[2.] As it is upon a part, the soul only. The bodies of the holy and the wicked are both now senseless, and moulder into dust in the grave; and till they be raised up, and joined to their souls, can neither partake of woe or weal, pleasure or pain. The soul, though it be a principal part, is but a part. The body essentially concurreth to the constitution of the man ; and it is the body that is most gratified by sin, and the body that is most pained by obedience ; and therefore the body, which is the soul's sister and coheir, is to share with it in its eternal estate, what- ever it be. Therefore, that we may not be in part punished, nor in part I'ewarded, there is a time coming when God will deal with the whole man, and that is in the day of Christ's solemn court and audience, when all the world shall be summoned before his tribunal.
7. The apostle proveth this, because the righteousness of God's government will not permit that his people should be accounted of all men most miserable.
To clear this I shall show —
First, In what sense the apostle saith, If there were no life to come, christians were of all men most miserable.
Secondly, How this will not consist with the righteousness of God's goverimient.
First, In what sense the apostle saith, If there were no life to come, christians were of all men most miserable. I put this first question, that we may not mistake the apostle's meaning, when he pronouncetli christians to be of all men most miserable if our hopes in Christ were terminated with this life. Take him right ; and therefore, —
1. Negatively.
[1.] It is not to deny all present providence or watchful care over his op[)ressed people. No ; Eccles. iii. 16, 17, ' And moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.' He meaneth not in the mountains of prey only, but in the tribunals of justice; there was
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130 SERMONS UPON 1 CORINTHIANS XV. 19.
iniquity and wickedness: 'I said in my heart, God sliall judge the righteous and the wicked ; for there is a time there for every purpose, and for every work.' So again, Eccles. v. 8, ' If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter; for he that is higher than the higiiest regardeth, and there be higher than they.' Both thevse places show that there is a providence ; though God for a while permit his meek and obedient servants to be oppressed, and in the eye of the world they seem to be forgotten and forsaken and utterly left to perish, 3'et in due time God will exercise a righteous judgment on them and their enemies. The like you have, Ps. Iviii. 11, ' So that a man shall say. Verily there is a reward for the righteous ; verily he is a God that judge th in the earth.' It is not meant of hereafter, but now. It i» many times found that godliness and holiness are matters of benefit and advantage in this world, abstracted from all reward in another life. The world is not governed by chance, but by a wise and most just pro- vidence. It may be God doth not relieve the oppressed so soon as men would, yet in due time he will not fail to show himself the ruler of the affairs of mankind ; so that this is not his meaning, to exclude all pre- sent providence.
[2.] Not to deny that we have such benefits by Christ here in this world as not to make our condition more valuable than that of the wicked. We have hopes by Christ of the pardon of sins, and that is a blessedness : Ps. xxxii. 1, ' Blessed is he whose transgression is for- given, whose sin is covered.' Of communion with God : 1 John i. 3, 'And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ/ And that maketh way for a full joy, and countervaileth temporal evils. We have not only an interest in the love of God, but a feeling of it in our souls : Kom. v. 3-5, ' And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience expe- rience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.' All things are sanctified to us as we are sanctified to God : Rom. viii. 28, ' All things shall work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.' But yet this is not all ; therefore the apostle saith, ' If in this life only we had hope, we are of all men most miserable.'
[3.] The apostle's drift is not to compare wickedness and godliness,, as abstracted from the eternal reward ; as if a wicked man were more happy than an afflicted godly man. No ; Christ's worst is better thaQ the world's best ; godliness and holiness is amiable, or a reward in itself. Better be good though miserable, than bad though prosperous ; for holiness and godliness, though abstracted from all reward in an- other life, is an excellency and perfection of human nature : Ps. xvi. 3, ' But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent,, in whom is all my delight ; ' Prov. xii. 26, ' The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour.' It is an honour put upon human nature to have the image of God impressed upon it. The more good we are, the more orderly we live, and agreeably to reason and those souls with which we are created ; and the actions which the law of Christ calleth for at our hands are fittest to be done by us if they were not com- manded, nor ever should be rewarded in us.