pected evidences, is more easily conceived |gion which gave countenance to the poor than expressed. We may only observe, that and lowly, at a time when riches were if this fact had not been as the Gospel re-adored, and ambition and pleasure had pospresents it, it must have exposed the inven- sessed the hearts of all mankind; that such tors of the tale to utter scorn and contempt, a religion in such an age, by the sermons and proved the ruin of the cause which it and conduct of fishermen, men of mean was intended to support. breeding and illiberal arts, should so speedBut it is time to allege the many appear-ily triumph over the philosophy of the world, ances of Christ himself, after his resurrec- and the arguments of the subtle, and the tion, to Mary Magdalen apart; to the other discourses of the eloquent, the power of devout women with her; to the two going princes and the interests of states, the into Emmaus; to St. Peter, to St. James, to clinations of nature and the blindness of the eleven; to "above five hundred breth-zeal, the force of custom and the solicitaren at once;" to St. Stephen, just before tion of passion, the pleasures of sin and the his martyrdom; and to St. Paul, at his busy arts of the devil; that is, against wit conversion. And so far were these wit- and power, superstition and wilfulness, fame nesses of the appearances of Christ from and money, nature and empire, which are being credulous, that they were altogether all the causes in this world that can make a sceptical; God having in a wonderful man- thing impossible; this, this is to be ascribed ner provided for the confirmation of our to the power of God, and is the great defaith, by suffering them to doubt. For not monstration of the resurrection of Jesus. only the reports of those who had seen him Every thing was an argument for it, and were disbelieved by those who had not, but improved it; no objection could hinder it, when he presented himself in the midst of no enemies destroy it; whatsoever was for the eleven, they could not credit their own it made the religion to increase; whatsoever senses. And when all the rest were con- was against it made it to increase. If the vinced, Thomas still stood out, till ocular Christians had peace, they went abroad and and palpable demonstration forced from him brought in converts; if they had persecuthat ever-memorable confession, MY LORD tion, the converts came in to them. AND MY GOD! "Thus was there no capa- prosperity they allured and enticed the city of mankind, no time, no place, but had world by the beauty of holiness; in afflicvisible proof of the resurrection of Christ. tion and trouble they amazed all men with He appeared to men and women, to clergy the splendor of their innocence, and the and laity, to sinners of both sexes, to weak glories of their patience. Quickly theremen and to criminals, to doubters and deni-fore it was, that the world became disciple ers, at home and abroad, in public and in to the glorious Nazarene; and men could private, in their houses and their journeys, no longer doubt of the resurrection of Jesus, unexpected and by appointment, betimes when it became demonstrated by the cerin the morning, and late at night, to his dis-tainty of those who saw it, and the courage ciples in conjunction, and to them in dispersion, when they did look for him, and when they did not; he appeared upon earth to many, and to St. Paul and St. Stephen from heaven, so that we can require no greater testimony than all these are able to give us, who saw for themselves and for us too, that the faith and certainty of the resurrection of Jesus might be conveyed to all ages and generations." To enable the apostles thus to convey it, the Spirit of truth himself set his seal to this article of our creed, by coming down upon them on the day of Pentecost, and bestowing on them wisdom to teach, power to confirm, and patience to suffer for the doctrine of the resurrection, until, converted by their preaching, the nations of the earth bore universal testimony to the reality thereof. For that "a religion which taught men to be meek and humble, disposed to receive injuries, but not to do any; a reli In of those who died for it, and the multitude of those who believed it; who by their sermons and their actions, by their public offices and discourses, by festivals and sacraments, by arguments of sense and experience, by reason and religion, by persuading rational men, and establishing believing Christians, by their living in the obedience, and dying for the testimony of Jesus, have greatly advanced his kingdom, and his pow[er, and his glory, into which he entered, upon his resurrection from the dead."