Romans 5:10, Sermon 2

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We shall be saved by his Life (Romans 5:10)

In speaking to these Words I have doctrinally established this Truth. That Christ’s Resurrection from the Dead or his Life gives the utmost Certainty to the Believer's Salvation

and shall now —

Improve. —

I. What has been discocoursed: teaches us

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these things. viz—

—We are taught that Jesus Christ is truly & really the Son of God we find St. Paul arguing the Sonship of Christ from his Resurrection, in Acts. We declare says he unto you, glad Tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their Children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again (Acts 13:32) , God hath raised up Jesus again says he & in so

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doing hath fulfilled to us an ancient Promise made to our Fathers, & he refers us to Psalms. Where God says thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee (Psalms 2:7) , it appears that Christ is God's Son in that, in that he has raised himself from the dead, yea antecedent to his Incarnation, it was the Son of God that became incarnate & took our Nature upon him in his personal Union to the

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man Jesus, accordingly we are told in John that the word was made Flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) , his Goings were from everlasting (Micah 5:2) , then, even from Eternity says he was I by him, brought up with him & was his Delight (Proverbs 8:30) : So that the Filiation of Jesus Christ is not founded in & begun by his Resurrection from the Dead, but by his rising from the dead, he is plainly manifested to be the Son of God;

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When God said to Christ, this day have I begotten thee (Psalms 2:7) , it is as tho he had said, this day I have openly declared and made it manifest that thou art my Son; While Christ was in his State of Humiliation, especially while he lay in the Grave it did not so plainly appear that he was the Son of God the Glory of his Sonship was very much hidden & obscured, but when he arose

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from the dead then like the Sun in the Firmament coming out from behind the Cloud he plainly manifested himself & was declared to be the Son of God, St. Paul to the Romans says he was declared to be the Son of God with Power by his Resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4) Christ raised himself from the Dead which he could not have done had he not been the Son of God he often

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told the Jews that he was the Son of God now had he assumed this honor to himself when it did not truly belong to him would the Father have raised him out of the Grave who had imposed such a Falsehood upon the world & had blasphemously made himself equal with God, would he not rather have lain forever detained in the

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Grave as an Impostor; since then he is alive it is evident that he is truly what he affirmed himself to be even the Son of God

—We are also taught from what has been discoursed of Christ's Resurrection the undeniable Truth and Certainty of the whole christian Religion; what can be a more clear and indisputable Proof of the

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Truth and Certainty of Christ's being sent from heaven as the Savior of the world than this of his Resurrection out of the Grave; would God have raised an Impostor one that should come in his name & pretend to be sent by him to save Sinners, teach a new Doctrine to the world & require the world to believe in him that they might be

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saved certainly no, this would be to impose such a Trick and Cheat upon the world as to leave it impossible for any man to know what God required of him & what he must do to be acceptable and pleasing to God, especially when Christ told beforehand that if they destroyed the Temple of his Body after three days he would raise it up again (John 2:19) & gave this

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as a Sign to the world to be the strongest Proof of the Certainty of his Mission & Doctrine in Matthew there shall no Sign be given to that adulterous Generation says he but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas, for as Jonas was three days and three Nights in the whale's Belly so shall the Son of man be three days & three nights in the heart

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of the Earth (Matthew 12:39-40) , had he been an Impostor, it would have been the greatest Contradiction to the Truth of God, to the Holiness of his Nature & to his wisdom & Goodness, to have raised him out of the Grave; but since Christ is risen from the Grave & lives this gives the strongest Confirmation to the Truth of the whole of the christian Religion the Jews said in Matthew he saved others

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himself he cannot save, if he be the King of Israel let him now come down from the Cross & we will believe him (Matthew 27:42) ; he has done more than this he has risen out of the Grave, & therefore we may know & be asssured that he is the King of Israel, hence Thomas, when he was convinced that Christ was risen indeed cried out my Lord & my God (John 20:28) Christ's Resurrection

