IV. which they had been bred, and the impreffions which had ART. gone deep in them, it could be no flight matter that could overcome all that. The Jews expected a conqueror for their Meffias, who fhould have raised both the honour of their law and their nation, and fo were much poffeffed against one of a mean appearance; and when they faw that their law was to be fuperfeded, and that the Gentiles were to be brought into equal privileges with themselves, they could not but be deeply prejudiced both against the person and doctrine of Chrift. The Philofophers despised divine infpiration, and fecret affiftances, and had an ill opinion of miracles: and the herd among the Gentiles were fo accustomed to pomp and fhew in their religious performances, that they must have naufeated the Chriftian fimplicity, and the corruption of their morals must have made then uneafy at a religion of fo much strictnefs. All forts of men lay under very strong prejudices against this religion; nor was there any one article or branch of it, that flattered any of the interefts, appetites, paffions, or vanities of men, but all was very much to the contrary. They were warned to prepare for trials and croffes, and, in particular, for a fevere and fiery trial that was speedily to come upon them. There was nothing of the way or manner of impoftors that appeared in the methods in which the Gospel was propagated. When the Apoftles faw that fome were endeavouring to leffen them and their authority, they took no fawning ways: they neither flattered nor fpared those Churches that were under their care: they charged them home with their faults, and afferted their own character in a ftrain that fhewed they were afraid of no difcoveries. They appealed to the miracles that they had wrought, and to thofe gifts and divine virtues of which they were not only poffeffed themselves, but which were by their miniftry conferred on others. The demonftration of the 1 Cor. li. 4. Spirit, or infpiration that was in them, appeared in the power, that is, in the miracles which accompanied it, and thofe they wrought openly in the fight of many witneffes. An uncontested miracle is the fulleft evidence that can be given of a divine commiffion. A miracle is a work that exceeds all the known powers of nature, and that carries in it plain characters of a power fuperior to any human power. We cannot indeed fix the bounds of the powers of nature; but yet we can plainly apprehend what must be beyond them. For instance, we do not know what fecret virtues there may be in plants ART. and minerals: but we do know that bare words can have IV. no natural virtue in them to cure difeafes, much less to raife the dead: we know not what force imagination or credulity may have in critical difeafes; but we know that a dead man has no imagination: we know alfo, that blindness, deafnefs, and an inveterate palfy, cannot be cured by conceit: therefore fuch miracles as the giving fight to a man born blind, fpeech to the deaf and dumb, and ftrength to the paralytic; but most of all, the giving life to the dead, and that not only to perfons laid out as dead, but to one that was carried out to be buried, and to another that had been four days dead, and in his grave; all this was done with a bare word, without any fort of external application: this, I fay, as it is clearly above the force of imagination, fo it is beyond the powers of na ture. These things were not done in the dark, nor in the prefence of a few, in whom a particular confidence was put ; but in full day-light, and in the fight of great numbers, enemies as well as friends, and fome of those enemies were both the most enraged, and the most capable of making all poffible exceptions to what was done. Such were the rulers of the fynagogues, and the pharifees in our Saviour's time: and yet they could neither deny the facts, nor pretend that there was any deceit or jugglery in them. We have in this all poffible reason to conclude, that both the things were truly done as they are related, and that no just exception was or could be made to them. If it is pretended, that thofe wonderful things were done by the power of an evil fpirit, that does both acknowledge the truth of the relation, and alfo its being fupernatural. This anfwer taken from the power of evil fpirits, is fometimes to be made ufe of, when extraordinary things are well attested, and urged in proof of that which upon other reasons we are affured is falfe. It is certain, that as we have a great power over vaft quantities of grofs and heavy matter, which by the motion of a very subtile body, our animal fpirits, we can mafter and manage: fo angels, good or bad, may, by virtue of fubtile bodies, in which they may dwell, or which upon occafion they may affume, do many things vaftly above either our force to do, or our imagination to apprehend how it is done by them. Therefore an action, that exceeds all the known powers in nature, may yet be done by an evil spirit that is in rebellion against its Maker, and that defigns to impose upon us by fuch a mighty performance. But then the measure, by which we muft judge of this, is by confider IV. ing what is the end or defign driven at in fuch a wonder- ART. ful work: if it is a good one, if it tends to reform the manners of men, and to bring them off from magic, idolatry, and fuperftition, to the worship of one pure and eternal Mind: and if it tends to reform their actions, as well as their speculations and their worship; to turn them from immorality, falfehood, and malice, to a pure, a fincere, and a mild temper; if it tends to regulate fociety, as well as to perfect the nature and faculties of every fingle man; then we may well conclude, that no evil spirit can fo far depart from its own nature, as to join its forces, and cooperate in such a defign: for then the kingdom of Satan could Matt. xii. not fland, if he were thus divided against himself; according 25, 26. to what our Saviour faid, when this was objected against the miracles that he wrought... These are all the general confiderations that concur to prove the truth of the hiftory of the Gofpel, of which the Refurrection and Afcenfion of Chrift are the two main articles; for they being well proved, give authority to all the reft. As to the Refurrection in particular, it is certain