their Religion true must because it is the substance of what is contained in Scripture acknowledge the great things which Scripture contains to be true that is revealed or prescribed from above It remains then now only to prove that the Christian is the true Religion which were very needless did we intend to be large it having been infinitely better done by many hands than we can pretend to But in regard what we design is brief and we trust may be satisfactory such a proof will not be needless to such who it may be have not or cannot peruse larger and more elaborate works Sect. 2 I say then that the meer frame of the History of Christian Religion lieth so that no man can rationally disbelieve that that Religion came from God that is is the true Religion And this will distinctly appear if we consider what of History was extant touching Christian Religion before the time that Christ was born and then what the state of this Religion was under Christ and his Apostles and lastly what its progress and state hath been in the World ever since Within each and much more within all of these several periods there is so much of sacred story certain and undeniable as will beyond controversy evince the divine original of Christian Religion Sect. 3 First As to what of the History of Christian Religion was extant in the World before Christs coming thereinto It may possibly seem improper language to talk of the History of any thing not yet supposed in being such as Christian Religion which took its rise as well as denomination from Christ must be confest to be before Christs coming But if we consider that Christianity supposes Judaism once to have been the true Religion and builds upon and perfects it it cannot be said but Judaism being long before extant a great part of Christianity was so also The moral part of the Jewish Law Christianity only advanceth and reinforceth it addeth haply somewhat to it it disanulleth nothing at all Of the ceremonial part of the Jewish Law made up of certain typical observations and offices Christianity exhibits the real substance that is whatsoever truths were delivered of old to the Jew under shadows the Gospel plainly speaketh out So that even many of the Christian truths or doctrinals may have been said extant before Christ though in a different manner from that wherein they are now known These things therefore considered it is not unreasonable to speak somewhat of the History of Christianity extant before Christ Now that I say whatever it is delivers so much as makes up an undeniable evidence of the truth of Christian Religion I mean of its divine original First it cannot by any man of reason be denied but as there are at present a scattered race of men which call and profess themselves Jews so the forefathers of these were a very antient people and that both these and they have or had many odd customs and usages of living different from other Nations all which they have observed and in part still do with most religious veneration as pretending that they were enacted by a Law delivered from Heaven and consigned in certain Books by the hand of Moses their Lawgiver by divine direction It cannot secondly be denied that such a man as Moses a very long time ago did live and that amongst the first and most antient Monuments of all learning or letters is that arcane volume wherein Moses comprized that law For besides that we have the Book in our hands and the tradition of the Jews living in multitude of Books which we credit in other things we have mention of Moses and of his laws and the antient state and customs of the Jews Yea we find Moses Law translated into other tongues some hundred of years before the birth of Christ all which are arguments beyond contradiction of the truth of its being before extant Nor thirdly can it be denied that besides the Books of Moses the Jews had long before Christs time certain other Books which they did and their posterity still do believe to have been written by men commissioned and inspired by God to expound that law to them and acquaint them of other mysteries I mean they had the Books of the Prophets particularly of Isaiah Jeremiah Daniel the Psalms and the rest He that believes any thing of History that he reads cannot disbelieve this Now these things being granted if we compare Christianity the truths and doctrines of it with what is extant in those Books we must needs acknowledge what is contended for It is certain the Books of Moses did foretel that a Prophet God should raise a man as Moses was who should come with greater Authority than he did and must accordingly be more hearkened unto and regarded It is plain he specifies that Prophet should be of the seed of Abraham and that by Isaacs posterity and more particularly of the tribe of Judah but not born till the Scepter was departed from Judah The Prophets yet are more express they specifie the very place of his Birth Bethlehem the time of it a multitude of circumstances and actions of his life and then the time and manner of his death the destruction of Jerusalem and dispersion of the Jews on this occasion the success of his doctrine both in his life not to be regarded and after his Death to take in the whole inhabited World To instance in one particular Prophecy Daniel in express terms tells us that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince should be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks should the street be built again and the Wall even in troublous times And after threescore and two weeks should the Messiah be cut off but not for himself and the people of a Prince to come should destroy the City and the sanctuary and after the end of the War desolations were determined What is more plain than that the time of the restauration of the Jews of the Birth of the Messiah of his Death and perhaps its design of the destruction of Jerusalem and desolation of the Country is foretold If any one say this is in obscure and Aenigmatical terms I answer it is in such as all Prophecies of like nature use to be writ and that there is the same reason for the mysteriousness of prophetical language as God had for not making man prescient I do not here conceive needful to answer that old calumny of Porphyry that the prophecy of Daniel was writ after those things were done For we will suppose it must be writ either by a plagiary Jew or Christian Jew would not write what must be so much against himself as to make him and his Country-men the murtherers of the Messiah and had Christian writ it it would never have been received by the Jews as we know it both now long hath been and is I will only add one thing more before
