one has, or ought to have read them with care and attention. And if any ftill doubt of the truth of the facts, reported in the gofpel, concerning the death and refurrection of Chrift, let them reperuse them, and they will better judge of what I fhall fay. The fum of the evidence of the apoftles, for the death and refurrection of Chrift, in the form of an affidavit, would ftand thus, viz. We, the apoftles of Jefus Chrift, declare, that we faw him crucified, dead and buried-that neither we, nor any of his disciples have taken him away; nor could we have done it, if we would, for the chief priefts and rulers had fecured the doors of the tomb, with the governor's feal, and fet a guard of foldiers to watch it, hoping to prevent his rifing on the third day, as he had predicted. Yet, early in the morning of the third day, fome of us, with others, went to the tomb, and found the guard gone; and the ftone rolled away. Two of us, John and Peter, and two women, went into the tomb and found it empty of the body of Jefus: The rest of us heard from thofe, who were eyewitneffes. Furthermore, we know his body was not taken away by others; because, we faw it when dead, and afterwards when alive. We faw him, repeatedly, for forty days together, and converfed with him, after his refurrection.-We had been long and intimately acquainted with him, and knew his perfon perfectly well.-We, alfo, handled the body we faw, and know it had flesh and bones."We are fure it was the fame body which hung upon the cross, for we faw the wound in his fide, and the print of the nails in his hands and feet." Thefe things we teftify before God and man; and for the truth of them, we pledge our lives, and our all. This is the plain and obvious teftimony of the apoftles, for the death and refurrection of Jefus Chrift, and is directly in point; the witneffes are numerous; and, in any court of justice, would be deemed fufficient to fubftantiate the facts which they atteft. On this evidence, we ground our faith in the refurrection of Chrift; and no infidel will deny, that it is the true apoftolic teftimony. Thus far we are agreed. But, to. evade the force of this evidence, the enemies of the crofs plead the incompetency of the witnesses, as being, either deceived themselves, or having a defign to deceive others. This we deny. Here then we are at issue It is certain, the apoftles could not be deceived in this cafe. They were of age and knowledge to judge of any facts, which were to be tefted by the bodily fenfes. They had been long acquainted with Jefus, and knew him as well, as any man can know another. And though illiterate men, they could judge whether Jefus was wounded or not-whether he was dead or alive-whether they faw, heard and handled him; and converfed with him for forty days together, after they had seen him dead and buried. Of fuch facts, they were capable of judging as well as Pilate himfelf, and could not be deceived: All the proofs of Christ's refurrection were tefted by the bodily fenfes, and not by reafoning: They could fee, hear, and feel, as well as the most acute philofopher; confequently, they were proper judges, and could not be miftaken in this cafe of the refurrection of Jefus Christ. Nor could they have any defign to deceive others. They were, to fay the leaft, as much concerned to know and speak the truth, as any me on earth; nor could any men have lefs motives. to mifreprefent. Chrift had chofen them for his immediate at tendants and apoftles. He declared himself the true Meffiah and Son of God; and wrought a variety of miracles to prove it. He informed them, that he came to give his life a ranfom for the life of the world-that he must be killed by the Jews; but, fhould arife the third day, and would meet and converfe with them again; after which, he fhould afcend to his God and their God, to his Father and their Father, to prepare everlasting abodes for them. He conftituted them his ministers; and promifed them his holy spirit to direct and affift them in all their duty, and to comfort and fupport them under all their trials; and, through them, to spread the gofpel and build his church through the world, notwithstanding all oppofition. Now, as the apoftles knew Chrift was put to death by the Jews, they knew all this account was a grand imposture-a mere farce, unless he arose from the dead on the third day. Except they knew Jefus was alive from the dead, they knew they were Atill in their fins, and without hope towards God and that they could have no dependance on his promifes. As apoftles, it was their intereft, above all men, to know the truth in this cafe. And if they knew, or had reafon to believe he was not rifen, it was peculiarly their intereft to have publifhed their reafons; it would have fettled all difficulties between them and the chief priests, fcribes and pharifees. Yea, confidering what human nature ever has been, we may fafely conclude, in fuch a cafe, their love would have changed into hatred; and that they would have curfed him, with their bitter curfes, for deceiving them. Yet, how different was their conduct? Their hearts burned with love to Jefus and his caufe; and nothing