without refiftance?
Was this the cafe of the difciples of Mahomet,
who were required to fight and conquer with the
fword ?
Did any religion ever overcome by fufifering,
but the Chriftian only ?
And did any exhibit the future ftate, and preach
the contempt of this v/orld like the Chriftian?
De. That is the reafon it has prevailed fo
little. And yet, confidering this, it is ftrange
it has prevailed fo much.
(7.) But there is one thing yet behind, wherein
I would be glad to have your opinion, becaufe I
find your Divines differ about it; and that is,
how we {hall know to diftinguiJh^ betwixt true
and falfe miracles.
And this is necelfary to the fubje6l we are
upon.
The Truth of Chrifiianity demon jlrated. 1 1 s
upon. For the force of the faQs you allege ends
all in this, that fuch miraculous fa6ls are a fufB-
cient atteftation of fuch perfons being fent of
God; and confequently, that we are to believe
the doftrine which they taught.
You know we Deifts deny any fuch thing as
miracles, but reduce all to nature ; yet I confefs,
if I had feen fuch miracles as are recorded of
Mofes and of Chrift, it would have convinced
me. And for the truth of them we muft refer
to the evidences you have given. But in the
mean time, if there is no rule whereby to dif-
tinguifh betwixt true and falfe miracles, there
is an end of all the pains you havelaken. For if
the devil can work fuch things, as appear mira-
cles to me, I am as much perfuaded as if thev
were true miracles, and wrought by God. And
fo men may be deceived in trufting to mira-
cles.
The common notion of a miracle is what ex-
ceeds the power of nature. To which we fay,
that we know not the utmoll of the power of na-
ture, and confequently cannot tell what exceeds
it. Nor do you pretend to know the utmoll of
the power of fpirits, whether good or evil, and
how then can you tell what exceeds their
power ?
I doubt not but you would have thought thofe
to be true miracles whicli the magicians are
fa id
1 1 2 The Truth of Chrijlianily demonjlrated.
faid to have wrought in Egypt, but that Mofes
is faid to have wrought miractes that were fupe-
rior to them.
Chr. Therefore if two perfons contend for
the fuperiority, as here God and the Devil did,
the beft iffue can be is to fee them wreftle
together, and then we fhall foon know which
15 the ftrongeft. This was the cafe of Mofes
and the magicians, of Chrift and the Devil.
There was a ftruggle, and Satan was plainly
.©vercome.
I confefs I know not the power of fpirits,
nor how they work upon bodies. And by the
fame reafon that a fpirit can lift a ftraw, he may
a mountain, and the whole earth, for aught I
know; and may do many things which would
appear true miracles to me, and lo might deceive
me. And all I have to truft to in this cafe is
the retraining power of God, that he will not
permit the devil fo to do. And were it not for
this, 1 doubt not but the devil could take away
ray life in an inftant, or inflid terrible difeafes
upon me, as upon Job.
And I think this confideration is the ftrongeft
motive in the world to keep us in a conftant de-
pendence upon God, that we may live in the
midft of fuoh powerful enemies as we can by no
means refill of ourfelvesj and are in their power
every
The Truth of Chriflianity demonjlrated. 113
every minute, when God fhall withdraw his pro-
teftion from us.
And it is in their power likewife to work
figns and wonders to deceive us, if God per-
mit.— And herein the great power and good-
nefs of God is manifeft, that he has never yet
permitted the devil to work miracles in oppo-
fition to any whom he fent, except where the
remedy was at hand, and to ihew his power
the more, as in the cafe of Mofes and the magi-
cians, &c.
And this is further evident, becaufe God has,
at other times, and upon other occafions, fuf-
fered the devil to exert his power, as to make
fire defcend upon Job's cattle, &:c. But here
wasnocauie of religion concerned, nor any truth
of God in debate.
De, Butyour Chrift has foretold, Malt. xxiv.
24, that falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets fhall
arife, who fhall fliew great figns and wonders,
to deceive, if poffible, the very eleft. And it is
faid, 2 ThcfT. ii. 9, that there fhall be a wicked
one, whofe coming is after the working of Satan,
with all power, and figns, and lying wonders;
and it is fuppofed, Deut. xiii. 1, &c. that a falfe
prophet may give a fign or a wonder, to draw
men after falfe gods. Here then is fign againfl
fign, and wonder againfl wonder, and which of
thefe fhall we believe ?
