as in an image, by the very act of baptism, in which, "the going into the water, and the coming out, was a sign of their descending to the state of the dead, and of their ascending from thence to life again." There is no man that is baptized but by the very rite and manner of it professes to die, at least, to sin, and to rise again to newness of life. This death and resurrection (as the apostle teaches ") is most lively represented there. But this is not all that is intended by it for even those who, in that sense, were already mortified and renewed by receiving the Holy Ghost before their baptism, (as Cornelius and his family,) proceeded notwithstanding to receive that holy washing; and by their submersion took upon them the likeness of the dead, and by their emersion appeared as men risen again from the dead. If there were no other death to be escaped but that in sin, and no other resurrection to be expected but that to newness of life, why were they, who had attained these, baptized as dead men? and being already dead to sin, why again sustained they the image of death, out of which they believed and professed they should come? This very action of theirs proves that they looked for another resurrection after death, which is the resurrection of the body. And this profession of theirs was so much the more weighty as they were the more learned and instructed, being already taught by the Holy Ghost: by whose power they were already dead to sin, and made alive to God; and by whose instruction they professed to believe, that as there is another death, viz. that of the body, so they should overcome it by the mighty power of Christ, raising their very bodies from the dead. There are several other interpretations of this place; as that of Epiphaniusy, who expounds it of those who received baptism at the point of death:' but I shall not trouble the reader with them, because they all conclude the same thing, that baptism was a public profession of the hope of immortality, and a seal also of the promises of God, not only to that particular person who at any time received it, but to the whole church, both to the living and the dead: who, as oft as baptism was repeated, had an open assurance given them from u Rom. vi. 3-5. God, (by whose authority it was administered,) that they should rise again to everlasting life. And so I shall dismiss this first witness on earth: which is the more to be regarded, because, though it be not so great in itself as those which speak from heaven, yet to us it is very considerable, and cannot be denied by those who cavil at some of the other. For all men acknowledge the life and doctrine of our Saviour to be incomparably excellent; and John the Baptist stands upon record in Josephus for a person of severe and strict sanctity; and the whole Christian church (who were not so childish as to build their hope on a sandy foundation, but stood immovable, as you shall hear, like a house upon a rock, when all the world stormed and made the most furious assaults upon them,) believed thus from the beginning: as appears by their holy profession which they made when they entered into the gates of the church by baptism. The mighty power of which water of life they have thus celebrated with praises. "Baptism is the splendour of the soul, the change of the life, the answer of the conscience towards God. It is the help of our weakness, the putting off the flesh, the attainment of the Spirit, the communion of the Word, the reformation of God's workmanship, the drowning of sin, the participation of light, and the destruction of darkness. It is the chariot which carries us to God, our fellow-travelling with Christ, the establishment of our faith, the perfecting of our minds, the key of the kingdom of heaven, the foundation of a second life". At this the heavens rejoice; this the angels magnify, as of kin to their brightness; this is the image of their blessedness. We would willingly praise this, if we could say any thing worthy of ita." 66 Let us never cease however to give him thanks who is the Author of such a gift; returning him the small tribute of a cheerful voice for such great things as he hath bestowed on us. For thou, truly, O Lord, art the pure and perpetual fountain of goodness; who wast justly offended at us, but hast, in much love, had mercy on us; who hatedst us, but art reconciled to us; who pronouncedst a curse upon us, but hast given z Kpyπis devтépov Biov, Greg. Naz. Orat. xi. [ed. Ben. Orat. viii. § 20. p. 230 C.] a Orat. xl. [§ 3. tom. i. p. 692 C.] us thy blessing; who didst expel us from paradise, but hast called us back again unto it. Thou hast taken away the figleaf covering of our nakedness, and clothed us with a most precious garment. Thou hast opened the prison doors, and dismissed those that stood condemned. Thou hast sprinkled us with pure water, and cleansed us from all our filthiness. Adam, if thou callest him, will be no longer ashamed: he will not hide himself, nor run away from thee. The flaming sword doth not now encircle paradise, making it inaccessible to those that approach it; but all things are turned into joy to us who were heirs of sin and death. Paradise and heaven itself is now open to mankind. The creation, both here and above, consents to be friends after a long enmity. Men and angels are piously agreed in the same theology. "For all which blessings let us unanimously sing that hymn of joy which the inspired mouth in ancient times loudly prophesied. