tracting it afterwards, they could have delivered themselves from their Sufferrings; but rather than do either of these they chose to fuffer. It was not the Hope of faving their Lives that put them upon giving their Teftimony, or with-held them from retracting it (which is the Case of Criminals) but it was on the Account of this very Teftimony that they died, tho' it was in their Power to have fav'd their Lives by fuppreffing or retracting it. These two Cases then, of Criminals and of the Apoftles, are fo far from being parallel, that they are utterly unlike; and in the moft material Circumftances directly contrary the one to the other.

A

BUT others perhaps may think that the Cafe of thofe who have fuffered Martyrdom for a falfe Religion does more nearly refemble that of the Apoftles. For Men have died for falfe Religions, and for falfe Doctrines as well as for the True; as all know, who know that contrary Doctrines, of which one muft neceffarily be falfe, have had each their

SERM,

IH, IV!

SERM.

III, IV.

4

-Martyrs. Wherefore a Man's dying for any Opinion affords no conclufive Argument that that Opinion is true. But then it is the beft Argument in the World of the Sincerity of the Man, and that he did inwardly embrace that Opinion which he outwardly profefs'd. If a Man fuffer Extremities, and part with his Life for the Sake of any Doctrine, he undoubtedly gives the fureft Demonstration that it is in the Power of Man to give that he is in Earneft, and does himself verily believe the Doctrine for which he dies to be true. And therefore the Apoftles and other Witneffes of the Refurrection of Jefus, by fuffering Extremities, and parting with their Lives for their Teftimony, did give the utmost Demonstration, that it was in the Power of Men to give, of their own Veracity and Sincerity, and that they did themfelves really believe what they teftified to others. Now all that we defire to infer from the Sufferings and Martyrdom of the Apoftles is this, That they were true Men, who acted fincerely and uprightly

fightly in this Affair, and did not intend to deceive Mankind. For if this be once granted, as by unprejudiced Judges I think it must be granted, that the Apoftles did Believe themselves, and had ho Defign to impofe on others, nor did knowingly atteft a Falfhood; we shall eafily compleat our Demonftration of the Credibility of their Evidence, by fhew ing farther, That they could not be impos'd 'on themselves in this Affair, but did moft certainly, nay could not but neceffarily know, whether the Matter of their Teftimony was true or falfe.

་

IN Opinions and nice Speculationis founded on Principles not rightly and thoroughly understood, and deduc'd by 'many fubtle Reafonings difficult to be apprehended, and by a long Train of Confequences hard to be attended to and retain'd in Memory, even honest and induftrious and judicious Enquirers eafily may, and often do mistake; and in confequence of fuch their Mistake may suffer for Error, fuppofing it to be Truth. But in Matters of Fact, which are the proper

H 2

SERM.

HI, IV.

SERM.

III, IV.

proper Objects of the Senfes, and which actually come under the Notice of Mens Senfes, this cannot happen to careful and diligent Obfervers. Here, if any where, Men may always arrive at Certainty without mixture of Doubting, and beyond all Poffibility of Miftake. Now the Teftimony of the Apoftles, which we are now difcourfing of, did not con cern any speculative Opinion, but a matter of Fact, which must be confefs'd to be a proper Object of Senfe, and which after the most careful Obfervation and Examination they declared themselves fully affur'd of by their own Senfes.

THE Apoftles had convers'd familiarly with the Person whose Resurrection they teftified, and were his conftant Attendants for feveral Years together before his Death. By his Death they had been parted from him not full three. Days, when he appear'd to them Alive. They faw him; they heard him; they handled him. They examin'd his Hands and his Feet, which had been lately nail'd to the Grofs, and his Side which had been

pierc'd

pierc'd with a Spear. By which means SERM.

"

III,IV:

they were abundantly convinc'd that he was really a living Man, and that he was no Phantom, nor any other Person than their Mafter Jefus. And indeed in thefe, Circumstances it was evidently impoffible that any other Perfon fhould pass for him. Here is no ground to charge the Apostles with Credulity. So far from that, that when certain Women reported to them that the Body of Jefus was miffing out of the Sepulchre, and that they had feen a Vifion of Angels, who told them he was alive, and that one of them had herself feen the Lord; their Words feem'd to them as idle Tales. And yet no good Reafon can be given why this Evidence of the Women, tho' difbeliev'd by the Disciples, and derided by Infidels, fhould be difregarded, fince the Women had Eyes and Ears, and might certainly know what they had feen and heard. And when the reft of the Difciples reported to Thomas that they had seen the Lord, he rejected their joynt Testimony, and infifted upon feeing him with his own Eyes,

H 3