that subject he begins with that of the Lord Christ his being risen of the truth whereof were many witnesses as is mentioned by him he taking knowledge of some amongst themselves that said there was to be no resurrection from the dead 1. Cor. 15. 12. contrary to the faith that was preached and beleeved and being a thing that did render the assertors of that truth as false witnesses which he makes good from the tising from death the Lord Christ laying very great stresse on that as a foundation and bottom on which the whole building stands he mentions it again ver 15. and argues from thence to the 20th verse to make out and clear that truth and then in vers 20. he concludes saying but now is Christ risen and become the first fruits of them that sleep so he calleth death This doctrine of the resurrection looketh backward and forward as it looketh backward it eyeth death which came by man to wit Adam as it looketh forward it eyeth living again by man to wit the man Christ our Lord as in vers 21. He is the blessed redeemer from the grave and the restorer to life again after death vers 22. As in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made alive this It looketh backward and forward backward It eyeth Adam forward it relateth to the Lord Christ the new and second Adam as by the first Adam sin entred and death by sin as the effect following its cause Adam was forewarned and it was told him in the garden of Eden that in the day he did eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evel he should die he did notwithstanding take and eat he sinned and death seized on him by sin came death and it went over all Adam being the father of all the stock from whence man proceeded his sin or sin that entred by his disobedience was propagated and entailed to all his posteritie Rom. 5. 12. As by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin c. vers 17. By one mans offence death reigned by one In Adam all sin In Adam all die In the Lord Christ all shall be made alive the just and the unjust the righteous and the wicked all over whom death hath reigned all that dyed in Adam so is the paralel and proportion as and so all shall be made alive by the power of the Lord Christ the great conqueror of sin and death The matter is considerable as it relateth to the resurrection and rising again of the sons of Adam the argument or thing the Apostle was upon and it doth not meddle with that of election and faith or living by faith in a spiritual way neither may it be so understood or made use of without straining and forcing it to speak that the Apostle never intended In Christ shall all be made alive so as to rise and live again in the body There shall be a resurrection of the just and of the unjust some shall be made alive again to everlasting life Dan. 12. 2. And some to shame and everlasting contempt some shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. c. 2. Thess 1. 9. They shall be bid depart ye workers of iniquity shall be bid go ye cursed c. Math. 25. 41. Whereas the just and righteous shall be gathered to the Lord Christ and be for ever with him 1. Thes. 4. 10. The Apostle argueth from the resurrection of the Lord Christ his rising again after his being crucified dead and buried he rose again It was said to the women that came to the sepulchre by an Angel Math. 28. 6. Luk. 24. 6. He is not here he is risen He was buried in the grave or sepulchre but he arose from thence and was not there he was dead but he is alive and liveth for evermore and hath the keys of death and the grave Rev. 1. 18. to open when he pleaseth and as he pleaseth Christ our Lord is risen from the dead a great saying and blessed Christ our Lord is risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept so death and lying in the grave is termed 1. Cor. 15. 20. our Lord saith John 5. 28. 29. The hour cometh when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Christ the first fruits there is very much in that he as conqueror of death as the captain and leader the beginner and finisher one that hath and ought to have the preheminence he being the beginning and first fruits from the dead that in all things he might have the preheminence Col. 1. 18. the Lord Christ as man is first and chief to him the preheminence belongs in all things for God the father hath highly advanced him and made him mighty Phil. 2. 9. As by man to wit Adam came death so by man namely the Lord Jesus very man and the son of man so he stiles himself came also the resurrection from the dead By the first man Adam came death by the second man the Lord Jesus Christ came the resurrection from death Alas for those sadduces that say there is no resurrection It is good for all the servants of God and lovers of the Lord Christ to be of like confession and belief with the Apostle Paul Acts. 24. 