as well have been rendered, Thou shalt utterly die. Which one would think fufficiently explained in the Sentence paffed on our firft Parents, where they are reminded of their original Frame, and of that State to which it should reduce them. In the fweat of thy Face fhalt thou eat Bread, till thou return unto the Ground; for out of it waft thou taken: Duft thou art, and unto Duft fhalt thou return. Now what do we imagine they could poffibly understand by this, but a refumption of that Life or confcious Being, which their Creator had been lately pleased to bestow upon them? the forfeiting which muft neceffarily include a total lofs of all thofe Benefits, that then did, or ever could proceed from him. This furely, and nothing lefs must be implyed in that moft folemn Sentence: nor can we well conceive the unhappy Subjects of it to have been at that time fo very ingenious, as to explain it all away, by diftinguishing upon the different parts of their Conftitution; and fo concluding that by Death no more was intended then only living in fome different manner, or a continuation of their Consciousness and real Exiftence in fome

other place. No: that was the Philofophy of after Ages; concerning which all I fhall fay at prefent is, that fome of its most eminent Patrons cannot help obferving, that they don't find it in the Scriptures. Thefe, in their obvious meaning,

с

c Tillotfon, V. 2. Fol. S. 100. p.670. This is very tenderly expreffed; and the reafon that great Author gives for it, not unfuitable to the prejudices of his time: whereas if he had confidered the point more fully, I prefume, he would have found the Scripture, not taking this for granted, but rather laying down the contrary; and the New Teftament

reprefent the whole Man, Individual, Perfon, or Being, as included in that Sentence, to which it is addreffed; nor do they feem to take notice of any other circumftance in the Cafe, befide that, fo often mentioned, of his returning to the Duft, or Ground from whence he was taken: and might not the first Pair as well expect, that the fame Breath of Life, which the Lord God had breathed into their Noftrils, whereby Man became a living Soul, fhould ftill furvive the Execution of that Sentence, or that the Duft itself fhould praife God; as that any kind of Knowledge of, or Communication with him, fhould continue in that State of Darkness and Destruction to which they were then doom'd?

Thus did Death enter into the World, and reign in it, through that one Tranfgreffion. Let us in the next place fee how this Reign is destroyed, and we delivered from it, by the Obedience of our Lord:

Which will appear more clearly from the Date of that Deliverance; and this is every where repre fented in the fame Scripture, as commencing at the Refurrection; nor can any thing else constitute the oppofition above mentioned: for if Death be a return to Duft, then nothing but a reviving, or a refufcitation from that Duft can be the reverfing

every where infifting on it, as the very ground of the whole Christian Covenant, through which alone we attain to Immortality, or everlasting Life. In order to form a better judgment of this, we muft examine the Scripture-language more particularly, and fee what all those several terms and phrafes may imply in the original, which are fuppofed to include the Doctrine above-mentioned: For which, see the APPENDIX.

d Gen. 3.23.

of it, or a proper recovery from it: and accord ingly, to this, and this alone St. Paul confines the Contrait he has drawn at large between the first and fecond Adam. Since by Man came Death, by Man came alfo the Refurrection from the Dead; and as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive; which Life is, not an inherent

• Which words, (as a very competent judge of Scrip ture-language has affured us) directly affirm, that a Refurrection, or being made alive again, is granted, affured, and executed by and in Chrift alone; and evidently fuppofe, 1. That the Dead are not made alive 'till the Refurrection; for the Refurrection of the Dead, and being made alive, are here expreflions of the fame fignification. 2. That, had not a Refurrection been provided, we fhould never after Death have been made alive.' Mr. Taylor's Script. Doctr. of Orig Sin, p. 24.

The fame thing is very properly term'd by Bifhop Sherlock [Dife. 2. p. 67.] a calling Men from the Grave into Being, or the making dead Bodies into living Men, p. 300. which fecond Creation of all Men by our blefied Saviour, his Lordship justly parallels to the calling them out of nothing at the first Creation, or the reftoring to them that Life, which he at firft gave; ib. or the calling Man into Life again out of the fame flate of Duft and Afbes, from which he was at firft formed a living Soul. Ib. Difc. 6. p. 209.

