evidence, not of the fraud, but of the power of the resurrection; and
the guards will have nothing to answer for, but only this, that they
were not stronger than God. The seal was a proper check upon the
guards: the Jews had no other meaning in it; they could not be so
stupid as to imagine, that they could by this contrivance disappoint
the designs of providence. And it is surprising to hear these
circumstances made use of to prove the resurrection to be a fraud,
which yet could not but happen, supposing the resurrection to be true.

But there is another circumstance still, which the Gentleman
reckons very material, and upon which I find great stress is laid. The
resurrection happened, we are told, a day sooner than the prediction
imported. The reason assigned for it is, that the execution of the
plot at the time appointed was rendered impracticable, because the
chief priests, an probably great numbers of the people, were prepared
to visit the sepulchre at that time; and therefore the disciples were
under a necessity of hastening their plot.

This observation is entirely inconsistent with the supposition
upon which the reasoning stands. The Gentleman has all along supposed
the resurrection to have been managed by fraud, and not by violence.
And indeed violence, if there had been an opportunity of using it,
would have been insignificant: beating the guards, and removing the
dead body by force, would have destroyed all pretences to a
resurrection. Now, surely the guards, supposing them to be enough in
number to withstand all violence, were at least sufficient to prevent
or to discover fraud. What occasion then to hasten the plot for fear
of numbers meeting at the tomb, since there were numbers always present
sufficient to discover any fraud; the only method that could be used in
the case?