But were the reasons of his descending into hades, or of the insertion of it into our belief, ever so obscure, it may suffice us, that the reasons of his sufferings and death are very plain, as well as very important. With these, therefore, I shall conclude this Lecture. 1. The first is, that he might be an example to his followers: for so, he became the noblest and most engaging pattern imaginable of that great and hard duty, patient submission to the will of God since being of a rank infinitely superior to the afflictions of this world, and having done nothing to deserve the least of them, he most willingly chose, and cheerfully bore, the most grievous that were possible. Well, then, may we, mortals and sinners, take whatever befals us in life or in death, meekly and contentedly; "because Christ, also, "suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we "should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither "was guile found in his mouth-who yet, when he 5 was reviled, reviled not again-when he suf "fered, he threatened not-but committed him"self to him that judgeth righteously." The example, also, of kindness and love to men, he showed yet more fully by his crucifixion, than by his incarnation: foreseeing, as he plainly did, all the pains and torments he should undergo, in executing his great design of reforming and saving mankind; yet deterred by nothing from under. taking it, and persevering in it. "If, therefore, "he so loved us, we ought also (as St. John "argues,) to love one another;" and "because "he laid down his life for us, we ought (if a proper occasion require it, even) to lay down our "lives for the brethren."7 66 2. A second reason of his dying was, that he (5) 1 Pet. ii. 21, 23. (6) 1 John iv. 11. 66 8 might thus confirm the truth of his doctrine; to which it must needs add a very powerful confirmation, that though the Jews expected a warlike and victorious Messiah, and, therefore, his taking upon himself a meek and suffering character, must grievously prejudice them against him; yet, he declared, from the very first, what you read in St. John, that, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the "wilderness, so should the Son of Man be lifted up;" signifying, as the same Evangelist else where assures us, "what death he should die."9 And he all along persisted in this declaration; rejected every opportunity of worldly power; fearlessly taught the most provoking truths, and voluntarily met what he foretold he should suffer. Stronger evidences of sincerity, than these, a man cannot give; and, therefore, Št. John thus reckons up the testimonies of Christ's mission: "There are "three that bear witness on earth-the spirit, the "water, and the blood." And St. Paul observes, that, "before Pontius Pilate, he witnessed a good "confession;" 92 on account of which, he is called, in the Book of Revelation, the faithful witness, or martyr.3 66 3. The third, and principal, reason of our Saviour's death was, "to put away sin by the sacri"fice of himself," that, "being justified by his blood, we may be saved from wrath, and recon"ciled to God." But, as I cannot now enlarge on this doctrine suitably to its importance, and the Article of the Forgiveness of Sins, will be a proper place to treat of it, I shall only add at present, that "God hath made him to be sin for us, who "knew no sin, that we might be made the righte"ousness of God in him."6 "For, if one die for (8) John iii. 14. (9) John xii. 32, 33, xviii. 32. (4) Heb. ix. 26. 66 8 "all, then were all dead; and he died for all, "that they which live, should not henceforth live "unto themselves, but unto him, which died for "them, and rose again."7 This we should do with great dutifulness; for, we are not our own we are bought with a price :" and with great thankfulness; for he hath "delivered us from "the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."9 "Unto him, "therefore, that loved us, and washed us from our "sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings "and priests unto God and his Father, unto him "be glory and dominion, for ever and ever.”1 Amen. LECTURE X. CREED. Article V. The Third Day he rose again from the Dead. HAVING carried on the history of our Saviour to the lowest act of his humiliation, our Creed sets forth, in the next place, how God was pleased to exalt him for undergoing it. And the first part of this brighter view of things was his Resurrection; that is, the restoring of his body to a condition of performing the several functions of life, as before; and the re-union of his soul to it. In discoursing of which, I shall speak, First, concerning the reality of his rising again; Secondly, the circumstances; Thirdly, the uses of it. (7) 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. (8) 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 1. The reality (which depends on two things) that he was really dead, and that he was really alive afterwards. As for the former, the whole of the history shows it fully-nor did any of his opposers ever call it in question. His crucifixion was public, at noon day, before a great multitude. The Jews, who procured it-the Romans, who executed it, would both take care that it was done effectually. And the piercing of his side with a spear, which, by the blood and water that followed, plainly ap peared to reach his heart, as it must have produced some signs of life, had there been any remaining, must also have destroyed, in a few mo ments, all that could remain. Then, after this, we find him treated as dead, both by friends and enemies-Pilate, after a particular inquiry into that very matter, granting his body to be buried-one of his disciples embalming him with spicesanother laying him in his own sepulchre - the Jews making no objection; but fully satisfied of his death, and only careful to guard against any pretence of a resurrection. But that, notwithstanding, he was afterwards really alive again, which is the other point, we have multiplicity of evidence of the strongest kinds. The sepulchre was newly hewn out of a rock, shut up with a very large stone, rolled to the mouth of it, and guarded night and day by a band of soldiers; who were to watch till the time was over, within which he had said he should rise. Yet, on that very day, the sepulchre was found open, and the body was gone. Now, by what means could this come to pass? To his disciples it could be of no possible use to carry on a deceit, by getting his corpse into their possession. For, if they had succeeded so ill with their Master at their head, what could they expect by carrying on the same scheme after they had lost him, but to come to the same end? And what, in all reason, had they to do, but get quietly out of the way, at least till the matter was a little forgotten? Indeed, we find in fact, that far from being enterprising, they were so disheartened, even when he was first seized, that they all forsook him; and there was little likelihood that they should have more courage to attempt any thing, just after he was executed. Or if they had, what manner of chance was there, that, when a band of sixty men, used to military discipline, were set to watch the grave, they should either find them all asleep at once, (though it was death to be so) and not wake one of them; or be able to convey the body away from them, though they were awake? Evidently they must have failed, and, probably, have been seized in the attempt. Or, could they have carried their point, yet, by the resistance made to them, it must have appeared how unfairly they had carried it; and all hope of getting a resurrection believed, must have been utterly at an end. Since, then, the body was not found, and could not, by any human means, or, indeed, for any rational purpose, have been carried away, it must have been raised by the power of God, as the Gospels relate it was. But, to give a full and sensible demonstration of it, he showed himself alive (to his disciples) "after his passion, by many infallible proofs, be"ing seen of them forty days."2 Now, in this they could no more be mistaken, than you can in seeing and hearing me, and knowing me to be alive at this time. As they had almost despaired of his rising again, they were but too backward to believe it; and, indeed, they would believe it on no other testimony, than that of their own eyes and ears; and Thomas, even, not without touching (2) Acts i. 3. |