The Morning Exercise Methodized, Sermon 24
OF THE Reſurrection.
ACTS 26.8.
Why ſhould it be thought a thing unreaſonable with you, that God ſhould raiſe the dead?
THeſe words are part of St. Pauls Apologie for himſelf, before King Agrippa, againſt the unjuſt accuſations of his implacable enemies; wherein,
1. He demonſtrates the innocency of his life.
2. The truth of his Doctrine; and ſheweth, That there was nothing either in his life or doctrine, for which he could juſtly be accuſed. The Doctrine he taught did conſiſt of divers particulars enumerated in this Chapter; one of which (and that not the leaſt) was, That there ſhould a day come, in which there would be a Reſurrection of the dead, both of the juſt and unjuſt. Now that this Doctrine was not liable to any juſt exception, he proves three manner of ways:
1. Becauſe it was no other Doctrine, but ſuch which God himſelf had taught: It had a Divine ſtamp upon it; as it is Verſe 6. And now I ſtand, and am judged for the hope of the promiſe made of God unto our fathers.
2. Becauſe it was that which all the godly Iſraelites, inſtantly ſerving God day and night, did hope for, and wait and expect in due time to be fulfilled; as it is Verſe 7. Unto which promiſe our twelve tribes hope to come; for which hope ſake, King Agrippa, I am accuſed of the Jews; and therefore it is called, The hope of Iſrael, Acts 28.20. for the hope of Iſrael, I am bound with this chain.
3. Becauſe it was a Doctrine which God was able to bring to paſs. This is ſet down in the words of the Text, Why ſhould it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God ſhould raiſe the dead? The emphaſis lieth in the words with you: Why ſhould you, O King Agrippa, who art a Jew, and believeſt in the God of Iſrael, and that he made the world out of nothing, think it incredible for this God to raiſe the dead? indeed it may ſeem incredible and impoſſible to the Heathen Philoſophers, who are guided onelyonly by Natures Light; but as for you, who believe all things which are written in the Law and Prophets, why ſhould you think it either impoſſible or incredible that God ſhould raiſe the dead? This interrogation is an Emphatical Negation, and it is put down by way of Queſtion, Ʋt oratio ſit penetrantior, that ſo the Argument might take the deeper impreſſion; and the meaning is, that it is not foreign, or foreign: It is not a doctrine exceeding the bounds of faith, or contrary to right reaſon, that God ſhould raiſe the dead. The Obſervation which ariſeth naturally out of the words is:
Doctrine. That the Doctrine of the Reſurrection of the dead, both of the juſt and unjuſt, is neither incredible nor impoſsible, neither againſt right reaſon, nor true faith.
Though it be above reaſon, yet it is not againſt reaſon, nor againſt the Jewiſh or the Chriſtian Faith: For the explication of this Doctrine, I will briefly ſpeak to ſix particulars:
1. What is meant by the Reſurrection of the dead.
2. Who are the dead that ſhall be raiſed.
3. The abſolute neceſsity of believing this Doctrine, and believing it firmly and undoubtedly.
4. The poſsibility and credibility of it.
5. The certainty and infallibility of it.
6. The manner how the dead ſhall riſe
What is meant by the Reſurrection of the dead?The firſt Particular.
Anſw. For anſwer to this, you muſt firſt know, what there is of man that dyes when any man dyeth. Man conſiſteth of ſoul and body; and when he dyeth, his ſoul doth not dye; it is the body onelyonly that dyeth. Death is not an utter extinction and annihilation of the man (as ſome wickedly teach) but onelyonly a ſeparation of the Soul from the Body,It is called a departure, Luk. 2.25. 2 Tim. 4.6. And an uncloathing, 2 Cor. 5.4. and a Departure of the Soul out of the body either to Heaven or Hell. When Stephen was ſtoned, his ſoul was not ſtoned; for while he was ſtoning, he prayed, Lord Jeſus receive my ſpirit. When Chriſt was crucified, his ſoul was not crucified; for while he was crucifying, he ſaid, Fa…her, into thy hands I commend my Spirit. The Wiſeman ſaith expreſly, That when a man dyeth, His body returns to the earth from whence it came; Eccleſ. 12.7.but, his ſpirit returns to God who gave it: And our Lord Chriſt commands us, Not to fear them that kill the body, 1 Luk. 2.4.and after that have no more that they can do: The ſoul cannot be killed; a man by ſin may make his ſoul miſerable and curſed, but he cannot make it miſerable and corruptible. And therefore by the Reſurrection of the dead is not meant (as he who writes that dangerous Book of the Souls Mortality would have it) the Reſurrection both of body and ſoul, but of the body onelyonly: For the body onelyonly dyes, and therefore it is the body onelyonly which riſeth again. Thence it is, that in the Creed, (commonly called the Apoſtles Creed) it is put down in expreſs terms,John 5.28, 29. I believe the Reſurrection of the Body: Not of the Soul, for that never dyeth, but of the Body.
The ſecond particular.The ſecond particular propounded, is, to ſhew who are the dead that ſhall be raiſed at the laſt day: The Anſwer to this is eaſie, All that are in the grave, whether godly, or ungodly; whether just or unjuſt, Acts 24.15.ſhall be raiſed. This Chriſt ſaith expreſly, The hour is coming, Revel. 2.13. Iſa. 26.19.in which all that are in the graves ſhall hear his voyce, and ſhall come forth; they that have done good, unto the reſurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the reſurrection of damnation. All ſhall come forth, without exception of any;Acts 24.15. and the Apoſtle likewiſe tells us, That there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the dead, both of the just and un uſt. The Earth and the Sea are Gods Stewards, with whom he hath betruſted the bodies of men and women: And when God ſhall call them to give an account of their Stewardſhip, they will faithfully diſcharge their truſt, Revel. 20.13.and not keep back one dead body: The ſea ſhall give up her dead, and ſo ſhall the earth alſo. They are but the bodies withdrawing room, or ſleeping-place; and the time will come,Iſa. 26.19. when all that are aſleep in the duſt of the earth ſhall awake: They ſhall all awake, ſome to everlasting life, and ſome to ſhame, and everlaſting contempt. This is the ſecond particular, All the the dead, great and ſmall, rich and poor, from Adam to the coming of Chriſt, both good and bad, ſhall be raiſed at the laſt day.
The third thing propoſed, is,The third particular. To demonſtrate the abſolute neceſſity that lies upon all Chriſtians, firmly and undoubtedly to believe the Doctrine of the Reſurrection of the dead.
This appears in an eſpecial manner from the ſpiritual miſchiefs, and ſoul-ruinating conſequences which neceſſarily flow from the denial of it. For,
1. The Doctrine of the Reſurrection is an Article of our faith. The Author to the Hebrews puts it amongſt the principles of the Doctrines of Chriſt; and therefore he that denieth it,Heb. 6.2. erres fundamentally, and is an Heretick, one wh…m we muſt not receive into our houſes, or bid him God ſpeed.
