Lecture 18 · 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18

THE XVIII. LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS.

THE Apostle (brethren) in this present text (by the way as it were) instructs the Thessalonians in that head of doctrine, that concernes those who are departed this lyfe: Of the which either they were ignorant, or thought not of it as they should haue done. And therefore, in the death and departure of their kins-folke and friendes whom they loued well, they mourned excessiuely, as though there estate had beene miserable: as though after this world there should haue been no more of them, but they should perish like beasts. And therfore the Apostle, to the end that for death they shold not mourne so desperatlie, he instructs them in certaine heades of doctrine concerning the departed. The first was, that they that died, died not so much as sleeped: this death is not so much to be called a death, as a sleepe, for there shall be a waking againe, as a man lying down to sleepe, shall awake againe. The second point. Their resurrection shall be glorious: Being laid down in the graue they shall not ly for euer, but shall be gloriouslie raised againe: for heere he speakes of the resurrection of the elect and chosen. Now the third thing he instructs them in is an peece of honour they shall haue in their resurrection. They that are dead first, shall see the Lord before them that shall be found aliue: for the dead shall ryse first, and then the change shall be made of them, who are then liuing. And as the dead shall rise first, so they shall be first in ranke among them who shall goe to meete the Lord in the aire: first the dead after their resurrection shall be rest vp to the cloudes: then they who shall be liuing, shall be rest vp after them. So the dead shall get the first sight of Christ, then they who shall be found alyue, shall be changed and get the next sight. This before ye heard taught to you.

Now in the text we haue red, the Apostle takes occasion of that which he spoke of immediatly before, concerning the ranking and order of those that shall bee found dead on that great day. To enter in this matter more deeplie, and to fall out in a description of the Lords comming in that latter day. He pointes out the manner of it, and that glorie that shall appeare. Thereafter he commes to that effect that shall follovv there-vpon. The first effect, shall be the resurrection of the dead; ere euer they vvho are alyue be changed (vvhich shall be in a moment) the dead rysing first, shall be rest vp to the cloudes, and then they vvho shall be changed, shall be rest vp after them. The estate of both is, they shall meete the Lord, and bee vvith him for euer. Then in the last verse, he desyres the Thessalonians vvith such speaches as these, euerie one to comfort another: vvhether he sorrovv for his owne or for anothers death, and to speake one to another of the resurrection, and of the glorie that shall followe on it. Now this text standes in a narratiue of the forme of Christes comming, vvhereof I vvill speake no farther, nor I can gather thereof out of the Scripture, and with as great shortnesse as I may: For, it is follie to speake any thing heerein vvhich is not reuealed and spoken of in the Scriptures. Now Brethren, I shall speake first (according to the Scriptures of God) of the signes and tokens that shall appeare in the world before Christes comming. For, ere he be seene, they who shall be found aliue at that great day, shall see signes and tokens of his comming. Next I shall speake of his comming and of the manner of it. And in the third rovvme I shall speake of the effectes that shall followe in the vvorlde immediatlie on his comming.

