to heaven, &c., were not performed before anybody. We have only his own word for them. And they are as groundless as the delusions of Fox, or Muggleton, among ourselves. The same is to be said (in the second place) of the fables of the heathen gods, of Mercury's stealing sheep, Jupiter's turning himself into a bull, and the like; besides the folly and unworthiness of such senseless, pretended miracles. And, moreover, the wise among the heathen did reckon no otherwise of these but as fables, which had a mythology or mystical meaning in them, of which, several of them have given us the rationale, or explication. And it is plain enough, that Ovid meant no other by all his Metamorphoses.

It is true, the heathen deities had their priests; they had likewise feasts, games, and other public institutions in memory of them. But all these want the fourth mark, viz. That such priesthood and institutions should commence from the time that such things as they commemorate were said to be done; otherwise they cannot secure after ages from the imposture, by detecting it, at the time when first invented, as hath been argued be

But the Bacchanalia, and other heathen feasts, were instituted many ages after what was reported of these gods was said to be done, and, therefore, can be no proof of them. And the priests of Bacchus, Apollo, &c., were not ordained by these supposed gods; but were appointed by others, in after ages, only in honor to them. And, therefore, these orders of priests are no evidence to the truth of the matters of fact, which are reported of their gods.

III. Now, to apply what has been said, you may challenge all the deists in the world to show any action that is fabulous, which has all the four rules, or marks, before mentioned. No, it is impossible. And (to resume a little what is spoken to before) the histories of Exodus and the Gospel could never have been received, if they had not been true; because the institution of the priesthood of Levi, and of Christ; of the sabbath, the

passover, of circumcision, of baptism, and the Lord's Supper, &c., are there related, as descending all the way down from those times without interruption. And it is full as impossible to persuade men, that they had teen circumcised, baptized, had circumcised or baptized their children, celebrated passovers, sabbaths, sacraments, &c., under the government and administration of a certain order of priests, if they had done none of these things, as to make them believe, that they had gone through sea upon dry land, seen the dead raised, &c. And, without believing of these, it was impossible, that either the law, or the gospel, could have been received.

And the truth of the matters of fact of Exodus and the Gospel, being no otherwise pressed upon men than as they have practised such public institutions, it is appealing to the senses of mankind for the truth of them; and makes it impossible for any to have invented such stories in after ages, without a palpable detection of the cheat, when first invented; as impossible as to have imposed upon the senses of mankind at the time when such public matters of fact were said to be done.

IV. I do not say, that every thing which wants these four marks is false; but, that nothing can be false which has them all.

I have no manner of doubt, that there was such a man as Julius Cesar; that he fought at Pharsalia, was killed in the senate-house; and many other matters of fact of ancient times, though we keep no public observances in memory of them.

But this shows, that the matters of fact of Moses and Christ, have come down to us better guarded than any other matters of fact, how true soever.

And yet our deists, who would laugh any man out of the world, as an irrational brute, that should offer to deny Cesar or Alexander, Homer or Virgil, their public works and actions, do, at the same time, value them selves as the only men of wit and sense, of free, generous, and unbiassed judgments, for ridiculing the

histories of Moses and Christ, that are infinitely better attested, and guarded with infallible marks, which the others want.

V. Besides that, the importance of the subject would oblige all men to inquire more narrowly into the one than the other for what consequence is it to me, or to the world, whether there was such a man as Cesar; whether he beat or was beaten at Pharsalia; whether Homer or Virgil wrote such books; and whether what is related in the Iliads or niads be true or false? It was not two pence up or down to any man in the world. And, therefore, it is worth no man's while to inquire into it, either to oppose or justify the truth of these relations.

But our very souls and bodies, both this life and eternity, are concerned in the truth of what is related in the Holy Scriptures; and, therefore, men would be more inquisitive to search into the truth of these, than of any other matters of fact; examine and sift them narrowly; and find out the deceit, if any such could be found for it concerned them nearly, and was of the last importance to them.

How unreasonable, then, is it, to reject these matters of fact so sifted, so examined, and so attested, as no other matters of fact in the world ever were; and yet, to think it the most highly unreasonable, even to madness, to deny other matters of fact, which have not the thousandth part of their evidence, and are of no consequence at all to us, whether true or false !

VI. There are several other topics, from whence the truth of the Christian religion is evinced to all who judge by reason, and give themselves leave to consider. As the improbability that ten or twelve poor illiterate fishermen should form a design of converting the whole world to believe their delusions; and the impossibility of their effecting it, without force of arms, learning, oratory, or any one visible thing that could recommend them! And to impose a doctrine quite opposite to the lusts and pleasures of men, and all worldly advantages,

or enjoyments! And this in an age of so great learning and sagacity, as that wherein the Gospel was first preached! That these apostles should not only undergo all the scorn and contempt, but the severest persecutions, and most cruel deaths that could be inflicted, in attestation to what themselves knew to be a mere deceit and forgery of their own contriving! Some have suffered for errors which they thought to be truth; but never any for what themselves knew to be lies. And the apostles must know what they taught to be lies, if it was so, because they spoke of those things which they said they had both seen and heard, had looked upon, and handled with their hands, &c. Acts iv. 20; 1 John i. 1.

Neither can it be said that they, perhaps, might have proposed some temporal advantages to themselves, but missed of them, and met with sufferings instead of them for, if it had been so, it is more probable, that when they saw their disappointment, they would have discovered their conspiracy; especially when they might not only have saved their lives, but got great rewards for doing it, "than that no one of them should ever have been brought to do this.

But this is not all; for they tell us that their Master bid them expect nothing but sufferings in this world This is the tenure of all that Gospel which they taught And they told the same to all whom they converted. So that here was no disappointment.

For, all that were converted by them, were converted upon the certain expectation of sufferings, and bidden prepare for it. Christ commanded his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him; and told them, that in the world they should have tribulation; that whoever did not forsake father, mother, wife, children, lands, and their very lives, could not be his disciples; that he, who sought to save his life in this world, should lose it.

Now, that this despised doctrine of the cross should prevail so universally against the allurements of flesh

and blood, and all the blandishments of this world; against the rage and persecution of all the kings and powers of the earth, must show its original to be divine, and its protector almighty. What is it else, could conquer without arms, persuade without rhetoric, overcome enemies, disarm tyrants, and subdue empires without opposition!

VII. We may add to all this, the testimonies of the most bitter enemies and persecutors of Christianity, both Jews and Gentiles, to the truth of the matter of fact of Christ, such as Josephus and Tacitus; of which the first flourished about forty years after the death of Christ, and the other about seventy years after, so that they were capable of examining into the truth, and wanted not prejudice and malice sufficient to have inclied them to deny the matter of fact itself of Christ st; but their confessing to it, as likewise Lucian, Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian the apostate; the Mahometans since, and all other enemies of Christianity that have arisen in the world, is an undeniable attestation to the truth of the matter of fact.

VIII. But there is another argument more strong and convincing than even this matter of fact; more than the certainty of what I see with my eyes; and which the apostle Peter called a more sure word; that is, proof, that what he saw and heard upon the holy mount, when our blessed Saviour was transfigured before him and two other of the apostles: for, having repeated that passage as a proof of that whereof they were eyewitnesses, and heard the voice from heaven giving attestation to our Lord Christ, 2 Pet. i. 16-18. He says, verse 19, We have also a more sure word of prophecy for the proof of this Jesus being the Messiah; that is, the prophecies which had gone before of him, from the beginning of the world; and all exactly fulfilled in him.

Men may dispute an imposition or delusion upon our outward senses; but how can that be false that has been so long, even from the beginning of the world, and so