For can we think thofe Bodies well prepared for a glorious Refurrection, to be refined into spiritual Bodies, which are become ten times more Flesh than God made them, which are the Inftruments and the Tempters to all Impurity? Is there any Reafon to expect that fuch a Body should rise again fpiritual and glorious, which expires in the Flames of Luft, which falls a Sacrifice in the Quarrel of a Strumpet, which finks under the Load of its own Exceffes, and eats and drinks itfelf into the Grave; which fcorns to die by Adam's Sin, but will die by its own, without expecting till the Laws of Mortality, according to the ordinary Courfe of Nature, muft take Place?

Holiness is the only Principle of Immortality both to Soul and Body: Thofe love their Bodies beft, thofe honour them most, who make them Inftruments of Virtue; who endeavour to refine and fpiritualize them, and leave nothing of fleshly Appetites and Inclinations in them: thofe are kindeft to their Bodies who confecrate them for Immortality, who take care they fhali rife again into the Partnership of eternal Joys: All the Severities of Mortification, Abftinence from bodily Pleasures, Watchings, Faftings, hard Lodging, when they are Inftruments of a real Virtue, not the Arts of Superftition, when they are intended to fubdue our Lufts, not to purchase a Liberty of finning, are the most real Expreffions of Honour and Refpect to thefe Bodies. It fhews how unwilling we are to part with them, or to have them miferable, how defirous we are of their Advancement into eternal Glories: For the lefs of Flesh they carry to the Grave with them, the more glorious will they rife again. This is offering up our Bodies a living Sacrifice, when we entirely devote them to the Service

of

of God; and fuch living Sacrifices fhall live for ever; for if God receives them a living Sacrifice, he will preserve them to immortal Life.

But the highest Honour we can do these Bodies, and nobleft Use we can put them to, is to offer them up in a proper Sense, a Sacrifice to God, that is, willingly and chearfully to die for God when he calls us to Suffering: First to offer up our Souls to God in the pure Flames of Love and Devotion, and then freely to give up our Bodies to the Stake or to the Gibbet, to wild Beafts, or more favage Men. This vindicates our Bodies from the natural Shame and Reproach of Death; what we call a natural Death is very inglorious, it is a Mark of Difhonour, because it is a Punifhment of Sin: Such Bodies at beft are fown in Difhonour and Corruption, as St. Paul speaks; but to die a Martyr, to fall a Sacrifice to God, this is a glorious Death; this is not to yield to the Laws of Mortality, to Neceffity and Fate, but to give back our Bodies to God, who gave them to us; and he will keep that which we have committed to his Truft, to a glorious Refurrection; and it will be a furprizing and aftonishing Glory with which fuch Bodies fhall rife again, as have fuffered for their Lord; for if we fuffer with him, we shall also be glorified together: Which feems to imply, that those shall nearest refemble the Glory of Chrift himself, who fuffer as he did.

This is the Way to make our Bodies immortal and glorious. We cannot keep them long here, they are corruptible Bodies, and will tumble into Duft; we must part with them for a while, and if ever we expect and defire a happy Meeting again, we must use them with Modefty and Reverence now. We dishonour our Bodies in this World, when we

make

make them Inftruments of Wickednefs and Luft, lay an eternal Foundation of Shame and Infamy for them in the next World; it is a mortal and killing Love, to cherish the fleshly Principle, to make Provifion for the Flesh to fulfil the Lufts thereof: But if you love your Bodies, make them immortal, that though they die, they may rise again out of their Graves with a youthful Vigour and Beauty that they may live for ever without Pain and Sicknefs, without the Decays of Age, or the Interruptions of Sleep, or the Fatigue or Weariness of Labour; without wanting either Food or Raiment, without the leaft Remains of Corruption, without knowing what it is to tempt, or to be tempted, without the leaft uneafy Thought, the leaft Disappointment, the leaft Care, in the full and blifsful Enjoyment of the Eternal and Sovereign Good.

SE C T. III.

Death confidered as our Entrance upon a new and unknown State of Life.

III. LET us now confider Death as it is an En

trance upon a new and unknown State of Life; for it is a new Thing to us to live without these Bodies, it is what we have never tried yet, and we cannot guefs how we should feel ourselves, when we are ftripped of Flesh and Blood; what Entertainments we fhall find in that Place, where there is neither Eating nor Drinking, neither Marrying, nor giving in Marriage; what kind of Bufinefs and Employment we fhall have there, where we shall have no Occafion for any of these Things which employ our Time here; for when we have no use of Food, or Raiment, or Phyfick, or Houses to dwell

dwell in, or whatever our Union to thefe Bodies make neceffary to us now; all those Trades and Arts, which are to provide these Conveniences for us must then ceafe. This must needs be a very furprizing Change; and though we are affured of a very great Happiness in the next World, which infinitely exceeds whatever Men call Happiness or Pleasure here; yet moft Men are very unwilling to change a known for an unknown Happiness; and it confounds and amazes them to think of going out of thefe Bodies they know not whither. Now this Confideration will fuggeft feveral very wife and useful Thoughts to us.

1. How neceffary an entire Truft and Faith in God is: We cannot live happily without it in this World, and I am fure we cannot die comfortably without it: For this is the noblest Exercise of Faith, to be able chearfully to refign up our Spirits into the Hands of God, when we know fo little of the State of the other World whither we are going. This was the firft Trial of Abraham's Faith, when, in Obedience to the Command of God, he forfook his own Country, and his Father's Houfe, and followed God into a strange Land, Heb. xi. 8. By Faith Abraham, when he was called to go into a Place, which he should after receive for an Inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he was going. Cancan was the Type of Heaven; and Heaven is as unknown a Country to us, as Canaan was to Abrahem. And herein we muft imitate this Father of the Faithful, to be contented to leave our native Country, and the World we know, to follow God whitherfoever he leads us, into unknown Regions, and to an unknown and unexperienced Happiness. This indeed all Men must do, because they cannot avoid leaving this World, but must go when God calls for them:

But

But that which makes it our Choice, an Act of Faith and Virtue, is this, fuch a strong Perfuafion, and firm Reliance on the Goodness and Wisdom, and Promifes of God, that though we are ignorant of the State of the other World, we can chearfully forfake all our known Enjoyments, and embrace the Promifes of an unknown Happiness. And there are two diftinct Acts of this, which anfwer to Abraham's Faith in leaving his own Country, and following God into a strange Land: The firft is the Exercife of our Faith while we live; the fecond when we die.

To mortify all our inordinate Appetites and Defires, to deny ourselves the finful Vanities and Pleafures of this Life, for the Promifes of an unknown Happiness in the next, is our myftical dying to this World, leaving our native Country, and following God into a strange and unknown Land; to quit all our prefent Poffeffions in this World, to forfeit our Eftates or Liberties, all that is dear to us here; nay, to forfake our native Country, rather than to offend God, and lofe our Title to the Promises of an unknown Happiness, is, in a literal Senfe, to leave our Country at God's Command, not knowing whither we go; which is like Abraham's going out of his own Country, and living as a Sojourner in the Land of Promife, without having an Inheritance in it. This is that Faith which overcomes the World, which makes us live as Pilgrims and Stran gers here, as those who seek for another Country, for a heavenly Canaan, as the Apoftle tells us Abraham did: For by Faith be fojourned in the Land of Promife, as in a strange Country, dwelling in Tabernacles with Ifaac and Jacob, the Heirs with him of the fame Promife; for he looked for a City which has Foundations, whofe Builder and Maker is God, Heb. xi. 9, 10.

And