perish there are least like to be restored But looke howe easie it is for the husbandman by his seruants to gather the wheate into his barne so easie it is for God by his Angels to bring all people before him The potter can make a new vessell of the same lumpe of clay if the first fashion dislike him much more is God able out of their dust to raise againe our dead bodies As the Captaine by the sound of his trumpet doth awake his souldiers so the trumpe shall blowe and the dead shall rise for all shall heare that great voyce whereof Chrysostome thus speaketh Verè vox magna est quae petras scindit monumenta frangit vniuersos mortuos resurgere facit ad iudicium ire compellit It is surely a great or strong voyce that cleaueth the rockes that breaketh tombs that raiseth the dead and that draweth men to iudgement Shall napkins be brought from Paules bodie to the sicke and diseases depart from them shall the shadow of Peter helpe the weake and sicke shall Elizeus thinke by sending his staffe to reuiue the Sunamites sonne shal the sayd Elizeus bones giue life to a dead corps cast into his graue And shall not the mightie power of God change these vile bodies and make them like the glorious body of Christ Aarons rod had leaues bloomes and almonds Moyses staffe was made a liuing serpent Sara her dead wōbe was mother to a sonne These saith Epiphanius lib. 1. haeres 9. are some tokens of the resurrection The graue may be the mother of the sonnes of the resurrection hauing this great power of God to strengthen it The Behemoth is a huge beast vpō the land his bones are like staues of brasse and his litle bones are like staues of iron the trees and reedes are too low to couer him the riuer Iordan seemeth not enough for him to drinke The Leuiathan is a monstrous fish in the sea out of his mouth go sparkes and lampes of fire his heart is as strong as the stone and as hard as the neather milstone he esteemeth brasse as straw and iron as rotten wood Iob. 40. If there be such power in the creatures farre more in the creator Christ commandeth the windes and the sea and they obey him he chargeth a legion of vncleane spirites and they departe at his word he wrastleth with death and taketh a fall and is caried prisoner into the graue which is the strongest hold and castle of death but he bursteth his bandes and breaketh open the gates and taketh away the power of death and will in the end vtterly vanquish it Christ raised the rulers daughter in the house and the widowes sonne carried out to be buried and Lazarus which had lyen fower dayes in the graue For with him it is all one to restore to life them that haue bene lately or long dead For as the beame of the eye discerneth in like space things that be neare and things farre off so doth the power of God in this case August Epist 49. vseth this comparison The garments of the Israelites waxed not old neither were their shoes worne in 40. yeares This was done by the prouidence of God for that people neither shall the bodies of men by death and corruption be so wasted but the Lord by his power shall renew them God can of the stones raise vp children vnto Abraham farre more easie is it to raise our bodies againe out of their owne dust It is possible with God that a cammell or a cable be drawen through the eye of a needle therefore death can not shut vp the graue so close but God will and can draw out thence these our vile bodies and make them like the glorious bodie of Christ If one Angell in one night can bring downe to death 185000. of the greatest men in Senacheribs armie shall not infinite thousands of Angels call from death all the world hauing this vanquishing power working with them To winde vp all it was harder for God to make woman of the ribbe of man to make man of the slime of the earth to make the earth the heauen and all in them both and betweene them both of nothing then to raise vp man out of his owne dust which if our eyes cannot see nor our vnderstanding conceiue nor our reason reach vnto yet our faith will apprehend it being founded vpon the wil of God declared in his word and grounded vpon his power shewed in his workes The want of these two foundations was the cause of this error in the Sadducees for so Christ reproueth them Do ye not erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God The wise Athenians mocked at Paul when they heard him preach the resurrection and Festus sayd he had ouer studied him selfe and by too much learning was become mad when he disputed before him of the same matter But the godly are not faithlesse but beleeue as Iob confesseth I knowe that my redeemer liueth c. and Martha saith of her brother I knowe he shall rise at the last day For they build their beleefe vpon these two pillers the will and power of God not calling flesh and reason to counsell For as Augustine ad Volusianum saith Si ratio quaeritur non erit mirabile si exemplum poscitur non erit singulare Demus aliquid posse Deum quod fateamur nos non posse inuestigare tota ratio facti in talibus est potentia facientis If reason be sought it will not be strange if an example be asked it will not be singular Let vs graunt that God can do some thing the reason whereof we cannot find out In such things the whole reason of the deed is the power of the doer The foresight of