[2.] Conformity to Christ. We must be like him whom we have chosen for our head and chief. What do we with Christianity, if we refuse to be like Christ? Rom. viii. 29, 'Whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son ; ' to be holy as he was holy, and to be afflicted as he was afflicted : 2 Cor. iv. 10, ' Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.' When name dieth, and interests die and languish, when we are scorned, reproached, despitefully used, we carry up and down the sufferings of Christ. Patient undergoing crosses for Christ is an evident resemblance of the cross of Christ ; this maketh us like christians, yea, like Christ himself. And however this seem troublesome and disgraceful to those that are blinded with the delusions of the flesh, yet to a holy man and a believer this should make a bitter cross lovely, that thereby he may be more like his lord and master ; as the apostle, ' That I may be conformable to the death of Christ.'
Use 1. Look for sufferings. Every member of Christ's body hath his allotted portion and share. The great wave of affliction did first beat upon Christ, and some drops will light upon us. The bitter cup goeth by course and round. Christ began and drank of it first, the apostles then standing by : John xviii. 8, ' If ye seek me, let these go.' But their course came next : 1 Cor. iv. 9, ' For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death.' And thus it hath gone from hand to hand ever since. All are not made to drink it at once, that some still may be in capacity to pity, help, and sympa- thise with others ; but we have all our course and turn.
2. Propound to yourselves the pattern of Christ. It is a blessed thing to know by experience the sweetness and comfort which cometh by communion with Christ, and conformity to Christ in these sufferings. As Christ suffered, we must suffer ; as he died patiently, meekly, so
62 SERMONS UPON PHILIPPIANS III. [SeR. VII.
must we bear whatever God will lay upon us ; as he had his consolation,, so have we sweet comfort and support too : as he had his glory, we- must carry it so that we may be partakers of eternal glory by Christ, and our sufferings have the same issue.
SEEMON VII.
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Phil. iii. 11.
The apostle in the context is reckoning up his gain by Christ. We have insisted on two grand privileges and benefits already — justification and sanctification. This latter consisteth of two parts — conformity to> his life and death. The first ennobleth the creature to be admitted unto the life of God ; the other part seemingly depresseth the creature, the fellowship of his sufferings, and conformity to his death ; yet that is an honour too, and so should be valued and reckoned among other privileges ; partly because of its present use, as it helpeth to mortify sin, and deaden our affections to the world ; and partly because it is the way and means to our future advancement, and its respect to the third benefit, which is glorification. Our gain by Christ reacheth further than to anything within time. It accompanieth a man, and preserveth his dust in the grave until the last day, and maketh him a partaker of the glorious resurrection of the just. This last benefit, as the fruit of our closing with Christ, the apostle here represented, ' If by any means we may attain to the resurrection of the dead.' In the words observe —
1. The benefit to be obtained by Christ, ' The resurrection of the dead.'
2. The submission of a self-denying believer, ' If by any means I might attain to it.'
1. The benefit. How is this a great privilege, since there is a resur- rection of the wicked? Acts xxiv. 15, ' That there shall be a resur- rection, both of the just and unjust.' But their resurrection shall be to condemnation : John v. 29, ' But they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation ; ' and so a fall rather than a resurrection. Therefore the faithful and the righteous are only called ' Children of the resurrection ; ' Luke xx. 36, ' Neither shall they die any more, for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.' Not as if the other should not rise, but they shall not rise to glory. And Grotius observeth the word in the text is not dvdaraa^, but it;avdcrTa<ri<;, to express that full and blessed resurrection which no death, no evil shall ever follow. Therefore by the ' resurrection of the dead' he understandeth that eternal life and blessedness which is consequent thereupon : Luke xiv. 14, ' And thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee ; for thou shalt be- recompensed at the resurrection of the j list.'
VlSR. 11.] SERMONS UPON PHILIPPIANS III. 63
2. The submission of a self-denying believer to use any means to> obtain it : 'If by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.' The words seem to express a doubtfulness, but indeed they do not. Paul was not doubtful of his particular interest : 2 Cor. v. 1, ' For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' Paul could not be doubtful whether by these means he might obtain a blessed resurrection, for there is no uncertainty or fallibility in God's promise ; why doth he then thus express himself?