who, for near 300 years together, made this glorious confeffion of their faith, in the midft of tortures, and in the hour of death; I must conclude, that they were either of another make than men are at present, or that they had fuch miraculous fupports as were peculiar to those times of Christianity, when without them perhaps the very name of it might have been extinguished. VII. It is certain, that the deaths and fufferings of the primitive Christians had a great share in the converfion of those learned Pagans, who lived in the ages of perfecution, which, with fome intervals and abatements, lafted near 300 years after our Saviour. Juftin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius, Arnobius, and others, tell us, that this firft of all alarmed their curiofity, roused their attention, and made them seriously inquifitive into the nature of that religion, which could endue the mind with fo much ftrength, and overcome the fear of death, nay, raise an earneft defire of it, though it appeared in all its terrors. This they found had not been effected by all the doctrines of thofe philosophers, whom they had thoroughly studied, and who had been labouring at this great point. The fight of thefe dying and tormented martyrs engaged them to fearch into the history and doctrines of him for whom they fuffered. The more they fearched, the more they were convinced; till their conviction grew fo ftrong, that they themselves embraced the fame truths, and either actually laid down their lives, or were always in a readiness to do it, rather than depart from them. SECTION SECTION VIII. 1. The completion of our Saviour's prophecies confirmed Pagans in their belief of the Gospel. II. Origen's obfervation on that of his Difciples being brought before kings and governors. III. On their being perfecuted for their religion; VI. These arguments ftrengthened by what has happened fince Origen's time. I. THE fecond of those extraordinary means, of great use to the learned and inquifitive Pagans of the three first centuries, for evincing the truth of the history of our Saviour, was the completion of fuch prophecies as are recorded of him in the Evangelifts. They could not indeed form any arguments from what he foretold, and was fulfilled during his life, because both the prophecy and the completion were over before they were published by the Evangelifts; though, as Origen obferves, what end could there be in forging fome of these predictions, as that of St. Peter's denying his Master, and all his Disciples forfaking F 2 forfaking him in the greatest extremity, which reflects fo much fhame on the great Apostle, and on all his companions? Nothing but a strict adherence to truth and to matters of fact, could have prompted the Evangelifts to relate a circumstance fo difadvantageous to their own reputation; as that Father has well obferved. II. But to pursue his reflections on this fubject. There are predictions of our Saviour recorded by the Evangelists, which were not completed till after their deaths, and had no likelihood of being fo, when they were pronounced by our blessed Saviour. Such was that wonderful notice he gave them, that they should be brought 6 before governors and kings for his fake, for a teftimony against them and the 'Gentiles,' Matt. x. 28. with the other like prophecies, by which he foretold that his Disciples were to be perfecuted. Is there any other doctrine in the world,' fays this Father, whofe followers are 'punished? Can the enemies of Christ say, that he knew his opinions were false and • impious, and that therefore he might well 6 6 6 conjecture and foretel what would be the ' treatment of those persons who should ' embrace them? Suppofing his doctrines 'were really fuch, why fhould this be the 'confequence? What likelihood that ment 'fhould be brought before kings and governors for opinions and tenets of any kind, when this never happened even to the Epicureans, who absolutely denied a Providence; nor to the Peripateticks themselves, who laughed at the prayers and facrifices which were made to the Divinity? Are there any but the Chrif'tians, who, according to this prediction ' of our Saviour, being brought before kings and governors for his fake, are preffed to their latest gafp of breath, by their respective judges, to renounce Christianity, and to procure their liberty and reft, by offering the fame facrifices, ' and taking the fame oaths that others ' did?' 6 III. Confider the time when our Saviour pronounced thofe words, Matt. x. 32. Whofoever fhall confefs me before 6 men, him will I alfo confefs before my F 3 'Father |