Movnt Pisgah, or, A prospect of heaven being an exposition on the fourth chapter of the first epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, from the 13th verse, to the end of the chapter, divided into three parts / by Tho. Case ...

A third word of comfort followeth, and that is,

Our gratious Relations are not alone in their Death; The Captain of their Salvation did march before them, through those black Regions of Death and the Grave, Jesus died; this is implied in the following words, If we believe that Jesus died: This is a third consolatory Argument, and it car∣ryeth in it strong consolation. Our sweet Relations in dy∣ing, run no other hazard, than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did, no other hazard, than all the Patriarchs. and Pro∣phets, and Apostles did, in their generations, they all died, and were resolved into their first dust.

Yea, what shall I say? They run no other hazard, than the Lord of all the Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles did, Jesus died; this is wonderful indeed, the Lord of Life died! The eternal Son of God was laid in the Grave!

If our Children die, we know we begot them mortal: The Son of God had no principle of mortality in him and yet he died.

Be our Children never so precious to us, they cannot be so pretious to us (God forbid they should) as the Lord Jesus was to His Father, who testifies concerning him from Hea∣ven with a loud voyce, This is my well-beloved Son, in whom

my Soul is well pleased: And yet God gave up this well be∣loved of his Soul to the death, Jesus died!

And we indeed justly: Death is but our wages, wages as truly earned, as ever was a penny by the poor hireling for his days labour; both we, and our Off-spring have forfeited our lives over, and over again by continual reiterated Trea∣sons against the supreme Majesty of Heaven and Earth: yea the best blood which runs in our veins is Traytors blood by succession from our first Rebellious Parents, for which God might justly have executed the sentence (at first imposed) even as soon as ever we draw our first breath, Thou shalt dye the death, Gen. 3.

But He! what evil had he done? He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners — He did no sin, neither was there guile found in his mouth; He fulfilled all Righteousness; and yet Jesus dyed! And why so! Surely he was wounded for our Transgressions, he was bruised for our Iniquities, the Chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed; we all like Sheep have gone astray, we have turn∣ed every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon him the Iniquity of us all! Jesus Christ was the Center, in whom the sins of all the Elect of God did meet, and unite together, to make Him, as it were the common sinner. For God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him; and under the insupportable burthen of our sin, he swet, and wept, and bled, and groaned, and gave up the Ghost.

Behold! So God the Father Loved us, that he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to the death for us all; and shall we think much to give up the dearest Treasures of our blood, in death, to Him?

So much did God the Son love us, that, He died for love of us; he died the first death, that we might not die the second death; he died for us, that we might live with him; And shall we count our lives, or the lives of our dearest Relations too dear for him? especially, when no such advantage can accrue to the Lord Jesus by our death, as did accrue to us by his death? also, in as much as neither we nor ours, are in any capacity

to reap the fruit, and advantage of his death, until we dye also! and the sooner we dye, the sooner shall we reap those fruits.

Behold! God's First-borne was laid in the Sepulchre; and shall we think God deals hardly with us, if we follow our first-born to the Grave, and leave them there, till our Lord himself come to awaken them?

Especially, since therefore Jesus died, and was buried, that he might sanctifie death to us by his death, and by his being buried, might perfume the Grave, and make it a sweet Dor∣mitory, or bed of spices for his members to rest in, until the Morning of the Resurrection.

Oh Christians, Let us comfort our selves, and one another with these words also, Jesus dyed.

The fourth word is yet more Cordial, and that is, al∣though Jesus dyed, yet He rose again. He died indeed, but he rose again from the dead. God suffered his dear Son to be laid in the Sepulchre, but he did not leave him there, nor suffer any taint of Corruption to seize upon his precious Body. And to that end, Christ made hast to rise again out of the Grave, he rose the third day, and that very early in the Morning (saith the Text) as soon, as ever it could be called day: The Alarm no sooner went off (as it were) but the Lord Jesus did lift up his Royal head, and put on his Glorious Apparel, and came forth out of his Grave, as a Bridegroom out of his Chamber, in State and Triumph.

And this was the Cordial, which our Lord himself took before his passion. Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, nei∣ther wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see Corruption: There∣fore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoyceth, &c. This was his Triumphant Song: And it may be ours, as well as his; yea therefore ours, because his (whether in reference to our selves, or to our gratious Relations.) For therefore was not Christ left in Hell (i. e. in the state of the dead) that he might lift up us also out of the pit, and therefore his body saw (i. e. sustained) no corruption or putrefaction (no not for the least particle of time) that our mortal bodies might not inherit Rottenness and Oblivion in the dust, for ever. And

indeed, in this phrase in the Text, Jesus arose again, there be three things implied, which interest every believer in this Triumph of Christs Resurrection, &c.

