of great and divine things, that the against them made it grow; if they fame and religion of Jesus, was with had peace, the religion was prosperso incredible a swiftness scattered ous; if they had persecution, it was over the face of the habitable world, still prosperous; if princes favoured from one end of the earth unto the them the world came in, because the other; it filled all Asia immediately, Christians lived holily; if princes it passed presently to Europe, and to were incensed, the world came in, the farthest Africans; and all the way because the Christians died bravely. it went it told nothing but a holy and They sought for death with greedian humble story, that he who came ness, they desired to be grinded in to bring it into the world, died an the teeth of lions; and with joy they ignominious death, and yet this death beheld the wheels and the bended did not take away their courage, but trees, the racks and the gibbets, the added much for they could not fear fires and the burning irons, which death for that Master, whom they were like the chair of Elias to them, knew to have for their sakes suffered instruments to carry them to heaven, death, and came to life again. But into the bosom of their beloved Jenow infinite numbers of persons of sus.

both sexes, and all ages, and all Who would not acknowledge the countries, came in to the holy cruci- divinity of this person, and the exfix; and he that was crucified in the cellency of this institution, that should reign of Tiberius, was in the time of see infants to weary the hands of Nero, even in Rome itself, and in hangmen for the testimony of Jesus; Nero's family by many persons es- and wise men preach this doctrine teemed for a God; and it was upon for no other visible reward, but public record that he was so ac- shame and death, poverty and baknowledged; and this was by a Chris-nishment? and hangmen converted tian, Justin Martyr, urged to the se- by the blood of martyrs, springing nate, and to the emperors themselves, upon their faces, which their impious who if it had been otherwise could hands and cords have strained through easily have confuted the bold allega- their flesh? Who would not have tion of the Christian, who yet did confessed the honour of Jesus, when die for that Jesus who was so speedi- he should see miracles done at the ly reputed for a God; the cross was tombs of martyrs, and devils tremble worn upon breasts, printed in the air, at the mention of the name of Jesus, drawn upon foreheads, carried on and the world running to the hobanners, put upon crowns imperial; nour of the poor Nazarine, and kings and yet the Christians were sought and queens kissing the feet of the for to punishments, and exquisite poor servants of Jesus? Could a Jew punishments sought forth for them; fisherman and a publican effect all their goods were confiscated, their this, for the son of a poor maiden of names odious, prisons were their Judea? can we suppose all the world, houses, and so many kinds of tor- or so great a part of mankind, can tures invented for them, that Domi- consent by chance, or suffer such tius Ulpianus hath spent seven books changes for nothing? or for any in describing the variety of tortures thing less than this? The son of the the poor Christian was put to at his poor maiden was the Son of God: first appearing; and yet, in despite and the fishermen spake by a divine of all this, and ten thousand other spirit; and they catched the world objections and impossibilities, what- with holiness and miracles, with wissoever was for them made the re-dom and power bigger than the ligion grow, and whatsoever was strength of all the Roman legions.

And what can be added to all this, author: the continuance of the rebut this thing alone to prove the di-ligion helps to continue it, for it vinity of Jesus? He is a God, or at proves that it came from God, who least is taught by God, who can fore- foretold that it should continue; and tel future contingencies; and so did therefore it must continue, because the holy Jesus, and so did his disci- it came from God; and therefore it ples. came from God, because it does and Our blessed Lord, while he was shall for ever continue according to alive, foretold that after his death his the word of the holy Jesus. religion should flourish more than But, after our blessed Lord was enwhen he was alive he foretold per- tered into glory, the disciples also secutions to his disciples; he foretold were prophets. Agabus foretold the the mission of the Holy Ghost to be dearth that it was to be in the Roin a very few days after his ascen- man empire in the days of Claudius sion, which within ten days came Cæsar, and that St. Paul should be to pass; he prophesied that the fact bound at Jerusalem: St. Paul foreof Mary Magdalene, in anointing told the entering-in of Heretics into the head and feet of her Lord, should Asia after his departure; and he and be public and known as the gospel St. Peter and St. Jude, and generalitself, and spoken of in the same ly the rest of the apostles, had two place; he foretold the destruction great predictions, which they used of Jerusalem and the signs of its not only as a verification of the approach, and that it should be by doctrine of Jesus, but as a means to war, and particularly after the man- strengthen the hearts of the disciner of prophets, symbolically, named ples, who were so broken with perthe nation should do it, pointing out secution; the one was, that there the Roman eagles; he foretold his should arise a sect of vile men, who death, and the manner of it, and should be enemies to religion and plainly before-hand published his re- government, and cause a great apossurrection, and told them it should be tacy, which happened notoriously in the sign to that generation, viz. the the sect of the Gnostics, which those great argument to prove him to be three apostles and St. John notorithe Christ; he prophesied that there ously and plainly do describe: and should arise false Christs after him, the other was, that although the Jewand it came to pass to the extreme ish nation did mightily oppose the great calamity of the nation; and religion, it should be but for a while, lastly, he foretold that his beloved for they should be destroyed in a disciple St. John should tarry upon short time, and their nation made the earth till his coming again, that extremely miserable; but, for the is, to his coming to judgment upon Christians, if they would fly from Jerusalem; and that his religion Jerusalem and go to Pella, there should be preached to the Gentiles, should not a hair of their head pethat it should be scattered over all rish: the verification of this prophecy the world, and be received by all na- the Christians extremely longed for, tions; that it should stay upon the and wondered it stayed so long, and face of the earth till his last coming began to be troubled at the delay, and to judge all the world, and that "the suspected all was not well, when the gates of hell should not be able to great proof of their religion was not prevail against his church;" which verified; and, while they were in prophecy is made good thus long, thoughts of heart concerning it, the till this day, and is as a continual ar- sad catalysis did come, and swept gument to justify the divinity of the away eleven hundred thousand of

