And thus I have shewed you the certainty of Christ's resurrec- tion, the nature and properties of it, the threefold influence it hath on the saints resurrection, and the conformity of ours unto his, in these five respects. His body rose substantially the same, so shall ours ; his body was raised by the Spirit, so shall ours. Not by the Godhead of Christ as his was, but by the Spirit, who is the bond of our union with Christ. He was raised as the first- begotten from the dead, so the dead in Christ shall rise first. His body was improved by the resurrection, so shall ours. From the consideration of all which,
lifer ence 1. We infer, that if Christ was thus raised from the dead, then death is fairly overcome, and swallowed up in victory* : were it not so, it had never let Christ escape out of the grave. The prey of the terrible had never been thus rescued out of its paws. Death is a dreadful enemy, it defies all the sons and daughters of Adam. None durst cope with this king of terrors but Christ, and he, by dying, went into the very den of this dragon, fought with it, and foiled it in the grave, its own territories and dominions, and came off a conqueror. For, as the apostle speaks, Acts ii. 24. " It was " impossible it should hold or detain him." Never did death meet with its over-match before it met with Christ, and he conquering it for us, and in our names, rising as our representative, now every single saint triumphs over it as a vanquished enemy, 1 Cor. xv. 55. " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy vic- " tory ? Thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory " through our Lord Jesus Christ."' Thus, like Joshua, they set the foot of faith npon the neck of that king, and, with an holy scorn, deride its power. " O death, where is thy sting ?" If it be objected that it is said, 1 Cor. xv. 26. " The last enemy that is to
* How far short do we come of the primitive Christians, whose faith in the resur- rection, and contempt of death, Cyprian thus expresses : With a sound mind, firm faith, and undaunted courage, we are ready to submit to the whole will of God, all fear of death being excluded ; we think on the immortality which follows ; and when the set time of God's sending for us approaches, we come to him at his call willingly and without delay. Cypr. sect 5. de Laps. But when we come to die, we pass into im- mortality by death ; this is not a coming to our end, but a translating of us. Cypr. ?ibi supra.
5ERM, XXXIX. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE, ,497
" be destroyed is death.1' And if so, then it should seem the victory is not yet achieved, and so we do but boast before the vic- tory ; it is at hand to reply, that the victory over death, obtained by Christ's resurrection, is twofold, either personal and incomplete, or general and complete. He actually overcame it at his resurrec- tion, in his own person, perfectly and virtually for us, as our head ; but at the general resurrection of the saints (which his re- surrection, as the first-fruits, assures them of) then it will be ut- terly vanquished and destroyed. Till then, it will exercise some little power over the bodies of the saints, in which respect it is call- ed the last enemy. For sin, the chief enemy that let it in, that was conquered utterly and eradicated when they died ; but death holds their bodies in the grave till the eoming of Christ, and then it is utterly to be vanquished. For after that they can die no more, 1 Cor. xv. 54. "And then shall be brought to pass that saying " that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory *." Then, and not till then, will that conquest be fully completed in our persons, though it be already so in Christ's ; now incompletely in ours, and then completely and fully for ever. For the same word which signifies victory doth also signify perpetuity, and in this place a final or perpetual conquest. And, indeed, now it smites only with its dart, not with its sting, and that but the believer's body only, and the body but for a time remains under it neither. So that there is no reason why a believer should stand in a slavish fear of it.
Inf. 2. Has Christ, and hath his resurrection such a potent and comfortable influence into the resurrection of the saints ? Then it is the duty, and will be the wisdom of the people of God, so to govern, dispose, and employ their bodies, as become men and women, that understand what glo?-y is prepared for them at the resurrection qf the just. Particularly,
First, Be not fondly tender of them, but employ and use them for God here. How many good duties are lost and spoiled by sin- ful indulgence to our bodies ? Alas ! we are generally more so- licitous to live long, than to live usefully. How many saints have active, vigorous bodies, yet God hath little service from them. If your bodies were animated by some other souls that love God more than you do, and burn with holy zeal to his service, more work would be done for God by your bodies in a day, than is now done in a month. To have an able, healthy body, and not use it for God, for fear of hurting it, is as if one should give you a strong and stately horse, upon condition you must not work or ride him.
* Absorpta est mors Hi viy.oc in j)erj)etuam, ex Heh^ceo 77 y 2 quod ct victoriam signiji- cat, et perpetuitalem. Glass. Rhet. sac. p. 40S.
498 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 3ERM. XXXIX<
Wherein is the mercy of having a body, exeept it be employed for God ? Will not its reward at the resurrection be sufficient for all the pains you now put it to in his service ?
Secondly. See that you preserve the due honour of your bodies, " Possess them in sanctification and honour," 1 Thess. iv. 4. O, let not these eyes be now defiled with sin, by which you shall see God. Those ears be inlets to vanity, which shall hear the Al- lelujahs of the blessed. God hath designed honour for your bodies, O, make them not either the instruments or objects of sin. There are sins against the body, 1 Cor. vi. 18. Preserve your bodies from those defilements, for they are the temple of God ; " If any " man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy," 1 Cor. iii. 17.