Chrift did truly rife again from Death, and took again his Body, with Flech, Bones, and all things appertaining to the Pezfeaion of Man's Nature, where: with he ascended into Heaven, and there arteth, until he return to judge all Men at the Last Day.

TH

HERE are four branches of this Article: the first is concerning the truth of Chrift's Refurrection. The fecond concerning the completeness of it. That he took to him again his whole body. The third is concerning his Afcenfion and continuance in heaven. And the fourth is concerning his returning to judge all men at the laft day. These things are all fo exprefsly affirmed, and that in fo particular a manner, in the New Teftament, that if the authority of that book is once well proved, little doubting will remain concerning them.

It is punctually told in it, that the body of Chrift was laid in the fepulchre that a ftone was laid to the mouth of it: that it was rolled away, and upon that Chrift arose and left the death-clothes behind him: that those, who viewed the sepulchre, faw no body there: that in the fame body Christ fhewed himself to his difciples, fo that they all knew him; he talked with them, and they did eat and drink with him, and he made Thomas feel to the print of the nails and fpear. It is as plainly told, that the Apostles looked on, and faw him af cend up to heaven, and that a cloud received him out of their fight. It is also faid very plainly, that he fhall come again at the last day, and judge all men both the quick and the dead. So that if the truth of the Gofpel is once fully proved, it will not be necessary to infift long upon the fpecial proof of these particulars fomewhat will only be neceffary to be faid in explanation of them.

The Gospel was firft preached, and foon after put in writing; in which these particulars are not only delivered, but are fet forth with many circumftances relating to them. The credit of the whole is put on that iffue concerning the truth. of Chrift's refurrection; fo that the overthrowing the truth of that, was the overturning the whole Gofpel, and ftruck at the credit of it all. This was tranfacted as well as first published at Jerufalem, where the eneinies of it had all poffible advan

tages

ART.
IV.

IV.

ART. tages in their hands; their intereft was deeply concerned, as well as their malice was much kindled at it. They had both power and wealth in their hands, as well as credit and authority among the people. The Romans left them at full liberty, as they did the other nations whom they conquered, to order their own concerns as they pleased. And even the Romans themselves began quickly to hate and persecute the Chriftians they became the objects of popular fury, as Tacitus tells us. The Romans looked upon Christ as one that fet on the Jews to thofe tumults that were then fo common among them, as Suetonius affirms: which fhews both how ignorant they were of the doctrine of Chrift, and how much they were prejudiced against it. Yet this Gospel did spread itfelf, and was believed by great multitudes both at Jerufalem and in all Judea; and from thence it was propagated in a very few years to a great many remote countries.

Among all Chriftians the article of the Refurrection and Afcenfion of Chrift was always looked on as the capital one upon which all the reft depended. This was attefted by a confiderable number of men, against whofe credit no objection was made; who affirmned, that they all had seen him, and converfed frequently with him after his refurrection; that they faw him afcend up into heaven; and that, according to a promife he had made them, they had received extraordinary powers from him to work miracles in his name, and to speak in divers languages. This laft was a moft amazing character of a fupernatural power lodged with them; and was a thing of fuch a nature, that it must have been evident to every man whether it was true or falfe: fo that the Apoftles relating this fo pofitively, and making fuch frequent appeals to it, that way of proceeding carries a ftrong and undeniable evidence of truth in it. These wonders were gathered together in a book, and published in the very time in which they were tranfacted: the As of the Apostles were writ two years after St. Paul was carried prifoner to Rome; and St. Luke begins that book with the mention of the Gospel that he had formerly writ, as that Gospel begins with the mention of fome other Gospels that were writ before it. Almost all the Epiftles fpeak of the Temple of Jerufalem as yet in being; of the Jews as then in peace and profperity, hating and perfecuting the Chriftians every where: they do alfo frequently intimate the affurance they had of a great deliverance that was to happen quickly to the Chriftians, and of terrible judgments that were to be poured out on the Jews; which was foon after that accomplished in the most fignal manner of any thing that is recorded in hiftory.

Thefe things do clearly prove, that all the writings of the New Teftament were both compofed and published in the

age

IV.

age in which that matter was tranfacted. The Jews, who AR T. from all the places of their difperfion went frequently to Jerufalem, to keep the great feftivities of their religion there, had occafion often to examine upon the place, the truth of the refurrection and ascension of Christ, and of the effufion of the Holy Ghost yet even in that infancy of Chriftianity, in which it had fo little vifible ftrength, no proof was fo much as ever pretended in oppofition to thofe great and effential points; which being matters of fact, and related with a great variety of circumstances, had been eafily confuted, if there had been any ground for it. The great darkness at the time of Chrift's death, the rending the vail of the Temple in two, as well as what was more public, the renting of the rocks at his death : his being laid in a new fepulchre, and a watch being set about it; and the watchmen reporting, that while they flept, the body of Chrift was carried away: the Apostles breaking out all of the fudden into that variety of tongues on Pentecoft; the miracles that they wrought, and the proceedings of the Sanhedrim with them, were all things fo publicly done, that as the discovery of falsehood in any one of these was in the power of the Jews, if any fuch was; fo that alone had most effectually deftroyed the credit of this religion, and stopt its progress.

