Exposition of Philippians 3, Part 50
VERS. 21. Who shall change our vile bodie.
THe words are plaine, and shall need no exposition: therefore wee will briefly come to the doctrines.
And first, we may observe hence That our bodies are base: and thus are the bodies not onelyonly of wicked prophane men,Doctr. 1. but of the servants and dearest children of God, all are vile, and that in these respects.
First, in life our originall is base, wee are dust, and to dust wee must returne, and our continuance is full of change, subject to diversitie of estates, sicknesse, health, paine, ease, hunger, fulnesse. And base wee are, because wee are upheld by inferiour creatures. We enter into the world by one way, but goe out by divers deaths, some violent, some more naturall, and by divers sicknesses lothsome to the eyes, to the nosthrils, and especially when wee are nearest our end, when as our countenance is pale, our members tremble, all our beautie is gone. But after wee are departed, so lothsome is this our carcasse, it must bee had out of sight: yea though it bee the body of the Patriarch Abraham, Gen. 23.4. For as the bodie of man is the best temper, so the corruption thereof is the most vile, the best countenances of the greatest personages are the most ugly gastly objects of all others, by so much the more, by how much they were the more excellent, so much the greater is their change. And yet are wee not to conceive of this bodie, so as though there were no glorie belonging to it: for first, its Gods workmanship, therefore excellent, and so excellent, as the heathen man Galen being stricken into admiration at the admirable frame thereof, breakes out into a hymne in praise of the maker. And David could not expresse it, but sayes, I am wonderfully made. God made this his last worke, as an Epitomie of all the rest.
Secondly, we are told that we owe glorie to our bodies: and therefore we are bidden that wee should not wrong our bodies, and the Scripture speakes infamously of selfe-murtherers, as of Iudas, Saul, Achitophel, they are branded with a note of shame and reproach. And God to shew the respect we owe to our bodies, hath provided to every sense pleasing recreations, as flowers for the smell, light for the eyes, musicke for the eare, to be briefe, hee made all things for the bodily use of man.
Thirdly, these bodies of ours are members of Christ, redeemed and sanctified Temples of the holy Ghost, as well as our soules: And therefore we must take heed when wee read of the base termes that are given to the bodie, that we doe not mistake. For it is true, in regard it keepes the soule from heaven, it is the grave of the soule, but indeed it is the house, the temple and instrument of the soule, but being misused it proves an unto ward darke house, an unweldie instrument.
Wee are to take heed therefore, of the error of those who afflict it by writing and declaiming against it, or by whipping of it, when alasse it is the sinne of the soule, the unruly lusts and affections that are the causes of all rebellions in us, and if the body doth rebell, as often it doth come to passe since the fall, this proceeds from the corruption of the soule, yeelding to the bodie ayde to serve the lusts, and God hath appointed a religious abstinence as a meanes to tame such lusts and weaken them, which it were to be wished were used oftener than it is.
But it will be said,Quest. are the bodies of Christians base, for whom Christ shed his most precious bloud?
I answer, while we live here we are in no better condition than others,Answ. as concerning our bodies. Hezekiah is sicke, Lazarus hath his sores, David and Iob troubled with lothsome diseases, and thus its fitting it should fare with us.
For first, Christ laid us this example, he tooke our base ragged nature on him, hee hungred and thirsted, was pained, and death had a little power over him, and shall we desire a better estate than our master, our head had? or doe we ever thinke to partake with him in happinesse, that will not partake with him in his mean estate? the decree of God is, that to dust wee must, as all the rest of our fellow Saints and servants shall.
Secondly, hereby God doth exercise our faith and hope: causing us to looke and expect a better resurrection, and by this meanes are our desires edged to a better life, for else would we set up our rest here, and make this our Paradise.
Thirdly, as yet there is sinne in us, from the danger whereof though wee be deliuered, yet there is a corruption that remaineth behinde in us, and by this hee will teach us the contagion of sinne, and teach us to see how the divell hath deceived us, by the effects thereof bringing paine, torment, and lothsomnesse.
Forthly, it shewes Gods wisedome in vanquishing sinne by death, which is the childe of sinne, for by it shall we be purged from sinne, from corruption both of bodie and minde, and thus is our base estate made a way to our excellent estate hereafter.
Wee must therefore moderate our affections to the best things of this life: health is changeable and will not continue, beautie is a flower of a stalke, the flower quickly fades away and perisheth, the stalke that is more base continues longest, flesh is grasse either cut downe by violent deart, or if by age, the longer it lives the baser it is, and increases continually therein till death, when as it is most base.
