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A14943 The hope of the faithfull Declaring breefely and clearly the resurrection of our Lord Iesus Christ past, and of oure true essentiall bodies to come: and plainly confuting the cheefe errors, that hath sprong thereof, out the Scripture and doctors. VVith an euident probation, that there is an eternall life of the faithfull, and an euerlasting damnation of the vnfaithfull. Nevvly imprinted and corrected. 1574.; In sacrosanctum Jesu Christi Domini nostri Evangelium secundum Matthaeum commentariorum libri XII. English. Selections Bullinger, Heinrich, 1504-1575.; Coverdale, Miles, 1488-1568.; Werdmüller, Otto, 1511-1552, attributed name. 1574 (1574) STC 25250; ESTC S111633 60,785 256

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bodye which nowe is deuided parted in his members and ioyntes remaineth that is he shall haue true flesh blud bones synewes ioynts members c. CHAP. 15. The maner hovve the bodies shall rise againe and the kinde that they shall be of BVt to the intēt that this ●ay yet be more plainly vnderstand I wil nowe tel howe oure bodies shall rise what nature and kinde they shall be of in the resurrection At the ende of the world shall the Lord come with great maiesty vnto iudgement and shall declare and shewe him selfe in and with a righte true essenciall body Hether also to shal he be brought shal stand in the clouds of heauen that al flesh may se him Yea al men that are vpon earth shal beholde him and know him by his glory In the mean season also shall he send his Archangel to blow the trompe Then shall all the dead heare and perceiue the voice and power of the sonne of god And so al men that died from the first Adam shal immediatly arise out of the earth And al they that liue vntil the last day shall in the twinkling of an eye be changed And thus all men euery one in hys owne flesh shal stand before the iudgement se●te of oure Lorde Iesus Christ and shall wait for the last sentence and iudgement of the Lord which sentence being geuen quicklye and withoute delay shall call one part into heauen and thrust out the other into hell This fashion and maner of the resurrection haue not I imagined of my selfe but written it al out of the Euangelists scriptures of the holy Apostles For thus we reade The powers of heauen shal moue in the last time and then shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man in heauen then shall all the kinreds of the earth mourn they shall see the sonne of mā come in the cloudes of heauen with power greate glory And he shall send his Angels with the great voyce of a trōpet they shal gather together his chosen frō the foure winds from the one end of the world to the other c. Herevnto adde that he spake in Mathewe Iohn And Paul in the first to the Thessalonians saithe This say we vnto you in the word of the lord that we which liue are remaining in the comming of the lord shall not come before thē which slepe For the Lord himself shall descend from heauen with a shout the voice of the Archangell ● trompe of god And the dead i● Christ shal arise first Then sha● we that liue remaine be caught vp with them also in the clouds t● mete the lord in the ayre And s● shal we euer be with the Lorde Furthermore to the Corinthian● saith Paul behold I shew you mystery We shal not all sleepe but we shall all be changed an● that in a moment in the twin●ling of an eye at the time of th● last trompe For the trompe sha● blowe and the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shal be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality This is nowe the maner of the resurrection of oure bodies in what nature and kind they shall rise againe But in the resurrection they shall thorow the power of God be made immortall incorruptible For the Apostle saith expresly the dead shall rise againe After that he saithe this corruptible mortall must put on incorruption and immortality In the which words the terme this poynteth directly as wyth a finger to oure liuing and humaine body And so Iob saide euen I my selfe shall see him none other Wherfore our bodies after thei be risen againe from death shall remain euen in their own right state substance as afore Yea euen the very same men shal kepe still theyr nature kind as they did afore sauing that they which afore time wer subiect to frailti shall from thence forth be pure clean perfect immortal of a sincere and purified nature subiect and obedient vnto the spirite Such bodies raised frō death did the olde wryters call glorified purified or glorious bodies that according to the doctrine of the holy Apostles Albeit ther wer some which abused that word and therfore made the veritye of the bodies void of none effect beginning to dispute of glorified bodies as of the pure substāce estate of a spirite Whereof we shall speake shortly if God will. CHAP. 16. That Paule spake rightly of a glorified