Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_400.lzh/D_440.TXT

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440

OF THE 'RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.

BoOK VII.

puts forts its seminal virtue: and so a house pulled
down, and a tabernacle unpinned, the matter and sub-
stance, and the several parts of them, remain. And
if the body was reduced to nothing at death, Christ
would lose part of his purchase, and the Spirit his
dwelling-place, I Cor. vi. 15, 19, 2o. To which may
be added, if this was the case, tlle resurrection would
not be a resurrection, but the creation of a new body.
As for those scriptures which speak of the dead as not,
Jer. xxxi. l b. the meaning is, not that they do not
exist; but they are not where they fortnerly dwelt,
having their tbrmer possessions and friends; but they are
somewhere; their souls are either in heaven or in hell;
and their bodies iu the grave: and when the apostle
says, Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but
God shall destroy both it and them: the sense is, not
that the body, or any part of it, as the belly, should
bc destroyed, as to its substance, but as to its use, in
receiving food to supply the natural wauts of the body,
as now; though it will bc necessary as a constituent
part, and for the ornament of it.
2. The body, at the resurrection, will not be a new,
aerial,and celestialbody, as Origcn and others thought;
ors spiritual one, as to its nature and substance. It
will bc different from what it is now, as to its qua-
lities, but not as to its substance: when the apostle
compares it to seed sown in the earth, which is not the
body that shall be, l Cot. xv. 37, 38. hc designs not a
difference of substance, but of qualities; such as is
between the secd sown, and the plant that springs from
it; which differ not in their specific nature, but in
some circumstances and accideuts; as the difference
in the risen body lies in incorruption, glory, power,
and spirituality, v 42, 43, 44. The same comparison
is made of Chrises body, John xii. 24. and yet it was
not a spiritual body, when raised, as to substance, but
consisted of flesh and bones, as before, Luke xxiv. 39.
and such will be the bodies of the saints; and though
the body will be raised a spiritual one, as the apostle
affirms, yet it will not be changed into a spirit, and
lose its former nature; but will be subject and sub-
servient to the soul, or spirit; be employed in spiritual
services, and delight in spiritual objects; and will not
be supported in a natural way, and by natural means,
but bc like the angels, Luke xx. 36. and thougll it will
consist of flesh and blood, yet be neither sinful, nor
frail and mortal; which is the sense of I Cot. xv. 50.
but pure and holy, incorruptible, and immortal, v 53.
If the body was a new, aerial, celestial body, different
in substance from what it is, it would not bca resur-
rection, but a creation; nor would it be consistent with
the justice of God, that such new, created bodies,
which never sinned, should be everlastingly punished;
nor can such be, said to be truly human bodies, that
are without flesh and blood; nor such to be men, who
are incorporeal; nor can the same persons who have
sinncd, be said to be punished; nor the same who
are redeemed be glorified, unless the same body is
· raised. Wherefore,
3. It may be proved, that the same body that now

Sic et restirrectionis vocabulum non aliam rein vindicat, quam quae
cecillit, Tertull. ad v. Marcion. 1. 5. c. 9.

is, will be raised from the dead; this is fully expressed
by Job, chap. xix. 26, 27. who firmly believed, that
this body of his, which would be destroyed by worms,
should 'be raised again; and in that very .flesh of his
he should see God incarnate, and that wRh the self-
same eyes he had, and not another's; and which is as
strongly asserted by the apostle Paul, ICor. xv.
53, 54. This mortal must put on immortality ; this
corruption, must put on incorruption ; pointing to the
present mortal and corruptible body he theu had;
and which is confirmed by what follows; So when
this corruption, Kc. which would not be true if an-
other, and not the same body was raised: and else-
where he says, that Christ will change our vile body;
but if not the same body, but another, it will not be
our vile body that will be fashioned like to the body
of Christ. For the further confirmation of this, let
the following things be observed.              1. The notation
of the word resurrection; which signifies a raising up
again that which is fallen {}; by death the body falls,
2 Sam. iii, 38. John xii. 24. now if another, and not
the same body, is raised, which fell, it will not be a
resurrection; but a creation.-    2. The figurative
phrases, by which it is expressed, shew it; as by
quickening seed sown; and by awakening out of
sleep: now as it is the same seed that is sown and
dies, which springs up, and appears in stalk, blade,
and ear, as to nature and substance, though with some
additional circumstances; so it is the same body that
dies, is quickened and raised, though with additional
glories and excellencies; the same IT that is sown in
corruption; the same IT that is sown in dishonour;
the same IT that is sown in weakness; the same IT that
is sown a natural body, is raised in incorruption, in
glory, in power, aud a spiritual body; or there is no
meaning in the apostle's words, 1 Cot. xv. 42, 43, 44.
and as it is the same body that sleeps that is awaked
out of it in a literal sense; it is the same body that
falls asleep by death, which will be awaked and rise at
the resurrection.--3. The places from whence the
dead will be raised, and be summoned to deliver them,
prove the same; our Lord says, All that are in the
graves shall come forth {}: Now what of men are laid
in the grave but their bodies ? and what else can be
thought to come forth from thence ? and what but
the same bodies that were laid there? the sea, death,
and the grave, are said to deliver up the dead in
them, which must be the same that are buried in the
earth and sea; for what else can such expressions de-
sign ?    :4. The translations of Enoch and Elijah,
were in the very same bodies they had when on earth;
the bodies of the saints, which arose out of their
graves, when opened at Christ's resurrection, were the
same that were laid in them; the bodies of the living
    * ,        , /· _$                            W[ 1 11 _/                     I /                1
saints, at Christ s coming, nigh WIll then De cnanged,
will be the same they had before that change: now it
is not reasonable to suppose, that some of the saints
in heaveu should have the same bodies they had on
earth, slid others not.- -5. The resurrection of Christ's
body is a proof of this truth; since he rose fi'om the

See a trifling criticism of Mr. Locke's on this text exposed
Setre. 2. on the Resurrection, p. 62, 63.