the meaning is that this diligent search of Gods power in the register of his noble workes is one excellent meane of godlinesse and signe of one that is godly But what shall we say of those who take liberty to doe euill because they are made great as if he that made them were not greater Psal 76.12 and who walke stubbornely in their sinnes because they may walke quietly in them without any mans checke not caring for nor dreading his iudgement of rebuke who hath power is strong to bring sinners to destruction To such I say Doe yee prouoke the Lord and are yee stronger then hee 1. Cor. 10.22 if hee touch the Mountaines they smoke and if he strike hard shall they not burne The Sorcerers who ascribed so much to the finger of God Exod. 8.19 what would they haue said of his whole hand what is stubble to fire and what are wee to God Our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12.19 But God is our Creator Doct. 2 therefore againe we are taught to shew our selues in knowledge and obedience yea by all meanes and waies such as are readie alwaies to glorifie this our Creator This moued the Apostle of the Gentils writing to the Romans to exhort them to offer vp to God as in a sacrifice by obedience First their bodies mortifying them that is sinne in them Rom. 12.1 And secondly their minde by renuing of it that is by seeking to make it of old new of fleshly spirituall of prophane noly and of euill good and acceptable to God in Christ ver 2. But was this written to them or for them onely or doth it not also concerne vs seeing that he who made them made vs and who saued them must be our Sauiour The same Apostle writing to the Collossians chargeth them and vs in them whatsoeuer they doe in word or deede whether they vse their tongues or labour with their hands to doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus that is thankefully to ascribe all to God the father of Christ and our father in Christ Col. 3.17 And wherefore so but because the Father hath made vs and the Sonne hath redeemed vs as hee also saith in another place glorifie God in your bodie and in your Spirit for they are Gods as all are his 1. Cor. 6.20 The reasons No tradesman but would haue all that hee deuiseth or maketh to haue some vse and that vse to his minde and liking and what Man of occupation can abide that the tooles and instruments by which he worketh should by one comming into his shop be vsed to a wrong end and will not hee who hath created all things for his glorie and seruice haue Man his principall worke more principally seruiceable to his will and glorie or can he abide that one of his chiefe tooles that which was made to be to his praise should turne to his dishonour becomming an instrument of vnrighteousnesse to sinne which was made a weapon of holinesse to God Secondly Mans body is called the Temple of God or House made by God 1. Cor. 6.15.19 and shall we not keepe Gods House cleane If a man hauing a faire dwelling-House whereinto he meaneth to receaue his Prince should conuert the same into a stie or stable would not men say that hee did greatly abuse both his House and Soueraigne So if we make that which should be a Palace to God by swearing lying drunkennesse adulterie and such vnclean pranks a stie of Hell and stable for the gouernour of this world would not good men say that we reproch our Creator and dishonest the House of Him that made vs An instruction to make conscience of euerie sinfull way Vse as wee would bee afraid to pollute and dishonest the Princes Court or House and if we would be ashamed to be fit for nothing let euerie thought and purpose make vs blush which doth manifest that we can be of no vse to God when we goe on in sin let vs reason against such proceedings and say Surely God made vs to another end and this is no good vse of our creation This is not to make our bodie a vessell for God but a stie for Diuels or heard or droue of swine for vncleane Spirits to enter into Math. 8.31 And surely the more filthie a mans bodie is the more fit it is to become a lodge hold for Diuels sinne Wee haue eyes to see the Heauens and the soule in Gods image hath other eyes to looke into heauen Al other creatures goe with their eyes and bodies depressed to the ground and where other creatures haue but foure muscles to turne their eies about Man hath a fifth to pull His vp to Heauen And what is this but to teach vs that howsoeuer we necessarily seeke other things yet wee should first and chiefly respect and respecting seeke the things of God in our saluation But at this day though Men goe vpright outwardly in face hypocritically in shewes yet looke into their liues and worke and they may as well goe on all foure Is this to remember thy Creator and remembring Him as thou oughtest in feare and with obedience to set thy heart to His commandements and to adorn thy creation with good works