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Becaufe they got

reting by

it.

mined.

were not all the Witneffes of the Truth of the Gospel: There were many Thousands of his Auditors which heard him preach, and faw his Miracles, and five hundred Men at once faw him alive after his Crucifixion. Now 'tis impoflible that fo many Men fhould all be deceived, or that they fhould combine together in a Cheat, to impofe upon the

World.

5. When a Winefs has any Intereft to carry on, by a strange Relation, there may be fome Grounds to fuffect his Veracity; but when Mien could get nothing by it, as was the Cafe of the Apostles, what Reafon is there why they should not be believed? Indeed, if they could have got more Money by Preaching than by Fishing, there was then fome Ground to fufpect the Truth of what they faid; but they, poor Men! got nothing by all their Trouble and Fatigue of their Miniftry, and lived in as mean a Condition, as they did before. If they had confider'd their Interest and Eafe, they would have follow'd their Manual Occupations ftill, which had more Profit attending them, and lefs Trouble and Darger. If they had a Mind to be Rich or Great, they would have curried Favour with the Jews or Romans, who had the Command of the Wealth and Honour of that Place; but they would never have applied themfelves to the common People, who were fo far from being able to better the Condition of the Apostles, that, for the most part, they were hardly able to fubfift themfelves.

Because the 6. If a Witness, who told a ftrange Story, had laid the Truth of Scene of the Action many Hundreds of Miles off, in fome what they unfrequented Part of the World, as Philoftratus does many Said was eally exa- of his Stories in the Eaft-Indies; or if he had told a hearfay Tale done out of the Memory of Man, there would be good Reafon to diftruft his Evidence. But when the Apostles atteft Matters of Fact, done in the fame City, wherein they gave their Evidence, and some of which (as particularly Chrift's Refurrection) they fay happen'd but a few Months before, this looks natural and free; efpecially when the Men they declared it to, had the Opportunity of examining into, and fatisfying themfelves concerning

it. But if they had made the Story, they would have been Mad-men to have laid the Scene of it fo nigh home, and, faid it was fo lately done, or affign'd fo fmail a Space of Time fince it was done; thereby manifeftly expofing the Cheat to unavoidable Difcovery, and themselves to the Difgrace and Punishmen fo bold an Impofture deferv'd.

Because

their Doc

trine.

7. There are indeed fome Men in the World, who will they fuf not ftick to tell a ftrange Lie, it may be feveral Times fered and over, as long as they are to lofe nothing by it; but if this died for be like to bring them into any Trouble, they then fall to mincing and palliating the Matter, or, if they can get off no other Way, will own they did not fpeak True. For it cannot be fuppofed, that any Liar has that Regard to the Reputation of fpeaking Truth, as to venture any Hazard for it. Then how can it ever be fuppofed, that the Apoftles fhould lay down their Lives, in Defence of an idle Story they had made? They might tell indeed fuch a ftrange Tale, of a Man that rofe from the Dead, and afcended into Heaven, out of Vanity, when they faw People pleased with the Strangeness of the Relation, and admired them for it; but this could laft no longer than they could do it with Impunity. The Banter would be fpoiled when they came before the Sanhedrin or Judges, where nothing but Death was to be expected from thofe, who perfifted in a religious Impofture. Well, but you may fay, that they, having often told a Lie, rather than undergo the Shame of Retracting it, would fuffer any Thing for it. This is altogether as miraculous, if it were true, as thofe Miracles they vouched; for fuch a thing was never known in Nature. A Man that has the Bafeness to tell a folumn Lie, can never have the Courage to die for it. We have a Multitude of Inftances of Cheats, when they have been brought into Danger, discovering themselves, and flying to Mercy; but I defy you to give an Inftance of any Man who died for a Fraud, when he might have been fav'd for detecting it. Or if it was poffible, that fuch a vain glorious Coxcomb could be found once in an Age, you cannot fuppofe, that all the first Propagators of Chriftianity were fuch. Put your felf, Philologus, in the Apostles Places, or any other

Gentle

Gentlemen, if you will, of a generous Education, who have a greater Senfe of Honour than thefe poor Men could be fuppofed to have, and fet Death before you on one Side, and the Recantation of an idle Story on the other, and think, if you could think fit to die to carry on the Banter, and would not chufe rather to be laughed at, than to be a Martyr for a foolifs Tale. Now if Men of Honour would 'do a thing, which would be fuch a Mortification to them, rather than lofe their Lives; what unheard-of Spark of Honour can you fuppofe to find in the Breafts of those plain Fifher-men, that should make them rather die, than to fay any Thing contrary to what they had preached?

