And the graves were opened; and many bodies of saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrec-tion, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

And this is the third day since the first of these was done, since "the graves were opened;" and the first day that all the rest, that the "bodies of saints arose," came forth," went into the holy city, and appeared, "the blessed day of our "Saviour's resurrection." So we have both passion and resurrection in the text, and not amiss; the one to usher in the other,--the passion, the resurrection,--both comfortable when together: to see the passion end so glorious, the darkness of so sad an evening open itself at last, after a little respite, into so lustrous a morning,--the most lustrous that sun ever shone in, the most joyous thus to meet the grave and the holy city, Christ and his saints together.

This day the very stones cry out, and send forth the deceased saints, as so many tongues, to speak the glory of their Redeemer. And if the "graves" open their mouths, can we hold our peace? If the dead bodies of the "saints" appear to-day in "the holy city" to celebrate the day, shall not we appear with our living bodies in the holy mount, to do as much? The "grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee," says Hezekiah; and "the dead praise not [97/98] thee, O Lord," says David; yet here they do. They thought then they could not,--we see now they do; and shall not the living do so too? "The living, the living, he shall praise thee," says Hezekiah; and, "but we will praise the Lord," says David. That is agreed on both hands that the living shall: the father to the children, make known the truth of this day's great wonder, declare it one to another from generation to generation,--keep the day in remembrance throughout all generations.

Indeed, if we be not more senseless than the day, more silent than the grave, the house of silence, we cannot hold to-day; up and arise we will, and into the holy places to set forth the wonders of the day. "They that go down," as the Psalmist speaks, "into the silence," and into the holy places where all things are forgotten, who are either "dead in trespasses and sins," or are resolved to forget all that their fathers have seen or done, or has been done for them, who are in the dark, the darkness of ignorance or error, departed from the Church, out of the marvellous light into the land of darkness; they slow not of these wonders among the dead in their own congregations, nor tell of the loving-kindness, faithfulness, and righteousness of this day, in that great de-struction they have made. But we will, I hope, we that are among the living stones, in the communion of holy Church, will praise the Lord,--do as much as the graves and now risen bodies, wherever we appear.

For upon this day hang all our hopes. We were hopeless till it came; hopeless when it was come till we knew it, and no great hope of us if we forget it now it is. This day Christ rose out of the grave. If He had not risen, had had no resurrection, there had been no hope of ours. If no hope nor resurrection, we had been of all men most miser-able; and if we do not thankfully remember both, we are but miserable unthankful wretches; no sooner the day for-gotten, and such days put down, but all our happiness put down with them, we of all the nations under heaven pre-sently most miserable, miserable times quickly after this happy day, with the rest of its attendants, was unhappily voted to be forgotten. So much does it concern our happiness with the "saints" in the text, to solemnize it in the [98/99] "city," if the city intend either to be holy or happy, so much to make much, both of all texts and times, that may bring it to our remembrance, all day, and words, texts and testimonies, either of "Christ's resurrection" or our own.

This text then among the rest,--wherein we have both a testimony and evidence of "Christ's resurrection," and a pledge and symbol of our own. Two general points, which we shall consider in the words. Or more particularly thus: A testimony of the truth of "Christ's resurrection," and an evidence of the power of it. A pledge of the certainty of our "resurrection," and a symbol of the manner of it, both of our "resurrection" to grace, and our "resurrection" to glory.

The testimony of the truth of "Christ's resurrection:" -(1.) In the "bodies of the saints," arising, and "coming out of their graves." (2.) In their coming "into the holy city," and there appearing "unto many," telling and declaring it.

The evidence of the power of "his resurrection" to be seen:--(1.) In opening the "graves." (2.) In raising the "saints' bodies that slept" there. (3.) In sending them into the holy city." (d.) Sending them thither to "appear to many."

The pledge of our "resurrection" it is:--(1.) That they that rise are of those that slept, saints and numbers of the same body with us. That, (2,) it is no phantasm, no fantastic or mere imagined business, for they "appeared to many."

The whole business of their "resurrection" is a symbol and signification of ours, both of that to grace and that to glory. (1.) Of that to grace: the grave, and sleep, the symbols of sin and sleeping in it, the bodies rising thence, of the souls rising out of sin; their going "into the holy city," of the souls passing from sin to righteousness and holiness; their appearing to many, of this righteousness manifested and appearing unto all. A symbol (2) it is of the "resurrection" unto glory, where the grave first opens, then the body rises, then "into the holy city," into new Jerusalem it goes, and there appears and shines for ever.

