after-state when raised 3. Branch The raised state and that shall be exceeding excellent and most desireable both in respect of the body and of the soul or spirit and so of the whole person yea their whole company society or fellowship 1. In respect of their body raised In respect of the body It shall be in a very happy and glorious state fashioned saith the Apostle Philip. 3.21 to the likeness of Christ glorious body whose body was so glorious in its appearing to Paul for he was last of all seen of him in his raised state after he was ascended and glorifyed 1 Cor. 9.1 and 15.8 that he tells us the light that shone about him from him was brighter than the Sun in brightness above the Sun though at midday Act. 26.13 freed from all its former bondage to corruption either of sin or mortallity yea from all its former infirmity in the living state of it in the flesh and much more from all the putrefaction and rottenness that it lay under in its dead state in the grave or dust All those things shall he totally shaken off from it and the contrary most heavenly and glorious properties and endowments shall then cloth it it shall not be flesh and blood as now it is for flesh and blood a natural body shall not nor can inherit the Kingdom of God though it be the same body that is now flesh and blood as to its essence or substance yet it shall not be then flesh and blood as now a body so nourished and kept up by the continual supply or maintenance of its blood in which is now its life Neither shall corruption that now is inseparable from its natural state inherit incorruption 1 Cor. 15.50 but though sown in corruption it shall be raised in incorruption though sown in dishonour it shall be raised in glory though sown in weakness it shall be raised in power though sown a natural body it shall be raised a spiritual body such as in which we shall bear the image of the heavenly even as now while natural we bear in it the image of the earthy Adam 1 Cor 15.42 43 44 45. an exceeding happy state of the body possessed of incorruption and immortallity so as to be incapable of corrupting putrifying or decaying any more or of dying or turning again to dust or of any thing tending thereto Ver. 53 54. Yea on the contrary clothed with unchangeable and most excellent beauty and glory In respect of their Spirit 2. The Spirit or soul also then shall be possest of this glorious body and have it a companion in all its glory and an instrument or organ of all its spiritual and heavenly service of God and the Lamb in the Kingdom for his servants shall serve him Rev. 23.3 as here it was a companion in its sufferings and labours in this mortal state of corruption and it shall also be perfect in its spiritual capacities its knowledge and perception of things and its injoyment and love of God and Christ and one another therein as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 13.10 12. when that which is perfect is come that which is in part shall be done away now we see darkly as through a glass but then face to face now know I in part but then shall I know even as also I am known and then that shall be perfectly fulfilled that they shall no more need to prophesie and to say one to another as teaching one another know the Lord for they shall all know that is discern acknowledge like worship me from the least of them to the greatest of them Heb. 8.11 And so In respect of the whole man 3. In their whole person they shall be made compleat and perfect perfectly conformed to the Lord Jesus it doth not yet appeare what we shall be that exceeds all that we can know and understand now fully and distinctly yea the Apostles in mortal bodies though exceedingly gifted and filled with the Spirit knew it not which is an intimate commendation and magnifying the glory and happiness of that state but we know that when he appeares we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is he saith not only we shall be like the Angels of God though that our Savior tells us we shall be equal unto them the children of God and children of the Resurrection so as neither to need marrying nor giving in marriage nor in a capacity to die or to have soul and body separated any more as now they are by death and so in a state as far above the necessities and refreshments of this life as the Angels of God Luc. 20.35 36. but that 's not all but we shall be like him even like to Christ and so both in the resurrection put into an immediate capacity of the heavenly and eternal glory and being raised be actually put into and possessed of it 1 Joh. 3.2 4. As to the whole Body and Society of the Church of God and members of Christ in that raised and changed state In respect of the whoâ—e Church they shall be 1. Perfectly united being freed from all sin ignorance and enmity in every individual and so of all that might tend to disunite and divide the hearts and affections of one from another any more as now we are too apt to be disunited no more envyings and swellings no more grudgings and prejudices one against another then no more judgings and despisings of one another The envy of Ephraim shall cease and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not oppress Ephraim any more Isa 11.13 2. They shall be ever with Christ their Head 1 Thes 4.16 being al I caught up into the ayr to meet the Lord we shall be ever with the Lord and so in and with him as a city compacted and at unity in it self the holy city the new Jerusalem and so represented in Rev. 21.2 10. with Psal 122.3 no rent or breach therein no cord to be loosed or stake to be pulled up or taken down for ever Isa 33.20 and the portion of them all together in and from Christs presence with them exceeding happy for there he the glorious Lord will be to them a place of broad rivers and streames wherein shall go no Gally with oares nor shall gallant ship pass thereby for the Lord is their Judge the Lord shall be their Law-giver the Lord is their King and he will save them Isa 33.22 Thence also 3. They shall be for ever quiet and free from all external molestation from men or devils or from any hand or stroke of God upon or against them for all their enemies shall be cut off and consumed all that watch for iniquity c. Isa 29.20 and they shall dwell safely then when Gods everlasting armes shall have raised them up from under all adversities or sufferings and thrust out the enemy and shall say Destroy Deut. 33.27 28.