reception which their witness in most places would find All the profit pleasure reputation then which they could forecast to themselves was a complication of troubles torments and death being laught at by wise and foolish in a word the want of all things but miseries And who would go about with a devised ly on such terms The very story it self suffers us not to believe them abused that they should a considerable time behold him discourse with him eat and drink with him handle his body and this several times done and by several persons by the eleven Disciples altogether by above five hundred at once is not consistent with the nature of a delusory Phantome That they should be besides themselves is as incredible all their other actions speak them not only discreet but virtuous And do mad men go about working miracles and succeed in the perswadeing the practice of their own madness to the wisest and greatest of their Spectatours and hearers It remains then that they testified what they knew to be true that they had seen and spoke with their risen Lord and consequently that Christ did indeed rise from the dead as he had promised than which there cannot be a greater testimony from any matter of fact of the truth of that Religion he planted For that Christ should preach a new Religion that he should affirm it was from Heaven that he should work miracles to prove it so that he should witness it to death and by death yet foretelling to the World death should not be able to hold him that he should accordingly at the time foretold arise again and shew himself that he should take witness hereof so publickly that he should send others to preach what he had done and confirm all by their miracles as he said greater than himself had wrought all which things descend to us by such notorious evidence that we cannot with any reason disbelieve any one point of them that I say all these should be and yet all a cheat no one can think who thinks not God and providence such also which thought cannot be supposed incident the blackest Devil Now then it only remains to consider the History of Christian Religion its state and progress since the departure of these great founders and witnesses of it And here we shall take notice only of two considerables both of them of undeniable truth First That it is reported and believed throughout all the Christian World that the above mentioned Disciples of our Saviour did not only by word of mouth preach and witness the Christian Doctrine but some of them consign it in Books which Books are constantly reported to have been received as the genuine works of their reputed Authors in the first and next Ages to them who had the best opportunities of examining them and in all Ages since succeeding And we find by those numerous Doctours who have written of those Books that they have been in all Ages most religiously kept and are the same for substance now as ever and finally that all in all Ages who professed to believe Christianity except some vitious lewd persons who would be denominated from that name but cast off the thing have appealed to these Books as the records of their Faith and so still doth the present Christian Age. If this Religion then ever were true we cannot considering the premises but believe it is still true for the present Christianity is consonant to the records of the old and those records still the same for substance as ever Lastly Let us consider how innumerable the Proselytes of Christiany for this sixteen hundred and odd years have been and how vastly numerous they still are It is undeniable that Christian Religion hath travelled through most or all the known and habited World Every Country sheweth Monuments of it Yea there hath been a new Religion partly made out of it which now is received in a very considerable part of the World I mean Mahumetanism In all these Countries it hath been received by men of all Ages Sexes and conditions poor and rich mighty and mean learned and unlearned It hath made virtuous of the most vitious persons magnanimous even to the contempt of death and rejoicing in it and all its pomps and precedaneous torments of the weakest minds such as those of Women and Children And yet in the mean time nothing so unlikely to have taken as this As to the substance of its more peculiar precepts they are such as thwart all carnal and secular interests They enjoin under the pain of eternal torment and misery the renouncing all that can be dear to man Father Mother Wife Children Brothers Country Estate Honour Pleasure Health in a word life it self in case any or all of them come in competition with Faith or Virtue That is if I must deny Christ or commit any other sin or else not live or not enjoy any thing I count pretious I am enjoined by the Christian law as I would not be damned to quit whatsoever it is I can loose rather than mine integrity Then as to the persons who were sent about with this ungrateful errand our records tell us they were at first a parcel of stupid pusillanimous unlettered mechanick and contemptible men yea after they had been ennobled by their errand and received all the advance and improvement of their minds which inspiration gave them in those very Books which some of them have writ as we believe by inspiration they have left footsteps and evidences of their unskillfullness in humane literature Finally the opposition which this unlikely Doctrine propagated by assertours so unlikely to succeed did at first and during the time of its more considerable propagation receive was such as makes it clearly a miracle that both Doctrine and Doctors were not long ago extinct and darkness and oblivion have dwelt so much as upon the very names of both Jew and Heathan Greek and Barbarian every where making it their business to suppress them as early as might be and before they grew too publick Notwithstanding all which maugre all force and craft this Doctrine run over the World as our Lord foretold it should like lightening without any violence saving what it suffered it succeeded every where The extinguishing its witnesses disseminated and confirm'd it insomuch that it fill'd City and Country Camp and Court and it soon became in a manner as impossible to pitch a mans abode out of the World as out of the Church All which being duly weighed no rational and considerative person can impute this success to any thing but a divine power defending and perswading what it had revealed I do profess this very one thing seems to me sufficient to convince any unbiassed person that Christianity could have no other Authour but the supreme God And that ancient famous Italian Poet had great reason to sing as he doth when bringing in St. Peter Catechizing him touching the reason of his belief of those miracles by
