Christ, if he be not raised from the Dead; he has not redeemed us from Death, if he be not risen himself; then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished, v. 18. they who are already dead in the Faith of Christ shall never rise again; for our Sins are not expiated, nor the Power of Death conquered, if Christ be not risen. The

Force of which Arguments I cannot understand, unless the Virtue, and Efficacy, and Expiation of Christ's Death is compleated in his Refurrection from the Dead, which conquers Death, and gives a new Life to the World. If the Resurrection of Chrift had been only an external Proof of the Expiation made for Sin by his Death, we had wanted this comfortable Evidence and Afsurance of it, if he had not rifen; but still our Sins might have been expiated by his Death, though he had not rifen from the Dead; but the Apostle exprefly tells us, that if Christ be not risen, our Sins are not expiated, but we are still in our Sins; which proves, that the very Expiation of Christ's Death is perfected in his Refurrection, that the Death of Chrift is not a complete expiatory Sacrifice, till it is perfected in his Resurrection; then the Atonement and Propitiation is made, when by Death he has conquered Death, and given us a new Right and Title to immortal Life. And this I take to be the true Meaning of what St. Paul tells us of Christ, Rom. iv. 25. Who was delivered for our Offences, and was raised again for our Justification. He died for our Sins, and in his Refurrection compleated the Atonement, and delivered us from the Guilt and Punishment of them.

If then we consider the Refurrection of Chrift, as the completion and perfection of his Sacrifice, without which the Death of Christ had not expiated our Sins, had not redeemed us from the Curse of the Law, and the Dominion of Death this is a manifeft Proof, what kind of Person the

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Saviour of Mankind, our great High Priest, must be: For he must have an inherent Power in himself, not only to lay down his Life, but to take it again, that is, he can be no other than the Son of God incarnate, than the Eternal Word made Flesh.

That Human Nature is the only proper Sacrifice for Mankind, I have already shewn you; but tho' Human Nature can die, it cannot by its own Power raise its felf from the Dead, without which there is no Redemption of Mankind from Death; and yet the fame Person that dies, must by his own Power raise himself from the Dead, or he does not conquer Death. To rise from the Dead, and to conquer Death, are two very different things; all Men shall rise from the Dead at the last Day, that is, they shall be raised by a Divine Power; but no Man can be faid to conquer Death, and give a new Life to the World, but he who raises himself; which no mere Man ever did or can: This is above a created Power; to restore Life belongs to the same Power, which first gave it; and therefore St. Paul tells us, that Christ was declared to be the Son of God with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection of the Dead, Rom. i. 4. This was a manifest Proof, that he had a true Divine Nature and Power, was in a true and proper Sense the Son of God, that he raised himself from the Dead; for though the Scripture frequently attributes the Resurrection of Chrift to God the Father, who raised him from the Dead, yet our Saviour as exprefly teaches, that he would raise himself from the Dead. Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up, John xix. He had power to lay down bis Life, and be bad power to take it again, but in fubordination still to his Father's Will; this Commandment have I receiv'd of my Father, John x. 18. His Power is the Power of his Father, not two separate Powers, but

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one, as the Divinity is one. He lives by the Father, but as the Father hath life in himself, fo he hath given to the Son to have life in himself, John v. 26. and by this inherent Power he raised his own Human Nature from the Dead, and thereby gave Mankind a new Right to Immortal Life. Thus I have shewn you, how Christ by Death hath conquered Death, and given a new Life to the World, which no mere Man, none but the Son of God incarnate could do; it is only Christ the Son of the living God, who hath the Words of Eternal Life.

'SECT. VI.

The Covenant of Pardon and Immortal Life Sealed with the Blood of Chrift.

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HE better to understand this glorious Mystery of our Redemption by the Death of Christ, and what Security this gives us of Immortal Life, I observe farther, that the Covenant of Grace and Pardon, and Immortal Life, is attributed in Scripture to the Blood of Chrift; which is therefore call'd the Blood of the Covenant, the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, Heb. x. 29. and xiii. 20. For under the Law all Covenants were made by Sacrifices; as the Prophet David speaks, Pfal. 1. 5. Gather my Saints together unto me; those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice. Thus God made a Covenant with Abraham, as you may fee in Genesis xv. 8, &c. When Abraham asks God by what means he should know that he should inherit the Land of Canaan, God commands him to take an Heifer of three years old, and a She-Goat of three years old, and a Ram of three years

years old, and a Turtle Dove and a young Pigeon. And be took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, - and laid each piece one against another; but the Birds divided he not. This was a Sacrifice of God's appointment, to confirm his Promise and Covenant with Abraham, as we are expresly told in v. 18. In that same day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy Seed have I given this Land, &c. But the last and great Confirmation of all, was, when Abraham at God's Command of fer'd up his Son Ifaac in Sacrifice to him, which was a Figure of God's giving his own Son a Sacrifice for us. When Abraham had built an Altar, and laid the Wood in order, and bound Ifaac his Son, and laid him on the Altar upon the Wood, and stretched out his hand, and took the Knife to flay bis Son: The Angel of the Lord called unto him out of Heaven, and stopp'd the Execution, but accepted the Sacrifice: And he said, lay not thine band upon the Lad, neither do thou any thing to him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son from me. And this was the final Confirmation of God's Covenant with Abraham: For the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time, and said, By my self have I fworn, faith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and haft not with-held thy Son, thine only Son : That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of the Heaven, and as the Sand which is upon the Sea-shore; and thy Seed shall poffefs the gate of his Enemies, and in thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessfed; because thou hast obeyed my voice, Gen. xxii. Thus the Apostle to the Hebrews expressy tells us it was in the Mofaical Covenant, which he calls the first Testament, which was not dedicated without Blood. For when Moses had spoken every Precept to all the People according to the Law,

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he took the blood of Calves and of Goats, with Water and scarlet Wool, and Hyffop, and sprinkled both the Book and all the People, saying, This is the Blood of the Testament, which God bath enjoyned unto you. Moreover be sprinkled likewise with Blood both the Tabernacle, and all the Vessels of the Ministry. And almost all things are by the Law purged with Blood, and without shedding of Blood is no remission, Hebrews ix. 18, 19, 20, 21. And this account the same Apostle gives us of the Death of Christ: For this Cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of Death for the Redemption of the Tranfgreffions that were under the first Testament, they which were called might receive the Promise of Eternal Inheritance. For where a Testament is, there must alfo of neceffity be the Death of the Teftator. For a Testament is of force after Men are dead: Otherwise it is of no Strength at all whilst the Teftator liveth, v. 15, 16, 17. So that the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God, to purge our Confciences from dead works to serve the living God, v. 14. gave as inviolable a Sanction to the Gospel Covenant, as the Death of a Teftator does to his last Will and Testament; and this New Testament could have had no valid Authority without his Death; and thus hath be obtained a more excellent Ministry, by how much also be is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better Promises, Heb. viii. 6.

For we must observe, that tho Christ died for our Sins, and bore the Punishment of Sin, and put away Sin, and by his Death and Resurrection abolished Death, and purchased for us a new Right to Immortal Life; yet this gives no Man an absolute and immediate Right and Title to the Forgiveness of Sins and Immortal Life: It purchases and seals the Covenant of Pardon and Immortal Life; but we must not expect to obtain the Forgiveness of