A discourse of the Resurrection shewing the import and certainty of it / by William Wilson.

SECT. II.

II. I come now to consider by what Power he rose. And this I shall do, because the Scrip∣tures seem to speak variously of it; sometimes that it was by the Power of his Father; and at other times that it was by his own Power. St. Paul, Rom. 4.25. speaks in such a manner, as if it was not by his own power, but by the power of another, that he was raised. He was raised again; which implies, that the re∣uniting his separated Soul to his dead Body, and the restoring him to life again was effect∣ed by the power of another, and not by his own. And accordingly St. Peter speaks more plainly, that it was God that raised him up: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, Act. 2.24. Which he intimates

to us in applying that of the Psalmist to his Resurrection: Thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption, v. 27. And again, This Je∣sus hath God raised up, whereof we all are wit∣nesses, v. 32. which is very loftily expressd by St. Paul, Ephes. 1.19. That we may know, what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward, who believe according to the working of the might of his power, which he wrought in Christ, whom he raised up from the dead.

But although we are taught, that he was raised, and that it was God, that did raise him, yet we are in other places of Holy Scripture assured, that he did raise himself, and that it was by his own Power, that he rose: Destroy this Temple, saith he of himself, and in three days I will raise it up: This he spake of the Temple of his Body, Joh. 2.19. Some sup∣pose, that Christ did nothing more in the rai∣sing of himself, but lift himself up, and come out of the Grave, when God had given him Life again. But this comes far short of our Saviour's meaning, who in this Expression had a respect to such a Miracle and Sign, as should sufficiently prove him to the Jews to be the Messiah. But what great matter is it for a Man, when he is restored to Life, to come out of his Grave? What greater Power could this prove to be in him, than in any other Man that shall rise at the last day? Now that he spoke of quickening his dead Body, will ap∣pear,

if we consider the words. Destroy this Temple; i.e. Take away my life; and I, by taking it up again, will give a convincing proof of a Divine Power in me. The Words thus taken are a very proper Answer to the Jews, who ask'd a sign of him. For no greater sign of his being the Son of God could be given than this, That he is the Lord of Life; and that when he was dead and buried, he would raise himself to Life again. This is indeed be∣yond the reach of Humane Reason, and so surely, that which he designed for a sign ought to be. For what sign would it have been to the Jews, if it had been accountable to them? But yet it is the same Truth that he has with a great deal of care inculcated upon us: I lay down my life, that I might take it up again: No Man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again, Joh. 10.17, 18. And upon the account of this Power he is styled the Resurrection and the Life; i.e. That person, that has power to give Life to the World. In these Texts then it is as plainly a∣scribed to himself, that he raised himself; as in others, that he was raised by God.

But the great Dissiculty is; How he, who was raised by God, can be said to have raised himself. For can that, which is done by ano∣ther, be properly said to he done by a Man's self? Or if it was done by himself, how could it be done by another? Can the Scripture be

true, both when it saith, he was raised; i.e. by God; and that he did rise; i.e. by his own Power. Here Reason is at a loss, as well as to know by what Power he could raise himself, when he was dead.

Now the Design of the Holy Scriptures is to teach us these things.

1. That it was by the Divine Power, that he rose. And to this purpose it is said, That he who was dead and buried, was raised again: because the raising a dead Body is the Work only of an Omnipotent God. 'Tis no less Power can give Life to a Man, when he is dead, than that Infinite Power, which at first made him a living Creature. It must be the same hand, that puts the Machines of our Bo∣dies together again, when they are fall'n in pieces, as at first framed them. Upon which reason the raising Christ from the Dead is a∣scribed to God, because it belongs only to him to give Life, who has Life in himself, and is the Author of Life; and the raising a Dead Body can only be the Act of Omnipotence. This is no more than Humane Reason does ea∣sily apprehend a great deal of probability in. For why should it be thought a thing incre∣dible, that God should raise the Dead? But the great Difficulty is, How he, who was Dead, could raise himself?

2. Therefore this instructs us, That he had the Power of an Omnipotent God. The Re∣surrection is, in St. Paul's style, the working of

the exceeding greatness of the Divine Power, Eph. 1.19. And since Christ did rise by his own Power, what Power could this be less than that exceeding greatness of Power, that is in God? When therefore he tells us, that he rose by his own Power, and that he had Power to take up his Life again, he would have us to consider him to be more than a Man: That however he humbled himself to the Death of the Cross, when he was deliver'd for our Of∣fences, yet he had that Infinite Spirit and Power, that is able to quicken a Dead Body, and which would not suffer his Body, when laid in the Grave, to see Corruption. And therefore the Apostle observes, that he was de∣clared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the Resurrection from the dead, Rom. 1.4. i.e. Since the raising a dead Body to life again is the Act of Omnipo∣tency, his raising himself from the Dead is a proof of his having that Omnipotent Power, that can raise a dead Body. It was by the Power of God, that he rose; but this Power was in himself, and therefore it was by his own Power, that he raised himself. So that the Holy Scriptures in these different ways of speaking teach us what to believe concerning him. That he was not only a Man subject to the same Infirmities as we are, in which re∣spect none but God could restore him to Life again, when he was dead; but that he was equal to the Father, being the Son of God, ac∣cording

to that Spirit of Holiness, which can quicken a dead Body; in which respect he had Power-both to lay down his Life, and to take it up again.

