THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAINE FROM THE DEAD

I Beleeue that Christ shooke off death from himselfe, quickened his deade body, reunited his bodie vnto his soule, restored vnto himselfe a blessed, celestial, and glorious life, and that by his owne proper power.

The chiefe Questions of christs resurrection are, 1 Whether Christ rose againe. 2 How he rose. 3 For what cause he rose. 4 The fruit of his resurrection.

1 WHETHER CHRIST ROSE AGAINE

That Christ rose againe, is prooued by the testimonies of Angels, weomen, Euangelistes, Apostles, and other Saintes, who after his resurrection sawe him, felt him, and talked with him. And wee were to beleeue the Apostles in respect of the authority which they had from heauen, although they had not seene him.

2 HOW CHRIST ROSE

CHRIST rose, first by his owne power, euen by his Godheade. John 2.19. Destroie this temple, and in three daies I will raise it vp againe. Ioh. 10.18. I haue power to laie downe my soule, and haue power to take it vp againe. Ioh. 5.21. As the Father raiseth vp the dead and quickeneth them, so the Sonne quickeneth whom he will. Obiection. But the Father raised him, Rom. 4.24. Therefore hee raised not himselfe. Aunswere. The Father raised the Sonne by the Son himselfe, not as by an instrument, but as by another person of the same essence and power with the Father. The Sonne is raised of the Father by himselfe: Himselfe hath raised vp himselfe by his spirite. Secondlie, Jesus Christ true God and man rose according to that nature according to which he suffered, namelie according to his humane nature, euen the true humane nature, and the same in essence and properties, and that not deified, but glorified, al infirmities thereof beeing done away. Luk. 24.39. Behold my handes and my feete: for it is I my selfe: handle me, and see me: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see mee haue. And truely nothing else coulde rise againe, but that which had fallen. The same bodie therefore which fell did rise againe: which is the greatest comfort vnto vs. For hee must haue been one and the same Mediatour, who should merit for vs a communicating and participation of those benefits, which we had lost by sin, & who should restore the same vnto vs, and applie them to euerie one. Againe, except Christes fleshe hadde risen, neither shoulde ours rise. Thirdly, Christ did rise truly and indeed, so that his soule did truelie and indeede returne vnto his bodie, and he did truely come foorth, euen out of the graue also, in despite of the watchmen, they beeing withal amased and stroken therewith. Fourthly, he rose the third daie, as it was foreshadowed in Jonas: and because that type of Ionas was so fulfilled; thence it certainly followeth, that this Iesus is the Messias promised vnto the Fathers.

