IMPRIMATUR hic Liber cui Titulus A Letter to a DEIST Feb. 8. 1676. Guil. Jane R. P. D. Henr. Episc. Lond. a Sacris Domest A LETTER TO A DEIST In Answer to several OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE TRUTH and AUTHORITY OF THE Scriptures LONDON Printed by W. G. and are to be sold by M. Pitt at the Angel in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1677. THE PREFACE THis following Discourse was Written for the satisfaction of a particular Person who owned the Being and Providence of God but expressed a mean Esteem of the Scriptures and the Christian Religion Which is become so common a Theme among the Scepticks of this Age that the Author of this Discourse thought it worth his time and care to consider the force of the Objections that were made against them Especially being written in a grave and serious manner and not with that Raillery and Buffonry which the rude Persons of this Age commonly bestow upon Religion It might be justly expected from such who pretend to Breeding and Civility that they would at least shew more respect to a thing which hath prevailed so much among Men of the best Understanding and Education and who have had no Interest to carry on by it For it is against the ordinary Rules of Conversation to affront that which others think they have great Reason to esteem and love and they would not endure that scorn and contempt of their meanest Servant which they too often shew towards Religion and the things belonging to it If they are not in earnest when they scoff and mock at sacred things their own consciences will tell them it is a horrible impiety if they are in earnest let them debate these things calmly and seriously and let the stronger Reason prevail Men may speak sharply and wittily against the clearest things in the World as the Scepticks of old did against all Certainty of Sense and Reason but we should think that Man out of his senses that would now dispute the Being of the Sun or the Colour of the Snow We do not say the Matters of Religion are capable of the same evidence with that of Sense but it is a great part of judgment and understanding to know the proportion and fitness of evidence to the Nature of the thing to be proved They would not have the Eye to judge of tasts nor the Nose of Metaphysicks and yet these would be as proper as to have the senses judge of Immaterial Beings If we do not give as good Reason for the Principles of our Religion as the nature of Religion considered can be given for it let us then be blamed for our weakness in defending it but let not Religion suffer till they are sure nothing more can be said for it There is a late Author I hear is mightily in vogue among many who cry up any thing on the Atheistical side though never so weak and trifling It were no difficult task to lay open the false Reasonings and inconsistent Hypotheses of his Book which hath been sufficiently done already in that Language wherein it was written But if for the Advancement of Irreligion among us that Book be as it is talked Translated into our Tongue there will not I hope want those who will be as ready to defend Religion and Morality as others are to decry and despise them A Letter of Resolution to a Person unsatisfied about the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures SIR ALthough I do not pretend to any skill in the depths of Theology yet I am heartily concerned for the Truth and Honour of the Christian Religion which it is the design of your papers to undermine When I first looked them over I could not think them so considerable as to deserve a particular Answer especially from one in my circumstances who have so much other business lying upon me and so little leisure and health to perform it but I found at the conclusion of your Papers so earnest and vehement a desire expressed by you that I would return an Answer in order to the settlement of your mind that I could not refuse an Office of so great Charity as you represent it to be I confess when I considered the nature of your Objections and the manner of managing them I could hardly believe that they proceeded from a doubtful Mind that was desirous of any satisfaction but since you tell me so I will first shew my Charity in believing it and then in endeavouring to give you my poor assistance and impartial advice in order to your satisfaction And in truth I think impartial advice will contribute more to that end than spending Time and Paper in running through all the difficulties which it is possible for a cavilling Mind to raise against the plainest Truths in the World For there is nothing so clear and evident but a Sophistical Wit will always find something to say against it and if you be the Person I take you for you very well know that there have been some who wanted neither Wit nor Eloquence who have gone about to prove That there was Nothing in the World and that if there were any thing it could not be understood by Men that if it were understood by one Man it could not be expressed to another And besides such extravagant undertakers as these how many have there been who with plausible and subtle Arguments have endeavoured to overthrow all manner of Certainty either by Sense or Reason Must we therefore quit all pretences to Certainty because we cannot it may be Answer all the Subtilties of the Scepticks And therefore I am by no means satisfied with your manner of proceeding desiring all particular difficulties to be Answer'd before we consider the main evidences of the Christian Faith For the only reasonable way of proceeding in this matter is to consider first whether there be sufficient Motives to perswade you to imbrace the Christian Faith and then to weigh the difficulties and to compare them with the Reasons and Arguments for believing and if those do not appear great enough