"wake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame " and everlafting contempt. And they that be wife, " shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and

they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars " for ever and ever." As this passage contains a direct and plain assertion of the refurrection of the body, and of life everlasting; fo, according to the known rules of interpretation, it is by this more particular passage that we must explain the more general expressions of the fame prophet, in the forecited 7th chapter, y 18. where he tells us, that the faints of the Most High should poffefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. It is remarkable, that in both these passages the prophet makes use of the strongest expreffions imaginable to fignify perpetuity in the strictest sense, for ever and ever.

In If. xxv. 8. after a magnificent promise, of God's enlightening and feafting all nations, which feafting must relate to the full fatisfaction resulting from the bleffings of God's covenant, it is faid, "He will fwallow up death in victory, and the " Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces:" and though these words may relate, not only to the actual bestowing of a blessed refurrection at the last day, but alfo to the clear revelation of it by the gofpel; this does not weaken the argument from this text, for a state of future blessedness, where death and forrow shall be abolished for ever; without the hope of which blessedness there can be no true spiritual featting, or full fatisfaction, given to an immortal foul. Whereas this promise of immortality is expressed by way of threatening againft death, it ferves to give light to another threatening of the fame kind in Hofea xiii. 14. " I will ransom " them from the power of the grave: I will re"deem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy deftruction; re pentance shall be hid from mine eyes:" where, feeing the fame general truth, the abolishing of death,

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death, is repeated four or five times in so strong and emphatic expreffions, it is a proof that the words are to be understood in the highest sense; which is at the same time the most literal sense they are capable of, and the most agreeable to parallel scriptures, particularly to those already cited.

Though Pfal. xvi. 9. 10. is applied peculiarly to the Meffiah, yet if we consider even the prophetical doctrine concerning the relations between him and his people, he being their representative, their hufband, and their parent *, there is a connection between his refurrection and theirs: and accordingly it is faid, If. xxvi. 19. Thy dead men shall live, "together with my dead body shall they arife: a" wake and fing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy "dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall "cast out the dead:" where it is evident, that men are represented as attaining to a most joyful refurrection from the dead; and that by virtue of the refurrection of the dead body of fome extraordinary person; who, by the best rules of interpretation, can be no other than the Meffiah, who by faving men from fin, it behoved him to save them from death; which, according to the Old Testament as well as the New, is the fruit of fin.

The passages that have been mentioned, where the refurrection of the body is expressed by awaking out of fleep, and out of the dust, serve to give light to fome other passages which are perhaps of themfelves more obfcure; as Pfal. xvii. 14. 15. where the pfalmist diftinguishes himself from those whose portion is only in this life, which must be the cafe of all men, setting aside the hopes of immortality; and adds, "As for me, I will behold thy face in "righteousness: I shall be fatisfied, when I awake, "with thy likeness." And Pfal. xlix. where the pfalmist, after telling us, y 6.7. &c. that men who trust in riches, cannot be redeemed or ransomed from death by their riches, so as to live for ever; he infinuates, that those who trust not in riches, but in God, have a more glorious profpect of futurity; and fays triumphantly, $ 15. "But God " will redeem my foul from the power of the

grave, for he shall receive me;" and thence infers an exhortation against envying wicked rich men, because when they die they can carry nothing away; which exhortation can have no conceivable conection with that from which it is inferred, namely, the redemption of the palmist's own foul from the power of the grave, without supposing that as to himself death would not deprive him of all. And accordingly, y 14. speaking of the death of foolish and wicked men, he tells us, that "the upright "shall have dominion over them in the morning;" which, confidering the foregoing words, must naturally relate to a very remarkable morning after death. It deserves particular attention, that whereas these various expreffions appear very obfcure, considering the great importance of what is supposed to be the fubject of them, there is previous advertisement given in the introduction of the pfalm, which has a very peculiar folemnity in it, that the chief fubject-matter of it is both of very great importance, and yet to be delivered in dark fayings.

As to passages which speak not directly of the refurrection of the body, but in general of future blessedness: In Pfal. Ixxiii. 24. the pfalmist says, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and after"ward receive me to glory." It is the scope of the pfalm, to shew the justice of the divine adminiftration, notwithstanding the temporal afflictions of the righteous, and the profperity of the wicked, not only for a part of their life, but fometimes to their very death, it being observed y 4. that there are no bands in their death; which thews, that the defolation mentioned as in a peculiar manner the end

end of the wicked, y 17.19. cannot be meant, or at least cannot be restricted to any temporal trouble, or death itself, the common end of all, but muft relate to a just punishment after death: all which evidently favours the common interpretation of the words, " and afterwards receive me to glory," as meant of heaven. And this is still farther confirmed, by more expreffions than one, in the following context; as, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?"

25.; and, "Thou art my portion for ever," * 26.; especially when this interest in God as his everlafting portion is confidered as part of the answer to a former objection, "That he had cleansed his heart * " and hands in vain," because of his great afflictions in this life; and also as a relief from the ground of dejection mentioned in the words preceding this claim of interest in God for ever, viz. "My heart "and flesh faileth."

In If. lvii. 1. 2. the righteous are represented as blessed in their death, not only because they are taken from the evils of this life, but because they enter into a state of peace and rest; which rest is not described by inactivity, but is supposed only to be a reft from labour and trouble; feeing they who enter into that rest are said to walk in their uprightness, which evidently denotes activity in holiness *.

In confidering fome of the many instructions in the Old Teftament, which, without fo direct assertion of the doctrine of immortality, contain principles whence that doctrine may by neceffary consequence be deduced, it is of particular use to have in view some patterns of that kind of reasoning in the discourses of Chrift and his apostles; and particularly Christ's argument against the Sadducees,

• See more arguments, such as those taken from the tranflation of Enoch and Elijah, and from the writings of Solomon, in books which treat more fully of this subject. See Pf. lxxxiv. at the end.

taken from the books of Mofes, to which these peoples regard is faid to have been in a great meafure confined. It is a remarkable excellency of that argument, that it is founded on a general principle, which is not only of evident certainty, but alfo of evident importance in practice, for guarding against misapprehenfions of God; namely, That when God makes ftrong declarations of great love and favour to any, which is neceffarily implied in his calling himself their God in a peculiar manner), fuch declarations must not be supposed to resemble the empty expreffions of love and regard too oft ufed among men, but must imply God's bestowing on his favourites a happiness worthy of himself, a happiness durable and complete, including deliverance in due time from all the fruits of fin, and confequently from bodily death itself. If people have an intereft in God as their God, the most evident consequence of this may justly be expressed in the words of the pfalmift, Pfal. lxxxiv. 11. that God will withhold no good thing from them, but will give them grace and glory. Much to this purpose is the apostle's reasoning, Heb. xi. 16. they "defire a bet

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ter country, that is an heavenly: wherefore God " is not ashamed to be called their God; for he "hath prepared for them a city:" implying, that it would argue dishonourable thoughts of God, to suppose that he should make so magnificent and ample declarations of love and good-will to any perfons, as his special friends and favourites, if all this fhould have no more confiderable effects than what take place in this momentary life, and all should end in the total destruction of the very being of those favourites in a little time, by annihilation, after they had shared much less in the enjoyments of this life than many of God's adverfaries. But, on the other hand, God's preparing fuch a city and country, that is, an heavenly, shews, that his favours to his people are every way worthy of himfelf,

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