see his children partake with him of that eternall happinesse in heaven saith John I have no greater joy Luke 15 20 3 John 4. then to heare that my children walke in truth yet I suppose the rich mans petition was not to the soule of Abraham but to the God of Abraham who is the chiefe and onely father of the faithfull who hath said he will gather his lambes in his armes and carry them in his bosome to him all the soules in heaven are subject then to me it seemes adsurd to thinke that the soule of Abraham should have power to send the soule of Lazarus out Isa 40. 11. 46. 3 4. Gen. 31. 55 Psa 24. 6. Hos 3. 5. of heaven and for the name we need not much to scruple at for the Lord is often times called by the name of Abraham Isaac Jacob David Joshua and the like and if they should say that the soule of Abraham and the rest of the Saints departed are in the airie heaven then they might know many things that are done on the earth for the soule is of a large capacity being disburdened Isa 13. 16. of a corrupted body But Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel knowes us not then surely their soules are gone above the two lower heavens which are stained with sin and must be purged with fire at the Judgement day If they say none but the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies so none but Christ to heaven in his body soul after his resurrection I answer Heb. 9. 24. the beast that was sacrificed signifyed the body of Christ and the Holyest of all was the figure of heaven but the High Priest went in and left the sacrifice behind and so did Christ goe into heaven it selfe while his body Luke 23. 43 46. was sacrificed and lay in the earth that day was he in Paradise if this be not sufficient to prove it then marke his last words Jesus cryed with a loud voyce and said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and when he had said thus he gave up the Ghost Neither would he suffer his Joh. 20. 17 body to be touched til that had been with his Father although afterwards he bade them to handle him to strengthen their faith in him now shall we thinke that this going to his Father was not to goe into the glory of the third heaven themselves cannot deny it It may be they will say that heaven was not opened till Christ entred in with his body and soule I answer the way hath beene open from the beginning although not made so manifest for Christ was the Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world and their faith before his visible comming in the flesh gave substance Heb. 9. 8. Revel 13. 8. Heb. 11. 1. John 8. 56. to things hoped for Abraham saw his day and was glad but if they grant that heaven is open since his comming in the flesh I demand why the soules that now dâ—part must not enter into it this they dare not grant because there is a great gulfe fixed and no passage out till they come with Luke 16. 26 1 Thess 3. 13. Jude 14 15 Zach. 14. 5. 1 Pet. 3. 22. Acts 3. 21. Christ to Judgement at the last day so that then they cannot Reigne here a thousand yeares before the end of the world but suppose the soules departed be not in heaven yet they cannot deny but Christ is there he is gone into heaven and the Heaven shall receive him till the restitution of all things This gulph must keepe him in till the day of Judgement and that is called his second comming which is unto salvation therefore there can be none before that and as the High priest went in not for himselfe Heb. 9. 28. Exo. 28. 29 but bare the name of all Israel upon his brest no more did Christ but as soone as the body of any of the elect is sacrificed by death their soule he John 17. 24 receives to himselfe to be where he is to behold his glory else why did Steven when he was stoned and saw the Heavens open and Christ standing at Gods right hand say Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and to what purpose Acts 7. 56 59. 1 Pet 4. 19. doth Peter bid us when we suffer according to the will of God to commit our soules unto him did God the Father deceive the Sonne when he prayed thus doth he not say Thou hearest me alwaies or did the Sonne dissemble when he said I will that they be where I am and therefore he Joh. 11. 42 Heb. 5. 7. would not heare Steven a man full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost or doth Peter deceive us all in bidding us at our death to commit our soules to God when they shall not come neare him I meane to that happinesse prepared for them but what makes Paul desire to depart and to be with Christ Christ is not among the Starres nor is he yet come in the clouds that we Phil. 1. 23. 1 Thess 4. 16 17. 2 Cor. 5. 6 8. should goe there to meete him what makes him say while we are in the body wee are absent from the Lord and wee are willing rather to bee absent from the body that we may be present with the Lord but if their soules after they depart should be kept in a kind of purgatory or prison from the Lord Christ they had as good be in the body still and absent from the Lord here as there to be frustrate of our expectation but the wicked shall be turned into hell and the expectation of the poore Saints shall not perish their soule shall returne to God who gave it as there is but Psal 9. 17 18. two wayes so there is but two ends for all men good and bad which are Heaven or Hell saith Christ In my Fathers house are many Mansions if Eccle. 12. 7 it were not so I would have told you that I go to prepare a place for you But he will make knowne the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy John 14. 2. Rom 9 23. Mat 25. 34. Psal 3â— 19. which hee had afore prepared unto glory The Kingdome of Heaven was prepared for them before the foundation of the world This is laid up for those that feare the Lord they will not say surely it is among the starres or in the clouds no let Edom make his nest there but when we depart we shall be with Christ which is farre better It may be Phil. 1 23. some will after all this rather then they will yeeld that the soule departed is gone into the heaven of the blessed they will say that it dies mortally with the body but if they will beleeve Christ that Abraham Isaac and Jacob are living they may be convinced of it for God is the God of the living and he is their God they need not to
