of the grain is corrupted, unfolds itself vifibly into the form; fo our present mortal and corruptible body may be but the out-coat, as it were, of fome hidden and at prefent imperceptible part of nature, which at the refurrection fhall dif cover itself in its proper form, by which way alfo in nature there cannot poffibly be any confufion of bodies: therefore it is not without fome weight, that St. Paul made ufe of the fame comparison, and that the fame fimilitude is alledged by the ancient fathers of the church. But should we, as we ought, confider the things without us; the natural changes, and chances in every thing and person will raise the probability of our refurrection from the dead. At night the day dies, and rises with the next morning; the fummer dies into winter, when the earth becomes a general fepulchre; but when the spring appears, nature revives and flourishes; the corn lies buried in the ground, and being corrupted, revives and multiplies: And can we think that man, the lord of all these things that die and revive for him, should be kept under the bands of death, never to rife again? which though it appeared impoffible to many of the heathens, yet fome of the wisest of them have thought otherwise, as their works declare. At the refurrection, every man shall be as really and truly the fame person that died, as in the morning he that awakes is the fame person that went to fleep at night.

If we fearch the fcriptures, we shall find plainly, that the refurrection of the body, from divine revelation, In the Old is clear. God hath not only promised it, but in Teftament. feveral inftances exemplified it for our fatisfaction. I know, fays Job, that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms deftroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, &c. And the prophet Daniel tells us, that many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, fome to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Befides, if these proofs will not take place, let them hearken unto fact. The ears of the Lord were By facts. open to the voice of Elijah, for the dead child of the widow of Sarepta; for, when he prayed, the foul of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elisha raised the child of the

Shunamite from death: nor did that power he had die together with him; for, when they were burying a dead man, they caft the man into the fepulchre of Elifha, and, when the man was let down and touched the body of Elisha, he revived and stood upon his feet. Thefe are examples out of the Old Testament. But,

If we fearch the gofpels, we shall find that remarkable âr In the new gument of Chrift himself, when he put the SadTeftament. ducees to filence: as touching the refurrection of the dead, have you not read, faith our Saviour, that which was fpoken unto you by God, faying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: which argument astonished the multitude, and filenced the Sadducees, And if it does not aftonish and filence the infidels and Socinians of our days, they must be accounted more hardened in their unbelief than the Sadducees of old, who could not reply to fo cogent a proof of his refurrection. And again, he cautions his difciples to fear him that can deftroy both body and foul in hell. If then the body is capable of torment in hell, it must be raised from the grave, and united to its foul again, before it can pafs from the grave to that state of punishment. He promises a recompence, at the refurrection of the juft, to thofe that relieve the poor, the maimed, the blind and the lame: He pofitively declares in St. John, that the hour is coming, in which all that are in their graves fhall hear his voice, and fhall come forth; they that have done good unto the refurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the refurrection of damnation: he calls himself the refurrection and the life. And we are told in the Revelation, that the fea fhall give up the dead that are in it, and death and the grave deliver up the dead which are in them, in order to be judged, every man according to his works. And St. Paul, defending himself before the Roman governor, openly profeffes his belief of the refurrection of the dead both of the juft and unjuft. To fome of the philofophers this apoftle alfo appeared to be a fetter-forth of ftrange gods; becaufe he preached unto them Jefus and the refurrection: and he declares, that we must all appear before the judgment-feat of

Christ,

Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad; and that the Lord Jefus Chrift fhall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. He to the Theffalonians defcribes the manner of the refurrection, that the dead in Chrift fhall rife firft: and with the Corinthians, he argues from the certainty of Christ's refurrection to the neceffity of ours: which texts fufficiently prove that the refurrection of the body was delivered as a neceffary article of faith from the beginning of chriftianity, and that it is still the expectation of the faithful; for, if the dead rife not, chriftians are of all men moft miferable. By facts. Which doctrine was confirmed, when our Saviour restored to life the ruler of the fynagogue's daughter; and raised up the widow's only fon that was dead; and by reftoring to life his friend Lazarus, who had been dead and buried four days but all these inftances were exceeded in our Saviour's own refurrection, which fo infinitely manifefted his power and divinity. So that there can be no doubt of the truth of the refurrection from the dead. And it is certain that this refurrection will be univerfal: all mankind Its certainty that have laid down their own bodies, and commit- and un-verted them to the grave, fhall receive them again; there shall be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjuft.

fality.

