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2 Tim. 2.18. and Philetus who erred concerning the truth, faying, that the ResurrectiNonnulli at- on is past already, and fo overthrow the faith of fome. To believe it alreaba que af- dy paft, is to deny it, because it cannot be believed paft, but by fuch an fiduè dicit A- interpretation as must destroy it. As they which interpret this Refurrectipoftolus, Qua on of the likeness of Chrift's Refurrection; that as he died and rose again, fo we should die unto fin and live again unto righteoufness, attriChrifto, re-buting all to the renovation of the mind, must deny the Refurrection of cum eo; nec the Body.

mortui ju

mus cum

furreximus

intelligentes

quatenus dicatur, arbitrati funt jam factam effe refurrectionem, nec ullam ulterius in fine temporum effe fperandain. Ex quibus eft, inquit, Hymenaus & Philetus, qui circa veritatem aberraverunt, dicentes refurrectionem jam factam effe. Idem Apoftolus eos arguens deteftatur, qui tamen dicit nos refurrexiffe cum Chrifto. S. Aug. Epift. 119. ad Januarium. This was the Herefte of the Seleuciani or Hermiani, as the fame S. Auguftine teftifies, Hæref. 59. Refurrectionem non putant futuram, fed quotidie fieri in generatione filiorum. Thus Tertullian relates of fome Hereticks in his time, who made the Refurrection wholly Allegorical, and yet pretended to believe a Refurrection in the Flesh, but understood it in this Life at the baptifmal Renovation, and fo past when they professed to believe. Exinde ergo Refurrectionem fide confequutos cum Domino effe, cùm eum in Baptifmate induerint. Hoc denique ingenio etiam in colloquiis fæpe noftros decipere confueverunt, quafi & ipfi refurrectionem carnis admittant. Væ, inquiunt, qui non in hac carne refurrexit, ne ftatim illos percutiant, fi refurrectionem ftatim abnuerint: tacitè autem fecundùm confcientiam fuam hoc fentiunt. Væ, qui non, dum in hac carne eft, cognoverit arcana hæretica, hoc enim apud illos refurrectio. Tertull. de Refurrett. Carnis. cap. 19.

Now as we know the doctrine of the Refurrection was firft delivered to be believed as to come; fo we are affured that it is not yet come fince the doctrine of it was firft delivered, and is to be believed as John 11. 24. come to the end of the world; because, as Martha called it, it is the

Refurrection at the last day. Fob who knew that his Redeemer lived, did not expect that he fhould ftand upon the earth till the latter day; John 6.39. Christ hath no otherwise declared his Father's will, than that of all which he hath given him, he should lofe nothing, but should raise it up at the laft day. The Corn is fown and laid in the ground, and the harvest is the end of the world. We muft not expect to rife from the dead till the Mat. 13.39. laft Trump. The Lord himself fhall defcend from heaven with a hout, I Cor. 15. 52. with the voice of an Archangel, and with the Trump of God before 1 Theff. 4. 16. all that are in the graves fhall bear his Voice. God fhall judge the world, Acts 17. 31. and therefore fhall raife the world: But he will not raise them to that judgment till the end of the world.

John 5. 28.

;

Thus having demonftrated that the will of God hath been revealed that there fhould be a Refurrection; that the Refurrection which was revealed is the Resurrection of the Body; that the Bodies which are to be raised are the fame which are already dead or fhall hereafter die; that this Resurrection is not paft, but that we which live fhall hereafter attain unto it; I conceive I have declared all which is neceffary by way of explication and confirmation of the truth of this Article.

The value of this Truth, the neceffity of this Doctrine will appear; firft, in the illuftration of the glory of God, by the most lively demonftration of his wifdom, power, juftice, and mercy. God first created all things for himself, and the Refurrection is as it were a new Creation. The wifdom and power of God are manifested in this acknowledgment, in as much as without infinite knowledge he could not have an exact and diftinct comprehenfion of all the particles and individual dufts of all the Bodies of all men; and without an infinite power he could not conjoin, cement, conglutinate and incorporate them again into the fame flesh. The mercy and justice of God are declared by the fame profeffion; the mercy, in promifing life after that death which we had fo juftly deferved; the justice, in performing that promise unto all true believers, and in punish

ing

ing the disobedient with everlasting flames. When ye fee this, faith the Pro- Isa. 66. 14. phet, your hearts fhall rejoice, and your bones fhall flourish like an herb; and the band of the Lord shall be known towards his fervants, and his indignation towards his enemies.

