in a great measure hid, either were not at all difcovered before, or not fo clearly. Now, because the Heathens, by the light of nature, had fome probable conjectures and hopes concerning another life after this, they were, in fome meafure, perfuaded that when men died, they were not wholly extinguished, but did pafs into another world, and did there receive rewards fuited to their carriage and demeanour in this life; and because the Jews alfo, before Chrift, had these natural suggestions and hopes ftrengthened and confirmed by revelations, which God made unto them under the Old Testament, therefore we cannot understand this phrafe of Chrift's bringing immortal life to light abfolutely, as if it were wholly a new difcovery, which the world had no apprehenfion of before; but only comparatively, as a thing which was now rendered by the coming of Christ into the world, incomparably more evident and manifelt. Quicquid enim Philofophi, quicquid Rabbini ea de re dicunt, tenebræ funt, fi ad evangelii lucem comparentur "Whatever the Philofophers, whatever the Rabbins "fay of this matter, is but darkness compared to the clear light and revelation of the gofpel." I proceed to the Second thing I propofed, viz. To hew what Chrift's coming into the world hath done towards the abolishing of death, and bringing of life and immortality to light. I fhall fpeak diftinctly to thefe two. I. What Chrift's appearance and coming into the world hath done towards the abolishing of death, or how death is abolished by the appearance of Christ. I have already fhewn in the explication, that this phrafe, the abolishing of death, fignifies the conqueft which he made over death in his own perfon for himself; the fruit of which victory redounds to us. For in that Chrift, by his divine power, did conquer it, and fet himself free from the bands of it; this thews that the power of it is now brought into other hands, that Chrift hath the keys of hell and death; fo that though the devil, by tempting to fin, brought death into the world, yet it fhall not be in his power to keep men always under the power of it; and hereby the terror of this great enemy is in a good measure taken away, and he thali at laft be totally de Aroyed, ftroyed, by the fame hand that hath already given him his mortal wound. Now this is faid to be done by the appearing of Jefus Chrift, for as much as by his coming into the world, and taking our nature upon him, he became capable of encountering this enemy and overcoming him, in fuch a manner as might give us affurance of a final victory over it, and for the prefent comfort and encourage us against the fears of it. For, 1. By taking our nature upon him, he became fubject to the frailties and miferies of mortality, and liable to the fuffering of death, by which expiation of fin was made. Sin was the cause of death. So the Apofte tells us, By man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, fo that death came upon all. Now, the way to cure this malady which was come upon our nature, and to remove this great mifchief which was come into the world, is by taking away the meritorious caufe of it, which is the guilt of fin. Now, this Chrift hath taken away by his death. Chrift, that he might abolish death, hath appeared for the abolition of fin. So the Apoftle tells us, Heb, ix. 26. 27. 28. But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away fin by the facrifice of himself, as deτnow duaptias, for the abolishing of fin: And to fhew that this was intended as a remedy of the great mifchief and inconvenience of mortality, which fin had brought upon mankind, the Apostle immediately adds in the next verfe, that as it is appointed unto all men once to die, fo Chrift was once offered to bear the fins of many and by this means the fting of death is taken away, and death in effect conquered; the confideration of which makes the Apostle break out into that thankful triumph, 1 Cor. xv. 55. 56.57. O death! where is thy fting? O grave! where is thy victory? The fting of death is fin but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jefus Christ. 2. As Chrift, by taking our nature upon him, be came capable of fuffering death, and thereby making expiation for fin; fo by dying he became capable of riling again from the dead, whereby he hath gained a perfect victory and conqueft over death and the powers of darkness. And this account the Apoftle gives us of Chrift's 1 Chrift's taking our nature upon him, as being one of the principal ends and defigns of it, Heb. ii. 14. 15. 16. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he alfo himself likewife took part of the fame, that through death he might deftroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; that is, that by taking our nature upon him, he might be capable of encountering his enemy, that is, of encountering death in his own territories, and beating him in his own quarters; and by riling out of his grave, he might give us fall and comfortable affurance of the poffibility of being refcued from the power of the grave, and recovered out of the jaws of death. And therefore the wifdom of God pitched upon this way, as that which was most fit and proper to encourage and bear us up against the terrors of the enemy; and by giving us a lively inftance and example of a victory over death, atchieved by one cloathed with mortality like ourfelves, we might have strong confolation and good hope through grace, and might be fully affured, that