There fhall no Evil happen unto thee, neither Shall any Plague come nigh thy Dwelling. For be fhall give his Angels Charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy Ways. They The Angels which kept not their first Estate, but left their own Habitation, he hath referved, in everlasting Chains, under Wherefore, feeing we also are compassed about with fo great a Cloud of Witneffes, let us lay afide every Weight, and the Sin which doth fo easily befet us, and let us run with Pa- tience the Race that is set before us, Look- JOHN xx. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didy- mus, was not with them, when Jefus came. The other Difciples therefore faid unto him, we Except I fhall fee in his Hands the Print of the Nails, and put my Finger into the Print of the Nails, and thrust my Hand into his And after eight Days, again his Difciples were. within, and Thomas with them: Then came Jefus, the Doors being shut, and food in the Midft, and faid, Peace be unto you. Then faith he to Thomas: Reach hither thy Fin- ger, and behold my Hands; and reach hither thy Hand, and thrust it into my Side, and be not faithless but believing. And Thomas anfwered and faid unto him, My Jefus faith unto him, Thomas, because thou haft Seen me, thou haft believed: Blessed are they that have not feen, and yet have believed. 355 Madness the Effect of a Diabolical Poffeffion. There came to Jefus a certain Man kneeling down to him, and faying, Lord, have Mercy on my Son; for he is Lunatick, and fore vexed: for oft-times he falleth into the Fire, and oft into the Water. And Jefus rebuked the De- vil, and he departed out of him, and the Child SERMON I. Christ risen from the Dead. I COR. xv. 20. But now is Chrift rifen from the Dead, and become the First-Fruits of them that flept. H OW different, my Brethren, is this Day's Solemnity from those which lately called us to the "Houfe of God! How happy the Change, from Lamentation, and Mourning, and Woe, the Tragedy of a bleeding and dy"ing Saviour, to Joy and Gladness, the Tri umph of a living and victorious, one! This "is the Day which the Lord hath made [as we "have fung in one of the proper Pfalms,] he "hath made it high, he hath made it high a"bove the rest, by rifing on it from the Dead, by being born a fecond Time, born from "the Womb of the Earth, born now not to prove himself Man but God. This is that "most mysterious Day that turned our Savi VOL. III. B "our's SERM, I. Stanhope. our's Crofs into a lafting Trophy, and his "Crown of Thorns into a Ray of Glory; "that brought Honour to the once accursed "Tree, and by a wonderful Effect produced "Immortality out of Death, and everlasting "Renown out of Shame and Contempt. Let us be glad therefore and rejoice in this "Chriftian Jubilee, fince Death, the last and "moft formidable of our Enemies, is now "under the Power of one that can deftroy "him: All his Attempts upon the Captain "of our Salvation were weak and vain, and "therefore all his Force cannot prevail a tr gainst those who fight under our victorious "Leader. For this is our Security, this our rejoicing, that the Lord is rifen, yea, the "Lord is rifen indeed: Chrift is risen from "the Dead, and become the First Fruits of "them that flept: The Lamb who was flain, now liveth again, and behold, he is alive for evermore, Amen; and hath the Keys of "Hell and of Death.” With fuch pious Strains an elegant Pen of our own Church begins his Meditations upon the Gospel for this Day: And fuch like holy Extacies of Joy did the Apostles first, and after them all the Churches of God discover at the Approach of this triumphant Morning. At |