Evangelical Sacrifices, Text 7 – Title page 8
THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES.
PHIL. 3. 21.
Who shall change our vile Body, that it may bee fashioned like unto his glorious Body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe.
THE Apostle was now in prison, yet hee had a spirit of glory, resting upon him: for he speakes as if he were entred into Heaven, as if he were there before his time; and therefore in Chap. 1. saith he, I desire to bee dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all. And I account all dung in comparison of Christ, as he saith in this Chap. and here in the former verse, Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence we looke for the Saviour, Iesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodyes, &c. God reserves abundance of comforts to the fittest times, as we see here in Saint Paul in this place. Now he brings in his owne example to good purpose, as opposite to false Christians, and false …eachers, that he had mentioned before. There are many walke, of whom I have told you oft, &c. they are enemies to the crosse of Christ, that mind earthly things, &c. verse 18. But saith hee, our conversation is in heaven, he regards not which way they went, hee tooke an opposite course to the world, and swims against the stream: As we see the stars, they have a motion of their own, opposite to the motion that they are carried with. So S. Paul had a motion of his owne, opposite to the course of the world, their end is damnation, but our conversation is in Heaven. A christian hath his conversation in Heaven, while hee is on earth, hee rules his life by the lawes of heaven. There are alway in the visible Church, some that walke contrary wayes, who make their Belly their God, whose end is …. There were some that were christians, … … …achers of Christians many of them, yet he saith, their end is damnation, their God is their belly: carnall Christians say, wee have all … the sacrament, &c. Alas we may all partake of this common privilege, and yet our end may be damnation. St. Paul looked on them with a a spirit of compassion, I tell you weeping. So it may be with us, in our Goshe… here, there may be a spirit of cast-awayes in many, and in the abundance of meanes there may bee many dead souls. But S. Paul regards not what their course was, for saith he, our conversation is in Heaven. From whence we looke for the Saviour, &c.
That shewes why his conversation was in heaven, because his Saviour was in heaven, and therefore his hope was in heaven, Where the treasure is, the heart will be. Having entred into this blessed discourse, he goes on still, who shall change our vile bodies, and fashion them like his glorious body. He brings it in by way of answering an objection. If our conversation be in heaven, why are our bodies yet subject to such afflictions and basenesse in this world? It is true they are; but the time shall come that Christ shall change these vile bodies of ours, and fashion them like to his glorious body. I, but this requires a great deale of power and strength, and we see not how it may be. Therefore saith he, he shall doe it by that almighty power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe, therefore he shall subdue death, the last enemy; he will not doe it perhaps according to thy fancy and conceit, but according to the working whereby hee is able to subdue all things to himselfe: we must not regard our weake conceits in great matters, but Gods power; yee erre (saith Christ to the Pharisees) not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
Saint Paul then in these words, and in the verse before, sets downe three reasons why his course is opposite to the course of wicked men in his time.
First, my City is in heaven, and my conversation is answerable, I take a contrary course, for I am a citizen of another City.
And then another reason is, his hope and expectation of a Saviour from heaven, the Lord Iesus. Hope & faith, which is the ground of hope, carry up the soule where the thing hoped for is, Our conversation is in heaven, wee hope for a Saviour from thence.
The third reason is, from the condition of the body, how ever it was now for the present, He shall change our vile body, that it may be like his glorious body. Who shall change our vile body.
You see here the Apostle having set himselfe upon a holy and heavenly meditation, he could not satisfie himselfe, but goes from point to point, setting downe his present holy conversation, grounded upon his future hope of a blessed state to come. Christ shall change our vile body. Our bodies are vile, and our bodies, here is the point then that, The best mens bodies in this world are vile.
Vile in regard of the matter whence they are taken, the earth, from the dust; the fairest body is but well coloured dust; base and vile from the beginning, from the wombe, base in the whole life, base in death; most base after death. They are base I say in the beginning.
But especially, base in our life; our bodies are base in regard of labour; Man is borne to labour (in this world) as the sparkes flie upward. God would humble the body of every man with labour, or else those that have not the labour of men here, shall have the labour of devils hereafter. The best body of the best Saints, are condemned to labour.
Vile, likewise in regard of sicknesse, and diseases, which grow out of the body, so that be it kept never so warme and tenderly, yet as the wormes grow out of the very wood, and Simile.consumes the wood that breeds it: so diseases grow out of, and come from the body. There is a fight, and conflict betweene moysture and heate, till the one prey upon the other, and consume it. In regard of sickenesse therefore they are vile bodies.
