after that I may know Christ not only by a notional belief of his Doctrines or Profession of his Religion but by a spiritual experimental Knowledge of him such a Knowledge as transforms me into his Spirit and Temper And that I may know the power of his Resurrection i. e. that I may experience in my self all the good effects that his Resurrection has a power to work in me that I may feel the Vertue and Efficacy of it in my daily dying to Sin and rising again to a new holy and heavenly Life This is that Righteousness I long for and in comparison of which I account all things in the World but as loss and as dung Thus have I given you a full Account of the Text and of all the Apostles Discourse that it depends upon I now come to treat more particularly of it with reference to the solemnity of this Day We all here present do profess to believe the Article of our Saviour's Resurrection and our business at this time is to celebrate the memory of it But we must not rest here We are not to look upon our Lord's Resurrection meerly as a thing to be believed or professed or commemorated or as a matter of Fact that only concerned himself But there is a great deal in it which doth nearly concern us The Apostle tells us there is a great Power in it even a Power of raising us from Sin to a Holy and Vertuous Life It is so ordered as to be capable of being and it ought to be a Principle of new Life in us as it was the beginning of a new Life in our Saviour Now this Vertue this Power this Efficacy of it as it is that which with the Apostle we ought all most earnestly to endeavour the experiencing in our selves so it is that which will be fittest for us at this time to apply our Meditations to My Work therefore at this time shall be to give some Account of the Power of Christ's Resurrection in order to the making Men good which the Apostle here speaks of to shew how or in what respects it doth influence upon the Lives of Christians Now if we look into the Holy Scriptures we shall find that there is a four-fold Power attributed to it or that it hath an influence upon our Lives in these four respects That is to say I. As it lays an Obligation upon Christians to Holiness and Virtue II. As it is the Principal Evidence of the Truth of our Religion the Design of which is to make Men Holy and Virtuous III. As it is the great Support of our future Hopes or our Hopes of another Life which indeed is the main Encouragement we have to apply our selves seriously to the business of Holiness and Virtue IV. And Fourthly As to it we do principally owe all that supernatural Grace and Strength by which we are inabled to live Holily and Virtuously Of these four Points I shall Discourse very briefly I. And First of all Our Saviour's Resurrection hath an influence upon our Practice as it lays an Obligation upon Christians to lead Holy and Virtuous Lives As it is in it self an incirement to Piety and heavenly Mindedness This is indeed the lowest instance of its power but yet we ought not to pass it by because the Writers of the New Testament do frequently insist on it For thus they argue If Christ was crucified for our sins then ought we to crucifie them in our members And if Christ rose again the third day then are we ingaged in conformity to him to rise again to newness of life to lead a spiritual divine heavenly life such a life as he now lives with God And this in the ancient times was taught every Christian in and by his Baptism Whenever a person was baptized he was not only to profess his faith in Christ's Death and Resurrection but he was also to look upon himself as obliged in correspondence therewith to mortifie his former carnal affections and to enter upon a new state of life And the very Form of Baptism did livelily represent this Obligation to them For what did their being plunged under water signifie but their Undertaking in Imitation of Christ's Death and Burial to forsake all their former evil courses As their ascending out of the water did their Engagement to lead a holy spiritual life This our Apostle doth more than once declare to us Thus Rom. vi 4. We are buried saith he with Christ by Baptism unto death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Thus again in the 10th and 11h verses of that Chapter In that Christ died he died unto sin once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. That is to say After the example of Christ's Death and Resurrection account ye your selves obliged to die to sin and to live to Righteousness Lastly To name no more Texts the same use doth the Apostle make of Christ's Resurrection in Coloss iii. 1 2. If ye then saith he be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God i. e. You by entring into the Christian Covenant are incorporated into Christ He is your Head you are his Members and therefore since he no longer leads a life of this World it will by no means become you to live like Worldlings or Epicures but being risen with him as the Members ought to do with the Head to mind those things that are above where he is to set your affections as he goes on on the things above and not on the things of the Earth For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God These things plainly shew that the Apostles delivered the Doctrine of Christ's Resurrection as a Practical Doctrine as a point which if Christians believed as they should do it would ingage them to mortifie their lusts to die to the World to place their affections on spiritual things to have their conversations in Heaven where Christ our Head our Life now sits at the right hand of God II. Great will the influence and Power of Christ's Resurrection upon our lives appear to be when we consider that it is indeed the principal Evidence that we have for the Truth of our Religion the very design of which is to make us Vertuous and Holy If any thing in the World can make a man good it must be a hearty belief of the Gospel And if any thing in the World can make a man heartily to believe the Gospel it must be the Resurrection of our Saviour from the dead All that Power therefore that the Gospel of Christ hath to make men good all that force and efficacy that its Arguments its Promises its Precepts its Encouragements its Threatnings have upon the Understandings
