Holiness and so the Inward Work of Christ from being our Justifying Righteousness or Redeeming our lost Soul p. 100. Where then and how is the Soul redeemed Is not the Soul within And is not Christ made unto true Believers Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption and all these inwardly received and hath not this man confessed that we are saved by the Washing of Regeneration c. and so Justified or made Just by inherent Holiness from Titus 3. 5 7. Can we be both saved and Justified through this inward Washing of Regeneration and yet not redeemed nor Justified through it Oh! Confusion and Darkness to be seen and felt Arg. II. No Righteousness wrought by us is of that Worth as to redeem our lost Souls nor for that are we Justified therefore the Sufferings of Christ only c. This Argument sayes he God enabled me the first Dispute to press with full Enlargement on the Consciences of the People to secure them from the Soul-destroying Error of this man Rep. This Accusation upon me is both groundless false and malitious For 1st I never affirmed any such Doctrine as that any Righteousness wrought by the Creature doth redeem man s lost Soul to God nor place any such Infinite Worth Price or Merit upon any temporal Act or Work of Man but Christ Jesus who is God's Righteousness is the Redeemer Deli verer and so the Redemption of the Soul to God by whom also the Soul is enabled to true Obedience It is by Grace in him through Faith that we are saved not of our selves it is the Gift of God nor of Works lest any Man should boast howbeit Good Works are ordained of God that we should walk in them for we are his Workmanship created in Christ again unto good Works see Eph. 2. 8 9 10. 2dly I never undervalued the Worth of Christ's Sufferings in the Flesh far be it from me so to do though yet I cannot own this man's placing mens absolute Justification on them and from thence shutting out Christ's Inward Work of Sanctification yet thereto both the Travil of his Soul Intercession Sufferings and Sacrifice had a lively Tendency seing that both Remission and Sanctification is known through Faith in his Blood which both purgeth the Conscience sanctifieth and justifieth I do confess that as the Redemption of the Soul or its Salvation is of infinite Value so the Price that procures it must be equivalent and nothing short of infinite But I further perceive my Opposer is confounded in this matter of Satisfaction and Justification as he states it for one while he reckons t is only by God obeying God in our Nature an other while ' t is only by the Sufferings and Death of Christ which he calleth his Righteousness imputed wherein also he contradicts divers of his eminent Brethren who say that Christ could not satisfie divine Justice as Man simply by temporal Death and Suffering because Infinite Justice must be answered with an infinite Satisfaction Price or Payment for Man's Redemption Others again are of the mind that God Being Infinite and Perfect in all his Attributes both in Goodness Love and Mercy as well as Justice and Omnipotent in Power he could forgive or pardon Sin upon true Repentance without such a strict and severe Payment as before as to be sure he both can and doth To his pressing with Enlargement on the Consciences of the People viz. That they are Justified and Redeemed only by the Suffering of Christ and not by his inward Work of Sanctification and Holiness any more then by their own Works or Righteousness wrought by them The Unjustness and Unrighteousness of both such Teachers and People that follow them do manifest what little Effect such Preaching hath upon Conscience neither indeed doth it tend to any reall in ward Conviction or Remorse in order to a true Conversion but to make them believe they are already secure and saved in their Sins and pure in their own Eyes when they are not washed from their Filthiness which is to Justifie the Wicked or declare them Just and to condemn the Just or declare Christ as the Subject of his Fathers Wrath in Man's stead How falsly and corruptly have many Defiled and Guilty Consciences unjustly acquitted and eased themselves on this account But had he in Truth pressed the Necessity of Turning to the true Light in the Confidence Repeatance Regeneration the new Birth Obedience of Faith perseverance in Grace c. this might have had Impression on the Consciences in order to a Reformation and so have manifested and demonstrated the blessed 〈◊〉 and End of Christ's Coming Suffering and Sacrifice for Sinners and God s holy Design therein and his condescending to make a Covenant in his own terms with them to receive them into his Kingdom Government and Protection none of whose Terms or Covenant is