into the groffelt inconfiftences and contradictions, and often the final iffue is the moft blafphemous infidelity. The vain man, who wishes to be esteemed wife, frequently attempts to mar this glorious doctrine in our text, yet it is a doctrine which will ftill be believed by all who adhere to the plain and literal intention of their bibles. It is a doctrine, notwithstanding there may be fome difficulties attending it, yet bleffed be God it contains neither abfurdity nor impoffibility. Some who are ready to fear if there should be a refurrection, they may be of the unhap py number that shall arife to everlafting Thame and contempt, would therefore invent objections against the truth, rather than entertain the tormenting thought. But whether they believe it or not, it is equally the fame, the word of God remains true and ftedfaft, and what the Lord hath affirmed fhall infallibly come to pafs. This is a doctrine delivered both in the old Teftament and the new, by the prophets and apoftles and by Christ himself, by whom the dead fhall be raised up, therefore those who will not believe it, when it enters fo deeply into the whole christian fyftem, it is not probable they would believe tho' one came from the dead. This doctrine tho' terrible to the wicked, yet it administers great joy and confolation to the people of God. In the verfe preceding our text the prophet Daniel is evidently predicting the approach of the gospel state. When Michael the great prince, that is Jefus Chrift, fhall stand up for the people of God, then will be a time of great trouble to the wicked, to Satan and all the implacable enemies of his. kingdom, but it will be a feafon of joy and gladness of heart to those whofe names are written in the book of life; for deliverance and falvation fhall come unto them. Then at the confummation of all things will be fulfilled this declaration, "Ma"ny of them that fleep in the duft of the earth fhall awake, "fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting

contempt." They who are fond of oppofing the doctrine of the refurrection, and boldly urge that the old Testament is filent upon this head, are greatly perplexed with the argument

contained in this paffage. They vainly pretend these words must be taken not in a literal but in a metaphorical and figu zativefenfe. They fay, it fignifies no more than the deliverance of the church from the grievous perfecutions of Antiochus the king of Syria, and fleeping in the daft of the earth, was the Jews hiding themselves in holes and caves, in order to avoid the fury of that cruel tyrant. But it is abundently evident Daniel had concluded his prophefy refpeating the perfecution of Antiochus in the former chapter with these words, "He "shall come to his end and none fhall help him." Sleeping, in the duft is a very unnatural figure to exhibit flying into caves and deferts; and a deliverance from this perfecution would be very aukwardly expreffed by being raised to ever lafting contempt; and could the happiness of fuch a deliverance be termed everlasting life, when at beft it could only be a temporal falvation. But these words plainly and most certainly teach, that there will be a refurrection of the dead, and numerous are the other authorities in the fcriptures for the establishment of this doctrine. The only difficulty in the text. is the word many, "Many of them that fleep in the duft." This would feem at first view to imply an exception of fome that should not awake or be raised. But the original word which is here rendered many, is very frequently and and more pro. perly tranflated multitude, and being thus rendered here expreffes the most perfect universality. "The multitude of them "that fleep in the duft of the earth fhall awake," that is all. the dead without the exception of a fingle inftance. This text is alluded to and explained by our Saviour when he fays; “All that are in their graves fhall hear his voice and come "forth, they that have done good unto the refurrection of life "and they that have done evil unto the refurrection of damna. "tion." Hence the many or multitude of them that shall awake expreffes all, or the most complete univerfality. By fleeping in the duft of the earth is meant the dead, whether bu ried in graves, laid in tombs, burnt to ashes, drowned in the feas

devoured by wild beats, or eaten by cannabals. Wherever their remains are or however difpofed of, they fhall all be ga thered up at the last day. All their duft shall be collected and reanimated; and every foul be united to his former body, both good and bad. The former will be railed to everlasting life, or confummate felicity in the celeftial world, and the latter to mifery, shame and everlasting contempt and torment. This is the manifeft meaning of this text.

In the first place we fhall endeavour to eftablish the doctrine which it contains, or prove that there will be a refurrection of the dead.

Secondly, confider fomething of the manner in which the dead fhall be raised.

