The Spirit of God in every Christian saith come and that is not in vaine the desires of the Spirit of God must be fulfilled therefore he shall come and the Spirit of God stirres up our spirits to say come There are all kind of proofes arguments for it It is an Article of our faith it is laid here for a ground and therefore I will not inlarge my selfe in it but come to the next point Christ will appeare and We shall also appeare with him in glory We shall appeare and appeare with him and appeare in glory with him Christ himselfe his glory is in some sort hid now for though he be King of the Church yet wee see what enemies are in the Church and Satan ruffles in the Church a great while and the nearer he is to his end the more he rageth so that Christs glory seemes to be hid but Christ then shall appeare and his Church shall appeare with him in glory Why shall wee appeare with Christ and be glorious with him I answere this is cleare partly because it is Christs will in Iohn 17. Father I will that where I am they may be also It is Christs last Testament that we should be where he is and be glorious with him and Christs will must be fulfilled Againe consider what we are to Christ how neare wee are brought to him and then this will be cleare that when Christ shall appeare in glory we must appeare with him for Christ is our Husband and we are his Spouse when Christ comes to be glorious therefore his Spouse must be glorious now is but the time of contract the time of the marriage solemnity shall be at the appearing of Christ therefore when he shall appeare we shall appeare with him in glory Christ in his owne person distinct from his Church is now glorious as a head but Christ mysticall is not glorious Christ mysticall suffers there are many members that are not yet called Some are abased some are not brought to the fold And Christ hath a care of his mysticall body as of his naturall body and as that is glorious in heaven so hee will bring all his members to be one glorious body He gave his naturall body to redeeme his mysticall body therefore as he is glorious in that in heaven so hee will be glorious in his mysticall body in every beleeving soule at the last when hee shall come to be glorified in his Saints as the Apostle saith 2 Thess. 1. Hee is glorious in himselfe now then he will be glorious in his Spouse And then from the ground of predestination Rom. 8. We are predestinate to be conformed to Christ that he might be the first borne among many brethren Now Christ being glorious and we being predestinate before the world was to be like unto Christ first in abasement to be abased for him that was abased for us to suffer for him that suffered for us and to be conformed to him in grace there must be a time to be conformed to him in glory From the ground of Election there must be a state of glory our glory must be revealed when Christ shall come and appeare I will presse no more reasons that we must be glorious at the second comming of Christ as well as himselfe Wherein stands this glory To cleare this point a little I will not be long in it because indeed this glory is such as eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man The Apostles speake not much of it they speak of it in negative tearms by denying imperfections It is an inheritance incorruptible immortall c. And when it is resembled to earthly things it is compared to a banket to a marriage c. But this glory it shall be in body in soule in the whole man In soule there shall be the knowledge of those mysteries of salvation that now wee are ignorant of Now wee are in the Grammar schoole but that shall be as the University Then we shall know things more clearely we shall see God face to face and then our soules shall be raised to be capable of more knowledge and grace Now the vessell of our soule is not capable to know that that we shall then they are not capable as they shall be in heaven Saint Paul himselfe was not capable therefore when he was taken up into the third heavens least he should be proud of his revelations he was faine to be abased Wee are not capable we cannot know the glory of heaven in a full measure now but then God shall inlarge the heart and sanctifie it that we shall have strong spirits and holy understandings and affections to understand holy things we shall know God face to face There shall be a proportion betweene the glorious things in heaven and our soule there shall be a heavenly soule for a heavenly place where as yet it is not so I forbeare to shew the particulars of the glory of the body the Apostle Paul sets it downe 1 Cor. 15. It shall be a spirituall body it shall be guided by the Spirit and the body it shall not then need meats and drinks but God shall be all in all Now our life at the best is fed and cloathed by the creatures then all shall be taken out of God himselfe God himselfe shall be All in all The presence of God and of Christ our Saviour shall supply all that we have now other wayes Now comfort is conveyed from this creature and from that but whatsoever comfort we have now dropped by the creatures we shall then have all in him and in fulnesse and for evermore So we shall be glorious in soule and body And in our whole man the Image of God and Christ shall be perfectly restored we shall be like Christ reserving the difference between the head and the members reserving the difference of a naturall Sonne and of sonnes adopted he shall be more glorious then we we shall be glorious as much as we are capable off in all fulnesse of joy and grace and dominion over the creature in freedome from ill and readinesse to good we shall be glorious sons of God I need not to be long in unfolding these things When shall this be When he shall appeare saith the Apostle we shall also appeare with him in glory It is carryed indefinitely to stoppe curiosity there is no time set downe but when hee shall appeare c. In a word when all the Elect shall be gathered together It is not meet that our bodies and soules should be glorified till all Gods people be gathered together As in a family they doe not sit downe till all the servants be come in and then they sit downe together so in this great family of God the Saints in heaven and earth there shall not be perfect glory till all be gathered and saved And then what a blessed time will