Secondly, It is neceffary to profefs the belief of the refurrection of the Body, that we may thereby acknowledge the great and powerful work of our redemption, confeffing that death could not be conquered but by death, and that we could never have obtained another life, had not the Saviour of the world abolished death, and brought life and immortality to 2 Tim. 1.10. light through the Gospel. If Christ were not the life, the dead could never live, if he were not the refurrection they could never rife. Were it not for him that liveth and was dead and is alive for evermore, had not he the keys of hell and of death, we could never break through the bars of death, or pass the pafs the gates of Hell. But he hath undertaken to vanquish our enemics, and our laft enemy to be deftroyed is death: That the Prophecy may be fulfilled, Death is fwallowed up in victory, and we may cry out Hof. 13. 14 with the Apostle, Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our 1 Cor. 15.54, Lord Jefus Christ.

57.

Thirdly, The belief of this Article is neceffary to ftrengthen us against the fear of our own death, and immoderate forrow for the death of others. The fentence of death paffed upon us for our fins, cannot but affright and amaze us, except we look upon the fufpenfion, relaxation, or revocation of it in the refurrection; but when we are affured of a life after death, and fuch a life as no death fhall follow it, we may lay down our fears arifing from corrupted nature, upon the comforts proceeding from our faith. The departure of our friends might overwhelm us with grief, if they were loft for ever; but the Apostle will not have us ignorant con- 1 Theff. 4.13. cerning those which are asleep, that we forrow not even as others which have no hope.

Fourthly, The belief of the refurrection hath a neceffary reflection upon this life, by way of preparation for the next, as deterring from fin, as encouraging to holinefs, as comforting in afflictions. How can any Man commit a deliberate fin while he thinks that he mufst rise and stand before the Judgment-feat, and give an account, and fuffer for ever the punishment due unto it? What pleasure can entice him, what inclination can betray him for a momentary fatisfaction to incur an eternal rejection? How can we defile that Body which fhall never be raised to glory hereafter, except it here become the Temple of the Holy Ghoft? S. Paul who had delivered the Doctrine, hath taught us by his own example what work is expected to be wrought upon our Souls by it. I have hope, faith Acts 24. 15 he, towards God that there shall be a refurrection of the dead, both of 16. the juft and unjust. And herein do I exercife my felf to have always a confcience void of offence toward God and toward Man. This is the proper work of a true belief, and a full perfwafion of a refurrection; and he which is really poffeffed with this hope, cannot chufe but purifie himself; always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as he knoweth that 2 Cor. 15. 58. bis labour is not in vain in the Lord. This encourageth all drooping Spirits, this fuftaineth all fainting hearts, this fweetneth all present miferies, this lightneth all heavy burdens, this encourageth in all dangers, this supporteth in all calamities.

Having thus difcovered the truth of this Article, we may eafily perceive what every Man is obliged to believe, and understood to profefs, when he confeffeth a belief of the refurrection of the body; for thereby he is conceived to declare thus much, I am fully perfwaded of this as of a most ne

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ceffary and infallible truth, that as it is appointed for all men once to die, fo it is also determined that all men fhall rife from death, that the Souls feparated from our Bodies are in the hand of God and live, that the Bodies diffolved into duft, or scattered into afhes, fhall be recollected in themselves, and re-united to their Souls, that the fame flesh which lived before fhall be revived, that the fame numerical Bodies which did fall fhall rife, that this refufcitation fhall be univerfal, no Man excepted, no Flesh left in the Grave, that all the just fhall be raised to a refurrection of life, and all the unjust to à refurrection of damnation; that this fhall be performed at the last day when the trump fhall found: And thus I believe the refurrection of the body.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XII

And the Life Everlasting.

ed

HIS laft Article though* not to be found in all, yet was expreffed in many ancient Creeds: In fome by way of addition, and * Not in all, the Life everlafting; in others by way of conjunction with the with that former, the Refurrection of the Body unto everlasting Life. Up of the Refurreon this connexion with the former will follow the true inter- tion, as appretation of this concluding Article; for thereby we are perfuaded to upon it as containing the ftate of Man after the Resurrection in the world not only ex

to come.