he who hath conquered this enemy for himself, was able alfo to conquer him for us, and to deliver us from the grave. Therefore the Apostle reafons from the fitness and fuitablenefs of this difpenfation, as if no other argument could have been so proper to arm us against the fears of death, and to fatisfy us that we should not always be held under the power of it; For as much as the children are partakers of flelh and blood, he alfo himself likewife took part of the fame, that through death he might deftroy him that had the power of death, and deliver them who through fear of death, &c. The force of which argument is this, that feeing men are of a mortal nature, (for that he means by being partakers of flesh and blood), nothing can be a greater comfort to us against the fears of death, than to fee death conquered by flesh and blood, by one of the fame nature with ourselves. Therefore the Apostle adds, ver. 16. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but the feed of Abraham. If he had affumed the angelical nature, which is immortal, this would not have been fo fenfible a conviction to us of the poffibility of it, as to have a lively inftance and example pre prefented us, of one in our nature conquering death, and triumphing over the grave. I proceed to the II. Thing, What Chrift hath done towards the bringing of life and immortality to light. And becaufe I told you that this is comparatively spoken, and fignifies to us a greater degree of evidence, and a firmer affurance given us by the Christian religion, than the world had before, therefore it will be requifite to enquire into thefe two things. First, What affurance men had or might have had of the immortality of the foul, and a future ftate, before the coming of Christ into the world, and the revelation of the gospel. Secondly, What greater evidence, and what higher degree of affurance the gospel now gives us of, immortal life; what greater arguments this new revelation and discovery of God to the world doth furnish us withal, to perfuade us of this matter, than the world was acquainted withal before. Firft, What affurance men had or might have had of the immortality of the foul, and confequently of a future ftate, before the revelation of the gofpel by .Chrift's coming into the world. And here are two things diftinctly to be confidered. First, What arguments natural reafon doth furnish us withal, to perfuade us of this principle, that our fouls are immortal, and that there is another state remains for men after this life. Secondly, What affurance de facto the world had of this principle, before Chrift's coming into the world: what the Heathens, and what the Jews had. The reafon why I fhall speak to these diftinctly, is, because there are two very different enquiries; what af furance men might have had from the principles of natural reafon concerning this matter, and what affurance they had de facto. I begin with the First, What arguments natural reafon doth furnish us withal to perfuade us to this principle, that our fouls are immortal, and confequently that another ftate remains for men after this life. And here I fhall fhew, I. How much may be faid for it. II. How II. How little can be faid against it. But before I come to speak particularly to the arguments, which natural reafon affords us for the proof of this principle, I fhall premife certain general confiderations, which may give light and force to the following arguments. As, : ift, By the foul we mean a part of man diftin&t from his body, or a principle in him which is not matter. I chufe rather to defcribe it this way, than by the effential properties of it, which are hard to fix upon, and are more remote from common apprehenfion. Our Saviour, when he would convince his difciples after his refurrection, that the body wherein he appeared to them was a real body, and that he was not a spirit or apparition, he bids them touch and handle him; for, fays he, a fpirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye fee me to have. So that by the foul or fpirit of a man, we mean fome principle in man, which is really diftinct from his vilible and fenfible part, from all that in man which affects our outward fenfes, and which is not to be described by any fenfible and external qualities, fuch as we use to defcribe a body by because it is fuppofed to be of fuch a nature, as does not fall under the cognizance and notice of any of our fenfes. And therefore I defcribe it, by removing from it all thofe qualities and properties which belong to that which falls under our fenfes, viz. That it is fomething in man distinct from his body, a principle in him which is not matter; that principle which is the cause of those several operations, which by inward fenfe and experience we are confcious to ourselves of; fuch are perception, understanding, memory, will. So that the moft plain and popular notion that we can have of the foul, is, that it is fomething in us which we never faw, and which is the cause of those effects. which we find in ourselves; it is the principle whereby we are confcious to ourselves, that we perceive fuch and fuch objects, that we fee, or hear, or perceive any thing by any other fenfe; it is that whereby we think and remember, whereby we reason about any thing, and do freely chufe and refufe fuch things as are prefented to us. Thefe operations every one is conscious to himself of, and that which is the principle of thefe, or the cause from |