15. And have hope towards God that there shall be a resurrection from the dead both of the just and the unjust The power and vertue of the resurrection of the Lord Christ produceth great effects as to the one so to the other The forementioned words in vers 22. As in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made a live are so full and plain as nothing can be said further there needs no dilating on them only keep to the thing in hand to wit death or dying and rising and living again after it As to that of all dying in Adam ask the many ages and generations that are past since Adam since God created man upon the earth ask what is become of the great potentates the mighty men the rich the wise the honorable yea the good and just men also and all free and bond and they will all beare witness in a real wise to this that in Adam all die they are all dead and gone they are all in their graves death hath gone over all as sin went before so death followed after all the sons of Adam as well as he himself have dyed only two or three excepted that dyed not but were translated In like manner and in way of parallel and proportion In Christ and by Christ shall all be made alive sooner or later not one of Adams sons excepted there is no reserve in the case all must arise all must appeare and give an account of the things they have done in the flesh whether good or
regeneration is attended withall in the polluted world in this polluted state We shall in this change be quite rid of sin and defilement and of sinning any more then That which holy John sayth of those that are the sons of God in the blessed estate of regeneration such as are born of God that they cannot sin because they are born of God true only in a sense or consideration will then in the highest sense and degree be made good And it might be said they cannot sin because they are so changed and have put off corruption and put on incorruption holyness and purity the seed of sin and corruption being quite put away and they in their persons washed from it in the bloud of the lamb Rev. 1. 5. Rev. 7. 14. then with that change the mistery of God will be fully finished to wit that of full redemption of the body the whole man waited for by those that have the first fruits or earnest of the spirit Rom. 8. 23. it will then be enjoyed the bodyes of the just and saved people will be changed and made like the pure and spotless body of the Lord Christ Phil. 3. 21. what they lost in Adam this change will restore to the just with very many and great advantages for it will be a restoration as well as a change or a restoration in the change very much for the better And not like that which attended Adam in paradise which was so much for the worse This change will not only have rectitude and purity restored but also a state of stability therein together with immortality and that which is the effect following namely everlasting life Life for evermore This is one of the great things in this change from a state of sin defilement and corruption to a state of purity holyness and innocency so as being wholly pure to be capable to see God as is promised to the pure in heart Math. 5 8. and to see the Lord Christ as he is in his glory and also to be for ever with him 1. Joh. 3. 2. 1 Thes. 4. 17. The second thing in this change is immortalitie that put on and mortality that put off This dying body which is dying dayly as we are carrying it about with us shall then be put into a state and condition of immortality so as not to dye at all but to live for ever to have a life eternal a life everlasting instead of a life of seventy years or the like as the posteritie of Adam have had and hath been counted a blessing from God Psal 91. 16. But this change will put men into a state of freedom from sin the cause and death the effect as for sin and iniquity that prophecy Jer. 50. 20. will then be throughly fulfilled at that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve these changed ones in a moment which is something like that Zech. 3. 9. And I will remove the iniquity of that land on one day which things have never been made good these prophecyes were never fulfilled as yet and though they may in a great measure have their fulfilling before yet are they never likely to be so fully and throughly fulfilled till that day when sin and corruption shall be taken away put off and death swallowed up in victory and be no more and Mortality swallowed up of life to wit life everlasting 2. Cor. 5. 4. so as death and Mortality will then be no more among the righteous and saved ones who then will be changed and put into an estate as neither to sin nor to dye And if any should think they had attained to a state of freedom from sin here in this world before that day if they could assure themselves or others of a like freedom from death and the grave it were something otherwise that of holy John 1. Joh. 1. 8. If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us compared with Prov. 20. 9. will take place but then at that happy time they shall be freed by being changed and by putting off corruption and mortality and be put into that blessed estate of freedom and glorious liberty of the sons of God And the grace of the new testament or covenant confirmed by the bloud of the Lord Jesus the blessed mediator and advocate thereof shall in the highest degree be enjoyed by them then and there so as God being their God in a gracious wise and they his people he shall keep them in that blessed estate for ever and they shall not depart from him any more for ever Jer. 32. 