his countrymen, on the very day, as it should seem, of the effusion of the Holy Spirit, and, upon occasion of his having asserted the Resurrection of Jesus, boldly says, Acts ii. 36. Let all the house of Israel know, assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ-or Messiah. Again, chap. v. 30, 31. The God of our fathers raised up his Son Jesus, whom ye slew and hung upon a tree: Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviournot to raise them to the possession of great temporal dominionbut, to give repentance and forgiveness of Sins. And, at the close of the same chapter, it is said, that daily in the Temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus the Christ, or the Messiah. How different was this language from that which they had used, before these events took place? Their enquiry then was-What shall be the sign of thy coming? and, When wilt thou restore the kingdom to Israel?

*

From this change of language, upon the subject of the coming of Christ-or of the Messiah; it may reasonably be inferred not only that the Disciples of Jesus had, completely, changed their sentiments, respecting the nature of the Messiah's character, and that consequently, they were fully satisfied that their former ideas were erroneous; but that the Resurrection of Jesus, which, in conjunction with the descent of the Holy Spirit, had produced this conviction, was so well authenticated, that it could not possibly be disputed. It can hardly be supposed, when human nature is fairly and impartially considered, that the Jews could have borne such repeated charges, with every mark of detestation and abhorrence of the infamous Crucifixion of a person who was raised from the dead, and that person too, claiming the character of the Messiah, if they had possessed, any possible means of proving, that he was still under the dominion of death; for a real Resurrection from the dead, could not but have been considered, as a public attestation from Heaven of the perfect innocence of Jésus and of the truth of his claim to the character of the Messiah; for, it must be recollected that it was, inconse quence of that claim, that they had put him to death, as an

Jesus THE CHRIST---with the article. In the second chapter, verse 36, --the article is omitted; whether through the mistakes of Transcribers, must be left to those who are conversant in this kind of Criticism.

Impostor.

Impostor. If, on the contrary, there was really no Resurrec tion-what an hardiness of front, if the expression may be admitted, must the Disciples have been endued with, to have proclaimed, within a few days of his death, and in the very city in which he had been Crucified, that he was risen from the dead, and that, not before a few, who might be supposed to have been, in their interest-but, before the Jewish Rulers, who had been the principal authors and instigators of his murder? Let those who are best conversant, in the arts and artifices of mankind, produce an instance of effrontery like this or one which was, so likely, to overwhelm the authors and contrivers of such a scheme, with everlasting ob loquy and disgrace, upon the supposition that there was no Resurrection. They had just seen that the Jewish Rulers had Crucified their Master, for assuming the character of the Messiah, and was it to be supposed, that they would have been, less rigorous, towards those who publickly charged them, with having been his murderers? The Jewish Rulers, it is true, took offence at the boldness and intrepidity of the Apostles, and they endeavoured to put a stop to their progress, in preaching Jesus and the Resurrection; well knowing the effect it must necessarily have, in blasting their own characters; but, it is remarkable, that they took no steps to invalidate their testimony; nor adopted any measures, to crush the rising religion, but what involved them deeper in guilt, and more fully evinced their consciousness that what the Apostles had asserted, was not to be contradicted! The conduct of the Apostles, on the contrary, seems to have been, the natural result of genuine integrity, and a thorough conviction of the truth of what they had asserted; for, when the Jewish Rulers had commanded them not to speak at all-nor to preach in the name of Jesus; it is absolutely impossible not to admire the noble and intrepid firmness of their reply to this injunc tion. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you, more than to God-judge ye-for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. *

But

"I shall not misrepresent the circumstances, or the conduct of the "Apostles," says Dr, Beattie," if I suppose them to have addressed their "countrymen, the Jews, who were the first hearers of the Gospel, in "word like these: We tell you of this Man, our divine Master, many things "which ye yourselves know to be true; and nothing, in regard to which ye may not, if ye candidly enquire, satisfy yourselves by the testimony of

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"creditable

But for argument's sake-let it be supposed that there really was no Resurrection, and that the Disciples of Jesus entertained hopes of success, in the execution of their plan, of continuing to impose upon their countrymen. Upon what foundation could these hopes have been built? They have, themselves, ingenuously recorded the fact—that their original belief that the Messiah was to be a temporal Prince remained unshaken to the very last-nor does there appear to have been a single exception to this, in the whole number of the Disciples of Jesus, whether Apostles or others. As, therefore, it was impossible for them, not to have been thoroughly sensible of the strength of their own prejudices, upon this head-they must, consequently, have been, fully aware, of the mighty difficulties, which they would have to encounter, in correcting the like prejudices, in their countrymen. If Jesus had not been able to do away these prejudices, in their own case-how could they expect to be more successful? Nay; it must be extremely obvious, to the attentive Reader of the Gospel History, that upon the supposition that there was no Resurrection-the difficulties of their situation must have been wonderfully multiplied, even beyond those of Jesus; for it is evident, from the extensive view which has been taken, of this subject, that the attachinent of the Disciciples, was preserved by repeated assurances of the coming of the Messiah, and by fixing a period, beyond which, the commencement of his kingdom, would not be deferred. Here was room for hope to build on, and they, manifestly, and beyond all reasonable doubt, were supported by that hope, in the expectation that his appearance, as a temporal Prince, would be realized! But how different was the situation of the Apostles, upon the commencement of their undertaking?

