A Soul-Searching Catechism, Catechism 1 · Part 8
Of the Reſurrection and last Judgement.
Q. WHether ſhall th…re be a Reſurrection of the Body?
A. Yes, John 5.28. All that are in the graves ſhall hear his voice, and ſhall come forth, ſome to the Reſurrection of life, and ſome to the Reſurrection of eternal damnation, Acts 24.15.
Q. What Body ſhall riſe again? the ſame, or another?
A. The ſame body in number, though with more glorious qualities; as the ſame ſeed that is ſown groweth again, 1 Cor. 15.36. So that the godly when they riſe again ſhall ſee God, not with other, but with theſe ſame eyes, Job 19.25, 26, 27. He means the eyes of his body, becauſe he ſaith, I, and I my ſelf, and not a ſtranger; and becauſe he mentions his skin, fleſh, and the ſame eyes he then had: It is juſt, that Jobs eyes that had wept tears, and Pauls body that bore brands or markes of the Lord Jeſus, Gal. 6.17. ſhould be rewarded, and not a new made body or new eyes, 1 Cor. 15.42. The Apoſtle pointing at his own body, ſaith, This corruptible ſhall put on incorruption, and this mortal ſhall put on immortality, John 2.19. Deſtroy this Temple, and I will raiſe it up; meaning the Temple of his body. See alſo, Rom. 8.11. John 11.24.
Q. How doth it appear that the bodies of Saints ſhall riſe the ſame bodies, but with new qualities?
A. The Apoſtle makes it appear by a plain ſimilitude, 1 Cor. 15.35, 37. of a wheat-corn caſt into the earth, which being rotten comes forth, not naked hard, dry, & without life, as it was ſown; nor rotten, as it was in the earth; but keeping the ſame ſubſtance and kind, it comes forth with new qualities of ears, husk & ſtalk, being living and full of juice; ſo the ſame body in number ſhall riſe again, but with more glorious qualities.
Q. What are thoſe glorious qualities our bodies ſhall riſe with?
A. They are theſe,
1. Incorruptibility, they ſhall not dye any more, Mat. 22.30.
2. Gloriouſneſs, they ſhall ſhine like the glorious body of Chriſt, Phil. 3.21.
3. Powerfulneſs, it ſhall be raiſed in power, able to move whither it will, 1 Cor. 15.43. 1 Theſ. 4.16.17.
4. Spirituality 1 Cor. 15.44. not onelyonly becauſe it ſhall not need meat, drink, or apparel; but alſo becauſe it ſhall be like a ſpirit in the nimbleneſs of its motion, 1 Theſ. 4.17.
Q. What follows the reſurrection?
A. The laſt and general Judgement, John 6.39. I will raiſe him up at the laſt day.
Q. Who ſhall be judged?
A. All perſons ſhall come to judgement: the godly having their ſins forgiven them, ſhall come to a judgement of tryal, 2 Cor. 5.10. Mat. 12.38. but the wicked unto a judgement of condemnation, Iohn 5.28.
Q. Who ſhall be the Judge?
A. Although the Trinity ſhall judge, yet the Exerciſe and Adminiſtration of it is committed to the Son, John 5.22, 27. Acts 10.42. & 17.31. He is moſt fit to be Judge; for as God he knows the ſecrets of all hearts, and he is fit to ſpeak to man, as being man.
Q. What are the rules Chriſt will proceed by in judgement?
A. Such as never had the Scriptures, ſhall be judged by the Law writ in their hearts, they not having walked ſutably thereto, Rom. 2.13. and thoſe that have had onelyonly the old Teſtament, ſhall be judged out of that, Iohn 5.45. and thoſe that have had the whole word, ſhall be judged out of it, Rom. 2.16.