It is therefore foolish for any to swell because of beautie or strength, which at the best, are but curious excellencies of a base bodie: and farre more sottish are they, that thinke to resist old age and Gods decree, by trimming up and painting a withered stocke, this is not the way to conquer vilenesse. But if we will be rid thereof, labour for the meat that perisheth not, Ioh. 6.27. But that which maketh us indure to everlasting life, is with Marie to chuse the better part, that shall not be taken away: meat for the belly, and the belly for meate, but God shall destroy both the one and the other.
And let this be as a cooler, to quench the base wild-fire of love, and con…ider what is it wee so affect, its but beautifull dust, a painted sepulchre, a body that after death will bee vilenesse it selfe, that while it breathes its full of rottennesse, the matter of wormes, supported it may be, by a carrion soule, that whether it willeth or nilleth, must leave it and goe into a farre worse place.
And contrarily, in the last place, it should teach us to be at a point, cheerefully to honour God by sacrificing our selves to him when hee calles for us: count it no shame with David to be vile in the eyes of men for Gods cause, if the worst could be imagined (which cannot be) we had as good perish with usage aswith rust. But this is the onelyonly way to be glorious, to avoid vilenesse, even to sacrifice our bodies and all in a good cause: what though the world esteem vilely of us, as good for nothing but the shambles, Rom. 8.36. shall wee feare them? no, feare him that can destroy both body and soule: its better to goe to heaven without a limbe, than to goe to hell with a sound healthfull bodie, therefore men temptation of the world doe begin to provoke thee, say to thy flesh with Bernard, stay thy time: (the time is not yet to be happie.)
And therefore conclude, our soule is but a stranger here, wee must entertaine it well into this house of our bodie: its but a guest, use it not basely, its no ill guest, it gives us sight, taste, speech, motion, when it goes away, our body duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page is but a dumbe, dull, base lumpe of earth. Nay, when it is gone whilst the body is in the ground the soule having a most vehement and earnest desire to be knit to it again, puts God continually in minde of raising it up at the last day of the generall resurrection, and of glorifying it in a holy, eternall, and happy estate.
Secondly, out of the words wee may observe; That these vile bodies of ours shall bee changed: this we receive as anarticle of our faith, and yet were it beleeved truely as it ought, it would worke a strange alteration in the mindes and manners of men, contrary to that they are now, and howsoever it is not imbraced, yet it remaines a grounded truth, that these bodies of ours sowne in corruption, shall rise incorruptible, 1 Cor. 1.15. It was foretold in way of consequence in Paradice, for the head of the serpent could not bee broken but by conquering death, which is the last enemie: it was figured out unto us in Aarons dead seare rod that budded, and Ionahs deliverance out of the bellie of the fish, where he had beene 3. dayes and three nights. It was beleeved of all the fathers, Heb. 12. And for securitie before the floud Enoch, and after the floud Elias, were taken up in their bodies.
And besides, it is not contrarie to reason, (I doe not say that reason can reach unto it) for Christ he is alive still, the dust whereof we are made, and whether we goe is preserved, it is not annihilated, and why cannot Christ raise a body out of the dust, as at the first make it out of dust? why should he not be as able to quicken dust now as at the first? and especially, seeing the soule is reserved in heaven to this end, till the day of his second comming.
Nay it is not contrarie to the course of nature: we see every yeere summer comes out of winter, day out of night, youth out of infancie, mans age out of youth: And the Apostle in the Corinthians, Thou foole, the corne is not quickned, except it die: nay wee see what strange changes are dayly wrought by Art, and shall wee thinke Gods almighty power cannot worke farre more strange effects?
The use therefore,Vse. is to instruct us if we beleeve that Christ shall change these vile bodies, Then sure the same bodies shall rise that died, for change is of qualities, it abolisheth not substances: and therfore Iobs confidence herein is remarkable, Iob. 19. Whom I shall see for my selfe, and mine eyes shall behold, speaking of Christ, so is it, 2 Cor. 15.53. This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortall must put on immortalitie, and the ancient Creeds had, credore surrectionem carnis hujus.
Secondly, its very unequall that one body should honour or defile it selfe, and another bodie should be honoured or damned: its comfortable therefore to us that love our bodies and honor them, that they shall rise againe, and wee shall injoy them for ever.
Thirdly, Christ our surety hee raised the same body that was crucified, and therefore the same bodies here that fulfill the measure of the sufferings of Christ here, shall partake of his fulnesse in glorie.
