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ciples had infinuated themselves and acquired influence among the Chriftians of Corinth Well aware that the admiffion of fuch principles in any degree tended in an equal degree tobuproot Chriftianity from its founda tions, the apofile ftrenuously advances forward to contend for the genuine faith, the faith originally delivered to the faints. He recalls to the remembrance of his converts that ofpel which he had preached to them at the beginning; that gofpel which they had embraced; that gospel by which they were to be faved a gofpel, built on the ground-work of Chrift's refurrection from the dead ; and establishing by infallible proofs his repeated appearances after his return from the grave, feparately to St. Peter, afterwards to St. James, more than once to all the apoftles collected together, then to an aflembly of above five hundred difciples, most of whom were ftill alive, and, laft of all, to St. Paul himfelf. He warns them that the reality of the resurrection of Chrift was infeparably connected with the affurance of their own future refurrection: that if the dead were not to rife, Chrift was not rifen; that if Chrift were not rifen, the apostles who had promulgated a gofpel proclaiming His refurre&ion had teftified falfely concerning

God that their preaching had in that cafe been in vain, an impofture and a delufion; that the Corinthians had believed in vain, and were yet in their fins, had placed reliance on a falfehood, and were deftitute of pardon and without a poffibility of falvation; and that all who had fallen afleep in Chrift, all who for His fake had encountered perfecution and mifery, all who had died in His faith and in fullaffurance of life eternal through Him, had perished. Having thus fully fet before them the confequences which would necef farily cenfue, if the peftilent doctrine with which they were affailed were founded in truth a doctrine which would prove that Chrift had not rifen from the dead; that He had wrought no atonement for fin; that He was unable to perform his promises; that no hope remained for the righteous; that the whole fabric of the Chriftian religion was a human contrivance, the production of deliberate fraud and unexampled hypocrify: he cheers them in the words of the text with a folemn statement of the real fact as to the refurrection of their Lord, and the bleffed refult of His resurrection' with regard to all those who trufted in Him. But now is Chrift rifen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that fept. "Be not fhaken in mind,"

for

for thus we may conceive the apoftle addres fing his beloved followers; "Be not shaken

in mind, nor carried about with every wind "of doctrine. Hold faft without wavering "the profeffion of your faith, and especially of that most important article, on which "the truth of the gospel and every promife "which you cherish of pardon and future "happiness depend, the refurrection of your "Saviour from the dead. Regard not thefe "unrighteous deceivers, who are come among

you, fubverting your fouls, ministers of "the prince of darkness transforming themfelves into apoftles of Chrift the chief "of whom, Hymeneus, I am conftrained "to deliver unto Satan, I am compelled to

fubject to the penal infliction of a mira"culous and fevere difeafe, that he may learn not to blafpheme; and that, being thus driven by the punishment of the flesh to a conviction of his guilt, his foul may per"chance be faved in the day of the Lord (b).

Ghrift is rilen from the dead. He rose on “the third day, according to the Scriptures. "God did not leave his foul in hell, in the abode of feparate fpirits; neither did He fuffer His Holy One to fee corruption. And He is become the firft fruits of them that slept. (b) 1 Cor. v. 5. 1 Tim. i. 20.

"He

"He is the first-born from the dead, that in « all things He might have the pre-eminence. "For it pleafed the Father that in Him "fhould all fulnefs dwell. As by the obla"tion of the first fruits, the divine bleffing " was drawn down upon the whole harvest:

fo has Chrift fanctified all the people of "God, for whofe fins He died, for whofe "juftification He arofe. If you believe that Jefus died and rofe again; believe that them alfo which fleep in Jefus will God bring with Him."

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By establishing the fact of the refurrection of Chrift, the apoftle had provided a conclufive answer to every objection which could be urged against the future refurrection of the dead, on whatever principle the objection might be founded. Was the refurrection of the dead pronounced impoffible? The reply was at hand. "Chrift is rifen. The fame "power which raised Him is able to raise "all men." Was the refurrection defcribed, in the language of profane defpifers among the heathen, as an unworthy and undefirable hope? The reply was ready. Chrift is

rifen. Can that hope be unworthy; can that hope be undesirable to men ;' which, ba when the Son of God became man, was perfected in Him?" Was the refurrection

repre

The

reprefented as an uncertain event Chriftian was prepared to answer, “Chrift is rifen; and is become the firft fruits of them that "ept. He, who hath proved Himself to "be the Son of God by rifing from the dead, "hath declared that all who are in the

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grave fhall heart his voice and fhall come forth." So deeply however was St. Paul impressed with the importance of the fubject, that he labours with extreme earneftnefs in the reanainder of the chapter to confirm and illuf trate the truth of the doctrine that all men fhall be raifed from the dead; and to explain the bleffedness of the change, which fhall then be experienced by the righteous. Tatoos

For fince by man came death; by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all dies; even fo in Chrift shall all be made alive.

Death came by man: in Adam all die. Adam, tranfgreffing the divine command, by obedience to which he was to hold his happy flate, was expelled from Paradife, left by continuing to eat of the tree of life he fhould live for ever. Barred by the flaming fword of the cherubim from all accefs to its vivifying fruit, he was abandoned to his natural mortality. His mertal nature defcended to his children from them it has defcended to us from us it hall defcend to the latest ge

neration