ing is more. And if the Chriftians in believing this Do&trine are found to argue upon thofe fure Principles which the unprejudic'd Reason of Mankind, and the Laws of the World we live in, do both confpire to justify; then fince thofe Gentleman cannot poffibly proceed upon the fame Principles to disbelieve it, it is plain, that they are most desperately expofed as long as they continue in their Unbelief. Let them therefore bring this matter that I propose to a fair Trial, and do it with infinitely more Zeal and Application, than they would fearch after any Truth in Philofophy, from the Discovery of which, they could expect the greatest Glory, and the Applaufe of all the learned World. And I hope the following Difcourfe may be of fome ufe to help them to make this great Experiment without Prejudice; and as becomes Men, who have only Truth in view, and believe it is a Matter of fome Importance to find it out in the prefent Cafe. The End of the First Part. PART PART II. Containing the General Principles on which the Doctrine of Christ's Refurrection is eftablished. The CONTENT S. The Nature of an Evidence, which is obligatory to Human The Differences between this and Mathematical Certainty. The abfurd and intolerable Confequences that follow upon the taking away, or difowning fuch Evidence. H SECT. I. AVING hitherto prepared the Way to our great Defign, by fome short Difcourfe on fuch Heads, as feemed fit to poffefs both Chriftians and Deifts with a juft Sense of the Importance of the Matter in Difpute: I fhall now proceed to fhew these Gentlemen, what Principle I intend to make ufe of, in order to evince to them the unquestionable Certainty of the Refurrection of Jefus Christ. And this Principle, in general is, The Evidence afforded for it, from whence the Truth of this Doctrine may be fairly and justly inferred. And therefore, in the first Place, I argue thus: That there is fuch an Evidence for the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift, as actually induces an Obligation on all Men, to whom that Evidence is fairly propofed, and who are capable of arguing upon it, after a due and regular Manner, to give their Affent to it as a certain Truth. Having laid down this Propofition, my next Step is to the Confideration of the infinite Perfections of the Great Author and Governour of the Universe; which these Gentlemen, by their Principles, are no less forward to own and adore, than the Christians themselves are. And here I muft advance this Propofition, That it is utterly impoffible, that the Supreme Governour of the World (whofe juft and wife Providence prefides over all Things, and more especially over the Affairs and Concerns of reasonable Beings) should ever countenance a notorious Falfhood with fuch an Evidence, as fhould lay an indifpenfible Obligation on rational Creatures to give their Affent to it, as a real Truth. N SECT. II. W from both thefe together we shall be able to infer the main Conclufion with all the Force and Perfpicuity that can be. For if there be fuch an Evidence for the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift; and if the Perfections of God Almighty will not fuffer or allow that a Delufion fhould be recommended to the World with fuch an Evidence: It will fairly follow, That this Doctrine of Chrift's Refurrection is not a Delufion, but a certain Truth; or that it was undoubted Matter of Fact, that that he did rife from the Dead. For if it had not been Matter of Fact, it had been impoffible that a Being of infinite Truth, Juftice and Goodness, fuch as the Deifts tell us they believe God to be, fhould ever have fuffered it to pass amongst Men with fuch an Evidence, as, by all the Laws of human Nature, and the World wherein we live, fhould lay an indifpenfible Obligation on every capable Subject, to whom this Doctrine is reprefented with its proper Evidences, to receive it as a certain Truth. This is the Scheme I intend to proceed upon, and the Confequence of it will be this: That if I produce folid and truly rational Proof for the Propofitions I have laid down, these Gentlemen will be obliged, either at once to throw off all Natural Religion, and rank themselves among thofe Unbelievers of the lowest Form, who deny the Being and Perfections of a God; or elfe by granting thefe Propofitions, to grant the Conclufion likewife, and fo admitting the Truth of this Doctrine, give us an Occasion of rejoicing with them, upon the Score of the happy Change of their Minds. To fet this Argument therefore in a clear and convincing Light, thefe four things must be diftinctly done. First, To fhew what is meant by fuch an Evidence, as does infallibly oblige every capable Subject, to whom it is justly and duly represented, to receive a Thing as Truth and Matter of Fact, for the Proof of which, fuch Evidence is alledged. Secondly, To demonftrate, that an Evidence fo qualified, as I fhall now explain, and reprefented in fuch Manner, and to fuch a Subject, as I have already fuppofed; does actually oblige to a full and firm Belief of a Thing propofed, as real Truth and Matter of Fact. Thirdly, That it is impoffible the Divine Providence fhould ever countenance an Impofture (or which is the fame Thing, permit or fuffer it to be countenanced) with an Evidence of fucb a Nature as this. F 4 Fourthly, Part II. Fourthly, That there is actually fuch an Evidence for the Resurrection of Jefus Chrift, as does fully come up to all the Characters and Conditions of an Evidence, which directly obliges Human Understanding to yield its affent. I fhall allot this Second Part of this Treatife to the three firft of thefe Heads; and beftow the third entirely upon the fourth and last of them. SECT. III. OR the First, The Evidence I here intend, may be thus defcribed. Fo It it fuch, as being impartially weighed and confidered by the free Ufe of a Man's Reason, in all the common and allowed ways of ufing it; does not only more powerfully perfuade him to a Belief of the Thing propofed, than any Objections to the contrary, when duly ftated and fet in a fair Light, can diffuade him from the Belief of that Thing; but also fuch, which if a Man fhould difown and reject, he must neceffarily be forced upon fuch fort of Confequences, as the genuine and difinterested Senfe of Mankind would condemn as abfurd and wrong; and which even the Perfon himself concerned, without making use of some bad Arts, by which his Understanding may be fuppofed to be managed contrary to its native Tendency, would not be able to digeft, when he came to examine and reflect upon them in a cool and well-difpofed Temper. So that upon a just and cautious balancing of the Momenta on both fides, viz. The force of the Evidence, and that of the Objections; a Man finds the former fufficient to furnish all those Reasons for the Affent of his Mind, that the Nature and Conditions of the Cafe proposed will admit of; and that the latter are not fufficient to take off or invalidate ought of thofe Reafons: And that therefore, in a fair and regular way of proceeding, without Sophistry, Pre judice, |