"It is fown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is fown in "difhonour, it is raifed in glory. It is fown in weakness, it is raised "in power. It is, fown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."

Firft, The bodies of the faints fhall be raifed incorruptible. They are now, as the bodies of others, a very mafs of corruption, full of the feeds of difeafes and death; and when dead, become fo naufeous, even to their dearest friends, that they must be buried out of their fight, in a grave, there to rot and be confumed: yea lothfome fores and difeafes make fome of them very unfightly, even while alive. But at the refurrection they leave all the feeds of corruption behind them, in the grave; and rife incorruptible, incapable of the leaft indifpofition, fickness, or fort; and much more of dying. External violences and inward caufes of pain fhall for ever ceafe: they fhall feel it no more: yea, they fhall have an everlasting youth and vigour; being no more fubject to the decays which age produced in this life. Secondly, They thall be glorious bodies; not only beautiful, comely, and well proportioned, but full of splendor and brightnefs. The most beautiful face, and beft proportioned body that now appears in the world is not to be named in comparifon with the body of the meanest faint at the refurrection; for then hall the righteous fhine forth as the fun, Matth. xiii. 43. If there was a dazzling glory on Mofes's face, when he came down from the mount; and if Stephen's face was as it had been the face of an angel, when he flood before the council, how much more fhall the faces of the faints be beautified and glorious, full of fweet agreeable majefty, when they have put off all corruption, and fhine as the fun? But obferve, this beauty of the faints is not reftricted to their faces, but diffufes itself through their whole bodies: for the whole body is raifed in glory, and fhall be falhioned like unto their Lord and Saviour's glorious body in whofe transfiguration not only did his face fhine as the fun, but also his raiment was white as the light, Matth. xvii. 2. Whatever defects or deformities the bodies of the faints had, when laid in the grave, occafioned by accidents in life, or arifing from fecret caufes of their formation in the womb, they fhall rife out of the grave free of all thefe. But fuppofe the marks of the Lord Jefus, the fears or prints of the wounds and bruifes fome of the faints received while on earth, for his fake, thould remain in their bodies after the refurrection; likeas the print of the nails remained in the Lord Jefus's body, after his refurrection; thefe marks will rather be, badges of diftinction, and add to their glory, than detract from their beauty. But how foever that be, furely Ifaac's eyes fhall not then be dim, nor will Jacob halt; Leah fhall not be tender eyed, nor Mephibofheth lame of his legs For as the goldsmith melts down the old crazy veffel, and cafts it over again into a new mold, bringing it forth with a new luftre; so shall the vile body which lay diffolved in the grave, come forth at the refurrection in perfect beauty and comely proportion.

Thirdly

Thirdly, They fhall be powerful and ftrong bodies. The strongest men on earth being frail and mortal may justly be reckoned weak and feeble: in regard their ftrength, howfoever great, is quickly worn out and confumed. Many of the faints now have bodies weaker than others; but "the feeble among them, (to allude to Zech. xii. 8.) at that day, fhall be as David, and the houfe of David fhall be as God." A grave divine fays, that one fhall be ftronger at the refurrection, than an hundred, yea, than thousands are now. Certainly great, and vaflly great, must the strength of glorified bodies be, feeing they fhall bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The mortal body is not at all adapted to fuch a ftate. Do tranfports of joy occa fion death, as well as exceffive grief does? And can it bear up under a weight of glory? Can it fublift in union with a foul filed with heaven's raptures? Surely no. The mortal body would fink under that load, and fuch a fill would make the earthen pitcher to fly all in pieces. The Scripture has plainly told us, that flesh and blood, (namely) in their prefent frail ftate, though it were the flesh and blood of a giant, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. xv. 50. How ftrong muft the bodily eyes be, which, to the foul's eternal comfort, fhall behold the dazzling glory and fplendor of the new Jerufalem; and ftedfaftly look at the tranfcendent glory and brightness of the Man CHRIST, the Lamb, who is the light of that city, the inhabitants whereof shall fhine as the fun? The Lord of heaven doth now, in mercy, "hold back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it;" that mortals may not be confounded with the rays of glory, which fine forth from it, Job xxvi 9. But then the vail fhall be removed, and they made able to behold it, to their unfpeakable joy. How firong muft their bodies be, who fhall not reft night nor day; but be without intermiflion for ever employed in the heavenly temple, to fing and proclaim the praises of God, without wearinefs, which is a weakness incident to the frail mortal, but incompetent to the glorified body!

