which the severest rules of criticism can require, to evince that no alterations have been made in the original writings and records left us by these witnesses in any material article of their evidence since their first publication, either through accident or design; but that they have been transmitted to us in all their genuine purity, as they were left by their authors.— In such a situation of things, where so great à variety of circumstances, where indeed all imaginable circumstances, mutually concur to confirm, strengthen, and support each other's evidence; without a single argument on the other side but what arises merely from the extraordinary nature of the facts, and the admission of which inevitably leads to consequences at least as extraordinary as those the opponents are inclined to reject ;-may not they be justly accused of an unreasonable incredulity who refuse their assent to them? And will not such incredulity be as dangerous as it is ridiculous? If facts, attested in so clear, decisive, and unexceptionable a manner, and delivered down to posterity with so many conspiring signs and monuments of truth, are, nevertheless, not to be believed; it is, I think, impossible for the united wisdom of mankind to point out any evidence of historical events, which will justify a wise and cautious man in accrediting them. Where there is the strongest assurance of the occurrence of any particular series of miraculous facts,

which we are capable of acquiring, according to the present frame of our nature, and the state of things in the world; to reject these miracles after all, and the religion in attestation of which they were wrought, and to pretend to excuse ourselves from believing them, upon the bare suspicion of a possibility that they may be false, is, instead of being an indication of freedom from shackles, and erectness and greatness of mind, a highly absurd contradiction to the principles of common sense, and the universal practice of mankind. That you and I, my friend, may be preserved from such a preposterous and dangerous absurdity, is the fervent wish of

Your's sincerely.

203

LETTER VIII.

On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SEVERAL of the facts recorded in the Christian Scriptures have this to distinguish them from others, that they are intimately connected with doctrines; so intimately indeed, that the doctrine. grows out of the fact, and that, consequently, the denial of the fact causes the annihilation of the doctrine, and prevents the springing forth of those happy effects which the doctrine is calculated to produce. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact; our resurrection is a doctrine founded upon that fact. The denial of one requires the renunciation of the other. "If," says Paul, "there be no resurrection. "of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ "be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your "faith is also vain." (p) And again, "If we believe "that Jesus Christ died, and rose again, even so, "them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring "with him."(q) Thus, also, the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven is a fact; his return from thence to judge the world is a dependent doctrine. Thus spake

(p) 1 Cor. xv. 13, 14,

(2) 1 Thess. iv. 14.

the angels to the disciples at the ascension of our Lord: "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This "same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heashall so come, in like manner as ye have seen "him go into heaven." (r) "Shall come to be ad"mired in his saints, and to be glorified in all them "that believe."(s)

ven,

Hence, since the most exalted hopes of a Christian, the most animating doctrines of his religion, have, for their basis, the fact of the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ; it is requisite that his faith in that fact be firmly" rooted and grounded." And, happily, the general evidences in confirmation of so important an event flow from various and satisfactory sources: As from the predictions of Jesus Christ, that at a certain time he should raise himself from the dead- From the fact that, at this precise time, his body was not to be found in the sepulchre, although the most effectual precautions had been taken to prevent its removal From the positive testimony of many, that after this time they saw him, conversed with him, the most incredulous touched and felt him to remove their doubts, and all received from him those instructions on which they acted in promulgating his gospel From the clumsy and self-destructive story invented by the Jews in contradiction

of this fact.(t)_And from the success which attended the preaching and declaring that he was "cruci"fied and raised from the dead."

. It is not my intention to enlarge upon these various sources of evidence; but merely, assuming (as I may now, I trust, fairly do) the genuineness of the first four books of the New Testament, to describe, briefly, the leading circumstances of Christ's resurrection, and several appearances previous to his ascension; and then to adduce a few general, though, I hope, unanswerable arguments, in favour of this extraordinary event.

The circumstances of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the subsequent appearances, as they may be collected from the accounts of the several Evangelists, have been related with slight variations by different authors. The order I shall adopt appears to me as free from objection, and as little exposed to the cavils of unbelievers, as any I have met with. To render this history the more perspicuous, it may be proper to begin with reminding you, that, when Jesus Christ was led to be crucified, a great company of his friends and acquaintance followed, bewailing and lamenting him. (v) Among the rest was his own mother, who, with two more of her name, and the apostle John, stood so near him, that he could speak

(t) Matt, xxviii, 13, 14.

(v) Luke xxiii. 27.