to it; fuch as the women who came to anoint his dead body, his difciples, and many others. To thefe he fhewed himself alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs, Acts i. 3. And we are told, 1 Cor. xv. 6. that he was feen of above five hundred brethren at once. The evangelifts are unanimous in this matter. This truth is alfo manifeft from the perfon's being God, who could not be confined in a grave, and the many miracles wrought to confirm it, evincing him to be alive, and reigning in glory.

3. The neceffity of his refurrection. It was neceffary he should rife from the dead,

(1.) That the fcripture might be fulfilled, 1 Cor. xv. 4. which cannot be broken. See Pfal. xvi. 10. Thou wilt not leave my foul in hell [the ftate of the dead]; neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy One to fee corruption This paffage is exprefsly applied to the refurrection of Chrift, Acts ii. 31. & xiii. 35. And it was prophefied of him, If. liii. 10. He shall fee his feed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand. A notable type of it was Jonah's coming out of the whale's belly, Matth. xii. 40.

(2.) In refpect of the dignity and glory of his perfon. He was the true God and eternal life. How was it then poffible, that he should be holden by death? Acts ii. 24.

(3.) In refpect of his mediatory office, which would have been broken if he had not rifen again. He was to reign for ever, Pfal. xlv. 7. Luke i. 32. to intercede as a Prieft for ever, Pfal. cx. 4. and therefore to enter into the holieft of all, after he had expiated our fins by his blood.

(4.) In refpect of our falvation. If Chrift had not rifen, all the elects hopes of heaven had rotted in the grave for ever; 1 Cor. xv. 17. If Christ be not raised, days the apoftle, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your fins. His refurrection was the life of his death, and had he not by his refurrection' overcome death, it would for ever have devoured us alfo.

4. The time of his refurrection; the third day. He was crucified on Friday afternoon, and he arose early on the first day of the week, which has from that event been called the Lord's day, and obferved as the Chriftian fabbath in all the churches of Chrift. This. period was long enough to confirm the truth of his death. His body did not corrupt in the in the grave, Pfal. xvi. 10. Acts xiii. 37. Nor was it ever after mortal, but put on immortality; Rom. vi. 9. Chrift being raifed from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. This was one difference betwixt Chrift's refurrection and that of Lazarus, who arose again only to a mortal life.

5. The author of his refurrection. The refurrection of Chrift is afcribed to himfelf, and we are firmly to believe that he rofe by his own power; John ii. 19. Destroy this temple, fays he, and in three days I will raise it up. John x. 17. I lay down my life, that I might take it again. And this the fcripture infifts upon as an argument of the divinity of Chrift, Rom. i. 4. where he is faid to be declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the refurrection from the dead: which muft needs be thus underftood; for Lazarus alfo was raised; yet no fuch thing followed on it. It is afcribed alfo unto the Father, Rom. vi. 4. But there is no inconfiftency here: for whatsoever the Father doth, the Son alfo doth the fame, the external works of the Trinity being common to each perfon. The reafon why Christ's refurrection is afcribed to the Father, is, that he acted therein as a judge, letting out the prisoner when the debt was paid.

6. The manner of our Lord's refurrection.

(1.) It was ushered in with a terrible earthquake, Matth. xxviii. 2. Behold, there was a great earthquake. As the earth fhook and trembled at our Lord's paffion, fo did it alfo at his glorious refurrection from the dead. This was an extraordinary and miraculous fhaking of the earth, proceeding immediately from

the divine power, as the eclipfe of the fun that happened during his paffion. It was a fign of triumph, and a token of victory, by which our Lord intimated to the whole world, that he had overcome death in its own dominions, and lifted up his head as a glorious conqueror above all his enemies. He came out of the grave with great folemnity, and marched out of the bloody field with a pomp and majefty becoming the dignity of heaven's champion.

