VI. Accordingly we find the fame Jefus Chrift, who was born of a Virgin, who had wrought many miracles in Paleftine, who was crucified, rofe again, and afcended into Heaven; I fay, the fame Jefus Chrift had been preached, and was worshipped, in Germany, France, Spain, and Great-Britain, in Parthia, Media, Mefopotamia, Armenia, Phrygia, Afia and Pamphilia, in Italy, Egypt, Afric, and beyond Cyrene, India and Perfia, and, in fhort, in all the islands and provinces that are vifited by the rifing or setting Sun. The fame account of our Saviour's life and doctrine was delivered by thoufands of Preachers, and believed in thoufands of places, who all, as faft as it could be conveyed to them, received the fame account in writing from the four Evangelifts.

VII. Irenæus to this purpose very aptly remarks, that thofe barbarous nations, who in his time were not poffeft of the written Gofpels, and had only learned the hiftory of our Saviour from thofe who had converted them to Christianity before the Gofpels were written, had among them the fame accounts of our Saviour, which are to be met with in the four Evangelifts. An unconteftable proof

of the harmony and concurrence between the holy Scripture and the tradition of the Churches in thofe early times of Christianity.

VIII. Thus we fee what opportunities the learned and inquifitive heathens had of informing themfelves of the truth of our Saviour's history, during the three first Centuries, efpecially as they lay nearer one than another to the fountain-head: befide which, there were many uncontroverted traditions, records of Chriftianity, and particular hiftories, that then threw light into these matters, but are now entirely loft, by which, at that. time, any appearance of contradiction, or feeming difficulties, in the hiftory of the Evangelifts were fully cleared up and explained: Though we meet with fewer appearances of this nature in the hiftory of our Saviour, as related by the four Evangelifts, than in the accounts of any other perfon, published by fuch a number of different hiftorians who lived at fo great a distance from the prefent age.

IX. Among thefe records which are loft, and were of great ufe to the primitive Christians, is the letter to Tiberius, which I have already mentioned; that

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of Marcus Aurelius, which I shall take notice of hereafter; the writings of Hegefippus, who had drawn down the hiftory of Chriftianity to his own time, which was not beyond the middle of the fecond Century; the genuine Sibylline oracles, which in the first ages of the Church were eafily diftinguished from the spurious; the records preferved in particular Churches, with many other of the fame nature.

SECTION VII.

1. The fight of miracles in those ages a further confirmation of Pagan Philofophers in the Chriftian faith.

II. The credibility of fuch miracles.
III. A particular inftance.

IV. Martyrdom, why confidered as a standing miracle.

V. Primitive Chriftians thought many of the Martyrs were supported by a miraculous power.

VI. Proved from the nature of their fufferings.

VII. How Martyrs further induced the Pagans to embrace Chriftianity.

D 5

I. THERE

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1. THERE were other means, which I find had a great influence on the learned of the three firft Centuries, to create and confirm in them the belief of our bleffed Saviour's hiftory, which ought not to be paffed over in filence. The firft was, the opportunity they enjoyed of examining thofe Miracles, which were on feveral occafions performed by Chriftians, and appeared in the Church, more or lefs, during these first ages of Christianity. Thefe had great weight with the men I am now fpeaking of, who from learned Pagans, became fathers of the Church; for they frequently boaff of them in their writings, as at-. teftations given by God himself to the truth of their religion.

II. At the fame time, that thefe learned men declare how difingenuous, bafe, and wicked it would be, how much beneath the dignity of Philofophy, and contrary to the precepts of Chriftianity, to utter falfhoods or forgeries in the fupport of a caufe, though never fo juft in itfelf, they confidently affert this miraculous power, which then fubfifted in the Church, nay tell us that they them

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felves had been eye-witneffes of it at feveral times, and in feveral instances; nay, appeal to the heathens themselves for the truth of feveral facts they relate, nay challenge them to be prefent at their af femblies, and fatisfy themselves, if they doubt of it; nay we find that Pagan Authors have in fome inftances confeffed this miraculous power.

III. The letter of Marcus Aurelius, whofe army was preferved by a refreshing fhower, at the fame time that his enemies were discomfited by a form of lightning, and which the heathen historians themselves allow to have been fupernatural and the effect of magic: I fay, this letter, which afcribed this unexpected affiftance to the prayers of the Chriftians, who then ferved in the army, would have been thought an unqueftionable teftimony of the miraculous Power I am speaking of, had it been still preferved. It is fufficient for me in this place to take notice, that this was one of those miracles which had its influence on the learned Converts, because it is related by Tertullian, and the very letter appealed to. When these learned men faw fickness and frenzy cured, the dead raised, the ora

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