RESURRECTION. 



able faft. He not only, on many occafions, both before and 

 after his crucifixion, difcourfed to them in particular of 

 things " pertaining to the kingdom of God," and poured upon 

 them all the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, but gave them 

 every kind of evidence of his " being rifen" from the dead, 

 which the raoft fcrupulous and fceptical could imagine or re- 

 quire ; " fhewing himfelf alive to them by many infallible 

 proofs," fuch as eating and drinking with them, " for 

 40 days after his paffion." And, indeed, it is highly ex- 

 pedient that thofe, upon vvhofe teftimony and credit the 

 truth of any faft is to be eftablifhed, mould have the fullelt 

 and moft unexceptionable evidence of it, that can be had ; 

 becaufe their having had all poffible means of information 

 mil ft neceffarily add great weight and authority to their de- 

 pofitions. That their perfeft knowledge of the things 

 which they were to tellify was neceffary for thofe who were 

 o'rdained to be apoftles, is further evident from the words of 

 St. Peter, Acts, i. 15 — 26. It was the peculiar and diftin- 

 guifhing character of the apoftles to be witneffes of the 

 refurreftion, and it was their office to teltify to the reality 

 of this faft : but all the infallible proofs of our Lord's re- 

 furreftion were not vouchfafed by him to his difciples, merely 

 from a particular favour and regard to them, that they 

 might believe and be faved ; but with a further view, that 

 ethers alfo, by their teitimony, founded on the moft com- 

 plete and exaft information, might likewife believe and 

 be faved. If Chrift had intended nothing more than to 

 induce his difciples to believe his refurreftion, he might have 

 left them to the teflimony of the Roman foldiers ; to that of 

 the women ; to the -writings of Mofes and the prophets ; to 

 his own prediaions ; to the flute of the fepulchre, and that 

 wonderful circumftance of his body's being no -where to be 

 found ; and they would have been without excufe, if they 

 had ftill continued unbelieving. But though the apoftles 

 had, upon this evidence, believed their mailer to be rifen 

 from the dead ; yet, without thofe other infallible proofs 

 mentioned by St. Luke, they would certainly have not been 

 fo well qualified for being witneffes of the refurreftion to all 

 the world : the heathens would not have admitted the tefli- 

 mony of Mofes and the prophets, of whofe writings they 

 knew nothing, and of whofe divine authority they had no 

 proof. And as to the depofitions of the 'women ; befides 

 their being ftrangers to their characters, they might, from 

 Chrift's appearing to them, with fome colour have demanded, 

 why he did not appear likewife to thofe whom he commif- 

 fioned to preach his gofpel, and to be -witneffes of his refur- 

 reftion. But when, on the contrary, the apoftles could tell 

 them, that they themfehes had feen Chrift, had handled Wun, 

 eat and drank with him, and converfed with him for forty days 

 after that he was rifen from the dead, they could not but 

 allow them to have had the fulhjl evidence of the refurreftion, 

 iuppoling what they told them to be true ; and of this the 

 purity of their doftrines, the hohnefs of their lives, their 

 courage and conltancy in defying and undergoing all kinds 

 of hardfhips, dangers, pain, and death, in advancing a 

 cauie, whicli every worldly intereft obliged them to delert, 

 joined to the atteftation of the Holy Spirit, " working witli 

 them, and confirming the word with figns following," were 

 fuch affurances as no other man could give of his veracity. 

 It has been faid, however, that our Lord did not (hew him- 

 ielf, after he was rifen, to the Jews, to the chief priefts and 

 elders, to the Scribes and Pharifees, and miftakenly inter- 

 preting a paffage in Matt. xii. 39, 40, Chrift has been charged 

 with a violation of his promife to this purpofe. Of his 

 rifing again from the grave on the third day, the Jews had 

 the teftimony of the prophets, of the prediftions of Chrift 

 himfelf, the evidence of the Roman foldiers, of his body's 



beino" no where to be found, of the women and difcipit.?, 

 and apotlle?, to whom he had appeared ; and who, before- 

 the Sanhedrim, bore witnefs to his refurreftion, and having 

 juft before wrought a miracle upon a lame man (Afts, iv. 

