Burnet on Article IV: Of the Resurrection of Christ

THere are Four Branches of this Article: The First is concerning the Truth of Christ’s Resurrection. The Second concerning the Compleatness of it, That he took to him again his whole Body. The Third is concerning his Ascension and Continuance in Heaven. And the Fourth is concerning his returning to judge all men at the Last Day. These things are all so expresly affirmed, and that in so particular a manner in the New Testament, that if the Authority of that Book is once well proved, little doubting will remain concerning them.

It is punctually told in it, That the Body of Christ was laid in the Sepulchre: That a Stone was laid to the Mouth of it: That it was rolled away, and upon that Christ arose and left the Death-Cloaths behind him: That those who viewed the Sepulchre, saw no Body there: That in the same Body Christ shewed himself to his Disciples, so that they all knew him, he talked with them, and they did eat and drink with him, and he made Thomas feel to the Print of the Nails and Spear. It is as plainly told, That the Apostles look’d on, and saw him ascend up to Heaven, and that a Cloud received him out of their sight. It is also said very plainly, that he shall come again at the Last Day, and judge all men both the Quick and the Dead. So that if the Truth of the Gospels is once fully proved, it will not be necessary to insist long upon the special Proof of these Particulars: Somewhat will only be necessary to be said in Explanation of them.

The Gospel was first Preached, and soon after put in Writing; in which these Particulars are not only delivered, but are set forth with many Circumstances relating to them. The Credit of the Whole is put on that Issue concerning the Truth of Christ’s Resurrection; so thar the overthrowing the Truth of That, was the overturning the whole Gospel, and struck at the Credit of it all. This was transacted as well as first published at Ierusalem, where the Enemies of it had all possible Advantages in their hands; their Interest was deeply concerned. as well as their Malice was much kindled at it. They had both Power and Wealth in their hands, as well as Credit and Authority among the People. The Romans left them at full liberty, as they did the other Nations whom they conquered, to order their own Concerns as they pleased. And even the Romans themselves began quickly to hate and persecute the Christians: They became the Objects of Popular Fury, as Tacitus tells us. The Romans look’d upon Christ as one that set on the Iews to those Tumults that were then so common among them, as Suetonius affirms: Which shews both how ignorant they were of the Doctrine of Christ, and how much they were prejudiced against it. Yet this Gospel did spread it self, and was believed by great multitudes both at Ierusalem and in all Iudea; and from thence it was propagated in a very few Years to a great many remoteCountries.

Among all Christians the Article of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ was always look’d on as the Capital one, upon which all the rest depended. This was attested by a considerable number of men, against whose Credit no Objection was made; who affirmed that they all had seen him, and conversed frequently with him after his Resurrection; that they saw him ascend up into Heaven; and that according to a Promise he had made them, they had received extraordinary Powers from him to work Miracles in his Name, and to speak in divers Languages. This last was a most amazing Character of a Supernatural Power lodged with them; and was a thing of such a nature, that it must have been evident to every man whether it was true or false: So that the Apostles relating this so positively, and making such frequent Appeals to it, that way of proceeding carries a strong and undeniable Evidence of Truth in it. These Wonders were gathered together in a Book, and published in the very Time in which they were transacted: The Acts of the Apostles were writ two Years after St. Paul was carried Prisoner to Rome; and St. Luke begins that Book with the mention of the Gospel that he had formerly writ, as that Gospel begins with the mention of some other Gospels that were writ before it. Almost all the Epistles speak of the Temple of Ierusalem as yet in being; of the Iews as then in Peace and Prosperity, hating and persecuting the Christians, every where: They do also frequently intimate the Assurance they had of a great Deliverance that was to happen quickly to the Christians, and of terrible Judgments that were to be poured out on the Iews; which was soon after that accomplish’d in the most signal manner of any thing that is recorded in History.

