before him in his Temple for ever A sweet meditation especially in the time of sicknesse and in the houre of death against the crawling wormes and the place of silence I know saith Iob that my Redeemer liveth and that hee shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin Wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reines be consumed within me Iob 19.25 26 27. O what meanes doe many use to keepe themselves aliâ—e yea to preserve the bodies of their friends being dead from putrifaction they imbalme them in Spices and lay them up in Marble yet all will not do the bodies of Kings and Queens must yeeld to rottennesse onely a good life makes our bodies immortall Fifthly Our bodies shall bee spirituall 'T is sowne saith the Apostle a naturall body 't is raised a spirituall body For then they shall bee sustained by the Spirit without meat and drinke not as Moses on the Mount for fortie dayes onely but for ever and ever and whereas now the flesh lusteth against the Spirit there being a Law in the members rebelling against the law of the minde Then the body shall bee subject to the Spirit and in all things attend on him Sixtly and lastly This body saith the Apostle is sowne in weakenesse it riseth in power whereas now wee are weary of kneeling in prayer weary of Prayer it selfe Insomuch that Aaron and Hur must attend Moses to hold up his inseebled hands but then shall our bodies bee able to performe their owne actions without desatigation they shall then bee able to move themselves any way with ease upwards downwards backwards forwards more easily then now to lift up an hand and hee shall change our vile bodies and make them like unto his glorious body according to his mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himselfe Yea not onely man but the Heavens and the Earth shall in that day bee as it were new borne Behold saith God I create a new Heaven and a new Earth So it is likewise in 2 Pet. 3. Whereas the Heavens now give raine and snow c. then they shall exhibit Christ Matth. 26.64 Hereafter shall yee see the sonne of man sitting on the right hand of power and comming in the clouds of Heaven Whereas the Heavens are now ever whirling and wheeling about alwayes winding up the thread of mans life then they shall stand fast for ever the Heavens shall rest from their motion and receive a greater perfection of brightnesse and claritie The ayre shall be purged from obscurity the fire from consuming quality the water from putrifaction the earth from weeds and all hurtfull creatures yea from barrennesse she shall bring forth as before the Fall without labour and Husbandry And all this for the comfort of the Saints who are to passe this way into Heaven in their long white Robes as Princes through some Gallerie into their Chambers of Presence Then this Earth howsoever now a Valley of Teares shall be unto us a Doore of Hope in the Valley of Achor The wicked shall see this and by it as through a Crevise the glory of Heaven but themselves shut out of both But when shall this regeneration of the Creatures be When the Sonne of man shall sit in the Throne of his glory First Christ shall come to judge the quick and dead so it is said Acts 10.42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testifie that it is hee which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead So againe in the 17. Chapter verse 31. Because he hath appointed a day in the which hee will judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that hee hath raysed him from the dead And so wee beleeve Hee knowes all even our most secret thoughts Hell and destruction saith Salomon are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the sonnes of men All things are naked and broken up before him and as hee knowes all so hee is able to punish and that not the body onely hee can cast both body and soule into Hell Revel. 20. Whosoever was not found written in the Booke of the Lambe was cast into the Lake of fire First this should teach us feare and trembling Knowing the terrors of the Lord saith the Apostle Paul wee perswade men And saith the Apostle Peter if yee call him Father who without respect of persons judgeth every man according to his workes passe the time of your sojourning here in feare 1 Peter 1.17 Secondly learne from hence to looke to your Packes see what Wares you carry with you for in that Day all must be opened Thirdly learne hence to agree with your adversarie while you are in the way If you were to dye to morrow what would you doe to day how spend your time And yet you may dye sooner Take heed At the Tree falleth there it lyes Fourthly Art thou injured slandered mifused any way Remember a Day is comming wherein all must stand at Christs Tribunall You saith Corah with his Complices unto Moses and Aaron you take too much upon you Numb. 16. And what doth Moses answer To morrow saith hee the Lord shall shew who are his And 1 Cor. 4.3 4. But with me it is a very small thing that I shon'd be judged of you or of mans judgement yea I judge not mine owne selfe for I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not hereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord Therefore judge nothing before the time untill the Lord come who both will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsels of the heart and then shall every man have prayse of God Fifthly Art thou afraid to appeare before the Judge Remember it is thy Saviour the dyed for thee If Pharaohs Butler feared not to got before him because Joseph had assured him of Libertie how comfortably then are wee to appeare before the Judge being alreadie assured all shall goe well with us Hee is our Judge who is our Saviour and Mediatour a most comfortable Meditation I am your Brother saith Joseph unto his Brethren I am your Brother Joseph This could not but comfort them howsoever conscious of their injuries done him So it is here Sixthly It Christ must be our Judge how warily then and holily are wee to live now that wee may not be ashamed at his Comming Peter being on the Seas and seeing his Master on the yonder shoare girds his Coat about him One would thinke hee should rather have cast his Coat from him No no hee was to appeare before his Master and hee would appeare comely 2 Cor. 5.10 For wee must all appeare before the Iudgement-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body
