rection. He fatisfied not himself to have endured Scourgings, Reproaches, and Buf fettings; he defcended not from the Crofs, after he had endured most bitter Torments, till he had completed his Sufferings by Death, and laid down his Life as a Sacrifice to God; which it could not be, till it were deftroyed: It being the neceffary Condition of all Sacrifices to be annihilated. If then we be really baptized into his Death; if we refolve to offer up our felves à Sacrifice to God; we muft yield up all our Pretences to the Pleasures of this World, and enjoy no more of them than God permitteth to us; we must abfolutely free our felves from the Slavery of Sin and Satan, and devote our felves intirely to the Divine Pleasure.

To die unto the World fuppofeth a full Conviction, that the true Intereft of a Chriftian is not placed on Earth, and that his great Concern here is only to improve his hort Term of Life to the Acquifition of a more excellent and more durable Happiness hereafter. From this perfwafion it will eafily follow, that different Interefts from this are not to be purfued in this Life, which ought to be no other than a Preparation for a bet ter. And herein a Chriftian truly imitates the Death of his Lord and Saviour, who beft of all manifefted that his Kingdom was not of this world by laying down his Life willingly; that his Defigns were far from founding an Empire, and procuring to himself worldly

Advantages, when he submitted to undergo the Pains of Death. Thereby teaching us, that we are not truly Crucified with him, until we as abfolutely forfake all Defires and Inclinations to our former finful Life, as if we were deprived of Life it felf; that we retain not the leaft Claim or Title to our former vicious Satisfactions, but by a total relinquishing of them, even put it out of our Power to recall and re-eftablish them.

In the next place, if we view the dreadful Horrour and Anxiety under which our Saviour laboured, while he bore the Sins of Mankind upon the Crofs; if we reflect on the Melancholy ftate of the Church, his Ignominious Condition, and the Triumphs of the infernal Powers, while he was detained in the Grave; we may preceive the defperate and deplorable State of Man, while yet detained in Sin, labouring under the juft Displeasure of an angry God, and not broke loose from the Chains and Do minion of the Devil. The ftate of our Lord and his Church were indeed at that time in the higheft Confufion: Without any Confolation, or apparent poffibility of Recovery. Yet much greater is the Mifery of an unrepentant Sinner, who fuffers all this thro' his own Fault, and until he be regenerate feeth no approaching Delivery.

From all these Calamities our Saviour and his Church were rescued by his glori

ous Refurrection. And, from all these Mi feries is unhappy Man delivered by his Regeneration. Our Lord by his Resurrection vindicated his Honour from the Blafphemies of Jews and Gentiles, who had argued against his Divinity from the feeming Imperfections of his Sufferings; overthrew the defign of wicked Spirits, endeavouring to defeat the Succefs of his Miffion by the Ignominy of the Crofs; and delivered his Church from that Disgrace and Defpair, which it had by his Death incurred. Such were the Benefits and Glories of this Days Refurrection; and no lefs are the Advantages of rifing with Chrift from Sin unto a new Life, which removeth that Stain and Imperfection introduced into our Nature by Sin; reftores it to that primitive Glory which it obtained in the State of Innocence; rescueth us from the Slavery of the Devil; repairs the Honour and Integrity of our Souls; and renders us infinitely Happy, by making us Partakers of the Divine Favour.

For this was none of the leaft Arguments, which inhanced the Glory of Chrift's Refurrection; that God by interpofing in fo extraordinary a manner in his behalf, evidently manifefted how dear he was unto him, whom he would not leave in Hell in a ftate of Difgrace, nor fuffer to fee corruption. This raised him beyond the Degree of all mortal and corruptible Men, and placed

him

him in fuch an height of Glory, as cannot be resembled by any thing but the Regeneration of a Chriftian; wherein God interpofeth by his Power, not fo vifibly indeed, but no lefs miraculously, converting, affifting and confirming him by his Grace; without which this admirable Change cannot be effected. A Change which however in an inferiour Degree, declares the Power and the Love of God, who producetli Haz bits of the most exalted Vertue in a Soul before over-whelmed with Sin and Wickednefs.

For Resurrection denotes not only a De liverance from the Calamities of Death and Corruption, but alfo an enabling any one to renew an active Course of Life. Our Lord was not barely content to refcue his Body from the Grave, and the Infults of his Enes mies; but he carried it with him triumphantly into Heaven, and there fitting at the right hand of God, employeth it in Conjunction with his Divine Nature to mediate continually the Redemption of Man. If then we be risen with Chrift, we must manifeft the truth of our Refurrection, by vital Actions proper to a new and fpiritual Life which are the Exercife of all spiritual Vertues, and a strict Conformity to the Laws of that new Society with Heaven, wherein we are engaged.

Farther, a bare recovery of Life deferveth not the Title of a Resurrection, for then the VOL. I. inter

Ꮓ

intermediate Death would have been of no advantage; at least it reacheth not the illuftrious Example of our Lord's Refurrection; who after that was endued, with a far more glorious State than before his Death. Before his Crucifixion he was subject to all the Infirmities of humane Nature, Sin only excepted; after his Refurrection exempted from them all. Before his

Paffion fubject to change and decay, after his Refurrection inftated in an eternal and immutable Poffeffion of Glory. For as St. Paul amplifies this very matter, Rom. vi. 9. Chrift being raised from the dead, dieth no more; Death hath no more Dominion over him.

His Life preceding and following his Refurrection were infinitely different; that contemptible and mean, this glorious and terrible; that common with the reft of Mankind, this exalted above all the Infirmities of humane Nature. And this is the Reason, why our Saviour converfed not openly a mong the Jews after his Refurrection, as he had done before; from that time a new and different State of Life was to commence, never any more to be altered or relinquifhed. Whence we are taught, that to come up to the Refurrection of our Lord and Mafter, and exprefs it nearly in our Lives, we ought to exceed what is required of us in a Natural State, and improve our Obedience farther than was exacted of us

in