remission of all our sins. But here the blessing of regeneration is traced to the resurrection of Christ; and with great pro- priety ; because, if " he was delivered to death for our offences, he was raised again for our justification11." To enter into this aright, we should place ourselves in the situation of the imme- diate followers of our Lord. What comfort should we have derived from the death of our Divine Master ? We might be told, indeed, that he offered himself a sacrifice for our sins : but how should we know that that sacrifice was accepted in our behalf? It was his resurrection alone that put that matter beyond a doubt: and therefore we find the Apostles every- where insisting principally on this1, as proving, beyond all reasonable doubt, that he was indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the worldm. Moreover, it is as a risen Saviour that " he lives to make intercession for us11;" and is enabled to send the Holy Ghost down upon us, for the commencing and perfecting of a work of grace within us0. Hence St. Paul, speaking of the death of Christ as prevailing for our salvation, yet lays the greater stress upon his resurrection? : and hence also, in order to attain higher eminence in the divine life, he desked to "know Christ in the power of his resurrection*1." So that our regeneration may well be ascribed to the resurrection of Christ, not only on account of its proving his death to have been available for us, but as through it he is empowered to send down the Holy Spirit upon our souls.]
We must, however, proceed yet further to trace this work in,
III. Its effects —
Of its sanctifying effects I have spoken under the first head. But we must on no account omit to notice those great benefits which it confers,
1. In entitling us to heaven —
[Repeatedly does St. Paul mark the indissoluble connexion which God has established between our sonship and our in- heritance : " If sons, then heirs, heirs of God through Christ, and heirs of God with Christ r." Now, the inheritance to which God has begotten us is nothing less than all the glory of heaven ; an inheritance, " not corruptible," as earthly treasures, " which moth and rust will corrupt ;" " not defiled," like the earthly Canaan, by wicked inhabitants, (for " into
k Rom. iv. 25. ' Actsii. 24 — 36. iii. 15. and xvii. 3, 18, 31.
»' Rom. i. 4. n Heb. vii. 25. ° Acts ii. 33, 38, 39.
p Rom. viii. 34. and v. 10. i Phil. iii. 10.
r Rom. viii. 17. Gal. iv. 7.
i io l PETER, I. 3—5. [2380.
heaven nothing entereth that can defile s ;") "not fading," by use, or age, or enjoyment, like the pleasures of sense: no, it is an inheritance worthy of God to give to his beloved children, even that inheritance which Christ himself, as our Forerunner, our Head, and Representative, already occupies. " To a lively hope of this" are we begotten, whilst yet we are in this vale of tears ; and to the full possession of it, as soon as we go hence.]
2. In securing to us the possession of it —
[In two ways is this inheritance secured to us : " it is reserved by God for us ; and we are kept by God for it ;" so that neither shall it be taken from us by any enemy ; nor shall we be suffered to come short of it through our own weakness. This is what God promised, by his prophet of old : " I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that 1 will not turn away from them to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me1." O inestimable gift ! This security is the crown of all. What would regeneration be without it ? What would it be to be made sons of God, and heirs of heaven, if we were left to our- selves, to engage in our own strength our great adversary ? Truly there is not one of us, however elevated he may at this moment be, who would not, in a very short space of time, if left to himself, become a child of Satan, and an heir of hell. But the power of God! what shall withstand that? or who shall fail, that has that exerted for him ? All that is required of us is, to " have faith in Godu." If only our faith be as a grain of mustard-seed, there is nothing that we shall not be able to effect x. But " Christ has prayed for us, that our faith may not fail ; and therefore, though Satan desires to have us, that he may sift us as wheat," yet shall he not finally prevail against us -v ; but " shall be bruised under our feet2," even as he was under the feet of our triumphant Saviour : for " because he, our Almighty Saviour, liveth, we shall live alsoa." Like persons in an impregnable fortress1", we may defy all the powers of darkness, and smile at all the confederacies both of earth and hell.]