the saints will not be complete: hence they are waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of their body, Rom. viii. 23, when that being redeemed from the grave, and united to the soul, shall, with it, enter into the joy of the Lord. Nor will the misery of the wicked be proportionate to their crimes till then, when they shall be cast, body and soul, into hell; and as the one deserves it, as well as the other, it is proper that so it should be.

9. There will be need of, and uses for bodily organs, or for some of the members of the body in heaven; as particularly the eye, the ear, and tongue. There will be the glorified body of Christ, or the glorious Mediator in human nature, for the saints to look upon with unutterable pleasure: it will be a considerable part of their happiness to see him as he is. This is one reason why Christ would have his people with him where he is, namely, that they may behold his glory, even this, as well as other branches of it; and it was Job's support under his afflictions, that in his flesh he should see God; that is, the God-man and Mediator, or God manifest in the flesh. There will be songs of everlasting joy and praise sung in such melodious strains, as will delight the ear, and employ the tongue, throughout the endless ages of eternity.

10. And lastly, and which is the Apostle Paul's grand and principal argument for the resurrection of the dead, and which he uses with so much strength, and improved to so good a purpose, is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, which you have at large in 1 Cor. xv. where he thus argues: "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain; yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God, that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if the dead rise not; for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins; then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." The saints

may comfortably conclude their resurrection from Christ's; for if the head be raised, the members shall: "Every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits; afterward, they that are Christ's, at his com ing." Job was satisfied that he should rise again, because his Redeemer lived, and would appear at the lat ter day upon the earth; and the saints may be assured, that because "Christ lives, they shall live also." Other arguments might have been made use of; but as they will also prove that the same body shall be raised again, I shall therefore reserve them for their proper place.

SERMON IL

ACTS xxvi. 8.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

HAVING, in my former discourse, proved both the credibility and certainty of the resurrection of the dead, I shall now proceed,

III. To inquire who they are, and what that is, which shall be raised. This head of inquiry consists of two parts, and regards both the persons who, and what of those persons it is, which shall be the subject of the resurrection; and in this order I shall consider it.

1st, I shall inquire who they are which shall be rais ed from the dead. I shall not take notice of the Mahometan notion, that angels and brutes shall rise, since the former die not, and therefore cannot be said to be raised from the dead; and the spirit of the latter goeth downward to the earth, never to return more. Only men shall rise from the dead, but not all of them; for though it is appointed unto men once to die, yet not un to all men: All men shall not die; some will be quick, and others dead, at the appearing of Christ to judge

the world; when they that are alive shall, indeed, be changed from a state of mortality, to a state of immortality, but cannot be said to rise from the dead, because they die not. But then all the dead shall be raised; all that are in their graves shall come forth, whether these graves be in the earth or sea, and whether the persons be righteous or wicked. This was the generally received opinion of the Jews of old; but since many of their greatest masters have departed from it, as in Isa. xxvi. 14, 19. and xxxviii. 18. and Dan. xii. 2. who not only exclude the Gentiles in general, but all wicked and ungodly persons whatever, from having any part in the resurrection. In this, they have been followed by the Socinians, though they care not to speak out their minds fully; and the Remonstrants have shewn a very good liking of the same notion. I shall a little consider this,-seeing the greater part of the testimonies and arguments, produced in my former discourse, chiefly relate to the resurrection of the just. That the wicked shall rise, as well as the righteous may be proved,

1. From express texts of scripture. The prophet Daniel says, "That some of them who sleep in the dust of the earth, [i. e. who are dead,] shall awake, [i. e. rise again,] to shame and everlasting contempt," Dan. xii. 2. Who must be the wicked, since it will never be the case of the righteous, who will awake, or rise, to everlasting life. Our Lord Jesus Christ assures us, that "they that have done evil, shall come forth to the resurrection of damnation," John v. 29. In which words, he does, at once, describe the character of the wicked, asserts their resurrection, and fixes the end of it. The Apostle Paul gives a full testimony to this truth, when he affirms, "that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust,” Acts xxiv. 15.

2. This doctrine may be evinced from the justice of God, which requires, that they who have sinned in the body, should be also punished in the body. The body is the seat of sin, as well as the soul, nor is any

part free from it: If the tongue, which is but a little member, is a world of iniquity, James iii. 5, 6. as the apostle James says it is, what a world of iniquity must be in the whole body? And, indeed, there are but few sins but what are committed in, or by the body. It may be considered not only as accessory to sin, but as a partner with the soul in sinning, and as an instrument by which it is committed; and, in either respect, is deserving of punishment. Now, it is certain, that, in this life, the wicked do not receive in their bodies the full reward of punishment, since they have not greater afflictions than the righteous; nay, it is observed of them, that "they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men," Psal. lxxiii. 5. wherefore it seems necessary, from the justice of God, that the bodies of the wicked should be raised, that they, with their souls, may receive the full and just recompense of reward.

3. That the wicked shall rise from the dead, may be concluded from the general judgment, when "the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, and be judg ed according to their works," Rev. xx. 12, 15. when "whosoever is not found written in the book of life, shall be cast into the lake of fire;" which can be understood of no other than the wicked; and if all men must " appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad," 2 Cor. v. 10. then must the wicked appear, that they may receive according to the bad things which they have done in their bodies; in order to which ap pearance before the judgment-seat, and to the reception of their evil things, there must be a resurrection of them from the dead.

4. The account which the Scriptures give of the punishment and torments of the wicked, and also the ef fects thereof, manifestly supposes a resurrection of their bodies: How will every eye see Christ when he appears, and all the kindreds of the earth wail because of him? why is the place of torment signified by a fur

nace and lake of fire, and by outer darkness, where will be weeping and gnashing of teeth? wherefore do the Scriptures speak of being cast into hell fire, with two eyes, or two hands, or two feet, if there will be no resurrection of the wicked? If it should be said, that these expressions are either metaphorical or proverbial, there must be something literally true, to which they refer, and which is the foundation of them: Besides, our Lord expressly exhorts his disciples to "fear him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," Matt. x. 28.

5. This notion, that the wicked rise not, must have a tendency to licentiousness, and open a door to all manner of sin, and take off all restraints from wicked persons, and embolden them in their vicious course of life; for what the Apostle says of the resurrection in general, may be said of this, "If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die," 1 Cor. xv. 32. But from these several hints, it may be strongly concluded, that there will be a resurrection of the wicked, as well as of the righteous.

Indeed, there will be a difference between the resurrection of the just, and the resurrection of the unjust, in many respects: There will be a difference in the time of the one and the other; the dead in Christ shall rise first; "the upright shall have the dominion over the wicked in the morning of the resurrection;" wherefore, "blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power."-And as they shall not rise at the same time, so neither altogether by the same means: They shall, indeed, be both raised by Christ; for "all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth," John v. 28, 29. The saints will be raised by virtue of their union to Christ, "because he lives, they shall live also;" but the wicked will be raised merely by the power of Christ, in order to appear before him, and be judged by him, who is Lord of all.-Moreover, though the bodies of the wicked will be raised immortal, and in such a state, as to continue under perpetual