Add Id. Difc. V. 2. p. 207. 'He goes down-to the Grave, and his iniquities follow him, and will rife with him again when God calls him to appear and answer for himfelf.' ib. p. 278. The fear of Death can be allay'd by nothing, but the hope of living again; Death is a Sleep 'from which we expect to wake to Immortality.-The fame Notion is confiftently purfued by his Lordship; Ufe and Intent of Proph. p.69,75,91,93,116,118,142, 143, 239, 240. 2d. Ed.

That nothing elfe but this compound Being, which is deftroyed by Death, and whofe conftituent parts are re-united at the Refurrection, can with any propriety be denominated Man, fee in the fame eminent Writer, ib. p. 86 -What infurmountable Difficulties have arifen from confidering thefe Conftituents feparately, may be feen, ib. p 101, &c.

'Tis fomething furprifing to think, that a mere rational 'Mind fhould be the fame Individual with a Man, who con

Property of our original Nature, but a free Gift to us, procured by Chrift; and accordingly termed the Grace, or Gift of God, and the Gift by Grace through Jefus Christ our Lord; who on that account is pleafed to ftile himself the Refurrection and the Life, who is called our Life, and faid to have the Keys of Hades and of Death: who opens for us the true and only way to Immortality through the Gate of the Refurrection, and without whom there is no admiffion to it, but the wrath of God abideth on us. So far is it from Truth, that immortal Life may be discovered by the Light of Nature; that on the contrary, we are taught to believe, it was Chrift only who by his Death abolished Death, and brought Immortality to Light by his Gofpel: that the Heathens, ignorant of this, have no Hope, or no ground for their Hope'; and that if there were no Refurrection, even they who are fallen afleep in Chrift, are perifbed. But now Chrift being himself rifen from the Dead, and thereby become the firftfruits of them that flept, we are as fure of our own Refurrection, as that he our Head is rifen

fifts of a rational Mind, a fenfitive Soul, and a Body. This * carries no probability with it at firft fight, and Reafon cannot undertake much in its behalf, ib. Difc. p. 204.

£ Jo. 5.40.-6.33,51. - 10. 10, 28.-14.6.-17.2, 22. 170. 2.25.-5. II, 12.

& Rom. 5. 14, 15, 16, 17.-6.23.-8.2. The Refurrection of the Dead through, or in Jefus, Acts 4. 2. 1 Cor. 15.22, 57. x Pet. 3.7.

i Col.3.4.

hfo II.25. * 70.3.36. 1Scholars may reafon of the Nature of the Soul, and the condition of it when separated from the Body; but the • common Hopes of Nature receive no fupport from fuch In*quiries.' Bp Sherlock, Disc. 2. p.85.

for

for us. Hereby we become Heirs of the Refur rection, and have an infallible Title to immortal Life through this Adoption, that is, the Redemption of our Body m. We know that we shall not now perish", or be loft; but live in him, or (as he himself conftantly explains it) be raised up again at the laft Day. We may with boldness now approach to God by a living way, which Chrift has confecrated to us through the Vail, that is, bis Flefb: through him we have gained the Victory, may join in St. Paul's Triumph over Death and the Grave, and have all infinite reafon to exprefs our Gratitude for it with the fame Apoftle; Thanks be to God who giveth us this Victory through our Lord Jefus Chrift. But,

IIdly, If Death be vanquished, why then doth fo much of its Power ftill fubfift in the World ? Why is this Paufe permitted in the Course of our Existence, and Life dropt a while in order to be thus refumed? How comes it to pafs, that we don't rather live on still, than die, and rise again ?--as some understand the former Queflion in St. Paul, from the diftinct Answer which he gives, viz. that in the common Courfe of Nature here, the Decay and Diffolution of things precedes a Revivifcence [that which thou foweft, is not quickened except it die;]--that fuch a Change of States is neceffary; and

that it would be as foolish to expect the contrary in this Cafe, as to expect that Corn fhould grow up without any of that Alteration in its Texture, which is occafioned by the Change of Seafons'.