• First, Power.
• Secondly, Right.
• Thirdly, Office.

First, Jesus Rose again, it implieth Christs power, Viz. That Jesus Christ rose by his own power. It is not said, Jesus was raised, which might have spoken Him passive onely in his Re∣surrection, but Jesus rose, which speaketh Him active; namely, that he rose as a Conquerour by his own strength; as Himself professeth, I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again. What power that was Rom. 1.4. will tell us, declared to be the Son of God with power, accor∣ding to the spirit of holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead. It is true, it is elsewhere said that Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father, Rom. 6.4. And like∣wise that he was quickned by the Spirit, Pet. 3.18. To shew that neither the Father nor the Holy Ghost were excluded from a joynt share and concurrence in his Resurrection, but here as elsewhere it is said also, that Christ rose, to shew that he was not merely passive in his Resurrection, as the Chil∣dren of the Resurrection are, but that he rose also by the mighty power that was seated in his own Royal person.

The divine Nature in Christ, to which the humane nature was personally united, was that Spirit of Holiness, by which the Lord Jesus did rise Triumphantly from the dead. In the same language, speaks another Apostle; he was put to death in the flesh, but quickned by the Spirit, i.e. by the Divine es∣sence which was in Christ. Death and the Grave had swal∣lowed a morsel, which they could not keep: but as the Whale, when it had swallowed Jonas (in this, the Type of Christ) was forced to vomit him up again, it being impossible Christ should be holden by death: The power of the word incarnate, loosed or dissolved the bonds of Death, as a thread of Tow is

broken, when it is touched with the fire. Yea (Sampson-like, herein also another type of his) Jesus Christ did break in sun∣der the bars of the Grave, and carried away the Gates of death upon his shoulders, making a shew of them openly.

Thus Jesus rose again, as a Conquerour by his own power, and this is our Triumph, and Rejoycing: For surely, He, that thus raised up himself, can raise up us also, and will indeed raise us up by the same power, whereby he is able to subdue even all things unto himself.

Secondly, Jesus rose again; it implieth his Office; he rose as a Jesus, a Saviour, the Mediator of our peace; who having finished the work he came about, namely to satisfie divine Justice, and to bring in everlasting Rightcousness, so making peace by the blood of his Cross; God the Father sent a publique Officer from Heaven, to open the Prison doores; an Angel to rool away the stone from the mouth of the Sepulchre; thereby proclaiming to all the world, that the debt was paid, and, that God had received full satisfaction for the sins of the Elect, saying as it were, Deliver him, for I have received a Ransom.

This is another ground of our Triumph, that Jesus rose, that is, he rose, as our Jesus, our Saviour, and so by dying, hath delivered us from death, and from him, that had the po∣wer of death, which is the Devil. — Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come.

Thirdly, Jesus rose again, it implieth his right to us, and interest in us. He rose as our Jesus, i. e. as a publick Head, in whom all believers are considered. Jesus Christ as he di∣ed not in a private capacity (for he had no sin of his own, for which death might have any dominion over him) so neither did he rise again in a private capacity, but in a publick capaci∣ty, as he was our Goel, our next of kin, unto whom the right of Redemption did belong: He rose as our sponsor and surety, yea as our Husband and Bridegroom having espoused us to himself on the Cross; He rose as the Captain of our Salvati∣on, the publick Head, and Representative of all the Elect of God.

And this consideration layeth another foundation for our Triumph in Christ his Resurrection.

Notes

• A third word of Comfort
• i.e. No sin in him to de∣serve it, nor disease to cause it.
• Math. 3.17.
• Heb. 7.26. Isa. 53.61.71. Heb. Ho hath made the iniquity of us all to meet in him.
• Rom. 8.31.
• A fourth word of Comfort.
• Psal. 16.10.
• Jesus rose a∣gain, impli∣eth three things.
• 1st. Power. 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• Joh: 10.18.
• Alteram Christi naturam in∣telligamus, nempe 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Verbi incarnati potentiâ.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• Phil 3 21.
• Second. Office.
• Math. 28.2.
• Heb. 2.14. 1 Thes. 1.10.
• 3ly. His right and interest.
• Goel in the Hebr. signifies both a Re∣deemer and the next of Kin, because the right of Redemption belonged to the next of Kin.
• Christs Resur∣rection our Triumph, On a two sold accompt. 1. Account, all the Saints are risen in Christ already judi∣cially, legally.