II. III. ART. through his Gofpel; yet all the hints given of it fhew that they looked for an immediate admiffion to blessedness after death. So David, thou wilt fhew me the path of life: Pfal. xvi. in thy prefence is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are Aas ii. 31. pleasures for evermore. Thou shalt guide me here by thy Pfal. Ixxiii. counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Ifaiah fays, that the righteous when they die enter into peace. In the New Teftament there is not a hint given of this; for though fome paffages may feem to favour Chrift's delivering fome fouls out of Hell, yet there is nothing that by any management can be brought to look this way. 24. Ef. lvii. 2. See Bishop the Creed. There is another fenfe of which thefe words [defcended into Hell] are capable: by Hell may be meant the invifible place to which departed fouls are carried after death: for though the Greek word fo rendered does now commonly stand for the place of the damned, and for many ages has been fo understood; yet at the time of writing the New Teftament it was among Greek authors used indifferently for the place of all departed fouls, whether good or bad; and by it were meant the invifible regions where those fpirits were lodged: fo if these words are taken in this large fenfe, we have in them a clear and literal account of our Saviour's foul defcending into Hell; it imports that he was not only dead in a more common acceptation, as it is ufual to say a man is dead, when there appear no figns of life in him; and that he was not as in a deep ecstasy or fit that feemed death, but that he was truly dead; that his foul was neither in his body, nor hovering about it, afcending and defcending upon it, as fome of the Jews fancied fouls did for fome time after death; but that his foul was really moved out of his body, and carried to those unfeen regions of departed fpirits, among whom it continued till his refurrection. That the regions of the bleffed were known then to the Jews by the name of Paradife, as Hell was known by the name of Gehenna, is very Luke xxiii. clear from Chrift's laft words, To-day thou shalt be with 43, 46. me in Paradife; and, Into thy hands do I commend my fpirit. This is a plain and full account of a good fenfe that may be well put on the words; though, after all, it is still to be remembered, that in the first Creeds that have this Article, that of Chrift's burial not being mentioned in them, it follows from thence, as well as from Ruffin's own fenfe of it, that they understood this only of Chrift's burial. ARTICLE ARTICLE IV. Of the Refurrection of Chrift. Chzift did truly zile again from Death, and took again his Lady, with Flesh, Bones, and all things appeztaining to the Perfetion of Man's Nature, whezewith he afcended into Heaven, and there ütteth, until he zetuzn to judge all Pen at the Laft Day, THERE HERE are four branches of this Article: the firft 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 last day. These things are all fo expreísly 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 thofe, who viewed the fepulchre, faw no body there: that in the fame body Chrift 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 Apoftles looked on, and faw him afcend up to hea ven, and that a cloud received him out of their fight. It is also said very plainly, that he fhall come again at the laft 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 neceffary to infift long upon the fpecial proof of these particulars: fomewhat will only be neceffary to be faid in explanation of them. The Gofpel was firft preached, and foon after put in writing; in which these particulars are not only delivered, but are set 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 IV. ART. whole Gospel, and ftruck at the credit of it all. This was tranfacted as well as firft publifhed at Jerufalem, where the enemies of it had all poffible advantages 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 perfecute the Chriftians: they became the objects of popular fury, as Tacitus tells us. The Romans looked upon Chrift as one that fet on the Jews to those 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 Gofpel did fpread itself, 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 affirmed, 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 promise he had made them, they had received extraordinary powers from him to work míracles in his name, and to fpeak in divers languages. This laft was a most 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 Apostles relating this fo pofitively, and making such 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 transacted: the Acts of the Apofiles 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 Gofpels 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 alio frequently intimate the affurance they IV. they had of a great deliverance that was to happen quick- ART. ly to the Chriftians, and of terrible judgments that were to be poured out on the Jews; which was foon after that' accomplished in the moft 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 in which that matter was tranfacted. The Jews, who 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 afcenfion of Christ, and of the effufion of the Holy Ghoft: 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 easily 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 fet about it; and the watchmen reporting, that while they flept, the body of Chrift was carried away: the Apoftles 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 difcovery of falsehood in any one of thefe was in the power of the Jews, if any fuch was; fo that alone had most effectually destroyed the credit of this religion, and stopped its progrefs. 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 thefe 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 Chrif tians for worship; and were efteemed by the feveral churches as the great trust and depofitum that was lodged with them. So that though, by the negligence of copiers, fome fmall variations might happen among fome of the copies; yet as they do all agree in the main, and most fignally IV. ART 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 support it, as any matter of fact can poffibly have. The narration gave great scope to a variety of inquiries; it raifed much difputing, oppofition, and perfecution; and yet nothing was ever pretended to be proved that could fubvert its credit: great multitudes received this doctrine, and died 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 fpread 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 reason 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. Thefe 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 difbelieved 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 |