The truth of the Christian religion. In six books

Grotius, Hugo, 1583-1645.

Truth of the Christian religion. In six bod

/^^^^^^^,^1^ THE ^VKC^^z^C^mr^

T R U T H ^^^

OF THE

Chriftian Religion.

IN SIX BOOKS.

By HUGO GROTIUS,

CORRECTED AND ILLUSTRATED WITH

NOTES BY MR. LECLERC.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

A Seventh Book, concerning this Queftion,

What Chr'ijiian Church lue ought to join 02ir/el-ves to ?

By the faid Mr. Le Clerc.

THE TENTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS.

Particularly one whole Book of Mr. Le Clerc's againft
Indifference of luhat Religion a Man is of.

DONE INTO ENGLISH

By JOHN CLARKE, D. D. Dean of Sarum.

L o N n o N :

Printed forB. Law and Son, W. Otridge, R.Baldwin,

and F. and C. Rivington.

MDCCXCIII.

TO THE

MOST REVEREND PRELATE,

T H O M A S,

LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,

PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND,-

AND METROPOLITAN, AND PRIVY-COUNSELLOR

TO HER MOST SERENE MAJESTY,

THE QUEEN OF GREAT-BRITAIN.

UPON the reprinting this ex-
cellent Piece of that great Man,
Hugo Grotius, concerning the Truth
of the Chriftian Religion ; whereunto
I thought fit to add fomething of my
own, andalfofomeTeftimonies, from
which the good Opinion he had of
the Church of Blngland is evident ;
A 2 there

DEDICATION.

there was no other Perfon, moft Re-
verend Prelate, to whom 1 thought it
fo proper for me to dedicate this Edi-
tion, with the Additions, as the Pri-
mate and MetropoHtan of the whole
Church of England. I therefore pre-
fent it to you, as worthy your Protec-
tion upon its own Account, and as an
Inftance of my Refpeft and Duty to-
wards you. I will not attempt here,
either ' to praife or defend Grotnis ;
his own Virtue and diftinguifhing
Merits in the Commonwealth of
Chrilhans, do fufiiciently commend
and juflify him amxongft all good and
learned Men. Neither will I fay any
Thing of the Appendix which I have
added; it is fo fliort, that it may be
read over almoft in an Hour's Time.
If it be beneath Grotius, nothing that
1 can fay about it will vindicate me to
the cenforious; but if it be thought
not beneath him, I need not give any
Reafons for joining it with a Piece of
his. Perhaps it might be cxpefted,
moft illuftrious Prelate, that I Ihould,
as ufual, commend ^'0u and your

Churcb:

DEDICATION.

Church; but I have more than once
performed this Part, and declared a
Thing known to all : Wherefore for-
bearing that, I conclude with wifhing,
that both you and the reverend Pre-
lates, and the reft of the Clergy of the
Church of England, who are fuch
brave Defenders ofthetrue Chriftian
Religion, and whofeConverfations are
anfwerable to it, may long prolper
and flourifh : Which I carneftly de«
fire of Almighty God.

Amfterdam, the Calends, TrkMM 1 V Cl VQ C

tf/ March, MDCCIX, JOHN J^l!. \^LhKL,

TO

TO THE

READER

John Le Clerc wilheth all Health.

^T^HE Book/filer having a Dejign to r<?-
-^ print this Piece of Grotius's, / gave
him to underfiand that there were many great
Faults in the former Editions y efpecially in the
*TeJiimonies of the Antients, which it was his
Bufmefs Jhould be mended, and that fomething
ufeful might be added to the Notes: Neither
would it be unacceptable or unprofitable to the
Reader, if a Book were added, to fhew where
the Chrijiian Religion, the Truth of which this
great Man has demonjirated, is to be found in
its great eft Purity, He immediately defired m^
to do this upon his Account, which I willingly
undertook out of the Reverence I had for the
Memory of Grotius, and becaife of the Ufefid-
nefs of the T^hing. How I have fucceeded in it,
I muft leave to the candid Reader's Judgment.
I have correBed ??2any Errors of the Prefs, and
perhaps Jhould have done more, could I have
found all the Places. I have added fome, but
very ftjort Notes, there being very many before,
and the Thi?2g not feeming to require more.
My Name adjoined, diftinguijhes them from
Grotius's. I have alfo added to Grotius a fmall
A 4 Book^

TO THE READER.

Bookf concerJiing chufmg our Opinion and
Church amongjifo inaiiy different SeBs of Chri^
fiians ; in which I hope I have offered nothing
contrary to the Senfe of that great Man, or at
leaf to Truth. I have ifed fuch Argume?its,
as will recommend the?nfelves to any prudent
Perfon, eafy and not far-fetched-, and I have
determined that Chrijtians ought to manage
themfelves fo in this Matter, as the mof pru-
dent Men ufuaJly do in the jnoft weighty Affairs
of Life. I have abftained from all jharp Con-
troverfy, and from all fever e Words, which
ought never to enter into our Determinations of
Religion, if our Adverfirics would fuffer it. I
have declared the Senfe of my Mind in a fami^
liar Stile, without any Flourijh of Words, in
a Matter where Strength of Argujnent, and not
the Enticement rf Words, is required. And
herein I ha-he imitated Grotius, whom I think
all ought to imitate, who ai tempt to write fe-
rioufy, and with a mind deeply affeSfed with
the Gravity of the Argument uponfuch ^ub^
jetls.

As I was thinking upon thefe Things, the
Letters, which you will fee at the End, were
fent me by that honourable and learned Perfon,
to whofe fngular Good-nature I am much in-
debted, the moft Serene ^een ^/' Great Britain's
Amhajjador Extraordinary^ to his Royal High-
nefs the mof Serene Great Duke of Tufcany.
/ thought with his Leave they might conveni-
ently be publijhed at the End of this Volume,
that it might appear what Opinion Grotius

had

TO THE READER.

had of the Church o/'England ; which is obliged
to him, notwithjlanding the Snarling ofjotne
Men, who obje5i thofe inconjijient Opinions,
Socijtianifm, Popery, nav^ even Atheifm it/elf
againfi this moji learned and religious Man ;

for fear, Ifuppofe, his immortal Writings floould
be read, in which their foolif/j Opinions are in^
t'trely confuted. In which iSdatter, as in many
other Thi?igs of the like Nature^ they have in
vain attempted to blind the Eyes of ethers :
But God forgive them, (for I wifj the?n no-
thing worfe) and put better Thoughts into their
Minds, that we may at laji be all joined by the
Love of Truth and Peace, and be united into
one Flock, under one Shepherd, Jefus Chnjh
This, kind Reader, is what you ought to defire
and wiflj with me ; and may God fo be with

you, and all that belong to you, as you promote
this Matter as far as can be, and ajjijl to the
utmoft of your Power,

FarewelU

^mfterdam, the Calends af
Maich, MDCCIX.

TO

TOT H

READER.

T Have nothing to add to zuhat I /aid
Eight Years fince, hut only, that in
this my fecond Edition o/" Grotius, /
have putjomejhort Notes, and correded
a great many Faults in the Anticnt
Tejtimonies»

A«(fte:dam, the Caknds if

•Dfterdam, tbe Laiendi if TT f^

Jvine, MDCCiLVlU I, yj.

T O T H E
MOST NOBLE AND MOST EXCELLENT

HIERONYMUS BIGNONIUS,

THE KING'S SOLICITOR

IN THE

SUPREME COURT OF AUDIENCE AT PARIS.

MOST NOBLE AND EXC ELLE NT SIR,

1 Should offend againft Juftice, if I (hould
divert another Way that Time which you
employ in the Exercife of Juftice in your
high Station : But I am encouraged in this
Work, becaufe it is for the advancement of
the Chriflian Religion, which is a great Part
of Juilice, and of your Office ; neither would
Jultice permit me to approach any one elfe
fo foon as you, whofe Name my Book glo-
ries in the Title of. I do not fay I dtfire to
employ Fart of ycur Leifure -, for the Dif-
charge of fo extenfive an office allows you
no Leifure. But fmce Change of Bufinefs
is inftead of Leifure to ihem that are fully
employed, I defire yoa v/ould, in the Midlt

of

TO HIERONYMUS BIGNONIUS.
of your forenfick Affairs, befto.w fome Hours
upon thefe Papers. Even then you will not
be out of the Way of your Bufinefs. Hear
theWitneffes, weigh the Force of their Tefti-
mony, make a Judgment, and I will ftand
by the Determination.

613 CID XXXIX,

HUGO GROTIUS.

THE

THE

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

T O T H E

CHRISTIAN READER.

THE general Acceptance this Piece of
Grotius has met with in the World,
encouraged this Tranflation of it, together
with the Notes ; v\hich, being a Colledioa
of antient Teftimonies, upon whofe Autho-
rity and Truth the Genuinenefs of the Books
of Holy Scripture depends, are very ufeful ia
order to the convincing any one of the Truth
of the Chriftian Religion. Thefe Notes are
for the inoft Part Grotius s own, except fome
few of Mr. he Cierc's, which I have there-
fore tranflated aUb, becaufe I have followed
Lis Edition, as the moll correct.

The Defign cf the Book is to (hew the
Reafonablenefsofbelievingand embracing tiie
Chriftian Religion above any other j which
our Author does, by laying before us all the
Evidence that can be brought, both internal
and external, and declaring the Sufficiency
of it ; by enumerating all the Marks of Ge-
nuinenefs

7

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE,
nuinenefs in any Books, and applying them
to the Sacred Writings ; and by iTiaking ap-
pear the Deficiency ot all other Inflitutionsof
Religion, whether Pagan ^ Je'^.viJJj, or Maho-
metan. i5o that the Subftance of the whole
is briefly this ; that as certain as is the Truth
of Natural Principles, and that the Mind can
judge of what is agreeable to them -, as cer-
tain as is the Evidenceof Men's bodily Senfes,
in the moft plain and obvious Matters of
Fadt ; and as certainly as Men's Integrity and
Sincerity may be difcovered, and their Ac-
counts delivered down to Pofterity faithfully ;
fo certain are we of the Truthof the Chriflian
Religion j and that if it be not true there is
nofuch Thing as true Religion in the World,
neither was there ever, or can there ever be,
any Revelation proved to be from Heaven.

This is the Author's Defign to prove the
Truth of the Chriftian Religion in general,
againftAtheills, Deifts, y^ ic;j, q'c Mahometans-,
and he does not enter into any of the Difputes
which Chriftians have among themfelves, but
confines himfclf wholly to the other. Now
as the State of Chriftianity at prefent is, were
a Heathen or Mahometan convinced of the
Truth of the Chriftian Religion in general,
lie would yet be exceedingly at a lofs to
know what Society of Chriftians to join him-
fclf with J fo miferably divided are they
among themfelves, and fcparated into fo
many Secfts and Parties, which differ almoft
as widely, from each other as Heathens from
6 hrif-

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
Chriftians, and who are To zealous and con-
tentious for their own particular Opinions,
and bear fo much Hatred and Ill-will to-
wards thofc that differ from them, that there
is very little of the true Spirit of Charity,
which is theBond of Peace, to be found amongft
any of them : This is a very great Scandal to
the Profeffors of Chriftianity, and has been
exceedingly diflerviceable to the Chriflian Re-
ligion ; infomuch that great Numbers have
been hindered from embracing the Gofpel,
and many tempted to caft it oft, becaufe they
faw the Profefibrs of it in general agree fo lit-
tle amongflthemfclves : This Confideration
induced Mr. Le Clerc to add a Seventh Book
to thofe of Grotius -, wherein he treats of this
Matter, and Iliews what it becomes every
honefl Man to do in fuch a Cafe ; and I have
tranflated it for the fame Reafon. All that I
iLall here add, fhall be only briefly to enquire
into the Caufe of fo much Diviiion in the
Church of Chrift, and to fhew wliat feems to
me the only Remedy to heal it. Firfl, to ex-
amine into the Caufe, why the Church of
Chrift is io much divided : A man needs but
a little Knowledge of the State of the Chriflian
Church, to fee that there is juft reafon for
the fame Complaint "St. P^z//made in tlie pri-
mitive Times of the Church of Corinth :
That fome were for Paul, fome for Apollos,
and fome for Cephas ; fo very early did the
Spirit of Fadtion creep into the Church of
God, and diilurb the Peace of it ; by fetting
its Members at Variance with each^other

who

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE,
who ought to have been all of the fame com-
mon Faith, into which they were baptized ;
and I wifh it could not be faid that the fame
Spirit has too much remained amongft Chri-
flians ever fince. It is evident that the Foun-
dation of the Divifions in the Church of Co-
rinth, was their forfaking theircommon Lord
and Mafler, Jefus Chrijl, into whofe Name
alone they were baptized ^ and uniting them-
felves, feme under one eminent Apoftle or
Teacher, and fome under another, by whom
they had been inflruded in the Dodlrine of
Chrift, whereby they were diftinguifhed into
dilferent Seds, under their feveral Denomi-
nations : This St. Paid complains of as a
Thing in itfelf very bad, and of pernicious
Conf^'^uence j for hereby the body of Chrift,
that is, the Chriftian Church, the Dodrine
of which is one and the fame at all Times
and in all Places, is rent and divided into fe-
veral Parts, that claHi and interfere with each
other : Which is the only Method, if per-
mitted to have its natural Effedt, that can over-
threw and deilroy it. And from the fame
Caufe have arifen all the Divifions that are or
have been in the Church ever fince. Had
Chriftians been contented to own but one
Lord, even yefus Chriji, and made the Doc-
trine delivered by him the fole Rule of Faith,
without any Fidlions or Inventions of Men j
it had been impolTible but that the Church
of Chriit muft have been one univerfal, re-
gular, uniform Thing, and not fuch a Mix-
ture and Confufion as wc now behold it.

But

THE TRANSLATOR'S PFEFACE.

But when Chriftians once began to eflabllfli
D jd:rines of their own, and to impofc them
upon others, by human Authority, as Rules
of Faith, 'which is the Foundation of Anti-
chrift,) then there began to be as many
Schemes of Religion as there were Parties of
Men, who had different judgment, and got
the Power into thv^ir Hands. A very little
Acquaintance with Ecclefiailical Hiftory
does but too fadly confirm the Truth of this,
by giving us an Account of the feveral
Do(ftrines in Fafliion, in the feveral Ages of
the Chriftian Church, according to the then
prefent Humour. And if it be not fo now,
how comes it to paf>^ that the Generality of
Chriiiians are fo zealous for that Scheme of
Religion, whtch is received by that particu-
lar Church of which they profefs themfelves
Members ! How is it that the Generality of
Chriftians in one Country are zealous for
Calvinijm, and in another Country as zeah'us
for /Irminianijjn ? Is it not becaufe Men
have any natural Difpofition more to the one
than the other, or ^ erhaps that one has much
mor^ Foundation co fuoport it from Scripture
than the other: But the Reafon is plain,
viz, becaule they are the e*iabli(hed Doc-
trines of the Places they live in ; they are by
Authority made the Rule and Stmdard of
Reiigum, ur.d Men are taught them from
the Beginning; by tni. Means they are fo
deeply riA^d ai-d rooted in their Minds, that
they beco[ne prejudiced in Favour of them,
ana have fo itrong a Relifh of them, that
a they

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

they cannot read a Chapter in the Bible, buS
it appears exad:ly agreeable to the received
Notions of them both, though perhaps thofe
Notions are diredJy contradidiory to each
other : Thus, inftead of making the Scrip-
ture the only Rule of Faith, Men make
Rules of Faith of their own, and interpret
Scripture according to them ; which being
an eafy Way of coming to the Knowledge
of what they efteem the Truth, the Gene-
rality of Chriflians fit down very well fatis-
iicd with it. But whoever is indeed con-
vinced of the Truth of the Gofpel, and has
any Regard for the Honour of it, cannot but
be deeply concerned to fee its facred Truths
thus proftituted to the Power and Interefls
of Men ; and think it his Duty to do the ut-
moft he is able, to take it out of their
Hands, and fix it on its own immoveable
Bottom. In order to contribute to which,
I Ihall in the fecond Place Ihow, what feems
to be the only Remedy that can heal thefe
Divifions amongft Chriftians ; and that is,
in one Word, making the Scripture the only
Rule of Faith. NA'hatcver is neceflary for
a ChriRian to believe, in order to everlafl-
ing Salvation, is there declared, in fuch a
Way and Manner, as the Wifdom of God,
who beft knows the Circumftances and Con-
ditions of Mankind, has thought fit. This
God himfclf has nnde the Standard for all
Ranks or Orders, for all Gipiiciiies and Abi-
lities : And to fct up any other abov.-, or
upon the Level with it, i^ diflionouring

Goa,

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

God, and abufing of Men. All the Autho-
rity in the World cannot make any Thing an
Article of Faith, but what God has made
fo; neither can any Power eftablilh or im-
pofe upon Men, more or lefs, or othervvife
than what the Scripture commands. God
has given every Man proportionable Facul-
ties and Abilities of Mmd, fome ftronger
and fome weaker; and he has by his own
Authority made the Scripture the Rule of
Religion to them all : It is therefore their
indifpenfible Duty to examine diligently, and
lludy attentively this Pvule, to inftrudl them-
felves in the Knowledge of religious Truths
from hence, and to form the beft Judgment
they can of the Nature of them. The
Scripture will extend or ccntradtitfelf accord-
ing to the Capacities of Men : The ftrongeft
and largefl: Underftanding will there find
enough to fill and improve it, and the nar-
rowed and meaneO: Capacity will fully ac-
quiefce in what is there required of it. Thus
all Men are obliged to form a Judgment of
Religion for themfelves, and to be continu-
ally rectifying and improving it: They may
be very helpful and afiiiling to each other in
the Means of coming to this Divine Know-
ledge, but no one can finally determine for
another; every Man mufljud^ie for him-
feif; and for the Sincerity of his Judgment
he is accountable to God only, v.'ho knows
the Secrets of all Hearts, Vv^hich are beyond
the Reach of human Power : This mull be
left till the final Day of Account^ when
a 2 every

THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

every Man (liall be acquitted or condemned
according as be has .6ted by the Did:ates of
his Conlcicnce or no. Wtre all Chriftians
to go upon this Prii^ciple, we (liould foon fee
an End of all the fierce Controverfies and
unhappy Divifions which now rend and con-
found the- Church ot Chrifl : Were every
Man allowed to take the Scripture for his
oni) Gu'de in Matters of Faith, and, after
all the ?vleans of Knowledge and Inftrudlion
ufcd, all the Ways of All'urance and Con-
viction tried, permitted quietly to enjoy his
ov/n Opinion, the Foundation of all Divifions
wouid be taken away ac once : And till Chri-
ftians do arrive at this Temper of Mind, let
thcni not boaft that they are endued wirh that
excellent Virtue of Charity, which is the
diftinguifhing Mark of their ProicfTion; for
if what St. Paul fays be true, that Charity
is greater than Faith, it is evident no Chri-
flian ought to be guilty of the Breach of a
greater Duty upon Account of a IcfTef: They
ought not to diilurb that Peace and Unity
which ought to be amongft all Chriilians,
for tlie Sake of any Matters of Faith, any
DiiTerenccs of Oijinion; becaufe it is con-
trary to the known Law of Charity : And
how far the greateft: Part of Chriilians will
clear themfelvcs of iranfgreffing this plain
Law, I know not. ' W'hcrefore, if ever we
exped: to have our Petitions anfwercd, when
we pray that God v/ould make us on';; Flock
under one Irhcphcrd and Biihop of our Souls,
Jtfus Chrijl-^ we mult ceafe to make needlcfs
1 Fences

' THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

Fences of our own, and to divide ourf'-lves
into fmail leparate Flocks, and diftiij^uifh
the by ;iiat whereby Chrift has lOt diftin-
guifhed them. When this Spirtt of Love
and Unity, of forbearing one another in
Meekneis, once becomes the prevailing Prin-
ciple amongft Chriflians; then, and not till
then, wili the Kingdom of Chrill: in its
higheft Perfediion and Purity fiourilh upon
the Earth, and all the Powers of Darknefs
fall before it.

John Clarke.

THE

THE

CONTENTS,

3

BOOK I.

Sect. Page

I. CJ^HE Occafion of this Work,

II. -^ That there is a Gody

III. That there is but one Gody 6

IV. All Perfemon is in God, 8

V. Jnd in an infinite Degree, ibid.

VI. That Gcd is Eternal, Omnipotent , Ommfcient,
and completely Good, 9

VII. That God is the Caufe of all Things, i'oid.

VIII. The OhjeSlion, concerning the Cauje of Evil,
anfweredy 1 6

IX. Againfl Tvco Principles, 17

X. That Gcd governs the Univerfc, 18

XI. And the Affairs of this lower World, ibid.
And the Particulars in it, 1 9

XII. This is further proved by the Prejervation of
Empires, 20

XIII. And by Miracles, 21

XIV. But more ejpeclally amongfl the Jew?, who
oi'ght to be credited upon the Account of the long
Continuance of their Religion, 22

XV. From the Truth and Antiquity e/ Mofes, 24

XVI. From Foreign Tefihnonies, 16
X Vi I . The fame proved alfo from Predi£iions, 7 2

/ind by other Arguments; 73
a 4 XVIII. The

THE CONTENTS.

Sect. Page

XVIII. The Oljecfion of Miracles not beingjeen mzv,
fnfwered, 7 5

XIX. And of there being Jo much Wkkednefsy 76

XX. ArJ that Jo great y as to ofprejs good Mmy 77

XXI. This may be turned upon them^ Jo as to prove
that Souls Jur'Srje Bodies 78

XXII. Which is confirmed by 'Traditicn, ibid.

XXIII. And no Way repugnant to Keajon, 81
XAIV. But many Thhigs favour ity 84

XXV. From iZ'hence it Jcllovos^ that the End of Man
is Happinejs after this Lifcy 86

XXVI. V/hich ive may Je cure 3 by finding out the true
Religicnj ibid.

BOOK II.

I. That the Chrifiian Religion is true, 87

II. The Proof that there was Juch a Perjon as JeJuSy

ibid.
That he died an ignominious Death, 8 8

III. And yet after his Death was ivorfjjipped by wife
Men, 89

IV. The Cauje of which could be no other, but thoje
Miracles zvhich were done by him, 90

V. Which Miracles cannot be ajcribed to any natural
or diabolical Power, but mufi be from God, 91

VI. The Rejurrectijn oj Chrifi proved Jrom credible
Tefiiracny, 94

VII. The Objection drawn from the Jecming Impoffi-
bility of a Rejurreciion anjwered, 98
^he Truth of J ejus' s Dohrine proved Jrom his Re-

Jurrcoliou-: i OQ

VIII. That the Chrifiian Religion exceeds all other s^

ibid.

IX. The Excellency of the Rewards propojed, 10 1

y..A

THE CONTENTS.

Sea. Page

X. A Solution of the Obje^icfiy taken from hence^
that the Bodies after their Dtjj'dution cannot he re-
Jiored, 1 05

XI. The exceeding Purity of its PreceptSy with re-
Jpe^ to the Iv crjbip cf Gcd, 1 09

XII. Concerning thfe Duties of Humanity y which
we owe to our Neighbour, though he has injured

tiSy IIJ

XIII. Aleut the Ccnju7i5lion of Male and Femalcy

XIV. /ihcut the Jfc cf temporal Goods y 120

XV. Concerning O a hs, 123

XVI. Concerning other Aniens y ibid.

XVII. An Arfwer to the Obje^iony drawn from the
many Coritroverftes among ChrifiianSy 1 25

XVIII. T^he Excellency of the Chrifian Religiony
further proved from the Excellency of its Teachery

iiG
From the wonderful Propagation of this Religiouy

130

Confidering the Weaknefs and Simplicity of thofe

who taught it in the firfl AgPy 135

XIX. And tie great Impediments that hindered Men
from embracing ity or deterred them from p^ofef-
fingity 136

An Anfiver to thofe who require more and fironger
Argument Sy 13^

BOOK III

J. Of the Authority of the Becks of the New Tefia-
menty 142

II. Ihe Books that have any Names afixed to theuiy
were written by thofe Peijons whoj^ Names they
bear J 1 43

III 1b$

THE CONTENTS.

SncT. Page

III. The Doubt of ihofe Books ^ that 'u::ere formerly
doubtful, taken away^ i^^

IV. The Authority of thofe Books zvhich have no
Name to them, evident from the Nature of the
IVritinf^Sy 14^

V. That thefe Authors "^jroie ivhat iras truey hecaufe
they knew the Things they wrote about ^ 146

VI. And becaufe they would not fay what was fa If e,

H7

VII. The Credibility of thefe Writers further con-

firmedy from their being famous for Miracles y 149

Vill. And of their IVritings -, becaufe in them are

contained many Things y which the Event proved to

be divinely revealedy 151

IX. And alfo from the Care that it was fit God
Jhould takcy that falfc IVritings Jhould not be
forged y _ 152

X. A Solution of that Objefliony that many Books zvere
rejecied by fomey ibid.

XI- An Aifwer to the Objection y offome Things bc^
ing contained in thofe Books y that are impoj/ible,

XII. Ordi/agreeable to Reafony ibid.

XIII. An Anfwer to this OLjeciiony ihatfome Things
are contained in thofe Books zvhich are inconfjlent
with one another y 158

XIV. An Anfwcr to the ObjccI ion from external Tejii-
monies : F/hcre it isjhcwn they make more for thefe
Books y ' 160

XV. An Anfwer to the ObjccI ion of the Scriptures
being altered y 162

XVI- Tije Authority of the Books of the Old Tefa^
fncniy 165

BOOK

THE CONTENTS.

BOOK IV.

Sect. Page

I. A particular Confutation of the Religions that
differ from ChriJ}ianit)\ ly^

II. Andfirjl of Paganifm. That there is hut one
God. That created Beings are either good or had.
That the good are not to he worJJjipped zvithout the
Command of the Supreme Gody i8o

III. A Proof that evil Spirits were worfhipped hy the
Heat hen y andtheUnzvorthinefsofitfhewny i8i

IV. Againjl the Heathen Worfmp paid to departed
Meny 1 84

V. Againjl the JVorfhip given to the Stars and Ele-
ment Sy 1 85

VI. Againjl the WorfJAp given to Brute Creatures^

186

VII. Againjl the Worfljip given to thofe Things that
have no real ExiJlencCy i 8 8

VIII. An Anfiver to the OhjeHion of the Plea t hens y
taken from the Miracles done amongjl thcmy 190

IX. And from Oracles y 193

X. The Heathen Religion rejecledy hecaufe it failed
of its own Ac cord y as foon as human AJJiJlance was
wantingy 1 9 8

XI. An Anfzver to thisy that the Rife and Decay of
Religion is owing to the StarSy 199

XII. The principal Things of the Chrijlian Religion
were approved of hy the wifejl Heathens 'y arid if
there be any thing in it hard to he helievedy the
like is to be found amongji the Heathens y 201

THE CONTENTS.

BOOK V.

Sect. Page

I. A Confutation ofjiidaifm^ beginning with an Ad~
drejs to the Jews, 208

II. "Tbat the Jews ought to look upon the Miracles of
Chrijl asfnjjiciently attcficdy 209

HI. An yinfivcr to the Ohjeclion^ that thofe Miracles
were done by the Help of Devi Is y 2 10

IV. Or by the Power oflVords^ 212

V. 'That the Miracles of Jefus were divine y proved
from henccy becaufe he taught the Worpip of one

Gody the Maker of the IFor Id y ibid.

VI. An Anfwerto the ObjcclioHy drazvnfrom the Dif-
ference betwixt the Law of Mofes, and the Law
c/Chrift; whence it is JJjewny that there ?night be
given a inoreperfetl Law than that o/Mofcs, 214

\1I. The Law of Mofes was obferved by Jefus
when on Earthy neither zvas any Part of it abo~
lijfjed afterwards y but only thofe Precepts which had
no intrinfic Goodnefs in theniy 216

VIII. As Sacrifice Sy zi:hich zvere never acceptable to
God upon their oven Ac county 2 20

IX. And the Difference of Meats y 226

X. And of Days y 23Q

XI. And external Circumcifion of the Flefby 232

XII. And yet the Apojllcs of Jefus eafily allowed of
thofe Things, 234

XIII. A Proof againjl the Jews, taken from their
ozvn Confejjlon of the extraordinary Prom if e of the
Meffiaby " '235

XIV. That he is already comCy appears from the Time
foretold, ibid.

XV. {IVith an Anfwer to zvhat is alledgedy that his
Coming zvas deferred upon the Account of the Sins
of the People f) 2,39

XVI. Alfa

THE CONTENTS

Sect. Page

XVI. Alfo from the prejent Slate of the Jews, corn^
pared with the Frcmifes of the Lazi\ 240

XVII. Jefiis proved to be the Meffiah, from ihofe
Things that were predicJed of the Me[fiah^ 243

XVIII. An Anfwer to zvhat is alledged^ that fome
Things zvere not fuIfJled^ 246

XIX. And to that which is ohjccJed of the low Con-
dition and Death of JefuSy 248

XX. And as though they zvere good Men zvho deli-
vered hi in to Deathy 252

XXI. An Anfwer to the Ohje.lion of the Cbrifians
worftjipping many GodSy 256

XXII. yind that human Nature is zvorjhipped hy
thevjy 259

XXII I. The Concliif.on of this Party with a Prayer
for the Jews, 262

BOOK VI.

I. A Confutation of Mahometanifm ; the Original
thereof 263

II. The Mahometans Foundation overtiirnedy in that
they do not examine into Religion y 268

III. A Proof again]] the Mahometans, taken out of
the facred Books of the Hohvcws, and Chriftiaiis;
and that they are not corrupt edy 269

IV. From comparing Mahomet with Chrifl:, 271

V. And the Works of each of them y 272

VI. Aitd of thofe who firji ejnbraced each of thefe Re-
ligions y I'l'^

VII. And of the Methods by which each Lazv zvas
propagated y 274

VIII. And of their PreLcpa, . omp are d with one an-
other ^ 2 " 6

IX. ^

THE CONTENTS.

Sect. Page

IX. A Solution of the Mahometans OhjeFlion con^
cerning the Son of God ^ 277

X. There are many abftird Things in the Mahometan
Books, 278

XI. The Conclufion to the Chrijlians: who are ad^
monijhed of their Duty, upon Occafion of the fore-
going Things y 279

THE

CONTENTS

O F

Mr. Le Clerc's Two Books.

BOOK I.

Sect. Page

I. IJ/^ mujl enquire, among fl "dchat Chrijlians the

true DocJrine of Chrijl flourijijeth mojl at this
Time, 289

II. IVe are to join ourf elves ivith thofe who are mojl
worthy the Name of Chrijlians, 293

III. They are mojl worthy the Name of Chrijlians,
who, in the purejl Manner of all, profefs the Doc-
trine, the Truth of which hath been proved by
Grotius, 296

I V. Concerning the Agreement and Dif agreement of
Chrijlians, 29 S

V. Whence every one ought to learn the Knowledge of
the Chrijl i an Religion, 302

VI. No-

THE CONTENTS.

Sect. ^^S^

VI. Nothing elfe ought to he impojed upon Chrijlians,
but what they can gather from the New Tejlamenty

304

VII. The Providence of Gody in preferving the Chri-
flian Do&rinCy is very ivonderfuly 1^06

VIII. An Anfwer to that ^lefiiony Why God permits
Differences and Errors to arife amongft Chrifiaus,

309

IX. They profefs and teach the Chrifian Do^rine in
the purcfi Manner of ally zvho propofe thofe Things
only as neceffary to be believed^ fra^ijed, or hoped
for^ zvhich Chrijlians are agreed in^ 3 1 2

X. All prudent Perfons ought to partake of the Sa-
- cr anient, with thofe who require nothing elfe ofChri-
Jiians, but what every one finds in the Books of the

Nezv Tejiamenty 314

XI. Concerning Church-Government , 317

XII. The ancient Church-Grovernment was highly
ejieemed by Grotius, without condemning others y

XIII. An Exhortation to all Chrijlians who differ
from each other y not to require of one another any

Points of Dc^rinCy but fuch as every one finds in
the Nezv Teft anient y and have ahvays been be-
lieve d^ 32a

BOOK II.

L That zve ought to have a Love for Truth in all
ThingSy but more efpecially in fuch as are of great
Moment y 324

.11. Nc thing can he of greater Moment than Religion ;
a'ld therefore zve ought to nfe our utmoft Endea-
vmrs to co7ne at the true Knowledge cf it, 326

6 III. That

THE C O x\ T E N T S.

Sect. Page

III. That an Indifference in Religion is in its ozvn
Nature unlazvfuly forbidden by the Laws of God,
and cond'7nned by all Se&s of ChrijlianSy 328

IV. IVe ought not haftily to condemn ihofe zvho diffeir
from uSy as if they zvere guilty offuch a Crime or
fuch unlawful Worfhip^ as is inconfjlent with eternal

Life; fo that none ivbo adrait fuch PerfonSy Jhould
be capable of the Mercy of God; nor yet ^ on the other
Handy is it lawfulyfor us to profefs that we be-
lieve what zve do not really believe \ or to do what
' at the fame Time zve condemn, 334

V. A Man that commits a Sin by MijlahCy may be
accepted of God y but a Hypocrite cannot y 33S*
Tejlimonies concerning Hugo Grotius's Affection

for the Church «j/England^,- 343

TO

To the HonouraUe

Hieronymus Bignonius^

His Majesty's Solicitor

I N T H E

CHIEF COURT of PARIS.

BOOK I.

S E C T. I.

ihe Occafwn of this Work.

YOU have frequently enquired of rtie, wor-
thy Sir, (whom I know to be a Gentle-
man that highly deferves the Efleem of
your Country, of the learned World, and, if you
will allow me to fay it, of myfelf alfo,) what
the Subftance of thofe Books is, which I wrote
in Defence of the Chriftian Religion, in my own
Language. Nor do I wonder at your Enquiry:
For you, who have with fo great Judgment read
every Thing that is worth reading, cannot but
be fenfible with how much Philofophic Nice-
ty [a] Ramundus Sebundus, with what entertain-
B ing

{a] Rcemundus Sebtmdiis, &c. Thefe were the chief Writers
upon this Subjed in Grotms's Time ; but, fince then, a great
Number have wrote concerning the Truth of the Chriftian
Religion, efpecially in French and E/igli/h ; moved thereto by
the Example of Groiius, whom they imitated, and fometimes
borrowed from him : So that the Glory of fo pious and ne-
cefTary a Method of Writing, chiefly redounds to him,
Le CUn,

2 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

in<^ Dialogues Ludovicus ViveSy and with how
cTr?at Eloquence your Mornaus, have illuftrated
tills Matter. For which Reafcn' it might f?em
more uleful, to trandate fome of them into our
own Language, than to undertake any Thing new
upon this Subjeft. But though I know not what
Judgment others will pafs upon me, yet 1 have
very°good Reafon to hope that you, who are fo
fair a'nd candid a Judge, will eafily acquit {pe, if
I fhould fay, that after having read not only the
fore-mentioned Writings, but alfo thofe that have,
been written by the "jeivs in Behalf of the an-
cient Jewifo Difpenfation, and thofe of Chriftians
for Chriftianity, I choofe to make ufe of my own
Judgment, fuch as it is; and to give my Mind
that Liberty, which at prefent is denied my Bo-
dy : For^ I am perfuaded that Truth is no other
Way to be defended but by Truth, and that fuch
as the Mind is fully fatisfied with; it being in
vain to attempt to perfuade others to that which
you yourfelf are not convinced o{\ Wherefore
I felefted, both from the Ancients and Mo-
derns, vv'hr.t appeared to m.e moil: conclufive ; leav-
ing fuch Arguments as feemed of fmall Weight,
and rejeding fuch Books as 1 knew to be fpurious,
or had RcaYo;\ to fufpeft to be fo. Thofe which
1 approved of, I explained, and put in a regular
Method, and in as popular a manner as I could,
and likewife turned them into Verfe, that they
might the eafier be remembered. For my Defign
was to undertake fomething which might be ufe-
ful to my Countrymen, efpecially Seamen; that
thev might have an Opportunity to employ rhac
Time which in long Voyages lies upon their
Hands, and is ufually thrown away: Wherefore
I began with an Lncomium upon our Nation,
which fo fur excels others in the Skill of Navi-
gation; t' at by this means I might excite them

to

S^a. 2. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 3

to make ufe of fiiis Art, as. a peculiar Favour of
Heaven; not only to their own Profit, but alfo
to the propagating the Chriftian Religion : For
they can never want Matter, but in their long
Voyages v/ill every where meet either with Pagans,
as in China or Guinsa\ qv Mahometans^ as in the
Turkijh and Per/tan Empires, and in the King-
doms oi Fez and Morocco; and alfo with Jews^ who
are the profeffed Enemies of Chriftianity, and are
difperfed over the greaceft Part of the World:
And there are never wanting profane Perfons,
who, upon Occafion, are ready to fcatter their
Poifon amongft tlie Weak and Simple, which Fear
had forced them to conceal: Againll ail which
Evils, my Defire was, to have my Countrymen
well fortified ; that they, who have the beft Parts,
might employ them in confuting Errors; and
that the other would take Heed of being fe-
duced by them.

S E C T. II.

'That there is a God.

AT^D that we may fhow that Religion is not a
vain and empty Thing; it fhall be the Bufmefs of
this firfl: Book to lay the Foundation thereof in
the Exiftence of the Deity : Which I prove in the
following Manner. That there arc fome Things
which had a Beginning, is confefied on all Sides,
and obvious to Senfe : But thefe Things could
not be the Caufe of their own Exiftence ; becaufe
that which has no Being, cannot acl ; for then it
would have been before it waSy which is impofTible;
whence it follows, that it derived its Being from
fomething elfe : This is true, not only of thofe
Things which are now before our Eyes, or which
we have formerly feen ; but alfo of thofs Things
B 2 out

i, OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

out of which theje have arifen, and fo on {a) till
we arrive at feme Caufe, which never had any
Beginning, but e:{iils (as we fay) necelTarily, and
not by Accident; Now this Being, whatfoever it be
(of whom we fliall fpeak more fully by and by)
is what we mean by the Deity, or God. Another
Argument for the Proof of a Deity may be drawn
from the plain Confent of all Nations, who have
any Remains of Reafon, any Senfe of Good Man-
ners, and are not wholly degenerated into Brutifn-
nefs. For human Inventions, which depend
npon the arbitrary Will of Men, are not always
the fame every where, but are often changed ;
whereas there is no Flace where this Notion is
not to be found; nor has the Courfe of Time
been able to alter it (which is obferved by {h')
Arijlctk him.felf, a Man not very credulous in thefe
Matters;) wherefore we muft afTign it a Caufe as
extenfive as all Mankind ; and that can be no
other than a Declaration from God himfelf, or a
Tradition derived down from the firfl Parents of
Mankind: If the former be granted, there needs
no further Proof; if the latter, it is hard to give
u good Reafon why our firft Parents would deli-
ver

[a) Till ive arri've at fame Caufe, &c.] Becaufe as their
Manner of fpeaking is, there c;m be no fuch Thing as going
on for ever ; for of thofc Things which had a Beginning,
either there is fome firft Caufe, or there is none. If it be de-
nied tliat there is any firft Caufe; then thofc Things which
had a Beginning, were witliout a Caul'c ; and confequent!)'
exiftcd or came out of nothing of thcmfclvcs, which is ab-
furd. Le Clerk.

{b) .IriJIctlc hlmjrlf, &-c.] Mdnphyf. Book XI. Ch. ?. where,
after relating the Fables of tlie Gods, he has thcfc Words :
*♦ Which, if any one rightly diftinguil"hes, he will keep
•' wholly to this as the principal 'J hing ; that to believe the
*' Gods to be the firft Beings, is a divine Truth : And that
" though Arts and Sciences have probablv been often loft, and
«' revived ; }et this Opinion hath been prefervcd ai a Rclick to
" this \cfv Tia;c.' Lc Clerk,

Scft. 2. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 5

ver to Pofterity a Falfity in a Matter of fo great
Moment : Moreover, if we look into thofe Parts
of the World, which have been a long Time
known, or into thofe lately difcovered; if they
have not loft the common Principles of Human
Nature (as was faid before) this Truth immedi-
ately appears; as well amongft the more dull Na-
tions, as amongft thofe who are quicker, and have
better Underftanding ; and, furely, thefe latter
cannot all be deceived, nor the former be fup-
pofed to have found out fomething to impofe upon
each other with : Nor would it be of any Force
againft thisy if it fhould be urged, that there have
been a few Perfons in many Ages who did not
believe a God, or at leaft made fuch a Profeftion :
For confidering how few there were, and that as
foon as their Arguments were known, their Opi-
nion was immediately exploded; it is evident, it
did not proceed from the right Ufe of that Rea-
fon which is common to all Men ; but either from
an Aifeftation of Novelty, like the Heathen Phi-
lofopher who contended that Snow was black ; or
from a corrupted Mind, which, like a vitiated Pa-
late, does not relifh Things as they are: Efpe-
cially fince Hiftory and other Writings inform us
that the more virtuous any one is, chc more care-
fully is this Notion of the Deity prefcrved by
him: And it is further evident, that they who
diflent from this anciently- eftabiifned Opinion, do
it out of an ill Principle, and are fuch Perfons,
whofe Intereft it is that there fnould be no
God, that is,' no Judge of human A6lionsj be-
caufe whatever Hypothefes they have advanced
of their own, whether an Intinite Succefiion of
Caufes, without any Beginning; or a fortuitous
Concourfe of Atoms, or any other, {a) it is at-
B 3 tended

(a) It is attender! nx:ith as gnat, &c.] Groliiis might have
£aid, and that not rafcl-/, that there are much greater Diffi-

cuUJes

6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 11.

tended wlch as great, if not greater Difficulties,
and not at all more credible than what is already
received j as is evident to any one that confiders
it ever fo little. For that which fome objedl, that
they don't believe a God, becaufe they don't fee
him 5 if they can fee any Thing, they may fee how
much it is beneath a Man, who has a Soul which
he cannot fee, to argue in this Manner. Nor, if
we cannot fully comprehend the Nature of God,
ought we therefore to deny that there is any
fuch Being; for the Beajlsdont know what Sort of
Creatures Men are, and much lefs do they under-
ftand how Men, by their Reafon, inftitute and
govern Kingdoms, meafure the Courfe of the
Stars, and fail crofs the Seas : Thefe Things exceed
their reach: And hence MaUy becaufe he is placed
by the Dignity of his Nature above the Beajlsj and
that not by himfelf, ought to infer, that He, who
gave him this Superiority above the Beafts, is as
far advanced beyond Him, as He is beyond the
Beajis ; and that therefore there is a Nature, Vv'hich,
as it is more excellent, fo it exceeds his Com.pre-
henfion.

SECT. HI.

That there is but one Gcd.

HAVING proved the Exiftence of the Deity,
we come next to his Attributes; the firft whereof
is. That there can be no more G^ods than One.

Wliich
cultics in the opinions of thofc who would have the World to
be eternal, or ai«'ays to have /'/-ip^r; fuch as, that it mufl have
come out of n. 'tiling ol iifdf, or that it arofe from the fortuitous
Concourfe ol Atoms; Opinions full of manifeft C^ntradidions,
as many fince GiPtius's Time have exaiftly dcmonftrated ; amongft
whom is the eminent and learned Dr. Ralph Cud=vj:irth, who
wrote the LngUjh Treatife Of the iittelledual Svjfem of the
Vmver/e : Tliiie are alfo other very excellent £^/^'7^ Divines
3nd Natural Philofophcrs, Lt- CLrc.

Sea 3. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 7

Which may be gathered from hence ; becaufe (as
was before faid) God exifts neceffarily, or is felf-
exiftent. Now that which is ?.'^(r^/rv, or Jelf-exijf-
enti cannot be confidered as of any Kind or Species
of Beings, but as adlually exifting, {a) and is there-
fore a fingle Being; for, if you imagine many
Gods, you will fee that necejjary Exifience belongs
to none of them; nor can there be any Reafon
why two fliould rather be believed than three, or
ten than five : Befidcs, the Abundance of particular
Things of the fame Kind proceeds from the Fruit-
fulneJs of the Caufe, in Proportion to which
more or lefs is produced ; but God has no Caufe,
or Original. Further, particular different Things
are endued with peculiar Properties, by which
they are diftinguilhed from each other; which do
not belong to God, who is a neceiTary Being.
Neither do we find any Signs of many Godsj
for this whole Univerfe makes but one World,
in which theie-is but {f) 0;^^ Thing that far ex-
ceeds the reft in Beauty; viz. the Sun: And in
every Man there is but One 'Thing that governs,
that is, the Mind : Moreover, if there could be
tv/o or more Gods, free Agents, atling according
to their own Wills, they might will, contrary to
each other ; and fo One be hindered by the Other
from elTcding his Defign ; now a Poffibilicy of be-
ing hindered is inconfiftent with the Notion of
God. B 4 SECT.

{a) /h/d is therefore a fiiigle Being y &c.] But a great many
fingle Beings are a great many iiuiividual Eeings ; this Argu-
ment theretcre might have been omitted, without any Detriment
to fo good a Caufe. Le Chrc.

Whoever would fee the Argument for the Unity of God,
drawn from his uecfjfary or ^a/f-cxijiefue, urged in its full
Force, may find it at the .Beginning of Dr. Samuel Clark's
Bale's Lca'ures.

[b) Oi.e Thing that far exceeds, di.] At leaftto the In-
l.iaaas cf this our cSc/^r i;,iy?m, (as we. nov/ tern it) ; as the
fiery Cen.ers the Stars are "to other Sjfe?nu Le Chrc.

g OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

SECT. IV.

All Perfe^ion is in God,

THA.T we may come to the Knowledge of
the other Attributes of God, we conceive all that
is meant by Perfe^ion to be in Him (I ufe the
Latin Word Perfe5lioy as being the beft that
Tongue affords, and thefame as the Greek TfAEiorn?.)
Becaufe whatever Perfedlion is in any Thing, either
had a Beginning, or not; if it had no Beginning,
it is the Perfeflion of God; if it had a Begin-
ning, it muft of Necefllty be from fomething
tXk : And fince none of thofe Things, that exift,
are produced from nothing ; it follows, that what-
ever Per/e^ions are in the Effefts, were firft in the
Caufe, fo that it could produce any Thing endued
with them; and confequently they are all in the
firft Caufe. Neither can the firft Caufe ever be
deprived of any of its Perfe6lions : Not from any
Thing elfe ; becaufe that which is eternal does not
depend upon any other Thing; nor can it at all
fuffer from any Thing that they can do : Nor
from itfclf, becaufe every Nature defires its own

SECT. V.

Arid in an infinite Degree.

TO this mull be added, that thefe Perfections
are -n God, in an infinite Degree: Becaufe thofe
Atcnoutes thai are finite, are therefore limited, be-
caufe the Caufe, whence they proceed, has commu-
nicated fo m.uch of them, and no more; or elfe,
becaufe the Subjeft was ca[)able of no more. But
no other Nature communicated any of its Perfec-
tions to God ; nor does he derive any Thing from
any one elfe, he being (as was faid) ncceifary or
fof-exiftent. S <E C T«

gea. 6, 7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. ^

SECT. VI.

^hat God is Eternal^ Omnipotent, Omnijcient, and
completely Good.

NOW feeing it is very evident, that thofe
Things which have Life, are more perfefl than
thofe which have not; and thofe which have a
Power of A^ing, than thofe who have none ;
thofe which have Underfianding, than thofe which
want it; thofe which are good, than thofe which
are not fo ; it follows, from what has been already
faid, that thefe Attributes belong to God, and
that infinitely: Wherefore he is a Having infinite
God ; that is, eternal, of immenfe Power, and every
Way goodj without the leaft Defeft.

SECT. VII.

'That God is the Caufe of all Things,

EVERY Thing that is, derives its Exiflence
from Godj this follows from what has been al-
ready faid. For we conclude, that there is but
one neceflary felf-exiftent Being; whence we col-
left, that all other Things fprung from a Being
different f^'om themfelves : For thofe Things
which are derived from fomething ^\k, were all
of them, either immediately in themfelves, or me-
diately in their Caufes, derived from him who
had no Beginning, that is, from God, as was
before evinced. And this is not only evident to
Reafon, but m a Manner to Senfe too: For if
we take a Survey of the admirable Strufture of
a Human Body, both within and without; and
fee how every, even the mofi: minute Part hath
'its proper Uic, without any Defign or Intendon of
the Parents, at-d with h great Exaftnefs, as the
A mofl:

JO OF Tl^E TRUTH Ox^ THE Book I,

mod excellent Philorophers ancrPhyficians could
never enough admire; it is a fufficient Demon-
ftration that the Author of Nature is the rnoft
compeat Ur.derJIaiiding. Of this a great deal may
be (ten in {a) Gakn^ cfpccially where he examines
liie Ufe of the Hands and Eyes: And the fame
may be obferved in the Bodies of dumb Crea-
tures; for the Figure and Situation of their Parts
to a certain End, cannot be the EfFed of any
Power in Matter. As alfo in Plants and Plerbs,
v;hich is accurately obferved by the Philofophers.
Strabo ib) excellently well takes Notice hereof in
-the Pofition of Water, which, as to its Q^iality, is
of a middle Nature betwixt Air and Earth, and
ought to have been placed betwixt them, but is
therefore interfperfed and mixed with the Earth,
lell its Fruitfulnefs, by which the Life of Man is
preferved, .fhould be hindered. Now it is the Pro-
perty of intelligent Beings only, to aft with fome
View. Neither are particular Things appointed
for their own peculiar Ends only, but for the
Good of the Whole; as is plain in Water, which

(^) con-

{a) hiGahti^ &c.] Book III. Ch lo. Which Place is highly
worth reading, bi:t too long to be inferted. But many later
Divines and Natural Philofophers in England have explained
tl'.efe Things more accurately. Ls Cine.

[h] Sirabo, &c.] Book XVII. Where after he had diftin-
ptii':l'.ed betwixt the Works of Nature, that is, the* material
WorlJ, and thofe of Pron;ide>ice, he adds; " After the Earth
*' was fiirroiinded with Water, becaufe Aian was not maue
*' to dweil in the Water, but belongs partly to the Earth,
" and partly to the Air, and Hands in great Need of Light ;
*' Providence has caufed many Eminencics and Cavities in
«* the Karth, that in thefc, tlie Water, or the greateic Part
** of it, might be received ; whereby that Part of the Earth
" unJcr it mi Jn be covered ; and that by the other, the
*' Earih might be advanced to cover the Water, except what
«' is of Ufe for Men, Animnls, and Plants." Tiio f.uno
hath been obhr\'ed by Rabbi Jthuda Lcveia, and Ahewfdra,
amongit the J'iv.n, and St. Chtjfojbm in his 9th Homily
of Statutes among ChrilUans.

Sea. 7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. n

(a) contrary to its own Nature is raifed upwards,
left by a Vaciitm there Ihould be a Gap in the
Strudure of the Univerfe, which is upheld by
the continual Union of its parts. Now the Good
of the Whole could not pofiibly be defigned, nor
a Power put into Things to tend^ towards it, but
by an intelligent Being, to whom the Univerfe
is fubjedt. There are moreover fome A6lions,
even of the Beafts, fo ordered and direcled, as
plainly difcover them to be the Effecls of fome
fmall Degree of Reafon : As is moft manifeft in
Ants and Bees, and alfo in fome others, which,
before they have experienced them, will avoid
Things hurtful, and feek thofe that are profi-
table to them. That this Power of fearching
out and diftinguifhing, is not properly in them-
felves, is, apparent from hence, becaufe they a6l
always alike, and are unable to do other Things
which don't require more Pains, (^b) wherefore

they

{a) Contrary I0 its cwfz Nature, &rc.] This was borrcwed
from the Peripatetic Philofophy, by- this great Man ; which
fuppofed the VVater in a Pump to afcend for Fear of a Vacuum',
whereas it is now granted by al! to be done by the PrefTure of
the Air. But by the Laws of Gravitation, as the Moderns
explain them, the Order of the Univerfe, and the Wifdoin of
its Creator, is no lefs confpicuous. Le Clerc.

{b) Wherefore they are acted npOTi, &c.] No, they are done
by the Soul of thofe Beafts, which is fo far reafonable, as
to be able to do fuch Things, and not others. Otherwife
God himfelf would aft in them inllend of a So:il, which
a good Philofcpher will hardly be perfuaded of. Nothing
hinders but that tl-ire may be a great many Ranks of fenfi-
ble and intelligent Natures, the loweft of which may be in
the Bodies of Brute Creatures ; for nobody, I think, really
believes with Ren. Cartes, that Brutes are mere corporeal
Machines. But you will fay, " when Brute Creatures die,
what becomes of their SouL ? That indeed I knov/ not, but
it is neverthelefs true that Souls refidc in them. There is
no Necefuty that we fhould know all Things, nor are we
therefore prefently to deny any Thing becaufe we cannot give
Account of it. We are to receive thofe Th.ini-s that are evi-
dent, and be concent to be ignorant of thofe Things which
we cannot know. Lc Clerc,

12 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

they are afted upon by fome foreign Reajon ; and
what they do, nuifc of Neceffity proceed from the
Efficiency of that Reajon imprefied upon them :
Which Recjon is no other than what we call God.
Nexr, the Heavenly Conftellaticns, but more efpe-
cially rhofe eminent ones, the Sun and Moon, have
their Courfes fo exactly accommodated to the Fruit-
fulnefs of the Earth, and to the Health of Ani-
mals, that nothing can be imagined more conve-
rjicnt: For though otherwife the moll: fimple Mo-
tion had been along the Equator, yet are they
direded in an oblique Circle, that the Benefit of
rliem might extend to more Places of the Earth.
And as other Animals are allowed the Ufe of the
Earth, 'io Mankind are permitted to ufe thofe Ani-
mals, and can by the Power of his Reafon tame the
fierceft of them. Whence it was that the {a) Sto-
fcks concluded that the World was made for the
.Sake of Man. But fince the Power of Man does
not extend fo far as to compel the Heavenly Lu-
minaries to fcrve him, nor is it likely they Ihould
of tlieir own Accord fubmit themfelves to him;
hence it follows, that there is a fuperior Underjiand-
tjigy at whofe Command thofe beautiful Bodies af-
ford their perpetual Affiftance to Man, who is
placed Co far beneath them : Which Underflanding
is none other thin the Maker of the Stars and of
the Univerfe. (^) The Eccentric Motions of the

Stars,

(rt) The Sir/idi concluded, 5:c.] Sec TuUy in his firft Book
of Offices J and liis fecond of the Nature of the Gods.

{I) The Eccentric Motio.-iSy &c.] Tl\is Argument is learn-
edly b.analcd by Maimouia'^s, in his Dudor Diibitantiumy
Part II. c. 4. And if you fuppofe the Earth to be moved, it
ar.ic'unts to the fame Thing in other ^Vords.

/Z'/V/. ■ Tliefe and fome oi !ve following Things are accord-
ip<» to the vulgar Opinion, which is now exploded ; but
tlie Efficacy ot the Divine Power is equally {litw in the
conltant Motion of the Planets in I'^ilipfis, about the Sun,
through the mod fluid Vortex; in fuch a Manner as not
to recede from, or approach to, their Centre, more than

thpir

Sea. 7- CHRISTIAN RELIGION. i-

Stars, and the Epicycles, as they term them, ma-
nifeftly fhow, that they are not the Effects of
Matter, but the Appointment of a free Agent;
and the flime Afilirance we have from the Pofition
of the Stars, fome in one Part of the Heavens, and
fome in another ; and from the unequal Form of
the Earth and Seas : Nor can we attribute the Mo-
tion of the Stars, in fuch a Dire6tion, rather than
another, to any Thing elfe. The very Figure of
the World, which is the mod perfect,, viz. round,
and all the Parts of it inclofed, as it were, in the Bo-
fom of the Heavens, and placed in wonderful Or-
der, fufficiently declare, that thefe Things were not
the Refult of Chance, but the Appointment of the
mofl excellent Underftanding : For can any one be
fo foolifli, as to expe£t any Thing fo accurate from
Chance ? He may as foon believe, that Pieces of
Timber, and Stones, fhould frame themfelves into
a Houfe ; (Z*) or that from Letters thrown at a Ven-
ture, there fliould arife a Poem ; when the Philofo-
pher, who faw only fome Geometrical Figures on the
Sea-fhore, thought them plain Indications of a
Man's having been there, fuch Things not looking
as if they proceeded from Chance. Befides, that
Mankind were not from Eternity, but date their
Original from a certain Period of Time, is clear, as
from other Arguments, fo from the * Improvement

of

their wonted Limits, but always 'cut the Sun's Equator at
like Obliquity. Le Clerc. Sir J/aac Ne'wio?! has demonftrated
that there are no fuch Vortexes, but that their Motions are
better explained without them.

{h) Into a Hmfe, &C.] or Ship, or Engine.

* The ImprovemeJit of Arts, &c.] TertuUian treats of this
Matter, from Hillory, in his Book concerning the Souf,
Seft. 30. We find (fays he) /// all Conuiu-iitaries, efpecially of
the Antiquities of Men, that Mankind increaje by Degrees, Sec.
And a little after, T/:e World manifejllj irnpr-jves e^^ery Day,
trnd grovjs ivifer than it ivas. Thefe two Arguments caufed
Jrifiiitle's Opinion (wiio would not allow Mankind any

Eegiftning)

24 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

of Arts, and thofe deferc Places, which came after-
wards to be inhabitexi ; and is further evidenced by
the Language of I Hands, plainly derived from the
neighbouring Continents. There are moreover
certain Ordinances fo univerfal amongfl Men, that
they don't feem io much to owe their Inftitution to
the Inftin6t of Nature, or the Deduftions of plain

Reafon,

Beginning) to be rejefted by the learned Hiftorians, efpecially
the Epicureans. Ly.cretius, Book V.

Jf Hcanjen and Earth had no Original^

Hoiu is it, that before the Trojan War,

No Poets Jung ef Memorable "1 hings ;

But Deeds of Heroes dj'dfo oft ivith the/n ;

And no njuhere Monuments rais'd to their Praife ?

This Jhe'-Ms the World is young and lately made.

Whence 'tis that Arts are e^very Day encreas'd.

Or frrfi rene-v'd; and Ships fo much improvd.

And Mujlc to delight the Ear.

With a great deal more to the fame Purpofc.

Virgil, Eclogue VI.
From thrfe firft Principles
All Things arofe, hence fprung the tender World,

And in his Georglcks.
Ufe Jifji produced ihcfe -xuiri-jus Arts nve fee.
By fmall Degrees ; this taught the Hujhandman
To plfj^d) and foav his Fields ; from the hard Flint
To fetch the hidden Sparks ; then Man began
With hoUo~aj Boats to croj's the Stream ; Pilots
Call'd Hyades and Pleiades their Signs,
And Charles's Wai'/ : Then Sportfmcn fpread their Kett
To catch ivild Beafs, and Dogs purfud their Game,
Some drain the Rivers, and fome fck th.- Main,
Stretching their Nets to inchfe the finny Prey :
Others "zvith Iron Forge ivhet Infirumeiits
To cle,^t:e the yielding Wood: Then Arts arfe.

Horace, Book I. Sat. III.

When frji Mankind began io fpread the Earth,

Like Animals devoid of Speech, they firove

With utmojl Strength of Hands, for Dens and Acorns ;

From thence to Clubs, and then to Arms they came.

Taught by Experience ; till Words exprefs'd

Their Meaning, and ga-Je proper Names to Things :

Then

S,£l. 7. CIL^ISTIAN RELIGION. j.

Reafon, as to a conftant Traditii^r!, fcarce inter-
rupted in any Place, either by Wickednefs or Mif-
fortune : Of which Sort were formerly Sacrifices,
amongfl holy Rites; and now Shame in Venereal
Things, the Solemnity of Marriage, and the Ab-
horrence of Inceft.

Then ended Wars, Cities nfjere built, a?;d. LavJS
Are made for Thieves, Adulterers, a.'.'d Rogues.
"Pliny In his third Book of Natural Hiftory, about the Be-
ginning : Wherefore I 'would be fo widerfnod, as the Words them-
felves Jig"if)', 'without the Flourijh of Men, and as they rwere
underjiood at the Beginning, before any great Exploits ivere
performed. The fame Author aHlrms, that the Hercyniax
Wood (in Germany J was coeval with the World, Book XVI.
Seneca, in Laciantius, It is not a Tho/fand Years, fnce Wifdom
had a Begirniing. Tacitus's Annals, III. The firft Men, be-
fore Appetite and Pafion fvayed them, lived 'without ^Bribes,
and 'without Iniquity : and needed not to be refrained front
Evil by Puni/h}ncnt : Neither did they fand in Need of Re^
*u3ard, e'very one naturally purfuing Virtue ; for fo long as no-
thing rwas defred contrary to Morality, they 'wanted not to be
refrained by Fear : But after they laid afide Equity and Virtuey
Violence and Ambition fucceeded in the Room of Honefty and Hu-*
mility ; then began that Fewer luhich has ahvajs continued
amongft feme People. But others immediately, or at leaf after
tkey greiv 'weary of Kings, preferred a legal Government,
And Arifotle could not fuily perfuade himklf, any more
than others, of the Truth of his own Hypothfis, that Man-'
kind never had any Beginning. For he fpeaks -very doubtfully
of the Matter in many Places, as Mfs Maimonidis obferves
in his Dt'.clor Duhita7iti:im, Part II., in the Prologne to his
S«;ond Book, concerning the Heavens, he calls his Pofition,
only a Perfuafion, and not a Demonilration j and there is a
Saying of the faine Philofopher in the Third Book of the
Soul, Chap. in. That Perfnafon is a Confequence of Opi-
nion. But his principal Argument is drawn from the Abfur-
dity of the contrary Opinion, which fuppofes the Heavens
and the Univerfe not to be created, but generated ; which
is inconfiilcnt. Book XI. of his Metahhyfcks, Chap. 8. he
fays, // is 'very likely that Arts ha've often been hft, and in-
'vented again. And in the laft Chapter.of the Third Book of
the Gemraticn o-f Animals, he has thefe Words, It luould not
be a foolijh Conjecture, concerning the firft Rife of Men and
Bcafts, if any one Jhould imagine, thct of old they fpruvg out
ef the Earth one of thefe- iivo Ways, either nfer the Manner

of

ad OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book i.

SECT VHI.

fhe Ohje^lion concerning the Caufe of Evil, anjwered,

NOR ought we to be in the leafl fhaken in what
has been faid, becaufe we fee many Evils happen,
the Original of which cannot be afcribed to God,
■who, as was affirmed of him, is perfedly good.
For when we fay, that God is the Caufe of all
Things, we mean of all fuch Things as have a real
Exiflcnce j which is no Reafon why thofe Things
themfelves (hould not be the Caufe of fome Acci-
dents, fuch as Adlions are. God created Man, and
fome other Intelligences fuperior to Man, with a
Liberty of Acling ; which Liberty of A6ling is not
in itfclf evil, but may be (^) the Caufe of fome-

thing

of Maggois, or to ha've come from Eggs. After this Expli-
cation of e;!ch of thefe, he adds. If therefore Animals had
wiy Beginning, it is mauiffl it rniiji he one of thrfe tivo Ways.
The fame Arijfotle, in the lirft of his Topicks, Chap. XI. There
are fome ^'■Jiinns ngainfi nvhich 'very good Arguments may
be brought ; (it bting <-jery doubtful ivhich Side is in the
right, there being great Probability on either Hand) <v;e have
710 Cl rtainty of them : And though they be of great Weighty ixie
find it 'Very difficult to determi?:e the Caufe and Manner of
their Exijhnce; as for Infiance, ivhether the World ivere from
Eternity, or no : for fuch Things as thefe are difputable.
And again, difputing about the fame Thing, in his Firii: Book
of the Heavens, Chap. X. JVhnt f'>all befaidivillbethem:re
credible, if tve alloxv the DiJ put ants Arguments their cut
Weight. Tatian therefore did well not to pafs by this, where
he brings his Reafons for the Belief of the Scriptures, That
rwhat they deliver, concerning the Creation of the Univerfcy
is level to every one's Capacity, If you ta'.:e Plato for the
World's having a Beginning, and Arijlotle for its having
had none ; you w ill have feen both the Jewifli and Chriftian
Opinions.

{a) The Caufe of fmcthing that is Evil, &:c.] God indeed
forefaw, that free Agents would abufe their Liberty, and
that many natural and moral Evils would arife from hence ;
yet did not this hinder him from permitting fuch Abufe,

avd

Sea. 8, 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 17

thing that is Evil. And to make God the Author
of Evils of this Kind, which are called Moral
Evils, is the higheft Wickednefs. But there are
other Sorts of Evils, fuch as Lofs or Pain inflicfled
upon a Perfon, which may be allowed to come
from God, fuppofe for the Reformation of the
Man, or as a Punifhment which his Sins dcferve :
F6r here is no Inconiiftency with Goodnefs ; but
on the contrary, thefe proceed from Goodnefs it-
felf, in the fame Manner as Phyiick, unpleafanc
to the Tafte, does from a good Phylician.

S E C T. IX.

Againji Two Principles,

AND here by the Way w^e ought to rejed their
Opinion, who imagine that there are [a] two Ac-
tive Principles, the one Good, and the other Evil.
For from Two Principles^ that are contradidory
to each other, can arife no regular Order, but
only Ruin and Deftruclion : Neither can there be
a felf-exiftent Being perfedly Evil, as there is
one felf-exiftent perfeftly Good : Becaufe Evil is
a Defedt, which cannot relide but in fomething

Avhich

and the Confequences thereof; any more than it hindered his
creating Beings endued with fuch Liberty. The Reafon is
plain. Becaufe a free Agent lieing the moft excellent Crea-
ture, which difcovers the highell: Power of the Creator, God.
was unwilling to prevent thofe Inconveniencies which proceed,
from the Mutability of their Nature, becaufe he can amend
them as he pleafes to all Eternity ; in fuch a Manner as is agree-
able to his own Goodnefs, though he has not yet revealed it
to us. Concerning which we have largely treated in French,
in a Book wrote againll Vet. Bajle, the fecming Advocate of
the Mankhees. Le Clevc

[a) Tixjo oBive Primiph's, &c.] This has Refped to the
ancient Difciples of Zorjojires, and to the Mankhees, Le Clerc.

c

18 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

which has a Being ; (a) and the very having a Be-
ing is to be reckoned amongft the Things which
are Good.

SECT. X.

That God governs the Univerfe.

THAT the World is governed by the Provi-
dence of God, is evident from hence : That not
only Men, who are endued with Underftanding;
but Birds, and both wild and tame Beafts (who
are led by Inftindl, which ferves them inftead of
Underftanding) take Care o/, and provide for
their Young. Which Perfedlion, as it is a Branch
of Goodnefs, ought not to be excluded from
God : And io much the rather, becaufe he is All-
wife, and All-powerful, and cannot but know
every Thing that is done, or is to be done, and
with the greateft Facility dired: and govern them :
To which we may add, what was before hinted,
concerning the Motion of particular Things con-
trary to their own Nature, to promote the Good
of the Whole.

SEC T. XI.

And the Affairs of this lower PForld.

AND they are under a very great Miftake, m ho
confine this Providence {b) to the heavenly Bo-
dies: As appears from the foregoing Reafon, which
holds as ftrong for all created Beings ; and more-
over from this Conlideration, that there is an

efpecial

{a) And the 'very having a Being, &c.] But here the Au-
thor was fpeaking of moral and not of natural Goo.i. It had
therefore been better to have forborn fuch Kind of reafoning.
Le Clerc.

[b) To the Heavenly Bodies, &.-C.] This \ras the Opinion of
Arijiatle. bee Flutarch concerniug the Opinions of the Phi-

lofophers»

Sea. 10, 1 r. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 19

efpecial Regard had to (a) the Good of Man, in the
Regulation of the Courfe of the Stars, as is confef-
fed by the belt Philofophers, and evident from
Experience. And it is reafonable to conceive, that
the greater Care fliould be taken of ibaf, for vvhofe
Sake the ofher was made, than of ibai which is
on]y fubfervient to it.

^Jid the Particulars in it.
NEITHER is their Error lefs, (/■) who allow
the Univerfe to be governed by Him, but not the
particular Things in it. For, if He were ignorant
offome particular Thing (asfomeof themfay) He
would not be thoroughly acquainted with himfelf.
Neither will his Knowledge be infinite (as we have
before proved it to be) if it does not extend to In-
dividuals. Now, if God knows all Things, what
ihould hinder his taking Care of them .■' Efpecially
lince Individuals, as fuch, are appointed for feme
certain End, either Particular or General : And
Things in General (which they themfelves ac-
knowledge to be preferved by God) cannot fub-
lift but in their Individuals : So that if the Par-
ticulars be deflroyed by Providence's forfaking
them, the Whole mufl: be deflroyed too.

C 2 SECT.

lofophers. Book IT. ch. 3. and Attkus in Eufebius's Gofpel
Preparation, Book V, ch. 5. Le Clerc.

[a] The Good of Matty &c.] Though not for Man only,
for it doth not appear that there are no other intelligent Beings
in other Planets; yet partly for Him, and fo far as He makes
Ufe of them without any Detriment to other Creatures. Be-
caufe we cannot live without the Sun, we may well conclude it
was made upon our Account ; unlefs we can imagine Chance
provided every Thing that is neceffary for us ; which is very
abfurd : jud: like a IVTan, who happening upon a Houfe well
furnifhed, fhould deny that it was built for the Convenience of
Men, who are alone capable of enjoying it. Le Cierc.

{h) EIjo alloiv the Uni'verfey &-C.] This was the Opinion of
the i:koicks : See Arrius's Difiertations upon Epicieuu, Book I.
ch, 12. and Jitjibi Lipfiiis, in his SfJcal Phifiologr, LeCltrc,

20 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

SECT. XII.

This is further proved by the Prcfervation of Empires.

THE Prcfervation of Commonwealths hath
been acknowledged, both by Philofophcrs and
Hiftorians, to be no mean Argument for the Di-
vine Providence over human Affairs. Firjl^ in
General ; [a] becaufe wherever good Order in Go-
vernment and Obedience hath been once admit-
ted, it has been always retained ; and, in particular,
certain Forms of Government have continued for
many Ages ; as that of Kings among the Affyrians,
^gyptianSy and Franks ; and that of Arijlocracy
among the Venetians. Now though human Wif-
dom may go a good Way towards this ; yet, if it be
duly confidered what a Multitude of wicked Men
there arc, how many external Evils, how liable
Things are in their own Nature to change ; we can
hardly imagine any Government Ihould fubfift ^o
long without the peculiar Care of the Deity. And
this is more vifible where it has pleafcd God {b) to
change a Government : For all Things (even thofe
uhich do not depend upon human Prudence)
fuccced beyond their Wifh (which they do not or-
dinarily in the Variety of human Events) to thofe
whon-i God has appointed Inilruments for this
Purpofe, as it were, deftined by him; (fuppofe
Cyrus y Alexander, defar the Dictator, (() the Ciu^yi

amongll:

[a] Bccatift ivherei-er good Order, &c.] Eccaiife without it,
tliere is no I'uch Thing ab huinim Society, and without Socicty
Mankind cannot be preft-rved : Whence we may collec'l;, that
Men were created by Divine Providence, that they might live
in .'■'rciety, and make life oi" Laws, without which there neither
is, nor can be any Society. Le Clcrc.

(^) To change a Gcrccrmnt~t, iirc.] "Wwx"^ Lucretius :
Somejtcret Caiije coJifounds tke Exploits of Men.

((•) The Cingi amovgft the Tartars, &c.] He feenas to mean
Qeitki'x, Can J who came out of E^fttrn Taiturjy and out of the,

Cit}-

Sea. 12, 1 J. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 21

SLxnongH the Tarlarsy (a) Namcna ^mongflthe Cbi~
neje :) Which wonderful Agreeablenefs of Events,
and all confpiring to a certain End, is a manifefi:
Indication of a Provident Diredion. For though
a Man may now and then throw a particular Call
on a Die by Chance; yet, if he Ihould do it a
hundred Times together, every Body would con-
clude there was fome Art in it.

SECT. XIII.

And by Miracles.

BUT the mofl certain Proof of Divine Provi-
dence is from Miracles, and the Predidions we find
in Hiitories : It is true, indeed, that a great many
of thofe Relations are fabulous j but there is no
Reafon to dilbelieve thofe which are attefted by
credible WitnefTes, to have been in their Time,
Men whofe Judgement and Integrity have never
been called in Queftion. For fince God is All-
knowing and All-powerful, why fhould we think
him not able to fignify his Knowledge or his Re-
folution to adl, out of the ordinary Courfe of Na-
ture, which is his Appointment, and fubjed: to his
Direction and Government? If any one fhould
objedlagainft this, that inferior intelligent Agents
may be the Caufe of them, it is readily granted ;
and this tends to make us believe it the more
ealily of God : Befide, whatever of this Nature is
C 3 done

City Caracorom, and fubdued not only Tartaryy but alfo the
Northern Sum and hidia. From him fprung the Mogul Kings,
and the Princes of the Lefler Tartary, His Life was written
in French, and publiHied at Paris, in 1710. Le Clerc.

{a) Namcaa amovgfi the Chinefe, &c.] Here in Juftice Manca
Capacus ought to be named, who was the Founder of the Em-
pire of Feru, (See Garftlazzi de la Vega, in Incarum Hijima.)

22 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

done by fuch Beings, we conceive God does by
them, or wifely permits them to do them ; in the
fame Manner as in well-regulated Kingdoms,
nothing is done otherwife than the Law directs,
but by the Will of the Supreme Governor.

SECT. XIV.

But more efpe daily amongjl the Jews, ivho ought to
be credited upon the Account of the long Continue
ance of their Religion.

NOW that fome Miracles have really been feen,
(though it fhould feem doubtful from the Credit
of all other Hiftories) the Jezvifj Religion alone
may eafily convince us : Which though it has
been a long Time deftitute of human AiTiflance,
nay expofed to Contempt and Mockery, yet it
remains {a) to this very Day, in almoft all Parts

of

{a) To this 'very Day, &c.] Hecatceus concerning the Jiivs,
which lived before the Time of Alexander, has thefc N^'ords :
" Though they be feverely reproached by their Neighbours
" and by Strangers, and irijiny Times harfhly treated by the
♦* Perftan Kings and Nobility ; yet they cannot be brought off
" from their Opinion, but will undergo the moll cruel Tor-
" ments and fharpeft Deaths, rather than forfake the Religion
*• of their Country." Joj'rphus preferred this Place, in his firft
Book againfl: Appiin ; and he adds anotlier Example out of the
faid Hccataus, relating to Alexander s lime, wherein the
'Jenjjijh Soldiers peremptorily refufed to aflift at the repairing
the Temple of the God Belus. And the fame Jofephm has very
well fhown, in his other Book againft Apphn, that the firm
Perfuafion of the Jeivs of old, conceri-ing God's being the
Author of their Law, is from hence evident, becaufe they ha\e
not dared, like other People, to alter any Thing in their Laws ;
rot even then, when in long Banifliments, under foreign
Princes, they have been tried by all Sorts of Threatenings and
Flatteries. To this we may add fomtthing of Taciius about
the Profclytes : " All that are converted to them, do the like;
" for the firrt Principle they arc intruded in, is to have a
•• Contempt of the Gods j to lay afide their Love to their

*• Country,

Sea. 14. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 23

of the World; when (a) all other Religions (ex-
cept the Chiftian, which is as it were the Perfec-
tion of the Jezvijh) have either difappeared as foon
as they are forfaken by the Civil Power and Au-
thority (as all the Pagan Religions did;) or elfe
they are yet maintained by the fame Power as Ma^
hornet anijm is : For, if any one fhould afk, whence it
is that the Jewifi Religion hath taken fo deep Root
in the Minds of all the Hebrews^ as never to be fa-
ced out; there can be no other poffible Caufe
afligned or imagined than this, that the prefent
Jezvs received it from their Parents, and they from
theirs, andfo on, till you come to the Age in which
Mofes and JoJIjua lived : They received, I fay, [b)
by a certain and un-interrupted Tradition, the
Miracles which were worked, as in other Places
fo more efpecially at their coming out oi J^gypt^
in their Journey, and at their Entrance into G?-
naan\ of all which, their Anccflors themfelves
were Witnelfes. Noris it in the leaft credible, that
a People of fo obftinate a Difpofition could ever
be perfuaded any otherwife, to fubmit to a Law-
loaded with fo many Rites and Ceremonies; or that
wife Men, amongft the many Diftinctions of Re-
C 4 ligioa

" Country, and fo have no Regard for their Parents or Bre-
" thren." That is, when the law of God comes in Competi-
tion widi them ; which this profane Author unjuftly blames.
See further what Porphyry has delivered about the Conftancy
of the Je'-ws, in his Second and fourth Books againft eating
of living Creatures ; where he mentions Amiochus^ and particu-
larly the Conftancy of the Ejje/ies amongft the Jenjos.

[a) All other Religions,' Sec.'] Even thofe fo highly com-
mended Laws of Lycurgiist ^s is obferved by Jofephus and
Theodoret,

{Jb) By a certain and uninterrupted Tradition, &c.] To which
we give Credit, becaufe it was worthy of God to inftitute a
Religion in which it was taught that there was one God the
Creator of all Things, who is a fpiritual Being, and is alon«
to be worlhipped. Le Clerc,

24. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

ligion which Human Reafon might invent, fliould
choofe Circumcilion ; which could not be per-
formed (^) without great Pain, and (^) was laughed
at by all Strangers, and had nothing to recom-
mend it but the Authority of God.

SECT. XV.

From the Truth and Antiquity of Mofes.

THIS alfo gives the greatefl Credit imaginable
to the Writings of Mojes, in which thcfe Miracles
are recorded to Pofterity ; that there was not only
a fertled Opinion and conflant Tradition amongfl
the Jews, that this Mojes was appointed by the
exprefs Command of God himfelf to be the Lea-
der and Captain of this People; but alfobecaufe
{as is very evident) he did not make his own
Glory and Advantage his principal Aim, but He
himfelf relates thofe Errors of his own, which He
could have concealed ; and delivered the Regal
and Sacerdotal Dignity to others (permitting his
own Pofterity to be reduced only to common Le~
'vites.) AH which plainly fhew, that he had no
Occalion to falfify in his Hiftory ; as the Style of
it further evinces, it being free from that Varnifh
and Colour, which ufes to give Credit to Roman-
ces ; and is very natural and eafy, and agreeable to
the Matter of which it treats. Moreover, another
Argument for the undoubted Antiquity of i\f(9/?j'j
Writings, which no other Writings can pretend
to, is this, that the Greeks (from whom all other

Nations

{a) Without gnat Pain, &c.] Philo fays. It was done '\i:ith
njery gnat Fait:,

{b) Was laughrd at, &c.] The fame Philo fays, // nvas a
Thing laughed at h>y enjery Body : Whence the Jeius, by the Poets,
arc called Cropt, Circumcifed, Fore-fkinned.

Sea. 15. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 25

Nations derived their Learning) own, that they
(a) had their Letters from Foreigners ; which
Letters of theirs have the fame Order, Name (^)
and Shape, as the Syriack or Hebrew : And further

ftill,

{a) Had their Letters, &c.] Herodotus in his Terpji chore hys»
*• That the Io?na?is had their Letters from the Phcem'cians, and
** ufed them, with very little Variation; which afterwards
*' appearing, thofe Letters were called Phcenkian (as they ought
" to be) from the Phccniciatis bringing them into Greece," He
calls them.

The Phoenician CharaBers of Cadmus.

And Callimachus ;

Cadmus, from ivhom the Greeks

Their •written Books deri've.

And Plutarch calls them Phoenician or Puvick Letters, in his
Ninth Book, and Third Prob. of his Sympoftacks, where he
fays, that Alpha, in the Phceniciaji Language, fignifies an Ox,
which is very true. Eupokmus:. in his Book of the Kings of
Judcea, fays, " That Mofcs was the firft wife Man, and that
*' Letters were firft given bv him to the Jc-jos, and from them
" the Phcet/iciafis received them ;" that is, the ancient Lan-
guage of the Jews and Phcetiicians was the fame, or very little
different. Thus Lucian ; He /pake fome indiftina Words, like the
Hebrew or Phoenician. And Charilus in his Verfes concerning
the Solini, who, he fays, dwelt near the Lake, 1 fuppofe he
means Afphaltites.

Theje nvith their Tongites pronounced Phoenician Words.

See alfo the Pi/nick Scene of Plantus, where you ha\'e the \^^ords
that are put in the Punid Language twice, by reafon of the
double Writing ; and alfo the Latin Tranflation ; whence you
may eafily correft what is corrupted. And as the Phcenician
and Hebreix) Language were the fame, fo are the ancient Hebrciv
Letters the fame with thofe of the Phoenicians. See the great
Men about this Matter. Jqfeph Scaliger's Diatriba of the
Eufebian Year cb bcxvii. and the Firft Book, Ch. X. of
Gerard Vojftus's Grammar (and particularly Sam. Bochart, in
his Chanaan.J You may add alfo, if you pleafe, Clement of
Alexandria. Strom. Book I. and En/ebius's Go/pel Preparation,
Book. X. Chap, 5.

(b) And Shape, &:c.] He means the Samaritan Letters,
which are the fame as the Phoenician, as Lud. Capel, Sam. Bo-
chart, and others have fhown. I alfo have treated of the fame
in French, in the Biblioth. Selccl. Vol. XI. Lt Clerc.

26 OF 1 HE TRUTH OF THE Book f.

ftill, the moft ancient (a) Attick Laws, fronn
^vhence the Roman were afterwards taken, owe
their Original to the Law of Mofes.

SECT. XVL

From ForeigJt Tejlimonies.

TO thefe we may add the Teftimony of a great
Number, who were Strangers to the yrav}^ Reli-
gion, which fliows that the moll: ancient Tradition
among all Nations, is exactly agreeable to the Re-
lation of Mofes. For his Defcription of the Ori-
ginal of the World is almoft the very fame as in

the

[n) Attick Lnivs, &c.] You have a famous Inftanceof this,
in Thieves that rob by Night, which we have treated of in
the Second Book of War and Peace, Ch. I. SeCt. 12. and an-
other in that Law, which Sopater recites, Let him that is mxt
a-kin pojfejs the //r?//-^; which is thus explained by Terence :

There is n La^w, by ijvhich lViJo<u}s ought to lie married to the
vext Kiiifmerti and the fame Laiu obliges thcj'e Kin/men to
?nanj them,

Do/iatus remarks upon this Place thus : That the Widnivjh'>7ild
be married to the next Kiu/nian, and he tnarrj her, is the Atiick
La-M, 'Viz, taken from t'.^e Law of Mcfes, in the laft Chap, of
Numbers, which we ihall have Opportunity of fjKaking more of
afterwards. A great many other Things may be found to this
Purpofe, if any one fearch diligently for them : As the Feaft in
which they carried Ciufters of Grapes, taken from the Feaft of
Ta'nernacies ; the La'.v that the High Prieft fhould marry none
hut a Virgin, and his Countr)woman ; that next after Sifters,
Kinfmen by the Father's Side (hould inherit: VMierefure the
Aiiick Laws agree with many of the ILbre^M, becaufe ihcAtticks
owe many of their Cuftom.s to Cecrops, King of Egyjt ; and
becaufe God eftablifhed many Laws amongft the Hebnxus, very
much like thc^fe of the Egyptians, to u hich tl'.ey had been ac-
cuftomed, only reforming fuch Things as were bad in them ;
as we have often obferved in our Notes upon the Peutateiich^ and
before, as John Spencer in his Book about the Ritual Laws of
the Jews, Le Clerc.

Sea. 1 6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 27

the (a) ancient Phn^7iician Hiftories, which are
tranllated by Philo Bibliiis from Sanchiiniathon's

ColIe6tion ;

[a] Ancient Phoenician Hiftories, &c.] Eufebius has preferved
them for us, in his Firll Book, Chap. lo. of his Prcparaiion,
*' The The 4ogy of the Phcenicians fuppofes the Foundation
** of the Univerfe to have been a dark and windy Air, or the
** Breath of a dark Air, and a difraal Chaos, covered with
*' thick Darknefs ; that thefe were infinite, and had no Bounds
** for many Ages. But %•■ hen this Spirit or Breath placed its
** Defire or Love on thefe firft Principles and a Mixture was
*' produced thereby, this Conjunftion was called Lo-ue : This
'* was the Beginning of the Creation of all Things ; but the
** Breath, or Spirit, was not created ; and from its Embraces
** proceeded M«r, Mot, which fome call Mud, others the Cor-
** ruption of a Tvatery Mixture. This was the Seminary, and
** from hence were all Things produced." In Mofes's Hirtory
we find the Spirit or Breath, and the Darknefs ; and the Hebre^M
Word ntin'\r:iMcrachepheth, fignifies Zs^'f. Plutarch, Sympojiac
VJII. Proh, I. explaining of Plato, fays that God is the Fa-
ther of the World, not by the Emiffion of Seed, but by a
certain generative Power infufed into Matter; which he illuf-
trates by this Similitude ;

The female Bird is oft impregnated
By the quick Motion of the V/ind,

And Ms!t, Mot, toint whence tlie Greeks derive their Ma6^,
Mothos, fignifics in Hebre-M atnn Tehom, in Greek ''Afiura-®-,
an Abyj's already in Motion : For ''A^yo-o-v^, Abyjfns, is in En-
nius nothing elfe but Mud, if I underfland him right.

From muddy Tartarus a Birth Gigantic fprung.
This Mud feparated into Earth and Sea. Apolonius in the iVth
of his Argonaulicks,

The Earth's produced from Mud,

Upon which Place the Scholialt fays ; '* Zerio affirms. That the
*• Chaos in Hefiod is Water, of which all Things were made ;
" the Water fubfiding made Mud, and the Mud congealing
made folid Earth." Now this Ze7iQ was a Phoenician, a Colony
of whom were planted in Cittium, whence the Hebrewus call all
beyond the Seas cznriD Chittim. Not much dirFerent from which
is that of I'irgil, Eclogue VT.

Then Earth hfgan to harden, and include

The Seas luitkin its Bounds, and Things to take

Their proper Forms.

Numcniust

28 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

Numeuius, cited by Porphyry, about the Nymph's Den, af-
firms, That it was /aid hy the Fhophct (meaning M-jjes ] that the
Spirit of God ^vas moved upon the Waters ; the fame Exprellion
\n\\\c\\ Terntllian ufes concerning Baptifm. Now bccaufe the
Hthrc-w Word nsma Merachcpheih, fignifies properly the
Brooding of a Dove upon her Eggs, therefore it follows in
Savchuniathon, that the living Creatures, that is, the Conftel-
lations, were in that Mud, as in an Egg ; and hence that Spirit
is called by the Name of the Doue : Under the Similitude of
which Dove, Rfjbbi Solomon explains the Word nDHIO Mera-
chepheth. Nigidus, in the Scholiaft of Cermaniais, fays, " That
*♦ there was found an Egg of a huge Bignefs, which being rol-
** led about, was call upon the Earth, and after a few Days Ve-
** vus, the Goddefs of Syria, was hatched thereby." Lucius
Atnpelius, in his Book to Matrinus, fa)'s, " It is reported, that
«• in the River Euphrate;, a J^ove fat many Dajs upon a Fifh'a
** Egg, and hatched a Goddefs, very kind and merciful to the
*• Life of Man." Macrobius rcfembles the World to an Egg, in
the Vllth Book and i6th Chap, of his Saturnalia. It is faid to
be the Beginning of Generation in the Orphick Verfes mentioned
by Plutarch, Sytnpofiack XL Chap. 3. and Athenagoras. And
hence the Syrian Gcds are called by Anobius, the Offspring of
Eggs ; by which Gods he means the Stars. For it follows in
the Phcenician Theology, that The Mud tvas illuminated n.vith
Li^ht, njjkence came the Sun and Moon, and great and little Stars,
You fee here, as in Mofes, that Light was before the Sun. The
Word that Mofs ufes immediately after, I mean i'n« Eretes ;
where evidently that which was dryed from the Water is called
nu;:a' Jabajhah ; the fame Pherecydes, from the Authority of the
Syrians, expreiTes himfelf thus (as we are informed by others,
but particularly by Jofphus, in his tirft Book againlt Appion;
Chthonia ijoas the Name gi-i^en to the Earth after that Jupiter /'^^/
honmrcd it. 'I'his Place we find in Diogenes La'e<tius, and others ;
and Anaximnnder calls the Sea, that -xvbich remaired of the firjl
Moijiurc of -Ihings. That Things were confufed before the Se-
paration (concerning which you have the very Words of Mo/a^
In Chahidius's Explication of Timaus) Z,///«i informs us, as he
was himfelf taught. That

/// the Beginning all Things ivere confufed.

So Anaxagoras, All Things ivere blended together ^ till the Diving
Miiid fparated them, avd adorned, and regulated that ^^vhich luas
(o'fujed. And for this Reafon was the Name Mind given by
Anaxagoras, as Philiaftus alfures us in hii Timom \

For Anaxagoras that Herofam'd

Was term'd a Min'l, 'catfe that ivas thought by him

A Mind which from Confujion Order brought.

All

Sea 16. CHRISTIAN RFXIGION. 29

Colledion ; and a good Part of it is to be found
(a) Cimongthe Indians {b) and £^j/)//^z;/j-; whence it

All this came from the Phcenicia?!s, who held a very ancient
Correfpondence with the Greeks. The Ancients fay that Lhnu!
was defcended from Phcenix : So Orpheus had his Opinions from
the Phceniciims, one of which was this in Athenagoras, That
Mud proceeded from Water. After which he mentions a great
Egg iplit in two Parts, Heaven and Earth. From the fame
Orpheus, TimoiheuSf the Chronographer, cites this PafTage :
** The Chaos was dark as Night, in which Darknefs all Things
" under the Sky were involved : The Earth could not be feeii
" by reafon of the Darknefs, till Light breaking from the
** Sky, illuminated every Creature.'"' See the Place in Scaliger,
in the Beginning of the firft Book of the Greek Chronicle of
Eu/diius, In that which follows of Smichun'mthon, it is called
p,\ixw, which is certainly the ina bohu of Mofes : And the Winds,
which are there called koAtjk, Kolpia, are the fame with
n'-s-'?p Kalphijah, the \''oice of the Mouth of God,

[a) Among the Indians, <Src-] Megajlhene', in the Fifteenth
Book of Strabo, expreffes their Opinion thus ; " That in many
•' Things they agree with the Greeks j as that the World had a
*' Beginning, and will have an End ; that it is of a fpherical
*• Figure ; that God, the Creator and Governor of it, pene-
" trates all Things : that Things had different Beginnings; and
*' that the World was m'ade of W^ater." Clement has preferved
the Words of Megnfihenes himfelf oi:t of his 'I'hird Book of the
Indian Hijhry, Strom. I. " All that was of eld faid concerning
"' the Nature of Things, we find alfo faid by the Philofophers
" who lived out of Gretce, the Erachmans among the Indians^
*-* and they that are called Je^vjs in Sjria."

{b) Aiid Egyptians, &c.] Concerning whom, fee La'e'rtiu.i
in his Proaemium : " The Foundation was a confufed Chaos,
♦' from whence the Four Eleirtents were feparated, and Living
♦* Creatures made." And a little after, " That as the World
•* had a Beginning, fo it will have an End." Diodcrns Sicu.'us
explains their Opinion thus ; " In the Beginning of the Creation
" of all Things, the Heavens and the Earth had the fame Form
*' and Appearance, their Natures being mixed together : but
*' afterwards the Parts feparatin» from one another, the World
** received that Form in which we now behold it, and the
*• Air a continual Motion. The fiery Part alcended highef!-,
*' becaufe the Lightnefs of its Nature caufed it to tend up-
" wards ; for which Reafon the Sun and Muhitude of Stars go
" in a continual Round ; the muddy and grofler Part, together

♦' v/ith

30 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

" with the Fluid, funk down, by reafon of its Heavinefs.
** And this rolling and turning itfelf continually round, from
** its Moifture produced the Sea, and from the more folid Parts
*' proceeded the Earth, as yet very foft and miry ; but when
•• the Sun began to ihine upon it, it grew firm and hard ; and
*' the Warmth caufing the Superficies of it to ferment, the
" Moifture in many Places fwelling, put forth certain putrid
•* Subftances, covered with Skins, fuch as we now fee in fenny
** moorifh Grounds, when the Earth l^eing cool, the Air hap-
*'■ pens to grow warm, not by a gradual Change, but on a fud-
•* der). Afterwards the forementioned Subllances, in the moift
" Places, having received Life from the Heat in that Manner,
** were nourifhed in the Night, by what fell from the Cloud
" furronnding them, and in the Day ihey were ftrenglhened by
•' the Heat. Laftly, when thefe Fceius's were come to their
** full Growth, and the Membranes by which they were in-
*♦ clofed broke by the Heat, all Sorts of Creatures iinmedi-
" ately appeared ; thofe that were of a hotter Nature, became
*♦ Birds and mounted up high; thofe that were of a grolfer and
** earthly Nature, became Creeping Things, and fuch like
*♦ Creatures which are confined to the Earth ; and thofe which
•' were of a watry Nature, immediately betook themfelves to
" a Place of the like Quality, and were called Fifh. Now
*• the Karth being very much dried and hardened, by the Heat
" of the Sun, and by the Wind, was no longer able to bring
** forth Living Creatures, but they were afterwards begotten
" by mixing with each other. Euripides feems not to contradict
«* this Account, who was the Scholar of Anaxagoras the Phi-
" lofopher : For he fays thus in his Mcnalippe,

Heaven and Earth at firji ivere of one Form,

But nuhen their different Parts nvere /cparate.

