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SERM, against him. Is it credible, that perfons otherwise through XXIX. all their lives ftrictly blameless and rigidly virtuous,

(even in the more heavenly parts of goodness, in humanity, meekness, peaceableness, humility, and patience,) fhould, against cleareft dictates of confcience, peremptorily and perfeveringly commit fo palpable villany, as to broach and propagate fuch an imposture; that they, all whofe demeanours and difcourfes evidently did tend to the advancement of God's glory, and promoting goodness, should fo in their hearts utterly defy God and detest goodness; or that persons in a strain incomparably folemn and serious should so plainly teach, fo ftrongly prefs, fo otherwise uniformly practise highest good-will and beneficence toward all men, while they were with all their mind and might striving to gull and abuse men? Is it conceivable, that men, otherwife in all their actions fo wife and well advised, (able to manage and to perform fo great matters,) should so zealously drive on a most vain and fenfeless project, with more unwearied industry labouring to maintain and disperse a lie, than any men befide did ever ftrive in behalf of truth? Is it not marvellous, that men in all refpects fo impotent, without any arms or aids, fhould adventure on fo high an enterprise, should with fo happy success achieve it; that naked weakness fhould boldly affault, and thoroughly overpower, the greatest might; pure fimplicity fhould conteft with and baffle sharpeft wit, fubtleft policy, and deepest learning; that rude speech (void of strength or ornament) should effectually persuade an uncouth and unpleasant tale, against all the finest and strongest rhetoric in the world? Is it not strange, that a crew of vile and base persons should fo infeparably be linked together with no other hands, than deceit and dishonesty; no truth, no virtue, no common interest helping to combine or contain them together? Is it to be believed, that men of fenfe should gratis, for no confiderable end or advantage, voluntarily embrace and patiently endure all that is distasteful to human nature, freely expofing themfelves, they knew not why, only for the fake of a story, to the fury of earth and

flames of hell; eagerly facrificing their fortunes, credits, SERM. lives, and fouls themfelves, to the ghoft of a forlorn XXIX. wretch and infamous caitiff? is it not, in fine, prodigious, that fo implaufible a falfehood upon all greatest disadvantages fhould encounter, vanquish, and triumph over truth? These are incredibilities indeed, able to choke any man's faith yet he that rejects this teftimony muft fwallow and digeft them, together with others like them of as hard concoction.

V. 12. xiv.

15. To these things we may add, that God himself did fignally countenance and ratify this teftimony; not only by conferring on the avowers thereof extraordinary graces, (invincible courage, irrefiftible wisdom, indefatigable industry, inflexible conftancy and patience; admirable self-denial, meeknefs, charity, temperance, and all virtues in an eminent degree,) not only farther by a wonderful fuccefs and bleffing beftowed upon their endeavours; but by enduing them with fupernatural gifts, and enabling them to perform miraculous works openly and frequently; So that by the hands of the Apoftles many as ii. 43. wonders and figns were done among the people, the Lord 3. xix. 11. giving teftimony unto the word of his grace, and granting figns and wonders to be done by their hands; so that with A&s iv. 33. great power gave the Apoftles witness of the refurrection of the Lord Jefus, and great grace was upon them all; (that is, there was a great appearance of the divine favour toward them, and of the divine operation in and by them.) Yielding which kind of attestation was the ancient and ufual method of God in authorizing his meffengers, and approving the declaration of his mind by them, (the seal, as it were, put to the letters credential from heaven;) nor could God afford more convincing figns than thefe of his approbation to any perfon or defign: that God did thus σUVETIμaρTUρET atteft, as the Apostle to the Hebrews speak- Heb. ii. 4. eth, together with these witneffes, if the apoftolical history (bearing in it all the characters of a fimple, faithful, and upright narration) did not relate; yet the effect of this teftimony, so speedily and eafily prevailing every where, would render it highly probable, fince in likelihood, no

SERM. human endeavour, without divine affiftance, could accomXXIX. plish a business so great and difficult: if they did no miracles, Touto μéyiσtor onμetov, this, as St. Chryfoftom says, was the greatest miracle that could be, that fuch a testimony should without any miracle prevails.

Heb. x. 23. iv. 14.

16. Now for conclufion, all these things being confidered, it is fufficiently apparent, that this teftimony is above all exception; that no matter of fact ever had, or well could have in any confiderable refpect, a more valid and certain proof: the greatest affairs in the world (concerning the rights and reputations, the eftates and the lives of men) are decided by teftimonies in all regards lefs weighty; fo that to refuse it, is in effect to decline all proof by teftimony, to renounce all certainty in human affairs, to remove the grounds of proceeding fecurely in any business, or administration of justice; to impeach all history of fabulousness, to charge all mankind with infufficiency, or extreme infidelity; (for if these persons were not able, or not honest enough, what men can ever be fuppofed fuch; who can by greater arguments affure their ability, or their integrity in reporting any thing?) to thrust God himself away from bearing credible attestation in any cafe; (for in what cafe did he ever or can he be conceived to yield an atteftation more full or plain, than he did in this? what farther can he perform needful to convince men endued with any competency of reafon and ingenuity, or to distinguish them from men of contrary difpofition, unreasonably and unworthily incredulous?) in fine, to distrust this teftimony is therefore in effect to embrace the vanity of the most wanton or wicked fceptic.

The ufe of all is in fhort this, that we fhould heartily thank God for fo clear and ftrong an affurance of the truth of our faith; that we therefore firmly embrace it,

8 Αμήχανον γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνην ἰσχὺν δυνηθῆναι τοσαῦτα ποτέ. Chryf. in Alt. i. 3. Vid. in 1 Cor. Or. v.

Si per Apoftolos - ifta miracula facta effe non credunt, hoc nobis unum grande miraculum eft, quod ea terrarum orbis fine ullis miraculis credidit. Aug. de Civ. D. xxii. 5.

XXIX.

and steadily perfevere therein; that we obey it, and bear SERM. fruits worthy thereof in our practice; that fo doing we may obtain the blissful rewards which upon those terms it propoundeth and promifeth; that we may all fo do, God of his mercy grant, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, to whom for ever be all glory and praise.

20, 21.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead Heb. xiii. our Lord Jefus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is wellpleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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XXX.

LUKE xxiv. 46.

And he faid unto them, Thus it is written; and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rife from the dead the third day.

SERM. THE words of men leaving this world (as proceeding from a depth of serious concernedness, and influenced by a special providence) are usually attended with great regard, and a kind of veneration: these are fuch, even the words of our departing Lord: the which therefore deserve and demand our beft confideration.

They respect two points of grand importance, the paffion and the refurrection of our Lord; of which I fhall only now confider the latter, as being most agreeable to the present season: and whereas there be divers particulars obfervable in them, I fhall confine my difcourfe to one, being the main point; couched in those words, thus it behoved; which import the needfulness and expediency of our Lord's refurrection: of which I fhall endeavour firft to declare the truth, then to fhew the usefulness, by a practical application thereof.

The refurrection of our Lord may appear to have been needful and expedient, upon several good accounts.

I. It was needful to illuftrate the veracity, wisdom, and providence of God, by making good what he had fignified in the ancient Scriptures concerning it; either in

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