body and vvhat a glorified body is and vvhat a naturall BVt nowe wil I declare that Paule did rightly wel vse this worde glorious or glorified body euen as it is truli in it self For to the Philippiās he sayth Our dwelling is in heauen frō whence we loke for the sauiour euē Iesus Christ the lord which shall change our vile earthy body that it may be fashioned like vnto his own glorious body according to the working wherby he is able to subdue all things vnto himselfe In thys sentence thou haste that terme glorified body thou hast also of what nature and kinde the glorified body shal be namely whole and as the body of Christ that rose againe from death And thus shal it not be a body vtterly made voide or brought to nothīg or altogether turned into a sprite therefore hauing no roume place incōprehensible and inuisible but it shal be an vprighte very true humaine body as it is sufficiently declared afore where I spake of the true resurrectiō of the lord In the which place we vnderstande that whan the Lordes disciples thought they had sene a spirit whan they saw the Lorde he said vnto them a spirit hath not flesh bones as ye see me haue Handle me and see for it is euen I my selfe The Lord also after his resurrection set before them some fashion or euidence of hys glorification namely whan he was transfigured before them And at that time remained the right essenciall substance of the bodye but in forme and fashion it was altered in that it became glorious So stādeth it plainly he was transfigured and not that he was made voyde or broughte to nothing or altered into another substance Thus saith Paule also he shall change our body c. Wherfore euen the righte true substance of the glorified bodye shall remaine still As for the change or alteration it shal be in the infirmities that happen vnto vs So that whan the body taketh vpon it the glorification and immortality they shal be wholly remoued and fall away Howbeit this shal be more euident and plain to vnderstand if it be thorow and with diligēce considered and declared what this worde glory or glorification meaneth For transfiguration glory glorification is one thing So saith holy Augustin in his boke against the Arrians To bring to glory to make glorious and to glorify are .iij. vvordes yet is it but
heauen But to the intente that no man mistake this worde heauen or otherwise imagine any thing that is darke or not vnderstād wherby the simple being in erroure may scase know at the last wher heauen is or where Christ hath his dwelling It shal therfore be nedeful brefely to declare what the heauen is and that the Lord with his own true body doth dwell in heauen as in one place For heauē is a certain assured place and not only a name declaration of the estate being in heauen Therfore whan it is sayde Christ is gon vp into heauen it is not so much as only to say he hath taken vpon him an heauenly estate or being but also he dwelleth bodely in heauen as in one place CHAP. 7. The diuers significations of this vvord Heauen as it is vsed in scripture THis worde Heauen in the scripture is vsed diuers and sondry waies First for the whol● firmament which is called th● heauenly host or beutifull apparell of the heauens Hereof ha● thou recorde in the eighte an● ninetenth Psalme It is taken also for the ayre which is aboue vs as the Prophet sayeth he couereth the heauen with clouds to prepare rain for the earth Hereof cōmeth it that the foules which flie in the ●ire are called foules or birdes of heauen that is to say birdes ●n the aire Item heauen also is vsed for a seat habitatiō or dwel●ing as the Lord hath prepared his seate in heauen and ye shall not sweare by Heauen for it is Gods seat And though God be ●nfinite can not be compassed ●bout with any place as the moste wise Salomon saide The heauens and the heauens of all heauens are not able to conteine thee And howe should then th● house doe it that I haue builded Yet the scripture calleth the heuen that is aboue vs a dwelling ● God which dwellīg is ordein● for all faithfull vertuous bel●uers and is named the heaue● This doth Paule witnesse sa●ing we know that if our earth mansion of this dwelling wer● destroied we haue a building ● God an habitation not made ● hands but eternall in heauen Here is now heauen taken f● the kingdom of God for the kin●dome of the father or ioy ete●nal life which is peace and re● The heauen I say is a seat a● dwelling of the faithfull or ble●sed beleuers a determinat place also into the which the lord Iesus was receiued when he was taken vp into the heauen And this dothe the scripture plainly declare vnto vs namely the aboue ●s ther is a certain determinate place prepared for vs. For Luke saith he was recei●ed vp on hie and a cloude toke ●im vp away out of their sighte Item and while thei loked sted●astly vp towardes heauen the Angels saide this same Iesus which is taken away from you ●nto heauen shal so come euē