Vindication of the Truth of the Christian Religion, Religious treatise · Section 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
That the Apoſtles did not Write what was falſe.
TO comprehend diſtinctly that the Authors we ſpeak of did not impoſe upon us in their Writings, it is fit to conſider thoſe Writings in particular one after another. They conſiſt of three principal parts, which are the four Goſpels, the Book of Acts, and the Epiſtle of the Apoſtles.
St. Mathew writ the firſt, and his Goſpel is quoted by Clemens Biſhop of Rome, Diſciple and Contemporary with the Apoſtles. Barnabas quotes it alſo in his Epiſtle. And Ignatius and Polycarp who lived in the time of St. John. Juſtin, Iraeneus, who lived a little after; Athenagoras, Tertullian, and all the other Doctors of the Church which ſucceeded them, unanimouſly received it.
There is not only the Goſpel according to St. Matthew, concerning which 'twould be a very difficult matter to entertain any reaſonable ſuſpicions; but the Goſpel according to St. Mark was alſo a while after written for a ſecond ſupport of our belief. The ſame Fathers who teſtify of the one, teſtify alſo of the other. Papias, Clemens Alexandrinus, Juſtin ſpeak of it; and St. Iraeneus relates that Mark the Diſciple of St. Peter compoſed his Goſpel of thoſe matters he had heard the latter ſpeak of.
St. Luke who accompanied St. Paul in all his Travells, wrote a third Goſpel which the Ancient Fathers have alſo received.
Laſtly, St. John, the laſt of the Apoſtles compoſed a fourth Goſpel towards the latter end of his days, as the Doctors of the Primitive Church tell us; and this Apoſtle declares at the end of it that he himſelf is the Author of it: this is the Diſciple, ſays he, which teſtifieth of theſe things which he has ſeen. chap. 21. 24.
It is to be obſerved firſt of all, that the four Evangelists, who all agree in the plainneſs and ingenuity which appears in their Relations, have nevertheleſs a very different ſtile from one another. Thus St. John expreſſes himſelf after a very ſimple manner if compared with that of St. Luke, who being a Phiſitian, ought to have written in a more lofty ſtile than St. John, who was originally a Fiſherman. And this conſideration removes the Suſpicion we might entertain, that all thoſe Goſpels were compoſed by one and the ſame Author.
Secondly, We may obſerve that altho' theſe Writers agree eſſentially in the matters they relate, there is nevertheleſs ſome ſmall difference betwixt them, which very ſenſibly ſhews us, that they compoſed their Goſpels ſeparately: Divine Providence having ſo ordered it the better to confirm ou… Faith.
Yet our incredulous Adverſaries will not ſtand to this Aſſertion. They will perhaps imagin that the Diſciples of Jeſus having got together at Jeruſalem after the Death of their Maſter, took certain Meaſures to make men believe certain ſuppoſititions matters of fact, which they very exactly and preciſely ſet down, leaſt they ſhould contradict themſelves in the Teſtimony they ſhould give of them; and that after having founded ſeveral Churches by then preaching, ſome of them took ſpecial care to digeſt thoſe very matters of fact in Writing which they had preach'd throughout the World, after having invented them. I think this is the moſt plauſible objection of theirs that is likely to be raiſed againſt this ſubject.
But in order to confute this imagination, it might perhaps ſuffice to call to mind what I have before mentioned, the abſurdity there is in ſuppoſing that a few ſimple and ignorant Fiſhermen dejected by the Death of their Maſter, undeceived of the opinion they had entertained that he was their Meſſias; and ſo fearful that they fled when he was ſeized upon in order to his Crucifixion, ſhould contrive amongſt themſelves how to deceive other men, when they themſelves were ſo miſerably deluded; that they ſhould dare to invent a matter of fact which would certainly fix an eternal blot and ſcandal upon their Nation, by making the Jews be looked upon as ſo many abominable Murtherers; that all the Diſciples ſhould contrive this deſign together; that not one of them ſhould confeſs the Truth; that the diſtance of Places, the ſeverity of Puniſhments, the force of Truth, the Remorſe of Conſcience, the Pleaſures of the World, which they utterly loſt by their Profeſſion, ſhould not be capable to break off this unanimous contrivance of falſhood; that they ſhould gladly ſuffer for the confirmation of their Fables; that they ſhould add to Conſtancy a virtuous life; that theſe Cheats ſhould preach nothing but Vertue, Temperance, Charity, the Love of God and Humility; that they ſhould command us to love our Enemies, and bleſs them for the ſake of God which curſe us; that Falſhood ſhould immediately undergo the trial of torments; that the ſimplicity of ſome groſs ſort of men ſhould be capable of that nice Ambition, which conſiſts in making men deſire to immortalize their own names by ſuffering Torments and Death it ſelf; and that the Malice of ſome impoſtors ſhould be capable to make Charity reign, to eſtabliſh in the World all ſorts of Vertues; to deſtroy the Heatheniſh Idolatry, by making the true God be every where adored, and to accompliſh all thoſe Oracles which concerned the calling of the Gentiles.
