A State of Glory FOR SPIRITS OF JUST MEN UPON DISSOLUTION DEMONSTRATED A SERMON preached in Pauls Church Aug. 30. 1657. before the Rt. Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London By THO: GOODVVIN D. D. President of Magd. Coll. Oxon. LONDON Printed by J. G. for Robert Dawlman 1657. TICHBORN Mayor Tuesday the first of Septemb. 1657. IT is ordered That Doctor Thomas Goodwin be desired from this Court to print his Sermon at Pauls the last Lord Day And further Mr. Alderm. Thomson is desired to use all endeavours with him to that purpose SADLER TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir ROBERT TICHBORNE Lord Major Together with the Honourable COURT OF ALDERMEN Of the Renowned CITY of LONDON Greatly Honoured THis imperfect Piece and almost born out of due time puts it self forth into the world by your Command but like Zarah giving out the hand the body to which that appertained remaining still in the womb For this Sermon is but one member and indeed not so much the Hand as the Foot that is the latter part of a larger Bulk or Body of Sermons preached just afore elswhere upon those foregoing Verses of this Chapter My real purpose after your Order for this one was To have presented the whole entire Discourse unto YOV I found not time so much as leisure and spirits failing me in the performance I have therefore done as the Midwife for that Childe did in the same Gen. 38. 28. bound upon this foot for by your force and in obedience to you it comes wrong and backward this Scarlet thred of Dedication saying as she This is come forth first That if hereafter the rest may see the light You may know if You will vouchsafe it how to own and appropriate them all as Yours as being thus consecrated to You by these in respect of the publication the first-fruits of that whole Lump And now what is my earnest desire and prayer for you but according to the tendency of the matter it might be blessed to be an Helper to your Faith against the Time of your being unclothed of your flesh your going into another world where you all profess to look for another and better CITY that is an Heavenly whose Maker and Builder is God who hath or must work Us for the self-same thing or we perish everlastingly And my Lord I have particularly directed it to wait on your Honour in the contemplation of this very Aim as a Signall whereof Providence and not my Design having seemed to give forth this semblance in that it allotted no other season for it could not come forth one day sooner for its attendance on you but the very DAY of your being VNCLOTHED of your office which are little civil deaths and going out of this your transitory Government over this great CITY the best and best governed in the world But the honour of this performed amongst us you still remain clothed with and will ever wear yea and be clothed upon to a glory for it at the latter day Those things even now said unto you all being the brief Collect of this ensuing Sermon I turne into a Prayer for you all who am Your true Honourer and Servant in the Gospel THO: GOODVVIN Mag. Coll. Oxon. Oct. 23. 1657. 2 COR. 5. 5. Now he that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit THere is no point of more moment to All nor of greater comfort to Saints than what shall become of their Souls when they die 'T is our next stage and things that are next use more to affect us And besides it is the beginning and a taking possession of Our Eternity That these words should aim at this self-same thing cannot be discerned without consulting the fore-going part of the Apostles discourse and yet I cannot be large in bringing down the coherence having pitch'd upon what this fifth Verse contributes unto this Argument which alone will require more than this time allotted having also very largely gone through the Exposition of the fore-going Verses elswhere and I now go but on where I left last But yet to make way for the understanding the scope of my Text take The Coherence in brief thus In the 16 Verse of the fore-going Chapter where the Well-head of his Discourse is to be found he shews the extraordinary care God hath of Our inward man to renew it day by day where Inward man is strictly the Soul with its Graces set in opposition unto Our outward man the Body with its appurtenances which he saith daily perisheth that is is in a mouldring and decaying condition Chap. 5. ver. 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens In this first verse of this fifth Chapter he meets with this supposition But what if this outward man or earthly tabernacle be wholly dissolved and pull'd down what then shall become of this inner man And he resolves it thus That if it be dissolved we have an house a building of God in the heavens And what is the WE but this inner man he had spoken of renewed Souls which dwell now in the body as in a tabernacle as the In-mates that can subsist without it And it is as if he had said If this inward man be destituted of one house we have another God that in this life was so careful over this inner man to renew it every day hath made another more ample provision against this great change It is but it 's removing from one house to a better which God hath built As your selves to speak in your own language if Wars should beset you and your Countrey-house were plundred and pull'd down you would comfort your selves with this I have yet a City-house to retire unto Neither is the terming the glory of Heaven and that as it is bestowed upon a separate Soul alien from the Scripture-phrase Luke 16. 