As for the signes that shall be seene, ere he be seene. There are some of them that shall goe before his comming immediatlie before he ryse out of his Throne, vvhere he sittes at the right hand of his Father, euen immediatlie before his rysing there shall some signes be shovven to vvarne the vvorlde, that the King of Glorie is comming. Then there shall be some other signes, that shall be adjoyned vvith his comming, as hee commes through the Heauens and aire to judge the world. So the signes are of tvvo sortes, some signes before his comming immediatlie, Signes immediatly preceding Chrstes comming. some joyned with his comming. The signes immediatlie preceeding the Lords rysing out of his Throne, to judge the vvorld, are, The vvhole vvorlde shall shake, Heauen and earth shall trimble; they who shall be liuing at that day shall see it. The vvhole povvers of the Heauen shall be shaken: The Sunne, the Moone shall be darkned, all shall be obscured: the Sunne shall haue no light, the starres shall fall downe, or, at the least, shall appeare so, because they shall giue no light, and light shall be away, nothing in the face of the earth, but darknesse: nothing in Heauen but darknesse. Ye may read this Matt. chap. 24. verse 29. Luke chap. 21. verse 25. Christ giues these same signes himselfe, that shall be immediatlie before his comming. What shall be the estat in the mean-time of those who are liuing when these signes shall appear? Al consciences shall be wakned, all shall get vp, there shall be no sleeping. The murtherer vvho hes his conscience sleeping now, shall be wakned then: the harlots conscience shall waken. There shall be two sorte of folke found liuing then; some reprobate, some elect; the world is neuer vvithout these tvvo. As for the reprobate vvhen they shall looke vp and see such a wonderfull alteration, the shaking of the Heauens, the darkning of the Sunne, and Moon, then they shall beginne to shudder and to be striken with such a terrible fear, that, they shal be as they wer dead: and for fear of that judgment that is to follow, they shall run and seeke holes and secret places to hide them from the face of the Lord, and cry, Hilles fall dovvn on vs, Mountains couer vs, Yea, euen ere they see the Lord before his comming down, Read of this in Luke 21. 27. Reuelat. chap. 6. verse 16. &c. Now as to the elect that shall be found aliue at that tyme, they shall conceiue at the sight of these first signes an vnspeakable joye, and shall not be afraide, but shall avvaite for that Redemption, which they shall see to be at hand, that full Redemption in the Redeemer the Lord Iesus. And therefore, they shall not runne away and seeke holes to hyde them in, but they shall stand vp and lift vp their heades and faces to the Heauens and shall looke greedilie for the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ: indeede it is true, they shall conceiue a sorrowe and shall be touched vvith a remorse, and shall vveepe bitterlie; but a sweete weeping they shall weepe, that euer their sinnes procured the death of the Lord Iesus Christ, that Lord of glorie. Therefore, they shall be both joyfull, and sorrowfull: joyfull, because the Redeemer is at hand: sorrowfull, for their sinnes, that Christ should haue died for them; that they should haue peirced him through with them. Reade of this at length Luke chap. 21. verse 28. Zachary chap. 13. verse 11. Reuel. chap. 1. verse 7. yea, they who peirced him through, with their sinnes, shall bewaile him. All the godlie Kinges of the earth shall bewaile him; all the elect shall sorrow, that their sinnes should haue procured the death of this sweete and glorious Lord. This for the signes immediatly going before his comming. Vnderstand (brethren) that there shall be a processe of tyme in the day of judgement, so that one thing shall (by a certaine space) goe before another. It shall be sodaine, but, not so sodaine, but they who are aliue, shall see one thing done by a space of time before another; it shall be so sensible, that euerie one that is liuing at that day shall see euery thing done sensible.

Now to come to the signes joined with his comming. At his down comming, Signes ioyned vvith the comming of Christ. when the Lord rises out of his Throne, before he be seene, the whole world that shooke before he rose, shal be set on fyre, and there shall be a terrible dissolution: All thinges shall be dissolued, and so shaken lowse, that the world shall not appeare, vnto the tyme it bee made a nevv Worlde, a nevv Heauen, a new Earth, as Peter speakes. Come to the particulares. As to the Heauens, they shall bee burnt vp, and being burnt vp, they shall passe away with a sound and noyse (saies Peter) as the sounding of Chariot-wheeles. The elements, the aire, the water, all shall be consumed with fire, and be burnt vp and euanish. The earth, and all the workes on the earth, planting, building, all shall be burnt vp with fire, nothing shall be spared. These shall be the signes that shall be joined inseparablie with Christs comming. The signe of Christ. In the meane tyme he shall come down, when all the world shall be on a fire. And this is called by Matthevv 24 verse 30. the signe of Christ, the signe that shall be conjoined with his comming. Reade of this whole matter in this 24. chap. of Matthevv verse 30. 2. Epist of Pet. chap. 3. verse 10. 12. Reuelat. chap. 20. verse 11. and chap. 21. verse 1. Then brethren, if there was such a commotion in the heart of men, in the first signes that past before, what commotion shall there be in the harts of men, when they shall see the whole world on fire? A wondrous thing. When all this consumption shall be, no body shall be burnt, but the power of the judge shall reserue the bodies to the judgement that is to follow immediatlie. Peter when he hes tolde of these signes, saies, If such a dissolution of the world be, what maner of men should we be? how should we studie to prepare vs to meete the Lord? So on that great day, all these thinges shall not make the godly to shrinke, but they shall ay prease forward to meete the Lord in the cloudes. As to the reprobate, ô, that horrour and terrible feare that shall ouertake them at his comming! Now this for the two sorts of signes. The first, going before his comming: the second, joined inseparably with his comming down to judge the world.

