Featly et. Al. - BV4275 T47 1672

cnl©rtality changed. 467 but avery parenthefis of a more tedious difcourfe, and many timesit isbrokers offin the very telling, fo it is with our lives: Sometime again, his as grafs, as in 446: Thevoyce faid cryaloud ; nbat 'hall Icry, all fle(Is isgrafi, and thegoodlinefi thereof ae the flower of the grafi. And verfe 7. The grafi wothereth, andtbeflossierfadeth, becaufe the Spirit o;` the Lordbloweth upon it. And fob in this chapter calleth Flower; He corheth forth (faith he) like aflower,and is cutdoun. A flower isa Tweet thing,but ofan earthlybreed,fed with (bowers at its bcft,when it isin all its glory, it isbut to day, and to morrow,it withereth,anc(is fit for nothing but the Oven; fo it is with-our lives. Many expref lions of the like nature might be added, theScripture is plentiful in thefe comparifons, comparing our life to the Spiders web, to a Weavers fhuttle, to the .breathof a candle, to apilgrimage,'to a journey, to the dayes of an hireling,¿c. all of them things ofa changeable and variable nature. The fecond argument may be taken from the quality ofour Natures, and therein there arctwothings confiderable, bothwhich imply ,a certainty of death. Firft, ourcompofition, and matter whereof we are made,we are reareçl,óut ofa mouldering andwafting principle, our bodies are therefore (tiled an earthly houle, Car. 5.11 Ahoufe though ofIron willin time becankered; but a houfe ofearth,as it is molt impotent againftaffaults, foit is of its own naturemoft apt,and fttbjeft to diffoldtion. And in this refpe& alfo they are termed.Tabernacles. Now a Taber- nacleyouknow is athingof no perpetuity,madeonly to be fobn fet up,and that in a mans paffage ; and then as loon taken down again. Secondly, betide this.there is in our nature, lin and corruption; and this is it that cloth put us to the fwords and cattle this deadly change : this tears outlives with a continualconfumption. The tree breeds the worm,, whichwill deftroy the lifeof the tree ; we in Adam gaveleavetofn, and now iris that fin gives leaveto death; In the dad that thou 'halt eat thereof, thou (halt Purely die, Gen. 2.17. and 4t07». 5. Is. Ry one manfn entred into theworld, anddeath byfin, and fo.death pallid over all men,, in that allhavefinned. The thadowdoth not foneerly attend ,the body ofman; as. Death doth the body of fm. , And Zjsm. 6. z;. the very wages offin is death. God thould do that mart wrong that bath hired out his foul all his dayes to fin, if he did not at night pay him with the wages of death, The thirdArgument may be drawn from the certainty,oftheRefurreftion;we all believe the refurreEtion of our bodies, and therefore we muff needs conclude a change of our bodies; for what isthe Refurreftionbutlifefrom dcath,forthe dead to hear, the voce ofChrift and live ? What is it buta breathing in of the foul again; the lighting ofthe candle again ? the body could never be raifed if it were not firft changed ; Thou fool,faith Saint Paul; I Cot. is. that sáhich thou fowelí is not quick. ñed, except it die; , The fourthArgurttent is from the infallibilityofGods decree, it isappointedunto men once todie,andafterdeath to come to judgement, Heb. 9. 2,7. Thoumayefffooner expei`t,that thecóurfeof, the heavens (hill be altered, and the Center of the earth be diflocated, thanthat the purpofe of God concerningmans mortality thould be re- verfed ; nay,that may be, for heaven andearth fhallpaf away,but thisfhallnever be, not one jot' of the nerd .ofGod (hall,fall to the ground. God bathpurpofed it; and none (hall diffanul it nay, he bath eftablill-fed his purpofe with a wordof confir- tnation,Gen:z: in theday thou estefl therefore:then'halt [fret'] die. As ifhe thould havePaid, Do not deceive thy felt, but build upon it, I have fpoken it, and willnoé alter thething that isgoneout ofmymouth ; as Pure as thou liveft, ifthou eateft, thou (halt die. . . . Thus youfee the firff affertion clearedunto you, I willaddrefs myfelfnQwt he fecond, ofWhich-briefly too, andthenmalle Applicationof themboth together. At tbére is acertainty ofour change,, fowe shouldalway wait till it doéhcome. There are two things which I Will here inquire of, for the fuller iliuffratioñ of this point. Firff, Rea Reaf. 4,

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