EVANGELICALL SACRIFICES In xix Sermons 1. Thankfull commemorations for Gods mercy in our great deliverance from the Papists powder-plot 2. The successefull seeker 3. Faith Triumphant 4. Speciall preparations to fit us for our latter end in foure Funerall Sermons 5. The faithfull Covenanter 6. The demand of a good Conscience 7. The sword of the wicked BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE The third Tome Published and perused by D. Sibbs owne appointment subscribed with his hand to prevent imperfect Copies after his decease ROMANS 12. 1. I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that yee present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in queenes-Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1640. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDVVARD Viscount MANDEVILL and his LADY ANNE his Pious Consort increase of GRACE Right Honourable A Pious Christian whilst upoÌ„ earth takes his time to doe his taske he is or would be all in grace and all to duty well knowing that the time is short the worke great the wages sure and that the best improvement of parts and talents will bring in the master the greatest advantage and himselfe the present and most lasting comforts This is the fruit of a well led life to advance God in glory and a Christian in comfort such as serve God in fulfilling his will must to heaven carry their graces with them enter into their masters joy if they be eminent in profession or publike in place leave behind them their example or some other monumeÌ„t to the world of their fidelity in their places happy such servants that can thus imploy their times and improve their talents This was the endeavour of that shining and burning lampe D. Sibbs the author of this work which I now make bold to present unto your Honours such holy and usefull truths were delivered by him in his life time that the judicious conceive may prove very profitable unto the Church being published after his death I conceive thus of the man what he did in his ministery in publike or in his conference in private it was done aptly pithily and profitably his art was to hide his art to say much in few words he did not desire to cloud his matter from his hearers or to walk so long about any one text till errors were vented or his auditors tired you shall find him to be himselfe one constant to his own principles al along the treatise here you have no new errors broached or old truths deserted but opened maintained and honoured the glory of teachers expectation of hearers and recompence of readers Having found this to bee your Honours honour and let it still be to content your selves with humble knowledge cordial respect vitall expressions of received truths that you are not in number with those that change their judgments and I feare their religion as they do their frinds and fashions being coÌ„stant in inconstancie and that with you it is not truths for persons but persons for truth I doubt not the admittance of these Sermons unto your respect patronage my only request is that as the authour did honour you so these labours of his now made publike may bee as so many divine beames holy breathings and celestiall droppings to raise up your spirits to hate the dominion of the Beast to helpe forward the ruine of mysticall Jericho and all other Vnprosperous buildings and builders that you may become Successefull seekers gayning faith Triumphant to acquaint you with the Hidden life that at length you may obtaine the redemption of your bodies knowing that Balaams wish is not enough unles the faithfull Covenanter take you into covenant with himselfe this alone yeelding to you the demand of a good conscience which shall bee your defence against the Sword of reproach These I leave with you and you with God and rest Your Honours at command IOHN SEDGVVICK To the Reader SO precious the remembrance should be of GODS thoughts of mercy to us-ward when he delivered us from that hellish plot of the Gunpouder Treason that if there were nothing else to commend this Treatise to us the first Sermons here presented to us which were preached upon that occasion may justly procure it a ready and hearty welcome When GOD workes such wonders for a Church and people as that was it is not enough to praise GOD for the present and to rejoyce greatly in the great salvation He hath wrought for them yea the more a people are in such a case affected for the present the more inexcusable they must needs be if afterward they slight and disregard it and that because their former joy prooves they were throughly convinced of the greatnesse of the mercy and so discovers their following ingratitude to bee the more abominable whence it was that when Ionathan put his Father Saul in mind how David killed Goliah and thereby had wrought a great deliverance for them to the end he might no longer seeke his ruine that had beene the meanes of so much good to GODS people withall hee wished him to consider that he himselfe stood by an eye-witnesse of that Noble exployt of Davids and was then mightily affected with joy when he saw that formidable Gyant fall under his hand Thou sawest it sayth he and did'st rejoyee 1 Sam. 19. 