And therefore in particular, what is the virtue of Christ's resurrection, whereby Christ doth raise himself?
The virtue of it in us is, first of all, the same Spirit that raised his body out of the grave doth raise us out of any afiiiction, or quickens and strengthens us in it.
The ai'gument is from the greater to the lesser. If Christ hath such an almighty power to quicken his own body when it is dead, hath not he power to quicken and strengthen a man in any poor and miserable condition in this world ? Doubtless he hath ; and therefore Paul desires the virtue of this in all his troubles and dying. And so the life of Jesus is manifested to a man in trouble, when he findeth divine power supporting him above
410
COMMENTARY ON
nature in any trouble, or else bringing bim out of tbat condition to a glorious one. Take a man in any uncomfortable condition of soul, perplexed, deserted, cast down by sense of sin : be may be raised to tbe divine power of Cbrist to comfort, and to stand stronger by bis falls, grow better by his sins.
And because deatb is tbe consummation of all trouble, tbe bfe of Jesus is manifested tbere, wbeu our bodies are in tbe grave, as Rom. viii. 11, ' If the Spirit, tbat raised Jesus from tbe grave, be in us,' tbe same shall raise up our bodies when they bo turned to dust and rottenness.
So then, in a word, the life of Jesus is made manifest in us, when we find this life powerful in the midst of all our worst conditions, supporting us in our falls, and making us better and more comfortable afterward ; and at length the spiritual life that raised him from the grave, shall raise up our bodies to be conformable to his glorious body now in heaven. St Paul was content to suffer the dyings of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in him ; that is, the power of Jesus. To add another thing.
(4.) It is not only a manifestation of the divine power in our falls and raising us from the grave by the life of Jesus, but withal lie injuseth a life to every one ; he sanctificth the soul and body, and worketh the same im- pression in others that is in him ; that is, his life. When he is meek, we are framed to be meek ; he obedient, we are framed to be obedient ; he bumbled, we are framed to be humbled ; he is good and holy, we are framed to be answerable. This is the life of Jesus. And the more we bear in our bodies the life of the Lord Jesus, the more we are like to Jesus, and fashioned to him.
Therefore it may be well called his ' power,' and his ' inward grace ;' because it cometh from him, and it makes us like to him altogether, and it tendeth to Jesus. It is from Christ, and maintained by Christ, and it carrieth the soul to Christ, makes us like to Christ ; therefore it is called the life of Jesus.
We all know life is a sweet thing. We desire it above all, and fear the contrary, death, above all. Now blessed is that mortification, that dying, that makes us partakers of the life of Jesus. If life is sweet, what is this life of Jesus ? Alas ! what is a life to the life of Jesus ; that is, to the divine power shewed in us, which was shewed in him.
Use. You see then that (hjing to Jesus Christ makes way for the life of Christ. If we will live with Christ, then we must die first. You know all life springs from death, so the life of Christ springeth from death ; his own bfe that he liveth, any spiritual life, it was after bis death. And so spiritual life in us cometh after dying. The papists w'ill have a life of their own ; others will have power in corrupt nature ; but there is no resurrection with- out death before ; there must be dying before there is a Hviug.
If we will feel the life of Christ, we must be content to carry bodies d3'ing to Christ. If we will have strength and power and joy, and the presence of Christ, then endure the dying of the Lord Jesus. Endure whatsoever he will please to exercise us withal. And if we carry his dyings, we shall be sure to be partakers of his life.
Use 2. I beseech you, consider whether ive be jyartakers of this life, strength, and power, and grace, and comfort. And let us be content then with any condition in the world wherein we may have communion with Christ by anything, that we may be subject to Christ ; to be poor that we may be rich with Christ ; to die to all, that so we may live to Christ ; to be nothing
2 COP.INTHIANS CHAP. IV, VER. 10. 411
to all others, that so we may be all in all to Christ. By dying to Christ we lose perhaps health, but we gain it in strength ; we may lose countenance and friend, we gain it in spiritual things. God takes nothing from his children, but he giveth better in a better kind. And happy is that parting that is recompensed in an higher kind ; happy is that death that is made good by a better life ; happy that self-denial that is made up in Christ ; happy that discomfort that is made up with comfort in Christ ; and there- fore let us not be against any suflering, fear nothing that God may call us to in this world; no, although death itself. Life with Christ is better incomparably than anything we lose. Our life is but a dying life, take it at the best ; die we must. Now if we die suflering afllictious, which are the passage to life, why then there is a benefit made of necessity. We owe to God a death by nature, and now we get an advantage by anything we sufler for Christ's sake. For we,have a hundred fold for anything we sutler in this world. It is hard to persuade this reason to flesh and blood, but they that find experience in it once, as Christians do in suflerings, they find peace and comfort from the presence of Christ's Spirit in their souls ; they know what a benefit it is to sufler for Christ's sake, though with loss of anything in this world. Would Saint Paul have wanted those whippings and imprisonments, or wanted his comforts of Christ's presence ? _ Would the martyrs have wanted that sweet comfort they had for present life ? Surely they had it oflered, they might have entertained it if they would, but they would; not. And if glimpses of glory, the little life derived to us now, sup- portetii under the troubles of the world, what is the ' exceeding weight of glory' reserved for us in another world ? We can soon fathom and compass the things we sufler. We know what contempt meaneth, and poverty meaneth, but the life in this world passeth understanding. ' The peace of God passeth understanding,' Philip, iv, 7, and ' is joy unspeakable and glorious,' 1 Peter i. 8. Therefore if there be a measure and narrow measure of trouble in this world, and that there be inward peace and gloiy immeasurable, then we be gainers here, setting aside consideration of heaven.