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for its Integrity, and as a standard Text) from Enemies, which fubverted the Truth of Chriftianity, by making the Apoftles, to all Appearance, cite falfely, and argue falfely from the Books of the Old Teftament. This was being imposed on in Religion, and facrificing Christianity, which was dearer to them than their Lives, in too grofs a Manner to be conceived. The Chriftians of old were capable of having feveral grofs Things put upon them by dishonest People among themselves; (m) (lying for God and Religion being deem'd by many, either no Crime at all, or, however, a very pardonable one; if not perhaps meritorious;) as for Example, the (n) Story of the Cells at Alexandria, and other Lyes, which they received and improved from the Jews; who were fuch celebrated Lyars, that a (0) Lyar and a few fignify'd the fame Thing; the (p) Hiftory of the Phenix to illuftrate and prove the Resurrection; the (q) Account of St. JOHN's being boil'd in a Cauldron of Oyl, and coming out unhurt; and his conftant (r) lifting up and stirring the Earth over his Grave, as a Man in Sleep does his Bed-cloaths, to prove JOHN alive, as it was supposed to be foretold by JESUS in the Gospel he should be till Jesus came again; (s) the Tranfactions

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(m) Pezron Defense de l'Antiquité des Tems. p. 224. (n) Justin Martyr, Aliiq;

(0) Juvenal Satir. 6.

v. 547. Rutil Itinerar. I. i. v. 393. See also Simon Suppl. aux Cerem. des Juifs p. 12.

(P)

(9) Tertullian. De Præfcrip. c. 46.

John 21. 22, 23.

Clement. Epift. ad Corint. (r) S. Austin in (s) Apoftol. Conft. 1. 6. c. 9.

Arnobius, 1. 2. p. 64. Le Clerc. B. C. Tom. 4. p. 203.

between

between PETER and SIMON MAGUS and other Sham-Miracles; forged (t) Gofpels, and Books under the Names of the Apostles; divers forged (u) Paffages put into Authors, and Books (w) corrupted and forged in favour of Christianity and Orthodoxy; the (x) Account of a Statue erected by the Romans to SIMON MAGUS as a God, and of Worship paid to him by them; and that impudent Forgery of the Sybilline Oracles (wherein the Hiftory and Doctrines of the Gofpels were taught by fuppofed antient Propheteffes in as clear a Manner as in the New Teftament itfelf; and the Doctrines of the Chriftians, in that Age, wherein the Sybilline Oracles were forged, more clearly than in the New Teftament) which the antient Chriftians fo generally received as to be call'd by the Heathens in contempt (y) Sybillifts; to which may be added, the fabulous and lying Accounts of Numbers of Martyrs, which even the credulous and fuperftitious DoDWEL has in fome Meafure expofed in his (2) Differtation concerning the Paucity of the Martyrs; being reftrain'd from proceeding farther from his

(t) Vid. Fabricii Cod. Apoc. N. T.

(u) Ap. Fofephi Antiq. & Luciani Opera. Patres Antiqui. Hermes Trifmegiftes, Hyftafpes, Orpheus, Ariftoteles de Pomo. James's Corruption of the Fathers.

(w) Whitton's Effay on the Apoft. Conft. p. 158, 675, &c. Ib. Pref. to Letter to Earl of Nott. p. 9, &c. Ib. ATHANASIUS convicted of Forgery. RUFINUS, JEROM, and CASSIODORE, were remarkable Forgers for the Benefit of Orthodoxy.

(x) Justin Martyr, aliiq; Patres. Celfum. 1.5.

(y) Origen contra (z) Apud Differt. Cyprianicas.

(a) great

(a) great Veneration for the Goodness and Piety of feveral of the Fathers, who, he fays, were too easy of Belief of Matter of Fact, not sufficiently attefted.

