Abrahams Faith, Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Article 15
The fifteenth Article of the hope, which is in the true religion.
15 Ieſus Chriſt will come againe with glorie: and then all the dead ſhall riſe againe in their bodies: And hee ſhall iudge the quicke and the dead, and will crowne all beleeuers with euerlaſting righteouſneſſe, ſaluation and life with God for euer.
THis Article ſheweth the laſt work of Chriſt in his kingly office: namely of his returne againe vntounto iudgement, at which time he will raiſe vp all the bodies of men, which are departed this life (which our Creede calleth the dead) and all they which ſhall bee aliue at his comming (which in our Creed are called the quicke) ſhall be changed, and the Deuill and all wicked men being caſt out of the preſence of God: all faithfull beleeuers ſhall be deliuered from all thinges hurtfull from the deuill, death, and wickedneſſe from the curſe, ſorrowe, and teares, and from corruption and mortalitie, into the glorious libertie of the ſonnes of God, into the fulneſſe of ioy in the preſence of God for euer.
This hope had Abraham whenaGen. 12. & 22 & 25. he dwelt in Canaan as a ſtranger, and going from place to place, liued in tentes when he offered vp his ſonne Iſaacke, and when he dyed: as is plainely expounded, where it is ſaide,aHeb. 11.9. By faith he abode in the lande of promiſe, as in a ſtraunge countrie, as one that dwelt in tentes, with Iſacke and Iacob heyres with him of the ſame promiſe. For he looked for a citie whoſe maker and builder is God. And againe,bVerſ. 13. All theſe died in faith &c. And againe,cVerſ. 19. he conſidered that God was able to raiſe him vp from the dead. And God taught Abraham the laſt iudgement in two reſpectes, when he ſhewed him the ouerthrow of Sodome, and preſerued Lot aliue. For by it hee ſhadowed out vntounto him how hee deliuereth the righteous out of tentation, and how hee keepeth the wicked till the laſt iudgement to bee puniſhed. In which ſence this ſtorie is expounded and applyed by Saint Peter in theſe wordesd2. Pet. 2.6.7. God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into aſhes, condemned them and ouerthrew them, and made them an enſample vntounto them, which after ſhould liue vngodly, and deliuered iuſt Lot &c. (and a little after applying it to this purpoſe)eVerſ. 9. The Lord knoweth to deliuer the godly out of tentation, and to reſerue the vniuſt to the day of iudgement to bee puniſhed. Secondly, in that the Sodomites were ſuddenly conſumed, when they deemed no ſuch thing fire and brimſtone fell vponupon them: And Lots wife looking backe was ſuddenly turned into a pillar of ſalt. So it teacheth, that this laſt comming of Chriſt ſhall be ſudden, as our Sauiour teacheth, where he ſaith,fLuk. 17.28. As it was in the daies of Lot they eate they dranke &c. 30.After theſe enſamples ſhall it bee, in the day when the ſonne of man ſhall be reuealed. 32.And again, Remember Lots wife &c. And in the promiſe of the bleſſing in his ſeed, God teacheth Abram al this for what is the perfection of this bleſſednes, but that after the reſurrectiō, there ſhalbe no more curſſe but we ſhall happily enioy his ioifull preſence for euermore. And ſuch is the faith of Englande: for wee beleeue, thatcArticl. 4. of Chriſt reſurrection. Chriſt with his body aſcended into heauen, and there ſitteth, vntill he returne to iudge all men at the last day: and againedApolog. part. cap. 21, diuiſ. 1. We beleeue, that this our ſelfe ſame fleſh, wherein we liue, although it die, and come to duſt, yet at the laſt, ſhal returne again to life, by the means of Chriſt ſpirit, which dwelleth in vsus: & then verely whatſoeuer we ſuffer herein the meane while for his ſake, Chriſt wil wipe away all teares and heauines from our eies: and that we through him ſhal enioy euerlasting life, and ſhall for euer be with him in glorie.
