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word_n	body_n	dead_a	resurrection_n	2,720	5	9.2201	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96328	The Christians hope triumphing in these glorious truths; [brace] 1. That Christ the ground of hope, is God, and not meer man, against the Arians, and other unbelieving Christians. 2. That Christ is the true Messiah, against the unbelieving Jews. 3. That there is another life besides this, against the grosse atheist. 4. That the soul of man is immortall, and doth not sleep till the day of resurrection, against the errour of some seeming semi-atheists. 5. How the hope of heaven should be attained, whilst we are on earth, against the carnall worldlings. 6. How this hope may be discerned where it is, and attained where it is not, for the comfort of every poor Christian. All which truths are briefly pointed out and cleared, in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords in the Abby-Church at Westminster on Wednesday, May 28. being the day appointed for solemn and publike humiliation. / By Jeremiah Whitaker. Published by order of the House of Peers.	Whittaker, Jeremiah, 1599-1654.	1645 (1645)	Wing W1710; Thomason E286_4; ESTC R200074	52,593	59

the shoulders upward and set you as Cedars in Lebanon and Oaks in Bashan and caused the mountains to pour down fatnesse upon you and the hills rivers of oyl and though you could not but come into the world as others clothed with common humane frailty yet the Lord hath laid a foundation of greatnesse for you in the wombe and prepared honours for you from the brests he hath placed you in Eden the garden of the Lord and hath made every precious stone to become your covering the Topaz Diamond Ezek. 28.13 14. Beryl Onyx and the Jasper and you are as the anointed Cherub that covereth what ever God hath been to others certainly he hath been no hard Master unto you he hath caused you to be the head of the Families that you might be the stay of the tribes thereof that you might be the repairers of breaches and the restorers of waste places to dwel in Now he that hath done these great things for you expecteth great things from you It is a certaine principle not onely in Scripture but according to the light of nature That to whom much is given Luk. 12.28 of them much is required and though this be so equall that none can denie it yet the heart of man is so corrupt that few walke by the light of this principle in making it their great designe to returne unto God according to the mercies which they have recelved from God 2 Chron 32. I know t is difficult when God hath made any great in the eyes of others not to be great in their owne eyes and when the world bringeth them up into the bed of love not to be overcome with those embraces where the danger is so great vigilancie should be the greater that it may never be said of any of you as of Tyre Ezck. 28.17 Thy heart was lifted up because of thine owne beautie and thou hast corrupted thy wisedome thine eyes have been dazeled with looking upon thine owne brightnesse ver 18. Therefore I will cast thee to the ground ver 19. I will bring thee to ashes on the earth All that know thee amongst the people shall be astonished at thee and thou shalt be a terrour and never shalt thou be any more To prevent this sinne and misery that so this eternall breach may never be upon you and your families I have read this Text as a soveraigne Antidote as a strong preservative against all this evill If this one Consideration might dwell on the hearts of great men That all they have is from the great God and all they have in hand is nothing to that they may have in hope and that the greatest estate in possession is nothing to that which may be in reversiō and that all the good things they enjoy if ten thousand times more are not able to make them happy Eccles 6.6 9.8 and that if a man could live a thousand years twice told and rejoyce in them all yet all that cometh is but vanity and that at the end of this life there must be an end of all these comforts and all this brightnesse must goe under a dark cloud Surely then no wise man but in this life would provide for a better and not onely make it his designe but his delight to lay up for himselfe a good foundation against the time to come and so for a moment use these temporalls that he might for ever enjoy eternals he that hath once got sight of Heaven tasted effectually the powers of the world to come seen the vanitie and emptinesse of all conditions here below considered what it is to enjoy God to all Eternity would not for all the world have his portion in this life but would say with the Apostle If in this life onely we had hope we were of all men the most miserable The scope of the Apostle in this Chapter is to prove the resurrection from the dead against that wicked opinion of the Sadduces amongst the Jewes Who said there were no resurrection nor Angel nor Spirit Act. 23.8 and against the erroneous assertion of some seduced Christians Hymeneus and Philetus who as