9. That when you fail they may receive you into EVERLASTING HABITATIONS Death is a failing 't is your City-phrase also when a man proves Bankrupt A Statute of Bankrupt comes forth then upon your old house Statutum est omnibus semel mori and upon all you have and then it is that there is a receiving or entertaining that otherwise-desolate Soul into everlasting habitations that is into an house eternal in the heavens as the Text Nor yet is the phrase of terming Heaven A City-house remote neither for Heb. 11. ver. 13. Abraham and the Patriarchs died in faith Mark that in faith or expectation of what He had told us ver. 10. He looked for a City whose Builder is God What is a City but an aggregation and heap of houses and Inhabitants Multitudes had died afore Abraham and gone to Heaven from Adam Abel Seth downwards and God promiseth him peace at his death and a being gathered to those
fathers Gen. 15. 15. There was then a City built and already replenish'd with Inhabitants and amongst others an house provided for him that is his Soul built of God and ready furnished against this removal Verse 2. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven In this Verse he utters the working of the affections of Christians towards their being clothed upon with this house and so in order to this enjoyment of it their DESIRING even to be dissolved which Paul also utters of himself Phil. 1. Now if the first Verse speaks of the glory of a separate Soul when he calls it an house this second Verse must intend the same Verse 3. If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked In this Verse he gives an wholesome Caution by the way and withall insinuates why he used the word clothed upon in the fore-going Verse thus speaking of the glory of such a separate Soul even because it is absolutely necessary that all our Souls be found clothed first and renewed with Grace and Holiness and not be found naked at our deaths that is nor devoid of Grace and so exposed to shame and wrath as Rev. 16. 15. Verse 4. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burthened not for that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up of life The fourth Verse gives a genuine and sincere account why a Christian doth thus groan and that after dissolution it self in order to this glory which he sets out with an accurate distinction of their desires of dissolutions in difference from like desires in all other men First Negatively not for that being burthened we desire to be unclothed or dissolved that is simply for ease of those burthens nor out of a despising of our bodies we now wear as their Heathen Wise-men and Philosophers did and others do No But secondly Positively For this as the top-ground of that desire That we would be clothed upon with that house spoken of Ver. 1. and that still taken in the sense spoken of in the 2. Ver. to the end that this mortal animal life which the Soul though Immortal in it self now leads in the body full of sins clogg'd with a body of death and miseries each of which hath a Death in it and so it lives but a dying life that this life may be exchanged yea swalloed up by that which is life indeed The onely true Life the knowing God as we are known and enjoying him All which as to our Souls is truly performed at our Dissolution although the final swallowing up the mortality of our bodies also doth yet remain to be accomplish'd which will be done at the latter day at that Change both of Body and Soul though in respect of the Body it will be completed as then more fully This Interpretation and the suiting of all the phrases used in this 4th Verse to hold good of this Exchange at death I cannot through straitness of time give an account of now I have lately and very largely done it elswhere This for the Coherence I hasten to my Text TEXT Ver. 5. Now He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is GOD who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit THe current of the four former Verses running thus steadily along in this chanell the streame in this verse continues still the same There is one word in this verse {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} For this self-same thing God hath wrought us which serves as a clue of thred drawn through the windings of the former verses to shew us that one and the same Individuall Glory hath been carried on all along and still is in this verse also So then we see where we are What this self-same thing should be ask the first verse and it will tell you it is That house eternall in the Heavens a building of God prepared by him against the time that this earthly house is dissolved Ask the second verse it is the same house we grone