rials,

death of fin. And here let it be remarked, that the pious folemnities used in the burial of our Saviour, the honourable mention of the perfons concerned in it, and of the woman who brake the box of precious ointment to prepare his body for it, have been in all ages thought fufficient Recommends grounds for the decent burials used in the chriftian decent bu- church and this custom of the church is faid to have had a great influence in the conversion of the Heathens; and after christianity had got poffeffion of the Roman empire, it foon put an end to the old custom of burning the bodies of the dead. Nature itself directs that fome respect seems due to the dead bodies of men for the fake of the fouls, which once inhabited them, but much more to thofe, which have been the living temples of the Holy Ghost, and being bought by Christ, fhall be one day made like unto his glorious body, according to that mighty working whereby he is able to fubdue all things to himfelf

Among chriftians.

SUNDAY V. CHAP. V.

I. Of the Refurrection of Chrift. II. Of his Afcenfion. III. Of his Sitting at the Right-Hand of God. IV. Of his Coming to be our fudge. V. Of the last Judgment. VI. Of the Holy Ghoft.

Chrift rofe from the

1.TH

;

HE beloved and only begotten Son of God, who was crucified and died for our dead. fins, did not long continue in the state of death but on the third day, by his infinite power, did revive and raise himself, reuniting the fame foul to the fame body which was buried, and fo rose the fame man, according to the testimony of fufficient and credible witneffes, throughly informed concerning the fact,

These witnesses were the pious women, which Appeared to thinking with fweet fpices to have anointed him witneffes; dead, found him rifen. The apoftles, who con

Of credit.

Seen by the

verfed with him frequently after his refurrection, were fatisfied he had a real body, by his eating and drinking with them. And one of them fearched the holes that the nails had made in his hands, and thruft his hands into his fide. All the other difciples teftify the fame, to whom he also appeared, even to five hundred brethren at one time. Then he was feen of James; appeared to St Stephen at his martyrdom, and to St Paul at his converfion, in his way to Damafcus. And The veracity of these witneffes cannot be doubted of; because the doctrine they taught forbad all falfhood upon pain of damnation: Again the fealing the truth of this fact with their blood, is a fufficient evidence of their veracity. And had we not the testimony of his very enemies to bear witness of this great truth; those foldiers that watched at the fepulchre, and pretended to keep his body from the hands of the apoftles, felt the earth trembling under them, and faw the countenance of an angel like lightning, and his raiment white as fnow; they who upon this fight did shake, and became as dead men, while he whom they kept, became alive; even some of these came into the city, and fhewed unto the chief priefts all the things that were done, when Chrift rose from the dead. And the angels, that heavenly host, which brought the glad tydings of his birth to the Teftified by fhepherds, bore evidence to the truth hereof. One came and rolled back the stone from the door, and fat upon it. Two, in white, fitting the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jefus had lain, faid unto the women, why feek you the living among the dead? he is not here, but is rifen, Luke xxiv. 5. And

angels.

Why he ap

peared only

to his dif

ciples.

The reason why he only appeared to his followers and not to the Jewish nation, is because it was only of neceffity, that those who were to be the first publishers of the gofpel, fhould have the utmost evidence and fatisfaction concerning the truth and reality of Chrift's refurrection; for by the fame reason that he was obliged to have appeared to the Jewish nation, it might be pleaded, that the whole Roman empire ought to have had

the

the like manifeftation, and that he should have fhewn himself to the unbelieving in all fucceeding ages.

It was neceffary:

It was neceffary Chrift fhould rife from the dead to fhew the debt he died for, was discharged; and that his fatisfaction was accepted in heaven. If Christ be not rifen, ye are yet in your fins. Befides, he rose to prove himself to be the Meffiah, and to evidence the truth and divinity of his doctrine, which he had enjoinTo prove his ed to be obferved by all men. He had appealed to divinity: it as a sign of his being a true prophet, and therefore, by the way of trial, which God prefcribed the Jews, viz. The accomplishment of predictions, he had appeared to be a falfe prophet had he failed therein; for if Chrift be not rifen, your faith is vain: God having raised our Saviour from the dead after he was condemned and put to death, for calling himself the Son of God, is a demonstration, that he really was the Son of God; and if he was the Son of God, the doctrine he taught was truth from God, and is our guide to heaven.

