An Expojition of the Epiftle "-"-"'"" That which we are preacbing, faith he, it is good news for you, it is glad Sermo11 tidmgs; what is that? How 1hat the Promife, whicb wM made uuto the !', 1XXX. thers ,God bathjitlji!led the fame tmto tU their Chi!drm,i1t that he hathraifed ttp ~ .7eft1s a,gt~ilt. Here is the glad tidings, it was good for us that Chri!t rofe again. And then he quotetl1 a proof for Jt out of the fecond P[<1lm, Thou <trt my Son, tlm dtiJ h.1ve I begottm thee. And in verfe l4• mark that likewife, As con– etn!i11g that he •·arfed himtrom the dead, flow 110 more to reftlm to corrtrptiou, he j,lid 011 thH wife, I wz g1ve ) 'OU the jure Mercus of 'Dav1d. He prov<th the Refurrection out of thefe words, I wzllgiveyott tbe fitre Mercies of 'Dav1d. One would wonder how that this lhould prove the Refurrection; · but he doth not only go about to prove the Refurrection, but to lhew them that it was glad tidings to them, he faith, that if Chrift had not rifen again you had never !lad the fure Mercies of 'D,1vid. So that now, by the Refurrection of Chrift, all the fure Mercies of '1Javidare confirmed unto us. In P(a!. 89. I, 2, 3· (to open this place a little, and fo pafs from the point,) faith he. [ wi!JJ•ng of the Mercies of the Lordfor ever, (fo beginneth the firft Verfe ;) For I have (aid, Mercyjba/1 be built upfor ever, thy Faithfullrefs jha!t thott ef/ab!ijb itt the very Heavms. How is this proved "I Wherein lieth this Mercy l I have made a Covenant with my· chofen, I have jwontmtto 'Dt>vid my Savant, Thy Seed will I ef/ab!rjb for ever, a11d 6w!d trp thy Thro11eto allgmeratiom. Here now is'the fure Mercies of 'D,wid, that God meant to raile up Jefus Chrift, and to fet him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places, and fo convey all Mercies to us his Seed and Children. Read now but AE1s 2. 30. faith he, 'David 6eing a Prophet, atjd kr.owi11g God hfld[worn with tmOath, that of the fruit of !iu loi11s accordi11g to the j/t/h, he ~vould raife upChrift to fit on hu Throne ; f.e feting this before, fpake of the Re(itrrrelioTt oj Chrzjf. Compare thefe three places one with ano– ther, and you (ee how they prove the Refurrection, That which I obferve out of them is this, That he rofe to convey to us the fure Mercies of 'Dflvid, to execute and apply all Mercies to us, which had been nothing worth if Chrill had not rifen. I will give you but one place more for that, that you may fee it was good news for us that Chrift rofe; it is a parallel place to the other three. It is A8s l·2J· faith he, Te (meaning the Jtws) ,,re the Chi!drm of the Pro– phets, and of the Covm,mt which God made with our Fathers; tlllto ) 'Oil firfl God havillg raifed up his Son JejitS, fmt him to blefsyou. Mark, his Refurre– ction was to blefs you. Hence now we tellyou good tidings, faith he, }e[Uf Chrift is rifen from the dead, for faith he, I will give you theJure Mercies of 'Dflvid. You could nevtt have had your fins pardoned, if Chrift had not rifen; If Chrift he >Tot ri(en.;·o11 areyet i11yourfins, it is his expreffion I Cor.r 5. My Brethren, If Chrift had not rifen, we had not rifen. In the fame I Cor.I )· IrtChrifl al!ri(e. Now Jefus Chrift is rifen, how cloth the Apof\le teach you to argue? I will only quote that place in Rom. 6. g,JO,II.Verfes, and will end with it, K11owit1g (faith he) that Chrifl 6ting raijedfrom the Jead 1 dieth no more. Liktwi(e reckonye al(oyottr fe!ves tobt dead i11deed tml ofin, 6ut alive unto God throNg/J JejtJJ Chrifl our Lord. Is Chri!t (faith he) rifen, then confider with JOUr felves, Have you Faith in you? Hath that power begun to work in you? Then (faith he) look as Death had no more dominion over Chrift, you may as foon have Chrift pulled out of Heaven and nailed ~gain to the Crofs, as that Death lhall e\·er have dominion over you. And is not this good news, my Bre– thren? We bring youglad ttdi11gs, faith he, that God hath fulfilled the Pro– mifc made unto the Fathers, he bath raifed up Chrift from the dead; and (faith he) by this he beftoweth upon us the fure Mercios of 'David, for he rifeth for our Sanctification, he rifeth for our Juftification, he rifeth for our Refurrechon, and as he rofe we fhall rife again. Reckon 1101 your [elves dead, but alive 1mto God· as Death had no more dominion over him, fo fhall it not have dominion over'you. So that, my Brethren, there is no point of greater ufe than this, That' Jrfus Chrifl is ri{t11 from th~ dead. You fhall find in Scripture, that it is made the great Object of our Fatth, as Rom. Io, 9· If tbo~t jbalt co11{ejs wllh th1 mo11tb, rmd believe ill thi1tt heart, that God hrllb rmfed up Clirift f~om the dtad, thottJba!t ue Jtwed. I lhall have occalion to fhew you the reafon of it by and by. . And
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