seruing God So much for the person to be remembred the tyme of remembring him followeth In the daies of thy youth c. As god is to bee remembred so wee must begin betimes to remember him For many make a shew and wil seem to walke with God who walke in no awe nor reuerence of His word and many also forgetting with the common Parents of the world that they who transgresse shall die be it in youth or age eate the forhidden tree of putting off from day to day to turne vnto the Lord Gen. 3.2.3.6 and so thinking it too soone to beginne in the flight age of youth or at Mans estate carefully to serue God turne all their termes into vacations and like bad borrowers when one day or terme of life is past craue a longer and alonger till they be staied by the arrest of death and sent to the prison of hell and their lie bound in fetters of long night and death eternall Therefore Salomon giueth his yong Man counsell earely to begin repentance that is in the prime and bud of his life while hee is fresh and gallant and not to tarrie till the dead winter of age cause his buds to fade and lease to fall or till the brawne of his strong armes fall away or till the keepers of the house the hands which defend the bodie tremble or till euery thing be a burthen seeing euen the grasse-hopper shall then be a burthen or till they waxe darke the eies that looke out at the windowes or till the grinders cease that is teeth fall out of his head or till the dore of his lips bee shut and â—awes fallen or till the daughters of singing the eares be abased being vnable any longer to heare the sounds of
Rahel and life to come So much for the first of those comforts that are promised namely peace that properly concerneth our soules The second which is rest and belongeth to our bodies followeth And they shal rest in their beds c. By beds the Prophet vnderstandeth the places into which the Lord bestoweth the bodies of his seruants in or after their death whether water or fire or the panches of wilde beasts or the chambers of the earth or sea or aire And these he calleth beds because they shall rest quietly in them as men in their beds till the morning bell or loud trumpet of the last great day warning all flesh to rise shal raise them Therefore it is an vsuall thing in the scriptures so soone as men die to say they fall a sleepe Whereby is meant that they are laid in their beds of peace whether Churchyard or Church and that before their bodies are carried forth for buriall thither the places in which God taketh their soules to his presence are their beds and so the beds of their death are the beds of their peace Beds made for them by God himself in the which after their last long sleep of death they presently enter into their last sweet sleepe of peace The Papists say otherwise who hold that the righteous take no possession of their beds of rest till the Priest haue put them into their beds of earth Indeed men giue them burials then but God doth prouide for them their bed of burial lat their death And they are called beds of rest to put difference betweene these beds of our nights-sleepe and those of our sleepe in death For here bee our beds neuer so soft or well made we often take no rest by reason of some disorder in our bodies or fancies in our head but in these sleeping places which the Prophet calleth beds of rest wee may lay vs downe and sleepe in peace Psal 4.8 the Lord of life being our keeper who will make vs dwell in safetie Indeed in it own nature the graue is an house of perdition rather then bed of rest but being altered to the Iewes in promise to vs in performance by Christs graue who was buried in the earth to change the nature of it it is made to vs a chamber of rest and bed of Downe The point here taught is Doctr. The graues of the righteous which by nature are houses of destruction and chambers of feare are by Christ and the graue of Christ made to them chambers of safetie and beds of rest Christ by his buriall hath consecrated and perfumed our graues making them which were prisons to hell gates to heauen Which made the Apostle speaking of the dead in Christ to say they sleepe not they die As if hee should haue said they goe to their beds and not to destruction 1. Thes 4.15 And the same Apostle speaking of the death of the righteous calleth it not a death but a sleepe 1. Cor. 15.51 as if hee had called it not rottennesse but rest For this cause also is our death in heathen Authors called a sleepe as the Scriptures call it and our graue our bed At night wee take our chambers and lie downe in our beds so when death comes which is the end of life as the night is of the day we goe to the chambers of the earth and there make our beds or lie downe in bed till the day of refreshing which is the day of rising come that commeth from the Lord. The reasons are This was figured in the embalmings which the Iewes