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Eyes, declaring that unless he fhould fee in his Hands the Print of the Nails, and put his Finger into the Print of the Nails and thruft his Hand into his Side, he would not believe. This Satisfaction the Lord foon afterwards vouchfafed to give him, not only for his own Conviction, but for the Confirmation, of the Faith of all fucceeding Generations, faying to Thomas, Reach hither thy Finger, and behold my Hands; and reach hither, thy Hand and thruft it into my Side, and be not Faithlefs, but Believing; and Thomas anfwer'd and faid, My Lord and my God.

THE Apoftles never profefs'd to tefti fy any thing concerning this Matter, but what they themselves had been Eyewitneffes and Ear-witneffes of. That which we have heard, faith St. John, which we have feen with our Eyes, which we have look'd upon, and our Hands have handled of the Word of Life, declare we unto you,

NOR did the Difciples fee their Maf ter after he was rifen, once only, or

tran

tranffently, but they convers'd 'with him very often, even forty Days together

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during which space He fhewed himself, V. Alive, faith St. Luke, by many infallible Proofs. He difcours'd with them on va rious Subjects; He cat and drank with them; He reprov'd them, and upbraide ed them with their Hardness of Belief; He expounded the Scriptures to them, and reminded them of feveral Things which he had spoken to them while he was with them before; He bleffed them, conferr'd on them proper Powers, and gave them the neceffary Directions for the Execution of their Office, after he fhould be taken from them; and then on the fortieth Day, He was, while they looked on him, received up into Hea

ven.

WHOEVER duly weighs all this, muft, I think, allow that the Apoftles themselves could not be mistaken or impos'd upon in this Matter, but muft cer tainly know, whether what they reported was true or no. And I have before Thewn, that they gave the most ample H 4 Demon

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Demonftration poffible, that they acted III. IV. uprightly, and did not impofe on others. Which two Confiderations render their Testimony wholly unexceptionable, and eftablish the Credibility of it upon immoveable Foundations. Since nothing more can be requir'd to render any Tef timony credible, than that the Party testifying appears to be neither deceiv'd himself, nor has a Mind to deceive others. The Teftimony of one fuch Witness is fure and to be relied on; much more does the concurring Teftimony of a confiderable Number of fuch Witneffes demand our Affent, and is worthy of all Acceptation.

MOREOVER God himself did in a very publick and fignal manner vouchfafe his Atteftation to the Veracity of the Apostles, by endowing them with supernatural Gifts, and enabling them to do many miraculous and wonderful Works for the Confirmation of their Teftimony. That the Wonders faid to have been wrought by the Apoftles were beyond. the Reach of human Skill and Power to effect,

effect, will, I doubt not, be confefs'd

by all. And that fuch Wonders were really wrought by them, we have as good Affurance as we have of any Facts whatsoever at fo great a Distance of Time.Luke, one of their conftant Companions, has left a Relation of many of them, which carries in it all poffible Marks of Sincerity and Fidelity. Nor were the Apostles themselves only poffeffed of the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit, but by Laying on of Hands they communicated them to many others. And both they and their Companions do in their Epiftles frequently mention them, as well known to and abounding among those to whom they wrote, and give Directions for the duly exercifing them, and for reforming the Abuses of them. The Confideration of which will not fuffer us to queftion the real Exiftence of them in thofe Churches, to which thofe Epiftles were fent. These miraculous Powers were likewife continued to the Church for fome Ages after the Death of the Apoftles, as all the

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Christian Writers of thofe Times do with one accord, and on many Occafions bear Witnefs; and do moft folemnly appeal to them, as most notorious and unanfwe rable Proofs of the Truth and Divinity of their Religion. Nor did the antient Difputants against Christianity, who had the best Means of enquiring into the Truth of the Facts, ever deny that the Apoftles did really work Miracles, but chose rather to anfwer the Argument which the Chriftians drew from them in1 Favour of their Religion, by imputing? them to the Power of magical Arts. The weakness of which Anfwer appears from hence, That it fuppofes Satan to have oppos'd himself, by empowering the Apoftles to exercife magical Arts for the fetting up a Religion, which was direct ly levell❜d against all magical and fuperftitious Practices of all Kinds; and which pursuant to its Design did, where ever it prevail'd, overthrow the Kingdom, and take away the Worship of all Demons whatfoever. Add to all this, That the furprizing Success the Apostles met with

in