written, The first man Adam was made a living foul; the last idam a quickening spirit. 1 Cor. xv. 45. Thefe are the two heads; one is called fpiritual, and the other natural, verfe 46. Chrift is the head of all the elect, they were chofen in him; and Adam is the head of all the reprobate. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the fecond man is the Lord from heaven, verfe 27. Thofe that die in their firftborn ftate, die members of fallen Adam, and are in the flesh, being deftitute of the Spirit; fuch are not the children of God, but of the flesh; and fich and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. XV. 50.

These are faid not to fall asleep in the Lord, but to die, yea for ever. If ye live after the flesh, ye fhall die, Rom. viii. 13; and if fo, they die in their fins. This is the cafe with every unbeliever.

If ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your fins. John viii. 24. Thefe expreffions I AM fignify the felf-existence, felf-complacence, independence, and eternity of Jehovah the Saviour. The pronoun I excludes all others in point of dependence; and the word AM excludes both the past and the future tenfes, and is expreffive of his eternity. This name was revealed before the human nature was affumed And God faid unto Mofes, I AM that I AM; and he faid, Thus fhalt thou fay unto the children of Ifrael, I AM bath fent me unto you. And God faid moreover unto Mofes, Thus fhalt thou fay unto the children of Ifracl, The Lord God of your fathers, the God

of

of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob, bath fent me unto you; this is my name for ever, and this my memorial unto all generations. Exod. iii. 14, 15. The firft verfe includes the felf-exiftence and eternity of our Saviour's deity; the fecond verfe includes him as the God, the guard, and portion of all the faithful, as he was to Abraham; the portion of every heir of promife, as he was to Ifaac; and of every prevailer with him in prayer, as he was to Jacob. His revealing himself the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, excludes Ifhmael and Efau, to fhew that he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matt. xxii. 32. This name the Saviour applies to himself-If ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your fins.

Abimaaz. You differ much in principles from the Arian.

Cufbi. The Arian never knew the Lord, therefore he had better let him alone; his cafe is defperate; he has but one ground of hope left according to his own creed.

Abimaaz. Pray what is that?

Cufbi. Why, if the Saviour's teftimony be a lie, and if the whole Bible be falfe, there is ground of hope for him; but if God the Father's teftimony be true, Heb. i. S, if the Holy Ghoft's witness be true, Matt. xxii. 43, 44, if the. witness of angels be true, Luke ii. 11, and if the Saviour's witness be true, Rev. i. 8, he must be damned. If ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your fins; and he that

believes

believes not fhall be damned. Mark xvi. 16. Thus, if Father, Son, and Spirit, have borne a falfe teftimony, there is hope for the Arian; but if a true one, he has brought in a damnable herefy, even denying the Lord that bought us, and shall bring upon himself fwift deftruation. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

Ahimaaz. I beg pardon, my brother, for breaking in upon your discourse, but I observed that in your defcription of the two heads and reprefentatives of the two families, which are called children of promife, and children of the flesh, you seem to differ in judgment from many learned men; I mean upon the apoftle's words-For fince by man came death, by man came also the refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Christ shall all be made alive. I Cor. xv, 21, 22. Many learned men from that text attempt to prove the death of all mankind in the first Adam, and the refurrection to life of all mankind in Chrift the fecond Adam,

Cufbi. If all die in Adam, there is not a foul in heaven; and if all are made alive in Chrift, there is not a foul in hell. The prepofition in implies union, and the particle all implies members. To handle the text otherwife is contradicting and giving the lie to a third part of the Bible. The elect do not die in Adam, for he never was the chofen head of God's elect, nor were the elect chofen in him; and although they fell in the firft Adam, they are not reftored in or by him; for they had life in the fecend Adam before ever they fell in the firft. They

that

that die in Adam, die eternally, for he is not the fpiritual head, and they that die in Chrift live eternally, for he is their vital head; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Whichever head a man dies in, he will rife in the image and order of that head; For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive: but every man in his own order. 1 Cor. xv. 23. When the Saviour fays to the wicked, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, Matt. xxv. 41, will any man fay that thofe are made alive in Chrift? And yet, upon a fingle particle the whole mystery of universal redemption is raised; and the falvation of all the world established. But does not the Judge of quick and dead handle the text as I have done? Does he not blefs thofe that are in him, and curse those that are in Adam's fall? If fuch a univerfal doctrine could be preached in hell, there is not a reprobate there but would give it the lie.

Abimaaz. You have fatisfied me, my brother, and I fee the Saviour on the judgment-feat confirms your fense of the text; and, as the Saviour's decifion juftifies you, you cannot be wrong. Let men put what conftruction they will upon a text, if the Saviour contradicts it at the day of judgment, it is falfe.

But do let me hear a little more of Prodigalis; we left him, if you remember, dead in the valley of dry bones; and you promised to relate his fpi

ritual refurrection, which I fhould be glad to hear, and whether there be any analogy between the first and the fecond refurrection.

Cufbi. There is a juft analogy. I have fhewed you that a finner is fpiritually dead and buried from the prophecy of Ezekiel, even as the body is dead and buried in a grave of earth. An unbeliever, though a chofen veffel, is faid to be afleep in his fins, as a dead body fleeps in the grave, and both must be awakened and raised. The Saviour speaks of both thefe, as it were, in one breath. Of the spiritual refurrection he fpeaketh thus-Verily, verily, I fay unto you, the bour is coming, and now is (come), when the dead fhall bear the voice of the Son of God, and they that bear fhall live. John v. 25. Of the refurrection of the body he fpeaketh after this manner-Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves fhall hear his voice, and fhall come forth; they that have done good, unto the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation. John v. 28, 29. The dead bodies are to be alarmed by the found of the archangel's trumpet; For the Lord himself fhall descend from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. 1 Theff. iv. 16. A gospel minifter s called an angel. Rev. iii. 1. Preaching the

alarming word of God, is called

founding the

trumpet. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and found an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the

land