Select thoughts, or, Choice helps for a pious spirit a century of divine breathings for a ravished soule, beholding the excellencies of her Lord Jesus / by J. Hall ...

LXVI.

With what elegance and force doth the holy Ghost ex∣press our Saviours leaving of the world; which he cals his taking home again; or his re∣ceiving up? In the former, implying, That the Son of God was, for the time, sent out of his Fathers house, to these lower regions of his exile, or pilgrimage, and was now re-admitted into those his glorious mansions; In the latter, so intimating his triumphant ascension, that he passeth over his bitter passion: Surely, he was to take death in his way; so he told his Disciples, in the walk to

Emaus: Ought not Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory? He must be lift∣ed up to the Cross, ere his As∣cension to Heaven; but, as if the thought of death were swallowed up in the blessed issue of his death, here is no mention of ought but his assumption: Lo, death truly swallowed up in victory: Neither is it otherwise pro∣portionally with us: wholly so it cannot be; for, as for him, Death did but taste of him, could not devour him, much less put him over; It could not but yield him whole & entire the third day, without any impairing of his nature; yea, with an happy addition to it, of a glorious immortality: and in that glo∣rified

humanity he ascended by his own Power into his Heaven: For us, we must be content that one part of us lye rotting for the time, in the dust, whiles our spiritual part shall by the ministery of An∣gels be received up to those everlasting habitations: Here is an Assumption therefore, true and happy, though not, as yet, total: And why should I not therefore have my heart taken up with the assured expectation of this receiving up into my glory? Why do I not look beyond death, at the eternally-bles¦sed condition of this soul of mine; which in my dissolu∣tion is thus crowned with im∣mortality? So doth the Sea∣beaten Marriner chear up

himself with the sight of that Heaven, which he makes for; So doth the Travailer com∣fort himself, when after a tempestuous storm he sees the Sun breaking forth in his brightness.

I am dying; but, O Savi∣our, thou art the resurrection and the life; he that beleeves in thee, though he be dead yet shall he live: Awake, and sing ye that dwel in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead: Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labors, and their works follow them.

Notes

• Luk. 9. 51.
• Luk. 24. 26.
• Joh. 11. 23.
• Esa. 26. 19.