90 S E R MO N S upon Semi. XIII. what ever is animal, vile, and earthly, and weak, mull be put off, before we are capable of this bleffed eftate. 3.. The caufe of this mortality is, Becaufeof fin. Had it not been for fin, we had never had caufe to fear diffolution ; there had been no ufe for coffins, and winding - Iheets ; nor had we been beholding to ! Grave, to hide our carkafs from thefight and finell of the living; there was a pole mori, in innocency, elfe death could not be threat - ned as a penalty ; but there was a pot non mori, or elfe Immortality could not be pro- pounded as the reward of Obedience; therefore Man is Mortal , condition corpori;; but Immortal , beneficio conditoris ; God could have fupported him. Well then, death mutt make fin odious 5 or elfe fin allowed , will make death terri- blé. Thirdly, We come to the afl'ertoin or correaion ; The fpirit is life becaufe of Righte- oufnefi ; In which obferve, I. That Believers have a life, notwithftanding death. Though death be appointed by God , and infiaed upon believers , as well as others ; yet they live , notwitht anding this death : John z I. 2 5. He that believeth in me,though he were dead,yet'hall he live. The Fountain of Life can ralle himwhen he will; no bands of Death can hinder his quickening Vertue. Tho the union between Body and Soul be diffolved, yet not their union with God. 2. This life is to be underfiood of body and foul. 'Tis only indeed here Paid life, but he explaineth himfelf in the r 1. verf. If the fpirit of him that raifed op Jefus from the dead,, dwell in you; he that raifid up Chrifi from the dead, ;hall of quicken your mortal bodies by . his fpirit that dwelletb in you. Man is compounded of a Body and aSoul; death deprived him of his body for a time, only the Body (ball at laß be reunited to partake of the hap- pinefs of the foul. The foul (being the noblefi part) isprefently, and mofi happily provided for, being fanúi- fled and purified from all her ìmperfefliono, and is brought into the fight and prefence of God. Luke no. 38. They all live to Gad. And they are gathered to the great counfel and afembly of Souls, Heb. 12.23. There they ferve God day and night , and are under an happy neceffity of never wandring from their Duty, and no longer bufied to maintain a war againtt fin, but are always Imployed in Lauding, Praìfing, and Bleffing God, and delighting in him. Well then, this is the happinefs of the faithful, That though they put off the Body for a time;yet the Soul hath an Eternal houle, to which it retireth, and remains not only in the hand of God, but injoyeth the fight and love of God. 2 Cor. 5 r. For we l¿now that if our earthly houfe of this Tabernacle werediffälved, we have a building of God, an hoof not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. 2. For the body. At the Refurrection thefoul 'hall reaffäme its body again. We cannot eafily believe that part (Wall be placed in Heaven, which we fee commited to the Grave, torot there; but there is no impediment to Gods Almighty Power. Phil. g. 21. Who (hall change our vile body that it may be fafhioned like unto his glorious body,accerding to the working where- by he is able to fabdsee all things unto himfelf. This place Both prove,that God hath provided for the happy eftate of the Body,as well as the Soul. The dead are Grids fubjeás,put into the hands of Chrift; heusuft give an account of them: John 6.40. Andthis is the will of him that fent me, that eiiery one that feeth theSon, and believeth on him, may have everlafiing life, and I will raife him up at the lafi day. They are likewife members of Chrifi. 1 Cor. 6. 15. Now his Myftical body will not be maimed; they are Temples of the Holyghofl, . I Cor. 6. r5. Temples wherein we offer up to God reafonable fervice. Now fince the Spirit poffeffeth both Body and Soul, he will repair his own dwelling-place, which he hath once honoured with his prefence,and not let corruption always abide on it. And we have the pattern of Chrill, he is the fir( Fruits of them that flept, I Cor. t q. 20, the Soul hath an inclination to the Body Dill. Therefore that our happinefs may be compleat, a glori- fied Soul {hall inanimatean immortal Body. 3. The grounds are, fiat Spirits renewing. Secondly, Chrifls purchafe. n. The Spirit is life; he doth not draw his Argument from the immortality of the Soul, foi that is common to good and bad ; the wicked have a foul that will furvive the bo- dy, but little to their comfort ; their immortality is not an happy immortality ; but he taketh his argument from the new life wrought in us by the fpirit, which is the beginning, pledg, and earneD of a bleffed immortality; the foul is an immortal being, but the new life
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