mindes something to this end that our affections may bee wrought upon to forsake the world with detestation and to love and imbrace heaven and for this dutie wee ought to redeeme some time continually Thus principally Enoch walked with God and David though a King meditated in Gods law day and night And from this dutie let us bee brought to a holy use of soliloquies checking and shaming our selves for following these pleasures for unthankfulnesse and want of cheerefulnesse as David why art thou cast down O my soule why art thou so disquieted By these recollections a Christian is indeed himselfe and for the present even seated in heaven In the last place besides ejaculations use dayly a set prayer for thereby wee ascend into heaven and are fitted thereby to be more and more heavenly it s the trade of Citizens that make them rich this is our trade to trade by prayer with that heavenly Citie where our treasure is and by it wee shall grow dayly in riches Thus is our soule strengthened and our affections stirred up to converse with God and thus come wee to set our faith in heaven together with our love where our father is where Angels and Saints our Citie and eternall happinesse is thus is our hope strengthened which carries us through all afflictions undauntedly and so is a heaven to us before heaâ—ven and thus are our â—esires in heaven to be at rest to bee with Christ which is best of all But some will say wee cannot alwayes intend such things as these we have our callings and are busied about earthly matters and cares I answer true it is yet in the use of these things wee may bee heavenly minded for God in mercie appoints us callings to busie our mindes about which else would bee delving in the idle pleasures of sinne onely he requires that we in the first place seeke for heaven we shall not continue here but wee are travelling still and therefore it is good for us ever to redeeme some time for heaven that wee may come with more speed to our journeyes end Secondly as a helpe to us hee hath left us his Saboths in pitie to our soules which else would altogether be rooting in the earth Let us have a care of the well spending of them for by this we pay homage to heaven and are put in minde thereof Thirdly everie day redeeme sometime for meditation of the vanitie of this world hereby will our untunable soules be still set in tune and for our callings every day sanctifie them by prayer and then all is cleane Fourthly goe about them as in obedience to God knowing that God hath placed us in these callings and he looks for service in imploying those talents bestowed on us and in our serving one another And let us indeavour to shew what our religion is in avoiding the corruptions of our callings Labour also to see God in every thing in crossing us in incouraging and assisting us and this will stirre us up accordingly to pray continually in al things to give thanks and it will make us feare alwayes for the same care and love of God that brings us to heaven doth guide us in our particular actions and callings And in other matters use our selves so as we by these things raise our mindes on high for there is a double use of the creatures First temporall and from thence a spirituall use is raised thus did Christ by considering water he was raised to think of spirituall regeneration and washing and thus we should doe labour to see God in his creatures and thus shall wee helpe our soules by our bodies God will have it thus and therefore setteth downe heavenly things in earthly comparisons Lastly wee must indeavour to make a spirituall use of all things as God doth doth God send crosses on us then before they leave us beg a blessing that they may worke his intended effect in bettering us Doth God blesse us with prosperitie pray that God would sanctifie it to incourage us on to good duties so as in all estates wee may have our conversation in heaven Let no man therefore make pretence that he is poore that he hath no time for this no grace workes matter out of every thing poore Paul nay Paul a prisoner see how he is busied And the truth is that worldly prosperitie is the greatest enemie to a heavenly minde that can bee But the weake Christian will complaine that he cannot finde this in him but he is still carried away with worldly matters though hee strive against it never so much yet the world goes away with him To such I answer strength of grace this way is not in every Christian neither is it at the first Paul had his destractions Rom. 7. from 15. to 24. yet must our labours and indeavors be that way the sinne that is in us cannot hurt us if we strive against it God suffers his children to see their weaknesse as he did deale with Solomon to humble us and make us learne his lesson that all is vanitie and vexation of spirit Let not such therefore bee discouraged but cheerefully goe on in a good course wherein the more we labour and strive the more wee beautifie Religion and credit our Citie and draw on others to bee fellow Citizens with us And thus shall we free our selves from terrors of conscience and from the snares of the divell even as birds when they soare aloft need feare no snares Thus also shall wee get a portion here for its the promise of the God of truth that if we first seek the Kingdome of heaven al these things shal be cast upon us Thus also shall wee be sure of Gods gracious and faithfull protection who hath said hee will keepe us in our wayes And lastly thus shall wee end our dayes with comfort woe bee to him that dies not to the world before hee goes hence but to him that hath his soule in heaven