their first state. * What wisdom is requisite to separate the parts so mixed and confounded ? What power to recomposé them? What virtue to reinspire them with new life ? It may seem more difficult than to revive a dead body whose organs and matter is not changed, of which we have examples in the scripture. When the spirit of the Lord placed Ezekiel in the midst of a valley covered with bones, and caused him to consider attentively their number, which was very great, and their extreme dryness, he asked him, “ Whether these bones could live ?" Ezek. 37. 4. 5, 6. upon which, as one divided and balanced between the seeming impossibility of the thing in itself, and the consideration of the divine power to which nothing is impossible, he answered, “Lord, thou knowest." Upon this God commanded him, “to prophesy upon those bones, and speak to them," as if they had been endued with sense and understanding: “O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord : thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring in flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live, and

ye

shall know that I am the Lord." And immediately there was a general commotion among them, they joined together, the sinews and flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them.' And upon a second prophecy they were all inspired with the breath of life, and stood up an exceeding great army. Now whether this was really represented to his outward senses, or only by the efficacy of the spirit to his imagination, no doubt so strange a spectacle vehemently affected him; as with joy in hope of the miraculous restoration of Israel, which that vision foretold, so with admiration of the divine power. But when the trumpet of the archangel shall sound the universal jubilee, † and call forth the dead from all their receptacles, when the elements, as faithful depositories, shall effectively restore what was committed by them, how admirable will the power of God appear ?

(2.) No less than infinite power is able to change the raised bodies into the likeness of Christ's. The apostle speaks with an exaggeration of it: for “ our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, who, shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.” This resemblance “ will be only in the person of believers." All men shall rise to be judged, but not all to be transformed. There is a resurrection to death as well as to life. Unhappy resurrection! which only serves to make the body the food of eternal death. But the saints who endeavour to be like to Christ in purity, shall then have a perfect conformity to him in glory and immortality. How glorious the body of Christ is, we may conjecture in part by what the apostle relates to Agrippa, Acts 26. 13. “At mid-day, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me;" which was no other but the light of the face of Christ that struck him with blindness. One ray of this reflecting upon the first martyr St. Stephen in his sufferings, gave an angelical glory to his countenance. And St. John tells us, 1 John 3. 2. “When he appears, we shall be like him.” He alludes to the rising of the sun, but with this difference: when the sun appears in the morning, the stars are made invisible; but the bodies of the saints shall be clothed with a sun-like lustre, and shine in the midst of Christ's glory. Ompipotency alone that subdues all things, can raise and refine them from their dross unto such an admirable brightness. The angels will be surprised with wonder to see millions of stars spring out of the dust. The Lord Jesus Christ will be admired in “ all them that believe.” 2 Thes. 1. 10.

Their bodies shall be raised to a glorious immortality. In this the general resurrection is different from that which was particular, as of Lazarus. By the one death was overcome and put to fight, only for some time; for his second life was no more exempt from death than his first : but by the other, “death shall be swallowed up in victory," 1 Cor. 15. 54. and lose its force for ever. Then shall our true Joshua be magnified in the sight of the whole world, and the glorious number of saints shall cast

their crowns at his feet, and sing the triumphant song, “ Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood,” and rescued us by thy power from all our enemies, and “ art worthy of honour, and glory, and blessing for ever."

CHAP. XXII.

Inference. The extraordinary working of the divine power is a convincing

proof of the verity of the christian religion. The internal excellencies of it are clear marks of its divinity, to the purified mind, The external ope. rations of God's power were requisite to convince men in their corrupt state, that the doctrine of the gospel came from God. The miraculous owning of Christ by the whole divinity from heaven. The resurrection of Christ the most important artiele of the gospel, and the demonstration of all the rest. How valuable the testimony of the apostles is concerniog it, That it was impossible they should deceive, or be deceived. The quality of the witnesses considered. There cannot be the least reasonable suspi. cion of them. It is utterly incredible that any human temporal respects moved them to feign the resurrection of Christ. The nature of the testimony considered. It was of a matter of fact, and verified to all their senses. The uniformity of it assures us there was no corruption in the wit. nesses, and that it was no illusion, They sealed the truth of it with their blood. The miracles the apostles did in the name of Christ, a strong demonstration that he was raised to a glorious life. That power was continued in the church for a time. The conclusion, how reasonable it is to give an entire assent to the truth of christianity. It is desperate infidelity not to believe it; and the highest madness to pretend to believe it, and to live in disobedience to it.

