Chap. ~.sea. 3· I.Loo1muJ unto 'jjcfu5. Book IV. 417 --~----~----~~-- ---------~--------- bodies of Saints whicb flept, t~l"ofe~ endcame O;$t of rh: grttvts after his refi:rreilion~ and went into the holy City, ad appeMed unto man)'. It may be. the graves wer~ opened whe_n C hrill w~s laid down in his grave; yet the f~irits came not mto the dead bod~es ttll Clmil s Refurret'tio:J; the Text is phin, that they came not out of thetr graves tdl Chrtil was raifed ; Chrift rs the begi11ning (faith the Apollle) the firft-born from the dead: how CJ. 1 • , 8 . tbe firi1-born ( I anfwer, both in time and efficacy. 1. Jn ttme; ~e rofe to eternal life thefirll ofall men. This was the fumo f Pmrl'sprraching, tlmChrift ilJOulc!futfer, 4 nd rh.Jt he jho~tld be the jirjf th.u jhould rife [>·om rhe dead. lt is true indeed, that Laz..a- t.cb 2'. '• ;I rlu and fundry others rofc before Chrill, but they rofe to hve a mortal hfe, and to ,dte ~gain. Chrilt was the firfl of all tbJt rofe to eternal ltfe ; never any In the world rofe, before Chrift, in this manner. 2. In refpeCl: of efficacy, Clmll rofe firil, that by illS power all the reft might rife . there is in Chrift's rcfurrcction a reviving and a quickning virtue· and hereinlis a nuin diff<rcnce betwixt the RefurreC\ion of Chrift, and the Refut·;eC\ion of any other man; theJ\efurrccl:ion of Abraham avails not!Ji,,g to the refurreCl:ion of Jfaac, or of l''c•b; hut \he refurreCl:ion of Chrill: availes to the refurredion of all that have believed, or that !hall believe in him: i; not Chrift called aqiJick_- ning Spirit? how then ilwuld llc but quicken all his membrrs? when a m>n is call into, Cor. t;. H· the Stl, and all his body is under water, there is nothing to be looked for but prefent death; but if he carry his head abol"e the water, there is good hope then of a recovery : now Chrift is the head unto his Church, and therefore he being raifed, all his members muft follow in their time ; no fooner did Chrill: arife, but many of the bodies of the Saints arofe; not all that were dead, but only fome ; to !hew the refurreC\ion of all ro come, tbe rime for the whole Churches riling being not yet, till the great refurrcc~ion-day. It is a queilion what became of thofe bodies which now arofe : Some think they died again; bur ir is more probable, that fecing they rofe to manifeft the quicknihg virtue of Chrift"s refurreCl:ion, that they"were alfo glorified with Chrill:; and os they rofc with Chrill: ·ariling, fo they af~nded up into heaven with Chrift afcending. - 6. That Chrift rofe again with a true, perfect, incorruptible, powerful, fpiritual, agile and glorious body. r. He had a true body, conlilling of fleflt ·and bloud, and bone ; fo be told his \ Difciples, when they fuppofed him a Spirit; Handle me, and fee (faid he) f•r a Spirit k bath ?Jot jlejh andbonCJ, tU ye fee me have. I know, this body, after his refurreC\ion,was Lu e•4· 39• comparatively a fpiritual body; yet for all that, he never laid alide the effential properties of a truebedy, as length. and breadth, and vifibility, and locality, and the like; . he ftill kt'epeth rhefe, becaufe they ferve to the being of a true body. z. He had a perfect body; however he was cut, and bored, and mangled before his death , yet after his refurreCl:ion, all was perfe:'l. E1ljebiM tells of one of the Children of the Machabees, that were put to death for the profeffion of the TrUth; and when they cut offhis members, faies he, I have receivedrhefe from heaven, andnolV I do give them 1mto the God of heaven, and I hope I j/-Mil have tbemagain. Not amember ofChrift was wanting, not a bone out of joint, but all was perfect. 3. He bad an incorruptible, immortal body. To this end (faith the Apoille)Chrifr bot~ died, and rofe and revived; and why revived? but to !hew that be rofe, never to dte agam. The Apo!lle is yet rnore exprefs ; Chrift being raifedfro~' the dead, dierh 110 more ; death ha hno more dowinion over him. Confonant hereunto is that of Chrill:, I am herhat liveth, and IVM dead, and behold, I an alive for evermore, Amen. And Ro111:r 4· 9· herem the body of Laz..ar~~< and the reil, whom ChriH raifed, differed from his . fo 1· Rom. 6. 9· ofter they were raifed, they died ~gain; but Chrift died no more . ' Re>-. 1 • l8, 4· He had apowerful body. Luther could fay of the glorified Saint5, that they had a power fo great as to tof; the gre1tell: mounrains in the world like a Ball: And A n– fe!m bath an exprdlion , not much unlike, that they bave fuch a polVC>", .u they are able to fhake the 1rbole earth at their plea{urF. How much more could Chrift Anfdm. M. de f~r;e that great Earth-quake at the riling of his Body ? 0 it was power- fitntl. cap. 1 '· 5· He_h~d afpiritual body.> it needed not to meat, drigk or refrefltings\ as it did before; lt IS true, that the Dtfctples gave him a piec; •f a _broiled Jijh, andof an honey- Luk. 1 + 4 ,, 43 comb, andhe to•k.. tt, anddtd eat before them; bur tlus he dt~ only to confirm thdr taith, that
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