man Records for, the truth both of the Birth and Refurrection, of our Saviour. The memory of the Maffacre of the Infants by Herod is preferved to us by a faying of (bMacrob. Auguftus concerning Herod upon it (6), Saturnal.. which is mentioned in Macrobius a Heathen hb.ii. c. 4. Author! For Auguftus was told, that a

mong others, Herod had caufed his own child to be flain; which, whether true or no, gave occafion to the Emperor to make this obfervation, that it was better to be Herod's Swine than his Son. Tacitus mentions our Saviour's fuffering under Pontius Pilate, and Tertullian in his (c) Apology (Tertul. tells the Heathens that the miraculous EApol.c.21 clipfe of the Sun, which was at Chrift's Death, ftood upon Record in their own Registers; whether it were for the ftrangenefs of the thing, it being contrary to the courfe of Nature, or that their fuperftition had made it cuftomary to regifter all the Eclipfes which happened.

The dumbnefs of Zacharias till the Circumcifion of his Son John the Baptift, was a notorious publick thing, and the people who waited for him, and marvelled that he tarried fo long in the Temple, perceived at his coming out, that he had feen a Vifion, and all things relating to that Hiftory were noifed abroad through all the hill coun try of Judea, Luke i. 27. That the wife men came from the Eaft at the fight of the

Star

Star; that Herod heard of this, and was troubled at it, and all Jerufalem with him; That he gathered all the Chief Priefts and Scribes together, and demanded of them where Chrift fhould be born, and that they anfwered, At Bethlehem of Judea, citing the Prophecy of Micah; That Herod, when he had enquired of the wife men concerning the Star, and enjoyned them to bring him word where the young child was, being disappointed by their returning home another way, flew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coafts thereof, from two years old and under thefe are things of that publick nature, that it was impoffible they fhould be feigned, when St. Matthew's Gospel was first published. If they had not been true, thousands must have been able to contradict them, and difcover the falfehood of them. When matters of fact are related, with fo many manifeft and publick circumftances, it is an appeal to the world for the Truth of what is written; and no man of common fenfe would contrive a falfe ftory with fuch publick cir, cumstances, as that every Reader may be able to difprove it. If any man fhould af firm, that in fuch a City or Village in En gland, at the command of fuch a King, and at fuch a time, within our memory, all the Infants, from two years old and under, were murthered, he muft fcarce expect to

be believed, or to confirm any thing elfe he has to deliver, by fuch a Fiction to introduce it.

con

The Triumphant fhouts and Hofanna's of the multitude at Chrift's entrance into Jerufalem, whereby all the City was moved, Matt. xxi. 10, II. immediately before the Paffover, when there was the greatest c courfe of people, was a thing that could not foon be forgotten: at the fame time he drove out all that fold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the Tables of the Money changers and when he was in the Temple, the blind and the lame came to him and he healed them; and the chief Priests and Scribes faw the wonderful things that he did, and the Children crying in the Temple Hofannah to the Son of David, and they were fore difpleafed at it. The Evangelifts would never have brought in the Chief Priefts and Scribes themfelves, with the whole people of Jerufalem, and the vaft numbers of Jews and Profelytes out of all Nations, affembled at the Paffover, as fpectators and witneffes of thefe things, if they had not been fo certain of them as to appeal to them all for the truth of what they relate fo lately, and fo folemnly and publickly done.

The darknefs of the whole earth for three hours together in the midst of the day, the veil of the Temple's being rent

from

from the top to the bottom, the Earthquake, and the rending of the Rocks, and the opening of the Graves, are things that must have been generally known, and could not be feigned; or if any man can be fo vain as to imagine they might; let him but confider, whether fuch things could now be impofed upon any people, by the writings of a few men, as done in the Metropolis of a Nation, at a folemn time, within the memory of thousands yet fiving, who are able to contradict them from their own certain knowledge. Ifa man fhould pretend, that but a few years ago in the chief City of any Kingdom or Nation, one part of the principal Church was rent from the bottom to the top by an Earthquake, which tore afunder the Rocks, and opened the Graves of the dead, and that at the fame time, the Moon being in that pofition, that the Sun could fuffer no Eclipfe, the Sun was darkned from twelve at Noon to three in the Afternoon, could he hope to gain any credit or belief to any Doctrine he had to propagate, by feigning fuch circumftances, as would put it into the power of every man that heard of them to disprove him? Would not this be the readieft and the most effectual way he could poffibly invent, to expose himself and his Caufe

The Death of Judas, and the cause and manner of it, which is fo clear a vindication of our Saviour, and fo plain a proof that he is the Chrift, was known unto all the dwellers of Jer falem, infomuch as that field was caled in their proper tongue Aceldama, that is to fay, the field of Blood, Acts i. 19. Matt. xxvii. 8. If this field had not been fo called, and this had not been well known at Jerufalem, would any man have written in this manner?

And befides the XII. Apoftles, and the LXX Difciples, who all believed and attefted the truths contained in the Evangelifts, many perfons of Authority and Note among the Jews are mentioned, who would have found themfelves concerned to dif prove what is related, if it had been falfe. Nicodemus is faid to have come to Chrift by night, who was a Pharifee and a Ruler of the Jews, John iii. 2. vii. 50. xix. 39. and to put this mark upon him three feveral times, That he came to Jefus by night, and durft not own his coming to him, was no flattering character, or fuch as might engage Nicodemus or his friends to diffemble the injury, if it had not been true that Nicodemus was his Difciple. The like is faid of Jofeph of Arimathea, a rich man and an honourable Counfellour, Matt. xxvii 57 Mar. xv. 43. that he was a Dif ciple of Jefus, but fecretly for fear of the

Jews2