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cian perfecution five or fix years before Origen's death, and lived till the year 343. I have only discovered one of those channels by which the history of our Saviour might be conveyed pure and unadulterat ed, through thofe feveral ages that produced thofe Pagan Philofophers, whofe teftimonies I make ufe of for the truth of our Saviour's hiftory. Some or other of these Philofophers came into the Chriftian faith during its infancy, in the several periods of these three first centuries, when they had fuch means of informing themselves in all the particulars of our Saviour's hiftory. I must further add, that though I have here only chofen this fingle link of martyrs, I might find out others among thofe names which are ftill extant, that delivered down this account of our Saviour in a fucceffive tradition, till the whole Roman empire became Chriftian; as there is no question but numberless feries of witneffes might follow one another in the fame order, and in as fhort a chain, and that perhaps in every fingle Church, had the names and ages of the most eminent primitive Chriftians, been tranfmitted to us with the like certainty.

XI. But

XI. But to give this confideration more force, we must take notice, that the tradition of the firft ages of Chriftianity, had several circumftances peculiar to it, which made it more authentic than any other tradition in any other age of the world. The Chriftians, who carried their religion through fo many general and particular perfecutions, were inceffantly comforting and fupporting one another, with the example and hiftory of our Saviour and his Apostles. It was the fubject not only of their folemn affemblies, but of their private vifits and converfations. Our virgins, fays Tatian, who lived in the fecond century, difcourfe over their diftaffs on divine fubjects. Indeed, when religion was woven into the civil government, and flourished under the protection of the Emperors, mens thoughts and difcourfes were as they are now, full of fecular affairs; but in the three first centuries of Christianity, men who embraced this religion, had given up all their interefts in this world, and lived in a perpetual preparation for the next, as not knowing how foon they might be called to it fo that they had little else to talk

:

of

of but the life and doctrines of that divine perfon, which was their hope, their encouragement, and their glory. We cannot therefore imagine, that there was a fingle perfon arrived at any degree of age or confideration, who had not heard and repeated above a thousand times in his life, all the particulars of our Saviour's birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion.

XII. Efpecially if we confider, that they could not then be received as Chriftians, till they had undergone several examinations. Perfons of riper years, who flocked daily into the Church during the three first centuries, were obliged to pafs through many repeated inftructions, and give a ftrict account of their proficiency, before they were admitted to baptifm. And as for those who were born of Chriftian parents, and had been baptifed in their infancy, they were with the like care prepared and difciplined for confirmation, which they could not arrive at, till they were found upon examination to have made a fufficient progrefs in the knowledge of chriftianity.

XIII. We must further observe, that there was not only in those times this re

ligious

ligious converfation among private Chriftians, but a conftant correfpondence between the Churches that were established by the Apostles or their fucceffors, in the feveral parts of the world. If any new doctrine was ftarted, or any fact reported of our Saviour, a ftrict enquiry was made among the Churches, efpecially those planted by the Apoftles themfelves, whether they had received any fuch doctrine or account of our Saviour, from the mouths of the Apostles, or the tradition of thofe Chriftians, who had preceded the prefent members of the Churches, which were thus confulted. By this means, when any novelty was published, it was immediately detected and cenfured.

XIV. St. John, who lived fo many years after our Saviour, was appealed to in these emergencies, as the living Oracle of the Church, and as his oral teftimony lafted the first century, many have obferved that, by a particular providence of God, feveral of our Saviour's Difciples, and of the early converts of his religion, lived to a very great age, that they might perfonally convey the truth of the Gofpel to thofe times, which were

very remote from the first publication of it. Of these, befides St. John, we have a remarkable inftance in Simeon, who was one of the Seventy set forth by our Saviour to publifh the Gospel before his crucifixion, and a near Kinfman of the Lord. This venerable perfon, who had probably heard with his own ears our Saviour's prophecy of the deftruction of Jerufalem, prefided over the Church established in that city, during the time of its memorable fiege, and drew his congregation out, of thofe dreadful and unparallel'd calamities which befel his countrymen, by following the advice our Saviour had given, when they fhould fee Jerufalem encompaffed with armies, and the Roman ftandards, or abomination of defolation, fet up. He lived till the year of our Lord 107, when he was martyr'd under the Emperor Trajan.

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