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
Followers of Aristotle and Epicurus think it is but has certain stated Rules as they that are skill'd in it do know and can easily demonstrate I say if I can make this appear I think I may then safely affirm that the Name Sabaoth Adonai and other Names for which the Jews have so profound a Veneration were not design'd to denominate any created Beings much less those of an inferiour Order but do contain some sacred Mystery which has an immediate Reference to the great and adorable Creator of the Universe These Names therefore have an Efficacy when they are duly pronounc'd by any Person whatsoever There are other Names which being pronounc'd in the Egyptian Language are prevalent with certain Daemons whose Power is limited to such or such a Sphere and others which being pronounc'd in the Persian Language are prevalent with other Daemons And I might instance in several Nations of the World that use other Names applying 'em in very different Sences and so we shall find that the terrestrial Daemons which have particular Places assign'd 'em have Names giv'n 'em according to the Language which the People speak Any Man of Sence therefore one wou'd think that bestows but the least Thought on this important Subject will scruple to make use of Names foreign to the Things which they represent least he shou'd unawares be guilty of the same Fault with them who use such improper and harsh Expressions concerning God himself that they don 't at all stick to give him the false and vile Appellation of inanimate Matter or run into the Error of those unhappy Persons who greatly derogate from the infinite Honour which is due to the supream and original Cause and disparage true Virtue and Piety by mis-applying the Sacred Name of Summum Bonum to a little glittering but perishing Dust or a happy Constitution of Body or that which is falsely but too commonly call'd an Honourable Descent Noble Princely or Royal Blood And surely the Danger of mis-applying the Name of the Aweful Majesty of Heav'n or the Chief Good is at least equal to that of changing the stated Names which are us'd in Magick and have a Mystical Sence and giving the Names of Superiour Powers to infernal Spirits and on the contrary those of infernal Spirits to Superiour Powers I need not say that at the very mention of Jupiter is understood the Son of Saturn and Rhea the Husband of Juno the Brother of Neptune the Father of Minerva and Diana and the Person that committed Incest with his Daughter nor need I say that at the mention of Apollo is understood the Son of Jupiter and Latona the Brother of Diana and Brother to Mercury by the Fathers side or need I speak of many other Things that were related by the Ancient Heroes whom Celsus has with so much Honour enumerated or contain'd in the old and admir'd Theology of the learned Greeks Pray how comes it to pass that Jupiter is call'd as he is and that the Son of Saturn and Rhea is not the Name that 's given him The same Question may properly enough be ask'd concerning the rest of the Riff-raff of the Heathen Gods This Consideration I think has a manifest Tendency to favour and justify the Practice of those Persons who have some mystical but solid Reason for using the Name Sabaoth or Adonai and some other Names when they speak of GOD since they who understand any Thing of the true Nature of Names will easily find that some sacred Mystery is veil'd under the Names which are giv'n to the Angels one of whom is call'd Michael another Gabriel and another Raphael each having a Name affix'd to him by the Father of Spirits agreeable to the Nature and Extent of that honourable Work in which his great Creator has thought fit to employ him And the Virtue which accompanied the Pronunciation of our Saviour's Name and by which cruel and obstinate Daemons were frequently and publickly dispossess'd both of the Minds and Bodies of Men must I think be resolv'd at least in some Measure into the natural Efficacy of Names I might add one Thing here and that is this that they who are skill'd in Enchantments tell us that if they make use of such and such Words in the Original Language the End propos'd will certainly be obtain'd but if the very same Words be chang'd and others be made use of which convey the very same Idea they will immediately and strangely lose their extraordinary Virtue So that the Power which they have is not owing to the Things of which they are the external Signs but to certain unknown Properties that belong to the Names themselves CHAP. XXI THIS may serve as an Apology for the Christians who willingly and ev'n triumphantly embrace Death it self in the most horrid Shapes rather than call God by the Name of Jupiter whatever Intention or Mental Reservation they might have or give him those Names which are us'd in the Languages and adapted to the Religions of other Countries For either they call him by the general Name of God or they bestow such Epithets as these upon him The Creator of the World the Former of Heav'n and Earth or might express themselves by the following Periphrasis He who has sent some wise and virtuous Men into the World whose Names being