Vindication of the Truth of the Christian Religion, Religious treatise · Section 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Where we ſhall more particularly examine, whether the Apoſtles had the Power or the Will to deceive mankind.
THoſe men who have a deſign to deceive the World, muſt have more skill, wit and cunning than others; which skill, wit, and cunning will appear in their works in ſpite of all their Art, and ſubtilty.
But when I ſtrictly examine thoſe Authors whom we call Sacred, I neither find Cunning, Wit, nor Affectation in their Books. Every thing they contain ſeems to me very ſimple, naked and open. They all exactly relate their own Weakneſſes and imperfections. They do not conceal their true Birth and extraction. They diſcover their ambition in their controverſy, who amongſt them ſhould be the greateſt in the flouriſhing Kingdom of the Meſſias; their groſs ignorance in the Queſtions they asked their Maſter, and one another, viz. What meaneth this, to riſe again from the Dead? their cowardiſe in betaking themſelves to flight at the ſight of the Soldiers that came to take away their Maſter, and their incredulity in thoſe ſcruples they raiſed concerning his Reſurection.
All theſe things plainly diſcover the greateſt ſincerity and impartiality. But yet there ariſes here a certain ſcruple which ſeems not altogether inconſiderable, and may deſerve a little conſideration. Who knows (perhaps ſome will object) but that this is an affected ſincerity which prepoſſeſſes our minds in their behalf, only to deceive us the more ſecurely? In order to overthrow this notion, I ſhall not aſſert that the Writers we ſpeak of were originally Fiſhermen and Publicans, and that it would ſeem very ſtrange that men of that Birth and Education ſhould affect ſimplicity, and be capable of ſo refined apiece of policy, of which there can hardly be given an example amongſt the moſt able Politicians, that ever took upon them to deceive mankind.
Neither ſhall I ſay, that ſince the four Evangeliſts compoſed their Writings apart, 'twould be very ſurpriſing that they ſhould all concur in the deſign of impoſing upon the credulity of men, by Writing after ſo ſimple and ingenuous a manner; and that they ſhould not only be entirely conformable to one another in this reſpect, but alſo ſhould agree with the other Writers of the New Teſtament.
'Tis ſufficient to obſerve, that they ſometimes relate ſuch things, as at firſt view ſuggeſt thoſe notions in us which Piety utterly rejects, and Incredulity makes uſe of to oppoſe the Chriſtian Religion, by attacking its divine head. This they would never have done, had they only affected an ingenuous ſimplicity. Thus it's ask'd, why Jeſus Chriſt who was ſubject to his holy and ever bleſſed Mother, according to the obſervation of the Evangeliſts, ſhould make her this anſwer, which is ſome what rough and ſevere: Woman what have I to do with thee? my hour is not yet come. Thus Julian the Apoſtate, Celſus, Porphirius, and other Enemies of the Chriſtian Religion, ſtick not to ſay that Jeſus Chriſt gave ſome marks of his weakneſs in the Garden of Gethſemane, where the fear of Death made him ſweat great drops of Blood, and where he cried out ſeveral times, O my Father, if it be poſſible let Mat. 26. 39.this Cup paſs from me. They alſo pretend that this exclamation of Jeſus Chriſt when nailed on the Croſs, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? was an expreſſion of his deſpair.
I know not here what to admire moſt, either the impudence of theſe proud Enemies of our Religion, or the force of Truth which ſtill becomes ſtronger the more they endeavour to ſhake it. For as for the firſt, If the Enemies of the Chriſtians wont believe the report of the Evangeliſts, how came they to know that Jeſus Chriſt uttered theſe words, which give them occaſion to think he wanted conſtancy? But if they will believe the report of the Evangeliſts, why ſhould they refuſe to believe ſo many miraculous matters of fact, which the Evangeliſts left to us in writing, after having been eye-witneſſes of the ſame?
It is certain that we may find in our principles wherewith to explain thoſe places they bring againſt us. The words which Jeſus Chriſt ſpoke to his bleſſed Mother, give us only to underſtand, how very jealous he was of the duties of his Calling. He ſpoke to her as a Mediatour between God and Man, as the perſon in whom ſhe ought neceſſarily to believe in order to her Salvation; and who doubts but in that quality he had ſome Authority over her?
As for the ſorrowfulneſs he expreſſed in his Agony, it might proceed from a double cauſe, the one natural, and the other ſupernatural. He might very well fear Death as Man; and the pains inflicted on his Humane Nature might force him to utter ſome innocent complaints. But that was not all that made his torments grievous. He was loaded with the Sins of Mankind, and ſubject to the curſe of the Law. He looked upon God as his Father, but God offered himſelf to him as an angry Judge. The more he loved his Father, the more ſenſible he was of the Grief he ſuſtained in being remov'd from him. The meaſure of his ſufferings conſiſted in the meaſure of his vertue; and what he ſays here to his Father, is rather the Language of his Love, than that of his Deſpair.
But if the Incredulous ſhould ſay they are not obliged to ſubſcribe to my explanations, becauſe it is incertain whether they have any other ground than my bare imagination; I am willing they ſhould entertain this ſcruple, and cheriſh it till by eſtabliſhing my principles, I have an opportunity of anſwering yet more fully all thoſe difficulties. But in the mean time I hold that nothing can more demonſtrate the ſincerity of the Evangeliſts than thoſe places juſt now mentioned: and I affirm that the ſincerity of the Evangeliſts being well demonſtrated, does invincibly prove the Truth of the Chriſtian Religion.
For certainly either thoſe who compoſed the Goſpels had a deſign to deceive Mankind in behalf of Jeſus Chriſt and his Religion, or they had no ſuch deſign at all. If they had any ſuch deſign, they would have taken ſpecial care not to ſet down thoſe Circumſtances of the death of their Maſter, which might give the World an occaſion to ſuſpect he wanted Courage, or thought himſelf forſaken of God. But if in writing the matters of fact contained in the Goſpel, they had no manner of deſign to deceive Mankind; we muſt then of neceſſity look upon them as being very ſincere Authors, who would not deceive us, unleſs they themſelves had firſt of all been deceived. So that all the queſtion is, whether the matters of fact they tell us of are ſuch as are ſhewn only by Illuſion. And we need here only conſider whether all the Diſciples could have fancied they ſaw an infinite number of very ſingular and ſenſible Miracles, ſuch as ſick men healed, Dead raiſed to Life, &c. and have believed that they themſelves work'd miracles, when all the while there was no ſuch thing.
'Tis to no purpoſe here to alledge, that the Evangeliſts affected an ingenuous ſimplicity to avoid the ſuſpicion of diſhoneſty. For had that been their deſign, they would have taken ſpecial care not to furniſh impious men with places and paſſages on which they might raiſe imaginary triumphs. Nor is there any reaſon to believe that the Evangeliſts related thoſe words, becauſe their ſimplicity was ſo great that they had not judgment to diſcern whether they were for or againſt their cauſe. For what probability is there that men who had wit enough to deceive other people, ſhould have ſo little in this occaſion? Muſt a man needs be wiſe and learned, when he chuſes to repreſent his Maſter conſtant and undaunted, rather than ſorrowful unto Death? And yet 'tis not one ſingle Evangeliſt that relates the hiſtory of his paſſion after this manner, they all agree in this reſpect. And how could this be ſo? but that they only propoſed to themſelves to ſpeak the plain truth, and they ſpoke it without conſidering the impreſſion it would make on Mankind, without examining whether the Incredulous would take occaſion from thence to ſlander the Chriſtian Religion.
In the mean while, if what has been ſaid here is not ſufficient, I am willing more particularly to examin the matters contained in the Goſpels.