it would be incredible indeed. It is the Work of God, and of Him only: And furely I have named One of Credit and Power fufficient to be trufted in this great Affair. And this is St. Paul's Argument, Why fhould it be thought incredible that God fhould raife the Dead? Whoever therefore affirms that a Refurrection is in itself a Thing incredible, muft affirm that it is incredible that God has Power to raise the 'Dead. And now confider who it is that can confiftently with the common and allowed Principles of Reason and Nature deny this Power to God. No one certainly, who admits that God made the World, can entertain this Doubt: For, if God has given us the Life we now enjoy, what should hinder him from reftoring Life again, after this is loft? Can there be more Difficulty in giving Life the fecond Time, than there was at first? If there be any Contradiction therefore in the Notion of a Resurrection, there must be the very fame in the Notion of Creation. And therefore Natural Religion is just as much concerned in this Point as Revelation: For, though the Belief of the Fact, that the Dead fhall be raised, depends on Revelation; yet our Belief that God has Power to raise the Dead depends not on Revelation,

Revelation, but on the clear Dictates of Reason, of that Reafon by which we difcover him to be our Creator. And, if you doubt even of this his Power of Creation, you must bid adieu to all Religion at once : For, if God created not the World, how are you at all related to him? If he did not make us, what Right he has to govern us, or what Pretence to our Obedience, neither you from Nature, nor we from Revelation, can ever be satisfied.

The Power of God being admitted to be equal to this Work, the Queftion of the Refurrection of Chrift comes to be a Question of Fact: And, though I propose not to enter into the Evidence of the Fact, yet

it

may be proper to obferve, That a Refurrection, confidered as a Fact, is a Fact as capable of Evidence as any whatever; it is an Object of Senfe, of every Sense by which we judge of the Reality of Things

without us.

We are told, that Chrift died, and rofe again. Of his Death, I fuppofe, there is no great Doubt: Die he certainly did: And surely there could be no more Difficulty to fee and know that he was dead, than in knowing when others were dead, from Adam to this Day. One would think, therefore,

that

that those about him, who faw him crucified and buried, might be trufted when they report that he died.

But he came to Life again: Very true; and it was very eafy for those who conversed with him to know whether he was alive, or no, There was no more Difficulty in judging of his being alive, than of judging, in any other Cafe, whether those we converse with are alive, or no. His having been dead and buried could not poffibly alter the Cafe, or create any Difficulty in judging whether he was really alive, or no, So that the Refurrection, confidered as a Fact, was in every Part of it an Object of Senfe, and as capable of being well attefted as any other Object of Sense whatever. Lay thefe Things together, the Promise of God to give us Life eternal, his Power to make good his Word, the Confirmation he has given us of our Hope by the Refurrection of Chrift; and what is wanting to make the Belief of this Article a rational Act of Faith?

The Promises of God have never borrowed Help from moral Probabilities. The Promises to Abraham were not of this kind; fo far otherwise, that it is said of him, that, against Hope, he believed in Hope; that is, he hoped, where, humanly speaking, there was

no Ground for Hope. There was no Probability that his Seed, who was a Stranger and Pilgrim on Earth, fhould inherit the Land of Canaan, poffeffed by great and powerful Nations,

The Promise of a Son to him, when he and his Wife were both too far advanced in Years to expect one in the ordinary Course of Nature, was contrary to Experience and to natural Probability. But what says the Apostle? Abraham, not being weak in Faith, confidered not his own Body, now dead, when he was about an hundred Years old, neither yet the Deadness of Sarah's Womb.-But he Staggered not at the Promife of God, — being fully perfuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform. This Reliance on the Promises of God, against all the Prefumptions of human Experience and Probability, was the very Thing, as St. Paul tells us, that was imputed to him for Righteousness.

Compare now this Cafe with the Cafe of Chriftians. We have great Promises made to us by God in Christ Jesus, the Promises of a Refurrection to Life. Inquire of the World; they know of no fuch Thing, the Ages past have afforded no Inftance of this kind, and, as far as they can fee and judge, daily Experience is a Witness against this Hope.

Under

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DISCOURSE VII.

Under thefe Difficulties, whither shall we go. for Refuge and Support? whither! but to the Promises of God, and to this full Perfuafion, That what he has promised he is able to perform. If we hold fast this Perfuafion, and stagger not through Unbelief, then shall we indeed be the Children of the Faith of Abraham, whofe Faith was imputed to him for Righteousness: For, as St. Paul tells us, this Teftimony of Abraham's Faith was not written for his fake alone, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raifed up Jefus our Lord from the Dead. Here then is the great Article of Christian Faith, even of that Faith which will be imputed to us for Righteoufnefs: It is a firm Confidence and Reliance upon God, under this peculiar Character, That he is the Raiserup of the Dead, and will, according to his Promife, raife us to Life eternal.

For the Confirmation of this Hope and Faith God raifed his own Son from the Grave; who for that Reafon is faid to be raised for our Justification, fince upon the Authority and Credit of his Refurrection depends that great Article of Faith by which alone we are to be juftified.

As the bleffed Fruit of this Faith is to all true Believers Life and Immortality, fo it