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and much more of dying. External violences, and inward causes of pain, shall for ever cease; they shall feel it no more; yea, they shall have an everlasting youth and vigour, being no more subject to the decays which age produced in this life.

Secondly, They shall be glorious bodies: not only beautiful, comely, and well proportioned, but full of splendor and brightness. The most beautiful face, and best proportioned body that now appears in the world, is not to be named, in comparison with the body of the meanest saint at the resurrection; for then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, Matth. xiii. 43. If there was a dazzling glory on Moses' face when he came down from the mount, and if Stephen's face was as it had been the face of an angel when he stood before the council; how much more shall the faces of the saints be beautified and glorious, full of sweet agreeable majesty, when they have put off all corruption, and shine as the sun? But observe, this beauty of the saints is not restricted to their faces, but diffuses itself through their whole bodies: For the whole body is raised in glory, and shall be fashioned like unto their Lord and Saviour's glorious body; in whose transfiguration not only did his face shine as the sun, but also his raiment was white as the light, Matth. xvii. 2. Whatever defects or deformities the bodies of the saints had when laid in the grave, occasioned by accidents in life, or arising from se cret causes in their formation in the womb, they shall rise out of the grave free of all these. But suppose the marks of the Lord Jesus, the scars or prints of the wounds and bruises some of the saints received while on earth, for his sake, should remain in their bodies after the resurrection; like as the print of the nails remained in the Lord Jesus' body after his resurrection; these marks will rather be badges of distinction, and add to their glory, than detract from their beauty. But howsoever that be, surely Isaac's eyes shall not then be dim, nor will Jacob halt; Leah shall not be tender-eyed, nor Mephibosheth lame of his legs. For as the goldsmith melts down the old crazy vessel, and casts it over again into a new mould, bringing it forth with a new lustre; so shall the vile body which lay dissolved in the grave, come forth at the resurrection in perfect beauty and comely proportions.

Thirdly, They shall be powerful and strong bodies. The strongest men on earth, being frail and mortal, may justly be reckoned weak and feeble; in regard their strength, howsoever great,is quickly worn out and consumed. Many of the saints, now, have bodies weaker than others; but the feeble among them (to allude to Zech. xii. 8.) at that day, shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God. A grave divine says, That one shall be stronger at the resurrection than an hundred, yea, than thousands are now. Certainly great, and vastly great, must the strength of glorified bodies be, seeing they shall bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The mortal body is not at all adapted to such a state. Do transports of joy occasion death, as well as excessive grief does? And can it bear up under a weight of glory? Can it subsist in union with a soul filled with heaven's raptures? Surely no. The mortal body would sink under that load, and such a fill would make the earthen pitcher to fly all in pieces. The scripture has plainly told us, That flesh and blood (namely, in their present frail state, though it were the flesh and blood of a giant) cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. xv. 50. How strong must the bodily eyes be, which, to the soul's eternal comfort, shall behold the dazzling glory and splendor of the new Jerusalem; and stedfastly look at the transcendant glory and brightness of the man Christ; the Lamb, who is the light of that city, the inhabitants whereof shall shine as the sun? The Lord of heaven doth now, in mercy, hold back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it, that mortals may not be confounded with the rays of glory, which shine forth from it, Job xxvi. 9. But then the veil shall be removed, and they made able to behold it to their unspeakable joy. How strong must their bodies be, who shall not rest night nor day; but be, without intermission, for ever employed in the heavenly temple, in singing and proclaiming the praises of God, without weariness, which is a weakness incident to the frail mortal, but incompetent to the glorified body!

Lastly, They shall be spiritual bodies. Not that they shall be changed into spirits; but they shall be spiritual, in respect of their spirit-like qualities and endowments. The body shall be absolutely subservient to the soul, subject to it, and influenced by it; and therefore, no more a clog to

its activity, nor the animal appetites a snare to it. There will be no need to beat it down, nor to drag it to the ser vice of God. The soul in this life, is so much influenced by the body, that, in scripture-style, it is said to be carnal: but then, the body shall be spiritual, readily serving the soul in the business of heaven; and in that only, as if it had no more relation to earth than a spirit. It will have no further need of the now necessary supports of life, namely, food and raiment, and the like: "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more," Rev. vii. 16 “For in the resurrection, they neither marry, norare given in marriage; but are as the angels of God in heaven." Then shall the saints be strong without meat or drink; warm without clothes; ever in perfect health without medicines; and ever fresh and vigorous, though they shall never sleep, but serve him night and day in his temple, Rev. vii. 15. They will need none of these things more than spirits do. They will be nimble and active as spirits, and of a most refined constitution. The body that is now lumpish and heavy, shall then be most sprightly. No such thing as melancholy shall be found, to make the heart heavy, and the spirits flag and sink. Where the carcase is, there shall the saints as so many eagles, be gathered together. I shall not further dip into this matter, the day will declare it.

