meaning of the Resurrection of the Body is nothing else but this to persuade Vulgar people that though they seem to perish when they die and their Bodies rot in the Grave yet notwithstanding they shall have a real Subsistence after Death by which they shall be made capable either of future Happiness or Misery But because the apprehensions of the Vulgar are so gross that the Permanency or Immortality of the Soul is too subtile a Notion for them who commonly count their Bodies for Themselves and cannot conceive how they should have any Being after Death unless their very Bodies should be raised up again therefore by way of Condescension to vulgar Understandings the future Permanency and Subsistence of the Soul in Prophetical Writings is expressed under this Scheme of the Resurrection of the Body which yet is meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which conceit how well soever it may befit a Mahumetan Philosopher I am sure it no way agrees with the Principles of Christianity The Scripture here and elsewhere assuring us that the Resurrection of the Body is to be understood plainly and without a Figure and that the Saints departed this life in the Faith and Fear of Christ shall not be mere Souls without Bodies to all Eternity as Avicen Maimonides and other Philosophers dreamed but consist of Soul and Body united together Which Bodies though as the Doctrine of the Church instructeth us they shall be both Specifically and Numerically the same with what they were here yet notwithstanding the Scripture tells us they shall be so changed and altered in respect of their Qualities and Conditions that in that sense they shall not be the same V. 36 37. Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die Thou sowest not that Body that shall be but bare grain it may chance of Wheat or of some other grain but God giveth it a Body as it pleaseth him and to every seed his own Body The Apostle here imitating the manner of the Jews who as appeareth from the Talmud were wont familiarly to illustrate the business of the Resurrection of the Body by the Similitude of Seed sown into the Ground and springing up again Accordingly he goes on It is sown in Corruption it is raised in Incorruption sown in dishonour it is raised in glory sown in weakness raised in power sown a Natural Body raised a Spiritual Body Which Epithet was used also in this case both by the Philosophers and the Jews for Hierocles upon the Golden Verses calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vehicula Spiritualia Spiritual Bodies and R. Menachem from the ancient Cabbalists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Spiritual Clothing Lastly the Apostle concludes thus Now this I say Brethren that Flesh and Bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God neither doth Corruption inherit Incorruption For which cause he tells us elsewhere that they which do not die must of necessity be changed And indeed if men should be restored after death to such gross foul and cadaverous Bodies as these are here upon Earth which is the very Region of Death and Mortality without any change at all what would this be else but as Plotinus the Philosopher against the Gnosticks writes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be raised up to a Second Sleep or to be entombed again in living Sepulchres For the corruptible Body presseth down the Soul and the earthly Tabernacle weigheth down the Mind that 〈…〉 seth upon many things Wisedome 9. 15. Wherefore we must needs explode that old Jewish conceit commonly entertained amongst the Rabbinical Writers to this day That the future Resurrection is to be understood of such Gross and Corruptible Bodies as these are here upon Earth to eat drink marry and be given in marriage and which must needs follow afterward to die again Nachmanides in his Shaar Haggemul is the onely Jewish Author that ventures to depart from the common rode here and to abandon this Popular Error of the Jews endeavouring to prove that the Bodies of the Just after the Resurrection shall not eat and drink but be Glorified Bodies but Abravanel confutes him with no other Argument then this That this was the Doctrine and Opinion of the Christians Let us therefore now consider how abundantly God hath provided for us by Jesus Christ both in respect of our Souls and of our Bodies Our Souls in freeing us by the Spirit of Christ if we be not wanting to our selves from the Slavery of Sin and the Bondage of the Law as it is a Letter onely Our Bodies in that this Corruptible shall put on Incorruption and this Mortal Immortality and that these Vile Bodies shall be made like to Christ's glorious Body In both which the compleat Salvation of Man consisteth the Perfection and Happiness both of Soul and Body For though our Salvation consist chiefly in the former in the Victory over Sin and in the Renovation of the Mind yet without the latter which is the Victory over Death and the immortalizing of our Bodies it would be a very lame and imperfect thing For Righteousness alone if it should malè habitare dwell alwaies in such inconvenient houses as these earthly Tabernacles are however the high-flown Stoick may bragg it could not render our condition otherwise then troublesome sollicitous and calamitous Wherefore the Holy men in Scripture not without cause longed for this future Change Rom. 8. 