vsed And this figure as al other figures of the old Testament must bee performed in one which one is Christ As therefore their embalmings did perfume the graues in which they laid their dead for a season so the most precious blame of Christs buriall did for euer sweeten to the Saints their graues of corruption Secondly as the end of Christs death was that he might vanquish death so it was one end why hee was buried that he might after the manner of conquerours subdue death at his own home and as it were pluck him out of his owne den and cabbin Thirdly the bodies of the godly are parts of Christs mysticall bodie while they are in the graue and when they are turned to corruption and therefore cannot but bee precious in his eyes and grauen vpon the palme of his hand till they be restored For as the Husbandman doth make no lesse reckoning of that corne which he hath sowne in his field and lies vnder the clod of the earth then he doth of that which he hath brought into his barnes So Christ doth as highly esteeme of those bodies as it were graines of corne that are sowne in corruption as of those that yet neuer saw corruption nor came to the graue Therefore wee shall not rest in death though we rest in our graues For that God who raiseth the Sunne daily out of his den will one day raise vs out of our graues to stand before him for euer A confutation of that fancie that hath so long deluded the simple world Vse 1 which is that dead bodies walke after their death and appeare to men For how can that be when the bodies of Gods children rest in their beds so soone as their breath departeth and the bodies of the wicked are in their prisons till the day of assise Whereof if any make question let him open their graue and see And seeing the soule returneth not after it hath left the bodie how can the body walke that wanteth a soule or soule be seene if it should walke that hath no bodie Or if death bee a loosing of our soules from our bodies Phil. 1.23 How can there be any death when soule and bodie are not parted and when the man is not dead but liueth But this fancie came from Pithagoras a Philosopher and is but a Philosophers dreame Pithagoras told his dreame to the world which was that the soules of men departed did enter into the bodies of other men good soules into good mens bodies bad into bad mens The world then beleeued him And since that time Satan who can turne himselfe into all formes did in the darke night of Poperie to deceiue that ignorant age change himselfe into the similitude and forme of some person that was lately or had beene long dead and was beleeued by such a transformation to bee the partie man or woman that hee made resemblance off So entred the errour that Spirits did walke and that dead bodies came out of their graues and haunted sundry houses in the night which were not the bodies of the dead but the Diuell in those bodies or shapes as is to be seene in Samuels counterfet shape raised by the Witch at Endor 1. Sam. 28.8.14.15 And this errour as it deceiued the blind world and somewhat troubled the seeing Math. 14.26 Act. 12.15 So it is still in the mouth and faith of credulous superstition at this day But
bodies bee raised O then let vs so prepare for death by a good life that the day of our resurrection may bee a day of refreshing to vs from the Lord. Act. 3.19 When the wicked as seede that rotteth in the earth which God doth not blesse shall arise without comfort let vs endeuor to lie downe in that fauour of God wherein who so falleth a sleep shal out of the same be sure to awake comfortably and ioifully hauing no more woe nor sorrow And as Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe 1. Cor. 15.20 there resurrection beeing yet in the blade and greene eare and their bodies at rest in their graues as it were beds of peace in which they sleepe quietly till he shal raise them who raiseth the Sunne daily from his den So let vs so liue in Christ by our good consciences that when the night shall come that night or hour in the night whereof our Sauiour spake when hee said the night commeth when no man can worke Ioh. 9.4 we may goe down peaceably to our sepulchers as into our beds with confidence to stand before God in the resurrection of the iust The day will come let vs thinke of it earnestly when we must meete the Lord face to face It is good therefore to meete him heere in his word and in our honest conuersation seeking the things aboue Col. 3.1 that when we shall goe forth to meet him with the Virgins that had oile in their lampes and store of oile that is grace in their hearts wee may not bee ashamed Math. 25.1.10 If we will attaine to the resurrection of the iust we must begin it here in the New birth of a Christian and new life of one that is so borne For as in the first birth man is brought forth consisting of soul and body so in this second of our