myftical adumbrations, or by express predictions; under- SERM, ftood according to those infallible expofitions, which the XXX. Apoftles did receive from the inftruction of our Lord, or from illumination of that Spirit which dictated the Scriptures the particular inftances, as being obvious, and requiring large discourse, I now forbear to mention.

2. It was needful in congruity to other events foretold, and in order to the accomplishment of thofe defigns which our Lord was to manage: the whole economy and harmony of the evangelical difpenfation, as it is represented by the Prophets, doth require it: it was, according to their predictions, designed, that Christ should erect a spiritual kingdom, and administer it for ever, with perfect equity, in great peace and profperity; that he fhould in our behalf achieve glorious exploits, fubduing all the adverfaries of our falvation, (fin, death, and hell ;). that he should establish a new covenant, upon better promises, of another eternal most happy life, affuring to the embracers thereof an entire reconciliation and acceptance with God; that he fhould convert the world to faith in God, and obfervance of his will: in execution of these purposes, it was declared that he should undergo fuffering, and be put to death in a most disgraceful and painful manner; it confequently must be supposed, that from fuch a death he should confpicuously and wonderfully be reftored to life; how otherwife could it appear, that he did reign in glory, that he had obtained those great victories, that he had vanquished death, that the former curfes were voided, God appeased, and mankind restored to favour by him? Had the grave fwallowed him up, had God left his foul in hell, had he refted under the dominion of common mortality, had after his dismal pasfion no evidence of fpecial favour toward him shone forth; what ground had there been to believe those great things? who would have been perfuaded of them? The Scripture therefore, which foretelleth the fufferings 1 Pet. i. 11, of our Lord, and the glories following them; which faith, Luke xxiv." that having drunk of the brook in the way, he should lift Pf. cx. 7. up his head; that when he had made his foul an offering

Ifa. liii. 10,

12.

SERM. for fin, he should prolong his days, and the pleasure of the XXX. Lord fhould profper in his hand; that because he had poured

out his foul unto death, God would divide him a portion with the great, and he should divide the Spoil with the Ifa. xlix. 7. Strong; that unto him whom man despised, to him whom the nation abhorred, kings should look and arife, princes fhould worship; the Scripture, I fay, foretelling thefe events, doth confequentially imply the needfulness of his refurrection.

Μάλιστα πάντων σημεῖον ἱκα

vov xaì Toùs

3. It was requifite in itself; or in respect to the many great ends for which it ferveth, and the excellent fruits which it is apt to produce: as will appear by reflecting on those which are suggested in the New Testament.

I pass by its particular usefulness in regard to our Lord's Apostles and difciples; its ferving to reinforce their faith, and rear their hopes, being ftaggered by his paffion; to comfort them in those forrowful apprehenfions and defpondencies of heart, which arose from the frightful events befalling him; to enlighten their minds by more perfect instruction, removing their ignorance, and reforming their mistakes concerning him and the things of his kingdom; to furnish them with inftructions and orders requifite for managing the employments committed to them; to arm them by confolatory difcourfes and gracious promifes of fupport against the difficulties, hazards, and troubles they were to encounter, in the profeffion and propagation of his doctrine; in fine, by all his admirable deportment with them, and his miraculous departure from them, to confirm them in their faith, and encourage them in their duty: these particular uses, I fay, we shall pass over, infifting only upon thofe more common ends and effects in which ourselves and all Chriftians are more immediately concerned.

4. A general end of it was the production and corroboration of faith in us concerning all the doctrines of our religion; for that by it the truth of all our Lord's declarations concerning his own perfon, his offices, his power, his precepts and his promises, (to the highest pitch of conRom. i. 4. viction and satisfaction,) was affured; it being hardly pos

τας

Tas ir · ἐπιστο μίζειν. Chryf. in

fible, that any miracle could be greater in itself for confir- SERM. mation of the whole, or more proper for ascertaining the XXX. parts of our religion. But more particularly;

5. First, From it the dignity of our Lord's perfon and his especial dearness to God (to the voidance of all exceptions and furmises against him) did appear.

