Prejudices and Averfions, which have hitherto hindered them from fo doing.

They must leave off all their quibbling and difputing, and take whatever they find plainly reveal'd in the Gofpel; remembring, That tho infinite wisdom and goodness can never poffibly oblige them to believe any thing that is really abfurd and contradictory, or do any thing which is unreafonable; yet they may be obliged to believe and practife many things, which unconquered prejudice may tell them are abfurd and unreasonable, and which they may think to be fo, by ufing themselves to judge of the ways of God too much by human rules and measures.

These inferences, I hope, will be allowed to be just and good, upon the Hypothefis, that the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift is a certain Truth.

W from hence follows this Corollary: That fince the danger thefe Gentlemen are in, upon the Hypothefis of the Truth of Chrift's Refurrection, is fo very great; they muft either have very clear and convincing proofs to themselves, that that Doctrine is neither true, nor even probably and likely to be true; or elfe the peace which they enjoy under an uncertainty about that matter, is not the peace of wife men. The reafon is, because otherwife their eafe and quiet have no foundation that is truly rational to fupport them.

The peace which wife men enjoy, is a quiet and compofed temper of mind, refulting from mature thought, and a ferious confideration of circumftances. When all accounts being carefully ballanced, and things duly compared on every fide, a man finds nothing that sticks, fufficient to raise a just scruple, or caufe any degree of pain or remorfe; this is a rational repofe: And whatever quiet proceeds not from this caufe, deferves no better

name

Name than that of Mechanical; as owing its rife either to ignorance, or contempt of danger, or to fome arts and management of the body, used to divert the mind from the sense of it. But how wretched a fhift is this! Men must be very hard put to it indeed, when things are brought to that pass, that their ease and quiet must be the mere effect of a voluntary incapacity to judge of the reasons they have to be uneafy. Methinks a man who manages himself after this manner, is in no better a Cafe than he whom the power of wine has thrown into a found fleep on the top of a precipice; who is fecure for no other reason, but that he has loft his fenfes. It is not difficult for men, by tampering with the Machine, to induce a fatal Stupor or Listlessness upon their minds, and fo bring themselves into a pleafing Infenfibility of all things that tend to frighten or disturb them, tho' they are the moft neceffary in the World to be thought of: So a guilty malefactor, by the charms of an Opiate, forgets the horrors of an Execution-day, and enjoys all the pleafures of a fool's paradife, till death comes to awaken him.

But who reckons fuch a one any other than defperate, in all the falfe pleasures he enjoys? Or who thinks it a rational repofe, for a man in any circumftance whatfoever, to banish Thought and Fear, and give himself up to Mirth, and Diverfion, when his cafe is doubtful, and there is but a chance for his escaping fome fearful calamity, which may furprize him the next hour?

And I cannot fee, but that the gentlemen, who reject the Chriftian Revelation, are very liable to be charged with the fame fort of folly (tho' in a cafe of infinitely greater danger, than any that can happen in the prefent world) unless they are able to prove, to the entire fatisfaction of their own minds, that there is no truth in this history of the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift: For if it be true, they know what follows, if they perfift in their infidelity to the laft. And if they have reafons to prove it not true, and fuch as will bear examination ; it is matter of fome wonder they

were

were never fairly propofed, and made out: because this might have been done with much less Offence to the World, and difparagement to themselves, than what those bad Methods they have made use of, instead of Argument, have been the just occafions of. If they have affronted the Religion of their Country with Impunity; they might have reasoned foberly like Men defirous of Truth, and willing to be rightly informed) with as little danger. Since therefore the Subject is of fo much Importance; fince there have been fo many Occafions and Opportunities for arguing in the best manner upon it; fince modeft and fair Reasonings would have been lefs obnoxious to Cenfure, and far more advantageous, with respect to the Conviction of others, than Banter and Raillery can ever be fuppofed to be: it is rational for any Man to conclude, That they have no fuch Reafons, by which they can, with an entire Satisfaction, affure themselves, that the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift, is not true. And this Conclufion, which now is highly rational, I hope to make undoubtedly certain, by thofe Reasons which I fhall hereafter propofe, in order to fhew, that the Doctrine of the Refurrection is actually true.

