IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES

IN TWO VOLUMES.

BY ALEXANDER MACWHORTER, D. D.

SENIOR PASTOR OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN

CHURCH IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. Paul

1803

The text of this and other superb works are available on-line from:

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Reprint and digital August 8, 2004.

Alexander MacWhorter, D.D., ( 1734-1807 ) received schooling at the West-Nottingham Academy under Samuel Finley ( later President of Princeton College). Thereafter, MacWhorter at age 22 joined the junior class at the College of New Jersey with Rev. Aaron Burr, which later moved to Princeton, graduating in the first commencement there in 1757. Afterwards, he entered upon the study of Divinity, under the instruction of the Rev. William Tennent, the pious and justly celebrated minister of Freehold, in New Jersey. He was an active Pastor, and in 1772 was elected a Trustee of the College of New Jersey at Princeton. Yale honored him with a Doctorate of Divinity in 1776, which followed with his active involvement in the Revolutionary War, as an advisor to Washington, and as chaplain under General Knox at White Plains, where again he was a frequent guest of Washington's. The Newark Presbyterian Church extended a call to the pastorate to him in 1781, which was accepted.

"He was one of those great and good men, who, in 1788, had principal influence in settling The Confession of Faith, and framing the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in the United States; and in transferring the authority, of the highest judicatory from the Synod to a General Assembly, which met first in May, 1789.—Ten years afterwards, when a board of trustees for the General Assembly was incorporated by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, at their session in the winter of 1798- 9, he was named in the charter as one, of the board, and continued to hold this trust, until the growing infirmities of age induced him, in 1803, to resign it."

The biographical summary is taken from Edward Dorr Griffin's Funeral Sermon for Dr. Macwhorter ( 1807). This title may be found at The Willison Center http://willisoncenter.com/

on the Princeton Page, Link 13. And Link 16, for more of his sermons. ---Willison Ed.

Alexander MacWorter published a two volume collection of sermons in 1803, from which the following title was selected.

Page numbers in the original are shown as: ( 474 )

The following begins the original text:

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SERMON XXXVII.

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THE doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, altho' in some respects it is both marvelous and mysterious, yet it is of the utimost certainty, and necessarily coinposes an article of the; christian’s creed. In these days of scepticism, it is denied by many, who tho’ they do not entirely renounce the name of christian. in profession, strangely allegorise away this as well as some other distinguishing truths of divine revelation. This will a1ways be the case with mankind when they exalt their own wisdom and understanding above the plain declarations of heaven. They will continually be the subjects of error and delusion. When persons depart from the simple and obvious meaning of language, the plain relation of facts and things delivered in the oracles of truth, and begin to spiritualise and allegorise every matter that is spoken, they never fail of falling

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in the grossest inconsistances and contradictions, is the most blasphemous infidelity. The vain man, who wishes to be esteemed wise, frequently attempts to mar this glorious doctrine in out text, yet it is a doctrine which will still be believed by all who adhere to the plain and literal intention of their bibles. It is a doctrine, notwithstanding there may be some difficulties attending it, yet blessed be God it contains neither absurdity nor impossibility. Some who are ready to fear if there should be a resurrection, they may be of the unhappy number that shall arise to everlasting shame and contempt, would therefore invent objections against the truth, rather than entertain the tormenting thought. But whether they believe it or not, it is equally the same, the word of God remains true and steadfast, and what the Lord hath affirmed shall infallibly come to pass. This is a doctrine delivered both in the old Testament and the new, by the prophets and apostles and by Christ himself, by whom the dead shall be raised up, therefore those who will not believe it, when it enters so deeply into the whole christian system, it is not probable they would believe tho' one came from the dead. This doctrine tho’ terrible to the wickedly, yet it administers great joy and consolation to the people of God. In the verse preceding our text the prophet Daniel is evidently predicting the approach of the gospel state. When Michael the great prince, that is Jesus Christ, shall stand up for the people of God, then will be a time of great trouble to the wicked, to Satan and all the enemies of his kingdom, but it will be a season of joy and gladness of heart to those whose names are written in the book of life; for deliverance and salvation will come unto them. Then at the consummation of all things will be fulfilled this declaration, "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." They who are fond of opposing the doctrine of the resurrection, and boldly urge that the old Testament is silent upon this head, are greatly perplexed with the argument

