therefore God expresly doth tye forgivenesse of sin to repentance and sâ— in Joh. 1.9 If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse There is is first a confession which takes in repentance before forgivenesse Secondly There is no promise in all the Scripture that God will pardon a sin before mens repentance for sin but there are many promises that God will pardon when they do repent Prov. 23.14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod and shalt deliver his soul from hell Jer. 23.8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Many promises that when men repent of sin they shall have sin pardoned but there is never a promise that hath any shew that before a man repents he shall have pardon Thirdly The Scripture doth lay them under a state of wrath and condemnation till they beleeve and repent unlesse ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Luk. 13.5 I tell you Nay but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Ephes 2.3 Among whom also we had our conversation in times post in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath even as others Vers 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world No hope of heaven no hope of pardon in an unconverted estate Now by the sufferings of Christ we receive pardon a man unrepenting is a man without Christ therefore surely without pardon Therefore the Antinomians do bolster men in profanenesse saying to a drunkard go on in drunkennesse for God hath pardoned thee from all eternity but I say Repent therefore that your sins may be blotted out There are not only these expresse testimonies in Scripture and reasons grounded thereupon but manifold and grosse absurdities that would follow if you should deny this truth This would follow then that there is no difference between a converted man and a man unconverted and is not this grosse to say so much comfort to a man before he is converted as one may say to him after he is converted Secondly If a man is pardoned before he beleeves and repents then this destroyes Iustification by faith the Scripture saith being justified by faith we have peace with God Now justification is nothing else but a pardoning of sin in Gods gracious act not imputing sin unto you when the Scripture saith I am justified by faith and the Antinomian saith I am justified without faith where lyes the error Now then to say that a man is pardoned before he beleeves and repents is in expresse terms to contradict the Scripture when the Scripture saith he is justified by faith The Antinomians have this evasion say they A man is pardoned before he beleeves he is actually pardoned but when he beleeves then he hath manifestation of pardon On this evasion a grosse error will follow for by this reason saith is no more instrumentall to justification then as it is declarative to a man that he is justified whereas the Scripture saith there is more use of saith for saith is an instrument actually to lay hold on Christ for pardon the grace of love to Christ the grace of humility the grace of self-deniall and the grace of mortification these do evidence and declare a pardoned state as well as saith this is to destroy the use of faith that saith is of little or no use in justification Again another absurdity will follow to say that a man before he repents is pardoned it is as much as to say before a man be in Christ he is pardoned this is false for without Christ there is no pardon I might run over many absurdities that would follow in denying this orthodox point There is one strong Objection which is this Doth not God love a man from all eternity and doth not the Scripture say that we were chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world were laid now God electing of us or loving of us is Gods pardoning of us if God doth love a man before he was born then sure God doth pardon a man from eternity To argue from Gods love to actuall pardon is as great an absurdity as to argue that God did purpose from all eternity to create the world therefore the world was created God decrees to pardon from all eternity God executes this decree when thou art converted God doth manifest this that he hath pardoned thee when he doth give thee the assurance of his love Antinomians make only the decree and the manifestation and leave out the execution of it Secondly observe this That when we say that God doth love a man from all eternity you must understand it that it is a love in purpose and Divines do give this solid and usefull distinction in it that there is a twofold love in God there is a love of purpose and a love of complacency or delight the love of purpose is in God towards elect men from all eternity that is a love where God hath a purpose in time to do a soul good but a love of complacency and delight in God is not in God till that object be converted before conversion God hath not in thee a love of delight for there is nothing in thee that God should take delight in At that time ye were children of wrath God doth not love an elect man with the love of complacency till he be converted untill he doth repent and beleeve Another Objection is this Doth not God pardon a man before he beleeves then what say ye of young Infants which cannot repent you will not be so cruell to say that all Infants go to hell I answer I am farre from thinking that all Infants go to hell I beleeve that heaven is as full of Infants as any other rank of years in the world yet this plea will make nothing for those that plead for justification before repenting and beleeving First consider that there is a great difference between the state of an Infant and of men grown to years the Scripture tels you that faith comes by hearing that is in men grown to years they must get their faith in an ordinary way by hearing the Word preached but this rule holds not for young Infants because they are not capable of understanding they wanting the use of reason and God expects no more from them then he gives ability faith comes by hearing saith the Scripture but saith the Antinomians what need I hear what need I pray for a man may have pardon without all But consider that though children cannot exercise faith yet children may have habituall faith as Divines say children may have grace seminarily though they
