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the reigns of Chriftian Emperors, there might be feveral who did it partly out of worldly motives.

II. Let us now fuppofe that a learnied heathen writer who lived within fixty years of our Saviour's crucifixion, after having fhewn that false miracles were generally wrought in obfcurity, and before few or no witneffes, fpeaking of those which were wrought by our Saviour, has the following paffage. "But "his works were always feen, because "they were true, they were seen by "thofe, who were healed, and by thofe "who were raised from the dead. Nay, "these perfons who were thus healed, "and raised, were feen not only at the "time of their being healed and raised, "but long afterwards. Nay, they were not feen only all the while our Savi

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our was upon earth, but furvived af"ter his departure out of this world, "nay fome of them were living in our days."

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III. I dare fay you would look upon this as a glorious atteftation for the cause of Chriftianity, had it come from the hand of a famous Athenian Philofopher. Thefe forementioned words however areactually

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actually the words of one who lived about fixty years after our Saviour's crucifixion, and was a famous Philofopher in Athens: But it will be faid he was a convert to Christianity. Now confider this matter impartially, and fee if his teftimony is not much more valid for that reason. Had he continued a Pagan Philofopher, would not the world have faid that he was not fincere in what he writ, or did not believe it, for, if so, would not they have told us he would have embraced Chriftianity? This was indeed the cafe of this excellent man: he had fo thoroughly examined the truth of our Saviour's history, and the excellency of that religion which he taught, and was fo entirely convinced of both, that he became a Profelyte, and died a Martyr.

IV. Ariftides was an Athenian Philofopher, at the fame time famed for his learning and wifdom, but converted to Christianity. As it cannot be questioned that he perufed and approved the apology of Quadratus, in which is the paffage juft now cited, he joined with him in an apology of his own to the fame Emperor, on the fame fubject. This apology, tho' now loft, was extant in the time

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of Ado Vinnenfis, A. D. 870, and highly esteemed by the most learned Athenians, as that Author witneffes. It must have contained great arguments for the truth of our Saviour's history, because in it he afferted the Divinity of our Saviour, which could not but engage him in the proof of his miracles.

V. I do allow that, generally speaking, a man is not fo acceptable and unqueftioned an evidence in facts, which make for the advancement of his own party. But we must confider, that in the cafe before us, the perfons to whom we appeal, were of an oppofite party, till they were perfuaded of the truth of thofe very facts, which they report. They bear evidence to a history in defence of Chriftianity, the truth of which history was their motive to embrace Chrif tianity. They attest facts which they had heard while they were yet heathens, and had they not found reason to believe them, they would still have continued heathens, and have made no mention of them in their writings.

VI. When a man is born under chriftian Parents, and trained up in the profeffion of that religion from a child, he C 2

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generally guides himself by the rules of Chriftian Faith in believing what is delivered by the Evangelifts; but the learned Pagans of antiquity, before they became Christians, were only guided by the common rules of Historical Faith: That is, they examined the nature of the evidence which was to be met with in common fame, tradition, and the writings of those perfons who related them, together with the number, concurrence, veracity, and private characters of thofe perfons; and being convinced upon all accounts that they had the fame reafon to believe the history of our Saviour, as that of any other perfon to which they themselves were not actually eye-witneffes, they were bound by all the rules of historical faith, and of right reafon, to give credit to this hiftory. This they did accordingly, and in confequence of it published the fame truths themfelves, fuffered many afflictions, and very often death itself, in the affertion of them. When I fay, that an hiftorical belief of the acts of our Saviour induced thefe learned Pagans to embrace his doctrine, I do not deny that there were many other motives, which conduced to it, as the excellency of his precepts,

precepts, the fulfilling of prophecies, the miracles of his Difciples, the irreproachable lives and magnanimous fufferings of their followers, with other confiderations of the fame nature: but whatever other collateral arguments wrought more or lefs with Philofophers of that age, it is certain that a belief in the hiftory of our Saviour was one motive with every new convert, and that upon which all others turned, as being the very basis and foundation of Christianity.

VII. To this I muft further add, that as we have already feen many particular facts, which are recorded in holy writ, attested by particular Pagan authors: the teftimony of thofe I am now going to produce, extends to the whole hiftory of our Saviour, and to that continued feries of actions, which are related of him and his difciples, in the books of the New Teftament.

VIII. This evidently appears from their quotations out of the Evangelists, for the confirmation of any doctrine or account of our bleffed Saviour. Nay a learned man of our nation, who examined the writings of our most ancient Fathers in another view, refers to several paffages

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