XI.

SER M. misunderstood, what he had told them in his Life-time concerning his rifing again on the third Day; and out of their pious Regard to his Memory, vainly thought of preferving that Corpfe from putrifying, concerning which David had long before prophefied, that it fhould not fee Corruption. When they came to the Sepulchre, they found the Stone rolled away from the Mouth of it, and entring in, perceived that the Body was gone. As they were greatly furprized and perplexed at this Event, they efpyed two Angels in human Shapes, and dreffed in very glorious and fhining Garments, who spoke to them in the Words of my Text, Why feek ye the Living among the Dead? He is not here, but is rifen.

This is a Fact of fuch importance, that the whole Structure of the Chriftian Religion refts upon it, and must stand or fall 1 Cor.15.14. With it. For if Christ be not rifen, fays St. Paul, then is our preaching vain, and your Faith is alfo vain. I shall therefore,

ift, Lay before you the Proofs of Chrift's Refurrection.

XI.

2dly, I will answer the Exceptions, or SER M. rather Cavils, that have been made against

it.

3dly, I fhall make fome Improvement of

the Doctrine.

ist, I shall begin with the Proofs of our Saviour's Refurrection. Now this being a Matter of Fact difcoverable by the Senses only, no other Proof can be required than the Teftimony of honeft and credible Perlons, who knew him when living, and who faw him alive after his Death; and from faithful Records of it tranfmitted down to our Times.

As to the Former; no Fact was ever better teftified by competent Witneffes, whose Characters were beyond all Exception. The four Evangelifts do all agree in the main Point, tho' with fome Diverfity of Circumstances, which ferve to fhew that they did not compare Notes and combine to deceive the World, as falfe Witneffes would certainly have done. But St. Paul gives us a Summary of the Evidence in 1 Cor. 15. v. 5, &c. for after his Refurtection he was Jeen of Cephas, then of the

I

Y

twelve.

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SER M. twelve. After that he was feen of above five hundred Brethren at once, of whom the greateft Part remain unto this prefent, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was feen of James, then of all the Apostles. And last of all he was feen of me alfo, as of one born out of due Time. That is, who was not made an Apostle till after Chrift's Afcenfion.

Acts 1. 3.

Here then are Witneffes in Abundance to prove that our Saviour came to Life after his Crucifixion; here is the Testimony of more than five hundred Perfons who knew him perfectly well, and of the Apostles who converfed familiarly with him for the Space of forty Days, during which Time he proved himself to be the very Person that fuffered upon the Cross, and fhewed himself alive by many infallible Proofs, fpeaking of the Things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. If the hundreth Part of this Evidence would be fufficient to take away any Man's Life or Fortune in a Court of Judicature, I think no unprejudiced Perfon will doubt if it be fufficient to prove one Man to have been alive. But when Truth is against the Inclinations of perverse Men, they will fet themselves against Truth, and will make any Shift to throw Obfcurity and Darkness

about

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XI.

about her, when they cannot endure the SER M. Brightness of her Countenance. I fhall therefore in the fecond Place examine the Exceptions, or to speak more properly, the Cavils of Unbelievers against the Truth of this Fact. And these are chiefly the three following,

ift, That all thefe Witneffes were in a Combination to put a Cheat upon the credulous and ill judging Part of Mankind. Or,

2dly, That they were themfelves credulous. and weak Perfons, under the Power of Prejudices and distemper'd Imaginations. Or,

3dly, That the whole Account of this Matter is a Story invented, and palmed upon the World in an Age of Ignorance and Darkness.

I might here obferve in general, that as these are meer Suggeftions, unfupported by any Proof, or even by Prefumptions, they are hardly entitled to an Anfwer; for they amount to no more than this, that it might poffibly be fo, which is faying nothing at all

XI.

SERM. to the purpose; for a Man of common Senfe will no more difbelieve a Thing meerly because it may poffibly be false, than he will believe it meerly because it is poffible to be true.

But that nothing may be wanting to ftrengthen weak Minds against Artifices of this Kind, I shall examine these Exceptions. And

As to the 1ft, That these Witnesses might be all in a Combination to cheat the World; it is hardly credible in it felf, that five hundred Men fhould agree fo perfectly well in a falfe Story, as that it should be never detected, when all the Learned and powerful Men amongst the Jews were in Oppofition to it. Was there never a weak and incautious Man to be circumvented and entrapped by cross Examination, or a timorous Man to be terrified, or a covetous Man to be bribed to tell the Truth? Surely five hundred fuch Men never met together before, who were Proof to a Man, against Art, and Power, and Money, when nothing was demanded of them but to tell the Truth, and when they had nothing to fear in doing it. And that this was the Cafe is evident, because

the