the greatest part of the learned heathens, the facts
of the Christian history could only come by report. The books, probably,
they had never looked into. The settled habit of their minds was, and
long had been, an indiscriminate rejection of all reports of the kind.
With these sweeping conclusions truth hath no chance. It depends upon
distinction. If they would not inquire, how should they be convinced? It
might be founded in truth, though they, who made no search, might not
discover it.

"Men of rank and fortune, of wit and abilities, are often found, even in
Christian countries, to be surprisingly ignorant of religion, and of
everything that relates to it. Such were many of the heathens. Their
thoughts were all fixed upon other things; upon reputation and glory,
upon wealth and power, upon luxury and pleasure, upon business or
learning. They thought, and they had reason to think, that the religion
of their country was fable and forgery, a heap of inconsistent lies;
which inclined them to suppose that other religions were no better.
Hence it came to pass, that when the apostles preached the Gospel, and
wrought miracles in confirmation of a doctrine every way worthy of God,
many Gentiles knew little or nothing of it, and would not take the least
pains to inform themselves about it. This appears plainly from ancient
history." (Jortin's Disc. on the Christ. Rel. p. 66, ed. 4th.)

I think it by no means unreasonable to suppose that the heathen public,
especially that part which is made up of men of rank and education, were
divided into two classes; these who despised Christianity beforehand,
and those who received it. In correspondency with which division of
character the writers of that age would also be of two classes; those
who were silent about Christianity, and those who were Christians. "A
good man, who attended sufficiently to the Christian affairs, would
become a Christian; after which his testimony ceased to be pagan and
became Christian." (Hartley, Obs. p. 119.)

I must also add, that I think it sufficiently proved, that the notion of
magic was resorted to by the heathen adversaries of Christianity, in
like manner as that of diabolical agency had before been by the Jews.
Justin Martyr alleges this as his reason for arguing from prophecy
rather than from miracles. Origen imputes this evasion to Celsus; Jerome
to Porphyry; and Lactantius to the heathen in general. The several
passages which contain these testimon