2. It is not onelyonly an Article of our faith, Sine hoc Articulo tota fides & tota religio vana eſt. Streſo in Act.but one of the chief Articles, without which all the other Articles of Christian Relion are vain and unprofitable. This the Apoſtle ſpeaks in expreſs tearms, 1 Corinth. 15.13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. If there be no reſurrection of the dead, then is not Chriſt riſen; and if Chriſt be not riſen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is alſo vain, &c. If the dead riſe not, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we ſhall dye. This therefore is not only an Article of our faith, but the foundation of all other; for, if there be no Reſurrection, there is no life everlaſting. Saint Auſtin ſaith, That the Reſurrection of the dead is propria fides Chriſtianorum: The proper faith of a Chriſtian, without the belief of which, no man can be juſtly accounted a Chriſtian. A man may hold many errours, and yet deſerve to be eſteemed a Chriſtian; but he that denieth the Doctrine of the Reſurrection, doth unchriſtianize himſelf: For a Chriſtian is one whoſe hope and happineſs is in the other world: (For if we had hope onelyonly in this world, we were of all peopl moſt miſerable;) and therefore, he that renounceth his belief of the other world, renounceth Chriſtianity.
Adde,
That it is not onelyonly the foundation of our faith, but of all our comfort and conſolation; Reſurrectio mortuorum eſt fiducia Christianorum: The chiefeſt comfort the Saints of God have under all the diſtreſſes of this life, is, That there will a day come, in which they ſhall be raiſed out of their graves, to the Reſurrection of Life; and ſhall have their vile bodies made like to the glorious body of Chriſt. Job 19.23, 26, 27.This comforted Job upon the dunghil; and therefore it much concerns all thoſe who tender either their conſolation or ſalvation, to be firmly and undoubtedly perſwaded of this great truth, That there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the dead: This leads me to the fourth particular.
The fourth Particular.In the fourth place, I am to ſhew you the credibility or poſſibility of this Doctrine. I confeſs, it is very hard and difficult to believe, that the bodies of men (when eaten up by worms, or devoured by wilde beaſts, birds, or men-eating men; or when burnt and conſumed to aſhes, and theſe aſhes ſcattered in the ayre, or thrown into the river) ſhould ever riſe again. It is eaſie to believe the Immortality of the ſoul; (for many Heathens have written in defence of it) but as for the Reſurrection of the body, it is very difficult to believe it firmly and undoubtedly; therefore there are,Acts 17.18, 32. and have been multitudes of perſons in all ages who have denied it. The Epicures and Scoi…ks laughed Paul to ſcorn, when he preached to them of the Reſurrection of the body: The Sadduces in Chriſts time denied it.1 Cor. 15.12. Many in the Church of Corinth were infected with the ſame leproſie; Hymenaeus and Philetus begangreen'd many Chriſtians, and overthrew their faith, by preaching to them that the Reſurrection was paſt already. 2 Tim. 2.17, 18.Danaeus tells us of nineteen Hereticks, who oppoſed this truth. The Familiſts alſo renounce it: And the Socinians ſay, That the ſame body ſhall not riſe; but an aerial and ſpiritual body, which ſhall have no eyes nor ears, nor head, nor feet, &c. It muſt be acknowledged, that this Doctrine is very hard and difficult; but yet it is not foreign, or foreign: It is not a thing impoſſible or incredible. Sure I am, that Job in the Old Teſtament did believe it; for, he knew that his Redeemer lived, &c. Job 19.25, 26 27.And though after his skin, worms deſtroyed his body, yet in his fleſh he ſhould ſee God; and then he addes, Whom I ſhall ſee for my ſelf, and mine eyes ſhall behold, and not another, though my reins be conſumed within me. Job did not onelyonly believe, that his body, when devoured with worms, and his skin ſpent, and reins conſumed, ſhould riſe; but, that the ſame body, not onelyonly the ſame ſpecifical, but the ſame numerical body ſhould riſe; therefore he puts in thoſe emphatical expreſſions, I ſhall ſee God, I ſhall ſee for my ſelf; I, and not another; and, mine eyes ſhall behold him: Though his eyes ſhall be glorified eyes, yet they ſhall be the ſame eyes for ſubſtance. As the Patience of Job was very great, and very exemplary; ſo ſurely his Faith was as great, and as imitable: O Job, great was thy Faith! This one Text is ſufficient to prove, that the Doctrine of the Reſurrection is not a thing incredible: And give me leave to ſpeak to you in the words of S. Paul to King Agrippa, Why ſhould it be thought incredible that God ſhould raiſe the dead? eſpecially, if you conſider who this God is, That he is Omnipotent and Almighty, infinite in power, and able to do all things: He that believes the firſt Article of the Creed, will quickly believe the eleventh Article: He that believeth that God is Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, will eaſily believe that he is able to raiſe the dead. For if God (ſaith Tertullian) can make a body, being nothing, out of the duſt of the earth, he can certainly repair it out of the duſt when it is ſomething. It is as eaſie to God to reſtore a body to a ſoul at the Reſurrection, as to breathe a ſoul into a body at the firſt Creation.
Objection.
But how is it poſſible, that when a man hath lain rotting in the grave a thouſand years, he ſhould riſe again?
Anſwer.
This is above reaſon, but not againſt reaſon: For there are many reſemblances of this even in nature; which though they be not ſufficient proofs, yet they are great inducements to cauſe us to believe this truth. Both Philoſophers and Divines write of the Phoenix, that firſt ſhe is conſumed to aſhes by the heat of the Sun, and that afterwards of her aſhes ariſeth a young one, which is the ſame Phoenix riſen from the dead. The Apoſtle tells us, That the corn muſt firſt be caſt into the ground, and there dye and rot, before it will spring up; which ſheweth, that a Reſurrection from the dead is poſſible, even in nature. Adde to this, That Swallows, Flies, and Worms, which lie dead in the Winter-ſeaſon; in the Spring, by vertue of the Suns heat, revive again. And what is every night but the grave (as it were) of the days light? and the morning, but the Reſurrection of the day? What is Winter but the death of the fruits of the earth; and the Spring, but the Reſurrection of them? What is death, but the blowing out of the candle of our lives? and what is the Reſurrection any more, but the lighting of this candle again? What is death, but a pulling down of the houſe of the body? and what is the Reſurrection, but the rebuilding of the ſame houſe? And why then ſhould any man think it a thing incredible for God to raiſe the dead? We ſee by experience, that our curious glaſſes are made by the art of man, even out of aſhes: And cannot the Omnipotent God raiſe mens dead bodies, when turned to aſhes? There is no contradiction in this; and therefore an infinite power is able to effect it. And to ſhew that God can effect it, he raiſed up many from the dead, both in the Old and New Teſtament, as helps to our faith, to enable us to believe, That that God who raiſed thoſe few, will in due time raiſe all the dead, both juſt and unjuſt.
Objection.
