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only to confirm our Faith, but withall to ftir up and exalt our Devotion, by confidering that even in That glorify'd Body, with which he defign'd foon after to afcend to Heaven, he would wear the Marks of our Deliverance, and choose to carry up, as a well-pleafing Sight to his Father imprinted on Himfelf, the Price of Mankind's Redemption. Now the right Understanding that this Body, wherein our Saviour rose, was real, and no Fantom or Shadow or af fum'd Shape, as fome Hereticks have vainly imagin'd, is of further Use for our Inftruction, how we fhould believe that Article in our Creed, which concerns the Refurrection of our own Bodys. For as fure as Chrift's was, fo fure fhall our Bodys be rais'd also, and if we are further Inquifitive as the Corinthians were, How are the Dead rais'd, and with what Body do they Come? if this Inquifitivenefs proceeds from any Difbelief of the Subftance of this Article of our Faith, as it is plain theirs did, (for there were among them, that faid, the Dead Rife not again) we deferve that quick and severe Return, which St Paul makes to fuch an Enquirer, Thou Fool; and receive Inftruction from Him in that admirable Chapter the 15th of the firft Epiftle to the Corinthians; where from Natural and Obvious Examples, he abundantly proves and illu

ftrates

ftrates our Refurrection. But if we are, as we ought to be, fully affur'd and confirm'd in the main Truth of this Article, and are. curious only to pry a little farther, and know the Manner and Form in which this muft be; the only fafe Way in this Speculation is always to have regard to what we have learn'd concerning our Saviour's Refurrection, and with what Manner of Body he arose. For his Rifing from the Dead, as it is the Earneft, fo it is the Example also of what Ours muft be. And therefore we fhould reft fatisfy'd with what the Apostle tells us in the 3d Chap. of the Philippians and the laft verfe, He fhall change our vile Body, that it may be like his glorious Body, according to the Working whereby he is able to Subdue all things to Himself.

I come secondly to fhew the Benefits that accrew to us by the Refurrection of Christ. But what is it that I undertake? what thought can conceive the Excellence, or comprehend the Value? what tongue can exprefs the Nature, or reckon up the Number of the Bleffings that flow from this our multiply'd Salvation? This is the Groundwork of our whole Faith, the Affurance of all our Hopes, the Perfection and entire Confummation of the Redemption of Mankind. By his Crofs and Paffion, his Death

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and Burial and Defcent into Hell, was fhewn the Love of the Son of Man, but by overcoming all these and rifing again was demonftrated the Power of the Son of God. He could have descended from the Cross, when the infulting Jews challeng'd him to fhew that Proof of his Divinity. But it was a far greater thing to Destroy Death for ever by Rifing up from the Grave, than to Save his Life once by coming down from the Crofs. Tho' on the Crofs our Salvation might have been compleated, for That was the High Altar on which was offer'd that Spotless and Compleat Sacrifice, which was of Vertue enough to attone for all Sin, and reconcile Mankind to God; On That a Price was paid of Value enough to fatisfy the extremeft Rigour of Divine Juftice; On That was fhed that Blood, each Drop of which was of Merit enough to be a fufficient Ranfom for the whole World, nay for more Worlds, if there were more, than are Sinners in this: Yet where could our Faith have found affurance of this Satisfaction or apply'd it to ourselves? where could our Hopes have had any hold or fupport, if Chrift had ftill remain'd in the Grave? 'Tis not therefore faid by His Death, but By the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the Dead, we are begotten again to a lively Hope, 1 Pet.1.3. This Refurrection of our Saviour it was,

That

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That first brought Life and Immortality to Light. By This he refcu'd Us from that petual Slavery, in which the Apprehenfions of Death fo long held Captive the Spirits of Mankind, and as the Apostle to the Hebrews ch. 2. fpeaks, Deliver'd them, who thro' fear of Death were all their Life time fubject to Bondage. What a confus'd and wretched State was Life, while the greatest part of it was spent in gropeing in the dark to find what was to follow after? What Comfort could be fincere, what Enjoyment not fowr'd by reflecting, that every Moment of Enjoyment was one Step farther, never to be trod back again, towards a dark Precipice prepar'd for all things Living, from whence there was never yet a Return or an Account? To heal thefe Natural Fears and Difquiets, which fuck so close and stung fo deep, not the vulgar Minds only, but often the most brave, and cheifly the most thinking and wife, what weak Remedies did Natural Wisdom or Philosophy supply? There is no folid Comfort to be found but in Truth only and doubtless Seneca or Socrates have nothing that can perfwade or fatisfy upon thefe Occafions. They were in the Ignorance, that Blinded all Men at first. They knew not that Death was a Punishment for the Sin of Man, impos'd upon him to expiate his Crime, neceffary to cleanse

him

him from Sin, and which alone can deliver the Soul from the Lufts of the Flesh, which even Saints are fubject to, whilft they live in this World; They, I fay, knew not this, but thought that Death was Natural to Man, and all the Difcourfes they grounded upon this falfe Principle are fo vain and empty, that they only ferve to fhew in the general how Weak Man is; feeing the greatest Productions of the Wifeft Men are fo mean and childish. For what faint Glimmerings had the moft Virtuous Livers or moft Searching Philofophers concerning Immortality? Some of them had indeed moft noble and elevated Thoughts concerning it, and from the Excellencys and Perfections which they found the Soul endu'd with, from the Celerity of its Motion, the Extent of its Comprehenfion, the Subtilty of its Reasoning, and all its other admirable Operations and Facultys, were very defirous to believe, that whatever was of fo Divine a Nature could never dye; and extremely loath they were to think this beft Part of themselves lefs than Immortal. But all this was only a pleafing Amusement, a Dream of Fancy, that the more they confider'd and study'd, left them the more amaz'd and confounded. For what was to become of this active Inhabitant, that led them into all thefe fublime Speculations, if it had been certain, that

after

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