First, we are to endeavour further to establish the doctrine contained in the text that there fhall be a refurrection of the dead. "The many or multitude of them that fleep in the duft "of the earth shall awake." It may be here obferved this is a doctrine of pure revelation, which the light of nature could never discover, but when revealed, reafon is pleafed with it, When known, it clearly contains nothing irrational or incenfiftent. Reason cannot fuggeft any thing against it, for God is infinite in power, wisdom and truth, therefore the refurrection of the dead may be infallibly established from the perfections of Jehovah. While God is almighty none can difpute but that he is able to raife the dead. He who could create worlds by the word of his mouth, and make man at firit of the duft of the ground, and continues unchangeably the fame; furely he must be able to raife him from the duft again.

We have it fully afcertained that God hath raised many from the dead; fuch as the fon of the widow of Sarepta,-the Shunamite's fon,--The man caft into the fepulchre of Elifa,

Jairu's daughter, the widow's fon in Nain, Lazarus, Dorcas, &c.-The wisdom and knowledge of the moft high alfo confirmas this doctrine. As with him all things are poffible, so to him all things are known. He knows every particle of human duft and where it lies. Altho' thefe particles, which were once conftituent parts of the body, have gone thro' ten thousand changes; although perhaps they may have grown up into grafs, this grafs eaten by the beafts of the field, and these again by men, a million of times over, yet he whofe omnifcience at once beholds every atom in the univerfe, that ever was or will be, in all its various pofitions and fituations, it is infinitely eafy with him to feparate duft from duft, and replace every particle where it originally belonged.

The great and fpeculative objection offered againft this doctrine is, there are whole nations of cannibals who feast and nourish themselves on human flesh, andthe particles of one body become nutrition and go to the conftituting of another, or the particles of buried bodies grow up into herbs and are eaten, fo that by one means and another, the self fame particles may have gone to the formation and fupport of a thousand men. Now feeing this is the cafe, how can thefe thoufand perfons be raised at one and the fame time, fince they never had but the particles of one body among them all? To this I would anfwer, firft as Chrift did to the Sadducces of old, who denied this doctrine, and propofed a cafe refpecting a woman who had feven hufbands fucceffively, and pertly enquired whofe wife fhe fhould be in the refurrection. "Ye do err fays he, not know. "ing the fcriptures nor the power of God." Fully intimating that if they underfood the fcriptures or the power and wifdom of God, they could raife no fuch objection.

Again, let this objection be answered by St. Paul, for fome had attempted to threw difficulties in his way on this head. "Some will fay, how are the dead raised up? and with what

"body do they come? To this he replies, thou fool, that which "thou foweft is not quickened except it die, and that which "thou fowest, thou fowest not that shall be, but bare grain, it "may chance of wheat or fome other grain, but God giveth "it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every feed his own "body." Now in this argument the apoftle plainly allows that it is by no means necessary to the refurrection of the fame perfon, that every particle of which he was composed thro❜ life, and which conftituted him at death, must raised and collected into one heap to form the fame man. No it is highly probable a part of that which was once the human body will be perfectly fufficient to conftitute it the fame. As the apoftle inftances of wheat being fown, it grows up into ftalk, blade, ear, chaff and grain, all this large body, altho' it is not the fame with the bare grain that was fown, yet it arifes from the fame feed, and every feed has its own body; fo alfo is the re. furrection of the dead. There will be a great difference be tween the bodies raised, and thofe which were laid in the dust. Yet every individual body will have fo much of what it was formerly compofed as is neceffary to conftitute it identically the fame.

Further it may be justly observed in answer to this objection, no man remains compofed of the fame numerical particles without addition or diminution, for any one hour of his life. The man who lies down to fleep, in the evening, when he awakes has loft many thousands of particles during the night, which are gone off by fweat, perfpiration, &c. yet he is the fame perfon he was in the morning, tho' not compofed of all the fame individual particles. A grofs man that is seized with fickness and reduced to a skeleton or to a state of great lean, nefs, he is still the fame perfon he formerly was, altho' perhaps half his weight is wafted away; and when he recovers health and his former bulk, he is ftill the fame, al ho' few particles compofe his body which did before. Thus by the constant