But you will reply, How is it poſſible that the ſame body ſhould riſe, when as the duſt of men are ſo mingled together, as that it ſeems impoſſible to ſeparate the duſt of one man from another?
Anſwer,
With man this is impoſsible, but with God all things are poſsible: It is eaſie to God to give to every man his own duſt; if it be poſſible for a Gardner that hath thirty ſeveral ſeeds in his hand, to be able to diſtinguiſh between ſeed and ſeed; and for a Chymiſt, to extract the four Elements out of an hearb, and ſepa…ate them one from the other; and for a Watch-maker, to take his Watch in pieces, and mingle the pieces together, and yet afterwards put them together as before: Much more is it poſſible for the Omnipotent God to distinguiſh one duſt from another, as well as one man from another, and one ſtone from another.
Objection,
One man is eaten by another, and turned into the ſubſtance of another; how can both theſe ariſe with their diſtinct bodies?
Anſwer.
Every man ſhall ariſe with his own fleſh; but yet not ſo, as that he ſhall ariſe with every thing that was once a part of him: But he ſhall ariſe with ſo much of his fleſh as ſhall make a perfect man, and the ſame man. A man hath a piece of his fleſh cut off by a ſword, and new fleſh growing in its room; now he ſhall not riſe with both theſe, but with ſo much as ſhall make him a perfect man, and one and the ſame man for ſubſtance. One man eates another mans fleſh, and it becomes one with his; yet he ſhall not riſe with that fleſh, but with ſo much as ſhall make him a compleat man, and the ſame not onelyonly for kinde, but for number; For with God nothing is impoſsible. So much for the fourth particular.
The fifth particular.The fifth thing propounded; is, to ſhew the certainty and infallibility of this Doctrine: For this is not onelyonly a Truth that God can make good, but a Truth which God cannot but make good. As there muſt be a day of Judgement, 2 Cor. 5.10. So there muſt be a Reſurrection of the body; not onelyonly there may be, but there muſt be, and of the ſame body; not onelyonly the ſame specifical, but the ſame numerical body: Otherwiſe it were not a Reſurrection, but a Surrection; not a Reſuſcitation, but a Suſcitation. And (as Eſtius ſaith) not a Regeneration (as it is called, Mat. 19.28.) but a Generation. A Reſurrection is of the ſame body that dyes, or elſe it is a new Animation, and a new Creation, and not a Reſurrection.
Now that there muſt be a Reſurrection; appears,
1. From the promiſe of God: God hath promiſed that all that are in the graves ſhall hear his voyce, Joh. 5.28, 29.and come forth, &c. and, all that are in the dust ſh…ll awake. And that this corruptible, ſhall put on incorruption; and this mortal, ſhall put on immortality;Iſa. 26.19. and, We muſt all appear before the judgement ſeat of Chriſt, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, 2 Cor. 15.53.whether it be good or bad: And therefore the ancient Chriſtians, when they rehearſed that Article of the Creed, I believe the Reſurr ction of the body, would point to ſome part of their body; and ſay, Even of this body. God can do it, becauſe he is Almighty; and he muſt do it, becauſe he hath promiſed it. This is Pauls Argument to King Agrippa, Verſ. 6. And now I ſtand, and am judged for the hope of the promiſe made of God unto our Fathers, &c. And this is Chriſts Argument by which he proveth the Reſurrection againſt the Sadduces, Matht. 22.32. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Iſaac, and the God of Jacob: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Objection,
This Argument of Chriſt proves onelyonly the Immortality of the Soul, but not the Reſurrection of the Body.
Anſwer.
It proves alſo the Reſurr ction of the body, becauſe God is the God of Abraham, Iſaa, and Jacob; not onelyonly the God of one part of Abraham, but of whole Abraham; not onelyonly the God of his ſoul, but of his body: And therefore whole Abraham muſt live for ever; for Gods Covenant with Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, is an everlaſting Covenant.
2. From the juſtice of God: God cannot but raiſe the dead, becauſe he is a just God, and muſt reward every man according to his works. Now in this life men are not rewarded; the Righteous in this life are oftentimes perſecuted, and the wicked are in prosperity: And therefore there muſt come a rewarding time; and if ſo, then firſt there muſt be a Reſurrection: For dead men cannot be rewarded.
Objection.
Is it not enough that our Souls be rewarded?
Anſwer.
No: For our bodies are partakers in good and evil actions with the ſoul; and therefore it is juſt that they ſhould be Partakers alſo in rewards and puniſhments. Shall God require ſervices of the body, and ſhall he not reward thoſe ſervices? Do not the Saints of God beat down their bodies, and bring them into ſubjection? Do they not faſt often, and mortifie their earthly members, and ſuffer Martyrdome with their bodies? And therefore God cannot but raiſe their bodies to the Reſurrection of Life, and raiſe the ſame bodies; for it cannot ſtand with Gods juſtice, that one body ſhould ſerve him, and another be rewarded; or that one body ſhould ſin, and another body be puniſhed. A juſt Judge will not ſuffer one man to fight, and get the victory; and another to be crowned. The ſame body that ſinneth, muſt dye; and the ſame body that conquers, muſt be crowned. What juſtice can there be, for God to caſt a body that never ſined into Hell, and that never was in Adam?
3. From the end of Christs coming in the fleſh; which was, to deſtroy all the Enemies of our Salvation. Now the laſt Enemy which muſt be deſtroyed is death, 1 Cor. 15.26. and death cannot be uttetly and totally deſtroyed, unleſs there be a Reſurrection of the dead.
4. From the Reſurrection of Chriſt: This is Saint Pauls great Argument; 1 Cor. 15.12, &c. If Chriſt be riſen, how …ay ſome that there ſhall be no reſurrection of the dead? For Chriſt roſe as a Publique Perſon, and as the Head of his Church: And if the Head be riſen, all the members muſt alſo riſe; and therefore he is called the Firſt-fruits of them that ſleep, 1 Cor. 15.20. and, the Firſt-born of every creature: And if the First-fruits be lifted up out of the grave, the whole lump will certianly follow. Hence alſo it is, that Chriſt is called the Second Adam, 1 Cor 15.21.22. and Paul argueth ſtro…gly, That as by man came death, ſo by man alſo came the reſurrection of the dead; and, as in Adam all dye, ſo in Chriſt ſhall all be made alive. But now in the firſt Adam all dye, not onelyonly spiritually, but cor…orally; and therefore in the ſecond Adam, all muſt be corporally made to live: And live again in the ſame bodies; for Chriſt roſe with the ſame body that he dyed with. And therefore he roſe with his ſcars and wounds, and he convinced his Diſciples that the body he roſe with was a t…u… body, and not a Spirit; For a Spirit hath not fleſh and bones (ſaith Chriſt) as ye ſee me have, Luke 24.39.
Objection.
