The Rejurreffion of Chrifl. Natu.re_ras to affociare it into Onenefs of Perfon with himfelf, lhould yet fuff'e&i; to cor<rinue under the Power of Death, which is of all things moft contrary to'hi, natural Inclinations. We fee ChrHt; in his Agony, prayed moft fervencly" that the bitter Cup might pafs from him, infomuch that he !trained clotted Blood through hirri; and certainly, .on~ lngredie.m into t~at Cl!P was the Separation of Soul and Body by Death; wh1ch Is that wh1ch even tnnocem Naturdcfelt abhorred, as defl:rudive to hi!fi; yet hav.ing taken our ~arure upon him for this very Heb.1,f+• End, that by Death he m1ght dejlroy hzm that had the power of Death, that iJ, the Devi/,hevoluntarilyfubmittedhimfelfto undergo it; and this End being fullyaccom.. ' plifh'd by his Death,and the Truth of his D.ath likewifeattefted by his lying three Days in the Earth,it was altogether impoffible that that Perfon who had an Abhorrence of Death, and a Power to raife himfelf~ fhould continue longer undet the Arreft and Dominion of it. And this is thejirf!Demonftration of cheNeceffity of the Refurred:ion of Chrift, upon the Account of both Natures in one Perfon: As Man, fo he abhorred the Separation of Soul and Body; as God,fo he was able to re--unite them: So that having, as Man, a Defire to live, and as God a Power to Jive, it was impoflible for him to be holden of Death. 11. Becaufe of the Union of the Divine and HUmane Nature in the Perfon of Chrift, it was impoffible that his Flefh fhould fee Corruption; which yet it muft certainly have done, had he not beenraifed in a Jhort fpace after his Death. For fince Chrift's Body was nor a phanraftical Body, as fame of old he ld, bur made of true Flefh,and of the fame Temper and Conftitution w\tlt ours,ic mufi,wichout a 1l1iracle, have undergone fuch Changes after Death as ours lhall do ; and to imagine the contrary,is but to feign one Mjrac!e,to avoid the necellity of another, even of the Re[urreaion. But now, it was utterly impoffible that that Body that was united to both Natures by fo clofe and unconceivable a Bond, lhould ever fee Corruption; that is, a Putrefaction in the Grave: This the Scripture A&.:. :1. clearly afferts to us; Thou wilt not leave m7 Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou JUffir thine Holy one to fee GorrHption. And alfo, becaufe all Bodies that are CQrrupced turn into fome other Thing, and fome other Nature, according to chat un-: doubted Maxim of tfie PhilojOphers, Corruptio unius efl Generatjo t~lterius: And fo this horrid and blafpjlemous Confequence would follow, that the Divine Nature of the Son oLGod might have been joyned to fome other. So that it was neceffary thar,Chri!t lhould be raifed again, before any Corruption or Putrefaction, by ordinary Courfe of Nature, feized upon him. Thus"'[ have- proved by thefe two Arguments, that becaufe of the H;pojlatical Union' ofthe Divine and Humane Nature ofChrift in one Perfon,it was altogether impoffible he could be holden of Death, n. Smnd(r,Anorher Arg•ment is rhis,Ir was impoffible Chrift fhould be holden of De11th, becaufe ofGod~s Veracity,and the Truth ofchafe PrediCtions which were before made concerning Chrifi,in thofe many Tyyes and Prophecits of the 0/J Ttjla.. ment; all which God's Faithfulnefsftood engaged to fulfii,llhall only mention that famous PrediBion which St. Peter here fubjoins, as a Proofof the Subject I am now AEt,. 2 r. treating upon: It was not poffible, fays he, tbatChrifl P10uld be holden of De11th; for "7· God, faith the Apoftle,as David Caith concerning him; Tbou wilt not leave m1 Soul ita . Hell,nor fuffer thine Ho1 One to fee.Corr_updon. And this Proph e~y the .Apof!le quores o~t P(al, 16. of the P[almifl; whtch, that 1t dtd not belon_g to Da'llld, nor did he fpeak Jt ro. concerning himfelf, when he inditled that Pjillm, the Apo(lle proves, Ver. 29. A8:s 2,29. ;o. of this Chapter ; where he proves that Da-uid was dead and buried, and un.. Jo. derwent the cOmmon Lot chat all orher dead Bodies did,pucrefying and moulder.. ing away in the Earth; and therefore he was not chat Holy Oke that fhould never fee Corruption, becaufe that Prophecy muft belong eo fuch an one who muft fo tafie of De4th. And this is clearly implied in the former Expreffion, Thou wj/t 11ot lea-ue my Soul in Hell, that is, in the State of the Dead,for fo is Hell to be un-( derftood there, as I fhallfhew more at large: Neither could it belong to any o thofe,who before Chrift, were raifed miraculoully from the Dead, and brought back ouc ofthe State of Death; yet was it not in ruch a manner,that they were not to return again eo it: So that if they did not in the fir'fi,yet in their fecond Dying they faw Corruption. This then could belong to none of them, and therefore. muft of noceffiry belong to Chrift. And fince the Apojle lays fa much ftrefs o~ this Argument, give me leave a little to confider the meaning of ic, and how i~'
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