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COMMENT.

TH

HE Epiftle for this Day is defigned to enforce the Duties and Virtuous Difpofitions, which are natural Confequences of the Belief of a Saviour, rifen from the Dead. Whom when we confider, as now in full Poffeffion of Immortality, living and reigning in Heaven, in Human Nature; His Happinefs is the Pledge of all Theirs, who, partaking of that Nature, fhall perform the Conditions, left upon them, as neceffary to qualifie them for partaking in the fame Happinefs alfo. Of thefe the Apoftle mentions Two, which do indeed include all the reft. (1.) The fetting our Affections on things above. Of which, and the Motive to it here, (this Volume having already exceeded its juft Measures) I rather choose to treat, upon a fit Occafion, like to offer itself very. fhortly. The Second Thing, which is truly in order to the Former, is an effectual Subduing of thofe Lufts and inordinate Appetites, which, above all things, obftruct that heavenly Temper of Mind. Of Thefe, and of the Arguments urged here against them: Of the Provocation they give to God, and the Contradiction they are to our Chriftian Profeffion: I have already had Occafion to difcourfe at large, in the Epiftles for the Second and Third Sundays in Lent, to which I refer my Reader.

Afcenfion-Day.

At present I only add, That, As our firft Entrance into Covenant with God by Baptifm, (which is an Emblem of our Lord's Death and Refurrection) is the Spiritual Birth of a Chriftian; So a confcientious Perfeverance in the Obedience, there covenanted for, is his Spiritual Life. Both which we moft truly acknowledge to proceed, from the dwelling of that Spirit in us, which raifed Chrift from the dead. And, if befides we reflect on the Numbers, who, in

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Rom. viii. II.

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the Primitive Church, were received by that Sacrament, which, at this Festival Yearly, began to be moft folemnly adminiftred, and whereunto the preceding Faft of Lent was a folemn Preparation; Thefe Things, laid all together, may fuffice to fet the Wifdom of Our Church above any juft Exception, in appointing a Collect, not only pious and useful, but alluding, and by no means foreign, to the Subject of the Day.

PARAPHRASE.

"T

The GOSPEL.

St. John xx. 1.

HE firft day of the week cometh Mary Mag dalene early, when it was yet dark, ant the fepulchre, and feeth the ftone taken away

from the fepulchre.

1. The Sabbath being I. now over, in reverence to which, the Women who had prepared Spices, and Ointments, to embalm our Lord's Body, had forborn attempting to do it hitherto ; (Compare Luke xxiii. 56. Matth xxviii. 1.) As foon as the Morning began to dawn on the first Day of the Week; Mary Magdalene, and Mary the Mother of James and Jofes, Salome, Joanna, and fome other devout Women that had followed Jejas from Galilee, (Compare Luke viii. 3. xxiv. 10. Matth. xxviii. 1. Mark xvi. i. } having before obferved the Sepulchre, and the Pofition of the Body, (Luke xxiii. 55.) came with Intention to anoint it. In their Paffage, they had represented to themselves the Difficulty of removing the Stone, which had been rolled to shut up the Cave, and fealed with Pilate's own Signet. (Matth. xxvii. 60, 66. Mark xvi. 3.) But, arriving at the Place, they found the Stone removed to their Hands, and the Accefs open to the Cave; and in the Grave itfelf, Two Angels fitting, by whom they were told, that Jefus was not there, but was rifen; as he had before declared he would do. (Matth. xxviii. 2,---8. Mark xvi. 5,---8. Luke xxiv. 2,---9.)

2. With this Account much aftonished, and affrighted at the Vifion of Angels, they haften back to the Place, where

2. Then he runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and ta the other difciple, whom Jefus loved, and faith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the fepulchre, and we know not where they have laid bim.

the Eleven Apoftles, and fome other Believers were affembled. (Mark xvi. §. Matth. xxviii. 8. Luke xxiv. 10.) And, having made no mention of what they had feen or heard, to any Perfon, till they came thither, Mary Magdalene, accompanied with, and in the Name of, the other Women, acquainted them with all that had paffed, addreffing herfelf more particularly to Peter and Jobu.

3. Peter therefore went forth, and that other dijciph, and came to the fepulchre.

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4. So they ran both together, and the other difciple did out-run Peter, and came first to the fepulchre.

5. And be flooping down, and looking in, face the linen clothes lying; yet went be not in.

6. Then cometh Simon Peter following bim, and went into the fepulchre, and feeth the linen clothes Lie;

7. And the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

tion of Lazarus, when raised by our Lord. (Chap. xi.

8. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the fepulchre, and be faw, and believed.

9. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that be
muft rife again from the dead.

Upon this Evidence, he believed our Lord to be rifen;
dence of the Prophecies concerning him; which as
understood by the Apoftles.

10. Then the difciples went away again unto their own
bome.

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COMMENT.