to be clothed upon with when the other is pulled down Ask the fourth verse and more plainly It is that life which succeeds this mortall life the soul now lives in this body and swallows up all the infirmities thereof And then here it followes Even for this self-same thing c. So then if the glory of the separate soul be the subject of any of these verses then of all and so of this verse also And to be sure it cannot be that extraordinary way of entrance into Glory by such a sudden change both of soul and body into glory at once without dissolution should be the self-same thing here aimed at For it was not the lot of any of those Primitive Christians of whom the Holy Ghost here speaks this He hath wrought us for this thing that they should be in that manner changed and so enter into glory but the contrary For they all and all Saints since for these 1600 years have put off their Tebernacles by death as Peter did and speaks of himself 2. Pet. 1. 14. and therefore the Scripture or Holy Ghost foreseeing as the phrase is Gal. 3. 8. this change would be their fate would not have uttered this of them God hath wrought us for this whom he knew God had not designed thereunto Neither is it that those groaning desires spoken of in the foregoing verses 2 3 4. is that self-same thing here as some would for indeed as Musculus well If the Apostle had said He that hath wrought this thing in us c. That expression might have carried it to such a sense But he saith He that wrought us for the self-same thing And so 't is not that desire of glory in us is spoken of But us our selves and souls as wrought for that glory If it be asked what is the special proper scope of these words as touching this glory of the Soul The answer in generall It is to give the Rationall part of this point or demonstrative Reasons to evidence to believers That indeed God hath thus ordained and prepared such a glory afore the Resurrection And it is as if the Apostle had said Look into your own souls and consider Gods dealings with you hitherto viz. First the operation of his hands For what other is the meaning or mysterie sayes he of all that God is daily so at work at with you in this life What else is the end of all the workings of Grace in you and of God that is the worker This is his very design He that hath wrought us that is our souls for this very thing is God Besides the evidence that work gives there is also over and above the earnest of the Spirit given to your souls now whilest in your bodies in joy full of glories of the same kind as earnest are of what fulnesse of glory they are both capable of then and shall be
eternal weight of glory ver. 17. and that is expresly said to be but this present time Rom. 8. So then there is NO PARABIT in that other world But as Solomon sayes of man There is no work after this life No remembrance sayes David namely which hath any influence into a mans Eternity So there is no working upon us in order thereunto after death God hath done his Do hath wrought and man hath finish'd his course as Paul of himself and in this Chapter of my Text ver. 10. Every man receiveth the things done in his body be they good or evil Those things that are done in this Body onely therefore onely what in this life he hath wrought And for this he hath wrought us says the Text §. These things premised I come to the Argument to be raised out of them to prove the Point in hand First that Grace or Holinesse because they are immediately wrought in the Soul that therefore when the body dyes the soul shall be taken up into life That this is a meet and congruous ordination of God the Scripture it self owns and seems so to pitch the reason of it in Rom. 8. 10 11. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse But if the spirit of him that raised us Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you He gives an account of what is to become hereafter both of the bodies and souls of them in whom Christ is 1. First for the body that is condemned to die The body is dead because of sin By Body I understand the same which he in the 11. verse termes the mortall body to be raised up which sayes he is dead that is appointed to die as one sentenced to death you term a dead man And this because of sinne It was meet that that first threatning of dying should have some effect to evidence the truth of God therein Onely God is favourable in his ordination in this that he arresteth but the Body the lesse principall debtor But that to be sure shall pay for it It is appointed to all men once to die even for men that are in Christ as this place of the Romans hath it Then 2. followes what remains the soul of such an one when the body dyes But sayes he speaking by way of exception and contrary fate too The Spirit is life because of righteousnesse The Spirit is the Soul in contradistinction to the Body This when the body dies is Life He sayes not living onely or immortall but is swallowed up into life And why because of righteousnesse which is Christs image and so preserves and by Gods ordination upon dying elevates the soul which is the immediate and original subject