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contained in this passage. They vainly pretend these words must be taken not in a literal but in a metaphorical and figurative sense. They say, it signifies no more than the deliverance of the church from the grievous persecutions of Antiochus the king of Syria, and sleeping in the dust of the earth, was the Jews hiding themselves in holes and caves, in order to avoid the fury of that cruel tyrant. But it is abundantly evident Daniel: had concluded his prophecy respecting the persecution of Antiochus in the former chapter with these words, "He shall come to his end and none shall help him." Sleeping in the dust is a very unnatural figures to exhibit flying into caves and deserts; and a deliverance from this persecution would be very awkwardly expressed by being raised to everlasting contempt; and could the happiness of such a deliverance be termed everlasting life, when at best: it could only be a temporal salvation. But these words plainly and most certainly teach, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and numerous are the other authorities in the scriptures for the establishment of this doctrine. The only difficulty in the text is the word many, "Many of them that sleep in the dust," This would seem at first view to imply an exception of some that should not awake or be raised But the original which is here rendered many, is very frequently and more properly translated multitude, and being thus rendered here expresses the most perfect universality. "The multitude of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," that is all the dead without the exception of a single instance. This text is alluded to and explained by our Saviour when he says, "All that are in their graves shall hear his voice" and come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation" Hence the many or multitude of them that shall awake expresses all, or the most complete universality. By sleeping in the dust of the earth is meant the dead, whether buried in graves, laid in tombs, burnt to ashes, drowned in the sea,

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devoured by wild beasts, or eaten by cannabals. Wherever their remain are or however disposed of, they shall all be gathered up at the last day. All their dust shall be collected and reanimated; and every soul be united to his former body, both good and bad. The former will be raised to everlasting life, or consummate felicity in the celestial world, and the latter to misery, shame and everlasting contempt and torment. This is the manifest meaning of this text.

In the first place we shall endeavour to establish the doctrine which it contains, or prove that there will be a resurrection of the dead.

Secondly, consider something of the manner in which the dead shall be raised.

First, we are to endeavor further to establish the doctrine contained in the text that there shall be a resurrection of the dead. "The many or, multitude of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." It may be here observed this is a doctrine of pure revelation, which the light of nature could never discover, but when revealed, reason is pleased with it. When known it clearly contains nothing irrational or inconsistent. Reason cannot suggest any thing against it, for God is infinite in power, wisdom and truth, therefore the resurrection of the dead may be infallibly established from the perfections of Jehovah. While God is almighty none can dispute but that he is able to raise the dead. He who could create worlds by the word of his mouth, and make man at first of the dust of the ground, and continues unchangeably the same, surely he must be able to raise him from the dust again.

We have it fully ascertained that God hath raised many from the dead; such as the son of the widow of Sarepta,.—the Shunamite’s son,—The man cast into the sepu1chre of Elisha,

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Jairus's daughter, the widow's son in Nain, Lazarus, Dorcas, &c.—The wisdom and knowledge of the most high also confirms this doctrine. As with him all things are possible, so to him all things are known. He knows every particle of human dust and where it lies. Altho’ these articles, which were once constituent parts of the body, have gone thro’ ten thousand changes, although perhaps they may have grown up into grass, this grass eaten by the beasts of the field, and these again by men, a million of times over, yet he whose omniscience at once beholds every atom in the universe, that ever was or will be, in all its various positions and situations, it is infinitely easy with him to separate dust from dust, and replace every particle where it originally belonged.

The great and speculative objection offered against this doctrine is, there are whole nations of cannibals who feast and nourish themselves on human flesh, and the particles of one body become nutrition and go to the constituting of another, or the particles of buried bodies grow up into herbs and are eaten, so that by one means and another, the self same particles may have gone to the formation and support of a thousand men. Now seeing this is the case, how can these thousand persons be raised at one and the same time, since they never had but the particles of one body among them all ? To this I would answer first, as Christ did to the Sadducees of old, who denied who denied this doctrine, and proposed a case respecting a woman whom had seven had seven husbands consecutively, and pertly enquired whose wife she should be in the resurrection. "Ye do err says he, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God." Fully intimating that if they understood the scriptures or the power and wisdom of God, they could raise no such objection.

Again let this objection be answered by St. Paul, for some had attempted to throw difficulties in his way on this head. "Some will say, how are the dead raised up and with what and with what

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body do they come? To this he replies, thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die, and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that shall be, but bare grains it may chance or wheat or some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." Now in this argument the apostle plainly allows that it is by no means necessary to the resurrection of the same person, that every particle of which he was composed thro' life, and which constituted him at death must be raised: and collected into one heap to form the same man. No it is highly probable a part of that which was once the human body will be perfectly sufficient to constitute it the same. As the apostle instances of wheat being sown, it grows up into a stalk, blade, ear, chaff and grain, all this large body, altho’ it is not the same with the bare grain that was sown, yet it arises from the same seed, and every seed has its own body; so also is the resurrection of the dead. There will be a great difference between the bodies raised, and those which were laid in the dust. Yet every-individual body will have so much of what it was formerly composed as is necessary to constitute it identically to the same.