From what has been faid it appears, that the folly of thofe, who have no other hope to reft upon but The folly of that of atheism and infidelity, is greater than can be arbeijin. expreffed in words, or than can rightly be conceived by any imagination. For what is the state of fuch a perfon, when God taketh away his foul? can he be fure there is no God? or can he demonftrate to himself, that there will be no future ftate? the hardieft unbeliever never yet pretended to have demonftration in this cafe: and, if he had, yet all the comfort, all the hope, that could be built even upon that, would be but the hope of a beaft, the expectation of perifhing as if he had never been. For what is the hope of the unbeliever, when God takethaway his foul? I fhould fay, when fate or chance taketh away his foul? and on what ground

can

can the confidence of the atheist rely? his expectations at beft are thin as a spider's web; and his hopes as the light chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth. His profperity and mirth can be but for a moment, and his adverfity muft of neceflity terminate in despair. For what relief is to be expected from fate or chance, which has no understanding? and what fupport is that man capable of in the day of affliction, who does not believe things are guided by a wife hand, which can turn every thing finally to our advantage?

The bodies of good chriftians, now liable to pains, and difeafes, and death, fhall then die no more, but

Benefit to the good. fhall be equal unto the angels; like them, they shall become immortal in their duration, and confequently freed from all those troublesome accidents to which they are now expofed; for, the reward being eternal, the fubject of it must be eternal alfo. Therefore fays the Apostle, It is fown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. The bodies of good men, tho' now vile and corruptible, fubject to filth and deformity by nature, shall be raised glorious, fplendid, and bright; they fhall fhine like the fun, and fhall be fashioned like to the glorious body of our bleffed Saviour: though now subject to wearinefs, to impotency, and to decays, fhall be raised nimble, strong, and active; they fhall be able to follow the Lamb wherever he goeth; they shall be endowed with such strength and vigour, as shall support them for ever in the fame ftate, without any decay or change. It is fown in weakness, it is raised in power. Though now acted by vital fpirits, it fhall then be poffeffed and acted by the Holy Spirit; it fhall be refined, and become a proper inftrument for the operations of our minds, upon whom they must ferve and depend. Itis fown a natural body, but it is raised a Mifery to fpiritual body. Yet the bodies of the wicked will the wicked. be fitted to that eternal punishment they have drawn upon themselves, wherein they will always fuffer, without confuming, under that dreadful sentence, Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. Therefore,

This faith of the refurrection of the body should make us reverence ourselves, and not pollute our bodies with fenfual

and

and brutish lufts, but by purity and fobriety to prepare them for that honour and happiness they are defigned How it for: it should fupport us under thofe miferies and ought to ininfirmities our bodies are subject to in this life; fluence us. fince, when we take them up again, they fhall be no more liable to pains or diseases, or to diffolution; for death will be fwallowed up in victory. By this faith we are comforted upon the death of our religious friends and relations, who are not perished but fallen afleep, and fhall awake again in greater perfection and glory at the last day. This should influence us to promote not only our own, but the improvement of faving knowledge as far as lies in our power, to curb vice and encourage virtue, especially among thofe with whom we have any friendship or authority. This should arm us against the fear of our own death, fince we are affured that, after our bodies are crumbled into dust, and become the food of worms, they shall be quickened at the general refurrection, and be changed, and made glorified bodies, by the promise and mighty power of God. And efpecially this fhould make us exercife ourselves to keep confciences void of offence, both towards God and man, that we may not forfeit that blessed immortality of our whole man, body and foul, which our bleffed Saviour hath promised to all those that persevere in his service all the days of their mortal life.

V. In the twelfth ARTICLE of our christian faith we profefs to believe that there is a life everlasting; a life of the life which comprehends an everlasting duration, to everlasting. which all shall be raised after death, the wicked as well as the righteous. Therefore, when we read that the wicked shall be destroyed, and perish, and for ever die, we are to understand, not that they shall be turned into nothing, but that they shall for ever lofe the prefence and favour of God; be condemned to a wretched, hopeless state of anguish, remorse, and despair; and be tortured with the worm that never dies, and in the fire that shall never be put out. But the righteous fhall receive the utmoft perfection, of which their nature is capable; they fhall partake of the glory which the Father has given to the Son; and shall be one, as the Father and Chrift are one, For

The