unreasonable with you that God should raise the dead God's word must be made good for he is as infallible in his word as in his nature now his word is That all who are in the dust shall awake and all that are in the Grave shall hear Christ's Voice and come forth As for those who talk of I know not what Vehicle of the Soul to which it shall be then joined at the great day other than the Body in which it here dwelt in this World and which is laid in the Grave it is not only contrary to the Scripture but to the Doctrine of the ancient Church * Epiphan cont Haeres lib. 2. Tom. 1. item in lib. Anchorat fusè Aeneas Gazaeus Theophrast Tertull. lib. de Resurr cap. 56. Dion Areop de Eccles Hierarch lib. cap. 11. which constantly teach that the same Body which is laid in the Grave shall be raised which can no way be said of that imagined Vehicle which never was in the Grave For your farther confirmation consider the point of Justice and Equity if it doth not require that there should be a Resurrection of the dead in the very same numerical Bodies for how else should every one be rewarded according to his Works How can it stand with the rule of Justice that one Body should serve God and suffer for God and another Body should be rewarded that one Body should Sin and another Body should be damn'd As Christ did rise in the same Body which died so shall all men rise in their own Bodies Many indeed are the vain Scruples of Atheistical Spirits against this Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body as how it is possible This is answered by Aeneas Gazaeus in his Theophrastus By Justin Mart. Q. R. ad Graecos In also Q. R. ad orthod q. 3. Athenag de resur p. 43. when crumbled into dust and one Man's dust mixed with another nay it may be one Man devoured by another and turned into his substance How it is possible that a Man being eaten by Fishes those Fishes again eaten by Men that after so many mutations changes mixtures alterations of Mens Bodies they should be raised the very same Bodies and every one have his own Body But if you be Christians who have such thoughts give me leave to ask you what the first Article of your Christian Faith is Is it not this That God is Almighty If you believe this it will be easy to believe the Resurrection of the dead after never so many changes since that to Omnipotency all things are possible And certainly * Aug. de Civ Dei. lib. 10. cap. 30. quanto honestius creditur reverti semel animas ad corpora propria quam reverti toties ad diversa this Doctrine concerning the rising of the same Body is far more reasonable than their Opinion who held transmigration of Souls or the passing of Souls into several Bodies as St. Austin argues But why should we deny that power to God which we see in a manner in the Creature Lay a heap of all sorts of dust together Dust of Gold Silver Tinn Wood Iron apply the Loadstone to this heap of dust and it will sever the Dust of the Iron from all the rest and draw it to it self and shall we not believe that God can know every Man's peculiar Dust and separate it from the rest yea and raise it up to Heaven Look again into Nature and you may see enough to strengthen your Faith in the Resurrection of the dead Consider the daily Resurrections in the World and you may see our Resurrection shadowed in the Day and Night The Sun sets and riseth again see you not the Fruits of the Field Herbs Plants Trees do they not die as it were in the Winter and live again in the Spring Theoph. Patriarch Antioch ad Autol. lib. 1. doth not the Corn Men sowe die and rise again Theophilus Patriarch of Antioch follows this Argument at large St. Ambrose S. Amb. Hexaem lib. 5. cap. 23. and several others of the ancients urge the Phoenix to prove the Resurrection which instance is so common I need not spend time in relating it Let us observe the workings of God in our selves and we shall have no cause to doubt the Resurrection of our Bodies Consider of what a small beginning at our Conception God raiseth so goodly a Structure as our Bodies and you must acknowledge him able to raise them again Nay of what did God make Man at first Did he not make us of nothing Now consider whether it be an act of greater power to raise a Body at the last day of some matter yet remaining or at first to make it of nothing Therefore with Polycarp Polyc. Ep. ad Philip. we may look upon him who denies the Resurrection of the dead as the first begotten and eldest Son of the Devil What Enemies need Believers fear if Christ be risen He that was too hard for Death will be too hard for any of your Enemies He who hath overcome the great Goliah for you can he not overcome the lesser Philistins What Calamities or Miseries can you fall into but you may fetch comfort out of Christ's Resurrection to support you under them He that raised himself from the dead hath power to deliver us from all evil This was Job's Comfort in all his Afflictions the summ of whose Argument is this God will raise me up at the last day therefore undoubtedly he is able if it stand with his own Glory and my good to lift me up from this Dunghil again Have you parted from Believing Relations there is no reason to mourn as those without Hope since Christ is risen and will raise them again to Life And why should we trouble our selves over-much at the Frailty and Infirmities of these Bodies Christ is risen according to the Scripture and this corruptible shall put on Incorruption this mortal shall put on Immortality To conclude all Is Christ risen Let us every one