to overthrow the force of the other you may rest satisfied in the Christian Faith although you cannot Answer every difficulty that may be raised against the Books wherein our Religion is contained I pray Sir consider with your self do not you think it possible for any man to have Faith enough to save him unless he can solve all the difficulties in Chrâ—â—ologie that are in the Bible unless he can give an account of every particular Law and Custom among the Jews unless he can make out all the Prophetick Schemes and can tell what the Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse means If a Man may believe and be saved without these things to what purpose are they objected for the overthrow of the Christian Faith Do you think a Man hath not reason enough to believe there is extended Matter in the World unless he can solve all the difficulties that arise from the extension or divisibility
Jews and no doubt his name had been Recorded to Posterity among the Writers both of Jewâ— and Gentiles that were professed Enemies of Christianity But they are all wonderfully silent in this matter and instead oâ— saying enough to overthrow the truth of Christianity as you seem to suggest I do assure you I am mightily confirmed in the belief of the Truth of it by carefully observing the slightness of the Objections that were made against it by its most professed Enemies But you seem to imply That all this Story concerning Christ was invented long after the pretended time of his being in the World Why may not you as well suspect that Julius Caesar lived before Romulus or that Augustus lived at the Seige of Troy For you might as well reject all History upon such grounds as those you assign and think Mahomet as right in his Chronology as the Bible It is time for us to burn all our Books if we have lived in such a Cheat all this while Methinks you might as well ask whether Lucretia were not Pope Joan Or Alexander the sixth one of the Roman Emperours Or whether Luther were not the Emperour of Turky For there is no greater evidence of any History in the World than there is that all the things reported in the New Testament were done at that time when they are pretended to be 4. Therefore we offer this Story of the New Testament to be compared with all the Circumstances of that Age delivered by any other Historians to try if any inconsistencies can be found therein Which is the most reasonable way can be taken to disprove any History If it could be proved that there could be no such Taxation of the Empire as is mention'd in the time of Augustus that Herod did not live in that Age or that the Jews were not under the Roman Government or that there were no High Priests at that time nor the Sects of Pharisees and Saducees or that there were any other remarkable characters of time set down in the History of the New Testament which could be manifestly disproved there were some pretence to call in Question the Truth of the Story but there is not the least Foundation for any scruple on this account All things agreeing so well with the truest accounts we have of that Age both from Josephus and the Roman Historie I shall not insist on the particular Testimony of Josephus concerning Christ because we need it not and if those who question it would proceed with the same severity against many other particular passages in good Authors they might as well call them in question as they do that since it is confessed that all the Ancient Manuscripts have it in them and supposing that it doth not come in well must we suppose it impossible for Josephus to Write incoherently Yet this is the main Argument that ever I have seen urged against this Testimony of Josephus But I say we need it not all other things concurring in so high a degree to prove the Truth of the History of Christ. Yet since you seem to express so much doubtfulness concerning it as though it were framed when there was no one living capable of disproving it give me leave to shew you the great absurdity of such a Supposition 1. Because we have the plain Testimonies of the greatest Enemies of Christianity that there was such a Person as Christ was who suffered according to the Scripture Story For Tacitus not only mentions the Christians as suffering at Rome for their Religion in the time of Nero Annal. 15. but saith That the Author of this Religion was one Christ who suffered under Pontius Pilate Procurator of Judea in the time of Tiberius which is an irrefragable Testimony of the Truth of the Story concerning Christ in an Age when if it had been false nothing could have been more easily detected than such a Fiction by the number of Jews which were continually at Rome And neither Julian nor Celsus nor Porphyrie nor Lucian did ever question the truth of the Story it self but only upbraided the Christians for attributing too much to Christ. 2. If there were really such a Person as Christ was who suffered as Tacitus saith then the whole Story could not be a Fiction but only some part of it and these additional parts must either be contrived by the Apostles or after their time Not after their time for then they must be added after Christianity was received in the World for that as appears by Tacitus was spread in the Apostles times as far as Rome and if these parts were not received with it the Cheat would presently have been discover'd as soon as broached by those who had embraced Christianity before And besides Tertullian in his time appeals to the Authentick Writings of the Apostles themselves which were then extant wherein the same things were contained that we now believe If these things then were forged it must be by the Apostles themselves and I dare now appeal to you whether ever any Story was better capable of being disproved than this was if it had not been true since it was published in