when he afcended to the right Hand of his Father to be our perpetual High-Priest and Mediator: For, as the Apoftle argues, if, when we were Enemies, we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, fhall we be faved by his Life; i. e. by his Refurrection to Life and to Glory.

This Account, as it gives the true Interpretation of the Text, fo likewife does it fhew of what great Moment the Resurrection of our Lord was, which was to be the Bafis and Support of the whole Christian Institution, and the Ground of our Hope and Faith in him. That Chrift died the Death of a common Malefactor, after a Life spent in Innocency, and a conftant and laborious Teaching of the great Duties of Religion and Morality, was but common to him, and others before him, whom God had raised to be shining Lights of the World. Thus the Prophets of old were perfecuted and destroyed by fundry kinds of Death: But in their Blood there was no Expiation for Sin: The Blood of Abel and of the Prophets spoke no fuch Language, but cried to God for Vengeance against a cruel and a guilty World. Had Chrift died like one of them, and been no more heard of, how fhould we have believed that his Death had atoned for

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all the rest of the Blood that had been spilt from the Foundation of the World? or that the whole Earth had obtained Remiffion of Sin from God by deftroying one more, and him the greatest of all the Prophets, in the moft cruel Manner? But, when our Lord rofe from the Grave, and brought back with him the Pardon which he had fealed with his own Blood; when, inftead of executing Wrath upon his Enemies, he fent again the Offer of Peace and Reconciliation, and took upon himself to be their Mediator and Interceffor, as he had already been their Sacrifice; what Room was there to doubt of the Efficacy of his Death, the Efficacy of which was fo undeniably confirmed by his Resurrection? or what Reason to mistrust the Salvation he offered others, when, by faving himself from the Power of Death, he had given the fulleft Evidence how able he was to fave others alfo? The most incredulous of his Enemies defired him only to come down from the Cross, and they would believe him: But how much better Reason had they to believe him, when he came, not from the Crofs, but from the Grave, which was by much the furer Hold, and from which before no Mortal had ever efcaped! How undeniable was this Teftimony of God's

Love to Mankind, that, after the ill Reception his Son had found among them, after all the cruel Usage he had experienced, and the ignominious Death he had fuffered, he yet fent him once more from the Grave to convince Unbelievers, and to proclaim and confirm the Pardon he had purchased for them!

His first Coming was attended with a mean Birth and narrow Fortune, his Education was fuitable to his Condition, and the greatest Part of his Life spent in Obscurity : He had no Form or Comeliness that we should defire him; he was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief: And, when he fell a Victim to the Malice and Rage of the People, his best Friends, the conftant Companions of his Sorrow, gave him over for loft; they esteemed him ftricken and fmitten of God: All their Hopes died with him, and the Remembrance of his Miracles and mighty Works was buried in the fame Tomb with himself; and nothing lefs was thought of, than that this was he who fhould redeem Ifrael from all his Sins. But, when he came again from the Bosom of the Earth, having subdued the Powers of Darkness and of Death, then was he declared to be the Son of God with Power; and the Glory as of the onlybegotten

begotten Son of God fhone clearly through the Veil of Flesh which had so long obfcured it. And from thenceforth our Faith has stood, not in the Words which the Wisdom or Cunning of Man teacheth, but in the Power and Demonstration of the Spirit of Life: And we can with Affurance fay, We know in whom we have trufted, expecting Life and Salvation from Him alone, who is the Lord of Life anu Giory. But, after all, if the Resurrection of Chrift is the Support of all other Articles of the Christian Faith, how is itself fupported? To our common Apprehenfion nothing more incredible than that a Man dead and buried fhould be restored to Life again.

To go into the Particulars of the Evidence of this great Event, recorded in Scripture and the oldest Writers of the Church, would open too large a Field of Discourse at prefent: And indeed there are some Objections which naturally arise in the Minds of Men, which ought previously to that Inquiry to be removed; for the great Difficulty at which Men ftick, does not arife fo much from the Nature of the Evidence we propose, as from the Nature of the Thing itself. The Prefumptions against the Poffibility of a Refurrection operate fo ftrongly in the Minds of

fome,

fome, that they think it needless to inquire what Evidence there is for it, being perfuaded that the Thing itself is not capable of being supported by any Evidence. This Prejudice was a very early one; for the Apostle expoftulates this Cafe with King Agrippa, Why Should it be thought a Thing incredible with you that God fhould raise the Dead?

Let us confider the Force of this Expoftulation, and fee whether it is strong enough to encounter the Prejudice.

Now, nothing can be faid to be incredible, if there is a Power in any Person able to effect it; for, if there is fuch a Power, that Power may bring into Existence that very Thing which you doubt of; and it cannot be incredible that a Thing fhould exist, which may poffibly really exift. If we confider only the Strength of Children, it is incredible that they should build Castles; but, if we confider the Strength and Ability of Men, it would be ridiculous to doubt whether they could, or no. So that the Credibility or Incredibility of any thing depends on knowing whether there is, or is not, a Power adequate to the Undertaking. The Resurrection of the Dead is in truth a

very stupendous Work: But neither you nor I am to undertake it: If it depended on us,