THE �ECESSITY OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTIO�.

BY REV. CHARLES SIMEO�,

1 Cor. XV. 1 7, 18. If Christ be ?iot raised, your faith is vain; ye

are yet in your sins : then they also which are fallen asleep in

Christ are perished.

THE wisest among the Heathen Philosophers could

not speak with any certainty respecting the future exis-

tence of the soul : they could only form conjectures

respecting it ; so little could unassisted reason do towards

the ascertaining of this most important point. As for

the resurrection of the body, they deemed it ridiculous

and absurd ; and considered it as impossible that atoms,

so widely dispersed and so variously combined, should

ever be reduced to their original form. The Gospel,

however, has brought life and immortality to light ; and

assured us, not only that every soul shall exist in a

future world, but that the bodies of men also shall rise

out of their graves, and be re-united each to that very

soul that once inhabited it. �evertheless, some, who

made a profession of Christianity, were still blinded by

the prejudices which they had formerly imbibed. Hence

they explained the doctrine of the Resurrection in a figu-

rative manner ; and said, that it was passed already.

The Apostle, therefore, set himself to counteract this

dangerous delusion, by proving that there should indeed

be a resurrection of the body. This he proved from

what was fully believed among them, the resurrection of

Christ: he shewed, that, if Christ was actually risen,

there could be no reason why we should not rise in like

manner; but that, on the contrary, his resurrection was

a pattern

458 1 CORI�THIA�S, XV. 17, 18. [975.

a pattern and an earnest of ours. In order to give ad-

ditional weight to this argument, he proves incontestibly

that Christ himself had risen : he proves it, I say, by an

appeal to numberless living witnesses who had seen him:

and then he sets before them three most tremendous

consequences which would follow, on a supposition that

he was not risen: " If Christ be not raised, your faith is

vain ; ye are yet in your sins ; then they also that are

fallen asleep in Christ are perished." This argument

of the Apostle's being of the greatest importance^ we

will endeavour,

I. To confirm;

II. To improve it.

I. To confirm his argument — It consists of three parts,

which he mentions as consequences that will fol-

low from a denial of Christ's resurrection — -

1. If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain —

The Christian, as long as he is in the world, is called

to the exercise of faith : he walks by faith, and not by

sight: he lives upon a Saviour whom he has never seen

with his bodily eyes, and receives a supply of every want

out of his fulness. By faith we view Jesus as a Surety :

we consider him as having discharged our debt: this is

the ground on which we hope that our sins shall never

be put to our account. We believe what the Scripture

says, that " it was exacted of him and he was made an-

swerable;" and that his death was a sufficient compen-

sation for the debt which we had incurred. But what

proof have we that he has paid the debt, if he be not

risen ? We may suppose that he undertook to pay it, and

that he laid down his life in order to pay it ; but this

will by no means prove that he has fully satisfied the de-

mands of law and justice. If a man that has become

our surety remain in prison, it is a sign that he has not

made good the payment which he had taken upon him-

self; but if he be set free, we then conclude that the

creditors have been satisfied. So, if Christ had yet been

confined in the prison of the grave, we might have con-

cluded that the debt was yet unpaid; and consequently,

our faith in him as our Surety would have been vain

^nd

975.1 �ECESSITY OF CHRISt's HESURUECTIOX. 459

and delusive: for, notwithstanding all which Jesus might

have done for us, there would yet have remained some

part of the debt to be discharged by us, and we must

therefore have despaired of ever obtaining happiness in

the eternal world.

Again : By faith we view Jesus as an Advocate. We

are still offending daily in many things; so that, notwith-

standing we have been reconciled to God, we should

soon provoke him to withdraw his mercy from us, and

to shut up his loving-kindness in displeasure. But the

Scripture says, that, "if any man sin, we have an Advo-

cate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." By

faith, we look to him to intercede for us ; to plead our

cause ; and to maintain our peace with God. But what

ground have we for such an hope if Christ be not risen r

Instead of being in heaven to plead our cause, he still

lies in the bowels of the earth : instead of living to pro-

mote our interests, he is no better than a senseless and

inanimate corpse. How vain therefore must be our ex-

pectations, Vk'hen we indulge the thought of his prevail-

ing intercessions ! We are but buoying up ourselves

•with groundless hopes, and weaving a web which shall

soon be swept away by the besom of destruction.

