4. All the Bodies of the Elect being thus made alive, shall arise in that eperfection of Nature, whereunto they should have attained by their natural temperament, if no impediment had hindered; and in that vigour of age, that a perfect Man is at about ⟨p. 73⟩33 years old, each in theira proper sex. Whereunto Divines think the Apostle alludeth, when he saith,b Till we all come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age (or stature) of the fullness of Christ. Whatsoever imperfection was before in the Body, (as blindness, lameness, crookedness) shall then be done away. Jacob shall not halt, nor Isaac be blind, nor Leah blear-eyed, nor Mephibosheth be lame; for if David would not have the blind and lame to come into his House, much less will Christ have blindness and lameness to dwell in his heavenly Habitation. Christ made all the blind to see, the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, &c. that came to him to seek his grace on Earth: much more will he heal all their imperfections, whom he will admit to his glory in Heaven. 4Among those Tribes, there is not one feeble, 5but the lame man shall leap as an Hart, and the dumb man's tongue shall sing: And it is very probable, that seeing God Created our first Parents, not Infants, or old Men, but of a perfect age or stature: the [Greek or Hebrew], or new Creation from Death, shall every where be more perfect than the [Greek or Hebrew], or first frame of Man, from which he fell into the state of the dead. Neither is it like that infancy, being imperfection, and old age corruption, can well stand with the state of a perfect glorified Body.
4. All the Bodies of the Elect being thus made alive, shall arise in that eperfection of Nature, whereunto they should have attained by their natural temperament, if no impediment had hindred; and in that vigour of age, that a perfect Man is at about ⟨p. 73⟩33 years old, each in theira proper sex. Whereunto Divines think the Apostle alludeth, when he saith,b Till we all come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age (or stature) of the fulness of Christ. Whatsoever imperfection was before in the Body, (as blindness, lameness, crookedness) shall then be done away. Jacob shall not halt, nor Isaac be blind, nor Leah bleer-ey'd, nor Mephibosheth be lame; for if David would not have the blind and lame to come into his House, much less will Christ have blindness and lameness to dwell in his heavenly Habitation. Christ made all the blind to see, the dumb to speak, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, &c. that came to him to seek his grace on Earth: much more will he heal all their imperfections, whom he will admit to his glory in Heaven. 4Among those Tribes, there is not one feeble, 5but the lame man shall leap as an Hart, and the dumb man's tongue shall sing: And it is very probable, that seeing God Created our first Parents, not Infants, or old Men, but of a perfect age or stature: the 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, or new Creation from Death, shall every where be more perfect than the 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, or first frame of Man, from which he fell into the state of the dead. Neither is it like that infancy, being imperfection, and old age corruption, can well stand with the state of a perfect glorified Body.
- eIsa, 65. 20.
- aTertul. de Resurrect. c. 6. Hier. Epist. 27 & 61. Aug. lib. 12. de civit. Dei, cap. 17. & omnes Theologi in 4 Sent. dist. 1. 44.
- bEph. 4. 13. Ita communiter credunt Theologi in 4. Sent. dist. 44. Vide Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 22. c. 15. & 16.
- 4Psal. 105. 37.
- 5Isa. 35. 6.