spirituall resurrection wee must haue a new soule and bodie as it were new heauen and earth created in vs. Of flesh we must be made spirit and of fleshly diuine so wee may comfortably looke for the last resurrection or our parts in it a day that sweeteneth more then sugar the crosses and miseries of our hard life here The comfortable day of the Saints and Christs glorious and welcome day after which he will raigne in the middes of the people for euer Againe shall the iudgement be of all men good and bad then it concerneth vs all if we meane to receiue from Christ the Iudge a comfortable sentence in that day to looke well to our estate and matters here that we bring a good cause and the witnesse of a good conscience to that iudgement seat He that hath a matter to be heard before some earthly Iudge and vpon some certaine day will at the time and about the day appointed be in some good readinesse That is He will bring his sufficient counsell to the barre be sure that his matter be good and euâ—dence without exception haue his witnesses to speake for him and the truth of the cause to speake for it selfe And shall we negligently deale in so waighty an action as that which must come to hearing before so great a Iudge of quicke and dead The day is set and we know not how suddenly it will come and in how short time Besides the matter to be heard concerneth not lands or goods but life or death eternall Christ is our onely Counsellour or Aduocate in that court our good deedes are our good euidence The witnesses are the word that must iudge vs and our owne consciences And shall we now despise the Son of God and count his couenant a prophane thing shall we crucifie by our sinnes Christ our Aduocate and thinke to haue him on our side and part or dreame that he will be for vs whom we haue crucified should we not rather kisse the Sonne with the kisse of our reconcilement to Christ who must speake for vs and be for vs if euer we be saued our good deedes are our best euidence and shall we follow after vnrighteousnesse doe bad deeds with greedinesse and shew no good euidence why we should not be damned our witnesses are the word and our owne consciences and shall we make a mocke of the word and not regard the witnesse of our conscience whether it be with vs or against vs if we despise the Gospell it cannot speake for vs and if we goe against our conscience it will surely be against vs. And should not man feare to bring a witnesse specially in such a court that will fearefully speake against him Let vs therefore endeuour by making much of the word by preferring it to our chiefe ioy by hearing it diligently by being moulded in it and fashioned like vnto it to get one witnesse for vs that is more worth then all the pleasures and profits of sinne that wretched men so admire And for the waies of our heart and actions of our life let vs so approue them to God who will giue an vpright sentence vpon them and vpon vs for them and doe them in such an integrity before God and innocencie before men when we either deale with God or haue dealing with our Neighbor that wee may haue two witnesses clearely for vs in that great day of hearing Lastly Vse 3 if all matters and persons must be iudged by Christ they are here reproued who take from God his seat and iudge their brother that is iudge him to condemnation For this Christ hath forbidden who is Iudg. Math. 7 1. And the Apostle Saint Paul would not haue vs thus to iudge our brother giuing this for a reason for we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ Rom. 14.10 as if he should haue said by iudging in this manneâ— we would seeme to step before God and to preuent his sentence exposing our brother with great wrong to a double iudgement one which we pronounce another which Christ will giue at the last day So our brother shall be twice iudged once by vs who are vsurpers and againe by Christ who is Iudge indeed or by such manner iudgement we argue Gods righteous iudgement of insufficiencie and iudgement seat of corruption and so wrong the Lord and not only our brother when we so iudg him But though rash iudgement be forbidden yet all iudgement is not For the Iudge may censure a fault that deserueth death with death and may condemne a malefactor to the gallowes whom he may not condemn to hell The Minister may censure faults by the doome of the word of God and by ecclesiasticall correction Nay the priuate man may iudge a wicked person by his life so farre as he may know him by it and iudge him by the word though he may not iudge him to hell nor iudge him before the time 1. Cor. 4.5 we may iudge the tree by the fruit because by the fruit we may know it Math. 12.33 and so as farre as we know we may speake so we speake charitably
