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21. For fince by man came death, by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead. 22. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. 23. But every man in his own order: Chrift the firft-fruits, afterward they that are Chrifts, at his coming. 24. Then cometh the end, when he fhall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he fhall have put down all rule,and all authority, and power. 25. For he muft reign f till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26. The laft enemy that fhall be deftroyed is death. 27. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he faith all things are put under him, it is manifeft that he is excepted which did put all things under him. 28. And when all things fhall be fubdued unto him, then fhall the Son alfo himself be fubject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 29. Elfe

21.

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e See on Rom. 5. 12, 17. +Joh. 11. 25. Jefus faid unto her, I am the Refurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live.

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He will fwallow up Death in ViHof. 13. 14. &tory.·O Death, I will be thy Plagues; O Grave, I will be thy deftruction. Luk. 20. 36. Neither can they die any more; for they are equal to the Angels, and are the Children of God, being Children of the ReSurrection. 2 Tim. 1. 10. -Who 10 hath abolished Death, and hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gofpel. Heb. 2. 14. He also himself likewife took part of the fame [Flesh and 15 Blood] that through Death, he might deftroy him that had the Power of Death, that is the Devil. + Rev. 20. 14. Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire.Rev. 21. There fhall be no more

23. Thef. 4. 15, 16, 17. This we fay unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the Coming of the Lord, fhall not prevent them which are afleep. For the Lord himfelf thall defcend from Heaven with a Shout, with the Voice of the Arch-angel, and with the Trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rife firft; Then we which are alive and remain, fhall be caught up together with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in 20 the Air Ver. 20.

25. Eph. 1. 23. And hath put all things under his Feet, and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church.

Pfal. 110.25 1. A&ts 2: 34: + Heb. 1. 13. † Heb. 10. 13. See on Mat. 22.

44.

26. Ver. 54,

Ifa. 25. 8.

4.

Death

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ed to the Jews by the Offering the First fruits, of which they were a Pledge and Earneft; fo Chrift our Head, being rifen from the Dead, his Refurrection is a certain Pledge and Earneft to us his Members, of our ReJarrettion at the Time appointed by God for it.

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what fhall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rife not at all? why are they then (1) baptized for the dead? 30. And why ftand we in jeopardie every hour? 31. I proteft by your [Some read, our] rejoicing which I have in Chrift Jefus our Lord, I die daily. 32. If after the manner of men [Or, to speak after the manner of men] I have fought with beafts at Ephefus, what advan tageth it me, if the dead rife not? let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die. 33. Be not a deceived: Evil communications corrupt good manners. 34. Awake to righteoufnefs, and fin not; for fome have not the knowledge of God: I fpeak this to your fhame.

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nt Cor. 4.9. † 2 Cor. 4. 10,10 11. See on Rom. 8. 36.

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32. 2 Cor. 1. 8.. We would not, Brethren, have you ignorant of our Trouble which came to us in Afia, that we were preffed out of Measure above Strength, infomuch that we defpaired even of Life.

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tet Ifa. 22. 12, 13. In that Day did the Lord God of Hofts call to weeping. And behold, 20

35. But fome

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joy and gladness, flaying Oxen, and killing Sheep, eating Flesh, and drinking Wine; let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die. † Ifa. 56. 12. Come ye, fay they, I will fetch Wine, and we will fill our felves with ftrong drink, and to morrow fhall be as this Day, and much more abundant. † Wifd. 2. 6. Come on therefore, let us exjy. the good things that are prefent: let us fpeedily use the Creatures like as in Youth.

33.

9 See on Mat. 24.4. 34. t Eph. 5. 14. See on Rom.

13. II.

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sti Cor. 6. 5. I speak to your fame, Is it fo, that there is not a wife Man among you ?

(1) Interpreters have been very much puzzled about the Meaning of thefe Words. To recount their feveral Opinions, would be tedious and fruitless; I will therefore only mention two Senfes which feem to me the most probable. Why are they then baptized for the Dead? That is, for their dead Bodies, or into the Belief of the Refurrection of the Dead, and the Hope that they fhall live again? For if there be an End of Men when they die, as there is, if there be no Refurrection, Baptifm must be a fruitless and infignificant Ceremony. Or,

Secondly, Why are they then Baptized for the Dead, that is, for Chriff, who, if there be no Refurrection, remains ftill dead. We who believe that Jefus Christ is rifen, may well be baptized in his Name; but why fhould they who believe him ftill under the Power of Death? For Bap tifm can be of no ufe to them, nor can they have any Motive to be faith ful to him. But Chrift being rifen from the Dead, Baptifm is highly ufeful, and we may thence conclude a general Refurrection.

