if they did them by God's, then that God lent the Exercise of his Power to Impostors, to confirni and ratify the Publication of a Lye, for the beguiling and deceiving of Mankind; and that in a matter of the highest and most important Concern to them, that can possibly be. Which is so blafphemous for any one to affert, and so impossible for God to do, that the very Thought of it is intoler

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So that now the only Thing remaining for our full Conviction, is to shew, that there is fufficient Reason to perfuade Men, that fuch Miracles were really done by the Apostles, to confirm the Doctrines deliver'd by them. And for this we are to hear the only Proof, which Things of this Nature are capable of; to wit, the Voice of general, long continued, and uninterrupted Antiquity, that is to say, the united Testimony of so many Nations, for fo many Ages successively, all jointly agreeing in one and the fame Report about this matter; which Report, if it were untrue, must needs have been framed by Combination and Com. pact amongst themselves. But that so many Nations of such various Tempers, such dif ferent Interests, and such distant Situations from one another, should be able all to meet and combine together, to abuse and deceive the World with a Falfhood, is upon all the Rules

Rules and Principles of human Reasoning incredible. And yet on the other fide, that this could be done without fuch a previous Combination, is still more incredible; and confequently, that neither the one nor the other ought to be reckoned in the number of those things, which we account Possibilities. And now, all that has been disputed by us hitherto, with reference to the Apostles, and Disciples, as to their Believing and Preaching Christ's Resurrection to the World, may be naturally drawn from, and as naturally refolved into these following Conclufions.

1. That no Man of common Sense or Reafon undertakes any Action confiderable, but for the obtaining to himself some Good, or the serving some Interest thereby, either in this World, or in the next.

2. That our Saviour's Disciples, though they bore no Character for Political Knowledge, or Depth of Learning, yet shewed themfelves, in the whole Course of their Behaviour, Men of Sense and Reason, as well as Integrity.

3. That being fuch, and so to be confi dered, had they known Christ's Refurrection to have been a Falshood, they would never have preached it to the World, to the certain bringing upon themselves thereby the Extremity of Mifery and Perfecution in this Life, and and a just Condemnation from Almighty God, in that to come.

4. That had the Refurrection of our Saviour been indeed false and fabulous, his Difciples could not but have known it to be fo. To which I shall add the

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5. That in things proposed to our Belief, a Man safely may, and rationally ought to yield his Affent to that, which he finds supported with better and stronger Arguments (though short of a Demonstration) than any that he fees producible against it.

From all which it follows, that our Saviour's Resurrection having been attested by Persons so unexceptionably qualify'd for that purpose, whether we consider the Opportunities they had of knowing throughly the things teftified by them, or their known Sincerity and Veracity in reporting what they knew, as likewife the miraculous Works done by them, in Confirmation of what they delivered, and all this brought down to us by unanimous, undifputed Tradition; and moreover, fince fuch Tradition has greater ground for its Belief, than the Discourse of any Man's particular Reason can suggest for its Disbelief, (Universal Tradition being less subject to Error and Fallacy than such Discourses or Argumentations can pretend to be;) and lastly, fince it is a manifest Absurdity in Reasoning to reject,

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or disbelieve that, which a Man has more ground and reason to believe, than to disbelieve: I conclude, that the Doctrine of the Apostles concerning our Saviour's Resurrection ought, upon the strictest Terms of Reasoning, to be believed and assented to, as a most certain, irrefragable, and uncontestable Truth; Which I take to be the grand Conclufion to be proved by us.

In fine, if I have brought the Point hitherto disputed of, so far, as to make it appear, that there are greater and stronger Arguments for the Belief of our Saviour's Refurrection, than for the doubting of it, (as I hope I have effectually done) I conceive this to be sufficient in Reason, to strip Men of all Justification of their Unbelief of the fame, and consequently to answer all the great Ends of PraAical Religion, the prime Business and Concern of Mankind in this World. Albeit it must be still confess'd, (as we have noted from Calvin before) that there are several Passages relating to this whole matter, neither so demonftrative, nor yet fo demonstrable, as might be wished. Nevertheless, fince it has pleased - Almighty God to take this and no other Method in this great Transaction; I think it the greatest height of Human Wisdom, and the highest Commendation that can be given of it, to acquiefce in what the Divine Wisdom has

has actually thought the most fit in this Affair to make use of.

And now to close up the whole Discourse; with what can we conclude it better, than with a due Encomium of the Superlative Excellency of that mighty Grace, which could, and did enable the Disciples so firmly to believe, and so undauntedly to own and attest their Belief of their bleffed Master's Refurreetion? and that, in Defiance of the utmost Difcouragements, which the Power, Malice, and Barbarity of the bitterest Enemies could either threaten or encounter Human Nature with.

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And to advance the Worth of this Faith, if poffible, yet higher, we are to know, that it consists not (as has been hinted already) in a bare Act of Afssent or Credence, founded in the determining Evidence of the Object, but attended also with a full Choice and Approbation of the Will, for that otherwise it could not be an Act properly free; nor consequently valuable (and much less meritorious) in the esteem of God or Man. And therefore fome of the ablest of the School-men refolve Faith, not into a bare Credence, or Act of the Understanding only, but also into a pious Difposition of the Will, preventing, disposing, and (as it were) bending the former, to close in with such Propositions, as bring with them