· oftheir State by Creation, Our bodies they have two patterns propounded in Scriprurc that they lhall~ be conformelunro: The one is, they /hall be like the Angtls; Tht So~tuf the Chap. It . Rt(in-rellio11 (faith Chrifl in the·Evangclifl M,mhtw) they /bait 6e !tke the~ A11gels. And there is a 1econd pattern, we 1hall be conformed ur:tto Chri!f~ a\orious body. (How glonous tllat was, you have heard). W• fbaO be ltkt h 1 m; It is not in equality, but it is ?nly in refpect of the fame qualities th:tt his body had. I would clear one m1flake thot fome run mto: When 1115 fa1d, We 1loall bear the Image of the body and Human Na<ure of Chrift in Heaven , and that Chrift is aqutckni11g fpirit, feme have run into this conceit, That as the Godhead is united in a Perlonal manner to the Human Nature of Chrift, fo it Dull alfo be united to our bodies. But that is not the meaning,my Brethren: And my R.<afon is this, becaufe if we come to Heaven by virtue of Cluift, i~ is impoflible we lhould ever be raifed up to the fame Union with the Godhead .he bath; the Hypoftat,cal Union is a thing of fo high aNature, as it can ne– ver be merited ; but all that can be done is this, that wtjhalt bt made like u11 7 to htm: Heby virtue of beingGall, his body is made {o and fo glorious, as I h•vc dcfcribed it unto you; that as I faid, Suppofe the Suo lhould dwell in a ChryOal Glafs, how glorious would that Glafs be ? So the Godhead dwelling in the Human Nature, He is the Lord from Heavm , raifed up above Angels, therefore his body ~is glorious : Now we lhall not be raifed up to the lame height and degree of glory he is : No; let Chrift for ever enjoy that to himfelf; but all our happioefs lieth in this, we jba/1 6e conformed to him, tven i11 our 6odits w e!hut! bt madt like u11to him. Now the reafoo why I iolifl firit upon this of the body, is this, becaufe the Scripture fpeaks little of the glory of the foul, neither can it be coriveyecj to our Scnfes; but it would h>ve us raife up our thoughts, how glorious the Soul lball be, by laying open how glorious our Bodies fl1all be. And fo now I come to open to you th.e glory of that Spiritual Body we !hall have after the R.efur~ redion. · In laying ·opcri this, I lhall do thefc four things by way of Pre~ mifc. r. To/hew youthatitlhallbethe fame Body which we now have, that our Souls lhall then dwell in . 1., That this Body lhall have all its Parts and Members that now it bath. 3· Tnat all thefe Parts and Members lhall have forrie ufe or other in Heaven. And then, . 4· That this Body lhall be a Spiritual Body, and open and ioterptet what is meant by a Spiritual Body-;_ and fo I lhall come to make out the Comparifoo 'between the State of Adam's Body at his firft Creation, and our Bodies wheti they are thus raifed up at latter day. . , · In the fir(! place, It is the fame Body for fubftaoce : For, my Brethren,when Adam's Body, the natural Body'we now have, is faid to be a Type ofour Bci~ dies in Heaven, the meaning is 1101 that it is a Type of another kind of Body' for fubOance. He calleth both the one, and the other, a Body i only, he faith, the one is a natural Body, and the other is a Spiritual j3ody. He dot!i not fay our Bodies lhall be turned into Spirits, as feme have tho.ught, but they lhall be made SpirituiLI. As for example: Go take a piece cif Iron, and put it in the Fire, it is one thing to have this Iron to be turned into Fire, and a– oothe.r thing to have itto be filled with Fire, and to be fiery, that if you look up.on 1t, you lhall not fee Iron , but'fee Fire ; yet Iron it is !till: So is it here 1 it " the fame Body, it is not changed into Spirit ; it is only made Spiritual, it bath new properties, new quali1ies put upon it, as Iron bath when it is migh~ .tily heated With Ftre, it is maliable when it is heated with Fire, you may bow it, or .bend it'· ot work it, which way you will , though it is !tiff oatu~ally; and tt 1s hot , tf you touch it, you lhall not feel cold !fori but Fire, thougl:t it is cold naturally. T herefore, in Scripture , it is not faid we are n1ade An– gels, our Bodies are not made Spirits, but they arc made as the Angels. I Ipeak thus much; the rather becaufe it is a great Herelie that is rifen up in thcfe latter times, that we lhall oat have the fame Bodies in Heaven for Cub' P fiance,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=