Further it may be justly observed in answer to this objection, no man remains composed of the same numerical particles without addition or diminution, for any one hour of his life. The man who lies down to sleep, in the evening, when he awakes has lost many thousands of particles during the night, which .are gone off by sweat, perspiration, &c. yet he is the same person he was in the morning, tho’ not composed of all the same individual particles. A gross man than is seized with sickness and reduced to a skeleton or to a state of great leanness, he is still the same person he formerly was, altho’ perhaps half his weight is washed away; and when he recovers health and his former bulk, he is still the same, altho’ few particles compose his body which did before. Thus by the constant

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changes all bodies undergo, Methuselah must have been composed of very different particles when he was a youth and when he was nine hundred and sixty nine years old; yet he was the same identical person when old that he was when young. Thus it will be in the resurrection, that many particles constituting the body at death whether added or not, sufficient will be raised by infinite wisdom and power to constitute the person perfectly the same, he will be conscious to himself that he is the same, and be fully recognized by all who formerly knew him. All that is necessary for us to be assured of is, that every particular body has certain appropriate and essential particles, that whenever united and animated, completely constitute the same person; and the essential particles of one body never become the essential particles of another body, therefore the same person can at no time pass away into different persons. Thus as God is omniscient and knows where all these essential particles are, whether they have been burnt to ashes or sunk in the bottom of the ocean, and as he is infinitely able to collect these particles, if scattered into and mingled with all the particles of the earth, and of them renew the same man; from hence it follows, that the resurrection is clearly demonstrated from the power and wisdom of God.

The last argument is drawn from the truth of God. If he is a being that cannot lie, and his word plainly reveals this doctrine, then it must surely be established beyond, all contradiction. It was a truth believed by all the ancient saints. We find Hannah, that woman of eminent piety declaring it in her song; "The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave and he bringeth up." Thus she gave her testimony, that God maketh alive and raiseth the dead from their graves.—The faith of Job is fully in favour of this truth, when he affirms, " I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, and tho’ after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God,

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whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold and not another. If a man die he shall live again. Man lieth down and riseth not, until the heavens shall be no more they shall not awake, nor be raised out of sleep." Thus Job firmly believed in the doctrine of a resurrection. The Psalmist testified the same thing when he said; "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, that is in the state of the dead, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption." The prophet Isaiah, when speaking of the Messiah, says, "That he will swallow up death in victory." So speaks Hosea, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave." The apostle informs us of the faith of Abraham on this head, when offering his son Isaac, "He accounted that God was able to raise him up even from the dead." Our Saviour proves, the doctrine of the resurrection from Moses,. " Now that the dead are raised, says be, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he called the Lord, the. God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for he is not a God of the dead, but of the living." The scribes approved of this argument, and the Sadducees were put to silence ; the one replied, " Master "thou hast well said; and the other after that durst not ask him any question." The prophet Ezekiel beautifully illustrates this truth in his relation of his vision of the valley of dry hones, their reviving, bone uniting itself with its bone, their receiving flesh and breath, and life. " The apostles taught the people and preached thro’ Christ the resurrection of the dead." Paul said, "I have hope toward God, that there shall he a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God "should raise the dead." It is often positively affirmed, "God quikeneth the dead, God raiseth the dead," &c. Yea the authorities in support of this doctrine are so pointed and numerous, that time would fail in the recitation. It was taught by Moses and the prophets, by Christ and his apostles, in that the whole scriptures are full of proofs for this purpose. But it is more than time to direct your attention to the

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Second thing proposed, which was to consider something the manner in which the dead shall be raised, "some to " everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’’

With respect to the bodies of the saints which shall be raised to everlasting life, the scriptures every where make the most glorious representations of their excellency, of their beauty and their splendor. The great resurrection day will be ushered in with amazing grandeur and magnificence. Christ shall descend in all the pomp of the celestial world, mighty hosts of angels, of cherubs and seraphs shall attend him, the trump of God shall fill heaven, earth and hell with its sound, and they that sleep in the dust shall hear his voice and come forth. The godly shall be raised out of their graves by the spirit of Christ. " He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his spirit that dwelleth in you." The wicked also shall be raised by the omnipotent arm, by the same power which had enclosed their bodies in hell, and imprisoned their bodies ha the earth; these mull come forth all cloathed in deformity and horror to receive their irreversible doom.