Chr»
114 The Truth of Cbrijlianity demonfirated,
Chr, The firfl no doubt. For God cannot
contradi6l himfelf, nor will fhew figns and won«
ders in oppofitionto that law which he has efta-
blifhed by fo many figns and wonders. There-
fore, in fuch a cafe, we tnuft conclude, that
God has permitted the devil to exert his power,
as againft Mofes and Chrift, for the trial of our
faith, and to fheu' the fuperior power of God
more emificntly, in overcoming all the power
of the enemy.
But, as I faid before, we have a more fure
word, that is, proof, than even thefe miracles
exhibited to our outward fenfes, which is the
word of prophecy. Let, then, any falfe Chrift
who fiiall pretend to come hereafter, fliew fuch
a book as our Bible, which has been fo long ia
the world (the moft ancient book now extant)
teftifying of him, foretelling the time, and all
other circumftances of his coming, with his fuf-
ferings and death, and all thefe prophecies ex-
a6tly fulfilled in him. And till he can do this,
he cannot have that evidence which our Chrift
has, and he muft be a falfe Chrift to me, and
all the figns that he can fhew, will be but lying
wonders to any that is truly eftablifhed in the
Chriflian faith.
But it may be a trial too ftrong for thofe
carelefs ones who will not be at the pains to en-
quire into the grounds of their religion, but take
it
The Truth of Cbrijiianity demonjlratcd. 115
it upon trufl, as they do the fafhions, and mind
not to frame their lives according to it, but are
immerfed in the world, and the pleafures
of it.
(8.) And it will be a jufl; judgment upon
thefe, that they who fhut their tyts againft all
the clear evidences of the Gofpel, fhould be
given up to believe a lye. And the reafon is
given 2 ThefT. ii. 12, becaufe they " had plca-
*' fare in unrighteoufnefs," They loved dark-
nefs rather than light, becaufe their deeds were
evil.
So that I muft repeat what I faid before, that
there is a preparation of the heart (as of the
ground) to receive the truth. And where the
doBrine does not pleafe, no evidence, how clear
foever, will be received. God cannot enter
till mammon be difpoffcffed. We cannot
ferve thefe two mafcers. He who has a clear
fight of heaven, cannot value the dull pleafures
of this life ; and it is impoffible that he who is
drowned in fenfecan relifh fpiritual things. The
Jove of this world is enmity againft God. The
firft fin was a temptation of fenfe; and the repa-
ration is to open our eyes to the enjoyment of
God. Vice clouds this eye, and makes it blind
to the only true and eternal pleafure. It is
foolifhnefs to fuch a one.
This,
1 1 6 The Truth of Chrijlianity demonjl rated.
This, this Sir, is the remora that keeps men
from Chriftianity. It is npt want of evidence,
but it is want of confideration. I would not fay
this to you till I had firft gone through all the
topics of reafon with you, that you might not
call it cant. But this is the truth. As David
fays, "To him that ordereth his converfation
** aright, will I fhew the falvation of God."
And our Saviour fays, " If any man do the will
*' of God, he fliall know of the doftrine, whe-
*' ther it be of God, or whether I fpeak of my-
" felf." And "No man can come unto me,
*' except the Father draw him."
This was the reafon why St. John the Baptift
was (ent as a forerunner to prepare the way for
Chrift, by preaching of repentance, to fit mea
for receiving the Gofpd.
And they who repented of their fins upon his
preaching, did gladly embrace the dotlrine of
Chrift. But they who would not forfake their
fins remained obdurate, though otherwife men
of fenfe and learning. As our Saviour told the
Priefts and Elders, Matt. xxi. 31. "John came
*' unto you in the way of righteoufnefs, and ye
*' believed him not; but the publicans and the
" harlots believed him. And ye, when ye had
" feen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might
" believe him."