shall have mercy Job 33.27 He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not Vers 28. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see the light In the handling of this point there are these particulars which I shall dispatch First What is meant by forgiving sin To explicate this there are three things which are needful to be spoken to Part. 1 First for the varieties of names and expressions of forgivenesse First Pardon of sin is a casting of sin behind the back Isaiah 38.17 Behold for Peace I had great bitternesse but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behinde thy back In Scripture to cast a thing behind the back signifies to forget disregard it so wicked men cast Gods Covenant behind their backs that is they doe not minde it they will not obey it so when God is said to cast sin behinde his back hee will take no notice of it so as to punish it A second expression that illustrates pardon of sin is this it is called a casting of sin into the bottom of the Sea Micah 7.17 He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and will cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea It is an allusion unto Gods great Judgement on Pharaoh and the Egyptian Host when they pursued the Israelites they came to the Red Sea and thinking to goe through as the Israelites did the Sea fell in upon them and they were drowned in the bottom of the Sea so saith God I will deal with sin as I dealt with Pharaoh you shal never be troubled more with them not unto condemnation you need not fear the rising of sin again against you sin is not like unto light weeds in the Sea that will swim of themselves but Lead that is cast into the Sea the allusion holds here Exod. 15.10 Thou didst blow with the wind the Sea covered them they sank as lead in the mighty waters God when he pardons sins he casts them into the bottom of the Sea it lies like lead it can never rise of it self in a way of condemnation to a justified man to a pardoned sinner Thirdly Pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by blotting out Act. 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out c. Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake This is a metaphor taken from men when a man is not able to pay his debt the Creditor doth cancel the Bond blots out the writing and breaks the Seal that nothing shall prevail in Law against this poore man So the Lord doth cancell the bond and blots out the writing that neither sin nor the Devill shall have any processe against him in a way of condemnation Fourthly Pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by acquitting of a man from his iniquity Job 10.14 If I sin then thou markest me and thou wilt not or acquit me not set me free from mine iniquity Acquitting is equivalent to a term of Law giving you a discharge and dismission of the Court the Lord in pardoning of sin gives a man a legall discharge that no proceedings of heaven shall goe against him Fifthly Pardon of sin is called in Scripture a covering of sin Psal 32.1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Beloved if pardon of sin had consisted in the removing of sin we had been undone pardon of sin doth not consist in the removall of all sin out of a man but in the covering of sin God will hide sin that the fiercenesse of his wrath and the Eye of his indignation shall not look on it to condemnation It is the same word that refers to garments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If a man hath a Mole or Wenne on his body which his garment covers these infirmities are not seen by men Beloved God covers sin as with a garment to wit with the long robe of Christs righteousnesse sin is covered in thee by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Sixtly Pardon of sinne is expressed in Scripture by washing and purging away of sin Psalm 51.2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and clense me from my sin he means there in reference to justification not Sanctification That pardon of sin presents a man to God without spot or wrinckle or blemish or any such thing that though you have many spots in regard of your sanctification yet you have no spot in regard of your justification Seaventhly pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by not remembring of sin Jer. 31.34 For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more It is an allusion to the Scape-goat which was to bear the sins of the people on his head to carry them into the land of forgetfulnesse Thus the Lord that remembers all things that God is said graciously not to remember the sins of his people not to remember them so as to damn them for them hee will forget your iniquities and remember