It had pleased the Father (for ever adored be his infinite love and free grace) to wound his only Son for our transgressions, and to arrest and confine him in the prison of the grave, as our surety for the guilt we had contracted by setting at nought his commandments. Now had CHRIST continued always in the grave, we could have had no more assurance that our sins were satisfied for, than any common debtor can have of his creditor’s being satisfied, whilst his surety is kept confined. But he being released from the power of death, we are thereby assured, that with his sacrifice GOD was well pleased, that our atonement was finished on the cross, and that he hath made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the world.
3. _Thirdly_, It was necessary that our LORD JESUS should rise again from the dead, to assure us of the certainty of the resurrection of our own bodies.
The doctrine of the resurrection of the body was entirely exploded and set at nought among the _Gentiles_, as appears from the _Athenians_ mocking at, and calling St. _Paul_ “a babbler and a setter forth of strange doctrines,” when he preached to them JESUS, and the resurrection. And though it was believed by most of the _Jews_, as is evident from many passages of scripture, yet not by all; the whole sect of the Sadducees denied it. But the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST put it out of dispute. For as he acted as our representative, if he our head be risen, then must we also, who are his members, rise with him. And as in the first _Adam_ we all died, even so in him our second _Adam_ we must all, in this sense, be made alive.
As it was necessary, upon these accounts, that our blessed LORD should rise from the dead; so it is plain beyond contradiction, that he did. Never was any matter of fact better attested; never were more precautions made use of to prevent a cheat. He was buried in a sepulchre, hewn out of a rock, so that it could not be said that any digged under, and conveyed him away. It was a sepulchre also wherein never man before was laid; so that if any body did rise from thence, it must be the body of JESUS of _Nazareth_. Besides, the sepulchre was sealed; a great stone rolled over the mouth of it; and a band of soldiers (consisting not of friends, but of his professed enemies) was set to guard it. And as for his disciples coming by night and stealing him away, it was altogether improbable: For it was not long since, that they had all forsaken him, and they were the most backward in believing his resurrection. And supposing it was true, that they came whilst the soldiers slept; yet the soldiers must be cast into a deep sleep indeed, that the rolling away so great a stone did not awake some of them.
And our blessed LORD’s afterwards appearing at sundry times, and in divers manners, to his disciples, as when they were assembled together, when they were walking to _Emmaus_, when they were fishing; nay, and condescending to shew them his hands and feet, and his appearing to above five hundred brethren at once, put the truth of his resurrection out of all dispute.
Indeed, there is one objection that may be made against what has been said, that the books wherein these facts are recorded were written by his disciples.
And who more proper persons than those who were eye-witnesses of what they related, and eat and drank with him after his resurrection? “But they were illiterate and ignorant men.” Yet as good witnesses of a plain matter of fact, as the most learned masters in _Israel_. Nay, this rendered them more proper witnesses. For being plain men, they were therefore less to be suspected of telling or making a lye, particularly, since they laid down their lives for a testimony of the truth of it. We read indeed of _Jacob_’s telling a lie, though he was a plain man, in order to get his father’s blessing. But it was never heard since the world began, that any man, much less a whole set of men, died martyrs, for the sake of an untruth, when they themselves were to reap no advantage from it.
No, this single circumstance proves them to be _Israelites_ indeed, in whom was no guile. And the wonderful success GOD gave to their ministry afterwards, when three thousand were converted by one sermon; and twelve poor fishermen, in a very short time enabled to be more than conquerors over all the opposition men or devils could make, was as plain a demonstration, that CHRIST was risen, according to their gospel, as that a divine power, at the sound of a few ram’s horns, caused the walls of _Jericho_ to fall down.
But what need we any farther witnesses? Believe you the resurrection of our blessed LORD? I know that you believe it, as your gathering together on this first day of the week in the courts of the LORD’s house abundantly testifies.
What concerns us most to be assured of, and which is the