of a Future and Aweful Judgment and do what lay in their Power to gain the Favour of the Blessed God the Creator and Supream Disposer of the Universe I say do's it stand to Reason that such a one so serviceable to promote the Glory of God and the Welfare of precious and immortal Souls shou'd be so far from being born in a miraculous Way as to be of a base and illegitimate Extraction I ask the Greeks and particularly Celsus who whether he be a Platonist or no thinks he has sufficient Authority for what he says if he do's but quote a Passage out of the learned Plato whether it be not a Reflection upon one who holds the Doctrine of the Transmigration of Souls and by Consequence that every Body has a proper Soul to act and animate it to deny that our Saviour was born in a lawful Manner who engag'd in so difficult and important a Work instructed so many ignorant and seduc'd Persons and happily and suddenly recover'd 'em from that Deluge of Immorality in which they had been so long and so deeply plung'd Is it not more rational to think according to the Opinion of Pythagoras Plato and Empedocles on the Testimony of which learned Authors Celsus himself do's very much rely that there are some secret Reasons why every Soul shou'd have a Body appropriated to it self that is a fit Receptacle for it and suited to the good or bad Qualities which it had in its State of Pre-existence Is it not just and reasonable that a more than humane Soul that do's more Service to the World than many Thousands of others to say no more lest my Discourse shou'd be thought to savour of Prejudice shou'd be united to a Portion of Organiz'd Matter that is more excellent than the Generality of Bodies are For if those Souls which by the Virtue of some secret Causes are of too noble a Nature to be united to an inanimate Creature and are not worthy to animate a Body that is compleatly form'd have one that is adapted to 'em the Head of which being disproportionable to the rest of its Members do's in a great Measure hinder the free Exercise of Reason and others that are more perfect act a Body that is more duly dispos'd and so others according to the several Degrees of their native or acquir'd Excellencies are sent into more or less perfect Bodies why may not a particular Soul assume a Body in a miraculous Way a Body that has something in common with the rest of Men that may render it fit for humane Conversation and something wherein it differs from 'em that may in some Measure secure it from the sad Contagion of a neighbouring and distemper'd Mind In short if we give any Credit to them who are skill'd in Physiognomy such as Zopyrus Loxus Polemon and others who have directly handl'd that difficult Subject and pretend to find out extraordinary Mysteries by observing the Rules which that Science proposes what Absurdity is there in asserting that all Bodies are suited to the Qualities of the Soul that acts em Is there then the least Probability that a Soul so excellent in it self and form'd for such great and truly-generous Designs as the Humane Soul of our Blessed Saviour shou'd animate a Body which as Celsus represents the Matter was begotten in Adultery by a wicked Souldier on the Body of a lustful Female One wou'd rather think that a Mad-man or a Person who prov'd a constant Plague to the Age and Place he liv'd in or a Teacher of Intemperance and Injustice and an impudent Encourager of all Manner of Vice shou'd owe his Birth to so impure a Copulation and not a Teacher much less an eminent Practicer of Temperance Justice and all other Virtues CHAP. XXX THIS was plainly foretold by the Prophet and exactly agrees with the promis'd Sign that we read of in the Prophecy of Isaiah where 't is said That our Blessed Saviour wou'd by the Course of his Actions make good his Name and prove himself to be Emmanuel God with us And I think it may not be improper to mention the Prediction of the fore-mention'd Prophet that our Saviour shou'd be born of a Virgin which Celsus takes no Notice of tho' he pretends to be perfectly acquainted with what the Christians hold either not having read it or cunningly concealing his Knowledge lest he shou'd unawares overthrow his own belov'd Opinions and advance any Thing to the Prejudice of the Cause which he espouses and uses his utmost Endeavours to maintain The Words of the Prophecy are these Moreover the Lord spake again to Ahaz Isaiah vii V. 10. saying ask thee a Sign of the Lord thy God ask it either in the Depth or in the Height above But Ahaz said I will not ask neither will I tempt the Lord and he said hear ye now O House of David is it a small thing to weary Men But will ye weary my God also Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a Sign Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and call his Name Emmanuel That Celsus discover'd his Malice in not mentioning the fore-going Prophecy I gather from his passing over it in a profound Silence when he quotes some Passages in St. Mathew's Gospel and particularly makes mention of the Star that appear'd at the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour But if the Jew whom Celsus personates being us'd to make critical Remarks on Words shou'd tell us that the Word which is translated Virgin shou'd be render'd Young Woman I answer the