them no more Lastly Pardon of sinne is expressed in Scripture by not imputing of sin Rom. 4.8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin It is a word drawn from Merchants when they have a friend that owes them money that they care not whether they receive or no they doe not put it down in their Book God will not impute sin he will not set sin on the score he will not put sin to thine account though sin be in thee yet it is not imputed to thee Thus these names or expressions do something illustrate the nature of forgivenesse In the next place to enquire how many wayes a sin may be said to be forgiven First in regard of Gods decree and so sin is forgiven before all Worlds because God intended to deliver the Elect that such a remnant and number of men should have sin pardoned Secondly Sin is said to be forgiven when the Lord doth manifest forgivenesse of sin Thirdly and chiefly Sin is said to bee forgiven when the eternall guilt and condemnation due for that sin is taken away when God doth expiate or take off the guilt of sin in that properly lies the nature of forgivenesse In the third place what is considered in sin when God is said to forgive it this is worth your understanding Three things are to be considered in sinne First the blot and pollution of sin and this cannot be taken away by pardon the sin is a sin though it be pardoned the pollution of sin is not taken away by pardon the blot remains Secondly There is considered the desert of sin it deserves damnation and the wrath of God though it be pardoned this is not taken away Third thing considered is this the Ordination or appointment of a sinner to eternall
is of David 2 Sam. 12.14 Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe also that is born unto thee shall surely dye I will punish thee in thy child I will pardon thy sin yet I will punish thy sin so likewise in 2 Sam. 7.14 15. I will be his father and he shall be my son If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men But my mercy shall not depart away from him c. A promise to Solomon I will be his father and hee shall be my son but if he commit iniquity I will chasten him with rods And the Psalmist when he quotes this expression referres it to all the godly Psal 89.31 32. If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandements then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes It was not only true of Solomon but it is spoken of all the Church If they commit iniquity I will chastise them with rods O beloved here a Solomon may be chastned with rods if he commits iniquity nay not only one man but all the Church Amos 3.2 You onely have I known of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your inquities If God be severe it is with his own people to make them smart for sin he may spare wicked men and not punish them here because he hath his hell for them hereafter but this shall be all the hell of a godly man and all their punishment I but this is Old Testament and thus the Antinomians take off and evade this Scripture but doth God so in the New Testament Yes in the New Testament Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin He speaks of the beleeving Romans that death on their bodies was because of sin And then the Apostle speaks to the godly Corinthians 1 Cor. 11.29 30. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lords body For this cause many are weak and sickly amongst you and many sleep Many godly men were sick and weak for their prophaning the Lords Supper and this is under the New Testament that the Apostle saith as approving the righteous judgement of God let not us commit fornication as some of them committed 1 Cor. 10. Let not us fall as they fell and many of them among the 23 thousand were good men the Apostle approves of Gods Judgement to be righteous in that Act. Only one Objection against this Doth not the Scripture say in Isai 53. That the chastisements of our peace are laid on Christ now if all those chastisements that were due to us for sin were laid on Christ doth not this derogate from Christs sufferings that he must suffer for sin and that we must suffer too doth not this intimate that Christs sufferings were not satisfactory The Answer is easie That when we say we suffer for sin and are punished for sin understand this there is a great deal of difference between our suffering for sin and Christs we do not suffer for sin as Christ did because our punishments for sin are not by way of satisfaction to Divine Justice but only by way of castigation from Divine Justice when God doth punish a pardoned man with some outward Judgement for sinne it is no satisfaction no compensation when the text saith that our chastisements are laid upon Christ the meaning is Christ suffers for sin by way of satisfaction he appeaseth Gods wrath he satisfies Gods Justice for the sins that we have done should we lose our bloud for a sinne should we give the fruit of our body for the sins of our soul yet this cannot make a compensation for sin therefore it may well consist that God punished Christ for our sins by way of satisfaction to his Justice and may punish us by way of castigation Now to ratifie satisfie your thoughts the more in this that though God doth pardon a sin yet he will punish for a sin take some Reasons for it First this Because wicked men that are punished for sin would accuse God of partiality and in justice should he punish them and not his own people for the same sin wicked men would account