Christ who was once dead is alive again and lives in unexpressible Glory at the right hand of God And at the same time that he rose he raised up other Bodies also of Holy Men to accompany him in his Triumph over Death But that is not all He that raised up himself and them hath given us his solemn Word and Promise in as express terms as is possible that he will by the same Power raise up us also and exalt us to the same Glory that he is possessed of He hath told us that he is the Resurrection and the Life And that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and he will raise him up at the last day There cannot be a stronger Proof of any thing than our Saviour's Resurrection is of the happiness of good Men in another State Which being so How powerful a means must we needs conclude it to be for the Reforming the manners of Mankind and making them truly Holy and Virtuous Since we have thereby such a Demonstration given us of a glorious Immortality to be expected by us what is it that can be able to hinder or divert us from a serious pursuit of those things that lead to it What could God do more by way of Motive and Argument towards the Proselyting the World to Religion and Righteousness than he hath done by thus ascertaining our future Happiness by the Resurrection of his Son Jesus To be certain that if we seriously apply our selves to a life of Piety here we shall be crowned with everlasting Felicity hereafter To be certain that if we follow the steps of our blessed Saviour we shall for ever shine in the same Glory and Lustre that he now doth at the right hand of his Father To be able positively to say I know that my Redeemer liveth and I know that if I live as he did I shall for ever live with him and tho' it doth not yet appear what I shall be yet this I know that when he shall appear I shall be like him O what noble Thoughts what brave Resolutions is this able to inspire us with What Difficulties shall we be afraid of What Labours shall we not willingly undertake What Temptations shall we not easily vanquish in the Prospect of such an eternal Crown of Glory as awaits us and is secured to us by our Lord Jesus O happy we Christians that have so clear a Revelation of those things which God hath prepared for them that love him those things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither did they enter into the heart of man Blessed for ever blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ that hath begotten us again to this lively hope by his Resurrection from the dead O what mighty Encouragements have we to set our selves against our Sins and to labour after the Perfection of Virtue in comparison of what those have who are ignorant of our Saviour's Resurrection and who know nothing of the other World but by the uncertain conjectures of their natural Reason If we had no other assurance of the Immortality of the Soul and the rewards and punishments of another life but what is afforded us by the light of Nature and the deductions of Philosophy I doubt we could never expect to see any great Reformation in our manners Some of the Philosophers have indeed to their immortal Fame asserted the truth of these things But then others of them have as much made it their business to run them down And as for those of them that spoke the best concerning the other World yet God knows their Discourses upon this Argument as will appear to any that reads them are generally very uncertain and altogether conjectural But admitting their Reasons to be strong and conclusive as I am far from denying that the Souls Immortality is demonstrable by the light of Nature yet there are generally these two Inconveniences in the Arguments they make use of for the Proof of this matter which render them in a great measure ineffectual for the reforming mens lives First They are generally of so great Subtilty so Nice so Metaphysical so much above the reach of ordinary Capacities that they are useless to the greatest part of Mankind who have not understandings fitted for them And Secondly They have this inconvenience likewise that a Man doth not see the Evidence of them without actual attention to a long Train of Propositions which attention it may be when a Man most stands in need of their Support he shall neither have the leisure nor the humour to give But now the Christian Method of proving another Life is quite of another strain and wholly free from these inconveniencies That Demonstration which Christ hath given us of a glorious Immortality by his Resurrection from the dead as it is infinitely certain and conclusive so it is plain and easy short and compendious powerful and operative No Man that believes the matter of Fact can deny the Cogency of it Men of the meanest Capacities may apprehend it Persons in a crowd of business and in the midst of temptations may attend to it And it hath this Virtue besides that it leaves a lasting impression upon the Spirits of those that do believe and consider it Thanks therefore to our Lord Jesus Christ for this excellent Instrument of Piety that he hath given us by his Resurrection Everlasting Praises to his name that he hath thus brought Life and Immortality to light by his Gospel This very thing alone was there nothing else to be said for the Christian Revelation would sufficiently justify both the Gospel it self and our Lord Jesus the Author of it to all Mankind nay and effectually recommend his Religion above all others that ever were taught to all Persons in all Nations of the World IV. Fourthly and Lastly There is still a further Blessing comes to us by our Saviour's Resurrection from the dead and in which indeed is chiefly seen and expressed the great Power of it for the making us Holy and Virtuous That is to say Unto it we do principally owe all that supernatural Grace and Assistance by which we are enabled to vanquish our Corruptions and to live up to the Precepts of our Religion As Christ by his Resurrection did oblige us to lead new lives As Christ by his Resurrection did demonstrate the truth of the Christian Religion which is wholly in order to our leading new lives As by his Resurrection he cleared up to us the certainty of our future State and thereby gave us the greatest Motive and Encouragement to lead new lives So in the last place by the same Resurrection he acquired a Power of conserring Grace and Strength and Influence upon us by the Virtue of which we are in fact inabled to lead new lives Tho' Christ by his death reconciled us to God and procured the Pardon of Sin for us yet the actual benefit of this Reconciliation the actual application of this Pardon did depend