Thus you have the text opened as well as the graves; we must now go on to raise such bodies of doctrine and comfort out of it as may bring us all "into the holy city," serve to [99/100] make us holy here, and happy hereafter, partakers here of the first resurrection, and hereafter in the second. He that here opened the graves, and raised the dead bodies out of their sleep, open your ears and hearts, and raise your understandings and affections, that we may all of us have our share in both--rise first to righteousness, then to glory. "Christ's resurrection" is the pattern and ground of both; we therefore begin with that, with those words first that bear witness to the truth of it, that Christ is risen.

A double testimony we gather of it in the words, from the rising of the dead saints, and from their appearing.

It was a sign indeed that the resurrection was well towards, when the graves began to open; we could not but see some-what of it even in those dark caverns, when they once began to let in the light; some hope of rising, even when a body begins to yawn; some hope the body night come ere long to recover its long--lost liberty, when the doors were wide set open, and the shackles of death knocked off the legs; some sign and hope, I say, it would be so, that there would be a resurrection of some, of some one or other, by and by.

But the graves being opened at Christ's passion, they could be, but hopeful prognostics at most of "his resurrection;" a testimony it could not be; but when out of these opened graves the saints arose out of their sleep, they could tell us more certain news of it than so. And being but members of that body of which Christ Jesus was the head, we must needs know the head is risen when the body is got up; the head first ere any member could, be it never so holy, never so much "saint." He is "the head of the Church," says the Apostle, and the Church the body; and if any part of the body be raised to life, the head you may be sure is--first too. For if Christ be "the first-fruits of them that sleep," and "the first-begotten from the dead," as he is styled; if we see others risen, other dead bodies walking and alive, there is no witness more true than that He is. The first-fruits ever before the crop: "Christ the first-fruits, afterwards they that are Christ's," says S. Paul--out of order else; and the "first--begotten" ever before all the rest; second, and third, and fourth, and all witness the "first-begotten" was before them, [100/101] "the first-begotten from the dead," risen before the other dead.

And it seems it is not a single witness; they were many dead bodies here that rose; and "in the mouth of two or three witnesses" "shall every word be established," much more in the mouths of many witnesses.

And if these be from the dead, surely then the most in-credulous will believe. "Nay, Father Abraham," says Dives, "but if one come from the dead, they will" believe, yea, and "repent" too. Here is more than one,--here is "many," that not so much as any of Dives' brethren,--the most voluptuous, secure, customary, and obstinate sinner, can be incredulous after this, or have reason to doubt the truth, or have the power to contradict it. To satisfy either par-ticular curiosity or infidelity, God does not use to send us messengers from the dead; he sends us to "Moses and the prophets" there, for our instruction; does not press men from hell or heaven, or raise them out of their beds of rest, to send them on an errand to us, (though perhaps little can be universally, though ordinarily it perhaps may be, defined in this particular, for the ignorance we are under of the con-dition of the bounds and limits of the dead.) "If they will not believe Moses and the prophets," says Father Abraham, "neither will they believe if one rise from the dead." If they will not believe the living word, the word of the living God, no likelihood that they should believe the word of a dead man, especially when they cannot be certain but it may be the devil, the father of lies and falsehood. But not of one only rising from the dead,--that to be sure; no man so simple to venture his faith upon a single testimony, and such a one as that. Or if he would, God does not use to do extra-ordinary miracles, where the ordinary means of probation or information are sufficient.

But in this great business that concerns all mankind, he is pleased to step out of his ordinary course to give us, for once, some extraordinary satisfaction, that all ages afterward might be sufficiently convinced of the truth of Christ's resurrection from heaven and earth by the testimony--of the dead and living, that there might be no occasion hereafter to doubt for ever. He raises, therefore, a great company to attend [101/102] the triumph of his Son's resurrection, and to hear witness to it.

