dust and atoms, but that they shall one day be raised to life again; and that if ye now fight the good fight, finish your course, and keep the faith, there is laid up for you a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge, shall give you at that day; and not to you only, but to all them that love his appearing." For when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; and ever live with him, who liveth with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God blessed for

ever.

12 Tim. iv. 7, 8.

21 John, iii. 2.

SERMON VII.

CHRIST'S TRIUMPH IN THE RESUR

RECTION.

BY DR. DONNE.

[JOHN DONNE, born 1573, was made Dean of St. Paul's in 1621, and died in 1631.]

SERMON VII.

ACTS, II. 36.

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

THE first word of the text must be the last part of the sermon-therefore;' therefore let all know it. Here is something necessary to be known, and the means by which we are to know it; and these will be our two parts; scientia, et modus, knowledge, and the way to it; for, qui testatur de scientia, testatur de modo scientiæ, is a good rule in all laws, he that will testify any thing upon his knowledge, must declare how he came by that knowledge. So then, what we must conclude, and upon what premises, what we must resolve, and what must lead us to that resolution, are our two stages, our two resting places and to those two our several steps are these in the first, 'Let all the house of Israel know,' &c. we shall consider first, the manner of St. Peter, (for the text is part of a sermon of St. Peter's,) in imprinting this knowledge on his auditory; which is, first, in that compellation of love

and honour, domus Israel, the house of Israel :' but yet, when he hath raised them to a sense of their dignity, in that attribute, he doth not pamper them with an over value of them; he lets them know their worst as well as their best :-though you be the house of Israel, yet it is you that have crucified Christ Jesus; 'that Jesus, whom ye have crucified; and from this his manner of preparing them, we shall pass to the matter that he proposes to them when he had remembered them what God had done for them, 'You are the house of Israel,' and what they had done against God, You have crucified that Jesus.' He imparts a blessed message to them all, 'Let all know it: let them know it, and know it assuredly; he exhibits it to their reason, to their natural understanding: and what? The greatest mystery, the entire mystery of our salvation, that that Jesus is both Lord, and Christ;' but he is made so-made so by Godmade both-made Christ; that is, anointed, embalmed, preserved from corruption, even in the grave, and made Lord by his triumph, and by being made head of the church, in the resurrection, and in the ascension: and so, that which is the last step of our first stage,' that that Jesus is made Lord, as well as he is made Christ,' enters us upon our second stage, the means by which we are to know, and prove all this to ourselves; therefore,' says the text, let all know it :' wherefore? Why, because God hath raised him, after you had crucified him; because God hath loosed the bands of death, because it was impossible that he should be holden by death;' because David's prophecy of a

1

1 Acts, ii. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.