A second use is for comfort; is this a life of changes, let it not daunt us, but know they are all to end in glorie, and they all tend to bring us thither, we ever change for the better, and the last change of all is the best of all, and therefore let us indure these changes with a light heart.
In the third place, who is the Authour of this change in us, the Text saith that Christ shall change us, Iob. 6.39. and 40. I will raise them up at the last day, saith Christ of those that know him and beleeve on him: Hee is furthermore our head, now wee know the body must be conformable to the head, if it bee crowned the body is crowned: and therefore (Rom. 8.11.) the Apostle saith, that if the spirit dwell in us that did dwell in him, the spirit that raised him up, will raise us up also.
Thirdly, Christ is a whole Saviour, he therefore will raise up our bodies as well our soules, for he is the Saviour of both, he hath delivered both from hell, hee will raise up both to heaven.
Fourthly, he is the second Adam, as wee did beare the image of the first Adam in corruption, so must we beare the image of the second Adam in glorie.
Fifthly, hee is the seed of the wowan: that must breake the serpents head, and therefore hee must worke this change.
Sixthly, Christ changed his owne bodie, being burthened with all our sinnes, and therefore as an exemplarie cause, shall much more raise us up, for sinne being once overcome, which is the sting of death, what can keepe us in the grave?
Let this strengthen our faith, Vse. 1.in the consideration that wee have such a strong Saviour, that nothing shall bee able to separate us from his love, nor to take us out of his hande.
Secondly,Vse. 2. make it a ground how to direct us how to honour our bodies, not making them instruments of sinne against him, but so to use them, that we may with comfort and joy expect and desire his comming, to change these our vile bodies.
Thirdly,Vse. 3. let us labour to assure our selves of our parts in this change, in this resurrection. This we shall know if we finde Christs spirit in us, the same spirit that raised up him, if it bee in us, will raise us up also. Rom. 8. for the first resurrection is an argument of the second, and he that findes his understanding in lightned, his will pliable, his affections set upon right objects, will easily beleeve the second resurrection of his bodie.
Secondly, if wee hope for this change, and so hope that we are stirred up thereby to fit our selves for it, to cleanse our selves.
Thirdly, if wee grow in grace, 2 Pet. 1.11. it is a si…ne that wee have an entrance into Christs kingdome, for God doth ever honour growth, with assurance of a blessed estate.
Fourthly, this should comfort us in time of death, considering wee lose nothing but basenesse, and our bodies are but sowne in the earth, and this depositum which God committeth to the fire, ayre, earth, and the water, they must render up againe pure and changed by Christ, and therefore it was a foolish conceipt of the heathen, to burne the Martyrs bodies, and to cast their ashes into the water, thereby to put them out of hope of their resurrection, not knowing God is as able to raise them out of fire and water, as out of earth.
Fifthly, this ought to administer comfort to us at the death and departure of our friends out of this life, knowing that they are not lost, that the earth is but a house, and a hiding place for them to sleepe in, and that at length God will not forget to raise them up, with the residue of his Saints, hee will change them, and make them like his glorious bodie, and this was the use made by the Apostle, 1 Thes. 4.18.
And lastly, pray to God to teach us to number our dayes, so as we may apply our hearts to wisedome. But when is the time of this blessed change? It is not laid downe, onelyonly it is implyed by the word (Shall) that the time is to come, but out of all question it is meant at the last day and not before.
First, because all are to bee gathered together, even those that were baried 4000. yeers agone, must stay till the number bee fulfilled, and it will make for Gods glorie that we should all meet together to attend on him, with multitude of Angels, so as they cannot be perfected without or before us, and wee shall not prevent those that are asleepe.
Secondly, it is for the comfort of Christians that are weake, that the Martyrs and constant professors of Christ, should be pledges of their rising, who continually cry, how long Lord?
Thirdly, God wils that things should now bee carried as in a cloud: and that the last day should bee a day of revelation, which could not be,Vse. if before there should be this change.
For use, this must teach us to desire that day, and pray for the hastening thereof▪ till when, the soules in heaven are not perfectly happy, for all must be brought in, before they can be made perfect: and therefore they desire and hope for, and pray for to be united to those bodies again, that they lived withall, and so deerely loved.
But who are these that shall be thus changed? The Text saith, our bodies, that is our bodies that have had our conversation in heaven: and therefore those that have had no part in the first resurrection, they shall have no p…rt in the second: the Baker and Butler of Pharaoh all shall arise and be lifted out of prison, but some to the resurrection of life, and others to the resurrection of condemnation: But to proceed.