this chaunge should make vs warie to keepe cleane our bodies seeing they must be chaunged and made like to Christs glorious bodie The husbandman hath great care of that corne which is for his seede our bodies are the seed of the resurrection The huswife will keepe sweete and faire those vessels which are for the table our bodies are vessels or should be vessels of sanctification The Church and temple of God should be kept cleane and comely our bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost therefore should be heedfully looked vnto This is litle thought of of the oppressour who is become a Lyons denne full of pray and rauine or of the drunkard who maketh him selfe a swill-tub or of the proud man who maketh his bodie a painted puppet or of the luxurious man who is a cage of vncleane birds or rather a stable or a stye We dishonour God as much by abusing our bodies as Iehu did the temple of Baal who made it an house of the vilest vse God neuer tooke pleasure with his Temple of Ierusalem after it was defiled by the Babylonians but burnt it downe with fire and he hath in store a more fearfull fire if we abuse our bodies Therefore let vs be carefull to vse well these crackt and brittle vessels for that they must be in better case now vile but shall be changed and made like the glorious bodie of Christ and shall be vnited to the soules and receiue that blessed inheritāce which God the Father of old hath prepared God the Sonne of late hath purchased God the holy Ghost doth dayly seale in the hearts of Gods children To which three persons one true and euerliuing God be all honor glorie and praise both now and for euer Amen FINIS
day holdeth vp the heads of Gods children in the middest of infinite miseries of this life and sweeteneth the bitter tast of sundry afflictions in this world and breedeth a sound ioy in the hearts of them that haue eyes to see so farre August Psal 147. Quare non gaudes cum venerit iudicare te qui venerit iudicari propter te Why art thou not ioyfull of his comming to iudge thee who came to be iudged for thee The carelesse carnall man hath no sence or sight of this day but as the oxe is fatted in the pasture and the bird singeth sweetely and feedeth without feare and sodainly the one is carried to the slaughter the other taken in the snare So the worldlings are drowned in securitie and seldome thinke of much lesse wish for the comming of this Sauiour Some fewe who are stong with sinne and force the wrath of God against them do tremble and feare at the remembrance of this day and wish it might either not be at all or else be deferred and some foolishly perswade themselues that it is farre and say as the euill seruant doth in the Gospell my maister will deferre his comming But the godly crie Lord Iesus come quickly nowe they are wardes then shall they come to their owne now they are in the skirmish then shall they be in the victorie now they are in the tempestuous sea then shall they be in the quiet hauen now in the heate of the day then shall they be in the rest of the euening now in place they are absent from Christ though in affection they be present with him then shall they follow him whither soeuer he goeth nowe their life is hidde with Christ but when Christ shall appeare they also shall appeare with him in glorie In the eight chapter to the Romanes and nineteenth verse Paule saith that all the creatures of God haue a feruent desire for the reuealing of the sonnes of God much more should the sonnes of God them selues desire that day In the fourteenth of the Reuelation the word of God is likened to the sound of many waters to the thunder to harping with harpes because in the hearers it hath diuerse effectes as this particular point which now I haue in hand For when the comming of Christ to iudgement is spoken of to carnall men it is an idle sound as if Neptune were mouing the sea to other it is terrible and fearfull as if Iupiter threwe his thunderbolt amongst them these be wounded but want the medicine But to the elect it is sweete musicke as if Apollo played vpon his harpe I will iudge none but the word which I speake will touch euery one our owne consciences will accuse vs as carelesse and fearfull of Christs comming or excuse vs as ioyfull therof Let euery one make choise of his companie and sit him downe with his owne fellowes either with the carelesse who neuer thinke of it their case is dangerous vnlesse God reuiue them or among the fearfull of whom there is no hope vnlesse God heale and cure them or with the faithfull who are in blessed state because their redemption draweth neare This is the chaunge in the soules of the godly which must go before that other of the body as Augustine saith Anima debet prius resurgere per gratiam quam corpus resurgat ad gloriā the soule must rise againe in newnesse of life by the grace of God before the bodie shall rise to glorie Of the which change of the bodie I will now intreate in the same order as I first pointed it out Our bodies they are vile base full of infirmities and therefore in the Scriptures compared to weake meane things to grasse to the flower of the field Esa 40. to dust and ashes Gen. 18.27 to houses of clay Iob. 4.19 to earthly houses of this tabernacle 2. Cor. 5.1 Our bodies when they are young are weake twigges when