How greatly then do they err who rest in a bare historical faith of our Saviour’s resurrection, and look only for external proofs to evidence it? Whereas were we the most learned disputers of this world, and could speak of the certainty of this fact with the tongue of men and angels, yet without this inward testimony of it in our hearts, though we might convince others, yet we should never be saved by it ourselves.
For we are but dead men, we are like so many carcases wrapt up in grave cloaths, till that same JESUS who called _Lazarus_ from his tomb, and at whose own resurrection many that slept arose, doth raise us also by his quickening Spirit from our natural death, in which we have so long lain, to a holy and heavenly life.
We might think ourselves happy, if we had seen the Holy JESUS after He was risen from the dead, and our hands had handled that LORD of life. But more happy are they who have not seen him, and yet having felt the power of his resurrection, therefore believe in him. For many saw our divine master, who were not saved by him; but whosoever has thus felt the power of his resurrection, has the earnest of his inheritance in his heart, he has passed from death to life, and shall never fall into final condemnation.
I am very sensible that this is foolishness to the natural man, as were many such like truths to our LORD’s own disciples, when only weak in faith, before he rose again. But when these natural men, like them, have fully felt the power of his resurrection, they will then own that this doctrine is from GOD, and say with the _Samaritans_, “Now we believe not because of thy saying,” for we ourselves have experienced it in our hearts.
And O that all unbelievers, all letter-learned masters of _Israel_, who now look upon the doctrine of the power of CHRIST’s resurrection, or our new birth, as an idle tale, and condemn the preachers of it as enthusiasts and madmen, did but thus feel the power of it in their souls, they would no longer ask, how this thing could be? But they would be convinced of it, as much as _Thomas_ was, when he saw the LORD’s CHRIST; and like him, when JESUS bid him reach out his hands and thrust them into his side, in a holy confusion they would cry out, “My LORD and my GOD!”
But how shall an unbeliever, how shall the formal christian come thus to “know CHRIST, and the power of his resurrection?” GOD, who cannot lye, has told us, “I am the resurrection and the life, whosoever liveth and believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Again, says the apostle, “By faith we are saved, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of GOD.”
This, this is the way, walk in it. Believe, and you shall live in CHRIST, and CHRIST in you; you shall be one with CHRIST, and CHRIST one with you. But without this, your outward goodness and professions will avail you nothing.
But then, by this faith we are not to understand a dead speculative faith, a faith in the head; but a living principle wrought in the heart by the powerful operations of the Holy Ghost, a faith that will enable us to overcome the world, and forsake all in affection for JESUS CHRIST. For thus speaks our ♦blessed Master, “Unless a man forsake all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
♦ “blesser” replaced with “blessed”
And so the apostle, in the words immediately following the text, says, “being made conformable to his death;” thereby implying, that we cannot know the power of CHRIST’s resurrection, unless we are made conformable to him in his death.
If we can reconcile light and darkness, heaven and hell, then we may hope to know the power of CHRIST’s resurrection without dying to ourselves and the world. But till we can do this, we might as well expect that CHRIST will have concord with _Belial_.
For there is such a contrariety between the spirit of this world, and the Spirit of JESUS CHRIST, that he who will be at friendship with the one, must be at enmity with the other: “We cannot serve GOD and mammon.”
This may, indeed, seem a hard saying; and many, with the young man in the gospel, may be tempted to go away sorrowful: But wherefore should this offend them? For what is all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, but vanity and vexation of spirit?
GOD is love; and therefore, could our own wills, or the world, have made us happy, he never would have sent his own dear Son JESUS CHRIST to die and rise again, to deliver us from the power of them. But because they only torment, and cannot satisfy, therefore GOD bids us to renounce them.