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tion of this difcourfe, and may be gathered from the following confiderations.

V. Had these writings differed from the fermons of the firft planters of Chriftianity, either in history or doctrine, there is no queftion but they would have been rejected by thofe Churches which they had already formed. But fo confiftent and uniform was the relation of the Apoftles, that these hiftories appeared to be nothing elfe but their tradition and oral atteftations made fixt and permanent. Thus was the fame of our Saviour, which in fo few years had gone through the whole earth, confirmed and perpetuated by fuch records, as would preferve the traditionary account of him to after ages; and rectify it, if at any time, by paffing through feveral generations, it might drop any part that was material, or contract any thing that was false or ficti

tious.

VI. Accordingly we find the fame Jefus Chrift who was born of a Virgin, who had wrought many miracles in Paleftine, who was crucified, rofe again, and afcended into Heaven; I say, the fame Jefus Christ had been preached, and was worshipped, in Germany, France, Spain, and Great-Britain, in Parthia, Media, Mefopotamia, Armenia, Phrygia, Afia, and Pamphilia, in Italy, Egypt, Afric, and beyond Cyrene, India, and Perfia, and, in short, in all the islands and provinces that are vifited by the rifing or fetting fun. The fame account of our Saviour's life and doctrine was delivered by thousands of Preachers, and believed in thoufands of places, who all, as faft as it could be conveyed to them, received the fame account in writing from the four Evange

lifts.

VII. Irenæus

VII. Irenæus to this purpofe very aptly remarks, that thofe barbarous nations, who in his time were not poffeft of the written gospels, and had only learned the hiftory of our Saviour from thofe who had converted them to Christianity before the Gofpels were written, had among them the fame accounts of our Saviour, which are to be met with in the four Evangelifts. An unconteftible proof of the harmony and concurrence between the holy Scripture and the tradition of the Churches in thofe early times of Chriftianity.

VIII. Thus we fee what opportunities the learned and inquifitive heathens had of informing themselves of the truth of our Saviour's hiftory, during the three first Centuries, especially as they lay nearer one than another to the fountain-head: befide which, there were many uncontroverted traditions, records of Chriftianity, and particular hiftories, that then threw light into thefe matters, but are now entirely loft, by which, at that time, any appearance of contradiction, or feeming difficulties, in the hiftory of the Evangelifts, were fully cleared up and explained: though we meet with fewer appearances of this nature in the hiftory of our Saviour, as related by the four Evangelifts, than in the accounts of any other perfon, published by fuch a number of different hiftorians who lived at fo great a diftance from the prefent age.

IX. Among thofe records which are lost, and were of great ufe to the primitive Chriftians, is the letter to Tiberius, which I have already menHoned; that of Marcus Aurelius, which I fhall take notice of hereafter; the writings of Hegifippus, who had drawn down the history of ChriftiVOL. III.

O

anity

anity to his own time; which was not beyond the middle of the fecond Century; the genuine Sibylline oracles, which in the first ages of the Church were eafily distinguished from the fpurious; the records preferved in particular Churches, with many other of the fame nature.

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SECTION VII.

1. The fight of miracles in thofe ages a further confirmation of Pagan Philofophers in the Chriftian faith.

II. The credibility of fuch miracles.

III. A particular inftance.

IV. Martyrdom, why confidered as a standing mi

racle.

V. Primitive Chriftians thought many of the Martyrs were fupported by a miraculous power: VI. Proved from the nature of their fufferings. VII. How Martyrs further induced the Pagans to embrace Christianity.

I.

T

HERE were other means, which I find had a great influence on the learned of the three first Centuries, to create and confirm in them the belief of our bleffed Saviour's hiftory, which ought not to be paffed over in filence. The firft was, the opportunity they enjoyed of examining thofe miracles, which were on several occafions performed by Chriftians, and appeared in the Church, more or lefs, during the firft ages of Chriftianity. These had great weight with the men I am now speaking of, who, from learned Pagans, became fathers of the Church; for they frequently boast of them in their writings, as O 2 a.teftations

atteftations given by God himself to the truth of their religion.

II. At the fame time, that these learned men declare how difingenuous, bafe and wicked it would be, how much beneath the dignity of Philofophy, and contrary to the precepts of Chriftianity, to utter falfhood or forgeries in the fupport of a caufe, though never fo juft in itself, they confidently affert this miraculous power, which then fubfifted in the Church; nay, tell us that they themselves had been eye-witneffes of it at feveral times, and in feveral inftances; nay, appeal to the heathens themselves for the truth of feveral facts they relate; nay, challenge them to be prefent at their affemblies, and fatisfy themfelves, if they doubt of it; nay, we find that Pagan Authors have in some instances confeffed this miraculous power.

III. The letter of Marcus Aurelius, whofe army was preferved by a refreshing shower, at the fame time that his enemies were difcomfited by a form of lightning, and which the heathen hiftorians themfelves allow to have been fupernatural and the effect of magic: I fay, this letter, which afcribed this unexpected affiftance to the prayers of the Christians, who then ferved in the army, would have been thought an unquestionable teftimony of the miraculous power I am fpeaking of, had it been ftill preserved. It is fufficient for me in this place to take notice, that this was one of thofe miracles which had its influence on the learned Converts, because it is related by Tertullian, and the very letter appealed to.

When

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