5. intimating how inexcusable it would be if he should forget that deliverance concerning which himselfe had beene so wondrously affected when it was done As therfore we have great cause to bewaile the generall decay of mens thankfulnesse for this great deliverance at â—…e first discovery of that cursed plot â—…r mouthes were filled with laughter and our tongue with singing all the Land over and every man could say The Lord hath done great things for us whereof wee are glad as Psal. 126. 2 3. and yet now scarce one amongst many is affected with it as in former times so have we also great cause to blesse GOD for the holy alarms of Gods Watchmen wherby they have endeavored to stirre up those that are fallen from their first joy and so amongst the rest for these of Reverend D. SIBBS the Author of them wherein he hath so feelingly set forth the misery of that Antichristian â—…ondage from which we were delivered 〈◊〉 that Deliverance that methinkes he â—…hat reades them with due care must â—…eeds find his heart rowsing up it selfe â—…s Deborah did Awake awake Deborah â—…wake awake utter a song Iudg. 5. 12. As for the other Sermons which in this third Tome be stiled Evangelicall Sacrifices which are published together with these you shall find them no lesse profitable then these though in divers other respects The most of them tend to fit Christians for their latter end a worke
in his time that is it is as sure to fall as if it were fallen already the word of God hath said so the power of man cannot hinder it He that put it into the heads hearts of the Kings to betray their Kingdomes he shall also put it into their hearts and heads to hate and burn the Whore with fire at the last It must be so the Angell said it was done as if it were done already it is as sure as if it were done therefore let us never take scandall at the flourishâ—…ng state of the enemies of the Church abroad let us never dislike our Religion for that Babylon is fallen the time will come when it shall be done Heaven hath concluded it and earth cannot hinder it no nor Hell neither God hath said it and shall not he doe it It is the word of him that is Lord of his word because hee is Lord of hosts and Lord of the Creatures It is the word of him that is Lord of Lords that is Lord of heaven and earth Lord of all things He hath said that Babylon is fallen and therefore it must be so he being Governour and Lord of all things and of his word too that can make all things prove serviceable to his purpose Let us comfort our selves therefore as if it were present and not take offence at the state of the Beast and the Whores flourishing but present him to your selves as hee is set out in the Text see him growing see him rising see him decaying and at last see him cast into the bottomlesse pit to burne in the Lake of fire for ever It is you see the word of God from heaven that he is fallen and cast into the earth as a Milâ—…one and shall never â—…ise againe He shall never quicken againe Heathen Rome was quickned by Papall Rome the Pope quickned the former Beast But there shall never be Beast after this Rome and therefore he is said in this Chapter To goe into destruction that is he and his state and all without repentance shall so go into destruction that there shall never be other Beast And that that shall helpe this destruction forward shall bee the course that themselves take God as he hath decreed their destruction so hee hath appointed that their owne plots which they have devised for their owne maintenance shall turne to their confusion Doe you not thinke that the ruine of the Pope will be by the Iesuits who are growen by their pressing themselves and by their pragmaticall medling into Princes affaires by their drawing and assuming all busines to themselves and by their striving and bringing all to their profession to such hatred of the world that even these meanes which they themselves take will be the meanes of the overthrow and downefall of Popery As the counsell of Achitophel was the meanes to infatuate him so their owne courses will cause their own overthrow In the Powder-treason they thought they had been made for ever but God turned their wickednesse upon their owne heads And now in these later times we may see that God takes his cause into his owne hands and you know who spake it by observation Hamans wife If thou begin to fall thou shalt not prevaile but shalt surely fall before him so if God take the matter into his owne hands as hee hath done already let them feare For they shall surely fall and not prevaile untill he hath wrought his worke in Sion untill he hath thorowly purged his Church they shall prevaile there is a little time alotted them but it is nothing let us see by the eye of faith what this Book saith of them that they shall be destroyed and let us looke on the courses they themselves take which wil cause their destruction was there ever any thing that weakned Popery so much as this desperate attempt that we now celebrate this day Indeed if wee goe to an ignorant Papist and tell him what doctrine they teach and what upholds their doctrine tell him of the Powder treason aske him concerning the traytors he will mince the matter oh they were unfortunate