And as it is not a single witness, so it is not, secondly, a single testimony; it is not from their rising only, but from their going into the city, and there appearing unto many. For sure neither their journey nor appearance was to tell stories of the dead, what is done either in the grave, or heaven, or hell, to satisfy the curious soul with a discovery of those chambers of silence, or the "land where all things are forgotten;" and therefore all forgotten, that we may know they remember which they come thence to tell us nothing that is there; their business was to wait upon their Lord, that had now set them at liberty from the grave, and divulge the greatness and glory of his resurrection. When Moses and Elias appeared upon the holy mount, at Christ's transfiguration, talking with him, S. Luke tells us, they "spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." And it is highly credible the discourse of these saints with those to whom they appeared, was of his resurrection. Their going into the city was not merely to show themselves, nor their appearance merely to appear, but to appear witnesses and companions of their Saviour's resurrection.

Nor is it probable that the saints, whose business is to sing praise and glory to their Lord, should be silent at this point of time, of any thing that might make to the advancement of his glory.

Yet you may do well to take notice, that it is not to all, but "to many" only, that they "appeared:" to such, as S. Peter tells us of Christ's own appearance after his resurrec-tion, as were "chosen before of God," "witnesses" chosen for that purpose, that we may learn indeed to prize God's favours, yet not all to look for particular revelations and appearances. It is sufficient for us to know so many saints that slept arose to tell it,--that so many saints that are now asleep, S. Peter, and the twelve, S. Paul, and five hundred brethren at once, all saw him after he was risen--so many millions have fallen asleep in this holy faith,--so many slept and died for it, that it is thus abundantly testified both by the dead and living, both by life and death, even standing up and dying for it; and a Church raised upon this faith [102/103] through all the corners of the earth, and to the very ends of the world.

But to know the truth of it is not enough, unless we know the benefits of Christ's resurrection: they come next to be considered; and there is in the words evidence sufficient of four sorts of them :-(1.) The victory over sin and death both---"the graves were opened." (2.) The resurrection of the soul and body; the one in this life, the other at the end of it- "many dead bodies that slept arose." (3.) The sanctification and glorification of our souls and bodies; the dead pulses that arose out of the graves "went into the holy city." (4.) The establishing us both in grace and glory: they "appeared unto many." All these, says the text, after "his resurrec-tion," by the force and virtue of it.

(1.) Indeed, it seems "the graves were opened," death almost vanquished, and the grave near overcome, whilst he yet hung upon the cross, before he was taken thence; death's sting taken out by the death of Christ, mid all the victories of the grave now at an end, that it could no longer be a perpetual prison; yet for all that the victory was not complete, all the regions of the grave not fully ransacked, nor the forces of it utterly vanquished and disarmed, nor its prisoners set at liberty, and itself taken and led captive, till the resurrection. It is upon this point S. Paul pitches the "victory," and calls the Prophet's testimony; upon this it is he proclaims the triumph,--"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"--even upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he has been proving and proclaiming, the whole chapter through, with all its benefits, and concludes it with his "thanks" for this great "victory."

So it is likewise for the death and grave of sin: the claims of sin were loosed, the dominion of it shaken oft; the grave somewhat opened, that we might see some light of grace through the crannies of it, by Christ's passion; but we are not wholly set at liberty, not quite let out of it, the gravestone not perfectly removed from the mouth of it, till the Angel at the resurrection, or rather the "Angel of the Covenant," by his resurrection, remove it thence--remove our sins and iniquities clean from us.

(2.) Then indeed the dead soul arises; then appears the [103/104] second benefit of his resurrection; then we rise to "right-eousness and live;" then we "awake to righteousness, and sin no more." So S. Paul infers it,--"That like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so should we also walk in newness of life." This resurrection, one of the ends of his; our righteousness attri-buted to that, as our redemption to his death.

From it it comes that our dead bodies arise too. Upon that Job grounds it,--his resurrection upon his Redeemer's, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Well, what then? Why, I know too, therefore, that "though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in any flesh I shall see God." The Apostle interweaves our resurrection with Christ's, and Christ's with ours; his as the cause of ours, ours as the effect of his, (a good part of 1 Coy. xv.) If Christ be risen, then we; if we, then he; if not he, not we; if not we, not he. And in the text it is evident, no rising from the dead, how open soever the graves be, till after his resurrection, that we may know to what article of our faith we owe both our deliverance from death, and our deliverance into life here in soul, and hereafter in our bodies, by what with holy Job to uphold our drooping spirits, our mangled, martyred, crazy bodies, by the faith of the resurrection; that day, the day of the Gospel of good tidings, to be remembered for ever.