These things do clearly prove, That all the Writings of the New Testament were both Composed and Published in the Age in which that Matter was transacted: The Iews, who from all the places of their Dispersion went frequently to Ierusalem, to keep the great Festivities of their Religion there, had occasion often to examine upon the place, the Truth of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, and of the Effusion of the Holy Ghost: Yet even in that Infancy of Christianity, in which it had so little visible Strength, no Proof was so much as ever pretended in opposition to those great and essential Points; which being Matters of Fact, and related with a great Variety of Circumstances, had been easily confuted, if there had been any ground for it. The great Darkness at the time of Christ’s Death, the rending the Veil of the Temple in two, as well as what was more publick, the renting of the Rocks at his death: His being laid in a new Sepulchre, and a Watch being set about it; and the Watchmen reporting, That while they slept, the Body of Christ was carried away: The Apostles breaking out all of the sudden into that variety of Tongues on Pentecost; the Miracles that they wrought, and the proceedings of the Sanhedrim with them, were all things so publickly done, that as the discovery of Falshood in any one of these was in the power of the Iews, if any such was; so That alone had most effectually destroyed the Credit of this Religion, and stopt its Progress.

The Writings of the New Testament were at that time no Secrets, they were in all mens hands, and were copied out freely by every one that desired it. We find within an Hundred Years after that time, both by the Epistle of the Church of Smyrna, by Iustin, and Irenaeus, not to mention Clemens of Rome, who lived in that time, or Ignatius and Polycarp, who lived very near it; That the Authority of these Writings was early received and submitted to; That they were much read, and well known; and that they began very soon to be read at the Meetings of the Christians for Worship; and were esteemed by the several Churches as the great Trust and Depositum that was lodged with them. So that though by the Negligence of Copiers some small Variations might happen among some of the Copies; yet as they do all agree in the main, and most signally in those Particulars that are mentioned in this Article; so it was not possible for any that should have had the wickedness to set about it, to have corrupted the New Testament by any Additions or Alterations; it being so early spread into so many hands, and that in so many different places.

When all this matter is laid together, it appears to have as full an Evidence to support it, as any Matter of Fact can possibly have. The Narration gave great scope to a variety of Enquiries; it raised much Disputing, Opposition, and Persecution; and yet nothing was ever pretended to be proved, that could subvert its Credit: Great Multitudes received this Doctrine, and died for it in the Age in which the Matters of Fact upon which its Credit was built, were well attested, and in which the Truth or Falshood of them might have been easily known; which it is reasonable to believe that all men would carefully examine, before they embraced and assented to that which was like to draw on them Sufferings that would probably end in Death. Those who did spread this Doctrine, as well as those who first received it, had no Interest beside that of Trut[?] to engage them to it. They could expect neither Wealth nor Greatness from it: They were obliged to Travel much, and to Labour hard; to wrestle through great Difficulties, and to endure many Indignities. They saw others die on the account of it, and had reason to look for the like usage themselves.

The Doctrine that they preached related either to the Facts concerning the Person of Christ, or to the Rules of Life which they delivered. These were all pure, just, and good; they tended to settle the World upon the Foundations of Truth and Sincerity, and that sublime Pitch of Righteousness, of doing as they would be done by; they tended to make men Sober and Temperate, Chaste and Modest, Meek and Humble, Merciful and Charitable; so that from thence there was no Colour given for suspecting any Fraud or Design in it. The Worship of God in this Religion was Pure and Simple, free from Cost or Pomp, from Theatrical Shews, as well as Idolatrous Rites, and had in it all possible Characters becoming the Purity of the Supreme Mind. When therefore so much concurs to give Credit to a Religion, there ought to be evident Proofs brought to the contrary, before it can be disbelieved or rejected. So many men forsaking the Religion in which they were born and bred, which has always a strong Influence even upon the greatest Minds; and there being so many particular Prejudices both upon Iews and Gentiles, by the Opinions in which they had been bred, and the Impressions which had gone deep in them, it could be no slight matter that could overcome all that.

The Iews expected a Conqueror for their Messias, who should have raised both the Honour of their Law and their Nation, and so were much possessed against one of a mean Appearance; and when they saw that their Law was to be superseded, and that the Gentiles were to be brought in to equal Privileges with themselves, they could not but be deeply prejudiced both against the Person and Doctrine of Christ.