the nation; and from that day for-thing but a shadow and umbrage of ward the nation was broken in pieces the New; that the prophecies of that with intolerable calamities: they are are plainly verified in this; that scattered over the face of the earth, all the predictions of the Messias are and are a vagabond nation, but yet, most undeniably accomplished in the like oil in a vessel of wine, broken person of Jesus Christ, so that they into bubbles but kept in their own cannot with any plausibleness or cocircles; and they shall never be an lour be turned any other way, and united people, till they are servants be applied to any other person, alof the holy Jesus; but shall remain though the Jews make illiterate allewithout priest or temple, without al- gations, and prodigious dreams, by tar or sacrifice, without city or coun- which they have fooled themselves try, without the land of promise, or for sixteen hundred years together, the promise of a blessing, till our Je- and still hope without reason, and sus is their high Priest, and their are confident without revelation, and Shepherd to gather them into his pursue a shadow while they quit the fold and this very thing is a mighty glorious body; while in the mean demonstration against the Jews by time, the Christian prays for his contheir own prophets; for when Isaiah, version, and is at rest in the truth and Jeremiah, and Malachi, had pro- of Jesus, and hath certain inexpresphesied the rejection of the Jews sible confidences and internal lights, and the calling of the Gentiles, and clarities of the Holy Spirit of God, the change of the old law, and the and loves to the holy Jesus produced introduction of a new by the Mes-in his soul that he will die when he sias; that this was he, was therefore cannot dispute, and is satisfied and certain, because he taught the world he knows not how, and is sure by a new law, and presently after the comforts, and comforted by the expublication of this, the old was ab-cellency of his belief, which speaks rogate, and not only went into desue- nothing but holiness, and light, and tude, but into a total abolition among reason, and peace, and satisfactions all the world; and for those of the infinite, because he is sure that all remnant of the scattered Jews who the world can be happy if they would obstinately blaspheme, the law is be- live by the religion of Jesus, and that come impossible to them, and they neither societies of men nor single placed in such circumstances, that persons can have felicity but by this; they need not dispute concerning its and that therefore God, who so deobligation; for it being external and crees to make men happy, hath also corporal, ritual, and at last made al- decreed that it shall for ever be upon so local, when the circumstances are the face of the earth, till the earth impossible, the law, that was wholly itself shall be no more. Amen. ceremonial and circumstantial, must needs pass away: and when they have lost their priesthood, they cannot retain the law, as no man takes care to have his beard shaved, when his head is off.

Bishop Taylor.

$143. Considerations on the weak Pretences of other Religions. IV. Now, if against this vast heap And it is a wonder to consider of things any man shall but confront how the anger of God is gone out the pretences of any other religion, upon that miserable people, and that and see how they fail both of reason so great a blindness is fallen upon and holiness, of wonder and divinity, them; it being evident and notori- how they enter by force, and are ous that the Old Testament was no- kept up by human interests, how ig

norant and unholy, how unlearned know not they guess at in the dark; and pitiful are their pretences; the for that they know there is and ought darknesses of these must add great to be something that hath the care eminency to the brightness of that. and providence of their affairs. But

