neither the grave nor hell could prevail over him, to keep him in bondage. ، It appears from the history of his resurrection,* that many bodies of the saints which slept, arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. The souls of these saints were brought by him from hades, and re-united to their bodies, to grace the triumph of his resurrection, and to give evident proof, that both hell and the grave were subject unto him; that he had actually overcome death, and him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and that he was able to make good his promise, and raise up to eternal life, at the last day, all those who believed in him. It was also an assurance to all the holy souls who were at rest in bades, that they should not be for ever left there; but, in God's good time, should obtain a happy resurrection, and have their 'perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in his eternal and everlasting glory,' through the power and merit of the great Redeemer. Should we carry this idea further, and suppose that Christ, between his death and resurrection, went to that prison of departed spirits which the Hebrews denominated Tophet; the Greeks, Gehenna; the Latins, Tartarus; and, which the English call Hell in its bad sense, where the souls of the wicked are confined in anguish and despair, against the judgment of the last day-should we suppose that he went thither, not to suffer, but to pass in triumph through the kingdom, or residence of the great adversary and destroyer of men ; I see no absurdity, or ill consequence that could follow from it. It would have demonstrated to all orders and degrees of intelligent creatures, that all things, even the powers and principalities of darkness, were indeed subject to him: that neither death, the grave, nor hell was exempt from his dominion. That St. Paul referred to such a transaction, when he said that Christ spoiled principalities and powers,' and 'made a shew of them openly, triumphingover them in his cross,'t I will not affirm. En parresia signifies with authority, as well as openly; and en auto may as well be rendered in himself, as in it, viz. the cross; and is so rendered in the margin of our bibles: that is, 'Having spoiled principalities and powers,' he made a shew of them with authority, triumphing over them in himself." * Matt. xxvii. 52, 53. † Coloss. ii. 15. In this world, the devils were subject to him. With his word he cast them out of those whom they had possessed. And, if they found that the soul of that man to whose command they had been subject, conducted by his divine power, passed through their residence, as their master and conqueror even in death; no wonder they dreaded his authority, and fled before him from their temples and oracles, making it evident to all discerning men, that he dealt with them with the same absolute power, which conquerors exercise over their captives. This consideration cannot fail to impress his faithful servants with the most lively faith and trust in his almighty power. For if he, as their Redeemer, passed victoriously through the residence of their great adversary, eminently called the evil one; they may be confident, he is able to conduct them through all difficulties and dangers; however heightened and rendered distressing by the prince of darkness; and to bring them in safety to his own heavenly kingdom. VOL. I. 1 DISCOURSE X. PART I. OBSERVATIONS ON THE CREATION OF ADAM. GEN. ii. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul. MOSES having ascertained the being, power, and goodness of God, by his history of the creation, proceeds to inform us of the production and nature of man, the principal inhabitant of this world; and of the relation he bears to other beings both above and below him. He had told us, that the various animals were produced by the command of God; the waters and the earth respectively bringing forth those living creatures which were proper to them. God spake, and it was done : He commanded, and they were made. From their origin, and from our own observation, they appear to belong merely to this world, and to be here capable of their full enjoyment and happiness. As these animals are evidently below man, in their nature and faculties; so we learn from revelation, that there are beings of an order superior to him, whom we call angels. Of their creation, Moses says nothing; his history being confined to the creation of this world, of man its inhabitant, and to the dealings of God with him. But, to the being and agency of the angels he bears ample testimony, in his writings. The other books of holy scripture represent them as being of different orders, under different heads or princes, who stand in the presence of God, ready to execute his commands. They are, also, described as making the retinue of the Divine Majesty ; so that wherever the angels are, God is said to be more immediately present. We are further informed, that some of them, probably one whole order, fell from the state of their creation, by sinning against their Maker; and became filled with envy and malice. St. Paul hath pointed out pride as their crime.* Being lifted up by the powers of their nature, and the exalted station which they held, they forgot their dependence on him who made them, and arrogantly attempted to be the contrivers of their own happiness, and to live by their own will. Between these two orders of beings, (the brute animals of this world, and the hosts of happy angels,) there is, manifestly, an immense distance. The one is earthly and bestial, the other spiritual and heavenly: the one confined to the earth in its nature and enjoyments; the other, inhabitants of heaven, and blessed with the presence of God: the faculties of the one are of the lowest degree, consisting of sensitive powers, and of the influence of instinct; those of the other are at least rational in the highest degree, if not happy in the most perfect intuition which can belong to any creature. It is observable, that all the works of God are in a regular chain of connection, rising from inanimate matter, through various degrees, up to the highest intelligence. A being, such as man was, at his creation, seems to have been wanting to fill up the chasm between the brute animals of this world, and the angelic orders. Such, evidently, God made him, allied to the animals of the world in his body, to the angels, in his soul. If we look to his body, he is a perfect animal, partaking with other animals of sensations and perceptions obtained by his bodily senses, and having nearly the same instincts and propensities with them. But, if we look to his soul, even now in his fallen, degenerate state, we shall find him like the angels, in the faculties of reason, understanding, and freedom of will-in the powers of imagination, and in the sensibility of the difference between moral good and evil. What, then, must he have been in that perfection of nature in which he was originally created? From the history which Moses, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, hath given us of his creation, we only can have ground to form a judgment of the intention of God in his formation. Let us, therefore, attend to him. * 1 Tim. iii. 6. When he had finished the history of the creation of the heavens and the earth; of the sun, and moon, and stars; of vegetables and animals; and all things were ready for the introduction of the principal inhabitant, he gives an account of a divine consultation respecting his creation, nothing of which had happened in the creation of the animals. The earth and the waters brought them forth, by the command of God. But, with regard to man, God said, Let us make man in our image, after our like ness.'* The unity of God is acknowledged by all who believe divine revelation, or follow the dictates of reason. There can be but one almighty, independent, and perfect Being. What, then, gave occasion to this form of speech, Let us make man?' which is not confined to this one place; other instances occur in the scriptures: 'Man is become as one of us ;'† Let us go down; ''Who will go for us? To say, with the Jews, that God addressed himself to his angels; or, with the Socinians, that he spake' after the manner of earthly princes, is absurd: there was then no earthly prince existing; nor have we any account that the angels were ever concerned in the works of creation. For a solution of this difficulty, we must therefore recur to that plurality of co-eternal, and co equal persons in the Divine essence, of which revelation informs us. Gen. i. 26. † Chap. iii. 22. # Chap xi. 7. § Isai vi. S. 1 |