Preached at the

Lady MOYER'S LECTURE.

On the Evidences of Chriftianity.

JOHN III. 2.

Rabbi, we know, that thou art a Teacher, come from God: For no Man can do these Miracles, that thou doeft, except God be with him.

I

Have already proved in a former Dif- SERM. II. courfe, that Miracles may be fo cir

cumstanced, as to be direct and decifive Evidences of a divine Power and Commiffion. That it was abfolutely impoffible the Apostles should be deceived themselves, as Witneffes of our Saviour's Miracles and That it was morally impof

their own.

SERM. II. fible they should attempt to deceive others.

The Subject of my present Discourse is to prove, that the Apoftles could not have deceived Mankind, if they would; nor have impofed a falfe Religion upon the World, by virtue of a pretended Commisfion from Heaven.

If the Chriftian Religion, containing Doctrines unpalatable to Flesh and Blood, void of every Advantage, befides its own internal Excellency, to recommend it, and clogged with a great many Incumbrances, could carry Conviction with it from East to Weft, by fuch incompetent Inftruments, in fo fhort a Time, in fpite of the most refolved Oppofition: If this Plant, from a flender Appearance at firft, grew, and waxed a great Tree, when no kindly Sunshine of worldly Power yet fmiled upon it; nay, when the Inclemency of the Season beat . hard against it; the Growth of it was undoubtedly marvellous.

It is granted, that in Matters of pure Speculation, the Bulk of Mankind may be, and often are, deceived; because they have not Leisure or Capacity, to unravel studied Sophiftry, and nicely to diftinguish between what is plaufible, and what is folid and fubftantial:

fubftantial: But the Cafe is different as to SERM. II, Miracles, which are Matters of Fact, that fall under the Cognizance of our Senfes. Here the Vulgar and the Learned are equal-ly competent Judges, and you can perfuade neither of them to believe he fees a glaring Fact, which he does not actually behold. Either then the Apoftles wrought such Matters of Fact; or they did not. If they did, then they were invefted with a Power from God: For evil Spirits would not, if they could, empower them to beat down Idolatry: If they did not, then it is unaccountable, how a Set of Fishermen, despised for their Poverty, and odious upon the account of their Nation, should propagate through many Nations, not to fay the whole known World, fuch an unlikely Story as this, viz. That one, who was crucified as a common Malefactor in Judaa, was to be adored as a God; and that too at fuch a Juncture of Time, when their numerous Converts in feveral Parts of the World, fome of whom were Men of known Distinction and Opulency, (fuch as Dionyfius of the Areopagus, Jofeph of the Jewish Sanhedrim, Sergius Paulus a Proconful, Flavius Clemens a Roman Conful,

&c.)

SERM, II. &c.) who had, very probably, enjoyed onę continued Sunshine of Profperity; must bid adieu to all the Blandishments of Life, undergo, whatever is diftafteful to human Nature, and either fuffer, or be in danger of fuffering Martyrdom.

I would gladly have the Deifts try the Experiment: Let them send the ablest they can fingle out of their numerous Fraternity to broach fuch a like Story: For Inftance, that one, who fuffered in England for a Malefactor, is rifen from the Dead, and is to be worshipped as the Saviour of Mankind: Let them fend them to Portugal or Spain, where the Inquifition reigns, and where as exquifite Tortures will be applied to them, as were to the primitive Martyrs. It is easy to see the Confequence: They themselves would meet with a very warm Reception; but their Doctrine with a very cold one: Both would be involved in the fame Doom, both perish and come to nought. If then the Apoftles had not a Power of working genuine Miracles, and difplaying the ampleft Credentials of divine Power; it will be the greatest Miracle of all, that without either Riches to bribe, Authority to awe, or acquired Knowledge

and

and Dexterity to over-reach Men into a SERM. II. Compliance with their Notions, they should pave the Way to fo general and great a Turn in religious Affairs; when thefe boasted Masters of Reason, the Deifts, thefe Men of large Views, who by an uncommon Superiority of Soul have difengaged themselves from the Prejudices of Education, would not be able to bring over a Majority of Men, nay, perhaps, not one Man of common Senfe in any one Nation if they should fet on foot fuch another unpromifing Project.

;

Let us fuppofe, that a Perfon in our Days should embark in a Defign of cancelling all the old Religions, and building a new one upon their Ruins; that, to compafs this Defign, he pretended to raise the Dead, make the Blind fee, the Lame walk, the Deaf hear, &c. that not long after his Death, his Followers publish a punctual circumftantial Relation of all thefe Things, mentioning the Places where, the Perfons upon whom, the Witnesses before whom, thefe Miracles were faid to be wrought: Let us put the Cafe, that they too pretended to have the fame miraculous Powers vefted in them, and that their Doctrine gained

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