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those who were fo; that their accounts were published on the spot, in the midst of adversaries, who had all the authority of the state on their fide, who were inftigated by political jealoufies and by religious zeal, and even pledged by the atrociousness of the crime they had committed to difprove them, if it were poffible: these are facts, concerning which it will be fufficient to obferve, that the external evidence in fupport of them is fuch, that, if it can be overthrown, the foundation upon which the belief of every distant transaction rests will be overthrown at the fame time, befides that the fcriptures afford a much ftronger internal proof of their own authenticity than any other antient writings can boast.

THAT Chrift really died upon the crofs. is a fact which has never been difputed, and which indeed could never have been

afferted,

afferted, if it had not been true. The Evangelifts affirm that many persons saw him, converfed with him, and felt him after he was rifen from the dead. In this, as in other inftances, that which the Apostles had heard, that which they had seen with their eyes, which they had looked on, and which their hands had handled of the word of life, they declared unto the world in their writings and difcourfes. It has been remarked, that in the different gospels there is fome diversity in the circumstances with which the refurrection of our Lord is faid to have been accompanied; but it has also been repeatedly and fatisfactorily fhewn, that in this diverfity there is no inconfiftence; and that it is no greater than may always be expected in relations of the fame event, written, without any preconcerted plan, by different persons, at different intervals of time,

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and addreffed to readers of different defcriptions.

To recite the inftances of Chrift's appearance after his refurrection which are recorded in fcripture is unneceffary, because they are fo generally known: to enter into a detail of the methods by which judicious critics have reconciled the feeming variations in the accounts of it would lead us too far from the principal object of our confideration. Affuming then, on the credit of what has been faid, that the Apostles and first Christians were the authors of the books contained in the new teftament, and that there is no inconfiftency in them; but without infifting on their authority as inspired writings; we can have but two reasons against admitting the testi mony they contain: either that the Evangelifts were themselves deceived, or that they intended to deceive others; that they

were

were not competent, or not faithful witneffes of the fact. For, as to those who deny to God the power of raifing a dead perfon to life, while yet they allow that he created man in the beginning, or who deny that he created man at all, they are not concerned in this argument; they have much to unlearn before they can be admitted to the examination of it.

FIRST then, it must be remembered, that it is affirmed, not that our Lord ap peared once, or at a particular hour of the night, or to any one perfon, or always to the fame perfons; but that he appeared frequently, during forty days together, at different hours, in the day as well as in the night, to several perfons, and to different perfons at different times. However, we may imagine, that one or two of the followers of Chrift, deeply affected by the circumstances of his death, musing on the probable

probable import of some of his expreffions, and affitted in their enthusiasm by concomitant circumstances of folitude, filence, and obfcurity, might, immediately after his crucifixion, have fuffered themselves to be deluded by the vifions of their fancy; it can never be seriously afferted that so great a number of them as faw him on the third day after his death fhould all be impofed on; it is abfolutely impoffible that they fhould continue to be fo, with all the means of examination which were afforded them during fo long a period. It is related that they faw him eat, that they touched his hands and his feet, that he converfed with them on various fubjects, expounding the fcriptures to them, and giving them directions for their conduct. Could they be mistaken in all this? If they could, this world affords nothing for belief to rest on.

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