which we haue heard which wee haue seene with our eyes which we haue looked vpon these handes of ours haue handled declare wee vnto you Hands haue handled what meaneth that Woe is mee to tell doubtfull Thomas demur'd vpon the Doctrine till his itching fingers had fetched it out of the prints of the nailes his sinful hand out of his sore side How bee it vpon the touch his heart resolu'd into sighes his eyes into teares when hee said with an holy resolution my GOD my Lord my God I am thy creature my Lord I am thy redeemed I finde thee risen and I feele I shal be raysed Thy woundes are deepe enough to pleade thy death sufficieÌ„t wide to purchase life for me and all the worlde For conclusion of all let Christ his witnesse bee instar omnium and stand for all who to take away the doubt forbids the wonder of our new repaire saying maruell not at this for the houre shall come in the which all that are in graues shall heare his voice and come forth 5. Fiftly we are well assured that we shal rise againe by double pledge or hostage 1. First of the soules of the Saints now lodgers in Heauen vnder the Altar killed for the word of GOD and testymonye which they maintained whose loud crye is after a deliuerance of their owne bodyes and of vs their long detayned bretheren to whome silence was inioyned for a while that they should rest vntill their fellowe-seruants and bretheren that should bee killed euen as they were were fulfilled 2. Secondly of their bodyes lodged in their graues there to remaine as lodgers for vs likewise vntill the time that all thinges bee restored God prouiding this good for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect 6 A sixt assurance is the pawne of the Spirit of God within vs for as the Apostle saith if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwel in you he that raised vp Christ froÌ„ the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you And now my bretheren how this spirit hath entred wimbled into your soules to make passage for this Doctrine I know not reade the caracters of your own hearts you are spiritual I feele no spirit but mine own yet I hope well that the cheareful spirit of God mooueth within you lifteth vp your sad peÌ„siue spirits this day from the dead graue to the blessed hope of immortalitie 7. Seauenthly we are secured per Arram when the earnest is giuen it strikes the bargaine part of the debt is paied so was it wheÌ„ vpoÌ„ the resurectioÌ„ of Christ the graues yeelded part of their dead as an earnest of the generall resurrection and full payment to come then contracted betwixt Christ and the graue binding both alike the graue to deliuer the rest of her dead and Christ to receaue all to life and immortalitie 8. The eight and last yet not the least Anchor of our sure hope and hold is our possession of heauen already taken whither our head is gon before and there sits in potioribus Dei at the right hand of the Father in the best place of heauen that the head and the members might be togeather So then I say in the Man Christ we make our claime in the Man Christ hath euerie one flesh blood bone and portion I beleeue I shall liue where my flesh liueth I hope I shall reigne where my head reigneth and I knowe assuredly that I shall bee glorified where my portion is exalted These groundes of faith my bretheren are so many nailes of the sanctuary to fasten vs in hope to the hold where Christ our redeemer is they are so many Chrysolits Saphiers and Emeralds to support the wall of the holy Cittie where wee shall dwel and so many Pearls they are to garnish the gates of the holy Temple for the Saints entrance where the light of the Lambe is the people which are saued shall walke in the light of it and as Iohn saith the glorie and honor of the Gentils whereof you are shall bee brought into it Lord what is man that thou art so mindefull of him or the Sonne of man that thou shouldest thus visite him in mercie and prouide for him in glory And yet my beloued I know not howe but notwithstanding all these proofes and this my text yet hath not the tempter ceased from the beginning of the world vnto this day eyther like a roaring Lyon feircely to assault or like a Serpent by deceite craftily to impugne the same yea it is a woe and a wonder to see how mightily the Diuell hath preuailed in the Children of disobedience to worke their iust condemnation through mis-beleefe euen in this point of the resurrection of our liuing againe whereof I haue thought good to giue you a taste of their different errors the rather to season you in the knowne truth The Saducâ—s say there is no resurection at all erring as Christ tolde them in that they knew not the Scriptures nor the power of God Hymeneus Philetus say yâ— resurectioÌ„ is past alreadie the Heluetian Heretickes say It is dayly in there generation The ArchaÌ„tici that the soule liueth but not the bodye The Hirarchits that the flesh liueth againe but not this flesh The Maniches that we shall be turned into an other substance but into what they knowe not The Marcionits say wee shall bee turned into the nature of Angels and the Ualentinian Heretickes into the nature of Deuils the Appelleits thinke the flesh shal simbolize