foretold it; all which are supposed to be the prefent cafe. And,

Therefore the failure of Dr. Ames, in not rifing from the dead, when those people, called the modern prophets, had foretold it (which * Britannicus plainly refers to) is by no means parallel to the cafe before us: becaufe those people had not proved the divinity of their miffion, by raising two perfons from the dead, antecedent to their predicting Dr. Ames's refurrection; which was manifeftly the cafe with respect to our Lord. If it had been evident and certain, that thofe people had raised two perfons from the dead, then they would have given full proof of the divinity of their miffion (fuppofing that miffion had been worthy of the Deity) upon Britannicus's principles, and the failure of Dr. Ames could not poffibly have proved the contrary, as I have fhewn above. But tho' the point is thus perplexed upon Britannicus's principles, yet furely it is capable of being viewed in fuch a light, as to appear free from all thofe difficulties. And,

Therefore, I obferve, that the fuppofition of Christ's not rifing from the dead is never to be admitted. For as he affumed the character of a meffenger fent from God, fo he fufficiently fupported his pretenfions to it, by that good and heavenly doctrine, which he taught, and which he required his difciples to publish to the world, and by those many *Letter 2, Paragraph the 5th. K 2

great

great and wonderful works, which he performed. And as Chrift promised his difciples, that he would rife from the dead; fo it may very fairly and juftly be fuppofed or prefumed, that he made good that promife to them, even fuppofing the evidence for his refurrection to be much weaker, than it is: I fay, it may very fairly be prefumed, that Chrift rofe from the dead according to his promife, feeing fuch power attended him, as was fufficient for effecting that work, and feeing the end he propofed in making that promife, would not otherwife have been obtained, viz. the farther inftructing and fpiriting his difciples to the work and bufinefs he had defigned them for; namely, to publish his gospel to the world, which I think was the great and main end, that the refurrection of Chrift was intended to be fubfervient to.

As Christ, in the days of his ministry, was employed in preaching the gofpel to the Jews; fo he felected a fociety or body of difciples, whom he intended fhould, after his death, publish the fame gospel to the rest of mankind. And as the crucifixion and death of Chrift Shocked, and difpirited his difciples to fuch a degree, that all thoughts of preaching him and his doctrine to the world were laid afide by them; fo thereby the end and purpose of his coming would have been in a great meafure fruftrated, had he not rifen from the dead: because he was intended to be for falvation, not only to the Jews, to whom

he

he had, but also to the Gentiles, to whom he had not preached his gofpel. And therefore it became abfolutely neceffary, that Christ should rife again from the dead, and make a farther. perfonal appearance amongst his difciples, not to prove the divinity of his miffion, for that he had fufficiently done before, but to gather together his difperfed, difpirited difciples; to fend them out into the world to preach the gofpel to both Jews and Gentiles, and thereby to work the converfion and falvation of mankind; to difpofe, and engage them to undertake that work; and to furnish them with whatsoever was neceffary thereunto. And that this was the great end to which Chrift's refurrection was intended to be fubfervient, is manifeft from his own words, Luke xxiv. 46, 47. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rife from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remiffion of fins fhould be preached in his name, among all nations. all nations. And accordingly Chrift, agreeable to his promife, and as it behoved him to do, did rife from the dead, and make fuch a perfonal appearance to his dif- • ciples, as was fufficient to convince them of the truth, and certainty of that resurrection. He likewife converfed with them for the fpace of forty days, teaching and inftructing them in all the things, which pertained to the kingdom of God; and gave it them in charge, to publifh his gospel to all nations. And when Chrift had thus anfwered

fwered the grand purpose of his refurrection, he then withdrew, and was taken up into heaven. And,

Tho' the refurrection of Chrift was to his difciples, and to all others a collateral proof of the divinity of his miffion; yet it was not the decifive mark of his divine character, neither was it intended fo to be; but its grand defign was to answer the purpose aforefaid. And this, I think, fully takes off the force of those objections against the resurrection of Chrift, which are drawn from the different manner of his appearing, from his appearing to none but his difciples, and the like. For, if the grand defign of his refurrection was to answer the purpose aforefaid, and if he appeared to his difciples in fuch a manner, as that their fufpicions were raised, whether he was that very person, and yet, notwithstanding thofe fufpicions, fuch circumfances attended the cafe, as fully convinced them, that he was that perfon; and if, after his refurrection, he continued to pursue and carry on the fame defign, which he was engaged in before his death, and which he came into the world to profecute: then he did all that was neceffary, or that the nature of the thing did require, or that in reafon could be expected from him, in order to anfwer the great end and purpose of that refurrection; and confequently all those objections, that are made against it, are weak and trivial. If the refurrection of Chrift had

been

been defigned to be the grand argument for the divinity of his miffion, and the decifive mark of his divine character to the body of mankind; then furely that refurrection would have been (because the reafon of the thing required it) as publick, and as unexceptionable, as the nature of the thing would admit. But this was not the grand defign of Christ's refurrection, neither was fuch a publick appearance neceflary to answer the great end and purpose of it, and therefore fuch an appearance could not in reafon be expected.

Before I leave the fubject, I beg leave to obferve, that the apparent end and defign of the chriftian revelation is (as indeed it muft needs be, fuppofing it to be of a divine original) the promoting the good and well-being of mankind, by calling upon finners to repent and turn to God, and to do works meet for repentance, as the only true means to recommend them to the divine mercy; by teaching men to deny all ungodliness, and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world, living peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and honesty, loving God above all, as the fountain of their being, and the bountiful giver of all good things, and loving one another, as they are all defigned to be common fharers in that bounty, fuch a temper and conduct being the only ground of divine acceptance. And as man is naturally qualified to discern betwixt good and evil, and thereby to judge of the

moral