with them, but they fhall not rife with them. When the foul comes out of heaven, and the body out of the grave, what a joyful meeting will there be of the bleffed couple?

3. Gloriously, being made like unto Chrift's glorious body, Phil. iii. 21. However mean they were while in the world, or ignominiously treated in life or in death, they fhall have a glorious refurrection.

Fourthly, I fhall fhew what fhall be the particular qualities of the bodies of believers at the refurrection. The bodies of the faints fhall be raised,

1. Incorruptible, 1 Cor. xv. 42. Now the members of their living bodies are liable to corruption, when they die, all putrifying together; but then they will never more be liable to putrefaction; never more liable to sickness, death, nor the leaft pain, to wearing or wearying. There will then be no outward violence, no inward caufe of uneafinefs.

2 Glorious, ver. 43. The moft hard favoured faint will outftrip the now greatest beauty. The feat of that beauty will not be the face only, but the whole body, Matth. xiii. 43. There fhall be no defects nor deformities in thefe bodies; Ifaac fhall no more be blind, nor Jacob halt; Leah fhall not be tender eyed, nor Mephibofheth lame of his legs. As the artificer melts down the mishapen veffel, and cafts it over again in a new mould; fo doth the Lord with the bodies of the faints.

3. Powerful and ftrong, ib. There will be no more feebleness and weaknefs. The weak shall be as David, and the houfe of David fhall be as God. They fhall be able to bear out in continual exercife without wearying, and to bear the weight of glory, which the flesh and blood of a giant would now be too weak for.

4. Laftly, Spiritual, ver. 44. That is, like fpirits. (1.) In that they fhall need none of the now neceffary fupplies of nature, meat, drink, &c. Matth. xxii. 30. full without meat, warm without cloaths, health VOL. II.

Z z

ful without phyfic. (2.) Active and nimble like fpi. rits. So they fhall meet the Lord in the air, and like fo many eagles gather together, where the carcafe is.

Inf. 1. Fearful will the doom of perfecutors be. (2.) The faints may be encouraged to fuffer for Chrift. (3) Faith and holiness is the best way to beauty. (4.) Let this allay the believer's fear of death, Gen. xlvi. 3. 4. (5.) Let this comfort him against ficklinefs of body; (6.) and under the death of godly relations. (7.) Rife from fin, and glorify God with your bodies and fouls.

SECONDLY, We are now to confider that better refurrection in the confequents thereof, or what shall follow thereupon, the which the martyrs in this text had in their view.

Here I fhali fhew,

1. The confequents thereof before the judgement. 2. At the judgement.

3. After the judgement.

Firft, I fhall fhew the confequents of this better refurrection before the judgement. There are two benefits which believers fhall have from Chrift be twixt the refurrection and the judgement. We left them raifed up out of their graves in glory. Now,

1. They fhall be gathered together from all corners of the earth by the miniftry of angels, Matth. xxiv. 31. By the glorious gofpel having its efficacy on them, they were feparated from the world in respect of their ftate and manner of life, but ftill abode a mong them as to their bodily prefence, and fome of them at a great diftance from the reft: but then they fhall not only be visibly diftinguifhed from the reprobate by the thining glory upon them, while the faces of the reft are covered with blacknefs; but these fair ones fhall all be gathered together into one glorious company out from among the wicked, by the mini ftry of the holy angels, Matth. xiii. 48. 49.

2. While the wicked are left on the earth, they fhall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the

air, 1 Theff. iv. 17. Those who are found alive, and those who are raised out of their graves, fhail afcend in one glorious body; by what means, the Lord himfelf knows; but he who made Peter walk on the water, can cause them make their way like eagles thro' the air. And they fhall meet the Lord there, to welcome him at his fecond coming, while others fhall be filled with dread of the judge; and also to attend him for his honour, as the angels alfo do.

Who can fufficiently conceive the glory of thefe benefits, by which their happiness is so far carried on? Secondly, We fhall view the confequents of this refurrection at the judgement.

