whereof our narrow understandings, and fhort views, may incapacitate us to judge. We know little of this vifible, and nothing at all of the state of that intellectual world, (wherein are infinite numbers and degrees of fpirits, out of the reach of our comprehenfion), and therefore know not what tranfactions there were between God and our Saviour, in reference to his kingdom. We know not what need there was to fet up a head and a chieftain, in oppofition to the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, &c. whereof there are plain intimations in fcripture. And we shall take too much upon us if we shall call God's wifdom or providence to account, and arrogantly condemn as needlefs, all that our weak, and perhaps biaffed understanding cannot account for." And then he fhews at large the neceffity there was for the gofpel revelation, to deliver the world from the miferable state of darkness and ignorance that mankind were in; 1. As to the true knowledge of God; 2. As to the worship to be paid him; 3. As to the duties to be performed to him. To which he adds, the mighty aids and encouragement to the performance of our duty; 1. From the affurance the gofpel gives of future rewards and punishments; and, 2. From the promise of the fpirit of God to direct and affift us.

The Holy Scriptures are every where mentioned by him with the greatest reverence; he calls them "The holy books, the facred texts, holy writ, and divine revelation;" and exhorts chriftians" to betake themselves in earnest to the study of the way to falvation, in thefe holy writings, wherein God has revealed it from heaven, and propofed it to the world; feeking our religion where we are fure it is in truth to be found, comparing fpiritual things with spiritual." And, in a letter written the year before his death, to one who had asked this question, "What is the shortest and fureft way for a young perfon to attain to a true knowledge of the chriftian religion, in the full and juft extent? His anfwer is, "Let him study the Holy Scripture, especially the New Teftament. There in are contained the words of eternal life. It has God for its author; falvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter." A direction that was copied from his own practice, in the latter part of his life, and after his retirement from bufinefs; when for fourteen or fifteen years, he applied himfelf efpecially to the study of the Holy Scriptures, and employed the last years of his life scarcely in

any

any thing else. "He was never weary of admiring the great views of that facred book, and the just relation of all its parts. He every day made discoveries in it, that gave him fresh cause of admiration."

Of St. Paul in particular, upon feveral of whofe epiftles he drew up a most useful commentary, he fays, "That he was miraculously called to the miniftry of the gospel, and declared to be a chofen veffel; that he had the whole doctrine of the gofpel from God, by immediate revelation; that for his information in the chriftian knowledge, and the myfteries and depths of the difpenfation of God, by Jefus Chrift, God himself had condefcended to be his inftructor and teacher; that he had received the light of the gospel from the fountain and father of light himself; and, that an exact obfervation of his reasonings and inferences is the only safe guide for the right underftanding of him, under the spirit of God, that directed thefe facred writings.

And the death of this great man was agreeable to his life. For we are informed, by one who was with him when he died, and had lived in the fame family for feven years before, that the day before his death, he particularly exhorted all about him to read the Holy Scriptures; that he defired to be remembered by them at evening prayers; that an occafion offering to fpeak of the goodnefs of God, he efpecially exalted the love which God fhewed to man, in juftifying him by faith in Jefus Chrift; and returned God thanks in particular for having called him into the knowledge of that divine Saviour.

About two months after his death, he drew up a letter to a certain gentleman (who afterwards diftinguished himself by a very different way of thinking and writing), and left this direction upon it, "To be delivered to him after my decease." In it are these remarkable words: "This life is a scene of vanity that foon paífes away, and affords no folid fatisfaction, but in the confcioufnefs of doing well, and in the hopes of another life. This is what I can fay upon experience, and what you will find to be true, when you come to make up the account.

Sir Ifaac Newton, univerfally acknowledged to be the ablest philofopher and mathematician that this or any other nation has produced, is alfo well known to have been a firm believer, and a serious chriftian. His difcoveries concerning the frame and fyftem of the univerfe, were applied by him, as Mr. Boyle's

enquiries

enquiries into nature, had been, to demonftrate against atheists of all kinds, the being of a God, and to illuftrate his power and wisdom in the creation of the world. Of which no better account can be given, than in the words of an ingenious perfon who has been much converfant in his philofophical writings." At the end of his mathematical principles of natural philofophy, he has given us his thoughts concerning the Deity; wherein he first obferves, that the fimilitude found in all parts of the univerfe, makes it undoubted, that the whole is governed by one fupreme Being, to whom the original is owing of the frame of nature, which evidently is the effect of choice and defign. He then proceeds briefly to state the best metaphyfical notions concerning God. In fhort, we cannot conceive either of space or time otherwise than as necessarily exifting; this Being, therefore, on whom all others depend, must certainly exist by the fame neceffity of nature.