If the meannefs of his birth and parentage, if the low garb and dim luftre of his life, if the bitter pains and fhameful difgraces of his death, (however accompanied with rare qualities fhining in him, and wonderful deeds achieved by him,) in persons standing at distance, cafting fuperficial glances on things, and judging by external ap- John vii.24. pearances, might breed disadvantageous apprehenfions or fufpicions concerning him, whether he were indeed, as he pretended, the Son of God, defigned by him to be the Saviour of mankind, the Lord of all things, the Judge of the world; the wonderful power and fignal favour of God demonftrated in his refurrection, ferved to discuss thofe mifts, and to correct fuch mistakes, evincing those temporary depreffions to have been only difpenfations preparatory toward his greater exaltation in dignity and apparent favour with God; for though, faith St. Paul, he 2 Cor. xiii. was crucified out of weakness, yet he liveth by the power of*. God; that is, although in his fufferings the infirmity of our nature assumed by him was discovered, yet by his recovering life the divine power attending him was eminently declared; it was indeed an excessive grandeur of Eph. i. 19. power, an energy of the might of strength which God did exert in the raifing of Chrift from the dead, as the Apoftle vás laboureth to exprefs the unexpreffible eminency of this miracle; and being fo high an inftance of power, it was confequently a special mark of favour; God not being lavifh of fuch miracles, or wont to ftretch forth his arm in behalf of any perfon to whom he doth not bear extraordinary regard: the which consequence alfo, by reflecting on the circumstances and nature of this event, will farther appear.

He was perfecuted and put to death as a notorious malefactor, and an enemy to God, to true religion, to the

μέγεθος τῆς

ἐνέργεια τοῦ

Tous Ts ἰσχύος.

SERM. common peace, to goodnefs; and his being delivered up XXX. to fuffer was an enforcement of that pretence; for his ad

Pf. lxxi. 11.

xxii. 8.

verfaries thence did argue, that God had difavowed and deserted him; they insulted over him, as one in a forlorn Ifa. liii. 4. condition, efteeming him, as the Prophets foretold, firicken, Smitten of God, and afflicted: but God thus, by his own hand, undoing what they had done against him, did plainly confute their reasonings; did evidence their accufations to be false, and their furmises vain; did, in oppofition to their fuggeftions, approve him a friend and favourite of God, a patron of truth, a maintainer of piety and peace; one meriting, because obtaining, the fingular countenance and fuccour of God.

And if yielding our Lord over to death (which being a total incapacity of enjoying any good, doth fignify an extremely bad state) might imply God's displeasure or difregard toward him, (as indeed it did in a fort, he standing in our room to undergo the inflictions of divine wrath and justice;) then, answerably, restoring him to life (which, as the foundation of enjoying any good, doth represent the best condition) must demonstrate a fingular tenderness of affection, with a full approbation and acceptance of his performances: this indeed far more pregnantly doth argue favour, than that could imply difpleafure; for that may happen to the best men upon other grounds, this can bear no other than a favourable interpretation.

Farther, to give life doth ground that relation which is deepest in nature, and importeth most affection; whence, in the holy style, to raise up to life, is termed to beget; and the regeneration is put for the refurrection; fo that it being a paternal act, fignifieth a paternal regard; and thence perhaps St. Paul telleth us, that our Lord was declared, or defined to be the Son of God, by his refurrection from the dead.

6. Secondly, By our Lord's refurrection we may be affured concerning the efficacy of his undertakings for us: for confidering it we may not doubt of God's being reconciled to us, of obtaining the pardon of our fins and acceptance of our perfons, of receiving all helps conducible

to our fanctification, of attaining final happiness, in cafe SERM. we are not on our parts deficient; all those benefits by our XXX. Lord's refurrection, as a certain feal, being ratified to us,

and in a manner conferred on us.

As God, in the death of our Lord, did manifeft his wrath toward us, and execute his justice upon us; so in raifing him thence correfpondently God did exprefs himfelf appeased, and his law to be fatisfied; as we in his fuffering were punished, (the iniquity of us all being laid Ifa. liii. 6. upon him,) fo in his refurrection we were acquitted and reftored to grace; as Christ did merit the remiffion of our fins and the acceptance of our persons by his paffion, so God did confign them to us in his refurrection; it being that formal act of grace, whereby, having fuftained the brunt of God's displeasure, he was folemnly reinstated in favour, and we reprefentatively, or virtually, in him; fo that (fuppofing our due qualifications, and the performances requifite on our parts) we thence become completely justified, having not only a just title to what justification doth import, but a real inftatement therein, confirmed by the refurrection of our Saviour; whence he Rom. iv.25. was, faith St. Paul, delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification; and, Who then, faith the fame Rom. viii. Apoftle, Shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? 33, 34. It is God that juftifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea rather, that is rifen again: our justification and abfolution are, ye see, rather ascribed to the refurrection of Chrift, than to his death; for that indeed his death was a ground of beftowing them, but his refurrection did accomplish the collation of them; for fince, doth the Apostle argue, God hath acknowledged fatiffaction done to his justice, by discharging our furety from restraint and from all farther profecution; fince in a manner fo notorious God hath declared his favour toward our proxy; what pretence can be alleged against us, what fufpicion of displeasure can remain? Had Chrift only died, we should not have been condemned, our punishment being already undergone; yet had we not been fully discharged, without that exprefs warrant and acquittance

2 Cor. v. 15.