And there were always very many amongst the Worshippers of Christ, who were Men of good Judgment, and of no small Learning; such as (not to mention Jews) (a) Sergius the President of Cyprus, (b) Dionysius the Areopagite, (c) Polycarp, (d) Justin, (e) Irenaeus, (f) Athenagoras, (g) Origen, (h) Tertullian, (i) Clemens Alexandrinus, and others: Who being
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such Men; why they should themselves be Worshippers of a Man that was put to an ignominious Death, especially when almost all of them were brought up in other Religions, and there was neither Honour nor Profit to be had by the Christian Religion: Why, I say, they should do thus, there can be no Reason given but this one, that upon a diligent enquiry, such as becomes prudent Men to make in a matter of the highest Concern to them, they found that the Report which was spread abroad concerning the Miracles that were done by him, was true, and founded upon sufficient Testi-<91>mony: Such as healing sore Diseases, and those of a long Continuance, only by a Word, and this publickly; restoring Sight to him that was born blind; increasing Bread for the feeding of many thousands, who were all Witnesses of it; restoring the Dead to Life again, and many other such like.
Sect. V. Which Miracles cannot be ascribed to any Natural or Diabolical Power, but must be from God.
Which Report had so certain and undoubted a Foundation, that neither (a) Celsus, nor (b) Julian, when they wrote against the Christians, dared to deny that some Miracles were done by Christ; (c) the Hebrews also confess it openly in the Books of the Talmud. That they were not performed by any natural Power, sufficiently appears from hence, that they are called Wonders or Miracles; nor can it ever be, that grievous Distempers should be healed immediately, only by a Word speaking, or a Touch, by the Power of Nature. If those Works could have been accounted for by any natural Efficacy, it would have been said so at first by those, who either professed themselves Enemies of Christ when he was upon Earth, or of his Gospel. By the like Argument we gather, that they were not juggling
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Tricks, because very many of the Works were done openly, (a) the People looking on; and <92> amongst the People many learned Men, who bore no good Will to Christ, who observed all his Works. To which we may add, that the like Works were often repeated, and the Effects were not of a short Continuance, but lasting. All which rightly considered, as it ought to be, it will plainly follow, according to the Jews own Confession, that these Works were done by some Power more than humane, that is, by some good or bad Spirit: That these Works were not the Effects of any bad Spirit, is from hence evident, that this Doctrine of Christ, for the Proof of which these Works were performed, was opposite to those evil Spirits: For it forbids the Worship of evil Spirits; it draws Men off from all Immorality, in which such Spirits delight. It appears also from the things themselves, that wherever this Doctrine has been received, the Worship of Daemons and (b) Magical Arts have ceased; and the one God has been worshipped, with an Abhorrence of Daemons; whose Strength and Power (c) Porphyry acknowledges were broken upon the coming of Christ. And it is not at all credible, that any evil Spirits should be so imprudent, as to do those things, and that very often, from which no Honour or Advantage could arise to them, but on the contrary, great Loss and Disgrace. Neither is it any way consistent with the Goodness or Wisdom of God, that he should be thought to suffer Men, who were free from all wicked Designs, and who feared him, to be de-<93>ceived by the Cunning of Devils; and such were the first Disciples of Christ, as is manifest from their unblameable Life, and their suffering very many Calamities for Conscience-sake. If any one should say, that these Works were done by good Beings, who yet are inferior to God; this is to confess, that they were well-pleasing to God, and redounded to his Honour; because good Beings do nothing but what is acceptable to God, and for his Glory. Not to mention, that some of the Works of Christ were such as seem to declare
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God himself to be the Author of them, such as the raising more than one of those that were dead, to Life. Moreover, God neither does, nor suffers Miracles to be done, without a Reason; for it does not become a wise Lawgiver to depart from his Laws, without a Reason, and that a weighty one. Now no other Reason can be given, why these things were done, but that which is alledged by Christ, viz. (a) to give Credit to his Doctrine; nor could they who beheld them, conceive any other Reason in their Minds: Amongst whom, since there were many of a pious Disposition, as was said before, it would be prophane to think God should do them to impose upon such. And this was the sole Reason why many of the Jews, who lived near the time of Jesus, (b) who yet could <94> not be brought to depart from any thing of the Law given by Moses, (such as they who were called Nazarens and Ebionites,) nevertheless owned Jesus to be a Teacher sent from Heaven.
Sect. VI. The Resurrection of Christ proved from credible Testimony.
Christ’s coming to Life again in a wonderful Manner, after his Crucifixion, Death and Burial, affords us no less good an Argument for those Miracles that were done by him. For the Christians of all times and places, assert this not only for a Truth, but as the principal Foundation of their
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Faith: Which could not be, unless they who first taught the Christian Faith, had fully persuaded their Hearers, that the thing did come to pass. Now they could not fully persuade Men of any Judgment of this, unless they affirmed themselves to be Eye-witnesses of it; for without such an Affirmation, no Man in his Senses would have believed them, especially at that time when such a Belief was attended with so many Evils and Dangers. That this was affirmed by them with great Constancy, their own Books, (a) and the Books <95> of others, tell us; nay, it appears from those Books, that they appealed to (b) five hundred Witnesses, who saw Jesus after he was risen from the Dead. Now it is not usual for those that speak Untruths, to appeal to so many Witnesses. Nor is it possible so many Men should agree to bear a false Testimony. And if there had been no other Witnesses, but those twelve known first Propagators of the Christian Doctrine, it had been sufficient. No Body has any ill Design for nothing. They could not hope for any Honour from saying what was not true, because all the Honours were in the Power of the Heathens and Jews, by whom they were reproached and contemptuously treated: Nor for Riches, because, on the contrary, this Profession was often attended with the Loss of their Goods, if they had any; and if it had been otherwise, yet the Gospel could not have been taught by them, but with the Neglect of their temporal Goods. Nor could any other Advantages of this Life provoke them to speak a Falsity, when the very preaching of the Gospel exposed them to Hardship, to Hunger and Thirst, to Stripes and Imprisonment. Fame amongst themselves only was not so great, that for the sake thereof, Men of upright Intentions, whose Lives and Tenets were free from Pride and Ambition, should undergo so many Evils. Nor had they any Ground to hope, that their Opinion, which was so repugnant to Nature, (which is wholly bent upon its own <96> Advantages,)
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and to the Authority which every where governed, could make so great a Progress, but from a Divine Promise. Further, they could not promise to themselves that this Fame, whatever it was, would be lasting, because, (God on purpose concealing his Intention in this Matter from them) they expected that (a) the End of the whole World was just at hand, as is plain from their own Writings, and those of the Christians that came after them. It remains therefore, that they must be said to have uttered a Falsity, for the sake of defending their Religion; which, if we consider the thing aright, can never be said of them; for either they believed from their Heart that their Religion was true, or they did not believe it. If they had not believed it to have been the best, they would never have chosen it from all
