A Golden Chain

Furthermore, we must remember that by the virtue of this conjunction, shall the dead body be it rotten, burned, devoured, or howsoever consumed, at the day of judgement rise to eternal glory. In the winter season trees remain without fruit or leaves, and being beaten with wind and weather appear to the eye as if they were rotten trees; yet when the spring time comes again, they bring forth as before, buds and blossoms, leaves and fruit: the reason is, because the body, grains, and arms of trees are all joined to the root, where lies the sap in the winter season, and whence by means of this conjunction it is derived to all the parts of the tree in the spring time. Even so the bodies of ⟨p. 783⟩men have their winter also, in which they are turned to dust, and so remain for the space of many thousand years, yet in the day of judgement by means of that mystical conjunction with Christ, shall divine and quickening virtue stream thence to all the bodies of the Elect to cause them to live again, and that to life eternal. But some will say, that the wicked also rise again. Answ. They do so indeed; but not by the same cause: for they rise by the power of Christ as he is a judge to condemn them: whereas the godly rise again by the virtue of Christs resurrection, whereof they are partakers by means of that blessed and indissoluble conjunction which they have with Christ. And the bodies of the Elect though they putrefy and consume never so much in the grave, yet are they still in the favour of God and in the covenant of grace: to which, because they have right and title being dead, they shall not remain so for ever, but shall rise to glory at the last judgement. Therefore the rotting of the body is nothing in respect, and the death of the body is no death. And therefore also death in the old and new Testament is made but a sleep, and the grave a bed, whereof the like was never seen; wherein a man may rest, nothing at all troubled with dreams or fantasies, and whence he shall rise no more subject to weakness or sickness, but presently be translated to eternal glory. By this then which hath bin said, it appears that the death of the righteous is a second degree to everlasting happiness.

Furthermore, wee must remember that by the vertue of this coniunction, shall the dead bodie be it rotten, burned, deuoured, or howsoeuer consumed, at the day of iudgement rise to eternal glorie. In the winter season trees remain without fruit or leaues, and beeing beaten with winde and weather appeare to the eye as if they were rotten trees; yet when the spring time comes again, they bring forth as before, buddes and blossomes, leaues and fruit: the reason is, because the bodie, graines, and armes of trees are all ioyned to the roote, where lies the sappe in the winter season, and whence by meanes of this coniunction it is deriued to all the parts of the tree in the spring time. Euen so the bodies of