What Jofephus fays concerning the outrageous wickedness and ftrange infatuation of many of the Jews, must be true; the facts related by him fufficiently fhew it: but the reason for which he dwells fo much on a fubject fo difagreeable to one who loved his nation, feems to have been this; he knew not how to account otherwife for God's giving up his own people to fuch calamities, and feeming to fight against them himself, and he was afraid of confequences which Pagans and Chriftians would draw from it against the Jewish religion. Cicero, because it ferved his purpose, had inferred from the calamities which in his days befell the Jews, that they were a nation not acceptable to the Deity. Stantibus Hierofolymis, pacatifque Judæis, tamen iftorum religio facrorum a fplendore hujus imperii, gravitate nominis noftri, majorum inftitutis, abborrebat: nunc vero hoc magis, quod illa gens, quid de imperio noftro fentiret, oftendit armis: quam cara diis immortalibus effet, docuit, quod eft victa, quod elocata, quod fervata. Pro Flacco, 28. Some would read ferva. Dr. Thirlby conjectured fervit: and I find it fo cited by Hammond in his notes on Revel. XIII. 5.

In his Antiquities he takes too great liberties with facred history, and accommodates it too much to the taste of the Gentiles, which yet probably he did to recommend his oppreffed and unhappy nation to the favour of the Greeks and Romans. There are few of his fuppreffior alterations, or embellishments, for which a prudential reason might not be affign

ons,

ed.

ed. In his Hiftory he fhews an instance of his art, in complimenting Titus without faying an untruth: he relates that Titus engaged with the Jews, who had made a fally and fought defperately, and that Titus himself flew twelve of their braveft men, who headed the reft. He says not how he flew them; but Suetonius tells us that Titus, at the fiege of Jerufalem, fhot twelve of the foremost of the enemies with fo many arrows. The circumstances give great reason to suppose that both relate the fame ftory.

Kai

Καὶ δώδεκα μὲ αὐτὸς τῶν προμάχων αναιρεί. et ipfe quidem fternit duodecim adverfi agminis propugnatores. B. J. v. vi. 6.

Noviffima Hierofolymorum oppugnatione, duodecim propugnatores totidem fagittarum confecit ictibus. Sueton. Tit. 5.

The history of the Jewish war by Jofephus feems to be a commentary upon the prophecies of Chrift. Jofephus, amongst other particulars, gives a diftinct account of the fearful fights and great figns from heaven, which preceded the deftruction of Jerufalem, and Tacitus has confirmed the narration of Jofephus. If Chrift had not exprefly foretold this, many, who give little heed to portents, and who know that hiftorians have been too credulous in that point, would have fufpected that Jofephus exaggerated, and that Tacitus was mifinformed; but as the testimonies of Jofephus and Tacitus confirm the predictions of Chrift, fo the predictions of Christ

Christ confirm the wonders recorded by these hiftorians.

Let us proceed to fhew that the predictions of Chrift were extant before the deftruction of Jerufalem, before A. D. 70. for this is the important point.

The books and epiftles of the New Testament were written by difciples of Chrift, or their companions.

We cannot suppose that any persons, of whatfoever abilities, could have forged them after the decease of the Apostles, for,

These writings contain various and numerous incidents of time, place, perfons, names, and things; occafional difcourfes, differences of ftyle, epiftles in answer to epiftles, and paffages cited from thofe which they anfwer, directions and obfervations fuited to the ftate of several Churches, feeming contradictions, and real difficulties which might have easily been avoided, things mentioned which worldly confiderations would have fuppreffed, and things omitted which invention and imagination might have supplied; a character of Chrift, arifing from his words and actions, of a moft fingular kind, left to its intrinfic merit, and aided by no art; and in the writings of St. Paul, fentiments warm, pathetic, and coming from the heart; particularities in each Gospel suitable to the character, knowledge, fituation, and circumftances of each Evangelift, &c. &c.

P Difc, vi. on the Chriftian Religion.

The

The forgers of these things, if they were fuch, must have equalled Father Harduin's atheistical Monks of the thirteenth century, who, according to his fantastical account, in an age of ignorance and barbarity surpassed in abilities all the ancients and moderns, forged the Latin and Greek authors whom we call Claffical, and were not only great poets, orators, grammarians, linguifts, and knaves, but great mathematicians, chronologers, aftronomers, geographers, and critics, and capable of inferting, in their proper places, names and accounts of men, rivers, cities, and regions, eclipfes of the fun and moon, Athenian Archons, Attic months, Roman Confuls, and Olympiads, all which happy inventions have been fince confirmed by aftronomical calculations and tables, voyages, infcriptions, Fafti Capitolini, fragments, manufcripts, and a diligent comparing of authors

with each other.

There is not one page in the New Testament, which affords not internal characters of being compofed by men who lived at the time when the things happened which are there related. This is as evident, as it is that the noble English hiftorian, who wrote an account of the troubles in the time of Charles the first, was himself concerned in those transactions. The difcourfes of Chrift, as I have obferved elsewhere, are always occafional, and

q Harduin's craziness confifted in rejecting what all the world received; the oppofite folly to which is the receiving what all the world rejects.

full

full of allufions to particular incidents. The hiftorical parts of the New Testament, and the travels of Chrift and of his Apoftles correspond with the accounts and defcriptions which may be collected from other authors. In the judgment which Pilate paffed upon Chrift,

the rules of the Roman Law were observed. What is accidentally mentioned concerning the behaviour of Felix and Gallio, and fome others, agrees with the character which Roman writers have given of them. There are endless parti-. cularities of this kind which might be produced. A man of very ordinary abilities, who relates various things of which he has been an ear and an eye-witnefs, is under no difficulty or pain but a forger, if he had the abilities of an Angel, whofe imagination must supply him with materials, can never write in fuch a manner, and if he has tolerable fenfe, will avoid entering into fuch a minute detail, in which he muft perpetually expose his ignorance and his dishonesty.

Mr. Huber remarque fort bien, qu'il paroit, par toutes les circonftances du jugement de Pilate, qui toutes les regles du Droit Romain y furent exactement observées ; et que cela peut nous convaincre de la verité de cette hiftoire. Des gens du petit peuple parmi les Juifs, tels qu'étoient les Evangeliftes, ne pouvoient pas être fi bien inftruits de cela; et s'ils ne l'avoient apprife de témoins oculaires, ils n'auroient jamais pu la raconter, comme ils ont fait, fans dire quelque chofe qui fe trouveroit contraire à l'ufage des Gouverneurs, dans les provinces Romaines. Le Clerc, Bibl. anc. et mod. T. xiii. p. 100. See alfo Huber, Differt.