Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

SERMON XXVIII.

CHRIST PREACHING TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON. [EASTER EVEN.]

1 PETER iii. 18, 19, 20.

Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.

RELIGION is to be considered both as a science and as an art. As an art, the principles which are to influence our conduct, and the rules to be observed in the application of those principles, are perfectly plain. But as a science, many of its truths are incomprehensible; and many passages in the sacred volume, revealing those truths, are difficult and hard to be understood.

In all this, are apparent the wisdom and the goodness of almighty God. In infinite goodness he has made level to the humblest capacity, all the essential principles and rules of salvation; and in infi

nite wisdom, he has veiled in obscurity some parts of his holy word in order to awaken our attention, to excite our research, to teach us humility, and to remind us of our dependence.

The passage which I have recited as my text, is one of those that are difficult, and hard to be understood *.

In the words immediately preceding the text, the Apostle declares that "Christ also suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God," and then, in the words of the text, proceeds, "being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit.'

[ocr errors]

The meaning sometimes assigned to these words, and which appears to be justified by the English translation, is, that Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the divine spirit. But the prepositions in and by, "in the flesh," and "by the spirit," are supplied by the English translators; they are not found in the original; the words "flesh " and "spirit," stand there opposed to each other, and denote the respective parts of the humanity of Jesus Christ; his body which was dead, and his

* It has been the object of this Sermon, to draw out, and to present, singly and fully, the construction put upon this passage by Bishop Horsley. Whatever may be said of the interpretations which this most distinguished Divine has given to various passages of Scripture, it must be acknowledged that none of them subvert, but, on the contrary, sustain all the leading articles of the "faith once delivered to the Saints."

soul which was quickened. If, instead of applying the term "the spirit," to denote the part of Christ which was quickened, we suppose it to be the Divine Spirit, and thus make it the cause of his being quickened; as the word "flesh," in the original, stands in the same case, and is opposed to the word spirit, we shall then be forced to the absurd conclusion, that the "flesh" was the cause of Christ being put to death, and not the part of him which suffered the pains of mortality. The true meaning of the words undoubtedly is, that Christ was put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit. As to the flesh, he was dead. His mortal part underwent the pangs of dissolution. He expired in agony. He suffered death for us. But his spirit, his soul, his enemies could not kill. Immortal in its nature, it was "quickened," it was preserved alive.

But how was the spirit, the soul of Christ employed; while his body slumbered in the tomb? Active in its nature, and not necessarily dependent on the body for the exercise of its powers, we should be justified in the conclusion, were the Scriptures silent on the subject, that the human soul of Christ, in the interval between death and the resurrection, was actively employed. It is the property of the Divine and Eternal Spirit alone to subsist independent of time and place. The Apostle expressly assigns this activity to the soul of Jesus Christ, and states the objects about which

he was employed, as well as the place, where his soul during its separation from the body, made its abode. We should, therefore, also be reasonably led to conclude that the soul of Christ, continuing alive after the death of the body, had its residence in some place. The Apostle in the next words of the text asserts, that Christ "went and preached unto the spirits, who were in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah."

Various interpretations have been given of this obscure passage. Some of those, who contend that by the previous words, "put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit," is meant, that Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the divine spirit, suppose that by the same spirit, Christ preached unto rebellious sinners, in the days of Noah, who were now confined in prison in chains, under darkness, to the judgment of the great day. It is true that in the days of Noah, the spirit of God the Father, and therefore also, the spirit of Christ the Son, strove with the rebellious race, who were overwhelmed with the flood. It may therefore be said, that Christ, by that spirit with which he inspired his servant Noah, preached unto the disobedient before the flood. But no such doctrine is contained in the passage under consideration.

In the first place, we have seen the word spirit

does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the spirit, or human soul of Christ. And it would be absurd to suppose that Christ by his human soul, preached unto the disobedient, in the days of Noah. This, of itself, is conclusive against such an interpretation of the passage. But further, the passage evidently refers to something which Christ did after his death-" put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit; by which he went and preached to the spirits who were in prison.' His preaching therefore could not refer to the preaching of the Holy Spirit in the days of Noah.

[ocr errors]

This interpretation also supposes, that those to whom Christ preached by his spirit, in the days of Noah, continued disobedient and impenitent, and that the prison in which they were kept, was the prison of torment. But the Apostle characterises them, as those who were "sometime disobedient;" at a certain time had been disobedient; but were recovered by repentance. And there is no foundation in Scripture for the uncharitable conclusion, that all the antediluvian race, in the days of Noah, except himself and family, continued finally impenitent, and were swept by the deluge, into the lake, that burneth for ever and ever. On the contrary, the Apostle speaking of those in the days of Noah, who sometime were disobedient, evidently sanctions the charitable conclusion, that some of the ungodly race who

« ZurückWeiter »