Once more : — By faith we view Jesus as a Head of

all vital influences. The Scripture speaks of him as the

vine, and us as the branches ; and represents him as

*' Head over all things to the Church." We look there-

fore to him that we may receive out of his fulness : we

expect grace and peace from him to be communicated

to us in the hour of need : we consider ourselves as

withered branches, when separated from him, and as no

longer having a capacity to bring forth any fruit than

while we are united to him, and derive sap and nouriish-

ment from him. But what a delusion must this be, if

Christ be not risen ! If he be not risen, he is still dead :

and how can that which is destitute of life impart life to

us ? What can we possibly receive from him if he be

still imprisoned in the grave ? We see, then, that whe-

ther we regard him as our Surety, our Advocate, or our

Head, our faith is vain if he be not risen ; yea, we are

left

460 1 CORI�THIA�S, XV. 17, 18. [975.

left under the most deplorable error and delusion that

ever engrossed the mind of man.

The next consequence that would follow upon a

denial of Christ's resurrection would be, that we should

be yet in our sins.

It is the Believer's privilege to be free from sin, and

to stand in the presence of God without spot or blemish.

But this removal of his sins depends upon various cir-

cumstances, which are grounded upon the resurrection of

Christ.

In the first place, the removal of our sins depends on

the truth of our Lord's Mission : and the truth of his

Mission stands or falls with his resurrection. Our Lord

constantly spoke of his resurrection on the third day as

the grand proof which should be given of his Divine Mis-

sion. Whether he spoke to friends or enemies, still

this he proposed as the test whereby to try the truth of

all he said ; insomuch that his enemies were peculiarly

solicitous to prevent, if possible, the accomplishment of

these predictions ; knowing that, if they should be ful-

filled, the authority of his Mission would be fully esta-

blished. �ow let us suppose for a moment that Christ

had not risen, what must we have concluded ? Surely,

that he was an impostor; that he had deceived his fol-

lowers by specious pretences ; and that, so far from being

able to remove our guilt, he perished under the weight

of his own most accumulated wickedness.

Again : The removal of our sins depends on the ac-

ceptance of his sacrifice. He offered himself as a sacri-

fice to God, in order that he might expiate our offences ;

and on the acceptance of this, our eternal happiness

depends: if God receive it as an offering of a sweet-

smelling savour, we may hope he will be propitious to

us on account of it ; but if he do not declare himself

well pleased with it, we are left altogether without a

remedy. �ow how shall it be known whether God has

accepted it or not? If we are to judge by the circum-

stances of our Lord's death, we should rather conclude

that the Father took no pleasure in him, since our Lord

himself so bitterly complained of the dereliction which

he

975.] �ECESSITY OF CHRTST's RESURRECTIO�. 461

he experienced in the very hour of his extremity. We

must judge therefore by his resurrection : and that this

was to be the test, is evident from the sacrifices which

were under the law. It was not consistent with the

Divine will that the beasts that were sacrificed should be

restored to life ; but yet this was done in a figure : for

one goat was slain to expiate sin by his blood, and ano-

ther goat was sent away into the wilderness, laden with

the iniquities of all the people. So when birds were

offered ; one was slain, and another was dipped in the

blood of that which was slain, and then let loose into the

air. These were types of our Saviour, who was first to

be slain, and then to be raised from the dead, and ascend

into the highest heavens ; and if he had not risen, we

should have had no proof whatever that his sacrifice was

accepted. Yet on the acceptance of this sacrifice the

removal of our sins entirely depended ; so that if Christ

be not risen, we must be yet in our sins.

Once more : The removal of our sins depends on our

Lord's exeaition oj his office. Our Lord undertook the

offices of Prophet, Priest, and King ; and though he did

in part fulfil these offices on earth, yet he fulfilled thean

only in part — the principal accomplishment of them

remained to take place after he should be seated in

heaven : he was then, as the great Prophet of the

Church, to reveal the will of God more fully, and to

teach by his Spirit those, who, for want of a divine illu-

mination, could not comprehend the truths he had de-

livered. As the great High Priest, he was to enter

within the veil: it was not sufficient that the High

Priest offered the saei'ifice on the day of atonement. He

was moreover to carry the blood into the Holy of

Holies, to sprinkle it on the mercy-seat, to offer incense,

and then to come out and bless the people. So, our

Lord was under a necessity of rising again, that he

might enter into heaven with his own blood, that he

might there present it before the mercy-seat ; and that,

after offering the incense of his continual intercession,

he might, in due time, come forth to bless the people.

As a King also, he had only as yet asserted his kingly

office and authority : it was necessary therefore that he

should

462 I CORI�THIA�S, XV. i7, 18. {975.

should go to the right hand of God, and there sit till all

his enemies should be made his footstool. �ow, if he

did not rise, he cannot execute any of these offices ; and

yet upon the execution of them depends the removal

of our sins ; so then, if he be not risen, we are yet in

our sins.

We see therefore, that, as the removal of our sins

depends on the truth of his Mission^ the acceptance of his

sacrifice, and the execution of his offices ; and as all these

depend on his resurrection ; we must, if he be not risen,

be yet in our sins.

