will have comfort of his Rifing, who are thus rifen with him. The great Revolution of the whole World, its second and better Creation to Immortality, began this Day. But, if we have no part in it, by Reformation and a new Life, we are of all Men most Miferable. Our Prince and King hath overcome indeed the sharpness of Death: But it is to Believers only, that he hath opened the kingdom of Heaven. And fuch Believers are only They, who prove their Faith by their Works. And to those he hath given a fure Comfort. Such a One, as nei 25, 26. ther Tribulation nor Distress, nor even Death Rom. viii. 35, 38. it felf can rob them of. For fince their ReJob xix. deemer liveth, they are certain, that though, after their Skin, Worms destroy this Body, yet there will come another Day, when in their Flesh they shall fee God. Whom God grant us to behold, and to fee for our selves, that is, for our own unfpeakable and everlasting Happiness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 34 T Easter Monday. For the EPISTLE. Acts x. 34. Hen Peter opened bis mouth, and faid, Of a truth I perceive that God in no respecter of perfons : 35. But in every nation, be that feareth God, and worketh rigbtemj ness, is accepted with him. 36. The word which God fent unto the children of Ifrael, preaching peace by Jefa Chrift, be is Lord of all : 37. That word (I say) you know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power: who went about doing good, and bealing all that were oppreffed of the devil: for God was with him. 39. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerufalem: whom they flew and banged on a tree. 40. Him God raised up the third day, and shewed bim openly, 41. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses, chosen before of God, even to us, whe did eat and drink with him after be rose from the dead. 42. And be commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is be which is ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. 43. To him give all the prophets witness, that through bis name whosoever believeth in bim, shall receive remission of fins, The 13. A The GOSPEL. St. Luke xxiv. 13. ND beboid, tawo of his Disciples went that fame day to a village called 14. And they talked together of all these things, which bad happened. 15. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together, and reasoned, bimself drew near, and went with them. 16. But their eyes were bolden, that they should not knoru bim. Jefus 17. And be faid unto them, What manner of communication are these, that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are fad ? 18. And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, anfrvering, faid unto bim, Art thou only a ftranger in Jerufalem, and baft not known the things which are come to pafs there in these days? 19. And be faid unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning FeSus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty in deed and word, before God, and all the people. 20. And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and bave crucified bim. 21. But we trufled that it kad been be which should have redeemed Ifrael: and befide all this, to day is the third day fince these things were dome. 22. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the fepulchre : 23. And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also feen a vision of angels, which faid that he was alive. 24. And certain of them which were with us, went to the fepulchre, and found it even so as the women bad said, but him they saw not. 25. Then be faid unto them, o fools, and flow of beart to believe all that the prophets have spoken : 26. Ouzbt not Chrift to have suffered these things, and to enter into bis glory? 27. And beginning at Mofes, Mofes, and all the prophets, be expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went ; and be made as though be would have gone farther. 29. But they constrained bim, saying, Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent: and he went in to tarry with them. 30. And it came to pass, as be fat at meat with them, be took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and be vanished out of their fight. 32. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while be talked with us by the way, and while be opened to us the Scriptures ? 