It is true, it was Folly thus to hope, but that his Life applies what his Death deserved; and our Salvation begun on the Cross, is perfected on the Throne. And therefore the Apostle tells us, 1our Faith in a crucified Saviour, and our Obedience to him is all vain, if he had not risen again from the Dead: For unless he had risen from the Dead, he could not have acquitted us from the Guilt of Sin, because he could not have been justified himself. We are justified by the Righteousness of Christ, as the Apostle speaks, in his Epistle to the Romans; 2which Righteousness he wrought out for us, both by his perfect Obedience to the Law, and by his Submission to the Punishment ⟨p. 120⟩of the Law: But yet this Righteousness could not have availed to our Justification, had he not, after the Fulfilling of it, risen again from the Dead; because he himself had not been justified, much less could we have been justified by one who could not have justified himself. And therefore we read, 3Great is the Mystery of Godliness, says the Apostle; God manifested in the Flesh, in his Incarnation; justified in the Spirit, by his Resurrection; seen of Angels, in his Ascension. Had he not been raised and quickened by the Spirit, that is, by the glorious Power of his Divine Nature, he had not been declared just, nor could he have justified us: For this Declaration, that Christ was just, was made upon the Resurrection of his Body from the Dead, by which he ⟨p. 121⟩was set free from all those Penalties due to our Sins that were imputed to him. If therefore the Justification and Salvation of Sinners was a Design laid by the infinite Wisdom of God, it must needs follow, that it was impossible for Christ to be kept under Death, because that would have obstructed their Justification and Salvation, and so would have brought a Disappointment upon the infinite Wisdom of God, which was impossible to be done; and therefore consequentially Christ could not be holden of Death.
It is true, it was Folly thus to hope, but that his Life applies what his Death deserv'd; and our Salvation begun on the Cross, is perfected on the Throne. And therefore the Apostle tells us, 1our Faith in a crucified Saviour, and our Obedience to him is all vain, if he had not risen again from the Dead: For unless he had risen from the Dead, he could not have acquitted us from the Guilt of Sin, because he could not have been justified himself. We are justified by the Righteousness of Christ, as the Apostle speaks, in his Epistle to the Romans; 2which Righteousness he wrought out for us, both by his perfect Obedience to the Law, and by his Submission to the Punishment ⟨p. 120⟩of the Law: But yet this Righteousness could not have availed to our Justification, had he not, after the Fulfilling of it, risen again from the Dead; because he himself had not been justified, much less could we have been justified by one who could not have justified himself. And therefore we read, 3Great is the Mystery of Godliness, says the Apostle; God manifested in the Flesh, in his Incarnation; justified in the Spirit, by his Resurrection; seen of Angels, in his Ascension. Had he not been raised and quickned by the Spirit, that is, by the glorious Power of his Divine Nature, he had not been declared just, nor could he have justified us: For this Declaration, that Christ was just, was made upon the Resurrection of his Body from the Dead, by which he ⟨p. 121⟩was set free from all those Penalties due to our Sins that were imputed to him. If therefore the Justification and Salvation of Sinners was a Design laid by the infinite Wisdom of God, it must needs follow, that it was impossible for Christ to be kept under Death, because that would have obstructed their Justification and Salvation, and so would have brought a Disappointment upon the infinite Wisdom of God, which was impossible to be done; and therefore consequentially Christ could not be holden of Death.
- 11 Cor. 15.17.
- 2Rom 4 25
- 31 Tim. 3.16.
