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fince nothing can be faid to rife again, but that which falls. But to illuftrate it a little, Firft, it is plain from feripture-teftimony. The Apostle tells, it is this mortal which must put on immortality, 1 Cor. xv. 5 and that Chrift ball change our vile body that it may befashioned like unto his glorious body, Philip ii, 2 Death in fcrip. ture language, is a fep, and the refurrection an awaking out of that fle p, Job xiv. 12 which fhews the body rifing up, to be the fdf fame that died. Secondly, The equity of the divine procedure, both with respect to the godly and the wicked, evinces this. It is not reckoned equal among men, that one do the work, and another get the reward. Though the glorifying of the body of faints, is rot, properly fpeaking, and in a strict enfe, the reward of their frvices or fuffering on earth: yet this is evident, that it is not at al agreeable to the manner of the divine difpenfation, that one lody ferve him, and another be glorified: that one fight, and anther receive the crown. How can it be imagined that the temples the Holy Ghost (as these bodies of believers are termed, 1 C-r. vi, 9.) fhould always lv in rubbish; and others be reared up in their tead; Tha thefe members of Chrift (ver. 15.) fhall per th utterly, and other bodies come in their room? Nay, furely, as thefe bodies of the faints now bear a part in glorifyng Guo, and fome of them ffer in his caufe; fo they fhall partake of the glory that is to be evealed. And these bodies of the wicked, which are laid in the duft, fhall be raised again; that the fame body, which finned, may juffer. Shall one body fin here, and another fuffer in hell for that in? Shall that body, which was the foul's companion in fi, ly for ever hid in the duft; and another body, which did not act an y part in finning, be its companion in torment? No, no; it is that body, which now takes up all their thoughts to provide for its back and belly, that fhall be raised up, to fuffer in hell. It is that tongue that is now the fwearing, lying tongue, which will need water to cool it, in eternal flames. These fame feet, that now ftand in the vay of finners, and carry men in their ungodly courfes, thall it nd in the burning lake. And these now covetous and lascivious eyes, hall take part in the fire and fmoak of the pit.

Thirdly. How the dead fhall be raised The fame Jefus, who was. crucified without the gate of Jerufalem, fhall, at the last day, to the conviction of all, be declared both Lord and Chrift: appear ng as Judge of the world, attended with his mighty angels. 2 Theff. i. 7. he fhall defcend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God Theff. iv. 16. The trumpet fhall found, and the dead fhall be raised, and thefe who are alive, changed; 1 Cor. xv. 52 Whether this hout, voice and trumpet do denote fome audible voice, or only the workings of divine power, for the raising of the dead, and other awful purposes of that day, (tho' the former feems probable) I will not pofitively determine. There is no queflion but this coming of the Judge of the world will be in

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greater majesty and terror, than we can conceive: yet that awful grandeur, majefly and ftate, which was difplayed at the giving of the law, viz. thunders heard, lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount feep, the Lord defcending in fire, the whole mount quakinggreatly, and the voice of the trumpet waxing louder, and louder, (Exod. xix. 16, 18, 19.) may help forward a becoming thought of it. However, the found of this trumpet fhall be heard all the world over; it fhall reach to the depths of the fea, and into the bowels of the earth. At this loud alarm, bones fhall come together, bone to his bone: the fcattered duft of all the dead shall be gathered together, dust to his duft, neither shall one thrust another, they fhall walk every one in his path: and meeting together again, fhall make up that very fame body, which crumbled into duft in the grave. And at the fame alarming voice, fhall every foul come again into its own body, never more to be feparated. The dead can stay no longer in their graves, but must bid an eternal farewel to their long-homes. They hear his voice, and must come forth, and receive their final fentence.

Now, as there is a great difference betwixt the godly and the wicked in their life, and in their death; fo will there be alfo in their refurrection.

The godly, fail be raised up out of their graves, by virtue of the Spirit of Chrift, the blessed bond of their union with him, Rom. viii. 11. He that raised up Chrift from the dead, fhall also quic"ken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.'" Jefus Chrift arofe from the dead, as the firft-fruits of them that flept, I Cor. xv. 20. So they that are Chrift's thall follow at his coming, ver 23. The myftical Head having got above the waters of death, he cannot but bring forth the members after him in due time.