could ftay them from his work. Having received the promifed comforter, they boldly af firmed that Jefus is the Chrift, and was rifen from the dead-that they had feen and handled him, and converfed with him, and knew he was the very fame whom they had feen crucified. It was To all this, the fcribes and priefts could make no reply, but the pitiful tale, "while the foldiers flept, his difciples came and ftole him away." How filly! How perverfe! The foldiers were placed there, by the governor's order, to watch the tomb, which was made fait and fealed. a cafe of high importance; and for the foldiers to fall afleep, fubjected them to death by the law. But how could they know, what was done by the difciples, while they flept? Had the body been fo taken away, the priefs would have been the firft to demand the execution of the law on the fol diers. This tale is an implicit acknowledgment, that they believed the refurrection of Jefus Chrift. Thus far, as in view of Chrift's pretenfions to divinity and the Meffiahfhip; and his promises to the apostles, they could have had no motive to deceive; and had they not known he was rifen, it would have been highly their intereft to deny his refurrection. Again, had not the apoftles certain knowledge of the refur rection of Chrift, they could not, reasonably, have expected any fuc and riotous behaviour, had, fome cefs in their ministry. To suppose | than 250 were then alive at the that twelve indigent and illiterate time of his writing. Corinth was men, in their own ftrength, with-full of Jews, who, by their cabals out any civil or ecclefiaftical power, or any popular influence, would attempt to bring in a new religion among a people, founded in the name and power of a poor, defpifed Galilean, whom they had juft before put to death, under the accufation of blafphemy; and to do this, in oppofition to all the power, wealth, learning, pride, prejudices and paffions of mankind, is the moft extravagant chimera, that ever entered into the head or heart of man! No men endowed with common fenfe and feelings would have ventured on such a task, unless, they pofitively knew, that the Saviour they preached, was a living and Almighty Saviour. The whole depended on the certainty of Chrift's refurrection: If he was not rifen they could not hope in him; and, without him, they could do nothing. They could not have introduced the gospel system, to the overthrow of the Mofaic difpenfation, and heathen idolatry, except the things they teftified of Jefus were true. Men would not have renounced the religion of their fathers, for another, more ftrict and felf-denying, unlefs they had strong proof of its truth and divinity. Such evidence muft ftrike the mind of every honest man with irrefiftible force. Accordingly, the apoftles had fuccefs in their preaching, notwithstanding their enemies had all the power, wealth, learning, religious habits and prejudices on their fide. Upon fuch public evidence and fuch public appeals, they entered on their miffion; and through the aids of the Holy Spirit, they had fuccefs against all oppofition. This fhows they had no mind to deceive; and, as they appealed to a cloud of witneffes, both friends and enemies, they could not have done it. Í obferve once more, the apof The facts, on which the gofpel fyftem is founded, were pub-tles had no mind to deceive in the lic; and the apoftles conftantly appealed to the Jews for the truth of them, even of the refurrection of Chrift. St. Paul, in his firft epiftle to the Corinthians, not only afferts this doctrine, but affirms, that Chrift was repeatedly feen of his apoftles and others after his refurrection; and at one time, of above five hundred, of whom, the greater part, i. e. more, cafe of Chrift's refurrection; otherwife, they must have acted as other impoftors, and confulted their own perfonal or family emolument, such as focial comforts, honors and worldly gain.-But it does not appear they had any motive of this kind, even admitting their teftimony to be true; and much lefs, if falfe. There was no popularity to be expected, for a few indigent and ignorant fishermen, | by preaching a defpifed and crucified Saviour; and a fyftem of religion, mortifying to all the natural paffions and affections of foul and body—a religion, which condemns the lufts of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and pride of life; and dooms to endless perdition all unbelievers. Impoftors, without learning, power and authority, would never have taken fuch a method to obtain popularity, honors and riches. It is the reverfe of all worldly wifdom; and contrary to the known practice of all deceivers. It is the direct way to fhame, pain and forrow, poverty and death. Accordingly, Chrift taught his apostles, and indeed all his difciples, that they muft leave all for his fake, and look to the rewards of another world for their recompence. He warned them, that for his fake they should be hated of the world, perfecuted, imprifoned, scourged and killed. And, of the truth of these they could not doubt, for, before his crucifixion, they had often experienced the contempt, hatred and malice of the Jews; and well