"perform them. They were wrought in a public "manner, before enemies and unbelievers, in a "learned age, and civilized countries, not with 66 any air of oftentation, or for the fake of worldly "advantage, but in confirmation of precepts and "doctrines agreeable to reafon, and useful to "mankind, and at a time when their enemies "wanted neither power nor inclination to expose "them if they had been impoftures, and were in "no danger either of being infulted by the popu "lace, or perfecuted by the civil magiftrates for "ridiculing the chriftians.

"Thefe miracles were alfo various and nu"merous, they were of a permanent nature, and "might be reviewed and re-examined; they had "nothing fantastical or cruel in them, but were "acts of kindness and beneficence. Miracles

"having ceased for a long time before Christ ap

peared, the revival of them raifed the greater "attention. They were attefted by proper wit"neffes, were acknowledged by adversaries, were

foretold by the prophets, and fuch as the Jews "expected from the Meffiah, and actually con"verted multitudes."

SECTION IV.

Confiderations on the refurrection of Christ, and other facts of a fimilar nature.

TH

HE refurrection of Jefus Chrift is a fact of fuch particular confequence to the truth of christianity, and is fo remarkably circumftanced with refpect to its evidence, that it well deferves a diftinct confideration. To this fact our Lord himfelf had appealed, as one confiderable evidence of his divine miffion; and though he spake figuratively when he gave his enemies warning of it, it is plain that he was fufficiently understood by them. For no fooner was he dead, and laid in the fepulchre, than the chief priests and rulers of the Jews informed the Roman governor concerning it; and, to prevent any poffibility of their being impofed upon by his difciples ftealing the body, and pretending that he had rifen from the dead, they obtained a guard of Roman foldiers to watch the fepulchre continually; and left the foldiers themfelves fhould have been bribed, or, by any other method have been gained over by the difciples, to connive at their fcheme of conveying away the body, they fixed a seal to a very large ftone, which covered the mouth of the fepulchre.

Having used these precautions, which feem to have been all that human prudence could have dictated, they, no doubt, concluded that, if the difciples fhould make any attempt to break the fepulchre, they could not but have been obferved, and prevented; or if the difciples fhould have brought an armed force, fufficient to overpower the Roman guard, at leaft fome refiftance would have been made; and the carrying off the body by violence could have answered no purpose whatever; fo that, upon the whole, they might reft affured that if the body was not found when they came to inspect the fepulchre, the removal must have been effected either by a miracle, or in fuch a manner, as could not answer the purpose of any imposture.

The event was, that the body was removed from the fepulchre, on the day on which Chrift had foretold that he should rife from the dead, and this happened very early in the morning, so that very probably, it was not long after the watch had been changed the third time that night.

Let us now examine whether the account which the difciples of Chrift, or that which the Jews gave of this event, is the more probable. The apoftles, who might have had the account from fome of the guard, fay that, just before the body was removed, there was a great earthquake, and an angel of God came and rolled away the ftone from the mouth of the fepulchre, and fat upon it; that his raiment was white

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white as fnow, and his whole appearance par ticularly bright and dazzling, fo that the foldiers were feized with extreme fear, and became as dead

men.

Upon this, they all difperfed, and fome of them went into the city, and told the high priests all that had paffed; but they immediately affembling toge ther, with the other rulers of the Jews, gave money to these foldiers, making them promise to give out that while they flept the difciples of Chrift ftole his body, and affuring them, that they would take care that the Roman governor should not punish them for their negligence. Accordingly they did what was required of them, and, no doubt, endeavoured to engage all their companions to tell the fame ftory. But it is not improbable, but that fome of them might, in the mean time, have told the truth; and other circumftances, and a variety of fubfequent evidence, unquestionably prove that there had been a real refurrection.

The angel was still fitting upon the stone, about break of day, where he was feen by Mary Magdalene, and fome other women, who had come with a defign to embalm the body, and had brought fpices with them for that purpose, not having any expectation of his rifing again; but being informed of it by the angel, they went in hafte, to acquaint his difciples with it. Two of these, Peter and John, immediately ran to the fepulchre, which

they

and laid in fepa

body muft havHowever, it is

they found open, and the body gone; but, instead of any marks of a violent removal, they found the grave cloaths carefully folded up, rate places, fo that some think the miraculously flipped out of them. not at all probable, that they would have been left behind, and especially fo carefully folded, and fo regularly difpofed, if the body had been removed by violence or ftealth.

That Chrift should rife again from the dead, was perfectly agreeable to the tenor of his former life, and a proper sequel to it; but the more fubftantial evidence of it is, his having been frequently feen by, and having intimately converfed with his former difciples, whofe account of it exhibits, in a moft natural manner, their furprife and joy, on the occafion of fo agreeable, but fo unexpected an event. Befides, all the miracles that were wrought by the apostles afterwards, the evidence of which is no lefs convincing than that of the miracles of Chrift himself, and wholly independent of it, are all so many proofs of his refurrection; for they are plainly parts of a great scheme, which neceffarily supposes that most important event.

Let us now attend to fome circumftances which fhew the extreme improbability of the account which the Jews gave of the removal of the body of Jefus, which is that which the chriftian writers fay they put into the mouths of the foldiers abovementioned

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