33. And they rose up the fame bour, and returned to Jerufalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them. 34. Saying, The Lord is rifen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35. And they told what them in breaking of bread. things were done in the way, and bow be was known of COMMENT. T COMMENT. HE Proofs of cur Blessed Lord's Resurrection are Twofold: Confisting partly of Matter of Fact, and partly of the Agreement of that Fact with ancient Prophecies, concerning so very important an Gospel for Eafter Event. Of the Former Sort I have treated already; and have there taken in the Historical part of the Epistles and Gofpels, for this, and the following Day. These indeed do reem to turn chiefly upon the Latter Evidence; And therefore my Difcourses upon them shall be confined to That, and cast into one continued Argument upon it. To This purpose we shall do well to obferve; That, when by feveral demonftrations of his being really alive, our Lord had rendred his Difciples fit to hear Reafon; he put them in mind, that the Events, which they looked upon, as altogether incredible, were no other than He, in his former Conversation with them, had very frequently affured them, should be brought to pafs. That they were in every point agreeable to the Prophecies, delivered many Ages before. Those Prophecies, which the Jews unanimoufly allowed to be intended of the Meffias; and fuch as, fincenow they had feen them! exactly accomplished in Him, were an irrefragable Ar gument, that He was that very Meffias. Upon this he enlarges; And, by the Explanation of those Scrip tures, which related to Himself, as well as by the inward Affistances and Illuminations of his Grace, darted new Light into their Understandings, and shewed them the Correfpondence and exact Harmony of those Predicti ons, with the things, which, they could witness, hal happened to Him. The Strefs hereof lies in those Paffa ges, in which, from the mention of these former Prephecies, he draws this Inference; Oug not Chrift to Suffer and to enter into bis G. Ver. 26, 27. ! ry? And again, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to fuffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. Ver. 44, 45, 45. Those Claufes, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved, may probably mean no more than this, that Chrift muft needs fuffer and rise again, because the Scriptures concerning him, could not otherwife have been true. And then the Argument is but One; That, after God had declared fuch things concerning the Meffiah, and made these the Marks, which the World was to distinguish him by; however strange and surprising they might appear at first, yet, upon maturer Confideration, it was eafie for Men to fatisfie themselves, that they were unavoidably neceffary, for vindicating the Truth of God, who had, so long before, given warning of them by the Prophets. See the Gospel on Quinq. Sun. But, in truth, this neceffity was fubordinate to another. For these things were therefore foretold, because God had from all Eternity determined them. And they were determined, because his infinite Wisdom faw the fitness of them, and their Subserviency to the Great Ends of sending the Meffiah, for the Redemption of Mankind. Therefore that Expression, Thus it behoved, if it do not require, yet it may admit of, another Senfe, which makes it an Argument fomewhat different from the former. And that is, That the Death and Refurrection of Jefus were in all Points fuitable to the Character of the Meffiah. And, that the Scheme and Design of Man's Redemption could not have been so properly fatisfied, by any other means, as by Thefe. This, I fay, if it be not the most natural and neceffary, is yet a very useful Conftruction of that Expreffion. But I shall not take the liberty of treating of it in this Latitude. And therefore, limiting my felf to the former Senfe, what I have to say upon this Subject will confift only of Two Heads. Qq 2 I. First, I. First, I shall instance in some of the most material Passages, which it is reasonable for us to suppose our Lord infifted upon; And, II. Secondly, I shall shew, wherein the Force of his Argument lay, in applying these, as Remedies to the Perplexities and Doubts of his Disciples, at that time. 1. First, I shall instance in some of the most material Passages, which it is reasonable to fuppofe, our Lord made use of, in the present Cafe. He is said to have be Ver. 27. gun with Mofes and all the Prophets, and to have expounded in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Now, though it is possible he might open to them the Predictions, relating to Other Matters and Actions of his Life; yet the main Difficulties then lying before them, and the only things mentioned here, being his Passion and Refurrection, I shall confine my Difcourse to such, as foretel Thefe only. Nor shall I enlarge any farther upon Them, than to produce such, at least the principal of fuch, as we find exprefly applied to this purpose, in the New Testament. For, fince the Evangelist hath not told us particularly, what Prophecies our Lord insisted upon, to convince them at this time; I cannot think it unreasonable to prefume, that the Disciples endeavoured to convince Others, by the fame Scriptures, to which they owed their own Conviction. And therefore fuch as we find Them, either relating, as quoted by Our Lord before his Death; or else urging upon the Jews in their own Persons afterwards; Such, I think, we may fairly prefume, had a place in Our Lord's Difcourse, which was designed to settle their Minds, and remove their Doubts, and compose their Aftonishment, occafioned by his Death and RefurreEtion. I only add, before I enter upon Particulars, that there are Two forts of things, by which future Events were 2 figni |