(3.) Thirdly, The saints shall rise with the same bodies thai now they lay clown in the grave; and if so, then doubtless they shall knovj one another in heaven : the husband the wife, the wife the husband ; the father the child, and the child the father ; the pastor his people, and the people their pastor ; the master his servant, and the servant his master. Now that the saints shall rise with the very same indivi- dual body is clear : Job xix. 25, 26, ' For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.' In these words we see that Job useth the word my, ' and my eyes shall behold ;' as it were pointing to it with his. finger, adding not only positively, but exclusively, this and no other. Job did fully believe that the same numerical2 body, at. which he pointed, should rise again ; and Paul saith, not a mortal, a corruptible body at large, but hoc, ' This corrup- tible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immor- tality,' 1 Cor. xv. 53. The apostle did, as it were, lay his hand upon his own body ; and then saith he, this corruptible body, and not another, this mortal, and not another, shall be raised when the trumpet sounds. It cannot stand with the unspotted justice and holiness of God, that one body should sow, and another body should reap that never sowed ; that one body should labour, toil, sweat, suffer, and another body that hath done none of this should carry the reward. Tertullian saith, that he will pray that the same body may rise again, for the resurrection is not of another body, but of the same that falleth.; not a new creation, but a raising up ; the self-same body shall certainly rise again, else were it a raising up of a new, rather than a raising again of the old. It cannot stand with equity and right, that one body should sin and another body should suffer. No righteous judge will suffer a victorious person to die, and another that never struck stroke to have the crown of his deservings. It is but justice that those very eyes that have dropped many a tear before God, should be wiped by God ; I say those
1 1 Cor. xv. 42-45 ; Acts iv. 2, xvii. 18, xxiii. 6 ; Mat. xxii. 32 ; Ezek. xxxvii.
2 Even down to South this term was in use; e.g., 'We may contemplate upon his supernatural, astonishing works ; particularly in the resurrection and reparation of the same numerical body, by a reunion of all the scattered parts.' Vol. I., Sermon 1st. — G.
430 A STRING OF PEARLS. [1 PETER I. 4.
very eyes, and not another pair of new-made eyes ; it is but justice that that very tongue that hath blessed God, should be blessed by God ; it is but justice that those very hands that have been much in doing for Christ, and those very lips that have been much in praising of Christ, and those very backs that have been laded with many heavy burdens for Christ, and those very feet that have been in the stocks for ( In ist, and that have run in the ways of Christ, should at last be raised and crowned by Christ. And this truth you may see clear in the glorious resurrection of Christ from the dead; that very same body that was wounded, crucified, and slain, that very same body did rise again. Christ could very easily, if he had pleased, in three days, nay, in three hours, ay, in three moments, have cured his wounds, but he would not; to confirm his disciples, and to shew that he had the very same body which was wounded and crucified for their sins, for their sakes; and therefore he bids Thomas to reach his finger, and behold his hands, and to reach his hand to thrust it into his side, John xx. 27 ; Luke xxiv. 36-47 ; whereby Christ made it evident, that that very same body of his which was wounded, crucified, and buried, was raised, and not another ; and therefore as in the head the same body which died rose again, so shall it be with all his members in the great day of the resur- rection. Now seeing that we shall rise again with the very same indi- vidual or numerical bodies that we lay down in the grave, we need not question but that we shall know one another in heaven. But,
(4.) Fourthly, That knowledge which may most increase the joy and comfort of the saints, shall certainly be in heaven, but that is a per- fect personal knowledge of each other; therefore there shall be a parti- cular personal knowledge of one another in heaven; the husband shall know the wife, the wife the husband, the father the child, and the child the father, &C:
I have read a story of Austin, how that a widow grieving for the loss of her husband, to comfort her, he told her that it was but a short time that they were parted, and that of all persons she should enjoy her hus- band most in heaven; nay, saith he, thou shalt not only know thy husband, but all the elect shall know thee, and thou shalt know all them. The personal knowledge of the saints on earth, doth exceedingly increase our joy and comfort; it makes this wilderness to be a paradise. 'They that fear thee will be glad when they see me,' saith the Psalmist, Ps. cxix. 74 ; yea Seneca, the heathen, saw so much excellency that morality put upon a man, that he saith, that ipse aspect us boni vi/ri delectat, the very looks of a good man delight one. Ah ! how often are the saints delighted, warmed, and gladded by hearing well of other saints, whose facts they have never seen ! and when God gives them the honour to see their faces, and to enjoy their persons, their presence, oh how doth this advance their joy, and increase their comfort. "What a heaven doth this make on this side heaven to their souls ! Oh, then, what tongue can express, what heart can conceive, what pen can describe, the unspeakable joy and comfort that will be raised in the hearts of the saints, upon that perfect, particular, personal knowledge that the saints shall have one of another in heaven ? Heaven would be but an uncomfortable place, if the saints there should be strangers one to another. The faces, the words, the ways, the works of strangers,
1 Peter I. 4.] a string of pearls. 431
are very little pleasing and delightful to us here; what would they then be in heaven ? But,