or faw; had it not been for this, I say, their Evidence in this Cafe would not have been equal to the Weight of thofe Truths it is to support. And farther, fince this Appearance was in confequence of the Prediction he made of his own Refurrection, there is no room to doubt that it was a true and proper Refurrection 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 Resurrection 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 Apoftles, and feen our Lord come from the Grave, that then you would not have defired to have seen any body elfe; but now you think you might find that Conviction in feeing one come from the Dead yourfelf, which you

cannot

cannot find in the Reports of those who pretend to have seen one.

Let us confider this Cafe then; Whether he who believes upon the Credit of a private Apparition to himself, believes upon a furer Evidence, than he who receives the Gospel Account upon that Evidence on which it at prefent ftands. I will not deny but that a Man's Fancy may be more powerfully wrought on, not only by feeing, but even by fuppofing that he fees, one from the Dead: But this is fo far from being an Advantage, that in truth it is quite otherwife; for, the more Work Things of this Nature find for the Imagination, the less Room do they leave for the Judgment to exercise itself in.

Our Senfes at all times.

are liable to be impofed on, but never more than when we are in a Fright or Surprize. In fuch Cafes it is common to overlook, our Friends, and not to know who was with us, or who not: And the very Surprize, that would neceffarily attend upon feeing one come from the Dead, would be a great Reason for us to fufpect afterwards the Report our Senfes made of what they had seen. And this was indeed the Cafe of those who faw our Saviour upon

his

his firft Appearance: Nor could any thing have cured this, but his ftaying with them fo long as he did; fo that at laft they were able to fee him without being difturbed, or suffering any Alteration in their usual Temper: And this qualified them to judge for themselves, and report to others with Authority what they faw. So that the Circumftances of our Saviour's Refurrection were fuch as admitted a due Testimony; whereas it is very much to be doubted, whether he who fees one come from the Dead be capable to give himself Satisfaction afterwards, either as to what he faw, or what he heard. And judge you, whether you would chufe to believe the concurring Testimony of many Perfons in their right Senfes, fo well qualified to judge, or rely upon yourself, at a Time when you are hardly Master of your Senfes.

one of

But farther; Suppofe you could converse with a Man from the Dead with the fame Temper and Calmnefs, that you do with your Friends or Acquaintance; what would be the Confequence? You would probably reft affured that you had seen a Man from the Dead, and perhaps be more fatisfied of this, than at present you are that

the

the Difciples faw Chrift after his Death. Allowing this, what follows? The Question is not, whether he that fees a Man comé 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 prefent Revelation affords? This is what our Saviour affirms: If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. The fame Reafons, 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. from the Dead appear to

will, and certainly may, as

Let then one

him; and he

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 firft, need not be troubled about the laft. For I am fure the Appearance of a dead Man could never teach the Atheist, upon his own Principles, to reason himself into the Belief of à Deity, though poffibly it might fcare him into it: Which is too low a Defign

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