Vindication of the Truth of the Christian Religion, Religious treatise · Section 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Where we further examin the objections of the Incredulous.
THe Incredulous are apt to raiſe as many ſuſpicions againſt the miracles of Jeſus Chriſt, as againſt his perſon: becauſe of all thoſe proofs which eſtabliſh his Religion, there are none that can move the ſenſes ſo much as that taken from true Miracles.
I. Then they object, that Jeſus the Son of Mary might have healed two or three people either by chance, or by vertue of Second cauſes, and that that good ſucceſs might have got him afterwards the name of a Prophet through the ignorance of the people, who are wont to aſcribe to ſupernatural Cauſes every thing that is unknown to them. We anſwer that we have here a very great number of miracles, all of different kinds, evident and ſenſible miracles, in their Nature, unimitable and above all Impoſture. Such are the Reſurrection of the dead, healing the Blind, the Lame, and the ſick of the Palſy, &c.
II. They pretend that he might perhaps have ſuborned Witneſſes to teſtify ſome fabulous miracles. But how could this be? Since Jeſus Chriſt had neither money to give, nor dignities to promiſe; and as for cunning, Politick niceties, Riches and Credit, they were only amongſt the Scribes and Phariſees, and Doctors of the Law, his implacable Enemies, who took all opportunities to prejudice him, becauſe he publickly cenſured their hypocriſy upon all occaſions.
III. They object that Jeſus Chriſt was ſo prudent as to work his miracles only before three of his choſen Diſciples, viz. Peter, James, and John. Now (ſay they) who knows but that thoſe three Diſciples to flatter the ambition of their Maſter, might have atteſted certain Miracles as true, which were not really ſo?
To remove this ſuſpicion, we need only reflect upon the many miracles Jeſus Chriſt wrought in the preſence of his other Diſciples. He raiſed from the dead the Son of the Widdow of Naim, as he was a carrying to be interr'd. He raiſed Lazarus from the grave in the ſight of ſeveral Jews, who were purpoſely come thither to comfort the Siſters of the Deceaſed Perſon. He tarried four days, that it might not be ſaid, he was not really dead. He permitted Lazarus to converſe with his acquaintance after his Reſurrection, which gave occaſion to the Jews blinded with madneſs to conſpire together to ſend him to the grave again, whom the grave had juſt ſent them for their Converſion.
IV. But is it poſſible that ſuch great and ſuch unparalelled miracles as theſe, ſhould make ſo little impreſſion upon peoples minds? This Age is indeed a wicked and prejudiced age: But yet what a noiſe would the Reſurrection of a dead man make now? How many would make it their buſineſs to be fully ſatisfied of the truth of ſuch a matter of fact? How few would doubt it, after having known the certain truth of it? To this I anſwer, that the greateſt part of thoſe who heard this Miracle, did not in the leaſt believe it. Some aſcribed it to the power of Beelzebub; others to ſome other cauſe; ſome knew not what to think of it, and therefore refuſed to enquire into it; others verily believ'd that Jeſus Chriſt and Lazarus had agreed together thus to ſeduce the people, and this very likely was the opinion of thoſe who ſought after Lazarus to put him to death; Others, tho' very few, took occaſion from thence to glorify God. But leſt any man ſhould wonder at the little impreſſion this miracle made upon the prejudiced and ſuperſtitious minds of men, 'twill be ſufficient to make theſe two following Reflections. Firſt, That there have been ſeveral Jews who freely acknowledged the Miracles of Jeſus Chriſt, tho' they perſiſted in their incredulity; chuſing rather ſuperſtitiouſly to aſcribe them to a certain I know not what pronunciation of the word Jehovah, than to refer them totheir true cauſe; which ſhews that the evidence of Miracles is not always of it ſelf ſufficient to overcome the hardneſs of ſome mens minds when prepoſſeſs'd with prejudice. Secondly, That ſuperſtition it ſelf has been ſometimes carried on to that degree as to extinguiſh utterly all the lights of Reaſon, and even to call in queſtion thoſe very objects that are preſent to the ſenſes, rather than be obliged to renounce its prejudices. But it is not neceſſary to inſiſt much upon this laſt reflection.