Thence /prung Beajts, Foivls, and all the '6hoals of Fij7j,

Naj, enjen Men themfelues,

•♦ This therefore is the Account we have received of the Ori-
•* ginal of Things. And if it (hould feera ilrange to any
*♦ one, that the Earth fhould in the Beginning have a Power
♦* to bring Ibrth Living Creatures, it may be further con-
•' firmed by what we fee come to pafs even now. For at
" Thcbais in Egypt, upon the River Nik's very much over-
*♦ flowing its Banks, and thereby moiftening the Ground,
♦* immediately by the Heat of the Sun is caufed a Putrefac-
*' tion, out of which arifcs an incredible Number of Mice.
" Now, if after the Earth has been thus hardened, and the Air
" docs not preferve its original Temperature, yet fomc Ani-
•' mals are notwithftanding produced, from hence, they fa)-,
" it is manifell, that in the Beginning all Sorts of Living
I " Creatures

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 31

is that (a) in Lhms [b) Hejiody and many other
Creek Writers, Mention is made of a Chaos (fig-

niiied

** Creatures were produced out of the Earth in this Manner."
If we add to this, that God is the Creator, who is called by
Anaxagoras a Af/W, you will find many Things agreeing with
Mofes, and the Tradition of the Phcenkiajis : As the Heavens
and Earth mixed together, the Motion of the Air, the Mud or
Abyft, the Light, the Stars, the Separation of Heaven and
Earth, and Sea, the Birds, the Creeping Things, Fifhes, and
other Animalf. ,' and laft of all. Mankind. Maaohius in his
Seventh of his Saturnalia, Chap. i6. tranfcribed the followino-
Words from the Egyptians : " If we allow, what our Adver-
** faries affirm, that the Things, which now are, had a Be-
" ginning; Nature firft formed all Sorts of Animals perfect;
*• and then ordained, by a perpetual Law, that their Succef-
** fion fhould be continued by Procreation. Now that they
*' might be made perfeft in the Beginning, we have the Evi-
*• dence of very many Creatures produced perfe<5t, from the
*• Earth and the Water, as in Egy/>t Mice, and in other
** Places, Frogs, Serpents, and the like." And it is with juft
Reafon that Arifiotle prefers Anaxagoras before any of "the
ancient Greek Philofophers, Metaphyf. Book I. Chap. 3, as a
fober Man, when the reft were drunken ; becaufe they refer-
red ever)' Thing to Matter, whereas this Man added alfo a
Caufe, which afts with Defign ; which Caufe Arifiotle calls
Nature, and Anaxagoras Mind, which is better; and Mnfesy
God ; and fo does Plato. See Laertius, where he treats con-
cerning the firft Principles of Things, according to the Opi-
nion of Plato ; and Appnhius concerning the Opinions of Plato.
Thalis, who was before Anaxagoras, taught the fame ; as FelLius
in Cicero tells us, in his Firft Book of the Nature of the Gods :
•' For Thales Milefius, who was the firft that enquired into fuch
** Things as thefe, fays, that Water was the Beginning of all
*' Things ; and that God was that Mind which formed all
*' Things out of Water." Where, by Water, he means the
Chaos, which Xenophon and others call Earth ; and all of them
well enough, if we rightly apprehend them.

{a) In Linus, &c.] In the Verfe quoted above,

[b) Hefiod, &-C.] In lus Thecgouia :

The Rife of all Things ivas a Chaos rude.

Whence fprang thej'pacioiis Earth, a Seat for Gadst

Who dnjjell on high Olympus' y^.-o-.y)' Top,

Nor are excluded from the dark Abyfs

Beneath the Earth ; frotn 'wheiics the God of Lo-ve,

-52 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

nified by fome under the Name of an Egg) and
of the framing of Animals, and alfo of Man's

Formation

Moji amiable of all, ^who frees the Breafts

Of Me7i and Gods from anxious Carrs and Thought! t

And comforts each of them nuithfoft Delight ;

From hence rofe Erebus, and gloomy Night.

Thefe produced EjCviZX, and the gladfome Day^

As Pledges of their Lo've.

If we compare this with thofe of the Phoenicians now quoted,
it will feem to be taken from them. For Hefiid\\\t6. hard by
the 'Theban Baeotia, which was built by Cadmus the Phcenician.
"£^£^«5, Erebus, is the fame as Mofcs's np Ereb, which Night
and Day follow, in the Hymns that are afcribed to Orpheus,

All Things that are, fprung from a Chaos "Jaf,

In the Argonaut ics, which go under the fame Namej

In Verfe he fun g the Origin of Things,

Nature's great Change; honv Heanj'n on high luas framed.

The Earth ejiablifj'd, and begirt ivith Sea,

Honx> Lo've created all Things by his Pciuer,

And ga've to each of them his proper Place,

So alfo Epicharmus, the moft ancient Comic Poet, relating an
old Tradition. •

'Tisfaid that Chaos tuas before the Gods,

And Arijlophanes, in his Play called the Birds, in a Paflagc
preferved by Lucian, in his Philopatris ; and by Suidas.

Fitji of all ivas Chaos and Night, dark Erebus atid gloomy

Tartarus ;
There nxas no. Earth, nor Air, nor Heauen, till dufy Night,
By the Wind's Poojuer on the njoide Boj'om of Erebus, brought

forth an Egg,
Of nt-hich ivas hatch' d the God of Love {ivLn Time began;)

•who ivith his golden JVings,
Fixed to his Shoulders, feiu like a mighty Whirhvind; and

mixing ivith black Chaos,
In Tartarus' dark Shades produced Mankind, and brought them

into Light,
For, before Love joined all Things, the Gods thcmfelves had

710 Exifience ;
But upon this ConjunSiio»t all Things being mixed and blended,

y£lher arof ;
And Sea and Earth, and the hlcjfcd Abodes of the immortal Gids.

Thcfe

Sea 1 6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 33

Formation after the Divine Image, and the Domi-
nion given him over all living Creatures ; which
are to be feen in many Writers, particularly (a) in

Ovia\

Thefe appear, upon a ver)'^ flight View, to be taken from the
Tradition of the Phceuicians, who held an ancient Corre-
fpondence with the Inhabitants of Attica, the moft antient
of the lo/iians. We have already fpoke of Erelms. Tartarus
is ainn Tehom. "aZvo-o-^ Abyjpts, and DDmo Merach'pheth,
fignifies Love, as was Ihewn before : To which agrees that of
Parmenidcs.

Loise luas the firji of all the Gods.

[a) In Ovid, &c.] The Place is no further than the FIrft
Book of his M'/«w5r/^!j/?x, and is very well worth reading;
the principal Things in it being fo very like thofe of Mofes,
and almoft the fame Words, fo that they afford much light to
what has been already faid, and are likcwife much illultrated
by it.

Before the Sea, and Earth, and Hemjens high Roof
Were framed, Nattire had but one Form, one Face ',
^rhe World ivas then a Chaos, one huge Mafs,
Grojs, undigejied; ivhere the Seeds of Things
Lay in Confii/ion, and Diforder hurl'd.
Without a Sun to chcrijh ijuiih his Warmth
The rifuig World ; or paler horned ^oon.
No Earth, fufpended in the liquid Air,
Borne up by his oivn Weight ; no Ocean njaji
Through u/:knoi<jn Trails cf Land to cut his Way ;

But Sea, and Earth and Air are mix'd in one ;

The Earth iinfettled. Sea innavigable.

The Air devoid of Light', no Form remain' d:

For each veffted each, being all confin'd ;

Hot jarr'd njcith Cold, a;:d Moift rlfjlcd Dry ;

Hard, /oft, light, heauy, Jiro've nvilh mighty Force ;

'Till God "and Nature did the Strife compofe.

By parting Hcav'n fro7n Earth, and Sea from Land,

And from grojs Air the liquid Sky dividing ;

All nvhich from lunipijh Matter once difcharg'd.

Had each his proper Place, by Lanv decreed :

The Light and fiery Parts upimrds afcend.

And fill the Region of the arched Shy ;

The Air/ucceeds, as ?iext in Weight, and Placa ;

The Earth compos' d cf grojjer Ele?ner.ts,

Was like a j olid Orb begirt nuith Sea.

Thus the IV ell order d Mafs into due Parts,

IP Wai

34 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

Ovid^ w ho tranfcribed them from the Greek. Thar,

all

Was feparatcd by Dinjine Command.

Andfirft, the Earth t,ot Jiretch'd into a Plain,

But like an artificial Globe condens'd;

Upon <-MhoJ't; Surface ^.vinding Risers glide,

Aiidfiormy Seas, nvhoj'e Waves each Shore rehoutitt.

Here Fountains fend forth Streams, there ofie broad Lake

Fills a large Plain : Thtts ?nix' d nvith Pools and Spritigs,

'-The gentle Streams njchich roll along the Ground,

Are fome by thirfiy hollonu Earth abforb'd.

Some in huge Channels to the Ocean bend.

And lea-ce their Banks to beat the fandj Shore.

By the fame Poiver ivere Plains and f^ales frodncd,

Andjhady Woods and rochy Mountains rais'd.

'The Heaven begirt nvith Zones ; tnvo on the Rights

'T'lUO on the Left, the torrid One bet^vcen,

'The fame Diftin^ion does the Earth maintain.

By Care Ditine, into fi've Climates mark'd;

Of 'which the middlemofl, through Heat immenfe.

Has 710 Inhabitants ; tuuo njuith deep Snoiv

Art cot'erd; 'what remain are temperate.

Next, betnueen Hea^'71 and Earth the Air ^juas fox'd.

Lighter then Earth, but heavier than Fire,

In this lon.v Region Storms and Clouds nucre hung.

And hence loud 'Phundcr timorous Mortals frights ;

And forked Lightning, mix'd n.vith Bhijls of Wind,

But the "Wife Framcr of the World did not

Permit thetn every nvhere ; becatfc their Force

h fcarce to be refified [yjhen each Wind

Prevaileth in its Turn ;) but Nature Jhakes,

Their Difcord is fo great. And firfi the Eaji

Obtains the Morn. Arabia's defcrt Land;

And Perfia's bounded by the Riftng Sun.

Next Zephyr's ^ftv///^ Breeze, '■where Phcebus dipT*

Himfelf into the Sea ; then the cold North,

At 'whofejharp Blafis the hardy Scythians/>^;(v- ;

And laji the South, big ivith much Rain and Clouds^

Above this Jiormy Region of the Air

Was the pure ^Ether plac'd, rrfn^d and char.

When each had thus his proper Bounds decreed.

The Stars, ind.nch in their groffer Mafs lay hid.

Appear d andjhone throughout the Heave/is Orb.

'1 hen. Iff! a barren Defert Jhouldfuccced,

Creatures 'f various Kinds each Place pojpfs'd.

The Gods and Stars cehfial Regions fill.

The Waters vjith large Shoals if FijLes throng' d,

Thi Earth voith Bc-fis, the Air 'vAlh Birds ^vasfiod'd.

Nothing

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 35

all Things were made by the Word of God, is

aflerted

Nothing feem'd 'wanting, hut a Mmd etidu'd

With Senfe and Renjou to rule o'er the rcji ;

Which ^joasjupplyd by Man, the Seed Diuine

Of him ivho did the Frame of all Things make ;

Or elfe 'when Earth and Sky ' '

Some of the Heai'enly Seed remain' d, 'which fnjJTt

By Japhet, and 'wiih ivat'ry Subjiance ?nix'd.

Was form' d into the Image of the Gods.

And tvhen all Creatures to the Earth 'were prone f

Man had an upright Form to 'uie'w the Hewvens^

And 'was commanded to behold the Stars,

Here you fee Man has the Dominion over all inferior Crea-
tures given him ; and alfo that he was made after the Image
of God, or of Divine Beings. To the fame Purpofe are the
Words of Euryfus the Pythagorean, in his Book of Fortune :
" His [that is, Man's,} Tabernacle, or Body, is like that of
•' other Creatures, becaufe it is compofed of the fame Mate-
•* rials ; but worked by the beit Workman, who formed it
" according to the Pattern of himfelf." Where the Word
trx.iiv&^ is put for Body, as in Wifdom, Chap. ix. Ver. i j. and
in 2 Cur. v. i and 4. To which may be added, that of
Horace, who calls the ^oul

A Particle of Breath 'Divine

And Virgil,

An /Ethereal Senfe,

And that of Jwvenal, Sat. XV.

. Who alojie

Ha've ingenuity to be efieem'd.

As capable of Things divine afid fit

For Arts ; nvhich Senfe tue Men from Iha'v^n dtri'Jej

And 'which no other Creature is alh'w^d ;

For he hath f am' d us both, did only gi've

To them the Breath of Life, but us a Soul,

And thofe remarkable Things relating hereto, in Plato's Ph^^
don and Alcibiades. Cicero, in the Second Book of the Nature
of the Gods, fays thus : " For when He, {that is, God,) left
•♦ all other Creatures to feed on the Gnround, he made Man
** upright, to excite him to view the Heavens, to v/hich he is
" related, as being hir, former Habitation." And Sallujl, in
the Beginning of the Catiline War: " All Men that defire
** to exceed other Anirnals, ought earneflly to endeavour not
** to pafs away their Days in Silence, like the Beafts which
" Nature b^s made prone, and Slavca to their Bellies." And
D 2 Plinj

-,6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book T,

aflertedby (a) Epkhanmis^ and {b) iht Platonip-,
and bcfcrethem, by the moft ancient Writer (1 do
not mean of thofeFIy mns whichgo underhisName,

but)

l^lii.y. Book IL Chap. 26. " The never-enough to be ad-
" mired Hlpparchtis ; than whom none more acknowledged
♦' the Relation betwixt Man and the Stars, and who confidcred
" our Souls as a Part of the Heavens/'

[a] Epidarmus, &c.] " Man's Reafon is derived from that
" of God."

[b] The Platonifts, &c.] Aweliin the Tlatonid : " And'
•' this is that Reafon, or Word, Iry which all Things that
** ever were, were made .: according to the Opinion of Hera-
** clilus. That very Word, or Reafon, the Emharian means,
*' which fet all Things in Order in the Beginning, and which
" was with God before that Order, and by which every
•' Thing was made, and in which was every Creature; the
*' Fountain of Life and Being." The Barbarian he here
fpeaks of is St. John the Evangelift, a little later rhan whofc
Time Ameliin lived. Enfehvts has prefervcd his V^'ords in the
Eleventh Book and 19th Chapter of his Preparation ; and
Cyril in his Eighth Book againft Julian. St. Anjiin mentions
the fame Place of Amdius, in his Tenth Book, and 29th Chap-
ter of the City of God, and in the Eighth Book of his Co/ifrj-

jlons. And TertuUian againft the Gentiles : " It ft evident
*' (fays he) that with your Wife Men, the A«v©- Logos, Word
" or Reafon, was the Maker of the Univcrfe ; for Zen)
*' would have this Word to be the Creator, by whom all
*' Things were difpofed in their Formation." This Place of
Zcno was in his Book istfi ^710.'-,, concerning Being, where he
calls the to rrotiv, the tfficicnt CanJ'e, Ao'/©-, the Word or Rcajln ;
and in this he was lollowed by Clcanthcs, Chryfippns, Arckc-
dcmiis, and FaJJidonius, as we are told by Loeriius in his Life
of Yjcno. Seneca, in his LXVth Epiftje, calls it the Reafon
tvhich formcth every Thing. And Chalcidiiis to Timceiis fajs,
*' That the Reafon of God, is God himfclf, who has a Re-
*' gard to Iluman Affairs, and who is the Caiife of Mens
" I.ving vvi-11 and ha|-rpily,- if they do not negled the Gift
" bellowed on them by the Moft High God." And in an-
other Place, fpeaking of Mrfs, he has thefe Words : Wjio is
clearly of Opinion, " 'l hat the Heaven and Earth were
" H'.ade by t!ie Divine Wifdoin preceeding : And that then
*' tlic Divine Wifdoin was the Foui:d:uion oi the Uni-
" vcrfe."

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 37

but) of thofe Verfes which were (a) cf old called
Orpheus' s; not bccaiifc Orpheus coinpofed them,,
but becaufe they contained hisDodlrines. [b] And
Empedocles acknowledged, that the Sun was not
the Original Light, but the Receptacle of Light
(the Storehoufe and Vehicle of Fire, as the ancient
D 3 Chrillians

[a] Of old called Orpheus's, &c.] The Verfss are thefe :

I fiuear by that firfi Word the Father /pah.
When the Foundation of the Earth njoas laid.

They are extant in the Admonition to the Greeks among the
Works of Julian : As alfo thefe ;

I fpeak to thofe I ought, he gone, Propha?:ey

Anxay : But, O Mufsus, hearken thou.

Thou Offipring of the Moon ; f fpeak the Truth;

Let not fain "7 houghts the Comfort of thy Life

Defray ; the Divine Reflfcnfiridly 'vic'i.u.

And fix it in thy Mind to imitate;

Behold the great Creator of the World,

Who's only perfeB, and did all Things ?nake.

And is in all ; though ixie 'with mortal Eyes

Cannot difcern him ; hut he looks on us.

Thefe we find in the Admonition to the Greeks -^ as alfo in a
Book concerning the Monarchy of the World, in the Works
of y^fin Martyr; in CU-tnent Alexandrin:;: , Strom. 5. and in
the Xillth Book of Eifebms's Gojpcl Preparation, from Arijio-
hulus.

{h) And Empedocles achw^jokdged, &c.] Of whom Laer-
tins fays. " That he affirmed the Sun to be a great Heap of
♦* Fire." And he that wrote the Opii:ions of the Phdofophers,
has thefe Words : " Empedocles faid that the JEthcr was firft
" feparated, then the Fire, and after that the Earth ; the
*' Superficies of which being comprefied by its violent Mo-
" tion, the Water burll: out ; from which the Air was ex-
" haled : That the Heavens were compofed of JEther, and
*' the Sun of Fire." And Chap. 20. Empedocles afiirms,
'' There are two Suns, one the Original, and tlie other the
*♦ Apparent." And Philolaus, as we there alfo read, fays,
** That the Sun is of the fame Nature as Glafs, receiving its
" Splendor from the Fire that is in the World, and tranf-
*' mitting its Light to us." Anaxagoras, Democritus, Metro'
dorus, affirmed the Sun to be a certain Mafs of Fire ; as you
/ind it in the f:ime Place. And Democritus faovys, that thefe
were ilie nioft antient Opinions,, as Laertes relates.

38 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

Chrifliansexprefs it.) (a) AratuSy2Lnd(lf) CatuUus
thought the Divine Refidence was above the flarry
Orb; in which Homer fays, there is a continual
Light, [c) T/v^7/<^,f taught from the ancient Schools,
That God was the oldeft of Beings, becaufe not
begotten ; that the World was moil beautiful, be-
caufetheWorkmanfliipofGod ; that Darknefs was
before Light, which latter we find [d] in C rpheus's
Verfes, [e] and Hefiod, whence it was, that (/) the

Nations,

{a) Aratus, Sec,'] Aratus :

As far as the dire Gnlph Eridanus,
Under the Footjiool of ike Gods extends,

[h) Catidhis, kz,] Catullus the Interpreter of Callinmchus^
introduces Berenice's Hair, fpeaking after this Manner,

Tho' in the Night the Gods upon 7ne tread.

[c] Thales /^/7^.6/, &c.] A^wtiz^'irx Diogenes Lae'-ti:t.- ; and
Jlerodoius and Liander aflcrt him to have been originally a
Phoenician,

[d) In Orpheus's Verfesy &c.] In his Hymn to Night :
Ifttig the Night, Parent of Men and Gods.

{e) And Hcfiod, c'lc.] Whofe Verfes upon this Subjeft are
cited above.

ff) The Nrtions nx'ho VJere the moji tenacious, <S;c.] The
Numidians /// Lybia >vckon their Ti?ne not by Days, but hj Nights,
fays, Nicolavs Dnmafcenus : And Tacitus afiinns of the Germans,
that they do not, like us, compute the Number of the Days, but of
the t-Jights; fo they date their Decrees and Citaiiens ; hight feems
to begin the Day nuiih them. See the Speculum Saxonicnm, Book I.
Art, 5. 67. and in other Places. So likewife the learned Z/>;-
debngius, upon the Word Night, in Vm Vocabidar. of the
German Lams, 1 he neighbouring People of Bohemia and
Po/«//.'/ preferve this Cuftom to this very Day, ai-Kl the Gaids
ufed it of old. Ccefar, in his Sixth Hook of the Gallic (far,
fays. That all their Dijiances cf Time m-ere reckoned, not by tbt
Number of Days, but ff Nights, And Pliiy concerning the
Druids, in the Sixteenth Book of his Natural ilijlory, faj's.
The Mooit iji-ith them began their M^mths and I'ears, It is a,
known Cuftom amongll the Jbbrinvs, Gell.-us in his Third
J?ook, Chap. 11. adds the Athtnians, who in ihi;; Mailer v.ci^
the Sijiolnrs of the i'/7(r/V/W^»i. , .

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 39

Nations, who were moft tenacious of ancient Cu-
ftomSj reckoned the Time by Nights, (a) Anax-
agoras affirmed, that ail Things were regulated
by the Supreme Mind : {b) Aratus, that the
Stars were made by God; {c) Virgil ^ from
D 4 the

[a) Anaxngoras affirmed, &c.] His Words are quoted above,
which are to be foand in Lahtius, the Writer of I'be Opinioi/s
of the Philopphers, and others : As are alfo the Verfes of 'Timoiz
-concerning his Opinion.

{b) Aratus, &c.] In the Beginning of his Pj?'^«5;ot<7;7« ;
Begin njuith Jupiter, nvhofe Eff'etice is
hieffable by mortal hlan t n^ho/e Prcjence
Does all Things fill; AJfemblies, Courts, arid Marts,
The deep Abjfs, and Forts are fJl'd n^vith Him»
We all enjoy hi?n, all his Offspring are,
Who/e Nature is benign to Man, i.vho Jiirs
Them up to Work, J/jenx;ing the Good of Life*
'Tis He appoints the Tifne to ploiv and fQ<vJ,
^nd reap the fruitful Harniejl — -—
'Tnvas He that in the Heavens fix' d, the Stars,
Allotting each his Place, to teach the Year,
And to declare the Fate us Men attends ;
That all Things are by certain La-zus decreed.
Him therefore let us firfi and lafi appeafe.
O Father, the great Help ive Mortals have.

That by Jupiter w£ are here to underftand God, the true
Maker of the World, and all Things in it, St. Paul fhews us
in the Seventeenth Chapter of the ABs, Ver. 28. And we
learn from L'a^atitiiis, that Ovid ended ids Phenomena with
thefe Verfes.

Such both in Number and in Form, did God
Upon the Heavens place and give in Charge
To enlighten the thick Darknefs of the Night.

And Chalcidius to Timtsus : " To v^'hich Thing the Hhreivs
'« agree, who affirm that God was the Adorncr of the World,
" and appointed the Sun to rule the Day, and the Moon to
" govern the Night ; and fo difpofed the reir of the Slar^, as
" to limit the Times and Seafons of th>4 Year, and to be Signs
" of the Produftions of Things,"

(f) Virgil, from the Greeks, &c.] In the Sixth Book of his
Mneid, which Servjus fays, was compofed irom many of the
ancient Greek Writings ; "

* It

40 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

the Greeks, that Life was infufed into Things
by the Spirit of God ; (a) HrJ/od, {b) Homer,

and

At firfi the Heanj'n and Earth, and'u;nt''ry Seas,
The Moon's bright Orb, and all the glitt'ring Stars,
Were fed and nourijh' d by a Poiver diuine :
For the nuhole World is aiied by a Sun,
Which throughly penetrates it ; 'whence Mankind,
And Beajis and Birds ha^ve their Original ;
And Monjiers in the Deep produc' d : The Seed
Of each is a di'viiie and hea'venly Flame.

Which may be explain'd by thofe in his Georgicls IV.

By fuch Examples taught, and by fuch Marks,

Some have affirm' d that Bees themjel'ves partake

Of the Celejiial Mind, and Breath Etherial,

For God per-vades the Sea, and Earth, and Heavens ;

Whence Cattle, Herds, Men, and all Kinds of Beap„

Derive the Jlender Breath of fleeting Life,

[a] Hcilod, &c.] In his Poem upon Labour and Days :

Then ordered Wiulciher, ^without Delay,
To mix the Earth and Water, atid infufe
A human Voice,

{b) Homer, &c.] Iliad VIII.

Ton all to Earth and Water mufl return.

For all Things return from whence they came. Euripides in
his Hipjjpyle (as Siobceus tells us in the Title) ufes this Argu-
ment, for bearing patiently the Events of Things; which is
tranfcribcd by Tully in his Tliird Book of Tufcuhm Quedions.

All ivhiih in vain, us Mortals vex.

Earth muft return to Earth, for Fate ordains
That Life, like Corn, mufl he cut off, in all.

To the fame Purpofe Euripides in his Supplicants:

Permit the Dead to be entomb' din Earth,
From vjhettce ive all into this Body came ;
A;:d vchcn ive die, the Spirit goes to Air,
To Earth the Body ; for <zve ran prfUfs
Life only for a l i/ne ; the Eurth demands
Jt hack again,

All which, you- fee, exadly Pgrccs with M-fs, Gen, iii. ig,
:aBd Srlomvn, Eccl. xii. 7.
6

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 41

and (a) Callmachns, that Man was formed of
Clay ; laftly, (l>) Maximus Tyrius alTerts, that it
was a conftant Tradition received by ail Nations,
that there was one Supreme God, the Caufe of all
Things. And we learn [c] from Jojephiis, [d] Philo,

[a) Callimachus, &c.] Who in his Scazm calls Man Pro-
ftietheus's Clay. Of this Clay we find Mention made in Ju'vcual.
and Martial. To which v/e may add this Place of Cetijorinus ;
Democritus the Abderite nvas cf Opinion, that Me?t 'were Jiifi
formed of Clay and Water ; and Epicurus ^was ?muh of the fame
Mind.

(h) Maximus Tyrius, &c.] In his nrft Differtation : " Not-
'' withftanding the great Difcord, Confufion, and Debates that
" are aniongft Men; the whole World agree in this one con-
" ftant Law and Opinion, that God is the fole King and Father
*' of all ; but that there are many other Gods, who are his
" Sons, and Hiare in his Government. This is affirmed by the
*' Greek and the Barbarian ; by him who dwells in the Conti-
** nent, and h\' him who lives on the Sea-fliore ; by the Wife
** and by the Foolifn." To which Kiay be added thofe Places
cited in the Second Book of fFar and Peace, Chap. xx. 9, 45.
And that of Antijihenes, related by Tally in his Firtt Book of
the Nature of the Gods : " That there are many Vulgar Gods,
** but there is but one Natural God." And Laciantius, Book L
Chap. 5. adds, from the fame Antijihenes, that He is

The Maker of the n.vhole World,

So likewife Sophocles :

There is really hut one God,

The Maker of Heaven and Earth,

And Sea, and Winds.

To which may be added that Place of Varro, cited by St. Aujiin,
in the-Fourth Book, and Chap. 31. of his Ciy of God.

{c) From Jofephus, &c.] Againft Appion, about the End
of the Second Book, where he faj's, " 'i liere is no City, Greek
" or Barbarian, in which the Cuftom of refting on the Seventh
" Day is not preferved, as it is amongft the Je^Lvs.

{d) Philo, &c.] Concerning the Seventh Day : " It is a
*• Feftival celebrated net only in one City or Country, but
*' throughout the whole World."

42 OF IHE TRUTH OF THE Book I,

(/>) TibidluSy [b] Clemens AlexandrinuSy and (r) Ltt-
c'lan (for 1 need not mention the Hebrezvs) that the
Memory of the feven Days W^ork was preferved,
Dot only among the Greeks and Italians^ by honour-
ing the Seventh Day ; but alfo (^) arnongft the
CeUce and Indians^ who nil meafured the Time by
Weeks; as we learn from {e) Philofiratus, (f) Dion
O^jjiiiSi and Jujlin Martyr \ an,d alfo (^) the moll

ancient

[a') TIbuilus, &c.] " The Seventh Day is f.-.crcd to the

{h) Clemens Alexandrinus, &c.] AVho in his Strom, V.
quotes out of i/^3^, •* that' the Seventh Day v\ as f:icred/'
'And the like out of Homer 2iTid Cnllimachus. To which may
be fubjoined what Er/fcbius has taken out of Ari/iobulus, Book.
XIII. Chap! 12. Theophilus Antiochenus, Book XI. to J/:tolj-
chw:, cdncertiing the Seventh Dry, 'vjhich is dijiiiigiajl.id by all M^n.
And Suetonius, in his Tiberius XXXII ; " Dingeties the Gram-
*' marJan ufes to difpute at Rhodes Mi^o'n. the Sabbath Day."
(TIic fcventh Day of the Month ought not to be confounded
with the laft Day of tht Week. See w hat J^jhn Scldoi has re-
inarked upon this Subjeft, in his Book of the La^vs of Nature
'end Natiojjs, Book III. Chap. 17. Le Clcrc.)

[c] Lucian, &c.] Who teils us in his Paralogift, " That
»' P.oys were ufed to play on the feventh Day."

[d] Amcvgjl the Ctlta;, &c.] As is evident by the Names
of the Davs among the diiTcrcnt Nations of the Cclia^, viz.
Germain, Gauls, and Britons. Holmoldus tells us the fame of
the Sclavonians, Book I. Chap. 48.

\e) Philoflratus, cvc] Bopk. III. Chap. 13, fpeakjng of
the Ir.dians. ' ' '

(f) Dion Caffius, &c.] Bock XXXIII. The Day calhd
^atmn's. Where he adds, that the CuRom of computing the
n'ime by \^eekr., was derived from the Egyptians to all Man-
kind, and that this was not a new, but a \"ery ancient Cullom,
Herodotus tells us in his Second Book: To which may be added
JJidare concerning the Remans, Book V. Ch. 30, and 32.

{g) The TTtof} avcient Names, &-c.] See the Oracle, and Qr-
pkits's 'iTejfes in Su/liger's Prolegome»a to his Emendation of
Times. (I fufpci^l that the Foundation of Weeks was rather
from the Seven Planets, than from the Creatioji of the WofW
in Seven Davs. LeClerc]

Bea. t6. christian religion. 43

ancient Names of the Day. The Egyptians tell
lis, that at firft Men led their Lives {d) in great
Simplicity, [b] their Bodies being naked, v/hence
arofe the Poet's Fidion of the Golden Age, famous
Vivnongtht Indians , {c) as ^y/r^^o remarks, {d) Mai^
monides takes Notice, that(f) the Hiftory of-/f^^»/,

of

{a} In great Simplicity, &c.] See what we have fold of this
Matter, Book II. Chap. I. Seft. xi. concerning the Right of
Wavy and the Notes belonging to it.

{b) Their Bodies being naked, &c,] Whofe Opinjon Dioda-
riis Sicultis thus relates : *' The firft Men lived very hardy,
** before the Conveniencies of Life were found out; being
*' accuftomed to go naked, and wanting Dwellings and Fires,
*' and being v/holly ignorant of the Food of civilized Na-
" tions." And Plato, in his Politicks : *' God their Gover-
" nor fed them, being their Keeper ; as Man, who is a more
*' divine Creature, feeds the inferior Creatures," And a lit-
tle afteri " They fed naked and without Garments in the
" open -Air," And Dicearckts the Peripatetick, cited both
by Porphyry., in his Fourth Book againft eating living Crea-
tures ; and to the fame Senfe by Varro, concerning Country
Affairs : " The Ancients, wha were neareft to the Gods,
" were of an excellent Difpof.tion, and led fo good Lives,
*' that they were called a Golden Race."

{c) JsStT&ho remarks, &c.] Book XV. where he brings in
Calams ^&lridian fpeaking thus: •• Of old we met every
** wherewith Barley, Wheat and Meal, as we do now-a-dayii
«« with Daft. The Fountains flowed, fome with Water, fomfe
♦' with Milk ; and likevvife fome with Honey, fome with
"Wine, and fome with Oil. But Men, through Fulnefs
" and Plenty, fell into Wickc.lncfs : which Condition Jupi-
" ter aahorring, altered the State of Things, and ordered
** them a Life of Labour."

{d') Maitnonides, &c.] In his Guide to the Douhing, Part III,
Chap. 29. ■

(^) The Hijiory of Adam, &c.] In thofe Places which Phtl(h.
Biblius has tranftated out of Sanchuniatho}i. The Greek Word
7tfUT^yo:'(Bh-, 'Firf.-born, is the fame with the Hebreiv on»
Adam ; and the Greek Word ««fc'v. Age, is the fame with the
Hebrew Word mn Chatah, Aue. The firft Men found out
the Fruit of. Trees. And in the moft ancient Grcfk Mxjleries,
;hey cried out ''twj, i'cv, and at the fame Time ftewed a

Serpinf

44. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

of Evcy of the Tree, and of the Serpent, was ex-
tant among the idolatrous Indians in his Time :
And there are many [a] Witnefles in our Age,
M ho tcflify that the fame is ftili to be found a-
niongil the Heathen dwelling in Peru, and the Phi-
lippine Iflands, People belonging to the fame In-
dia ; the Name of Adam amongll: the Brachmans ;
and that it was reckoned [b] Six Thoufand Years
fmcc the Creation of the World, by thofe oi Siam.
(c) Bcrojus in his Hiftory of Chaldea, Manethos in
his of Egypt, Iliercm in his o{ Pha^jiicia, Hijlaus,
Hecatd'uSy Hillanicus in theirs of Greece, and He-
Jiod among the Poets; all affcrt that the Lives of
thofc who defcendcd from the firft Men, were al-

moll

Scrh-nt. Which is mentioned by ILyfchiv.s, Clemem in his Ex-
hoit^tions, and Plutarch in the Life of Alexander. Chalcidius
to Tim^us, has ihefe Words : " Hiat as Mcjcs fays, God
«' forbad the firil Man to eat the Fruit of thofe Trees, by
" which the Knowledge of Good and Evil (hould ftcal into
" their Minds." And in another Place: ** To this the Hc-
*' bre^Ms agree, when they fay, that God gave to Man a Soul
*' by a divine Breath, which they call Reafon, or a Rational
*' Soul ; but to dumb Creatures, and wild Beafcs of theForeft,
"■ one voidof Reafon : The living Creatures and Beafts being,
*' by the Command of God, fcattered over the Face of the
*' Earth ; Smongft which was that Serpent, who by his evil
*' Perfuafions deceived the firft of Mankind."

{a) V/itveJps in our Age, kc.'\ See amongft others Ferdinand
"hlaidcfus ite Pinto.

{6) Six thmfajd Years, &:c.] '^h^t Simplicins relates out of
Porphyry, Comment XVI. upon Book II. concerning the Hea-
vens, agrees exactly with this Number ; that the Obfervations
collcdtcd at Babylon, which Callijihencs fent to Arijhtlc, v.crc
fr) that Time cb io ccci 1 1 I. which is not far from the Time
of the Deluge.

(-■) Berofus in I:h HiJIory, Src] Joj^phus in the Firft Book,
Chap, ).. of his Ancient Hiftory, quotes the Tcftimony of all
thcfe Writers, whofc Books were extant in his Time; and be-
ilfles thcfe, Acufdaus, Euphonus, and Nicholaus Damajcctius.
■ticr-jiui in his Notes upon the Eighth Book of Virgil s JEneid,
^remarks, that the Pco^4c of Arcadia lived to three hundred
Years.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 41

mod a thoufand Years in Length ; which is the fefs
incredible, becaufe the Hiftorians of many Na-
tions'fparticularly (^) PaaJanias^wiS [b) Philoftralus
amongll the Greeks, and [c) Pliny amongft the
Romans) relate, that {d) Men's Bodies, upon open-
ing

(.'?) Paiifanius, &c,] Tii his Laconkhs, he mentions the
Bones of Men, of more than ordinary Bigncfs, which were
fhewn in the Teinple of JEfadapius at the City of Afepns :
And in the firft of his EliacLs, of a Bone taken out of the Sea,
vvhich aforetime was kept at Pi/o, and thought to have been
one of Pelops's,

[h] Philoftratus, &c.] In the Beginning of his Heroids, he
fays, that many Bodies of Giants were difcovered in Faliene,.
by Showers of Rain and Earthquakes.

(r) Pliny, &c.] Book VIL Chap. 16. " Upon the burft-
*• ing of a Mountain in Crete by an Earthquake, there was
*' found a Body ilandina: upright, which was reported by
*' fome to ha\^e been the Body of Orhn, by others the Body'
♦' of Eetian. Orejies's Body, when it was commanded by the
" Oracle to be digged up, is reported to have been kven
" Cubits long. And almoft a thoufand Years ago, the Poet
" Homer continually complained that Men's Bodies were
" lefs than of old." And 6V///>/7«, Chap. i. " Were not all
" who were born in that Age, lefs than their Parents? And
*' the Story of Orejies's Funeral teftifies the Bignefs of the
*' Ancients, whofe Bones when they were digged up, in the
•' Fift}'-eighth Olympiad, at Tegea, by the Advice of the
" .Oracle, are related to have been feven Cubits in Length.
" And other Writings, which give a credible Relation of an-
** cient Matters, affirm this. That in the War of Crete ^
" when the Rivers had been fo high as to overflow and break
" down their Banks, after the Flood was abated, upon the
" cleaving of the Earth there was found a human Body of
" thrce-and-thirty Feet long; which L.Flaccus, the Legate,
'^ and MetMus hirafelf, being very defnous of feeing, were
" much furprizcd, to have the SatisfatSion of feeing, what
" they did not .believe when they heard." See Aufi^ns Fif-
teenth Book, Chap. II. of the Ciiy of God, concerning the
Ciieek Tooth of a Man, which he himfclf faw.

(^) Mens Bodies, &c.] Jofephus, Book V. Chap. 2. of his
Ancient Hi ft or j : " There remain to this Day fome of the
" Race of the Giants, who, by Reafon of the Bulk and Fi-
*' gure of their Bodies, fo different from other Men, are won-
derful

45 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

ing their Sepulchres, were found to be much larger
in old Time. And (a) Catullus^ after many of the
Greeks, relates, that divine Vifions were made to
Men before their great and manifold Crimes did,
as it were, hinder God, and [b] thofe Spirits that

attend

** dei'ful to fee or hear of: Their Bones are now fhewn,
*• far exceeding the Belief of the Vulgar." Gabiuius, in his
HiUory of Mauritania, faid, that Antcjius's Bones were found
by Sertorius, which joined together were fixty Cubits long.
Fhlegon Tralhamuy in his Ninth Chapter of Wonders, men-
tions the digging up of the Head of Ida, which was three
Times as Ing as that of an ordinary Woman. And he adds
alfo, that there were many Bodies found in Dalmatia, whofe
Arms exceeded fixteen Cubits, And the fame Man relates
out of Ihcopompus, that there were found in the Cimmerian
Bofphoriis, a Heap of human Bodies twenty-four Cubits in
Length. Ai>d there is extr.nt a Book of the fame Pklegon,
concerning Ltng Li/,-, which is worth reading. (That in
many Places of old Time, as the prefent, there were Men of
a very large Stature, or fuch as exceeded others, fomc few
Feet, is not very hard to l^lieve; but that they (hould all of
them have been bigger, I can no more believe, than that the
']>ees were taller, or the Channels of the Rivers deeper.
There is the {l»me Proportion between all thefe, and Things
of the like Kind now, as there was formerly, they anfwering
to one another, fo that there is no Reafoa to think they have
undergone any Change, See Theodore Rich'us's Oration about;
Giants.) Le Clerc. ^

(a) Catullus, (Sec] In his Epithalamium on Peleus and
Thetis :

Rut ivhi')! the Earth ivas Jlain'd ivith Wickcdncfs
Aind Lvji, ni:d J ujl ice fled from every Breaji :
Then Brethren Kjilely Jhed each other s Blood,
And Parents ceas'd to mourn their Children's Death.
Ihe Father nuijly'd the Funeral of his Son ;
T'-c Son to enjoy the Father's Relic? ivi/h'd :
'■/'ht' impious Mother yieldijig to the Child,
Fear d not to fain the Temple of the Gods.
Thus Right and Wrong by furious PaJ/ton mix'd.
Drove from us the divine propiti'jus Mind.

[h) Thrfe Spirits that attend him, &c.] Of this, fee thofe
excellent Things faid by Plutarch in his Ifis ; Maximus Tyriut
in bis Firfl and Sixteenth DiiTcrtations, and fnlaui Hymn

^ea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 4/

attend him, from holding any Correfpondencc
with Men. We almoft every where, (a) in the
Greek and (^) La/in Hiftorians, meet with the fa-
vage Life of the Giants, mentioned by Mofes.
And it is very remarkable concerning the Deluge,
that the Memory of almoft all Nations ends in
the Hiftory of it, even thofe Nations which were
unknown till our Forefathers difcovered them ;
(c) So that Farro calls all ibal the unknown Time,
And all thofe Things which we read in tho
Poets, wrapped up in Fables (a Liberty they

allow

to the Sun. The Name of Angeh Is ufed, when they treat of
this Matter, not only by the Gretk Interpreters of the Old
Teftament, but alfo by Labeus, ArifiiJes, Porphyry, yamhlicas,
Chaladius, and by Ihjianes, who was older thian any of tliem,
quoted by Miniitius : The forcmentioned Chalcidius relates an
AfiTertion of Hcradims, '1 hat fiich as deferved it, were fore-
v\arned by the Inltrudtion of- the Divine Powers.

[n) In the Grtok, &c.] Horner^ Iliad Y^. and HrJtodlnKis
Labours. To this may be referred the IVars of the Gods, men-
tioned by Plato in his Second Republkk ; and thofe diftlndl
and feparate Governments taken Notice of by the fame Plato,
in his Third Book of Latvs.

{b) Latin HiJJorians, &c.] See the Firft Book of O-M's
Meiamorphnfes, and the Fourth Book of Lucan, and Sfneca's
Third Book of Katnral i^rftio/is, Queft. 30. where he fays
concerning the Deluge, " That the Beafts alfo perifhed, into
•' whofe Nature Men ys'cre degenerated."

[c) So that Varro calls, <ic,] Thus Cenforimis : " Now i
" come to treat of that Space of Time which Ffjrro calls
•' Hiftorical. For he makes three Diftinftions of Time :
" The firft from the Creation of Man to the firii Flood, which,
" becaufe we are ignorant of it, is called the unknown. The
" fecond, from the fiT'l Flood to the firft Olympiad ; which
" is called the Fabulous, becaufe of the many fabulous Sto-
" ries related in it. The third, from the firft Olympiad to
•♦ our Time, which is called the Hiftorical, becaufe the
" Things done in it are related in a true Hiftory." The Time
which larro calls unknown, the Hebreiv Rabbins call 'void.
Philo in his Book of the Eternity of the World, remarks, that
the Shells found on the Mountains, are a Sign (jf the Uoiverfal
Deluge.

4.8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

allow themfelves) are delivered by the antient
Writers according to Truth and Reality ; that
is, agreeable to Mojes ; as you may fee in Be-
rofiis's {a) Hiftory of Chaldeay (^) Abydeniis's of

AJ[yria,

[a) Eerofus's Hif.ory, &c.] Concerning whom Jcfephus
fays thus, in his Firft Book againfl: /]ppiou : " This Berofusy
*' following the moft antient Writings, relates, in the fame
«' Manner as Mo/cs, the tliftory of the Flood, the Eeftnidtion of
*' Mankind, the Ark or Cheft in which No^ih, the Father
** of Mankind was preferved, by its reiling on the Top of
*' the Mountains cf Amenia." After having related the
Kiftory of the Deluge, Berofus adds thefe Words> which we
find in the fame Jofephus, Book ]. and Chap. 4. of his Antient
Hiliory : " It is reported that Part of the Ship now remains in
*' Armenia, on the Gor^'^^;/ Mountains, and that fome bring
" Pitch from thence, which they ufe for a Charm."

{K) Abj'denus's of Affyria, &-c.] Eufehius has preferved
the Place in the Ninth Book of his Preparat. Chap. 12. and
Cyril'vn. his Firft Book againft Julian. " After whom reigned
•' many others, and then Sif.thrm, to whom Saturn fignificd
*' there (hould lie an Abundance of Rain on the fifteenth Day
" of the Month Dcfus, and commanded him to lay up all
*' his Writings in Heliopolis, a City of the Sippariam ; whch
" when Siftihrus had done, he failed immediattly into Arme-
*' via, and found it true as the God had declared to him.
*' On the third Day after the Waters abated, he font out Birds
*• to try if the Water was gone off any Part of the Earth ;
*' but they finding a vaft Sea, and having no where to reft, re-
*' turned back to Sijiihrns : In the fame Manner did others :
*' And again the third- Time (when their Wings were daubed
" over with Mud). Then the God;; took him from among
" Men ; and the Ship came into Anneffia, the Wood cf which
*' the People there ufe for a Charm." Sijithrus and O^xgcs,
and Diuca'lio)!, arc all Names fignifying the fame Tling in
other Languages, as hiaah does in the HebrtiUy in which Mo-
jes wrote ; v/ho fo exprcfFsid proper Names, that the Hebrc-wS
might underftand the Meaning of them : For Inftance, ^/r.r-
/7/?dVr the Plirtorian, writing Vy^^f in (Jnef:, calls him TjAfc'Tci^
Laughter, as we learn from Eujchiiis; and many fuch like, we
meet with among t!)e Hiftorians ; as Philo concerning Re-
wards and Punilhments : " 1 lie Qreeki call him Deucalion,
*• the Chaldcons, Noacb, in whofc Time the great Flood hap-
*' penod." It is the Tradition of the Egyptians, as Diothms
teUifies in his Firft Book, that the univerfal Deluge was that
of Datcalio::. Pliuy h)"i it reached as far as lir/'y. Book IIL

Chap.

Seel. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 49

AJfyria, [a) who mentions the Dove that was fcnt
out of the Ark; and in Plutarch from the Greeks-,

and

Chap. 14. But to return to the Tranflation of Names into
other Languages, there is a remarkable Place in Plato's Cri-
/w/ concerning it : *' Upon the Entrance of this Difcourfe,
" it ma)- be neceflary (fays he) to premife the Reafon, left
•* you be furprifed when you hear the Names of Barbarians
" in Greek. \\'\-\cx\ Solon put this Relation into Verfe, he en-
♦« quired into the Signification of the Names, and found that
" the firft Egyptians, who wrote of thefe Matters, tranflated.
*' them into their own Language; and he likewife fearching
" out their true Meaning, turned them into our Language."
The Words of Abxdemis agree ^vith thofe of Alexander the
Hiftorian, which Cjril has preferved in his forementioned
Firft Book againft Julian : " After the Death of Otiartes,
*' his Son Xijuthrus reigned eighteen Years ; in whofe Time,
** they fay, the great Deluge was. It is reported that Xi/uth~
*' rus was preferved Ify Saturn's foretelling him what was
" to come; and that it was convenient for him to build an
** Ark, that Birds and creeping Things, and Beafts might
*♦ fail with him in it." The Moft High God is named by the
AJfyrians, and other Nations, from that particular Star of the
Seven (to ufe Tacitus's Words) by which Mankind are go-
verned, which is mo\ed in tlie higheft Orb, and witli the
greateft Force: Or cerrainly the «iVr/fft Word, *;'« //, which
lignifies God, was therefore tranflated Kpci'®-, Kronos, by the
Greek Interpreters, becaufe he was called \''^ II by the Syri-
ans. Pkilo Biblius, the Interpreter of Sauchiviathon, hath
thefe Words: Illus, ^jjho is called Saturn. He is quoted by
Enjebins : In whom it immediately follows from the fame
Fhilo, That Kronos n.>jas the Jame the Phoenicians call Ifrael ;
but the Miftake was in the Tranfcriber, who put "iT^a.ny^, for
iX II, which man}' Times amongft the Greek Chriftians in his
Contraction of '^(rpu-ziX ; whereas *A is, as we have obfcrved,
what the Syrians call ^'j^ //, and the Hebre-v h^ El. (It
o'jght not to be overlooked, that in this Hiftory Deucalion,
who was the fame Perfon as Noah, is called u,'i-/,'f TTvi'^oic, that
is, nOTi^ ti'l« rt Man of the Earth, that is, a tlujhaj'.d-man»
See iViX Notes upon Gen. ix. 20. Le Clcrc.)

[a] Who tnentions the Doi-e, Scc.'] In his Book where he
enquires which have moft Cunning, Vv'ater or Land Ani-
mals. " They fiiy Deucalion's Dove, which he fent out of
" the Ark, difcovercd, at its Return, that the Storms were
" abated, and the Heavens clear." It is to be obferved,
both in this Place of Plutarch's, and in that of Alexander the
E Hiftorian,

50 OF THE TRUTH OP^ THE Book I.

(a) and in Lucian^ who fays, that in Hierapolis of
Syriay there was remaining a mofl: anticnt Hiftory
of the Ark, and of the prefervinga few not only
of Mankind, but alfo of other living Creatures.

The

Hiftorian, as well as in the Book of Nkolaus Damafccmis, and
the Writers made ufe of by '^I heophilus Antiochemis in his Third
Book, that the Greek Word Aofpvee| Laruax, anfwers to the He~
bre'vj Word nm Tebah, and fo Jcjfephus tranflatcs it.

[a) y^W/tt Lucian, &c.] In his Book concerning the God-
defs of Syria, where having begun to treat of the very ancient
Temple of Hierapolis, he adds: ♦' They fay this Temple
** was founded hy Deucalion the Scjthian, that Deucalion, in
** whofe Days the Flood of W'ater happened. I have heard
" in Greece the Story of this Deucalion from the Greeks them-
" felves, which is thus: The prefent Generation of Men is
*' not the original one, for all that Generation perifhed ; and
" the Men which now are, came from a fecond Stock, the
** whole Multitude of them defcending from Deucalioji. Now,
*• concerning the firft Race of Men, they relate thus : They were
*' very obftinare, and did very wicked Things; and had no
*' Regard to Oaths, had no Hofpitality or Charity in them ;
*' upon which Account many Calamities befel them. For,,
•' on a fudden. The Earth fent forth Abundance of Water,
*• great Showers of Rain fell, the Rivers overflowed exceed-
** ingl}-, and the Sea oveifpiead the Earth, {o that all was
" turned into Water, and every Man perifhed; Deucalion
" v,as only faved alive, to raife up another Generation, be-
** caufc of his Prudence and Piety. And he was prcfervcd
** in this Maivner: He and his Wives, and his Children, cn-
** tercd Into a large Ark, which he had prepared; and after
" them went in Bears, and Horfes, and Lions, and Serpents,
" and all other Kinds of living Creatures, that feed upon the
♦' Earth, two and two ; he received them all in; neither did
" they hurt him, but vvere very familiar with him, by a di-
** vine Influence. Thus they failed in the fame Ark, as
'♦ long as the Water remained on the Earth : This is the Ac-
" count the Greeks give of Deticaliou. Now concerning what
** happened afterwards : 'i here was a ftrange Story related
" by the Inhabitants of Hierapolis, of a great Hole in the
" Earth, in that Country, which received all the Water; after
** which, Deucalion built an Altar, and reared a Temple to
•' y/.w over the Hole; I faw the Hole myfclf; it is but a
•• fmall one, under the Temple; whether it was larger for-
*' merly, I know rot ; I am fure this which I faw, was bur
" fmall. To preferve this Story; they performed this Cere-
*' mony : Twice every Year Water is brought from the Sea into

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RFXIGION. 51

The fame Hiftory was extant alfo in (a) Molo and
m (b) NicolausDamaJicnus ; which latter names the
Ark, which we alfo find in the Y{\^oxy o{ Deiica-
lion in Apollodorus : And many Spaniards affirm,
that in feveral (cj PsLvts of America, as Cuba, Me-
choacana, Nicaraga, is preferved the Memory of
the Deluge, the faving alive of Animals, efpecially
the Raven and Dove; and the Deluge itfelf in that
Part called Golden Cafiile. (d) That Remark of
E 2 Pliny's

•* the Temple; and not only the Priefts, but all the People of
•* 6>/7« and Arabia fetch it; many go, even from the River
" Euphrates as far as the Sea to fetch Water, which they pour
" out in the Temple, and it goes into the Hole, v/hich, though
** it be but fmall, holds a vaft Qnantity of Water : When they
*' do this, the}- fiy it was a rite inftituted by Deucalioii, in Me-
" niory of that Calamity, and his Pr.;fervation, This is the
** ancient Story of this Temple."

(a) In Molo, c^c] Enjebnis relates his Words in his Ninth
Book o^ tht Go/pel Freparatio/i, Chap. ig. " At the Deluge,
** the Man and his Children that efcaped, came out of Ar-
*' mejiia, being driven from his own Country by the Inhabi-
*' tants, and having pafied through the Country betu'een,
'' went into the mountainous ^dxi-i, oi Sjria, whioli was thea
*' uninhabited."

(b) Nicolaus Damr.fceitus &c.] yofrjJjMs gives US his Words
out of the Ninety-fixth Book of his U7ih;erjal Hijiory, in ths
fore-cited Place : " There is above the City Mwyas, (whic^
" Strabo and Pliny call Milyas,) a huge Mountain in Ar^?teniay
" called Balls, on which they fay a great many were faved
" from the Flood, particularly One, who was carried to the
" Top of it by an Ark; the Reliques of the Wood of which
" was preferved a great while : I believe it was the fame Man
•' that Mofes the Lawgiver of the Je^s mentions in his Hif-
•' tory." To thefe Writers we may add Jerom the Egyptian,
who wrote the Affairs of Phcenicia and Mnafeus, mentioned by
Jofephns, And perhaps Eupokmii:, which Eujchiu; quotes out
ot Alexander the Hiltorian, in his Go/pel Preptaral ton, Eook IX.
Chap. 17.

fcjFarts of America, &c.J See Jojephus Acojla, and Ante-
nius Herrera.

(d) That Remark r/ Pliny's, &C.J Book V. Chap. 13. Mela
and Solimus agree with Plitiy. Compare it U'ith that which vvc
huvc quoted out of Ahjdenus,

53 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

Pliny'Sy that Joppa was built before the Flood,
difcovers what Part of the Earth Men inhabited
before the Flood. The Place where the Ark
relied after the Deluge [a] on the Gryn/v^w/ Moun-
tains, is evident from the conrtant Traditionof the
Armenians from all paft Ages, down [b) to- this
very Day. {c) Japhcty the Father of the £/^ro-
pfiins, and from him, Jon^ or, as they formerly
pronounced it, (d,^. Javon of the Greeks^ and

Hanimon

[a) Oh the Gordysean Mountains, ivX.] Which Mofes calls
Ararafh, the Chaldcean Interpreters tranflated it A'^jy/// ; Joje-
phns Gorduean; Cor I ins, Cord^ean; Slrabo writes it (jordi^can,
Book XVII. and Plitiy, Book VI. and Ptokm^us. (Thefc. and
what follows in relation to the facred Geography and the
Founders of Nations, fince thefe of Gro/ins were piililiflied, are
with great Pains and much more Accuracy' fcarched into hv
Sam. Bicburt, in his Sacred Geography , which add Weight to
Grotiiis's Arguments. Le Clerc.J

{b) To this n.-ery Day, &C.] Theoph'ilus Antiocherms fays, in
his Ihird Book, that the ReUques of the Ark where llie^vn in
liis Time, And Epiphanius againft the Nazarites ; " The
" Reliques of Koah's Ark are fliewn at this 'lime, in the Rc-
" gion of the Cordi^ans :" And Chry illiom , in his Oration of
Tn-fcd Love: and Ijidore, Book XIV. Chap. 8. of his Aniiqui.
ties: " Ararath, a Mountain in Armenia, on which Hifto-
" ries teftify the Ark refted; where at this Day are to be fecn
" fomc Marks of the Wood." Vv'e may add the Words of Haitou
Armenian, Chap. 19. " There is a Mountain in Armenia,
" higlier than any other in the whole World, which is com-
" monlv called .Iramth, on the Top of which Mountain the
•' Ark firR reltcd afrer the Deluge." !See the Nubian Geographer,
and Benjamin's Itinerary.

[c] Japhei t Sec .~\ It is the very fame word dd» Japhetk;
for the verv fame L.etter d is by fome pronounced like tt p, by
others * ph; and the like Difference is now preferred among the
Germans and Dutch. Jcroni upon Daniel has obferved this o-f
tlx Hebrew Letter.

{d) Javan, &c.] For I'^onj iaones is often found amongfl:
the ancient Writers. The Pcrjian in Arijiophanes's Play,
called Acharnevfes, pronounces it (««►«•; iaonan. Now it was
a vers ancient Cuflom to put a Digamma betvreen twc> Vow-
el», which afterwards began tu be wrote l»y a /', formerly

thus

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 53

(a) Hammon of the///'r/Vvz;/.c, are Names to be fecn in

MofeSy (b) and Jofephus2a\di others obferve the like

E 3 Footfteps

thus F. In like Manner that which was «i-k'; nnos, is now
«CD? aos, and ijai? tos, rnvaxi tams, Taai taos, a Peacock ; tb5
^EAAijusj; KslXHiTfj tctSvui, the Greeks are called iaunas. Suidas.

(«) Hammon, &c.] For the Greeks fometimes render the
Hcbre-M Letter n Chdh by an Afpirate, and fometimes omit it ;
as manvn Chatz.nrmuth, 'AJpiauTT®- AdramyttGs, or 'A^i-
(/.'JTT®", Hadrcunyttns ; mcDn Chachmoth, a.%iJ.oi& Achmutk in
'Trenieus, and others : min Cbnbra, a Companion, by the an-
cient Greeks Uo^a. abra; n'n Chajah, culas^ aion, an Age. nJn
Hanno or ^//«a; '?:7a"»Jn Hannibal or Annibal, '7:;-'vn //.'//-
drubal ox Ajdrnbal ; CD'iyn Cajhim; 'ci%'iSifjirv.: axoumiini, o)i, on
js a Gr<?i?-(' ending. This Perfon is transformed not only by the
Libyans, but alfo by any other Nations, into the Star Jupiter,
as a God. Lucan, Book IX.

Jupiter Ammon // /Z:;^ only God
Amongfi the happy A^rabs, arid amongji
The Indians and Ethiopians,

And the fi\cred Scripture puts Egypt amongfi: them. P/alm
Ixxvii. 51. cv. 23. 27. cvi. 22. Jerom, in his i/d- /5 mxv Tra-
ditions on G-mcfis, has thefe Words, " From whom, Egypt, at
" this very Day, is called the Country of Ham, in t\\^ Egyp-
*' tian Language."

[b] And ]ok\~A\us and others. Sec.'] He fa^'S, Tcjou^iXr^ Goma-
trts the Galatians, is derived from Iqj Gomar, where Pliny's
Town Cotnara is. The People of Comara we find in the FirJt
Book of' Mda. The Scythians are derived, from jua Magog,
•by whom the City Scythop'olis in Syria was built, and the other
•City Magog; Pliny, Book V. Chap. 25. which is called by
others Hkrapolis and Bainbycc. It is evident that the Medes
are derived from nn M^-d^/; and as we have already obferved,
Ja-'joncs, "Jaones, Jones, from fV Jauen. Jofcphns fays, the
Iberians in -:///« come from "^nn Thebal, in the Neighbour-
hood of whom Ptolemy places the City of Thabal, as }>referv-
ing the Marks of its ancient Original. The City Mnzaca,
mentioned by him, comes from ni^D Majach, which we find
in Strabo, Book XII. ar.d in Pliny, Book Vl. 3. and in Ammea-
?.'7ts Marcellinus, Book XX. Add to this the Mofchi, men-
tioned by Strabo, Book XI. and in the Firft and Third Book
of Mela,' whom Pliny calls Mojchini, Book VI. Chap, 9, and
wc find in them and Phny, the Mojchiean Mountains, Jo/e-
phus and others agree, that tlic Thracians were derived from

54. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

Footfleps in the Names of other Places and Na-
tions.

■DTD Tims, and tlie Word itfelf (hews it; efpecially if we ob-
fcrve, that the Cn-ek Lercer | ,r at firft anfwered to the Sjri-
ack Letter d /, as the place of it fiievvs. Concerning thofe
that are derived from I'JStr^^ Ajch(ma%, the Place is corrupt in
jfqfephiis; but without Doubt Afcania, a Part of t' I: ry gia ZVidi
Mjjia, menrioned in Homer, comes from thence ; concerning
which fee Strabo, Book XII. and Pliny, Bock V. Cha^^ 32.
The Jjcatiian Lake, and the River flowing from it, we find
in Strabo, Book XIV. and in Plifiy's forecitcd Fifth Book,
Chap. 32. The /1/caman Harbour is in Pliny, Book V. Ch. 30.
and the Afcatdau Iflands alfo. Book IV. Chap. 1 2. and Book
V, Chap. 31. Jofephui fays, the Paphlagonians are derived
from nan Ripath, by fome called PJpha!a.'ans, where Mela in
his Firil Book puts the Riphacians. The fame Joftphus tells
us, that the UaXi c. aioleis comes from "cwL'ihm Alijlah; and the
Jerujalem Paraphraft agrees with him, in naming the Greeks
Moliaus, putting the Part for the Whole ; nor is it much un-
like Hella the Name of the Country. The fame Jofephus
alfo fays that the Cilicians are derived from >r'lt>in Tmjhijhy
and proves it from the City Tmfns; for it happens in many
Places, that the Names of ihe People are derived from the Names
cf Cities. We have before hinted, that KiVtioi' Kuiion, is
derived from cmno Chitim. '\\\<t /Ethiopians are called Chu-
feaus by themfi Ives, and their Neighbours, from u;tD Chr^Jk,
now ; as Jojephiis cbfervcd they were in his Time ; from
whence there is a River fo called bj' Ptoh/ny ; and in the Jra-
biiai Geographer, there are two Cities, v\ hich retain the fame
Name. So likewife Mic^p in Philo Eiblius, is derived from
Csnyn Mit^raim ; thofe which the Greeks call Egyptians, be-
ing called by themfelves and their Neighbours Mefori; and
the Name of one of their Months is M£o-<p«, Mcfri. Cedrcnus
calls the Country itftlf MsTf^, and yojephus rightly conjec-
tures, that the River of Mmtritnrna is derived from ms Phut,
P//>/}' mentions in the fame River, Book V. Chap. i. " Phut,
** and the neighbouring P^vz/wz/Tav/ Country, is fo called to
*• this Day." Jerom in his Htbreiv Traditions on Genr/Is,
fays, it is not far from Fej'a, the Name remaining even now.
The p'J3 Chmaun in M^.jes, is contratfted by Sauchuniaihon,
and from him by Phil') Eiblius, into X»^ Chna, you will find it
\nEnJebius's Preparation, Book. I. Chap. 10. and the Country
is called fo. Utephamts ciQ\\\z%, f.iys, C^;/^ was fo called by
the Phcenicinvs. And St. AnJU'i in his Book of l-lxpolitions
on the Epiillesto the Ro7navs, fays, in his Time, if the Coun-
try People that lived at Hipp!> v. ere aftcd v\'ho they were, they
anfwered, Canamiites. And in that Place of Eupo'ef/ius, cited
6 . by

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION 55

tions. And which of the Poets is it, in which we

E 4 do

hy Eufebim, Fyepar. IX. 17. \\\^ Cnnaanites 2.Xt Z2\\tA Mcjirai-
mites. Ptoletnys Regima in Arabia Felix, is derived from
Ti'i:iV''\ Raamah, by changing i; into y g, as in Gomorrha and
other Words. Jofephus deduces the Sabins, from «ao Saba, a
known Nation, whofe chief City Sirabo fays. Book XVI.
was Saba, where Jofephus places the Sabatctn, from nnSD Sa-
batah; there Pliny places the City Sobotale, Book VI. Chaj). 28.
The Word crjon? Lehabim, is not much different from the
Name of the Lybians; nor the Word O'nnaj Nephaihim from
Nepata, a City of Ethiopia, mentioned by Pliny, Book VI.
Chap. 29. Nor Ptolemy's Nepata, or the Pharnfi in P//«v,
Book V. Ch. 8. from O'Diya Phatfiraf.m, the fame as Plole-
tny^s Phanriijlans in Ethiopia. The City Sidoii, famous in all
Poets and Hiftorians, comes from n'Y Tzidon. And Ptolemy's
Town Gorofa, from 'tt^nj Gcrgajhi : And ./frc^, a City of the
Phcznicians, mentioned by Ptole?ny and Pliny, Book V. Cb. j8.
'pniT ^^r/(/. And AraJus, an ifland mentioned in Strabo, Book
XVI. and /*////,v. Book V. Chap, 20. and Ptolemy in >S)'r;a from
mix Arodi; and Amnchus o'[ Arabia, mentioned hy Herodotus
in his Euterpe ?csA Thalia, from ^n'on Namathi ; and the £/y-
?«/Vi'^, Neighbours to the Medes, from a'^'ir Eelim, mentioned
by 6'/ra^7,. Book XVI. P//>/>', Book V. Ch. 26. and Liuy,
Book XXXVII. Their Defcendants in Phrygia are called
Elymites by Athenaus, Book IV. Every one knows, that the
Ajjyrians are derived from 11«;« AjLur, as the Lydians are from
m':' Z«^; from whence comes the Latin Word Ludi. Thofe
which by the Greeks are called Syrians, from the City liv Tzur,
are called Aramites to this Day from D1X Aram : For v /2; is
fometimes tranflated r /, and fometimes <r/; whence the Citv
nv Tz-ir, which the Greeks call Tyre, is by Ennius called Sar-
ra, and by others Sina and "TV;/^. Strabo, Book XVI. to-
wards the End : " The Poet mentions the Arimites, whom
*' Pojftdonius would have us to underftand, not to be any Part
*' of Syria, or Cilicia, or any otlier Country, but Syria it-
*' felf." And again. Book XIII. " Some mean Syrians by
" Arimites, whom they now call Arimites," And in the
Firft Book: " For thofe we call Syrians, are by themfelves
" called Aramites." The Country Aufanitis, mentioned by
th^ Seventy in Job, is derived from •^•\r\ Hutz. Arijio'us calls
it Aujlias. And the City Cholla, placed by Ptolemy in Syria,
from h\r\ Choi; and the City Gindarus in PirAemy, from nnj
Geher; and the Gindarcn People in Pliny, Book V. Chap. 23.
in Ccelia-Syri^. And the Mountains Majias, not far from
Nijibus, mentioned by Strabo, Book XI. and Ptolemy, in Me-
Jopotamia, is derived from u?» Majh, The Names jnp» Jok-

tm

56 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

do not find Mention made of the (a) Attempt to

climb

t(7fi, and rrnivn Hmzorajnuth, and fVin Iklau, are repre-
fented by the Arabian Geographers, under the Names oF Bal-
/atjaktan, Iladramuth, and Charilon ; as the learned Capell ob-
fcrves. The River 0//'«r; and the People called Upbariies,
near Mo-o/w, Plni)', Book VI. ■7. if I niiftake not, reiaiii the
Name idi^ Ophar; and thofe Cities, which Mojes mentions
in this Place, appear to be the inoft ancient, by comparing of
Authors. Every one knows from whence Babjlon is derived.
"1"T« Jiach in Jiacca, placed by PioLvny, in Sufiana; from
whence come the Araaean Fields in TibnUus, as the famous
Salwofius, a Man of vaft reading, obferxcs. Acabene, a Cor-
ruption of Acadeiie, is derived from n3« Ahad, as is proba-
bly conjeftured by. /^?-<7//r/yr/// Junius, a diligent Interpreter of
Scripture, who has obferved many of thofe Things ue have
been fpeaking of. nj'?3 Chalnah is the Town of Caunifus on
the River Euphrates, uhofe Name Aimniauus tells us, in his
Twenty-third Book, continued to his Time. The Land iJc;
Scnaar, is the Babylonian Seuuaas, in Hafti^us Mile/ins, which
Place Jrjfephushas prefervedin his Aufieui Hijtory, Book I. Ch. 7,
and in his CAr<7«/ro7/; as has Eu/ibius in his Preparation. He
wrote the Affairs of Phceuicia ; whom alfo Stephens had read.
Again jj being changed into v gi Ptolemy from hence calls the
Mountain Siugams in Mcjopotamia. And Phry mentions the
Town Singara, Book V. Chap. 24. and hence the Singarauuau
Country in Sextus Rufus, njJ'J yiufveh is undoubtedly the jSiuos
of the Greeks contracted; thus in Sardauapalus^s Epitaph.

/ ivho great Ninus ruPd am noiu but Dujl,
The fame we find in Thcognis and Strabo, Book XVI. and
Pliny, Book XI. Chap. 13. whofe Words are thefe. " Niuus
*' was built upon the River Tigris, towards the Weft, a beau-
" tiful City to behold."' Luean, Book III. " Happy AVz/.v/
•' as Fame goes," The Countr\- Caliieh<na has its Name
from the principal City n'7D Chala: Utrabo, Book XI. and
afterwards, in the Beginning of Book XVI |Dn RefjH is. Re-
J'aina\n Ammiauus, Book XXIII. .S/^/w/ every one knows, nyi;
Azzah, is without Doubt rendered Gaza in Pale/fine, by
changing, as before, the Letter ]? into v g: It is mentioned
b) S.'rabo, Hook X\T. and Mela, Book I. who calls it a kirgc
jind well fortified Town; and Pliny, Book XV. Ch. 13. arjd
Book VI. Chap. 28. and elfewhere. mSD Sophirah, is Heiio-
pol;s, a Cit\' of the Sipparians, in that place of Abybcnus, now
quoted. Sippara is by Ptolevy placed in Mrhpota/nia, "IIN Vr
is the Caftle Ur, mentioned by Ammianu^ Book XXW I^^
Carnn is Carra, famous for the flaugliter of the Crajji.

(a) The Attempt to-efimb the Hcavfus, Sec] b^ee IPmer, Od) f.
-.0. and Ovid's M-.tamorpl-ofts, Book J.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 57

climb the Heavens? [a)Diodorus Siculiis,ih)Stral;o,

Tacitiisy

"The Giafits by Report ^Monld Hea-ven ha--veJionn''d.
See alfo Virgil's Firfl: Georgkl, and Lncau, Book VII. It is a
frequent Way of fpeaking amongft all Nations, to call thofe
Things which are raifed above the common Height, Thhigs
reaching to Hea'vai, as we often find in Horner, and Dent. i. 29.
and ix. i. "Jofeplms quotes one of the Sybils, I know not
which, concerning the unaccountable Building of that Town;
the Words are thefe: " When all Men fpoke the fame Lan-
" guage, fome of them built a vail high Tower, as if they woukl
" afcend up into Heaven ; but the Gods fent a Wind, and over-
" threw the Tower, and afligned to each a particular Lan-
" guage; and from hence the Citv of Babylon was fo called."
And 'Eii/ebius in his Preparation, Book IX.' Chap. 14. Cyril^
Book I. againft 7/^//(7//, quotes thefe Words out o\ Abydenns\
" Some fay, that the firll: Men who fprung out of the Earth,
" grew proud upon their great Strength and Bulk, and boalted
*• that they could do more than the Gods, and attempted to
" build a Tower, where Babylon now ftands; but when it came
*' nigh the Heavens, it was overthrown upon them by the
" Gods, with the Help of the "Winds, and the Ruins are called
" Babylon. Men till then had but one Language, but the Gods
" divided it, and then began the VVar betwixt Saturn and
" Titan.'' Jt is a falfe Tradition of the Gm^j,~that Babylon
was built bv Soniramis, as Beroftts tells us in his Chnldaicks, and
Jofephusin his Firft Book againft Appion; and the fame Error is
refuted bv' Julius Firmicns, out of Philo Biblius, and Dor^^thcui
Sidonius. See alfo what Eufcbins produces out of E/ipolemns^
concerning the Giants and the Tower, in \\\i, G-iJpel Frcparat,
Book XX. Chap. 17.

{a) Diodorus 'Sicul/a, 5:c.] Book XIX. where he defcribcs
the Lake .:///>,f^/ /////.'• : " The neighbouring Country burns with
" Fire, the ill Smell of which makes the Bodies of the Inha-
••' bitants ilckly, and not very long lived.'" (Sec more of this
in our Dijjl-rtation added to fje Fentatjuch, concerning the burn-
ing of S.dom. Li Clerc. )

[b] Sirabo, dc] Book XVI. after the Defcription of the
Lake Ajphaltiiis : " There are many Signs of this Country's
*' being on Fire; ^ox 2\wwt Madaja they Ihow many c ragged
" and burnt Rocks, and in many Places Caverns eaten in.
*' and Ground turned into Afhes, J^rops of Pitch filling
"' from the Rocks, and running Waters ftinking to a great
" Oiftance, and their Habitations overthrown ; which makes
" credible a Report amongit the Lihabitants, tliat formerly
" there were thirteen Cities inhabited there, the chief of

*' which

5^ OF TPIE TRUTH OF THE Book L

(d) Tacitus, {b) Pliny, {c) Solinus, fpeak
of the Burning of Sodom, {d) Herodo/us, Dio-

dorns,

*' which was Sodotr, fo brge as to be fixty Furlongs round ;
*' but by Earthquakes and Fire breaking out, and by hot Waters
" mixed with Bitumen and Brimftone, it became a Lake, as we
*' now fee it ; the Rocks took Fire, fome of the Cities were
«' fwallowed up, and the otliers forfaken by thofe Inhabitants
*' that could flee away."

[a] Tacilus, &c.] In the Fifth Book of his Hiftor}' ; " Not
*' far from thence are thofe Fields which are reported to have
*' been formerly very fruitful and had large Cities built in
*' them, but they were burnt by Lightening; the Marks of
" which remain; in that the Land is of a burning Nature,
" and has loft its FruitRrlnefs. For every Thing that is
*' planted, or grows of itfelf, as foon as it is come to an Herb
*' or Flower, or grown to its proper Bignefs, vanifces like Duft
•' into nothing."

(/;) Plh/j, &c.] He defcri'oes the Lake Ajphahitisy Book V.
Chap. \6. and Book XXXV. Chap. 15.

(f) Solhms, Sec.'] In the 36th Chap, of SaIm<7fius'sEdi\t\0T\',
«' At a good Diftar.ce from'^Ji-nv/'/?/*',-//, a difmal Lake extends
" itfelf,'' which was iiruck by Light::'ning, as appears from the
«« black Earth burnt to Allies. There were two Towns there.
•' one called Sodom, the other Gomnrrah ; the Apples, that grow
*' there, cannot be eaten, though tliey look as if they were
" ripe; for the outward Skin inclofes a Kind of footy Aflies,
*' which prefled by the lealt Touch, flics out in Smoke, and
*« vaniOies into fine Duft."

{d) Herodotus, &c.} With fome little Miftake. The Words
are in his Euterpe : " Oriv,inally only the Colcbians, and
*' Egyptians, and Ethiopians were circumcifed. For the T'hce-
« iiicians and Syrians in PahjTme, conftfs they learned it from
"" the Egyptians. And the Syrians who dwell at Thermodoon,
*• and on the Farthcnian Ri\ er, ar.d the Macrons, their Ncigh-
" bonrs, fay, they learnt it of the Colhians. For thefe arc
" the only Men that are circumcifed, and in this Particular
« a'^rce v.'ith the Egyptians. But concerning the Ethiopians
*« and Egyptians, I cannot affirm pofitively, which learned it
" of tho'other.' Jofephus rightly obfcrves, that none were
circumcifed in Pahjhne Syria, but the Je^ivs; in the Eighth
Book, Chap. i^. of his Antient IJiJhry, and Firft Book ag;unll
jlppion. Concerning which 7<-t<'/; Jwvaial fays, " They take
'• off the Forcikiii';" and Tacitus, " that they inftitute'd cir-
*' cunKifine tbemfelves, that they might be kno\i'n by fuch
^ " DilHnetion:"

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 59

dorusy (a) Strabo, (b) Philo Bihlius (c) tcftify the
ancient Cuftom of Circumcilion, which is con-
firmed by thofe Nations (d) defcended from Abra^

ham,

** Diftinaion:" See Srabo, Book XVII. But the Jc^ws are
fo far from confeffing that they derived this Cuftom from the
Eg)'piians, that, on the contrary, they openly declare, that
the Egyptians learnt to be circumcifed of Jnjeph. Neither
were all the Egjpuans circunxifed, as all the Jeivs were, as
we may fee from the Example oi Appio/z^ who was an Egyptimi,
in Jofephus. Herodotus undoubtedly put the Phcenicimis for
the Idumaans ; as Ariftophancs does in his Play called the BirdSf
where he calls the Egyptians and Phoenicians, The circumcifed.
A?nmcfiius of the Difference of Words, fays, " The Iduma^ans
*• were not origi rally Je^vs, but Phoenicians and Syrians."
Thofe £/^«//V?//T which were circumcifed, were of the Pofterity
of Ketnrah., as fhall be obferved afterwards. The Colchians
and their Neighbours were of the Ten Tribes that Salmanafar
carried a«'ay, and from thence fome came into Thrace. Thas
the Scholiofi on Arijiophanes's Acharnevjes , faj-s, *' That the
*' Nation of the Odatnants is the fame as the Thraciajis; they
" are faid to be Jevjs:" Where, by Jews, are to be under-
ilood, improperly, Hebreivs, asis ufual. Vaom the. Ethiopians ^
Circumcifion went crcfs the Sea into the New World, if it be
true what is faid of the Rite's being found in many Places of
that World. (The learned Bifpute whether Circumcifion was
inftituted hu^ amongfi the Egyptians or aniongft the jcnvs, con-
cerning which fee my Notes upon Genejis xvii. 30. Le Clerc.J

[a] Dindorm, &'C.] Book I. of the Colchians: " That this
** Nation fprang from the Egyptians, appears from hence, that
" they are circumcifed after the Manner of the Egyptians'^
*' which Cuftom remains amongft this Colony, as it does
" amongft the yeivs." Now fmce the Hebrews were of old
circu mcifed ; it no more fellows from the Chokians being cir-
cumcifed, that they fprang from the Egyptians, than that they
fprang from the Phbreivs, as wc affirm they did. He tells us.
Book il I. that the Troglodiies were circumcifed, who were a Part
of tlie Ethiopians,

(b) Strabo, Sec.'] Book XVI. concerning the Troglodites :
*« Some of thefe are circumcifed, like the Egyptians." In the
fame Book he afcribes Circumcifion to the Je^vs.

{c) Philo Bihlius, &-c.] Ill the YT^le Ci{ Saturn, \n EttJcbiuSy
Book J. Chap. 10.

[d) Defcended fro?n Abraham, 8cc.'] To which Ab^-aham, that
the Preccnt of Circumcifion was firft of all gi\en, Theodoms

tells

fio OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 1,

ham, not only Ht'hmvSy but alfo (a) IdumteanSy
IJmadites (b) ami others (c). The Hiftoryof y:/^r^-

haniy

tells ns in his Poem upon the Jcw'; out of which EttjSius
has preferved thefe Verfes in his Go/pel Preparation, Book IX.

Chap. 2 2.

He nvhofrom Home the riohttous Abraham brought,
Cof/imaiuL'd him and all his Hoiife, ivi'h Knife,
To circHmcije the Forcjlin. He obeyed.

(a) hhimaans, &t.] So called from Efau, who is called
Outrw»? Ou/oos, by Philo Bibliits. His other Name was Edom,
which the Greeks traaflated ''£p:/('f«cv Ernthran, from whence
comes the Erxthrunn Sea, becaufe the ancient Dominions of
LJau and' his Poftcrity extended fo far. They who are igno-
rant of their OriginaJ^ confound them, as we obferved, with
the Pheeniciatis, Ammrjuius favs, the Idiimceans were circum-
cifed ; and fo does Jnjiin, \\\ his Dialogue with Trvpho; and
E.piphnnius againft the 'Ehianil,"}. Part of thefe wtxzHonu rites,
«vh-1, Epiphaiiiiis againft the Ebionites tells us, were circumcifcd
in his Time.

(b ) Ifmneliles, kcl Thefe were circumcifcd of old, but on
the fame Year of their Age as Ij'mael. Jofephns, Book I.
Chap, 12. and 13. • " A Child was born to tliem, (viz. Abra-
»« ham and San'ii') when they were both \ory oKl, which they
" circumcifcd on the Eighth Day: and hence the Cuftom of
•' the Je'-Ms is, to circwnicife after fo many Days. But the
" yj'/-tfZ'7rt;« defer it Thirteen Years; ior 1/macl, the Father of
*' that Nation, who was the Child oi Abraham bv his Concu-
*' bine, was circumcifcd at that Age.'' Thus 0/7>^// in his
excellent Difcourfe againft Fate, which is extant in Eujebins,
Book VI. Chap. II. And in ihe Gw/- Collee^ion, whofe Title
is <I>;/.fly,£4/ii'c« ; " T dont know how this can be defended, that
*' there fliould be juft fuch a Pofition of the Stars upon every
*' one's Birth in Jndaa, that upon thf Eighth Day they muft
«' be circumcifcd, made fore, wounded, lamed, and fo in-
*' flamed, that they want the Help of a Phyfician, as foon as
•' thev come into the ^^'orld. And that thorc fliould be fuch a
^' Pofition of the Stars to the Ijmachies in Arabia, that they
"^ muft be all circumcifed when they are Thirteen Years old;
*« for fo it is reported of them." Epiphavins, in his Difpute
againft the Ebio-iites, rightly- explains thefe Ijmaeliics to be th«
Saracens, for the Saraans always obferved this Cuftom, and the
Turks had it from them.

fc 1 And others, SiC.'] NamcU thofethat drfeended from A", -
tttruh, conccrnin^^ whom there w ,\ t'uraous I'hjce ot Alci:a':J r

ill*

Sefl. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 6i

haniy JfaaCy Jacob and Jofeph^ agreeable withiV/o-
Jt's, (a) was extant of old in (b) Philo Biblius out

of

the Hiftorian in J^r/Zv/f, Book I. Chap. 16. v;h\c\\ Enfebius
quotes in his Gofbel Preparation, Book IX. Chap. 20. CleoJe-
mjis the Prophet, who is called Mcxkhus, in his Relation of
the Jevjs, gi\'es us the fame Hifton- as Mofes their Lawgiver,
viz. *' That Ahrahnrn had many Children bv Ketiirah, to three
" of which he gave the Names Jfer, Aj'er, and Afra. Af-
" J'yria is fo called from Affer; and from the other two, Afer,
*' and Afra, the City Afra, and the Country Africa is deno-
** minated. Thefe fought with Hercules againft Libya and
" AnUens. Then Hercules married his Daughter to Afra : He
** had a Son of her, whofe Name was Deodorus, of whom
** was born Sophon, whence the Barbarians are called Sa-
" phaces,"

Here the other Names, through the Fault of the Tran.
fcribOTs, heither agree with Mofcs, nor with the Books oi Joje-
fhus -dnA. Eitfe bills, as. we have them now. But A(pif is un-
doubtedly the fame as nsr Aphtr in Mojes. We are to under-
ftand by Hercules, not the Thebean Hercules, but the Phceniciaii
Hercules, much older, whom Phdo Eiblius mentions, quoted b\^
Eufebiiis often, in the forememioned loth Chapter of the Firll
Book of his Gcjpel Preparation. 7 his is that Hercules, who,
Salluji fays in his fngurthine War, brought his Army into
Africa. So that we fee whence the Ethiopian?, who were a great
Part of the Africans, had their Circumcifion, which they had
in Herodotus' s Time ; and e\ en now, thofe that are ChrilHans
retain it, not out of a religious Neceflity, but out of Rc-fped
to fo ancient a Cuftom.

(a) Was extant of old, &:c.] Scaliger thinks that feveral
Things which Eujebins has preferved out of Pbilo Biblius,
Certainly relate to Abraham: See himfelf in his Appendix
to the Emcudaiion of Time. There is lome Keafon to doubt
of ic.

fbj Philo Eiblius, &c.] Kow far we are to give Credit to
Philo's ^anchuniaihon, dees not yet appear; for the verj learned
Heurj Dad^will has rendered his Integrity very fufpicious ia
his Englijh Diilertation on Sanchuniaihi7i's Phcenician Hiliory,
publifhed at London, in the Year 1681, to whofe Arguments
v\e may add this, that in his Eragmetits there is an abfurd
Mixture of the Gods, unknown to the Eaftern Grecians in the
firll "J imes, with the Deities of the Pkcetiicians, which the
Straightnefs of Paper will not alluw rae to «iilarge upon
Li CUrc.

62 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book t.

of Sa7tcbuniathon^ in (a) BerofuSy (b) Hecataus,
(c) DamafcenuSy (d) Artapanns, EupolemuSy Deme-
iriusy and partly (e) m the antient Writers of the

Orphick

fa) Bcrofus, Sec.) Jofephiis has prefer\ed his Words in his
Ancient Hijiorj, Book I. Chap. 8. " In the tenth Generation
" after the Flood, there was a Man amongft the Chaldeans,
*' who was very Jiift and Great, and fought after Heavenly
«* Things." Now it is evident from Reafon, thac this ought
to be referred to the Time of Abraham.

(b) Hecatcsm, &c.] He wrote a Book concerning y^^r<z^<7OT»
which is now loft, but was extant in Jnjephm's Time.

(c) Damafcenusy &c.] Nkolam that famous Man, who was
the Friend of Augitftm and Herod, fome of whofe Reliques
were lately procured by that excellent perfon, Nicholas Peire-

fius\ by whofe Death, Learning and learned Men had a very
great Lofs. The Words of this Nicolaus Damnfcenus, Jofephus
relates in the forecited Place : " Abraham reigned in Damajcusy
»* being a Stranger who came out of the Land of the Chaldceans,
*• beyond Babylon; and not long after, he and thofe that be-
*' lon"^ed to hiin, vvent from thence into the Land called Ca-
** fiaati, but now Judaea, where he and thofe that defcended
•♦ from him dwelt, of whofe Affairs I (hail treat in another
*' Place. The Name oi Abraham is, at this Day, famous in
«« the Country about Damafcus, and they fhow us the Town,
*» which froni him is calied Abraham's Dwelling."

CaJ Artaparms, Eupolemus, &c.] EufebinsmVil, Preparation y
Book IX. Ch. i6, 17, 18, 21, 23. has quoted feveral Things,
under thefe Men's Names, out oi Alexander the Hiftorian, but
the Places are too long to be tranfcribed ; nobody hiis quoted
them before Enfebius. But the Fable of the Bethulians, which
Enfebius took out oi Philo Bihlius, Pnpar. Book I. Chap. 10.
came from the Altar of Bethel, built by Jacob, mentioned
Qc7i. XXX vi.

(d) In the ancient Writers, &c.] For cettainly thofe that we
find in Clemens Alcxandrimis, Strom. V. and Enfebius, Book XIII.
Chap. 12. can be underftood of no other.

The Maker of all Thif.'gs is knotvn to nonSy

But One of the Chaldean Race, his Sou

Only btgoiten, tvho ivill underfiood

The /tarry Orb, and by njohat La^ivs each Star

Mo'ves round the Earth, embracing all Things in it.

Where Abraham is called only begotten, as in Ifaah H. 2. in«
Achad, \\e have before feen in Hero/as, that .://»/ «/vzw was

famous

Sea. r5. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 65

Orphick Verfes ; and fomethingof it is ftlll extant
in {ayjiijliu^ ovMoiTrogus Pompciiis. [b) Byalmoft
all which, is related alfo the Hiftoiy oi Mofes,
and his principal Ads. The Orphick Verfes ex-
prefsly mention (c) his beingtaken out of the Wa-
ter,

famous for the ICnowIedge of AftroRomy ; and EupoJemus, in
Euftbhis fays of him, •' that he \vas the Inventor of Aftronomy
*• among the ChaUaans."

(a) /./ Jiiftin, &c.] Book XXXVI. Chap. 2. » The Orl-
*' ginal of the y^xt'j was from Domafcm, an eminent City ia
" Syria, of which afterwards Abraham and //r«f/ were Kings.'*
Tragus Ponipeius calls them Kings, as Nkolaus did ; hecaufe they
exercifed a Kingly Power in their Families; and therefore they
are called Anointed, Pfalm cv. i j.

{b) By almoft all --which, &c.] See Eufehius in tlie foremen"
tioned Book iX. Chap. 26, 27, 28. Thofe Things are trucf
which are there quoted out of Tragicits Judceus Ezechicl, Part
of which we find in Clemens Alexaudriwis, Strom. I. whore-
ports out of the Books of the Prielts, that an Egyptian was
flain at Mafes's Word; and Strotn. I. he relates fome Things
belonging to Mofrs, out of Artapauus, though not very exa^-
ly. Jiifit" out of Tragus Pompeius, fays of Mofes, " He was
•' Leader of thofe tiiat were banilhed, and took away the
" facred Things of the Egyptimis ; which they endeavouring
*• to recover by Arms, were forced by a Tempelt to return
" home; and that Mi/^i- having entered into his own Country
*' ol Damnfcrn, took Pc.TelTion of iVIount Av/ri» ;" and what
follows, vvhich is a Mixture of Truth and Falfehood, were
we find Arvas v»'ritten by him, it fhould be read Amas, who
is Aaron, not the Son, as he imagines, but the Brother oi Mofcs,
and a Pried.

{c) His being tnlen cut of the Water, &c.] As the great Sca-
/;W/- has mended the Placf". ; who with a very little Variation
of the Shape of a Letter, inilead of i/Aovsm? hidogenes, as it is
quoted out of Ariji'jbulns, by Eicfebins, in his- Go/pel Preparat.
Book Xlll. Chap. 12. bids us read uJisysrus hmlogenes, burn of
the Water. So that the Verfes are thus : .

So nvas it /aid of old, Jo he commands

Who is horn of Water, 'vjho recciv d fro7n God

The tivo great Tables of the Moral Law.

The ancient Writer of the Orphick Verfes, whoever he was,
.-idded thefe Words, af^er he had faid, that there was but one
God to be worfiiipped, who was the Creator and Governor of

the V/orld.

64. OF THE TRUTH OF THE I3ook L

tcr, and the two Tables that were given him by
God. To thefe we may add (a) Polemon : (6) And
feveral Things about his coming out of Ep'pt^
from the Egyptian Writers, Manctho, Lrjima-
chiiSy Chceremon. Neither can any prudent Man
think it at all credible, that M<9/t'j, [c) who hadfo
many Enemies, not only of the Egyptians^ but
alfo of many other Nations, as the {d) Idmnceans^

Arabians^

{n) Polemov, &c.] He feems to have lived in the Time of
Ttolemy Epiphnnes ; concerning which, fee that very ufeful
Book of the famous Germrd VoJJius, of the Greek Hiftorians.
Afrka7ius fays, the Greek Hiftories were wrote by him ; which
is the fame Book Aiheuans calls, *Y^X>m¥,-/.o'i . His Words are
thcfe: " In the Reign oi Apis the Son of Phoroneus, Part of
•' the Egyptian Army went out of Egypt, and dwelt in Syrian
" called Pnlefiincy not far from Arabia." As Africanus pre-
ferved the Place of Polc?no7i, fo Eufebius, in his Chronology,
prefervcd that o{ Africamis.

{b) And /e-ceral Thifigs, kc] The Places ^rt \n Jofiphus
againft Appion, with abundance of FaHitie;:, as coming from
People who hated the 'Je-ivs ; and from hence Tacitus took his
Account of them. But it appears from all thefe comjiared
togctlier, that the Hebrei<j defcended from the Ajjynans, and
poifefling a great Part of Egypt, led the Life of ihepherds ;
but afterwards being burthened with hard Labour, they came
out of Egypt under the command of Mo/es, fome of the Egyp-
tians accompau) ing them, and went through the Country of
the Arabians, unto PaUjline Syria, and there fet up Rites con-
trary to thofe of the Egyptians : But Jojephus in that learned
Book has furprlzingly Ihewn, how the Egyptian Writers, in
the F;iliitits which they have, here and there, mixed with
this llillory, differ with one another, and fome with thcm-
felves, and how many Ages the Books of Mofcs exceed theirs ia
Antiquity.

[() Who had fo many E/;e>;ii s, >xc.] Fro.m whom thcv went
awa)', by Force, wliofe Laws the Jcivs abolilhed concerning
the implacable Hatred of the £o-v//w// agamft the Jeeves; fee
Philo againrt Elaccus, and in liis Entbajfy \ and "Jujiphus in each
Book againft xlppiw.

(d) The Idumaeans, <S:c.] Who inherited the ancient Hatred
between "Jacob and E/au; whicli was increafed from a new
Caufe, when the Idumaans denied the ILbreivs a PalTage,
Numb. xx. 14.

Sed. i5. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 6^

(a) Arabians and [b] Fhcsnicians^ would venture
to relate any Thing concerning the Creation of
the World, or the Original of Things, which
could be confuted by more antient Writings, or
was contradicflory to the ancient and received
Opinions : Or that he would relate any Thing of
Matters in his own Time, that could be con-
futed by the Teftimony of many Perfons then
alive, [c) Diodoriis SiculuSy and [d) Slraho, and

Pliny,

[a) Arabians, Sec.'] Thofe I mean, that defcended from
Jj'mael.

[b) Phwnicians, &c.] Namely, the Canaanites, and the
neighbouring Nations, who had continual Wars with the
Hebre<ws,

(r) Diodoriis Sicitlusy &c.] In his Firfl Book, where he
treats of thofe who made the Gods to be the Authors of their
Laws, and adds : " Amongft the Jc^vs was Mofes, who called
*' God by the Name of 'li&i, lao," where by Ixa, lao, he
means hin» Jehovah, which was fo pronounced by the Ora-
cles, and in the Orphick Verfes mentioned by the Antients,
sud by the BajUidian Hereticks, and other Gnollicks. The
fame Name the Tyrians, as we learn from I'hilo Biblius, pro-
nounced Iwoj, leno, others °I«:si, laou, as we fee in Clemens
Alexandrinia. The ^'^wovVa;/^ pronounced '\t''\(it.tAiy' labai, as
we read in Thendorei ; for the Eaftern People added to the fame
Words, fomc one Vowel, and fome another ; from whence it is
that there is fuch Difference in the proper Names in the Old
Teftament. Philo rightly obferves, that this Word lignifies
Exijience. Befides Diodoriis, of thofe who make Mention of
Mofes, the Exhortation of the Greeks, which is afcribed to Jnjiin,
names Appion, Ptolemy on Mandcjias, Hellanicus, Philochonis,
Cajiar, Thallus, Alexander the Hiliorian : And Cyrils mention
fome of them in his Firfl; Book againft Julian.

{d) Sirabo, &c.] The Place is in the Sixteenth Bool:,
where he thinks that Mofes was an Egyptian Prieft ; which lie
had from the Egyptian Writers, as appears in Jofef'hus : After-
wards he adds his own Opinion, which has fome MiftcKts in it.
" Many who worfliipped the Deity, agreed with him [Mrfes);
" for he both faid and taught, that the Egyptians did n^t
" rightly conceive of God, when they likened him to wild
'* Beails and Cattle ; nor the Lyhians nor the Gretks, in refcin-
♦* bling him bv a human Shape j for God is no other than
F ** that

66 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

(a Pliny, {h) I'acituSy and after them {c) Diony/ius
Longinus (concerning Loftincfs of Speech) make
Mention of Mojes. [d) Befides the TalmiidiJIs,

Pliny,

*' that Univerfe which furrounds us; the Earth,. and the Sea,
*' and the Heaven, and the World, and the Nature of all
" Things, as they are called by us. Who (fays he) that has
*' any Underftanding, would prefume to form any Image like
*' to thefe Things that are about us ? AVherefore we ought to
** lay afide all carved Images, and worfhip him in the inner-
** moft Part of a Temple worthy of him, without any Fi-
** gure." He adds, that this was the Opinion of good Men :
He adds alfo, that facred Rites were inftituted by him, which
were not burdenfome for their Coftlinefs, nor hateful, as pro-
ceeding from Madnefs. He mentions Circumcifion, the Meats
that were forbidden, and the like; and after he had fliown
that Man was naturally defirous of civil Society, he tells us,
that it is promoted by divine and human Precepts, but more
cfFeftually by Divine,

(a) Pliny, &c.] Book XXX. Chap. i. " There is an-
*' other Sed of Magicians, which fprang from Mojh." And

Juvaial :

They learn, and h-ep, and feat- the Jewifii /rtw.
Which Mofes in hisjecret Volume gave,

{h) Tacitus, &c.] Hiftory V. Where, according to the
Egyptian Fables, Mofes is called " one of thofe that were
*« banifhed."

