5 8 8 The2ighteaus e24'ans Service 4' S. 6. , 3. 9, - ` Now as I am charitably confident that all who hear me this day, are fatisfiedarid affuredherein, That our Saviours body faw nocorruption, fo give me leave to be jealous over you with a godly jealoufie, for fear fome miftake the caufe of this his incorruptibility; and bottom it on a falfe foundation. Some perchance may im- pute itto the fhortnefs of thetime he lay in his grave, being but a dayand two pie- ces of a day, numero rotunda, though currenìe flilo they commonly be called and three dayes. Thefedo.ponere noncaufmnpro ¡caufa; for the time was long enough in that hot Country, to caufeputreta&ruon, confidering that our Saviours body was much broiled and broken with the whips, nails, and lepears, ( betides the eflúfròn ofmuch blood) which would the boner have invitedcorruption. Others perchance putthe uotaintednefs ofhis body upon the account of the great quantity of cvllyrrhand Aloes (about an hundredpoundweight) and other precious fpices, wherewith,yofepb and Wicodemus, jtohn 19. 39. imbalmed it. This alto is an unfound opinion ; for all the fpices of Arabiacannot fecure a corpfe from putri- lying, though they may preferve it that fuch putrifafcion )hall not be noyl'ome to others in the ill favour thereof,not keeping it from corrupting,but from ofending. The true reason is this : Though Chrifts foul was parted from his body, ( and where difpoled of;God oily knoves , duringhis' remainder in the grave) yet the union with theDeity was never diffolved, which priviledged his corlile from corruption. So that had it been poflible (which was impoljiblé, as is inconfiftant with Gods promifeand pleafure) for his corpfe'to have lien-in-the grave till this in- frant, they had been perpetuated in an intire ellate, whilft it is true ofDavid as it is in the Text, after hehadferved his owngeneration by thewillofGod, hefellonJleepi andwas laid unto his Fatbers,andfay corruption. Obferve in the words four principal parts, i. Whata generation is. í. What iris to ferve ones generation. 3. HowDavid ferved his on generation, 4. Howwe after his example are to ferveours. Of these inorder, and first wewill confider what ageneration is. e4generation is a companyofmen andwomen, born, livinganddying, much about the-fame time : I fay, much about the fame time ; for(even years, underor over; footer or later, breaketh no fquares herein, but that the faid perfonsare reducible to the fame generation. Thus, Mar. r: 17. All the generationsfromAbraham ra David, arefourteengenerations : andfromDavid, -until the carrying away intoBa- bylon, are fourteengenerations : and from the carrying away into Babylon, unto Cbriff, are fourteen Generations : Now all generations are not ofequal) extent ; fo admirable the Longevity of thofc before the Flood, compared to our short lives; fin cc God for our fins bath contraftedthecloth ofour life to threefcoreandtenyears, and all is but a course Lift, which is more than that measure, Pral. 9o. to. And ifby reafon offtrength theybefourfcore years, yet is their firength, labour andfrrow; for it islooncut of, andwe flie away. It is remarkable, that Three Generationsare always at the fame time on foot in the world ; namely, r. TheGeneration riling. z. The Generation lhining. 3. The Generation fettinn. '. For should Godclear the earthofall men at once, Mankind could not be recru.. fed-but by miracle ; betides, neither humane Arts nor Sciences ; nor could the scripturehandfomlybe harnledand deliveredfromone generationto another. God therefore of his goodnefs doth foorder it,thatrather than any empty Interval should happen betwixt them, one Generation ihouldfold andlap over another. Thefe threedegrees were moftvifrblyconfpicuous inthe Levites,which tillfive and twen- tyyears of age, were learning Levites, thence till fifty, aging Levites, (as being then in the ftrength oftheir age) imployed in the portage ofthe Tabernacle; and after fifty, had a Writ of cafe from bodily labour,though they maybe prefumed to be busied in the teachingofothers. Paf
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=