Gentlemen c. But how did Sixtus Quintus mince the matter when they had successe in the massacre in France when many thousands of people weâ—…e slâ—…ine against the Law slaine under pretence of being married and bidden to a marriage He was so farre from disallowing the act as that he caused it to be pictured in his Palace So if these had achieved this they had not been unfortunate Gentlemen they had beene made they had beene sainted as some of them are Saint Garnet S. Devill if the Devill himselfe will helpe them and further Popery hee shall be sainted and if they be never so base yet for their Rebellion and destruction of Kings they shall be sainted by them will not this provoke men to hate the Beast and the Whore to make her desolate and naked and to eat her flesh and to burne her with fire Well the time is past I cannot finish the Text as I thought to have done To speake to the particular occasion I need not it is yet fresh And what should we speake of the Gunpowder-treason the Iesuits and Priests having the Devill for their Mid-wife they are big of such like plots Hell Rome and Sathan and the Iesuits those Frogs of the Bottomlesse pit they are full of devising such attempts But I rather thought to speak against Popery against the Beast and her Religion at this time then Rhetorically to amplifie that act of theirs when indeed we are ready to have a new one continually for they are alwayes plotting and devising I meane those Iesuits Our comfort is to looke to the Scripture to looke here what shall bee the end of these Frogs and of the Beast ere long they shall be cast into the burning Lake Let us blesse God that we live under this government of so Gracious a Prince that hath more weakned the Pope by his learned Writings then ever any Prince did So much for this time THE RVINE OF MYSTICALL IERICHO A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE IOSH. 6. 10. And it came to passe when the people heard the sound of the Trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout that the Wall fell downe flat c. LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in queenes-Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. THE RVINE OF MYSTICALL IERICHO HEB. 11. 30. By faith the Wals of Iericho fell downe after they had beene compassed about seven dayes THIS Verse suites somewhat to the occasion therefore I have made choâ—…se of it at this time This Chapter containes the triumph of Faith in the hearts and soules of
ascension riseth from his and our sitting at the right hand of God from his And so at the day of judgement our being glorious it comes from his He then shall appeare in glory as the head and husband of his Church and shall shine upon all his members He as the Sun shall cast a lustre and beauty and glory upon all that are his and then they shall reflect that glory they have from him upon him againe and he upon them againe so he shall be glorious in them and they in him but the ground of all is he is first in glory he shall appeare in glory and then we in him I speake this the rather because I would have humble consciences to make use of it in times of desertion when God seemes to bee a God that hides himselfe when they find no life nor comfort yet if they have but grace to believe they may comfort themselves in this well I have it but from Christ and he is perfect in glory he is ascended and I shall ascend and rise and be glorious because hee is so Put case now I feele no such matter it is no matter I live by faith in Christ that hath all in fulnesse and what hee hath done for me hee will doe in me if I believe in him Let a troubled soule comfort it selfe with this it is as impossible that he should be damned that believes in Christ as that Christ should be damned because hee believing in Christ is one with him and as verlly as Christ is in heaven hee shall bee there for Christ rose for all his The little finger lives the same life as the hand or the foot doth so a weake christian that hath little grace he lives by the same faith in Christ that is in glory as well as they that are stronger Let us strive and fight with this encouragement as S. Paul saith fight the good fight of Faith Oh! but shall we be alwayes fighting and striving No saith hee lay hold of eternall Life and then wee may well fight against doubts and despaire Let us therefore labour to fight so that we may lay hold on eternall life which Christ keepes for us and keeps us for it and ere long we shall partake of that wee hope for FINIS THE REDEMPTION OF BODYES In one Funerall Sermon upon PHIL. 3. 2â—… BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 COR. 15 44. It is sowne a naturall Body it is raised a spirituall body LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES PHIL. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile Body that it may bee fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe THE Apostle was now in prison yet hee had a spirit of glory resting upon him for he speakes as if he were entred into Heaven as if he were there before his time and therefore in Chap. 1. saith he I desire to bee dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all And I account all dung in comparison of Christ as he saith in this Chap. and here in the former verse Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour Iesus Christ who shall change our vile bodyes c. God reserves abundance of comforts to the fittest times as we see here in Saint Paul in this place Now he brings in his owne example to good purpose as opposite to false Christians and false â—…eachers that he had mentioned before There are many walke of whom I have told you oft c. they are enemies to the crosse of Christ that mind earthly things c. verse 18. But saith hee our conversation is in heaven he regards not which way they went hee tooke an opposite course to the world and swims against the stream As we see the stars they have a motion of their own opposite to the motion that they are carried with So S. Paul had a motion of his owne opposite to the course of the world their end is damnation but our conversation is in Heaven A christian hath his conversation in Heaven while hee is on earth hee rules his life by the lawes of heaven There are alway in the visible Church some that walke contrary wayes who make their Belly their God whose end is 〈◊〉 There were some that were christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…achers of Christians many of them yet he saith their end is damnation their God is their belly carnall Christians say wee have all 〈◊〉 the sacrament c. Alas we may all partake of this common privilege and yet our end may be damnation St. Paul looked on them with a a spirit of compassion I tell you weeping So it may be with us in our Gosheâ—… here there may be a spirit of cast-awayes in many and in the abundance of meanes there may bee many dead souls But S. Paul regards not what their course was for saith he our conversation is in Heaven From whence we looke for the Saviour c. That shewes why his conversation was in heaven because his Saviour was in heaven and therefore his hope was in heaven Where the treasure is the heart will be Having entred into this blessed discourse he goes on still who shall change our vile bodies and fashion them like his glorious body He brings it in by way of answering an objection If our conversation be in heaven why are our bodies yet subject to such afflictions and basenesse in this world It is true they are but the time shall come that Christ shall change these vile bodies of ours and fashion them like to his glorious body I but this requires a great deale of power and strength and we see not how it may be Therefore saith he he shall doe it by that almighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe therefore he shall subdue death the last enemy he will not doe it perhaps according to thy fancy and conceit but according to the working whereby hee is able to subdue all things to himselfe we must not regard our weake conceits in great matters but Gods power yee erre saith Christ to the Pharisees not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Saint Paul then in these words and in the verse before sets downe three reasons why his course is opposite to the course of wicked men in his time First my City is in heaven and my conversation is answerable I take a contrary course for I am a citizen of another City And then another reason is his hope and expectation of a Saviour from heaven the Lord Iesus Hope faith which is the ground of hope carry up the soule where the thing hoped for is Our conversation is in
and indeavours and labours to the contentment of it certainly this is forgotten which the Apostle saith here It is a vile and base body Againe is our body a vile body a base body as wee have it here then let us not make it more vile by intemperate courses as wicked persons doe they dishonour their bodies They are vile indeed make the best of them we can and they will end in dust but we ought not sinfully to make them more vile and base as many wretched persons doe by their loose and licencious courses of life Againe if our bodies be vile base bodies while we live here let us not offend God for any thing to gratifie our vile bodies let us doe as Ioseph did when his mistris tempted him he left his garment behind him rather so when we are tempted to any sinne let us rather leave our garments behind us let us leave our bodies they are but vile bodies let us be stripped of them rather then offend God It is pittifull to consider how this vile body as vile as it is and shall be in death how it tyrannizeth over the poore soule and how men wound their soules for their bodies How many are there that justifie errours that they condemne in their hearts to live a lazy idle a full a plentifull life and how many doe condemne those things those courses and those truths to please others and to live a large and idle life which they justifie in their very soules and all to please the flesh It is but a bad counsellor a bad solicitor I say it tyrannizeth over the poore soule Let us not offend God or conscience to breake the peace of it for any thing to gratifie this vile flesh This I thought good to touch concerning that Who shall change our vile bodies Change The action that Christ shall exercise about them is Change Christ will Change our vile bodies They are vile now they shall not be alwayes so but Christ will Change our vile bodies He will not give us other bodies for them but hee will change them in regard of quality For even as the great world was the same after the flood as it was before the flood and shall be when it is consumed by fire it shall be a new world for quality but the same for substance so this body of ours it shall be the same after the resurrection for substance that it is now it shall be altered for quality it shall not be changed for substance Therefore he shall change he shall not abolish our vile bodies This is the action that our blessed Saviour will exercise upon these vile bodies they shall be changed Man is the most changable creature in the world for soule and for body too Take him in his