A brief account of the most remarkable prodigies which happened at the birth, in the life, and the death of our blessed savior Jesus Christ. To which is added a lively description of the person of Christ. Also, something concerning Agbarus, prince of the Edesseans; with his epistle to Christ; and Christ's letter in answer thereto collected out of the best historians, both divine and heathen / and illustrated with observations, both in verse and prose by W. L.

A Brief Account of the Most Remarkable PRODIGIES which happened at the Birth , in the Life , and at the Death of our Blessed Saviour JESVS CHRIST . To which is Added , A Lively Description of the Person of Christ . 16. March . 1695/6. Also , Something concerning AGBARVS , Prince of the Edesseans ; with his Epistle to Christ ; and Christ's Letter in Answer thereto . Collected out of the Best Historians , both Divine and Heathen . And illustrated with Observations , both in Verse and Prose . By W. L.

In the Days of Tiberius Caesar the Emperor , Publius Lentulus being at that time President in Judea , wrote an Epistle to the Senate of Rome , Concerning Jesus Christ , the Words whereof are these , as followeth ,

THere appeared in these our days , a Man of Great Virtue , called JESUS CHRIST , who is yet living amongst us , and of the People is accepted for a Prophet , but his own Disciples call him the SON of GOD.

He raiseth the Dead , and cureth all manner of Diseases .

Well might the Romans at such Works admire : Jove and his Gods , could ne're so high aspire . Those Mighty Works he did declar'd him more Then all those Idols Rome did then adore : The Dead revivd ; Who could their Life restore , But he that first inspir'd it by his power ? How c●uld the Blind in darkness longer stray , When th' glorious Sun dispel'd it quite away ? And what but Health could seize all Living Things , When shadow'd under his All-healing Wings ?

depiction of Christ with orb

In reproving he is severe , in admonishing courteous , and fair-spoken , pleasant in Speech , mixed with gravity .

It cannot be remembred that any have seen him laugh , but many have seen him weep : In proportion of Body well shaped and straight , his Hands and Arms very delectable to behold ; in Speaking , very temperate , modest , and wise .

A Man for his singular Beauty surpassing the Children of Men.

When all that 's Good , most Perfect , and Divine , To dignifie our Nature did combine ; When Innocence descended from Above , In brightest Glory and in purest Love ; What else but Beauty could it self display , Far more illustrious then the clearest Day , And much more during : That one frowning blast , At might appreaching , makes to look agast . But this , un●angled by devouring Age , Unruffld by tempestuous Heat , an Age Continues in a perfect Symetry And will outlast boundless Eternity .

AFter that Jesus Christ was made manifest unto all men through the working of Miracles , he drew unto him an innumerable sort of Strangers , far distant from Judea , ( afflicted with sundry Diseases , and every sort of Maladies , being to recover their health ; ) of which King Agbarus Governour of the famous Nations inhabiting beyond the River Euphrates , grievously diseased in body , incurable by mans cunning , hearing the renowned Fame of Jesus , the wonderful Works which he wrought , agreeable to the same , published of all men , wrote unto him by Letters , requiring deliverance from his Disease ; Jesus ( though not presently ) yielded unto his desire , vouchsafed to answer him by an Epistle , That shortly he would send one of his Disciples , which should cure his Disease ; promising withal , That he should not only cure his Disease , but as many as belonged unto him . Which promise he not long after performed ; for after his Resurrection , Thomas , one of the twelve Apostles , sent his Brother Thaddaus , accounted among the seventy Disciples , by Divine Inspiration , into the City of Edessa , to be Preacher of the Doctrine of Christ , by whom all things concerning the Promise of Christ were performed .

The Reader hath an approved Testimony of these Things in Writing , taken out of the Recorded Monuments of the Princely City Edessa ; for there are found enrowled in their publick Registry things of Antiquity , and which were done about Agbarus's time , and preserved unto this Day ; and copyed out of their Registry , and translated by us out of the Syrian Tongue in this manner .

The EPISTLE of Agbarus unto our Saviour .

