Good Things to Come, Part 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Containing the propoſing of ſome things to conſideration, touching the difference, and diſtinctions, that will be, between the raiſed ſaints, and the changed; (though in many things the ſame) in a likely way, at the coming of our Lord Chriſt, in the world to come: and that the reſurrection, and this changing, are not the ſame, but two diſtinct things.
THe miſtery ſhewed by the Apoſtle, touching the not dying, of the living ſaints, at the coming of our Lord Chriſt, but then changed in a moment, ſeemeth to be a very great thing; and to differ much from that, of the reſurrection from the dead: and likewiſe, that there will be a difference, betwixt the raiſed, and the changed; though in many things, the raiſed, and thoſe ſo changed, will be alike, and the ſame; which will the eaſier appear if we ſhall conſider the ſtate of man in paradiſe at his firſt creating; which ſeemeth, to be the very Image, and figure, of the ſtate and condition the living ſaints ſhall then be changed into, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye: with ſome bleſſed additions of ſtabilitie, immortality, and everlaſting life.
This miſtery, of not dying; but being, ſo changed, ſeemeth very much vailed and little minded; but as the ſame with the reſurrection of the dead; which the holy Apoſtle ſpeaketh of as another diſtinct thing: behold, I ſhew you a miſtery: after he had ſpoken largely of the reſurrection.
As there will be much of likeneſs and oneneſs between the raiſed and changed, ſo there will be much of difference, as may be gathered from what the Apoſtle hath declared; and it is likely much of the miſtery lyeth in that: I ſhew you, [ſayth the Apoſtle] a miſtery: we ſhall not all dye but be changed in a moment; of which we ſhall make inquirie. And firſt, of that, wherein the raiſed and the changed; will be the ſame, in their joynt attainers and enjoyments: and after we ſhall propoſe wherein they will diſſer.
1. They will agree, and be joyntly the ſame; in the time of their riſing and changing together: at the appearing of the Lord, at the ſounding of the trumpet of God, the dead will then be raiſed, and the living changed in a moment.
2. They ſhall be caught up, together in the clouds; and ſhall meet the Lord Chriſt together in the Air; being capacitated ſo to do.
3. They ſhall be with the Lord Chriſt, together, and never ſevered from him any more.
4. They ſhall be both rid of corruption and mortalitie, and ſhall be clothed with incorruption and immortality and life everlaſting.
5. They ſhall both enjoy the world to come, and the happyneſs of it; dwell in the new earth, live and reign wirh the Lord Chriſt, then and there for a thouſand years; and afterwards ſhall be with him, the whole time, whileſt the ſecond, and laſt ſeſſion of judgement is paſſing.
6. They ſhall; both; enjoy the great bleſſedneſs, of that happy day: and the good things which God hath prepared for them that love him; and wait for the Saviour. Which good things: the eye hath not ſeen, nor the ear heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive, 1. Cor. 2. 9.
7. They will: both: be without pain, ſorrow, or miſerie: and tears, will be wiped from their faces, and death, ſhall not meddle with them any more.
8. And to add no more, they ſhall both injoy the grace of the new covenant or teſtament: God to be their God and they his people, in an eminent manner, then: and the grace of the new covenant, to keep them in that bleſſed condition for evermore.
Theſe raiſed and changed, ſo, although in many things they agree, and be the ſame in their attainers and enjoyments; yet they differ in ſome things, and that very conſiderable; and are not one and the ſame in all things; as the miſtery which the Apoſtle ſhews: which he declares with a behold, after his treating of the reſurrection, and raiſing of them from death, ſomething plainly doth implie: behold, I ſhew you a miſtery, we ſhall not all dye but be changed; and that alive, or living: which we may take notice of in the firſt place. The different way of attaining that happy eſtate and great injoyments in the world to come; it is by dying and lying in the grave and riſing again; and ſo that way freed from corruption; and clothed with incorruption; and with glory, honor, and immortalitie, and eternal life: rich clothing indeed then.
