SERM. things; for neither can he bring death upon himself, if he XXIX. would, nor bestow eternity on mortals, nor recall the dead to life: but it is no wonder, that he, who thought the foul quite to perish by death, should conceive the reftitution thereof impoffible; although even fuppofing that, his opinion was not reasonable; for even any thing, how corruptible foever by diffolution of its ingredients, or alteration of its temperament, may, by recollecting and rejoining those ingredients, or by reestablishing the causes of such a temperament, be restored, (as a house whose materials are difperfed may be reedified, or as a liquor by a new fermentation may be revived ;) which to effect may not be deemed hard to him that made the whole world: how

17.

29.

ever to such as him we may say, as our Saviour did to the Jer. xxxii. Sadducees, Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the Matt. xxii. power of God. Especially to those who acknowledge the immortality of the foul, or its permanence in a feparate state, and who admit the truth of the ancient histories among the Jews, it is not only most evidently poffible, but very credible, that God upon any confiderable occasion should perform it: with such St. Paul might well

৪.

17.
Zech. viii.
6.

Acts xxvi. thus expoftulate; What? doth it seem incredible to you, that God should raise the dead? to you that have such previous notions and perfuafions about God's omnipotency; (fuch as the prophet Jeremiah expresseth when he Jer. xxxii. faith, Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee :) to you who avow God to be the Father of Spirits, who formeth the spirit of man Num. xvi. within him, and that when man dieth, his fpirit returneth 16. to God who gave it to you who believe that our fouls are Zech. xii. 1. fpiritual substances, like unto angels, subsisting after death, Eccles. xii. and destined to future rewards: to you, in fine, who may

Job xlii. 2.
Heb. xii. 9.

22. xxvii.

Isa. lvii. 16.

1.

in your holy records find fo many experiments of this power exerted by God in his Prophets; such as that of

Elias's restoring the widow of Sarepta's fon; of Elisha 2 Kings iv. raising the son of the Shunamite; that of the dead man 35. xii. 21. reviving when his body touched the Prophet's bones: to you therefore this fact cannot be in itself incredible; nor

indeed can it, for the reason suggested, to any man reason- SERM. ably feem impoffible.

2. Nor was it apparently in its design unworthy of God, or inconsistent with his holy will: for the ends thereof (fuch as were pretended by the attesters of it) were, as very great and important, so most good and reafonable; it aimed at no flight or trifling matter, but fuch as in appearance highly concerned the glory of God, and conduced to the welfare of mankind; it profeffing itself to be a credential of the greatest embassy that ever came down from heaven to men, importing the complete revelation of God's will and procurement of falvation to the world; and did therefore in that respect well become the wisdom and goodness of God to use it. It pretended to confirm a doctrine containing most true and worthy representations of God, the best that could be; declaring most gracious intentions in God of mercy and kindness toward men; no less proper for him than grateful and needful for us; prefcribing most excellent rules and patterns of life, (wherein the most genuine piety and virtue, most exact justice and hearty charity, most strict purity and fobriety are prescribed,) yielding the most effectual helps to the practice of all goodness, and tendering the best encouragement thereto; and upon this account therefore also most worthy of God. So that indeed God could not be conceived to perform fuch a miracle to better purpose, than for promoting the designs it pretendeth, being fo very great, and so very good: it could not be improper for the Divine power to be thus exerted in favour of a religion so apt to promote his glory, and to procure our

benefit.

If it be faid, that it is abfurd or improbable, that God should choose to perform this miracle upon a person of this fort; one so mean and obfcure in the state of his life, so wretched and infamous for the manner of his death; that God rather should have chosen for the interpreter of his mind, and minister of his purposes, a personage more illustrious in rank, and clear in repute; I answer, first, that our shallow fancy is a bad and incompetent judge of what

ΧΧΙΧ.

7.

Ifa. lv. s.

SERM. is reasonable or abfurd, convenient or unfit, in fuch cafes, XXIX. touching the counsels of God; who feeth not as man feeth; 1 Sam. xvi. whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor ways as our ways; whose folly is wifer than men, (that is, whose counxl. 13. fels, however feeming strange to our dim apprehenfions, 2 Cor. i. 25. do yet far excel the refults of our best wisdom;) before Luke xvi. whom, whatever is high among men is abominable; with whom the wisdom of this world is folly; whose judgments are unfearchable, and his ways are past finding out; as the (Pf. xcii. 5. holy Scriptures teach us; and as good reason, confidering xxxvi. 7.) the vast distance between God and us, must acknowledge:

15.