AGbarus , Governour of Edessa unto Jesus the good Saviour , shewing himself in Jerusalem , sendeth greeting ; I have heard of thee , and thy Cures which thou hast done without Medicine or Herbs ; for ( as the report goeth ) thou makest the Blind to see ; the Lame to go ; the Lepers thou cleansest ; foul Spirits and Devils thou castest out ; and the long diseased thou restorest to Health ; and raisest the Dead to Life . When that I heard these things of thee , I imagined with my self , one of these two things , either that thou art God come from Heaven , and dost these things , or the Son of God that bringeth these things to pass . Wherefore by these my Letters , I beseech thee to take the pains to come unto me , and that thou wilt cure this my grievous Malady , wherewith I am sore vexed . I have heard moreover that the Jews murmur against thee , and go about to mischief thee ; I have here a little City , and an honest , which will suffice us both .

The LETTER of Christ to Agbarus .

AGbarus , blessed art thou , because thou hast believed in me , when thou sawest me not ; for it is written of me , That they which see me shall not believe in me , that they which see me not , may believe and be saved . Concerning that thou wrotest unto me , that I should come unto thee ; I let thee understand , that all things touching my Message are here to be fulfilled ; and after the fulfilling thereof , I am to return again unto him that sent me . But after my Ascension , I will send one of my Disciples unto thee , which shall cure thy Mallady , and restore Life to thee , and them that be with thee .

PRODIGIES at the Birth of Christ .

IN prosecution of my intended method , I first begin with the Birth of the most Holy and Immaculate Son of God , incarnate , which was ( according to the best of Chronologers ) in the 3849 Year of the Word , and in the 48th Year of Augustus Caesar , second Emperor of Rome , it was attended with many surprizing and remarkable Prodigies and Apparitions in the Heavens , and that after a more Terrible and Supernatural manner than ever happened in the preceding Ages , as the learned and warlike Jew Josephus testifies in his Jewish History ; which Sights being unusual , were therefore more Frightful to humane Nature , and put the Magi themselves ( to whom the Vulgar had ever recourse in things of Consequence ) to so great a non-plus , that they could make no evasion , but were forced to conclude ( as well they might ) That some more than ordinary Person should arise . For besides the Account given by the Evangelists , of an Angel appearing to the Shepherds , and the Star which directed the Wise Men to the Place of his Nativity , we have it recorded by Paulus Horatius , and Eutropius , then Secretaries to Augustus , as also by Eusebius , ( a very credible Author ) That a Fountain of pure Oyl was discovered in a publick Inn at Rome , issuing forth without intermission for the space of a whole Day . Which was a very notable Instance of the Coming of Him who was the Fountain of all Goodness . And they farther add , That at high Noon , on a clear and serene Day , the visible Body of the Sun was environed with a Circle far more resplendent than it self .

Bright Sol surrounded with that Glorious Light , Withdrew his Beams , and vanisht out of sight : The Righteous Son made that illustrious Day , Darkness at his arising fled away ; Missed in th' Night of blind Obscurity , Before we grop'd , but now we plainly see .

Gamester in his Ecclesiastical History , affirms , That the very same Day that our Saviour Christ was born , a Temple at Rome , dedicated to the Goddess Pax , fell to the Ground ; adding , that when it was first erected , the Romans consulted the Oracle of Apollo , demanding how long it should continue , which replyed , Vntil a Virgin should bring forth a Child : Which they concluded impossible ; and therefore that Temple should never be demolished ; nevertheless they were grosly mistaken , for at the blessed Virgin 's bringing forth a Child ( even the King of Heaven ) it fell to the Earth , and became a ruinons heap . Lucas de Cais in his Chronicle of Spain , reports , That he found in the Antient Records of that Country , that by computation of Time , on the same Night wherein our Saviour was born , a Cloud appeared about Midnight , giving such a resplendent Light , that it was hard to distinguish the Night from a clear Day . So Heaven's bright Nuntio's did of old descend In Fiery Clouds , not able to contend With Ph●bus , till this most refulgent Cloud Chang'd Night to Day : Dim Sol amazed stood , Trembling for fear a far more Radiant Light Should him obscure , and make him rule the Night .

PRODIGIES in the Life of Christ .