Laftly, They fhall be spiritual bodies. Not, that they fhall be changed into Spirits; but they thall be spiritual, in respect of their fpirit-like qualities and endowments. The body thall be, abfolutely, fubfervient to the foul, fubject to it, and influenced by it; and therefore, no more a clog to its activity, nor the animal appetites a fnare to it. There will be no need to beat it down, nor to drag it to the fervice of God. The foul, in this life, is fo much influenced by the body, that, in Scripture-ftyle, it is faid to be carnal: but then, the body fhall be fpiritual, readily ferving the foul in the bufinefs of heaven; and in that only, as if it had no more relation of earth, than a fpirit. It will have no further need of the now neceflary fupports of life, namely, food and raiment, and the like: "They fhall hunger no more, neither thirft any more, Rev, vii. 16. For in the refur rection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as "the angels of God in heaven." Then fhall the faints be strong

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without meat or drink; warm without cloaths; ever in perfect health without medicine; and ever fresh and vigorous, though they fhall never fleep, but ferve him night and day in his temple, Rev. vii. 15. They will need none of these things, more than fpirits do. They will be nimble and active as spirits, and of a moft refined constitution. The body that is now lumpish and heavy, fhall then be moft fprightly. No fuch thing at melancholy fhall be found to make the heart heavy, and the fpirits flag and fink." Where the carcafe is, there hall the "faints, as fo many eagles, be gathered together." I fhall not further dip into this matter: The day will declare it.

As to the qualities of the bodies of the wicked, at the refurrection, 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 faid of their weakness, it is certain they will be continued for ever in life; that they may be ever dying: they fhall bear up, howfoever unwillingly, under the load of God's wrath, and fhall not faint away under it. "The fmoak of their

❝ torment afcendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no reft

day nor night." Surely they fhall not partake of the glory and beauty of the faints. All their glory dies with them, and fhall never rife again. Daniel tells us, they fhall awake to fhame, and everlasting = contempt, chap. xii. 2. Shume follows fin, as the fhadow followeth the body: but the wicked in this world walk in the dark, and often under a difguife: 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 fhame of their nakednefs will clearly appear to themselves and others, and fill their faces with confufion. Their fhame will be too deep for blushes: but "all faces fhall gather blacknefs," at that day, when they fhall go forth of their graves, as male-, factors out of their prifons to execution; for their refurrection is the refurrection of damnation. The greatest beauties, who now pride themselves in their comelinefs of body, not regarding their deformed fouls, will then appear with ghaftly countenances, a grim and death-like vifage. Their looks will be frightful, and they will be horrible fpectacles, coming forth of their graves like infernal furies out of the pit. They fhall rife alfo to everlasting contempt. They fhall then be the most contemptible creatures, filled with contempt from God, as veffels of difhonour: whatever honourable ufes they have been employed to, in this world; and filled alfo with contempt from men. They will be most despicable in the eyes of the faints, even of those faints, who gave them honour here; either for their high ftation, the gifts of God in them, or because they were of the fame human nature with themfelves. But then fhall,their bodies be as fo many lothfome carcafes, which "they fhall go forth and look upon with "abhorrence: yea, they fhall be an abhorring unto all flesh," Ifa. Ixvi. 24. The word here rendered an abhorring, is the fame which in the other text is rendered contempt; and Isaiah and Daniel point

Thirdly, They fhall be powerful and strong bodies. The ftrongest men on earth being frail and mortal may justly be reckoned weak and feeble: in regard their ftrength, howfoever great, is quickly worn out and confumed. Many of the faints now have bodies weaker than others; but "the feeble among them, (to allude to Zech. xii. 8.) at that day, fhall be as David, and the houfe of David fhall be as God." A grave divine fays, that one fhall be ftronger at the refurrection, than an hundred, yea, than thoufands are now. Certainly great, and vaflly great, muft the itrength of glorified bodies be, feeing they fhall bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The mortal body is not at all adapted to fuch a ftate. Do tranfports of joy occafion death, as well as excelfive grief uoes? And can it bear up under a weight of glory? Can it fublift in union with a foul filed with heaven's raptures? Surely no. The mortal body would fink under that load, and fuch a fill would make the earthen pitcher to fly all in pieces. The Scripture has plainly told us, that flesh and blood, (namely) in their prefent frail ftate, though it were the flesh and blood of a giant, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. xv. 50. How Strong muft the bodily eyes be, which, to the foul's eternal comfort, fhall behold the dazzling glory and fplendor of the new Jerufalem; and ftedfaftly look at the tranfcendent glory and brightness of the Man CHRIST, the Lamb, who is the light of that city, the inhabitants whereof shall fine as the fun? The Lord of heaven doth now, in mercy, "hold back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it;" that mortals may not be confounded with the rays of glory, which fhine forth from it, Job xxvi 9. But then the vail fhall be removed, and they made able to behold it, to their unspeakable joy. How firong muft their bodies be, who fhall not reft night nor day; but be without intermiflion for ever employed in the heavenly temple, to fing and proclaim the praifes of God, without wearinefs, which is a weakness incident to the frail mortal, but incompetent to the glorified body!

