Christs eternal existence, and the dignity of his person asserted and proved in opposition to the doctrine of the Socinians : in several sermons on Col. I, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 verses / by the Reverend Tho. Manton.

VSES.

I. Vse. Is to perswade you to the be∣lief of two grand Articles of Faith; the Resurrection of Christ, and your own Re∣surrection.

1. The Resurrection of Christ. The rai∣sing of Christ from the dead is the great prop and foundation of our Faith, 1 Cor. 15.14. If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith also is vain. All the Apostles preaching was built upon this supposition, that Christ died and rose again. Partly because this is the great evi∣dence of the truth of the Christian Religi∣on; for hereby Christ was evidenced to be what he gave out himself to be, the eter∣nal Son of God, and the Saviour of the World, whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he raised him from the dead, Acts 23.31. that is the ground of Faith and Assur∣ance. So Acts 13.33. God hath raised Iesus from the dead, for it is written, Thou art my son, &c. Partly to shew, that he is in a capacity to convey life to others both spi∣ritual and eternal; which, if he had remain∣ed under the state of death, could not be:

The life of Believers is derived from the life of Christ, Ioh. 14.19. Because I live, &c. If he had been holden of death, he had neither been a fountain of Grace nor Glory to us; 1 Pet. 1.3. He hath begotten us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Partly, because the raising of Christ is the pledge of Gods omnipotency, which is our relief in all difficult cases; the power which raised Christ, exceedeth all contrary powers, Eph. 1.20, 21. Now the resur∣rection of Christ, besides the veritableness of the report, manifested by the circum∣stances, when a great stone was rolled at the mouth of the Sepulchre, a guard of Souldiers set to watch against all fraud and impostures, yet he brake thorow; his fre∣quent Apparitions to the Apostles, yea to 500 disciples at once; 1 Cor. 15.6. a great part of which were alive to testifie the truth of it, for some competent space of time; his pouring out of the Spirit; the Apostles witnessing the truth of it in the teeth of op∣position; his appearing from Heaven to Paul; the prophesies of the Old Testament foretelling of it; the Miracles wrought to confirm it; the holiness of the Persons who were employed as chosen Witnesses, their unconcernedness in all temporal Interests; their hazarding of all, their success: It

would make a volum to give you the evi∣dences.

2. Your own Resurrection, what may facilitate our belief and hope of it?

1. Consider it is a work of Omnipotency. We are apt to say, how can it be, that when our bodies are turned into dust and that dust mingled with other dust, and hath undergone many transmutations, that ••very one shall have his own body and flesh a∣gain? Why consider the Infinite and Abso∣lute Power of God, and this will make it more reconcileable to your tho••ghts, and this hard point will be of easier digestion to your Faith. To an Infinite power there is no difficulty at all, Phil. 3.21. Accord∣ing to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. He appeals to Gods power, how much Gods power out-works our thoughts; for he were not infinite if he might be comprehended. We are not fit Judges of the extent of his power; many things are marvellous in our eyes, which are not so to his, Zech. 8.6. Therefore we must not confine God to the limits of crea∣ted b••ings, or our finite understandings. Alass! our Cockel-••hell cannot empty an Ocean; we do no more know what God can do, than a worm knoweth a man. He that made the world out of nothing, can∣not

he raise the dead? He that brought such multitudes of creatures out of the dark Chaos, hath he forgotten what is become of our dust? He that gave Life and Being to that which before was not, cannot he raise the dead? He that turned Moses Rod into a Serpent, and from a Serpent into a Rod again, cannot he raise us out of dust into men, and ••u••n us from men into dust, and from the same dust 〈◊〉〈◊〉 us up into the same men and women ••••ain?

2. We have a releif from the Justice of God. All will grant that God is, and that God is a rewarder of good and bad. Now in this Life he doth not dispense these re∣wards: Many times here, instruments of publick good are made a sacrifice to pub∣lick hatred, and wicked men have the world at will; therefore there is a Judg∣ment, when this life is ended; and if there be a Judgment, men must be capable to re∣ceive reward and punishment. You will say, so they are by having an immortal Soul; I, but the soul is not all of a man, the body is a part; it hath had its share in the work, and therefore it is most equal to conceive it shall have its share in the re∣ward and punishment. It is the body which is gratified by the pleasure of sin for a sea∣son, the body which hath endured the

trouble and pain of Faithful obedience un∣to Christ, therefore there shall be a Resur∣rection of just and unjust that men may receive according to what they have done in the body. God made the whole man, therefore glorifies and punishes the whole man. The Apostle urgeth this as to the Godly, 1 Cor. 15.29.