that very time and place where the Persons were living who were most concerned to disprove it As appears by the hatred of the Jews to the Christians both then and ever since which is a very observable circumstance for proving the truth of Christian Religion for the Jews and Christians agreed in the Divine Revelations of old the Christians believed moreover that Christ was the Messias promised this Christ lived and dyed among the Jews his Enemies his Apostles Preached and wrought Miracles among their most inveterate Enemies which Men that go about to deceive never care to do And to this Day the Jews do not deny the Matters of Fact but look on them as insufficient to prove Jesus of Nazareth to have been the Messias Nay Mahomet himself who in all probability would have overthrown the whole Story of the New Testament if he could have done it with any colour yet speaks very honourably of Christ and of the great things which were said and done by him 5. That there is nothing in the Christian Religion unbecoming the Majesty or Holiness or Truth of a Divine Revelation As to the precepts you acknowledge their excellency and the Promises chiefly refer either to Divine Grace or future Glory And what is there herein unbecoming God And as to what concerns the Truth of it we have as great Characters of that throughout as it is possible for us to expect there appearing so much simplicity sincerity candour and agreement in all the parts of it Some Men would have been better pleased it may be if it had been all written by one Person and digested into a more exact method and set forth with all the Lights and Ornaments of Speech This would have better become an Invention of Men but not a Revelation of God Plainness and simplicity have a natural greatness above
art and subtilty and therefore God made choice of many to write and at several times that by comparing them we may see how far they were from contriving together and yet how exactly they agree in all things which Men are concerned to believe But you say We have many infirmities of the Apostles discovered therein their heats and animosities one against another But I pray consider 1. How came you to know these things Is it not by their own Writings And if they had been such who minded only their applause had it not been as easie to have concealed these things and would they not certainly have done it if that had been their aim If St. Paul seems to boast doth he not do it with that constraint to himself as a Man that is forced to do it for his own vindication against malicious Enemies And who ever denyed a Man of a generous mind the liberty of speaking for himself 2. But suppose they had infirmities and heats among them doth this prove that God could not make use of them as his Instruments to declare his Truth to the World Then it will follow that God must never reveal his will by Men but by Voices from Heaven or Angels or the assumption of the humane Nature by the Divine But if God be not denyed the liberty of imploying meer Men we cannot find so great evidences of Piety and Zeal of Humility and Self-denyal of Patience and Magnanimity of Innocency and universal Charity in any Men as were in the Apostles And therefore did appear with the most proper Characters of Embassadors from Heaven And I dare venture the comparison of them with the best Philosophers as to the greatest and most excellent virtues for which they were the most admired notwithstanding the mighty difference as to their Education allowing but the same Truth as to the Story of the New Testament which we yield to Xenophon or Diogenes Laertius or any other Writers concerning them But what is it then which you object against the Writings of the New Testament to make them inconsistent with the Wisdom of God I find but two things in the Papers you sent me 1. Want of the continuance of the Power of Miracles which you say is Promised Mark 16. 17. 2. The number of the Beast in the Revelations But Good Sir consider what it is to call in question a Divine Revelation for such Objections as these are Must there be no Revelation unless you understand every Prophecy or the extent of every promise Be not so injurious to your own Soul for the sake of such Objections to cast away the great assurance which the Christian Religion gives us as to the Pardon of Sin upon Repentance here and eternal Happiness in another World Would you reject all the Writings of Plato because you do no more understand some part of his Timaeus than the number of 666 You must have a very nice faith that can bear with no difficulties at all so that if there be but one or two hard things that you cannot digest you must throw up all the best Food you have taken at this rate you must starve your Body as well as ruin your Soul But of these places afterwards 3. I have hitherto removed the grounds of Suspicion I now come to shew the positive Testimonies of their Sincerity which the Apostles shewed which were greater than were ever given to any other Matter of Fact in the World I will then suppose the whole Truth of the Christian Doctrine to be reduced to this one Matter of Fact Whether Christ did rise from the dead or no for as I have said already it is plain the Apostles put the main force of all that they said upon the Truth of this and often declared that they were appointed to be the Witnesses of this thing Now â—et us consider how it is possible â—or Men to give the highest assurance of their sincerity to others and that must be either by giving the utmost Testimony that Men â—an give or by giving some Testimony above that of Men which cannot deceive which is the Testimony of God 1. They gave the utmost Testimony that meer Men could give of their fidelity I know no betâ—er way we have for a full assurance as to any humane Testimony than to consider what those