thou earth at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob," Psal. 114:7. It is not for us curiously to inquire into the cause of this earthquake: certainly the cause was above nature's reach; it was not any hollow wind got into the bowels of the earth, but either it was Christ's rising, or the angel's descending; the earth either danced for joy that Christ was risen, or it trembled for fear that men would not believe his resurrection. The evangelist seems to lay it on the angel, "For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven:" sure the power of angels is very great, they can move all corporeal things almost in an instant, they can stir up tempests, they can shake the earth, move the waters, only all their power is subjected to God's will, "Bless the Lord, all ye angels that excel in strength, that do his will," Psal. 103:20. It was the will of God, that now an angel should take hold on the pillars of the earth, and make it shake; no wonder if for "fear of him the keepers shake, and become as dead men," Matth 28:4. and if one angel be able to shake the earth, and to shake the keepers, those armed soldiers that were set to watch the tomb, what then will Christ himself do, when he shall come to judgment the second time, with many thousand thousands of angels! Oh! how terrible and fearful will his coming be? As at Christ's resurrection, so at the last resurrection there will "be earthquakes in divers places," Matth. 24: 7. Christ hath showed, and he will show himself to be the absolute Lord of heaven and earth: see how the earth trembling under his feet, doth (as it were) pay him homage; " And behold there was a great earthquake.'

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4. That Christ rose again, angels ministering to him, "An angel came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it," Matth. 28:2. Christ's power was not included in the grave, or on the earth, but extended to heaven, and to the hosts therein; however the chief priests and Pharisees conspired together to close him in the earth, they sealed the stone and set a watch, they made all sure as possibly they could; yet the angels of heaven are ready to wait on him as their sovereign Lord. angel descended to roll away the stone," not that Christ was unable to do it himself, he shook the earth, and could he not lift a stone? O yes! but this would manifest his power, by declaring his power over the mighty angels; he needed but to say this unto his angel, "do this, and he doeth it." I find some difference amongst authors, why an angel should roll away the stone; some think that it was only for the women's sake, that they might go into the sepulchre, and take a view of the empty tomb, and so be satisfied that Christ was not there, but risen, as they said, "Come see the place where the Lord lay," Matth. 28:6. Others think it was to do their office of duty and service to Jesus Christ, to make way for his body to pass out of the grave without any penetration of other bodies; for my part, I adhere to these, though we need not to exclude the former, for the stone might be removed, both that Christ might come forth, and that the women might be convinced that he was risen again. But as for the opinion of them who think the stone was not removed till after the resurrection; and that the body of Christ went through the grave stone when he arose again, it is without all warrant; the very order of nature will not permit that one body should pass through another, without corruption or alteration of either; we say two bodies cannot be together, and at once in one proper place; no more than one body can be together, and at once, in an hundred, or a thousand places; now that angelical argument is full for this, "He is not here, for he is risen,” Matth. 28:6. He is not in the grave, for he is risen out of the grave; he could not be in the

grave, and out of the grave at one and the same time. But I mean not to dwell on controversial points.

5. That Christ rose again accompanied with others, " And the graves were opened, and many bodies of saints which slept, arose, and came out of their graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many," Matth. 27:52,53. It may be the graves were opened when Christ was laid down in his grave, yet the spirits came not into the dead bodies till Christ's resurrection: the text is plain that they came not out of their graves till Christ was raised, "Christ is the beginning, (saith the apostle) Col. 1:18. the first-born from the dead:" How the firstborn? I answer, both in time and efficacy. 1. In time, he rose to eternal life, the first of all men. This was the sum of Paul's preaching, that Christ should suffer, "and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead," Acts 26:23. It is true indeed, that Lazarus, and sundry others, rose before Christ, but they rose to live a mortal life, and to die again: Christ was the first of all that rose to eternal life; never any in the world rose before Christ in this manner. 2. In respect of efficacy, Christ rose first, that by his power all the rest might rise; there is in Christ's resurrection, a reviving and quickening virtue; and herein is a main difference betwixt the resurrection of Christ, and the resurrection of any other man: the resurrection of Abraham avails nothing to the resurrection of Isaac, or of Jacob, but the resurrection of Christ avails to the resurrection of all that have believed, or that shall believe in him: Is not Christ called "a quickening Spirit?" 1 Cor. 15:45. How then should he but quicken all bis members? When a man is cast into the sea, and all his body is under water, there is nothing to be looked for but present death; but if he carry his head above the water, there is good hope then of a recovery; now Christ is the head unto his church, and therefore he being raised, all his members must follow in their time: no sooner did Christ arise, but many of the bodies of the saints arose, not all that were dead, but only some, to show the resurrection of all to come; the time for the whole church's rising being not yet till the great resurrection-day. It is a question what became of those bodies which now arose? Some think they died again; but it is more probable, that seeing they arose to manifest the quickening virtue of Christ's resurrection, that they were also glorified with Christ; and as they rose with Christ arising, so they ascended up into heaven with Christ ascending.