honourably blended with his own have a strange and ev'n miraculous Power Here I might enter into a long Discourse in Opposition to them who eagerly contend for the promiscuous Use of the most sacred Names For if Plato be so much and not undeservedly commended who brings in a Person upon Philebus's calling Pleasure a Goddess making use of the following Expression For my part Protarchus I have a profound Veneration ev'n for the Names of the Gods which like themselves I esteem sacred and inviolable how much more ought Christians to be commended who make Conscience of applying those Names to God which are unhappily but too commonly borrow'd from the empty and ridiculous Fables of the Poets But so much of this Matter for the present CHAP. XXII LET us now see how Celsus loads the Jews with Reproaches which don't well suit with his horrid Presumption in professing that he was perfectly acquainted with the Opinions of the Christians They give themselves says he to the Worship of Angels and to Magick following therein the Precepts of their celebrated Moses Let him therefore since he 's so well acquainted with the Jewish and Christian Doctrine shew where there 's any Precept in all the Pentateuch that can be brought in Favour of Angel-Worship and acquaint us how 't is possible that Magick shou'd be in Vogue with a Nation that observes the Law of Moses who has left the following Words upon Record Regard not them Lev. xix V. 31 that have familiar Spirits neither seek after Wizards to be defil'd by em CHAP. XXIII THEN Celsus undertakes to shew That the Jews by reason of their monstrous Ignorance tamely suffer'd themselves
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
as being deriv'd from no other than a Divine Original And since 't is a pretended Jew who calls in Question the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon our Saviour in the Resemblance of a Dove one might well demand who is it that says thus in Isaiah's Prophecy Now the Lord God Isa xlviii V. 16. has sent me and his Holy Spirit which Words are ambiguous and may either signify that the Father and the Holy Spirit sent our Blessed Saviour or that the Son and Spirit were both sent by the Father the latter of which two Interpretations seems to me I confess to be true and genuine and because our Saviour was sent first and then the Holy Spirit that the Prophecy might be fulfil'd the Accomplishment of which was reserv'd for Future Ages for that Reason among others I judge it is that Things are related as they are by the Evangelists CHAP. XL. AND since Celsus's Jew do's in some sort acknowledge that our Saviour was baptiz'd by John the Baptist I wou'd produce the Testimony of a Famous Author who liv'd quickly after I mean Josephus who in the 18th Book of his Jewish Antiquities says That John the Baptist was invested with Authority to baptize and promis'd Remission of Sin to them that came to his Baptism The same Author tho' he don't believe that our Saviour was the true Messiah and when he enquires into the Cause of the Taking of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple don't ascribe this grievous and surprizing Calamity as he ought to have done to the Crucifixion of our Blessed Saviour yet is fore'd to make some slender Approach to Truth and to acknowledge that 't was a remarkable Judgment which God sent upon the Jewish Nation for killing James the just who was Brother to Jesus who is call'd by the Name of Christ and was without doubt a very virtuous and pious Man This James was the same Person St. Paul that sincere Follower and eminent Apostle of our Blessed Lord tells us that he went to visit because he was the Brother of Christ which Title was proper for him not so much by Reason of their being in a peculiar Sence of the same Flesh and Blood as on the Account of the admirable and manifest Agreement both of their Doctrine and their Morals If then the fore-mention'd Author says That the Destruction of Jerusalem was owing to the Barbarous Death of James the just how much more Reason is there to believe 't was really and principally owing to the Crucifixion of our Blessed Saviour whose Divinity is so frequently attested by so many large and united Bodies of Men that consist of such Persons as have left their vicious Practices devote themselves to the Service of their great Creator and liberal Benefactor and in all their Actions have a most serious Regard to his Honour and Interest in the World And tho' the pretended Jew shou'd make no Apology for the Prophet Ezekiel and Isaiah since we meet with Passages in their Writings and in the rest of the Prophets which are no less strange I am sure than those which are related in the Gospels concerning our Blessed Saviour viz. That the Heavens were open'd and that he heard a Voice from thence I shall endeavour to shew that all who believe an over-ruling Providence acknowledge there have been praeternatural Visions and such wherein future Events relating to the Affairs of humane Life have been more clearly or more obscurely represented to the warm Imagination I say I shall endeavour to shew that the Assertors of Providence acknowledge that such Visions have been seen by