In regard likewise of disposing the soule the worst way: for take all tempers of the body, they incline the soule to some sinne or other, to some ill disposition or other. Choller, inclines it to intemperate anger. Melancholy, to distrust, and darkenesse of spirit. The Sanguine, inclines it to liberty and loosenesse, &c. Phlegme, to deadnesse, and dulnesse of spirit. So our base bodies make the soule dull, it becomes an unfit instrument, whereby the soule cannot worke as it would; an unfit house; the body is oft times a darke house: sometimes a house that drops in with moist diseases, a house that lets in water, and so consumes it to rottennesse; sometimes, it is a house fired by hote diseases, it is thus indisposed, and therefore a vile body.
A vile body likewise, that when it is thus indisposed, there is no comfort in the earth duplicate page duplicate page that can comfort it: for all the foundation of comfort in this world, is the health of this poore body. A Kingdome, nay all the Kingdomes in the world will not comfort a man, if his body be not in tune, and alas, how soone is this body out of tune? An instrument that hath many strings, is soone subject to be out of tune, and there are many strings in the body: how many turnings? how many instruments doth the soule use? if any be out of tune, the musicke is hindred, it becomes an unfit instrument, in this regard it is a vile body.
In regard likewise of the necessities of nature this body is vile in this world. I speake not of what comes from the body, in which respect it is base and vile: but how many things doth this vile body stand in need of? man in that respect, is the basest creature in the world; he is b-holding to the wormes, he is beholding to nature to feed him in health, & in sickenes the body needs patching up, and piecing by this creature, and by that; so it is a vile body, in regard of the necessities of it, in health, in sickenesse, in youth, in age. It is vile in life. I need not stand on this.
It is more vile in death, in the houre of death, then it is base and vile indeed; can wee indure the sight of our dearest friends? how noysome is their presence after death? and the most exquisite temper, is the most vile, and noysome of all; those that are most delicately fed, and most beautifully faced, are most offensive, and this is the condition of all. That head that wore a Crowne, those hands that swayed a Scepter; those braines, and that understanding that ruled many Kingdomes, all are subject to death, yea, and to basenesse after death, as well as those that are poorer. And then they are vile bodies, because they are subject to all manner of deaths: the bodies of Gods Saints have beene cast out to the fowles of the Ayre; the poore Martyrs, how many wayes have they tasted of death? These bodyes are subject to all manner of deaths, to variety of deaths, therefore they are vile bodies.
And then they are vile after death; as wee were taken out of dust at the first, so we returne to dust againe; and if these bodies be not transformed to be like the glorious body of Christ, they are most vile of all. The spirit of despayre, the spirit of anger that, is in reprobate persons, how doth it disfigure their faces? one may see their shame, their griefe, their despayre in their very lookes; so their bodies are most vile, and dishonourable: but I speake of Gods Children. I say here in this world, in regard that they come of parents that are miserable and sinfull, Man that is borne of a woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery, Iob 14. 1. Man that is borne of a woman, of a weake, miserable, sinfull woman, Iohn 14. 1.in this respect it is a vile body. And in all the passages of our life, in respect of labour and paine, and sickenesses, and diseases; and likewise for indisposing the soule, that it is an instrument to ill: and in death it selfe, more vile then in life, and after death most of all vile. So you see they are vile bodies every way. To make some use of this.
If this be so, considering what the condition of our body is here; let this abate the pride of the greatest: let them consider, when they looke upon their gay apparell, what doth these garments hide? when great Magistrates, and others have their purple on, let them consider, what doth this glorious garment cover? nothing but dust, a vile body, why should wee be proud then of our bodies, or of any ornament of our body, seeing it is a vile body?
Againe, if our bodies be vile and base, why should wee spend the strength of our soules in searching to satisfie the lusts of so vile a body? and so make our soules nothing else almost, but stewards to proule how to content, how to cloath and how to feed this body? as it is the study of many idle, vaine persons, almost all the day long, to give contentment to the craving lusts of this vile body, they make even an idoll of this poore, base piece of flesh, and sacrifice the best of their thoughts, and the best of their studies, and indeavours, and labours to the contentment of it: certainly this is forgotten, which the Apostle saith here, It is a vile and base body.
Againe, is our body a vile body, a base body, as wee have it here? then let us not make it more vile by intemperate courses, as wicked persons doe, they dishonour their bodies. They are vile indeed, make the best of them we can, and they will end in dust; but we ought not sinfully to make them more vile and base, as many wretched persons doe by their loose and licencious courses of life.
