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gain to their own Borders, I will Redeem them from the Hof.13. Power of the Grave, I will Ranfom them from Death, 14. Jacob Mourned many Days for his Son Jofeph, thinking he had been Dead, and torn with wild Beasts, when he was Living and Triumphing in Egypt: So many weep inordinately for their departed Friends, not remembring that Chrift both died,rofe and revived,to this End, that he might be Lord, both of the Dead and Living: For he took part both of our Flesh and Blood, that Heb. 2. through Death he might deftroy him that had the Power of 14. 15. Death, that is, the Devil, and Deliver them, who through fear of Death, were all their Life fubject to Bondage.

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Therefore I will not be afraid, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, for Thou art with me, and wilt bring me up again from the Deeps of the Earth.

Rejoice O Earth, let the Sea roar, and the Fulness thereof: For thy dead Men fball Live, together with my dead Body fhall they arife.

Awake and Sing, ye that dwell in the Duft, for thy Dew is as the Dew of Herbs, and the Earth shall cast out the Dead. Isa. 26. In fine, This Doctrine of the Refurrection is very 19. Comfortable against the Fears of eternal Condemnation: Now, when our Ranfom is Accepted, and our Surety fet at Liberty, we may be fully perfwaded that God will receive us, and all Penitent Sinners, into Grace and Favour, as he hath promised by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets, faying, The Ranjomed of the Lord I. 35. ball return and come to Sion, with Songs and everlasting 10. Foy upon their Heads; they shall obtain Joy and Gladness, and Sorrow, and Sighing fball flee away. And again, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, fays the fame Prophet, If.61.1. (fpeaking in Chrift's Name) becaufe he hath anointed me to Preach glad Tidings unto the Meek, he hath fent me to bind up the Broken-hearted, and Proclaim

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Liberty

1

20. 14.

17. Rom.

4.

Liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Prifon to them that are bound, to Proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord, and the Day of Vengeance of our God against the Wicked, but Redemption to them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them Beauty for Ashes, the Oil of Joy for Mourning, the Garment of Praife for the Spirit of Heaviness; that they may be called the Trees of Righteoufnefs, the Plants of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Therefore our Lord's first Salutation to his Difciples after his Resurrection, was a Salutation of Peace, faying, John Peace be unto you; and again after his Afcenfion unto Heaven, Fear not, I am the first and the last, I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for. evermore, Amen; and have the Keys of Hell and Death. Rev. I. As Chrift's Death was in Satisfaction for our Sins, fo his Refurrection was for our Juftification; and not only fo, but likewife for our Glorification and complete Happinefs, both in Soul and Body, as it is written, When Christ our Life, fhall appear, then we shall appear. with him in Glory. And again, Whom he did foreknow he did alfo predeftinate, to be conform to the Image of his' Son, that he might be the First-born among many Brethren: Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also juftified, and whom he justi I Cor. fred, them he also glorified. And again, Eye hath not feen, nor Ear heard, neither have entred into the Heart of Man, the Things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Col. 3.4.

2.9.

However fome Bodies here may abound with Excrefcences, and others be defective in their Parts or due Proportion; now our Flesh may be clothed with Worms, and Clods of Duft, our Skin broken and become lothfom, fo that these prefent Bodies of ours are vile Bodies, Bodies of Sin and Death, of Corruption and Defilement, which expofe us to many Evils and

Inconveniencies, and in this Refpect they are Occafions to us, and to make us afhamed rather than to be proud, or boast of them, therefore the Pfalmift prays, Pfal. Bring my Soul out of Prison, that I may praise thy Name. 142. 7. But our Hope and Rejoicing is, that those Veffels of Clay which Sin hath marred, and made Veffels of Difhonour, now full of Sores and Deformities, fhall be moulded and be made new again, and all thefe Blemishes fhall become Beauties at the Refurrection of the Juft, when the Times of Refreshment and Reftitution of all Things fhall come from his Prefence, and we come in the Unity of the Faith, and of the Knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect Man, unto the Measure of the Stature of the Fulnefs of Chrift; as it is written, Though we have lien the Pots, yet fhall we be as the Pfal. Wings of a Dove, camong Wings of a Dove, covered with Silver, and her Feathers with yellow Gold: For the Lord Jefus fhall change our vile Bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body, in Refpect of all thefe glorious Ornaments, which the Apostle in this Chapter affigns to the Bodies of the Saints at the Refurrection, namely, Incorruption, Glory, Power and Spirituality. First, This Corruptible, fortl put on Incorruption, and this Mortal shall put on Immortality; then fhall our Bodies be Impaffible, and above all Pain; as when Shadrach, Mefbach, and Abed-nego walked fafely in the midft of the burning fiery Furnace, and the Flame had no Power over them.

