The plain Senfe of the Verse seems to be this. That which above all Things I defire, is to be found in Chrift, i. e. to be found a Disciple of his, ingrafted into him, by being a Member of his Church; not having my own Righteouf nefs which is of the Law, i. e. not being content with thofe outward Privileges, and that outward Obedience, which by my own natural Strength, I am able to yield to the Precepts of the Law, which is that Righteousness, in which the Jews place their Confidence, and by which they expect to be juftified before God; But that which is by the Faith of Jefus Chrift, the Righteoufnefs which is of God by Faith; i. e. that Righteousness which I defire, and in which only I fhall have the Confidence to appear before God, is an inward Principle of Holinefs; that Spiritual renewed Obedience to God's Laws, which he doth require as the Condition of his Favour and Acceptance, and which I can never attain to, but by the Faith of Chrift; by becoming a Chriftian. This is none of my own Righteoufnefs, but God's, it being wrought in me by his Spirit, accompanying the Preaching of the Gofpel; and as it is his Gift, fo he will own it, and reward it at the last Day.

This is the full Importance of that Verfe, and then it follows by way of Explication of what we now faid, That I may know him, and the Power of his Refurrection, &c. This is the Righteoufnefs that I afpire after, that I may know Chrift, not only by a Notional Belief of his Doctrines, or Profeffion of his Religion, but by a Spiritual experimental Knowledge of him,

fuch

fuch a Knowledge as transforms me into his Spirit and Temper; And that I may know the Power of his Refurrection, i. e. that I may experience in myfelf all the good Effects that his Refurrection has a Power to work in me; that I may feel the Virtue and Efficacy of it, in my daily dying to Sin, and rifing again to a New, Holy, and Heavenly Life. This is that Righteousness I long for, and in comparifon of which, I account all Things in the World but as Lofs, and as Dung.

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Thus have I given you a full Account of the Text, and all the Apoftle's Difcourfe that it depends upon. I come now to treat more particularly of it, with reference to the Solemnity of this Day.

We all here prefent do profefs to believe the Article of our Saviour's Refurrection, and our Bufinefs, at this Time, is to celebrate the Memory of it; but we must not reft here: We are not to look upon our Lord's Refurrection meerly as a Thing to be believed, or profeffed, or commemorated; or as a Matter of Fact, that only concerned himself. But there is a great deal in it, which doth nearly concern us. The Apostle tells us, there is a great Power in it; even a Power of railing us from Sin to a Holy and Virtuous Life. It is fo ordered, as to be capable of being, and it ought to be, a Principle of new Life in us, as it was the begin ning of a new Life in our Saviour. Now this Virtue, this Power, this Efficacy of it, as it is that, which with the Apoftle, we ought all moft earnestly to endeavour the experiencing

in ourfelves for it is that which will be fitteft for us, at this Time, to apply our Meditations to.

My Work, therefore, at this Time, shall be to give fome account of the Power of Christ's Refurrection, in order to the making Men good, which the Apoftle here fpeaks of; to fhew how, or in what refpects it doth influence upon the Lives of Chriftians.

Now if we look into the Holy Scriptures, we fhall find that there is a Four-fold Power attributed to it, or that it hath an Influence upon our Lives, in these Four Refpects; That is to fay,

I. As it lays an Obligation upon Christians to Holiness and Virtue.

II. As it is the Principal Evidence of the Truth of our Religion, the Defign of which, is to make Men Holy and Virtuous. vin

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III. As it is the great Support of our future Hopes, or our Hopes of another Life; which, indeed, is the main Encouragement we have to apply ourselves feriously to the Business of Holiness and Virtue.

IV. And Fourthly, As to it we do princi pally owe all that fupernatural Grace and Strength, by which we are enabled to live Holily and Virtuously. Of thefe Four Points, I fhall difcourfe very briefly.

1. And First of all, our Saviour's Refurrection hath an Influence upon our Practice, as it lays an Obligation upon Chriftians to lead Holy and Virtuous Lives; As it is in itfelf an Incitement to Piety, and Heavenlymindednefs.

This is, indeed, the loweft Inftance of its Power; but yet we ought not to pass it by, i becaufe the Writers of the New Teftament, do frequently infift on it: For thus they argue; If Chrift was crucified for our Sins; then ought we to crucify them in our Members. And if Chrift rofe again the Third Day; then are we engaged in Conformity to him, to rife again to Newness of Life, to lead a Spiritual, Divine, Heavenly Life, fuch a Life as he now lives with God.

And this, in the ancient Times, was taught every Chriftian in and by his Baptifm. Whenever a Person was Baptized, he was not only to profefs his Faith in Chrift's Death and Refurrection, but he was alfo to look upon himfelf as obliged, in Correfpondence therewith, to mortify his former carnal Affections, and to enter upon a new State of Life. And the very Form of Baptifm did lively represent this Obligation to them. For what did their being plung'd under Water fignify, but their undertaking, in Imitation of Chrift's Death and Burial, to forfake all their former evil Courses : As their afcending out of the Water did their Engagement to lead a Holy, Spiritual Life? This our Apoftle doth more than once declare

to us.

Thus, Rom. vi. 4. We are buried (faith he) with Chrift by Baptifm into Death, that like as Chrift was raifed up from the Dead, by the Glory of the Father, even fo we alfo fhould walk in Newness of Life. Thus again in the 10th and 11th Verfes of that Chapter, In that Chrift

died,

died, he died unto Sin once; but in that he liveth, be liveth unto God: likewife reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto Sin, but alive unto God, through' Jefus Chrift our Lord: That is to fay, after the Example of Chrift's Death and Refurrection, account ye yourselves oblig'd to die to Sin, and to live to Righteoufness.

Laftly, to name no more Texts, The fame Use doth the Apostle make of Chrift's Refurrection, in Coloff. 3. 1, 2. If ye then (faith he) be rifen with Chrift, feek thofe Things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the Right Hand of God; i. e. You by entring into the Chriftian Covenant, are incorporated into Chrift; He is your Head, you are his Members; and therefore fince he no longer leads a Life of this World, it will by no means become you to live like.Worldlings or Epicures; but being rifen with him (as the Members ought to do with the Head) to mind thofe Things that are above, where he is; to fet your Affections (as he on) on the Things above, and not on the Things of the Earth. For ye are dead, and your Life is bid with Chrift in God.

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These Things plainly fhew, that the Apoftles delivered the Doctrine of Chrift's Refurrection, as a Practical Doctrine; as a Point, which, if Chriftians believed as they should do, it would ingage them to mortifie their Lufts, to die to the World, to place their Affection on Spiritual Things, to have their Converfations in Heaven, where Chrift our Head, our Life, now fits at the Right Hand of God. II. Great

VOL. I.

A a