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gels imparted the glad tidings to the fhepherds with the greatest joy; and now, when he arofe from the dead, having finished this glorious work, with what tranfports of joy would they publish the good news to the women, who came to mourn at their Saviour's grave?"Fear not ye; he is not here, he is rifen."

5. He arofe from the dead, invefted with a public character, as the common head and reprefentative of all his followers. "For now," fays the apostle Paul, "is Chrift rifen, and become the firft fruits of them "that flept (d)." Not that he was the first that was raifed from the dead; for the prophets had raised fome, and he, during his miniftry, had raised others: but the apostle alludes to the firft fruits among the Jews, which were a pledge and an earnest of the future harveft. In like manner, the refurrection of Chrift fecures and fanctifies the refurrection of every believer. It is a bleffed pledge and affurance of that general harveft at the end of the world, when the angels, as the reapers, fhall gather the elect of God from the four winds. Hence, alfo, he is faid to be the first born, and the first begotten from the dead, as being the first that arose to immortal life; and as, in virtue of his refurrection, the whole number of the redeemed are, in due time, to be born from the grave, and raised by him to immortal life. For, as the apostle reafons, "If we believe that Jefus died, "and rofe again, we may eafily believe likewife, "that them that fleep in Jefus will God bring with ❝ him (e)."

It now remains that I make a few plain reflections from this important truth, that Chrift our Saviour is rifen from the dead.

1. We may be inftructed, from this fubject, in the divinity of his nature, and in the excellency of his religion. His refurrection is a moft effectual and convincing proof of his being the Son of God. What but Omnipotence can loofe the bands of death, and

(d) I Cor. xv. 20.

(e) I Theff, iv. 14.

and rekindle the lamp of life after it is extinguished ? Reafon itself affures us, that if Chrift had been a deceiver, an infinitely wife and holy God would never have given him this teftimony of his approbation. Here, then, we have a folid foundation, on which to build our faith in Chrift, and his gofpel. Here we are furnished with a fatisfying anfwer to all the objections of the ungodly. Chrift is rifen from the dead; and therefore, he most certainly came from God, and taught the mind of God in truth. Until the enemies of our religion have difproved this important fact, all their objections to it must be vain and unavailing; and fo long as we are abundantly affured that he rofe from the dead, our faith in Chrift muft remain firm and unfhaken.

2. The facrifice of Chrift's death, is an atonement moft acceptable and well-pleafing to God. His refurrection was a discharge or acquittal from the hand of divine juftice; a public and authentic declaration, on the part of God, that he accepted the facrifice of Chrift's death as a complete atonement for the fins of his people. By discharging our Surety from the prifon of the grave, he has given us the fullest afsurance, that his juftice is amply fatisfied; for otherwife, the prifoner had never been released.

The re

proach of the crofs is now ceased, and turned into glory. "There is now no condemnation to those "that are in Christ Jefus, who walk not after the "flesh, but after the Spirit." God is juft to forgive their fins. The price of their redemption is paid. and accepted; and their Surety has obtained a full difcharge. What reafon, then, have we to triumph in the words of the apoftle: "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that << juftifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is "Chrift that died; yea, rather, that is rifen again. "from the dead."

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3. He is the appointed Judge of the world. "God," fays the apoftle, "hath appointed a day in which he "will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man

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"whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given. "affurance to all men, in that he hath raised him

from the dead (a)." What reafon, then, have the - enemies of Chrift to tremble; you that are unbelieving impenitent finners, that profane his facred name; that pour contempt on his ordinances, and difregard his laws! For he will be revealed ere long in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know him not, and obey not his gofpel. But let his friends rejoice, even in the depth of forrow, and in the duft of death; for he will come to be glorified in his faints, and to put them in poffeffion of those mansions of perfect reft, and everlafting happiness, which he is now preparing for them.

4. Let us confider the refurrection of Chrift as a powerful argument to encourage our truft in him, and our hopes of eternal falvation by him. The hopes to be derived from the refurrection, are full of confolation to his fervants. The pardon of all your fins is now effectually fecured to you; for, as he was delivered for your offences, fo he rofe again for your juftification. You may now hope for the redemption of your bodies from the grave, and their being transformed into the resemblance of his glorious body; for Chrift is rifen, and become the first fruits of them that fleep. He is the firft-born from the dead, and you are the children of the refurrection. When, therefore, you part with your bodies at death, you may lay them down in full hope of receiving them again, and of receiving them with infinite advantage; for he will change your vile bodies, and make them perfect like his own. And when that happy morning of the refurrection arrives, death fhall have no more dominion over you, but you fhall triumph over death and the grave: "O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? "Thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jefus Chrift." And, finally, you may now entertain the affured hope of a bleffed

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(a) Acts xvii. 33.

immortality;

immortality; "for you are begotten again to a lively "hope, by the refurrection of Chrift from the dead; "to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and "that fadeth not away, referved in heaven for you.” Chrift arofe to die no more; and his redeemed, in like manner, fhall rife to an immortal life, and be ever with the Lord.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfast, "immoveable, always abounding in the work of the "Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour "fhall not be in vain in the Lord."

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THE

SERMON, II.

CIRCUMSTANCES AND BENEFITS OF
CHRIST'S ASCENSION.

LUKE xxiv. 50, 51.

And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lift up his hands, and bleed them: And it came to pass, while he bleed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

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Little before this period, we faw our Saviour nailed to the crofs, and ftruggling with the powers of darknefs and of death. Had the gofpel hiftory concluded here, it would have been mournful indeed; for, had he perished in the grave, all our hopes of falvation would have perished with him. But the words of the text bring us good tidings of great joy; viz. that after having rifen from the dead, and continued for fome time with his difciples, he afcended victorious and triumphant over all his own, and his peoples enemies. "And it came to ૐ pafs, while he bleffed them, he was parted from "theim, and carried up into heaven."

In the foregoing part of this chapter, we have the evidences of our Lord's refurrection, and his difcourfe to his difciples before his afcenfion.

The

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