soule how many states is he in There is first the state of nature in perfection and then the state of corruption in originall sinne and then the state of grace in the new creature and then the state of glory So likewise he is changeable in his body hee was first taken out of the dust out of the dust God made this glorious creature of mans body he is a painefull creature in labour in sicknes and then from strength he is changed to old age and from thence to death and dust and from dust then he is changed againe to a more glorious estate then ever he was in the body is made like the glorious body of Christ hee is changeable in soule and in body But this is our comfort we shall change for the best all the changes of our bodyes serve for the last change after which there shall never bee any more change when they are changed once to be glorious they shall be for ever glorious a blessed change a blessed estate of a christian all his changes tend to a state that shall never change for after these bodies are once changed from base to bee glorious they shall be for ever glorious Who The person that shall change them is Christ â—…ho who shall change our vile bodyes In the person wee may consider the object and the action Christ shall change our vile bodyes hee that made us will make us againe hee that is the Image of God will refine us he will renew us in body and soule to be like God to be like himselfe and he that changeth our soules in this world will change our bodyes in the world to come His first comming was to change our soules to deliver them from the bondage of Satan his second comming shall be to deliver our bodies from the bondage of Corruption that is the day of the Redemption of our bodies as the Apostle cals it Rom. 8. So it is hee that shall change but of this I shall speake more afterward What is the patterne according to which this body shall be changed by this author of it Christ Jesus His own body he shall change our vile bodies That it may be made like or fashioned 〈◊〉 his glorious body He is both the câ—…se and the paâ—…e the efficient and the exempâ—… cause He is the patterne our bodyes shall be like his glorious body even as our â—…oules are like Christs 〈◊〉 for this is certaine wee are renewed in grace not to the Image of the first Adam but to the Image of the second Adam we are conformed in soule to the Image of Christ in â—…nesse and righteousnesse so likewise in the body we shall be conformable to the body of Christ the second Adam As we bare the Image of the first Adam in our first creation so wee must beare the Image of the second in our 〈◊〉 tion at the day of the resurrection The glorious body of Christ is the patterne of this transmutation and change But we most understand this as I said 〈◊〉 regard of quality and not in regard of equality our body shall be like his glorious body not equall to his glorious body There must bee a reservation therefore of difference in heaven betweene the head and the members the husband and the spouse our bodyes shall bee like his glorious body not equall to it To our capacity wee shall have full satisfaction and contentment for body and soule too and they shall have security to be in that estate for ever therefore though there be a difference of glory yet that difference is no prejudice to the glory wee shall have we shall have that that is fit for us Our body shall bee made like unto his glorious body Christ is our patterne Whence we see this point of Divinity cleare to us that Whatsoever is in us both for soule and body but here wee speake of the body whatsoever excellency is in us it is at the second hand It is first in our head first in Christ and then in us He is first the Sonne of God by nature wee are the Sonnes of God by Adoption hee is the predestinated Sonne of God to save us to be our head we are
predestinate to be his members he is the sonne of Gods love wee are beloved in him hee is full of grace of his fulnesse we recieve grace for grace hee rose and we shall rise because hee rose first Hee ascended into Heaven by vertue of his ascention wee shall ascend into heaven too Hee sits at the right hand of God inglory and by vertue of his sitting we sit there together with him in heavenly places Whatsoever is graciously or glo riously good that is in us it is first in our blessed and glorious Saviour Therefore let us looke to him and be thankfull to God for him when we thanke God for our selves let us thanke God first for giving Christ who is the patterne to whom wee are conformed Let us give thanks for him as S. Peter doth Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ if he had not bin his Father hee had not bin ours Wee cannot stand before God of our selves but in one that is perfect in himselfe God-Man Therefore when we blesse God for grace and glory that belongs to us let us blesse him for giving Christ that in him we are happy he conformes us in grace here and in glory hereafter in body and soule to our glorious Saviour And as it is a ground of thankfulnesse to God for Christ so it yeelds us a rule for meditation when we would thinke of any thing in our selves let us goe to our head to Christ in whom we have all we have and that wee hope to have of his fulnes we receive not only grace for grace but glory for glory of all the glory he hath we have answerable to him and surely it is a transforming meditation to think of Christs glory and to see our selves in him to thinke of grace in Christ and of our interest in grace in him we must not thinke of him as an abstracted head severed from us but thinke of his glory