will have comfort of his Rifing, who are thus risen with him. The great Revolution of the whole World, its fecond and better Creation to Immortality, began this Day. But, if we have no part in it, by Reformation and a new Life, we are of all Men moft Miferable. Our Prince and King hath overcome indeed the fharpness of Death: But it is to Believers only, that he hath opened the kingdom of Heaven. And fuch Believers are only They, who prove their Faith by their Works. And to thofe he hath given a fure Comfort. Such a One, as neither Tribulation nor Distress, nor even Death it felf can rob them of. For fince their Redeemer liveth, they are certain, that though, after their Skin, Worms deftroy this Body, yet there will come another Day, when in their Flesh they fhall fee God. Whom God grant us to behold, and to fee for our felves, that is, for our own unfpeakable and everlafting Happinefs, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. Rom. viii. 35, 38. Job xix. 25, 26. 34. T Eafter Monday. For the EPISTLE. Acts x. 34. Hen Peter opened his mouth, and faid, Of a truth I perceive that God is no refpecter of persons : 35. But in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh rigbtemp nefs, is accepted with him. 36. The word which God fent unto the children of Ifrael, preaching peace by Jelas Chrift, he is Lord of all: 37. That word (I fay) you know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptifm which John preached; 38. How God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft, and with power: who went about doing good, and bealing all that were oppreffed of the devil: for God was with him. 39. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerufalem: whom they flew and hanged on a tree. 40. Him God raised up the third day, and fhewed him openly, 41. Not to all the people, but unto ritneffes, chofen before of God, even to us, wube did eat and drink with him after be rofe from the dead. 42. And be commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify that it is be which is ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. 43. To him give all the prophets witnefs, that through his name whosoever believeth in bim, fhall receive remiffion of fins The 13. 'A' The GOSPEL. St. Luke xxiv. 13. ND bebold, tavo of his Difciples went that fame day to a village called 14. And they talked together of all these things, which bad happened. 15. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together, and reafoned, Jesus bimfelf drew near, and went with them. 16. But their eyes were bolden, that they should not know him. 17. And be faid unto them, What manner of communication are thefe, that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are fad? 18. And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, anfawering, faid unto bim, Art thou only a firanger in Jerufalem, and baft not known the things which are come to pafs there in thefe days? 19. And be faid unto them, What things? And they faid unto him, Concerning Jefus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty in deed and word, before God, and all the people. 20. And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and bave crucified him. 21. But we trufled that it had been be which should have redeemed Ifrael: and befide all this, to day is the third day fince these things were done. 22. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us aftonished, which were early at the fepulchre : 23. And when they found not his body, they came, faying, that they had also feen a vifion of angels, which faid that he was alive. 24. And certain of them which were with us, went to the fepulchre, and found it even fo as the women had faid, but him they faw not. 25. Then be faid unto them, O fools, and flow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26. Ought not Chrift to have fuffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27. And beginning at Mofes, and all the prophets, be expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went; and be made as though he would have gone farther. 29. But they constrained him, faying, Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent: and he went in to tarry with them. 30. And it came to pass, as be fat at meat with them, be took bread, and bleed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their fight. 32. And they faid one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? 