124 SERMONS UPON LEVITICUS XIX. 17.
will be very severe and amazing. And ver. 31, 'The ear that heareth tlie reproof of life abideth amonf^ the wise ; ' that is, forsaketh the ill company which misled him, and betaketh himself to better guides: Prov. xxix. 1, ' He that, being often reproved, hardcncth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.' Our case without repentance is desperate ; for when we have hardened ourselves in an evil way, the Lord overtakes us with a sudden destruction.
Use 3. It exhorts us to set upon this duty. There is need of it ; which will appear if we consider the infirmity of nature, that is to be restrained, a blind mind to be enlightened, a drowsy heart to be awakened, vehemency of passions to be curbed, and great allurements to sin to be withstood. Say not with Cain, Gen. iv. 9, 'Am I my brother's keeper ? ' Thou art so ; do it then with love, lest you do the work of an enemy under the vizard of a friend. No hatred or ill end must put you on this business ; for when you rebuke sin with sin, you increase it. Again, there is need of it ; for it will prevent many evils, as censuring and detraction, and speaking ill of others, and invasion of the ministry. This is one great evil that heretofore hath reigned among us. Many little prattlers, that had no gifts, set up for ministers. This itch would soon be cured if men would mind necessary duties, such as meditation (which is a preaching to themselves), family in- struction, and brotherly reproof.
Use 4. Direction to perform this duty. Many graces are necessary hereunto, as zeal for God, love to our neighbour, and courage. Avoid pusillanimity, that you be not hindered by your fears, this is the way to prevail ; and if you prevail not, you must mourn and pray ; as Lot : 2 Peter ii. 8, ' For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their ungodly deeds ; ' Jer. xiii. 17, ' But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride, and mine eye shall weep sore, and run do^vn with tears.'
SERMONS UPON 1 CORINTHIANS XV. 19.
SERMON I.
If in this life ojily ive have hope in Christ, ive are of all men most miserable. — 1 Cor. xv. 19.
In the context the apostle is disputing for the truth of the resurrection. This way of reasoning is deducendo ad ahsurduvi, by showing the absurdities that woukl follow upon the denial of it.
The first absurdity is mentioned, ver. 13, 'If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.' In all things he is a pattern to his people ; if the head be risen, so shall the members also.
The second absurdity consequent upon that is mentioned, ver. 14-16, 'And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain : yea, and we are found false witnesses of God ; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ ; whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not : for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised.' Whole Christianity would be a forgery, and whatever was preached by the apostles, and believed by them, vain and frivolous, if Christ be not risen.
The third absurdity, ver. 17, ' And if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain ; you are yet in your sins.' That the new covenant, and all their confidence about remission of sins upon repentance, would come to nothing. .
The fourth absurdity, that those that had lost their lives for Christ would perish eternally, and would have nothing to recompense this loss : ver. 18, ' Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.'
The fifth absurdity is in the text ; if all our hopes in Christ were terminated with this life, christians were the most wretched sort of men in this world : ' If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.' But these are such absurd thoughts, that every christian should abhor them with indignation.
In the words we have —
1. A supposition, ' If in this life only we have hope in Christ.'
2. An absurdity thence inferred, ' We are of all men most miserable.' Doct. That the calamities of the godly in this life show that we have
much more to hope for from Christ in tlie life to come.
1. I shall state the point, in what sense it is said that christians are of all men most miserable if there be no life to come.
126 SEKMONS UPON 1 CORINTHIANS XV. 19.
2. Confirm and prove it, by showing tlie validity of tlie apostle's reason inf^.
I. For the supposition.
1. This is supposed, that affliction and misery is the common bm-den of the sons of Adam. In the present life all are liable to misery, some more, some less. We walk through a valley of tears, live in a groan- ing world ; none have such an uninterrupted current and stream of worldly felicity but that they have their crosses and afflictions. These things are common to man. We are told in the book of Job, chap. v. 7, ' Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward ; ' and chap. xiv. 1, *Man, that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.' None can reasonably expect to be absolutely exempted from the common lot of human lapsed nature. Though life be short, yet it is long enough to be vexed with many sorrows. ' Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been,' saith old Jacob, Gen. xlvii. 9. Since they are evil, it is well they are but few. Most men little consider of this, that they come into the world to bear crosses, but rather imagine they come hither to spend their days in j^leasure ; at least, they do not mind the true cause of their troubles, nor the proper remedy. The true cause is sin ; man's transgressions are the door by which it entered ; and the proper remedy is the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Well, then, what- ever may be the particular and various dispensations of God towards men, yet to be miserable in some sort and degree is common to all Adam's posterity, which should make us to look higher than the present life.