Q. What will Ieſus Chriſt do after he is ſet in judgement?
A. All ſhall be called forth, and the ſheep evidencing their faith in Chriſt, not onelyonly by their words. Mat. 12.38. but alſo by their works, Mat. 25.35. ſhall receive the bleſſed ſentence of abſolution: Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you; but the Goats having neither faith nor fruits, Matth. 25.42, 43. ſhall be ſo ſtraitly reckoned with, that they ſhall be called to an account for every ungodly ſpeech. Matth. 12.37. Jude 15. and ſo ſhall receive that dreadfull ſentence, Depart ye curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.
Q. But ſeeing there are ſome wretched men that deny the Scriptures, how ſhall I know the Scriptures to be Gods Word?
A. There are many grounds to ſway the Conſcience to belief of them, as,
1. The Witneſs of Gods Spirit which is promiſed to be given to all the Elect, together with the word, Iſa. 59.21.
2. As natural bodies declare what they are; as Sun, Moon, Stars, Fire, Water, Gold, Silver, Hony; ſo doth the word, Pſal. 19.7, 8, 9, no book, but breaths out holineſs to the Lord, no Chapter hardly, but takes off our hearts from the World; it ſets forth his infinite mercy to his Saints, and infinite juſtice to the wicked. The Scripture is like the light which not onelyonly ſhews other things, but it ſelf.
3. The agreement of the Scriptures one part with another, though the writers lived remote one from another, and in ſeveral ages of the World. How could they have ſo agreed, were they not written by one Spirit? Seeing two Hiſtorians, if they write of any time or occurrence, through ignorance, partiality, and forgetfulneſs, they will contradict each other, if they be onelyonly humane writers; beſides, for the old Teſtament we have the Jews, the uttereſt enemies of Chriſtianity, witneſſing it; and, and for the new, it doth harmoniouſly agree with the old.
4. The impartiality of the pen-men; they ſpeak impartially to all, to Princes as well as beggers. David ſpeaks of his own murther, Pſal. 51.14. Moſes tells of the faults of his own Granfather Levi, Gen. 49.5, 7. whereas men naturally raiſe up their Anceſtors to the higheſt. Paul ſets forth his blaſphemy and perſecution, 1 Tim. 1.13.
5. By the end at which they aime: had theſe Pen-men wrote as men, they would have lifted up themſelves; but every book throws down man as low as hell, and exalts God with the higheſt excellence, Iſa. 40.15, 16. and gives the glory of all to God, 1 Cor. 15.10.
6. By the ſubject matter of the Scriptures. Hardly any writings of men, but ſome luſts are ſcattered up and down, of pride, vain-glory: But in the Scriptures every word is pure, Prov. 30.5. more then ſilver ſeven times purified, Pſalme 12.6, 7. had men writ it, they would never have tyed themſelves to ſuch ſtrict points.
7. There are many things in the Scripture that could never have proceeded from the brain of man; for example, that in one eſſence or being, the Father, Son, and Spirit ſhould ſubſiſt, that our bodies turned to duſt ſhould riſe again the in ſame number, though with more glorious qualities; ſo the incarnation of Chriſt by a Virgin, for the appeaſing the juſtice of God. So, that all things which befall a Chriſtian ſhall work together for his good, in reference to Salvation. If theſe and many other things could not enter into his brain, much leſs could they proceed from his pen.
8. The powerful effects the Scriptures have upon the Conſcience, prove them to be of God; for example, they melt the heart in in reading them, 2 Reg. 22.19. they ſtrike a terrour into the hearts of the ungodly. No writings of men can ſo awe the hearts of men, as theſe, Pſal. 119.11. they over-power the will. One verſe of ſelf-denial will make a man part with all his Eſtate, Friends, and Life, and what not? they work a wonderful change in many perſons, that they are not the ſame they were; yea, they quicken dead hearts, and revive the dejected, Pſalme 119.49, 50. Heb. 4.12.
9. The books themſelves bear witneſs, they are from God. In moſt books of Scriptures, in the entrance of them, the names of the pen-men, together with the Author of the word, are expreſſed: See Jer. 1.1. Ezek. 1.3. Hoſ. 1.1. Ioel 1.1. &c.
