most effectual helps to the practice of all goodness, and tendering the best encouragement thereto; and upon this account therefore also most worthy of God. So that indeed God could not be conceived to perform such a miracle to better purpose, than for promoting the designs it pretendeth, being so very great, and so very good: it could not be improper for the Divine power to be thus exerted in favour of a religion so apt to promote his glory, and to procure our benefit.

If it be said, that it is absurd or improbable, that God should choose to perform this miracle upon a person of this sort; one so mean and obscure in the state of his life, so wretched and infamous for the manner of his death; that God rather should have chosen, for the interpreter of his mind and minister of his purposes, a personage more illustrious in rank, and clear in repute; I answer, first, that our shallow fancy is a bad and incompetent judge of what is reasonable or absurd, convenient or unfit in such cases, touching the counsels of God; who seeth not as man seeth; whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor ways as our ways; whose folly is wiser than men ;' (that is, whose counsels, however seeming strange to our dim apprehensions, do yet far excel the results of our best wisdom ;) before whom, whatever is high among men is abominable; with whom the wisdom of this world is folly; whose judgments are unsearchable, and his ways are past finding out; as the holy Scriptures teach us; and as good reason, considering the vast distance between God and us, must acknowledge:

1 1 Sam. xvi. 7; Is. lv. 8; xl. 13; 1 Cor. i. 25. 2 Luke xvi. 15; 1 Cor. v. 13; xxxvi. 7. Job. xi. 7.

Rom. xi. 33; Ps. xcii. 5;

1

so that no such appearance of incongruity can
bottom a good exception against this, or any such
matter; otherwise well attested. I say, further,
that God's choice herein, being weighed by a pure
and well-disposed mind, will appear upon many
accounts full of admirable reason and wisdom; all
the Divine economy concerning our Lord, being
rightly apprehended, will soon appear wisdom to
the perfect,' and will be justified by the children
of wisdom;' as that wherein God's transcendent
goodness, and perfect justice, and glorious power
are with greatest advantage displayed; whereby
the hearts of men are most sweetly comforted un-
der their sense of sin, and fear of misery; their
minds are most clearly instructed in the ways of
duty and happiness, their affections are
are most
strongly excited and encouraged to the practice of
all goodness' to such purposes, (for causes, which
were it now seasonable, we could produce,) our
Saviour's low condition and hard circumstances did
admirably serve; and therefore upon that score it
could not be unlikely, that God should raise him
from the dead.

3. But neither (which is the most considerable point) is the testimony asserting this fact anywise defective or insufficient, but hath all the conditions imaginably requisite to the most entire assurance of any such matter. The defect in the testimony, if any be, must arise from weakness or from wilfulness in the witnesses, (their want of knowledge, or mistake, their want of honesty, or their unfaithfulness,) or from some circumstances belonging to their persons or their testimony, able to invalidate

1 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7, 14; Matt. xi. 19.

their attestation; but none of these things can with reason be supposed; they were in all respects more than competently qualified to attest, and all considerable circumstances do assist in confirming their attestation, as by weighing the considerations following may appear.

1. As for their number, it was not one or two persons, (although one or two ordinarily do suffice for decision of the greatest cases among men,) but many who conspired in asserting it. 'He was (saith St. Paul, one who was conversant with these witnesses, who, of a zealous adversary and fierce persecutor of this testimony, did become an earnest avoucher thereof) seen of Cephas, then of the twelve, after he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present." And this Jesus (say the twelve apostles) hath God raised up, whereof all we are witnesses.' Twelve there were who principally were designed, and did take it for their especial duty to attest this matter; besides many others, who in their order were able and ready to do it.'2

2. These witnesses were no strangers to Jesus, but persons by long conversation most familiarly acquainted with him; who had (as it is said, and as it was notorious) been with him from the beginning, who went out and in with him all the time (that is, for three years' space) from his baptism to his ascension.3

3. They did aver themselves to be eye or earwitnesses of the matter, as fully informed about it as senses could make them: We cannot but speak

1 Cor. xv. 5, 6.

46

2 Acts, ii. 14, 32; v. 32; i. 22; x. 39.
* John, xv. 27; Acts, i. 21, 22.

Luke, i. 2.

what we have heard and seen."1 What we did see with our eyes, and what our hands did handle of the word of life, that we report unto you;" so St. John (the beloved disciple, who constantly attended on his dear Master) expresseth his testimony. And, We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty;' so St. Peter affirmeth concerning the manner of their testifying these matters. They did, I say, hear and see him, and that with all advantage possible or needful, not once or twice, not in passing or at distance, not in way of glimpse or rumour; but often, for a good time, thoroughly; many days conversing and interchanging discourses with him; 'who (as St. Peter in the name of the rest saith) did eat and drink with him after that he rose from the dead.' And, 'to whom (as St. Luke, their companion, from their mouth, in our text saith) also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God;' and 'He was (saith St. Paul, another familiar of theirs) seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.' And two of these witnesses (St. John and St. Matthew) are in writings extant relaters of passages occurring in their conversation with him, very many, very sensible as can be.

4. We may also consider that the chief of these witnesses, the apostles themselves, were at first (as

'Acts, iv. 20.
4 Acts, x. 41.

2 1 John, i. 1.
5 Ib. i. 3.

3 2 Pet. i. 16.

6 Ib. xiii. 31.

St. Luke of them and from them confesseth) so far from being easy or credulous in regard to this matter, that hearing it from others, who before had seen our Lord risen, they took it for a trifle or a fiction; and gave no credence thereto: 'their words (saith the text) did seem to them (a toy or) an idle tale, and they believed them not." Yea, some of them would hardly confide in their own eyes, nor would yield assent unto the fact appearing to them, until by letting them touch him, and showing them the marks of his crucifixion remaining on his body, he demonstrated himself to be the very same person who had lived with them and died before them: They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit'-' And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered,' &c. are words in the history. 2

5. Upon these grounds, as they professed, they did, without any mincing, hesitancy, or reservation, in the most full, clear, downright, and peremptory manner, with firm confidence and alacrity concurrently aver the fact: They spake the word of God with boldness-and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.''

Which things being weighed, it will appear impossible, that the attesters of this fact (supposing them in their wits and senses; and certainly they were so, as presently we shall show, and as the thing itself plainly speaks) could not be ignorant therein, or mistaken about it. For if all the senses of so many persons in a matter so grossly sensible, so often

1 Luke, xxiv. 11; Matt. xxviii. 17.
Luke, xxiv. 37, 41; John, xx. 27.
3 Act. iv. 31, 33, xiv. 3.