As to the qualities of the bodies of the wicked at the resurrection, I find the scripture speaks but little of them. Whatever they may need, they shall not get a drop of water to cool their tongues, Luke xvi. 24, 25. Whatever may be said of their weakness, it is certain they will be continued for ever in life; that they may be ever dying: they shall bear up, howsoever unwillingly, under the load of God's wrath, and shall not faint away under it: "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night. Surely they shall not partake of the glory and beauty of the saints: All their glory dies with them, and shall never rise again. Daniel tells us, they shall awake to shame, and everlasting contempt, chap. xii. 2. Shame follows sin, as the shadow fo!loweth the body; but the wicked in this world, walk in the dark, and often under a disguise: nevertheless, when the Judge comes in flaming fire, at the last day they will be brought to the light; their mask will be taken off, and

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the shame of their nakedness will clearly appear to them. selves and others, and fill their faces with confusion. Their shame will be too deep for blushes; for all faces shall gather blackness, at that day, when they shall go forth of their graves, as malefactors out of their prisons, to execution: For their resurrection is the resurrection of damnation. The greatest beauties, who now pride themselves in their comeliness of body, not regarding their deformed souls, will then appear with ghastly countenances, a grim and deathlike visage. Their looks will be frightful; and they will be horrible spectacles, coming forth of their graves like infernal furies out of the pit. They shall rise also to everlasting contempt. They shall then be the most contemptible creatures, filled with contempt from God, as vessels of dishonour, whatever honourable uses they have been employed to, in this world; and filled also with contempt from men. They will be most despicable in the eyes of the saints, even of those saints who gave them honour here, either for their high station, the gifts of God in them, or because they were of the same human nature with themselves. But then shall their bodies be as so many lothsome carcases, which they shall go forth and look upon with abhorrence; yea, they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh, Isa. Ixvi. 24. The word here rendered an abhorring, is the same which in the other text is rendered contempt; and Isaiah and Daniel point at one and the same thing, namely, the lothsomeness of the wicked at the resurrection. They will be lothsome in the eyes of one another. The unclean wretches were never so lovely to each other, as then they will be lothsome; dear companions in sin will then be an abhorring; each one to his fellow; and the wicked, great and honourable men, shall be no more regarded by their wicked subjects, their servants, their slaves, than the mire in the streets.

USE I. Of comfort to the people of God. The doctrine of the resurrection is a spring of consolation and joy unto you. Think on it, O believers, when ye are in the house of mourning, for the loss of your godly relations or friends, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope; for ye will meet again, 1 Thes. iv. 13, 14. They are but lain down, to rest in their beds for a little while, (Isa. Iyii, 2.) but in the morning of the resurrection they will

graves. The

awake again, and come forth out of their vessel of honour was but coarse, it had much alloy of base metal in it; it was too weak, too dim and inglorious, for the upper house, whatever lustre it had in the lower one. It was cracked, it was polluted; and therefore it behoved to be melted down, that it may be refined and fashioned more gloriously. Do but wait a while, and you shall see it come forth out of the furnace of earth, vying with the stars in brightness; nay, as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. Have you laid your infant children in the grave? You will see them again. Your God calls himself the God of your seed, which according to our Saviour's exposition, secures the glorious resurrection of the body. Wherefore let the covenant you embraced for yourself and your babes now in the dust, comfort your hearts, in the joyful expectation, that by virtue thereof, they shall be raised up in glory; and that, as being no more infants of days, but brought to a full and perfect sta ture, as is generally supposed. Be not discouraged by reason of a weak and sickly body; there is a day coming, when thou shalt be every whit whole. At the resurrection, Timothy shall be no more liable to his often infir mities; his body that was weak and sickly, even in youth, shall be raised in power: Lazarus shall be heal and sound, his body being raised incorruptible. And although perhaps thy weakness will not allow thee now, to go one furlong to meet the Lord in the public ordinances, yet the day cometh, when thy body shall be no more a clog to thee, but thou shalt meet the Lord in the air, 1 Thes. iv. 17. It will be with the saints coming up from the grave, as with the Israelites, when they came out of Egypt, Psal. cv. 37. There was not one feeble person among their tribes. Hast thou an uncomely, or deformed 'body? There is a glory within, which will then set all right without, according to the desire of thine heart. It shall rise a glorious, beautiful, handsome, well-proportioned body. Its uncomeliness, or deformities may go with it to the grave; but they shall not come back with it. O that these who are now so desirous to be beautiful and handsome, would not be too hasty to effect it with their foolish and sinful arts; but wait and study the heavenly art of beautifying the body, by endeavouring now to become all glorious with

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