The Holy Arbor, Chapter 4 · Section 12
§. 12. The Reſurrection of the Body.
THe Reſurrection of the Fleſh, is a reſtoring of the ſubſtance of our Bodies after Death, even of the ſame matter whereof they now conſiſt, and a reviving and quickning of the ſame bodies with life incorruptible, by the ſame Immortal Soul whereby they now live, which God will work by Chriſt in the end of the world, by his Divine Vertue and Power: which reſtoring alſo ſhall be of the Elect unto the Eternal Glory of God, but of the Reprobate unto Eternal Pains. Thus although the body after death lie rotting in the Grave, yet at the laſt day it ſhall be raiſed again by Gods great Power; and being joyned to the Soul, ſhall ſtand before Gods Judgement Seat, to give account of all it hath done, whether good or evil, and be rewarded accordingly. When Chriſt as Man (for thus onelyonly he can remove from place to place, his Godhead ever filling all places) ſhall come down viſibly and openly, with great Glory, and Troops of Angels about him, to Judge thoſe that ſhall be then living, for the world ſhall be full of people even to the hour of his coming; and then the Dead being raiſed out of their Graves, even all from the firſt Adam, ſhall be joyned with the living (who ſhall onelyonly in ſtead of dying be changed) and thus all people together, of all Countreys and Nations, ſhall be preſented before his Tribunal, to receive Sentence according to the Equity, yea and Juſtice of his Goſpel, whether of Abſolution, to paſs into the Kingdom of his Father, or of Condemnation, into the Kingdom of Hell, with the Devil and his Angels for ever.
Now though amongſt thoſe that dye, ſome are crooked through Age, ſome tender Infants, ſome Blinde, and ſome Lame, yet at the Reſurrection theſe weakneſſes ſhall be done away to the faithful, and ſtrength, perfection and comelineſs ſhall be to every one of them. The bodies indeed of the Elect ſhall riſe in the ſame ſubſtance as the bodies of the Reprobate, but diverſe in quality, not to be corrupted or altered any more: And theſe qualities of the bodies of the juſt after the Reſurrection, ſhall be Clarity, Mat. 12. Impaſſibility, 1 Cor. 15. Agility, Wiſd. 4. and Subtilty; now the condition of the unjuſt ſhall be quite contrary to the bleſſed: So that although the Reſurrection is one of the Priviledges which the Saints, by vertue of their Union with Chriſt, receive after death, yet Reſurrection ſimply in it ſelf conſidered, is not the Priviledge of Saints, but Reſurrection of life; to the wicked appertaineth the Reſurrection of condemnation. The benefit of Reſurrection, ariſeth from the Glory which followeth thereupon in Heaven, where the Saints ſhall ſhine as Precious Stones, Rev. 21.11. yea, as the Firmament, Dan. 12.3. as the Stars and as the Sun, Mat. 13.43. be like Chriſt himſelf, 1 Joh. 3.2. and appear with him in glory, Col. 3.4. This glory of the Saints extendeth both to Soul and Body, to the whole perſon: In regard of their Souls, they ſhall be all glorious within, Pſal. 45.13. for they are Spirits of juſt men made perfect, Heb. 12.23. perfect knowledge, wiſdom, and all maner of purity ſhall be in them, 1 Cor. 13.12. In regard of their Bodies, they ſhall be faſhioned like to Chriſts glorious body, Phil. 3.21. and that in Incorruption, Immortality, Beauty, Brightneſs, Grace, Favor, Agility, Strength, and the like, ſuch as indeed the tongue of Men or Angels is not able to expreſs: Suffice it to our raviſhed Admiration, That the Saints, in regard of their perſons, ſhall there be advanced to the Honor and Dignity of Chriſt, ſo far as they are capable of it. The Reſurrection we are to hope for, as it is an effect of Gods Counſel; and to believe it, as it is the Counſel it ſelf, and Purpoſe of God.
Touching the Reſurrection of the Fleſh, know,
1. That we ſhall riſe with the ſelf ſame bodies, 1 Cor. 15. Phil. 3. Job 19.
2. That our bodies ſhall then be incorruptible.
3. That the good and evil ſhall riſe, with all and every part of the body.
4. That being riſen, they never dye more.
Touching the Reſurrection we acknowledge,
1. That our bodies are all frail and weak, and how many years ſoever they continre, yet fall to the ground they ſhall at laſt, even as they were taken out of it.
