An Antidote Against the Quakers, Part 1
Learn this Truth from the Words.
That the Same Jeſus Chriſt that was put to Death in the Fleſh, and did Riſe with that Same Fleſh again; That Same Jeſus, in that Same Fleſh and Man-hood is now in Heaven; which is a Place, not a State only; there he is at Gods Right-hand in Power and Glory: So that, as to that Humane Nature he is not upon Earth.
I will prove this; That Jeſus Chriſt is now a true real Man in Heaven, and ſo, Is not here on Earth as he is Man.
That ever Jeſus Chriſt was a true real Man, ſome have denied, and have held, That it was only an Appearance or Spectrum, in the ſhape of a Man: And ſome are of this mind now. But we will take this for granted, That Christ was once here on Earth, a real true Man; but that he is ſo Now, the Quakers deny.
A Man conſiſts of theſe two Eſſential Parts, viz. Soul and Body: Both theſe Chriſt had. Heb. 10.5. A Body haſt thou prepared me. That which was taken by the Virgin, which conſiſts of Fleſh and Bones, Luke 24.39. A Spirit hath not Fleſh and Bones, as ye ſee me have.
2. A Soul he had, Matth. 26.38. My Soul is ſorrowful even unto Death.
That both theſe Eſſential Parts, Soul and Body, are now in Heaven, I am now about to prove, a Place remote from us, ſo that he cannot be ſaid, as to his Corporal preſence, to be here on Earth.
Though we believe that this Soul and Body is in Union with the Godhead in Heaven, and ſo he is Mediator in both Natures; take this by the way.
That the Quakers may not deceive you by their Juggles; Chriſt was a Perſon before he took Man's Nature. They may grant to you, that Chriſt is a Perſon, and yet deny his Manhood; and grant a Manhood, and yet deny the Feſh in which he was to be in Heaven.
1. That his Soul is in Heaven, ſee Luke 23.46. Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.
What is become of that Soul that Chriſt had when he came to Die? Surely it did not vaniſh and periſh, but he commends it into his Fathers hands, as into a ſafe depoſitory, to be laid up, kept and preſerved; Luke 23.43. To day ſhalt thou be with me in Paradiſe. Was not that Heaven? Now he ſpake this as to his Soul it's plain; for, as to his Deity, he was always there; as to his Body, that remained in the Sepulchre two dayes.
2. His Body that's in Heaven, that Fleſh, and thoſe Bones that were handled by his Diſciples at the Reſurrection. And he himſelf ſaith, A Spirit hath not Fleſh and Bones as ye ſee me have. Behold my Hands (Luke 24.39.) and my Feet, handle me and ſee. And they handled him, 1 John 1.1 Whom our hands have handled, of the Word of Life. Now this Fleſh and Bones, thoſe Hands and Feet, that were handled, are now in Heaven.
And, Luke 24.50, 51. He led them forth as far as Bethany, and he lift up his hands and bleſſed them. And it come to paſs, while he bleſſed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into Heaven. This Body was the proper Object of their ſight; The Soul they could not ſee, this was parted from them, this was carried up into Heaven. Act. 1.9. While they beheld, he was taken up. If he had ſecretly aſcended, more doubts might have riſen what was become of him; but he did openly-and viſibly Aſcend, having many Witneſſes of the truth and reality of it, that it might be out of doubt.
Now if it be asked whither he did aſcend? the Angels give an accoutn, Verſ. 11. This ſame Jeſus which is taken up [into heaven] and obſerve how they ſpeak, This ſame Jeſus, as you have ſeen him go; They ſaw him with their Carnal Eyes; they were Eye-witneſſes of this thing.
Other Scriptures opened to prove this, Acts 7.56. Behold, I ſee the Heavens opened. Stephen's ſight was ſtrengthened in a wonderful miraculous way, ſo that he pierced to the very heavenly Glory with his Eye. This was more than what was natural, no doubt, for the other that ſtood by ſaw nothing, but he ſaw as much of the Heavenly Glory as he could bear; I ſee the Son of Man, denoting Humane Nature, when here on Earth, that he had it then at that time after his Aſcenſion. 1 Tim. 3.16. God manifeſted in the Fleſh; And the laſt Phraſe of the Verſe, received up into Glory; that fleſh wherein God manifeſted himſelf, was received up into Glory. Acts 3.21. Whom the Heaven muſt receive, until the reſtitution of all things. Peter had been preaching the Reſurrection of Chriſt, now here he tells them what is become of him ſince; why, He is in Heaven: thither ſhould their minds be lifted up by Faith; and this Heaven having received him, ſhould contain him until a certain time, then he will appear.
