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mies were many, but he was alone: Pfal. xxii. 12. "Many bulls have compaffed me."--Ifa. Ixiii. 3. "I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me." All were against him, none were with him to take a fhare; fo thick did the arrows of death fly, that neither man nor angel durft set out their head, or venture into the battle on his fide.-It was,

4. A longfome battle. He fought all along, from the cradle to the grave, from his birth to his burial: Ifa. liii. 3. "He is defpifed and rejected of men, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief;" though it came to a height at the latter end.

Laftly, There were no quarters for him in this battle: Rom. viii. 32. "He fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up to the death." He was made to drink a cup of pure unmixed wrath. He met with no fparing, that fo, the arrows of death being all spent on him, his people might get free.

THE

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. *

SERMON X.

ISAIAH, XXV. 8. He will fwallow up death in
villory.

YE

E have been celebrating the triumph of Chrift's victory over death, and profeffing yourfelves the fubjects of the Conqueror, yea, the members of his body. If you approve yourselves true to your profeffion, here is the best news you can poffibly hear in this world, news which may animate you to fighting the good fight: He will fwallow up death in victory.

I have yefterday handled two heads in the method. A third point now to be spoken to is, Chrift's purfuit of the victory. Our Lord Jefus will purtue the victory he has obtained over death, till it be utterly abolished out of his kingdom.Here,

I. I shall premife fome things for the better un→ derstanding of this point.

II. Show how he pursues the victory.

* Delivered Sabbath Evening, October 5. 1718.

1. I SHALL premise fome things for the better understanding of this point.And,

1. I premife, that fin entering into the world, death obtained an univerfal dominion over mankind: Rom. v. 12. "Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned;" it reigned as a king, ver. 19. "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Mofes ;" it became univerfal monarch, fwaying its fceptre over all nations, kingdoms, and empires, from the one end of the earth unto the other. Every man receiving life in this world, not excepting those that are born to crowns and kingdoms, are born fubjects to death. It is the most terrible king, even the king of terrors; an abfolute one, against whom there is no rising up. This univerfal dominion it got by law, upon fin's entering: Gen. iii. 19. "Duft thou art, and unto duft thou shalt return." 1 Cor. xv. 56. "The fting of death is fin, and the strength of fin is the law."

2. The kingdom of death confifts of two very different territories or countries: One is the up-per country, namely, the finful world; the other the lower country, in the other world, that land of utter darkness, where the light is as darkness. In the former, the government of death is comparatively mild, but in the latter inexpreffibly horrible. Here Death's fubjects have fome gleams of light, joy, hope, though mixed with many forrows; but there they will never fee light more, nor enjoy the least cafe from their pangs, which is the fecond death, Matth. xxii. 13. "Cast him into utter darkness; there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

3. Death's power over finners by the law, O 3 reaches

reaches to the tranfporting of them out of this world into its dominion in the other world; it has power to carry them to the pit, and fhut the bars thereof for ever upon them. Hence we find the rich man dying, and buried, and then in hell lifting up his eyes, Luke, xv. 23.; an impaffable gulf is fixed between that miferable company and the faints above, ver. 26.; fo that by death's power, had it not been hemmed in, all mankind had landed there.

4. That all mankind might not perish, the Father gave a kingdom to his Son, which he was to conquer out of the kingdom of death in this upper world; in which kingdom life might reign for evermore through Jefus Christ: John, vi. 37. "And this is the Father's will which hath fent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lofe nothing, but should raise it up again at the laft day." This our Lord undertook willingly, refolving to fpare no expence, even of his own blood,

to recover it.

5. Our Lord Jefus coming on this expedition, findeth all mankind fettered with the bands of death; death has feized them all without exception, fastened on their fouls and bodies, keeping them as prifoners, till they should be tranfported into the pit from whence there is no redemption; and his own that were given to him of the Father, he finds wrapt up in the common ruin; fo he, putting on a zeal for his Father's glory and the falvation of the elect, encountered death in their room, and, after a bloody battle, gained the victory. But after all this the chains of death ftill continue on his people, and they lie under them till the Conqueror, who by his death has purchased their liberty, come and loofe them, in purfuit of this victory.

I AM now to confider,

II. How he pursues the victory, swallowing up death in victory.

1. He loofes the bands of that spiritual death. under which he finds them, morally dead, lifelefs, fenseless, and motionlefs to any fpiritual good. He puts a principle of fpiritual life in them, quickening them by his Spirit, Eph. ii. 1. «And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins." With authority he asks the grim vanquished tyrant, as he did others in the cafe of Lazarus, O death! where have ye laid him? He comes to the grave, saying, My word and my Spirit roll away the ftone; and with a powerful voice he cries, Dead foul, come forth. Then feeble death lofes its grips, and the dead comes forth to walk before God in the light of the living; and then he is a new creature; old things are done away.

2. He looses the band of legal death off the finner; he is by nature a condemned man, dead in law, and death holds him faft with the cords of unpardoned guilt. But now the foul, uniting to Chrift by faith, and fo being cloathed with his perfect righteousness, having his fatisfaction applied to him, the cords of the guilt of eternal wrath give way, can hold no longer, and fo death is beat from its grip of him, Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus." Now may the foul fay, It is God that juftifieth, who is he that condemneth? The mighty Lord has burst the bars of iron afunder, death's fnare is broken, and we are escaped.

3. He deftroys the body of death in the believer. Still the grave-cloaths hang about the believer, even ftrong corruptions and divers lufts,

the

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