2. That howſoever or whenſoever they fall, yet they ſhall be raiſed again by a ſupernatural Power, the Souls being reunited unto them.
3. That all this ſhall be in the laſt day, together, in a moment, at the ſound of a Trumpet, and not ſome at one time, ſome at another.
4. That being thus raiſed they muſt come to Judgement, all the ſecreteſt things that ever they did being laid open, and the hidden things of all hearts being manifeſted.
The Reſurrection proved by the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 15.
1. If there be no Reſurrection, then Chriſt is not riſen from the dead, 1 Cor. 15.13, 15, 16. but he is already riſen, Rom. 6.9. And if the Head be riſen, then ſhall the Members alſo riſe.
2. If no Reſurrection, then of all men the Believers were moſt miſerable, ver. 19. for their portion in this life is mourning, whileſt the world rejoyceth, Joh. 16.20. But they are not moſt miſerable, for Chriſt hath pronounced them Bleſſed, Mat. 5.4, 6, 10, 11.
3. If there ſhould be no Reſurrection of the godly from death to life, then the firſt Adam ſhould be more powerful and mighty then the ſecond; ſo that the ſecond Adam ſhould be impotent and weak, if he ſhould not be able to deliver them from the jaws of death.
4. All our enemies, and the enemies of Chriſt, are to be taken clean away, and made ſubject to Chriſt and to us; the laſt of which is death, 1 Cor. 15.26.
5. If there were no Reſurrection of the fleſh, then the Epicures and Libertines taught well, That we ſhould follow our pleaſures and delights in this life, ver. 32, which were a damnable pernicious Doctrine to be taught and heard in the Church of God, opening a gap to all prophaneneſs, and ſhutting up all practice of Piety.
The duties required of us in acknowledging the Reſurrection:
1. To live as thoſe that expect the Reſurrection, and not like thoſe who live as if they thought they ſhould ever continue in this world; for we muſt all dye or be changed.
2. Not to live as they that deny the Reſurrection, whoſe hope is onelyonly in this world, not in ſurfetting and drunkenneſs, chambering and wantonneſs, but in ſobriety, temperance and chaſtity.
3. To keep a good Conſcience before God and men; becauſe at the day of the Reſurrection every Conſcience ſhall be a Book opened, and all the world ſhall reade, whether it be good or bad.
4. Both to abſtain from judging and cenſuring others, and to neglect mens judging of us, if ſo be our offences judge us not; becauſe there is one Judge of all, and it is ſuch Preſumption to take his Office out of his hands, in judging theſe to be Hypocrites, theſe Reprobates, and theſe damned Creatures, that whoſo uſeth it, ſhall not eſcape the Judgement of God, Rom. 2.1. which followeth on the Reſurrection.
5. To bear all our bodily imperfections and ſickneſſes patiently, becauſe in the Reſurrection all ſhall be done away, weakneſs ſhall be ſtrength, deformity ſhall be beauty, Natural ſhall be Spiritual.
6. To bear patiently all croſſes and injuries in this world, not ſeeking to revenge our ſelves, becauſe the time ſhall come when all wrongs ſhall be righted.
7. Not to ſuffer our hearts to be taken up with any earthly thing, but to have our hearts ſtill ſet upon the New Heaven and the New Earth, the glory whereof abideth for ever and ever.
8. To ſpeak of Gods praiſes with our Tongues, with our hands to work the thing that is good, with our feet to run to Religious Exerciſes, with our mouthes to glorifie God in daily Prayer, with our ears to hearken to his holy Word, with our bodies to practice ſobriety, with our eyes to be ſhut from wanton looks, and to ſerve God with all our Members, becauſe they ſhall all riſe again, be honored, and become Spiritual.
9. To be ever vigilant and watchful, becauſe we know not when our change ſhall be, and becauſe the coming of the Lord will be ſudden.
Again, beſide Pauls proofs of the Reſurrection, to the Corinths, and Teſtimonies of Scripture, Job 19.25. John 5.28. John 6.40. Reaſons may thence be drawn to confirm this truth:
1. God promiſeth eternal life not to the Soul onelyonly, but alſo to the body of the godly; and contrarily, to the ungodly he threatneth eternal Puniſhment and pains both of ſoul and body; and theſe Promiſes and Threatnings of God muſt be fulfilled, for the certainty of them is unchangeable: but they could not be fulfilled, if the dead ſhould not riſe.
