But fuppofing that our Saviour's appearance to them would have converted all the rulers: undoubtedly this would have had a great, perhaps a general effect, in that one nation. But every nation, and every fucceeding age, was concerned equally in this matter and what effect would it have had upon them? The Romans first, would have confidered it as a Jewish fraud, concerted amongst themselves, to raife the credit of their own religion; and no more have regarded the miracles of the apoftles amongst their countrymen, in thefe circumstances, than we do thofe of the church of Rome, pretended to be wrought, where every one is either unwilling, or afraid, to detect them. The infidels of later days, who believe nothing of the other miracles which the Jews believe, would they have believed this, merely becaufe the Jews believed it? Since they cannot even now refrain from aferibing our religion to policy and prieft-craft, though all the Jewith politicians and priests were zealous against it to the utmoft; what would they have faid, if both had been for it, on feeing Chrift after his refurrection? Undoubtedly, that they had feigned a difficulty of being brought over into what they had, in truth, originally contriv ed; and, by their art and authority, prevented the discoveries, that else might have been made; or hushed up those, that actually were made.

Nor would even this have been the worst confequence yet. Had both the rulers, and the people received him as the Melfiah, on the evidence of his appearing a fecond time alive: ftill they would have received him, according to their own falfe notion of the Meffiah, as a temporal prince; and been immediately up in arms to fet him on the throne, whether he would or For when he had performed but one miracle that took with them: he found they were refolved inftantly to make bin king by force; and he avoided it only by efcaping from them. He might indeed, when he was rifen again, have plainly told them all their mistake: but they would either have rejected him once more upon it, (and then, to what purpose had they feen him?) or they would have thought he meant something different from what he feemed to fay; as the difciples did, when he very plainly foretold his own death. Even them he could never fet thoroughly right in the article of his kingdom, fo

long

• John vi. 15.

long as he remained on earth: much less the people. They were uneafy under their new masters: they expected a deliverer: their expectations were just then at the height: and had he fhewn himself amongst them, and been acknowledged by them; what could have restrained them, but fuch a power, as God never exercises over the wills of men; for it would defftroy their freedom, and alter the whole conftitution of the moral world? Therefore, instead of appearing to all the people, he did not let his difciples preach him to any of the people, from his refurrection till after his afcenfion: for had the body. of them been told, and believed, that the Meffiah was rifen, and still amongst them; of course they would have been eager in feeking him; and what rumours and tumults would this have raised, and what must have been the confequences? After this, if he had left them, and afcended into heaven, the remedy had come too late: the ferment would have continued; and it is impoffible to know, to what height it might have rifen.

But had the Jews been ever fo quiet; ever fo much convinced by our Saviour, that they ought to remain quiet: yet, when` once the Romans, who must know their former notions of the Meffiab, came to understand, that they all agreed that he was at last come; they would never have believed this calm to be any thing, but an artifice, to lull them afleep, till matters were ripe for a general infurrection. They would therefore have feized on the leading men immediately, called in their forces from the countries round, and required the whole nation to renounce their new king. Had they fubmitted to this, there had been an end of chriftianity amongst them. Had they refifted, as in all probability they would: upon the Romans prevailing, what the chief priefts apprehended had certainly come to pafs; they would have taken away their place and nation, and the whole would have been charged on the doctrine of Chrift. If the Jews had prevailed; they would have imagined their fuccefs a full proof, that the Meffiah was yet virtually, though not corporally, amongst them; and proceeded to extend his dominion as wide as they could: under which circumstances, the gofpel, in a manner abfolutely contrary to its nature and genius, muft have owed its progrefs, if it made any, to force, not perfuafion; and fo have been liable to the

• John xi, 43.

fame

fame unanswerable objection, that the religion of Mahomet is now.

