Minds of the People, if fairly made; to prevent which they refolve in the first Place to publish a Story of their own; and therefore, with a rich Bribe in hand, and a full Affurance of Indemnity, they prevail with the Watch to be filent as to what they had feen at the Sepulchre, and to give out that the Disciples stole away, the Body, whilft they were asleep. But to juftify the Credit of this Piece of Hiftory, we muft, it feems, answer all the Imaginations of the Confiderer; who has given his Judgment upon the Part acted by the Guards and the chief Priests,, and is of Opinion that neither of them could do what the History afcribes to them. He has fummed up his Reasoning at Page 48. first Edit, and Page 38. third Edit. It is amazing--that the Guard at the Sepulchre should be terrified almoft to Death, with aftonishing Wonders, and the high Priefs and Rulers believe them, yet thefe Things Should have no more Effect upon them than if they had not believed them. Little Dealers in Hiftory and Politicks are never more contemptible, than when they attempt to affign Reafons for or against plain Facts, reported by Writers of Credit. The Actions of a great General have been fometimes called in question, because a little Smatterer in military Affairs conceives the Schemes not to have been well laid, or not well conducted; 2 First Edit. p. 48. Third Edit. p. 38. and and then full of his own Wifdom he fays, Faults in this Way of arguing, first, that he who reafons fo, takes it for granted that he is able to judge wifely in the Cafe himself, which often happens to be otherwife. Secondly, that Men in all Cafes act wifely and reasonably, which feldom is the Cafe. But let us hear in the firft Place what the Confiderer has to fay for the Guards. 'Tis ftrange, unaccountably ftrange! that thofe Soldiers, who were just now almost ftruck dead with Terror, fhould lose the Impreffions fo eafily and fo foon, which it had made upon them, which just before fcarce left them Power to fly from the deadly Fright which an Earthquake and an Angel had put them in! that for Money they should all agree together to lift themselves in the Priests Service to fight against God, when by fo doing they might expect fome heavy Judgment to fall upon them; but by affirming the Truth boldly, conceive reafonable Hopes of being Captains in the Meffiah's victorious Army, which was to conquer all Nations. Let us now confider the Grounds upon which he builds. He fuppofes these common Soldiers, who were Heathens, and bred up to defpife the Religion of the Jews above all Firft Edit. p. 44. Third Edit. p. 34. others, ; others, to be perfuaded, that, when they took a Bribe of the chief Priefts, they lifted themfelves to fight against God--and that they might expect fome heavy Judgment, and that by acting otherwife, they might have reafonable Hopes of being Captains in the Meffiah's victorious Army, which was to conquer all Nations. How comes the Confiderer to furnish the Soldiers with these Sentiments? Does he imagine that a Fright would make them forget all the Religion of their own Country at once, and turn Jews, and firm Believers in the God of the Jews? and that it would give them the fame Opinion of the Meffiah which the Jews had and make them think Jefus to be the Meffiah, and fill them with Expectation of Employments under him? Nothing furely can be more out of Character. But however, they were terrified; and the Confiderer thinks it ftrange, they should lofe the Impreffion fo easily and fo foon. What Impreffion does he mean? If he means the Sentiments, which he has afcribed to them, I am perfuaded they did not lose them, for they never had them. The Roman Soldiers very probably knew nothing more, than that they were appointed to watch the Sepulchre, that the Body might not be removed, and that they were acquainted with the Character and Pretenfions of the Perfon lying in the Grave, there is not the leaft Reafon to fufpect; much less had they any Expectation of being difturbed by invifible Powers; and and when they were disturbed, what Probabi→ lity is there in making them reafon immediately like Jews, and to think of God and his Meffiah, as if they had been his Difciples ? But suppose them (if you please) to have some Tincture of Religion; fuppofe too they believed with the Centurion at the Crucifixion, that Chrift was indeed a righteous Man; and yet farther, that he was particularly favoured of the Gods; what is all this to the Purpose? If he was a Favourite of the Gods, it was the Gods of his own Country, with whom they imagined they had nothing to do. They had Gods of their own, to whom they were bound, and whom they served, if they ferved any Gods at all. As to the Jewish Religion, if they thought any thing of it, they thought with the reft of the Heathens that it was the worst of Superftitions. It remains then only that the Soldiers were scared and terrified by a furprizing Sight. And where is the Wonder, that, when the Fright was over, they should be what they were before, mere common Soldiers; and ready to take Money, which was to be earned at fo cheap a Rate, as reporting a Story made for them by the chief Priefts? It was all one to them who moved the Body; they were unaffected with the Confequences that alarmed the chief Priefts; and, I dare fay, ready Money outweighed all Hopes, the Confiderer has given them, of getting Commiffions under the Jewish Meffiab. In the next Place he undertakes the Cause of the chief Priests, and to prove that the Part: affigned to them in the Gospel History, is a weak one, and a wicked one; and thence he concludes they neither did nor could act that Part, and that the Account of it is forged. The first Part of his Task is indeed an easy one; for the chief Priests acted very foolishly and very wickedly; but I am in fome Pain for his Confequence. Will he maintain that no Men act wickedly or weakly? or though many do, yet the chief Priefts never did or could? I doubt he will be at a full Stop here. But let us hear him. The Priests, he fays, as well as the People, were credulous of Miracles, being nurfed up in the Belief of them, which when attefted by their own Party, Perfons whofe Veracity they could depend upon (not the flying Reports of a giddy Mob) must have prevented them from doing what 'tis here pretended they didc. But why fhould the chief Priests be more affected by Miracles, attefled by their own Party, i. e. the Guards, than by those which they faw themselves? Many fuch there were, fome of them I have already mentioned; but how were they affected by them? Did they not feek the Life of Jefus for raifing Lazarus, and the Life of Lazarus that he might not live a Witness of the Power of Jefus? Did they not admit the Miracles, and yet afcribe them to the Power of Beelzebub? And might they not with First Edit. p. 45. Third Edit. p. 35. N с the |