A third consequence that would follow from the denial

of Christ's resurrection is, that they also who have fallen

asleep in Christ are perished. Death to the Believer is

only as a sleep ; it has lost its sting : and as he com-

mends himself to the Divine protection when he lies

down upon his bed, so he commits his departing spi-

rit into his Saviour's hands, and falls asleep in Christ;

and while his body lies mouldering in the dust, his soul

is carried by angels into Abraham's bosom : but if

Christ be not risen, all who from the beginning of the

world have fallen asleep in Christ have perished : either

their souls have been annihilated at their separation

from the body ; or rather they have become the monu-

ments of God's wrath and indignation.

For, in the first place, all that have fallen asleep in Christ,

have, on a supposition that Christ is not risen, built their

hopes on a sanely foundation. They have relied wholly on

the merit of Christ's blood, and expected justification only

through his obedience unto death: and, as they have trusted

in his righteousness, so have they gloried in his strength;

not going forth against any enemy, but in his name, and

in reliance upon his grace : nor have they trusted in any

thing but in his continual intercession for maintaining

their peace with God. In short, they have made Christ

their only foundation, on whom they have built all their

hopes. �ow if Christ be not risen, that foundation has

failed them, and consequently all the superstructure

must fall to the ground: so that, notwithstanding all

their affiance in him, they are perished ; yea, though

they

975.] �ECESSITY OF CHRISTS RESURRECTIO�. 463

they committed their departing spirits into his hands,

they were not saved : for he could not help tliem ; he

could not hear their prayer: in trusting to him they

trusted only to a broken reed, which now pierces them

through with unutterable and everlasting anguish.

Again : If Christ be not risen, they are perished ;

because, however zealous they tvere of oQod works, their

works were not sufficient to justiftj them he/ore God. VV^

cannot indeed conceive more eminent piety than Abra-

ham discovered in leaving his country and sacrificing his

own son ; or than David manifested in his incessant

praises and thanksgivings ; or than Stephen shewed

when laying down his life for Christ, and praying for his

murderers. And yet behold what the text asserts ;

" they all are perished if Christ be not risen." The

reason is plain : they were trangressors of God's law;

as transgressors, they were subject to the curse and con-

demnation of the law ; nor could any thing less than an

infinitely valuable atonement remove that curse. In

vain they prayed ; in vain they strove ; in vain they en-

deavoured to do the will of God ; in vain they laid down

their lives for his sake ; they were under the curse ; and

cursed they must be, if Christ did not become their

Saviour. But he could not be a Saviour to them if he

did not rise ; and therefore, if he be not risen, they are

all, without exception, perished. They are perished ;

first, because their foundation failed them ; and next,

because, that having failed, no hope remained to them

from any thing which they themselves could do. It is

now plain, I trust, that the consequences which the

Apostle states as following a denial of our Lord's resur-

rection are true, and that his argument is strictly just.

Having therefore confirmed his argument, we proceed,

II. To improve it — •

It will be to little purpose to know the force of the

Apostle's reasoning, unless we deduce from it those

practical inferences which may bring it home to our

hearts and consciences.

First, then. We may see from hence how ignorant

they are that seek salvation by ivorks!

The generality of mankind are hoping to be saved for

something

464 1 CORI�THIA�S, XV. 17, 18. [975.