(f) Diojiyfim Longinm, &:c.] He lived in the Time of Au-
relian the Emperor, a Favourite of Zenobia, Queen of the
Palmyrians. In this Book of the Sublime, after he had faid,
that they who fpeak of God, ought to take Care to reprtfcnt
him, as Great and Pure, and without Mixture : He adds,
. « Thus does he who gave Laws to the Jeivs, who was an cx-
** traordinary Man, who conceived and fpoke worthily of tlie
*' Power of God, when he writes in the Beginning of his Laws,
*' Let there be Earth, and it was io." Chalcidius took many
Things out of Mofa, of whom he fpeaks thus : " Mofes wa$
•' the wifeft of Men, who, as they fay, was enlivened, not by
** human Eloquence, but by Divine Infpiration.

{d) Bejides the Talmudifts, &c.] In the Gcinnra, in the

Title, Concerning Oblations, and the Chapter, All the Oblations

af the Synagogue, To which add the Tanchuma or limed,, nu.

Mention is there made of the chief of Fharaoh's Magicians,

I suid

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 67

(a) Pliny and (/<) ApuleiuSy fpeak of Jamne^ and
Mambres^ who refilled Mofes in Egypt, [c] Some
Things there are in other Writings, and many
Things amongft the {d) Pythagoreans^ about the
F 2 Law

and their Difcourfe with Mofes is related. Add alfo ^umemtis.
Book III. concerning the Je-ws. Eufeb'ms quotes his Words,
Eook VIII. Chap. 8. " Afterwards Jamnes and Mambres,
" Egyptian Scribes, were thought to be famous for magical
•* Arts, about the Time that the Jeivs were driven out of
** Egypt ; for thefe were they who were chofen, out of the
*' Multitude of the Egyptians, to contend with Muf^us the
** Leader of the jfetvs, a Man very powerful with God by
•' Prayers ; and they feemed to be able to repel thofe fore
*' Calamities which were brought upon Egypt by Miif.ensJ'
Where Mofes is called Mufceus, a Word very near it, as is cuf-
tomary with the Greeks, as others call Jefus, Jafon ; and Saut,
Paul: Origen agalnfl: Celjus xtit.ii us to the fame Place of Nifme-
Artapamis in the fame Eufebius, Book IX. Chap. 27. calls them
7iiiLs. the Priefts of Memphis, who were commanded b\' the King
to be put to Death, if they did not do Things eijual to Mo/cs.

(<7) Pliny, Sec.'] In the forecited Place.

{b) Apuleius, SiTc] In his Second Apologetick.

[c] Some Things there are. Sec. ] As in Sirabo, Tacitus, and
Theophraftus, quoted by Porphyry, in his Second Book againil
eating living Creatures, ^vhere he treats of Priefts and Burnt-
Offerings; and in the Fourth Book of the fame Work, where
he fpeaks of Fifhes, and other living Creatures, that were for-
bidden to be eaten. See the Place of Hecata-us, in Jofephus's
Firft Book againft Appion, and in EtiJ'ebius's Preparat. Book IX.
Chap. 4. You have the Law of avoiding the Cuftoms of
ftrange Nations, in Jufiins and Tacitus's Hiftories : of not
eating Swine's Flefh, in Tacitus's yhnjenal, Plutarch's Sympof.
iv. and Macrobius from the Ancients. In the fame Place of
Plutarch, you will find Mention of the Lei'ites, and the pitch-
ing of the Tabernacle.

{d) Pythagoreans, &c.] Hermippus in the Life of Pythago-
ras, quoted by Jofephus againil Appion, Book II. '• Tliefe
♦' Things he faid and did, irnilating the Opinion of the Jea^s
*' and Thracians, and transferring them to himfelf ; for truly
" this Man took many Things into his own Piiilofophy, from
" the Je-ivijh Laws." To abftain from Creatures that die of
themfelves, is put among the Precepts of Pythagoras, by Hie-

recles.

63 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book T,

Law .and Rites given by Mofes^ [a) Straho and Juf-
iin^ out of Trogus, remarkably teftify concerning
theReligionand Rightcoufnels of theantienty^ t^'J .'
So that there feems to be no Need of mentioning
■what is found, or has formerly been found, of ^o-
JJjna and others, agreeable to the Hcbrezv Books ;
feeing, that whoever gives credit toMo^jf which it
is a Shame for any onctorefufe) cannot but believe

thofc

rncles, and Porphyry in his Epiftle to Anehoy and JElia7i, Book
IV. that is, out oi Levit. iv. 19. Dmt. xiv. 21. " Thou
*• (halt not engrave the Figure of God on a Ring," is taken
out of Pythagoras , in Malchis' s or Porphyry's Exhortation to
rhilofoph\', and in Diogenes Lc'e'rtius ; and this from the Second
Commandment, *• Take not away that v\hich thou didll: not
*• place," Jojephiis, in his Second Book againft Appmt, puts
amongft the Jc^'ijo Precepts, and Philojiratns amongft the
Pythagoreans. Jamblkns fays, " A tender and fruitful Tree
*' ought not to be corrupted or hurt," which he had out of
Dentemnomy XX. ig. The forcmentioned Hermippiis afcribes
this to Pythagoras, not to pafs by a Place where an Afs was
fot upon his Knees : The Foundation of which is the Story
in Knmb. xxii. 27. Porphyry acknowledges that Plato took
many Things from the Htbreavs. You will fee Part of them
in Enfehius's Preparation. (I fufpeft that Hcrmippus, or yojc'
phus, inlkad of Je-jus, (hould have faid Idciavs, that is, the
Pricfts of Jupiter Idceus in Crete, whom Pythagoras envied. See
Sir John Marjhains Collection of thefe, in his Tenth Age oj
the Eg)-ptian Affairs. Le Clerc)

(a) Strabo m^J Juftin, Sec] Straho in his Fourteenth Book,
after the Hiftory of Mofes, fays, " That his Followers, for a
*« confiderable Time, kept his Precepts, and were truly righte-
*♦ ous and godly." And a little after he fays that thofc who
believed in Mofes, " worfhipped God, and were Lovers of
*' P^quity. And Jnjiin thus fays. Book XXXVI. Chap. z.
** Whofe Righteoufncfs (viz. the Kings and Priefts) mixed
*' with Religion, increafcd beyond BeliefV Arijioth alfo ^wit-
nefs Clcarchus in his Second Book of Sleep, which Jofphns tran-
fcribed) gives a great Charader of a JetK) whom he had feen,
of his Wifdom and Learning. Tacitus, among his many FaUl-
tlos, fays this one Truth, " that the Jenvs worfhipped that
*' Supreme and Eternal Being, who was immutable, and could
*' not perifli;" that is, God (as Dion Caffms fpeaks, treating of
the fame Jt-iJCi) •• who is indfable and invifible."

Sea. 1-6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 69

■thofe famous Miracles done by the Hand of God ;
which is the principal Thing here aimed at. Now
■that the Miracles of late Date, fuch as thofe of
(a) Elijah, Elijhay and others, fliould not be coun-
terfeit, there is this further Argument; that in
thofe Times Jud^a was become more kj^own, and
becaufe of the Difference of Religion wtis hated
by the Neighbours, who could very eafdy confute
the firft Rife of a Lie. The Wikovy of Jonalf s
being three Days in the Whale's Belly is in [b]
Lycophron^wd Mneus Gazeiis, only under the Name
of Hercules ; to advance whofe'Fame, every Thing
■that was great and noble ufed to be related of
him, as {c) Tacitus obferves. Certainly nothing
but the manifefb Evidence of the Hiftory couLd
compel Julian (who was as great an Enemy to the
Jezus as to the Chriftians) to confefs {d) that there
"were fome Men infpired by the Divine Spirit
amongfl the Jeius^ [e] and that Fire defcendcd
F 3 from

(a) Elijah, &c.] Concerning whofe Prophecy J5///^3///j fays,
Prtep. Book IX. Chap. 30. that Eupolermis wrote a Book. In
the 39th Chapter of the fame Book, Eufebius quotes a Place of
his^ concerning the Prophecies of yeremiah.

{J>) Ljcophron, Sec.'] The Verfes are thefe ;
Of that thri'e-?nghted Lion, <^ivhom of old,
Triton's ferce Dog ivith furious fanvs de'voiir d,
IVithin nvhofe Bo-HJels, tearing his Liver,
He rolled, burning Hjjith Heat, though ^ixithout Fire,
His Head tvith Drops of Sqveat bedeiu'd all o'er.
Upon which Place Tzetfes fays, *' becaufe he was three Days
*' within the Whale." And JEmus Gazeus in Theophrajius :
** According to the Story of Hercules, who was favcd by a
*' Whale f.vallowing him up, when the Ship in which he failed
■** was wrecked."

[c) Tacitus, &:c.] An^ Servhts, as Fc.-ro and Verrius Flac-
cus afErm.

(^) That there nuerefome, &c.] Book III. in Cj^riJ.

[e] That Fire dfcended, &c.] Julian in the Tenth Book
«f Cjril: " Ye refufc to bring Sacrifiges to the Altar and offer

" fhenv

70 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

from Heaven, and confumed the Sacrifices of
Mofes and FJias. And here it is worthy of Oft.
fervation, that there was not only very [a) fevere
Punifliments threatened amongft the Hebrews, to
any who fliould falfely alTume the Gift of Prophecy,
[b) but liery many Kingi, who by that Means
might j^ave procured great Authority to them-
felves, and many learned Men, {c) fuch as EJdras
and others, dared not to afTume this honour to
themfclves ; [d) nay, fome Ages before Chrift's
Time, nobody dared to do it. Much Icfs could
fo many thoufand People be impofed upon, in
avouching a conftant and public Miracle, I meaa

that

** them, becaufe the Fire does not defcend from Heaven and
■** confume the Sacrifices, as it did in Mofes' s Time : This
•• h.ippened once to Mofes, and again long after to Elijah the
** Tijhbite.'" See what follows concerning the Fire from Hea-
ven. CjpriaN, in III. of his Telllmonies, fays, " 1 hat in
*' Sacrifices, all thofe that God accepted of. Fire came down
*• from Heaven, and confumed the Things facrificed." Me-
r.ander alfo, in his Fhccriician Hiftory, mentions that great
Drought which happened in tiie Tim^e of Elias, that is, when
Ithcbalus reigned amongft the Tyrians. See Jcfephus in his Au'
iitnt Ihfiory, Book VIII. Chap. 7.

{a) Sfvere VuniJJ:}7ne7its, &c.] See Deut. xiii, ^. xviiii. 20.
?md the following.

{b) But 'Very many Kings, &C.] Nobody dared to do it
after Dwvid.

(r) Such as Efdras, &c.] The IJchreiv' ufed to remark upon
thofe Times, ** Hitherto the Prophets, now begin the Wife
•' Men."

[d] Nay, Jome Ages hrf'^re ChriJVs Time, &c.] Therefore in
the Firft Book of Maccabees, iv. 46. we read, that the Stones
of the i^ltar which '.vere defiled wete laid afide, ♦* until there
" fliould come a Prophet to fnew what fhould be done with
*• them." And in the ixth Chaf\ Ver. 27. of the fame Book :
" So was there a great Afflidion in Ifrael, the like whereof
•* had never been, fince the Time that there were no Prophets
•* amongft them." The fame we lind in the Talmud, in t^
Title concerning the Council.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 71

(a) that of the Oracle, (/?) which fhined on the
High Prieft's Breafl, which is fo firmly believed
by ail the Jews, to have remained till the de-
llru6tion of the firfl Temple, that their Ancef-
tors muft of Neceility be well afTured of the
Truth of it.

(a) That of the Oracle, &c.] See Exodus xxvIH. 30, Levit,
vlii. 8. Numb, xxvii. 21. Deut. xxxiii. 8. i Snm. xxi. 11.
xxii. lo, 23, 25, xxiii. 2, 5', 9, 10, 1 1, 12. xxviii. 6. Add
Nehcm. vii. 6^. and Jofaphns's Book III. 9. This is what is
meant bv the Words ipaiT/Mx, ^'nXav, «' the confulang (an Ora-
" cle) where yo*i will have an Anfwer as clear as Light itfelf.'*
In the Son of Sirach, XXXIII. 4. For the Word <J'ii>i«, clear
anfwers to the Hebren.>j ca'TiJ^ Uri/n, and fo the Seventy tranflate
it in the forecited Places, Numb, xxvii. 21. i Sam. xxviii. 6. and
elfewhere cS'iiAao-ty, making clear, as Exod, xxviii. 26. Len;. viii. 8.
They alfo tranllate CD'ori Thumim,u>iy.&iici)v, 'Truth; the E^jptiatis
imitated this, juft as Children do Men. Diodorus, Book I. re-
lating the Affairs of the Egyptiar/s, fays of the Chief Judge^
*' that he hath Truth hanging about his Neck." And again
afterwards, " The King commands that all Things neceffary
" and fitting fliould be provided for the Subfiflance of the
*' Judges, and that the Chief Judge fhould have great Plenty.
" This Man carries about his Neck an Image of precious Stones,
" hanging on a golden Chain, which they call Truth, and they
** then begin to hear Cafes, when the Chief Judge has fixed
** this Image of Truth." And JElian, Book XIV. Chap. 24.
of his Various H'fiory. " The Judges in old Time amongll the
*' Egyptians, .were Priefls, the oldcft of which was Chief Priefl,
*' who judged every one ; and he ought to be a very juft Man,
*' and one tliat fpared nobody. He wore an Ornament about
*' his Neck, made of Sapphire Stone, which was called Truth."
The Babylonijh Gemara, Ch. I. of the Book call Joma, fays,
that fome Things in the firft Temple were wanting in the fecond,
as the Ark with the Mercy-Seat, and the Cherubims, the Fire
, coming from Heaven, the Sheciuah, the Holy Ghoft, and the
Urim and Thumim,

[V) Which fjtned C72 the High Prief s Ercaft, &c.] This is
a Conjecture of the Rabbins, without any Foundation from
Scripture. It is much more credible, 'that the Priefts pronounced
the Oracle with his Mouth. See our Obfervations on Exod,
xxviii. 30. Numb, xxvii, 31. Le Chrc,

F 4 Sect,

73 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

SECT. XVTI.

The fame proved aljo from Predi^ions.

THERE is another Argument to prove the
Providence of God, very like to this of Miracles,
and no lefs powerful, drawn from the foretelling
of future Events, which was very often and very
exprefsly done amongftthe Hcbrezvs; fuch as the
[a) Man's being childlefs who fhould rebuild Je^
richo ; the deftroying the Altar of Bethel, by King
Jofiah by Name {b) above three hundred Years
before it came topafs: Soalfo Jfaiah foretold the

[c) very Name and principal Adls of Cyrus ■ and
Jeremiah the Event of the Siege oljeriijalem, after
it was furrounded by the Chaldeans % and Daniel

[d) the Tranilation of the Empire from the AJfy^
yyanSy to ihtMedes and PerJianSy and {e) from them
to Alexander of Macedon, (f) whofe SuccelTcrs to
Part of his Kingdom were to be the Poftcrity of
Lagiis and Selenais; and what Evils the Hehreivs
fliouldundcrgo-fromallthefe, particularly (^) the

famous

[a) I'he Mans Icing childh/s, Sec.'] Compare Joftna vi. 26,
with I Ki.!gs xvi. 34.

[b) Abo-vc three hundred Years, kc."] CCCLXI. as Jojcphus
thinks in his Antient Hijiorj, Book X. Chap. 5.

(f) 'The very Name, &c.] Chap, xxxvii. xxxviii. For the
fultiliing, fee Ch. xxxix. and Hi. Eiijebius, Book IX. Ch. 39.
ot his Prrpiirai. brings a T'eltimony out of Eupoleiims, both of
the Frophccy, and the fuhllling of it.

[d^ The Tranfiation of the Etfipire, Sec.'] Da/iieli. 32, 39.
V. 2S. vii. J. viii, 3, 20, x. 20. xi. 2.

[e) Fro?n /hem io Alexander, <lc.] In the forecited Ch. li,
3Z, and 39. vii. 6. viii. 5,^6,^7, 8, 21. x. 20. xi. 3, 4.

;7 ;• Whofe Snrcr/p^ys, Sec] Chnp. ii. :;$, 40. vii. 7, 19, 23,
24.'viii. 22. X. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, lo, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20.

(g) The famaiis Antiochus, kc] vii. 8, 11, 20, 24, 25.
▼iii. 9, 10, 1 1, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26. X'. 21, 22, 23, :.i.

&a.i7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 75

famous Antiochus ; fo very plainly, {a) that Por-
phyry yWho compared the Groecian Hillorics, extant
in his Time, with the Prophecies, could not make
it out any other Way, but by faying, that the
Things afcribcd to Daniely were wrote after they
came to pafs ; which is the fame as if any one
fhould deny, that what is now extant under the
Name of F"/r^/7,and was always thought to be his,
was writ by him in Augujlus's Time. For there
was never any more Doubt amongft the Hehrezvs,
concerning the one, than there was amongll the
Romans^ concerning the other. To all which mav
be added, the many and exprefs Oracles [h)
amongft thofe of Mexico and Perit^ which fore-
told the coming of the ^^^Kmn-Zj- into thofe Parts,
and the Calamities that would follow.

And hy other Arguments,

[c] TO this may be referred very many Dreams
exactly agreeing with the Events; which both as
to themfelves and their Caufes were {o utterly un-
known

25, 26, 27,28, 29,30,31,32,33,34,5^,36, 37, 38, 39,40,

41, 42, 43, 44, 45. xli. I, 2, 3, II. Jojephus explains thefe
Places as we do. Book X. Ch. 1 2 ; and Book XII, Ch. 1 1 ;
snd Book I. Ch. i. of his JenjaiJI:) War. ChryfoJio?nW. a^ainlt
the Jeivs ; making ufe of the Tellimony of Jo/ephiis, and Po-
Ijchroiihis, and other Greek Writers.

[a] T'/-'^/ Porphyry, &c.] See y^/u-w upon Z)^w/<?/ ihrouohout,

[h] Amongji thofe cf yitxlco. Sec] /Gareillazza de la Fegn ^
Inca, Acojia, Herrera, and others, relate ftrange Things of thefe
Oracles. See Peter Ciezza, Tome II, of the Indian Affairs,

(r) To this may be referred, &c.] What is here faid, does not
fo much prove the Exiftence of God, who takes Care of the
Affliirs of Men ; as that there are prefent with them fome invifi-
ble Beings, more powerful than Men, which whoever believes,
will eafily believe that there is a God, For there is no NeceiTity
that all Things, which come to pafs different from the common
Courfe of Nature, fhould be afcribed to God himfelf; as if
whatever cannot be effected by Men, or the Power of corpore.^l
Things, ivaft be done by hiiu Iiimfelf. Le Qlerc

74 OF THE TRUTH OF THE B«jok I.

known to thofe that dreamed them, that they can-
not without great Shamelcfnefs be attributed to
natural Caufcs ; of which Kind the beft Writers
afford us eminent Examples, (a) Tertnllian has
made a Colleftion of them in his Book of the
Soul; and {b) Ghofts have-not only been feen,
but alfo heard to fpeak, as we are told by thofe
Hiftorians who have been far from fuperftitious
Credulity ; and by Witneffes in our own Age,
who lived in Sina. Mexico, and other Parts oiAinc-

[a) TertulHan has made a ColleSIion, <S:c.] Chap. xlvi. where
he relates the remarkable Dreams of Ayages, of Philip of
Macedo7i, of the Himerra-nn Woman, of Laodice, oi Mithridatesy
of lUyrian Balaris, of M. Tullj, of Artorius, of the Daughter
of Polycrates Samiits, whom Cicero calls his Nurfe, of Cleo?iQinus
Fifta, oi Sophocles y of Ncoptolemm the Tragedian. Some of thefe
we find in Valerius Maximus, Book I. Chap. 7. befides that of
Calphurnia concerning Ca-far, of P. Decius, and T. Marilius, the
Confuls, T. Ati?iius, M. Tully in his Baniflimenr, Hannibal, Alex'
av.der the Great, Simonides, Crafus, the Mother of Dionyfais the
Tyrant, C Sempro?/ius Gracchus, Cnjfius of Parrr.cnia, Aterius
Rufus the lioman Knight, Hamilcar the Carthaginian, Alcibiades
the Athenian, and a certain Arcadian. There are many remark-
able Things in Tully s Books of Divination ; neither ought we
to forget that of flmy. Book XXV. Chap. 2. concerning the
Mother of one that was fighting in Lnjttania. And alfo thofe
of Antigonus and Ariucules, who v.as the firll of the Race of the
Oj'manidcs in the L:pjtan Monita, Book I. Chap. 5. and others
collefted by the induilrious Theodore Zninger, Vol. V. Book IV,
the Title of which is concerning Dreams.

{b) And Ghojls ha-ve not only, &-c.] See Plutarch in the Life
of Dion and Brutus, and Appion of the fame Brutus, in the Fourth
of his Ci-vilia, and Ploilis, Book IV. Chap. 7, Add to thcfe
Tacitus, concerning Curiius Rufus, Annal. XL which hm& Hif-
tory is in Pliny, Epift. XXVII. Book VII. together with
another; concerning that which tliat wife and courageous Philo-
fopher Athenodorus fnw at Aikeuf. And thnfc in I'ahnvs Maximus,
Book I. Chap. 8. cfpecially that of CaJJhis the Epicurean, who
w-as frighted with the Sight of Cajar, whom he had killed ;
nhich is in Lipftus, Book I. Chap. 5. of his Warnings. Many
fuch Hiftories are colledcd by Cryf.ppus, Plutarch in his Book
of the Soul, and Numei:ius in his Second Book of the Soul's
Immortality^ mentioned by Origctiy in his Fifth Book against

Celjus,

Sea. 17, 18. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 75

rica ; neither ought we to pafs by {a) that com^
mon Mthod of examining Perfons Innocence, hy
walking over red-hot Plow-fhares, viz. Fire-
Ordeal, mentioned in fo many Hiftories of the
German Nation, and in their very Laws.

SECT. XVIIL

The Objeclion of Miracles not being fee n noisOy an-
fzvered.

NEITHER is there any Reafon, why any one
fhould objecfl againft what has been faid, bccaufc
no fuch Miracles are feen now, nor no fuch Pre-
dictions heard. For it is fufficient to prove a Di-
vine Providence, that there ever have been fuch.
Which being once eltablilhed, it will follow, that
we ought to think God Almighty forbears them
now^ for as wife and prudent Reafons, as he be-
fore did them. Nor is it fit that the Laws given
to theUniverfe, for the natural Courfe of Things,
and that what is future might be uncertain, fhould

always,

{a) That coinmon Method , &c.] See the Teflimonies of this
Matter, collefted by Francis Juret, upon the 74th Epiftle of
I-uori, Bilhop of Chartres. Sophocles' s Antigone tells US how old
this is, where the Theban Relations of Oedipus fpeaks thus :

We are prepared to handle red-hot Iron,

To pafs through Fire, or to in<voke the Gods,

That n.ve are innocent, and did mt do it.

Which we learn alfo from the Report of Straho, Book V. and
Flinys Natural HiJ}. Book VII. Chap. 2. and Semjius upon
Virgil's Eleventh JEneid. Alfo thofe Things which were feen
of old, in Feronia's Grove upon the Mountain Sjraf^e. To
thefe Things, which happened contrary to the common Coarfc
of Nature, we may add, I think, thofe we find made life of
to preferve Men's Bodies from being wounded by Arrows.
See alfo the certain Teftimonies concerning thofe who have
fpoke after their Tongues were cut out upon the Account of
Religion, fuch as Jujiiman, Book I. Cliapter of the Praetorian
Office ; concerning a Prsfeft in Africa. Procopius in the Firft
9;r liis Vandaltcks, Vidor Uticenfis iu his Book of Perfecutions,
Ti'A^'JEneas Gaza in Thcophrafus,

75 OF TH^ TRUTH OF THE Book J.

always, or without good Reafon, be fufpcndcd,
but then only, when there was a fufficient Caufe ;
-as there u as at that Time, when the Worlhip of
the true God was baniflied almoll out of the
World, being confined only to a fmall Corner of
it, viz. Jiid^d; and was to be defended from that
Wickednefs which furroundcd it, by frequent
Afiiftance. Or when the Chriftian Religion,
concerning which we fhall afterwards particu-
larly treat, was, by the Determination of God,
to be fprcad all over the World.

SECT. XIX.

And qf there being Jo much Wickednefs.
SOME Men are apt to doubt of a Divine Pro-
vidence, becaufe they fee fo much Wickednefs
pradifed, 'that the World is in a Manner over-
whelmed with it, like a Deluge : Which the}i:on-
tend fliould be the Bulinefs of Divine Providence,
if there were any, to hinder or fupprefs> But the
Anfwer to fuch is very cafy. When God made
Man a free Agent, and at Liberty to do well or
ill (rcferving to himfelfalonea neceflary and im-
mutable Goodncfs) {(i) it wasnotfitthathclhould

put

{a) It tvas not fit, &^c.] Thus 9l:T//////a;/ againft Murcian IL
An entire Liberty of the Will is granted him either Way,
that he may . always appear to be Mafter of himfclf, by-
doing of his own Accord that which is good, and avoiding
of his own Accord that which is evil, Bccanfe Man, who
is in other Refpeds fubjett to the Determination of God,
ought to do that which is juft, out of the good Plcafure of
his own free W ill. But neither the \^'a;^cs of that which
is good or evil, can juftly be paid to him who is found to
be good or evil out of Necellity, and not out of Choice.
And for this Reafon was the 1-avv appointed, not to exclude,
but to prove Liberty, by voluntarily performing Obedience
to it, or by voluntarily tranfgrefling it ; fo that in either
Event the Liberty of the W ill is manifelL" And again,
afterwards : ♦• Then the Confequence would have been ; that
*• God would have withdrawn that Liltrty, which v\as once

♦' grsntcd

Sea. 19, 20. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 77

put fuch a Reftraint upon evil Aftions, as was in-
confiftent with this Liberty. But whatever Means
of hindering them, were not repugnant to fuch
Liberty; as eftablifhing and promulginga Law,
external and internal Warnings, together with
Threatnings and Promifes ; none of thefe were neg-
Jedied by God : Neither would he futfer the Ef-
fedts of Wickednefs to fpread to the furthell; fo
that Government was never utterly fubverted, nor
the Knowledge of the Divine Laws entirely ex-
tinguillied. And even thofe Crimes that were
permitted, as we hinted before, were not without
their Advantages, when made Ufe of either to pu-
nifli thofe who were equally wicked, or to chaitife
thofe who were flipt out of the Way of Virtue, or
elfe to procure fome eminent Example of Patience
and Conftancy, in thofe who had made a great
Progrefs in Virtue, (a) La/ily, Even they them-
felves, whofe Crimes feemed to be overlooked for
a Time, were for the moft Part punifhed, with a
proportionable Punifliment, that the Will of God
might be executed againft them, who aded con-
trary to his Will.

SECT. XX.

And that Jo great y as to opprejs good Men.
AND if at any Time Vice fhould go unpunifh-
ed, or which is wont to oifend many weak Perfons,

fome

" granted to Man, that is, would have retained within him-
*♦ felf his Fore-knowledge and exceeding Power, whereby he
" might have interpofed, to hinder' Man from falling into
*• Dagger, bv tr\'ing to make an ill Ufe of his Liberty. For
" if he had 'interpofed, he would then have taken away that
♦* Liberty, which his Reafon and Goodnefs had given them."
Origen, in his Fourth Book againft Celjus, handles this Matter,
as he ufes to do other?, very "learnedly ; where, amongft other
Things, he fa)-s, " That you deltroy the Nature of Virtue, i£
*' you take away Liberty."

{a) Lcfily, E've7i they them/elves, S<.c.] Concerning this
whole Matter, fee the -Note at Sed, VIII.

78 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book L

fome good Men, oppreffed by the Fury of the
Wicked, Ihould not only lead a troublefome Life,
but alfo undergo an infamous Death ; we muft not:
prefently from hence conclude againfl a Divine
Providence ; which, as we have before obferved, is
cftabliflied by fuch flrong Arguments ; but rather,
with the wifeft Men, draw this followinglnference:

SECT. XXI.

'This may be turned upon themy Jo as to prove, that
Souls fur virje Bodies.

THAT fmce God has a Regard to human
Adtions, who is himfelf juft ; and yet thcfe Things
come to pafs in the mean Time ; we ought to
expecl a Judgment after this Life, left cither re-
markable Wickedncfs fliould continue unpunifh-
ed, or eminent Virtue go unrewarded and fail of

Happinefs.

.■^ — -

SECT. XXII.

Which is confirmed by Tradition.
IN [a] order to eftablifh this, we muft firft fliew,
that Souls remain after they arc fcparatcd from
their Bodies ; which is a moft antient Tradition
derived from our firil: Parents (whence clfe could
it come?) to almoft all civilized People ; as ap-
pears ib) from Homer's Verfes, {c) and from the

Philo-

[o) In order to ejiahlijh this, &-C.] Whoever has a Mind to
read this Argument more largely handled, I refer him to Chrj.
Jojiom on I Cnr. Ch. xv, and to his Eihkks, Tome W. againft
thofe who affirm that human Affliirs are regulated b)' Du^mons :
And to his Fourth Difcourfc upon Pro-jiacncc.

[h] From Homer's Fer/es, &c.] Efpecially on that Part call-
ed viKVix, C07icer>ijiig tloofe that are departed : To which may be
added, the like in Virgil, \\\ Seneca s Oedipus, Luca/i, Statins,
and that in Samuel, i Sam. xxviii.

(o) And from the Vhilofoph-rs, c^c.] Pherecjdes, Pythngom,
and Plato, and ail the Dilciples of them. To thefe 'Jnjim

adds

Sea. 22. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. yg

Philofophers, not only the Greeks^ but alfo the
antient Gauls, [a) which were called Druids, and
{b) from the Indians called Brachmans, and from
thofe Things, which many Writers have related,
{c) concerningthe£^-yp//^;/i [d] and ThracianSy^nd
alfo by the Germans. And moreover, concerning

a Divine

adds Empedochi, and many Oracles in his Second Apologetick;
and Ze?!ocrates.

{a) Which n-vere called Druids, &c.] Thefe taught, that
Souls did not die. See CaJ'ar, Book VI. of the War with the
Gauls, and Strabo, Book IV. of the fame. •' Thefe and others
*' fay, that Souls are incorruptible j" (fee dKo Lucan, Book I,
455-)

{b) And fyom the Indians called Brachmr.ns, &c.] Whofe
Opinion Strabo explains to us thus. Book XV. " We are to
** think of this Life, as of the State of a Child before it be
" born ; and of Death, as a Birth to that which is truly Life
*' and Happinefs to wife Men." See alfo a remarkable Place
concerning this Matter, in Porphyrfs Fourth Book, againft eat-
ing Living Creatures.

(f) Co«f^r////?g- /^^ Egyptians, &c.] Herodotus m his Euterpe
fays, that it was the Opinion of the Egyptians, '• That tFfe
** Soul of Man was iramortal." The fame is reported of them
by Diogenes Laeitius, in his Preface, and by Tacitus, Book V.
of his Hiftory ot the yeii's, '* They buried rather than burnt
*' their Bodies, after the Manner of the Egyptians ; they hav-
" ing the fame Regard and Perfuafion concerning the Dead."
See Diodorus Siculus, concerning the Soul of Ojiris; and Ser-
•vius on rhe Sixth JEneid, moft of which is taken from the
Egyptians. •

((/) And Thracians, &c.] See again here, the Places of
Hermippus, concerning Pythagoras, which we before quoted
out of Jofephus. Mela, Book II. concerning the Thracians,
fays, " Some think, that the Souls of thofe who die, return
" again ; others, that though they do not return, yet they do
** not die, but go to a more happy Place." And Solinus con-
cerning the fame. Chap. X. *' Some of them think, that the
*' Souls of thofe who die, return again ; others, that they do
*' not'xiie, but are made more happy." Hence arofe that Cuf-
tom of attending the Funerals with great Joy, mentioned by
thefe Writers, and by Valerius Max. Book I. Chap. v. 12.
That which we before quoted out of the Scholiaft upon Ari/ta-
/>hane!, makes this the more credible, viz, that fome ot the
lleitreivs of old came out of Thrace,

8o OF TKE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

a Divine Judgment after this Life, we find nnany
Things extant, not only among the Greeks [a) but
alfo among the Egyptians [b) and Indians, as
Strabo, Diogenes LaertiuSy and {c) Plutarch tell
us : To which we may add a Tradition, that
the World fhould be burnt j which was found
of old {d) m Hyjiafpes and the Sybils, and now
alfo [e] in Ovid (f) and Lucaiiy and amongft

the

(«) But aljo amovgjl the Egj^ptians, <i'C.] Biodorus Siculus,
Book I. fays, that what Orpheus delivered, concerning Souls
departed, was taken from the Egyptians, Repeat what we now
quoted out of Tacitus.

{b) And Indians, &c.] Amongft whofe Opinions, Strabo,
Book XV. reckons that *' concerning the Judgments that are
** exercifed amongft the Souls departed."

(f) And Phitarch, &c.] Concerning thofe whofe Punifti-
ment is deferred by the Gods, and concerning the Face of the
Moon's Ofb, See a famous Place of his, quoted by Eiifebius\
Book XL Ch. 38. of his Go/pel Pnparat. out of the Dialogue
concerning the Soul.

{d) hi Hyftafpes a7id the Sibyls, &c.] Sec Jnftins Second
Apo/ogetick, and ClemetiSy Strom. VI. whence is quoted that
from the Tragedian.

For certainly the Day tuill come, 'tivill come,

IVhen the bright Sky jhall from his Treafurefend

A liquid Fire, nvhufe all-denjouring Flames,

By La^JJS unbounded, Jhall dejiroy the Earth,

And ivhat's abo-Je it ; all Jhall njavijh then.

The Water of the Deep Jhall turn to Smoke,

The Earth Jhall ceaje to murrjh Trees ; the Air,

Injiead of hearing up the Birds, Jhall burn,

(f) Ovid, &c.] Mctamorphcjcs, Book I.
For he remembered 'fwas by Fate decreed
To future Times, that Sea, and Earth and ILav'n
Should burn, and this 'vajl Frame of Nature fail,

(/) Af!d Lucan, &c.] Book I.

So <vohen this Frame of Nature is dijfol'vd, ,

And the laji Hours, in future Times, approach.

All to its ancient Chaos Jhall return ;

The Stars confounded tumble into Sea,

The Earth refuje its Banks, and try to throvj

The

Sta. 23. CHRISTIAN RELiGIOl^. Si:

( c) the Indians in Siam ; a Token of which, is the
Sun's approaching nearer to the Earth, (d) ob-
fervcd by Aflronomers. So likewife, upon the
firft going into the Canary Ijjandsznd America^ and
ther diftant Places, the fame Opinion concerning
Souls and Judgment was found there.

SECT. XXIII.

And no JVay repugnant to Reafon.
{e) NEITHER can we find any Argument
drawn from Nature, which overthrows this, an an-

tient

I'he Ocean off. The Mean attach the Sun,
Dri'ving her Chariot through the burmng Sltji
Enrag'd and chnllenging to rule the Day.
The Order of the World's dijiiirh'd throughozit.
' Lucan was preceded by his Uncle Seneca, in the End of his
Hook X.O Murcia : " The Stars wall run upon each other? and
** every Thing being on a I'iame, that, which now fhines re-
*^ gularly, (hall then burn in one Fire,"

{c) 77^^' Indians />/ Siam, &c,] Stc Ferdinatid Mendejiuu
(d) Ohfer<ved by AJircnomers, &c.] See Ccpertiicus's Revolu-^
iioijSy Book III. Ch. 1 6. Joachim. Rh^sticu: on C'jpernicus, and
Genima Frijhis. See alfo Ptolemy ^ Book III. Ch. 4. of his Ala-
thematkal Syntax. That the World is not now upheld by that
Power it Was formerly, as itfelf declares ; *' and that its Ruin
** is evidenced, by the Proof, how the Things in it fail," fays
Cyprian to Demetrius. The Earth is nearer ro the Sun in \U
Perihelions, that is, when it is in the extreme Parts of the IclTer
Jxis of its Parabola, though the Earth always approaches at the
fame Diftances : yet it is manifeft from hence, that at the Will of
God, it may approach ftill nearer, and if ir Co pleafes him, be
fet on Fire by the Sun, as it happens to Comets. Le Clerc»
** It were to be willed tiiat the learned Remarket had left out
«• this and fome other Notes of this Kind^ unlefs he had ftudied
«' fuch fort of things more."

{e) Neither can ave find atiy Argument, &c,] This Matter
might be handled more exadlly, and upon better Principles of
Philofophy, if our P-ooni would alioiv it. I. We ought to de-
fine what we mean by the Death of the Soul, which would hap-
pen, if cither the Subilance of the Soul were reduced to no-
thing, or if there were fo great a Change mads in it, that it
G '.v€r«

S2 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I.

tient and extcnfive Tradition: ForallthofcThings
which fccni to us to be deltroycd, are either de-
llroyed by the Oppofition of fomcthing more pow-
erful than thcmfelves, as Cold is deliroyed by the
greaterForceof Heat; or by taking away the Sub-
ject

were deprived of the Vic of all Its Faculties ; thus material
Things are faid to be deliroyed, if either their Subftance ceafeS
to be, or if their Form be fo altered, that they are no longer
of the fame Species; as when Plants are burnt or pii trifled •
the like to which befalls Brute Creatures. II,- It cannot be
proved that the Subftance of the Soul perifhes : For Bodies arc
not entirely deftroyed, but only divided, and their Parts fepa-
rated from each other. Neither can any Man prove, that the
Soul ceafes to think, which is the Life of the Soul, after the
Death of the Man ; for it does not follow, that when the Body
is deftroyed, the Mind is deftroyed too, it having never yet
been proved, that it is a material Subftance. III. Nor has the
contrary }-et been made appea/, by certain philofophick Argu-
ments, drawn from the Nature of the Soul ; becaufe we are
ignorant of it. It is true indeed, that the Soul is not, by its
own Nature, reduced to nothing ; neither is the Body ; this
muft be done by the particular Adl of their Creator. But it
may polfibly be without any Thought or Memory ; which
State, as I before faid, may be called the Death of it. Bur,
IV. If the Soul, after the DifTolution of the Body, fhould re-
main for ever in that State, and never return to its Thought or
Memory again, then there can be no Account given of Di\ ins
Providence, which has been proved to be by the foregoing
Arguments. God's Goodnefs and Juftice, the Love of V'irtue,
and Hatred to Vice, winch every one acknowledges in him',
would be only empty Names ; if he fhould confine his Benefits
to the fhort and fading good Tilings of this Life, and make ny
Diftindion betwixt Virtue and Vicej both good and bad Men
equally perifhing for ever, without feeing in this Life any Re-
wards or Punifhments difpenfed to thofe who have done well or
ill : And hereby God would ccafe to be God, that is the molt
perfcft Being ; which, if we take away, we cc^nnot give any
Account of almoft any other Thing, as Grotius has fufHciently
Ihevvn, by thofe Arguments, whereby he has demonflratcd, that
all 1 hings were created by God. Since therefore there is a God,
who loves Virtue and abhors \'ice ; the Souls of Men muft be
immortal, and refervcd for Rewards or Punifhments in another
Life. But this renuires further Enlargement. Le Cloc. The
Proof of the Soul's Immortality, drawn from the Confideration
of the Nature of it, may be fecn in its full Force in Dr. Clarke' t
Letter to Mr, DoJ-i^elUvi<\ the Defences of it.

ISc^. 23. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. §^

jfed upon which they depend, as the Magnitude of
a Glafs, by breaking it ; or by the Defed of the
efficient Caufe, as Light by the Abfence of the
Sun. But none of thefe can be applied to the
Mind; not the firft, becaufe nothing can be con-
Geived contrary to the Mind ; nay, fuch is the pe-
culiar Nature of it, that it is capable equally, and
at the fame Time, of contrary Things in its own,
that is, in an intellectual Manner. Not thefecond,
becaufe there is noSubjecl upon which theNature
of the Soul depends ; (a) for if there were any, it
would be a humaii Body ; and that it is not Co,
appears from hence, that when the Strength of the
Body fails by Action, the Mind only does not con-
trad any Weannefs by admg. (^) Alfo the Powers
of the Body fuffer, by the too great Power of the
Things which are the Objeds of them, as Sight
by the Light of the Sun. (c) But the Mind is
G 2 rendered

(rt) For if there ixiere hny^ &c.] That thei-e is none, Ariftoile
proves very well from Old Men, Book I. Ch. 4. concerni?!g the
Soul. Alfo Book III. Ch. 4. he commends A?iaxagoras, for
fa>ing, that the Mind was iimple and unmixt, that it might
diftinguifh other Things.

[b) Alfothe PoTvers of the Bndy, &C.] Arijiotle, Book III. of
the Soul, fays : " That there is not the like WeuKnefs in the
*• intelkdiial Part, that there is in the fenfitive, is evident from
" the Organs of Senfe, and from Senfation itfelf ^ for there
*' can be no Senfation, where the Objed of fuch Senfation is
*"• too lirong; that is, where the Sound is too loud, there is
*' no Sound; and where the Smell is. too ftrong, or the
•' Colours too bright, they cannot be fmelt nor feen. But the
*^* Mind, when it confiders Things moft excellent to the Under-
" ftandingj is not hindered by them from thinking, any more
*' than it is by meaner Things, but rather excited by them ;
*' becaufe the fenfitive Part cannot be feparated from the Body,
*' but the Mind may." Add to this, the famous Place of P/o//>/z/j-,
quoted by Eufbius, in his Preparat. Book XV. Chap. 22.
Add alfo, that the Mind can overcome thofe Paflions which
arife from the Body, by its own Power; and can choofe the
greateil Pains, and even the Death of it.

{c) Bitt the Mind is refiderrd, &-C.] And thofe. are the moft
excellent Adions of the Mind, which call it Cif moft from
il;e Bodv.

J?4 OK THE TRUTH OF THE Boot t

rendered the more perfcd, by how much the
more excellent the Things are, about which it is
convcrfant; as about Figures abftraded from
Matter, and about univerfal Propolitions. The
Powers of the Body are exercifcd about thofe
Things which are limited by Time and Place, but
the Mind, about that which is Infinite and Eter-
nal. Therefore, fince the Mind, in its Opera-
tions, does not depend upon the Body, fo neither
does its Exiftence depend upon it ; for we cannot
judge of the Nature of thofe Things which \\c
do not fee, but from their Operations. Neither
has the third Method of being defiroyed any
Place here : For there is no efficient Caufe, from
which the Mind continually fiows: Not the Pa-
rents, becaufe the Children live after they arc
dead. If we allow any Caufc at all, from whence
the Mind flows, it can be no other than the firil
iuid univerfal Caufe, which, as to its Power, can
never fail ; and as to its Will, that That fliould
fail, that is, that God Ihould will the Soul to be
deftroyed, this can never be proved by any Ar-
gument.

SECT. XXIV.

Bui many Things favour it.
NAY, there are many not inconfiderable Ar-
guments, for the contrary; fuchas(^) theabfolute

Power

(a) The ahjolute Pciver e'very Man has (mer his o^>xn Anions,
&c.] And over all other living Creatures, To which may br
added, the knowledge of God, and of Immortal Beings. " An
" immortal Creature is not underftood by any mortal one," fajs
SaUufi the Philofopher. One remarkable Token of this Know-
ledge is. that there is nothing fo grievous, which the Mind will
not defpife, for the Sake of God. Befides, the Power of un-
derltanding and ading is not limited, as it is in other Creatures,
but unwearied, and extends itfelf infinitely, and is by this Means
like unto God ; which Difference of Men from other Creatures,
tv'as taken Notice of by GaUn,

S.a. 24. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 85

Power every Man has over his own Actions ; a
natural Defire of Immortality ; the Power of Con-
fcience, which comforts him when he has perform-
ed any good Actions, though never fo difficult ;
and, on the contrary, f^j torments him, when he
has done any bad Thing ; efpeciaily at the Ap-
proach of Death, as it were, with a Senfe of im-
pending Judgment; ((^) the Force of which, many
Times could not be extinguiflied by the worfl of
Tyrants, though they have endeavoured it never
fo much ; as appears by many Examples.

(a) TormeJits him ivben he has done, &c.] See Plato's Firft
Book of his Ccmmonivcalih : " When Death feems to approach
*' any one. Fear and Solicitude corne upon him, about thofe
** Things which before he did not think of."

{b) The Force of ivhich, &c.] Witnefs that Epiftle o^Tiberms
to the Senate. " What I fhould write to you, O Senators, or
*« how I fhould write, or what I fhould not write, at this Time,
" let the Gods and Goddefles deftroy me, worfe than I now feel
'» myfclf to perifli, if I know." V/hich Words, after Tacitus
had recited in the Vlth of his Annals, he adds, " So far did
" his Crimes and Wickedness turn to his Punifhment. So true
" is that Affertion of the Wifell of Men, that if the Breafts ot
•' Tyrants were laid open, we might behold the Gnawings and
*' Stingings of them ; for as the Body is bruifed with Stripes, {o
*' the Mind is torn with Rage and Luft and evil Defigns." The
Perfon which Tacitus here means, is Plato, who fays of a Tyrant,
in Book IX, of his Commonwealth : "He would appear to be
f' in Reality a Beggar, if any one could but fee into his whole
•* Soul ; fail of Fears all his Life long, full of Uneafinefs and
** Torment." The fame Philofopher has fomething like this in
his Gorgias. Suetonius, Ch. 67. being about to recite the fore-
mentioned Epiftie of Tiberizis, introduces it thus : " At laft
'* when he was quite wearied out, in the Beginning of fuch
** an %)iftle as this, he confefTes almoft all his Evils," Clau-
dian had an Eye to this Place of Plato, when he defcribes Ru-
Jinus in his Second Poem.

■ ■ Stains nuithin

Deform his Breaji ; nvhich bears the Stamp of Vice,

C z SECT.

S6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book!,

SECT. XXV.

From whence it follows that the End of Man is
llappinefs after this Life.

IF then the Soul be of fuch a Nature as con-
tains in it no Principles of Corruption : and God
has given us many Tokens, by which \vc ought to
underftand, that his Will is, it fliould remain after
the Body ; there can be no End of Man, propo-
fed more worthy of Him, than the Happinefs
of that State ; and this is what Plato and the
Pythagoreans faid, [a] that the lind of Man was
to be made moft like God. Thus what Happi-
nefs is, and how to be fecurcd, Men may make
fome Conjectures ; but if there be any Thing
concerning it revealed from God, that ought to
be efleemed moft true and mofl certain.

SECT. XXVI.

Which we miiflfccure^ hy finding out the true Religion^

NOW fince the Chrifiian Religion recom-
mends itfelf above all others; whether we ought
to give Credit to it or no, fliall be the Bufincf:»
of the Second Part of this Work to examine.

[a) That the End of Man nvas, &C.] Which the StoicJis had
from Plato, as Climc?is remarks, Strom. V.

?OQK

[ S7 ]

BOOK 11.

SECT. I.

^hat the Chrijlian Religion is true.

THE Defign then of this Second Book, (after
having put up our Petitions to Chrift, the
King of Heaven, that he would afford us fuch
Aflillances of his holy Spirit, as may render us
fufficient for fo great a Bufinefs) is not to treat
particularly of all the Opinions in Chriftianity ;
but only to fhew that the Chriftian Religion itfelf
is moft true and certain ; which we attempt thus.

S E C T. II.

The Proof that there zvas Jiich a Per/on as Jefiis.

THAT Jefus of Nazareth formerly lived in
Judcea^ in the Reign of Tiberinsx}i\t Roman Empe-
ror, is conftantly acknowledged, not only by
Chriftians, difperfed all over the World, butalfo
by all the JeiDs which now are, or have ever wrote
fincethat Time; the fame is alfo teftified by Hea-
thens, that is, fuch as did not write either of the
^^w{)^,QroftheChriftianReligion,(^j5'//£'/(?K//fj-,(<^)

'TacituSy

[a) Suetonius, &c.] In his Claudius, Chap. 25. where Chrejio
is put for Chrijio, becaufe that Narne was more known to the
Greeks and Latins,

{h) Tacitus, &c.] Book XV. where he is fpeaking of the
Punifliraent of the Chriftians. " The Author of that Name
" was Chrift, who in the Reign of Tiberius fufFere^l Puni(h-
" ment under his Proeiuator Pzntius Pilate,"" W';e.f the great
Crimes and Hatred to human Kind they are charged with, is
G 4 nothing

8S OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IL

TaciiuSy {a) Pliny the Younger, and many aftey
thefe.

'That he died an ignominious Death.

THAT the fame Jefus was crucified by Pontius
Pilate y the Prefidcntof y«^^^, is acknowledged by
Jill the fame Chriftians, notwithftanding it might
feem difhonourable to them who worfhip fuch a
Lord, [b) It is ^Ifo acknowledged by the Jeivs^

though

nothing elfe hut their Contempt of falfe Gods ; which fame
Reafon Tacitus had to curfe the Je^Ms ; and Fliny the Elder,
when he calls the Jeiui " a People remarkable for Contempt of
*♦ the Gods." That is, very many of the Romans wtxt. come to
this, that their Confciences were not affeded by that Part of their
Theology which was Ci\il (which Seneca commeiiJs) but tlicy
feigned it in their outward Actions, and kept it as a Command
of the Law ; looking upon Worfhip as a Thing of Cuftom, more
than in Reality. See the Opinion of Varro and Seueca about
this Matter, which is the fame with that of Tacitiis ; in Augujiin,
£ook V. Chap. 33. and Book VL Chap. lo. of his CiJjo/G yd,
in the me:;n Time it is worthy obferving, that ye/us, who was
punifhed by Pontius Pilate, was acknowledged by many at Rome,
in Nero's Time, to be the Chrift. Compare that of jfujlin in
his Second Apolcgetick concerning this Hiftory ; where he ad-
drefles himfelf to the Emperors and Roman Senate, who might
know thofe Things from the Adts.

[a) Pliny the Younger, &c.] The Kpiftle js obvious to ever/
one, viz. Book X. Chap. g-j. which Tertullian mentions in
his Apologetick, and Enjebius in his Chronicon ; where we find,
that the Chriftians were ufed to fay a Hymn to Chrift as God,
and to bind themfelves not to perform any wicked Thing, but
Xo forbear committing Theft, Robbery, or Adultery ; to be
|rue to their \\'ord, and ftridily perform their Truft. Plifiy
blames their Stubbornnefs and inflexible Obftinacy in this one
Thing -, that they would not invoke the Gods, nor do Homage
vith Frankincenfe and Wine, before the Shrines of Deities,
nor curfe Chrift ; nor could they be compelled to do it by any
Torments whatfoever. The Epiltle, in Anfwer to that of
Traiati, fays, that He openly declares himfelf 10 be no Chri-
ftian, who fupplicates the Roman Gods. Origen, in his Fourth
Book againft Celj'us, tells us, there was a certjiin Hiftory of Jefu!^
pxtant in Numenius the Pjlhagorean,

(h) It is alfo acknoivlcdged, cVc] Wlio calls him 'if^n, that
is hanged. Benjaminis Tudelcnjis, in his Itinerary^ acknowledges
fhat ^cjy,i was ilain zljernjalem.

^ea. 2, 3- CHRISTIAN RELIGION. £q

though they are not ignorant, how much they lie
under the Difpleafure of the Chriftians, under
whofe Government they every where live, upon
this Account, becaufe their Anceflors were the
Caufe of Pilate's doing it. Likewife the Heathen
Writers, we mentioned, have recorded the fame to
Pofterity ; {a) and a long Time after, the Ads of
Pilate were extant, to which the Chriftians fome-
fime appealed. Neither did Julian, or other Op-
pofers of Chriftianity, ever call it in Queftion.
So that noHiftory can be imagined more certain
than this ; which is confirmed by the Teftimo-
jiies, I don't fay, of fo many Men, but of fo
many People, which differed from each other.
{b) Notuithlianding which, we find him wor-
iliipped as Lord, throughout the mofl diftanc
Countries of the World,

SECT. IIL

And yety after his Deall\ zvas worj7jipped by
wife Men.

AND that not only in our Age, or thofe im-
mediately foregoing; but alfo, even in the firfV,
the Age next to that in which it was done, in the
Reign of the Emperor Ne^^o ; at which Time the
forementioned 'TacituSy and others attefl, that
very many were punifhed becaufe they profelfcd
the Worlliip of Chrift.

[a) And a lo7ig Time after, &:c.] See Epiphanius in his Tef-
farejcadocatita;. It were better to have omitted this Argument,
becaufe fome imprudent Chriftians might appeal to fome Ipurious
Afts ; for it does not appear that there were 2.wy genuine ones.
Le Clerc,

{b) Noiiviihftandhtg ivhkh, &c.] Chrj/cjlom handles this
Matter at large, upoji 2 Cor, v. 7,

SECT.

90 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II.

SECT. IV.

1'be Cdiife of zvhich could he no other ^ hut thofe MU
7'acies which were done by him,

AND there were always very manyamongfl the
Worlliippers of Chrill, who were Men of good
Judgment, and of no fmall Learning; fuch as
(not to mention y^xc'j) [a] ^n-^V/^j the Prefident of
Cyprus y {b) Dionyfms the Areopagite, {c) Polycarp,
(d) Jujliny (e) IrenauSy (f) Atbenngoras^ (s[) Origen,
(h) TertuHian, [i] Clemens Aiexandrinus, 2ind others:
Who being fuch Men, why they {hould them-
felves be Worfhippers of a Man that was put to
an ignominious Death, efpecially whenalmofl all
of them were brought up in other Religions, and
there was neither Honour nor Profit to be had by
the Chriftian Religion: Why, I fay, they flioulddo
thus, there can be no Reafon given but this one j
that upon a diligent Enquiry, fuch as becomes pru-
dent

(a) Serglus the Trefident^ &C.] A8s xiii. 12.

{b) Dionyfius the Areopagite, S:c.] Ads xvil. 34,

(f) Poly carp y &c,] Who fuffered Martyrdom in AfiOy In the
CLXIXth Year of Chrift, according to Eujehms.

{d) Juftitt, &c.] Who publifhed Writings in Defence of
the Chriftians in the CXLlId Year of Chrilt. See the fame
Etifcbius.

(<•) Irefia^us, &c.] He flouriflied at Ljonsy in the CLXXXIIJ
Year of Chrirt,

ffj Athenagoras, &c.] This Man was an Athenian. He
flouriihed about the CLXXXth Year of Chrift, as appears
from the Infcription of his Book.

(f ) 0'-'^«^», -^c.] He flouriihed about the CCXXXth Year
of Chrift.

[h) Tertullian, &c.] W'ho was famous in the CCVIIIth
Year of Chrift.

{i) Clemens A/exandri;m, Sec] About the fame Time. See
Eu/ehius,

Sea. 4-, 5. CHRISTIAN RFXIGION. 9^

^ent Men to make, in a Matter of the higheft
Concern to them ; they found, that the Report
which was fpread abroad, concerning the Mira-
cles that were done by him, was true, and founded
upon fufficient Tcftimony : fuch as healing fore
Difeafes, and thofe of a long Continuance, only
by a Word, and this publickly ; relloring fight
to him that was born blind; increafing Bread for
the feeding of many thoufands, who were all
Witneffesof it; reftoring the Dead to Life again,
and many other fuch like.

S E C T. V.

JFhicb Miracles cannot he afcrihed to any Natural
or Diabolical Power y but rnuji be from God.

WHICH Report had fo certain and undoubted
a Foundation, that neither (a) Cel/us, nox (b) Julian,
when they wrote againft the Chriltians, dared to
deny that fome Miracles were done by Chrif!:; (c)
the Hebrczus alfo confcfs it openly in the Books of
the Talmud. That they were not performed by any
naturalPowcr,fufficientIyappears from hence, that
they are called Wonders or Miracles; nor can it
ever be, that grievous Diftempers iliould be healed
immediatelyonly byaWordfpeaking, oraTouch,
by the Power of Nature. If thofe Works could
have been accounted for, by any natural Efficacy,
it would have been faid fo at firftj, by thofe, who

either

{a) Celfm, &c.] ^^'hofe Words, in Book II. of Origen,
are : " You think he is the Son of God, becaufe he healed
♦« the Lame and the Blind."

{b) Julia?!, &€.] Nay, he plainly confefles the Thing,
when he fays in the Words recited by Cyril, Book V]. " Un-
** lefs any pna will reckon amongft the moft difficult Things,
♦* healing the Lame and the Ehnd, and calling out Devils in
*' Bethjaida and Bethany."

(f) The Hebrews c^j, c\,-c.] In the Title Ahuda Zara<,_

92 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IL

either profeiTedthemfclvesEncmics of Chriftwhen
he was upon Farth, or of his Gofpcl. By the like
Argument we gather, that they were not juggling
Tricks, becaufe very manyoftheWorks v/eredonc
openly, (a) in the Sight of all the People ; and
anionglc whom were many learned Men, who bore
no good Will to Chrift, who obferved all his
Works. To which we may add, that the like
Works were often repeated, and the Effedts were
not ofafhort Continuance, but lafting. All which,
rightly coniidered, as it ought to be, it will plainly
follow, according to the J^ifZi-j- own ConfelTion, that
thcfe Works v. ere done by fome Power more than
human, that is, by fome good or bad Spirit : That
thcfe Works were not the Eifeils of any bad Spirit,
is from hence evident, thatthis Doclrine of Chrift,
for theProofofwhich thefc Works v/ereperformcd,
was oppolite to thofe evil Spirits : For it forbids
the Worfhip of evil Spirits ; it draws Men off
from all Immortality, in which fuchSpirits delight.
It appears alio, from the Things themfclves, that
wherever this Doctrine has been received, the
Worfiiip of Demons and (^) Magical Arts have
ceafed ; and the one God has been worihippcd,
with an Abhorrence of Demons j whofe Strength
and Power (^) Porphyry acknovv ledges were broken
upon the coming of Chrift. And it is not at all
credible, that any evil Spirits fliould be fo impru-
dent, as to do thofe Things, and that very often,
from which no Honour or Advantage could arife
to them, but, on the contrary, great Lofs and
Difgrace. Neither is it any Way conftftent with

the

[a] /// the Sight of all the Ptopht &c.] A<^s xxvi. 26. Luke-s\\.

[b] Magical Arts, Sic.'] The Books about which were burnt
by the Advice of the Difciples of Chrift, Jds xix. 19.

[c] Porphyry achwwlcd^cs, &c.] The Place is in Eu/cbius'i
Pra'b. Book V. Chap, j. " After Chrift was worftiipped,
*• nobody experienced any public Benefit from the Gods,"

Sea. 5. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 93

the Goodnefs or Wifdom of God, that he fliould
be thought to fufFer Men, who were free from all
wicked Deiigns, and who feared him, to be de-
ceived by the Cunning of Devils ; and fuch were
the iirft Difciples of Chrift, as is manifeft from
their unolameable Life, and their fuffering very
many Calamities for Confcience-fake. If any one
lliould fay, that thefe Works were done by good
Beings, who yet are inferior to God j this is to
confefs, that they were well-pleafingto God, and
redounded tohis Honour; becaufegood Beings do
nothing but what is acceptable to God, and for
his Glory. Not to mention, that fome of the
Works of Chrift were fuch as feem to declare God
himfelf to be the Author of them, fuch as the
railing more than one of thofe that were dead to
Life. Moreover, God neither does, nor fuiters
Miracles to be done without a Reafon ; for it does
not become a wife Law-giver to depart from his
Laws, without a Reafon, and that a weighty one.
Now no other Reafon can be given, why thefe
Things were done, but that which is alledged by
Chrift, ^7-^. (a) to give Credit to his Doctrine; nor
could they, who beheld them, conceive any other
Reafon in their Minds : Amongft whom, fiiice
there were many of a pious Difpolition, as was
faid before, it would be prophane to think God
Ihould do them to impofe upon fuch. And this
was the fole Reafon why many of the Jezz's, who

lived

(a) To git-e Credit to his Doff nnf, &€.] We may add that
the E\ent itfelf, in that fo great a Part of Mankind embraced
the Chritlian Religion, fhews that it was a Thing fo worthy
of God, a? for him to confirm it with Miracles at the Begin-
ning, If he did fo many for the Sake of one Nation, and
that no very great one, I mean the Jerjjijb ; how much more
agreeable to his Goodnefs was it to beftow this heavenly Light,
to fo great a Part of Maiikind, who Jay in the thickeil Dark-
nefs. Le Clen,

<)l OF THE TRUTH OF THE BookIL

lived near the Time of J^efus, (j) who yet could
not be brought to depart from any Thing of the
Law given by Mofes, (fuch as they who were called
Nazarenes and Ebioniles) neverthclefs owned Jefus
to be a Teacher fent from Heaven.

S E C T. VI.

1'he Rejiirre^ion of Chrijl proved from credible
TeJJimony.

CHRIST'S coming to Life again in a wonder-
ful Manner, after his Crucifixion, Death and Bu-
rial, affords us no lefs flrongan Argument for thofc
Miracles that were done by him. For the Chri-
flians of all Times and Places aficrt this not only
for a Truth, but as the principal Foundation of
their F^aith : Which could not be, unlefs they, who
firft taught thcChriftian Faith, had fully perfuadcd
their Hearers, thattheThingdid notcometo pafs.
Now they could not fully perfuade Men, of any
Judgment, of this, unlefs they affirmed themfclves
to be Eye-witneffesof it; for without fuch an Af-
firmation, no Man in his Senfes would have be-
lieved them, efpecially at that Time, when fuch a
Belief was attended with fo many Evils and Dan-
gers. That this was affirmed by them with great

Conflancyj

{n) Who yet could not he brought. Sec. ] See Ads xv. Rom.
xiv. Jerom in the Eu/ebian Chronicoi, for the Year of Chrift
CXXV. after he had named fifteen Chriltian Bifliops oijcrufnlemt
adds, " Thefe were all Bifhops of the Circumcilion, who
«* governed till the Deftruflion of Jcrufalem under the Em-
** pcror Adrian." Scverus Sidpithis, concerning the Chriftians
of thofe Times and Places, fays, •' They believed Chrilt to be
*' God, whilll they obferved alfo the Law ; and the Church
had a Prieft out of thofe of the Circumcifion." See Epipka-
tihis, where he treats of the Natnytius and Ebioiutes. Nazarenet
was a Name not for any paiicular Part, but all the Chriftians in
FaUjh/ie y,xtc fj called, becaufc their iVlaikr was zNazarent,

Sea, 6. CHRISTIAN^^ELIGION. 95

Conftancy, their own Books, (a) and the Books of
others, tell us; nay, it appears fromtbofe Books,
that they appealed to (^) five, hundred WitnefTes,
who faw Jefus after he was rifen from the Dead,
Now it is not ufual for thofe who fpeak Untruths,
to appeal to fo many WitnelTes. Nor is it poflible
fo many Men fhould agree to bear a falfe Tefti-
mony. And if there had been no other Witnelies,
but thofe twelve known firft Propagators of the
Chrifhian Doctrine, it had been Sufficient. No-
body has any ill Defign for nothing. They could
not hope for any Honour, from faying what was
not true, becaufe all the Honours were in the
Power of the Heathens and Jews, by whom they
were reproached and contemptuouOy treated: Nor
for Riches, becaufe, onthe contrary, this Profef-
lion was often attended .with the Lofs of their
Goods, if they had any ; and if it had been other-
wife, yet the Gofpel could not have been taught
by them, but with theNegledl of their temporal
Goods. Nor could any other Advantages of this
Life provoke them to fpeak a- Falfity, when the
very preaching of the Gofpel expofed them to
Hardfhip, to Hunger and Third, to Stripes and
Imprifonment. Fame, amongft themfelves only,
was not fo great, that for the Sake thereof, Men
of upright Intentions, whofe Lives and Tenets
were free from Pride and Am.bition, fhould under-
go fo many Evils. Nor had they any Ground to
hope, that their Opinion, which was fo repugnant
rto Nature, (which is wholly bent upon its own

Advan-

{a) And the Books of others, ^:c.] Even of Celfiis, who wrote
againft the Chriftians. See Origen, Book II.

{h) Fi-ve hundred PFilnefes, &c.] Paul, I Cor. XV. 6. He
fays, fome of them were dead at that Time, but their Chil-
dren and Friends were alive, who might he hearkened to, and
teftify what they had heard, but the greater Part of them were
alive when Paul wxoiQ this. This Appearance was a Moun-
tain in Galilee.

96 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book It-

Advantages) and to the Authority which ever/
uhere governed^ could makefo great a Progrefs,
but from a Divine Promife. Further, they could
not promife to themfelves that this Fame, what-
ever it was, would be lading; becaufe (God on
purpofe concealed his Intention in this Matter
from them) they expeded that (a) the End of the
whole World was juft at Hand, as is plain from
their own Writings, and thofe of the Chrillians
that came after them. It remains therefore, that
they muft be faid to have uttered a Falfity, for
the Sake of defending their Religion; which, if
Mc confider the Thing aright, can never be faid of
them ; for either they believed from their Heart
that their Religion was true, or they did not be-
lieve it. If they had not believed it to have
been the beft, they would never have chofen it
from all other Religions, which were more fafe
and honourable. Nay, though they believed it
to be true, they would not have made a Profeflion
of it, unlefs they had believed fuch a Profeilion
neceffary ; efpecially when they could eafily fore-
fee, and they quickly learnt by Experience, that
fuch a Profeilion would be attended with the Death
of a vaft Number ; and they would have been
guilty of the higheft Wickednefs, to have given
fuch Occafion without a juft Reafon. If they
believed their Religion to be true, nay, that it
was the bcft, and ought to be profefRd by all
Means, and this after the Dcathof their Mafter; it
■was impoflible this fhould be, if their Mafter's
Promife concerning his Rcfurreclion had failed

them '

{a) The End of the "^holc World, firc] See i Thcjf. iv. i T,
16. I Cor, XV. 52. Teriiilliati of having but one V»'it"e :
*• Now the Time is very fhort,' Jcrom io Gerontis : " What
** is that to us, upon whom the Ends of the World arc
•* come? 3

S^a. 6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 97

them; (a) for this had been fufficienttoanyMan
in hisSenfes, to have overthrown that Belief which
he had before entertained: Again, all Religion,
but particularly the Chriftian Religion, forbids
(^) Lying and Falfe Witnefs, efpecially in Divine
Matters : They could not therefore be moved to
tell a Lye, out of Love to Religion, efpecially
fuch a Religion. To all which may be added,
that they were Men who led fuch a Life, as was
not blamed even by their Adverfaries; and who
had no Objedlion madeagainft them, (c) but only
their Simplicity, the Nature of which is themoft
diftant that can be from forging a Lye. And
there was none of them, who did not undergo
even the moft grievous Things, for their Profeflion
of the Refurre6lion of Jefus. Many of them en-
dured the moft exquifite Death for this Teftimony.
Now, fuppofe it poffible, that any Man in his
Wits could undergo fuch Things for an Opinion
he had entertained in his Mind ; yet for a Fallity
and which is known to be a Fallity ; that not only
one Man, but very many fhould be willing to
endure fuch Hardlhips, is a Thing plainly incre-
dible. And that they were not mad, both their
Lives and their Writings fufficiently tcftify. What
has been faid of thefe firft, the fame may alfo be
faid of Paul, (d) who openly declared that he faw

Chrill

(a) For this had hee7ifufficientt &c.] Chryfofiom handles this
Argument at large, upon i Cor. i. towards the End.

(h) Lyuigatid falfe IVitnefs, &c.] Ma//, xii. 36. John^\\\,
44,45. Eph. iv. 25. Ram. ix. I. ? Cor. vii. 19. xi. 31,
Cal. i. 20. Col. iii. 9. j Tipi. i, 10. and ii. 7, fam. iii. 14.
Matt. xxii. 16. MarkyXx, 14, Luke w. 21, John xiv. 16.
£j>h. V. 9. and elfevvhere.

(c) Bui 07ily their Simplicity, &c.] Even Celfus, See Origin,
Book I.

{d) Who openly declared, &c.] I Cor. xv. 9. 2 Cor. xii. 4.
Add to this what Luh the Difciple of PW writes, A^s ix, 4,
c, 6. and xxii. 6, 7, %

qS of the truth of the Book II.

Chrirt reigning in Heaven, (a) and he did nor
want the Learning of the Jews, but had great
Profpec't of Honour, if he had trod the Paths
of his Fathers. But, on the contrary, he thought
it his Duty, for this Profeffion, to expofe himfelf
to the Hatred of hio Relations ; and to undertake
difficult, dangerous, and troublefome Voyages ail
over the World, and at lafl; to fuffcr an ignonni-
nious Death,

SECT. VII.

The Objeilion draivn from the Jeeming hnpoffthility
of a Refurrenion aifwered,

INDEED, nobody can withfland the Credibi-
lity of fo many and fo great Tefiimonies, without
faying, that a Thing of this Nature is impoflibic to
be, fuch as we fay all Things that imply a Contra-
diction are. {b) But this cannot be faid of it. It

might

[d) And he did not ivant the Learning, &:c.] A8s xxii. 3.
There were two Gamalieh famous amongft the Hebreius on
account of their Learning. Paid was the Difciple of one of
them, who was very Ikilful, not only in the Law, but alfo
Jn thofe Things that were delivered by the Doftors, See
Mfiphanijis,

{b) But this cannot he faid of it, &c,] Sec the fcventh An,
fwer to the Objcftions concerniiig the RcfurrcdHon, in the
Works of Jr/Jiin, " An ImpofTibifity in itfelf, is one Ihing;
*' and an fmpoffibility in any Particular, is another; an Im-
*• poffibility in itfelf is, that the Diagcna! of a Square ihould
" be commenfurate with the Side; a particular InipolTibility
" is, that Nature fliould produce an Aninvd v/itliout Scc.l.
♦' To which of thcfc two Kinds of Impofiblts d:. Unbelievers
♦' compare the RcfurrecHon? If to the fir ft, their Reafoning
" is falfe; for a new Creation is not I'ke making the Diagonal
*♦ commenfurate with the Side; but they that rife again,
♦' rife by a new Creation. If tliey mean a particular Impoifi-
*' bility; furely all Things are pofTible with God, though
♦' they may be impoflible to any clfe." Concerning this
Difference of Impoffibililics, fee the learned Notes of Maimoy
Tiidei, in his Guide to the Daubtin^, Part III, Ch, 15,

Sea. 7 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 99

might indeed ; if any one fhould affirm, that the
fame Perfon was alive and dead at the fame
Time : But that a dead Man fliould be reitored to
Life, by the Power of him who firft gave Life to
Man, (a) there is no Reafon why this faould be
thought impolTible. Neither did wife Men believe
it to be impolTible.- For P/afo relates it of (^) Er
the Arme?jm?i; [c) Heraclide^ Ponticns^ of a certain
Woman; [d] Herodotus y oi Arijiieus ; and {e) Pln^
H 2 tarch

{a) There is no Reafon nvhji, &c.] All thofe who are ikilful
in the true Philofophy, acTcnowIedge that it is as hard to
underftand how the Fcstus is formed in the Mother's Womb,
as how the Dead fhould be raifed to Life. But ignorant Men
are not at all furprifed at the Things which they commonly
fee; nor do they account them difficult, though they know
not the Reafon of them : But they think thofe Things which
they never faw, are impoffible to be done, though they are
not at ail more difficult than thofe Things they fee every Day.
Le Clerc,

[b) Er the Armenian, &c.] The Place of Plato concern-
ing this Matter, is extant in his Tenth Book of P-epublicks,
tranfcribed by Eu/ebius, in his Go/pel Preparat. Book XL
Chap. 35-. The Report of which Hiftory is in Valerius Maxi-
mus. Book I. Chap. 8. the firft foreign Example. In the
Hortatory Difcourfe among the Works of Jujim ; in Clemens,
Strom. V. in Origeii, Book IJ. againft Cei/u: ; in Phaarek,
Sjmpojtac. IX. ^. and in Macrobius, in the Beginning, upon
Scipio's Dream.

(f) Heraclides Potitkus, &-C.] There was a Book of his
Coucerni//g the Dead, mentioned by Diogenes Laertius in his
Preface, and in his Empedodes ; and by Galen in the Vlth,
concerning the Parts that are affeded. Pliny fpeaks thus of
him. Bock VII. Chap. 32. " That nobly Volume of Hera-
*' elides amongfl the Gneks, of a Woman's Being rellored to
«' Life, after (he had been dead feven Days." And Diogenes
Laertius, in the latter Place, affigns her thirty Days.

[d) Herodotus, &c.") In his Melpomene. See Pliny's Nat.
HijL Book VIII. Chap. 52. Plutarch's Rcmiilus, znd Hejtchius
concerning the Philofophers.

{e) Plutarch, &c.] of Thefpejius, Plutarch has this in hi$'

Diicourfe of God's deferring Punifhment. And Antyllusg

f pncerning whom Eu/ebius has preferved that Place of Plu'

Z tarch

f 00 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 11.

larch, out of another; which, whether they were
true or falfe, fhews the Opinion of learned Men,
concerning the PolTibility of the Thing.

^he Truth of Jefus's Bo&rhte, proved from his
RefnrfeBion.
IF itbenotimpoffible that Chriftihould return
to Life again, and if it be proved from fufficient
Teftimonies, fuch as convinced {a) Bechai, a
Teacher of the Jezi^s, fo far as to acknowledge the
Truth of it; and Chrift him/elf (as both his own
Difciplesand Strangers confefs) declared a new
Dodlrine, as by a Divine Command: It will cer-
tainly follow, that this Dodtrine is true; becaufe
it is repugnant to the Juftice and Wifdom of God,
to beftow fuch Endowments upon him, who had
been guilty of a Falfity, in a Matter of fo great
Moment. Efpecially when he had, before his
Death, declared to his Difciples, that he fhould
die, and what Manner of Death ; and alfo that he
Ihould return to Life again; [b] and that thefc
Things fhould therefore come to pafs, that they
might confirm the Truth of his Dodrine.

SECT. VIII.

That the Chrijiian Religion exceeds all others.
THESE Arguments are drawn from Matters
of Fadt; we come now to thofe which are drawn

from

tanh, from his Firfl Book of the Soul, in his Prepar. Book XI.
Chap. 38. and Theodom, Serm. XI.

tfi) Btchni, &c.] It were to be wifhed that Grctius had
quoted the Place ; for though his Reafoning, drawn from the
Refurrcdion of Ghrift, does not want the Approbation ot-
R. Berhai, ) et perhaps the Jews might be affeded with his
Authority. Le Ct^rc.

{b) And that theji- Things, &C.] ^Ct John xvii. Luke \\x\\
46» 47«

Sea. S, 9- CHRISTIAN RELIGION, icr

from the Nature of the Dodrine. Certainly all
Manner of Worlhip of God mufi: be rejected ;
(which can never enter into any Man's Mind,
who has any Senfe ofthe Exiftence of God, and of
his Government of the Creation ; and who conli-
ders the Excellencyof Man's Underftanding,and
the Power of chuiing moral Good or Evil, with
which he is endued; and confequently that the
Caufe, as of a Reward, fo of Punifhment, is in
himfelf;} or elfe he mull receive this Religion,
not only upon the Teftimony ofthe Fa6ls, which
we have now treated of; but likewife for the Sake
of thofe Things that are intrinfical in Religion;
lince there cannot be any produced, in any Age
or Nation, whofe Rewards are more excellent,
or whofe Precepts are more perfecT:, or the Me-
thod in which it was commanded to be propa-
gated, more wonderful.

SECT. IX.

The Excellency of the Reward propofed.

TO begin with the Reward, that is, with the
End propofed to Man ; becaufe, a^ we are ufed to
fay, that which is the lafl: in Execution, is the
Firfl in Intention; [a] Mofes, in his Inftitutionof
itxtjezvijh Religion, if we regard the exprefs Con-
dition ofthe Law, made no Promifes beyond the
good Things of this Life; fuch as a fruitful Land,
Abundance of Riches,Vidory over their Enemies,
long Life and Health, and Hope of their Pofle-
rities furvivingthem. And if there be any Thing
more, it is only obfcurely hinted, and muft becol-
leded from wife and ftrong arguing : Which is
the Reafon why many who profeiTed to follow the
H 3 Law

{a) Mofes, in hh Injliiutioi:, &c.] D^ii. si, and xxviii.
H(h. viii. 6,

I02 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IT.

Law of Mofes [a) (as the Sadticecs) caft off all
Hope of enjoying any Good after this Life. The
Greeks who derived their Learning from the Chal-
deans and EgyptianSy and who had fome Hope of
another Life after this, {b) fpol^e \try doubtfully
concerning it, as is evident {c) from the Difputes
af Socrates y and from the Writings of {d) 'Tully^

Seneca,

[a) As the Sadducees, &c.] Matt. xxii. 23. Luke in ASis
xxili. 8. Jo/ephus: " The Sa^Jucees argue, that the Soul
" perilhes with the Body." And in another Place, " They
*' deny the Soul's Immortality, and Rewards and Punifh-
** ments in another Life." Jerom fays of them, " That the/
** believe the Soul perifhes with the Bod}'."

{b) Spoke 'very doubtfully, &c.] This is obferved by Chry-
fojiom, on 1 Cor. i. 25.

(c). From the Difputes of Socrates, kc.'\ In Pinto's Thadon :
" Now I would have you to underftand, that I hope to go
" amongft good Men ; but I will not be too pofitive in af-
♦' firming it." And afterwards, " If thofe Things I am
*' fpeaking of fhould prove true, it is very well to be thus
*' perfuaded concerning them; but if there be nothing after
*' Death, yet I (hall always be the lefs concerned for the
" prefcnt Things of this Life; and this my Ignorance will
** not continue long (for that would be bad) but will fliortly
•* vanifh." And lertul/itj» concerning the Soul : •* From
" fuch a firm Steadinefs and Goodnefs of Mind, did that
*' Wlfdom of Socratts proceed, and not from any certain
" Difcovery of the Truth." The fame is obferved of Socrates,
in the Exhortation among the Works of Juji'm,

(^) Tully, &C.]. In his Firft Tufculan Queftion : " Shew
*' me firft, if you can, and if it be not too troublefome, that
" Souls remain after Death ; or, if you cannot prove this
" (for it is difficult) declare how there is no Evil in Death."
And a little after. " I know not what mighty Thing they
«* have got by it, who teach, that when the Time of Death
«• comes, they fliall certainly /ir/v/-J ; which if it fhould be,
*' (for I do not fay any Thing to the contrary) what Ground
*• of joy or Glorying docs it aflbrd?" And again, " Now
*' fuppofe the Soul fhould perifh with the Body, can there be
«• any Pain, or can there be any Senfe at all in the Body
«' after Death ? Nobody will fay fo." Laclantius, Book VII.
Chap. 8. cites the following PalTage out of the fame Cicero,
fpoken after a Difpute about the Soul; " Which of thefc
" Opinions is true, God only knows,"

Sea. 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGIOxV, 103

{a)Seneca^ [b] and others. And though theyfearch-
ed diligently for Arguments to prove it, they
could offer nothing of Certainty. For thofe which
theyalledge, (r) hold generally as ftrong for Beafts
as they do for Men. Which when fome of them
confidered, it is no Wonder that they imagined
that Souls [d] paffed out of Men into Beads, and
out of Beafts into Men. Again: becaufe this
could not be proved by any Teftimonies, nor by
any certain Arguments, and yet it could not be
denied but that there muft be fome End propofed
for Man ; therefore others were led to fay, (>j that
Virtue was its own Reward, and that a wife Man
was very happy, though in Phahiris's Bull. But
others difliked this, and not without Reafon ;
for they faw very well, that Happinefs, efpecially
in the higheft -Degree (unlefs we regard only the
Sound of Words, without any Meaning) could
not [f] conlift in that which is attended with Dan-
H 4 ger,

[a) Seneca, Sec.'] Epiftle LXIV. " And, perhaps (if the
" Report of wife Men be trae, and any Place receives ui)
" that, which we think perilhes, is only fent before.'* ^

[b) And others^ &c.] Ji'ft'n Martyr fars, in general, in his
DlalvigLie with Trjpho : " The Phiioibphers knew Nothing of
*• thefe Things, nor can they tell what the Soul is."

[c) Hdd generally as' Jlrong for Biajis, &-C.] As that Argu-
lent of Socrates to Plato, that " That which moves of itfelf

" is Ete'tnal." StQ LaSlantius in the fore mentioned Place.

{d) Pajfcd out of Men into Bcajis, &C.] As the Brachmnni
of old, and now alfo; from whom Pythagoras and his Scho-
lars had it.

[e] That l^rtue ivas its oivn Riivird, &c.] See TiiUy's Se-
cond Tufc' !^ii/i: And Latlantiiis's hijiitutlons. Book III.
Chap. 27. where he ftrenuoufly difputes againft this Opinion;
znA Augvjiin , Epift. III.

if) Confift in that, Src] LaElantius, Book III. Chap. 12.
" Virtue is not its own Happinefs, becaufe the whole Po.ver
" of it confifts,. as 1 faid, in bearing Evils." And a little

alter

m

104 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II

ger, Lofs, Torment and Death : Afid therefore
they placed the chief Good and End of Man in
fenfual PIcafurc. And this Opinion, likewife,
was folidly confuted by very many, as a Thing
which overthrew all Virtue, the Seeds of which
are planted in the Mind ; and degraded Man,
who was made for noble Purpofcs, to the Rank
of Brute Creatures, who look no further than the
Earth. In fo many Doubts and Uncertainties did
MankindatthatTimewander,tillChrifl:difcovered
the true Knovvledgeof their End ; promifing to his
Difciples and Followers another Life after this,
in which there fliould be no more Death, Pain, or
Sorrow, but accompanied with the highefl: Joy ;
And this notonlytoone PTrtqf Man, that is, his
Soul, of whofe Happiricfs after this Life there was
fome Hope, partly from Conjecture, and partly
from Tradition ; but alfo to the Body, and that
very juflly, that the Body, which oftentimes ought
to endure great Lolfcs, Torments, and Death, for
the Sake of the Divine Law, might notgo without
a R^compencc. And the Joys which are promifed,
arenjt fuch mean Things (ii) asthofe Feafts, which
the duller Jews hoped for after this Life, (/'j and
the Embraces which the Mahometans promifc to

t hem-
after, when he had quoted a Place of Sa.'eca'f, he adds;
" But the Stokksy whom he follows, deny that any one can
*' be happy without Virtne. Therefore the Reward of Vir-
** tue, is a happy Life; if Virtue, as is rightly faid, makes
•' Life happy. Virtue, therefore, is not to oe defired for its
" own Sake, as they affirm, but for the t:'ake of a happy
" Life, which necellarily attends Virtue : Which Argument
•* might inftruft them what is the chief Good. But this pre-
** fent bodily Life cannot be happy, becaufe it is fubjedt to
" Fa'iIs, by Means of the Body." Pliny, in his Nat. Iliji^
Book VIL Ch. 7. fays well, " i'hat no mortal Man is happy.»»
{a) As ihcfc Fcr-Jlsy &c.] The Places are quoted beneath,
in the Fifth Book.

{b) And the Embraces^ &'C,] Sce thcJ/cainn, Azoara, II.
V. XLVII. LIV. LXV. LXVI.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 105

themfelves; for thcfe are only proper Remedies
for the Mortality of this frail Life; the former,
forthePrefervationofparticular Animals,andthe
latter for the Continuance of their Species : But
the Body will be in a perpetual Vigour, and its
Brightnefs will exceed the Stars. The Mind will
have a Knowledge of God and of Divine Provi-
dence, and of whatever is now hidden from it,
without any Miftake : The Will will be calm, em-
ployed in Wonder and Praifes, in beholding God ;
in a Word, all Things will be much greater and
better, than can be conceived by comparing
them with the greateft and belt here.

S E C T. X.

A Solution of the OhjeFIion taken from hence ^ that
the Bodies after their Diffolution cannot be rejiored.

BESIDES the Objeftion which we have now
anfwered, it is commonly alledged, that the Bodies
of Men, after their Dillblution, cannot be reftored
to the fame Frame again; but this is faid without
the leafl: Foundation, (a) For mod Philofophers
agree, that though the Things be liever fo much

changed,

{a) For ynoji Philofophers agree, &c.] If any one be not fa.
tisfied with this Account of Grotius, he may be anfwered,
that it is not at al! neceflary, that the Matter which is raifcd,
fnould be numerically the fime with that which the dying
Man carried to the Grave with him; For he will be as
much the fame Man, though his Soul were joined to Matter
which it was never before joined to, provided it be the fame
Soul, as a decrepid old Man is the fame as he was when a
Child crying in the Cradle, though perhaps there is not, in
the old Man, one Particle of that Matter there was in the
Infant, by reafon of the continual Effiuvia which fly from the
Body. It may very well be called A Rifurre8ion of the Body,
when a like one is formed by God out of the Earth, and
joined to the Mind; therefore there is no Need of reducing
ourfjlves to fo great Streights, in order to defend too ftiffl/
the Samo^ifs of the Matter, Le Clerc.
I

io6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IT.

changed, the Matter of them ftill remains capable
of being formed into different Shapes ; and who
will affirm, that God does notknowin what Places,
though never fo far diflant, the Parts of that Matter
are, which goes to the making up of a human
Body? Or, that he has not Power to bring them
back, and reunite them ? And do the fame in the
Univerfe, that we fee Chymifls do in their Fur-
naces and Vellels, collcdtthofc Particles which are
of the fame Kind, tho' feparated from one another.
And there are Examples in Nature, which Ihow,
that though the Shape of Things be never fo much
changed, yet the Things themfelves return to their
original Form ; as in Seeds of Trees and Plants.
Neither is that Knot, which is objefted byfoman\^,
fuch as cannot be loofed ; viz. concerning human
Bodies pafilng into Nourifliment of wild Hearts and
Cattle; who, after they are thus fed, are eaten
again by Men. For the greateft Part of what is
eaten by us, is not converted into any Part of our
Body, bat goes into Excrements or Superfluities,
fuch as Spittle and Choler: And much of that
Avhich has Nourifhment in it, is confumed by Dif-
eafes, internal Heat, andtheambient Air. Which
being thus, God, who takes fuch Care of all Kinds,
even of dumb Creatures, may have fuch a parti-
cular Regard to human Bodies, that if any Part of
them fliould come to be Food for other Men, it
Ihouldno more be converted into their Subftance,
than Poifon or Phyfick is ; and fo much the ra-
ther, bccaufe human Flelh was not given to be
Food for Men. And, if it were otherwife; and
that fomcthing which docs not belong to the
latter Body, muft be taken from it ; this will not
make it a different Body ; [a] for there happens a

greater

•nut.

[a) For there happens a greater Change, drc] See Alfo
in Lib, Proponeba:ur, D, de Offu'tis, " If any one fliould

•« think.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 1^7

greater Change ofits Particles in thisLife:(<7)Na7,
a Butterfly is contained in a Worm; and the Sub-

cc

*' think, that by altering the Parts, any Thing is made differ-
*' ent from what it was before; according to fuch Reafoning,
** we ourfelves fhould be different from what we were a Year
** fince : Becaufe, as Philofcphers fay, thofe fmall Parts, of
*' which we confill, continually fly off from our Bodies, and
*' other foreign ones come in their Room." And Seneca,
Epift. LVIII. " Our Bodies are in a continual Flux, like
•' a River; all that we fee, runs away as Time does : None
•* of thofe Things we fee are durable. I myfelf am changed,
*' while I 'am fpeaking of their Change." See Methodim's
excellent DifTeitation upon this fubjeft, whofe Words Epi-
phanius has preferved in his Confutation of the Ori/enifli
Number XII. XIII. XVI. XVII.

{a) Nay, a Butterflj, Sec] See OviJ in the lall Book of
his Metamorphofes.

Wild Moths (<3 Thing by Count rytneti obferved)
Betnjoixt the Lea-ves in tender Threads iu'vol'v d.
Transform their Shapes into a Butterfly,

We may add fomething out of Pliny' i Natural Hijlory, Book
X, Ch. 5. concerning Frogs: He fays; " For half a Year of
" their Life they are turned into Mud, and cannot be feen ;
•' and by the Waters in the Spring, thofe which were for-
" merly bred, are bred again afrefh."' And in the fame Book,
Chap. ^. " The Cuckow feems to be made of a Hawk,
•' changing his Shape in the Time of Year." And Book XL
Ch. 20. " There are who think, that fome Creatures which
" are dead, if they be kept in the Houfe in the Winter, will
" come to Life again, after the Sun fliines hot upon them in
♦' the Spring, and they be kept warm all Day in Wood
" Alhes." And again, Ch. 25. fpeaking cf Silk-Worms,
'* Another Original of them may be from a large Sort of
** W^orm, which ftoots forth a double Kind of Horns; thefe
" are called Canker- Worms, and afterwards become what
" they call the Humble-Bee; from whence comes another
*' Sort of Infed, termed Necydalus, which, in fix Months
•♦ Time, turns into a Silk-Worm." And again. Chap. 23.
fpeaking of the Silk-Worm of Coos, he fays, " They were
•' iirrt fmall and naked Butterflies." And Ch. 26. concern-
ing the GraPnopper : " It is firft a fmall Worm, but after-
*• wards comes out of what they call Tettygometrn, whofe Shell
»' beicg broke they fly away about Midfummer." Ch. 30.
«' Flies drowned in Liquor, if they be buried in Aflies, re-

" tura

io8 OF THE TRUTH OF THS Book 11.

fiance of Herbs oroY Wine, (a) in fome very little
Thing, from whence they are again reflored to
their true Bignefs. Certainly, fince thefe, and
many other fuch like Suppofitions, may be made
without any Abfurdity, there is no Reafon why
the reftoringofa Body, after itisdifToivcd, fhould
be reckoned amongfttheThingsthatareimpofTible.
Efpecially iince learned Men, (i'J fuch ;is Zoroq/hr
among the Chaldeans y {c) almoft all the Stoicks,

and

«' turn to Life again." And On. 32. Many Infers are bred

in another Manner. '• And firft the Horfe-Fly, out of the

" Dew: In the Beginning of th.e Spring, it iHcks to a Ra-

♦• di(h-Leaf, and being ItifFened by the Sun, it gathers into

•* the Bignefs of a Millet. Out of this fprings a finnll ^^'orm,

** and in three Days after, a Canker- VVorm, which increafes

•♦ in a few Days, having a hard Shell about it, and moves at

" the Touch of a Spiderj this Canker- Worm, which they

" call a Chryfalis, when the Shell is broken, flies away a

" Butterfly.'

{a) In fome 'very little Thirtg, &c.] If Grotius had lived
till our Days, he would have fpoke more fully; fince it is evi-
dent that all Animals, of whatever Kind, fpring from an
Egg, in which they are formed, as all Plants do from Seeds,
though never fo finall. But this is nothing to the Refurrtc-
tion, for Bodies will not rife again out of fuch Principles.
Le Clerc.

{b) Such as Zoroafter, Sec] See Chmem, Strom. V.

{c) Abr.:Ji all the$Aon:k%, &c.] CLnois, Strom. V. " He
*' ( Htraclitzts) knew, having learnt it from the Barbarian
" Philofophy, that Men who lived wickedly, fliould be pu-
*' rifled by Fire, which the St'Jcks call (trupar», whereby they
" imagine every one fhall rife again fuch an one as he really
*• is; thus they treat of the RefurreCtion,"

kri^Oyigeu, Book IV. againft Cclfm : " The Stcidt fay,
*• that after a certain Period of Time, the Univerfe fhall be
♦♦ burnt, and after that (hall be a Renovation, in which all
♦* Things fliall continue unchangeable." And afterwards:
" They have not the Name of the Refurreftion, but they
»' have the Thing." Origen here adds the Egyptians. Chry.
ftppus concerning Providence, quoted by Laftanti::!, Book VI.
of his Lijiitutiotts, lias thefe Words : " Which being thu^^,
♦' there is evidently no Impoflibility, but that we alfo, when

Sea. 10, II. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 109

(a) and Tbeopompus among the Peripateticks,
believed that it could be, and that it would be.

SECT. XI.

The exceeding Purity of its Precepts^ with RefpeEi
to the WorJJjip of God.

ANOTHER Thing in which the Chriftian Re-
ligion exceeds all other Religions that ever were,
are, or can be imagined, is the exceeding Purity
and Holinefs of its Precepts, both in thofe Things
which concern the Worlhip of God, andalfo in all
other Particulars. The Rites of the Heathens, al-
moft all over the World, were full of Cruelty ; (b)
as Porphyry has largely fhewn ; and as we are con-
vinced by thofe in our Age, who have failed to
thofe Places. For it is an eflablifhed Principle,
almoft every where, that the Gods are to be paci-
fied with human Blood; which Cuftom neither
the Greek Learning, nor the Roman Laws, abo-
lilhed : as appears from what we read concerning
(fjSacrifices offcrcdupto Bacchus Omefa^ amongil

the

" we are dead, after a certain Period of Time is paft, mar
" be reftored again to the fame State in which we now are."
He that is at Leifure niay look into Nathaniet Carpenter's Six-
ieefith Exercife of Free Pkiiojophy.

[a) i^//^ Theopompus, &c.] Concerning whom, fee Dio-
genes Laertius in the Beginning of his Book : " And 'Theo'-
** pompus in his Eighth Pkilippick relates, as the Opinion of
" the Wife Men, that Men (hall live again, and become ira-
** mortal, and every Thing (hall continue what it is."

(b) As Porphyry, &c.] In his Book, prohibiting eating
Living Creatures; whence Cjril took many Things, in his
Fourth againft 'Julian.

