Book lV. JLooatn!;J unto jJdtt5. -~~~-~~~------~ would come no fooner, Jell: his enemies ilJould have urged that he had nor died ; rhe \ntchmen kept the Sepulchre till this very rime; but then the Angels lppearing, and Chap.1; Secb. the earth trembling, they became a·s dead men ; and aff6on as they could, they run away, and with their tidings confounded all Clmll's e~em!fs. And with~\, as Chri/1: confill:ed both of a divine and humane nature, fo m refpect of ht' humamty ,. he mull: die . and to fhew his death, it was requifite that he fhould rife no fooner than the third day'; and in refpect of hi; divinity, it was impofllble that ~e flwuld beheld ofdeath any longer than three days; for as he mufl not fee corrupuon, fo God raifed htm "P• having /oofed the P'tins of death, bwwft it WM not pojfibie that he jiJo11ld be holdm of Mls '· z.(. it. SE C T. Il. · Of the reafons of Chrijf's Refnrreflion. 2. '{ 1vHy he rofe, we have thefe Reafons .-- • V r. That he migl)t p-owerfully convince, or confoundhisadverfaries; they that crucified him were mightily afraid of his Refurrection; they could tell Pi/ate, Sir, we remember thu deceiver .(aid, ll'hile he WMyet aliw, after three d~yes /will rife again ; Mat., 7 . 61 , 5f • • and therefore they ddire l111n of all loves to command the Sepulcher to be matk Ji•re u>~til the third day · if ever ]Je nfe agam whom they have kllled, then they knew tbey were all fl1amed. J1en the /aft crmtr ( lS they fa id) would be worfe than the jir}l: 'All the world wodld look on them as a cm·fed generation, to kill the Mcjfiah, to CrUfifie foch a one as after his death and burial lhould rife again; now then, that he might either convince them or confound them, notwithllanding their care, their watch, their Seal, their makin'g all lure as pofilbly they could ; at the very fame time he told them before, he broke open the gates of death, and made the gates of Brafs to fiie afunder. 2 • That he might confirm the faith of ~ll his followers. If Chrift be not rifen, your, c:or.t). 14 • Faith u -;ain, faJth the Apofile. Chrrfl s refurrechon llorh confirms our fatth, as ro his perfon. and to his office: for his perfoo; this fyeaks him to bethe eternal Son of, IJod, by tlu refimrflion from the dead; and for hiS office; thiS fl'eaks htm to be the pro- Kom. t, 4 • mifed Mcffi•h, the great Prophet, _the ch~ef htgh Pnefl:, the Ktng and SJVtour of his Church. When the /ewJ faw Chrrfl purgmg the Temple, and Mrjfiah-ltke reforming what hefaw amifs in the Houfe of God, Wh,tt ftgv (fay they) jlmwft thots unto tu, feeing thou doft theft things? .And he faid umo them, deftroy thi; Temple, and in three Joh. >.t8,•9~ dayes llvi/1 raife it up.---Whenthe~efo'/ he waori(en f>'om the dead, hu Difeiples re22 '' membred that he had Jaid thu unto thrln:',and.they belie-Jcd the Scripwre, and the Word which 'jeftuhad Jaid: As the refurrecrio'n of Cbrill: argues his Mediatorfltip, fo it confirms their Faith; as it is faid, They belitv"cd the Saiptttres, ana they believed Jefsu Chrift. And thus /ohn writing of his refurrection, tells us, Theft things arc written thatye might John w. 3 1. believe, andthatbelicving, &c. 3. That it might clearly appear, that he lud fuily fa ti>fied rl1e jufl:ice of God for fin: So it was, that God.!Jid the forfeiture of the Qond m•,CJu·itl; he arref\ed him, brought him to the Goal, fhe Grave; and there he was till the Debt was paid to the ut– mofl farthing; and then, that it might clearly appear that the Bond was cancelled, rhe Prifoner difcharged, God s Juflice fati~fied, he rofe again from the .dead. Some make a quefl:ion when thi; Bond was cancelled? and tl:ey fay, as the deb: was paid, fo the ·Bond was cancelled ere he flirred off the Crofs (only by the Crofs, I fuppofe they mean the urmolldegree of Chrift's humiliation, v:;:.. his being held in captivity and bondage under death) and fo the h.md-writing• of the Law th.<t w.uagainft "', was there deliveredh1m; ::md da:re be biotted it our~ cancelled it, rook__ tt out of the wa:>'• nailing it to his Cot. 2 · 1 4• Crofs .. Others think, rhat as to the full difchargeof a debt, and freeing the debtor, two thtngs are reymhre; firfl, the payment of the debt: fecondly, the rearing, or cancelltng of the Bond;. fo the paymemwaswroughr by Chriil's death, and the cancelling of the Bond was at ht> refurrection; 1 Jlull nor difprove either of thefe: I am fure, tlus 1s Wlthout all conrroverfie. that Chrill: rofe. tlur it might fully appear that now the nvnd was cancelled, and Gog's Juflicefari,lied. Tt 2 4· That \' I I
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