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
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
to be led aside into great and very pernicious Errors I confess this might with Justice have been alledg'd against the Jews with respect to their denying our Blessed Saviour to be the true Messiah who had the plain Testimonials of a Divine Commission and was so frequently and so evidently foretold by their own celebrated Prophets But not being desirous to entertain the least Thought concerning that Matter which he knew wou'dn't serve his Cause he supposes the Jews to be most grosly deceiv'd in a Case wherein the contrary is extreamly evident CHAP. XXIV LEaving then what immediately relates to the Jews to another Opportunity he enters into a Discourse concerning our Blessed Saviour as being the Head of an Vpstart Sect who from him are call'd by the Name of Christians He says That our Saviour appearing in the World and introducing his Doctrine but a few Years ago was for what Reasons he knows not tak'n by the Christians for the Son of God in a strict and proper Sence To which I answer that when our Saviour did so lately introduce his Doctrine it shou'd meet with such wonderful and happy Success that almost in ev'ry Part of the whole habitable World a great Number both of Greeks and Barbarians of learned and unlearned Persons shou'd so readily and ev'n triumphantly forsake the Religion in which they were born and bred and to which they were pre-engag'd by many other strong and almost indissoluble Ties and on a sudden discover so extraordinary a Zeal for a new Religion as to be willing to sacrifice their Reputation their Fortunes and ev'n their Lives for the Profession of it which can hardly be said of any other Doctrine which has all external Advantages to recommend it I say when the Posture of Affairs is such we must be strangely blinded by the Force of Prejudice it we don't observe a more than ordinary Appearance of the Providence of God in so sudden so remarkable and so blessed a Change as this I think I may safely say not to speak from Prejudice but as one who desires and endeavours to make impartial Enquiries into Truth that a skillful Physician can't recover his Patients ev'n from their bodily Diseases without the Blessing of Almighty God upon the proper Methods he prescribes And if any one can cure the more fatal Distempers of the Soul can suddenly and in a considerable measure dispossess those rooted and dangerous Vices that have for a long Tract of Time usurp'd and maintain'd a Dominion there can free it from its former and in some Sence Native Intemperante Injustice Contempt and Prophanation of holy Things and as a Proof of his Skill can instance in an hundred Persons whose Manners he has been happily and greatly instrumental to reform I presume you will not say that this can be done without a seasonable and more than common Interposition of the Providence of God If then any Person who weighs these Things in the Ballance of his serious and deliberate Thoughts will of Necessity acknowledge that much of the Natural and all the Moral Good of which the whole World can boast is owing to some higher Cause than a General Concourse of the Supream and and All-wise Being how much more justly and more eminently may this be said in Commendation of our Blessed Saviour if we compare the Course of Life which his Followers once ignorantly and unhappily led with the Tenor of their future Conversation and consider how willingly and ev'n greedily they devoted themselves to Debauchery Fraud and Avarice before they made a Profession of that holy Religion which the Blessed Jesus introduc'd into the World which in the Judgment of the Epicureans was a Notorious Cheat and the greatest Plague with which Mankind cou'd possibly have been infected but in Process of Time were illustrious Examples of the contrary Virtues insomuch that some of 'em from a sincere and vehement Desire of attaining to an extraordinary Degree of Purity and of Devoting themselves more entirely to the Service of God did abstain from the lawful Delights of Sense and those rational Entertainments which Marriage it self affords And any one who examines into these Matters with that Diligence and Exactness which is requisite will easily perceive that our Saviour with a Greatness of Soul that was peculiar to him attempted what was vastly beyond the Sphere of meer humane Nature and that the Event did most remarkably answer his Design For when ev'ry Thing look'd with an unfavourable Aspect on so great and seemingly so bold an Undertaking and threaten'd that the Gospel shou'd be confin'd to a very narrow Compass when the Roman Emperors in their successive Reigns the Governors of Provinces and Generals of Armies the Magistrates of particular Cities the Soldiers and the common People in a Word when all Persons that were in Places of Authority or had any Interest and Influence declar'd open War against the Christian Religion I say ev'n then under all those evident and great external Disadvantages it bore the sacred and undeniable Marks of a Divine