Confequently, wherever space and time is found, there God must also be. And, as it appears impoffible to us, that space fhould be limited, or that time should have had a beginning, the Deity must be both immenfe and eternal."

This great man applied himself with the utmost attention to the ftudy of the Holy Scriptures, and confidered the several parts of them with an uncommon exactness; particularly, as to the order of time, and the series of prophecies and events relating to the Meffiah. Upon which fubject he left behind him an elaborate difcourfe, to prove that the famous prophecy of Daniel's weeks, which had been fo induftricufly perverted by deifts, was an exprefs prophecy of the Meffiah, and fulfilled in Jefus Christ.

Mr. Addifon, fo deservedly celebrated for uncommon accuracy in thinking and reasoning, has given abundant proof of his firm belief of chriftianity, and his zeal against infidels of all kinds, in the arguments adduced in this work.

We mention not these great names, nor the teftimonies they have given of their firm belief of the truth of christianity, as if the evidences of our religion were to be finally refolved into human authority, or tried in any other way than by the known and established rules of right reafon: but the defign in mentioning them, is,

1. To fhew the great prefumption of those who would make the belief of revelation inconfiftent with the ufe of reafon; though they have known fo many eminent inftances of the

greatest

greatest reafoners, not only believing revelation, but zealously concerned to establish and propagate the belief of it.

2. The remembrance of this will alfo be a means, on one hand, to hinder well-difpofed perfons from being mifled by the vain boasts of our modern pretenders to reafon; and, on the other hand, to check the inclination of the wicked and vicious to be mifled; when both of them have before their eyes fuch eminent instances of found reafoning and a firm faith joined together in one and the fame mind.

3. Further, as these were perfons generally esteemed for virtue and goodness, and, notwithstanding their high attainments, remarkable for their modefty and humility; their examples fhew us, that a strong and clear reason naturally leads to the belief of revelation, when it is not under the influence of vice, or pride.

4. And, finally, as they are all laymen, there is no room for the enemies of revealed religion to alledge that they were prejudiced by intereft, or fecular confiderations of any kind. A fuggeftion that has really no weight, when urged against the writings of the clergy in defence of revelation, fince they do not defire to be credited upon their own authority, but upon the reasons they offer; and lawyers and physicians are not lefs credited because they live by their profeffions; but it is a fuggeftion that easily takes poffeffion of weak minds, and especi ally fuch as catch at objections, and are willing to be caught by them. And, confidering the diligence of opponents in making profelytes, and drawing men from the faith of Chrift; equal diligence is required of those who are to maintain that faith, not only to leave men no real ground, but even no colour or pretence, for their infidelity.

The following discourses, except that concerning the Evidences of the Christian Religion, were all published in feparate papers, fome years ago, and afterwards collected into volumes, with marks of diftinction at the end of many of them, to point out the writers. Mr. Addison's are there diftinguished by fome one of the letters of the word CLIO; and the fame marks of distinction are here continued; as are also the rest, where any letter was found at the end of the difcourfe.

In thofe volumes, they ftand according to the order of time in which they were at first separately published, without any connection as to the matter contained in them; but here, the feveral difcourfes on the fame fubject, which lie difperfed in thofe papers, are reduced to their proper heads, and put into one view, that the whole may be more regularly read, and each head may leave a more lafting impreffion upon the mind of the reader.

OF THE

CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

SECTION I.

I. General divifion of the following difcourfe, with regard to Pagan and Jewish authors, who mention particulars relating to our Saviour.-II. Not probable that any fuch fhould be mentioned by Pagan writers who lived at the fame time, from the nature of such tranfactions.III. Efpecially when related by the Jews.-IV. And heard at a distance by those who pretend to as great miracles of their own.-V. Befides that, no Pagan writers of that age lived in Judæa, or its confines. And because many books of that age are loft.-VII. An inftance of one record proved to be authentic.-VIII. A fecond record of probable, though not undoubted authority.

I. THAT I may lay before you a full state of the subject under our confideration, and methodize the feveral particulars that I touched upon in discourse with you; I fhall first take notice of fuch Pagan authors as have given their teftominy to the hiftory of our Saviour; reduce these authors under their respective claffes, and fhew what authority their teftimonies carry with them. Secondly, I fhall take notice of Jewish authors in the fame light.

*

II. There are many reasons why you should not expect that matters of fuch a wonderful nature fhould be taken notice of by thofe eminent Pagan writers who were cotemporaries with Jefus Chrift, or by those who lived before his Difciples had perfonally appeared among them, and afcertained the report which had gone abroad concerning a life fo full of miracles.

Suppofing fuch things had happened at this day in Switzerland, or among the Grifons, who make a greater figure in Europe than Judæa did in the Roman Empire, would they be immediately believed by those who live at a

great

The Author did not live to write this fecond part.