But this conſideration will be much ſtronger and more conſiderable, if we conſider the behaviour of the Apoſtles in oppoſition to that of thoſe Hereticks, who ſo much diſturb'd the Church almoſt in its infancy. What Pride, ſelf Intereſt and Ambition was there not ſeen in them? Their thoughts were wholly bent upon making new Sects. Every one of them ſet up for a Ring-leader of factions. Simon called himſelf, the great Vertue of God, and his Helena the Holy Ghoſt. Menander who ſucceeded him pretended that he was Vertue it ſelf, which was ſent down from Heaven for the ſalvation of mankind. Baſilides boaſted that he declared things more ſublime, and far more wonderful than the two former. And among this ſame rank muſt be alſo inſerted Cerinthus, Carpocrates, Marcion, &c. who all endeavoured to excel one another, in the particular deſign of raiſing themſelves above all: not to mention at this time that which they pretended; that thoſe who had attained to a certain degree of Knowledge, which according to them, was a ſtate of perfection, might live as they pleaſed, and give themſelves over to all ſorts of Paſſions. Such you ſee is the Character of Impoſtors.
If the Diſciples of Jeſus Christ invented thoſe matters which they wrote after having preached them, they muſt themſelves have looked upon Religion as a meer Fiction. What is then the Reaſon they ſeem to us ſo different from thoſe Hereticks which we juſt now mention'd? And wherefore inſtead of inventing, as the Gnoſticks, ſuch Doctrines as were favourable to their ſeveral paſſions, did they on the contrary preach a Morality which wholly tends to mortify all Evil and Irregular affections? Why did they not ſet up for Ring-leaders of factions? Why did not every one of them take a pride in himſelf? Why did they plot together to raiſe another man; being ſo unanimous that they never contradicted one another; ſo humble that there was not one amongſt them that took upon him to be Head and Maſter; ſo diſintereſſed that not one of all the Paſſions incident to men ſeemed to have a ſhare in their conduct?
Further it is obſervable, that thoſe Ancient Hereticks we juſt now mention'd invented many points of Doctrine in oppoſition to one another. They talk'd of Inviſible Eternal Spirits. They reaſoned about the principle of the World. They gave out many very fantaſtical Ideas of Jeſus Chriſt and of the Holy Ghoſt. They eſtabliſhed a ſubordination of Heavenly Vertues: and becauſe all theſe Doctrines did meerly depend upon Speculation, and not on Experience, 'twas an eaſy matter for them to uſe them to ſeduce the Simple and Ignorant.
The Diſciples of Jeſus Chriſt on the contrary confirm'd whatever they ſaid, not as thoſe Impoſtors by ſome Eternal Inviſible Spirits, and ſome abſtracted and impenetrable Speculations, but by thoſe matters of fact whoſe knowledg meerly depended upon the Senſes themſelves. Now 'tis well known that the Senſes of the moſt ſimple are as much enlightened as thoſe of the moſt Learned, which evidently denotes they had no manner of deſign of impoſing upon men.
But it is not enough to ſhew that the Diſciples of Jeſus Chriſt were not of ſuch a character as to invent thoſe things which they preach'd: let us therefore proceed yet further, and endeavour to make it appear that it is abſolutely impoſſible that the Diſciples of Jeſus Chriſt ſhould have invented thoſe matters.