mented: Their Gain was Misery; their Recompence, Hatred from the World; and their End, in the Eyes of Men, was Deftruction. These are the Proofs of their worldly Cunning and Policy, and the Refults of their deep-laid Defigns. But how will you fupport the fufpected Credit of one from the Dead? He comes, and tells his Story, goes off, and there is an end of him: And unless you can prove there are no evil Spirits, or no evil Men dead, you cannot clear him from the Sufpicion, nor fathom the Depth of his Defign: He appears to you like the Wind, the Sound of which you hear; but whence it comes, or whither will liften it goes, you know not. If you to the Evidences of the Gofpel, we will fhew you in whom we have believed; we will fhew you Men like ourselves, armed with the Power of God, with Innocence of Life, with Patience in all manner of Affliction, and at last fealing with their Blood the Truth of their Miffion. But, if you cannot digest this Evidence, in vain do you call out for Help from the other World; for neither would you be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. And this will farther appear,

Thirdly,

Thirdly, By confidering the Temper of Infidelity: For where Unbelief proceeds, as generally it does, from a vitiated and corrupted Mind, which hates to be reformed which rejects the Evidence, because it will not admit the Doctrine, not the Doctrine, because it cannot admit the Evidence; in this Cafe all Proofs will be alike, and it will be loft Labour to ply such a Man with Reafon or new Evidence, fince it is not Want of Reason or Evidence that makes him an Unbeliever. And this Cafe chiefly our Saviour seems to have in his View; for the Request to Abraham to fend one from the Dead was made in behalf of Men who lived wantonly and luxuriously; who, as the Pfalmist expreffes it, had not God in all their Thoughts. The rich Man in Torment could think of no better Expedient to rescue his Brethren from the Danger they were in of coming into the fame Condition with himself, than fending one from the Dead to admonish them, and to give them a faithful Account how Matters ftood there, and how it fared with him. To which Abraham answers, that they had already fufficient Evidence of these Things; that they wanted no Means of Knowledge, if they would make ufe of those they had: D 3 They

They have Mofes and the Prophets, let them bear them. But ftill he infifts, Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the Dead, they will repent. Then follows the Text, which is the last Resolution of this Cafe, If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. And indeed where Infidelity is the Effect of fuch profligate Wickedness, it deserves not so much Regard from God, as that he should condescend to make particular Applications to it by new Lights and Evidences: And should he do it, there is Reafon to fufpect it would be ineffectual. We fee, in the ordinary Course of Providence, many Judgments beftowed upon Sinners to reclaim and amend them; but they harden themselves against them; fo that their last State is worse than their firft. I will not answer for the Courage of Sinners, how well they would bear the Sight of one from the Dead; nay, I am apt to imagine it would ftrangely terrify and amaze them. But to be frightened and to be perfuaded are two things: Nature would recover the Fright, and Sin would recover Strength, and the great Fright might come to be matter of Ridicule. How cafy would it be, when the Fright was over,

to

to compare this Event with the many ridiculous Stories we have of Apparitions, and to come at length. to mistrust our own Senfes, and to conclude that we were mifled; like a Man in a dark Night who follows an Ignis fatuus? And, what is worse, when the Infidel had once conquered his own Fears, and got loose again from the Thoughts of Religion, he would then conclude, that all Religion is made up of that Fear which he felt himself, which others cannot get rid of, though he fo manfully and happily fubdued it. You may think it perhaps impoffible, that a Man fhould not be convinced by fuch an Appearance: The fame I believe you would think of the Judgments which befel Pharaoh, that it is hardly poffible any Man fhould withstand them; and yet you fee he did: Nay, did not the Guards, who were Eye-witneffes of our Saviour's Resurrection ; who faw the Angel that rolled away the Stone from the Mouth of the Sepulchre; who fhook and trembled with Fear, and became as dead Men; did not they, after all this, receive Money to deny all they saw, and to give falfe Evidence against the Perfon they beheld coming from the Grave? So, you fee, it is in the Nature of Man to withftand

D 4

ftand fuch Evidences, where the Power of Sin is prevalent.

Besides, there are many Sinners, who are not Infidels: They may believe Mofes and the Prophets, though they will not hear them, that is, obey them. Now fhould one come from the Dead to these Men, the most they could do would be to believe him: But that does not imply their obeying him; for they believe Mofes and the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, and yet obey not them; and why should Obedience be the Confequence of Belief in one Cafe more than another? There can be no greater Arguments for Obedience than the Gospel affords; and therefore he who believes the Gofpel, and disobeys it, is out of hope to be reformed by any other Evidence. So that, confidering this Case with respect to all manner of Infidels or Sinners, there is Reason in our Saviour's Judgment; If they will not bear Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, though one rose from the Dead.

And hence perhaps we may learn the Reafon, why this fort of Intercourfe between the other World and this is fo very rare and uncommon, because it could ferve no good End and Purpose; for God having already