In the Words there are plainly couch'd these Heads of Discourse, which I fhall at prefent infift upon.

I. That the Doctrine of the Refurrection was the great Article which our Saviour, and his Apoftles infifted upon, to prove the Truth of Christianity. We have teftify'd."

II. That if the Doctrine of the Refurrection be not true, the Apoftles were Deceivers. Then are we found falfe-Witnesses of God.

III. That the Teftimonies they gave of this were plain, and full, and abundantly fufficient to quit them from that Charge. We have teftifyed of God, that he raised up Chrift.

IV. What may be the Force and Practical Improvement of all this.

I. That the Doctrine of the Resurrection was the great Article, which our Saviour and his Apoftle infifted upon, to prove the Truth of Chriftianity. Amongst the many Atteftations which Almighty God gave of the Divinity of our Saviour's Perfon, and the Truth of his Miffion; I think there is none fo often appeal'd unto; none which the Apostles lay fo much stress upon (even to the ftaking the Credit of the whole Gofpel, and their own

I 4

Sal

Jo. 2. 14.

15.

v: 8. 18.

Salvation) as this of his Resurrection from the Dead. Thus, when our Saviour had shown that brave Act of Courage and Zeal towards the House of Prayer, in driving the MoneyChangers out of the Temple, which they had prophaned by their Merchandize, their Sheep, and their Oxen; the fews prefently take him to task for it, faying, What Sign fhewest thou unto us, feeing thou doft thefe Things? i. e. What Commiffion doft thou bring with thee? What Authority haft thou to fhew from God? Or by what Miracles doft thou juftify this thy bold and rafh Attempt?. He bids them try an Experiment upon him; punish me, or put me to Death for this, and then you fhall fee who I am, and what Authority I have. Destroy fays be this Temple, and in three Days I will raife it up again. He spake of the Temple of bis Body. Again, when the Pharifees defired him to give them fome Sign of his being the Mat. 12. true Meffiah, he tells them, that there shall be

. 20.

V. 21.

39.

no Sign given unto them, but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas. That as Jonas was three days and three Nights in the Whales Belly, fo fhall the Son of Man be three Days and three Nights in the Heart of the Earth. Thus likewife, after he was rifen and afcended; the Apoftles, and thofe he left behind him to propagate his Religion, made it their principal Bufinefs to teftify and confirm his Refurrection to the World. This St. Peter gives as the Reafon why there fhould be a Surrogation and new Choice of an Apoftle to fucceed into the Room

of

of Judas the Traytor, viz. That he might be a Witness with them of the Refurrection, And Acts 1.22. a little after we are told, that with great Power the Apostles gave Witnefs of the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift. And indeed, whenever they were put upon the Proof of any Article of the Chriftian Faith, this they always urged as the great Argument. This is plainly the Subftance and Design of this whole Chapter. And St. Peter proves that God bath ap- Ch.17.31 pointed a Day, in which he will judge the World in Righteousness, because he bath given Affurance unto all Men, in that be raised Chrift from the Dead. And again, Let all the Ch. 2. 36 Houfe of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made this fame Jefus, whom ye have crucifyed, both Lord and Chrift. And in what there follows, you may read the Effect it had upon them; they were presently tranfported into an Extafie of Faith and Repentance; when they heard it, they were pricked in their Heart, and faid unto Peter, and to the reft of the Apoftles, Men and Brethren what fhall we do? v. 37. So conftantly did the Apoftles preach, and give Teftimony to the Doctrine of the Refurrection.

For this being the great Confirmation of our Saviour's Divinity, to disbelieve it, is in effect to renounce the whole Gospel. Remove this Foundation; fay that Jefus Chrift did not arise from the Dead the Third Day, and that, in Confequence thereof, there fhall not be a general Refurrection, and wherein is

the

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the Christian Religion better than that of Nature, or of Mofes, of Numa, or of Mahomet? Perhaps you will fay, in the Purity and Perfection of its Precepts; true; but what small Influence would the Precepts of it be upon the depraved Nature of Man, if they were not back'd with the Belief of a Refurrection from the Dead, and an everlasting World? This may be fufficient to fhew, that the Doctrine of the Refurrection was the great Article of Faith infifted upon by Chrift and his Apostles.

II. The Second Head of Difcourfe was this. That if the Doctrine of the Refurrection be not true, the Apoftles were Deceivers. Then are we found Falfe-Witnesses. Nay, I will add further, they were the greateft Deceivers that ever appeared in the World, and that for thefe two Reasons.

1. Because otherwife they offered the greateft Affront to God.

2. Because they put the greatest Cheat upon Men.

1. If the Refurrection be not true, the Apoftles offered the greatest Affront to God; in that they ufurped his Name, and counterfeited his Authority. This they pretended to upon all Occafions, and continually bore the People in Hand, that they were commiffioned, and fent by God; that they were his Commands

Acts 3.11.

12.

mands which they preached, and his Cause that they managed and laboured in. Thus, when they were imprifoned for Preaching this Acts 5.28. Doctrine, and the High-Prieft charged them 29with this Accufation, faying, Did we not Araitly command you, that you should not teach in this Name? and behold you have filled Fe rufalem with this Doctrine; they unanimously anfwered, We ought to obey God rather than Men. The God of our Fathers raised up Fe v. 30. fus, whom ye flew and banged on a Tree, and we are Witnelles of thefe Things, and fo is al fo the Holy Ghost. Nay, they affumed to v: 32. themselves, the Authority of God, in the higheft Acts of his Omnipotency, viz. in the Power of Miracles. Thus, Te Men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye fo earneftly on us, as tho' by our own Power or Holinefs, we bad made this Man to walk. The God of Abraham, and of Ifaac, and of Jacob, hath glorified his Son Fefus; and his Name, through Faith in his Name bath made this Man ftrong, whom ye fee and know. If then, it be an Aggravation of the Sin of a Deceiver, that he abused the Name and Authority of another; if it be a Capital Crime to forge the Credentials of an Earthly Prince, how much more is it fo to ufurp the Authority, and counterfeit the Broad-Seal of Heaven? So that if the Apostles did falfify in this Matter, they did it in the highest Instance, and in the moft heinous Manner poffible. But this will appear further, if we confider,

2.

That