their pure spirituality, to the human soul. If Christianity were capable of no higher proof than that which belongs to the consideration of its history or its morality, we might indeed establish its divine origin; but the truth of its doctrines, except as a portion of a religion so established, would be without proof: they could not be proved by testimony, by comparison, or by analogy. If any man doeth the will of my Father, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God'-they can only be established in the heart, as true, when the heart, sanctified and enlightened, is at liberty, and has the will, to receive them as truth communicated not only by, but with the divine Spirit. And that which is true of Christian doctrine in general, is true also of the particular doctrine of the resurrection. The fact itself is proved by the clearest evidence. But numberless professing Christians, while the truth of it is thus established, have no feeling of delight and triumph resulting therefrom: though in many respects influenced by certain general impressions concerning it, they have evidently no ardour of hope, no earnestness of determination proportionable to the importance of such a species of knowledge. How is this? we may ask. The proper answer will be, that the knowledge of the resurrection is possessed in the form of a fact, but not in the spirit of the doctrine; and that, till the soul receives it through the com forting and elevating influences of heavenly grace, the power of Christ's resurrection, and the hope of our own, must remain an inconceivable mystery in the understanding. Minds of every class, and many among them endowed with the highest qualities of intellect, have been employed on the subject of the Resurrection. We have endeavoured to afford the reader striking and edifying examples of the piety, the acuteness, and the erudition thus engaged in the cause of Christian doctrine, and in the support of a truth on which the peace of the human heart so entirely rests. In selecting the Sermons, therefore, we have not feared to choose some which present the argument in the rough form which it has assumed under the hand of weighty scholarship. Nor have we thought it right to sacrifice, because of the occasional appearance of subtlety-reasons brought from the depths of powerful minds. It would be an easy task to collect many volumes of sermons abounding in elegant phraseology, and beautiful sentiment on this subject; but in such a matter the point to be aimed at is first conviction, and then the nourishment of holy thought by food that will give it strength, and will therefore require long digesting. The study of Christian truth affords the noblest of exercises for the human mind: but in these latter times, an opinion appears to have been daily gaining ground, that reason may rest in deep repose while contemplating the grandeur of heavenly mysteries; and that the less the style of theology demands the exertion of thought, the better for the student. Christian simplicity, the sacrifice of which we allow could never be atoned for, suffers rather than gains by this. Simplicity is strength: the offspring of severe, reflecting, inquiring, and, therefore, selfdenying and humble minds: whenever it is not combined with carefulness and energy of thought, it wants the characteristics which render it so bright a jewel in the Christian's crown:-simplicity is then voluble in talk; as weak, and therefore obscure, in argument as it is wordy in expression; humble in pretension, but often confident and proud in spirit; soft in its appeals, but rarely earnest; smooth, but never direct in its course; always ready to acknowledge what it dares not attempt, but never trembling at the awfulness of truth, because never caring to lift its veil. How different was the simplicity of the Fathers of the church to that of their degenerate sons! They offered not on the altar of Christ that which it had cost them little to purchase; nor was theology with them less worthy of intense application, than science or politics is with us now. May the Great Head of the church fill the souls of his ministers with a more earnest love of divine contemplation than they have lately manifested, if we may judge by the present state of theology! |