into the Spirit that the spirit shal vanish into the sostayre the Chiliaste w e are called the Millenarie Heretickes doe dreame of a ciuil gouernmeÌ„t for a thousand yeares heere on earth wherein they thinke the Godly shall liue with Christ in all delights delicacie then goe to heauen in the eight thousand yeare of the world But all these different errors and Heresies are mightily confounded by the alone spirit of God in these words of my text If a man die hee shall liue againe as and if the truth should say that graue that shutteth shall open againe that bodye which falleth shall rise againe that man which dyeth shall liue againe not in part but in whole not another from that it was but the verie same that now it is These my feete shall treade in his Courts these my handes shall bee lift vp to his praise these mine eyes shal behold his glory these mine eares shall be filled with that heauenly melodye yea and this my spirit shal reioyce in God my maker my sauiour my redeemer my glorifier I say this my bodye and this my soule once feuered on earth with a wofull farewell shall meete againe in heauen neuer to part but followe the Lambe whither euer he goeth And thus hauing cleered in some measure the necessitie of our liuing againe with an
and feeble looke vpon your colours from top to toe and tell without flattery what it is you bear with the burdeÌ„ of your sinnes but the blase of your death The keepers of the house which are the handes they tremble The strong men which are the legges they bow themselues The grynders which are the teeth they cease because they are but fewe and they that looke out by the windowes which are the eyes they waxe dimme and darke The doores which are the lippes and mouth they are shut with the base sound of the grinders The Almond Tree which is your head it is white as a blossome The Daughters of singing which are your eares they are abased deafe and dull what should I say more sleep is gon from you you rise with the Cocke case you haue none for the Grashoper is a burden you feare the high thing you dare not climbe ye dread the faire way ye dare not goe in it for feare ye fall Thus man goeth to the house of his age once decayed neuer repayred till the time of our changing shall come O remember therefore thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth whiles the euill dayes come not nor the yeares approache wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them And let an experienced Prince so perswade thee from this Iuorye throane yea and more to That without the Soueraigne good all is but vanitie and vexation of the Spirit But happily heere our youth may crowe and say their day shall euer dawne but I say nay for euen your flesh is but grasse and the grace thereof is but as the flower of grasse yea oftentimes for that your sins are the more your danger is the greater I say take heede your blade being greene it is sooner blasted your vessel being new it is sooner tainted and your plant being tender it is sooner supplanted by the violence of sinne which is the fier and fuel of death Seneca saith well Iuuenes mortem habent atergo et senes ante oculos Young men haue death at their backes and olde men before their face like Israels hoste who had the red Sea before Pharoes Armie behinde both ineuitable gulffes and readie to deuoure And so for conclusion of the point bee thou wel assuredly that thouseest without and feelest within both young men may die and old men must die And neuer deeme it a new thing that is so ancient or thinke it strange that is so continuall nor call it an euil properly thine which is so coÌ„mon with al the world The first age had it it may pleade antiquitie the second age felt it it may pleade coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce and this last age hath it it may pleade a propertie in all flesh till sinne and time shall be no more The vse in respect of the doctrine is this that though wee finde in our bones and feele in our flesh a necessitie of dying yet we forget our selues we forget our sins yea the molde matter wherof we are made vn til it come as now the opening of graues the imbalming of bodies the wearing of blackes and the losse of dearest friendes there is no passion of our immortallitie there is no impression of our eternity That this is true for my owne part I neede no better proofe theÌ„ mine owne hart to beare me witnes and for you also it is expedient to â—udge whether the opening of this earth the jmbalming of that body the wearing of these blacks with the sommoning of these solemne funeralles by the Herolds call in a sad winterly season and towards a ioyfull spring be not a resemblance of our pereÌ„ptorie day before the Lord when euerie one shall must render an account of that he hath done in this life bee it good or euill wherof if you haue feeling look for such thinges be diligent that ye may bee found of him in peace without spott blameles in the middest of a naughtie crooked generation suppose that the long suffering of the Lord is saluation who would haue no man lost but all to come to repentance â— Now for the second part I meane of liuing againe when wee are dead it is euident by the text that as