other devout Women, concerning the Lord's being Rifen, as idle Tales and Believ'd them not; and accordingly, (before their Eyes were open'd) gave Chrift himself this du bious and diffident Account of his own Refurrection,verse 22,23 and24th of thisChap. Tea, and certain Women alfo of our Company made us aftonifb'd, who were Early at the Sepalchre, and when they found not his Body, came, faying, they had seen a Vision of Angels, which faid, that he was Alive. And certain of them, that were with us, went to the Sepulchre, and found it as the Women faid, but Him they faw not. In fuch a Confternation were the Followers of our Lord, upon the ignominious and cruel Death of their Mafter. The pleafing Dream of that Temporal Grandeur, with which they had fo long amus'd and indulg'd their mistaken Hopes, being fled and vanish'd, had left them Spiritlefs; and fall'n from the Heights of an Imaginary Kingdom, to the lowest Depths of real Mifery and Despair. Instead of following their triumphant Leader to the Poffeffion of his Throne, and a partaking of his Greatness and Power, they had been the wretched Spectators of his Majefty moft fcornfully Vilify'd by the infulting Soldiers; the Enfigns of his Royalty abus'd, and mock'd with a Scepter of Reed, and a Crown of Thorns; and himself, at laft, Executed on the curs'd

Tree,

Tree, after the manner of the greatest Malefactor, or the meanest Slave. Their Minds having been fo long poffefs'd with Carnal Delusions, expecting fo fuddain and illuftrious a Delivery from the Roman Yoke (not that True and infinitely more Valuable Redemption from Spiritual Bondage and Sin) No Wonder if now their Hearts fail'd them, if their Faith was stagger'd, and all the glorious Expectations of a Conquering and Princely Meffias were dead, and bury'd, and feal'd up with Chrift in the Grave. Neither the Miracles of his Life, which they had been fo frequent Eye-Witneffes of; nor the Divinity of his Perfon, which they had believ'd and acknowledg'd; nor the joint Predictions of the Prophets, which they had read; nor the express Promise of their Lord that the Third Day he should Rife again, which they had fo often heard; were of Force enough to bear up their finking Spirits under the Preffure of this vaft Calamity, this, as they fear'd, irrecoverable Loss. With what an unexpreffible furprize of Joy muft we then needs imagine that they were feiz'd? who out of all thefe afflicting Doubts and Fears, out of the most difconfolate and dejected Condition of Mind, on a fuddain, by the undeniable Affurances of their own Senfes, being convinc'd of the Lord's Refurrection, were themselves alfo rais'd, as it H 3

were,

were, to Life again, and thus confidently affert the Truth of this joyfull News in the Text, The Lord is Rifen indeed.

And what Testimony ought to be of more Authority, than that which is deliver'd by Them, who were fo far from being Credulous, or eafy to admit any Delufion or Impolture, that for a while they could hardly be brought to Believe even their own Eyes? So far from forging themfelves a Counterfeit Relation, or helping to carry on a Cheat, by fpreading about a false Story, tho' ready made to their hands, that even those Holy Women, People of their own Profeffion and Party, could not prevail with them to give Credit to what was True. It was by the Holy Spirit fo ordain'd, that the Hardnefs of Belief, which the Apoftles exprefs'd, fhould fo diftinctly and unanimoufly be recorded by all the Four Evangelifts; that the Belief of this Great Work of our Salvation might to Us, who were to come after, be made more Easy; that by their Infirmities we might be more confirm'd. And indeed, all the Generations of Christian People, that fhall fucceed to the End of the World, are in this Cafe more beholden to Thomas, who fo long doubted, than to Mary Magdalen, who lo foon affented for the Weakness of his Faith has, not only made Ours more Strong, but ob tain'd

tain'd also a Promise from our Saviour of a Bleffing, which elfe he had not had an Occasion to have Pronounc'd, a peculiar Blef fing to thofe that have not seen, and have jet Believ'd, that the Lord is Rifen indeed.

From which Words I fhall first discourse of the Truth of our Saviour's Resurrection.

Secondly, fhew the Benefits that accrue to us by it, and what Returns, on our Part, ought to be made for it.

I. As to the First, I fuppofe, that in a Chriftian Congregation, it will not be thought necessary to infift long upon the Proof of that, without which, as the Apostle tells us, both our Preaching, and your Faith is Vain, 1 Cor. 15. 14. If it were needfull, I could produce the Teftimonies of Angels and Men, of thofe Bleffed Spirits that waited even upon the Grave-Cloaths that had wrapp'd up · our Saviour, and attended in the Sepulchre, to certify the Devout Women, that came to feek the Lord, that he was not there, but Rifen, I could recount the feveral undeniable Witneffes, thofe that Saw, Felt, Talkt, and Eat and Drank with our Blessed Saviour, after his Refurrection. I could reckon, to how great Numbers he fhew'd Himself, how he was feen of Cephas, then of the Twelve, after that of five Hundred Brethren

.

at once, the greater Part of which remain'd even then alive, at the time when St. Paul teftify'd this to the Corinthians; after that, how he was feen of James, then of all the Apoftles: and lastly, how in a Wonderful and Glorious Manner, he appear'd to St. Paul also out of Heaven. Evidences as full and clear, as any History or Records, Sacred and Profane, can produce for the moft univerfally received Truth. Now, to relate the idle and abfurd Forgeries, which in Oppofition to a Truth, attefted by fuch a Cloud of Witneffes, the Malice of the Jews and the High Priefts gave out, I fay to Relate them is to Confute them. For, is it worth a serious Examination, How an inconfiderable Company of poor difconfolate Wretches, fo frighted and difmay'd, that most of them fled and deferted their Mafter, affoon as he was taken; and the ftouteft and boldest of them deny'd Him soon after; fhould, affoon as he was fo openly and fhamefully put to Death, receive on a fuddain fo ftrange and unheard of Courage, as to undertake fo rash and odd an Adventure, as ftealing a dead Body from a Band of Soldiers, fet on purpose to guard it? And this too in or der to have it believ'd, that he was risen from the Dead, by the Jews, who Crucify'd him for a Malefactor; which They them felves, who took him for the Son of God,