Doth not the Apoſtle ſay in that very Chapter,1 Cor. 15 44. That the bodies of men ſhall be ſpiritual bodies at the Reſurrection; And therefore they cannot be the ſame bodies?1 Cor. 15.50. Doth not the ſame Apoſtle alſo ſay, That fleſh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God? Hence the Socinians, and divers others, gather, That the bodies of men ſhall not have fleſh, and blood, and eyes, and heads, and feet, at the Reſurrection, but ſhall be airy and ſpiritual bodies.
Anſwer.
There is a vaſt difference between mutation and perdition: The ſame bodies ſhall be raiſed for ſubſtance, but marvellouſly altered in regard of qualifications and endowments, as you ſhall hear in the next particular. Non aliud corpus, ſed aliter. We read, Exod. 4.6, 7. That M ſes put his hand into his boſom, and when he took it out it was leprous as ſnow; and again he put his hand in his boſom, and pluckt it out, and it was turned again as his other fleſh: Here was the ſame hand when belepred, and when whole. A Beggar when he puts off his rags, and puts on the apparel of a King, is the ſame man, though outwardly altered or changed; So ſhall it be at the Reſurrection; the bodies ſhall be the ſame for ſ…bſtance, though altered wonderfully as to their Qualifications and Endowments.
And as for that ſaying of the Apoſtle, That fleſh and blood ſhall not inherit the Kingdom of God; the meaning is not, That the ſubstance of fleſh an… blood ſhall never enter into Heaven; (for Chriſt in his Humane Nature is now in Heaven) but that fleſh as it is corrupted and ſinful, cloathed with infirmities, and ſubject to mortality and death; fleſh and blood as it is in this tranſitory eſtate, liable to corruption, ſhould not enter into Heaven; and therefore it followeth in the Text, Neither ſhall corruption inherit incorruption.1 Cor. 15.50.
5. I might argue laſtly from the Immortality of the S ul: For the ſoul was made by God to dwell in the body; and though it can ſubſiſt of it ſelf without the body, yet it ſtill retains appetitum unionis, a deſire of re-union with the body; and therefore is in an imperfect eſtate, and not compleatly happy, till it be re-united to the body: And therefore that the ſouls of the godly may be compleatly happy; and of the wicked compleatly miſerable, there muſt of neceſſity be a Reſurrection of the body, that ſo ſoul and body may be re-united, and partake tog…ther, either of compleat happineſs, or compleat unhappineſs. Adde to this, what is ſaid by Durand (that great Schoolman) That when a man dyeth, not onelyonly the ſoul of that man continueth alive, but ſome ſubſtantial part of that mans body, and God alſo, the great Creator, and firſt cauſe of all things. And why ſhould any man think it incredible for God to re-collect the parts of the matter of any mans body which are periſhed, and to re-unite the ſame body to the ſame ſoul again? Poſt mortem hominis (inquit Durandus) ſ…pereſt quae poteſt utrum que unire anima; ſupereſt etiam materia, & praeterea, cauſa, ſcilicet Deus; ergo poterit fieri reunitio earundem partium, ſcilicet animae & materiae ad idem totum conſtituendum. Upon which Argument Eſtius hath this Comment, Si partes ſubſtantiales hominis. anima & materia non poreant (qu…d rei veritas habet, & Durandi argumentum aſsumit) ſed in rerum naturâ permaneant, hinc facile probatur reſurrectionem eſſe poſsibilem. Sic enim ad reſurrectionem non aliud requiritur quam u… tota materia quae fuerat hujus hominis, re olligatur & compingatur in eandum figuram m…mbrorum quam aliquando habuit, ei que anima priſtina ut forma reſtituatur. Quod totum Deo poſsibile eſſe non eſt difficile creditu iis qui Dei omnipotentiam attendunt. So much for the fifth particular.
The ſixth particular.The laſt thing propounded, is, to ſhew, After what manner the dead ſhall riſe, and what difference there will be between the Reſurrection of the juſt and unjuſt.
Anſw. It is certain (as hath been proved) that both juſt and unjuſt ſhall riſe, and riſe with the ſame bodies for ſubſtance; but yet there will be a vaſt difference between the Reſurrection of the one, and of the other; which will conſiſt in three particulars:
1. The bodies of the juſt ſhall riſe out of their graves, as out of their beds, with great joy and rojoycing; and therefore it is ſaid, Iſa. 26.19. Awake and ſing ye that dwell in the duſt. As ſoon as ever they awake, they ſhall ſing and rejoyce: The godly ſhall come out of their graves, as Jonah out of the Whales belly; as Daniel, out of the Lyons Den; as the chief Butler out of Priſon, to be reſtored to all his former dignities; and as Joſeph, who was taken out of Priſon to be made Lord of Egypt: So ſhall the bodies of the Saints be taken out of the grave, to be crowned with everlaſting glory. And who can ſufficiently expreſs the great joy and rejoycing that will be, when the body and ſoul ſhall be re-united together; when the Soul ſhall come down from heaven, to be married again to its former body? Look what ſweet embracements there were between Jacob and Joſeph when they firſt ſaw one another, after that Jacob had thought he had been dead, and look'd upon him as one raiſed from the dead; ſuch, and a thouſand times more will be at the ſouls re-poſſeſsion of the body: Look what joy between Jonathan and David, when David came out of the cave to him; and what embracements between the Father of the Prodigal and the Prodigal, when his Father ran to meet him, and imbraced him, and kiſsed him; and ſaid, My Son was dead, but now he is raiſed again; ſuch, and much more, will there be, when body and ſoul meet together. O how will the ſoul bleſs God for the body, which was an inſtrument to it in the ſervice of God! and how will the body bleſs God for the ſoul, which was ſo careful to get an intereſt in Chriſt, and to get to be juſtified and ſanctified! and how will both body and ſoul admire the free grace of God in Jeſus Chriſt, who hath pickt them out to be heirs of ſo much mercy! Surely, we ſhall never underſtand the greatneſs of this joy, till we do taſte of it.
But now on the contrary, The bodies of the wicked ſhall come out of their graves, as out of their Priſons, and as ſo many malefactors, to appear before an angry Judge. They ſhall come out of their graves (as the chief Baker did out of Priſon) to be executed in Hell for ever: They ſhall ariſe with great fear and trembling; and ſhall call to the hills and mountains to cover and hide th m from the preſ nce of the Lamb. And Oh the horror and aſtoniſhment that ſhall be, when the ſoul of a wicked man ſhall come out of Hell, and be again united to its body! How will the body curſe the ſoul, and the ſoul the body! How will they be fool one another! certainly, this greeting will be very terrible: The Lord grant we may never come to have experience of it.