God partiall but the wicked shall say I see Gods own people are punished in this life more severely then I am the Lord doth it to vindicate the impartiality of his Justice that he will not spare sin where ever he finds it A second Reason is Because God doth command Magistrates to execute punishments in this life for sin even upon good men therefore if he commands a Magistrate to punish a good man for his sin surely he doth approve of it Suppose a good man should commit adultery he was to dye for it suppose he should commit murder he was to dye for it if God did command that poenall punishment should be inflicted on good men in this life then surely he might do it much more himself The third case of Conscience is this Whether doth pardon of sin go before faith and repentance or else follow after I do not speak now of the priority of nature but of the priority of time This is a usefull question There are many Books in Print made by severall Antinomians that plead for this that a man is pardoned from all eternity that before a man beleeves and repents he is pardoned which is a falshood for to a beleever the Apostle doth confine pardon Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth â—o be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God For sins that are past those sins you have committed have repented of he gives you pardon for all them He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy and he that doth not so shall not finde mercy I answer affirmatively That God doth pardon sin after a man repents beleeves not before and to give you a proof for this First I shal give you the grounds from the Scripture then absurdities that would follow if this were not so First from the Scripture Observe that the Scripture doth limit and confine pardon to a repenting state Act. 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out No blotting out of sin without repentance repent that your sins may be blotted out Act. 26.18 To open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me So that till thou beest turned from darknesse to light untill thou beest turned from Satan to God thou hast not received forgivenesse of sins mark the antecedent words he opens their eyes c.
is that to us that Jesus Christ is now bodily in heaven what comfort was this to the Disciples that Jesus Christ should leave them that hee must goe from them unto his Fathers house There are seven particulars that it is great ground of comfort to all the people of God that Jesus Christ is gone bodily to heaven The first ground of comfort is this Christs going to heaven bodily it assures you of Christs full Triumph and compleat conquest over all your spirituall Enemies This the Apostle lays down as a ground of comfort upon Christs Ascention Eph. 4.8 Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men That is the Devill and Sinne that carried you captive and Christ by his going up to heaven hath led them captive that is hath led your spirituall enemies that carried you captive led them captive Christ alluded to the custome among the Romans when the Roman Conquerour was to come to the Cardinall of Rome to rejoyce in his victory over his enemies the Conquerour did use to tie his Captives to the Chariot-wheeles So Christ did carry his Captives by his wheeles as it were hee led captivity captive Colos 2.15 And having spoyled Principalities and Powers hee made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it So that Beloved here is one great comfort that Christ by going up to heaven doth manifest and declare to all the World that hee hath overcome the Grave Death Devill and Sinne for neither could they hold Christ in the chaines thereof Secondly Christs going bodily to heaven It is a pledge to you that Christ will one day bring your bodies to heaven I goe to heaven that I may receive you to my selfe that you may be bodily in heaven where Christ is In John 14.19 Yet a little while and the World seeth mee no more but yee see mee because I live yee shall live also As if hee should say well I must leave you and I must go to heaven before you but because I live in heaven and live there bodily you shall also live with mee in heaven with your bodies Tertullian doth make this use of it to comfort the Christians in his days saith hee Jesus Christ did carry our flesh into heaven with him and hee is of our flesh and of our bone Now saith Tertullian Jesus Christ hath carried flesh into heaven this is a good pledge unto us that our flesh shall be in heaven where Christs is also Therefore O flesh and bloud doe thou rejoyce thou hast possest heaven in Christ already And Christ would be imperfect in heaven should not the bodies of Believers come there also because he lives in heaven you shall live there also Thirdly Christs going bodily to heaven it is a ground of comfort to you in this because Christ is gone bodily into heaven to performe and accomplish his Sacerdotall Office that is as a high Priest hee is now in heaven to performe the Office of a high Priest to make intercession to God his Father in your behalfe that your sinnes might be pardoned that your Soules might bee saved that your bodies might be raised and received into heaven with him in Glory Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into heaven it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for us Christ is entred into the very heavens that hee might appeare before God for us so in Heb. 7.26 For such an high Priest became us who is holy