Moſes learneth & teacheth the reſurrection of the faithful vntounto life, when God appeared vntounto him in the buſh and ſaid:eExod. 3.6. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Iſaack & the God of Iacob; which our ſauiorfMath. 22.31.32. Chriſt doth ſo expoūd, becauſe God is not the God of the dead but of the liuing: and confuteth the Saduces who denied the reſurrection. And in the ſtory of Balaam he doth not obſcurely ſhew the reſurrectiō, of the dead & the laſt iudgmēt, wher he maketh Balaā to ſpeak of chriſt, calling himgNum. 24.17 Aſtem of Iacob, & a ſcepter that ſhal riſe of Iſrael, he ſaith, I ſhal ſee him, but not now: affirming that, he ſhal ſmite the coaſts of Moab, & deſtroy al the ſons of Sheth: that is to ſay. Balaam thoght tō ſee chriſt in the reſurrectiō, & that chriſt ſhold ſubdu al the aduerſaries of his church, & raign til al his enimies were made his footſtool, & deliuer vp his kingdome after the reſurrection vntounto his father, that God may be all in all, as is in plaine termes in thebcap. 15.24.25 firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians: Alſo theſe words of God vntounto Moſes,cExod. 33.19. I will ſhew merciemercy to whom I will ſhew merciemercy &c. are applied by the Apoſtle to declare the holie predeſtination of God,dRom. 9.15.16.22.23. of ſome men vntounto ſaluation and ſome to damnation, which is not accompliſhed, but by the reſurrection and laſt iudgement: againe that which is in MoſeseDeut. 32.35.36. ſong; vengeance and recompence is mine: and againe; The Lord will iudge his people, is likewiſefRom. 12.19. applied to this purpoſe, that the children of God ſhould not reuenge, but commit their cauſe to God againſt the day of the reſurrection and iudgement, which isg2. The. 1.6.7 the time of reſt to Gods children, & trouble to the wicked: andhHeb. 10.26.28.30. to declare the fearfull day of iudgement, and the violent fire which ſhall deuoure the aduerſaries.
But the prophets are much more plaine in their teaching of this article: when theyiEſai 9.7. Pſal. 110.1. 1. Cor. 15. Eſai 45.23. Rom. 14.11. ſay: Chriſt kingdome ſhall hauehave none end: Sit thou on my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy footſtoole. Euerie knee ſhall bow to me; but eſpecially where it is ſaid.kDan. 12.2. They that ſleepe in the dust of the earth, ſhall awake, ſome to euerlaſting life, and ſome to ſhame and perpetual contempt. Yet much more plentifully is this doctrine taught in the new Teſtament, & namly in the thirtenth & fiue and twentie of Mathew, Ioh. 5. and 6. Act. 10. & 17. Rom. 2. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Theſ. 4. 2. Theſſ, 1. &c. All which places in plaine woords teach thus much. That Chriſt ſhall come with his holie Angels and ſit on his thorn of glorie, all the dead ſhall riſe firſt, and they which then be aliue ſhall be changed, and ſo of theſe two ſorts all nations ſhall ſtand before him, and receaue ſentence according to their workes, ſome to eternall life for their faith approoued by their works, & ſome to eternal paine, for their vnbeleefe, ſhewed by their euill deeds. So that in this point of doctrin, the glorie of the churches of England, in the ſweet harmonie, with Abraham and Moſes time, and with the preaching of Chriſt and his Prophets and Apoſtles is moſt comfortablie ſealed vp and confirmed: the Lords name be praiſed therefore.
The Lords name, I ſay, be praiſed: who hath bin ſo mercifull and gratious vntounto this little Ileland, that paſſing ouer many greater, richer and mightier nations, hath ſet ſuch an eſpecial louelove vponupon vsus, as he hath vouchſafed to preferre and exalt our nation aboue many other to be of his holie and catholike church, of the bleſſed communion of his ſaints, and a true member of his viſible people, vponupon whom his name is called. That we may truely, iuſtly, and boldly ſay, that the religion which we follow and the faith and doctrine which wee confeſſe is the faith of Gods elect, the knowledge of the truth according to godlines, vnderunder the hope of eternall life, the verie true and onelyonly way of ſaluation, which God and not man teacheth. Which he hath taught al the fathers before the law was giuen, or any part of Gods woord written during the ſpace of 2517. yeeres. In the ende of that time Abraham our father, euen the father of all beleeuers, 430. yeeres before Moſes when the world began to be corrupted, receaued and profeſſed for al nations which ſhould be after him. Which Moſes and the Prophets proclaimed, and maintained ſome 1445. yeeres vntill the bleſſed time of Chriſtes holie incarnation. And which the ſame Ieſus Chriſt the glorious ſon of God, euen the Lord of life, preached in his owne perſon, and his holie Apoſtles which heard him and ſaw al his great works did witnes and publiſh to all the gentils and was confirmed by gods holie teſtimonie from heauen, with great ſignes and wonders and gifts of the holie ghoſt. And which the ſame euerlaſting God euen the father of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt, commanded to be taught vntounto all people, out of the holie Scriptures of Moſes the Prophets and Pſalmes, and hath opened and made manifeſt by the holie inſpired writings of the Euangeliſtes and Apoſtles and left and commended vntounto his Church for the ſaluation of his elect vntounto the worlds end. By which al gods people ar to be known, by which God will be glorified in his ſaints, and out of which no man hath been, ſhall be or can be ſaued. I ſay therefore againe: the Lords name be praiſed for euer, Amen.