Persons in their Sleep and that 't is no difficult Matter to conceive upon this Hypothesis that the same Impressions may be made on the Imagination when a Person is awake Whether they be design'd by God for the private Benefit of some particular Persons or to promote the spiritual Advantage of Mankind in general and as in our Sleep tho' there be nothing to strike upon our Sense of Sight or Hearing yet we strongly imagine that we see such Objects and hear such articulate Sounds when 't is our rational Faculty that 's all this while at Work and undergoes these various and strange Sensations So there 's no Absurdity in supposing that the same Thing might happen to the Prophets when we read that the Heav'ns were open'd to 'em that they saw strange Sights and heard the Voice of the great God himself For my Part I don't suppose that the visible Heavens were open'd and in a literal Sence were cleav'd asunder to give the Prophet Ezekiel an Occasion for writing as he do's And I am fully satisfy'd that they who read the Gospels with any Measure of Judgment won't understand our Saviour's Vision in the gross Sense of the Words of Scripture tho' I am not a little sensible that the ignorant Sort of People who at every Turn and to support an idle Whimsy of their own will allow the Frame of Universal Nature to be shak'd from off its Hinges and imagine that so vast and compact a Body as that of the Heavens was rent in two will be offended with any Discourse in Divinity that do's in the least interfere with the literal and most obvious Sence of Scripture But one who dives to the Bottom of Things will find that according to the Account we have in Holy Writ there is a certain Divine Knowledge which none but a few happy Persons have as Solomon says Thou shalt find the Knowledge of the Lord Prov. ii V 5. and that the several Branches of it are such as follow viz. A Sight adapted to the Contemplation of Objects that are beyond the Sphere of unassisted Nature such as Cherubims and Seraphims a Hearing suited to the Perception of Sounds vastly different from those which are form'd in the Air a Tast that can relish the living Bread that came down from Heaven a Smell that can distinguish that Heavenly Perfume of which the Apostle speaks when he says We are unto God a sweet Savour of Christ and a Touch of which 2 Cor. ii V. 15. St. John speaks when he says Our Hands have handl'd of the Word of i. John i V. I. Life The Blessed Prophets therefore being Partakers of these Divine Sensations and seeing hearing tasting and smelling in a Way that is perfectly supernatural we must understand these Things in the same Sence in which we must take that Place in Ezekiel where he 's said to have eat the Book that was deliver'd him In this Sence it was that Isaac smelt the sweet Savour of the Divine Garments of his Son and pronounc'd this Blessing upon him See the Smell of my Son is as the Smell of a Field which the Lord has bless'd And after the same Manner our Saviour touch'd the Leper which I think must be understood of a Spiritual rather than a Corporeal Touch that he might not only cleanse him as some think from his bodily Distemper but chiefly that he might
and sometimes must be restrain'd to his Humane Nature as when he says Ye seek to kill me a Man that has told you the Truth which I have heard of God So in the Case which is now before us we must understand him speaking as a Man discovering at once the Weakness of the Flesh and the Willingness of the Spirit the former in those Words Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me and the latter in those Words Nevertheless not my Will but thine be done And 't is observable that he begins with those Words which are a plain Indication of the Weakness of the Flesh and concludes with those which discover the Willingness of the Spirit and the latter are oftnest repeated by him Besides 't is worthy of our Notice that he don't absolutely pray Let this Cup pass from me but expresses a most profound Submission to his Father's Will in the following Words If it be possible I am not insensible I confess that some Interpret those Words after the following Manner that our Saviour foreseeing what Calamities wou'd befal the City of Jerusalem and not only so but the whole Nation of the Jews on the Account of that unjust and barbarous Treatment he shou'd meet with at their Hands had such a tender Compassion for this sinful and miserable People that he desir'd to be excus'd from Suffering that he might prevent 'em from being forsak'n of God and expos'd to those threatning Calamities which he had in View And then 't is as if he had said since the Jews upon my Suffering will be sadly left by that God who once took 'em into his special Protection and put 'em under so happy a Government as that of a Theocracy I desire if it be possible that this Cup may escape me Besides if our Saviour's Sufferings put him to no Pain at all as Celsus wou'd fain have us to believe it was impossible they shou'd upon our own Hypothesis I shou'd be glad to know how he cou'd set his Followers a bright Example of Patience under the most grievous Sufferings for the Sake of their most Holy Religion CHAP. XVIII THEN