Now we Hunger and Thirt, and cry out of Pain, and Diseases, we wafte our felves all our While with carking Cares, what we fhall eat, and what we fhall drink, and what we fhall put on; but in that bleffed State there fhall be no need of Meat or Drink, or Clothing to hide our Nakedness, or cover us from the Cold; for we fhall feed on the Divine Love, and be clothed with Robes of Light and Innocency, as it is

written,

68.

Phil.

13.

3.

Dan. 3.

Rev.

written, They fball hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither foall the Sun light on them, nor any heat: For 7. 16. the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne, ball feed them, and shall lead them unto living Fountains of Waters: and God fhall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes. And there shall be no more Death, neither Sorrow nor Crying, neither fhall there be any more Pain.

Luke

In this Senfe they are faid to be equal to the Angels, as being the Children of God, and the Children of the 20. 26. Refurrection.

A fecond Ornament of our Bodies at the Refurrection is Glory, It is fown in Dishonour, it is raised in Glory: They fhall become exceeding Tranfparent and Beautiful in their Complexion, they fhall fhine as the brightness of the Firmament, and as the Stars for ever and ever: Matth. Yea, fays our bleffed Saviour, Then fhall the Righteous 13. 43. Shine forth as the Sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. There fhall be no Blemish throughout the whole Body, but a juft Proportion, and Beauty in every Part, which neither the Drought by Day, nor the Froft by Night fhall Stain For there fhall be no Night, nor Light of the Sun, for the Lord God fhall be their Light, and they fhall Reign with him for ever and ever, according to that of the Prophet, The Sun fball no more be thy Light by Day, neither for Brightness ball the Moon give Light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlafting Light, and thy God thy Glory: As when our bleffed Saviour was Transfigured upon Mount Tabor, his face did fhine as the Sun, and his Raiment became exceeding White, fo as no Fuller on Earth can white them.

A third Ornament of our Bodies at the Resurrection is Power; It is fown in Weakness, it is raifed in Power. Then fhall our Bodies be moft agile and irrefiftible in their Motion, fwift as a Thought of the Soul, and as incapable

incapable of Wounds, or any Violence as the Beams of the Sun, or a Flame of Light..

Here our Bodies are heavy and unweildy Lumps of Clay, like young Eagles new hatched; but in the Morning of the Refurrection, like thefe young Eagles upon Wing, with what Agility fhall they furmount thefe dark Regions of Mortality, pierce thre Firmament, and pass by Sun, Moon and Stars, until they arrive at that uncreated Light; which without a Vail, or a Cloud, fhines above, in a Moment, fays the Apostle, In the twinkling of an Eye we shall be caught up to the Clouds together, to meet the Lord in the Air; and fo fhall be ever with him; as it is written, They that wait upon the Lord fball renew their Strength, they fball mount up with Wings as Ifa. Eagles, they fball run, and not be weary, and they shall walk 31. and not faint.

Laft of all, our Bodies at the Refurrection fhall become fpiritual Bodies; It is fown a natural Body, it is raifed a spiritual Body: Not that our Bodies fhall be turned into Spirits, in Refpect of their Subftance, but that our glorified Bodies fhall then be refined from all the Dregs of Matter, and fitted for fpiritual Exercifes, and the Functions of our Souls, then fhall the Body be fubject to the Soul, and both Soul and Body fubject unto God, that he may be All in All. Some Glances. of this we have in Chrift's bleffed Body in the Days of his Flesh upon Earth; as when he walked upon the Waters, and after his Refurrection, when he went into the House where the Difciples were affembled, the Doors being fhut, and afterwards in his Afcenfion, when he mounted above the Clouds, and rode upon the Wings of the Wind.

This fhall be the Condition of our Bodies at the Refurrection, even glorious Bodies, not having Spot or Wrinkle, or any fuch Thing, that they may be fitted L

Taber

40.

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