Continuance in Sin or Disobediance term of Life for to be received in Covenant with God is to be received into Agreement and Union with him But after this Man hath shut out both Obedience to the Will of God through Faith Sanctification Holiness from being our justifying Righteousness or to redeem or acquit c. he essaies to mend the Matter saying It doth not shut it out either as inconsistent or a needless thing c. And wherein is Sanctification consistent and needful Is it consistent and needful to Justification yâ—…a or nay Take his Answer It is so far from being inconsistent that they are inseparable and the one a Means to the other Well said Is Faith and Justification consistent and Faith a Means thereof This overthrows his shutting 〈◊〉 Sanctification therein for there can be no living and justifying Faith without Sanctification But then he goes round again viz. Flying out of our selves as seeing nothing but Matter of Condemnation nation in ourselves to Jesus Christ by Faith and apprehending the Purity and Holiness of our Saviour's Heart and Life c. Whether do you fly out of your selves to Jesus Christ And by what Faith can he be seen laid hold on or his Purity be apprehended to your Justification while there is nothing seen but Matter of Condemnation in your selves For 1st The true and living Faith is not enjoyed without some Degree of Sanctification within and if without this Faith you cannot be justified then not 〈◊〉 inward Sanctification true Faith and Love by which it worketh are Fruits of the Spirit and the Mystery of Faith is held in a pure Conscience and he that believeth in the Son of God 〈◊〉 Life 2dly The Righteousness of Faith doth not bid us fly out of our selves to Christ's Sufferings without only for Justification and that while there is nothing to be seen within but Matter of Condemnation which is to impute Christ's Susfering to mens Justification while they are under Condemnation in themselves as if they were imputatively just and righteous even when really and actually damned which is a sad Imputation and none of
in them that did back-slide and rebel against the Spirit of God and became Persecutors of the holy Prophets and fell into gross Evils many to their Destruction which caused the Prophets often to complain against them and Severity from God to come upon them that fell On them that fell Severity but on thee Goodness if thou abide in his Goodness Rom. 11. And it is said The Lord was Wrath So a Fire was kindled against Jacob and Anger came up against Israel Psal. 78. 21. Who gave Jacob to the Spoil and Israel to the Robbers Did not the Lord against whom they had sinned For they would not walk in his Wayes neither were they Obedient unto his Law Isa. 42. 24. and Chap. 43. 22. But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel thou hast made me to serve with thy Sins thou hast wearied me with thine Iniquities ver 24. Thy first Father hath sinned and thy Teachers have transgressed against me ver 27. I have given Jacob to the Curse and Israel to Reproaches ver 28. Was Israel or Jacob's Seed then after the Flesh eternally Elected and Loved Was not his saying I have loved Jacob intended to reprove the Ingratitude and Unfaithfulness of those his Posterity Mal. 1. 2. I have loved you saith the Lord yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us c. ver 6. O Priests that despise my Name c. ver 7. Ye offer polluted Bread upon mine Altar c. Thus those of Jacob or Israel after the Flesh both Priests and People were reproved sor their Abuse of God's Love and Kindness and can any People now be said to be so absolutely chosen to Salvation meerly because God doth shew Love to them when now his Love in his Son is universally extended to the World God so loved the World c. Joh. 3. Did he theresore decree the whole World to be saved See the Narrowness of the said Opinion of a Personal Election and Reprobation from all Eternity and that impertinent Allegation of God's sree Choice of Jacob and his Seed as it is intended to sute that Proposition how false it is But further the Apostle explains who are truly in the Election of the Seed of Promise and who are the true aâ—…d spiritual Israel and so in the Election which obtains See Rom. 9. 6. They are not all Israel which are of Israel ver 7. neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all Chilâ—…ren but in Isaac shall thy Seed be called ver 8. That iâ—… They which are the Children of the Flesh these are not the 〈◊〉 of God but the Children of the Promise are counted â—…or the Seed see also Gal. 4. 28 29. For Illustration whereoâ—… the Apostle alludes to those Instances of Jacob and Esau Rom. 9. 