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confirms to us the Truth of all the Doctrines he has Taught the world, that they are true & faithful Sayings & worthy of all Acceptation (1 Timothy 1:15) , that he has taught nothing but what he has received of the Father (John 8:28) & that he has faithfully declared the whole Council of God to the world & kept back from us nothing that was necessary to be known by us. Christ's Resurrection also

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confirms the Truth and Certainty of all the Revelations that he has made & gives us an Assurance that there is an Heaven of Happiness the Safe Repository of the Righteous & an Hell of Misery where the Impenitent & Unbelieving shall forever lament their Folly & Madness & his Resurrection also assures us that all the Promises of the Gospel are true & shall

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certainly be accomplished to the humble devout righteoous Soul; And it confirms the divine Threatenings, that they shall most certainly be inflicted upon the unrighteous, irreligious & profane It assures us also that to live soberly righteously & godly in this world is the way to be happy in the world to come & to live in Sin, in disobedience to the divine Commands

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& in the willful Omission of any — known Duty is the certain way to be miserable forever What a firm Foundation then have we for our Faith of the whole christian Religion in Christ's Resurrection & what an Excitement should it be to us to a careful Practice of all the Duties — therein required of us & to a careful Abstinence from what is therein forbidden. And

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——We are also taught by what has been said of Christ's Resurrection: What a forceable & strong Plea we have for a strict Observation of instituted worship, Christ's Resurrection evidently proves him to be the great head of the Church, and if so, all his Institutions ought strictly to be observed by us. And there are especially Three that I shall take Notice of viz. The Lord's Day — The Baptism of

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the Lord — And the Lord's Supper. particularly —

—The Lord's Day is an Institution of his we must observe The Lord's day is a weekly & standing Proof of the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead. We are told in Matthew that in the End of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene & the other Mary to see the Se-

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pulchre (Matthew 28:1) , and the Angel that was there said unto them I know that ye seek Jesus that was crucified he is not here for he is risen as he said, come see the Place where the Lord lay (Matthew 28:5-6) : this first day of the week became ever after the Christian Sabbath & is styled the Lord's day because it is the day on which the Lord arose from the dead and upon it we constantly find the disciples & Apostles of our Lord assembled together for his

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Sacred worship Since then it is the christian Sabbath and the Lord's day in Commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead — surely we who call ourselves Christians & hope to partake of a Resurrection thro Christ to immortal Life, should with the greatest Strictness observe this day as sacred to the Lord, we should spend no part of it in worldly Business and Recreation: unless in the works

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of Necessity & mercy We must spend the whole day in the Exercises of Religion commemorating & worshipping the holy Jesus and the Father thro him in the public duties in the house of God & in private Duties in our Families, instructing those under our watch & Care, restraining & governing them that they pollute not the day of the Lord, & in holy meditation on the word & works of God

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especially on the wonders of a risen Savior. to keep this day holy to the Lord is the way to obtain temporal Blessings, but much more spiritual Ones which are by far the greater, whereas to profane it by unnecessary Labor — by Sport & Play is the most ready way to draw down wrath upon the Families & Places where we dwell; Where I must urge it upon you that you be more circumspect

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in a due Observation of this day on which Christ rose from the dead. And ——

——The Baptism of the Lord is an Institution of his we must observe: — This is not only an Institution of Christ's but a Seal & Token both of a spiritual Resurrection to newness of Life & the Resurrection of our Body out of the Grave to Life eternal St. Paul to the Romans says we are buried with him by Baptism into Death that like as

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Christ was raised from the Dead by the Glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of Life, for if we have been planted together in the Likeness of his Death we shall be also in the Likeness of his Resurrection (Romans 6:4-5) : well then since Christ is risen indeed let us be careful religiously to observe this Sacred Rite: how can you have any good hope of an Interest in a risen Savior

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& of being raised to sit together in heavenly places with him, if you wilfully neglect to attend this Institution which is the Seal & Token of your being raised at the last day; but then it is not enough that you literally observe this Institution and become baptized so taking upon you the mark of the Risen Savior, but you must be careful to answer your baptismal Obligation that like as Christ