Scripture speaketh of such an one crucified at the right hand of the Sonne of God who crauing with faith mercy to saluation receiued this answer To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise But it speaketh but of one that was so saued And it speaketh of another in that very place and at that very time that was damned And here a Father saith Wee reade of one that no man should despaire and but of one that no man should presume This example therefore is a medicine against desperation no cloake for sinne Let vs therefore passe the time of our dwelling here in feare seeing wee are redeemed from our vaine conuersation not with corruptible things as with gold and siluer but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot 1. Pet. 1.17 To whom with the Father and Holy-ghost be all glory for euer Amen The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND SERMON IOB Chap. 14. Vers 14. All the daies of my appointed time I would waite till my change were come THese words were spoken by Iob of whose patience and prouocations to impatiencie this whole booke and the testimonie of Saint Iames are liuely proofes Iam. 5.11 In the thirteene verse of this chapter Iob hauing as it seemed to him beheld Gods anger in the chastisements that his soule felt wherein as hee said the Lord wrote bitter things against him desiring to bee hid in some secret place of the earth till the Lords face were changed toward him and till hee might see those frownes to goe out of his countenance that had cast such knots vpon his soule In this verse he professeth that if he could perperswade himselfe of any hope yet behinde God shewing himselfe to be an enemie and setting him vp as a marke for all his arrowes he would wait for it euen till death And this I take to bee the occasion of these words of Iob in this Scripture Where it may be thought a strange thing that a man commended for such patience should so distemperately plead the cause of his affliction with God But no man meerely man and clothed with the garment of mortalitie could euer so wait vpon God as not to be led aside from his attendance for a season when he saw the Lord to fasten in him his sharpe arrowes and to let him vp as a Butt to shoote at And in this respect it is that this glorious patterne of patience could not beare his griefe in a minde so battered with sorrowes For the bodie of sinne which in our weakest times and estate thrusteth into the motions of our minde diuers carnall distrusts and fleshly feares will neuer cease to molest keep vs downe so long as we liue here and a wounded spirit who can beare Pro. 18.14 Neuerthelesse Iob stil waited on God for a good end in these matters and lost not his hope as appeareth by the last chapter of this booke where hee receaueth the crowne of his patience and is exceedingly blessed in his person and children And therefore though in the storme he spake with some distemper yet his meaning was that he did and would wait for Gods help and deliuerance though it should bee deferred till hee must put off this tabernacle and change mortalitie for immortall Where let vs consider the attendance spoken of and the terme or continuance The terme is expressed by the mid-times or extremitie of naturall life The mid times are called largely daies and with limitation the appointed daies The extreame point of this is called a change The attendance is in respect of the season wherein hee attended or of the attendance it selfe The attendance was in a time of trouble and much anguish which he quietly endured Doctr. Which doth teach vs in euery hard estate patiently to beare what commeth relying on God and waiting for his word The Prophet was in great miserie who praying to God said My soule fainteth for thy saluation Psal 119.81 His affliction was great and through the infirmitie of the flesh he fainted yet he waited on Gods promise for deliuerance and beleeued his word by which he was deliuered Dauid opened not his mouth in great troubles to any impatience because God had sent them Ps 39.9 The same Prophet Psal 37.5.7 exhorteth others to a like silence and yeelding in trouble because God hath done it and therefore saith Commit thy way to God and trust in him And againe Wayt patiently on the Lord and hope in him His meaning is reason not in your affliction with God but in patience possesse them vnder his mighty hand seeing you haue sinned against him then shall you see your hope and God will surely bring your soule out of aduersitie Also the speech of Moses to the Israelites at the red sea and when they had the sea before them the Egyptians their enemies behind them and steepe mountaines and high hils on euery hand side of them was Stand still and you shall see the saluation of God Exod. 14.13 As if he had said Go not backe by despaire nor forward by presumption and though you see nothing but death in men and destruction in creatures you shall see life in God and the saluation of God for life to euery one of you in your present helpe