Hebrew Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint translate Virgin tho' Others favour his Meaning of the Word is understood of a Virgin in the Book of Deuteronomy If a Damsel that Deu. xxii V. 23. is a Virgin be betroth'd to an Husband and a Man find her in the City and lye with her then ye shall bring 'em both out to the Gate of the City and ye shall stone 'em with Stones that they dye the Damsel because she cry'd not being in the City and the Man because he has humbl'd his Neighbour's Wife So thou shalt put away evil from among you But if a Man find a betroth'd Damsel in the Field and the Man force her and lye with her then the Man only that lay with her shall dye But to the Damsel thou shalt do nothing there is in the Damsel no Sin worthy of Death But not to dwell too long upon the Hebrew Word which perhaps few Persons understand I shall endeavour to prove from the Context that according to the Prophetick Oracle Emmanuel was to be born of a Virgin The Lord said to Ahaz ask thee a Sign of the Lord thy God either in the Depth or in the Height above Then 't is said that this Sign was to be giv'n Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son But what Sign cou'd a young Woman's Conceiving be if it was not meant of a Virgin And to which of the two
was the Resurrection of the two Children before-mention'd a great and diffusive Blessing to Mankind as we know the Resnrrection of our Saviour was when the Power of God did so eminently accompany the Preaching of the Gospel and caus'd it to make so deep and lasting an Impression upon the Minds of so many of his Hearers who at first were strangely prejudic'd against him CHAP. XXXI THE pretended Jew goes on and is ready to split his Sides with Laughing at the Earth-quake and ridicules the more than ordinary Darkness that were the AWFVL CONCOMITANTS of our Saviour's Sufferings But this I have already answer'd according to my weak Ability and produc'd the Testimony of Phlegon who acknowledges that these wonderful Events did really happen at the Time of our Saviour's Passion Then the Jew has the following Words You say that he rose from the dead tho' he was far from being able to secure his Person while he remain'd on Earth and shew'd upon his Body all the Marks of his Crucifixion and the very Print of the Nails with which his Hands and Feet were pierc'd But what dos this Gentleman mean by saying He wa'n't able to secure his Person If he means that our Blessed Saviour wa'nt able to secure himself from the common Contagion of Vice and Immorality what he says is absolutely and manifestly false For he never spoke a Word or did an Action that was in the least indecent or unworthy of an INCARNATE GOD. He was led as a Sheep to the Mat. 27 V. 2 Slaughter and as a Laneb before her Shearers was dumb so he open'd not his Mouth Viz. By way of Complaint or Uneasiness as St. Mathew acquaints us But if Celsus means that he didn't exert his Power to secure himself from the outward Calamities to which he was expos'd which morally consider'd were neither Good nor Evil I have prov'd already from the Gospels that he submitted to 'em with the greatest Readiness imaginable and shew'd the Reasons which justify'd his Conduct Then the pretended Jew having spoke of our Saviour's shewing all the Marks of his Crucifixion and the very Print of his Nails says There was no Witness of the Truth of this strange Account but one Fanatical Woman designing to ridicule Mary Magdalen who saw him after he was ris'n from the dead as we are told in the Gospels and because we are inform'd that he was seen by others he thought fit to add the following Words And perhaps some Body else of the same wretched Cabal Then he plainly discovers that he is one of those who admire the Epicurean Hypothesis when he endeavours to shew how a lively Idea of a deceas'd Person may be form'd in the warm Imagination in the following Words Who was deluded by her own idle Whimsies or too easily believ'd what she wou'd have to be true as we know it frequently happens There 's a great Deal of Force if we must give any heed to his idle Whimsies in this scurrilous Language But ev'n from hence we may be furnish'd with an Argument to prove the IMMORTAL SVBSISTENCE of HVMANE SOVLS when they are separated from their Bodies and the unavoidable Consequence of what he here asserts amounts to this at least that it survives the Body For if as Plato observes in his Dialogues about the HVMANE SOVL there are certain Images of dead Persons that are seen near their Tombs then they must be owing to some Cause or other And no Cause can be so rationally assign'd as the Soul of the deceas'd Person that assumes a Body which is adapted to it But Celsus who advances the fore-mention'd Notion wou'd make People dream while they are thoroughly awake and have their Sences about 'em and says They too easily believe what they wou'd have to be true Such Dreams indeed as he talks of are common when the Bodily Sences are lock'd up by Sleep but I think we can't easily account for 'em when Persons are awake unless they be troubl'd with Melancholy or fall'n into a Fit of the Frenzy Celsus it seems wa'n't ignorant of this and that made him call Mary Magdalen a Fanatick tho' the Scripture-History says nothing like it and our Saviour's Appearing after he was ris'n from the dead and