there is a necessitie of dying once so is there a necessitie of liuing euer and that wee may terme an expectant estate and indefeazible both to the elect of GOD and the reprobate from GOD for both shall rise againe The just to the resurection of saluation to the which GOD bring vs and the wicked to the resurrection of condemnation from which the Lord deliuer vs. Maruell not at this saith CHRIST For the hourâ— shal come in the which al that are in the graues shall heare his voice vpon which Sommons heauen earth and hel shall be assembled the graues being pregnant shal bring foorth their dead the Sea being called vppon shall picke vpit dead Beastes Foules and Fishes shall yeeld the dead they haue deuoured yea and in spite of all tirannie the blessed Martir shall say it skils not much where I rot for then shall I rise nay I say more The shrill sound of that trumpet shall emptie heauen and shake hell all shall come foorth and appeare before the tribunall seate of God all his saints out of heauen all the damned out of hell all their dead bodies out of the earth out they must attend they must appeare they must receaue they must according to that they haue done in this life be it good or euil not an Angell spared not a Deuill respited not a Saint or sinner rescued but all must bee summoned to giue their attendance and to make their appearance Good Lord what a fearefull day will it then bee and what an exceeding glorie of our Christ will then appeare who shall emptie all vppon his sommons and fill all vpon his sentence emptie heauen emptie earth emptie hell fill heauen fill earth fil hell heauen with his maiestie Angels and Saints attending earth with his presence his fairest creatures abiding Hell with his judgements the deuil and damned euer dreeing the doome of death and deepe dispaire There shall be a new heauen and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnes but an old diuel an old hel wherin abideth horror Topheth is prepared of old c I say then not I but the Spirit of God for me speaking out of this text and truth That it is Epicurisme Atheisme and the greatest Apostacie from faith that may be to say Let vs eate and drinke tomorrowe we shal die so an end or to say with the wicked miscreants wisd 2. 2. We are borne at al aduentures and we shal bee heareafter as though wee had neuer been our breath in our Nostrils is but a smoke and beeing extinguished the bodie is turned into ashes and the Spirit vanisheth as the soft ayre come therefore let vs jnioy the pleasures that are present and
the fulnes of thy ioy Thus much of the manner of our change liuing againe Now to the time when I meane when these vile bodies shall be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie fined from the graue redeemed from the earth and bought from men whereof I hold for the negatiue that there shall bee no full change or restauracioÌ„ of any vntil the generall resurection of all and that before the last day and doome of all the world there shall be silence in the graue no ground stirred no body raised and if raised for a time by diuine dispensation to confirme the glorie of Christ his resurrectioÌ„ at what time Sheol shold be shakeÌ„ yet layed downe againe by like ordination to expect a further refreshing from the Lord when all thinges shall be restored So as I may safely say against our aduersaries presumption in checke of their assumption of the body of the blessed virgin that except the humane bodye of her Son Christ the pawne and pledge of our Inheritance theâ—'s not a glorified body in heauen it 's true it 's true vppon our disclution the dust of our bodies resolueth into earth from whence it came and the spirit returneth to God that gaue it And as the heauens must holde the body of one Christ till hee come againe so the graues shall holde the bodies of al his saints till al things be restored earth to erath ashes to ashes dust to dust is for all flesh vntil our changing shall come for thou Lord turnest man to destruction againe thou sayest come againe ye children of men And that this is true let these Scriptures waigâ— with you Iob in the precedent verses of this my text hath it and you may beleeue him in that as in the rest man sleepeth and riseth not hee shall not awake againe nor be raised from his sleepe till the heauens be no more where I take his meaning to bee generallie of all without exception of any other then as formerly I haue said of Christ his perfect glorification for euer and some of his Saints by dispensation for the time and againe layed downe to sleepe til the heauens be no more that is til all thinges be restored Christ himselfe a witnes omni exceptione maior hath said likewise that no man hath ascended vp to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen that Sonne of man which is in heauen the doctrine is positiue Catholike and absolute without exception of any and exclusion of al speaking by a coinonie for the present as attributing that to the diuinitie which is proper to the humanitye but expressing as de futuro for the time to come that no man should ascend in his humanitie before the Sonne of man who did descend in his diuinitie to fetch it vp And heereunto accordeth