as ●e haue sene him go into heauē ●ho is so ignorāt now that he ●otteth not where heauen is or the clouds or into which heau● the Apostles loked so stedfast● Besides this the holye Apos● Paule sayth also our conuersa●on freburgership or dwelling in heauen from whence we lo● for the Sauioure euen the L● Iesus Loe in heauen saythe ● Apostle is oure dwelling ● which heauen I pray you ●● in the same whence we loke the sauioure Now is it euid● from whence we wait and lo● seing that the Apostle sayth ag● we which shall liue and rema● shal be caught vp with them ● in the cloudes to mete the L● in the air and so shall we eue● wyth the Lord. He saith also in another place if ye be risen againe with Christe then seke those things which are aboue wher Christ sitteth at the right hand of god And therfore is the Lord Iesus gone vp into the heauen that is aboue vs and namely into that sure certaī place which is prepared for the blessed And in the same heauen as in a sure certain place doth Christ now dwel bodely Of this opinion also was holy Augustine as in dede it is righte agreeable vnto holy scripture His words are foūd in the boke ad Dardanum de praesentia Dei. Holye Fulgentius in the seconde booke that he wrote vnto King Trasimundus is earnest to bring euery mā vnto this vnderstanding that the humaine kind nature of Christ which now dwelleth in heauen is circūscribed in one place With him a●so accordeth vniformly the holy martyr Vigilius whose testimony I wil now omit and come againe to the holy scripture The Scripture minding t● shewe what is become of the body that rose againe from death and ascended vp and where h● hathe his dwelling saith simpl● plainly he sitteth at the righ● hand of God the father almig●tye Thus nowe is the bodye 〈◊〉 Christ come to the right hand God there sitteth he But heere shall it be expedient to declare what the right hande of God is and what it is to sit at Goddes right hand CHAP. 8. VVhat Gods right hand is and to vvhom it is referred FIrst the right hande of God is not referred vnto god him self but vnto men that are on the right hād So that first the right hand of God dothe signify the eternal saluation and the place of those that be saued This did holi Augustine teach whose words I may well alledge forasmuche as he also doth confirme proue his opinion by the diuine and holye Scriptures In his booke de Agone Christiano he sayth we ought not to heare them that deny the sonne to sitte at the righte hand of god For they say hath god the father also a right or lef● side as bodies haue Nether d● we vnderstand that of the father For with no bodelye proportion can God be described or comprehended As for the right hand o● the father it is nothing els but eternall saluation which he sha●● geue to al godly faithfull beleuers In like manner is the left hande rightly taken for the euerlasting damnation that shall com● vpon the vnbeleuers So that n● of God but of the creatures ● must be expounded that is writte● of the right left hand For euen the body of Christ also which is the church shall come to the right hand that is into saluation as the Apostle saithe to the Ephesians he hathe raised vs vp together with him made vs sit together with him among them of heauen For though oure bodies as yet be not there our hope neuerthelesse is there already The same holy Augustin saith also further in the boke De fide symbolo By the right hand saith ●e must be vnderstand the highest saluatiō wher rightuousnes peace ioy is like as the gotes also shal be set on the lefte hande That is by reson of theyr sins wickednesse they shal come into great calamity troble misery All these are the wordes of holy Augustine CHAP. 9. VVhat it is to
sit at the right hand of God hovve Christ sitteth the● and vvhat he dothe ANd thus now to sit at th● right hand of God is eue● as much as to be in rest that to say al wretchednesse miser● set aside to liue in a godly life to be partaker of eternall ioy Now that this word to sitte vsed in Scripture for rest the places declare In the. 4. boke Moises it is wrytten thus sha● your brethren go to war wo● ye sit here And in Micheas eu●ry one shal sit vnder his vine and figtree c. Mani mo such places ther be Wherfore now whā the scripture saithe that the lord Iesus sitteth at the right hād of his father it vnderstādeth it chefely of his humaine nature which he he toke vpon him that the same being discharged and free from al trauaile and misery of man is now all in ioy partaker of the kingdō euerlasting Thus saithe also Rufinus in his exposition of the Crede to sit at the right hand of the father is cōuenient for the manhead receiued which is receiued thorow a mistery For to ascribe that to the diuine nature it is vnseemely as though it had a seate in heauen but of the humaine nature it is properly vnderstand and spoken And the like yet did holy s Peter teach afore Rufinus time a● it is to see in the Actes