not onely recouer her former beautie but obtaineth a farre more excellent glorie Num. 17.8 The budding of Aarons rod was verie admirable and the resurrection of our bodies is more wonderfull but it is the Lords doing and is maruellous in our eyes 1 The resurrection is comfortable in regard of the chaunge of the bodie which shall then in beautie asmuch exceede the former estate thereof as the bright Sunne doth excell the least Starre in glorie 1. Cor. 15.41.44 For the bodie which is sowne in corruption is raised in incorruption it is sowne in dishonour and is raised in glorie it is sowne in weakâ—nesse and is raised in power it is sowne a naturall bodie and is raised a spirituall bodie Thus shall the bodie become more excellent in foure principall respects It shall be immortall and so freed from corruption it shall bee glorious and so deliuered from dishonour it shall not neede the helpes of foode Phisicke sleepe or clothing and so bee exempted from weaknesse it shall bee bright pure and nimble and so shall differ from the naturall bodie For as birds being hatched doe flie lightly vp into the skies which being egges were a heauie and slimie matter so man which by nature is a massie substance being hatched by the resurâ—ection Zanch. de â—per Dei is made pure and nimble and able to mount vp into the heauens The sinne of our first parents in Paradise added shame to their nakednesse but in the resurrectioâ— this shame shall be abolished and in stead thereof the bodie shall in euerie part become glorious and beautifull If the Creeple which lay at the temple gate being restored to his lims by Peter and Iohn did come into thâ— temple walking leaping Act. 3.8 and praising God oh how much greater cause of reioycing and glorifying God shall the godly haue when all deformâ—ties and infirmities of the bodie shall bee taken away Aug de Ciu. lib. 22. c. 19 and they made not onely whole and sound but euen beautifull and glorious 2 As the beautie of the bodie doth of it selfe commend the felicitie of the resurrection so shall the reuniting of the soule with the bodie much enlarge the â—xcellencie thereof Two old friends that haue bene a long time and with great distance of place separated each froÌ„ other how glad and ioyfull are they when they meet together and embrace one another how doth the kinde father salute his sonne returning home Luk. â—5 20 and shall not the soule and bodie two old friends knit together in the nearest league be exceeding ioyfull and glad at their renewed vnion in the resurrection This cannot otherwise bee if either the forme or end of this reuniting bee considered The forme is glorious and angelicall Luk 20.36 for the godly are equall vnto the Angels and the sonnes of God since they are the children of the resurrection of life The end is blessed and happie for they that haue done good Ioh. 5.29 shall come foorth to the resurrection of life Thus in respect of the glorie and beautie bestowed on the bodie and the felicitie imparted both to soule and bodie vpon the vnion in the Resurrection the godly may well bee said to enioy a great measure of heauenly felicitie The consideration hereof may serue to asswage and sweeten the bittternesse of those miseries which happen to the childreÌ„ of God in this life This was Iobs comfort in the middest of his grieuous triall I am sure that my redeemer liueth Iob. 19.25 and that I shall rise againe out of the dust at the last day This was Dauids ioy in the dayes of his wonderfull afflictions Psal 16.9 My heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue neither will thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Yea the remembrance hereof hath made many to submit themselues willingly to martyrdome and to sticke to the truth to the death Heb. 11.35 For diuerse haue bene racked and would not accept of deliuerance that they might obtaine a better resurrection Though the redemption from the racke were a thing much to bee desired yet the redemption from hell and the resurrection to eternall life was much more to be sought for without which condition they wold not be deliuered For what though the racke should rent their flesh and disioynt their limmes they were assured that at the resurrection all should bee conioyned and perfected Here then wee may learne not to care for any ignominie that can bee done vnto vs nor bee much troubled for any infirmities that can befall our bodies knowing that the same must one day be eaten with wormes and consumed with rottennesse but especially being assured that the same shall be reformed and refined in the Resurrection SECT 2. The second steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely The ioyfull appearing before Christ AT the birth of our blessed Sauiour though it were base the heauenly quire chaunted it ioyfully Luk. 2. In his infancie when he lay swadled in a cratch in stead of a cradle Mat. 2. and tooke his Inne in a stable in stead of a stately pallace yet the Wise men came from the East to adore him In his riper years albeit he came attended only with poore fishermen Mar. 10. yet Rulers kneeled to him and when he rode meekely to Ierusalem vpon an Asse Mâ—t. 21. the people cutte downe boughes and strewed their garments in the way to honour him at his passion the Centurion acknowledged him to be