A discourse of the Resurrection shewing the import and certainty of it / by William Wilson.

CHAP. I. The Resurrection, as Revealed.

1. FIrst then I shall consider what ground of Certainty we have in the Holy Scrip∣tures, that there shall be a Resurrection. And as to this matter, it is to be observed, that the Scriptures of the Old Testament do speak very sparingly of it. And although before our Saviour's coming it was, no doubt, the belief and expectation of good Men, yet their Faith and Hope were grounded upon no express Re∣velation of it. And the Reason was, because in this consisted the Grace, that in the days of the Messiah should be procured for, and communicated to Mankind. Upon which ac∣count the full Discovery of it was reserved to him, who by conquering Death was to ascer∣tain the Truth of it to us.

If it be enquired, whence then good Men of old had their Notice of it: I answer,

1. That it was contained in the Promise made to Adam, that the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpent's Head. For the Ex∣pression of breaking the Serpent's Head must mean, that he, who was promised, should by dispossessing the Devil of that power he had gain'd over the Souls of Men, deliver us from the Calamity, that by the Serpent's subtilty we were fall'n into. Now this Calamity was Mortality, and that Power of leading the Cap∣tived Souls of Men to that invisible state where the Devil exercises a Tyrannical Authority, that he had gain'd over us. And because the Serpent by his Subtilty had brought this mis∣chief upon us, God promises that the Seed of the Woman should bruise his Head; i.e. He would out-wit him by the Seed of that Wo∣man, whom he had deceived; and deprive him of the fruit of his Subtilty by restoring Immortality to Man, whom he had brought under a Curse. Thus, no doubt, Adam un∣derstood this Promise, which assured him of a Deliverance from the Curse he was fall'n under. For how could he be freed from the Curse, that Sin had brought upon him, but by having the Life, which the Justice of God sentenced him to lose, assured to him again? Or how could the Serpent's Crafty design to deprive him of an Immortal Life be disap∣pointed, but by a Promise that gave him

hopes of rising again to Life? And therefore St. Paul observes. That as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive: Implying, That as Death was the Curse, that came upon us by the first Transgression; so it was a Re∣surrection from the Dead, that was promised to Adam. Because that Promise not only teaches us in general, That God designed us some great Blessing by the Seed of the Woman; but that the Blessing should be a Remedy to the Mis∣chief, that by the Serpent's Subtilty was fall'n upon us.

2. The Promise made to Abraham of giving him and his Seed the Land of Canaan does im∣ply it. For this Promise was not made to his Posterity alone, but to him also: All the Land, which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee, Gen. 13.15. Now though this Promise was not made good to him, nor his Sons, who were the Heirs of the Promise; but, as the Apostle saith, they so∣journed in the Land of Promise, as in a strange Country, Heb. 11.9. Yet God made himself known to him, and to Isaac, and Jacob to be their God: By which he would have them to believe him to be that faithfull God, that keepeth Promise. And accordingly it was by Faith that they sojourn'd there, though as Strangers; believing, that though they did not live to see the Promise made good, yet there would come a time, when God would be mindfull of them, and put them into a full

possession of it: These all, saith the Apostle, died in faith not having received the Promises; but having seen them afar off, and were persua∣ded of them, and embraced them, and confessed, that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth, v. 13. And therefore when they were dead, God still styled himself The God of Abra∣ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, to let their Posterity know, that he was mindfull of them, and of the promise he had made them. From which Text our Blessed Saviour convin∣ced the Sadducees, that they should rise again: i.e. Though they did not receive the Promise in this Life; yet, because God had assured them he was their God, they should assuredly live again, and enjoy the Benefits of it.

The design of the Argument was to teach that Sect, that denied a Resurrection, that in this Text God had given the Jews a sufficient ground for the Belief of a Resurrection, because God is not the God of the dead, but of the li∣ving. It is not sufficient to style him the God of the living, though there be no Resurrection, only because the Souls of Men do live in a se∣parate state. For though the Soul of Abraham be alive, yet Abraham is dead. And if Abra∣ham was not to live again, he could not, with a Respect to Abraham, be styled the God of the living. The meaning of our Saviour's Argu∣ment is this; That though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be dead by vertue of that Curse, that is come upon all Men; yet they must rise a∣gain

from under this Curse; because, though they are dead, they are not consigned over to the Power of that Evil Spirit, who has the Power of Death; For God still styles himself their God; which implies, that their Souls are in a place of safety under the protection of God, where they rest in hope of seeing the accomplishment of the Promise made to them. For the least that we are to conclude from hence is, That God has reserved some special favour for them. But what friendship could he be supposed to bear them, if he was resol∣ved they should bear the Curse for ever, that took away their Lives? He could not surely style himself their God, if he had forsaken them for ever. For to be a God to any one, does at least signifie, that he designs some great Good to such a person. But what great Good can he design for those, whom he has forgot∣ten, and leaves to bear those Marks of his Dis∣pleasure, with which they go out of this World? If then God has not totally forsaken them, as his being their God does imply, that he has not; though they be dead, because of the Doom that was pass'd upon Adam; yet they are not by Death deliver'd as Captives into the hands of him, that has the Power of Death, but shall be deliver'd out of that state of the Dead, where they live under the pro∣tection of God, because he is their God.

Or we may take the design of our Saviour in order to the asserting the Doctrine of the Resurrection to have been only to over-throw that Belief of the Sadducees concerning the Annihilation of the Soul, upon which they grounded their disbelief of a Resurrection. And indeed to them, who believed there was no Resurrection, because they believed the Souls of Men are extinguish'd by Death, it was sufficient for the proving there is a Resurrecti∣on, to prove, That the Souls of Men do live in a separate state after Death. Because this was to destroy the foundation, on which they grounded their Belief. And 'tis sure, if our Souls did not remain alive after Death, there would be no part of us, that could be sensi∣ble of the Mischief, that Death is to us; nor of the Blessing a Resurrection will be to us: But since our Souls do continue alive, the Hopes of a Resurrection does speak so much favour toward them, who do not live like themselves; while they are out of the Body, as does a∣bundantly answer the Expression of God's be∣ing their God. For if God be their God, he will certainly satisfie so Natural a desire as that of a separate Soul towards its Body is; i.e. He will bring the Soul out of its se∣parate state; and raise the Man, that is dead.

Thus then of old, from the time that Man became Mortal, has this Doctrine been Re∣vealed.

And although there are no such ex∣press Texts in the Old, as there are in the New Testament for it; yet all that consider the import and design of these Promises made to Adam and Abraham, must grant that no∣thing less than the Resurrection from the Dead was intended in them. They are the Promi∣ses upon which God founded his Church in the two first periods of it, as now the Chri∣stian Church is upon that clear discovery, we have of a Resurrection. And because the Church is the same it was in all Ages, the foundation likewise must be the same. And as in the time of Adam's Innocency it was the Hopes of an Immortal Life, that was the En∣couragement he had to maintain his Inno∣cency; so, since we became Mortal, it is the same Hope, wherewith God encourages us to return to and persevere in our Duty; only with this difference, That now we are to be made Immortal by conquering Death. Thus the Seed of the Woman will break the Ser∣pent's Head, and God will show himself to be Abraham's God.