But now might one ask wha● doth the son at the right hand o● the father Must he alway sitt● there be asmuch as made fast and bound vnto it Answere The Lord Iesus after his humaine nature that he tooke vpon him which he put not frō him in heauen hath now eternall ioy with his elect he as the head with his members ruling reigning with all faithfull beleeuers for euermore Wherof we shal spea● more afterward A very superfluous vnprofitable question also is it whā one will so curiously inquire know what God doth in heauen For God wil only teach vs with his holy worde that he liueth ruleth eternally in the glory of his heauenly father Holy Augustin saithe also in the booke De fide symbolo To go about for to seke and inquire where and howe the body of our Lord is in heauen it is a poynt of nice people bringeth no profit Only we ought to beleue that he is verely in heauen For truly it standeth not with our weaknes to comprehende and discerne the priuity of the heauens but it besemeth our faith to haue the worthy glorious body of the Lord in highe and worthy estimation Hetherto Augustine CHAP. 10. That Christ sitteth at the right hand of God by his humanity but circumscribed in place and is not euery vvhere NOw though the heauenly honor glory be high and may not be expressed yet th● place where he dwelleth is certaine the bodye that is in heauen can not be euery where For the right hande of God in and after this first signification thereof is not infinite Els must al faithf●● beleuers also they that are saued be euery where seeing they are with the sonne of God who is taken vp into heauen For the Lord himselfe saithe nowe from henceforth shall I be no more in the worlde but they are in the world I come vnto thee Vpō this he saith father they whome thou hast geuen vnto me I will that where I am they also be with me that they may see my glorye which thou hast geuen me Item he that doth me seruice let him folowe me and where I am there shal also my seruaunts be Seing now that our soules oure bodies also after the resurrection of the flesh shal be in heauen as in a place certain it foloweth that the body of the Lord which into heauen is taken vp hath also a place certaine in heauen and that the right hand of God in this signification can not be euery where In this vprighte matter let it trouble no man that is read in s Paul how that Christ ascended vp aboue al the heauens by meanes whereof a curious body mighte peraduenture conclude if Christ our Lord be taken vp aboue the heauens then can there no place certain be ascribed vnto him seing there is no place aboue or with out the heauen Neither ought it to offend any man that is wrytten how that vnto Christ ther is geuē a name which is aboue al names Or that Paule sayth howe that no eie hath sene neither any eare heard nor is come into the heart of man what god hath prepared vnto them that loue him For the scripture of God thorow out doth witnes constantly and sure that Christ Iesus is taken vp into heauen sitteth at the right hād of his father Wherby it is out of dout that the Apostle thought not to set Christ wihtoute heauen but therefore proponeth he the matter with so high excellent wordes to shew and declare vnto vs that the body of our lord which afore was despised and shamefulli defaced is now in the supreme highest glorye that meaneth he where he saythe aboue all heauens For who ● dothe thorowly consider that plac● of Paule to the Ephesians findeth that Paul hath set two parte of his oratiō the one against th● other For first he saithe thus that he ascended what meane● it but that he also descended fi● into the lowest parts of the earth Against this setteth he nowe h● that descended is euen the sam● also that ascended vp euen ●boue all heauens Therfore is here the one set ●gainst the other namely to de●cend into the lowest parts of t● earth to ascend aboue all he●uens But who would heere co●clude Christe ascended into the lowest partes of the earth Ergo he had no place vpon earth For euery man vnderstandeth well that Paule with these words minded to declare the true comming of the Lord vpon earth the great humility mekenes of our lorde Iesus Christe Therefore who wold thē in the other part of the oration conclude Christ ascēded vp aboue all heauens Ergo he is not in heauen or in anye other place For is there also any one place without the heauen Who vnderstandeth not now that Paule here minded to say nothing else thā that which he vttereth more plainly to the Philippians he hathe exalted him on hie An● thoughe this highe or heauenl● honor be greater and more glor●ous then any mannes tonge ca● or may expresse yet the heaue● is and doth remain stil the dwe●ling of the faithful and therefor● is it a place certaine Wherfore after my plaine an● simple vnderstanding whych i● not curious I beleue constātly that the glorified body of Christe i● ascended vp aboue all heauens that is aboue al cōpace or spher● height of heauen so euen i● heauen that is in the dwelling ● the faithful and ther remaineth and is not as they say passed b● on the