Paul when he saith as in Adam all dye euen so in Christ shall all bee made aliue but euerie man in his owne order The first fruites is Christ afterward they that are of Christ at his coÌ„ming shal rise againe whence I reason thus in the first Adam we all fel by sinne to die once In the second Adam we shall all rise by his righteousnesse to liue euer but in sorte different he as the first fruite we as an after crop at his comming shall rise againe euen at his comming shall rise againe so saith the text and not before so say I. The inferrence is good else were the order inuerted wherat principallie the Apostle aymeth which is that Christ might haue the prehemineÌ„ce prime and pride of the resurrection if I may so say Againe it is said by the same Apostle that at the Lords comming such as remaine shall not preuent them that are asleepe noâ— they that are asleepe shall preuent them that are aliue but the Lord shall preuent both and togeather all shall be caught vp in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the ayre and so be euer where he is The diuision is perfect good for at the comming of Christ to iudgement all bodies shall eyther sleepe in their graues dead or bee abiding vppon the earth aliue and for their passage into heauen none shall bee before or after other The time was when that other Disciple did out runne Peter to the Sepulchre and euen now wee see one hasteth to put another in the graue but then when the Trumpet shall blowe and the dead shall rise all shall goe froÌ„ their Sepulchers at once vp together meete together and so for euer be with the Lord. Further for better proofe of this Doctrine there is set downe by the Apostolicke Author a choise register of Gods Saints from Abel the iust downe to the daies of the Machabees by the honorable Patriarches worthy Iudges renowned Kinges inspired Prophets who all through faith obtained good reporte but receiued not the promise God prouiding a better thing for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect I say receiued not the promise at full as inioying their desired Christ not fullie come in the day of grace by his death to purge their soules from sinne nor come in the day of glorie by his life to fine their bodies from corruption God prouiding this good for vs that they without vs neyther in grace or glory should bee fully perfected How be it I deny not but their soules were fullie saued by the vertue of Christ his death and resurrection which they foresawe and felt in their hearts and therefore vpon their dissolution were taken vp in soule into the very heauens where now they are with Abraham Isaac and Iacob Mat. 8. 11. But their flesh doth rest in hope so as I may say of them and of all the dead as Peter did of the Patriarch Dauid Dauid is not ascended into heauen And if not Dauid the roote how may Mary the branch or any other straine of Adam nay nay the possession is there giuen by one God and taken by one Christ in right of al thus Sit thou on my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy foote-stoole thou alone to pleade their cause thou alone to purchase their place thou alone to keepe possession til al thinges be restored and then make good thy purpose with thy promise I goe to prepare a place for you and if I goe I will come againe and receaue you vnto my selfe that where I am there may yee bee also But if all these Scriptures like nailes of the sanctuarie will not fasten thee to this holde then search the heauens for thy better resolution see into that secret and who be there Hebr. 12. 22. c. Mencion is made of Mount Syon which is the celestiall Ierusalem and the Cittie of the liuing God to which blessed assemblie the elect of God are incited to ioyne themselues as free Denisons to be Infranchised Now who be there tell if thou canst let the Spirit speake and all flesh
bee silent There saith the text are the companie of innumerable Angels and the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen There is God the Iudge of all and the Spirits of iust and perfect men there is Iesus the meadiator of the new Testament and the blood of sprinckling that speaketh better thinges then the blood of Habel Whence I inferre to passe the rest and to come to that which more neerelie concerneth the matter in question that there are onely the spirits of iust and perfect men but neither bodie blood or bone other then that of Iesus Christ the mediator of the new Testament whose blood speaketh better thinges then that of Habels For the blood of Habel cryed reuenge but the blood of Christ euen there sprinckling as it were in his Fathers face cryeth pardon pardon I might to confirme this Scripture cote that of Iohn and open vnto you the first seale with the Altar of God the soules of the saints lying there vnder I might tel you of their inioyned silence to pray or pleade for any further repaire or perfection in body vntill the number of their fellowe seruants gone before and of their Bretheren to follow after dead as they were were fulfilled but I leaue the Doctrine to your further search and examination because the time hasteth on and for the present onelie content my selfe and I hope you to with the assoyling of some