deserves far less Esteem than one who happily accomplishes some accurate Composition or more compleat Translation I say this if it be a solid Argument against bad Translations wo'nt hold against such as are good and so apparently and so highly useful that shou'd any one exclaim against 'em he would but betray his Folly and provoke the Laughter or silent Scorn of those who are not as remarkable Triflers as himself For if no Translator must appear in the World who is not so industrious and so correct that he almost seems to be free from those Faults to which the Frailty of humane Nature renders Mankind unavoidably subject if the Taste of Readers is so nice as to disrellish the the most exact Translations that are extant by Reason of many great Defects which insensibly creep into the best humane Compositions then the same Argument which is us'd against Translations will equally overthrow the most learned and useful Originals that ever were and ev'n the sacred Oracles of the supream and all-wise Being For tho' I think 't is ridiculously objected against us by the Atheists and Deists that some Faults have been found in the best Versions of the Holy Scriptures and that the sacred Original Text it self thro' the long Tract of Time in which the Books of the Old and New Testament were committed to Writing thro' the Ignorance and Carelesness and perhaps Design of some Transcribers is liable to some few Exceptions yet if we must reject and despise all Translations because some are bad and the best imperfect I fear we must immediately throw up our Bibles themselves and grope after Truth by no better Help than that of the dim Light of Nature For all the Versions of the Holy Scriptures are allow'd to be the Works of Men who were not immediately inspir'd by the Spirit of GOD tho' we have Reason to believe he was pleas'd to afford 'em more than ord'nary Direction and Influence in an Affair which had so great a Tendency to the Welfare of the Christian Church and ev'n to the happy and timely Conviction and Conversion of the most hardn'd Infidels into whose Hands the Scriptures may fall from Time to Time and in which they made their serious earnest frequent and more solemn Addresses to Almighty God for all that gracious Assistance which he saw was necessary or convenient for em All the Versions and the Septuagint it Self for correcting which and comparing it with the Alexandrian Manuscript the World is beholden to the Incomparably Learned Indefatigable and Judicious Dr. Grabe all the Versions I say were the Works of uninspir'd Persons who were liable to many gross Defects Nay the Greek and Hebrew Text of Scripture those sacred and refreshing Fountains of living Water have been shamefully polluted by humane Additions and cursed Innovations tho' God in his wise and holy Providence has preserv'd 'em in all the Ages of the Church so far uncorrupted in Spite of all the Wit Malice and unweary'd Industry of Men and Devils that they carry the lively and honourable Stamp of a divine Authority and are still what they always were a perfect Rule both of Faith and Manners If then we pay a more than ord'nary Deference to the sacred Originals of the Holy Scriptures and if the small Errors in a comparative Sence which are found in all the Versions that were ever extant ought by no means to shock our religious and firm Belief of the Divine Inspiration of those sacred and most valuable Records then I think 't is sufficiently evident that Translations in general are of excellent and continual Use and the Badness of some and the Imperfections which unavoidably attend 'em all is no solid Argument against those which are good or even such as are bad if the Original was an Author who deserv'd to be translated and so far as the Translator discovers his Affection and does real Service to the Cause of Piety Sence or Learning Another Objection that may be brought against Translations is this that the injudicious and illiterate shou'd not dare to intrude into those venerable Misteries of the Empire of Reason and Learning which some are apt to imagine 't is their Prerogative to consult and to understand and the entire Reputation and Advantage of which they think is a Debt that ought only to be pay'd to Persons of their Character and Distinction But many who assume to themselves the Title of Persons who are profoundly learned especially such whose Talent lies chiefly in torturing such Words as very seldom occur in Authors whose Heads are living Dictionaries or rather Libraries the faithful but trifling Repositories of senseless Criticisms which how great Satisfaction soever they may perhaps afford to these eager and eternal Hunters of meer Words and Phrases are of little use I say many such Persons have a much smaller Share of solid Reason than they whom these Tyrants in the Empire of Learning would have to lie prostrate at their Feet Besides I can't for my Life conceive why any Persons how learned so ever they may esteem themselves to be how knowing soever they may be accounted by others