SER M. a clear and express revelation of this matX.

ter: Yet were they by no means wholly ignorant of it; there being feveral paffages in the Old Teftament, from whence the hope of a Refurrection might very reafonably be collected. The translation of Enoch and Elijah into Heaven with their bodies, was an earnest of what might finally be expected, by those who should follow their example in pleafing God; and the strict command that Jacob and Joseph gave, not to be buried in Egypt, but to have their bones carried up into the land of Canaan and laid in the Sepulchres of their Fathers; was to many of the antient Jews an argument or type of their hope of a Resurrection. thing was not in itself impoffible, the inftances of fuch as were actually raised from the dead by the Prophets, was a fignal proof. And Ifaiah xxvi. 19. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body Shall they arife: awake and fing, ye that dwell in duft: for thy dew is as the dew of berbs, and the earth fhall caft out the dead. And the vifion of Ezekiel, fet down

That the

X.

in the 37th Chapter of his Prophecy, tho'S ER M. it fignified indeed primarily the Restauration of Ifrael to their own land, yet in all probability, confidering the peculiar Emphasis and particularity of the description, it was intended remotely to point at a greater and more general Restauration; Behold a valley full of dry bones, and there was a noife, and behold a fhaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone, the finews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above, and their breath came into them, and they lived and food upon their feet, and behold a great multitude. But that paffage in the Prophet Daniel, tho' by fome it be, with great violence to the Words, otherwife interpreted; is most exprefs, and by the ancient Jews underftood of the Resurrection; Dan. xii. 2 and 3. Many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth fhall awake, fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting contempt; and they that be wife, fhall fhine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness,

as

X.

SERM. as the ftars for ever and ever, and thou fhall reft and ftand in thy lot at the end of the days, Dan. xii. 13. Lastly, that folemn Prophecy of Job, ch. xix. ver. 23. Oh that my Words were now written ! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead, in the rock for ever! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he fhall ftand at the latter Day upon the earth: And tho' after my skin worms deftroy this body, yet in my flesh fhall I fee God: Thefe words, I fay, tho' by many of the antient Jews they were interpreted concerning a future State without respect in particular to the Refurrection of the body, and by fome later Interpreters are understood only of his reftitution to his temporal greatnefs; yet because of their being introduced with fo very folemn and weighty a preface, as containing fomewhat of the highest moment and importance; they are by others not without great reafon thought to be spoken concerning the Resurrection of the body. And that the Jews did believe, that the

bodies,

bodies, at least of fuch remarkably pious S ER M. men, should rise again, appears plainly X. from the translation of the laft Verfe of the book of Job according to the Seventy, which in their Verfion runs thus; So Job died, being old and full of days; But 'tis written that he shall rise again with those whom the Lord raifes up. The Jews

therefore had at laft an obfcure and indeterminate expectation of the Resurrection of the body; Nay, the later Jews more certain: For fo one of the seven Brethren, 2 Macc. vii. 9, 11. when his hands were to be cut off; These, says he, I had from Heaven, and for his laws I defpife them, and from him I hope to receive them again: For the King of the World fall raife us up, who have died for his Laws, to everlasting Life. But now in the New Teftament this Doctrine is fo clearly revealed, that it may juftly be wondered how it was poffible for any one that believed the Gospel at all, to doubt of the certainty of it. Yet we read that there were, even so very early as in the days of the Apostles themfelves, who concerning

this

ŞERM this truth, did err, faying that the reX. furrection is past already, and overthrow

the faith of fome, 2 Tim. ii. 18. But as their opinion was fo abfurd as to need no confutation, fo in a little time it entirely vanished of itself. I fhall not therefore insist on any other argument for the proof of this doctrine, than that which the Apostle makes use of in this Chapter; which is the Refurrection of Chrift For, faith he, if there be no refurrection of the dead, then is Chrift not rifen; And if Christ be not rifen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith alfo is vain; But now Chrift is rifen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that flept, ver. 13, 14. The force of which argument is plainly this: If there be no refurrection of the dead, then is that doctrine, which the Apoftles preached concerning it, erroneous and false; and if ,that doctrine be falfe, then the refurrection of Chrift, which is the proof of that doctrine, must likewise be falfe: If therefore the resurrection of Christ be true, as he had before proved by a cloud of Witnesses