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Christ, if he be not raised from the Dead; he has not redeemed us from Death, if he be not rifen himself; then they also that are fallen afleep in Chrift are perished, v. 18. they who are already dead in the Faith of Chrift fhall never rife again; for our Sins are not expiated, nor the Power of Death conquered, if Chrift be not rifen. The Force of which Arguments I cannot understand, unless the Virtue, and Efficacy, and Expiation of Chrift's Death is compleated in his Refurrection from the Dead, which conquers Death, and gives a new Life to the World. If the Refurrection of Christ had been only an external Proof of the Expiation made for Sin by his Death, we had wanted this comfortable Evidence and Affurance of it, if he had not rifen; but ftill our Sins might have been expiated by his Death, though he had not rifen from the Dead; but the Apoftle exprefly tells us, that if Chrift be not rifen, our Sins are not expiated, but we are ftill in our Sins; which proves, that the very Expiation of Chrift's Death is perfected in his Refurrection, that the Death of Chrift is not a complete expiatory Sacrifice, till it is perfected in his Resurrection; then the Atonement and Propitiation is made, when by Death he has conquered Death, and given us a new Right and Title to immortal Life. And this I take to be the true Meaning of what St. Paul tells us of Christ, Rom. iv. 25. Who was delivered for our Offences, and was raifed again for our Juftification. He died for our Sins, and in his Refurrection compleated the Atonement, and delivered us from the Guilt and Punishment of them.

If then we confider the Refurrection of Chrift, as the completion and perfection of his Sacrifice, without which the Death of Chrift had not expiated our Sins, had not redeemed us from the Curfe of the Law, and the Dominion of Death; this is a manifeft Proof, what kind of Perfon the

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Saviour of Mankind, our great High Priest, muft be: For he must have an inherent Power in himfelf, not only to lay down his Life, but to take it again, that is, he can be no other than the Son of God incarnate, than the Eternal Word made Flesh.

That Human Nature is the only proper Sacrifice for Mankind, I have already fhewn you; but tho' Human Nature can die, it cannot by its own Power raise its felf from the Dead, without which there is no Redemption of Mankind from Death; and yet the fame Perfon that dies, muft by his own Power raise himself from the Dead, or he does not conquer Death. To rife from the Dead, and to conquer Death, are two very different things; all Men fhall rife from the Dead at the laft Day, that is, they fhall be raised by a Divine Power; but no Man can be faid to conquer Death, and give a new Life to the World, but he who raifes himfelf; which no mere Man ever did or can: This is above a 'created Power; to restore Life belongs to the fame Power, which first gave it; and therefore St. Paul tells us, that Chrift was declared to be the Son of God with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection of the Dead, Rom. i. 4. This was a manifeft Proof, that he had a true Divine Nature and Power, was in a true and proper Senfe the Son of God, that he raised himself from the Dead; for though the Scripture frequently attributes the Refurrection of Chrift to God the Father, who raifed him from the Dead, yet our Saviour as exprefly teaches, that he would raise himself from the Dead. Deftroy this Temple, and in three days I will raife it up, John xix. He had power to lay down bis Life, and be bad power to take it again, but in fubordination still to his Father's Will; this Commandment have I receiv'd of my Father, John x. 18. His Power is the Power of his Father, not two feparate Powers, but

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one, as the Divinity is one. He lives by the Father, but as the Father bath life in himself, fo be bath given to the Son to have life in himself, John v. 26. and by this inherent Power he raifed his own Human Nature from the Dead, and thereby gave Mankind a new Right to Immortal Life. Thus I have fhewn you, how Chrift by Death hath conquered Death, and given a new Life to the World, which no mere Man, none but the Son of God incarnate could do; it is only Chrift the Son of the living God, who hath the Words of Eternal Life.

'SECT. VI.

The Covenant of Pardon and Immortal Life Sealed with the Blood of Chrift.