Original approv'd it self to the Consciences of the most wicked Men forc'd its Way in Spite of the united Malice and most vigorous Efforts both of Earth and Hell gain'd ground by the most violent Opposition and being superiour to all its Enemies which were neither few nor contemptible and having a wonderful Power over the Minds of Men all Greece and a great Part of the most barbarous Nations became Trophies of Honour to the Immortal Memory of its God-like Founder CHAP. XXV AND since the greatest Part of the World are entirely ignorant of the Arts and Sciences and have but a small Measure and scarce any Glimmerings of Reason 't was morally impossible but that among such vast Numbers as embrac'd the Christian Religion the Irrational and Illiterate shou'd greatly exceed those in Number who had render'd themselves famous for their Sence and Learning But Celsus not being willing to consider this as he ought speaks with the highest Contempt of the Sun of Righteousness himself who condescends to shine promiscuously on the greatest and the meanest and to enlighten and warm with his refreshing Rays the most eminent Saint and the vilest Sinner and he looks on this extraordinary Condescension as an Argument of prodigious Folly and unmanly Self-Debasement as if it were not one of the highest Flights of Majestick Simplicity that cou'd possibly be discover'd by an Incarnate God But Celsus himself can't say with all his Prejudice and Malice that all who ever embrac'd the Doctrine of our Blessed Saviour were dull and stupid to a Proverb and the only Persons in the World who were so since it seems he 's so just and so gracious as to acknowledge that some few may be found among 'em who are very severe in their Morals and are capable of understanding Allegories CHAP. XXVI BUT because he personates a Jew in Imitation of a Professor in the University who makes his young Pupil declaim that he may use
him say those Words with an Eye to Judas he that dippeth his Hands with me in the Dish the same shall betray me Take Notice farther of the Absurdity and Falshood of what Celsus says 'T is unusual says he for Persons to betray their Friends to whose Table they are welcome yet here even a God is suppos'd to be betray'd On the contrary 't is too well known that Persons who have been engag'd by the most Sacred and endearing Tyes have often and most shamefully betray'd their intimate Friends and liberal Benefactors The Histories both of the Greeks and Barbarians do furnish us with abundant Instances of the fore-mention'd Practice This is what the famous Poet who dwelt at Paros and is so much admir'd for his Iambick verses reproaches Lycambe with For speaking of his intrenching on the Laws of civil conversation he says Thou hast dissolv'd the Sacred Band of Archilochus Friendship and art Notoriously guilty of the basest Treachery But for the fuller Confirmation of my Argument I shall refer the Reader to them who have apply'd their Minds to the Study of History both Sacred and Prophane Then Celsus as if he had undeniable Arguments for what he offers has the following Words Nay a GOD which highly aggravates the Matter is suppos'd to intrench upon the Rules of Civility and common Friendship and to make his Disciples turn Traitours and Cowards But this is more than he can ever prove unless we must allow the Consequence which he draws to be Natural and just which I am sure is so very weak that any Child almost wou'd see thro' it and be ready to expose it CHAP. XVII THEN says Celsus If your Saviour suffer'd freely in Obedience to his Heavenly Father 't is plain that since you say that he was GOD and that his Sufferings were entirely voluntary you must acknowledge 't was impossible that in the midst of his suppos'd Agonies he shou'd have had so quick a Sense of Pain But here tho' he don't perceive it his Words imply a plain and very gross Contradiction For he will not deny that our Saviour suffer'd freely in Obedience to his Father and then certainly he must feel some Pain which is inseparable from the Notion that we have of Suffering since 't is very ungrateful to Flesh and Blood as he can't but know and is not easily reconcil'd ev'n to the calm Dictates of impartial Reason And if he thinks that all Sence of Pain is immediately excluded where there is a partial or ev'n an entire Consent of the Humane Will why do's he acknowledge that our Saviour ever suffer'd In Truth he hadn't resembl'd us in all Things Sin only excepted had he assum'd the Humane Nature without those many Infirmities and Miseries which are its common and almost inseparable Attendants So that after his Voluntary Incarnation he was under some Sort of Necessity to suffer and in some Respects the Calamities to which he was expos'd were occasion'd by the Malice and unwearied Endeavours of his cruel Enemies And indeed as I have already shown if he hadn't giv'n his Consent it had been impossible that One who was GOD as well as Man shou'd suffer but he willingly and ev'n chearfully embrac'd the most painful and shameful Death from a deep and most affecting Sense of the vast