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al Influence of his Holy Spirit upon us, through the Merits and Interceffion of Jefus Chrift our Saviour; To whom be afcribed all Honour and Glory henceforth and for Evermore, Amen.

SERMON II.

SERMON II.

The Refurrection of the fame Body.

MATTH. XXII. 31, 32.

As touching the Refurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was fpoken unto you by God, faying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

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Rejudice is fo ftrong a Biafs upon the Thoughts, that thofe, who are fwayed by it, do generally

become as Tenacious of a Falfe opinion, as of a True one. And that unhappy Turn, which it gives to the Mind, does not only appear in matters of little moment, E.4

but

but upon the most Important occafions too. For 'tis notorious, that fome men, who have embraced Errours inconfitent with Happiness it felf, have Immovcably adhered to them; though they did not want fufficient means of Conviction. And this is partly owing to Obftinacy in fome, and to Arrogancy in others; but in all Chiefly to a Difingenuous fear of being exposed to Shame for Retrading those Principles, which 'tis their utmoft Difhonour to Retain.

Though the Refurrection be a most Glorious priviledge, and the Expectation of it the greatest Comfort in this life, because 'tis the foundation of our Complete felicity in that which is to come, and though Humane nature Abhorreth a Final diffolution, and every reflection upon it is beyond expreffion Disagreeable and Frightful; yet when the Sadducees have once taken upon them to Determine and Declare, that there is no Refurrection, they refolve to perfift in their Infidelity, and Reject all evidence of that doctrine, which a due fenfe of their own Interest should have engaged them to Re

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ceive with Approbation and Joy. And fince they were fo Wedded to this mistake that they could not bear the thoughts of Difcarding it, 'twas natural for them to contrive the beft means they could of Depreciating the contrary Truth, which deferved their highest Efteem. They therefore propofed a Cafe to our Saviour, which, they thought, could never be refolved to their Disadvantage. But Vain were their hopes of producing a Good reafon in defence of fo Bad a caufe. Their objection did only expose their own Ignorance, and give our Bleffed Lord an occafion of displaying his Divine Knowledge. He taught them, from the Different circumstances of men in This and a Future State, that the Inftance, which they urged, did neither Interfere with the Refurrection, nor any way Relate to it. And having fo removed what they thought a great Difficulty, he preffed them, in the words of the Text, with an Argument in vindication of the Article, which they Denied, taken from the writings of Mofes, which they Believed.

In

In treating of this Subject, I shall endeavour to evince the Certainty of the Refurrection of the Body, and that

I. FIRST, By a Direct proof of it, from
Holy Scripture, and

II. SECONDLY, by the folution of fome
objections, that have been advan-
ced against it.

I. UNDER the firft head of difcourfe, wherein the Resurrection of the Body is to be proved from Holy Scripture, it will be Neceffary in the first place fully to examine the Importance of the words in my Text, before they will pass for a fatisfactory evidence of this Article; because they are attended with a Difficulty, which hath been thought Infuperable, and they have therefore been accounted for by fuch an Interpretation as does Invalidate our Saviour's Argument, and reprefent it as Infufficient to prove the Refurrection of the Body. 'Tis urged, that if this Reafon of our Saviour, that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, did Directly prove the Resurrecti

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