730 Book.lV .Part+ Looking unto re{us. Chap.I, Sec:t.6 had any earthly carnal thoughts of Chrift like unto the reft of the Jews, that he as the King of If rael iliould begin an earthly temporal Kingdorne, and that we fhould enjoy all manner of earthly carnal pri vifedges, as honour, riches, power, yet now we know him no more, we have put 'Off all fuch carnal imagit:lations of his Kingdome. Or, 2. Henceforth k.now we him no more . we fiand no longer affected towards Chrift after any meerly hu: mane, civil, or natural manner of affections, fuch as thofe beare to him, who converfed with him before his refurreCl:ion, but altogether in a divine and fpiritual manner, agreeable to the fiate of glory, whereunto he is exalted. Some vilified the Miniftry of P auf, below that of the reft of the Apoftles, becaufe he had not .been converfant with Chrift in the flefb ; to which P au/ anfwers, away with this fleilily k'1owledge, henceforth k_now we no man after the fl efo; our way ro deale with Chrift is in a fpiritual manner yea, the bleffing is upon this manner, and not on that, blrj[ed ur; they that have notJeer;, and jet have beleeved. It is faid of Mary his mother, that {he had adouble conception of Jefm Chrift, one in the womb of her body, another in the womb of her foul; the firft indeed was more miraculous,the fecond more beneficial; that was a priviledgc flngular to her felfe, but [his was her happineffe common to all the chofen, it is the work of the inward man that God accepts; a fpiritual couch ofChrift by faith is that whi<.:h Chriil prefers before all touches. 2. But go to my brethren , and fay unto them, I afcrnd ltntu my Father, 11nd jour Father, and to my Cud, andyour God, this .was tlie command of ( hrift; inilead of touching him, file mufr go with a meff:1 ge to his Apofiles, and this was more beneficial both to her and' thc:m. Thdirft Preacher of this refurrectJOn ( befldes the Angels) was /Wary 0i1ag·da!en; ll1e chu bdore had feven devils cait out of her, h~d now the ho\v ~, pirit within her . lhe that was but a woman, is now by Cl~r i ft made an Ap~fl:le; Apofl olorum Ap~ftola, the Apofl les, for tO them fhe was fent , and ~h e meffage !he was to del iver, it was Cl,rifts rtjing and djctndin_r;;, and wbat were they but the Gofpel, yea the very Got pel of the Gofpel ? this w,1 ~ the fir fl: Sermon that ever w~s made by any mortals of Chr,fis refurretl:ion ; and this her fa ft. ha d fome reference unto Evc1 fault; a woman was the firft meifenger of this
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