The nature of man still remained the same; their hearts were not rent, though the rocks were; neither did their understanding appear to have been opened, though the graves opened. Perhaps, you will say that it was the will of God that it should be so, in order that the scriptures might be fulfilled, which says, that they seeing, might see and not perceive; and hearing, might hear and not understand, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should be converted.15 But will this accord with your opinion of Him, whose tender mercies are over all his works; who delighteth not in the death of a sinner, but willeth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth? In truth, if so, it was an odd and unaccountable way of calling sinners to repentance; of seeking and saving the lost sheep of Israel, by exhibiting such signs and wonders, that could neither be seen, heard, nor understood!

the

Concerning these dead bodies which rose out of their graves and appeared unto many, Mr. Matthew has made a complete bungling story altogether. He should have written, for our information and instruction, intelligence which, undoubtedly, these dead bodies gave to their friends, respecting "the other world" from which they came. Also of their future circumstances; whether they entangled themselves again with the affairs of this world, marrying and multiplying their species, till death discovered the fugitives and arrested them the second time; or whether they returned back again to their graves immediately and buried themselves, or suffered others to do it for them again? Such information would have been much more acceptable and instructive, than a vast number of other idle and unimportant tales, with which the holy Evangelists have taken the trouble of filling up their books. I cannot forbear smiling sometimes when I read this story,-(though the appearance of so many,—not a few,-naked putrified bodies,-not spirits, must have been truly a disgusting sight,)-at the motley group of naked men and women, for I suppose there were some of both sexes,-running about the city! Matthew says they were saints; so that it is no

wonder they were void of shame. A modest man or woman would rather hide themselves in a grave, than expose their nakedness to public view. And if they only came to stare and look about, being as mute as ghosts, they might as well have staid in their graves for what good they did! This, I suppose you will not admit, that God should send a parcel of saints back into this world, attended with such extraordinary circumstances, merely to say and do nothing. Therefore, my imagination represents to my view a ghastly putrified man, running after a lovely young woman, whom he wishes to claim as his wife, that buried him a few years back, while she is endeavouring to escape from the embraces of this horrible spectre, having, perpaps, given her hand since his death to some vigorous and lively person: and vice versa. How this matter could be settled I know not; for throughout the whole Mosaic law, I cannot find out whose wife the woman should be, if her first husband was, after having been dead and buried, to take the benefit of the act, or gaol delivery from purgatory, and return to life again, and find that she had married in his absence.

When Matthew wrote this story, it seems that he knew but little of the scriptures, which says that "he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more; he shall return no more to his house; neither shall his

place know him any more.' "76"For man lieth down, and riseth not till the heavens be no more; they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." "Even if they were, we are told that a dead body is so obnoxious in the sight of God, that he would never suffer a Jew to touch one, without purifying himself." Therefore, as I cannot find that any of the chief Priests, Pharisees, nor Sadducees, believed these things, the truth of which they must have known if they ever did transpire, I cannot see any just ground for me to give them credit. Even Paul did not believe in this story, which must have been known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; or he never would have said that Christ was the first fruits of them that slept ;79 it being foretold that he should be the first that should rise from the dead. 80

Having now arranged the several reports of the principal events which are said to have occurred between his apprehension and death, I conclude this letter by saying, that if four men, though uninspired, wished to obtain credit, they never would have written such contrary accounts of one and the same thing. Whenee it is evident, that the writers of these books had no knowledge whatever, of the persons or things of which they were writing, and which I will make manifest at the conclusion of this work. It being utterly impossible for one and the self same action to take place at different times, and in different places, and still occurring at one place at the same time, attended with so many contradicting circumstances. Yet, notwithstanding this palpable and evident display of error and falsehood, what volumes have been written; what pains, what labour have been employed in endeavouring to reconcile these contradictions! which being found to be totally impossible, the advocates thereof have been obliged to seek the aid of sophistry, in saying that the holy men who wrote these books agreed to disagree among themselves, in order to prevent any suspicion of its being a concerted plot to impose upon the credulity of mankind! Admitting this to have been their design, does it not prove their ignorance by the contrary effects which it has produced? The tree, we are told, is known by its fruits. What jury would condemn a dog on the evidence of four men who all contradicted each other? Yet the Priests would have us to believe that their contradictory evidence is a sure sign of truth! Therefore, to say that their contradictory reports are a proof that the reporters did not act in concert, is all that can be said: which is an admission of their ignorance, concerning the things related, or there would not have been any disagreement in their several reports; especially among inspired

men !

To make straight a highway for the advancement of truth and knowledge, through this desert of ignorance and imposture, is the intention of

Your humble Servant,

JOHN CLARKE,

NOTES TO THE FOREGOING LETTER.

LETTER XV.

TO DR. ADAM CLARKE.

SIR,

I am now about to commence an inquiry into that article of faith called the Resurrection of Christ, which being considered the chief corner stone of the Christian fabric, will require more than ordinary care and circumspection in its examination; and I trust that it will be no more criminal to inquire why and wherefore, than it is what we are to believe; seeing that it is only by inquiry that mankind have attained the knowledge of many useful and important truths, and detected many errors and falsehoods, which in former ages were received and held forth as so many infallible truisms. Some persons no doubt, may shudder now, as well as then, at the presumption of such an inquiry, and say that it is a subject not adapted to our finite faculties, therefore not proper to be examined. But if it be not proper to examine into its merits, it cannot be a fit subject to propagate; neither would an all-wise and benevolent being propose that to our finite faculties which they were incapable of comprehending. sides, are not the deeds of truth made more manifest by being brought to light? It is only he that doeth evil that hateth the light, lest his deeds be reproved.1 Let us, then, bring this deed to the light of reason, that the truth thereof may appear: so that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold which perishes, though it be tried in the fire, may be found worthy of honour and credit. For as the gold that cannot stand fire is thereby proved counterfeit, so that doctrine which cannot bear the test of examination, but shuns the light of reason, cannot be true. Let us see,

2

Be