Circumstances are which are generally allowed to accompany Truth and if we have the concurrence of all these we have as much as can be expected For nothingâ— that depends on Testiâ—ony can be proved by Mathematical Demonstration But notwithstanding the want of this eitheâ— we may have sufficient ground to assent to Truth upon Testimony oâ— there can be no difference known between Truth and Falshood by Humane Testimony which overthrows all Judicial proceedingâ— among Men the Justice whereof doth suppose not only the veracity of Humane Testimony Buâ— that it may be so discerned by others that they may safely rely upon it Now the main thing to be regarded as to the Truth oâ— Humane Testimony are these 1. Iâ— Men testifie nothing but whaâ— they saw 2. If they testifie iâ— at no long distance of time from the thing done 3. If they testifie it plainly and withouâ— doubtful expressions 4. If a great number agree in the same Testimony 5. If they part with all that is valuable to Mankind rather than deny the Truth of what they have testified And where all these concur it is hardly possible to suppose greater evidence to be given of the Truth of a Thing and now I shall shew that all these do exactly agree to the Apostles Testimony concerning the Resurrection of Christ. 1. They testified nothing but what they saw themselves The Laws of Nations do suppose that greater credit is to be given to eye witnesses than to any others thence the Rule in the Civil Law Testimonium de auditu regulariter non valet Because say the Civilians and Canonists Witnesses are to testifie the Truth and not barely the possibility of things that which Men see they can testifie whether they are or not That which Men only hear may be or noâ— be and their Testimony is noâ— of the Fact but is looked on as more uncertain and ought to have greater allowances given it but the Apostles testified only what they saw and handled and that after the most scrupulous enquiry into the Truth of Christ Body and after many doubts anâ— suspicions among themselves abouâ— it so that they did not seem hastily and rashly to believe what they afterwards declared to the World Now a Body was a proper object of Sense and no tryal could be greater or more accurate than theirs was nor anâ— satisfaction fuller than putting their fingers into the very wound of the pierced side 2. They did not stay till the circumstances might have slipt out of their Memories before they testified these things but very soon after while the impression of them was fresh upon them If they had let these Matters
of Matter or that he hath a Soul unless he can make it clear how an immaterial and material Substance can be so united as our Soul and Body are Or that the Sun shines unless he can demonstrate whether the Sun or the Earth moves Or that we have any certainty of things unless he can assign the undoubted criterion of Truth and Falshood in all things These things I mention on purpose to let you see that the most certain things have difficulties about them which no one thinks it necessary for him to Answer in order to his assurance of the Truth of the things but as long as the evidence for them is much more considerable than the Objections against them we may safely acquiesce in our assent to them and leave the unfolding these difficulties to the Disputers of this World or the Knowledge of another Is it not far more reasonable for us to think that in Books of so great Antiquity as those of Moses are written in a Language whose Idiotisms are so different from ours there may be some difficulty in the Phrases or computation of Times or Customs of the People that we cannot well understand than that all the Miracles wrought by Moses should have been Impostures and that Law which was preserved so constantly maintained with that resolution by the wisest of the People of the Jews who chose to dye rather than disown it should be all a cheat Is it not more reasonable for us to suspect our own Understandings as to the Speeches and Actions of some of the Prophets than to think that Men who designed so much the advancing Virtue and discouraging Vice should be a pack of Hypocrites and Deceivers Can any Man of common sense suspect the Christian Religion to be a Fourb or an Imposture because he cannot understand the Number of the Beast or Interpret the Apocalyptick Visions I could hardly have believed any Man pretending to Reason could object these things unless I saw them and were called upon to Answer them Therefore Sir my serious and impartial advice to you is in the first place to consider and debate the main point i. e. the proofs of the Christian Doctrin and not to hunt up and down the Scriptures for every thing that seems a difficulty to you and then by heaping all these together to make the Scriptures seem a confused heap of indigested stuff which being taken in pieces and considered with that modesty diligence and care that doth become us will appear to contain nothing unbecoming that Sacred and Venerable Name which the Scriptures do bear among us If therefore you design not cavilling but satisfaction you will joyn issue with me upon the most material point viz. Whether the Christian Religion were from God or from Men For if this be proved to have been from God all the other things will easily fall off of themselves or be removed with a little industry In the Debate of this I shall consider first what things are agreed upon between us and then wherein the difference lies 1. You grant an absolutely perfect and independent Being whom we call God 2. That the World was at first Created and is still governed by Him 3. That He is so Holy as to be the Author of no Sin although he doth not hinder Men from sinning 4. That this God is to receive from us all Worship proper to Him of Prayers Praises c. 5. That it is the Will