the Son of God Mat. 27. and Ioseph of Arimathea after his death honoured his corpes with a seemely funerall If our Sauiour in his birth life and death being the dayes of his weaknesse and infirmitie was thus honoured by men and Angels how glorious shall hee be in the day of power and maiestie when he shall appeare in the clouds sit vpon a glorious throne and bee attended by blessed Angels and decked with a Crowne of glorie Now shall the godly meete him in the ayre with great ioy and sing Hosanna in excelsis Blessed is the king that commeth in the name of the Lord. The Saints happinesse doth now consist in three principall points First in beholding the glorie of Christ secondly in being vnder his iudgement thirdly in being themselues honored with the dignitie of Iudges 1 When Iacob heard of the honour of his sonne Ioseph in Aegypt his heart failed him through distrust yet when he beheld the chariots which he had sent for him his spirit reuiued but when he saw him hee said vnto him Now let me dye Gen. 46.30 since I haue seene thy face So fareth it with the children of God in this life being hindred through their infirmities from the comfortable considerations of Christs exaltation yet when they shall see his chariots the blessed Angels whom hee shall send to gather the elect from the foure
day in heauen when they enioy not onely the places beautie and the beholding of Christ his glorie but shall themselues also be glorified Mat. 13.43 and shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of their Father Shall they not be glad to be there and wish themselues euerlasting tabernacles in that glorious mount Sion And this shall assuredly be the condition of the godly at that day For as the Lords glorie reflected vpon Moses Exo. 34.30 made his face to shine when he was vpon the mount so shall the Saints of God become glorious in beholding the glory of God and of Christ 1. Ioh. 3.2 and so shall be like vnto him For as hee shall chaunge our vile bodies Phil. 3.21 that they may be like to his glorious bodie so shall he refine and beautifie the faculties of our soules 1. Co 12.10 that the perfection of grace may concurre with the fruition of glorie And euen as a little water mixed with much wine loseth his owne nature and taketh the tast and colour of the wine as iron put into the fire becomes white and like to the fire his old forme being chaunged and as the ayre perfused with the light of the Sunne is so transformed into the brightnesse thereof that it seemes not so much to be lightened as to be light it selfe so shall euery humane defect and deformitie bee now dissolued and abolished in the Saints of God and they shall bee transformed into the glorious image of Almightie God What tongue is able to expresse or heart conceiue the happinesse of Gods children being thus in glorie They enioy a kingdome Mat. 25. yea and that a glorious kingdome for it is the house of God the kingdome of heauen Tit. 1.2 they obtaine a life and that a blessed life for it can neuer see death they haue the hidden Manna Reu. 2.17 the white stone and the new name written in it They are clothed in the long white robes of honour and dignitie Reu. 7.9 and adorned with the palmes of triumph and victorie They sit vpon the glorious thrones of maiestie Reu. 3.21 and haue set vppon their heads the crownes of eternall glorie 2. Tim. 4.8 When Naomi returned from her peregrination shee said to her old acquaintance Ruth 1.20 Call me not Naomi but call mee Marah for the Almightie hath giuen mee much bitternesse but contrarily may the child of God say when hee returns from the pilgrimage of this world Call mee not Marah but call me Naomi for the Almightie hath giuen me much beautie and blessednesse The honour that Pharo did to Ioseph was very great but yet it was with this exception Gen. 41.40 In the kings throne will I be aboue thee Pharo will sit alone vpon his throne but behold the honour that Christ will do to his seruants when he will also vouchsafe them this dignitie that they shall sit with him vpon his throne for they are heires Rom. 8. yea coheires annexed with Christ who hath promised thus Reu. 3.21 To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with me in my throne euen as I ouercame and do sit with my Father in his throne But here it may peraduenture be demanded whether there be an equalitie or difference of the degrees of blisse and glorie to all the elect in the kingdome of heauen For answer whereunto we must consider that there is a double equalitie to wit Proportionâ— quantitatis of proportion quantitie which ariseth not from the obiect Almighty God who is alwaies the same but from man the subiect who is not in euery particular alike capable of glorie For as the same meate is more delectable to the tast of some then of others the same obiect is better seene by some then by others the same matter better vnderstood of some then of others so the same glorie shineth more brightly into the soules of some then of others Two vessels of a diuerse content may be filled with the same wine yet by reason of their bignesse differ in quantitie of that they containe two mettals of a diuerse kind may be cast into the same fire yet receiue a different heate according to their different nature two men of sundrie statures may be fitted with