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man will fay, "How are the dead raifed up? and with what body do they come? 36. Thou fool, a that which thou foweft is not quickned except it die. 37. And that which thou foweft, thou foweft not that body that fhall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of fome other grain. 38. But God giveth it a body as it hath pleafed him, and to every feed his own body. 39. All flesh is not the fame flesh but there is one kind of flefh of men, another flesh of beafts, another of fifhes, and another of birds. 40. There are alfo celestial bodies, and bodies terreftrial: but the glory of the celeftial is one, and the glory of the terreftrial is another. 41. There is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ftars; for one ftar differeth from another ftar in glory. 42. So alfo is the refurrection of the dead. It is fown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: 43. It is fown in difhonour, it is raised inglory it is fown in weaknefs, it is raised in power: 44. It is fown a natural body, it is raised a fpiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a fpiritual body. 45 And fo it is written, The firft man Adam was made a living foul, the laft Adam was made a quickning fpirit. 46. Howbeit, that was not firft which was fpiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is fpiritual, 47. The firft man is of the earth, earthy the fecond

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35. "† Ezek. 37. 3. He faid uno me, Son of Man, Can these Bones ve? And I anfwered,, O, Lord God, thou knoweft. Mat. 22. 29. Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the Power of God.

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36. Joh. 12. 24. Verily veriIfay unto you, Except a Corn of Wheat fall into the Ground, and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, 10 t bringeth forth much Fruit.

41.

Gen. 1. 16. God made two great Lights; the greater Light to ule the Day, and the leffer Light o rule the Night: he made the 15 Stars alfo

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42. Dan. 12. 3. See on Mat. 3.43.

43. Phil. 3. 20, 21. Our Con

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may be fafhioned like unto his glorious Body, according to the working whereby he is able to fubdue all things to himfelf.

45. et Gen. 2. 7. The Lord God formed Man of the Duft of the Ground, and breathed into his Noftrils the Breath of Life; and Man became a living Sout. ft Rom. 5. 14. Who [Adam] is the Figure of him that was

to come.

Col. 3. 4. When Chrift who is our Life fhall appear, then fhall ye alfo appear with him in Glory. Phil. 3. 21. The Words under Ver. 43

47.

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Gen. z. 7. The Words under Ver 45. Gen. 3. 19. Out

verfation is in Heaven, from 20 of it [the Ground] waft thou taken :

whence alfo we look for the Saviur, the Lord Jefus Chrift: who hall change our vile Body, that it

for Duft thou art, and unto Duf fhalt thou return.

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48. As is the earthy and as is the heavenly,

man is the Lord from heaven. fuch are they alfo that are earthy fuch are they alfo that are heavenly. 49. And as we have born the image of the earthy, we fhall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50. Now this I fay, brethren, that

flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51. Behold, I fhew you a (1) mystery; P We fhall not all fleep, but we

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fhall it Joh. 3. 13, 31. No Man born, not of Blood, nor of the Will hath afcended up to Heaven, but of the Flesh, nor of the Will of Man, he that came down from Heaven, e- but of God. t Joh. 3. 3, 5.-Veri ven the Son of Man which is in, ly verily I fay unto thee, Except a Heaven. He that cometh from a 5 Man be born again, he cannot fe bove, is above all: he that is of the Kingdom of God. Except a the Earth, is earthly, and fpeaketh Man be born of Water, and of the of the Earth.Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. I Cor. 6. 13. Meats for the Belly, and the Belly for Meats: but God fhall deftroy both it and them.- 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know, that if our earthly Houfe of this Tabernacle were diffolved, we be-15 have a Building of God, an Hou not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens.

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48. Joh. 3. 6. That which is born of the Fleth, is Flesh; and 10 that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit.

Phil. 3. 21. The Words under Ver. 43.

49. † Gen. 5. 3. Adam gat a Son in his own Likeness, after his Image:

nt 2 Cor. 3: 18.

1. Phil. 3. 21. †

See on Rom. 8. 29.

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2 Cor. 4.

Joh. 3. 2.