Or laftly, fuppofing what is in the highest degree unlikely, that neither the Jews had rebelled, nor the Romans suspected them, but both had been made fuch as they ought, by a public appearance of our Saviour after his refurrection: undoubtedly this had been very happy for that age, and perhaps the next too: but what had been the cafe of distant ages? We, that live in the latter days fhould, by these means, have loft intirely all that strong and neceflary evidence, for the truth of his miracles and hiftory, which arifes now from the impoffibility of his primitive difciples having any motive to deceive men, in teaching a doctrine, for which they fuffered, fo patiently and cheerfully, perfecution and death. Christianity would then, in all likelihood, have been confidered as a fuperftructure of Roman policy, erected, by an artful emperor, on a piece of Jewish enthufiafm, which he found very commodious for bringing the world into good order; particularly into quiet fubjection to its new mafAnd the meeknefs of fpirit, which our religion enjoins, and the great ftrefs it lays on obedience to the civil magiftrate, would have been thought a demonftration, that this, and nothing elfe, was the real truth. So that the whole would have feemed by this method a contrivance of man: whereas now it appears plainly the work of God; affording reasonable evidence to good minds; preventing the harm, that must have followed, if bad ones, continuing fuch, had joined with them; and turning that oppofition, both of Jews and heathens, which threatened the ruin of the gofpel, into a proof of its truth, that will fupport it for ever.

ter.

These confiderations are' furely fufficient to remove any doubts of ferious and humble minds on this head to convince objectors, that they do not always fee to the bottom of what they venture to talk about very freely and to make it probable, that, in other points, as well as the present, when they come to be thoroughly examined, the foolishness of God will always be found wifer than men: which good purposes may furely juftify dwelling, now and then, fomewhat largely on a fubject of lefs general and practical ufe. It is true, the bad confequences, that might have attended our Saviour's public appearance

I Cor. i. 25.

pearance after his death, are several of them only conjectural: but the good ones, imagined likely to flow from it, are so too: and stronger conjectures are very justly opposed to weaker. Nay were any, or ever fo many, of the reafons, alledged for his conduct in this refpect, of no weight at all: yet who knows, what others there may ftill remain in the endless treasures of the divine wisdom, to be discovered hereafter? And what hath fo fallible and fhort-fighted a creature, as man, to do; but thankfully to receive whatever knowledge, be it more or less perfect, his Maker fhall vouchfafe to give him; and apply himself with the utmost care, to act fuitably to what he underftands; instead of raifing objections and cavils, out of every particular, that he is ignorant of? For the fecret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things, which are revealed, belong unto us, and to our children for ever; that we may do all the words of this law*.

Let us all therefore learn, not only to believe firmly in fpeculation, that our Saviour is rifen again, but in the faith of his refurrection to prepare for our own: earnefly praying God, to raise us from the death of fin to the life of righteoufnefs; and diligently feeking those thing, which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God; that, when he shall appear, we also may appear with him in gloryt. After his crucifixion he appeared on earth only to a few: bat the day is approaching, when, bebold, be cometh with clouds, and every eye fhall fee him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth, that rejected or difobeyed him, ball wail because of him‡: and fhall he punified with everlafling deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of bis power, when he shall come to be glorified in his faints, and to be admired in all them that believed the teflimony of bim in that days. For the Lord fhall defcend from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the arch-angel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Chrift shall rife first; and they which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and fo fhall we be ever with the Lord.

Deut. xxix. 29. 52 Theff. i. 9, 10,

↑ Col. iii. t. 4.

Rev. i. 7.

11 Theff. iv. 15, 16, 17.

SER

SERMON LXX.

MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL, THE AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST.

2 COR. V. 20.

Now then we are ambaffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's fiead, be ye recon. ciled to God.

THE

HE minifters of the gospel ought ever to have in their minds the end of their office, that they may diligently ule the right means to attain it: and the people under our care should be no lefs attentive to it, in order to receive, by co-operating faithfully with us, the benefits intended to be conveyed to them through our hands. Now the nature of our commiffion is fet forth in the text: where you have

J. The character, in which we act, ambasadors for Chrift. II. The errand, on which we are fent, to pray men that they would be reconciled to God.

I. Our character is that of ambasadors for Chrift, which means inftead of Chrift, as the fame word is tranflated in the latter part of the verfe. God fent his Son into the world, as the meffenger of his covenant; the perfon, by whom he notified his gracious promifes, and the conditions of them, to mankind. When he ceafed to inftruct them perfonally, his words to his apoftles were, as the Father bath fent me, even fo fend I you'. Nor did he fend the twelve only, but gave to his church other paftors and teachers alío, for the work of the ministry, for te edifying of his body, till we all come unto perfect men in Chrifti, and promised to be with them alway, even unto the end of the world. Such therefore the apoftles appointed in every city; deputed

John xx. 21.

Eph. iv. 12, 13.

Matth. xxviii. 20.