So then, there remains no doubt at all of the certainty of Christ's refurrection; it was fo, and upon all accounts it must needs be fo; for you fee how great a weight the scriptures hang upon this nail. And bleffed be God it is a nail faftened in a fure place. I need spend no more words to confirm it; but rather choose to explain and open the nature, and manner of his refurrection, which I fhall do by fhewing you four or five properties of it. And the first is this,

First, Chrift rofe from the dead with awful majefty. So you find it in Mat. xxviii. 2, 3, 4. "And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord defcended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, "and fat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and "his raiment white as fnow. And for fear of him the keepers "did shake, and became as dead men." Human infirmity was not able to bear fuch heavenly majesty as attended the business of that morning. Nature fank under it. This earthquake was, as one calls it, triumphale fignum: a fign of triumph, or token of victory, given by Chrift, not only to the keepers, and the neighbouring city, but to the whole world, that he had overcome death in its own dominions, and, like a conqueror, lifted up his head above all his enemies. So when the Lord fought from heaven for his people, and gave them a glorious, though but temporal deliverance; fee how the prophetess drives on the triumph in that rhetorical fong, Judg. v. 4, 5. Alluding to the most awful appearance of God, at the giving of the law. "Lord, when thou wenteft out of Seir, when thou "marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and "the heavens dropped, the clouds alfo dropped water. The "mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai " from before the Lord God of Ifrael." Our Lord Jefus went out of the grave, in like manner, and marched out of that bloody field, with a pomp and majesty becoming fo great a conqueror.

Secondly, And to increase the fplendor of that day, and drive on the triumph, his refurrection was attended with the refurection of many of the faints; who had slept in their graves till then, and then were awakened and raised to attend the Lord at his rifing. So you read, Mat. xxvii: 52. 53. "And the graves "were opened, and many bodies of the faints, which flept

Eft incedere cum pompa et majestate, i, e. It is to march with pomp and majefty.

VOL. II.

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"arofe, and came out of the graves, after his refurrection ; "and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." This wonder was defigned, both to adorn the refurrection of Christ, and to give a fpecimen or pledge of our refurrection; which alfo is to be in the virtue of his. This indeed was the refurrection of faints, and none but faints, the refurrection of many faints, yet it was but a fpecial, refurrection, intended only to fhew what God will one day do for all his faints. And, for the prefent, to give teftimony of Chrift's refurrection, from the dead. They were feen, and known of many in the city, who doubtless never thought to have seen them any more in this world. To enquire curioufly, as fome do, who they were, what difcourfe they had with thofe to whom they appeared, and what became of them afterwards, is a vain thing. God hath caft a veil of filence, and fecrecy upon these things, that we might content ourfelves with the written word, and he that " will not believe Mofes and the prophets, neither will he be"lieve though one rife from the dead," as these saints did.

Thirdly, As Chrift rofe from the dead with those fatellites, or attendants, who accompanied him at his refurrection; so it was by the power of his own Godhead that he quickened and raifed himself; and by the virtue of his refurrection were they raised also, who accompanied him. It was not the Angel who rolled back the ftone that revived him in the fepulchre, but he resumed his own life, fo he tells us, John x. 18. "I lay "down my life that I may take it again." Hence 1 Pet, iii. 18. He is faid to be put to death in the flesh, but quickned by the Spirit, (i. e.) by the power of his Godhead, or divine nature, which is opposed there to flesh, or his human nature. By the eternal Spirit he offered himfelf up to God, when he died, Heb. ix. 14. (i. e.) by his own Godhead, not the third-perfon in the Trinity, for then it could not have been ascribed to him as his own act, that he offered up himself. And by the fame Spirit he was quickned again.

And, therefore, the apoftle well obferves, Rom. i. 4." That "he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by his` "refurrection from the dead. Now if he had been raised by the power of the Father, or Spirit only, and not by his own, how could he be declared by his refurrection to be the Son of God? What more had appeared in him than in others? For others are railed by the power of God, if that were all. So that in this respect alfo it was a marvellous refurrection. Never any did, or fhall rife as Chrift rofe, by a felf-quickning prin ciple. For tho' many dead faints rofe at that time alfo, yet it

was by the virtue of Chrift's refurrection that their graves were opened, and their bodies quickned. In which refpect, he faith, John xi. 25. when he raised dead Lazarus, "I am the refur "rection and the life," (i e.) the principle of life and quickning, by which the dead faints are raised.

Fourthly, And therefore it may be truly affirmed, that though fome dead faints are raifed to life before the refurrection of Christ, yet that Chrift is" the firft-born from the dead," as he is called, Col. i. 18. For though Lazarus and others were raised, yet not by themfelves, but by Chrift. It was by his virtue and power, not their own. And though they were raised to life, yet they died again. Death recovered them again, but Chrift dieth no more. "Death hath no dominion over him." He was the first that opened the womb of the earth, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.

Fifthly, But laftly, Chrift rofe as a public or common perfon. "As the first fruits of them that flept," 1 Cor. xv. 20. I defire this may be well understood; for upon this account it is that our refurrection is fecured to us by the resurrection of Christ; and not a refurrection only, but a bleffed and happy one, for the firft-fruits, both affured and fanctified the whole crop or harvest.