(3.) So much the rather in that it is a day yet of greater joy, a messenger of all fulness of grace and glory to us, of the means of our sanctification, of our rising saints, living the lives of saints, holy lives, and of our glorification, our rising unto glory; both doors open to us now, and not till now; liberty and power given us to go "into the holy city," both this below--and that above, now after "his resurection," and through it. "He rose again," says S. Paul, "for our justification;" to regenerate us to "a lively hope;" "blessed be God" for it, says S. Peter; that we might be "planted together in the likeness of his resurrection," says S. Paul; grow up like him in righteousness and true holiness; and when the day of the general resurrection comes, rise then also after his likeness--be conformed to his image---bear his image who is the heavenly, as we have borne the image of the earthly ­ "our vile body" changed and "fashioned like [104/105] his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself;" whereby, in the day of his resurrection, he subdued death, and grave, and sin and all things to him.

(l.) And to show the power of his resurrection to the full, there is an appearing purchased to us by it ­ an appear-ing here in the fulness and lustre of grace, such as may appear unto all men to be such--not a few, but many, many graces, all graces obtained by it; nay, "it does not yet appear what we shall be" by it, but "when he shall appear, we shall be like him," says S. John; our righteousness and glory, last for ever. "He died once," says the Apostle, "but being raised, he dieth no more;" no more did these in the text; no more shall we, but live for ever. Not only grace and glory, but perseverance in the one and eternity in the other, appa-rently no less accruing to us by the virtue and efficacy of his resurrection; good news from the grave the while, and from the late-raised prisoners of it, who are now, thirdly, as well the pledges of the certainty of our resurrection, as the evidences of the power of Christ's.

A double pledge we have here of our resurrection,--one from the "many dead bodies of the saints that slept, arising out of their graves;" the other from their going "into the holy city," and their appearing "unto many."

In the first, then, are four particulars to assure us of it:-

(i.) We find dead bodies here arising, to assure us such a thing there may be, such a thing there is, as a resurrection of the body; that bodies, be they never so dead, may be quickened,--never so corrupted, may rise incorruptible; you nay see them rising here. And,

(ii.) "Many" of them there are, that we may see it belongs not only to a few, to some particular persons; this many is but the usher to S. Paul's "all" ­ "we shall all" arise and "stand before the judgment-seat of Christ."

(iii.) Saints' bodies they are said to be, and they are our fellow members of the same body; and if "one member, be honoured, all the members are honoured with it," says S. Paul. Indeed, the "bodies of the saints" only shall rise with Christ, rise to enter "into the holy city;" but all shall rise; for "all" shall appear, "every one to receive the things done in his [105/106] body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad;" "they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of dam-nation," says He that rose himself to-day. "For all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth;" none be left behind, though the best come first. The saints have only the prerogative, not the only privilege of the resurrection.

For, (iv.) it is said the "bodies" of them that "slept," that we may know that all that sleep, that all that die, shall awake again and rise at last. He that lies down only to sleep, lies down to rise; and good and bad, how sad soever the one's dreams be, how full of terror soever be the wicked man's sleep in death, are both said to sleep. Jeroboam and Reho-hoam, Baasha and Omri, and Ahab, and Joran, are said all of them to sleep with the fathers, as well as David and Solomon, and Joash, and Hezekiah, obdormierunt simul, they all sleep together the sleep of death, and so shall like-wise rise together; though as there is difference in sleep, some sweet, some horrible, so in rising too, some sad, some joyful when they awake; but sleep necessarily intimates and supposes some awaking and rising after it; it is else some-what more than sleep. Thus, by the rising of the dead bodies of these saints, so many rising, rising as men out of their sleep, not as saints out of a privilege, we have one strong pledge of our resurrection, of which they only lead the van after our great Captain, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A second we have given us, from both their going "into the holy city," and their appearing "unto many."

It was not so in obscure; "this thing was not," as S. Paul speaks, "done in a corner," not in a house or churchyard, (where are all the apparitions we now hear of,) not in a country village; no, not an ordinary--city neither, but in the great metropolis, Jerusalem itself; called holy for what it had been, not what it was,--for it was now the most sinful city,--or called holy yet for the Temple's sake, that yet stood firm: an item, by the way, to tell us how long a city may be styled holy, so long as the Church stands sacred and inviolate in it, and no whit longer. But be the city holy or not, that which is done there by many, is not likely a private business, has witnesses enow to give credit to it.