23. We grone within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Bodies 2 Cor. 5. 2. In this we grone earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven But there is no obtaining of this future Victory over Death and Mortality except we first get a Victory over Sin here For this is that Crown of Life that Christ the First-begotten from the dead will set upon the Heads of none but those that have here fought a good Fight and overcome For as Death proceeds onely from Sin and Disobedience so the way to conquer Death and to arrive at Life and Immortality is by seeking after an inward Conquest over Sin For Righteousness is immortal Wisd. 1. 15. and will immortalize the entertainers of it and as the Chaldee Oracle speaks ' 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 HAving hitherto shewed what are the great things we hope for by Christ and are to endeavour after namely to procure an Inward and Real Victory over Sin by the Spirit of Christ that so we may hereafter attain a Victory over Death and Mortality We cannot but take notice briefly of some Errors of those that either pretending the Impossibility of this Inward Victory over Sin or else hypocritically declining the Combate make up a certain Religion to themselves out of other things which are either Impertinent and nothing to the purpose or else Evil and noxious For first Some as was intimated before make to themselves a mere phantastical and imaginary Religion conceiting
Intrinsecal Evil in it greater then that of Outward Punishment then certainly it cannot be so transcendent a Happiness as some men carnally conceit to have an Impunity in Sinning to all Eternity that th◠Accomplishment thereof should be thought the onely fit Undertaking for the Son of God to engage in and that which would deservedly entitle him the Saviour of Mankinde For that of Socrates in Plato must then needs be true Tò 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That in those which are not incorrigible and incurable it is the greatest Evil that can possibly befall them to continue in Wickedness unpunished and the greatest Kindness that they can receive by the lesser Evil of Punishment and Castigation to be cured of the greater Evil of Sin For as the same Philosopher speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chastisement and Correction is the natural Remedy and Cure of Wickedness which our Saviour confirms when he saith As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and sure the Remedy is not worse then the Disease Wherefore it was so farre from being the Ultimate End of Christ's undertaking to die for Sin that men might securely live in it that on the contrary the Death of Christ was particularly intended as an Engine to batter down the Kingdom of Sin Satan and to bring men effectually unto God and Righteousness as the Scripture plainly witnesseth 1 Pet. 2. 24. His own self bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree that we being dead to Sin might live to Righteousness The Death of Christ conducing to this great End not onely as it was Exemplary and Hieroglyphically instructed us that we ought to take up our Cross likewise and follow our crucified Lord and Saviour suffering in the Flesh and ceasing from Sin but also as it doth most lively demonstrate to us God's high Displeasure against Sin and the malignant Nature of it that could not otherwise be expiated then by the Bloud of that innocent and immaculate Lamb the onely-begotten Son of God and lastly as the Hope of Pardon and free Remission of Sin in the Bloud of Christ for the truly Penitent might invite and animate men to chearful vigorous endeavours against Sin Others there are that tell us there is indeed something farther aimed at in the Gospel besides the bare Remission of Sins but that it is nothing else but the Imputation of an External Righteousness or another's Inherent Holiness which is so completely made ours thereby to all intents and purposes as if we our selves had been really and perfectly righteous and this upon no other Condition or Qualification at all required in us but onely of mere Faith scrupulously prescinded from all Holiness and Sanctification or the laying hold and apprehending onely as they use to phrase it of this External and Imputed Righteousness that is the merely believing and imagining it to be ours Which kind of Faith therefore is but the Imagination of an Imagination or of that which really is not and as Pindar calls Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very Dream of a Shadow For though this be pretended by some to be spoken onely of Justification as contradistinct from Sanctification the latter of which they conceive must by no means have any Conditional Influence upon the former yet it is plain that it will unavoidably extend to the taking away of the Necessity of Inherent Righteousness and Holiness and all Obligation to it upon which very account it is so highly acceptable because under a specious shew of Modesty and Humility it doth exceedingly gratify mens Hypocrisie and Carnality For he that is thus completely Justified by the Imputation of a mere External Righteousness must needs have ipso facto a Right and Title thereby to Heaven and Happiness without Holiness for Rom. 8. 