Advantages obtained from Pagan Writers. ere are many more Gentile authors of diftimes, to whom I might have applied, but I them over for brevity's fake. From these, n I have mentioned, as well as from variety ers, much advantage is to be obtained. For vidence, which they afford, coming from enecannot be attended with any prejudices in r of the gofpel, and muft neceffarily have weight. By their frequent appeal to the ets and Evangelifts they fhew, that they enned no doubt of the authenticity of the holy ures. They likewise discover, in what action many controverted paffages were add by fome of the firft Chriftians. We are ife informed by them of the charity, and plary lives of those Chriftians, and of their rfal benevolence: alfo their numbers in dif parts of the world. From hence we learn, rapid the progrefs of Chriftianity was in the and in the fucceeding, century: and even in days of the apoftles. This could not have effected without the immediate furtherance e Deity. Nothing but a miraculous interpocould under fuch difficulties have given birth. e fyftem, or fo rapidly promoted it. Thefe rs afford alfo indifputable atteftation to the e conflicts, which the first Christians expeed: and under which they must have funk, had not been divinely fupported. Their nd conftancy was never before, nor fince, d. Of this, as I have obferved, we have e or two examples tranfmitted, nor from ty or province: but multitudes from all of the Roman empire bore witness to the and figned it with their blood. They took ir crofs originally with a profpect of much y evil; and with a refolution to fuffer all rather than deny their Saviour. They were ingly called forth, and stood their trial; fly laying down their lives for the sake of fpel. But first they experienced poverty, reproach, bondage, ftripes: and laftly, mu, racks, the rending and tearing of wild and other the feveret tortures, that human could invent. Thefe evidences come from emies of the gospel: and their authority was called in question. Accufation-concerning the Chriftians having eftroyed the Writings of their Adverfaries. as been imagined, and maintained, by fome , that the Chriftians formerly, out of fear aloufy, deftroyed the works of their adver If they did, they acted very unwifely for eprived Christianity of much evidence in its . The worst enemies of the gospel have bed more or lefs to its truth. This has hewn in the accounts afforded above by Pliny, us, and Julian: and there are other Gentile writers, writers, of who afford good ey allegation is by power of the writings of the from an attempt in the beginnin came out from work against C And burnt und copies, for tha that it was anf and Jerome, fecond edit fo late às the re Thus it fill i weary, and, as came contempt lected, and lot the writings o equally deprive greater amount. of time. And for their friend they fhould fhe However the wr who were enemi or lefs tranfinitt Tyrius, Marcus Plotinus, Porphy D. S. Bab. rs, of whom we have ample remains, and who 1 good evidence to my affertion. But the ation is by no means true: nor was it in the er of the Chriftians to annihilate fo many ngs of their adverfaries. This is manifeft an attempt once made to this purpofe. For e beginning of the fourth century an edict out from Conftantine, by which Porphyry's : against Christianity was ordered to be burnt. burnt undoubtedly it was: but not all the es, for that was impoffible. Hence we find it was answered, and quoted by Apollinarius, Jerome, who both lived afterwards: and a ad edict for its fuppreffion was fent forth as as the reign of the younger Theodofius. is it ftill furvived: till at laft people grew y, and, as Chryfoftome fays, the work bee contemptible, and on this account was neged, and loft. If we have no longer many of writings of the Gentile polemicks, we are ally deprived of thofe of the Chriftians to a ter amount. They perifhed alike in the wreck me. And if the Chriftians had fo little care their friends, it could not be expected, that fhould fhew more regard for their enemies. wever the writings of many Gentile philofophers, were enemies to Chriftianity, have been more efs tranfmitted. Such are thofe of Maximus ius, Marcus Antoninus Philofophus, Celfus, inus, Porphyry, Philoftratus, Julian, Libanius, * D. S. Bab. Orat. 2. tom. ii. p. 539. Benedict. I 3 Hierocles, rocles, Jamblichus, Eunapius, Proclus. Thefe ectively would amount to many volumes; and e all preserved by Christians. be great Injustice and Inhumanity both of Pliny, and - very worthy person, and an elegant * writer, Mr. Melmoth, in his tranflation of Pliny's Epiftles. See nihil æque diffolvendæ religionis effe, quam cum atrio, fed externo, ritu facrificaretur. L. xxxix. c. 16, F. Var. the the night whic is ftiled-ante l I am obliged almost in every 1. In the fir perfecutions to bat ftitution of the F peculiar to that Rome, and its Bithynia, or of They all worth the Romans no The evidence f purpose. 2. Thefe and daring at all ba did every thing i met in fecret, ar (Uniowa) highest 3. For this v us (ante lucem) properly render Thoufands muf at the fame feaf been blameless. 4. Their beha they did not dif the law. They f tion, and an im could be legally laftly by fuffering religion, and den tight which by Pliny, from whom he copies, Led-ante lucem. am obliged to diffent from this learned perfon ft in every article. In the first place, it was impoffible for these cutions to have been grounded upon the ancient conion of the Roman ftate; or any mode of acting iar to that city. For how could the police of e, and its ancient inftitutes, affect people of ynia, or of Pontus: of Syria, Egypt, or Gaul? y all worshipped their particular deities: and Romans never in any one inftance interfered. evidence from Livy is not in the least to the pofe. Thefe ancient Chriftians, fo far from nobly ng at all hazard to render themselves obnoxious, every thing in their power to prevent it. They in fecret, and performed their worship in their gwa) highest rooms, to avoid giving offence. - For this very reafon they rofe, as Pliny tells ante lucem) before day-light: which is very imperly rendered-a fufpicius hour of the night: bufands must have arifen to their occupations. he fame feafon (tempore antelucano) and have n blameless. . Their behaviour was undoubtedly noble: but, did not difplay it by any wilful oppofition to law. They fhewed it by patience, and refigna-. , and an implicit obedience in all things, that ld be legally and reasonably demanded: and ly by fuffering death, rather than give up their gion, and deny their Saviour. 5. They ΙΑ |