even while it is in his bodie this life is but a pilgrimage and death is advantage VERS 20. From whence wee also looke for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ. THese words lay downe such an estate of a Christian as is both a cause and a signe of heavenly conversation and in them we may consider First that Christ is in heaven Secondly that there is a second comming of Christ. Thirdly that Christians expect it Fourthly that this expectation is a cause of heavenly carriage For the first that Christ is in heaven wee have the Scripture to warrant it but the text is pregnant herein we looke for him from heaven ergo he is in heaven And therefore it s a grosse conceipt of the Papists that dreame that his bodie is every where in the bread or with the bread as the Lutherans would hâ—ve it the scripture determines that the heavens must contain him that he sitteth now on the right hand of God that he shall hereafter come to
God what if we part with them if it be for his cause he will bring us to a better life which shall not be taken away from us and this life we must part with ere long and thus we ought to worke on our selves by often meditating of them as the Saints have done In the fourth place we are to labour to strengthen three graces in us especially Faith to assure us that wee are the children of God and that we have heaven and all things belonging thereto laid up for us and we are to labour to see more and more into the valew of them and then we are to strengthen our Hope which makes us cheerfully to undergoe and doe any thing for Gods cause through our expectation of that which faith beleeves Lastly let us cherish our love of Christ this made St. Paul desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ which was best of all And this love comes from Faith and Hope and these together will breed a largenesse of heart that cares for no worldly thing and will bee daunted with no affliction or crosses what ever But how farre are we here from did St. Paul part with life It pertaines not to us no not to leave a new fangled fashion nor an oath whereby wee teare Gods name dayly alas where is faith what corruption is here overcome which of us will ever be of Paul or Davids minde to become vile or base for Gods cause where is he that will indure a scoffe or scorne for religion let us beg of God this large spirit and large affections the children of heaven have a free spirit basely esteeming all worldly things Zacheus when hee is called cares not for his goods nor Paul for his priviledges The Stoicks commend this resolution in men to be willing and readie to die alas crosses and afflictions Paul esteemed not so as he might attaine to the resurrection of the dead these are the things that the Stoicks feared most and it was the feare of these made them so willing and readie to die together with a base servitude to pride but a Christian heart is more noble it not only feares not these but it contemnes them yea cares not for life without afflictions but with joy can undergoe all manner of torments Let us therefore take heed how wee quiet our selves in our earthly dwellings here supposing our estate to be happie surely it is the maine ground of Apostacie wee shall never come to see the price of religion nor the excellencie of a peaceable conscience nor the vanitie of these things so long as we blesse our selves in them And contrarily let us exercise our graces in the dayly trials we meet with here doth favour of great men doth pleasure profit or honour crosse and oppose thy conscience let the peace thereof be preferred above all evermore else shalt thou never come to Pauls holy resolution And dreame not of a vaine emptie faith thou hast no more than thou dost practise it s not Lord Lord that will prevaile at the day of judgement but Christ will be ashamed of them at the day of judgement that made no more account of him while they lived than to preferre every vaine idle wanton delight and pleasure before his honour VERS 12. Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect IT is a correction of the Apostle hee formerly spake of his desire choice and esteeme of Christs death and resurrection and the force thereof hee found in him Now lest secret insinuating proud conceits might arise either in himselfe or in them concerning his holinesse hee crosses them with a Not as shewing that the best estate of Gods children in this world is imperfect there is ever some thing to doe or suffer some lust to conquer or some grace to strengthen There is no absolute perfection but onely in God himselfe yet in Christians there is a kind of derivative spirituall perfection which consisteth chiefly in the parts a Christian hath this perfection he hath all grace in some measure we have no other perfection no not so much as perfectio viae though the Papists say they have it indeed we are so far from it that never could Christian keepe the rules of nature much lesse can we attaine to the perfection of obedience to the law for by it we are all cursed nay in Christ none attaines to evangelicall perfection of grace so as thereby wee can be justified as by a worke of our owne for our righteousnesse is but in part and this perfectio viae which they boast of so much differs not from their perfectio finis no more than love to a man raised by good report of him differeth from love caused by the good I finde in him by personall communicating with him and this is onely in degrees in nature they are the same love But why or how is it that there is no perfection of grace in this life Because there is and ever shall be in us