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For that the Children of Ifrael might understand the Greatnefs of God's Power, able to free them from the Babylonifh Captivity, he caufed the Refurrection of the Dead to appear before his Prophet. He carried him away into a large Field, covered all over with dead and dry Bones. At God's Command thefe Bones drew near to one another, and began to be joined; afterwards the Sinews appeared, the Flesh cover'd them, and the Skin was ftretched over them; then a Breath came from the Four Winds upon thefe dead Bodies, entred into them, and they rofe up alive upon their Feet, fo that they feemed as a great Army.

But God hath not only reprefented the Refurrection by many illuftrious and excellent Types, but he hath alfo exprefly foretold it by the holy Prophets: Ifaiah fpeaks of this Myftery in an excellent Manner, Thy dead Men fall live together, with my dead Body fhall they rife; awake and fing, ye that dwell in the Duft, for thy Dew is as the Dew of Herbs, and the Earth fhall caft out the Dead, Ifa. 26. And there can be nothing plainer than the Prophecy of the Prophet Daniel, And many of them that flept in the Duft of the Earth fhall awake, fome to everlasting Life, and fome to Shame and everlasting Contempt, Dan. 12.

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Therefore, in Hopes of the Refurrection, the Patriarchs were very careful of their Tombs. Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, had no Inheritance in the Land of Canaan, and yet he was very defirous to buy, for himself and Family; a Burying-place. When Jacob lay upon his Death-bed, he commanded his Son Jofeph, Deal kindly and truly with me, bury me not I pray Egypt, but I will lie with my Fathers, and thou shalt carme out of Egypt, and bury me in their Burying-place, Gen. 47. And when Jofeph was ready to yield up Soul unto God, he told his Brethren, That God would furely vifit them, and that they should carry his Bones from thence, Gen: 50.

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All the Faithful of the Old Teftament have publickly declared their Expectation of this bleffed Refurrection from

from the Dead; as may appear by that notable Paffage of Job, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he fall ftand at the latter Day upon the Earth; and though after my Skin, Worms deftroy this Body, yet in my Flesh fall I fee God, whom I shall fee for my felf, and mine Eyes fall behold, and not anothers, Job 19. As may alfo appear by the magnificent Words of David, I wik behold thy Face in Righteousness, I shall be fatisfied when I awake with thy Likeness, Pfal. 17.

Thofe bleffed Martyrs, mentioned in the Book of -Maccabees, were fo well perfwaded of this Doctrine, that they had the Courage willingly to offer their Bodies to Death and Torments the moft dreadful. You may hear one fpeaking boldly to King Antiochus, that moft cruel Tyrant, who would have forced him to break the Law of God; Thon Murderer, thou depriveft \us of Life, but the King of the World fhall raife us up at the Refurrection, to an eternal Life, fince we die for his Lavs. Another animated with an holy Zeal and an heroick Spirit, delivers his Tongue and Hands to be cut off, with this Saying; I have received thefe Things from Heaven, but I now defpife them for the Laws of my God. For I hope he will restore them to me again. A third flighting the Tyrant's Threats and Promifes, uttered thefe excellent Sayings; It is better for me to leave the Expectations of Men to look for what God promifes, that I fball again rife by his Power. But nothing appears more admirable than the Mother of thofe illuftrious Chil dren, when fpeaking to the Seventh, the youngeft of all, the ufes this Language; I know not how you were formed in my Womb, for I never gave you a Spirit, nor Life, nor gathered together your Limbs into a Body; but the Creator of the World, the Author of Nature, who by his Power and Goodness has form'd the Beginning of all Things; He will of his Mercy restore to you again your Spirit and Life, because you now value not your felves for the fake of his Laws.

Martha, the Sifter of Lazarus, was well acquainted with this Mystery, as is to be proved by what she told

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our Saviour Chrift, I know that my Brother shall rise again at the Refurrection at the laft Day: And the Pharifees maintained the Belief of the Refurrection from the Dead against the Sadducees, who denied the Refurrection and Immortality of the Soul. Therefore when St. Paul was to anfwer for himself before the Jews Tribunal, where half were Pharifees, and half were Sadducees, he made this crafty Profeffion, I am a Pharifee, and the Son of a Pharifee; for the Hope of the Resurrection of the Dead I am call'd in queftion: And when he made his Apology before Felix, the Governour, he spoke in this manner, This I confess unto thee, that after the Way which they call Herefy, fo worship I the God of my Fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets, and have Hope towards God, which they themselves alfo allow, that there fhall be a Refurrection of the Dead, both of the Fust and of the Unjuft.