They might be, I fay, and were capable of having fuch Things impofed on them in favour of Christianity, but cannot be deem'd capable of having fuch a grofs Matter (b) against Christianity imposed on them, as That before-mention'd. And it feems much more reasonable to suppose, that there has been no fuch Corruption of the facred Text of the Old Teftament, and no fuch Imposition of Jews on Chriftians, as Mr. WHISTON (and That without just Proofs) pretends; but rather, that the Apostles cited, interpreted, and argued from, the Old Teftament after that allegorical Manner they seem now to have done; especially, fince the Authors of the Books of the New Teftament, and all the first Fathers, and ORIGEN in particular, do undoubtedly often allegorize the Books of the Old Testament (as (c) Mr. WHISTON himfelf allows both the Apoftles and Fathers do in 'all other Cases but That of Prophefies); and fince they all feem to look on allegorical Reasoning as a Method no lefs conclufive than by rational Proofs, nay to be a truly rational Way of Reasoning, and look on Reasoning from the Letter to be mean and low.

(a) Four Letters between the Bishop of Sarum wel. p. 29, 30. (b) Lightfoot's Works. (c) Whilton's Boylean Lect. p. 27, 43, 51.

p. 92.

and Mr. DodVol. 1. p. 375. Ib. Efay, &c.

This will appear yet ftronger, if it be confider'd, that, as the (d) Body of Chriftians had the Septuagint Verfion, which was read in their Churches, among them from the Time of JESUS, fo there were many among the primitive Christians, who understood Hebrew. MATTHEW is faid by all the Fathers to have wrote his Gofpel in Hebrew for the Ufe of fuch Chriftians, who understood Hebrew; the (e) Nazarean Chriftians, who were skilful in the Hebrew Tongue, conftantly used the Hebrew Books of the Old Teftament, as well as the Hebrew of MATTHEW's Gofpel; IGNATIUS PAPIUS, HEGES IPPUS, and other Antients used the Gospel according to the Hebrews, which was written in Hebrew; the Church of Cefarea, in Palestine, used the Hebrew of MATTHEW's Gofpel, a Copy whereof was, as JEROM (f) informs us, preserved to his Time in the Library of Cefarea, collected by PAMPHILUS the Martyr; the Church of Alexandria received a Copy of MATTHEW'S Gospel in Hebrew from PANTÆNUS; and Origen, who was learned in the Hebrew Tongue, placed the Hebrew Text, (which he look'd on as authentick, tho' (g) agreeable to the prefent [fuppofed corrupt] Hebrew Text,) as well as the prefent [fuppofed corrupt] Septuagint, and the feveral Greek Verfions made from the [fuppofed corrupt] Hebrew, in his famous Hexapla; a

(e) Epiphan. Her. 29. in Mat.

(f) Hieron Defc. Ecc. Work

(g) Whilton's Eay. p. 297.

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Work received by the Church in his Time, with the (b) greatest Applaufe. All which fhould feem to be fufficient Security against the Jews making any Alterations in the Hebrew Text to the Prejudice of Christianity. Befides, we are inform'd by () TERTULLIAN, that the Books of the Old Teftament in Hebrew, which the Jews prefented to PTOLEMY King of Egypt, were shown in his Time among the Curiofities of the Ptolomean Library; which, as well as the Septuagint Verfion, preferved in the fame Library, muft hinder the Jews from being able to corrupt the Old Teftament, as charged upon them by Mr. WHISTON, without being detected.

In fine, no one could well imagine that the primitive Chriftans, and ORIGEN in particular, fhould be capable of fuch a Degree of Stupidity to be fo impofed on, but Mr. WHISTON; who, notwithstanding the antient Fathers do (k) unanimously affirm, that St. MATTHEW'S Gofpel was originally written, and was extant among them in Hebrew, yet (1) maintains, they were all mistaken in that Fact; which one would think, fome, if not all, those antient Fathers fhould know to be true. For no real Inftances of the monftrous Corruptions, and Impofitions, and Folly, and Ignorance, and Negligence, prevalent among

(b) Hody De Text. Origen. 1. 3. pt. 1. c.5. (i) Tertulliani Apologeticus. c. 18. Crit. du Nov. Teft. c. 5.

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(k) Simon Hift. (1) Whifton's Efay. p. 182.

Christians;

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