fons. But there can be no fraud or. difficulty in afferting or believing that "all things are poffible "with God."

I proceed now to St. Paul's argument-" But "fome man will fay, How are the dead raised up, "and with what body do they come? Thou fool! "that which thou foweft is not quickened, ex"cept it die-and that which thou foweft, thou "fowest not that body that fhall be, but bare "grain; it may chance of wheat, or of fome other

grain. But God giveth it a body as it hath "pleased Him, and to every feed his own "body."

You will here obferve, from the appellation given to this scornful enquirer, and from the plain and convincing folution of his question, that the Apoftle regarded the objection as weak and trifling. The words may be thus paraphrased:"You ask how a dead body, after it hath rotted in the grave, and all the particles of which it confifted are diffolved, and perhaps fcattered abroad, fo as to become parts of other bodies, can poffibly be made alive again. But do you well confider who HE is, that undertakes this wonderful work? . Are you fufficiently acquainted with the greatness and extent of his almighty power? Or can you prevail upon yourself to think " that any thing is "too hard for the Lord?" But if the interroga

tories,

teries, now tendered, rather filence than fatisfy your doubts, turn your thoughts to the vegetable world. The grain which you fow, whether it be wheat, barley, or any other grain, all to human appearances die and perifh in the earth. Nevertheless, from this feeming ftate of corruption and death, there by and by fprings from each grain the body which God hath appropriated to it. The grain of wheat produces stalks of wheat, and the grain of barley, when committed to the ground, vegetates again, preferving its fameness through every stage of growth, even to its maturity. But can you account for all the measures of this wonderful procefs? If you cannot, then it is abfurdity and folly to argue against the resurrection of the dead, because your limited underftanding is unable to comprehend the way and method, by which such an event is to be brought about."

And here let me digrefs fo far as to obferve, that the objections to scriptural truths are founded in ignorance; and that we should never entertain doubts and fcruples about fuch things as are pofitively afferted in the facred writings. Even amidst the most common occurrences, are there not a thousand difficulties daily prefenting themselves, which are inexplicable by the very wifeft of the fons of men? Our hearts continue to beat, and

our lungs continue to breathe; but who can account fatisfactorily for the unwearied and regular motions either of the one or of the other? We move, or we fit ftill, juft as our inclinations or exigencies require; but who can discover to us the true caufes, why our members are subject to our will, either as to exercise or reft? With regard to more external matters, fuch as the elements about us, was there ever that learned man, who could account for their conftituent principles, and the manner of their action? Hear the words of the Son of God upon this fubject, in his converfation with Nicodemus-" The wind «bloweth where it lifteth, and thou heareft the "found thereof, but canft not tell whence it com"eth, nor whither it goeth *." The causes of the directions and variations of the wind is a piece of knowledge which defeats all our inquiries. But to deny fuch facts, because we cannot explain them, would justly expofe us to derifion and contempt. Be it then our endeavours to fupprefs in us a fceptical difpofition and turn of mind for contentious difputations. On the contrary, let us maintain a modeft, humble, and quiet temper, refting fatisfied with the doctrines of the gofpel, without any ambition to be wife "above

* John iii. 8.

"that

"that which is written *." Let us be more attentive to the practical than fpeculative parts of religion, and then we fhall confult the peace of our minds, and advance the improvement of our hearts. And, at the fame time that we grow good and happy, we fhall promote the comfort and welfare of others, winning them over to the belief and practice of our moft holy faith, by the prudence and piety of our behaviour.

St. Paul evidently triumphs in the doctrine of the resurrection. There is a peculiar fublimity of fentiment and language, which runs through the whole of the chapter, and more especially when he quits the argumentative part. For, when this great apoftle is reasoning upon this fubject, his grounds of perfuafion are as plain as they are forcible, and his diction is fimple and level to every capacity. But after he hath established this important truth, you will obferve, that his thoughts and expreffions become more grand and lofty. In his further comments upon this glorious principle of Christianity, there is such a ftrain of joy and exultation attending his dif course, that I believe there are few converfant with it, who are not powerfully ftruck with the divine oratory of its illuftrious author. We can

our lungs continue to breathe; but who can account fatisfactorily for the unwearied and regular motions either of the one or of the other? We move, or we fit ftill, just as our inclinations or exigencies require; but who can discover to us the true caufes, why our members are subject to our will, either as to exercife or reft? With regard to more external matters, fuch as the elements about us, was there ever that learned man, who could account for their constituent principles, and the manner of their action? Hear the words of the Son of God upon this fubject, in his converfation with Nicodemus-" The wind. "bloweth where it lifteth, and thou heareft the "found thereof, but canft not tell whence it com"eth, nor whither it goeth *." The causes of the directions and variations of the wind is a piece of knowledge which defeats all our inquiries. But to deny fuch facts, because we cannot explain them, would justly expofe us to derifion and contempt. Be it then our endeavours to fupprefs in us a fceptical difpofition and turn of mind for contentious difputations. On the contrary, let us maintain a modeft, humble, and quiet temper, refting fatisfied with the doctrines of the gofpel, without any ambition to be wife "above

* John iii. 8.

"that