* If, therefore, the patriarchs, the law, and the prophets; if heaven and earth; if angels from above, and the dead from beneath; Thus we have taken such a view, as the what happened, when, by their own conusual time allotted to discourses of this fession, they were asleep! This idle tale, kind will allow us to take, of the evidence which thus carries its own confutation with for our Lord's resurrection, predictive and it, could have been the offspring only of a historical; to the completion of which, it corrupt and infatuated Sanhedrim, to whom is hard to conceive anything wanting, unless the watch told what had happened-not it were the testimony of the adversary to that the disciples came and stole the body the truth of the disputed fact, by the futili- while they slept-but that, while they were ty of an objection started to overthrow it. half dead with fear, at beholding the heaAnd with this proof likewise the Roman vens around them in a blaze of glory, and guard, under the direction of the Jewish feeling the earth under them trembling from rulers, has thought proper to furnish us. its centre, the Galilean arose from the dead, "The disciples," say they, " came by night, to the confusion of all his enemies. But and stole him away, while we slept." The to stifle this evidence, and prevent the redisciples came and stole the body! They, port from spreading, the soldiers had large who all forsook their Master at his appre-money given them by the chief priests (and hension, and fled; they, who from that indeed the work deserved the wages) to time had absconded, for fear of the Jews, propagate a story so absurd and shameless, without hope, without courage, without that, instead of invalidating the truth of the contrivance, became all at once subtile in resurrection, it is of itself sufficient to make council, and daring in execution. They any man believe it, who was before deterprojected a plan to displace the guard, break mined to the contrary. the seal, remove the stone, and rescue the body, in order to persuade the world, that their Master was risen from the dead. And all this they effected, not with the precipi- if the appearances of Christ himself on tation of men engaged in a bad design, who earth and from heaven; if the Spirit of feared a discovery, and would therefore truth, with all his gifts and graces; if the have hastily seized the body, wrapped as miracles of the apostles, the lives of the it was in the sepulchral vestments; but saints, the sufferings of confessors, and the with all the composed sedulity of domes- deaths of martyrs; if the conversion of the tics, carefully disentangling it from the world to the faith of a crucified Saviour, linen clothes, and then depositing them in the without power, wealth, or learning; if the exactest order. It is now proper to inquire, church, with the antiquity, universality, where were the soldiers appointed to watch and consent of her institutions and services the sepulchre, all this while? What were for above seventeen centuries, from the day they doing? The answer is ready; they on which Christ was first seen by the were asleep. Notwithstanding the rigor of eleven after his resurrection, to this hour the Roman discipline, and the care that in which we are now assembled for the would doubtless be taken to select proper commemoration of it; and lastly, if the obmen upon this great occasion, yet the dis-jections of the adversary establishing the ciples came and stole the body, "while they slept." But did they indeed sleep? Did they all sleep? Determine then, ye Jews and infidels, what degree of credit is due to the testimony of men concerning to me to be its true character, since the hour when, with equal surprise and pleasure, I first met with it, where it so long lay hidden from the fashionable world, in the Ductor Dubitantium. VOL. II. 13 truth which they were intended to subvert; that is to say, in one word, if all the evidence which God can give, or man receive, be sufficient to prove a matter of fact; then may we evermore rejoice, and evermore let us therefore rejoice, in all the glorious consequences of the proposition in the text«The Lord is risen indeed." DISCOURSE XVII. THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY: PHILIPPIANS, II. 20, 21, From whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself: * THE text treats of a most amazing change death, and confined in that strong city the to be one day wrought in the bodies of men, grave; and now we look for him to come as also of the person who is to effect it, name- from heaven. For thus doth the prophet ly, our Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed, "we Isaiah most magnificently describe him retrusted it had been he who should have re- turning to his capital, from the land of the deemed Israel" from all his troubles. But enemy, after his passion: "Who is this that are we "strangers in Jerusalem, and know cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from not the things that have come to pass there Bozrah; this that is glorious in his apparel, in these days;" that this same Jesus, falsely travelling in the greatness of his strength? I accused, through envy, by the nobles of Judah, who speak in righteousness mighty to save.”* has been cast into the den of lions, with a Well therefore may we "look for the Saviour stone brought and laid upon the mouth of the from heaven," for there most certainly he is. den, and sealed with a signet, that the pur- And from thence, as the text affirms, he shall pose might not be changed concerning him, as certainly come to raise us. He who died nor any possibility remain of his escaping on the cross to redeem, who rose from the from thence? In this state, he is by no means sepulchre to justify, and who sent his Spirit able to perform the great work ascribed to from heaven to sanctify our souls, he, even him in the text. For it must be observed, he, shall come to glorify our bodies, and finish that though he be indeed God over all, he is his work. And then shall we hear "from not the Saviour, without his humanity. the throne the voice of mighty thunderings," Though the raising the dead be an act of