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the love and fear of God. It will also follow, that these enemies of God and godliness (who were so profane, as, against their own light, to propagate this imposture in the name of God Almighty) did not only give up the hopes of future happiness, but all the comforts of this life also, in vindication of this known falsehood; that to this end they encountered every thing that is most terrible and affrightening to human nature, and even the most cruel and barbarous death, without the least possible hope of advantage, either in this world or that to come.— -For they did know, and could not but know, that they were going themselves, and leading their followers, upon the pikes of their numerous and potent adversaries, without any prospect beyond the grave (upon the supposition before us) but of eternal damnation. And what still increases the absurdity of this supposition is, that not one of these ever retracted this known falsehood, even in the article of death; but boldly suffered the most shameful and painful deaths their adversaries could inflict, rather than confess the truth. What, sir, can you possibly imagine of such conduct as this? That these men were not mad and distracted, appears evidently by their works, which, though plain and familiar, are the most consistent, divine, and rational, that ever appeared in the world. Here must therefore be a continued scene of miracles, one way or other. It must at least be allowed miraculous, for so many men, knowingly and continually, to act in direct opposition to all their interests, comforts, and hopes; and run counter to all the principles of humanity, to all the springs of action, that were ever known among men.

Let us now try the second supposal; and inquire whether it is possible, that the reporters of these facts, and all other spectators of them, had their senses im

posed upon, by any legerdemain trick, juggle, or deceit ? Whether, for instance, the senses of the apostles were imposed upon for some years together, while there appeared to be daily miracles wrought by their Master before their eyes? Whether the senses of whole multitudes were imposed upon, that they really thought they saw the sick healed, the dead raised, &c.; and these things repeated again and again, for a long track of time, when there was indeed nothing at all in it? Whether the witnesses of our Lord's resurrection were imposed upon, when they supposed they saw him, after his death, ate and drank, and conversed familiarly with him for forty days together, and beheld him taken up to heaven before their eyes? And whether all the first churches were imposed upon, when they imagined that they saw miracles repeatedly wrought among them; and that they had themselves miraculous gifts and powers? If these extravagant suppositions are allowed, of what service can our senses be to us; and how can we any way be certain of any thing whatsoever? We may as reasonably imagine, that our whole life has been one continued dream; and that in reality we never saw, heard, felt, thought, spake, or acted any thing at all. Here likewise you must necessarily allow a continued course of miracles, one way or other. At least it must be allowed miraculous, that so great a part of the world should all lose their senses together; and yet all of them imagine that they had all this time their senses in their full exercise.

Let us next consider, whether the last of the suppositions, that the whole history of the miracles wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles was an aftergame, a mere piece of forgery obtruded upon the world in some distant time after the facts were pretended to

be done, will appear more reasonable than the others already considered.

I have spoken something to this in my second letter, to which I refer you: and shall now only add some hints further to illustrate the case before us. If this last case be supposed, the forgery must have been palmed upon the world, either before or after christianity had generally obtained. If this false history was thrust upon the world in some distant age after the facts were pretended to be done, before christianity had generally obtained, it will then follow, that all the historians of those times (christian, jewish, and pagan) have united in confederacy, to give us a false account of christianity's immediately succeeding the crucifixion of Christ, not only in Judea, but in all parts of the roman empire. That they do all agree in this report, is what you must acknowledge; but how they came to unite in relating such matters of fact, which they all (upon this supposition) must know to be false, is what no man can possibly imagine. If this was done after christianity had obtained, it will follow, that a great part of the world renounced the religion in which they had been educated, for the despised doctrine of the cross, and for a life of continued contempt, misery, and peril, without knowing the reason why; and altogether ignorant of the foundation upon which their new religion was built. For, if they professed christianity before they knew the history of Christ's life, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, and before they had heard of the apostles' progress and miraculous works, with the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, which accompanied their ministry; then they all agreed to sacrifice their most valuable temporal interests, and multitudes of them endured the most terrible deaths, in a cause which they knew nothing

great part of the world ran mad at once, most unaccountably; and from these madmen, christianity is descended down to the present time.

It may be further observed, that upon the supposition before us, it will follow, that in whatever distant age from these pretended facts this history was palmed upon the world, all men at once must have been persuaded to believe for truth what they knew to be false. These histories declare, that they were written by the apostles, and immediate disciples of our Lord; that the authors of these histories did propagate the gospel through the world, did send these writings to the churches, to be kept in their hands, as the rule of their lives, and the directory of their conduct; and that, in fact, multitudes of the several nations were instructed, and baptized into the faith of christianity. Now, was it possible, at any time whatsoever, after those pretended facts, that these nations could be ignorant, whether these books and this religion were handed down to them by their progenitors? Could not every one of the nations, who are in these books said to have been converted to christianity, at once conclude that they had never heard any thing of this nature before; and therefore that these histories were all false and spurious, and consequently not worthy of the least notice? Is it possible, that the world should agree to venture both time and eternity upon such a known falsehood? Could all the world at once be gulled by such glaring and open forgery and deceit ? In a word, these books were many of them directed to large societies of men, in different parts of the world; were early translated into divers languages, in which they are still extant; have been publicly kept and publicly read in the churches; have been appealed to by all parties and

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sects; and never called in question as a forgery, either by the friends or enemies of the christian cause. All these things put together, we have as much certainty, that these histories are not, cannot be forgery or imposture, as we can have of any thing whatsoever not immediately open to our senses.

Now, sir, let us sum up this evidence, and see what the conclusion must be.

All mankind must own, that if the history of these facts be true; if the Lord Jesus Christ did perform so many astonishing miracles for so long a time together, in justification of his Divine mission; if he did himself rise from the dead, commission his apostles to their work, endow them with the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, and empower them, by the imposition of their hands, to communicate the same miraculous gifts to others, here was certainly the greatest interposition of Heaven in favour of the christian institution, that can possibly be imagined or conceived. The power and veracity of God himself were at stake in this case for they were both appealed to, in confirmation of the truth; and both in the most amazing manner displayed, in answer to that appeal. All doubting in this case is therefore a calling in question the truth and faithfulness of God himself, as well as his power. If this history be not true, then all the known laws of nature were changed: all the motives and incentives to human actions, that ever obtained in the world, have been entirely inverted; the most wicked men in the world have taken the greatest pains, and endured the greatest hardships and misery, to invent, practise, and propagate the most holy religion that ever was: and not only the apostles and first preachers of the gospel, but whole nations of men, and all sorts of men, christian, jew, and pagan, were (nobody can imagine

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