{c) Sacrifices offered up to Bacchus, &c,] Flutarch mentions
them in his Themifiocles, and alfo Paujanias. The like Rites
cf the Mijj'atiians, PelUans, Lidjans in Cretey Lejl)ia7is, Phoc^S"
fiefia}:s you have in the Hortatory D'/cQurfe in Cltmens,

no OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II.

the Greeks; concerning Ji Grecian Man and a Gre^
cian Woman, and concerning [a] a Man and Wo-
man amongfl the Gauls, that were facrificed to
Jupiter Latialis. And the mod holy Mvfleries,
both of Ceres and of Baccivis, were full of I.evvd-
nefs ; as was plain, when once the Secrets of their
Religion began to be publickly difcovered ; as is
at large declared by (l) Clemens Alexnndrinus, (c)
and others. And there were fuch Sights Ihown upon
thofe Days, that were confecratcd to the Honour af
their Gods, that (d) Cato was alhamed to be prefent
at them. In the Jewifrj Religion, indeed, there was

nothing

[a) A Man and Woman amon^Ji the Gauls, . Src. ] Dionyjiui
Jlaiicarnafffiijis tells us in his Firft Book, that it was a very
anticnt Cuftom in Italy, to facrlficc Mcri. How long it re-
mained, Plwy fays. Book XXVIII. Ch. i. *' Our Age hath
*• feen in the Bead Market, a Grecian Man and Woman flain,
*' or thofe of fome other Nation with whom thev dealt,"
This Cuftom remained till Jiiftins znd. Tntian's Time; For
Juftin, in his Firft Apolngetick, addre'lTes the Ro>nans thus ;
*• That Idol which you worihip; to whom not only the Blood
*♦ of irrational Creatures is poured out, but alfo human
*' Blood; which B!r;od of flain Men is poured out by the
•' moft noble and eminent Perfon among you." And Tatum:
** I find among the Romans, that yupiier Latialis was delight^
" ed with human Blood ; and with that which flows from
" Men that are flain." -Porphyry tells us, that thefe Rites
remained till Adrian s Time. That there was a very antient
Cuftom amongft the Gauls, of offering human Sacrifices, we
learn from Tally s Oration in Defenfe of M. Fontcius ; and out
of Plutarch, concerning Supcrftition. Tiberius abolifhed it,
as we find in Pli>2y, Book XXX. Chap. i. See the fame Pliny
there, concerning the Britons, and Dion in Nero, and Solinns ;
alfo Hermoldus concerning the Sclavonians, Book I, Chap. 3.
Porphyry, in his Second Book againft eating Living Creatures,
fays, that it remained till his Time, in Arcadui, in Carthagei
and in the great City, that is, Rome, where he inftanccs in the
Rite of Jupiter Latialis.

(b) Clem. Alexandrinus , (S:c.] In his Hortatory Difcourfe,

{<■) And others, &c.] Efpecially .c/;v;o^/>/'x.

(i) That Cato njoas ajhamed, &:c.] See Martial in the Be-
gi.ining of his Epigrams. Gellius X. 13. -dnd. Valerius Maxi^
}Hus, Book XI, Chap. 10.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. ,,i

nothing unlawful or immoral ; but to prevent that
People, [a] who were prone to Idolatry, from re-
volting from the true Religion, it was burthened
with many Precepts, concerning Things that were
in themfelves neither good nor bad ; Such as the
Sacrifices of Beafts, Circumcilion, ffcrict Refton
the Sabbath Day, and the forbidding many Sorts
of Meats ; fome of which the Mahovietans have bor-
rowed, and added to them a Prohibition of Wine.
But the Chriftian Religion teaches us to worfhip
God, who is a moft holy Being, [b) with a pure
Mind, {c) and with fuch Adlions, as arc in their
own Nature virtuous, if they had not been com-
manded. Thus it does not bid us to [d) circumcife
ourFlefli, but pur Deiires and Affedionsj not to
abflain {e) from all Sorts of Works, but only from
all fuch as are unlawful : Not to offer the Blood
and^Fat of Beads in Sacrifice to God ; but, if there
be a jufl Occalion, (/) to offer our own Blood for
a Teftimony of the Truth: And [g] whatever
Share of our Goods we give to the Poor, we are to
look upon it as given to God: Not to. forbear cer-
tain Kinds of Meat and Drink, {h) but to ufe both

of

{/?) Who njuere pro?ie to Idolatry, &c.] This is the Rcafoa
given for fuch Precepts by Maimonidesy whom Jofephus Albt
follows :

(h) With a pure Mind, &c.] Johniv. 24.

fcj Andnuithfuch Adionsy &c.] Whence it is called a rca*
fonable Service, Rom, xii. r Phil. iv. 8.

(d) Circumcife our Flejh, &:c.] Rom. ii. 28, 29. Phil. in. j,

(ej From all Sorts, &c.] i Cor. v. 8.

ffj To offer our 01x171 Blood, &c.] i Cor, x. 16. Heb. xii. iv,
I Pet. ii. 21.

CgJ Whate^ver Jhare of our Goods, &c.] Matt. vi. 4. Lule xii.
33, 2 Cor. ix. 7. Heb. iii. 6.

(h) But te zfe both of ihcm, &c.] Luke xxi. 54. Rom.xxxu 1 3,
Ffh, V, 18, Cal V. 2le I Tim. V. 3. I Pet, iv, 3.

TI2 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II.

of them with fuch Temperance as maymoflfecurc
our Health ; (a) and fometimes by Falling, to ren-
der our Bodies more fubfervient to the Mind; that
it may with more Freedom advance itfelftowards
higher Objects. But the chief Part of Religion is
every where declared to confift in fuch (/^) a godly
Faith, by which we maybe framed to fuch (c) a
Sincere Obedience, as to (d) truft whollyuponGod,
and have (e) a firm Belief of his Promifes ; (f)
whence arifes Hope, (g) and a true Love, both of
God and of our Neighbour, which caufes Obe-
dience to his Commands ; (h) not a fervile Obe-
dience, proceeding from the Fear of Punilhment,
(/) but becaufe it is well-plealingtohim, (k) and
becaufe he is our FatbcVy (/) and Rewarder, out of

his

fa) And fometimes hy fajlingt &C.] Matt. vi. 1 8. xvii. 2i.
I Cat. vii. 5.

(h) A godly Faith, &c.] John xil. 44.

(c) A fincere Obedience,, &c.] Luhe xi. 28. John xiii. 7.
and the following Vcrfes; i Cor. vii. ig. i Pet, 1.2.

(d) Truft 'wholly upon 0)dy i:C.] Matt. xxi. 21, 2 Tim, i, i;»

(e) A firm Belief of his Promifes, &c.] Rom. Vf. 20. 2 Cor,
vii. I. Gal. iii. 29.

{fj Whence arifes Hope, &c,] Heb. vi. 2. Rom. viii. 24. xv. 4.
fg) And a true Love, both of God, Src] Gal. vi. l TheJf, iii. 6'
(h) Not a fcr'vile Obedience, &c.] Rom. \m. 1 5.
(i) But becaufe it is ivell-pleafDrg, &c.] Ueb. xii. 28.
(k) And becaufe he is our Father, &:c.] Ro?n. vm.

(I) And Renuarder, &-c.] Coloff, iii. 24. 2 Thrff. i. 6. (To
which we may add, that we can eafily apprehend, that his
Precepts are moil worthy of him, and fo exadly fuited to our
Nature, that better or more agreeable cannot be conceived
by anyone; therefore we ought to render ourfelves obedier>t
to Him, out of a grateful Senfe of his Commands, becaufe
they arc the befl: and mod excellent that can be ; and this,
though there were no Puiiinimcnt to be inflided on the Difo-

bedient.

Sea. II, 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. nj

his exceeding Goodnefs towards us. (a) And we
are commanded to pray, not to obtain Riches or
Honours, and fuch other Things, which man/
have delired to their own Hurt j but, in the firft
Place, for fuch Things as are for the Glory of
God ; and fo much only for ourfelves, of thofe
perifhable Things, as Nature requires, permitting
the Reft to Divine Providence; being contented,
which Way foever they happen: But for thofe
Things that lead to Eternity, we are to pray with
all Earneftnefs, v/z. for Pardon of our part Sins,
and for the Afliftance of the Spirit for the future;
that being eftablilhed firmly againft all Threats
and Temptations, we may continue on in a godly
Courfe. This is the VVorfliip of God required
by the Chriftian Religion, than which certainly
nothing can be conceived more worthy of him.

SECT. XII.

Concerning the Duties of Humanity^ zvhich we owe to
our Neighbour^ though he has injured us.

THE Duties towards our Neighbour, required
of us, are all of the like Sort. The Mahometan Re-
ligion, which was bred in Arms, breathes nothing
t\^t ; and it is propagated by fuch Means only.
[b) Thus Arijiotle takes notice of, and blames the

Laws

bedient, befide tlie Bafenefs of the Faft itfelf : this is to obey
God like Sons, and not like Servants. Le Clerc.

(«) Andnve are commanded to pray , &c.] Matt, vi. 10.

[h] Thus Ariftotle. &c.] Polit. VII. Chap. 14. " Like
*♦ unto thefe are fome, who afterwards declared their Opi-
" nions in their Writings. For in praifing the Government
** of the Lacedamo7iians, they commend the Defi>n of the Law-
" giver, becaufe the whole Eftablifhment tended to Power
*• and War : Which may eafily be confuted by Reafon, and
I is

124 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II.
Laws of the Laconians, which were fo highly
commended above any other in Greece y even by
the Oracle of Apollo^ becaufe they tended directly
to Force of Arms. But the fame Philofopher af-
firms, the War againft Barbarians was lawful :
Whereas the contrary is true amongfl Men, who
were dcfigned by Nature for Friendfiiip and So-
ciety, {a) For what greater Iniquity can there
be, than to punilh lingle Murders ; but expofe
to publick View, in their Triumphs, whole Na-
tions whom they had flain, as a glorious Exploit?
And yet that moft celebrated City of Rome ^ how
did it procure that Title, but by Wars, andthofe
(^) many Times very unjull; as they themfelves
confefs concerning (c) the Wars againft Sardinia
{d) and Cyprus F And in general, as the moft
famous Compilers of Annals have related ;
very many Nations did not account it infa-
mous^

" is now confuted bj- FaC\j^." Euripides, in A>:dromacha, fald it
before Arijiotle :

1/ War ajid Glory,

And the Sivcvd, ivrrc from the Spartans /fl/v/?.

There' 1 7/othing excellent that ijuould remain.

{a) For ivhat greater Iniquity, &c.] To this Purpofe is the
96th Epiftle of ScTieca, and Book. II. Chap. 8. concerning An-
ger ; and the Second Epiftle of Cyprian.

{^h) Ma?iy Times i^ery unjuji, &c.] Pctronius,

If any /ecrit Holes,

If any Land did Jhining Gold contait:,
"J hey Ma r p roclaim.
(r) The Wars ngainjl Sardinia, &c.] See Polyhius, Hift, III.

[d) And Cyprus, &c.] Florvs, Bock III. Chap. 9. " So
" great was the Report, and tliat very juftly, of its Riches;
" that though they were a People that conquered Nations.
" and were accuftomed to beftow Kingdom.s; yet at the In-
•' fiance of Publins Clcdins the Tribune, it was given in
*' Charge, to confifcate the King, though alive, and their
" Ally." Plutarch mentions the fame Thing in his Life of
Cotn^ and Appiav, Book If. of his Politick; ; and Dian, Book
XXXVTII. See the fame Vlortis, in his War of ISujr.anlia
»nd Crete,

Sea. 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 115

inous, (a) to commit Robberies out of their
own Bounds. (/>) Executing of Revenge, is,
by Arijlotle and Cicero^ made a Part of virtue.
I 2 . The

[a) To commit Robberies ^ &c.] Thucydides, Book I. " For-
*' merly the Greeks, as well as the Barbarians, whether they
** lived on the Continent near the Sea-fhore, or whether they
♦' inhabited the Iflands; after they began to hold Corre-
♦' fpondence with one another by failings fell to robbing,
*' led on by great Men, either for the Sake of Gain to them»
" fclves, or to procure V^iftuals for them that wanted. And
** happening upon Cities which v/ere not walled, but inha-
*' bited like Villages, they plundered them, and the greateil
*' part made their Advantage of them, being not afhanied as
*' yet of doing thus, but rather account it glorious. This
*' is evidently the Practice of fome that dwell upon the Con-
•* tinent now, who account it honourable to do thus ; and
*' amongfl: the antient Poets, it is very frequent for them v»ha
*' met Sailors, to aik them if they were Pirates ; knov/ing
" that they who were fo afked, v/oiild not difown it] -nor
" they who afked them, think it any Pxproach. Nay, they
*' robbed one another, upon the very Continent ; and a great
" many of the Greeks live now in this antient Manner, as
*' the Ozolan Locrinns, the JEtolians, the Acarnanians, and
*' thofe of the adjoining Continent." The Queftion Thucy-
dides here mentions, is in Homer's Odjjf, T'. -Upon whicli
the Scholiaft fays, " To plunder, was not accounted infa-
" mous, but glorious, by the Ancients." Jujiin, Book XLIII.
Chap. 3. concerning the Phocenfiaus. " They were more diii-
♦' gent in occupying the Sea, than the Land, in fifhing, and
** trading; and very often they fpent their Lives in plunder-
" ing' (which at that Time was looked upon as honourable.)
Concerning the Spafjiards, fee Plutarch in Marius; and Dio-
dorus. Book V. concerning tlie Tyrrhenia7ts. Ser-vius on the
Eighth and Tenth Mneids, Ca?J'ar, Tacitus, and Saxo-Gramma"
ticus, concerning the Germans.

[b") Executing of Revenge, <1'C.] Arijlotle's Ethicks to Ni-
chomacJms, IV. IL *' Such an one feems to be no Ways af-
** fedted or concerned, nor to revenge himfelf, unlefs pro-
** voked ; but it fhews a mean Spirit, to bear contemptuous
** Treatment," And TuUy, in his Second Book of Invention,
places Pvcvenge amongft the Duties that belong to the Law of
Nature : " "Whereby either in our own Defence, or by Way
*' of Revenge, we keep off Force or Reproach." And to
Aaicus, " I hate the Man, and will hate him : I wifh I could
" revenge rnyfelf upon him." And againft Antony : " I would
** revenge every iingle Crime, according to the Degree of Pro-
*' vocation in each." 2

ii6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book U,

(a) The Gladiators tearing one another to Pieces,
was one of the publick Entertainments amongii:
the Heathens ; (^} and to expofe their Children,
was a daily Praclice. The Hebre^cjoSy indeed, had
a better Law, a more holy Difcipline; but yet
there were fome Things overlooked or allowed
in that People, whofe PafTion was ungovern-
able; [c] fuch as the giving up to their Power
icvtw Nations, tho' indeed they deferved it:
With which they not being contented, [d) per-
fccuted witli cruel Hatred, all that differed from
them ; {c) the Marks of which remain even to
this Day, in their Prayers uttered againft Chrif-
tians: And the Law itfelf allowed a Man (/>
to revenge an Injury by the Punilliments of
Retaliation, and that a Man-ilayer might be
killed by the private Hand of the next Rela-
tion. But the Law of Chrift {g) forbids re-
quiting any Injury that hath been done us, either

by

(a) Thf Gladlatorf, &C.J See LatlmtiuSy Book II. and Itr-
tiilliati concerning Shews, Chap. ig.

fb) A?id to expofe their Children^ &-C.J See Jiiftius Second
Apologetid, Chap. 9. and Ladantms's Injiitution, Chap. 20. and
'Terence's Ihcjra.

(») Such as the givi>ig, &e.] Exod. xxxlv. 11, 12. Dcii'
vii. I, 2.

{d) Perfcaited ivith cruel Hatred, &;c.] R. Leti Ben Gerfon
tells us they were to endeavour to injure them any IVIanner of
Way. Becbai fays, that v, hat was taken from them by Theft,
was not to be reftored.

(<■) The Marks of 'which, Arc] See a little Book of Prayers.
^Mi oax'&i Vevice, in a fmall Volume, Page 8. -dwA 3. Ger>nnn
Cook of /Ititoiiius, Margarita, and Mnimovides, on the Thirteen
Articles, where he fays, they are to be deftroyed, who do not
believe them. And it ir a frequent Saying in the Mouths of
th.e Jcivs, " Let all Se^^aries fuddenly perilli," The like
Saving we find in R. Ifaac's Bcrijchith Rakba, and the Talmud
in Bala Katna, and Baba Bathra.

(/) To revenge an Irytirj, &c.] Lei', xxiv. 20. Dent, xix, 21,

(^) Forbids requiting any Injury, &c.} Matt. v. 38, 44.

Sea. 12, 13. CHRISTIAN RELIGION 117

by Word or Deed ; left by imitating that Malice
we condemn in others, we fhould on the contrary
approve it. It would have us do good in thefirfl:
Place, to thofe that are good ; and then to the
bad ulfo, (a) after the Example of God, from
whom we receive Gifts in common with all
other Men;'fuch as the Sun, the Stars, the Air,
the Winds, and the Rain.

SECT. XIII.

yiloul the Conjunclion of Male and Female.

THE Conjundion of Man and Woman,
whereby Mankind is propagated, is a Thing
that highly deferves to be taken Care of by
Law; which that the Heathen negledled, is no
Wonder, when they relate [b) Stories of the
Whoredoms and Adulteries of thofe Gods which
they worfliipped. And which is worfe, [c)
the Conjundlion of Males with one another,
I 3 is

(a) After the Example of God, &c.] Matt. v. 4J.

(b) Stories of the Whoredoms, &c.] See Euripides' s line,
'tforbee,

The Lenjjdnefs of Apollo to reprove.
Who forces yirgi}ts to his nuptial Red,
Aiid murders his O'von Children pri'vately ;
Is this to pradice Virtue yoit etijoin !
__ If Mortals fin, you Gods revenge the Wrong;
And is it jjifi that you, ivho Lanus pri-fcribe
To all Mankind, Jho?ild lii'e by none yourfeli;es ?
Though it ivill never be, yet I mnji fpeak ;
If Phoebus, Neptune, and the King of Gods,
Should puni/h all unlaiuful Marriages,
None nuould remain to nxorfhip at their Shrines.

See this Matter fully handled by Cle?nens in his Hortatory Dif.
courfe ; by Athenagoras, Tatian, Amohiiis, Book IV, 'Nazianzen^
in his Firft againft Julian, and Theodoret, Difcourfe III.

(c) The Conjunaion of Males, &c.] See this alfo, in the
forementioned Places of Clemtm and Theodoret,

ii8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book II.

is defended by the Examples of their Gods:
In the Number of which, Ganymedes of old,
{a) and Antonius afterwards, were reckoned
upon this Account; which horrid Crime is alfo
often efteemed lawful amongft the Mahometans^
Chinefe^ and other Nations. The Greek Philofo-
phers feem to take great Pains [b) to put a vir-
tuous Name upon a vicious Thing. The moft
eminent of which fame Greek Phiiofophers, {c)
recommending Intercourfe with Women ; what
did they do elfe but turn a whole City into one
common Stew, [d) when even Brute Creatures
obferve fome Sort of conjugal League? How

much

faj And Antonius ofter-wards, &-C.] Mentioned by Jujiiv,
in his Second Apologetick ; by Clemens in his Hortatory Dif-
courfe; by Origcn in his Second and Eighth Books againft
Cel/ui ; by Eiij'ebms in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, IV. 8. by
Tkeodoret 8. and the Hiftoriar.s of thofe Times.

(h ) To put a 'virtuous Name, &c.] So indeed it was thought,
not only by Lucian, in his little Book concerning Love ; but
by Gregory NaziatizeK, Orat. III. againft Julian; and by Elias
CretenfiSy and Nofinus, upon him. And alfo by Cjril, in his
Sixth Book againft Julian; and by Theodoret, xQxy largely, in
his Thirteenth Bock to the Greeks. I cannot omit a Place of
Philo's, who had a great opinion of Plato, out of his Book
concerning a contemplative Life. " Plato's Fcaft is fpent al-
«' moft wholly upon Love, not only of Men eager after Wo-
** men, and Women eager after Men; for fi;ch Defircs may
" be fatisfied by the Law of Nature ; but of Men after Men,
*' differing from themfelves onl)' in Age; and if any Thing
*• be fpccicuHy faid concerning Love and heavenly Venus, thofe
*• Names are ufed only for a cover." Teriullian concerning
the Soul, preferring the Chriftian Wifdom to that of Socrates,
adds, ♦' Not bringing in new Daemons, but driving out the
*' old; not corruptrng" Youth, but inftruding them in ail the
?• Goodncfs of Pvlodefty."

(r) Recommending the Intercourfe ivilJj U'omen, <i'C.] See
Plato, as in other Places, fo more particularly in his Fourth
Republick.

fdj Wlien ei-en Brute Creatures, &-c.] See Pliny, Book X.
Chap. 33. " The Aflions of Doves are mightily taken
*' Notice of by thefe, upon the fame Account ; their Cuftcms
f^ are the fame, but th<? higheft Degree of Modefty belongs

" fpccjally

Seft. 13. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 119

much more reafonable is it then, that Man, who
is the moft divine Creature, fliould not be born
from an uncertain Original, whereby the mutual
Affection betwixt Parents and Children is de-
jftroyed ? The Hel?rew Law indeed forbad all \Jn-
cleannefs, [a) but a Man was allowed to have
more Wives than one at a Time, and the Huf-
band had a Power {b) to put away his Wife for
any Caufe whatfoever; which is the Cuftom at
this Day among the Mahometans : And formerly
the Greeks and Latins took fo great a Liberty,
that {c) the Laconians and Cato permitted others
to have their Wives for a Time. But the Law
of Chrift, which is moft perfedl, ftrikes at the
very Root of Vice, and [d) accounts him guilty
before God, (who can fee into, and judge the
Hearts of Men,) that lufts affer, though he has
not committed the Crime; or that attempts the
Chafrity of any Woman, or looks upon her with
fuch Defires. And becaufe all true Friendfhip
is lading, and not to be broke; it would, with
very good Reafon, have 'T^hat to be fo (<?) which
contains the Union of the Bodies, as well as
I 4 the

" fpecially to them ; Adulteries are not known to either of
*' them, they do not violate the Fidelity of Wedlock." Con-
cerning the conjugal Chaftit}' of Ring- Doves, fee Porphyry in
his Third Book againft eating living Creatures.

[a) But a Mail nvas alloixied, &c.] This appears from Deut,
xvii. 16, 17. xxi. 15. I Sam. xii. 8. So the Hebretvs under-
ftood the Law ; and Chryjojiom, i Cor. xi. and Augnfline, Book
III. Chap. 12. concerning the Chriftian Dodrine ; and others
of the Ancients. Jifephus, who beft underuood the Law, fa)s,
in the Fifteenth of his Antiquities, " It was the Cultom of our
•' Fathers to have many Wives."

[b) To put avjay his Wife, &c.] Deut. xxiv. i, 2, 3, 4.
Le'vit. xxi. 14.

(f) The Laconians and Cato, &c.] See Herodotus, Book VI.
and Plutarch, in his Cato Uticenfis, and Lycurgus.

(d) Accounts him guilty before God, &c.] Matt. v. 28.
{e) Which contains the Union, &;c.] Matt. v. 3. xix. g.

120 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 11.

the Agreement of their Minds ; and which, with-
out Doubt, is nnore convenient for a right Edu-
cation of their Children. Among the Heathen,
fome few Nations were content with one Wife,
as the Germans and Romans ; and in this they are
(a) followed by the Chrirtians: Namely, that
the Wife, having rcfigned herfelf entirely to
her Hufband, may be [b] recompenfcd with a
like Return; [c] that the Government of the
Family may be better managed by one Gover-
nor, and that different Mothers might not bring
a Difturbance in amongft the Children.

SECT. XIV.

Ahut the U/e of temporal Goods.

TO come now to the Ufe of thofe Things
which are commonly called Goods ; we find
Theft allowed by fome Heathen Nations, {d)
as the Egyptians^ [e) and Spartans ; and they
who did not allow it in private Perfons, did

fcarce

[a] Follcwed by the Chrijila>i!, &c.] Taul the Apcftle,
1. Cor. vii, ^, ' Lafiantiiis' 5 Inftltutions, Vf, 23. Hieronyjnut
againft Oceauus.

[b) RecoJTtpnifed tvith a lih Return, &-c.] Sallvjl well ex-
prefles it in his Jugurthhie War, " Amongit thofe that have
" many Wives, there is but little AfFedion, becaufe the Mind
*♦ is diftrafted with a Multitude, fo as to have none ofihem
** for an intimate Companion ; but they are all equally efteemed
♦' of no Value," Ammiatrus concerning the Ferfianf, Book
XXIII, *• By Means of various Luft, divided Love grows
^' f.iint." And Claudian, in his Gildankk War,

They ha<ve a thoufci?id Marriages,

For they regard no Ties, no f acred Pledge,
But their Affeiliou is in Number loji.
(f) That the Go^cernment, tvc,] Euripides, in his Aiidt\.macha,
jf'ightly apprehends and exprefles them both.

[d) As the Egvptians, d^c] See Diodcrus Sia/lus's Hiftory,
Book I. ' '

(<-) ^//t/ Spajrtans, &c.] See Plutarch in his Lycurgus.

Sea. 14. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. izr

fcarce any Thing elfe in the publick; as the
RomanSy of whom the Roman Orator faid, [a]
if every one fhould have his Due* redored to
him, they muft go back again to their Cottages.
Indeed, there was no fuch Thing amongft the
Hebrews; but they were permitted [b) lo take
Ufury of Strangers, that the Law might in fome
Meafure be fitted to their Difpolition; and there-
fore, amongft other Things, [c) it promifed
Riches to they that obeyed it. But the Chrif-
tian Law not only forbids {d) all Kind of In-
juftice towards any Perfons; but alfo forbids us
{e) fetting our Affedions upon perifhing Things ;
becaufc our Mind is of fuch a Nature, that it
cannot diligently attend to the Care of two
Things, each of which requires the whole Man,
and which oftentimes draw him contrary Ways:
And beiides, (/} Solicitoufnefs in procuring and
preferving Riches, is attended with a certain
Slavery and Uneaiinefs, which fpoils that very
Pleafure which is expe6led from Riches ; [g)
but Nature is fatisfied with a very few Things,
and thofe fuch as can eafily be procured, with-
out any great Labour or Charge. And, if God
has granted us fomething beyond this, we are not
commanded to caft it into the Sea, {h) as fome

Philofo-

[a] If e-verj one J7.'07ilj ha've, &c.] LaBatiiius in his Epitome,
Chap. I. cites the Words of Tully to this Purpofe out of his
Third Republick.

{^h) To take Ufury of Strangers, &c.] Deut. xxiii, ig.

(f) It promifed Riches, &c.] Lei-it. XXvi. 5. Deut. xviii. 4,
S» 6, 7, 8, II, 12.

(d) AllKindof Injufice, &C.J Matt.vn. 12. Ephef. v. 3.

(<>) Setting cur Afftdion, &;c.] Matt. vi. 24. and the following
V'erfes. xiii. 22. Luke viii. 14. i Tim. vi. 9.

(f) Solicitoufnefs in procuring, &c.] Matt. vi. 34. Fhil. iv. 6.

(g) But Nature is fatisfed, &C.] I Tim. vi. 7, S.

[h] As fome PhilofopLcrs, &c.] Laertius and Suidas afErm this
9f Ariftippus, and Philofraltis, of Crates^,

i22r OF THE TRUTH O'F THE Book II.

Philofophers imprudently did; nor to let it lie
iifelefs by us, nor yet to lavifli it away : But out
of it, to fup'ply the Wants of other Men, (a) ei-
ther by giving (/') or lending to thofc that afl<: it;
(c) as become thofc who believe themfelves, not
to be Proprietors of thefe Things, but only Ste-
wards and Deputies of the Moll High God their
Parent; for a Kindnefs well beftowed, (d) is a
Treafure full of Good Hope, againll which nei-
ther the Wickednefs of Thieves, nor Variety of
Accidents can prevail any Thing. An admi-
rable Example of M'hich fmcere and undif-
fembled Charity, the firll Chriftians afford us ;
'u hen Things were fent from fo great a Di fiance
as (e) Macedonia and Achaia^ in order to fupply
the Want of thofe in Palejiinei as if the whole
World had been but one Family. And here this
Caution is added alfo, in the Law of Chrift; (/)
that no Hope of Recompence or Honour ought
to diminifh from our Liberality ; becaufe, if we
have Regard to any Thing ell'e but God, {g) it
takes away his Acceptance. And, left any one
fiiould pretend, as is commonly done, to cloke
his Sparingnefs, as if he were afraid he fliould
want what he has, when he comes to be an old
Man, or if any Misfortune fliould befall him;
the Law promiifes, {h) that a particular Care lliall

be

\(7) Either by gi'vingy &c.] Matt.y. 42.

[b] Or lending, &c.] In the hvacMalt. Luke vi. ^^,

(f) As becomes tho/e, &C.] I Tim. vi. 17, 18.

{d) Is a Treafure, Scc.'\ Matt. vi. 20.

[e) Macedonia and Achaia, &:C.] Rom. xv. zy. 26, and the
following Verfes. 2 Cor. ix. i, 2, 3, 4. Philip, iv. 18.

{f)ThatnoHopcofRccoT?:pence, cVc] Matt. vi. i, 2. Luhe
XV. 12.

(if ; // takes aivay his Acceptance, <S;c.] See tlie forecitcd Place
in Matt.

(^h) That a particular Care, <S:c.] Matt, vi. 32. X«/f<? xii. 7.
xxi. 8.

Sea. 14, 15, 16. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 123
be taken of thofe who keep thefe Precepts:
And, that they may the more rely upon it, re-
minds them of (a) the remarkable Providence of
God, in providing for wild Eeafts and Cattle, in
adorning Herbs and FlowTrs; and that it would
be an unworthy Thing in us, not to believe fo
good, fo powerful a God, nor to trufl him any
further than we would do a bad Debtor, of Vvhom
we never think ourfelves fecure Vv ithouta Pledge.

SECT. XV.

Concerning Oaths.

OTHER Laws forbid Perjury; {h) but this
would have us entirely to abftain from Oaths, ex-
cept upon Neceility ; and to have fo great Regard
to Truth, in our common Converfation, {c) that
there fliould be no Need of requiring an Oath of us.

SECT XVI.

Concerning other Jlclions.

AND indeed, there is nothing excellent to be
found in the philofophick Writings of the Greeks^
or in the Opinions ofthe Hehreivs^ or of any other
Nation, which is not contained here, and more-
over ratified by divine Authority. For Inftance;
concerning [d) Modefty, {e) Temperance, (/}

Goodnefs,

{a) The remarkable Proviilence of God, &c.] Matt. vi. z6, 28.

{b) But this ivould ha^e us, &c.] Matt. v. ^-^, 34, ^^, ^6,
37. JafH. V. 12.

(r) That there Jhould be m Need, &c.] See the foremen tioned
Place of Matthen-v.

(d) Madcjiy, &c.] I Pet. iii. 3.

(f) Temperance, &c.] Tit. ii. I2. I T'im. ii. 19.

(/) Goodnefs, &C.] 2 Cor^ vi. 6, Gal, V, 22. Cokff. iii. 12,
jCor, xiii. 4.

124- OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 11.

Goodnefs, (a) Moral Virtue, (i) Prudence, (c)
the Duty of Governors and Subjedls, (d) Parents
and Children, (e) Maflers and Servants, ff)
Hufbands and Wives ; and, particularly, abltain-
ing from thofe Vices, which, under a Shew of
Virtue, deceived many of the Greeks and Romans,
viz. (g) the Defire of Honour and Glory. The
Sum of it is wonderful for its fubftantial Bre-^
vity; (b) that we fliould love God above all
Things, and our Neighbour as ourfelves; that is,
(i) we fhould do to others, as we would have
them do to us. Perhaps fome may obje6l againft
what we have now faid, of the Excellency of
Chrift's Commands; the great Difference of
Opinions amongll Chriflians, from whence have
arifcn fo many various Seels.

(a) Moral Virtue, &c.] Phil. iv. 8. i Tim, ii. 2. iii. 4«
TV/, ii. 7.

{h) Prudence, &c.] Matt. X. i6. Ephef. i. 8.

{c) The Duty of Governors, tkc.'\ I Tim. ii. 2. Rom. yXn. I
Pet. ii. 13, 17.

{d) Parents and Children, &;c.] Cohf.'iW. to, 21. Ej>he/. vi.
I, 2. 5, 4.

{e) Majlers and Ser-vaiits, &c.] Ephef. vi. 5, 6, 7, 8, g, 10,
Cchf iii. 22, 23, 24, 25.

{/) Hufbands and Wi-ves, &c.] £/-Zv/. v. 22, 23, 24, 25, 28,
33. Cc/5/: iii. 18, 19. I Tim. ii. 2.

^g) The Deftre of Honour, &c.] Matt, xviii. 4, xxiii. 12.-
Lule xiv. II. xviii. 14. John v. 44. £/>/v/. iv. 2. Co/o/'. ii. iS.
iii. 23. I John ii. 16. Phil. ii. 3. i T/^^^ ii. 6. i 7^7. i. 24.
V. 5.

{h) That nve Jhould love God, &c.] Matt. ix. iS. xxii. 37,
3g. Z,///f<f X. 27. Rom. xiii. g, 10, 1 1. Gal. v. 14. James ii. 8.

(/) Wejhould do toothers, &:C.] M^//. vii, 12. Lule vi, 31.
This was commanded by the Emperor j^^-Viy/zi/fr; fee Dion, and
he that wrote the Life of this Emperor in Latin.

SECT.

Sea. 17. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 125

SECT. XVII.

An Anfwer to the Qbje^ion, drawn from the many
Controver/ies amongji Chrijlians,

BUT the Anfwer to this is evident : There are
fcarce any Arts, but the lame Thing happens to
them, partly through the Weaknefs of human
Nature, and partly becaufe Pvlen's Judgment is
hindered by Prejudices: But for the moll Part,
this Variety of Opinions is limited within cer-
tain Bounds, in which Men are agreed; and
whereby they determine Doubts : As in the
Mathematicks, it is a Difpute whether the Cir-
cle can be fquared or no ; but whether, if you
take Equals from Equals, the Remainder will
be equal; this admits of no Difpute : And thus
it is in Natural Philofophy, Phylick, and other
Arts. So the Difference of Opinions that is
amongft Chriftians, cannot hinder their Agree-
ments in the principal Things ; that is, {a) thofe
Commands, by which we have now recommended
the Chriftian Religion: And the Certainty of thefe
appears from hence, and thofe who being highly
enraged againft one another, have fought for Mat-
ter of Difagreement, never ventured to go fo far
as to deny, that thefe were the Precepts of Chrift;
no, not even they, who would not dired their
Lives according to this Rule. And if any fliould
attempt to contradid thefe, he ought to be looked
upon to be like thofe Philofophers who denied
that Snow was white. For as thefe were confuted

by

[a) Thofe Commands y &:c.] We may add alfo, in thofe Opinions
that are neceffary, and upon which the Obfervation ol Com-
mands depends ; fuch as are mentioned in the moft ancient
Creeds, which are extant, in henceia and TertnllloT/, and what
we now call the Apojiks Creed, as I have fome.vhat more fuiiy
Ihewn in that little Piece annexed hereto, concerning the Choice
of our Opinion, C5'r. Sed. IV. Le Clerc.

126 OF THE TRUTH OF TflE Book II.

by their Senfes, fo arc they by the Confent of all
Chriffcian Nations, and bythofe Books which were
wrote by the firll: Chriitians; and thofe after
them, who were followed by learned Men ; and
fuch who bore Teftimony to the Faith of Chrift
by their Death. For that which all thefe ac-
knowledge to be the Doctrine of Chrift, ought
to be accounted f:), by all fair and equal Judges;
for the fame Reafon that we believe Plato^ Xeno-
phon, and other Difciplcs of Socrates^ concerning
the Opinions of Socrates ^ and the Schools of
the Stoicks, for what Zeno delivered.

SECT. XVIII.

The Excellency of the ChriJJian Religion further
proved from the Excellency of its Teacher.

THE third Thing wherein we faid the Chrif-
tian Religion exceeds all other Religions that are,
or can be imagined, is the Manner in which it
was delivered and propagated : In the Cpnfidc-
ration of which Particular, the firft Thing that
offers itfelf, is the Author of this Do(5lrine: The
Authors of the Grecian Wifdom and Knowledge,
thcmfclves confefTed, that they alledged fcarce
any Thing for Certainty; becaufe Truth was
funk, as it were, {a) to the Bottom of a Well;
{h) and the Mind, as dim-fighted in Regard to
divine Things, as the Eyes of an Owl in the Sun-
fliine. Beiides there was hardly any of them, but

(rt) To the Bottom of a Well, &c.] It was a Saying of De-no-
eritns, " That Truth lay at the Bottom of a Well," as we find
in Tully's Academical Queftions, and in other Writers.

{b) And the Mind, as dim-fighted, &c.] See Arijiotle's Meta-
phyficks. Book If. Chap, i, *' As the Eyes of a Batt are d:'-z-
*' zled at the Light in the Day-time; To is the UndcrftanJ-
" ing in our Soul coiitbunded at the plained Things in the
'• World."

Sea. i8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 127

was addi<fled to (a) fome particular Vice: Some
were (-^) Flatterers of Princes, others devoted to
(c) the Embraces of Harlots, others to (d) fharl-
ing Impudence; and one great Argument of the
Envy and Hatred they all had againft one ano-
ther, is, their (e) quarrelling about Words, or
Things of no Moment ; and as good an Argu-
ment of their Coldnefs and IndifFerency in the
Worfhip of God is, that they who believed that
there was really but one God, did yet lay him

alide,

(a) Some particular Vice, Scc.^ Socrates is moll commended, by
the Confent of all ; yet Cyril in his Sixth Book againft Julian ,
fets before us in the Words of Forpbyry, the high Degree of
Anger he difcovered in his Words and Sayings.

{b) Flatterers of Princes, &c.] Plato and Arijiifpus.

(f) The Embraces of Harlots, &c.] Zeno, the Chief of the
Stoics, was addifted to the Love of Men ; and Plato, Ariflo-
tle, Epicurus, Arijiippus, and almoft all of them, to the Love of
Women; witnefs Athenceus's Books, IIL and XIII. Laertins
and LaSiantius. Theognis mentions it of himfelf in many
Places.

(d) To fnarling Impudence, &c.] Whence they are called
Cynicks.

{/) barrelling about Words, &:c.] This is well obferved by
^imon Phliafius.

O ^wretched Mortals , nought but Sin andFlefh^
Alnvays decei'v'dn.mth Words and fierce Contefts ;
Vain Men, like empty Bladders, puff d nxiith Wind,

And again.

Sharp Contejl nualks about 'with mighty Noife,
Sifter of mortal Hatred and Confufion;
"Tillnvanderingtoandfro, at laft JJie fix
Herfelf in human Breafls and raife their Hopes,

And again.

Who has i?ifiam^d them ijoith fuch deadly Strife?
The noify Multitude, ivho Silence hate.
From 'whom the Plague of Tattle has its Rife.

ins ,

You will find thefe Verfes in Clemens, Strom. V. in Eufcb.
at the End of his Preparation, and in Theodoret's Second Dif-
courfe.

128 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book 11.

afide and paid Divine \Vorl"hip to others, whom
they believe to be no Gods ; [a] making that only
the Rule of their Religion, which was publickly
received. And, as for the Reward of Piety, they
could affirm nothing for certain ; as appears from
{!?) the laft Difpute of Socrates, a little before
his Death. ' Mahomet, the Author of that Reli-
gion, which has fpread itfelf fo fir, {c) abai;^-
doned himfelf to Luft, all his Life long, whicH'
his Friends themfelves do not deny. Neither
did he give any AfTurance whereby it might ap-
pear, that thofc Rewards he promifed, which
confifted in Feafts and Women, would ever really
be ; fince they do not pretend to fay, that he is
reftored to Life again in his Body; fo far from
that, that it now lies buried in Medina. But
MofeSy the Hcbreiv Lawgiver, was an excellent
Perfon, however not entirely free from Faults ; for
with great Reludtance he would fcarce [d) under-
take an Embafly to the King of Egypt, tho' at the

Com-

(a) Making that -only thi Rule, &C.] Xenophon in his Sixth
Memorab. recites the Oracle, by which the Gods arc commanded
to be worfliipped according to the Laws of every City. Here
we may repeat the Words of Seneca, before quoted out of
Augnjiu'.e; after which Augujiine adds thefe : " He worlhipped
" that wiiich he blamed ; he did that which he condemned ;
" and that which he found fault with, he paid Adoration to."
According to what Plato fiiys, in his Tim^eus, and other Places;
and Porphyry, in that Place of Eufebius's Preparai. Book IV.
Ch. 8. that it is dangerous to fpeak the Truth, in Divine Mat-
ters, before the Vulgar. The Fear of which Danger, both in
the Greek and Lnliii, and Barbarian Philofjphcrs, prevailed
over the fmcere Profeflion of the Truth; which Thing alone
is fufficient to hinder any one from thinking that fuch Men were
to be followed in every Thing, Jujiin Martyr, in his Exhorta-
tion to the Greeks, obferves this of Plato.

{b) The Ifijl Difput: of Socxiits, &c.] See what we have be-
fore quoted concerning him.

[c) Abandoned himfelf to Luf, &c,] See what is faid in the
Sixth Book.

{d) Undertake an Embajfy, &c.] Excdus iv. 2, lO, 13, 14.

Sea. 18. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 129

Command of God : and he difcovered fome (a)
Diflruft of God's Promife, concerning ftriking
Water out of the Rock, as the Hebrews acknow-
ledge. And he himfelf partook of fcarce any of
thofe Rewards, which he promifed to his People
by the Lav/, (/-) being driven to and fro in Defart
Places, by continual Tumults, [c] and never en-
tering the happy Land, But Chritt is defcribed
by his Difciples, [d) to be without any Manner
of Sin : {e) Nor could he ever be proved to have
committed any, by the Teftimonies of others:
And whatever he commanded others, {/) he
performed himfelf; for he faithfully fulfilled all
Things that God commanded him ; {g) he was
moft iincere, in the whole Courfe of his Life ;
he was the (/?) moft patient of Injuries and Tor-
ments, as is evident from his Punilbment on the
Crofs ; he was fo great a Lover of Mankind, o^
his Enemies, even of thofe hy whom hew.v^ ed
to Death, (/} that he prayed to God for them.
K And

(rt) Dfjin/Ji of God's PromJ/ey &C.] Nimbers XX. iz.

[b) Being drmen to and fro, &c.] Exod. xxii. Numb. yd.
xii. xiv. xvi. xx. xxv.

(fl) And never entering the happy La/id f &c.] Numb. xx. 12,
Deut. xxxiv, 4.

{d) To be nuithout any Manner of Sin, &c.] fohn viii. 46»
X. 32. 2 Cor. V. 21. I Pet. ii. 20. Heb. iv. ^That his Piety
was commendrl by the Oracle among the Gentiles, we Iball
(hew in the Sixth Book.

{e) Nor could be euer pro-Jed, &C.] Origen obferves this
in his Third Book againft Celfus.

(/) He performed himfelf , &€.] La^antius, in the End of
his Inftitutions, well obferves, " That he not only fhewed the
** Way, but walked before. In it, left any one Ihould dread
" the Path of Virtue, on account of its difficulty."

(^) Henjuas moffncere, &'C,] I Pet. ii, 22,

[h) Mojl patient of his Injuries, &c.] Matt. xxvi. ^O, ^z,
John viii. 23. ASts viii. 32.

(/■) That he prayed to God for them y &c.] Z«if xxiii. 34,

130 OJ THE TRUTH OF THE Book IT.

And the Reward that he promifed to his Fol«
Ipwcrs, he was poflcfTed of himfclf, in a moft
eminent Manner; as is declared and proved by-
certain Teftimcny. (a) Many faw, heard, and
handled him, after he was returned to Life again :
(i^) He was taken up into I leaven in the Sight of
Twelve: And that he there obtained the h)gheft
Power, is manifeft from hence; that he endued
his Difciplcs with a (c) Power to fpeak thofc Lan-
guages which they had never learned; and (d)
with other miraculous Gifts, (e) as he promifed
them, when he departed from them: All which
put together fliew , that there is no Reafon to
doubt of his Faithfiilnefs, or of his Povv -r, to re-
compcnfe us with that Reward he has promifed.
And hence it is we colled, that this Religion ex-
ceeds all others in this Particular alfo; that the
Authour of it performed himfelf, what he com-
manded; and was pclTeffed of what he promifed.

J^rom the Vjondcrful Propagation of this Religion.

WE come now to the Effcds of the Dodrine
by him delivered; which indeed, if rightly confi-

dereda

(a) Many faix\ heard, arid handled him, &c.] Jchn w. i"],
28, 29. Jckn i. Epiji. i. Matt, xxvii. Mark xvi, Luke xxiv.
, Cor. XV. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

(b) He i-jjas taken up into Hea'ven, ^'c] Alark xvi. ig. Luke
x>:iv. 51, 52. Ails i. 9, 10, II. zlio Jits vii, 55. ix. 5, 4, 5.
Xxii. 6. I Cor. XV. 8.

(c) A Powcer to /peak thoje Languages, dc] A8s ii. 3, 4.
3[, 46. XX. 6. 1 Cor. xii. 10, 28, 30. xiii. i, 8, xiv. i, 4. j.
^,9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 22, 23, 27, 39.

{</) And ivith other 7niraculous Qifts, &c.] Ads iii. \, viii,
ix. x. xi. xiii. xiv. xvi. xix. xx. xxi. xxvii. Ro-r:. xv, «gj
2 Cor. xii. 12. llth. ii. 4. TheTruih hereof is fliewn by Jr/Jiiu
. in his Difpute with Trjpho; by Irct.aus, Book II. by Tertultiaut
in his Apology ; by Orrgen, in his Seventh Book againft Ctljus\
by Laitajitius and others.

(f) As he promifed them, &c,] John xiv. 12. xvii. 21,
A/rtr/ixvi, 17.

Sea. i8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 131

dered, are fuch, that if God has any Regard or
Careof human Affairs, this Docirine cannot pofTi-
blybut be thought Divine. It was agreeable to Di-
vine Providence, to caufe That to fpread the far-
theft, whichisinitfelfbefl. And this has happened
to the Chriftian Religion, which, we ourfelves fee,
- is taught all over Europe; (a) even the farther
Corners of the Norib not exempted ; (<^] and no
iefs throughout all Jji^y (c) even in the Jflands
in the Sea belonging to it ; (J) through Egypt alfo
(e) and Ethiopia, (/) and fome other Parts oi Africa,
(g) and at iaft through America. Nor is this done
now only, but was fo of old ; as the Hiftory of all
Ages teftify, the Books of the Chriftians, and the
Aftsof Synods; and at this Day, there is a Tradi-
tion prefcrved amongif the Barbarians , [h) of the
K 2 Journics

[a) Even the farther Comers of the North, «Src.j See Adam
Bremen/is and Helmoldus, and the Writers concerning Iceland.

{b) And no lejs throughout all Afia, &c,] See the Ads of
the General Councils.

{c) Even the IJlands in the Sea, Sec] See OJoruis in his Lu-
Jitankh.

[d] Through Egypt al/b, &c,] This appears from the Ads
of the General Councils; from the antient Eccleiiallical Hi-
ftories, and particularly Eufebius, VI. 34., out of the Coptick
Liturgy.

[e] ^»i/ Ethiopia, &c.] Set Frandfcus Aharejtus.

if) And fame other Parts of Aincdi, &Cf] See Tertullian, Cy.
prian, Auguftin, and the Ads of the African Councils ; efpecially
that Council, which is fubjoined to the Works of Cyprian.

{g^ And at laft through America, &c.] See Acojia and others,
«vho have wrote about the Affairs of America.

(/:>) Of the Journics and Miracles of Thom^^,, &c.] See z^^-
dias. Book IX. Eufebms's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Book I. to-
wards the End ; and Book II. Chap. i. and the Beginning of
Book III. Ruffinus, Book X. Chap 9. Add to thefe Ojorius
and Lin/chntius , concerning the Affairs o: Eaji-hidia; and Freii^
concerning the Empire of the tufitanians in Afa : The Se-
pulchre of this Apoftle is now to be feenin the Country of Ce
rematidel.

5^2 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book llf,

Journies and Miracles oi Thomas {a) zndAndrew„
and the other Apoftles. And (/^) Clemens, (c) Ter^
tulliany {d) and others have obferved, how far the

Name

{a) And Andrew, &c.] See Eufchim in the Beginning of
Ills torementioned Third Book, zrAOrigen upon Gcnejis.

{/,] Ckmem, &'C.] He fays, Strom. V. that Chrift was
known in all Nations,

(r) Terlullian, &c.] In his Firft Book againft the Jenu:^
" In whora elfe have all Nations believed, but in Chrift, who
«♦ lately came? In whom have all thefe Nations believed,
*• Parthiavf, Medes, Elamites, and the Dwellers in Mrfopota-
" 7nia, Armenia, Phrygia, Cappadocia', the Inhabitants of
" Potitus nwA Aj2(7, znd Pamphyha : they that dwell in Egypt,
*' and they who live in the Country of Africa^ beyond Cy-
** rene\ Romans and Strangers; 'Jeivs and other Nations in
*' Jeru/alem ; the different Sorts of People in Getulia ; the
" many Countries of the Moors; all the Borders oi Spain \
" the different Nations of Gaul; and thofe Places of Britain,
" which the Romans could not come at, are yet fubjeft to
*♦ Chrift ; the Sarmatie, and Daci, the Germans and Scjthi-
** ans; and many other obfcure Nations, and many Pro-
** vinces and Iflands unknown to us, fo many that they can-
•* not be reckoned ? In all which Places, the Name of Chriff,
*» who lately came, reigns." Prefently after, he fhows how
much larger the Kingdom of Chrift was in his Time, that is,
the End of the fecond Century, than thofe of old, Nebuckad-
vez'znrs, Alexander's, or the Ro7nans' : " The Kingdom of
«« Chrift overfpreads all Places, is received every where, in
** all the above-named Nations (he had mentioned the Babj-
** lonians, Parlkians, Indians, Ethiopia, Ajia, Germany, Britainy
♦• the Moors, Gertulians, and Romans) it is in grent Efteem :
'* He reigns every where, is adored in all Places, is divided
«• equally amongft them all,"

(d) And others, &c.] Irenaus^ who was antienter than Ter-
iullian. Book I. Ch. 3. '• For though there be different Lan-
•* gi'^ges, the Power of Tradition is the fame ; neither the
*' Churches founded in Germany have any other Belief, or
*• any other Tradition : For yet thofe in Iberia, nor thofe
*♦ among the Ciltic, nor thofe which are in the Eajl, nor thofe
•* in Egypt, nor thofe in Lybia, nor thofe that are eftabliflicd
•• in the middle of the World: But like the Sun, which God
«• created, and is one and the fame throughout the whole
f* World : So the Light, the preaching of the Truth, fhincs
!' every vyhere, and enlightens all men, who are willing to

•* come

S-e^. iS, CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 13;^

Name ofChrifl: was famous in theirTimes,amongfl
the Britons t Germans ^ and other diftant Nations..

What

»* come to the Knowledge of the Truth." And Origens
Homily upon the ivth of Ezekiel : " The liiiferable Jeivs
" confefs, that thefe Things were foretold of the Prefence of
*' Chrift; but they are foohfhly ignorant of his Perfon, though
" they fee what is faid of him fulfilled; for when did the
*• Briti/b Land, before the coming of Chrift, agree in the
'• Worfhip of one God ? "When did the Country of the Mwrs,
" when did the whole W.. rid together do fo ?" AnA Jlrna-
biusy Book 11. " The Powers which they faw with their Eyes,
*♦ and thofe unheard of EfFeCls, which were openly produced^
** either by him, or which were proclaimed, by his Difciples,
'* throughout the whole World, fubdued thofe violent Appe-
" tites, and caufed Nations and People, and thofe whofc Man-
** ners were very different, to confent with one Mind, to the
•* fame Belief: For W2 might enumerate, and take into out
" Account^ thofe Things which were done in India among
*' the Ser^, P-erJians, and Medes, in Arabia, Egypt, in A/ia-o
** Sjria, among the Galatians, Parthians, Phrygians, in Achaia,
"' Macedoina, Epuus j in thofe Jflands and Provinces, fur-
" veyed by the Eaft and Weftern Sun ; and laRly in Rome^
" the Miftrefs of the World." And Athan^ifius, in bis Syno-
dica! Epiftle, which we find in Theodant, Book IV. Chap. 5,
inentions the Chriftian Churches in Spain, Britain, Gajd, Italy ^
Dahnatia, Myjia, Macedonia, Greece', Africa, Sardinii, Cyprus,
Crete, Pamphylia, Lyjia, Ifauria, Egypt, Lybia, Pontus, and Cap-
padocia. And Theodoret, in his Eighth Difcourfe againft the
Greeks, fpeaks thus concerning the Apoftles : " When they
•• were converfant in the Body, they went about, fometimes
*' to one Sort, and fometimes to another; fometimes they
*' difcourfed to the Romans, fometimes to the Spaniards, and
"' fometimes to the Celtans; but after they returned to hini
*' that fent them, all enjoyed their Labours without Excep-
*• tion ; not only the Romans, And they that loved the Roman.
*' Yoke, and were fubjed to their Govcrnmenr, but alfo the
*' Perjians and Scythians, and Majagtt^, and Sanroniat^, and
*• Indians, and Ethiopians; and to fpeak in one Word, the
** Borders of the whole World." And again in his Ninth
Book, among the converted Nations, he reckons the Pe-fi<jnst
the Majjagcta, the Tibareni, the Hyrcani, the Cajpiat:.-, and Scy.^
thians. jerom, in the Epitaph of Nepotian, reckons amongft
the Chriftians the Indians, Perfuns, Goths, Egyptians, BrJ/i.-mst
and the People cloathed with Skins; In his tpiflle to Lo'ta,
he reckons up the Indian's, Perjtans, Goths, Ethiopians, ArnunianSi
Hms, Scythians, and Getans : And in his Dialogue between an
K 3 orthcdo.t

I U OF TIIF TRXnV OF THE Book It.
What Religion is there that can compare with it,
for the Extent of its PoflefTion ? If you anfwcr,
I Icathenifm : That indeed has but one Name,
but is not one Religion : For they do not all
worlliip the fame Thing, for fome worfliip the
Stars, others the Elements, others Bealls, others
Things that have no exiftence ; neither are they
governed by the fame Law, nor under one com-
mon Mailer. The Jews indeed, though very
much fcattered, are but one Nation ; however,
their Religion has received no remarkable Increafc
fmce Chrirt : Nay, their own Law is made more
known by the Chriftians than by themfelves.
Mahometifm is fettled in very many Countries,
but not alone; for the Chriftian Religion is cul-
tivated in thofe fame Countries, and in fome
Places by a greater Number: Whereas, on the
contrary, there are no Mahometans to be found
\n manv Parts where the Chriftian Religion is.

orthodox Man and a Liuifirian, he mentions the Britaifis,
Cauls, the KalU the People oi India. The. Iberiafis, the Cehi-
berians, and the JEthiolians. And Chryfojiom in his Sixth Ho-
mily upon I Cor. fays, "If they were not worthy to be be-
♦* lieved in what they faid, how fhould their Writings have
** fpread all over barbarous Countries, even to the Indians,
♦' and thofe Countries beyond the Sea?" And again, in his
laft Homily upon Pentecoft. •• The Holy Spirit defcended in
•* the Shape of Tongues, divided its Doif^rine amongft the
*' feveral Climates of the World; and by this Gift of Tongues,
** as it were by a particular Commiilion, made known to
** every one, the Limits of that Command and Dodirine
" that was committed to him." And again, in his famous
Oration, concerning Chrift's being God: " We muft fay
** then, that a mere Man could not, in fo fhort a Time, have
" overfprcad the V^orld, both Sea and Land; nor have fo
*' called Men to fuch Things, who were with-held by evil
*' Culloms, nay, poflcfTcd with Wickednefs: Yet he was fuf-
*' ficient to deliver Mankind from all thefe, not only Roman:,
*' \>Vit&\(o Perfians, and all barbarous Nations." See alfo what
follows, which is highly worth reading.

Confiderini

Sea. 1 8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION; 13^

Confidering the IVeaknefs and Simplicity of lb of e who
taught it in the jirft Ages,

WE come next to examine, in what Manner the
Chriftian Religion made fuch a Progrefs, that in
this Particular alfo it may be compared with
others. We fee mod Men are difpofed to com-
ply with the Examples of Kings and Rulers, ef-
pecially if they be obliged to it by Law^ or com-
pelled by Force. To thefe the Religions of the
Pagans, and that of the Mahometans, owe their
Increafe. But they who firfb taught the Chriftian
Religion, were not only Men without any Autho-
rity, but of low Fortune, Fifhers, Tent-makers,
and the like : And yet, by the Indudry of thefe
Men, that Do6lrine, within thirty Years, or there-
abouts, fpread not only through [a) all Parts of
the Roman Empire, but as far as the Paribians
and Indians. And not only in the very Beginning,
but for almofl: three hundred Years, by the In-
duftry of private Perfons without any Threats,
without any Enticements, nay, oppofed as much
as polTible, by the Power of thofe who were in
Authority; this Religion was propagated (o far,
that it polTefTed the greateft Part of the Roman
Empire, {b) before Conjlantine profelled Chrilti-
anity. They among the Greeks^ who delivered
Precepts of Morality, at the fame Time rendered
themfelves acceptable by other Arts ; as the
Platonicks, by the Study of Geometry ; the Peri-
pateticks, by the Hiftory of Plants and Animals;
K 4 the

{a) All Parts of the Roman Empire, &c.] Rom. xv. 19.

{b)BeforeCov\9iAn\\v.?prnf:jJld Chrifiianity, &c.] TcrtuWan
faid in his Time, Apology II. " We are but of Yeileiday, and
*♦ have filled all Places' t)eIonging to you, your Cities, Iflands,
*' Cartlcs, Towns, Councils, your very Camps, Tribes, Com-
•' panics, the Palace, Senate and Forum; we have left yon
•* only your Temples,"

136 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IL

the Stoicks, by Logical Subtilty; the Pythago-
reans, by the Knowledge of Numbers and Har-
mony. Many of them were endued with admi-
rable Eloquence, as Plato ^ Xenophon^ and Tkeo^
pbrajhis. But the firft Teachers of Chrifrianity
had no fuch Art. [a] Their Speech was very
plain, without any Enticements; they declared
only the Precepts, PromifcSj and Threats in bare
Words; wherefore, fince they had not in them-
felvcs any Power, anfwerable to fuch a Progrefs,
we muft of NecefTity allow that they were attend-
ed with Miracles ; or that the fecret Inliuence of
God favoured their Undertaking; or both.

SECT. XIX.

Atid the great Impediments that hindered Men from
embracing ity or deterred them from profcfing it,

TO v.'hich Confideration, we may add this ;
that the Minds of thofe who embraced the Chrif-
tian Religion, taught by thefe Men, were not en-
tirely free and unprejudiced from any eftabliflied
Rule of Religion, and confequently very pliable ;
as they were, who firft embraced the Heathen
Rites, and the Law oi Mahomet : And much Icfs
were they prepared by any foregoing Inftitution ;
as the Hebrezvs were rendered fit for the Recep-
tion of the Law of Mofes, by Circumcifion, and
the Knowledge of one God. But, on the contrary,
their Minds w^ere filled with Opinions, and had
acquired Habits, which are a fecond Nature, re-
pugnant to thefe new Inftrudlions ; having been
educated and confirmed by the Authority ot'
Laws, and of their Parents, in the Heathen My-
fteries and Jercijb Rites. And befides this, there

was

{n) Their Speech luat -very plain, &;c.] This was wifely ob-
fervcd by CL-n/cJlom, on i Cor» i. 17. and by Tkeodorct, after
the Words now quotcJ.

Sea. 19. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 137

was another Obftacle as great, namely, the mod
grievous Sufferings, which it was certain they
who profeiTed Chriftianity, muft endure, or be
in Fear of, upon that Account: For lince fuch
Sufferings are highly difagreeable to human Na-
ture, it follows, that thofe Things which are
the Caufe of fuch Sufferings, cannot be received
without great Difficulty. The Chriffians, for
a long Time, were kept out of all Flaces of
Honour, and were moreover fined, had their
Goods confifcated, and were banifhed : But thcfe
were fmall Things; they were condemned to the
Mines, had the moft cruel Torments, that it was
poffible to invent, inflidled upon them ; and the
Punilhments of Death were fo common, that the
Writers of thofe Times relate, that no Famine,
no Peftilence, no War, everconfumcd more Mea
at a Time. Neither were they the ordinary Kinds
of Death: (a) But burning of them alive, cru-
cifymg them, and fuch like Punifhments; which
one cannot read or think of without the greateft
Horror: And this Cruelty, which, without any
long Interruption, and that not every where,
continued in the Roman Empire, almofl: till the
Time of ConJlantiiiCy and in other Places longer,
was fo far from diminifliing them, that on the
contrary, their Blood was called the Seed of the
Church, they fo much more increafed as they were
cut off". Here, therefore, let us compare other Re-
ligions with Chriftianity. The Gr^f/^j and other
Heathens, who were wont to magnify their own
Matters, reckon a very few that fuff^ered Death for
Opinions ; fome Indian Philofophers, Socrates ^ and
Jiot many more; and it can hardly be denied, but

that

{a) But burning of them alh-e, &c,] Domitius Vlpianus, a fa-
mous Lawyer, wrote feven Books about the Punifhments that
Chrillians ought to have inflicted on them. LaQatUius men-
tions them. Book V, Chap. 7.

138 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book H,

that in thcfe famous Men, there was fome Defire
of tranfmitting their Fame to Pofterity. But
there were very many of the common People,
fcarce known to their Neighbours, among the
Chriftians, who fuffered Death for their Opinion ;
Women, Virgins, young Men, who had no De-
fire nor probable Hopes, that their Name would
continue long after them; and, indeed, there are
but a few,, whofe Names remain in the iMartyro-
logics, in Gomparifon of the Number of them
that fuffered for this Caufe, and are (^) reckoned
only by the Heap. Further, very many of them
might have efcaped this Puniflimcnt, by fome
fmatl Diffimulation, fuch as throwing a little
Frankincenfe upon the Altar; which cannot be,
affirmed of them, who, whatever private Opinions
they had in their Minds, yet in their outward
Acflions, conformed themfelvcs to the Cuftoms
of the Vulgar. So that to fuffer Death for the
Honour of God, could fcarce be allowed to any
but the Jezvs and Chrillians ; and not to the Jezvs
after Chrift's Time; and before, only to a very
few, compared with the Chriflians; more of
which fuffered Punilhment for the Law of Chriff,
in one Province, than ever there did Jt'ic^j; all
whofe Sufferings of this Kind may almoft be re-
duced to the Times of Manages and Antiocbiis.
Wherefore, feeeng the Chriftian Religion, in this
Particular alio, infinitely exceeds others; it ought
julUy to be preferred before them. It muff be in-
ferred from fuch a Multitude, of every Age and

Sex

(fl) "Rechned only hy the Ht'ap, &:c.] As this innocent Com •
pany of three hundred at Car/hagc, mentioned in the xxivth
Roman Martyrology of Augujius; very many in Africa, under
Se^<jerus; under Valerian at Ant:och ; and in Arabia, Cappa-
dicia, and i\hfopotamia, in Phrygin, in Pcjntus, under Maxi'/ii/i;
at I^icomedia, in Numidia; at R'UTie in Tkebais, Ijre, "-Trei-ers,
under Diochjian ; in Perfia, under Cabada and Sapores. All
which arc mentioned in the Martyrology, without any Names,

Sea. 19. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 139

Sex, in fo many different Places and Times, who
refufed not to die for this Religion ; that there was
fome great Reafon for fuch a conftant Refolution,
which cannot be imagined to be any other but
the Light of Truth, and the Spirit of God.

An Anfwer to thofe zvho require more and jlronger
Arguments.

IF there be any one uho is not fatisfied with
the Arguments hitherto alledged, for the Truth of
the Chriftian Religion, but defires more powerful
ones; he ought to know, [a) that different Things
mult have different Kinds of Proof; one Sort in
.Mathematicks,another in the Properties ofBodies,
another in doubtful Matters, and another in Mat-
ters of Fa6l. And we are to abide by that, whofe
Teftimonies are void of all Sufpicion : Which, if
it be not admitted, not only all Hiffory is of no
further life, and a great Part of Phyfick ; but all
that natural Affedion, which is betwixt Parents
and Children> is loft, [h] who can be known no
other Way. (c) And it is the Will of God, that

thofe

{a) That different Things, Src] See Ariptle's Ethicks to iV7-
comarhus. Book I, " It is fufEcient, if a Thing be made ap-
" pear according to the fubjeft Matter of it ; for the fame Evi-
•' dence is not to be cxpefted in all Ihings." And in the
latter Part of his Firft Metaphyf, the laft Chap. " Mathemati-
" cal Certainty is not to be met with in all Things." And
Calicidus on Timaus, according to the Opinion oi Flato. " A
** Difpofition to believe precedes all Dodrines; efpecially if
" they be afferted, not by common, but by great, and alraoll
*• divine Men."

(^) Who can be kwwn no other Way, &c.] Thus Hofner:
No Man for certain k?intvs, ivhofe Son he is.
That i?, ^yith the moft exaft Kind of Knowledge.

(f) And it is the Will of God, kc] There are two Sorts of
Proportions in the Chriltian Religion ; one Sort of which may
be philofophically demonftrated, the other cannot. Of the
former are fuch as thefe : The Exiftence of God, the Creation
of the World, a Divine Providence; the Goodncfs and Ad-

.I40 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IL

thofe Things which he would have us believe, {"o
as that Faith fliould be accepted from us as Obe-*
dience, fhould not be fo very plain, as thofe Things
we perceive by our Senfes, and by Demonftration ;
but only fo far as is fufficient to procure the Be-
lief, and perfuade a Man of the Thing, who is
not obftinately bent againft it: So that the Gofpel
is, as it were, a Touch-ftone to try Men's honeft
Difpofitions by. For fince thofe Arguments,
■which we have brought, have gained the Allcnt of
fo many good and wife Men, it is very manifeft,
that the Caufe of Infidelity in others, is not from
the Want of Proof; but from hence, (^) that
they would not have that feem true, which contra-
dids their Padions and Affedions. It is a hard
Thing for them lightly to eftccm of Honours and
other Advantages; which they mufl do, if they
would receive what is related concerning Chrift,
and for that Reafon, think themfelves bound to
obey the Precepts of Chrift. And this is to be

difcovered

vantage of the Precepts of Religion; all which are capable
of a Demonftration, and are aftually demonftrated by Grotii/s
and others; {o that a Man mull renounce his Reafon, or elfe
admit them. But thofe PafTions which are contrary to them,
hinder Unbelievers from receiving them, becaufe, if they
fhould own them to be true, they mud fubdue thofe Paffions,
which they are unwilling to do, becaufe they have been (o
long accuftomed to them. Of the latter Sort, are the hiftori-
cal Fads, upon which the Truth of the Gofpel depends, arid
which are explained by Gretius, and proved by hiltorical Ar-
guments, Which fame Arguments would be allowed to be
good by Unbelievers, in the fame Manner as they do the
Proofs of all thofe Hiltories, which they believe, though they
do not fee the Fatts ; if they were not hindered by the Preva-
lence of their Paihons ; and which they muft entirely fubdue,
if fuch Arguments came once to take Place. See a little Boofc
of mine in French, concerning Infidelity. Le Clcrc.

(a) That they ivould not have that feem true, &c.] Chryfojiom
treats very handfjmely of this, in the Beginning of i Cor.
Chap. 3. And io Demetrius, he fays; '* that they do iv>t be-»
«» lie vc the Commandments, proceeds frtm their UnwiUm_gneCs
*• to keep them."

Sea. 19. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. i^f

difcovered by this one Thing, that they receive
manyothcrhiflorical Relations as true, the Truth
of which is eftabliflied only upon Authorities, of
which there are no Maris:s remaining at this
Time: As there is in the Hiltory of Chrift; part-
ly by the Confeilion of the Jezvs^ which are now
left ; partly by the Congregation of Chriftians,
every where to be found; for which there mud
of Neceffity have been fome Caufe. And fince
the long Continuance of the Chriftian Religion,
and the Propagation of it fo far, cannot be at-
tributed to any human Power, it follows, that
it muft be attributed to Miracles : Or if any one
Ihould deny it to have been done by Miracles;
this very Thing, that {a) it fliould, without a
Miracle, gather fo much Strength and Power,
ought to be looked upon as greater than a Mira-
cle.

[a) It Jhould ivithout a Miracle, &c.] Chryfojlom handles
this Argument on i Cor, Ch, i. towards the End ; and Au^^
gujiint concerning the City of G9d, Book XXII. Chap. 5.

BOOK

BOOK III.

SECT. I.

Of the Author! ly of the Books of the New Tefament,

HE, who is pcrfiiclded of the Truth and Ex-
cellency of that Religion which Chriltians
profefs, havinji^ been convinced either by tiie Ar-
guments before otfered, or by any other befides
them, in order to underfland all the feveral Parts
of it, he mu(t go to the antient Books, which
contain this Religion; and they are what we call
the Books of the New Teftament, or rather Cove-
nant: For it is unreafonable for any one to deny,
that that Religion is contained in thofe Books, as
all Chriftians affirm ; fince it is fit that every Sect,
good or bad, fhould be believed in this AfTer-
tion, that their Opinions are contained in this or
that Book ; as we believe the Mahometans, that
the Religion of Mahomet is contained in the Alco^
ran: Wherefore, fince the Truth of the Chriftian
Religion has been proved before, and at the fame
Time it is evident, that it was contained in thefe
Books; the Authority of thefe Books is fuffi-
ciently cftablilhed by this fingle Thing: How-
ever, if any one defire to have it more particularly
made appear to him, he mufl: firft lay down that
common Rule amongftall fair Judges, {a) That he
Avho would difprove any Writing, which has been
received for many Ages, is obliged to bring Argu-
ments

(«) That he ijuIjq nuould^ &c.] See Ealdu; in his Rubiick
concerning the Credibility of Writings; and Gailns, Book Ho
OhJ, CXLIX, Numb, 6 and 7, and ihofche there cites.

Sea. I. 2. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 143

ments that may diminilh the Credibility of fuch
a Writing; which, if he cannot, the Book is to be
defended, as in Poffeflion of its own Authority.

SECT. II.

^he Books that have any Names affixed to thefriy were
writ by thofe Perfons whofe Names they bear.

WE fay then, that the Writings, about which
there is no Difpute amongft Chriftians, and which
Jiave any particular Perfon's Nameaffixedtothem,
are that Author's, whofe Title they are marked
with; becaufe the firfl Writers, fuch as J//y?/;/,
IrenceuSy [a] C/<^w^;7j, and others after them, quote
thefe Books under thofe Names: And belides, [b]
Tertullian fays, that in his Time fome of the origi-
nal Copies of thofe Books were extant. And be-
caufe all the Churches received them as fuch, be-
fore there were any publick Councils held: Nei-
|;her did any Heathens or Jews raife any Contro-
\erfy, as if they were not the Works of thofe
>vhofe they were faid to be. And {c) Julian

openly

fa) Clemens, &c.] There is only Clemens' s Epiftle to the
Corinthians extant, in which he quotes Places of the New
Teftament, but does not name the Writers; wherefore Clc-
mens's Name might have been omitted ; and fo might Jvjiins
who is not afed to add the Names. Le Clerc.

(^) TertuUian/Tj'/, &c.] In his Prefcription again-u the
Hereticks, " Let any one who would exercife his Curiofity
•* principally in the Affair of his Salvation, let him run over
*' the A] o Iclical Churches, over which the Seats of the Apc-
•' ftles have now the Rule, in their refpeCtive Places; in
•* which the authentick Letters themfelves are recited." And
why might not the Hand of the Apoitles be then extant, when
^intiUian fays, that in his Time Cicero's Hand was extant;
and Gcllius fays the fame of Virgil's in his ?

faj Julian openly confeJJ'es, See.'] The Place is to be feen in
Cyril's Tenth Book. (.See alfo our Annotations, in the Difler-
tation on the Four Evangelifts, added to the Harmony of the
pofpels. Le Clerc J,

XU OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HI.

openly confeffes, that thofe m ere Peter's, PauFs*
Mattbe"d)'s, Mark's, and Luke's, which were read
by the Chnftians, under thofe Names. Nobody in
his Senfes makes any Doubt of Homer s or Virgil's
Works being theirs, by Reafon of the conftant
Teflimony of the Greeks concerning the one, and
of the /L^Z/rVj concerning the other; how much
more then ought we to (land by the Tcftimony
of almofl: all the Nations in the World, for the
Authors of thefe Books ?

SECT. in.

The Douht of thofe Books that were formerly doubl-,
fid, taken away.
THERE are indeed in the Volume w^e now ufe,
fome Books which were not equally received from
the Beginning; [a) as the Second of Peter, that
o^ James and Jude, two under the Name of John
the Prefbyter, the Revelations, and the Epiflle to
the Hebrews: However, they were acknowledged
by m.any Churches, as is evident from the antient
Chriftians, who ufe their Teflimony as facred;
which makes it credible, that thofe Churches,
which had not thofe Books from the Beginning,
did not know of them at that Time, or elfe w ere
doubtful concerning them; but havingafterv\ards
learned the Truth of the Thing, they began to
ufe thofe Books after the Example of the Reft; as
we now fee done in almofl: all Places; Nor can
there be a fufiicient Reafon imagined, why any one
fliould counterfeit thofe Books, when nothing can

be

(«) As the fecond of Peter, &c."| However, Grotius himfelf
doubted of this; the Reafons of which Doubt, he himfelf gives
us, in the Beginning of his Annotations upon this Epiftle.
But though one or two Epiftles could be called in Queftion,
this would not render the reft doubtful; nor would any Part
of the Chriftian Faith be defedive, becaufc it is abundantly-
delivered in other Places, Le CUn,

Se^. 3,4. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 14^

be gathered from them, but what is abundantl)^
contained in the other Books that are undoubted.

SECT. IV.

^he Authority of thofe Books which have no JSfame to
theiUy evident from the Nature of the Writings.

THERE is no Reafon why any one fhould de-
trad from the Credibility of the EpiftJe to the He-
hrewSy upon this Account only, becaufe we do not
know who wrote it; and (o likewife of the two
Epifties of Johfiy and the Revelation, becaufe fome
have doubted whether John the Apoftle wrote
them, or another of the fame Name, {a) For in
Writers, the Nature of the Writings is more to be
regarded than the Name. Wherefore we receive
many hiftorical Books, whofe Authors we are ig-
norant of, as that of Ctefafs Alexandrian War, vi-z.
becaufe we fce^ that whoever the Author was, he
lived in thofe Times, and was prefent at thofe
Matters: So likewife ought we to be fatisfiedj,
when thofe who wrote the Books we are now
fpeaking of, teftify that they lived in the firft AgCj,
and were endued with the Apoftolical Gifts. And
if any one ihould obje(5t againfi: this, that thefe
Qualities may be feigned, as may the Names in
other Writings, he would faya Thing that is by no
Means credible, viz. that they, who every where
prefs the Study of Truth and Piety, fhould without
any Reafon bring themfclves under the Guilt of a
Lye, which is not only abhorred by all good Men
{b) but was punifhed with Death by the Reman
Laws.

(a) For in Writers, -S:c.] It had been more proper to {^y
i:i Writi?igs, or Books, which is the Meaning oiGrotius, ;is ap-
pears trom what follows.

fbj But ivas puniped nvith Det7th, &C.] See L. Faljt No-
minis. D. de Lege Cornelia ; and Paul, Book V, Sent. Tit„
XXV, Se3. 10 and ir. See Examples of this Punifhment, at
ihe End of the Books q^ Valerius Maxirius: and in Caprtoli.nus in
Pertinax.

L SECT,

1+6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III.

S E C T. V.

That theft' ylHthors wrote what was true, becaufe
they knew the Things they wrote about.

IT is certain, therefore, that the Books of the
New Teftanicnt were wrote by thofe whofe Names
they bear, or by fuch Perfons as they profefs them-
felves to bc; and it is moreover evident that they
had a Knowledge of the Things they wrote about,
and had no Defire to fay what was falfe; whence it
follows, that what they wrote mult be true, be-
caufe every Falfity proceeds either from Ignorance,
or from an ill Intention. Mailhezv, John, Peter,
TLndJude, v/ere of the Company of thofe Twelve,
u'hich Jcfus chofeto be Wicneires of his Life and
Doclrints: {a) So that they could not want the
Knowledge of thofe Things they relate: The fame
may be faid oi James, who either was an Apoltle,
or as others would have it, [b) a near Relation of
Jefus, and made Bifliop of Jerufalem by the Apo-
Jllcs. Neither could Paul be deceived through
J[gnorancc, concerning thofe Dodlrines which he
profelfes were revealed to him by Jefus himfelf
reigning in Heaven ; neither could he be deceived
in the Things which he performed himfelf; no
more could Luke, who was his {c) infeparable
Companion in his Travels. This fame Luke could
cafily know what he wrote, concerning the Life
and Death of Jefus ; becau fe he was born in a neigh-
bouring Place, and had travelled through Palejiine,

where

(a J So that tJ^ey could 7iot nvant the Kfioi-vled^r, <i'C.] yobn
XV. 27. alfo I E/>i/f, i. j4(^s i. 2j , 22.

(IfJ A vcar Relation of 'Jefus , tvc] So other?, and they net
a few, think; and St. Chnff-jm everywhere. See Jofphus
alfo. (Add to thefe Eufebtus, II. E. Book II. Ch. i. and 23.}

(cj hifeparable Companion, Sec. See J^s XX, and the fol-
lowing; Cohjficim iv. 14. 2 Tim, iv, 11. FhiUm, 24.

Sea. 5, 6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 147

where he fays, (a) he fpake with them who were
Eye-WitnefTes of thefe Things. Without Doubt
there were many others (befides the Apoftles with
whom he was acquainted) who were then alive,
having been healed by Jefus, and who had {ten
him die, and come to Life again. If we believe
Tacilus and SueionhiSy concerning thofe Things
which happened long before they were born, be-
caufe we rely upon their diligent Enquiry, how
much more reafonable is it to believe this Author^
who fays he had every Thing from Eye-WitnelTes^
{b) It is a conftant Tradition that Mark was a
continual Companion of Peter \ fo that what he
wrote is to be efteemed as if Peter himfelf, who
could not be ignorant of thofe Things, had didlated
it: Belides, almoft every Thing which he wrote,
is to be found in the Writings of the Apoftles*
Neither could the Writer of the Revelations be
deceived in thofe Vifions which he fays [c] were
caufed from Heaven; [d) nor he to the Hebrezvs^
in thofe Things which he profefTes he was taught,
either by the Spirit of God, or by the Apoftles
themfelves.

SECT. VI.

And hecaufe they zvoiild not Jay 'what zvasfal/e^

THE other Thing we affirmed, viz. that they

would not fpeak an Untruth, belongs to what was

L 2 before

(aj He fpake -with them, &c.] In the Preface of his Gofpel
Hiftory.

(h ) It is a cntifiani Traditiov, &c. ] Irefiaus, Book IIL Ch. i «
and Clemens in his Hypotypofes, cited in Enfebius's Ecclef. Hijl.

(f) Were caufed -from Hcanjen, &c.] Re^. i. i. 2. iv. I. and
the following; xxii. i8, 19, 20, 21,

{d) A'cr /^f /5 //;f Hebrews, &c.l Htb/n. \, v, 14, xiii, 7^

uS OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III,

before treated of, when we fhewed the Credibi-
lity of the Chriftian Religion in general, and of
the Hiflory of Chrill's RefurrecUon. They, who
would difprove WitnefTes in this Particular relat-
ing to the Difpofition of their Mind and Will, muft
ofNcceiTityalledgefomethingto make it credible,
that they fei: their Mind againfl: the Truth. But
this cannot be fliid here; for if any one fliould ob-
ject that their own Caufe was concerned, he ought
to examine upon what Account it was their Caufe ;
Certainly not for the Sake of getting any Advan-
tage, or Hiunningany Danger; when, on the Ac-
count of this ProfcfTion, they loft all Advantages,
and there were no Dangers which they did not ex-
pofe thcmfclves to. It was not therefore their own
Caufe, unlefs out of Reverence to God, which cer-
tainly does not induce any Man to tell a Lye, efpe-
cially in a Matter of fuch Moment, upon which
the eternal Salvation of Mankind depends. We
are hindered from believing fuch a wicked Thing
of them, both by their Dodlrines, which are in
every Part (a) full of Piety; and by their Life,
which was never accufcd of any evil Fad, no, not
by their Enemies, whoonly objedled their UnfkiU
fulnefs againft them, which is not at all apt to pro-
duce a Falfity. If there had been in them the leaft
Difhonefty, they would not have fet down their
own Faults to be eternally remembered ; (/^) as in

the

(^aj Full of Piety, &c.] And abhor Lying, John xiv. 17.
XV. 26. xvi. 13. xvii. 17, 19. xviii. 37. Jcis wv'i. 2J. Rorn.
i. 25. 2 Thef. ii. 20. I Jchn i. 6, 8. ii. 4, 21. 2 Cor, vi. 8.
Ephef. iv. ij;, 25. Colo/, iii. 9. Re~j. xxii. 15, 2 Cur. ii. 31.
Gal. i. 20. Obferve how induftrioiifly St. Pr//// diftinguifhes
thofe Things which are his own, and thofe which are the
Lord's, I Cor. vii, 10, 12. how cautious in fpeaking of what
he faw, whether he faw them in the Body, or out of the Body,
2 Cor. xii. 2.

(b) Ai in the Flight of them all, ic] Matt. xxvi. 34, 56,

Sea. 6, 7» CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 149

the Flight of them all, when Chrift was in Dan-
ger, and (a) in Peter's thrice denying him.

SECT. VII.

^b? Credibility of thefe Writers further confirmed ^
from their being famous for Miracles,

BUT on the contrary, God himfelf gave re-
markable Teftimonies to the Sincerity of them;
by working Miracles, which they themfelves and
their Difciples [b] publickly avouched with the
higheft AlTu ranee ; adding the Names of the Per-
fons and Places, and other Circumftances: the
Truth or Falfity of which AlTertion might ealily
have been difcovered by the Magiftrate's Enquiry,-
amongft which Miracles, this is worthy Obferva-
tion, [c) which they conftantly affirmed, viz, their
fpeaking Languages they had never learned, be-
fore many thoufand People; and healing in a Mo-
ment Bodies that were difeafed, in the Sight of the
Multitude; nor were they at all afraid, tho' they
knew at that Time, that the Jcwifli Magiftrates
v/ere violently fet againft them ; and the Roman
Magiftrates very partial, who would not overlook
any Thing that afforded Matter of traducing
them as Criminals, and Authors of a new Reli-
gion ; nor did any of the Jews or Heathens, in
thofe neareft Times, dare to deny that Miracles
were done by thefe Men : Nay, Phlegon^ who was
E 3 a Slave

[a) In Peter's thrice denying him, &cc.'\ Matt, xxvi. 6g, and
thefoUowkng; Mark xiv. 66, and the lollowing ; Luke-&ysi. 54,
and the following.

{b) Publickly a'vouched. Sec] See the A6ls oftheApoftlc
throughout, and z Cor. xii. 12. ^

Ic) Which they cQnJlantly affirintd, &c.] The Places are quoted
before.

150 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III.

a Slave of the Emperor Adrian, (a) mentions the
Miracles of Peter in his Annals : And the Chrif-
tians themfelves in thofe Books, wherein they
give an Account of the Grounds of their Faith,
before the Emperors, Senate, and Rulers {b) fpeak
of thefe Fads, as Things known to every Body,
and about which there could be no Doubt:
Moreover, they openly declared, that the wonder-
ful Power of them {c) lemained in their Graves
for fome Ages; when taey could not but know,
if it were falfe, thatihcy could calily be difproved
by the Magillrates, to their Shame and Punifli-
ment. And thefe Miracles, now mentioned at their

Sepulchres,

{a) Mentiom tie Miracles of Peter, &c.] Book XIII. As
Origcn fays in his becond Book p.gainit Cclj'us. This is that
Phltgofiy whofe Remains we have yet, concerning Miracles, and
long-lived Men.

(h) Spcr/k of thefe Fails as Things, &c.] The Places are very
many, efpecially in Origen. St;e the whole Eighth Chapter of
Augiifiine's Tvventy-lecond Book of the City of God.

(f) Remained in their Gra'ves, &c.] The Miracles at the Se-
pulchres of holy Men, then began to be Loaded of, when the
Chriftians having the Power in their Hands, began to make an
Advantage of the dead Bodies of Martyrs and others, that were
buried in their Churches. Wherefore I would not have this
Argument made ufe of, left we dirainif,! from the Credibility
of certain Miracles, by thefe doubtful or fictitious ones. Every
one knows how many Stories are related after the Fourth Cen-
tury, about this Matter. But Origen does not mention any
fuch Miracles: But in his fcventh Book again!!: CJfu!, fays,
" Very many Miracles of the Holy Spirit were manifeftcd at
" the Beginning of Jcfus's Doftrine, and after his Afcenfion,
«« but afterwards they were fewer; however there are now fome
'* Footftcps of them in fome {^.w:, whofe Minds are purified by
♦* Reafon, and their Adions agreeable thereto." Who can
believe that fo many Mirr.cles (hould be done in one or two
Centuries after Origen, when there was lefs Need of them ?
Certainly it is as reafonable to derogate from the Credibility
of the Miracles of the Fourth and Fifth Centuries, as it would
be impudent to deny the Miracles of Chrill and his Apoftles,
Thefe Miracles could not be aflcrted without Danger; thofe
could not be rejeded without Danger, nor be believed without
Profit to thofe who perhaps forged them j which is a great Dif-
ierence, Le Clerc,

Sea. 7.8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 151

Sepulchres, were fo common, and had Co many
WitnefTes, (a) that they forced Porphyry, to con-
fefs the Truth of them. Thefe Things which we
have now alledgcd, ought to fatisfy us ; But there
are Abundance more Arguments, which recom-
mend to us the Credibility of thefe Books.

SECT. VIII.

And of their Writings ; hecaiije in them are contained
tnany Things, which the Event proved to be re-
vealed by a 'Divine Power.

FOR we find in them many Predicftions, con-
cerning Things which Men could not poiFibly
Jvnowof themfelves, and which were wonderfully-
confirmed by the Event; (^) fuch as the fudden
and univerfal Propagation of this Religion, (r)
the perpetual Continuance of it ; [d) that it fliould
be rejected by very many of the Jews (f) and em-
braced by Strangers ; (/) the Hatred of the Jews^
againlt thofe who pro felled this Religion,- [g) the
fevere Punilliments they fhould undergo upon the
E 4 Account

(a) That iheyforcedYoT^hyxy, &c.] See Cyril's Tenth Book
againlt Julian, and Jerom againft a Book of Vigilantius.

(b) Such as the /udden, &c.] Matt. xiii. ^^. and follow-
ing Verfes. Luke X. 18. JohnyiW. ^2.

(c) The perpetual Continuance of it, &c.] Luh i. j^. Matt,
xxiii. 20. John xiv. i6.

{d) Thai itjkouldle nje^ed. Sec. Matt. xxi. 33. and fol-
lowing Verfes; xxii. at the Beginning; Luie xV. ii. and
following Verfes.

(e) And embraced bj Strangers, Sec. In the fame Places,
and alfo Matt. viii. 2. xii. 21. xxi. 43.

(/) The Hatred of the Jtws, &c.] Matt. x. 17.

(^) The/ewre FimiJJ^ments, &c.] Matt, x. 21,39. xxiii.34^

152 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III,

Account of it ; (a) the Siege and Deftruction of
Jerufalemy and the Temple, and [b) the fore Ca-
lamities of the Jews.

SECT. IX.

And aljo from the Care that it was fit God Jhould
takey that falfe Writings Jhould not be forged.
TO what has been faid may be added, that if it
be granted, that God takes care of human Af-
fairs, and efpecially thofe that concern his own
Honour and Worfliip ; it is impollible he fhould
fuffer fuch a Multitude of Men, who had no other
Defign than to worfliip him with Sincerity, to be
deceived by falfe Books. And, after there did
arife feveral Se(5ts inChriftianity, there was fcarc?
any found, who did not receive either all, or moft
of thefe Books, except a few, which do not con-
tain any Thing particular in them ; which is a
very good Argument why we fliould think, that
nothing in thefe Books could be contradidcd;
becaufe thofe Se6ls were fo inflamed with hatred
againft each other, that whatfoever plcafed onc^
for that very Reafon difplcafed another.

SEC T, X.

Jl Solution of that Obj.eclion^ that many Books zvere
rejected by fome.

THERE were indeed amongfl thofe who were
willing to be called Chrifl:ians, a very i^w^ who
rejedlcd all thofe Books which feem to contradiill
;heir particular Opinion; fuch as thev, who out

'of

{a) The Siege and Vejlmaicn, &c.] Muti, xxiii. 38. xxiv.
16. hukeTL\\\. 34. xxi. 24.

(b) And the fore Calamities of the Jews, &c.] Matt, Xxi. 33.
iind (he following Verfes. xxiii. 34. xxiv. zo.

Sea. 10. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 153

of Hatred to the Jews, [a) fpoke ill of the God
of the JewSy of the Maker of the World, and of
the Law: Or, on the contrary, out of Fear of
the Hardfhips that the Chriftians were to under-
go, [b) fheltered themfelves under the Name of
JewSy [c) that they might profefs their Religion,
without Punilhment. [ii) But thefe very Men
were difowned by all other Chriftians every where,
{e) in thofe Times, when all pious Perfons, that
differed from one another, were very patiently
borne with, according to the Command of the
Apoftles. The firft Sort of thefe Corrupters of
Chriftianity are, I think, fufficiently confuted
jabove, where we have fhewn that there is but one
true God, whofe Workmanfliip the World is:
And indeed it is fufficiently evident from thofe
very Books w^hich they, that they might in fome

Meafure

(a) Spoke ill of the God of the Jews, &'C.] See Irenans^
Book I. Chap. 29. TV r/a///aa againft Marcion, znA. Eplphanius
concerning the fame.

(^) Sheltered themfel'ves under the Nairn, &€.] See Gal. ii. 2.
vi. 13, 14. Philip, iii. 18. Ireneeus, Book. III. Chap. 28,
EpiphcJiiiis concerning the Ebionites.

[c) That they might profefs their Religion, &:c.] j^JIs ix. 20.
xiii. and many Times in that Book. Philo ao:nn^ Flaccus :
and concerning the £ot^(7//_^. Jofepkus every where. To which
may be added L. Generaliter, D. de Dcauiovihns, and Lib. I.
C. de fiidais. Tertullian, in his Apology, favs, " But the
" JeiMs read their Law openly; they generally purchafe
«' Leave by a Tribute, which ihey gather upon ail Sabbath-
«' Days."

{d) But thefe rjfrj Men were difoiA}7!?d, &c.] Tertullian, in
his Firft againft Marcion, fays, " You cannot find any Church
♦' of Apoftolical Order, who are not Chriftians out of Regard
f* to the Creator."

(e) In thofe Times, 5;c.] vSee what will be faid of this Matter
at the End of the Sixth Book. Add alfo Irenaus's Epiftle to
Viaor, and what Jenrn writes concerning it in his Catalogue;
zw^ Cyprian in his African Council, "Judging no Man, nor
" remoying_ any one from the Right of Communion, for his
»f differing in Opinion,"

X54 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III.
Mcafure appear to be Chriftians, receive; (a) fuch
as the Gofpel of St. Luke in partiyular : It is, I fay,
evident that Chrift preached the fame God, which
Mo/es and the Hebrews worfhipped. We Ihall have
a better Opportunity to confute the other Sort,
when we come to oppofe thofe who are 7^ix\f, and
willing to be called fo. In the mean time I ihall
add only this ; that the Impudence of thofe Men
is very furprifmg to undervalue the Authority of
Paul, when there was not any one of the Apoftles
who founded more Churches; nor of whom there
were fo many Miracles related, at that Time when,
as was before obferved, the Fads might be eafily
inquired into. And if we believe thefe Miracles,
what Reafon is there why we ihould not bclievq
him in his heavenly Vifions, and in his receiving
his Inflruftion from Chrift ? If he was fo beloved
ofChrilt, it cannot poffibly be, that he fliould
teach any Thing difagreeable to Chrift, that is,
any Thing falfe; and that one Thing, which they
find Fault v/ith in him, namely, his Opinion con-
cerning the Freedom procured to the Hebrezvs
from the Rites form.erly injoined by Mo/es y there
could be no Reafon for his teaching it, but the
Truth; (^} for he was circumcifed himfelf, [e)
7!,nd obferved molT: of the Law of his own Accord :
And for the Sake of the Chriilian Religion, {d\
and performed Things much more difficult, and
underwent Things much harder than the Law
commanded, or than he had Reafon to exped

upon

[a] Such as the Go/pel o/ S/. l.uke, Sec] Tertnllia», in hi?
Sixth Book againfl Marcion, makes it appear very plainly.

(i) For be ivas circumcifed, &c.] Philip iii. j.

(f) And olji.-r'vcd mofi of the Laiv, &.c.~\ Adi xvi. 3. xx. 6.
xxi. and the tollowing Chapter.

{d\ He performed -Thing!, Arc.] 2 Cor. xi. 23, and the fol-.
lowing Verfes ; and evei}' where in the A£ls, See alfo i Cer.
xi. 3. 2 Cor, xi. 30. xii. 10,

Sea. 10. CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 155

upon the Account of it ; {a) and he was the Caufe
of his Difciples doing and bearingthefame Thing:
Whence it is evident, he did not deliver any Thing
to pleafe the Ears of his Hearers, or for their Pro-
fit ; when he taught them, [h) inftead of the Jewijh
Sabbath, to fpend every Day in Divine Worfhip;
inftead of the fmall Expences the Law put them
to, [c) to bear the Lofsof all their Goods; (d) and
inftead of offering Beafts to God, to ofter their own
Blood to him. And Paul himfelf openly aftlires
us, (e) that Peter, John, and James^ gave him their
Right Hands, in Token of their Fellowfliip with
him ; which if it had not been true, he would not
have ventured to fay fo, when they were alive,
and could have convided him of an Untruth.
Except only thofe therefore, w hich I have now
jnentioaed, whofcarcedeferve theNameof Chrif-
tians; themanifeft' Confentof all other Aftemblies,
in receiving thefe Books ; befides what has been
already faid, concerning the Miracles which were
^one by the Writers of them, and the particular
Care of God about Things of this Nature ; is fuf-
ficient to induce all impartial Men to give Credit
to thefe Relations; becaufe they are ready to be-
lieve many other hiftorical Books which have not
any Teftimonies of this Kind; unlefs very good
Reafon can be given to the contrary j which can-
not be done here.

(a) And he luas the Caufe, &c.] y^^x xx. 29. Rom. \. 3.
8. xii. 12. 2 Cor, i. 4, 8. ii. 4. vi. 4. i Tbtjf.'i, 6.
2 Thcff. i. 6.