even by such as are not the Children and lovers of the truth Let us veiw them briefly and in order Point 1. Death is common to the righteous and the wicked and both of them have their latter end There be two branches of this proposition Death common to good and bad and both branches are implyed fairly Balaam being an unrighteous man a Diviner and Enchanter sees and acknowledges he must dye and have a latter end or an after part else no ground for his wishing so to die as or that his latter end might be like that of the righteous and it is clearly implyed and taken for granted by him that the righteous hath his death and his latter end or after part Both have them therefore though it is implyed that they are not the same to both nor indeed the one like to the other for if they were there was no ground for wishing or desiring a likeness of them This is common to both they shall dye and they shall come to an end or after part that 's the substance of the first point or proposition the inequality and unlikeness between them belongs to the second Consider we first the former in both Branches and so first That they must both dye Death is common to all men Bran. 1. Good and bad must dye yea it is the way of all flesh and the Grave the house appointed for all living Josh 23.14 Job 30.25 The way of all the earth we see saith the Psalmist wise men dye likewise the fool and the brutish man perish Psal 49.10 Abraham is dead and the Prophets are dead and so be the Apostles and all generally that have been before us and now are not except Enoch and Elias one of which was translated and the other taken alive into heaven but all else generally have dyed and all that come after us shall dye in like manner except those believers that shall survive to the coming of the Lord Jesus who shall not dye as others so as to sleep or rest in death as the Apostle witnesses saying Behold I shew you a mysterie we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trump for the Trump shall sound and the Dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed so also 1 Thess 4.16 17. though in the change shall be something exceeding suddainly answering to Death and Resurrection in a moment but for all others they do and must look to dye that is to have their breath and spirit taken from them their Souls and Bodies separated each from other and that necessarily as in 1 Sam. 14.14 Reasons why Dâ—â—th iâ— commoâ— Reâ— we must needs all dye and we are as water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again neither doth God respect any persons c. For righteous and wicked be both men partakers of the same humane nature one as other and this Death we now speak of the bodily Death which the proposition is intended of is that that pertains to men as they are partakers of the nature of man and that neither the righteous put off by being righteous though they partake also of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 2.4 Nor the wicked by his being wicked though he therein become also of the wicked one 1 Joh. 3.12 Righteousness and wickedness make a difference of the state of men toward God and of the frame of heart and the way of conversation and life but makes not an alteration of the common nature or humanity so as to cause it to cease in either party It is appointed to men once to dye Heb. 9.27 to men namely in the capacity and consideration of men not to the righteous only nor to the wicked only as such but to men and that also because Reas 2 Both righteous and wicked sinned against God in the first man for by one man sin entred into the world and Death by sin and so death passed over all men because all sinned Rom. 5.12 and that was the Original cause of Death the wages oâ— sin is death Rom. 6.23 now not only they that â—â—w are wicked and ungodly sinned in Adam but all men eveâ—â—ich also as are now made and become righteous in and by Jesus Christ for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Heb. 2. â—â— Rom. 3.23 where all is expressed none is excluded from it The Prophet putting in himself with all his Brethren saith We all like sheep have gone astray we have turned every man to his own way Isa 53.6 And the Apostle If we say we have not sinned we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1.10 And because of this sin Reas 3 Both those that are righteous and those that are wicked were condemned to dye the judgment that passed upon Adam in the day he sinned passed upon him not only as a single particular person but also as the root of all Mankind and their inclusive Father in whose loyns seminally all were and so when it was said to him Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return death in and by vertue of that Sentence was denounced and passed upon all men Gen. 2.17 with 3.18 Rom. 5.12 16. only by special favour and prerogative through Christ God exempted one or two as instances of immortallity and of such a change as in which he will exempt those that are alive at Christs appearing in the faith of him as we said before This is included in what the Apostle speaks of when he saith The judgment was of one offence to condemnation and through the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation Rom. 5.16.18 in which it was appointed of God to men once to dye whereupon Reas 4 Man all men generally is become flesh Flesh and blood infirm weak like other earthly creatures even like the bruit beasts that perish as is said Psal 49.12 Man in honour abideth not he is like the Beasts that perish in respect of the frailty and diseasedness of his body and outward man and lyableness to be penetrated pierced wounded killed dye of hunger thirst cold or the like whence that of Solomon Eccles 3.18.19.20 I said in my heart concerning the state of the sons of men that God might manifest them or that they might clear God and see that they themselves are beasts For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts even one thing befalleth them As the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath their breath in all of them is in their nostrils now so that a man hath no preheminence that is in respect of the temper of his body and its mortality and lyableness to death above a beast for all is vanity Both man and beast of a vanishing momentany continuance in this life all go unto one place all are of the dust and all turn to dust again For all flesh is