[106/107] But to put all out of question, the there appearing "unto many," will certify it was no phantasm, no particular fancy, or imagination of some silly, simple, or timorous persons, but a business of the greatest certainty; whether you take "many" for the "many," or many people and folk together, or for "such who were before chosen," as the Apostle speaks, "to be witnesses," to whom the "resurrection" should be revealed, as to men of credit, repute, and understanding.

Nor does the word "appearing" any way prejudice but con-firm it,--the word enefanisqhsan is from emyanixw, to make plain and certify; to give us a full knowledge and manifestation of a thing, so used, when either persons or things really and truly appear before us. So the publicness of the place, the number and fitness of the persons, and the way and manner of appearance, is evidence enough of their real resurrection, and a second pledge to us that it concerns more than themselves, (though themselves were "many," even the "many" they "appeared to," too;) whole cities, all cities, holy and unholy, all the world, of which that city was but an emblem and signification; a place from whence God did as it were, out of his own house and palace, dispense his providence through all the earth; and the saints besides thus going after the resurrection "into the holy city," an intimation whither the saints go when they are risen; the whole action, a symbol of what is done in both the first and second resurrection; what we are to do in the one, and expect in the other, or what is done both in the one and the other; and so, lastly, we now consider it.

For the similitude the first resurrection, or the resurrec-tion of the soul from sin to righteousness, bears to this of the dead bodies in the text, we have it very like both for thing and order.

The graves in which the souls lie buried, are either our corruptible bodies, or corrupt passions, or steely hearts, or continued ill customs, which so entomb the spirit, that it lies dead without any spiritual life and operation. The opening of the graves, is the loosing the chains of those earthly affections, bodily depressions, wicked habits, and hardened hearts. The souls that are dead in trespasses and sins, are those dead bodies full of stench and worms, and [107/108] rottenness, than any dead body whatsoever, full of infamous and stinking sins, worms of conscience, and worms of concupiscence, rotten resolutions and performances; continuance in sin is the sleep of death. Holy purposes and resolutions are the rising out of it. Walking thenceforward in the ways of righteousness, is going into the holy city, and the letting our righteousness so shine before men, that God may be glorified, is the appearing unto many.

And the order is as like,--our justification or spiritual resurrection well resembled by it. God first, for the merits of Christ's death and passion, breaks open the stony heart, looses the fetters of our sins and lusts, all worldly corrup-tible affections in us; opens the mouth of it to confess its sins; then the soul rises as it were out of its sleep, by the favour of God's exciting grace, and comes out of sin by holy purposes and resolutions; resolves presently to amend its courses; then next it goes into the holy city, by holy action, endeavour, and performance; so goes and manifests its reconcilement to the Church of God, and at last makes its resurrection, repentance, and amendment, evident and appa-rent to the world, to as many as it any where converses with, that all may bear witness to it, that it is truly risen with Christ, now lives with him. This he order, this the manner of our first resurrection, from the death of sin to time life of grace.

Our second resurrection to the life of glory, is but this very resurrection in the text acted over again. As soon as the consummatum est is pronounced upon the world,--as soon as Christ shall say, as he did upon the cross, "All is finished," the end is come, the Archangel shall blow his trumpet, the graves open, the earth and sea give forth their dead, amid the dead in Christ shall rise first; then they that be alive at his coming; "for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus shall God bring with him;" and they shall "come out of their graves, and go into the holy city," the new Jerusalem that is above, and there appear and shine like stars for ever. Indeed the ungodly and the wicked shall arise too, and appear be-fore the great tribunal; but not like these "saints," for "into the holy city" they shall not come. Rise and come forth [108/109] they shall, but go away into some place of horror, some gloomy valley of eternal sorrow, some dark dungeon of everlasting night, some den of dragons and devils, never to appear before God, but be for ever hid in the arms of confusion and damnation.

As for the godly, the "holy city" is prepared for them,---for us, if we be like them. Saints and angels are the in-habitants of this "holy city,"--no room there for any other if our bodies then be the "bodies of" holy "saints," then "into the holy city" with them, and not else; no part in the new Jerusalem, if no part in the old; no portion above, if now below; no place there with angels, if no communion here with "saints;" no happiness in heaven, if no holiness on earth. They are the "bodies of the saints," you hear, that go "into the holy city,"--they that rise from the sleep of sin, and awake to righteousness,--that rise from the dust of death, to the rays of glory.

