that work, to testify the Father's approval of that work: it was the sending down the angel to roll back the stone from the door, and set the captive free and public testimony was given that the ransom was paid down. | And now we ask the question, without fear of contradiction, either from heaven, or earth, or hell—“ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" We ask the question, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of GOD, who also maketh intercession for us." You perceive, then, what immense weight and importance this divine power has. Now, observe what immense power this resurrection has on the minds of those who receive Christ. What a vast power it has on my consolation, that Christ has paid my debt, that I am set free from that condemnation to which I was subject by the law of GOD! What a power has this to soothe my fears, to calm my conscience, to remove my doubts, to comfort my heart, to rejoice my soul in trouble! What an immense blessing to know that Christ has risen from the dead! who is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. Then see what a vast power the resurrection has on our sanctification. This is effected by the Holy Spirit: "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." But the Spirit had not been given unless Jesus had been raised, and therefore here is the power of his resurrection in the gifts of his Spirit. We are told that "when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord GOD might dwell among them." St. Peter, when he was preaching his famous sermon on the day of Pentecost, distinctly states, that Jesus, “being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." It was because he was raised from the dead, and occupied his place at the right hand of the Majesty on high, that he shed forth that which they then saw and which they then heard. His resurrection had the power to bring down this gift; and his resurrection has the power now to bring down this gift into the heart of every child of God. What a divine pleasure to know the power of his resurrection breaking my heart of stone, taking it away from me, giving me a heart of flesh; coming down as the Spirit of adoption into my soul, whereby I cry, "Abba, Father;" coming down as the Comforter, setting the glory of Christ before my eyes, and causing me to say, "He loved me so that he gave himself for me."-This is the power of his reBut this is sanctifica-surrection, and just in proportion as it is experienced, does our sanctification proceed." Then observe, it has a vast power in our sanctification. Sanctification consists of two parts the renewing of our nature, and the strengthening of our graces. Sanctification is not, as it is sometimes stated, the gradual bringing down the old man, the lessening of his power, the curtailing of his operations: no-sanctification is the strengthening the new man. The old man is perpetually the same; throughout a Christian's whole life he is the same; he loses not one of his powers. tion-the strengthening and renewing of the new man, so that, he being more mighty, represses and subdues the old man, and brings him down Then again, it has vast power in our edification. "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." Every sermon we preach is nothing if Christ be not raised: all that you have received and believed is nothing if Christ be not raised. When Christ accepted the office of surety, it was prophesied of him, that he should see his seed, that he should prolong his days, and that the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands; that he should gather together out of every nation, and kingdom, and tongue, a number which no man can number; and that these should taste the power of his grace and the riches of his love, and sing his praises throughout eternity. But the tidings of salvation had never been heard, the balm of Gilead had never been known, the Physician's power had never been experienced, if Christ had not been raised. The Apostle expressly states that when Jesus, "ascended upon high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets, and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Now, these had not been given if Christ had not been raised. And what is it that edifies the church, and has edified the church these many years? Let the doctrine of Christ's resurrection be exempted from the public discourses of any preacher, and see how the spirit of the people will dwindle into doubt and distressing fear. For "with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all." The success of our ministry depends mainly on the clear exibition of the finished work of Christ-on the statement that the debt is paid, that righteousness is brought in, that Christ is raised, and that his work is for ever finished. This statement being made, or not being made, is, as Luther says, the emblem of a rising or falling church. It is the key-stone, as he says in another place, of divine and holy action.