goe and come through it. We meete him comming, but not staying but so shall we euer bee with him, that is, in immortall bodies, where euer our stay bee. And in this sence the Apostle seemes to vrge the vnderstanding of this question to bee this, that those whom Christ shall finde aliue, shall neuer-the-lesse both dye and reuiue, where he saith. In Christ shall all bee made aliue: and vpon this, by and by after; That which thou sowest, is not quickned except it dye. How then shall those whom Christ shall finde aliue bee quickned in him by immortality, vnlesse they doe first dye, if these words of the Apostle bee true? If wee say that the sowing is meant onely of those bodyes that are returned to the earth, according to the iudgement laide vpon our transgressing fore-fathers: Thou art dust, and to dust shalt thou returne: then wee must confesse, that neither that place of Saint Paul nor this of Genesis concernes their bodies whome Christ at his comming shall finde in the body: for those are not sowne, because they neither goe to the earth, nor returne from it, how-so-euer they haue a little stay in the ayre, or other-wise taste not of any death at all. But now the Apostle hath another place of the re∣surrection. (a) Wee shall all rise againe, saith hee, or (as it is in some copies) wee shall all sleepe.
So then, death going alway before resurrection, and sleepe in this place imply∣ing nothing but death, how shall all rise againe, or sleepe, if so many as Christ shall finde liuing vpon earth, shall neither sleepe nor rise againe? Now there∣fore, if wee doe but auouch that the Saints whome Christ shall finde in the flesh, and who shall meete him in the ayre, doe in this rapture leaue their bodies for a while, and then take them on againe; the doubt is cleared both in the Apo∣stles first words; That which thou sowest is not quickned, except it dye: as also in his later, Wee shall all rise againe, or wee shall all sleepe: for they shall not bee quickned vnto immortalitie, vnlesse they first taste of death: and consequent∣lie haue a share in the resurrection by meanes of this their little sleepe. And why is it incredible that those bodies should bee sowen, and reuiued immor∣tally in the ayre, when as wee beleeue the Apostle, where hee saith plainely, that the resurrection shall bee in the twinckling of an eye, and that the dust of the most aged bodye, shall in one moment concurre to retaine those members, that thence-forth shall neuer perish: Nor let vs thinke that that place of Genesis, Thou art dust, &c. concerneth not the Saints, for all that their dead bodyes returne not to the earth, but are both dead and reuiued whilest they are in the ayre.
To dust shalt thou returne, that is, thou shalt by losse of life, become that which thou wast ere thou hadst life. It was earth in whose face the LORD breathed the breath of life, when man became a liuing soule: So that it might bee sayd. Thou art liuing dust, which thou wast not, and thou shalt bee •…•…lesse dust, as thou wast. Such are all dead bodyes euen before putrefacti∣on, and such shall they bee (if they dye) where-so-euer they dye, beeing voyde of life, which not-with-standing they shall immediatly returne vnto. So then shall they returne vnto earth, in becomming earth, of liuing men; as that returnes to ashes which is made of ashes, that vnto putrifaction which is putrified, that into a potte which of earth is made a potte, and a thousand other such like instances. But how this shall bee, wee doe but coniecture now, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall know till wee see it.
That (b) there shall bee a resurrection of the flesh at the comming of Christ