of this God that we should lead holy peaceable and innocent Lives 6. That God will accept mens sincere Repentance and hearty endeavours to do his Will although they do not perfectly obey it 7. That there is a State of Rewards and Punishments in another World according to the course of Mens Lives here 8. That there are many excellent Precepts in the writings of the New Testament inducing to Humility and Selfdenyal and to the Honour of God and civil duty and honesty of Life and these in a more plentiful manner than is to be found in any other Profession of Religion publickly known The Questions then remaining are 1 Whether the matters of Fact are true which are reported in the Writings of the New Testament 2 Supposing them true Whether they do sufficiently prove the Doctrin to have been from God 1. Whether the matters of Fact were true or no And as to this point I wish you had set down the Reasons of your doubting more clearly and distinctly than you have done What I can pick up amounts to these things 1. That there can be no certainty of a matter done at such a distance of time there having been many fictitious Histories in the World 2. That it is probable that these things might be written when there was no one Living to detect the falshood of them and thus you say the Grecians Romans Egyptians and other Nations were at first imposed upon by some Men who pretended to deliver to them the History of their Gods and Heroes and the Wonders wrought by them 3. That these things might more easily be done before Printing was used and that there is reason to suspect the more because of the Pious Frauds of the Primitive Christians and the Legends of the Papists 4. That there may have been many more Deceptions and Impostures in the way of propagating false Revelations and Miracles than we can now discover 5. That we ought not to take the Testimony of Scripture or the Christian Writers in this case because they may be suspected of partiality and that the Testimony of Josephus is suspected by divers learned Men to be fraudulently put in by Christians 6. That there are susficient grounds from the Story it self and the Objections of Enemies to suspect the truth of it because of the contradiction and inconsistency of the parts of it the want of accomplishment of the Promises and Prophecies of it the obscurity and unintelligibleness of other parts the defects of the Persons mentioned therein St. Paul 's oftentation the jarrs between Peter and Paul and Paul and Barnabas 7. That from these things you have just cause to doubt the Apostles sincerity and you think they might have indirect ends in divulging the Miracles recorded in Scripture and that Men might be contented to suffer to make themselves heads of a new Sect of Religion and to rule over the Consciences of Men and that they had time enough to make a considerable interest before the Persecutions began This is the force of all I can find out in the several parts of your Papers towards the invalidating the Testimony concerning the matters of fact reported in the Writings of the New Testament In Answer to all these things I shall shew 1. That matters of fact done at such a distance of time may have sufficient evidence to oblige Men to believe them 2. That there is no reason to suspect the Truth of those Matters of fact which are contained in the History of the New Testament 3. That the Apostles
gave the greatest testimonies of their Sincerity that could be expected from them and that no matters of fact were ever better attested than those which are reported by them from whence it will follow That it is not reason but unreasonable Suspicion and Scepticism if not willfulness and obstinacy which makes Men to continue to doubt after so great evidence 1. That we may have such evidence of Matters of Fact done at such a distance of time as may oblige us to believe the Truth of them This we are first to make out because several of your Objections seem to imply That we can have no certainty of such things because we cannot know what tricks may have been plaid in former times when it was far more easie to deceive and that it is confessed there have been several Frauds of this kind which have a long time prevailed in the World But have not the very same Arguments been used against all Religion by Atheists And if the Cheats that have been in Religion have no force against the Being of God why should they have any against the Christian Religion And if the common consent of Mankind signifie any thing as to the acknowledgement of a Deity why should not the Testimony of the Christian Church so circumstantiated as it is be of sufficient strength to receive the Matters of Fact delivered by it which is all I at present desire Do we question any of the Stories delivered by the common consent of Greek or Latin Historians although we have only the bare Testimony of those Historians for them And yet your Objections would lye against every one of them How do we know the great prevalency of the Roman Empire was it not delivered by those who belonged to it and were concerned to make the best of it What know we but thousands of Histories have been lost that confuted all that we now have concerning the greatness of Rome What know we but that Rome was destroyed by Carthage or that Hannibaâ— quite overthrew the Roman Empire or that Catiline was one oâ— the best Men in the World because all our present Historieâ— were written by Men of the other side How can we tell buâ— that the Persians destroyed thâ— Macedonians because all our Accounts of Alexanders Expeditioâ— are Originally from the Greeks And why might not we suspecâ— greater partiality in all these Cases when the Writers did not givâ— a thousand part of that evidencâ— for their fidelity that the Firsâ— Christians did And yet whaâ— should we think of such