A Golden Chain, Chapter 48 – Chapter 49
CHAP. 48. Of the fourth degree, of the declaration of Gods louelove: and of the estate of the Elect, after this life.
THe fourth degree of the declaration of Gods louelove, is Glorification. Roman. 8.30.
Glorification, is the perfect transforming of the Saints into the image of the Sonne of God. Philip. 3.21. Who shall change our vile bodie, that it may be fashioned like vntounto his glorious bodie, according to the working whereby he is able euen to subdue all things vntounto himselfe. 1. Cor. 15.44. It is sowne a naturall bodie, and is raised a spirituall bodie: there is a naturall bodie, and there is a spirituall bodie. 45. And it is also written, The first man Adam was made a liuing soule: the last Adam was made a quickning spirit. 49. And as we hauehave borne the image of the earthly, so shall we beare the image of the heauenly. Psal. 17. 15. I will behold thy face in righteousnes, and when I awake, I shall be satisfied with thine image.
The beginning of Glorification, is in death, but it is not accomplished and made perfect before the last day of iudgement.
The death of the Elect, is but a sleepe in Christ, a1. Cor. 15.18. If Christ be not raised, they which are asleepe in Christ, are perished. Act. 7.60. When he had thus spoken, he slept.whereby the bodie and soule is seuered. The bodie, b1. Cor. 15.3…. O foole, that which thou sowest is not quickned, except it die.that after corruption it may rise to greater glorie, The soule, that it cReu. 21.27. There shal enter into it none vnclean thing, neither whatsoeuer worketh abomination or lies: but they which are written in the Lambs book of life. Rom. 7.25. I my selfe in my mind serue the law of God, but in my flesh the law of sinne.being fully sanctified, may dLuk. 23.42. He saide to Iesus, Lord, remember me, when thou commest into thy kingdome. 43. Then Iesus said to him, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Reu. 14.13. Then I heard a voice from heauen, saying vntounto me, Write, Blessed are the dead, which hereafter die in the Lord. Euen so saith the Spirit: for they rest from their labours, and their workes follow them.immediatly, after departure frō the bodie, be transported into the kingdom of heauen.
Against the feare of death, note these preseruatiues:
I. Death, it freeth the godly from the tyrannie of Satan, sinne, the world, the flesh, and eternall damnation, yea, from infinite both perills and losses, and doth place vsus both safe and happie, vnderunder the shadow, as it were, of Christs wings.
II. Christ by his death, hath sanctified vntounto vsus both death and the graue.
III. Christ is both in life and death, gaine to the godly. Phil. 1.12.
IV. Those consolations which the spirit of Christ doth suggest to the soules of the faithfull, doe by many degrees surmount the dolours of death.
V. The desire of that most bright and glorious beholding of God, and the presence of those Saints which are departed before vsus.
VI. In stead of our bodies we shall be clothed with glorie. 2. Cor. 5.1.
VII. The stings of death, namely sinne, is then so taken away, as that that serpent can no more hurt vsus. 1. Cor. 15.55. O death, where is thy sting! O graue, where is thy victorie! Heb. 2.15. That he might deliuer all them, which for feare of death, were all their life time subiect to bondage.
VIII. We should not so much thinke of our death, as to take an exact account of our life. For that man can not die ill, who hath liued well: and he seldome dieth well, that hath liued badly.
IX. The Angels they stand at our elbowes, that so soone as a Saint departeth, they may with all speede, immediatly transport his soule into heauen.
Soules being once in heauen, remaine there till the last day of iudgement, where they partly magnifie the Name of God, and partly doe waite, and pray for the consummation of the kingdom of glorie, and full felicitie in body and soule. Reuel. 5.8. And when he had taken the booke, the foure beasts, and the foure and twentie Elders fell downe before the Lambe, hauing eueryevery one harpes and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the Saints. 9. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthie to take the booke, and to open the seales thereof: because thou wast killed, and hast redeemed vsus to God by thy blood, out of eueryevery kinred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Reuel. 14. 2. I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. 3. And they sung, as it were, a new song before the throne: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, Lord, holy and true? doest not thou iudge and auenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
CHAP. 49. Of the estate of the Elect, at the last day of iudgement.
THe last day of iudgement shall be on this manner.
I. Immediatly before the comming of Christ, aMatth. 24. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those daies, shall the Sunne be darkened, and the Moone shall not giuegive her light, the starres shall fall from heauen, and the powers of heauen shall be shaken: 30. And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in heauen: and then shall all the kinreds of the earth mourne, and they shal see the Son of man come in the cloudes of heauen, with power and great glorie.the powers of heauen shall be shaken: the Sunne and Moone shall be darkned, and the starres shall seeme to fall from heauen: bLuk. 21. 26. Mens hearts shall faile them for feare, and for looking after those things, which shall come on the world. 28. And when these things beginne to come to passe, then looke vp, and lift vp your heads, for your redemption draweth neare. 2. Tim. 4.8. Henceforth is laide vp for me the crowne of righteousnes, which the Lord, the righteous iudge shall give me at that day: and not to me onelyonly, but vntounto them also that louelove his appearing.at which sight the Elect then liuing shall reioyce, but the reprobate shall shake eueryevery ioynt of them.
II. Then the heauens, beeing all set on fire, shall with a noise, like to that of charriot wheeles, suddenly passe away, and the elements, with the earth, and all therein, shall be dissolued with fire. 2. Pet. 3. 12. L…king for, and h… sting vntounto the comming of the day of God, by which the heauens beeing … shall be dissolued, and the elements shall melt with heate. 13. … new heauens, and a new earth, according to his promise, wherein d… ousness. At the same time, when as all these things shall come to passe, aMatth. chap. 24. vers. 31. And he shall sende his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet. 1. Thess. chap. 4. vers. 16. The Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen with a shout, euen with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.… sound of the last trumpet shall be heard, sounded by the Archang… bMatth. 24. 30. 1. Thess. 4. 17. Then shall we vvhichwhich liue and remaine, be caught vp vvith them also in the cloudes, to meete the Lord in the ayre, and so shall we euer be with the Lord.And Christ shall come suddenly in the cloudes, with power, and glorie, and a great traine of Angels.
III. Now at the sound of the trumpet the Elect, which were dead, shal arise with their bodies: and those very bodies which were turned to dust, and one part rent from another, shall by the omnipotent power of God, be restored, and the soules of them shall descend from heauen, and be brought againe into those bodies. As for a1. Cor. 15. 52. We shall not all sleepe, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 43.them which then shall be aliue, they shall be changed in the twinckling of an eye, and this mutation shall be in stead of death. And at that time, the bodies shall receiue their full redemption: bIt is sowne in dishonour, it is raised in honour: it is sowne in weakenes, it is raised in power. 44. It is sowne a naturall bodie, it is raised … spirituall bodie, &c.and all the bodies of the Elect shall be made like the glorious bodie of Christ Iesus, and therefore shall be spirituall, immortall, glorious, and free from all infirmitie.
IV. Last of all, when they are all conuented before the tribunall seate of Christ, he will forthwith place the Elect, seuered from the reprobate, and taken vp into the aire, at his right hand, and to them being written in the booke of life, will he pronounce this sentence: Come ye blessed of my father, possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world. Matth. 25.33. He shall set the sheepe on his right hand, and the goates on the left. 1. Thess. 4. 17. Reu. 20. 12. whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life, was cast into the lake of fire.