feare them that kill the body but cannot Mar. 22. 32. Mat. 10. 28 Luke 2. 29. kill the soule the soule cannot dye with the body but it departs away from it Then I conclude that if the Soule assoone as it leaves the body goes immediately to Paradise the third heaven there is neither purgatory nor place of residence after death but as the tree falleth so it lies after death to Judgement a particular sentence is passed immediately upon them for heaven or hell and there is no place of abode for Abrahams children till they come into his bosome with him in Heaven for ever But thirdly which is the maine objection to all my former discourse if the soule of Abraham be in Heaven and when he was here he desired a better Country than this world which is a heavenly then they say after the day of Judgement the Saints shall not inherit all these things here below in this world because the Saints did alwayes set a low value of them To this I answer that the Soule is of a Heavenly substance and when it Rom. 6. 7. leaves the body then it hath ceased from sinne therefore no place between this and Paradise is fit to receive it Therefore saith the Prophet Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted and after the Heb. 12. 23. day of Judgement the Angels shall abide in Heaven being a place for such glorious Spirits and the soules of men made perfect being of the same nature with them shall abide in Heaven also till the body shall rise againe for as the soules of men are now confin'd in Heaven Luk. 16. 26. and the Angels have businesse both in the Heavens and in the Earth so after the day of Judgement when they have finished their worke in this world they shall rest and I suppose shall be confined in Heaven for ever and when our bodies Eccle 21. 7. are risen and united to our soules then shall we inherit all things here in their first perfection and also we shall have sweet communion with Angels in Heaven for as I said before man consists of two parts body and soule so he shall have two worlds answerable to his two natures to delight himselfe in that he may have fulnesse of joy for whom all things were made 1 Tim 4. 8. for godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come and the meane time that the body lies in the grave the soule is gone to take possession of the kingdome of heaven and when the body riseth againe it shall then have this world bestowed upon it and as the soule brought nothing with it so it shall take nothing out with it no not his owne body but leaves it here in the earth till it comes againe and so the body goes to the grave and takes nothing with it but weeping and mourning yet when it comes againe having had the pretious seeds of grace in it shall doubtlesse come againe with rejoycing and Psal 126. 6. bring his sheaves with him so then after the day of judgement when all things are purified by fire and restored to their first perfection then I say man shall inherit all things both in this world and in the world to come then shall the meeke inherit the earth and delight themselves in the abundance Psal 37. 11. Joh. 16. 20. 33. Esay 49. 8. Matth. 10. 16. of peace but this cannot be before the day of judgment for saith Christ In this world you shall have tribulation Christ was given for a covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherite the desolate heritages but for the present the Saints are as sheep among wolves so that these things shall not be restored to the Saints till themselves are in their first perfection then they shall be given us againe perfect as they were to Adam at the first And although mans body shall put on immortalitie and shall be made so firme and permanent as to endure for ever eternally yet his body shall not be turned into a spirit it shall be a body still with flesh and bones as Luke 24. 39 49. the body of Christ was after his resurrection saith he Handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see me have And he did eate and drinke with his disciples after his resurrection they gave him a peece of a Luke 24. 42 43 30. Joh. 21. 9. 12. 13. Acts 10. 41 Matth. 26. 29. Rom. 14. 17 Joh. 18. 36. broyled fish and of an hony combe and he tooke it and did eate before them so it is likely man may after his resurrection for saith Christ I will henceforth drinke no more of the fruit of the vine till I drinke it new in my Fathers Kingdome this cannot bee meant presently after his ascension for wee never read that hee dranke wine in all that fortie dayes and his kingdome doth not consist in drinking wine but in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost My kingdome is not of this world saith hee then I conclude that Christ will not drinke of the fruit of the vine till he hath rendered up the kingdome to 1 Cor. 15. 24. his Father then will Christ amongst the Saints drinke it new not as though he desired to drinke new wine rather then old for he himself saith that no man having old wine desireth new for hee saith the old is better Luke 5. 39. then the meaning is when the vine is made now and all the trees and creatures restored to their first perfection then will he drinke with them in his Psal 96. 11 12 13. Fathers kingdome then shall the heavens rejoyce and the earth be glad the fields shall be joyfull and all the trees of the wood shall rejoyce before the Lord when hee commeth to judge the earth Hee shall judge the world with righteousnesse and his people with his truth then here you see the world every creature the very trees shall have righteousnesse as they have suffered by the sinne of man so shall they have benefit in mans deliverance from his sinne this is that which the whole creation groaneth and traveleth in paine together untill now but the creature it selfe shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children Rom. 8. 21. 22. of God but it is observable when all the creatures in heaven and earth rejoyce at the comming of Christ to judgement at the same time the Sea Psa 96. 11. roares and the fulnesse thereof because it is said there shall be no more Sea Revel 21. 1. then shall man enjoy all the creatures that were given him at the first as he did in his innocency so that he may eate of all the trees for his pleasure and yet not feele the perill of hunger and although our bodies shall