saying, It is done. "I am Alpha and Omega, omnipotence, and consequently one which the first and the last, the beginning and the must be wrought by his Divinity, yet it is not end. I will give unto him that is athirst of Jesus Christ that does it, unless the Divinity the water of life freely." May we not, theredoes it in Jesus. And thus the text runs fore, address the world in the words of Moses's "We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus." divine song, and say, "Give ear, O ye heaBut from whence do we look for him? From vens, and he will speak: and hear, Ŏ earth, the sepulchre? No; from heaven; "Our the words of his mouth. His doctrine shall conversation is in heaven, from whence we drop as the rain, and his speech distil as the look for our Saviour." Surely, then, "the dew;" for, as it is elsewhere written, hist God whom he served has delivered him from "dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth the power of the lions."† Surely, "the shall cast out the dead."‡ The dew, like King has sent and delivered him, the Prince himself, arises from earth, but we look for it of the people has let him go free."‡ "He from heaven; "from whence also we look is escaped as a bird out of a snare of the fowler the snare is broken, and he is delivered," and fled away towards heaven. For how should a person, once laid in the grave, come from heaven, unless he were first risen, and ascended thither? Four days ago he was carried captive into the kingdem of : for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself." Let us then consider Christ coming from heaven as a Saviour. Man consists of two parts, both of which | us. He has fulfilled one part of his promise, stand in need of a Saviour, because both fell, and therefore will accomplish the other. and became subject to the destroyer. The Nor is this all. But such is the intimate salvation here spoken of is plainly the salva- union between Christ and us, that his resurtion of the body, not excluding that of the rection in effect is ours; and we are looked soul, but perfective of it. For if Christ be upon by our heavenly Father as already risen here denominated a Saviour, because he comes in his beloved Son. For we must consider to change the body, then is he here spoken Christ as suffering and rising, not for himself of as the Saviour of the body which he comes alone, but for us. We must not view him as to change. Now, a Saviour is one that de-a private person, as a single individual, but livers us from our enemies, as it is written "He hath raised up an horn of salvation for us-that we should be saved from our enemies." But the enemy that destroys the body is death, and therefore the body cannot be saved from that enemy without a resurrection, nor can Christ be its Saviour, unless he raise it from the dead. But the apostle here styles him the Saviour, with respect to the body; therefore he will be its "resurrection and its life, and whosoever believeth in him, though he were dead, yet shall he live." as the representative and substitute of human nature, and of all the persons in that nature; we must view him as the second Adam, containing in his loins all who are or shall be born of the will of God, of incorruptible seed, by spiritual regeneration; as in the loins of the first Adam lay all his posterity, afterwards born of the will of man, of corruptible seed, by natural generation. In this capacity, as surety and father of us all, he entered the grave, and lay under the arrest of death for our sin; and in this capacity he arose from the grave, and came forth, for our justification; that as "IN Adam all died, even so IN Christ should all be made alive." The words, therefore, which he spake, are fulfilled; "Because I live, ye shall live also."* For Indeed, the work of redemption is left unfinished, if this be not the case. For notwithstanding the sufferings and resurrection of Christ, "the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pain together, until now; and not only they, but ourselves also, which have if Christ be risen in our nature, then our nathe first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves ture is risen in Christ; and if our nature be groan within ourselves, waiting for the adop-risen, then they who partake of that nature tion, to wit, the redemption of the body."+ This, and this only, crowns and makes effect"ual the labor of a Redeemer. "For this end," says the apostle, "Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and of the living." And again, "he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he raised him from the dead." Christ was incarnate that he might die, he died that he might rise, he rose that he might ascend, he ascended that he might take possession of his kingdom, and he took possession of his kingdom that he might raise the dead and judge the world. "The God of our fathers," says St. Peter" raised up Jesus, whom ye slew; him hath God exalted with his right hand "for what end?" To be a Prince and a Saviour." || He, therefore, that has" done so great things for us already, whereof we do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice," will never leave us in our enemy's hand, but "shall reign till he has put all enemies under his feet;" and we know, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is DEATH." Again, he who is eternal truth, and who promised to raise Christ, has promised to raise shall rise too. We