Before any one can shew that the event of Christ's resurrection was one by no means to be anticipated, he must disprove the entire facts of our Lord's history, and thereby subvert the testimony of Heathens, Jews, and Christians. The question is, were the apostles deceived, or did they attempt to deceive others? The former of these could not have been the case; for they had every opportunity of identifying their Lord's person which could possibly be furnished, or which could ever be regarded, by the most scrupulous, as necessary. The very doubts of their own minds contributed to add strength to the conviction which they acquired of their Lord's identity; and for the space of full forty days, they were enabled, in a succession of interviews, to correct any sudden or erroneous impression, and to settle themselves in the triumphant belief that Christ was risen indeed.

Nor was there one sign of an impostor or deceiver attaching to these simple-hearted witnesses of the resurrection. There is no attempt to furnish one uniform record of the transaction. On the contrary, we have four different accounts

of the resurrection, so distinct as to shew that each writer aimed at truth, and was under no apprehension of discrepancy in his statements; and yet so entirely harmonious that the apparent contradictions only tend to establish the validity and perfect consistency of the history.*

It may be asked, moreover, when and where did the apostles of our Lord begin to proclaim the fact of the resurrection? Why, at the very period of its alleged occurrence, and in the very city of the crucifixion. When they were once convinced of the glorious event themselves, they were bold as lions in its defence, and were not afraid to give utterance to their convictions in the presence of those who must have possessed the best means of detecting the imposture, if any such had been practised. The most subtle and disputatious of the Jewish nation heard their testimony; malice, and wit, and power, were all enlisted against them; but the new doctrine

* See a Discourse by Dr. J. P. Smith "on the Evidence of the Divine Origin of Christianity from the Resurrection of Jesus," in a volume of Lectures delivered at the monthly meetings.

prevailed, and fresh instances of miraculous power, in the gift of tongues, and in the ability to heal all manner of diseases, accredited the apostles as the commissioned servants of the Most High.

"In all other things," observes the late Mr. Scott, "they appeared simple, upright, holy men; but if in this they deceived, the world never yet produced a company of such artful and wicked impostors, whose schemes were so deeply laid, so admirably conducted, and so extensively and permanently successful. For they spent all the rest of their lives in promoting the religion of Jesus, renouncing every earthly interest, facing all kinds of opposition and persecution, bearing contempt and ignominy, prepared habitually to seal their testimony with their blood, and most of them actually dying martyrs in the cause, recommending it with their latest breath as worthy of universal acceptation. It is likewise observable, that, when they went forth to preach Christ as risen from the dead, they were manifestly changed, in almost every respect, from what they before had been,-their timidity gave

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place to the most undaunted courage; their carnal prejudices vanished; their ambitious contests ceased; their narrow views were immensely expanded; and zeal for the honour of the Lord, with love to the souls of men, seem to have engrossed and elevated all the powers of their minds. A more complete human testimony to any event cannot be imagined; for if our Lord had shewn himself openly to all the people' of the Jews, and their rulers had still persisted in rejecting him, it would have rather weakened than confirmed the evidence; and, if they had unanimously received him as Messiah, it might have excited in others a suspicion that it was a plan concerted for aggrandizing the nation."* 3. The argument derived from Prophecy.

This is a branch of Christian evidence possessing extraordinary power, and capable of very extensive application. The proper idea of prophecy is the foretelling of such future events as no human skill or sagacity could anticipate, and as nothing but the prescience of the Eternal could

* See the Rev. Thomas Scott's Works, vol. ii. pp. 15, 16.

either know or reveal. This is the test applied of old to the false gods of the heathen-"Shew us," said Jehovah to their votaries, "what shall happen; declare us things for to come; shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods."* If it can be shewn that the leading facts recorded in Scripture were foretold by omniscience long ere they occurred, it will follow of necessity that a revelation thus accredited is from God. Prophecy is, indeed, a species of miraculous attestation challenging the investigation of men in every age, and accumulating new materials of proof as the revolutions of Divine Providence disclose and illustrate the events embodied in the prophetic testimony.

The great object and end of the prophetic dispensation was evidently to testify "before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow," and to this object and end all the predictions of Scripture might be shewn more or less to contribute.

I shall begin, therefore, with those prophecies

* Isa. xli. 22, 23.

† 1 Pet. i. 10, 11,