Books were written by Perfons, who were Eye-witnesses of what they relate, or at least who received Inftructions from fuch. They had all the Advantages, which could poffibly be required, of knowing the Truth of them: And fo could not be mistaken in their Relations; and that they fhould wilfully deceive us, we have no Reafon to believe. We might with as much Reason call in doubt, and difbelieve all the Relations of former Hiftories, which depend upon no other Authority than that of their Writers: yet fhould we juftly esteem him Mad, who fhould doubt whether there were ever fuch Perfons, as Cefar and Alexander in the World; and we daily regulate our Actions, and found our Concerns upon Matters attefted with no better Proofs.

But to our Comfort and entire Conviction, Christianity hath yet much greater Evidence, The Writers of these Books are known to have been Perfons of unquestioned Intregrity, who, far from managing any worldly Defign or Interest in this Matter, quitted all the Conveniencies of Life; underwent the most toilsome Labours and Miseries; suffered Punishments, Contempt and Scorn; and at laft laid down their Lives in Atteftation of the Truth of what they related: Not to fay, that they confirmed the Truth of their Report by Miracles while alive; and that their Holiness, Sincerity and miraculous Power was in like Manner attested for fome Ages after by many pious and learned Perfons, who laid down their Lives in Testimony of their Veracity, and

wrought

wrought Miracles in Confirmation of it: Until a great part of Mankind being by these convincing Proofs converted to the belief of Chriftianity, and the truth of them fully made known to the World, Miracles became no longer neceffary. All these Things happened in a learned and inquifitive Age, and were Matters of the greatest moment, concerning no less than the eternal Happiness or Mifery of Mankind. So that on both thefe Accounts, if the leaft ground of Forgery or Impofture could have been difcovered in the Chriftian Religion, it would have been impoffible for it to have gained any Succefs, or made any Progrefs in the World. Efpecially if we confider with how great Zeal and Vehemency, both the Magiftrates and Philofophers of thofe Times oppofed it, and undertook the Extirpation of it. They applied themselves to this Defign with the utmost Diligence and Fervour, and left no Stone unturned, whereby they might either discover any Imposture in it, or ftop the Progress of it. But the Evidence of its Truth, affifted with the Divine Providence, bore down all Opposition: The blood of the Martyrs became the feed of the Church; and its learned Adverfaries were forced to confefs its Doctrines to be Divine, and the Founder of it an extraordinary Perfon.

Laftly, That the Writings of the Apostles and Evangelifts were the fame, which we now poffefs under their Names, and were conveyed uncorrupted through all Ages, appears not only from the conftant Tradition of Chritians, and their great Care to preferve those

facred

facred Monuments intire and uncorrupted, in which their eternal Welfare was fo nearly concerned: But alfo from the feveral Tranflations made of them immediately after the times of the Apoftles; fome of which are now extant, from written Copies preferved even to this day, written not long after the Apoftolick times, and from the Citations of antient Writers in all Ages.

Thus I have briefly propofed to you the Proofs, upon which the Chriftian Religion depends; to which I might have added many more; as the exact Completion of all our Saviour's Prophecies, more particulary in that remarkable Destruction of Jerufalem within the time prefixed by him; the Conftancy, Refolution, and Number of Chriftian Martyrs in those ancient times, when they had certain means of infallibly knowing the truth of these Matters; the Conqueft, which under fo many difadvantages, it made over the fireceft Oppofition of the Roman Empire, and Heathen Philofophy; and thofe many extraordinary Interpofitions of Divine Providence in favour of it, which have fignally appeared in all Ages of the Church; but thefe fhall at present fuffice.

SERMON

SERMON IV.

Preach'd November, 1688. at Lambeth Chapel.

1 Pet. III. 15.

Be ready always to give an answer to every man, that asketh you a reafon of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

I

N Difcourfing on thefe Words, I did propose to infift on these two Heads.

I. That the Chriftian Religion is agreeable to the Principles of Reason, and carrieth fufficient Evidence along with it.

II. That it is the Duty of every Chriftian, not wanting the means of fufficient Inftruction, to enable himself to give a Reason of his Faith.

The former of these I dispatched in the foregoing Sermon. I now proceed to the Second Head of Difcourfe: Namely,

II. That it is the Duty of every Chriftian, not wanting the means of fufficient Inftructi on, to enable himself to give a Reason of his Faith. That this, not the conftant refolution of profeffing the Faith at all times without Fear or Cowardice, was the primary Intent

of

of the Apoftolick Precept in my Text, appeareth, in that the Apoftle willeth us to do this πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, (which our Tranflators have not fo exactly rendred) by way of Apology; or in Confutation of the Calumnies and Objections brought against our Religion by the Adverfaries of it.

I will not say that fuch a perfect and compleat knowledge is abfolutely the Duty of every private Chriftian, fo that he cannot be faved without it. God requireth of no Man any thing beyond his natural Strength or Capacity; or which he had no Opportunities, nor Means to attain unto. We know how great a part of the Chriftian Church, over-run with Tyranny and Oppreffion, hath infenfibly fallen into a deplorable Ignorance. These we cannot in Reafon condemn, as wanting all means of better Inftruction; but rather applaud their Conftancy, and pray for their Delivery. We know alfo how great a Society of Chriftians labour under miferable Ignorance, and the confequence of its grofs Errors, by the Artifice and Contrivance of their Guides, who deny to them the use of the Scriptures, and teach them to content themselves with an implicit Faith. These also we will not in Charity condemn ; To their own Mafter they either ftand or fall. Laftly, we are not infenfible how many Members of our own Communion, either through want of leifure, or natural imbecillity of Underftanding; through default of Education, or other accidental Defects unforeseen, and un

provided