XI.

Contradiction: For God could not give a SR M. ftronger Atteftation to the Truth of it; and fad would be the Condition of Men, if they could be deceived in that Cafe. But we may fafely depend upon it, that the Goodnefs and Truth of God cannot deceive the Credulity of his Creatures, by authorizing a Falfity.

And as our bleffed Saviour put the Truth of his Religion upon this Iffue, fo the chief Priests did in effect join Iffue with him upon this very Point. Sir, fay they to Pilate, Matth. 17. we remember that this Deceiver faid while 63, 64.0 he was yet alive, after three Days I will rife again. Command therefore that the Sepulchre be made fure until the third Day, left his Difciples come by Night and fleal him away, and Jay unto the People, he is risen from the Dead, fo the laft Error will be worse than the firft. That is, the Belief of his Resurrection will be of worfe Confequence, than all the Errors of his Doctrines. Here is a plain Confeffion out of the Mouths of our Saviour's Enemies, that this great Miracle would justly establish his divine Miffion; and that although they did not themselves believe it, yet if the People came by this Fraud to believe it, the Confequence would

be

SER M. be the fame as if it were true. These were

XI. juft Fears, and if their own Pride and Prejudice, and worldly Interefts, had not blinded them, even they must have turned Christians themselves upon the Force of this Evidence. And St. Paul puts the Matter 1.Cor. 15. upon the fame Iffue, If Christ be not rifen, then is our preaching vain, and your Faith is alfo Vain.

14.

Here then is the main Foundation of our Chriftian Faith; and this is the Corner Stone of the whole Building; for as the fame Apostle obferves to the Romans, ch. 1, v. 4. He was declared to be the Son of God, or the true Meffiah, with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the Dead.

And forafmuch as the Proof of this Fact was of the laft Confequence, one neceffary Qualification in every one of the twelve Apostles who were to propagate Chriftianity thorough the World, was that of being able to prove it from their own personal Knowledge. And for this Reason, when an Apostle was to be elected in the room of Judas, St. Peter tells the Affembly, that one must be ordained to be a Witness of Chrift's Refurrection, to which End he must be a

Man

XI.

Man that had been perfonally acquainted S ER M. with Chrift, and had accompanied with the reft, all the Time that the Lord Jefus went in A 1. 21, and out among them.

22.

2dly, The Proof I have laid before you of this Article fo important to our Christian Faith, may teach us to admire the wife Con duct of Providence in making the greatest Enemies of Chrift the principal Inftruments of establishing his Gospel. For the extraordinary Precautions which the chief Priests and Elders used for preventing the stealing away of our Saviour's Body, proved ftrong Circumftances for establishing the Truth of his Resurrection. Little did they imagine that they were all this while undermining the Foundations of their own Temple and Revenues, and doing the Work of Christianity, as it proved in the Event. But thus it often happens when ill defigning Men fet their Wits at work to oppose the Cause of Truth and Righteousness, They are made the Tools and Inftruments of God's Providence to undo themselves and destroy their own Schemes. There are Prov. 19.11, many Devices in the Heart of Man, nevertheless the Counsel of the Lord that shall stand.

Ꮓ

And

20.

XI.

8 ERM. And there is no Wisdom, nor Counsel, nor Understanding against the Lord, ch. 21.30. For the Wisdom of this World is Foolishness 1 Cor. 5. 19, with God, fays St. Paul, for it is written, be taketh the Wife in their own Craftiness. And again, the Lord knoweth the Thoughts of the Wife, that they are vain. But their Hearts were hardened, and their Eyes blinded with Prejudice, and the Wisdom of God knew how to bring Good out of this Evil.

3dly, The Refurrection of Christ gives us an Affurance of our own Refurrection at the last Day; for befides its being a Proof that the Thing is in its own Nature poffible, which many of the learned Heathens denied, it infers the Refurrection of every good Christian to an immortal Life, as a certain Confequence from it. St. Paul clearly fhews this Connexion between these two, and illuftrates it by two fignificant MetaColoff. 1.18. phors. And he is the Head of the Body the Church; the Beginning, the first born from the Dead. And the Reafon follows, That in all Things he might have the Prebemi

nence.

As

XI.

As furely therefore as a living Head im- SBR M. plies a living Body united to it, and a Firstborn, a fecond Birth that followed it, fo furely does the Refurrection of Chrift imply the Refurrection of Christians. And the fame Apostle in the 1ft of Cor 15. ufes another Figure of Speech of the fame Significancy; where, in defcribing the Circumstances of the Refurrection, he fays, v. 23. That as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. But every Man in his own Order; Chrift the Firstfruits, afterwards they that are Chrift's at bis coming. The first Fruits were no more than the earliest Part of the Harvest to follow; in the fame Manner shall all Chrif tians rife in Confequence of the Resurrection of Christ, which is an Earnest and Security thereof; only the Preheminence and Priority was to be given to Christ in rifing first.

I shall mention but one Text more to prove that God hath established a near Relation and Connexion between these two Events; this is in the 8th of Rom. 11. But if the Spirit of him that raifed up Jefus from the Dead, dwell in you, be that raised Chrift from the Dead, fhall also quicken your Z 2 mortel