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They are an answer to what Bildad had said in the preceding chap. ver. 12—14. concerning the wicked man; where, though he may not directly mean Job, yet he had his eye upon him, when he fays, His ftrength shall be hunger-bitten, and deftruction shall be ready at his fide. It fhall devour the strength of his skin, even the first-born of death fhall devour bis ftrength. His confidence fhall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. Well, now as if Job should say, fuppofing all this, yet this is my comfort, I know my intereft in the living redeemer; and am comfortably perfuaded, that when he appears at the latter day, though this body of mine is now reduced to fkin and bones, and will fhortly be the repast of worms, yet it shall be raised again, and in this very flesh of mine fhall I fee God, and everlastingly enjoy him. The preface to the words fhews, that it was fomething future, and at a great distance, which he had in view, even after the confumption of his own body, and at the appearance of his redeemer in the latter day; and which was very confiderable, and of moment; and therefore he fays, Oh, that my words were now written! ob, that they were printed in a book! that they were graven with an iron pen and lead, in the rock for ever! Befides, the vifion of God with the eyes of his body, which he expected, is not fuited to any state and condition in this life, but rather to the state of eternal glory and happiness, when faints fhall fee him in the mediator, as he is; nor can Job's words have any reference to the vifion he had of God, of which he speaks chap. xlii. 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the car, but now mine eye feeth thee. Since that iffued not barely in his peace, joy, and comfort, but likewife in conviction of his folly and weakness, in self-abhorrence, and deep humiliation. Add to all this, that Job, in the close of this chapter, puts his friends in mind of the awful judgment: Be ye afraid of the fword; for wrath bringeth the punishments of the fword, that ye may know there is a judgment; between which and death, there must be a refurrection from the dead, of which he had before fpoken, that so every one may come forth to judgment, and receive the things done in their body, whether they be good or evil. From the whole we may conclude, that Job here declares his faith, concerning the refurrection of the dead at the last day, and not his own restoration, from outward misery to outward happiness. An ancient writer once thought, that nothing could be a plainer proof of this doctrine for fays he, "no one fince Chrift speaks fo plainly of the refurrec"tion, as this man did before Christ "."

3. Another

• Quid hac prophetia manifeftius? Nullus tam aperte poft Chriftum, quam ifte ante Chriftum de refurrectione loquitur. Hieron. ad Pammach. adu. error. Joan. Hierofol. inter ejus opera, tom. II. p. 59. col. 1. edit. Parif.

3. Another teftimony I fhall produce for the proof of this doctrine shall be Ifa. xxvi. 19. Thy dead men fhall live, together with my dead body fhall they arife; awake, and fing ye that dwell in the duft; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth fhall caf forth her dead. In ver. 14. the prophet fays, They are ded, they fhall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rife; the meaning of which words is, either that thofe tyrants, who formerly had dominion over the people of Ifrael, were dead, and should not live any more in this world, or rife again to tyrannize over them; or that many of the people were dead, or fhould die by the fword, famine, &c. and not live again; which the prophet mentions by way of complaint, and as the effect of unbelief, to which these words are an answer. The perfon speaking is the Meffiah, to whom the characters given, in ver. 4, 12, 13. belong; who affures the prophet, that though his men or people were dead, yet they should live again, that they should be raised again, either at the time of his refurrection, or by virtue of it. The words are literally true of Christ's refurrection, and of ours by him, who, as he was to be born, and die, and rife again, in order to be the faviour of his people, so many of them were to rife along with him; therefore he fays, with my dead body fhall they arife; which was fulfilled at Chrift's refurrection, when the graves were opened, and many bodies of the faints, which flept, arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurrection". Though these words may be rendered, either thus, As my dead body shall they arife, that is, in the fame way and.. manner; Christ's refurrection is the exemplar of ours, our vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto his; he is rifen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that sept"; or, as fure as my dead body shall they arise. Chrift's refurrection is the pledge of ours, because he lives, we fhall live alfo. If we believe that Jefus died, and rose again, even so them also, which fleep in Jefus, will God bring with him. The expreffions here ma de ufe of confirm this fenfe of the words; Awake, and fing ye that dwell in the duft; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs. To dwell in the duft is expreffive of the state of the dead; and a refurrection from thence is aptly fignified by an awaking, fince death is fo frequently, in the facred writings, compared to fleep". The power of God, in raising the dead, is fitly expreffed by the dew; for as through the virtue and influence of the dew, the grafs and herbs of the field fpring up and grow; fo, through the wonderful power of God, our bones, to use the prophet's phrafe, fall flourish like an herb, in the refurrection morn"; and it is eafy to obferve a likeness

