to change their vile body c. This was not yet done besides it is affirmed of the body which is not the proper subject of such a Resurrection from ignorance as they pretend And our vile body shall be fashioned like unto Christs body but that as we shall hereafter prove was raised properly from a natural death to a natural life This is laid down as a Principle of the Doctrine of Christ Heb. 6. 3. which cannot with any shew of Reason be interpreted of any other then a corporall Resurrection having spoken of the Resurrection of the Soul from a state of sin and ignorance v. 1. where he mentions Repentance from dead works and faith towards God It cannot be imagined that in so short and pithy an account as this is he should repeat the same again in other words and this will be yet more clear if we compare this passage with the fact and Faith of the Martyrs women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting deliverance r Heb. 11. 35. this was done through Faith v. 33. Therefore by such to whom God was manifest they were tortured and killed for they accepted not deliverance What inducement They expected a better Resurrection What in this life No for they had no deliverance if after death what Resurrection could it be but of the body Besides 't is said A better Resurrection in reference to their best condition in this life And this is shewed unto John in Vision I saw faith he the dead small and great and the Sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and the grave as in the Marginal reading delivered up the dead which were in them s Apoâ—â— 20. 12 13. This cannot be understood of any other then a bodily Resurrection For first it is general Of all both small and great Now all sorts do not rise Spiritually some dy in their sins Secondly after they arise they stand before God and are brought to judgement But those who arise Spiritually do not stand before God to be judged as some of these here are to be cast into the Lake of fire v. 15. Thirdly the dead here are said to be in the Sea and in the Grave and by them delivered up Fourthly some of them are said not to be written in the Book of Life therefore it cannot be a Spiritual Resurrection for all those who are so risen are written in the Book of Life Chap. 3. 4 5. And those who are unclean and work abomination or make a lie who attain not to the Spiritual Resurrection are of that number which are not written in the Lambs Book of Life Chap. 21. 2 7. Isaiah 25. 8. Hos 13. 14. With many other places might be produced to evidence this Truth but these may suffice for Positive testimonies we shall now repair to Reason 1. The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents Arg. 1. head t Gen. 3. 15. Which is thus interpreted by John 1 Epist Chap. 3. v. 8. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Divel u 1 Ioh. 3. 8. And this is one of his works for he is described as having the power of Death So that either death must be destroyed Heb 2. 14. and consequently the dead rise or Christ must fail of his end in being manifested in the world 2. God is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Arg. 2. of all the Faithful a God in Covenant with them there Exod. 3. 6. fore their dead bodies shall rise this our Saviour urged against the Sadduces in Vindication of the Resurrection oppugned and denyed by them But as touching the Resurrection of the dead have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is Mat. 22. 31 32 not the God of the dead but of the living With this answer the people were possessed with astonishment and the Sadduces put to silence v. 33 34. Whereas the Lord cals himself their God many years after they were dead and rotten in their graves it imports they must be alive to God they all live to him But that you may clearly see the force of this Argument and wherein its strength lies we must conceive when God cals himself the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob he means a God in Covenant with them to give out his All-sufficiency for their good Gen. 17. 1. to be their Shield and exceeding great reward removing all cause of fear Gen. 15. 1. particularly iniquity Acts 3. 25 26. the Fountain whence all evils flow and supplying them with all good out of his infinite fulness for this Covenant brings a blessing with it Acts 3. 25. which Covenant is an everlasting Covenant Gen. 17. 7. and made with him not in respect of the Soul onely but the body also for else it were not a perfect Covenant These things premised I thus infer 1. That therefore by reason of this Covenant he will never leave them or forsake them but should not the bodies of Abraham Isaac and Jacob rise God should in that respect leave and forsake them and not be All-sufficient to them or their God in respect of their bodies the very dust of the bodies of Abraham Isaac and Jacob is in Covenant with him and therefore shall in time be raised up again 2. Forasmuch as sin the cause of death is taken away therefore death the wages of sin shall de done away 3. If the bodies of Abraham Isaac and Jacob shall not live they are not perfectly blessed in Covenant with God because their bodies one part of them are not And what hath been said of Abraham is applyable unto all the Saints God is their God and therefore their dead bodies live to him are in Covenant with him have sin the occasion of death done away and so shall be raised again to be made perfectly happy with him 3. A third Reason we draw from Mat. 22. 30. In the Arg. 3. Resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the Angels of God in Heaven Which is thus rendred by Mark. 12. 25. When they shall rise from the dead they shall neither marry nor are given in marriage To the same purpose Luke 20. 35. In this life in the Resurrection from sin and ignorance men marry and others are given in marriage Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge x Heb. 13. 4. And again Nevertheless to avoid Fornication let every man have his own wife Besides here we are not as the Angels of God therefore Arg. 4. we expect another Resurrection Moreover such a Resurrection is here affirmed and Arg. 5. proved by Christ which the Sadduces denyed but that was of the body after death when the seven Brethren one after
which our resurrection is founded the main prop by which it is supported the example unto which it is conformed and the fountain whence it is derived and therefore the most eminent evidence by which it is cleared We proceed to the Apostle's next Argument the end Arg. 7. of our Redemption and the absurd consequent of the contrary Doctrine If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable The Argument may be formed thus this being presupposed If there be no resurrection of the dead then Christians have onely hope in this life If in this life only Christians have hope in Christ then they are of all men most miserable But Christians are not of all men most miserable Therefore they have not hope in Christ only in this life The consequence is clear for of all men they in this life are most subject to afflictions Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son he receiveth What son is he whom the Father chasteneth not But if ye be without Heb 12. 6 7 8. chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonst They usually have the bread of affliction given them to eat and water of affliction to drink yea waters of a full cup are wrung out to them when others fare delictiously every day their chain is made heavie when others walk at liberty they are brought low when others are lifted up their heaven is covered with darkness clouds and thick darkness when others have clearness and serenity the sun continually shining in his brightness their condition admits variety of revolutions but these have no changes therefore if there be no hope to them of a better state in another world they are of all men most miserable But the Christian Faith and Scriptures makes them of all men most happy yea and only them happy Christ hath purchased God promised the Spirit sealed better things to them then what other men have or themselves enjoy in this world they are again and again pronounced blessed nine times in so many verses Math. 5. 2 to 12. the manifold repetitions and particular instances of their blessedness notes the firmness and fulness of it They are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Eph. 1. 3. Freedom from all evil fruition of all good particularly deliverance from the evil of death Christ hath delivered them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Heb. 2. 15. How are they delivered from death or the fear of death if ther bodies shall for ever remain under the power of it and never be set at liberty This all men desire sith death is the King of Terrors and the Saints hope for we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption the Redemption of our body Rom. 8. 23. Just they are before and God is manifest in them yet they wait for the Redemption of the body viz. from the grave and those evils they are incumbred with in the world They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat Rev. 7. 16. God shall wipe away all tears from their eys there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are past away Rev. 21. 4. Shall all this be in this life Is all this in mysterie If so how is it fulfilled Or is it in death to the Saints Indeed there is no hunger thirst heat tears sorrow crying or pain but yet they have not all promised how in death is this accomplished there shall be no death But this is not all a Christians hope immunity from evils there is a recompense of reward to come positive good and that after death Therefore saith Christ when thou makest a feast this command binds all our life long while there is occasion and opportunity of feasting call the poor the maimed the lame the blind and thou shalt be blessed for they cannot recompense thee but thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just Luke 14. 14. that this is not in this life is manifest from that parallel Heb. 11. 35. They the Saints were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection and from Rev. 11. 18 and the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that fear thy Name small and great This is the promise mentioned Heb. 11. 39. and perfection v. 40. which the Patriarchs received not These all having obtained a good report through Faith received not the promise the Apostle speaks of men dead long before and dying in Faith that they received not the promise God being faithful it must be received in due time in soul they can not receive it in full after death the time of receiving it is when all are made perfect God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect Of this perfection God will have all partakers together and this perfection cannot be without the Resurrection of the body and this very thing is particularly affirmed of Abel Noah Abraham Sarah Isaac and Jacob these all dyed in Faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were Strangers and Pilgrims on the earth While they lived they received not the promises but saw them at a distance in respect of time and place they looked not for them in that time or Country for then and there they were Strangers and Pilgrims and that we might not restrain it to any one particular Country or more they take the whole earth in saying that in it they were Strangers and Pilgrims and hence the Apostle concludes v 14. They that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country What country not an earthly and truly if they had been mindful of that country whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have returned but now they desire a better country that is heavenly v. 16. and this in the close of this verse he calls a City prepared of God For God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City and this is not theirs only but the inheritance of all Saints Here we have no continuing City but we seek one to come Chap. 13. 14. Which is expressed by life If we be dead with him we shall also live with him 2. Tim. 2. 11. Eternal and everlasting life The gift of God is eternal life Rom. 6. 23. This is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day g Ioh. 6.
up the Kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power v. 24. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet v. 25. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death v. 26. He shall not deliver up his Kingdom until he hath abolished all his enemies as Satan soliciting to sin sin proceeding from the will of man and death the wages of sin The first was conquered once on the Cross the second daily by his Spirit the third by his appearing in the flesh at the last day although death be overcome that it cannot hurt Believers yet is it not perfectly abolished nor they restored to a perfect life until the Resurrection of the body Pauls next Argument is the Testimony Judgement or Arg. 9. Confession of those who were Baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our translation thus Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead v. 29. Letting pass other expositions of these words two especially are most famous and considerable The first that Paul alludes to a custome among the Catecumeni or Novices in the Faith who in danger of death desired and received Baptism that thereby they might both evidence and strengthen their Faith in the Resurrection of this practise Epiphanius makes mention k Et hac de causa traditio quae ad nos devenit eundem Sanctum Apostolum dixisse aiunt si omnino mortui non Resurgunt cur Baptizantur pro ipsis caeterum alij recte hoc dictum interpretantes dicuat quod morti vicini si fueriut in Pietatis doctrina instructi ob hanc spem ante obitum lavacro digni fiunt ostendentes quod qui mortuus est etiam resurget ob id indiget remissione pectatorum per lavacrum Epiph. l. 1. Tom. 2. h. 28. l Vossij Thes Theol. de Resur carnis th 18. Piscator Anal. Schol. in 1 Cor. 15. 29. This supposed the Apostle thus argues Else what shall they do who are baptized for dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for dead A second sense is given of this Argument and much contended for by learned and judicious men the practiss of some among them that were baptized over the graves and dead bodies of the Martyrs and other Saints in testimony of their dying to sin and assured expectation of their own and their Resurrection over whom they were Baptizedl Another Argument is drawn from the Testimony that Arg. 10. is the judgement and faith of the Confessors who adventure and lay down their lives for Christ and the Gospel Why stand we in jeopardy every hour v. 30. We give our backs to the smiters and our cheeks to them that pluck off the hair we hide not our face from shame and spetting we count not our lives dear unto us but continually carry them in our hands as ready to lay them down for the Gospel always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus And are alwayes delivered unto death for Jesus sake m 2 Cor. 4. 13. 11. We are killed all the day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter n Rom. 8. 36. Some of the Saints have had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment They were slaned they were sawn asunder they were tempted were slain with the sword they wandred about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute affiicted tormented Of whom the world was not worthy they wandred in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth o Heb. 11. 36. 37. 38. Others were tortured not accepting deliverance what think you moved them hereto doubtless the hope of glory laid up for them in another world it was that they might obtain a better Resurrestion p verse 35. Certainly these men were beside themselves too much inconsiderate zeal had made them mad thus to expose their persons to the rage of unreasonable men and hereby prepare treasure up and sharpen instruments of death for their own tormenting life liberty and ease are so sweet death bonds and pain so bitter they must play the madmen to some purpose in the presence of the world to exchange the one for the other without hope of recompence in the life to come But we know light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in them Who among the sons of men of so wise and understanding hearts To whom is given the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ they saw with other eyes then those bruits who think they shall dy like beasts and do expect no other portion then what they have in the flesh sure the Spirit of the holy God made them quick of understanding in his fear by whom it was given them not onely to believe but to suffer for his sake And certainly God is not unrighteous to forget their work and labour of love which they have shewed toward his Name q Heb. 6. 10. but will do unto them according to the kindness they have done unto him with this Paul comforts the Thessalonians It is a manifest token of the righteous judgement of God that ye may be accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which ye also suffer Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels r 2 Thes 1. 5. This recompense shall be when the Lord shall be revealed not in this life to the Soul so he was revealed to the Thessalonians before but after death when he shall come from Heaven and attended with the Angels of his might so he comes not in this present life to any that after dy only to those that shall live till the great day of the Lord and this was the Apostles encouragement and consolation in their afflictions Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are Temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal v. 18 And what Paul speaks of the Saints in general he protests of himself in particular I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I dy daily v. 31. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus what advantageth it me if the dead rise not His hazards and sufferings were not once or twice but daily and those not ordinary but grievous his life was little better then a continual dying he fought with beasts at Ephesus unreasonable savage cruel men rather beasts then men which some understand
made alive 1 Cor. 15. 22. All good and bad by his Power for he hath the Keys of Hell and Death Apoc. 1. 18. He hath Power as God and Commission from God as man to raise the Dead This he doth by vertue of his Office all Judgement being committed to him as the son of man Therefore Raising the Dead and Judging them being raised are put together John 5. 21 22 27. He shall at the last day by his voice awaken all that are a sleep in the dust They that are in the grave shall hear his voice John 5. 28. As the natural Voice raiseth him that sleepeth so the Voice of Christ raiseth the Dead it is likely that shall be a real and articulate voice namely such a one as shall sound out some such sentence as this Arise ye dead and come to Judgement But in an especial manner Christ is the cause of the Saints resurrection as he is their Head First He is an effective principle of rising to all his Members therefore called the Beginning the First-born of the Dead Col. 1. 18. The first Fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15. 20. and a quickning Spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. The power by which we are raised is with Christ per modum redundantiae it abounds in him even to overflowing there is not only a sufficiency of power for his own rising but a redundancy for ours also All things tending to our salvation are in his hands he is entrusted with power for our good as in other things so in this the raising of our bodies He hath not life for his own person alone but treasures of life for every member as he hath life in himself so it is communicated to all his members We have it from him by way of Influence Christ God-man raiseth us the power not humane but divine the same by which his own body was raised yet his Humanity concurring thus far the Deity not raising us without the Will and consent of the humanity Yea as man he desires purposeth promiseth the raising of our bodies Secondly He is the meritorious cause he hath purchased life for his and redeemed them from death by a price taken away sin the cause of death satisfied divine Justice and so procured full and compleat Redemption for them He was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our Justification Rom. 4. 25. and if we be justified then we shall also be glorified 3. He is the exemplary cause we shall be conformed to him in this also He was raised as a pattern and example to all his Members holding forth the manner of their resurrection in his Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Phil. 3. 21. the Resurrection that he shewed in himself he hath promised to us The Final cause or end of the Resurrection the glory of God in the patefaction of his God-head Truth Mercy Justice Power Wisdom and Providence that the whole man may be judged before the Tribunal of God and all men receive according to their works 2 Cor. 5. 10. that as soul and body have served God or sinned together so they may be rewarded or punished together that the Saints with Christ their Head may both in soul and body be for ever blessed in heaven and the wicked with Satan their head be eternally tormented in hell Although all rise yet is there a different end and issue of their resurrection to some it is a resurrection to life and glory who are therefore called the children of the resurrection Luke 20. 36. to others a resurrection to death shame and condemnation Dan. 12. 2 3. John 5. 28 29. therefore were the Saints buried together and strangers apart because they expected a better resurrection But when shall these things be In the end of the world Mat. 13. 39 40. at the last day John 6. 39 40 44 54. When Christ shall deliver up his Kingdom to the Father and put down all rule authority and power 1 Cor. 15. 23 24. Now that we may leave no way unattempted which may conduce to the clearing of this truth silencing of contradictors and satisfying of the scrupulous we shall in the next place examine and make answer to what is usually pleaded against it and I trust you will in conclusion plainly perceive the most ponderous Arguments and Doubts being laid in the ballance will be found wanting and of no weight at all but lighter then vanity All that can be urged is against to the possibility of the thing in respect of the power of that cause which must effect it or probability and infallibility thereof in respect of his Will In short it is conceived difficult to be done and in some mens fancies never promised It is supposed contrary to sense or reason because of the Objection dissipation of our bodies which are resolved into Elements and are so mingled with them and other bodies that it seems a thing impossible they should be drawn out and severed from them To this we reply The things which are impossible with Solution men are possible with God Luke 18. 27. Is any thing too hard for the Lord Gen. 18. 14. The question should thus be resolved there is not any thing too hard for the Lord that is which doth not in it self imply a contradiction or in him denote imperfection we must not judge of the power of God by what we see in the creature nor limit it to what we find in our selves Canst thou by searching find out God Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection Job 11. 7. This then being presupposed we make not Nature but the God of Nature the worker of this great miracle why should it seem either strange or impossible Sense and Reason is but a crooked line to measure his power and too short to sound his Almightiness though it may seem above yet it is not contrary to Reason the most can be said it exceeds the reach of meer sense it can with no sense be affirmed repugnant to it For God is able to raise the dead Heb. 11. 19. It denotes not imperfection in him to do it nor doth it in it self involve any repugnancy why it cannot be done God is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham Mat. 3. 8. and why not the same body out of the dust and animate it by the same soul by which it was formerly enlivened Again where the same numerical principles Matter and Form of the thing or Person corrupted remain and the same Agent who did first put them together continues in the same power state and condition what can hinder why they cannot be united and restored again to the same state wherein they were before separation The Agent remains God changeth not and his Arm is not shortned And that the Form the soul remains is clear from Matth. 10. 28. and Jude 7. As for the Matter that remains also The first Matter is held
prove not the truth of this for men may mis-conceive of truth but did Job conceive aright or did he not Cop. He was mistaken speaking things he understood not Osb Doth every man mistake and speak falsly when he speaks of things he doth not understand Job by Gods testimony is said to speak aright of God yet questionless such is the immensity and perfection of God that he could not comprehend him in his understanding besides our understanding or not understanding things we speak of doth not cause them so to be or not to be as we declare them truth of what is spoken doth not depend on our conceptions but on the proportion and congruity of the nature of those things and our expressions of them Then did Job speak truly or no Cop. That he shall see God was true but the place and the time was not true he spake not aright according to the time and place onely as to the thing that he should see God was true but that it should be after he had laid down his body that was not true and accordingly he did see him but in his natural life before he died Osb That the sight expected ch 19. was accomplished before his death you onely affirm without one reason or Scripture to demonstrate it your bare assertion must be of no weight or consideration with me so long as I have the text so plainly and fully speaking the contrary let me hear what you can say to this that Jobs sight of his Redeemer was not expected to be accomplished until his skin and bones were destroyed with worms What say you to this Cop. Job spake in relation to his seeing the Lord according to the Resurrection he then believed which was in the body Osb But how did Job see God after the destruction of the body after the worms had eaten his body Cop. Job had it not revealed to him the manner how nor the time when Osb Worms had not destroyed his body therefore this could not be in his life time but after death Cop. Job did find this accomplished in his life time because he saw God Osb You say but prove not let us proceed to the next Scripture Dan. 12. 2. Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt Osb What say you to this Scripture you cannot be ignorant that by sleep in Scripture frequently death is meant and that it must be so interpreted here appears by this that those that are said to awake are said to be in the dust of the earth and as by sleeping we must understand their being dead or continuing in the state of the dead so by waking is meant quickning rising to life Cop. By the dust is meant the earth of mankind or ignorance in which his joyes and comforts lie hid and buried from which he is said to rise when these are manifested to him his sleeping in the dust is a mans carnal ignorant state without the knowledge of God or his joys and comforts his awaking when he is changed and God is made manifest and appears in him Osb It cannot be meant of rising out of a carnall state or wherein a mans joys and comforts are buried for some of those that are said here to awake are said to awake to shame and everlasting contempt which cannot be affirmed of those that awake out of their natural and carnal state for they all awake to life everlasting Cop. It is meant of arising out of a carnall state the earth of mankind or ignorance without the manifestation of God for so dust signifies Osb First you must prove that the dust of the earth any where in Scripture signifies such a state of ignorance a natural state without the manifestation of God Secondly that it is so taken in this place Cop. Man is said to be dust and ashes Osb But dust here cannot signifie man it is said the dust of the earth and that many sleep in the dust of the earth as that which is properly taken in one place must not of necessity be so taken in all places so that which is taken figuratively in some places cannot be admitted in the same sence in others Christ is said to be a door and a Shepheard though he were neither in proper speech He is also said to come as a thief in the night which word sometimes imports such a one as comes to steal Cattel or other goods because these words carry a proper meaning in some Scriptures must they therefore be of the same import in all this were blasphemous against Christ contrary to his nature and dignity the same words are variously taken in divers Scriptures so then if the dust of the earth do any where signifie such a state as you speak of yet that here it doth you prove not Your former Allegation that sayes Man is dust and ashes is little to the purpose for here in Daniel the dust and those that sleep in it are distinguished one from the other but your interpretation confounds them You say man is dust and ashes and bring that as a parallel to this place and withal grant as the Scripture sayes that many sleep in the dust which in plainer English is thus Many men that sleep sleep in themselves Cop. True for they sleep in the old man Osb I desire you to prove your interpretation by the Scripture Cop. It is cleared by Esay 26. 18. Thy dead men shal live with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust c. These Scriptures are compared together by this I prove my interpretation for I would have one Scripture interpret another Osb. I am glad to hear your acknowledgment that all interpretations of Scripture must be made good by Scripture but you must know also that in interpretation of Scripture you must take such for the establishment of your sense as are parallels and have relation unto or dependance upon one another and that a word or phrase may be taken properly in one place and figuratively in another and as for this 26. of Isa v. 17. you must prove that dust is taken figuratively for the state of nature and ignorance and dead men for those that are in this state and when you have done this you must also prove that agreement and accord of this in Isaiah with that in Daniel Cop. These Scriptures have relation to one another and the earth here is the old man Osb. There is nothing of the old man not one word in all this chapter Cop. Yes v. 17. Like as a woman with child that draweth near the time of her delivery is in pain and cryeth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O Lord v. 18. We have been with child we have been in pain that is we have laboured and travelled to bring forth Christ in the spirit Osb. This you say but you must also prove