2. The bodies of the Saints ſhall be raiſed by vertue of their union with Chriſt: For the Body of a Saint, even while it is in the grave,1 Cor. 15.24. is united to Chriſt, and is aſleep in J…ſus, and ſhall be raiſed by vertue of this union. The Head will raiſe all its members; and cannot be perfect (as he is Chriſt myſtical) without every one of them:1 Cor. 15.22. As in Adam all dye, ſo in Christ ſhall all be made alive; that is, All that are in Chriſt by faith, ſhall be raiſed by the power of Chriſt, as a Head, and as a merciful Saviour and Redeemer: By the ſame power by which Chriſt raiſed himſelf, he will raiſe all his members. But now the ungodly, they ſhall riſe out of their graves; but it ſhall be a Reſurrection unto Condemnation, and it ſhall be by vertue of Chriſts power as a terrible Judge, and as an angry God, to their everlaſting ſhame and confuſion.
3. The bodies of the wicked at the Reſurrection, ſhall be as ſo many ugly and loathſome carcaſſes to look upon; and their faces ſhall gather darkneſs and blackneſs, Iſa. 66.24. They ſhall ariſe to ev…rlaſting ſhame, as well as to everlaſting torment, Dan. 12.2. But the bodies of the godly ſhall be made very glorious and beautiful: They ſhall ſhine as the Sun in the firmament, Mat. 13.43. and, their vile bodies ſhall be made like unto the glorious body of Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 3.21. Now ſurely the body of Chriſt is wonderful glorious: We had a ſpecimen of this in his Transfiguration, where his face did ſhine as the Sun; Mat. 17.2.and yet this was but a glimſe of that glory he now hath, and which our vile bodies ſhall one day have.
Queſtion,
How can this be?
Anſwer.
This is according to the working of his mighty power, Phil. 3.21.by which he is able to ſubdue all things unto himſelf. God can do it, for he is Almighty, and with him all things are poſſible: Indeed, the ſubſtance of our bodies ſhall not be altered, but the qualities ſhall be much altered. They ſhall have glorious endowments and qualifications: As Wool, when died into a purple or ſcarlet die, is not changed in the ſubſtance of it, but onelyonly is made more glorious: So when the bodies of the Saints ſhall riſe, the ſubſtance of them ſhall not be changed, but they ſhall be made more glorious, and more excellent.
Queſtion.
If you ask me, what thoſe Endowments are which God beſtoweth upon the body at the Reſurrection?
Anſwer.
It is impoſſible to ſet out all the glory which God will beſtow upon the bodies of his Saints at that day. For eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive, what God hath prepared even for the bodies of thoſe who love him, and wait for his appearing. Aug. de Civitate Dei, lib. 22. cap. 21.Quae ſit & quam magna ſpiritualis corporis gloria, quoniam nondum venit in experimentum, vereor ne temerarium ſit omne quod de illa profertur eloquium. The Schoolmen reduce them to four heads, Impaſſibility, ſibility,Impaſſibilitas, Subtilitas, Agilitas, Claritas. Subtilty, Agility, Clarity. The Apoſtle alſo comprizeth them under four particulars, It is ſown in weakneſs, it is rai…ed in power; It is ſown in corruption, and raiſed in incorruption; It is ſown in diſhonour, and raiſed in glory; It is ſown a natural body, and raiſed a ſpiritual body.
Objection.
If it be a ſpiritual body, how is it the ſame body?
Anſwer.
It is called a ſpiritual body, not in regard of the ſubſtance of it, but of the qualities of it; and that in two reſpects,
1. Becauſe it ſhall have no need of meat or drink, but ſhall be as the Angels of Heaven, Mat. 20.30. not that we ſhall have Angelicam eſſentiam, but Angelicas proprietates; not the eſſence, but the properties of Angels: We ſhall neither eat nor drink, but ſhall be as the Angels. We ſhall have (as Tertullian ſaith) corpora reformata & Angelificata: Even as a Goldſmith (ſaith Chryſostome) puts his ſilver and gold into a pot, and then melts it, and forms of it a gold or ſilver b wl, or cup, fit to be ſet before Kings; ſo the Lord melts the bodies of his Saints by death, and out of the dead aſhes and cinders of the bodies of his ſervants, he frameth, and will make goodly veſſels of honour to ſtand before him, and to praiſe him for ever in heaven.
2. It is ſaid to be a Spiritual body, becauſe it ſhall be abſolutely ſubject to the ſoul. In the ſtate of glory the ſoul ſhall not depend upon the body, but the body upon the ſoul. In this life the ſoul is,See this more fully handled in the Sermon preached at Dr. Bollons Funeral. as it were, carnal, becauſe ſerviceable to the fleſh; but at the Reſurrection, the body ſhall be, as it were, ſpiritual, becauſe perfectly ſerviceable to the Spirit. But the time will not give me leave to inſiſt largely upon this point. So much in anſwer to the ſix particulars propounded for the explication of this Doctrine: Now for the Application.
Uſe 1.
LEt us believe this great truth, and believe it firmly and undoubtedly, That there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the body, and that the ſame numerical body ſhall riſe again; the ſame for ſubſtance, though not the ſame for qualities. The great God can do this, for he is Almighty, and to an Almighty power nothing is impoſſible: God can do it, becauſe he is Omnipctent; and he cannot but do it, becauſe he hath promiſed to do it. He cannot be true of his word, if the body do not riſe again, nor can he be a juſt God (as I have ſhewed;) for it is juſt with God, that as the body hath been partakers with the ſoul in good or evil actions, ſo it ſhould be partakers with the ſoul in everlaſting rewards, and everlaſting puniſhments: And it is just with God, that the ſame body that ſerves him ſhould be rewarded; and the ſame body that ſins againſt him ſhould be puniſhed: And the truth is, if the ſame body doth not riſe, it cannot be called a Reſurrection, but rather a new creation (as I have ſhewed:) Let us, I ſay, firmly believe this truth; for it is a fundamental truth, and the foundation of many other fundamental truths: For if the dead riſe not, then is not Christ riſen; and then is our faith vain, and our preaching in vain. Remember Job in the Old Teſtament believed this.
Uſe 2.
IF there be a Reſurrection of the dead,Reſurrectio mortuorum eſt conſolatio & fiducia Christianorum. here is great conſolation to all the real members of Jeſus Chriſt: For the Reſurrection of the dead is the comfort, and the hope, and confidence of all good Chriſtians. This was Jobs comfort upon the dunghil, Job 19.26, 27. and Davids comfort, Pſal. 16.7. and Chriſts comfort, Mat. 20.19.—But the third day he ſhall riſe again. It was Chriſts comfort, and it is the comfort of every good Chriſtian.
1. Here is comfort againſt the fear of death: As God ſaid to Jacob, Gen. 46.3, 4. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will go with thee, and I will bring thee out again. So give me leave to ſay to you, Fear not to go down to the houſe of Rottenneſs, to the Den of Death, for God will raiſe you up gain. Your Friends and Acquaintance leave you at the grave, but God will not leave you. The grave is but a dormitory, a reſting-place, a ſtorehouſe, to keep you ſafe till the Reſurrection: Chriſt hath perfumed the grave. 1 Sam. 26.As David, when he found Saul aſleep, took away his spear and cruſe of water; but when he awoke he reſtored them again. So will death do with us: Though it take away out ſtrength, and our beauty; yet when we awake at the Reſurrection, they ſhall be reſtored again unto us. God will keep our dead aſhes, and preſerve them ſafe; as a Druggiſt keeps every whit of the drug he hath beaten to powder. A Saint while he is in the grave, is united to Chriſt, he ſleeps in Jeſus, and Jeſus will raiſe him up unto life everlaſting.