For the Jews' religion which came the body of their religion is nothing from heaven, is therefore not now to but little arts of governments, and be practised, because it did come stratagems of princes, and devices from heaven, and was to expire into to secure the government of new the Christian, it being nothing but usurpers, or to make obedience to the image of this perfection: and the laws sure, by being sacred, and the Jews needed no other argument to make the yoke, that was not natubut this, that God hath made this im- ral, pleasant by something that is. possible now to be done; for he that But yet for the whole body of it, ties to ceremonies and outward usa- who sees not that their worshippings ges, temples and altars, sacrifices and could not be sacred, because they priests, troublesome and expensive were done by something that is imrites and figures of future significa- pure? They appeased their gods with tion, means that there should be an adulteries and impure mixtures, by abode and fixed dwelling, for these such things which Cato was ashamed are not to be done by an ambulatory to see, by gluttonous eatings of flesh, people; and therefore since God hath and impious drinkings, and they did scattered the people into atoms and litare in humano sanguine, they sacrumbs of society, without temple crificed men and women and children or priest, without sacrifice or altar, to their demons, as is notorious in the without Urim or Thummim, without rites of Bacchus Omesta amongst prophet or vision, even communi- the Greeks, and of Jupiter, to whom cating with them no way but by ordi- a Greek and a Greekess, a Galatian nary providence, it is but too evident, and a Galatess were yearly offered; that God hath nothing to do with in the answers of the oracles to Calthem in the matter of that religion; chas, as appears in Homer and Virbut that it is expired, and no way ob- gil. Who sees not, that crimes were ligatory to them or pleasing to him, warranted by the example of their which is become impossible to be immortal gods; and that what did acted whereas, the Christian reli- dishonour themselves, they sang to gion is as eternal as the soul of a the honour of their gods, whom they man, and can no more cease than affirmed to be passionate and proud, our spirits can die, and can worship jealous and revengeful, amorous and upon mountains and in caves, in fields lustful, fearful and impatient, drunkand churches, in peace and war, in en and sleepy, weary and wounded? solitude and society, in persecution that the religions were made lasting and in sun-shine, by night and by by policy and force, by ignorance, day, and be solemnized by clergy, and laity in the essential parts of it, and is the perfection of the soul, and the highest reason of man, and the glorification of God.

and the force of custom; by the preferring an inveterate error, and loving of a quiet and prosperous evil; by the arguments of pleasure, and the correspondencies of sensuality; But for the Heathen religions, it by the fraud of oracles, and the pais evidently to be seen, that they are tronage of vices; and because they nothing but an abuse of the natural feared every change as an earthinclination which all men have to quake, as supposing overturnings of worship a God, whom because they their old error to be the eversion of

ness.

$144. To the Sceptics and Infidels of the Age.

Gentlemen,

their well-established governments?| And it had been ordinarily impossible that ever Christianity should have entered, if the nature and excellency of it had not been such as Suppose the mighty work accomto enter like rain into a fleece of plished, the cross trampled upon, wool, or the sun into a window with- Christianity every where proscribed, out noise or violence, without emo- and the religion of nature once more tion and disordering the political become the religion of Europe; what constitution, without causing trouble advantage will you have derived to to any man, but what his own igno- your country, or to yourselves, from rance or peevishness was pleased to the exchange? I know your answer spin out of his own bowels; but did you will have freed the world from establish governments, secure obedi- the hypocrisy of priests, and the tyence, make the laws firm, and the ranny of superstition.-No; you forpersons of princes to be sacred; it get that Lycurgus, and Numa, and did not oppose force by force, nor Odin, and Manco-Copac, and all the strike princes for justice; it defend-great legislators of ancient or moed itself against enemies by patience, dern story, have been of opinion, that and overcame them by kindness; it the affairs of civil society could not was the great instrument of God to well be conducted without some relidemonstrate his power in our weak-gion; you must of necessity intronesses, and to do good to mankind duce a priesthood, with, probably, as by the imitation of his excellent good- much hypocrisy ; a religion, with, assuredly, more superstition, than Lastly, he that considers concern- that which you now reprobate with ing the religion and person of Ma- such indecent and ill-grounded conhomet that he was a vicious person, tempt. But I will tell you, from lustful and tyrannical; that he pro- what you will have freed the world; pounded incredible and ridiculous you will have freed it from its abhorpropositions to his disciples; that it rence of vice, and from every powerentered by the sword, by blood and ful incentive to virtue; you will, with violence, by murder and robbery; the religion, have brought back the that it propounds sensual rewards, depraved morality of Paganism; you and allures to compliance by bribing will have robbed mankind of their our basest lusts; that it conserves firm assurance of another life; and itself by the same means it entered thereby you will have despoiled them that it is unlearned and foolish, against of their patience, of their humility, reason, and the discourses of all wise of their charity, of their chastity, of men; that it did no miracles, and all those mild and silent virtues, made false prophecies; in short, that which (however despicable they may in the person that founded it, in the appear in your eyes) are the only article it persuades, in the manner of ones which meliorate and sublime prevailing, in the reward it offers, it our nature; which Paganism never is unholy and foolish and rude: it knew, which spring from Christianimust needs appear to be void of all ty alone, which do or might constipretence; and that no man of rea-tute our comfort in this life, and son can ever be fairly persuaded by without the possession of which, anoarguments, that it is the daughter of ther life, if after all there should hapGod, and came down from heaven. pen to be one, must be more vicious Bishop Taylor. and more miserable than this is, un