The Philosophers despised Divine Inspiration, and secret Assistances, and had an ill Opinion of Miracles: And the Herd among the Gentiles were so accustomed to Pomp and Shew in their Religious Performances, that they must have nauseated the Christian Simplicity, and the corruption of their Morals must have made them uneasy at a Religion of so much strictness. All sorts of men lay under very strong Prejudices against this Religion; nor was there any one Article or Branch of it, that f[?]attered any of the Interests, Appetites, Passions, or Vanities of Men, but all was very much to the contrary. They were warned to prepare for Trials and Crosses, and in particular for a severe and fiery Trial that was speedily to come upon them.

There was nothing of the way or manner of Impostors that appeared in the Methods in which the Gospel was propagated. When the Apostles saw that some were endeavouring to lessen them and their Authority, they took no fawning ways: They neither flattered nor spared those Churches that were under their care: They charged them home with their faults, and asserted their own Character in a strain that shewed they were afraid of no discoveries. They appeal’d to the Miracles that they had wrought, and to those Gifts and Divine Virtues of which they were not only possessed themselves, but which were by their Ministry conferred on others. The demonstration of the Spirit, or Inspiration that was in them, appeared in the power, that is,¹ in the Miracles which accompanied it, and those they wrought openly in the sight of many Witnesses. An uncontested Miracle is the fullest Evidence that can be given of a Divine Commission.

A Miracle is a Work that exceeds all the known Powers of Nature, and that carries in it plain Characters of a Power Superior to any Human power. We cannot indeed fix the bounds of the Powers of Nature; but yet we can plainly apprehend what must be beyond them. For Instance, We do not know what secret Virtues there may be in Plants and Minerals; But we do know that bare words can have no Natural Virtue in them to cure Diseases, much less to raise the Dead: We know not what force Imagination or Credulity may have in Critical Diseases; but we know that a Dead man has no Imagination: We know also, That Blindness, Deafness, and an Inveterate Palsey, cannot be cured by Conceit: Therefore such Miracles as the giving Sight to a Man born Blind, Speech to the Deaf and Dumb, and Strength to the Paralytick; but most of all, the giving Life to the Dead, and that not only to Persons laid out as Dead, but to one that was carried out to be Buried, and to another that had been four days Dead, and in his Grave; all this was done with a bare Word, without any sort of External Application; This, I say, as it is clearly above the Force of Imagination, so it is beyond the Powers of Nature.

These things were not done in the dark, nor in the presence of a few, in whom a particular confidence was put; but in full day-light, and in the sight of great Numbers, Enemies as well as Friends, and some of those Enemies were both the most enraged, and the most capable of making all possible Exceptions to what was done. Such were the Rulers of the Synagogues, and the Pharisees in our Saviour’s Time: And yet they could neither deny the Facts, nor pretend that there was any Deceit or Juglary in them. We have in this all possible reason to conclude, That both the things w[?]re truly done as they are related, and that no just Exception was or could be made to them.

If it is pretended, That those wonderful things were done by the Power of an Evil Spirit; That does both acknowledge the Truth of the Relation, and also its being Supernatural. This Answer taken from the Power of Evil Spirits, is sometimes to be made use of, when extraordinary things are well attested, and urged in proof of that which upon other Reasons we are assured is false. It is certain, That as we have a great power over vast quantities of gross and heavy Matter, which by the motion of a very subtile Body, our Animal Spirits we can master and manage: So Angels Good, or Bad, may by virtue of subtile Bodies, in which they may dwell, or which upon occasion they may assume, do many things vastly above either our Force to do, or our Imagination to apprehend how it is done by them. Therefore an Action, that exceeds all the known Powers in Nature, may yet be done by an Evil Spirit that is in Rebellion against its Maker, and that designs to impose upon us by such a mighty performance. But then the measure by which we must judge of this, is by considering what is the End or Design driven at in such a wonderful Work: If it is a good one, if it tends to reform the Manners of Men, to bring them off from Magick, Idolatry and Superstition, to the Worship of one Pure and Eternal Mind: And if it tends to Reform their Actions, as well as their Speculations, and their Worship; to turn them from Immorality, Falsehood, and Malice, to a Pure, a Sincere, and a Mild Temper; if it tends to Regulate Society, as well as to Perfect the Nature and Faculties of every single man; Then we may well conclude, That no evil Spirit can so far depart from its own Nature, as to join its Forces, and co-operate in such a Design:² For then the Kingdom of Satan could not stand, if he were thus divided against himself, according to what our Saviour said, when this was Objected against the Miracles that he wrought.