Againe, if our bodies be vile base bodies, while we live here, let us not offend God for any thing to gratifie our vile bodies, let us doe as Ioseph did, when his mistris tempted him, he left his garment behind him rather: so when we are tempted to any sinne, let us rather leave our garments behind us, let us leave our bodies, they are but vile bodies, let us be stripped of them, rather then offend God. It is pittifull to consider how this vile body, as vile as it is, and shall be in death, how it tyrannizeth over the poore soule, and how men wound their soules for their bodies. How many are there that justifie errours that they condemne in their hearts, to live a lazy, idle, a full, a plentifull life? and how many doe condemne those things, those courses, and those truths, (to please others, and to live a large, and idle life) which they justifie in their very soules? and all to please the flesh. It is but a bad counsellor, a bad solicitor, I say it tyrannizeth over the poore soule. Let us not offend God or conscience, to breake the peace of it for any thing, to gratifie this vile flesh. This I thought good to touch concerning that. Who shall change our vile bodies. Change.
The action that Christ shall exercise about them is Change. Christ will Change our vile bodies. They are vile now, they shall not be alwayes so, but Christ will Change our vile bodies. He will not give us other bodies for them: but hee will change them in regard of quality. For even as the great world was the same after the flood, as it was before the flood, and shall be when it is consumed by fire, it shall be a new world for quality, but the same for substance: so this body of ours, it shall be the same after the resurrection for substance, that it is now: it shall be altered for quality, it shall not be changed for substance. Therefore he shall change, he shall not abolish our vile bodies. This is the action that our blessed Saviour will exercise upon these vile bodies, they shall be changed. Man is the most changable creature in the world, for soule and for body too.
Take him in his soule, how many states is he in? There is first the state of nature in perfection; and then the state of corruption in originall sinne; and then the state of grace in the new creature, and then the state of glory. So likewise he is changeable in his body, hee was first taken out of the dust, out of the dust God made this glorious creature of mans body; he is a painefull creature, in labour, in sicknes, and then from strength he is changed to old age, and from thence to death, and dust, and from dust then he is changed againe to a more glorious estate then ever he was in: the body is made like the glorious body of Christ, hee is changeable in soule and in body.
But this is our comfort, we shall change for the best, all the changes of our bodyes serve for the last change, after which, there shall never bee any more change, when they are changed once to be glorious, they shall be for ever glorious: a blessed change, a blessed estate of a christian, all his changes tend to a state that shall never change: for after these bodies are once changed from base, to bee glorious, they shall be for ever glorious,
Who
The person that shall change them is Christ, …ho, who shall change our vile bodyes. In the person, wee may consider the object and the action: Christ shall change our vile bodyes, hee that made us will make us againe, hee that is the Image of God will refine us, he will renew us in body and soule to be like God, to be like himselfe, and he that changeth our soules in this world, will change our bodyes in the world to come. His first comming was to change our soules, to deliver them from the bondage of Satan; his second comming shall be to deliver our bodies from the bondage of Corruption, that is, the day of the Redemption of our bodies, as the Apostle cals it, Rom. 8. So it is hee that shall change, but of this I shall speake more afterward.
What is the patterne, according to which this body shall be changed, by this author of it, Christ Jesus? His own body; he shall change our vile bodies. That it may be made like, or fashioned … his glorious body.
He is both the c…se and the pa…e the efficient, and the exemp… cause. He is the patterne, our bodyes shall be like his glorious body, even as our …oules are like Christs … for this is certaine, wee are renewed in grace, not to the Image of the first Adam, but to the Image of the second Adam, we are conformed in soule to the Image of Christ in …nesse, and righteousnesse: so likewise in the body, we shall be conformable to the body of Christ, the second Adam: As we bare the Image of the first Adam in our first creation; so wee must beare the Image of the second in our … tion, at the day of the resurrection. The glorious body of Christ is the patterne of this transmutation and change.
But we most understand this, as I said, … regard of quality, and not in regard of equality: our body shall be like his glorious body, not equall to his glorious body. There must bee a reservation therefore of difference in heaven, betweene the head and the members, the husband and the spouse, our bodyes shall bee like his glorious body, not equall to it. To our capacity wee shall have full satisfaction, and contentment for body and soule too, and they shall have security to be in that estate for ever, therefore, though there be a difference of glory, yet that difference is no prejudice to the glory wee shall have, we shall have that that is fit for us, Our body shall bee made like unto his glorious body. Christ is our patterne.
Whence we see this point of Divinity cleare to us, that
Whatsoever is in us, both for soule and body, (but here wee speake of the body) whatsoever excellency is in us, it is at the second hand.
It is first in our head, first in Christ, and then in us, He is first the Sonne of God by nature, wee are the Sonnes of God by Adoption: hee is the predestinated Sonne of God to save us, to be our head, we are predestinate to be his members; he is the sonne of Gods love, wee are beloved in him, hee is full of grace, of his fulnesse we recieve grace for grace; hee rose, and we shall rise, because hee rose first: Hee ascended into Heaven, by vertue of his ascention, wee shall ascend into heaven too. Hee sits at the right hand of God inglory, and by vertue of his sitting, we sit there together with him in heavenly places. Whatsoever is graciously, or glo riously good that is in us, it is first in our blessed and glorious Saviour.