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HE better to understand this glorious Mystery of our Redemption by the Death of Chrift, and what Security this gives us of Immortal Life, I obferve farther, that the Covenant of Grace and Pardon, and Immortal Life, is attributed in Scripture to the Blood of Chrift; which is therefore call'd the Blood of the Covenant, the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, Heb. x. 29. and xiii. 20. For under the Law all Covenants were made by Sacrifices; as the Prophet David fpeaks, Pfal. 1. 5. Gather my Saints together unto me; thofe that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice. Thus God made a Covenant with Abraham, as you may fee in Genefis xv. 8, &c. When Abraham asks God by what means he should know that he should inherit the Land of Canaan, God commands him to take an Heifer of three years old, and a She-Goat of three years old, and a Ram of three

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years old, and a Turtle Dove and a young Pigeon. And be took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another; but the Birds divided he not. This was a Sacrifice of God's appointinent, to confirm his Promife and Covenant with Abraham, as we are exprefly told in v. 18. In that fame day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham, faying, Unto thy Seed have I given this Land, &c. But the laft and great Confirmation of all, was, when Abraham at God's Command of fer'd up his Son Ifaac in Sacrifice to him, which was a Figure of God's giving his own Son a Sacrifice for us. When Abraham bad built an Altar, and laid the Wood in order, and bound Ifaac his Son, and laid him on the Altar upon the Wood, and stretched out his hand, and took the Knife to play his Son: The Angel of the Lord called unto him out of Heaven, and stopp'd the Execution, but accepted the Sacrifice: And be faid, lay not thine hand upon the Lad, neither do thou any thing to him; for now I know that thou fearest God, feeing that thou hast not withheld thy Scn, thine only Son from me. And this was

the final Confirmation of God's Covenant with Abraham: For the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven the fecond time, and faid, By my felf have I fworn, faith the Lord, for becaufe thou hast done this thing, and haft not with-held thy Son, thine only Son: That in blessing I will bles thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of the Heaven, and as the Sand which is upon the Sea-fhore; and thy Seed fhall poffefs the gate of his Enemies, and in thy Seed fhall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice, Gen. xxii. Thus the Apoftle to the Hebrews exprefly tells us it was in the Mofaical Covenant, which he calls the first Teftament, which was not dedicated without Blood. For when Mofes had spoken every Precept to all the People according to the Law,

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be took the blood of Calves and of Goats, with Water and fearlet Wool, and Hyffop, and fprinkled both the Book and all the People, faying, This is the Blood of the Teftament, which God hath enjoyned unto you. Moreover be Sprinkled likewife with Blood both the Tabernacle, and all the Veffels of the Ministry. And almost all things are by the Law purged with Blood, and without hedding of Blood is no remiffion, Hebrews ix. 18, 19, 20, 21. And this account the fame Apostle gives us of the Death of Chrift: For this Caufe he is the Mediator of the New Teftament, that by means of Death for the Redemption of the Tranfgreffions that were under the first Teftament, they which were called might receive the Promife of Eternal Inheritance. For where a Teftament is, there muft alfo of neceffity be the Death of the Teftator. a Teftament is of force after Men are dead: Otherwife it is of no Strength at all whilst the Teftator liveth, V. 15, 16, 17. So that the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God, to purge our Confciences from dead works to ferve the living God, v. 14. gave as inviolable a Sanction to the Gospel Covenant, as the Death of a Teftator does to his laft Will and Teftament; and this New Testament could have had no valid Authority without his Death; and thus bath he obtained a more excellent Ministry, by how much also be is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which was eftablished upon better Promifes, Heb. viii. 6.

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For we muft obferve, that tho' Christ died for our Sins, and bore the Punishment of Sin, and put away Sin, and by his Death and Refurrection abolished Death, and purchased for us a new Right to Immortal Life; yet this gives no Man an absolute and immediate Right and Title to the Forgiveness of Sins and Immortal Life: It purchases and feals the Covenant of Pardon and Immortal Life; but we must not expect to obtain the Forgiveness of

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