We also read that he rose the third day, before To fulfil the his body faw corruption. He was buried three prophecies: days, according to the common computation of days, both antient and modern, and particularly in fcripture computation. So Lazarus is faid to be four days dead, though the fourth day whereon he was raifed, was one of them. Eight days are faid to be accomplished for Chrift's circumcifion, but the day of his birth and circumcifion too went both into that account.

refurrection

The refurrection of Chrift is an argument of To prove the our refurrection, because by his rifing from the of our bodies. dead, he became the first fruits of them that flept; which first fruits among the Jews, were a pledge and earneft of a future harveft. By this is fecured our refurrection to eternal life; that he who hath promised to raise us did raise himself from the dead. As we are the members of that body of which Chrift is the head; and the members cannot be far behind if the head be rifen; learned from fo it teacheth us to confirm ourselves in the belief of his holy religion, which receives the utmost confirmation

up,

What is

hence.

firmation by his refurrection. To quicken our repentance, fince we are now affured, that he hath made full fatisfaction for our fins, and that by believing in him, we may obtain remiffion of them, and the juftification of our fouls. To rife from the death of fin to the life of righteoufnefs, that being qualified with the graces of God's Holy Spirit, we may be meet to be accounted heirs of everlafting life. To live under a lively fenfe of that happiness he hath completely purchafed for us by his refurrection, and to set our affections upon things above; to breathe after that state of endless joy, that perfect freedom from fin and misery: for the bleffedness of the refurrection of good chriftians, confifts in the mighty change which shall be made in their mortal bodies, and the glorious qualities they shall be invefted withal: And in the confequent happiness of the whole man, of the foul and body united and purified.

II. The fame Jefus, who by his own power rofe again for our juftification, having for the space of forty days confirmed the truth of his refurrection, by appearing on of Chrift. feveral times to his difciples, difcourfing with them

The afcenfi

In what

manner.

and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God, finished his courfe upon earth with bleffing his difciples; for while he was bleffing them, and they beheld and looked stedfaitly towards heaven, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight: and behold, Jesus being afcended up into the highest heavens, two angels appeared unto the disciples with the comfortable mife, that as Jefus was taken from them into heaven, fo he fhould in a glorious manner return again to judge the world. And all this was done for the confirmation of the certainty and reality of this great mystery of our faith.

pro

difciples:

Here was need of eye-witneffes, which was not neceffary in the act of his refurrection; because, whatever was a proof of his life after death, was a demonftra- Why in the fight of his tion of his refurrection; but the apoftles not being able to fee him, when in heaven, it was neceffary they should be eye-witnesses of his act of ascending, that so they might be able to bear their teftimony thereto. Befides, before the apoftles faw our Saviour ascend, he had told them

whither

whither he was going, and what power and dignity would be conferred upon him, and as an evidence of his exaltation to the right hand of God, had promised to fend down the Holy Ghoft upon them in a sensible manner; so that they afterwards receiving the wonderful effects of his being there, had abundant evidence of his exaltation, namely, his afcenfion into the heaven of heavens, the presence of God, where his human nature is feated far above all angels and archangels, all principalities and powers; even at the right-hand of God the Father.

So that the true penitent may expect forgiveness; the weak, but fincere chriftian, strength and affiftance, having fo powerful a mediator with the Father: Those that suffer and are perfecuted, may depend upon their high priest for comfort and fupport, fince he is touched with a sense of our infirmities: All may now come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and help in the time of need; because we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our fins. But therefore,

And not of the Jews.

Since this our Lord's afcenfion is of that great advantage to mankind, it may and has been asked why he did not ascend in the fight of the Jews, that they, who had been deceived before, at the time of his crucifixion, might have received a conviction of their error. To which it was anfwered that, it was only abfolutely neceffary that they, who were to preach the gofpel, fhould have the utmost evidence of those matters of fact they teftified. God's defign was to bring the world to falvation by the exercife of faith, which is an act of affent upon the testimony of another, which is inconfiftent with fight. Moreover it is to be doubted, whether they who afcribed our Saviour's miracles to the power of the devil, and fuborned the foldiers to say upon his refurrection, that his difciples ftole him away, would not have called his afcenfion, if they had seen it, a phantafm and vain apparition of the fpirit of fome corrupt man. Or, let the reafon be what it will; God appointed it fo to be: it is not the business of the creature, to ask the Creator his reafons for fuch and fuch acts of his omnipotency. But,

III. He