justly paraphrases it, his brethren heard of it, (viz. his miracles which he had wrought, and the reports concerning him) they went out to lay hold on him; for they said, ör is, he is befide himself; LOOD JO! i. e. that he is gone out of himself, or out of his fenfes, as the Syriack interpreter translates it very agreeably to the original and common meaning of the Greek word. Now hence I argue, that our Saviour had wrought no miracles in his infancy, or before this time of entering upon his public miniftry; for if he had, his own relations and family would not, could not have been fo furprised, as to go about to take him up as a mad-man, or one out of his fenfes. If miracles had been as commonly wrought by Chrift during his minority as these Gospels of the Infancy pretend, they would not have thought it at all ftrange, or looked upon him as a poffeffed perfon. I know, indeed, there are some learned men, who, unwilling that our Lord fhould go under fuch a charge, or his relations be guilty of fuch a crime in charging him, have given the word is another turn, and would persuade us that it fignifies Chrift's fainting, or falling into a fwoon, through the heat, weariness of his spirits, the prefs of the multitude, his want of food, &c. The firft author of this interpretation was the learned Cafaubon, in one of his Exercitations upon Baronius's Annals a, who was led to it by a perfuafion that the Arabick tranflator took it in this fenfe. He is followed in his interpretation by Grotius, Le Clerc, and Dr. Whitby, in their Annotations on the place. But however pious the interpretation may be in its defign, it cannot be just; and though it be charitable towards our Lord's relations to clear them of fuch a charge; yet I cannot but fay with Lud. de Dieu, that I know no reason why we should be fo charitable towards them, when it is certain they were not fo to our Saviour, but envied him, and did not believe on him (see John vii. 3, 4, 5.), nor credit the truth of his doctrine and miracles. Exercit. xiv. Ann. xxxii. N. 29. Comment in loc. Befides, Befides, De Dieu has proved, that Cafaubon miftook the Arabick translation, which really means the fame which I have above said, viz. that they imagined him mad, and out of his fenfes. 2.) The defign and end of John the Baptift's mission seem clearly to intimate, that Chrift had wrought no miracles before his entrance upon his public ministry. John was fent to be Christ's forerunner, to give some dark intimations of Christ's coming, and the defign of it, and at length to manifeft him (as himself phrases it, John i. 31.) to Ifrael. But now, if our Lord had wrought fo many miracles in his infancy as these Gospels pretend, there would have been little occafion for John to have revealed him, seeing he and his glory must have been fufficiently manifeft before. 3.) Had Chrift wrought miracles in his infancy, fo many and fo great as thefe Gospels pretend, how could John have been fo ignorant of him, and fo unacquainted with him, as he fays he was till the time of his baptifin (fee John i. 31, &c.), especially feeing that the Gospel of the Infancy relates many miracles done by Christ, and fuch as were publickly known in and about the places where John was ? 4.) It is not agreeable to the Scripture-accounts of Christ to suppose he wrought miracles in his infancy; because the defign of miracles being (as it is plain from Scripture) to confirm doctrine, our Lord not having yet preached any new doctrine, miracles would have been fuperfluous and needlefs. Ante aufpicationem muneris figna fupervacua fuiffent; miracles were to no purpose before he began his ministry ". Thus from the filence of Scripture, and the first Christian writers, from the exprefs teftimony and several intimations in Scripture, I have endeavoured to fhew that our Lord wrought no miracles during his infancy; and confequently, that the Gofpels of his Infancy are fpurious and Apocryphal. 4. The fame will be farther evident from the exprefs teftimony of antient Chriftian writers. To this purpose there is a known paffage in Epiphanius 2, viz. That Chrift wrought his firft miracle in Cana of Galilee, the third day after he began to preach; for Chrift is not said to have been at the marriage before his temptation; nor did he work any miracles, or preach any fermons before that time, except fome things which fome fay he did at play when he was a child. And indeed it was fit fome things fhould be done by him in his childhood, that there might not be any foundation for the affertions of thofe hereticks, who fay, that Chrift (or the divine and extraordinary nature) did not come upon him till he was baptized in Jordan, in the form of a dove. And a little after, He wrought his first miracle in Cana of Galilee, not before his baptism, as I have often said, &c. There is indeed fome difficulty in these words of Epiphanius; but unless we will fuppofe him to contradict himfelf, we must conclude that he looked upon the miracles of Chrift's infancy to be fables; and though he fays it was neceffary fome things fhould be done in his infancy, it is plain by what follows, that he peculiarly respected our Lord's difcourse with the doctors in the Temple at twelve years of age, recorded Luke ii. 46. Next to Epiphanius I could instance in Nonnus, who lived in or near the fame time, whose paraphrafe on those words John ii. II. is thus, * Hæref. 