(h) hjieadof the ]tw\?(v Sabbath, &c.] jWsVi.^6. V. 42.
1 Tim. V. 5. 2 Tim. i. 3.

(r) To bear the Lnfs of all. Sec.'] 2 Cor, vi. 4. xii. 10.

[d] And inftead of offering Berfh, &C,J Rom. viii. ^6. 2 Cor,
iv. II. Rhil. i. 20.

(f) That Peter, John, and James, &c.J Gal. ii. 9. And
: Cor, xv. II, 2 Cor. xi. 5. xii, ll»

SECT.

156 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HI.

SECT. XI.

An Anjwer to the ObjeSIion, of fome Things being
contained i;t theje BookSy that are impojfible.

FOR if any one fhould fay, that there are fome
Things related inthefe Books, that are impofTiblc
to be done ; [a] we have before fliewn, that there
are fome Things which are impoOible to be done
by Men, but are poffible with God; that is, fuch
as do not includeany Contradiction in themfelves ;
amongfl: which Things, are to be reckoned thofe
which we account molt wonderful, the Power of
working Miracles, and calling the Dead to Life
again; fo that this Objc(5lion is of no Force.

SECT. XII.

Or difagreeahJe to Reajon.

NOR is there more Flecd to be given to them,
who fay, that there are fome Doctrines to be found
in thefe Books, which are inconfiftent with right
Reafon. For firft, this may be difproved by that
great Multitude of ingenious, learned, and wife
Men, who have relied on the Authority of thefe
Books, from the very Beginning: Alfo, every
Thing that has been fliewn in the firft Book, to be
agreeable to right Reafon, vi-z. that there is a God,
and but one, a moft perfect Being, all-powerful,
loving, wife, and good ; that all Things which are,
were made by him; that his Care is over all his
Works, particularly over Men ; that he can reward
thofe that obey him, after this Life; that we are to
bridle fenfual Appetites ; that there is a natural
Relation betwixt Men, and therefore they ought
to love one another : All thefe we may find plainly

delivered

{a) We have before Jbeiun, &'C.] Book II.

Sea. 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 157

delivered in thefc Books: To affirm any Thing
more than this for certain, either concerning the
Nature of God, or concerning his Will, (a) by
the mere Diredion of human Rcafon, is an un-
fafe and fallible Thing; as we may learn from the
many Opinions of the Schools different from one
another, and of all the Philofophers. Nor is this
at all to be wondered at, for if they who difpute
(I') about the Nature of their own Minds, fall into
fuch widely different Opinions; muftitnotnecef-
farily be much more fo with them, who would de-
termine anyThing concerning the Supreme Mind,
which is placed fo much out of our Reach? If
they who underftand human Affairs, affirm it dan-
gerous (c) to pry into the Councils of Princes, and
that therefore we ought not to attempt it; who is
fagacious enough to hope, by his ownConjedures,
to find out zvbicb it is, that God will determine of
the various Kinds of thofe Things that he can free-
ly zvilL^ Therefore Flaio faid very well, that (d)
none of thefe Things could be known without a
Revelation: And there can be no Revelation pro-
duced, which can be proved clearly to be fuch,
by greater Teftimonies than thofe contained in
the Books of the New Teftament. There is fo far
from being any Proof, that it has never yet been
afferted that God ever declared any Thing to Man,
concerning his Nature, that was contradictory to

thefe

(a) By the mere Diredion of , &c.] Matt. xi. 27. Rom,y\. 33,
34, 35. I Cor. ii. II, 16.

[h] About the Nature of their oii'n Minds, Sec] See P/utarch's
Works, Book IV. or the Opinions of the Philofophers. And
Siobisus's Phyficks, Chap. xi.

(f) To pry into the Councils of Princes, &c.] Tacitus fays (o
in the Vlth of his Annals.

{d) None of thefe Things coulJ be knoTvn, &c.] The Place is
in his Ph<edon, and alfo in Tim<xus. It was well faid by Am-
brofe, •* Who fhould I rather believe concerning God, than
« God himfelf?"

158 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book lit.

thefe Books ; nor can there be any later Declara-
tion of his Will produced, that is credible. And
if any Thing was commanded or allowed, before
Chrift's Time, of thefe Sort of Things, which are
plainly indifferent, or certainly not at all obliga-
tory of themfelves, nor plainly evil ; this does not
oppofe thefe Books; (a) becaufe in fuch Things
the former Laws are nulled by the latter.

SECT. XHI.

uin Anfzver to this Obje^ioiiy that feme Things are
contained in thefe Books which are inconfifent rcith
one another.

IT is objeded by fome, that the Senfe of thefe
Books is fomctimcs very different: But whoever
fairly examines this Matter, will find, that, on the
contrary, this is an Addition to the other Argu-
ments for the Authority of thefe Books; that in
thofe Places which contain any Thing of Moment,
whether in Dodrine or Hiftory, there is every
where fuch a manifcft Agreement, as is not to be
found in any other Writers of any Sefl, [h] whe-
ther

(d) Becaufe injuch Things, &c.] " The latter Conftltutions--
** are more valued than the former." It is a Saying of Mo-
dejiinus, L, Ultima, D. de C'j)!fiitiitiomhus Pri/iciptm. Tertiil-
lian, " I think (fays he) that iu humnn Conftitiitions and De-
" crees, the latter are more binding than the former." kx\A
in his Apology: " Ye lop and hew down the ancient and foul
*' Wood of the Laws, by the new Axes of the Decrees and-
" Edidts of the Princes." And concerning Baptifm: " In
** all Things we arc determined by the latter, the latter Things
•• are more binding than thofe that went before." Plutarch,
Sympof. IX. " In Decrees and Laws, in Comparts and Bar-
" gains, the latter are efteemed ftronger and firmer than the
** former."

(/>) IVIjether they be Jews, &c.] The different Opinions
amongft whom, as they are to be feen in other Places, fo like-
wife in Manajjls the Son of I/rael, a very learned Man in this
Sort of Learning, in his Books of the Creation and Refur-
leftion.

i

Sea. 13, Christian religion. 1^9

ther they be Jezvs, {a) or Greek Philofophcrs,
[b) or Phylicians, (t) or Roman Lawyers ; in all
which we very often find,thac notonly they of the
fame Sedl contradict one another, [d] as P/^/oand
XefiGpbon do, (e) but very often the fame Writer
fometimes afierts one Thing, and fcmetimes
another ; as if he had forgot himfelf, or did not
know which to affirm : But thefe Writers, of
whom we are fpeaking, ail urge the fiime Things
to be believed, deliver the fame Precepts con-
cerning the Lifeof Chrift, his Death, and Return
to Life again : The main and principal Things
are every where the fame. And as to fome very
minute Circumftances, which make nothing to-
wards the main Thing, we are not wholly at fuch
a Lofs for a fliir Reconciliation of them, but that
it may ealily be made, tho' we are ignorant of
fome Things, by Reafon of the Similitude of
Things that were done at different Times, the
Ambiguity of Names, one Man's or Places ha-
ving many Names, and fuch like. Nay, this
very Thing ought to acquit thefe Writers of all
Sufpicion of Deceit; becaufe they who bear

Teftimony

(a) Or Greek Philofophers, &c.] See the forecited Book of
the Opinion of the Philofophers.

{b) Or Phyftdans, &c.] See Galen of Sefts, and of the beft
Seft; and Cel/us oi Phylick, in the beginning; to wliich the
Spagirict may be added.

(^) Or Roman Laivyers, &c.] There was a remarkable
Difference of old, between the iiahiuiaTu and Proculiani; and
now betwixt thofe who follovv Bariolus and his Followers, and
thofe who follow Cujacms and others who were more learned.
See Gabriel's Common^ ?/2ore cornmQn, and moji common Sen-
tences.

{d) As Plato and Xenophcn dx, &c.] See Xenophotzs Epi-
ftle to JEfcJmies, the Bifciple of Socrates. Athc,:a!us I. Laertius's
Life of Plato ; and Gellius, Book XIV.

[t) But 'very often the fame Writer, &c,] Many have fhewn
his of Anfotle ; and ethers ■ of the Rofnan Lawyers.

i6o OF THE TRUTH OF THE Uook III.

Teftimony to that which is falfe, (a) areufcd to
relate all Things fo by Agreement, that there
Ihould not be any Appearance of Difference. And
if, upon the Account of fome fmall Difference,
■which cannot be reconciled, we muff: immediately
difbelieve whole Books; then there is no Book,
efpeciallyof Hiflory to be believed : and yet Po-
lybiiis HalicarnaJfenfiSy Livy\ and Plutarch, in
whom fuch Things are to be found, keep up their
Authority amongft us, in the principal Things;
how much more reafonable then is it, that fuch
Things fhould not deff:roy the Credibility of thofe^
whom we fee, from their own Writings, have al-
ways a very great Regard to Piety and Truth ?
There remains another Way of confuting Tefti-
monies, from contrary external Teftimonies»

SECT. XIV.

An Anfwerto the Ohje^ions from external Tcjlimo^
nies : JVhere it is Jhezvn that they make the more
for thefe Books.

BUT I confidently affirm, that there are no fuch
Things to be found ; unlefs anyone will reckon
amongft thefe,what is faid by thofe who were born
a long while after ; and they fuch, who pfofeff^ed
themfelves Enemies to the Name of Chriff, and
who therefore ought not to be looked upon asWit-
neffes. Nay, on the contrary, though there is no
Need of them, we have many Teftimonies, which
confirm fome Parts of the Hiftory delivered in

thefe

[a) Are ufed to relate aiming!, c^c] This is what the X^.m-
■ptrov Adrian affirms; in WitneiTcs, we are (o examine whe-
ther they offer one and the fame premeditated Speech: L,
Ttjiium D. de Tefibus. Speculator, Lib. I. Fart IV. de Tege in
pr. tt. 8i. A very exaft Knowledge of nil Circumitances is
notneceffary in a Witnefs, See Lukt'x. 56, iii. 23. John ii. 6,
vi. 10, 19. xix. 14.

Sea. 14; CHRISTIAN RELIGION. i6i

thefe Books. Thus, that Jefus was crucified, that
nriirac les were done by him and his Difciples, both
Hebrews and Heathens relate. Moft clear Tefti-
monies oijojephus^ published a little more than
forty Years after Chrift's Death, are now extant,
concerning Herod^ PilatCy Fejius, Felix, John the
Baptift, Gamaliel, and the Deftrudion of Jerufa^
lem ; which are exa6tly agreeable to what we find
amongft the Writers of the Talmud, concerning
thofe Times : The Cruelty of Nero towards the
Chrillians is mentioned by Tacitus: And formerly
there were extant Books of private Perfons, [a)
fuch as Phlegon, {b) and the publick Adls, to which
the Chriftians appealed; {c) wherein they agreed
about the Star that appeared after the Birth of
Chrift; about the Earthquake, and the Preterna-
tural Eclipfe of the Sun at Full Moon, about the
Time that Chrift was crucified.

{a) Such as Phlegon, &c.] Book XIII. of his Chronkon of
Olympiads, in thefe Words, " In the fourth Year of theCClId
«« Olympiad, there happened the greateft Eclipfe of the Sun
«•' that ever was known; there was fuch a Darknefs of Night
*' at the fixth Hour of the Day, that the Stars were feen in the
** Heavens ; and there was fucii a great Earthquake in BithyniUt
*« which overturned a great Part oi Niceea." Thefe Words
are to be feen in Eufebius's and Jerom's Chronica. And Origen
mentions the fame Thing, Tvait. XXXV. upon Matt, and in
his Second againft Celj'us.

[b) And the publick Afts, &c.] See Tertullians Apology,
CXXI. ** This Event, wliich has befallen the World, you
" find related in your Myltical Books."

(r) IVherein they agreed, &c.] Chalcidius tht Platonift, in
his Commentary on 7/V/;<y«j .- •' There is another more Holy
<' and more Venerable Hiftoryp which relates the Appearance
'♦ of a riew Star, not to foretel Difeafes and Death, but the
" Defcent of a venerable God; who was to preferve Mankind,
*• and to lliew Favour to the Affairs of Mortals; which Star
«' the Wife- Men of Chcldaa oblerving, as they travelled in
*' the Night, and being very well itilled in viewing the
•♦ Heavenly Bodies, they are faid to have fought after the Nev/
*' Bitth of this God ; and having found that IVJajefty in a
" Child, they p:iid him Worfhip, and made fach Vows as were
*' agreeable to fo great a God."

M SECT,

i62 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Bock HI.

S E C T. XV.

An Anjivcr to ihe Objeflion of the Scripiurcs being
altered.

I SEE no other Objection can be made againf!:
thefe Books ; unlefs it be that they have not conti-
nued to be the fame as they were at the Beginning.
It mufl be owned, that as in other Books, fo in
thefe, it might happen, and has happened, that
through CarelcfTncfs or Perverfenefs in the Tran-
fcribers, fome Letters, Syllables, or Words, miay be
changed, omitted, or added, [a) But it is very
unreafonablc, that becaufe of fuch a Difference
of Copies, which could not but happen in fo long
Time, there Ihould arifeany Controvcrfy about the
Tcftament or Book itfelf; becaufe both Cuftom
and Reafon require, that that fhould be preferred
before the reft, which is to be found in the moft
ancient Copies. But it can never be proved that
all the Copies are corrupted by Fraud or any other
Way, efpecially in thofe Places which contain any
Doctrine, or remarkable Point of Hiftory ; for
there are no Records that tell us that they were fo^
nor any Witneffes in thofe times: and if, as we
before obferved, any Thing be allcdged by thofe
who lived a long Time after, and M'ho ihewed the
mod cruel Hatred againft thofe who were Defend-
ers

(^) But it is 'very unreafonahle , &c.] This is now very mani-
feft, from the moft accurate Colleftion of the various Read-
ings of the New Teltairicnt, and efpecially from the Edition
of Dr. Mills. Though there is a gjeat Variety, yet no new
])odlrine can be raifed from thence, nor no received one con-
futed; no Hiftory of any Moment, in regard to the Truth of
the Chriftian Religion, which v.as before believed from the
Eooks of the New Teftament, is on that Account to be
rejefted; nor any that was before unknown, to be collected,
from the various Readings. And what is faid of the Books
of the New Tcftament, the fame we are to conceive faid of the
Old Tcftament. Le CUrc,

Sea. 15. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 163

ersof thefe Books,- this is to be looked lipon a^
Reproach, and not Teftimony. And this, which
we have now faid, nnay fuffice in Anfwer to thofe,
who objeft that the Scripture may have been alter-
ed : Becaufe he that affirms this, efpecially againft
a Writing which has been received fo long and in
fo many Places, (a) ought himfclf to prove that
which he prcfumes. But that the Felly of this Oh^
jedion may more plainly appear, we will fnow that
that which they imagine to be, neither is, nor can
be done. We have before proved thefc Books to
have been wrote by thofe whofeNam.es they bear;
which being granted, it follows that one Bock is
not forged for the Saice of another. Neither is any
remarkable Paffage altered ; for fuch an Alteration
mull have fomethingdeiigned by it, and then that
Part would plainly differ from thoie ether Parts
and Books which are not altered, which is no where
to be {Q&n\ nay, as weobferved, there is a wonder-
ful Harmony m the Senfe every w here. iVJ(;reover,
as foonas anyof the Apoltles, or Apoftolical Men,
publillied any Thing.doubtlefs the Chriftians took
great Care to have many Copies of it, as became
pious Perfons, and fuch as were defirous of pre-
ferving and propagating the Truth to Poflerity;
and thele were therefore difperfc'd as far as the
Name of Chrift extended itielf, through LuropCy
Ajiciy and ^gypt^ in which Places the Greek Lan-
guage flourilhed; and, as we before obferved,
fome of the original Copies were pi cfer-'/ed for two
hundred Years. Now no -.ol /

Copies had been taken, that m lic ivept, not by fome
few private Perfons, but by the Care of whole
Churches, (b) can be corrupted. To which we
M 2 nu^y

(rt) Ought hirnjtlf to pro^je,kz.'\ L. idt. C , de EaiJIo Diti
Adriaui toLLndo.

[U) Can he corrupted, <S:c.] That is, {o as that it fhould r'^n
through all the Copice, anxi corrupt ajl the Veriion? ; fo:

V'.l.cr-

i6| OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III.

may add, that in the very next Ages thefe Booki
were tran Hated into the Syriac^ Mthiopic^ and
jMtin Tongues ; which Verfions are now extant,
and do not any where differ from the Greek Books
in any thing of Moment. And we have the
Writings of thofe, who were taught by the Apof-
tles themfelves, or their Difciples, who quote a
great many Places of thefe Books in that Scnfe
which we now underfland them. Nor was there,
at that Time, any one in the Church of fo great
Authority, as to have been obeyed, if he had de-
llgned to alter any Thing; as is fufficiently ma-
nifeft from the Liberty taken by Ir<£n<ffuSy 'terttiU
liaHy and Cyprian^ to differ from thofe who were
of the higheft Rank in the Church. And after the
Times now mentioned, many others followed, who
were Men of great Learning, and as great Judg-
ment; who, after a diligent Enquiry, received
thofe Books, as retaining their original Purity.
And further, what we now faid concerning the
different Sech of Chriflians, may be applied here
alfo; that all of them, at leaft all that own God
to be the Creator of the World, and Chrift to be
a new Lawgiver, make ufe of thefe Books as wt
now have them. If any attempted to put in any
Thing, they were accufed of Forgery by the refl.
And that no Se(!:l: was allowed the Liberty to alter
thefe Books, according to their own Pleafure, is
fufBciciuly evident from hence; that all Seels
fetched their Arguments againfl: the refl from
hence. And what we hinted concerning the Di-
vine Providence, relates as much to the principal
Parts, as to the whole Books ; that it is not agree-
able

otheru'Ife «-ickcd Men, who are obftluately bent on their own
Opinions, may here and there corrupt their own Copicb; as not
only M<-?r.:/w/ did, l^ut alfo fomc Library-keepers, who had a
better judgment; as we have Ihown in our An Critka, Part IlL
Se(n:. I. Chap. 14. L: CUrCt

Sea. 15, 16. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 165

able thereto, that God fhould fufFer fo many thou-
fand Men, who were regardful of Piety, and fought
after eternal Life with a fincere Intention, to fall
into an Error that they could not poflibly avoid.
And thus much may fuffice for the Books of the
New Teftament, which, if they were alone extant,
were fufficient to teach us the true Religion.

SECT. XVI.

The Authority of the Books of the Old Tejlament.

BUT fince God has been pleafed to leave us the
Records of the Jezvifj Religion, which was of old
the true Religion, and affords no fmall Teftimony
to the Chriftian Religion, it is not foreign to our
Purpofe, to fee upon what Foundation the Credi-
bility of thefe is built. That thefe Books are theirs,
to whom they are afcribed, appears in the fame
Manner as we have proved of our Books. And
they, whofc Names they bear, were either Pro-
phets,or Men worthy to be credited; fuch as Efiras,
who is fuppofed to have colleded them into one
Volume, at that Time, when the Prophets Ha^gai\
Malachi, and ZechariaSy were yet alive. I will not
here repeat what was faid before, in Commenda-
tion of Mofes. And not only that firft Part, deli-
vered by MofeSy as we have Ihewn in the firft Book,
but the later Hiftory is confirmed by many Pagans.
[a) Thus the Phxnician Annals mention the

Names

(fl) Thus the PhoeQician Annals, &c.] See what Jofephus
cites out of them. Book VIII. Chap. 2. of his Ancient Hiftorv ;
where he adds, •• that if any one would fee the Copies of thofe
" Epiftles, which Sclomin and llirom wrote to each other,
*• they may be procured of the public Keepers of the Records
** at Tyrus." (we muft be cautious how we believe this; how-
ever, fee what I have faid upon i Kifigs \ . 3.) There is a re-
markable Place concerning Da'vid, quoted by Jofephus, Book
VII. Ch. 6. of his Ancient Hiftory, out of the IVth of Da-
majcenm's Hiftory, <* A long while after this, there was a
M 3 " certain

j66 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HI.

Names of David and Solomon^ and the League

they

" certain Man of that Country, who was very powerful,
** his Name was Adadus, who reigned in Damafcus, and the
" other Parts of Syria, except Phoenice : He waged War
•' with Dwcid King of Judaea, and having fought many Bat-
" tics, the lalt was at Euphrates, where he was overcome:
♦* He was accounted one of the beft of Kings, for Strength
*' and Valour : After his Death, his Children reigned for l"en
*' Generations, each of them continuing his Father's Go-
«« verninent and Name, in the fame Manner as the Egjp-
'* tia?i Kings are called Ptolemies. The fhird being tha
*' moft potent of them all, being willing ro recover the Vic-
** tory his Grandfother had loft, made War upon the Jenjjs,
*' and laid wafte that which is now called Samaria." The
iirft Part of this Hidory we have in 2 Sam. viii. 5. i Chron,
xviii. and the latter Part in i Kings xx. where fee Jo-
/ephu!. This Adadus is called by Jojephus, Adar; and Adores
by Jtijiin, out of Tragus. Et/febius, in his Gofpel Prepar,
Book IV. Ch. 30. tells U5 more Things concerning Dwvidt
out of Eipolenius. And the aforementioned 'Jojephus, in the
fame Chap, and in his firil againft Appion, brings this Place
out of Diiis's Phcenician Hiilor}', " After Ahibalus' s Death,
*' his Sun Hirom reigned ; this Man increafed the Eajiern
" Part of the City, and much enlarged the City; and he
" joined Jupiter Olympic's Temple to the City; which before
-'• Itood by itfelf in an Ifland, by filling up the Space be-
*' tween; and he adorn'd it with the Gifts of Gold offered
*' to the Gods; he alfo went up to Libanus, and cut down
*• Wood to adorn the Temple with. And they fay that Solo-
'* vion, who reigned in Jerujukm, fent Riddles to Hirom, and
•• received fon^e from him; and he that could not refolve the
*' Riddles, was to pa;/ a large Sum of Money. Afterwards
" Audeniciius, a Man of Tyre, refolvcd the Riddles that were
*' propofed, and fent others, which Solomon not refolving,
«« paid a large fum of Money to Hirom." He afterwards
adds a famous Place of Meuandcr, the Ephefian, who wrote the
Affairs of the Gneks and Barbarians. '■ After Ahibalus' s Death,
'• his Son Hirom fucceeded in the Government; he lived
♦♦ thirty-four Years, and inclofed a large Country, and erefted
" the Golden Pillar in Jupiter's Temple, He afterwards
*' cut down Wood from th.e Mountain called Libanus, Ce-
^' dar Trees f r the Roof of the Temple, and pidled down
'• tlie Old Temples, and built new. He confccrated the
*» Grove of Hercules and Ajiartc. He firil laid the Founda-
** tion of HcrcuLs's in the Month Pc-niius, and afterwards
*f Ajiarte'sf about the Time that he in\ adcd the Tyriuns for

" not

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 167

they made with the Tyrians, And Berofus, as

well

not paying Tribute, and returned after Living reduced
them. About this Time, there was one Ahdemomis, a
young Man, who overcame in explaining the Riddles
propofed by Solomon, the King of Jerufalem. The Time
from this King, to the Building of Carthage, is reckoned
thus: Ait^x Hirom's Death, Eeleazar his Son fucceeded in
the Kingdom; who lived forty-three Years, and reign-
ed feven. After him was his Son Abdajiratus, who lived
twenty-nine Years, and reigned Nine. This Man was
{lain by the four Children of his Nurfe, who lay in
Ambufh for him; the eldeft of which reigned twelve
Years. After thefe v/as AJiartus, the Son of Del^Jiarius,
who lived fifty-four Years, and reigned twelve. After
him came his ^xoihtr Ajergmus, who lived fifty- four Years
and reigned nine; This Man was killed by his Brother
Pheletes, who feized the Kingdom, and reigned eight
Months; he lived fifty Years; he was flain by Ithobalus
the Prieft of Ajiarte, who reigned thirty-two Years, and
lived fixty-eight. He was fucceeded by his Son Badezorusj
who lived fo.ry-five Years and reigned fix. His fuccef-
for was Matgemus his Son, who lived thirty-two Years, and
reigned nine. He was fucceeded by Pygmalion, who lived
fifty-fix Years, and reigned forty-feven. In his feventh
Year, his Sifter, who fled from him, built the City of Car-
thage in Libya." Iheophilus Antiochtnus, in his Third Book
to Antolychus, has fet down this Place of Menavder, but has
contrafted it. Tertnllia?: in his Apology, Chap. 19. fays,
" We muft look into the Records of the moft Antient Na-
•' tions, Egyptians, Chald(^ans , Phoenicians, by wiiom we
** are fupplied with Knowledge. Such as Mancthon the
** Egjpiia'^) or Bcrofus the Chaldean, or Hirom the Pkanician,
•* King of Tyvz; and their Follo-wers, Mendefus, Ptolomasus,
" a7/d Menander the Ephefian, and Demetrius Phabreus, atid
*' King ][.\ha., and Appion, and Thallus." This Hirom, and
Solomon, who was contemporary with him, are mentioned
alfo by Alexander Polychijler, Menander, Pergamenus, and
Lcstus in the Phcsnician Accounts as Clemens affirms, ^trom. I.
when we may correft Tatian, who wrote Xaire? Chcetus, for
A«iio5 Lcrins, who is reported to have tranflated it into Greek,
what Theodolus, Hypjicrates and Mochus wrote about Phanicid.
The Memory oi Hazael King oi Syria, whofe Name is in i Kings
xix. 15. z Kings viii. u. xii. 17. xiii. 3. 24. is preferved at
Damajats, with Divine Worfliip, as Jo^'2-//^//j relates. Book IX.
Ch. 2. of his Antient Hijiory, The fame Name is in Jnjiin,
©ut ofj Trogus, Concerning Salmanafar, who carried the
M 4 Ten

j68 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HL

well as the Hebreiv Books, mention {a) Na~

buchadonojorf

Ten Tribes into Captivity, as it is related in 2 Kings xviii,
3, Cjff, and who took Sa^naria, i Kings xviii. g. there is a
Place of Meuander the Ephcjian, which I mentioned before,
injofephus, Book IX. Ch. 14. ♦' £/«/-ev-r/ reigned thirty-fix
** Years; this Man with a Fleet reduced the CV//^«;/;, who
»♦ revolted from him. But the King of Ajfyria fent an Ar-
" my againft them, and brought War upon z\\ Phoenicia; and
*• having made Peace with them all, returned back again.
" But Sidon, Arce, Paletjrus, and many other Cities, who
"* had yielded themfelves to the King of A_ffyria, revolted
*' from the Tyriati Govornment ; yet the Tyrians not fubmit-
«' ting, the King of Ajfyria returned ypon them again, af-
*' ter he had received from the Phcenicians fixty Ships and
*• ejght hundred Rowers. Againft which the Tyrians com-
*' ing out with twelve Ships, broke their Enemies Ships in
" Pieces, and took five hundred Men Prifoners; hereupon
*' the Price of every Thing was raifed in Tyre. Then the
** King of AJJyria departed, and placed Guards upon the
"• River, and upon the Water-pipes, that they might hin-
■" der the Tyrians from drawing any; and this they did for
•" five Years, and they were forced to drink out of Wells
<« which they digged." Jofephus adds in the fame Place, that
Salmanafar, the Name of this King, remained till his Time
in the Tyrian Records. Sennacherib, who fubdued almoft ail
"Judeea, except Jeru/alem, as it js related, 2 Kings xviii. 13.
2 Chron. xxxii. i. Ifaiah xxxvii. his Name and Expeditions
\ ito AJia and Egypt are found in Berojus's Chaldaics, as the
fame Jofephus teftifies. Bock X. Chap. i. and Herodotus, in
h's Second Book, mentions the fame Setinacherib, and calls
riini King of the Arabians and Ajfyrians. Baladan King of
Babylon IS mentioned in 2 Kif^gs xx. i?, z.x\A Ifaiah xxxix.
Ai;d the fame Name is in Btrofus's Babylonics, as Jofephus
teftifies in his Ancient Hifory, Book X. Chap. 3. Herodotus
mentions the Battle in Megcddo, in which Nechao King of
E^ypt overcame the Je^Ms ; (which Hiftory is in 2 Chron. xxxv,
22'. Zechi xii. I.) in the forefaid Second Book, in thefc Words :
And Necho encountered the Syrians (hx fo Herodotus always
calls the Jenvs, as do others alfo) /// a Land Battle, and over-
came them in Magdolus.

(a) Nabuchadonofor, &c.] Concerning him, Tofcphns has
prtferved qs a Place of Berofu:>, in the Tenth of his Ancient
Hiftory, and in his Firft Book againft Appion ; which may
te compared with Eufebius, who in his Chronicon about thefe
Times, and in his Prepar. Book IX. Ch. 40, and 41. produ-
ces this and the following Pl^ce of Abydcnus, *♦ Kabopalla,

'* Jarus

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 169

"/arus his Father, hearing that he, who was appointed Go-
" vernor over Egjj)t, and the Places about Calo-Syria, and
" Phcenicf, had revolted, being himfelf unable to bear Hard-
" (hips, he invcfted his Son JSebucjadonofor, who was a
" young Man, with Part of his Power, and fent him againft
" him. And Nebuchadonofor, coming to a Battle with the
•** Rebel, fmote him, and took him, and reduced the whole
** Land to his Subjeftion again. It happened about this
** Time, that his Father Nabopallafarus fell fick, and died,
** in the City of Babylon, after he had reigned twenty-nine
** years. Nabuchadom/or in a little Time hearing of the
*.' Death of hih Father, after he had put in order his Afl
" fairs in Egypt, and the reft of the Country, and commit-
.** ted to fome of his Friends the Power over the Captives
*• of the y^avs, Phceitidans, Syriaris, and the People about
" Egyp^y and ordered every Thing that was left of any Ufe to
** be conveyed to Babylon, he himfelf, with a kvj, came
•' through the VVildernefs to Babylon; where he found Af-
♦* fairs fettled by the Chaldeans, and the Government main-
" tained under one of the moll eminent amongft them, fo
." tfiat he inherited his Father's Kingdom entire; and having
" taken a View of the Captives, he ordered them to be
*' difperfed by Colonies, throughout all the proper Places
" in the Country about Babylon. And he richly adorned the
*• Temple of Bdus, and others, with the Spoils of the War;
" and he renewed the ancient City of Babylon, by adding
«' another to it; fo as that afterwards in a Siege, the River
•« might never be turned out of its Courfe, to alTault the
f* City. He alfo encompafled the City with three Walls
" within, and three without, fome made of Tile and Pitch,
•• others of Tile alone. The city being thus well walled,
«• and the Gates beautifully adorned, he added to his Fa-
*' ther's Palace a new one, far exceeding it in Heighth
« and Coitlinefs ; to relate the Particulars of which would be
«• tedious. However, as exceeding great and beautiful as it
*• was, it was finiflied in fifteen Days ; on this Palace he
«• built very high Walls on Stone, which to the Sight ap-
" peared like Mountains, and planted them with all Sorts of
" Trees, and made what they call a Penfile Garden for his
'• Wife, who was brought up in Media, to delight herfelf
" with the Profpeft of the mountainous Country. After he
" had begun the forementioned Wall, he fell fick and died,
" having reigned forty-three Years." This Wife of Nabu-
chcidonojor is Nitocris, according to Herodoiris, in his Firfl: Book,
as we learn from the great Scaliger, in his famous Appendix
to the Emendation of Time. Thefe Things are explained
]by Curtivs, in his Fifth Book, to which I refer you ; aiid
partly by Strabo, Book XV- and Diodorra, Book II. Bero/ust
•^jfout of whom we have quoted thefe Things, and thofe before,

was

173 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HI.

was the Prieft of Belus, after Alexander the Great's Time ; to
whom the Athenians erefled a Statue with a golden Tongue,
in the publick Gaming-Place, for his Divine Prediftions. This
is mentioned by Pliny, Book VTI. Chap. 37. of his Natural
Hijiciry. Aihencens, in his Fifteenth, calls his Book Babylo-
nica. Tatian (who himfelf alfo affirms, that Berofus mentions
habuchadonojor) and Clemens call it Chaldaica. King Juba
confefles, that he took out hence what he wrote concerning
the Aliairs of Syria, as Tatian obferves. He is alfo mention-
ed by Vitrwciiis, and by Tertullia?: in his Apology, and by
the Writer of the Alexandrian Chr»nicon. £///f^/V/.f," both in his
Chronicouy and in the End of the Ninth of his Preparat,
telis us, that Nabuchadonofor is mentioned alfo in Abydenus,
who wrote of the Affyiians. The Words are thefe: "" Me-
«• gajihenes fays, that Nabuchodrof.rus was ftronger than Her-
" cules, and waged War againlt Libya and Iberia, and hav-
•• ing overcome them, he planted them in fevcral Colonies
*' on the Right Shore of the Sea. And the Chaldeans relate
" moreover concerning him, that as he was going into his
*' Palace on a certain I'ime, he was infpired by a God, and
*« fpake the following Words : I Nabuchodro/orus forotel ? fad
«• Calamity that will befal you, O Babylo?:ians; which neither
*' Belus, our Forefather, nor Queen Beltis, could perfuade
" the Fates to avert: There fhall come a Per/tan Mule, who,
*♦ affifled by your Gods, fliall bring Slavery upon you; Me-
«« dusf the Glory of the Affyrians, will alfo help to do this.
" I wi(h that before he betrays his Countrymen, fome Cha-
*• rybdis, or Sea, would fwallow him up, and dcftroy him ;
*< or that he were direded another Way, through the Wilder-
" nefs, where there are no Cities, or Footfteps of Men,
«* where the wild Beafts feed, and the Birds fly about: That
•• he might wander folitary amongft the Rocks and Dens,
*' and that a happy End had overtaken me, before thefe
«« Things were put into my Mind. Having prophefied this,
*' he fucidenly difappeared." Compare this lall with that which
is faid of this Nabuchadonofor, in the Book of Daniel; the
firft out of Megajtheties, we have alfo in Jo/ephus, Book X.
Chap. 2. of his Ancient Hijiory ; and he fays it is in the Fourth
of his Indian Hijiory. Enjebius likewife has this concerning
Nabuchadonofor, out of Abydenus : " It is reported fof the
«« Place nx)here Babylon Jiauds) that at firft it was all Water,
«' called Sea, but Belus drained it, and allotted to every one
•' his Portion of Land, and enconipafled Babylon with a Wall
«' which Time has worn out. But Nabuchadonofor walled it
«' again, which remained till the Macedonian Empire; and
«♦ it had brazen Gates." And a little after : •♦ When A^/^.vf/^<7-
" donofor came to the Government, in fifteen Days Timcj
«' he walled Babylon with a triple Wall, and he turned out
?♦ of their Courfe, the Rivers Armacale and Acracan-us,

** whiolP

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 171

huchadonofory [a] and other Chaldeans. Fa-

ph

vrcs.

" which is an Arm of the Euphrates. And for the City of the
♦' Sipparenmnsy he digged a Pool Forty Furlongs round, and
*' twenty Fathoms deep; and made Sluices to open, and
" water the Fields ; they call them Guides to the Aqu<v-
" dudi. He alfo built up a Wall to exclude the Red Sea, and
** he rebuilt Teredon, to hinder the Incurfions of the Arabi-
•* a.is; and he planted his Palace with Trees, called the
*' Penfile Gardens." Compare this with Dan, iv. 27. And
Sirabo, Book XV'. quotes thefe Words alfo out of the fame
MagaJiheiiC's. " h'abuchado?w/f)r, whofe Fame amongft the
" Chaldceans is greater than Hc-rculcs, went as far as tlie Pil-
*' lars." There were others who touched upon the Hiftory of
this King, but we have only the Names of them remain-
ing. Diocles in the Second of his Perfia» HiftrA-y, and Fhilo-
Jiratus in that of the Indians and Phcenkians, who fays that
Tyre was befieged by him thirteen Years, as Jofephus tells us,
in the forecited Place of his Ancient Hijlory, and in his Firft
Book againft Appion, where he quotes the following Words
out of the publick Afts of the Phoenicians. " When libo-
" balus was King, Nabuchado-.-i/or befieged Tyre thirteen
" Years. After him Boal reigned ten Years; after him,
" Judges were appointed to govern T^rt ; Eccibalus, the Son
" of BaJIacus, two Months; Chelbes, the Son of Akdaius,
". ten Months; Abdarus, the High Prieft, three Months; Mut-
" gonus and Gerajiratus, the Sons of Abdeliniis, were Judges
*' fix Years; betwixt whom, Belatoms reigned one. After
" his Death, they fent and fetched Cerbalns from Babylon \
" he reigned four Years. After his Death they fent for his
" Brother Hiromy who reigned twenty Years. In his Time
** Cyrta the Perjian flourilhed." For the exaft Agreement of
this Computation with the Sacred Books, fee Jofephus in the
forecited Book againft Appion: Where follows in Jofephus y
thefe Words concerning Hecataus. " The Perflans, fays he,
" drew many Millions of us to Babylon." And concerning
the War of Senuacheriby aiid Tlabuchadanofors Captivity, fee
the Place of Demetrius in Clemens, Strom. I. Hecatceus's Au-
thority is very little to the Purpofe, becaufe he is a fpuricus
^^'riter. See Ger. J. Voffius upon the Greek Hiftorians. Le
Clerc.

(«) And other ChzU^2ins, &c.] After the forecited Words
of Berofus, follow thefe, according to Jofephus, in both the
Places now mentioned. *' Plis Son Evilmaradoch was made
♦' Head of the Kingdom; he managed Affairs unjufcly and
'' wantonly ; after he had reigned two Years, he was trea-
" cheroufly flain by Neriglijjhroorus, who married his Siiler;

" after

172 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book III.

*' after his Death, Neriglijforoorus, who thus killed him, pof-
" felTed the Government, and reigned four Years. His Son
" Laboro/oarchcdus, a Youth, reigned nine M mths ; but be-
" caufe there appeared in him many evil Difpofuions, he was
" flain by the Treachery of his Friends. After his Death,
** they who killed him, agreed to devolve the Government
" upon NaboHz-iidus, a certain Ba'oyloniayi, who was alfo one
«• of the Confpirators. In this Reign, the Walls of the City
«• Babylon, along the River, were beautified with butnt
•• Brick and Pitch. In the feventeenth Year of his Reign,
«• Cyrus came out of Perfia with a great Army, and having
*' fubiued all the Reft cf Afia, he came as far as Babylon ;
*• Nalioiniidus, hearing of his coming, met him with a great
*• Army alfo, but he was overcome in the Battle, and fled
** away with a few, and fhut hiinfelf up in the City of the
'* Borjippeni. Then Cyrus having taken Babylon, ordered the
«' outward Walls of the City to be razed, becaufe the People
*' appeare.i to be \c^\y much giv en to change, and the Town
" hard to be taken ; and went from thence to Eorftppus, to
" befiege Nabonnidns ; but he not enduring the Siege, yield-
*' ed himfelf immediately ; whtreupin Cyrus treated him
*• kindly, nnd giving him Carmania to dwell in, he fent him
•' out oi Babylonin ; and Nabnnnidus pafTrd the Remainder of
*• his Days in that Country, and died there." Euphiu.-, in
the forementioned Place, has prefcrved the following Words
of Abydatus, immeiiately after thofe now quoted concerning
Nebtichadonfjor. " After him reigned his Son Etrlmaruru-
•" fhus : His Wife's Brother Nerigkjrirus, who flew him, loft
" a Son, whofe Name was Labojjharafcus. He dying by a
" violent Death, they made Nabannidacus King, who was
•" not related to him. Cyrus, when he took Babylon, made
" this Man Governor of Carmania." This Evilmerodach is
mentioned by Name in 2 Kings xxv. 27. Conctrning the reft,
fee Scaliger. That of Cyrus's taking Babylon, agrees with this
f\{ Herodotus. " 'Sso Cyrus made an Irruption as far as Baby-
" /3«; and the Babylonians having provided an Army, ex-
" pefted him : As foon as he approached the City, the Ba~
" hylonians fought with him ; but to fave themfelves from be-
'* jng l)eaten, they fhut themfelves up in the City." Com-
pare this with the Fifty firft o{ Jenmiah, 20, 30, 51. Con-
cerning the Flight at Borfjppe, fee Jeremiah li. ^g. Con-
terning the drying up the River's Channel, Herodotus agrees
with Jeremiah li. 39. ^ he Words of Herodotus are, " He
•* divided the River, bringing it to a ftanding Lake, fo that
" he made the ancient Current paflable, having diverted the
" River." It is worth confidcring, whether what Diodorus
relates in his Second Book concerning BeleJ:s the Chald^can,
may not have Refped to Daniel, whofe Name in Chaldce was
Behajbazxar, Dan. i. 7. The 'I'ruth of what we read in

Scripture,

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 173

phres, [a] the King of Egypt in Jeremiah, [h] is
the fame with Apries in Herodotus. And the
Greek Books [c) are filled with Cyrai and his Sue-
celTors {d) down to Darius ; and JofepbuSy in his
Book againft Appion, quotes many other Things
relating to the Jewip Nation ; To which may be
added, that that we above took {e) out oiStrabo
and Tragus. But there is no Reafon for us Chri-
ftians to doubt of the Credibility of thefe Books,

becaufe

Scripture, concerning the ChalJ^an Kings, is ftrongly con-
firmed by the Chronology of the Aftronomical Canon of iVa-
bonaffar, as you may fee in Sir John Marjhams Chronological
Canon. Le CUrc.

{a) Vaphres, the \\.m^ of Egypt, &c.] So the Seventy and
Eujebins tranllate the Hchre-xv Word :?-|Qn Chephre. He was
contemporary with Nabucadonofor.

(^} Is the fame luith Apries in Herodotus, &c.] Book II.

(f) Are Jilted ivith Cyrus, &c.] See the Places already
quoted. And Diodorus Sicutus, Book II. and Ctejius in his Pcr-
Jics : and Jujiin, Book IV. Chap. 5. and the following. The
Foundation of the Temple of Jentfalem was laid in Cyrm'i
Time, and was finilhed in Darius's, according to Berofus, :;s
Theophdns Antiochenus prcves,

[d) Donvn to Darius, &c.] Cadomannus. See the foremen-
tioned Perfons, and Mj'chylus's Account of Perfin, and the
Writers of the Affairs of Alexatrder. In the Time of this
Darius, Jaddus was the High Prieft of the Hebrcivs, Nehem.
xii. 22. the fame that went out to meet Alexander the Great
according to the Relation of Jofephus, in his Ancietit Hijiory^
Book Xi. 8. At this Time lived Hecata-us Abderita, fo fa-
mous in Plutarch, in his Book concerning Ifts, and Laertius
in Pyrrho ; he wrote a fmgle Book concerning the Je^ius^
whence Jofephus, in Book II. againft Appinn, took a famous
Defcription of the City and Temple of Jerujalem ; which
Place we find in Eujebius, Book IX. Chap. 9. of his Gofpel
Preparation; and in each of them, there is a Place of C^^zr-
chus, who commends the Je^vifb VVifdom, in the Words of
Arifiotle. And Jofphiis, in the (iime Book, names Theopbi.
Ins, Theodoret, Mnafens, Ariflophades, Her?,iogenes, Ejiemerns^
Conoron, Zopyrion, and others, as Perfons who commended
the Ji'ws, and gave Teftimony concerning the JeiuiJJj Affairs,

U) Out c/Strabo aud Trogus, Sec] Book I.

174. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book HI.

becaufe there are Teflimoinies in our Books, out of
almoft every one of them, the fame as they are
found in the Hcbrezv. Nor did Chrift when he
blamed many Things in the Teachers of the Law,
and in the Pharijces of his Time, ever accufe them
of falfifyingthe Books oiMoJes and the Prophets,
or of ufing fuppofititious or altered Books. And
it can never be proved or made credible, that after
Chrift's Time, the Scripture lliould be corrupted in
any Thing of Moment ; if we do butconfiderhow
far and wide ih-tjezvi/h Nation, who every where
kept thofe Books, was difperfed over the whole
World. For firll, the ten Tribes were carried into
Media by the AJfyrians, and afterwards the other
two. And many of thefe fixed themfelves info-
reign Countries, after they had a PermilTion from
Cyrus to return : [a] the Macedonians invited them
into Alexandria with great Advantages ; the Cruel-
ty of A/ilioehns, the Civil War of the A/;?ion^i, and
the foreign Wars of Pompey and Sojjins, fcattercd
a great many ; {b) the Country of Cyrene was
litled with Jezvs ; {c) the Cities oi Ajia, (d) Ma-
cedonia,

{nj The Macedonians invited them, &c,] Hecata:us tran-
fcribed by Jo/ephus in his Firft Book againfl Jppion, fpeaking
of the JeiMs, Not a feuj (viz. thoti/ai/d!, as appears from the
foregoing Words) after the Death of Alexander, ivetii into
^r,gypt and Piioenicia, by Reafon of the Co/.-imotiotis in Syria,
To which we may add that oi Philo againit Flaccus. " There
" are no lefs than ten hundred thoufand Jenus, Inhabitants of
*• Alexandria and the Country about it, from the lower P.irts
•* of Libya, to the Borders of JEthiopia." See moreover fo-
fphusy Book XII. Chap. 2, 3, and the following ; Book Xlll.
Ch. 4, 5, 6, 7 8. XVTII. 10. And the Je-Ms were free of
Alexandria, Jofephns XIV. i .

(b) The Country c/" Cyrene luas filed zuith Jews, &-c.] 5ee
Jrfephus, Book XVI. 10. oi \i\^ Ancient Hiflory. Ails vi. g.

xi. 20.

(f) The Cities of Miz, &c.] JofephiiS, XII. J. XIV. 17.
XVI. 4. /Ids xix.

{d) Mactdonia, &c.] ^c?j xvii.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 17

cedoniay {a) LyconiUy {h) and the Ifles of Cyprus,
{c) and Cretey and others, were full of them ; and
thatthercwasavaft Number of them {d) in Rome,
we learn from (e) Horace y{f) Juvenal y and (^) Mai -

tial,

{a) Lycaonia, &C.] A8s xiv. 1 8.

[bj And the Ijles o/CyTprus, &c.] A^s xni. 5.

(c) And Cxtit, &c.] Aasn. 11.

(d) In Rome, &c.] Jofephus XVII. 5. of his Ancient Hijcr^,
Ails xviii. 2. xxviii. 17.

(e) Horace, &c.] Book I. Sat IV.

For lue are many.

And like the Jews, -vjill force you to our Side,

And Sat. V.

— Lei circumcifed Jews believe it.
And Sat. IX.

This is the Thirtieth Sabbath, &c.

(f) JiL-cenal, &c.] Sat. IX.

Some are of Parents bom, njoho Sabbaths keep,.
And what follows. Sat. XIV.
{g) Martial, &c.] III. 4.

The Sabbath-keepers Fajis.
And in other Places : as VII. 29, and 3^. XL 97. XIL 5:7.
To which we may add that of Rutiliiis, Book I. of his Itine-
rary,

I nvi/h Judsea 7ze'er had been fubdud

By Pompey's War, or Titus's Commavd,
The more flip pre fs'd, the dire Contagion /preads.

The conquerd Nation crujh the Conqueror.
Which is taken out of Seneca, who faid of the fame Jenvs ;
" TheCuftoms ofthe moll wicked Nation have prevailed fo
" far, that they arc embraced all the World over : fo that the
«' conquered gave Laws to the Conquerors." The Place :s
in Auguftine, Book IV. Chap. 2. of his City of God. He
calls them the mod wicked Nation, only for this Reafon,
becaufe their Laws condemned the Negleft of the Worlhipof
one God, as we obferved before ; upon which Account C«/9
Major blamed Socrates. To which may be added the Tefli •
mony of Philo, m his EmbalTy, on the vaft Extent of the
Jerjijb Nation. ** That Nation confiiU of fo great a Num-
■^ ' " ber

176 OF THE TRUTH GF THE Pook Hi.

tial. It is impofTible that fuch diftant Bodies of
Men fhould be impofed upon by any Art what-
foever, or that they fliould agree in a Falfity.
We may add further, {a) that almoft three hun-
dred Years before Chrift by the Care of the £^j)'/)-
tian Kings, the Hebrew Books weretranflatcd into
Greek, by thofe who are called the Seventy ; that
the Greeks might have them in another Language,
but the Senfe the fame in the main ; upon which
Account they were the lefs liable to be altered :
And the fame Books were tranflated into Chaldee,
and into the Jerujalem Language j that is. Half
Syriac ; [h) partly a little before, [c) and partly a
little after Chrift's Time. After which followed
othcrGr<^i^^'Verfions,that ofAquila, Symmachus, and
Thcodotion\ which Origen, and others after him,
compared with the fevcnty Interpreters, and found
no DilTerence in the Hiilory; or in any weighty
Matters. Philo flourilhed in Caligula's Time, and
Jojephus lived till Vejpafians. Each of them quote
out of the Hebrew Books the fame Things that we
find at this Day. By this Time the Chriltian Re-
ligion

" ber of Men, that It does not, like other Nations, take «p
•• one Country only, and coniine itfelf to that; but pofTeffes
•• ahnoit the whole World ; for it overfpreads every Conti-
** nent and Ifland, that they fcem not to be much fewer than
" the Inhabitants themfelves." Dion CaJJim, Book XXXVI.
concerning the Jeiuijh Nation, fays, " That though it has
** been often fupprelled, it has increafed fo mnch tlie more,
** fo as to procure the Liberty of eftablilliing its Laws."

(a) That almofi three hundred Years , &c.] See Arijlceiu and
Jofephiis, Book XII. 2.

[h) Partly a little before, &C.] By Gnkclos, and perhaps by
Jonathan.

(f) And partly a little after, &c.] By the \^'riter of the
Jerufahm ''largum, and by Jofephus C^cus, orbylum, who,,
ever he was, one Man, or niany, who tranflated fub, Ffal.vis^
Pro^^erbs, and what they call the llagiogrnphy.

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 177

ligion began to be more and more fpread, (a) and
many of its ProfefTors were Hebrews: (J?) Many-
had ftudied the Hebrew Learning, who could v^ry
eafily have perceived and difcovered it, if the Jews
had received any Thing that was falfe, in any re-
markable Subjeft, I mean, by comparing it with
more ancient Books. But they net only do this,
but they bring very many Teftimonies out of the
Old Teftament, plainly in that Senfe in which they
are received amongft the Hebrews, which Hebrews
may be convi61:ed of any Crime, fooner than (I
will not fay of Falfity, but) of Negligence, in Re-
lation to thefe Books; {c) becaufe they ufed to
tranfcribe and compare them fo very fcrupuloufly,
that they could tell how often every Letter came
over. We may add, in the firfi: Place, an Argu-
ment, and that no mean one, why the Jews did
not alter the Scripture defignedlyi becaufe the
Chriftians prove, and as they think very ftrongly,
that their Mafter Jefus was that very MefTiah who
was of old promifed to the Forefathers of the

Jews-,

[a) And many of its Profejpjrs loere Hebrews, &c,] Or next
to Hebrews, as Juftin, who was a Samaritan.

{b) Many had jiudisd the Hebrew Learning, &c.j As Ori-'
gen, EpiphaniiiSy and efpecially Jerom.

[c) Becaufe they ufed to tranfcribe, &c.] Jofephus in his Firft
Book againft Appion. " It is very manitelt, by our Beeus,
•* how much Credit we give to our own Writings ; for after
" fo many Ages paft, no one has prefumed to add, take
" away, or change any Thing." See the Law, Dcut. iv. i»
and the Talmud, infcribed Shebnoth. (We are to underftand
this of the Time after the Mafora\ for it was otherwife be-
fore, in the Time of their Commonwealth ; and after it was
overturned by the Chahia;ans, they were not fo accurate as is
commonly thought. This is evident from Lad Cnptllus's Cri-
ticks upon the Bible, and from the Commentaries of learned
Men upon the Old Teftament, and likewife from Grotius's own
Annotations. And we have alfo fliewn it to be fo on the hiC-
torical Books of the Old Teftament. Le C/erc.)

N

178 OF THE TRUTH OF, kc. Book TIT.

jfews'y and this from thofe very Books, which
were read by the Jews, Which the Jezus would
have taken the greateft Care fhould never have
been, after there arofe a Controverfy between thenn
and the Chriftians ; if it had ever been in their
Power to have akercd what they would.

COOK

[ '79 ]

F'

BOOK IV.

S E C T. I.

j^ particular Confutation §f the Religions that differ
from Chrijlianity.

THE Fourth Book (beginning with that
Pleafure Men for the moft Part take at the
Sight of other Men's Danger, when they them-
felves are placed out of the Reach of it;) fhews,
that the principal Aim of a Chriftian ought to be,
not only a Satisfa6bion upon his having found out
the Truth himfelf, but alfo an Endeavour to afTift
others, who wander in various crooked Paths of
Error, and to make them Partakers of the fame
Happinefs. And this we have in fome Meafure
attempted to do in the foregoing Books, becaufe
the Demonftration of the Truth contains in it
the Confutation of Error. But, however, fmce
the particular Sorts of Religion, which are op-
pofed to Chriftianity ; as Paganifm, Judaifm, or
Mahometanifm, for Inilance j befides that which
is common to all, have fome par:icular Errors,
and fome fpecial Arguments, which they ufe to
oppofe us withi I think it may not be foreign to
our prefent Purpofe, to attempt a particular Exa-
mination of every one of them. In the mean Time,
befeeching our Readers to free their Judgment
from all Paffion and Prejudice, which clog the
Underftandingi that they may the more impar-
tially determine concerning what is to be faid.

N2 SECT.

iSo OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV-

SECT. II.

j^r.d firjl of Paga}7ifm. i'hat there is hut one Gcd.
'J hat created Beings are either good or bad. "That
the good are not to be -ivorjhipped without the Com*
mand of the Supreme God.

AND firft againft the Heathens, we fay, if
they fuppofe many Gods, eternal and equal, this is
fufficiently confuted in the fiift Book j where we
have fhewn that there is but one God, the Caufe
of all Things. If by Gods, they mean created
Beings fuperior to Man, thefe are either good of
bad J if they fay they are good, they ought in
the firft Place to be very well afllired of this,
{a) left they fall into great Danger, by entertain-
ing

(«) Leji they fall into great Danger, &;C.] 2 Cor. Kii. 14.
Porphyrj in his Second Book about abftainijig from eating
Animals, fays, that " Ey thofe who are oppolite [to the Gods,)
•* all Witchcraft is performed ; for both thefe and theit
•• Chief are worlhipped by all fuch as work Evil upon Men's
** Fancies, by Enchantments ; for they have a Power to de-
*' ceive, by working ftrange Things: By them evil Spirits
" prepare Philtres and Love Potions : All Incontinence, and
'" Love of Riches and Honour, and efpecially Deceit, pro-
■' ceed from thcms for it is natural for them to lye: they
•^ are willing to be tliought Gods ; and the higheft of them
" iu T'ower, to be elleemed God.' And afterwards concern-
ing the Egyptian Priefts; " 'Jliefe put it paft all Difputc,
" that there are a Kind of Beings, who give thcmfllvcs
" u]> to deceive; of Viuious Shapes and Sorts; Diflemblers,
" foinetimes afluming the Form of Gods or Dcrv.otis, or of
*' Souls of d6»d Men ; and by tliis Means they can effeft
" any feeming Good or Evil, but as to Things' really good
V in themfelves, fuch as thofe belonging to the Soul ; of
♦' producing tlicA;, they have i;u Power, neither have they
*' any Knowledge of thcjn ; but they abufe their Leifure,
" mock others, and hinder thofe who walk in the Way
«♦ of Virtue ; they arc rtlled with Pride, and delight in Per-
" fumes and Sacririce/' And Amobius, Book IV, againft
the (hutilcs; " Tiuis the Magicians, Brethren to the Sooth-
••' piyers \u. theif Aclions,. tticmion certain Beings, oppofite

•' to

Sea. 2, 3. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 181

ing Enemies inllead of Friends i Deferters inftead
of Ambaffadors. And Reafon alfo requires, that
there Ihould be fome manifeft Difference in the
Worfhip, betwixt the Supreme God, and thefe
Beings : And further, we ought to know of what
Rank thefe Beings are, what Benefit we may ex-
pert from any of them, and what Honour the
Supreme King would have us pay to them. All
which Things being wanting in their Religion, it
fufficiently appears from thence, that there is no-
thing of Certainty in iti and it would be much
iafer for them to betake themfelves to the Wor-
.fnip of the one Supreme God 3 ^a) which even
Pla^o owned to be the Duty of a v/ife Man ;
becaufe as goad Beings are the Minifters of the
Supreme God, (Z-) they cannot but be affifting to
fuch as are in Favour with him.

SECT. III.

^ Proof that evil Spirits ivere worjhipfed hy the
Heathen, and the Unfitnefs of it fbewn.

BUT that the Spirits to which the Fleathen

paid their Worfliip, were evil, and not good,

^ippears from many fubftantial Arguments. Firfl:,

N 3 becaufe

" to God, who often impofe upon Men for true Gods. And
" thefe are ceriain Spirits of groffer Matter, who feio^a
" themfelves to be Gods." Not to tranfcribe too much, we
find fnmcthing to the fame Purpofe in Jamblickus, concerning
the Egyptian Myfteries, Book III. Chap. n. and Book IV.
Chap. 17.

{a) Which enjcn Plato oi.mcd, &x.] " Jupiter is worfhip-
«' ped by us, and other Gods by others." The Words are
quoted by Origeii, in his Eighth Book againil Celjiis.

(^) They camiot hit be ajfifiing, dx.] This is very well
profecutcd by Jrnobius, Book 111.

i82 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Bock IV.

{a) becaufe they did not dire6b their Worfhippers
to the Worfhip of the Supreme God ; but did as
much as they could to fupprefs fuch Worfhip, or
at leaft, were willing in every Thing to be equalled
with the Supreme God in Worfliip. Secondly,
becaufe they were the Caufe of the greateft Mif-
chiefs coming upon the Worfhippers of the one
Supreme God, provoking the Magiftrates and the
People, to inflift Punifhments upon them: For
though they allowed their Poets the Liberty to ce-
lebrate the Murders and Adulteries of their Gods;
and the Epicureans^ to baniili the Divine Providence
out of the World ; nor was there any other Re-
ligion fo difagreeable in its Rites, but they ad-
mitted it into their Society, as the Egyptian, Phry-
giany Greek, and Tu/can Rites at Rome; {b) yet
the Je^jjs were every where ridiculed, as appears
from their Satires and t.pigrams, (c) and were
fometimes banifhed, {d) and the Chriftians had
moreover the moft cruel Punilhments inflifted upon
them : For which there can be no other Reafon af-
figned, but becaufe thefe two Sefts worfhipped one
God, whofe Honour the Gods they eftabhlhed op-
pofed, being more jealous of him than of one ano-
ther. Thirdly, from the Manner of their Worfhip,

fuch

{a) Becaufe they did vot dura, <-^-c.] This is very well
treated of by MugJijUiiy Book X. Chap. 14, 16, 19, of his
City of God.

(I)) Yet the}t\v% rwere e'vcry ivhcrc ridictdfd. Ice,'] ♦' As be-
" ing cropt, circumcifed, Sabbath-keepers, Worlbippers of
•' the Clouds and Heavens, merciful to Swine."

{c) Jttd 'were fometimes ba?iijhcd, &C.] Jofephits, XVIII. 5-.
Tacitus, Annal. ll. Seucca, Epift. XIX. yids, xviii. I. Sue-
tonius in Tioerius, Chap. 26.

(d) And the Chrijiia>:s had moreo'ver, &c.] Tacitus Annal.
XV. to which that of Jwveval relates.

Yuu like a Torch Jhnll burn,

jis they tvho flaming fiand, JliJIed ivith Smoke,

And •with their Body's Print hanjc tnarked the Ground,

Sea. 3. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 183

fuch as is unworthy of a good and virtuous Mind ;
(a) by human Blood, (^) by Men's running naked
about their Temples, (c) by Games and Dancings,
filled with Uncleannefs; fuch are now to be kea
amongft the People of America and Africa^ who
are overwhelmed in the Darknefs of Heathenifm.
Nay, more than this j there were of old, and ftill
are, People who worfhip evil Spirits, which they
know and own to be fuch ; {d) as the Arimanes of
the Perfmns, the Cacodcemcns of the Greeks, (e) and
the Vejoves of the Latins; and fome of the Ethi-
opians and Indians now have others ; than which,
nothing can be imagined more impious. For
what elfe is religious Worfliip, but a Teftimony
of the exceeding Goodnefs which you acknow-
ledge to be in him whom you worlhip ; which, if
it be paid to an evil Spirit, is falfe apd counter-
feit, and comprehends in it the Sin of Rebellion ;
becaufe the Honour due to the King, is not only
taken from him, but transferred to a Deferter and
his Enemy. And it is a foolifh Opinion, to ima-
gine that a good God will not revenge this, be-
caufe that is not agreeable to his Goodnefs ; (/) for
N 4 Clemency,

{a) By human Bliod, «xc.J See what was faid of this.
Book 11.

(^) l$y Mens running naked about, &:c.] As in their Rites
dedicated to Pan. See Li-vy, Book L Plutarch in /Intonims,
and others.

(f) By Games and Dancings, SiC.'] As in the Rites o{ Flora,
■See O'vid's Fajii, Book IV. and Talian, and Ongen, in his
Kighth againft Cclfus.

{d) As the Arimanes of the Ferfians, &c.] See Plutarch's
IJis and OJtris, and Diogons Laertius in his Preface. See aJfo
Thomas Stanley, of the Philofophy of the Perfians : and our
Obfervations upon the Word Arimanes in the Index, he Clerc,

[e) And the Vejoves cf the Latins, bV,] Cicero, Book III.
of the Nature of the Gods.

(f) For Clemency if it he reafonahle, &c.] " How can you
•* love, unlefs you be afraid not to love V Tertullian I'lrlt
againft Marcio?:,

iS4 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

Clemency, if it be reafonable, hath its proper
bounds ; and where the Crimes are very great,
Juflice itfelf forefees Punifhment, as it were,
jieccfTary. Nor are they lefs blamcable, who fay»
that they are driven by Fear to pay Obedience to
evil Spirits ; for He who is infinitely good, is alfo
in the highcft Degree ready to communicate ; and
therefore all other Beings were produced by him.
And if it be fo, it will follow that he hath an ab-
folute Right over all Creatures, as his own Work-
maniliip ; fo that nothing can be done by any of
them, if He defires to hinder it : Which being
granted, we may eafily collecfl that evil Spirits
cannot hurt him who is in Favour with the Moft
High God, v/ho is infinitely good ; any further,
than that God fuffers it to be done for the Sake of
fome Good. Nor can any Thing be obtained of
evil Spirits, but what ought to be refufed ] (a) be-
caufe a bad Being, when he counterfeits one that
is good, is then worfi: ; and (/■) the Gifts of Ene-
mies are only Snares.

SECT. IV.

Againjl the Heathen JVorJhip paid to departed Men.

THERE have been, and now are, Heathens,
who fay that they pay Worfhip to the Souls of
Men departed this Life. But here in the firll: Place,
this Worlhip is alfo to be diftinguiOied by mani-
feft Tokens, from the Worfliip of the Supreme
God. Befide.^, onr Prayers to them arc to no Pur-
pofc, if thofc Souls cannot aflift us in any Thing ;

and

[a] Becauje a had Being, Sec] See the Verfes of Sjrtis i\\^
Mimick.

(i) The Gifts y" Etiemies are nnlj/ Snares, &c.] Soplioclcs.
Enemies Gifts are no Gifts, no Advantage,

3ea.4, 5- CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 185

^nd their Worlliippers arc not afflircd of this, nor
is there any more reafon to affirm that they can,
than that they cannot : And what is vvorfi: of ail,
is, that thofe Men who are thus had in Honour^,
are found to have been Men remarkable for very
great Vices, A drunken Bacchus, an effeminate
Hercules^ a Romulus^ unnatural to hjs Brother, and
a Jupiter y as unnatural to his Father. So that their
Honour is a Reproach to the true God, and that
Goodnefs, which is well-pleafingtohim ; (a) be-
caufc it adds a Commendation from Religion, to
jthofe Vices, which are fufficiently flattering of
themfclves.

SECT. V.

Agabift the Worjloip given to the Stars and Eleraents.

{b) MORE ancient than this was the Worfliip
of the Stars, and what we call the Elements, Fire,
Water, Air, and Earth ; which was indeed a very
great Error. For Prayers are a principal Part of
religious Worfliip, which, to put up to any but
Beings that have Underftanding is very foolifh ;
and that what we call the Elements are not fuch,

is,

[a) Becanfe it adds a Commendation, Sec.'] See an Example
hereof in Teretice's Ennuch, Aft III. Scene V. Cypriav.
Epiftl. II. ♦* They imitate thofe Gods they worlhip; the
*' Religion of thofe wretched Creatures is made up of Sin.
«« Augiijii7ie, Epift. CLII. Nothing renderi Men fo unfoci-
*' able, by Perverfenefs of Life, as the Imitation of thofe
*' whom they commend anddefcribe in their Writings." Chf.I-
cidius in Tima-us ; " So it comes to pafs, that inftead of that
" Gratitude that is due to Divine Providence from Men, for
♦* their Original and Birth, they return Sacrilege." See the
whole Place.

{b) Mare ancient than this , &c.j There are Reafons to per-
fuade us that Idolatry began with the Vv'orfhip of Angels and
the Souls of Men, as you may fee in the Index to the Oriental
jPhilofophy, at the V>'ord Iddntria, Lc Chrc»

1 86 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

is evident in a good Meafiircfrom Experience. If
any oie affirms oi her.vife of the Stars, he has no
Proof of it, becaufenofuch Thing can be gathered
from their Operations, which are the only Signs
^o judge of IJeings by. But the contrary may be
fufticiently collected from the Motion of them,
which is not various like that of Creatures endued
with Freedom of Will, (a) but certain and deter-
minate. We have elfewhere fhewn, that the Courfe
of the Stars is adapted to the Ufe of Man ; whence
Man ought to acknowledge, that he, in his better
Part, bears a nearer refemblance to God, and is
dearer to him ; and therefore ought not to dero-
gate fo much from his own high birth, as to place
himfelf below thofe things which Gcd has given
him ; and he ought to give God I'hanks for them,
which is more than they can do for themfclvcs^-
or at leall more than we are aiTured of.

SEC T. VI,

Againjl the JVorJhip given to Brute Creatures.

BUT that which is of all Things moft abomina-
ble, is that fome Men, particularly the Egyptians^
(b) fell into the Worfhip even of Bealls. p^or,
though in fome of them there do appear, as it were,
fome Shadow of Undcrftanding, yet it is nothing
compared with Manj forthcycannotexprefs their
inward Conceptions, either by diltinct Words or

Writings ;

[a) But certain nud determinate, &c.] By which Argument
a certain King of Peru was perfiiaded to deny that the Suu
could be a God. See the Hiiiory of the buas,

[h] Fell into the Worjhip ezrn of Beajis, clx.] Concerning
whom, Philo, in his EmhafTy, fays, ♦♦ They cftcem Dogs,
*• Wolves, Lions, Crocodiles, and many other wild Crea-
*♦ tares in the Water and on the Land, and Birds, as Gods."
To which may be added, a long Difcourfe of this Matter, in
the Firft Book of Dhdous SJcu/hs,

Sea. 6. CHRISTIAN RFXIGION. 187

Writings ; nor do they perform Acftions of different
Kinds, nor thofe of the fame Kind, in a different
Manner ; and much lefs can they attain to the
Knowledge of Numbers, Magnitude, and of the
Coeleftial Motions. But on the other Hand, (.7)
Man, by his Cunning and Subtilty, can catch thf
ffrongeft Creatures, wild Beafts, Birds, or Fifhes;
and can in fomc Meafure bring them under Rules,
as Elephants, Lions, Horfes, and Oxen ; he can
^raw Advantage to himfelf, out of thofe that are
moft huriiful, as Phylick from Vipers ; and this
life may be made of them all, which themfelvcs

are

[n] Man by his Cufining and Subtlltj, &C,] Euripides in JEolia^
Man has but little Strength,
Yet can, bj> various Arts,
Tame the njoildeji Creatures
In Sen, or Earth, or Air.

And Antiphon:

They us in Strength, tve them in Art, exceed.

Which affords us no bad Explication of Gcnejls 1. 26. and
Ffalm viii, 8. He, that delires a large Difcourfe of this Mat-
ter, may look into Oppianus, in the Beginning of his Fifth
Book of Filliing, and Bajil's Tenth Homily on the Six Days
of Creation. Origen, in his Fourth Book againil Cel/ns, has thefe
Words : " And hence you may learn, for how great a Help
** our Undcrllanding was given us, &nd how far it exceeds ail
*' the Weapons of wild ' Beads ; for our Bodies are much
** weaker than thofe of other Creatures, and vaftly lefs than
" forae of them ; yet by our Underftanding, we bring v/ild
*' Beafts under our Power, and hunt huge Elephants; and
** thofe whofe Nature is fuch, that they may be tamed, we
** make fubjeifl to us ; and thofe that are of a different Na-
*• ture, or the tanr.ing of which feems to be of no Ufe to us,
" we manage thefe wild Beafts with fuch Safety, tliat as we
*' will, we keep them fhut up, or, if v/e want their Flefli
*' for Meat, we kill them as we do other Creatures that arc
*• not wild. Whence It appears that the Creator made all
** living Creatures fubject to him, who is endued with Rea-
'• fon, and a Nature capable of underftanding him." Clau-
dius Neapolilauus, in Porphyry's Firft Book againft eating living
Creatures, fpeaks thus concerning Man : " He is Lord over
all Creatiu-es void of Reafon, a^ God ii over Man.''
6

iSS Oi- THE TRUTH OF THE Book iV\

are ignorant of, that by viewing the Structure and
Situation of the Parts of their Bodies, and com-
paring together their fcveral Species and Kinds,
he learns his own Excellency, and how much more
perfect and noble the Frame of the hum.an ]3ody
is, than others ; M'hich, if rightly confidcrcd, is
fo far from inclining him to worfliip other Crea-
tures, that he Ihould rather think himfelf ap-
pointed their God in a Manner, under the Su-
preme God,

SECT. vir.

Again]} the Worjhip given to thofe Things which have
no real Exijlence.

WE read, that the Greeks 2iVidi L^//«j, and others
likewife, worfhipped Things which had no real
Exigence, but were only the Accidents of other
Things. For, not to mention thofe outrageous
Things, [a] Fever. Irnpudence, and fuch like;
Health is nothing elfe but a Jufl: Temperature of
the Parts of the Body; and good F"ortune a Cor-
refpondence of Events with the Wiflies of Men:
And the AiTeclions, fuch as Love, Fear, Anger,
Hope, and the like, arifing frqm the Coniideration
of the Goodnefs or Badnefs, the Ealinefs or Difii-
culty of a Thing, are certain Motions, in thac
Part of the Mind, which is moft clofely connected
with the Body, by Means of the Blood; and they
have no Power of their own, but are fubjed to
the Command of the Will, which is MilVrcfs of
them, at lead: as far as ref]occls their Continuance
and Direction. So likewife tlie Virtues, which have
diHcrcnt Names. Prudence, which confifts in the
Choice of what is advantageous : Fortitude, inun-
dergoingDangers ; JufUcc, inabliaining from what

is

[a] Fe-urr, Impude'icfy ami ju(h like y ^c] See Ti/Z/y VThiiJ
Book oi tlie Laws.

Seel. 7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. ii()

is not Our own,- Temperance, in moderating Plea-
fure, and the like: There is alfo a certain Difpoli-
tion or Inclination towards that which is right,
which grows upon the Mind by long Exercife ,-
which, as it may be increafed, fo it may be di-
miniflied by NeglecV, nay, it may entirely be de-
ftroyed in a Man. (a) And Honour, to which we
readofTemplesbeingdedicated, is only the Judg-
ment of one concerning another, as endued with
Virtue ; which often happens to the Bad, and not
to the Good, through the natural Aptnefs of Man-
kind to miftake. (/^) Since therefore thefe Things
have no real Exiftence, and cannot be compared
in Excellence with thofe that have a real Exift-
ence ; nor have any Knowledge of our Prayers or
Veneration of them j it is molt difligreeable to

right

(ff) J»(/ ?Trjmur, to ivhich nxe read, &'C.] Tullj in the fore-
mentioned Place; and Li'vy, Book XXVil.

{b) Since therefore thefe Things hame no real Exijletice, &C.]
Perhaps fome may explain this WorHiIp of the Heathens iu
thisMannef; as to fay, that it was not' fo much the Things,
which were commonly fignified by thofe Words, that they
worfhipped, as a certain Divine Power, from which the/
flowed, or certain Ideas in the Divine Underftanding. Thus
they may be faid to worfhip a Fc-ver, not the Difeafe itfelf,
which is feated in the human Body ; but that Power, which
is in God, of fending or abaicing a Fever ; to woriliip Im-
fudetice, not that Vice which is feated in the Minds of Men ;
but the Will of God, which fometimes allows Men's Imi>7i'
d~nce to go on, which he can relirain and punifh : And the
fame may be faid of the reft, as Love, Fear, Anger, Hope,
which are Pajjiniis vvhich God can either excite or reftrain :
or of Virtues, which are perfeA in the Divine Nature, and of
which we fee only fome faint Refeinblances in Men, arifmg
from the Ideas of thofe Virtues which are moft complete in
God. And of ITmoiir, which does not confiil: fo much in the
Efteem of Men, as in the Will of God, who would have Vir-
tue honourable amongft Men. But the Heathens themfelves
never interpreted this Matter thus ; and it is abfurd to wor-
fliip the Attributes and Ideas of God, as real Ferfons, under
obfcure Names, fuch as may deceive the common People. It
is much more llncere and honeft to worihip the Deity himfeif
without any Perplexities. Le CUrc,

iQo OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

right Reafon to worfhip them as God ; and He is
rather to be worfliippcd upon their Account, who
can give us them, and prcfcrve them for us.

SECT. VIII.

An Anfwer to the Ohje&ion of the Heathens ^ taken
from the Miracles done amongfi them.

THE Heathens ufcd to recommend their Re-
ligion by Miracles ; but they were fuch as were
liable to many Exceptions. For the wifcft Men
amongft the. Heathens themfelves, rejeded many
of them, [a) as not fupported by the Teftimony of
fufficient WitnelTes, [h] but plainly counterfeit :
And thofe that feem to have been done, came to
pafs in fome fecret Place, in the Night, before one
or two Pcrfons, whofe Eyes might eafily be de-
ceived with a falfe Appearance of Things, by the
Cunning of the Priefts. There were fome, which
Onlycaufed the People, who did not undcrfland the
Nature of Things, efpecially thciroccultQualities,
to wonder at them ; much in the fame Manner,
as if any oncfhould draw Iron with a Loadftone,
before People, who knew nothing of it ; and it is

related

[a) As mt fupported hy the Tfjltmofjj, &c.] So Li-!)y, in the
JJeginning ; *' I do nor defign eitlier to affirm or deny thofe
*' Things related before, or upon the Building of the City ;
" as fitter for Poetick. Fables, than the fincere Memorials of
" Affairs that were tranfadcd : Thus much muft be allo'.ved
*' Antiquity, that by mixing human Things with divine, the
*' Original of Cities was rendered the more venerable."

{b) But pi ill nlj counterfeit, &c.] It were much better to ac
quieice in this Anfwer, than to allow of their Miracles, or
that fuch Things were done, as Men could not commonly
diltii-.guirti from Miracles ; fuch as Oracles, Wonders, curing
of Difcafes, which if they were done, could fcarce be diftin-
guifned from true Miracles, at Icait by the common People.
See what I hnve faid lipon this Matter in the Prolegomena ti
nj Ecclefiajhcat Hijhtj, be^. II. Chap, i, Le Ucr,,

Sea. S. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. igt

related bv many, (a) that thefe were thd Arts in
which Smo;iD.nd Apollomus Tyanieiis were fo flcilful.
i do not deny, but that fome greater than thefe
w^re \^tn, which could not betheEffedt of natural
Caufes, by humanPower alone; but they were fuch
as did not require a Power truly Divine, that is.
Omnipotent; forthefeSpirits, who were inferior to
God, and fuperior to Man, were fufficient for thefe
Things ; becaufe by their Swiftnefs, Strength, and
Cunning, they could eafily remove diftant Things»
and fo to compound diiTerent Sorts of Things, as
to produce Effects which Ihould be very furprizing
to Men. But the Spirits by whom this was effedted,
were not good, and confequently neither v/as their
Religion good ; as is evident from what was faid
before, and from this Coniideration alfo^ becaufe
they faid that they were compelled [h) by certain

Inchant-

{«) That thefe ixere the Arts, .?tc.] Tatjav. *' There arc
*' certain Difeafes and Contrarieties of the Matter of which
*• we are compounded ; when thefe happen, the ^Da^moKS
** afcribe the Caufes of them to themfelves."

[b) By certain Inchantmenls, kz,'\ Thus the Oracle of
liicate in Porphyry.

I come, in'-vol 'd by qjjcll- confnlted Prayer,
Such as the Gc-ds have to Maiikind r.veal'd.

And again.

Why hc^ceyo7i call' d the Goddcfs Hecate
From Hea-oen ; and fore' d her by a Charm Divine ',
And that of Apollo in the fame Writer,

Hear vie, for I am forc'd to fpeak againji my Will,
Thefe are the Rites of their fecret Arts, by which they ad-.
drefs-themfelves to I know not what Powers, as Arnobiin ex-
prefies it, as if they compelled them by Charms to be their
J-^irvants ; fo Cli'mens explains it. There is a Form of their
Threats in Ja-mblichus, Book V. Chap, c, 6, 7. of his Egyp-
iian Myfieries. The fame we meet with in Lucan, Book IX.
in the V^'ords of Pompey the Lefs, and in Etfehms, out of Por.
phjiy. Book V. Chap. 10, of his Gcfpel Preparat. Other

form»

151 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book I v.

Inchantments againft their Will : And yet the
w'ifeft Heathens agree, that there could not pofli-
bly be any fuch Force in Words ; but that they
could cnly perfuade, and this according to the
Manner of their Interpretation. /Vnd a further
Sign of their Wickednefs is, that they would un-
dertake many Times (a) to entice fome to the
Love of others, notwithftanding their own En-
deavours againft it, either by falfe Promifes, or
by doing them fome hurt ; (^) which Things
were forbidden by human Laws, as Witchcraft.
Neither ought any one to wonder that the Su-
preme God fliould fuffer fome Miracles to be
done by evil Spirits ; becaufe they w ho were al-
ready fallen from the Worfhip of the true God,
(c) deferved to be deluded by fuch Deceits. But
this is an Argument of their Weakncfs, that their
Works were ^not attended with any remarkable
Good ; for if any feemed to be called to life
again, they did not continue long in it, nor exer-
cife the Fundtions of living Perfons. If at any
Time, anyThingproceeding from a Divine Power,
appeared in the Sight of the Heathen; yet it was
not foretold that it would come to pafs, in order
to prove the Truth of their Religion; fo that no-
thing

Forms of Tlireatenings you have in Lucaji, where he fpeaks of
Erichthov, and in Papinius about Tirfjias.

(<?) To evticefome to the Lo've of others, &'C.] See the Fhar-
maceiilria of Theocritus and l''i>gil, and the Confeflion of Pji-
phyry in Ezifchius, Book V. Chap. 17. of his Prcparaty und
Augujline, Book X, Chap. 1 1 . of his City of God. And the
fame Porphyry againft eating living Creatures, Book II. and
Qrigen againft Ccl/us, Book Vil.

{h) Which Things ix'ce forbidden by human Laivr, &c.}
L. Epfdem, Sed. Adjcdio D. ad Legem Comeliam dc Sicnfus l^
Veiicficis, L. ft aui! fed. qui abortiouis. D, de faenis. Paulut
Utiitenliarum, Lio. V. Tit. XXIII.

(c) Deferved to be deluded by fuch Deceits , &C.] Deuf, xiii. 5.
2 IheJJ'. ii, g. 10. Efhef. ii. 2, 3,

Sea. 8, 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 193

thing hinders, but the Divine Power might pro-
pofe to itfelf fome other End, widely different
from this. For Inftance ; fuppofe it true, that
ablind Man was reftored to his Sight by Vefpafian ;
it might be done, [a) to render him more vene-
rable upon this Account ; and that he might
thereby the more eafily obtain the Roman Empire ;
and was therefore chofen by God, to be the Ex-
ecutioner of his Judgments upon the Jews j and
other like Reafons there might be for other
Wonders, {b) which had no Relation at ail to
Religion.

SECT. IX.

And from Oracles»

AND almoft all the fame Things may be ap-
plied, to folve that which they alledge concerning
Oracles ; efpecially what was before faid, that
fuch Men deferved to be impofed upon, who de-
fpifed that Knowledge, which Reafon and antient
Tradition fuggefted to every Man. Moreover,

the

{a) To render him more menerahle, 5:c.3 Tacitus > Tlift. IV.
** Many Miracles were done, whereby the Favour of Heaven,
** and the good Difpofition of the Gods towai'ds Vefpafian, ap-
'* peared." He had faid before in Hift. I. " We believe that
** after previous good Luck, the Empire was decreed to Vejpa-
" Jtan and his Children, by the Secret Law cf Fate, and by
*' Wonders and Oracles." Suetonius ulliers in his Relation of
the fame Miracles thus. Chap. 7, " There was a certain Au-
*• thority and Majefty wanting, njiz. in a new and unchought-pf
" Prince ; to which this was added." See the fame Suetonius
a little before. Chap. V. Jojcphus fays of the fame Vefpafian^
Book in. Chap. 27. of the Wars cf the Jews, ♦' That God
•' raifed him up to the Government, and foretold him of the
*' Scepter by other Signs."

{b) Which has no Relation, &c.] But fee the Examination of
Miracles, feigned to be done in Favour of Vefpafian and Adrian^
in my Ecclejlajlical Hifiorj, Century 11. 138th Year. Le Clerc,

o

104 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

the Words of the Oracles (a) were for the moft
Part ambiguous, and fuch as might be interpreted
of the Event, be it what it would. And if anyThing
was more particularly foretold by them, there is
no NecefTity of its proceeding from an Omnifcient
Being; becaufc either they were fuch as might be
perceived beforehand, from natural Caufes then
appearing, {/^) as fome Phyficians foretell future
Difeafes ; or they might with Probability be con-
jed:ured, from what we ufually fee come to pafs ;
which we read was often done (c) by thofe who

were

(a) IFere for the mcft Part ambiguous, &c.] See the Places
of Oenomaus, concerning this Subjeft, in Eufebius, Book IV.
Chap. 20, 21, 22, 25, 24, 25, 26. Hence y^/o//(? was by the
Greeks called ^t\iA, Ambiguous. Cicero, in his Second Book of
Divination, fays, the Oracles of Apollo were ambiguous and
obfcure, " Whichfoever of them came to pafs, (fays he,) the
" Oracle was true." (Perhaps many of the Oracles were coun-
•terfeited after the Event : And there are many Reafons to fuf-
ped, that Abundance of Frauds were ufed by Diviners ; con-
cerning which, D. de Fontenelle has written an excellent Book in
French which I refer you to, and what is faid in Defence of
it. Vol. XIII. of the Choice Library; and what Aritony Van
Dale has written of this Matter above all others, in his Book of
Oracles.)

{h) As fome Phyjtcians forctel future Difeafes, &C.] Chalciiiut
on Timixus. " Men are forewarned, either by the flying of
** Birds, or by Entrails, or by Oracles, fome propitious Dts-.
*' mons foretelling, who knew all Things that will afterwards
♦' come to pafs ; juft as a Fhyfician, according to the Rules of
*' Phyfick, declares either Death or Health, and as Anaxi'
*' mander and Fkerccidfs did an Earthquake." Fliuj, Book II.
Chap, 79.

(c) By ihofe 'who nxere fhilful in civil Matters, c^'c] See the
Writers of the Life of Atticus. •' A plain Evidence of this
*•* Thing, befules thofe Books wherein he [Cicero] mentions it
*' exprefvly, (which are publifhed among the common People,)
*' are fixteen Volumes of Kpiftles fent to Atticus, from his Con-
" fulflnp to the End of his Days; whicK whoever reads, will
" not think that he wants a complete and regular Hiftory of
*' t'.-.ofc Times ; there is fuch a full Defcrij-tion of the Inclina-
"' tions of Princes, of the Vices of great Men, and the Alte-

•* rations

Sea. 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGIO>^. 19^

Were Ikilful in civil Matters. And if at any Time,
God made Ufe of any of thofe Works, done by
the Diviners among the Heathen, to foretel fuch
Things as could have no other real Foundation
but the Will of God ; it did not tend to confirm
the Heathen Religion, but rather to overthrow-
it ; fuch as thofe Things we find (a) in Firgil's
Fourth Eclogue, taken out of the Sibilline Verfes j
[b) in which, though unknown to himfelf, he

defcribes

** rations in the Republlck, that there is nothing which is not
'• laid open ; fo that one would eafily be led to think Prudence
** to be a Kind of Divination. For Ckcro did not only foretel
" future Things, that would happen in his own Life-time, but
** like a Diviner, declared thofe alfo that came to pafs lately."
Cicero affirms truly of himfelf, in his Sixth Epiftle of his Six-
teenth Book : " In that War, nothing happened ill, which I did
** not foretell. Wherefore, fmce I who am a publick Augur,
** like other Augurs and Aftrologers, by my former Prediftions,
*' have confirmed you in the Authority of Augury and Divi-
'* nation, you ought to believe what I foretell. I do not make
*' my Conjefture from the flying of Birds, nor from the
" Manner of their chirping, as our A.rt teaches us, nor from
** the rebounding of the Corn that falls from the Chickens
*' Mouths, nor from Dreams ; but I have other Signs, which
** I obferve." Thus ^'o/wz foretold that great Calamities would
come upon Athens, from Munichia. And Thales, that the Forum
of the Milefi would one Time be in a Place then defpifed,
Plutarch in Solon.

{a) In Y\rg\Vz fourth Eclogue, &C,] See Augujliv.e" s City of
God, Book Xt Chap. 27.

ijj) In <which, though unkno^wn, &c.] It Is now fufficiently
evident, that all the Prophecies of the Sybils are either doubt-
ful or forged; wherefore I would not have Virgil, an Inter-
preter of the Sibyl, be thought to have declared a Kind of
Prophecy, v/ithout an}' Defign ; like Caiphas, who was igno-
rant of what he prophefied : I know not what Sibyl, or rather
Perfon, under the Difguife of fuch a one, pfedided, that
the Golden Age was a coming ; from the Opinion of thofe
who thought that there would be a Renovation of all Things,
and that the fame Things would come to pafs again. See
what Grotius has faid of this Matter, Book II. Sed lo. and
the Notes upon that Place. Wherefore in this, the Sibyl was
liot a Prophetefs, nor did Firgil write thence any Prophecies
O 2 of

196 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

defcribcs the Coming of Chrift, and the Benefits
we fhould receive from hina : Thus in the fame'
Sibyls y that {a) he was to be acknowledged
as King, who was to be truly our King;
{b) who was to rife out of the Eaff, and be
Lord of all Things, [c) The Oracle of Apollo
is to be fcen {d) in Porphyry ; in which he

fays

of Chrift : See Sertm upon the Place, and I/aac VcJJiins Inter-
pretation of that Eclogue. Le Clcrc.

{a) He nvas to be acktioivledged as King, &C.] Cicero men-
tions him in his Second Book of Bi'vinaikn,

[h) Who luas to rife out cf the Eqji, &:c.] Suetonius of Vef^a-^
ftan. Chap. 4. TacititSt Hift. 4.

(f ) The Oracle of Apollo, &c.] See Augnftine of the City of
God, Book XX. Chap 23. and Eufchius's Prcparat. Book IV.
Chap. 4. And the fame Porphyry, in his Book of the Oracles^
fays, " The God [AprJlo) tcftifies that the Egyptians, Chal-
•' da:ans, Phceukiajts, Lydians^ and Hebrews, .are they who
" have found out the Truth." He that wrote the Exhorta-
tion to the Greeks, aniongft the Works of Juftln, quotes this
Oracle :

The Hebrews ovly fl;/i/Ch;ildces are tvife.

Who trtily 'VJorJhip God the eternal King^

And this.

Who the firjl Mortal form d, and call' d him Adam.

There are two Oracles of Cato's concerning Jefus, which Eujt''
bins, in his Go/pel Defnotijiration tranfcribed out of Poiphyry:
Souls cf their Bodies Jiript, immortal are.
This ivife Men knjiu ; and that 'which is efidued
With greatefi Piety, excels the reft :
The Souls of pious Men to Hea'ven afcend.
Though 'various Torments do their Bodies 'vex.

The fame are mentioned by Augnftine, Book XXIX. Chap. 23.
of his City of God, out of the fame Porphyry ; \vhere he bring»
another Oracle, in which Apollo faid, that the Father «horn the
pioub Hibretus worfhipped, was a Law to all the Gods.

(.•/) /// Porphyry, &€.] This is juftly enough faid upon

Porphyry, and thofe who are of the faiuc Opinion with him,

6 concerning

Sefl. g. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 197

fays, th€ other Gods were aerial Spirits, and
that the one God of the Hebrews was to be wor-
fhipped : Which Words, if the Worfhippcrs of
Apollo obeyed, they ceafed to be his Worihippers ;
if they did not obey him, they accufed their
God of a Lye. To which may be added, that if
thefe Spirits would, in their Oracles, have con-
fulted the Good of Mankind ; they would, above
all Things, have propofed to them a general
Rule of Life, and alTured them of a Reward,
which they who io lived might exped ; but they
did neither of them. On the contrary, [a] they
many Times in their Verfes applauded Kings,
though never fo wicked; {b) decreed Divine
Honours to Champions, {c) enticed Men to un-
lawful Embraces, [d) to purfue unjuft Gain, (r)
and to commit Murder ; which may be evidenced
by many Inftances.

concerning thofe Oracles, and may be brought as an Argument
ad Homhiem, as Logicians call it ; but fmce it does appear, that
thefe Oracles were not feigned ; nay, there are very good Rea-
fons to think they were fiftitious, they ought to be of no Weight
amongft Chriftians. Le Cleic.

{a) They many Times in their Verfes, &c.] See thofe alledged
by Oenamausin Eitfehins's Go/pel Freparat. Book V. Chap. 25.
and 55.

{b) Decreed Di'-cive Honours in Champinns, &c.] See the fame
Author, Chap. 32. of Cleomedes; which we find alfo in Origens
Third Book againft Celj'us.

{c) Enticed Men to unlanjoful Embraces, <S:c.] This was fliewn
before.

{d) To prtrfue unjuJiCain, SiC.'\ Stt Eujebius's Go/pel Freparat.
Book V. Chap. 22.

{e) And to commit Murder, Sec.'] Ocnomaus recites Oracles of
this Kind, which you may find in the forementioned Book of
Eufebius, Chap, 19. and Z7.

SECT.

igS OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

SECT. X.

*The Heathen Religion reje&edy becauje it failed of
its oivn Accord^ as foon as human Affijiance zvas
wanting.

BESIDES thofe Things already alledged, the
Heathen Religion affords us a very flrong Argu-
ment againll itfelf, in that wherefoevcr human
Force was wanting, it immediately fell, as if its
only Support were then taken away. For, if you
turn your Eyes towards all the Chriftianor Maho-
metanEmpires, you will find Heathenifm no where
mentioned but in Books : Nay, Hiftory informs us,
that in thofe Times; when the Emperors made ufe
of Force and Punifliment, as the firfl Emperors
did ; or of Learning and Cunning, as Julian did,
to fupport the Heathen Religion; even then, it
continually decreafed ; no Force being made ufe
of againfl: it, no Greatnefs of Family (for it was
commonly believed that Jefus was the Son of a
Carpenter;) no Flourifli of Words, no Bribes (for
they were poor;) no Flattery, for they on the
contrary defpifed all Advantages, and faid there
was no Adveriity but they ought to undergo, upon
Account of their Law. And now, how Meak mufi:
the Heathen Religion be, to be overthrown by
fuch weak Helps ? Nor did the vain Credulity of
the Heathens only vanifii at this Dcdlrinc, {a} but
Spirits themfelves came out of Men, at the Kame
ofChrifl; were filenced; and being aflicd the Rea-
fonof their Silence, (l>) were forced to own, that
they could do nothing when Chrift was invoked.

(o) Bnf Spirits ihc?>i/el'ves came out of Men, c\;c.] Acls v. i6.
■ viii. 7. xvi. 18.

{h) Were forced to cwif, &c.] TertiiUiatt in his Apology.
See alfo Ltican againft falfe Diviners. Apollo in Daphne. " This
•♦ Place, Daphne, is filled with dead Bodies, which hinder the
•' Oracles." Bohylas and other Chriftian Martyrs died th.crc.
Sit Chrjpftcm againll the Gentiles.

SECT.

&'

Sea, u. CHRISTIAN RELIGION, 199

SECT. XL

An Anfwer to this^ that the Rife and Decay of Re^
ligion is owing to the Stars,

THERE were fome Philofophers, whoafcribed
the Rife and Decay of all Religion to the Stars.
But this ftarry Science, which they profefs to know
and underftand, is delivered in fuch differcntRuIes,
{a) that there is nothing certain to be found in it,
but this one Thing, that there is no Certainty in
it. I do not fpeak of thofe Eifeds, which naturally
follow from neceffary Caufes ; [b) but of fuch as
:>roceed from the Will of Man, which is in its own

ature fo far free, as that no external Neceflity can
be laid upon it : For if the Ad of Willing flowed
from fuch a neceffary Impreffion, (c) that Power,
which -wc experience in the Soul, of deliberating
and chufmg, would be given us to no Purpofe>
{d) and the Juftice of all Laws, and of Rewards
and Punifliments, would be entirely taken away j
becaufe there is neither Blame nor Defert due to
O 4 that

{a) That there is nothing certain to he found in it, &c.] See
the excellent DiiTertation of Bardefa?2es the Syrian, concerning
this Matter ; which vou may find in the Philocalia colledled from
Origen, and in Eufebius's Preparat. Book. VI. Chap. I o.

{b) But of fuch as proceed from the Will of Man, &c.] Scc
Alexander Aphrodifans' s Book concerning this Matter.

(f) That Poiver nvhich nue experience, &c.] See Erfehlns^
Co/pel Preparat. Book VI. Chap. 6.