are, as the apostle speaks, become the kingdoms of our Lord and his ven to his people, saying in the words of his Christ; " which Christ is "the head of the prophets-"Awake, and sing, ye that dwell church, and he is the Saviour of the body." in the dust," and let the voice of melody be It is an acknowledged axiom, that as is the heard through all the chambers of the grave: root, such are the branches. If then the root," Awake up, my glory, awake lute and harp; though set in dry ground, yet, through the awake thou that sleepest; shake thyself from influences of heaven and the water of life, be- the dust: awake, awake, utter a song; break came full of immortality, how shall not the forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places branches partake of that immortality, which of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his the root receives only to bestow it upon them, people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. Hath as it is written; "The father hath given to he said, and shall he not do it? I will rethe Son to have life in himself, that he should deem them from death, I will ransom them give eternal life to as many as he has given from the power of the grave; O death, I will him." He is the root, we are the branches. be thy plagues, O grave, I will be thy deHe is the first begotten from the dead: there- struction. Repentence shall be hid from fore others, whom "he is not ashamed to call mine eyes. I am Jehovah, and change not.” brethren," shall be begotten from the dead, But how is this salvation to be effected? and declared the sons of God, as he was, by The text expresses it by a change; "Who their resurrection, and the power of the Al- shall change our vile body." And otherwise mighty. Many other Scripture illustrations than by a change from the state in which it of the same point might be adduced; but is to one very different, the deliverance canthese are sufficient. Well then might the not be wrought; since the subject of it is a apostle argue, as he does, in that truly irre- body now vile. In the original it is σωμα fragable manner; "Now, if Christ be preached, rns tanεwσ nuor the body of our humiliathat he arose from the dead, how say some tion. Humiliation implies a fall from some among you, that there is no resurrection of higher state. And such a fall our nature has the dead? But if there be no resurrection sustained. For though the body of man was of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if originally formed out of the earth, it was of Christ be not risen, then is our preaching the earth, before the curse of corruption was vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and inflicted upon it, yet "God created man to we are found false witnesses of God; because be immortal, and made him an image of his we have testified of God, that he raised up own eternity." Other things were produced Christ, whom he raised not up, if so be that the by the word of his power, but man by the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then counsel of the eternal Three, who said, “Let is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not us make man." The workmanship enobled raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your the materials; the hand of the Almighty besins. Then they also, which are fallen asleep stowed perfection as it passed upon them, in Christ, are perished. If in this life only and the creature rose under it, beautiful in we have hope in Christ, we are of all men his form, excellent in his glory, the most most miserable. But now is Christ risen perfect image of his Maker. There was no from the dead, and become the first fruits of seed of corruption within, to cause disease them that slept." The first fruits are pre- and deformity without; no contending passented by the great High Priest. "On the sions in the soul, like moths to fret and wear morning after the sabbath, he waved them out its garment the body. The soul, clothed before Jehovah." Then the heavens were with a spirit of holiness, was all glorious bowed, and the earth shook. And meet it within, and could not but communicate some was, when the sheaf of Joseph thus arose and portion of its excellence to its earthly taberstood upright, that every sheaf in the field nacle, thereby rendering matter a fit comshould make obeisance; † that every knee panion for an upright spirit, breathed into it should bow of things in heaven, and things on from above. God made not sin, neither hath he earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is pleasure in the punishment of it. But man chose Lord; that he is the first fruits, foreshow-it. And behold what destruction it hath brought ing, sanctifying, and ensuring that future harvest, which will be at the end of the world; that he is the first fruits of them that slept, and therefore that they who are in the graves are not dead, but sleep; " and "if they sleep in him, they shall do well." For yet a little while, and he will call from hea 66 upon the earth, and upon our body formed out of it. What dreadful attendants has this ravisher of the world introduced! Corruption, and shame, and misery, and trouble, and infirmity, and deformity, and sorrow, and death. The soul is become a sea, whereon the passions, like winds, strive for the mastery, shaking the earthly frame with divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death. It is now a body 6 |