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but that He, who at the firft formed Man out of Duft and Afhes into a living Soul, should be able to call him into Life again out of the fame State? But the Gospel has declared both his Will and his Power, which he confirmed in the raifing his own Son from the Grave; and better Evidence we could not have for the Poffibility and Certainty of a Resurrection. This Evidence of the Gospel has reinstated Nature in all her Hopes, confirmed her Right to Immortality, and taught her to triumph over Death and. the Grave, which feemed before to be unmoveable Bars to all her Expectations. This has restored Religion, which had hardly one found Foot to stand on, and made our Faith and our Reafon confiftent, which were before at too great Distance. Nature indeed taught us to hope for Immortality; but it was in fpight of Senfe and Experience, till the great Prince of our Peace appeared, who brought Life and Immortality to Light through bis Gofpel.

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Who was delivered for our Offences, and was raifed again for our Juftification.

HE Manner of Expreffion here ufed is different from what is generally to be met with in other Parts of the New Tefta

ment upon the like Occafion. Here we are told that Chrift was delivered for our Offences, and raised for our Justification; as if the Remiffion of our Sins was to be afcribed peculiarly to the Paffion, and our Juftification in the Sight of God to the Refurrection of Chrift: Whereas in the Chapter before this, Ver. 25, the Apostle tells us in general, that God hath fet forth Chrift to be a Propitiation through Faith in

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his Blood; and in Ch. v. Ver. 9, particularly and exprefly, that, being juftified by his Blood, we shall be faved from Wrath through him; and Ver. 10, that we are reconciled to God by the Death of his Son. In the twentieth of the Acts, the Apostle, in his Exhortation to the Elders of the Church, warns them to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own Blood, Ver. 28. To the fame Purpose both St. Peter and St. John speak; the one telling us, that the Blood of Jefus Chrift cleanfeth us from all Sin, I John i. 7; the other, that we have been redeemed with the precious Blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot, 1 Pet. i. 19.

It is the constant Tenor of Scripture, that Atonement for the Sins of the World was made by our great High-Prieft upon the Crofs; that his Death was our Redemption, and his Blood the Price paid for us. So that, when we confider the Redemption (which includes our Juftification) with respect to Chrift, the Author and Finisher of it, it must be ascribed to his Death and Paffion : But, as to ourselves, our Title and Interest in this common Salvation being grounded on Faith, our Juftification, though purchased by the Blood of Chrift, must be appropriated

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to ourselves through Faith in that Blood: For the fame Apostle, who has told us that we are juftified freely through the Redemption which is in Christ Jefus, hath likewise told us that God hath fet him forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood. For this Reason we are faid to be juftified by Faith; not that our Faith is the Purchase of Juftification, which we owe to the Blood of Chrift alone; but because through Faith we obtain the Benefit of the Redemption wrought by Chrift Jefus. Now, though the Death of Chrift was the reconciling of the World to God, yet the Resurrection of Chrift is the great and folid Foundation of our Hope and Faith in him, even of our Faith in his Blood, by which he made the Propitiation for our Sins: And therefore, although Chrift died for our Offences, and by his precious Blood made Atonement for our Sins; yet, fince our Faith in his Death, our Hope in his Blood, by which Hope and Faith we are juftified, are built upon the Truth and Credit of his Refurrection, it is very properly faid, that he rofe again for our Juftification: For the Death of Christ would have been no Juftification to us, nor could we have had Hope or Faith in it, but for the Power and Glory of the Resurrection;

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