showing all the Marks that were made in his Crucify'd Body must according to Celsus be solv'd by the Doctrine of the Images of deceas'd Persons but according to the Scripture-Account which he 's so cunning as to use when he thinks that it serves his purpose the Matter of Fact stood thus Our Saviour call'd one of his Disciples to him who cou'dn't for his Life believe that he was ris'n from the dead with the same Body I say with the same Body For the Appearance of Humane Souls after Death don't seem to be the least Matter of his Doubt Therefore 't is remarkable that he dos'n't say Except I see him but Except John 20. V. 25 I shall see in his Hands the Print of the Nails and put my Finger into the Print of the Nails and thrust my Hand into his Sides I will not believe He didn't question but that the Soul of a deceas'd Person might animate a Body which wou'd be visible to the corporeal Eye and bear a Resemblance to that from which 't was separated by Death not only with respect to the Eyes and Voice and Mien but also Sometimes appear in a like Habit cloath'd Hom. Il. Book 23 V. 67. Therefore our Saviour call'd Thomas to him and said Reach hither thy Finger and behold my Hands and reach John 20 V. 27. hither thy Hand and thrust it into my Side and be not faithless but believing And by the Way 't was agreable to the many Prophecies which we meet with concerning him the many evident Miracles he wrought and unusual Accidents that befell him that he shou'd rise from the Dead and that this considerable Circumstance shou'd as it were crown and compleat the rest The Prophetical Psalmist speaking in the Person of our Saviour has this Prophecy relating to him My Flesh also shall rest in Hope for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell nor Psalm 16 V. 9. suffer thy Holy One to see Corruption And the Body with which our Saviour rose from the Dead did neither consist of such gross Matter as it consisted of before nor of such subtil Matter as that with which separate Souls are cloath'd when an Apparition appears Therefore St. John has the following Words His Disciples were within and Thomas with em Then came Jesus the Doors being shut and stood in the Midst and said Peace be unto you And he adds these Words Then says he to Thomas reach hither thy Finger St. Luke tells us that When Simon and Cleopas were talking of the Things Luke 24 V. 14. that had happen'd to him Jesus himself drew near and went with em But their Eyes were holden that they shou'd not know him And he said to 'em What Manner of Communications are these that ye
critâ—cal and full Examination of this Prophecy I shall reserve to a more proper Place tho' I thought 't was necessary for me to dwell a little upon it on the Account of what Celsus's Jew thought fit to object against us CHAP. XLV ONE remarkable Thing that has led Celsus and other Infidels into gross Mistakes in this important Affair is their not knowing or at least their not considering that the Prophets speak of a twofold Coming of the Messiah his first Coming at which he was to appear cloath'd with all the innocent Infirmities of humane Nature and strâ—â—ling with the pressing Inconveniencies of a mean and despis'd Condition that so living among Men he might the more feelingly instruct 'em in those Moral and Divine Truths which were important and highly necessary and inculcate upon 'em that aweful Account which they must shortly give when they shall be summon'd to appear before the Bar of God and his second Coming at which he will appear free from the least Allay ev'n of natural Imperfection and shine with the united and unfully'd Rays of his Original and in some Sence naked Divinity Twou'd be tedious to relate all the Prophecies that have an immediate and manifest Reference to our Blessed Saviour I shall therefore at present confine my self to that which we meet with in the Forty fifth Psalm which is entitul'd A Song of Loves and where our Saviour is expresly call'd by the Name of GOD. The Words are these Grace is pour'd into thy Lips therefore Psal xlv V. 2 3. God has blest thee for ever Gird thy Sword upon thy Thigh O most Mighty with thy Glory and thy Majesty and in thy Majesty ride prosperously because of Truth and Meekness and Righteousness and thy right Hand shall teach thee verrible Things Thine Arrows are sharp in the Heart of the King's Enemies whereby the People fall under thee Thy throne O God is for ever and ever The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter Thou lovest Righteousness and hatest Wickedness therefore God thy God has anointed thee with the Oil of Gladness above thy Fellows Where take Notice that the Prophetical Psalmist making his Address to God Whose Throne is for ever and ever and the Scepter of whose Kingdom is a right Scepter says that this Person was anointed by God who was his God and that he was anointed above his Fellows with the Oil of Gladness because he lov'd Righteousness and hated Wickedness I remember that once I horribly baffl'd a Jewish Doctor with this very Prophecy who being at a grievous Loss to know what Answer he shou'd give me had seasonable Recourse to a pityful Evasion which was suitable enough to the false Principles he endeavour'd to maintain viz. That those Words Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdom is a right