Therefore let us looke to him, and be thankfull to God for him: when we thanke God for our selves, let us thanke God first for giving Christ who is the patterne to whom wee are conformed. Let us give thanks for him, as S. Peter doth, Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ: if he had not bin his Father, hee had not bin ours. Wee cannot stand before God of our selves, but in one that is perfect in himselfe, God-Man. Therefore when we blesse God for grace, and glory that belongs to us, let us blesse him for giving Christ, that in him we are happy, he conformes us in grace here, and in glory hereafter, in body and soule to our glorious Saviour.
And as it is a ground of thankfulnesse to God for Christ, so it yeelds us a rule for meditation: when we would thinke of any thing in our selves, let us goe to our head, to Christ, in whom we have all we have, and that wee hope to have: of his fulnes we receive, not only grace for grace, but glory for glory: of all the glory he hath, we have answerable to him; and surely it is a transforming meditation, to think of Christs glory, and to see our selves in him, to thinke of grace in Christ, and of our interest in grace in him, we must not thinke of him as an abstracted head, severed from us, but thinke of his glory, and our glory in him and by him, he is glorious, and we shall be glorious likewise.
Againe you see here, that how soever our bodyes are vile for the present, yet they shall not be so for ever, they shall be glorious bodyes, like to CHRISTS Body; the point then is that,
As Christ is the patterne of the glory of our body, so our body undoubtedly shall bee glorious as his body is.
This vile body shall bee glorious, even like Christs glorious Body. I need not stand to proveit, I proved it before. What should this affoord us? Then …let us use them to a glorious end, let us not use these base bodyes to base purposes. Let every member of this vile body, while we live here, bee a weapon of a sanctified soule, a weapon of righteousnesse, ready to doe good. Let us put honour upon these bodyes, that shall be thus honoured, let us use them for honourable purposes. Let us lift up our eyes to Heaven, let us reach forth our hands to good workes: let our feet that have carried us to ill heretofore, carry us to the service of God; for these very vile Bodyes, shall bee glorious bodyes. The very same eyes that have bin lift up to God in prayer, those very hands that now are instruments of good workes, those very knees that are humbled to God in prayer, and those feet that have carried us to holy exercises, and those spirits that are wasted and spent in holy meditation, even these, this vile body, that is thus holily used, shall be a glorious body, therfore let us use it answerably.
And labour to lay it downe with honour in the dust, to leave it with a good report to the world, considering it shall be so glorious afterward. Doe those thinke of this, that use their bodyes for base purposes? whose eyes are full of Adultery, whose hands are full of rapine, whose feet carry them to base places, where they defile themselves, whose bodyes, every member is a weapon and instrument of sinning against God? How can these dare to thinke of that glorious day, wherein our vile bodyes shal be made like the glorious body of Christ, can they hope that those hands, and those feet of that body, shall be made glorious, that have bin defiled? that have bin instruments to make others likewise sinne? can such a body looke for glory? let us not deceive our selves; this vile body indeed shall be a glorious body. I but it must bee used accordingly, unlesse wee have a presumptuous hope.
This body shall bee glorious, this very vile body, this corruptible shall put on incorruption, the same body, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 15. I believe the resurrection of this body, as we say in the Creed. S. Paul pointed to his own body, this body, this mortall shall put on immortality.
If this body shall be glorious, how base soever it be in this world, then againe let us honour poore Christians, though we see them vile and base; and honour aged Christians, and deformed: alas, looke not on them as they are, but as they shall be, as they are in the decree of Christ, and as they shall bee ere long by the power of Christ, hee will make them like his glorious body. Let us not despise weake, or old, or deformed persons, these vile bodies shall be glorious: those that died in martyrdome, whose bodies were cast into the fire, and cast to wild beasts, &c. they shall be glorious bodyes. The Emperour Constantine wold kisse the very holes of the eyes of those that had their eyes pulled out, that had bin martyrd: So even our vile bodyes, when they are used in the service of God, in suffering, they shall bee glorious bodyes, let us honour our bodyes, or theirs that suffer for Christ. S. Paul made it his plea, and a ground of his confidence, because his body was vile for Christ. I Paul a prisoner of Iesus Christ, and I carry in my body the marks of the Lord Iesus. The dying of Christ, that the life of Christ might bee manifest. He carried Christs marks in his body: making this an argument of respect, that he was a prisoner: so when any are abased for Christs sake, let us think these are such as shall have glorious bodies, how ere they are esteemed of the world. But to enlarge the point a little further, these bodyes shall be made like the body of Christ.
Wherein shall this Glory of our bodyes Quest.consist?
