them at the laft day, and at their frion) they fhall be changed, as to their qualities, t their fubftance fhall not be altered. The A Chriftians when they rehearsed that Artis the Creed, 1 believe the refurrection of in were wont to adde, even of this my fleft: Is neceffary the fame flesh fhould be raided aga For it cannot ftand with Gods juftice, that a dy fhould fin, and another body be damned. The he that finned in one body, should beurd in another or he that pleased God in infas, fhould fee God with other eyes. 'Tis allot ry to the very nature of the refurrection; refurrection is when the fame body that de rifeth again. Otherwife it is rather amen Cay on than a refurrection. As therefore the Chrift after his refurrection was the fame fi's ftance, though much more excellent and gle fo (hall the bodies of the Saints be at their rection. If any fhall ask how a refurreétus: poffible? I anfwer, to Angels or men this s poffible, but to an all-knowing God, wholes dom is infinite, and to an almighty God, wa power is illimited, this is very poffible. It be done according to the mighty working, whe he is able to fubdue all things unto himself, As". Apoftle fpeaks, Phil.3.21.He by whom the baires of our heads, and the fands of the feare numbred,knoweth all the scattered bones, knowe. what duft belongeth to each body. And as

all-feeing eye obferveth every particle of diffolved and corrupted man; fo doth he alfo fee and know all waies and meanes by which those scattered parts fhould be united, by which this ruin'd fabrick fhould be re-compof'd. Though the parts of the body of man be dißolved, yet they perifh not. They are laid up in the fecret places, and lodged in the Chambers of Nature, and 'tis no more a contradiction, that they should become the parts of the fame body of man again, to which they did once belong, than that after his death, they should become the parts of any other body, as we fee they do. And moreover we fee by experience that our most curious glaffes are made by art, even of Afbes, Cannot then the all knowing and Omniscient God, raise mens bodies out of Afbes? 'Tis as eafie for God to distinguish between duft and duft, and to give to every man his own duft, as it is for a Gardiner that hath divers feeds in his hand to fever them, and know them one from another. A skilful Alchimist can, extract one metal from another; much more can God Allmighty diftinguish and separate one duft from another. As it was therefore only an Omnipotent power, which could mould the first dust, of which man was made, into an humaue body, and breath into the noftrils of it the breath of Life, fo the fame power can still make of the dust, returning from the bodies of men unto the earth, humane bones and flesh, For the A postle cels

us

Chap. 201 us in the place before mentioned, that he is able to fubdue all things unto himself. And further the Scripture tels us, that Chrift by vertue of the deminion he obtain❜d at his refurrection, muftrign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet; and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Now there is no deftruction of death, but by a general refurrection, Chrift is the Lord of the dead, and fo bath a right by that dominion to raise them all to life; 1 Cor. 15. 22. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. I fall conclude this with those two famous places, John 5.28. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, V.39. And fhall come forth, they that have done good, unto the refurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation. Acts 24.15. And have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a refurrection of the dead, both of the just, and the unjust.

Well then, feeing there will be a Refurre

ction,

Here poffibly fome will enquire, what transformations and changes Chrift will make in the bodies of the Saints at the last day?

I answer, That day being to be as it were the marriage day between Chrift and his Saints, he will endow their bodies with glorious qualities, as well as their fouls: For he assumed their bodies

25

as well as their fouls, fuffered in body as well as in font died for their bodies as well as for their fouls, and therefore will glorifie their bodies as well as their fauls. But to speak more partionLarly, the Apoftle te's us what kind of change this will be, 1 Cor.15.41. There is one Glory of the Sun, and another of the Moon, and another Glory of the Stars, for one Star differeth from ano ther Star in Glory V.42. So alfe is the refur rection of the dead, it is fowne in corruption, it is railed in incorruption. V.43. It is fowne in difha nour, it is raised in glory: It is fowne in weakness, it is raised in power. V.44. It is fowne a natur al body it is raised a fpiritual body.

1.Our bodies fhal be made incorruptible.They are Town in corruption, but shall be raised in incorrup tion. They now yield to the decaies of nature, and are exercised with paines and aches; but hereafter they fhall be cloathed with immortality, made wholly impaßible. What a comfort muft impaibloathed it needs be to the Saints, to think that there is a time coming when they fhall have a body without aches, paines, and without decaies, that fhall be alwaies in the spring of youth. The refur rection is the Saints beft thyfitian.

2. Qur bodies fhall be made glorious bodies. They are fawn in dishonour, but shall be raised in glory. All deformities, and defects (which are The fruits of fin) shall be removed. As the body of ddam in innocency, was lovely and beau

tiful, compleat in all its parts, fo fhall ons be at the refurrection: The righteous fhall shine us the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father, Mat.13. 43. If Moses's face by converfing with God but fourty daies did thine fo exceedingly that they were glad to put a vail upon it; how glori ous fhall our bodies be, when we shall be ever with the Lord? Chrift in the Mount when he was transfigured, Mat.17. 2. His face did fine as the Sun, and his raiment was white as (now. Peter, Fames and Fohn were not able to bear the fight of the glory there manifested, and this was but a glimpse of that glory he hath now in Heaven. By this you may gueffe a little at the glory of the body; when it is likened to Chrifts glorious body. If we would have our bo dies eternally beautiful, let us labour to be truly gracious here.

yet

3. Our bodies shall be made spiritual bodia: They are fown natural bodies, but shall be raised pi ritual bodies. When we come into the other world, that world of Spirits, even our bodies fhal be spiritual; not spiritual for substance, but for qualities.

i. They fhall have no need of meat, drink, Sleep, Sec. but shall be as the Angels of God, Mat.22.30, If Mofes upon the Mount, in the State of mortality, was upheld by the power of God fourty daies, without meat, and without fleep; how much more fhall we be fo upheld

for