30. Whom he justifieth them he also glorifieth Neither can any thing be required inherently in them where all Inherency is perfectly supplied by Imputation And though it be pretended that Sanctification will spontaneously follow after by way of Gratitude yet this is like to prove but a very slippery hold where it is believed that Gratitude it self as well as all other Graces is already in them by Imputation Neither can it be reasonably thought that true Holiness should spring by way of Gratitude or Ingenuity from such a Principle of Carnality as makes men so well contented with a mere Imaginary Righteousness But this Opinion as it makes God in Justifying to pronounce a false Sentence and to conceive of things otherwise then they are and to doe that which himself hath declared to be abominable to Justifie the wicked in a forensick sense and as it is irreconcileable to those many Scriptures that assure us God will render to every man according to his Works so it also takes away the Necessity of Christ's Meritorious and Propitiatory Sacrifice for the Remission of Sins for where a complete Righteousness is imputed there is no Sin at all to be pardoned And lastly it vainly supposes Righteousness and Holiness to be mere Phantastical and Imaginary things for otherwise it were no more possible that a Wicked man should be made Righteous by another's Righteousness imputed then that a Sick man should be made Whole by another's imputed Health If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them Depart in peace be you warmed and be you filled notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful for the body what doth it profit James 2. 15 16. Even so what doth it profit my Brethren if a man say he hath Faith or Imputed Righteousness and have not Works that is Real and Inherent Righteousness or Inward Regeneration can such a Faith that is Imagination or Imputation save him Certainly no more then mere words can clothe a naked mans Back or feed a hungry mans Belly or warm and thaw him whose Bloud is frozen and congealed in his veins Nay it is no more possible for a man to be made Holy then to be made Happy by mere Imputation which latter few men would be contented withall and were it not for their Hypocrisie they would be as little contented with the former and it would as little please them to be Opinione tantùm Justi as Opinione tantùm Beati to use Tully's expressions against the Epicureans Nay since it is most certain that the greatest part of our Happiness consisteth in Righteousness and Holiness it will unavoidably follow that if we have no other then an Imputative Righteousness we can have no other then an Imputative Happiness and a mere Imaginary Heaven which will little please us when we feel our selves to be in a true and real Hell But it is not our Intention here to quarrel about Words and Phrases as if Christ's meritorious Satisfaction might not be said to be Imputed to those that Repent and Believe the Gospel for Remission of Sins much less to deny what the Holy Scripture plainly asserts True
to say That the inward sense of every true and sincere-hearted Christian in this Point speaks the same language with the Scripture For a true Christian that hath any thing of the Life of God in him cannot but earnestly desire an inward Healing of his sinful Maladies and Distempers and not an outward Hiding or Palliation of them onely He must needs passionately long more and more after a new Life and Nature and the Divine Image to be more fully formed in him insomuch that if he might be secured from the pains of Hell without it he could not be fully quieted and satisfied therewith 'T is not the Effects and Consequents of Sin onely the External Punishment due unto it that he desires to be freed from but the Intrinsecal Evil of Sin it self the Plague of his own Heart As he often meditates with comfort upon that Outward Cross to which his Saviour's hands and feet were nailed for his Sins so he impatiently desires also to feel the virtue of that Inward Cross of Christ by which the World may be crucified to him and he unto the World and the Power of Christ's Resurrection in him still to raise him farther unto newness of Life Neither will he be more easily persuaded to believe that his sinful Lusts the malignity and violence whereof he feels within himself can be conquered without him then that an Army here in England can be conquered in France or Spain He is so deeply sensible of the Real Evil that is in Sin it self that he cannot be contented to have it onely histrionically triumphed over And to phansy himself covered all over with a thin veil of mere external Imputation will