mately feal the truth of his miffion, and the very divineness and credit of all his other miracles: for he was declared the Son of God with power, by the Refurrection from the dead. And hence it is that there is no one thing in the Gofpel hath more evidence of fact to prove the truth and reality, nor greater weight laid upon it, than that Chrift was really dead, and did really rife again from the dead. 2. But further, the Refurrection of Chrift feems to be in a moft fpecifical and appropriate manner applicable and applied to prove the Refurrection of the dead, and future eftate of mankind after death; it is the great stumbling-block in the way of the faith of men, to think, how there fhould be a life after death. The Athenian Philofophers mocked, when they heard of it, as a thing incredible 1. And if men would be but conquered from this difficulty, the greatest difficulty were overcome. And indeed the Refurrection of Christ seems to be the greatest pledge imaginable, not only of the poffibility of a future state after death, but the real existence of it. And therefore that excellent fermon of Paul to the Athenians, lays thegreat weight of the truth of the judgment to come, and the future state of rewards and punishments, upon this: Because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that inan whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead.' As if he should have faid, Ye Athenian Philofophers, it is apparent that one of the great obftacles of your belief of the judgment to come, and the future ftate of good and evil, after death, is, that you doubt whether the foul be capable of fruition or pallion without the body; and you cannot believe it poffible, that there can be a retreat from a full and complete feparation of the body to life again; your philofophical principles oppose it. Behold! I tell you, that God hath ap Acts xvii. 82. 2 Acts xvii. 22. Z 3 pointed pointed to judge the world by Chrift; the fame Chrift hath faid fo in that Gospel which I come to publish to you; and, at once to feal and evidence the truth he fo declared, and to convince you of your vain confidence in your philofophical perfuafions, that the fame Chrift was dead, died a violent death, his blood poured out upon the ground, and lay in the grave till the third day, that all the world might ascertain that he was fully dead, and that of fuch a death, that if any were incapable of reviving again, he was, his blood, the vehicle of life, fpilt upon the ground: yet this Christ lived again the third day, to affure the world of the truth of his word, that he would judge the world; and of the poffibility and truth of your refurrection and mine, by the divine power: He is rifen from the dead, ⚫ and become the first fruits of them that sleep 1.' 6 11 Cor. xv. 20 ON ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST. ACTS, ii. 1. &c. AND WHEN THE DAY OF PENTECOST WAS FULLY COME, &C. In this great and miraculous diffufion of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, these things are very obferva ble: I. The time, when it happened. II. The place, where it happened. III. The perfons to, and among whom it happened. IV. The kind and manner of the miracle itself. I. Touching the time or season wherein it happened. It was upon the day of Pentecoft, next enfuing the Paffion, Refurrection, and Afcenfion of our Lord. The People of Ifrael had feveral folemn feasts, inftituted by Almighty God; and many of them had a threefold ufe: namely, 1. Hiftorical, in commemoration of fome fignal thing fit to be remembred. 2. Religious, or ceremonial, for fome special service to be performed unto Almighty God in thofe times. 3. Typical, and in fome kind prophetical of fome eminent obfervable relating to the Meffias that was to come; and carrying fome eminent prefiguration of fome eminent occurrence that should be found in, or concerning the promised Meffias. Thus the great wisdom of Almighty God in these institutions, involved and complicated these feveral uses and ends. Among Among those many inftituted feasts and folemnities, there were two of very great remark; namely, the Pafchal Feast, and the Feaft of Pentecoft. The Feast of Pafchal was inftituted upon their coming out of Egypt: And again, commanded 2. Upon the tenth day of the firft month Abib (anfwering nearest to our months of March and April) they were to choose a lamb, and to kill him the 14th day of that month at even; and to eat him with unleavened bread that night. This was the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread. But becaufe the folemnity of feftivals and fabbaths among the Jews began from the evening of the day preceding, and ended at the evening of the day following; therefore the evening of this fourteenth day was carried over to the day following, and both are reckoned as the 15th day, and the 15th day is reckoned the first day of the feaft of unleavened bread 4. This 15th day was a day of great folemnity, and fo was the 17th day following, for fo long the feast of unleavened bread lafted 5. The next day after the first day of the feaft, namely, the 16th day of that month, the prieft was to receive a fheaf of the first-fruits, and to wave it before the Lord 6.' For in thofe countries of Palestine, their corn harvest began early; namely, about their Pafchal-feaft, as appears 7; and it feems that the time when the difciples of Chrift pulled the ears of corn 8, was about the Pafchal folemnity; namely, the fecond fabbath after the first, which feems to be the computation of the fabbaths between Pafcha and Pentecoft, or the fecond Paschal fabbath.. The feast of Pentecoft, called "The feaft of weeks 9'. This was inftituted: And ye fhall count unto you from the morrow after the fabbath,,from the day 'that ye brought the fheaf of the wave offering, feven i Exod. xii. Ley. xxiii. 6. ? Deut. xvi. 9. 2 Levit. xxiii. and Deut. xvi. Luke vi. 1. Exod. xii. 3, 6. • Lev. xxiij. 11. Duet. xvi. • fabbaths |