in Heaven; thou shalt behold the Face of the King of Kings, and all the Glory and Magnificence of his Kingdom. With thefe Ears, that are almoft deaf, and that fhall fhortly be stopp'd, thou fhalt hear with Tranfports of Joy, the ravishing Harmonies of the Saints, and the Songs of the bleffed Angels. With this ftamering Tongue, which is to lofe the Faculty of Speech, thou fhalt fing with a loud Voice the Praises of Almighty God, in the glorious Company of the Church Triumphing. With thefe unfteady Hands that can fcarce hold any Thing, thou shalt one Day receive immortal Palms, and golden Viols, which thou fhalt never quit. With thefe Feet that are dying, and that can fcarce fupport thee, thou fhalt follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth, and thou shalt walk a bout the Streets of the Heavenly Jerufalem. And this fame Body that is going to rot, and to be turned to Duft, fhall one Day fhine as the Firmament, and as the Sun in its greatest Splendour.

What defireft thou more, Chriftian Soul, for thy Comfort? What Addition can there be made to thine Happiness? Since thou art going to the Fruition of eternal Joys and of endless Pleafures in Heaven. the mean while, the Body fhall endure no Pain nor Grief; and God will fhortly raise it up again from this deep Sleep, that begins to dull thy Senfes and clofe thine Eye-Lids. Shortly God will publish the Year of the great-Jubilee, all the Prifons of Death fhall be then opened, and the Prifoners fhall be fet at Liberty. Thou halt fhortly hear the Sound of the laft Trumpet, that fhall roufe thee out of the Duft, and caufe thee to appear in the Prefence of thy great Redeemer. Thou

leaveft a wretched Body, full of Darkness and Cor ruption, affaulted by Death on all Sides, but fhall fhortly be made incorruptible, immortal and adorned with Light and Glory.

Let therefore thy Heart rejoyce, thy Tongue be glad, and thy Flefh reft in Hope, for the Lord will not leave thee always in the Grave, he will not fuffer

thee

thee to continue for ever in Duft and Corruption; he will not only discover to thee the Ways of Life, but he will fhortly come down himfelf from Heaven tranfport thee thither.

When Death fhall be upon thy Lips, when it fhall be ready to lay thee in thy Grave, let not this disturb the Quiet, of thy Soul, nor the Peace of thy Confci ence, let it not fake thy precious Faith that keeps thee up, nor drive thee from the Anchor of thy blef fed Hope fixed in Heaven, where Jefus Chrift is enter'd as thy Fore-runner. In fhort, when thy Body fhall be all covered with Sores and Boils, as that of Job, Fob 29. when it shall all fall to Pieces before thine Eyes, let nothing hinder thee from crying out with this patient Man, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter Day upon the Earth; and tho' after my Skin, Worms deftroy this Body, yet in my Flesh fhall I fee God, whom I shall fee for my felf, and mine Eyes fhall behold, and not another. And with St. Paul, Phil. 3. We look from Heaven for the Saviour the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall change our vile Body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body, according to the mighty Working, whereby he is able even to fubdue all Things unto himself.

A Prayer and Meditation of a Chriftian, who being ready to depart out of the World, comforts himself with an Affurance and Expectation of the glorious Refurrection of his Body from the Duft.

Eternal and Divine Word! by whom all Things were Created, and without whom was not any Thing made that was made; Thou haft not only formed our Souls, and fashioned our Bodies with thy skilful Hands, but when they were miferably loft and corrupted with Sin, thon haft been pleafed to redeem both our Souls and Bodies with thy most

precious

precious Blood, and to renew thy glorious Image in us. This wretched Body is but an earthen Vessel; yet thou haft inclofed in it, the richest Treasures of Life and Light. Thou haft appointed it to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost, and a noble Pavilion of the Godhead, to participate with the Soul in the eternal Happiness of thy Kingdom. I feel my Strength fail ing me, and this earthly Tabernacle decaying every Day, and every Hour, fo that I am certain that it fhall be reduced to Duft. But Lord I am fufficiently comforted with this Knowledge, that if the outward Man decays, the inward is renewed Day by Day; If this wretched Body falls down by Death, thou wilt raife it up again at the general Refurrection, My Lord, and my God, that art fufficiently able; for all Power is given to thee in Heaven and in Earth, and the Depths of the Sea. As the Father raifeth and quickneth the Dead, thou doest also quicken them whom thou haft chofen. Thon haft fashioned my Body of Duft, and created this Duft of nothing, and shalt not thou be able of the fame Duft, into which this my Body fall be turned by Death, to make and fashion it again? Thou haft by thine Almighty Power, created my Soul, and infufed it into this Body, and canft thou not command it back again when it shall please thee, to live for ever in a more bleffed Society than before? O Prince of Life, Death hath fufficiently felt in thy Perfon thy infinite Power. Its Purpose was to devour thee, but thou hast overcome it in a glorious manner. Thou haft yielded to die, but are return'd to live for ever and ever, and haft in thy Cuftody the Keys of Hell and of Death, to open and flout, to kill and make alive at thy Pleasure. Lord Jesus! The Resurrection and the Life, I know thou art both willing and able to deliver this Body out of the Power of Death, and awake my Sleeping Duft with the Sound of the Arch-Angels Trumpets as thou haft promifed. I expect to fee that glorious Day of thy Triumph, when accompanied by all the mighty Angels of Heaven. Thou wilt fet at Liberty all the Prifoners of Death, and restore to us again all the Bleffings, forfeited by Sin. The Sea and the Earth fhall furrender unto thee the Bodies they have in their Cuftody, and obey thy Commands,