afford little satisfactory Comfort unto him that hungers and thirsts after Righteousness and is weary and heavy laden with the Burthen of his Sins and doth not desire to have his inward Maladies hid and covered onely but healed and cured Neither can he be willing to be put off till the hour of Death for a Divorce betwixt his Soul and Sin nor easily persuaded that though Sin should rule and reign in him all his Life-long yet the last parting grone that shall divide his Soul and Body asunder might have so great an Efficacy as in a moment also to separate all Sin from his Soul BuT that we may not seem here either to beat the Air in Generals and Uncertainties or by an indiscreet zeal to countenance those conceited and high-flown Enthusiasts of latter times that forgetting that example of Modesty given us by the blessed Apostle Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect But this one thing I doe forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the Mark boldly arrogate to themselves such an Absolute Perfection as would make them not to stand in need of any Saviour nor to be cleansed by the Bloud of the Lamb which therefore they allegorize into a mystical sense we must declare that we speak not here of Inherent Righteousness and a Victory over Sin in a Legal or Pharisaical sense but in such an Evangelical sense as yet notwithstanding is true and real The First Degree whereof is a Principle of New life infused into the Soul by the Spirit of Christ through Faith which the Apostle calls Semen Dei the Seed of God inclining it to love God and Righteousness as a thing correspondent to its nature and inabling it to act freely and ingenuously in the waies of God out of a living Law written upon the Heart and to eschew Sin as contrary to a vital Principle For the true Gospel-Righteousness which Christ came to set up in the world doth not consist merely in outward Works whether Ceremonial or Moral done by our own Natural power in our Unregenerate state but in an inward Life and Spirit wrought by God Which those very Philosophers seemed in a manner to acknowledge that denied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Vertue could be taught by outward Rules and Precepts like an Art or Trade and Aristotle himself also when he inclines to think that men are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that their being Good depends upon some extraordinary Divine Influence and Assistence Which I the rather take notice of because some late Pretenders to Philosophy have prophanely derided this Doctrine after this manner as if it made Good Thoughts and Vertuous Dispositions to be POURED and BLOWN into men by God But there is a Second Degree of Victory over Sin which every true Christian ought not onely to look upon as possible but also to endeavour after and restlesly to pursue which is such a measure of Strength in the Inward man and such a degree of Mortification or Crucifixion of our sinful Lusts as that a man will not knowingly and deliberately doe any thing that his Conscience plainly tells him is a Sin though there be never so great Temptations to it Whether or no this be that Evangelical Perfection which was the Mark that S. Paul pressed towards and which he seems mystically to call the Resurrection from the Dead or any thing further I leave it to others to make a Judgement of But doubtless they that have attained to such a Principle of New Life and such a measure of inward Strength as is already mentioned that is to the Perfection of unfeigned Sincerity may notwithstanding the Irregularities of the first Motions violent Assaults and Importunities of Tentations sudden Incursions and Obreptions Sins of mere Ignorance and Inadvertency which are all wash'd away in the Bloud of Christ in a true Evangelical sense be said to have attained to a Victory over Sin Wherefore I demand in the next place Why it should be thought impossible by the Grace of the Gospel and the Faith of Christ to attain to such a Victory as this is over Sin For Sin owes its original to nothing else but Ignorance and Darkness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every wicked man is ignorant And therefore in that sense that other Maxime of the Stoicks may have some Truth also that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men sin against their will because if they knew that those things were indeed so hurtful to them they would never doe them Now we all know how easily Light conquers Darkness and upon its first approch makes it flie before it and like a guilty shade seek to hide it self from it by running round about the Earth And certainly the Light of God arising in the Soul can with as much ease scatter away the Night of sinful Ignorance before it For Truth hath a cognation with the Soul and Falshood Lies and Impostures are no more able to make resistence against the Power of Truth breaking forth then Darkness is able to dispute with Light Wherefore the Entrance in of Light upon the Soul is half a Conquest over our Sinful Lusts. Again though Sin have had a long and customary Possession in the