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life; which confifts of fuch grofs fub- SER M. stance, and that in continual change, as needs perpetually to be repaired with the fuitable nourishment of meats and drinks, to be sustained and kept in order with labour and exercife, and to be refreshed with fuch pleasures as are suitable indeed to this animal life, but are far beneath the excellent nature of the foul, and prove oftimes hurtful and injurious to it; This body, I fay, fhall at the refurrection become of a more refined and spiritual nature, fhall be wholly delivered from all those wants and incumbrances which are now so neceffary to the prefervation of the animal life; and fhall be entirely freed from all appetites to fuch pleasures, as are now the fnares and temptations of the foul. All which, our Saviour feems plainly to intimate, in that answer of his to a captious question proposed by the Sadducees, St Luc. xx. 35. They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain That world and the refurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any

more,

SERM. more, for they are equal or like unto the X. Angels. Having thus explained the nature of the victory that Chrift gives us over temporal death,

2dly, I proceed now in the 2d place to consider the Victory which Christ shall give to all his faithful Servants over that death which is eternal: And of this, very briefly. The victory over temporal death fhall be in fome measure (as has been already obferved) univerfal; For all fhall rife again from the dead, and all both juft and unjust shall be clothed with immortal and incorruptible bodies which fhall never be diffolved any more: But tho' there fhall be no more diffolution of the body, nor feparation of the foul, yet is there a greater deftruction into which they who believe not God and obey not his Gospel shall at last fall; and that is, the fecond death; Rev. xxi. 8. The fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and forcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, fhall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the fecond

death.

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death. Now from this death, thofe and SERM. those only shall be delivered by Chift, who hear the Word of God and beeb it, who hearken unto the commands of !! and in their lives obey them; They that overcome, shall not be hurt of the fecond death, for on them the fecond death hath no power, but they shall be Priests of God and of Chrift, and fball reign with him for ever, Rev. ii. 11. compared with Ch. xx. ver. 6. And of this we must understand that promife of our Saviour, St Joh. xi. 26. whofoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die, or (as the words may more properly be rendered) fhall not die for ever, i. e. fhall never fall into eternal death. That which Chrift hath already done towards delivering his Servants from the power of this death, is his making provision for their deliverance from the dominion and from the guilt of Sin, of which this death is the confequence and punishment. That which ftill remains, and which he will yet do for them, is to acquit them publickly at the great day of judgment, and then in pursuance of that sentence of abfo

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SER M. abfolution, actually to inftate them in his Kingdom of Glory. The refurrection of the dead is only in order to that final judgment, which shall pass upon all mankind; for God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he hath ordained, even our Lord Jefus Chrift; at whofe appearance all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and live, and ftand before his judgment-feat, and he shall judge them according to their works: The folemnity of which great day, cannot be more lively express'd, than in those prophetick words of Daniel, Chap. vii. ver. 9. I beheld 'till the thrones were caft down and the antient of days did fit, whofe garment was white as the fnow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire; A fiery fream if fued and came forth from before him, thousand thousands miniftred unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand food before him; the judgment was fet, and the books were opened: From which place most

of

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of the expreffions which are made ufe SER M. of in the New Teftament to fignify the Second coming of Chrift, are plainly borrowed. At this great Solemnity, all those who have embraced the gracious terms of the Gospel, and through the mercy of God have by Repentance and Obedience delivered themselves from the Power and Dominion of Sin, fhall by their Saviour and Judge be publickly acquitted before Men and Angels, and pronounced free from the Guilt and from the Punishment of Sin, For whofoever shall confefs me before men, faith our Saviour, i. e. whofoever shall not be ashamed of the Religion of Chrift, but notwithstanding all the Difcouragements he may meet with in the World, shall perfift in it and obey it, him shall the Son of man confefs before his Father which is in heaven, and before the angels of God, i. e. he shall acknowledge him for his true and faithful Disciple, and shall pronounce that bleffed Sentence upon him, Well done, good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The Servants of Chrift being thus pub