Truth Held Forth and Maintained, Part 1 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Concerning the Reſurrection.
MAny are the People that are concerned to know how the dead are raiſed, and with what Bodies they appear …or … what Bodies they do come forth? Then ſeeing their minds are to concerned, to know with what Bodies they ſhall appear, doth manifeſt that they are not come to the knowledge of Gods ſaving Power, through the Death and Reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt, which to know gives an aſſurance of Salvation, in which ſtate m…n may know h…w the dead are raiſed, and with what Bodies they ſhall appear; for it is certain that there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the dead, b…th of the Juſt and Unjuſt; for all ſhall appear before the Lord, the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth, before whom the heavenly ſpirited, and the earthly ſpirited ſhall appear, to give an account of all their Deeds done in the Body of this Life, which then will be time ſufficient for the unrighteous to know with what Bodies they ſhall appear, in the mean time the Apoſtles words are very ſuitable unto all ſuch whoſe ſtate of Diſobedience is far from the ſaving knowledge of God, by the Death and Reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt, and though not ſimply fools, yet through … Diſobedience and Unbelief, … as the … be … the husband man, …o … of the R…rrection, Thou ſoul, that which thou ſo reſt, is not q…e … it dye; and … which thou ſo reſt thou ſo well no… that …, that ſhall be bath re…rain, it …ay chance of Wh…at … oth…r Grain and withall co…ledes, that God … as it pleaſeth him, and to every Seed his own Body, 1 Cor. 15.35, 36, 37, 38. by which the unrighteous may know with what Bodies they ſhall come forth; for he that ſo with to the Fleſh, ſhall of the Fleſh reap Corruption, but he that ſo…eth to the Spirit, ſhall of the ſpirit reap Lif… Everlaſting, Gal, 6.5 for the time is at hand, that he that is Ʋnjuſt, let him be Ʋnjuſt ſtill, and he that is filthy, let him be filthy ſtill, and he that is Righteous, let him be Righteous …ll, and he that is Holy let him be Holy ſti…, f…r behold the Lord will quickly come, and his Reward will … with him, to give every man according as his works ſhall be Rev 22.11, 12. which doth manifeſt that according as men have ſown ſo ſhall they reap, for every ſeed ſhall have his own Body, whether of Works of Faith and Obedience to Salvation, or Works of Unbelief and Diſobedience to Damnation. Then ſeeing theſe things are plain, as by holy Record, which agrees with the inward Word of Gods Spirit, and the gift of his divine Light, which came by Jeſus Chriſt, and through Faith, in Obedience to him, through whom Salvation comes, which work is moſt neceſſary for People to be concerned in; for as the Soul is the moſt Noble part of Man, ſo ought every man principally to be concerned about his Soul, and the well air thereof, yet becauſe the Body is a part of the Man and that Chriſt is the Saviour doth of Soul and Body of every ſincere Believer in him, therefore every Man may and ought to be concerned about the whole Man, both …oul and Body, and the Faith and Hope of the Reſurrection of the Body; & as the …pirit of God worketh that Faith and …ope in us, it is of great uſe to ſanctifie us, and prepare us for the Reſurrection to come; for Paul doth not call them Fools ſimply for enquiring concerning the manner of the Reſurrection, but for their Ignorance and Unbelief, that ſome did not believe the Reſurrection, which they that do not believe it, they remain in groſs Ignorance and Unbelief, and ſuch are directed to the Husband-man, to learn the manner of the Reſurrection, by uſing the Example of the …orn. And it is a great Error for any to hold, That the Saints now living in the mortal Body, have attained the Reſurrection of the Body, or that they attain it immediately after Death; for it is moſt evident from the holy Scriptures, that the Reſurrection of the Dead is reſerved to the laſt coming of Chriſt to judge the quick and the dead, and the d…d in Christ ſhall riſe firſt; ſo where there is the true knowledge to God in Chriſt, of the Souls well-being, it m…t neceſſarily follow, that the ſpiritual Underſtanding w… be the more capable to know in what ſtate the Body w…app…a…, which ſhall never enter Gods Kingdom with natural Fleſh, …lood a…d Bones; for though it be ſown a natural Body it is raiſed a ſpiritual Body as it is written The firſt …a… a living Soul, the laſt …dam was mad a quick…ning Spirit; ſo that which was firſt was not ſpiritual but natural, and afterwards that which is ſpiritual. S… then it muſt be … minded only that have the true knowledge of theſe things; for the natural minded man is a fool, a… to the true Knowledge of God, becauſe he remains in D…obedience to the gift of his Grace, but is bewitched that he ſhould not obey the Truth made manifest by Jeſus Chriſt, Gal. 3.1. through which unfaithfulneſs the mind of his Underſtanding is Darkneſs, as to the things of God, which chiefly concern his Soul; and ſuch live without God in the World, not knowing that there is a God by his ſaving Grace, according as by their Works is manifeſt, which includes them to be one with the fool, which ſaith in his