10 11 12. who were instanced as Figures of the two opposite Seeds the two contrary Births two differing People and Nations as the Earthly and the Heavenly the Natural and the Spiritual Seed and Birth are contrary in the very Nature and Ground and so are the Generations of each as namely those in the first Adam and those in the second those after the Flesh and those after the Spirit And so the Righteous and the Wicked how contrary are they boâ—…h in Nature and Spirit yet not simply as Creatures or Persons but as influenced with contrary Priâ—…ciples Spirits Powers which bring forth their own coâ—…trary Seeds Bâ—…rths and Images in Men and Women Now whereas it is saâ—…d being noâ—… yâ—…t born neither having done Good or Evil. that the Purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth it was said unto Rebecca The Elder all serve the Younger or the Greater hall serve the Lesser Note that this cannot oe aâ—…y 〈◊〉 of any 〈◊〉 or eternal Election and Reprobation of Jâ—…cob aâ—…d Esau's Persons for what Service need Jacob in Heaven srom Esau in Hell or what Service could Esau in Hell do Jacob in Heaven Howbeit the Purpose of God according to Election stands sure originally in the Elâ—…ct Sâ—…ed and so not of Works Esau was a Worker and so the first Birth would of it self be a Willing Running and Working for Liâ—…e eternal which can be no Procurement of God's Purpose thereof But a Seed is freely given of God to Mankind and Power to bring forth Righteousness and the living Works as Effects of Grace and God freely calls Men thereto out of his free Grace and Love to all By grace are ye savâ—…d through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God not of Works lest any Man should boast for we are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works mark this which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Ephes. 2. 8 9 10. And Note That this saving Grace hath appeared unto all Men Titus 2. 11. It is not limited or bound up to that Narrowness as the particular Electioners Opinion would bind it as only to a particular designed small Number of Persons from Eternity with an eternal Exclusion of all the World beside to everlasting Damnation without Remedy which is a most partial and cruel Doctrine ecclipsing the Glory and Soveraignity of God which is most manifest in shewing Mercy rather then meer partial Severity on his poor Creatures Whereas S. S. teacheth that the making this Vessel to Honour that to Dishonour is God's creating such a Person with a sect 6 Resolution to recover him out of his fallen State by Saving Grace such a Person with an Intention to leave and never recover him out of his fallen State by renewing Grace c. p. 112 113. Answ. The Man runs still upon his first Mistake placing such a partial Resolution and Intention upon God towards his Creatures or particular Persons in creating them as absolutely to recover one and leave the other in the Fall and why then doth this Man or his Brethren preach and tender Salvation upon Terms to all Sorts They cloak this partial Reserve with general Tenders of Good imagining God to be as partial in his Intentions and both as slighty and Contradictory in his Call and Proffers as themselves as if he should call all to Repentance and Life and yet to have created them with Intention to leave the Greater Part in the Fall for Eternal Death or rather to have from Eternity reprobated them or as his Masters of the Assembly say He hath before ordained them to everlasting Death the Contradiction of which Doctrines both to God's universal Love Grace and Call as also to themselves how manifest is it That he should from Eternity ordain them for Reprobation whom in due time he gives Light unto and calls to Repentance how plainly inconsistent are these and contradictory One while to say he hath reprobated them another while he passeth by them One while he hath before ordained them to everlasting Death another while he creates them
Beloved in whom we are created again unto good Works How can Christ's sinless Obedience from the beginning of Life to the end which takes in his Conformity to the Law be imputed to the Guilty and fallen Creature or that Conformity be the Everlasting Righteousness wherewith the true Believer is invested when as 't is not the Works of the Law but the Righteousness of Faith that Justifies and Recommends to God And this is inwardly possâ—…ssed where true Faith and the Obedience thereof is injoyed and Lived in it is not Christ's Conformity to the Law that Justifies us but his making us conformable to his own Image and Partakers of his Everlasting Righteousness for which God pronounceth us just for men are not imputatively Righteous or Just when actually condemned as Guilty Sinful Fallen Creatures And further I