hell For he ascending vp on high led captiuity captiue and wha● he had spoiled the ennemies h● gaue gifts vnto his people an● endueth them yet daily with spiritual riches Therefore sitteth h● now on highe to the intent tha● with his owne strengthe whic● he daily bestoweth vpon vs h● may regenerate vs into a spir●tual life quicken vs with his holy sprite garnishing his church that is to say the faithfull wyth manifold gifts of thanks defending them against all euill suppressing the terror of hys ennemies but preseruing and sauing vs as those that truely do honor and worship him For he as hauing the victorious triumph is the king sauioure and heade of all faithfull beleuers Finally also with his resurrection he hathe prepared vs a place made the way opened it into heauen Thus in heauen hath he placed the true mā that we mighte haue an assured true testimoni that our flesh also shal rise againe and that the whole perfect man with body and soule shal be caried into heauen For mēbers shal be like vnto the heat Therfore as the cloud toke vp the very true body of the Lord ye● euen the whole perfecte manne Christ so shal all godly persons be taken vp into the air to mete the Lorde that they may liue with Christ their Lorde head for euermore For Paul saith the dead in Christ shall arise first The● we which liue remain shalb● caught vp with them also in th● cloudes to meete the Lorde i● the ayre and so shall we euer b● with the Lord. Item to the Hebrues by th● meanes of the bloud of Iesu w● haue free entrance into the hol● place by the new liuing way which he hathe prepared for vs thorowe the vaile that is to say by his flesh Vnto this meaning agreeth very wel the godly and excellent sentence of the old ancient wryter Tertullian who in the booke of the resurrection of the flesh saith thus Christ which is called the arbiter and mediator betwene God and men hath of the same that is set and committed vnto him of both reserued al so vnto himself the adding to of the fleshe for an earnest peny of the whole summe For like as he hath left vs the pledge of the sprite euen so contrariwise hath he receiued of vs the earnest peny of the flesh and caried it vp with him into heauen a true euidence or pledge that he will bring thether also the whole summe bodye soule c. For this great and highe benefite declared vnto vs by hys diuine mercy without oure deseruing be laude and praise honor and thankes vnto oure King our victorious Triumpher head and Redemer euen our Lord Iesu Christ from hence forth now and for euermore Amen ¶ The second part ENTREATING OF our bodies CHAP. 13. Of the true Resurrection of oure Fleshe NOwe commeth it to the poynt that we must also speake of the true raising vp of our bodies or resurrection of this our flesh for the same foloweth out of the resurrection and ascension of oure Lorde Iesus Christ This worde to rise vp as Tertullian De Resurrectione carnis declareth extendeth to nothing more thē vnto that which was falne For nothing cā arise saue onely it that fell For when a thing was falne and standeth vp againe we say it is risen for asmuch as this terme to rise vp hath a relacion S. Paule vseth the word Anistemi which signifieth to erecte to rise vp to set vp againe and to stand Egeromai ex hypnou I rise vp and awake frō slepe The Hebrues vse the worde kum which signifieth not onli to rise vp but also to endure to continue and to remaine vpright For in the booke of Iosua we read the childrē of Israel coulde not stande before their enemies that is they might not endure continue before them Furthermore in the boke of Genesis euery thing was destroyed that remained that is whatsoeuer there was and stode vprighte or erected it selfe vpon the face of the earthe Heereof it commeth that to stande vp and to rayse vp is called the immortality or the euerlasting and perpetuall continuance of the soule As whan the Lord saith in the gospel of Iohn I will raise him vp at the last daye For if by the last day the houre of euery mans death be vnderstand then dothe the Lord raise vp that is he preserueth the soule in the state that it dieth not neither perisheth in death nowe if by the last day be vnderstand domes day then raiseth he vp the body from the earth at the laste daye in the generall iudgement Therfore the words to stand vp raise vp signify eyther the conseruation of a thing which is that it be not destroyed and pearishe or else the restoring of a thing that was fallen to hys right case and estate againe CHAP. 14. Our flesh or body it self shal rise againe though it be hard to beleue and vvhat the flesh or body is NOwe will we speake also of these termes fleshe body or corps We beleeue the resurrection of the body or flesh The scripture commōly calleth it the resurrection of the