FROM what hath been discoursed concerning the extraordinary working of the divine power, we have a most convincing proof of the verity of the christian religion. For since God hath by so many miraculous effects, the infallible indications of his favour to the person of Jesus Christ, justified his doctrine, no reasonable doubt can remain concerning it. Indeed the internal excellencies of it, which are visible to the purged eye of the soul,

Now as

are clear marks of its divinity. The mystery of our redemption is made up of various parts, in the union of which such an evident wisdom appears, that the rational mind, unless enslaved by prejudice, must be ravished into a compliance. * Even that which most offends sense, the meanness of our Saviour's condition in the world, and the miseries to which he was exposed, do so perfectly correspond with his great design to make men holy and heavenly, that it appears to be the effect of most wise counsel. His death on the cross is so much unbecoming God, as an infinite love and unconceivable compassion is becoming him. And such a beauty of holiness shines in the moral part, as clearly proves God to be its author. It denounces war against all vices and commands every virtue. All that is excellent in human institutions it delivers with infinitely more authority and efficacy: and what natural reason did not reach to, it fully describes, in order to the glory of God, and the happiness of man. God, the author of nature, hath by tastes and smells, and other sensible qualities, distinguished things wholesome for noxious, even to the lowest living creatures, so he hath much more distinguished objects that are saving from deadly, that is, the true religion from the false, by undoubted evidences to any who will exercise their spiritual senses, and sincerely desire to know and obey it. And that all the wise and holy embraced it in the face of the greatest discouragements, is an unanswerable argument that it is pleasing to God. For how is it possible that the good God should suffer those to fall into mortal error, who from an ardent affection to him despised whatever is amiable or terrible in the world? How is it possible he should deny the knowledge of himself to those, to whom he gave such a pure love to himself?

But the human nature in its corrupted state is contrary both to the doctrine of the gospel, that propounds supernatural verities hard to believe, and to the commands of it, that enjoins things hard to do: for this reason it was necessary that God by some external operations, the undeniable effects of his power, should discover to the world his approbation of it.

Now that Christ is the Son of God, and Redeemer of the world, was miraculously declared from heaven by the whole divinity: “ There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." 1 John 1. 5. The Father testified by a voice as loud as thunder at his baptism and transfiguration, Mat. 3. 17. “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Son by his glorious apparition to Paul, Acts 9. 4. when he struck him to the earth with these words, “Why persecutest thou me?” The light was so radiant, the voice so strong, the impression it made so deep and sensible, that he knew it came from God. And he manifested himself to St. John with that brightness, Rev. 1. 17. “ That he fell at his feet as dead,” till in compassion he revived him, and said, “I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore." And the Holy Spirit by his miraculous descent in the shape of a dove upon him, and in fiery tongues upon the apostles, gave a visible testimony that Jesus Christ was sent from God to save the world. I will particularly consider one effect of the divine power, the resurrection of Christ, this being the most important article of the gospel, and the demonstration of all the rest. For it is not conceivable that God would by his almighty power have raised him from the grave to a glorious life, (and it is impossible he should be otherwise) if he had taken the name of the Son of God in vain, and arrogated to hiinself divine honour, and only pretended that he was sent from him: “By the resurrection he was declared to be the Son of God with power.” Rom. 1. 4. For that being the proof of his mission, justifies the truth of his doctrine, and particularly of the quality of God's Son which he always attributed to himself. Now if infidelity object, that we who live in the present age have no sensible testimony that Christ is risen, and what assurance is there, that the apostles who reported it were not deceivers or deceived ? In answer to this, I will briefly show how valuable the testimony of the apostles is, and worthy of all acceptation; and that it was equally impossible they should be deceived, or intend to deceive.

His death is attested by his enemies. Tacitas a pagan relates that he suffered under Pontius Pilate. And the Jews to this day are so unhappy as to boast of their being the causes of his crucifixion, and call him by a name that is the mark of his punishment. But his resurrection they peremptorily deny. Now the apostles being sent to convert the world, were to lay this down as the foundation of their preaching, that Jesus Christ was raised from

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