look into our selves and see what power the Resurrection of Christ hath had upon our Hearts Risen he is but is he risen in our Hearts What share have we in his Resurrection Good Christians feel the power of his Resurrection quickening them unto Holiness If we can truly say he hath quickened us together with Christ that would be something to the purpose There is a Resurrection of Souls here and of Bodies hereafter 't is the Resurrection of our Souls here from the death of Sin unto the Life of Grace that is the Fruit of Christ's Resurrection in all who are for Eternal Happiness He that hath part in this first Resurrection the second Death shall have no power over him Let us learn to live as those who believe Christ's Resurrection seeking those things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. It is the most unbecoming Frame for a Christian to be Earthly minded for a Man to be grasping after the World to have his Heart set upon his Covetousness to be loading himself with thick Clay to be still crying Give give never to be contented with these outward things with the Hog to be rooting in the Dunghil and wallowing in the muck and mire of the World Is this to live as becometh one who professeth himself to be risen with Christ No assuredly If we be Christians let us not inordinately mind these things let our Hearts be where our Head Christ Jesus is let us seek the Mansions Christ hath prepared for us For our Hearts to be panting after Christ as the Hart panteth after the water Brooks every day to have our set times of Communion with God and Christ to be angry at what ever draws our Hearts aside from Heavenly things to be frequent in Holy Contemplations pondering in our thoughts the weightiness of that Crown of Glory prepared for us to be in daily longing expectations of the coming and appearing of our blessed Saviour this is to live as becomes those who believe Christ is risen according to the Scripture To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and for evermore Amen FINIS Books lately Printed for Walter Kettilby Mr Hesketh's Piety the best Rule of Orthodoxy 8o. 's Serious Exhortation to frequent Communion 8o. 's Case of Communicating unworthily 8o. The Faith and Practice of a Church of England Man. The third Edition 12o. Religion the Perfection of Man 8o. An Exposition on the Church Catechism By way of Question and Answer 8o. Mr Stainforth's Sermon Jan. 30. 1688 / 9. at York Mr Lynford's Sermon before the Lord Mayor Feb. 24. 1688 / 9. Dr Scott's Sermon at the late Lord Mayor's Funeral March 27. 1689. The Oration of Cicero for M. Marcellus done into English With an Appendix relating to the Prince of Orange 4 to
name Wonderful not only in respect of the wonderfulness of his Nativity and Death but because of the wonderfulness of his rising out of the Grave And when the same Prophet having spoken at large of his Sufferings his Death and Burial doth tell us that notwithstanding all this Isa 53.10 he should see his seed and prolong his days it hath a necessary reference to his Resurrection Nay so punctual are the Writings of the Prophets that they foretel the very time when Christ should rise even on the third day After two days will he revive us Hos 6.2 in the third day will he raise us up and we shall live in his sight And in that the Prophet speaks in the plural number it refers to those also who did rise with Christ and attended upon him for the greater Solemnity of this day By all which we see that according to the Scriptures Christ was to rise again I proceed now to II. The second point which is to shew That Jesus Christ the Son of the Virgin Mary who was Crucified and Buried by the Jews did most really and truly rise again from the dead according as these and many other Scriptures had foretold Let us see what Witnesses we can produce to prove this The very same day he rose he appeared several times to several persons First to Mary Magdalene then to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they were going together from the Sepulchre then to the two Disciples going to Emmaus then unto St. Peter alone by himself then unto the Disciples as they were together Thomas being absent To these add his Apparitions at several other times Eight days after his Resurrection he appeared to his Disciples Thomas being present After this to seven of his Disciples as they were fishing at the Sea of Tiberias Again unto the eleven Disciples as they were upon a Mount of Galilee He appeared unto above five hundred of the Brethren at once after that he was seen of James apart The day of his Ascension he was seen to the Apostles on the Mount of Olivet when he was taken up into Heaven Lastly He was seen of St. Paul and these were Witnesses chosen before of God to bear record of his Resurrection as St. Peter tells us True Witnesses were they no Deceivers as the Keepers of the Sepulchre falsly reported saying His Disciples came by night and stole him away whilst we slept See what an unhappy Dilemma St. Austin doth run these Keepers into either it was false that they slept and so Liers are not to be believed or it was true and then how could they tell what happened Foolish madness if they were awake why did they suffer it If they were asleep how did they know it Enough is there in the story to evince their Falsity and to clear the Disciples Innocency And in that Christ was not seen to one alone but to several together even to a great multitude it shows they could not be deceived in this matter If any one shall say these