Images de page
PDF
ePub

495

places. Here then you behold your nature rising anew from the tomb of Chrift; fair as when it first came from the hands of the Creator, when he saw his own image, and pronounced it good. Here you behold it rifing with additional honor: made at firft a little lower than the angels, it was affumed by one who was greater than they, and is now dignified in heaven by him before whofe throne the angels of God worship.

In the last place, Chriftians, behold in the resurrection of Chrift, the proof and the earnest of your own refurrection.

Our Saviour not only taught the immortality of the foul, but alfo the refurrection of the body. This doctrine was new to the world, and contrary to the observation of mankind; for there is nothing in the whole compafs of nature, that yields a fimilitude to duft and ashes rifing up again into organifed bodies, and to perpetual life. It required therefore a proof of a particular kind, which it obtained; for as a proof that the dead were to arife, our Saviour arose from the dead. Hence God is faid to have given affurance to all men of the general refurrection, by raifing his Son from the dead. This fubject is han dled profeffedly, and at great length, by the Apostle Paul, in a moft eloquent difcourfe to the Corinthians, part of which I fhall now read to you. I Cor. xv, 20, 21, 22, 23. "But now is Christ risen from the "dead, and became the firft fruits of them that flept. "For fince by man came death, by man came also "the refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all "die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. But

66

every man in his own order: Chrift the first-fruits;

"afterwards they that are Christ's, at his coming."

In the times of the apoftle, this doctrine was more felt than it is now; a ftrong impreffion of immortality did then animate the difciples of Jefus. From whence, but from this doctrine, proceeded the zeal and fpirit of the primitive Chriftians, who embraced the religion of Jefus at the expense of all that was dear, and at the peril of their lives. The fword of the perfecutor had no terrors, when they faw it fucceeded by a crown of glory. When they looked on the fhore of blifs and immortality, they trembled not, though they knew they had to swim through a fea of blood. Even when death was before their eyes, their hearts fprung with joy, and their hopes began to bloom. Not the frown of the tyrant, nor the face of the king of terrors, nor the executioner that thirfted for blood, could rob them of their peace. They looked upon these as meffengers fent by Providence, to carry them to that better world where their hearts long to be. This was the armour by which the faints and martyrs overcame the world ; by which they triumphed over pain, and ignominy, and death, and looked upon fires, and racks, and gibbets, upon every engine of torture, and every form of diffolution, as fo many doors opening into the kingdom of glory. They were invincible, because they knew they were immortal.

From the doctrines which have been now laid down, let us conclude with fome inferences and reflections.

[ocr errors]

Christians, you are the difciples of a rifen Redeemer. As we glory in his cross and passion, let us alfo rejoice in his refurrection. The difciples were glad when they faw their Lord restored to life again;

[ocr errors]

and the firft Chriftians confidered it as fuch a joyful event, that they used to greet one another with this falutation, "Chrift is rifen." He who was once dead, is now alive, and lives for evermore. He hath removed the terror and the fting of death; he hath hallowed the grave as a place of rest for all his followers, and rifen as the Forerunner of the faithful, who fhall rife to eternal life. He left the vestments of mortality behind him. Death hath no more dominion. And if ye be rifen with Chrift, put off the old man and his affections; let fin have no more dominion over you; walk in newness of life. As you As you have set out in the paths of righteoufnefs, continue your courfe therein. your course therein. Religion was not intended for extraordinary occafions. Holiness is not a robe which you can put off and on at pleafYou must never lay afide the wedding garment. Tranfient emotions which you may now feel, will not change the heart. Starts and fallies of goodness which you may now experience, will not form the character. The temper of the mind, and the tenor of the life are all in all. When religion and virtue have been matured by time, and grown

ure.

into habit, then we can pronounce them to be fincere and genuine. Let him that is righteous then, be righteous ftill. Let him that is holy, be holy ftill. Let the spirit of this day accompany you all the days of your lives. Carry into the world, into the business and into the pleasures of the world, the purity of this ordinance, the difpofitions you now feel, and the purposes you now form. Be faithful unto death, and God will give you the crown of life. Further, As ye have gained the victory over death, PPP

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

through our Lord Jefus Chrift, therefore be affured, that a life of faith and duty will effectually conduct you to happiness. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfaft, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye "know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Miferable indeed would be the condition of the human kind; feeble would be our efforts, and few our attainments, if after a well-ordered life, we were obliged to fit down with the fad confeffion, that virtue was but an empty name; that we had cleansed our hands in vain, and purified our hearts to no purpofe. But, Chriftians, our labour shall not be in vain; our works of faith and love, our exertions of magnanimity, our efforts of patience in the caufe of goodness; the tender offices of humanity, charity, and pity, that we have performed, the kind difpofitions that we have cherifhed or improved, the upright intentions which we have maintained, even the filent aspirations of a good heart, the warm wishes of the benevolent, for the happiness of the human kind, are now well-pleafing in the fight of God. We know, even from our own experience, that there is a reward for the righteous. Never have we done a good deed, but we have obtained the gratulations of our own confcience, and enjoyed the triumph of the mind.

Let the wicked call upon the mountains to overwhelm, and the rocks to hide them in the day of the Lord. Let infidels look for the fhades of annihilation to conceal them, and the curtains of the dark night to be drawn around them for ever. Better profpects are prefented to us. The hope of immor

tality is fet before us, and heaven opens its everlasting gates to receive us to its mansions.

Because of this our heart is glad, and our glory rejoiceth. The Everlasting Father will not leave us in the grave, nor fuffer his holy ones to fee corruption. He hath fhewed us the path of life. In his presence there is fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Know then thyfelf, O man! Make thyfelf acquainted with thy future ftate. Enter early, my brethren, upon your eternal life; and now think, and act, and live, as the heirs of immortality. Implore the Divine goodnefs to give you the fpirit of that better country to which you tend, and to bless you with a foretaste of the joys which are to come. And in the strength of Heaven, go forth from this affembly, immortal; go forth into the world, the fons of God, the heirs of heaven, candidates for a crown of glory which fadeth not away. Then you will have good caufe to remember this day, as one of the days of the right hand of the Moft High, and to endless ages you will bless the time when you retired from the vanities of the world, and learned to meditate at your Saviour's tomb.

Now may the God of the God of peace, who brought again. from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shepherd of the fheep, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well. pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

FINIS.

« PrécédentContinuer »