33. And they rofe up the fame bour, and returned to Jerufalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them. 34. Saying, The Lord is rifen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. THE COMMENT. HE Proofs of cur Bleffed Lord's Refurrection are Twofold: Confifting partly of Matter of Fact, and partly of the Agreement of that Fact with ancient Prophecies, concerning fo very important an Event. Of the Former Sort I have treated Gaffel for Eafter already; and have there taken in the Hiftorical part of the Epiftles and Gofpels, for this, and the following Day. Thefe indeed do feem to turn chiefly upon the Latter Evidence; And therefore my Difcourfes upon them fhall be confined to That, and caft into one continued Argument upon it. Day. To This purpofe we fhall do well to obferve; That, when by feveral demonftrations of his being really alive, ¦ our Lord had rendred his Difciples fit to hear Reafon; he put them in mind, that the Events, which they looked upon, as altogether incredible, were no other than He, in his former Converfation with them, had very frequently affured them, fhould be brought to pafs. That they were in every point agreeable to the Prophecies, delivered many Ages before. Thofe Prophecies, which the Jews unanimoufly allowed to be intended of the Meffias; and fuch as, fince now they had feen them! exactly accomplished in Him, were an irrefragable Argument, that He was that very Meffias. Upon this he enlarges; And, by the Explanation of thofe Scrip tures, which related to Himfelf, as well as by the inward Affiftances and Illuminations of his Grace, darted new Light into their Understandings, and fhewed them the Correfpondence and exact Harmony of thofe Predicti ons, with the things, which, they could witness, hal happened to Him. The Strefs hereof lies in thofe Pafa ges, in which, from the mention of these former Prcphecies, he draws this Inference; Org not Chrift to Suffer and to enter into his G. Ver. 26, 27. ry? And again, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. Ver. 44, 45, 45. Thofe Claufes, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved, may probably mean no more than this; that Chrift muft needs fuffer and rife again, because the Scriptures concerning him, could not otherwife have been true. And then the Argument is but One; That, after God had declared fuch things concerning the Meffiah, and made thefe the Marks, which the World was to diftinguifh him by; however ftrange and furprifing they might appear at firft, yet, upon maturer Confideration, it was eafie for Men to fatis fie themfelves, that they were unavoidably neceffary, for vindicating the Truth of God, who had, fo long before, given warning of them by the Prophets. Quinq. Sun. But, in truth, this neceffity was fubordinate to another. For these things were therefore foretold, because God had from all Eternity determined them. And they were determined, because his infinite Wifdom faw the fitnefs of them, and their Subferviency to the Great Ends of fending the Meffiah, for the Redemption of Mankind. Therefore that Expreffion, Thus it behoved, if it do not require, yet it may admit of, another Senfe, which makes it an Argument fomewhat different from the former. And that is, That the Death and Refurrection of Jefus were in all Points fuitable to the Character of the Meffiah. And, that the Scheme and Design of Man's Redemption could not have been fo properly fatisfied, by any other means, as by These. This, I fay, if it be not the most natural and neceffary, is yet a very ufeful Conftruction of that Expreffion. But I fhall not take the liberty of treating of it in this Latitude. And therefore, limiting my felf to the former Senfe, what I have to fay upon this Subject will confift only of Two Heads. Q9 2 I. First, I. First, I fhall inftance in fome of the moft material Paffages, which it is reasonable for us to fuppofe our Lord infifted upon; And, II. Secondly, I fhall fhew, wherein the Force of his Argument lay, in applying these, as Remedies to the Perplexities and Doubts of his Difciples, at that time. Ver. 27. 1. First, I fhall inftance in fome of the moft material Paffages, which it is reasonable to fuppofe, our Lord made ufe of, in the prefent Cafe. He is faid to have begun with Mofes and all the Prophets, and to bave expounded in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Now, though it is poffible he might open to them the Predictions, relating to Other Matters and Actions of his Life; yet the main Difficulties then lying before them, and the only things mentioned here, being his Paffion and Resurrection, I fhall confine my Difcourfe to fuch, as foretel These only. Nor fhall I enlarge any farther upon Them, than to produce fuch, at least the principal of fuch, `as we find exprefly applied to this purpose, in the New Teftament. For, fince the Evangelift hath not told us particularly, what Prophecies our Lord infifted upon, to convince them at this time; I cannot think it unreasonable to prefume, that the Difciples endeavoured to convince Others, by the fame Scriptures, to which they owed their own Conviction. And therefore fuch as we find Them, either relating, as quoted by Our Lord before his Death; or else urging upon the Jews in their own Perfons afterwards; Such, I think, we may fairly prefume, had a place in Our Lord's Difcourfe, which was defigned to fettle their Minds, and remove their Doubts, and compofe their Astonishment, occafioned by his Death and Refurre Єtion. I only add, before I enter upon Particulars, that there are Two forts of things, by which future Events were figni |