3

Difciples of great fame and learning, there is no queftion but there were confiderable numbers of those who knew him, and had been his hearers, scholars, or profelytes, that lived till the end of the third century, and to the reign of Conftantine the Great.

IX. It is evident to thofe, who read. the lives and writings of Polycarp, Ireneus, and Origen, that these three Fathers believed the accounts which are given of our Saviour in the four Evangelifts, and had undoubted arguments that not only St. John, but many others of our Sa viour's difciples, published the fame ac.counts of him. To which we muft fubjoin this further remark, that what was believed by these Fathers on this fubject, was likewife the belief of the main body of Chriftians in thofe fucceffive ages when they flourished; fince Polycarp cannot but be looked upon, if we confider the refpect that was paid him, as the reprefentative of the Eaftern Churches in this particular, Irenæus of the Western upon the fame account, and Origen of those eftablished in Egypt.

X. To these I might add Paul the fa mous hermite, who retired from the De

cian perfecution five or fix years before Origen's death, and lived till the year 343. I have only discovered one of those chan-: nels by which the hiftory of our Saviour: might be conveyed pure and unadulterated, through thofe feveral ages that produced thole Pagan Philofophers, whofe teftimonies I make ufe of for the truth of our Saviour's hiftory. Some or other of these Philofophers came into the Chriftian faith during its infancy, in the feveral periods of these three first centuries, when they had fuch means of informing themselves in all the particulars of our Saviour's hiftory. I muft further add, that though I have here only chofen this fingle link of martyrs, I might find out others among thofe names which are still extant, that delivered down this account of our Saviour in a fucceffive tradition, till the whole Roman empire became Chriftian; as there is no queftion but numberless feries of witneffes might follow one another in the fame order, and in as short a chain, and that perhaps in every fingle Church, had the names and ages of the most eminent primitive Chriftians been tranfmitted to us with the like certainty.

XI. But

XI. But to give this confideration more force, we must take notice, that the traditions of the first ages of Chriftianity had feveral Circumstances peculiar to it, which made it more authentick than any other tradition in any other age of the world. The Chriftians, who carried their religion through fo many general and particular perfecutions, were inceffantly comforting and fupporting one another, with the example and hiftory of our Saviour and his Apoftles. It was the subject not only of their folemn affemblies, but of their pri vate vifits and converfations. Our virgins, fays Tatian, who lived in the second century, difcourfe over their diftaffs on divine fubjects. Indeed, when religion was woven into the civil government, and flourished under the protection of the Emperors, men's thoughts and difcourfes were, as they are now, full of fecular affairs; but in the three first centuries of Chriftianity, men, who embraced this religion, had given up all their interefts in this world, and lived in a perpetual preparation for the next, as not knowing how foon they might be called to it fo that they had little elfe to talk

of

of but the life and doctrines of that divine perfon, which was their hope, their encouragement, and their glory. We cannot therefore imagine, that there was a fingle person arrived at any degree of age or confideration, who had not heard and repeated above a thousand times in his life, all the particulars of our Sa viour's birth, life, death, refurrection, and afcenfion.

XII. Efpecially if we confider, that they could not then be received as Chriftians, till they had undergone feveral examinations. Perfons of riper years, who flocked daily into the Church during the three first centuries, were obliged to pass through many repeated inftructions, and give a ftrict account of their proficien cy, before they were admitted to Baptifm. And as for those who were born of Chriftian parents, and had been bap tifed in their infancy, they were with the like care prepared and difciplined for confirmation, which they could not arrive at, till they were found upon examination to have made a fufficient progrefs in the knowledge of Christianity. XIII. We muft further observe, that there was not only in those times this re

ligious

ligious converfation among private Chriftians, but a conftant correfpondence between the Churches that were established by the Apoftles or their fucceffors, in the feveral parts of the world. If any new doctrine was ftarted, or any fact reported of our Saviour, a ftrict enquiry was made among the Churches, efpecially those planted by the Apoftles themfelves, whether they had received any fuch doctrine or account of our Saviour, from the mouths of the Apoftles, or the tradition of those Chriftians, who had preceded the prefent members of the Churches, which were thus confulted. By this means, when any novelty was published, it was immediately detected and cenfured.

XIV. St. John, who lived fo many years after our Saviour, was appealed to in these emergencies as the living Oracle of the Church; and as his oral teftimony lafted the firft century, many have obferved that, by a particular providence of God, feveral of our Saviour's Difciples, and of the early converts of his religion, lived to a very great age, that, they might perfonally convey the truth of the Gofpel to those times, which were