cultivated lands. It was not only those who afpired to feignories that kept up a spirit of discontent among the wild Irish, but the priests, who, though, during the reigns of James and Charles, they had been indulged with a connivance amounting to a toleration, yet, as they were deprived of their ecclefiaftical revenues, they took effectual means to communicate their difpleasure, and prevent any cordial reconciliation between the old and new inhabitants. The fucceffive administrations of Chichester, Grandifon, and Falkland, though attended with some circumftances arbitrary and unjuft, had been upon the whole very advantageous to the native Irish, and the favourable inclination of the Stewart family to the principles of the Roman-Catholic faith had occafioned them uncommon indulgences in the article of religion; yet fuch was the power, and such the intriguing spirit, of the priests, that in the short space between the years 1603 and 1615, three different confpiracies. were raised against the English government.

When the earl of Strafford was entrufted with the adminiftration of the affairs of Ireland, he, for the better accomplishment of his purpofe to eftablish a tyranny, endeavoured to make a balance in parliament between the Proteftants and Papifts, that both parties, intent on thwarting each other, and thus diverted from the objects of their mutual intereft, might become an easy prey. By his means the Recufants were not only poffeffed of an equal fhare of the legiflative power, but were treated with much more mildness and distinction than the diffenters. Notwithstanding thefe advantages, fo obvious grew his diabolical purpofe, fo tyrannical were the means he was neceffitated to use, fuch was the provoking infolence of the man, that these very Papists on whom he feemed to have conferred obligations, these very Papifts whom he judged the propereft to be trufted with arms to fcourge the Scots for their generous endeavours to maintain their Liberty, thefe very Papifts for whose ease and emolument he had fo heavily taxed the Proteftants, joined in the profecution against him, and became. the chief inftruments of his death. The difficulties with which the king, by his ill conduct, was entangled, proved as advantageous to Irish as to British Liberty.'

[To be continued and concluded in our next. ]

II. A Large

II. A Large Collection of Ancient Jewish and Heathen Teftimonies to the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, with Notes and Obfervations. Vol. IV. Containing the Teftimonies of Heathen Writers of the fourth, fifth, and fixth Centuries. To which is added the State of Gentilifm under Chriflian Emperours. By Nathaniel Lardner, D. D. 4to. Pr. 10s. 6d. Cadell.

W

E have already reviewed three volumes of this learned and useful work; we now proceed to the fourth and laft, containing the following teftimonies of heathen writers. in the fourth, fifth, and fixth centuries of the christian æra.

Chalcidius, a Platonic philofopher, about the year 330, bears teftimony to the appearance of an extraordinary star at the time of our Saviour's nativity; thereby confirming the hiftory which is in the second chapter of St. Matthew's Gofpel.

Alexander of Lycopolis in Egypt, about the year 350, fpeaks honourably of Jefus Chrift, and his religion, or the chriftian philofophy, as he calls it, commending it as "plain and fimple, and defigned to reform the manners of men of all ranks :” and he has fome references to the fcriptures of the Old and New Teftament.

Praxagoras, an Athenian, about 350, publifhed feveral hif torical works, and among others the hiftory of Conftantine the Great, in two books, in which he gives that emperor a great character.

Bemarchius of Cæfarea in Cappadocia, fophift, about the fame time, wrote the hiftory of Conftantine in ten books. Nothing of that hiftory now remains, but it was a large work; and there is reafon to believe, that it was favourable to that emperor.

The emperor Julian, who fucceeded Conftantius in the year 361, in his work against the chriftians, has borne a valuable teftimony to the hiftory and the books of the New Teftament. He allows, that Jefus was born in the reign of Auguftus, at the time of a taxing made in Judea by Cyrenius*: that the chriftian religion had its rife, and began to be propagated in the times of the Roman emperors, Tiberius and Claudius. He bears witnefs to the authenticity of the four gofpels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Acts of the Apoftles; and he fo quotes them, as to intimate, that thefe were the only hiftorical books received by christians as of authority, and the only authentic memoirs of Jefus Chrift and his apoftles, and the doctrine preached by them. He al

*See Lard. Cred.

lows

lows the early date of the Gofpels, and even argues for it. He quotes, or plainly refers to the Acts of the Apostles, as already faid, to St. Paul's Epiftles to the Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians. He does not deny the miracles of Jefus Chrift, but allows him to have healed the blind, and the lame, and demoniacs; and to have rebuked the winds, and walked upon the waves of the fea. He endeavours, indeed, to diminish thofe works, but in vain. The confequence is undeniable. Such works are good proofs of a divine miffion. He endeavours alfo to leffen the number of the early believers in Jefus ; and yet acknowledges, that there were multitudes of fuch men in Greece and Italy, before St. John wrote his gofpel. He likewife affects to diminish the quality of the early believers; and yet allows, that befides men-fervants and maid-servants, Cornelius, a Roman centurion at Cæfarea, and Sergius Paulus, proconful of Cyprus, were converted to the faith of Chrift, before the end of the reign of Claudius. And he often speaks with great indignation of Peter and Paul, those two great apoftles, and fuccefsful preachers of the Gofpel. So that upon the whole he has undefignedly borne witnefs to the truth of many things recorded in the books of the New Teftament. He aimed to overthrow the chriftian religion, but has confirmed it. His arguments against it are perfectly harmless, and infufficient to unfettle the weakest chriftian.

