4, Yet further, as he died voluntary, so he died as our surety. Therefore he died a * cursed death' due to us. * He was made a curse for us,' Gal. iii. 13, that he might remove the curse from us. These and such hke con- clusions must be observed in this, that the apostle saith, ' To this end Christ died,' because we shall have use of them afterwards.
Here we might stay and admire, f that life should die ! that glory should become shame for us ! and that he that is the author of all blessing should become a curse ! Indeed, it is a great mystery that Christ, being God, should stoop so low that he could join together the infinite majesty of God, and that low degree of abasement, that he might condescend unto. Bomine quo descendis, &c. : Lord, how far goest thou ? («) He could not go lower and be God. God, to shew his love to us, shewed himself God in this, that he could be God and go so low as to die ; and not only to die, but to die a shameful and cursed death for us. But I pass to the particulars.
' For this end Christ both died and rose,' &c.
1. He rose again; and indeed it was impossible but he should rise again, because he is the Lord of life. Now the Lord of life, and life itself, could not long die. It was but by dispensation that he died, viz., to work our salvation. But he could not be detained any longer by the sorrows of death. He died therefore, and rose. He rose, even as he died,_ He rose a public person, and as a ' second Adam,' to give and infuse spiritual life into all his branches. He rose as our surety in our room. He rose in epite of the Jews, that laboured to keep him down all they could. By the way, this shews that he will rise in his church, and in his children, in his religion, and in his cause. Let the world and all the devils in hell lay a stone upon Christ, upon his cause, and church, and children ; they will rise again, even as his blessed body did, in spite of all the watchfuhiess of the Jews.
2. Again, As he rose, so he rose icith many; not alone, to shew, as I said before, that he rose as a public person. Another man riseth as him- self; the rest rise not with him as caused by his rising. But Christ rose as a public person. Therefore many rose with him, Mat. xxvii. 53. The graves were opened to shew that he rose as a public person, as our surety, as a spiritual head, and as the ' second Adam,' who could infuse life into others (h). What became of those bodies that rose with him after ? The
* Cf. Luke xxii. 15 with Mat. xxiii. 39, seq.—G. t That is, ' wonder.'— G.
828 Christ's exaltation
Scripture suitb notliing of it ; nor what became of Moses's body. Tbcy rose to do God a service and Cbrist an bonour, wbicb wben tbcy bad done tbcy were content to be disposed of by God again, and, it is Hkely, to return from wbence tbey came. For if tbo bead of tbe cburcb bimself was con- tent to come from beavcn into tbo virgin's womb, and from tbeucc to tbo cross, and from tbence to tbo grave, and to bo abased for us, tboso tbat bave tbe Spirit of Cbrist, tbose blessed souls in beaven, migbt well be con- tent for a time to be abased, to take bodies, to do a service for tbeir Lord and Master, wbo was content to forego beaven tbirty-four years, and tbo glory due to bim.
Tbereforo by tbe way, if God will use us, tbougb we be never so great, for a particular service to tbe cburcb, sball we stand upon it, wben tbe blessed saints in beaven, tbose blessed souls, were content to come and take bodies for a time, to do God service, and tbeu to sleep again ?
B. Again, lie rose an that day ifhich loas ever after, and well may still he, called the Lord's day ; for a new world began witb bis rising,'^tberefore a new Sabbatb. Saint Jobn saitb, ' I was in tbe Spirit upon tbe Lord's day,' Rev. i. 10. If a man be ever in tbe Spirit, it is upon tbe Lord's day, wben tbe Lord of tbe day dotb bonour bis people, giving tbem to enjoy bis ordinances, and joining eifectually witb tbem, maketb tbem full of tbe Spirit, and raisetb up our dead bearts after bim.
' And revived.'
Wby is tbis added to rising again ? ' He revived.'
1. To shew that he rose never to die ayain, and tbat indeed be never meant to lay aside tbat body again, as once be bad, to die for us. Con- sonant bereunto is tbat Rev. i. 18, ' Bebold, I was dead and am alive, and I live for evermore ; I bave tbe kej^s of deatb and of bell.' He lives for evermore, as Heb. vii. 25, ' He sits for evermore at tbe rigbtband of God, tbere making intercession for us.' He dies no more.