AN HOMILY OF THE RESURRECTION OF

OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

FOR EASTER-DAY.

If ever at any time the greatness or excellency of any matter, spiritual or temporal, hath stirred up your minds to give diligent ear (good Christian people, and well-beloved in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ), I doubt not but that I shall have you now at this present season most diligent and ready hearers of the matter which I have at this time to open unto you. For I come to declare that great and most comfortable article of our Christian religion and faith, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

So great surely is the matter of this article, and of so great weight and importance, that it was thought worthy to keep our said Saviour still on earth forty days after he was risen from death to life, to the confirmation and establishment thereof in the hearts of his disciples. So that (as Luke clearly testifieth in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles [v. 3]) he was conversant with his disciples by the space of forty days continually together, to the intent he would in his person, being now glorified, teach and instruct them, which should be the teachers of other, fully and in most absolute and perfect wise, the truth of this most Christian article, which is the ground and foundation of our whole religion, before he would ascend up to his Father into the heavens, there to receive the glory of his most triumphant conquest and victory. Assuredly, so highly comfortable is this article to our consciences, that it is even the very lock and key of all our Christian religion and faith. If it were not true, saith the holy apostle Paul, that Christ rose again, then our preaching were in vain, your faith which you have received were but void, ye were yet in the danger of your sins. If Christ be not risen again, saith the apostle, then are they in very evil case, and utterly perished, that be entered their sleep in Christ; then are we the most miserable of all men, which have our hope fixed in Christ, if he be yet under the power of death, and as yet not restored to his bliss again. But now is he risen again from death, saith the

apostle Paul, to be the first-fruits of them that be asleep, to the intent to raise them to everlasting life again (1 Cor. xv. 14-20). Yea, if it were not true that Christ is risen again, then were it neither true that he is ascended up to heaven, nor that he sent down from heaven unto us the Holy Ghost, nor that he sitteth on the right hand of his heavenly Father, having the rule of heaven and earth, reigning, as the prophet saith, from sea to sea (Psal. lxxii. 8); nor that he should after this world be the judge as well of the living as of the dead, to give reward to the good, and judgment to the evil.

That these links therefore of our faith should all hang together in stedfast establishment and confirmation, it pleased our Saviour not straightway to withdraw himself from the bodily presence and sight of his disciples; but he chose out forty days, wherein he would declare unto them, by manifold and most strong arguments and tokens, that he had conquered death, and that he was also truly risen again to life. He began, saith Luke (xxiv. 27), at Moses and all the prophets, and expounded unto them the prophecies that were written in all the Scriptures of him, to the intent to confirm the truth of his resurrection, long before spoken of; which he verified indeed, as it is declared very apparently and manifestly, by his oft appearance to sundry persons at sundry times. First, he sent his angels to the sepulchre, who did shew unto certain women the empty grave, saving that the burial linen remained therein. And by these signs were these women fully instructed that he was risen again, and so did they testify it openly. After this Jesus himself appeared to Mary Magdalene, and after that to certain other women, and straight afterward he appeared to Peter, then to the two disciples which were going to Emmaus. He appeared to the disciples also, as they were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, the doors shut. At another time he was seen at the sea of Tiberias of Peter and Thomas, and of other disciples, when they were fishing. He was seen of more than five hundred brethren in the mount of Galilee, where Jesus appointed them to be by his angel, when he said, Behold, he shall go before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he hath said unto you. After this he appeared unto James; and last of all he was visibly seen of all the apostles, at such time as he was taken up into heaven

(Matt. xxviii. 1-8; [Mark xvi.]; Luke xxiv; John xx. 11-20; xxi; Acts i. 1-9; 1 Cor. xv. 5-7). Thus at sundry times he shewed himself after he was risen again, to confirm and stablish this article. And in these revelations sometime he shewed them his hands, his feet, and his side, and bade them touch him, that they should not take him for a ghost or a spirit. Sometime he also did eat with them, but ever he was talking with them of the everlasting kingdom of God, to assure the truth of his resurrection. For then he opened their understanding, that they might perceive the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from death the third day, and that there should be preached openly in his name pardon and remission of sins to all the nations of the world (Luke xxiv. 45-47). Ye see, good Christian people, how necessary this article of our faith is; seeing it was proved of Christ himself by such evident reasons and tokens, by so long time and space. Now therefore, as our Saviour was

