in Contriving Man's Redemption. 2 • The Agreement of fo many, proves it was no IlluGon that depended on fancy for r'-..A/1 its Exil1ence; for deceptions of the Brain are nor common to many at once as vifible Bo- Chap. 22 . dies are, but fingular, becoufe of the variety of Fancies. If He had only appeared to...,...,...... fome Perfons fepararely, carnal R..eafon, which is ingenious ~o deceive it felf, might ob.. jeer that it was only the effell: of a diflempered Fancy, and no real objefr of Senfe. But after He had !hewn Himfdf to fame of the Difciples apart, and that holy Company was met wgether, uniting the feveral fparks, _to encourage their hop~s of his RefurreCtion, He came to them all together, and for many days converfed with them. Now who can believe that fo many 01ould be obflrufred with Melaucboly for fo long time, fo as conframly to temain under the power of a DeluGon? Befides, He afterwards appeared to five h11ndred at once: and how could fuch a number of different Ages, Sexes, Temperaments be at the fame tiine !lruck with the fame Imagination ? , Add further, If a ilrong Imagination had deceived them by Melancholy, there would have been fome difcoveries of that Humour in their Afriorts. Fqr 'tis impoffible that the Mind foindifpofed, !houldforalongtimeafr regularly. But in the whole courfe i:if their Lives not the leail extravagancy appears. Their Zeal was tempered with Prudence, their Innocence was without Folly, their Converfation was becoming their great Office. And of this we have unqueilionable Evidence: For otherwife fo many Perfons of excel· lent Wifdom had never been perfwaded by them to embrace ChriJ1iauity; neither had their Enemies fa furiouOy perfecuted them: For 'tis beyond belief that they had fo far extingui!hed the Sentiments of Humanity, as to treat the Apojllu as the moll guilty Criminals, whom they knew to be dHlrafred, and therefore worthy of Compaffion rather than Hatred. But if it he objell:ed, that it might be a Phantafot, or folid Body formed according td the likenefs of Chrifl, that abufed the Apoilles, and after fame time Withdrew it (elf; the vanity of the Objeaion is very apparent: For fuch an etfefr could not be without the operation of a Spiritual Caufe. Now the good Angels cannot be guilty of fal!hood, of which they had been in that reprefentation: For He that appear'd declar'd himfelf to be Jifiu that fuffer'd; neither would the evil ufe fuch an Artifice. The old Serpent was too wife to promote the belief of Chriil's Refurreaion, which is the Foundation of Chri!lianity: an inilitution mail holy, that would defrroy his Altars, difcredit his Oracles, bring Glory to God, and Happinefs to Man, to both which he is eternally oppofite. ~y all which it appears there was no deceit in the Subject nor Object. 4· l'hey feal'd it with their Blood. This lail proof confirms all the other. If a Perfan of clear fame affert a thing, which he is ready to maintain with the lofs of his Life, there is no rea fan to doubt of the truth of his Depofition. 'Tis no wander that PhiloIlratus, a bold Grecian, to Chew his Art, painted ApoUo11i1u Tjn:ntelu as a Demi-God, ex· empted from Death, and cloa<hed with Immortality. But if he had been drawn from his Study, where he dreil that Idol of Iniquity, to appear before the Magiflrates to give an account of the truth of his Relation, he certainly would have renomiced his pretended Hero rather than have given his Life for a Lie. Now the Apo[Ues endur'd the moll cruel Death, to confirm the truth of their Teilimony. And what could pofiibly induce them to it, if they had not been certain of his Refurreaion? Could Love to their dead Ma!ler animate them to fuffer for the honour of his Name? This is inconceivable: For He promis'd that He would rife the Third Day, and afcend to Heaven, and make them partakers of his Glory: So that if He had lain in the rottennefs ofthe Grave, What charm, what ilupidity was able to make them preferve fo high a Veneration for a Deceiver? Nothing could remain in them but the Memory and Indignation of his ImpoO:ure. Now if it be the difiate of natural Reafan, that the concurrent Te!limony of t..o or three credible Perfons, not weaken'd by any exception, is fufficient to decide any caufe of the greateO: moment, that refpefrs Life, Honour and Eilate; how much more !hould the Atteilati?n of the Apofiles ~ut this great Truth beyond all doubt, Gnce they parted with their ~tves, the mail prwous poffeffion in this World, for it? and which is infinitely more, tfDeceivers, they would certainly be deprived of Eternal Life in the next? In !hart, fince the Creation, never w:~.s a Tefiimony fo clear and authentick..., the Divine Providence fo or~ ?ering the CircumO:ances, that the Evidence !hould he above all fufpicion. Neither did tt ever happen, that any thing affirm'd by fa many, and fuch worthy Perfons, was ever fufpefred, much lefs found to he falfe. 'Tis the mail unreafonable !lifnefs not to yield an intire Affent to it. for there would be no fecure foundation of determining innumerable weighty Cafes, if we !hould doubt of Things reported by tb.e moft credible circumfpefr Perfons, fince we can be certified by our Senfes but "of a few Objefrs. Ll 2 I !hall
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