 10.) declared, that they had done it in the name of " .1 

 of Nazareth, whom," fay they, " ye crucified, whom 

 God raffed from the dead." This furely was evidence fuf- 

 iicient to convince any reafonable and unprejudiced perfon, 

 and, confequently, to acquit our Lord of his promife of 

 giving that "evil generation" fatisfaftory proofs of his. 

 being rifen from the dead. To the evidence vouchfafed by 

 Chrift, neither out of nvour to thofe " who had forfaken all 

 and followed him ;" no- to thofe whom he had chofen to be 

 " witneffes of him to all the world," they certainly could 

 have no juft pretenfions ; who, inftead of being his difciples, 

 had rejefted his doctrine, and put him to death as an impoftor 

 and blafphemer ; and inftead of fhewing any difpofition t' > 

 embrace and propagate his gofpel, oppoied it with all their 

 power, and, by threats and pumfhments, forbade his apoftles 

 to preach any more in his name. It defervesconfideration in 

 this place, that the apoftles were not chofen merely to be wit- 

 nefles of the faft of our Lord's refurreftion, but they were ap- 

 pointed to their office, and commifiioned to publifh it to the 

 world, becaufe, having often feen Chrift after his refurreftion, 

 they were duly qualified for the fervice affigned them, and 

 were able to teltify the truth of it from their own knowledge. 

 Although our Saviour did not think proper to appear 

 to the people at large ; that is, to the multitude of the 

 Jews, who were the declared enemies of his perfon and re- 

 ligion, and particularly to the chief priefts and magistrates, 

 who had been the inltruments of his crucifixion ; hefljeived! 

 him/elf openly, without referve and difguife, to thofe who 

 had been accuftomed to affociate with him ; and to no 

 fewer than to five hundred fuch perfons at one time ; and 

 of the number of thefe were the twelve apoftles, who were 

 fpecially appointed to preach his doftrine, and to declare 

 the faft of his refurreftion, as a diflinguifhir.g evide 

 of its truth and importance. Their office commenced dur- 

 ing the period of his public miniftry ; and one ncceffarv 

 qualification for the future exercife of it was their beiii"- 

 able to atteft his refurreftion. Others might have !>< 

 a limilar teflimony. They were prepared and difpofed t.- 

 do it. But the apoftles were particularly felefted and 

 ordained for this purpofe. 



It is a very natural inquiry, why the Jews in general, and 

 the priefts and rulers in particular, fliould not have had an 

 opportunity of feeing Chrift after his refurreftion, and con- 

 verting with him, and ascertaining the reality of the faft ? 

 As this was the evidence of his divine miffion and character, 

 to which he had often appealed ; fhould not thofe who pcr- 

 iilted in their incredulity, notwithstanding the proofs of 

 Supernatural powers, which he had exhibited in the courfe 

 of his life and miniftry, have enjoyed the benefit of it ? 

 And if it had been Sufficient to overcome their obllinate 

 prejudices, would not their teftimony have contributed, 

 more effectually than any other concurring circumftance, 

 to the conviftion of mankind in general, and to the credit 

 and influence of Chriftianfty ? This kind of reafoning, wi 

 allow, ieems, on a (light and fuperficial consideration of it, 

 to be very plaufible ; and it has been Strongly urged and 

 very pertinacioufiy maintained by fceptics and infidels. 



Let us examine the principles upon which it is founded ; 

 and we Shall perceive that it is more plaufible than juft, and 

 that it will not warrant the conclusion that has been drawn 

 from it. It fuppofes, that the Jewifh priefts and magis- 

 trates had a right to expeft perfonal evidence of our Sa- 

 viour's refurreftion ; that fome ujeful and important end 



would 



