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downments. The body shall be absolutely subservient to the soul, subject to it, and influenced by it; and therefore no more a clog to its activity, nor the animal appetites a snare to it. There will be no need to beat it down, nor drag it to the service of God. The soul, in this life, is so much influenced by the body, that, in scripture-style, it is said to be carnal: but then the body shall be spiritual, readily serving the soul in the business of heaven? and in that only, as if it had no more relation to earth, than a spirit. It will have no further need of the now necessary supports of life, namely, food and raiment, and the like. " They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more," Rev. vii. 15. "For in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Then shall the saints be strong without meat or drink, warm without clothes, ever in perfect health without medicine, and ever fresh and vigorous, though they shall never sleep, but "serve him night and day in his temple," Rev. vii. 15. They will need none of these things more than spirits do. They will be nimble and active as spirits, and of a most refined constitution. The body that is now lumpish and heavy, shall then be most sprightly. No such things as melancholy shall be found to make the heart heavy, and the spirits flag and sink. " Where the carcase is, there shall the saints, as so many eagles, be gathered together." I shall not farther dip into this matter: "the day will

declare it."

As to the qualities of the bodies of the wicked, at the resurrection, I find the scripture speaks but little of them. Whatever they may need, they shall not get a drop of water to cool their tongues, Luke xvi. 24, 25. Whatever may be said of their weakness, it is certain they will be continued for ever in life, that they may be ever dying: they shall bear up, howsoever unwilling, under the load of God's wrath, and shall not faint away under it. "The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no rest day nor night." Surely they shall not partake of the glory and beauty of the saints, All their glory dies with them,

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and shall never rise again. Daniel tells us, they shall awake "to shame and everlasting contempt," chap. xii. 2. Shame follows sin, as the shadow followeth the body: but the wicked in this world walk in the dark, and often under a disguise: nevertheless, when the Judge comes in flaming fire, at the last day, they will be brought to the light; their mask will be taken off, and the shame of their nakedness will clearly appear to themselves and others, and fill their faces with confusion. Their shame will be too deep for blushes; but all faces shall gather blackness, at that day, when they shall go forth of their graves, as malefactors out of their prisons, to execution: for their resurrection is the resurrection of damnation. The greatest beauties, who now pride themselves, in their comeliness of body, not regarding their deformed souls, will then appear with the ghastly countenance, a grim and death-like visage. Their looks will be frightful, and they will be horrible spectacles, coming forth of their graves, like infernal furies out of the pit. They shall rise also to everlasting contempt. They shall then be the most contemptible creatures, filled with contempt from God, as vessels of dishonour, whatever honourable uses they have been employed to in this world; and filled also with contempt from men. They will be most despicable in the eyes of the saints, even of those saints who gave them honour here, either for their high station, the gifts of God in them, or because they were of the same human nature with themselves. But then shall their bodies be as many loathsome carcases, which they shall go forth and look upon with abhorrence: yea, "they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh," Isa. lxvi. 24. The word here rendered an abhorring, is the same which in the other text is renerded contempt; and Isaiah and Daniel point at one and the same thing, namely, the loathsomeness of the wicked at the resurrection. They will be loathsome in the eyes of one another. The unclean wretches were never lovely to each other, as then they will be loathsome: dear companions in sin will then be an abhorring, each one to his fellow; and the wicked great and honourable men, shall be no mo reregarded

by their wicked subjects, their servants, their slaves, than the mire in the streets.

Use I. Of comfort to the people of God. The doctrine of the resurrection is a spring of consolation and joy unto you. Think on it, O believers, when ye are in the house of the mourning, for the loss of your godly relations or friends, "that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope;" for ye will meet again, 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14. They are but lain down to "rest in their beds" for a little while, (Isa. lvii. 2.) but in the morning of the resurrection they will awake again, and come forth of their graves. The vessel of honour was but coarse, it had much alloy of base metal in it; it was too weak, too dim and inglorious, for the upper house, whatever lustre it had in the lower once. It was crack't; it was polluted; and therefore behoved to be melted down that it may be refined, and fashoned more gloriously. Do but wait awhile, and you shall see it come forth out of the furnace of earth, vying with the stars in brightness: nay, " as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." Have you laid your infant children in the grave? you will see them again. Your God calls himself "the God of your seed;" which, according te our Saviour's exposition, secures the glorious resurrection of the body. Wherefore let the covenant you embraced, for yourself and your babes now in the dust, comfort your heart in the joyful expectation, that, by virtue thereof, they shall be raised up in glory; and that as being no more infants of days, but brought to a full and perfect stature, as is generally supposed. Be not discouraged by reason of a weak and sickly body; there is a day coming, when thou shalt be every whit whole. At the resurrection, Timothy shalt be no more liable to his often infirmities; his body, that was weak and sickly, even in youth, shall be raised in power; Lazarus shall be healed and sound, his body being raised incorruptible. And although, perhaps, thy weakness will not allow thee now, to go one furlong to meet the Lord in public ordinances: yet the day cometh, when thy body shall be no more a clog to thee, birt thou shalt" meet the Lord in the air," I Thess. iv. 17.

