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had not heard that there was any Holy Ghoft; thefe are to be understood of the wonderful effusion of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples on the day of Pentecoft, which was to be after Chrift's glorification; and of which difpenfation the difciples at Ephefus had not yet heard. Immenfity is attributed to him: "Whither "fhall I go from thy Spirit? fays the Pfalmift, and whither fhall I flee from thy prefence?" Was he not every where, he might be fhunned and avoided; and if he is every where, he must be God. The faints are his temples in which he dwells; and he dwells in them all, in all times and places; which he could not do, was he not immenfe and omniprefent. Omnifcience is a divine perfection which belongs to him: he knows all things, even the deep things of God; his thoughts, purposes, and counfels; which he could not, was he not omniscient. Nor could he teach the faints all things, or guide them into all truth; nor make interceffion for them, according to the will of God; much less foretel things to come, as he did under the Old Testament: for the Spirit of Chrift, in the prophets," teftified before hand the fufferings of Chrift "and the glory that should follow." Chrift promised the Spirit to his disciples, as he who fhould fhew them things to come, which he accordingly did'. He witneffed to the apostle Paul, that bonds and afflictions fhould abide him in every city; and foretold by Agabus, that there would be a great dearth throughout the world"; which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cefar. Omnipotence is another divine perfection which properly belongs to him. He is the power of the higheft, and the finger of God. He worketh all things according to his will. His concern. in creation; the formation of Christ's human nature in the womb of the virgin; the many figns, wonders and gifts of the Holy Ghoft, loudly proclaim him to be the omnipotent God; Now if those perfections are attributed to him, which are peculiar to Deity, it follows, that he must be God. But,

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3. This may be further proved from the divine works which he has perform-ed, or which he is or has been concerned in. Creation is a work of divine power, in which the Spirit, with the Father and Son, was jointly concerned; as "by "the word of the Lord the heavens were made," fo" by the breath or Spirit of his mouth, all the host of them." The Lord, " by his Spirit,. garnished the heavens." It was the Spirit of the Lord that moved upon the face of the waters, and brought the rude indigested chaos into a beautiful form and order'. And fays Elibu, "The Spirit of God hath made me, and "the breath of the Almighty hath given me life"." The fcripture which

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1 Pfalm. xxxiii, 6.

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"is given by inspiration of God"," and is a work purely divine, is wholly of the Spirit's inditing: "Holy men fpake as they were moved by the Holy "Ghoft." It was the Spirit of God who formed the human nature of Chrift in the womb of the virgin; a thing marvellous and furprizing; and filled it with a plenitude of gifts and graces. All the miracles which Chrift wrought, he wrought by the Holy Ghoft ; and all the mighty figns and wonders which were done by the apoftles, were by the power of the Spirit of God. The work of regeneration and converfion, a work wherein the exceeding greatness of God's power is difplayed, is afcribed to him; and therefore called the fanctification of the Spirit, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft. It is he who qual fies men for the work of the miniftry', calls them to it, directs their labours, and appoints them paftors and overseers in the several churches. He not only dwells in the fouls, but in the mortal bodies of the faints'; and by him will they be quickened and raised at the last day; all which fufficiently prove him to be truly and properly God.

4. This truth will receive more weight, if we confider the divine worship which is due to him, and as fuch is given him. He is not only the Spirit of grace and fupplication to the faints, who helps them under their infirmities, and makes interceffion for them, according to the will of God; but he is alfo prayed unto. Grace and peace are wifhed for from him as from the other two perfons. Swearing, which is a folemn act of religious worfhip, is by him"; and baptifm is administered in his name; which would not be, was he not a divine Perfon, truly and properly God. To conclude, I hope I have proved what I undertook, That there is but one God; that there is a plurality in the Godhead; that there are three divine Perfons in it; that the Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Spirit God; that these are diftinct in Perfonality, the fame in fubftance, equal in power and glory. I fhall close all with the following doxology:

To the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoft, three Perfons, but one God, be all honour, glory, and praise, now and for evermore. Amen.

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SERMON I

THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTION,

STATED AND DEFENDE D.

In Two Sermons, preached at a Lecture in Lime-Street.

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Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raife the dead?

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HE doctrine of the refurrection of the body from the dead, is a doctrine of the utmost importance; for if there be no refurrection of the dead, then is Chrift not rifen; and if Chrift be not rifen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain". In this lecture the doctrines of eternal election, original fin, particular redemption, fatisfaction by Christ, efficacious grace in conversion, and final perseverance, have been well explained and defended among you; and, I hope, to your great comfort and establishment: but to what purpose are these truths taught, and of what avail will they be, if there is no refurrection of the dead? The part affigned to me, in this lecture, being to explain and defend this truth, I shall attempt to do it in the following method.

I. I fhall obferve that the doctrine of the refurrection of the dead has not been credited by fome; it has been accounted incredible.

II. Notwithstanding, I fhall endeavour to evince both the credibility and certainty of it.

III. I fhall enquire who and what that is which fhall be raised.

IV. I shall confider the author of this ftupendous work, and the particular concern which God the Father, Son, and Spirit, have therein.

V. I shall shew the importance and use of this doctrine.

VOL. III.

a 1 Cor. xv. 13, 14.

I. It

I. It will not be improper to obferve, that the doctrine of the refurrection of the body from the dead has not been believed by fome, but has been accounted abfurd and incredible; though without any just reason, as will be shewn hereafter, and as may be concluded from the words of my text.

