only One Obfervation about the Manner SER M. XIII. of his Rifing. Which is, that in more than thirty paffages of the New Testament, 'tis expressly affirmed that God raifed up our Lord from the Dead, or that he was raised by the Power of the Father; and yet in two or three other places 'tis no lefs plainly afferted, that Chrift raised up himself. Which different expreffions might have feemed very difficult to be reconciled, but that our Saviour himself has in a most remarkable paffage upon this Subject, (as it were on purpose,) explained them to us with the greatest accuracy and exact diftinctness. Job. x. 18. No man, faith he, taketh my Life from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have Power to lay it down, and I have Power to take it again; This Commandment, (that is, This Commiffion, This Power,) have I received of my Father. I proceed Now in the

Iid place, To confider what were the Effects of Chrift's Refurrection, with respect to our Lord himself. And they were, 1ft, that thereby he was effectually,

and

SER M. and in a moft convincing manner, deXIII. clared to be the Son of God; Declared to be the Son of God with Power, faith St Paul, by the Refurrection from the Dead, Rom.

i.

4. Infomuch that even those words of the Pfalmift, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, are by the same Apostle, in his Sermon to the people of Antioch, applied to this very purpose: Acts xiii. 32. The Promife which was made unto the Fathers, God has fulfilled (says he) unto Us their children, in that he has raised up Jefus again; as it is also written in the fecond Pfalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Not that Chrift Then began to be the Son of God, but that he was Then declared to be so, by a most powerful and effectual Proof; having loofed the pains of Death, and shown that it was not poffible that he should be bolden of it. 2dly, Another Effect of Christ's Resurrection, with regard to our Lord himself, was his being thereby declared the Judge of Quick and Dead. Acts x. 40, 42. Him God raised up the third day, and commanded us---to teftify, that 'tis

He

He which was ordained of God to be the SER M. Judge of Quick and Dead. And ch. xvii. XIII. 31. God hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath appointed, whereof he hath given afsurance unto all that he has raised him from the Dead.

men,

in

If it be here asked, the appointing a day of general Judgment, being a Truth of fo great importance to Mankind; why

then was it not declared Sooner and Uni-
verfally, in All Ages and to All People?
The true Answer (I think) is, that in the
Whole, the Rule of Righteousness and the
great Expectation of a Judgment to come,
is in all Times and in all Places the fame;
And yet the feveral Difpenfations, or par-
ticular Methods and Degrees of God's
manifefting these Truths to Mankind, by
the Light of Nature and Reason, by Re-
velations to the Jews and Patriarchs, and
by the Gospel of Chrift, are and may as
justly be very different, as, in other cafes,
'tis lawful for God, the Author of All, to
make people of different capacities and in
different Circumftances. And acccordingly,

SER M. what God, when he comes to judgment, XIII. will finally require of Men under these different circumstances, will be proportionally different. For the Judge of the whole Earth, will do what is right, and with Equity fhall he judge the Nations. The Gospel was preached before, fays the Apostle, even in the days of Abraham, Gal. iii. 8. And even the Gentiles, which have not the Law revealed, are yet a Law unto themselves, fhowing the work of the Law written in their hearts, Rom. ii. 14. So that, upon the whole, God is no reSpecter of perfons; but in every nation, be that feareth Him and worketh righteoufActs x. 34. nefs, is accepted with him: For, not the Hearers of the Law are just before God, but the Doers of the Law shall be justified, ver. 13. And on the contrary, as many as have finned without law, shall alfo perifh without law,-----in the day when God fhall judge the Secrets of Men by JeJus Chrift, ver. 16.

IT remains, that I proceed in the IIId and Laft place, To confider what are the Effects of our Lord's Refurrection,

with respect to Us. And they are; 1ft, SER M. our Juftification. That is to fay; The XIII. Refurrection of Chrift from the dead, was on God's part a publick and authentick Declaration of his accepting the Sacrifice of the Death of Chrift, as an Atonement for the Sins of All that truly repent. This is the Meaning of thofe Paffages of St Paul,where he tells us, that Chrift was delivered for our Offences, and raised again for our Juftification; Rom. iv. 25.That We,that is, wicked men both among Jews and Gentiles, having been dead in Sin, that is, having been in a State of condemnation; God, who raifed Chrift from the dead, hath quickened Us together with Him, (has restored us to the hope of eternal life,) having forgiven us all Trefpaffes; Col. ii. 13. And that, if Christ be not raised, we are yet in our Sins, 1 Cor. xv. 17; that is, if Chrift be not rifen, we have Then no evidence of God's having accepted Chrift's Mediation for us; nor confequently of our being juftified, or having our Repentance accepted; to fuch degrees and Purpofes at leaft, as God has now declared that

it