It ſufficiently appears from thence that there are ſuch people in the World, whoſe minds being prepoſſeſſed, will either call in queſtion any palpable truths, or elſe aſcribe matters of fact truly miraculous to ſome fantaſtical and extravagant cauſes. But there are none that are willing to die in order to maintain that they were ſpectators of thoſe things which they had really never ſeen, eſpecially when they profeſs to believe that impoſture is a crime worthy of Death; and when they might be ſo eaſily found out by ſo great a number of witneſſes, it would argue meer folly for any to pretend to impoſe upon men in this reſpect. The Jewiſh Doctors had credit and authority enough over the people, partly to ſtifle the knowledge they might have of thoſe matters of fact, or if that fail'd, at leaſt to give ſuch reaſons of them, as would certainly flatter the immoderate deſire the Jews had to ſee not a ſorrowful and contemptible, but a glorious and triumphing Meſſias. But the Diſciples were too weak to endure the ſeverity of thoſe Torments inflicted on them, had they been meer Impoſtors; and were not ſurely ſo ſenſleſs as ever to think they might eaſily perſwade men to believe ſuch matters of fact as the Reſurrection of Lazarus. For to endeavour to conceal a matter of fact of that Nature, one had need only of prejudice and a wicked inclination; but to have a deſign to make other men believe it when it was really falſe, one muſt be poſſeſs'd with an unaccountable and unheard of madneſs.
V. But you will ſay, let the opinion the Jews had of the Miracles of Jeſus Chriſt be what it will, ſtill is it poſſible they could have no better preſerved the memory of them; and that Joſephus for example, who carefully relates the leaſt ſort of Events, and forgets not to mention certain Seducers that had appeared in the World from time to time before him, ſhould not in the leaſt ſpeak of the Miracles of of Jeſus Chriſt? It is ſuppoſed by ſome that that notable teſtimony which he bears of him, was a pious fraud of his, or a meer Invention of the ſucceeding ages. We ſhall not enquire into the truth of that at preſent. We are willing to take things in the worſt ſenſe, and we have three ſeveral replies to make this objection, concerning the ſilence of Joſephus in this reſpect. The firſt is, that thoſe who probably inſerted in the Writings of that Author that notable place which has given occaſion to the Criticiſm of the Learned, might for a continuation of their deſign, have blotted out every thing that Joſephus really tells us on this account; and which perhaps tho' leſs advantagious to our cauſe, is yet ſufficient to ſhew that Jeſus Chriſt was held as one that wrought many Miracles. The ſecond, that Joſephus being a Phariſee might probably have concealed the wonders of the life of our Saviour, out of the hatred he bore to our Religion. And the laſt is, that as this man had endeavoured to inſinuate himſelf into Veſpaſian's favour, by foretelling him that he ſhould be Emperour; and had aſcribed to him ſeveral prophecies of the Old Joſeph. de bello Judaico. lib. 3. cap. 14. 7, 12.Teſtament, which promiſed that a King ſhould come from the Eaſt; it is highly probabable that this Author being a Courtier, would not out of complaiſance to Veſpaſian and his Children, mention the leaſt thing of a man, who had pretended he was the Meſſias, and to whom other people aſcribed thoſe famous prophecies, whereby he had endeavoured to ingratiate himſelf in that Emperours Eſteem. And certainly it is very unlikely to ſuppoſe that a man who had carefully related the leaſt Circumſtance of the life of Herod the Great, ſhould have forgot the Murther of the Children of Bethlehem, if at the time he diſcovered the cauſe of that Murther, he had not been affraid to diſcover alſo the dread Herod had upon him at the birth of the Meſſias, and the Opinion then currant among the Jews, that the Meſſias was to be born in Bethlehem.
'Tis however certain, that this Author could not have concealed any ſuch events as theſe, but only out of Ignorance or Policy. He could not have done it out of ignorance; and the Incredulous themſelves will not preſume to think that Joſephus was altogether ignorant that Jeſus Chriſt had been put to death at Jeruſalem; that he was accuſed there of ſeducing the people; that he had ſeveral Diſciples to attend him, whoſe number in his time increaſed yet daily; nay that there had been a very numerous Church at Jeruſalem, compoſed of perſons of that perſwaſion. And certainly there muſt have been Chriſtians in all Judea, ſince there dwelt a very conſiderable number of them at Rome, under the Emperour Sueton. in vit… Claud.Claudius Ceſar, as it appears more at large by the Hiſtory of Suetonius. It muſt therefore be out of Policy that Joſephus made no mention of them: and we can never ſuſpect him of having had a deſign to conceal by his ſilence, thoſe Impoſtors which aroſe amongſt the Jews, becauſe he ſpeaks of all the reſt; nor to ſpare the ſhame and confuſion of his own Nation, becauſe he ſo particularly made it his buſineſs to diſcover the fury and leudneſs of that people. Let any one throughly conſider all theſe things, and he will then neceſſarily confeſs that the ſilence of Joſephus which was occaſioned meerly by Policy, cannot but be very advantagious to our cauſe.