were his Disciples and Friends and therefore their testimonies not full enough to settle our Faith in this point to these we might add the testimonies of Enemies Let Pilate be the first who was the Man that delivered him to the Jews to be Crucified Vit. Tiberii for after these things thus passed in Judea Pilate who was Governour of Jerusalem under the Roman Emperour wrote Letters unto Tiberius in whose Reign Christ was Crucified wherein he advertised the Emperour of the Death of Christ of the manner of it of the Miracles he had done in his Life as also of his Resurrection to the end that he should advise and determine whether Christ should not be held as a God and worshipped as a God. So that here is the testimony of Pilate to the Resurrection who no doubt being their Chief Governour had the best means to inform himself of the truth To this add the testimony of the Watch. These most likely were choice busy Fellows pickt out on purpose for such a design as let the design be never so bad some will be found to carry it on and what say they Mat. 28.11 Some of the watch came unto the City and showed unto the chief Priests all the things that were done They came as it were thunder struck looking like so many Ghosts with their hair standing an end and tell all the story of the Angels descending and rolling away the Stone and Christ's rising for this is that which was done and this is that they tell them which was so plain that neither could the Chief Priests any way resist the Evidence but only through desperate wickedness hire the Souldiers with money to blaze a notorious lie to cheat the common people with So that here is the express testimony of the Watch and the implicit testimony of the High-Priests themselves to the truth of Christ's Resurrection And was not Saul afterwards called Paul for some time a notorious Enemy of Christ yet afterwards proved he a most couragious Witness of his Resurrection Now though the Friends of Christ might have been supposed not to speak the truth yet when his most desperate Enemies witness the same it must be acknowledged that Christ did according to the Scripture rise again from the dead If such a multitude of Earthly Witnesses Men Women Rich Poor Friends Foes Jews Gentiles be not enough yet at least the testimony of Heavenly Angels ought to be believed Whose are those words He is not here but is risen are they not the words of a Heavenly Angel and if it may be more convincing St. Luke makes mention of two Angels who assert this though these be enough yet we add to these the testimony of the Spirit sent down upon the Apostles on purpose to impower them to be Witnesses unto the Resurrection of Christ through the World. And who can think all this should be to give testimony to a Resurrection that was not every way true and real Some Hereticks in the Primitive Times had the impudence so to teach Against this opinion Vid. Aug. lib. de Agone Christiano cap. 24. that as Christ died in appearance only so he did rise only in appearance it will therefore be convenient in this place to show that Christ did truly and really rise from the dead in the very same Body Flesh and Bones which was Crucified and what ever tended to the perfection of the human nature Those unto whom he appeared Aq. p. 3. q. 55. a. 6. knew him to be the same who had conversed with them before The verity of Christ's Resurrection doth Aquinas show by many Arguments both in respect of his Body and Soul. That it was a true solid Body in which he rose no fantastick aerial Body is evident because he offer'd it to be seen and felt now a Spirit hath no Flesh and Bones as they saw and felt he had And that it was a true human Body was evident to
them all by the shape of it And that it was the very same humane Body in which he lived and died he evidenced by she wing them the prints of the Nails in his Hands and Feet and of the Spear in his side If any wonder at this that Christ should rise again from the dead with Scars they are to know that this was not for any weakness or inability to cure them but for the advancement of his own Glory who therefore carries them as perpetual badges of his own Victory and Triumph S. Aug. Epist 49. quasi si quisquam vir fortis pro patria dimicans c. As if some valiant Man who had received Wounds in the War for his Country having a Skilful Chirurgeon that could cure them without Scars should desire him so to cure them that the Scars might remain as Badges of the service he had done his Country Leo. Serm. 1. de ascensione Dom. ut non dubiâ fide sed constantissima scientia teneretur eam naturam in Dei Patris concessuram throno quae jacuerat in Sepulchro The Scars would Christ have to remain also that hereby the Hearts of the Disciples might be confirmed in the Faith of his Resurrection and therefore showing them to Thomas he saith Be not faithless but believing And this is so ordered saith Aquinas that the damned at the day of Judgment may hence perceive how justly they have the Sentence passed upon them when they shall see him whom they have pierced Of the humane Soul reunited to his Body he gave Evidence after he arose by the Operations of it This reality of Christ's Resurrection in the very same numerical Body which was Crucified and Buried with the same humane Soul united unto it which did before animate it is well expressed by our Church Eccles Angl. Art. 4. in the Book of Articles in these words Christ did truly rise again from death and took again his Body with Flesh and Bones and all things appertaining unto