Now, shortly to speake of Christs owne comming. And this is it which the Apostle speakes of in this place. Which for our vnderstanding I shall gather out of this and sundry other places of the Scripture. Christes cōming. Now as for the comming of the judge, he shall not come from the Sea, from the Earth, from the Plane. Wherefrom commes all the Kings of the earth, when they are in their triumph? The Romane Emperours came out from the Capitoll in their Chariots. But, the King of Kinges shall come from the Heauen of Heauens, abone all these heauens that we see, from the highest place. The maner of his comming is sodaine. These signes that I spake of, shall come on a sodaintie; and yet there shall be a processe of tyme in doing thereof. He shall come on a sodaine, as the deluge of Noah did, as the 24 chap. Matt verse 37. telles. The people knew not of the deludge, that ouerwhelmed them, vntill it came: No more shall this miserable world know Christes comming, vntill he come sodainlie. And therefore, considering this, in the Scripture the Lord giues a watch-word to his Disciples: Many hundreth yeeres are past since, and repeate it heere, he saies, Matt. 24. 42. Watch, for ye knovv not vvhen the Lord shall come. The sodaintie & vncertainty of his comming shoulde make vs euer readie to looke for it. The Chariot he shall be caried in, is the cloudes of the aire. As in his ascending the cloudes resaued him from our sight, so shall the cloudes resaue him at his comming. Such a Chariot got neuer Emperour in all his highest triumph, none of them was caried in the clouds. The company that shall conuoy him: he shal come, saies Matt. chap. 24. verse 30. with the Angels, and a flame of fire, that fyre that shall burne vp the world, and shall burne vp the reprobate in the owne tyme. 2. Thess. 1. 7. 8. Iude sayes, verse. 14. He shall come with millions of Angels, there shall not be an Angell, but all shall come in that conuoye, to let all the worlde see, that, all the Angels are but seruants to that Lord, and seruantes standing about him, to obey his vvill vvhat hee commandes, that his glorie and Majestie may be seene. In the meane-tyme he hes no neede of them, for they neyther can adde to his glorie, nor diminish it: yet it hes pleased him, so to vtter his glorie to the vvorld. And in that meane-tyme, when he is comming, he will not come in silence. Ye see, when an Armie marches forward, there is a great noyse and crying, shouting, and blovving of trumpets: So, there shall bee a noyse in the Lords comming dovvne. The Angels of Heauen shall blovve the trumpets. So he speakes Matth. 24. verse 31. Paul in this place sayes, there shall ryse a sound: The worde in this place is a vvorde of exhortation, κέλευσμα, borrovved from that sound vvhich the Mariners vses to others, euerie one to moue others to rovv. A shout direct to the dead that lyes in the graue: it shall pearce through the graue and eares of the dead, and shall waken them vp. With the shout shall be conjoyned the voice of the Archangell, and with the voyce of the Archangell, the sound of the trumpet of God, and this shall be the last trumpet, and neuer shall the voyce of the trumpet be heard againe, and it shall be the shrillest trumpet that euer was heard. Now when the Lord in his comming downe shall come to the place where he is ordained to sit, to judge the worlde, which shall be in the cloudes: Then all the Angels shall showe their presence, and the Angels shall make a glorious Throne to the Lord of glorie, and there he shall sit. This much shortlie for the comming and appearing. I shall be short in this matter. For, I will speake nothing but make a narration of it out of other parts of Scripture.

