make known the Refurrection of CHRIST; and as a Confequent upon that, publish his Religion to the World; before they were aided from Above, and endued with Power from on High: but on the contrary, kept out of the Way as much as they could, and met together fecretly, for fear of the Jews.

But farther, if we look more closely into the Matter, it will appear morally impoffible, that any Impofture fhould be carried on in it. For it is to be confider'd, that there were not a few concerned in the Death of our Saviour. The whole Sanhedrim, and many of the Peo ple befides, were involv'd in the Guilt of it; and our Saviour having foretold his Refurrection on the third Day, they were refolv'd to look to it, and thereupon fixed a huge Stone to the Door of the Sepul chre, wherein his Body was laid; and appointed a Company of Soldiers, to keep and guard it: And there being at Jerulalem a great Confluence of People from all Parts of the Jewish Nation, to celebrate the Feast of the Paffover; 'tis very probable, that a great many of them were, or at least might be, walking in the Fields ar that Time, fome fooner, and fome later. Now if the Body of our Saviour was to be D.3. ftolen

Dead? He is not here, but is risen, And St. John says, that as Mary wept, because She could not find the Body of her Lord, The turned herself back and faw JESUS. Standing, whom tho' at first Sight she did not know, yet upon his fpeaking to her, he quickly perceived to be her Master. 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 same 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 those Writings which are extant of the other Apoftles. So that nothing can be more evident than that the Refurrection of CHRIST is clearly related in the Scriptores; which was the first Thing to be made out. I fhall now go on, to fhow,

Secondly, That thofe who related this, were Perfons of unquestionable Knowledge, or in other Words, that they were. thoroughly info'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, Alts i. 3. that CHRIST fbew'd himself a=" live 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 Apoftles, immediately before his Afcenfion. To which

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we may add, that he was feen twice af ter his Afcenfion, cloathed with the high eft Glory and Happiness in Heaven, to wit, once by St. Stephen, and once by St. Paul.

And if we farther confider the manner of his Converfation with them, while he was on Earth, we cannot but allow that they were fully certified of his Refurrection. For he continued with them for a long time together; difcourfing upon the moft Noble and fublime Subjects; giving them the most admirable Lectures in Divinity and expounding the Scriptures with fuch a furprizing Strength and Exactness, that that their Hearts burn'd within 'em, even before they knew who he was. After which, at another Time of his Appearance, leaft they might fuppose that they had feen a Spirit; he eat in their Prefence a Piece of a broil'd Fish, and of an Honey-Comb; and moreover bid them handle him, that they might know that be bad Flesh and Bones, which a Spirit bath not. And at another Time, he commandcd Thomas to put bis Finger into the Print of the Nails, and to thru his Hand into the Side which was pierc'd. So that nothing. can be more manifeft, than that the Apofles were aflur'd of the Refurrection of bas.

CHRIST,

CHRIST, by the Evidence of their Senfes: And this is the highest kind of Evidence of which human Nature is capable. For when the Senses are employ'd about their proper Objects; if their Organs are in right Order or Difpofition; and there are a due Distance, Medium, and Light, they cannot poffibly be deceiv'd. Since therefore none of thefe Things can be queftioned, with regard to the Apostles; fince they not only faw CHRIST alive after his Death, but also beard him Difcourfe, and Bandled his Body; it unavoidably follows, that they had unquestionable Knowledge of his Refurrection; and if fo, then fince they were the Perfons, by whom the Refurrection of CHRIST was related in the Scriptures; it must likewife be concluded, that those who related the Refurrection of CHRIST, were Persons of unquestionable Knowledge, with regard to the Matter of Fact related by them; which was the second Propofition we undertook to prove. I come now in the

Third and lat Place, To fhew that they were Perfons of unquestionable Fidelity: By which I mean, that they faithfully related the Truth, and nothing but the Truth. And what confidering Man ca believe otherwife? They being very Poor

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