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Phil. Good Sir, you run on a little too faft in behalf of the Apostles; for give me leave to tell you, that their Preaching was not fo void of Gain, nor fo full of Hazard, as you pretend. If they got nothing by their new Doctrine, they had nothing to lofe. And it was an ample Reward to poor Fisher-men, to be look'd on as infpired Men, and to have all their Followers fubmit them felves to them. Peter, 'tis true, left his torn Nets, his leaky Boat, and fimple Companions; but by being an Apoftle, his Words were admired as Oracles, and he fat at the Helm in religious Matters. And to be fure, where-ever the Apostles went, there was good Chear provided for them. Belides, there were Gatherings in the new-planted Churches, 2 Cor. viii. and there is no Doubt to be made, but the Apoftles had their Share in thefe; and St. Paul feems to put in plainly for it, alleging that Paffage of the Law, Thou shalt not muzzle the Mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn. Nay, there must be confiderable Sums of Money at the Apoftles difpofing; for in the Acts of the Apoftles it is faid, Thas the Believers fold all that they had, and laid the Price at the Apoftles Feet. Now all this was Honour and Profit enough for fuch Men as thefe: It was no great Riches indeed, but it was a comfortable Maintenance. And how many Men are there, that venture their Necks every Day for as little? Befides, I don't fee what great Danger they in

Judeus apud Limb. p. 133, & 134.

curred,

curred, by their Preaching. The greatest Danger was from the Jews, who had Laws againft fuch. Impostures, and therefore they very wifely turned to the Gentiles. And among them there was little Danger, as they ordered Matters; for they only preached Jefus Chrift to be the Son of God, and that there was a Refurrection, and the like, which were Things that might go down well enough with the Heathen World; but I don't find them any-where in the - New Teftament preaching against Idolatry, which if they had done, the zealous Heathens would have immediately crucified them. And 'twas upon this Account, that the Apoftles inveigh fo much against the falfe Brethren, who were thofe that betray'd them to the Heathens, that they run down Idolatry in private. Befides, it does not appear, but that they did avoid Suffering as much as they could; for when St. Paul was called in queftion for teaching contrary to the Law of Mofes, he with a great Deal of Dexterity avoids the Charge, pretending only that for the Refurrection of the Dead, and for fecing a Vifion he was called in question, which, though they were not the Points he was charged with, yet they ferved to fet the Pharifees and Sadducees a quarrelling, and fo freed him from Danger, that Time, by that ingenious Prevarication.

Cred. I will fpeak in order to the Objections you have here raised. You fay the Apostles had nothing to lofe, and ventured Apoftles therefore they might venture upon the Preaching the Gafpel. their Lives What though they had no Riches to venture, they had and Liber the Reputation of honeft Men, which few People will care ties. to lofe for the fake of an Impofture; for an honest Man, if ever fo poor, would not care to be counted a Cheat. And if they had no Reputation, they had their Liberty and Lives to lofe, and no one, of any Senfe, would care to venture thefe, upon no better a Profpect than you can fuppofe the Apoftles to have had, for Goals and Gallows.

But

of

all

you fay, They gat Victuals by it, and the Honour being the Heads of a religious Party, and the Difpofil of the People's Alms. And, indeed, wondrous Martes are thefe, to make Men venture their Necks for them. does not appear, but that they lived as well upon their

It

Trade,

And did not preach for vain Glory

or Applause.

Had no

the Collections.

Trade, as this comes to. But fuppofing they preached only for a Livelihood, yet, was it worth While, for them to undergo fo much Pains and Danger, for a little Victuals? See the great Comforts of the Apostleship, which did, as you fay, invite Men to it upon Account of Gain. They endured Tribulation, Distress, Perfecution, Famine and Nakedness, Peril and Sword, Rom. viii. 35. They were made a Spectacle to the World, to Angels and Men, and were Fools for Chrift's fake; they were Hungry and Thirsty, Naked and Buffered, and had no certain Dwelling-place. St. Paul was five Times whipped by the Jews, three Times beaten with Rods, once ftoned, and frequent in Prifons, &c. 2 Cor. xi. and got his own Livelihood by his own Hands, though he had a more liberal Education. But fuppofe, they had got their Victuals gratis, what Proportion do all these Troubles and Torments bear, to fuch a fmall Conveniency?

But it is an uncharitable Falfity to fay, The Apostles thing by gained any Thing by the Collections which were made. The Contributions, which were firft made, were laid down before the Apoftles; but what Advantage did they make of them, but only to relieve the Poor? If the Apoftles indirectly had reaped any Profit from thefe, they would have kept them ftill in their own Hands; but they inftituted the Office of Deacons to discharge that Truft, which they would never have done, if they had preached the Gofpel for the Sake of the Advantage they made by fuch Contributions. And the Collections mention'd by St. Paul, 2 Cor. viii. were only for Relieving the Poor at Hirufalem in a great Famine, which were entirely fent thither without the Apostles participating of any Part of them. And St. Paul was fo far from asking any Share of them, that he declares that he was burthenfome to none; that he

got

his Living by his own Hands; and that he preached the Gofpel gratis, though, if he pleased, he might in Juftice demand a Livelihood for it. They that wait at the Altar, are Partakers with the Altar; even fo hath the Las ordined, that they which preach the Gospel, fhould live the Gospel. But I have used none of thefe Things. Neither

bat

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