Advantage that wou'd redound from it to a degenerate World Then Celsus granting what he wou'd seem to deny has the following Words Pray why do's he make such horrid Complaints and so earnestly desire that his Sufferings may be prevented For he says Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me But here Celsus do's plainly and not a little discover his impotent Malice against the Blessed Founder of our most Holy Religion For instead of admiring the remarkable Integrity which appears in the Writings of the Evangelists who might if they had pleas'd have omitted this Passage which he thinks do's make so much for the Interest he espouses but were induc'd by several very urgent Motives to relate it I say instead of admiring the Sence the remarkable Integrity which appears in the Writings of the Evangelists he takes their Words in a Sence in which they never understood 'em and adds some Things that are owing to his own Invention and takes no Notice of what immediately follows from whence he might have learn'd how submissive our Saviour was to the All-disposing Will of his ETERNAL FATHER Nevertheless says he not as I will but as thou wilt And Celsus seems to have never read those other Words which plainly shew how submissive a Temper our Blessed Lord discover'd under all the grievous Calamities which his Father was pleas'd to bring upon him I mean those Words of St. Mathew Nevertheless if this Cup cannot pass Mat. 26 V. 42. from me not my Will but thine be done Here Celsus acts the Part of those who horribly pervert the Scriptures and are not asham'd to do it in the most open Manner Our Adversaries frequently take Notice of those Words I kill and reproach us with 'em but they willfully Deut. 32 V. 29. overlook the following Words I make alive which Passage of Scripture plainly intimates to us that tho' God do's destroy all them who live in a Course of Rebellion against him and are horrid Plagues to their Native Country yet at length he will make 'em Partakers of a Spiritual and Glorious Life such a one as will make 'em trample upon this lower and perishing World with the greatest Disdain imaginable They take Notice of those Words I will smite him but the following Isa 57 V. 17. Words I will heal him are wholly disregarded Here God is represented to us as acting the Part of a most Skilful Physician who makes grievous and often deep Incisions into the Flesh of his Patients not with a Design to do it any Prejudice or put 'em to any needless Pain but to remove the Cause of their Bodily Indisposition and that which keeps them in a low and langushiing Condition They take Notice of those Words He makes sore but those Words and binds up are not mention'd by em So Celsus dwells on those Words of our Saviour Father If it be possible let this Cup pass from me But don't mention the least Syllable of the following Words which plainly discover the entire Resignation of our Blessed Lord to his Father's Commanding and all-disposing Will Here a large Field of Discourse presents it self which wou'd be of considerable Service to those whom St. Paul calls perfect We preach Wisdom says he to them that are perfect But this I shall reserve to a more convenient Season and a more proper Place and only perhaps just touch upon it as I pass along I have already and I think more than once observ'd that sometimes our Saviour's Expressions must be understood of the Person of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first born of the Creation as for Instance when he says I am the Way the Truth and the Life
Jesus ever do that was truly Great and any Way Worthy of a God Did he baffle his Enemies and disconcert their most Politick Measures To this I answer that we are told in the Gospels that the Earth shook the Rocks were rent the Graves were open'd the Vail of the Temple was rent in two the Sun suffer'd an Eclipse and the Earth was cover'd with thick Darkness ev'n such as might be felt These were some of the Aweful Circumstances that attended the most bitter Passion of our Blessed Lord. And I think Celsus wou'd have discover'd much more of an ingenuous Temper if instead of relying on the Authority of the Evangelists only when they offer any Thing that makes as he thinks for the Cause which he espouses he had either wholly rejected the Gospels or else wholly admitted 'em and had but thankfully admit'd the Amazing Condescension of the ETERNAL WORD who willingly became Incarnate with this great Design to recover a Degenerate World from the sad Ruines of their First Apostacy Another very considerable Circumstance that makes for the Honour of our Blessed Saviour is this viz. That ev'n at this Distance of Time His NAME has such an Admirable Virtue that it infallibly and easily cures the most dangerous Distempers both of Body and Mind And as for the Sympathy which the Sun if I may so say discover'd when the Sun of Righteousness it self was suffering a more dreadful Eclipse which happen'd in the Reign of the Emperor Tiberius and as for the stupid Earth which trembl'd when the God of Nature groan'd and was ready to expire We