dead to declare euidentli that the resurrection must not be referred to the soule nor to the spirite but directly vnto the body and to the fleshe Cyprianus or Ruffinus sayth that the church towardes the West did expresse knowledge the article in the holy Apostolical Crede after this maner I beleue the resurrection of the flesh And so they added ther vnto manifestly this term the to the intent that no man should vnderstand any other flesh saue only the same natural and essenciall flesh which we cary about So saithe Augustine also in the boke of the Articles of the Crede that same visible which properly is called fleshe shall without all dout assuredly rise vp againe Me thinketh that Paule the Apostle minded to poynte vnto the fleshe as with a finger and therefore sayde this corruptible must put on incorruption With the terme this poynteth he as with a finger vnto our fleshe Holy Hierome forceth and cōpelleth Iohn the bishop of Hierusalem to confesse and knowledge the resurrection not onely of the body but also of the flesh and sayeth the flesh and the body are two things Euery flesh is a body but euery body is not fleshe namely a wal is a body but flesh it is not For fleshe is properly called a substaunce of blonde synowes bones and vaines set together As for a body though the name thereof also be vsed for flesh and most part for a substance that may be sene or handled yet it betokeneth sometime a subtile state that can neither be handled nor sene As namely the aire But at all times it hath bene a hard thing for man to beleue that the bodies which are buried resolued to corruption shuld wholely without imperfection or blemishe be brought againe and restored Therfore
of the beholding of god it is penned at large in the .112 Epistle which he wrote ad Paulinam Our Lord Iesus saith also in the holy gospell this is the eternall life that they know thee to be the only true God whōe thou haste sent Iesus Christe This knowledge is not only beleefe and the knowledge of vnderstanding but also the present beholding and fruition of God and the fellowship wyth God which after this life shall happē vnto all faithfull beleuers For Paule said we see now thorow a glasse in a darke speaking but then face to face For faithe is a stedfast substance of things that we hope for and as a beholding or sight of God albeit somwhat more darke and not so euident cleare as shall be that whych as a reward of faith shall be geuen to the faithfull in the worlde to come To see face to face is nothing else but to vse enioy haue the fruition of all things presently also to behold the promisse and perfectly to be pertaker therof Therefore sayeth the holy Apostle Iohn yet more euidently dearly beloued we are now the children of god and yet it dothe not appeare what we shall be but we know that whan he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shal see him as he is With the which wordes s Iohn will declare three things namely that euen nowe in this verye present time we are Gods children and therefore also heyres And though this be a great fore deale and an excellent iewel yet the great and vnspeakeable glory that in time to come shall be declared vnto vs hathe not yet appeared For we saith he shall be like him namely oure Lorde Iesu Christe who according to the saying of Paule shall alter and chaunge our frail body that he maye make it like vnto hys owne glorified body Besides this euen as he is shall we see him namely Christ the Lord not onely as man but also as very god Therfore shal we see god as he is namely god as the onely cheefe and highest good in whom we haue al good things For Paule sayth whan all things are subdued vnto the sonne then shal the sonne also be subiect vnto him who vnto him hath subdued all things that God may be all in all And therefore sayde he also in the gospel that they know thee to be the onely true god Not that Christ is not very god but that the mysterie and the intreating of the sonne oure mediator reconciler shal after the iudgemēt be no more so in heauen as it hath ben afore vpon earth But the only God in the holy Trinity shall be of all good the full perfecte sufficiencie to all faithfull For all that we can wishe thinke and desire shall only god geue and be in all things And that is also the meaning and vnderstanding of Paule whan he sayth God shal be all in all And heerevnto serueth nowe the goodly sentence of S. Augustine who sayth thus God shall be the end of al our longing and desire him shal we perpetually see him shall we loue wythoute tediousnesse and grefe and hym shal we praise wythout ceasing For tediousnesse and grefe runneth customably with saturation or fulnesse As for vs we shal with the beholding of God be filled to the bodelye satisfying which filling shal be as little tedious or greuous as we are greued at the waters and riuers that stil run into the sea and yet oute of the groūd of the earthe spring