And this now may hint us of our duty, to close with them for the close of all. It has been shown before what is the first resurrection, without which there is no second, namely, a life of holiness: a dying to sin, and a living unto God. And this is a resurrection we are not merely passive in, as in the other. We must do somewhat here towards our own resurrection, at least to finish it. We must open our mouths, which are too often, what David styles, the wicked man's throat; even open sepulchres, and by con-fession send out our dead, our dead works, confessing our iniquities; we must awake out of our sins, and arise and stand up by holy vows and resolutions; rear up our heads, and eyes, and hearts, and hands to heaven; "seek those things that are above, if we be risen with Christ;" get up upon our feet, and be walking the way of God's command-ments, walking to him; get us "into the holy city," to the holy place, make our humble appearance there; express the power of "Christ's resurrection" in our life, attend him through all the parts of it all our life long.

This the great business we are now going to, requires (if us more particularly to come to it like new--raised bodies that lead now shaken off all their dust, all dusty earthly thoughts, laid aside their grave--clothes, all corrupt affections [109/110] that any way involved them, and stood up all new, all fitly composed for the "holy city," dressed up in holiness and newness of life,--thus come forth to meet our Saviour appear before him. This the way to meet the benefits of his passion and resurrection: for coming so with these saints out of their graves, Christ's grave also shall open and give him to us; the cup and paten wherein his body lies, as in a kind of grave, shall display themselves and give him to us; the spirit of Christ shall raise and advance the holy elements into lively symbols, which shall effectually present him to us,--and he will come forth from under those sacred shadows, into our cities, our souls, and bodies, if they be holy ; and his grace and sweetness shall appear to many of us, to all of us that come in the habit of the resurrection, in white robes, with pure and holy hearts.

Here, indeed, of all places, and this way above all ways, we are likeliest to meet our Lord now he is risen, and gone before us; this the chief way to be made partakers of his resurrection, and the fittest to declare both his death and resurrection, the power of them, till his coming again.

And to declare and speak of them, is the very duty of the day; the very grave this day, with open mouth, professes Christ is risen, and gives praise for it, that it is no longer a land of darkness, but has let in light; no longer a bier of death, but a bed of sleep. But "shall thy loving-kindness, O Lord, be known in the dark," or "shall the dead rise up" again, "and praise thee?" Yes, holy Prophet, they shall,--they did to-day; and if his loving-kindness shall not be known in the dark, the dark places shall become light, now the "Sun of righteousness has risen" upon them.

But shall the dead rise up again and praise him, and shall not we? Shall the graves open, and shall not our hearts be opened to receive him, nor our mouths to praise him for it? Was it the business of the dead saints to-day, to rise to wait upon their Lord, and shall not the living rise to bear them company? Shall the whole city ring of it, out of dead men's mouths, and shall not our cities and temples resound of it? Shall they tell the wonders of the day, and we neither mind the day nor wonders of it? Surely, "some evil will befal us," as said the lepers at the gates of Samaria, "if we [110/111] fold our peace." It is a day of good, of glorious tidings, and we must not, lest the grave in indignatgion shut her mouth upon us, and the holy city bar us out. Open we then our mouths to-day, and sin praises to Him who made the day, made it a joyful day indeed, the very seal of happiness unto us. Open we our mouths, and "take the cup of salvation," as the Prophet calls it; "the cup of thanksgiving," the Apostle styles it, "and call upon the name of the Lord." Open our mouths as the grave, and he will fill them. Open our mouths now as the grave, and be not satisfied,--give not over our prayers until he do. Raise we all our thoughts, and desires, and endeavours to entertain him; go which way he shall send us, appear what he would have us, attend him whithersoever he shall lead us; and when he himself shall appear, he will lead our souls out of the death of sin to the life of rigilteousness; our bodies out of the dust of death into the land of life; both souls and bodies into the holy city, the new Jerusalem, where there shall be more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor any more pain, but "all tears shall be wiped away," all joys come into our hearts and eyes, and we sing merrily and joyfully. All honour and glory be unto Him that hath redeemed us from death, and raised us to life, by the power ad virtue of his resurrection. All blessing, and glory, ad praise, and honour, and power he unto him, with the Father and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Project Canterbury