(2.) Chrift in his refurrection was attended by fome of the courtiers of heaven, Matth. xxviii. 2. An angel of the Lord defcended from heaven, and came and rolled back the ftone from the door, and fat upon it. Christ's power was not confined to the grave or the earth, but extended to heaven and all the hoft of it. Though the chief priests and Pharifees confpired together to keep him clofe fhut up in the grave, fealed the ftone which was rolled to the door of it, fet a watch, and made all things as fure as they poffibly could, yet one of the heavenly hoft by a touch baffled all their meafures. The angel of the Lord rolled back the ftone from the door, and fat upon it. This action fpeaks a fecure triumph over all the obftructions of Chrift's refurrection. He fat on the ftone, defying all the powers of hell to roll the ftone to the grave again: and he fat as a guard to the grave; for having frighted away the enemy's blackguard, he fat expecting the women, to give them an account of our Lord's refurrection, as he very pathetically did, ver. 6. He is not here: for he is rifen, as he faid: come, fee the place where the Lord lay.

(3) He laid fide all the enfigns of imortality and death: for he ftript himfelf of the grave-cloaths, and left them behind him, John xx. 5. 6. 7. The reafons of this laying them afide might be thefe. [1.] Because he rofe to die no more. Lazarus came out with his grave-cloaths on, because he was to die again; but Chrift rifing to an immortal life, came out free from all these incumbrances. [2.] Because he was going to be clothed with the robes of glory. [3] He VOL. II. N

left these cloaths in the grave as it were for the use of his people. For if the grave be a bed to the faints, he hath thus fheeted it and made it ready for them, that in it they may lie quietly and easily till the morning of the refurrection, when they fhall enter into the full and eternal poffeffion of the glory that is to be revealed: These grave-cloaths were found in very good order; which fhews that his body was not fto. len away when the watch flept, as the chief priests and elders foolishly bade them fay. Robbers of tombs have been known to take away the cloaths, and leave the body; but none ever took away the body, and left the cloaths, efpecially when they were made of fine linen and new.

(4.) Chrift's refurrection was attended with that of many others, Matth. xxvii. 52. 53. The graves were opened, and many bodies of faints which flept, arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Here obferve, [1] Who they were that rose. They are exprefsly called faints: perfons fanctified by the Spirit and grace of God: for fuch only fhall rife by the virtue and power of Chrift's refurrection. Who they were, whether the ancient patriarchs, the Old-teftainent martyrs, or more modern faints, who lived in Chrift's time, but died before him, cannot be determined. [2] That their number was confiderable; they are called many. The benefit of our Lord's refurrection extends to many. [3] The time of their rifing was pofterior to Chrift's relurrection. though before this the earth did quake, the rocks rend, and the graves were opened, yet none of them ftirred out of thefe dark manfions till Chrift was ri fen. It is in virtue of Chrift's refurrection, that the bodies of all the faints fhall in the fulnefs of time rife again. [4] They went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. They did not appear to all the people, but to many; but whether friends or enemics, in what manner they appeared, how often,

For

what they did and faid, and how they disappeared, are fecret things, not to be known. It is very probable however, that the great defign of their appearing to fo many was to bear teftimony to the truth and certainty, to the power and glory of our Redeemer's refurrection. [5.] What became of these faints afterwards, is a queition not eafy to be determined. Some are of opinion, that as they rofe only to bear witness of Chrift's refurrection to thofe to whom they appeared, fo having finifhed this their work, they retired to their graves again. But it feems to be more agreeable both to the Redeemer's honour and theirs, to fuppofe, that they rofe as he did, to die no more, and therefore afcended with him into glory.

7. The fruits of Chrift's refurrection. Amongst many, I only name the following.

(1.) It is an argument of his having made complete fatisfaction to the juftice of God for the fins of his people, John xvi. io. When the just judge opens the prifon-door, it fays that the prisoner's debt is fully paid, and he has received fatisfaction for all demands from him. Chrift's refurrection was in effect a difcharge of all the debt he had taken upon him to pay.

(2.) It is an argument, that the bodies of the elect fhall be raised at the laft day, 1 Cor. xv. 20. Now is Chrift rifen from the dead, and become the firft-fruits of them that fept. If Chrift has rifen, the power of death is broken. And the fame Spirit dwells in his members, Rom. viii. 11. And all the benefits of the covenant fhall be made forthcoming, fecing he is alive to become executor of his own teftament.

(3.) The duty of believers flowing from this is, to walk in newness of life, Rom. vi. 4. They are to rife from the grave of fin, and to put on the robes of true holinels. Dead finners are not fit members of living head.

II. Chrift afcended into heaven, the feat of the bleffed. Concerning this let us obferve,