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felves to meet him with Joy, when he cometh with great Glory to be our Judge

SERMON ii.

Acts ii. 32.

This Jefus bath God raised up whereof we all are Witnesses.

T

HE Réfurrection of CHRIST

JESUS, as it is a principal Article of our Belief, to 'tis the Foundation apon which our whole Religion ftandeth; take away T IS and it all falls to the Ground For, as St Paul argues, if CHRIST be not rifen, then is our Preaching vain, and our Faith is alfo vain. So that unlefs this Point be true, the Doctrine of Christianity must needs be falfe; all its Proposals must be empty and fictitious, and we by hoping in CH IST may of all Men be most miferable. Eur, bleffed be God, the Foundation of our Religion is not fo fandy: It remaineth firm and ninoveable as a Rock, nothing, being

more

more true, than that God hath raifed JESS from the dead, whereof the Apostles were fufficient Witnesses

And this Proof of his Resurrection fhall be the Subject of my following Discourse.

But before I enter upon this, I defire it may be confidered, that the Point in Hand, being a Matter of Fact, is incapable of receiving fuch a rigorous Demonftration, as that by which a mathe matical Propofition may be proved And in this Cafe no more can be required, than that it be attested by Persons of unquestionable Knowledge and Fidelity.

This being premifed, I fhall endeavour with all poffible Brevity and Plainness to how,

Firft, That the Refurrection of CHRIST is clearly related in the Scriptures.

Secondly, That those who related this, were Perfons of unquestionable Know ledge. And

Thirdly, That they were Perfons of unquestionable Fidelity.

Thefe Propofitions being made good, the Truth of my Text, I conceive, will be fufficiently eftablish'd.

First, Then Lam to show, that the

Refur

Refurrection of CHRIST is clearly related in the Scriptures. And I need not tany long upon this Head; the Man Who denies it, mult be an utter Stranger to thofe facred Pages. Forin them we frequently read that the Body of CHRIST was buried in a Tomb bewn out in a Rock, that a great Stone was laid to the Door of it, which, after fome Time, was rolled away by an Angel, whereupon CHRIST arole, and left the Grave Cloaths behind hin. This is recorded by every one of the four Evangelifts: The fame Perfons who men tion his State of Humiliation, give us an Account of his State of Exaltation too; the fame Perfons who have penned the Hiftory of his fhameful and flavish Death, have Ikewife regiftred his glorious and triumphant Refurrection from the Dead, St. Matthew fays very plainly, that an Angel told the Woman who came to the Sepulchre to feek JESUS, that he was not there, but was rifen. St. Mark fays the fame Thing almoft in the fame Words. St. Luke fays, that the Woman entred into the Sepulchre, and found not the Body of JESUS, and it came to pass as they were much perplex'd about it, two Men ftood by them in shining arments, who faid, Why Jeek ye the Living among the

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Dead?

Dead? He is not here, but is rifen. And St. John fays, that as Mary wept, because She could not find the Body of her Lord, she turned herself back and jaw JESUS Standing, whom tho' at first Sight fhe did not know, yet upon his fpeaking to her, he quickly perceived to be her Malter. Neither do the Evangelifts give us, only the Teftimony of others to this Truth, but they confirm it allo by their own perfonal Knowledge: They tell us that CHRIST fhew'd himself to his Difciples in the fame Body which was crucified, dead and buried, that they all talked with him; and that he eat with them after his Re furrection; as may be feen at large in the laft Chapters of the Gofpels To this we may add, that the fame Doctrine is deliver'd directly, or by Confequence, in every Part of thofe Writings which are extant of the other Apostles. So that nothing can be more evident than that the Refurrection of CHRIST is clearly related in the Scriptores; which was the firft Thing to be made out. I fhall now go on, to how,

Secondly, That those who related this, were Perfons of unquestionable Knowledge, or in other Words, that they were thoroughly inform'd concerning the Fact

which they related, and perfectly knew the Truth of that which they delivered." And this point will be difpatched as easily as the former: For St. Luke tells us, Acts i. 3. that CHRIST fbew'd himself alive to them after his Paffion, by many. INFALLIBLE Proofs. Of which no Body can well doubt, that confiders First, How often CHRIST appeared to his Difciples after his Death; and Secondly, The manner of his Converfation with them.

As to the first of thefe, we read of no less than ten times of his Appearance before his Afcenfion. First of all at the Sepulchre to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had caft feven Devils. Then to other Women as they returned from the Scpulchre, towards Jerufalem. Then to Cephas; then to two of his Difciples, as they went into the Country, the fame Day towards Emmaus. Then to ten of them in the Evening of the fame Day, Thomas being abfent. Then to all the Apoftles, Thomas being with them. After thefe Things, to the Difciples at the Sea of Tiberius. Then to above five hundred Brethren at once. After that to James. Then to all the Apostles, immediately before his Afcenfion. To which

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