I.

eternal doubt and anxiety, this feems fo SER M. worthy of the goodness of God, that a reasonable man cannot but be fatisfied with fo ftrong and affecting a proof. He will think fuch an interpofition of providence worthy of the moral Governor of the world, though it go beyond all his own private conceptions. Indeed if miracles were offered to our belief, tending to no moral purpose, neither to the happiness of mankind, nor confirming any doctrine or opinions that were useful, in this cafe, perhaps, it might justly be affirmed, that they were impoffible, and no evidence from teftimony could prove the truth of them; because it can never be imagined, that God will alter the course of things, established by him, without fome great and important reafon, fuch as the happiness of his rational creatures. And here, for the most part, Unbelievers mistake the argument; they fuppofe miracles unconnected, with any moral purpose, and then they fay they cannot be attefted; which may be true; but the cafe of the gospel miracles is quite otherwise, they are all connected with the grand defign of confirming a doctrine of the greatest importance to the comfort

and

SER M. and happiness of mankind. And it can

I.

never be imagined, if God is a benevolent and merciful being, that he would not, on fuch an occafion, alter a little the ufual methods of his providence.

It appears then, that miracles in fome cafes, when they are of great importance to the happiness of mankind, may be credible, if they are fupported with an extraordinary degree of teftimony. Let us

now

III. Shew that the evidence for those in the gospel hiftory, to which I fhall here confine myself, is fufficient to satisfy an honeft and candid Mind.

We have eight writers of the New Testament, who were all of them eyewitneffes of fome or other of those wonderful works, done either by our Saviour or his apofties; and they have moreover, recorded an infinite number of other men, who were Spectators of them. These seem to be all plain, honeft, and artless men, relating their story without any disguise or affectation. Moft of them were in low stations, unacquainted with the policy of the world, nor had they any of the ftudied delicacies of ftile, or address, by

1.

which they might deceive the unwary. SÉR M. But in their writings, they fhew great goodness of heart, they appear lovers of mankind, defirous to promote the hap piness of men, here and hereafter. They appear also to have been zealous worship pers of God, and to have had a due regard themselves for his honour and glory, while they endeavoured to excite men to love and fear him.

Men of this character feem to be the properest persons to atteft any facts that are of importance to the world. They had principles of religion and virtue tỡ awe their minds, and to keep them from fraud and imposture. Let any one read their writings, and he will fee in them all the symptoms of integrity, all the emotions of men eager to reform their fellows, and infpire them with the sublimest notions of moral goodness.

But, befides this amiable difpofition, they had no temptation to impofe on the world, which is a strong prefumption of their Veracity. They could propose no advantage to themselves by teaching a doctrine directly oppofite to the paffions and vices of men; they could expect only contempt, infults, and violence. Nor

could

SER M. Could the love of fame ever excite them

I.

to fuch a desperate attempt, which set the

profpect of nothing but mifery and death before them. Therefore as they had no motives, it is abfurd to fuppofe they would act contrary to all the Dictates and Interests of humanity, and folicit their own destruction. However, if we could conceive, that a number of such men should combine together to impofe on the world, from fome wild or ridiculous notions, and that all their zeal for virtue was but. mere pretence; was it probable that they would all continue firm together, and not one of them divulge the cheat, whatever lucrative reasons they might have to induce them? was it probable, that they fhould all chufe the utmost distress and mifery, rather than retract their teftimony? This is utterly unaccountable, unless they were fully perfuaded of the truth of what they attested. But it is ftill more fo, when it is confidered, that they willingly fuffered the moft cruel torments, and death itself, rather than defift from publishing those miraculous facts. Could a number of men, value life and all that was dear to them fo little, that they should forfeit their existence

and

I.

and happiness, only to fupport the credit S E R M. of a story, which, they were conscious, was a falfhood?

This evidence is the strongest that can poffibly be given for any thing, that men fhould die to confirm the truth of it. It is fuch probability, as cannot be rejected without an abfurdity. It is against all our experience of men, that they fhould deliberately forego all their enjoyments in this world, for what they know to be a lie, and at last seal their teftimony with their blood. Could we imagine all this to be mere trick and impofition, it would be as great a miracle as any in the gospel.

It is true, men who fuffer death for their crimes, do often affert falfities to the last moment. And there are men, who can fuffer death to fupport fpeculative opinions, and notions which they are perfuaded of, though they may be falfe. But that men, fhould submit to death willingly, to fupport facts they know to be falfe, when they can easily fecure themselves from it, by withdrawing their attestation; this is what no age, or country can give an inftance of, except in this cafe of the Chriftian religion. And hence, by the way, appears a mani