and our glory in him and by him he is glorious and we shall be glorious likewise Againe you see here that how soever our bodyes are vile for the present yet they shall not be so for ever they shall be glorious bodyes like to CHRISTS Body the point then is that As Christ is the patterne of the glory of our body so our body undoubtedly shall bee glorious as his body is This vile body shall bee glorious even like Christs glorious Body I need not stand to proveit I proved it before What should this affoord us Then ◅let us use them to a glorious end let us not use these base bodyes to base purposes Let every member of this vile body while we live here bee a weapon of a sanctified soule a weapon of righteousnesse ready to doe good Let us put honour upon these bodyes that shall be thus honoured let us use them for honourable purposes Let us lift up our eyes to Heaven let us reach forth our hands to good workes let our feet that have carried us to ill heretofore carry us to the service of God for these very vile Bodyes shall bee glorious bodyes The very same eyes that have bin lift up to God in prayer those very hands that now are instruments of good workes those very knees that are humbled to God in prayer and those feet that have carried us to holy exercises and those spirits that are wasted and spent in holy meditation even these this vile body that is thus holily used shall be a glorious body therfore let us use it answerably And labour to lay it downe with honour in the dust to leave it with a good report to the world considering it shall be so glorious afterward Doe those thinke of this that use their bodyes for base purposes whose eyes are full of Adultery whose hands are full of rapine whose feet carry them to base places where they defile themselves whose bodyes every member is a weapon and instrument of sinning against God How can these dare to thinke of that glorious day wherein our vile bodyes shal be made like the glorious body of Christ can they hope that those hands and those feet of that body shall be made glorious that have bin defiled that have bin instruments to make others likewise sinne can such a body looke for glory let us not deceive our selves this vile body indeed shall be a glorious body I but it must bee used accordingly unlesse wee have a presumptuous hope This body shall bee glorious this very vile body this corruptible shall put on incorruption the same body as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. I believe the resurrection of this body as we say in the Creed S. Paul pointed to his own body this body this mortall shall put on immortality If this body shall be glorious how base soever it be in this world then againe let us honour poore Christians though we see them vile and base and honour aged Christians and deformed alas looke not on them as they are but as they shall be as they are in the decree of Christ and as they shall bee ere long by the power of Christ hee will make them like his glorious body Let us not despise weake or old or deformed persons these vile bodies shall be glorious those that died in martyrdome whose bodies were cast into the fire and cast to wild beasts c. they shall be glorious bodyes The Emperour Constantine wold kisse the very holes of the eyes of those that had their eyes pulled out that had bin martyrd So even our vile bodyes when they are used in the service of God in suffering they shall bee glorious bodyes let us honour our bodyes or theirs that suffer for Christ. S. Paul made it his plea and a ground of his confidence because his body was vile for Christ. I Paul a prisoner of Iesus Christ and I carry in my body the marks of the Lord Iesus The dying of Christ that the life of Christ might bee manifest He carried Christs marks in his body making this an argument of respect that he was a prisoner so when any are abased for Christs sake let us think these are such as shall have glorious bodies how ere they are esteemed of the world But to enlarge the point a little further these bodyes shall be made like the body of Christ. Wherein shall this Glory of our bodyes consist Especially in these six indowmēts our bodies be now vile and perhaps imperfect they want a member a sence or a limbe our bodyes then shall be perfect even as Christs body is Those martyrs that have bin dismembred shall then have perfect bodyes Let us not bee asrayd to lose a limbe or a joynt for Christ or a good cause if our bodyes bee made vile for Christ they shall be made perfect afterward Then again our Bodyes then shall be beautiful Adam in his innocency had such a beauty in his body that the very creatures reverenced him he was awfull to the very creatures so the
body of our blessed Saviour now in heaven is wondrous beautifull and so shall our bodyes be how deformed soever they be now Let us not stand therefore upon any present deformity of our bodyes now with yeares or sicknesse or other meanes they shall not alway be so we shall have beautifull bodyes Nay more then so the third indowment is we shall have glorious bodyes as we see Christ in the mount when hee was transfigured and Moses and Elias were with him his body was glorious they could hardly behold him And Christ in Revel 1. he appeares as the Sunne in his full strength his body is wondrous glorious now in Heaven and so hee is represented there If the very representation of him while he was upon earth was so glorious in the mount what is it in Heaven S. Paul could not endure the light that shined to him Act. 9. So shall our Bodies bee like the glorious Body of Christ. What a