These are all the General Considerations that concur to prove the Truth of the History of the Gospel, of which the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ are the Two main Articles; for they being well proved, give Authority to all the rest. As to the Resurrection in particular, it is certain the Apostles could not be deceived in that matter: They saw Christ frequently after he Rose from the Dead; they met him once with a great Company of Five hundred with them: They heard him Talk and Argue with them; he opened the Scriptures to them with so peculiar an Energy, that they felt their Hearts set on fire, even when they did not yet perceive that it was He himself: They did not at first either look for his Resurrection, nor believe those who reported him risen: They made all due Enquiry, and some of them went beyond all reasonable bounds in their doubting: So far were they from an easy and scon-imposed-on Credulity. His Sufferings and their own Fears had so amazed them, that they were contriving how to separate and disperse themselves, when he at first appeared to them. Men so full of Fear, and so far from all Hope, are not apt to be easy in believing. So it must be concluded, That either the account which the Apostles gave the World of Christ’s Resurrection is true, or they were gross Impostors: since it is clear, That the Circumstances and Numbers mentioned in that History, shew there could be no deception in it. And it is as little possible to conceive, that there could be any Imposture in it: For not to repeat again, what has been already said, That they were under no Temptations to set about any such Deceit, but very much to the contrary; and that there is no reason to think they were either bad enough to enter upon such a design, or capable and skilful enough to manage it; they being many of ‘em illiterate Fishermen of Galilee, who had no Acquaintance at Ierusalem to furnish them with that which might be necessary for executing such a contrivance. The Circumstan[?]es of that Transaction are to be well examined, and then it will appear, that no Number of bold and dextrous men, furnished with all Advantages whatsoever, could have effected this matter.

Great Numbers had been engaged in the procuring our Saviour to be Crucified: The whole Sanhedrim, besides Multitudes of the People, who upon all occasions are easily drawn in to engage in Tumultuary Commotions: All these were concerned to examine the Event of this matter. He was Buried in a New Sepulchre lately hewed out of a Rock, so that there was no coming at it by any secret ways: A Watch was set; and all this at a time, in which the Full-Moon gave a great Light all the Night long: And Ierusalem being very full of People, who were then there in great Numbers to keep the Passover, that being the second Night of so vast a Rendevouz, it is reasonable to think, That great Numbers were walking in the Fields, or at least might be so, some later, and some earlier. Now if an Imposture was to be set about, the Guard was to be frighted or mastered, which could not be done without giving the Alarm, and that must have quickly brought a Multitude upon them. Christ’s Body must have been disposed of: Some other Tomb was to be lookt for to lodge it in: The Wounds that were in it would have made it to be soon known if found.

Here a bold Attempt was to be undertaken, by a company of poor irresolute Men, who must trust one another intirely, otherways they knew all might be soon discovered. One of their Number had betrayed Christ a few days before: Another had forsworn him, and all had forsaken him: And yet these men are supposed all of the sudden so firm in themselves, and so sure of one another, as to venture on the most daring thing that was ever undertaken by men, when not a Circumstance could ever be found out to fix upon them the least suspicion. The Priests and the Pharisees must be thought a strange stupid fort of Creatures, if they did not examine where the Apostles were all that Night: Besides many other particulars, which might have been a thread to lead them into strict Inquiries, unless it was because they believed the Report that the Watch had brought them of Christ’s Rising again. When they had this certain reason to believe it, and yet resolved to oppose it, the only thing they could do, was to seem to neglect the Matter, and only to decry it in general as an Imposture, without going into Particulars; which certainly they would not have done, if they themselves had not been but too sure of the Truth of it.

