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~:lptrz (or
!f>e
"'"'le.
J,.:fit.zj.lO,
-·· .
:1
'·
.!4·
Ofthe
REsuRREcTION.
Bur, that :which is more; The
jirft fruits
is nor every parr; but futh apan
repre(enteth the whole,
and harh an operative force over rhe
whole.
For the bette; as
derJbnding whereof,
~e
are to have recourfe to rhe Law, to the very inftiturio:n–
firll: beginning of them,
Levit.33.1o.
(Ever, rhe
Legall ceremony
is agood key
tot~t
EvangeticA!t myflery.)
Thereby we!hall fee, why Sr.
Paul
made choice of the wo:d
ftft
ftuits,to
expre!fe himfelfe by: that he uferh
verbrem vtgzlans,a
wordthat is awak
(as Sr.
Areguftinefaith)
or
(as
Salomon) awordupon his owne whedc.
The
Hed,orrb~
root
would haveferved: for, if the headbca\>overhewater, rhereishopeforrb•
whole body
:and if rhe
Root
liave life,rhe
branches
!hall nor long be without: yet,
he~
refuferh rhefe, and others that offered rhemfelves, aac! chooferh rather the termeof
firft fruits.
And why fo
~
Thisveryday(Eaflerday)thedayofCH a Is TS
r;fing,
accordingrothH"''
is the day orfeaftofthe
firjffrttits:
the very
Feaftcarrieth
him torheword
; norh~
could be more fit or feafonable for the time. The day ofthe
Pafion
,is thedayof
the
P'!/Jtover;
and C HR 1sT
u
ou~
Paffeover:
the day ofthe
Refurre8ion,is
rhedayo[
thcfirftfruits;
and C HR'
s
T1s our
firft
frutth.
And this terme thus chofen,youOul fee,there !Sa very apt and properrefemblance
betweene the
re{tmei!iQn
and
it.
The rite and manner ofthe
fir.ft fmits,rhusir was.
Vnder rue
Law,
they might not ear of the
fruits
ofthe earth, fo longastheywere
prophane.
Prophane they were, unrill they
werefacred:
And, on this wife wererbey
facred. All thelheaves in afield (for examples fake) were unholy. One!heafeis
taken out ofall the relr,which fheafe we call rhe
firfl fruits.
That,in the
nameofth~
refr,is
lift up aloft
andj/Jalcm
~o
and fro,before the L oR
o,
and fo
cunfecrated.
That
donelnot onely rhejluafe fo hfred up, was
holy
(though, that alone was
liftt~p)buuU
thejheavcs
in the field wereho.ty,no le!fe than it: The rule
is,Ram.
u.x6.
Jfthefofl
frt<its be holy, allthe lttmpe
u
fo
too.
And rhus (for all the world)fareth it in
theRifurref1ion. We were
aU
dead(faiththi
u!lpo11le; )deadjheaves,
all.
one,
(and thatis CH
1t
r s
T) this day, rhedayofjrfl
fr~~its,
was(in mannerofa
jheafe
)taken out ofthe number ofthe
dead,
and inthe
nam:
.ofrhe reil:,
lift up
from the grave (and in
Hisr!ftng, Hejhooke;
foreherewasagreaz
Earth-quake:)
By vertue whereof, the
jirf/fmits
being rell:ored to life,
all
rhe reftof
the dead, are in Him
entirl~d
to the fame
hope;
in that, He was notfo./ift
u;
for
Him,
felfe alone, but, for us and mour names : Ancl
{o
the fubll:ance ofth1s
F
eaft
fullilltd
in C
H R I
s
T
s
Rcfttrreflion.
Nor; o/rh•
•
Now, upon this
lifting up;
·there enCueth
a
very great
alteration~
ifyou pkafe
io
·~···~"'·J!f.
tnarkeit. Ir was even now, CHar s,T
isriflnfromthedead,:thejirftfi'ttits
(irfrlould
~~7 ~:;,,
"P·
be,~f
the dead,
too; for, from thence He rofe ; it is not fo, but,
the jirft fruitJ)
oftlmn
thatjleepe:
that, you may fee,
theconfecration
hath wrought a
change.
A change,and
a great change(certain!y)to change
"'4'';
into
"'"'~"'~'-t"''a
burial/
place,imoa
c~mlft1J,
thatis,a
grearDortor: Graves,
into
beds; Death,
into
fleepe; Dead
men,
inromen
laiJ
~~ ~!~· d~wne
to take their reil:; a refr, of
hope;
of hope, to
rifeagaine.
1
f they
'""",""""-·
doe well.
And, (that, whichlyethopenin theword)
Dormientium,
the very
(m>eie enloJ;
ded, in the word
jirftfmits :
Either word alfordeth comfort. For,
jirftjr11its
im~ly
fmits:
And fo we, as the
frrdts
ofthe earth, falling, as doethe graines or kernellslll·
to the
grou~d,
and there lying to all mens feeming, putrified, and pafr hope,yet
011 1
.fudden, agamft thegreat Feaft of
firft {ruits,fhooting
forth ofthe groundagame. The
other of
Dormientium,
the
vfpoffle
letteth goe, and fall:ens on this of
fruits~
and fol•
.loweth it hard, thorow the reil: ofthe
chapter :
!hewing, that the
ri(tngagame
ofrhe
:V~!• J~:
fruitJ
fowen, wouldbenole!feincredible, than the
Rejierreilion,
but that, wefwrfo,
every yeare.
h
Thefe twowords of •
jlceping
and •
(dwingwould
bclaid up well. Thar, whic
~s
{
Vf!tn,
rifeth up,
in
thejfring:
,th~r,
which
jleepeth,
in the
morning.
So