look

peareth by

Ruffinus, who

pounded the Aquileian Creed, but

collated it with the Greek and Roman, and yet makes no mention of this Article, but concludes with that of the Refur rection. Sed & ultimus ifte fermo qui refurrectionem carnis pronunciat, fummam totius perfectionis fuccinctâ brevitate concludit. And whereas he fhews the custom of the Aquileian Church to make a Crofs upon their forehead at the naming of hujus carnis, he tells us elsewhere in his Apology against S. Hierom, that it was to conclude the Creed. Quo fcilicet frontem, ut mos eft in fine Symboli, fignaculo contingentes, & ore carnis hujus, videlicet quam contingimus, refurrectionem fatentes, omnem venenatæ adversum nos linguæ calumniandi aditum præftruemus. In the fame manner S. Hier. his Contemporary, In Symbolo fidei & fpei noftræ, quod ab Apoftolis traditum non fcribitur in charta & atramento, fed in tabulis cordis carnalibus, poft confeffionem Trinitatis & Unitatem Ecclefiæ omne Chriftiani dogmatis facramentum carnis refurrectione concluditur; Epift. 61. So S. Chryf. Hom. 40. in Cor. p. 514. Mela go άxasyexiαν * μυσικῶν ῥημάτων εκείνων καὶ φοβερῶν καὶ τὰς φρικτὸς κανόνας ἢ ἐκ τῇ ἐρανα καταχθέντων δογμάτων, καὶ τότο προς το τέ και προσίθεμεν, ὅταν μέλλομεν βαπλίζειν, κελεύοντες λέγειν ὅτι πισεύω εἰς νεκρῶν ἀνάβασιν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ πίσοι ταύτῃ βαπτιζόμεθα, μελά η τὸ ὁμολογῆσαι τότο μετὰ ἢ ἄλλων τότε καθιέμεθα εἰς ἢ πηγί. ϋ ἱερῶν ναμάτων εκείνων. So Maximus Taurinenfis after thofe Words, Carnis Refurrectionem, adds, Hic Religionis noftræ finis, hæc fumma credendi eft. And Venantius Fortunatus after the fame Words, fumma perfectiónis concluditur. And in the MS. fet forth by the Bishop of Armagh, As Petrus Chryfologus exprefly, Credimus vitam cagxòs ávásaow, and Carnis Refurrectione are the laft Words. æternam, quia poft Refurrectionem nec bonorum finis eft nec malorum. Signate vos. Serm. 60. And again, Bene addidit, vitam aternam, ut fe refurrecturum crederet qui refurget per ipfum qui cum Deo Patre & Sp. S. vivit & regnat. So Etherius Uxamenfis, and Eufebius Gallicanus. So we find Serm. de Temp. 131. & de Symb. ad Catech. 1. 1. Quomodo carnis Refurrectionem? Ne fortè putet aliquis quomodo Lazari, ut fcias non fic effes, additum eft in vitam aternam. And l. 2. Hoc fequitur etiam in S. Symbolo quod poft Refurrectionem carnis, credamus & vitam aternam. 1. 3. & 1, 4. Hoc fequitur in S. Symbolo quod omnia quæ credamus & fperamus in vita æterna percipiamus. And Carolus Magnus in his Reprehenfion of Bafilius Bishop of Ancyra. Non eo modo præjudicat prætermiffio imaginum adorationis facræ fidei puritati, quæ interdicta potiùs quàm inftituta eft; ficut præjudicant Remiffio peccatorum, carnis Refurrectio, & Vita futuri fæculi, fi in confeffione prætermittantur, quæ utiq; & in omni fcripturarum ferie prædicantur, & ab Apoftolis in Symbolo laudabili brevitate connexæ tenentur. Capit. l. 3. c. 6. Anonymus in Homilia facra fet forth by Elmenhorftius with Gennadius. Poft illam abrenunciationem nos interrogati à Sacerdote, Credis in Deum Omnipotentem, creatorem cœli & terræ ? unufquifque refpondit, Credo. Credis & in Dominum Chriftum Filium ejus unicum, Dominum natum ex Mariâ Virgine, paffum & fepultum ? & refpondit, Credo. Tertia interrogatio, Credis & in Spiritum S. Sanctam Ecclefiam Catholicam, Sanétorum communionem, remiffionem peccatorum, carnis Refurrectionem, & vitam æternam ? & refpondit unufquifque noftrum, Credo.

* As appeareth by those

Credimus vi

tam æternam

As therefore S. Paul hath taught us to express our belief of a Refurrection both of the just and the unjust, fo after the Resurrection we are to confider the condition of them both; of the one as rifen to everlasting life, of the other as risen to everlasting punishment and contempt; and fo thofe who words of first acknowledged this Article did interpret it. Although therefore Life Chryfologus, everlasting, as it is used in the Scriptures, belongeth to the Juft alone, and is never mentioned otherwise than as a reward promised and given to them quia poit Rewho fear and ferve the Lord; yet the fame words may be used to express nec bonorum the duration of any perfons which live never to die again, whatsoever their finis eft nec ftate and condition in it felf fhall be. For as the Refurrection of the dead malorum. is taken in the Scriptures for the happy and eternal condition which fol- Though in this loweth after it, as when the Apostle faith, † If by any means I might attain place it is not

furrectionem

† Phil. 3. 11.