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likeness between the laft claufe of this verfe, And the earth fhall caft forth her dead, and thofe expreffions by which the refurrection is defcribed in Rev. xx. 13. And the fea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and bell, or the grave, delivered up the dead which were in them. The Jews refer this prophecy to the refurrection of the dead'. But,

4. To add no more teftimonies of this kind, I fhall conclude the evidence of this doctrine out of the Old Teftament, from the famous prophecy in Dan. xii. 2. And many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth fhall awake; fome to everlasting life, and fome to shame and everlasting contempt. These words are generally understood of the refurrection of the dead, as well by Jewish as Christian interpreters. Porphyry, the acute heathen, and fworn enemy of Christianity, would have them defign the return of fome of the people of the Jews, to their own cities and habitations, after Antiochus's generals were cut off, who before fkulked about in holes and corners, and in which fenfe of the text he is followed by Grotius. But furely this deliverance, on the return of this people, was not in any of them to fhame and contempt, especially to everlafting fhame and contempt; nor was it to everlafting life in any of them, seeing they are all fince dead. Nor is it true that the doctors of the Jewish church, from that time, fhone as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars of heaven: but on the contrary, their knowledge decreased, their light grew dim, and they became vain in their imaginations. On the other hand, the whole agrees with the refurrection of the dead; when, as our Lord fays, whose words are the best comment on this text, All that are in their graves shall bear his voice, that is, the voice of Chrift, 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 ; and when the bodies of the faints shall be raised in incorruption, power, and glory, and fhall fhine forth like the fun in the kingdom of their father. I might have produced feveral other fcriptures out of the Old Teftament for the confirmation of this truth; fuch as Hofea vi. 2. and xiii. 14, &c. but I forbear, and pass on To the New Teftament. And here was I to take the whole compass of proof, which this will furnifh out, I muft tranfcribe a confiderable part of it. I fhall only obferve, that this is the doctrine of Chrift and his apostles; it

T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 90. 2. Zohar in Gen fol. 68. 4. & 79. 3. & 100. 3. & in Exod. fol. 12. 3. & 62. 4. & 88. 3. Ed. Sultzbac. Aben Ezra & Kimchi in loc. Menaffeh ben Ifrael de refurrectione, 1. 1. c. 2. §. 2.

T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 92. 1. Zohar in Gen. fol. 67. 4. & 79. 3. & 83. 1. & 100. 3. & in Exod. fol 24. 3. & 43. 4. Saadiah Gaon, Aben Ezra, Jarchi, & Jacchiades in loc. Menaffeh ben Ifrael de refurrectione, 1. 1. c. · 3. 9. 5.