a persoâ— who should call in question thâ— best Histories of all Nations because they are written by thosâ— of the same Countrey By whicâ— it seems you will never allow any competent Testimony at all for if such things be written by Enemies and Strangers we have reason to suspect both their knowledge and integâ—ity if written by Friends then though they might know the Truth yet they would write partially of their own side So that upon this principle no History at all ancient or modern is to be believed for they are all reported either by Friends or Enemies and so not only Divine but all Humane Faith will be destroyed I am by no means a Friend to unreasonable credulity but I am as little to unreasonable distrust and suspicion if the one be Folly the other is Madness No prudent Man believes any thing because it is possible to be true nor rejects any thing meerly because it is possible to be false But it is the prudence of every Man to weigh and consider all circumstances and according to them to assent or dissent We all know it is possible for Men to deceive or to be deceived but we know there is no necessity of either and that there is such a thing as Truth in the World and though Men may deceive yet they do not always so and that Men may know they are not deceived For else there could be no such thing as Society among Mankind no Friendship or Trust or Confidence in the Word of another person because it is possible that the best Friend I have may deceive me and the World is full of dissimulation must I therefore believe no Body This is the just consequence of this way of Arguing That we have reason to suspect the Truth of these Matters of Fact because there have been many Frauds in the World and might have been many more than we can now discover for if this Principle be pursued it will destroy all Society among Men which is built on the supposition of mutual trust and confidence that Men have in each other And although it be possible for all Men to deceive because we cannot know one anothers hearts yet there are such Characters of Honesty and Fidelity in some Persons that others dare venture their Lives and Fortunes upon their Words And is any Man thought a Fool for doing so Nay have not the most prudent and sagacious Men reposed a mighty confidence in the Integrity of others And without this no great affairs can be carried on in the World for since the greatest Persons need the help of others to manage their business they must trust other Men continually and every Man puts his Life into the hands of others to whom he gives any freedome of access and especially his Servants Must a Man therefore live in continual suspicion and jealousie because it is possible he may be deceived But if this be thought unreasonable then we gain thus much that notwithstanding the possibility of deception Men may be trusted in some cases and their Fidelity safely relied upon This being granted we are to enquire what that assurance is which makes us trust any one and whereever we find a concurrence of the same circumstances or equal evidence of fidelity we may repose the same trust or confidence in them And we may soon find that it is not any ones bare Word that makes us trust him but either the reputation of his Integrity among discerning Men or our long experience and observation of him This latter is only confined to our own tryal but the former is more general and reaches beyond our own Age since we may have the Testimony of discerning Persons convey'd down to us in as certain a manner as we can know the mind of a Friend at a 100 Miles distance viz. by Writing And in this case we desire no more than to be satisfied that those things were written by them and that they deserved to be believed in what they writ thus if any one would be satisfied about the passages of the Peloponnesian War and hath heard that Thucydides hath accurately written it he hath no more to do than to enquire whether this Thucydides were capable of giving a good account of it and for that he hears that he was a great and inquisitive Person that lived in that Age and knew all the occurrences of it and when he is satisfied of that his next enquiry is whether
For if the Christian Religion were only a contrivance of the first Preachers of it it must by the event be supposed that they were very subtle Men who in so little time and against so great opposition could prevail over both Jews and Gentiles but if we reflect on the nature of their Doctrin we can never imagin that these Men did proceed by the same Methods that Men of subtilty do make use of If it were there own contrivance it was in their power to have framed it as they thought fit themselves and in all probability they would have done it in a way most likely to be successful but the Christian Religion was so far from it as though they had industriously designed to advance a Religion against the genius and inclination of all Mankind For it neither gratifies the voluptuous in their Pleasures nor the Ambitious in their desires of External Pomp and Greatness nor the Covetous in their thirst after Riches but lays a severe restraint on all those common and prevailing Passions of Mankind which Mahomet well understood when he suited his Religion to them Christianity was neither accommodated to the Temper and Genius either of Jews or Gentiles The Jews were in great expectation of a Temporal Prince at that time to deliver them from the Roman Slavery and every one that would have set up for such a Messias might have had followers enough among them as we find afterwards by the attempts of Barchocebas and others But the Messias of the Christians was so directly contrary to their hopes and expectations being a poor and suffering Prince that this set them the more against his Followers because they were hereby frustrated of