barely anisa

οις but ἐξανάςασις, εἰς τὰ ἐξανάςασιν τῶν νεκρῶν· and in the Alexandrian MS. εἰς τὰ ἐξανάςασιν ἢ ἐκ νεκρῶν, which is the moft ancient reading, as appeareth by the tranflation, Si modò occurram ad refurrectionem quæ eft ex mortuis, and the reading of Tertullian, Si qua concurram in refurreétionem quæ eft à mortuis; and the Syriack Translation sonph

רמן

' yet the igavasaris of it felf, was taken for no more than avasaris by any of the Tranflators. And s. Chryfoftom did fo understand it, as appeareth by these words upon the place, Eixos xalar now, Onoir eis I igavasari * ἐκ νεκρῶν (which is the reading of the Alexandrian MS.) τί λέγεις; καὶ μὴν πάντες αὐτῆς τυγχάνεσι, καὶ ἐκ ανατάσεως μότης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφθαρσίας πάντες, οἱ μὲ εἰς τιμήν, οἱ 5 εἰς ἐφόδιον κολάσεως. Εἰ τοίνω πάντες + ανατάσεως τυγχάνεσι, καὶ ὁ τ αναςάσεως μόνες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφθαρσίας, πῶς ὡς μέλλων ἐξαιρέτως τινὸς τυγχάνειν ἔλεγες, εἴπως καταντήσω; By which it appeareth that S. Chryfoftom took no notice of the word itavasaris, or of the phrase in in Tav vexgar, but as the interpretation of the Apofles intention addeth, ποίαν ἐνταῦθα ἀνάςασίν φησι ; ἢ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄγεσαν τον Χρισόν. So alfo Theodoret's pa raphrase, iva μelága & Tus avasdrews. It is therefore I conceive a notion peculiar to Theophylact among the Greeks, Πάντες ἀνίσαντες, ο μέντοι πάντες ἐξανίσανται.

up

unto the Refurrection of the Dead, which he must needs be most certain to attain unto, who believed the Refurrection of the Just and Unjust, and therefore if he had spoken of the Refurrection in general, as it belongeth unto all, he needed not that expreffion, If by any means, nor that which went before, the fellowship of Christ's fufferings, for without them he should cer tainly rife from the dead; but he meant that Refurrection which followeth on the being made conformable unto his death, which is a Refurrection in conformity to the Resurrection of Chrift. As, I fay, the Refurrection of the dead is taken in the Scripture for everlasting happiness, and yet the fame language is and may be ufed for the general Refurrection of all Men, even of *Sed fcien- fuch as fhall be everlastingly unhappy; * fo the Life everlasting, though used dum enim for a reward given only unto the Elect, may yet be taken as comprehending boni & mali the condition of the reprobate alfo, understood barely for the duration of perrefurgere ha- fons living.

quia omnes

bent ad vitam

fed non om

All thofe then who fhall rife from the dead fhall rife to life, and after the nes refurgent Resurrection live by a true vital union of their Souls unto their Bodies: And ad gloriain because that union fhall never cease, because the parts united shall never be Ruffi, ad Pfal. diffolved, because it is appointed for men once to die, and after their revivifcency never to die again, it followeth that the life which they fhall live must be an everlasting Life.

I.

To begin then with the Resurrection to condemnation; the truth included in this Article, in reference unto that, is to this effect, that those who die in their Sins, and fhall be raised to life, that they may appear before the Judgment-feat of Chrift, and fhall there receive the fentence of condemnation, fhall be continued in that life for ever to undergo the punishment due unto their fins; in which two particulars are contained, the duration of their perfons, and of their pains. For two ways this eternity may be denied; one, by a deftruction or annihilation of their perfons, with which the torments must likewise cease; the other, by a fufpension or relaxation of the punishment, and a preservation of the Perfons, never to fuffer the fame pains again. Both of which are repugnant to the clear revelation of the justice of God against the disobedience of

Man.

Our first Affertion therefore is, that the Wicked after the day of judgment fhall not be confumed or annihilated, but fhall remain alive in Soul and Body to endure the torments to be inflicted upon them by the juftice of God, for all the fins committed by them while they were in the Body. They who of late oppofe the eternal fubfiftence and mifery of the wicked, ftrangely maintain their opinion not as a pofition to be proved by Máxer reafon, as fome of the Heathens did, but as a truth delivered in the Scriαθάνατα φύσ Gis no ptures; as if the word it felf taught nothing but an annihilation of the eBaráveis, i- nemies of God, and no lafting torment; as if all the threats and menaces * way of the justice and wrath of God were nothing else but what the fcoffing is. 3. Empi- Atheist expects, that is, after death never to be again; or if they be, as it were in a moment to lose that being for ever. Because the Scripture

τις

ἀλγηδόσι

ἀλγῶν θνητὸν

S. ricus adv. Mathem. p.

321.

speaks

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