neffes, and to them he afterwards appealed for what they faw and heard, viz. a light furpaffing that of the fun at noon-day, and the found of a voice, though they did not diftinguish the words, that were directed to him.

As to the Gentiles, nothing can be imagined more unpromifing than the miffion of the apostles to them. The pride of the Jews, and the contempt with which they treated other nations, had given rife, as was natural, to an equal degree of hatred and contempt on their fide; fo that nothing coming from a Jew, was at all likely to be favourably attended to by them. The heathens in general, and the Greeks and Romans in particular, were most strongly attached to the rites of their religions, and thought the obfervance of them neceffary to the profperity of their feveral ftates. The graveft magiftrates dread'ed the difcontinuance of them, and the profligate and licentious among the heathens, gave a loose, as I have fhewn, under the fanction of religion, to their favourite vicious propenfities, in the greatest latitude. The learned and philofophical among the heathens, looked with the greateft contempt on the plainnefs

8

plainnefs and want of eloquence in the apoftles, and other preachers of Chriftianity. In this ftate of things, then, was it to be expected that the heathen world in general, would be at all credulous, with refpect to miracles wrought by fuch men? On the contrary, the preachers of Chriftianity had nothing to expect but the extreme of incredulity. In fact, great numbers could not be brought to give the least attention to any thing that was reported concerning them, or to look into any of their books. Dr. Lardner obferves, that it is pretty evident that even Pliny, who gave the emperor Trajan an account of his proceedings against the Chriftians, and his examination of them, when they were brought before his tribunal (and he was a man of letters), had not read any of the books. of the New Teftament, or any other writings of Chriftians, which were unqueftionably extant. If, therefore, the new religion did make its way, it must have been against every poffible difadvantage, and history fhews that this was the cafe.

5. In order to fecure credit to accounts of miracles, there must be both opportunity and motive, for examining into the truth of the

facts.

facts. Now, the miracles being numerous, a circumstance on which I have already enlarged, gives opportunity for examination; fo alfo does that of their continuance fome space of time, and this was the cafe with refpect to many, I may say almost all the miracles, which have been already mentioned, particularly the feveral plagues of Egypt, none of which were momentary appearances, but all were of fome days continuance. Such, also, was the paffage through the Red Sea, and the river Jordan, one of which took up a whole night, and the other a whole day. The fame was the cafe with refpect to the delivery of the ten commandments from mount Sinai, but more especially the miracle of the manna, and the pillar of cloud and fire, which continued forty years.

The cures performed by Jefus, though instantaneous, produced lafting effects, especially his raising of the dead, as of Lazarus, which, as we read, excited much curiofity to fee him afterwards. Our Saviour's own appearance after his refurrection, was not like that of an apparition in the night, but always in the day time, and confequently repeated. His first appearance was when his difciples

had

had no expectation of any fuch thing, fo that they could not have been deceived by their imaginations, and afterwards by particular appointment, fo that they had time to recollect themselves, and to procure any kind of fatiffaction that they wanted; and this continued. the space of forty days before his afcenfion, which appears to have been leifurely, fo that they who were prefent ftood gazing fome time, while they faw him go above the clouds. He did not leave them in a private manner, and go they knew not whither.

But the best opportunity for examining the truth of any facts, is when fome perfons affert, and others deny them, and when they are at the fame time much interested in the event of the inquiry, as by having what is most dear to them depending upon it. Aud this was remarkably the case with respect to the refurrection of Jefus. With refpect to his miracles, and alfo those of the apostles, there does not appear to have been any difpute about them, by those who were then in the country. They only afcribed them to a falfe caufe. But Jefus not appearing to all perfons after his refurrection, and especially not to his enemies, but only to his friends,

though

though in numbers abundantly fufficient for the purpose, his enemies denied that fact.

The fact, however, was of fo very important a nature, that we cannot doubt but that it must have been thoroughly investigated, much more fo than any other fact in all hiftory, because infinitely more depended upon it, than upon any other fact whatever. For in a very short time, fuch was the rage of the rulers of the Jews against the rifing sect, that not only were the peace, and the property, but the lives of the Chriftians at ftake, and these they would not give up for an idle tale. At the fame time their perfecutors, who were the men in power, ftimulated by hatred and oppofition, would leave nothing untried to refute the story. This ftate of things began immediately after the refurrection of Jefus, and continued about three hundred years, during all which time the Christians, though expofed to grievous perfecution, kept increafing in number, till at the time that Conftantine was advanced to the empire, it was not only fafe, but advantageous to him to declare himself a Chriftian. We may therefore be fatisfied, that the great fact of the refurrec