Doctrine, because it cannot admit the Evidence; in this Cafe all Proofs will be alike, and it will be loft Labour to ply fuch a Man with Reafon or new Evidence, fince it is not want of Reason or Evidence that makes him an Unbeliever. And it is upon this Cafe chiefly that our Saviour grounds his Judgment in the Text.

First then, Let us confider, whether the Evidence upon which Revelation ftands be in itself greater or more convincing, than the Evidence of one coming from the Dead can be: If it is, we muft fubfcribe to our Saviour's Judgment; That he who will not bear Mofes and the Prophets, or Christ and his Apostles, would not be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. Whatever a dead Man, who appears to you, may tell you concerning another World, all the Reason you can have to believe him is, because you fuppofe him to come from the other World, and to relate Things which he has seen and known: So that his Authority is no more than barely the Authority of a Traveller, who relates Things of the Countries through which he has paffed. And how will it appear to you, that one from the Dead cannot poffibly deceive you? As he is a Man, I

am

am fure you have Reafon to mistrust him; and what Reason you have to rely on him. as a dead Man, I know not. Poffibly you may think that the very Seeing of one come from the Dead will of itself prove the great Point of all, the Reality of a future State. But are you sure it is impoffible for any Being of the other World to personate a dead Man, and to appear to you in the Shape and Figure of one you formerly knew? Surely, it is one Thing to prove that there is another World, and Beings belonging to it; and another to prove a future State, that is, a World in which dead Men fhall live.

Our Saviour's Refurrection was fomething more than merely the Apparition of a dead Man: He foretold the Time and Circumftances of his Refurrection, and put the Proof of his Miffion and Doctrine upon the Performance of this great Wonder: So that by this means his Refurrection became a direct Proof of this, That the Doctrine he taught was the Doctrine of Him who has Power to raise the Dead: And fince Part of his Doctrine is, That the Dead fhall be raised; we are thus far certain, that He, who has Power to raise the Dead, has

affured

affured us that the Dead fhall be raised: For no one can foretel the Time and Circumstances of a dead Man's rifing to Life, who has not the Power, or is not commiffioned by Him who has the Power, of Life and Death. So that the Authority of our Saviour's Word after his Refurrection was not barely the Authority of one coming from the Dead, but it was the Authority of Him who has Power to raise the Dead; which Authority we know belongs not to Man, and therefore is greater than the Authority of any Man either from the Dead or the Living. So that our Saviour's Refurrection proves a Commiffion from the Highest Power to teach the World; which cannot be proved merely from the Appearance of one from the Dead. And here lies the true Difference between the Refurrection of Chrift, and the Refurrection of those whom our Saviour himself raised from the Dead. We have been afked, why Lazarus and the reft did not publish their Knowledge of the other World? One plain Anfwer is, they were not commiffioned fo to do: Their Refurrection was a Proof of his Power and Commiffion, who raised them to Life, but of their own Power and Com

miffion

miffion it was no Proof: They were merely paffive in their Resurrection, and brought no more Authority from the Grave, than they carried to it; and therefore had no Right to set up for Teachers.

Then, as to the Reality of our Saviour's Refurrection, there was Warning given to expect it; which of itself is a great Evidence of fincere Dealing. Men do not use to give public Notice of the Cheats they intend to play; or, if ever they have, the Success has been answerable to the Management, and yielded nothing but Shame and Confufion to the Contrivers. And, after his Refurrection, his Stay upon Earth was fo long, as to give full Satisfaction, to all concerned, of the Truth and Reality of what they faw. At his first Appearance, the Difciples were in the fame Cafe with others who think they see Spec→ tres and Apparitions; that is, they were confounded and amazed, and did not know well what they faw: And, had not the Frequency of our Saviour's Appearances made them familiar to them, so that they bore the Sight of him with the fame Sedateness of Mind as they did in his Life-time, and con→ fequently had all the neceffary Qualifications to judge rightly concerning what they heard

or faw; had it not been for this, I fay, their Evidence in this Cafe would not have been equal to the Weight of thofe Truths it is to fupport. And farther, fince this Appearance was in confequence of the Prediction he made of his own Resurrection, there is no room to doubt that it was a true and proper Resurrection of his Body: For it is much easier to imagine that he should come to Life, and fulfil his Prediction, than that he should, being really dead, contrive and execute any thing that should seem to fulfil it.

Poffibly this may be allowed, and yet not give Satisfaction in this Matter: For it is not, you will fay, that the Refurrection of our Saviour is fuch a Work as is not proper to fatisfy all Doubts, that makes you defire to fee one from the Dead; but it is, that you would willingly be fatisfied by your own Eyes, and not depend upon the Credit of another for a Thing of this Nature: Had you been in the Place of the Apostles, and feen our Lord come from the Grave, that then you would not have defired to have seen any body else; but now you think you might find that Conviction in seeing one come from the Dead yourself, which you

cannot