Returrettion, which was to thew his ViQtory over Dearth 4... " dead might hear his Voice and live, and that he mich þ« ;;,, -; Fg T w» 6/5 /s07s of the quick and the dead, CE which he could not have been. 5c «2. dead d1d not riſe ) Now though it be true, that Chriſt; Head-fhiv...
his Church, and the Apoſtles Argument from thence will OE ns
Believers isthz main thing the Apoſtle | here proveth, having cc. where abundantly proved the general ReſurreQion) the conſiqe.... on here of Chriſt being raiſed, chat he mighe be the Judge bg; the quick and of the dead, will prove the ReſurceQion of the x; ed, as well as of Believers.
14 And if Chriſt benot riſen, then is our preachin- vain 2, and your faith is alſo vain a. ,
z Now (faith the Apoſtle) if Chriſt be not raiſed, in what a cc, are you ? And wealſo, who have preached his ReturreQion to you? Our preaching is vain and falſe, » and your Faith is ſo alfo, fo; obje&t of it faileth, which is a Chriſt riſen from the dead. J
15 Yea, and we are found tale witnetles of God, be. caule we have teſtified of God, that he raiſed up Chrig whom he raifed not up, if ſo be thar the dead riſe nc
16 For if the dead riſe nor, "then is not Chriſt ri,
ed 6b.
b There is nothing in theſe two verſes, but what the Apcſilc hg before ſaid, viz, Thar if Chriſt were not riſen, the Apoſtles preaching and the Corinthians believing were both of them vain and taiſe On. ly what the Apoſtle, in the former verſe, called Preaching, he he .calleth Wizneſing, We are (faith he ) falſe witneſſes of God, Ty hz falſe Witneſſes tor men, or 1n the name of men, is #vainſt the ninth Commandment, and a fin of no ordinary magnitude; butt be a falſe Witneſs of God, is a much higher fin. This Title of 9; zeſſes was at firſt given to the Apoſtles by Chriſt, As :. 8. the. wards often (eſpecially in the 45) applied ro them, A 1. 14% 2. 32, & 4. 33.& 5. 32. & 10. 39, 41. Particularly Paul applizth
it to himſclf, 4s 22. 15. & 26.16. Itis true, the Apoſtles, yg either ſaw Chriſt while he was on Earth after his ReſurreRion, c in Heaven, as Paul did, Ads g. were in the ſtrifteſt ſenſe Eye-witn, - but yet in a Jarger ſenſe this notion agreeth to all Miniſters, who reſtifie, upon the hearing of the Ears, and upon reading the Scriptures the ſame thing which the Apoſtles reſtified, though not upon the ime Evidence. Now to affirm a thing, as from God, for truth, which is in it{elf falſe, is a very high tranſgrefſion : which (faith the Ano- ſtle ) we muſt be guilty of, if Chriſt be not raiſed ; and if the ded riſe not, then Chriſt is not raiſed.
17 Andif Chriſt be not raiſed, your faith z vain, je
are yet In your fins c.
c That 1s ye are yet in your eſtate of Nature, under the guiltand condemning power of your fins, which are not yet pardoned to you ; for no fins are remitted, but upon believing in th: Lord e- ſus Chriſt, which none can do, if Chriſt be nor riſen from the dud; tor by that he was declared to be the Son of Goa with power : his Det declared him to be truly Man, it was his Reſurrection that munife» ſted him to be truly God, God over all bleſkd for eyer ; andiothe proper objeU of peoples Faith.
15 Then they alſo who are fallen aſleep in Chril, ar perithed 7.
a Some think that the term i» Chriff in this Text, is of the ſame fignificancy with for the jake of Chriſt, which would reſtrain u to Martyrs; butI know no realon for that, becauſe what is (uid, 1s true of all ; for it is plain, fiom what was ſaid before, that if Chrilt be not riten from the dead, all that die muſt die in their fins, there being no obje& for their Faith ro work or lay hold upon. The door of Salvation remaineth as faſt ſhur as ever, fo as thole whom they looked upon as being aſleep in Chriſt, muſt neceſlarily perilh,
if Chriſt be not riſen; there 1s no Freerynner centred into the Heavens for us. 19 If in this life onely we have hope in Chriſt, we
are of all men moſt miſerable e.
e The Apoſtle here argueth the Reſurre#ion of Believers from ? new Head. Ir is not reaſonable for any to imagine, that thoſe who believe in Jeſus Chriſt, ſhould of all others be the moſt miſerable; but this they muſt be, if there be on Reſurre&ion from the dead He enlargeth upon this Head of Argument further, wv. zo, 31: ** reaſon of it is, becavſe ir muſt then follow, That they cou!d 2 no hope in Chriſt beyond this lite ; and the condition of the 42% files, and the generality of Chriſtians, ar leaſt in thoſe fit 4 furious Times, was a moſt afflited fate and condition. The Ap0” {tle was in Jeopardy every hour, wv. 3o. he dyed daily, % J1. Ii any lay, How doth this follow ? for their Souls might be in Glors, though their bodies once dead, were not raiſed ? It is anſwer* 1. That it ſtill muſt hold as to their bodily, fleſhly part: 2; + thoſe who denied the Reſurrection of the Body, denied alſo che Im- mortality of the Sou], 3. That Paul ſpeaketh upon the ſuppolition of the Divine Ordination ; God having ſo ordered ir, that the Dezt of Chriſt, without his Refurre&ion, thould be of no avall £0 V5 go ſave either Soul or body ; and that our Souls and Bodies ſhou!d 00: be ſeparately, bur jointly glorified upon their re-un0n 1N the Ba. of the World: 1 Pet. 1.3. we are ſaid to be begoiten ro 8 1196) hope by the ReſurreFion of Feſus Chriſt from the dead.
pl 20 Bur row * is Chriſt riſen from the dead, and be
come * che biit-truits of them that ſleep /,
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the ReſurreCtion of the wicked, yer (beſides that the RelurreGon wc tl0N cf
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fruits ing /, k In any the r2&ion {rraves, Order, Dead, | ther, 1 was, T tirſt fro are Men but not 24 ] livered when 1nd pc m Th meer wy the End | Words tc Chrift w ther. an then dei; ther, yer That of it 5 his 2o; 'ngs toge vas Div; mediator M142 of Mather ; Droverh x 0.7 miIte; Ct reign \gnificth 15 med: ne CY.
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XV 111). — ; # The Apoſtle ieturnotin to tis | \ -incerning the Reſurrection of C! C m_
for it will be hard to prove, T at any benent of Chrifts Death or Re- {rreCtion after ti1is its, belongs to wicked men; nor 1510 ulual tor the Penmen of Holy Writ, to expres the Dexta of Untelievers un- 12, Chriſt 15 called the (t 15 ra- Mon of wicked od's Providence, in order to the mant-
der the oentie notion of 1 fl--p and Col. 1.