they are olde are doting trees in the best age as vessels of glasse yea more brittle as Augustine saith for by carefull looking vnto glasses are kept a long time after their death who made them and vsed them Euerie creature liueth of his owne but man for the maintenance of his vile bodie hath a licence to begge and craueth the helpe of euerie creature The Sunne lendeth him light the ayre breath the water drinke the beastes birds and fishes and foules feed him with their flesh and cloath him with their haire wooll and skin The rich man in the Gospell who was cloathed in purple whence had he it but of the sheepes fleece for the matter and of the shell fish for the colour His fine linnen which nowe beareth all the viewe for bands like windmill sailes which may not vnfitly be so termed because mens heads are caried about with euerie wind and blast of vanitie whence and what is it but the barke and as it were the skin of the line and flaxe The silke wherein euen meane persons do ruffle is but the excrements of the wormes The golde and pearles wherewith this bodie is attyred are the guts and bowels of the earth yea some do borrow the haire of the dead We came naked into this world and should so continue if we had not help of the creatures who lend vs their feathers to couer vs as in the end naked we must returne to the earth They that be come of noble houses borne of honorable parents descended of the kings stocke and blood royal yet haue their bodies vile as Paul here meaneth as subiect to diseases as needing all helps for health as vnable to endure labour heate cold to abide hunger thirst as vnable to want sleepe rest as other men Therefore if they that be great haue their bodies vile much more we that be wormes and no men Alexander was perswaded by flatterers that he was the sonne of Iupiter a god and no man but by want of sleepe when he was wearie and by smart of body when he was wounded confessed that he was mortall as others be The same Alexander with a proud minde sayling vp Nilus intending to find the spring thereof which yet neuer could be knowen was perswaded by an old man to returne who gaue him a pearle of this propertie that being layd in ballance with anie mettall it was to heauy but couering it with dust a feather was heauier then it By which was meant that Alexander him selfe who in his life time was too strong mightie for all the world being dead was as weake as other men So that sicknesse and death are incident to the greatest of all whereby is plaine how vile and base our bodies are This cutteth downe the pride of all the world where euerie man kisseth his owne handes and thinketh too well of him selfe for his birth strength youth beautie We must remember that we were made of the slime of the earth and must returne to the dust euen the best and highest of vs all must confesse
as Iob. 17.13 The graue shall be my house I shall make my bed in the darke I shall say to corruption thou art my father and to the wormes you are my sister and mother There is an old riddle what should be both the mother and the daughter the answer is of the I se but it may as well be said of the bodies of men which are made of the dust and shall thither returne againe The consideration that our bodies are vile should take away that too much curiositie to attire and pamper the bodie which commonly is in them that thinke too wel of them selues deeming their bodies to be too good to be fed but with dainties or cloathed but with costly apparell The winde may not blowe vpon them nor the sunne shine vpon them Our beginning is base of the earth our abode here is full of vncertaine prosperitie or sundrie miseries our end is most vile We must die like the beastes as Dauid saith Psal 49.12 This is the state of our bodies before they be chaunged and made like to the glorious bodie of Christ Some sight of this glorie Peter saw when Christ was transfigured Mat. 17.2 His face did shine as the sunne and his clothes were white as the light Of this Daniell speaketh in the twelfe chapter third verse They that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for euer and euer 1. Cor. 15.43 the Apostle saith they rise in incorruption in glorie in power a spirituall bodie He that looked vpon Ierusalem as it is described in the Scriptures shall see the houses gates walles strong and faire yet made of timber stone and ordinarie matter But the new Ierusalem in the Reuelation is most glorious the walles of Iaspir the foundations of precious stones the gates of pearles the pauement of pure gold For our capacitie the spirit of God doth thus set foorth the difference betwixt things in this life and things in that better life And the like difference there is in our bodies Now they are but shadowes but then they shall be as the sunne now they are simplemen then they shall be as the Angels of God now they are as cloudes some higher some lower some brighter some darker as mens places differ in the world but all hanging vncertainly in the aire then shall they be as the starres in the heauens now they are as gold in the mine mingled with the earth then they shall be purified seuen times in the fire now our bodies are vile then made like the glorious bodie of Christ Then all teares shall be wiped away all infirmitie shall cease all deformitie