harmelesse undefiled seperate from sinners and made higher then the heavens It became us to have a high Priest in Heaven Therefore observe though it was a great benefit to the Disciples to have Christs Bodily presence yet Jesus Christ could never have fulfilled the office of the Priest-hood to make intercession for all the Elect if Christ had not gone bodily into heaven Will you observe one Text in Heb. 8.4 For if hee were on Earth hee should not be a Priest seeing that there are Priests that offer-gifts according to the Law Christ must goe to heaven and there hee is a Priest Now if hee were upon the Earth hee could not be a Priest for us therefore wee have great advantage by CHRISTS going into heaven O beloved then looke on this as a great comfort that our Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven in his Body Flesh and Bloud appearing before God making Intercession for all his people This was typed out under the Law Exod. 28.9 10 11 12. verses And thou shalt take two Onix Stones and grave on them the Names of the Children of Israel Six of their Names on one stone and the other six Names of the rest on the other stone according to their Birth With the worke of an ingraver in stone like the ingravings of a signet shalt thou ingrave the two stones with the names of the Children of Israel thou shalt make them to be set in Ouches of gold And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the Ephod for stones of memoriall unto the Children of Israel And Aaron shall beare their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memoriall This is a Type of Jesus Christ our high Priest who is gone not into the holy of holiest but in it selfe the holy of holiest and there he hath not onely the names of all the Elect of God throughout the world on his Breast but he hath them in his heart and there he makes intercession for them to his Father This is a Third ground of Comfort that you have of Christs going bodily into Heaven which assures you that Christ is now in Heaven A Fourth ground of comfort you have by Christs going into Heaven is this that Jesus Christ is gone into heaven to convey to you a fuller communication of the gifts and graces of his spirit then was bestowed on his people whilst hee was upon the Earth Ephes 4. ver 8. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men It is an illusion to the Roman custome that when the Conquerour rode in Triumph towards the Capitoll he did not onely leade the Prisoners by the Charet wheeles but likewise scattered mony to the Spectators that saw him ride along in triumph so the Lord Jesus Christ having by his Ascension spoyled death and the Devill this Jesus Christ doth cast his gifts unto men dispenseth his graces in a greater measure into the hearts of his people not that we are to run into the Socinian errour because of this text they gather that before Christs Ascension into heaven there was no saving gifts of the spirit and they ground it on that text Joh. 7. ver 38 39. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake he of the spirit which they that believe
Incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Who are kept by the power of God through Faith and Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time So that beloved if you be kept for Heaven and made meete for Heaven that is a demonstration that Heaven is prepared for you I now come to the second Quere which is this I but how can this Scripture say that by Christs Ascention Heaven is prepared for us when other Scriptures say that heaven was prepared for us from the beginning of the World Mat. 25.34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the World Now if a Kingdome was prepared for them from the beginning of the World how doth this Scripture appropriate a preparing of the Kingdome of Heaven but from the Ascension of Christ Divines doe answer That you must distinguish between the decrees of God and betweene the cleare manifestation and full execution of those decrees Now if you respect the decrees of God then the Scripture is true that the Kingdome of heaven is prepared from the beginning of the World for the decree and purpose of God was before the World was that the Elect should have Heaven as an Inheritance but if you expect the cleare manifestation of it then it was not till Jesus Christ Ascended and this distinction the Scripture allows of it especially of the poynt of Justification in this poynt the Scripture doth cleare this distinction Heb. 9.8 The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing The meaning is this that the way to Heaven it was not manifest to the Jewes whilst their Tabernacle stood that is whilst their Leviticall Ceremonies were in use the way to Heaven was not manifest the godly went to Heaven before Christs time but it was not manifested for the common sort of the Jewes did not understand that by Jesus Christs Passion and Ascension they must come to Heaven therefore the Apostle saith the way to the holiest of all was not yet manifested whilst their first Tabernacle stood So my Text is true that Heaven was prepared for Believers by the Lord Jesus Christ by his Ascension The third Quere is this I but you will say if Christ by his Ascension into Heaven did prepare Heaven for Believers then what became of all the people of God and holy men of God under the old Testament Whither went they that if this bee true that Christ did prepare Heaven by his Ascension The Jesuites raise this difficulty from this