during this life a perpetuall combate betweene the flesh and spirit so as one weakens and hinders the other Paul at the best found a law in his members warring against the law of his minde Rom. 7.23 the flesh continually lusting against the spirit Gal. 5.23 Hindering us from doing good or in doing good or in doing thereof from doing it in a right manner But the Papists object love is the fulfilling of the law we may love ergo we may fulfill the law and consequently be perfect I answer love in the abstract being perfect is the fulfilling of the law but in this or that subject it s not perfect Pauls love nor Peters love was not the fulfilling of the law They urge further all Gods workes are perfect ergo the grace that is in us It s true Gods workes are perfect but in their times when they are finished grace at length shall be perfect in us Secondly all Gods workes without us are perfect as justification and glorification they are perfect for we are perfectly justified even now but his workes within us such as are his sanctifying graces are not perfected till our time of glorification for he suffers the old Adam to be within us for divers reasons so long as we live in this earthly Tabernacle For use hereof observe this as a ground for justification by faith Paul Rom. 5.9 proves that even now he was justified and in this place he denies and disclaims absolute perfection and therefore could not be justified by it and therefore must needs be justified by faith if it were his case it is much more ours who come not to that measure of the fulnesse of grace that hee attained to Secondly this may serve to comfort Christians that finde themselves burthened with diverse wants with dulnesse and frowardnesse of spirit and with manifold corruptions and are induced thereby to call in question their Christian estate let them looke upon a better patterne than themselves they may bee growne
abasement for us and shall not wee indure for a while here seeing it is also for our owne good and we are gainers thereby and considering that Christ called us to suffer for while wee live here and imbrace true religion there will ever be a crosse and shame in the world accompanying the profession thereof if it bee sincere Preachers therfore that preach not Christ plainly and boldly and hearers that come to the hearing of the Word rather for Rhetoricall flourishes wittie sentences fit onely for discourse sake even thus farre they are enemies For if Christ bee not preached mainly and chiefly to this end to amend the lives of men to winne soules to Christ. And if men comming to heare come not even for this end mainly to be bettered in their salvation to bee strengthened in grace they shall be damned as enemies for this that the meanes of salvation they prophane and despise And therefore let us abase our selves for our sinnes and magnifie Gods goodnesse in affording meanes of salvation Labour also to shew how wee profit by suffering for the Gospell and count it an honour and rejoyce that wee are worthie to suffer for Christ labour to overcome the world and our lusts and to honour Christ even in his meanest children If the love of Christ will not constraine us no motives will draw us VERS 19. Whose end is destruction THe word signifies a rewâ—rd and is translated and taken often for an end because reward is given at the end of the worke and thus is salvation called a reward for goodnesse because it is given at the end of a holy life The other word signifies damnation or destruction which implyes all things tending to or accompanying the punishment of a wicked life and the connexion of these words with the former may be thus framed hee that is an enemie to the cause of life is an enemie to life but those that are enemies to the crosse of Christ are enemies to the cause of life and to that which saves them and therefore they must needs be destroyed this made the Apostle judge of them thus and withall be saw they were void of grace and were incorrigible and from hence we may inferie That wee may in some sort judge of the spirituall estate of men even while they are alive for as Astronomers can judge of eclipses and statesmen of the continuance or danger of the state and Physitians of the event of diseases by the course of naturall causes so in religion there are predictions on good grounds what will follow of ill courses tending to dam nation But more particularly there is a three-fold judgement First one by Faith which concerning our selves brings certainty and so wee are able to judge of our selves Secondly there is a judgement by fruits comparing mens disposition and state with their fruits and so wee say if men walke riotously we can inferre surely he is in no good estate by their fruits shall you know them saith Christ. Thirdly there is a particular revelation of Gods spirit this the Prophets and Apostles had but now we have no such rule yet by the fruits and course of men it s an easie matter to judge what the end of those men will be following those courses for Gods word is the same now that it was then Indeed when wee judge men in things indifferent this is rash and condemned by the Apostle Rom. 14. For Use hereof let us learne to judge our selves and know if wee breake wilfully the knowne rules of salvation we are in a fearfull estate And we should also submit to the judgement of Gods ministers while we are here and amend for else looke assuredly for the sentence of death hereafter from God himselfe when there will be no revoking thereof For though punishment may be deferred a while yet assuredly it shâ—ll not goe well with the wicked Eccles. 