and deliuerance if you faint not The reasons further prouing this doctrine are first we haue deserued the paines of Hell by our sinnes much more the sharpest paine temporall Now if God inflict a light chastisement and we deserue the chaines of hell if he punish for a short time we deserue for euer to be afflicted haue we cause to complaine though the arrowes of the Almighty sticke in our flesh and his hand lie heauy vpon vs Psal 38.1.2 c. Secondly it is the Lord and we must patiently attend his worke He doth not deuise and leaue the execution to another but whatsoeuer is done he doth it himselfe in the point of correction and sense of paine his head and hand goe together Act. 4.28.2 Sam. 16.10 Thirdly we must be followers of Christ in affection to Gods will Now Christ seeing his father had so appointed desirously entred into his bath and passions for our sakes yea thought the time long and was greeued till he fell into his last agonie and cold sweat in the which he was couered after a sort with clodded blood that ran abundantly from his face downe to the ground Luc. 12.50 22.44 and shall a little so trouble vs who as the theefe said to his fellow receaue things worthie of that we haue done where Christ suffered innocently and so much for vs Luc. 23 41. or shall we see the sonne of God all in goare blood and all in a sweat though no man touched him though no man came neere him and in a cold night when he lay out in the open aire and vpon the cold earth to sweat so plentifully not a thin faint sweat but a sweat of great droppes and those
shall liue together with my dead bodies shall they rise Esa 26.19 where the Prophet testifieth without any figure his hope in the resurrection both of his owne bodie and the bodies of all beleeuers His drift is to proue that same thing whereof we spake before out of Ezechiel namely the restoring of Israel after their long captiuitie in Babylon where he sheweth that as herbs which in winter seem dead are fresh again in the spring so the people who seemed to die as winter herbs in their captiuitie shall in the spring of their return rise as it were from death to life And yet hee plainely sheweth that the bodies of the faithfull though they seeme vtterly to porish when they are in the earth shall rise at the last day through that seed which they haue in Christ Daniel speaketh yet more plainely and saith Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake Dan. 12.2 He saith many as if he should say an infinite number shal awake an infinite number of the iust and an infinite number of the wicked Or by many hee vnderstandeth all as the Apostle in a like case doth Rom. 5.15.19 Where speaking of many dead by the sinne of Adam he sheweth in the 18. verse that by those many hee meaneth all The Iewes gather from the text in Daniel that there shall be no resurrection of the wicked which also they doe from the first Psalme But they gather that the holy Ghost neuer scattered And they may as well say that all the godly shall not rise because it is said many not all as that the wicked shall not be raised But to proceed wherefore did Dauid lay vp his flesh in such hope but because hee had greater faith in the resurrection Psal 16.9.10 Martha neuer staggered at the resurrection but confessed it as a doctrine of the faith of those times For when Christ had said thy brother shall rise againe shee readily answered I know that hee shall rise againe in the resurrection at the last day Ioh. 11.23.24 As if hee had said I doubt nothing of that Saint Paul in the whole 15. chapter of his former Epistle to the Corinthians maketh the resurrection the subiect of all his disputes there And this was his hope that he had toward God that the resurrection of the dead should bee both of the iust and vniust Act. 24. The Epistle to the Hebrews speaking of the manifold martyrdomes of the Saints sheweth that they quietly endured al those sharpe stormes in their faces because their hope was to receiue a better resurrection that is better then any deliuerance here Heb. 11.35 Also how could Christs argument hold that God is the God of the liuing being the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob if Abraham Isaac and Iacob should not liue as now in their soules which are before God so hereafter in their bodies which are in Gods keeping Mat. 22.32 Neither doth the Lord say I am the God of Abrahams soule but the God of Abraham that is of Abrahams whole man Thus the point of the resurrection is plaine by Scripture It followeth briefely to shew what euidence it hath in reason that we may take heauen earth to witnesse against the oppugners of it Deut. 30.19 It is sufficient to weigh these matters in the weights of the sanctuarie and not needfull to trie them at the bulke of humane reason yet to giue them ouer measure that will not receiue this truth Let it first bee considered