from the dead alfo, by virtue of their union with him, and according to his pattern. For now is Chrift rifen from the dead, and is become the first-fruits of them that flept. Let us, at prefent, confider his refurrection-The fure confequence of it, that his people shall be raised from the dead, will offer to our meditations, from the following verses.

The refurrection of Chrift, being, as a fact, the great pillar upon which the weight and importance of Chriftianity reft, it has pleafed the Lord, to put, the indubitable proof of it, within our power. There is no one point of ancient uninspired history, fo certainly and unquestionably authenticated.

It may feem unneceffary to prove it, and to many of you, it is entirely fo. Yet I think it proper to take fome notice of it; not fo much on account of the weak and trifling cavils of infidels, as for the fake of perfons who may be affaulted with temptations. For many plain people, who are not much acquainted with the fubtilties of sceptics, are fometimes peftered with difficulties and objections in their own minds, perhaps, more fhrewd and powerful, than fuch as are commonly found in books, or retailed in coffee

houses.

houfes. For unbelief is deeply rooted in every heart; and fatan, our great enemy, can, and, if permitted, will, work powerfully upon this evil difpofition. He endeavours to beat us off from the belief of every truth of fcripture, and of this among the reft. And many perfons, who have been fo well convinced that our Lord rofe from the dead, as to venture their fouls and their all upon it, have found themselves at a lofs how to anfwer the enemy, in an hour of sharp and preffing temptation.

Let us fuppofe then, that we had lately received the news of fome extraordinary, and almoft incredible event; and let us confider, what evidence we fhould require to fatisfy us that the report was true, and apply the fame kind of reafoning to the point in hand. That there was, a great while ago, a perfon named Jefus, who gathered difciples, and died upon a crofs, is univerfally acknowledged. Both Jews and Heathens, who lived at the time, and afterwards, not only admitted it, but urged it, as a reproach, against his followers. Many teftimonies, of this kind, are ftill extant.

The

The turning point between his enemies and his friends, is, his refurrection. This has been denied. We acknowledge that he did not appear publicly, after he arofe, as he did before his death, but only to a competent number of his followers, to whom he fhewed himself, and fatisfied them, by many infallible proofs, that he was alive, and that he was the fame person whom they had seen crucified. They reported what they faw, and we believe their report. We are, therefore, to enquire, Who they were? And on what grounds we receive and rely upon their teftimony?

If they were mistaken themselves, or, if they were engaged and agreed in a crafty defign of impofing upon mankind, we, who depend upon their relation, may be involved in their mistake, or deceived by their artifice. But if neither of thefe fuppofitions can poffibly be true, if they were competent and impartial witneffes, then we are not only juftified in giving credit to their testimony, but it must be unreafonable, and (in a cafe of this importance) prefumptuous, and dangerous to reject it.

I. That

I. That they were competent judges of what they afferted, is evident,

1. From their numbers. The eye-witneffes, of this fact, were many. He was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that be was feen of five hundred brethren at once; after that he of all the apoftles. feen of me alfo *.

was feen of James, then And laft of all, he was

Thus Paul wrote when

multitudes who lived at the time, were ftill living, and would readily have contradicted him, if he had declared an untruth. Five hundred concurring witneffes are fufficient to establish the credit of a fact, which they all faw with their own eyes, if their word may be depended upon. We can be certain of things which we never faw, no otherwife, than by the teftimony of others. And certainty may be attained in this way. For though some perfons would appropriate the word demonftration to mathematical evidence, yet moral evidence may be, in many cafes, equally conclufive, and compel affent, with equal force. I am fo fully fatisfied by the report of others, that there are fuch cities * 1 Cor. xv. 5-8.

as

as Paris or Rome, though I never faw them, that I am no more able feriously to question their existence, than I am to doubt the truth of a propofition in Euclid, which I have feen demonftrated.

2. From the nature of the fact, in which it was not poffible that so many persons, could be mistaken or deceived. Some of them faw him, not once only, but frequently. His appearance to others, was attended with peculiar ftriking circumftances and effects. His difciples feem not to have expected his refurrection, though he had often foretold

it, previous to his fufferings. Nor did they haftily credit the women who firft faw him, in their way from the fepulchre.

Thomas

refused to believe the report of all his brethren, to whom our Lord had fhewn himself. He would fee for himself; he required more than ocular proof; for he said, Except I put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his fide, I will not believe. It is no wonder, that when thefe proofs were offered him, he fully yielded to conviction, and with gratitude and joy, addreffed his rifen Saviour, in the * John xx. 25.

language