possible to name Than th' universal whence at first things came Whose Pow'r we 're sure can no defici'ence know But that his Will 's deficient who can show That 't is the pleasure of the Deity Souls should in total Abolition lie XXIII Many Reasons make for it Nay th' Arguments o'th'other side are clear That Man o're his own Actions pow'r does bear And all the an'imal World his beck obeys That he his Mind to God's own Throne can raise And for his sake contemn all outward things That in his Soul a grateful thirst there springs Of an immortal State above the Earth And he diverts himself with solid Mirth While a good Consci'ence does supply the Feast With which he in each Circumstance is blest This comforts him to bear the heavi'est stroke Nor can the anchor of his hope be broke But then if he a wicked Life has led What gastly Horrors all his Thoughts o're-spread Death is the King of Terrors truly found And the last Judgment inwardly does wound Under the force of which great Tyrants groan And hardly dare they trust themselves alone Examples are too numerous to give Of those who under these Tormentors live XXIV Whence it follows that the end of Man should be Happness after this Life But if such be the nature of the Mind That of it's failing we no cause can find And God has pleas'd to give us many signs That when the Body moulders that still shines What nobler end can mortal Man propound Than that with Happ'iness this may be crown'd Hence Plata and the Pythagoreans taught Man should to imitate his God be brought What that Felicity and how attain'd May in some part by humane thought be gain'd But what God has discover'd in his Word XXV Which to obtain Men must search for the true Religion Must most of Truth and Certainty afford Which since the Christian Doctrine does hold forth Let us examine what belief 't is worth LIB II. THou blessed Jesus I. To prove the Truth of Christian Religion who in Heav'n dost reign Assist my Thoughts while in an humble strain The Truth and Certainty I represent Of that Religion for which thou wast sent That while Tiber'ius did the Empire sway II. Here is shewn that Jesus liv'd Jesus of Naz'areth did in Judah stay Not Christians only constantly profess Jewish and Pagan Authors do no less Sueton'ius Pliny Tac'itus have his Fame And numbers after them repeat the same And that this Jesus Pilate crucify'd Howe're reproachful Christians ne're deny'd Nay this the Jews ne're scruple to declare Tho great on that account their Suff'rings are Where e're disperst they among Christians live And Proofs beyond desire the Pagans give Who Pilate's Acts have down to us convey'd In whose Memorials this as chief is laid Julian and others who the most oppose That rule of life which blessed Jesus shows Concerning this did ne're one Question move This the most disagreeing People prove The Proofs so full no History has more III. Nevertheless was after his Death worshipp'd by Men of the greatest Wisdom Yet him most distant Realms as God adore And this appears not in our Age alone But we may trace it back unto his own And when at Rome fierce Nero did preside Many for that Profession bravely dy'd As Tacitus and sev'ral others tell IV. And of these Worsh'ppers many did excel In Judgment and improvements of the Mind Not here to name whom of the Jews we find Such Serg'ius was who did in Cyprus rule And Dionysius Head of a fam'd School That glorious ancient Martyr Polycarp Justin and Irenaeus Writers sharp Wise Athenagoras at Athens bred And Origin whose Learning far has spread With Alexandrian Clement many more Unto this suffering Lord like Rev'rence bore What with such thinking Men as these could sway Most of them bred in quite another way On such an Object of their Faith to call Of which there could be no other cause than that he wrought Miracles Where neither Honour could or Gain befal Were it not this that having us'd the care In things which of the chiefest moment are Fit for the wise trying the constant fame Which did his supernat'ral Works proclaim They found them such beyond the least dispute As did all vain Philosophy confute Diseases quitting the long ravag'd Field When nothing in all Nature help could yeild Sight giv'n to him who ne're could use an Eye That questionless miraclous supply Of thousands with created Loaves of Bread Repeated and thro' distant Regions spread And Life call'd back again after 't was fled Not here the numerous instances to name V. Which Miracles cannot be ascribed to Natural or Diabolical Efficacy but proceeded meerly from God Which had obtain'd such an unblemisht Fame That Celsus and ev'n Julian them confess And the learn'd Jewish Talmudists no less These they ne're scruple Prodigies to call And therein own them supernatural Long fixt Diseases yeilding at command Of the least motion of the Lip or Hand Argue a Pow'r which Nature must obey But if in this such Efficacy lay It no less strange appears that of all those Who Christ and his Religion did oppose