"Man will facrifice Truth to Intereft :

"But no Man will give up Intet and "Truth together for Nothing, or for the "fake of Falfhood which is worfe than

Nothing..That Men fhould love Falf"hood rather than Truth----that they "fhould chufe Labour and Sorrow, Pain" and Misery before "Pleasure, Ease, and "Efteem," is as contrary to Nature---as utterly impoffible as for a Body to fink without Weight, or for a Stone to ascend against the Laws of Gravity.

him

To prevent the Belief of our Saviour's Refurrection it was afferted by the Watch, and countenanced by the Chief Priests, that the Disciples of Jefus came by Night and stole away, while the Guards were afleep. But what is there in this Account that wears the Face of Probability? Were Men ever admitted before to bear Witnefs to what happened while they flept? A Judge and Jury that should lay any Strefs on fuch Testimony as this would be defervedly thought to dream,

dream. If the Guards were asleep, how could thknow that the Disciples had taken the Body away; and if they were awake, how came they to fuffer it? And if the Apoftles fucceeded in this Attempt, what Purpose could they poffibly ferve by it? Was it to make others believe what they did not believe themselves? If they had stolen the Body of Jefus, then was not Chrift rifen; then was he a Deceiver, and they the Dupes of his Imposture: And in this Cafe was it not far more likely, as it was far more natural for them to load him with Curfes, and to publish the Cheat to all the World, which would have recommended them to every honeft Man's Efteem; whereas by preaching the Resurrection they had Nothing to expect but Imprisonments, Reproaches, Perfecutions, and Death? Yet after this Robbery of the Sepulchre it is faid, that the Apostles were really guilty of this Infatuation, foolishly stood it out to the whole Nation of the Jews, that their Master was actually risen, and fealed their Teftimony with their Blood,

VOL. II.

Р

and,

and, what is ftill more ftrange, engaged a large Number to embark in the fame Defign, to affert the fame Delusion, and to fupport it with their Lives. Nay, they were mad enough to travel over the World for the Propagation of the fame Impofture, and the World, at leaft the wifeft and fobereft Part of it, gave into the Delufion, and were likewife mad enough to believe them. All this must those maintain, who affert that Jefus did not really rife from the dead but that his Body was ftolen by his Difciples. Credat Judæus. Let thofe Men believe it, who have loft all Senfations of Modefty, and fhaken Hands with common Senfe.

You fee therefore, that the Faith of Chriftians in their Saviour's Refurrection is a rational Affent, built on the Bafis of Truth, and fupported on folid Evidence. Our Saviour for the Space of forty Days gave the Apoftles the most undoubted Proofs of the Truth of his Resurrection.

alive at different Times

They saw him

and in various

Man

Manners, converfed familiarly with him, eat and drank in his Prefence. Every rational Inducement concurred with the Evidence of their Senfes to perfuade them, that it was their Lord and Master, and that he was rifen indeed. No Temptations of Interest, nor Allurements of Pleasure, interpofed to bias their Belief, nor to make them weakly credulous of a doubtful unexamined Fact; but, on the contrary, all the natural Defires of Men, the Love of Reputation, the Love of Quiet, the Love of Life, the Aversion to Contempt and Perfecution, and the Terrors of Death, were. Motives that all united to make them feverely inquifitive, and rigidly fcrupulous in admitting the Truth of our Saviour's Refurrection; they died in Confirmation of their Faith, and gave this indif putable Teftimony of their Sincerity and deep Conviction of it's Truth. Have we not therefore abundant Reason to profess our Faith, as we do at this folemn Festival, in him that was dead but is alive again, was crucified but is rifen, and is now at the right P 2 Hand

Hand of God.---Bleffed are they which have not feen, and yet have believed.

Such is our Chriftian Faith, the Evidence of Things not feen, but ftill moft rationally believed.---As an Improvement of it, and a juft Inference which every fenfible Man must make from it, let it be confidered as the greatest Confolation against the Fears of Death. The Gospel receives it's final Proof and Sanction from the Refurrection of our Saviour, and Life and Iminortality are brought to Light in the Gospel. And Nothing affords more folid Comfort in a dying Hour, than the Teftimony of a good Confcience, and the Confideration of our departing hence into a better Country, that is an heavenly, where our Happiness will be compleat and endlefs.--But then we must remember, that the Na- 14 ture of this future State ftill depends on our Behaviour in the prefent, and will be happy or miserable, as our Lives here have been good or bad. The only Way therefore to fupport our Spirits in our laft Moments, and to make