8.13 at the last In the next place observe There is an end to every way for it is taken for granted that they have an end and surely wee will not nor cannot be alwayes as we are wee are labourers and there is a time of payment of our wages And therefore wee should looke whether our wayes doe tend there will bee an end of this life but damnation shall be without end We should also bee inquisitive to see if wee be out of this way that we may be reformed for these worldly pleasures must end in eternall vengeance and this life is but a way to that end And in the third place learne to bee patient when wee see the wicked runne on in a broad high way what though they be admired here and lifted up they are but condemned persons and therefore envie them not seeing we would be loath upon serious deliberation to change estates with them Observe wee further from these words that God will judge eternally not onely for grosse scandalous sinnes in the course of our life but even for errors in judgement For wee must judge aright as well as affect aright and God hath no service from corrupt judgements Those that joyne mans merits with Christs merits they cannot relye on God alone neither can they rejoyce in Christ Christ hath but halfe of them therefore let us keepe the virginitie of our judgements prostitute them not to lyes but reserve them chaste and pure to Christ. And secondly take we heed how wee converse with such as are of corrupt judgements they are Gods and Christs enemies and will labour to bring us into their wayes and then assuredly let us looke for their end It s reason that those with whom we converse here wee should converse withall hereafter VERS 19. Whose God is their belly THese words doe partly shew the inward disposition of these mâ—n by Bellie in this place hee meanes in generall all contentments and worldly pleasures whereof these Teachers being satisfied they lived at large and at ease But how may they be said to make their bellie their God I answer we may be said to make any thing our God First when we count it one as some of the Papists have esteemed of the Pope as of an essence betweene man and God and some Emperours have required themselves to be so esteemed and adored as a Dietie Secondly when wee give such affections to it as are onely due and proper to God as to trust in it to repose content in it to joy in it and so is that sentence true amor tuus Deus tuus Thirdly when wee use actions of invocation and adoration thereto and thus the Papists make Saints their God attributing such power in working to them as is onely proper to God Fourthly when wee bestow all labour to givâ— satisfaction thereunto for explication these men gave the intention of their most inward affections to procure content to their lusts all their labour was to this end and so quieted themselves in the injoyment of them and as they made their bellie their God so
hunger fulnesse And base wee are because wee are upheld by inferiour creatures We enter into the world by one way but goe out by divers deaths some violent some more naturall and by divers sicknesses lothsome to the eyes to the nosthrils and especially when wee are nearest our end when as our countenance is pale our members tremble all our beautie is gone But after wee are departed so lothsome is this our carcasse it must bee had out of sight yea though it bee the body of the Patriarch Abraham Gen. 23.4 For as the bodie of man is the best temper so the corruption thereof is the most vile the best countenances of the greatest personages are the most ugly gastly objects of all others by so much the more by how much they were the more excellent so much the greater is their change And yet are wee not to conceive of this bodie so as though there were no glorie belonging to it for first its Gods workmanship therefore excellent and so excellent as the heathen man Galen being stricken into admiration at the admirable frame thereof breakes out into a hymne in praise of the maker And David could not expresse it but sayes I am wonderfully made God made this his last worke as an Epitomie of all the rest Secondly we are told that we owe glorie to our bodies and therefore we are bidden that wee should not wrong our bodies and the Scripture speakes infamously of selfe-murtherers as of Iudas Saul Achitophel they are branded with a note of shame and reproach And God to shew the respect we owe to our bodies hath provided to every sense pleasing recreations as flowers for the smell light for the eyes musicke for the eare to be briefe hee made all things for the bodily use of man Thirdly these bodies of ours are members of Christ redeemed and sanctified Temples of the holy Ghost as well as our soules And therefore we must take heed when wee read of the base termes that are given to the bodie that we doe not mistake For it is true in regard it keepes the soule from heaven it is the grave of the soule but indeed it is the house the temple and instrument of the soule but being misused it proves an unto ward darke house an unweldie instrument Wee are to take heed therefore of the error of those who afflict it by writing and declaiming against it or by whipping of it when alasse it is the sinne of the soule the unruly lusts and affections that are the causes of all rebellions in us and if the body doth rebell as often it doth come to passe since the fall this proceeds from the corruption of the soule yeelding to the bodie ayde to serve the lusts and God hath appointed a religious abstinence as a meanes to tame such lusts and weaken them which it were to be wished