6, 7. The Graveclothes here mentioned, and the manner of their being wrapped about the Body, will be better understood, if we confult the Defcrip44. )

8, 9. St. John now believed the whole Account given him by Mary, of the Earthquake, the Angels, &c. Or, tho' not upon the Eviyet were not fufficiently

POW different, my Brethren, is This Morning's Solemnity, from thofe, which lately called us to the Houfe of God! How happy the Change from Lamentation, and Mourning, and Woe, the Tragedy of a Bleeding and a Dying Saviour, to Joy and Gladnefs, and the Triumphs of a Living and Victorious

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One? For this is the Day which the Lord Pfal. cxviii.
bath made. He hath made it high and
Holy above the reft, by rising from the Dead; By
being born a second time; Born from the Womb of the
Earth; Born now, not fo, as to prove himself Man, but
God. This is that moft myfterious Day, which opened
the Gates of Hell, and brought a Release to the Prifo-
ners of the Grave; Which turned our Saviour's Cross in-
to a lafting Trophy, and brought Honour to that once
accurfed Tree; Which changed his Crown of Thorns
into a Ray of Glory; and, by a wonderful Effect, produ-
ced Immortality out of Death, and everlasting Renown

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out of Shame and Contempt. This is that Day, peculiar to Chriftians; which diftinguishes Us from all the World befides. The Day of our Lord's Nativity Jews and Gentiles will confefs; That of his Paffion all the Adverfarics of our Religion boaft of, fuppofing they had foiled and vanquished this Champion of Souls; But This Day of his Refurrection none but We can celebrate; because none but We acknowledge, that he came off with Conqueft, and defeated all that Malice, which endeavoured his utter Destruction. Let us therefore be glad and rejoice in this Chriftian Jubilee, for our last and moft formidable Enemy is now deftroyed. All his Attempts upon the Captain of our Salvation were weak and vain; and all the Force of Hell cannot now prevail against them, that fight under his Standard. For this is our Security, This our Rejoicing, that the Lord is rifen, Yea the Lord is rifen indeed.. The Lamb,

Rev. i. 18.

who was flain, now liveth again, and bebold he is alive forevermore; and bath the Keys of Death and Hell. So effential, fo diftinguishing a Mark of a Chriftian, and fojuft a Joy, is That, which the Apostles first, and after them the Churches of God, put on this Day. This was the only thing, that could put an End to the Sorrows, and Doubts, and confounding Fears, the Terrors and fad Mifgivings, of the Difciples. They had indeed fome Intimations given them, by our Lord in his Life-time, that the third Day fhould reftore him. But the thing it felf of rifing from the Dead, was fo exceeding ftrange, fo wholly new, that it made little Impreffion upon their Minds. Or if it had, Grief and Diforder had quite rafed that out, and all thofe Thoughts expired, with their Mafter, upon the Cross. Amicti

on feems to have had the fame Effect upon the Apoftles, which it generally hath upon melancholy and dejected Spirits: The poffeffing them with ftrong Prejudices and Diftrufts, and not fuffering them to fee fo much as the Poffibility of an Event, moft defirable to

them.

them. The first hint they had, was from Mary Magdalene, and other zealous Women; Who, as soon as the Sabbath was over, went early with a Preparation of Spices and Ointments, to pay their laft Refpects of embalming our Lord's Body. Thefe return with the furprizing Account, of the Stone being rolled away from the Door of the Cave, and the Sepulchre found open. Upon this Meffage Peter and John refolve to fatisfie themselves, and eagerly make toward the Place. John contents himself with stooping down, and look-1 ing in; but Peter, fomething more curious, goes into the very Place, where the Body had lain. There he fees the linen Clothes lie, And the Napkin, that was about his Head, not lying with the linen Clothes, but wrapped together in a Place by it felf. This aftonifhing fight invites the other Difciple to take a clofer view too. And accordingly be aljo went in, and faw, and believed. But there is reafon enough to fufpect, that all he believed as yet, was no more, than what Mary had told them at the Second Verfe; that the Lord was taken away out of the Sepulchre, and fhe could not tell what was become of him. For, that all thefe Circumftances convinced them, that he was alive again, and had removed himfelf, feems not very likely, from what follows in the ninth Verfe, That as yet they knew not the Scriptures, that he must rife again from the dead. That is, They had not confidered, or did not understand, the Neceffity of the Meffiab's Refurrection; And fo never recollected, that, either their Mafter must have been falfe in all his Pretenfions of that kind; or he muft have revived again, and left the Grave, according to the time and manner, they faw it now done in.

!

As no Truth then is of more Importance to the Chriftian Religion than This, fo none had greater Care taken to ftrengthen the belief of it. The Teftimony of Angels, of Difciples, of Women, of Numbers of People; The Converfation of forty Days, The Teftimony of the Elements

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