former Ages were not fo remote as not to be capable of all the benefits of his Death and Paffion to be in due time accomplish'd; so the laft Ages of the World may have no pretence. to question the truth of the Chriftian Religion upon any account of the long distance of time fince the Death of our Saviour and his Apoftles. This may be the Cafe for ought any Man can tell, or many other Reasons there might be much better and more important than this, to deferr the Incarnation of our Saviour; and therefore it is an abfurd thing to raife Objections about it. Many Reason there might be for it, which we are uncapable of knowing; and it is fufficient for us to know, that it was in the fulness of time, and that this time was the most proper and expedient, and therefore was the time appointed and determined by God from all Eternity.

4. God had by the various Methods of his Providence given fuch fignal opportunities to the Gentiles to become acquainted with the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, as did mightly prepare them for the acknowledgment of Chrift at his coming into the World. All the Difpenfations of the Divine Providence from the Beginning, had been as fo many feveral preparations to the Birth of Chrift, God chofe Abraham to be the Father of a peculiar People; and when that People had been by the conftant manifestation of a miraculous Providence preferv'd, and by their Laws and Cere

monies diftinguished from all other People, they were driven into Captivity, as well in mercy to other Nations, as by God's just Judgment upon them for their Sins, that by this means the Gentiles might be inftructed in the Worship of the true God, and the Prophecies concerning Chrift might become divulged, and all Nations might be in a readiness to acknowledge and receive him who was to be the defire of all Nations, and the joy of all People. Firft, the Ten Tribes were by Shalmanefer carried away Captive, and then the two remaining Tribes by Nebuchadnezzar; and Cyrus was by Name appointed to restore them. Alexander's Conquefts made yet way for a farther reception of the Prophecies, which were the most considerable about the time of the Captivity. And befides the Prophecy of Balaam, by which the Wife Men were directed to find out Chrift by the guidance of a Star, those of Ifaiah, and Jeremiah, and Daniel, must be well known in the Eaft. The Bible had been about three hundred years before our Saviour's Birth, at the Command of a Heathen Prince Tranflated into the Greek Tongue, which was by the Victories of Alexander become the most known Language in the World. And we read of no Revolution of Empires, no Bleffing, no Affliction which befell the Jews, but it contributed in a remarkable manner to raise an expectation of Chrift, and to prepare for his Coming.

C. 4. Tacit.

Hift. lib.v.

It is certain, that at the time of his Birth, there was among the Jews an Univerfal expetation of the Meffiah, and that it was a re ceiv'd, Opinion in that Age all over the East, that a great Prince fhould arife out of Judea, this appears both from the Scriptures, and (2)Sueton. from (2) Heathen Writers; the Wife Men in Vefpaf. came to enquire after him, and Herod's JeaJoufie proceeded to the utmost Rage and Cruelty, and could not have failed of fuccefs, if it had been against any but the true Meffiah,whom God did by an immediate Revelation deliver out of his hands. All the World stood in expectation of fome extraordinary Person, and it was no unwellcome piece of Flattery to one of the Roman Emperors not long after, to have it reported, that he was the Prince spoken of and expected in the Eaft, but it was esteemed his Glory and his Happiness to be thought the King that was to arise amongst à despised and hated People. The expectation of Chrift was fo great, that he could not lie conceal'd in that obfcure and mean Condition, but was adored in a Manger, and receiv'd more than Royal Honours from the remotest parts of the Earth. And in this respect it was the fulness of time, or the most convenient and proper time for Chrift to appear, because the Divine Providence had wonderfully difpofed and prepared the World for the expectation of him.

5. The particular temper and difpofition of the Age in which our Saviour was born, made

it the most fitting and proper Age for him to be born in; for there were feveral things peculiar to that Age, which very much conduce to the proof of the certainty of his Religion. That Age was fo remarkable, and the History of it has been delivered down to us by fo many eminent Writers, that it is more ftudied, and generally better known than any Age of the World befides; and it was fit that a thing of this nature and confequence fhould come to pass in such an Age, that it might be fully enquired into, in any Age afterwards, and that no distance of time might cause such doubts concerning it, as fhould ever render it the lefs certain to any, who are willing to acquaint themselves with the truth of it.

If it had been an Imposture, this furely had been the most unlikely time of any for it to fucceed. No Prince could be more jealous than Herod, who was fo enraged at the Report of the Birth of Chrift, that he too plainly fhew'd how much he credited it. And no Age perhaps fince the Creation could be more unlikely to have a Cheat put upon it than this; in which Peace and Learning and all Polite Arts flourish'd, which refine Men's Understandings, and make them the most unfit and difficult to be impofed upon. Policy was in its highest perfection in the Courts of Auguftus. and Tiberius, which have been esteemed the greatest Patterns of it ever fince; the Scribes and Pharifees were in great Power and Autho

rity at Jerufalem, who were a fubtle Generation of Men, and the worft Enemies any one could have to deal withall. Vice, which was likely to give the greatest hindrance to a holy Religion, was the fashion of the times, and that Empire was never fo abandoned to wickedness, as at the first propagation of the Gofpel. As Men were then most able to discover any Imposture,fo they must have been most unwilling to find the ChriftianReligion true, which puts fuch a check to all Licentioufnefs, and to their beloved and long accustomed Vices. Vice would be fure to make a strong defence, and an eager Plea, and nothing could be diffi`cult for it to discover, when it had fuch a number of fuch subtle and devoted Advocates.

In this Conjuncture of time the Saviour of the World appears, and he appears in a mean and low Condition, defpifed by his own People, who foon became as much defpised them. felves by all the World befides. The Prince of Peace is Born in a time of fetled and Univerfal Peace, when Men had most leisure and opportunity to examine and confider things; and when by the Establishment of the Roman Empire under Auguftus in its full power and extent, there was an open and free Correfpondence between all Nations, and the Apostles and their Followers by this means might find a like admittance to preach the Golpel in all Countries, but to be alike hated and perfecuted in all parts of the World. The

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