the Apostles could not be deceived in that matter: they faw Chrift frequently after he rofe from the dead; they met him once with a great company of five hundred with them they heard him talk and argue with them; he opened the Scriptures to them with fo peculiar an energy, that they felt their hearts set on fire, even when they did not yet perceive that it was he himself: they did not at firft either look for his refurrection, nor believe those who reported him rifen: they made all due inquiry, and some of them went beyond all reasonable bounds in their doubting fo far were they from an eafy and foon-impofedon credulity. His fufferings and their own fears had fo amazed them, that they were contriving how to separate and disperse themfelves, when he at first appeared to them. Men fo full of fear, and fo far from all hope, are not apt to be easy in believing. So it must be concluded, that either the account which the Apoftles gave the world of Chrift's refurrection is true, or they were grofs impoftors; fince it is clear, that the circumstances and numbers mentioned in that history fhew there could be no deception in it. And it is as little poffible to conceive, that there could be any impofture in it: for not to repeat again, what has been already faid, that they were under no temptations to fet about any fuch deceit, but very much to the contrary; and that there is no reason to think they were either bad enough to enter upon fuch a defign, or capable and fkilful enough to manage it; they being many of them illiterate 6 2 fishermen IV. ART. fishermen of Galilee, who had no acquaintance at Jerufalem, to furnish them with that which might be neceffary for executing fuch a contrivance: the circumstances of that transaction are to be well examined, and then it will appear, that no number of bold and dexterous men, furnished with all advantages whatsoever, could have effected this matter. Great numbers had been engaged in the procuring our Saviour to be crucified: the whole Sanhedrim, befides multitudes of the people, who upon all occafions are eafily drawn in to engage in tumultuary commotions: all thefe were concerned to examine the event of this matter. He was buried in a new fepulchre lately hewed out of a rock, fo that there was no coming at it by any fecret ways: a watch was fet; and all this at a time, in which the fullmoon gave a great light all the night long: and Jerufalem being very full of people, who were then there in great numbers to keep the Paffover, that being the fecond night of fo vaft a rendezvous, it is reasonable to think, that great numbers were walking in the fields, or at least might be fo, fome later, and fome earlier. Now if an impofture was to be fet about, the guard was to be fright ed or mastered, which could not be done without giving the alarm, and that must have quickly brought a multitude upon them. Chrift's body must have been difpofed of: fome other tomb was to be looked for to lodge it in: the wounds that were in it would have made it to be soon known if found. Here a bold attempt was to be undertaken, by a company of poor irrefolute men, who muft truft one another entirely, otherways they knew all might be foon difcovered. One of their number had betrayed Christ a few days before; another had forfworn him, and all had forfaken him and yet thefe men are fuppofed all of the fudden fo firm in themfelves, and fo fure of one another, as to venture on the most daring thing that was ever undertaken by men, when not a circumftance could ever be found out to fix upon them the leaft fufpicion. The Priefts and the Pharifees must be thought a strange stupid fort of creatures, if they did not examine where the Apoftles were all that night: befides many other particulars, which might have been a thread to lead them into strict inquiries, unless it was because they believed the report that the watch had brought them of Chrift's rifing again. When they had this certain reafon to believe it, and yet refolved to oppose it, the only thing they could do, was to feem to neglect the matter, and only to decry it in gene ral IV. ral as an imposture, without going into particulars; which ART. When all this is laid together, it is the most unreason- The Afcenfion of Chrift has not indeed fo full a proof: nor is it capable of it, neither does it need it; for the refurrection well proved, makes that very credible. For this we have only the teftimony of the Apostles, who did all atteft that they faw it, being all together in an open field: when Chrift was walking and difcourfing with them, and when he was bleffing them, he was parted from them: they saw him afcend, till a cloud received him, and took him out of their fight. And then two angels appeared to them, and affured them, that he should come A&s i. 11. again in like manner as they had feen him afcend. Here is a very particular relation, with many circumstances in it, in which it was not poffible for the Apoftles to be mistaken; fo that there being no reason to suspect their credit, this refts upon that authority. But ten days after, it received a much clearer proof; when the Holy Ghost was 3 poured out on them in so visible a manner, and with moft remarkable effects. Immediately upon it they fpoke with divers tongues, and wrought many miracles, and all in the name of Chrift. They did often and folemnly disclaim their doing any of those wonderful things by any power As in, of their own: they owned that all they had or did was 12, 16. derived to them from Jefus of Nazareth, of whofe refurrection and afcenfion they were appointed to be the witneffes. Chrift's coming again to judge the world at the laft day is fo often affirmed by himself in the Gofpel, and is fo frequently mentioned in the writings of his Apoftles, that this is a main part of his doctrine: fo that his Refurrection, Afcenfion, together with the effufion of the Holy Ghoft, having in general proved his miffion, and his whole doctrine, this is alfo proved by them. Enough feems to be faid in proof of all the parts of this article; it remains only that fomewhat fhould be added in explanation of them. As to the Refurrection, it is to little purpofe to inquire, whether our Saviour's body was kept all the while in a complete organization, that so by this miracle it might be 03 preserved |