Laftly, They fhall be spiritual bodies. Not, that they shall be changed into Spirits; but they thall be fpiritual, in respect of their fpirit-like qualities and endowments. The body fhall be, abfolutely, fubfervient to the foul, fubject to it, and influenced by it; and therefore, no more a clog to its activity, nor the animal appetites a fnare to it. There will be no need to beat it down, nor to drag it to the fervice of God. The foul, in this life, is fo much influenced by the body, that, in Scripture-ftyle, it is faid to be carnal: but then, the body fhall be fpiritual, readily ferving the foul in the business of heaven; and in that only, as if it had no more relation of earth, than a fpirit. It will have no further need of the now neceffary supports of life, namely, food and raiment, and the like: "They fhall hunger no more, neither thirft any more, Rev, vii. 16. For in the refurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as "the angels of God in heaven." Then fhall the faints be strong

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without meat or drink; warm without cloaths; ever in perfect health without medicine; and ever fresh and vigorous, though they fhall never fleep, but ferve him night and day in his temple, Rev. vii. 15. They will need none of these things, more than fpirits do. They will be nimble and active as fpirits, and of a moft refined conftitution. The body that is now lumpish and heavy, fhall then be moft fprightly. No fuch thing at melancholy fhall be found to make the heart heavy, and the fpirits flag and fink." Where the carcafe is, there fhall the "faints, as fo many eagles, be gathered together." I fhall not further dip into this matter: The day will declare it.

As to the qualities of the bodies of the wicked, at the refurrection, I find the Scripture fpeaks but little of them. Whatever they may need, they fhall not get a drop of water to cool their tongues, Luke xvi. 24, 25. Whatever may be faid of their weakness, it is certain they will be continued for ever in life; that they may be ever dying: they fhall bear up, howfoever unwillingly, under the load of God's wrath, and fhall not faint away under it. "The fmoak of their

" torment afcendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no reft "day nor night." Surely they fhall not partake of the glory and beauty of the faints. All their glory dies with them, and fhall never rife again. Daniel tells us, they fhall awake to fhame, and everlasting contempt, chap. xii. 2. Shume follows fin, as the fhadow followeth the body:" but the wicked in this world walk in the dark, and often under a difguife: nevertheless, when the Judge comes in flaining fire, at the last day, they will be brought to the light; their mask will be taken off, and the fhame of their nakednefs will clearly appear to themselves and others, and fill their faces with confufion: Their fhame will be too deep for blushes: but "all faces fhall gather blacknefs," at that day, when they fhall go forth of their graves, as malefactors out of their prifons to execution; for their refurrection is the refurrection of damnation. The greateft beauties, who now pride themselves in their comeliness of body, not regarding their deformed fouls, will then appear with ghaftly countenances, a grim and deathlike vifage. Their looks will be frightful, and they will be horrible fpectacles, coming forth of their graves like infernal furies out of the pit. They fhall rife alfo to everlasting contempt. They fhall then be the most contemptible creatures, filled with contempt from God, 25 veffels of difhonour: whatever honourable ufes they have been employed to, in this world; and filled alfo with contempt from men. They will be most despicable in the eyes of the faints, even of those faints, who gave them honour here; either for their high station, the gifts of God in them, or because they were of the fame human nature with themfelves. But then fhall.their bodies be as fo many lothfome carcafes, which "they fhall go forth and look upon with "abhorrence: yea, they fhall be an abhorring unto all flesh," Ifa. Ixvi. 24. The word here rendered an abhorring, is the fame which in the other text is rendered contempt; and Isaiah and Daniel point