all the persons in that nature; we must view him as the second Adam, containing in his loins all who are or shall be born of the will of God, of incorruptible seed, by spiritual regeneration; as in the loins of the first Adam lay all his posterity, afterwards born of the will of man, of corruptible seed, by natural generation. In this capacity, as surety and father of us all, he entered the grave, and lay under the arrest of death for our sin; and in this capacity he arose from the grave, and came forth, for our justification; that as "IN Adam all died, even so IN Christ should all "be made alive." The words, therefore, which he spake, are fulfilled; "Because I live, ye shall live "also"." For if Christ be risen in our nature, then our nature is risen in Christ; and if our nature be risen, then they who partake of that nature shall rise too. We are, as the apostle speaks, ruuguro, "planted. "together in the likeness of his death," that we may grow together"in the likeness of his resurrection." He for us, and we in him; that "the same Spirit "which raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, may "also quicken our mortal bodies"." For who amongst us ever heard of a living head joined to dead members? Now that he is joined to us is most certain. For when the foot was bruised on earth, the head from heaven cried out, as sensible of the pain, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?" The head, lifted up from the waters which had overwhelmed it, drew in the breath of the spirit of life, to enliven and invigorate every member of the body. And though

John, xiv. 19.

• Rom. viii. 11.

the members are, as yet, wading through those waters, and, being covered with the waves, live only by their vital union with the exalted head, yet have they this promise, on which they may with confidence rely"I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men unto "" me." The apostle observes, that "if any one "member be honoured, all the members rejoice with "it" How much more must this be the case, when "the head is become as the most fine gold, "and on it are many crowns;" when "all the king"doms of this world are become the kingdoms of our “Lord and his Christ;" which Christ is "the head "of the church, and he is the Saviour of the body." It is an acknowledged axiom, that as is the root, such are the branches. If then the root, though set in dry ground, yet, through the influences of heaven and the water of life, became full of immortality, how shall not the branches partake of that immortality, which the root receives only to bestow it upon them, as it is written; "The Father hath given to the "Son to have life in himself, that he should

give eternal life to as many as he hath given "him"." He is the root, we are the branches. He is the first begotten from the dead; therefore others, whom "he is not ashamed to call brethren, shall be begotten from the dead, and declared the sons of God, as he was, by their resurrection, and the power of the Almighty. Many other Scripture. illustrations of the same point might be adduced; but these are sufficient. Well then might the apostle ar

P John, xii. 32. VOL. II.

91 Cor. xii. 6.

Y

John, xvii. 2.

66

gue, as he does, in that truly irrefragable manner; "Now, if Christ be preached, that he arose from "the dead, how say some among you, that there is "no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no "resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen ; "and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching "vain, and your faith 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. "if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And "if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are "C yet in your sins. Then they also, which are fallen "asleep in Christ, are perished. If in this life only

For

we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most "miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead,

and become the first fruits of them that slept." The first fruits are presented by the great High Priest. "On the morning after the sabbath, he waved them "before Jehovah." Then the heavens were bowed, and the earth shook. And meet it was, when the sheaf of Joseph thus arose and stood upright, that every sheaf in the field should make obeisance'; that every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord; that he is the first fruits, foreshowing, sanctifying, and ensuring that future harvest, which will be at the end of the world; that he is the first fruits of them that slept, and therefore that they who are in the graves "are not dead, but sleep ;" and "if they

•Gen. xxxvii. 7

* Phil. ii. 10.

sleep in him, they shall do well." For yet a little while, and he will call from heaven to his people, saying in the words of his prophets-" Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust," and let the voice of melody be heard through all the chambers of the grave: "Awake up, my glory, awake lute and harp; "awake thou that sleepest; shake thyself from the "dust: awake, awake, utter a song; break forth into "joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem, "for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath "redeemed Jerusalem. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? I will redeem them from death, I will 66 ransom them from the power of the grave; O death, "I will be thy plagues, O grave, I will be thy de"struction. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. "I am Jehovah, and change not.'

But how is this salvation to be effected? The text

expresses it by a change; "Who shall change our "vile body." And otherwise than by a change from the state in which it is to one very different, the deliverance cannot be wrought; since the subject of it is a body now vile. In the original it is σώμα της ταπεινώσεως nwy the body of our humiliation. Humiliation im

ημων

And such a fall

plies a fall from some higher state. our nature has sustained. For though the body of man was originally formed out of the earth, it was of the earth before the curse of corruption was inflicted upon it, yet "God created man to be immortal, and “made him an image of his own eternity." Other things were produced by the word of his power, but man by the counsel of the eternal Three, who said, "Let us make man." The workmanship ennobled

the materials; the hand of the Almighty bestowed perfection as it passed upon them, and the creature rose under it, beautiful in his form, excellent in his glory, the most perfect image of his Maker. There was no seed of corruption within, to cause disease and deformity without; no contending passions in the soul, like moths to fret and wear out its garment the body. The soul, clothed with a spirit of holiness, was all glorious within, and could not but communicate some portion of its excellence to its earthly tabernacle, thereby rendering matter a fit companion for an upright spirit, breathed into it from above. God made not sin, neither hath he pleasure in the punishment of it. But man chose it. And behold what destruction it hath brought upon the earth, and upon our body formed out of it. What dreadful attendants has this ravisher of the world introduced! corruption, and shame, and misery, and trouble, and infirmity, and deformity, and sorrow, and death. The soul is become a sea, whereon the passions, like winds, strive for the mastery, shaking the earthly frame with divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death. It is now "a body of sin ;" and what wonder, that it should be "a body of humiliation?" Sin has laid it low, even to the dust. Pamper it with the luxuries of sea and land, array it in gold and diamonds, it will be still the same. Only undraw the curtains of affliction, and you view it languishing upon the bed of sickness; unlock the doors of the grave, or enter the secret recesses of the charnel-house, and you behold it stripped of the world's tinsel pomps and vanities, reduced to putrid flesh, mouldering dust, and