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was raised from the Grave you may rise from the Grave of Sin and live in all holy Obedience to the Commands of God Your Baptism — will but seal your Condemnation to eternal Death & Perdition, if you remain but baptized Infidels & live like heathen in the neglect of God and in the Violation of his holy Commandments: You are bid by St Paul to the Romans to put on the Lord Je-

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sus Christ & make no Provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof (Romans 13:14) this Injunction you must comply with. And ——

——the Lord's Supper is an Institution of his which we must observe: —— The Lord's Supper is a Sacred Rite instituted by our Lord a little before his Death & designed to be peculiarly a Commemoration of his dying Love, & he has charged all his

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Disciples, this do in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19) , but then when we see the Bread broken & the wine poured out in this Supper, we are to remember Christ's dying for us, so we are to remember that our Lord could not be holden by the Power of Death, but has broken the Bands of it & risen out of the Grave: as was said to those who looked for him in the Sepulchre, he is not here he is —

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risen (Matthew 28:6) , so he is not here bodily at this Supper as the Romanists vainly fancy but he is risen & ascended up far above all heavens. it should then be the Care of us who call ourselves Christians duly to attend this Ordinance to come to the Lords Table & feed upon a living & Life giving Savior & we must come in a due manner, for the King, sitteth at his Table, he is

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spiritually present to inspect his Guests, he is not now in the Grave but comes & meets with his People here & communes and sups with them; therefore we should see to it that we have on the wedding Garment (Matthew 22:11-14) , that we come with holy hearts and devout Frames of Soul to feed upon a crucified but risen Savior, & to those who so do Christ saith in

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John whoso eateth my Flesh & drinketh my Blood hath eternal Life and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:54) . ——

II. This Doctrine of Christ's Resurrection from the dead is a comfortable Doctrine to the Believer; it was comfortable to the women that went to the Sepulchre, we are told they departed quickly from the Sepulchre with Fear & great Joy & did run to bring his —

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Disciples word (Matthew 28:8) —— particularly ——

——The Believer may be comforted In that He may know and be assured that all his Sins are forgiven Sin is the Believer's greatest Burden he goes mourning under a Sense of it, but as Christ has risen from the Grave then O Believer you may be assured that he has fully satisfied divine Justice for your Sins he has paid the Debt you

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owed to it so that now you have a public discharge you are charged with no Sin, being in Christ there is no Condemnation belonging to you. And —

—you may be comforted under Trouble Are you in the Grave of Affliction? be not discouraged, as sure as Christ is risen out of his Grave, so sure shall you rise out of your Trouble: Job under his Trials comforted him-

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self in Christ's Resurrection I know that my Redeemer liveth says he & that he shall stand in the latter day on the Earth (Job 19:25) ; Whatever Sickness or Pains you are exercised with, Whatever difficulties you are in in your outward affairs, or what distress of mind soever you are in the risen Jesus can & will deliver you &

—you may be comforted under the

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Apprehension of Death. As Christ by dying has disarmed Death of its Sting that it cannot hurt you; fear it not he by rising from the Grave has conquered the Terrors of the Grave, he entering into it has made it safe for you to enter, his rising out of it assures you that tho your Body must lie in it, yet it shall rise

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out of it as his did it shall rise a glorious Body being changed, & fashioned like his (Philippians 3:21) . & Then

III. Christ's Resurrection Speaks Terror to the wicked: That Christ lives is matter of Terror to you for he is able to call you to an Account for your Sins & will do it he is able to execute wrath upon you to the utmost; we are told that he will come again in flaming fire to take Vengeance on them that know not God & obey not the

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Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction.

IV. Let us live as becomes those who believe that Christ is alive & that we shall be saved by his Life. And Let us — Labor — — To be dead to sin but alive to God thro Jesus Christ our Lord

Let us also take off our hearts from the world and set them on things above as those do who are risen with Christ. & Finally

—Let us go to him

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for Life. He is the Fountain of Life he died to purchase it for us he rose from the dead to bestow it upon us let us go to him for spiritual Life to make us know him & the Power of his Resurrection & let us go to him for Life eternal

Amen