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More especially, profeffing a religion which has for its more immediate object the revelation of a future life, a religion which alone (2 Tim. i. 10) "brings life and immortality to light," let us raife our hearts above this world, and all the vain purfuits of it. Let us be careful to lay up treasure in heaven, where, as our Saviour fays, "" neither moth nor ruft corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor fteal," and "where our treasure is, there let our hearts be alfo." Let us, as the apostle exhorts, (Coll. iii. 2) " fet our" best" affections on things above, where Christ fitteth at the right hand of God;" and may it not be ou condemnation (John iii. 19) that "light is come into the world, but that we have loved darknefs rather than light, because our deeds were evil." Then, having governed our lives by the inftructions of Christ, and having copied after his example, when he shall return, and take an account of his fervants, we fhall be "found of him (2 Pet. iii. 14) without fpot and blamelefs, and not be afhamed before him at his coming."

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coming." Then will he fay to us, (Matt. xxv. 21) "Well done, good and faithful fervants, enter ye into the joy of your Lord."

DISCOURSE

IV.

DISCOURSE

The Doctrine of a Refurrection, as taught by

Jefus.

PART I.

Who bath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the TIM. vi. 10.

Gospel

THE most interesting of all subjects to man, who has a fenfe of the value of his existence, and of the bleffings that he enjoys in it, is that of a future ftate; and the most diftinguishing circumftance relating to the Gofpel, is that in it this great doctrine is taught with the greatest clearness and energy. To announce this doctrine appears to have been the more immediate object of the miffion of Jesus, and not that of any the preceding prophets of whom we have

any account.

of

It can hardly be doubted but that the ancient Hebrews were acquainted with the doctrine, and if so, they must have received

it

it from fome particular revelation, though the record of it be now loft; becaufe we find it almost universally believed by the Jews in our Saviour's time; and he no where intimates that they had embraced it on infufficient authority. For their faith was that of a proper refurrection of the dead at fome future period, which was very different from that of the heathen philofophers, who fuppofed that, ftrictly fpeaking, men never die at all; for that when the body is diffolved, there is another principle, or component part, of man, the feat of all his intellectual powers, which remains unaffected by that catastrophe, and which furvives not only uninjured, but invigorated; so as to be a gainer by the change; the mortal body having been a real incumbrance and clog to it. And as the whole of confcioufnefs remains with the unembodied fpirit, the man, confifting of all his valuable faculties, may be faid, according to their principles, to be naturally immortal.

But fuppofing a man to be properly dead, all his powers of body and mind extinct, nothing could have given any person the

leaft

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leaft hope of his revival but the affurance of the Great Being who made man. This affurance, therefore, the Hebrews must have had in fome very early age, though we have not at this time any knowledge of it. And what is very remarkable is, that in the writings of Mofes, and the prophets, we find nothing pofitively afferted on the fubject, and few, if any, allufions to it, before we come to the book of Daniel, to whom a future life is promised by the angel who interpreted his vifions: in one of which mention was made (Dan. xii. 2) of a time when 66 many that fleep in the duft of the earth shall awake, fome to everlasting life, and fome to shame and everlasting contempt." The angel concludes with faying, "But go thy way till the end be; for thou shalt reft, and ftand in thy lot at the end of the days." This very clear language, confidered in conjunction with the knowledge the Jews had of the doctrine of a refurrection in the time of our Saviour, and alfo between his time and that of Daniel, viz. that of the Maccabees, leads us to conclude, I think with certainty, that, though little is faid of the doctrine,

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