the same cloth of gold each of them hauing that which is sufficient in proportion though in quantitie they differ so the soules of the godly may be all filled with the same wine of gladnesse be made feruent with the same heate of comfort and clothed with the same robes of glorie yet differ much in respect of their capacitie And according to the measure of grace shall be the measure of glorie 2. Cor. 9.6 for they that sow sparingly shall reape sparingly but they that sow liberally shall reape liberally so that whilest some shine like the brightnesse of the firmament Dan. 12.3 other some shall shine as the starres for euer and euer Yet happie and thrise happie shall that man be who shall be partaker euen of the least degree of heauenly glorie for it infinitly surmounteth all the glorie and dignitie of the world This being the blessed condition of the elect in heauen the meditation thereof should affect vs accordingly First it may make vs despise the vaine and base felicitie of this transitorie life and to count all doung and drosse in respect of those admirable ioyes that are prepared for the godly in the kingdome of heauen It was a hard thing for Abraham to leaue his owne countrie and to trauell as a pilgrime he knew not whither yet the expectation of the heauenly citie wonne his affection from his natiue habitation Heb. 11. so should the sweet consideration of heauenly happinesse weine our harts from the loue of earthly vanities Cic. Tuscu quaest lib. 1. Lactant. instit lib. 3. Cap. 18. It is written of one CleoÌ„brotus that reading Platoes booke of the Immortalitie of the Soule hee was so rauished with the conceipt thereof that hee cast himselfe headlong into the sea It was his sinful error to depriue himselfe of life but his desire of immortalitie may make many Christians ashamed whom neither the expectation of immortalitie glorie or felicitie can estrange from the loue of this vaine world Psal â—4 11 One day in the Lords house is better then a thousand yea surâ—ly one hower in the kingdome of heauen is better then a thousand yeares in the greatest blisse this vaine and wretched world can yeeld Let vs learne therefore to tune our affections to Dauids dittie that we may be able to say of the celestiall tabernacle as he speaketh of the terrestriall Ibid. I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of the Lord then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly 2 It may yeeld comfort to all those that haue liued godly because they shall enioy the comfort of a glorious vision a blessed habitation and the crowne of eternall glorie and
quickly wither Sciences Arts and Trades are the streames the leaues and the fruite of those forenamed faculties of the soule which vanishing into the vapour of vanitie cannot so dignifie their ofspring that it may be free from vanitie When the Lord arraigned the malefactors in Paradise after their conuiction this was his sentence Gen. 3.14.19 The Serpent shall be a hatefull beast Sathan shall be trampled on by the seed of the woman Eue shall bring forth in sorrow and Adam must eate his bread in the sweate of his browes Loe then euery mans trade and course of life though haply it may seeme an ornament is indeed a punishment and in that respect must needs be a vanitie The contemplatiue life though it bee much commended by the Philosopher Arâ—stot Eth. lib. 10. yet what is it in naturall men but a vaine speculation of certaine idle Ideaes As for the politicke ibid. cap. 7. it is full of trouble and trauaile as Numa Pompilius amongst the Romaines Lycurgus amongst the Lacedaemonians Solon amongst the Athenians can sufficiently witnesse Mach. disp lib. 1. cap. 2. Casp Peucer Epist duci Sax. and is any thing more ordinarie then the dangerous and circular mutation of gouernment This also is faultie in most Common-wealths that pollicie is preferred before pietie and the iniuries done to men punished when the transgressions against the immortall God are tollerated As for Mechanicall arts they are counted base and seruile of all those who are esteemed to haue free minds And if I should trace the seuerall estates and courses of life He that lists to do it may reade Corn. Agrippa de varutate scientiarum what degree could I mention from the highest to the lowest exempted froÌ„ vanity For if the raigne and rule of Kings be a noble seruitude Aelian de var. hist l. 2. as Antigonus said to his sonne and a life full of feare and daunger as Dionysius shewed Damocles what shall we deeme of all inferiour courses and kindes of life This is to be obserued in trades and arts that as they are growne towards perfection so are they furnished with many additions of euil When Caine plaid the husbandman Abel the sheepheard such homely foode and fare as nature yeelded did satisfie and content meÌ„ but now the world falling to nicenesse and curiositie nothing though neuer so dainty and costly is scarcely thought good enough Our ancestors Camden Britan. in Cornwal Macrob. Satur. lib 7 cap. 15. Quo post hominum memoriam nihil terribilius ab humano ingenio excogitari potest Pol Virg. de inuent lib. 2. cap. 11. as Antiquities do shew vsed brasen swords a mettall that hath in it a curing force but later ages haue vsed iron being more hurtfull And how many hundred yeares was it before that hellish