The Sinners Sanctuary, Sermon 30
SERMON XXX.
Rom. 8.11.
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Iesus from the dead, dwell in you: he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken you, &c.
IT is true, the soul is incomparably better then the body; and he is only worthy the name of a Man, and of a Christian, who prefers this more excellent part, and imploys his study and time about it; and regards his body only for th… noble guest that lodges within it: and therefore it is one of the prime consolations that Christianity affords, that it provides chiefly for the happy estate of this immortal piece in man; which truly were alone sufficient to draw our souls wholly after Religion, suppose the body should never taste of the fruits of it, but die, and rise no more, and never be awak'd out of its sleep; yet it were a sufficient ground of engagement to godlinesse, that the life and well-being of the far better part in man, is secured for eternity, which is infinitly more then all things beside can truly promise us, or be able to perform. Certainly whatsoever else you give your hearts to, and spend your time upon, it will either leave you in the midst of your dayes, and at your end you shall be a fool; or you must leave it in the end of your dayes, and find your selves as much disappointed; or to speak more properly, because when your time is ending, your life and being is but at its beginning, you must bid an eternal adieu to all these things whereupon your hearts are set, when you are but beginning truly to be. But this is only the proper and true good of the soul, Christ in it, most portable and easily carried about with you; yea, that which makes the soul no burden to it self, and helps it to carry all things easily; and then most inseparable, for Christ in the soul is the spring of a never-ending life of peace, joy and contentation, in the fountain of an infinit goodnesse, and it out-wears time and age, as well as the immortal beeing of the soul: yea, such is the strength of this consolation, that then the soul is most closly united, and …ully possessed o… that which is its peculiar and satisfying good, when it leaves the body in the dust, and e…capes out of this p…i…on, unto that glorious liberty.
But yet there is besides this an additional comfort comprehended in the vers. read, that the sleep of the body is not perpetual, that it shall once be awakened and raised up to the fellowship of this glory: …or though a man should be abundantly satisfied if he possesse his own soul, yet no man hateth his own flesh: the soul hath some kind of natural inclination to a body suitable unto it, and in this it differs from an Angel; and therefore the Apostle when he expresseth his earnest groan for intimat presence o… his soul with Christ, he subjoyns this correction, not that we desire to be uncloathed, but cloathed upon it, 2 Cor. 5.1, 2, 3. If it were possible, sayes he, we would be glade to have the society of the body in this glory, we would not desire to cast off those cloaths of flesh, but rather that the garment of glory might be spread over all, if it were not needful, because they are old and ragged, and would not suit well; and our earthly Tabernacle is ruinous, and would not be fit for such a glorious guest to dwell into, and therefore it is needful to be taken down: well then, here is an overplus, and as it were, a surcharge of consolation, that seing for the present it is expedient to put off the present cloathing of flesh, and take down the present earthly house; yet that the day is coming that the same cloaths renewed, shall be put on, and the same house repaired and made suitable to Heaven, shall be built up; that this mortal body shall be quickned with that same Spirit that now quickens the soul, and makes it live out of the body; and so the sweet and beloved friends, who parted with so much pain and grief, shall meet again with so much pleasure and joy; and as they were sharers together in the miseries of this life, s…all participat also in the blessednesse of the next: like Saul and Ionathan, lovely and pleasant in their lives, and though for a time separated in death, yet not alwayes divided. Now is the highest top of happinesse, to which nothing can be added; its comprehensive of the whole man, and its comprehensive of all that can be imagined to be the perfective good of man.
It is no wonder then, that the Apostle reckon this Doctrine of the Resurrection amongst the foundations of Christianity, Heb. 6.1, 2, for truly these t…o, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the mortal body, are the two ground-stones, or pillars of true Religion, which if they be not well settled in the hearts of men, all Religion is tottering and ruinous, and unable to support it self. That the soul cannot taste death, or see corruption, and that the body shall but taste it, and as it were salute it, and cannot alwayes abide under the power of it, these are the prime foundations upon which all Christian perswasion is built; for without these be laid down in the lowest and deepest part of the heart, all exhortations to an holy and righteous life are weak and ineffectual, all consolations are empty and vain; in a word, Religion is but an airy speculation, that hath no consistence but in the imaginations of men; it is an house upon sand, that can abide no blast of temptation, no wave of misery, but must straight way fall to the ground. From whence is it, I pray you, that the perswasions of the Gospel hath so little power upon men, that the plain and plentiful publication of a Saviour is of so small vertue to stir up the hearts of men to take hold on him? How comes it to passe that the preeepts and prohibitions of the most high God, coming forth under his authority, lays so little restraint on mens corruptions? that so few will be perswaded to stop their course, and come off the wayes they are accustomed? that men pull away the shoulder, and stop the ear, and make their hearts as adamant, incapable of being affected with either the authority or love of the Gospel? that when He pipes unto us, so few dance, and when he mourns, so few laments? Is it not because these two foundations are not laid, and mens hearts not digged deep by earnest consideration, to receive these ground-stones of Christianity, the belief of their souls eternal survivance after the dust, and of the