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They fhall come forth with unexpreffible joy; for then fhall that paffage of fcripture, which, in its immediate scope, refpected the Babylonifh captivity, be fully accomplished in its extenfive fpiritual view, Ifa. xxvi. 19. Awake and fing, ye that dwell in the duft. As a bride, adorned for her husband, goes forth of her bed-chamber unto the marriage; fo fhall the faints go forth of their graves, unto the marriage of the Lamb. Jofeph had a joyful out-going from the prifon, Daniel from the lion's den, and Jonah from the whale's belley; yet thofe are but faint reprefentations of the faints out go-t ing from the grave at the refurrection. Then fhall they fing the fong of Mofes and of the Lamb, in highest strains; death being quite fwallowed up in victory. They had, while in life, fometimes fung, by faith, the triumphant fong over death and the grave, O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor. xv. 55.) But when they fing the fame, from fight and fenfe; the black band of doubts and fears, which frequently difturbed them, and difquicted their minds, is for ever cafhiered.

May we not fuppole the foul and body of every faint, as in mutual embraces, to rejoice in each other, and triumph in their happy

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State IV. meeting again? And may not one imagine the body to address the foul thus? O, my foul, have we got together again, after fo long "a feparation! art thou come back into thine old habitation, ne

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ver more to remove! O joyful meeting! how unlike is, our pre"fent ftate to what our cafe was, when a feparation was made. "betwixt us at death! now is our mourning turned into joy; the "light and gladnefs fometimes fown, are now fprung up; and there "is perpetual fpring in Immanuel's land. Bleffed be the day, in 6. which I was united to thee; whofe chief care was to get Chrift "in us the hope of glary, and to make me a temple for his Holy "Spirit. Obleffed Soul, which, in the time of our pilgrimage, "kept thine eye on the land then afar off, but now, near at hand! ❝ thou tookeft me up into fecret places, and there mad'st me bow thefe knees before the Lord, that I might bear à part in our humiliations before him: and now is the due time, and I am liftted up. Thou dift employ this tongue, in confeffions, petitions and thanksgivings; which henceforth fhall be employed in praifing * for evermore. Thou mad'it thefe (fometimes) weeping eyes fow

that feed of tears, which is now fprung up in joy that fhall never "end. I was happily beat down by thee, and kept in fubjection; "while others pampered their fieth, and made their bellies their "gods, to their own deftruction: and, now I glorioufly arife, to take my place in the manfions of glory; whilft they are dragged out of their graves, to be caft into fiery flames. Now, my Soul, "thou fhalt complain no more of a fick and pained body; thou "fhalt be no more clogged with weak and weary flesh: I shall now "hold pace with thee in the praises of our God for evermore. And may not the Soul fay? "O happy day in which I return to dwell in that bleffed Body, which was, and is, and will be for ever, a "member of Chritt, a temple of the Holy Spirit! now fhall I be

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eternally knit to thee: the filver cord fhall never be loosed more: "death fhall never make another feparation betwixt us. Arife "then, my Body, and come away and let thefe eyes, which ferved to weep over my fins, behold now, with joy, the face of our "glorious Redeemer; lo! this is our God, and we have waited for him. Let these ears, which served to hear the word of life, in "the temple below, come now and hear the hallelujahs in the "temple above. Let these feet, that carried me to the congrega❝tion of faints on earth, take their place now among thefe who "ftand by. And let that tongue, which confeffed Chrift before "men, and ufed to be ftill dropping fomething to his commenda tion, join the choir of the upper-houfe in his prailes for.ever64 more. Thou' fhalt faft no more, but keep an everlasting feaft: thou Thalt weep no more, neither fhall thy countenance be over"clouded; but thou shalt shine for ever, as a ftar in the firmament. We took part together in the fight, come now, let us go toge. ther to receive and wear the crown."

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But, on the other hand, the wicked fhall be raifed by the power. of Chrift, as a juft Judge, who is to render vengeance to his enemies. The fame divine power, which fhut up their fouls in hell, and kept their bodies in a grave, as in a prifon, fhall bring them forth, that foul and body together may receive the dreadful fentence of eter nal damnation, and be fhut up together in the prison of hell!