3 FOR WHAT CAVSE HE ROSE

Christ rose 1. In respect of the prophecies which were vttered of his resurrection. Thou shalt not leaue my soul in the graue: neither shalt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption; Psa. 16.10. And Isai. 53.10. When hee shall make his soule an offering for sinne, hee shall see his seede, and shall prolong his daies. He shall see of the trauaile of his soul, and shal be satisfied. Matth. 12.39. No signe shall bee giuen vnto it, saue the signe of the Prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three daies, & three nightes in the Whales bellie: so shall the sonne of man bee three daies and three nightes in the heart of the earth. Matth. 17.23. They shal kill the sonne of man, but the third day shall he rise againe. Ioh. 20.9. As yet they knew not the Scripture, that hee must rise againe from the dead. 2. He rose, for his Fathers and his owne glorie. Rom. 1.4. Declared to be the son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Ioh. 17.1. Father, glorifie thy Sonne, that thy sonne maie also glorifie thee. 3 For the worthinesse and power of the person that rose. For first, Christ is the beloued and onlie begotten Son of God. Ioh. 3.35. The father loueth the sonne, and hath giuen al thinges into his hand. Secondlie, Christ is true God and autor of life. Ioh. 10.28. I giue vnto them eternall life, and they shall neuer perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. It had beene absurd then that hee should not bee raised, who giueth life to others. Thirdly, Christ is righteous in himselfe, and satisfied for our sinnes which were imputed to him. Now where sin is not, there dooth not death raigne any more. 4 In respect of the office of the person who rose. For first, the Mediatour, who was true God and man, should raigne for euer. 2. Sam. 7.13.14. I wil stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer: J will bee his father & hee shall bee my son. Psa. 45.6. Thy throne O God is for euer & euer: the scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnesse. Psal. 89.3. I haue made a couenaunt with my chosen: I haue sworne to Dauid my seruaunt: Thy seede will I stablish for euer, and set vp thy throne from generation to generation. And againe, I haue sworne once by my holynes, that I will not faile Dauid, saieng, His seede shall endure for euer, and his throne shall bee as the sunne before mee. Hee shall be established for euermore as the Moone. Ezech. 37.23 24. They shall bee my people, and I will bee their god: And Dauid my seruaunt shall bee king ouer them, and they all shall haue one sheephearde. Dan. 7.27. The kingdome and dominion, and the greatnes of the kingdome vnder the whole heauen, shall bee giuen to the holy people of the most high, whose kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome, and al powers shall serue and obey him. Luk. 1.33. Of his kingdome shall bee none ende. Secondly, The Mediatour, who was to bee our brother and true man, should euer make intercession for vs, and as an euerlasting Priest appeare for vs before God. Psa. 110. Thou art a Priest for euer, according to the order of Melchisedech. Rom. 8.34. It is Christ which is dead, yea or rather which is risen againe, who is also at the right hand of God: and maketh request for vs. Thirdly, The Mediatour, which is to bee true man, should bee Mediatour both by his merit & by his efficacie or power. For it sufficed not, that hee died for vs: but hee was furder to bestow through his power his benefites vpon the Church and vs all, who by dying or by his death, had obtained for vs righteousnes, that is, the Holy Ghost, life and glorie eternall. For both belong vnto the Mediatour, who therefore obtaineth them for vs by his intercession and death, and in whom also the same benefites are therefore placed by the Godhead, that hee should make vs partakers of them. Ioh. 1.16. Of his fulnesse haue al wee receiued. Neither ought it to seeme any maruell, that Christ doth bestow the same benefites on vs, which hee obtained of the Godhead by his death for vs. For a man may both obtaine a thing of one for another, and also bestow the same on him for whom hee obtained it. As be it that one maketh request for thee vnto the Prince for a gift of a thousand crounes: the prince doth this for his sake that requested it, and bestoweth also that gift on him, that he may bestow it on thee: hee then shall obtaine this gift for thee of the Prince, and withall shall bestow the same on thee. Now albeit Christ could haue bestowed the benefits of his death vpon vs by his Godhead, by the meanes wherof wee are iustified and regenerated, and beginne faith, and new life by the holy Ghost: yet notwithstanding, as God decreed, by man to raise the dead (for by man came the resurrection. 1. Cor. 15.21.) and by man to iudge the worlde; so also hath hee decreed to bestowe these giftes by Iesus, man, that the same might be and continue mediatour, who is true God and man. Therefore also it was requisite, that Christ should remaine for euer our brother and our head; & that we of the other side being engraffed into him by a true faith, shoulde alwaies remaine his members. Which thing al the testimonies doe confirme, which attribute an eternall kingdome vnto the seede of Dauid. For on that kingdome is our saluation grounded: and the kingdome of Christ the Sonne of Dauid could by no meanes haue been eternal, if his humane nature had continued in death. Obiection. But in the old testament, before his incarnation, or humiliation, Christ without his humanitie, did bestow the same benefits on the Fathers, which hee bestoweth on vs in the new Testament, and was no lesse before the taking of flesh Mediatour, than since: also he did the same thinges before his comming, which he dooth after his comming in the flesh. Ans. But neither had hee then doone those thinges, except hee should haue beene afterwards man, and haue continued alwaies man: so neither now should he doe the same, if hee did not reteine the nature which he tooke for euer. John 5.27. The father hath giuen the sonne also power to execute iudgement, in that hee is the sonne of man.

5 He rose for vs, and that in three respectes. 1. For our Justification. Rom. 4.25. our Lord Jesus christ was deliuered to death for our sinnes, and is risen againe for our iustification. Now the resurrection of our Mediatour was requisite, for our iustification, first because, except his punishment had beene finite, wee coulde not haue recouered out of euerlasting death, from which the Mediatour was so to deliuer vs, as that hee shoulde vtterly ouercome it in vs. If then our Mediatour was vtterlie to vanquish and ouercome death in vs, hee ought then so to die, as to ouercome death first in himselfe, and so to fulfill indeede that which was foretolde. Ose 13.14. 1. Cor. 15.54. Death is swallowed vp into victorie. O Death, where is thy sting? O graue, where is thy victorie? Againe, Except Christ had ouercome death, he could not haue bestowed his benefites on vs, which by his death hee had merited for vs; neither should we knowe that hee had satisfied for vs; because, if hee had continued in death, it had beene a certaine argument that he had not satisfied, but was ouercome of death, & of the burdē of sin. For where death is, there is sinne: or if he had satisfied, & yet had remained in death, this had been contrarie to the iustice of God. Wherefore Christ was to rise, both that wee might knowe, that hee had promerited benefites for vs, and also that himselfe might applie the same vnto vs: that is, that by his merit and efficacy we might be perfectlie saued and iustified. 2. Christ rose for our regeneration. For iustification, or remission of sinnes sufficeth not, without the inchoation and beginning of a new life. 3. For our saluation and glorification. God wil by this meanes euerlastinglie quicken and glorifie vs, that beeing inserted and engraffed into the masse of his Son, that is, his humane nature, wee maie for euer bee carried of it, and out of it drawe life. For these causes it was necessarie, that Christ shoulde rise againe, that is, that his soul, which was laide downe from the body, should be againe ioined with the same body. For resurrection is nothing else, than a coniunction or reuniting of the same body with the same soule.

