The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

3. It shall be a powerful, strong body; It is sown in weakness, saith Paul, it shall rise in power; it shall be able to help forward the divine operations of the soul, which are now clogged by a feeble body; it shall be able to bear the weight of glory, the joy unspeakable, and full of glory, which our weak bodies cannot long endure here, but we begin to burst and break in pieces (like vessels full of strong spirits) with the weight and working of them; and therefore the Lord in mercy keeps us short now of what else we should feel; it shall be able to sing Hallelu-jahs, and give honour, glory, power, to the Lamb that fits upon the Throne for evermore without the least weariness.

3. It shall be a powerfull, strong body; It is sowne in weaknesse, saith Paul, it shall rise in power; it shall be able to help forward the divine operations of the soule, which are now clogg'd by a feeble body; it shall be able to beare the weight of glory, the joy unspeakable, and full of glory, which our weake bodies cannot long endure here, but we begin to burst and breake in pieces (like vessels full of strong spirits) with the weight and working of them; and therefore the Lord in mercy keeps us short now of what else we should feele; it shall be able to sing Hallelu-jahs, and give honour, glory, power, to the Lambe that fits upon the Throne for evermore without the least weariness.

4. It shall be a spiritual body, our bodies now are acted by animal spirits, and ⟨p. 318⟩being earthy and natural, grows, feeds, eats, drinks, sleeps, and hath natural affections and desires after these things, and •is troubled if it wants them; but then these same bodies shall live by the indwelling of the Spirit of God poured out abundantly in us, and upon us, and so acting our bodies, and swallowing up all such natural affections and motions as those be here; as Moses being with God in the Mount forty days and nights, did not need any meat or drink, the Lord and his glory being all unto him; how much more shall it be thus then? I do not say we shall be spirits like the Angels, but our bodies shall be spiritual, having no natural desires after any earthly blessing, food, raiment, &c. nor troubled with the want of them: and hence also the body shall be able as well to ascend up, as now it is to descend down; as Austin shows by a similitude of lead, which some artists can beat so small as to make it swim; we are now earthly, and made to live on this earth, and hence fall down to the centre; but we are made then to be above for ever with the Lord, the Lord proceeding from imperfection to perfection, as the Apostle here shows; not first spiritual, and then natural; but first that which is natural, (in this life) and then that which is spiritual.