N04105:511
The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…
The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit, in reconciling of a sinner to God. / By Thomas Shepard, sometime of Emanuel-College in Cambridge, since preacher of God's word in New-England. ; [One line from Matthew]
Boston: printed by Green for D. Henchman, 1742
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE Sound Believer. › Chapter 2 › Section 6: Sixthly, Glorification.
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.
4. It shall be a spiritual Body; our Bodies now are acted by animal Spirits, and 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 the 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, & then natural; but first that which is natural, (in this Life) and then that which is spiritual.
4. It shall be a spiritual Body; our Bodies now are acted by animal Spirits, and 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 shews 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 the Earth, and hence fall down to the Center; but we are made then to be above for ever with the Lord, the Lord proceeding from Imperfection to Perfection, as the Apostle here shews; not first spiritual, & then natural; but first that which is natural, (in this Life) and then that which is spiritual.