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BOOK II.

The wonderful Establishment and Propagation of Christianity, is a most convincing Proof of the entire Credibility of the Hiftory of the New Teftament, and of the Religion which it establishes.

CHAP. I.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WONDERFUL PROPAGATION OF CHRISTIANITY.

I. Christianity Spreads itself almoft immediately over the whole World.

IT is truly aftonishing how widely Christianity had extended itself almost immediately at its firft rife. In lefs than fifty years numerous Christian

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communities had been established in every part, and in the most confiderable cities, of the then known world2. The little feed was already grown up to a lofty and wide-fpreading tree; and in the two following centuries it caft its beneficent fhade continually wider towards the Eaft and Weft. In the beginning of the fourth century the whole of the great and extenfive empire of the Romans was filled with Chriftians, who held the most confiderable employments in the ftate. The very courts of the heathen emperours contained men of fcarcely any other perfuafion. Under the perfecution of Dioclefian, a whole city in Phrygia was burnt, because all the inhabitants had embraced that faith. Some of the emperours, (as Maxentius, for instance) were obliged to fpare the Chriftians on account of the people at Rome. It

z See above, p. 340, 341*

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was this externally flourishing state of the Church, from the diffentions and vices which it occafioned, that became the principal caufe of the terrible perfecutions of the Chriftians in the fourth century a. Laftly, in the perfon of Constantine the Great, Chriftianity afcended even the imperial throne.

II. It prevailed without the Affiftance of any temporal Power.

THIS rapid and fuccefsful progrefs was not effected by any human power. No prince, king, or emperour had adopted it. No fword was drawn in its caufe; no armies took the field; no territories were conquered. It could neither procure riches for its followers, nor exalt them to employments of confequence. On the contrary, amidst poverty and obfcurity; and intirely de

2 See the beautiful extract from Eufebius in Dr. Semler's Hift. eccl. 1. 100.

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void of all temporal influence and greatnefs did Christianity exift in the world until the fourth century. Inftead of being fupported and extended by earthly power and magnificence, it rather obftructed by that very cause. Its exaltation to the throne was the epoch of its decline both externally and internally.

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III. Through thirteen poor, inconfi derable, unlearned, and almost unknown men.

ABOUT thirteen men, who were members of a nation, defpifed by the Romans and Greeks; of the meanest extraction; brought up from their infancy in the employment of fishermen ; formed in no fchools of the rhetoricians; unacquainted with any part of the wisdom of the philofophers, or of

See above, Part II. B. I.

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