50 Joh. 1. 13. Which were

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51. Pt1 Thef. 4. 15, 16, 17, The Words under Ver. 23. 9: Phil. 3.21. The Words un der Ver. 43.

(1) A Chriftian Mytery is fomething which relates to another Life; which it was impoffible for us to know without divine Revelation; and now that it is revealed, we know it but in Part, and cannot fully com. prehend it. Or fhorter, It is a divine Truth revealed to us in part. For Inftance, this of our being changed at the laft Day into the Likeness of Christ It is a Truth relating to another Life, which could never have entred into our Heads to think of, unless it had been revealed to us from Heaven. And now that it is revealed to us that we shall be like him, yet we know nothing of the manner of it, wherein this Likeness will confift.

So that in a Chriftian Mystery there is fomething that we do understand, and fomething that we are wholly ignorant of; and it is called a Mystery in refpect of both these.

First, It is called a Myftery in refpect of what we do know of it; becaufe it was a thing fo hidden from us, that it was impoffible to difcover it by thofe Powers of Knowledge we are now endued with. As we could ne ver have known from Reafon, that good Chriftians fhould be changed into the Likeness of Chrift. Now it is this Part of the Myftery which makes it an Article of Faith, and obligatory upon our Confciences to believe it. Because we understand well what it is for a Body to be raised, and altered for the better, and we know perfectly what it is for one thing to be chang ed into the Likeness of another,

Secondly

hall all be changed, of an eye, at the laft

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52. In a moment, in the twinkling trump, (for the trumpet fhall found)

and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we fhall be

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s Pfal. 17.15. As for me, I will

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Secondly, It is called a Myftery in refpe&t of that part of it which as yet we have no Notion of; becaufe 'tis utterly impoffible for us in this Life to attain to any knowledge of it by Reafon affifted with the greatest Degree of Revelation that is afforded us. And thus it is impoffible for us in this Life to have any Notion of the manner of that Change into the Likeness of Chrift: for it is exprefly faid, That it doth not yet appear what we shall be. From whence I fhall infer only thus much at prefent, that what we do know, and what is yet concealed from us, are in grofs called the fame Myftery. And that as we are obliged to believe what is revealed of it, fo likewife we are at the fame time obliged, from exprefs Words of Scripture, to believe that there is more in it than we are now able to comprehend. Nay, that there is fomething in it which we have. no Notion or Idea at all of.

This is the Notion of a Myftery in the Senfe of Scripture; and therefore now we fee the Question is not, Whether a Man can believe what he knows nothing of, which no Man in his Wits ever yet affirm'd - But the Question is,

Whether there be not fome things in the Gofpel, concerning which t we are bound to believe, that there is much more in them than we are now able to comprehend?

This Account of the Nature of a Mystery, is applicable to the Trinity, the Eternal Generation of the Son, the Proceffion of the Holy Ghost, the Union of the divine and humane Nature, the Operations of the holy Spirit in the Act of Grace, &c. Dr. Browne, Lord Bishop of Cork in Ire land, his Letter against Toland's Chriftianity not Myfterious, &c. the 3d Edition, pag. 11, &c.

I will add another Paffage of the fame Author's, pag. 51. wherein he takes notice of the mistaken Zeal of thofe Men, who have fet themfelves to defend the Mysteries of Chriftianity, by bringing them down to the Level of a Man; and endeavouring by thin fpun Notions, to folve the greateft Difficulties in them upon the Principles of Reafon. Thefe, fays he, are rath and inconfiderate Attempts; and when all is done, their failing in what they aim at, is the beft Defence of our Chriftian Myfteries. If we had not a determinate Sense for the Words wherein they are revealed, they could be no Articles of Faith. And if they could be fully folved and explain'd, they would ceafe to be Myfteries. This hath given the Enemies of our Religion a great Advantage; for when, they find they are not to be throughly accounted for (as indeed they are not) upon the Strength of Reafon, together with the Affiftance of thatDegree of Revelation we now have, they utterly reject them as inconfi fent with thofe Powers of Knowledge which God hath given us, Nediftinguishing between that part of a Myftery, which we understand clearly and diftinctly, and will admit of the ftricteft Enquiry of the morofeft Reafoner; and the Subftance of the Thing fignified by it, whereof we have no Idea at all; and therefore nothing can be more abfurd than to raise any Difputes about it.

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