The throne being erected, and the glorious man, Chrift, the Judge of the world, being fet down upon it, and the parties fifted before him to be judged, the wicked as well as the godly,

1. The glorious company of believers being feparated from the black howling company of the wicked in that day, fhall be fet on the right hand of the Judge, while the wicked fhall be fet on his left hand, Matth. xxv. 32. 33. They hall then have the most honourable place: and then will there be a mighty turn; many of the right hand men of the world will get the left hand, and contrariwife.

2. They fhall be openly acknowledged by Jefus Chrift their Lord and Judge, Matth. x. 32. Confider, 1, What it is for Chrift to acknowledge them. It is to own them for his own, to acknowledge the relations they ftand in to him, Mal. iii. 17. They fhall be mine, i. e. owned to be fo. To the wicked he will fay, he knows them not; he will reject all their pretenfions to him but as for believers, he will own and acknowledge them in all the relations wherewith faith invefted them; he will acknowledge the fair company for his contracted fpoufe, his children, his members, even them, and every one of them. 2diy, How he will acknowledge them then. He

wil do it openly, moft publicly and openly. Confider here,

(1.) Our Lord Jefus acknowledges all that are his, even now in this life, not only in his own breast, by looking on them as his; but before his Father, in whofe prefence he appears making interceffion for them as his own, John xvii. 9. 10. He does it alfo by the teftimony of his Spirit to their fonship, Rom. viii. 16. ; by the feal of his own image fet upon them, and by many fignal appearances of his providence for them. But,

(2.) He will then acknowledge them in a quite other and open manner, before many witneffes, fo as men and devils fhall be obliged to understand, that these are they whom the King on the throne delights to honour. He will do it before his Father, and the angels of heaven, Rev. iii. 5. in effect faying to his Father, Behold me, and the children thou hast given me. He will acknowledge them in their own hearing, and the hearing of all the world, Matth. xxv. 34.

3. They fhall be openly acquitted by the Lord in that day, by the fentence folemnly paffed in their favour, whereby alfo they are adjudged to life, Matth. xxv. 34. Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Confider here,

1st, What they fhall be acquitted from. They fhall be acquitted froin all the guilt of all their fins, and for ever difcharged from all punishment for them, Acts iii. 19. The mouths of all accufers fhall be fi nally stopt, and the white ftone fhall then be given in a way of eminency.

2dly, Are they not acquitted now? Yes, they are in the first moment of believing acquitted of the guilt of eternal wrath for ever, Rom. viii. 1. and on their fresh application to the blood of Chrift for their after fins, they likewise are blotted out, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And at death they get their

acquittance too, Heb. ix. 27. Yet at the general judgement they are acquitted likewise.

3dly, Wherein doth their acquittance now and at that day agree and differ?

(1.) They agree [1.] In the fubftance of the acquit tance, which is the fame now and hereafter, from the guilt of fin, and punishment thereof. [2.] In the ground of it; it proceeds in both upon the merits of Chrift, Eph. i. 7. and not on works, which are brought in at the last day as evidences of their faith, not as caufes of their juftification.

(2.) They differ [1.] In refpect of opennefs. Now they are acquitted in the world, Rom. viii. 1. where yet they have much ado to read it fometimes; in their own consciences, 1 John iii. 21. which they themselves only can understand; but then from the throne, in the presence of angels and men. [2] In refpect of affurance and comfort. Of the former a believer may doubt, but not of the latter. [3] In refpect of fulness. In the laft day they are acquitted from all effects of fin whatfoever, their bodies being raised, never to die more, and joined to their fouls, never to be feparated more: but not fo in the former. 4thly, Why fhall they be openly acknowledged and acquitted at the laft day? He will do it,

(1.) To wipe off with his own fair hand, all the foul afperfions, which the hypocrites and profane did caft upon them in this world, If. lxvi. 5. Many a time the Lord's dearest children are made to lie among the pots, blackened with ill names, reproaches, &i, But then they fhall be like doves whofe wings are covered with filver, and their feathers with yellow gold.

(2.) To give them a reward of grace, for their confeffing of him before the world, cleaving to his truths and ways, in the midft of an adulterous generation, and their not fuftaining to deny him on whatever temptations, Matth. x. 32. Whosoever shall confefs me before men, him will I confefs alfo before my Father which is in heaven, Compare 2 Tim. ii. 12. If we deny him, he