who have gon in the same tedious if not unprofitable Track of Study and what Skill soever they may really have in reading uncommon and almost obliterated Characters or comparing almost an infinite Number of Worm-eaten and voluminous Manuscripts I say I can't conceive why such Persons shou'd desire and endeavour to engross all the Learning in the World to themselves make it serve like the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks to amaze but not instruct or reform Mankind and prevent the Generality of Men from making Enquiries into Truth which these fond Admirers of themselves represent as a Thing that 's vastly beyond their Reach and the Honour of Knowing which ought by no means to be prostituted to em For my Part I confess I cou'd never justifie nor easily extenuate the common Practice of the Popish Priests who forbid the Laity to read ev'n the Holy Scriptures which if they are not render'd a meer Nose of Wax by their Humane Traditions and wrong Interpretations are able under the Influence of the Holy Spirit to make the injudicious and illiterate so wise as to secure the Salvation of their Souls tho' not fit to dispute or manage an Intriegue with subtil and designing Jesuits and can warm their Hearts with a much deeper Impression of the near Relation in which they stand both to GOD and and to their Neighbour and of those prudent Methods which they ought to take to perform their Duty in the most pleasant and profitable Manner than some of the most learned Doctors of the Sorbon can modestly pretend to have And whether such Persons of Intriegue don't discover as much Ignorance as Antichristian Pride in taking these irregular Measures to gain the Esteem and command the Purses of the People to support the Interest and raise the Reputation of the Church of Rome which stands in Need of many pious Cheats to
the Profession which I make of the Christian Religion which is built on the Jewish Prophets as well as on our Saviour's Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone but I wou'd Eph. ii V. 20. convince him if it be possible upon the Principles in which we both agree that we have far more Reason to give Credit to the Report of our Blessed Saviour who is reported to have seen and heard such Things and for ought we know did acquaint his Disciples with the Vision which he saw and the Voice which he heard from Heav'n Perhaps it may be objected against us That ev'n they who have giv'n us an Account of the Holy Spirit 's Appearing in the Resemblance of a Dove and of the Voice that came from Heav'n hadn't these Things so much as from our Saviour's Mouth since ev'n according to our own Notions the same Spirit which inspir'd Moses to write a History of what pass'd for many Ages before ever he was born ev'n from the Creation of the World to the Time of Abraham who in some Sence was the Father of the Jewish Race might also immediately reveal the strange Passages which happen'd at our Saviour's Baptism to the four Evangelists But to this I answer that one who is favour'd with what the Scriptures call the Gift of Wisdom can easily account for the Opening of Heav'n and assign a Reason why the Holy Spirit appear'd to our Blessed Saviour in the Resemblance of a Dove rather than in the Shape of any other Animal However these are Niceties that are foreign to our present Purpose All therefore that I shall do at present shall be to shew that Celsus did not only want the Innocence of the Dove but ev'n the Subtilty of the Serpent when he put such Discourse as this into the Mouth of one whom he calls a Jew who if he be not false to his Pretensions must believe several Things that are much more improbable than any Thing related in the History of which I am now discoursing CHAP. XXXIX I Remember in a Disputation I had with some Celebrated Jewish Doctors and before a great Deal of Learned Company who were at once Witnesses and Judges of what I said I us'd this Argument against 'em Pray Gentlemen let me know said I since two Persons have appear'd upon the Stage of the World who are confidently reported to have done such Things as were vastly beyond the Sphere of Nature viz. Moses the Lawgiver of the Jews who has writ the History of what he did and JESUS our Master who has not left behind him in Writing an Account of any of the Actions which he did but has the concurring Testimony of the four Evangelists I say let me know on what Grounds you can justify the vast Difference which you make between 'em that we must believe forsooth that Moses deliver'd nothing but what was true tho' the Egyptians reproach him as one that dealt with the Devil but must look upon our Saviour as a vile Impostour on the Account of the severe Accusations which you bring against him We see that both these Persons have their Authority supported by the Testimony of a great Body of People Moses has his supported by the ready and joint Testimony of the Jewish Nation and our Saviour his by the General Suffrage of the Christians who don't deny Moses to be a Prophet sent from God