— So that our edification depends on this: nothing tends to build us up so much as clear views of this work, so as to take away from us all those difficulties which press upon our spirits. Now, observe that the fact of Christ's resurrection has a vast power in our glorification. There had been no resurrection of the body if Christ had not risen. Having risen, it is said he has become the first fruits of them that slept. As in Adam, the covenant head of his posterity, all died-so in Christ, the covenant head of his posterity, all shall be made alive. So that, he having been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we are told by the Apostle that Jesus has become the pledge of the saints' resurrection, and that all that sleep in Jesus will GoD bring with him. If he had not been risen there had been no glory, we should behold no mansions prepared in heaven, no second coming of Jesus to fetch us up to himself: but now he says, "It is expedient that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." He tells us that it is expedient to go that he may prepare mansions for us, and that, if he go away, he will come again and receive us unto himself. And what makes eternity delightful? What makes a saint look into it without fear? What makes the grave delightful? The power of Christ's resurrection having extracted from death all its terrors, and taken away from sin its violent sting. So that believers knowing that Christ is risen, die with acclamation; as was the case with Hugh Kennedy in Scotland, who being blind, requested a friend to open the Bible, and to place his fingers on the two last verses of the eighth chapter of the Romans: "Now," said he, "Jesus having been raised from the dead by the power of the Father, the virtue and power of that resurrection bring all this good to me; so that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate Hugh Kennedy from the love of GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord:" and so saying he died. Brethren, I fear that many of us are well content to be just creeping into heaven-just going along the road, not as pilgrims, but as slaves. If we do but get into heaven, it seems quite enough but that is not the religion of the Bible; that is not that to which we should aspire. We want two heavens, and a believer should not be content unless he has twoone here, and one that he looks forward to; the glory of Christ possess ing his soul forms in his soul the hope of glory; so that he rejoices to look forward to the upper world, and expects in a short time to be there. Oh, may we know the power of this resurrection, giving us liberty from the thraldom of sin, bringing us edification through the preaching of the Gospel, and making us aspire after that divine enjoyment of its blessings which shall last for ever. may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings." First, we know the fellowship of his sufferings by partaking of the benefit of His sufferings, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of GOD." Observe his sufferings, procured for him the destruction of sin, the conquest of sin, a paradise of glory, a crown, many crowns, a kingdom that cannot be removed, immortal renown: and what he has gained for himself by his sufferings, all his followers, through his sufferings, shall have; and therefore their desire is to be a partaker with him in the benefit of these sufferings. Who that knows the value of these things would not wish to be a partaker in them, of full and free pardon, of victory over sin, so that we may come off more than conquerors? If the Spirit of God has taught you your desperate need of these blessings, it will be the very first and prime desires of your heart that you may know him, and the fellowship of his sufferings." 66 Then again, it means communion with him through the channel of his sufferings. We know the fellowship of his sufferings when we commune with him through the channel of his sufferings. It is Christ's flesh that brings him near to me: with him as Jehovah I can have no communication: THE Let me now come to the third portion of the Apostle's prayer: FELLOWSHIP of his suffERINGS. Not Till God in human flesh I see, My thoughts no comfort find; The holy, just, and sacred Three Are terrors to my mind. But if Immanuel's face appear, My hope, my joy begins: His name forbids my slavish fear, fellowship in the merits of his sufferings." No-let the crown be for ever on his head; let everlasting diadems adorn the brow of Jesus of Nazareth for ever and ever. All the merit and all the remedy flowing from his loving, and giving himself for us is ours: and that is intended to be It is this that is the fellowship of his conveyed in these words-"That I sufferings-GoD in my nature, my His grace removes my sins." near kinsman: then I have near communion and fellowship with him in his sufferings. I trust there will be a great number who, with their hearts prompted by a Saviour's love, will come to his table having an earnest desire to commemorate his death. But how are we coming? we must come with a desire to have fellowship with him in his sufferings. We must come boldly to a throne of grace; but we must come with his merits in our hands, with his atonement before us. We must recollect that all communion we have with the Father through the Spirit is through his flesh but we have no fellowship through his sufferings except in proportion as he is present in his excellency with us. Oh that we may have fellowship with his sufferings; knowing that his blood cleanseth from all sin; that his sufferings have made our peace with GOD; that a guilty, weak, and helpless worm may fall into his hands, and through his sufferings receive mercy for our ingratitude, wisdom for our folly, peace for a troubled conscience, and all the blessings of his rich salvation. We have fellowship with him in his sufferings; because enduring for his sake the same sufferings which he endured. Is the world frowning upon you? Does Satan tempt you? Do you find some manifestations of persecution which have, very happily, passed away from our own country, yet linger in some holes and corners, in some father's or child's heart? And are you made miserable and unhappy, as it respects your external condition, by means of this persecution? So it ought to be; herein you have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. Should you expect to be better off than your Lord? Is it meet that the servant be more free from pain than the Master? Is it to be