concerning the truth erred confessing a resurrection but saying it was passed already and so over threw the faith of some which opinion began like an ulcerous Canker to spread it selfe in the mindes of many 2 Tim. 2.18 The Apostle that he might strangle these monsters in the birth proveth that there shall be a resurrection by many unanswerable Arguments First From the resurrection of Christ If Christ the head be risen up above the waters then the members united to the head cannot perish ver 12. Secondly From the many absurdities that will follow viz. That all that are asleep are perished ver 18 19. and that then there should be more venom in the first Adam to induce destruction then vertue in the second Adam to produce restauration ver 20 21 22. Thirdly He proveth it from the perfection of Christs kingdome He must reigne till he have put all under his feet The last enemie that shall be subdued is death ver 25 26. Fourthly From the practice of Christians who in baptising professed willingnes to die for Christ ver 29. Fifthly From the great sufferings of the Apostle in this life in jeopardie every haur dying daily fighting with beaste at Ephesus ver 30 31 32. Sixthly From the absurd practice of the Epicures of those times which the light of nature cannot but condemne who drown'd their soules in their bodies and their bodies in lusts who would have no time to live longer then they have time to sinne and when there is an end of sinning wish there might be an end of being saying Let us eate and drinks for to morrow we shall die ver 32. Amongst these Arguments the words of my Text are one proving there must be a resurrection from the dead otherwise the worst men should be the most happy and the best men the most miserable which is so absurd against not onely the light of Scripture but the light of nature that the very naming of it is reputed by the Apostle a sufficient confutation of it for if we had hopes onely in this life c. There are foure parts considerable in the Text. First the foundation of all the comfort we doe enjoy or can expect the Lord Jesus Christ Secondly a Christians resting upon this foundation Thirdly the Extent of this hope not onely in this life but in the life to come Fourthly the reason of that Extent for if this hope did not looke beyond the grave and judgement to Eternity then of all men the best men were the most miserable From these foure parts there arise foure Observations First that the Lord Jesus the foundation of all the comforts we enjoy or can expect is the Christ Secondly that those that looke on him as Christ and would have benefit by him must be united to him they must be taken off from

that the soul is distinct from the body I passe over the arguments that learned men bring from the light of nature to confute this errour Consider what the God of truth hath revealed and you shall finde that the Scripture telleth us cleerly that though the soul be united to the body yet it is distinct from the body First in its rise Gen. 2.7 we have had the fathers of our flesh and have been obedient to them how much more to the father of spirits and live though God frame our bodies cause our bones to grow in our Mothers wombe take us out of our Mothers bellyt yet he useth our naturall parents as instruments of our body but it is Gods great prerogative to be the immediate father of the spirit Isa 57 16. Secondly It is distinct in its naturall operation is First the soule groweth most when the body groweth least there are distinct periods of time beyond which it is impossible to adde either a cubit or a haires breadth to ones stature but the soule is ever growing forward to its perfection Job 32.7 and multitudes of years though full of weaknes yet they utter wisdome Secondly The soule is often strongest when the body is weakest 2 Cor. Anima regit corpus repugnat passionibus quae complexionem sequntur Aquin. Contra Gent. l. 2. dying Christians have manifested the highest excellency under bodily infirmities when there hath been the least of the life of nature there hath been most transcendent glorious expressions of the life of grace and for this cause they fainted not finding by experience that when their outward man decayed their inward man was renewed day by day Thirdly The soule is not the temper of the body because it rules the temper and distempers of body Arg. 3 Thirdly They are distinct in supernaturall consolations when all joy of the body hath been darkned the supernaturall joyes of the soule have been enlarged when the bodies of Martyrs have been on the rack under torturings how have their soules been filled with inward triumphings embracing the burning flames like beds of reses and have endured all the dreadfull things that men could inflict to the admiration of their enemies and the conviction of many of their beholders as Justin Martyr and others Arg. 4 Fourthly They are distinct in their unnaturall pollutions there are spirituall wickednesses and malignities as well as bodily and we are bid to cleanse our selves from all fi lt hinesse of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Pet. 2.11 and to abstaite fromall fleshly lusts which warte against the soule Arg. 5 Fifthly They are distinct in regard of the opposite duties required of man in demeaning himselfe to his body and to his soule Matth. 