tended, whose testimony and judgment they appealed to in this affair,) and, together, of abusing the world with such an imposture.' Such must have been their inward sense, and such their expectations, had they proceeded with guilty conscience in this business; but they do seriously profess otherwise, and the condition of things might assure us they were in good earnest : 'For this end (saith St. Paul) we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe. And our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world :' and, 'knowing the fear of the Lord, (that is, being sensible of our duty toward God, and fearful of his judgment, if we transgress it,) we persuade men; but are made manifest unto God;" so they declare what principle it was that moved them to this practice, and the hope encouraging them in it they often express: If (said they) we suffer with Christ, we shall be glorified together with him.' And, We always bear about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body.' And, It is a faithful saying, if we are dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.' And, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the

6

1 Acts, iv. 19, v. 29; 2 Cor ii. 17, iv. 2; 1 Cor. ix, 16. 1 Tim. iv. 10; 2 Cor. i. 12; 1 Cor. v. 11.

righteous judge shall give me at that day." So they profess concerning the grounds and reasons of their maintaining this testimony (and the points connected therewith) with so great present inconvenience to themselves: and the state of things rendereth their profession most credible; for they appear not so blind as not to see those inconveniences, nor so fond as to like them for themselves, or upon no considerable account: they confess, that they should be very stupid and senseless people, if they had incurred and underwent all this to no purpose, or without hope of good recompense for it after this life. If Christ be not risen (saith St. Paul) then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain; yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, that he raised up Christ:- -then we have only hope in this life,' and if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.'2

7. And how, indeed, is it conceivable, that such persons should be so bewitched with so passionate an affection, or so mighty a respect toward a poor dead man, (one who was born so obscurely, who lived so poorly, who died so miserably and infamously, as a malefactor; who indeed so died to their knowledge most deservedly, supposing they did know their testimony to be false; one who never was capable of obliging them, or recompencing them for their actings or sufferings in any valuable measure,) that merely for his sake, or rather not for his sake, but only for a smoke of vain opinion about him, (which could nowise profit either him

Cor. iv. 10; 2 Tim. ii. 11; 1 Pet. i. 7,

Rom. viii. 17; iv. 13; 2 Tim. iv. 8. 21 Cor. xv. 14, 15, 19, 30, 31.

or them) they should, with an inflexible obstinacy, defy all the world; expose themselves to all the persecutions of the world, and to all the damnations of hell. St. Paul surely had another opinion of Jesus, when he said, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us; for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord :'' could they, think we, speak thus who knew Jesus to be a wicked deceiver, worthily hated of God and men? No assuredly, their speech and behaviour do palpably show that therefore they did bear so vehement an affection, and so high a respect toward Jesus, because as with their mouths they openly professed, so they were in their hearts thoroughly persuaded that he was the Son of God, most dear unto him; who died for their sake, who was to their knowledge raised again; who also, according to his promises, would recompense their faithful adherence to him with eternal joy and bliss.

8. Again, we may consider these witnesses to have of themselves been persons very unlikely to devise such a plot, very unfit to undertake it, very unable to manage and carry it through. Persons they were of no reputation for birth, for wealth

1 Rom. viii. 35. &c.

2 Vid. Chrys. tom. vi. Orat. vi. p. 61.

E

4

for any worldly interest; persons of no education, no improvement, no endowments of mind (natural or artificial) anywise considerable:' they were, as to condition and manner of life, fishermen, publicans, and mechanics; as to abilities of mind, they were (as they report themselves) illiterate and simple; they were also men of no great natural spirit or courage, but rather irresolute and timorous; as their deserting their Master, their renouncing him, their flying and skulking, reported by themselves, declare the base or ignoble, the despicable or abject, the weak, the foolish things of the world,' they did style themselves; and in that no adversary will, I suppose, contradict them. And is it possible, that a few (in this respect, I mean very few) persons thus conditioned and qualified, should have the wit to contrive, or the courage to maintain a forgery of such importance? What hope they could frame to themselves of any success therein, upon so extreme disadvantages, is to any man very obvious. No kind of friends in all the world could they imagine ready to back them, or yield them any encouragement; but heaven, hell, and earth they had reason to expect all to be combined in opposition to them and their design. They had all reason to fear, that God himself would cross them and blast their wicked endeavours to propagate the belief of such a lie, which most profanely they dared to father on him, and to vent in his name. They could not hope the father of lies himself, or any powers of darkness would be fa

1

Chrys. tom. v.

2

Aets, iv. 13.

3 Matt. xxvi. 56; John, xx. 19; 1 Cor. i. 27, 28.

4 Cor. iv. 7.

vourable or helpful to them, whose interest they so manifestly impugned, that the success of their doctrine, whether true or false, could not but much prejudice their kingdom; as in effect we see that it did in a manner quite subvert it. They were sure among men to encounter the most potent, and most earnest adversaries that could be: all the grandees of the world, both political and religious, deeply concerned in honour and interest to labour with all their power the detection of their cheat, and overthrow of their design. Whence it must be a boldness more than human, more than gigantic, that could bear up against all these adversaries; if their testimony was in their conscience false. Against all these oppositions, and disadvantages, what could those poor men have to confide in, beside the natural prevalence of truth, and divine assistance thereto; being in their hearts assured of the former, and therefore greatly hoping for the latter?

9. And how indeed could such a cheat, contrived and conducted by so, to human esteem, weak and silly a knot of people, so easily prosper, and obtain so wonderful a progress, so as presently to induce very many persons, ('myriads of believers,' as it is in Acts, xxi. 20,) many of them considerable, (even a great crowd or company of priests,' as it is said in the Acts,') to embrace it, together with all the crosses and damages attending it ?—so as to escape all inquisition about it, and overbear all persecution against it, being neither convincible by proof, nor controllable by force; but in despite of all assaults holding its ground, and run

Acts, vi. 7.