4 What are the fruites of Christes Resurrection

All the causes of Christs Resurrection are not fruites of his Resurrection. And after a diuerse maner are the causes, and the fruites of his resurrection considered: and moreouer the benefites of Christ bestowed by his resurrection, are one way considered as causes of Christs resurrection, and otherwise as fruites of the same. For the Questions are diuerse, Wherefore christ rose: And, What fruits Christs resurrection bringeth vnto vs.

Furdermore the fruite of Christs resurrectiō of two sorts: the one respecting christ, the other, vs. For first (as the Apostle sayth Rom. 1.4.) Hee is declared by the resurrection to bee the Sonne of God: euen the onely begotten and beloued Sonne of God, who is also God himselfe. Againe, Christs humane nature also was by his resurrection adorned with that glorie, which becommeth the nature of the Son of God. The fruit of Christs resurrection which respecteth vs, is of many sorts. But, to speake in general, all the benefites of christes death are the fruites, which we receiue by his resurrection: For Christes resurrection maketh, that his death hath his effect. Christ by his resurrection dooth applie vnto vs those benefites, which he merited for vs by his death, & by this means the same are the benefits both of his death & resurrection, which are otherwise merited for vs, thā they ar bestowed on vs. For it was not necessarie that the verie act of meriting & deseruing should dure all the time both of the old and the new Church: but onely the act of bestowing or applieng the same, and therefore it was necessarie also that the Mediatour should be continually, that hee might bestow those benefites on the Church, which hee was once to merite, for this can not bee doone without a Mediatour, and therefore neither can the Church be for one moment without a Mediator. In the old church Christ the Mediator did bestow on the Fathers the benefits of his death to come by the force and efficacy of his resurrection to come: nowe he bestoweth them on vs by the efficacie of his resurrection alreadie past.

It remaineth now that wee in speciall reckon the chiefe fruites, which the resurrection of Christ bringeth vnto vs. First then by the resurrection of Christ wee know him to be the Messias, as in whom the prophecies were fulfilled.

Secondly, We are confirmed and warranted by Christes resurrection, 1. Of his merit: That hee hath fullie and perfectlie satisfied for our sinnes. For one onelie sinne, not being satisfied for, had withheld christ still in death. He was cast into such a prison, as that, except he had paied the vtmost farthing, he had not beene let goe: But he was let goe and dimissed: Therefore he paied the vtmost farthing. 2. We are confirmed, of the application of Christes benefites, which could not haue been bestowed, if he had not risen: For, as was said before, it was necessarie that the selfesame Mediatour, beeing man, should rise againe. Joh 7.39. The holy Ghost was not yet giuen, Jesus was not yet glorified. Wherefore wel saith Saint Paul, Rom. 4.25. That Christ is risen again for our righteousnes, that is, to confer and apply righteousnesse vnto vs.

Thirdly, A fruit of christes resurrection is the gift of the holie Ghost, by whom christ regenerateth vs and giueth vs eternal life. Before time the Godlie were also endued with the holie Ghost, and regenerated, but more sparingly than nowe in the newe Testament, and yet both by the force and vertue of his resurrection. For the holy Ghost, by whose vertue and operation onely wee are regenerated, cannot be giuen but by the resurrection and ascension of christ.

Fourthly, We must also ascribe and attribute it vnto christes resurrection, that hee preserueth vs by his perpetuall and applied righteousnesse, that hee beginneth in vs eternal life, and so dooth also ascertaine and assure vs of the consummation and accomplishment of eternall life, whereof wee cannot bee certaine except wee haue the beginning thereof: and the beginning we should not haue, except we had the holy Ghost.