40. but shall enjoy everlasting life in the enjoyment of happyness and felicity and freedom from all sorrow and misery whatever the blessed fruits of that happy change into immortality and everlasting life Now for the manner of this change it is held forth in a way of putting off and putting on a borrowed way of speaking this corruptible this mortal must put off and put on to wit they must be freed quite rid of sin corruption and mortalitie and made pure incorrupt and immortal and this by putting off and puting on as men put off and put on raiment change their clothing put off filthy and torn or old rayment they put it off put it away lay it by and put on clean sound and good clothing new and fresh so is this putting off and putting on here A plain and known thing alluded unto a usual and known thing for the manner so this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal put on immortality having put corruption and mortalitie away and laid them by Further take we notice of that of the prophet Zachary Zech. 3. It is spoken of Joshua haply as a Type of the thing in hand or it may be a prophecy eyeing of it to wit the change however the mauner is much the same Ioshua was cloathed with filthy garments and stood before the Angel the Angel bids those that stood by to take away his filthy garments from him as the garments of corruption shall be taken from the righteous and to him he said behold I have caused thine iniquitie to pass from thee as shall then the corruption and sin and also mortality passe away from the righteous and it is spoken with a behold In the one and in the other A thing rare and considerable behold I shew you a mystery behold I have caused thine iniquity to depart Joshua his filthy garments shall be taken away As the changed shall put off their garments of corruption and mortality and shall put on garments that are pure incorrupt or spotless and immortalitie also and eternal life There is something declared vers 2. very high and marvelous to wit I will cause the iniquitie of that land the land of Canaan Israels possession to
to the lively hope of he tells us in the words following it is to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away it is safe and in sure hands it is reserved in heaven for believers they are kept by the power of God through faith for that great salvation ready to be revealed and it is kept for them and shall be brought unto them they shall not need to go to fetch it but when will it be at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1. Pet. 1. 3. 4. 5. He wills the servants of God to hope on for that great grace that shall be brought unto them at the revelation of Iesus Christ vers 13. Then will Abraham and Isaack and Iacob be chief among the holy ones as it is said many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit down with Abraham Isaack and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Math. 8. 11. This seemeth to eye that in Isa 25. 6. The feast the Lord will make unto all people in his holy mountain a feast of fat things and wine well refined full of marrow and fat things see the place it eyeth in a likely way as to its full fulfilling such a time when Abraham and Isaack and Iacob and the holy prophets and Apostles c. shall feast together in the kingdom of Christ It looketh beyond the spiritual feast of the gospel to a time as vers 8. When death shall be swallowed up in victory Which the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 15. 54. Relateth to a very far time for the making of it good and fulfilling of it even the time of the kingdom of the Lord Christ in the world to come When corruption shall have put on incorruption and mortality immortalitie And as it followeth agreeing with and speaking out that to be the time all tears will the Lord wipe away from the faces of his people and the rebuke of his people shall be taken away from off all the earth This world will not as to the full fulfilling of it afford such a happy day the waited for salvation of the people of God shall then be fully enjoyed and great shall be their joy and rejoycing Redemption from the captivity of sin and satan from death and the grave sore enemies and cruel tyrants believers have redemption from them all in the bloud of Christ and may reckon and account themselves virtually ransomed and delivered by their redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ and that they are redemed ones by the price of his most precious bloud but this is only virtually and in the first fruits in the sure promise in the earnest to wit the spirit the redeemer shall fully come to Sion then shall the great redemption and deliverance take place Rom. 11. 26. the deliverer shall come to Sion and shall turn away ungodlynesse from Iacob or as holy Isaiah expresseth it the redeemer shall come to Sion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob. It is good and true in both readings those believers that have turned to God by faith and repentance he shall come to them and coming he shall take their iniquities quite away I conceive by chainging them in a moment in the twinkling of an eye putting off their corruption and putting on incorruption so he shall come to the turned and likewise turn away their iniquitie The redemption of the body shall be then from the prison and power of the grave Rom. 8. 23. A great thing which believers have in the promise and in the earnest to wit the spirit they shall have then in the enjoyment of it the whole man Body and spirit with all the parts and faculties of both united in one full and perfect and it will be eternal redemption which the redeemer the Lord Christ hath obtained for his Heb. 9. 