Vindication of the Truth of the Christian Religion, Religious treatise · Section 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Proving that the Books of the New Teſtament were never corrupted.
'TIs certain that from the Apoſtles time to ours, the New Teſtament was ever look'd upon as ſacred, and not to be corrupted, without impiety and Irreligion. But whether it were Reaſon or Prejudice that made it ſo eſteemed by the Chriſtians, I ſhall now examin. It is enough that the eſteem men have of it ſeems as ancient as the Book it ſelf. Its being conſidered as the foundation of all our hopes, and the original of heavenly Revelation, its being read and order'd to be read in Publick and Private from the Age of Clemens, Polycarp, Juſtin and Iraeneus to ours: I ſay all this ſhews that it could not have been corrupted in its Eſſentials. But this Truth very well deſerves a more ſtrict conſideration.
I ſay then how is it poſſible that all the World ſhould have unanimouſly conſpired to corrupt this Book? For tho' one ſingle Doctor of the Church ſhould have attempted it, yet the reſt would certainly have oppoſed it. Tho' all the Chriſtian Doctors diſperſed up and down the World ſhould have agreeed to it, yet the people would never have conſented to't. Tho' the Doctors and the People together ſhould have been inclinable to it, yet ſure their Adverſaries would not have failed to reproach them with it. The Jews and Heathens whoſe only aim was to cry down their Religion, would never have concealed it. Julian, Porphirius, and all other particular Enemies of the Chriſtians would have drawn ſome advantage from it. In a word, tho' the ſilence of their Adverſaries had favoured ſo ſtrange an Enterpriſe, yet the different parties, and various Hereſies which ſoon after ſprung up among the Chriſtians, were an invincible obſtacle to it.
'Tis well known that immediately after the Death of the Apoſtles, the Church was ſtrangely diſturbed by ſeveral various Controverſies. For not to ſpeak here of the Gnoſticks, that abominable Sect, which deſerves not the honourable name of Chriſtians, certainly the Opinion of the Millenarians (which Papias ſeems to have been the Author of) founded upon the Apoſtolical Tradition fifteen years after the death of St. John: the Controverſy which ſoon after happened concerning the Chriſtian Paſſover, together with the Diſputes of the Orthodox againſt the Origeniſts concerning the Reſurrection, and ſeveral other Articles of the Chriſtian Doctrin, I ſay theſe Diſputes might eaſily have divided the Chriſtians in the firſt Century of the Church. Next to them ſucceeded the famous Diſputes of the Orthodox with the Arrians, and with what heat and animoſities they were carried on, is ſufficiently known to all the World. But however fatal all thoſe Controverſies were to the Church, yet they produced that good effect by the direction of Providence, which orders every thing to ſome good end, that they preſerv'd the Revelation of the New Teſtament pure and entire, and at preſent ſtrengthen our belief againſt all ſuſpicions we might probably entertain in this reſpect.
For tho the Millenarians, the Origeniſts, and the Arians ſhould have attempted to corrupt the Scripture; yet how were it poſſible that the Orthodox which were ſo exaſperated againſt them, ſhould have ſuffered it to be done; or that if the Orthodoxes had had any ſuch deſign, their Adverſaries which were ſo incens'd, ſhould have agreed with them in the ſame Intention?
Should I further grant this mutual agreement poſſible, doubtleſs the almoſt infinite number of Copies, of Editions, and Tranſlations made at firſt of the New Teſtament, rendered the execution of that deſign impoſſible. For tho' a man had corrupted one ſingle Copy among all thoſe Copies, or tranſlated thoſe Books falſe, yet how could he corrupt all the other Copies of them which are diſperſed in the World? or how could he alter ſo many other Tranſlations which have been made of them in different times and in different places?
