real and vifible miracles; the truth of which he challenged even his enemies to gainfay. For "when "the high priest of the Jews asked Jefus of his dif

ciples, and of his doctrine, Jefus answered him very plainly, viz. that he spake openly to the world; "that he ever taught in the fynagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always reforted, and in fecret "that he said nothing," John xviii. 19, 20.

The man who was born blind, and cured by our Saviour was known by rich and poor throughout the country to have been born blind, as attefted by his parents; and as his blindness from his birth was publickly known, fo alfo was his cure; which was declared by the man himself, on whom this grand miracle was wrought. and by his parents alfo; alfo to the hypocritical unbelieving pharifees, John ix. 9 to 35.

When the bleffed Jefus raised a dead corps, (the widow's fon of Nain) it was done before numbers of perfons. Many who faw the miracle, or at least some (in all probability) were present at his death, Luke vii. to xviii. Lazarus, who was well known to be dead four days, his refurrection could not poffibly be a deception, because when our Lord ordered his grave-ftone to be taken away, Lazarus immediately arose and came forth, in the prefence of them all.

The death, paffion and refurrection of the bleffed Jefus himself was an evidence of fenfe, done in the prefence of his greatest adverfaries. The foldiers themselves were fufficient witneffes of his being really dead, when they came to break his bones, before he was taken down from the crofs, who did not do it, by reason they found

him

him already dead, which they acknowledged. At his refurrection the stone was rolled away from the fepulchre, and no body found therein, although the fepulchre was conftantly guarded by foldiers, who shook, and became as dead men, at the earthquake, when the angel of the Lord defcended from heaven, and came and rolled back the ftone from the door of Chrift's fepulchre, Matth. xxviii. 2, 3, 4. And his very difciples were also terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit, Luke xxiv. 37. therefore dispersed themselves up and down in feveral places, till the blessed Jesus convinced them of the truth of his refurrection. But after all, Thomas was not satisfied unless he put his hands in the holes of the bleffed Jefus's fides, and saw in his hands the print of his nails; all which he did, and then acknowledged him to be his Lord and his God, John xx. 28.

The blefled Jefus condefcending to fatisfy the incredulity of Thomas, and others of his disciples, hath made it most evident, that the body which he arofe from the grave in, was that very identical body which was crucified and laid in the fepulchre,

The more fufpicious and incredulous the apostles themselves were at first, the greater evidence is it, how far they were from any the least design of imposing upon the world by the doctrines they preached.

When many witneffes concur fo ftrong in the fame testimony, nothing can difparage more the truth of a testimony, than the counter-witneffes of fuch who were present at the same time. But when all the witnesses F 4

fally

fully agree, not only in the fubftance, but in all material circumstances relating to it. This must appear to be a true and valid teftimony to every thinking unprejudiced mind.

Now there is no real diffention in any of the witnesses who wrote the birth, life, miracles, death, refurrection and afcenfion of the bleffed Jefus. All of them attesting the very fame things, though they wrote at different times, different places, and on different occafions. Yet there is no real difference in any one material or effential circumftance of the whole hiftory: not only his apostles, but numbers of people befides, yea, many of his enemies, were witneffes to moft of the bleffed Jefus's miracles.

As for his refurrection, it would be very strange and unaccountable indeed, that five hundred persons should all agree in the fame thing, if it was not true: therefore there is no reafon to fufpect fuch teftimonies which are given by eye and ear witneffes, without queftioning their knowledge of the things they relate, or their fidelity in relating them.

Now there is not the least ground to doubt of either of these, in reference to those persons who gave teftimony to the world concerning the person and actions of the bleffed Jefus, for they were fuch as were intimately converfant both with his perfon, life and behaviour, and whom he had chofe and trained up for that very end, that they might be fufficiently qualified to acquaint the world with the truth of things concerning himself, after his refurrection from the dead: and ac

cordingly

cordingly they followed him up and down the world wherever he went: they were also with him in his foli tude and retirements, and thereby had an opportunity of seeing all his actions, and to observe the unspotted innocency of his life.

Some of them were with him in his transfiguration, others in his agony and bloody fweat, and they heard the expreffions which came from his mouth; in all which he discovered a most wonderful fubmiffion to the will of God, and a great readiness of mind to suffer for the good of mankind: the means they had of knowing the truth relating to the bleffed Jefus cannot therefore be reasonably queftioned, neither their fidelity in reporting what they knew.

The truth of the doctrines they preached wrought fo far upon themselves, that they parted with all their worldly comfort and fubfiftence for the fake of it. Although their worldly fubftance were not great, yet they left their all, what was near and dear to them, their houses, their wives and children, for Christ, and that not in order to gain any higher preferment in this world, but quitted an eafy and quiet life, for one most troublesome and dangerous: and it is to be admired with what readiness and chearfulness they all underwent difgraces and perfecutions, nay, the most cruel and fhocking deaths, for the truth of the gofpel. Therefore it cannot be reasonably supposed, that ever men should be fo prodigal of their eafe and lives, as to throw both of them away, for teftifying fuch things, which themselves were not fully affured of the truth of.

Would

Would it not be the highest folly imaginable, to have deceived themfelves in an affair of fo great moment to them as the truth of that doctrine which they preached? especially as all their hopes and happiness depended on it, even to all eternity; "who declared themfelves to "be the most miserable of all perfons, if their hopes was to be confined only to this present life,” 1 Cor.

66

XV. 19.

Can we now think that any, who had the common reafon of men, would part with all the contentments of this world, and expose themselves to continual hazards, and at last readily undergo death itself, for the fake of fomething which was but the fiction of their own brains? What fhould cause them to be fo fedulous and industrious in preaching fuch things, that they could say, neceffity was laid upon them, "yea, woe was to them if

they preached not the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 16. and also when they faw and experienced fuch difficulties and troubles in preaching of it, had there not been some more powerful attractive in the beauty and excellency of the doctrine they preached, than any could be in the ease and tranquillity of the world.

Thus we evidently fee the fidelity of the apoftles manifested in such a way and manner, as no other witneffes were ever yet willing to hazard their lives for.

And therefore Origen juftly condemns Celfus (a heathen philofopher) of a very ridiculous impertinency,

when