be the Law wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto Death And sin taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me saith he all manner of concupiscence or all lusting or coveting So that according to that Rule we are all pronounced unrighteous There is none righteous no not one Rom. 3.10 None that doth good no not one ver 12. All gave out of the way all together become unprofitable every mouth stopped and all the world guilty before God vers 13.19 What ever conceits men may have of themselves or one of another yet by the deeds of the Law no flesh living is or shall be justified in the sight of God ver 20. As many as are of the work◠of the Law and claim life and righteousness the promises and blessing to themselves that way are all deceived and are under the Curse the Law saying Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3.18 And there is not a man found living here upon earth that doth so continue in all things to do them Not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles 7.20 The whole first Adam our natural Root with all of us even all the natural branches naturally springing out of him being all rotten and corrupt crooked and perverse bowed down from God to the creature and from loving one another to love our selves with a perverse love but neither God nor our selves nor one another as we ought and in a way manner and measure conformable to his will And all our blossoms or what proceeds from us goes up as dust all our thoughts words and works corrupt and abominable filthy and stinking Psal 14.1 2 3. Rom. 3.10 11 to 19. Such the unrighteousness and unrightness of mankinde and notwithstanding all the Law can do to rectifie and mend us the Law could not make us just the flesh in us prevailing against it and multiplying sin by occasion of it Rom. 8.3 with 7.8 What then be these righteous or upright ones whose death Balaam would die and whose latter end he would have like his What shall we take them to be Angels No sure They die not those especially that be righteous holy and good and for the damned ones they are far from being righteous or upright No we must finde them in the nature of men and amongst men To which purpose 3. God still being righteous holy and good and his Eternal Word and Almighty Spirit by whom he made and gave being to all things abiding still just and upright and eternally so pittying fallen miserable man being under the Sentence of a most dreadful Death by none to be desired for his unrightness and devising how to deliver him therefrom created a new thing in the earth such as was not found in all his first Creation a new Root of Righteousness and Plant of Renown a Righteous Seed out of the sinning woman by a wonderful and most glorious way even by ordaining and in due time sending forth his own Eternal Word his onely begotten Son made of a woman and so taking the seed of the woman the nature of a man into a perfect entire and personal union with himself did so sanctifie that Branch of mans nature in the conception of it and uniting it with himself that therein and so in him as become man Immanuel God with us there was no stain or pollution of sin He knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.21 nor did he any sin nor was any guile found in his mouth 1 Pet. 2.22 Him he made to be his Lamb for taking away the sin of the world a spotless Lamb and without blemish before him in heart and life doing ever and in all things what pleased his Father to his utmost content and satisfaction Job 8.29 1 Pet. 1.19 Math. 3.17 Isa 42.1 He only of all men or persons partaking of the humane nature was and is the holy and just One Act. 3.14 and 7.52 Jesus Christ the Righteous 1 Job 2.1 and he was just and righteous according to the Law which he was made under and was subject to Gal. 4.4 for our sakes never breaking it or doing any thing short of what was required of man in it So as that God testifies of him once and again that he was well pleased in or with him Math. 17.5 for he delighted to do his will his Law was in his heart his ear he opened and he was not rebellions nor turned back Psal 40.7 8 9. Isa 50.5 6. Heb. 10.7 and indeed in respect of his perfect obedience to God and conformity to his Law he was justified thereby and ought to have lived and to be blessed but yet though he had done so and those things were due to him God his Father willing him to lay down all that life and blessing and take upon himself as our nature and Law so now also our sin and curse and notwithstanding life and blessing was his due to die for us and be made a curse he willingly for our sake did so and so he suffered the just for the unjust and died for the ungodly that he might bring us unto God Rom. 5.6 and 1 Pet. 3.18 it happened to him the righteous One according to the work and desert of us wicked and ungodly ones that it might happen to us ungodly ones according to the work of him the just and righteous One for he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and he hath redemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us that so the blessing of Abraham for or concerning or unto the Gentiles might be in Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith that is that he might be made the righteousness of God to us and we might be made righteous by and in him and inherit the life and blessing promised by the law to the righteous and so the righteousness of the law be fulfilled in us walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit given us in and through him Gal. 31 13.14 2 Cor. 5.21 and 1 Cor. 1.30 Rom. 8.4 So that this righteous One having dyed for all and therein given himself a ransome for all from under that sin and sentence of death upon all there is now in and by him wrought for us a compleat righteousness even the righteousness of God through the faith of him he saith not the faith in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of him the Gospel unto or for all even for all men for the free gift is for or unto all men for the justification of life and upon all that believe Rom. 3.22 and 5.18 So then here we have found a righteous man a perfectly righteous and upright One in whom no crookedness or guile in the least and that not only in himself and for himself but for us too as a root and fountain