upon our performance of certain Conditions Which Conditions were that we should mortify all our evil affections and frame our Lives suitably to the Laws of the Gospel But now the Grace and Power by which we are inabled to do this was not the effect of Christ's Death but of his Resurrection It was when he ascended up on high and led Captivity Captive that is when he had vanquished Death which had vanquished all the World before It was then as the Scripture assures us and not till then that he was in a capacity of giving gifts unto men It was not till he was glorified as S. John observes that the holy spirit was given Hence it is that we every where find the Apostles attributing the business of Man's Justification and Salvation as much or more to Christ's Resurrection than to his Passion If Christ be not risen saith St. Paul 1 Cor. xv your Faith is vain ye are yet in your Sins Indeed if Christ had perished in the Grave we had still had all the load of our sins upon us because we had had no assurance that God had accepted the Atonement and Propitiation which he had made for them And much less could we have promised to our selves that we should have been assisted by any Divine Power for the subduing of them Again the same St. Paul tells us Rom. iv that Christ was delivered for our sins and raised again for our justification Christ's Death was the Sacrifice the Satisfaction for our Sins But it was by the means of his Resurrection that that Sacrifice and Satisfaction is applied to us and we for the merits of it become justified before God Lastly To name no more Texts Who saith the same Apostle Rom. viii shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifyeth Who is the that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Here then is the great Power of our Saviour's Resurrection to make us good Christ being risen from the dead hath all Power given him both in Heaven and in Earth God as St. Paul expresseth it hath put all things under his feet and hath given him to be head over all things to the Church Eph. 1. 22. Now in the fulness of that Power that he is invested with as he doth on one hand with never-failing efficacy make continual Intercession for his Church and every Member of it So he doth on the other hand out of the fulness of that Power derive and communicate so much Strength and Grace and Assistance of the Divine Spirit to all Christians that if they make a good use of it they shall not fail to perform all those Conditions of Faith and Repentance and a Holy Life that are required of them in order to their being made actual partakers of all those unspeakable Benefits which he purchased for Mankind by his Death and Sufferings Christ by his Resurrection is become both our High-Priest and our King both our Advocate and our Lord. By that Power which he then obtained as our Priest and Advocate he doth with Authority recommend us and all our concernments to his Father As our King and Lord he rules and governs us he takes care of us he provides for us he represses the insults of his and our Enemies and defeats all their attempts against us And lastly he supplies us from time to time with such a measure of Grace and Strength and influence of his Divine Spirit as he sees is needful or proper for our Condition If all this now that I have said be the effect of our Saviour's Resurrection as it certainly is Must we not needs own that there is a mighty power in it for the making us good What can any man among us that professeth to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead say for himself if he leads a wicked life What Apology can he make for the continuance in his sins Will he say that the Temptations to sin are too strong for him that he wants Grace and Strength to overcome his evil Habits and that through the corruption of his Nature he must of necessity remain a slave all his days to his Passions and Appetites whether he will or no Why in saying this he forgets that Christ is risen from the dead For if he did remember that he would remember also that there is a Vertue and Power above that of corrupt Nature which he as a Christian may easily come by if he seriously seek after it Namely The Grace and Strength of the Holy Spirit of God which I have been speaking of which Christ upon his Resurrection obtained the disposal of and which he never fails to send down upon every Soul that heartily prays for it and when ever he gives it he gives it in such measures that a man may certainly by the influence thereof overcome all his evil and corrupt Affections or if he do not it shall be entirely his own fault O what a mighty Comfort and Encouragement ought this to be to all those that heartily desire and endeavour to be good All such may with boldness approach to the Throne of Grace and confidently open their wants not doubting of such Relief as is most convenient for them Our Saviour is risen and sits at the Right hand of God He that loved us so dearly as to die for us is now entered into his Kingdom and is able to grant us whatsoever we ask Do we find our selves burdened with our sins Do we want strength to resist Temptations and to master our strong Corruptions Our Saviour is risen and now ever liveth to make intercession for us Let us fly to him for succour let us beg a portion of that Grace and Holy Spirit be hath purchased for us We may rest satisfied he will hear our Prayers and derive such vigour and influence upon our Souls that we shall in due time by the means thereof vanquish and triumph over every thing that opposeth us We cannot in any wise doubt of his Power for God by raising him from the dead hath made him both King and Priest hath exalted him to the highest Authority and Dignity both in Heaven and Earth We cannot doubt of his good will for he that underwent so many Difficulties and Agonies for us in the days of his Flesh cannot forget those whom he hath ransomed with so great a price nor suffer that Power which God hath given him to lie by him unimployed To conclude Let us not saint Let not our hearts be troubled Let us not despair of any thing Our Saviour is risen Our High-priest is entered within the vail hath taken possession of the highest Heaven where he continually makes intercession for us Such a High-priest as is kind and compassionate and tender-hearted that knoweth our frame and remembreth that we are but dust that pities our weaknesses and is sensible of the difficulties we have to conflict with as having himself had sufficient experience of them And withal such a High priest as is able to save to the uttermost all those that come unto God through him Thus have I given some account of the Virtue of our Saviour's Resurrection in order to the making us sincerely Good What remains But that as we should heartily thank God for these benefits of it so we should especially endeavour to be partakers of them not contenting our selves with a notional ineffectual Faith but labouring with S. Paul experimentally to know Christ Jesus and the power of his Resurrection Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory for and ever Amen FINIS