6.25 Christ hath commanded us to take no thought for the body but did he ever command us to take no thought for the soule are not his commands quite contrary viz. above all things looke to thy self Dent. 4.9 2 Pet. 1.10 Phil. 2.12 and keep thy soule diligently and give all diligence to make your calling and election sure and work out your salvation with feare and trembling now if God require those acts to be performed to the soule which are absolutely forbidden to the body then the soule must needs be distinct from the body Sixthly They are distinct at the time of dissolution when they part one from the other when the Servants of God have commended their bodies to the ground how have their soules rejoyced to goe out of this Tabernacle as Hilario● and Polycarp Stephen when his body was stoned seeth Heaven opened and cryed Lord Jesus receive my spirit Acts 7.56 and 59. if the soule therefore be distinct from the body in the rise in the working in its consolation● in its duties in its pollutions and in the state after death than to confound the soule with the body is as great an errour as to confound life with death and light with darknes But especially consider that all those arguments that prove the soule to exist separate from the body doe answerably confute that Errour that the soule is but the temper of the body therefore consider the second Position Posit 2 The Scripture expressely teacheth us that the soule is not onely distinct from the body Sour● immmortall and doth not sleep till the day of the resurrection but that the soule liveth when separate from the body and that it is but a fancy of inconsiderate spirits to dreame that the soule sleepeth till the day of resurrection for the cl●ering of this truth consider three arguments Arg. 1 First Consider the soules of the Saints and you shall finde that their soules doe not sleep with their bodies but that the Scripture speaketh expreslely that in the day of their death First they are gathered to their fathers so it is said of Abraham Gen. 25.8 now if Abraham was gathered to his fathers this must be in his soule for in his body there was no such gathering his progenitors being 〈◊〉 in V● of the Chalde●s but Abrahams body was interred in the cave of Machpelah before Mamre Gen. 25.9 in the land of Cannan Secondly Luk. 23.43 Christ promised the poor penitent thiefe on the crosse this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise there are some to avoid this Scripture would divide the words thus I say unto thee this day and make a stop there referring the word this day to the person promising and not to the blessing promised to which I answer that first to alter comma's stops against all received copies is a high presumption which if tolerated how will the sense of Scripture be wrested by wanton wits to their own perdition Secondly 1 Pet. 3.16 Luk. 23.41 the Context sufficiently confu●eth this glosse Christ answereth the desire of the poor penitent thiefe his request is Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome but Christ immediately that day entred into his kindome now in Christs answer none can imagine the words to be a denyall and if there be a granting his petition then to interpret the words that some thousand yeares after viz. at the day of the resurrection the thiefe should be remembred is to abuse the faith of this poor penitent to straiten Christs bounty and to wrest the words against their naturall sense that say expressely this day Christ hodiè must answer to the penitents quando and if in Paradise then surely not in the grave nor in any part of the Earth as that Paradise in the day of the Creation full of trees and herbs for Christ entred into the Heavenly Paradise 2 Cor. 12.2.4 and when Paul was wrapt up into Paradise he telleth us it was the third Heaven Thirdly You have read how Lazarus after his death was carryed into Abrahams bosome and that place Luk. 1● 22 Non quietis l●cum sed aeternitatis sinum Aug. Calvin not a place of quiet tranquillity but the bosome

