I am so far from designing any Service to Infidelity by this _Discourse_, that I aim at the Accomplishment of some of St. _John_'s Apocalyptical Visions. The Fathers say that a _Church_, built on the Letter of the Scriptures, particularly on the Letter of _Jesus_'s Miracles, is _Babylon_; and that antiliteral Arguments and mystical Interpretations will be the Downfal of her. Whether there is any Truth in this Opinion of the Fathers, I am minded to make the Experiment; and tho' I should bring the old House of the Church over my Head, and be crush'd to Pieces in its Ruins, I can't forbear it: But however, I would advise the _Clergy_ to make Haste and _come out of Babylon_, for Fear of the worst; or they, who upon the Authority of the Fathers are _the Merchants of Babylon_, will _weep_[309] _and mourn_ upon her Fall, because _none will buy their Merchandize_ of the Letter _any more_. Dear _Jesu_, that such a _Student_ as I am in the _Revelations_ of St. _John_, and an Interpreter of them too, upon the Authority of the Fathers, should be charg'd with Blasphemy and Infidelity! So to Work I went; and I had not been long musing by myself, how to sap this Foundation of the Church, before I was sensible of my own Insufficiency for it. Whereupon I sent to my old Friend, the _Jewish Rabbi_, for his Thoughts on this grand Miracle of _Jesus_'s Resurrection, which he gave me some Promise of. But I desired him to forbear all Ludicrousness, Satire and Banter, for fear of Offence: For tho' our _Clergy_ liked Volumes of Jests and Facetiousness, if they were discharg'd against _Jews_, _Turks_, and _Infidels_; yet when they were levell'd at _Ministers_ of the _Letter_, the _Case was alter'd_, as quoth _Plowden_, and they were not to be borne with. Therefore he was to remember that Decency, Seriousness and Calmness of Argument, required by the _Bishop_ of _London_[310] or I durst not print it. In Compliance with my Desires he sent me the following _Letter_, which, having purg'd it of a few _Puns_ and _Cunundrums_, because all Appearance of _Wit_, as of _Evil_, was to be abstain'd from, I here publish, and it runs thus. _SIR_, According to your Request, I here send you my Thoughts on _Jesus_'s Resurrection, in which I shall be shorter than I would be, because of the customary Bounds of your _Discourses_. The Controversy between us _Jews_ and you _Christians_ about the _Messiah_ has hitherto been of a diffusive Nature: But as the Subject of _this_ is the Resurrection of your _Jesus_; so, by my Consent, we'll now reduce the Controversy to a narrow Compass, and let it turn intirely on this grand Miracle and Article of your Faith. If your _Divines_ can prove _Jesus_'s Resurrection against the following Objections, then I will acknowledge him to be the _Messiah_, and will turn Christian, otherwise he must still pass with us for an Impostor and false Prophet.