When all this is laid together, it is the most unreasonable thing imaginable, to think that there was an Imposture in this Matter, when no Colour nor shadow of it ever appeared, and when all the Circumstances, and not only probabilities, but even Moral possibilities are so full to the contrary.

The Ascension of Christ has not indeed so full a proof: Nor is it capable of it, neither does it need it; for the Resurrection well proved, makes that very credible. For this we have only the Testimony of the Apostles, who did all attest that they saw it, being all together in an open Field: When Christ was Walking and Discoursing with them; and when he was Blessing them, he was parted from them: They saw him Ascend, till a Cloud received him, and took him out of their sight. And then Two Angels appeared to them, and assured them,³ That he should come again in like manner as they had seen him Ascend. Here is a very particular Relation, with many Circumstances in it, in which it was not possible for the Apostles to be mistaken: So that there being no reason to suspect their Credit, this rests upon that Authority. But Ten days after, it received a much clearer Proof: When the Holy Ghost was poured out on them in so visible a manner, and with most remarkable effects. Immediately upon it they spoke with divers Tongues, and wrought many Miracles, and all in the Name of Christ. They did often and solemnly disclaim their doing any of those wonderful things by any power of their own: They owned that all that they had or did was derived to them from Iesus of Nazareth, ⁴ of whose Resurrection and Ascension they were appointed to be the Witnesses.

Christ’s coming again to judge the World at the last day, is so often affirmed by himself in the Gospel, and is so frequently mentioned in the Writings of his Apostles, that this is a main part of his Doctrine: So that his Resurrection, Ascension, together with the Effusion of the Holy Ghost, having in general proved his Mission, and his whole Doctrine, this is also proved by them. Enough seems to be said in Proof of all the parts of this Article; it remains only that somewhat should be added in Explanation of them.

As to the Resurrection, it is to little purpose to Enquire, whether our Saviour’s Body was kept all the while in a compleat Organisation, that so by this Miracle it might be preserved in a Natural State for his Soul to re-enter it: Or whether by the Course of Nature the vast Number of the inward Conveyances that are in the Body were stopt; and if all of a sudden, when the time of the Resurrection came, all was again put in a vital State, fit to be animated by his Soul. There must have been a Miracle either way: So it is to little purpose to enquire into it. The former, though a continued Miracle, yet seemes to agree more fully to these words, Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. It is to as little purpose to enquire how our Saviour’s new Body was supplied with Blood; Since he had lost the greatest part of it on the Cross. Whether that was again by the power of God brought back into his Veins, or whether as he himself had formerly said, That Man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, Blood was supplied by Miracle: Or whether his Body that was then of the Nature of a Glorified Body, though yet on Earth, needed the supplies of Blood to furnish new Spirits, for serving the natural Functions; He Eating and Drinking so seldom, that we may well believe it was done rather to satisfy his Apostles, than to answer the Necessities of Nature: These are Curiosities that signify so little, if we could certainly resolve them, that it is to no purpose to enquire about them, since we cannot know what to determine in them. This in general is certain, that the same Soul returned back to the same Body; so that the same Man who died, rose again; and that is our Faith. We need not trouble our selves with enquiring how to make out the Three Days of Christ’s being in the Grave; Days stand in the common acceptation, for a Portion of a Day. We know the Iews were very exact to the Rest on the Sabbath, so the Body was without question laid in the Grave before the Sun-set on Friday; so that was the First day; the Sabbath was a compleat one; and a good part of the Third day, that is, the Night, with which the Iews began to count the day, was over before he was raised up.

