An Expojition of the Epiffle ~ To exemplific this unto you thus. If Jefus Chriil prefently after he had died Serm01t if his Soul had come into his Body again, he had died indeed, but he had not nfe~ XXX. from the dead, he had been quickned indeed as the Scripture _fometimes fpeal<s, ~but he had not been raifed from the dead, therefore that he mtght be raifect lrom the dead, he mu£! continue in a£late of death. As if he had come off the Crofs before he had died, it might be faid he had been crucified, but it could not be faid that he died; fo if his Soul had come to him again when it went fir£! out of his Body it might have been faid he had been quickned indeed,but it could not have been faid he was raifed from the dead, for that implieth a lying under a £late of death. You /hall find therefore that Death is faid to have dominion over him, as over his prifoner, It is the phrafe Rom. 6, 9· Chrifl being raifed from the dead dieth 110 more, Veath bath 110 more domi11io1t over him; which implieth that Death not only killed him, but it had dominion over him, had him in his power, he was in the fl:ate of death, he was deaths prifoner. You mufl: know that death had him in his power, dominion it had a while over him, but faith he, it was impollible that he could be holden by it, therefore in 1 Cor. 1 i · zo. He is faid to be the fir[/ jr11its of them thatj/up; Why of them that Jleep? Becaufc he did not only die , but he ilept, he took a nap, he was a while under the fiate of death, therefore it is· faid, he was raifed from the dead. And herein my Brethren, lay the lafi of the humiliation of Chrifl:. It lay not fimply in his being buried, there was an honourablenefs in that, for he had an ho– nourable Funeral,he was imbalmed with fweetOdours and Spices,which the Jews ufedtocallaburial; butnotonlyfo, but he was and continued in the fiate of death. Therein lieth the bottom ·and thq lafi of his .humiliation. Jt is faid in Ephef 4· 9· that he defcended into the lower parts of the Earth, before he af– cended; the lower pans of the Earth is not meant his Grave, for the truth is, his Grave was not in the lower parts or in the bettom of the Earth, for it was above the Earth, it being their manner then to make their Tombs in Rocks, but it im– plieth a fl:ate of death that our SaviourChriil was in. He did return to dufi, to a ftate of death, to his Earth, which v;as the curfe; he was a while dead, deaths prifoner , death had dominion over him, therefore he is here faid to be raifed ftom the dead. My Brethren, Chrifl:did run through all efl:ates with us, he was not only born into the World, but he lived in it as we do, he might have been born into it and gone out aj?,ain, but h.e lived in it T~ree and Thi.rty years. When he came to die, he mtght have dted and took Ius Soul up agam prefently; No, but he would remain in death, look what befalleth us did befal him, fetting afide what was dif~ honourable to his perfon, as corruption would have been, The fame fiate our Soul /hall be after death,his Soul was in, it went toParadife, fo likewife do our Souls; therefore you read ofParadi{e as well as the Third Heavens, 2 Cor, 12. Look what fiate our Bodies were in, that fiate was his Body in too, and God did it that as we might fee he lhould be conformed to us and we to him, fo that we might be fatisfied he was dead indeed. So much for the Second thing, He was raifedfrom the dead, therefore as he died, fo he was referved in a fiate of death. . I come in the Third place to his RefurreCl:ion, (for I /hall run over thefe things more briefly, ) There are two things concerning it, that I lhall fpeak unto JOU of, for the opening of thefe words. " The Firfi is the necellity of his RefurreCl:ion. The Second is the Author of his RefurreCl:ion, The Author of his Re(urre&· is faid to be God, Which he wrought i11 Chrifl, (faith he,) when he rmfed him from the dead. Hefpeaks of God the Father. · Firfr, For the necellity of Chrifi's RefurreCl:ion, • I fl1ewed you why it was necellary for him to die, I /hall /hew you in a word or two, why it was necdfary for him to rife. Firfr,
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