But now, the changed: in a moment: alive without dying: it is clearly another way: living being alive without dying: they ſhall be ſo changed; as to put off, or to be rid of corruption: and to put on, and be clothed, with incorruption, immortalitie, and everlaſting life. This as a ground of the difference, whence many things will follow. Again, the raiſed; having once dyed: will riſe, and live again: but the changed will never dye nor live again, but be changed in a moment into a ſtate of incorruption, and immortality; as the Apoſtle tells us; we ſhall not all dye, but we ſhall all be changed.
The raiſed will not be the ſame (yet the ſame): not the ſame they were in body, as they were when they dyed; as the Apoſtle, vers. 37. 38. compared with vers. 42. God giveth to every ſeed his own body; though not the ſame as ſown: ſo, he ſayeth, is the reſurrection ſown in weakneſs, raiſed in power, &c.
But the living, then, at Chriſts coming and the trumpets ſounding, will have the ſame bodyes without dying; they will be changed being alive and living: corruption will be put off, and mortality, and they reſtored to their firſt eſtate which they had and were created in Adam in paradiſe before his fall; when he ſuffered, and they ſuffer in him: the change then being ſo much for the worſe, unto which theſe living then will be reſtored for the better, with ſome great addition of bleſſedneſs; into which perfect eſtate, according to what they were created, conſiſting in righteouſnes and holynes, will they be changed then, at that great change, and reſtoration of all things, Act. 3. 21. wherein, the ſons of God, that have the firſt fruits of the ſpirit as the earneſt thereof, will have the higheſt ſhare; beyond all earthly things, or creatures whatſoever.
The eyeing and well minding what man was before his ſin and fall may give ſome light in the caſe in hand: Adam and Eve were perfect man and perfect woman, ſo made of God; little inferiour to the Angels, Heb. 2. 7. man and woman at the firſt making conſiſted of fleſh and bloud, bones and ſinewes, made up of ſeveral parts and members; with ſeveral ſenſes and faculties of ſoule, and body, which the poſteritie of Adam have and do enjoy unto this day; only, they have loſt the rectitude, and have by tranſgreſſion been clothed with corruption and mortalitie; being deprived of the glory of God, his Image, holyneſs and righteouſnes, wherein at firſt they were created, and into which they ſhall be reſtored by being ſo changed. The regeneration in this world it hath a tendency unto this; but this changing in a moment: will fully effect it; and at that day, in the world to come it will be ſo fully and perfectly: ſo, as Adam and Eve changed for the worſe, and yet lived in the body, as they were made; ſo, thoſe of the ſervants of God, which live and remain at the coming of the Lord, ſhall be changed for the better, and reſtored again to their firſt happy and perfect condition of body and ſoul, parts and members, ſenſes and faculties, as Adam then had, and his poſteritie yet have.
This miſtery of not dying; but being changed, living, in the body, it is a great thing in it ſelf, and great things (not much minded:) will neceſſarily follow. As namely, that this change and reſtoration are different and diſtinct things, and not one and the ſame with the reſurrection; but alſo that there will be, it is very likely, a difference in condition and eſtate, betwixt them; and that thoſe of the reſurrection, will be of a higher degree then thoſe ſo changed.
The Apoſtle tells us of a difference in the celeſtial bodyes; and there will be alſo a difference in degree among the caeleſtial; the ſun, the moon, and the ſtars, are different in glory; yea, the ſtars differ in glory: ſo is the reſurrection, vers. 42. And it is very probable there will be difference between the raiſed and the changed: and that they will be different in degrees of Glory. The raiſed will be as the Angels of God, as our Lord ſayth, Math. 22. 30. but the changed like to Adam and Eve will be as the ſons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty: as they were in the regeneration; and as Adam and Eve were before the fall.