forth againe For the same cōmeth to passe withoute all mens tediousnesse yea rather wyth great ioye and commodity seing they water moisture all things and make thē fruteful And herevnto serue now these testimonies of the scripture the Prophet Dauid sayth in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy righthand there is pleasure for euermore that is in the beholding of thee is and consisteth all ioy and in heauen shall euerlasting pleasure be Item in thy rightuousnesse shal I behold thy face and whan I awake I shall with thy likenesse be satisfied Vnto the Lord also sayth the holy Apostle Phil lip Lorde shewe vs the father and it suffiseth vs. Therfore the Poete Marcellus spake very Christianly and well in these his verses HEreof hath God his name truely Because the highest good is he For vvhere he is there is present Much honor and glory excellent And therfore euery pleasant thing That vvater and earth dothe heere forthe bring And vvhat in the aire is beautifull That may delite and be frutefull There is in all that number not one VVhich is not seene at all season VVithin the circle of heauen ivvis VVhere the highest fathers dvvelling is The blessed also and elect shal in the heauenly and eternal coūtry with continuall praise incessantly laude and magnifye the name of God. For whan s. Iohn in his reuelation thought to signify shew this he sayd I hard the voice of many angels which wer about the throne and about the beasts and the elders And I heard many thousands that sang a newe song saying worthy is the lambe that was killed to receiue power and richesse wisedome and strength honor glory and blessing c. Moreouer the same eternall life shal be altogether fre and discharged from all heauinesse sicknesse and temptatiōs wheras temporall ioy rest and welfare of men is mixt with sorowe As also the holye Apostle Iohn dothe witnesse I Iohn sayth he sawe that holye Citie new Hierusalem cōming down from God out of heauen prepared as a bride garnished for her husbande And I harde a great voyce out of heauen saying beholde the tabernacle of God is with men and he wil dwel with them and they shall be his people and God him selfe shal be with them and shal be their god And God shall wipe away all teares from theyr eyes And there shal be no more death nether sorow nether crying nether shal there be any more paine for the olde things are gone And he that sate vpon the seate sayd Beholde I make all things newe And he sayde vnto me wryte for these wordes are faithfull true And herevnto in manner serueth all that followeth after in the .21 chapter to the ende of the boke CHAP. 32. The soules departed vvotte not vvhat they do that are aliue thereby any thing to be disquieted THerfore did holy Augustin also teach that the soules of those that are departed wotte not what they doe which are aliue Yet wil I resite his words Thus sayth Augustine If the soules of those that are departed vvere among the doings of suche as are aliue they shoulde vvhan vve see them in sleepe talke vvith vs and then I vvill not speake of others at the least my good and faithfull mother that by vvater and lande folovved me so farre to be vvith me should novve not forsake me For God forbid that he shoulde haue made that blessed life
more vnfrendly or more terrible God forbid that vvhan my hearte dothe any thing presse and vnquiet me she should not comfort me her sonne vvhome shee yet so entierly loued that shee could neuer suffer or see me heauye Vndoubtedly it muste needes be true that the holy Psalmist sayth my father and my mother haue forsakē me but the Lord hathe taken the cure to keepe me If our fathers novve and mothers haue forsaken vs hovve can they be then in oure cares and doings And if father and mother do nothing at all in our businesse hovv can vve then thinke that the other dead medle ought vvith vs or knovve vvhat vve doe or suffer The Prophet Esay sayth thou O God art our father for Abraham vvotteth not of vs and Israel knovveth vs not Seing then that such honorable Patriarks vvist not vvhat vvas don concerning their people vvhich came of them selues to vvhō yet as to Gods faithfull beleeuers the same people vvas promised oute of their ovvne stocke hovve can then the dead open themselues the dore to knovve and further the doings and not doings of them that are aliue And hovve shall vve be able to saye that they vvhich are dead vver helped and eased afore the euill came that folovved vp on their death vvhan they after death fele all the calamity and miserye of mannes life that here happeneth vnto vs Or be vve in erroure that speake such things and compt them to be in rest Or doth he erre that maketh the vnquiet vvay of the liuing so carefull and full of combrance I praye thee vvhat great benefite is it then that our lord God promised the vertuous king Iosias namely that he should die because he shuld not see the great misery vvhich god threatned