Now that Chrift did rife, as a public perfon, representing and comprehending all the elect, who are called the children of the refurrection, is plain from Eph. ii. 6. Where we are faid to be rifen with, or in him. So that, we are faid to die in Adam, (who alfo was a common perfon) as the branches die in the death of the root; fo we are faid to be raised from death in' Chrift, who is the head, root, and reprefentative, of all his elect feed. And why is he called the firft-born, and firft-begotten from the dead, but with refpect to the whole number of the elect, that are to be born from the dead in their time and order alfo, and as fure as the whole harveft follows the first fruits, fo thall the general refurrection of the faints to life eternal, follow this birth, of the firft-born from the dead.

It fhall furely follow it, I fay, and that not only as a confequent follows an antecedent, but as an effect follows its proper caufe. Now there is a three-fold cafuality, or influence that Christ's refurrection hath upon the faints refurrection, of which it is both the meritorious, efficient, and exemplary caufe.

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* Mankind putrified in their first parent, as the branches in the root. Greg.

SERM. XXXIX. First, The refurrection of Christ, is the meritorious cause of the faints refurrection, as it compleated his fatisfaction, and finished his payment, and fo our juftification is properly affigned to it, as before was noted from Rom. iv. 25. This his refurrection was the receiving of the acquittance, the cancelling of the bond. And had not this been done, we had ftill been in our fins, as he fpeaks, 1 Cor. xv. 7. and fo our guilt had been ftill a bar to our happy refurrection. But now, the price being paid in his death, which payment was finished when he revived; and the discharge then received for us, now there is nothing lies in bar against our resurrection to eternal life.

Secondly, As it is the meritorious caufe of our refurrection, fo it is the efficient cause of it alfo. For when the time fhall come, that the faints fhall rife out of the duft, they shall be raised by Chrift, as their head, in whom the effective principle of their life is. "Your life is hid with Chrift in God," as it is Col. iii. 3. As when a man awakes out of his fleep †, "the "animal fpirits feated in the brain, being fet at liberty by the digestion of those vapours that bound them up, do play freely through every part and member of the body;" fo Chrift, the believer's myftical-head, being quickned; the fpirit of life, which is in him, shall be diffused through all his members to quicken them alfo in the morning of the refurrection. Hence the warm animating dew of Chrift's refurrection is faid to be to our bodies, as the dew of the morning is to the withered, languishing plants, which revive by it, Ifa. xxvi. 19. "Thy dew is as the dew of "herbs;" and then it follows, "the earth fhall caft forth her "dead." So that by the fame faith we put Chrift's resurrection into the promises, we may put the believer's resurrection into the conclufion. And therefore, the apostle makes them convertibles, reasoning forward, from Chrift's to ours; and back again from ours to his, I Cor. xv. 12, 13. Which is also the fenfe of that fcripture, Rom. viii, 10, 11. "And if Christ be in "you, the body indeed is dead because of fin; but the spirit is "life becaufe of righteoufnefs." (i. e.) Though you are really united to Chrift by the Spirit, yet your bodies muft die as well

+ Proximum inftrumentum five fedes fomni eft cerebrum, utpote in quo fpiritus animales frigefiunt et condenfantur, aut etiam refolvuntur et diffipantur, proxime, tanquam in propria fpirituum animalium officina, et in quo etiam radices nervorum obftruuntur, per vapores, ne fpiritus animales fenfui communi fervire aut in partes reliquas inferiores corporis propagari libere poffint, Keckerm. Syft. Phyf. p. (mihi) 441.

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as other mens; but your fouls fhall be, prefently, upon your diffolution, fwallowed up in life. And then it follows, verfe 11. "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jefus from the dead, " dwell in you; he that raifed up Chrift from the dead, fhall "alfo quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in "you," (i. e.) though your bodies muft die, yet they shall live again in the refurrection; and that by virtue of the Spirit of Christ which dwelleth in you; and is the bond of your mystical union with him your head. You shall not be raised as others are, by a mere word of power, but by the fpirit of life dwelling in Chrift your head, which is a choice prerogative indeed.

Thirdly, Chrift's refurrection is not only the meritorious and efficient caufe, but it is alfo the exemplary caufe, or pattern of our refurrection." He being the first and best, is therefore "the pattern and measure of all the reft." So you read, Phil. iii. 21. “Who shall change our vile body that it may be fa"shioned like unto his glorious body." Now the conformity of our refurrection to Christ's, ftands in the following particulars. Chrift's body was raifed fubftantially the fame, fo will His body was raised firft; fo will ours be raised before the rest of the dead. His body was wonderfully improved by the refurrection; fo will ours. His body was raised to be glorified; and fo will ours.

ours.

First, Chrift's body was raifed fubftantially the fame that it was before; and fo will ours. Not another, but the fame body. Upon this very reafon the apostle ufes that identical expreffion, 1 Cor. xv. 53. "This corruptible muft put on incorruption, "and this mortal, immortality," Pointing, as it were, to his own body when he fpake it; the fame body, I fay, and that not only fpecifically the fame, (for indeed no other fpecies of flesh is fo privileged) but the fame numerically, that very body, not a new or another body, in its ftead. So that it fhall be both the what it was, and the who it was. And indeed to deny this, is to deny the refurrection itself. For should God prepare another body to be raised instead of this; it would not be a refurrection, but a creation; for non refurrectio dici poterit, ubi non refurgit quod cecidit. That cannot be called a refurrection, where one thing falls, and another rises, as Gregory long fiace pertinently obferved.

Secondly, His body was raised, not by a word of power from the Father, but by his own Spirit. So will ours. Indeed the power of God shall go forth to unburrough finners, and fetch

Optimum in unoquoque genere eft regula et menfura cæterorum.