As the Jews of our Time have forfaken God, God hath alfo forfaken and given them over to a reprobate Senfe; for as they fet afide the infinite Merits of the Death and Paffion of Jefus Chrift, they vainly perfwade themselves, that their Sins are fufficiently expiated by their own Deaths. Notwithstanding the grievous Corruptions that are to be found in their Doctrines, they depart out of this Life, in hopes of rifing again one Day. For that reafon they are careful in wafhing their dead Bodies, in Burying them with Honour and De çency: And when they have thus laid them in their Graves, they bow themselves three Times towards the Earth, and caft behind them Grafs newly pluckt up from the Ground. By which Ceremony, they would have us understand, that the Corps which they lay in the Earth, fhall one Day rife again and push forth, according to the Prophet's Expreffion, Your Bones fhall grow as the Grass.

But this Article of the Refurrection of our Bodies, which is found in fome few Paffages of the Old Teftament, is to be feen almoft in every Page of the New, and the Texts concerning this Truth, are fo plain and Dd z

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exprefs, that 'tis not poffible to reject this wholfome Doctrine, but we muft at the fame time abjure the Chriftian Religion, and give the Lye to the holy Ghoft.

That our Faith might be the better fettled, God hath been pleafed not only to publifh this Refurrection from the Dead by his Prophets and Apostles, he hath not only difcover'd to us many excellent and delightful Types and Figures of the Truth; but to give us a more experimental Testimony of his Power, he hath raised several from the Dead. In the Old Teftament God raised up two Children, one at the Prayers of the Prophet ·Elijah, the other at the Requeft of Elifba his Succeffor, 1 Kings 17. And when the dead Body had been laid in Elifa's Grave, and touched his Bones, it returned to Life again, 2 Kings 13. And during our Saviour's Abode on Ear, he raised to Life the Daughter of Jairus that was dead, the Widow's Son of Nain, who was carried out of the Gate to be buried; and Lazarus, who had been four Days lying in his Grave, whofe Body began to ftink, Matth. 9. Luke 7. When this merciful Saviour gave up the Ghoft upon the Crofs, The Graves were opened, and many Bodies of Saints which flept arofe and came out of the Graves after his Refurrection, and went into the holy City and appeared unto many, Matth. 27. After his Afcenfion, he raised from the Dead, Dorcas, a charitable Widow, at the Prayers of St. Peter, to -comfort the poor Widows that wept for her; and a young Man, named Eutyches, was restored to Life by the Means of St. Paul, that the Congregation of Believers might be comforted, who were troubled at his unexpected Fall, and fudden Death.

But chiefly we have the Example of our Lord, who hath raised himself up by a divine Power. This glorious Inftance, is able not only to excite our Admiration, but alfo to fettle our Faith, and nourish our Hopes. For the Refurrection of other Perfons fhews what God can do, but the Refurrection of Chrift declares to us what God will do, and is an Earneft to af fure us cf our future Refurrection. 'Tis not poflible

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to believe as we ought, that Jefus Chrift is rifen from the Dead, but we must alfo, by a neceffary Confequence, believe that he will raife us likewife. This St. Paul endeavours to teach us, If we believe that Jefus Chrift is dead and rifen, even fo them also which fleep in Jefus, will God bring with him, 1 Theff. 4. As the Head is, fo fhall the Members be. As the firft Fruits are, fo fhall the Reft of the Harveft be. The fame Apoftle labours to perfuade this Truth in these excellent Words, Chrift is rifen from the dead, and become the first Fruit's of them that fept for fince by Man came Death, by Man came alfo the Refurrection of the Dead; for as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive: But every Man in his own Order, Chrift the first Fruits, afterward they that are Chrift's at his Coming.

Against this Holy and divine Doctrine fome object, that there are Bodies confumed by Fire, and burnt to Afhes. But what follows from hence? For whether the Bodies be reduced to Duft or Afhes, it matters not, God is able to reftore them, and render to them their primitive Forms. Since certain Herbs (confumed to Afhes) rife again out of the Ground by a natural Inclination, as we have already obferved; and fince Art is fo industrious to make transparent Bodies (of an extraordinary Beauty) of melted Ashes; fhall not God, who is fo infinitely above all Abilities of Nature created by him, and of all Arts and Sciences which proceed from his Direction, be able of Afhes to compofe a beautiful and perfect Body?

Others pretend next, that a great many Bodies have been drowned in the Seas, and fwallowed up in the Waters; I acknowledge that to be true: But I affirm, that God is altogether as able to draw a Body out of the Depth of the Sea, as out of the Bowels of the Earth. He who hath prescribed Bounds to this great Sea, who dries up its vaft Concavities, and lays open its bottomlefs Bottom; hath not he a Command over this Sea? Cannot he oblige it to reftore those Bodies that have been committed to its Keeping, as when he

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