cath, Hereupon the Grave is called a Bed, 1/2. 57, 2. and tne Bu- rying-place Cemirerium, @ place of ſleep, m And, 2. There is hope in their Death, as Prov. 14, 22. There is hope concerning their hap- py ftate after Death, and hope of their Reſurrection, and ſeeing them again at Chriſt's coming ; it is not an eternal Farewel, This the Apo- ſtile here intends, and they will be then ſeen in a more excellent ftate, and probably fo ſeen then, as that their Chriftian Friends may know them; elſe the Apoſtle's Argument would not have ſo much ftrength, and ſo well ſuit the preſent cale, The Heathea and Infidels buried their dead witiout this hope, as they are ſaid to be without hope, Eh. 2. 12, and ſo were excefhve in their ſorrows, which they expreſs'd by cutting their Fleſh, makin» -T&» &2yes bald, doleful Songs, and mourning Ejaculations, expreſt ſometimes upon Inſtruments ; and which the Jews had learned from them, as appears by God's often re- provingic, and Chriſt's putting out the Minſtrels, Mar. g. 23. and as that which he forbad them, Lev, 18. 28. Deut. 14. 1. And the Apo- ſtle may reter to this in the Text, as that which is not only grievous to Nature, but diſhonourable to a Chriſtians Faith, Hope, and Profteſh- on. Wearc hereby the Betrayers of our Faith and Hope, and the things we Preach will ſeem falſe and feigned. Cypr, de mortalitate, And tho? ian is ſaid to die without hope as to a return to his former ſtate of Life here, Fob 14. 7, $,9,10.yet not with reſpect to the Life at the
IL THESSALONIANS.
ground enough for Faith, to which our Judgment and Reaſon ono)... < £9 be captivated, : "= ONS Wherein| Chriſt's coming, the Miniftry of Angels, the ſound of » Trumpe: in cencral, he doth not condemn their ſorrow, hut the excels | the Voice of Chriſt at that day, we have it in the Evangelifts : "i . Method aud Order of all the >aints meeting together, ant! meeting f Lord in the Ajr, we find not in any expreſs words before-written, t
within due bounds z, and this Chriftianity doth | rf rect, And to mourn for the dead, eſpecially | r.
CC 1, is a Duty that both Nature and Grace teach,and | Chrift ſooner than thoſe that were fallen aticep, an1 he canohe vo 5.
witha ſhout s, with the voice of the Arch-anzel t, ng ;.. with the trump of God « - and the dead in Chriſt {þ;! rite firſt :
nifies a command, or word of command, alluding to Marin: Soldiers ſummoned to be ready with tneir Affiltance, when calleq on. . And may refer to the Angels, whom Chritt now ſum; tend and alliſt in that day. And the Evangeliſt ſpeaks of thc \ Chrift, Fob» 5. 28. which is there ſaid to raiſe the dexd, Whet!«: thele are an Ora] Shout and Voice, from the mouth of Ch: if, or 6+! an expreſſion of his Divine Power, whereby he ſhall awaken tl.cr1 (17 {leep, out of their Grave, is a Queſtion I ſhall not be curivus avoy;, : Chriſt is ſaid to come with all the Holy Angels, Mar, 25, 31, an! lend his Angels with a great Sound of a Trumpet, Mat. 24. 21, | here is mentioned only the Arch-angel, and his. Voice, inſtead 6f :!! the reit, they all coming under his Condudt, Thovgh there he 20: ſuch diftinet Orders of Angels as the School-men afhim, . yet :; Order among them, as Arch-angel implies. forth an audible Voice or not at that day, or whether this Arc; be not the ſame with Chriſt himſelf, who is the Head. of a!l Þr;- lity and Power, Col. 2. 15. T leave it as doubtful ; but howe: :7, certain the Angels ſhall be miniftring to Chriſt at that dar, ei: 04. in the Reſurrection of the Elect, Mar, 24, 21, and ſevering the 1ti-! teous from the Wicked, Mat. 13.41, u As 1 Cor. 1 Cs. 2, Md wb ther this 15 to be taken literally, and diſtin& from the Shour an ! Ve. before mentioned, or uled only to ſhew forth the Divine Pow: r of 0o/ chat ſhall gather all the Eleet together out of their Gray's, 0. i Irumper in War gathers the ſcattered Army :; or as the {i[ycr
Chap,
7 That which he ſaith here about the Reſurro&:n
1
poſtle ſpeaks it here by extraordinary Revelation, Which is the Wer 4 the Lord, though not then written, And this Order is evny-2 Negarvely, The Saints then living upon the Earth ſhall not hs wilt
L
che Air, while the others are in the Grave ; and the Apoſtic h- ye
lic unlamented is reckoned as a Curſe, F-r. 22. 18, 19. Its] it he ſhould be one of that number ſure he could not think th
And ro pre- | of Chrift ſhould be in the Age wherein he lived ; }2 ſpeaks othery;,* "Wiſe,
The/. 2.2. Or that his Life ſhould be prolonged . » iL,at day,
the time of his departure, he ſaith, was at hand, 2 Tim, 4, 5. 1-1 looks upon the whole Body of Saints together, and himſelf as one c: that number, and fo ſpeaks, Ie which live and remain, Ge, &; ;.
*4 "8 194
Cor. 15. 51. We ſpall not all die, but we ſnall all be changed, 2, /,
frmattvely, the dead in Chriſt ſhall riſe firſt; that. is, before they tha: Are alive ſhall be caught up into the Air, © They ſhall ſtay till the +4 be riſen: As 1 Cor. 15. 81, We ſhall not all die, but be charged, 11 ;.,
moment ; which the Apoſtle calls cloathing uporr, 2 Cor, 5, 2, 90.1 ww! 0
he rather delired, than to be unclothed, v. 4. and then thvy that » dead in Chriſt ſhall riſe, and be united to theſe in one viſible Boy,
16 For * the Lord himſelf ſhall deſcend from keyo- +
* -.
s The means which effed this, The word ſhout in the Gre.!:
y 4
And whether hs 1
\
ſy!
Refurrection, in them that die in Jeſus. :
14 For * It, we believe that Jeſus died, and roſe a- gain #, even fo * them alſo which ſleep in Jeſus o, will God bring with him p.
As in the former Verſe the Apoſtle made uſe of the hope of theRe:- ſurrection as an Argument againſt immoderate ſorrow, ſo here he proves the Reſurrettion by Chrift riſing again, Tc, = He ſuppoſeth they did bclieve that Chriſt died and roſe again: it was that which he had tavght them, and which they had received, as being the two firſt and fundamental Points of the Chriſtian Faith, without which they could not have been a Church of Chriſt, Queſt. But how doth Chriſt's