Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/28

22 dissolved the pains of death, in reference to all that believe in him, God raised up Christ, and by his resurrection broke all the power of death, and destroyed its pangs upon his own people. He has abolished death, has altered the property of it, and because it was not possible that he should be long holden of it, it is not possible that they should be for ever holden." But most refer this to the resurrection of Christ's body. And death, (says Mr. Baxter,) as a separation between soul and body, is by privation a penal state, though not dolorous by positive evil. But Dr. Hammond shews, that the Septuagint, and from them the apostle here, uses the word for cords and bands, (as Ps. 18. 4.) to which the metaphor of loosing and being held best agree. Christ was imprisoned for our debt, was thrown into the bands of death; but divine justice being satisfied, it was not possible he should be detained there, either by right or by force; for he had life in himself, and in his own power, and had conquered the prince of death.

[2.] He attests the truth of his resurrection; (v. 32.) God hath raised him up, whereof we are all witnesses; we apostles, and other our companions, that were intimately acquainted with him before his death, were intimately conversant with him after his resurrection, did eat and drink with him. They received power, by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them, on purpose that they might be skilful, faithful, and courageous witnesses of this thing, notwithstanding their being charged by his enemies as having stolen him away.

[3.] He shewed it to be the fulfilling of the scripture, and, because the scripture had said that he must rise again before he saw corruption, therefore it was impossible that he should be holden by death and the grave; for David speaks of his being raised, so it comes in, v. 25. The scripture he refers to, is that of David, (Ps. 16. 8—11.) which, though in part applicable to David as a saint, yet refers chiefly to Jesus Christ, of whom David was a type. Here is,

First, The text quoted at large, (v. 25—28.) for it was all fulfilled in him, and shews us,

1. The constant regard that our Lord Jesus had to his Father in his whole undertaking; I foresaw the Lord before me continually. He set before him his Father's glory as his end in all; foresaw that his sufferings would redound abundantly to the honour of God, and would issue in his own joy; these were set before him, and these he had an eye to, in all he did and suffered; and with the prospect of these he was borne up and carried on, John 13. 31, 32.—17. 4,5.

2. The assurance he had of his Father's presence and power going along with him; "He is on my right hand, the hand of action, strengthening, guiding, and upholding that, that I should not be moved, or driven off from my undertaking, notwithstanding the hardships I must undergo:" this was an article of the covenant of redemption; (Ps. 89. 21.) With him my hand shall be established, my arm also shall strengthen him; and therefore he is confident the work shall not miscarry in his hand. If God be at our right hand, we shall not be moved.

3. The cheerfulness with which our Lord Jesus went on in his work, notwithstanding the sorrows he was to pass through; "Being satisfied that I shall not be moved, but the good pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in my hand, therefore doth my heart rejoice, and my tongue is glad, and the thought of my sorrow is as nothing to me." Note, It was a constant pleasure to our Lord Jesus to look to the end of his work, and to be sure that the issue would be glorious; so well pleased was he with his undertaking, that it does his heart good to think how the issue would answer the design! He rejoiced in spirit, Luke 10. 21. My tongue was glad. In the psalm it is, My glory rejoiceth; which intimates, that our tongue is our glory, the faculty of speaking is an honour to us, and never more so, than when it is employed in praising God. Christ's tongue was glad, for when he was just entering upon his sufferings, in the close of his last supper, he sang a hymn.

4. The pleasing prospect he had of the happy issue of his death and sufferings; this was it that carried him, not only with courage, but with cheerfulness, through them; he was putting off the body, but my flesh shall rest; the grave shall be to the body, while it lies there, a bed of repose, and hope shall give it a sweet repose; it shall rest in hope, ὅτι, that thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; what follows is the matter of his hope, or assurance rather:

(1.) That the soul shall not continue in a state of separation from the body; for, beside that that is some uneasiness to a human soul made for its body, it would be the continuance of death's triumph over him who was in truth a Conqueror over death; "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;" (in hades, in the invisible state, so hades properly signifies;) "but, though thou suffer it for a time to remove thither, and to remain there, yet thou wilt remand it; thou wilt not leave it there, as thou dost the souls of other men."

(2.) That the body shall lie but a little while in the grave; Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption; the body shall not continue dead so long, that it should begin to putrefy, or become noisome; and therefore it must return to life, on, or before, the third day after its death. Christ was God's Holy One, sanctified and set apart to his service in the work of redemption; he must die, for he must be consecrated by his own blood; but he must not see corruption, for his death was to be unto God of a sweet smelling savour. This was typified by the law concerning the sacrifices, that no part of the flesh of the sacrifices which was to be eaten, should be kept till the third day, for fear it should see corruption, and begin to putrefy, Lev. 7. 15—18.

(3.) That his death and sufferings should be, not to him only, but to all his, an inlet to the blessed immortality; "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, and by me made them known to the world, and laid them open." When the Father gave to the Son to have life in himself, a power to lay down his life, and to take it again, then he shewed him the ways of life, both to and fro: the gates of death were opened to him, and the doors of the shadow of death, (Job 38. 17.) to pass and repass through them, as his occasions led him, for man's redemption.

(4.) That all his sorrows and sufferings should end in perfect and perpetual felicity; Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. The reward set before him, was, joy, a fulness of joy, and that in God's countenance, in the countenance he gave to his undertaking, and to all those, for his sake, that should believe in him. The smiles with which the Father received, him, when, at his ascension, he was brought to the Ancient of days, filled him with joy unspeakable: and that is the joy of our Lord, into which all his shall enter, and in which they shall be for ever happy.

Secondly, The comment upon this text, especially so much of it as relates to the resurrection of Christ. He addresses himself to them with a title of respect, Men and brethren, v. 29. "You are men, and therefore should be ruled by reason; you are brethren, and therefore should take kindly what is said to you by one who, being nearly related to you, is heartily concerned for you, and wishes you well. Now, give me leave freely to speak to you concerning the patriarch David, and let it be no offence to you, if I tell you, that David cannot be understood here as speaking of himself, but of the Christ to come." David is here called a patriarch, because