Especially in these six indowmēts, our bodies Answer.be now vile, and perhaps imperfect, they want a member, a sence or a limbe, our bodyes then shall be perfect, even as Christs body is. Those martyrs that have bin dismembred, shall then have perfect bodyes. Let us not bee asrayd to lose a limbe, or a joynt, for Christ, or a good cause, if our bodyes bee made vile for Christ, they shall be made perfect afterward.
Then again, our Bodyes then shall be beautiful Adam in his innocency had such a beauty in his body, that the very creatures reverenced him, he was awfull to the very creatures: so the body of our blessed Saviour, now in heaven, is wondrous beautifull, and so shall our bodyes be, how deformed soever they be now. Let us not stand therefore upon any present deformity of our bodyes now, with yeares▪ or sicknesse, or other meanes, they shall not alway be so, we shall have beautifull bodyes.
Nay more then so, the third indowment is, we shall have glorious bodyes: as we see Christ in the mount, when hee was transfigured, and Moses, and Elias were with him, his body was glorious, they could hardly behold him. And Christ, in Revel. 1. he appeares, as the Sunne in his Revel. 1.full strength, his body is wondrous glorious now in Heaven, and so hee is represented there: If the very representation of him while he was upon earth, was so glorious in the mount, what is it in Heaven? S. Paul could not endure the light that shined to him. Act. 9. So shall our Act. 9.Bodies bee, like the glorious Body of Christ.
What a glorious time will it be, when the glorious body of Christ shall appeare, and all the Saints shall appeare in glory? what a reflexion of beauty and glory will there be, one shining upon another, when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints? Oh! the glory of the body of Gods children, it shall put downe all created glory, all the glory of the Sunne, and Moone, and all the glory of these inferiour bodies are nothing to the glory of the body of a Christian, that doth abase his body here for Christ, and the Churches sake. You see then these bodies shall be perfect, and beautifull, and glorious bodies in regard of the Iust…e of them.
And likewise in the fourth place, they shall be immortall bodies, bodies that shall never die, unchangeable bodies; there shall be no altoration, no death, no sicknesse, all teares shall be wiped from our eyes, they shall be immortall bodies that shall never die, as Saint Peter saith, Wee shall have an inheritance undefiled, immortall, &c. This is cleare, therefore I will not stand in the inlarging of it.
In the next place, our bodies shall be powerfull and vigorous: now they are weake, as Saint Paul saith, 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies are 1 Cor. 15.…wen in weakenesse, but then they shall be able to ascend and descend; they shall be strong, even as the body of Christ: wee shall have strong bodies, as all imperfection, so all weaknesse shall be taken away.
In the sixth place they shall be spirituall bodies, that is, they shall not stand in need of meat, and drinke, and sleepe, and refreshings, as now they doe, but Christ will be all in all to them, he will be instead of meat and drinke, & cloathes: yea, and in stead of the Ordinances that we stand in need of here, the Word, and Sacraments, he will be all in all. And our bodies shall be spirituall in another regard, because they shall be subject to the spirit; whereas now our very spirits are flesh, because the flesh rules and tyrannizeth over them: so our soules follow our bodies, the soule of a carnall man is flesh; but then out flesh, our bodies shall be spirituall, not that they shall be turned into spirits, that is not the meaning, but spirituall bodies; obedient and obsequious to the very guidance of the soule, to a sanctified and glorious soule: these shall be the indowments of our bodies. They shall be perfect bodies, beautifull, glorious, shining bodies, immortall, unchangeable bodies, powerfull, strong, and vigorous bodies, ready to moove from place to place, and spirituall bodies, they shall stand in need of no other helpe; and they shall be obedient altogether to the spirit. You see now, how these vile bodies draw away our soules; then all imperfections shall be taken away, wee shall have purged bodies, and purged soules. Thus you see wherein the glory of the body shall consist.