c. Nay farther Wee must not onely {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not only not shrinke from but not sinke under the pressures God is pleased to lay upon us So then the next point is 2. When God is pleased to trie us by afflictions we must not onely suffer them to the end but all the while with strength and courage not onely with constancie but magnanimitie If saith Solomon thy heart faile thee in the day of trouble thy strength is small Wee must stand up under our burthens as the Palme-tree under weights not onely not stooping or declining but springing up the more towards Heaven As in the Deluge the higher the Waters rose the higher still mounted the Arke so the greater our trouble are the higher must wee goe in our thoughts towards God 2 Cor. 4.8 10. Wee are troubled on every side yet not distressed wee are perplexed but not in despaire alwayes bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body Say wee then of our severall pressures as it is Ier. 10.19 Truely this is my griese and I will beare it They who being under affliction doe either shrinke from it or sinke under it are Cowards both alike If at any time either through the greatnesse or the length of any miserie our hearts begin to faint check wee our selves and say as David Psal. 42. Why art thou â—ast downe O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me Trust in God for I shall yet prayse him who is the health of my countenance and my God To this end labour wee for spirituall strength My Grave saith God as to the Apostle so to all in like case 2 Cor. 12.9 shall be sufficient for thee And Philip 4.13 I saith the Apostle am able to doe all things through him that strengthneth me Understand him transcendently strengthned by Christ wee shall be able not onely to doe but to suffer any thing for his sake Labout wee for courage fortitude heavenly-mindednesse so shall nothing be hard unto us Aliquando vincitur quis non quia fortior sed quia cum timidiore congressus Tertull. Wee are sometimes beaten not because weake but because more cowardly and fearefull Well say you here is the Man that suffereth and thus suffereth a Man that both stayeth in his affliction and stands up under it What then Secondly The thing affirmed of him He is blessed And hence shall I commend unto your tenderest Meditations two Instructions First As we would be blessed we must first be tryed by some affliction or other Acts 14.22 Where you see the way to Heaven lyes first through tribulations secondly through many tribulations and this thirdly necessarily it must be so God hath appointed it 1 Thess. 3.3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions for your selves know that wee are appointed therecunto And if wee goe forth by the foot-steps of the flock as it is in one of the Songs of Love wee shall finde all that are now in Heaven to have gone this way Heb. 2.10 For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many Sonnes unto glory to make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings And Heb. 13 1â—Wherefore seeing wee also are compassed about with so great a Cloud of Witnesses let us lay aside every weight c. Iamâ—es 5.10 Take my brethren the Prophets who have spoken to us in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience 1 Pet. 5.9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world And this way must all follow after Whosoever saith the Apostle will live godly in Christ note that in Christ that is in opposition to the world must suffer persecution Blessednesse at the first required nothing but obedience active Doe this and live but since the Fall it requireth obedience passive also the way to Heaven is by weeping-crosse Heb. 12.6,8 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he recerveth if ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sonnes for what sonne is he whom the father chasteneth not Those eight Beatitudes or rather eight parts of Beatitudes which is one and intire in Christs first Sermon upon the Mount if you marke them run most of them in obedience passive wee must goe to Canaan through the Wildernesse amidst Scorpions and by the waters of Marah They then are much deceived who thinke to passe hence à delicits ad delicias from fleshly and worldly pleasures and delights to the joyes of Gods presence deceived they are as they shall one day find when it shall be said unto them amid their torments and too late repenting as unto Dives Remember thou hadst thy pleasure upon earth Art thou yet at ease in Sion c Well thou mâ—yst yet suffer nay thou must there is no scaping in a mist though going forth wind and tide serve thee yet suddenly both may turne against thee 'T is reported of Nero that having a faire Empresse hee used sometimes to take her by the chin saying Here is a faire face but when I list I can cut it off So say thou of all thy sairest externall blessings here is a strong body but God can when he pleaseth turne it into dust here are sweet children but God can when he will take them from me c. Provide for a storme and the rather because now the heavens lowre our bankes are broken downe and the tide is breaking in O let us no longer like little children play with cockle shells upon the shore Art thou under any affliction any distresse any extremity c be not dismayed the worst of the wayes of God are better then the best of the wayes of sinne for these lead to the chambers of death 1 Pet. 1.12 thinke it not strange nay think of it both as right and comsortable for this is your land-marke now may you assure your selves that you are in the way onely looke not back to Egypt againe nor sit still as weary yet a little farther and you are happy Heb. 12.11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby It followeth Secondly As they who would be blessed must endure tentation so they that endure tentation shall be blessed Rom. 8.17 And if childrens then heires heires of God and joynt-heires with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may bee also glorified together Revel. 2.10 Feare none of those things which thou shalt suffer bee thou faithfull unto the death and I will give thee a crowne of life Nay they are already blessed in the comfortable assurance of Gods love and
