day it is our comfort, the spirit shall have a final victory, and we shall be led by the spirit. When Rebecca had conceived, Gen. xxv. 22, she felt so great striving and struggling in her, that she was much perplexed, until she went to God, and had this answer, that two nations were in her, and that the elder should serve the younger. So must this be our comfort, that though now we be troubled with the flesh, which is the elder, yet that the time shall shortly come that the flesh shall submit, attend, and be subject to the younger, which is the spirit, last bred in us, in all things. If one bring a little spark of fire to a great heap of gunpowder, the fire will dissolve it and bring it to nothing; so, although there be a great heap of sin and corruption in us, yet if a man get but a little spark of the Spirit of God into us, it will dissolve our sins, and bring those purposes to nothing. Therefore now we must comfort ourselves with this, that though now our bodies be not ruled by the spirit, yet that one day they shall be subject unto it.

6. Sixthly, In that it shall be a powerful body; as 1 Cor. xv. 43. Now this power of the body appears in two things.

(1.) First, That it shall have power to perform the actions of the body without defatigation or weariness. Now we cannot do any action but in time we shall be weary of it, weary of going, sitting, standing; as it is said of Christ, John iv. 6, that being weary, he sat down upon the well; so Exod. xvii. 12, Moses's hands waxed weary in holding them up for Israel. So the best Christians are weary in the best duties, but at that day all duties shall be performed without any show of weariness, which should comfort us now amidst our imperfections, making us long for that day when we shall be enabled to serve God without ceasing.

(2.) Secondly, In that the body shall then move any way with ease, being able to walk in the air, on the water, even as now we can walk on the ground. Though now our bodies be heavy, yet then they shall have strength, as they shall be able to mount upwards, downwards, or forward or backward with as much ease as a man lifts up his hand; which should stir us up to live a holy life, that we may one day be partakers of these excellent privileges. Pliny reports of the little bees, that in a great wind or tempest, they fetch up little stones in their claws, to ballast themselves against the wind, that they be not carried away in it (7). So should we do in the time of temptation or trouble; ballast ourselves with the promises of God and hope of blessedness, that so we be not carried away with the wind of temptation and trouble. Thus far of the godly.

Now for the wicked, in what estate they shall rise in; it consists in two things.

1. First, They shall rise in an estate of shame and disgrace. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh,' Isa. lxvi. 24. We see in sickness and pain, or a great fear, how our countenances alter and change; much more shall they then, in so great vexation and anguish of spirit.

2. Secondly, As the godly shall be free from hunger, cold, thirst, and all diseases and pains, so the wicked shall be subject unto all these in much extremity for ever, insomuch as if they should but, like the rich glutton, desire a drop of comfort to refresh them, they shall not have it. Wherefore seeing all the necessities and pains of nature, yea, and all the vengeance that the anger of an angry incensed God can inflict upon them, shall tor

ment them for ever, let us now stir up ourselves to strive more than ever to shun this woeful miserable condition which the wicked shall then be in, and hearken unto the good counsel and advice of God's word, of the ministers, and of our godly friends to help us on in the good ways of God, which leads to heaven and happiness.

Thus I have done with the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; yet there remains some questions to be answered, which for mine own part I could be contented to pass over; because as David says, Ps. cxxxi. 1, ‘I have not walked in great matters and hid from me.' And in the law, Exod. xix. 23, the priests as well as the people had their bounds set them, which they might not pass beyond. Yet, notwithstanding, because some are desirous to hear what further may be said, I will answer your desires, and make a further supply of them as far as the light of God's truth will lead me.

1. The first question is, Whether such as were born monsters and misshapen shall rise so at the last day?

Augustine answers, that they shall not rise monstrous deformed bodies at the last day, but corrected and amended in all parts. The reason he shews in another place is this, Because if a workman cast an ill favoured piece of work at first, he takes it and melts it again, until he make it an excellent piece; therefore much more God can and will melt these deformed bodies by death, and make them glorious, entire, and perfect' (m). Now to this judgment I assent thus far, that all the deformed bodies of the godly shall rise, melted by death, glorious and perfect in all parts; but that they who be wicked shall have the same deformities upon them at the day of judgment. My reason is, deformedness and mis-shapenness is a punishment of sin; but at the day of judgment the punishment of sin shall not be repealed unto the wicked, but shall be further increased. But the Schoolmen say, unto which I assent, that if a wicked man lose an eye or a hand for his offence, by the command of the magistrate, they shall be restored unto them at the day of judgment, to their further increase of torment. Lo, then the way to shun deformity, if thou be mis-shapen any way, live in the fear of God, believe in Christ, repent thee of thy sins, and then at that day all thy deformities shall be done away, and thy body made like unto Christ's glorious body for ever.