vnto all the land and people of Israell The vvoordes of the Lorde vnto Iosias are these Thus saithe the Lord God of Israell seeing that by reason of my vvordes vvhich thou haste heard thy heart hath melted and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the lord vvhan thou hardest vvhat I had threatned vnto this place and to the inhabiters thereof namely hovve they shal be destroyed destitute and accursed and thou there vpon hast rent thy garment and vvept before my sight Beholde I haue heard thee saythe the Lorde God of hostes The plage shall not touche thee Beholde I vvil gather thee vnto thy fathers into thy graue shalt thou be laid in peace and thine eyes shall not so all the plages that I vvill bring vpon thys land and vpon those that dvvel therein Lo this king stāding in avve at the threatning of God did vvepe and rent his clothes and thorovve death that came afore hand vvas he in safety from all misery to come For he muste afore departe in peace and take rest leaste he shoulde see that greate calamitye Therfore the soules of those that are departed muste needes be in suche a place vvhere they see not all that is done and happeneth in the life of men All this haue we taken and wrytten out of the .13 Chapter of Augustines booke de cura pro mortuis agenda If the soules nowe in euerlasting saluation haue a perfecte rest yea suche a rest as their body which they haue put of hath not yet receiued againe and seeing that they are yet aliue whō they specially loued while they were with them in body howe much more perfect ioy shal they then first haue and possesse whā theyr bodies shall come againe and whan they shal see that all their brethren whome they in this life had loued so intirely afore are together in honor and glory whan now the time of frailty hath ceased and whan in the eternall time there can nowe no cause of heauinesse and grefe be thoughte vpon nor founde anye more at all Therefore the glory and ioy which the mercy of god shall after the laste iudgemente geue vnto menne that are made whole againe of body and soule shal be wythout sorow and in all poyntes perfect And like as the vngodly and vnbeleuers shal be gathered together with the deuill and all his companions so shall also the rightuous electe haue the ioyfull fruition of the company and felowship of their head Iesus Christe and of hys members that is of all faithfull beleuers CHAP. 33. The faithfull shall knovv one an other in heauen THen also shall the blessed knowe one another again hauing ioy together and reioysing in the obtained health For if there shuld be no knowledge to what ende then should the bodies rise againe Or what frute and profit should the resurrection haue Or how might the sentence of Daniel the Prophet be verified whan he saith they that haue instructed taughte other vnto godlinesse shall shine and be as light as the starres in the firmament Whan the Lord was risen again from death and hath taken vpon him his glorified body the Apostles knew him yea so perfectly and thorowly well knewe they him that as S. Iohn witnesseth none durst say who art thou For they all knew that it was the lord I passe ouer that the Lorde spake in the gospell saying whan the sonne of man shall sit vpon the seat of his maiestie then shall ye also sit vpon 12. seats iudge the .12 tribes of Israel For if they that rise againe shall not know one another how shall then the Apostles iudge geue sentence vppon those to whome they preached heere in theyr life time Note that the Apostles shall iudge in the roume and place of their lord to whom only is geuē all power to iudge but this vnderstanding it hathe that the apostles do then iudge whan they are there at the Iudiciall court as witnesses of the rightuous iudgement of God wyth the which he condemneth the vnbeleuers For where as the vnbeleuers woulde not geue credence to the Apostles that is to saye theyr preachers but cried oute vpon thē as vpon vngodly heretikes whan they nowe shall see those present with the iudge of all men they shall immediatly be ouercome by the Apostles and haue witnes in themselues that they shal be and are iustly cōdemned And for this matter read the .4 and .5 Chapter of the Booke of Wisedome which serueth very well to this purpose And seeing it is manifest that in the life to come euē the wicked shal know the good howe much more then shal one good person know another and one faithfull another In the Transfiguration of the Lord vpon the mount appeared Moses and Helias and were knowen of the three disciples of the Lorde yea they knewe the Lord himselfe thoughe he was nowe transfigured Herevnto serueth it also that Paule saith ye are come to the city of the liuing God the celestial Ierusalem and to an innumerable multitude of Angels and to the congregation of the firste borne sonnes whiche are wrytten in heauen and to the sprites of the perfecte rightuous c. Besides thys we haue for vs