1 Cor. v. 13. Rom. xi.

33.

Job xi. 7.

so that no fuch appearance of incongruity can bottom a good exception against this, or any fuch matter, otherwife well attested. I say farther, that God's choice herein, being weighed by a pure and well disposed mind, will appear upon many accounts full of admirable reason and

wisdom; all the divine economy concerning our Lord, 1 Cor. ii. 6, being rightly apprehended, will foon appear wisdom to the Matt. xi. 19. perfect, and will be justified by the children of wisdom; as persons, or their testimony, able to invalidate their attesta- SERM. tion; but none of these things can with reafon be fup- XXIX. posed; they were in all respects more than competently qualified to attest, and all confiderable circumstances do affist in confirming their attestation; as by weighing the confiderations following may appear.

1. As for their number, it was not one or two perfons, (although one or two ordinarily do fuffice for decifion of the greatest cafes among men,) but many who confpired in afsferting it. He was (faith St. Paul, one who was con-1 Cor. xv. versant with these witnesses, who, of a zealous adversary 5, 6. and fierce perfecutor of this testimony, did become an earnest avoucher thereof) feen of Cephas, then of the twelve : after, he was feen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present. And, This Jefus, say the twelve Apostles, hath God raised Acts ii. 14, up, whereof all we are witnesses: twelve there were who 32. v. 32. principally were defigned, and did take it for their especial duty to attest this matter, beside many others, who in their order were able and ready. to do it.

1. 22. x. 39.

2. These witnesses were no strangers to Jesus, but perfons by long conversation most familiarly acquainted with him; who had (as it is faid, and as it was notorious) been John xv.27. with him from the beginning, who went out and in with Acts i. 21, him all the time (that is, for three years' space) from his

baptism to his afcenfion.

22.

3. They did aver themselves to be αὐτόπιας τοῦ λόγου, Or Luke i. 2. αὐτηκόες, eye or ear-witnesses of the matter, as fully in

formed about it as senses could make them; We cannot Acts iv. 20. but speak what we have heard and feen: What we did fee 1 John i. 1. with our eyes, and what our hands did handle of the word of life, that we report unto you; so St. John (the beloved disciple, who constantly attended on his dear Master) expresseth his teftimony: and, We have not followed cun-2 Pet. i. 16. ningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and prefence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty; fo St. Peter affirmeth concerning the manner of their testifying these matters. They did, I

SERM. fay, hear and see him, and that with all advantage poffible or XXIX. needful, not once or twice, not in passing, or at distance,

not in way of glimpse or rumour; but often, for a good time, thoroughly; many days converfing and interchangActs x. 41. ing discourses with him; who, as St. Peter in the name of the rest faith, did eat and drink with him after that he Acts i. 3. rose from the dead: and, To whom, as St. Luke, their companion, from their mouth in our text faith, also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things Acts xiii. pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, He was, faith St. Paul, another familiar of theirs, feen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerufalem, who are his witnesses to the people. And two of these witnesses, St. John and St. Matthew, are in writings extant relaters of passages occurring in their conversation with him, very many, very fenfible as can be.

31.

11.

Matth.

4. We may also confider, that the chief of these witneffes, the Apostles themselves, were at first (as St. Luke of them and from them confefseth) so far from being easy or credulous in regard to this matter, that, hearing it from others, who before had seen our Lord risen, they took it for a trifle, or a fiction, and gave no credence thereto: Luke xxiv. their words, faith the text, ἐφάνησαν ὡσεὶ λῆρος, did seem to them (a toy, or) an idle tale, and they believed them not. xxviii. 17. Yea, some of them would hardly confide in their own eyes, nor would yield affent unto the fact appearing to them, until, by letting them touch him, and shewing them the marks of his crucifixion remaining on his body, he demonstrated himself to be the very fame person who had Luke xxiv. lived with them and died before them; They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a fpiritand while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, &c. are words in the history.

37, 41. John xx. 27.

5. Upon these grounds, as they professed, they did, without any mincing, hefitancy, or refervation, in the most full, clear, downright, and peremptory manner, with firm Ats iv. 31, confidence and alacrity, concurrently aver the fact; They