d
in general, but saith, "Thy dead, O Lord, shall live:" in which words he
makes a difference betwixt those that die in the Lord, and those that die
in their natural corruption, and in the old Adam. Die in the Lord can
none, except those that live in him, (I mean, of those that attain to the
years of discretion;) and none live in him, but those that, with the
apostle, can say, "I live, and yet not I, but Christ Jesus that dwelleth
in me: the life that I now live, I have by the faith of the Son of God."
(Gal. ii.) Not that I mean, that the faithful have at all hours such a
sense of the life everlasting, that they fear not the death and the
troubles of this life; no, not so; for the faith of God's children is
weak, yea, and in many things imperfect. But I mean, that such as in
death, and after death shall live, must communicate in this life with
Jesus Christ, and must be regenerated by the seed of life; that is, by the
word of the everlasting God, which whosoever despises, refuses life and
joy everlasting.

The prophet transfers all the promises of God to himself, saying, "Even my
dead body shall arise;" and immediately after, gives commandment and
charge to the dwellers in the dust, that is, to the dead carcases of those
that were departed, (for the spirit and soul of man dwells not in the
dust,) "That they should awake, that they should sing and rejoice;" for
they should arise and spring up from the earth, even as the herbs do,
after they have received the dew from above.

Time will not suffer that these particulars be so largely treated as
ought, and as I gladly would do; therefore let us consider, that the
prophet, in transferring the power and promise of God to himself, does not
claim to himself any particular prerogative above the people of God, as
that he alone should live and arise, and not they also; but he does it, to
let them understand that he taught a doctrine whereof he was certain; yea,
and whereof they should have experience after his death. As if he should
say, My words appear to you now to be incredible, but the day will come,
that I shall be taken from you, my carcase shall be inclosed in the bosom
of the earth; and you shall be led away captives to Babylon, where you
shall remain many days and years, as it were buried in your sepulchres.

But then call to mind what I said unto you before hand, that my body shall
arise; even so shall you rise from your graves out of Babylon, and be
restored to your ow