few doubts which happely might incounter the Docttrine deliuered First say some if there bee no bodies in heauen but that of Christs where then are the bodyes of Henocke and Elias the one taken away before the Flood and the other after in a fiery Chariot I answere with the learned whose iudgements I reuereÌ„ce as to inquire where they became is meere curiositie so to say they bee in heauen is ouer bolde presumption and if I should say with Dauid Kimhi not the meanest interpreter of the Hebrues that in the taking vp of Elyas his garments were consum'd with fire except his Mantell which fell from him yea and that himselfe was extinguished so as euerie one of the Elements of his body dissolued and return'd to the Element whereof it was but that his Spirit passed to heauen it were no singular opinion for of the verie same minde Oecolampadius seemeth to bee in his exposition vpon the last of Malachie But for vs it is sufficient that their translation shew there is a better life prepared if wee make it a Sacrament eyther of our resurrection froÌ„ the dead or last taking vp into heauen if we make it a testimonie of the immortallitie of soules bodies I holde it may well stand with the Analogie of faith and be as TertulliaÌ„ sayth documents of our perfection to come for the rule is good multa tribuuntur Symbolis quae tantum sunt rerum significatarum many things are said of figures which are onely true in the thing they signifie Therefore if any man say they are taken vp and glorified in body as in soule it is onely true in that they signifie and not in Symbole Heerein if I be deceiued I dare not say with the Prophet Lord thou hast deceaued me Ieremiah 20. yet may I say ye learned of this age Caluin Fulke Grenam Bale c. ye are deceaued and erre with me It sufficeth vs saith Caluin that their taking away meaning Henocke and Elias was a certaine extraordinarie death nor may we doubt but that they put of corruptible and mortall flesh that with the â—est of Christ his members they might be renewed into a blessed immortalitie might bee renewed saith hee therefore not yet renewed and with the rest of the members of Christ ergo not single by themselues The Rhemistes vpon the same place charge vs Protestants to bee Sectaries for that wee holde this Doctrine their words are these heere it appeareth that Henocke yet liueth and is not dead against the Caluinistes Mr. Fulke answereth the charge and layeth downe his iudgement in these wordes It appeareth not that Henocke yet liueth in bodye more then Moses or Elyas but that he was translated by God out of the world died not after the coÌ„mon maner of men with this marginall note more fully to expresse his minde in the point Enocke not still liuing But as for any passage into heauen that Enocke or Elias had in bodie or locall being there which is the maine point in controversie he is so farre from that opinion as in an other place he is bolde to vouch the contrarie in these verie wordes It is euident indeede that Elias was taken vp aliue but not that hee contynueth aliue yea because it is said expreslye that he was taken vp into heauen it is certaine that his bodye was not carryed into heauen for Christ was the first that in his whole humanity ascended into heauen Ergo say I with Mr. Fulke whose learning iudgement and authoritie I much reuerence and so may the Church of England that yet there is no Bodye in Heauen but that of Iesus christs for hee is the beginning and the first begotten of the dead as the Apostle saith that in all thinges he might haue the preheminence Exiled Bale in his image of both Churches and in his chaste Paraphras vpon the cited place Reuelation 11. inferreth thus against the Popish schoole Doctors who wold haue the two witnesses there mencioned to be Enocke and Elias vnlike it is saith he that God should call witnesses from the dead And what Godlie wise man can giue more to the figure then to the veritie more were they not priuiledged from death then Christ was though God wold not then haue it so to be knowne to declare his wonderfull worke Onely that which may deceaue is the Originall word Lakac which found in other places of Scripture else where doth implye rather a taking away by death then any traÌ„slation from death as in the 4. of Ionah where the prophet prayeth that God wold take away his life and Ezech. 44. 16. where the Lord saith beholde I will take from thee the pleasure of thine eyes meaning his wife the same original in both places is all one with that of Enocke Gen. 5. And therefore I see not yet why it may not inure to the same sense and signification vnlesse we may deeme that Ionah prayed for any such translation or that Ezechiels wife was so translated indeede which may not be for that the Prophet liued longer after and Ezechiels wife was found dead at euen and for the newe testament it is familiar with Christ and his Apostles to call death a translation or taking away to blessednes as Luke 9. 51. Iohn 13. 1. and 17 1. In all which places the Greeke will beare it to be a translation or taking away to a better life yet euer by a true and certaine death And therefore I answere to that of the Hebrues where it is said by faith Enocke