OOmnipotent Word! that made the Heavens and the Earth! thou shalt be heard, and operate effectually in our Graves, that we may march out, and ftand before the dreadful Tribunal. We shall then appear, not wrapt in our winding Sheets as Lazarus, nor with any Relicks of Infirmity, but with Bodies more beautiful, perfect, and glorious than formerly. So that we may have good Canfe to admire the Glory of that Second Building, which by thine Almighty Power thou wilt rear out of the Duft, and which will be far greater than the prefent. For this infirm Body fhall be made comfortable to thy celeftial Body. This corruptible fhall put on Incorruption, and this Mortality fhall be swallowed by Immortality, and an Eternal Life. I am therefore fully perfuaded, my glorious Redeemer! that with these languishing Eyes I fhall behold thy magnificent Coming in a Cloud, furrounded with Flames of Fire, and fitting on a Throne. With thefe Ears I fhall hear the terrible and loud Voice of the Arch-Angel's Trumpet, and the Songs of the blessed Companies of Heaven. With this Tongue I hope to tune forth thy Divine Praises; with thefe Dying Hands to embrace thee my blessed Saviour; and with thefe Trembling Feet already in the Grave, I fhall follow thee into thy Heavenly Jerufalem; and this fame Body, condemn'd to rot in a Tomb, fhall one Day Shine in thy Hea venly Kingdom. I am ready, Lord, to depart hence, my Breath fails me, Death appears before before me, threatning to Strike the last Stroke; but notwithstanding all Difficulties and Objections, I know I fhall rise again to behold thy Magnificence and Glory. Amen.

*******:*****

CHAP XXIII.

The Twelfth Confolation; The Deftruction of Death, and the eternal and most blessed Life which we shall enjoy both in Sonl and Body after our Resurrection.

WE have fufficiently treated of that Happiness

which is prepar'd for our Souls at their Departure from the Bodies, and of the glorious Refur

rection

"

rection promifed to thefe Bodies, when Jefus Chrift fhall come down from Heaven in his Glory to judge the quick and the dead. It feems that we have no thing more to say, but as Mofes when he had made the Ark of Shittim Wood, and lined it with fine Gold, he put round about a Crown of Gold upon the Top. In the fame Manner now that we have declared to you the Incorruption and future Glory of our Bodies, which are to be looked upon as a facred Ark, where God's Majefty fhall dwell for ever. Now that we have fhewn how, by the Almighty and Gracious Power of God, they fhall become more incorruptible than the Shittin Wood, and more glorious than fine Gold: I will now with God's Affiftance draw about them a Crown more precious than the pureft Gold, and richer than all the Jewels in the World. I mean, to crown this Work, and intend to end it with as perfect a Piture as I am able to draw, of the eternal Glory and Happiness which we expect to enjoy both in Soul and Body, after our Refurrection. But first, I may fay fomething of the entire and perfect Deftruction of all our Enemies, and reprefent to you the Overthrow, and the final Conqueft over Death.

When Jefus Chrift fhall appear again to judge the World in Righteousness, he fhall fit upon a glorious and moft fplendid Throne. Solomon's magnificent Throne was but its Shadow and imperfect Type: He fhall then fend forth his Angels who fhall gather together the Elect, with the found of a trumpet from the four parts of the World, and from one End of the Heavens to the other.

The

Sight of this Glorious Saviour, fhall then fill us with an unfpeakable Joy, and caufe us to burft forth into this language, Ifa. 25. Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will faveus; This is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his Salvation. But when all the Kindreds of the Earth fhall behold this magnificent King, in the Clouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory, they fhall lament and ftrike their Breafts in De fpair, they fhall call to the Mountains and Rocks, Rev. 6.

Fall