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There is nothing in all this, but what may appear to carry great Reafon and Evidence in it, to any Man of common found Understanding. And it is eafy to apply this to the Facts upon which the Chriftian Religion is founded.

The Accounts of thefe Facts are tranfmitted to us in the best and propereft way, in which past Facts could be tranfmitted; that is, in Records written by Perfons who profefs to have been Witneffes to them, and who appear to have been perfectly well-acquainted with the Facts they relate. And an honeft, tho' unlearned Man, may, by confulting those Records, without entering into any nice hiftorical Difquifitions, find great reafon to believe, that the Accounts there given of thofe extraordinary Facts are true, and to be depended on. Upon an attentive confidering them, he finds all the Characters of Sincerity, and an impartial Regard to Truth, that can be defired in fuch Writings: He finds enough to convince him, that the Writers of them were excellent Perfons, of great Probity and Simplicity, and who appear to have had no worldly Interefts in view, nothing but the Glory of God, and the Good of Mankind, and whofe whole Character and Conduct feems to have been the most remote from that of Impoftors, that can be imagined. And this furnishes a good Argument, to convince his Reason, that fuch excellent Perfons could never be guilty of fuch a folemn Imposture, fuch deliberate Villainy, as to have contrived fuch a Series of extraordinary Facts and miraculous Atteftations, and to have endeavoured to Impose them upon the World in the Name of God,

even if it had been in their power to have done fo. And there is no reason to think they could have done it, if they had been ever fo willing, confidering the Circumstances they were in, the Power and Malice of their Enemies, and the Nature of the Facts themselves; many of which were fuch, that it would have been the easiest thing in the world to have detected and expofed them, if they had not

been true.

It greatly ftrengthens this, when he confiders the Nature of the Religion that is taught in thofe Writings, and which is closely connected with the Facts there related. He plainly finds, that in that Religion, as laid down in thofe Writings, there are not the leaft Marks of worldly Ambition, Avarice, or Senfuality, nor any thing to flatter the corrupt Appetites and Inclinations of Men; that there is an uniform Spirit of Piety, Zeal, and Charity, running through the whole; that its Doctrines and Precepts are unquestionably pure and holy, and of the most excellent Tendency; that the Practice of Righteoufnefs and Virtue is there carried to the noblest height, and inforced by the most important Motives; that it ftrongly condemns all Falfhood and Impurity, and denounces the Wrath of God against all Ungodlinefs and Unrighteousness of Men, In a word, that the governing End of all feems to be the Glory of God, the Good of Mankind, and the promoting the Caufe of Truth and Holiness in the World. This furnishes an obvious Argument, great force and ftrength to convince him, that fuch a Religion, with the Facts on which it is founded, and which it neceffarily fuppofes, and

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every where refers to, was not the Contrivance of Impoftors and Seducers. Men of fuch a Character would never have taken fuch pains to establish fuch a Religion as this, and that in oppofition to all their worldly Interefts, and when they thereby expofed themselves to the greatest Sufferings, under which they had nothing to fupport them, but the Hopes of a Reward in another World, which, according to that Religion, if guilty of fuch deliberate Falihood and Impofture, they could not expect.

These are very natural and obvious Reflections, the Force of which may be made to appear to any Man of common Understanding, and which without entering into any great Refinements, or tedious Difquifitions, may be of great weight to convince him, that the Writings which contain the original Records of Chriftianity, and the Facts by which it was attefted, are to be depended upon.

But befides this, if he purfues his Enquiries, he may eafily find, that there are fome general Facts relating to thofe Matters, which are univerfally acknowledged, and which no Man was ever fo abfurd as to deny. That there were fuch Perfons as Jesus Christ and his Apoftles, can no more reasonably be doubted than that there are Chriftians now in the World. And that Chrift declared himself to be an extraordinary Perfon fent of God, that he profeffed to do many wonderful Works, and to inftruct Mankind in Religion, and that he was crucified, is what the Heathens and Jews, the most virulent Enemies of Christianity, never pretended to deny

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And that his Apoftles went abroad through the Nations after his Death, and published to the World that he was rifen from the dead, and afcended up into Heaven, of which they declared themselves to have been Eye-witneffes; and that they profeffed to deliver the Religion they received from him, and pretended to work Miracles in his Name, is capable of as good Proof as that there were fuch Perfons as the Apoftles: Nor do the greatest Enemies of Chriftianity attempt to conteft this. And it is alfo a Fact that cannot, with any fhadow of Reason, be contefted; and which is capable of the clearest Proof even from the Testimony of Heathen Writers now extant, and some of which are tranflated into our own Tongue that great Numbers of Perfons in that very Age became Chriftians, i. e. received that Jefus who had been ignominioufly crucified by the Romans and Jews, as their Saviour and their Lord: And that the Religion founded by him and his Apostles, though contrary to the most favourite Prejudices and Paffions both of Jews and Gentiles, prevailed and spread in a short time to a wonderful degree, though it had the greatest Oppofition made to it, and no worldly Advantages to recommend it. These are Facts which are fo clear and certain, that a Man may as reasonably doubt of all paft Facts whatsoever as doubt of them. And upon confidering thefe things, it is natural to reflect, that there muft have been fomething very extraordinary in the Evidence, that could induce fuch Numbers of Per

fons,

Particularly Suetonius, in the Life of Nero; Tacitus, in the Fifteenth Book of his Annals; and Pliny, in the Tenth Book of his Epifles, Epift. 97.

fons, at a time when they had the best Opportunities of knowing the Truth of those things, to embrace the Faith of a crucified Jefus, in oppofition to their darling Prejudices and worldly Interefts. And this again makes the Account credible, that is given in those original Records, of the Evidence whereby Perfons were brought to believe in Jefus, and to embrace his Religion; an Evidence arifing from a Series of fuch extraordinary and illuftrious Atteftations, as demonftrated Jefus, who was crucified, to be fent of God, and the Religion published by him and his Apostles, to be divine. On fuch a View of things, the wonderful Progrefs of that Religion in fuch Circumstances, and the Zeal and Conftancy of its firft Profeffors and Adherents, may be well accounted for, which otherwise could hardly be done. And this, added to the Reflections juft mentioned, arifing from the Character of the Writings themselves, and the Nature of the Religion there contained, helps to fet the Truth of the main Facts, on which that Religion was founded, in a yet ftronger light.

It is no fmall Confirmation of all this, that it can be proved with great Evidence, enough to fatisfy any reasonable Mind, that thefe Writings that contain the original Records of Chriftianity, have been and are still extant, and their Authority has been acknowledged from the Time in which Christianity was first founded, to the prefent Age. Never were there Writings that were difperfed into fo many hands, or that were fo frequently appealed to by Men of different Sects and Parties, on fo many different Occafions. Not one Age hath paffed

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