Fiftlie, The resurrection of our bodies is the fruite of christes resurrection, 1. Because christ is our Heade, and wee his members. Now it is expedient for the Heades glorifie, that the members bee glorious. Christ indeede shoulde bee by himselfe, though hee had no members, or if his members continued in death: but hee should not be Head: because he is not heade but in respect of his members: Neither shoulde hee bee a king without a kingdome, according to the nature of correlatiues, whose verie beeing dependeth vppon necessarie relation which one hath to the other: and according to the nature of correlatiues a glorious head doth require glorious members, and such as are correspondent vnto it. 2. Because if Christ be risen, he hath also abolished sinne: If he hath abolished sinne, either hee hath abolished his own sin, or ours: but not his owne, therefore ours. If he hath abolished our sin, he hath abolished death also: For, if the cause be taken awaie, the effect likewise is taken awaie. The wages of sinne is death. Further, if he hath abolished death, and that by a sufficient satisfaction for our sinnes, which satisfaction hee hath shewed and declared by his resurrection to bee sufficient: it is certaine that his resurrection is a most certaine testimonie of our resurrection: for he hauing perfourmed a sufficient satisfaction for the sinnes of his members, the members cannot remaine in death. But the resurrection of Christ the Heade is an argument of the perfect satisfaction for the sinnes of his members. Therefore Christes resurrection is also an argument of the perfect resurrection of his members. 3. As the first Adam receiued blessinges for himselfe, and all his posteritie, and lost the same from all: So Christ the second Adam receiued life and al other giftes for himselfe and others, and therefore also will communicate eternall life with vs. 4. Seeing the same spirite dwelleth in vs which did in Christ, hee shall woorke also the same in vs, which in our Head he did. For the spirit is alwaies like, neither dooth he woorke in the Head, and sleepe in the members. Therefore seeing Christ hath raised himselfe vp by his spirite for the dead, he wil verilie also raise vs vp. For if hee raised himselfe vp beeing dead, much more shal he bee able beeing aliue to raise vs vp. 5. Because Christ is man: for execept hee were man, we shoulde haue no hope of the resurretion of our flesh. For by man came resurrection. 1. Cor. 15.21. Obiection. 1. Then the wicked shall not rise againe: because christes resurrection is neither an argument, nor the cause of the resurrection of the wicked, but of the godlie onelie. Aunswere. There be other causes for which the wicked shal rise again: euē for the iust iudgement of God, whereby he hath appointed them to eternall paines. For the same thing maie haue moe effectes, and diuerse causes. Obiection. 2 These are the benefites of his death: therefore not of his resurrection. Aunswere. They are of his death: as by it he deserued them; of his resurrection, in respect of the application of his benefites. Hee beeing rich was made poore, and beeing poore was made rich againe, that he might enrich vs. Obiection 3. The effect is not before the cause. The cause of these benefites which is his resurrection, was not before the first resurrection: therefore neither the effect, that is, the benefites themselues. Aunswere. The resurrection was not, as touching the accomplishment thereof, but in the counsell of God and in efficacie and vertue, it was in the olde Testament. For then also were men receiued into fauour, they were endued with the holie Ghost, and receiued the other benefits: but for and by the Mediator which was in time appointed to be humbled and glorified.

The last, though not the least fruite of christes resurrection is, The consummation and perfecting of all his benefites, and the glorifieng of his church. For christ did therefore die, and is therefore risen, and hath therefore perfectlie deliuered vs from sinne: that wee may bee ioint-heires with him of his kingdome. Coloss. 1.18. Hee is the first borne of the dead. Rom. 8.17. Wee are the heires of God, and heires annexed with Christ. He shal conforme vs and make vs like vnto himselfe, because we liue by the same spirit, whereby he dooth. And this spirite is not vnlike himselfe. Rom. 8.11. Jf the spirite of him, that raised vp Jesus from the dead, dwell in you: he that raised vp Christ from the deade, shall also quicken your mortall bodies, because that his spirit dwelleth in you. Ioh. 14.3. I wil come againe, and receiue you vnto my selfe, that where I am, there maie yee bee also.

Now in this we obserue, That the whole humiliation of the Mediatour doth not dure for euer. For it was enough that hee suffered once: but the efficacie and power thereof in preseruing and maintaining the blessings thereby comming, endureth for euer. Christ therefore rose, that is, by his owne proper vertue and power brought againe and returned his soule vnto his bodie, that both soule and bodie might bee deliuered from al ignominie and infirmitie; and be adorned with immortalitie and perfect glorie; That is, 1. Hee recalled his soule vnto his bodie. 2. But both yet beeing now glorified and freed from infirmities. 3. By his owne proper power he receiued his soule. I beleeue then that Christ is raised from the dead, that is, that he therefore rose againe from the dead, that hee might make vs partakers of his righteousnesse, sanctification, glorification, which hee purchased for vs by his merite. Seeing therefore Christ is risen, it is manifest that hee is declared to bee the Sonne of God, and as touching his humanitie, is endowed with that glory, which becommeth the nature of the Sonne of God: and further that he endueth vs also with his spirite, regenerateth vs by the vertue of his spirite, and wil at length consummate and perfect the new life begun in vs, and make vs compartners of the same his glory, felicity, and euerlasting life.