tes, and Plato: but they could not comprehend that the Great Creator of the univerfe fhould fend his Son into the world, enveloped in a body of flesh; first to explain his will to mankind; afterwards to let his mortal part fuffer a moft ignominious death upon the cross, as a facrifice for their fins; and lastly, by reviving and re-investing himself again with that fame body, to give his followers an idea of the refurrection from the dead; which they were to preach to all mankind, who, at the last day, were to rife from the dead with their natural bodies, which were to be changed in a moment, to give an account of the works they did in the flesh:-And, moreover, that Jefus Christ, who died upon the crofs, was to be the mediator between God and man; and that all those who addreffed the Father for pardon for their offences, were to do it through his interceffion.-I say, as the Greek philofophers could not comprehend all this, they thought it fuch a piece of folly, that it would be doing an infult to their understanding, even to give an answer thereto; and therefore they rejected it altogether; and regarded the preachers of this doctrine as poor creatures who were unworthy of their attention. However, when they perceived that the Chriftian religion, notwithstanding all the oppofition and perfecution which it met with in every part, was gaining ground in the world, that it was preached with fuch power, and fupported by fuch miracles, that all mankind, who gave themselves the trouble to examine it, were

filled with amazement, and that its preachers were every day sealing their teftimony with their blood, they began to make a more particular enquiry into the doctrine of Jefus Chrift, and after the mighty works which he was faid to have done in Judea.But although they found the facts so well attefted that they could not difprove them, yet, as the greatest part of his doctrine was fo much above the reach of their faculties, that they could not reconcile it to their manner of reasoning, they treated it as a fable, those who propagated it as fanatics, and declared that all the miracles which they did, were done by the power of magic.

Celfus was the first who wrote publicly against the doctrine of Jesus Christ: And as his reasoning has been the bafis upon which all the arguments that have been made against Christianity, by the ancient as well as by the modern philofophers, were founded; except that many of the latter have denied the facts, which the former never did; I fhall, with great fubmiffion, make fome enquiry into the principal objections that have been made by the ancients as well as by the moderns against the principles of the Christian religion; and endeavour to prove, that they can have no folid foundation; and that, in a matter of this confequence, it behoves every person to reflect seriously upon the subject, before he suffers himself to be led away by fuch frivolous, although perhaps plausible, arguments, which are neither phyfically nor morally fupported.

CELSUS

CELSUS was one of the fect of Epicureans; and, if we may judge from his writings, was one of those self-sufficient philofophers, who have such an exalted idea of their own abilities, that they treat all the reft of mankind with a kind of contempt; and flatter themselves, that they fhew their fuperior genius, by attempting to turn the writings of others into ridicule, without endeavouring to difprove them by any one folid argument, or even to enquire whether the facts or the reafons which their opponents advance are well or ill founded. This author, in his book which he calls A treatise on the truth, instead of endeavouring to difprove the facts advanced by the Christians, or even to convince mankind by folid arguments, that their religion was contrary to human reafon, or to the opinions of the philofophers, whose writings were at that time in the greatest esteem in the world, fets out with accufing them of bolding fecret assemblies, which were contrary to the laws of the country-Which laws, by the bye, were calculated to promote the worship of images, and the adoration of a plurality of gods, and were extremely severe against all those who followed any other kind of worship. So that the only crime which this author hereby lays to the charge of the Chriftians, was that of acting with common prudence, by endeavouring to keep themselves out of the fnares which were laid to catch them; and strictly following the wife advice that was given them,

be wife as ferpents, and harmless as doves."

to

Celfus

would have made some resistance: but Jefus would not fuffer them to make any kind of refistance, faying, "How then fhall the Scriptures be ful

filled, that thus it must be* ?"-" The cup "which my Father hath given me, shall I not "drink it +?"

Then they led Jefus away to the palace of Caiaphas the high priest, where all the scribes and elders of the people were affembled in council, feeking after witneffes to convict him; but they found none who were confiftent; although feveral falfe witnesses appeared, but their witneffing was fuch as was not fufficient to convict a criminal in fuch a fituation. And Jefus not attempting to exculpate himself, nor even giving any answer to the questions that were asked him, the high priest stood up, and faid unto him, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God?" Jefus faith unto him, Thou haft faid. Nevertheless, I fay unto you, 66 hereafter ye shall see the Son of man fitting on "the right hand of Power, and coming in the

clouds of heaven."-Then faid the high priest, He has spoken blafphemy, we have no occafion for any more witneffes; and turning to the council, he faid, What think ye? To which they answered, He is guilty of death.--Whereupon the populace began immediately to fpit in his face, to buffet him, and to ftrike him with the palms of their

* Matth. xxvi.

† John xviii.

3

↑ Matth. xxvi. hands,

hands, faying, Prophefy unto us, thou Chrift, who is he that fmote thee?

The more we reflect on the whole conduct of this Jewish council, the more we fhall admire in them that depravity and degeneracy from every good quality, which always diftinguished the bulk of the people of this nation. Mofes, and all their prophets, had foretold them, that Chrift fhould appear upon earth invested with great power; and that he would explain to them the will of the Supreme Being, which, through them, was to be communicated to all the Gentile world. And, if they had read those prophecies with attention, and enquired into the particularities of the birth and doctrines of Jefus, they would have seen, that the greatest part of them were even then fulfilled in him: But without doing of either, and without even confidering that the mighty works which Jefus was daily doing among them, the like of which had never been seen in the world, could not have been done but by the immediate interpofition of God, they condemned him to death; and treated him infinitely worse than they would, or by their law could, have treated the most abandoned malefactor, and this for no other reafon but because he informed them that he was the very Chrift of whom their prophets had prophefied.-Those people feem to have been deaf to reason, and to have loft all reflection. The condemning a perfon, whose whole life had been characterized by fuch uncommon acts of humanity and goodness, that