SERM. and their neighbour, they shall be condemned as criminals, LXXIV. as having lived in the continual breach of God's Laws, which they could not have done if they had truly believed in Christ; but they who exercise themselves continually in good works, in works of piety, justice, and charity, they shall be justified, though not for their works, yet by their faith in Christ, which will be itself justified and demonstrated to have been true and right, in that it produced such works. But why do I speak of that? This doctrine is so far from encouraging men in sin, that it is the strongest motive and the greatest encouragement we can have to do good. We cannot but be all sensible of our own natural weakness, that "we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves," and therefore, if we look no farther than ourselves, we may justly despair of ever doing any one good work. [ch. 12. 9.] Our only support and comfort is, "that the grace of Christ [2 Cor. 2. 5.] is sufficient for us," that in Him we have both righteousness Phil 4. 13. and strength; such strength that "we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us." But although we can do all things by Him, yet seeing it is we that do it, we corrupt and frail creatures, we cannot but be conscious to ourselves, that notwithstanding His assistance, we can do nothing as we ought, nothing so exactly as the Law requires; but do what we can, we still come short of it, both in not doing so much good as we might, and in doing nothing so [Ps. 130.3.] well as we should. So that, should "God be extreme to mark what we do amiss," He may justly condemn us for something that is amiss in the best action we ever did. But why then should we trouble our heads about doing good, when after all we can do nothing that is truly so; but when we have done all we can, we are still but where we were, guilty, and obnoxious to the judgment of God? For my own part, could I have no other righteousness but my own, no other but what I could attain to in myself, I should never think it worth my while to look after any at all, for I am sure I could never attain it. But when we consider, that although we cannot have any in ourselves, yet we may have perfect righteousness in Christ our Saviour; and if we sincerely endeavour to be as righteous as we can, and believe in Him for it, He will make up the defects of ours with His righteousness, so that all we do shall be acceptable to God 1 Pet. 2. 5. through Him; and we ourselves also accounted righteous in Him, before the Judge of the whole world; this must needs inspire us with holy desires, and make us "steadfast, un- 1 Cor. 15. moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, as knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord." 58. Wherefore let us now resolve to take this course, seeing the Eternal Son of God is become our Saviour, our allsufficient, our Almighty Saviour; seeing He was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification, let us make it our constant care and study to offend God no more, but to walk in all His Commandments and in all His Ordi- [Luke 1.5.] nances, to the utmost of our power, blameless: but when we have done all we can, let us believe and trust only in our ever blessed Saviour both for the pardon of our sins, and for God's acceptance of us as righteous in Him, and then we need not fear, for being justified by faith, we shall have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord: to Whom with the Father and Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever. EE SERMON LXXV. CHRIST'S RESURRECTION AN OBJECT OF GREAT JOY. SERM. Mark 12.10; PSALM CXviii. 24. This is the Day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. THIS is one of the proper Psalms appointed for this day, and it is as proper for it, as if it was made on purpose to be said or sung at the commemoration of our Saviour's rising from the dead; for as the whole Psalm, in the opinion also of the Jews themselves, hath respect to the Messiah or Christ, this part of it points directly at His Resurrection, Ps. 118. 22. it being here said, "The stone which the builders refused, is become the head of the corner." For, that the stone here spoken of is Christ, we cannot doubt, seeing He Himself Matt.21.42; applies this place of Scripture to Himself: and how it is Luke 20.17. to be understood, we learn from His Apostle St. Peter, who having told the rulers and elders of Israel, that the lame man who stood before them was made whole by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom they had crucified, and Whom God had raised from the dead, he immediately adds, Acts 4. 11. "This is the Stone which was set at nought by you builders, which is become the head of the corner." From whence it appears, that the builders which set at nought this stone, were the rulers and elders of Israel who rejected Christ, so as to put Him to death, but that He being now raised from the dead, was made the head of the corner, exalted Matt.28.18. above them and all things else; all power in Heaven and earth being given to Him, upon His Resurrection from the dead. This," saith the royal Prophet, "is the Lord's doing, Ps. 118. 23. and it is marvellous in our eyes." He speaks, as the Prophets used to do in the like cases, of what was to be done afterwards, as if it was then done, and ascribes it wholly to the Lord; it was in a peculiar manner His act, and such an act, that although we should always have it in our eye, we can never look upon it without wonder and amazement. And then it follows in my text, "This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." This day, whereon the stone which the builders refused was made the head of the corner: this day, whereon Jesus Christ, Who was crucified by the Jews, was raised again by the power of God, and made the head of the Church and of all the world too; "This is the day which the Lord hath made," which He hath made famous and renowned above all other days, by the extraordinary power and goodness which He then manifested to the sons of men, who have therefore infinite cause to rejoice and be glad upon this day. And we could not choose but do so, if we did but rightly apprehend and duly consider the many and great benefits which we receive from our Saviour's Resurrection; which are so many, that it is impossible to reckon them all up; and as impossible fully to describe the greatness of any one of them and therefore I shall not offer at that; but only endeavour to give you what light I can into some few of them, which may of themselves be sufficient to raise up our hearts to the highest pitch of joy and gladness upon this day whereon we celebrate the memory of it. : First, therefore, by our Saviour's Resurrection we are fully assured that He is the Son of God; for God Himself hath told us this by His Apostle, who, speaking of Jesus Christ our Saviour, saith, "That He was made of the seed of David Rom. 1.3,4. according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead:" where he gives us a plain description of the person of Jesus Christ, both as to His human LXXV. ch. 10. 33. SERM. and Divine nature. According to the first, He was of the seed of David, according to the other He was the Son of God, and declared to be so with power, by His Resurrection from the dead; the Son of God, in that sense wherein He Himself had often said He was, Who called Himself" the Only-begotten Son of God," and affirmed that God was His Father, and He the Son of God, in such terms that the Jews judged Him to be guilty of blasphemy, and condemned Him to death for it, which they could not have done if they had not understood Him so as that, according to the common meaning of that phrase in those days, by calling John 5. 18; Himself the Son of God, He made Himself God, and equal with God, as they said He did. And so verily He did, in plain terms, when He said, "I and My Father are one;" not one person, but as the original word imports, one thing, one being, of one essence, which was declared or manifested to be true, by His rising from the dead; for if this or any thing else that He said had not been perfectly true, He would have been guilty of sin, as other men are, and so obnoxious to the death which God hath threatened against all sinners, who shall never rise again so as to die no more till the Last Day; and therefore His Resurrection from the dead so soon after He died was as clear a testimony as could be given, that God approved and confirmed all that He had said, and particularly that He was indeed, as He had said, the Son of God, of one essence or substance with the Father. ver. 30. ch. 2. 19. The same appears also from the power by which He rose; for He rose by His Own power. "Destroy this temple," saith He, "and in three days I will raise it up." ch. 10. 18. "I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again." Which could not be any other than the power of God, and therefore He Who had it in Himself must needs be God; for if He had been a mere inan, and not God too in the same person, howsoever He had been raised again, He could never have done it Himself; for when a man is dead he is no longer himself, the person he was while he lived. But He being God as well as Man, and both in one person, His manhood not constituting a person of itself, nor ever subsisting but in His Divine Person, |