diligent for our comfort and instruction to declare it; so let us be as ready in our belief to receive it to our comfort and instruction. As he died not for himself, no more did he rise again for himself. He was dead, saith St. Paul, for our sins, and rose again for our justification (1 Cor. xv. 3, 4; [Rom. iv. 25]). O most comfortable word, evermore to be borne in remembrance! He died (saith he) to put away sin, he rose again to endow us with righteousness. His death took away sin and malediction, his death was the ransom of them both; his death destroyed death, and overcame the devil, which had the power of death in his subjection [Heb. ii. 14]; his death destroyed hell, with all the damnation thereof. Thus is death swallowed up by Christ's victory, thus is hell spoiled for ever. If any man doubt of this victory, let Christ's glorious resurrection declare him the thing. If death could not keep Christ under his dominion and power, but that he arose again, it is manifest that his power was overcome. If death be conquered, then must it follow that sin, wherefore death was appointed as the wages, must be also destroyed. If death and sin be vanished away, then is the devil's tyranny vanquished, which had the power of death, and was the author and brewer of sin, and the ruler of hell. If Christ had the victory of them all by

the power of his death, and openly proved it by his most victorious and valiant resurrection (as it was not possible for his great might to be subdued of them), and it is true, that Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification; why may not we, that be his members by true faith, rejoice, and boldly say with the prophet Hosea and the apostle Paul, Where is thy dart, O death? Where is thy victory, O hell? Thanks be unto God, say they, which hath given us the victory by our Lord Christ Jesus [Hosea xiii. 14; 1 Cor. xv. 55, 57].

This mighty conquest of his resurrection was not only signified before by divers figures of the Old Testament, as by Samson when he slew the lion, out of whose mouth came sweetness and honey (Judges xiv. 5-8); and as David bare his figure when he delivered the lamb out of the lion's mouth, and when he overcame and slew the great giant Goliath (1 Sam. xvii. 34-36, 49-51); and as when Jonas was swallowed up of the whale's mouth, and cast up again on land alive (Jonah i. 17; ii. 10); but was also most clearly prophesied by the prophets of the Old Testament, and in the New also confirmed by the apostles. He hath spoiled, saith St. Paul, rule and power, and all the dominion of our spiritual enemies. He hath made a shew of them openly, and hath triumphed over them in his own person (Col. ii. 15). This is the mighty power of the Lord, whom we believe on. By his death hath he wrought for us this victory; and by his resurrection hath he purchased everlasting life and righteousness for us. It had not been enough to be delivered by his death from sin, except by his resurrection we had been endowed with righteousness. And it should not avail us to be delivered from death, except he had risen again, to open for us the gates of heaven, to enter into life everlasting. And therefore St. Peter thanketh God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his abundant mercy, because he hath begotten us, saith he, unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, to enjoy an inheritance immortal, that shall never perish, which is laid up in heaven for them that be kept by the power of God through faith (1 Pet i. 3-5). Thus hath his resurrection wrought for us life and righteousness. He passed though death and hell, to the intent to put us in good hope, that by his strength we shall do the same. He paid the ransom of

sin, that it should not be laid to our charge. He destroyed the devil and all his tyranny, and openly triumphed over him, and took away from him all his captives, and hath raised and set them with himself among the heavenly citizens above (Ephes. ii. 6; [Col. ii. 15]). He died to destroy the rule of the devil in us; and he rose again to send down his Holy Spirit to rule in our hearts, to endow us with perfect righteousness. Thus it is true that David sung, Veritas de terra orta est, et justitia de cœlo prospexit (Ps. lxxxv. 11). The truth of God's promise is in earth to man declared, or from the earth is the everlasting Verity, God's Son, risen to life, and the true Ephes. iv. 8. Captivam duxit righteousness of the Holy Ghost looking out of captivitatem. heaven, and in most liberal largess dealt upon all the world. Thus is glory and praise rebounded upwards to God above, for his mercy and truth. And thus is peace come down from heaven to men of good and faithful hearts (Luke ii. 14). Thus is mercy Ps. lxxxv. 10 and truth, as David writeth, together met; thus is peace and righteousness embracing and kissing each other.

Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt sibi.

If thou doubtest of so great wealth and felicity that is wrought for thee, O man, call to thy mind that therefore hast thou received into thine own possession the everlasting Verity, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to confirm to thy conscience the truth of all this matter. Thou hast received him, if in true faith and repentance of heart thou hast received him if in purpose of amendment, thou hast received him for an everlasting gage or pledge of thy salvation. Thou hast received his body which was once broken, and his blood which was shed for the remission of thy sin. Thou hast received his body, to have within thee the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for to dwell with thee, to endow thee with grace, to strengthen thee against thine enemies, and to comfort thee with their presence. Thou hast received his body to endow thee with everlasting righteousness, to assure thee of everlasting bliss, and life of thy soul. For with Christ by true faith art thou quickened again, saith St. Paul, from death of sin to life of grace, and in hope translated from corporal and everlasting death, to the everlasting life of glory in heaven, where now thy conversation should be, and thy heart and desire set (Ephes. ii. 1, 2, 5, 6). Doubt not of the truth