And theſe changed, ſo, and reſtored to their firſt condition without dying, and living again, as the raiſed, it is likely, that as they will be reſtored to what Adam was, and likewiſe Eve, at their firſt making; ſo they will do the things which they did, or might have done, and enjoy the things which they did, or lawfully might do, in their innocent condition before corruption ſeized on them: of which we may treat ſomething afterward: the raiſed being reſtricted & not in a condition ſo to do.
And becauſe ſome take no notice of the miſtery of this not dying but being changed alive; reckoning it, as the ſame thing with the reſurrection; without any difference, or diſtinction; and ſeem to ground it on that of our Lord his anſwer to the queſtion made to him; whoſe wife, the woman that had had ſeven husbands, whoſe wife ſhe ſhould be at the reſurrection? Seven having had her, Math. 22. 28. 29. we ſhall a little treat of it. To the queſtion ſo made, our Lord anſwereth; firſt, ſaying, they erred not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Then further, ver. 30. he ſaith, in the reſurrection, [not in the changed] they neither marry, nor are given in marriage but are as the Angels of God in heaven: and ſo goeth on in a reſtricted way, as to the reſurrection: but as touching the reſurrection; ſo, as in Mathew; there is nothing that includes the miſtery of the change: the evangeliſt Luke, hath it more largely, Luk. 20. 34. the children of this world marry, and are given in Marriage: vers. 35. but they which ſhall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, [to wit, the world to come] and the reſurrection from the dead, [the ſaying is reſtricted to them] neither marry, nor are given in marriage, vers. 6. neither can they dye any more; [having dyed once, which I conceive cannot be mean tas including the changed; that ſhall not dye at all] for they are equal to the Angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the reſurrection: he doth not ſay, of the changed: and further, he ſaith, vers. 37. now that the dead are raiſed, which doth not relate to the living; that ſhall not dye at all. This anſwer of our Lord, declared by both theſe evangeliſts, holds forth much; but ſeemeth to have nothing that relateth to thoſe alive at the coming of the Lord, who ſhall not dye, but be changed. So as the miſtery holds it forth clearly to be another thing then the reſurrection: of which, the Apoſtle having ſpoken largely ſaith, behold, I ſhew you a miſtery, we ſhall not all dye; but be changed. He holds it forth, as another diſtinct thing: though ſomething like it, and related to it, in ſpeciall, in time, when they ſhall both be. That in Mathew, and likewiſe in Luke, relate to the reſurrection and the raiſed people; it wholy ſpeaks of them; and ſo it anſwereth the queſtion, whoſe wife ſhall ſhe be? firſt our Lord tells them, they erre not underſtanding the ſcriptures, then further he tells them, that in the reſurrerection, they marry not, nor are given in marriage but are as the Angels: and ſo goeth on in that of the reſurrection. Luke, hath marrying, and giving in marriage, in this world: but denyeth it to thoſe, in the world to come; for then, they ſhall not do ſo: but be as Angels of God: he ſaith, neither can they die any more. Which the changed never did: and having put on immortality; can never do. He goeth on further, concerning the reſurrection, Luk. 20. 37. ſee the place; and nothing will appear in a probable way, that doth conclude the miſtery of the changed people, as if it were one, and the ſame. And that they are two and not one, and differ greatly, as hath been ſayd; let that of the Apoſtle be conſidered, 1. Thes. 4. 15. We that are alive, ſhall not prevent them which are aſleep, [or dead] he ſpeaks ſo as of two diſtinct people: one dead the other alive, and that they ſhall not prevent one another; as ſome time it is found; as Jacob, prevented Eſau: but as in vers. 17. they ſhall be caught up together, as two different, and diſtinct people; though, as we ſaid: very like.
I ſhall end this chapter, and the eſſays therein propoſed; how largely the holy Apoſtle, having treated of the doctrine of the reſurrection, and the order of it: and yet after all ſayd therein: ſayth, behold, I ſhew you a miſtery: a rare ſecret: not the things he had been ſpeaking of: but a caſe, wherein there ſhould be, not dying, or riſing again: but a changing: in a marvellous manner; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Let the reader judge.