In regard to the qualities with which the bodies of the saints shall be raised, the apostles informs us, they shall be in-corruptible, glorious, powerful and spiritual. "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in corruption ; it is sown in dishonor "it is raised in glory ; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power ; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

First the body is sown in. corruption but it is raised in incorruption. The saints are buried in the ground a mass of corruption and putrefaction like others, but in the splendid morning of the resurrection, they will arise incorruptible. They

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will then have no more corruptible materials in their nature, no more subject to pain, sickness nor death. They shall forever flourish in immortal youth, vigour and beauty. They shall then be presented to God without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. They will not be raised as they died, some decriped and deformed, some maimed and mutilated, some mortified and covered with ulcers, some wasted by consumptions and some bloated to an enormous size by hydropical disorders, but they will arise every one in all the perfection of beauty, an exact symmetry of features and a just proportion of all their parts. In one word, they will be raised in all imaginable exccellency.

Secondly, the body is sown in dishonor. but it is raised in glory. The body while here is often covered with a loathsome and forbidding deformity, and it is hurried into the grave a heap of stench and rottenness, but in the resurrection it shall appear a glorious body. They shall arise, in majesty, dignity, beauty and splendor. They shall then shine as the stars of heaven and as the sun in the firmament.

Thirdly, it is sown in weakness, but it is raised in power. It crawls thro’ this world feeble, weary and faint ; it falls into the dust absolute weakness. It cannot defend itself against worms and putrefaction. But when it arises, it wilt be powerful and strong; it will be all life, vigor and activity. . There will be no more weakness, weariness or fatigue. There will be perfect strength and ability to sustain without the least uneasiness the eternal weight of glory, that shall be placed upon them. They will be then powerful indeed, perfectly able with a happy agility to execute all the purposes and desires of the soul.

Fourthly, it is sown a natural body, but it is railed a spiritual body. It descends to the grave an animal body, which had subsisted by food and drink, by sleep and air ; but in the

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resurrection it shall appear of a much more refined contexture; it will be endued with such spiritual qualities as to stand in no need of such animal refreshments; there will then be no more need of food or drink or raiment. The body will then subsist after a spiritual manner, for they shall be as the angels. But who can describe the glory, the beauty, power, incorruptibility spirituality and seraphic nature of the raised and glorified bodies? Blessed and happy are they who shall obtain a part in the first resurrection.

But the manner in which the bodies of the wicked shall be raised in that day will be perfectly the reverse of all this. They will be destitute of all glory, beauty and comeliness. They will

ascend from their graves in all the horrors of deformity. with ghastly visages, distorted countenances, writhing members, convulsed breasts, and all their looks terrible. Let us turn from the odious picture, and detestable sight. They come forth the abhorring of all flesh; vessels of ugliness and dishonor, to comprehend all in one dreadful phrase, their resurrection will be the resurrection. of damnation.

This lecture shall conclude with a few reflections.

First this doctrine should raise the souls of true chistians into raptures of consolation. How transporting the thought tho’ you die, yet shall ye live ; you shall greatly live in the regions of immortal bliss ? How ineffably glorious will the meeting of the soul and body be; your victory over sin, over death, over Satan and all your enemies will then be complete. Tho’ your bodies here may be decriped,. dismembered and deformed, yet hereafter they shall appear in all the perfection of beauty. Tho’ now wrecked with pain, faint with sickness, covered with loathsome sores, yet then you shall be strong, powerful, alert and alive. Tho’ now despised and held in

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in white robes, crowns of glory on your heads, and septres of dominion in your hands.—What obligations, O what delightful obligations are believers under to render love, praise and thanksgiving to God and to Jesus Chris ? That such life, glory and felicity are procured for you, that death is vanquished, sin destroyed, the grave conquered, and all heaven is yours. What, O christians, ought your lives to be in this world ? what faith, what gratitude, zeal and holy living?

Secondly, this solemn doctrine speaks nothing but terror to the workers of iniquity. You will be dragged from your graves with shame and contempt. Your cries will be to the rocks and the mountains to fall on you and bide you from the awful scene. Your faces will gather blackness, and what pencil can paint the reluctant horrors, and the agonizing struggles exerted both by soul and body against their reunion? How do they avoid and fly back from each other, let by almighty force they are compelled into the abhorred conjunction? The soul and body hate to meet, and hatred will reign between them forever. And to close the scene, they pass away into misery which will never intermit or come to an end.

My dear brethren, let us all consider the solemnities of the great day before it comes; let the wicked repent and believe the gospel, and let saints rejoice in the riches of glory set before them.