before the day of judgement when the wicked shall have as great authority and riches as they neither can it properly be said that the Saints shall reigne in heaven for there is none to bee subject unto them then it remaines that the Saints after the day of judgement shall reigne here on earth Revel 5. 10 when they shall shine as the Sunne in the Firmament Matth 13. 43. and be as glorious in the fight of God as he was at the first all the creatures restored to their first persection then they will yeeld to man all that obedience that is due unto him and then shall man be honoured in the earth by the creatures as their Lord and King and wonderfull happy among the Angels in heaven being of their nature in his soule and in his body also being made of the same elements with other creatures here below then the Angels shall continue in heaven and these creatures shall continue here and men shall have bodies so full of agility to ascend up to heaven and to walke in the ayre as to goe upon the ground and the glory of the soule shall bee the wonderfull perfection of Gods Image in all the faculties of it then shall wee know both the secrets of heaven and earth then shall our memories will and affections bee after an unconceivable manner made conformable unto God yea we shall have both in our soules and bodies rivers of joyes and pleasure for evermore Psal 16. 11. Revel 21 7 Esay 66. 22. then shall the Saints inherit all things and the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remaine before mee saith the Lord and so shall your seed and your name remaine then shall wee bee Luk. 20. 35. 36. equall to the Angels being children of the resurrection and counted worthy to obtaine that world and we shall be as Kings and Priests and wee shall reigne on the earth Revel 5. 10. and all the creatures here will yeeld subjection to us as to their Lord and King and we shall be as Priests to offer the sacrifice of praise to the Lord and give him all the glory And if any shall yet say these times shall be before the end of the world because in the eighth Psalme it is said thou hast crowned man with glory and honour and thou madest him to have dominion over the workes of thy hands and hast put all things under his feet and then names all the creatures here below I answer David here magnifies the Lord for that great glory and honour that was put upon man at the first in Paradise when he had dominion over Psal 8. 6. all things under the heavens for this is spoken in the time past Thou madest him have dominion and thou hast put all things under his feet but Heb. 2. 8. if we speake of the new world we see not yet all things put under him And whereas some hold that the soules of men departed shall returne againe and their bodies shall be raised and united to them and they shall live here againe before the day of judgement a thousand yeares but I demand Revel 20. 4 with what bodies shall they rise if it be sowne a corrupted body shall it not rise in incorruption if it bee sowne a naturall body shall 1 Cor. 15. 43 44. it not rise a spirituall body they must rise with such a body as Christ did But when the disciples saw him they were terrified and affrighted Luk. 23. 37 Act. 10. 40. 41. and supposed that they had seene a spirit and as for wicked men they never saw his body at all after his resurrection him God raised up the third day and shewed him openly not to all the people but unto witnesses chosen before of God even to us who did eate and drinke with him after hee Luk. 24. 31. 51. John 20. 17. Mich 〈◊〉 10. arose from the dead and when hee was with them as soone as they knew him he vanished out of their sight this strangenesse was betweene his spirituall and their corporall bodies this is not your rest because it is polluted he charged Mary that she should not touch him then what communion can be betwixt them when some must not touch him and others were affrighted at the sight of him and as soone as they knew him hee vanished away because the world is polluted then it cannot bee that spirituall and corporall bodies should live together and though he eate and dranke with them after his Resurrection yet we must not thinke it was for necessity or through the perill of hunger but onely for delight and to shew them that Luk. 24 3◠40. he had a reall body as before with flesh and bones onely it was made immortall and everlasting never to dye more nor to suffer any perill more And whereas it is said That the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse Revel 20. 4 of Jesus and for the word of God and had not worshipped the beast they lived and raigned with Christ a thousand yeares This cannot be meant of a corporall death or of a bodily resurrection for the rest that were dead lived not againe Vers 5. 6. till the 1000. yeares were finished and yet in the first Resurrection who are as blessed and holy as the rest On them the second death hath no power and they being in the first resurrection and yet not raised in their bodies what is this but to rise from the death of sinne to the life of grace on such the second death hath no power and Christ answered the Sadduces that Abraham Isaac and Jacob are living for God is the God of the living and he is their Mat. 22. 32 John 5. 24. God he that is thus alive shall dye no more but is passed from death to life And againe the planting of the Gospell and increasing or spreading of the Church may very well be called a Resurrection because men were brought out of a state of death to a state of life and the growth of the Church was like to the rising of the waters of the sanctuary first to the Ezekiel 47. ankles then to the knees then to the loynes and to a river that could not be passed over so was the Resurrection of the Church at the first but twelve Acts 1. 15. 2. 41. 44 5 14. then a hundred and twenty then there was added three thousand then five thousand then multitudes both of men and women now he that hath part in this first resurrection on them the second death hath no power and whether they have this first Resurrection in the first thousand yeares after Christs ascension or in the second it matters not so they have it before the day of Judgement on them the second death hath no power But our controversie is about those that were slaine for the witnesse of Jesus and yet lived and reigned with Christ a