None should the mighty Secret yet disclose And hence we with just reas'ning may collect That of Imposture none can these suspect Since they were publick and expos'd to sight Of Men who ' gainst Convicti'on us'd to fight And Men well conversant in ev'ry Art That nat'ral Wit or Study could impart And the like things repeated as was need Shew'd that these Works did not from chance proceed Besides th' effects were such as long did last When things by accident are quickly past These things with due Consideration weigh'd ' Gainst which the Jews have no Objections made Their Force from something more than humane had Which either a good Spirit was or bad The bad would never these great Truths attest By which their Empire here is so deprest And which prohibit their beloved Feast Deeds and Desires obscene Experience shows That Daemons all their Pomp and Worship lose Magick and all their other Arts held vain Where e're Christ'anity does footing gain Porphiry owns Christ's Advent did impair The Forces of those Princes of the Air. Who can think Evil Spirits so unwise Where there no Honour Advantage lies But great Disgrace and Detriment t' ensue Yet the same Acti'ons still they should pursue Less is it to be thought it should agree With the known Wisdom of the Deity And that extensive Goodness all Men see To suffer Men guilty of nothing ill Devoted absolutely to his Will Such as all grant the Prim'tive Christ'ians were To be trapan'd into a fatal Snare Men in their Lives unblam'd and suff'ring pain That they a faultless Conscience might maintain But if you say these Deeds must be assign'd Unto some good but secundary Mind Therein that they the Godhead pleas'd you own For all good Spirits look at that alone Not here those
wondrous Works of Christ to name Which no less Author than a God proclaim As with new Life informing Breathless Clay And who besides can of th' Amighty say He does or suffers Wonders without cause For no wise Maker of well-founded Laws Would without weighty Reason make them vain But then who can another Reason feign Than what our Saviour did himself declare That God thereby did Testimony bear Unto those sacred Doctrines which he taught By those that saw them what else could be thought They being such as we observ'd before As 't were a scandal to the God w'adore And impious to believe he would impose On Men so perfectly resign'd as those This was the cause why many of the Jews Who Moses for their constant Guide did chuse About that time when Jesus here did move Receiv'd him as a Master from above Such were the Nazarens and Ebio'nites Zealous Asserters of the Jewish Rites Christ's Miracles like Confirmation have VI. Christ's Resurrection prov'd by credible Testimonies From his return to Life out of the Grave This has not only been for Truth receiv'd But a chief Article to be believ'd By all who e're Christ'anity profest But it for certain needs must be confest All could not this matter of Faith have thought Unless the Men who first Christ's Doctrine taught Had full perswasi'on in their Hearers wrought But evidently this could ne're have been Without asserting what themselves had seen None moderately wise would e're have chose A Faith which to such Dangers did expose Unless they had affirm'd it's Truth who saw This great Foundation of the Christian Law But that it always was affirm'd is shown By other Writings fully as their own And as in Books as clearly 't is reveal'd They to five hundred Witnesses appeal'd Who saw our Saviour come to Life again But how durst any so appeal that feign And who could on such Multitudes prevail To cheat the World with a fictitious Tale Nay were the Twelve all who had this maintain'd They were enow full Credit to have gain'd For no Man would for nothing be a Knave Honours 't is sure thereby they could not have For those were at the absolute dispose Of Jews and Heathens who did them oppose Nor could they have by this encreast their store Thro' it they lost what they had gain'd before Nor could one benefit of Life invite To cheat the World with any cunning slight Their very preaching as full well they knew To Labours Hunger Thirst and Prisons drew Then Fame with their own Sect could never tempt Plain Men from all degrees of Pride exempt So many Inconveniencies to bear For the thin diet of that pop'ular Air Nor could they hope that Doctrine would succeed With Nature still intent upon it's need When all Authority on Earth oppos'd But as they with God's sacred Promise clos'd This may be added that whatever Fame They might propound by preaching up Christ's Name They had no expectation it could last For so with Clouds God's Purpose was o'recast They thought the World did to it's Period hast Which is in theirs and other Writings plain The sole Objection which can yet remain Is that they ly'd for their Religion's sake Which no Man that had duly weigh'd would make For either their Religion true they thought Or what they knew to be a Falshood taught But