Let us therefore often seriously thinke of these things: and let me renew my former exhortation: let us be content to make our bodies here vile for Christs sake, that they may be thus glorious. Let us abase them in labour and paines in our calling, in suffering, we doe no more then he did for us first. Was not his body first vile, and then glorious? and doe we thinke that our bodies must not be vile before they be glorious? not onelyonly vile whether we will or no; but we must willingly make them vile, we must be willing to be disgraced for Christs sake, to carry his death about us, to die daily, in the resolution of our soules. How was he abased before he was glorious? hee tooke on him our bodies at the worst, not in the perfection as it was created: but hee tooke the body of man now fallen. Againe, what paines did hee take in this body? and how was he disgraced in this body? that sacred face was spit upon, those blessed hands and feet, were nayled to the Crosse, that blessed head, that is revere…ced of the Angels, it was crowned with thornes. How was his body every way, in all the parts of it, abased and made vile for us? he neglected his refreshings for us: it was meate and drinke to him to doe good. If he became vile for us, if he abased his body for us, certainely wee should be ashamed, if wee be not content that our bodies should be made vile for him, that afterwards they may be made like his glorious body. Away with these nice Christians, that are afraid of the wind blowing on them, or the Sunne shining upon them, that are afraid to doe any thing, or to suffer any thing, and so in sparing their bodies, destroy both body and soule. Consider, whoever thou art, this is not a life for thy body, this present life is a life for the soule: we come now to have the Image of God in our soules in this life especially, and to have in our soules the life of grace here; but the life and happinesse of our body, is for this second comming of Christ, the glory of the body, this life is not a time for the body; doe what wee can it will be a vile body; cherish it, set it out how thou canst, those painted sepulchres that would out-face age, and out-face death, and by colours and complexion, &c. hide those furrowes that age makes in the face, they are but vile, and age, and death will be too good for them, to dust they will. Why should we regard our bodies? this life is not for them, though we … dainty of them. Let us use this body here so, as it may be glorious in the world to come: we should suffer our soules to rule our bodies, and to doe all here, that both body and soule may be glorious after. For indeed all that the body hath here, it is beholding to the soule for, why therefore should it not be an instrument for the soule in holy things? doth not the soule quicken it? hath it not its beauty from the soule? when the soule is gone out of the body, where is the life? where is the beauty, where is any thing? the body is a loathsome carkasse. Now therefore while the soule is in this body, looke to the soule especially, that when the soule shall goe to heaven, the soule be mindfull of, and speake a good word for the body; as Pharaohs Butler did for Ioseph, that the soule there may thinke of the body, that it may thinke of the paines, of the suffering; as the soule doth, it hath an apetite in heaven, a desire to be joyned againe to the body, which it useth to labour in, to pray to God in, which it used to fast in, which it used as an instrument to good actions. Let us use it so here; that the soule may desire to meete it againe, that Christ at that day may bring body and soule together to be glorious for ever.
That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.
We see here then, that the best is to come; the best change, after which there shall be no change, is to come. The weakest is the first, and the second is better, the second Adam is better then the first, and the second life shall be better then the first; our bodies as they shall be glorious, shall be better then they were in the first creation: they shall be glorious bodies, like unto Christs. Oh! the comfort of a Christian, there is nothing that is behind, nothing to come, but it is for the better; there shall be a change, but it shall be a change for the better. A Christian is a person full of hope, he is under a glorious hope, under a hope of glory of soule and body, he is alway under hope, the hope of glory; therefore he joyes under this hope, Rom. 5. 1.
That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.Rom. 5. 1.
But how shall any Christian know, that his Quest.body shall be like to the glorious body of Christ?
I answer, hee may know it from this.
The change of a Christian begins in his Answer.soule: Christ begins the change of our soules to be like his, full of love, and obedience to God, full of pitty, and compassion to men, full of industry to doe good; our soules will be like Christs soule: first looke to thy soule, what stampe that beares, is there the Image of Christ on thy soule? certainely he that hath transformed this soule to be gracious, he will transforme the body to be glorious, like his glorious body. Looke to thy soule then; if thou art the child of God by adoption, if thou hast the spirit of adoption and grace, and findest peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy-Ghost; thou maist know thou shalt have the adoption of thy body, thou hast the first adoption, in thy soule, thou art the child of God; know that thou shalt have the second adoption spoken of, Rom. 8. Wee wayte for the adoption of our bodyes. If thou partake of the Rom. 8.first resurrection, that thy soule is raysed from sinne; thou shalt partake of the second resurrection, at the day of Judgement.
For Christ is a perfect Saviour, hee saves not onelyonly the soule, but the body, though hee begin with the soule, he ends with the body. He tooke our bodies as well as our soules, and hee will glorifie our bodies, as well as our soules; and if wee find the worke of grace, a Spirit of glory in our soules, undoubtedly wee may know that our bodyes shall be glorious.