Therefore Beza ſaith, foreign, is here put for foreign, by the Antecedent we may underſtand the Conſequent; it is ſo to receive him as to contain him.
Therefore all thoſe places where you read of Jeſus Chriſt by Name appearing, are not to be underſtood as if Chriſt in Body came down from Heaven, but either they ſaw him, the Heavens being (as it is ſaid of Stephen) opened, or it was in Extaſie.
Matth. 26.11. For you have the poor alwayes with you, but me you have not with you alwayes. Therefore he ſpeaks frequently to his Diſciples of his Departure, that he would go away from them: Yet a little while and I am with you, John 14.2, 3. I go: and if I go to prepare a place. And now, Whither went he? He tells us, John 17.11. And now I am no more in the World, but theſe are in the World. I come to thee, Holy Father. Now this muſt needs be as to his Manhood, for the Father and He were one as to his Godhead, in Eſſence; and ſo he was with the Father from Eternity, John 1.1. In the beginning the Word was with God. Prov. 8.22. The Lord poſſeſſed me in the beginning of his wayer, before his works of old. Verſ 30. Then I was by him, (i.e.) before there was any thing created or framed.
You ſee by th…ſe Scriptures, he removed from the Earth and went to Heaven, and there he is.
Yet farther, What elſe muſt we underſtand by that of the Apoſtle, Paul, 2 Cor. 5. Abſent from the Body: preſent with the Lord. While we are at home, we are abſent, or Pilgrims from the Lord. Now Chriſt as God, is immenſe, as to his preſence, he is every where, and as to his Saints, he is with them alwayes, and in them by his Spirit; then muſt it needs be ſpoke as to Chriſt's Bodily preſence.
So in another place the Apoſtle ſaith, I deſire to be diſſolved; and to be with Chriſt. He muſt needs ſpeak this as to his Soul, for Pauls Boyd was to ſleep in the Grave till the Reſurrection. But was not Chriſt preſent with Paul? Yea certainly, as to his Spirit; ſo he ſaith, 2 Tim. 4.17. The Lord ſtood by me; What then was this being with Chirſt, but to be as to his Soul, upon departure from the Body, in ſome certain place where the Soul and Body of Chriſt were, they could not be every where, for then this deſire of his was a vain deſire, and he withall wiſhes his Soul to be every where, and ſo to be Infinite, and to be God, which is abſurd.
In Epheſ. 1.20. he is mentioning Chriſt, and ſaith, Whom he raiſed from the dead, and ſet him at his own right-hand. Now what ever was raiſed, was ſet at the right-hand; The fleſh of Chriſt was raiſed; He here tells us what it is for Chriſt to ſit at Gods right-hand, viz. to have power over all things, to have all things put in ſubjection to him; which is taken from Pſal. 8.4. where obſerve what is ſaid, What is Man that thou art mindfull of him, or the Son of Man that thou viſiteſt him? This ſtate of Exaltation in Heaven is applyed to him as Man, he is a Man in Heaven. 1 Tim. 2.5. Out Mediator betwixt God and man, the Man Chriſt Jeſus: That Man that gave himſelf a Ranſom (for that followeth immediately) that Man is the Mediator betwixt God and man; therefore none of any ſort but may have hopes of being ſaved by him, upon Faith on him. Heb. 4.14, 15. Seeing then that we have a great High Prieſt that is [paſſed into the Heavens.] We have not an High Prieſt that cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are. He that was in all points tempted as we are, and ſo can be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities, that ſame is our High Prieſt, now paſſed into the Heavens, and that muſt needs be as to his Manhood, for his Godhead was not capable of ſuch temptations.
Phil. 3. From whence (that is, from Heaven) we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who ſhall change our vile Body, that it may be faſhioned like unto his glorious Body. We ſee plainly from this Scripture, that Chriſt hath a Body, and that it is now in Heaven; from thence it ſhall come, when the time is, according to the Faith and Expectation of the Saints.