creditable witnesses, who heard and saw what we affirm. From persisting "in falsehood we have nothing to hope; and ye in detecting it, can have "nothing to fear. The power of the state is in your hands; exert yourselves to the utmost; and confute us if you can. Suppose an address of "this kind to be made to the French nation, concerning an history of certain well known events that had happened in France, and suppose the "only answer returned, by public authority, to be as follows-On the subject ye mention, we command you and your adherents to be silent on "pain of death :---Of which party, let me ask, would the world judge most favourably? Would it not be said, that nothing could be more fair, than what is declared on the one side; and that on the other, there at once ap peared invincible prejudice and implacable malignity ?" See Beattie's Evidences of the Christian Religion, Vol. I. pages 66, 67.

They

On

They had no such assurances to make, to keep hope aliveno prospects to hold out to them, of a Messiah to come. the contrary-the person whom they had to point out to them, as the Messiah, had been Crucified as a notorious Malefactor and Impostor, for assuming the Character of the Messiah, and the only possible ground of hope of succeeding, in the execution. of their plan, was the evidence which they had to produce, that that same Jesus, whom their Rulers had Crucified, was raised from the dead, and that, consequently, by that solemn attestation from Heaven-the offence of the cross was removed, and that he was declared to be the SON OF GOD-the Messiah, WITH POWER. Nothing less, it may confidently be affirmed,. than a firm conviction, in their own minds, that they had sufficient proofs of the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus, and of the utter inability of their adversaries to deny their validity, could possibly have afforded them, the smallest hopes of success. And, even with this advantage; it must have required an uncommon degree of fortitude, and a thorough good will to the cause, to have engaged in the undertaking, after the proofs which they had had, in their own persons, of the inveterate prejudices, which they would have to encounter, independently of the character of the Jews, which, at this, period, must have appeared, to them in all its deformity! So great, indeed, must the difficulties of their undertaking have appeared to them-that the conduct of the Apostles, in facing them is, scarcely to be accounted for, but from the extraor dinary influence of that Spirit, with which they were endued, on the day of Pentecost; in which, the gracious promise of, their divine Master, appears to have been completely fulfilled

that he would be a mouth and wisdom to them, which all their adversaries would not be able to gainsay nor resist, and that they should be led into ALL TRUTH, i. e. into all the truth, so far as concerned, the true nature and design of the coming. of the Messiah!

These observations, upon the Resurrection of Jesus, and upon the situation in which the Apostles found themselves,. upon his ascension into heaven, will not, it is hoped, be thought altogether unworthy of the judicious Reader's attention-nor foreign to the great Purpose of this Work. With. respect to their strict conformity with the real state of things-, the Reader who has attentively read the preceding pages, is, fully competent to judge. It is, however, with much satis

faction,

faction, that the following remarks, upon the same subject, by Dr. Beattie, are presented for his perusal. "It deserves

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particular Notice," says he," that till after the death of "their Master-the Apostles were never cured of the national "mistake, that the Messiah was to be a great temporal Prince, "and to make the Jews, the most powerful people in the "world. Accordingly we find, that immediately after his "crucifixion, they were greatly disconcerted, and at a loss "what to think of him. We trusted, said they, that it had "been he who should have redeemed Israel. At that time, it 66 seems, the Cross was a stumbling block to them, as well "as to others. And no wonder, considering the hopes they "had formed, and the sad disappointment occasioned by an ❝ event, which though he had plainly foretold it, they were "so unwilling to believe, as to flatter themselves that it could "not happen. In this state of confusion and trouble, if they "had entertained any suspicion of imposture; nay, if they had "not been certain that there was no imposture, might they not, "with a very good grace, and is it not probable that they "would have returned to their business and their first religion, "saying-This was not the man whom we believed him to be?

With this persuasion, which, on the present supposition, "they must have had, they, in affirming that he was risen from "the dead, and in continuing to teach what he had taught, must "have known themselves to be impostors. What then could "be their motive to persist in a lie? That which could be no "motive at all; the certain prospect of persecution and death, " (for how could they imagine it would fare better with them ❝ than it had fared with their Master?) without any advantage "whatever to counterbalance those evils. And what would "have been their motives to return to their Jewish profession "and acknowledge they had been imposed on? The strongest "that can influence human nature: first, that indignation "which would be natural in men, who had forsaken all to "follow a person whom they now found to have deluded "them into a very dangerous snare: Secondly, the hope of advancing their interest by doing that which must have gratified their Rulers in the highest degree: And thirdly, "the conciousness of having, as became honest men, per"formed a duty which they owed to themselves, their "religion, and their country. In fact, if they were endowed

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with any share of understanding or of spirit; nay if they

were