RESURRECTION. 



trates of Judea, to anfwer fome purpofe of worldly emolu- 

 ment or ambition. Its progrefs and prevalence would have 

 been attributed to the fecular influence of its advocates ; 

 and it would have been deprived of that moil diftinguifti- 

 ing and fatisfactory evidence which it now poffeffes, that it 

 derived its origin from God, and owed its fuccefs to the 

 fignal interpofition of divine power. 



Allowing that the apoitles and firft difciples had fuffi- 

 cient evidence of our Lord's refurrection, we are next to 

 inquire, in the difcuffion of this interefting fubjeft, how the 

 fact may be afcertained to the fatisfadtion of thofe who live 

 in ages and nations far remote from thofe in which it oc- 

 curred. Such perfons mud recur for conviction, firft and 

 principally to the tejlimony of the original witneffes, chofen 

 to announce the fact to the world, tranfmitted from one 

 country and one age to another in writings, either penned 

 by themfelves, or authorized by their infpeCtion and appro- 

 bation. Thefe writings are contained in the Go/pels, the 

 A3s, the Epifths, and the Revelation ; and for proofs of their 

 authenticity and credibility, we refer to thefe titles, and alfo 

 to Bible, Canon, and Testament ; and for an account 

 of their authors, to Matthew, Mark, Luke, Joiix, 

 Paul, Peter, &c. How far we may fafely, and without 

 danoer of miftakc, rely on the teftimony of the witnefTes of 

 our Sas'iour's refurrection, thus tranfmitted to us, will ap- 

 pear, if we confider, that they were men, not only capable 

 of knowing the truth, and duly infurmed concerning it, 

 but, on account of their general character, unlikely to re- 

 port and propagate a falfehood. They had been raifed 

 from private and obfeure itations to the office they fuitained. 

 They were deltitute of thofe natural talents and external 

 advantages which fuggelt and favour a plan of impofture 

 and deceit. Artlefs and undefigning, and unconnected with 

 perfons of extended views and worldly influence, they were 

 unfit inftruments for concerting and executing a deliberate 

 and complicated fcheme of delulion. The principles they 

 had embraced, and the profeffion they had affumed, fince 

 their converfion to Chriftianity, were altogether incompa- 

 tible with a combination to promote the prevalence of a 

 known falfehood. Integrity and a regard to truth, under 

 the awe of the God of truth and jultice, and in the profpeCt 

 of righteous judgment and retribution, were the avowed 

 principles of their conduct ; and they mult have been itn- 

 poftors, chargeable with the mod atrocious guilt and the 

 moil confummate folly, if they had propofed, by the 

 wickednefs of deceit, to promote the caufe of truth and 

 virtue. But the falfehood of aliening, that Chrift was 

 rifen, was fuch as would never have engaged their concur- 

 rence and fupport. It was an event of which they had no 

 expectation. Their prejudices and falfe hopes had led 

 them to furrender their caufe, as altogether defeated, when 

 their Mailer fubmitted to death. They had either forgotten 

 or mifunderitood his predictions ; and when fome' of them 

 firft received the report of his refurrection, they were de- 

 parting from Jeruialem with dejected and defpairing fpirits ; 

 and they needed very peculiar evidence of the fact, before 

 they were dilpofed to admit the reality of it. If Chrift 

 had not actually rifen from the dead, thefe men would have 

 returned to their former attachments and occupations. All 

 their prepolfeffions in favour of the perpetuity of the law 

 of Mofes would have revived. Difappointed in their erro- 

 neous expectations, they would have been the lefs inclined 

 to propagate an impofture. 



More efpecially when we confider, that all their interefts, 

 as well as their prejudices, militated againlt their public 

 declaration of a fact, which had never exifted. Can we 



fuppofe, that they would have incurred the refentment of 



the whole body of the Jews ; and that they would have 

 hazarded their lives in the fupport of a caufe, the founder 

 of which had deceived and betrayed them ? On the con- 

 trary, we difcern in the temper and conduct of the witneffes 

 of our Lord's refurrection undeniable evidence of their con- 

 viction of its truth, and of their fincenty in avowing and 

 publishing it. Nothing lefs than the evidence of truth can 

 account for the change which they manifefted both in their 

 fentiments and conduct. Men, who a little while before 

 were timid and defpairing, become bold and fearlefs ; de- 

 clare the fa£t on the fcene, where they report it to have 

 happened, and in the prefence of thofe, who, after having 

 fucceeded in procuring the crucifixion of Chrift, employed 

 all the means in their power for preventing any delulion 

 with regard to his reiurreftion ; and who expofe themfelves 

 to perfecution and death in ailerting and proclaiming it. 

 With new views, with refpect to the nature and extent of 

 the Chriftian difpenfation ; with a knowledge and zeal, 

 with a fteadinefs and conllancy, which indicate a confeiouf- 

 nefs of truth and an extraordinary illumination ; they 

 publifh the fact, and propagate the doctrines and duties 

 which it was defigned to eltablifh and enforce. 



Befides, " the apoftles wrought miracles in confirmation 

 of the truth of their teftimony." The God of truth con- 

 curred with them, and atteited their credibility ; and thus 

 obviated every doubt and difficulty, which prejudice and 

 malignity might have fuggefted. Every miracle they per- 

 formed was a new attellation to the fact which they re- 

 ported, and the extraordinary powers they poffeiied, and 

 which they derived from the Sovereign of nature, qualified 

 them for being proper witneffes of it to the world. He, 

 who appointed them to this office, aided them in the execu- 

 tion of it. Their fuccefs, infufficient as they were of them- 

 felves to combat the prejudices and powers of the world, 

 afforded an increafing and permanent evidence of the fact, 

 on which their commiffion was founded. To us their tef- 

 timony has defcended with every fanction and with every 

 circumftance c>f credibility, that can juftify our affent, and 

 our attachment to the doctrine they taught, and to the 

 practice of the duties they inculcated. 



In the prevalence and duration of Chriftianity, and in the 

 profpect of its continued fubfiilence and increafing fpread 

 and triumph, we difcern traces of its divine original : we 

 fee exiiling proof of the refurrection of its founder ; and 

 we perceive reafons and motives for holding fall the pro- 

 feffion of our faith in it without wavering. Our religion is 

 founded on evidence, that cannot be realonably quellioned : 

 the objections to which it is liable, furnifh, on due exami- 

 nation, arguments in its favour. It needs only an impartial 

 fcrutiny and trial, in order to approve itfelf the luifdom and 

 the power of God. 



From the exiftence of the Chriftian religion, which we 

 may confider as a diftinCt argument in proof of our Saviour's 

 refurrection, may be deduced the fame kind of evidence of 

 this fact, as is exhibited to us of the deluge by the many 

 petrifactions of (hulls and bones of fifties, and other animals of 

 diftant regions, &c. found often in the bottoms of the decpeft 

 mines, and the bowels of the higheft mountains ; for, as it is 

 impoffible to account for thofe various petrifactions being 

 lodged in fo many parts of the earth, fome many leagues 

 diftant from the fea, others very much above the level of it, 

 without admitting fuch a fubverfion and confufion of this 

 globe, as could not have been occalioned by a lefs violent 

 caufe than the " breaking up of the fountains of the great 

 deep, and the waters flowing above the tops of the higheft 

 hills ;" fo will it be extremely difficult to account for the 

 propagation and prefent exiftence of Chriftianity in fo many 