John 11.24.2. Comfort against the death of our friends: Though they be dead, yet they ſhall riſe gain; as Martha told Chriſt, I know that he ſhall riſe again at the Reſurrection. 1 Theſſ. 14.The Saints who dye in the faith of Chriſt, are dead in Chriſt, and ſuch he will raiſe and bring with him to judgement. If a man be to take a long journey, his wife and children will not weep and mourn, becauſe they hope that ere long he will return again. A man that dyes in Chriſt, and ſleeps in Chriſt, doth but take a journey from Earth to Heaven, but he will come again ſhortly; and therefore, let us not mourn as men without hope for our godly relations, for we ſhall meet again; and in all probability, ſhall know one another when we meets though not after a carnal manner; for we ſhall riſe with the ſame bodies. And if Lazarus was known when raiſed, and the Widows Son known by his Mother; if Adam in Innocency, knew Eve when he awoke, and Peter knew Moſes and Elias in the Transfiguration (which was but a dark repreſentation of Heaven) it is very probable that we alſo, when we awake at the great Reſurrection, ſhall know one another, which will be no little addition to our Happineſs.
3. Comfort to thoſe who have maimed and deformed bodies: At the great Reſurrection all theſe deformities ſhall be taken away; therefore it is called, A Day of Reſtitution, Acts 3.21.wherein God will ſet all things in joynt. If there were a Phyſician who could cure all bodily deformities, what flocking would there be to him for help; ſuch a Phyſician is Death. As Job had all things reſtored double, when raiſed from the dunghil; ſo ſhall a childe of God have all bodily deformities removed, and his body ſhall be raiſed in glory, and ſhine as the Sun in the firmament. And why then ſhould we be ſo afraid of death? it is initium vivae ſpei, the beginning of a living hope. The Heathen mans Motto is, Dum ſpiro ſpero, while there is life there is hope; but a Christians Motto is, Dum expiro ſpero, when I dye, then my hope begins to live.
4. Comfort to thoſe who forgoe any members of their bodies for Chriſt: If thou loſeſt thy leg, or arm, or ear, God will reſtore it again at the Reſurrection. The ſame leg, &c. as Chriſt healed the ear of Matchus; he did not give him a new ear, but the ſame again. Famous is the ſtory that Joſephus tells of one of the ſeven children in the Maccabees, who when he was to have his tongue cut out, and his hand cut off, ſaid to his Mother, Theſe I have received from the Heavens, and for the love of my God I despiſe them, and truſt that I ſhall receive them again.
5. Comfort to the people of God, when in the loweſt condition: When upon the dunghil, and paſt help of man, then let them remember, That the God whom we ſerve can raiſe the dead; and therefore can deliver them out of all their troubles, though never ſo great and incurable. This was Jobs comfort, when in the ſaddeſt condition, Job 19.25, 26, 27. It is proper to God to deliver from the loweſt grave, Pſal. 86.13. And for this very end and purpoſe, God oftentimes brings his children into a very deplorable and deſperate condition, that they might learn to truſt in that God who raiſeth the dead, 2 Cor. 1.12.
6. Laſtly, Here is ſingular conſolation in reference to the ſad times in which we live. It is with us now as it was with the Diſciples when Christ was crucified; their hopes dyed, when Chriſt dyed; their faith in Chriſt, was dead and buried with Chriſt; therefore they ſay, Luke 24.21. We truſted that it had been he which ſhould have redeemed Iſrael; and beſides all this, to day is the third day ſince theſe things were done: As if they ſhould have ſaid, Chriſt hath now been ſo long in the grave, that we have no hope of ſalvation by him; it is now the third day, and we hear no tidings of him. Even ſo the people of God are ready to ſay of theſe times, We had thought that this had been the time wherein Chriſt would have made the Churches of England very glorious, and have taken away all our tynne and droſse out of his Church, and perfectly have purged his floor, and made a moſt happy Reformation: But we ſee that Chriſt is still in the grave, and there are mountains upon mountains rowled over him, to keep him ſtill in it. We are in as bad a condition as ever, and our hopes as deſperate; and it is now not onelyonly the third day, but the thirteenth, nay the ſixteenth year, and yet we are not delivered. But now hearken to a Word of Conſolation: As Chriſt roſe in spight of the Jews; they rowled a ſtone upon the mouth of the grave, and ſealed it, and ſet a watch to keep it, and yet he roſe in ſpight of them all: So ſhall Religion, and the Gospel, and Church of Chriſt riſe, notwithſtanding all the oppoſition made againſt it. Though never ſo many Mountains …e in the way, God will in time rowl away all theſe Mountains; Mat. 16. Iſa. 54. Zach. 12.3.for Chriſt haih ſaid, That the gates of H…ll ſhall not prevail againſt his Church; and, that no weapon formed againſt Jacob ſhall prosper; and, that he will make Jeruſalem a burthenſome ſtone for all people; all that burthen themſelves with it ſhall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together againſt it. As the children of Iſrael, the more they were oppreſſed, the more they multiplied; ſo the more the Church of Chriſt is trodden under foot, the more it will proſper. As Moſes his buſh burned, and was not conſumed, becauſe God was in it; ſo the Church of Chriſt may be burning, and full of troubles and afflictions (which ſhall purge it,Rev. 11.7, 8, 9, 10, 11. and refine it) but it ſhall not be conſum…d; for Chriſt is riſen, and his Church ſhall riſe: The God whom we ſerve is a God who can raiſe the dead. It is related of the two Witneſses, that when they ſhall have flniſhed their eſtimony, they ſhould be ſlain, and lie three days and an half unburied; and that the people that dwell upon the earth ſhould re…o…ce over them, and make merry: But yet notwithſtanding, the Spirit of God ſhould after three days and an half enter into them, and they ſhould ſtand upon their feet, and aſcend up to Heaven in the ſight of their Enemies. By theſe two Witneſſes are meant, all the eminent Oppoſers of Antichriſt, whether Magiſtrates or Miniſters; who, though they propheſie in ſackcloath 1260 years, and towards the end of them (which is yet to come) be in a more then ordinary manner maſsacred and killed, yet they ſhall after a little while riſe again (in their ſucceſſors) ſtand …pon their feet, and aſcend up to a more heavenly and glorious condition: There will be a happy and bleſſed Reſurrection of the Church. Famous is the Parable of the Dry Bones, Ezek. 37. God ſaith to the Prophet, Son of man, can theſe bones live? The Prophet anſwered, O Lord God thou knoweſt. Then God tells him, That he would cauſe breath to enter into the dry bones, and make them to live, &c. Though the Church of Chriſt be in as ſad a condition as the Iſraelites in Babylon, and be as dry bones in a grave; and though the Prophets know not how they can be raiſed,2 Pet. 2.9▪ yet God knoweth how to deliver his people: He can and will in due time raiſe them up to a more pure and happy eſtate, even in this life. Let us comfort one another with theſe things.
