Thirdly, Let not the contentment and accommodation of your bodies draw your soul into snares, and bring them under the power of temptations to sin. This is a very common case. O how many thousands of precious souls perish eternally for the satisfaction of a vile body for a moment ? Their souls must, because their bodies cannot suffer. It is recorded to the immortal honour of these wor- thies, in Heb. xi. 35. " That they accepted not deliverance, that " they might obtain a better resurrection *." They might have had a temporal resurrection from death to life, from reproach to honour, from poverty to riches, from pains to pleasure ; but upon such terms they judged it not worth acceptance. They would not expose their souls to secure their bodies. They had the same na- tural affections that other men have. They were made of as ten- der flesh as we are, but such was the care they had of their souls, and the hope of a better resurrection, that they listened not to the complaints and winnings of their bodies. O, that we were all in the same resolutions with them.
Fourthly, Witli-hold not, upon tlte pretence of the wants your own bodies may be in, that which God and conscience bid you to commu- nicate for the refreshment of the saints, whose present necessities re- quire your assistance. O, be not too indulgent to your own flesh, and cruel to others. Certainly, the consideration of that reward which shall be given you at the resurrection, for every act of Christian charity, is the greatest spur and incentive in the world to it. And to that end it is urged as a motive to charity, Luke xiv. 13, 14. " When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, " the blind, and thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recompense w thee : for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the "just.'" It was the opinion of an eminent modern divine *f*, that
* No man can rejoice both in this life and that which is to come, but he must ne- cessarily let go the one, who would enjoy the other. Aug. f Mr. Marshal.
>F.RM. XXXIX. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 499
no man living, fully understands and believes that scripture, Mat. xxv. 40. " In as much as you have done it to one of the least " of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." How few saints would be exposed to daily wants and necessities, if that scrip- ture were but fully understood and believed !
Inf. 3. Is Christ risen from the dead, and that as a public per- son and representative of believers ? How are we all concerned then, to secure to ourselves an interest in Christ, and consequently in this blessed resurrection ? What consolation would be left in this world, if the hope of the resurrection were taken away ? It is this blessed hope that must support you under all the troubles of life, and in the agonies of death. The securing of a blessed resurrection to yourselves, is therefore the most deep concernment you have in this world. And it may be secured to yourselves, if, upon serious heart- examination, you can discover the following evidences.
Evidence 1. First, If you are regenerated creatures, brought forth in a new nature to God, for we are " begotten again to a " lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."' Christ's resurrection is the ground-work of our hope. And the new birth is our title or evidence of our interest in it So that until our souls are partakers of the spiritual resurrection from the death of sin, we can have no assurance our bodies shall be par- takers of that blessed resurrection to life.
" Blessed and holy (saith the Spirit), is he that hath part in the " first resurrection, on such the second death hath no power," Rev xx. 6. Never let unregenerate souls expect a comfortable meeting with their bodies again. Rise they shall by God's terrible citation, at the sound of the last trump, but not to the same end that the saints arise, nor by the same principle. They to whom the spirit is now a principle of sanctiftcation, to them he will be the principle of a joyful resurrection. See then that you get gra- cious souls now, or never expect glorious bodies then.
Evidence % " If you be dead with Christ, you shall live again by " the life of Christ. If we have been planted together in the like- " ness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resur- *; rection," Rom. vi. 5. tvpfvroi, planted together. Some refer it to believers themselves ; Jews and Gentiles are planted together in Christ. So * Erasmus, " Believers grow together like branches " upon the same root," which should powerfully enforce the great gospel-duty of unity among themselves. But I would rather un- derstand it, with reference to Christ and believers, with whom be- lievers are in other scriptures said to suffer together, and be glo- rified together ; to die together, and live together ; to be crucified
* In umim concrescere vel coalescerc.
500 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXXIX.
together, and buried together; all noting the communion they have with Christ, both in his death, and in his life. Now, if the power of Christ's death, i. e. the mortifying influence of it, have been upon our hearts, killing their lusts, deadening their affections, and flattening their appetites to the creature, then the power of his life, or resurrection, shall come (like the animating dew) upon our dead withered bodies, to revive and raise them up to live with him in glory.
Evidence 3. If your hearts and affections be now with Christ in heaven, your bodies in due time shall be there also, and conformed to his glorious body. So you find it, Phil. iii. 20, 21. " For our " conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, " the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it " may be fashioned like unto his own glorious body." " The body is here called vile, or the body of our vileness *." Not as God made it, but as sin hath marred it. Not absolutely, and in itself, but relatively, and in comparison of what it will be in its second edition, at the resurrection. Then those scattered bones and dis- persed dust, like pieces of old broken battered silver, will be new cast, and wrought in the best and newest fashion, even like to Christ's glorious body. Whereof we have this evidence, that our conversation is already heavenly. The temper, frame, and dis- position of our souls is already so ; therefore the frame and temper of our bodies in due time shall be so.