2. The second is, In what sex we shall rise, whether men shall rise men, and women women, or not?

I answer, They shall rise in the same sex; as Mat. xxii. 8, we see by the Sadducees' question propounded to Christ, of a woman who had seven husbands, whose wife she should be in the resurrection? Christ doth not say there shall be no women in the resurrection, but he says they shall not marry; so that the sexes shall not cease, but they shall be as the angels of God in heaven. And Saint Jerome upon that place affirms, that Christ gives us thereby to understand, where he says they shall not then marry, nor give in marriage, that both shall rise again in their proper sex, men shall rise men, and women shall rise women;' and the Greek text bears so much, though the Latin do not (n). So 1 Peter iii. 7, the apostle exhorts both men and women to live together as heirs of the grace of life. And Mat. xii. 42, there it is said that the queen of the south shall rise up in judgment against this generation, and shall condemn it,' &c.; so it is clear that both sexes shall rise again.

3. The third question is, In what age we shall rise, whether children shall rise children, and old men rise old men ?

Augustine, unto whom the Schoolmen agree, answers, That all shall rise at the age of Christ, of thirty-three years of age' (o). But I dare not assent unto this opinion, because there is no warrant for it out of the Scriptures; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin; and that which hath not its warrant from the word cannot be of faith, which must be grounded on the Scripture. There is one place which seems to confirm the former opinion, that of Eph. iv. 13, Till we all meet together in the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, and into the age of the fulness of Christ.' Now by a consent of most of the fathers, they understand this place in another sense. Chrysostom saith, that in this place by the fulness of the age of Christ,' is meant not the full age of Christ, but the gifts and graces of Christ (o). So some others say to the same sense. St Jerome says, that by the age of Christ is not meant the grounds of the bodies of the godly, but the inward man, of the gifts and graces of the soul' (o). Again Tertullian differs from his judgment another way; saith he, Let Christians remember that our souls shall receive the same bodies from the which they departed; and therefore look in what stature and in what age they departed, in the same they shall rise again' (p). And in my judgment there be some reasons to prove the contrary.

1. First, That there is nothing in a child more than in a man to hinder him from the kingdom of God; for Christ saith, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.' And I make no question, if in innocency Adam had had children, they should have been blessed; much more are they capable of blessedness in heaven.

2. Secondly, Children may perform the chiefest act of our work in heaven, namely, to praise God; as Ps. viii. 2, 'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise."

3. Again, all those whom Christ raised, being upon earth, were raised in the same stature they were in when they died, as the maid, the widow's son, and Lazarus; and those who were raised at the resurrection of Christ, how shonld they else have been known of their friends if they had not risen the same they were? So that the imperfection of children is only in regard of labour and travail, not in regard of capacity to live a spiritual life.

Thus have I satisfied your desires in delivering my judgment in these weighty points, which I tie no man to believe further than the Spirit of God shall direct him. We must not be too curious in this great point, only stir up yourselves to the love and fear of God, to walk with him according to the prescription of his word, and then let it suffice us, we shall be raised up in a wonderful manner to everlasting glory and happiness, beyond all that we are able to think or speak; unto which, God of Amen. his mercy bring us all in due time.

NOTES.

(a) P. 318.-'Tertullian says well, "It was a harder matter for God to make a man, being nothing, &c. The present and after-references (b, e, i, p) combine, somewhat oddly, scattered reminiscences not only of this Father's great treatise De Resurrectione Carnis, but likewise of his De Anima, and immortal 'Apology.' Cf. for the former c. xvii., for the next c. iv. and xxii., for the third c. xlviii.

Probably the present reference is to the last, which is eloquent and effective. Bp. Kaye's Tertullian,' c. iii. pp. 190-214, will reward consultation.

(b) P. 318.— Again, Tertullian saith well, "We must not think," &c. Cf. note a above.