shal haue an end There shal be health without sicknesse strength without weaknesse pleasure without paine youth without olde age Rest shall not be needfull for there shall be no labour there shall be felicitie with certaintie and life without the reach and gunshot of death now our bodies are vile then like the glorious bodie of Christ Let vs not therefore be dismayed in the sundrie daungers nor let not our hearts faile and fall in the most grieuous sicknesse of the bodie which can but last for a time neither can it bring destruction It may ouerthrowe the bodie into the graue and there death shal haue dominion for a season but at the last our bodies shall be taken out of the power of death and made like to Christs glorious bodie This account the Martyrs of God haue made Quid si tyrannus sit interfector corporis mei cum Deus sit susceptor animae erit restitutor corporis mei Quid si membra laceret inimicus cum capillos annumeret Deus What if the tyrant kill my bodie seeing that God will receiue my soule and will also restore my bodie What if the enemie teare in peeces my members seeing God hath numbred the haires of my head The bloodie hand of cruell tyrants may wast and rend a sunder the bodies of Gods people but they shall be gathered together againe by the will and power of God which two causes working together will performe a harder matter then this For if God were willing and not able or of power but not willing then some doubt might be made of this change But he is both willing and able to make this chaunge of our vile bodies to make them like to the glorious bodie of Christ That God is willing both authority of Scriptures and reason agreeing thereunto doth warrant vnto vs. Esa 26.19 Thy dead men shall liue euen with my bodie shall they arise awake and sing ye that sleepe in the dust for thy deaw is as the deaw of herbes and the earth shall cast out her dead Ezech. 37.14 I wil open your graues and bring you foorth of your sepulchers Ioh. 5.28 The houre shall come when all they that are in the graues shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and shall come foorth 1. Thess 4.14 If we beleeue that Iesus is dead and risen euen so they that beleeue in Iesus will God bring with him 1. Corinth 15. There is a iust treatise of this matter and manie reasons alledged why the dead should rise againe Many mischieuous inconueniences and inconuenient mischiefes doe followe the denying or doubting hereof as that Christ is not risen that Paule had preached an vntruth that the people had beleeued an vntruth that the Apostles had bene false witnesses Againe that their sinnes were not taken away that the dead are vtterly perished that to hope in Christ is most miserable For fiducia Christianorum est resurrectio mortuorum the trust of Christians is the resurrection of the dead as Tertullian saith Besides Christ is primitiae resurgentium the first frutes of them that rise againe and by his resurrection hath sanctified all the elect thereunto Whatsoeuer Adam hath lost Christ hath restored but Adam lost life and by his sinne brought in death which Christ hath vanquished in his death Farther the beginners in religion when their death approched made hast to be baptized not that their bodies might be washed cleane for the graue but rather cleansed against the happie day of the resurrection as Epiphanius in Corinthianos expoundeth that point Lastly the godly endure persecution to no purpose if there be no rising againe The name and nature of death doth proue the resurrection For it is a sleepe and so named many times in the Scriptures as 1. Thessal 4.13 Brethren I would not haue you ignorant concerning them that sleepe that you sorrow not as they which haue no hope August epist 120. cap. 32. Quinque virgines fatuae quinque sapientes dormierunt id est moriebantur mors enim in Scripturis dicitur somnus propter resurrectionem velut euigilationem The fiue foolish virgins and the fiue wise slept that is died for death in the Scriptures is called sleepe and in respect of the resurrection as it were an awaking againe Death
is a sweet sleep without dreams as Socrates named it not an euerlasting sleepe as Secundus the Philosopher said to Adrianus the Emperor It may be called a brasen sleep a strong a long sleepe for so Homer thinketh of it That which Christ spake of the rulers daughter may be truly affirmed of all them that be departed out of this life that they are not dead but fallen a sleepe and at the last day shall rise againe The places of buriall for this cause are called caemeteria of which men would not haue such care if there should be no resurrection Olde father Iacob vpon his death bed in Egypt maketh his sonne to burie him in the holy land and Ioseph at his death giueth commaundement to his brethren to carrie away his bones Which desire of theirs was partly to be free from that idolatrous nation euen when they were dead but chiefly it shewed the hope of this change Tobias is commended for burying the dead and Christ sayd that the woman who annointed his bodie to buriall should be spoken off in all the world The men of Iabes Gilead shewed mercie vpon Saul and Ionathan in burying their bodies Talia pietatis officia ad mortuorum corpora pertinent propter fidem resurrectionis astruendam Aug. 1. de Ciuit. Dei cap. 