And now since it was by this Power, that can raise a dead Body, that he rose, and this Power was in him,

1. Let us consider how little reason we have to stand astonish'd at this thing, That Christ, when Dead, should raise himself to Life again. It is indeed but very fit, that they, who know not who, or what manner of person he was, should stumble at this Doctrine. For nothing can be more difficult than that they, who be∣lieve he was no other than a mere Man, though a very Holy Man, should believe, that when he was Dead, he could raise himself to Life a∣gain. For to believe this of any Man, though never so Holy, is to believe, that he has Power to do that which none but God can do: And yet at the same time to believe, that he has not that Power of God, by which alone this can be done. And no Man can blame them for not believing things that are contradictory to Reason. But what Contradiction is it to believe, that he, who has the Power of God, can by vertue of that Power do all, that the Power of God can do. If it does not exceed the Power of God to raise a dead Body, what difficulty can there be in believing, That he who had this Power could raise himself. 'Tis not expected, that we should believe, that a

Man by his own Power, much less a dead Man, that has lost even the Power of a Man, should raise himself, because this is above the Power of a Man to do: Neither does the Scrip∣ture teach us any such thing. But that, which it teaches us, is this; That Christ laid down his Life and took it up again by his own Pow∣er; and yet this Power, by which he was rai∣sed, was the Power of God. And what should hinder, but we may believe, that he could do that by vertue of his Divine Power, which no Man can believe, that he could do by the Power of a Man. For it is as agreeable to Rea∣son to believe, that he, who has the Power of God, and do all that God can do; as that he, who has no more than the Power of a Man, can do no more than a Man can do. Let us but allow him to be, what he was, the Son of God, according to the Spirit of Holiness; and it will be no astonishing thing, that he, who was God as well as Man, could do that, which none but God can do.

2. Let us consider how much Reason we have to believe, that he is able to raise us likewise. He himself has told us, That God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life, Joh. 3.16. i.e. That the design of his Life and Death was to reverse the Sentence of Death, that we are fall'n under, and to provide a safe retreat for our Souls in the other World, where when they

come thither, they shall live under his pro∣tection in hopes of being restored by him to their Bodies again. Upon which account he styles himself the Life of the World, and the Resurrection and the Life, to teach us, that we are to ground our Hopes of living again after Death upon him. And accordingly he in∣forms us, that the Power of raising the Dead, as well as of judging the World, is committed to him: Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which all that are in their Graves shall hear his voice: And shall come forth, they that have done good into the Resurrection of Life, and they that have done evil unto the Resur∣rection of Damnation, Joh. 5.28, 29. And the Apostle makes the general Resurrection of the Dead to the effect of Christ's descending to judge the World: The Lord himself shall de∣scend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Arch-angel, and with the Trumpet of God; and then the Dead in Christ shall rise first, 1 Thess. 4.16. Those Expressions of his de∣scending with a shout, the Voice of the Arch∣angel, and the Trumpet of God, denote the Mag∣nificence of his appearing, and the mighty Power wherewith he shall raise the Dead. For in these Expressions the Apostle alludes to the several ways of gathering Assemblies, and especially to Tribunals, to denote, that when Christ appears again he will give a general Summons for all Flesh to appear before him.

Now the Hopes of a Resurrection is so a∣greeable to us, that the Scriptures frequently make use of it, as the best support for the bearing up our Minds under the pressures of this life. And what better assurance can we have of this, than that it is committed to him, whose Errand into the World was to restore Life unto it, and who in his own Resurrecti∣on has given us a proof of his Power to do it. Let the unreasonable Sceptick start Objections to perplex our Faith: Let the Atheist, like those at Athens, mock at the Doctrine of a Resurrection: Let both the one and the other pretend it never so impossible, that our Souls, when they have left our Bodies, should be brought back again into them; or that our Dust, when it is scatter'd, and has suffer'd so many changes as they talk of, should be ga∣ther'd together again; yet we know, and have had a proof of the Power of him in whom we believe. We have seen his Triumph over Death and Hell in his own Resurrection: And what Difficulty can it be to him who has spoil∣ed Principalities and Powers, and triumph'd over them, who has conquer'd Hell or Hades, and of a Prison has made it a place of Safety and Refuge for departed Souls to give them the fruits of his Victory, and to summon them before him when he appears the second time? What Difficulty can it be to him, who has a Divine Power to find out that, which is not lost, as certainly the Dust of our Dissolved

Bodies is not? 'Tis a Divine Power that we depend upon for our Resurrection; and he, who has promised us, that he will raise us up at the last day, has given us a proof of his Conquest over Hell and the Grave. That which he bids us hope for is not beyond the Power of his Spirit; for he has that powerfull Spirit, that can quicken a Dead Body, and make it habitable again. For that Spirit by which he raised himself is able to quicken and raise us likewise.

And therefore that portion of his Spirit, that he here communicates to us, is styled the Earnest of our Inheritance, as a pledge given us in hand to assure us of what he will do for us. And since it is a portion of that Spirit, by which he rose from the Dead; we are to con∣sider it as a security he has given us, that we shall rise too: If Christ be in you, though the Body be dead, because of sin; i.e. Though it is a Body, that Death has the Power of, that we now live in, because Sin has corrupted it, yet the spirit is life, because of Righteousness, Rom. 8.10. i.e. The Spirit is our security, that we shall live again, because its Office is to heal our Nature, and to take away that, which is the cause of Death. And if the spirit of him, that raised Jesus from the dead, dwell in you; i.e. If you have the same Spirit of Holiness that was in him, he, that raised up Jesus from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit, that dwelleth in you, v. 11. For

that Omnipotent Spirit, by which he rose, will produce the same Effect upon all, in whom it dwells.