World; or, if they should, yet that they fhould all perfift in it to their Death, without ever giving the leaft Sign of the Incertainty and Vacillation of their Testimony.

II. SUPPOSE there had been no other Witneffes of the Resurrection of CHRIST, but only the Eleven Apoftles; yet, who is it that would be fo wicked, as to abufe Mankind by forged Stories, in a Matter of fuch vaft Moment and Confequence, efpecially, when they could expect no Reward nor Advantage by it? For, tho' humane Nature be moft miferably depraved, yet we fhall find few, or none, that will be wicked gratis. And, what could they propound to themselves, that might rationally be thought fufficient to induce them to fuch a grand Cheat? Either it must be supposed, to be Riches, or Fame, or, laftly, a barren and unprofitable Defign of keeping up the Credit of their Religion.

1. BUT the First is altogether incongruous, both to their Profeffion and Pratice. For, the Preaching of the Gospel, and a Raised Saviour, inftead of enriching them, only expofed them to Hunger, and Thirst, and Nakedness; or, to the Shame of having thefe Neceffities relieved by the Charity of others. Nor could

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could they fay, with that prophane Pope, Quantas divitias peperit nobis hac Fabula Chrifti? And,

2. As for Fame; their fimple and homely Education, free from the Pride and Oftentation of the World, could never have permitted them to undergo fo many sharp Miseries, only to be talk'd of and to gain a Mouthful or two of Air. Befides, what Grotius very well obferves, (De ver. Chrift. Rel.) They could not be moved to what they did, out of a Defire of Fame, and Propagating their Name and Renown to After-Pofterities for they did not then believe their Names, or Memory, fhould be long lafting. For it appears, that GOD, for wife Ends, kept His Purpose fecret from them, concerning the Confummation of the World; and, that they verily thought, the Diffolution of all things would immediately follow, upon their Preaching the Gospel. It is, therefore, altogether incredible, that they should contrive to delude the World out of Hope of being Famous, fince they thought their Names fhould certainly die with them, or, at fartheft, soon after them, in the Death and laft Funeral of the World itself. The only Suppofition, therefore, that remains, is,

III. THAT

III. THAT they feigned this Story of the Refurrection of JESUS CHRIST, only to keep up their Religion, and to add a greater Confirmation and Autho rity to their Doctrine. But this, likewife, is utterly abfurd to imagine. For, either they did believe the Doctrine, and Religion, which they taught, to be true, or they did not.

1. If they did not believe it true, yea, if they did not believe it the best, and the only divine and heavenly Religion in the whole World, What should move them to embrace it, to the Hazard of their Lives, and to reject other Religions, which they thought to be better, and which they knew to be fafer, and attended with greater worldly Advantages? Can it be conceived, that Men fhould be fo far loft to Reafon, and that inbred Principle of Self-Prefervation,as to thrust themselves upon all the Injuries of an enraged World, yea, upon moft certain and cruel Deaths, for the Maintenance of a Doctrine which they themselves knew to be false, and from which they could expect no future Benefit to compenfate their Sufferings? Either the Atheist must fuppofe them to be Atheists, or not. But if they were Atheists; it is meer Madness for an Atheist, who believes no Religion,

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to die for any Doctrine, or Opinion. And I remember, I have fomewhere read a Story of one condemned for Atheism, that recanted upon that very Reafon. And, if they were not Atheists, but did believe a GOD, and future Rewards and Punishments, as it is most evident they did; then it were worse than Madness, to die for a Religion which they knew to be false, fince they could expect nothing else, but that their Dying for a Lye fhould be punish'd with 'eternal Death, It is, therefore, moft clear and certain, that they did believe their Religion and Doctrine to be true, yea, to be infinitely the best in the World.

2. WHEREFORE, Secondly, If they did believe their Religion to be true, then it follows:

1. THAT they did not join together in a Defign to delude and cofen the World with Tales, which they knew to be false and forged. And,

2. If they did believe their Religion to be true, they muft needs alfo believe the Mafter, Teacher, and Author of it, not to have been Himfelf a Deceiver, But now, unless they had been verily perfuaded, that CHRIST did rife again from the Dead, how could they account of Him otherwife than as a Deceiver? For

For He had promifed them, That after Three Days, he would rife again. And of this Promife, they anxioufly and folicitoufly expected the Performance after His Death. For we find, that when the Third Day was come, they began to entertain fad and mifgiving Thoughts concerning their Hopes of His being the Meffias; as we may fee, Luke xxiv. 21. where the Two Difciples, that were going to Emmaus, tell CHRIST a very fad Story of one JESUS of Nazareth, who had been lately crucified at Jerusalem; and declare, with a feeming Mixture of Shame and Diffidence, That they trusted, it had been he who should have redeemed Ifrael; and befides all this, fay they, to Day is the Third Day fince these things were done, Certainly, if their Faith be gan to ftagger, before the Time for the Accomplishment of CHRIST's Promise was fully expired, only because He had not publickly and openly appeared to them, although they had heard, as they confefs, Rumours from others concer ning His Refurrection; had He not risen at all, they would quickly have renounc'd their ill-grounded Faith, and fallen from the Profeffion of that new Religion, as foon as they had discovered the Author

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