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it is a doctrine which Chrift himself taught: he declared himself to be the refurrection and the life, or to be the author of the refurrection unto life; and that not only thofe whom the Father had given to him, fhould be raised by him, but that all that are in their graves, whether good or bad, should come forth from thence at his powerful and all-commanding voice. The fame doctrine was taught by his apoftles, who all jointly agree, that there will be a refurrection both of the juft and unjuft. The arguments of the apostle Paul, for the confirmation of this doctrine, are by him laid together, in the fifteenth chapter of his first epiftle to the Corinthians. I do not now take notice of particular paffages in the New Teftament, partly because they are plain. and obvious proofs of this truth at first view; and partly because I shall have occafion to make particular ufe of them in fome other parts of these discourses. I proceed,

2dly, To prove the certainty of the refurrection of the dead from other fcripture truths and doctrines, which I shall little more than name; and shall begin,

1. With the doctrine of election. That there is an eternal personal election of some to everlasting life and falvation, the fcriptures do abundantly declare. Now this act of election regards not their fouls only, but their bodies alfo, even their whole perfons: if then their perfons, body and foul, are chosen in Christ to everlasting falvation, then their bodies must be raised from the dead, that they, united to their fouls, may together inherit the kingdom, prepared for them from the foundation of the world; otherwise the purpose of God, according to election, will not stand; when, on the contrary, it is certain, that his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure.

2. It is the doctrine of the fcriptures, that the fame perfons who were chofen in Chrift before the foundation of the world, were given to him by the Father, were put into his hands, and made his care and charge. They were given to him not only to be his portion and inheritance, but to be kept, preserved, and faved by him, body and foul. This was the declared will of his Father, when he gave them to him, as he himself assures us; and this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lofe nothing (no not even their duft) but should raise it up again at the last day; and this is the will of him that fent me, that every one that feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raife him up at the last day. Now if these bodies of the faints, which are given to Chrift, fhould not be raised from the dead, the Father's will would not be fulfilled, nor Christ discharge the truft repofed in him.

Q

VOL. III.

f John vi. 39, 40.

3. This

3. This truth may be concluded from the redemption of our bodies, as well as of our fouls, by the blood of Christ. It is true, this is sometimes called the redemption of the foul, and the falvation of the foul, but not to the exclufion of the body; for that is bought with the fame price the foul is. Hence the apoftle fays to faints after this manner; Ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, which are God's". Now if these bodies, which Chrift has bought, fhould not be raised from the dead, he would lofe part of his purchase: nor could he perfectly fee the travail of his foul and be fatisfied.

4. This doctrine may be inferred from the union of the faints to Chrift, body and foul. Their whole perfons are united to him; Know ye not, says the apostle, that your bodies are the members of Chrift? they are part of his mystical body, they are united to him, as well as their fouls, and remain in union with him after death; for as the union of the two natures in Chrift was not diffolved, when his foul and body were at death difunited, fo neither is the union between Chrift and his people diffolved at death; and, by virtue of this union, their bodies fhall be raised from the dead; otherwife Christ must lose a conftituent part of those who are his myftical body, and fo the church not be the fulness of him that filleth all in all, as fhe is faid to be, Eph. i. 23.

5. All those who are chofen in Chrift, who are given to him, who are redeemed by him, and are in union with him, are fanctified by the Spirit of God, and that not in their fouls only, but in their bodies also; for as the body, as well as the foul, is defiled by fin, it also stands in need of the fanctifying influences of divine grace. Accordingly the Spirit takes up his dwelling in the bodies, as well as the fouls of men; What know ye not, fays the apostle, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghoft, which is in you1? He begins and carries on the work of fanctification in the one, as well as in the other, as is needful, and will at last compleatly finish it; for which the apostle prays, whole faying, And the very God of peace fanctify you wholly; and I pray God your Spirit, foul and body, be preferved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Now if the bodies of thefe fanctified ones are not raised, the Spirit of God will not only lose that which he has taken poffeffion of, as his dwelling place, but also a confiderable part of his glory, as a fanctifier.

6. It will not be improper to take notice of the tranflations of Enoch and Elias to heaven, who were taken up thither, foul and body; nor of the faints, who came out of their graves at our Lord's refurrection, and went with him 11 Cor. vi. 19.

1. Cor. vi. 20.

⚫ Ver. 15.

* 1 Theff. v. 23.

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