3. Gods unchangeable Covenant-Love, ••••••ch inclines him to seek the dust of his ••onfederates. God hath taken a believer into Covenant with himself, body and soul; therefore Christ proveth the Resurrection from Gods Covenant-Title; Matth. 22.31, To be a God, is certainly to be a Benefa∣ctor, Gen. 25.26. Not blessed be Shem, but blessed be the Lord God of Sem. And to be a Benefactor, becoming an Infinite Eternal Power. If he had not Eternal Glory to bestow upon us he would not justifie his Covenant-Title, Heb. 11.16. To whom God is a benefactor, he is a Benefactor not to one part onely, but to their whole Per∣sons: Their bodies had the mark of his Covenant upon them, their dust is in Co∣venant with him, and where-ever it is dispersed, he will look after it. Their death and rotting in the Grave doth not make void his Interest, nor cause his Care and Affection towards them to cease.

4. We have relief also from the Redemp∣tion of Christ, which extendeth to the bodies of the Saints, as it is often interpret∣ed in Scripture; as where Christ speaks of his fathers charge, this was a special Article in the Eternal Covenant; Ioh. 6.39, 40. This is the will of my Father, that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day. Christ hath in∣gaged himself to this, he is the Guardian of the Grave, as Rispah kept the dead bodies of Sauls sons, 2 Sam. 21.10. Christ hath the keyes of death and hell, he hath a charge of the Elect to the very day of their Resur∣rection that he may make a good account of them, and may not lose so much as their dust, but gather it up again. What shall I say! when the intention of his death is spo∣ken of, 1 Thes. 5.10. That whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him; that is, whether dead or alive; for they that are dead in the Lord, are said to be fallen asleep. Whether we live or die we should live a spiritual life here, and eternal life in Glory hereafter: So where the ob∣ligation, 1 Cor. 6.20. Ye are bought with a price. There would be no consequence if Christ had not purchased the body as well as the Soul, and Christ will not lose one jot of his purchase, if he expect duty from th••

body, you may expect glory for the body; so redemption is particularly applyed to the body; Rom. 8.23. Waiting for the A∣doption the redemption of our bodies. Then is Christs Redemption full, when the body is exempted from all the penalties induced by sin.

5. The honour which is put upon the bodies of the Saints.

1. They are members of Christ, 1 Cor. 6.15. Know ye not that your bodies are mem∣bers of Christ, shall I then take the Members of Christ and make them members of an harlot, God forbid. No Members of Christ can for ever remain under death, but shall certain∣ly b•• raised up again. When a Godly Man ••••eth, the union between Soul and Body is dissolved, but not the union between him and Christ, as Christs own natural body in the grave was not separated from his Per∣son, and the Hypostatical Union was not dissolved; it was the Lord of Glory which was crucified, and the Lord of Glory which was l••yed in the Grave, so the Mystical 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is not dissolved between Christ and 〈…〉〈…〉, who are his Mystical Body, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they are dead.

2. They are Temples of the holy Ghost; therefore if they be destroyed they shall be built up again, 1 Cor. 6.19. Know ye not

that your bodies are temples of the holy Ghost. As Christ redeemed not the soul onely, but the whole man, so the Spirit in Christs Name takes Possession both of body and soul; the body is cleansed and sanctified by the spirit, as well as the soul; and there∣fore it is quickned by the Spirit; Rom. 8.11. If the spirit of him, that raised Iesus from the dead, dwell in you he shall also quic∣ken your mortal bodies by his spirit which dwel∣leth in you. The Holy Ghost will not leave his Mansion, or dwelling-place; the dust of Believers belongs to them who were once his Temple. So it is a pledge of the Re∣surrection. Now therefore labour with your selves, think often of it.