But ſuppoſing this were feaſible, if the Writings of the Apoſtles were ever corrupted, it muſt have been either in their Eſſentials, or in things of little Importance; I mean by their Eſſentials, thoſe miraculous matters of fact related in the New Teſtament, as well as all thoſe others which if true demonſtrate the Truth of the Chriſtian Religion. Now if thoſe Writings were not corrupted in their Eſſentials, it neceſſarily follows that they contain ſeveral true matters of fact ſufficient to prove the Truth of Chriſtianity. But if they were altered in their Eſſentials, there muſt have been added to them the Miracles of Jeſus Chriſt, his Reſurrection, Aſcenſion into Heaven, the pouring out of the Holy Ghoſt upon the Apoſtles on the day of Pentecost, the power the Apoſtles had of ſpeaking ſtrange Languages, and of imparting miraculous gifts to others. Now I affirm that all thoſe matters of fact could not have been added to the New Teſtament, unleſs the whole Book was forg'd; becauſe the ſubject matter of the New Teſtament conſiſts of nothing elſe but of thoſe matters of fact, or if you will of ſuch things as evidently relate to them, and which would certainly be falſe, if thoſe matters of fact were falſe. But let us joyn Experience to Reaſon, and conſider that if the Chriſtians had corrupted the writings of the Apoſtles, the Books of the New Teſtament would now be quite different from what they were in the former ages; and that having been continually altered from that time untill now, nothing could be more apparent than ſuch an alteration. Yet 'tis eaſy to perceive the contrary, and it evidently appears by an almoſt infinite number of places of the New Teſtament quoted in the Books of the Fathers, that there never was a Book that ſuffered leſs alteration by the revolution of years than that did.
There are but two things, in my opinion that may be anſwered to this Argument; the firſt is, that in corrupting the Books of the New Teſtament, thoſe places quoted in the Works of the Fathers might alſo have been altered. But this thought can never enter into any reaſonable mans mind: for he muſt then ſuppoſe that there was a perſon in a manner Immortal, who might have had time enough to alter ſo many Books compoſed from Age to Age; and a man too ſo much Maſter of other Mens hearts and underſtandings, as to have been able to corrupt a Book the moſt univerſally read, and moſt carefully preſerved that ever was, and to alter alſo with it all the Books of the ancient Fathers, without any body ever perceiving it, or making the leaſt oppoſition againſt it.
The ſecond thing that may be anſwered, is that this corruption of the Scripture was done before any of the Fathers begun to write, that is, fifteen or twenty years after the Death of the Apoſtles. But we need only recall to mind all the reaſons that perſwaded us that the Books of the New Teſtament were not forged by the Succeſſors of the Apoſtles: and it will appear they are no leſs concluſive in this place. In ſhort, we need but joyn the Martyrdom of the Primitive Chriſtians (who were not certainly ſo Whimſical as to die in defence of their fictions) with the paſſion the people had for the Writings of the Apoſtles, the Diviſions which diſunited the Church immediately after their Death, the variety of Tranſlations, the number of Copies, the conſtant and perpetual Tradition of the Ancient Fathers, the connexion of the eſſential matters of fact of the Goſpel, which is ſuch, that he that admits of one, is obliged to admit of the other too, (as he that believes the Aſcenſion of Jeſus Chriſt, is obliged to believe his Reſurrection alſo, and he that denies thoſe matters of fact is no longer a Chriſtian) the number of the Books which the New Teſtament conſiſts of, the Repetition of the ſame matters of fact in them, the want of Time and Opportunity to invent, or eſſentially corrupt them, the impoſſibility of it, unleſs the Book was wholly forg'd, the prodigious multitude of people who muſt have been impoſed upon in that reſpect, the nature of the matters of fact they muſt have been made to believe, viz. that whole Societies had received ſome Epiſtles from the Apoſtles, which contained ſuch and ſuch things which they ought to have well remembred) the Experience of time paſt, which evidently ſhews that from Clemens and Polycarp down to us, that is, for ſixteen Ages together, the Books of the New Teſtament were not eſſentially corrupted; the diſtance of places where thoſe Books muſt have been forg'd or corrupted, together with the impoſſibility of making many fictions (which in all appearance thoſe Books would have been full of) paſs for Truth, and that ſo ſoon after the Death of the Apoſtles, when the World had their preaching yet freſh in their memory; the ſilence of the Enemies of the Chriſtians on that account, who never mentioned any thing concerning that pretended forgery; the diſtinction the Primitive Chriſtians made at firſt between the Writings of the Fathers and thoſe of the New Teſtament, which they looked upon as the abſolute Rule and Standard of their Faith: All theſe conſiderations, I ſay, put together plainly ſhew us, and that too in an evident manner, that it would argue madneſs in the higheſt Degree longer to entertain either of the two former Suſpicions.
I paſs on therefore to a third, which is, that the Apoſtles themſelves compoſed fables for the honour of their Maſter. But ſince this is the moſt conſiderable of them all, and that which Julian, Mahomet, and almoſt every Incredulous perſon of theſe times chiefly urge againſt us, it is but reaſonable I ſhould more particularly and throughly examin it in the following Chapters; for truly upon that chiefly depends the ſolid proof of our Religion.