DISCOURSE II.

LUKE XVI. 31.

And he faid unto him, If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the Dead,

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T fometimes happens in Matters of Reafon, as it often does in Objects of Sense: That which at firft Appearance makes a fair Shew,upon Examination proves Some

to be worthless, and of no Efteem. Fruits, which allure the Eye most, can the least bear the Teft of the Palate: They may be admired by the Traveller, who rides haftily by, and only fees them at a distance; but, when they are ferved up at the Table, the Tafte foon rectifies the Mistake of the Eyes. So likewife, in Matters of Reafon :

Some Arguments ftrike the Fancy immediately, and take the Judgment captive, before it has Time fairly to examine the Merits of the Caufe; and yet, when the Vigour of the first Onset is over, and Time is given for Reflection, the Demonftration dwindles into nothing, and leaves a Man admiring that he was fo eafily deceived by so palpable a Cheat. And this feems to be the Cafe of the Argument in which the Text is concerned: Who would not think that the Coming of one from the Dead would effectually convince an Unbeliever? Or, were we for ourselves to defire the laft Evidence for a future State, what more should we defire, than to fee one come from the Dead; one of our old Acquaintance; and to hear from him the Relation of what happened to him after Death, and of what he had seen and experienced in the other World? And yet this Evidence, our Saviour tells us, would have no Effect upon an Unbeliever: He, who can hold out against the Evidence that God has already given that he will one Day judge the World in Righteousness, would not be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead.

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Our Saviour does not deny the Coming of one from the Dead to be an Evidence of a future State; nor yet, allowing it to be an Evidence, does he determine of what Weight and Authority it is, or ought to be. This only he affirms; That, let the Authority of it be what it will, they who will not submit to the Authority of a divine Revelation, will not fubmit to this: The Reason of which Judgment may appear from the following Confiderations:

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First, If the Evidence of Revelation be in itself greater and more convincing than the Evidence given by one from the Dead can poffibly be, then there is no Reason to expect that he who rejects the greater should submit to the lefs Authority.

Secondly, If the Objections which the Unbeliever makes ufe of against the Authority of Revelation, lie ftronger against the Authority of one coming from the Dead, it is not to be fuppofed, that he will pafs over that in one Cafe, which he fo mightily ftumbles at in the other. Or,

Thirdly, If Unbelief be the Effect of a vitiated and corrupted Mind, which hates to be reformed; which rejects the Evidence, because it will not admit the Doctrine, not the Doctrine,

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Doctrine, because it cannot admit the Evidence; in this Cafe all Proofs will be alike, and it will be loft Labour to ply such a Man with Reafon or new Evidence, fince it is not want of Reafon or Evidence that makes him an Unbeliever. And it is upon this Cafe chiefly that our Saviour grounds his Judgment in the Text.

First then, Let us confider, whether the Evidence upon which Revelation stands be in itself greater or more convincing, than the Evidence of one coming from the Dead can be: If it is, we must subscribe to our Saviour's Judgment; That he who will not bear Mofes and the Prophets, or Christ and his Apostles, would not be perfuaded, though one rofe from the Dead. Whatever a dead Man, who appears to you, may tell you concerning another World, all the Reason you can have to believe him is, because you suppose him to come from the other World, and to relate Things which he has seen and known: So that his Authority is no more than barely the Authority of a Traveller, who relates Things of the Countries through which he has paffed. And how will it appear to you, that one from the Dead cannot poffibly deceive you? As he is a Man, I

am

may

am fure you have Reafon to miftruft him; and what Reason you have to rely on him as a dead Man, I know not. Poffibly you think that the very Seeing of one come from the Dead will of itself prove the great Point of all, the Reality of a future State. But are you fure it is impoffible for any Being of the other World to perfonate a dead Man, and to appear to you in the Shape and Figure of one you formerly knew? Surely, it is one Thing to prove that there is another World, and Beings belonging to it; and another to prove a future State, that is, a World in which dead Men fhall live.

Our Saviour's Refurrection was fomething more than merely the Apparition of a dead Man: He foretold the Time and Circumftances of his Refurrection, and put the Proof of his Miffion and Doctrine upon the Performance of this great Wonder: So that by this means his Refurrection became a direct Proof of this, That the Doctrine he taught was the Doctrine of Him who has Power to raise the Dead: And fince Part of his Doctrine is, That the Dead fhall be raised; we are thus far certain, that He, who has Power to raise the Dead, has

affured