deny that Christ's Conformity to the Law whilst on Earth doth either constitute or reckon us righteous from the Beginning of Life to the End for that God according to his Grace and Mercy forgiveth Sins that are past before Faith and after his Visitation and Mercy is received the Law and Righteousness of Faith enjoyns us to Newness and Holiness of Life without which he will not acquit us He will not acquit the Wicked If I sin thou markest me and wilt acquit me from mine Iniquity Job 10. And then shall we sin because we are no more under the Law but under Grace God forbid c. His saying But were the Works of Faith perfect yet could they not be a justifying Righteousness p. 95. Though Righteousness in the Abstract and as it is everlasting doth not consist or is not made up of any Work outward or temporal Acts yet to conclude that the Works of Faith â—…hough perfect cannot be justiâ—…ing is contrary to the Apostle's Testimony of being justified by Faith whereby we have Peace with God and you see â—…hou that â—…Y WOâ—…KS A MAN IS JUSTIFIED and nâ—…t by Faith only Was not our Father Abraham justified by Wâ—…ks when he offered up his Son Isaac Aâ—…d God will ordain Peace for us for he hath wrought all â—…ur Works in us Isa. 26. and then are not his Works in us â—…ding to our Justification and Acceptance being reckoâ—…d ours as wrought in us Are not these accounted of witâ—… the Lord from the Dignity of himself that worketh them For to him it is said thou hast also wrought all eur Works in us To that Question Will he say that Abraham did not in Faith circumcise his Son Answ. But he was Justified before that for Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness when he was in Uncircumcision Though every Act of true and living Obedience both before under and since the Law was done in Faith yet are they not made Righteous by the meer Works but by that Power and Spirit of Faith that works them And If A S we are made Sinners and condemnable by One Man's Disobedience we be S O made Righteous and Justifiable by the Obedience of One then we must be as really made Righteous in the second Adam as we were Sinners in the first Adam A S in Adam all dye S O in Christ shall all be made alive A S we have born the Image of the Earthly S O we must bear the Image of the Heavenly which is not from a meer Imputation oâ—… either without a real Participation They are not Innocent or Clear in themselves who are either made or reckoned Sinners by one Man's Disobedience nor are they without the Participation of Christ's Righteousness in themselves who are made Righteous by his Obedience They that receive abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteousness shall reign in Life by Jesus Christ Death hath passed upon all men for that all have sinned Sin hath really reigned in man unto Death and so must Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life God's Imputations or Reckonings to Man are true whom he reckons Sinners are inherently such and whom he reckons Righteous are so likewise but the Hypocrite who can Justifie the Wicked is an Abomination unto God Howbeit contrary to what I have said S. S. reasons viz. We are not Partakers of this by our actual Commission of it Iâ—… cannot be said we are Parâ—…ers of Adam's Sin in that we are personal Offenders it must be therefore by Goâ—…â—…mputation Obs. By this he hath explained his â—…se of the Imputation of Adaâ—…'s Sin and Christ's 〈◊〉 and sâ—… of 〈◊〉 and Justification and â—…o by this Rom. 〈◊〉 â—…9 is thus to be read AS by One man's Disobeâ—…ience many were made Siâ—…ners that were not actual Sinners SO by the Obedience of One many are made Righteous who never actually obeyed an easy pleasant and Sin-pleasing Doctrine for the Ungodly Sinners and Hypocrites â—…rom whence also it follows that they are condemnable by Adam ' s Disobedience Children are not excepted he saith who never committed actual Transgression and so they are Justified by Christ's intire Obedience who never actually obeâ—…yed him and what 's this but still the old Abomination to Condemn the Innocent and Justifie the Guilty or Wicked S. S. adds Let the words be weighed by one man's Disobedience many were made Sinners it is not here said By many Personal Disobediences we are made Sinners though this be true c. p. 96. Rep. By one man Sin entered into the World Death by Sin yet it is not Adam's Sin intirely as a particular Person that is imputed though from one Offence sprung many â—…or Death reigning in Man is an Effect of his own sinning being in the Nature and Image of the first Man in whom all dye Death hath passed over all Men for that all have sinned even over as many as have not sinned after the Similitude of Adam's