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his happiness in this life, and in all his hopes for futurity? Befides, if prescription must be allowed in this cafe, how will you deal with it in others? What will you fay to the ancient Perfians, and their firealtars? Nay, what to the Turks, who have been long enough in poffeffion of their faith to plead

Mr. B. I beg pardon for interrupting the gentleman: but it is to fave him trouble. He is going into his favourite common-place, and has brought us from Perfia to Turkey already; and if he goes on, I know we must follow him round the globe. To fave us from this long journey, I will wave all advantage from the antiquity of the refurrection, and the general reception the belief of it has found in the world; and am content to confider it as a fact which happened but last year, and was never heard of either by the gentleman's grandfather, or by mine.

Mr. A. I fhould not have taken quite fo long a journey as the gentleman imagines, nor, indeed, need any man go fo far from home to find inftances to the purpose I was upon. But fince this advantage is quitted, I am as willing to fpare my pains, as the gentleman is defirous that I should. And yet I fufpect some art even in this conceffion, fair and candid as it seems to be. For I am perfuaded, that one reafon, perhaps the main reason, why men believe this hiftory of Jefus, is, that they cannot conceive that any one should attempt, much lefs fucceed in fuch an attempt as this, upon the foundation of mere human cunning and policy; and it is worth the while to go round the globe, as the gentleman expreffed himself, to fee various inftances of the like kind, in

order to remove this prejudice. But I ftand corrected, and will go directly to the point now in judg

ment.

Mr. B. My Lord, the gentleman, in justification of his first argument, has entered upon another of a very different kind. I think he is fenfible of it, and, feeming to yield up one of his popular topics, is indeed artfully getting rid of another; which has made a very good figure in many late writings, but will not bear in any place, where he who maintains it may be asked questions. The mere antiquity of the refurrection I gave up; for if the evidence was not good at firft, it cannot be good now. The gentleman is willing, he fays, to fpare us his hiftory of ancient errors; and intimates, that upon this account he paffes over many inftances of fraud, that were like in circumftances to the cafe before us. By no means, my Lord, let them be paffed over. I would not have the main ftrength of his cause betrayed in complaifance to me. Nothing can be more material, than to fhew a fraud of this kind, that prevailed univerfally in the world. Chrift Jefus declared himfelf a prophet, and put the proof of his miffion on this; that he should die openly and publicly, and rife again the third day. This furely was the hardeft plot in the world to be managed: and if there be one inftance of this kind, or in any degree like it, by all means let it be produced.

Mr. A. My Lord, there has hardly been an instance of a false religion in the world, but it has alfo afforded a like inftance to this before us. Have they not all pretended to infpiration? Upon what foot

did Pythagoras, Numa, and others fet up? Did they not all converse with the gods, and pretend to deliver oracles?

Mr. B. This only fhews that revelation is, by the common confent of mankind, the very best foundation of religion, and therefore every impoftor pretends to it. But is a man's hiding himself in a cave for fome years, and then coming out into the world, to be compared to a man's dying, and rifing to life again? So far from it, that you and I and every man may do the one, but no man can do the other.

Mr. A. Sir, I fuppofe it will be allowed to be as great a thing to go to heaven and converfe with angels, and with God, and to come down to the earth again, as it is to die and rife again. Now this very thing Mahomet pretended to do, and all his disciples. believe it. Can you deny this fact?

Mr. B. Deny it, Sir? No. But tell us who went with Mahomet? who were his witneffes? I expect, before we have done, to hear of the guards fet over the fepulchre of Chrift, and the feal of the ftone: what guard watched Mahomet in his going or returning? what feals and himself pretends to none.

credentials had he? He His followers pretend to We are now to confider

nothing but his own word. the evidence of Chrift's refurrection, and you think to parallel it by producing a case for which no one ever pretended there was any evidence. You have Mahomet's word, and no man ever told a lie but you had his word for the truth of what he said ; and therefore you need not go round the globe to find such inftances as these. But this ftory, it is faid, has gained great credit, and is received by many nations.

Very well and how was it received? Was not every man converted to this faith with the fword at his throat? In our cafe, every witness to the refurrection, and every believer of it, was hourly expofed to death: in the other cafe, whoever refused to believe, died, or, what was as bad, lived a wretched conquered flave: and will you pretend these cafes to be alike? One cafe indeed there was within our own memory, which in fome circumftances came near to the cafe now before us. The French prophets put the credit of their miffion upon the refurrection of Dr. Emmes, and gave public notice of it. If the gentleman pleases to make use of this inftance, it is at his fervice.

Mr. A. The inftance of Dr. Emmes is fo far to the purpose, that it fhews to what lengths enthusiasm will carry men. And why might not the fame thing happen at Jerufalem, which happened but a few years ago in our own country? Matthew and John, and the rest of them, managed that affair with more dexterity than the French prophets; fo that the refurrection of Jefus gained credit in the world, and the French prophets funk under their ridiculous pretenfions. That is all the difference.

Mr. B. Is it fo? And a very wide difference, I promise you. In one cafe, every thing happened that was proper to convince the world of the truth of the refurrection; in the other, the event manifested the cheat; and upon the view of these circumftances, you think it fufficient to fay, with great coolness, that is all the difference. Why, what difference do you expect between truth and falfehood? What diftinction

Judge. Gentlemen, you forget that you are in a

court, and are falling into dialogue. Courts do not allow of chit-chat. Look ye, the evidence of the refurrection of Jefus is before the court, recorded by Matthew, Mark, and others. You must take it as it is you can neither make it better nor worse. These witneffes are accused of giving falfe evidence. Come to the point; and let us hear what you have to offer, to prove the accufation.

Mr. B. Is it your meaning, fir, that the objections fhould be ftated and argued all together, and E that the answer fhould be to the whole at once? Or would you have the objections argued fingly, and answered separately by themselves?

Judge. I think this court may dispense with the ftrict forms of legal proceedings, and therefore I leave this to the choice of the Jury.

After the Jury had confulted together, the Foreman

rofe up.

The Foreman of the Jury. We defire to hear the objections argued and answered separately. We fhall be better able to form a judgment by hearing the answer, while the objection is fresh in our minds.

Judge. Gentlemen, you hear the opinion of the Jury. Go on.

Mr. A. I am now to disclose to you a fcene, of all others the most surprising. "The refurrection "has been long talked of, and, to the amazement of every one who can think freely, has been believed "through all ages of the church." This general and conftant belief creates in moft minds a prefump

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• Sixth Discourse, p. 17.

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