Text. They say that before Christ Ascended none did goe to Heaven therefore they make Abraham Isaac and Jacob all the Patriarks and all the holy men of God they make them to be in the place called Limbus Patrum which was for the good men till Christs Ascension Then there is Limbus Infantum a place of receipt of Infants Then there is Purgatory for men guilty of grosse sins Heaven and Hell they concurre in to be a truth Limbus Patrum say they was the place to receive all the good men till Christs Ascension and then Christ tooke them all into Heaven Protestant Divines doe take a great deale of paines to vindicate this Text. If you will aske mee what is become of the Patriarks and all the good men of old before Christs going into Heaven how can they come to Heaven if Heaven be prepared by Christs Ascension First I may say that of Christs Ascension as Gerrard doth of Christs Passion The Death of Christ it was availeable before it was in being so I may say of Christs Ascension that Christs Ascension was availeable before it was in being Gerrard hee hath another passage that the benefits wee have by Christ they are not onely to be restrained to ages that are to come after Christ but to looke backward to all ages before Christ Revel 5.9 And they sung a new Song saying Thou art worthy to take the Booke and to open the Seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation Not only the Lambe slaine decretively in Gods Decree not onely the Lambe slaine Typically in the ceremoniall Sacrifices but virtually that there was vertue in Jesus Christ that all the godly Jewes had vertue by CHRISTS Death there is my first Answer Secondly observe this That the Scripture doth not say that Christ by going up to heaven did open heaven for us but onely to prepare heaven for us hee being our Mediator sitting at Gods right Hand in Heaven Heaven was open before but not so fully adorned as it was by Christs Ascension Heb. 9.8 The holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing The Grecians doe observe that Christ doth not use a word that signifies to open a thing that is shut but to open cleare and manifest a thing that is obscure it was open before Thirdly there are against the Jesuits conceit of Limbus Patrum that there are cleare passages in the Scripture and undenyable reasons drawn from the Scripture that doth prove Believers under the old Testament went to Heaven before CHRISTS Ascension As in Luke 16.22 And it came to passe that the Beggar dyed and was carried by the Angells into Abrahams Bosome the Rich man also dyed and was buried Hee lived two thousand years and more before Christ was borne heaven is called Abrahams Bosome and the Elect that dyed are said to goe into Abrahams Bosome and Eliah and Enoch are in Heaven perfectly Heb. 11.5 By Faith Enoch was translated that hee should not see death and was not found because God had translated him And in Heb. 11. there the bodies of the Patriarks are reckoned up together in the 16 verse But now they desire a better Countrey that is Heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for hee hath prepared for them a City He is not ashamed to be their God therefore they have a City prepared for them by God that likewise if it be a History or a Parable Lazarus was said to be carried by Angels into Abrahams Bosome this was before Christ dyed then frequent Scriptures there are touching Christs transfiguration that when Christ was taken up that hee saw Moses and Elias from thence Divines gather that they must be in Heaven There are foure undeniable Reasons that will prove that the godly before Christs Ascension they went to Heaven First it appeares by this because it is said that those that were carried to heaven they were carried to heaven by the Angels the Angels carried Lazarus into Abrahams Bosome now certainly Angels are not in Limbus Patrum Luke 16.22 Againe if the Believers of old should not go into
depart and to be with Christ which is far better So that the Apostle doth only make these two conclusions a departing out of the World out of this Life and a desire to be with Jesus Christ hee mentions no place for a good soule to goe to hee mentions no Purgatory nor Limbus Patrum And so likewise a fourth Text you have in 2 Cor. 6.8.9 Therefore wee are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. Wee are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent wee may be accepted of him Marke That the Apostle doth onely make these two conclusions to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord so that the soule is present with the Lord whilst absent from the body Then againe that Prayer of Stephen proves it likewise in Acts 7.59 And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit It had beene uncomfortable for him to have thought that hee should have beene stoned for Jesus Christ and it must have beene above 1600 yeares before Christ should have received his soule but hee prayed Lord Iesus Christ receive my Soule which hee would not have done if hee had not believed that his soule would have beene received by Jesus Christ imediately after death And thus I leave those Scriptures to confirme you in this that the soule doth not sleepe in the body but at the parture from the body it doth imediately goe to Heaven Fourthly I prove it to you by shewing those grosse absurdities and inconveniencies that will arise in case it should be denyed that God doth not receive the soule of any Elect man till hee doth come to judge the World First it will follow that the godly will be in a worse condition after they are dead then they were in when they were alive for when they were alive to live is Christ Christ dwelt in their hearts by Faith Now if the soule doth sleepe with the body and perish with the body then Christ doth not live in them Christ doth not dwell there by Faith so that this would be uncomfortable that a believer after death should be in a worse condition then during this Life for here he lives in Christ by Faith Secondly then it will follow that God the Father would be more cruell to his people then hee would have other men be to their servants which have done their worke Marke that Text Levit. 