They shall come forth of their graves, with unspeakable horror and confternation. They fhall be dragged forth as fo many malefactors out of a dungeon, to be led to execution; crying to the mountains and to the rocks, to fall on them, and hide them from the face of the Lamb. Fearful was the cry in Egypt, that night the destroying angel went through, and flew their first-born. Dreadful were the fhouts, at the earth opening her mouth, and fwallowing up Dathan and Abiram, and all that appertained to them. What hideons crying then must there be, when, at the found of the last trumpet, the earth and fea fhall open their mouths, and caft forth all the wicked world, delivering them up to the dreadful Judge? How will they cry, roar, and tear themfelves! how will the jovial companions weep and howl, and curfe one another! how will the earth be filled with their doleful fhrieks and lamentations while they are pulled out like sheep for the flaughter? They who, while they lived in the world, were prophane debauchees, covetous worldlings, or formal hypocrites, fhall then, in anguish of mind, wring their hands, beat their breafts, and bitterly lament their cafe: roaring forth their complaints, and calling themselves beafts, fools and madmen, for having acted fo mad a part in this life, and not having believed what they then fee. They were driven away in their wickedness at death: and now all their frus rife with them, ; and, like fo many ferpents, twift themselves about their wretched fouls, and bodies too, which now have a frightful meeting, after a long feparation.

Then we may fuppofe the miferable body thus to accoft the foul:. "Haft thou again found me, O mine enemy, my worst enemy, favage. "foul, more cruel than a thoufand tygers? Curfed be the day that 66 ever we met. O that I had remained a lifelefs lump, rotten in the

belly of my mother; and had never received fenfe, life, nor motion. "O that I had rather been the body of a toad or ferpent, than thy "body; for then I had lain ftill, and had not feen this terrible day: "If I behoved to be thine, O that I had been thy afs, or one of thy "dogs, rather than thy body; for then wouldst thou have taken more "true care, of me than thou didst. O cruel kindness! haft thou thus "hugged me to death, thus nourished me to the flaughter? Is this "the effect of thy tenderness for me? Is this what I am to reap of "thy pains and concern about me! What do riches and pleasure "avail now, when this fearful reckoning is come, of which thou "hadft fair warning? O cruel grave, why didft thou not close thy "mouth upon me for ever? Why didft thou not hold faft thy prisoner?

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"Why haft thou fhaken me out, while I lay ftill, and was at reft? "Curfed Soul. wherefore didft thou not abide in thy place, wrapt up "in flames of fire? Wherefore art thou come back to take me alfo "down to the bars of the pit? Thou madft me an instrument of unrighteoufnefs; and now I must be thrown into the fire. This tongue was by thee employed in mocking at religion, curfing, fwear"ing, lying, backbiting, and boafting; and with-held from glorifying "God and now it must not have fo much as a drop of water to "cool it in the flames. Thou didst withdraw mine ears from hear"ing the fermons which gave warming of this day. Thou foundest ways and means to ftop them from attending to seasonable exhor"tations, admonitions and reproofs. But why didst thou not stop "them from hearing the found of this dreadful trumpet? Why doft "thou not now rove and fly away on the wings of imagination, "thereby, as it were, tranfporting me during thefe frightful tranf"actions, as thou was wont to do, when I was fet down at fermons, "communions, prayers, and godly conferences: that I might now "have as little fenfe of the one, as I formerly had of the other? But "ah! I muft burn for ever, for thy love to thy lufts, thy profanity, "thy fenfuality, thy unbelief and hypocrify."

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But may not the foul anfwer? "Wretched and vile carcafe, am I now driven back into thee! O that thou hadft lain for ever rotting "in thy grave! Had I not torment enough before? Muft I be knit "to thee again, that being joined together as two dry sticks for the "fire, the wrath of God may the more keenly burn us up? It was by caring for you, I loft myself. It was your back and your belly, " and the gratifying of your fenfes, which ruined me. How often "was I enfnared, by your ears? How often betrayed by your eyes? "It was to fpare you, that I neglected opportunities of making peace "with God, loitered away fabbaths, lived in the neglect of prayer, "went to the houfe of mirth, rather than to the houfe of mourning; "and that I chufed to deny Chrift, and for fake his cause and interefts "in the world; and fo am fallen a facrifice to your curfed ease. "When at any time my confcience began to awake, and I was fett

ing myfelf to think of my fins, and the mifery I have felt fince we "parted, and now feel; it was you that diverted me from thefe "thoughts, and drew me off to make provifion for thee, O wretched "Alef By your filken cords of flefhly lufts I was drawn to deftruc❝tion, over the belly of my light and confcience: but now they are "turned into iron chains, with which I am to be held under wrath

for evermore. Ah! wretched profits! ah! curfed pleafures! for "which I muit ly for ever in utter, darkness." But no complaints will then avail. O that men were wife, that they understood this, that they would confider their latter end!

As to the Qualities with which the bodies of the faints fhall be endowed at the refurrection: the Apostle tells us, they shall be raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual, 1 Cor. xv. 42, 43, 44.

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