inuention of gunnes was knowne in Christendome but thus euery age as it waxeth more expert so it groweth more ingenious in that which is euill and odious And what is the end both of the Politicke Morall and Mechanicall life surely nothing but vanitie Plutarch in vita Demost Why doth Demosthenes deforme himselfe in the shauing of his head to tie himselfe to his studies but that he may be famous among the Athenians What moueth others to trauell ouer the world with Plato but to satisfie their curious humours Hieron in Prolog gal or to enrich them selues And doth not euery one in his trade and course of life either labour to sacrifice to crauing necessitie or seeke to be partaker of dangerous sacietie If a man do some extraordinary work though to small purpose he is extolled to the skies De var. hist lib. 1. but Aelians censure of the chariot made by Myrmecidas and Callicrates so small that it might be hid vnder a flie in my conceit was very good for when others wondred at it he said it was worthy no wise mans praise but was rather to be accounted a vaine expence of time And may not this censure be iustly laid vpon most mens actions in their seuerall callings which are vndertaken for the most part to satisfie the greedie appetite to decke the house of clay to satisfie the foolish humors of some or to get the vaine applause of others being all nothing but a vaine expence of time all beginning and ending in vanitie To finish this tract then let those who follow meane mechanicall trades make a vertue of necessitie by a sober honest and conscionable vse of the same for the maintenance of themselues and their families Let those that haue addicted themselues to curious arts forsake and sacrifice them as the conuerts which heard the Apostles did their bookes Act. 19.19 Let those that are deuoted to the liberall Sciences make them as they should be the handmaides of Diuinitie yea let euerie one indeuor that his course of life may be correspondent to the profession of Christianitie and tend to the glorie of God the good of his Church and the saluation of his owne soule at the last day Reuel 2.12 when euery maÌ„ must receiue according to his workes CHAP. 2. SEC 1. A view of those vanities which are called the goods of the bodie and first of flourishing Youth IT was a celestiall Oracle Esa 40.4 that thus ceÌ„sured mankind All flesh is grasse and the grace thereof is as the flower of the field When Ezekiah had defaced the serpent which had defaced Gods glorie he called it in contempt 1 Kin. 18.4 Nehushtan it is a peece of brasse that so it might be vile in the eyes of those who did adore it so doth the spirit of God call man onely a lumpe of flesh that the basenesse of this appellation may take away the haughtinesse of his heart and manifest the vilenesse of his conditioÌ„ And as though that were not sufficient to vilifie and debase him hee compareth him to grasse yea the glorie of man euen the quintessence of his naturall perfections to the flower of grasse And lest this might seeme peculiar to some onely he appropriateth the same to all those whom either nature art or fortune haue graced or blessed saying All flesh is grasse Like to this is that speech of the Prophet Dauid Surely euery man in his best estate is altogether vanitie Psal 39.5 Man is vanitie yea man in his best estate is vanitie yea euery man is vanitie yea nothing else but vanitie This disgracefull decyphering of man will hardly be beleeued and therefore he prefixeth an asseueration Surely it will smally be regarded and therefore he addeth a word of consideration Selah Let vs therefore consider the best estate of man concerning the ornaments of his body as youth beautie health strength agilitie and long life and in all these we shall finde nothing but vanitie Concerning this fresh and flourishing youth it is vaine in a double respect 1. It is very momentanie and passeth away swiftly 2. It is the nurse and pandor of iniquitie
As bodies that haue fewest bad humors are least shaken with agues so those that are freest from sinne though death assault them bitterly are least annoyed by the pains and terror of death Our Sauiour saith Ioh. 16.33 Be of good cheare I haue ouercome the world and I may say Bee of good cheare 2 Cor. 15.16 for Christ hath ouercome death 2 This may be an occasion to mitigate that extreme sorrow which many take vppon the death of their godly friends seeing their death yeeldeth rather cause of coÌ„fort then of sorrow of mirth then of mourning and of reioycing rather then of weeping and lamenting If you loued me you would reioyce saith our Sauiour to his disciples because I said Ioh. 14.28 I goe to the Father so those that loue their friends indeed haue cause to reioyce rather then to mourne for their death because they go to be glorified with their heauenly Father The little child that sees the mother cutting and bruising the sweet and pleasant hearbes and flowers is sorie because hee thinkes they are spoiled but the mother hath a purpose to preserue theÌ„ whereby they are made much better A simple bodie that should see the Gold-smith melting the pure mettals would bee discontent imagining that all were marred whereas the skilfull workeman hath a purpose to cast some excellent peece of plate thereof So wee silly men when the Lord