something which they have done, or something which

they intend to do : indeed even those who have lived in

all manner of evil tempers and sensual indulgences are

yet often so blind, as to be the most strenuous in con-

tending for the merit of good works, and in crying out

against those who speak of salvation by faith. But do

these people fancy themselves wiser and better than all

the saints of old ? Will any one say that Stephen was

not an eminently pious man ? Was he not chosen out

by the people, because he was full of faith and the Holy

Ghost ? Was he not endued with peculiar gifts, inso-

much that his adversaries could not resist the spirit and

wisdom with which he spake ? Did he not also manifest

a peculiar excellence of disposition ? Did he not with

all fidelity charge the people's sins upon them ? and,

when they were in the very act of stoning him, did he

not, after the example of our Lord, pray for his mur-

derers ? Did he not willingly seal the truth with his

blood ? Was he not so highly honoured of God that his

face was made to shine like the face of an angel ? and

was he not, even while in the body, favoured with a

sight of God, and of Christ, as standing at the right-

hand of God ? Say now. Where shall we find a man that

bids more fair to be saved by his works than her yet

was he saved by his works ? or could he be saved by his

works ? �o. �otwithstanding all his works, he needed

the blood of Christ to cleanse him from sin : he needed

Christ, as his Advocate and Strength, his Saviour and his

all ; and if Christ be not in a capacity to save him, he is

perished. �or have his works availed him any thing

more than to lessen in some degree the condemnation

he would otherwise have endured. Who then art thou

that seekest to be justified by thy works ? Art thou as

eminent as Stephen ? if not, how canst thou hope to be

saved, when even he, if he had no better ground of con-

fidence than his own works, must have perished ? Or

suppose that thou wert as good as he, still thou must

meet with the same fate ; thou must perish, and that

eternally, if thou rely on any thing but a crucified

and exalted Saviour. Oh, then, blush at your igno-

rance, ye proud, self-justifying sinners ! See how Satan

has

975.] �ECESSITY OF CHRIST's RESURRECTIO�". 465

has blinded your eyes! See how far ye are from the way

of sah'ation ! Oh, let me beseech you for Christ's sake,

and for your soul's sake, to renounce all your self-righ-

teous hopes and endeavours, and to rely on him who

alone can save you, and who is able to save you to the

uttermost.

Secondly. We may see from hence how miserable is

the state of Unbelievers !

By Unbelievers, we mean, not only those who delibe-

rately reject Christ, but all who do not actually enjoy an

interest in him. �ow these persons, whatever they may

think of themselves, and however they may bless them-

selves because of the abundance of earthly things which

they possess, are in as miserable a state as can well be

conceived : for, as they have no interest in Christ, it is

eventually the same to them as if he had never risen ;

only with this difference, that their guilt is much greater

by neglecting the Saviour, than it could have been with-

out such an aggravation. What then is their state? pre-

cisely that mentioned in the text ; " their faith, as far

as they have any, is all vain :" even though they assent to

all which is spoken concerning Christ, 'tis all in vain :

" They are yet in their sins ;" all the load of their ini-

quities lies upon them, and the curse of God hangeth

over their devoted head. They will also "perish"

whenever they die ; there cannot possibly be any admis-

sion for them into heaven; perish they must; and

remain for ever the monuments of God's displeasure.

And now say. Is not this a miserable state? What

though a man have a large estate, can that make him

happy ? Wliat though he have a form of godliness, can

that make him happy? �o: he must have an interest in

Christ, or he will be a poor miserable wretch for ever.

Oh I my Brethren, seek an interest in this risen Saviour:

think of him, not only as dying for your offences, but as

risen again for your justification : and be assured, that, as

you shall be reconciled to God by the death of his Son,

so, much more, being reconciled, you shall be saved by

his life. Do not conclude too hastily that you have an in-

terest in the Saviour : see whether you are " risen with

him through a faith of the operation of God ?" and never

VOL. IX. H H rest

4G6 1 CORI�THIA�S, XV. l6, 17- [975.

rest till you can say, " I know in whom I have be-

lieved."

Lastly. We see from hence how happy is the state

of true Believers ! The resurrection of Christ, which is

the foundation of all their hopes, is proved beyond a

possibility of doubt : the very means taken to conceal it

are among the most convincing proofs of its reality.

On the very same basis, your hopes are founded : he has

said, *' Because I live, ye shall live also." Think then

with yourselves, that at this moment, your faith, so far

from being in vain, avails for all the purposes for

which it is exercised : it secures your interest in Christ

as your Surety, Advocate, and Head ; and brings in an

abundance of all spiritual blessings to your soul. Instead

of being in your sins, they are put away from you as far

as the East is from the "^Vest ; nor shall they evermore

be remembered against you. God has already said con-

cerning every such soul, as he did concerning Joshua ;

*' Take away the filthy garments from him : behold, I

have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will

clothe thee with change of raiment." Further — When

you die, you will not perish with the ungodly world, but

will go to take possession of a " kingdom." You will

have a crown of glory on your head, and a golden harp

in your hand : you will be seated on your Saviour's

throne ; and shall sing his praises for evermore. Happy

soul ! *' what manner of love is this wherewith the

Father hath loved thee!" Hail thou that art highly fa-

voured of the Lord ! Rejoice, rejoice, thou servant of the

Most High God! Thy Saviour, possessed of all power in

heaven and in earth, watches over thee continually : he

gives his angels charge over thee : he gives thee every

thing that is for thy good : and though perhaps he deals

with thee not exactly as thou mightest wish, he is daily

pi^paring ihee for glory, and making thee meet for

thine inheritance. Oh, then, love and serve this risen

Saviour; and set your aflfections on things above, where

Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Let it be your

endeavour to keep your conversation in heaven : and

while you are living upon the Saviour's fulness, oh,

strive to live to the glory of his name. Thus will you

idorn your holy profession ; and when he shall come

\gain to receive you to himself, he will welcome you

vith these dehghtful words, " Come, thou hlessed of my

<^ather, inherit the kinsjdom prepared for thee, from the

'oundation of the world.

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