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after its Diffolution it should furvive, Whether it was to be cloath'd with Air or fome finer Body, and fly about the Earth at its will, or retire to fome happy Fields and pleasant Gardens, or inhabit fome Star, or what ever other Place or Office the Fancys of the Poets or Philofophers ever affign'd the Soul after Death, that was ftill altogether uncertain and in the dark.

Nay the Jews themselves, the peculiar People of God, diftinguish'd from the reft of Mankind by a more immediate Revelation, and a Law given 'em from Heaven written by the Finger of God himfelf, feem to have had but a very imperfect & faint Apprehenfion of this future Life and Immortality, which our Saviour first brought to Light. Indeed fome few of the Beft and Wifeft among 'em had learn'd from Scripture, That the Soul of Man fhould ascend into the hands of God that gave it; But the generality were fo wholly taken up with the temporal Bleffings and worldly Goods, that were the only Rewards that their Law promis'd to the Performers of it; that they refted there, and had no further Profpect of a Blessed Immortality. But then as for a Life of the Body after Death, that that alfo could be rais'd and fo glorify'd as to be Immortal, that the scatter'd Particles of all that Duft, which for fo many thousand Years has made

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fo many Millions of Men, into whatfoever Shapes or Forms fince converted, whether in Earth, or Air, or Sea, or Fire, fhould be again united and compofe diftinctly and feverally each the fame Body, which it did before, and from thenceforth become no longer fubject to Change, Corruption, or Mortality; This, I fay, was fuch a Mystery, as no wonder that it never fo much as enter'd into the most speculative Brain of all the Philofophers, nor fo much as by any far diftant or doubtful beam difcover'd itself. No, this glorious Exaltation of our Nature was referv'd from all Ages by our Saviour, that He might declare it first Himself, and give both the firft Experimental Proof and Example of it in Himself.

Being then thus rais'd above whatever Dignity our Nature was ever thought, or could be conceiv'd, capable of; thus freed from that anxious Torment of Mind, which for ever would have accompany'd the dark Notions, which the World before had of a Future State, thus refcu'd from the Slavish Fears that debas'd our Spirits, afferted into Liberty from the Power of Death, a Way hewn Us to the fame Place whither our Saviour Chrift is gone before; can we do lefs in gratitude to this Captain of our Salvation than to ftrive to follow him, to rife with him, and seek those things that are above?

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above? Can we do lefs than endeavour with the most intense Zeal and fervent Devotion to entertain the Memory of this great Victory of our Lord's? Efpecially at and about the time of that great Festival instituted for that Purpose, This chiefeft of all the Church's Feftivals; This that St Chryfoftom calls, ἑορτίω οὐ γῆς μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ovegvwv, a Festival celebrated not on Earth only, but in the Higheft Heavens. For, as that Holy Father goes on, if there be Joy in Heaven for the Converfion of one Sinner only, How much greater the Exultation for the whole Race of Mankind being fnatch'd out of the Hands of Satan and Death? and what more proper or seasonable Meditation can we entertain, than to admire and adore the Glory and the Divine Might of our Saviour triumphing, in their own Kingdoms, over all the Baffled Powers of Death and Hell, breaking afunder its strongest Bars, and, as the true Samfon, of whom the other was but a Type and Shadow, bearing away the very Gates of it, and opening from thence a Paffage for all Mankind to Life and Immortality. For tho' we dare not prefume, as fome of the Church of Rome have done, to give a punctual Journal of our Saviour's Infernal Expedition, nor follow him thro' all the gloomy Manfions of Hell, defcribing all its Territories

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and Dominions, thro' which he made his Victorious Progrefs, as exactly as if we had taken an actual Survey and Map of them; yet we may with Affurance enough take up a Triumphal Song and Hymn of Praise, to receive and welcome him in his miraculous Return from those dismal Regions of Darkness; being by Divine Authority certify'd, that He there by Death bad overcome Him that had the Power of Death, that is the Devil. And what should more enflame us with the moft ardent Expreffion of Love and Gratitude, than to contemplate further, that this cruel Conflict, this difficult Exploit, and laborious Warfare, confummated in Entire and Everlafting Victory, was undertaken not for Himself, who was Immortal, God blessed for Ever, but for Us wretched Men that were Dead? Every way Dead, Dead in our Sins, and for them defervedly given Up for ever to the second Death, to the Power of Hell and tormenting Spirits, had not the Seed of the Woman thus crush'd the Serpent's Head, and no longer left any Sting to Death, or Victory to the Grave. How cautious then fhould we be of offending against fuch unexampled Goodness, how fearful of committing any thing that may make us unworthy of this great Salvation, fo dearly purchas'd for us, how apprehenfive of the dreadful Confe

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euences and deftructive Nature of Sin, how full of Devout Hatred and stedfast Refolution against that, which as it involv'd all Mankind in that deplorable State from which no Power lefs than that of the Son of God could have refcu'd them, fo if again Entertain'd and Cherifh'd can ftill as to our part defeat all the advantages of Chrifts Glorious Victory, and plunge us yet deeper than we were, whence there are neither Hopes nor Poffibility of a new Redemption! How fhould the Confideration of what Wonders have been wrought for Us, engage us with all our Powers and Facul tys both of Body and Soul to endeavour to live up to the moft Holy Rules of our Lord, knowing that tho' he is Rifen and Afcended, it is but in Order to come again in Glory to Judge that World whofe Refurrection he atcheiv'd? For what will all these noble Contemplations of the greatness of these his Victorys for us fignify, what Confolation will it be to know that when we put off this troublesom Flesh we shall not fleep Eternally, but rife and behold the Glory of our Lord coming with Thousands of Angels in the Clouds? nay rather what Confufion, what Terror, what infupportable Dread muft it create, if reflecting upon our felves we find that we are fo ill prepar'd for the Lords fecond Coming, that it had

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