not had this inherent Power, he could not have raised himself from the Dead: But the Question is not concerning the abfolute Power of God, which can do all things, but the Power of a Saviour; what the Saviour of Mankind muft do to conquer Death, and to deliver us from the Dominion of it. Now in this Enquiry I won't prefume to go one Step beyond the Law, beyond that Sentence pronounced against Adam, Duft thou art, and to Duft thou shalt return; for I know nothing beyond this; and if we cannot find a Reason here, why the Saviour of Mankind should die, and by Death conquer Death, and deliver us from the Dominion of it; we must be contented to know no more, but that thus it was, and thus God had appointed it fhould be.

The Law then condemned all Mankind to die; the Sentence is final and irreverfible, and therefore all Men muft die, and continue under the Power of Death, unless they can redeem themselves, and fatisfy that Law which inflicts Death: For none can redeem Man but Man; the Nature that finned must make the Atonement, and put an end to the Curfe, or rather the Atonement must be made, and the Law fatisfied in the Nature that finned; for no mere Man could do this. The Sin which brought Death into the World, was Difobedience to the divine Command in eating the forbidden Fruit and therefore the moft proper Atonement for this Sin is the most perfect Obedience: Obedience unto Death, even the Death of the Crofs. Thus St. Paul reprefents it, Rom. v. 19. For as by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners, fo by the Obedience of one shall many be made Rightecus: For if by one Man's Offence, Death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of Grace, and of the Gift of Righteousness, fhall reign in Life by one, Jefus Chrift, v. 17. And as for the Law

which threatned Death, that is fatisfied by dying, by bearing the Curfe, as all Laws are fatisfied when they are executed; and Death is abolished and conquered, and an End put to the Curfe of the Law, by rifing again from the Dead; which fhews how neceffary it is that the Saviour of Mankind fhould both die and rife again from the Dead, fhould die to fatisfy the Law and bear the Curse of it, and fhould rife again to put an End to it and abolish Death: And as he could not rife from the Dead without dying, fo no Man's Resurrection could abolish Death, any otherwife than it is in the Redemption of his own Perfon from Death, but only his, who died and rofe again for all Mankind, and put an end to the Curfe of the Law, by bearing its Curfe and loofing the Bands of Death.

But, the better to understand this great Myftery whereon all our Hopes of Immortality depend, there are two or three Questions which must be refolved.

-As, 1. What Reason there was that Chrift fhould die, fhould bear the Punishment of Sin, and the Curfe of the Law, when every Sinner himself dies? How can it be faid, that Christ tafted Death for every Man, when every Man taftes Death for himfelf? Now this had been a Difficulty indeed, had Chrift died for all Men, by his Death to deliver all Men from the Neceffity of dying; for then no other Man ought to have died, if Chrift died for all: But it is manifeft, this was no Intention of Chrift's Death, becaufe all Men ftill die; and if Chrift died for us, not to redeem us from the Neceffity of dying, but to redeem us from the Power and Dominion of Death, and to raise the Dead into immortal Life, he may in the trueft and propereft Senfe be faid to die for all Men, if he die to deliver all from the Power of Death. He must first fatisfy the Law, before he could conquer Death,

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and put an end to the Curfe of the Law; and therefore he muft die, which is the Punishment of Sin, and the Satisfaction of that Law, which threatned Death; and if his Death fatisfyed the Law, and put and end to Death by delivering all Mankind from the Power and Dominion of Death, then he died for us all, tafted Death for every Man, fince to his Death we all owe our Redemption from Death. The Law, which threatens Death, is fatisfied in dying; for, as I obferved before, I know no other Satisfaction of any Law, but the Execution of it; the Law may be repealed or difpenfed with by a fuperior Authority for other Refons, but nothing else can fatisfy it; and thus every Man fatisfies the Law of dying by his own Death; and could he raise himself again from the Dead, this mere Law of dying could demand no more of him. It is not merely the Law which threatens Death, that continues Men in the State and under the Dominion of Death, but want of Power to raise themselves, which makes the threatning of Death, without a Deliverer and Saviour, equivalent to eternal Death: And it is this eternal Death, from which Chrift faves and delivers us, by conquering Death for us all, and raising us into immortal Life: But he could not do this without dying; for he muft fatisfy the Law, and bear the Curfe of it in human Nature, before he could give human Nature the Victory over Death by his own Resurrection from the Dead, and thereby give Mankind a new Right and Title to Immortality and the Refurrection of the Dead.

2. But this starts another Difficulty, why Mankind must be delivered from Death by the Death of a Man? It is commonly answered, and that very truly, that the Atonement and Expiation of Sin muft be made by the Nature that finned, and therefore as Death entred into the World by the

Sin of Man, fo Man muft die; and give a new Life to the World. Thus to be sure it is, by Man came Death, and by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead; and for this Reason, as the Apostle tells us, Chrift became Man; forafmuch as the Children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himSelf took part of the fame, that through Death he might deftroy him who had the power of Death, that is, the Devil; and deliver them, who through fear of Death were all their Life time fubject to bondage. But if we ask any farther, what Neceffity there was for this, that Man must redeem Mankind, I must confefs, I have not met with a fatisfactory Answer to it; and yet the Neceffity of the Incarnation must be refolved into the Neceffity of the Redemption of Mankind by Man. That God has order'd and appointed that it fhall be fo, when there is no other Reason given, should filence all farther Enquiries; for then we muft feek for no Reafon antecedent to the Divine Will; but yet it is of mighty advantage for the right understanding this great Mystery, if we can discover wherein this Neceffity confifts.

Now the great End of Chrift's Death, which was to redeem Mankind from the Power and Dominion of Death, points out to us the Reafon and Neceffity of his becoming Man and dying for us. For, the Sentence of Death being pronounced against all Mankind in the Person of Adam, human Nature muft die to fatisfy the Law, and be redeemed from the Power of Death to give Mankind a new title to immortal Life. If any other Nature had died, and been redeemed from Death, this had been nothing to Mankind; for it had not been the Redemption of Human Nature; and Mankind can be redeemed only in the Redemption of Human Nature; and therefore the Saviour and Redeemer of Mankind muft become Man, and fuffer

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fuffer and die in human Nature, and having fatiffied the Law of dying, muft redeem human Nature in his own Perfon from the Power and Dominion of Death, by rifing again from the Dead. This is in the trueft and properest Notion the Redemption of human Nature from Death in the Perfon of Chrift, and this is the Redemption of Mankind, this is our Victory over Death and the Grave; Chrift hath obtained eternal Redemption for us; and though we shall not actually rife from the Dead till the General Refurrection, yet we are rifen in and with Chrift, as we all died in Adam; he brought the Sentence of Death upon himself and all his Pofterity, and Death reigned over all, yet every Man dies in his own appointed time; and thus Chrift by Death hath conquer'd Death, hath raised his own human Nature from the Dead, and given Mankind the Victory over Death; which can no longer detain us Eternal Captives, tho' we muft expect the Sound of the last Trumpet to raise us again into Immortal Life.

3. And this brings us to the greatest difficulty of all, How Chrift by his Death fatisfies the Law of dying, and conquers the Power and Dominion of Death for all Mankind? How the Death of one Man, who dies and conquers Death, and raises himself again from the Dead, delivers all Mankind from the Curfe of the Law, and the Power and Dominion of Death? That Chrift did become Man, and die to redeem all Mankind from Death, must be wholly refolved into the good Will and Pleasure of our Heavenly Father, who fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting Life, John iii. 16. But ftill the Question is, by what kind of Virtue and Power the Death of Chrift redeems all Mankind from the Dominion of Death? God has fent Chrift to