Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

proceed from death. Every object around us, therefore, continually preaches the fame great doctrine, in which we are fully inftructed by the tranfaction of this day. CHRIST'S Refur

rection is represented throughout Scripture as an earnest of our own.

The

only way to fecure to ourselves an happy refurrection, is by "dying to fin, "and living unto righteousness." "Like "as CHRIST was raised up from the "dead by the Glory of the Father, " even fo we alfo fhould walk in new"nefs of life."

Our spiritual refurrection to a new life, is therefore neceffarily preparative to our future refurrection to Glory. And my text affures us, that they are both brought about by the fame means, even by the "Glory of the Father." I shall not take up your time at prefent, in enumerating the feveral remarkable circumftances, in which our LORD'S

LORD's Refurrection is figuratively expreffive of that great fpiritual change, which is called, in my text, "Newness "of Life." I think it will be more profitable to endeavour to explain to you the nature of this important change, and to give you fuch a defcription of its falutary effects upon the foul, as will enable you to judge, upon enquiry, whether this " Glory of the Fa"ther" hath yet been revealed to your inward fenfes.

A mere historical Christian will fatisfy himself with poring over the Scripture account of CHRIST'S Sufferings, Death, and Refurrection; and provided he has a clear idea of the outward tranfactions in his head, he is little anxious about any thing further. He reads them over as any other piece of entertaining history, without feeling himself much interested in their confequences. But as we never can be faved, but by paffing though the fame fuffering process with our BLESSED REDEEMER,

REDEEMER, we should never read any part of the history of his Life, Sufferings, Death, and Refurrection, without making an immediate application of it to our own fouls, that fo we may be able to judge, whether "the fame mind be in us, that "was alfo in CHRIST JESUS;" or in the words of my text, whether,

¢ as

"CHRIST was raised up from the Dead,

[ocr errors]

by the Glory of GOD the FATHER, "we alfo walk in Newnefs of Life."

O Chriftian! the Refurrection of thy SAVIOUR Will ftand thee in no ftead, unless it be realized in thy heart! Indulge me, then, with thy closest attention, whilst I attempt to mark out some of the glorious fteps, by which this falutary procefs is carried on in

our natures.

Thofe, who deny the great doctrine of original fin, betray a manifeft ig

norance

norance of the Holy Scriptures, and of their own natures. The language of the former we find to be continually this, that "in Adam a have died; "that by one man's tranfgreffion fin "entered into the world; that the

[ocr errors]

thoughts of men's hearts are only "evil continually; that we were con"ceived in fin, and born in iniquity; "that in our flesh dwelleth no good

66

thing; that the carnal mind is en"mity against GOD; that our iniquities "are more in number than the hairs of "our head; that there is none of us "that doth good, no not one."

The language of nature corresponds with these declarations of Scripture. The voice of all our earthly paffions confirms thefe revealed Truths. Even thofe, who were deftitute of an outward revelation, felt and lamented the prevalence and dominion of their corruptions. And our own experience, if we would be ingenuous,

ingenuous, muft lead us to confefs, that we are naturally prone to evil, and averse to goodness.

Pure and spotlefs we came into this world, fay fome fuperficial enquirers into human nature; and all the evil we learn or practise, is from the power of example. But when did this example begin? What mortal first introduced it into the world? Where did he learn it himself? Surely it must have proceeded from his own evil heart. So that after all our doubts, we must go back to the fame fource that the Scripture points out to us, and fix the origin of evil in man, in the difobedience of the first father of the human race, from whom the fatal infection has fpread through all his hapless pofterity. For the hif tory of past ages informs us, that the world was ever wicked as it is now; and that the violence of human paffions hath ever been the fpring of all the dif

orders

« ElőzőTovább »