A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

First; The Happiness of his Person, and there both of his Body and his Soul.

1st. Of his Body. It is good to consider that: It is now a Temple of the Holy Ghost, and he cannot leave his Mansion, and quit his ancient Dwelling-Place, and therefore he raiseth it up, and formeth it again into a complete Fashion, like to Christ's glorious Body; Phil. 3.21. Who shall change our vile Body, that it may be like to his glorious Body, for Clarity, Agility, Strength and Incorruption. Solomon's Temple was destroyed, but the latter Temple was nothing so glorious as the former: Men wept when they saw it; Ezra 3.12. But many of the Priests and Levites, and chief of the Fathers, who were ancient Men, which had seen the first House, when the Foundations of this House was laid before their Eyes, wept with a loud Voice. But it is not so here, what is raised shall be quite another Body. For the present there is to be seen a beautiful Fabric, wherein God hath showed his Workmanship, every Member, if it were not so common, would be a Miracle, all is so ordered for the Service and Comeliness of the whole: but now it is a vile Body, subject to Diseases, fed with Meat, humbled with Wants, many times mangled with Violence, dissolved by Death, and crumbled to Dust in the Grave, like a dry Clod of Earth. This is the Body that we carry about with us, a Mass of Flesh, dressed up to be a Dish for the Worms. Men labour with a great deal of do by embalming it with Spices, to keep it from Putrefaction, but all will not serve the turn, it moulders at last. But this vile Body shall rise in another manner, like to Christ's glorious Body. When the Sun appeareth, the Stars vanish, their lustre is eclipsed and darkened. But the Sun of Righteousness, when he appears at the last Day, doth not obscure but perfect our Glory. But wherein shall our Bodies be like to Christ's glorious Body? The Apostle will tell us that in another Place; 1 Cor. 15.42, 43, 44. It is sown in Corruption, it is raised in Incorruption; it is sown in Dishonour, it is raised in Glory; it is sown in Weakness, it is raised in Power; it is sown a natural Body, it is raised a spiritual Body. Let me single out three Expressions, it is raised in Incorruption, it is raised in Glory, it is raised a spiritual Body.