ought to fuffice us, that whofoever wrote the Books we fpeak of, both lived in the primitive Age, and were endued with Apoftolical Gifts. For if any body will fay, that thefe qualities might be feigned, as the very Names might be in other Writings; he fays that which is not credible, viz. that they who every where prefs the study of truth and piety, would for no caufe at all make themselves guilty of the crime of forgery: which is not only deteftable among all good Men, but by the Roman Laws was to be punished with death.

SECT. V.

Thefe Pen-men writ the Truth, because they bad certain knowledge of what they writ.

HIS therefore must be allowed, that the Books of the New Covenant were written by those Authors, whofe Names they bear, or by fuch as bear fufficient witness of themselves: To which if we farther add, that they were also well acquainted with the matters whereof they wrote, and had no purpofe to lye or diffemble, it will follow that the things which they committed to writing were both certain and true, because every untruth proceeds either from ignorance, or from a wicked defire to deceive.

As touching Matthew, John, Peter, and Jude, they were all of the fociety and fellowship of thofe Twelve whom Jefus did chufe to be witnesses of his Life and Doctrine; fo that they could not want notice of those things which they did reG

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Book III. late. The fame may be faid of James, who was either an Apoftle, or as fome think, the next a-kin to Jefus, and by the Apostles confecrated Bishop of Hierufalem. Paul alfo could not err through lack of knowledge, about thofe Points which he profeffeth were revealed to him by Jefus himself reigning in Heaven; nor could he, or Luke either, who was an infeparable companion to him in his travels, be deceived about thofe things which were done by himself. This Luke might eafily know the certainty of thofe things which he writ concerning the life and death of Fefus: For he was born in the places next adjoining to Palestina; through which Country when he travelled, he faith he fpake with fuch perfons as were eye-witneffes of the things that were done. For doubtlefs befides the Apostles with whom he had familiarity, there lived many others at that time who had been cured by Jefus, and had feen him both before his Death and after his Refurrection.

If we will give credit to Tacitus and Suetonius in thofe things which happened a long time before they were born, because we are confident that they diligently enquired into the truth thereof; how much more ought we to believe this Writer, who faith that he received all the things which he relates from them that had seen the fame.

It is credibly reported of Mark, that he was a conftant companion with Peter, fo that whatfoever he writ, are to be look'd upon as dictated by Peter, who could not be ignorant thereof. Befides, the fame things that he writes are almost all extant in the Writings of the Apostles. Neither could the Author of the Apocalypfe be deceived or deluded in thofe Vifions, which he faith were

fent

fent unto him from Heaven. Nor he that writ the Epiftle to the Hebrews err in those things which he profeffeth, either to be infpired into him by the Spirit of God, or elfe taught him by the Apostles.

SECT. VI.

As also because they would not lye.

THE

HE other reafon we fpake of to prove the truth of the faid Holy Writers, because they had no will to tell an untruth, is twisted with that which we handled above, when in general we proved the truth of Chriftian Religion, and of the Hiftory of the Refurrection of Chrift.

Thofe that will accufe any Witnelles for the pravity of their will, muft produce fomething by which it may be thought credible, their will might be diverted from uttering the truth: but this cannot be averred of the faid Authors. For if any do object and fay, that they acted in their own caufe, and did their own bulinefs; we muft fee why this fhould be thought their cause and intereft. Not that they might get any thing by it in this World, or thereby avoid any danger : when for the fake of this profeffion, they both loft all the goods of this World, and ventured upon all manner of dangers. This therefore was not their caufe and intereft, but only out of reverence to God: which fure doth not perfuade Men to lye; efpecially in fuch a bulinefs, whereupon depends the everlafting Salvation of Mankind.

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Such

Such an impious piece of villany we cannot believe they could be guilty of, if we confider either their Doctrines, every where moft full of pie; or their life, which was never yet accufed of any wicked deed: no not by their greatest Enemies, who objected nothing to them, but their want of learning and unfkilfulness; which did not qualifie them fure for inventing falfehoods. And indeed, if there had been the leaft fpice, as we fpeak, of fraud and cheating in them, they would not themselves have recorded their own faults, and preferved the memory of them as of their all forfaking their Mafter when he was in danger, and Peter's denial of him three times.

SECT. VII.

A Confirmation of the Fidelity of these Authors from the Miracles which they wrought.

N the other fide, God himfelf gave illuftrious teftimonies of their Fidelity by working wonders, which either they or their Difciples with great boldnefs pulickly avouched, adding alfo the names of the perfons, places, and other circumftances: So that the truth or falfhood of their affertion might eafily have been discovered by the inquifition of the Magiftrate.

Amongft which it is worthy our obfervation, which they have moft conftantly delivered, both concerning the ufe of Tongues which they had never learned among many thousand Men; and

their curing the difeafes of the body upon a fudden in the fight of the People. Neither were they any whit difimayed with fear either of the Jewish Magiftrates of thofe times, whom they knew to be moft maliciously fet against them; or of the Romans, who were far from having any good will to them, and, they were fure, would lay hold on any thing on which they might ground a charge of their being inventors of a new Religion and yet neither Jews nor Pagans, in the times immediately following, durft ever deny, that wonders were wrought by thofe Men, Yea, the Miracles of Peter are mentioned by Phlegon in his Annals, who lived under Adrian the Emperor. Moreover the Chriftians themselves in thofe Books that contain a reafon of their faith, which they exhibited to the Emperors, to the Senate, and to the Governors, do relate these things as moft manifeft and unquestionable truths: yea, they openly report that there continued a wonderful virtue of working ftrange effects at their Sepulchres for fome Ages after their Death; which if it had been false, they knew that to their fame and punishment the Magiftrates could have confuted it very easily. But there were fuch multitude of Miracles wrought at the Sepulchres I fpoke of, and fo many Witneffes of them, that they extorted even from Porphyry a confeffion of it.