664 Meditations touchin Ve4th, body;butit fhouldbebyand bywith Chrift ; Death fhouldbee but as a doore opening veto him fpeedy admittance into the fociety and prefenceofthe Lord.There can be no colour of exception made again(} this colle&ion folic onely this. It may be imagined, that Patel cafewas!ngular; and that albeit, it might bee his portion to bee thus fpecdily vpon his death conueiedvoto Chrilt; yet it cannotbeefowith entry Chriltian. Butwhat true ground can bee alleaged, why Pax,cafe herein, fhould notbee the cafeofall the faith- full? Perhaps a Papift mayfay, Pao/¿vas tobee aMartyr, and tofuller deathfor theTruth; andwe hold (fay theyof the RomilhChurch)that Martyrsgo im- mediately tohcauen when they die. Thismay thusbe anfwered : Suppofe this were a certentruth concerning Martyrs, thatthey are ftraight with Chrift when theyarediffolucd; yet who can fay, that Pee/was allured whenhe fpake thefewords,hee should offer his life forthe caufeofGod ? It was indeednot vnlikely, confidering Pailwas Phi),t.tzr then in bands e yet abfolutely certenwecannotfay it was. g 3 Peter (itis knowne) hada reuelation fromthemouthof Chrift, by what b lobo ter. r ç. kindofdeath he fhould glorifieGod n;but itdoth not appeare, that Patel had s vet.:04. any. Truth i , .9gabxrforetold, that Pax! shouldbe boundat Ierufalemi : and ¡Mt: ncu. his refolution wasnot to forbeare going to lerufalem, though hee werefire vole i3. three to fuffèrdeath k But fait is hard tofay, that Pax!, het at the time of writing this Epiftle, and theft words, knew for certenthat hee fhould die asa Martyr, afrerfomeviolent manner, and not an ordinary death inhisbed.Thy generality, Bands he remained in new,; but the particularity ityoftmaner ofhis death, cannotbeprooued hevnderftood. Thar Rory which reportshis beheading atRome, clothnot bind estobe- leeue it, butglues rather caufe ofdoubting it: in asmuch asit reports the cru- cifyingofPetar the fame day : which, bythemany probabilities brought to proue him neuertohauebeen atRome,is made tobeenlikely. Thus,though it fhouldbee pretended,that this immediate bein with Chrift after death, was his lot,becaufe a Martyry yet could it beofnoforce toprnue the fingo1arryofhiscafe ; butfor all thatit (tillremaines good, that in him wemay behold thecommon fate ofall Beleeuers. But to putit outofall que- ftion,that Pail,in thistomfortableneffèofhis eitate after death, didnot thinke himfelfeexempt fromothers, wemay obferue his ownewords: When hehad fpokenof fuch afliftions, ashappen unto GodsEleet in thislife, inall which theyhaue comfort, fo long as theyfallen their eyesand thoughts vpon thate- ternall weight ofglorywhich commethafter), immediatelyhee addeth (fpea- kingin the,plural! number, as accounting himfelfe intereffed therein with wsCor, ;,i. fliers))Wet kiawtbatiforearthlybowie, ebedeßrgsd, ovakaxaakxildi.ggiow This then byPax, plainewords is thelotofall trueChrifians,that inffant- ly,vpon the diffolution oftheirearthlyhoules, which their foules here inhabit, they (hall bee admitted intoa more excellent kind ofdwelling, euen fuch an 'Wales. one, wherein, being remooued from the body, they frail dwellwith the Lord e, Needs muftitbeacknowledged, that thisplaceisfpoken,notoffomef cí- all ones amongBeleeuers, but ofallbeleeuers, euen ofall, towhomGodhath e verri ;. giuen the earnelt ofhisfpirit', and that isa common fauour bellowed upon all pacar, .zz, the Ele&p, Eph t,tg,ri. eed owplaineto romthe Scripture. thispurpofearethofe other etúdenceswhichmay beeprodu. Hf ¡La isee. Lazarxr wasconueied byAngelsinto edIrabamsbefomes;thatis, hee was gathered
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