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness; he hath decked me with ornaments as a bridegroom, and as a bride adorned me with jewels. This adorner of the bride is Christ; who is, and who was before, and who will be blessed both now and for ever. Amen." СНАР. Х. Concerning the testimony of the Blood, the second witness on earth. THE next witness which comes in order to be examined is the Blood: by which, I told you, we are to understand the crucifixion and death of the Lord Jesus, with all the attendants of it. This is a witness which the greatest enemies of Christianity cannot but confess was heard to speak in his behalf. The stubborn Jews, who will be loath to grant that a voice from heaven declared him the Son of God, cannot deny that their с b Is. Ixi. 10. Greg. Nyssen. L. de Baptismo Christi. [tom. iii. pp. 380, 1.] forefathers embrued their hands in his blood. For in the Babylonian Talmude it is delivered as a tradition among them, that "they hanged Jesus, MD, in the evening of the passover and that a crier went before him forty days, saying, He is to be carried forth to be stoned, for conjuring and drawing Israel to apostasy. If any one can speak any thing for him to prove him innocent, let him appear." It is an hard matter to have any truth from these fabulous people, without the mixture of a tale together with it. When they cannot gainsay what we believe, that their nation were the great instruments of his death, they endeavour to find false reasons for so villainous a murder. But they granting that his blood was shed by them, we shall soon prove it was for another cause; even that which is recorded in our books. Which none ever undertook to confute, though they were put forth in the face both of Jews and Romans who might long since have exposed our religion to shame, if Pontius Pilate could have averred, out of the records of the court where our Saviour was judged, that things were not so as his disciples have related. And that this blood of his so shed, and upon such an account as we have received, is of very great force to induce us to believe another world, and an eternal happiness there for us with Jesus, I am now to demonstrate; and shall easily make good, unless we will entertain such low and slight thoughts of him, as no man can suffer to lodge in his mind, who attends to the doctrine he preached, and all the arguments which prove him to be the Son of God. That alone indeed is sufficient to justify all that he preached; particularly, that God by him will give eternal life to those that obey him. If he be so nearly related to God (as even his bloody death, I showed in the former treatise, proved him to be), we may believe him, when he says, that, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. But I shall wave this general way of reasoning, though undeniable; and offer some things more particular to every one's serious consideration. I. It is apparent by the whole story, which it would be too e Vid. [Lightfoot,] Hora Hebr. in Matt. p. 309. [Works, vol. xi. p. 346. ex Gem. Bab. in Sanhedrin, cap. 6. hal. 4.] et Tzemach David ad an. 3761. [inter observ. Davidis Ganz. p. 259.] long to relate, that to lay down his life was an act perfectly voluntary in our Saviour, who, if he had pleased, might have avoided it. He might have chosen whether he would have died or no: for no man (as he said d) could take his life away, but he laid it down for himself; openly professing, I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. He needed not have fallen into their cruel hands, it is plain, unless he had freely consented to it. And when they were about to apprehend him, many legions of angels were ready for his rescue, if he had pleased to lay his commands upon theme. Nay, when he made the soldiers feel his power, so that they went backward and fell to the ground', he could withal have escaped and gone his ways, as he had done at other times; when this reason alone is given why they did not apprehend him, as they attempted, because his hour was not yet comes; that is, he did not see it to be the fittest time for him to resign up himself to their power. Now it cannot enter into man's deliberate thoughts, that he would have so freely, without any constraint or resistance, given up his life; especially when by preserving it he might have lived in great repute, esteem and admiration of the people, yea, have been honoured for escaping out of the hands of his enemies; if he had not been sure of eternal life and a greater glory in the heavens, which he should win by going so willingly out of this present world. He that saved others could surely have saved himself, and spoiled their jeer h, if his will had not been otherwise resolved. He that raised Lazarus from the dead could have more easily struck all his opposers dead at his feet, if it had been his pleasure. What should make his will then thus bent upon death? What hindered the putting forth of his power for himself, which it is manifest he so often used for the benefit of others? What could move him so tamely, like a lamb, to give his throat to the bloody knife, and to hang so meekly upon an infamous cross; if it were not the contemplation of an incomparable felicity, which he hoped to obtain by his obedience to God, and bearing witness to the truth? All men of sense cannot choose but look upon this as an ung John vii. 30; d John x. 18. viii. 20. e Matt. xxvi. 53. |