that as the soule of the righteous did not please God without the body nor the soules of the wicked sinne against him but in their bodies so it is requisite that as the soule of the one is glorified and the soules of the other are condemned to hell that I say their bodies also should in Gods time bee brought to pleasures or torment Secondly without the bodie the soule is imperfect And beeing imperfect how can it enter into an entire estate of happinesse till the body bee raised that the bodie may bee ioined to it Thirdly if the bodie should not bee raised the fulnesse of grace should not be shewed to the Saints nor the fulnesse of wrath to sinners Fourthly if there were no resurrection God shold promise that which he minded not to giue who promiseth a reward to the iust but it is at the resurrection Luke 14.14 Fiftly the reuolutions of so many springs summers haruests hard winters as it were so many deaths and resurrections the dying of the day in the night the graue of that day and the vprising againe of it in the morning from that den of darknesse are and doe become so many liuely testimonies to the world of the generall great resurrection of all bodies at the last day Sixtly doe we not see in the spring how that from a dead dry tree leaues proceed and sprout forth by a kinde of resurrection And doe wee not see the same tree to beare further fruit and to be adorned with a new rinde as it were fresh and beautifull skin do wee not fee in a small seede a tall and great tree is that which is sowne quickened except it die 1. Cor. 15.36 Doe not our Meddowes pastures and pleasant gardens which in the winter appeare dead without all beautie returne with the returne of the Sunne to their former full life and glorie This winter is our death and this spring our rising from death to life Seuenthly the swallowes wormes and flies which lie dead all winter doe with the returne of the Sunne and comming of Summer receiue a new life Now shall the force of this earthly Sun worke so in birds and wormes and shall the Sunne of righteousnesse be lesse able to giue life then the sunne of the heauens And if it was an easie thing with God at first to make man of nothing is it a lesse easie thing with him to make him againe though he be as nothing seeing hee is not meerely nothing but nothing out of that which was before Before we were borne where was our forme and matter Yet wee feee to what bignesse wee are come and what forme wee haue and what being Where was the seede of Leui when to speake as the Scriptures do hee was in the loines of Abraham his great grand-father Heb. 7.20 Many alterations corruptions and changes came between yet God purposed that Leui should be so borne that is of the feede of Abraham and not all the corruptions that came betweene could alter his purpose Lastly all the resurrections that we reade of in the Scriptures of the old and new testament as of the Shunamites sonne 2. Kin. 4.33 Of the body that was cast into the Prophets graue 2. King 13.21 of Lazarus Ioh. 11.43 of Iairus daughter Mat. 9.25 yea of the bright Sunne himself and of many Saints with him Mat. 27.52.53 are as so many pledges to vs of the resurrection that shal be of all dead bodies at Christs comming But must all
chuse but come And the Euangelist Iohn the third witnesse of this truth vnto vs saw this in a vision wrote it in a booke His words are And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God Apoc. 20.12 Not some dead but all the dead little and great And they were iudged Not some men but euerie man according to his workes ver 13. But shall the dead onely stand before Christ not they who shal be found aliue at his comming Yes euen they shall stand before Him and the elect then aliue shall come vp vnto him 1. Thes 4.16 The elect shall be with him in the Mount the wicked and sinners shall stand at the foote of the hill The reasons First euerie thought and worke must bee brought into iudgement Eccles 12.14 11.9 and if euery secret thing and worke then the persons out of whose hearts those thoughts came and in whose hands those workes were must be iudged Secondly among the sonnes of Adam some are gold and they must be purged and some drosse and they must be burnt vp with the fire of the Lords comming Here goates and sheepe feede together as in one common pasture and here tares and wheat grow vp together as in one common field But when they come to the fold the Porter of heauen not Peter but Christ will open the doore of life to his sheepe and open hell for damned goates and reprobates and when they come to the haruest the Master of the field will command his Reapers the Angels to gather the wheate of his election into his garner but for the chaffe of his wrath he will scatter it with the wind of his iudgement and burne it vp with the vnquenchable fire of hell Math. 3.12 13.30 It is necessary therefore