were used oftener than it is But it will be said are the bodies of Christians base for whom Christ shed his most precious bloud I answer while we live here we are in no better condition than others as concerning our bodies Hezekiah is sicke Lazarus hath his sores David and Iob troubled with lothsome diseases and thus its fitting it should fare with us For first Christ laid us this example he tooke our base ragged nature on him hee hungred and thirsted was pained and death had a little power over him and shall we desire a better estate than our master our head had or doe we ever thinke to partake with him in happinesse that will not partake with him in his mean estate the decree of God is that to dust wee must as all the rest of our fellow Saints and servants shall Secondly hereby God doth exercise our faith and hope causing us to looke and expect a better resurrection and by this meanes are our desires edged to a better life for else would we set up our rest here and make this our Paradise Thirdly as yet there is sinne in us from the danger whereof though wee be deliuered yet there is a corruption that remaineth behinde in us and by this hee will teach us the contagion of sinne and teach us to see how the divell hath deceived us by the effects thereof bringing paine torment and lothsomnesse Forthly it shewes Gods wisedome in vanquishing sinne by death which is the childe of sinne for by it shall we be purged from sinne from corruption both of bodie and minde and thus is our base estate made a way to our excellent estate hereafter Wee must therefore moderate our affections to the best things of this life health is changeable and will not continue beautie is a flower of a stalke the flower quickly fades away and perisheth the stalke that is more base continues longest flesh is grasse either cut downe by violent deart or if by age the longer it lives the baser it is and increases continually therein till death when as it is most base It is therefore foolish for any to swell because of beautie or strength which at the best are but curious excellencies of a base bodie and farre more sottish are they that thinke to resist old age and Gods decree by trimming up and painting a withered stocke this is not the way to conquer vilenesse But if we will be rid thereof labour for the meat that perisheth not Ioh. 6.27 But that which maketh us indure to everlasting life is with Marie to chuse the better part that shall not be taken away meat for the belly and the belly for meate but God shall destroy both the one and the other And let this be as a cooler to quench the base wild-fire of love and conâ—ider what is it wee so affect it s but beautifull dust a painted sepulchre a body that after death will bee vilenesse it selfe that while it breathes its full of rottennesse the matter of wormes supported it may be by a carrion soule that whether it willeth or nilleth must leave it and goe into a farre worse place And contrarily in the last place it should teach us to be at a point cheerefully to honour God by sacrificing our selves to him when hee calles for us count it no shame with David to be vile in the eyes of men for Gods cause if the worst could be imagined which cannot be we had as good perish with usage aswith rust But this is the onely way to be glorious to avoid vilenesse even to sacrifice our bodies and all in a good cause what though the world esteem vilely of us as good for nothing but the shambles Rom. 8.36 shall wee feare them no feare him that can destroy both body and soule it s better to goe to heaven without a limbe than to goe to hell with a sound healthfull bodie therefore men temptation of the world doe begin to provoke thee say to thy flesh with Bernard stay thy time the time is not yet to be happie And therefore conclude our soule is but a stranger
here wee must entertaine it well into this house of our bodie it s but a guest use it not basely it s no ill guest it gives us sight taste speech motion when it goes away our body is but a dumbe dull base lumpe of earth Nay when it is gone whilst the body is in the ground the soule having a most vehement and earnest desire to be knit to it again puts God continually in minde of raising it up at the last day of the generall resurrection and of glorifying it in a holy eternall and happy estate Secondly out of the words wee may observe That these vile bodies of ours shall bee changed this we receive as anarticle of our faith and yet were it beleeved truely as it ought it would worke a strange alteration in the mindes and manners of men contrary to that they are now and howsoever it is not imbraced yet it remaines a grounded truth that these bodies of ours sowne in corruption shall rise incorruptible 1 Cor. 1.15 It was foretold in way of consequence in Paradice for the head of the serpent could not bee broken but by conquering death which is the last enemie it was figured out unto us in Aarons dead seare rod that budded and Ionahs deliverance out of the bellie of the fish where he had beene 3. dayes and three nights It was beleeved of all the fathers Heb. 12. And for securitie before the floud Enoch and after the floud Elias were taken up in their bodies And besides it is not contrarie to reason I doe not say that reason can reach unto it for Christ he is alive still the dust whereof we are made and whether we goe is preserved it is not annihilated and why cannot Christ raise a body out of the dust as at the first make it out of dust why should he not be as able to quicken dust now as at the first and especially seeing the soule is reserved in heaven