Againe, thou maist know that thou shalt partake of this glorious estate, that thy body shall be like the glorious body of Christ, by the use that this body is put to; how doest thou use this vile body for the time thou livest now? dost thou use it to the base services of sinne? doest … beat thy braine, and thy breast, and thy spirits, doest thou take up thy time, and all to provide for the flesh? whither doth thy feet carry thee? what dost thou …eddle with in the world? are all thy members weapons of an unsanctified soule, to offend God, and to fight against thy soule? to cherrish lusts that fight against thy soule, and against thy Maker and Redeemer? then know this, that thou hast no hope of glory, He that hath this hope, purgeth himselfe, and is pure as hee is pure. This hope, where it is found, it is a purging, a cleansing hope, and all the members of the body will be used to a sanctified purpose: a man will not sacrilegiously use those members that are dedicated to Christ, that are Temples of the Holy-Ghost, that are fellow heires, as Saint Peter saith, concerning the wife, and the husband; the body is a fellow-heire with the soule of glory, he will not use it to the base services of sinne. Hee that shall have a glorious body, will esteeme so of it here. What, shall I use the Temple of the Holy-Ghost, that, that is a fellow-heire of heaven with my soule, that is the Spouse of Christ, a member of Christ, as well as my soule, shall I use it to these, and these base services? It cannot be, if a man have the new nature in him, he cannot, it will not suffer him to sinne in this manner, hee cannot prostitute his body to base services, those that doe so, how can they hope that their bodies should be glorious like unto Christs.
Saint Paul gives three Evidences in one place, to know our interest in this glory 2 Cor. 5. 1.of our bodies, in 2 Cor. 5. 1. saith hee, wee know that when this earthly house, or Tabernacle shall be disolved, wee have a building, &c. We know we have a glorious building, a double building, heaven and our bodies, wee have two glorious houses, heaven, and these bodies shall be a glorious house, But how doe we know this?
Saith he, in the second verse, we groane earnestly, desiring to be cloathed upon: there is a wondrous desire after this cloathing, Rom. 8. The creature groaneth, much more wee that have the first fruits of the Spirit. There will be a sighing for this glory, awayting for the blessed comming of Christ; for Christ to redeeme soule and body perfectly, that is the first signe, a desire and groaning earnestly.
In the fourth verse there is another evidence, He that hath wrought us for the same things i… God. He that hath wrought us for the blessed estate to come, is God: so, whosoever hopes for a house in heaven, when this Tabernacle is dissolved, he is wrought for it, that is, he is a new creature for it; God hath wrought his soule and body for it. God fits our soules here, to possesse a glorious body after, and hee will fit the body for a glorious soule, so both shall be glorious, a glorious soule, and a glorious body, he hath wrought us for the same. If a man therefore find the beginning of the new creature, that it is begun to be wrought in him, he may know that he shall partake of this glory of the body, because He is wrought for it.
The third is, Who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit, whosoever finds in them the Spirit of God, sanctifying their soules and bodies, stirring them up to holy duties, guiding, and leading, and mooving them to holy actions; they may from the sanctifying Spirit, that is an earnest to them, know what shall become of their bodies, Hee hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.
To confirme this, there is an excellent place in Ro. 8. 10: If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. If Christ bee in you the body is dead, &c. It is a vile body, it as good as dead, it hath the sentence of death already, it is dead, in regard it is sentenced to death for sinne, as a malefactor that hath his sentence: But the Spirit is life in regard of righteousnesse. What then? if the sanctifying Spirit of Christ dwell in you, Hee that raised Iesus from the dead, shall also quicken your mortall bodies. The same Spirit that sanctifies these soules of ours, our bodies, and quickens them to holy duties, the same Spirit shall raise our bodies. As the same Spirit that sanctified the blessed masse of the body of Christ, that he carryed, and raised his body, the same Spirit that sanctifies our soules, shall raise our bodies. The Spirit of God when hee hath begun to sanctifie us, he never leaves us, hee goes along in all changes, in life, in death, to the grave, (as God said to Iacob, I will be with thee there.) The Spirit of God, he will mold our dead bodies, and make them like the glorious body of Christ; the Spirit of God never leaves our soules or bodies. Therefore if wee find the earnest of the Spirit, if we find the worke of the Spirit, or the comfort of the Spirit, (which is the tearme the Scripture gives) Ioy in the Holy-Ghost and peace of conscience; together with the Spirit sanctifying us, especially in the time of trouble, when God sees his Children have most need, they have the earnest of the Spirit, the beginnings of grace and joy, the beginnings of heaven upon earth; by this they may know, as the first fruit is, so likewise is the harvest; as the earnest is, even so is the bargaine; as wee have it now in our soules, so we shall also have it in our bodies, and soules hereafter. These three grounds Saint Paul hath, why his hope of heaven was a good hope, wee groane for it, and wee are wrought for it; wee are fitted for it. There is no man can hope to be glorious in his body, but his soule must be fitted for it, it must be a fit jewell for so glorious a casket, a fit inhabitant for so glorious a Temple, as the body shall be, the body shall be fitted for the soule, and the soule for the body, they are wrought for it. And then hee hath given us the earnest of the Spirit. What need I quote further evidences the, Scripture being thus pregnant?
