and your Father, to my God and to your God." And to the very end that all believing sinners to the end of time might know that he was and ever will continue to be Jesus the Saviour, he singles out and makes his first appearance to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils; to certify how much his delight was in salvation work, and that all the glory of heaven would not alter his heart nor alienate his affections from his people here below. He afterwards appeared to Peter, who seems to be the first of all the apostles to whom the Lord appeared, nor does he speak to him, that we read of, concerning his shameful fall, but he acts according to his office of Prince and Saviour, and says to the eleven," Peace be unto you," which he could now as their High Priest pronounce unto them, as he had now obtained it for them by the blood of his cross. Believers, you may well consider the innumerable blessings which flow down from Christ your risen head upon you, and which, by virtue of your union to him, ye are interested and intitled unto. Our Lord's resurrec

tion has its influence in the quickening of your souls from a death of trespasses and sins, in your regeneration, in working faith in you, in every spiritual act of your sanctification, in your resurrection from the grave of death, in your triumphs over sin, death, and hell, and in your final glorification. You are as one with Christ, what he is. His holiness, righteousness, sufferings, and oblation are yours, and imputed by the Father to you, who hath made Jesus to be to you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. His resurrection is your eternal security, and ye may triumph in all the conquests, victories, and spoils of Christ, over his and your enemies. He hath put sin away for ever, out of the sight of law and justice by the sacrifice of himself; he hath bruised the head of the old serpent, called the devil, and vanquished all his principalities; he hath borne the curse and wrath of God, and is the deliverer of us from it; he hath conquered death and abolished it; and having lain himself in the grave, hath most sweetly perfumed it, and made it as a bed of spices to all his; and he is risen from death with the

voice and shout of triumph, as an everlasting evidence that sin is pardoned, peace procured, God's justice reconciled, and heaven opened: so that, believers, ye may well shout, "The Lord is risen." And as you survey what has been delivered in the light of faith, ye may view yourselves in Christ, with pleasure and make your boast of him, for he has left you no room nor cause to have a single doubt respecting his love to you: his salvation as finished, and his complete victories. And it is sweet to view death as spoiled of its sting by Christ: to consider death, as it respects believers, is but sleeping in Jesus, it is but a being "absent from the body, and being present with the Lord." Death doth not dissolve the union between Christ and his, therefore, believers that are already departed, are said "to sleep in Jesus." (1 Thess. iv. 14.) To be "the Lord's." (Rom. xiv. 8.) To be ❝ the dead which die in the Lord." (Rev. xiv. 13.) The everlasting covenant of grace extends unto the bodies as well as the souls of believers. God is said to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, after their death, and

that not only in regard of their souls, but of their bodies also; (Matt. xxii. 31, 32.) otherwise how can that place be argumentative of the resurrection? and Christ being risen as the surety, common head, and public representative of all his, so we shall be raised by virtue of our union to him, as the fruit of his resurrection for us, in a divine conformity to him, wearing his image, bearing his likeness. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Our bodies and souls, in every faculty and part will be fitted for Christ, to take in and receive glory from him. And as Christ's resurrection was his first step of advancement to glory; so will it be to us. As he being raised, lived forty days here below; so will the elect live and reign with Christ a thousand years in the kingdom-state. As he was advanced from hence to heaven and primordial glory, to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high; so the bride, the Lamb's wife, the queen of heaven, will, in conformity to Christ her head, be advanced from the New Jerusalem state, to that of the ultimate glory.

But I pass on, and proceed, thirdly, to shew that this very act of God's, his raising up Jesus from the dead, is our security of his performing all his promises to us, as his elect, even all the blessings of the everlasting covenant.

God by raising Christ from the dead, in and by that act fulfilled his past promises, as all his promises were virtually contained therein, and gave security for the full accomplishment, and performance of future ones, which gives virtue and being to them. For as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he saith on this wise, "I will give you the sure mercies of David." When Christ arose, then said God of him, "This day have I begotten thee." Now thou appearest and lookest like that Son of mine, I rejoiced in from everlasting; and now first thou hast recovered that primitive glory, thou hadst in repute with me, as God-man before the world was. It was impossible for Christ to be holden of death, not only in respect of his power, but in respect of justice, for having borne the sorrows of death, death could not hold him; the