the perfection of Man's nature In which last words we are taught how his humane Soul was united to the same numerical Body which had been laid in the Grave this in a special manner belonging to the perfection of the humane nature This real Resurrection did Christ effect by his own power as the Text shows and the Scriptures foretold for the Scriptures did not only foretel that he should be raised from the dead but that he should Rise again from the dead which shows it to be his own Act. When the Psalmist saith He shall lift up the head it is to the same sense as those words of his own Destroy this Temple and I will raise it up again This was the Evidence and a sufficient one that he was the true Messiah the Son of God and Saviour of the World. But then it is to be understood that this was not after the Socinian Mode who hold that God the Father raised Christ to Life and Christ being restored to Life did lift and raise his Body out of the Grave as the Man sick of the Palsie raised himself from the Bed or as we shall raise our selves out of our Graves at the sound of the last Trump And they tell us this was all that Christ could do but if this was all Christ might as well have said Destroy this Temple and any one of you may raise it up for when God had restored life unto it any one of them might have lifted it up and raised it out of the Grave and have shewed it alive We deny not but sometimes in Scripture the Resurrection of Christ is attributed to the Father and sometimes to the Holy Ghost but it is also attributed to himself who as he freely laid down his Life for us so did he by his own Power raise it up again he was not only passive in it but active Nor let any object and say What then needed the Angel to be sent before to roll away the Stone if he could raise himself out of the Grave Chrysol Serm. 75. Angelus revolvit lapidem non ut egredienti Domino praeberet aditum sed ut Dominum mundo jam resurrexisse monstraret conservis ad credendum daret fidem non ad resurgendum Domino praestaret auxilium for the Stone was not rolled away by the Angel so much to give his Body passage out as to give his Disciples passage into the Grave to behold the reality of his Resurrection otherwise he who came in while the door was shut could as well have came out while the Grave was shut Elizeus raised another not himself the Apostles raised others yet cannot raise themselves Vid. Bern. Serm. 1. de Festo Sanctae Paschae but Christ raised himself by his own power which shews the Excellency of his Resurrection above the Resurrection of others By all which you see our second point fully cleared that as the Scripture had foretold Christ should rise so did Christ really rise and in the same manner III. We have one point more That there was a necessity Christ should thus rise from the dead intimated in the word must For so the Scriptures did declare not only that there was a conveniency that he should rise that it may be he would rise it may be not but that he must rise again from the dead Besides the fulfilling of all the Scriptures foretelling it a double necessity there was of Christ's rising from the dead namely in respect of himself and in respect of us First In respect of himself it was necessary that hereby he might evidence himself to be the true Messiah who was to come and no Impostor as the Jews blasphemed This was a special sign of him who was to be the true Messiah and therefore when the Pharisees called upon him for a Sign he instanced in his Resurrection which was enough to convince them and from hence Saint Peter draws his Conclusion Act. 2.36 Therefore namely because he hath raised him from the dead let all the House of Israel know that God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ Part of the office of Mediatorship was Executed on Earth but part thereof was to be Executed in Heaven he ought to be Priest Prophet and King not only a little while here on Earth but for ever his Kingdom was to be an Everlasting Kingdom now in order to the execution of that part of his office of Mediatorship which was to be done in Heaven necessary was it that he should rise from the dead Secondly This was necessary in respect of us were it but to remove from us the scandal of the Cross Unto the Greeks nothing seemed more ridiculous than that men should profess to rely upon a Crucified Christ for Salvation and to the Jews this was a great stumbling-block how could this great offence arising from his ignominious death be removed had he not rose from the dead Religion had been left in a bad
case if Christ had not risen The Gentiles Religion at that time was no better than Irreligion the Jewish Religion was now grown such a Yoke and Burden that the World grew weary of it and 't was thought by the wisest that it was high time there should be an end of that Yoke so that had not Christ risen the Christian Religion which was now to be the standing Religion had been but tottering and all the Professors of the same would have sneaked away when they saw the Founder of their Religion conquered by death and not able to rise again Had not Christ risen our Faith and Preaching had been in vain What profit had there been in his Blood if he had not risen Surely none but we had still been in our sins that therefore the cost of his Blood might not be in vain unto us necessary was it that he should rise again As also that we might have a testimony of the Father's satisfaction Christ undertook to be Man's Surety to discharge his Debts and thus made himself the