person, and in this individual fleshly body; and though. worms shall destroy it, and my reins shall be consumed within me, yet by faith I am assured of this great and comfortable truth.

§ 8. The Prophet Isaiah also speaks of the future resurrection of the dead in this manner: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isa. 26: 19. It appears from hence," says Bishop Lowth, "that the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was at that time a popular and common doctrine; for an image which is assumed, to express or represent any thing in the way of allegory or metaphor, whether poetical or prophet. ical, must be an image commonly known and understood; otherwise it will not answer the purpose for which it is as sumed."

This passage is applied by our Rabbins to the resurrection of the dead. Aben Ezra, and Kinchi in loco, Tal. Bab. Sanhed. fo. 90. 2. There are several other passages of similar import in the Old Testament, some of which are referred to in the New Testament, such as Hosea, 13: 14. Daniel, 12: 2, &c. No wonder, therefore, that the saints under the Old Testament believed the resurrection of the dead. Hence they took especial care about their dead bodies and their burial, not merely out of respect to natural order and decency, but to express their faith of the resurrection. Hence saith the apostle, "By faith Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones." Heb. 11: 22.

From these passages, and perhaps also from tradition, our people, with the exception of the Sadducees, were fully convinced in the days of our Lord of the resurrection of the body. John, 11: 24; Matt. 22: 29-32.

Hence, saith the apostle, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"

Acts, 26 8; with you, O king Agrippa, and the rest that I speak to, who are Jews, and believe the Scriptures, and therefore cannot be averse to this doctrine? On this account also he calls the resurrection the hope of Israel," Acts, 28: 20, because it was hoped for by our people, as well as believed.

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§ 9. In the New Testament, the resurrection of the dead is taught still more frequently and more explicitly. I will cite but a few passages: "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John, 5: 28, 29. “For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." See also the whole of the 15th chap. 1 Corinthians.

§ 10. The resurrection may also be proved from the several instances mentioned in the Old and new Testaments, of persons raised from the dead. Such as the widow of Sa repta's son by Elijah; the Shunamite's son by Elisha; the man in Elisha's sepulchre; Jairus' daughter; the widow's son; Lazarus, and many at the death of Christ.

11. Another proof of the resurrection of the dead is taken from the resurrection of Christ.

This is Paul's great argument to prove the resurrection of the righteous. "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your hope is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if

Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." 1 Cor. 15: 12-17. Christ rose as a public person, and as the head of his church; but if the head be risen, all the members must rise also; and therefore he is called "the first fruits of them that sleep," ver. 20. As the first fruit is a sure evidence that the harvest is coming, so the resurrection of Christ is a sure evidence of the rising of the bodies of the saints. Hence Christ is also called the "second Adam," ver. 21, 22. Now, as in the first Adam all his natural posterity died, not only spiritually but corporeally, so in the second Adam all his spiritual seed must be made alive, both spiritually and corporeally.

§ 12. Having proved the reality of the resurrection, I shall now proceed to point out its nature.

I observe first, that

The same identical body that has died, shall rise again. This is evident from the very name resurrection; for if it were not the same identical body, but a new body, it would be a creation, and not a resurrection. The places from whence the dead will be raised prove the same:" All that are in the graves shall come forth." See Dan. 12:2; John, 5 28; Rev. 20: 13. "They shall come forth." Who? They who are in the graves, i. e. men, with regard to their bodies, the same bodies wherein they lived on earth, and which were laid in the graves. "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies," Rom. 8:11; so that it is this mortal body which is quickened again; "for this corruptible must put on incorrup tion, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15:53. Not that another body shall succeed in place of this, but this very body shall be changed, not in substance, but in qualities. The same argument, derived from the justice and the mercy of God, as stated before, proving the necessity of the resurrection of the body, proves also that it must be the same identical body. As our bodies are par,

takers with the soul in good and evil actions, it is just that they should be partakers also in rewards and punishments. This argument holds good both with respect to the righteous and the wicked. We cannot think that God gave bodies to the holy martyrs, only to endure inexpressible tortures and miseries to death for the sake of Christ, and then to perish for ever. Does God require services of the body, and will he not reward those services? It cannot be ima. gined that the souls of believers should be glorified and not their bodies. They have served God with their bodies, which have been instruments of holiness. Their eyes have flowed with tears for sin, their hands have relieved the poor, their tongues have celebrated God's praises; there. fore justice and equity require that their bodies should be crowned as well as their souls; and how can that be, unless the same identical bodies are raised from the dead? And as the same body that served him well will be rewarded, so also the same body that sinned will be punished. For a just God will never punish a body that never was connected with the first Adam, nor was guilty of actual transgression. The identity of the raised body appears also from the pattern; such a body as Christ had in the resurrection and ascension shall the saints have; " for our vile body shall be made like his glorious body." Phil.. 3:21. Now, the body in which Christ rose, was the same body which was assumed of the virgin, which was nailed to the cross, and laid in the grave; and with the same body he entered into heaven, and there remaineth the same; according to the substance, that was here upon earth, only changed in qualities. So our body remains the same in substance, only freed from the pollutions, and endowed with glorious qualities fit for the heavenly state. As the decays and separations of our bodies do not make them cease to be the same bodies we bring with us into the world; so neither does the change they undergo by death, nor the

glorious qualities wherewith they are endowed when raised again, make them other bodies, for substance, than they

are now.

§ 13. The bodies of the righteous will be invested with unspeakable glory. The greatness of this glorious change is inconceivable and indescribable. But although “it doth not yet appear what we shall be, yet we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." 1 John, 3: 2; for he shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." Phil. 3 21. Of this wonderful change the apostle has given us an epitome in the following manner: "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the say. ing that is written, death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. 15: 51-54. In the morning of the resurrection, all deformity and imperfections will be left in the grave.

During the persecution in the reign of Queen Mary, a lame and a blind man being brought to the stake to be burned to death, the former threw away his crutch, and addressing his fellow-sufferer, said, "Be of good comfort, my brother, for my lord of London is our good physician; he will heal us both shortly, thee of thy blindness, and me of my lameness." They shall also be freed from all the necessities of nature: They shall hunger and thirst no more." Rev. 7: 16. Moses on the mount was so filled with the glory of God that he needed not the recruits of nature; how much more will the bodies of the saints be filled with the glory and felicity of heaven when raised from the

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