tho' he knows not why, gives him a great deal of eafe and liberty, and he can Sin bravely without a check from his Confcience for it. Suppofing then these five Brethren to be but of this lower form of Irreligion, which is, in all reafon, enough for Gentlemen, yet would they be able quickly to difourfe, or laugh themfelves out of that fear, which they had, it may be, been furprized with. Firft, They would make fome queftion of it, whether this Lazarus, whom they once knew well enough to have been alive, had indeed ever been dead. Why might he not have been fecretly hid, or convey'd out of the way for a time; and to make the World believe he was dead, fomething or other buried in his ftead? Why might not fuch a Cheat as this be put upon the World, that whenfoever he fhould have a mind to appear abroad again to those who once knew him, he might be taken for one that was rifen from the Dead, and fo the better impose what fine Stories he pleas'd on the Faith of credulous Men? Such Tricks as this have fometimes been done, and therefore we may well fuppofe, that fuch Men as thefe would not believe, without fome Enquiry and Search into the Truth of Lazarus his having been dead. And then, Secondly, fuppofe, That Lazarus's Friends do all that is in their power to do, to fatisfie them touching his Death, they witnefs for him that they faw him die, and buried, and they bring others to teftifie the fame. Well, when all this is done, might not these Gentlemen again raise another Question, to wit, whether all these had not entred into a combination to put a Trick upon them. Why might not this be à Plot cunningly laid to abuse them? Such Confpiracies

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Confpiracies there have been, and why might they not fufpect this to be fo too? However it was, what better reafon could they have to believe Lazarus his Friends concerning the Reality of his Death, than they had to believe a great many more far more credible Witnesses concerning the Truth of the Things recorded in Holy Scripture? Wee'll yet go on, and fuppofe, Thirdly, That thefe Men were convinced that Lazarus had been dead. But then fuppofing this, doth it follow, that they must alfo believe, that this Thing which appeared and spake unto them was that very Lazarus who had been dead? Might they not here again be at a stand, and doubt that it might be fome other who came in his Name? Suppofe they once knew Lazarus very well, and thought him that appeared unto them very like him, was this enough to make them believe it was he? May not one Man be very like another, and fo be mistaken for another? And might not fome fuch Man be found, who was fo like Lazarus, that they who faw not him and Lazarus together, and had been no more intimately acquainted with Lazarus than they had been, who may well be fuppofed not to have been fo curious as to take notice of every Feature in the Face of a defpicable Beggar, take one for the other? And might not they who had a mind to abuse them, pollibly find out fuch a Man as this to abuse them with, and hire him to be their Tool to that end? Such a Thing might be, and therefore they who disbelieve the Holy Scripture for this Reafon, because they fuppofe it not impoffible that it may be falfe, might, for the fame reafon, not believe this to be Lazarus, for they could not think it impoffible

impoffible, that it might be fome other like him. They might fufpect him for an Impoftor, and a cunning Fugler coming either of his own Accord, or fent in by fome others, who had hired him to put them into a fright.

I do not fee, how Men of their Principles, who will not be fatisfied with any thing lefs than that which excludes all poffibility of the contrary, could be convinc'd that this was Lazarus, or any other from the Dead; unless they were first fatisfy'd, that it was really the Ghoft or Spirit of Lazarus without any Body. For, as long as they perceiv'd any thing of a Body, they would still fufpect fome trick or juggle in it, knowing what Feats of that kind have been, and may again be done by the art of deceivers. Therefore,

Thirdly, We will proceed in our conceffions, and fuppofe that these Brethren were no Sadducees, who own'd neither Angel or Spirit, nor any immaterial Subftance. We will fuppofe them to believe that there are Spirits. And fo I think it neceflary to fuppofe they muft, before they could be perfuaded by one who pretended to come from the Dead. But then tho' they believ'd that there were Spirits, and more than fo, that this thing that now appear'd unto them was one of thofe Spirits Yet, might they not think themfelves oblig'd to believe all that fuch a Spirit should tell them, as a certain truth. Why must they believe this Spirit upon his own bare word. Are there not evil and malicious Spirits, as well as good ones? And how fhall they diftinguish the. one from the other? Or, how fhall they know of which of the two forts this Spirit is? Why may he not be one of thofe malicious Spirits, which

envy the prefent happiness of Men here in this World, and hating them, endeavour all they can to make their life miferable, and them weary of

it; and would therefore afright them with a lie out of their pleafant way of living, that they may spend the remaining part of their time in forrow and fadness? If it be faid, that this was the Spirit of Lazarus, who was known to be a very good Man, and therefore cannot be suspected to have any fuch malicious defign against them. Might they not ask again, how they could be fure of that? Might not an evil Spirit call himfelf Lazarus? May not one Spirit, for ought we know, be like another, that is, appear in the fame likeness? And, is it eafy to conceive, that if a Spirit can appear in the likeness of a living Man, than fome of these malicious Spirits might appear in the likeness of Lazarus, as well as of any other Man? But fuppofe it were indeed the Ghost of Lazarus: How, might they fay, can we be fure, that Lazarus was indeed fo good a Man, as Men took him for? Why might he not have been a clofe Hypocrite, notwithstanding all his feeming Piety? And if fo, as he might befo, for ought that any Man can tell,why may not the Gheft of Lazarus be one of thofe lying Spirits, feeing his whole life was (for ought we know) a lie? Lazarus, 'tis true, found but little refpect and kindness from our Brother or us in his life time, and he may, 'tis very likely now, remember it, and ftudy how to be reveng'd on us for it. He envied our happiness then, beCaufe he wanted it; and it may be is yet tormented with thoughts of it, and in this Spiteful and malicious way he labous to affright us out of thofe

thofe pleafures, which he himself would always fain have enjoy'd, but could not. He has, 'tis poffible, a particular Quarrel with our Brother, who is now Dead, and he would now perfuade us, and all the World, to have a very ill Opinion of all fuch Men as he was, and make us believe that all fuch fhall be miferable when they die, lying (as he faith he faw him lie) in torments. We have, however, yet but the bare word of one Spirit for all this, and whether it be a true or a lying Spirit none can affure us. However, it is the Spirit of our Enemy, if he call himself by a right Name; one that we have reafon to think, bears us no good Will. He tells us, that the Spirits of fuch as we are, fhall be tormented; he had, indeed, heard this often enough told us by thofe who pretended to minifter to our Souls, and hath not his leffon now to learn. He knows it may be, that there are no torments at all in another World, but that all Souls are there alike, and fare no worse one than another; only he has a mind to be reveng'd on us, if he can, for not relieving him heretofore; and he has no other way to do it, but to perfuade us to lose all our prefent pleasures. Suppofe now another Spirit fhould appear to us, and call himself by the Name of our late dear Brother; whether he fhould contradict or confirm all that this had told us, we fhould ftill be at as great an uncertainty as ever. For whether he were the true Spirit of our Brother, or any other Spirit, and whether good or bad, we could not know. And therefore fhould he tell us all over again the fame Story that this hath told us, it might ftill, for ought we could tell, be a forged tale of a malicious Spirit; and if

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