the most effectual methods to prevent the growth of a religion that was fo exceedingly offenfive to them; and they must, no doubt, have been fenfible, that the most effectual method would be to remove what the chriftians themselves alledged to be the foundation of their faith, namely, the credibility of the miracles, which they afferted to have been wrought, and to be at that very time wrought in its favour. And it appears from the Gofpels and the book of Acts, that the enemies of christianity did give the closeft attention to the miracles of Christ and his apoftles, and not being able to question their reality, they had recourse to fuch hypothefes to account for them, as any unbeliever of the prefent age would be ashamed of.

Had christianity given no alarm in Judea at the time when it was firft propofed, or had the heathen philofophers and magiftrates taken no notice of it till after the death of the apoftles, the evidence of the truth of christianity would not have had the strength which it now has, from confi

dering that Chrift himself was fo obnoxious to the Jewish rulers, that they put him to death, and that so violent a perfecution was raised against the disciples of Christ, beginning with the very year of his ascension, that only one of the apoftles, and hardly any other perfon of much eminence among the chriftians, died a natural death, but died martyrs to their religion; and that all the primitive christians, without exception, fuffered very great hardships.

The various circumftances which concur to authenticate the miracles of Chrift, and the apostles, are well collected into one view by Dr. Jortin, and with it I fhall conclude this fection. They were wrought by perfons who folemnly appealed to God, "and who often declared that they would

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perform them. They were wrought in "a public manner, before enemies and un"believers, in a learned age, and civilized "countries, not with any air of oftentation, or for the fake of worldly advantage, "but in confirmation of precepts and doc"trines agreeable to reason, and useful to mankind,

"mankind, and at a time when their ene"mies wanted neither power nor inclina"tion to expose them if they had been im

postures, and were in no danger either "of being infulted by the populace, or perfecuted by the civil magiftrate for ridiculing the christians.

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"Thefe miracles were also various and "numerous, they were of a permanent na

ture, and might be reviewed and re"examined; they had nothing fantastical "or cruel in them, but were acts of kind"nefs and beneficence. Miracles having "ceafed for a long time before Chrift appeared, the revival of them raised the greater attention. They were attefted by proper witneffes, were acknowledged by adverfaries, were foretold by the prophets, and fuch as the Jews expected "from the Meffiah, and actually converted "multitudes."

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Confiderations on the refurrection of Christ, and other facts of a fimilar nature.

TH

HE refurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact of fuch particular confequence to the truth of christianity, and is fo remarkably circumftanced with refpect to its evidence, that it well deferves a diftinct confideration. To this fact our Lord himself had appealed, as one confiderable evidence of his divine miffion; and though he fpake figuratively when he gave his enemies warning of it, it is plain that he was fufficiently understood by them. For no fooner was he dead, and laid in the fepulchre, than the chief priests and rulers of the Jews informed the Roman governor concerning it; and, to prevent any poffibility of their being impofed upon by his difciples ftealing the body, and pretending that

he

he had rifen from the dead, they obtained a guard of Roman foldiers to watch the fepulchre continually; and left the foldiers themselves fhould have been bribed, or, by any other method have been gained over by the difciples, to connive at their scheme of conveying away the body, they fixed a feal to a very large ftone, which covered the mouth of the fepulchre.

Having used thefe precautions, which feem to have been all that human prudence could have dictated, they, no doubt, concluded that, if the disciples should make any attempt to break the fepulchre, they could not but have been obferved, and prevented; or if the difciples fhould have brought an armed force, fufficient to overpower the Roman guard, at leaft fome refiftance would have been made; and the carrying off the body by violence could have answered no purpose whatever; fo that, upon the whole, they might reft affured that, if the body was not found when they came to infpect the fepulchre, the removal muft have been effected