their greatest hopes and defeated in their most pleasing expectations But besides if they would have taken in the Mosaick Law it might in probability have succeeded better but this St. Paul would by no means hear of But if they rejected the Jews methinks they should have been willing to have had some assistance from the Gentiles No they charged them with Idolatry where ever they came and would not joyn in any parts of their Worship with them nor so much as Eat of the remainder of their Sacrifices But supposing they had a mind to set up wholly a new Sect of their own yet we should think they should have framed it after the most plausible manner and left out all things thar were most liable to Reproach and Infamy But this they were so far from that the most contemptible part of the Christian Religion viz. A Crucified Saviour they insist the most upon and Preach it on all occasions and in comparison of it strangely despise all the Wisdom and Philosophy of the Greeks What did these Men mean if Christianity had been only a contrivance of theirs If they had but left out this one circumstance in all Human probability the excellent moral Precepts in Christianity would have been highly magnified among all those who had been bred up under the Instructions of Philosophers Nay they would not make use of the most commendable Methods of Humane Wisdom nor do as the Jesuits have done in China make Men have a better opinion of the Religion they brought for their skill in Mathematicks and Astronomy but as much as it was possible to let the World see it was no contrivance of Humane Wisdom they shunned all the ways of shewing it in the manner of its propagation Nay when the People would have given the Apostles Divine Worship never were vain Men more concerned to have it than they to oppose it And do these things look like the Actions of Men that designed only to make themselves great by being the Heads of a new Sect of Religion 3. Men that made it their design to deceive the World if they had thought it necessary to bring in any matter of Story concerning the Author of their Religion would have placed it at such a distance of time that it was not capable of being disproved As it is apparent in the Heathen Mythologie for the Stories were such as no person could ever pretend to confute them otherwise than by the inconsistency of them with the common principles of Religion But if we suppose Christianity to have been a meer device would the Apostles have been so senseless to have laid the main proof of their Religion on a thing which was but newly acted and which they were very capable of enquiring into all the Circumstances that related to it viz. the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead We may see by the whole design of the New Testament the great stress of Christianity was laid upon the Truth of this to this Christ himself appealed before hand to this all the Apostles refer as the mighty confirmation of their Religion and this they deliver as a thing which themselves had seen and had conversed with him for 40 Days together with all the demonstrations imaginable of a true and real Body And that not to one or two credulous Persons but so many of them who were hard to be satisfied and one not without the most sensible evidence but besides these they tell us of 500 at once who saw him whereof many were then living when those things were written Now I pray tell me what Religion in the World ever put it self upon so fair a tryal as this Of a plain Matter of Fact as capable of being attested as any could be Why did not Amida or Brahma or Xaca or any other of the Authors of the present Religions of the East Indies Why did not Orpheus or Numa or any other introducers of Religious Customa among the Greeks or Romans Or Mahomet among the Arabians put the issue of the Truth of their Religion on such a plain and easie tryal as this If you say That Christ appeared only to his Friends who were ready to believe such things and not among his Enemies I Answer That though they were his Friends yet they were very hard to be perswaded of the truth of it at first and afterwards gave larger Testimonies of their fidelity than the Testimony of the greatest Enemies would have been for we should have had only their bare Words for it if they would have given that which is very questionable considering their dealing with the other Miracles of Christ But the Apostles manifested their sincerity by all real proofs that could be thought sufficient to satisfie Mankind appealing to the very Persons who were concerned the most in it having a hand in the Death of Christ declaring their greatest readiness to suffer any thing rather than deny the Truth of it and laying down their Lives at last for it If all this had been a meer Fiction how unlikely is it that among so many as were conscious of it no one person by hopes or fears by flatteries or threatnings could ever be prevailed upon to deny the Truth of it If there had been any such thing what triumphing had there been among the