As for his stay on Earth forty days, we cannot pretend to give an account of it; whether his Body was passing through a slow and Physical Purification, to be meet for Ascending; or whether he intended to keep a proportion between his Gospel and the Law of Moses; that as he suffered at the time of their killing the Passover, so the Effusion of the Holy Ghost was fixed for Pentecost, and that therefore he [?]ould stay on Earth till that time was near, not to put his Apostles upon too long an expectation without his Presence; which might be necessary to animate them, till they should be endued with Power from on high. As to the manner of his Ascension, it is also questioned whether the Body of Christ as it asc[?]nded, was so wonderfully changed, as to put on the Subtility and Purity of an Ethereal Body; or whether it […] same Form in Heaven that it had on Earth; or i[?] it pu[?] on a new one: It is more probable that it did; and that the wonderful Glory that appeared in his Countenance and whole Person at his Tr[?]s[?]gur[?]tion, was a manifestation of that more permanent Glory to which it was to be afterwards exalted. It seems probable from what St. Paul says,⁵ (That flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God, which relates to our glorified Bodies, when we shall bear the Image of the second and the heavenly Adam) that Christ’s Body has no more the modifications of Flesh and Blood in it; and that the Glory of the Celestial Body is of another Nature and Texture than that of the Terrestrial. It is easily imagined how this may be, and yet the Body to be numerically the same:⁶ For all Matter being uniform, and capable of all sort of Motion, and by consequence of being either much grosser or much purer, the same Portion of Matter that made a thick and Heavy Body here on Earth, may be put into that Purity and Fineness as to be no longer a fit Inhabitant of this Earth, or to breath this Air, but to be meet to be transplanted into Ethereal Regions.

Christ as he went up into Heaven, so he had the whole Government of this World put into his hands, and the whole Ministry of Angels put under his Command, even in his Human Nature. So that all things are now in subjection to him. All Power and Authority is derived from him,⁷ and he does whatsoever he pleases both in Heaven and Earth. In him all fulness dwells. And as the Mosaical Tabernacle being filled with Glory, the Emanations of it did by the Urim and Thummim enlighten and direct that People; so out of that Fulness that dwelt Bodily in Christ, there is a constant Emanation of his Grace and Spirit descending on his Church. He does also intercede for us at his Father’s Right-hand, where he is preparing a place for us. The meaning of all which is this, That as he is vested with an unccnceivable high degree of Glory, even as Man, so the Merit of his Death is still fresh and entire; and in the virtue of that, the Sins of all that come to God thro[?]gh him, claiming to his Death as to their Sacrifice, and obeying his Gospel, are pardoned, and they are sealed by his Spirit until the day of Redemption. In conclusion, when all God’s design with this World is accomplished, it shall be set on Fire, and all the great Parts of which it is composed, as of Elements, shall be melted and burnt down; and then when by that Fire probably the Portions of Matter which was in the Bodies of all who have lived upon Earth, shall be so far refined and fixed, as to become both Incorruptible and Immortal, then they shall be made meet for the Souls that formerly animated them, to re-enter every one into his own Body, which shall be then so moulded as to be a Habitation fit to give it everlasting Joy or everlasting Torment.

Then shall Christ appear visibly in some very conspicuous Place, in the Clouds of Heaven, where every Eye shall see him; He shall appear in his own glory, that is, in his Human glorified Body:⁸ He shall appear in the glory of his angels, having vast Numbers of these about him, attending on him: But which is above all, he shall appear in his Father’s glory, that is, there shall be then a most wonderful Manifestation of the Eternal Godhead dwelling in him; and then shall he pass a final Sentence upon all that ever lived upon Earth, according to all that they have done in the Body, whether it be good or bad. The Righteous shall ascend as he did, and shall meet him in the Clouds, and be for ever with him; and the Wicked shall sink into a state of Darkness and Misery, of unspeakable Horror of Mind, and everlasting Pain and Torment.

Footnotes

1. 1 Cor. 2.4. ↩

2. Mat. 12 25, 26. ↩

3. Acts 1.[?]1. ↩

4. Acts 3.12, 16. ↩

5. 1 Co[?]. 15.50. ↩

6. Ver. 40. ↩

7. 1 Cor. 15.27, 28. ↩

8. Luk. 9.26. ↩