had they not believ'd it to be best They would not have forsaken all the rest Among which Safety lay and Honour too Nor had profest it barely as 't was true Unless they that Profession needful knew For nothing else could free them from the Guilt Of all the Blood through that Professi'on spilt But if they that believ'd not true alone But best and necess'ry for them to own After the Founders Death to be receiv'd This could not have obtain'd had he deceiv'd Declaring his own rising from the Dead No Men whose Understandings were not fled Finding their Expectations frustrate there Would to that Faith still holy Rev'rence bear Then all Religions chiefly Christ's deny To blemish sacred things with any Lie Religion therefore such an one besure Could never this officious Lie procure The Men besides were such as their worst Foes For nothing but simplicity expose Nor had such Wit enough so well to feign And who would do it for the sake of pain Which that Profession certainly would gain I'th'utmost Tortures Malice could invent Many for this out of the World were sent How much soever some might chuse to bear For an Opinion which they valu'd dear Who can imagine Men with Sense indu'd Not one alone but a great multitude Should make themselves subject to certain Woe For what themselves had known to be untrue But then their Lives and Writings which they left Shew that they were not of their Wits bereft What may confirm the Evidence of those Who the first Witnesses for Christ arose Serves for St. Paul as much who did declare That rapt above the Regions of the Air Whether with strengthned Rays of mortal sight Or meerly by an intellectu'al Light The Soul being sep'rate from the Body's Chain He saw where Christ does with his Father reign All that the Jews could teach he had acquir'd Nor greater honour need to have desir'd Than what he might expect in his old way When on the other side for this he lay Expos'd to th' utmost hatred of his Friends Nature depriv'd of all its darling ends Travels and Labours all his worldly Meed And a reproachful death was to succeed VII Answer to the Objection that Christ's Resurrection seems impossible VVho can assent to proofs so clear delay Unless that 't is impossible he say That is a contradiction does imply Which we of this may with good grounds deny At the same time to be alive and dead VVere contradicti'ous but when life is fled Back by the Pow'r that gave it to be brought Can never sure impossible be thought As Plato writes to Eris this befell Heracl'des this does of a VVoman tell Of one Herodotus does this relate And this says Plutarch was anothers fate VVhich shews that VVise-men thought that it might be If that 't was possible we then agree For Christ to breath again with living breath After its be'ng extinguisht once in death And that 't was so in fact 's so fully prov'd That his Resurrection evinces the Truth of his Doctrine That it the Jewish Rabbi Becai mov'd But as his Followers and others shew He held forth to the World a Doctrine new This must by needful Consequence be true Since he maintain'd 't was by divine Command For with God's Justice it can no way stand Or Goodness either to exalt so high One who in so momentous things would lie Had he been such an one who would believe That he the certain notice should receive Both when and how he should from Life retire And have his Reins new fill'd with active Fire Himself declaring that all this was wrought For Confirmat'ion
sense in many places 't is hoped a little regard to the connection or manner of the Expressions may rectify them PAge 7. line 12. for maintain read obtain P. 15. l. 1. f. Catallus r. Catullus P. 33. l. 13. f. Reins r. Veins P. 56. l. 12. f. sty'd r. styl'd P. 75. l. 7. f. Sov'raig r. Sov'raign P. 79. l. 5. f. compare r. compares P. 83. l. 28. f. conque'sts r. conquests P. 98. l. 8. f. di r. do ib. l. 14. r. Holocausts ib. l. 24. f. pleas'd r. pleass P. 99. l. 25. f. whem r. whom P. 105. in Marg. f. at an P. 106. l. 4. f. should r. would P. 117. l. 6. f. dissawde r. disswade P. 120. l. 12. f. stranger r. stronger P. 122. f. to r. t' P. 145. l. 2. f. Depository r. Repository P. 162. l. 17. f. Eclogues r. Expressions GROTIUS his Arguments for the Truth of Christian Religion rendred into plain English Verse THings visible declare a God unseen I. That there is a God Some things 't is obvious did in time begin And these could never their own Beings cause Nothing we 're sure could act before it was It 's rise from something else it then must draw Which holds as well in what we never saw From which things subject to our Senses came Till that we find which always was the same And this is God whatever be the Name A Being necessary to exist For else the World must have beginning mist This also the consent of Nations proves Where e're Barbarity Reason removes What only from Opinion rose we see Men often change nor in the same agree This Notion always in all places found Did even Aristotle's Doubts