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fon, and thereby deftroyed the Power of Death, and given a visible Demonftration to all his Difciples of Life and Immortality: That they alfo fhall rise again from the Dead, and live in Immortal Bodies, as he now does. And therefore what we render Immortality, apoia, fignifies Incorruption, which relates wholly to the Body, which fees Corruption in the Grave, is fown in Corruption, but raised in Incorruption. St. Paul tells us, that as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. Now we know, that that Death which Adam brought upon himself and all his Pofterity, is the Separation of Soul and Body. And therefore to be made alive in Chrift, muft fignify our Refurrection from the Dead with incorruptible and immortal Bodies. But I need not infift upon the Proof of this. For there is not any one Text in the New Teftament, where Immortal Life fignifies any thing else, but the state of the Refurrection. And this is the Force of our Saviour's Argument, whereby he proves the Refurrection of the Dead. Now that the Dead are raised, even Mofes fhewed at the Bush, when be called the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob: For he is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living; for all live to him, Luke 20. 37, 38. Some think, that our Saviour's Argument proves no more, but that the Souls of good Men live after Death, not that their Bodies fhall be raised again from the Dead: Which is very strange, when our Saviour exprefly alledges it to prove, that the Dead arife; and the Difpute, as I observed before, was not about the Immortality of the Soul, but the Refurrection of the Body. When our Saviour proves that Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, who were dead, fhall rife again, because God is not the

God

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God of the Dead, but of the Living; Can living here fignify those who are dead, and live only in a State of Death? What then do the Dead and Death fignify? How do Dead and Living, and Life and Death, differ, if both fignify the State of feparate Souls, which yet are conftantly oppos'd to each other in Scripture? So our Saviour tells us, I am be that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Where his being dead fignifies the feparation of his Soul and Body, and his living fignifies the re-union of them at his Refurrection, when he reaffumed his Body Immortal and Glorious, never to part with it more, Revelations 1. 18. And thus we muft understand our Saviour's Argument, if we will make any thing of it. The Dead rife, that is, thofe, who are now in a State of Separation, who have left their Bodies in the Grave, fhall rife again with their Bodies into Immortal Life. And this our Saviour proves, because God owns himself to be the God of fuch good Men, who are dead: Their God, that is, their Father, their Preferver, their Benefactor, their exceeding great reward, who will bestow all Bleffings on them. But God is not all this vifibly to good Men, while they want their Bodies, which are neceffary to compleat and perfect their Happinefs. But then he will appear to be their God, when he shall restore them to Life again, and cloath them with Immortal and Glorious Bodies; For he is the God of the Living. And if it be objected, why then does God call himfelf the God of thefe good Men, while they are in the State of Death? Our Saviour anfwers, All live to him. They are not extinct, but are as happy as a State of Separation will admit, and their Life is fafe in God's Hands, who in his own

good time will certainly reftore them to Life again. And therefore he is their God now, and will appear in a more glorious manner to be their God then. This is a plain and fenfible Argument, and, I doubt not, is the true Meaning of our Saviour in this Place. And this may fatisfy us what is meant by Living, and by Life and Immortality. Whatever Perfuafion the World had of the Immortality of the Soul, that alone is not the Gofpel Life and Immortality, which fignifies such a perfect State of Life, as refults from the bleffed Reunion of Soul and Body.

SECT. II.

The Gospel Promises of Life and Im-
mortality.

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Aving thus clear'd the way, I proceed to confider how this Life and Immortality is brought to Light by the Gospel.

Now there are two things commonly infifted on to this Purpofe, which are of great Weight and Moment; tho',I think, as commonly ftated, they fall very short of that full Evidence which the Gofpel gives us. And they are, First, the exprefs Promises of Life and Immortality: And, Secondly, the vifible Confirmation of all thefe Promises by the Refurrection of Chrift from the Dead.

First, The exprefs Promifes of immortal Life. That there are fuch Promises contained in the Gospel, is too plain to need a Proof. Our Saviour upon all Occafions promifes eternal Life to all his fincere Difciples, and threatens Hypocrites,

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crites, and Infidels, and incorrigible Sinners, with eternal Punishment. Thus our Saviour declares the Will of his Father: God fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him fhould not perish, but have everlasting Life. This is the Will of the Father, which hath fent me, that of all that he hath given me I should lofe nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day; and this is the Will of him that fent me, that every one that feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting Life, and I will raise him up at the last day, John 6. 39, 40. I am the Refurrection and the Life, he that believeth in me, though he be dead yet fhall be live; and he that liveth and believeth in me fhall never die, John 11. 25. This is Life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Christ whom thou haft fent, John 17. 3. All thofe Promifes which fo frequently occur, of the Kingdom of Heaven, of feeing God, of glorious Bodies at the Refurrection, that the Righteous fhall fhine forth like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father, give us as great an Affurance of this as the exprefs Word and Promife of God can give us. Let us then confider the nature of this Evidence, which, First, is a new fort of Evidence, which the World never had before: And, Secondly, That we can have no Evidence of Life and Immortality, in the Gospel Notion of it, without a Promise : And, Thirdly, it exceeds all other fort of Evidence which the World ever had before.

As for the First, I need fay little of it; for no Man pretends that the World had any exprefs Promise of immortal Life before the Revelation of the Gofpel. The Men of Reason, who think Natural Reason fufficient for all the

Purposes

Purposes of Religion; reject all Revelation, and confequently all Divine Promifes, which can be known only by Revelation. And tho' as I have fhewn you, there are very strong Prefumptions in the Jewish Law of another and a better Life after this, and fuch as gave good Men a very firm Belief of it, yet it is certain there are no exprefs Promifes of Life and Immortality in the Old Teftament; for they might eafily be fhewn, if there were any there. And our Saviour himself in his difpute with the Sadducees alledges no fuch Promifes, but argues only by confequence, from God's owning himself to be the God of Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob. And therefore this is a new kind of Evidence, which the World never had before. And what the Advantage of this is, will appear, if we confider,

Secondly, That we can have no certain Evidence of Life and Immortality, in the Gofpel Notion of it, without a Promife. Gospel Life and Immortality is the Refurrection of the Dead; and 'tis certain there can be no natural Proof or Evidence of the Refurrection, because there is no natural Reason or natural Cause of it. If the Dead rise again, it is owing wholly to the good Will and Pleasure of God, and it is entirely the effect of a Divine Power, not of natural Caufes. And therefore we can know nothing of it, nor have any other Evidence for it, but only by Revelation. If God declare his Will, that he will raise the Dead, this is a good Reason to believe it; but there is no Reafon for it antecedent to the Divine Will, which can be known only by Revelation. There may be fome natural Reasons given to prove the Immortality of the Soul, that it does not die with the Body, but survives and

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