Wisdom of the Greeks If thâ— Christian Religion had been a meeâ— design of the Apostles to makâ— themselves Heads of a new Sect what had this been but to havâ— set the Cunning of twelve oâ— thirteen Men of no Interest or Reputation against the Wisdom and Power of the wholâ— World If they had any Wisdom they would never have undeâ— taken such an impossible desigâ— as this must appear to them â— first view And if they haâ— none how could they ever hopâ— to manage it If their aim werâ— only at Reputation they mighâ— have thought of thousands â— ways more probable and morâ— advantageous than this If wâ— suppose Men should be willinâ— to hazard their Lives for theâ— Reputations we may suppose withall such Men to have so much cunning as not to do it till they cannot help it but if they can have Reputation and ease together they had rather have it I will therefore put the Case concerning the only Person that had the advantage of a Learned Education among the Apostles viz. St. Paul and whom you seem to strike at more than the rest Is it reasonable to believe that when he was in favour with the Sanhedrin and was likely to advance himself by his opposition to Christianity and had a fair prospect of Ease and Honour together he should quit all this to joyn with such an inconsiderable and hated company as the Christians were only to be one of the Heads of a very small Number of Men and to purchase it at so dear a rate as thâ— loss of his Friends and Interest and running on continual Troubles and Persecutions to the hazard of his Life It is possiblâ— for Men that are deceived anâ— mean honestly to do this buâ— it is scarce supposable of a Maâ— in his Senses that should knoâ— and believe all this to be a cheat and yet own and embrace it to sâ— great disadvantage to himself When he could not make himselâ— so considerable by it as he mighâ— have been without it Meâ— must love cheating the World at strange rate that will let go faiâ— hopes of preferment and ease and lead a life of perpetual trouble and expose themselves to the utmost hazards only for the sake of deluding others If the Apostles knew all they said to be false and made it so necessary for all Men to believe what they said to be true they were some of the greatest deceivers which the World had ever known But Men that take pleasure in deceiving make use of many artifices on purpose to catch the silly multitude they have all the arts of Insinuation and Fawning Speeches fit to draw in the weakest and such as love to be flatter'd but what is there tending this way in all the Apostles Writings How sharply do they speak to the Jewish Sanhedrin upon the Murther of Christ With what plainness and simplicity do they go about to perswade Men to be Christians They barely tell the Matters of Fact concerning the Resurrection of Christ and say they were eye-witnesses of it and upon the credit of this Testimony of theirs they Preach Faith and Repentance to Jews and Gentiles Was ever any thing farther from the appearance of Artifice than this was So that if they were deceivers they were some of the Subtilest that ever were in the World because there seems to be so little ground for any suspicion of Fraud and we cannot easily imagin Persons of their Education capable of so profound dissimulation and so artificial a Cheat. Besides all this we are to consider how far such Persons do allow the liberty of dissimulation and artificial Juglings especially in Religion we see the Papists could not practice these things without being forced to defend them by shewing how convenient it is for the People to be told strange Stories of Saints on purpose to nourish Devotion in them To which end they say it signifies not much whether they were true or no And withall they assert the Lawfulness of Equivocations and Mental Reservations and doing things not otherwise justifiable for the Honour of their Church and Religion And I shall freely confess to you if I found any countenance to such things as these from the Doctrin or Practice of the Apostles it would give me too just a ground for suspicion as to what they deliver'd For if they allowed Equivocations or Mental Reservations how could I possibly know what they meant by any thing they said For that which was necessary to make the Proposition true lay without my reach in the Mind of another and while they so firmly attested that Christ was risen from the Dead they might understand it of a Spiritual or Mystical Resurrection but if they should be found to allow Lying or Cheating for the cause of Religion their credit would be gone with me for how could I be any longer sure of the Truth of one Word they said I should be so far from thinking them Infallible that I could not but suspect them to have a design to deceive me The first thing therefore we are to look at in Persons who require our belief is the strictest veracity if they falter in this they expose themselves to the suspicion of all but credulous Fools But we no where find greater plainness and sincerity required no where more strict and severe prohibitions of dissimulation in Religion nor more general Precepts about speaking Truth than in the Writings of the New Testament But might not all this be done with the greater artifice to prevent suspicion Suspicion is a thing which he that set bounds to the Sea can set no bounds to if Men will give way to it without reason there can be no end of it For the most effectual ways to prevent it will still afford new matter and occasion for it If Men do use the utmost means that are possible to assure others of their sincerity and they will not believe them but still suspect the design to be so much deeper laid there is no way left possible to satisfy such Men their suspicion is a disease incurable by rational means and such persons deserve to be given over as past all remedy If Men act like prudent Men they will judge according to the Reason of Things but if they entertain a jealousie of all Mankind and the most of those who give them the greatest assurance they have no Intention to deceive them it is to no purpose to go about to satisfie such Persons for that very undertaking makes them more suspicious If the Apostles therefore gave as much ground as ever any Persons did or could do that they had no design to impose upon the World but proceeding with all the fairness and openness with the greatest evidence of their sincerity there can be no reason to fasten upon them the imputation of cunning Men who made it their business to deceive others 2. This will more appear if we consider the Matters deliver'd by them and the nature of their Doctrin