VI. But laſtly, 'Tis objected there is nothing more frequent than to ſee ſome men endeavouring to make others believe thoſe miracles as were never in being. It is very well known how ſtrangely people have always been infatuated in this reſpect, and what an eaſy matter it is to impoſe Tacit. lib. 5. Hiſtor. cap. 13.upon them. Tacitus relates that Veſpaſian being one day at Alexandria, he healed two blind men; and that this matter of fact would have been altogether incredible, hadnot the whole Court been an eye-witneſs to it.
We anſwer, that it is very likely Veſpaſian was willing to be thought to have done ſome miracles, in reſpect of thoſe prophecies which ſeemed to promiſe him the Empire of the World, according to the falſe application Joſephus had made of them to his perſon. He was at firſt well enough pleaſed to ſee that Jew flattering him by ſuch an agreeable prediction: but being ſometimes after come to Alexandria, and perceiving that his concerns ſucceſsfully went on, he thought it behoved him to perſwade the people that he was called to the Empire by Divine Inſpiration; and doubtleſs with that deſign he commanded two men that counterfeited blindneſs to be brought unto him, on purpoſe to work upon them a falſe Miracle. But giving this objection a greater latitude, I anſwer that there are no miracles whatever but what I verily believe to be true, and which appear to me paſt all contradiction, if they have thoſe ten Characters which any one may obſerve in the Miracles of the Apoſtles. I. If they were as the former, foretold in the Ancient Oracles. II. If they are very frequent, very numerous, various, and evident. III. If the Authors of them were a ſimple and diſintereſſed ſort of people, who in all appearance had neither malice enough to have a deſign to deceive, nor underſtanding enough to have the power to do it, nor boldneſs to undertake it, nor credit to maintain it. IV. If thoſe Miracles are ſo try'd by the prudence and induſtry of the moſt skilful men in the World, that they not being able altogether to deny the truth of them, are obliged to refer them to ſeveral odd and extravagant cauſes. V. If there is an innumerable company of Witneſſes who die, and rejoyce to die in the teſtimony not that they only heard of them, but that they both ſaw and work'd them themſelves. VI. If the end of thoſe Miracles is not to ſatisfy mens paſſions or looſe deſires, but to ſanctify their hearts and regulate their manners. VII. If thoſe perſons which both teſtify and admit of them, ſeem on the one hand to aim at nothing elſe but their own Salvation, and that of their brethren; and on the other if they are perſwaded that their Salvation is inconſiſtent with impoſture and deceit. VIII. If thoſe who teſtify them, proffer to do the like, if they pretend themſelves able to impart any miraculous gifts to others; and if by the help of that ſenſible means, and of that proof, which they call the conviction of the mind, they make greater progreſs than ever the moſt fortunate Conquerours did by the force of their arms. IX. If thoſe who refuſe to allow of all theſe miraculous matters of fact, muſt unavoidably fall into an infinite number of ſelf evident contradictions, as for inſtance, to believe that the wiſeſt amongſt men are the moſt fooliſh, and the moſt conſtant the moſt deceitful. X. If all thoſe matters of fact are ſo ſtrictly united to one another, that it is impoſſible to own the one, without preſently granting the other too; and ſo inſeparably interwoven with ſome other undeniable matters of fact, that cannot be called in queſtion without utterly renouncing our Senſe and Reaſon. And Laſtly, If they end in the Reſurrection of a man, who was vainly ſought for in his grave after his death, notwithſtanding his Sepulchre had been ſealed and ſurrounded with a watch; of ſuch a man whom above five hundred witneſſes affirm'd they had ſeen, and who converſed with his Diſciples forty days after his Reſurrection, as they unanimouſly teſtify'd, notwithſtanding all the puniſhments inflicted on them for the ſame. The incredulous muſt either ſhew us to be deceived, in aſcribing all theſe Characters to the Miracles of Jeſus Chriſt, or elſe forbear making ſuch compariſons.