the Disciples faw Chrift after his Death. Allowing this, what follows? The Question is not, whether he that fees a Man come from the Dead, may be fure he fees a Man come from the Dead; but whether he has a better Foundation for Faith and Religion, than the present Revelation affords? This is what our Saviour affirms: If they bear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. The fame Reasons, that move you to reject the Authority of Chrift and his Apostles, would move you to reject the Authority of your new Acquaintance from the Dead: Which will appear by confidering,

Secondly, That the Objections which Unbelievers urge against the Authority of Revelation, will lie ftronger against the Authority of one coming from the Dead: For, firft, as to the Nature of this Sort of Evidence, if it be any Evidence at all, it is a Revelation: And therefore whatever has been faid against the Authority of Revelation will be applicable to this Kind of it: And, confequently, thofe who, upon the foot of Natural Religion, ftand out against the Doctrine of the Gofpel, would much

more

more ftand out against the Authority of one coming from the Dead. And whether it would weigh more with the Atheist, let any one confider: For no Revelation can weigh with him; for the Being of God, which he difbelieves, is fupported with greater Arguments, and greater Works, than any Revelation can be: And therefore, ftanding out against the Evidence of all Nature, fpeaking in the wonderful Works of the Creation, he can never reasonably submit to a lefs Evidence. Let then one

from the Dead appear to him; and he will, and certainly may, as eafily account for one dead Man's recovering Life and Motion, as he does for the Life and Motion of fo many Men, whom he fees every Day. Is it not as hard, do you think, to make a Man at firft, and breathe into him the Breath of Life, as it is to make him up again, after he has once been dead? And therefore he that can fatisfy himself as to the first, need not be troubled about the last. For I am fure the Appearance of a dead Man could never teach the Atheist, upon his own Principles, to reafon himself into the Belief of a Deity, though poffibly it might fcare him into it: Which is too low a

Defign for the Providence of God to be concerned in, and therefore can never be a Reason for his giving this fort of Evidence to Mankind.

If

But farther; Let us suppose a Man free from all these Prejudices, and then fee what we can make of this Evidence. a dead Man fhould come to you, you must suppose either that he speaks from himself, and that his Errand to you is the Effect of his own private Affection for you, or that he comes by Commiffion and Authority from God. As to the first Cafe, you have but the Word of a Man for all you hear: And how will you prove that a dead Man is incapable of practising a Cheat upon you? Or, allowing the Appearance to be real, and the Defign,honeft, do you think every dead Man knows the Counsels of God, and his Will with refpect to his Creatures here on Earth? If you do not think this, and I cannot fee poffibly how you fhould think it, what Ufe will you make of this kind of Revelation? Should he tell you that the Chriftian Faith is the true Faith, the Way to Heaven and Happiness, and that God will reward all true Believers; you would have much less Reason to believe him, VOL. III. than

D

than now you have to believe Chrift and his Apostles: And therefore, if you reject Christ and his Apostles, neither can this new Evidence prevail with you: For, fuppose that a Man from the Dead fhould prefume to teach you a new Religion, to inftruct you in new Rites and Ceremonies, to inftitute new Sacrifices and Oblations; would you think yourfelf warranted by a fufficient Authority to do and practise as he taught you? Would you not require better Evidence of his knowing the Will of God, than merely seeing him come from the Dead? And yet this is the Cafe: Should an Unbeliever receive the Gofpel upon fuch Evidence, he receives a new Religion; for to an Unbeliever it is new, and the whole Weight of his Faith muft reft upon the Credit and Authority of this Man from the Dead; and it would be as reafonable for an Unbeliever to receive a perfectly new Doctrine upon this Authority, as to receive an old one, which he before difbelieved. But, on the other fide, should you fuppofe this Man to come by the particular Order and Appointment of God, and confequently that what he fays is the Word and Command of God; you must then be prepared

pared to answer fuch Objections, as you are now ready to make against the Miffion and Authority of Chrift and his Apostles. First then we afk, how this Commiffion appears? If you fay, because he comes from the Dead, we cannot reft here; because it is not felfevident, that all who come from the Dead are inspired: And yet farther than this you cannot go; for it is not supposed that your Man from the Dead works Miracles. The Miffion of Christ we prove by Prophecies, and their Completion; by the Signs and Wonders he wrought by the Hand of God; by his Refurrection, which includes both Kinds, being in itself a great Miracle, and likewise the Completion of a Prophecy : Which Circumftance, as was before obferved, adds great Weight to his Authority. Befides, we are often urged to shew, that the Authors of our Religion were free from Intereft and Defign, and that our Faith is not founded in the Politics of cunning and artificial Men; and we must defire you to do the fame good Office for the Prophet who comes from the Dead. As for ourselves, we appeal to the known History of those who were Founders of our Religion: There you may find them perfecuted, afflicted, and torD 2 mented: