the water and the spirit In the same chapter Joh. 3. 14 15 16. which verses are evidently a further demonstration and explication of that Doctrine vers 3 5. shewing in that whole explication what that water and that spirit is of which a man may be born again And there I say he changes the order used in vers 5 speaking to that first in his explication which was last in his first declaration of them Namely the spirit of which a man may be born again which he interprets to be in that office or work of the spirit The lifting up of the Son of man according to that Joh. 16. 14. And then explicates the water after to be that love of God to man-ward that is manifested in and through the gift of his Son which is both the ground of the spirits being sent to lift him up and also is it selfe commended displayed and shed abroad in such lifting him up as verse 17. with Rom 5. 5 6 7 8 c. And so the water and the spirit goe together and are one in and with the other poured forth abundantly by Jesus Christ for regenerateing men as Tit. 3. 3 4 5 6. which that we may understand our Saviour observes not the same order of expressions in the first declaration and following explication and after by his Apostles mentions them as joyntly coming forth together yea in the 1 Joh. 5. 8. expresly mentions the spirit first And then the water and the bloud of Christ through which the water is shed abroad by the spirit opening and sprinckling it and so mentions them as all agreeing in one and coming forth joyntly and together Other instances of like nature might be given But as we have said when the same order is alwayes observed in mentioning the same things as it is wherever the resurrection of the just and unjust is spoken off It 's more significant as to order of time to be observed by us in the coming forth of those things And at least it gives us occasion to observe what other Scriptures speak more fully to that point Now then That there shall be such an order in the Resurrection of the dead and eternall judgment by Christ That Christ the first fruites being already raised from the dead shall afterwards even at his coming raise up them that are his and bring them with him and then after that the end All that dye in Adam shall be made alive by him but every man in his owne order yea that the dead in Christ shall rise first not before the Survivers of that body then shall be changed for that shall be at the same time they shall not one prevent another But Before the rest of the dead as Revel 20. 5. even immediately at his descending and coming downe from Heaven And then at the same moment the Survivers of them being changed they shall be taken up together to meet the Lord in the Ayre And so he shall bring them with him and they shall be from thence forth ever with the Lord in their soules and bodies reunited All this is full and expresse in 1 Thess 4. 14-16 1 Cor. 15. 22 23. with Rev. 20. As likewise that though all that sleep in Jesus God shall bring with him they shall meet him in the Ayre and so come with him at his coming yet death shall not then immediately at his coming be wholly destroyed but remaine in Beeing and in being as an enemy after his appearing and in the time of his reigne yea it s the last enemy that shall be destroyed by him in that day of his reigne is also clearly expressed in that 1 Cor. 15. 23 25 26. After he hath said those that are Christs shall be made alive at his delivering up the Kingdome That he must reigne till he have put all his enemies under his feet The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death Though death shall be perfectly destroyed in the children of the first resurrection Immediately on his coming to destroy his enemies and take his great power and reigne And they shall be Princes and Reigners with him yet death is not presently perfectly destroyed but remaines in being as an enemy and is the last that shall be destroyed As to say 1 It must needes still remaine in Beeing and in some sence reigning on the Bodies of those that shall be the subjects of that Kingdome that shall be possessed and administred by the son of man and the children of the first resurrection A thousand yeares on Earth even upon those that are saved left or reserved from being cut of in those sweeping and dissolateing judgments that shall be immediately executed on the Earth at his personall coming to take the Kingdome And so upon the people that shall then be born The Nations that shall presently and abundantly multiply and increase of those few who shall all be the subjects and admitted to walk in the light of that glorious Kingdome Isa 24. 6. 13 14. 66. 19. 60. 21 22. Psal 102. 18 22. Revel 21. 24. I say death or mortallity must needs still remaine in being on them though not so imbittered with violent diseases paines and miseries as now The creature being restored and all other enemies subdued so that men may generally live and live happily in submission to that glorious Government much or all the time of it Yet in a state of mortallity till they have passed through it For it s appointed to all the whole kind of man once to dye yea they must all first bear the Image of the earthy So that mortallity must needes continue in being as long as there is any off-spring or generation of mankind coming forth which that there shall be in the time of the administration of that Kingdome on earth the forecited Scriptures shew yea the Psalmist prophecying of that Kingdome declares this to be the blessednesse of all those subjects of it that fear the Lord and so volluntarily submit to and rejoyce in that Government They shall see their childrens children and peace upon Israel Psal 127. Though they that shall be counted worthy to obtaine that World and the Resurrection from the dead they neither marry nor are given in marriage nor can they dye any more for they are equall unto the Angels and are the children of God being the children of the Resurrection Luk. 20. 35 36. They shall possesse glory of a far higher nature not as subjects but as Reigners with Christ yet among the subjects of that Kingdome and World to come that are not the children of the Resurrection but under their Government there will be marrying and wonderfull increase and multiplication such as in no time before compare with that Psal 127. Isa 60. 21 22. And while so and that they are not yet the children of the Resurrection That mortallity remaines on them is clearly imported in that of our Saviour last mentioned as also in what hath been already said it must remaine
on them till they have passed through death and be made the children of the Resurrection for all must first bear the Image of the earthy And not only so shall death remaine in being and in being as an enemy though a conquered one But also 2 In that it shall hold those that now were enemies to him and dyed before or at his coming as well as also those that shall be cut off in their sin and rebellion in the time of his Reigne It shall hold them I say from their utmost punishment to be for ever executed on soul and body in which the Lord shall be gloryfied and the righteous rejoyce even untill the finishing of that thousand yeares reigne on the earth This is plain and expresse The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished Revel 20. 5. After the finishing of which thousand years also and not before yea after the resurrection and judgment of the rest of the dead at the expiration of that time Then saith the 14th verse were death and hell The first death and the Grave cast into the lake of fire that they might never more hide or hold the workers of iniquity from any part of their judgment or punishment or any of the righteous from any part of the fullnesse of their glory And so it answers to that The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death All other enemies in being and that shall be found persisting such shall be destroyed immediately on his appearing to take the Kingdome when he shall bring all that sleep in Jesus with him Then the Beast the humane and Worldly power appointed of God to stand its time though turning it selfe against him by whom it was set And the false Prophet The Antichristian power and spirit in conjunction with the Beast riseing up on his coming to make War with him and his Army shall have their power destroyed And their persons that are then in being eminently in the administration of that power shall be taken and cast alive into the Lake of Fire But the remnant of those enemies surviveing and riseing up with the Beast and false Prophet against Christ and his Army at his coming shall then be slain by the sword that proceedeth out of his mouth and shall have their Carkasses cast out And their flesh shall be meate for all Foules and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh And their spirits gathered together as Prisoners in the Pit till after those many dayes of his reign on the Earth with the children of the first Resurrection And then they shall be visited and have their dead bodies raised and in them be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and false Prophet are and were before them and where they shall be tormented day and night with the Devill that deceived them for ever and ever And at the same time all the rest of the dead both those that have dyed before out of Union with him And those that have been cut off in their Rebellion in the time of his Reigne And also those that in that time have volluntarily submitted to that Government and walked in the light of it whether they have dyed before in the time of that his Reigne as happily some of them may or lived till the end They shall all then be raised or changed and stand before his judgment seat and receive according to their deeds according to the Gospell rule of judgment compare Isa 24. 21 22. chap. 34. 2 3 c. with chap. 66. 15 16-24 Revel 19. 11. to the end with chap. 20. 5. 11. to the end All shall come forth out of their Graves and out of the disappearing state of death And appear before his judgment seat But those that now sleep in Jesus shall rise first and with them the Survivers of that body shall be changed then immediately at his coming The rest of the dead shall not live again till the thousand yeares be finished yet all this whole and generall resurrection and judgment in both parts of it shall be in that one hour time or day of the son of man forementioned as expressed in 2 Tim. 4. 1. At his appearing and his Kingdome The first fruites as with relation to the other they are called Rev. 14. 4. immediately at his appearing The compleating and finishing of the generall resurrection and judgment at his Kingdome and before it be delivered up as 1 Cor. 15. 22-28 with Revel 20. By what hath been said in the opening these three Branches of Instruction viz. what the resurrection and judgment is as to the subject of it And in what time and order it shall be We have shewed and proved by the Scriptures That there shall be a generall Resurrection of the dead Bodies of men both of the just and unjust And that all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ at his appearing and his Kingdome That every one may receive in his body the things done in his body according to what he hath done whether it be good or bad But every man in his own order They that are his in this day at his coming And after that yet in that time of his Kingdome all the rest of the dead To the other two Branches of Instruction contained in the Text and more directly and fully spoken too viz. The meanes or power by which all shall be raised and judged And the different state of persons in the Resurrection or ends to which they shall be raised To these we shall speak in the proving and explicating these two positions as contained in the Text and opened and confirmed in other Scriptures 1 That both the just and unjust one and other of them shall be raised and judged by the voyce of the son of man 2 That in the Resurrection there shall be this manifest difference between those that have done good and those that have done evill The first shall come forth to the Resurrection of life The other to the Resurrection of damnation 1 That both the just and unjust even every of mankind shall be raised and judged by the voyce of the son of man is plainly asserted in the Text especially compareing it with the verse before where he asserts that the Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the son of man And here addes that all that are in the Graves shall hear his voyce namely the voyce of the son of man And shall come forth c. The Resurrection and eternall judgment shall be by the man Christ and by his voyce who is the only begotten Son of God in mans nature The son of man so called by way of eminency because there is no more such sons of God or sons of men as Hee 1 It shall be by vertue of or because of his being the son of man 2 It shall be effected by his mighty power in the immediate and wonderfull patting forth of his
that the Father is by whom and for whom all things were made that were made yea all Thrones Dominions Principallities and Powers and so he the proper Lord and Heyre of all the Kingdome and Glory and of all things and Persons that were made by his Divine and eternall Generation Joh. 1. 1 2 3. Coll 1. 15 16. Prov 8. 22 c. which shewes the excellency of his person and so his abillity for all he undertook by the appointment of the Father for our help and escape And argues the vilenesse of our sin and the wretchedness of our condition by reason of sin seeing righteousnesse help and escape for us could not be had or found in any lesse price or ransome or by any other meanes or way attained But by the so deep abasement and suffering of so excellent a Person Gods only begotten Son The Lord from Heaven As likewise it infinitely commends the unspeakable love of God of the Father and of Christ In the Fathers free devizeing appointing and not sparing but sending forth his own and only Son and Heire to be so abased and delivering Him to such a death And in the Sons so willing and ready giving Himselfe in and through such abasement and sufferings to be a ransome or price of redemption for our sins Notwithstanding he was in the form of God and we wholly sinfull weake ungodly and enemies Further in this acknowledgment and profession of Jesus to be the Lord that is in this word of faith is contained That he is now actually made and become the same in that body prepared for him in mans nature in which he suffered and bore our sins to the Tree the same that he was as the eternall and only begotten Son of God before being through sufferings entred into his glory And glorified with the Fathers own selfe even with the same glory he had with him before the World was Phill. 2. 6 9. 10 11. Luk. 24. 26. Joh. 17. 4 5. Hebr. 2. 9 10. The Man Christ Jesus even that Jesus of Nazareth whom they crucified not an other thing or person God hath made him the Lord and Christ Act. 2. 36. He is the Son of God the Saviour of the World exalted with Gods right hand a Prince and Saviour for to give repentance and forgivenesse of sins 1 Joh. 4. 14. Act. 5. 31. yea he is the Lord and Judge of all by purchase and that in the name of the Father Rom. 14. 9 10 11 12. Act. 10. 36 42. The word was made flesh and the glory with which God hath cloathed him in that flesh or body which he prepared for him is the glory of the only begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Joh. 1. 14. He it is by whom the Father judgeth all men and executeth judgment also because he is the Son of Man Joh. 5. 22 27. And so he by in and through whom he justifieth the ungodly Act. 10. 43 with ch 5. 31. 13. 38 39. yea he will judge the World in righteousnesse by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance to all men in that he hath raised him from the dead of which in the next place Act. 17 31. Nor is there any other name given under Heaven whereby we may be saved or shall be judged But the name of that Jesus of Nazareth This is the stone c. Act. 4. 10 11 12. Every spirit therefore what ever they may seem to speak of Gods love to manward or of his justifying the ungodly or judging the World That confesseth not that same Jesus of Nazareth That is already comed in the flesh and hath finished the works the Father gave him to do on Earth and is raised from the dead for our justification That confesseth him not as so to be the Lord by whom the Father judgeth all men and doth and will execute judgment because he is the son of man And so the Fountain and Well-spring of all justification and of all grace to Manward that through him they might be saved That spirit is not of God But of that spirit of Antichrist whereof we have heard that it should come into the World and even now already is it in the World For in this word of faith which is of the holy Ghost the true spirit The Son of Man even that Jesus of Nazareth is acknowledged and lifted up As the Lord of all Grace and Glory the Author and finisher of our Faith 1 Cor. 12. 3. 1 Joh. 4. 2. 5. 1. 5 Hebr. 12. 2. Ioh. 16. 14. with ch 5. 14. Iam. 2. 1. 2 There is likewise in it a testification of him That God hath raised him up from the dead who was delivered and dyed for our sins 1 Cor. 15. 3 4. 12-15 with Rom. 4. 24 25. 10. 9. That God hath raised up from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord who is the same Person that was delivered for our offences That God hath raised and exalted him after a like consideration of his Person after which he was delivered for our offences which renders his resurrection to be in an answerable sence for our justification as his being delivered was for our offences Now then for our understanding what is contained in this testimony It s considerable 1. Who it is That was Delivered and after what Consideration of him he was delivered for our offences 2. For whose offences he was delivered And 3. For what offences or for what severall sorts or kinds of offences and on what termes or how for them of each sort or kind In the understanding of which we shall also perceive what the Resurrection of Christ is that is testifyed off in this voyce of the Son of man the Word of faith And how that Resurrection is for our justification 1. It is Jesus the Lord The word that was made flesh even that only begotten Son of God whom he sent forth in the fulnesse of time made of a woman of the seed of David after the flesh That Jesus of Nazareth that was borne of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judeah in the Dayes of Cesar Augustus He it is that was delivered for our offences and in that his own personall Body which the Father prepared for him by the Immediate and wonderfull work of the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin For though the Father did make his soul an offering for our sin yet that was in that his owne body in which also he bore them to the tree and gave himselfe for our sins and when he gave up the Ghost The suffering work was finished Compare Isa 53. 4 -10. with 1 Pet. 2. 24. and Joh. 19. 30. He suffered the just for the unjust being put to death in or after the flesh 1 Pet. 3. 18. If then the flesh or Body of Christ for as much as therein he bore our sins to the tree and was delivered to the Judgment and to the prison for our offences if therefore I say that