Transgression which still implies they have sinned after some Similitude or Manner yea many in a more gross Manner then Adam sinned that yet think themselves Imputatively Righteous It was not only the Offence as committed by him alone but the Offence or Sin and Nature of Enmity continued and committed by men themselves and also springing up into many Offences which makes many Sinners As it is not the Father's eating sower Grapes alone that sets the Childrens Teeth an Edge but every Man that eateth the sower Grape his Teeth shall be set on Edge the Soul that sinneth it shall dye every man shall dye for his own Iniquity And further Why should Adam as a particular Person be so very much exclaimed against and blamed whereby many Hypocrites think to ease themselves and over look their own Iniquities seeing that you know not but that Adam found Repentance and Forgiveness However since Adam sinned there were Righteous Generations left namely Seth whom God appointed unto Adam as another Seed in stead of Abel Gen. 4. 25 26. and 5. 3. and afterward Enoch came forth who walked with God Gen. 5. 24. and Noah and his Family with whom God renewed
for he Cursed his Day It is evident that Job's Perfection had none of this Extream in it nor did it consist with Sin for it is thus explained He feared God eschewed Evil. And upon his Loss of Goods and Children being told him it s said of him in all this Job sinned not nor Chargâ—…d God Foolishly Chap. 1. 22. and when smitten with sore Boyls and tempted by his Wise it is also said in all this did not Job siâ—… with his Lips Chap. 2. 10. But he Cursed his Day Chap. 3. He was then under an extream Tryal and Grief divers wayes aggravated the most that can be reasonably inferred from thence is that a Perfect or Upright Man that fears God aâ—…d eschews Evil may possibly through great Tryals Temptations or Provocations be drawn into an extream to express his Grief but this only if God suffers Satan so to affict or deeply to try for he could not have so afflicted Job if God had not suffered him in that he saw the Lord had hedged him about From whence observe that what is granted hereupon and what he argues is not in pursuance of the State of the Question as to grant that a Perfect Job may be tempted into some extream Expressions if God Suffer Satan so deeply to afflict him but Whether it be not possible for such a one to be delivered as well from all Failings or Sin as from the Tryal or Temptation For was not Job a Perfect Man both before and after his Deep Affliction and is not his Patience highly commended of who said when I am tried I shall come forth as Gold Now when I affirm that this refined State was attainable in this Life were it not absurd to object that it is not because Job cursed his Day for did Job do so all his Life time or did his Perfection reach no higher His Instance That God took six Dayes to create the World when he could have done it in a Moment is no Proof that he is only a mortifying Sin more and more in this Life and that he will remove its Being in the next pag. 63. Neither do the Scriptures any where say that the Being of Sin yet mortified in part shall remain in the Saints till the next Liâ—…e though we grant God took six Dayes to create the World and rested the seventh and so he carrieth on his Work gradually in the true Believer for the perfecting of the new Creation the six I ayes Work thereof as also the Seventh Day of Rest are to be experienced in this Life the Work oâ—… Holiness is to be perfected while in the Body and he that believeth enters into his Rest or Sabbath to injoy the holy Day in that inward retired waiting upon the Lord in his own Light wherein Man must not think his own Thoughts nor speak his own Words And as for God's Work it is perfect each Day 's Work was perfect as such the first Day 's Work not mended on the sixth Day and he that hath begun a good Work in the Soul is able to perfect it Whereas S. S. states the Question and Answer thus viz. Quest. But why will he not in this Life viz. remove the Being oâ—… Sin He answers It is his good Pleasure I Reply A damnable Doctrine to affirm that it is God's Good Pleasure that the Being of Sin should remain in his Saints all their Life time or till the next when he hath no Pleasure in Evil therefore doth prohibit all Sin Quest. Can he see the Continuance of Evil good or that his Command should not be kept To this he answers He sees good to suffer Corruptions in par 〈◊〉 in his Saints to keep them humble drive them to his Blood and Righteousness c. Reply Let the soâ—…er Reader mark the Nature and Tendency of this Doâ—…rine First How Impiously he reflects upon God as seeing it Good to suffer Corruptions either but