confound Some cause is needful then to be assign'd Which may extend alike to all Mankind And this God's Revelation must be thought Or a Tradition from first Parents taught If it's the first you grant the thing is sought But if the last in what 's of so much weight Why should first Parents propagate a Cheat If wheresoe're Humanity is known They the Idea of a Godhead own In places late found out and long ago Not only with the dull but witty too These would unmask it if it were design Nor could the others lay a Plot so fine If some in sev'ral Ages have appear'd Who seem'd as if no Godhead they rever'd 'T is an Objection nothing to be fear'd For few they 've been their Arguments but vain Such as a Proselyte could rarely gain 'T was not from Reason common to Mankind But some Disease or Folly of the Mind An affectation something new to show Like him that Blackness would ascribe to Snow Or no right Judgment could by such be past Be'ng like the Sick whose Mouths are out of taste And this the rather is to be believ'd Because from all th' Accounts we have receiv'd We find the best of Men were always those Who with the notion of a God did close That a dissent from what so long obtain'd Only with Minds deprav'd its credit gain'd Whose vic'ious Int'rests cann't a Godhead bear To pass right Judgment on their Actions here Ev'n hence is seen that whatsoer'e they fain Whether succession in an endless chain Or the wild Atoms undirected dance Or whatsoever Scheme they please t' advance The Difficulties all recur or more Than lay against what was receiv'd before Some seem to disbelieve a Deitie Because they cann't his Sacred Presence see But these if they can any thing descry Must ev'n the being of their Souls deny Which ne're were subject yet to mortal eye Nor ought ' gainst this Idea more to strive Because their shallow reas'nings cann't arrive To understand the Nature which they find For it belongs to the inferior kind Not fully to conceive of what 's above Beasts of Man's nature cann't fit Judges prove Less how the few first gave the many Law And by what methods kept the Rout in awe How Men could trace the flights o' th' starry host And round the dang'rous Deep in safety coast These things above their reach must be confest And Man as he excels the down-lookt Beast Should think that he who made him to excel Does in a distance far above him dwell And that there is an Excellence unknown Because it is superiour to his own Having thus found a Deity above II. That there is but one God Let 's try how we his Attributes can prove One Proof concerning them in this does lie That what he is is by necessity And this clearly infers the Unity For if we this extend to more than one We unto numbers infinite must run What does exist by necessary Law That Force must into act'ual being draw And this to single things must be apply'd But when we speak of gen'rals 't is deny'd Multiplications too of things we know From a fecundity of Causes flow And as the numbers of the Causes were So are th' effects more numerous or rare But nothing caus'd the Deity to be In diffe'rent things we differences see Th' Essence not Difference is needful here Nor does one sign of many Gods appear The Universe a single World is found One radiant Sun enlightens all around In ev'ry Man only one living Soul Is all in ev'ry part and in the whole Were there besides more than one Deity In Pow'r and Will all absolutely free How if th' Almighty Powers should disagree Should one be opposite to th 'others Will Each could not then its purposes fulfil But this is far below a Pow'r Divine III. That all Perfection is in God Next full Perfection in this God does shine Which cannot but from hence be understood That whatsoe're in things we find of good Or a beginning had or else had none What ne're began belongs to God alone That which began being from something drew And since from nothing nothing ever grew It follows what Perfections e're are seen In the Effects have in the Causes been And all must be from the first Cause deriv'd Which of Perfection ne're can be depriv'd What always was can no dependance bear Nor can an outward Cause its force impair Ne're from its self a diminution came For all things at their own Perfection aim IV. That God's Perfection is infinite To these Perfections of the Deity We cannot but ascribe Infinity For all the limits we in things explore Are that no Cause communicated more Or else the Subject could not hold the store But God could nothing take from any cause Since as we 've shew'd he necessar'ily was What acts more perfect is V. That God is eternal omnipotent omniscient and absolutely good than that which can't And things endu'd with Life than those which want What understands than that which nothing knows And what is good than what does that oppose These then we attribute to the most High Nor can the manner infinite deny His Life his Pow'r his Knowledg without end Nor does his Goodness one exception blend On what 's already