fo few Mi

racles in

his own Country:

Reason why 8. As for your Objection, of Christ's not being able to do Chrift did Miracles in his own Country, That is grounded on a Miftake. For in that Place it is not faid, that Chrift could not, or did not do any Miracles; but He did not many Miracles because of their Unbelief. And to ufe theWords of the learned Grotius upon the Place. Chrift did Miracles round the Country, that they who knew nothing of him, might believe in him. For them that began to believe, be added new Miracles, by which they might be confirmed in their new Faith. But to those, who defpifed the first Miracles, he repeated no more, leaft the Liberality of God should grow cheap. And indeed for fuch People that flighted his Miracles, what Reafon had God to afford them more, to trample upon ftill? But your Argument, which makes an antecedent Faith, or good Opinion of Chrift, neceffary for his working Miracles, has no Foundation at all. For wherever Chrift first worked Miracles,the People were incredulous before they faw his Works, fo that the first Miracle he wrought muft carry its own Evidence with it, and be truly miraculous. And then what Reafon is there to think, that he should work true Miracles to convert the Infidels, and fham ones to beguile the Believers? If your Suggestion be true, that he was afraid of his Impofture's being difcovered where he was known; why would he venture to do any Miracles at all? For the History allows, he did fome, though not many; and one or two fuch falfe Tricks plaid among a prejudiced People, would have endangered his Reputation, as much as an hundred.

Phil. But unlefs Chrift had fome foul Game to play, what was the Reason that he pick'd up fuch a Number only of illiterate stupid Auditors, a Parcel of poor Fishermen and diffolute Publicans, and a wretched Tribe of Mob, who were wont to run after him? If he had † defigned to teach Morality ferioufly, without any By-ends, and had done real Miracles, he would have had Men of a better Figure to have been his Difciples; which would have much contributed to the spreading of the Gospel, when it was

Celfus apud Orig. lib. 2.

Julian apud Cyril. lib. 6.

con

*

confirmed by the Teftimony of thofe, who had a better
Judgment and Reputation, than thofe first Propagators of.
it. But why did he fort out fuch poor ignorant People,
that inftead of Senfe, were qualified only with Credulity,
unless he had defigned to make a Property of them? If he
had defigned really to inftruct them, he would rationally
have taught them their Duty; but inftead of this, as
Celfus fays, he bids them only believe, and they fhall be fa-
ved; he does not cry out on them, to confider the Reason
of what he fays, but only to believe him. Which is a Way
of proceeding which feems to carry much Sufpicion with it.
Cred. The Reafon why fo many poor and unlettered
People were firft called to Chriftianity, was, not because
their Simplicity might be more eafily impofed upon, but
because fuch Perfons had better Difpofitions towards it.
Neither our Saviour, nor his Apoftles, did refufe Difciples

of
any Rank whatsoever; nor were they abfolutely de-
ftitute of wife and rich Men; for Nicodemus, Jofeph of
Arimathea, and Sergius Paulus, were Men of a confide-
rable Figure; but their greatest Harvest was among the
Poor and Unlearned, because they were better qualified for
the Reception of the Gospel.

receive the

For rich Men were fo elated by the Grandeur of their Poor better Condition, they had fuch a Refpect of Perfons, and fuch a qualified to Love for the Honours and Gaieties of this World, that they Gospel than rarely could be perfwaded to attend to the Reasons which Rich. were offered by Perfons of fuch a mean Character and Equipage, as our Saviour and his Apoftles were. They might have liften'd to a Word or two, which was spoken by fome great Doctor of the Sanhedrim; but they would not vouchfafe to hear what was faid, by fuch poor Itinerant Preachers. Befides, the Doctrine which they taught, was all Gall and Wormwood to fuch Perfons; that Contempt of the World which Chrift's Religion did recommend, that extraordinary Charity to the Poor, that Patience, Humility, Refignation to God's Will, and Forgiveness, and loving of Énemies, which he preached, feem'd perfectly inconfiftent

Celfus apud Orig. Ed. Cant. p. 282. & p. 303.

The Igno

ed.

with a great Fortune. And therefore 'tis no great Wonder, that but few of them became Converts to fuch unpalatable Doctrines.

And, as for the Wife and Learned of that Time, they rant than were as much prejudiced against the Religion, which our the Learn- Saviour taught. The literate Jews, who had been bred up under the great Rabbins of the Sanhedrin, had their Thoughts fo wholly bent upon the ancient Traditions of their Church, and the celebrated Books and Sayings of their Masters, that they looked down with Contempt upon this new Doctrine, preached by Men of fo mean Education as Jefus Chrift and his illiterate Followers; and thought no one could teach any thing worth attending to, but who had come out of one of their Rabbinical Schools. The Greeks had their Heads full of Pagan Philofophy, and could relifh nothing but what favoured of their fashionable Eloquence, and fo defpifed the Propaga tors of Christianity, as a Parcel of fimple, prating, Enthu aftical Mechanicks. And therefore it was very natural, that our bleffed Lord, and his Apostles, fhould make very few Profelytes out of this fort of Men, when the Pride of their Learning, and their Opinion of their vain Philofophy, was fo great a Bar against the Reception of the plain Doctrines of Christianity.

