SERMON XVIII.

THE IMMORTALITY OF MAN THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

JOHN XIV. 19.

BECAUSE I LIVE, YE SHALL LIVE ALSO

THE doctrine of immortality was believed by the ancient Greeks, at least as long ago as the time of Homer. The Persians were in possession of it at a remote period, and probably by the instructions of Zoroaster.* The Israelites had some obscure intimations of it from Solomon; and perhaps the Arabians received it, though still more obscurely, from Job. That Daniel was acquainted with it, there can be no doubt; but he says nothing very particular on the subject. Others of the Hebrew writers contain hints, and nothing more; for it was not completely manifested by divine revelation till the time of our Saviour, when life and immortality were brought to light by his gospel. In what manner the ancient heathen became acquainted with it, whether by a tradition derived originally from a divine communication, or by a lucky conjecture, it is difficult to say. If from the former, it had suffered, like every other branch of true theol

See Prideaux's Conn. Part I. B. 4.

ogy, many alterations, in passing through their hands: their ideas of it were fanciful; and as none of them supposed that the immortality of man depended on his resurrection from the dead, it is not easy to reconcile their notions of it with the doctrine of the sacred scriptures. The arguments alleged by the ancient philosophers in favor of immortality, and which have been brought forward again by several modern writers, are, it is confessed, of some weight; and after the truth is discovered by a divine revelation, they tend more strongly to confirm it : but they are not sufficient to demonstrate the doctrine; for neither did they satisfy the minds of those ancient philosophers, as one of the ablest of them acknowledges, nor do they satisfy ours. The only satisfactory evidence, which we have of the doctrine, is derived from the New Testament. If the gospel is the genuine word of God, man will be immortal; but if the gospel is a fable, man may be immortal, but we cannot prove that he is. Our hope depends on Christ: he is the author of the resurrection and the life. We shall live forever if there is to be a resurrection from the dead; but there will be no resurrection from the dead, if Christ is not risen, if he is not now alive, if he has not received power from the Father to call the dead from their tombs. A restoration to life being a point of the utmost importance to man, the resurrection of Christ is of consequence the primary article of the Christian religion. In this light it is viewed by Christians in general. It is not to be wondered at therefore, that they should universally appropriate to the public worship of God the day of the week, on which Jesus arose from the dead; and that many churches should, in addition to this, devote a par

ticular day of the year to the commemoration of the great event. This is the day, which we now consecrate; a day, which the LORD has made; a day, which should fill the heart of every believer with joyful hope and grateful exultation.

The subject, which on this festival we are called to consider, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and its consequence, the immortality of man. This cause and its happy effect are both contained in the text: Because I live, says our Saviour, ye shall live also.

I. The first part of the text is, that Christ arose from the dead, and is now alive. It is not my design at present to dwell on this head; because it would be impossible to do justice to it in one discourse; for though the argument is sufficiently clear, yet it consists of many parts, all of which require an ample discussion. I will only observe at this time, that our belief of the resurrection of Christ, and the demonstration of its truth, are derived from the testimony of credible witnesses, such as we should admit in any other case: from that of the Roman soldiers, who guarded his tomb, and who saw him rise; of the women, who visited it at an early hour, and perceived that the body was gone, and one of whom spoke to him, before she left the place; of two disciples, whom he accompanied, as they were going to Emmaus ; of the eleven apostles, to whom he frequently appeared, and who had the evidence of all their senses that he was alive; of above five hundred brethren at once, to the testimony of a majority of whom St Paul boldly appeals; of St Paul himself, who saw and conversed with him, after he had ascended to heaven; of the chief men of the Jewish nation, as well as of a large assembly of

the people, in whose presence the apostle Peter openly declared the fact, whilst not one of them durst deny its truth, or attempted to convict him of falsehood: Ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, God hath raised from the dead. In fine, the truth of the resurrection of Christ is proved by the primitive martyrs, who sealed it with their blood; by the uninterrupted tradition of the church, and other circumstances, which demonstrate the credibility of the books of the New Testament, because if these books are genuine, if they were really written by the authors whose names they bear, the reports contained in them must of consequence be true; and lastly, it is proved by every argument, which establishes any other part of the Christian religion; because the several facts of the gospel are closely bound together, like the atoms which compose an indissoluble rock, so that if one is firmly fixed, the whole mass becomes immovable. The hints, which I have suggested, are an imperfect sketch of the argument; but I shall be happy, my brethren, if they induce you to look into the books, in which the subject is fully discussed. Every man of impartiality and seriousness, who entertains any doubts, will examine it with care; for it is the most essential of all doctrines; because if Christ lives we shall live also. This constitutes the second part of the text, to which I now proceed.

II. That the dead will be raised, and that men will exist in another state, is asserted everywhere in the New Testament. As this is a point, which no one denies, and as the passages of Scripture, which relate to it,

must be in every one's recollection, it would be superfluous to multiply quotations. It will be sufficient to cite a single text: The hour, says our Saviour, is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth. Taking therefore for granted the truth of the gospel and the resurrection of Christ, there can be no doubt that man is made for immortality. This is a doctrine, which is in the highest degree important, as all must feel, and as I shall endeavor to evince by several considerations.

1. I first observe that the love of life is a natural sentiment of the human heart. The ancient philosophers inferred from this love, that man must be immortal; and though, as has already been hinted, the sentiment is not sufficient alone to discover or prove the doctrine; yet it must be allowed, that after it has been made known by a divine revelation, it corresponds with and strongly confirms it. Though every man knows that other men die, and consequently can have no doubt, that ere long he must die himself; yet perhaps he never does, or can, view himself as in a state of non-existence. He conceives himself still beholding, after death, what passes in the world; and even whilst his body is mouldering in the tomb, as breathing and thinking. These conceptions are not often expressed in words; but we may appeal to any man, who is accustomed to look into himself, whether he does not often feel them in his bosom. The simple and illiterate, who may be said to think aloud, are sometimes heard to speak them openly. From this strong sentiment of life proceeds in part the affection, which we have for our children, and still more for our grandchildren: we prolong our life, we live over again, in every animate being, who proceeds from us.