after his Afcenfion, in confequence of his own Prediction and Promife. And this again was proved to the World by the most extraordinary Gifts and Powers abiding with his Difciples, who went thro' all Nations teaching the things which he had commanded them, and were

enabled

not without the greatest Abfurdity be supposed, that there fhould have been a Combination among fo many Perfons to put an Impofture upon the World in that matter; or if there had, it is fcarce poffible but that it must have been detected, and that among fuch a Number one or other would have been prevail'd upon by Bribes or Threatnings, to difcover and acknowledge the Imposture. Whereas they all perfifted uniformly in their Teftimony with an unfhaken Conftancy, and many of them fealed it with their Blood. But that which gave the most remarkable Confirmation to their Teftimony, and which was never equal'd in any other Cafe, was, that God bore them witnefs by Signs and Wonders, and divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Gholt, poured forth upon the Difciples in the Name of a rifen Jefus.

The Story fet about by the Jews, that his Difciples fole him by Night whilft the Soldiers flept, was a plain Acknowledgment that his Body was gone out of the Sepulchre; and fince it was pretended the Soldiers were aficep, he might have rifen of himfelf for any thing they could tell to the contrary. But if they had really believed that the Difciples ftole him, whilft a Guard of Soldiers were purpofely fet to watch the Body; can it be imagined that they would not have made a ftrict Enquiry, and have got the Soldiers feverely punished for fo criminal a Neglect of their Duty, which could scarce be fuppofed without a Combination between them and the Difciples? Why did they not take pains to fearch out and feize the Difciples, to confront them with one another, and with the Guards? Why did they not call Jofeph of Arimathea to an account, to get, if poffible, to the bottom of the Impofture, and to ftifle all Reports of

enabled for many Years together in the Name and by the Power of a rifen Jefus, to perform the most illuftrious Miracles, fuch as he himself had done whilft on Earth; all which came in aid

his Resurrection in the very birth? This is the Method that common Senfe would have directed to in this cafe; and which they would undoubtedly have taken, confidering how zealous they were in the Caufe, and that they had the power in their hands. But inftead of this, all was huddled up; the Centinels were unpunished, their Evidence ftifled, no farther Enquiry made. And when the Difciples openly avowed that Chrift was rifen from the Dead, of which they were Witnefles, they durft not enter into a particular Difcuffion or Examination of that matter, but contented themfelves with commanding them not to speak in his Name, who boldly declared to their faces, that they would do it. In a word, it is plain from their whole Management on this occafion, that it was not for want of fufficient Evidence of Chrift's Refurrection, that the Rulers of the Jews did not believe in him; and that as they were difpofed, they would not have acknowledged him as the Meffiah, whatever other Evidence had been offered; fo when they could not deny that Jefus had raifed Lazarus from the Dead, instead of being convinced by it, they only took counsel how they might deftroy them both.

But if the Rulers and Body of the Jewish Nation had believed in a rifen Jefus, and embraced his Religion, would thofe, who now make their not believing an Argument against the Truth of Chrift's Refurrection, have been convinced? No. It is probable they would have taken ftill greater advantage of this, and reprefented it as a national Affair, in which the Jews joined out of that Attachment to the Honour and Intereft of their Nation, for which they were fo remarkable. Such is the true Spirit of Infidelity, always to find fault with the Evidence that is already offered, and to infift upon fome other or farther Proof, which if it were granted would be as far from giving fatisfaction as before.

aid of their Testimony, and gave it a force which no other Testimony ever had. Here is fuch a Concurrence of the most extraordinary divine Atteftations, fuch a Concatenation of Evidences, one fupporting another, that the Apostle had reafon to fay to the Chriftian Converts, that if an Angel from Heaven had endeavoured to turn them to another Gospel, they were not to regard him. Where he does not put a Cafe that he fuppofed might really happen, but uses a strong Manner of Expreffion to fignify, that no Pretence whatfoever fhould turn them from a fteady Adherence to the Gofpel of Chrift. And tho' our Author feems to think that an Angel's appearing from Heaven would have been the highest Evidence poffible, p. 11. yet I believe any one that impartially confiders this matter, will be apt to conclude, that the Appearance of a fingle Angel would have fallen vaftly fhort in Strength of Evidence, of that amazing Succeffion of illuftrious divine Atteftations that were given to Christianity; the like to which never was in proof of any falfe Religion, nor can be fuppofed to be in confiftency with the Wisdom and Goodness of divine Providence. For this would be to lay too great a Temptation in the way of his frail Creatures; fince we cannot conceive, that fuppofing a Revelation really to have come from God, it could have been attended with more illuftrious confirming Evidences of a divine Original, than all these taken together do form. And when to these external Atteftations

is added the exemplary Purity of the great Founder of this Religion, the excellent Character of his Difciples, fo remote from that of Impoftors, and from all worldly Views and carnal Interests; and the Nature and Tendency of the Religion thus attested, which is designed to reclaim Men from Idolatry, Vice, and Wickednefs, to the Love of God, to his pure Worship, to the Practice of univerfal Holiness and Virtue, and to the heavenly Mind and Life, it carries the Evidence as far as it can go. For this again furnishes a new Proof, that as the Miracles were fuch as vastly exceeded all human Power, fo were they not owing to the Agency of fuperior evil Beings; fince it can never be imagined, that they would contribute their Affiftance to the performing fuch wonderful Things in favour of a Religion fo directly oppofite to all their Interests, and to the Defigns evil Beings must be supposed to have in view. And therefore they must have been wrought by the immediate Affiftance and Agency of God himself, or, which comes to the fame thing, by the Affiftance of good Beings fuperior to Man, acting under him, and by his Direction, and who would never have thus given their Atteftation to Fraud and Imposture.

There is another thing which the Author offers, p. 47. and which he seems to defign as an Argument. I would anfwer it if I underftood it, but I confefs I cannot well make fenfe of it myself, nor have met with any body that could.

could. But as far as I am able to apprehend it, the Drift of it seems to be this; that fuch Miracles as were wrought at the first Establishment of Chriftianity were to be expected as the natural Effects of fuch a benevolent Religion as the Chriftian, and therefore could not be Evidences of its Truth and Divinity: As if the fame wonderful Works might not be both Inftances of great Benevolence, and the Effects of a divine Power, and confequently Proofs of a divine Interpofition. And certainly if any Religion could be fuppofed to be of fuch a nature, as neceffarily to bring along with it fuch glorious Effects of a divine Power and Benevolence, this would be a plain Evidence that it came from God.

This Gentleman having made an Attempt to fhew that Miracles can in no cafe be any Proofs at all, afterwards feems willing in his great Liberality to grant, that Miracles might be Evidences to thofe that actually faw them; but he denies they could be Evidences to any other Perfons. He affirms, that they could not be Proofs even to the Men of that Generation that were not actually and perfonally prefent, when they were done, and that for the fame evident Reafon they can be none to us now; p. 51. He goes on to declaim in many Words after his manner, and all that he urges here depends upon this Principle, that no Accounts of paft Facts can at all be fafely depended upon, and that no Man is to believe any thing but what he actually fees