glorious time will it be when the glorious body of Christ shall appeare and all the Saints shall appeare in glory what a reflexion of beauty and glory will there be one shining upon another when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints Oh! the glory of the body of Gods children it shall put downe all created glory all the glory of the Sunne and Moone and all the glory of these inferiour bodies are nothing to the glory of the body of a Christian that doth abase his body here for Christ and the Churches sake You see then these bodies shall be perfect and beautifull and glorious bodies in regard of the Iustâ—…e of them And likewise in the fourth place they shall be immortall bodies bodies that shall never die unchangeable bodies there shall be no altoration no death no sicknesse all teares shall be wiped from our eyes they shall be immortall bodies that shall never die as Saint Peter saith Wee shall have an inheritance undefiled immortall c. This is cleare therefore I will not stand in the inlarging of it In the next place our bodies shall be powerfull and vigorous now they are weake as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies are â—…wen in weakenesse but then they shall be able to ascend and descend they shall be strong even as the body of Christ wee shall have strong bodies as all imperfection so all weaknesse shall be taken away In the sixth place they shall be spirituall bodies that is they shall not stand in need of meat and drinke and sleepe and refreshings as now they doe but Christ will be all in all to them he will be instead of meat and drinke cloathes yea and in stead of the Ordinances that we stand in need of here the Word and Sacraments he will be all in all And our bodies shall be spirituall in another regard because they shall be subject to the spirit whereas now our very spirits are flesh because the flesh rules and tyrannizeth over them so our soules follow our bodies the soule of a carnall man is flesh but then out flesh our bodies shall be spirituall not that they shall be turned into spirits that is not the meaning but spirituall bodies obedient and obsequious to the very guidance of the soule to a sanctified and glorious soule these shall be the indowments of our bodies They shall be perfect bodies beautifull glorious shining bodies immortall unchangeable bodies powerfull strong and vigorous bodies ready to moove from place to place and spirituall bodies they shall stand in need of no other helpe and they shall be obedient altogether to the spirit You see now how these vile bodies draw away our soules then all imperfections shall be taken away wee shall have purged bodies and purged soules Thus you see wherein the glory of the body shall consist Let us therefore often seriously thinke of these things and let me renew my former exhortation let us be content to make our bodies here vile for Christs sake that they may be thus glorious Let us abase them in labour and paines in our calling in suffering we doe no more then he did for us first Was not his body first vile and then glorious and doe we thinke that our bodies must not be vile before they be glorious not onely vile whether we will or no but we must willingly make them vile we must be willing to be disgraced for Christs sake to carry his death about us to die daily in the resolution of our soules How was he abased before he was glorious hee tooke on him our bodies at the worst not in the perfection as it was created but hee tooke the body of man now fallen Againe what paines did hee take in this body and how was he disgraced in this body that sacred face was spit upon those blessed hands and feet were nayled to the Crosse that blessed head that is revereâ—…ced of the Angels it was crowned with thornes How was his body every way in all the parts of it abased and made vile for us he neglected his refreshings for us it was meate and drinke to him to doe good If he became vile for us if he abased his body for us certainely wee should be ashamed if wee be not content that our bodies should be made vile for him that afterwards they may be made like his glorious body Away with these nice Christians that are afraid of the wind blowing on them or the Sunne shining upon them that are afraid to doe any thing or to suffer any thing and so in sparing their bodies destroy both body and soule Consider whoever thou art this is not a life for thy body this present life is a life for the soule we come now to have the Image of God in our soules in this life especially and to have in our soules the life of grace here but the life and happinesse of our body is for this second comming of Christ the glory of the body this life is not a time for the body doe what wee can it will be a vile body cherish it set it out how thou canst those painted sepulchres that would out-face age and out-face death and by colours and complexion c. hide those furrowes that age makes in the face they are but vile and age and death will be too good for them to dust they will Why should we regard our bodies this life is not for them though we 〈◊〉 dainty of them Let us use this body here so as it may be glorious in the world to come we should suffer our soules to rule our bodies and to doe all here that both body and soule may be glorious after For indeed all that the body hath here it is beholding to the soule for why therefore should it not be an instrument for the soule in holy things doth not the soule quicken it hath it not its beauty from the soule when the soule is gone out of the body where is the life where is the