life. This whole fcene of things is a state of education and difcipline only; we are forming and training up, by the laws of our Saviour's kingdom here, to fuch a temper and spirit, as may render us ever bleffed in it hereafter. No wonder, if now, in our condition of infancy, we fee not the reason and use of every step taken with us. Being fure we are in kind and good hands, our duty and our wildom is to give up ourselves intirely to God's difpofal. For we know not what we do, when we prefume to flight any part of what he hath prescribed only this we know, that offending in one point, is both in reasonable conftruction and in probable confequence, being guilty of

all*.

Religion, though ever in fubftance the fame, hath been proposed to mankind in different shapes, as the reafon of things in different ages required. Under which foever of thefe difpenfations we had lived, our business had been, humbly to conform ourselves to it, and carefully to improve ourselves by it, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless t. But as we are happily referved to the fulleft and cleareft, the most rational and amiable exhibition of faith and duty that the world ever faw or will fee; we are furely bound to embrace it with peculiar joy; to obey from the heart every injunction of fo gracious a mafter, as our bleffed Redeemer; and, which is the end of all, make fuch a progrefs in real inward devotion, benevolence, purity and humility, as will bear a due proportion to the advantages, that we enjoy. For it cannot be, that after those demonstrations of love, and those means of improvement, which God hath given us in his gospel, he fhould only expect us to be as good as heathens; and yet are we not often worfe? But in vain do we call ourfelves Chriftians, if names' and forms be the whole of our chriftianity: In vain do we call the holy Jefus Lord, unless, by doing fuch things as he commands, we become fuch as he was. To this therefore, if we have any sense of gratitude, the love of our Saviour must conftrain us to this, if we have any concern for happiness, the fear of our judge muft compel us. For, as the apoftle, just before the text, hath most truly observed, none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself: for whether

we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. In both states we are abfolutely his property, and intirely at his disposal. If we obey him, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us†. Let us therefore always bear in mind his own awful words: I am he, that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, amen: and have the keys of death and of bell ‡.

Rom xiv. 7, 8.

t2 Tim. ii. 12.

Rev. i. 18.

S (2

SER.

SERMON

LXIX.

THE EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

ACTS X. 40, 41.

Him Gol raifed up the third day, and shewed him openly. Not to all the people, but unto witneffes chofen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after be rofe from the dead.

THE refurrection of our bluffed Lord being the principal

fact, on which he himself put the proof of his divine authority; and being that fact in particular, of which he especi ally appointed his apoftles to be witneffes to mankind; it concerns the chriftian cause very nearly, that the evidence of this point fhould be undeniable. And accordingly it is obviously plain, that no impoftor would ever have appealed to a method of trying his pretenfions, that required his being put to death before it could decide any thing: and that no enthufiaft would ever have conducted himself in fo calm and prudent a manner, and taught rational a doctrine, as our Saviour did. It is equally plain, that his followers could never be deceived, and imagine their Mafter alive again when he was not. They could not be deceived by their hopes and expectations: for they own, they difpaired of it They could not be deceived for want of opportunities to find out the truth for they declare, that he appeared a great number of times, to feveral of them fingly, to all of them affembled, once to the number of five hundred, by day as well as by night, in very different and diftant places, fometimes unexpectedly, fometimes by ap pointment that they not only faw, but touched and handled him; that he walked and converfed and eat and drank with them; that he gave them thefe evidences for no less than forty days together; and then was vifibly taken up into the clouds

before

before their eyes. If now it be poffible for fo many perfons to be mistaken in all this, it is impoffible for any one to be rationally fure of any thing.

It may also be fhewn further, that as they were not de. ceived themselves, fo neither did they intend to deceive others in this matter. There is no manner of reason to fufpect, that they would have done it, if they could. For fuppofing them to think he came from God; they might well conclude that God would take care of his own cause, and did not need their turning cheats to ferve it. And fuppofing they now at laft thought him a feducer; what could there be, either honefter, or wifer, or more likely, for them to do, than to confels their mistake; with due indignation at his having impofed on them fo long, and drawn them into fuch great inconveniences and dangers? But even if they had been defirous to have fet up an impofture: they had evidently neither skill to contrive, nor courage to attempt, nor power to execute it. They were comparatively but a handful of men in all and they had very lately had full experience, that they could neither truit one another, nor themselves: for one of them had betrayed his Mafter; the moft zealous man amongst them, had denied him, and all the reft had forfaken him. The whole weight of authority, Jewish and Roman, was against them, careful to watch them, and (as they faw by the example before their eyes) determined not to fpare them, if they went on. Then as for the people; they had never oppofed the magistrates in any part of this affair; they had furionly joined with them in the last part; and there was not the leaft likelihood now, of their undertaking the defence of a few unknown and mean men, who taught a fyftem of doctrine very unwelcome to their zealous fpirits; and built it on a ftrange fact, utterly contradictory to their fettled opinions. For as they had no nction, that the Meffiab was to be put to death: they could have none of his 1.ling again. Surely, in thefe circumstances, if his difciples had acted on worldly motives, their point must have been to previde for their own fafety by flight and filence: and thus, for aught that appears, they might have been very fafe. But if they refolved to pretend a resurrection; their very first step mu be to get the bio their power, that it might not be prodne ed against them, and is, guarded as it was, they muft either

baye

1

have perished, or at least have failed. Or had they fucceeded; it must have been notorious, by what means they had fucceeded; and the chief priests would have been able to give the world fome better account of the matter, than that abfurd one of the foldiers, affirming, (what they could not know; and durft not have owned, if it had been true) that, whilft they flept, his followers came and stole him away. Or could they poffibly have gone thus far undiscovered: fiill, what profpect had they before them, by carrying on the fame fcheme, which their Lord had done, but to be perfecuted and put to death as he had been? They were perfecuted accordingly fome of them put to death foon; the reft, after they had been harraffed many years yet all perfifted in their teftimony to the end of their lives. Now men will too commonly renounce what they know to be true, rather than fuffer for it: but by no means chufe to fuffer, in this manner, for what they know to be falfe. Or however unaccountably obftinate one or two may, by great chance, happen to be, numbers will not be fo; especially at times, and places, remote from each other. And it must be further obferved, that not only thefe perfons continued uniform and unmoveable in their teftimony, but they none of them ever difgraced it, by any fort of vicious or interested behaviour. And, though nothing, but love of truth, could induce men to join with them; and there was every poffible motive befides; against it yet multitudes of all ranks in all nations did join with them, did fuffer with them; did atteft their performing the fame miracles with their mafter, and enabling others to perform them and thus they went on, till, with no other weapons, they and their fucceffors conquered the world.

:

of

All these things have been frequently and fully proved; few of them denied, no folid reafon alledged for denying any them only fmall cavils and difficulties have been raised, here and there amongft which, one that appears perhaps the most confiderable, is grounded on what St. Peter mentions in the text, of his own accord, that our Saviour after his refurrection appeared, not to all the people, but to witnefes chofen before of God. Upon this it hath been argued, that felecting only a few perfons, and all thofe out of his own party, to be his witneffes, inftead of permitting every one to fee him that would, was a very fufpicious method: that he ought to have fhewn

himfelf