pity to their Souls, is pleafed to grant that Requeft which the Rich Man here makes to Abraham on their Behalf; and accordingly fends Lazarus from the Dead to preach Repentance to them: We cannot doubt, but fuch a Sermon from fuch a Man, and in fuch Circumstances, would mightily awaken them, and put them upon a more ferious Confideration of the Folly of their Ways, and the Danger they expofed them to, than ever they entred into before; and this Confideration it is likely might work them to ferious Refolutions of quitting their prefent Courses, and entring upon a ftricter Life. Certainly fuch an Apparition as this, in Reason, should work fuch Effects; and, without doubt, upon many it would. But this we fay, Whether did not our Saviour perform a great deal more than all this comes to, in order to the Conviction and Converfion of all about him? And whether had not these Five Brethren, fuppofing them to them to live when he preached his Gofpel, and to be Witnesses of his Actions, much more reafon to be perfuaded by what he did, and taught; than by the aforefaid Vision?

Our Saviour did, by all the Signs and Tokens in the World, evidence himself to be an exprefs Meffenger fent from God, which they could not be certain that the Vision was.

The Prophetick Records of their own Country did all teftify of him; and they themselves, by comparing his Life and them together, might fee they were fulfilled in him.

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To omit the Circumftances of his Birth, which were fuch as never any besides himself was born with: After he came to enter upon his Publick Employment, God did more than once, by a Voice from Heaven, teftify, that he had fent him, and that all People were to hearken to him.

And the Truth of this he himself confirmed, not only by his Life, which was the most Innocent, and Vertuous, and God-like that ever was: Nor only by his Sermons and Do&trines, which were the most perfect and unexceptionable, and every way the most worthy of God, that ever were taught among Men: but alfo and moft chiefly by his extraordinary Works, which were fuch, as none but God, or one acted by a Divine Power, could poffibly perform.

.

He did the greatest Things that ever were feen by Men. He fhewed by his Actions, and those most publickly done, and frequently repeated, that he had an abfolute Sovereign Power over the Courfe of Nature, over the invisible Agents of this World, as well Angels as Devils and likewife over both the Bodies and the Souls of Men.

And particularly to make it appear, that his Teftimony was more Authentick, his Authority more to be relied on, than that of any Ghost, any Lazarus whatsoever, that fhould rife from the Dead: It was very ufual with him to fend again to the Living those that were once dead. And one Lazarus he really brought again from the Bofom of Abraham,

after

after he had been Four Days dead, to testifie to the World, that Jefus was the Great Embaffador that God had fent, and that all Mankind were to receive and obey him.

And left all this fhould not be convincing enough; left it should be faid ftill, One that fhould rife from the Dead, and come and preach to us, would leave the greater ImprefGions upon us; Jefus himself did rife from the Dead, and did come and Preach to the World, and that in a far more convincing Manner than the Ghoft of Lazarus would have done, if the Rich Man had had his own Wish. For Jefus told his own Death before-hand, and fore-told alfo his Resurrection: And if God meant not to lay an invincible Temptation before Mankind to believe a Falfhood, it had concerned his Providence to have hindred this Resurrection, if Jefus had been any Thing elfe than what he pretended to be: But he did rife after Three Days, according to his Prediction, and converfed upon Earth with his Followers for Forty Days together; fhewing himself not only to a few particular Difciples, but to great Crowds of them, Five hundred at a time. And after this in the Sight of his Friends, he took his Leave of the World, and afcended up into Heaven. And for a Teftimony how God approved him there, he fent down the Holy Spirit upon his Difciples, who for many Years together, enabled them to do our Saviour's Miracles over again, in Confirmation of his Doctrine.

If now, to come to our Argument; if these Five Brethren of the Rich Man be fuppofed to be alive, when all these Things came to pass: If they had the Opportunity of being prefent at many of thefe Paffages, and of fatisfying themselves of the reft, (as certainly, fuppofing the Matter of Fact to be true, none that lived at that Time, and in that Country, but had this Opportunity:) If they heard this Jefus that was fent from God at the First, and that was fent from God the Second Time, after he was dead, teftifying against their Sins, forewarning them of the Judgment to come, and affuring them of Eternal Rewards if they would repent: I fay, if they were Witneffes of thefe Things, I will appeal to all the World, whether they had not greater Means of Conviction offered to them, than if any Ghost had appeared to them from the Dead; or any particular Miracle had been vouchfafed them for the bringing them over to Vertue and Sobriety.

But I believe no Body will much doubt of this; for, indeed the Matter will not bear a Difpute. But here is the Queftion; Whether we that live at this distance from our Saviour, have the fame Means of Conviction? And, Whether one now appearing from the Dead to us, would not be of greater Force to perfuade us, than the ftanding Revelation of the Gospel, as we have it now conveyed to us?

This therefore leads me to my Second Propofition upon this Head, which, if it can be made out, will wholly take away all Controverfy in this Matter. And it is this;

That

That we at this Day have as great Arguments to convince us of the Truth of Chrift's Revelation, and confequently as great Motives from thence to perfuade us to reform our Evil Lives, as those that lived in the Times of our Saviour.

But

It is true indeed, we want the Evidence of Sense in these Matters, which they had; and upon that Account it must be acknowledged, that they have the Advantage of us. this we fay, notwithstanding, that if we take all Things together, and weigh them impartially, we fhall find that Want is abundantly fupplied to us in other Refpects.

For first of all, Our Saviour's Gofpel, and all the Evidences of it I have been now speaking of, were timely and faithfully recorded, and are as faithfully tranfmitted down to us. So that tho' we did not fee or hear thofe Things, yet we have a certain and exact Account of them; and fuch an Account as was never yet queftioned by any Adverfaries that lived in those Times, when fuch a Question was most reasonably to be made; and fuch an Account as appears by all the Evidences that a Thing of that Nature is capable of, to have been written by Eye-witneffes, and fuch Witneffes as were honeft undefigning Men; and not only fo, but they fealed with their Blood the Truth of what they reported. And this fame Account was religioufly received by all Chriftians, in all Places, without Contradiction in those very Times, and was shortly after tranflated into a Multitude of Languages; fo that it is fcarce poffible it should in

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