for the triall of euery mans worke and person that there should be a generall iudgement and a generall appearing at it Thirdly it is more for the glory of God and the solemnitie of the day that all without exception shall be cited to it and be present at it It is more to the glorie of God for then the glory of his iustice shall more appeare in the reprobation of sinners and the glorie of his grace be more and more gloriously manifest in the saluation of his people And for that daies magnificence what can be imagined to make it more solemne stately and glorious then to haue all countreyes tongues and kindreds of the earth to come together to it for what a great day will that be and how full of maiestie beautie and honour when the whole world shall appeare together at once that is at one session and iudgement If a King should marrie his eldest sonne and bid many Kings and some Emperours to the marriage would not that be a great marriage but at the day of Christs marriage wherein he shall be eternally espoused to his Church all the world shall be present all Kings and Emperors that euer were shall be at it some as guests to honour it some as enemies to be driuen from it Math. 22.11.13 Quest But if the godly shall be iudged and if all persons both the godly and sinners shall and must appeare before Christ in iudgement how is it true that the Saints shall come with Christ and that no iudgement shall passe by Christ against the saints and why doth Saint Iohn say that he who beleeueth in the Sonne shall not come into iudgement Ioh. 3.18 For answere I say that Answ though all persons must come vnto iudgement yet the righteous onely shall stand in the iudgment Ps 1.3 and with boldnesse before Christ the Iudge Luc. 21.36 who therefore shall receiue sentence with them not as the wicked against them and here the sentence of come yee blessed not the wofull sentence of goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire Math. 25.34.41 where it is said that he who beleeueth shall not come into iudgement the meaning is and so our bookes haue it into iudgement of condemnation Quest Answ But the text hath against all men I answere the me anng is and the greeke preposition may well be rendred vpon all men and so the last translated Bible copie hath it Will Christ giue iudgement vpon all men Vse 1 good and bad then the bodies of all men that sleepe in the dust good or bad must be raised For if they be not raised how shall they be iudged or shall they be iudged in their soules onely then not men but the soules of men onely are to be iudged This point of the resurrection is a point or article of faith to saluation wherein we professe to beleeue by the scriptures that when the soule goeth out of the bodie to rest or paine the bodie it selfe is laid in some graue till the day come wherein the Lord Iesus will raise it by his voice in an Archangell either to eternall happinesse or to eternall miserie I speake of the soules going out of the body For some haue thought that the soules of men which die not are kept in still within the body that dieth as in a sleepe or swoune till the last day But we reade to the contrarie in the word of God as of soules vnder the altar not still in the body and of crying soules not of soules asleepe or soules in a traunce Apoc 6.9 So Lazarus soule was carried to heauen Therefore not least in the bodie but taken out of the bodie Luc. 16.22 Other groser opinions of the soules estate after death I leaue to the Mowles and to the Backes from which they came Esa 2.20 My purpose being to speake of the bodies estate as it shall be at the last day not of the soules as it is at the day of our death And here for the resurrection of bodies which we beleeue with all the true Churches of Christ Satan hath raised some in all ages to cauill against it or flatly to denie it For all haue not altogether denied it who were enemies to it as Himineus and Philetus who granted there was a resurrection but said it was past 2. Tim. 2.17.18 And the Sadduces did not generally resist it but had their false glosses and diuers interpretations of it Indeed the Stoikes and Epicures among the Philosophers were peremptorie adâ—ersaries to it Act. 17.18 and Libertines among Christians doe in their liues denie it But the truth of it shineth brighter in scripture and reason then that it can be darkned by any cloude how blacke soeuer of humane opposition Iob saith that after the wormes haue done with his bodie yet euen in that bodie he shall see God Iob. 19.26 Ezechiel foresheweth the bringing againe of the people out of captiuitie vnder an excellent figure of the rising and restoring of our flesh at the last day Ezech. 37.5.6 as if he should haue said He that can restore flesh and breath to rotten bones can restore the Israelites to their country Esay speaketh plaine of this matter saying Thy dead men