[d] And the Jufice of all Laivs, &c.] See Jiff ins Apo-
logy II. ** If Mankind be not endued with a Power of chufmg
*' freely ; to avoid that which is bad, and to comply with that
" which is good ; the Caufe of either of them cannot be faid
" to be from himfeif." See alfo what follows. And thus
Talian : " The Freedom of the Will confills in this; that a
*' wicked Man is juiily punifhed, becaufe his Wickednefs is
•* from himfeif; and a good Man is rewarded, becaufe he has not
" voluntarily tranfgrefled the Will of God." To this may be
added Chalcidim's Difputatioa concerning this Matter in Tiw^^m,

200 OF THE TRUl H OF THE Book IV.

that which is plainly unavoidable. Further, fince
fome Actions of the Will are evil : If they are
caufed by a certain NeceiTity of the Heavens, and
becaufe God has given fuch a Power to the Hea-
vens and the heavenly Bodies : it will follow, that
God, who is pjrfccftly good, {a) is the true Caufe
of moral Evil ; and at the fame Time that he pro-
felTes his utter Y\bhorrence of Wickednefs in his
politivc Law, he has planted the efficient and ine-
vitable Caufe of it, in the Nature of Things ; there-
fore he wills two Things contrary to each other,
viz. that the fame Thing fhould be, and not be;
and that /bal fhould be a Sin, which is done by a
Divine Impulfe. {/■) It is faid by others, with a
greater Shew of Probability, that firft the Air, and
afterwards our Bodies, arc affecled by the Influence
of the Stars, and foimbibe certain Qjalities,which
for the moll Part excite in the Soul Defires an-
fwerabfe to them ; and that by thefe the Will is
enticed, and oftentimes yields to them. But, if
this be granted, it makes nothing to the Qiieftion
in Hand. For the Religion of Chr'ft could not
poffibly have its Rife from the Affections of the
Body, nor confequently from the Power of the
Stars ; which, as was faid, ad upon the Mind no
otherwife than by fuch Affeclions ; becaufe this
Religion, in the higheffc Degree, drav.s Men off
from thofe Things that delight the Body. The

wifefl;

(a) 1^ the true Cnufe of inoral Ei:il, &c.] P/^/o fpeaks againft
this, in his fccond Repiiblick. " The Caufe is from him that
chufes, God is not the Caufe." Thus Chalcidius tranflatcs it
in Timo'ia, wliich Jujiin, in the foremcntioued Place, fays,
agrees with Mojis.

[h) It U faid hy others ivilh tz greater flcia of Prohabilityt A'c]
But they fjcak niofl irul)', who deny any fuch Influences at all;
and ficknowledge nothing elfe in tlie Stars hut Heat and Light ;
to which we may add, their Weight refulting from their Big-
nefs; but thefe have, properly fpcaking, no Relation to the
Mind. Lc Clerc,

Sea. II, I-. CHRISTIAN RFXIGION. 201

wifeft Aftrologers do (^) except truly knowing
and good Men from the Law of the Stars ; and
fuch were they who firft propofed the Chriftian
Religion as their Lives plainly fhew : And if we
allow a Power in Learning and Knowledge, to
hinder their Bodies from being thus infcded ;
there always were amongfl: Chriftians fome, who
might be commended upon this Account. Fur-
ther, the Effefts of the Stars, as the mofi: learned
confefs, refped only particular Parts of theWorld.
and are temporary : But this Religion has con-
tinued already for above lixteen hundred Years,
not only in one, but in very diftant Parts of the
World, and fuch as are under very different
Pofitions of the Stars.

SECT. XII.

^he principal I'hings of the Chrijlinn Religion weir
approved of by the wifefl Heathens : And if there
he any 'Thing in it is hard to be believed^ the like
to be found amongfl the Heathen,

THERE is the lefs Reafon for the Heathens
to oppofe the Chriflian Religion ; becaufe all the
Parts of it are fo agreeable to the Rules of Virtue,
that by their own Light they do in a Manner con-
vince the Mind; iniomuch that there have not
been wanting fome amongfl: the Heathen, who
have faid thefe Things lingly, which, in our Reli-
gion, are all put together. For Inftance {b) that

Religion

{a) Except truly hiwnxjing and good Men, 8:c.'\ Thus Z^roa^er :
" Do not increafe your Fate." And Ftolemcrus : " A wife Man
** may avoid many Influences of the Stars."

(h) That Religion does not conjiftin Ceremonies, &c.] Menander:
With a clean Mind do Sacrifice to God,
Not Jo much neat in Cloaths, as pure in Heart,

Cicero

5®2 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV,

Religion does not confifl: in Ceremonies, but is in

the

T^keroin his Second Book of the Nature of the Gods: " The

«' beft Worflii-p of the Gods, which is alfo the moll innocent,

*' the moft holy, and the moft tuU of Piety ; is to reverence

*' them always with a pure, fincere, uncorrupted Mind and

•' ExprefTion." And again in his Second Book of Laws : "The

*♦ Law commands us to approach the Gods fincerely ; that is,

*' v/ith our Minds, which is all in all." Terfius^ Sat. IL

Tlyis let us cfftr to the Gods [nuhkh hleard
Mefiala's Offspring cnn't, ivith all their Coji)
Jujfice and Right in all onrfecret Thoughts,
An undijj'embled Virtue from the Breafi.
^ring tbife, and 'what you plenjc, thcnfacrifce^

Thefe Verfes feem to have Refpeft to the Pythian Craclc,
which we find in Forphyry's Second Book againft eating living
Creatures; where any Thing offered by a pious Man, is pre-
ferred to Hecatombs of another. In the fame Book Porphyry
has thcfe V\'ords to the like Purpofe : " Now they efteem him
*' not fit to offer Sacrifice worthily, whofe Body is not clothed
" with a white and clean Garment ; but they do not think
*' it any great Matter, if fome go to Sacrifice, having their
*' Bodies clean, and alfo their Garments, though their Minds
*' be not void of Evil : As if God were not raofl: delighted
*' with the Pmity of that which in us is moll divine, and bcar.'i
•' the nearcit Refemblance to him. For it is written in thq
«' Temple of Epidaurus^

Let all nuho came to rffer at this Shrina
Be pure ; fo ijje command»

^* Now Purity confills in hcly Thoughts." And a little after:
•' No mortal Thing ought to be offered or dedicated to God.
*' who, as the Wife Man faid, is abo\ e all ; for every Tiling
*' material is impure to him who is immaterial ; wherefore
•' Words are not proper to exprefs ourfelvcs by to him,
•* not even internal ones, if polluted by the Paffions of
*< the Mind. And again : " For it is not reafonablc that
** in thcfe Temples which are dedicated to the Gods by
** Men, they (hould wear clean Shoes without any Spots;
«' and in the' Temple of the Father, that is, in this \^ orld,
** not keep their inner Clothes (which is the Body) neat,
** and converfe with Purity in the Temple of their Father."
Neither can I omit what follows out of the fame Boole :
*' Whoever is perfuaded that the Gods have no Need
<* of thefe (Sacrifices) but look only to the Manners of

" ihiofe

Sea. 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 2C3

the Minds ; (a) that he who has it in his Heart tp
<:ommit Adultery, is an Adulterer ; (^) that we

ought

" thofe who approach them, efteeming right Notions of them
*♦ and of Things, the befl Sacrifices ; how can fuch an one be
*' otherwife than Sober, Godly, and Righteous ?" Where we
find thefe three known Words of ParyJ, Tit, ii. 2. Soberh,
Righteoujljy and Godly, Charondas, in his Preface to the Laws :
'* Let your Mind be void of ;iU Evil ; for the Gods delight
" not in the Sacrifices and Expences of wicked Men, but in
*• the juf! and virtuous Adions of good Men, Seneca,
quoted by Lafiantius in his Inftitutions, Book XI. Chap. 24,
*• Would you conceive God to be Great, Propitious, and to
** be reverenced, as meek in Majefty, as a Friend, and always
" at hand ? You muft not worfhip hirn with Sacrifices, and
*' Abundance of Blood, but with a pure Mind, and an upright
"* Intention." To the fame Senfe is that of Dun Prufisenfaj
Orat. 3. Thucydidcs, Book I. *' There is no other Feftival,
" but a Man's doing his Duty." Diogenes : ♦' Does not a good
" Man think every Day a Feftival ?"

\a} That he luho has it in his Hearty &c,] Thus O-j/d^

He 'who forbears y only hecanfe forbid.

Does Jin ; his Body's free, his Mind is fain d^

Were he alone, he'd be an Adulterer,

Seneca the Father : " There is fuch a Thing as Incefl:, without
*' the Aft of Whoredom; I'iz.. The Defire of it." And in
another Place : " She is reckoned amongft Sinners, and not
f without Reafon, who is modeft out of Fear, and not for
*' Virtue's Sake,"

{b) That njue ought not to return an Injury, <Src.] See Plato^s
Criton, and Maximus Tyrius's Second DilTcrtation. Menander:

O Gorgias, he's the 'very heft cf Men,
Who can forgive the great eft Injuries,

Arifton Spartianus : ** To a certain Perfon who faid that it
** was a princely Thing to ^0 Good to Friends, and Evil to
*' Enemies : " Rather, anfwered he, to do Good to Friends,
" and to make Enemies Friends." And the fiime Dion, the
Deliverer of Sicily, in Plutarch fays : that a true Demonftra-
tion of a philofophical Difpofition conftib not in any one's
being kind to his Friend; but when he is injured, in being
cafily intreated, and merciful to'.vards thof: who have offended
him.

204. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

ought not to return an Injury j (a) that a Hufband
ouo;ht to have but one VV'ifc ; (.^] that the Bands
of Matrimony ought not to be diffolved ; (c) that
it is every Man's Duty to do Good to another,
(d) cfpecially to him that is in Want; (e) that, as
much as pofTible, Men ought to abftain from

Swearing ;

{a) That a Hujhand ought ti ha^ve but one Wife, &c.] See
what is before quoted out of Sallufi and others, about thi
fatter. Euripides in his_ Andromache :

„ It is by tio Means fit

One Man pould o'er t-MO Women ha-je the Rule',
One nuptial Bed ivill a ivi/e Man fuffice.
Who 'would ha^ve all Things regulated luell.

And more to the fame Purpofe, and in the Chorus of the fame
Traged}'.

{b) That the Bonds of Matrimony oT'^ht not to he dijfohed, &-c.]
So it was aniongft the Romans till the five hundred and twentieth
Year of the City, as Valerius Maximus informs us. Book III,
Chap. I. Anaxandrides to rh^ hmt Vnx'^ok.
'Tis Jbameful thus for Men to ebb andfonv.

[c) That it is every Man's Duty to do Good to another, &C,J
^Terence's Self-Tormenter.

I am a Man, and think eiiery Thing humane belongs to me.
*« We are by Nature related to each other," fays Florentine
the Lawyer, L. ut 'vim. D. de Jujiitia. And this is the Mean-
ing of the Proverb. *' One Man is a Kind of a God to an-
" other." Cicero, in his Firil Book of Offices, iiiys, there is
a mutual Society betwixt Men, all of them being relaicd to one
another.

{d) Efpecially to him that is in V/ant, d-c] Ihrace, Book II.
V/retch, 'why Jhould any nx^ant, 'when you are rich?
In Minus :

Merry procures frong Security,

{e) Thai as much as p^fftble, Mefi ought to ahfain from Szuear-
i'.-g, &c.] Pythagoras: " We ought not to fwear by the
** Gods, but endeavour to make ourfelves believed without
*' an Oath ?" Which is largely explained by HierccLs, on
his Golden V'erfes. Marcus Antoninus, Book III. in his De-

fcription

Sea. 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 20^

Swearing; (a) that in Meat and Clothes, they
ought to be content with what is necefTary to fup-
ply Nature. And if there be any Thing in the
Chriflian Religion difficult to be believed, the
like is to be found amongfl: the wifefl of the Hea-
thens, as we have before made appear, with ref-
ped to the Immortality of the Soul, and Bodies
being reftored to Life again. Thus Plato, taught
by the Chaldceans^ [l) diftinguiflied the Divine

Nature

fcription of a good Man, fjiys, *• fuch an one needs no O.ith,'*
Sophocles in his Oedipus Coloncus :

I n.vould 7iot hwve you f-uvear, hecaufe 'tis bad.

Clinius the Pythagorean would fooner loofe three Talents in a
Caufe, than affirra the Truth with an Oath. The Story is re-
lated by Bajilms concerning reading Greek Authors.

{a) That in Meat and Cloaihs, &c.] Euripides:

There are hut iivj Thiiigs 'which Mankind do <wanfy
A Cruji of Bread, and Draught of Spring Watery
Bath of %vhich are near, and fvjfice for Life,

And Liican :

There is enough of Bread and Drink for all..
And Arijiides :

We ivant nothing hut Cloaths, Houfcs, and Food.

[h) Dijlinguijhed the Diuine Nature, iXrc] See Plato's Epiflle
to Dionyfius. Plato calls the firft Principle the Father, the fecond
Principle, the Caufe or Governor of all Things, in his Epiftle
to Hermias, Erajlus, and Corifcus. The fame is called the Mind
by Plotinus, in his Bock of the three Principal Suhjiances, Nu-
inenitis calls it the Workman, and alfo the Son : And Atneltus
the IFord, as you may fee in Erfehius, Book XI. Chap. ly,
18, 19. See alfo Cyril's, Third, Fourth, and Eighth Books
againft Julian, Chalcidius on Tirmeus, calls the iirfi the Su-
preme God ; the fecond, the Mind, or Providence ; the
third, the Soul of the World, or the Second Mind. In
another Place he dillinguilhes thefe three thus : The
Contriver, the Commander, and the EiFedter. Fie fj eiks
thus of the fecond : *' The Reafon cf God, is God
'' confulting the Affairs of Men; which is the Caufe of
" Men's living well and happily, if they do not negled that

" Gift

io6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book IV.

Nature into the Father; the Father's Mind,
which he alfo calls a Branch of the Deity, the
Maker of the World ; and the Soul, which com-
prehends and contains all Things. That the Di-
vine Nature could be joined with the Human,
(a) Julian, that great Enemy to the Chriftians,
believed, and gave an Example to yE/cu/apms,
who bethought came from Heaven to deliver to
Men the Art of Phyfick. Many are offended at
the Crofs of Chrift; but what Stories are there,
Avhich the Heathen Authors do not tell of their
Gods ? Some w^re Servants to Kings, others were
flruck wqth Thunder-bolts, ripped up, wounded.
And the wifeft of them affirmed, that the more
Virtue cofl, the more delightful it was. (/^) Plato,

in

** Gift which the Supreme God has beftow ed on them. Tiie
** Pythagoreans afllgn to the Supreme God the Number Three,
** as pcrfeft," fays Servius, on the Seventh Eclogue. Not
much differing from which, is that of Arijtotle, concerning the
fame Pythagorfa7!s, in the Beginning of his FirH: Book of the
Heavens. (This is more largely handled by the very learned
R. Cudnjoorth, in his EngUJh Work of the IntelUdual Sjjiem of
the World, Book I. Chap. 4. which you will not repent con-
fulting.)

(a J Julian, that great Enemy to the Chijiians, ^z.'\ Book
VI. '* Amongft thofe Things which have Underftanding,
*' Jupiter produced Mfculapius from himfelf, and caufed him
*' to appear upon Earth, by Means of the fruitful Life of the
*' Sun ; he, taking his Journey from Heaven to Earth, ap-
*' peared in one Form in Epidaurus." Thus Porphyry, as Cyril
relates his Words in his forementioned Eighth Book : " There
*' is a certain kind of Gods, which in proper Seafon are tranf-
" formed into Men.'"' What the Egyptians^ Opinion of this
Matter was, fee Plutarch, Sympof. Vllf. ^cpji. I. to vvhith
may be added that Place of A^s xiv. i o.

fbj Plato, i?i his Second Republick, &c.] The Words are
thefe, tranflated from the Greek: " He will be fcourged,
«' tormented, bound, his Eyes burnt out, and die by Cruci-
*' fixion, after he has endured all thofe E\ils." Whence he
had that, which he relates in his Third Book of Republick :
«• That a good Man will be tormented, furioufly treated,

«* have

Sea. 12. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 207

in his fecond Republick, fays, in a Manner pro-
phetitically, that for a Man to appear truly good,
it is necelTary that his Virtue be deprived of all
its Ornaments, fo that he may be looked upon
by others as a wicked Man, may be derided, and
at laft hanged : And certainly to be an Example
of eminent Patience is no othervvife to be
obtained.

** have his Hands cut off, his Eyes plucked out, will be
•' bound, condemned, and burnt." Lada^itius in his /;//?F-
Uitions, Book VI. Chap. xn. has preferved this Yh^ZQ oi Seneca :
" This is that virtuous Man, who though his Body fuffer
•* Torments in every Part ; though the Flame enter into his
*• Mouth, though his Hands be extended on a Crofs ; does
•* not regard nvhat he fuffers, but hoiv <well." Such an one
Euripides reprefents to us in thefe Verfes :

'Burn, fcalil this tender Flejh ; drink jour full Glut
Of purple Blood. Sooner may Hea-ven and Earth
Approach each other ^ and be join d in one,
Than I on you exprefs a flattering Word,

To which that of JEfchyhts, mentioned by BlatOt in the fore-
cited Place, exadly agrees :

He Ji rives to be, not to be thought, the bejl\
Deep-mot ed in his Mind he bears a Stock,
Wke?ice all the ivi/er Cgunjeh are deri'ved.

BOOK

BOOK V.

SECT. I.

A Confutation of Judaifmy he ginning with an Addrefs
to the Jews.

NOW we are coming out of the thick Dark-
nefs of Heathenifm ; the Jezvijh Religion,
which is a Part and the Beginning of Truth, ap-
pears to us, much like Twilight to a Perfon gra-
dually advancing out of a very dark Cave ; Where-
fore I dcfire the Jcivs^ that they would not look
upon us as Advcrfaries : We know very well,
(^) that they are the Offspring ofHoly Men, whom
God often vifited by his Prophets and his Angels j
that the Meffiah was born of their Nation, as were
the firft Teachers of Chriftianity : They were the
Stock into which we were grafted ; to them were
commitcd the Oracles of God, which wt refpedl as
much as they ; and with Paul put up our hearty
Prayers to God for them, befeeching him that that
Day may very fpcedily come, {b) when the Veil
■which now hangs over their Faces, being taken
off, they, together with us, may clearly perceive
((?) the fulfilling of the Law ; and when, according
to the ancient Prophecies, many of us, who are

Strangers,

{a) TIjat thcj are the Offspring of holy Men, &c.] This, and
what follows, is taken out of the ixth, xth, and xith, of the
Romans; to which may be added Matt. xv. 2.

{b) When the Veil, &c.] 2 Ccr. iii. 14, 15, 16.

(f) The ftiljilling of ths La^v, &c,l CVr. iii, 24. viii, 14.
X. 4. xUi. 24.

Sea. I, 2. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 209

Strangers, fhall lay hold of (a) the Skirt of a
yew, praying him, that with equal Piety we
may worfhip that one God, the God of Abraham,
JJaaCt Tind JacoL

SECT. II.

^hat the Jews ought to look upon the Miracles of

Chrijl as fufficiently attefied.

FIRST, therefore, they are requefted not to
efteem that unjuft, in another's Caufe, which they
think juft in their own : If any Heathen fnould
afk them, why they believe the Miracles done by
Mojes ; they can give no other Anfwer, but that
the Tradition concerning this Matter, has beenfo
continual and conftant amongft them, that it
could not proceed from anything elfe but the
Teftimony of thofe who faw them. Thus, [b)
that the Widow's Oil was increafed by EliJJja, [c)
and the Syrian immediately healed of his Lcprofy;
{d) and the Son of her, who entertained him, raifed
to Life again ; with many others ; are believed
\>y the Jews for no other Reafon, but becaufe
they were delivered to Pofterity by credible wit-
nelfes. And concerning (<?) -E/Z/W^'^ being taKen
up into Heaven, they give Credit to the ii ktIc
P Teltimony

(a) The Skirt of a Jew, &c,] Zechar. viii. 20. and following.
IJaiah ii. 2. xix. 18. and 24. Mkab iv. 2. Hofeam, 4. Rom.
xi. 25.

('^) That the Widonus Oil njoas increafedy &c.] 2 Kings, Ch. iv.

(f) A?id the Zyx'v&n immediately healed, &c.] Ch, v.

{d) A/id the Son of her luho entertained him, ^C.J In the
forementioned ivth Chapter.

[/) Elijah's being taken u^ into Heaven, &c.] Chap, ii, of the-
foreciced Book,

210 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

Te([imonyot' E/i/7ja, as a Man beyond all Excep-
tion. But (rt) wc bring twelve VVitnefTcs, whofe
Lives were unblameable, (^) of Chrift's afcend-
ing into Heaven; and many more of Chrift's being
feen upon Earth after his Death ; which, if they
be true, the Chriftian Doctrine muft ofNecefTity
be true alfo ; and it is plain that the Jews can fay
nothing for themfclves but what m ill hold as
jftrong or ftronger for us. But, to pafs by Tefti-
monies ; (c) the Writers of the Talmud and the
Jezvs themfclves, own the miraculous Things
done by Chrift ; which ought to fatisfy them :
For God cannot more effeclually recommend the
Authority of any Do6trine delivered by Man,
than by working Miracles.

SECT. III.

An Anfwer io the OhjeBion^ that thofc Miracles zvere
done by the Help of De-vils.

BUT fomefay, that thefe Wonders were done
by the Help of Devils : But this Calumny has
been already confuted from hence ; that as foon
as the Doc^lrine of Chrift was made known, all
the Pov/er of the Devils was broken. What is ad-
ded by fomc, that Jefus learned Magical Arts in
Egyptf carries a much lefs appearance of Truth,
than the like Objedion of the Heathen againft
MoJeSy v/hich wt find in {d) Pliny and [e) Apu-

leiiis,

[a) We bring tivehe Witnejps, tcc.\ Mark x\i. icj. Luhe
xxiv. 52. " s^ds i.

{b) Of Chrift' s afcending into Heai'en, &c.] Matt, xxviii.
Mark. xvi. Luke xxiv. John XX. xxi. i Cor. xv.

(c) The JVriters of tk- Talmud, SccA See what is quoted.
Book II.

{d) In Pliny, &c.] Book XXX. Chap. i.

{e) And Apuleius, &x.] fa his fecond Apology,

3

Sea. 3- CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 2ii

leius. For it does not appear, but from the Books
of his Difciples that Jefus ever was in Egypt \ and
they add, that he returned from thence a Child.
But it is certain that Mofes fpent a great Part of
his Time, when he was grown up, in Egypt ^ both
{a) from his own Account, [b] and the Relation
of others. But the Law of each of them ftronglv'
clears hoth. Mofes cind Jefus from this Crime, {c)
becaufe they exprefsly forbid fuch Arts, as are
odious in the Sight of God. And if in the Times
of Chriil: and his Difciples, there had been any
fuch Magical Art any where, either in Egypt, ot
other places, whereby thofe Things related of
Chrift, could be done; fuch as dumb Men being
fuddenly healed, the Lame walking, and Sight
given to the Blind ; the Emperors, (d) Tiberius^
(e) NerOy and others, who would not have fpared
any Coft in enquiring after fuch Things, would
undoubtedly have found it out. And if it be true,
(/) what the Jezvs report, that the Counfellors oif
P 2 the

fa) From his o<wn, 2:c.] Exodus ii. iv, and following,

{J}) And the Relation of others, &c.] Manethon, ChcsremoHi
Lyjimaclms in Jofephus's Firit Book agalnft Appiotiy and Jujiin.
and Tacitus,

{c) Becaufe they exprefsly forbid fuch Acls, S:(i.'] Exod. xxiid
28 Le'vit. XX. 6. 2"], Numb, xxiii. 23. D::it. xviii. 10. i Sam^
xxviii. 9. 2 Kings xv'ii. ti. 6. Jds xiii. 8,9, 10. xvi. ibo
xix. 10.

{d) Tiberius, &Ci] Tacitus ; AhnaL XVI. Suetonius «1 his
Lite, Chap. S'^, and 69.

{e) Neroi &c*] Concerning whom Pliny, Book XXX.
Chap. ii< in his Hiftory of Magick, fays,- ♦* He had not ^
" greater Defire after Mufical and Tragical Singing." And
afterwards : •* No Man favoured any Art with greater Coft ;
" for thefe Things he wanted neither Riches, Abilities, rior
♦* Difpofuion to learn." Prefcntly after, he relates how he
Was initiated into the magical Suppers of King Tiridaies,

{f] What the Jews report, &c.] See the Talmud t entitled^
Concerning the Council ; and that concerning the Sabbaihi

21« OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V^

the great Council were fkilled in Magical Arts,
in order to convid; the Guilty ; certainly they
who were fo great Enemies to Jefus, and fo
much envied his Reputation, which continually
increafedby his Miracles, would have done the
like works by fome Art ; or have made it plain
by undeniable Arguments, that his Works could
proceed from nothing elfe.

SECT. IV.

Or by the Power of IVords.

SOME of the Jezvs afcribe the Miracles of
Jefus to a certain fecret Name, which was put in-
to the Temple by Solomon^ and kept by two Lions
for above a thoufand Years, but was conveyed
thence by Jefus ; which is not only falfe, but an
impudent Fidion. For, as to the Lions, which
is fo remarkable and wonderful a Thing ; nei-
ther the Book of the KingSy nor the Chronicles,
nor Jofephus, mentions any Thing of them ;
Nor did the Romans^ who before the Times of
Jefus entered the Temple with Pompey^ find any
liich Thing.

SECT. V.

That the Miracles of Jefus were divine ^ proved from
henccy becaufe he taught the Worfloip of one God^
the Maker of the IVorld.

NOW, if it be granted that Miracles were
done by Chrill, which the Jews acknowledge ;
we affirm, that it follows from the Law oi Mofes
itfcif, that we ought to give Credit to him : For
God has faid in the xviiith Chapter of Dentero-
nomvy that he would raife up other Prophets bc-
lides Mofesy which the People were to hearken

to;

Sea. 4> 5' CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 213

to; and threatens heavy Punifliments if they
did not. (a) Now the rnoft certain Token of a
Prophet, is Miracles ; nor can any Thing be con-
ceived more flagrant. Yet it i's faid, Deuf.xnu
that if any one declares himfelf to be a Prophet,
by working Wonders, he is not to be hearkened
toif he intices the People to the Woriliipof new
Gods : For God permits fuch Wonders to be
done, only to try, whether his People be firmly
eflablifhed in the Worfliip of the true God, From
which Places compared together, (^) the Hehrw
Interpreters rightly collefted, (c) that everyone
who worked Miracles, was to be believed, if he
did not draw them off from the Worfhip of the
true God, for in that Inftance only, it is decla-
red, that no Credit is to be given to Miracles,
though never fo remarkable ones. Now Jefus did
not only not teach the Worfliip of falfe Gods,
but on the contrary (d) did exprefsly forbid it as
a grievous Sin ; and taught us to reverence the
Writings of MofeSy and thofe Prophets which fol-
lowed him: So that nothing can be objeded
againft his Miracles; for whatfome object, that
the Law of Jefus in fome Things differs from
that oi MofeSy is not fufficient,

{a) Noruj the rnoft certain Take», &c.] And the foretelling
future Events., which may juftly be reckoned amongft Mira-
cles, Deut, xviii. 22.

{b) The Hebrew Interpreters, Sec.'] See M^/es, Maimonide^
and others quoted in Manajfes's Conciliatory ^lesfi. IV. on Deut

[c] That e'uery oiie nvho ivorked Miracles, &c.] And whofe
Prophefies came to pafs ; this Argument is ftrongly urged in
Chryfoftom's Fifth Difcourfe againlt the Jeius ; and in his Dif-
courfe concerning Chrift's Divinity, VI. Tom. Sa'vil.

(d) Did exprefsly forbid it , Sec] Matt. xii. 29, ^z. John
xvii. 3. Ads XV. 28. I Cor. V, 10, 11,18. VI. g. x.__7. xii. 2.
2 Cor» vi. 16. I Theff, i, g. i John v. 21.

P 3 SECT,

SI4 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

SECT. VI.

AnAnf-weriQ the Object ion^ dra^dcn from the Dif-
ference betwixt the Lazv of Mofes, and the Laza
of Chrift ; where it isjhown^ that there m/o^ht be
given a more -perfect Law than that of Mofes.

FOR the Hebrew Dodors thcmfelvcs lay down
this Rule [a) for the Extent of a Prophet's Power,
that is, of one that works Miracles; that he may
fecurely violate any Sort of Precept, except that of
the VVorfhip of one God, And indeed the Power
of making Laws, which is in God, didnptceafe
upon his giving Precepts by Mofes \ nor is any
one, who has any Authority to give Laws,thercby
hindered from giving others contrary to them. The
Objedion of God's Immutability is nothing to the
J^urpofe, for we do not fpeak of the Nature and
Ellence of God, but of his A6lions. Light is
turned into Darknefs, Youth into Age, Summer
into Winter ; which are all the A6ls of God.
Formerly God allowed to Adam all other Fruit,
{b) except that of one Tree,which he forbad him,
vi%. becaufe it washis Pleafure. He forbad kill-
ing Men in general, [c) yet he commanded yt/Zrj-
ham to flay his Son; [d] he forbad fome, and ac-
cepted other Sacrifices, diftant from the Taber-
nacle. Neither will it follow, that becaufe the

Law

(n) For the Extent of a Prophet's Poiver, &c,] This Rule
is laid clown in the Talmud, entitled. Concerning the Council.
Thus at the Command of Jojhua, the Law of the Sabbath
was broken, Jof. v. And the -Prophets often facrificed out of
the Place appointed by the Law, as Samuel, i Sa?n, vii. ^7.
xiii. 8. and Elijah, i Kings xviii. 38.

[b) Except that of one Tree, &c.] Gen. ii. 17.

(c) Tit he commanded Abraham, &c.] Gen. xxii. 2.

[J) He forbad feme, an4 accented others, «Sjc] As we fai4
Jult befop.

Sea. 6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 215

Law given by Afo/es was good, therefore a better
could not be given. Parents are wont to lifp with
their Children, to wink at the Faults of their Age,
to tempt them to learn with a Cake : But as they
grow up, their Speech is correded, the Precept's
of Virtue inftilled into them, and they are Ihewn
the Beauty of Virtue, and what are its Rew ards.
(a) Now that the Precepts of the Law were not
abfolutely perfed, appears from hence ; that fome
holy Men in thofe Times, led a Life morefierfed
than thofe Precepts required. Mojes, who allowed
revenging an injury, partly by Force, and partly
by demanding Judgment ; when himfelf was af-
flided with the worft of Injuries, [b) prayed for
his Enemies, [c) Thus David was willing to
have his rebellious Son fpared, [d) and patiently
bore the Curfes thrown upon him. Good Men
are nowhere found to have divorced their Wives,
though the Law allowed them to do it. (f) So
that Laws are only accommodated to the greater
Part of the People j and in that State it was rea-
P 4 fonable

(a) NouD that the Precepts of the La^w, &c.] Hcb. viii. 7.

[b) Frayed for his Enemies, &c.] Exod. xxxii. 2, 12, 1 4, jr,
Numb. xi. 2. xii. 13. xiv. 13, and following Verfes. xxi. 7, 8.
Deut. ix. 18. 26. xxxiii.

{c) Thus Duv'id ivas ivil/ing, &c.] 2 Sam, xvin. ^.

(d) And Patiently bore the Curfes, &c.] 2 Sam. xxi. lO,

(e) So that the Lanus are only accommodated, &c.] Origen
againft Celfus, Book III. " As a certain Lawgiver faid to
•' one who alked him, if he gave to his Citizens the moft
" perfeft Laws ; not, fays he, the moft perfect in themfelves,
** but the beft they can bear." Porphyry, Book L againft
eating living Creatures, concerning La, givers, fiys thus :
" If they have Regard to the middle Sort of Life, called
*' Natural, and according to what is agreeable ro inoft Men,
*' who meafure Good and Evil bv e::ternai Things, which
*' concern the Body : ]f, I fay, with this Vieiv^ they make
*• Laws ; what Injury is dene to Life, if any one adds forae-
** thing more excellent than this ? "

2i6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V

fonablc fome Things Ihould be overlooked, which
were then to be reduced to a more perfedl Rule,
when God, by a greater Power of his Spirit, was
to gather to himlelf a new People out of all Na-
tions. And the Rewards which were exprcfsly
promifcd by the Law ol Mofcs^ do all Regard this
mortal Life only : Whence it muft be confefled,
(^) that a Law better than this, might be given,
which fhould propofe everlafting Rewards, not
under Types andShadows, but plainly and openly,
as we fee the Law of ChriH: does.

SECT. VH.

'the Law o/'Mofes ijoas ohfervcd by J ejus ivhen on
Earthy neither zvas any Part of 'it aholijhcd after-
zvards, but on thofe Precepts isohich had no intrinfic
Goodnejs in them.

WE may here obferve by the Way, to fliew
the Wickednefs of thofe Jctjos^ who lived in our
Saviour'sTime, that Jefus was very bafely treat-
ed by them, and delivered up to Punilhment,
when they could not prove that he had done any
Thing contrary to the Law. [b) He was circum-
cifed, (f)made ufe of the J^^'t/^ Meats, [d) was
cloathcd like them ; {e) thofe who were cleanfed
from their Leprofy, he fent to the Priefts, (/) he

religioully

{a) That a Laiu hetter than this, &c.] Heh. vii. lo, 22.
viii. 6. xTim. i. ro.

(^) He 'was circumci/cd, Si.c.^ Luke U. 21.

(c) Made vfe of the Jevvifh Meats, &:c.] Gnl. iv. 5,

{d) Was cloaihed like them, &c.] Matt. ix. 20.

{cj Thofe ivho 'were cleanfed, cVc] Mat!, via. 4. Mark \. 44,
Luke V. 14.

[fj He relighufly ohferzeJ th- Paffjyer, &c,] Luke'n^^},
John ii. I ?. 23. xi. 56. xii. i. JchnvW, 2,
6

Sea. 7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 217

rcligioufly obferved the Pafibver, and other Fefli-
val Days. If he healed any on the Sabbath-Day,
he made it appear, (a) not only from the Law,
(/-) but from their received Opinions, that fuch
Works were not forbidden on the Sabbath. He
then firft began (f) to difcover the abrogating fome
Laws, when he had overcome Death, was afcended
into Heaven, had endued his Difciples, with re-
markable Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and had fhewn
by thofe Things, (d) that he had obtained a
Kingly Power, (6') in which is included an Autho-
rity to make Laws, according to that Prophecy
of Daniely Chap. iii. and viii. the viiith and xith,
being compared together ; who foretold, that after
the overthrow of the Kingdoms oi Syria iMnd Egypt^
(the latter of which came to pafs under Augujius)
God would give to a Man, (/) who fhould appear
to be an ordinary Perfon, a Kingdom ; extending
to the People of all Nations and Languages, and
which fhould never havean End. Now that Part
of the Law, the Neceflity of which was taken
av/ay by Chrift, did not contain in it any Thing in
its own Nature virtuous j but confifted of Things
indifferent in themfelves, and therefore not unal-
terable : For if there had been any Thing in the
Nature of thofe Things to inforce their Pradice,

God

{a J Not only from the Lanv, &c.] Matt. xii. 5.

(bj But from their received Opinions, Scc.'\ Matt. xii. n,

(cj To dijco'vcr the abrogating, &c.] A^s X. Colof. ii. i^.

[d] That he had obtained a kingly Ponjocr, &c, J A^s ii. 5-6.
Rev, i. 5.

{e) In ivhich is included, &c.] James I. 2^.

if) ^^'^' fjould appear to be an ordinary Per/an, &c.] Dan.
j;. 4^. vii. 1-^. For the Son of Man cxprefies, in Hebrc^j:, a
certain Meannefs ; and fo tlie Prophets are called, compared
with Angels, as. is obferved by Jachiades, on Dan. x, 1 6.

2i8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

God would have prefcribed them (a) to all the
World, and not to one People only ; and that from
the very beginning, and not two thoufand Years
and more after Mankind had been created. JIpc/^
Enoch, Noah, Melchifedech, Job, Abraham, IJaac,
Jacob, and all the eminently pious Men, who
vcre fo beloved of God, were ignorant of all, or
almoftall this Part of the Law; and yet neverthe-
lefs they received Teftimony of their Faith to-
"wards God, and of his divine Lovctowardsthem.
Neither did i^fo/^^advife his Father-in-law ^f/^ro
to perform thefe Rites, nor Jonas, the Nirievites^
nor did the other Prophets remove the Chaldeans,
Egyptians, Sidonians, Syrians, Iduni<eans, and Moab-
ites, to whom they wrote, for not embracing them,
though they particularly enumerate their Crimes.
Thefe Precepts, therefore, were particular, and in-
troduced cither to hinder fome Evil, [b] to which
the Jezvs were efpecially inclined, or for a Trial of
their Obedience, ortofignify fome future Things.
Wherefore there is no more Reafon to wonder at
their being aboliflied, than at a King's abrogating
fome municipal Law^s, in order to eftablilh the
fame Ordinances all over a Nation : Neither can
there be any Thing alledged to prove that God

had

(/?) 'To all the World, and not to one People only, Scz.~\ So far
from that, that fome Laws, fuch as thofe of Firfl Fruits.
Tithes, Aflcrr.bling upon Fcftivals, relate exprefsly to the
Place of Judcia only, whither it is ccttain all Nations cciild
not come. See Exodus xxxiii. 19. and xxxiv. 26. Deui. xxvi. 2.
and what follows. Alfo Deut, xii. 5. and following, xiv. 25.
and following. Alfo Exodus xxiii. 17. xxxiv. 2, 23, z\,
De7it.\\\. 16. The mofl: ancient Cuftom interpreted the Law
of Sacrifices in the fame Manner. The Talmud, entitled.
Concerning the Councih, and that entitled Chagiga, tells us,
that the Law of Mofcs was given to the Hcbrtivs only, and not
to Strangers. See Maimonides on Dcut, xxxiii. and Bechai.

{h) To ivhich the Jews were efpecially inclined, &c.] Being
very much addidlcd to Rites, and, on that Account, prone
to Idolatry. 1 his the Prophets every where fliow, efpecially
Extkiel xvi.

Sea. 7- CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 219

had obliged himfelf to make no Alteration herein.
For if it be faid, that thefe Precepts, are flill perpe-
tual ; (a) Men very often make ufe of this Word,
when they would fignify only, that what they com-
mand in this Manner, is not limited for a Year's
Continuance, (/>) or to a certain Time ; fuppofe of
WarorPeace, accommodated to the Scarcenefs of
Provifion ; now this does not hinder but that they
may appoint new Laws concerning thefe Matters,
whenever the public Good requires it. Thus the
Precepts which God gave to the HebrezvSy were
fome of them temporary, [c] only during the Con-
tinuance of that People in the Wildernefs ; {d)
others confined to their Dwelling in the Land of
Canaan. That thefe might bediftinguilhcd from
the other, they are called Perpetual ; by which
may be meant, that they ought not to be neglcdled
any where, nor at any Time, unlefs God fhould fig-
nify his Will to the contrary. Which Manner of
fpeaking, as it is common to all People, the He^
brews ought the lefs to wonder at, becaufe they
know that in their Law, that is called [e) a
perpetual Right, and a perpetual Servitude, which

conti-

{a) Men very often make Jtfe of this Word, &c.) L. Hac,
Edidali Cod. de fecundis Nuptiis, L. Hac in perpetttum. Cod,
de di-verfs Pr^sdis Libra XI. and in many other Places.

fb) Or to a certain Time^ &c.] L. Valerius in Livy, XXXIV.
" Tiie Laws which particular Times required, are liable to
*'^ be abolifhed, and I find are changed with the Times ; thofc
" that are made in the Times ot" Peace, are abrogated in
" War ; and thofe made in War, abrogated in Peace."

[c) Only during the Cojitinuance, &c.] As Exodus xxvii,
l)eut. xxiii, 12.

[d) Others confined to their Din-ellings, &C.] Deut, xii. I, 20.
Nu/nb. xxxdi. 52.

[e J A perpetual Right, &c.] Exodus xy'l. 6. i Sam. I 22.
And thus Jofephus Albo, in his Third Book of Foundations^
Ch. 16. thinks the Word ^AV^ Le-clam in the ritual Law,

may

220 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

continued only from Jubilee to Jubilee, (a) And
the coming of the Meffiah is by themfelves called
the fulfillingof the Jubilee, or the Great Jubilee.
And moreover, the Promife of entering into a.
new Covenant is to be found amongfl: the old
Prophets, (l>) as Jeremiah xxxi ; where God pro-
mifes that he will make a new Covenant, which
fhall be vv-rit upon their Hearts, and Men will have
no Need to learn Religion of each other, for it
fhall be evident to them all : And moreover, that
he would pardon all their paft TranfgrefTions :
Which is much the fame, as if a Prince, after his
Subjects had been at great Enmity v>-ith each
■other, in order to eflabliili a Peace, fhould taK:e
away their different Laws, and impofe upon them
all one common Law, and that a perfecfl one ;
and for the future promife them Pardon for all
their paft Tranfgreffions, upon their Amendment.
Though what has been faid might fuffice; yet we
■will go through every Part of the Law that is abo-
lillied: and fliew that the Things are not fuch as
are in their own Nature well-pleafmg to God, or
fuch as ought to continue always.

SECT. VIIL

As Sacrifices, which were never acceptable to God
upon their own Account.

THE principal, and which firft offer themfelves
to us, are Sacrifices ; concerning which many He-
brews

roay be underftood. And Phineas^s Priefthood is called P/al.
cvi. 30, 3 1 , Cli'?1ir nj? Adolam cverlajilng. And by the Son
oi Sirach, XLV. 28, 29, 30. an everlalHng Priefthood, and
1 Mace. ii. 55.

fa) And the coming of the McJ/iah, &c.] In Pereck Chcleck,
and clfewhere, and in Jjaiah Ixi. 2. {Pereck Cheleck is the xith
Chapter of the Talmud concerning Councils ; but what Grotius
mentions is not to be found there, at leaft in the Mifchna Text ;
thefc Citations ought to have been more exad.)

(^) Ai Jeremiah xxxi. &c.] Ver. 31, and foUowino;.

Sea. ?. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 22r

hrews are of Opinion [a) that they firft proceeded
from the Invention of Men, before they were com-
manded by God. Thus much certainly is evident,
that the Hebreivs were defirous of very many
Rites ; [b] which was afufficientReafon why God
fhould enjoin them fuch a Number, upon this Ac-
count, left the Memory of their dwelling in Egypt
fhould caufe them to return to the Wolhip of
falfe Gods. But when their Pollerity fet a greater
Value upon them than they ought ; as if they
were acceptable to God upon their own Account,
and a Part of true Piety ; they are reproved by the
Prophets : {c) As to Sacrifices , fays God m David's

Fiftieth

{a) That they firft proceeded from the ht'vention ofMe?i, &:c.]
Chryfoftom XII. concerning Statutes, fpeaking of Abel, fays,
** that he ofFered Sacrifices, which he did not learn from any
** other Perfon, nor did he ever receive any Law that efta-
** blifhed any Thing about Firft-fruits ; but he had it from
" himfelf, and was moved to it by his own Confcience only."
In the AuAver to the Orthocox, in the Words of y?^/», to
the Eighty-third Query : " None of thofe who facrificed
•' Beafts to Cod before the Law, facrificed them at the Di-
*' vine Command ; though it is evident that God accepted
*' them, and by fuch Acceptance difcovered that the Sacri-
♦' fices were well-pleafing to him. " (This Matter is largely
handled by Dr. Spencer concerr.ing the Ritual Law of the
"jeqjjs. Book III. Difc. 2. to which I refer you. Le ClercJ

(b) Which luas a Jufficient Rcajon, &c.] This very Reafon
for the Law of Sacrifices, is alledged by Maimonides in his
Guide to the Doubting, Book III. Chap. 32. Ttrtidlian againft
Mnrcion, Book II. " Would you have nobody find Fault
*♦ with the Labour and Burthen of Sacrifices, and the bufy
" Scrupuloufnefs of Oblations, as ii God truly defired fuch
*' Things, v.hen he fo plainly exclaims againft them ; To
" what Purpofe is the Multitude of your Sacrifices ? And
" who hath required them at your Hands ? But let fuch ob-
" ferve the Care God has taken, to oblige a People prone to
*' Idolatry and Sin, to be religious ; by fuch Duties, as that
*' fuperftitious Age was moft converfant in, that he might
*• call them off from Superftition, by commanding thofe
*' Things to be done upon his Account, as if he defired it,
«* left they fhould fall to making Images. "

(c) As to Sacrifices, Sec] This is Grotius's PaYaphrafe upon
Fj'alm I. not a literal Tranflation : And fo are the following.
Le Clerc,

222 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Bool: V.

Fiftieth Pfalm, according to the Hebre^jo, I zvill
not /peak to yon at all concerning them, viz. that
youJhallJlayBurnt-ojferings upon Burnt -offerings y or
that I will accept young Bullocks or Goats out of
thy Fold : For all the living Creatures ^ which feed
in the ForeJlSy and wander upon the Mountains^ are
mine ; / number both the Birds and the wild Beajh ;
fo that if I be hungry y I need not come to declare it
to you \ for the whole Univerfey and every Thing in
it is mine. Do you think 1 will eat the Fat of Fiefj,
and drink the Blood of Goats F No : Sacrifice Thankf-
givingy and offer thy Vows unto God. There are
iorc\Q2ixnong^i\\t HebrezvSy who affirm, that this
was faid, becaiife they who offered thefe Sacrifices
were unholy in their Hearts and Lives. But the
Words themfclves, which we have quoted, tell us
the contrary, viz. that the Thing was not at all
acceptable to God in itfelf. And if we coniider
the whole Tenor of the Pfalm, we Ihall find that
God addrelfes himfelf to holy Men ; for he had
before faid. Gather my Saints iogeihery and after-
wards, Heary O my People. Thefe are the Word»
of a Teacher ; then having finiflicd the Words be-
fore cited, he turns his Difcourfe, as is ufual, to
the Wicked : But to the IVicked, faid God ; and in
other Places, we find the fame Scnfe. As Pfalm
li. To offer Sacrifices is 7iot acceptable to theey neither
art thou delighted with Burnt-offerings : But the
Sacrifice which thou truly delighteftin, is a mind
humbled by the Senfe of its Faults ; for thouy O God^
•wilt 7iot defpife a broken and contrite Heart : The
like of which is that of Pfalm I. Sacrifices and
Oblations thou doj} not delight ///, but thou fecureji
me to thyfelfy(a') as if 1 were bored through the Ear ;
thou dojlnot require Burnt-f acrifices yOrTrefpafs-offcr-
ings ; therefore have I anfweredy Lo, I come ; and I

am

{a J As if I iv ere bored, 5;c.] A Mar!; of Servitude amongft
the Hebrews,

Sea. 8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 223

am as ready to do thy Willy as any Covenant can make
me i for it is my delight. For thy Law is fixed in
my whole Heart ; the Praifes of thy Mercy I do ?iot
keep clofe in my Thoughts ; ' but I declare 'thy Truth
and Loving-kindnefs every where ; but thy Compaffion
andVailhfulnefs do 1 particularly celebrate in the great
Congregation. In Chap. i. oi Ifaiahy God is intro-
duced fpeaking in this Manner : What arefo many
Sacrifices to me ? I am filled with the Burnt-offerings
of Rams y and the Fat of fed Beajis ; / do not love
the Blood of young Bullocks, of LambSy or of Goats,
that youfJjould appear with it before me : For who
bath required this of you , that you Jhall thus pollute
my Courts ? And Jeremiah vii. which is a like
Place, and may ferve to explain this. Thus faith
the Lord of Angels y the Godoflfmelyyeheapupyour
Burnt-offerings with your Sacrifices, and yourf elves
eat the Fleffj of them. For at the Time when I firfi
brought your Fathers up out p/ Egypt, / neither re^
quired nor commanded them any Thing about Sacrifices,
or Burnt-offerings. But that which I earncjlly com-
manded themy waSy that theyfhould be obedient to me ;
fo would I be their God, and they fJjould be my Peo-
ple ; and that they fJoould walk in the Way that I
fhould teach themy fofhould all Things fucceed profpe-
roufly to them. And thefe are the Words of God
in Hofeay Chap. vi. Loving-kindnefs towards Men,
{a) is much more acceptable to me than Sacrifices \ to
think aright of God, is above all Burnt offerings.
And in Micah, when the Queftion was put, how
any Man fliould render himfelfmofl acceptable to
God ? by a vaft number of Rams, by a huge
Quantity of Oil, or by Calves of a Year old ?
God anfwers, I will tell yon zvhat is truly good and

acceptable

{a) Is much more accepfahk to tth, Src] So t\i^ ChaUeehk-
terpieter explains this Place,

a24. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

acceptable to mCy viz. {a) that yon render to every Man
his Ditey that you do good to others^ and that you
become humble and lozvly before God. Since there-
fore it appears from thefe Places, that Sacrifices
are not reckoned amongft thofc Things which are
primarily, and of ihemfelves acceptable to God ;
but the People, gradually, as is ufual, falling into
wicked Superftition, placed the principal Part of
their Piety in them, and believed that their Sacri-
jEicesmadeafufficientCompcnfation for their Sins:
It is not to be wondered at, if God, in Time,abo-
lifhed a Thing in its own Nature indifferent, but
by life converted into Evil ; efpecially (-^} when
King Hezekiah broke the brazen Serpent erected
by Mofes ; becaufe the People began to worfliip it
with religious Worfliip. Nor are there wanting
Prophefies, which foretold that thofe Sacrifices,
about which the Controverfy now is, fliouldceafe:
Which any one will ealily underftand, who will-
but confider, that according to the Law of 7V/b/>j,
the facrificing was committed entirely to the Po-
flerity of Aaron^ and that only in their own Coun-
try. Now in iy^///7 ex. according to the //f-^rfze;,
a King is promifed, whole Kingdom fliould be
exceeding large, who fhould begin his Reign in
Sion^ and who fliould be a King and a Prieft for
ever, after the Order of M<?/r/^//^^'^/t^c/n And Ifaiah,
Chap. xix. faith, that an Altar fliould be fcen in
Egypty where not only the Egyptians, but the Af-
fyrians alfoand Ijraclites fhould worfliipGod; and
Chap. Ixvi. he faith, that themoft diftant Nations,
and People of all Languages, as well as the Ifrael-
itesy fliould offer Gifts unto God, and out of them

Ihould

[a) That you render to e'very Man his Due, &c.] Therefore
the je^s fay, that the 202 Precepts of the Law are by Ifaiah
contrae'tcd into fix. Chap, xxxiii. 15.^7 il//r<7/> into three in
this Place ; b\' Ij'aiah into two, Chap. Ivi. i. by HabbakkuK
into one. Chap. ii. 4. as alfo by Amos, v. 6.

{b) When King Hezekiah, &-c,] 2 Kings xviii. 4,

Sea. 8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 225

iliould be appointed Priefls and Levites-, aI^
which could not be, [a] whilft the Law of Mofes
continued. To thefe we may add that Place (b)
in Malachiy Chap. i. where God, foretelling fu-
ture Events, fays that the Offerings of the He-
brews would be an Abomination to him; that
from the Eaft to the Well, his Name Ihould be
celebrated among all Nations; and that Incenfe,
and the pureft Things fliould be offered him.
And Daniel in Chap. ix. relating the Prophecy
of the Angel Gabriel y concerning Chrift, fays,
that he /hall abolijh Sacrifices and Offerings : And
God has fufHciently lignified, not only by Words,
bufby the Things themfelves, that the Sacri-
fices, prefcribed by Mo/eSy are no longer ap-
proved by him: Since he has fulfered the Jews
to be above lixteen hundred Years without a
Temple, or Altar, or any Diilincflion of Families,
whence they might know who thofe are who
ought to perform thefe facred Rites.

^aj Whilji the Lanv o^Mofes covtimied, &c.] Add this Place
o{ Jeremy, Chap. iii. 1 6. "In thofe Days, faith the Lord,
*♦ they (hall fay no more, the Ark of the Covenant of the
*' Lord, neither fliall it come into their Minds, neither fliall
** they remember it, neither fhall they vifit it, neither (hall
" that be done any more." (Even the Jen.»; themfelves
could no longer obferve their Law, after they were fo much
fcattered. For it is impolTible that all the Males fhould go
up thrice in a Year to Jerufalem, according to the Law, Exod,
xxiii. 17. from all thofe Countries which were inhabited by
them. This Law could be given to no other, than a People
not very great, nor much diftant from the Tabernacle. L«
Clerc.)

(b) Malachiy Chap, i, &c.] See Chryfifiom's excellent Pa-
ragraph upon this Place, in his Second Difcourfe agai.ift che
Gentiles.

Q^ SECT,

226 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

SEC T. IX.

And the Difference of Meats.

WHAT has been faid concerning the Law of
Sacrifices, the fame may be affirmed of that, in
which different Kinds of Meat are prohibited.
It is manifeft, that after the univerfal Deluge (a)
God gave to ]\>odb and his Poilerity a Right to
uf<: any Sort of Food ; which Right dcfcended
not only to Japhet and Ham^ but alfo to Shem
and his Poiferity, Abraham^ Jjaac^ and Jacob,
But afterwards, when the People in Egypt were
tinctured with the vile Supcrftition of that Na-
tion; then it was, that God firll prohibited "the
eating fome Sort of living Creatures; either be-
caufe for the moft Fart (b) fuch were offered by

the

[a) God gate to Noah and his Poperlty, &c.] The Mention
of clean and unclean Creatures, feems to bean Objeftion againft
this, in the Kiitory of th.e Dehige ; but either this was faid
by V\ ay of ProltJifis to thofe who knew the Law ; or by un-
clean, ought to be underftood, thofe which Men naturally
avoid for Food, fuch as Tacitus calls prophane, Hift. VI. Un-
k'fs any one had rather undcrftand by clean, thofe which are
nouriflicd by Herbs j and by unclean, thofe which feed on other
living Creatures.

(b) Such ivere offered by the Egyptians, &c.] Origejt in his
Fourth Book againtt Celjus : *' Some wicked Dcemoiis, and
*♦ (as I may call them) Titanick or Gigantick ones, who
" were rebellious againft the true God, and the heavenly
" Angels, and fell from Heaven, and arc continually inoviag
•* about grofs and unclean Bodies here on Earth ; having
** fome Forefight of T hings to come, by reafon of their Free-
** dom from eaithly Bo'lies; and being ccnverfant in fuch
** Thin;;S, and being defirous to draw off Mankind from the
♦* true God; they enter into living Creatures, efpecialiy thofe
♦* that are ravenous, wild and fagacious, and move tliem to
*' what they will: Or el le they ftir up the Fancies of fuch
•• living Creatures, to fly or move in fuch a Manner; that
'* Men, taken by the Divination in thefe dumb Creatures,
** might not feek the God tliat ccmprehcnds the Univcrfe,
*' nor enquire after the pure VVorfliip of God; but fuffcr
** theii Keafon to dcgcocrate iuio earthly Things; fuch as

" Birds

Seil. 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. i%)

the Egyptians to their Gods, and they made Di-
vination by them ; or becaufe (a) in that typical

Law,

** Birds and Dragons, Foxes and Wolves. For it is obferved
** by thofe who are flcilled in thefe Things, that future Pre-
** didions are made by fuch living Creatures as thefe; the
'* Demons having no Power to efTeCl: that in tame Creatures,
** which by reafon of their Likenefs in VVickednefs, not real,
"^ but feeming VVickednefs in ffch Creatures, they are able
*' to effeft in other Creatures. Whence, if any Thing bs
*' wonderful in Mofes, this particularly deferves our Admi-
" ration, that difcerning the different Natures of livirtg Crea-
" tures; and whether inftrufted by God. concerning them,
" and the D^mo7is appropriated to every one of them; or
*' whether he underltcod by his ov/n Wifdom, the feveral
** Ranks and Sorts of them ; he pronounced them unclean,
" which were efteemed by the Egyptians^ and other Nations
" to caufe Divination, and he declared the other to be clean.''
The like to which we find in Theodoret, Book VII. againft the
Qrceks : And not very different from this, is that of Manethu,
*' having eftabliHied in the Law many other Things, parti-
" cularly fuch as were contrary to the Culloms of the Bgyf>-
" tiaus." And that which Tacitus fays of the Je-cvs : " All
" Things are profane amongft them which are facred amongft
" us." And afterwards : " They flay a Ram. in Contempt of
" Jjipiter Jmmo7i; and facrifice an Ox, which the Egjptians
" worfhipped the God Jpis by."

(rt) Ik thai typical Lanjj^ &c.] Barvaias in his Epiftle:
i** Mc/es faid, ye iTiall not eat a S'.vine, nor an Eagl"?, nor a
•* HaVk, nor a Raven, nor any Filb, which hath no Fins. By
" which he meant three Opinions figuratively expreifed.
•* What he aims at, is evident from thefe \A'ords in Diuiero*
" tiomy. And my Juiigments fhall be eftabliPaed among my
" People; Now the Commandment of God, is not literally to
" prohibit earing them ; but Mofes fpake them in a fpiri-
" tual Senfe. He mentions Swine for this End, that they
"■ fhould not converfe with Men who refemble Swine ; for
** when they live in Luxury, they forget their Mailer; but
" when they want, they own their Mailer : Thus a Swine,
" while he is eating, will not knou'- his Mailer; wh.en he is
*' hungry, he cries out, and whea he is full he his quiet,.
" Again, Thou {halt not, fays he, eat the Eagle, or the
*• Hawk, or the Kite, or the Raven. As much as to fay, you
*' (liall not converfe v>ith fuch Men, who knoM»- not how to
" get their Food by Labour and Pains, but unjuftly ileal it
'* from others; and who walk about as if tijey wefe fmcere,
0^2 ' " whe»

228 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

Law,the particularVoiccsofMen were reprefented
by certain Kinds of living Creatures. That thefe

Precepts

** when the}'^ lie in wait for others. Thus thefe flothful Crea-
•* tures contrive how they may devour the Flefh of others,
*' being peftilent by their Wickednefs. Again, Thou fhalt
" not eat, fays he, the Lamprey, nor the Pourcontrel, nor
** the Cuttle; that is to fay, you fhall not converfe with
** thofe Men who are finally wicked, and condemned to
** Death: As thefe Sort of Filh alone are doomed to fwim at
*' the Bottom of the Sea, not like others to hover on the Top
** of the Water, but to dwell on the Ground at the Bottom.
** Alfo he fays, thou fhalt not eat the Coney : Wherefore ?
" That you may not be a Corrupter of Children, nor fuch
*• like; for the Hare has a new Place to lay her Excrements
*' in every Year, for fo many Years as Ihe lives, fo many
" Holes has ftie under Ground. Further, Thou (halt not eat
•* the Hysna; that is, thou, (halt not be an Adulterer, or
" uncler.n Perfon, or uich like: For v.hat Reafon? BecauTe
*' this Creature changes its Nature every Year, and fome-
«* times is a Male, and fometimes a female. And he juftly
** hated the Weafel; as much as to fay, you fliall not be like
** fuch Perfons who, we have heard, have committed Iniquity
*• in their Mouths, by Uncleannefs; neither fhall you have
*♦ Correfpondence with fuch Workers of Iniquity ; for this
** Animal conceives in its Mouth. Concerning Meats there*
•* fore, M(//ts meant three Things fpiritually ; but they,
** through fleflilv Inclinations, underftood him of Meats. Bur
•* 2)^x77/ knew thefe three Opinions, and therefore agreeably
" thereto he fays, Bkjjfcd is the Man that 'vjalkcth vot in the
*' Counjtl of the Ut/godly, as Fiihes wander in Darknefs at the
" Bottom of the Sea : And hath not jiood in the }Vaj of Simiersy
*' viz. like them, who though they would feem to fear God,
*• fin like Swine : And hath not/at in the Seat of the ScomftiU
" like Birds watching for their Prey. Thus you have the End
*♦ and the Meaning of them. But Mofes commanded to eat
*' every Creature that is cloven-looted, and iliat chewed the
** Cud. And what does he me;ni by this ? lie that reccivcth
" Meat, knoweth him that feeds him, and is fatislied with
*« it, and feems to rejoice : Which is very well faid, if we
*' confider the Command. What, therefore, is the Meaning
*' of it ? Why, converfe with thofe who fear their Mailer i
•* with thofe • lo meditate in their Hearts upon the Word
•' they have reif.ived; with thofe who fpeak of, and keep
*• the Judgments of their Mafter; with thofe who know that
*' Meditation is a plcafant Work, and belongs to thofe who
«• thoroughly coniidcr their Mafler's Word, But what means

" cloven-

Sea. 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 229

Precepts were not univerfal, appears from the
Inftmce of what is appointed concerning the
Flelh of a Beaft that died of itfelf, Deut. xiv.
that it was not lawful for the IJrae.lites to eat it,
{a) but it was lawful for Strangers, which Stran-
gers the Jews were commanded to perform all
good Offices to, as efteemed of God. And the
ancient Hebrezv Teachers openly declare, (b)
that in the Times of the Meffiah, the Law of
the Prohibition of Meats Ihould ceafe, and that
Swine's Flefli fhould be as clean as that of an
Ox. And certainly, fmce God defigned to ga-
ther a People to hirnfelf out of all Nations, it
was more reafonable that he Ihould make Li-
berty and not Bondage, in fuch Things, com-
mon to all. Now follows an Examination of
Feftival Days.

** cloven-footed ; That a Man fhould walk uprightly in thj»
*« World, in Expeftation of another Life. See what excel-
*• lent Laws are eftabliflied by Mo/es," Clemens commends this
of Barnabas y in his Fifth Strome. You may find alfo many
Things partly like, and partly the fame with thefe, in Philo's
Book of Agriculture ; and in the Book entitled, The IVicked
lay Snares for the Righteous; which are too long to be tranfcribed.
The like is to be feen in Eujebius, out of Arijla-us, Book VIII.
Chap. g.

[a) But it •7vas laivful for Strangers, S:c.] Holy Men, bu^
not circumcifed, which you find mentioned, Le-vit. xxii. 25.
and XXV. 4, 7. and the Talmud, Chap, of the King, and of
the Council ; and in Maimonides's Book of Idolatry.

[b] That in the Times of the MeJ/iah, S:c.] Thus R. Samuel in
Mechor Chaim. The Talmud, entitled Nida, fays, the Law
was to continue but till the Times of the MefTiah. We may
moreover obferve, that fome Hebreav Teachers, amongft whom
is Bechai. were of Opinion, that the Laws, concerning for-
bidden Meats, were peculiar to the Land of Canaan, nor was
any one obliged to obferve them out of the Bounds thereof.
And befide, the Jeius them.felves are ignorant, or at leaft dif-
pute about the Signification of many of the Names of thofe
Animals ; which v/e cannot think God would have permitted,
if the Obligations to obferve that Law, were to have conti-
nued till this Time.

0.3 SECT.

23© OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

SECT. X.

And of Days.

THESE were all inftitutcd in Memory of the
Benefit they had received from God, when they
Avere delivered from the Egyptian Bondage, and
brought into the Promifed Land. Now the Pro-
phet yere»iidbi\\ys, Chap. xvi. and xxiii. that the
Time would com^ when new and much greater
Benciits fliould fo eclipfe the Memory of that
Benefit, that there would fcarce be any Men-
tion made of it. And rnoreovcr, what we now
faid of Sacrifices, is as true of Feftivals; the
People began to put their Truft in them fo far,
that if they rightly obferved them, it was no
great Matter how they offended in other Ref-
pecls. Wherefore in Ifaiaby Chap, i, God fays,
that he hated their New Moons and Fcaft-Days,
they were fuch a Burden to him, that he was not
able to bear them. Concerning the Sabbath,
it ufcs particularly to be objected, that it is an
imiverfal and perpetual Precept, not given to
one People only, but, in the Beginning of the
World, to yldam the Father of them all. To
"vvhich I anfwer, agreeable to the Opinions of
the rnoft learned Hebrczvs^ that this Precept con-
cerning the Sabbath is two-fold : [a) Precept of
Kemembrancc, Exodus xx. 8. and {/>) Precept
of Obfcrvation, Exodus xxxi. 31. The Precept
of Remembrance is fulfilled, in a religious Me-
mory of the Creation of the World ; the Pre-
cept of Obfervation confifts in an cxad: Abfti-

nencc

(//) A Frecept of Remembrance, &c.] Tm.

{b) A frecept of Obfervation, cVc] I'Oi:^. Thus Mojes Ge-
rnndeiifs, and Ifaac Aramas diltinguifn. Ohfcr^ation and ^^-
fnembrance fignify the fame Thing in Mojes, as to this Mat-
ter, as uc have fhewn in Deiitcr. v. i. however the Thing here
treated cf is true. Le CUrcl

Sect. lo. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 231

nence from all Manner of Labour. The jfirft
Precept was given from the Beginning, and with-
out Doubt fa) the pious Men before the Law
obeyed it, as Enoch , Noah, Abraham y Ifaac, Jacob i
the latter of whom, though we have a Relation of
many of their Travels, [b) yet there is no Sign of
their slopping their Journey on the Account of
the Sabbath ; which Thing we frequently meet
with, after their coming out of Egypt. For after
the People were brought out of Egypt, and had
fafely pafTed through the Red-Sea, they kept the
iirft Day a Sabbath of Reft, and lung an Hymn
to God upon that Account; and from this Time,
that exa'il Reft of the Sabbath was commanded,
the firft Mention of which is in the gathering of
Manna, Exod. xxxv. 2. Lev/t. xxiii. 3. And in
this Senfe, the Reafon alledged. Dent. v. 21. for
the Law of the Sabbath, is the Deliverance out
of Egypt. And further, this Law had Regard
to Servants againft the Severity of thofe Mafters,
who allowed them no Refpite from their La-
bours, as you find it in the forccited Places. It
is true indeed, (c) that Strangers were obliged
by this Law, and that for this Reafon, that there
might be an univerfal Reft of all the People.
But that this Law of perfed: Reft was not given
to other People, appears from hence, that in
many Places it is called a Sign, and a particular
Covenant between God and the Ifraelites, Exod.
0^4 xxxi.

[a) The pious Meft hefore the Ln~v, &c.] From whom a cer-
tain Veneration for the Seventh Day \vas derived to the Greehy
as Cle?nei/s obfcrves. See what is faid in Relation to this. Book J.

{b) Tet there is 7io Sign, &c.] That the pious Men of thofe
Times did in this Senfe G-u^^xTic-a.i, that is, obferve the Sabbath,
is denied by Jujlin, in his Dialogue with Tryplmi, and by Ter-
tullhin in two Places againft the Jenxis.

(f) Strangers ivere oJiliged by this Lai.u, &c.] Not thofe others,
who out of Judcea obferved the Precepts given to the Pofterity
of Noah, This is the Opinion of the Hebrews,

•232 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

xxxi. 13, 16. And further; that thofe Things
which were inftitutcd in Memory of the com-
ing out of Egypty are not fuch as ought never to
ceafe, we have before Ihewn, from the Promife
of much greater Benefits. To which may be
added, that if the Law concerning Reft on the
Sabbath, had been given from the Beginning,
and in fuch a Manner as never to be aboliflied ;
certainly that Law would have prevailed over
all other Laws, the contrary to which we now
find. For it is evident [a) that Children were
rightly circumcifed on the Sabbath-Day; and
while the Temple flood, {b) the Sacrifices m ere
flain on the Sabbath-Day, as well as on other
Days. The Hebrew Teachers themfclves fhew,
that this Law is changeable, when they fay that
Work may juftly be done on the Sabbath, at the
Command of a Prophet, which they prove by
the Example of the taking oi Jericho on the Sab-
bath-Day by the Command of Jojbua. And that
in the Time of the Mefliah, the Difference of
Days fliould be taken away; fome of them fhew
very well, from that Place of IJaiah Ixvi. 23.
where it is foretold, that there fliould be a con-
tinual Worfliip of God from Sabbath to Sab^
bath, from New Moon to New Moon.

SECT. XL

And Circiimcifion cf the Flejh.

WE come now to Circumcifion, which is in-
deed ancientcr than Mofes ; as being commanded
to Abniharn and his Pofterity; but this very Pre-
cept was the Beginning of the Covenant de-
clared

{a) That Children nvere rightly circumcifed ^ &C.] Thus the
Hebrew Proverb, " The Sabbath gives Way to Circumcilion."
See John vi. 22.

(^) The Sacrifices luerejlaia, &c,] Numb, xxviii. 9.

Sea. II. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 233

clared by Mojes. Thus we find God faid to Ahra-
ham^ Genefis xvii. I will give unto thee^ and io thy
Seed after theCy the Land zvherein thou art a
Stranger, even the Land of Canaan, for an ever-
lafting Pojfejfion ; therefore keep my Covenant ^ thou
and thv Seed for ever \ this is the Covenant betwixt
me and the" and thy Seedy every Male fhall he cir~
cumcifed. But we have before fcen, that there was
to fuccced a new Covenant in the Room of this
Covenant, fuch as fhould he common to all Peo-
ple ; for which Reafoii the NecefTity of a Mark of
Di(Hn^5Lion muft ceafe. And this is further evi-
dent; that there was fome myflical and higher
Signification contained under this Precept of
Circumcifion; as appears from the Prophets,
when they command {a) the Heart to be circum-
cifed, to which all the Precepts of Chrift tend.
So likewife the Promifes added to Circumcifion,
mufl of Neccfiity relate to fomething further :
Namely, that of an earthly PofTeflion, {h) to the
Revelation of an everlafling PolTefTion; which
was never made more manifeft than by Jefus;
{c) and that of making Abraham a Father of
many Nations ; till that Time, when not only
fome few People, but innumerable of them,
fpread all over the World, fliould imitate that
memorable Faith of Abraham towards God ;
which never yet came to pafs, but by the Gof-
pcl. Now it is no Wonder, that when the Work
is finiflied, the Shadow of the Work that was
defigned, fhould be taken away, [d] And that

Gods

(«) The Heart io he circumcjft.i, &c.] Deut. x. i6. XXX. 6.
Jer. iv. 4.

[b) To the Re-velation, Szz.'l Htb. iv.

[c) A^id that of maliing Abraham /? Father, &c.] Gen. xvii. 5.
Rom. iv, II, 13, 16, 17. Z«^v>xix. 9. Gal.\\\. 7.

[d) And that God's Mercy, &c.] Jujtiu in his Dialogue
wiih.Trj/>hoK, fays, «' Circumcifion was given for a Sign, and

•' not

21,4. OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

God's Mercy was not confined to this Sign, is
from hence rnanifcfl:; that not only thofe who
lived before Abraham^ but even Abraham himfelf,
was acceptable to God before he was circiim-
cifed: And Circunnci lion was omitted by the He-
brews [a) all the while they journeyed through
the Defarts of Arabia^ without being reproved of
God for it.

And yet the Apofiles of J ejus eafily allozved of thofe
Thijws.

THERE was certainly very good Reafon v/hy
the Hebrezvs fhould return their hearty Thanks to
Jefus and his Ambaifadors ; in that he freed them
from that heavy Burden of Rites, and fecured their
Liberty to them, {b) by Miracles and Gifts, no
Way inferior to thofe of Mofes. But yet they who
firfl: delivered this Doctrine, did not require this
of them, that they ihould acknowledge fuch their
Happinefs ; but if they would perform the Pre-
cepts of Jefus, which were full of all Virtue, they
cafily allowed them, in indiftercnt Things, (c)to
follow what Courfe of Life they would; ft/J pro-
vided

" not for a Work Oi Righteoufnefs." And Iraucu!, Book IV.
Ch. 30. *' We learn from Scriptiiie, that Circunuifion is not
" that which perfects Ri ;;htcoufnefs ; hut God p:ue ir, that
Abrahnni's Pollcrity might continue diftingui(hal)le. For God
" faid to Abraham, Let every Male of you be circumcifcd, and
•* circumcife the Flefli of your forefkin, and it Ihall be for a
" Sign of a Covenant betwixt you and me,"

(^) All the iJohiL ihey journeyed , tvc.] Jojh. v. 5, 6.

{b) By Miracles and Gifts m Way inferior, cS.c.] R. Ir-.-i
Ben Gerpu, faid, that the Miracles of the iMciTiah ought to be
greater than thofe of M"/cSy which is moft e\ ident in the Dead
reftored to Life.

(c) TofjlloiM 'what Coiirjes of Life thcyivould, &c.] A^s xvi. 5,
>:xi. 24. Rom. xiv. i. \ Cor. ix. 17. Gal. v. 6. Colof. iii. 2.

(i) Provided th^y did /lot im^ofe, &c.] AUs XV, Gal, i. 5,
6, 15. iv. 10. vi. 12,
3

Sea. 12, ^3- eHRISTIAN RELIGION. 235
vidcd they did not irnpofethe Obfervation of it,
as necelTary, upon Strangers, to whom the Ritual
Law was never given ; which one Thing fuffici-
ently fliews, that the Jews very unjuftly rejcd: the
Dodrine of Jefus, under Pretence of the Ritual
Law. Having anfwered this Objecflion, which is
ahnoft the only one commonly oppofed to the
Miracles of Jefus, we come now to other Argu-?
ments fuited to convince the Jews,

SECT. XIII.

A Proof againjl fbf]GV>'Sy taken from their own Coiu
fcjfion of the extraordinary Fromije of the Meffiah.

BOTH they and we are agreed, that in the Pre-
dictions of the Prophets, there is a Promife ; that
amongft the many Perfons who fliould make
known to the y^Tt'j, from Heaven, very great Ad-
vantages, there Ihou Id be One; far exceeding the
reft, whom they call the Melliah ; which, though
a common Name, did more eminently agree to
this Perfon only. We affert, that he came long
fince; they expecfl that he is yet to come. It re-
mains therefore that we put an End to the Con-
troverfy, from thofe Books, the Authority of
which is equally acknowledged by both.

SECT. XIV.

^hat he is already come^ appears from the 'Time fore-
told.

DANIEL, [a] Teftimony of whofe great Piety
Ezekiel affords us, could neither deceive us, nof

be

{a) Teftimony of ivhofe great Piety, &c.] xiv. 14. xxxviii,
3. J'ofephus concerning Daniel, at the End of the Tenth
Beck, fays, •* That the Spirit of God was with him." And

after-

236 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

be deceived himfelf by the Angel Gabriel: And
he, according to the Direction of the Angel, has
Ieftusup:.n Record, Chap. ix. that there fhould
not pafs above fix hundred Years between the
Publication of the Edidt for rebuilding the City
o{ Jerujalem (a) and the Coming of the MefTiah.
But there are above two thoufand Years paffed,
lince that Time to this Day, and he, whom the
yews expe6t, is not yet come ; neither can they
name any other, to whom that Time will agree.
But it agrees fo well to Jefus, that (b) d. Hebrew
Teacher, Nehemiahy who lived five hundred Years
before him, faid openly then, that the Time of
the Meffiah, fignihed by Daniel^ could not be
deferred above five hundred Years. There is
another Mark before hinted at, which agrees
with this of the Time; and this is, [c) that a
Government over all Nations fhould be ap-
pointed

afterwards. " That he was endued with every Thing, in an
*♦ incredible Manner, as being one of the greateft of Pro-
•* phets. In his Life-time he was had in great Honour and
" Efteem, both by the Kings and the People : And after his
•♦ Death he was had in everlafting Remembrance; the Books
♦* wrote by him, and left to us, we read at this Day, and their
" Teftimony convinces us, that he had a Communication with
•' God."

fa) And the Coniivg of the Meffiah, &c.] The great Hebrew
Do(5lors, fuch as Solomon 'Jarchi, Rabbi 'J'''Jue, quoted by Abe^
vcfdas, and Saaida, agree, that the Son of Man in Daniel, is
the Meffiah : Thus Rabbi Jofue, who faw the nizing of the
Temple, faid that the Time of the Meffiah was then pall, as
R. Jacob in Capthor teftifies.

(bj A Hebrew Teacher, Nehemiah, kc.'] Gv.ti^a ought to
have told us whence he had thi<^. If I remember right, iii fome
Epiftle of his to his Brother William Grotms, he fays he received
it from a Jenxj, Le Clerc.

(r) That a Goiernment over all Nations, &c.] R. Levi Ben
Gerfon tells us. that that Stone, by the Blow whereof that
Image which reprefcnted the Empires fhould be broken to
Pieces, was the Meffiah. Rabbi Solomon, R. Abenefdras, and
R. Saaidoy fay that that Kingdom, which would ccnfume the

reft

Sea. 14. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 237

pointed from Heaven, after (a) the Pofterity of
Seleiicus and Lagiis fliould ceafe to reign ; the
latter of which ended in Cleopatra^ not long be-
fore Jefus was born. A third Token is in the
forementioned Chap. ix. of Daniel; that after
the Coming of the Mefliah, the City of Jerufalem
fhould be razed ; which Prophecy of the Deltruc-
tion of that City, {b) Jojephiis himfelf refers to
his own Age. From whence it follows, that the
Time limited for the Coming of the MeiTiah was
then paft. To this may be referred that of Hag-
gai^ Chap. ii. where God comforts Zeruhhabel, a
Heathen Prince, and Jojhua the Son of Jojedech^
the High-Prieft, upon their Sorrow, becaufe the
Temple built by them, did not anfwer the Great-
ncfs of the former Temple, with this Promife;
that there Iliould be greater Honour done to
that Temple, than to the former : Which could
be faid, neither of the Bignefs of the Work, nor
of the Materials, nor of the Workmaiifliip, nor
of the Ornaments, as is very plain from the
Hiftory of thofe Times, in the facred Writings,
and in Jojephus^ compared with that of the Tem-
ple of Solomon: To which we may add, which is
obferved by the Hebrew Teachers, that there
were wanting two very great Endowments in
the latter Temple, which were in the former,

viz.
reft of the Kingdoms, was the Kingdom of the Meffiah. R. Le<vi
Picn Grrfon and Saaida affirm the Sou of Man in Da?iiel, to be
the Meiuah.

faj The Pojleyiij (?/"SeIeucus and Lagus, &c.] See the Anno-
tations upon this, in the Firft Book.

[b) Jofephus him/elf refers to kis o^':n Age, &:C.] Book X,
Ch:ip. 12. •' Daiiiet wrote concerning this Time, and con-
cerning the Roman Empire, " and that (our Nation) fhould be
deftroved by if. God " having difcovered all thefe Things
♦' to him, lie left them ns in Writing; fo that whoever reads
" them, and confidcrs what has come to p^, cannot but ad-
" mire the Honour God did to Danitl." ^acciJa ?\{o upon
Don. ix. 24. tells us, that the fcventy Weeks of Years were
fini(hed in the Deltrudtion of Jcrufahm,

Q.1% OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

viz. {a) a vifible Light, as a Token of the Di-
vine Majefty, and a Divine Infpiration : But
wherein this latter Temple was to exceed the
former, God briefly declares, when he fays, (b)
that he would eftablifli his Peace, that is, his'
Favour and Good-will in that Temple, as it
were by a firm Covenant : This is further pro-
fecuted by Malachiy Chap. iii. Behold I zvill fend
my Mcpnger, who /ball prepare viy IVays ; (c) and
the Lord whom ye feeky Jhall fuddenly come to his
Temple (now Malachi lived after the latter Tem-
ple was built,) even the Meffenger of the Covenant
zvhomye delight in. Therefore the MeiTiah ought
to come while the fecond Temple ftood, (d) in
which Account, is reckoned by the Hebrews, all
the Time from Zcriihhahcl to Vefpafian ; for thef
Temple in the Time of Herod the Great, was
not rebuilt from the Foundation, but only (e)
gradually renewed by Parts ; notwithftanding
which Alteration, it might be called the fame

Temple.

. (a) A ■■vifible Light as a Token, &c.] In the Title concerning
Inftruftion, and the jeruj'alem Gemara. Chap. 5.

{b) That be nvordd ejiablij/j his Peace, &c.] We muft obferve
what goes before. " The Defire of all the Nations Iball come,
" and I will fill this Houfe with Glory." Which wonderfully
agrees with what we have taken out of Malachi; fo that thefe
two Prophets may ferve for Interpreters of each other. Rabbet
Akiba, and many others as Rabbi Solomon tcftilies, were of
Opinion, that the INiefliah ought to come in the feconJ
Temple.

(a) J?id the Loydivhomye/eek, Src] This Place of Malachi,
the jf^e^.vs commonly explain of the Meffiah.

{d) In nvhich Account is reckoned, &c.] As in the Talmud,
Chap, the laft, concerning the Council ; and that entitled Jorr.a,
and that entitled Roch. Hajfchana,

\,e) Gradually remorced by Parts, c'cc] Philo, concerning the
World : " Th:it is not corruptible, all the Parts of wliich are
«' corrupting '^lackially ; but that all the Parts of which are
♦* dcftroyed togettier at the fame Time." Add to this, L.
proponebnt'ir. D. de Judiciis, iif L. quid tam'cn, Sectt in ?:avis
D. qui bus modisujusfvudus amHtiitur,

Sea. 14, 15. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 239

Temple. And indeed there was fo firm an
Expedlation of the MefTiah at that Time, amongft
the Hebrews^ and their Neighbours, {a) that Hrrod
was thought by feme to be the MefTiah, (^) Judas
Gaulonita by others, (<:) andfome more by others,
who lived about the Time of our Saviour.

SECT. XV.

(With an Anfzver to what is alledged, that his Coming
was deferred upon the Account of the Sins of the
People.)

THE Jews fee themfelves put to Difficulties by
•thefe Arguments : That they may elude the Force
of them; therefore, fome fay that their Sins were
the Caufe why he did not come at the promifed
Time. Now not to mention, (^) that in the fore-
cited

{a) That Herod ilcs thought hj fome, &c.] Thefe were the
Herodiavsy Matt. xii. i6. ^ Mark iii, 6. viii. 13. xii. 15.
Teritdlia7t, in his Enumeration of Hereticks; " Amongft thelit
" were tlie Herodians, who faid that Herod was the Chrift."
AnA Epjphaniiis fa}s the fame of them: Agreeable to which,
is that of the ancient Scholiaft on Ferfcm; " Herod reigned
♦' amongft the Jenjos, in the Time of Aug7tfl;is, in the Parts
•* of Syria ; therefore the Herodiatis keep the Birth-day of
" Herod, as they do the Sabbath, upon which Day they put
*' lighted Candies crowned with Violets on their Windows."

{b) Judas Gaulonita by others, &:c.] See Jofphus XVIII. 1.

Aas V. 36.

(f) And fome ?nore by others, &c.] A^s xxi. 38. Jofephvs
has many Inftances in the Time of Fetix, and fome after the
Deftruftion of Jtrufalem.

{d) That in the forecited Prophecies, &:c.] This is exprefsly
affirmed by R. fochnaan in Schemoth Rabbi, and R, Daxid
Kaimchi, on Tfalm cviii, 5. Jofrphus, Eook X. towards
the End, fays well of Daii-il: " 'ihat in his Prophecies, le
" not only foretold what was to come, like the other Pre-
** phets; but he determined the Time in which thofe Things
■♦« fhould come to pafs." That the Decree of the MefTiah's

being

540- OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

cited Prophecies, what is determined by them,
has no Signs of being fufpended upon any Condi-
tions; how could his Coming be deferred on the
Account of their Sins, when this alfo was Tore-
told, that for the many and great Sins of the
People, (a) the City fhould be deftroyed, a little
after the Time of the MeiTiah ? Further, the Mef-
fiah was to come for this very Reafon, (^) that he
might bring a Remedy for the molt corrupt Age;
and together with the Rules of reforming their
Lives, alTure them of Pardon of their Sins.
Whence it is faid in Zachary, Chap. xiii. concern-
ing his Time; that a Fountain fhould then be
opened, to the Houfc of David and to all in Je-
rnjalem^ to wafli away their Sins; and it is a com-
mon Thing among the Jews, to call the Meniah,
[c) IscH CoPHER, that is, the Appealer. It is
therefore very repugnant to Reafon to fay, that
that was deferred upon the Account of the Difeafe,
which was diredily appointed for that Difeafe.

SECT. XVI.

Alfo from the prcjent State of the Jews, compared
with the Promifes of the Lazv.

AS to what we faid, that the Mefliah is long
fihce come upon Earth, even Experience might

convince

being fent at that Time, \i^as not fufpended upon any Con-
ditions, appears alfo from Malachi iii, i. Befides, feeing that
the Mefliah was to be the Author of the Ne-.v Covenant, as
Maladji in that Place, and other Prophets (hew ; his Coming
could not be fufpended on the Condition of obferving that
Covenarit he came to abolilh.

(rt) TheCiiyJhotitdbedeJhoypd, &C.] Z)d';/. ix. 24.

{b') That he might bring a Remedy, &:c.] Ijaiah liii. 4. and
following Verfes. Jeremiah xxxi. 31. and what follows,
Ezelcielxi. i g. 21.

(f] Ifch Copher, nt21D'l?'«] ?C2 the CLaldee Paraplirafe on
Cant. I. 14. R. Judas in Chnp.dim, and R. Simeon in Beref-
ckith Rabbah, fay, that the Mefliah (hould bear our Sius.
I

Sea. i6. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 241

convince the Jezvs. (a) God promifed them, in
the Covenant made v^ithMo/es, a quiet Poffeflion
of the Land of Paleftiuey fo long as they conform-
ed their Lives to the Precepts of the Law: And
onthecontrary^ [b] ifthe/linnedgrievouflyagainft
it, he threatened to drive them out; and fuchlike
Evils: Yet, notwithftanding this, if at any Time,
Vv'hen under the Preffure of thefe Calamities,
and led by Repentanceof their Sins, they return-
ed to Obedience, he would be merciful towards
his People, and caufe them to return into their
own Country, though difperfed into the farthefl:
Parts of theWorld; as you may fee in many Places,
particularly Deiit. xxx. and Nehemiah i. But
iiow it is above fifteen hundred Years fmce the
Jews have been out of their own Country, and
without a Temple: And if at any Time they [c)
attempted to build a new one, they were always
hindered, {d) Nay, Ammianus Marcellinus, who
was not a Chriftian Writer, reports that Balls of
Fire broke out of the Foundation, and deftroyed
their Work. When of old, the People had de-
filed thcmfelves with the greatcft Wickednefs,
every where facrificed their Children to Saturn,
looked upon Adultery as nothing, fpoiled the
Widows and the Orphans, flied innocent Blood in

greater

(.•2) Gnclpromifed them in the Co'venant, &c.] Exodus w, Le»
'vit: xviii. Let'it, vi. vii. xi. xxviii.

[b) If they finned grie'voufiy agaittfi it, &:c.] Le'vit. xxvi,
Dcut. iv. xi. xxviii.

{c) Attempted to build a fieiu one, ?<.c.'\ In the Times of
Adrid}/, Conjiantine and Julian. ChryfcJiomW. againft the Jinus,

(d) Naj, Ammianus Marcellinus, &c,] Book xxiii. Chry-
Jofiom II. againft the Jenjjs. " Fire immediately broke out of
" the Foundation, and burnt many Men, and alfo the Stones
" of that Place." The whole Place is worth reading. The
•Tame Author has the like Words, in his Fourth Homily upon
Mattbeiv, and in his Dilcoarfe of Chrift's being God,

R

242 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

greater Pknty; (^jj which the Prophets reproach
theni with ; they were driven out of their Country ;
(^) but not longer than fcventy Years: And in the
mean Time God did not negled (cj fpeaking to
them by Prophets, and comforting them with
Hopes of their Return, (dj telling them the very
Time. (t^J But now, ever fmce they have been
driven out of their Country, they have continued
Vagabonds and dcfpifed, no Prophet has come to
them, no Signs of their future Return; their
leachers, as if they were infpired with a Spirit of
Giddincfs, have funk into low Fables and ridicu-
lous Opinions, with which the Books of the TaU
mud abound; which yet they prcfume to call the
Oral Law, and to compare them, nay, to prefer
them, above what is w ritten by Mo/cs. For what
we there find ffj of God's Mourning, becaufehe
fuftered the City to be deftroyed, (gj of his daily
Diligence in reading the Law, (b) of the Bebe-

moib

[a) All 'which the Prophets reproach them ijjilh, &Cv] I/aah
I. 17. iii. 14, 15. V. 23. xi. 2, 3. lix. Ixv. J?nos ii. 6. Jere-
miah \\. iii. V. vii. 21. viii. x. xi, xvi. xxii. E%ekiel\\,\i.
vii. viii, xvi. xxii. xxiv. Datml'w. Micah ii. i, 2, 3.

{b) But ?20t longer than feueJitj Tears, &c.] R. Samuel mdko^
this Objeftion in liis R. Ijaac.

[c) Speaking to them by Prophets, <fs:c,] Jeremiah xxx. xxxi.
xxidii. Ezekiel xxxvi. xxxvii.

(</) ^ellnig the?n the lery Time, <SlC.] Jeremiah xxv.. i ^,
yxix. 10.

\e) But ?!otv, ever ftJ2ce they ha've been drii'eyi out, &c.] The
Talmud in Baba Bathra.

( /■) Of God's Mourning, &c.] See the Preface of Echad
Rabbathi; the like to which v\c find in the Talmud, entitled
Chagiga, in Dcbarim Rabba, and in Berachoth.

■ (i') Q/"/^/x daily Diligence, &c,] Thaanith and Aboda Zarfi.

(h) Of the Behemoth <7?;r/ Leviathan, &c.] See the Talmud
Baba Bathra, and the Chaldcc Paraphraft oij the Song of Solt-
inoiii viii. z.

Sea. i6. 17. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 243

7iioih and Leviathan y (a) and many other Things,
is foabfurd, that it is troublefome to relate them.
And jGt in this long Space of Time, the Jezvs
have neither gone afide to the Worihip of falfe
Gods, nor defiled thcmfelves with Murder, nor
are accufed of Adultery; (/') but they endeavour
to appeafe God by Praying and Failing, and
yet they are not heard: Which being thus, we
muft of Necelfity conclude one of thefe two
Things, that either that Covenant m^dc by Mg/cs
is entirely dillblved, or that the whole Body of
the Jnvs are guilty of fomc grievous Sin, which
has continued for fo many Ages: And what that
is, let them tell us thcmfelves; or, if they cannot
fay what, let them believe us, that that Sin is,
the defpifmg the Melliah, who came before
thefe Evils began to befal them.

S E C T. XVII.

jfe/iis proved to he the Meffiahy from thoje Things_
that zvere predicled of the Meffiah.

AND thefe Things do indeed prove, as we be-
fore faid, that the MelFiah did come fo many Ages
lince; to which I add, that he was no other than
Jefus; for all others, who were v/illing to have
thcmfelves thought the Mefliah, or were really
thought fo, left no Se6t in wiiich that Opinion
continued. None now profefs thcmfelves to be
R 2 Followers

(a) A?td many Qlf:er Thifigs, Sec] Many of which Gerfo/i the
Chriftian has tranfcrilied in his Book againft the Je^^vs; lee
thefe Chapters in it concel■nix^g Devils, concerning the jvleffiah,
concerning the Revelations by Elias, concerning Hell, con-
cerning the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes beyond the River Sa-
baricus, and concerning the Deeds of the Rabbles.

fbj But they endeavour to appeafe God, &c,] Vv'hereas, if we
may believe themfelves, they highly merit of God for reject-
ing a falfe Mefuah, who was received by fo great a Part 6f
Mankind, 2

aU OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

Followers of Herod or Judas Gauloiiitay (a) of Bar-
chochehas^ who, in the Times of Adrian^ declared
himfelfto be the MeiTiah,- (h) and deceived many
learned Men. But there have been fuch as owned
Jefus, ever fince he was upon Earth, to this very
Day, (c) and they a great many, not in one Coun-
try, but all the World over. I might here alledge
many other Things, formerly predicted, or be-
lieved of the Meffiah, which we believe to have
been completed in Jefus, and which were not fo
much as affirmed of any other; fuch as thefe, (d)
that he was of the Seed oi David; (c) that he was
born of a Virgin,- (f) that this Thing was dif-
covered from Heaven, to him who had married
that Virgin, and would not keep her in Marriage,'
becaufe Ibe was big with Child by another ; (g)
that he was born mBethlehejn-, (h) that he began

to

(a J Or ^/ Barchochebas, &c.] Whom Jufin^Wcs, The Chief
of the Re'volt of the Jews. He is mentioned hy Eu/c^bins, Jerom,
Oroftis, in the Talmud, entitled co7iccrniug the Council, in Bere~
fchith Ralbah, by the Rabbies John and Abraham Salmanticetifis,
and others, in many Places.

(h) And decti-vcd many learned Met!, Sec. ] As Rabbi Akiba ;
fee the Talmud, entitled concerni?ig the Council, and the Book
Zimach Da'vid.

fcj And thry n great mavy, Scc.'\ See what is faid of this in
the Second Book.

(d) That he 'was of the i'lrrz/o/" David, &c.] Pfalm Ixxxix. 4.
Ijniah'w'i 2. xi. 10. Jeremiah xxiii. 5. £z<'({/i'/ xxxiv. 24,
Mich. V. 2. Matt. i. I, 20. ix. 27. xii. 23. xv. 22. xx. 30, 31.
xxi. 9, 15. xxii. 42, and following Veries. M^ri x. 47. xii.
3i» 36» 37« ^"^^ ^- 27. 3^, 69. ii. 4, 1 1, xviii. 38, 39. xx.
42, 44. John vii. 42. Ads xiii. 34. xv. 6. Rom. i. 3. 2 Tim»
ii. 8. Re'v. V. 5. xxii. 16.

(e) That he iK-as horn of a Virgin, &c.] Ifaiah \'u. 1 4. Matt.
i. 18, 22, 23. Luke i. 3, 5.

ffj That this Thing ViTL^difccnered from Heaten, tVc.J Matt.
i. 20.

(gj That he ivas born in Bethlehem, Sec.'] Mich. v. 2. Matt.
ii, I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Luke ii. 4.

(hj That he began tofpread, &C.] Ifaiah iv, i. Matt. iv. \l,
J 3. Mark i. 4. Luke iv. 14, i j, 16, and in many other Places.
6

Sea. 17 CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 24S

to fpread his Doctrine firfl: in Galilee; (a) that he
healed all Kinds of Difeafes; made the Blind to
fee, and the Lame to walk: But I fliall content
myfelf with one, the Eifed of which remains to
this Day; and is manifeft from the Prophecies
of (If) David, (c) Ifaiahy [d) Zachariah, and {e)
Hofeay vi'z. that the Mefliah was to be the Inftruc-
tor of all Nations; (/) that the Worlhip of falfe
Gods (hould be overthrown by him; and that he
ihould bring a vaft Multitude of Strangers to the
Worfliip of one God. Before the coming of Jefus,
almoft the whole World was fubjed to falfe Wor-
lhip; which began to vanifli afterwards by De-
grees, and not only particular Perfons, but whole
Nations and Kings, Avere converted to the Wor-
lhip of one God. Thefe Things are not owing
to the Jezvijh Rabbles, but to the Difciples of
Jefus and their SuccelTors. Thus [g] they were
made the People of God who were not fo before,
and that Prediction o^ Jacob, Gen. xlix. v>as ful-
filled, that before the Civil Power was taken from
the Pofterity of Judah, Shilob Ihould come, [h)

whom

(a) That he healed all Kinds of Difeafes, &:c.] Ifaiah-aWv, 9.
Ixi. I. Matt. xi. 5. Lukeiv. 18. and every where elfc. Further,
he alfo raifed the Dead, which R. Le^vi Ben Qerfon reckons
among the principal Marks of the Mefliah.