Would ye vnderstand the effectes that followes on his comming? Effectes follovving Christs cōming. Certainlie notable effectes must followe on it. The Lord prepare vs for it. The Father shall be there, the Sonne shall be there, cōming. the holie Spirite shall be there vvith all their power, and all their Majestie. The glorie of the Father neuer appeared so glorious, as it shall appeare that day. The glorie of the Sonne neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day. The glorie of the holie Spirit neuer appeared so glorious, as it shall appeare that day. Ye see in the Parliament the Kings of the earth appears in their greatest glory to the people; so, the Lord of the world shall appeare with an infinite and vncapable sight of glorie. Now to come to the effects that shall follow on his comming. Assēbly. The first effect. There shall be an assemblie, a conuention, the fairest conuention that euer was since the world stoode. There are none that euer tooke lyfe, but all shall bee there: all shall be sommonded with the shout of the trumpetuall shall compeare: no excuse, the graue shall not excuse, death shal not excuse, dead and liuing, neuer man, nor, woman excepted, all shall be there. So, the first effect that shal follow the comming of the Iudge, shall be a conuention of the whole world, elect & reprobate, dead and liuing. And I shall tell you, after what order it wil be, by the Scripture. The first that shall come there to the conuention, shall be they who were dead, they shall preueene them who were alyue. And Adam and Eue, shall be with the first, and in the first ranke. For before they vvho in the vvorlde shall be changed (which shall be in the twinkling of an eye; and it shall stand to them in stead of death) ere this change be made, the dead shall ryse first. 1. Corint. 15. 51 52. Some of them who are dead, shall ryse to lyfe and honour, to witte, the elect: Some of them, to wit, the reprobat, to dishonour, ignominie and death, and a worse death nor they ly in presently. Then when the dead is raised vp, and compeares first, then shall follow that sodaine change of them who shall be alyue: the elect that shall be alyue shal be altred in a moment, in the twinckling of an eie, to a glorious estate. The reprobat aliue, shall be altered to, but, if they wer ignominious before, they shal be more ignominious then: for, not only their soule, but soule and body shal be vgly, and if they had any beauty, Estate of the bodies of the elect. it shall bee changed in a wonderfull foulues. But, to speak of the body of the elect: for, the Scripture speaks most of them. Paul (1. Cor. 15. verse 35.) moues the question, with what bodies shall they ryse? what bodie shall the elect haue? For, he is not curious of the bodies of the reprobate, but he markes narrowlie the rising of the bodies of the godlie at that day. And the first qualitie he giues them, is, that, whereas their bodies wer naturall, when they were laid down in the graue, their bodies in that day, shall be made spirituall: Not, that our bodies shall be changed in spirites; no, our bodies shall be bodies indeed, of that same substance they haue now. The verie same substance of the bodie thou hast in this lyfe, the same verie substance thou shalt haue in that lyfe, and no other. It shall be present at that day, that same verie bodie, that same very hand and foote, &c. and no other bodie, nor no other hand nor foote, &c. And there shall be none of the ashes of the bodie, but it shall be keeped, vntill that day, and shall be gathered vp and joined better, nor euer it was before. Then, the bodie shall abyde. Our lyfe shall be much better. I liue heere a naturall lyfe, by a naturall power in my soule, but, in the resurrection, my lyfe shall be spirituall, and I shall not liue a naturall lyfe: Now I liue by a naturall power in my soule, but, then, I shall liue spirituallie, by a spirituall power in Christ. Yet, there shall be more. Another propertie of the bodie shall follow on this. This bodie, if it were neuer so faire, yet, in respect of the glorie it shall take vp, it is but ignominious, but the bodie shall rise glorious and shyning as the Sunne; not by this naturall skin and colour that we haue here; but by a passing light and brightnesse, conforme to that brightnesse of Christ, when he was transformed on the Mountaine. (Reade Matt. 17. 1.) and conforme to his glorie in Heauen, as the Apostle telles Philipp. chap. 3. verse 21. Yet more, ye see our bodies weake. The strongest man is soone beatten downe for all his strength; all the povver of man is feeble and weake, but in the resurrection, the bodie shall be strong and pithie. One man (to be homely with you) stronger in the resurrection, nor an hundreth: yea, nor thousands are now. For, all feeblenesse shall be left behinde him in the graue, and he shall ryse strong, lyke the Angels in glorie and strength. Yet more then this. (What matter of all this former glorie, if it were possible, that, this spirituall bodie could perish:) The Apostle addes to this. We shall rise incorruptible, immortail, to lyfe euerlasting: when we shall ryse in that strength, that power and freedome, immortalitie shall follow after mortalitie, glorie after ignomnie, strength after weaknesse, spiritualitie after naturalitie. In lyfe we shall be spirituall, in qualitie glorious, in tyme euerlasting, there is no end of it. This is the propertie that Paul speakes of our bodies in the resurrection.

Now to goe forward. There shall followe more in this conuention. That same power that shall conueene all men together, Separation of the elect from the reprobats. that same power shall make a seuering. The Angels, the Ministers of that glorious judge, shall stoppe in betweene the elect and the reprobate, and putte them a sunder. They shall seuere the sheepe from the goates, they shall put the sheepe at the right hand of the judge, and the goates at the left hand. Reade Matt. chap. 25 verse 33. Appearantlie Paul heere would meane to vs another kynde of seuering: and yet all is one. This appearantlie vvoulde be his meaning. They shal al be gathered together on the earth, and all shall stand together in a troup, and then this seuering shall be made: Then all the elect shall be rest vp to the cloudes, to meete the Lord in the cloudes. As for the reprobate, they shall all stand still on the earth, and shall not get that honour, to be rest vp in the aire, but shall byde on the earth, and receyue their judgement there. For, Paul, vvhen he sayes, they shall be rest vp to meete the Lord in the aire, he speakes onely of the elect. Then, there shall be a seuering, after which there shall neuer be a meetting againe: a great golfe shall be betweene them that none may passe: We are all mingled heere through other, and none knowes other: The sheepe oft-tymes are taken for the goates, and the goates for the sheepe; but, at that great day, the sheepe shall be seuered from the goates, and shall neuer meete againe, be it man with wyfe, parents with children. There are two effects, a conuention of all, and a seuering of all.

