A39663:1952
The Fountain of Life Opened
The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carried on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...
London: printed for Rob. White, 1673
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, The Grave received, but could not destroy Jesus Christ. Death swallowed him, as the Whale did Jonah his Type; but could not digest him, when it had swallowed him but quickly delivered him up again. Now Christ lying in the Grave, as the common head and representative of believers, what comfort should this inspire into their hearts. For as it fared with Christs personal, so it shall with Christs mystical. It could not retain him, it shall not for ever retain them. This Resurrection of Christ out of his, is the very ground of our hope for a Resurrection out of our Graves. Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept, 1 Cor. 15.20.
First, The Grave received, but could not destroy Jesus Christ. Death swallow'd him, as the Whale did Ionah his Type; but could not digest him, when it had swallow'd him but quickly delivered him up again. Now Christ lying in the Grave, as the common head and representative of believers, what comfort should this inspire into their hearts. For as it fared with Christs personal, so it shall with Christs mystical. It could not retain him, it shall not for ever retain them. This Resurrection of Christ out of his, is the very ground of our hope for a Resurrection out of our Graves. Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept, 1 Cor. 15.20.
Secondly, As the union betwixt the body of Christ and the divine nature was not dissolved; when that body was laid in the Grave; so the union betwixt Christ and believers is not, cannot be dissolved when their bodies shall be laid in their Graves. It's true the natural union betwixt his soul and body was dissolved for a time, but the Hypostatical union was not dissolved, no, not for a moment. That body was the body of the Son of God when it was in the Sepulchre. In like manner, the natural union betwixt our souls and bodies is dissolved by death, but the mystical union betwixt us and Christ, yea betwixt our very dust and Christ, can never be dissolved.