(b) David, &c.] Ffil. ii. 8. xxii. 28. Ixviii. 32. Ixxii. 8,17.

(c) Ifaiah, (Vc.] ii, 2. xi. 10. xiv. i. xix, 18. xxvii. i ^.
XXXV. xlii. and xliii, particularly xlix. 6. Ii. 5. Hi. 15. liv. Iv.
4, 3. Ix. 3, and following ones, Ixv. i, 2. Ixvi. 19, and fol-
lowing.

(d) Zachariah, &c.] ii. II. viii. 20, and following, ix. 9^
10, II. xiv. 16.

(e) Hofea, &c.] ii. 24.

(fj That the JVorfhip of falfe Godi , &c.] Ifaiahu. 38, 20.
xxxi, 7. xlvi. I. Zephaniah i. 4, 5, 6. Zach. xiii. 2.

fgj That ^ojere made the People of God, Sec] Hofea ii, 24.

(h) trhom the Chaldec, &c.] Both Jonathan, the Author of
the Jerufalem Paraphrafe, and the Writers of the Talmud, in
the Title concerning the Council; Eerefchith Rabba, Jakumnus on

R 3 t^-c

2A.6 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

Vvhom the Chaldee and other Interpreters explain
to be the Meffiah, {a) whom foreign Nations
alfo Mere to obey.

SEC T. XVIII.

An Anfzver to what is al/rdgrd, that Jome 'things
zvere not fulfilled.

HERE the ycTc-j- commonly objecl, that there
v.ere fome Things predicted of" the Times of the
Meffiah, which we do not fee fulfilled. But thofe
•which they alledge are obfcurc, and may have a
different Signification; for which w-e ought not to
reje6t thofe that are plain; fuch as the Holinefs of
the Precepts of Jefus ; the .Excellency of the Re-
ward ; the Plainnefs of Speech in which it was de-
livered; to which we may add the Miracles; and
all together ought to engage us to embrace his
Dodrine. In order to underftand aright {b) the
Prophecies of the fcalcd Book, as it is commonly
called, there is many Times need of fome Divine
Alliffance, which is juftly with-hcld from thofe
who ncgie6t thofe Things that are plain. Noav
that thofe Places, which they object, may be vari-
oully explained, they themfelves are not ignorant
pf: And if any one cares to compare the antient

Interpre-

the Peniaieuch, Rabbi Solomon, and ethers, nnit», which the
"Jews now would have to be a Rod of Chaftifenient; the Tar-
gum in Chnldee explains by to*;!!;, and the Gnc/cs '^(yy-i", a Go-
"Vcrnor ; Aquilla, a-y.vtiTT^M, a Scepter; Sjmmachus, i^»riu, P.ijuer.
And nV'iy is explained by US his Son, by tlie Chaldee R. Si-r
Ichy R. Rechai, R. Solomofi, Abevefdras, and Kifichi, See what
J5 excellently faid concerning this Place in C'. y^/,v, in his
Pifcoiirfe, that Chrifl h God.

(f?) ]l horn foreigfi Nations alj'o ivere to obey, &c.] See the fore,
cited Place of I/hiah xi. lo. which affords Light to this.

{byHH^rlchecies of theftcilcd Book, &'C,] Jjaieibw'w. il.
Dcut. xii. 4. g. and Jacchiadi'S npon them. See Chryfojlonrs
piflcrtation ^bout this Matter, Difcourfc II. ivhj the Old Tijia^
ir.eiii IS objeun,

Sea. i8. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 247

Interpreters, {a) who were in the BahyloniJJj Cap-
tivity, or eirewhere,Goncerningthe Times of Jefus,
with thofe who wrote after the Name of the Chri-
ftians began to be hated amongft the Jeivs, he will
find that Partiality was the Caufe of new Expli-
cations; and that thofe, which were formerly re-
ceived, agreed very well with the Senfe of the
Chriftians. They are not ignorant of themfelves,
that many Things in the Sacred Writings are not
to be underftood according to the ftricl Propriety
of the Words, [h] but in a figurative Senfe; [c] as
when God is laid to have defcended; when (d)
Mouth, [e) Ears, (/j Eyes, and [g) Nofe are
afcribed to him. And what hinders but that many
Things, fpoken of the Times of the Meffiah, may
be explained in this Manner? As(-^) that the Wolf
and the Lamb, the Leopard and the Kid, the Lion
and the Calf, fhould lie down together; that a
R 4 young

(a) Whonuere in the Babylonifh Cnpti'vity, &c.] Grolius feems
to have Refpeft to the Chaldce Interpreters of the Old Tefta-
ment, and to fpeak according to the Opinion of the JeixiSi who
thought them older than they were. See Brian Waltotis Prde-
gomcna to the Polygot Bible, Chap. XII.

{b) But in a fig7irati<ve Senfe, &c.] Thus Mainionidts, in his
Firll Book, would have that Place of Ifaiah xi. 6. of the Times
oftheMefliah underftood rt//>^<7r/Vfl//>'; and thus David Kinchi
fpeaks of the fame Place of Ifaiah, who alfo fays the fame of
'Jeremiah ii. 15. v. 6.

(r) As lahen God is faid to haije defended, &c.] As Gen. xi.
5, xviii. 52. See Maimonidfs of thefe and the like Forms of
Speech, in his G///^/t' /» the Doubting, Parti. Ch. 10, 11, and
29, and following; and alfo upon Dent, where he fpeaks of the
King. In the Cahaliftical Book, Nf^uiil Ifrael faj's, that the
Things belonging to the Meffiah would be heavenl}'.

[d) Mouth, .Vc] As. Jeremiah ix. 12.

[e) Ears, <i'C.] As Pfalm xxxi. 3. xxxiv. 16.

(/) Ejes, &c.] In the Place of the forecited iy^/w.
(g) Nofe, &c.] Pfj/m xviii. c). Jer. xxxii. 37.
(h) That the Wolf and the Lamb, kc.'\ In tl^e forementioncd
Place of Ifaiah xi. 6, and following Verfes,

2+8 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

young Child fhould play with the Snakes ; [a] that
the Mountain of God fhould rife higher than the
reft of the A-Iountains ; that Strangers fliould come
thither to perform holy Rites. There arc fome
Promifes, which appear from the foregoing and
following Words, or froni their own Senfe, to
contain in them a tacit Condition. Thus God
promifcd many Things to ihc Hebrezvs^ if they
would receive and obey the MefTiati when he
came; which if they did not come to pafs, they
muft impute it to themfelves. And if there be
any, which are exprefsly and unconditionally pro-
mifed, and are not yet fulfilled, they may yet be
expeded. For it is agreed even amongft the
Je-vSy [b) that the Time or Kingdom of the Mef-
fiah was to continue to the End of the World.

SECT. XIX.

And to that zvbich is ohje^ed of the lozv Condition
and Death ofjejus.

MANY are offended at the mean Condition of
Jefus, but without any Reafon; for God fays every
■where in the facred Writings, (c) that he exaltcth
the Humble, and cafleth down the Proud, (r/) Ja^
cob went over JordaUy carrying nothing with him
but his Staff, and returned thither again enriched
with great Plenty of Cattle. Mofeswzs, banifhed,
and poor, and a Feeder of Cattle, {e) when God
appeared to him in the Bulh, and made him Leader

of

{a) That the Mountain of Gcd, Sec.'] Ifaiahn. Micah iv.i.
and following.

(h) That the Time or Kingdom rf the M'j/iah, Sec] Poek Che-
rck, i. 79.

(<:) That he exalt ?th the Humble, &c.] i Kingi ii. 8. r/alrn
Dcxxiv. 19. Prov, xi. 2. Ijaiah Ivii. 15. Ixvii. 2.

{£) Jacob w.:;// oz.rr Jordan, (Sec] G-»//, xxxii. and following^

[e] When God appeared to him in the Eujh, &c.J Exad, iii.

Sea. 19. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 249

of his People, (a) David zX^Oy when he was feed-
ing his Flock, was called to be King; and the
Sacred Hiftory is full of other fuch like Examples.
And of the Mefliah, we read that he was to be
(^) a joyful Meflenger to the Poor, {c) that he
lliould not lift up his Voice in the Street, nor
make ufe of Contention, but lliould adl mildly, fo
as to fpare a (baking Reed, and to cherifh the
Heat which remained in the fmoaking Flax. Nei-
ther ought his other Hardfnips, and Death itfelf,
to render him more odious to any one. For God
often permits pious Men, not only to be vexed by
the Wicked, (^} as Lo/ was by the Men oi Sodoyn^
but alfo to be killed; as is manifcfl (^) in the Ex-
ample of Ahel^ flain by his Brother; (/) of ljaial\
who was cut m Pieces ; {£) of the Maccabees Bre-
thren, tormented to Death with their Mother.
The Jezvs themfelves fing the Ixxixth PJahn ; in
which are thefe Words : l^hey have given the dead
Bodies of thy Servants to the Fowls of the Air^ and
the Remains of them whom thou lovcf, to the Bcajls :
They have poured out their Blood within the IValls
<?/Jerufalem, and there ivas none to bury them\ and
fo on. And that the MelTiah himfelf was to arrive
at his Kingdom, and to the Power of beftowing

on

((/) David ^^0, n.vhen he nvas feeding his Flock, &c.] \ Som,
xvi. 7, II.

{b) Ajo\fiilM''JfcvgertotheP(jor, &c.] Ifaiab \xi. i. Matt.
x\. 5. and Zach. ix. 9.

(f) That he fmuld not lift up his Voice, &C.] IfaiahrMx. 2, 3,
4. Matt. xii. 19, 20.

(t/) Js 'Lot ivas hy the Men of ^odom, &c.] G^;/. xix.

(^.>) hi the Example of kht\, &c.] Go/, iv.

(/) 0/"Ifaiah, i.vho<was cut in Pieces, &c.] So fays the Tra-
dition of the Jen,vs, to which the Author to xht Hebreivs \\7{i
Refpeft, xii. 37. and Jofephtis X. 4. Chalcidins on Timosus.
" As the Prophets by wicked Men, one cut in Pieces, another
overwhelmed with Stones."

{g) Of the WiRCCcilKCS Brethren, &C.] 2 Maccah. vil. fofe.
^hus'm his Book, Of the Goi-errment of Rcafo?i,

250 OF THE TxRUTH OF THE Book V.

on his Difciples the greatefl good Things, through
Troubles and Death, no body can deny, who reads
thofe Words of Ifaiab with an attentive Mind,
(^) Ch. liii. IVho hath believed our Report y mid T^ho
hath acknozvledged the Pozver of God? And that for
this Reafon, becaiife he hath art fen in the Sight of God
as a tender Plant y as Grafs out of the Jan dy Ground \
there is no Beauty or Comclinefs in his Countenance ^
neither if you look upon him^ is there any Thing de-
lightful ; he zvas expo fed to Contempt y and was as the
mojl defpifed amongjl Men ; he endured many SorrozvSy
many Griefs : All Men turned away themfelvesfroni
him ; he was fo much defpifed as to be thought of no
P'alue\ {b) but indeed he hath endured our DifeafeSy
he hath borne our Calamities. We efeemed him as
flruckfrom Heaven y as f mitt en and afficJed of God:
But he zvas zvoundedfor our SinSy he was bruifed for
our Crimes \ (<:) the Punijhment which fJjould procure
Safetv for us, zvas laid on hi?n ; his Stripes zvere a
Remedy for us, for ajfuredly zve have all wandered to
and fro like Sheep; God hath inflicted on him the
Punijhment due to our Crimes. And yet when he zvas
afflicfed and grievoufly tornujntedy he did not lift up
his Voice y but was fi lent a^i a Lamb going to be flainy
and a (beep to befhorn. After Bonds y after Judge-
ment y he zvas taken from among Men ; but now who
can worthily declare the Continuance of his Life? He
zvas taken out of this Place zvherein zve live\ but this
P.vil befel him fo) the Sins of my People. He zvas
delivered into the Hands of pozverful and 'Wicked Men y

even

{„) Chnp liii. &c.] Which Place is interpreted of the Mef-
iicih, by the Chaldce Parnphrail, and the Bab^louiJhGcmara, en-
titled concerning the Council.

(/6) Pnit incited he hnth endured our Difcafcs, &r.] Abarbn>:t'
upon this Place, tells us, that by Difeales, are to be underftood
any Evils.

fcj Ihe Punipmriit n.vhiih Jhoidd procure Safety for ta, &C.]
Rabbothy and Sdoinon Jarchi, on the Gernara, entitled concern-
ing the Council, explain thefe VN'ords concerning the Mefliah.

Sea. 19. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 251

even unto Death and Burui/, when he had done no
Injury to any one^ nor zvas deceit ever found in his
Speech : But although God permitted him to he thus ,
far bruifed and afflicfed "vci'th Fains^ (a) yet hecanfe
he has made himf elf a' Sacrifice for Sin^ (^) he Jhall
fee his Pojlerity^ he Jhall live a long Life ; and thofe
Things which are acceptable to God ^fh a II happily fuc-
ceed through hifn: Seeing himfelf freed from Evily
fays God, (c) he Jhall befatisfied with Pleafure, and
that principally for this Reafon, becaufe by his Doc-
trine my righteous Servant Jhall acquit many , bearing
himfelf their Sins. I will give them a large Portion
{d) when the Spoil f}j all be divided amongji the War^
riors ; becaufe he fubmitted hiynfelf to Death, and
was reckoned amongji the Wicked-^ and when he bore
the Punijhment of other Mens Crimes , he made him-
felf a Petitioner for the Guilty. Which of the Kings
or Prophets can be named, to whomthefe Things
will agree? Ceriainly none of them. And as to
what the modern Jews conceit, that the Hebrew
People themfclves are here fpoken of, who being
difperfed into all Nations, fnould by their Exam-
ple and Difcourfe make Profelytcs; this Sen fe,
in the fk'ft Place, isinconfiftent with many Teili-

monies

{a") Yet liecanfc he has made himfelf a Sacrijicc, &c.] /lijeck
fays, that Evils borne with a willing Mind are here fpoken of.

{I}) He Jhall fie his Pofteritj, &c.] Alfed here fays, that by
the Word Seed in the Hebreiu, is meant Difciples. Thus the
Seed of the Serpent is by the Hebrenvs interpreted the Caiianu-
ites\ and fo fome underftand it to mean their Children. Ifaiah
viii. 1 8. as the Jerujalem Talmud obferves, under the Title
concerning the Council.

(f) HeJhallhefatisjiedivithPLafiire, &C.] Abarbaiul X'^^ax^
thcie Words to a future Age.

{d) When the Spr,il Jhall be di-vided, &c.] Tht Babjlcyifj Ge-
7j:ara, entitled nilD, tells us, that thefe W'ords are to be un-
derfiood in a fjn ritual Senfe. Alj'ecl: upon this Place fays, that
bv Spoils are to be underftood the Honours and Rewards of
v.'ife Men,

252 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

monies of the Sacred Writings, which declare,
(a) that no Misfortunes Ihould befal the Jczvs,
which, and much greater than which, they have
not defcrved by their Acitions. Further, the Order
itfelf of the prophctick Difcourfe, will not bear
fuch an Interpretation. For the Prophet, or which
feems more agreeable to that Place, God fays.
This Evil katb happened to him for the Sins of jnv
People. Now Ifaiaffs People, or God's People,
are the Hebrezv People; wherefore he who is faid
by IJciiahy to have endured fuch grievous Things,
cannot be the fame People. The antient Hebnzu
Teachers more rightly confefTcd, that thefc Thing.^
were fpoken of the MelTiah ; which when fomeof
the latter faw, (^) they imagined two McHiah's;
one of which they call the Son of Jofephy who en-
dured m.any Evils, and a cruel Death ; the other
the Son of Davids to whom all Things fuccceded
profperoufly; {c) though it is much ealier, and
more agreeable to the Writings of the Prophets,
to acknowledge one, who arrived at his Kingdom
through Adverfity and Death, which we believe
concerning Jefus, and v, hich the Thing itfelf
llievvs us to be true.

SEC T. XX.

And as though they zvere good Men who delivered
him to Death.

MAN Y are with-held from embracing the Doc-
trine of Jefus, out of a prejudiced Notion they

have

(<7) That no Misfortunes JhoiilJ liefiJ 'he ]tw>, &c.] This ap-
pears from thofe Places of the Pr.)ph?rr, cited above, and from
Daniel \x. and Nclyemi.-ih \x. To which we may add, that he
of whom Ij'aiah fpcaks, was to pray to God for the Heathens,
which the Ji-nus do not do.

ijb) Thj- imai;imd tivo Mrjftahs, &c.] See the Talmud, en-
titled, Succha, R. Solomon, and R. David Kiitcki.

(r) Trough it is much eajier, &c.] Which >:/^^>-^ij;/d'/ follows,
not in one Place only, on this Chapter of IJaiah.

Sea. 20. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 25^

have entertained of the Virtue and Goodnefs of
their Forefathers, and efpecially of the Chief
Priefts; who condemned Jefus, and rcjecled his
Dodrine, without any juft Rcafon. 13ut what Sort
of Pcrfons their Forefathers often were, that they
inay not think I falfely flandcr them, let them
hear in the very Words of theLaw, and of the Pro-
phets, by whom they are often called (a) Uncir-
ciimcifed in Ears and Fleart: (6) a People who
honoured God with their Lips, and with coftly
Rites, but their Mind was far removed from him.
it was their Forefathers, (c) who were very near
killing their Brother Jojcph^ and who actually fold
him into Bondage; it was their Forefathers alfo,
(^)'who made Mojes their Captain and Deliverer,
whom the Earth, Sea, and Air obeyed, weary of
his Life by their continual Rebellions; [e) who
dcfpifed the Bread fent from Heaven; (/) who
complained as if they were in extreme Want, when
they could fcarce contain within them the Birds
they had eaten. It was their Forefathers (0) who
forfook the great and good King Davidy to follow
his rebellious Son: It was their Forefathers (/^)
who flew Zdcharids, the Son oVJehoida^ in the moft
Holy Place, makinj^ the very Prieft himfelf a Sa-
crifice of their Crucir-. . (/) And as to the High
Prielts, they v.ere fuch as treacheroufly defigned

the

(/?) Uncircumc'tJ'cd in Ears and Heart , &c.] Jer, ir. 4. vi. 20.
[b) A People ivho honoured God wjith their Lips, &c.] Deut^

Xxxii. 5, 6. 15, 28. Ij'aiah x-nx. 13^ Amos v. 21. Ezekie/ xvi. 3.
(t) Who n-verei'ery ?iear killing their Brother, &C.] Gf;/. xxxviiu
[d) Who?nnde^\oks, &c.] The Places are obferved before

in the Second Book,

(c-) Who dejpifed the Bread, &c.] l^umh. xi. 6.

{ /) II ho complained as if ti:rj lUcre in extreme Want, &C.] la

theforecited xith Chapter,^ rewards the End.

{^) Whoforfook the great and good KingY}!iY\(\, Sec.'] 2 Sam.xv,
(/->) Whojlsiv Zacharias, &c.] 2 Chron. xxiv. 21,
(/■} And astothe High Pritjis, &c,] J^r. xxvL

2,'+ OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

the Death q{ Jeremiah, and had effected it, if they
had not been hindered by the Authority of fonie
of the Rulers ; however, they extorted thus much,
[a] that he fhould be held a Captive till the very
Moment'the City was taken. If any one think
that they who lived in the Time of Jefus were
better, Jofephiis Q-xn free them from this Miflake,
who defcribes their mofl: horrid Crimes, and their
Punilhments, w^hich were heavier than any that
were ever heard of; and yet, as he himfclf thinks,
[h) beneath what they deferred. Neither are we
to think better of the Council, cfpecially when at
that Time the Members of it were not admitted,
according to the ancient Cuftom, by the Impofi-
tion of Hands, but were wont to be choferi [c)
at the Will of great Men; as the Chief Priefls alfo
were, whole Dignity was not now perpetual, (Jjbut
yearly, and oftentimes purchafed. So that we ought
not to wonder that Men fwcUed with Pride, whofe
Avarice and Ambition was infatiable, lliould be
enraged at the Sight of a Man, who urged the molt
holy Precepts, and reproved their Lives by their
Difference from his. Nor was heaccufed of any
Thing, but what the belt Men, of old were: [e]
Thus Micaiah, who lived in the Time oijehofophaty
was delivered to Prifon, for refolutely afferting the
Truth againft four hundred falfe Prophets. (/)

Ahab

{a) That he JJ:>Q2ild be held a Captive, &c.] y<:'r. xxxviii.

{J}) BeJieath ivhat they deferved^ &c,] He fays, no other
City ever endured fiich Calamities, nor was there ever any Age
fo fruitful of nil Kinds of Wickednefs The Jiivs brought
greater Mifchiefs upon themfelves, than the Romans did, who
came to expiate their Crimes.

(0 At the Will of great Men, &C.] Jofcphus XI V. 9.

[d) But yearly and of centimes purchafed, &;c.] J f phis XVIII.
3, and 6.

(.) Ti^^/T Micaiah, &c.] z King: xfXi.

(/) Ahab charge dYX\]\\\, &c.] i Kings yi\'\\\. 17. Ahah
faid to Elijah, Art not thou he that troubles Ifrael ? And thus the

High

Sea. 20. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 255

Ahab charged Elijah^ juil as the Chief Prieds did
JffuSy with being a Difturber of the Peace of
Ifrael. (a) And Jereviiah was accufed, as Jefus
was, of prophefying againft the Teinple. To
which may be a.dded, what the antient Hebrezo
Teachers [h] have left us in Writing, that in the
Times of the Melfiah, Men would have the Im-
pudence of Dogs, the Stubbornnefs of an Afs,
and the Cruelty of a wild Bead. And God him-
felf, whofaw long before, what Sort of Men many
of the Jezvs would be, in the Times ofthe Melnah,
foretold that they {c) who were not his People,
Ihould be admitted to be his People, {d) and that
out of every City and V'illage of the Jezvs not
•above one or two fliouid go up to the Holy Moun-
tain ; but that what was wanting in their Number, n^
ihould be filled up by Strangers. And alfo [e] \^
that the Mefliah fliouid be the Deftrucflion ofthe
Hebrezvs; but that this Stone, which was rejedfed
by the Mafter-Builders, fhould be put in the Chief ,
Place, to hold the whole Fabrick tosrether.

'&*

High Priefts fald oi Jefus, Luke xxiii. 2. We found this Man a
Troubler o/ Ifrael.

faj And ]tvtm\&\\ ^doas accufed, &c.] Jur. vii. 4. and fol-
lowing, xxvi. 6, II.

(b) Ha-je left us in Writing, &c.] See ths Ta/wW, concern-
ing the Council ; Kclmhoth and &ota. R. Solomon on the fore-
mentioned Title, concerning the Council, c. Helej:h, and the
Talmud, entitled concerning Weights. And alfo the Tradition
of Rabbi Judah, in the Ge?nara, on the fanae Title, concerning
the Council, c. HiLch. " At that Time, when the Son of
Z)(TZ7^ Ihall come, the Houfe that was appointed of God, ihall
be made a Brothel-Hcufe." 'Sc& Jeremiah x, 21, xix. 14.
(Here was a great Miftake, for the M<7^;v//:) was put inilead
of the Gemara, for thefe Words are to be found in the Gemara,
Chap. XI. entitled concerning the Council. " At the Time
•' wheri the Son of Dan.'id {hA\ come, the Houfe of aflembling
" togetlier, ni>-nnn'2, fhall be made a Brothel-Houfe." Ed.
Cacceius, Se£l. 27. Le Clerc.j

fcj Who nut re not his People, &c.] Hofea, \\, 24.

(d) And that out of en^ery City, &c.] Jerem. iii. 14, 17.
and Ifaiah liii.

(e) TkattheMeJfiahfty.ldhetheDrfiruaion, &c.]^ ^'7.^V!ii.
14. Ffalm cxviii. 22. SEC T,

«5^ OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V.

SECT. X'XI.

An Anfiver to the Ohje^ion of the Cbrijlians wor^-
Jhipping many Gods.

IT remains that we anfwer two Accufations,
which the Jezvs aiTault the Doclrine and Worfliip
of the Chriftians with. The firft is this ; they affirm
that wc worihip many Gods : But this is no more
than an odiousExplication of a Doctrine which ap-
pears ftrange to them. For there is no more Reafon
why this fliould be objeded againft the Chriftians,
[a] than againft Philo the Je-Vy who often affirms,
that there are three Things in God; and he calls the
Reafon {b) or jyordcfGody the Name of God, [c] the

Maker

fa J Than againji Philo the Jew, ^c] Concerning the Sa-
crifices of /i/W and CaJi:. " When God, attended with his
*' two principal Powers, Government and Goodnefs; Himfelf,
" who is one only, being between them, he framed three Con-
*' ceptions in the contemplative Soul; each of which can by
*' no Means be comprehended, for his Powers are unlimited,
*' they each contain the Whole." Afterwards he calls Goverfi-
ment. Pother; and Goodn^-Js he calls Beiiefceuce ; and fays, that
they are not pronounced by a pious Mind, but kept in filenc
Secrecy. And the fame we find in his Book of Cherubim. In
the Second Book, of the Husbandry of Noah, he mentions Exift-
e7ice, the Governing Fo~a:er, The Merciful Poiver. Maimonides,
in the Beginning of his Book of Fundamentals, and after him
Jofeph Albo, diftinguifli in God, that ^^vhich underjlandeth; that
by ivhich anything is under ftrod ; and the Underjianding. \\ e
find fomething belonging to this Matter in Jbene/dras, or Gen.
xviii. and Maimonides's Guide to the Doubting.

(h) Or Word of God, &c.] In his Allegories, and of the
Confufion of Tongues.

(c) The Maker of the World, cIt.] In his Allegories: " His
*' Word, by making Ufe of which, as of an Inltrument, he
*♦ made the World." Concerning Cain. " The Word of
♦♦ God was the Inftrument by which it (the World) was made."
(The Word Xc-jac, might better be tianflated Reafon, here in
Philo, as I have abundantly fliown in the Diflertation on the
Beginning of St. John. Le Chrc. )

Se<a. 21. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 257

Maker of the World; {a) notunbegotten^asisGod
the Fatherof all ; nor yet begotten in like Manner
as Men are: The fame is likewife called {b) the
Angel, or the Ambaflador, who takes care of the
Univerfe,byPMohimfeU-andby(r)Mo/^jtheSon

of

{a) Not unbegotten, as is God the Father ofall.SiC,] The
Place is in the Book entitled. Who Jhall inherit Dinjine Things.
The fame Word is called by Philo, the Image of God, in his
Book of Monarchy ; and in that of Dreams fent by God ; fome-
times «.7£«ev(V^5, the Rejemblance, as in the Book entitled. The
Wicked lay Snares for the Righteous. Sometimes A:«p«tTxp the
Form, as in Book II. of Agriculture. Compare John i. Heh. i. 3

{b) The Angel, or the Amhaffador, &c.] He calls him Ayyi-
^fl?. Angel, in his Allegories, and in his Book of Cherubin;
A?X.^yyiXe,i, Archangel; in his Book entitled. Who fiall inherit
dv-viiie good Things, and in his Book oi the Coffufion of Tongues.
And the fame is called Angel, and nin', Jehovah, by R. Samuel
in Mechor Chaim.

(f) Mofes the ^!?^/o/Nehemannus, &c.] The learned MaCius
has tranflated his Words thus, on the vth Chap, of Jojhua :
" That Angel, to fpeak the Truth, is the Angel, the Re-
" deemer, ot whom it is written, becaufe my Name is in him.
•' That Angel, I fay, who faid to Jacob, I am the God of
" Bethel. He of whom it is faid, An.i Gcd called Mfa out
" of the Bulh. And he is called an Angel, becaufe he <^o-
•' verns the World. For it is written, Jeho'vah (that itthe
*' Loru God) brought us outof %,//; and in other Places he
*' fent his Angel, and brought us out of Egypt: B<^fidcs
" It IS written. And the Angel of his Prefence hath made
" them fa.e. Namely, That Angel which is the Prefence of
•' God, conceramg whom it is faid, my Prefence (hall go be-
" fore, and I will caufe thee to reft. Laftly, this is that An-
*' gel of whom the Prophet faid. And fuddenly the Lord whom
" ye feek, (hall come into his Temple, even the Angel
««of the Covenant, whom ye deiire." And again, other
Words of the fame Perfon to this Purpofe : " Confider
" diligently what thofe Things mean; for Me^. and the If-
*« ra.V//w always wilhed for the firft An^el; but they could
" not rightly unic: Hand who he was. For they had it not
*' from others, no: . oi^ld ther arrive fullv at it by prophetick
« Knowledge. But the Prciience of God fignifies Go.; hinv-
" fell, as isconfeffed by all Interi: refers; neither could any
*' one underftand thofe Things by Dreams, unlefs he were
*' (lulled in the Mylteries of the Law." And again, «' My
S «' Prefence

25« OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book V,

of Nebemannus : (a) Or againft the Cabalijls^ who
diftingiiifli God into three Lights, and feme of
them by the fame Names as the Chriftians do, of
the Father, Son or Word, and Holy Ghoft. And
to take that, which is chiefly allowed amongft all
the Hehrezvs: That Spirit by which the Prophets
were moved, is not any created Thing, and yet it is
diftinguifhed from him that fent it ; as likewife that
which is [b] commonly called the Schechinah. Now
{c) many of the Hebrews have this Tradition, that
that Divine Power, which they call IViJdom^ fliould
dwell in the MeiTiah, {d) whence the Chaldce Para-

phrafl

*' Prefence fhall go before, that is, the Angel of the Covenant
♦*■ whc^m je define, in whom my Prefence will be feen. Of
*' whom it is faid, I will hear thee in an acccptal)ie Time; for
"■ my Name is in him, and I will make thee to reft; or I will
" caufe him to be kind and merciful to thee. Nor fhall he
*' guide thee by a rigid Law, but kindly and gently." Com-
pare with this, what we find in Mavajfes Conciliator, in the
XlXth Queft. on Geneps. ('Ihe Name of this Rabbi's Father
may better be pronounced Nachma?:, for it is written ponj,
Kathmafi.)

{a) Or again/, we Cabalifls, <.'sC.] See the Appendix to
Schinciler's Htbrezv LcxicM, in the Charaders u«. And the
Book called 6chep-tal fays nnsD Sijierotk, Number in God does
not deftroy his Unity.

{b) Commordy called the Schechinah, &c.] And they diflin-
g;iiih it from the Holy Ghoft. See the Jerujaletn Gemara, en-
titled concerning Inftrudtions, Chap. 3. And the Babylonijh
Gemara, entitled Jorr.ach i. R. Jonathan in his Preface to
Ecka Rabbathi, fays, that the Schechinah remained three Years
and a Half upon Mount Olixet, expeding the Converfion of
the Jeivs-i which is very true, if we apprehend him right.

(cj Many of the Hebrews ha've this Tradition, &c.] Rabbf
Solomon, on Genefis xix. iS. acknowledges, that God can take
upon him human Nature, which he thinks was formerly done
for a Time; to which agrees the Talmud, entitled Schebnoth and
Sahhathoth.

(d) Whence the Chaldee Paraphraji, &c.] As Hofea xii.
(But they are miflakcn who think that the Chaldce Paraphraft
means any Thing elfe by the Na?ne of God, but God himfelf;
as a very learned Man hath fhewn, in the Balance of Truth,

publilbed

Seel. 21, 22. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 259

phrafl calls the Meffiah, the mrd ofGodi as the
Mefluih IS alfo called by David, and others, (a)
by the venerable Name of God, [P, and aifo of
the Lord.

SECT. XXII.

And that human Nature is vcorjloipped by them,

TO the other Objedion thev make againfl us
name y, that we give the VVorfliip due to God'
to a Being made by God, the Anfwer is readv •
l^or we fay, that we pay no other Worlhip or Ho*
nourtotheiMemah, (.; but what we are command!
f ifi'n i^.^^^il"-.^"^ '^^- the former of which was
tulhlled in David only in an incomplete Manner
and belonged more eminently to the Mefliah [d]
^% David Kimchi, a great Enemy to the Chriftians
acknowledges; and the latter cannct be explained
of any other but the MelHah : For t.-e Fidtions of
S 2 the

(a) Bj the venerable Kan>e of God, &c.J Namely, nin» Je.
honjah Jonathan, ^n^ Da-M Kimch, on 7.;v;tv/^/, xxiii 6 with
Which agrees ^^^. ia Ecka Rabbath,, -ni^v mn Joho'hf^

XXV. 9. faith, in that Tin^e God, mn» Jeho'-vrh Vi\\Z
Ihevvn, as it were N.ith the Finger. J^'^o^ah, fhall be

{b) And al/o of the Lord, &c. 1 ^>r\^^El'him Pr.l .1
(//) As David Kimchi, <5.-c.l This fame ^ocmA PAi •

a6o OI^ THE TRUTH OF THE Book V,

the latter yrzvs ,- fome of Abraham y fome of David ^
and others oi'Hezekiah ; are very trifling. The He-
brew Infcription fhevvs us, that it was a Pfalm of
David's own. Therefore what David fays zvas/aid
to his Lord, cannot agree to jD-^Lv^himfelf, nor to
Hezekiaby who was of the Pofterity of David, and
no Vv^ay more excellent than David. And Abra-
ham had not a more excellent Prieflhood; nay,
Melchijedech gave him a BlefTmg, [a) as inferior ta
himfelf. But both this, and that which is added,
concerning {b) a Scepter's coming out oiSion, and
extending to the moft diftant Places, plainly agrees
to the MefTiah; [c) as is clear from thofe Places
which, without Doubt, fpeak of thcMelhah ; nei-
ther did the ancient Hebrezvs and Paraphrafts un-
derftand them otherwife. Now that Jefus ofNaza-^
reth was truly the Perfon, in whom thcfe Things
were fulfilled, I could believe upon the Affirmation
of his Difciples oiily, upon the Account of their
great Honelly; in the fame Manner as the Jews
believe Mojes, without any other Witnefs in thofe
Things which he fays were delivered to him from
God. [d] But there are very many and very ftrong
Arguments befides this, of that exceeding Power
which we affirm Jefus to have obtained. He him-
felf was fcen by many after he was reflored to
Life: He was {(itx\ to be taken up into Heaven:
Moreover Devils were caftout, and Difeafes healed,
by his Name only; and the Gift of Tongues was
given to his Difciples; which Things jefus him-
felf

(a) As Uiferior to himfelf , &c.] And received the Tithe of
him by a Sacerdotal Right, Gen. xiv. 19. 20.

(hj A Sujyter's coming out c/"Sion, &c.] Pfulm ex. 2.

(f) As is char from thefc Places, ^q.'\ h% Gai>fh \X\X. 10.
and thofe before cited out of the Prophets.

(</) Rut there are icry mn7:y^ &c.] See them handled before
in the Second Book; and what is faid in the Beoinning of this
Book.

Sea. 22. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 261

felf promifed, as Signs of his Kingdom. Add to
this, that his Scepter, that is, the Word of the
Gofpel, came out of Sion, and, without any human
AfTiRance, extended itfelf to the utmofl Limits of
the Earth, by the Divine Power alone; and
made Nations and Kings fubjedl unto it, as the
Ffalms exprefsly foretold. The Cabaiiftical Jei^s
[a] madetheSonof £/zor/7a certain middle Perfon
betwixt God and Men, who had no Token of any
fuch great Power. How much more reafonable
then is it, for us to do it to him, who gave us fuch
Inftruclions ! Neither does this at all tend to the
lelfening of God the Father, [h) from whom this
Power of Jefus was derived, [c) and to whom it
will return, [d) and M'hofe Honour it ferves.

[a) Made the Son of Enoch» &:c.] The Name which the
Jiebreiv: give him, is, ntDtOID Metator. So the Latim call him,
who prepares the Way for the King. Thus Lucan,

As Harbinger fo the Hefperian Fields, I boldly come.
Vegetius, Book IL fays, " They were called Metatores, Har-
" bingers in the Camps, who went before and chofe a Place
*' fit for the Camp." And thus ^W^r: Mf7as-r&'p, " A Har-
" binger is a Meflenger, who is j^it before from the Prince."
(The Rabbies rather call it Metatron fVtDDia, concerning which,
ee 'John Buxtorf'sChaldee atidRabbical Lexicon.)

{b) From njohich this Ponuer, &c.] As himfelf confefles,
y<3w/ V. 19, 30, 36, 43. vi. 36, 57. viii. 28,43. X. 18,29.
xiv. 28, 31. xvi. 28. XX. 21. And the Apoftle to the //.r<J.
V. 5, Rom. vi. 4. I Cor. xi, 4.

(f) And to nuhom it avill return, Scc.'\ As the Apoftle con-
feffes, I Cor. xv. 24.

.{d) And ijuhofe Honour it /er-ves, Scc.'\ John xW'i. 31. xiv. 13,
Rom. xvi, 27. Therefore the Talmud, entitled, concerning the
Council, denies Jefus to be the Name of an Idol; feeing the
Chrlftians in honouring him have a Regard to God the Maker
of the World.

S3 SECT,

26^ OF THE TRUTH OF, &:c. Book V«

SECT. XXIII.

The Conclufion of this Part^ with a Prayer for the
Jews.

IT is not the Defign of this Treatifc, to exa-
mine more nicely into thefe Things; nor had we
treated of them at all, but to make it appear that
there is nothing in the Chriftian Religion, either
impious or abfurd, which any Man can pretend
againft embracing a Religion recommended by fo
great Miracles, whofe Precepts are fo virtuous,
and whofe Promifes are fo excellent. For he who
has once embraced it, ought to confult thofe Books,
which we have before fliewn to contain the Doc-
trines of the Chriftian Religion, for particular
Qucftions. Which that it may be done, let us be-
feech God, that he would enlighten the Minds of
the Jevos with his own Light, and render thofe
Prayers effectual, [a) which Chrift put up for
them, when he hung upon the Crofs.

{a) Which ChriJ} put 7tppr them, &c.] Lide xxiii. 34.

BOOK

C 263 ]
BOOK VI.

SECT. I,

A Confu-tcU ion of Mahomet anijni', the Original thereof ,

INSTEAD of a Preface to the Sixth Book,
which is defigned againfl: the Mahometans; it
relates the Judgments of God againfl: the Chrif-
tians, down to the Original of iVTahometanifm;
namely, [a) how that fincere and unfeigned Piety,
which flouriflied amongfl: the Chriftians, who
were mofl: grievoufly afflicfled and tormented, be-
gan by Degrees to abate ; after Conflantine and the
following Emperors had made the ProfeiTion of
the Chrifliian Religion not only fafe but honour-
able; but having as it were {b) thrufl: the World
into the Church, firfl:, {c) the Chriftian Princes
S 4 waged

[a) H01.V that ft/icere and rtvfeigned Piefy, ^C.'\ Stt Ammia-
mis Marcellhius, at the End of the Twenty firft Book concern- .
ing Confiaiit'ius : " And above all, he was \'ery ready to take
■" away what he had given; confounding tie Chriftian R.eli-
•* gion, which is perfed and fincere, with old Wives Fables;
*' by more intricately fearching into which, rather than fe-
** rioufly fettling them, he caufed a great many Differences ;
♦• which fpreading farther, he kept up by quarrelling about
*' Words; that the Body of Prelate^, who were the publick
*' Pack-horfes, running here and theie in vSynods; as they call
" them, might cut the Nerves of their Carriage; by endeavour»
" ing to make every Rite conformable to their own Opinion."

{b) Thruji the World into the Church, &c.] See what is ex-
cellently faid about this, in Chryfojlom's Second Moral Difcourfe
on the xiith Chapter of 2 Cor. after Ver. i o.

(f) The ChriJliaJt Princes TVaged War, &c.] It is a com«
rncndable Saying of Marcion in Zonoras, " That a King ougut
** not to take up Arms, fo long as he can maintain Peace,"

264 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book YI.

waged War without Meafure, even when they
might have enjoyed Peace, (a) TheBifhops quar-
relled

{a) The Bijhops quarrelled nuith each other y &c.] AmmianuSt
Book XXVII. " The cruel Seditions of the quarrelfome Peo-
•* pie, which gave Rife to this Bufinefs, frighted this Man
" alfo {Vi'ventius, chief CommifTioner of the Palace) Dama/m
*' and Urficinus, being above all reafonable Meafure, de-
«* lirous of feizing the Epifpocal Chair, contended with each
** other moft vehemently by different Intercfts; their Ac-
*' complices on each Side carrying on their Differences as far
" as Death and Wounds; which Viventius not being able to
" corredt or foften, being compelled by a great Force, re-
*' tired into the Suburbs; and Damajus overcame, in the
*• Conteft, the Party which favoured him, prefTmg hard.
*• And it is evident, that in the Palace of Sichmu, where
•' the Affemblies of the Chriftians ufed to be, there were
*• found the dead Bodies of one hundred thirty-feven, llain
*' in one Day; and it was a long Time before the enraged
** common People could be appeafed. Nor do I deny, when
*• I confider the City's Pomp, but that they who are defirous
** of fuch Things, may lawfully contend, by ftretching their
<* Lungs to the utmcfl in order to obtain what they aim at.
** Becaufe when they are arrived at it, they will be fo fecure,
*' that they may enrich themfclves with the Gifts of Matrons,
" may fit and ride in their Chariots, be neatly drefTed, have
** large Feafls provided, infomuch that their Banquets will
** exceed the Royal Tables; but fuch Perfons might have
** been more truly happy, if they had defpifed the Grandeur
•« of the City, v\hich flattered their Vices; and had lived
" after the Manner of fome of the Provincial Bifhops; whofe
«* fparingnefs in eating and drinking moderately, and Mean-
«* nefs in Clothes, and. Eyes fixed on the Ground continually,
** recommend them as pure and modeft to the Deity, and to
•' thofe that worfhip him." And a little after; " The Chief
«* Juftice, whilfl he takes Care of the Government in a
•' higher Degree; amongfl other Ihings, by manifold Ads
«• of Integrity and Goodnefs, for which he has been famous
** from the Beginning of his Youth, has obtained that which
•«• ft'ldom happens; that at the fame Time that he is feared
•• he does not lofe the Love of his Subjcds; which is feldom
*' very flrong towards thofe Judges they are afraid of. By
*' whofe Authority and juft Determinations of Truth, the
** Tumult, raifed by the Qiiarrels of the Chriflians, was
" appealed; and lJ>Jk:nus being driven away, the Roman
" Subjctfis grew into a firm Peace jointly, and with one
" Mind; vvliich is the Glory of an eminent Ruler, regu-

♦• laiin»

Sea. I. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 1265

relied with each other moft bitterly, about the
highefl: Places : And, as of old, the (a) preferring
the Tree of Kn:jwledge to the Tree of Life, was
the Occafion of the greatefl Evils ; fo then nice
Enquiries were efteemed more than Piety, (^} and

Religion

** lating many and advantageous Things." This was that
Chief Juftice of whom 'Jerom tells a Story, not unworthy to
be mentioned here, to Pam7nachiusy againft the Errors of
John of Jeru/alem. " The Chief Juftice that died when
*• he was deligned for Conful, ufed to fay jeftingly to the
'* holy Pope Damafcus ; Make me Bifhop of the City of
*' Rome, and I will be a ChrilHan immediately," See alfo
what the fame Ammianus fays, Book XV. The African Coun-
cil did not without Reafon admonifli the Bifhop of the City
of Rome thus : " That we may not feem to bring the vain
** Arrogance of the Age into the Church of Chrift, Avhich
«♦ affords the Light of Simplicity, and the Day of Humility,
** to them who defire to fee God." To which we may add,
the noble Epiftles of the Roman Bifhop Gregory, truly ftiled
the Great, Book IV. 32,34,36. Book VL 30. Book VI L
Indid. I. Epift. 30.

(/7) Preferring the Tree of Knoivledge , &c.] Gen. ii. and iii.

{b) And Religion ovas made an Art, &c.] See what was be-
fore quoted out of the Tv/enty-firft Book of Ammianus. The
fame Hiftorian, Book XXIIL in the Hiftory of Julian, fays,
** And that his Difpofition of Things might produce a more
** certain EfFeft, having admitted the difagreeing Prelates of
** the Chriftians, together with the divided Multitude, into the
*• Palace ; he admonifhed them that euery one, laying afide
*' their civil Difcords, fliould apply himfelf without Fear to
*' his Religion; which he urged the more earneftly, becaufe
*• Liberty is apt to increafe Diflentions ; that he might have
" the lefi Reafon to fear the common People, when they were
*' all of one Mind, knowing that no Beads are fo Mifchievous
*' to Mankind, as very many of the Chriftians were, who were
*• fo outrageous againfl one another." See alfo Pracopius, in
the firft of his Gothicks, to be read with fome Abatement
here, as in other Places. " Ambafladors came from Bj-
" zantium, to the Bifhop of Rome, viz, Hypatius, Bifhop of
** Ephefus, and Demetrius, Bilhop of Pbillippi in Macedonia,
^' concerning an Opinion, which was controverted amongfl
♦' the Chriftians, though I know what Oppoiition they
*' made, yet I am very onwilling to relate it. For I think
f it the maddeft Folly to fearch nicely into the Nature of

*« God,

266 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

Religion was made an Art. The Confequence of
whicii was, that after the Example of them (a) who
built the Tower of Bah/, their rafhly affedling
Matters, produced different Languages and Con-
fufion above them ; which the common People
taking Notice of, many Times notknowing which
Way to turn themfelves, cafl: ail the Blame upon
the Sacred Writings, and began to avoid them, as
if they were infected. And Religion began every
where to be placed, not in Purity of Mind, but
in Rites, as iVJudaiJm were brought back again;
and in thofe Things, which contained in them
(/'} more of bodily Exercife, than Improvement of

the

** God, and wherein it confifts. For, as I conceive, Man
*• cannot fully comprehend human Things, much lefs thofe
" that appertain to the Divine Nature, I may therefore fe-
•' .curely pafs by thefe Things in Silence, and not iifturb
•* what they reverence. As for myfelf, I can fay nothing
'• more of God, but that he is every Way good, and upholds
** all Things by his Power ; he that knows more, whether
*• he be a Prieft or one of the common People, let him fpealc
*•' it." Gregorat, Book XII. cites the faying of Lxjis the
Pjtba^oyean, and afterwards of Sjnejius ; " That talking
•♦ Philofophy amon^'^ the Vulgar, was the Caufe of Mens
*' fo much contemning divine Things." So alfo Book the
Xth, he in-.;ch diffuades Men from fuch Difputcs ; and fpeak-
ing of the Lntjfjs of his Time, he fays, " I blame and con-
«* demn the Italians highly, becaufe they run into divine
•* Matters v.'ith great Arrogance." Afterwards he adds :
*' Amongft them, the Mechanicks utter the Myfteries of Di-
** vinity, and they are all as eager of reafoning Syllogilli-
*' cally, as the Cattle arc of Food and Grafs. Both they
«« who doubt of what they ought to believe rightly, and
«< they who know not what they ought to believe, nor what
•' they fay they believe ; thefe fill all the Theatres, Forums,
«« and Walks, with their Divinity, and are not alhamed to
*f make the Sun a Witnefs of their Impudence."

fa) Who built the Tonver of Babel, Scc.'\ Gen. xi. Mahomet
often reproaches thefe Controverfies of the Chriilians, parti-
cularly in Azoara, XXVI. XXXIl.

{bj More of bodily Exercife, &c.] l Tim, iv. 8. Colof\u
?3-

Sea. I. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 267

the Mind ; and alfo in a violent adhering to (a) the
Party they had chofen ; the final Event of which
was, that there were every where a great many
(/^) Chriftians in Name, but very few in Reality.
God did not overlook thefc Faults of his Peo-
ple ; but from the fartheft Corners (c) of Scyfhia,
(d) and Germany, poured vafl: Armies, like a De-
luge upon tlie Chriftian World : And when the
great Slaughter made by thcfe, did not fuffice to
reform thole which remained -, by the juft Permif-
fion of God, (^} Miiboinet planted in Arabia a
new Religion, direclly oppolite to the Chriftian
Religion ; yet fuch as did in a good Meafure ex-
prefs in Words, the Life of a great Part of the
Chriflians. This Religion was firft embraced hy
the SaracenSy who revolted from the Emperor He^
radius ; whofe Arms quickly fubdued Arabia, Sy^
via, Palejline^ ^gyp^y Perf.a ; and afterwards they
invaded Africa, and came over Sea into Spain,
But the Power of the Saracens was derived to
others, (/) particularly to the Turks ^ a very war-
like People; who after many long Engagements

with

(<?) The Party they had chofen, &,'C.] Rom. X. 2. I Cor. \. 13.
and following Veries.

{h) Chrijiirms in Name, &c.] See Sah-ian, Book III. con-
cerning the Government of God. " Excepting a very few u-ho
** avoid Wickednef», what eil'e is the whole Body of Chriflians,
*f but a Sink of Vice ?"

(f) Of Scythia, kc] Hunns, A-;ari, Sabiri, Alarn, E/itha'
lites, and Turks.

fd) ^»^ Germany, .l-c] Goth;, Eruli, Gepida, Vandals,
Franks, Burgurdia:ts,S^KXiedes, Almains, Saxons, Farni, cind Lart-
bards.

{e) Mahomet //(Z«W/;/ Arabia, £:c.] Dr. Prideanx'slAie oi
Mahomet, wrote in Enghjh, is very well worth reading, pub-
lifhed at London, Anno 1697. Le Clerc.

{fj Particularly to the Turks, &-c.] See Lcuncla'viui s Hiftory
of Turkey, and Lacnicu: ChalcocondiLu,

ten OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

with the Saracens, being defired to enter into a
League, they eafily embraced a Religion agree-
able to their Manners, and trasfcrred the Impe-
rial Power to themfelvcs. Havingtaken the Cities
of 4/Ia and Greece, and the Succefs of their Arms
increaling.they came into the Borders oi Hungary
and Germany,

SECT. II.

V^be Mahometans Foundation overturned, in thai
they do not examine into Religion.

THIS Religion, which was plainly calculated
for Bloodihed, delights much in Ceremonies,
[a) and would be believed, without allowing Li-
berty to enquire into it : For which Reafon the
Vulgar are prohibited reading thofe Books which
they account facred ; which is a manifefl: Sign of
their Iniquity. For thofe Goods may juflly be
fufpeclcd, which are impofed upon us with this
Condition, that they mud not be looked into.
It is true indeed, all Men have not like Capacities
for undcrftanding every Thing ; many arc drawn
into Error by Pride, others by PafTion, and fome
by Cuflom : [b] But the Divine Goodncfs will not

allow

(<7) And it ix:ou!d he btlicved, &c.] See the Alorar:, Az^.nra
XIII. according to the firft Latm Edition, which, for the
Reader's fake, wc here follow.

(h) But the Divine Good fiefs nvill not allona us, &c.] See the
Anfwer to the Orthodox, Qneftion the Fourth, among the
Works of Jufiin : " That it is impoflible for him not to find
** the Truth, who feeks it with all his Heart and Power ; this
«• our I.ord teftifies, when he fays ; he that alks receives, he
" that fceks fhall find, and to him that knocks, it iliallbe
*' opened." And Ongen in his Thirteenth Book againft
Celjus : •' He ought to confidcr that he who fees and hears
«♦ all Things, the common Parent and iMaker of tlie Uni-

♦' verfc.

Sea. 2, 3. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 26(>

allow us to believe, that the Way to eternal Salva-
tion cannot be known by thofe whofeek it, with-
out any Regard to Profit or Honour ; fubmitting
themielves, and all that belong to them, to God,
and begging AfTiftance from him. And indeed,
fmce God has planted in the Mind of Man a
Power of judging ; no part of Truth is more
worthy to employ it about, than that which they
cannot be ignorant of, without being in Danger
of miffing eternal Salvation.

SECT. III.

A Proof dgainjl /Z;^ Mahometans, taken out of the
f acred Booh of the WithxQ^'^'s, and Chriflians; and
that they are not corrupted.

MAHOMET and his Followers confefs, {a)
that both Mofcs (/>) and Jefus were fent by God ;
and that they who firft propagated the Iniiitution of
Jefus, {c) were holy Men. [d] But there are many
Things related in the Alcoran^ which is the Law of

Mahomety

" verfe, judges accordin^^ to Men's Deferts, of the Difpo-
" fition of every one that fecks him, and is willing to wor-
«* fhip him ; and he will render to every one of thefe the
•* Fruit of his Piety."

(c) TtM both Moki, &c.] Azoara V. XXL

fb) And Jefus, &c.] Azoara V. VIL

(c) Were holy Men, CS'r,] AzoaraV . LXXL

(^/) But there are juany Things 1 elated, &c.] As the Temple
of Mechuy built by Ahrcham, Azoara XI. And many other
Things of Abraham Azoara XXXI. A confufed Hiftory of
Gideon and Saul, Azoara III. Many Things in the Hiftory
of Exodus, Azoara XVIl. XXX. ' and XXXVIII. Many
Things in the Hiftory of JoJ'cph, Azoara XII. concerning
the Birds cut in Pieces by Abraham, and called to Life again,
ylzoara IV. concerning Mary's being brought up with Zacha^
riah, Azoara V. concerning the Birds made oi Clay byjefuj.
Hid, and Xm.

a7o OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI,

Mahomet, direftly contraiy to what is delivered by
MofeSy and the Difciples of Jrfus. To inft:ince in
one Example out of rnan)'. All the Apoftles and
Difciples of Jefus entirely agree in this Teftimony,
that jefus died upon the Crofs, returned to Life
upon the third Day, and was {ten of many : On
the contrary, Mahomet fays, [a) that Jefus was pri-
vately taken up into Heaven, and that a certain
Refemblanccof him was fixed to the Crofs ; and
confequently Jefus was not dead, but the Eyes of
the Jeivs were deceived. This Objeiflion cannot
be evaded, unlefs Mahor.ict Mill fay, as indeed he
does, (^) that the Books hoi\\o{MofeSy and ofthe
Difciples of Jefus, have not continued as they
were, but are corrupted ; but this Fiction wehave
already confuted in the third Book. Certainly, if
any oneihould fay, that the Alcoran is corrupted,
the Mahometans would deny it, and fiy, that was
a fufficient Anfwer to a Thing which was not
proved. But they cannot eafily bring fuch Ar-
guments for the Uncorruptnefs of their Book,
as we bring for ours, viz. that Copies of them
were immediately difpcrfed all over the World ;
and that not like the Alcoran in one Language
only ; and were faithfully preferved, by fo many
Sedts, who diflercd i'o much in other Things. The
Mahometans ptrhvddc thcmfelvcs, that in thcvxith
Chapter of .W. Joh/i, which fpeaks offending the
Comforter, there was fomething written of Ma-
homety which the Chriftians have put out : But
here we may afk them ; do they fuppofe this Al-
teration of the Scripture to have been made after
the com\v\g of Mahomet, or before ? It is plainly
impoffibleto have been done after the coming of
Mahojnety becaufe at that Time there were extanr

all

(a) That ye/us ivas privately talen up into Ilca'ven, d'cj
Awara XL

(h) That ths Booh k:h of Mo/a ,&c. ] ^~;^;vj IX.

Sea. 3, 4' CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 271

all over the World, very many Copies, not only
Greeks but SyriaCy Arabic ^ and in Places diflant
from Arabia^ AithiopicTxxi^ Latin ^ of more Verfions
than one. Before the coming of Mj/jiJWd'/, there
was no Reafon for fuch a Change ; for nobody
could know what Mahomet would teach : Further,
if the Doftrine of Mahomet had nothing in it
contrary to the Dodrine of Jefus, the Chriffians
would as eaiily have received his Books, as they
did the Books of Mojes and the Hebrczv Prophets.
Let us fuppofe on each Side, that there was no-
thing written either of the Dodrine of Jefus, or
of that oi Mahomet : Equity will tell us, that that
is to be efteemed the Dodrine of Jefus, in which
all Chriflians agree,- and that the Dodlrine of
Mahomet ^ in which all Mahometans agree.

SECT. IV.

From comparing Mahomet with Chriff.

LET us now compare the Adjuncts and Gr-
cumftances of each Dodlrine together, that we'
may fee which is to be preferred to the other :
And firfl: let us examine their Authors. Mahomci
himfclf confefled (^) that Jefus was the MefR\ah,
promifed in the Law and the Prophets ; he is
called by Mahomet himfelf [b) the Word, [c)
Mind, {d) and Wifdom of God ; he is alfo faid

by

{a) That Jifusiuas tie MJfiah, &c.] Azoara XXIX.

[b] The Word, &c.] Azoara V. and XI. and in the Book of
Mahomet's Dodtrine : Enttoymius Zigabems, in his Difputations
againft the Saracens, fays, that Jefus is called by Mahnmet, " the
" Word and Spirit of God."

(f) Mwd, &c.] Azoara IV. XI. XXIX. and in the foremen-
tioned Book.

{d) And Wifdom,, &c.] In the foreclted Places,

272 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.
by him, (a) to have had no Father among Men.
Mahomet is acknowledged, by his own Difciples,
(^) to have been begotten according to the com-
mon Courfe of Nature. Jcfus led an innocent
Life; againft which no Objection can be made,
Mahomet (c) was a long Time a Robber, {d)
and always effeminate, (e) Jefus was taken up
into Heaven, by the ConfcfTion of Maho-met ;
but Mahomet remains in the Grave. And now
can any one doubt which to follow?

SECT. V.

And the JVorks of each of them.

LET us nov/ proceed to the Works of each
of them. (/) Jefus gave light to the Blind, made
the Lame to walk, and recovered the Sick; nay,
as Mahomet confelTes, he reftored the Dead to
Life: Mahomet fays, [g) that he himfelf was not
fent with Miracles, butwith Arms; however, there
were fome afterwards, w ho afcribed Miracles to

him,

(a) To ha've had no Father amo7igft Men, &€.] Azoara XXXI,

[b) To ha've been begotten, &c.] See the Book of Mahomet's
Generation.

(f) Was a long Time a Robber, &c.] See Mahomet's Chronicon,
tranflated out of Arabick. See a Difputc betwixt a Saracen
and a Chrijlian, publiihcd by Peter, Abbot of Clugny,

[d) Aud nlnvajs effeminate, &CC.] AzoaraXlAl. XLIII. LXXV.
and LXXVI. See the forementioned Difputation.
(f ) Jefus njcas- taken up into Heauen, &C.] Azoara XI.
(/) Jefus ga^e Sight to the Blind, &C.] Azoara V. XII.

{g) That he himfelf "Mas ?!ot fent •with Miracles, &c.] Azoara'
HI. XIV. XVil.XXX. LXXXI. Concerning this Matter, fee
the Life of Mahomet, publiflied in Englifh, by the learned Dr.
Pridtaux, P. 30. where he fhcws at large, that the falfe Pro-
i^het dared not boafl of any Miracles. Le Clerc.

Sea. 5, 6. ^HRiSTlAM RELIGION. 273

him but what were they? None butfuch as might
eafily be the Efteds of human Artj as that of
the Dove flying to his Ear; or fuch as had no
Witneffes, as that of the Camel's fpeaking to him
by Night; or elfe fuch as are confuted by their
own Abfurdity; (a) as that of a great Pieceofthe
Moon falling into his Sleeve, and lent back again
by him, to make the Planet round. Who is there
that will not fay, but that in a doubtful Caufe, we
are to ftick to that Law, which has on its Side the
moft certain Teftimony of the Divine Approba-
tion.'' Let us alfo examine them, who firlt em-
braced each of thefe Laws.

SECT. VL

And of th of ezvho firjl embraced each of thefe Religions,

THEY, whoembraced the Law of Chrifl, were
Men who feared God, and led innocent Lives ;
and it is not reafonable that God fhould fu ffer fuch
Perfons to be deceived with cunning Words, or
with a Shew of Miracles, {b) But they whofirll

embraced

{n) As that of a great Piece of the Moo7i, &C.] Azoara
LXIV. See this Fable more at large, in the Chapter Cera-
muz, in Ca?iiacuzef?!is's Oration againit Mahomet, Seft. 23.

(bj But they nvbo fiiji embraced y[?i)xomtiam(m, &c.] This
the Word Saracen (hews, which fignifies Robber. See Scali'-
gers Emendation of the Times, Book III. Ch. of the Arabian
Period. The firft Followers of Mahomet were indeed truly
Robbers; but the Arabian Word, to which Scaliger refers,
fignifies to Jteal priuaidj, not to rob; nor is it creaiblc that
they would take upon themfelves fuch an infamous Name ;
not to mention that this was more ancient than Mahomet, for
we find it in Ftohmj and Philojiorgii/s-, wherefore I rather fol-
low the Opinion of thofe who deduce the Nasr.; of Saracen
from the Word pity Schark, which fignifies Eujlern, whence
comes p'p"lU> Sharhin, SaraceJis, or People dnuelling iu the Eajf^
as the Jrabiaus are called in Scripture. About which fee Ed-
T 'ward

274 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

embraced Mahomctanifm, were Robbers, and Men
void of Humanity and Piety.

SECT. VII.

And of the Methods by zvhich each Law was pro-
pagated.

NEXT let us fee the Methods by which each
Religion was propagated. As for the Chriftian
Religion, we have already faid feveral Times,
that its Increafe was owing to the Miracles not
only of Chrifl, but of his Difciples and their
Succeflbrs ; and alfo to their patiently enduring of
Hardfliips and Torments. But the Teachers of
Alahometanifm did not work any Miracles, did not
endure any grievous Troubles, nor any fevere
Kinds of Death for that ProfcfTion. {a) liut that
Religion follows where Arms lead the Way, it is
the Companion of Arms ; {b) nor do its Teachers
bring any other Arguments for it, but theSuccefs
of War, and the Greatnefs of its Power; than
which nothing is more fallacious. They them-
felvcs condemn the Pagan Rites, and yet we know
how great the Victories of the PerfianSy Macedo^
niansy and Romans were, and how far their Enemies
extended themfelves. Neither was the Event of
War always profperous to the Mahometans -, [c)
there are remarkable Slaughters which they have

received

ni-ard Poock on the Specimen of the Hiftorj- of the Arabians in
the Beginning. LeCltrc.

(a J But ihat Rtlsgmt fjllo^jus ivhere Arms lead the If^ay, fcc.l
Ai^oara X. XVIII. XXVl.

(b) Nor do its Teachers brin^ any other Arguments, &;c.l A:li-
cra XXXUI. XLVII.

(c) There are remarhahle Slaughters, &c.] And greater
fii^'jc the Ti.i>€ uf Qratiiis. For they were driven, after many

Slaug!ucrs>

Sea. 7. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 275

ceived in very many Places, both by Land and Sea.
They are driven out of all 6'/)^/«. That Thing
cannot be a certain Mark of true Religion, which
has fuch uncertain Turns, and which may be com-
mon both to good and bad : And fo much the
lefs, becaufe their Arms wereunjull, (a) and often
taken up againft a People who no V/ays difturbed
them, nor were diftinguifhed for any Injury they
had done ; fo that they could have no Pretence
for their Arms, but Religion, which is the moft
profane Thing that can be ; (/^) for there is no
Worfliip of God, but fuch as proceeds from a
willing Mind. Now the Will is inclined only by
Inftrudtion and Perfuafion, not by Threats and
Force. He that is compelled to believe a Thing,
does not believe it ; but only pretends to believe
it, that he may avoid fome Evil. He that would
extort AlTent, from a Senfe of Evil or from Fear,
Ihews by that very Thing, that he diftrufts Argu-
ments. And again, they themfelves dellroy this
very Pretence of Religion, when they fufter thofe
T 2 who

Slaughters^ from the Auftnan Dominions, from Hungary^
Travjyl-vnnia, and PeloppojitiefiiSy not many Years fince. And
lince that Time the Turhjh E:npire feems to decreafe. In the
Year 171 5, after thefe (ho rt Notes were firft pubiifhed, the
Turks recovered the Morea, which was poorly defended by the
Fenetinn Govtrnov^ ; but in the following Year, 171 6, when
they attempted to invade Hiaigarj and the Ifland oiCorJica,
they were, firft, overthrown in a great Fight by the Germans
under the Command of Prince Ei/gt?ie of Sa'voj, and loft 7>-
Trnfivaer, which was forced to yield after a ftout Siege ; then
being repulfed by the Valour of Count ScJmlembrmrg, not
without Lofs, they retired to their Fleet. While I was writ-
ing tliis, April \i\i, they threatened they would attempt the
fame a^^ain with new Forces, but the Germans did rwt feem to
be much affefted with it. Le Clerc, 0

[a) And often taken up againfi a People, &c.] Azoara XIX.

{b) For there is no IVorJJjip ofGcd, &c.] La^antius Book X.
Chap. 20. " For thrrc is nothing fo voluntary as Religion ;
" in which if the Mind of the Sacrificer goes contrary, it fe
" taken away ; there remai is ncce,"

i-jS OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book Vr.

>vhoarc reduced to their dbedience, to be of -what
Religion they pleafe ; nay, (a) and fomctimes they
openly acknowledge, that Chriftians may be
faved by their own Law\

SECT. vni.

And of their Precepts compared "joith one another.

LET us alfo compare their Precepts together^
The one commands Patience, nay, Kindnefs, to-
wards thofc who wifli ill to us : The other Re-
venge. The one commands that the Bonds of Ma-
trimony Ihould be perpetual, that they fliould
bear with each other's Behaviour ; [b) the other
gives a Liberty of feparating : Here the Hufband
does the fume himfelf, which he requires of his
Wife ; and fliews by his own Example, that Love
is to be fixed on one. [c] There, Women upon
Women are allowed, as being always new Incite-
ments to Lufl. Here, Religion is reduced inward-
ly to the Mind ; that being well cultivated there,
it may bring forth fruits profitable to Mankind ;
there, almoit the whole Force of it is fpent (^d) in
Circumcilion, (^) and Things indifferent inthem-
felves. Here, a moderate Ufe of Wine and Meat
is allowed : (/) There the eating Swine's Flefl],

and

{a) And they fomcthna opcnlj achtoiuledge , &c.] Azoara I. and
Xll. The Book of the Dodrine oi Mahomet ; fee Enthjmhts.

{h) The other gives a Liberty of feparating, &c.] See Enthj-
ro/«jand others who have wrote of the Tmkijh hSA^%.

(<:) There, Women upon Women, &c.] A'z/)ara 11 L VIII-
IX. XXX. LII. ^

(i/) In Circumciftoti, &C.] See alfo Bartholomenu Georgii'itiut
of the Rites of the Tn-ks.

(f) And Things indijr^rtnt in them/elves, &c.] As Wa/hlngs,
A'Mara IX. See alfo Enthymius.

{fl There the eating Stvine's Flep, (S;c.] Azcara II. XXV'L

Sea. S, 9. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 277

and (a) drinking Wine, is forbidden ; which is
the great Gift of God, for the Good of the Mind
and body, if taken moderately. And indeed it is
no Wonder, that childilh rudiments fhould pre-
cede the moft perfedl Law, fuch as that of Chrifi:
is ; but it is very prepofterous, after the Publica-
on thereof, to return to Figures. Nor can any
Reafon be given, why any other Religion ought to
bepublifhed, after the Chriftian Religion, which
is far the beft.

SECT. IX.

A Solution o/Z^if Mahometans, OhjcLlion concerning
the Son of God.

THE Mahometans fay, they are offended, becaufc
we afcribe a Son to God, who makes no life of a
Wife J as if the Word Son, as it refers to God,
could not have a more divine Signification. But
Mahomet himfelfafcribes many Things to God, no
lefs unworthy of him, than if it were faid he had a
Wife ; for Inftance, {b) that he has a cold Hand,
and that himfeif experienced it by a Touch ; [c)
that he is carried about in a Chair, and the like.
Now we, when we call Jcfus the Son of God, mean
the fame Thing that hedid, (<y) when he calls him
the Word of God ; for the Word is in a peculiar
T 3 Manner

{a) And drinking Wine, d'c] See 'Eiithymiiis, and others,
who have wrote of the Affairs of the Saracens.

[h) That he has a cold Hand, &c.] See the Place in Richardus
againft the Mahometans, Ch. i. and 14. and in Cantacuzenus,
in the Second Oration againft Maho?net, Seft. XVIII. and in
£he Fourth Oration, not far from the beginning.

(<} That he is carried alout in a Chair, &c.] In the famC
Place,

[d] When h: calls him the Word 0/ God, &c.] See above.

C78 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VL

Manner (a) produced from the Mind : To which
we may add, that he was born of a Virgin, by the
Help cf God alone, who fupplied the Power of a
Father ; that he was taken up into Heaven by the
Power of God; which Things, andthofe that iVIa-
hornet confelTcs, fnew {1-) that Jefus ma}', and ought
to be called the Son of God, by a peculiar right.

SECT. X.

There arc many ahjurd Things in the Mahometan
Books,

BUT on the other Hand, it would be tedious to
relate how many Things there arc in tht Mahome-
tan Vv^ritings, (<;) that do not agree to the Truth
of Hiftory ; and how many that are very ridicu-
lous. Such as {d) the Story of a beautiful Woman,
Avho learnt a famous Song from Angels overtaken
with V/ine ; by which ihe ufed to afcend up into
Heaven, and to defcend from thence ; w ho when
ihe was afcended very high into the Heavens, v.as

appre-

(«) Produced from the Mind, &c.] See Plato in his Banquet,
and Abarbanel in his Dialogue, which is commonly called that
of Leo Hebrcem. See Enthymius concerning this Matter, in
thetbrementioned Difpute, where he fays, " In like Manner
** as our Word proceeds from the Mind, l^cJ" And Car-
dinal C.'//«//, Book J, C!iap. 13. ^c. againft x\\q Mahometans i
and Richardus, Chap, g, and i j.

{bj That Jt'/us may , and ought to be called, 8cC.'] Luke r. 35.
Jchv^ X. 56. A?/iii. 13, 14, 15, xiii. 33. //<?^. i. 5. v. 9.
in theforementioneJ Book of tlie DoCirine oi Mahonut, Jefus
is brought in, calling God his Father.

(c) That dn not agree to the Truth ofJT'Jiory,^ &c.] As that of
Jlcxartder the Great, who came to a Fountain where the Sun
ftoodaill. ^^oara XXV] II, concerning iWo;??^;/, XXXVil.
{d) The Story of a beautiful Womau, &c.] This Fable is m
' the Book of the Dodrinc of Mahomet, taken out of the Book ot
Enarratiom. See alfo Ca^itacuzeKusy in his Second Oration
againft iUA/ifswr/, Chap, ly

Sea. lo, II. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 279

apprehended by God, and fixed there, and that fhe
is the Star Venus. Such another [a) is that of the
Moufe m Noah's Ark, that fprungout of the Dung
of an Elephant; and on the contrary, [h] that of
a Cat bred out of the Breath of a Lion. And par-
ticularly, [c) that of Death's being changed into a
Ram, which was to ftand in the middle Space be-
twixt Heaven and Hell ; and [d] that of getting
rid of Banquets in the other Life by Sweat; and
[e] that of a Company of Women's being appoint-
ed to every one, for fenfual Pleafure. Which
Things are really all of them fuch, that they are
defervedly given over to Senfeleflhefs, who can
giveany Credit to them, efpecially when the Light
of the Gofpel Ihines upon them.

SECT. XI.

^be conclufion to the Chrijlians\ zvho are admoniJJoed
of their Dut)\ upon Occafion of the foregoing Things.

HAVING finillied this laftDifpute, I come now
to the Conclufion, which regards not Strangers,
but Chriftians of all Sorts and Conditions; briefly
fliewing the Ufe of thofe Things which have been
hitherto faid; that thofe which are right, may be
done, and thofe which are wrong may be avoided.
T 4 Firft.

[a) Is that of the Moufe, &c.] This is in the forementioned
Book, of the Doftrine of Maho?net.

{6) Of a Cat, &c.] In the fame Book.

{c) Of Death's being cha7iged into a Ram, Arc] In the End
of the forementioned Book of the Dodrine of Mahomet.

(^) QA gfiting rid of Banquets, ScCi] In the forecited
Book of the Doftrine of Mahomet.

(f) Of a Company of Women s, &c.] See what was above al-
ledged on the fecond Book.

1^0 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

Firft, {a) that they lift up undefiled Hands to that
God [l) who made all Things, vifible and inviii-
ble, out ol" nothing ;'(r) with afirmPerfuafionthat
he takes Care of Mankind, [d] fince not a Sparrow
falls to the Ground without his Leave: (<?) And
that they do not fear them, who can only hurt the
Body, before him who hath an equal Power over
both Body and Soul: (/) That they fliould truft
not only on God the Father, but alfo on Jefus,
fince there is [g) none other Name on Earth, by
whichwecanbeilived; (/j) which they will rightly
perform, if they confider that not they, who call
one by the Name of Father, and the other by the
Name of Lord, fliall live eternally ; but they who
conform their Lives to his Will. 1 hey are more-
over exhorted, carefully to prefer ve [i) the Holy
Doclirinc of Chrift, as a molt valuable Treafure;

and

{a) That thcvlift v.p nndejihd Hands, &c.] i Tim. ii. Jamts
!v. 8. TerUiUinn in his Apology: •' '^J hi (her the Chriftians
•• direft their Eyes, with Hands extended, becaufe innocent;
*♦ with Head uncovered, becaufe they are not alhamed ; with-
f out any Inftruftor, becaufe from our Heart we prav for all
" Emperors, that they may enjoy a long Life, a fecure Go-
" vernmcnt, a fafe Houfc, courageous Armies, a faithful
*• Senate, an honeft People, and a peaceful Land."

[h) Who mad? all Things, S-'C.] CohJ. i. i6. Hcb. xi. 3. Aai
iv. 24. 2 Mac. vii, 2S.

ic) With a firm Perfuafiofi, t^'c] i Pet. iii. 11. v. 7.

td) Si?:ce not a Sj>an-ozv, Sic] Matt. x. 29.

{e) And (hat they do not fear them, Icc.'l Matt. x. 28. Luh
xli. 4.

(/) That theyfiouldTrtiJ], &:c.] yohH\w. 2. Hd. xiv. Ij-,
x6. Eph>f. iii. 12 and 17.

(p) None other Name on Earth, lic.] Ajis iv. 12.

{h) Which they 'will rightly perform, &c.] John vili. 43,
and following. Matt. vii. 21. John xv. 14. i John ii. 3, 4.

(;■) The holy DoBrine of Chriji, &c.] Matt, xiii. i^\, 45,
I Cor, iv. 7. I Tim, vi. 20. 2 lim, i, 14,

Sea. ir. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. iSi

and to that End, (a) often to read the facred Wri-
tings; by which no one can pollibly be deceived,
who has not firft deceived himfelf. (-^) For the
Authors of them were more faithful, and more
full of the Divine Influence, than either willingly
to deceive us in any necelTary Truth, or to hide it
in Obfcurity ; but we mufi bring {c) a Mind pre-
pared to obey, w hich if we do, (d) none of thofe
Things will efcape us, "?\'hich we are to believe,
hope, or do; and by this Means, (<?) that Spirit
will becherilhed and excited in us, which is given
us as (/) a Pledge of future Happinefs. Further,
they are to be deterred from imitating the Hea-
then: Firil, (g) in the Worlhip offalfe Gods, (h)
which are nothing but empty Names; (/) which

evil

/a) Ofief! to read the facred Writings, &c.] Colo/, iii. l5,
I Tkef, V. 37. Re'v. i. 3.

[S) For the Authors of them nuere more faithful, &c.] Ter-
tul/iau (pe^ks thus concerning the Hereticks in his Prefcrip-
tion : " They were wont to fay, that the Apoftles did not
** know ail Things; being aduated by the fame Madnefs, by
*' which they again change, and fay that the Apoftles did in-
*' deed know all Things, but did not deliver all things to
*' all Men ; in both of which they make Chrift fubjeft to Re-
*' proach ; who fent Apoftles either not well inftruded, or
" not very honeft." See what there follows, which is very
ufeful.

{c) A Mind prepared to obey, &C.] John vii. 17. v. 44,
Matt. xi. 25. Philip, iii. 15. 2 Pet, iii. 1 6. Hofea:dv. IQ.

[d] None of thofe Taings nvill efcape us, &C.] 2 Tim. ii. Ij^,
16. John XX. 31. I Pet. i. 23.

{e) That Spirit ivill be cherijhed, &c.] 2 Tim. vi. i Thef
V. 19.

(/) A Pledge of future Happinef, &c.] Ephef. j. 14. 2 Car,
i. 22. V. 3.

{^g) In the Wsrfhip offalfe Gods, &c.] i Cor. viii. 5, 6.

(h) Which arc nothing but empty Names, &c.] In the fame,
V. 4.x. ig.

(i) Which evil Angels male ufs of, &c.] 2 Cor. x. 20, Ren^»
^x. 2.

sSa OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

evil Angels make ufe of {a} to turn us from the
Worfhipcf thctruc God; wherefore (/y) we can-
not partake of their Rites, and at the fame Time
be profited by the Sacrifice of Chrift. Secondly,
(c) in a licentious Way of living, having no other
Law but what Lufl dictates, fdj which Chriftians
ought to be furtheft from; becaufe they ought
not only (e) far to exceed the Heathen ; (/) but
alfo the Scribes and Pharifees among the jezvs ;
whofe Righteoufnefs, w hich confiftcd in certain
external A6ls, was not fufticient to fecure them
a heavenly Kingdom, (y-) The Circumcifion
made with Hands availeth nothing now, but that
other internal Circumciiion of the Heart, (h)
Obedience to the Commands of God, (/) a new
Creature, (k) Faith which is effectual by Love,
(/) by which the true Ifnielites are diflinguillied,
{m] the MylHcal JeivSy that is, fuchas praifc God.

The

(a) To turn us from the Worfiip of the true God, &c.] Ephef,
ii. 2. Rem. ix. 5. 2 Thef. ii. 12.

{h.) V/e cannot partake of their Rf/es; Sec] 1 Cor. x. 20.

(r) /// a licentious IVaj of living, k<z.\ Ephef. ii. 3. Tit.
ii. 14.

(«0 Which Chr-pam ought to be the farthcfl from, &c.] 2 Car,
Ti. 15.

{e) Far to exceed tJx Heathen, tVc] Matt. v. 47. vi. 7,32.

if). But alfo the- Scribes and Pharifees ^ &c.] Matt. v. 20.
r^xiii. 23. Rom. iii. 20w Gal. ii. x6.

f^J The Circuincifii'i made 'with Ha»ds, &c. ] i Cur. vil. ig.
Gal. V. 6. vi. 15. Phihp. iii. 3- -^/V- "• »1- ^°¥- "• n-
.Ram. ii. ng.

{h) Oh,d-eiitet&theCo?nmandsofGod,SiC.] 1 Cor. \n. ig.

it;; J ve^Ji'GrtatTjre, 8:c.] Gal. vi. i 5.

{k) faith nvhich is effeclual hy lo~-e, &c.] Gat. v. 6.

(/) By •zvhich the true Ifraelitcs are diJiiKguiJhed, &c.] Rom.
\x. 6. r Cor. X. 18. Gal. vi. 16. 7'?'?'» i. 47.

fm) TheMiJlii-al Uws, ^ic] Rofn. 'li. iS. Philo concem-
inij Allegories. *t juda^- was a Symbol of him that profeires
"^■Godj."

Sea. II. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 283

(a) The Difference of Meats, (/^) Sabbaths, (c)
Feftival Days (d) were the Shadows of Things,
which really are in Chriftand Chriftians. Mahome-
ianijin gave Occailon for mentioning the following
Admonitions ; [e) it was foretold by our Lord Je-
fus, that after his Time there fhould come fome
who flioLild falfely fay they were fent of God ; but
though (/) an Angel lliouldcome from Heaven,
we are not to receive any other Dodrine bur that
of Chrift, {'g) confirmed by fo many Teftimonies.
In Times paft indeed, (/?) God fpake in many and
various Manners, to the pious Men that then were;
but laft of all he was pleafed to callus by his Son,
(/) the Lord of all Things, (/(:) the Brightnefs of
his Father's Glory, and the exprefs Image of his
Subftance ; (/) by whom all Things were made,
which were or lliallbe; {jii) who ads and upholds

all

(^) The Difference of Meats , &c.] Acis y.. 15, 14, 15,16.
XV. 19, 20. 1 Cor. X. 15. Colo/, ii. 16, 21.

(^) Sabbaths, &c.] In the forecited Place of the Cohfflans,

(t) Fejimal Days, &c.] In the fame Place, and Rom. xiv. 5,

{d) Were the Shadoiu of Things y &c.] Colof, ii. ly. Heh,
X. II.

{/) It toas foretold by our Lord fefus, &c.] John v. 34.
2 Thef. ii. g. Matt, vii. 15. xxiv. n. Mark xiii. zZm
I John iv. I .

{f) An A7!gclJho-iild come from Hea'ven, &c.] Gal. i. 8.

{g) Confirmed by fo many Tefimonies, &c.] I John V. 7. 8.
Hfi. ii.4. xii. I. John i. 7,32. v. 32, 37, 39, 46. Luke
xiv. -Cj. Ads ii. 22, 23. X. 43.

(A) God fpake in ?nany aitd various Mamiers, &c.] Heh. \. 2.

(/) The Lord of all Things t &'C.] \ Cor. xv. 27. Heb. ii 5;

{k) The Brightnefs of his Father s Glory, &c.] Heb. i. 3.

(/) By nuhom all Things nvere made, &:c. j In the fame Ch.
iJclof. i. 16.

{mj IFho ads and upholds all Things, &'C.J Heb. 1.3. Rev. V x.

2S4 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

ail Things by his Power; and who (a) having made
Atonement for his Sins, is advanced to the Right
Hand of God, having obtained {/^) a higher Dig-
nity than the Angels; and therefore nothing more
noble can be expected, (r) thanfuch a Law giver.
They may alfo take OrcaUon from hence to re-
member, (d) that the Weapons appointed for the
Soldiers of Chrift are notfuch as Mcihomcl depends
upon, but proper to the Spirit, fitted for the pull-
ingdownof urongHolds.erccicd againft theKnow-
icdge of Goc, {c') i-he Shield of Faith, which may
repel the fiery Darts of the Devil ; the Brea ft -plate
of Righteoufnefs, or Hoiinefsof I.ifc: for a Hel-
met Vv hich covers the v.eakeft Part, the Hope of
eternal Salvailon ; (f) and for a Sword the Word
delivered by the Spirit, which can enter into the
inncrmoll Partsof the Mind. Next follows an Ex-
hortation (g) to mutual Agreement, which Chrilt
ferioufly commended to hisDifcipIes when he was
.about to leave them : {b) We ought not to have

among ft

[a J Hatrivg madi Atonement for mr Sim, &c.] Hcb. \. 3.
ix. 12. Matt. XX. z%, I John ii. 2. iv. 10. Matt. xxyi. 64.
Mark'iiyK. ig. AHsW. 33, 34. vii. 55, 56. R^m. viii. 34,
Ephef. i. 10. CAof. iii. 1. Heh.\\\\. \. X. 12. xii. 5.

{h) A higher Dignity than the Angels y &c.] 2 Pet. iii, 2 2»
Ueb.'uil. Ephef. i. 21.

(r) Than fucb a Lawginjer, &C.] lleb. ii. 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8.
iii. 3,4, 5,6.

(d) That the Weapons appointed for the Soldiers ofChriJi, <l-c.]
,^(/.w. xiii. 12, i Coi.\\. 7.x. 4. Epijef. vi. 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, \G, \-, 18.

{e) The Shield of Faith, &c.] Scc, befide the aforecited
PJace, to tl)e Ephe/ians, I Thef y. 8.

(/) And for a Scvord, &c.] See, befidc the forementioned
Flnce, Ephif. vi. 17. Heh. iv. 12. Re'v. i. 6.

(g) To mutual Agreement, Sec] "John xiv. 27. xiii. 34. 35.
xr, 12. 17. xvii. 20, and following, xx. 19, 26. 1 John iii.
23. Alfo Ephf. iii. 14, and following, vi. i6. Heb. xiii. 20»
Matt. y. 9.

(ii) ffe onghf mt to han^e amongd ;/; viany Majien, ttc.]
Matt, xxiii. 8. //m<f/ iii. 1.

Sea. If. CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 285

amongit us many Mafl:ers,but only Jefus Chrift-
(d) All Chriftians were baptized into the fame
Name, therefore there ought (/-) to be no Sedls or
Divifionsamongftthem : To which that there may
be fome Remedy applied, thofe words of the A-
poftle are fuggefted, (c) to be temperate in our
Wifdom, (c/j according to the Meafureofthe
Knowledge, God has afforded us; (e) if any have
not fo good an Underftanding of all Things, that
we bear with their infirmities, (/) that they ma/
^juietly, and without quarrelling, unite with us;
fg) if any exceed the reft in underftanding, it is
reafonable he ftiould exceed in Good-will towards
them : And as to thofe (h) who in fome Things
think othervvife than we do, we are to wait till God
ihall make the hidden Truth manifeft unto them :
In the mean Time, (/) we are to hold faft, and ful-
fil thofe Things we are agreed in. (k) Now we know

'iTt

{a) AllChrifiians 'zvere bnptized, S:c.] Rom. vr. 3,4. I Cor,
i. 13, 15. Gal. iii. 27 Ephef.'iv. 5. Colo/, ii. 12.

fb) To be no Seds or Divijiofis amoiig[i ihem, &C.] i Cor, i. 10,
xi. 18. xii. 25.

(f) To be temperate i>z our Wi/dom, &c.] Rom, xii. 8. 16,
1 Cor. iv. 6.

((/) Ac cor di fig to the Meafure of the Kfioijuledge, &;c,] In the
forecited Place to the Romans, and xii. ^. 2 Cor.yi. 13. Ej)h,
iv. 7. 15, 16.

(f) If any have vot fo good an XJnderJlanding, &:C.] Rom,
xiv. XV. 2. I Cor. viii. 7.

(/) That they may quietly ^ &c.] Roin, xiv. I. 2 Cor, xii. 20.
Gal. v. 20. Rhilip i. 16. ii. 3, 15. l Car, xi. 16.

(^) If any exceed the reji, &c.] Rom. viii. i, 2, 3, 9. xii. 8.
xiii. 3, 14, 16. 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 2 Cor. vi. 6. viii. 7. 2 Pt/.
i. 5, 9.

(/6) Who in fome Things think Other-ivife, &C,] Philip, iii. I?.
Ephef. iv. 2. I C<?r. xiii. 4, 7. I Thef. iv. 14. 2 Cor. vi. 6.
Ga/. V. 22. Colof. iv. II. 2 7?/«. iv. 2. X«/^if ix. 54, 55.

{/■) We are to hold f aft, &c.] Fhilip, iii. 16. T^wfj i. 2 2,
23,24,25.

(i) A'cw nxie hio^M in Part, &c.] i Cor, xiii, 9, 1 2»

286 OF THE TRUTH OF THE Book VI.

in Part; (a) the Time ^vilI come, when all Things
fhall be moil certainly known. But this is required
ofevery one, (I^) that they do not unprofitably keep
by them the Talent committed to their Charge;
(c) but ufe their utmoft Endeavours to gain others
unto Chrift; (d) in order whereunto, we are not
only to give them good and wholefome Advice,
buttofet before them (<?) an example of Reforma-
tion of Life; that Men may judge of the Goodncfs
cfthe Mafter by the Servant, and of the Purity ot
the Law by their Adiions. In the laft Place, we
direct our Difcourfe, as we did in the Beginning,
to common Readers, befeeching them to give God
the Glory, (f) if they receive any Good from what
has been faid; (g) and if there be any Thing they
dinike, Jet them impute it to the Errors all Man-
kind are prone to fall into; (/;) and to the Place
and Time in which this was delivered, more ac-
cording to Truth, than elaborately.

(a) The Time luiN come. Sec] I Cor. v. lo, I 2. i Jo/.viin.z.
Matt. V. 8.

{6) That they do not unprofitaUy keep, ScQ.I Matt. xxv. IJ.
and following.

(r) But life their utmoftEndeciroourSfScc.^ i Car. ix. 19,20, 21,22.

(d) In order nuhereufito, &€.] Gal. vi. 6. Ephe/. iv. 29.
2 Tim. i. 13. Titus ii. 8.

fe) An Example of Reformatio?! of Life, Scc.l i Pet. iii. I, 16.
Eph. vi. 6. 2 Tim. ii. 24. I Pet. ii. 12. Eph. iv. I. Phil, l, 27.

(f) If thij: receive atij Gjod,Scc.^ James v. l-]. z Thcf.'x. -^.
1 Cor. i. 4.

[g] And if there be a??j Thing they dijlikc, cvrc] fames iii.
Qal. vi. I, 2.

(/') /hid to the Place and Time, &c.] Becaufe this very ex-
cellent and learned Man was kept in Lifftadt Prifon, to which
he was condemned for Life; at which Time, and in which
Place, he could never have taken fo great Pains in accomplilh-
ing fo many Pieces remarkable for great Learning, accurate
Judgment, and fingular Brightnefb, without incredible Firm-/5'
nefs and Conftancy of Mind, and unihaken Faith in God;
for which Endowments beftoued upon him by God, for the
Benefit of Chrillendom, let everv one who reads his other
Works, or this with a iMind ii\tcnt upon Truth, give Thanks
to Gud, as 1 do from the Bottom of my Heart. Le Clerc.

TWO
6

TWO

BOOKS

B Y

Monfieur Le Clep.c.

BOOK I.

Concerning the Choice of our Opinion amonglt
the different Sedls of Christians.

BOOK II.

Agairvfl Indifference in the Choice of our
Religion.

[ a89 ]

BOOK I.

CONCERNING.

The Choice of our Opinion amongftthedifferenfe
Sects of Christians.

SECT. I,

We mujl enquirey amongjl what Chrijiians the true
DoBrine of Chriji flourijheth mojl at this Time.

WHOEVER reads over the Books of
the New Teftament with a Defire to
come at the Knowledge of the Truth,
and does not want Judgement ; will not be able to
deny, but that everyone of the Marks of Truth,
alledged by Hugo GrotiuSy in his Second and Third
Books, are to be found there. Wherefore, if he
has any Concern for a blelTed Immortality, he will
apprehend it to be his Duty to embrace what is
propofed to him in thofe Books as Matter of Be-
lief; to do what he is commanded, and to expedl
what he is there taught to hope for. Other wife, if
any one fhould deny that he doubts of the Truth of
theChriftian Religion,andatthefameTime thinks
the Dodrines, Precepts, and Promifes of it not fit
to be believed or obeyed in every Particular; fuch
an one would be inconfiftent with himfelf, and
manifeftly fhew that he is not a lincere Chriftian.
U Now

290 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
(ajNow this is one of the Precepts of Chrift and
his Apoftles, that we fhould profefs ourfelves the
Difciplcs of Chrifl before Men, if we would have
him own us for his, when he lliall pafs Sentence
on the Quick and Dead at the laft Day; and if
■we do not, as we have denied him to be our Mafter
before Men, folic alfo, in that lalt AfTembly of
Mankind, will deny us. to be his Difciples before
God. (l^J For Chrift would not have thofe that be-
lieve on him to be his Difciples privately; as if
they were afhamed of his Dodrine, or as if they
valued the Kindnefles, Threats, or Puniiliments
of Men, more than his Precepts, and the Promifes
of eternal Life; but be Chriftians openly and be-
fore all the World, that they may invite other
Men to embrace the true Religion, and render
back to God (c) that Life which they received
from him, in the molt exquifite Torments, if it

fo

I'^J Nciv this is one of the Precepts ofChriJl, &c.] Thus Chrift
faith. Matt. x. 32. " Whofoever theretore fhall confefs me
*• fta be his Majla) before Men, him will I confefs alfo (to be
'* ?ny Difciple) before my Father which is in Heaven. But
*' whofoever {hall deny me (to be his Majier) before Men,
*' bi/n will I alfo deny (to be mj Difciple) before my Father
' which is in Heaven." See alfo 2 Tim. ii. 12. Re^j. iii. 5.

[h) For Chrijl 'u^ouU mt have^ &c.] Therefore he fays.
Matt. V. 14. " That his Difciples are the Light of the World;
*' that a City fet on a Hill cannot be hid; ncitlier isa Can-
** die lighted to be put under a Bufhel, but (tt in a Candle-
*' flick, that it may give Light to all that are in the Houfe,
«' ^c.

{c] 'That Life i/jhich they received from him, &C.] Luke \\i. ^,
Chrilt bids us " no^ to be afraid of them that kill the Body,
♦' and after that have no more that they can do ;" and com-
mands us " to fear him, wliich after we are killed, can caft
•• us into Hell Fire," And moreover, he foretells all Man-
ner of Evils to his Difciples, Matt. x. 29, and following;
and fays, " that he who fliall lofe his Life for his Sake, (hall
•« find it (again) &:c." which Precepts were particularly ob-
fervcd by the primitive Chriflians; who, for the Teftimony
they gave to the Dodtrinc of the Gofpel, are c;;lkd Martyrs,
1 hat is, Witnelles.

Sea. I. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 32»

fo fcem good to him ; whilft they openly profefs
that they prefer his Precepts above all Things.
And thus St. P<^;^/ teaches us; that if we confefs (a)
with our Mouth the Lord Jefus, and believe ui
our Heart that God hath raifed him from the Dead,
we fhall be faved ; For^ fays he, -with the Heart Man
bel'ieveth unto Righteoiijnejsy and with thy Mouth
Confejfton is made unto S ah at ion \ for the Scripture
faith t Whojoever believeth in him Jhall not be afiamed.
Which being thus, it is his Duty, who thinks the
Chriftian Religion to be true, to difcover and
profefs boldly and without Fear, this his finccrc
Opinion, upon all Occafions that offer themfclves.
And it is further necelTary for him to enquire ;
if there be any of the fame Opinion with him-
felf, and (h) to maintain a particular Peace and
Friendfhip with them ; for Chrift tells us, this is
one Mark his Difciples are to be known by, if
they love one another, and perform all A(its of
Love and Kindnefs towards each other. Moreover
he exhorts them (c) to have Congregations in his
Name^ that is, fuch as fliould be called Chriftian ;
and promifes that he would be prefent there,
where two or three are met together upon that
Account ; by this Means, befide the mutual Love
and ftridl Friendfliip of Chriftians united into one
Society, there is alfo a Provifion made (d) for pre-
fer ving

{a) Confe/s ivith oicr Mouth, &:c.] Rom. x. 9, lo, H.