he be the less able to rellish it when he shall sit down to it his imployments having got him appetite and the orderly intermixture of sacred with common Offices reciprocally sweetned both each other and all his enjoyments Verily it is not easie to bring in an account of the pleasure of a busie life If variety as before said makes the pleasure may not change of business justly put in for a Recreation And what calling is there so barren but it affords some different offices none of them so ungrateful but familiarity hath some way sweetned them which while with a discreet diligence a man he is busied in he is pleasingly though insensibly delivered from those tedious nonplus's and uneasie Shifts to which the idle World is put how to spend their time And because for most or every of his hours he hath had work he hath the happy Prospect of fewer lost ones to account for In the end of the day he eats his bread with chearfulness and if he carry to Bed a weary Body 't is abundantly recompenced with an easie mind and sweet sleep till the next Morning returns him without dull Head-achs or oscitant qualms or crapulous Clouds like the Stars only clearer by having set When also he advances in his known Orb to move a new round of action and delight and take thereof as many vicissitudes and successions till that first eternal mover the pleased spectatour and witness of his diligence shall say It is enough well done my faithful Servant who worest my Image to some purpose and was like me in activity till I had a mind thou shouldst be like me too in blessedness Possibly all do not rellish these things but I am apt to think even those who rellish them least cannot but judge that who is acquainted with this life would be very loath to exchange it with their duller ease By such time then as the vileness of an idle sensual life and the satisfaction of diligence have been duly weighed we may suppose all who are not lost beyond remedy willing to shake off their clog which if they would do Thirdly Let them find themselves imployment proper at least honest and such which may either become them or they honour it Those who are to live on their trades or business cannot be to seek what is imployment proper for them Those who are meerly Gentlemen at large it is presumed have their own discretion a sufficient guide There can none of so worthy condition be thought of so unhappy and neglected education but it is easie even for such who are of meanest proficiency in erudition amongst them to find themselves liberal imployments worthy of themselves The reading our English Chronologers and other like Forreign Historians a multitude whereof are extant in English the study of our statute Laws which are generally plain and easie and both excellently fit them for the service of their Country the acquainting themselves with their own estates and particular customs relating thereto which may preserve them from being imposed upon by their rooking Stewards The improvement of their Lands by planting Trees of divers sorts and other ingenious points of agriculture or if none of these please the looking into Heraldry considering and collecting the Coat Armours of their Ancestours and the Neigbouring Gentry the study of the plainer parts of the Mathematicks which are easily writ by divers in English as Dialling measuring of land Architecture if that infect not too much with the itch of building and such like At other times Musick where there is any promptitude to it all these are impolyments very worthy and honourable and such in which there can scarce any Gentleman be presumed so unhappy in his education but he may easily busie himself with good success in especially if he chuse for his associats and converse such sober and ingenious persons of the Neighbouring gentry or Clergy as have any vain towards or insight in these and the like studies If these suggestions are not particular or large enough there is a truly pious Book nobly writ and directed The Gentlemans Calling to the Gentry which I hope none of that order will think they can in honour live unacquainted with from whence full satisfaction may be had Waving therefore that work which is already done to our hands utterly be-beyond hopes of equalling we proceed to advise Fourthly That such who are conscious to themselves of an idle temper if they would Master it having found out proper imployment set themselves therein a daily task or portion to be done at least until such time they have a little overcome their wonted negligence This if they will but stir up themselves and exert those powers which they wear they easily may do and as easily dispatch and be constant to their own injunctions especially if they do not by indiscreet promptitude over-load themselves at first by too rigid vows or resolves It is the sober zeal which is most lasting Let therefore prudence shape out the work and t is to be hoped it will after excite fortitude and constancy to suffice for its performance To conclude all this discourse Whoever would break himself of an idle sensual habit let him not forget in his first attempts the daily due discharge of divine Worship Beginnings many times are ominous and he is likely to go worst out of his way who misseth it at first setting out It will be therefore no less an act of prudence than of Duty and Piety to begin with God and bless every days work and every nights rest with Prayer and due examination of what hath been the success in this new engagement By this means relapses may be prevented or checked in the first inclinations and tendencies to them natural powers excited to their full vigour and which is more than all the holy Spirit daily call'd and as it were a fresh tempted down to the the assistance of the labouring mind The success of all which practices it is to be hoped will be this that the practis't will be vindicated from the slavery he hath contracted to sensuallity and dullness and asserted into the liberty of a pious and diligent life the designed end of this part of our discourse Sect. 4 To perswade any person concerned to this practice if the meer directions which we have given may not serve some of them as proper means commending themselves to our choice by their own reasonableness and the approbation which they receive in our brests upon their very being propounded and further disswading to persit in that life which they discover to be so vile and brutish if I say of this practice their need further enforcement that one consideration shall serve for all that it is most certain as to matters of a future life and of concernment to our Souls Every one Lives only so much of his time as is spent in action Rest and ease and refection are necessary indeed for the support of this life and