I beseech you often consider your desires, whether you be content to live here alway or no, to satisfie the vile lusts of your body, or whether you desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, when you have done the worke that God sent you for into the world: if wee be content to abase our selves for God here, who hath provided so much glory for us hereafter, and when the time comes, we can desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, it is a good signe, (if wee have the beginnings of the new creature, yee are wrought for it) that our soules are fitted for a glorious body, we have the earnest of the Spirit: the same Spirit that sanctifieth our soules, and that quickens our soules with joy and peace, the same Spirit shall raise our bodies. Comfort your selves you that are Christians (though you bee weake) with this, that if you have but the earnest of the Spirit, undoubtedly you shall have a glorious house instead of this tabernacle of dust.
Christ will change these vile bodies, that they shall be fashioned like his glorious body. I beseech you therefore oft thinke of this, think of the time to come, comfort your selves with▪ things to come. In 1 Thess. 4. Saint 1 Thess. 4.Paul would have us talke one to another often of this, this should be the matter of our conference, not onelyonly the state of the Church and our owne estate here, but how it shall be with us when we are gone hence, how it shall be with us world without end hereafter, we should conferre, and speake, and oft meditate and thinke of these things.
What can be grievous? what can be over burdensome to that soule that knowes it hath the pledge, and earnest of glory hereafter? How doth it quicken the soule to any indeavour, when once we know, that how soever we abase our selves here, yet we shall have glorious bodies hereafter. It will quicken us to any indeavour, to any thing for Christ: therefore let us oft thinke of our estate to come, let us set our thoughts foreward to the time to come: Let faith make the times to come present, and that will make us heavenly minded. What made Saint Paul converse as if he were in heaven? faith made the estate to come present, and hope, which is grounded on faith, it lookes to Christs comming, to change our vile bodies, so faith and hope, they make the soule looke upward, they make it heavenly minded.
Our soules are dull, and our bodies are dull in this world; but as Iron if it be touched with a Load stone, up it will; so if wee get faith, and hope to looke foreward, what shall be done to us for the time to come? the spirit of faith and hope if it touch the soule, will carry our dull bodies, and our dead soules upward.
Therefore let us cherish our faith and hope, by often meditation of the blessed estate to come, and thinke of these two things, of the excellent estate of our bodies and soules then: for if our bodies shall then be glorious like the body of Christ, our soules much more; the inhabitant, which is the speciall part, the soule shall be much more glorious. Let us thinke oft of this glory as it is described in the Word; it transcends our thoughts: wee cannot thinke high enough of it, and our interest, and assurance of it. And daily search our selves, whether our hope be good or no, that we have sound evidence, that our title is good to glory. Let us examine our selves by those signes I named before. Where are our desires? what worke hath the Spirit of God in us? how doe we use these bodies of ours? As we use them now, wee must looke they shall be used hereafter. Let our tongues be our glory now, and they shall be glor…ous tongues afterward to praise God in heaven: their bodies that have beene glorious here, shall be glorious in heaven. Wee may read our estate to come, by that we are here: those that carry themselves basely, and filthily, and dishonourably here, we may know what will become of them hereafter. Let us oft thinke of the estate to come, and of our interest in it; and both these together, the excellency of the estate, and our interest in it without deceiving of our soules, what life will it put into all our carriage? what will be grievous to us in this world, when our soules are thus settled? Oh, let us spend a few dayes fruitfully and painfully here amongst men, and doe all the good we can, and use these bodies of ours to all the happy, and blessed services we can; why? wee shall have glory more then we can imagine.
Let it comfort us in the houre of death, what death soever we die, or are designed to. Now you know the sickenesse is abroad, and alas those bodies especially are vile bodies that are under the visitation; so then, that their dearest friends, dare not come neare them: yet let this comfort us; they are vile bodies for a time, put case wee die the death that may hinder the comforts of this life. Those that die in much honour and pompe, and have their bodies imbalmed, doe all what they can with the body, it will come to dust and rottennesse; it will be vile in death, or after death, at one time or other, and those that die never so vile and violent a death for Gods sake; those that die of this base death, that they are deprived of much comfort; yet let it comfort them, Christ will transforme their vile bodies to be glorious.
They talke much of the Philosophers stone, that it will change metals into gold, here is the true Stone, that will change our vile bodies to be glorious. Let us die never so base or violent a death, let us comfort our selves in our owne death, if it be thus with us, and in the death of our friends, these vile bodies, when they are most vile in death, they shall be made like the glorious bodie of Christ. Let us oft thinke of these things.
FINIS.
BALAAMS VVISH. In one Funerall Sermon upon NVMB. 23. 10.
BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine, RICH. SIBBS: Doctor in Divinity, Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE.
PRO. 13. 4.
The soule of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing.
LONDON, Printed by E. Purslow, for N. Bourne, at the Royall Exchange, and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley, in Pater-Noster-Row. 1639.