of it which is the point in hand For this thing it is God hath wrought it But then because the Quaerie would be Shall this body for ever remain dead because of this first sin and bear this punishment for ever No Therefore 3. he addes He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies So at last and then bringing both body and soul together unto compleat glory And the congruity of reason that is for this appointment is observable something like to that 1 Cor. 15. As by man came death so by man came also the resurrection from the dead For that sin that condemned us to this death we had from the first Adam by bodily generation as the channell or means of conveying it who was as other Father of our flesh The arrest therefore goes forth against the body which we had from that Adam because of that sin conveyed by means of our bodies for though I must not say the body defiles the soul or of it self is the immediate subject of sin yet the originall means or channel through which it comes down and is derived unto us is the generation of our bodies The Body therefore congruously payes for this and the death thereof is a means to let sin out of the world as the propagating it was a means to bring sin in but an holy soul or spirit which is the Off-spring of God having now true holinesse and righteousnesse from the second Adam communicated to it and abiding in it and being not onely the immediate subject thereof but further the first and originall subject from and by which it is derived unto the body The womb into which that immortall seed was first cast and in which the inward man is formed and in respect of a constant abiding in which it is that seed is termed incorruptible Hence therefore sayes God of this Soul It is life It shall live when this Body dies There is nothing of Christs Image but is ordained to abide for ever Charity never fails His Righteousness endures for ever and therefore is ordained to conserve and elevate unto life the subject it is in and that is the Soul This as a foundation of the substantial parts of this first Reason out of this one Scripture thus directly and explicitly holding this forth §. I come 2. to the Argumentation it self which ariseth out of these things laid together 1. That the Soul is the immediate Subject of Grace 2. The first and Primitive Susceptive thereof 3 And it self is alone and immediately capable of Glory which Grace is a preparation to And 4. that God afore our deaths hath wrought all of Grace he intends to work in preparation to Glory Out of all these a strong Argument doth arise That such a Soul upon death shall be admitted unto Glory and not be put to stay till the time of the Resurrection when both Soul and Body shall be joyned again together And that this holdeth a just and meet conveniency upon each or at least all these grounds when put together First consider the Soul as the immediate subject of this working and preparation for Glory Hence therefore this will at least arise That the inherency or abiding of this Grace wrought in this Soul depends not upon its conjunction with the Body but so as it remains as an everlasting and perpetual conserver of that Grace stampt on it yea and carries it all with it self as a rich Treasure innate unto it where-ever it goes when separate from the Body I say it either hath in it or appertaining unto it all that hath been wrought for it either in it or by it Revel. 14. 13. Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord And their Works do follow them They go to Heaven with them and after them And in what subject else is it that the Seed of God remains incorruptible or the Word of God abides for ever Or how else comes that saying to be performed 1 Joh. 2. 17. He that doth the will of God endures for ever Having therefore all these
as the context shews which are termed the Lower parts of the earth as when Christ is said Eph. 4. to have descended into the lower part of the earth that is to be conceived in the womb of a Virgin when a child is born a lump of flesh animated with a soul comes forth curiously wrought c. but wrought for what in Davids person in which this was spoken it was for a Kingdome the supremest condition of enjoyments in this World But in every other man that is born it is that he was curiously wrought in a fitnesse and capacity to all things that are in this world made and prepared exactly for it long afore it came into the world you may see it in Adam our first pattern more lively God was busie for six dayes in making this world the Angels all that while stood wondring with themselves to what end or for whom all this was prepared At the end of the sixth day they saw God to set down into the world this little thing called Man and then they ceased their wonderment for they saw all this world prepared aforehand set in mans heart and all in man curiously wrought and fitted for all things made in this world richly to enjoy as 1 Tim. 6. 