{b) To mahitain a particular Peace, &c.] John, xiii. 35-,
'« A new Commandment give I unto you, that ye love one
•• another, that as I ha\ e loved you, fo ^e love one another •
*» by this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if
" ye have Love one towards another." See i John ii. 7. iii.
II, 16, 25,

(f) To have Congregations, &c.] Matt. \\'\\i. ig, 20.

(c/) For prefer'ving their DoBrities, &c.] Thus like wife all

the I'hilofophers tranfmitfed their Doctrine to Pofterity, by

U 2 the

292 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I
fervingtheirDoctrines; which can hardly continue
if every one has a private Opinion to himfclf, and
does not declare the Senfeof his Mind to another,
unlefs for his own Advantage; for thofe Things
that are concealed, are by Degrees forgotten, and
come in Time to be quite extinguifhed; but
Chrift would have his Doctrine, and the Churches
which profefs it, be perpetual j that it may not
ceafeto be beneficial to Mankind.

Wherefore whoever derives his Knowledge of
the Chriftian Religion from the New Teftament,
and thinks it true; fuch an one ought to make
ProfelFion of it, (a) and to join himfclf with thofe
of the like Profeflion. But becaufe there is not
at this Time (neither was there formerly) one Sort
of Men onlv, or one Congregation of fuch as are
gathered together in the Name of Chrift\ we are
not therefore prefently to believe that he is a true
Chriftian, who deiires to be called by that holy-
Name; neither ought we to join ourfelves (b)
■without Examination, to any Afiembly who
ftile themfelves Cbriftians. We muft confidcr,
above all Things, w hether their Doclrines agree
with that Form of found Words, which we have

enter-

the Help of Schools in which it was taught; but the Chrii-
lian Churches, which are united by a much firmer and
ftroriger Bond, will, with more Certainty and Eafe, propagate
the JJoftrine they received from their Matter, to the End of
the World, which can hardly ba done without Congregations.
Pythagoras would have cfFeifled this, but in vain, becaufe his
Doflrine had uotiiing divine in it. See La'ertius and 'Jamhli-
chiis.

(a) Avd to join himftlf ijoith thcfe, * :.] See the Epiftles to
'Timothy and Titus, where they are commanded to found
Churches. And Heb. x. 25.

(h) IFithout Examination, Sec] See i Thrf. v. 21. But
more exprefsly i John iv. i. " Beloved (fays he) believe
" not every Spirit, but try the Spirits whether they be of
" God; for many falfe Prophets are cor.ie into the World,

Sea. I, 2. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 295
entertained in our Mind, from an attentive read-
ing of the New Teftament ; otherwife it may
happen that we may efleem that a Chriftian Con-
greg-ition, which is no further Chriftian than in
Name. It is therefore the Part of a prudent
Man, not to enter himfelf into any Congregation,
at leaft for a Continuance j unlefs it be fuch, in
which he perceives that Doctrine cftablilhed,
which he truly thinks to be the Chriftian Dodlrine;
left he fliould put himfelf under the Neceflity of
faying or doing fomething contrary to what he
thinks delivered and commanded by Chrift.

SECT. II.

JVe are to join ourfelves with thoje who are mofi
zvorthy the Name of Chrijlians.

AMONGST Chriftians that diff'er from each
other, and not only differ, but (to their Shame !)
condemn one another, and with cruel Hatred ba-
nifli them their Society ; to agree to any of them
without Examination, or, according to their Or-
der, to condemn others without Confideration,
fhewsa Man not only to be imprudent, but very
raftiandunjuft. That Congregation which rejedls,
though but in Part, the true Religion (a Repre-
fentation of which he has formed in his Mind) and
condemns him that believes it ; cannot be thought
by fuch an one, a truly Chriftian Congregation in
all Things; norcanitprevail with him to condemn
every Man which that Church ftiall efteem worthy
to be condemned, and caft out of the Society of
Chriftians. Wherefore a wife and honeft Man
ought above all Things to examine, m thefe Dif-
fenftons amongft Chriftians, who arc they which
beftdefervethe holy Name of Difciples of Chrift,
and to adhere to them. If any one ftiould afk,
U 3 what

29+ WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I,
what we are required to do by the Chriftian Reli-
gion, fuppofing there was no luch Chrillian So-
ciety at all, amongft whom the true Doctrine of
Chrifl feems to be taught, and amongft whom
there is not a NecefTity laid upon us of condemn-
ing fome Dodrine which we judge to be true:
In this Cafe, he who apprehends thefe Errors,
ought to end,eavour to withdraw others from
them; in doing of which, he muft ufe fa) the
greateft Candour, joined with the higheft Pru-
dence and Conftancy ; left he oftend Men with-
out doing them an Advantage, or left any Hopes
of bringing them to Truth and Moderation, be
too fuddenly caft off. In the mean Time we are
to fpeak modeftly and prudently, what we think
to be the Truth; norftiould any one be condemn-
ed by the Judgment of another, as infeded with
Error, who fcems to think right. God has never
forfaken, nor never will forfake the Chriftian
Name fo far, as that there fhall remain no true
Chriftians ; or at leaft none fuch as cannot be
brought back into the true Way ; with whom we
may maintain a ftrider Society, if others will not
return to a more found Opinion; and openly
withdraw ourfelves from the obftinate (which yet
we ought not to do without having tried all other
Means to no Purpofe;) (i-j if it be not allowed

you ■

(aj^^he grfcitfjl Candour ^ &c.] Here that Precept of
Chrill's takes Place, Matt. x. i6. where we are commanded
*' to be wife as Serpents, and harmlefs as Doves;" that is,
to be io far fimple, as not to fall into Imprudence; fo wife, as
not to be crafty, and offend againft Sincerity; in which Mat-
ter, there are but few who know how to fkcr their Courfe in
all Things, between the Rocks of Imprudence and Crafti-
nefs.

(b) If it be not alloiveJ, &'C.] Whilft it is allowed to have
a different Opinion, and to profefs our Difagreement, there
is no Reafon to depart from a publick Society, unlefs the
Fundamentals of Chriilianity be perverted by it; but where

this

Sea. a. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 295

you to fpeak your Opinion fairly and modeftly
among them, and to forbear condemning thofe
whom you think are not to be condemned. The
Chriftian Religion forbids us fpeaking contrary
to our Mind, and fallifying and condemning the
innocent; nor can he be unacceptable to God,
who, out of Refped and Admiration of thofe
Divine Precepts, can endure any Thing rather
than that they Ihould be broke. Such a Difpofi-
tion of Mind, arifing from a Senfe of our Duty,
and a moft ardent Love of God, cannot but be
highly well-pleafing to him.

Wherefore amongft Chriftians who differ
from each other, we are to examine which of them
all think the moft right; nor are we ever to con-
demn any but fuch as feem to us worthy to be
condemned, after a full Examination of the Mat-
ter; and we are to adhere to thofe who do not re-
quire any Doctrines to be believed, which are
efteemed by us to be falfe, nor any to be con-
demned which we think to be true. If we cannot
obtain this of any Chriftian Society, we, together
with thofe who are of the fame Opinion with our-
felves, ought to feparate from them all, that wc
betray not the Truth; and utter a Falfity.

this is not allowed, and we cannot, without diffembling or
denying the Truth, live in it; then we ought to forfake that
Society ; for it is not lawful to tell a Lye, or to dilTemble the
Truth, whilft a Lye poiTeffes the Place of it, and claims to
itfelf the Honour due to Truth only. If this be not done,
•' the Candle is put under a Bu(hel." Thus Chrift did not
depart from the AfTemhlies of the Jenus, neither did the
Apoftles forfake them, fo long as they were allowed to pro^
fefs and teach the Doftrine of their Mafter in them. See Ails
xii. 4.6,

Sect,

296 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHtTRCH Book I.

SECT. III.

They are mojl zvorlhy the Name of Chrijlians^ zvho^
in the purejl Manner of ally profefs the Dof/rine^
the 'Truth of which hath been proved by Grotius.

BUT it is a Queftion of no fmall Importance,
and not eafily to be refolved, who of all the So-
cieties of the prefent Chriftians have the trueft
Opinions, and are moft worthy of that Nanne by
■which they are called. All the Chriftian Churches,
as well as thofe who have long lince feparated
from the Rom[(h Church, as the Roviifh Church
itfelf, do every one of them claim this to them-
fclves; and if we lay afide all the Reafons, we
ought no more to give Credit to the one than to
the other; for it were a very foolifh Thing, to
fuffer fuch a Choice (a) to be determined by
Chance, and to decide all Controverfics as it
>vere by the Caft of a Die.

Now fince Grotius has not proved the Truth of
the particular Opinions of any prefent Seft of
Chfiftians, but only of that Religion which was
taught Mankind by Chrill and his Apoftles; \t
follows, that that Sedt of Chriftians is to be pre-
ferred before all others, which does moft of all
defend thofe Things which Chriftand his Apof-
ties taught. In a Word, that it is in every Par-
ticular truly the Chriftian Religion, which, with-
out any Mixture of human Invention, may be
^vholly afcribed to Chrift as the Author. To
this agree all thofe Arguments of Truth, which
are laid down in the Second Book Of the Truth
of the Chrifian Relipon; nor do they agree lo any
other any further than it agrees with that.

Ir

fa) To he dttermined h^' Chance , &c.] See Note tiie gtb, on
Ssdi^n III.

3e!a. 3. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 297

If any one adds to, or diminifhes froni, the
Dodlrine delivered by Chrift; the more he adds
or diminillies, fo much the farther he goes from
the Truth. Nowv/hen I fpeak of the Do&rine of
ChriJJy I mean by it, the Doctrine which all Chri-
ftians are clearly agreed upon to be the Dodlrine
of Chrift ; that is, which, according to the Judg-
ment of all Chriflians, is either exprefsly to be
found in the Books of the New Teftament, oris,
by neceifary Confequence, to be deduced from
them only. As to thofe Opinions, which, as fome
Chriftians think, were delivered by Word of
Mouth, by Chrift and his Apoftles, and derived
toPofterity in a different Method, namely, either
hy Tradition, which was done by fpeaking only ;
or which were prefcrved by fome Rite, as they
imagine, and not fet down in Writing till a great
"while after; Ifhall pafs no other Judgment upon
them here, but only this, that all Chriftians are
not agreed upon them, as they are upon the
Books of the New Teftament. I will not fay
they are falfe, unlefs they are repugnant to right
Reafon and Revelation j but only that they are
not agreed about theOriginalof them, and there-
fore they are controverted amongft Chriftians,
who in other Refpedts agree in thofe opinions, the
Truth of which Grotius has demonftrated; for no
wife Man will allow us (a) to depend upon a Thing
as certain, fo long as it appears uncertain to us;
efpecially if it be a Matter of great Moment.

fa) To depend hJioh a Thing as certavi, &c.] This is the
very Thing St. Faul^ msans. Ram. xiv. 23. where he teaches
ys that " whatfoever is not of Faith is Sin." On which
Place we have quoted the Words of Philo, out of his Book
concerning Fugitives, Ed. Pari/. P. 4.69. " The beil Sacri-
f ' fice is being quiet, and not meddling in thofe Things
" which we are not perfuaded of." And a little afcer, " To
" be quiet in the Dark is moftfafe;" that is, where we are
not agreed what is to be done.

Sect.

298 WHAT CHRISTIAl^ CHURCH Book I.

SECT. IV.

Concerning the Agreement and Di/agreement of
Chrijlians,

THOUGH the Controverfies amongft Chrif-
tians be very fharp, and managed with great Heat
and Animoflty, fo that we may hear Complaints
made on all Sides, of very obvious Things being
denied by fome of the contending Parties; yet
notwithftanding this, there are fome Things io
evident, that they are all agreed in them. And it
is no mean Argument of the Truth of fuch, that
they are allowed of by the common Confent of
thofe who are moft fet upon Contention, and moft
blinded by PafTion. I do not mean by this, that
all other Things about which there is any Con-
tention, are doubtful or obfcure; becaufe all
Chriftians are not agreed in them. It may eafily
happen that that may be obfcure to fome, which
Avould be very plain, if they were not hindered
by PafTion; but it is hardly pofiible that the
fierceft Advcrfaries, who are moft eager in dif-
puting, fliould agree about an obfcure Point.

First then, all Chriftians now alive are agreed
concerning the Number and Truth of the Books
of the New Teftament; and though there be fome
fmall Controverfies among learned Men about
(a) fome Epiftles of the Apoftles, this is no great
Matter; and they all acknowledge, that there is
nothing but Truth contained in them, and thatthe
Chriilian Dodrine is not at all altered, either by
keeping or rejecting them. And this Confent is
of no fmall Moment in a Difcourfc about the un-
doubted Original of a Divine Revelation under

the

(a) Some Epijiles of the Apojiles^ &c.] The Epiftle to the
Hebreivs, the fecond Epiftle of Peter, the two laft Epiftks of
yohiti the Authors of which arc difputed by learned Men.

I

Sea. 4. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 299

the new Covenant. For all other Records or Foot-
fteps of ancient Revelation, that have been pre-
ferved according to the Opinions of fome, are
called in queftion by others.

Further, Chriftians are agreed in many Ar-
ticles of Faith, which they embrace, as Things
to be believed, praftifed, and hoped for. Forln-
flancc; all who have any Underftanding, believe
(I fliall mention only the principal Fleads here)
I. That there is one God, eternal, all-powerful,
infinitely good and holy; in a Word, endued with
all the mod excellent Attributes, without the
Jeaft Mixture of Imperfedion ; that the World and
all Things contained in it, and confequently Man-
kind, were created by this fame God; and that
by him all Things are governed and dired:ed with
the higheft Wifdom. II. That Jefus Chrift is the^
only Son of the fame God; that he was born at
Bethlehem, of the Virgin Mary, without the Know-
ledge of a Man, in the latter Part of the Life of
Herod the Great, in the Reign of Auguftus Ccefari
that he was afterwards crucified and died, in the
l^Qign of Tiberius, when Po7itius Pilate was Gover-
nor oi'Jiidiea; that his Life is truly related in the
Hiftory of the Gofpel; that he was therefore fent
from the Father, that he might teach Men the
Way to Salvation, redeem them from their Sins,
and reconcile them to God by his Death ; and that
this his Million was confirmed by innumerable
Miracles; that he died, as I before faid, and rofe
again, and, after he had been very often fecn by
many who had difcourfed with him, and handled
him, he was taken up into Heaven, where he now
reigns, and from whence he will one Day return,
to pafs a final Judgment according to the Laws of
the Gofpel, upon thofe who were then alive, and
upon all them that are dead, when they fliail be
raifcd out of their Graves; that all the Things

that

300 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.

that he taught are to be believed, and all that he
commanded are to be obeyed, whether they re-
late to the Worfliip of God, or to Temperance in
reftraining our PalTions, or to Charity to be exer-
cifed towards others; that nothing could be ap-
pointed more holy, more excellent, more advan-
tageous, and more agreeable to human Nature than
thefe Precepts ; however, that all Men ( Jefus only
excepted) violate them, and cannot arrive at Sal-
vation, but through the Mercy of God. III. That
there h a Holy Ghoft, whoinfpircd the Apoftles
of Jefus Chrift, worked Miracles to recommend
them, and inclines the Minds of pious Mencon-
Ifantly to obey God, and fupports them in the
Afflictions of Life; that we are to give the fame
Credit, and in all Things to obey this Spirit
fpeaking by the Apoflles, as we do the Father
and the Son. IV. That the Chriflian Church
owes its Original and Prefervation from the Days
of Chrift to this Time, to the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghoft; that all they who believe thefe
Things, and obferve the Precepts of the Gofpel,
fnall obtam Mercy of God, whereby they fhall
be made Partakers of the Refurredlion (if they
be dead when Chrift fhall come) and of a happy
Life to Eternity; on the contrary, all they who
have dimini'lied from the Faith of the Gofpel,
and have not obfcrved its Precepts, fhall rife (if
they be dead) to be punilhed, and their Puniih-
ment fhall be eternal Death. V. Laftly, That
Chriftians ought toprofefs all thefe Things, both
at their Baptifm, in which we declare that we
will lead a Life free from the Filthinefs of Ini-
quity, according to the Direction of the Gofpel ;
and alfo at the Lord's Supper, in which we ce-
lebrate the Death of Chrift, according to his
Command, till he comes; and ftievv that we are
willing to be ellecmcd his Difciples, and the

Brethren

Sea. 4. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 301

Brethren of thofe who celebrate it in like Man-
ner; moreover, that thofe Rites, if they are ob-
ferved by us, as is reafonable, and are celebrated
with a religious Mind, convey heavenly Grace,
and the Divine Spirit to us.

(aj These Things, and others that are nccef-
farily conne6ted with them (for it is not to our
prefent Purpofeto mention them all particularly)
all Chriftians believe ; nor is there any other Dif-
ference but only this, that fome add many ether
Things to thefe, whereby they think the foregoing
Dodlrines ought to be explained or enlarged with
Additions; and thofe fuch as they imagine v^'cic
delivered to Pofterity, not by the Writings of the
Apoftles, but by the Tradition and Cuftom of the
Cihurch, or by the Writings of latter Ages. Con-
cerning thefe Additions, I fliall fay nothing more
than what I before advifed; that Chriftians are

not

(^aj Thefe Things and others, &c.] In the foregoing Expli-
cation of the Chriftian Doflrine, we have followed the Me-
thod of that which they call the Apoftles' Creed, and have
avoided all Expreffions, which have caufed any Controveriies
amongft Chriftians; becaufe we are treating of thofe Things
in which they are agreed : And we do not for this Reafon
condemn as falfe, any Thing that may be added by Way of
Explication or Confirmation; on the contrary, we highly ap-
prove of their Endeavours, who explain and confirm Divine
Truths; and we doubt not but that many Things have been
already found, and may yet be found, to illuftrate it. TVr-
ttdlian judges rightly of this Matter, in the firft Chapter of
his Book concerning veiling Virgins : " The Rule of Faith
*' is altogether one and the fame, entirely firm and unalter-
** able; namely, that we believe in one all-powerful God,
«' the Creator of the World, and in his Son Jefus Chrift,
** who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified under
** Fo7itius Pilate, was raifed from the Dead the Third Day,
** was taken up into Heaven, fits now at the Right Hand of
*' the Father, and will come to judge the Quick and the Dead
" by the Refurreftion of the Fltfh. Keeping to this Rule of
** Faith, other Matters of Difcipline (or Dodrine) and Be-
" haviour, admit of Corredion, 'viz. the Grace of God ope-
** rating and aflilljng to the End, l^cj'

302 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Book I.
not agreed upon them, as they are upon the Doc-
trines now exphiincd, which are put beyond all
Manner of Doubt by their own Plainnefs, if we
allow but the Authority of the Holy Scripture^
which no Chriftian in his Senfes can refufe.

If any one weijjhs the Arguments, by which the
Truth of the Chnitian Religion is proved, with
thefe Doftrines in his View ; he will obferve (and
if it be well obferved, it will be of great life) that
all the Force of the Argument is employed about
thefe Things, and not about thofe Points which
divide the Chriflian World, as was before hinted.

SECT. V.

Whence every one ought to learn the Kno'joledge of
the ChrijVtan Religion.

IN this Agreement and Difagreement amongft
Chriftians, prudent Men will judge it moft fafe,
to take their Knowledge of the Chriftian Religion
from the Fountain, which is not in the lead fuf-
petiled, and whofe Streams all confcfs to be pure
and undefiled. And this Fountain is not the Creed
or the Confediort of Faith of any particular
Church, but only the Books of the New Tefta-
ment, which all acknowledge to be genuine. I
confcfs fome Chriftians do fometimes fay, that
thofe Books cannot be underitood but by the
Dodlrinc of their Church; but others again deny
it; and (to mention but this one Thing) that
Opinion is very fufpicious, which depends only
on the Teftimony of thofe that affirm it; and
they fuch, whofe chief Intereft is, that it fhould
feem true. Others fay, thatthcrcis Need of the
extraordinary Affillance of the Holy Spirit, not
only in order to the Ik'lief of the Scripture (which
n^ay without any great Difficulty be allowed) but

alfo

Sea. 5. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 303

alfo in order to underftand the Meaning of the
Words contained in it; which I do not fee how-
it can be proved ; but we will grant this alfo, pro-
vided they will acknowledge that all Men, who
read the Books of the Nev/ Teftament with a re-
ligious Mind, intent upon the Truth, are afforded
this Spirit by the Goodnefs of God; there is no
Need of contending for any Thing more than this.
Every one, therefore, may wifely and fafely gather
his Knowledge of the Chriftian Religion from
thefe Books ? yet making ufe of thofe Helps that
are necelTary or profitable for the underflandingof
fuch Book; which we will not now enquire after.

Whoever therefore believes, that the Revela-
tion of the Will of God made by Chrift, is faith-
fully related in the Books of the New Teflament;
fuch an one muft of Neceility embrace all Things
which he there meets with, according as he un-
derdands them, as Matters of Faith, Prafticeand
Hope; for whoever believes in Chrifl:, ought to
receive with a religious IV^ind, every Thing which
he thinks comes from him; he cannot defend
himfelf with any Excufc, whereby to admit fomc
and rejecSt others, of thofe Things which he ac-
knowledges to come from Chrift. And fuch are
thofe Doctrines I before explained, and concern-
ing which all Chriftians, as I faid, are agreed.

As to the reft, about which they contefl; fince
they are not fo very plain, a religious and pious
Man may and ought to deliberate concerning
them, and with-hold his Judgment till they ap-
pear more evident to him: For it is very impru-
dent to admit or rejecT: any Thing, before it fuf-
ficiently appears to be either true or falfe. Nor h
eternal Salvation, in the Books of the New Tefta-
ment, promifed to any one who embraces this or
that controverted Opinion; but to him who
heartily receives in his Mind, and expreiTes in his

Adions,-

304 WHA r CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book i.
Aftions, the Sum of the Chriftian Religion, as
we have defcribed it.

SECT. VI.

Nothing elje ought to he impofed upon ChrifiianSy but
what they can gather from the New Tejlament.

(a) THIS, therefore, is the only Thing that can
juftly be impofed upon all Chriflians, viz. that
they embrace whatever they think is contained in
the Books of the New Teflament, and obey thofe
Things which they find there commanded, and ab-
ftain from thofe Things which are there forbidden,
if any Thing further be required of them as neccf-
fary, it is v/ithout any Authority. For would any
fair Judge require a Chriftian to believe a Doc-
trine came from Chrift, which he does not find in
the only faithful and undoubted Records in which
all are agreed the Revelation of Chrift is derived
down to us? Let other Dodrines be true; let us
take this for granted a little while; they cannot
however be efteemed as true by him, who, amongft
the different Sorts of Chrifliians, follows the mid-
dle Way, and allows of no certain Record of the

Revelation,

{a) This therefore is the only Thifig, Sec.] To this belongs
what Chrift faith. Matt, xxiii. Ver. 8. and following; " Be
** ye not called Rahbi, for one is your Mafter, even Chrift,
'• and all ye arc Brethren. And call no Man your Father
" upon the Earth, for one is your Father, which is in Hea-
" ven : Neither be ye called Maftcrs, for one is your Mafter,
" even Chrift." See alfo James iii, i. To the fame Pur-
pofc. Rev. iii. 7. where Chrift is faid to have the " Key of
•* Da'vid," which is thus defcribed, " which opens (tiamely
*' Hea^jeiisJ and no one ihuts, and which ftiutteth and no one
*' openeth." If we are to believe Chrift only, and there re-
mains no other certain Record of the Revelation made by
Chrift, but the New Teftament; it is manifeft from hence,
that in Matters of Faith, wc ought to give Credit only to thcfe
«tyoks.

Se<5l. 6. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 305

Revelation of Chrift, but the Books of the New
Teftament. Whilfl: he believes this, nothing cKc
Gan JLiftly be required of him; and he will be-
lieve this, till it ihall be made appear to him by
plain Arguments, that the Knowledge of Chrif-
tianity is fafely to be had fomewhere eii^Q, which
I believe will never be done.

(a) If any one therefore attempts to take away
from Chriftians the Hooks of the New Teflament,
or to add to them fuch Things as do not appear
to be true, we are by no Means to hearken to
fuch an one; becaufe he requires that of us,
which no prudent Man will allow, viz. that we
ihould believe that which we are not certain of,
or neglect that which all own to be the fure Re-
cord of the Revelation of the Gofpel. There is
no Need of examining all Controverfics fmgly,
and one by one ; which- would be an endlefs
Thing, and cannot be done but by very learned
Men, who have Abundance of Leifure. Whoever
impofes any Thing upon us, as neceifary to be
believed, which we cannot believe ; he drives us
from himfelf; becaufe Belief cannot be extorted
by Force ; nor will any one who fears God, and
is a Lover of Truth, fuffer himfelf to" profefs
what he does not believe, for the Sake of an-
other.

But they who difter from this, objed ; that if
every one be left to their own Liberty, in judg-
ing of the Meaning of the Books of the Nev/
Teflament j there will be as many Religions as

(rt) If any 07ie therefore attempts, ccc] To this relates that
Saying of i'.-ul. Gal. i. 8. "If wt, or an Angel I'rom Hea-
" ven preach any other Thing for the Gofpel than that Gofpel
♦' which we have preached to you, let him be accurfcd." And
indeed it is no Man's Bufinefs to aud any Thing to the Gofpel,
as unneceffary; nor to diminilh. any Thing trom it, as un.
profitable.

X there

3o6 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
there are Men ; and Truth, M'hich is but one,
will immediately be oppreifed by a Multitude of
Errors. But I think, that before an Opinion,
which is eftabliflied upon folid Arguments, be
oppofed by Objedions, the Foundations upon
which it is built ought to be overthrown; be-
caufe fo long as that remains firm, the whole
Superflru6lure raifed upon it cannot be fhaken;
as we fee here. For, if any Inconvenience fhould
follow from what has been faid, it is neverthelefs
true, till it be made appear not to be fixed on a
firm Bottom. But to pafs by this now; it is
falfe that the Revelation of the New Teftament
is fo obfcure, that the Sum of the Chriftian Re-
ligion cannot be truly learned from it, by any
one of a Sound Mind, who is dcfirous of Truth.
It is evident from Experience, that it may be
truly learned from thence ; for all Chriftians, as
has been already fliewn, agree in the principal
Parts of it; which was obferved by GrotiuSy
Book II. Sect. XVII. We have no Regard here-
to a few fimple or wicked Men ; fince whole So-
cieties of Chriftians, who in other Refpects, out
of their too great Eagernefs of Contention, arc
apt to differ from one another, and to run into
the contrary Extremes, arc here agreed.

SECT. VII.

I'he Providence of God, in prefcrving the Chrijlian
DocJrlney is very zvonderfnl.

IN thisParticular, as in numbcrJcfs others which
relate to the Government of human Affairs, the
Divine Providence is very wonderful, which, not-
withllandingfo many Differences, as were of old,
and are at this Day amongft Chriftians, yet hath

preferved

Sea. 7. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 307

prefcrved the Books of the New Tellament en-
tire, even to our Times ; that the Chriftian Doc-
trine may be recovered out of them, as often as
it happens to be corrupted. Nor has it only de-
livered down to us this Treafure entire ; but alfo,
in the Midft of the hottefl: Differences, has fo
fecured the Chriflian Dodrine itfelf, that the
Sum of Religion has never been forgot amono-ft
Chriilians.

No inconfiderable Number of Chriftians at this
Day contend that many Errors, in former Ages,
crept by Degrees, in amongft the Seels of Chri-
Ifians; which when others denied, in the Sixteenth
Century, after the Birth of Chrifl, that famous
Separation in the JVeft was made upon that Ac-
count, by which Chriftianity was divided into
two Parts, not very unequal. Yet, in thofe Ages,
whofe Errors are reproved by that Part of the
ChriRians which made the Separation I now
mentioned, and whofe Faults were highly aggra-
vated by both Sides, and that not without Grounds,
the Sum of the Chriftian Religion before draun
up by us, was all along maintained, [a] There
is no Age fo thick clouded with Ignorance and
Vice, but the forementioned Articles of Faith
X 2 may

[a] There is no Age fo thick clouded, &c.] None have a
worfe Report than the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries, as is
granted by rhofc who ftick to the See of Rome, as much as
by thofe who have m.sde a Separation from it. Yet if any
one, for his own Sarisfaaion, will read amongjl the Books of
the Fathers, the Writings of ihcfe Centuries, he may eafiiy
colled all the DoJlrines mentioned in the Fourth Se'd. At
the Beginning of the Twelfth Century, lived Bernard, Ab-
bot of the Monaftery of Clara--caUis, whofe Learning, Piety,
and Conftancy, are commended by very many, and whofe
Writings were often read in the following Ages, and never con-
demned. Now from thence an entire Bed}- cf the Chriftian
Dodrine may eafiiy be colleded ; and it is no lefs certain of.ths
following Centuries down to the Sixteenth. Nor is theje ar/;-
Doubt of thofe that foliow.

3o8 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
may eafily be coUeded from their Writings that
remain. It mufi: not indeed be difiembled, that
many Things, foreign and unknown to the Books
of the New Teftament, have been added, and
thruft into the Chriftian Theology ; whence it is,
that the true Wheat of the Sower, in the Gof-
pel, hath not brought forth fo much Fruit as it
■would othcrwife have done, had the Ground been
cleared of Thorns and hurtful and unprofitable
Weeds. Many Vices and Faults were not only
admitted or borne with, but applauded alfo.
Yet was not found Doctrine ever the lefs fafc,
whilft the Books of the New Teftament remained,
and whilft Chriftians were endued with common
Senfe ; for by this Means, very eminent Men
were often raifed up, who corrcded the Errors
and Vices of their Age, and ventured to oppofe
.the Torrent. Thus according to the Promife
of Chrift, God hindered (a) the Gates of Death
from prevailing againjl the Church ; that is, did not
fuffer every Society wherein the Chriftian Doctrine
■ was prcfcrved entire, to be extinguilhed ; though
ibmetimes they were blended and obfcurcd with
foreign a/id contrary Opinions, and fometimes
were more fincere and pure. Wherefore (to ob-
fcrve this by the Way) unlefs this Dodtrine was
really fent to us from God, it could never have
efcaped out of fuch a Deluge of Vices and Er-
rors, but would, at length, have been over-
M helmed by the Changcablcncfs and Folly of hu-
man Nature, and have entirely pcriflied.

{a) The G^tes of Death froiit prcvaiUng, &;c.] So we ex-
plain uAa? eci^K, becaufe neither that Word, nor the Hebicn.o
W'sty Schcol, which anfvvers to it, ever fignlfies in the Sacred
"Writings, an evil Spirit, but only the Grave, or the State of
the Dead, as Crothis and others have obferved. Therefore
this one Thing may be gathered from this Place, that it will
never happen that the ChriiHan Church fliould entirely perifh,
or that there flioiild be no Society left, amongft whom the Sura
of the Doiitrinc of the Gcfpcl fhould not remain.

SECT.

Sea. 8. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 309

SECT, viii:

An Anfwer to that ^ejlion^ Why God permits Dif-
ferences and- Errors to arife amongft Chrijiians.

PERHAPS fome may here objedl againft what
has been faid, that the Divine Providence would
have better confulted the Prefervationof the Chri^
ftian Dodlrine, if it had prevented the Errors that
areand have been amonglltheChriftianSjandmain-
tained Truth and conftant Agreement, which is
the Companion of it, amongft them, by its Om-
nipotence. But it is not for us to inftruft God
how he ought to direct himfelf in the Govern-
ment of human Affairs, that they might be bet-
ter. On the contrary, it is our Duty to think
that God had very wife Reafons for fuffering what
he did fuffer, though we cannot fo much as guefs
at what they are. But if any probable Reafons
can be given for the Things that are done; we
ought to believe that God permits thofe Things
which daily come to pafs, to be done for thele,
or more v/eighty Reafons.

To make a Conjecture from the Reafon of
Things ; we are above all Things fure, that the
Defign of God was [a) to create Men free, and to
fuftcr them to continue fo to the End ; that is, not
fo good, that they muil: neceffarily continue good
always ; nor fo bad, as that they muft of Necefiity
always fubmit to Vice ; but mutable, fo as that
X 3 they

[a) To create Men free^ &c.] This is taught with the
highcft Confent by all Chriftian Antiquity. See Jujiin the
Martyr's Apology I. Chap. 54, and 55. Iren^usy Book IV.
Chap. 9. Chap. 29. towards the End, Chap. 71, and 72.
Orii^ejis Philocatia, Chap. 21. Eufebius's Gofpel Preparation,
Book VI. Chap. 6. and others, whofe Sayings are quoted by
Diov.yfius Peta<vius, in his Theological Doctrines, Tom. I,
Book VI. Chap. 6. There are alfo many Things to this Pur^
pofe, Tom. III. Book III. IV. and V.

3IO WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
they might pafs from Vice to Virtue, and again
from Virtue to Vice; and this with more or lefs
Eafe, according as they had a longer or fhortcr
Time given up themfelves to Virtue or Vice.
Such \vc fee the Hcbrezv People of old were, and
fuch were the Chriftians afterwards. Neither of
them were drawn by an irrefiftible Force either to
Virtue or Vice; but only reftrained by Laws,
which propofed Reward to the Good, and Punifh-
ment to the Bad ; to which were added by the Di-
vine Providence, various Incitements to Virtue,
and Difcouragements from Vice ; but yet neither
of them deprived Man of his native Liberty,
■whereby he had a Power of obeying or difobeying
God, as is evident from Experience ; for there
were always Good and Bad, though the Divine
Laws prefcribed Virtue, and prohibited Vice
equally to all. That this would be fo amonglt
Chriftians, Chrifthas plainly ligniiied in two Pa-
rables, {a) the one of the Tares which the Enemy
fowed, after the Wheat was fown ; (/') the other
of the Net, which took good and bad ¥\\\\ alike;
by which he fignified, that there would always be
in the Church, a Mixture of good and bad Chri-
ftians ; whence it follows, that he very well faw
the Evils that would ahvays be in the Chriftian
Church. Moreover Paul tells the Chriftians, that

ibey

{a) The one of the Tares y kc.'\ Matt. xiii. 24. and follow-
ing.

{h) The other of the Net, <S.'C.] Matt. \in. 47. and follou'-
ing.

(f) Thai there muji be Scfis, &c.] i Cor. xi. 19. For there
muji he aljo Hsrcfts rmoKg jou, that they tvhich are approved,
way be made manfjl among jcu ; that is, as they are Men,
there is a Neceflity, unlefs they were changed for the better,
that there fhonld .Trife Sefts amongft them, by which the
Good may be diilinguilhed from the Bad ; whilll the Good
I ftick

Sc-a. 8. WE ARE TO JOIN VvaTH. 311

they zvho were approved may be made manifejl.
[a] And indeed unlefs there had been Differences
among Chriftians concerning Do(5lrine, there had
been no Room left for Choice, and for that Sort of
Virtue, by which Truth is preferred to all other
Things. Therefore, even in this Particular alfo,
the Divine Wif^iom fhines bright ; which caufcd
an excellent Virtue to flourifh out of the Midft
of the Vices of Men.

If any one fliould objed: here, [b) as fome do ;
that it were better there were no fuch Kind of
Virtue, than that there fliould be Vices contrary
to it, from' whence fo many horrid Crimes, fo
many Calamities, and fo great MifeHes fliould
befal Mankind, and fuch heavy Punifliment at-
tend them after this Life : To this we anfwer,
that thefe Evils were not of fuch a Coniideration
with God, that upon their Account, he fliould
not give an Inftance of his Power in creating
free Agents. Unlefs this had been done, no
Creature would have believed that it could have
been done. Nay, God himfelf would not have
been thought to be free, unlefs he himfelf had
planted this Opinion of himfelf by his Omnipo-
tence in the Minds of Men, which otherwife they
never could have conceived from his Works.
Nor could he have been worfhipped, if he had
been thought to do, or to have done all Things,
not out of his free Goodnefs, but by a certain
fatal NecelTity ; unlefs by a fatal Worfliip alfo,
X 4 and

ftlck to Truth and Charity, and the reft run into all other Things.
See Matt. xvii. 7.

[a] A7id indeed jmlefs, &c.] See this handled more at large
in my Ecclejiajikal Hifiory Century I. Anno LXXXIII. 8.
Le Clerc.

[b) As fome do, &c.] This Obje£lion is largely propofed,
and fet off with rhetorical Flourifhes, by Peter Eajle; whom
we have confuted in fome of the Volumes of the Choke
Library, and efpecially in the Xth, Xlth, and Xllth, in French^

312 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
and fuch an one as is not at all free. The Vices
and Calamities of this or the other Life are not
comparable to fo great an Evil, as the fuppofing
God to be ignorant of any Thing: For if we find
any Difliculty about them, we ought to confider
that God is moft good, ]uft, powerful, and wife,
and will not a<fl otherwife than agreeable to his
Perfections; and will eafily find a Way and go in
it, whereby to clear thofe Things which fecm to
us to be intangled ; and to fliew to all intelligent
Creatures, that nothing v as done by him, which
ought not to have been done. In the mean Time,
till that Day fpring, in which all the Clouds of our
Ignorance* fliall be difpcrfed, he hath given us
fuch Experience of himfclf, and fuch Inftances of
his Perfections ; on the Account of which, we
may and ought entirely to confide in him, and
patiently wait for what he will have come to pafs.
More might be faid on this Matter, but that it
would divert us from that End we are tending to,
and carry us to what does not beionsc to this Place.

SECT. IX.

^'bey profefs and teach the Chriftian Do^rine in the
piireft Manner of ally zvho propoje thofe Things
only as necefjary to be believed^ prcFliJedy or hoped
fory which Cbrijlians are agreed in.

TO pafs by thefe Things therefore, and return
to the Choice of our Opinion amongfi the different
Se6ls of Chriftians; nothing fecms pofTible to be
done more fafc and wife, in this State of Affairs,
than for us tojoinourftlvcs with that Seel of Chri-
Hians, which acknowledges the New Teftament,
only for a Rule of their Faith, without any Mix-
ture of human Decrees; and who think it fuffici-

ent

Sea. 9. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 31^

ent that every one fhould learn their Form of
Faith from thence, conform their Lives to its
Precepts, and expedt the Promifes which are
there made. Which if it be done fincerely, and
without any DilTimulation, the End of fuch a
Search will be that every Form of found Words,
■which we have made appear to have remained
the fame, amidft fo many and fo great Storms of
Errors and Diifentions, during the paffing of fo
many Ages, and the Changes of Kingdoms and
Cities. In it are contained all Things that are
necelfary to Faith and Pradlice; to which if any
one would have any other Things added, it may
lawfully be done, according to the Circumftances
of Time and Place ; provided they be not im-
pofed as neceffary (a) (w^hich belongs only to the
fupremc Lawgiver) nor contrary Dodlrines to
thofe obtruded.

Christians difpofcd in the Manner we have
been fpeaking of, ought not to fubmit their Neck
to the Yoke of human Opinions, nor to profefs
they believe what they do not believe ; nor to do
that which they cannot approve in their own
Minds, becaufe they think it contrary to the Pre-
cepts of Chriil. Therefore, wherever that Chri-
itian Liberty, which I have now mentioned, is
not allowed, they inuft of necelTity depart
thence ; not as if they condemned all that are of
a different Opinion from themfelves, but becaufe
every one is abfolutely obliged to follow the Light
of his own Mind, and not that of another's ] and

to

(o) Which belongs only to the ftipreme Lanvgi'ver, &c.] Sec
what Paul fays upon this Matter, P^om. xiv. i. and fo on,
where he fpeaks of thofe who impofe Rites on otiiers : or
who condemn thofe that obferve them ; which Right he de.
flares to belong to Chrift only. And to this may be referred
what St. James fays. Chap. iv. 12. " There is but one
f Lawgiver who is able to fave and to dcftroy."

314 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
to do that which he judges belt to be done, and
to avoid that which he thinks to be Evil.

SECT. X.

All prudent Perfons ought to partake of the Sacra^
ment zi'ith thofe who require nothing elfe of Chri^
JlianSy but what every one finds in the Books of
the New Teftament.

SINCE Chrifthas appointed two Signs or Sym-
bols of Chriftianity, Baptifm and the Lord's Sup-
per, it was not indeed in our power to receive
Baptifm where we judged the Chriftian Religion
to be moil pure, becaufe we are baptized very
young ; but fmce we do not come to the other
Sacrament till we are of riper Age, we may dif-
tinguifh that Society of Chrirtians, in which we
are willing to be Partakers of it; which if, we
have not already done, we ought to do it now.

There are fome who make the Sacrament,
(v/hich according to Chrili's Inftitution, [a] is a
Token of that Peace and Love which is between
Chriftians,) a Mark of Diftincflion; and exclude
from it all thofe who do not think it fafe to fubinit
to any Yoke but what Chrifthas laid upon them;
or to receive any Things as nccelTary to be believ-
ed, pradifed or hoped for, but thofe which they
are verily perfuaded are contained in the Books of
the New Teftament; and who arc therefore very
cautious of admitting any other Forms of Faith,

befides

[a] Is n hketi of that Peace and Lo-r, S<.c.'] See i Cor. x.
i6, 17. where mentioning the Sacramental Cup and Bread of
which many are Partakers, the Apcftle adds; " For we being
" many, are one Bread and one Body, for we are all Partakers
" of that one Bread." Whicli Words ihew, that by the Sa-
crament isfignitied the mutual Agreement of Chrillians; aiid fo
the belt Interoreierb undcrltand it.

Sea. 10. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 315

bcfides that which we have mentioned. It is but
jnlt and reafonablc indeed, that v, e iliould main-
tain Peace with fuch men as thefe : (a) But for
receiving the Sacrament upon this Condition, that
we fliould embrace any other Rule of faith and
Pradice, befide the Books of the NevvTeftament,
and think all thofe excluded the Church who will
not admit them ; this a religious and prudent Man
will think very wicked. But all they who are true
Lovers of the Gofpel, fafely may and ought to
approach the Sacramental Table of them, who
know no other Laws of obtaining eternal Salva-
tion, but thofe laid down by Chriil and his Apo-
ftles in the Books of the Gofpel Covenant, as
every one can underftand them. For whoever ac-
knowledges the Books of the New Teftament for
the only Rule of Faith and Practice; who fm-
cerely conform their Lives to that Rule ; in' a
Word, who allow of no Idolatry, nor treat others
ill, that they may pro fefs they believecertain Doc-
trines which they do not believe : All fuch are re-
ceived by thefe, and alfo invited to this Table. It
is manifeft indeed, that Communion cannot be
maintained with him who makes ufe of Force to
impofe his Opinions upon others ; v/ho worfliips
other Gods, befide the true God the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghoii ; or who by his Converl'ation,
jhews that he makes light of the Precepts of the
Gofpel; or who owns any other Laws ot Salvation,
than thofe wrote in the Books of the eternal Co-
venant: But he, who behaves himfelf the direc^l
contrary, is worthy to have all Chriflians maintain
Communion with him, and to be preferred to all

the

(^) But for recci-uing the Sacrament, &c.] And this was the
O;^)inion of Gidins, as appears from that little Book cf his
WhiUher ive ought airways to join in receiving the Sacrament ;
where h« fpeaks of the Reafons of forbearing the Communion.
Tom. IV. of his Theological Works, Pag. 511.

3i6 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book li
the reft who are of a difFerent Opinion, (a) No
mortal Man, nay no Angel, can impofeany new
Gofpel upon Chriftians, to be believed by them :
Now according to this Gofpel, he is a true Difci-
pic of Chrift, who from his Heart believes his
Doctrine, and his only, {"o as to obey it the beft he
is able, according to the Infirmity of this Life; who
"worfliips one God, loves his Neighbour as himfelf,
and lives temperately in refped to all otherThings.
If any Thing be diminifhed from this, the Laws
of the Covenant, which none but God can abate
any Thing of, are maimed : And if any Thing
be added it is an ufelcfs Yoke, which none ought
to impofe on Chriftians. Such Law s can be re-
ceived from God only, who alone is the Deter-
miner of eternal Salvation.

Perhaps fome may here afk me by what Name
thefe Chriflian Societies which I have now de-
fcribed, may be d4^inguiflied ? But it lignifies
nothing what Denomination they go under : The
Reader may conceive all Churches to be meant,
in which, what I have faid, is to be found.
Wherefoever that only Rule of Faith, and that
Liberty which I havedefcribed is, and they need
not enquire for a Name, which makes nothing
to the Purpofe. I believe there are many fuch
Societies; and I pray the great and good God,
that there may be more and more every Day ;
tliat at length his Kingdom may come into all the
Earth, and that Mankind may obey it only.

(<?) i\o mortal Man, &c.] See the Notes on Se(ft. I.

bic 1

Sc-a. ir. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 317

SECT. XL

Concerning Church-Government .

A fmall Difficulty may be here objed:ed to us,
which arifes from the Form of Church-Govern-
ment and Difcipline, commonly called Eccleliafti-
cal : For no Society, fuch as a Church is, can
fublifl without Order, and therefore there m.uft
be fome Form of Government appointed. Nor
is it debated amongft Chriftians, what Form of
Government was appointed by the Apoftles ; for
that feems preferable to all others, which was
appointed from the Beginning ; and therefore of
two Churches, in which the Gofpel is taught with
equal Purity and Sincerity in all other Refpedls,
that is to be preferred, in which the Form of Go-
vernment is Apoltolical ; though Government
without the Thing itfelf, that is, the Gofpel, is
only the faint Shadow of a Church.

There are now two Forms of Government,
one of which is that wherein the Church ads linder
one Biihop, who alone has the Right of ordaining
Prefbytery, or the inferior Order of the Gofpel
Miniflers ; the other is that, where the Church is
governed by an Equality of Prefbyters, joined
v/ith fome Lay-perfons of Prudence and Honelty.
They who without Prejudice have read over the
molt ancient Chriftian Writers that now remain,
(a) very well know, that the former Manner of
Difcipline, which is called Epifcopal, fuch as that
in the South Part of Great Briiain, prevailed every
where in the Age immediately after the Apoltlcs ;
whence we may colledl that it is of the Apoftolical

Inilitution.

((7) Fery nvcll kno-v, &c.] See mv EccJefiaJlkal llijlory.
Century 1. to the Year Lll. 6. and LXVIII. 8. and the fol-
lowing ones. Le Clerc.

3i8 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I,
Inftitution. The other, which they call Prrjbyte^
rian^ was inftituted in many Places of France ^
Swit'zerlandy Germany^ and Hollandy by thofe who
in the Sixteenth Century made a Separation from
the Church of Rome.

They, who read with Attention the Hifloricsof
thai Century, are fully fatisiicd that this latter
Form of (/overnment was introduced for this Rea-
fon only, becaufe the Bidiops would not allow to
them, who contended that the Doctrine and Man-
ners of Chriftians itood in Need of neceffary
Amendment, that thofe Things fliould be reform-
ed, which they complained were corrupted.
Other wife, if the Bifliops every where at that
Time, had been willing to do of their own Ac-
cord, what was not long after done in England %
that Government had prevailed even to this Day,
amongfl. all thofe who feparated from the Rotmjh
Church; and the numberlefs Calamities which
happened, when all Things were difturbed and
confounded, had then been prevented. For, if we
would judge of the Matter truly, there was no
other Reafon for changing the Government but
this, that whilft the ancient Government remained,
nothing could be procured, h6wever juflin itfelf.
Therefore the Preibyterian Form is appointed in
many Places ; which after it v;as once done, was
fo much for the Intereft of all them, who preiided
in the State-Affairs in thofe Places, and is fo at
this Time not to have it changed, that it mufl: of
Necefiity continue ; unlefs any one had rather,
upon ttiat yVccount, that all the Dominions in
which it prevails, fhould be put into the moft
dangerous Difordcrs ; which prudent Men will
never allow, nor is it to be v.illicd. The Form of
Government was appointed of old, topreferve the
ChriRian Do6l:rine, and not to dillurb the Com-
monwealth, which can fcarce happen v.ithout
endangcrinp; the Religion itfelf.

Where-

Seel, ri, 12. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 319
Wherefore prudent Men, though they above
all Things wilh for the Apoflolical Form of
Church-Governmenr, and that it might be every
where alike; yet they think Things had ^better
be left in the State in which they now are, than
venture the Hazards which always attend the
Attempt of new Things. In the mean Time, they
that are wife, will by no Means hate, reproach,
nor condemn one another upon thJit Account, as
the moil violent Men are apt to do ; as if eter-
nal Salvation depended upon either Form, which
does not feem to be taught any where in the Apof-
tolick Writings, nor can it be gathered from the
Nature of the Chriftian Religion.

SECT. XII.

^he ancient Church-Government was highly ejlcemed
by Grotius, zvithout condemning others,

WHOEVER reads over the Works of that
great man Hugo GrotiuSy and examines into his
DocTirine and Practice, v.illfind, that he had en-
tertained in his Mind [a] that Form of found
Words, the Truth of which he has proved ; nor
did he efteem any Thing elfe as true Religion;
but after he had diligently read the Writings of
Chrifbian Antiquity, and underftood that the ori-
ginal

{a) That Form of found Words, &c.] See amongft other
Things, The Inftitulion of Children that are haptix.td, which
the Author himrelf tranilated out of Dutch Verfc into Latin, in
his 1 heological Works, Tom. IV. Pag. 629. And in his latter
Works, he often affirms, thru whatever is neceHiry to Salvation
is plainly enough contained in the New Teltament. See his
Annotations on Cajfanders Confultation, towards the End,
where he fpeaks of the Sufficiency and Fiainnefs of the Scripture.
Which being granted, it is manifelt from tiience, that the Sum
of the Chriftian Religion, as it was before produced by us, ma/
be collcded thence by any one.

32Q WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
ginal Form was that of Epifcopacy, he highly
approved of it in the Manner it is maintained
in Englandy as appears {a) from his own exprefs
Words, which we have wrote down at the Bottom
of the Page.

Therefore it is not to be doubted but if it
had been in his Power, and he had not been fo
vehemently toffed to and fro by Adverfity, and
exafperatcd and vexed by the Bafenefs and Re-
proachfulnefs of his Enemies, at whofe Hands
he did not deferve it, he would have joined him-
felf with thofe who maintained the ancient Form
of Difcipline, and required nothing further than
what has been already faid, the Truth of which
he has proved excellently well ; the arguments
for which Practice appear to us to be fo weighty,
that we have thought good to add them to this
little Treatife.

SECT. XIII.

An Exhortation to all ChriJUans who differ from each
other y not to require from one another any Points
of DoiJriney butfuch as every one finds in the New
Teftament, and have always been believed.

SEEING thefe Things are fo, we cannot but
earneftly exhort all Chriftians who diilcr in Opi-
nions,

[a) From his oivn exprefs Words, &€.] In his Annotations
on the Confultation of Cajfander, Ads xiv. " Bifhops are
" the Heads of the Prefbyters, and that Pre-eminence was
*' forefnewn in Peter, and was appointed by the Apoftles
" wherever it could be done, and approved by the Holy
♦' Ghoft, in the Revelations. Wherefore it v/as to be wifhod
" that that Superiority were appointed every where, i3cj*
See alfo what follows, concerning the Ecclejiajikal Po-juer, and
the Di/aiJ/ion &/" Rivetus's Apology, Page 714. Col. 2. Other
Things are alfo alledged, in the Epiitles added to this little
Treatife.

Sea. 13. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 321

nions, to remember that That only is the true
Sum and Subftance of the Chriflian Religion, the
Truth of which can be proved by the Arguments
Grotius has alledged ; and not thofe controverted
Points which each Side deny, and which has been
the Caufe of fo many Evils : Further, no one that
reads over the New Teftament with a religious
Mind, and meditates upon it, can be perfuaded
that there is (a) any other Lawgiver but Chrift,
upon whofe Law eternal Life depends; nor that
any one who is fo difpofed, can or ought to per-
fuade himfelf to admit of any Thing as necelTary
to Salvation, belide what is the Doctrine of Chrift
and his Apoftles; or to believe that to be true,
which he thinks is contrary to it : Wherefore there
is none more certain and prefent Remedy of their
Differences than this; that nothing be impofed
upon Chriftians, but thofe Things which every
one is fully fatisfiedinhisown mind are revealed;
nor need we fear any Inconvenience from hence,
fince it is evident from the Experience of all Ages
paft from Chrift to this Time, that the Sum of
the Chriftian Religion before laid down,was never
rejeded by any. (b) If this one Thing only were

at

[a] Any other Laivgiver b?ct Chrijl, &c.] The Words of
James, Chap. iv. 12. quoted in Seft. I. are very exprefs in this
Matter; where more is faid relating thereto. Befides, the
Thing itfelf fpeaks here; becaufe amongil the different Seds
of Chriftians, none of them believe their Adverfaries' Au-
thority.

[h] If ihis one Thing 07ily , &c.] This was the Opinion of
James I. King of Great- BrUain, if we may give Credit to
J/aac Cd/aubni, who had thefe Words in his An/iver to Car-
dinal Perron's Epijiles, on the third Obferration, Pag. ^o- Edit.
Lond. 1 61 2. " It is moft truly written, in the Explication
•' of thofe Things which are abfolutel)^ neceffary, that it is
*' the King's Opinion that the Number of thofe Ihings which
•' are abfolutely neceffary to Salvation, is not great. Where-
*' fore his Majefty thinks that there is no Hiorter Way to
Y " enter

312 WHAT CHRISTIAN CHURCH Book I.
at this Time required of all Chriftians as necef-
fary,alltheirDifferences would immediatel)'ccafe,
and whatcvcrDifagreement remained in Opinions,
it would not belong to the Body of the Churchy
but to private Perfons ; every one of which muft
render an Account of their Confciencc to God.
If they did but once underftand that they were
agreed in the principal Matters, as they really arc
agreed, and would bear with one another in other
Things ; and would not endeavour to bring over
others to their Opinions or Rites, by Force or
other wicked Arts; this would be the only Agree-
ment that can be expeded on Earth, (a) In this
Ignorance and Want of Knowledge in Mankind,
hindered by fo many PafTions, no prudent Pcrfon
can expeft that all can be brought,either by Force
or Reafon, to think and do the fame Thing. The
moregcnerous and undcrftandingMinds can never
approve of Force, which is the Attendant of Lies,
and not of Truth : Nor do they who are lefs
learned, or who are blinded by PalTion or the Pre-
judices of F^ducation, or any other Thing, as the
far greatefl Part will always be, fully underftand
the Force of Reafon; nor in the mean Time, are
they to be compelled to do or fpcak contrary to
what they think. Let them who preiide in the
Government of the Church think it fufficient,that

Men

«' enter in an Agreement, than by carefully fcparating thofe

•• Things that arc neceflary, from thofe that are not ; and

" that their whole Care be cmj'iloved in agreeing about the

•' neceflary Things; and that in thofe Things that are not

t' neceflTary, there be an Allowance made for Chriftian Li-

«* berty, ^i."

(a) In this Ignorance and Want of KtzoivhJge, Sec.'] It was
Tcry well faid by Hilary, concerning the 'Trinity, Bcu'k X.
Chap. 70. " That God docs not invite us to liappincjs through
" difficult Queftions, nor confound us with various Sorts of
** Kloquence. Eternity is plain and eafy to us, to belie\e that
•' God raifed up Jcfus from the Dead, and to confefs him tu
*« be Lord."

Sea. 13. WE ARE TO JOIN WITH. 323

Men, through the Help of the immortal God,
believe the Gofpel; that that Faith alone is to be
preached as necefTary; that the Precepts of it
alone are to be obeyed, and Salvation to be ex-
pected from the Obfervation of its Laws; and all
Things will go well. Whilft human Things are
made equal with Divine; and doubtful Things,
to fay no worfcof them, equalled with thofe that
are certain, there can be no End of Contention,
no Hopes of Peace; which all pious Men ought,
with their molt earned Wiflies, to delire of the
great God, and to endeavour to promote as far as
in their Power.

Y 2 B O O Iv

[ 32+ ]

BOOK IL

Againft Indifference in the Choice of our

Religion,

S E C T. I.

^hat "vje ought to have a Love for Truth in all
Things y but more ejpe daily in/uch as are of great
Moment,

T THINK that Perfon judged very rightly,
■■' [a) whoever he was, that faid, there is an
eternal Alliance betwixt Truth and the Mind of
Man; the Effecls of which, though they may
fometimcs be as it were, fufpendcd or difconti-
nued for a while, by reafon of the Inconftancy
and Affections of human Nature; yet the Alli-
ance itfelf can never be entirely broicc. For no-
body

(a) Whoever he luas that /aid. Sec] John Smith, in his
Seleft Difcourfes, publiflied at London, 1660. Hence St.
AuJ}m, in his CXLtli Sermon, concerning the Words of the
Evangelill St. John, Tom. V. Col. 682. " Every Man
" fearchcs after Truth and Life; but e\'ery Man does not
*' find the W;iy to them." And again. Sermon CL. Col.
716. " The Miml cannot endure to be deceived. And
" how much the Mind naturally hates to be deceived, we
•* may learn from this fmgle Thing, that every Man of Senfe
** pities a Changeling. If it were propofed to any one, vvhe-
«« thcr he would choofe to be deceived, or to perfift in the
•' Truth; there is nobody but would anfwer, tha: he had
" rather peril It in the Truth,"

Sea- I. AGAINST INDIFFERENCE, &c. 325
body is defirous of being deceived; nay, there is
no body but had rather know the Truth in any
Matter whatfoever, but efpecially in any Matter
of Moment, than be miftaken, though it be only
in Things of mere Speculation. We are naturally
delighted with Truth, and have as natural an
Averlion to Error; and if we knew any Way in
which we could ^certainly arrive at Truth, we
fhould moft readily enter into it. Hence it is,
that there always have been found very eminent
Men, whom all the World have moft highly ap-
plauded, becaufe they fpent their whole Lives in
the Purfuit of Truth. There have been, and are
at this Day, innumerable Natural Philofophers
and Geometricians, who have taken incredible
Pains to come at Truth ; and who afiirm, that
they never feel (a) Co great Pleafure as when
they find out a Truth which they have long been
in Search after. So that the Love and the Know-
ledge of Truth may very juftly be reckoned
amongft the many other Things that Men excel
Brutes in.

But all Truths are not of the fame Moment,
and many theoretick Notions, though they be
true, may be laid afide, becaufe little or no Ad-
vantage can be had from them, and therefore it is
not worth while to be at much pains about them;
but, on the other Hand, there are fome Truths of
fo great Moment, that we juftly think them worth
purchafing at any Rate. Of this Sort are all thofe
that relate to our Well-being and Happinefs ; the
Knowledge of which is moft valued by every body,
and moft diligently purfued by them. To which
if we add, that the Confequence of a well fpent
and happy Life (and we muft always allow, that
what is good, that is agreeable to Truth, is alfo an
Y 3 Ingredient

fa J So great Pleafure, &c.] See thc Life oi Pjtbagorai iw
Diogetm Laertius, Book VIII, li%
6

326 AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book II.
Ingredient of Happinefs) during our fliort Stay-
here, will be an eternal Happinefs hereafter, as all
Chriftians of every Sedl whatfoever profefs to be-
lieve; we cannot but own that the Knowledge of
the Way by which we may arrive at fuch Happi-
nefs, cannot be purchafed at too dear a Rate.

SECT. II.

Nothing can be of greater Moment than Religion i
and therefore we ought to ufe our utmojl E7idea~
vours to come at the true Knozvlcdge of it,

OUR Bufinefs is not now with fuch Pcrfons as
dcfpife all Religion; thefc have been fufficiently
confuted by that great Man Hugo GrotiuSy in the
foregoing Books ; which Mhofoever has read, with
a Mind really dclirous of coming at the Truth,
can have no doubt, but that there is a God who
would be worfhipped by Men; and as Things
now arc, with that very Worfliip which is com-
manded by Chrift; and that he has promifed
cvcrlafting Happinefs after this mortal Life-, to
all who thus worfliip him.

Thus much being allowed, nobody can doubt
but that Religion is a Matter of the highell Con-
cern; and therefore, as we fee that Chriftians do
not conlift of one entire Body, we ought to en-
deavour to find out which Sed of them is molt
agreeable in its Dodrincs and Precepts, to thofe
■which arc left us by Jefus Chrift ; for we cannot
have an equal Regard for them all, becaufc fome
of them are fo very different from others, both in
Dodtrine and Worfliip, that they accufe one an-
other of the greateft Errors, and of having cor-
rupted the Divine Worlhip; nay foinc of them
fpeak of the reft, as abfolutely excluded eternal

Life,

Sea. 2, THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 327
Life. Now, if this could be made plainly appear,
without Doubt we ought to withdraw ourfelves
from all other Sefts, as foon as we can, and join
"with that alone wfth which Truth makes fuch Ob-
jed:ions againft ail others. For not only this pre-
lent Ihort Life lies at Stake, which is fubjed to in-
numerable Evils and Misfortunes, let us live how
W€will;butwe render ourfelves liableto thePuniih-
ments which God has threatened to thofe who do
not believe the Gofpel, and hazard that happinefs
which ha:^' no Defeft, and will haye no end. Yet
there are fome Men, not indeed very learned, nor
very much addii^tcd to reading the Scriptures feri-
oufly, in order to judge of the Divilions amongft
Chriflians, and to find out on which Side the
Truth lies, for they have no Concern at all for
that ; but their Notion of thefe Divifions is, that
they think it all one, let their Opinions be what
they will, and that it is the fame Thing, whatever
Worlhipthey follow: They imagine it to be quite
indifferent what Party of Chriftians we really join
ourfelves with, or indeed only profefs to join our-
felves with. I do not now fpeak of the common
People only; there are Kingdoms, in which not
only the common People, but the Magiftrates and
Nobility have feparated from the See of Rome^znd
yet in a very Ihort Time, upon having a new King,
have returned to it again; and then after this,
have been afiifting to the fupreme Power in op-
poling the fame Sec. In the Reign of Henry VIII.
of England^ there were many A els made not only
by the King, but agreed to by the Parliament,
againft the See of Romc^ which King Henry Avas
angry with, for a Reafon that few People approved
of. After his Death, when his Son Edward VI,
jomed in with that Party, who had not only re-
nounced all the Authority of the See of Rome, as
his Father had done; but alfo had embraced other
Y 4 Opinions,

328 AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book II.
Opinions, uhich were condemned by that See ;
they likewife openly declared that they approved
of them. A little after King £(fej^r<i died, when
Queen Mary^ a grrat Bigot to'the Pope oi Rome,
fucceeded her Brother ; this very Nobility aififted
this Queen to opprefs that Party who had defpifed
the Authority of the Pope, and were in fo flourilh-
ing a Condition when Edward was King. Some
Time afte;-, upon the Death of M^ry, Queen Eliza^
heth fucceeded, who was of the fame Sedt with
her Brother Edward^ and fo ftrongly citablifhed it
by a long Reign, that it remains to this Day upon
the fame Foundation on which it was then built.
Whoever perufes the Hiflory of thofe Times, will
fee how flucluating the Nobility of that Nation
^vere ; and he will hardly be able to perfuade him-
felf, but that they were of the fame Mind with
thofe that believe it to be all one with Refpedl to
their eternal Sal vation,what Sedt of Chriftians they
join themfelves with. I agree with thofe who
afcribe thefe Changes in a good Meafure to Fear;
but when I confiderthc Conftancy, Courage, and
Contempt of Death, which we fo frequently fee in
the Englijlj Nation, I can hardly perfuade myfelf,
but that the Love of this prefent Life, and an In-
difference about Religion, were the principal
Caufes of thefe feveral Changes.

SECT. III.

^hat an Indifference in Religion is in itsozvn Nature
unlazvfuly forbidden by the Laws of God^ and
condemned by all Sef/s of Chr^jlians.

FOR any one to think that Religion is one of
thofe Things that are of an indifferent Nature ; fo
that we may change it as we do our Clothes; or

aC

Sea. 3. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 329
at Ieaft,that we may profefs or deny it juft as the
Times change; is a moft heinous Crime, as will
appear by many Realons, the principal of which
we will produce, from the Nature of the Thing,
the Laws of God, and the Confent of all Chrif-
tian Nations.

First, to tell a Lye, is a very difhoneft Thing,
efpecially in an Affair of any great Moment, when
it is not fo much as allowed in trifling Matters,
unlefs perhaps in fuch Particulars where a Lye
is, upon the Whole, more advantageous than the
Truth. But in the Affair of Religion, it muff be
a very grievous Fault for Men to lye, or even to
diffembk; becaufe thereby they do all in their
Power to confirm a Lye, in a Thing of the greateft
Importance ; to ffifle Truth which is contrary to
it, and to condemn it to perpetual Obfcurity. It
is the worft Example that can be Cci, efpecially in
Perfons advanced to any Dignity, which the Peo-
ple of a lower Rank are but too apt to imitate;
whence it comes to pafs, that they are not only
Offenders themfelves, but they caufe others to of-
fend alfo by their Example ; which has the greateft
Influence over the common People, becaufe they
give a much greater Attention to the Actions of
thofe they have a great Refped for, than to their
Words.

It is aifo a very diflionourable Thing, and alto-
gether unworthy a Man of Courage, to tell a Lye
for the Sake of this fliort Life, and to choofe to
difpleafeGod rather than Men. For this Reafoii
the mofl: eminent Philofophers chofe rather to ex-
pofe themfelves to certainDeath,than todo aThing
which they thought was difplcaflng to the Deity;
as we fee (a) in the Infl:ance of Socrafss, who chofe
rather to drink a Dofe of Poifon, than to leave off

the

(^aj In the htjiauce c/"Socrates, &:c.] See what I have colleded
about him in my ^iilva: Philologka:, Book I, Chap. 3.

330 AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book II.
the Study of Philofophy, which he had f© much
accuftomed himfelf to, and live. Other Philofo-
phers alfo chofe rather (a) to go to the Plough,
than give up thofe Notions which they believe to
be true, and had undertaken to defend. y\nd
there have beenfuch valiant Men among the Hea-
thens, who by their good lives feverely reproached
the Age they lived in ; and thought it much more
preferable to die, than to flatter Tyrants, and
thereby forfake the true Way of Life ; of which
were (I J 'Thrafens Fcetus and (c) Helvidins Prifcus^
who chofe to die rather than to dilfemble or ap-
prove of the Vices and wicked At5tions of the
Roman Emperors. Now if this was done by Men
who had but faint Hopes of another and more
happy Life hereafter ; how much more are they
obliged to do it, who have fo much plainer and
more certain Hope of an eternal Happincfs af-
forded them !

All Ages have fcen and commended fuch as
have, with an intrepid Mind, fubmitted to Death
for the Sake of their earthly Country. Now after
this, who is it but muft applaud all thofe who pre-
fer

[a) To go to the Plough, Szc.'] See Galen in that Book, uhere
he fa\'s, " That the Pafiions and Affcdions of the Mind dc-
♦• pend upon the Conftitution of the Body." In the laft
Chapter, towards the End, where fpeaking of the Stoicks, They
•/ were fully perfuadod, that they ought to forfake their Country
•♦ rather than their Opinions."

(bj Thrafetis Pcetus, &c.] Who was put to death by Nero,
becaufe he would not flatter him. See Tacitus' s AnnaL, Book
XVI. 24. and following Seftions.

(r) Hcl'vidius Prifcus, Cxc] Tlic ison-in-I-aw of Thrafa/s,
who, as Tacitus there tells us, was commanded to depart out
of Jfalj at the fame Time. He was afterwards llain by />/-
pajian, becaufe he would not pay fufficicnt Reverence to his
new Mafter, as Suetonius informs us in the X\'th Chapter of
the Life of that Emperor. His Son was flain by D-^mitmu,
See Suetonius' s Life of him, and Tacitus in the Life of Agricclat
Chap. XLV.

Sea. 3. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 331
fer a heavenly Country to an earthly one; and that
eternal Life which the Scriptures have revealed
to us, to a temporal one ? Who can forbear de-
fpifing thofe mean Creatures that choofe to pre-
ferve fuch a Life as they have in common with
brute Bcafts, and which they muft lofc in a fliort
Time; rather than to take the firft Opportunity
of obtaining a Life that can never be loft ? We
fee Soldiers with great Bravery face the moft im-
minent Dangers, in order to obtain the Favour
of Kings or Princes to themfelves, or their Fami-
lies after them; and rejoice within themfelves
that they got fuch wounds as they muft in a ver/" .
fliort Time die of. Nay, even hired Troops them-
felves will fight very valiantly, and venture their
Lives for thofe who employ them, though it be
but for very fmall Wages; and yet there are
fome who will not expofe themfelves to any ha-
zard, I do not fay of their Lives, but of the
Lofs of their Goods, or of their uncertain Dig-
nities, for the Defence of Truth, which will
laft to Eternity, is moft acceptable to God, and
has the higheft Reward annexed to it.

Therefore, what Chrift has commanded us
in this Refpecfl, is in the following Words:
{a)lVhofoeve)\f}jall confefs me before Men^ him "jluII
I confcfs dljo before my Father which is in Heaven ;
hut zohofoeverj/jall deny me before Men^ him zvill I
alfo deny before my Father zvhicb is in Heaven, In
which Words he tells us, that he will own all thofe
for his Difciples, and will give them eternal Life
at the Day of Judgment, who have not diifembled
his Dodlrine, either in their D-eeds or Words. He
does, indeed, in another Place, declare, that this
ought to be done with Prudence; when he fays^
[b) That ivefjould not caji Pearls before Swine. But

this

[a] Wkoff)en}er Jhall CQvfvfs , ^.c.] M^//. X. 32.
{h) That v:e J^iidd^JQt fffji, &C,] Mutt, viii. 6,

332 AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book II.
this Prudence does not extend fo far as to allow us
to play the Hypocrite all our Lives long, if
Need be, or fo much as totelladired Lye; but
only not to try at an improper Time and Place,
to convince fuch Perfons as obftinately perfifl: in
their Errors, when we fee it will have no Effect
upon them. For he exprefsly declares a little
after, the foremcntioned Words concerning con-
felTing our Religion; and fometimcs it ought to
be done, though it brings upon us the Hatred of
all thofe about us, and the imminent Danger of
certain Death : (a) He that loveth Father or Mother
more than me^ is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth
£on or Daughter more than yne^ is not zvorthy of me.
And fuch are all they who diffemble the Doc-
trines and Precepts which they have received
from Chrifl:, for their Families Sake. Nor has
Chrift omitted to tell us, that Death mufl: be ex-
peded for fuch Conftancy ; andyetnotwithftand-
ing, they ought to perfifl: in their Defign; and
that he who does lofe his Life upon this Ac-
count, fliall obtain a blefled Immortality in the
World to come, {b) And he that iaketh not his
Crofs and follozveth after me^ is not ivorthy of jne.
He that findeth his Life (in this World) >^z// lofe
it (in another) and he that lofeth his Life (on
^7iiXX.\\)for my Sakey fhallfind it, in Heaven, and
an infinitely more happy and eternal one.

This Doctrine is fo plain and evident, thatthcre
are no Sects of Chriftians at this Tmie that differ
at all about it; they who own the Pope's Autho-
rity, and they of all Sorts, who difown fuch A utho-
rity; do every one of them, Avith one Confent, af-
firm it to be a very wicked Thmg to diffemble
our Sentiments concerning Religion j when Opi-
nions

(a) Hf thr.c lorjeth Father, &c.] il//?.'/. x. 37.
{b) Aiidht that lakah, i^c] Mutt, x. zt, 35.

Sea. 3. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 335
nions of the greatefi: Moment are debated, and
where the Thing may be done without Sedition
and Tumult, For in thofe Things, in which
Faith towards God and uncorruptnefs of Man-
ners may be preferved, it may be right to con-
ceal our Notions, rather than raife perpetual
Contentions amongft Chriftians, when there are
fo few learned Men who think alike in every
Thing. I fay conceal^ not dijfemble ; for to con-
ceal your Opinion is not to lye ; but to affirm
you believe that which you really do not believe,
this is to lye. To which may be added, that if
any Opinion be eftabliilied by the common Law,
which you think to be falfe : you ought modeftly
and without Contention or Tumult, to declare
your DifTent from it; otherwifc, inftead of that
mild and gentle Government of Chriflian Chur-
ches, which does not exclude any DifTent pro-
vided it be done with Charity j we fhall run into
abfolute Tyranny, which will allow of no DifTent
at all upon any Account. There are innumer-
able obfcure fpeculative queftions, efpecially to
thofe who never took any great Pains in fuch
Sort of Studies, in which Chriflian Liberty-
ought to be allowed, as is confefTed by all Chrif-
tians, for there are a Multitude of Places in
Scripture, and a vaft Number of Theological
Opinions, in which learned Men always have,
and will differ from each other with Impunity,
even amongft thofe, who in other Things re-
quire Confcnt more ftridly than they ought
to do.

Sea.

334 AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book II.
SECT. IV.

lye ought not hajlily to condemn thofe ivho dijfcr front
uSy ai- if they zvere guilty ofjuch a Crime or fuch
unlawful iVorfhip^ as is inconfiflent ivith eternal
Life-y fo that none zvho admit fuch PerfonSy f/jould
he capable of the Mercy of God ; nor yet ^ on the other
Handy is it lawful y for us to profefs that we be-
lieve what we do not really believe ; or to do what
£it thefa^ne 'Time we condemn,

THEY who have feparated from the Church
«f RomCy do no more agree with each other in all
Points, than they who continue in it ; but accord-
ing to the Judgment of fome of the moil: learned
Men, they do not differ in any Thing that is con-
liftent with that Faith which is^ow^ing to God, and
that Obedience which ought to be paid to him.
But they objed: many Things to the Church of
RomCy both in Doctrine and Worlhip, which they
think are plainly falfe and unlawful. Whether
they judge right in this or not, I fliall not now
enquire: However, thus much is evident, that
according to the Opinion even of that Church, it
is not lawful forthem to profefs that they approve
of what they do not approve of, nor do they ad-
mit any Perfon to Communion with them, who
profefs to diffent from it in fuch Things. How-
ever, amongfl: thofe that dilTent from the Church
Qi RomCy there are [a) fome famous and learned
Men, who though they think it utterly unlawful
to join with that Church thcmfelves, on the Ac-
count of thofe Doc^tri nes, and that VV^orihip in
■which they differ from it; yet notwithftanding

thcy

[a) Some famous and lcar}2£d Men, &c.] Amongft others,
is Mr. Wiltiam ChiUing-ivorth, in Ills EngUjh Book intitled,
Thie Religion of Protejlants, the fafe Way to Sal'vation, where
he mentions others, who alio think ihem as fafc.

Sea. 4. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 335 .

they do not think it right to exclude from eternal
Happinefs, all thofe, both learned and unlearned,
who live and die in it. They indeed who think
that there is any Thing in them, w hich is contrary
to the fundamental Principles of Chriftianity,
judge it to be by no Means lawful forthemfelves
to give their Ailent to them, and that it would be
the higheft Crime in them, to pretend to confent
to what they really condemn, and for which
Crime, if they fall into it, and continue in it to
their Death, they believe they fhould be excluded
eternal Happinefs. But as to fuch as do lincerely
embrace thofe Dodtrines, becaufe they believe
them to be agreeable to Divine Revelation, or at
leaft not fo repugnant to it, as to fubvert the Faith
or Holinefs of the Gofpel ; whether it be owing
to that fort of Study which they have employed
themfclves in from their Youth, or whether it
arifeth from a Defedof Knowledge or Judgment;
fuch Perfons as thefe, I fay, they do not prefume
to exclude from Salvation, becaufe they cannot
tell how far the Mercy of God may extend with
refpecfl to fuch Men as thefe. There are innume-
rable Circumftances both of Time and Place,and
various Difpofitions of Mind, which are quite
unknown to us, which may very much diminifli
the Crimes of wretched Men in the fight of God ;
fo as to procure Pardon for fuch, which would be
condemned in Men of more Learning. Where-
fore they look upon it as a Part of Chriftian
Equity and Prudence, at the fame Time that they
condemn the Dodrine and the Worfliip, to leave
the Men to the wife and merciful Judgment of
God; though they themfelves are determined
neither to alfent to their Dodrines, nor be pre-*
fent at their Worlhip, becaufe they think it ^b-
folutcly unlawful.

SURELV

33^ AGAINST INDIFFEREMCE IN Book 11.

Surely no Man can think, that from what has
been faid, it will follow that any Perfon who is
brought up in a different Opinion, and has cm-
ployed himfelf in reading the Scriptures in the
Manner that the Reformers do; if he ihould, con-
trary to his own Confcience, fay or do any Thing
which he thinks unlawful or falfe, for any prefent
Advantage ; that any fuch Perfon, I fay, can hope
for Pardon from God ; if he fhould die with a
Habit of Hiying and doing what he himfelf dif-
approves of; and would have faid and done fo, if
he had lived longer. There is not at prefent, and
I hope there never will be, any Seel which ihall
go under the Nameof Chriftians, who will allow-
that fuch a Man can arrive at Salvation.

Let Hypocrites therefore look to themfelvcs
■vvhilft they behave fo, as fhamefully to defpife the
Light of Reafon and Revelation, to refift the
Convi(ftion of them, and to look upon the Judg-
ment of all Chriftians whatfoever as nothing.
Such Perfons cannot be thought learned Men, or
fuch as have thoroughly and maturely confidered
the Thing. There are them that fo far defpife all
theological Learning, that they will not fo much
as attempt it ; but without this there can be no
Judgment at all pafTcd upon the Matter. Thefe
equally defpife that noble Philofophy, which the
great Men amongft the Romans of old fet fuch a
Value upon, as being deduced from the Light of
Nature; in order to indulge thofe Paflions which
the Heathen Philofophy would not allow of. Hav-
ing thus fecured themfelves from the Judgment of
pad Ages, defpiling every thing in the prefent,
and having little Concern for what is to come;
they are more like Beafts than Men endued with
Reafon, which they never make ufc of. They
■who diffcmble and lye in fuch a Manner as this,
ought not to be looked upon as Men of any Value

or

Sea. 4. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 337
or Account, they ought not to be trufled, even
in temporal and worldly Affairs, becaufe they en-
deavour to impofe upon God and Man in a Mat-
ter of the greatefl: Importance. There are fome
amongft thefe, who dare to affirm, that we ought
always to be of the Religion that the State is of,
and when that changes, we ought to change alfo ;
but it is not at all to be wondered at, that thefe
Perfons fliould have fo ill an Opinion of the Chri-
flian Faith, when they have not fo much as the
common Principles of Natural Religion in them,
nor do they fliow any Regard to right Reafon or
Virtue. What a wretched Condition are thofc
Kings and States in, who put their Confidence in
fuch Men as believe neither Natural nor Revealed
Religion! Indeed, Men, who are themfelves void
of Learning, who give no Credit to the Judge-
ment of any learned Men whatfoever; who have
no Sort of Concern for Truth, but live in perpe-
tual Hypocrify ; are by no Means fit to be trulled
in any Matters vvhatfoever, not even in fuch as
relate to the Publick.

Yet thefe very Men, as much Dcfpifers as they
are of Truth andVirtue, look upon themfelves as
better SubjecT:§ and more ingenious Perfons than
others ; though they be neither, and though it be
impoilible they fliould be either, Vvhilft they make
no Diftin<flion betwixt Truth and Faliehood,
Virtue and Vice, and whilft they are ready to fay
or do any Thing that may be of Advantage to
themfelves. All fuch Men have renounced a
right Temper of Mind, and every good Adiion,
and therefore ought to be defpifcd and avoided
by every Body.

33? AGAINST INDIFFERENCE IN Book 11.

SECT. V.

A Man that commits a Sin by Mijlake, may be ac-
cepted of Gody but a Hypocrite cannot.

TFiE Condition of human Nature is fuch, that
a great many Men, who in other Refpefts are
not the worfl of Men ; and yet, either by bad
Education, or for Want of Teachers or Books,
which might bring them off from their Errors ;
or bccaufe they have not Capacity enough to un-
derfiand the Controveriies amongft Chriftians,
and to form a Judgment of them ; lead their
Lives as it were in utter Darknefs. Such Per-
fons, as they who fincerely believe and obey what
they are taught concerning the Chriftian Reli-
gion, fo far as their Capacity reaches, are more
the Objects of Compaflion than of Anger, con-
lidering the natural State of Mankind. Their
Religion indeed is very lame and defective, and
abounds with Miftakes, but yet they themfelves
are very fincere. Wherefore it is highly pro-
' bable, that he zvbo does not reap zvhere he has not
/owHy will, out of his abundant Equity, pardon
thofe who are in fuch Circumftances ; or cer-
tainly will inflid: a much lighter Puiiifl;ment
upon them.

But if we confider that there are Men to be
found who have not wanted either Education or
Teachers, either Books or Capacity, to under-
ftand who have the befl and who the worft Side
of the Queftion, in Controverfies of Religion ;
and yet have followed the wrong Side, only for
thcSakeof the Wealth, or Pleafure, or Honours
that attend them in this prcfent Life j wc cannot
but have great Indignation againll fuch Men,
nor can any one prefume to excufe them, much
Icfs to defend fuch a Purpofe of Life, without

the

Sea. 5. THE CHOICE OF OUR RELIGION. 339

the mod confummate Impudence. Whence it
is eafy to apprehend, that if we ourfelves, whofe
Virtue is very impcrfed:, could not pardon fuch
Perfons, how much more fevere will the infinite
Juftice of God be againit thofe, who have know-
ingly and defignedly preferred a Lye to the
Truth, for the Sake of the frail and uncertain
good Things of this prefent Life ?

God, out of his abundant Mercy, is ready to
pardon fuch Ignorance as does not proceed from
Vice ; to pity our imperfed Virtues ; and to al-
low for the Errors of fuch as are deceived ;
cfpecially if there was no previous Iniquity, nor
no Contempt of Religion ; but as our Saviour
alTures us, he will never pardon thofe, who when
they knew the Truth, chofe rather to profefs a
Lye. We fee that fuch a Hypocrite as this, is
by no Means acceptable to Men; for nobody
would choofe a Perfon for a Friend, who, to
gain any fmall Advantage to himfelf, v/ould
trample under Foot all the Rights of antient
Friendfhip. Whence it follows, from what has
been faid, that there is not a bafer nor more
dangerous Piece of Iniquity, than the Crime of
thofe, who, in Matters of the higheft Moment
and Concern, diffemble that which they really
think is the bell, and openly favour them who are
in the wrong. This is what Reafon itfelf teaches
us, and what is confirmed by the Chriftian Re-
ligion, and has the Confent of all Sedis of
Chriftians whatfoever.

Z 2 TESTI^

TESTIMONIES

CONCERNING

HUGO GROTIUS's

Affedion fox^ the Church of England*

TO THE READER.

TTAFING the following Letters from that
"*■ -^ moji excellent and learned Perjon Henry
Newton, Ambajfador Extraordinary from the
moji Serene ^leen of Great- Britain, to his
Royal Highnefs the moji Serene Grand Duke
of Tufcany, to whofe fmgular Goodnefs I a?n
very much indebted -, I thought I fbould do a
very acceptable Thing to all who love the Na?ne
of Grotius, and no f mall Honour to the Church
of England, if I publiJJjed them here. It ap-
pears plainly from the?n, that this very great
Z 3 Man

TO THE READER.

Man had the higheji Opinion of the Church of
England, and would moft willingly have lived
in ity if he could. Make the bejl Vfe of them
you can, therefore. Courteous Reader, and
continue to have a good Opinion of a Man
that deferved fo well of the whole Body of
Chrijiians,

I. HENRY

TESTIMONIES, ^c. 343

HENRY NEWTON

T O

PETER HIERON, BARCELLINUS.

y^I?/^o^ of St. Eufebius de Urbe,

BEING at length returned fafe and well to
Florence from. Leghorn and Pi/a,where through
the Intemperatenefs of the Air I was very near
contrafting a Fever; the firft Thing I had to do,
mofi: excellent BarcelliniiSy being furnill"ied with
the moft noble Library of the illuftrious Ma^Vm^
becbius^ was to difcharge my Promife concerning
that great Man Hugo GrotiiiSy and to fhew from
his Writings, particularly his Letters, in which
Truth, Candour, Integrity of Heart, and the
inward Thoughts of his Mind are difcoveied ;
how highly he thought and wrote concerning us
all his Life-time, and a little before his Depar-
ture, and when Death and Immortality were in
his View, I know what was faid of him by that
principal Man of his Rank Petavius, and alfo
Brietius and ValefiiiSy and many other celebrated
Men of your Communion, who wifhed uell and
favourably to a Man born for the publick Good
of Chriftianity. It is known to all, how greatly
he futfered in Goods, Honour, and Report from
|:he Calvinifts, both in his own Country and in
Z A his

341 TESTIMONIES CONCERNING
his Banifhment even after he was advanced to a
higher Rank by Foreigners ; and how much the
Heats of Controverfy (whilit he fct his Mind
upon this one Thing, to eftablifh Peace in the
Commonwealth and between the Churches, which
highly difpleafcd many ; a ftrange and grievous
Thing!) fretted that Difpofition, which was
otherwife peaceable and modcft, after he faw
himfelf treated in fuch an unworthy Manner by
his own Friends; and fometimes prevailed over
that meek Wifdom which was in him both by
Nature and Judgement. Yet thefe did not hin-
der his Son, who was alfo a great Man, from
faying thofe Things which I fnall prefently add,
concerning his Father, io that great i rince^ Charles
the Second of Great-Britain, to ivho7u he dedicated
his Father's JVorks^ and in him to all others; and
this when he had no Reafon to flatter or fear him,
bccaufe, to the Commonwealth, he m as of the
contrary Part to Charles's Sifter's Son ; and bc-
caufe he was a private Man, Mcdded to a Coun-
try and learned Life, and an old Man, not far
from Death, nor confequently from Liberty : For
he publiihed his Father's Works, but faw them
not after they were publiihed ; and his own Life
is to be feen and read with the Life of his Fa-
ther in the fame Volume. " For thou," fays
Peter Grotius, " art he alone, whom, if not the
•* greater, yet the wifer Part of the Chriftian
** World, have for a long Time acknowledged
*' for their Protec^r. Thou art he, to whofe Pro-
*' tefiion or Defence, the Chriftian Faith Millingly
" commits itfelf; in whofe Kingdoms principiilly,
" that Knowledge of the Sacred Writings, that
" WorftiipoftheDeity,thatModerationofthetoo
*' free Kxercife of Liberty, in difputing concern-
^' ing the fccret Do61rincs of Faith, is eftablilhcd j
^' whole Agreement with w hich the Author, my
2 " Father,

HUGO G R O T I U S. 345

*' Father, has long fince declared, and publickly
" profefTed in his Writings."

Hear now Hugo Grot ins' s own Words, how
he exprelTes his own Senfe, in his Epiftle to Jo-^
hannis Corvinis, dated in theYear MDCXXX VIII.
who was not an Englijb but a Dutch Divine, of
another Church, and alfo a Lawyer, and confe-
quently ikilled in Matters both Divine and Hu-
man ; concerning the Reformation of Religion
made among us in the lalT: Age. '* You fee how
great a Progrefs they have made in England^ m
purging out pernicious Dodlrines ; chiefly for
this Reafon, becaufe they v.ho undertook that
holy Work, admitted of nothing new, nothing
of their own, but had their Eyes wholly fixed
upon another World." Then was it in a flou-
rilhing Condition, before a Civil War broke out,
before the King was vanquilhed, taken Captive,
condemned and beheaded ; and it afterwards
fprung up and flourifhed again contrary to all
human Hopes, when his Son returned to the
Throne of his Ancefl-ors, to the Surprize of all
Europe, and, after various Turns, Threats, and
Fears, continues fbill to flourifh fecure and
unhurt.

Nor had he only a good Opinion of the Church
o^ England himfelf, but alfo advifed his Friends
in Ho/land, who were of his Party, and, which
was no fmall Thing, who joined with him in
partaking of the fame Danger and LofTes, to take
holy Orders from our Bilhops ; whom it is cer-
tain he did not believe, nor would have others
believe, to be fchifmatical, or heretical, upon
that Account. He addreifes his Brother in thefe
Words, " I would perfuade them (that is, the
" Remonftrants) to appoint fome aniongft them
" in a more eminent Station, fuch as Bilhops ;
•' and that they receive the laying on of Hands

*' from

346 TESTII'vIONIES CONCERNING

" from the Irijh Archbifliop who is therCj and
** that when they are fo ordained, they afterwards
*' ordiin other Pallors ;" and this in the Begin-
ning of the Year MDCXLV, which was fatal,
to hiin, and unfortunate to Learning itfelf. The
Bifhop he here fpeaks of is, if I be not miftaken,
John Bramhall^ who was at that Time Bifliop of
London derr}\ in Irdand^ and, at the Relloration
of King Charles II. Archbifliop of Armagh, and,
next to the moft learned Ufloer^ Primate of he-
landy and who afterwards in that Country pub-
iilhed a Vindication of our Church againft M'l-
leteriiis. See alfo what is faid to the fame Perfon,
April 8, in the Year MDCXLV, concerning
the publick Worfhip of God amongft us. ** The
** EngliJJj Liturgy was always accounted the beft
" by all learned Men."

It feems very probable that this Man, who
calls the Reformation of the Church of England
a moft Holy I Fork; who believed that the Holy
Orders given and received from the Bilhops
of that Church, and the Rites appointed about
Holy Things, and the prefcribed Form of wor-
fliipping the fupreme Deity, exceeded all other
Churches in the Chriilian World ; would have
joined himfelf to that Church, as well in out-
ward Worfliip as in the Judgment of his Mind;
and fo have become now rcallv, v»hat he before
was in Wifh, a Member of the Catholick Church.
But he was never able to effet!;t the Thing, be-
caufc Death immediately after overtook him;
for in the fame Year he went from France to
Stockholm to refign his Ambaffadorihip, and re-
turning from thence home, and having fuffered
Shipwreck, he departed this Life at Rcftock, on
the 28th of Augnft : a Man never enough to be
lamented, becaufe Study and Learning deca\cd
with him; and never enough to be praifed,

upo^

HUGO G R O T I U S. 347

upon the Account of what he began and finiflied
in all Parts of Learning. He was a great Lover
of Peace, if Truth was not injured (always
having Regard to Times and Differences) and
of the antient Church Government (freed from
Abufes) as it was fettled from the Beginning in
England^ and as it was from the very Apoftles
Time, if we may believe Ecclefiaftical Annals.
He always fludied and confulted the Peace of
Empires and Churches, both h. his Difcourfes,
and by his Example, and Writings ; may he be
rewarded with God and our common Lord ! and
may the Memoi?y of him be ever grateful to
Pofterity. Farezvell.

Flore?ice XIL of the Kalends of May,
MDCCVL

H. HENRY

348 TESTIMONIES CONCERNING
II.

HENRY NEWTON

T O

JOHN CLERC.

MOST Learned Sir, I fend you a new and
ample Teftimony concerning Hugo Gro~
tins, more weighty than the former, if we con-
fider the Author's Dignity in the Commonwealth,
or his Knowledge of Things, or that it was writ
while Grotitis was alive. It is taken from Letters
to that great Prelate Williavi Laudy then Archbi-
fliop of Canterbury^ with whom he often had
Correfpondence by Letters ; they were written
from Parisy October 24, Gregorian Style, in the
Year MDCXXXVIII, and were procured me
lately out of Englandy by the Kindnefs of that
molt illuftrious Pcrfon, John Lord SomnierSy
formerly High Chancellor of that flourifliing
Kingdom, then Preiident of the Law, now* of
the Council. In thofe Letters that moft illuflri^
ous Vifcount ScudamorCy at the Time Ambaflador
for our Nation in FrancCy has the following
Words concerning Grot ins.

" The next Time I fee Ambaflador Grot ins y
** I will not fail to perform your Commands con-

* In this Tiar, 1709, he iJOas Prejideni of the Prhj Couru,
to her Mojl Serene Majefy,

HUGO G R O T I U S. 34^

" cerning him. Certainly, my Lord, I am per-
" fuaded that he doth unfeignedly and highly
*' love and reverence your Perfon and Proceed-
" ings. Body and Soul he profelTeth himfelf to
" be for the Church of England^ and gives this
" Judgment of it, that it is the likelieft to lad
*' of any Church this Day in being."

Genoa XVII. of the Kalends of February,
MDCCVIL

III. FRAN-

350 TESTIMONIES CONCERNlKG

III.

FRANCIS CHOLMONDLY

T O

ALEXANDER FORRESTER-

TH AT which you defire to know of me con-
cerning Hugo GroiiuSy who was one of the
greateft Men that ever any Age produced, is this.
It happened that I came to Paris a little after the
Tranfiction of that Matter. Being very well ac-
quainted with Dr. Crozvdery he often told me with
Affurance, that it was the laft Advice this great
Man gave to his Wife, as he thought it was his
Duty, that he declared he died in the Communion
of the Church of Englaiidy in which Church he
wifned her to live. This flie difcovered when fhe
camc'onPurpofe to our Church (which was in the
Houfc of Richard Brown, who was then in France
upon the King of EnglaJid's Account) where fhe
received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at
the Hands of Dr. Crozvdery then Chaplain to the
Duke of Tork. This was done as^foon as Mat-
ters would permit, after the Death of that Man,
Archbiihop Brai;ibally Primate of hr/andy in De-
fence of himfelf and theEpifcopal Clergy, againft
Richard Baxier, the Preibyterian's Accufation of
Popery, fpeaks thus concerning the Religion of
Grot ins y P. 21. " He w^as a Friend in his Af-
" feclion to the Church of England, and a true
I ** Son

HUGO GROT I US. 351

" Son in his Love for it ; he commended it to
" his Wife and other Friends, and was the Caufe
*' of their firmly adhering to it, as far as they had
" Opportunity. I myfclf, and many others, have
" feen his Wife obeying the Commands of her
" Hufband, as fne openly tefiified, in coming to
" our Prayers, and the Celebration of the Sa-
" crament." When Matthew Turnery a great
Friend of Grolius's, defired to know why he did
not go over to the Communion of the Church of
England, he anfwered, that he would very wil-
lingly have done it, if the Office of AmbafTiidor
to Swede/and had not hindered it. Otherwife he
very highly approved of our Dodrine and Difci-
pline, and wilhed to live and die in our Com-
munion. If any one thinks that he can know
Grotiiis's Mind better from Conjcdlurcs and Infe-
rences, or that he diffembled it before his Wife
and Children, let him enjoy his ov.n Opinion, he
will not have many agree v.ith him. Farewell.

June 23, MDCCVII.

From

352 T E S T I M O N I E S, Sec,

From another Letter, dated Oclob. 6,
MDCCVIII.

I lately told you very fully what T knew of the
Widow of that great Man Hugo Croihis. After-
wards I called to Mind, that that pious and An-
gular good Man, Sir Spencer Compion, Knt. Son of
the Earl of Northampton^ told me he was prefent
w^hen Gr(?///4j'j- Widow pro felTcd this, and received
the Sacrament.

FINIS.