6. That Christ rose again with a true, perfect, incorruptible, powerful, spiritual, agile, and glorious body.

1. He had a true body, consisting of flesh, and blood, and bone; so he told his disciples, when they supposed him a spirit, "Handle me, and see, (said he) for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have," Luke 24:39. I know his body after his resurrection was comparatively a spiritual body; yet for all that, he never laid aside the essential properties of a true body, as length, and breadth, and visibility and locality, and the like; he still keepeth those, because they serve to the being of a true body. 2. He had a perfect body; however he was cut, and bored, and mangled before his death, yet after his resurrection all was perfect: Eusebius tells of one of the children of the Maccabees, that was put to death for the profession of the truth; and when they cut off his members, says he, "I have received these from heaven, and now I do give them unto the God of heaven, and I hope I shall have them again." Not a member of Christ was wanting, not a bone out of joint, but all was perfect.

3. He had an incorruptible, immortal body, "To this end (saith the

apostle) Christ both died and rose, and revived," Rom. 14:9. And why revived? But to show that he rose, never to die again. The apostle is yet more express, "Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him," Rom. 6:9. Consonant hereunto is that of Christ, "I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen," Rev. 1:18. And herein the body of Lazarus, and the rest, whom Christ raised, differed from his, for after they were raised, they died again, but Christ died no more.

4. He had a powerful body: Luther could say of the glorified saints, that they had a power so great, as to toss the greatest mountains in the world like a ball; and *Anselm hath an expression not much unlike, That "they have such a power, as they are able to shake the whole earth at their pleasure." How much more could Christ cause that great earthquake at the rising of his body? O it was powerful!

5. He had a spiritual body; it needed not meat, drink, and refreshings, as it did before. It is true, that the disciples "gave him a piece of a broil. ed fish, and of an honeycomb, and he took it, and did eat before them," Luke 24:42,43. but this he did only to confirm their faith, that he appeared solidly, and not imaginary; he ate out of power, and not out of necessi ty, even as the sun sucks up the water out of power, but the earth out of want: he ate not as standing in need of food, but to show the truth of his being risen again; as the saints in heaven, never eat, nor drink, nor sleep, nor have magistrates, nor ministers, but the Spirit of God is all in all to them: so it was with Christ after his resurrection, he was full of the Spirit; he was enlivened immediately by the Spirit of God, which flowed into him, and that supplied the absence of all other things.

6. He had an agile body; it was in his pleasure to move as well upwards as downwards, as it may appear by the ascension of his body into heaven, which was not caused by constraint, or by any violent motion, but by a property agreeing to all bodies glorified; †Augustine hath an expression concerning the glorified saints, "that they shall move to any place they will, and as soon as they will, they shall move up and down like a' thought:" how much more may it be said of the body of Christ.

7. He had a glorious body; this appeared in his transfiguration, "when his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light," Matth. 17:2. but especially after his resurrection and ascension, when' "his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace," Rev. 1:14,15. The glorified bodies of saints which "are fashioned like unto his glorious body," Phil. 3:21. are said to shine like stars, Dan. 12:3. or like "the sun itself," Matth. 13:43. Oh then! how glorious is the "Sun of righteousness," from whence all those suns and stars do borrow their light? It is true, that from his resurrection until his ascension, his body appeared not thus glorious to them that saw it; but whether this glory was delayed and he was not possessed of it during his forty days' abode upon the earth, or whether he so far condescended, for his disciples' sake, as to keep in his glory, that it might not dazzle them, and therefore appeared sometimes in the form of a "gardener," John 20: 15. and sometimes in the form of "a stranger," Luke 24:18. and some times in "another form," Mark 16:12. and sometimes in his own form, in the same form wherein he lived before he was crucified, John 20:20. 27. it is hard to determine. I am apt to think, that in some sort he might

* Ansel. Lib. de simul. Cap. 52. Aug. Lib. 22. de civit. Die Cap. ult.

draw in the beams of his glory, and yet that he was not entered into that ful ness of glory, as after his ascension; and so some expound these words of Christ to Mary, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father," q. d. Fix not thy thoughts so much upon my present condition, for I am not yet attained to the highest pitch of my exaltation, nor shall I, until "I ascend unto my Father."