knew, that they who had called the mafter of the house Beelzebub, and killed him, would not fpare his followers. Such was the cafe, even admitting the truth of their teftimony; but if that was not true, no reafonable motive of action can be affigned. They were fure to meet with fhame, poverty and death in this world, and had no hope of any recompence in the world to come. No men, in their fenfes, will act thus in fupport of what they know, or have reafon to believe a falfehood. The confequence therefore, irresistably forces itself upon us, that the Apofples were honest men, that they actually knew Jefus Chrift was rifen from the dead, and believed that he would direct and profper them according to his word. All their ministry, all their hope for time and eternity depended on the truth of Chrift's refurrection. Upon this they ventured every thing, and gave up all for the fake of Chrift, not counting their own lives dear; fo they might win him and his righteoufnefs. ; Notwithstanding all oppofition and every difcouragement, the Apoftles went forth boldly, preaching Chrift, and falvation by him alone. Knowing he was alive from the dead, they believed in his promifed aid, and with great power witneffed his refurrection. They were both the recipients and active inftruments of miraculous operations; and, hereby, proved their divine miffion and authority. In affurance of this, they entered on their miffion and spent their whole time in publifhing the glad tidings of the gofpel, without a profpect of worldly gain. They attacked the numerous fuperftitions and traditions of the elders--affirmed that Christ, whom they had crucified, was the Lord of Life, and only Saviour of loft men-called on them to repent of their fins, and believe on him for falvation, appealing to themfelves for the truth of the facts which they teftified of Jefus ; and finally denounced damnation on all who fhould continue in impenitency and unbelief. In a word, through the evident operations of the Holy Spirit, and in virtue of their divine miffion, they attacked and overturned the Jewifh economy, and the idolatrous worship of moft of the heathen world. In thefe labors, the Apostles gained neither popularity, honors, or riches; but that the work | men, after the witnesses are dead. might stand in the power of God, Let us not reject the teftimony of and not of men, they paffed thro' others, like Thomas, till we shall fiery trials and cruel mocking, fee Jefus with our eyes-Blessed both from Jews. and Gentiles. are they that have not seen, and yet And finally, moft, if not all of have believed. them fealed their teftimony of Jefus by a violent death, and thus drank of the cup of their master. These things fhow that the Apoftles were neither deceived nor deceivers: We must therefore receive the doctrine of the refurrection of Jefus Chrift, as an establifhed fact. The enemies of the crofs have made many objections to the teftimony of the Apoftles; moft of them are frivolous and abfurd cavils, totally unworthy of notice. I do not, at prefent, recollect any objection of confequence, to the above reafoning, unless it be this cant phrafe of modern deism, viz. "That all this teftimony is an after-game-a mere farce, trumped up by bigoted and defigning priests." It was obferved in the beginning of this Effay, that on the truth of the refurrection of Jefus Christ, depends the use of the means of falvation and the refurrection of the dead. If Chrift be rifen, then our dead bodies must and will arife: So faid the Apoftle, "If it be preached that he rose from the dead, how fay fome among you, there is no refurrection of the dead." The refurrection of Chrift was a pledge of the refurrection of our bodies: He was the firft fruits of them that flept. For, fince by man came death, by man alfo came the refurrec tion of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Chrift the first fruits; afterwards they that are Chrift's at his coming. The refurrection of Chrift is an affurance of the refurrection of all men, but efpe cially of his faints; they shall arife to glory and immortality. As the firft fruits, under the law, were a pledge of the future har veft, fo the refurrection of Chrift was an earneft of their refurrection: If the head be raised, the members will affuredly follow. The church of Chrift was virtu ally raised with him; and will ac As it is not fuppofable that Jewishor heathen idolatrous priests would trump up fuch a fyftem against themselves, we muft conclude they mean Chriftian priefts. This being the cafe, it is abundantly fufficient to mention their objection, and pass it in filence, until they will be pleased to show how there could have been Chriftian priefts, before Chriftianity commenced--who they were— where they lived-where they met-and when they wrote.tually follow in their order. And When they will honeftly anfwer thefe queries, we will attend to as affurance of this, we read, that the graves were opened, and many bodies of the faints which flept arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. This teaches us that Jefus Chrift is, indeed, the refurrection and the life. And from what he has done, we |