but confirm the History of our Saviour ev'n by the Sacred and Undisputed Authority of your celebrated Moses If therefore you desire us to justify our Conduct in paying so awful a Regard to our Blessed Saviour do you first assign some Reasons why you believe in Moses who came into the World many Ages before the incarnate Jesus and then it may be time to acquaint you with the rational Grounds on which our Faith is built But if you refuse to give us any Reasons why you believe in Moses neither shall we think fit to acquaint you with those we have for believing in our Saviour or if you are not able to offer any Demonstrative Arguments in favour of your justly celebrated Moses be pleas'd to hear what Arguments we can bring ev'n from the Law and the Prophets to prove that our Jesus is the true Messiah And which is something strange those very Arguments which we bring from the Old Testament Writings to prove that our Saviour had a Divine Commission do at the same Time prove that Moses and the Prophets were Persons who were immediately inspir'd But to return The Law and the Prophets abound with as strange Stories as that of the Dove that appear'd to our Saviour at his Baptism and the Voice that came to him out of Heav'n and that it was the Spirit of God that appear'd to him in the Resemblance of a Dove do's I think at least seem highly probable from the Consideration of the Miracles which our Saviour wrought which Celsus says he did by the Help of Magick which he had learn'd in Egypt Here I think it may not be improper to mention not only the Miracles of our Saviour but also those which were wrought by the Apostles who were every Way qualify'd for that great Work in which their Master did engage em For if their Ministry hadn't been accompany'd with Miracles they wou'd never have been able so happily to prevail with their Hearers to renounce the Religion in which they had been born and bred and to embrace a new discountenanc'd Doctrine the Profession of which wou'd expose 'em to the greatest Dangers ev'n to an ignominious and painful Death and some remarkable Footsteps of that Holy Spirit who appear'd to our Saviour in the Resemblance of a Dove do remain among Christians to this very Day They disposses Daemons perform many wonderful Cures and sometimes when God sees fit they foresee and foretel future distant and very contingent Events And therefore let Celsus and his Jew ridicule us as much as ever they please yet 't is plain and I think undeniable that many Persons have embrac'd the Christian Religion in Spite of all the Force of Prejudice the Spirit of God making so sudden and so powerful an Impression on their Minds whether in a Dream or Vision or some other Way that instead of being implacable Enemies to Christianity as once they were they have chearfully and ev'n triumphantly laid down their Lives for the Sake of their Profession and seal'd the Truth with their warmest Blood If I shou'd only relate those Things that have fall'n within the Compass of my own personal Knowledge and frequent Observation I shou'd furnish Infidels with abundant Matter of Laughter who wou'd be ready to suspect us Christians as we do them of inventing Fictions to support a bad and sinking Cause tho' the Searcher of Hearts can bear me Witness that my Design and Endeavour is not to maintain our Religion by fabulous and ridiculous Narrations but by a Variety of proper Evidence to recommend it to the World
The Account which he gives us of Rampsinitus and Ceres wou'd have come with a much better Grace from the Mouth of an Egyptian who to lessen the Authority of Moses might say that 't was much more probable that the fore-mention'd Persons shou'd play at Dice together in the Region of the Dead and that he as a Proof of his Descent thither shou'd produce the embroider'd Handkerchief which he took from the Goddess than that Moses went into the Darkness which God himself did inhabit and that he alone had the Honour to come near him as he himself gives us an Account And we who are the Followers of the Holy Jesus may make the following Address to the pretended Jew when he talks at so extravagant a Rate Pray how do you answer the Greeks and Egyptians who raise many of the same Objections against Moses that you offer against our Blessed Saviour When you have heap'd up all the Arguments you can think of in Defence of Moses tho' we think at the same time that we can solidly and clearly prove him to be a True and very Eminent Prophet you 'll be forc'd unawares to acknowledge ev'n according to those Arguments which you your Selves make use of that our Blessed Saviour did vastly and indeed infinitely exceed him But because Celsus's Jew makes meer Game of the Histories which give us an Account of the Descent of some Heroes into the Region of the Dead and their Return from thence and thinks that their pretended DIVINE SORT OF ABSCONDING for a Time and then coming back again and making an Appearance upon the Stage of the World was all Artifice and Delusion as he plainly intimates when he