We are informed by feveral ancient writers, that Julian gave orders for rebuilding the temple at Jerufalem, and that the attempt was defeated by divine interpotion. This is mentioned by three contemporary writers, Gregory Nazianzen, Chryfoftom, and Ambrofe, bishop of Milan, all chriftians; and alfo by Ammianus Marcellinus *, a learned heathen, and afterwards by Rufinus, Socrates, Sozomen, Theodoret, and Philoftorgius, as well as by later writers. Accordingly the truth of this piece of hiftory is maintained by Fabricius, Witlus, the learned bishop of Gloucefter, and others. Bainage, however, has made fome objections, and Dr. Lardner propofes the following:

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1. Julian's own writings may difpofe us to think, that he never attempted to rebuild the temple at Jerufalem. He defigned it. But it is not fo clear that he attempted it, or actually fet about it, or gave orders for it. In his letter to the

Cum rei fortiter inftaret Alypius, juvaretque provincie rector, metuendi globi flammarum prope fundamenta crebris affultibus erumpentes, fecere locum exuftis aliquoties operantibus inacceffum. Hocque modo elemento deftinatius repellente, ceffavit inceptum. L. 23. cap. 1.

community

community of the Jews he defires their prayers for the profperity of his reign, "and the rather, forafmuch as, if he fucceeded in his war with the Perfians, he would rebuild their holy city of Jerufalem." But he did not fucceed in the war; and he never returned from Perfia; therefore he never fet about rebuilding Jerufalem, or the temple there. Nor did he, at the time of writing that letter, intend to set about it, unless he first fucceeded in the war with the Perfians. He feems to have fup. pofed it to be a work which he fhould not be able to undertake, till after the Perfian war was over, and had a good iffue.

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2. That Julian fhould give orders for building the temple, and allot money for it out of the public treasurie, when he was fetting out for Perfia, is very unlikely. It is not eafily credible, that he should at that time do any thing that might at all impede the expedition against the Perfians, upon which he had been fo long intent. We may reasonably fuppofe, that when he wrote his letter to the Community of the Jews, and told them, he would build their temple, if he returned victorious; he was then fenfible, he could not attempt it sooner: and that he fhould want all the refources of money and treasure, for that one defign. Which feems actually to have been the cafe. And when Marcellinus fpeaks of Julian's attempt, he appears to have been very fenfible, that the emperour's hands were full, and that there was at that time no room for any other expenfive undertaking, befide the Perfian war.

3. Great weight is laid upon the teftimonie of Ammianus Marcellinus, who was a heathen, and an impartial hiftorian.

But then, it has been faid by fome, that he had his account from the chriftians, and took it up without examination. To which I would add, that he was credulous, as appears from many things in his hiftorie. He might therefore without fcru'ple record a miraculous interpofition, which had been reported to him. Indeed, he appears very ready to receive the reports of extraordinarie things. Some things are mentioned by him* which we cannot but wonder to fee related by a man of gravity, and with plain marks of affent.

4. The historie of this event, as related by christian writers, is loaded with miracles or pretended miracles, which appear to be incredible. For it is not eafie to believe, that by Divine interpofition croffes were formed in the air, and impreffed with a fine embroderie, or painting, upon mens bodies, or garments. Not now to mention any other of the strange things, moft of them filly and trifling, inferted in the accounts.

of this affair. But all God's works have a dignity becoming himself.

• Mr. Mofheim having largely confidered the storie of the croffe appearing to Conftantin in the air, or in a dream, with a direction from Chrift, that he should make use of that sign in his wars, and affuring him of victorie thereby, concludes, that it is not a thing worthie of Chrift and fays, that "it could be nothing more than the natural dream of a general and an emperour, who fell asleep, as he was thinking of the impending war, and the best method of overcoming his enemies, Let us take heed, fays he, left by too ftifly defending the narratives of the ancient chriftians concerning the miracles of their time, we should offend against the majefty of God himself, and against our most holy religion, which teacheth us, not to overcome our enemies, but ourselves." A fage obfervation! which may be juftly applied upon divers occafions, and upon this in particular, as I apprehend.

5. There was at that time no occafion for fuch miraculous interpofitions. Undoubtedly, the Jewish Temple was not to be re-built. It is not to be thought, that Divine Providence would permit it to be done at that time. But there was no need of fuch miracles to hinder it. Julian did not live long. Suppofing the Jews to have begun in his reign to erect the temple at Jerufalem; the chriftian emperours, who fucceeded him, would take care, that they should not proceed. The rebuilding the temple was not a work of a few weeks, or months, no, nor years. Suppofing, they had fet about the work at the begining of the year 363, they could not have done a great deal, before Julian died, and then their work would be effectually obftructed.

6. Once more. There are feveral chriftian writers, who have faid nothing about this affair, who were very likely to mention it, if any thing of this kind had been done. I fhall inftance in three: Jerome, Prudentius, and Orofius.

But

Jerome was a contemporarie. He was a young man, when Julian died. A great part of his time he lived at Bethlehem, and had travelled over the land of Ifrael, or Palestine. never takes notice of this uncommon event. Dan. xi. 34. Now when they fhall fall, they shall be bolpen with a little help. In his comment upon that verfe," he mentions feveral, to whom that prophecie had been applied. Some, he fays, understood thereby the emperour Julian, who pretended to love the Jews, and promised to offer facrifices in their temple." It is allowed by all, that Julian favored the Jews, and pretended to love them, though he bore them no good will, and that he likewise talked of rebuilding their temple, and facrificing there. But

Jerome