17. We may apply that in the Text to this it appeared That he that hath man for this self-same thing is God both works of wonder apart and yet as fitted to each other All wonderment exceeding I might much more enlarge upon the suiting of Christ the Head and Husband and the Church His Body and Wife wrought and growing up to him in all ages both apart secretly and hiddenly prepared and each so glorious in themselves and yet put together Let us refer our Admiration hereat untill the latter day Just thus it is in fitting the soul for that glory and again that glory in Heaven for that soul God works the one for the other apart The very similitude in the former verses do import so much He styleth Glory in Heaven a being clothed upon and Holinesse here he compares to an under-garment which that of Glory is to be put over or upon There was never a curious Artist in making Garments that ever took measure of the proportions of an upper and under Garment to fit the one to the other as God hath in proportioning his work upon us here and his preparation of Glory for each of us in the world to come He hath took exact measure and his law is that designed his own workings on both hands afore-hand that every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour 1 Cor. 3. 8. Now the Artifice of God in both these lies in this That each are hiddenly contrived apart and yet so gloriously matcht as wrought one for the other which is an argument as of two Artificers the one in the East Indies the other in the West should the one make the Case the other make the Watch unbeknown each to other and both workmanships of the highest curiosity in their kind and when both brought together they exquisitely fit the one the other §. And what Have I been telling you all this while an artificiall pleasant Story Doth not this Scripture tell the very same For a close Do but now at last take a view and prospect of our Apostles whole discourse The Round and Cicle whereof begun at v. 16. of ch. 4. and endeth with my Text and do you not find it speak to use the Texts language the very self-same thing 1. He tells us there of an inward man renewed whilest the outward is a perishing to the end it may live and subsist alone when the body is wholly dissolved there he layes his Foundation And is not this all one with what the Text sayes God works Us these souls day by day Even as the child is curiously wrought in the womb to subsist of it self alone in this world so this inward man in that other 2. He then immediately subjoyns ver. 17. that All Afflictions which are nothing else but the Perishings of this outward man as also All things and dispensations else that do befall us they are secretly at work too all that while so set to work by God who works the inner man daily unto such a measure of Grace and these to work and by his ordination procure a proportionable weight for God works all these things in weight and measure our light affliction works for us a far more exceeding and eternall WEIGHT of glory as shall in a comely and in the exactest manner answer and suit that curious workmanship on the inward man and it is observable that the same word for working is used in that verse that is used in my Text but yet these are but outwardly a work as inferiour Artificers or Instruments Therefore 3. He further declares 1. verse of this chapter That God himself is at work about this glory who as the Master-workman that hath the draught and platform of all afore him drawn by his own designing he viewing the inward work on us the outward work of meanes and dispensations and knows afore-hand what degree of holinesse to bring us ultimately unto he according unto these as patterns is a framing a building for us in Heaven exactly suited to the working of all the other which building he prepares and makes ready for this inner man to entertain it when the body is dissolved If our earthly house were dissolved we have a building of GOD an house not made with hands of either Men or Means or of our own Graces but OF GOD But every soul hath a state of Glory proportioned to all these ready built for it against this time even as Statues in stone are framed and carved to be set up in such a curious Arch framed for them by the Builder Now then 4. Adde but the words of my Text which is the close of this his discourse And it opens all the Scene He that wrought us for this self-same thing is GOD The Apostles conclusion answers his beginning he began in v. 16. ch. 4. and the circle ends in my Text And This is GOD who is wise in working and wonderfull in counsel §. But there is a third point yet remains Doctrine III. That it is the interest and engagement of all Three persons to see to it that a righteous separate soul be brought to glory at dissolution And this carries it yet higher even to the highest and gives the most superabundant security and assurance of this thing that can be given and superadds above all the former But you will ask me How I fetch this out of my Text Thus 1. You see here are Two Persons expresly named God the Father namely and the Spirit This is a Rule that where the name God and then some besides other of the Two Persons Christ or the Spirit are mentioned therewith as distinct There God is put personally not essentially onely to expresse The Father