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cred Pen-men, were no improper Objects of our Saviour's Kindness to them, and the Scripture's "Silence concerning their future Lives, and the Intelligence from the other World, may, in a great measure, be accounted for; fince there could be no Mistake in their Deaths, nor any Circumftances in the whole Story, denoting a Fallacy in their Refurrection; fince, in the Cafe of Lazarus particularly, the whole Procefs was fo order'd, as to take away all imaginable occafion of Sufpicion, and the bloody Refolves of the Jewish Couccil thereupon, and our Saviour's Retreat from Jerufalem for his Security, were no more, than what, an inveterate Prejudice in them, and a Principle of Self-Prefervation in him, may be well fuppofed to fuggeft; fince all thefe Articles, I say, have been proved to be thus, the Evangelifts are acquitted from the Imputation of Forgery; their Hiftories from the Charge of intrinfick Abfurdities and Incredibilities; and our Saviour's Conduct, in working these Miracles, from the railing Accufation of Fraud and Impofture: and fo we are come, at laft, to his own Refurrection.

SECT.

SECT. XXII.

of CHRIST's own Refurrection.

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UT his own Refurrection, as The Obthe Evangelifts have related it, jection

"is the moft notorious and monftruous "Imposture, that was ever put upon "Mankind. Pity it is indeed, that we "have not the Books, which were an"ciently written against Jefus and his "Actions, for they, doubtlefs, would "have given us an Infight into the whole "Contrivance. However, this Com"fort we have, that the very Account, " which is given by the pretended Wit"neffes of this Fact, is enough to de"ftroy the Credit of it. To this pur"pose we must remember, that, after "Jefus was crucify'd, and his dead "Body laid in the Sepulchre, the Go

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vernors of the Jews, calling to mind, "that he, in his Life-time, had pro"mised to rife again the third Day, and, "confidering withal, that he had many "Difciples and Followers alive, who "would be ready enough to combine Bb 2

Bp. Sherlock's Trial of the Witneffes.

« in any Fraud to verify their Mafter's

"Prediction, addrefs'd themselves to "Pilate, the Roman Governour, and of "him obtain'd a Guard to watch the "Place: nay, and to prevent any fu“ ture Fraud, the Chief-Priefts took a "farther Method, and feal'd the Door "of the Sepulchre, upon Agreement "with the Apoftles, that the Seals fhould

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not be open'd, till the time appointed "for the Refurrection, in order that all "Parties might fee, and be fatisfy'd, "whether the dead Body was come to "Life or no. This was a fair expedient, one would think, to determine the Difpute; but, instead of this, we find "the Seals broken, without the Confent

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or Privity of the Chief-Priefts, and the "Body ftolen away by his Difciples, a "whole Day, before he himself had "fpoke of his Refurrection, and early "in the Morning, when the Guards έσ were faft afleep, as they themselves " acknowledg'd.

"And indeed, had there not been fome fuch Management as this in the "Cafe, we can hardly conceive, why Jefus, after his fuppos'd Refurrection, "did not appear perfonally to the Chief"Priefts and Rulers of the Jews. Him

they had crucify'd and put to death,

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" as a Deceiver and falfe Prophet; to "them did his Commiffion in a more ef"pecial manner relate, and therefore, "for his own Juftification, as well as "their Conviction, it was in a manner "neceffary for him to manifeft his Re"furrection. For, fince his Refurrecti66 on is acknowledg'd to be the chief "Proof of his Miffion, the Evidence of "it fhould certainly have been fo or"der'd, as to put it beyond all poffibi"lity of Exception: But, instead of this, "we have none, but a Set of his own "Creatures, who call themselves Wit"neffes chofen before of God, to attest a "Matter of fuch Confequence. "Tis " acknowledg'd indeed, that in Testi<< mony of these Fictions, they perfift"ed with great Conftancy and Refolu❝tion; but, as it is no uncommon "thing to meet with Enthufiafts, who "will fuffer to the uttermoft in vindi"cation of Falfhoods, and fometimes to "meet with harden'd Villains, who will ❝even adventure to die in an obftinate "denial of the Truth; we may, from "the whole, conclude, that these pre"tended Witneffes of Jefus's Refur"rection, were either filly enough to "be impos'd on themselves in what "they attefted, or, for fome private Bb 3 "Views

The Lofs

Books no

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"Views or other, wicked enough to en"deavour to impofe upon others."

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The Refurrection of our Saviour of Anti- Chrift is the great Point, upon which cbriftian the whole weight of Chriftianity rests; and therefore, as our Faith can never great Differvice to be too well grounded herein, whatever the Infidel Objections have, in any Age, been advanced against it, are not unworthy our Confideration. 'Tis much to be wished therefore, that the Antichriftian Books, whofe lofs is fo much lamented, were extant at this Day, if it were but to ftop the Mouths of their Admirers, who would not, I am confident, boast so much of them, if they had them, as they now do, that they want them. Whatever the ftrength of Wit or Malice can do, our modern Patrons of Infidelity have not left unattempted; and 'twould be a Dif paragement to their fine Parts, and compass of Thinking, to imagine, that any of the Ancients could affift them in their Enquiries. If we may be allow'd to take the Character of Porphyry (one of the moft ftrenuous oppofers of Chriftianity, whofe Books Theodofius the Emperor order'd to be burnt) from Eufebius, who had feen and read them, we cannot but

Dr. Pearce's Vind. Part 1. p. 1. Defence of Script. Hift. p. 50.

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