cuts off some of our friends by death like the flower and lets others wither like the greene hearbe and when he melteth them in the fornace of the graue are ouercome with sorrowfull conceipts as though some euill thing were befallen our friendes whereas we should remember that the Lord hath a purpose by this meanes to preserue them and to transforme them into that glorious estate which the Angels enioy in heauen And this reason is first intimated and after plainely expressed by Saint Paule in his dehortation to the Thessalonians I would not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them which are asleepe 1. Thes 4.13 that you sorrow not as others which haue no hope Who would be sorrie to see his friend fall asleepe seeing that thereby he is made lightsome fresh and lustie Now death is to the godly nothing but a sleepe whereby they are refined and refreshed why should we then be offended therewith If thy friend which dieth bee wicked then hast thou iust cause of mourning but if thou knewest him to liue and die in the feare of God howsoeuer nature or affection may haue force to wring teares from thine eyes or sighes from thy heart yet hast thou reason to reioyce and be glad for his happie change as Augustine his example may teach Aug confe lib. 9. v. who bridled the infirmitie of Nature and suppressed his teares at his mothers death though he honoured and loued her dearely thinking it an vnfit thing to celebrate her funerals with weeping and wailing because she had liued religiously and died vertuously 3 To conclude this point me thinkes if there were no farther reason to perswade yet euen this meditation might mooue any one to the practise of godlinesse in that it yeeldeth this heauenly peace of conscience in the time of our life and eternall consolation at the day of our death Oh what a sweete comfort will it be to thee my Christian brother when friends honour wealth dignities and all other comfortes in the world become vaine and faile thee to haue the ioyfull peace of conscience to rest with thee When thou shalt bee able recounting thy sincere care in Gods seruice to pray with good Nehemiah Neh. 13.22 Remember me ô my God concerning this to say with godly Hezechiah vpon his death bed 2. King 20.3 I beseech thee ô Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect hart and haue done that which is good in thy sight and with our blessed Sauiour before his passion Ioh. 17.4 Father I haue glorified thee on earth I haue finished the worke which thou gauest me to doe For then shall the vprght câ—nscience eccho a comfort to thy humble soule and either the Lord wil enlarge the lease of thy life with Hâ—zechiah or glorifie thee in the heauens with his beloued Sonne CHAP. 2. SECT 1. The first steppe into heauen at the day of iudgement namely A blessed Resurrection IF the godly in this life and at the day of their death haue a tast of those heauenly ioyes which cannot be expressed how much more shall they haue in the resurrection when body and soule shall both be reunited and indued with a blessed condition Therefore do the Scriptures describe the excellencie of the resurrection by sundry comfortable metaphors Ioh. 12. 1. Cor 15. Saint Paule compares it to the husbandmans haruest when reaping and receiuing the fruites of his labours his heart reioyceth and so shall it be to the godly for they which sowe in teares at the day of death shall reape in ioy at their resurrection Pro. 19.17 2. Salomon saith hee which hath pittie on the poore lendeth to the Lord and looke what he layeth out it shall bee payed him againe Now men that haue great debts desire earnestly the day of payment and behold our Sauiour calleth the day of resurrection Luk. 14.14 The day of payment because then hee hauing his reward with him Reu. 22.12 will come foorth of euerie ones debt and reward their goodâ—esse with glorie 3. Those that labor must needes haue a time to rest in that so they may be refreshed Our life is nothing but labour our death a sleepe and therefore the Apostle fitly calles the resurâ—ection Act. 3.19 Thâ— time of refreshing being as the gladsome morning to a siâ—ke man Psal 49.14 15. which hath tossed and turned vp and downe wearily all the night long The bird that hath bene kept a great while in a cage will chaunt it merrily when shee commeth foorth into the open aire the prisoner that hath lyen loÌ„g in the duÌ„geon reâ—oyceth exceedingly when he hath obtained libertie so shall the resurrection be ioyfull and comfortable to the godly when they are deliuered from the cage and prison of the graue and restored into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God Rom. 8.21 There is nothing that doth better râ—semble set foorth the excellencie of the Resurrection then the spring time for as we flourish in our childhood bring foorth fruite in our youth waxe ripe in our old age and wither at our death so wee spring fresh againe at our resurrection The trees in winter being despoiled of their leaues the garden of the flowers and the fields of the grasse do seeme vtterly to perish but when the Spring time comes they all waxe as fresh and flourishing as euer they were so the body which during the winter of many ages is depriued of her beautie and turned to rottennesse doth at the Spring time of the resurrection