But farther, I fay, that if this Doctrine be but ever fo little probable, thefe Gentlemen cannot be allowed a rational Eafe and Repose in that Cafe neither. For fo far forth as this is probable, it is alfo probable, That they are obnoxious to all the Punishments threatened to Unbelievers in the Gospel.

And is a bare probability of fuch Danger to be born with any ease, by Men who are truly awake? Suppose a Man fo far expofed, that not only his Liberty and Fortune, but his very Life depended upon his concealment : Do you think that fuch a perfon would lie free from Pain in a Place where it should be faid to him, Here you may be fecure, but yet it is probable you may be taken? Would not this wretched likelihood of a Difcovery, produce anxious thoughts in the Breafts of any of thefe Gentlemen them

felves,

felves, if this were their own Cafe? Would it not excite Fears and Cares, and paffionate Defires after a better and fafer retreat? Nothing could be fo agreeable to a Person in such a Circumftance, as a Certainty of efcaping. And is Uncertainty a tolerable thing, when Everlasting Life and Felicity lie at stake? Let but thefe Gentlemen intermit their Mirth and gay Thoughts for a few Moments, while they confider how hard a Task they will have to prove, That it is not at all probable, that the Hiftory of Chrift's Refurrection is true. The Difficulty is fuch, that I dare venture to engage, whoever promises to go through with it, is not as good as his Word; and befides runs into fome manifelt Paralogifm, which his own common Notions and Opinions, in other matters, fhall fairly convict him of.

I fhall not prevent myself, by alledging any thing here, to evince the Probability of this Doctrine, which may af terwards be made ufe of, to much better purpose, to infer the certain Truth of it. It is fufficient to have put thefe Gentlemen in mind of the Work incumbent on them; to free themselves from the Imputation of paffing their days here in the World in a blind mechanical Tranquillity. If they think that the fame Argument I have ufed against them, may be as fairly turned against the Christians, and fhould therefore reafon after this manner, That if the Refurrection of Chrift should not be true, the Chriftians would be as much in Danger, as they should be if it were true; and confequently, can no more enjoy the Peace of wife Men, whilst under an uncertainty about it, than they can be fuppofed to do in the other Cafe:

I anfwer; First, We fhall fee by the Sequel of this Discourse, whether or no the Chriftians have fuch Proofs for the Truth of this Doctrine, as are fufficient to make it ftrictly just and rational for them to believe it. For if they have, then they may in the mean time enjoy the Peace of wife Men.

Secondly, I fhall by and by confider, in a very particular manner, that Danger which thefe Gentlemen object

to

to us, and bid us beware of, in cafe we are deceived in the matter of Christ's Resurrection, And if it be so, that they are fully determined to draw no pofitive conclufions, but where they have plain and evident Principles to infer them from; I am in fome hopes to prefent them with an Occafion of putting fo good a Refolution in Practice, by defpifing this Objection for the time to come; as having no Foundations but what are perfectly arbitrary and precarious; and, to fay all at once, being nothing but mere Words and Sound, without any Force or Weight.

We have hitherto confidered the confequence of the fuppofed Truth or Probability of the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift.

I fhall now put the Cafe the other way, and fee what will follow, as fairly and truly, upon that Suppofition also.

I

SECT. VI.

F the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift be not a Truth:
Then it follows.

First, That the whole Caufe of Chriftianity is to be given up; as that which neither deferves, nor is capable of any farther Defence.

For if that Doctrine (which is the Foundation on which all depends) be falfe and delufory, all the reft can be but Delufion; and fo may be parted with, without any fcruple or difficulty at all. And therefore,

Secondly, as the Deifts have nothing to fear from the Threatnings, fo neither have the Chriftians any thing to hope from the promises of the Gofpel: Because neither Promifes nor Threatnings can in this Cafe fignify any thing, the whole Contexture being, by the Hypothefis, a mere Impofture.

Thirdly, Upon the prefent Hypothefis it must be granted likewife, That thofe Perfons who reject the Chriftian Revelation, are much wiser and happier, in many respects, than those who embrace it.

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