Celsus's Jew accuses our Saviour's Disciples of Imposture You impose on us says he with a Company of Old Wives Fables and han't the Sence to give 'em the least Colour of Reason to recommend 'em to the World To this I answer the Evangelists cou'd easily have omitted these Things if they had pleas'd and then there had been no Room for this horrid Slander For how cou'd our Enemies unless they wou'd invent Fictions out of their own fruitful Brain reproach us with such and such Expressions of our Saviour during his most bitter Passion if the Evangelists had suffer'd 'em as it were to sleep in an eternal Silence And Celsus wasn't sensible that 't was morally impossible for 'em to allow emselves to be tamely deluded in the Affair of the History of our Blessed Saviour so as to be prevail'd with to look upon him to be no less than a God and the very Person that was so frequently and so expresly Foretold by the Jewish Prophets and at the same Time be convinc'd in their Consciences that all that they writ concerning him at least what seem'd to favour him was made up of Fictions that were entirely owing to their fruitful but unhappy Invention But 't is plain that either they were Men of Integrity and publish'd nothing but what they firmly believ'd was true or else their Gospels are fill'd with trifling Fictions of their own and by Consequence they cou'dn't possibly be perswaded in their Minds that our Saviour was a GOD. Then Celsus's Jew asserts That ev'n some of the Christians like Men that are intoxicated by the Fumes of Wine and don't mind at all what they say or do have alter'd the Original Text of the Gospels so that they may admit of various and almost infinite Readings And this I suppose they did out of Humane Policy that when we press 'em home with an Argument they might have the larger Scope for their Pitiful Evasions But for my Part I confess I know no Changes that the Original Text of the Gospels has ever undergone unless by Means of the Followers of Marcion Valentinus and Lucian Besides tisn't fair at all to charge such a Thing as this upon the Christian Religion as a Crime and unworthy of its pretended Purity but those Persons who were concern'd in the Fact ought by all the Laws of Justice to answer for it And as 't is no solid tho' a plausible and popular Argument against the Heathen Philosophy that Sophists Epicureans and Peripateticks have us'd their utmost Endeavours to delude the World with their false and dangerous Opinions So 't is no convincing Argument against the Truth of the Christian Religion that some Persons have had the horrid Impudence to corrupt the Gospels themselves and so have giv'n an unhappy Rise to numerous and most impious Heresies CHAP. XIX THEN Celsus's Jew finds Fault with the Christians again for misapplying as he fondly imagines the Scripture-Prophecies to our Blessed Saviour But I think I have spoke sufficiently to this Point already Besides if the Conviction of his Reader was the End which he propos'd to himself he ought to have giv'n us a Key for the right understanding of the Jewish Prophecies and might have offer'd one wou'd think some solid Reasons why they can by no Means be fairly accommodated to our Saviour and really he needn't have been so sparing of his Time and Strength in examining a Matter of such vast Importance and especially since he confidently affirms that there are Abundance of Persons to whom the Prophecies might more fitly be apply'd But Celsus it seems isn't sensible at all that tho' such extravagant Discourse as this might become one who is an utter Stranger to the Prophetick Oracles yet 't is very improper to come from the Mouth of any rational and sober Jew Indeed a Person of the fore-mention'd Character will do what lyes in his Power to evade the Interpretations of Scripture which we Christians give but he 'll never grant what Celsus says viz. That there are Abundance of Persons to whom the Prophecies may more fitly be apply'd than to our Blessed Saviour I have already observ'd that the Prophets speak of a twofold Coming of the Messiah so that 't is needless for me to answer the pretended Jew when he says The Prophets represent the Messiah as a mighty Prince and Soveraign of the Vniverse CHAP. XX. WHAT he adds that God never destgn'd to bring so great a Plague upon the World as the Christian Religion do's strongly savour of the Malice of an inveterate Jew who supplies his Want of Reason by a vast Stock of Impudence that he has always by him But I defy Celsus and all the Men in the World to prove that a Doctrine introduc'd by one who reclaim'd so many Persons from the most scandalous Vices and effectually engag'd 'em to
