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I Spoken (faith Chrift) unto you, that in me you might have peace, in the World ye fhall have tribulation: But be of good chear, I have overcome the World: And St. Paul faith, Rom. 14. 9. To this end Chrift both died and rofe again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the living and dead.

So then this place proves and confirms that Article of our Faith, that we believe the Refurreion of the Dead. For tho' a man die by Sea or Land, in his Bed, or in the Field. St. John faith, The Sea fhall give up all that have been drowned, Death and Hell, that is, the Grave fhall deliver the dead in them, fo as all must come to Judgment, of what Death foever they die. O then, fee (Beloved) how the Devil bewitcheth many a poor ignorant foul! when he is in mifery, diftrefs, and calamity, or in a deep melancholy, the Devil perfwadeth him to be come his own Executioner to end his mifery and fhame, by hanging himself, cutting his Throat, drowning himself, &c. And we know and hear that he prevaileth much in these days: Some being in difgrace, as Nebuchadnezzar and Achitophel; fome with the guilt of fin, and sting of Confcience, as Cain and Judas, and fome being croffed in the World's affairs, cut their own Throats, or otherwife deftroy themfelves. Now they foolishly think by this means to end their grief: When alafs, alafs, they do but haften. their own deftruction, as if a man fhould (to avoid a little smoke) caft himself into a flaming fire: So they to avoid this little grief of their Bodies, Plunge both Body and Soul into Eternal

Torments

Torments: For, what eafe is it for any to deftroy themselves, feeing they must come to Judgment? Tho' they kill or drown themselves, The Water and Grave must one day give up their dead. From hence let us learn to arm our felves if Satan fhould tempt us to fuch horrible facts, to caft away our felves, &c. Let us anfwer him, we may not caft away that which Chrift hath bought with his own blood; nay, let us answer him, that we fhall not thereby end our mifery, but increase it.

Now if you demand, by what means the dead fhall then arife at the last day; I anfwer, It is by the mighty power of the voice of Chrift, The hour (hall come (faith Chrift) in which all that are in the Grave fhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth. And to fhew the wonderful power of the voice of Chrift: It is compared to the found of a Trumpet, the loudest and fhrilleft of all Inftruments. Thef. 1. 15. For the Lord himself shall defcend from Heaven with a fhont, with the voice of the Arch- Angel, and with the Trump of God, and the dead in Čhrist shall arife first. Such shall be the power and force of this voice of the Lord Jefus, that it fhall be heard over the whole World. Nay, tho' men have lain many thousand Years rotten in the Grave, yet they fhall hear it, and come forth to Judgment. Nay, the Devils and damned Spirits fhall be constrained to appear at his voice. No Prince, nor Monarch, no King nor Noble-man fhall be able to abfent himself from

God's prefence, nor once dare to plead in our

caufe

caufe, but they must be forced to obey the voice of the Son of God, and come to Judgment. Chrift was a Lamb at his Passion, and fome fhall find him a Lion at his Refurrection.

Seeing then we must all hear the voice of the Lord Jefus at that day of Judgment, and we cannot but come forth out of our Graves unto this Judgment: O let us now obey his voice in the Ministry of his Gofpel, and embrace the Word, and the voice of his Minifters. If we do not leave fin, hear our Saviour Chrift Jefus fpeaking unto us in his Word, and embrace his Truth; Then let us know that we fhall one day hear another voice; when we shall be compelled to come before him to condemnation.

Therefore in all afflictions and miferies whatfoever, and especially in diseases and death, we muft ftrengthen our felves in the future Refurrection, remembering that of the Apostle, Phil. 3. 40, 21. Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence alfo we lok for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Chrift, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able even to fubdue all things unto himjelf. Every Chriftian, as in the eleventh Article of our Creed, doth believe the Refurrection of the body. And St. Paul, in i Cor. 15. 20. 21. faiths But now is Chrift risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that flept, for fince by man came death, by man also came the Refurrection from the dead.

Queft. But how?

Anfw. God that in his Omnipotency made

Our

our Bodies, and all things clfe of nothing, can after, in our corruption, reftore it in the fame fubftance and quality to Eternity, for with him is nothing impoffible, Luke 1. 37. With God no. thing is impoffible. St. Paul fatistieth this fcruple abundantly and fufficiently; which is able to ftop the mouth of all Atheifts whatsoever: 0 thou Fool, faith be, that which thou fowest is not quickened, except it die, and that which thou fowest thou foweft not that body that shall be, but bare grain as it were wheat or fome fome other grain; but God giveth it a body, as it pleaseth him, and to every feed his own body.

Tho' it pleaseth God not to let thee know the time of the Refurrection, to himself only known, yet the manner he hath left to be fhewed by the Apostles, and they have recorded it for us, as in 1 Theff. 4. 16. For the Lord himfelf fhall defcend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Arch Angels, and with the Trump of God, the dead in Chrift fhall rife first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together, with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and fo fhall we for ever be with the Lord.

This hope of the Refurrection hach ever been the greatest confolation to the godly in their afflictions, whence Tertullian faith, That the confidence of a Chriftian is in the Resurrection from the dead. An example hereof is in Job in the midst of his afflictions, he faid I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth, and tho' after my skin worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh fhalt

I fee God. What can be more manifeft? No man (after Chrift, than he before Chrift's appearance in the flesh) could fpeak more plainly and certainly of the Refurrection, from the confidence of our Refurrection we contemn things prefent in hope of the future, for all flefh fhall fee the Salvation of God.

Of the Refurrection, Ifaiah faith, Chap. 26. Verfe 19. Thy dead men fhall live, together with my dead Body fhall they arife. Awake and fing, ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is as the dem of berbs, and the earth fhall cast out the dead. At that time the people fhall be delivered, every one that fhall be found written in the Book. Ezekiel alfo hath it very plain in Chap. 37. Verse 12. Prophefie and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God, behold O my people, I will open your graves, and caufe you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the Land of Ifrael, and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your Graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your Graves, and shall put my Spirit in you and ye fhall live: and I fhall place you in your own land, then shall you know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, faith the Lord. . Thus you may fee, that all the dead must rife and come to Judgment; And you hear how and. by what means our bodies fhall be raised, namely, by the mighty and wonderful Power of the voice of the Lord Jefus. Let us come now to the Ufes.

Use 1. First, feeing of what death foever men die, either by Fire or Water, or howfoever, they must one day come to Judgment. Let us

then

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