heart, there is no God, neither indeed is there any Salvation of God to the rebellious Children of Diſobedience, who pretend they know God, but in Works deny him. Therefore it is moſt neceſſary for all ſuch to bend in their Minds, and by true Repentance ſeek the Lord whi…e he is to be found, for he is only found of them that truly ſeek him in true Humility of Spirit, and not o… them that remain in a ſtate of ſerving the Luſt of their corrupted Deſires, and yet remain talking about the faſhion of the Body, and in what likeneſs they ſhall appear, before they witneſs any thing for the Souls wellfair, as they …ght to do; for Christ is rîſen, otherwiſe all preaching is in vain, and Faith alſo is in vain; or if the dea… riſe not, th…n is not Chriſt raiſed, and if Chriſt … raiſed, Faith is in vain, and all men are yet in their ſins: Bu… the Lord hath given a true knowledge of himſelf to the Righteous, who witneſs Chriſt to be raiſed from the dead, and is become the firſt Fruits of them that ſlept, and by true Faith they witneſs his Reſurrection, by what they feel of his heavenly divine Nature, that he is raiſed from the dead; for ſince by Man came Death, by Man came alſo the Reſurrection of the Dead; for as in Adam all dye, even ſo in Chriſt ſhall all be made alive, 1 Cor. 15.21, 22. So, as People come to witneſs a dying ſtate from ſin, they ſhall alſo witneſs a living …ate to God, through whoſe Spirit of Grace they ſhall partake of his heavenly Riches, through Faith in Jeſus Chriſt; but as to theſe ſpiritual things there is no profit by them to any, who come not into Obedience to the gift of Gods Grace, which comes by Jeſus Chriſt, whom no man knoweth but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, ſave the Son, and he to whomſoever the Son will reveal him, Mat. 11.2…. Joh. 6.44. Then as the Scriptures are left for mens learning, no man can learn to know God aright, without the gift of his Grace, and divine Light of his Spirit by Jeſus Chriſt; for the Letter k…eth, but the Spirit giveth Life, 2 Cor. 3.6. for as the Spirit of God is the Miniſtration of Condemnation to the Diſobedient, ſo alſo do they read their Condemnation in the Scriptures of Truth; but to the faithful, who live in Obedience to the Spirit of Truth, to them the Spirit of God by Jeſus Chriſt, is the Miniſtration of Life and Salvation, and through Faith in Chriſt Jeſus, the Scriptures do miniſter the knowledge of Life; for through Faith in Chriſt they are able to make wiſe to Salvation. Then, whatever men may gather in the outward Comprehenſion from the holy Scriptures, concerning the great Work of God, by the Death and Reſurrection of his Son, the Lord of Life, which will not profit them that remain in a ſtate of daily ſinning againſt the gift of his divine Light, which is their Condemnation for evil Deeds, Joh 3.19, 20, 21. in which ſtate they remain dead as to God, having no benefit by the Reſurrection in the Life to come; …or God is not a God of that which is d…ad, but a God of thê Living, Mat. 22 23 So that God is a …od of the living, who have been buried with the firſt Man in ſin, but through the Reſurrection of the ſecond Man, the Lord from Heaven, have they received the earneſt of Life Everlaſting, 1 Cor. 15.48, 49, 50. having obtained the Promiſe of God, through the Reſurrection o… Jeſus Chriſt, which the … the benefit … Chriſt conc…ied and …, …he is …hat which People ought to witneſs, through the in …ard Word of his traching which teaches the true knowledge of God, according as is recorded in the holy …, That …s ſ…hcient to Salv…tion to know God and Jeſus Chriſt … Lord, which was made of the S…ed of David, accord…n… to the …, and … to be the S… of God with …, according to the Spirit of Ho…neſs, by the Reſ…rrection of th… death Rom 1 4. which the Righteous witneſs, through … the Law of ſin, by the Body of Chriſt, that they ſhould b… … to another, even to him who is raſea… from the dead that they ſhould bring forth fruit unto God R…m. ….4 for they … have been planted together in the likeneſs of his Death, … alſo in the likeneſs of his Reſurrection Rom. 6.5 So that the ch…efeſt deſire of true Believe…, is to know the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and the Power of his Reſurrection, and the fellowſhip of his Sufferings, being made conformable unto his Death, Phil. 3 10. for they that ſhall be accounted worthy to obtain the Kingdom of God, and the Reſurrection from the Dead, neither marry nor give in Marriage, neither can they dye any more, for they are equal unto Angels, and are the Children of the Reſurrection, Luke 20.34, 35, 36. but they whoſe hearts and minds are joyned to the periſhing things of this …ife, they are not married to Chriſt, and ſo have no hope to be the Children of the Reſurrection, but only Children of the World, which love gain, delights and pleaſures, in which there is no profit for a man to gain, and loſe his ſoul; for he that loveth any thing more than Chriſt, is not worthy of the rich benefits which the faithful receive through his Death & Reſurrection. Therefore it concerns all that they may ſo live as to dye from ſin, and be m…me, alive with Chriſt, that they may be partakers of his heavenly Riches in the Kingdom of God, where Fleſh and Blood cannot inherit, 1 Cor. 15.50.