And
The Truth of Chrifiianity demonjlrated. i ry
And when Chiift fought to prepare them for
his doftrine, by telling them, that they could not
ferve God and mammon, it is faid,Lukexvi. 14.
*' That when the Pharifees, who were covet-
*' ous, heard thefe things, they derided him.*'
But heinftruQed them in the next verfe, (if they
would have received it) that " what is highly
*' efteemed amongfl men, is abomination in the
" fight of God." And enforced this with the
example of the Rich Man and Lazarus. And
faid, chap. xvii. 25, " That it was eafier for a
•' camel to go through the eye of a needle,
" than for a rich man to enter into the king-
*' dom of God." And chap. xiv. 33, " That
" whofoever he be that forfaketh not all that he
" hath, he cannot be my difciple." Now take
this in the largeft fenfe, that he who is not ready
and willing to forfake all, as if he hated them,
as Chrift faid, verfe 26, '* If any man come to
*' me, and hate not his father and mother," &c.
(that is, when they come in competition with
any command of Chrift) and " take not his
" crofs and follow me, he cannot be my dif-
*« ciple." How few difciples would he have
had in this age ! Would all his miracles per-
fuade fome to this ! The world is too hard for
heaven with moft men !
Here is the caufe of infidelity. The love of
the worldj the luft of the flefli, the luft of the
eyes.
1 1 8 The Truth of Chriftianity demonfirated.
eyes, and the pride of life, darken the heart, and,
like fliLitters, keep out the light of heaven ; till
they are removed, the light cannot enter. The
fpirit of purity and holinefs will not defcend into
an heart full of all uncleannefs. If we would in-
vite this gueft,- we mufl; fweep the houfe and
make it clean
But this too is of God : for he onlv can make
a clean heart, and renevr a right fpirit within us.
But he has promifed to give this wifdom to thofe
who aflc it, and lead a godly life. Therefore
afk, and you fhall have, feek, and you fhall find,
knock, and it fhall be opened unto you. But
do it ardently and inceffantly, as he that ftriveth
for his foul. For God is gracious and merciful,
long-fufFering, and of great goodnefs : and thofe
who come to him in fincerity, he will in no wife
cafl: out. Therefore pray in faith, nothing
doubting; and what you pray for, (according
to his will) believe that you receive it, and you
fliall receive it.
To his grace I commend you.
(9.) And with the fulnefs of the Gentiles,
O ! that it would pleafe God to take the veil off
the heart of the Jews, and let them fee that they
have been deceived by many falfe Meflfiahs,
fince Chrifttcame; fo none whom they expe6t
hereafter, can anfwer the prophecies of the Mef-
fiah, (fome of which I have named) and there-
fore
The Truth of Chrijlianily demonjl rated. 119
fore no fiich can be the Meffiah who is prophe-
fiedof in their own Scriptures.
And let them fee and confider how that fatal
curfe they imprecated upon themfelves, " His
" blood be upon us and on our children," has
cleaved unto them, beyond all their former fins,
and even repeated idolatry, from which (to fliew
that is not the caufe of their prefent difperfion)
they have kept themfelves free ever fince j and
for which their longeft captivity was but feventy
years, and then prophets were fent to them to
comfort them, and aflure them of a reftoration :
but now they have been about feventeen hundred
years difperfed over all the earth, without any
prophet, or profped of their deliverance; that
the whole world might take notice of this before
unparalleled judgment not known to any nation
that ever yet was upon the face of the earth ! So
punifhed, and fo prefer ved for judgment, and I
hope, at laft, for a more wonderful mercy ! —
** For, if the calling away of them be the re-
" conciling of the world, what fhall the re-
" ceiving of them be, but life from the dead ?
" For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that
" he might have mercy upon all. O the depdi
'* of the riches both of the wifdom and know-
*' ledge of God ! How unfearchable are his
•' judgments, and his ways pad finding out !
« For
120 The Truth of Cbrijlianily demonjlrated.
" For of hitn, and through him, and to him,
*' are all things. To whom be glory for ever.
«« Amen."
FINIS.
Jrinted fcj Law atid Gilbert, St. Join's SqtEre,LoucIoo.
i
BT Leslie, Charles
1180 A short and easy method
hA^ with the deists
1815
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