upon the Jewish Nation And their Mouths wou'd be for ever stop'd shou'd we upbraid 'em but God forbid we shou'd ev'n seem to insult 'em and shou'd we demand of 'em as we very well may whether the Dispensations of Divine Providence toward 'em don't bear the Awful Marks of his Severe Displeasure and whether Almighty God didn't take a most unaccountable Method if his Design were to show the World that the Jews were still his peculiar People tho' too far from being zealous of Good Works when he suffer'd such grievous Calamities to befall 'em when their Metropolis was tak'n and they were at once depriv'd of their Magnificent Temple and all their Pompous Worship and whatever they cou'd offer to allay the Native Darkness of this MYSTERIOVS SCENE of PROVIDENCE it might be largely insisted on and improv'd to very valuable Purposes by the Christians who admire the Wise and Deep Design of GOD to make Use of the Horrid Impiety of those very Persons who were Once his PECVLIAR PEOPLE as a Blessed Occasion of calling them who were Strangers to the Covenants and had no Right to the Glorious Promises relating to the Messiah's Kingdom This was fore-told by the Prophets viz. That GOD wou'd take an Advantage by the Sins of the Jews not merely to call any single Nation but to select some Persons from all Parts of the Earth that having Chosen the Foolish Things of the World he might give an ignorant People very clear Discoveries of important Truths taking his Kingdom from the Jews to bestow it on the Despised Gentiles And I shall quote one Prophecy concerning this surprizing Turn of Providence which is in Deuteronomy where the Prophetical Historian introduces GOD speaking after the following Manner They have mov'd Deut. 32. V. 21. me to Jealousy with that which is not GOD they have prvok'd me to Anger with their Vanities And I will move them to Jealousy with these who are not a People I will provoke 'em to Anger with a foolish Nation CHAP. XXXIX THEN the Jew concludes with the following Words We see therefore says he that he was a Man like one of us as we had Reason to believe both from Reason and Experience But I can't for my Life conceive how our Saviour if he was no more than a Man cou'd ever be so weak as to imagine that his Doctrine wou'd obtain and much less meet with the desir'd Success that he shou'd honourably surmount all Difficulties and Dangers and prove in the Event superiour to the United Force of the People Senate and Emperors of Rome and all Foreign Potentates If we don't allow that he had a DIVINE as well as a HVMANE NATVRE how can we account for his making so many and so remarkable Converts on a sudden when the Disadvantages were so great which he labour'd under Had they all been Men of Reason that he had to deal with I confess the Wonder wou'd sensibly abate But the greatest Part by far were void of Reason and little better than Brutes in a Humane Shape and which is worse were Slaves to their unruly Passions and on that Account 't was far more difficult to reclaim 'em from their exorbitant Vices So that we must resolve this Matter into his being the Wisdom and the Power of GOD let the Unbelieving Jews and the Learned Greeks gnash their Teeth as much as they please or produce what they can to the contrary And I might say that Instances of his Divine Power are not wholly wanting ev'n at this Distance of Time We shall therefore not only continue by the Assistance of the Holy Spirit to believe in God the Father according to the Doctrine of his ETERNAL SON but shall also be excited by a Holy Ambition to endeavour to convert the ignorant Heathenss to the Christian Faith while they by all Means will have it that we truly are the Persons whose Ignorance deserves highly to be pity'd tho' we know very well that the Case they commiserate is in Truth their own and they give it out that we are guilty of Imposture whereas they do but condemn their own frequent and most apparent Practice I am sure if we lead Persons aside 't is a very Happy Seducement since the Eternal Welfare of their Better Part is Honestly aim'd at and Effectually consulted by us who are honour'd sometimes with being Instruments in the Hand of ALMIGHTY GOD to reclaim em By the GRACE OF GOD with which our sincere and earnest tho' weak Endeavours do concur they are prevail'd with to leave their former Intemperance or at least make some slow and imperfect Advances toward the contrary Virtue they leave their unjust Dealing or at least approach to the Confines of Justice they renounce their Superstition and Folly or at least are conducted into the High-Way if I may so say that leads to the MOST SUBLIME and MOST USEFUL WISDOM They leave their Cowardly and Sordid Temper and are inspir'd with the NOBLEST KIND OF COURAGE which appears on all just Occasions but especially when they are call'd to lay down their Lives and seal the Truth of their most Holy Religion with their warmest Blood To conclude without Doubt our SAVIOUR is already come who was expresly foretold ev'n by the Jewish Prophets My Antagonist therefore did not a little discover his Ignorance in making his Jew say That A CERTAIN PROPHET foretold the Coming of the MESSIAH But because Celsus who brings in his Jew speaking as he imagines agreably to the Principles of Judaism thinks fit that he shou'd break off here tho' indeed he adds a sew Things that are not worthy to be mention'd I shall here put a Period to my SECOND BOOK And if I may but have seasonable and suitable Assistance from above I shall endeavour in my THIRD BOOK to answer some remaining Arguments if they may be so call'd against the CHRISTIAN RELIGION which Celsus thought fit to use and endeavours with all his Might to maintain FINIS