Debtor as you heard very well explained last Friday so long as the Debtor is in Prison it is a sign the Debt is not satisfied therefore that we might be assured the Debt is fully satisfied the Prisoner must be let out Christ must rise the Surety being set at liberty now we are begotten unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead And necessary it was Christ should rise as the first fruits of our Resurrection in which respect one of the Fathers well calls Christ Just Mart. Q. Resp ad Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lev. 23.10 c. The Captain of our Resurrection leading the way to us that are to follow The Law concerning the First-fruits is set down in Leviticus in which we may observe that the lifting up the Sheaf before the Lord did note Christ's rising out of the Grave and as those Fruits had the name of First-fruits because they were the first that were gathered so was Christ the first that rose from the dead the first that rose in Incorruption the first that rose unto present participation of Glory S. Cyp. lib. de resur Dom. Just Mart. Q. R. ad orthod q. 85. Bern. Ser. 1. de festo S. Pasch for all who we read were raised before him did die again to take a larger Draught of that Cup they had before but tasted of so that their Resurrection was imperfect and incompleat but Christ was the first that ever rose by a full compleat and perfect Resurrection unto the present participation of Glory But that is not all the First-fruits had a special reference unto all the rest so that all the Sheafs in the Field were holy by the acceptation of that and in that Christ is said to be the First-fruits of them that slept it shews that he rose for us that our dust might be sanctified our Mortality consecrated to Eternity Christ's Resurrection hath an influence upon us in order to a twofold Resurrection a Resurrection from the Grave of Sin unto the Life of Grace and to the Resurrection of our Bodies for besides that it is a strong argument for the possibility of our rising the same power that raised Christ being able to raise us it hath the influence of an efficient cause upon our Resurrection he rising not as a private Person but as a publick Principle if the Head be raised the Members shall also rise INFERENCES If Christ be risen according as the Scriptures declared there was a necessity he should then will he undoubtedly come to Judgment for why rose he but to receive all Power in Heaven and in Earth Know this Act. 17.31 That God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the World by him whom he hath raised from the dead Than which nothing can be more terrible to such who are the Enemies of Christ and lead an ungodly Life he whom Death and Hell could not hold how shall any thing hold him from revenging himself to the full upon such who shall be found his Enemies If he were in the Grave then you might swear and curse and be intemperate and unclean and break all his Commands dreaming of Impunity but consider O Christians 't is not a dead but a living Christ you thus dishonour who will come to call you to an Account who as he will be a bountiful Rewarder of them that serve him so will he be a most powerful Revenger of the Injuries offered him We will not enlarge upon so sad a Meditation at this time 't is a day of Joy and much comfort is there in Christ's Resurrection especially to those who believe in his Name If on any day you lift up your selves with Joy then on this day when Christ did rise and lifted up his Head out of the Grave the Jubilees in old time were the Figures of the Joys in this acceptable time for by the Resurrection of Christ every true Believer is set free from the hands of his Enemies his Trespasses forgiven he is restored again to his interest in that Heavenly Possession which was lost in the transgression of Adam Here is comfort against the fear of Death how may you triumph over Death and the Grave O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory Assure your selves Death can have no Victory over you Tertull. lib. de Resur Caro salutis est cardo c. Tertullian doth excellently and comfortably treat upon this point The Body saith he is as it were the Hinge of Salvation as we see in Baptism the Flesh is washed and sprinkled with Water that the Soul may be cleansed And when the Holy Ghost was given by laying on of hands the Body was shadowed by laying on of hands that the Soul might be enlightened with the Holy Ghost Thus in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the Body eats and drinks the Bread and Wine Christ's Body and Blood Sacramentally that the Soul may feast upon Christ and be satisfied It cannot therefore be imagined as the same Father well argues that the Body and Soul being thus joined in the Acts of Religion should be separated in the Reward Nay we may further take notice that where the work of Grace is truly wrought the whole Man is renewed the Body as well as the Soul so then if the Body be not raised the new Man should be destroyed the Soul alone not making the new Man but in conjunction with the Body Suffer not therefore any to shake or unsettle you in this great Foundation-Doctrine of the Resurrection Though Heathens and Epicures may laugh at this as an old Wifes Fable Vid. Min. Fel. Oct. de idâ—lâ—rum â—vanit though Atheists and Hereticks may scoff at it as a Childish Vanity and Madness yet be not shaken though it be a Doctrine above reason it is not against reason The Apostle so argues before King Agrippa Why should it be thought a thing