Uſe 3.
OF Terrour to all the wicked and ungodly that cannot ſay with Job, I know my Redeemer liveth; but, I know my Revenger liveth. There will a time come, when they that now ſtop their ears, and will not hear the voyce of Chriſt ſpeaking by his Word and Miniſters, ſhall hear a voyce whether they will or no, and ſhall come out of their graves to the Reſurrection of condemnation, juſt as Pharaohs Baker out of Priſon, or as Malefactors out of Newgate, to be executed at Tiburn. Happy were it for ſuch that there were no Reſurrection, that their ſouls did dye as the ſouls of Brute Beaſts: But let ſuch know, That there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the unjuſt, as well as of the juſt; and that there will a day come, in which they muſt, whether they will or no, behold the Lord Jeſus with thoſe very eyes which have been the caſements to let in iniquity into the ſoul: They ſhall ſee that Chriſt whoſe Sabbaths and Ordinances they have deſpiſed, and whoſe Laws they have trampled under their feet: That drunken and adulterous body, that ſwearing tongue, thoſe hands of thine which have been workers of iniquity, and thoſe feet which have been ſwift to ſhed blood, ſhall riſe at the laſt day to be tormented in everlaſting flames: That fleſh of thine for which thou haſt made ſuch proviſion to fulfil the luſts of it, ſhall ariſe into everlaſting con em…t and puniſhment. O conſider what howling and lamentation will be when thy ſoul and body ſhall meet again, and ſhall curſe one another, and call to the Mountains to fall upon them, and rocks to hide them, from the wrath of the Lamb, but all in vain: When thy godly Miniſter ſhall ſay to thee, as Reuben to his Brethren, Gen. 42.22. Did I not tell you before of theſe things? but you would not hearken unto me; and as Paul to the men in the ſhip, Acts 27.21. If you had hearkened unto me, you might have ſcaped this loſs. O quam miſerum eſt Deum videre, & perire, & ante Pretii tui perire conſpectum! Suppoſe a man were to go to bed at night with an aſſurance that the next morning he ſhould be hanged, drawn and quartered, he would have but little comfort in that nights reſt. And did a wicked man conſider that whenſoever he falls aſleep, and is laid in the grave, he ſhall awake to everlaſting condemnation, this would make his joynts to looſe, and his knees to ſmite one againſt the other, as Belſhazzars did at the ſight of the Hand-writing. The Lord give you grace to perpend and weigh theſe things, and lay them to heart, before it be too late.
Vſe 4.
IF there ſhall be a Reſurrection of the dead, let us labour ſo to live, that when we dye we may have a happy Reſurrection, that we may ariſe to the Reſurrection of Life; that there may be a neceſſary connexion between the eleventh nd twelfth Articles of our Creed; and that immediately after the Rvſurrection of the body, we may be received into life everlaſting. Here I ſhall briefly anſwer unto two Queſtions:
1. How ſhall we know whether we ſhall have a bleſſed and happy Reſurrection?
2. What muſt we do that we way have a happy Reſurrection?
Queſtion 1.
How ſhall we know whether we ſhall have a bleſſed and happy Reſurrection?
Anſwer.
1. If thou be a juſt man, thou ſhalt have a happy Reſurrection. The Apoſtle tells, Acts 24.15. That there ſhall be a Reſurrection both of the juſt and the unjuſt: The unjuſt ſhall come out of their graves to the Reſurrection of damnation, but the juſt to the Reſurrection of life. If thou be a juſt man, juſt in thy dealings, juſt in thy words and oathes, juſt both to God and man, and laboureſt to give God his due in the duties of the Firſt Table, and man his due in the duties of the Second Table; if thou joyneſt juſtice with holineſs, and holineſs with juſtice, thou ſhalt certainly have a joyful Reſurrection. Job was a juſt man, and one that feared God, and therefore he believed that with thoſe very eyes of his he ſhould ſee God to his everlaſting comfort.
2. If thou refuſeſt earthly Reſurrections upon baſe terms, thou ſhalt have a happy Reſurrection. The Apoſtle tells us, Heb. 11.35. of many bleſſed Martyrs, who would not accept deliverance, that they might obtain a better Reſurrection. They might have riſen to great preferments, if they would have complied upon baſe terms; but they would not accept of an earthly Reſurrection, that they might obtain a better Reſurrection. When S. Baſil was offered great preferments if he would have ſubſcribed to the Arian Hereſie, he refuſed them with ſcorn and contempt, &c. he would not accept deliverance upon ſuch unworthy tearms. When Hormiſdas a Perſian Nobl…man was deveſted of all his Honours for his Religion, and afterwards reſtored again, and offered greater advancements if he would renounce it: He anſwered, Si p opter iſta me Chriſtum denegaturum exiſtimas, ea denuo, accipe; If you think I will deny my Chriſt for theſe things, take them back again. But if you accept of earthly Reſurrections upon baſe and ſinful Conditions, you ſhall have a ſad and woful Reſurrection.
3. If thou glorifieſt God with thy body here, thy body ſhall be glorified at the Reſurr…ction: If thou beatest down thy body, and bringeſt it under ſubjection; 1 Cor. 9.27. Rom. 12.1. & 6.13.if thou offereſt up thy body a living ſacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; if thou makeſt thy body an inſtrument of righteouſneſs; if thy body be erviceable to the ſoul in the worſhip of God, then ſhall it be made a moſt glori us body: But if it be the Devils inſtrument unto ſin, if thou makeſt it a ſlave to thy luſt here, it ſhall riſe at the laſt day unto everlaſting miſery.
4. If thou haſt a gracious ſoul here, thou ſhalt have a glorious body hereafter; for the body followeth the ſoul, it is but as the ſouls ſhadow. If when thou dyeſt thy ſoul goeth to Hell, thy body will come thither at laſt; and if thy ſoul go to Heaven, thy body will come thither alſo: And therefore examine what kinde of ſoul thou dyeſt withal; if thy ſoul be beautified with grace, if ſanctified and regenerated; if thou mindeſt thy ſoul more then thy body, and laboureſt for Soul-riches, and Soul-honours, and Soul-food, then thy body ſhall be happy at the Reſurrection: But if thy ſoul be polluted and deformed, if ſtarved by the neglect of Goſpel-Ordinances, if poyſoned with ſin, if infected by evil company, if thou diceſt and cardeſt it away, if thou loſeſt thy ſoul for want of looking too, thy body will ariſe to the Reſurrection of Condemnation.