51. Alogor. §. 20. Τότο πρῶτον σημεῖον πεποίηκε τη τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ κηρύγματος ἐν Κανᾷ τῆς Γαλιλαίας· ἔτε γὰρ πρὸ τῆ πειρασμὸ ἐν γάμῳ φάσκει τὸν Χρισὸν ἡκέναι ὁ γὰρ ὅλως τε τῶν θεοση μείων καὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος πρὸ τῶ πειρασμὸ ὁ Χρισὸς εἰργάσατο, εἰ μή ei τι ἃ ᾄδεται περὶ αὐτὸ ἐν παιδὶ πεποιηκέναι, ὡς ἐν παιγνίῳ, ὡς τινὲς φάσκεσι. Καὶ ἴδει τῷ μὲν ὄντε (wardi) nas wardaginà autor xe, αὐτὸν ἔχειν, ἵνα μὴ πρόφασις γένηται Αἰρέσεσι, ταῖς λεγέσαις, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνε ἦλθε Χρισὸς εἰς αὐτὸν, ὅπερ ἐσὶν ἡ περιστερά. He means the followers of Cerinthus, whofe opinion was, that Jefus was not born of a Virgin, but in the ordinary way begotten by Jofeph, and born of Mary as other children, and confequently was a mere man; but at the time of his baptifm, Chrift (i. e. the Holy Ghoft) defcended upon him in the form of a dove, by which he wrought his miracles; at length, at his fuffering, Chrift, or that which came from above, left Jefus. See Iren. adverf. Hæref. 1. 1. c. 25. and Epiph. Hærel. 28. §. 1. Hæref. 51. §. 21. Πρωτοφανές Πρωτοφανές τόδε θαῦμα φιλακρήτῳ παρὰ παρῷ Ενδιον αἰπυδμητὸν ἀκερσεκόμων Γαλιλαίων. The fubftance of which is, that Chrift wrought his first miracle at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. Chryfoftom is more large on the head; and not only afferts, that Chrift had wrought no miracle before that in Cana of Galilee, but cenfures the Virgin of too great vanity and forwardness, in defiring Chrift to work a miracle, when as yet she had never feen him work one; and in another place expressly calls thofe miracles which are ascribed to Chrift's infancy, forgeries and lies. Theophylact has, according to his cuftom, transcribed Chryfoftom on this place, and adds several reasons, by which he endeavours to make it certain that Chrift wrought no miracle in his infancy, or before his baptism ©. To conclude then if there be no intimation in Scripture, no intimation in the primitive writers of Chriftianity, that Chrift wrought any miracles in his infancy; if on the other hand it be pofitively afferted in Scripture, and the firft Christian writers, that he did not; it is incontestable proof, that thefe Gospels of Christ's Infancy are fpurious and Apocryphal by Prop. VIII. Homil. 20. in Joann. ii. apud Sixt. Senenf. Biblioth. Sanct. 1. 6. Annot. 185. p. 504. et Annot. 58. P. 453 b Homil. 16. in Joann. * Enarrat, in Joann. ii. CHAP R 3 CHA P. XXVI. Other Arguments to prove the Gospels of Chrift's Infancy Apocryphal. They contain many trifling Stories: a Catalogue of them. They contain many false Things: a Catalogue of thofe. ARG. III. HE multitude of idle and filly ftories, trifling THE and ludicrous relations, which are contained in thefe Gofpels, are a moft clear and demonftrative proof that they are spurious and Apocryphal, by Prop. IX. To collect the trifling ftories here related, would be in a manner to transcribe the whole Gospels again, there being indeed scarce any thing in either of them (except some few things borrowed from our received Gospels) which does not appear evidently romantick and fabulous; however, for the more clear proof of this matter, I shall produce the following inftances. A Catalogue of trifling and idle Stories in the Gofpels of Chrift's Infancy. I. C HRIST's fpeaking in his cradle, and kindly informing his mother that he was her fon. In Mr. Sike's Gofpel, Ch. I. 2. An old woman takes Chrift's foreskin, or navel-string, preserves it in the alabaster-box, out of which oil was poured on Chrift's head by Mary, (Mark xiv. 3, &c.) Ch. V. 3. Mary gives the women one of Christ's swaddling-clothes, which, thrown in the fire, does not burn. Ch. VIII. 4. The girth of the faddle breaks, and the great idol in Egypt falls down upon Chrift's coming there. Ch. X. 5. A fecond miracle wrought by the fwaddling-clothes of Christ, viz. several devils caft out of a boy's mouth in the fhape of ferpents and crows. Ch. XI. 6. Robbers |