of the Dead Body, fince the Soul, which does not Die, cannot be faid to be Quic-. ken'd: And if there be a Refurrection of the Dead Body, it must be a Resurrection of the fame Body, that was before united to the Soul; for that alone is the Dead Body, which hath before Lived and Died. I fhall therefore conclude this Argument, with that Remarkable paffage, Rev. xx. 12, 13. I faw the dead, Small and great ftand before God; and the books were open'd: and another book was open'd, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the fea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and bell deliver'd up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to his works.

Such then being the evidence of this Article, I fhall in the laft place draw some plain inferences from it, in relation to Holiness of life; which fhould be the Ultimate end of all Controverfy, and Disquisition in Religion. And.

Į. First,

I. First, Since the Refurrection is fo clearly Revealed, we should not only yield a firm Affent to it, but frequently entertain our minds with the Circumftances and End of it, as most probable means of applying the Belief of it, with fuccefs, to our Affections and Practice. Some men are so very fond of their own gay and fprightly Imaginations, that they Difdain this Profpect, as too Gloomy, and Dismal to deserve their notice. And others do reject these Confiderations as too Plain, and Common, and unworthy of their Thoughts, which they fuppofe to be raised above the ordinary level, and fit to be employ'd in more Sublime. and Refined fpeculations. So do they please themselves with these Reflections, as Wife and Commendable, which are only an argument of Weakness and Folly, and do redound to their Difgrace, as well as Disadvantage. For things Indifferent fhould not exclude the one thing needful: That, which does most nearly concern us, ought in all reason to be the fubject of our frequent Meditations. And the more apt fuch Medi

tations

tations are to make Beneficial Impreffions upon us, the more ftrictly are we obliged to the Exercise of them.

The Circumftances of the Refurrecti on do not want to be recommended by the Ornaments of Eloquence; but are in themselves fuch, that, if they are but Attended to, they will fo effectually ftrike upon the mind, as to add very much to that Influence, which the Belief of this Article should have upon us. It seems scarce poffible, that we should not be ftrongly Affected with the ferious thoughts of that great and terrible day of the Lord, when we fhall fee Him, who * took upon him the form of a fervant, that he might Redeem us, † coming in the clouds, with power and great glory; when we shall see Him, who was treated with the utmost scorn and ignominy by men upon earth, Attended and Honoured by all the Angels of Heaven; when every particular perfon, by the Divine power Raised from the dead, will distinctly hear the found of the last

Philip. ii. 7.

† Matt. xxiv. 30.

trumpet,

trumpet, fome Signal voice, fummoning all Mankind, from the uttermost parts of the earth, to the place of Judg

ment.

Thus in the Holy Scriptures, is that Wonderful Scene proposed to our Meditations, which will one day be presented to our View. And whofoever is fo Profligate, or fo Thoughtless, that he does either Explode, or Neglect the confideration of what God hath thus graciously Reveal'd, for our Advantage, concerning the Circumstances of the Refurrection, may juftly dread the Confequence of it.

God

II. Secondly therefore, and more particularly; A ftedfaft Belief of this Article fhould be the foundation of great Fear and Terrour in Habitual finners. Almighty, who gives Being to all things, Capable of happiness, to the end that they may be happy, according to their feveral Capacities, will Raise Wicked men at the last day, with a Design to make them Miferable. And how Severe must Their torments be, who have fo highly provoked God, Infinite in Goodnefs, that

he

he will Reftore them to life for this very purpose, that he may Torment them.

Men of the worst lives are fometimes fo Vain, as well as Impatient under Afflictions, that they do freely wish for Death; as if That would Skreen them from the Vengeance of God, which will but Expose them to it, or, That put a Period to their Sorrows, which is but indeed the Beginning of them. They must not hope for shelter or fecurity from the Grave; which is no more than the Prifon, where they will be confined for a time, and then brought out to Condemnation and Punishment. And in the state of Separation, their Souls will be tortured with exceffive Mifery, and particularly, with the Fearful expectation of that time, when they fhall again, with the utmost Reluctancy and Aversion, be united to their Bodies; that their Sufferings, not yet Complete, though already Intolerable, may be made Equal to those fins, which the fear of fuffering could not prevent.

Fear is indeed an Uneafy paffion; but that Uneafinefs fhould be readily Embraced