Scepter were spoke of the Great God himself and those Words Thou lovest Righteousness and hatest Wickedness therefore God ev'n thy God has anointed thee with the Oil of Gladness above thy Fellows must be understood of the Messiah CHAP. XLVI CELSVS's Jew continues his Discourse with our Blessed Saviour and says If as you your self acknowledge every Person who comes into the World by the general Concourse of Providence is a Son of God What special Prerogative is there which you can justly claim To which I answer that they who are no longer acted by a Spirit of Bondage as St. Paul expresses it but choose Virtue for its intrinsick Worth may in a less noble Sence be call'd the Sons of God But there 's a vast Disproportion between those who are the Sons of God as they are imperfectly endu'd with Moral and Christian Virtues and our Blessed Saviour who is the inexhaustible Fountain from which their borrow'd Good do's entirely and will for ever flow The Words of St. Paul which I just now refer'd to are these Ye have not receiv'd the Spirit of Bondage again Rom. viii V. 15. to fear but ye have receiv'd the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Jew continues his Discourse in the following Words Abundance of Persons will find Fault with your pretended Saviour for applying those Prophecies to himself which they think may at least as justly be apply'd to them To this I answer that I am apt to think that Celsus didn't know of any Persons who rival'd our Saviour in his Miracles and justly claim'd the Title of Sons of God or The Power of the Supream Majesty But because the sincere and strong Affection which I have for Truth won't suffer me to pass by any Thing that ev'n seems to oppose the Christian Cause I readily acknowledge that before our Saviour's Incarnation there was a certain Person whose Name was Theudas who appear'd among the Jews pretending to be a mighty Man after whose Decease his deluded Followers were soon dispers'd Some Time after in the Days of the Taxing during which as far as I can gather from Scripture our Blessed Saviour was born one Judas of Galilee drew after him a considerable Number of weak and credulous Jews who affecting Novelties cry'd him up as a Man endu'd with more than ordinary Wisdom and was no sooner brought to condign Punishment but his Doctrine came immediately into Disrepute or at best was only secretly maintain'd by some few Persons of mean Rank and Figure And after our Saviour appear'd upon the Stage of the World one Dositheus a Samaritan endeavour'd to perswade his Country-men that he was the very Person to whom the Prophets had so plain a Reference when they foretold the Coming of the Messiah and some few Persons I confess there were who seem'd heartily to embrace his Doctrine Here I think it will not be improper to mention that wise Expression of Gamaliel which we meet with in the Acts of the Apostles to shew beyond all Contradiction that the fore-mention'd Persons were not intended in the Promise which God gave of sending the Messiah and that neither of 'em deserv'd the honourable Title of The Son or Power of God but that of all the Men who ever appear'd and made a Figure in the World our Blessed Saviour was the only Person who cou'd justly claim it If this Counsel said he or this Work be Acts. v. V. 38. of Men 't will come to nought but if it be of God ye can't overthrow it lest haply ye be found ev'n to fight against God There was also one Simon a Magician of Samaria who endeavour'd by his Magick to draw People after him and for some Time he wasn't without his Followers but I believe there are now scarce thirty Simonians in the whole habitable World Nay perhaps I have exceeded the Number since there are only a few near Palaestine and that Doctrine which they embrac'd did never obtain in any other Parts tho' its Authour did fondly imagine that it wou'd soon and easily reach and happily engage the most distant and barbarous Nations in it's Favour For they
his intimate Acquaintance and might have had so much Policy one wou'd think as to affect those Persons who espous'd his Cause Besides is it usual for Men to betray their Friends to whose Table they are welcome and where they are civilly and perhaps very plentifully entertain'd Yet here no less a Person than a GOD is suppos'd to be betray'd Nay a GOD which greatly aggravates the Matter is suppos'd most grosly to intrench on the sacred Laws of Civility and common Friendship and by his Divine Prediction to make his Disciples themselves turn Traitors and Cowards I shall return an Answer to this long Invective rather in Compliance with the strict Injunctions that are laid upon me than for the sake of any Force that I discern in the Objection Celsus entertains a fond Conceit that whatever is foretold by a GOD do's therefore come to pass because it was foretold by him But here I must beg Leave to differ from him and am I confess of the Opinion that he who foretells Future Events isn't properly the Cause of their Coming to pass at the predicted Time but that on the contrary he foresees that Things will happen so or so whether ever they be foretold or not And I don't think that his Praescience ev'n upon the Supposition that he 's GOD do's in the least interfere with the Possibility of Future Events to happen or not to happen according