all Saints in all ages to be confident that godlines is profitable for all things 1 Tim. 4.8 Job 21.14 whereas carnall men have undervalued the wayes of God and have been ever questioning what profit shall we have if we pray unto him Fifthly When this hope is attained the soule will not adventure the losse of it for the attainment of the best things in the Earth Phil. 3.8 but counts all things as losse and dung in respect of this chusing rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin Heb. 11.26 that are but for a moment and liking this choice so well that no arguments can draw them from it Joh. 6.68 whither should we goe Lord thou hast the words of eternall life no nor will the Saints adventure this hope for the avoiding of the worst condition for this hopes sake they have bin a Act. 5.41 imprisoned b Heb. 10.33 plundered c Heb. 11.37 banished d Heb. 11.35 tormented and all too little hope causing them to triumph that all these light afflictions which are but for a moment 2 Cor. 4.17 18. worke unto them a more exceeding weight of glory Effect 2 Secondly Consider the carriage of the soule that hath this hope towards God First The soule that hath this hope adoreth the riches of gods love that man may come to God in the new and living way Heb. 10.29 when Adam fled from God and the damned spirits cannot indure the approaches of Christ but cry out What have we to doe with thee Matth. 9.29 Ezra 9.2 thou Jesus of Nazareth that yet there is hope in the God of Israel for such sinnes as they have committed and for such sinners as they confesse themselves to be when all other hopes faile that there is yet hopes of Heaven to poore sinners that are conscious of their deserts of Hell here are the exceeding riches of his glory and that height and depth and such dimensions of love that the more they know the love of Christ Ephes 3.19 the more they finde t passeth knowledge and their apprehensions of this love end in admirations behold what manner of love the father had bestowed upon us 1 Joh. 3.1 that we should be called the sonnes of God who are the children of wrath by nature Secondly This hope as it admireth the love of God to us so it inlargeth the soule in love to God 2 Cor. 5.14 for the love of Christ constraineth us if Christ died then were we all dead and therefore we that live are no longer to live to our selves to our own ease and carnall contentment but to the praise of him who love us and gave himselfe for us Thirdly This hope maketh us to eye God to see him that is invisible to set God at our right hand to make his glory our end Heb. 11.27 Psal 16.8 Psal 25.15 Rom. 8.24 and our aime our eyes are ever to the Lord and he shall bring us out of our distresse this keepeth the soule in a waiting condition and not to be weary in looking upward Fourthly This hope transformeth us into Gods nature he that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as God is pure 1 Joh. 3.1 looketh on every act of sin as an act of uncleannes never counteth himselfe pure enough but while he is living that soule is cleansing himselfe till the soule come to be presented to the father without spot or wrinkle Ephes 5.27 Fifthly This hope sweetens the thoughts of God and of Eternity maketh all those glorious truths as the day of the appearing of Jesus Christ c. that in their nature are very dreadfull to grow delightfull and setteth them into a state of looking for 2 Pet. 3.12 and hastening to the comming of the Lord. Sixtly This hope admireth the happinesse of all that are in Christ crying out Psal 65.4 Col. 1.12 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest giving thanks that God hath counted any of the sonnes of men meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the Saints in light Ephes 1.18 and beggeth for others that their eyes may be opened to see what is the hope of this calling Effect 3 The third effect of this hope appeareth in its demeanour towards this world The hope of Heaven First Weakens our esteem of things below enabling the soul to count it a small thing to be judged in mans day 1 Cor. 4.3 when we are risen with Christ then we begin to set our affections on things above and not an things below Col. 3.2 Secondly This lessens our expectation from things below sheweth as the vanity of all earthly comforts in their nature in their continuance in their use Luk. 12.15 that mans life doth not consist in the abundance of these things Thirdly This hope keepeth the soule from swelling when outward comforts doe abound Psal 64.10 if riches increase set not your hearts on them Fourthly This hope preserveth the soule from sinking when discomforts flow in to overwhelme it calleth upon the soule why art thou disquieted in me Psal 41.5 hope thou in God there is more good to be received by hope then we have lost then we can lose that hope that bringeth the soule to the good that is eternall onely can sustaine the soule from sinking under evil temporall Effect 4 The fourth Effect of this hope is in its carriage towards the word of God as hope holdeth up the soule from sinking so the word of God holdeth up faith from fainting therefore all the children of hope are much affected with the word Psal 119.49 upon which God causeth his servants to put their trust see what high expressions there are used in one Psalme Psal 119. by him that was a man after Gods own heart First is your esteem of the word such as you can say with him in truth ver 32. ver 6. ver 27. ver 52. the Law of thy mouth is better then thousands of Gold and Silver and that you have respect unto all Gods commandements thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellours and thy statutes have been my song in the house of my Pilgrimage Secondly That your soules love this word and can say I love thy commandements above Gold yea above much fine Gold and how sweet is thy Word unto my taste yea sweeter then the honey ver 127. ver 103. ver 11. ver 148. ver 111. ver 161. and the heney-combe Thirdly Are your desires so after this word that you hide it in your hearts make it your meditation claime it as your inheritance for ever that your heart standeth in awe of his Word that you have chosen the way of his precepts that your soules can no more subsist without the Word of God then your bodyes without food and therefore your soule breaketh for the longing it hath to Gods precept at all times