19.13 Thou shalt not defraud thy Neighbour neither rob him the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night untill the morning That the Master was not to keepe the hire of the Labourer long from him that the Master should not keep the servants wages long from him Now will the great God keepe you who are his servants that have served him here in this World and have done him faithfull service and will hee keepe any reward from you till his last coming No but when you have ended your Life and done your worke you receive your wages when your work is done you have your reward Thirdly observe this if this should be true that the Soules of the Elect men doe not goe to Heaven after death then it will follow that the soules of wicked men doe not goe to Hell after death and how repugnant this is to the Scripture you well know when the Scripture saith in the Epistle of Jude That the men of Sodome and Gomorrha suffered the vengeance of eternall fire And of Judas Acts 25. That hee may take part of this Ministery and Apostle-ship from which Judas by transgression fell that hee might goe to his owne place I could give you multitude of Instances where the wicked are in Hell 1 Pet. 3.19 20. By which also hee went and preached unto the Spirits in prison Which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing wherein few that is eight soules were saved by water That is Jesus Christ by his Spirit in the Ministery of Noah did preach to the old World who were disobedient to that Preacher of righteousnesse who is now in Heaven To say that a godly man doth not goe to Heaven imediately after death it will follow that a wicked man doth not go to Hell imediately after death Fourthly it would follow that there should be onely Angels in Heaven and no Saints whereas the Scripture saith expresly that Christ shall come from Heaven with his Saints And wee reade in Scripture that there are the Spirits of just men made perfect as well as the innumerable company of Angells Fifthly this would follow that it would be a great discomfort to a godly man on his death-bed if hee should be so many hundred yeares before Christ would bring him to Heaven what comfort shall a godly man have to die when hee shall say it shall be so many hundred yeares before my body and my soule shall be thought of by Jesus Christ it would be a very uncomfortable Doctrine for a man to thinke that I shall die like a beast that my soule after death shall not be taken up into Heaven And thus I have proved that imediatly after the godly die their Soules are received into Heaven I have proved it by pregnant Instances in the Scripture by generall expressions in the Scripture and by those expresse passages in Scripture and have given you those absurdities that will arise in case it should be denyed A word now from what hath beene spoken If it be so that Christ doth receive thee O thou Believer receive thee to himselfe before his totall and compleate reception I would then give you this use for to comfort you Vse First O feare not a dying time let not death be dreadfull and terrible to thee Beloved were this true indeed that when thou diest thy soule should perish with thy body then a Life is not worth the having but when thou shalt thinke on thy death-bed here now is a Disease a consuming of thy nature and sending of thee to thy grave and now there is but a little time betweene thee and Heaven that when I am a dying I am in the very Suburbs of Heaven a little breath betweene mee and Heaven O how should this comfort a dying man when that hee hath good evidences for Heaven O this should greatly comfort thee against thou comest to die to thinke that thy death-bed is the very Suburbs of Heaven I have read what John said that wrote the Revelations when hee was ready to die I do believe saith hee that in this very day my soule shall be represented before the Lord Jesus Christ. O think now thou art leaving thy friends but it will not be a day before Christ and I shall meete in Heaven As in the Booke of Martyrs wee reade