(c) P. 319.—' As Augustine speaks; and Cyril saith well, "that Christ entered,” &c. As with Tertullian, Sibbes in his references brings together various scattered reminisences of Augustine. The indices to his De Civitate Dei furnish many references reflective of Sibbes's words. I suspect that Cyril is here a misreference for Basil, in whose Hexäemeron (Homil. viii.) the thought occurs, if I err not.

(d) P. 321.-' Chrysostom says well, "If a man take a long journey," &c. Consult as in note o.

(e) P. 321.— Thus Tertullian saith, that "he will pray, &c. Cf. note a. (ƒ) P. 321.—' St Jerome says, "that it cannot stand with equity,' ""&c. I find the thoughts under the following references in this Father's works (Benedictine ed.), iv. pp. 323, 325, 326. So much does Jerome enter into details in the statement of the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, that he intimates there will be no use of barbers in the resurrection state, the hair and nails having ceased to grow, as did those of the Israelites during their sojourn in the wilderness. This Father abounds in the most singular illustrations of Sibbes's oddest questions.

(g) P. 322.—'Augustine shall answer for me,' &c. Consult as in note o; but Jerome, as described in note f, is more curious.

(h) P. 324.-' Irenæus with this shuts up his book.' The 'book' referred to is his (fragmentary) Adversus Hæreses.

(i) P. 328.-' Tertullian fetcheth it from another ground,' &c. Cf. note a.

(j) P. 330.- We know that Moses was forty days in the mount,' &c. Dr Adam Clarke, in his Commentary upon the place, furnishes us with a fine Rabbinical explanation. Relative, he says, to the forty days' fast of Moses, there is a beautiful saying of the Talmudists: "Is it possible that any man can fast forty days and forty nights?" To which Rabbi Meir answered, "When thou takest up thy abode in any particular city, thou must live according to its customs. Moses ascended to heaven, where they neither eat nor drink; therefore he became assimilated to them. We are accustomed to eat and drink; and when angels descend to us, they eat and drink also." It was in very truth a 'heavenly,' not an 'earthly life,' in the case equally of Moses, Elijah, and the Lord.

(k) P. 330.-' Augustine speaks, "It is called a spiritual body,"' &c. Cf. as in note o; also various references under the text.

(7) P. 331.—' Pliny reports of the little bees.' This apocryphal statement is only one of many concerning bees and other creatures found in Pliny, and magnified in the early English translation by Philemon Holland.

(m) P. 332.-' Augustine answers, that they shall not rise,' &c. Cf. as in note o. (n) P. 332.-'St Jerome upon that place (Mat. xxii. 8) affirms,' &c. Cf. note f. (0) P. 333.—'Augustine answers,' &c. Cf. index-references of Augustine under Eph. iv. 13; also Chrysostom and Jerome. The point comes up repeatedly in these and in all the Fathers.

(p) P. 333.-'Again, Tertullian differs,' &c. Cf. note a.

G.

.

SIBBES'S LAST TWO SERMONS; FROM CHRIST'S LAST SERMON.

HONORATISSIMO DOMINO,

DOMINO ROBERTO COMITI WARWICENSI,*

HAS MELLITISSIMI THEOLOGI RICHARDI SIBBS, S. THEOL. DOCTORIS, (QUEM PERCHARUM HABUIT, CUJUSQUE CONCIONANTIS AUDITOR ERAT ASSIDUUS UNA CUM NOBILISSIMA FAMILIA),

CYGNEAS CONCIONES,

IN PIENTISSIMI AUTHORIS AFFECTUS, NECNON IPSORUM

SINGULARIS OBSEQUII

ανημόσυνον.

D.D.D.

THOMAS GOODWIN.†

PHILIPPUS NYE.‡

* Robert Earl of Warwick, is a historic name in himself, and from his relations to the illustrious house of Sidney. See all the Peerage books.

+ That is, Dr Thomas Goodwin, who discharged the office of the Puritans besides Sibbes, e.g., Burroughes, Thomas Hooker. ley's 'Memoir,' prefixed to vol. ii. of works in this series.

editor to many of Consult Dr Hal

One of the most venerable worthies of Puritanism. Born in 1596, he died in 1672. See 'The Nonconformists' Memorial,' vol. i. 96-7.

G.