of Paul's that we have an account of, he and Barnabas declare to the Jews, and the profelytes of the gate at Antioch in Pifidia, "that God had raised Jefus from the dead: “ and declared it, as well from themselves "," as from thofe (that is the eleven ")" who came "up with him from Galilee to Jerufalem," and who are faid to be "his witneffes unto "the people." Paul "teftified to the Jews that

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Jefus was the Chrift";" and tells the elders of the church of Ephefus, "that he had teftified "both to the Jews and to the Greeks:" and adds, that none of the troubles that he forefaw, moved him from "teftifying the grace "of the gospel of Chrift." And when our bleffed Lord appeared to him in the castle at Jerufalem, he "bids him be of good chear;' for that" as he had teftified of him in Jerufalem, fo he fhould bear witness alfo at Rome "." Paul likewife declares to King Agrippa, that after" he was sent to "the Gentiles, he continued witneffing both "to small and great-that Christ should fuf"fer, and that he should be the first that "fhould rife from the dead, and fhould fhew

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y Acts xxiv. 32.

z That it was the eleven that came up with Chrift from Galilee to Jerufalem, see the Abstract.

a Acts xxiv. 31.

© Ibid. xx. 17, 21,

Ibid. xxiii. II.

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light unto the people, and unto the Gen-. "tiles f." And when he was come to Rome, according to our Saviour's prediction, St. Luke acquaints us, that "he testified the kingdom of God there h

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We find St. Peter calls himself a "witness "of the fufferings of Chrift ;" and tells those to whom he wrote, "that they did not fol"low cunningly devised fables, when they "made known unto them the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift; but "were eye-witneffes of his majefty. For "he received from God the Father, honour " and majesty, when there came fuch a voice "from the excellent Glory and this "voice- -we heard" And he does not only exhort, but teftify to the Chriftians to whom he wrote, "that this was the true "grace of God in which they ftood." And St. John, an apostle as well as a writer of one of the gofpels, fays, " he that faw" (namely the Soldier peirce Jefus' fide)" bare "record, and his record is true m." And that "he testified these things," namely, those which are contained in his gofpel, and "wrote "these things, and we know that his testi"mony is true"" words not used by Mark,

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or Luke, in their gofpels. And in his epiftle he fays, "That which we have heard, "which we have feen with our eyes, which "we looked upon, and our hands have hand"led of the Word of Life (for the Life "was manifefted, and we have feen it, and "bear witness, and fhew unto you): that "which we have feen and heard declare we "unto you°.

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099

And St. Paul fays P, that if "Christ be not rifen, then are we (not only he, but all the "reft of the apoftles of Chrift) found false "witneffes, because we have teftified of God, "that he raised up Christ, whom he raised "not up, if fo be that the dead rife not." And he calls the gofpel which he preached to the Corinthians, (the fame in substance that the other apoftles did to others) "the "teftimony of Chrift :" and calls it his testimony to the Theffalonians"; "the very "teftimony of our Lord, which he charged "Timothy not to be ashamed of." I need do no more than barely acquaint the most unlearned reader, that it is the very fame word in the original, which we tranflate by the two words teftify and witness; and which are in our own language of the fame import and fignification.

1 John i. 2, 3. See chap. iv. 14. Rev. i. 9.

Cor. xv. 15.

2 Thef. i. 10.

Ibid. ii. I.

• 1 Tim. i. 8.

Thus

Thus we fee, that apoftles are appointed to teftify, or witnefs, the refurrection of Chrift; but we may obferve, that though they generally infifted on that, as the fact of the greatest moment, without which the Chriftian Religion could have no foundation, and which, if once admitted, the reft would be readily received; yet they do likewise at times, and as occafion required, attest the other facts of Christianity: Christ's miracles, his transfiguration, his crucifixion, his afcenfion, and efpecially his fhedding down the Holy Ghost upon them; as a proof of his refurrection, and his exaltation at the right hand of God.

And as thus we fee, that apoftles testify the refurrection of Christ, and the other great facts of Christianity; fo I must add (though I do not know it has been taken notice of that I cannot find, that any other minifters do it. Prophets are faid to exhort: Barnabas was a prophet, before he was an apostle; for he is reckoned among the other prophets in the Church of Antiocht; and he is faid to have exhorted at Antioch ". So likewife did Judas and Silas, being pro-, phets, in the very fame church afterwards ". Evangelists are said to preach; Philip did so

t Acts xiii. I.

Ibid. xv. 22.

" Ibid. xi. 23.

to

to the Samaritans, and to the eunuch, and in feveral cities:" and that Philip was an evangelift (at least afterwards) we learn from Acts xxi. 8. Others are faid to teach, as Apollos ; and to feed the church of God (which is a metaphorical expreffion for teaching, as I have proved in the First Effay) as the elders of the church of Ephefus b. St. Paul bids Timothy and Titus "teach, preach, reprove, rebuke, exhort "". But none but apoftles are ever, that I can find, ordered or faid to teftify; and it is remarkable, that though Philip is faid to preach in those three feveral places, in the 8th chapter of the Acts, that I have just now quoted; yet Peter and John are, in that very chapter, faid to have teftified to those very Samaritans, to whom St. Luke is fo very careful to tell us that Philip only preached.

very

There were, no doubt, other perfons who faw and heard Chrift after his refurrection, befides his apostles; he having been seen "of Mary Magdalene, of Mary the mother "of James, and of other women;"" of Cleophas, and another;" and afterwards "of five hundred brethren at once f." And

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- Acts viii. 5.

с

z Ver. 40.

b Ibid. xx. 28.

y Ver. 35:

a Ibid. xviii. 25.

1 Tim. iv. 11. 2 Tim. iv. 2. Tit. ii. 15.

d Mat. xxviii. 9, 10. Mark xvi. 10. John xx. 14, 15.

• Luke xxiv. 13-33.

f 1 Cor. xv. 16.

they