Use. From the resurrection of Christ how are we informed, that Christ is the Son of God? Thus Paul speaks, he was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead," Rom. 1:4. And how are we informed, that Christ is Lord over all things that are? "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living," Rom. 14:9. And how are we informed, that Christ rose again for us, as one that stood in stead and room of all the elect?" But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept," 1 Cor. 15:20. And how are we informed, that by his resurrection we are justified? "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification,” Rom. 4:25. And that by his resurrection we are regenerate? For "he hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Pet. 1:3. And that by his resurrection we are sanctified? For "as he was raised up from the dead by the glory of his Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life," Rom. 6:4. And that by his resurrection at the last day we shall be raised? For "if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, shall also quicken our mortal bodies," Rom. 8:11. And that by his resurrection, finally we shall be saved? For after we are raised, "we shall never die any more, but be equal unto the angels, and be the children of God, as being the children of the resurrection of Christ," Luke 20:36.

Thus far of the position, "Christ arose again the third day." Now for the proof.

SECT. IV. Of the arguments of Christ's resurrection.

CHRIST, after his passion," shewed himself alive by many infallible proofs," Acts 1:3. And so he had need to persuade men into the faith of so strange a truth; if we consult with antiquity, or novelty, with primitive times, or latter times, never was matter carried on with more scruple and slowness of belief, with more doubts and difficulties, than was this truth of Christ's resurrection. Mary Magdalene saw it first, and reported it, "but they believed her not," Mark 16:10. The two disciples that went to Emmaus, they saw it also and reported it," but they believed them not," Luke 24:37. Divers women together saw him, and came and told the disciples, "but their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not," Luke 24:11. They all saw him, and even seeing him, "yet they believed not for joy, but wondered," Luke 24:41. when the wonder was over, and the rest told it but to one that happened to be absent, you know how peremptory he was, "Not he, except he saw in his hands the print of the nails, and put his fingers in the print of the nails, and thrust his hands into his side, he would not believe," John 20:25. In after times, the whole world stopt their ears at this report of the resurrection, It was with the Grecians at Athens a very scorn; " When they heard of the re surrection of the dead, some mocked," Acts 17:32. It was with Festus, the great Roman, (mania) a sickness of the brain, a plain frenzy, "Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad," Acts 28:24.-But come we to our own times, the resur

rection of Christ is to this day as much opposed by Jews and Atheists, as any one article of our creed. And surely we had need to look to it, for "if Christ be not risen (as the apostle argues) then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain," 1 Cor. 15:14. "If Christ be not riser, ye are vet in your sins; and they which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished," 1 Cor. 15:17,18. Of all the precious truths in the book of God, we had need to preserve this truth, and to be well skilled in the defending of this truth, of the resurrection of Christ. Some talk of a toleration of all religions, and some desire that the Jews may have free commerce amongst us, it will then be time, as I think, to be well armed at this point. Let the ordinary professors of our times, who are of weak judgments, and fiery spirits, look to this point, lest as now when they cannot answer a separatist, they turn separatists; and when they cannot answer an Antinomian, they turn Antinomians; and when they cannot answer a Seeker, Quaker, Blasphemer, they turn to them; so when they cannot answer the subtle arguments of a Jew, they should as easily turn Jews, and deny Christ, and the resurrection of Christ.

I mean not to enter into controversies, only I shall declare from what heads, arguments of this nature may be drawn,-As,

1. More generally from Gentiles' grants, Jews' concessions, typical instructions, prophetical predictions.

2. More especially from these clear demonstrations, that circumstantially and substantially do prove this Christ to have risen again. 1. The arguments in general are,—

1. From Gentiles' grants; Pilate that condemned Christ, testified in a letter to Tiberius Cæsar, that Christ was risen again, and therefore Tiberius desired the senate to admit Christ into the number of their Gods, which, when they refused, Tiberius was incensed, and gave free leave to all Christians to profess Christianity. And to the Gentiles, Sybilla left written these very words, "He shall end the necessity of death by three days' sleep, and then, return from death to life again; he shall be the first that shall shew the beginning of resurrection to his chosen, for that by conquering death, he shall bring us life."

2. From Jews' concessions; Josephus, the most learned amongst the latter Jews, acknowledgeth,† "That after Pilate had crucified him, he appeared unto his followers the third day, accordingly as the prophets had foretold." The Scribes and Pharisees being astonished with the sudden news of his rising again, confirmed by the soldiers whom they set to watch, found no other way to resist the same, but only by saying, (as all the Jews do unto this day), That his disciples came by night, and stole away his body whilst the soldiers slept. O strange! if they were asleep, How knew they that his disciples stole away his body? And if they were not asleep, how could a few weak fishers take away his body from a band of armed soldiers?

3. From typical instructions; such was Adam's sleep, Isaac's lying upon the altar, Joseph's imprisonment, Samson's breaking of the gates of Gaza, David's escaping out of Saul's hands, Jeremiah's deliverance out of the pit, the raising of the Shunamite's child, of the widow of Sarepta's son, of the temple of Solomon, of Jonah from the deep; a thousand of these types might be produced which relate to this antitype, "Christ's resurrection."

* Tertul. L. Contingent Egesippus de vita & resur Christi.

† Joseph. Antiq. Lib. 8. c. 9.