The Trial of the Witnessses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Trial of the Witnessses of the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
by
Thomas Sherlock

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Title: The Trial of the Witnessses of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Author: Thomas Sherlock
Release Date: May, 2004 [EBook #5608] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 20, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE TRIAL
OF THE WITNESSSES OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
CHRIST ***

Typescript converted to computer file by Lee Dunbar - July 2002

The TRIAL of the WITNESSES of the RESURRECTION of JESUS
CHRIST
N.B. Not only Mr. Woolston's objections in his Sixth Discourse on our
Saviour's Miracles, but those also which he and others have published
in other Books, are here considered.
First Published about the Year 1729
THE T R I A L OF THE WITNESSES OF THE Resurrection of Jesus
We were, not long since, some Gentlemen of the inns of court together,
each to other so well known, that no man's presence was a confinement
to any other, from speaking his mind on any subject that happened to
arise in conversation. The meeting was without design, and the
discourse, as in like cases, various. Among other things we fell upon
the subject of Woolston's trial and conviction, which had happened

some few days before. That led to a debate, How the law finds in such
cases? what punishment it inflicts? and, in general, whether the law
ought at all to interpose in controversies of this kind? We were not
agreed in these points. One, who maintained the favorable side to
Woolston, discovered a great liking and approbation of his discourses
against the miracles of Christ, and seemed to think his arguments
unanswerable. To which another replied, I wonder that one of your
abilities, and bred to the profession of the law, which teaches us to
consider the nature of evidence, and its proper weight, can be of that
opinion: I am sure you would be unwilling to determine a property of
five shillings upon such evidence, as you now think material enough to
overthrow the miracles of Christ.
It may easily be imagined, that this opened a door to much dispute, and
determined the conversation for the remainder of the evening to this
subject. The dispute ran thro' almost all the particulars mentioned in
Woolston's pieces; but the thread of it was broken by several
digressions, and the pursuit of things which were brought accidentally
into the discourse. At length one of the company said pleasantly;
Gentlemen, you don't argue like lawyers; if I were judge in this cause, I
would hold you better to the point. The company took the hint, and
cried, they should be glad to have the cause reheard, and him to be the
judge. The Gentlemen who had engaged with mettle and spirit in a
dispute which arose accidentally, seemed very unwilling to be drawn
into a formal controversy; and especially the Gentleman who argued
against Woolston, thought the matter grew too serious for him, and
excused himself from undertaking a controversy in religion, of all
others the most momentous. But he was told, that the argument should
be confined merely to the nature of the evidence; and that might be
considered, without entering into any such controversy as he would
avoid; and, to bring the matter within bounds, and under one view, the
evidence of Christ's resurrection, and the exceptions taken to it, should
be the only subject of the conference. With such persuasion he suffered
himself to be persuaded, and promised to give the company, and their
new-made judge, a meeting that day fortnight. The judge and the rest of
the company were for bringing on the cause a week sooner; but the
council for Woolston took the