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SERM.

V.

SERMON V.

ACTS ii. 27.

Because thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption.

HE Refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the Dead is a Matter of fuch great Importance, that Chriftianity depends upon the Truth of it: For, as the Apoftle fays, If Chrift be not rifen, then is our Faith vain, we are yet in our Sins. And therefore we find the Apoftles, when they firft fet out to preach the Gospel, after they were endued with Power from on High, open'd their Commiffion with afferting this great Truth ; which they maintain'd with a Courage fuitable to the Dignity and Importance of the Thing; and made it a Qualification for an Apoftle

Apoftle which was to be chofen in the SERM,
Room of Judas, That he fhould be one V.
which had companied with them all the
Time that the Lord Jefus was converfant
among them, beginning from the Baptism
of John unto the Day that he was taken up
from them, that he might be a Witness with
them of the Refurrection. And in this
Chapter, St Peter, in his firft Sermon, ad-
dreffes himself to the Jews in this Manner;
Te Men of Ifrael, hear thefe Words; Jefus
of Nazareth, a Man approv'd of God a-
mong you by Miracles, Wonders and Signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you,
as ye yourselves also know; him being de-
liver'd by the determinate Counsel and Fore-
knowledge of God ye have taken, and by
wicked Hands have crucified and flain;
whom God hath raifed up, having loofed
the Pains of Death, because it was not
poffible that he bould be holden of it. And
then takes a Quotation out of the 16th
Pfalm, and applies it as a Prophecy of the
Refurrection. For David, fays he, speaketh
concerning him, I forefaw the Lord always
before my Face, for he is on my Right
Hand that I should not be moved. Therefore

did
my Heart rejoice, and my Tongue was
glad. Moreover alfo my Flefh fhall reft in

Hope,

SERM. Hope, because thou wilt not leave my Soul V. in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption.

The Apoftle here addreffing himself to the Jews, does not argue about the Poffi bility of the Refurrection (for they had been long enough train'd up by Miracles to know, that nothing was too hard for an omnipotent Power; befides, 'twas a Thing done fo lately that it must have been well known, as appears from their not contradicting it) but declares and maintains the Certainty of it, and refers them to their own Prophet for their farther Satisfaction.

Before I come to handle the Doctrine which I fhall draw from this Text, I think it will be proper to make the Way to it as clear as I can; and therefore I fhall lay before the moft confiderable Interpretayou tions which have been given of these Words, that fee which has the beft Right

you may

to be the true.

Some are of Opinion that the Soul in this Place is put figuratively for the Body, and that Hell fignifies the Grave; and to maintaiu theirOpinion, have produced several Texts of Scripture in which these two Words are thus understood. But tho' this be very true in thofe Places, yet it don't seem to be

the

V.

the Signification or Meaning of the Word SERM in this; for then they would ftand thus, Thou shalt not leave my Body in the Grave, nor fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption. Now here we may fee the Abfurdity of leaving the literal Senfe of Scripture without a Neceffity for fo doing; for according to this Interpretation, there is no Mention made of the Soul of Chrift at all, without which to animate it again, the Body must have been ftill left in the Grave; for if it had rifen again with another Soul, it would not have been a true Refurrection. So that if the Soul in this Place be not taken in a literal Senfe, then it is not taken into this Interpretation at all, and confequently there could have been no Refurrection of the Soul with the Body. For the Soul can't be implied in the latter Part of the Text, neither shalt thou Suffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption, because the Soul could not fee Corruption; and if the Soul were not rifen, as it could not be if the Body only was risen, then there could be no Refurrection, and so it could not answer the Prophet's Hope and Expectation.

Others are of Opinion, that by Hell we are to underftand the Place of Departed Souls;

SERM. Souls; but that Chrift did not go there V. locally but virtually. And then the Text

will ftand thus ; Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, or in the feparate State of departed Souls, where it never was, nor fuffer thine Holy One to fee Corruption; which Interpretation founds very harsh and inconfiftent. For if it was there only virtually, then it could not be there fo as to juftify the Expreffion of not being left there; for a Thing can't be faid to be taken away, or not to be left in the Place, where it never was, only in a virtual Manner. If this were true, it must have been express'd after this Manner, Thou wilt not. Suffer my Soul to go into Hell, inftead of faying it would not be left, where it never had been before. Befides, this is directly contrary to Scripture; for our bleffed Saviour promised the penitent, Thief juft before his Death, that that Day he should be with him in Paradife; and as he was giving up the Ghoft, he faid, Father, into thy Hands I commend my Spirit.

Others again are of Opinion, that Hell fignifies a Place of Torments, or the State of the Damned; and that there it was where the Soul of Chrift was not to be left. But if we look into the Reasons that are given

for

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