This doctrine is of pure revelation, what the mere light of nature never taught men, and by which they being only guided, have declared against. It has been denied, as Tertullian observes, by every sect of philosophers. That the body was mortal, all agreed; that the foul was immortal, fome of them afferted, though they had but dark and confused conceptions concerning its future separate exiftence; but that the body, when dead, should be raised again to life, was a fubject of ridicule and contempt with them. Pliny calls it a childish fancy, vanity, and downright madnefs; as does alfo Cæcilius, in Minucius Felix, who likewise reckons it among old wives fables. Celfus in Origen represents it as exceeding deteftable and abominable; and, of all the tenets of the Chriftians, this was had in the greatest contempt by Julian the emperor '. The maintainers and abettors of this doctrine, were always accounted by the heathens vain, trifling, and babbling fellows. Thus the Athenian philofophers, of the Epicurean and Stoic fects mocked at the apostle Paul, when they heard him talk of the refurrection of the dead; and fome faid, What will this babbler fay1? Other fome, He feemeth to be a fetter-forth of strange gods; because he preached unto them Jefus and the refurrection. They were so ignorant of this doctrine, that they took Jefus and 'Arasaris, the word used by the apostle for

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Et ut carnis reftitutio negetur, de una omnium philofophorum fchola fumitur. Tertullian. de præfcript. Hæreticor. c. 7. p. 232. Edit. Rigalt.

Puerilium ifta deliramentorum, avidæque nunquam definere mortalitatis, commenta funt. Similis & de affervandis corporibus hominum, ac revivifcendi promiffa Democrito vanitas, qui non revixit ipse. Quæ (malùm ifta dementia eft, iterari vitam morte? Plin. nat. hift. l. 7. c. 55• Ed. Dalechamp.

• Nec hac furiofa opinione contenti, aniles fabulas adftruunt & anne&tunt; renafci fe ferunt poft mortem & cineres & favillas: & nefcio qua fiducia mendaciis fuis invicem credunt: putes eos jam revixiffe, anceps malum & gemina dementia: cœlo & aftris, quæ fic relinquimus ut invenimus, interitum denuntiate; fibi mortuis & extin&tis, qui ficut nafcimur & interimus. æternitatem repromittere. Minuc. Felix. Oftav. p. 10. Ed. Oxon. 1662.

• Ο τότε μηδ' ύμων τῦτο τὸ δόγμα, καὶ των χρισιανῶν ἰνίοις κοινόν ἰσι. καὶ τὸ σφόδρα μικρὸν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπόπλυτον άμα καὶ αδύνατον ἀποφαίνεσι-ἀλλ ̓ ἔτοι γε τὰ αἰσχρὰ ὁ Θεὸς δύναται, ἐδὶ τὰ παρὰ φύσιν Búra. Ap. Orig. 1. 5 p. 240. Ed. Spencer.

† Ὁ δὲ μάλισα διαγελᾶ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν. Cyril. Alex. contr. Jul. 1. 7.

* Καν γὰρ πάνυ φληνάφος καὶ σπερμολόγος ἡμᾶς νομίσητε, μᾶλλον ἐκ ἴςιν ἡμῖν. Tatian. contr. Græc. orat. p. 146. Ed. Parif.

h See Dr Hody's Refurrection of the (fame) body afferted, p. 178-180.

1. Ο σπιρμόλογα το. Ας xvii. 18, 32.

* Chryfoft. in A&t. Homil. 38. Ecumen, in loc.

the refurrection, to be the names of fome ftrange deities they had never heard of before; and therefore fay, He seemeth to be a fetter-forth of strange gods. The heathen had no knowledge of this truth, no faith in it, nor hope concerning it Hence they are described by the apostle Paul, as such who had no hope; where, writing to the Theffalonians, he fays, but I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are afleep, that ye forrow not, even as others which have no hope': by whom the apostle means not Chriftians, who had no hopes of the falvation of their departed friends and relations, but Pagans, who had neither faith nor hope in the refurrection of the dead, and a future state, and therefore had not that to fupport them under the lofs of relations as Christians had; wherefore the apoftle adds, for if we believe that Jefus died and rofe again, even fo them alfo which fleep in Jefus will God bring with him. Much after the fame manner the Ephefians, whilft they were in their heathenish and unconverted eftate, are defcribed by the fame apostle; at that time, lays he, ye were without Chrift; that is, without any knowledge, promife, or expectation of the Meffiah; being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael; and strangers to the covenants of promife; that is, ye were not fo much as profelytes to the Jewish religion, nor members of the Jewish church, and were entirely destitute of divine revelation; having no hope in the refurrection and future state, and fo lived without God in the world, or as "A., Atheists, in it. And we may be the more induced to believe this to be, at least, part of the apostle's sense in these paffages; fince he, in his defence before Felix and Agrippa, represents the doctrine of the refurrection as the object of hope, as in AЯs xxiv. 15. And have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And chap. xxvi. 6, 7. And now I ftand and am judged, for the hope of the promife made of God unto our fathers; unto which promife our twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come; for which hope's fake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. And then follow the words of my text, why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God fhould raife the dead? Some indeed have thought that the Gentiles had knowledge of the refurrection; which they collect partly from some notions and opinions of theirs, which feem to bear a femblance with, and to be the broken remains of fome tradition concerning it, and partly from express paffages, wherein they think it is afferted. The notions of the heathen, from whence it is concluded, that they had fome hints of this doctrine, are thefe", namely,

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See Dr Hody's Resurrection of the (fame) body afferted, &c. p. 3. &c. where thefe notions of the heathens are at large treated of. See also Gale's court of the Gentiles, par. 1. b. 3. c. 7. p. 81, 82. and par. 2. b. 2. c. 8. p. 189,

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