in part mortified or in part unmortified in his Saints in this Life for his Doctrine bears the same Sense on both Hands as that God sees it good to suffer Corruptions if but in part mortified then in part unmortified in his Saints And then 2dly What a great Use and Service doth he place upon the remaining of Corruptions in the Saints as namely to keep them humble exercise and drive them to his Blood and Righteousness which is as good Doctrine as to say There is a Necessity for the Saints to sin that they may be humbled to do Evil that Good may come of it and by this the more they sin the more humble the more Unrighteous or Corrupt the more Partakers of the Blood Righteousness of Christ which are gross Iâ—…consistencies Shall we sin that Grace may abound God forbid Christ's Blood cleanseth us from all Sin as we walk in the Light and his Righteousness admitteth of no Iniquity to continue For us to feel the Remission of Sins past through the Blood and Righteousness of Christ when we are come to the lively Act and Operation of Faith therein doth sufficiently render the infinite Perfection of Pardoning Grace both splendent and glorious and not to say That God sees good that Corruptions in part should continue in his Saints to keep them humble for this is a manifest pleading for Sin and a Commendation given to it as to those good Effects vainly supposed of Corruptions viz. To keep the Saints humble to drive them to his Blood whereas when they are truly humbled and Partakers of the Blood and Righteousness of Christ and living in the Sence thereof they withstand all Sin and Iniquity and dare not give way thereto that they may be righteous They that will teach men true Humility must not teach them to be Proud that they may be Humble nor tell them that it is God's good Pleasure that the Being of Sin and Corruptions must remain in them all their dayes or till the Life to come to keep them humble neither is a perfect or holy State so void of true Humility as this Sin-pleasing Doctrine implyeth But this is something like the Papists high Commendation of Man's Fall where in their Saturday-Mass in the Deacon's Hymn are these words O 〈◊〉 necessarium Adae peccatum quod Christi morte deletum est O felix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem O vere 〈◊〉 nox quae sola meruisti scire tempus horam in qua Christ us ab inferis resurrexit i. e. O surely the Sin of Adam was necessary which by Christ's Death was blotted out O blessed Fault that hast deserv'd to have so great and such a Redeemer O truly blessed Night which alone hast deserv'd to know the Time and Hour wherein Christ rose from the Hells Again To prove it God's good Pleasure not to remove the Being of Sin in this Liâ—…e that he sees good to suffer Corruptions c. And in answer to my Objection That his Pleasure is not contrary to his
in apt Resemblances obvious to the Sences as Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the Pile thereof is Fire and much Wood the Breath of the Lord like a Stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Isa. 30. 33. and Bind him Hand and Foot and cast him into ulter Darkness there shall be Weeping and Gnaâ—…hing of Teeth Mat. 22. 13. As also If thy right Eye Hand or Foot offend pluck it out or cut it off and cast it from thee as being better that one Member should perish then the whole Body should be cast into Hell where the Worm dyeth not and the Fire shall never be quenched Mat. 〈◊〉 29. Mark 9. 49. to the end Which still argues that the Impenitent and Wicked are liable to meet with real â—…orment and that he hath spiritually his proper Being and Habit consisting of such spiritual Parts and Sences having an evil Eye a polluted Mind and defiled Conscience covered with Guilt pressed down with the Body of Sin and perplexed with Horror wherein he both receiveth the Deeds 〈◊〉 in the Body and is capable of absolute Misery in the Fire which shall never be quenched where the Worm dyeth not As also it is said The Rich Man also dyed and was buried and in Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his Bosom and he cried said Father Abraham have Mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the Tip of his Finger in Water and cool my Tongue for I am tormented in this Flame Luk. 16. 23 24. When his Body was buried yet he had the Sence of Torments that seized upon him and a Sight of the other's Felicity which he himself had lost Therefore as Christ said I say unto you my Friends be not afraid of them that can kill the Body and after that have no more that they can do but I will fore-warn you whom ye shall fear fear him which after he hath killed hath Power to cast into Hell I say unto you fear him Luk. 12. 