to this end till the day of his second comming Nay it is not contrarie to the course of nature we see every yeere summer comes out of winter day out of night youth out of infancie mans age out of youth And the Apostle in the Corinthians Thou foole the corne is not quickned except it die nay wee see what strange changes are dayly wrought by Art and shall wee thinke Gods almighty power cannot worke farre more strange effects The use therefore is to instruct us if we beleeve that Christ shall change these vile bodies Then sure the same bodies shall rise that died for change is of qualities it abolisheth not substances and therfore Iobs confidence herein is remarkable Iob. 19. Whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold speaking of Christ so is it 2 Cor. 15.53 This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortalitie and the ancient Creeds had credore surrectionem carnis hujus Secondly it s very unequall that one body should honour or defile it selfe and another bodie should be honoured or damned its comfortable therefore to us that love our bodies and honor them that they shall rise againe and wee shall injoy them for ever Thirdly Christ our surety hee raised the same body that was crucified and therefore the same bodies here that fulfill the measure of the sufferings of Christ here shall partake of his fulnesse in glorie A second use is for comfort is this a life of changes let it not daunt us but know they are all to end in glorie and they all tend to bring us thither we ever change for the better and the last change of all is the best of all and therefore let us indure these changes with a light heart In the third place who is the Authour of this change in us the Text saith that Christ shall change us Iob. 6.39 and 40. I will raise them up at the last day saith Christ of those that know him and beleeve on him Hee is furthermore our head now wee know the body must be conformable to the head if it bee crowned the body is crowned and therefore Rom. 8.11 the Apostle saith that if the spirit dwell in us that did dwell in him the spirit that raised him up will raise us up also Thirdly Christ is a whole Saviour he therefore will raise up our bodies as well our soules for he is the Saviour of both he hath delivered both from hell hee will raise up both to heaven Fourthly he is the second Adam as wee did beare the image of the first Adam in corruption so must we beare the image of the second Adam in glorie Fifthly hee is the seed of the wowan that must breake the serpents head and therefore hee must worke this change Sixthly Christ changed his owne bodie being burthened with all our sinnes and therefore as an exemplarie cause shall much more raise us up for sinne being once overcome which is the sting of death what can keepe us in the grave Let this strengthen our faith in the consideration that wee have such a strong Saviour that nothing shall bee able to separate us from his love nor to take us out of his hande Secondly make it a ground how to direct us how to honour our bodies not making them instruments of sinne against him but so to use them that we may with comfort and joy expect and desire his comming to change these our vile bodies Thirdly let us labour to assure our selves of our parts in this change in this resurrection This we shall know if we finde Christs spirit in us the same spirit that raised up him if it bee in us will raise us up also Rom. 8. for the first resurrection is an argument of the second and he that findes his understanding in lightned his will pliable his affections set upon right objects will easily beleeve the second resurrection of his bodie Secondly if wee hope for this change and so hope that we are stirred up thereby to fit our selves for it to cleanse our selves Thirdly if wee grow in grace 2 Pet. 1.11 it is a siâ—ne that wee have an entrance into Christs kingdome for God doth ever honour growth with assurance of a blessed estate Fourthly this should comfort us in time of death considering wee lose nothing but basenesse and our bodies are but sowne in the earth and this depositum which God committeth to the fire ayre earth and the water they must render up againe pure and changed by Christ and therefore it was a foolish conceipt of the heathen to burne the Martyrs bodies and to cast their ashes into the water thereby to put them out of hope of their resurrection not knowing God is as able to raise them out of fire and water as out of earth Fifthly this ought to administer comfort to us at the death and departure of our friends out of this life knowing that they are not lost that the earth is but a house and a hiding place
for them to sleepe in and that at length God will not forget to raise them up with the residue of his Saints hee will change them and make them like his glorious bodie and this was the use made by the Apostle 1 Thes. 4.18 And lastly pray to God to teach us to number our dayes so as we may apply our hearts to wisedome But when is the time of this blessed change It is not laid downe onely it is implyed by the word Shall that the time is to come but out of all question it is meant at the last day and not before First because all are to bee gathered together even those that were baried 4000. yeers agone must stay till the number bee fulfilled and it will make for Gods glorie that we should all meet together to attend on him with multitude of Angels so as they cannot be perfected without or before us and wee shall not prevent those that are asleepe Secondly it is for the comfort of Christians that are weake that the Martyrs and constant