have the concurring Testimony of Phlegon if I mistake not in the Thirteenth Book of his Chronicon Then the Jew thinking to ridicule our Saviour quotes those Words of Bacchus in Euripides when e'er I please Euripid. Bacc. Heaven for my Rescue daigns to interpose But here in the first Place I can't but make this obvious Remark that the Jews of all People in the World are least fond of the Heathen Poets However for once we 'll suppose our Jew to differ from all his Country-men and to express a singular Affection for the Learning of the Greeks And I ask him whether according to the Rules of any Logick that he ever read it ev'n seems to follow that because our Saviour didn't avoid his Sufferings he cou'dn't have freed himself from 'em if he pleas'd I think he ought much rather to believe what is related to us in the Acts of the Apostles that an Angel shook off St. Peter's Chains and deliver'd him from Prison and that Paul and Silas who were put into the Stocks at Philippi a City of Macedonia escap'd out of Prison by a Miracle and much more wou'd the Power of God have been engag'd to preserve our Saviour from the grievous Sufferings which he underwent if the Decrees of Heav'n and the Reason of Things hadn't conspir'd if I may so say to render 'em most highly necessary For ought I know Celsus wou'd be ready to ridicule those Stories or perhaps might never take the Pains to read 'em since in all Probability if he had ever minded 'em at all he wou'd presently have resolv'd 'em as he do's our Saviour's Miracles into the Power of Magick Then Celsus has the following Words The Person that condemn'd your Pretended Saviour didn't endure a Punishment comparable to that of Pentheus who was depriv'd of his Senses and torn to Pieces But he 's so horribly ignorant as not to know that Pilate consider'd in his Publick Capacity was not so properly concern'd in Condemning our Blessed Saviour as the whole Body of the Jewish Nation which we see is for that Reason dispers'd over the whole habitable World and suffers a far worse Distraction than ever Pentheus did But why do's he make no Mention at all of the troublesome Dream that the Wife of the Roman Governor had insomuch that she said to her Husband Have thou nothing to do with Matxxvii V. 19. that just Man for I have suffer'd many Things this Day in a Dream because of him Then he leaves out those Things that are evident and remarkable Proofs of the Divinity of our Saviour's Person and Commission and takes Abundance of Pains to dress up the LORD of GLORY in a Fool 's Goat by the disadvantageous and ludicrous Relation which he gives of the horrid Affronts that were offer'd him viz. The Scarlet Robe that they put upon him in a Way of Mockery the Crown of Thorns that they put upon his Head and the Reed that they put into his Hand But it may not be amiss to ask you the following Question From whence cou'd you learn these Things but from those very Gospels which you take the Liberty to reject at Pleasure And if this be the true State of the Case how comes it to pass I beseech you that such Persons as you are can take Occasion to reflect upon our Saviour from those very Passages of Scripture which as many others with great Reason judge do leave an Eternal Brand of Infamy on those who had the horrid Impudence to insult him I think you shou'd rather admire the Remarkable Integrity which appears in the Writings of the Evangelists and be fill'd with a Holy Awe when you consider the Amazing Condescention of the Blessed Jesus who seal'd his Doctrine with his most precious Blood For we have no Account that after the Sentence of Condemnation was pass'd upon him he made the least Complaint or ever utter'd a Word that ev'n seem'd to be unworthy of the Greatest Hero that the World cou'd ever boast of Then Celsus says One wou'd think that now if ever he had a fair Opportunity to give full Proof of his pretended Deity and in the Face if I may so say of the whole habitable World to be reveng'd of the Jews for the base Affronts which you see were offer'd both to him and to his Dearly-belov'd and Highly-honour'd Father But here I ask those of the Greeks who believe an Over-ruling Providence and grant that Miracles have been wrought Pray why don 't the injur'd Deity take that Advantage as on your Hypothesis he might easily do which is plainly giv'n him by those innumerable and great Affronts which are daily offer'd him by the bold Assertors of a Blind Fatality And when they return an Answer to this single Question all the Arguments which they bring may easily be retorted on themselves CHAP. XXIII THEN says the pretended Jew What! Shall we say that this vile Fellow that was crucify'd t'other Day had Such Blood as from th' immortal God do's flow Hom. Il. l. 5 v. 340 This we must suppose to be spoken by him in his usual Way of Banter which seems to me to be his peculiar Talent But I shall show that the Evangelists who relate these Matters with a becoming Gravity and prudent Care have left behind 'em a true and sufficient Account of the most considerable Passages that occur'd let Celsus say what