There is a judgement of assession and witnesse of consent and allowance and this belongs to the whole company of Gods Elect. They shall judge the twelve Tribes of Israel All Israel not exempting Levi yea not onely all Israel but all the world and all the creatures therein though never so eminent and sublime in glory 1 Cor. 6.23 Know you not that the Saints shall judge the World Yea Angels Devils And how as members of the mysticall body whereof Christ is the head and Saviour Christ and his Church are one and therefore whatsoever is given to him is also given to her Christ the primary Judge shall passe the Sentence and the Saints shall approve it and rejoyce therein they shall triumph in the truth of divine Justice with the sweetest notes of praise and jubilation See here the glory and honour of Gods people their advancement and super-exaltation above the Starres of the morning they are Citizens of Heaven When God shall come to judge the world thousand thousands of Angels shall come with him but yet as his ministers and servants the Saints shall fit with him as his familiars and associates upon Thrones and that ever Thrones and all the glorious hoast of his noblest creatures their judgement as the Schooles distinguish is not condemnationis sed manifestationis they condemne none onely they shew forth the praise and glory of God in the justice of the Sentence on them whom Christ condemnes Here then is ground of support to all the people of God you are now troubled and molested by the Devill and his agents malicious adversaries you groane under unjust Censures and accusations bee content a day is comming wherein the Saints shall judge both the evill angels the Devils and all their malicious instruments Let our care be in the meane time so to live and converse here as to be worthy of that honour then farre bee it from them that are to judge the world so to live as to justifie the world by their prophane and impure conversation Thus they that follow Christ shall sit on twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel But when In the regeneration when the sonne of man shall sit in the Throne of his Glory Wherein you have the determinate time of Glory Where observe First A Position in the regeneration Secondly an Exposition that regeneration wherein Christ shall sit in the Throne of his Glory The Position The regeneration that is the Resurrection or otherwise the redemption of our bodies A time is comming wherein all creatures shall be as it were new borne Mortality shall be swallowed up of life and this corruptible shall put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies now subject to many infirmities to hunger nakednesse thirst cold many diseases dull and heavie in the service of God shall then bee immortall and therefore needing no bodily refreshments immortality shall chuse death out of nature and command sleepe from the eyes then shall our bodies have strength to performe their owne actions Were such an Elixar to be bought your Chymicks talke of as would free us from all diseases and repaire the ruines of old age who would not give all hee hath to have it and such an one there is in the hands of God an Elixar of immortalitie 'T is better saith Christ Matth. 18.8 for a man to enter into life hurt and maymed then having two hands two feet and so all parts intire to be cast into hell fire True it is were it possible but of this we may be sure we cannot goe to heaven either imperfect or without glory Particularly First wee shall have all the parts of our bodies perfect and intire though now maymed or deformed yet than wee shall be perfect 1. Because then all things shall be reduced to their former estate of beauty and perfection that namely the body had in its first creation The Heavens saith the Apostle Peter Acts 3.21 must containe Christ till all things be restored 2. 'T is said Revel. 21.4 There shall be no more death If no more death to the whole man saith Tertullian then no more death to any part of man It 's better saith Christ Mat. 18. for a man to goe halt or maymed into Heaven then c. Understand Christ Ex hypothesi not that any shall goe to heaven maimed but that if possible iâ— were better so to doe then to goe to hell with all the glory of the world Neither doth Christ there speake of the body but of the soule and the conclusion would be this that it is farre better for a man to lose any or all his limbes for the saving of his soule then to lose his soule and so to goe into hell with all his members Feare not then to lose a legge or an arme or an eye for Christ every member then shall bee restored againe Hast thou lost any member for Christ or otherwise trouble not thy selfe remember he that gave Malcus his eare againe who was his enemy will much more restore to thee thy parts who act his friend Secondly our bodies shall not onely be intire but beautifull and lovely though now deformed much more when stained with the pale and gastly colours of death yet then we shall be exceeding faire farre beyond the most exquisite beauty of any that lived ever since Adam for wee shall then be as Adam in his innocencie on whose beauty and splendour the beasts of the field stood gazing Salomons Temple was full of beauty and glory the second Temple the former being destroyed by the Chaldeans was howsoever faire yet farre short of the former in respect of beauty but our bodies in that Day shall bee restored to greater beautie and lovelinesse then ever they had O what paines doe the crooked take to make their bodies streight or at least to appâ—are so or not so crooked as they are How farre send they for complexion and how deare doe they buy it and this at last makes them more deformed perfect beauty is not to bee had till the Glorious morning of the Resurrection and the way to have it then is to bee Religious now Thirdly our bodies shall bee full of splendour howsoever now darke and obscure yet then they shall bee as so many shining Starres Dan. 12.3 They shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father Matth. 13.43 Moses returning from God after his fortie dayes conference with him was so full of shining Glory in his face by the Reflection of the Glory of GOD that the people could not behold him How full of Glory shall our bodies bee when wee shall abide with God not fortie dayes onely but for ever and ever Fourthly our bodies shall be immutable and immortall subject to no change not needing the Elements or Elementary food God doth with us as the Goldsmith with his Gold or Silver first melts our bodies by death and then makes us up againe to a more glorious forme as Vessels of Honour to stand