ch~p- 2. sea. 2. ~oo~mg nnto 'jtfus. Book IV. 44S ~ailed it to his crofs, 10ow he fpoiled Principalities and Powers, and carried tl.e keys of death and hell at his owngirdle; now he came out of the grave as a mtglny Conqueror, faying as Debot·"n dtd tn her fong, 0 my foul, thoit haft trodden down Judg. 5·' t. (hength, tholl haft marched valiantly. Again, was tt not to become the fidl-frutts of ·them that fleep? Chrift was the firfl: tlm rofe agam from the grave to dye no more ; and by venue of his refurrection. (as bemg the firft-frutts). all the Elect muft nfe aga~n; ...rls in .Adaort tt!l dye, even fo m Chrift Jhall all be made alwe; _bz;t ever./ ma~ tn ht5 own ! Cor, 15,B, order, Chrift the firjl-fmits, and afterwards they that are Chrt~ s at hu comtng. Some - J may wonder, can the refurrectton of one, a thoufand fix hundred years ago, be the caufe of our riling? yes, as well as the death of one, five thoufand fix hundred years ago, is the caufe of our dy111g; Adam, and Chnfl were two heads, two roots, two firft-fruits, either of them tn reference to Ius company whom they fland for. And now 0 my foul, thou mayft f1y with Job, I k!row that my Redeemer livcth, and that I Job 19• 2). Jhall fee him at th~ la[fday,_ nor with other, but wtth thefe fame e;•es. If Chnftltve, 1hen muftI li•e alfo, 1f he be nfen, then thMgh after my skm worms fha/1 deftroy thubody,yer ,.,,. ,6. ;, my flefh I fha/1 fee God. Again,.was it not that he might. be dedared to be the Son of God? was 1s not t~>at he m1ght be exalted, and glonfied? tlus IS the mam r.afon of all the reft . fee thou tO this ! 0 give him the glory, and praife of hisrefurrection; fo mufe, and' meditate, and confider on this tranfaction, as to afcribe to his Name all honour, and glory; what is he rifen from the dead? Hath God highly exalted him, pf. t. 1• 1,; and gi1Jen him~ name abovt every name? 0 then let e1Jery tongue corrfefs, that Jefm Chrifl i< Lord, to theglory of Godthe F~ther. ~. 3. Confider of the manner of Chrift's refurrection; he rofe as a common perfon; in which refpect his refurre&ion concer~s us no lefs than himfelf. We muft not think that whon Chrill was raifed, it was no more than when L az..armwas raifed; his re– furrection was the refurrection of us all, it was in the name of us all, and had in it a feed-like vertue to work the refurrcction of us all. 0 the priviledge of this commu– nion with Chrifl's refurred:ion ! if I believe this truly, I cannot but believe the re[Hr– reflion of my body, and the life everlajling; why Jefus Chrifl bath led the dance, and though of my felf I have no right tO Heaven or glory, yet in Cllfift my Head I have as good right to it as any beir apparent to his lands.---2. He rofe by his own pow– er; and fo did none but Jefus Chrift; from the beginning of the world it was never heard that any dead man raifed himfelf; Indeed one Infhnce we have that a dead mans corps fl1ould raife up another dead man, They caft the man into the Sep11lchre of Elifha, , Kins.13., '· and when the man WM let down and toitched the bones of Elijl~a, he re1Jived and Jlosd up on hu feet; dead ElijiM ra1fed up a dead man from the grave, but dead Elifha could not raife up himfelf from the grave; only Chrift arofe himfelf, and at the fame rime he raifed many others; and here was th~ argument. of hi, Godhead, I have power to lay John 10. 1 s .. down my life, and I ha1Je power to tal:! u up agatn; how flwuld we but truft h1m with our life, who is the refurrection and the life? He that believerh in him rho11gh he were dead, yu (hall he live . 0 m~ foul, be was able to raife himfelf, much more is he able to ra1te thee up; only belteve, and ltve for ever. --3. He rofe with an eanhquak, 0 the power ofChrifl in every palfage! what ayled thee 0 earth to skip like a Ram? was not the new Tomb hewn out of a Rock? and was not a great !lone rolled to the doore ofthe Sepulchre? the ground wherein he lay was firm and folid, and Jhall theroclt_be removed out of hu place ? 0 yes ; the Lord reigncrh, and therefore the earth J~b ' 8 · 4. i.; moved; Oh what a rocky heart is this.of mine? how much harder is it than that P " 1 •9 9 · '· rock ; that moves not, melts not at the prefence of God, at the prefence of the God of Jacob? the Sun (they fay) dan~ed that morning at Chrift's refurred:ion; the earth .(I am fure) then trembled; and yet my heart is no way affected with this news . I feelu netther dance for joy, nor tremble for fear ; 0 my foul be ferious in this me~ dttatton, c_onfider, what a pofture wouldii thou have been in, if thou hadft been with thofe Soldters tlm watched Chrift;fo reallize thisEarchquake,as ifthou now felt it trem. bling under thee. 4- An Angel miniftred to him at his refurrecHon; An A ngel came, and rolled bac/z_Ml<. >S. ,. , the f/one from the door, and fate upon it: Angels were the fidl Minifters of the Gofpel, the firtl P~·eachets of Chrift's refurrection; they preached more of Chrift than all the Prop_hets dtd; _they fir[\ told the. woman tlm Chrift w.u rifen; and they did the Luke 2;; r; firft ferv1ce to Chnll: at hts refurrectton, in rolling the ftone from the doors mot<th. 0 my foul, that thou wen but like thefe blelfed Angels! how is it that 1hey a;e fo Z z 2 forward .....
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