2. The Mercy of God is perfect, as which extendeth it ſelf to the whole man, and which will have us wholly ſaved; therefore our bodies alſo ſhall riſe again.
3. The perfect Juſtice of God requireth, that the ſame wholly whereby they ſin, ſhould be puniſhed with eternal pains; but the wicked both in their whole body and in their ſoul do ſin, therefore their bodies alſo muſt be raiſed again.
4. Chriſt is a perfect Savior, becauſe he hath ſaved and reconciled to God whole Man; therefore our corrupt body alſo ſhall be raiſed by Chriſt.
5. God is the God of the whole Man, not of a part onelyonly. This Reaſon Chriſt uſeth againſt the Sadduces, Mat. 22.31.
6. God publiſhed his Law unto Man after the Fall; therefore he will have man once keep it, but that is not done in this life, therefore it ſhall be done in the life to come, and therefore men ſhall riſe again.
The comfort we have by our Reſurrection; viz.
1. Our ſouls after they ſhall depart out of our bodies, ſhal preſently be taken up to Chriſt, Luke 23.43. Phil. 1.23.
2. Our fleſh being raiſed up by the power of Chriſt, ſhall be again united to our ſouls, and ſhall be made like to the glorious body of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 15.53.
The uſe our Faith may make of the Reſurrection:
1. Our Faith may herein comfort us in all diſtreſſes whatſoever.
2. It will mitigate the ſorrow we entertain for the dead.
3. It will leſſen our fear of death, while we believe a better life after death.
4. It will make us ſwift to good works, and to deſerve well of thoſe with whom we are to have eternal Society hereafter.
5. It will withhold us from evil, that we defile not our ſouls and bodies, preſerved by the Blood of Chriſt, to live with God, Angels and Saints.
Iſraels deſcent into the Red-Sea, and the Lords deliverance of them thence, The flouriſhing of Aarons Rod, Ezekiels Viſion of dead bones, The Jews Captivity in, and deliverance from Babylon, and Jonahs preſervation in and from the Belly of the Whale, are all Types of the Reſurrection: And if the Doctrine of the Reſurrection be ſhaken and overturned, then all Religion is pulled up by the Roots; let us therefore beware of ſuch Vipers as lurk in the boſom of the Church. There were even among the people of God Sadduces, that taught that man periſhed wholly, and that after death there ſhould be no riſing or returning to life, but that he periſhed as the Beaſt, Mat. 22.23. And in the Church of Corinth ſome were found, which ſaid, There is no Reſurrection of the dead, 1 Cor. 15.12. Some have confeſſed indeed the Immortality of the ſoul (ſo alſo did ſome of the Heathen) but touching the Reſurrection, they have fancied it to be in this life, and not after death; as if the Reſurrection were nothing elſe but Regeneration, a dying to ſin, and riſing again to newneſs of life; or not unlike to Hymeneus and Philetus, who ſaid, That the Reſurrection was already paſt, 2 Tim. 2.18. This Hereſie, for its continuance, is not a little beholding to the Family of Love, who hold that Heaven and Hell are in this life, and no other Reſurrection of the body, or day of Judgement, or coming of Chriſt, then in this world: Nor is it much leſs beholding to the Anabaptiſts, who deny that the ſame bodies which now we have, and ſhall lie in the duſt, ſhall ever riſe again; but hold, That God at the ſecond coming of Chriſt will make us new bodies: This is to maintain a New Creation of new bodies, and to deny the Reſurrection of the former. But all thoſe Hereſies we are to abandon, and to let our Faith cloſe with the Will of God, revealed in his Word, as we tender the benefit we expect by the Reſurrection.
You that are crumbled into Duſt, or gave
Your living Bodies to a fiery Grave;
Or ſay thoſe Corps, which ſhould the Worms have fed,
The Fin-wing'd ſcaly Creatures nouriſhed,
Converting Fleſh to Fiſh: Grant this, and ſhall
Thoſe Bodies we may now juſt Nothing call
Ariſe again? 'Tis ſo: The Scripture ſaith,
They ſhall, and Reaſon muſt give place to Faith.
Who could raiſe ſeed to Abraham of Stones,
Can re-incarnate Duſt and rotten Bones.