Yet the Iudge and the power of the Iudge shall passe forwarde, and the third effect followes. When the Judge hes all gathered together and none avvay: vvhen the rovve is called, and all are present: Then vvhen one sorte shall be placed at the right hand, Iudgemēt pronounced. and the other at the left hand; then shall he fall to judgement: He cannot judge before he seuere; the verie seuering telles the judgement: but, before the seuering, the judgement shall not be pronunced. Then generallie he shall judge all according to their workes. The bookes shall be opened, the book of conscience shall be opened, the booke of workes shall be opened and al their judgement shal be according to their works But vnderstand this. The elect man shall be judged according to his works, not that his works shall be the cause that shal procure his lyfe: but he shall be judged by his works as a testimony of his faith in Christ and of the maner of lyfe that he hes liued in the worlde as a member of Christ: So he shall be judged by his workes; not as a cause, but as a token of the true cause, as ye would judge a man by a witnesse: for the workes shall be the tokens of the true cause, which is, the onely justice of Christ imputed vnto vs by faith. I dare say, albeit the reprobate worthelie shall be damned according to their workes, yet they shall be speciallie condemned that they beleeued not in Iesus Christ, but contemned his Gospell without faith. Then to come to the sentence. The Lord will beginne at the elect, as best and worthiest and he shall giue them their sentence, Come ye blessed of my Father, and inherite the Kingdome prepared for you, before the foundation of the vvorlde. Matt. chap. 25 verse 32. From once this sentence is past out on them, when this absolution from death and damnation is pronounced, looke what estate they shall be in; be in: They shall stand with the Angles, as assessours to judge the reprobate. So Paul 1. Cor chap. 6. verse 3. saies, knovv ye not that vve shall iudge the Angels? that is to say, we shall allow that most just sentence of Iesus: And among all the rest of the assessours, the twelf Apostles speciallie shall haue place. For, they shall sit on twelfe Thrones, to justifie that just sentence that shall passe on the reprobate. Then shall the sentence passe out on the reprobate: the voice shall goe downe throgh the aire to the earth, a terrible voice, Goe ye accursed of my Father to the fire prepared for the Deuill and all his Angels. Brethren, thinke not this a fable, manie will not beleeue this, vntil they feele it in them selues.

