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and thereby turn them to fome good ufe to raise corn and wine with which he might refresh and blefs his brother.

war no more.

And things will then be brought to that pass, as the prophet affures us, that they will learn So that if there fhould be any wicked potentate for reviving the former animofities, he could not carry his defigns into execution because he could get no troops. Nobody can be found that will read the articles of naval fights, nor learn the difcipline of the field. And a total ignorance of the military science overspreads town and country, nor can any body be prevailed on to learn, nor confider the importance of the business. But, there will be nobody for renewing it, because God fays, they will not hurt nor destroy one another any more. Armies are indeed now a kind of necessary evil, but not fo neceffary now as people generally fuppofe.

In short a flate of univerfal holiness and happiness may take place and foon overspread the earth; for, as above, Jefus Chrift has unfinned the world, finished its tranfgreffions, and displaced

difplaced its fins and brought them to an end. Nothing hinders this but wilful rebellion and abuse of liberty. And therefore God addreffes. the world by the prophet, thus, O that thou hadft hearkened unto my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river and thy righte oufness as the waves of the fea.

If fin then is difplaced and the world thus unfinned; if the fcheme was laid and the business finished with infinite art and management, fo much to the honor of God and the mortification of the worst of beings; if it was attended with fuch. a scene of toils and forrows; if fo advantageous to the human race; if the whole fault was removed and ceased to exift as fuch, and every man left at liberty to be finlefs; if this work was carried to the uttermoft; if fin is wholly finished and ended; then, the workman muft reft and a fabbath muft follow. I fay, muft; for where could any thing more be found to employ him for one hour? He rumaged all antiquity and futurity, and took from every individual, whatever was foul and faulty, and totally freed every man, woman and child: and made them, as though the

away

thing, as their crime and fault, had never exifted. If indeed it could be faid unto him when he rose, There is fuch a one in a deplorable state that thou haft neglected; there is another whom thou haft not wholly freed; and yonder is a third, who might have been made more holy: any thing of this fort, the least that can be imagined, would have prevented his rest, and destroyed the idea and propriety of a fabbath. But, as all fin was displaced and all men made holy; and as holy as poffibly they could be, the whole terminated in a fabbath by an abfolute neceffity and perfect propriety. Had there been one fin not displaced, a fabbath had been impoffible; but as not one could be found, reft, joy and fatisfaction must take place.

Thirdly, he was to vanquish death, and reinftate us in our loft immortality. Or in other words, to reftore to our bodies that power and flame of life which they originally poffeffed, and would have poffeffed ftill to a higher degree, if fin had not entered. This he undertook and finifhed; for he swallowed up death in victory. And this alfo has been managed with that depth of wisdom and art, which runs through all the divine operations. He has done it,

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and yet seemingly left it as it was. And this is one thing which marks all the divine conduct, that he does the greatest things, and appears as if he did nothing, till the proper season is come to make it manifeft. This work was done by the refurrection of Chrift from the dead. He died and rofe, and we in him.

With regard to himfelf, it is afferted that his body did then pass into a state of immortality. For it is faid that Chrift being raised from the dead, dieth no more. Death hath no more dominion over him. The energy of life, into which the body paffed in the refurrection, will for ever prevail, and exclude the poffibility of dying. And therefore he once himself made proclamation to the apostle in the isle of Patmos, I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore. This was the cafe with regard to himself individually : that body that was found in the fashion of men, and in the likeness of finful flesh, confequently in a certain sense, mortal, passed in the refurrection, into the power of an endless life.

The scripture also afferts, that in this, he acted

under

under a public character, and was the representative

of all mankind; including and comprehending them

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of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rofe again. Wherefore, henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Chrift after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Or rather thus, The love of Chrift includeth us, judging thus, That if one died for all, then they all died: and that he died for all, that the living should not now live to themselves, but to him who died and rose for them. So that now we know no man after the flesh, and though we have known Chrift after the flesh, yet now we know him no more.

The apoftle had been just before difcourfing of his expectation and affurance of a happy immortality; and faid that he was very confident that after death he fhould actually, in part, enter upon it. And that when the frail tabernacle of the prefent body was laid down, he had his expectations of another, with

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