speaks of the Opinion that the Odrysians had of Orpheus the Thessalians of Protesilaus and the Inhabitants of Toenarus entertain'd of Hercules and Theseus I shall make it appear that there is no Manner of Comparison between these Fables of the Greeks and the Account that the Evangelists give us of the Resurrection of Our Saviour 'T is obvious to remark that these Fabulous Heroes cou'd descend into the Region of the Dead whenever the Fancy took 'em and return as soon as they saw Cause to do so But since our Saviour was crucify'd in the open View of the Jews and Romans and after his Death was tak'n down from the Cross in the Sight of so many Witnesses what Reason have we to imagine that he feign'd his Descent into the World of disembody'd Spirits and his Return to our World again as the Greeks have feign'd their Heroes to have often done Nay I 'm inclin'd to think that from the Story of these Ancient Heroes we may be furnish'd with an Argument that will take away in a great Measure the SVPPOS'D INFAMY of the CROSS of CHRIST Had our Saviour dy'd in a common Way and giv'n the Jews and Romans no convincing Proof of the Reality of his Death he had certainly been liable to Suspicion as well as many of the Heroes of the Greeks tho' he had really been loos'd from the strong Bonds of the Grave in which he was some Time held I humbly conceive therefore that one principal Reason why he dy'd in so publick a Manner was this that no Person might have the least Umbrage of Jealousy that he crafâ—ily retir'd from the World and feign'd himself to be gone down to the Region of the Dead and took his own Time to appear again making the World believe that he was ris'n from the Dead when in Truth he was all this While as much alive as ever But to remove any such foolish Suspicion we need only consider that his Disciples most willingly expos'd themselves to imminent Dangers in publishing his Doctrine to the World tho' they were not ignorant of the rooted Prejudices of Men against it This certainly they wou'd never have been tempted to do if their Lord's Resurrection had been no more than an emty Fiction especially if we consider they not only perswaded others to lay down their Lives for the Cause of Christ but with the greatest Readiness wou'd if it were possible have dy'd Ten Thousand Deaths to promote it Then Celsus's Jew as if 't was impossible that any one shou'd rise from the Dead with the same Numerical Body makes Use of this rash Expression We must says he consider whether any Person that was really dead did ever rise with the same Numerical and Proper Body This One wou'd think shou'dn't come from the Mouth of one who bears the Character of a Jew who is suppos'd to believe what we find recorded in the two Books of Kings 1 Kin. 17. V. 22. concerning two Children one of which was restor'd to Life by Elijah 2 Kin. 4. V. 34. and the other by Elisha And I believe 't was Matter of our Saviour's Choice to be educated among the Jews because they were accustom'd to Miracles that so by comparing what he did with what had been done in the former Ages of the World they might be forc'd to acknowledge that his Miracles deserv'd the Preference by whom and in whose Name far greater Things were perform'd than had been done in the Memory of Man Then the pretended Jew having produc'd the Histories of the Greeks to shew us the strange Artifices which the Ancient Heroes us'd that People might imagine that they were ris'n from the dead directs his Discourse to those of his Native Country that were converted to the Christian Faith in the following Words Do you look upon the Accounts that are giv'n by others as trifling Stories and imagine that the Catastrophe of your Senseless Drama is ever the more just or probable because you endeavour to adorn it with some Fine Inventions because your Crucify'd Jesus gave a most dreadful Out-Cry when he lay at the very Point of Death To this I answer we believe that the Account which you have giv'n of the Ancient Heroes of the Greeks is grosly Fabulous but we are fully perswaded and I think on very rational Grounds that the Account which is giv'n us of our Blessed Saviour in those Holy Scriptures which are common to us both and of which we make our Boast as much as you your is far from deserving that contemptible Character which this Gentleman is pleas'd to give it Therefore we can never grant that the Glorious Miracles which were wrought in raising some Persons from the dead as we are credibly inform'd were no better than empty Fictions and vain Amusements We believe that our Saviour did really rise from the dead as the Prophets and he himself had foretold he shou'd and one Thing among others that makes his Resurrection the more remarkable and in which it excell'd that of any other Person is the following Consideration that he wa'n't rais'd from the dead by a Prophet such as Elijah or Elisha was but by the IMMEDIATE INFLVENCE of rhe GOD-HEAD Hence it came to pass that the happy Effects of his Resurrection were so Exrraordinary and so General Pray