professors of Christ should be pledges of their rising who continually cry how long Lord Thirdly God wils that things should now bee carried as in a cloud and that the last day should bee a day of revelation which could not be if before there should be this change For use this must teach us to desire that day and pray for the hastening thereof till when the soules in heaven are not perfectly happy for all must be brought in before they can be made perfect and therefore they desire and hope for and pray for to be united to those bodies again that they lived withall and so deerely loved But who are these that shall be thus changed The Text saith our bodies that is our bodies that have had our conversation in heaven and therefore those that have had no part in the first resurrection they shall have no pâ—rt in the second the Baker and Butler of Pharaoh all shall arise and be lifted out of prison but some to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of condemnation But to proceed VERS 21. That wee may bee fashioned like unto his glorious bodie SO that Christ shall be the exemplary cause as well as the efficient cause of our resurrection for he is our head and our husband and it is reason we should bee sutable to him and be ruled by him he came not to make himselfe like us but us like him he first must be a King blessed and anointed and a sonne the head makes us like to him Kings blessed and glorious and sonnes Enoch and Elias though before his reall incarnation yet they ascended by vertue of his resurrection and so shall we they are glorious like to him so shall wee in his good time and pleasure But how I answer in these particulars First as he is immortall never to die againe so shall we we shall bee freed from all sinne and so consequently from all mortalitie Secondly we shall be uncorruptible wee shall have no corruption whithin us or without us as it is 1 Cor. 15.53 We shall be embalmed with the spirit that shall cause us to remaine for ever incorruptible Thirdly we shall be unchangeable alwayes the same without sicknesse of bodie or indisposednesse of minde Then in the fourth place wee shall bee in perfect strength here we contract to our selves weaknesse by every little thing as alteration of â—ire study and the like there the body shall be inabled to every thing but here we are weak unfit and soone wearie of any dutie soone tired in prayer wearie of hearing so as even Moses his armes must be supported Fifthly we shall have beautie and comelinesse the most lovely complexion and proportion of parts there shall be no dregges in our body all shall be spent by death farre better than after Physicke which notwithstanding brings the body into a quiet repose all wants shall be supplyed what is misplaced shall be reduced into right order and therefore what though we lose limbes for Christs â—ake he will not be indepted to us none shall goe thither maimed But some will say Christ himselfe retained wounds after his resurrection and therefore much more shall we be imperfect I answer this was a voluntarie dispensation he suffered them to appeare for the faith of Thomas not of necessitie Sixthly these bodies of ours shall be spirituall as it is 1 Cor. 15. a naturall bodie is upheld by naturall meanes as meate drinke Physicke but then shall there be no need of such things Christ shall be al in all to us and again our body shal obey the spirit now the body keeps the spirit in slavery but theÌ„ shal it readily yeâ—ld to everie motion of the spirit The Vbiquitaries when they speak of the spiritualitie of Christs body they would have it in all places But they may as well conclude because wee shall have spirituall bodies therefore our bodies also shall be in all places like to Christs bodie The ground of the glorie of these our bodies shall be the beatificall vision and our union with Christ if our beholding him here in his ordinances bee of such a power as to transforme us from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3.18 What a change shall be wrought in us when we shall see him as he is and if his first comming had that power to make all things new 2 Cor. 5.17 much more when hee commeth the second time in glory shall he make all things new and glorious This therefore in the first place should incourage us in all causes of dismay and trouble rather than wee will offend God to lose our bodies knowing that wee give them to God and shall receive them againe with advantage Secondly labour wee to make our bodies instruments of his honour that honours us and let us honour our bodies wherein are the seeds of immortalitie and glory in so using them as that they bee carried to the grave with honour Let us also honour the bodies of the deceased Saints of God and the places of their sepulture as Cabinets wherein the precions dust of the holy Saints are laid up in keeping And let us not be like them without faith that thinke the bodies are lost for ever that are cast into the grave like children that seeing the silver cast into the furnace thinke it utterly cast away till they see it come out againe a pure vessell And when wee die let us not trouble our mindes with the discomfortable thoughts of wormes rottennesse darknesse and the like but with the eye of faith let us looke beyond these on the haven whether wee are going this made Iob though covered all over with ulcers to say with a cheerfull heart My redeemer liveth though after my skinne wormes consume this flesh If wee want limbes to our bodies comfort our selves the resurrection will restore all things Furthermore let us serve here with our