that these disciples did not know him, because they had only a fide view of him,and did not look him full in the face all that time, tho' it was in the open day-light, and he was apprehended by them to be a stranger; this fuppofition needs a veil to be drawn over it, because, furely, there has been no fuch inftance fince our great grandfather Adam was driven out of paradise.

if

AGAIN, as Chrift appeared at different times; fo, according to the hiftory, he appeared under different forms; and if fo, then the fenfes of those who faw him must have been so baffled, as to be rendered quite useless, in the cafe under confideration. For, the person who appeared, formed one picture upon the eyes of those he appeared to at one time, and another picture at another time; then thofe to whom he appeared must have concluded from thofe different appearances, either that it was not the fame perfon which they had seen at those different times, or else that their fenfes had been fo put upon that they could form no judgment about who, and what he was whom they had feen; this, I fay, must have been the cafe of thofe perfons, if their judgments were guided by their fenfes. Suppofe the perfon that was feen,

.

appeared to be a tall man at one time, and a short man at another; or to be a large fullbodied man at one time, and a thin spare man at another; or that he appeared to be of a pale fwarthy complexion at one time, and of a ruddy fair complexion at another ; or with a large masculine strong-featured face at one time, and with a fmall effeminate foftfeatured face at another; or that his body appeared with scars upon it at one time, and without thofe fcars at another time; fome or other of thefe, or fomething of the like kind, I apprehend, must have been the cafe, with refpect to the different forms Christ appeared in, and by which the fenfes of those whom he appeared to were defignedly deluded; and here the question is, what proper judgment could the fpectators form upon fuch different appearances? And the anfwer, to me, is moft obvious; viz. they muft of neceffity judge that thofe different forms or appearances were relative to different objects or perfons; or elfe that they could form no judgment at all of the matAnd does not this minifter a temptation to men to think and fay, that if the bufinefs of Chrift's refurrection was not a fraud; yet it looks very much like it, and

ter.

feems

seems to have the fame appearance as if it was fo.

LASTLY, the fenfes of thofe witneffes were over-ruled by fome foreign agent. Thus, Luke xxiv. 16. But their eyes were bolden, that they should not know him, verse 31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their fight. All facts, the truth of which is to be fupported by the evidence of fenfe, the fenfes with regard to fuch facts ought, and must be left perfectly free, elfe the fenfes are quite difqualified for being fuch evidence; and therefore, were fome foreign agent to interpofe, and mislead the fenfes any way, this would be not only greatly unfair, but it would also render that fact greatly uncertain, the truth of which was to be fupported by the evidence of sense. If, by the interpofition of fome foreign power,two different images are pictured upon the eye of the fame perfon, by the fame object being prefented before it at two different times; then that perfon must be difqualified for judging which of thefe, or whether either of them are a true reprefentation of that object; and confequently, the misleading the fight, as aforefaid, would quite difqualify that perfon from

Аа 4

from forming any proper judgment upon the cafe at all. And if this was the cafe with regard to the refurrection of Chrift; then it is plain, that all evidence arifing from sense, with respect to that fact, must stand for nought; and we must be obliged to feek out for fome other kind of evidence than what arifes from sense, to support the crcdit of that fact, else it cannot be fupported at all. And if fome foreign power, by the introduction of different imperceptible mediums, or any other way, can cause two different images to be pictured upon the fame eye by the fame body or object paffing before it at two different times; then, furely, the fame power, by the introduction of fome imperceptible medium, or otherwise, may prevent any image from being pictured upon the eye at all, when fuch object pafles before it, as aforefaid; the latter, for any thing that appears, being as eafy to be performed as the former. And, in this view of the cafe, Dr. Emes * may have rifen from the

dead,

* In the year 1706, or about that time, fome Frenchmen came into England, viz. Mr. Bofier, Mr. Marion, Mr. Fage, and ivr. Cavalier; and these opened a kind of new religious difpenfation or ministry, which they ftiled the midnight cry, as being foretold Matthew xxv. 6. And, as what was promulged by thefe men was declared

to

dead, according as it was predicted of him, notwithstanding the multitude of spectators did

to be by divine infpiration; fo, it was accompanied with bodily agitations, like that which (they faid) attended the Jewish Prophets heretofore; and which (they likewise faid) Chrift plainly referred to, Luke vii. 24, 25, 26. whose words are very naturally and justly paraphrased as followeth. What went ye out into the wilderness for to fee? A reed fhaken with the wind? A man under bodily agitations? that, furely, could not be worth your labour; and therefore, that could not be all you intended in going thither. But what went ye out in the wilderness fur to fee? Was it a man clothed in foft raiment? a man covered with a plain ordinary garment made of camel's hair? Neither could that be worth your labour; and therefore, the seeing fuch a fight could not be all you intended: and as for those who are gorgiously apparelled, make a fine appearance, and thereby may be thought worth feeing; these are in Kings courts, these are not to be fseen in the wilderness; and therefore, the feeing thefe could not be your view in going thither. But then, what went ye out in the wilderness for to fee befide these? Or rather, went you not forth into the wilderness for to fee what was more than these, viz. a Prophet? Yea, I fay unto you, and much more than a Prophet, &c. And as this new difpenfation was opened here by Frenchmen; so it's promulgers were first ftiled the French-Prophets; but afterwards they were called the modern Prophets, in diftinction from the Jewish Prophets, whom Dr. Benjamin Hoadly, now Bishop of Winchester, in his book published in their vindication, ftiled the antient Prophets. Thefe modern Prophets did, or pretended to speak or prophefy in languages they had never learned, analagous to what is faid to have taken place at the opening of the chriftian difpenftion. They likewife did, or pretended to have wrought fome miracles, like as the Apoftles of Chrift are faid to have done before them; the vouchers to which, or fome of them at least, had, from their general behaviour, obtained the character of very worthy boneft men, and

there