A Word concerning the Resurrection.

THE Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared unto many, among whom I am come to give you notice, (though a most unworthy Messenger) That he is now come to exalt his Son in his saints. and set him upon his holy hill; glory for evermore.

But many there are who with Martha do look for the Resurrection at the last day without, and so put the day of his Resurrection in them, far from them, (as believing no such thing) and saying, How can this be? when in the mean time Christ lyes slain in some of them; and o∣thers are so far from the holy Life of Christ, that they are dead in trespasses and sins, and some twice pluckt up by the roots, neither knowing their Saviour within them, nor Without them.

Art thou one that knowest nothing of the resurrection of Christ in thee, then know that thou art not to look out to a day without thee, for the resurrection of Christ, but in Spiritual Sodomand Aegypt, where he lyes still crucified, art thou to ex∣pect Page  48 his resurrection, to wit, in thy own wicked heart.

Christ before his resurrection from the Grave, told Martha, and said, I am the the Resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and that he that liveth and believeth in him, should not dye: Dost thou believe this?

Arise then, thou that art asleep in thy grave of sin, fleshly ease, or carnal de∣lights, and hearken to the voice of the Son of God in thee, & live; for he who called Lazarus out of his grave of earth, (being naturally dead) to life again, will raise thee also, and call thee out of thy spiri∣tual grave of sin and denth, if thou hearken to his Voice, and obey his Call in thoe.

Christ Jesus after his resurrection, ap∣peared unto many of his Disciples with out them, and they knew him not (he being spiritual;) and after he had by many sig∣nal Testimonies made himself known unto them to be Jesus, a Cloud received him out of the sight of those that stood looking after him; Whereupon it was told them by two men who were in white, that said, To men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing? The same Iesus which Page  49 hath been taken up from you into heaven, shall in like manner come again to wit, in a Cloud; for so he went up.

Now this (Friend) is a Mystery to the wise and learned men of this World, (oh that they knew it) That the light of the World, and life of men should come in a cloud; but so it is, and they are utterly ignorant of this mysterie, though to the children of Light it is made manifest and revealed by the Spirit. They can tell you that as Christ's first appearance to the World was in the flesh, and the fleshly eye saw him; so his second appearance is in Spirit, and no fleshly eye can behold him, he being now a spirit.

You then who are looking for the Re∣surrection of your Saviour with the eye of the first Adam, (which is natural, and to come without you) know you, that your eyes will fail you, and your expe∣ctations be in vain; for him whom you look for, is a spirit, and invisible to all but to the Spiritual man. And While you are looking for his coming to be hereaf∣ter, the spiritual man can tell You he is already come, and converseth with him daily; and this is the reason that the Page  50 Saints and Servants of Christ (who do his Will) can endure stocking, stoning, mocking, cruel whipping, and tedious im∣prisonment: Why? Because they have seen & conversed with Jesus, who by his power en∣ables them to suffer what man can do un∣to them; He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. But thou maist say unto me, Is there no other Resurrection of Christ then what is in man? And are we not to look for the coming of Christ, and the Resurre∣ction of our Bodies also at the last day?

For an answer to this, Friend, consider that the resurrection of Christ without, was there where he had been entombed or buried, and there was he to rise again, that so a testimony thereof might be gi∣ven to the unbeliever, and as encourage∣ment and strengthening to the Faith of those that did believe therein. Now Friend, so it is, Christ is risen in his Saints, and hath appeared unto them there, even as he rose from the Grave, and appeared to his Disciples, and others without; and though thou wouldst give large money to us to make false Reports of his Resurre∣ction, yet we cannot but must tell you all, Christ is risen from the grave of our souls, Page  51 where he was once, buryed with earthly-mindedness and the cares of this World; but the Grave being able to hold him no longer, he is come forth, and is manifest to thousands in this age, who at first when he appeared to them without, to wit, in carnal Ordinances, they knew him not, but he being now come in spirit accor∣ding to his promise, we cannot but de∣clare it unto you, being the things which our ears have heard, our eyes seen, and our hands handled of the Word of Life, that so ye might have fellowship with us.

And thou who lookest for the resurre∣ction of thy carnal body, I shall not con∣tradict thee in thy faith, nor do I deny the resurrection of the body, nor shall I say to thee any other thing then what Paul said to to the Corinth, THOU FOOL, That which thou sowest is not quickned except it dye; and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, per∣chance of wheat or some other corn; but God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him. First come to the life of Jesus in thy self, and when thou canst say, Now I live, yet nor I, but Christ liveth in me, thou shalt better un∣derstand the Resurrection of the Body; Page  52 For the natural man discerns not the things of God, because they are spiritual; Then, and not till then thou shalt know the first and second Resurrection.