5. Laſtly and eſpecially, If thou haſt got a real intereſt in Chriſt and his righteouſneſs, then thou ſhalt have a moſt bleſſed Reſurrection; for Chriſt Jeſus is the Reſurrection and the life, John 11.25. and whoſoever believeth in him, ſhall riſe to life everlasting: If thou getteſt into Chriſt while thou liveſt, thou ſhalt dye in Chriſt, and ſleep in Chriſt, and be raiſed by Chriſt unto eternal happineſs: But if thou haſt not got into him by a Chriſt-appropriating faith, thou canſt not dye in him, nor ſleep in him, nor riſe by him as Head, unto life everlaſting, but as a revengeful Judge unto everlasting damnation.
Queſtion 2.
VVhat muſt we do that we may have a happy Reſurrection?
Anſwer.
1. You muſt labour to be juſt perſons, that you may partake of the reſurrection of the juſt.
2. You muſt refuſe earthly reſurrection upon baſe terms, as the three Children and Daniel did.
3. You muſt glorifie God with your bodies, you muſt make them helpers to your ſouls, not hinderers; you muſt make them Temples of the Holy Ghoſt. The body which hath faſted, and prayed, and joyned ſincerely with the ſoul in holy ſervices, ſhall one day behold the face of God with comfort. Chriſt will ſay, Are not theſe the eyes which have been lift…d up unto God in my ſervice? Are not theſe the ears which have hearkned to my word? Remember this when your bodies are wearied and tired in the worſhip of God, The more thou ſerveſt God with thy body, the more glory it ſhall have at that day.
4. Labour to get gracious ſouls here, and you ſhall have glorified bodies hereafter.
5. Labour to be united to Chriſt by a lively faith, and he will be your reſurrection and your life: It is the great promiſe of Chriſt, that he will raiſe up the body at the laſt day, John 6.39.40, 54, 58. that is, raiſe it up to life everlaſting.
6. Labour to have part in the firſt reſurrection, Revel. 20.6. Bleſſed and holy is he that hath part in the firſt reſurrection. I know this Text is differently interpreted; but ſure I am (according to the judgement of all learned men) there is a double reſurrection; the one spiritual, the other corporal; the one of the ſoul, the other of the body: Thoſe Texts, Epheſ. 2.1. Col. 2.13. John 5.25. do (without all doubt) ſpeak of the ſpiritual reſurrection. By nature we have dead ſouls, dead in ſins and treſpaſses, void of spiritual life, as perfectly under the power of ſin, as a dead man is under the power of death, and as unable to do any thing that is ſpiritually good, as a dead man is to do any work. Now a ſoul dead in ſin, ſhall be damned for ſin; but if thy ſoul be quickned and made alive, if the Lord hath infuſed principles of grace into thee, and given thee a new heart, and a new ſpirit; if regenerated and born again, then thy bodily reſurrection ſhall be happy: It is very obſervable, That the Reſurrection is called Regeneration, Mat. 19.28.—In the regeneration, that is (as many interpret it) in the reſurrection: If ſpiritually regenerated, thy reſurrection ſhall be moſt happy and glorious. O pray unto God, and labour for regeneration, and a new creation, and that thou mayeſt have a ſhare in the firſt reſurrection.
7. Heaken to the voyce of Christ, and of his Spirit; and of his Miniſters, and of his Rod, and then his voye at the reſurrection (when he ſhall call thee out of the grave) ſhall be a happy voyce. If thou ſtoppeſt thine ears, and wilt not hearken to the voyce of the Rod, nor to the voyce of his Word, and the Miniſters of it; thou ſhalt hear the voyce of the Archangel calling thee out of the grave whether thou wilt or no, and the voyce of Chriſt ſaying, Go ye curſed ito Hell-fire, &c.
8. Count all things dung and droſs, that thou mayeſt gain Chriſt, and be found in him at that day, not having thine own righteouſneſs, but the righteouſneſs which is of God by faith in Chriſt; and be willing to do any thing, if by any means you may attain to the reſurrection of the dead, Phil. 3.8, 9, 11. that is, either to a happy reſurrection, or rather to ſuch a degree of grace which the Saints ſhall have at the Reſurrection.
9. Remember and carry daily in your mind, that ſaying of S. Jerom Whether you eat or drink, or whatſoever you are doing, think with y ur ſelves, That you hear the Trumpet ſounding, and the voyce of the Archangel, ſaying, Ariſe ye dead and come to judgement.
Ʋſe 5.
A Divine Project how to make your bodies beautiful and glorious, and beautiful in an ominent degree, in a ſuperſuperlative meaſure, beautiful, as the Sun in the Firmament, as the beautiful Body of Chriſt, which ſo dazzled Pauls eyes, that it put them out: To make your bodies Majeſtical, Immortal, and Impaſſible; and that is, by labouring to glorifie God with them, and to get an intereſt in Chriſt, and to get gracious and beautiful ſouls. O that this word were mingled with faith! Methinks if any Motive could prevail with you that are Gentlewomen and rich Ladies this ſhould: Behold a way how to make your bodies eternally beautiful. What trouble and pains do many women that are crooked endure, by wearing iron-bodies to make themſelves ſtait: What labour and coſt are many women at to beautifie their rotten carcaſſes! Hearken to me thou proud dust and aſhes, thou guilded mud, that laboureſt to beautifie thy body by vain, fooliſh and ſinful deckings and trimmings, and thinkeſt thy ſelf deckt in the want of decking: That pampereſt thy body in all voluptuouſneſs, and makeſt thy ſelf by thy ſtrange faſhions ſo unlike thy ſelf, as that if our civil forefathers were alive again, they would wonder what ſtrange monſter thou wert: Hearken unto me, I ſay, and conſider thy madneſs and folly, by labouring ſo much to adorn thy body with the neglect of thy ſoul, thou undoeſt both body and ſoul. The onelyonly way to make thy body beautiful, is (as I hove ſaid) to gain Chriſt, to have a part in the firſt reſurrection, and to get a gracious ſoul, and then thou ſhalt be ſure hereafter to have a glorious body. Excellent is that ſaying of Bernard, Chriſt hath a treble coming, Once he came in the fleſh for the good of our ſouls and bodies: now he comes in the Spirit (by the preaching of his Miniſters) for the good of our ſouls: At the laſt day he ſhall come for the good of our bodies, to beautifie and glorifie them. Noli O homo praeripere tempora; Do not O fond man miſtake the time! This preſent life is not the time for thy body; it is appointed for the beautifying of thy ſoul, and adorning it with grace and holineſs. The Reſurrection is the time wherein Chriſt will come from Heaven to make thy body glorious. How quite contrary to this do moſt people live? Let it be our wiſdom (with the children of Iſſachar) to have underſtanding of the times. 1 Chro. 12.31.Let us labour to get our ſouls beautified by Chriſts ſecond coming, with Juſtification and Sanctification, and Chriſt at his third coming will make our bodies glorious above expreſſion.