4 5. A Summary of the Difficulties in the Point in Controversie FInally The Controversie is run up to these Difficulties which I object upon our Opposers Doctrines and Conceptions 1st How the self same Bodies should arise compleat after dissolved to Dust without a New Creation appears not nor is it demonstrated by them 2. If a New Creation of compleat Bodies of the same Dust and Elements should be conceived or admitted it is Incredible that God should create any corrupt sinful or polluted Bodies thereof for perpetual Torments seeing his Works are pure And as Incredible that he should make a pure Body to be invested with the former Evil Habit of Sin and Corruption for perpetual Torment in Hell-Fire and to be sure the first Elements or Dust of dissolved â—…odies is as pure as at the first 3. If Infants be supposed to arise at the Stature of Men how can theirs be the self-same Bodies they were 4. How the Body of the Saints and Children of the Resurrection should be either a Celestial Spiritual Glorious or Angelical Body and they Equal unto the Angels in Heaven and yet the self-same Earthly Elementary Body that dissolveth to Dust c. such a strange Transubstantiation appears not unless that the Natural Body and the Spiritual the Terrestrial and the Celestial the Human and Angelical be both One and the Self-same 5. That the Soul should not enjoy her self in absolute Felicity or Misery in perfect Glory or Contempt in her proper Vessel or Cloathing spiritually without the Earthly Cloathing which is Dust appears not while the Children of the Resurrection are equal unto the Angels of God in Heaven which are absolutely Happy and the Devil and his Angels absolutely Miserable 6. We cannot believe that the Invisible Infinite God should be seen with the Bodily or fleshly Eyes after Dissolution not that Job intended he should see God with his Flesh or bodily Eyes It being in consistent both with his being an Invisible Eternal or Infinite Spirit and with the true spiritual Sight of him which Job received Job 42. 5. 7. That the Seed to which God giveth a Body as it pleaseth him 1 Cor. 15. and the Body given to it should be one and the self same Earthly Body is a non-sensical Doctrine and an apparent Incongruity 8. That the Terrestrial Bodies should be so desirable to the Souls of the Righteous after Dissolution for the compleating their Felicity and perfecting their Glory appears plainly inconsistent with their desiring here to be dissolved and to be absent from the Body to enjoy and possess a Building of God au House eternal in the Heavens Or that the Souls of the Righteous should be so variable as to desire to be absent from the Body and presently after Dissolution to desire the Resuming of the same Earthly Body or a Re-union to it This implicitely accuseth the Souls of deceased Saints with being in their Affections both Earthly Variable and Unquiet as in a kind of Purgatory Which we can never assent to Thomas Vincent's Illustrations ABOUT THE RESURRECTION Which we may look upon as the Sense of the Rest and as the Explication of their Doctrines and Opinions who are Opposing the Spirituality of our Testimony about the Resurrection Among which some Truths are intermixt though his gross and carnal Conceptions about the Point we cannot close with His Illustrations are in his Book entituled Christ's Certain and Suddain Appearance to Judgment Collected and Placed in his own Words as followeth for the Serious and Spiritual-minded Readers to judge of T. V. GIve me leave to illustrate the Resurrection a little further and here I shall endeavour to set it forth by an Allusion to that notable place Ezek. 37. and ten first Verses pag. 16. some thing like this will the Resurrection be at the Last Day Now the Bones and Bodies of all former Generations are scattered up and down in the Valley of the Shadow of Death some are sunk into the Deep others are buried in the Earth the Flesh is consumed and resolved into its first Elements and the Bones of some remain of others are mouldred into Earth Now when the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God shall come down from Mount Sion which is above into the Valley of this inferiour World he will Prophesie over all the Bodies and Bones of all the Children of Men that are dead and speak unto them to Live he will say unto them whilft they lie rotting in their Graves Live he will say Awake ye that sleep in the Dust And Oh what a Noise and Shaking will there be then in the Ground What a clattering of Bones together in the coming of Bone to his Bone If the Body hath been quartered and buried part in one place and part in another as the Levite's Concubine who was divided into Twelve Parts and sent to the Twelve Tribes of