filled with greater numbers than one would expect. But the fucceffion was quick in the three first centuries, because the bishop very often ended in the Martyr: for when a perfecution arofe in any place, the firft fury of it fell upon this order of holy men, who abundantly testified by their Deaths and Sufferings that they did not undertake thefe offices out of any temporal views, that they were fincere and satisfied in the belief of what they taught, and that they firmly adhered to what they had received from the Apoftles, as laying down their lives in the fame hope, and upon the fame principles. None can be fuppofed fo utterly regardless of their own happiness as to expire in torment, and hazard their Eternity, to fupport any fables and inventions of their own, or any forgeries of their predeceffors who had prefided in the fame church, and which might have been easily detected by the tradition of that particular church, as well as by the concurring teftimony of others. Το this purpose, I think it is very remarkable, that there was not a fingle Martyr among those many Heretics, who difagreed with the Apostolical church, and introduced feveral wild and abfurd notions into the doctrines of Christianity. They durft not stake their present and future happiness on their own chimerical imaginations, and did not only fhun perfecution, but affirmed that it was unneceffary for their followers to bear their religion through fuch fiery trials.

VII. We may fairly reckon, that this first age of Apoftles and Difciples, with that fecond generation of many who were their immediate converts, extended itself to the middle of the fecond Century, and that feveral of the third

gene

generation from these laft mentioned, which was but the fifth from Chrift, continued to the end of the third Century. Did we know the ages and numbers of the members in every par ticular church, which was planted by the Apoftles, I doubt not but in most of them there might be found five perfons who in a continued series would reach through these three Centuries of years, that is till the 265th from the death of our Saviour.

VIII. Among the accounts of those very few out of innumerable multitudes, who had embraced Christianity, I fhall fingle out four perfons, eminent for their lives, their writings, and their fufferings, that were fucceffively contemporaries, and bring us down as far as to the year of our Lord 254. St. John, who was the beloved Difciple, and converfed the most intimately with our Saviour, lived till Anno Dom. 100. Polycarp, who was the Difciple of St. John, and had converfed with others of the Apoftles and Difciples of our Lord, lived till Anno Dom. 167, though his life was shortened by martyrdom. Irenæus, who was the Disciple of Polycarp, and had converfed with many of the immediate Difciples of the Apoftles, lived, at the lowest computation of his age, till the year 202, when he was likewife cut off by martyrdom; in which year the great Origen was appointed Regent of the Catechetic fchool in Alexandria, and as he was the miracle of that age, for Industry, Learning and Philofophy, he was looked upon as the champion of Christianity, till the year 254, when, if he did not fuffer martyrdom, as fome think he did, he was cer

tainly actuated by the fpirit of it, as appears in the whole courfe of his life and writings; nay, he had often been put to the torture, and had undergone trials worse than death. As he converfed with the most eminent Chriftians of his time in Egypt, and in the Eaft, brought over multitudes both from heresy and heathenifm, and left behind him feveral difciples of great fame and learning, there is no queftion but there were confiderable numbers of those who knew him, and had been his hearers, fcholars, or profelytes, that lived till the end of the third Century, and to the reign of Conftantine the Great.

IX. It is evident to thofe, who read the lives and writings of Polycarp, Irenæus, and Origen, that these three Fathers believed the accounts which are given of our Saviour in the four Evangelifts, and had undoubted arguments that not only St. John, but many others of our Saviour's difciples, publithed the fame accounts of him. To which we must subjoin this further remark, that what was believed by thefe Fathers on this fubject, was likewife the belief of the main body of Chriftians in those fucceffive ages when they flourished; fince Polycarp cannot but be looked upon, if we confider the respect that was paid him, as the representative of the Eaftern Churches in this particular, Irena us of the Western upon the fame account, and Origen of thofe eftablished in Egypt.

X. To thefe I might add Paul the famous hermit, who retired from the Decian perfecution five or fix years before Grigen's death, and lived till the year 343. I have only discovered one

of

of those channels by which the history of our Saviour might be conveyed pure and unadulterated, through thofe feveral ages that produced thofe Pagan Philofophers, whofe teftimonies I make ufe of for the truth of our Saviour's history. Some or other of these Philofophers came into the Chriftian Faith during its infancy, in the feveral periods of these three centuries, when they had fuch means of informing themfelves of all the particulars of our Saviour's hiftory. I must farther add, that though I have here only chofen this fingle link of martyrs, I might find out others among those names which are ftill extant, that delivered down this account of our Saviour in a fucceffive tradition, till the whole Roman empire became Chriftian; as there is no queftion but numberlefs feries of witneffes might follow one another in the fame order, and in as fhort a chain, and that perhaps in every fingle church, had the names and ages of the most eminent primitive Chriftians been tranfmitted to us with the like certainty.

XI. But to give this confideration more force, we must take notice, that the tradition of the first ages of Chriftianity had several circumftances peculiar to it, which made it more authentic than any other tradition in any other age of the world. The Chriftians, who carried their religion through fo many general and particular perfecutions, were inceffantly comforting and supporting one another, with the example and history of our Saviour and his Apofties. It was the fubject not only of their folemn affemblies, but of their private vifits and converfations. Our virgins, fays Tatian, who lived in

the

the second century, difcourfe over their diftaffs on divine fubjects. Indeed, when religion was woven into the civil government, and flourished under the protection of the Emperors, mens thoughts and difcourfes were, as they are now, full of fecular affairs; but in the three first centuries of Christianity, men, who embraced this religion, had given up all their interests in this world, and lived in a perpetual preparation for the next, as not knowing how foon they might be called to it: fo that they had little elfe to talk of but the life and doctrines of that divine perfon, which was their hope, their encouragement, and their glory. We cannot therefore imagine, that there was a fingle person arrived at any degree of age or confideration, who had not heard and repeated above a thousand times in his life, all the particulars of our Saviour's birth, life, death, refurrection, and ascension.

XII. Efpecially if we confider, that they could not then be received as Chriftians, till they had undergone feveral examinations. Perfons of riper years, who flocked daily into the Church during the three first centuries, were obliged to pafs through many repeated inftructions, and give a ftrict account of their proficiency, before they were admitted to Baptifm. And as for thofe who were born of Christian parents, and had been baptized in their infancy, they were with the like care prepared and difciplined for confirmation, which they could not arrive at, till they were found upon examination to have made a fufficient progrefs in the knowledge of Christianity,

XIII. We