Contempt of worldly Things, which fet SERM. them above thofe Temptations by which Men are ufually fway'd to make use of indirect and difhoneft Arts.

III, IV.

NOT only a few of their Scholars and their earliest Succeffors, whofe Writings are ftill extant, had this great Opinion of them; but vaft Multitudes of People of all Degrees and Profeffions, and in all Countries, who had been converted by their Preaching, and were Eye-witnesses of their Conversation, gave moft convincing Proofs that they entertain'd the higheft Veneration for them. The whole Catholic Church, taken out of all Nations and Languages, receiv'd their Doctrines as the Declarations of God, and fubmitted to their Injunctions as to Divine Constitutions; and this without Compulfion, without the Perfuafions of Elowithout any View to temporal quence, Intereft, generally at their Peril, and to their Difgrace, and oftentimes to their great Inconvenience, and the enduring moft painful Sufferings; to the Lofs of Goods and Eftate, and even of Life.

Now

Now it is utterly inconceivable that fo numerous a Body of Men, fo widely dif pers'd, fhould all confpire to act at this Rate, had not the Apostles by an unblameable and fhining Behaviour gain'd to themfelves the Character of Men of God; the Reputation of more than ordinary Probity and Sanctity; and had they not by perfevering in fuch Behaviour maintain'd that Character and Reputation to the end.

THE Atteftation of fo large and diffufive a Society as was the Universal Primitive Church to the Character of the Apostles is of itself sufficient to bear any Stress that may be laid upon it; and is befides very much confirm'd by their own Writings, in which there is not the least Sign of Cheat or Impofture, but all poffible Appearance of Truth and Honefty. There is every where visible in them the greatest Plainness and Simplicity; and there runs thro' them fuch a Spirit of Piety and all Virtue, as feems inimitable by any but fuch as are indeed endow'd with thofe Qualifications which

the

SERM.

IH, IV:

SERM. III, IV.

the Apoftles are reported to have been Mafters of.

IF to all this we add, that their Enemies, antient or modern, were never able to fix upon them any Imputation tending to derogate from their Credit; altho' it very much concern'd them to do this, and they undoubtedly would have done it, had they been able; nothing more need be faid to establish the general Character of the Witneffes of the Refurrec tion.

AND in this particular Tranfaction there is no manner of likelyhood that they were Guilty of any Fraud, or were influenced by any indirect Views. But there are the strongest Reasons to believe that they acted from Principles of Conscience, out of pure Zeal for Truth, and with the greatest Integrity.

THE Apoftles were, almost all of them, fimple and illiterate Perfons, who made no Figure, nor had any confiderable Intereft; of mean Parentage and Education, and in low Circumstances. This is generally acknowledged even by

the

the Adverfaries of Christianity, who have from hence rais'd an Objection against it. That a Company of fuch Perfons as these should ever once entertain a Thought of Profelyting the World to themselves, by fpreading a Story which they themselves knew to be falfe, and which it was not likely any would haftily and upon flight Grounds admit to be true, in order to introduce a Religion which was to subvert all other Religions already establish'd, and which was directly contrary to the Lufts and Paffions, the Errors and Vices of all Mankind; That they should ever hope to fucceed in fuch a Defign as this, without any human Affistance or Prospect of it, under the greatest Difficulties and Disadvantages, and maugre the moft violent Opposition all the World would be fure to make against it; That notwithstanding all Discouragements and Obftacles, they fhould by fuch wife and effectual Methods profecute it, as actually to accomplish it, and thereby bring about the most important and remarkable Revolution that ever was; is a Thing fo

SERM.

III, IV.

SERM. III, IV.

very remote from all Probability, fo very near to Impoffibility, that he who credits it, muft credit a Thing much harder to be beliey'd than the Refurrection itfelf.

LET US confider in what Manner, and by what Methods the Apostles carried on their Defign, and fee whether they afford any juft Grounds to suspect a Forgery. It is undeniable, that they began to teftify the Refurrection of their Master, not after a long Interval of Time, but quickly after he had been publickly crucified, while the Circumftances of his Death and Burial were fresh in every ones Memory, and the common Topics of all Conversation. Not in a Country far diftant from the Scene of Action, but in the very Place where their Master had been lately put to Death and buried ; where the Actors in that Tragedy, and many alfo of the Spectators refided; and where all Perfons had the best Opportu nity of enquiring into and knowing the Truth. Not to a few only, not privately and in Corners; but in the Face of

the