Secondly, His body was raised, not by a word of power from the Father, but by his own Spirit. So will ours. Indeed the power of God shall go forth to unburrough sinners, and fetch them for- cibly out of their graves ; but the resurrection of the saints is to be effected another way ; as I opened but now to you. Even by his Spirit which now dwelleth in them. That very Spirit of Christ
• Optimum in unoquoque genere est regula et mensura cceterorum.
494 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXXIX.
which effected their spiritual resurrection from sin, shall effect their corporal resurrection also from the grave.
Thirdly, His body was raised first, he had in this, as well as in other things, the pre-eminence ; so shall the saints, in respect of the wicked, have the pre-eminence in the resurrection, 1 Thes. iv. 16. " The dead in Christ shall rise first.1' They are to attend the Lord at his coming, and will be brought forth sooner than the rest of the world, to attend on that service. As the sheriff, with his men, goes forth to meet the judge, before the gaoler brings forth his prisoners.
Fourthly, Christ's body was marvellously improved by the resur- rection, and so will ours. It fell in weakness, but was raised in power; no more capable of sorrows, pains and dishonours. In like manner our bodies are " sown in weakness, but raised in " strength, sown in dishonour, raised in glory. Sown natural " bodies, raised spiritual bodies," as the apostle speaks, 1 Cor. xv. 43, 44. Spiritual bodies, not 'properly ', but analogically. No distempers hang about glorified bodies, nor are they henceforth subject to any of those natural necessities, to which they are now tied. There are no flaw, defects, or deformities, in the children of the resurrection. What members are now defective or deformed, will then be restored to their perfect being and beauty ; " for, " if the universal death of all parts be rescinded by the resurrec- " tion, how much more the partial death of any single member ?" As Tertullian * speaks, and from thenceforth they are free from the law of mortality, " They can die no more," Luke xx. 35, 36. Thus shall they be improved by their resurrection.
Fifthly, To conclude, Christ's body was raised from the dead to be glorified and crownecTwith honour. Oh it was a joyful day to him ; and so will the resurrection of the saints be to them, the day of the gladness of their hearts. It will be said to them in that morning, " Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust," as Isa. xxvi. 19. O how comfortable will be the meeting betwixt the glorified soul, and its new raised body. Much more comfortable than that of Jacob's and Joseph's, after twenty years absence, Gen. xlvi. 29. Or that of David's with Jonathan, when he came out of the cave to him, 1 Sam. xx. 41. Or that of the father of the prodigal with his son, who " was dead, and is alive, was lost, " and is found." As he speaks, Luke xv. And there are three things will make it so.
First, The gratifications of the soul, by the satisfaction of its natural appetite of union with its own body. For even glorified
* Memhri detruncatio vel obtusio nonne mors membri est ? Si universalis mors resurreo none rescinditur, quaMo magis portionalis / Tertull. de Itesur.
SEEM. XXXIX. THE FOUNTAIN OP LIFE. 495
souls in heaven have such an appetition and desire of re-union. In- deed, the angels, who are pure spirits, as they never had union with, so they have no inclination to matter ; but souls are other- wise tempered and disposed. We are all sensible of its affection to the body now, in its compounded state, we feel the tender care it hath for the body, the sympathy with it, and lothness to be sepa- rated from it. It is said, 1 Cor. v. 6. " To be at home in the " body." And had not God implanted such an inclination to this its tabernacle in it, it would not have paid that due respect it owes the body while it inhabited in it, nor have regarded what became of it when it left it. This inclination remains still with it in hea- ven, it reckons not itself completely happy till its old dear com- panion and partner be with it, and in that sense some understand those words, Job xiv. 14. " All the days of my appointed time," i. e. of the time appointed for my body to remain in the grave, will I wait till my change (viz. that which will be made by the re- surrection) come ; for it is manifest enough he speaks there of the resurrection. Now, when this its inclination to its own body, its longings and hankerings after it, are gratified with a sight and en- joyment of it again, oh what a comfortable meeting will this make it ! especially if we consider,
Secondly, The excellent temper and state in which they shall meet each other. For, as the body shall be raised with all the im- provements and endowments imaginable, which may render it amiable, and every way desirable, so the soul comes down imme- diately from God out of heaven, shining in its holiness and glory. It comes perfumed out of those ivory palaces, with a strong scent of heaven upon it. And thus it re-enters its body, and animates it again. But,
Thirdly, And principally, that wherein the chief joy of this meeting consists, is the end for which the glorified soul comes down to quicken and repossess it, namely, to meet the Lord, and ever to be with the Lord. To receive a full reward for all the la- bours and services it performed to God in this world. This must needs make that day, a day of triumph and exaltation. It comes out of the grave, as Joseph out of his prison, to be advanced to the highest honour. O do but imagine what an extasy of joy, and ravishing pleasure it will be, for a soul thus to resume its own body, and say as it were, unto it, come away, my dear, my an- cient friend, who servedst and sufferedst with me in the world ; come along with me to meet the Lord, in whose presence I have been ever since I parted with thee. Now thy bountiful Lord hath remembered thee also, and the day of thy . glorification is come. Surely it will be a joyful awaking. For, do but imagine, what a joy it is for dear friends to meet after long separation, how do they
496 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXXIX.
use to give demonstrations of their love and delight in each other, by embraces, kisses, tears, &c. Or frame but to yourselves a notion of perfect health, when a sprightly vivacity runs through everv part, and the spirits do, as it were, dance before us, when we go about any business ; especially to such a business as the busi- ness of that day will be, to receive a crown, and a kingdom. Do but imagine then what a sun-shine morning this will be, and how the pains and agonies, cold sweats, and bitter groans at parting will be recompensed by the joy of such a meeting ?