when it is a spirituall body it stands in no more neede of meate no more neede of drinke and of sleepe and other naturall refreshments it shall be raised a spirituall body Mat. 22.30 For in the Resurrection they neither Marry nor are given in Marriage but are as the Angells of â—od in Heaven The Angels have no need of relations and stand in no need of helps when they shall be as the Angels of God Rev. 7.15 16. Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more nither shall the Sunne light on them nor any heate Therefore O believing soul behold thy happines of soule and body in glory they shall be no more standing in neede of naturall refreshments then spirits doe when the Scripture saith that your bodies should be received by Christ The Platonick Philosophers understand because the body shall be turned into a Spirit into a Ghost or into winde or aire but that is not the reason of it it shall be of the same substance as it is upon the Earth but it shall be refined Secondly the bodies of the Elect when Christ receiveth them to himselfe when being vile bodies they shall be made formed and beautifull it may be thou hast some deformity but Christ shall refine that body and new varnish and make it beautifull Phil. 3.21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like his glorious body according to the working whereby hee is able even to subdue all things unto himselfe The Body of Christ is a beautifull body neither spot nor wrinckle nor any such thing in it why thy body shall be like Christs glorious Body 1 Cor. 15.43 It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sowne in weakenesse it is raised in power Here thy body it is a vile body Eliphaz calls the body a house of clay and Job calls it a house of Earth It is the Opinion of Gerrard and hee gives strong reasons for it that if there be any defects upon the body in this World that if any of the members of the Body be wanting it shall be restored to thee at the Resurrection and there are these reasons to be given for it First because our bodies are promised to be like Christs Body why now Christs Body hath no redundant and defective member defect it is but the product of sinne and the result of sinne therefore our bodies beeing said to be like Christs Body there shall be no defect in it Secondly some members are necessarily required to make up the Elect in Heaven suppose an Elect man should be borne blind or lose his Eyes by casualty now if this man should not have his Eyes hee could never see Christ in Heaven wee shall see with these very Eyes the Body of Christ though thy body be a monstrous Body yet Christ shall receive thy body to make it better The third reason is this because the bodies of the Elect shall be as Adams body was in innocency Adams body was created perfect by God when Christ raiseth thy body it shall neither want a member nor abound in a member thy vile body shall be beautifull what though others be fairer then thee and clearer skin'd then thee what though other mens earth be painted better then thine yet when Christ receives thy body it shall be a beautifull a glorious body therefore you have the phrase Mat. 13.43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Thirdly from being a mortall body it shall be by him an immortall body the body as it is here it is a mortall body dying and rotting in the Grave but it shall be made by Christ immortall 1 Cor. 15.52 53. In a Moment in the Twinkling of an Eye at the last trump for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and wee shall be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality Those mortall bodies that must die must be made immortall and those incorruptible bodies made incorruptible and never die this is the great happinesse of the Elect that their Bodies shall be made immortall Bodies Fourthly the bodies of the Elect they shall be from being lyable to sorrowes and sufferings in this World they shall be impassive bodies the body here is exposed to Diseases Aches Consumptions and what not the body it is an Hospitall of Diseases a Magazine of all Infirmities but the Lord shall make this body impassive liable to no sufferings God shall then wipe away all teares from our Eyes no sorrowes no crying nor no paine there is the great happinesse of the body it shall be made impassive not liable to hunger thirst paines diseases and the like Fifthly thy Body from being a heavy and lumpish body as now it is it shall be made an agile and swift Body the Eagle shall not flee so strongly as the bodies of the Elect shall flee from place to place and it is grounded from that Scripture 1 Thess 4.14 For if wee believe that Jesus Christ dyed and rose againe even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him Which the body could not doe if the body did not lose its lumpishnesse and heavinesse which it hath here Zanchy doth illustrate it by this comparison saith hee the body is like the Chick in the Egge the Bird in the Egge strives not but when it is flusht then it can flie so when thou art raised thou canst goe from one part of the World to another in a moment so was Christs Body when it was glorified Christ was taken imediately up into Heaven which is as Astrologers say if wee may believe their guesses it is above 40 Millions of Miles Now the soule hath a lumpish Body that it cannot follow the soule therefore the Body shall be made conformable to the Soule the Body is now a tyred Jade to the Soule but then it shall not be so Sixtly from being a weake body it shall be made a strong Body 1 Cor. 15.44 It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sowne in weakenesse it is raised in power The body of man it is a weake fleshly thing Luther is of this Opinion on this Text 1 Cor. 15. saith hee mans Body shall be so strong that hee shall be able to tosse a mountaine as a Child would tosse a tennis ball this is the great glory that God puts on the body that being a naturall Body it shall be made by Christ a spirituall Body of being vile Bodies they shall be made by Christ beautifull Bodies from being a mortall body it shall be made an immortall body from being lyable to sorrowes and sufferings in this world they shall be made impassive bodyes from being a heavy lumpish body it shall be made an