13. Such duties of godlinesse do appertaine to the dead in token that we beleeue the resurrection The iustice of God requireth this that the bodies of men hauing bene partners in well or euill doing with the soule in this life should be partners in reward or punishment after this life The hand which is open to receiue bribes the foote which is swift to shed blood the tongue that speaketh proud things the eyes that behold vanitie the eares that are open doores to let in vnchast talke the minde a nest of wicked imaginations the head that deuiseth mischiefe and euill the heart which boyleth in lust and malicious reuenge euery part with the whole which is a fellow with the soule in sinning shall beare companie in the punishment Contrariwise those bodies which haue borne the heate and burthen of the day shall haue part of the penie and wages The Hebrue Doctors haue made plaine this by a parable deuised in this sort A man planted a vineyard and hauing cause to go from home was carefull to leaue such watchmen as might keepe it safe from strangers and such as should not deceiue him them selues therefore he appointed two the one was blind but strong of his limbes the other had his sight but was a creeple In the absence of their maister they conferred how to deceiue him and craftily the blind tooke the lame man vpon his backe and got of the frute At the returne of their Maister he found out their subtilty that they had ioyned their labour together and so he punished them both together Man standeth of two partes the bodie is blinde but strong to commit sin the soule hath his sight knowledge but vnable to worke outward wickednesse but both helpe forward to sinne and therefore in iustice must abide the punishment 2. Cor. 4.18 We must all appeare before the iudgement seate of God that euery man may receiue the things which he hath done in his bodie whether they be good or euill The infinite goodnesse of God to his people nor the vp heaped measure of his seueritie against the vngodly could not be shewed if this chaunge should not be For now the ioy of the elect and paine of the wicked is but as a dreame to that which shal be Esa 61.7 For your shame you shal receiue double euerlasting ioy shal be vnto you Which place Lyra and the enterlined glosse expound of ioy of soule and bodie The truth of God cannot stand if this chaunge should not be For he hath promised to raise vs vp at the last day and that not one haire of our head shall perish Luke 14. When thou makest a feast call the poore lame c. who cannot reward thee but it shal be recompenced at the resurrection of the iust The last enemie that shall be destroyed is death 1. Cor. 15. And lest death might alleadge prescription God hath in all times of the world hindered his possession and taken from him the bodie of some to shew that he had title right vnto them As in the time of nature he tooke Enoch in the time of the Lawe he tooke away Helias in the time of Christ he tooke our Sauiour To conclude this point the authoritie of the Scriptures the reasons of the Apostle the name of death to be sleepe the maner of buriall the iustice mercie and truth of God are strong chaines to binde vs to beleeue and are sure proppes to vphold this maine piller of our faith that our bodies shall be changed By these it is euident that God is willing as his power is answerable therunto God hath giuen to his creatures some portion of his power whereby things are brought to passe which shadow out this change which by his owne arme he will bring to passe The Lyon being long absent from his whelpes because in due time he could not find his pray finding them dead roareth in his caue and reuiueth them againe The Pellicane by her blood quickeneth her young ones Lactantius worthely describeth the maner of the Phoenix death and birth againe out of her owne ashes The fire lyeth hid in the flint stone yet a small force will make it appeare The sunne setteth and riseth againe the moone waineth and renueth her light trees are cut downe yet they spring afresh the herbes wither in the winter season but are greene againe in the sommer time The whole course of nature telleth vs that we shall die and putteth vs in hope of our rising againe Our nayles being pared our haire being cut off yet they increase and growe againe If the dead part of our bodie be restored by the ordinarie power of God in nature much more shall the bodies of men be restored by the mightie power of God What if our bodies be consumed to ashes in the fire dryed in shew to nothing in the aire rotten to dust in the earth swallowed vp of fishes in the sea those fishes taken and eaten of men those men deuoured of wild beastes those beasts made a pray to rauenous foules Disperse as farre as may be by imagination the partes of mans body yet shall this mightie power of God call them together againe Aug. de Ciuitate Dei lib. 22. cap. 20. Absit vt aliquis sinus naturae ita recipiat aliquid subtractum à sensibus nostris vt omnino creatoris aut lateat scientiam aut effugiat potestatem God forbid that any secret place should be thought so to hide any thing remoued from our senses that it can either be kept from the knowledge of the creator or auoyd his power For this cause the sea is sayd to giue vp her dead Apoc. 20.13 because the bodies that