I Now proceed to speak of Prodigies which occur'd in the Life of our blessed Saviour here upon Earth . Saint Jerome relates , That when Joseph fled with the Virgin and her Son into Aegypt , all the Idols and Images of their Gods tumbled from their Altars to the Ground ; and that their Oracles also ceased at that time , and never were heard to answer any more : ( Rarities of the Creation , pag. 84. ) About the first Year after the Birth of Christ , Armies were seen at Rome fighting in the Air. The Sun suffered a violent Eclipse , after which a violent Tempest of Rain and Hail followed . And about the 12th Year , when Jesus disputed with the Jewish Doctors , a great and terrible Comet appeared . The Light of the Sun was apparently seen to fail at Rome . How could he longer cast a glimmering Ray , And see the Fountain of his Light decay ? The Heavens seemed to burn . Fiery Beams fell from Heaven , and bloody Comets were seen in several places . The River Tiber overflowed Rome : Upon which see Horace in the 2d . Ode of the first Book , Jam satis terrae nivis , &c. Thirteen Cities in Africa were destroyed by an Earthquake . Noisome and Pestilential Flyes came in great Swarms into Germany . Caligula that Monster of Mankind was born . King Agrippa was slain . Agustus Caesar dyed . In the 22d . Year of his Age it rained Blood in Rome , which was a remarkable presage of the effusion of Christ's most precious Blood . Armies were seen again fighting in the Air , both in Rome and Pola●d ; and a Blazing Star like a Sword was discerned in the Skye : Soon after whith the Theatre erected by Pompey , was burnt down , and the City of Tiberius drowned . And in the same Year Tiberius became a most Bloody Tyrant , and committed all manner of Cruelty upon the Romans .

Strange and Unusual Sights , what else could be , While our Great Lord sustain'd such Misery : Nature unhing'd , stood trembling in amaze , Dreading her Mover would her Beauty raze ; Least she to her Confusion should return , And Fiery Flames become her Funeral Urn. Such strange Events may justly seem to bode . A Wicked People , and an Angry God .

PRODIGIES at the Death of Christ .

IN the 34th Year of our Saviour's Life , Tiberius then being Emperor of Rome , the Wicked Jews most barbarously cruc●fied our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , as produc●d such prodigious Effects , as were never seen in any Age before , and which were afterwards attested and confirmed as well by Heathens as Christians .

At the time of his Death , a very great and thick Darkness happened in the Day-time , which continued from Six till Nine , and yet the Sun suffered no Eclipse , for the Moon was at Full , so that it was Miraculous , and Contrary to the Order of Nature , and could be no otherwise effected than by the Immediate Power of God , who justly deprived the Sun of its Light , whilst his Son ignominiously suffered Death for the Sin of Man : Dionysius the Areopagite being that Day in Athens , and seeing the Son in a total Eclipse , and knowing ( being well skill'd in Astrology , and the Course of the Heavens ) that such an Eclipse must be contrary to the known rules of Nature , cryed out with a loud Voice , Either the World is at End , or the God of Nature suffers . Some Authors affirm , that the Wise Men of Athens were so much affrighted at this Prodigy , that they presently caused an Altar to be built , and dedicated to the unknown God : and that St. Paul arriving there , cheeked their blind and superstitious Ignorance , declaring unto them , That Jesus Christ the Redeemer of the World was that unknown God , whereby he converted many of them to the Christian Faith . Which also is a plain demonstration that the Darkness was over the whole World , since it was at Athens , and other places far remote from Jerusalem ; yea , the Moon being at Full , and having no Light but what she borroweth from the Sun , she became most violently darkned .

Heaven's brightest Darling thus bereav'd of Light , What could succeed but a most gloomy Night ? Darkness his Mourning cloath'd the doleful Sky , And thickest Clouds became his Canopy : All things condole , but the most impious Jew , Who did his Hands in Spotless Blood imbrue .

I might mention a great many more Prodigies , which I have met with in credible Authors , but am forced at present to omit them for brevity's sake ; desiring that these , represented unto us in this small Collection , may have that blessed effect upon every one of us , to make us more circumspect in our ways . And if such Terrible Apparitions happened at his First Coming , far more Dreadful may be expected at his Second : For which God of his infinite Mercy prepare us all ; Amen .