The writings of the New Teftament were at that time no fecrets, they were in all men's hands, and were copied out freely by every one that defired it. We find within an hundred years after that time, both by the Epiftle of the church of Smyrna, by Juftin, and Irenæus, not to mention Clemens of Rome, who lived in that time, or Ignatius and Polycarp, who lived very near it, that the authority of these writings was early received and fubmitted to; that they were much read, and well known; and that they began very foon to be read at the meetings of the Chriftians for worship; and were esteemed by the feveral churches as the great truft and depofitum that was lodged with them. So that though, by the negligence of copiers, some small variations might happen among fome of the copies; yet as they do all agree in the main, and moft fignally in those particulars that are mentioned in this Article; fo it was not poffible for any that fhould have had the wickedness to fet about it, to have corrupted the New Teftament by any additions or alterations; it being fo early spread into so many hands, and that in fo many different places.

When all this matter is laid together, it appears to have as full an evidence to fupport it, as any matter of fact can poffibly have. The narration gave great scope to a variety of enquiries; it raised much difputing, oppofition, and perfecution; and yet nothing was ever pretended to be proved that could fubvert its credit: great multitudes received this doctrines

and

IV.

ART. and Hed for it in the age in which the matters of fact upon which its credit was built, were well attefted, and in which the truth or falfehood of them might have been eafily known which it is reasonable to believe that all men would carefully examine, before they embraced and affented to that which was like to draw on them fufferings that would probably end in death. Those who did spread this doctrine, as well as those who first received it, had no intereft befide that of truth to engage them to it. They could expect neither wealth nor greatnefs from it: they were obliged to travel much, and to labour hard; to wrestle through great difficulties, and to endure many indignities. They faw others die on the account of it, and had reafon to look for the like usage themselves.

The doctrine that they preached related either to the facts concerning the perfon of Chrift, or to the rules of life which they delivered. These were all pure, juft, and good; they tended to fettle the world upon the foundations of truth and fincerity, and that fublime pitch of righteoufnefs, of doing as they would be done by; they tended to make men fober and temperate, chafte and modeft, meek and humble, merciful and charitable; fo that from thence there was no colour given for fufpecting any fraud or defign in it. The worship of God in this religion was pure and fimple, free from coft or pomp, from theatrical fhews, as well as idolatrous rites, and had in it all poffible characters becoming the purity of the Supreme Mind. When therefore fo much concurs to give credit to a religion, there ought to be evident proofs brought to the contrary, before it can be disbelieved or rejected. So many men forfaking the religion in which they were born and bred, which has always a ftrong influence even upon the greatest minds; and there being fo many particular prejudices both upon Jews and Gentiles, by the opinions in which they had been bred, and the impreffions which had gone deep in them, it could be no flight matter that could overcome all that.

The Jews expected a conqueror for their Meffias, who fhould have raised both the honour of their law and their nation, and fo were much poffefled against one of a mean appearance; and when they faw that their law was to be fuperfeded, and that the Gentiles were to be brought into equal privileges with themselves, they could not but be deeply prejudiced both against the perfon and doctrine of Christ.

The Philofophers defpifed divine infpiration, and fecret affiftances, and had an ill opinion of miracles: and the herd among the Gentiles were fo accustomed to pomp and shew in their religious performances, that they must have naufeated the Shiftian fimplicity, and the corruption of their morals must have made them uneafy at a religion of fo much strictness. bas

All

IV.

All forts of men lay under very strong prejudices against this AR T. religion; nor was there any one article or branch of it, that flattered any of the interefts, appetites, paffions, or vanities of men, but all was very much to the contrary. They were warned to prepare for trials and crofles, and in particular, for a fevere and fiery trial that was speedily to come upon them.

There was nothing of the way or manner of impoftors that appeared in the methods in which the Gospel was propagated. When the Apostles saw that fome were endeavouring to leffen them and their authority, they took no fawning ways: they neither flattered nor fpared thofe Churches that were under their care: they charged them home with their faults, and afferted their own character in a ftrain that fhewed they were afraid of no discoveries. They appealed to the miracles that they had wrought, and to thofe gifts and divine virtues of which they were not only poffeffed themselves, but which were by their miniftry conferred on others. The demonstration of 1 Cor. ii. the Spirit, or infpiration that was in them, appeared in the power, that is, in the miracles which accompanied it, and those they wrought openly in the fight of many witneffes. An uncontested miracle is the fulleft evidence that can be given of a divine commiffion.

A miracle is a work that exceeds all the known powers of nature, and that carries in it plain characters of a power fuperior to any human power. We cannot indeed fix the bounds of the powers of nature; but yet we can plainly apprehend what must be beyond them. For inftance, we do not know what fecret virtues there may be in plants and minerals: but we do know that bare words can have no natural virtue in them to cure diseases, much less to raise the dead: we know not what force imagination or credulity may have in critical diseases; but we know that a dead man has no imagination : we know alfo, that blindness, deafnefs, and an inveterate palfy, cannot be cured by conceit: therefore fuch miracles as the giving fight to a man born blind, fpeech to the deaf and dumb, and ftrength to the paralytick; but most of all, the giving life to the dead, and that not only to perfons laid out as dead, but to one that was carried out to be buried, and to another that had been four days dead, and in his grave; all this was done with a bare word, without any fort of external application this, I fay, as it is clearly above the force of imagination, fo it is beyond the powers of nature.

These things were not done in the dark, nor in the prefence of a few, in whom a particular confidence was put; but in full day-light, and in the fight of great numbers, enemies as well as friends, and fome of thofe enemies were both the most enraged, and the moft capable of making all poffible ex

ceptions