12. No more slavery then to sin or death or the grave Christ our blessed redeemer hath fully subdued it then and will set us fully free so as instead of saying as sometime holy Paul did who shall deliver us from this sinful body of death to wit subject to sin death and the grave those great tyrants we by faith may say according to our present interest and hope what shall then be sayd and sung aloud in the full posession and enjoyment of it by way of praise to their redeemer Rev. 5. 9. Thou art worthy c. For thou wast slain and hast redeemeed us by thy bloud out of every kinred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth then followeth that great thanksgiving of that great number in the three following verses in praise of the redeemer The time this relateth unto when it will be made good and fulfilled it is very likely it will be then when our Lord cometh the second time when the raised from the dead and the then living changed shall take place when they shall meet the Lord Christ and come with him to the new earth where he will fully set up his kingdom and throne then will that be fully made good Isa 35. 10. Isa 51. 11. The ransomed of the Lord or the redeemed shall come to Sion with joy and songs and everlasting joy shall be on their heads they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flee away Their rejoycing and felicitie then shall not be of the length of a kings reign as to instance in Solomon in whose dayes there was great felicity but it lasted not beyond his dayes but this shall be everlasting as long as the sun and moon endureth Psal 72. 7. This world affords it not nor never will it is likely as to the fulness of it Trouble and sorrow and disquiet hath been and is at the present the portion and lot of the righteous here in this world our Lord hath told us so Ioh. 16. 20. Ye to wit the righteous shall weep and lament that is their condition here for a season what shall the men of the world do but the world shall rejoyce it is their day ye namely the righteous shall be sorrowful oh but when that time comes they shall then rejoyce your sorrow shall be turned into joy and their joy shall none take from them As to the fulnes of it it 's the time when sorrow and tears and pain and death shall be no more we know what time that is it is Jerusalems happy day in the new earth in the world to come then it will be so and all made good and fulfilled in the fulness and length of time Of neere affinity with redemption is salvation or being saved which we shall dilate on a little Not after the way of a theam or common place but only as salvation by Jesus Christ the blessed saviour of such as believe in him The beginning of it and first fruits here in regeneration in this world and the full harvest and perfection in the world to come at that
and the coming of his kingdom and reign and all those great things that shall contemporize fall in and take place then of which we have spoken before and are too many to be here set down they shall all have their fulfilling and making good then these of the holy psalmists of Isaiah Ieremiah and Ezekiel of Daniel and the rest of the prophets relating to that time shall then in like manner be fulfilled as they are written We shall particularize a few out of the new testament and draw to a close First that of our Lord Math. 25. 31. With all that followeth to the end of the chapter as it is setdown when the son of man shall come in his glory and all his holy Angels with him then will he sit on the throne of his glory likewise the gathering the nations the setting them on the right hand and on the left the saying as is their spoken and judging and sentencing of them will be fulfilled according as it is written in all the particulars of it As also that Luk. 21. 27. and then shall ye see the son of man come in the clouds with power and great glory Every eye shall see him Rev. 1. 7. As sure as the wise men saw his star and afterwards himself lying in the manger or as they in the time of his humiliation saw him ride on an asse and on a colt the foal of an asse as it was written Zech. 9. 9. Math. 21. 4. 5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion behold thy king cometh unto thee meek and sitting on an asse c. So as sure then when he comes again he shall come in the clouds of heaven in great power and glory and every eye shall see him That Acts. 1. 10. 11. Which the two men in white apparrel to wit Angels told the disciples looking after our Lord being ascended this Jesus whom ye have seen go up into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven it shall then be fulfilled As likewise that Heb. 9. 