of them and of all life and blessing for all other men for his name is called The Lord our Righteousnesse Jer. 23.6 1 Cor. 1.30 But no man I think would wish to die such a death as he dyed so as to be a curse in dying no it cannot be understood of him as to that clause the word Righteous or Vpright being of the plural number also and including more though as to the latter end or reward rendred in the singular number like his it may be meant of him as to the infinite portion of life and happiness he hath received in the nature of man for us upon the account of his Death and sufferings or it may signifie like the latter end or after-part of him that is Israel or any one of them righteous or right ones whom we must find also plurally That we may make our Doctrine come up to the language of the Text and so find that there are other persons diverse or many persons righteous and so there are but all in him the righteous and just One the righteousness of God for us and root of righteousness to us And so we find that by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous Rom. 5.19 And I say unto you Many righteous men and Prophets have desired to see the things ye see c. Math. 13.17 To shew how this comes about and wherein they are righteous observe 4. That God having provided such a righteousness as his Son and that in his Son for us even for the justification and salvation of us sinful men in general now it is his will that we close with come to and believe in the name of this his Son the righteous One seeking in him and in the faith of him as evidenced and made known to us remission of all our sins justification and acceptation of our persons the holy Spirit of God and his heavenly gifts and blessings wisedome righteousness holiness redemption and in a word all things pertaining to life and goddness To which purpose he declares and proclaimes him to men in the Gospel teaches the knowledge of him and therein draws to him so as every one that hears and learns of him the Father comes to him and believes in him 1. Joh. 3.23 Joh. 6.29 This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent And this is his commandement that ye believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another Therefore also he calls Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my holy Spirit upon him and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles Isa 42.1 And this is my well-beloved Son hear ye him Math. 3.17 and 17.5 And Christ also calls us to himself Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest and if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink He that believeth on me as the Scriptures have said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters Math. 11.28 Joh. 7.37 38. and many the like In which he inclusively promises the gift of righteousness that he will make such righteous with God there being no rest or satisfaction to any without that Now then all they that by the gracious call of God and Christ are overcome or prevailed with to come to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Saviore being righteousness it self is pertook of by the righteous Oâ—ig in Câ—ls lib. 6 look to and believe in him upon the account of what he hath done and suffered for them in himself and of the fulness of that provision made ready in him and his readiness and faithfulness as he hath also promised to communicate it to them and in a word through the grace discovered in the call to them to them Christ is made righteousness and they are justified and acquitted of their sins in him and accepted as righteous persons and Christ also is faithfull to wash sanctifie and frame them to his minde leading them from all their Idols former evils and abominations unto God in himself to behold his glory and glorious grace love him depend on him yeild up to him to worship serve and obey him and to love one another and to seek the good of all to their capacities and so to write his law in them these I say as looked upon in Christ in whom and for whose sake they are accepted even in his spotless and perfect righteousness are righteous in the sight of God and doers of righteousness in as much as they are led by and follow the Spirit of God who makes it his business to glorifie Christ to them and lead them into him and after him and so to confirm them in him and conform them to him In a word they are righteous that are in Christ Jesus and walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 that are the Israel of God the Circumcision cut off from all hope and confidence in themselves their fleshly birth breeding wisdom righteousness or conceits of holiness as seeing an emptiness and insufficiency in them all and as seeing an excellency in the knowledge of Christ and of the grace of God in and through him and so they come off from all carnal Mosaical or much more devised worships and much more as to seeking life or putting righteousness life or holiness in them to worship God in the Spirit rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh in which their being made in Christ and brought to have their dependance upon and rejoycing in him they are of the seed of Abraham and heires according to promise such as Isaac was and not as Ishmael who was born after the flesh as those be that trust they are Christs because of their fleshly birth or indeavours or priviledges that from such things conjecture and hope they are of those that Christ dyed for and are the children of God And yet as Isaac also had two sons Jacob and Esau the one a simple-hearted man the other a cunning hunter that sold his birthright for a mess of pottage so of those that come to God by Jesus Christ and rejoyce in his goodness and graciousness to sinners there are some that abuse this grace and turn it into wantonness saying Let us do evil that good may come thereof sin that grace may abound or because we are not under law but under grace and so in some eager pursuit of some worldly lust honour riches or fleshly lust after wine women c. sell their birthright in the Gospel These as Esau are rejected too as well as those that are of works like Ishmael and are not righteous though they may be sons of the Church and in a sort of God as to repute But those that being brought into Christ baptised into his name and made the Sons of God by faith in him do also mind the grace of God and so effectually receive