The Resurrection-Day the Saints' Coronation Day

    THE RESURRECTION-DAY THE SAINTS' CORONATION DAY

    "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge shall give unto me in that day" &c., 2Ti 4:8.

    THAT Day, that is, the Day of the Resurrection, or Day of Christ's coming.

    Note, The Day of the Resurrection will be the Saints' coronation day.

    PARALLELS.

    I. CROWNS properly belong to kings, princes, and potentates of the earth, &c., Saints are kings, spiritual kings, "He hath made us unto our God, kings," &c., Re 5:10.

    II. Kings are wonderfully honoured on their Coronation-day: so shall the Saints in the Day of the Resurrection; the angels of heaven shall honour them, Christ himself will honour them; nay, they shall he honoured by the Father: "If any man serve me, him will my Father honour," Joh 12:26.

    III. On a Coronation-Day, some look upon it as their proper work, to set the crown upon the head of the prince who is to be crowned therewith: so in the day of the resurrection, the Lord Jesus will set, as it were, the crown upon the head of his chosen: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

    INFERENCES.

    I. LABOUR to be fully established in the truth of the Resurrection; see that no man deceive you, it is a perilous age, and to confirm doubting Christians in this great principle of the Christian religion, take a few arguments.

    1. "If the dead rise not: then Christ is not risen from the dead. But Christ is risen from the dead. Therefore the dead shall rise," 1Co 15:16,20.

    2. "That doctrine that makes preaching vain, is a false and pernicious doctrine: but such who deny the Resurrection, make preaching vain. Therefore a false and pernicious doctrine," 1Co 15:2,14.

    3. "If the dead rise not; then those who are fallen asleep in Jesus, are perished. But. those who are fallen asleep in Christ, are not perished. Therefore the dead shall rise," 1Co 15:18.

    4. "If the dead rise not: then the godly are of all men most miserable. But the godly are not of all men most miserable. Therefore the dead shall rise," 1Co 15:15,19.

    Object. The soul of a child of God at death is happy and with Christ, and shall be for ever, whether the body rise or not; and therefore they are not of all men most miserable, unless the soul be mortal and die with the body, as some affirm.

    Answ. The life of the soul, as well as of the body, depends wholly upon Christ's Resurrection; and if Christ be not risen, we are yet in our sins; and therefore this makes nothing either to prove Saints happy without a Resurrection, or for the mortality of the soul.

    3. If the Saints of God in the primitive time, did believe and were well grounded in the truth of the Resurrection: then the dead shall rise. But the Saints of the primitive time did so believe, and were so established. Ergo. See these Scriptures; "I know he shall rise again, in the Resurrection at the last Day:" "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive: but every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, and afterwards they that are Christ's, at his coming: for the trumpet shall be sounded, and the dead shall be raised," &c. "For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so those which are fallen asleep in Jesus, will God bring with him,"Joh 11:24; 1Co 15:22-23,52; 1Th 4:13. "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them, and they were judged every man according to their deeds," Re 20:13.

    6. If all the Saints of God and holy apostles waited for the redemption of their bodies, then the dead shall rise. But all the Saints and holy apostles waited for the redemption of their bodies, Ro 8:23. Ergo.

    7. If the chief reward of the godly is reserved to the last day, viz., to the Day of the Resurrection, then the dead shall be raised. But the chief reward of the godly is reserved to the last day, or Day of the Resurrection, 2Ti 4:8. Ergo, the dead shall be raised.

    8. If the expectation of the godly martyrs shall not be frustrated; than the dead shall be raised. But the expectation of the godly martyrs shall not be frustrated, Heb 11:35-36; Ps 9:18. Ergo, the dead shall be raised.

    9. If the bodies of the Saints shall be made like to Christ's glorious body, the dead shall rise. But the bodies of the Saints shall be made like to Christ's glorious body, Php 2:21; 1Jo 3:2. Ergo, The dead shall be raised.

    10. If the dead at the last day shall be judged, then they shall rise again from the dead. But the dead shall at the last day be judged, 2Co 5:10; Re 20:12-13. Ergo, The dead shall be raised.

    11. That doctrine that gives the Scripture, Christ and his apostles the lie, is a cursed and damnable doctrine. But those that deny the Resurrection of the dead, give the Scripture, Christ and his apostles the lie. Ergo, The scripture saith, that those that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake. Christ saith, all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and come forth; and we have showed the apostles do affirm that the dead shall be raised, &c., Da 12:2; Joh 5:28.

    12. If that which sleepeth in the dust shall rise, then the body shall rise again; for it is the body that sleepeth in the dust, but that which sleeps in the dust shall be raised. Ergo.

    Object. It is not the same body. "Thou sowest not that body that shall be," &c., 1Co 15:37.

    Answ. If the same numerical body rise not, it will not be a Resurrection, but a new creation; therefore that which the apostle there intends, is the manner of the Resurrection, i.e., how the Saints shall be raised. It is not the same in respect of weakness and frailty; "It is sown a natural body, and shall be raised a spiritual body; it is sown in corruption, and shall be raised in incorruption; it is sown in weakness, and shall be raised in power."---Which thing a grain of corn that is sown, teaches.

    Quest. Why shall the same body of the dead be raised?

    Answ. 1. Because the same body of Christ was raised that suffered.

    2. Because the same body that suffered for Christ, shall be glorified with Christ.

    3. Because the same body that sinned, shall be punished; if not the same body that sinned, it might reflect upon the justice and goodness of God to punish an innocent body. Besides, those scriptures must be fulfilled, which assert the Resurrection of the body.

    INFERENCES.

    I. From hence we may infer that there is a world to come.

    II. That death is not the last end of man.

    III. Prepare for the Resurrection-day; think of it when thou liest down, and risest up in the morning. Thy lying down to sleep, is a figure of thy lying down in the grave; and thy awaking out of sleep in the morning, is a figure of the Resurrection.

    IV. Think of the Resurrection in the spring, when thou seest the flowers of the earth bud forth, and spring up; for that is a figure also of the Resurrection.