28. To them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation Then will be fulfilled that which holy Peter and others have told concerning the burning of this world and the taking place of the new a new heaven and a new earth according to the promise of God with tho raising of the dead in Christ out of their graves and the changing of those saints then alive in a moment The restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy Prophets will be fulfilled as sure as those things spoken by them were formerly when he came before Then will that be fulfilled written by holy Paul Rom. 8. concerning the waited for adoption the redemption of the body and the creatures also delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God Then shall Daniel as was told by the Angel stand up in his lot And Abraham and Isaack and Jacob and all the Prophets sit together in the kingdom of God as it is written That which holy Isaiah chap. 60. hath foretold and holy John hath shewed Rev. 21. Rev. 22. concerning Jerusalems glory coming down from heaven and shining gloriously with the pure river of water of life and the trees bearing fruit every moneth which he hath attested to be the true sayings of Almighty God And also that concerning the righteous then that they shall hunger no more nor thirst any more nor suffer pain or death any more for ever nor no more curse the sayings being true and faithfull and will be fulfilled then the righteous shall see the vengence that is written fully made good against their wicked oppressors their wrongs righted their faith and patience rewarded the righteous proceedings of God manifested in punishing them with everlasting destruction from his presence such as sorely afflicted them when they shall have rest together it will be all fulfilled as it is written Great terror and fear will attend the wicked then and they will according as it is written be found saying to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne And Gog and Magog the beast and false Prophet the captains and mighty men and all their great numbers be destroyed And the devill that deceived them and death also and the grave or Hell be cast into the lake of sire for ever with very many things of the like kinde which in a prophetical way by way of threatning against the wicked are written it shall then be fulfilled and made good from the faithfulness of the Lord Iehovah that is engaged in it Why should any that believe the the power and faihfulness of God doubt of it why should any think that the things spoken of in the holy Scriptures relating to the Lord Christ his second coming in power and great glory declared by the prophets and holy penmen of the Scriptures that those should not as well be fulfilled and made good as those were fulfilled at his first coming in the state of humiliation and suffering why should any go about to advance unbelief and weak reason into the room and place of faith and conclude that those things of Christs coming and kingdom are divised fables or things impossible ever to come to passe Holy Peter strong in faith and lively in hope saith 2. Pet. 3. 12. seeing so great things are to be done as burning and dissolving this old heaven and earth with the works therein in order to the coming in of the new in the room thereof we should be looking for and hastning to the day of their performance Vers. 13. we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dweleth righteousnes And again vers 14. seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace c. unto those that look for him the second time he will appear Heb. 9. 28. Great good things will attend the righteous hereafter a great change for the better will come when they shall enjoy a flourishing condition and abundance of peace and felicity The blessed morning will come when they will come to have the preheminence The day hasteneth when they as Lazarus had will have the good things and be comforted when the wicked will sadly suffer the righteous being in the height of their enjoyments of blessedness enjoying the presence of God and being for ever with the Lord Christ and having fellowship with just men throughly made perfect and shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years as it is written and will be fulfilled It is impossible that any thing thereof should fail or come short I shall forbear to enlarge The reason and scope of the whole is to infor from what is written as fulfilled of the prophecyes at Christ our Lord his first coming to shew what we may look for and expect at his second coming in like manner remembring holy Peter hath told us we have a more sure word of Prophecy unto which we do well to taken ed Hope we stedfastly therefore for the great grace and blessedness that shall be brought unto us at the revelation of Iesus Christ O come Lord Iesus come quickly Errata PAge line 7. for on reade gone p. 32. l. 2. for on r. in p. 33. l. 27. for had no r. had not l. 22. r. Lord Jesus p. 43. l. 30. for Psalm r. Esa p. 44. for psal r. phil l. 33. for his r. this p. 52. l. 15. for preceher r. preached p. 55. l. 17. for changed r. raised p. 57. l. 36. for world r. word l. 30. r. is come dole which is to come p. 59. l. 22. for many r. man p. 78. l. 13. r. that will attend p. 83. l. 16. for as our Christ r. as our Lord Christ l. 11. r. the regeneration p. 87. l. 12. for must r. might l. 31. for as so great r. is so great p. 91. l. 12. for thee r. him p. 102. dele for a time p. 105. l. 23. for light r. right p. 107. for be r he p. 109. l. 17. for must r. may l. 24. dele save In p. 13. at the close of the 3. chap. some thing intended to have been left out was casually left in concerning a long time after a 1000. years said to be Mr. Archors judgement also p. 16. towards the end these words and as some apprehend will be a 1000 years more Which not being the judgement of the Authour is here intimated FINIS