Now to be short. To speake of the lyfe of the reprobate after this sentence, they shall not remaine on the earth. In the verie moment of the doome (that is certaine) they shall passe to damnation. The glory of the elect & the tormentes of the reprobate. At that same verie moment thou receiuest the sentence of lyfe, thou shalt goe to Heauen: The moment the reprobate receiues sentence of damnation they shall go to Hell. Now to speake of this death and lyfe: I will not be curious, there is much spoken in the Scripture thereof, both to let vs see the glorie of the elect and the torments of the reprobate. But, I tell you in one word, it was neuer all tolde. Neuer Prophet nor Apostle expressed the greatnesse of the joy that shall come to the godlie, nor of the paine that shall come to the vngodlie. There shall bee another paine nor fyre and brimstone to bee tormented in. Neyther can any expresse the joye in Heauen, There shall be such glorie and joye as the eare of man neuer heard of, the eye hes not seene, nor yet hes it entered in the heart of man. Novv looke hovv Paul speakes of this joye heere. He sayes, vve shall be euer vvith the Lord. He contentes him with these wordes. To be with the Lord imports not a dwelling only vvith him, but a lyfe and glorious lyfe, joye that is vvith him vnspeakable: I cannot tell it: all the tongues in the vvorlde cannot tell it: For, all the joye in Heauen it is in the Sonne of God, and shall shine through him, that is, through the naturall fleshe of man, couered ouer vvith a Majestie; and so all Heauens joye and glorie shall be vvith him, and they vvho shall bee vvith him shall be in that glorie and joye vvith him. I dare say more. These thinges shall not be outvvith vs onely, but vvithin our bovvels. The joye and glorie shall not be outvvith the godlie, as it is novv: Commonlie the glorie, the pleasure, are outvvith vs, the matter of joye outvvith vs, and vve looke to it. But then, all matter of joye shall be in vs; Christ first be in vs, and God shall be all in all, and God in shall be dvveling in vs; and then, vvhen thou hast all vvithin thee, vvhat shall thou vvant? And therefore, in the Reuelation chap 21. verse 2; it is said, We shall not neede thinges outvvith vs. neyther a Temple, nor Sunne, nor Moone, for, God being in thee, shall be vnto thee a Temple, hee is all in all; and hee being in thee thou hast all things in thee. In one vvord, He shall be vvithin thee, and all shall be vvithin thee, thy glorie, joye and pleasure shall be within thee, because God in Christ shall dvvell vvithin thee, and where he dvvels, all felicitie and glorie shall be. All the tongues in Heauen and earth, all the Angels cannot tell the thousand part of that glorie and felicitie of that lyfe. Novv is there no more nor this? What matter if it vverfor a tyme vve vvere to be with him? What matter of Heauen if Heauen lasted not? What matter of a Kingdome that vanishes away? A man set vp on a pompe to day, casten down to morrow? what matter of heauenlie glory, let be the earthly glory, if it lasted not? but the Apostle saies we shall be with him for euer. Take vp then our blessednesse. It stands in two pointes; first a passing and exceeding joy and glorie: and secondlie in an eternity and euerlastingnesse of joy and glorie. Paul plainly and pithilie settes these two together. 2. Cor. chap. 4. verse 17. He calles it a weight of glorie, that is excellent: Then he calles it an euerlasting glorie. There are two, a weight of glorie, and an euerlasting vveight of glorie, and more excessiuelie excessiue. He cannot get wordes to vtter it. It is a weight that will vveigh dovvne all the vvorlde, and then a weight of glorie excessiuelie excessiue, and then eternall and euerlasting. So our felicities in glorie, and passing great glorie and an euerlasting glorie. As for the paines of the reprobate, I will not insist to speake of them, because the Apostle is speaking heere to comfort the elect.

Now when the Apostle hes made a discourse of the comming of Christ, He makes his exhortation and sayes, and so I say also, Comfort one another vvith these vvordes. Brethren, many hes sought comfort, death is dolorous and wearisome in the owne nature: and therefore, many of the Heathen hes busied themselues to get comfort and matter of consolation in the houre of death. What matter of death, if there be a comfort therein? but then is death dolorous when it is without comfort. But, vvas there euer any that got comfort that knew not Christ, and the resurrection, and a life after this life? no, neuer man; neither king nor Emperor. As for all the comforts they had, all was but vanitie, and dreames of comfort. Againe I say. Was there euer anie that gaue comfort to a bodie in death, or that gaue comfort to them that vvas heauie for the death of their freinde, but that man that hes a sense of that glorious resurrection of Christ and of his comming? And therefore, as thou wouldst haue comfort in death & giue comfort for death; know, that, the Lord is to come in the world: knovv, that, there shall be a glorious resurrection, and after the resurrection there shall be an eternall joy and glorie in Heauen. And looke, that, this be not onely wordes in the mouth. There are many vaine bablers of Christ, and of that glorious resurrection: A knaue, an adulterer, a murtherer will flatter himselfe, and clatter of that glorie and joy: but all is vanity. Wilt thou be a knaue, and then speake of these thinges? The Lord shall punish thee. Looke therefore, that, thy speaking of the latter day be not in vaine wordes; Heauen and lyfe euerlasting is not in wordes; but, looke, that, it be fectfull in the heart, and that, of the aboundance of the heart, the mouth speake. Before thou speake, feele it in thy heart, and then speake. So sayes Paul 2. Cor. chap. 4. verse 13. I beleeue I shall ryse, and therefore I speake to you. And Dauid sayes, I beleeue, and therefore I spake. Psal. 116. 10. And say, I pray God that I beleeue all these thinges that I speake to you. The Lord giue euerie one of vs grace, that, we may beleeue all these thinges of Christes comming, and of the glorious resurrection: For, vvithout Faith and Hope, of these thinges, no comfort, no lyfe. The Lord giue vs Faith and Hope, vntill he bring vs to the full sight and fruition of these thinges throgh Christ. To whom with the Father and the holie Spirite, be all honour and praise for euer and euer

AMEN.