First, The Disciples of our Lord Redeemer were Witnesses, and they are very credible and sufficient Witnesses, of His Resurrection to Life. Our Lord having foretold. That in Three Days after His Death, He would Rise from the Dead, this was a thing that stuck in the Stomachs of His Murderers. For this cause we find, Mat. 27 65, 66. Pilate said unto them, ye have a Watch, go your way, make the Sepulchre as sure as you can. So they went, and made the Sepulchre sure, ••aling the Stone, and setting a Watch, Now, we are very certain, That the Disciples of our Lord came, and found the Stone rolled away from His Grave, & His Grave without any thing but His Linen remaining in it This was a Matter of ••ct, so notorious, th•• the Evangelists would never have written it if it could have been capable of meeting with any contradiction. Indeed, the Rulers of the Jews hired the Watch to say, His Disciples came by Night, and Stole Him away while we Slept. But is that Story credible? Is it credible, that the men who had been such Cowards as to ⟨p. 163⟩Desert their Dying Master, would have the Courage to attempt an armed and zealous Watch placed upon Him, when He was Dead? Is it credible, That a Great Sons could be rolled away, and the Watch about it not be waked? Why was not the Watch punished for their Negligence in a business of this vast Importance, if their Superiors were not now conscious of a Forgery with them? It is credible, That if the Disciples had Stole away the Body of our Lord, they would have staid carefully and handsomely to leave His Linen behind them? Finally, Let this Idle Tale of the Watch be defended, if it can, from the Dilemma, that Austin put upon it; Either they said False, when they said, They Slept; and then, who would believe such Liars in the rest of what they said? Or else 'twas True, that they Slept; and then, how could they tell the rest of what they said? Stulta Insania! Si vigilabas, quare permisisti? Si dormiebas, unde Scisti? No, No; Our Lord being Risen out of His Grave, He appeared unto His disciples, Who were witnesses chosen before of God, and did Eat and Drink with Him, after He Rose from the Dead. An unholy World was now altogether unfit for ⟨p. 164⟩the Sight of Him! In these Apparitions, our Lord Exhibited Himself unto His Disciples, no less than Ten several Times, and unto no less than Five Hundred at one Time.
First, The Disciples of our Lord Redeemer were Witnesses, and they are very credible and sufficient Witnesses, of His Resurrection to Life. Our Lord having foretold. That in Three Dayes after His Death, He would Rise from the Dead, this was a thing that stuck in the Stomachs of His Murderers. For this cause we find, Mat. 27 65, 66. Pilate said unto them, ye have a Watch, go your way, make the Sepulchre as sure as you can. So they went, and made the Sepulchre sure, ••aling the Stone, and setting a Watch, Now, we are very certain, That the Disciples of our Lord came, and found the Stone rolled away from His Grave, & His Grave without any thing but His Linnen remaining in it This was a Matter of ••ct, so notorious, th•• the Evangelists would never have written it if it could have been capable of meeting with any contradiction. Indeed, the Rulers of the Jews hired the Watch to say, His Disciples came by Night, and Stole Him away while we Slept. But is that Story credible? Is it credible, that the men who had been such Cowards as to ⟨p. 163⟩Desert their Dying Master, would have the Courage to attempt an armed and zealous Watch placed upon Him, when He was Dead? Is it credible, That a Great Sons could be rolled away, and the Watch about it not be waked? Why was not the Watch punished for their Negligence in a business of this vast Importance, if their Superiours were not now conscious of a Forgery with them? It is credible, That if the Disciples had Stole away the Body of our Lord, they would have staid carefully and handsomely to leave His Linnen behind them? Finally, Let this Idle Tale of the Watch be defended, if it can, from the Dilemma, that Austin put upon it; Either they said False, when they said, They Slept; and then, who would believe such Lyars in the rest of what they said? Or else t'was True, that they Slept; and then, how could they tell the rest of what they said? Stulta Insania! Si vigilabas, quare permisisti? Si dormiebas, unde Scisti? No, No; Our Lord being Risen out of His Grave, He appeared unto His disciples, Who were witnesses chosen before of God, and did Eat and Drink with Him, after He Rose from the Dead. An unholy World was now altogether unfit for ⟨p. 164⟩the Sight of Him! In these Apparitions, our Lord Exhibited Himself unto His Disciples, no less than Ten several Times, and unto no less than Five Hundred at one Time.
