scendants, from the first Adam, who is of the earth, earthy. Ο how precious to a finner in these circumstances should be the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, who stands at the head of the spiritual world, that he may give his righteousness, and his life, and his happiness, to all that believe in him! He comes Jehovah of hosts in our nature, as our champion to fight our battles, and to conquer all our foes. Immanuel was made fin for us, and he died for our fins according to the scriptures, when the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all, and was buried and rofe again the third day according to the scriptures. We read therein of his noble challenge to death and the grave: "I will ranfom my people from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death death-O death, I will be thy plagues-O grave, I will be thy destruction, repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." It was the Captain of our falvation, the Lord of hosts is his name, who purposed this in the everlasting councils, and in due time fulfilled it by his almighty power. "Because the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewife took part of the fame, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life-time fubject to bondage." O what infinite condefcenfion is this, what love, furpaffing all knowledge! The most high God is manifest in the flesh, that as God in our nature, he might be our surety to act and fuffer fuffer for us men, and for our falvation. Accordingly he takes our fins upon himself, bears the guilt and punishment of them in his own body and foul upon the tree, gives his own life a ransom for ours, that by his death we might live. He was buried, but he rofe again the third day, having loofed the bonds of death, because it was not poffible that he should be holden of it. In this conflict with death and the grave, repentance was hid from his eyes. He knew what he was to go through, more than any of us can conceive of pain and agony, yet he would not change his purpose of grace, although he was to become obedient unto death, the most tormenting, the most shameful, even the death of the cross. His enemies having brought him to the grave, and fealed the fepulchre, seemed then to have him in their power. So they thought: But here Jesus made his complete and eternal triumph. By his refurrection he fwallowed up death in victory: For he did not rise as a private person, but as the first-fruits of the dead, drawing the joyful harvest after him. The Lord is rifen indeed, the head of the body, the church, and has the power of an endless life to quicken all his members. In which most glorious profpect, the apostle, quoting the paffage above mentioned, breaks out into these raptures of joy, seeing all his enemies vanquished, and nothing but bliss and glory before him-" O death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is fin, and the strength of fin is the law." fealed The law armed death with its sting, as the just wages of the tranfgreffion of the law: But Jefus our furety magnified the law by his holy life in all its precepts, and by his death in all its penalties. He died for our fins, and by his rifing from the dead, he demonftrated that he had taken out its fting, and had disarmed it of its power to hurt: Nay had done much more-He had changed death into life. "I am the refurrection and the life, faith the Lord; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." By faith in him we share in the triumph and glory of his refurrection, and have a new song put into our mouths, with which we may make the sweetest melody in our |