But you will ſay, its poſſible for falſe writings to have ſuch Titles prefixt.
A. True, the name is not enough, were there nothing elſe; but this being joyned with other ſigns, is of great force. Shall we believe Ariſtotles or Plato's works to be their works, when they have their names affixt thereto, and ſhall we not believe the Scriptures to be of them whoſe Title they bear, that is the word of God by ſuch and ſuch a writer?
10. The death and ſufferings of the Martyrs who have given their lives to ſeal the truth, proves them to be of God, Revel. 6.9. & 20.4. Where do we ever find any to dye, to defend the opinions of Plato, or the dreams of Mahomet?
11. Satans malice proves it; he never tempts us to unbeliefe of any writings, ſave theſe.
12. The fulfilling of the Prophecies proves them to be of God, Iſaiah, chap. 44.28. named Cyrus to be the deliverer of Gods people an hundred and ſixty yeers before Cyrus was born. Jeremiah ſet the bounds of ſeventy yeers to the Babyloniſh Captivity. Daniel lived onelyonly in the two firſt Monarchies, the Caldean and Perſian yet he propheſies of the Grecian and Roman Monarchies. So, that Iſrael ſhould be in Egypt four hundred yeers, and then come out; ſo that he that ſhould build Jericho, ſhould lay the foundation of it in his eldeſt ſon, Joſ. 6.26. compared with 1 Kin. 16.34. Paul propheſied of Doctrines forbidding Marriage and meates, 1 Tim. 4.1. And now its come to paſs in the Papacy. Jacob, Gen. 49. ſpeaks of all the portions his Children ſhould have, aſſigning to one the Corn-Countrey, to others the Sea, to others the vine-grounds, as they were after divided by lot certain hundred yeers after: how could he come to the knowledge thereof, but by him that over-rules all lots? ſure they could not be ſuggeſted by any but God, who knew what he would do. The ſeeing ſo many of the Prophecies to be fulfilled, may aſſure us alſo, that the reſt ſhall be fulfilled, and conſequently that they are all of God.
13. Either the Scriptures muſt be of God, or of man: not of man, becauſe then they muſt be either of bad men or of good; not of bad men, for they would never have forbid evil ſo rigorouſly, nor command good ſo expreſly, nor aimed ſo at Gods glory; nor of good men, for they durſt not have belied God, nor take the glory ſo due to God (which is to rule in the Conſcience) unto themſelves: therefore muſt they needs be of God.
14. The wonderful preſervation of the Scriptures, notwithſtanding, Tyrants endeavour to aboliſh it, and Hereticks endeavour to corrupt it, yet it hath been kept pure in both the Originals: the two Tables writ by Gods own finger, were laid up in the Arke▪ Deut. 10.2. When Manaſſes and Ammon, that they might the better draw the people to Idolatry, had ſuppreſt the book of the Law; it pleaſed God in rhe dayes of Ioſiah, that it was found in the ruines of the Temple, 2 Chron. 34.14. Antiochus, 1 Mach. 1.56, 57. rent the book of the Law in peeces, and burnt it in the fire, and made it matter of death for a man to have a Teſtament by him. Diocleſian the perſecuting Emperor forbad the uſe of the Scriptures, and burnt them; yet were the Scriptures ſtill preſerved.
If An Argument from man were any thing material, I might adde, that the Iewiſh Bible, who are the uttereſt enemies of Chriſtianity, their old Teſtament agrees with ours, and for the truth of the Iewiſh Bible, they have teſtimony from the Samaritans, who were enemies to them, and an irreconciliable rent made betwixt them; yet in the Samaritan Bible (as ſome of the learned affirme) there is no difference at all to any purpoſe. Alſo the conſent of the godly Fathers and Chriſtians from Christ his time, who have from hand to hand delivered them to us, and enlightned them with their commentaries, whoſe commentaries we have to ſhew in every age, well-nigh from the Apoſtles time, ſome of whom confirmed the truth with their Lives and Liberty.