to the natural and regular Course of Things as if barely on that Account they must infallibly answer his Prediction CHAP. XVI HERE I might produce Abundance of pregnant Instances from the Sacred Scriptures and from the Histories of the Greeks themselves to shew that Future Events are not owing to Predictions but fall out always in such a Way as perfectly agrees with the Liberty of the Humane Will And either my Notion of this Matter is just or what the Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be no Sophism at all tho' the contrary be very apparent to any Learned and Judicious Person To render this Matter as intelligible as may be I shall instance in the Prophecies concerning Judas which the Sacred Scriptures do furnish us with and shall produce one remarkable Instance of the Truth of my Assertion from the History of the Greeks viz. The Answer of the Heathen Oracle to Laius By the Way I shall here take it for granted that the Oracle was true since I think I may make the Supposition without doing the least Prejudice to the Subject which I have now in Hand The Author of the Hundred and ninth Psalm speaking in the Person of our Blessed Saviour has the following Words concerning that Traitor Judas Hold not Psal cix V. 1. thy Peace O God of my Praise for the Mouth of the Wicked and the Mouth of the Deceitful are open'd against me And if you take diligent Notice you 'l find that throughout the Psalm the Prediction must be understood in a Sence consistent with the Crime of the Traitor and his deserving all those heavy Curses that are there mention'd by the Psalmist Let 'em fall upon him says he by ibid. 16. a Spirit of Prophecy because he remember'd not to shew Mercy but persecuted the poor and needy Man that he might ev'n slay the broken in Heart 'T is plain he might if he wou'd have remember'd to shew Mercy and was not forc'd to persecute the poor and needy Man tho' he misemploy'd that Power which God Originally gave him and actually betray'd his Master and so render'd himself most justly obnoxious to those dreadful Curses which are mention'd in that famous Prophecy And as for the Answer that the Oracle return'd to Laius which I mention in Favour of the Greeks 't is related by one of their Ancient Tragoedians to this Effect Seek not vain Man in Spite of Destiny Eurip. Phoenis The blessed Fruit of Marriage to enjoy Too soon alas thou 'lt find it prove thy Bane For he who to thy native Heat his Life will owe With Death it self shall ill-requite thy Pains And dreadful Mischiefs on thy Houshould bring Here 't is plain that Laius was under no Necessity of begetting an unhappy Son but if due Care were wanting a Tragical Scene wou'd present it self and Oedipus and Jocasta and their two Sons wou'd suffer all those grievous Calamities which as the History acquaints us did afterwards befall em The same Sophism is frequently made Use of as an Argument against taking Physick for the Recovery of our Bodily Health and Strength If God has decreed says one that I shall be effectually cur'd of my Distemper I shall certainly recover my former State of Health whether I use any Remedies or no and if he has decreed that I shall not be recover'd from it whatever Medicines I may take 't will infallibly remain upon me therefore whether he has decreed my Recovery or not the Endeavours of the Physician are equally that is to say entirely useless And the Sophism in the Case of Laius is very Comical and runs after the following Manner If the Fates have decreed that I shall have a Son I shall certainly have him whether I am ever concern'd with any Woman or no and if they have decreed that I shall never have a Son I shall never have one whether I live in the Use of Means or no and therefore whether they have decreed that I shall have a Son or have determin'd the contrary no carnal Copulation will ever have the desired Effect But as 't is highly absurd to refuse Physick which is the usual and proper Method for the Recovery of our Bodily Health So 't is no less absurd to abstain from Carnal Copulation if a Person be desirous of a Child since 't is the ordinary and proper Method of Humane Generation These Things I mention because the profound Celsus has the following Words If Christ was God and did really foretell these Things you talk of they must infallibly come to pass at the predicted Time For I deny that they must Necessarily come to pass since 't was possible for 'em to have had a quite contrary Event But if he only means that Divine Praescience do's in some sence necessitate the Event I readily grant it and this I think I may vigorously maintain and at the same Time assert that 't was very possible that Matters might have happen'd otherwise But I think he 's far from proving what he boldly asserted viz. That on the Supposition of the Divine Praescience of our Saviour 't will Naturally follow that he made his Disciples turn Traitors and Cowards and so was justly chargeable with their aggravated Guilt 'T is true that since the Heart of Judas was as it were Open and Transparent to his All-piercing Eyes our Blessed Lord was fully appriz'd of the Hellish Design which he had form'd and plainly perceiv'd that the Respect which he had for his Master was not sufficient to secure him from the Fatal impression of a covetous Disposition This made