revivance and resurrection of the body after it hath slept a while in the dust. I remember, Heathens have had some noble and rare conceptions about vertue, and some have laboured to enamour men with the native beauty of it, and to perswade them that it was a sufficient reward to it self; and truly it would far more become a Christian who knoweth the high and divine pattern of holinesse to be God himself, and so must needs behold a far surpassing beauty and excellency in the Image of God than in all earthly things; I say, it would become him to accustome himself to a dutiful observance of Religion, even without all respect to the reward of it: he would train his heart to do homage to God, out of a loyal affection and respect to His Majesty, and from the love of the very intrinsick beauty of obedience, without borrowing alwayes from such selfie considerations of our own happinesse or misery. Notwithstanding such is the posture of mans spirit now, that he cannot at all be engaged to the love of Religion, except some Seen advantage concilat it; and therefore the Lord makes use of such selfie principles in drawing men to Himself, and keeping them still with Him: and truly considering mans infirmity, this is the spi…it and life of all Religion, Immortality and Resurrection, that which gives a lustre to all, and quickens all, that which mak…s all to sink deep, and that which makes a Christian stedfast and immovable, 2 Cor. 5.8. It is certainly Hope that is the key of the heart, that opens and shuts it to any thing. These the Apostle Peter, 1 Epist. 1. blesseth God heartily for the new birth, and in the expressing of it, makes hope the very term of that generation, and so it must be a substantial thing. Blessed be God who hath begotten us again to a lively hope: Hope hath a quickning power in it, it makes all new where it comes, and is full of spirit; it is the Helmet and Anchor of a Christian, that which bears the dint of temptation, and makes him steady in Religion: No man will put in his plough in this ground, or sow unto the Spirit, but in hope, for he that soweth must sow in hope, else his Plough will not go deep, 1 Cor. 9.10. This then is the very spirit and life of Religion, the resurrection of the dead, without which our faith were in vain, and men would continue still in their sins. Certainly it is the deep inconsideration of this never-ending endurance of our souls, and restitution of our bodies to the same immortality, that makes the most part of men so slight and superficial in Religion, else it were not possible if that were laid to heart, but men would make Religion their business and chief business.
We have here the two genuine causes of the resurection of the bodies of Christians, the resurrection of Christ, and the inhabitation of his Spirit. The influence that the resurrection of Christ hath on ours, is lively and fully holden out by this Apostle, 1 Cor. 15. against them who deny the resurrection from the dead. If Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, ye are yet in your sins, and they that are asleep are perished. Religion were nothing but a number of empty words of show; Preaching were a vanity and imposture; Faith were a meer …ancy, if this be not laid down as the ground-stone, Christ raised, not as a natural person, but as a common politick person, as the first fruits of them that sleep, vers. 17, 18, 19, 20. where he alludes to the ceremony of offering the first fruits of their harvest, Lev. 23.10. for under the Law they might not eat of the fruits of the land till they were sanctified, all was counted prophane till they were someway con…ecrated to the Lord. Now, for this end the Lord appointed them to bring one sheaf for all, and that was the representative o… all the rest of the heap, and this was waved before the Lord, and lifted up from the earth, now according to the Apostles argument, Rom. 11 16. If the first fruits be h…ly, so is the lump, for it represents all the lump; and therefore Iesus Christ the chief of all his brethren, was made the first fruits from the dead, and lifted up from the grave, as the representer of all the lump of his elect, and so it must needs follow That they shall not continue in the grave, but must in due time partake of that benefite, which he was first entred in possession of, in their name, and for them: for if this fi…st fruits be holy, so the whole lump must be holy; and if the first fruits be risen, so must the lump. You see then the force of the present reason, If the Spirit that raised Christ dwell in you, He shall also raise you, namely because he raised up Christ the very first fruits of all the rest; so that Christs resurrection is a sure pledge and token of yours, and both together are the main basis and ground work of all our hope and salvation, the neglect and inconsideration whereof makes the most part of pretended Christians to walk according to that Epicurean principle, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die; as if there were no life to come, they withold nothing from their carnal minds, that can satisfie or please their lusts. But for you who desire a part in this resurrection, and da…e scarcely believe so great a thing, or entertain such a high hope, because of the …ight of your unworthinesse; as ye would be awaked by this hope to righteousnesse, and to sin no more, vers. 34. of that Chap. So you may encourage your selves to that hope, by the resurrection of Christ; for it is that which hath the mighty influence to beget you to a lively hope, 1 Pet. 1.3. Look upon this as the grand intent, and special design of Christs both dying and rising again, that he might be the first fruits to sanctifie all the lump. Nevertheless it is not he defect of your bodies, for they are often a great impediment and retardment to the spirit, and lodgeth the enemy within their walls, when he is chased out of the mind by the Law of the Spirit of life; but it is the great design of God through the whole work of redemption, and the desert of Christ your head; and therefore you may entertain that hope, but take heed to walk worthy of it, and that is, if we have this hope, let us purifie our selves, let us who believe that we are risen with Christ, set our affections on things above, else we dishonour Him that is risen in our name, and we dishonour that Temple of the Holy Ghost, which he will one day make so glorious.