Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v8

Chap.27. An Expoftion upon the Book of J o s. Verf.z9. r7a mon care for their worn part,their bodyes,to feedand cloath,and preferve and pamper them, while they live ; fo when they dite, whatever becomes of their foules, they ufually give aria com- mand and diretionsabout the buriall of their bodyes.Whenwe read of the rich mans death,it prefently followech,and was barr- ed ( Luke r 6.22. )But as for Lazarus the begger, his death is mentioned,and the buriall of his bodyburied in Glence ; only we findthat heaven was his tomb, for he (that is, his foul or fpirit) was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bofome. And wicked trsens bodycs often have the better of the Saints as to an outward bury- all ; Their bodycs being houfed in (lately Monuments,while the bodyes of there are entombed only in the bowels of Ravenous birds and beafis, (Pfal.79. 2.) The deadbodes of thy fervants have theygiven to be meat unto the fowler of thebeaven,the fleflo of thy Saints unto the beafls ofthe eartb.That's all the buriall which many a good man bath had,how good foever it is to have a bury- al : And the bodycs of Saints doea great fervice toGod,when they are dead and thus burycd. For as in giving themfelves op to a violent death, they beare a tenimony to all the truths of God ; fo in having their bodyes thus buried, they increafe the wonder and the miracle of that great truthof God, The refarreEl-ion ofthe Body. For as there is a mercy to man, in being gathered to the grave by buryall, fo an infinite glory will arife to the power and wifdome of God, in gathering up the bodyes of his Saints out of fuch uncouth gravesand buryalls. They who lye down andare not gathered to the grave by any, much lefle any folcmn burial!, (hail yet be folemnely gathered at the refurreefion.But they who lying down are gathered to the grave byburyall, are laid up for a refurretion ; A good refurre&ion is bell, yet to be laid up for it is good. The richman(hall lye dozen. There is no avoyding nor bribing of death byhis riches ;Bat he (hall not begathered ; all the riches which he hath gathered cannot purchafe him a grave to be gathered to,when God hath a mind to fcatter him. Riches availnot ina day ofwrath, either to deliver from death, or to ob- taint the favour of a bariall.He that bath the leaíl true grace may be affur ed that when he lyeth down in death, his foule Chall be gathered untoChrifl. But he that hath the greaten portion of worldly riches,can have no affurance that when hedyeth hisbody íhall be gathered to the Gave. The rich man (hall lye down. Z z There

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