supposed that, if they called the Master of the house Beelzebub, they will not so call those of the household? Herein you have an honour above many of the saints; to you it is given, not to believe in him only, but also to suffer with him. Take care that it is suffering for his sake-not for your own unholy walk-for your irreligion instead of your religion: but if it arise simply from your devotedness to the Lord Jesus Christ, and your acquaintance with him as your Saviour and your Friend, bind the scorn about your brow as your glory, and rejoice that you have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. But what end is to be attained by all these desires expressed by the Apostle? It is this: "BEING MADE CONFORMABLE UNTO HIS DEATH." If I know him, increasingly, experimentally, and superlatively—if I know the power of his resurrection in my justification, in my sanctification, in my edification, in my glorificationby partaking of the benefit of his sufferings, by communing with him through the channel of his sufferings, and in any way being made a partaker of the same sufferings myself— why then I shall be "made conformable unto his death." Why does not the Apostle say, Being made conformable unto his life?" One would suppose that that was to be the chief object and ambition of the saint. This is not excluded; but his death presents, in a very condensed form, in a few hours as he hung on the tree, all that we could desire to be on the earth. Now, what do we see in our Lord when he hung on the tree? First, we see in him great patience under suffering. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so opened he not his mouth." If I know him, I shall have the same great patience. 66 46 What do we see in our Lord on the he saw his mother standing by the tree? Great faith. For though his tree, said, “Woman, Behold thy sont Father smote him, and hid his face son, behold thy mother." She unfrom him, yet still observe he says, derstood it, and he understood it; "My God, my God, why hast thou and from that moment that disforsaken me?" He had forsaken him, ciple took her unto his own home," but still his faith enabled him to say, provided for her, and did every thing “My GoD, my GOD.” And if I know that was necessary to comfort her old him, and the power of his resurrec- age. Children, if you want an extion, and the fellowship of his suffer- ample of filial tenderness, go to the ings, my faith, like my Saviour's, cross. Why should those evil paswill be as great; I shall realize an sions seize you? Where do you learn appropriation of the Saviour to my- them? From the Saviour? What! self, and all his benefits. disobedience in Christ? No-never: What do we see in our Saviour's" he went down to Nazareth, and was death? Great compassion and tender-subject unto them." Where did you ness for dying men; for the men that butchered him; for the men that drove the nails into his hands and his feet; for the soldiers that divided his garments among them, and cast lots for his vesture; for the people that mocked him, and said, "If thou be the Son of GOD, come down from the cross" even for these people in his death we hear him say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Oh, how we shall pray for a lost world if we know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings! What pity and compassion will the blasphemies of the ungodly excite in our minds for their wretchedness and misery! 66 We see in our Saviour when he hung on the tree, great filial tenderness. There was his poor mother, in all human probability, a widow, though we hear nothing of Joseph. For many hours before his death his mother was standing before the cross: he had nothing to leave her, and she perhaps was dependent on the bounty of heaven for her support. The sight affected his heart. O young man, O young woman, if you do not love your mothers, the blessing of heaven never can rest upon you, I am not advanced greatly in years, but I have been able perhaps to make the remark in a vast variety of circumstances, that I never knew a child prosper in the world that did not love his or her mother. But when we know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, we shall be made conformable to this part of His character who, when learn them from? From Satan: and think when the frown distorts your countenance, and disobedience rules in your heart, that Satan is there, that this is from him, that you are working his plans, and exhibiting his spirit. If we know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, we shall be made corformable unto his death in another particular great love and tenderness to repenting sinners. There was a man hung by his side; and he prayed, and said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." But this man had blasphemed him a few minutes before; this man had joined the multitude in reviling him. But now he repents; now he saw his state; now hell was opening, and eternity realizing, in his mind; and all his sins, like an army of soldiers, each with a drawn sword in his hand, rose up before him; and in the agony of his mind he says, “Lord, remember me." Many a quiver had his lips, and many a fluttering motion had his heart; but all he said was, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." And what did the Son of GOD say to this man? "Go and make thyself better, and I will receive thee?" No; but with all the majesty of a GOD, and with all the grace of a Saviour, he turned to the poor penitent, and said, "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Oh you that are coming to the table of the Lord, I charge you in the name of Jesus, that you be conformable to his death in this particular-that you be very tender to poor penitents, |