The Ab

deny the Truth. Inftances again we allow, there are many of fuch, as have fuffered for Errors, as well as for Truths as have given up their Lives, in a stubborn Defence, of Doctrines, which others as heartily have abhorr❜d. But Doctrines and Facts are not the fame: In Doctrines and Matters of Opinion, Men miftake perpetually; m but the Apostles Teftimony of Chrift's Refurrection, is a Testimony concerning a Fact, whereof they declared themselves Eye-witneffes, and it is more, than all the Records of Time can do, to fhew us one fingle Man, much lefs, a large Number of fober and serious Men, all chearfully undergoing the most violent Deaths, rather than recant what they knew to be a direct Falfhood.

The Truth is, he who can believe, Surdity of that, without any kind of human Means, fuppofing the or divine Affiftance, the Apostles could Apoftles impofe upon all Mankind, in an Affair guilty of of the highest Importance to them; that an Impofture. fo notorious an Impofture fhould vanquish and triumph over Truth, in spite of all the Oppofition, which Heaven and Earth could make against it; that Perfons, otherwife ftrictly blameless in their Lives, and rigidly virtuous, fhould fo zealously labour to maintain a Lye, as

The Trial of the Witneffes, p. 106.

to

to expose themselves to the Fury of Men, and the Flames of Hell for the fake of it; that they should facrifice their Lives and Souls to the Ghoft of a crucify'd and reputed Malefactor; and, laftly, that God, who is Truth itself, fhould fend upon them his bleffed Spirit, and, by enabling them to perform miraculous Works, give Sanction and Teftimony to Error and Falfhood: He, I fay, who denies the Refurrection of Chrift, and can believe fuch Abfurdities as thefe, refufes his Affent to the best attefted Fact in the World, and yields it to another, which, of all Legends, is the most unlikely and improbable.

!

n He must believe, that a Company of rude Mechanicks, without any Skill or Experience, without any Learning or Discipline, without any Arts of pleafing or recommending themselves, were able to put a Deception upon all Mankind, and lay their Plot fo very deep,that none of all the penetrating and inquifitive Heads in the World, for a Succeffion of fo many Centuries, and after the deepest Researches and Examinations, fhould find it poffible to difcover the leaft Fault or Flaw in the whole. Contrivance. He muft believe, that the chief Managers of this Impofture, Dd after

Ditton on the Refurre&ion.

after having had Reafon enough, in the Treachery of one, and the Cowardice of another of their Company, to fufpect one another, did, nevertheless, not only combine together themselves, but took into their Confederacy a large Party of Men, to the Number of five Hundred and upwards; and yet, for all this, the Confederacy was fo kept, that neither Promises nor Threats, neither the Prevalence of Truth, nor Force of Confcience, nor Terrors of Death, ever prevail'd with one of them to turn Informer, and discover the Cheat. • He muft believe, that thefe Men, cunning and confederate as they were, had nevertheless divefted themselves of all the Principles of Self-love and Tenderness, of Care and Regard to their own Preservation ; that they defpis'd all the Comforts and Enjoyments of Life; that they ventur'd upon Poverty and Mifery, upon Shame and Obloquy, upon Perfecution and Torments, upon Death and Damnation itself, and all for nothing, for no End or Purpose that can be imagin'd, or thought on, except to fupport an abominable Lye. He muft believe, that these Cheats and Impoftors, as vile and wicked, as filly and fenfelefs, as they were, did, neverthelefs, furnish Mankind

• Dr. Pearce's Vind. Part 1. p. 7.

kind with the most exact Syftem of Morality that ever was, and taught fuch Rules of living, as were never to be expected from all the Schools of Philofophy; that they, whofe purpose it was to abufe the World, laid the fureft Foundations of Peace and Happiness; they, who were notorious Hypocrites, took indefatigable Pains to make other Men upright; and that they, who themselves believ'd nothing of a God, did impart the most rational and becoming Notions of him, and by no other Principles, than those of Atheism and Irreligion, kindled in the Hearts of Men an earnest Defire to serve and obey, to worship and adore him. But these are Abfurdities too grofs to be swallow'd; and yet every one, who disbelieves the Veracity of the Apostles afferting our Lord's Refurrection, muft, in confequence, believe all this.

the whole

And now to recapitulate what has A Recapi been faid on this great Argument. Since, tulation of upon the Lofs of the ancient Antichri Answer. ftian Books (which in all Probability would not have avail'd us much) we are now reduced, in our Enquiries into the Reality of Chrift's Refurrection, to the folé Account of the Evangelifts: Since, according to the Relation of thefe Evangelifts, the feveral Circumstances of the Dd 2 Se

Sepulchre, where his Body was laid, and the great Care and Precaution, which the Jewish Rulers took about it, did effectually fecure the Body from the Danger of being carried off, either by Fraud or Violence, had the Difciples been minded fo to do: Since, from the whole Behaviour of thefe Difciples it appears, that they were too faint-hearted to attempt fuch an Enterprize; or, if attempting it, unlikely to fucceed; or, if fucceeding, in no Probability to make any Advantage by it: Since, after the Refurrection, the Sepulchre was left in fuch Condition, as clears the Disciples from the Imputation of any fuch Robbery, which their bittereft Enemies never once alledg'd against them, even when they had the fairest Call and Opportunity to introduce the Accufation: Since our bleffed Lord, as foon as he had fulfilled the Time of his Interment, may well be fuppofed defirous of haftening his Return to his difconfolate Disciples, but was under no Concern to do the fame to the Chief-Priefts and Rulers, in whom this Exhibition of himself would have wrought no Conviction, and might probably have been an Obftruction to the Progress of his Gofpel: Since, after his Resurrection, he appear'd fo frequently to fuch a Number of his Difci

ples,