ver 20. 1 Pet. 2.2 Job 23.12 that you desire the word as new borne babes the brests and long for it as much as for your appointed food this is a strong argument your hope is grounded upon the Word of God when the word doth nourist it this word weakneth the hope of Hypocrites discovereth the rottennes of their vain confidence but t is otherwise with the Saints though their soules have many doubts when they consult with humane reason yet when they come to the law Isa 57.19 and to the testimony the Lord createth the fruit of the lips to be peace and when their light is cleerest their hope is strongest Vse 3 Let this Doctrine make your soules in love with this hope which will be an arke to preserve you when others are drowned a City of refuge to secure you when others fall into the hand of that avenger of blood that doth pursue them If any aske how shall we attaine this frame of spirit to set our hopes on God I answer and so conclude Vse 4 Take these directions First strive to apprehend and meditate upon the great blessing of Jesus Christ let the thoughts of eternity dwell upon your hearts things not apprehended can never be desired nor really expected Secondly That you may apprehend these riches of Christs glory beleeve the excellencies revealed in the Gospel the object of hope is things invisible and faith must be the ground of such things hoped for Heb. 11.1 and the onely evidence we can have for those things that are not seen if any prophane person resolve I will not beleeve that there is a Heaven or a Hell nor the powers of the world to come till I see them Consider poore soule when these truths are the object of thy sight they cannot be the object of thy hope for hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth Rom. 8 24. why doth he yet hope for beleeve therefore the excellencies of Jesus Christ otherwise thou wilt never be at the paines to cleare thy interest in them and if Heaven be not first made the object of thy hope it can never be made the object of thy sight expectation must precede fruition Thirdly Love the excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ many things may be beleeved as true Fides est ●●alarum rerum bonarum quare bona creduntur mala boc fide bonà non malâ c. Lombard l. 3. dist 27. Psal 43 4. Cant. 8.6 and yet not loved as good faith may be good when the object of it is evil for we are bound to beleeve every truth which God revealeth the evil of sin as truly as the goodnesse of grace but nothing is the object of hope but what the soule is really perswaded is truly good where love is weake the mind is carelesse and hope cannot be strong and that which is not earnestly desired is never greedily expected but when the desires of our soule are earnestly carryed out after Christ when we set up Christ in our hearts as the gladnes of our joy then we begin to long after him then love and hope prove strong as death and hope deferred maketh the heart sick but this is the great priviledge of this hope though in all other things you may meet with disappointments yet God will fulfill the desires of them that feare him and the expectation of poore soules in Christ shall never goe away ashamed Prov. 13.12 and when this hope is granted it will be a tree of life Fourthly In the use of all meanes that God hath appointed beg importunately the spirit of grace which God hath promised freely t is beyond the ability of mans will above the strength of ordinances above the reach of any created power to worke this hope t is easy to presume but to beleeve and hope in God that raiseth up the dead is an act of transcendent difficultie for a poore soule under the sense of sinne and Gods wrath and sight of Hell to roll it selfe upon the rich mercy of Christ to have all this guilt so great to be pardoned and all the lusts that are strong to be subdued this is onely the gift of God and therefore pray that the eyes of your understanding may be opened and that your hearts and consciences may experimentally feele that exceeding working of his power Ephes 1.19 1 Pet. 1.21 which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead that your faith and hope may be in God and that your soules may be so in love with Heaven and your perswasions thereof so well grounded that you may be above the love of this life and above the feare of death and that all the dayes of your appointed time Job 14.14 you may be waiting till your change come FINIS