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It will be with saints coming up from the grave, as with the Israelites, when they came out of Egypt, Psal. cv. 37. "There was not one feeble person among their tribes." Hast thou an uncomely or deformed body? There is a glory within, which will then set all right without, according to all the desire of thine heart. It shall rise a glorious body, beautiful, handsome, and well-proportioned body. Its uncomeliness or deformities, may go with it to the grave, but they shall not come back with it. O that these, who are now so desirous to be beautiful and handsome, would not be too hasty to effect it with their foolish and sinful arts, but wait and study the heavenly art of beautifying the body, by endeavouring now to become all glorious within, with the graces of God's Spirit! This would at length make them admirable and everlasting beauties. Thou must indeed, O believer, grapple with death, and shall get the first fall: but thou shalt rise again, and come off victorious at last. Thou must go down to the grave; but, though it be thy long home, it will not be thine everlasting home. Thou wilt not hear the voice of thy friends there; but thou shalt hear the voice of Christ there. Thou mayest be carried thither with mourning, but shalt come up from it rejoicing. Thy friends indeed will leave thee there, but thy God will not. What God said to Jacob, concerning his going down to Egypt, (Gen. xlvi. 3, 4.) he says, to thee, about thy going down to the grave. "Fear not to go down---I will go down with thee, and I will also surely bring thee up again." O solid comfort! O glorious hopes! "Wherefore comfort yourselves, and one another, with these words," 1 Thess. iv. 18.

Use II. Of terror to all unregenerate men. Ye who are yet in your natural state, look at this piece of the eternal state; and consider what will be your part in it, if ye be not in time brought into the state of grace. Think, O sinner, on that day, when the trumpet shall sound, at the voice of which the bars of the pit shall be broken asunder, the doors of the grave shall fly open, the devouring depths of the sea shall throw up their dead, the earth cast forth hers; and death every

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where in the excess of astonishment, shall let go his prisoners; and thy wretched soul and body shall be reunited, to be sifted before the tribunal of God. Then, if thou hadst a thousand worlds, at thy disposal, thou wouldest gladly give them all away, upon condition thou mightest lie still in thy grave, with the hundred part of that ease wherewith thou hast sometimes lain at home on the Lord's day: or (if that cannot be obtained) that thou mightest be but a spectator of the transactions of that day; as thou hast been at some solemn occasions, and rich gospel feasts: or (if even that is not to be purchased) that a mountain or rock might fall on thee, and cover thee from the face of the Lamb. Ah! how are men bewitched, thus to trifle away the precious time of life, in (almost) as little concern about death, as if they were like the beasts that perish! Some will be telling where their corpses must be laid; while yet they have not seriously considered, whether their graves shall be their beds, where they shall awake with joy, in the morning of the resurrection; or their prisons, out of which they shall be brought to receive the fearful sentence. Remember, now is your seedtime; and as ye sow, ye shall reap. God's seed-time begins at death; and at the resurrection, the bodies of the wicked, that were sown " full of sins, that lie down with them in the dust," (Job xx. 11.) shall spring up again, sinful, wretched and vile. Your bodies, which are now instruments of sin, the Lord will lay aside for the fire, at death; and bring them forth for the fire, at the resurrection. That body, which is not now employed in God's service, but is abused by uncleanness and lasciviousness, will then be brought forth in all its vileness, thenceforth to lodge with unclean spirits. The body of the drunkard shall then stagger by reason of the wine of the wrath of God; poured out to him, and poured into him, without mixture. These who now please themselves in their revellings, will reel to and fro at another rate; when, instead of their songs and music, they shall hear the sound of the last trumpet. Many toil their bodies for worldly gain, who will be loath to distress them for the benefit of their souls: by

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