This Choice

But our Saviour had another Reafon, befides the natu made the ral Tendency of the Thing, why he chofe to have his Progress of Followers of the poorer and illiterate Sort of Men, viz. the Gospel To fhew the miraculous Affiftance of God in the propaga

more mira

culous.

ting the Gofpel, and the mighty Force of Christianity,
to make its Way through the greatest Obftacles. Ther
would be one material Argument loft, for the Proof a
the Divinity of the Chriftian Religion, if our Saviour had
taught it firft to the greatest Clerks among the Jews of
Feus a
Greeks, or made his Difciples out of Men of
great Fami
lies and Fortunes. It might then be objected, that it
was no Wonder that this Religion throve fo well in the
World, when it was carried on by the united Force of
the Eloquence and Reafon of fuch celebrated Scholars, and
when it was furthered by Men of fuch Intereft and Re-

putation

putation. You Unbelievers, then, would have fallen very hard upon us with this Argument, that Chriftianity was only a Politick Contrivance, and that it might be very well carried on with that Succefs it was, when it had all human Advantages poffible to affift it. And therefore our bleffed Lord, in his infinite Wisdom, muft foresee the Inconvenience of this Objection; and upon that Account, chofe his firft Difciples to be illiterate Men, who, by the Affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, fhould carry on a new Religion against all human Probability, and bear down the Jewish Ceremonies, and Heathen Idolatry, although fupported by all the Arts and Diligence of the learned Rabbins and Philofophers. And this is the Sum of the Apoftle's Argument. Not many Wife nor many Noble are called: But God hath chofen the foolish Things of the World to confound the wife; and God hath chofen the weak Things of the World to confound the Things which are mighty. And bafe Things of the World, and Things which are despised hath God chofen; yea, and Things which are not, to bring to nought Things that are: That no Flesh should glory in his Prefence, 1 Cor. i. 16, &c.

Faith in

And fo you talk a little too faft, when you fay, that Why Chrift our Saviour required nothing of his Difciples but only required Faith, or barely to believe. Tis true that he defigned his DifiFaith to be the Ground-work of his Religion, and there- ples. fore he endeavours to lay this Foundation firft, that they fhould believe him to be the Meffias. For, when they believed, the Doctrines of his Religion would be more cafily inftilled into them; because, then, they would carry Authority with them, and he need not be put, upon all Occafions, to prove what he taught by Scripture or Reason. But we do not find that our Saviour meant, that Men fhould only take up with Faith, and nothing more; for if he did, why fhould he have put himself to the Trouble of preaching his moft excellent Sermon upon the Mount, where the practical Rules of Morality were laid down, with a greater Exactness than ever was in the World before? But I muft freely own, that Men had greater Thoughts of Faith, in the Apoftolick

Mean Men

as good

Miracles

Times, than they have, in thefe cold Ages of Chriftia nity. Faith then was not thought, only a bare Affent to the Truth of Chrift's Doctrine, and his being the Meffias; but fuch an inward Principle, or Effect of God's Grace in their Hearts, as gave them not only Conviction of, but a Zeal for their Duty, infpiring them with fuch flaming Affections and Love of God, and fuch a Longing for Heaven, as made them with for Martyrdom to get thither the fooner. And let fome Men laugh, as much as they please, at infpired and infufed Habits; yet if a good Man does attentively read God's Word, devoutly meditate upon our Saviour's Life and Actions, and accuftom himself to frequent and earnest Prayers, he will quickly find his Thoughts animated with that noble Senfe of Religion, with fuch a ftedfaft Belief of, and fuch a hearty Love for our Saviour's Doctrines, as will give him that Relish of true Chriftian Faith, which is never to be had from the flat Rationales which fome Books do give of them.

But when you infinuate, that our Saviour made Choice of fuch mean Auditors, the better to make his pretended Fudges of Miracles pafs upon them; I will only ask you, don't you as others. think threse ordinary People had their common Senfes, as well as other Men? Could they not tell Wine from Water, a blind Man from a feeing one, and a dead Man from a live one? And if they could do this, they might as well judge of our Saviour's Miracles, as any Philofopher or Virtuofo in the World.

Phil. There is another Thing in the Hiftory of Chrift, which I cannot digeft; which is, that you cry him up as the greatest Example of Patience, and yet he does not feem to bear his Sufferings and Death with any tolerable Courage. But hear what Celfus fays to you Chriftians: If you would deify a Man for Bravery at his Death, you have the Example before you of Hercules, Æfculapius, and Orpheus. But there are yet braver than these. Anaxarchus, when he was thrown into a great Mortar, and most cruelly pounded there, he despised the Torment, and faid this worthy Thing indeed of the Divine Spirit: Beat the Bellows, or

blown