Richard Baxter's dying thoughts upon Phil. I, 23 written for his own life and…

§ 6. Elijah hath a Body now in Heaven; and so hath Enoch: But can we think that only two or three that are there with Christ do so much differ from all the rest, as to have Bodies when the rest have none? Is there such a dissimilitude of Saints in Heaven? What are two or three in such a Society? Doubtless their Bodies are not corruptible Flesh and Blood, but such Spiritual Bodies as all Saints shall have at the Resurrection. But are they in Heaven such visible and shaped Bodies as they appeared on the Mount? The same difficulty poseth us about the risen Body of Christ: He would not have Mary touch him because he had not yet ascended to his Father? He could appear and vanish from their sight at his pleasure: And yet Thomas handled him, and felt that he had Flesh and Bones: That Body of Flesh ascended visibly up toward Heaven: And yet it is not Flesh and Blood in Heaven, but a Spiritual Body: For it is not worse than he will make ⟨p. 309⟩his Members. What shall we say to these things? We must say, That we are not capable of knowing them, but have Reason to be thankful that we may know so much, more necessary for us: But yet it seemeth probable that the Bodies of Christ, and Enoch, and Elijah were changeable according to the Region in which they were to be: Christ could take up a Body of Flesh and Blood, and immediately change that state of it into a pure incorruptible Spiritual Body, as it entered into the incorruptible Spiritual Region: And so God did by Enoch and Elijah: As Paul saith, that we shall not all die (those that live till Christ's appearing) but we shall all be changed. And yet if Elijah have business on the Mount, he can put on the clothing of a grosser Body to be so seen of men, and can lay it by or return to his more invisible Spiritual state when he returneth to the place from whence he came. And no wonder, when Angels (and the Ancients say, Christ before his Incarnation) assumed Bodies suitable to their several businesses on Earth; yea, such as could eat and drink with men; when yet they dwelt not in Heaven so coarsely clothed.

§ 6. Elias hath a Body now in Heaven; and so hath Henoch: But can we think that only two or three that are there with Christ do so much differ from all the rest, as to have Bodies when the rest have none? Is there such a dissimilitude of Saints in Heaven? What are two or three in such a Society? Doubtless their Bodies are not corruptible Flesh and Blood, but such Spiritual Bodies as all Saints shall have at the Resurrection. But are they in Heaven such visible and shaped Bodies as they appeared on the Mount? The same difficulty poseth us about the risen Body of Christ: He would not have Mary touch him because he had not yet ascended to his Father? He could appear and vanish from their sight at his pleasure: And yet Thomas handled him, and felt that he had Flesh and Bones: That Body of Flesh ascended visibly up toward Heaven: And yet it is not Flesh and Blood in Heaven, but a Spiritual Body: For it is not worse than he will make