DISCOURS XIV. OF THE ELEUENTH ARTICLE The Refurrection of the flesh. T was fo neceffary that this Article should be well eftablished in our faith that after the Apostles had made the Faithfull to profefs it in their Creed S. Paul yet proves it by many Arguments: He folves allo the objections that might be made againft it and affures us fo much of it, that he fays, if our Bodys do not rise again, neither is CHRIST Cor. 1. rifen up again And in the fecond to the Corinthians We must all be 15. manifefted before the judgment feat of CHRIST, that every one may rece- Cor. 2. ive the proper things of the body according as he hath don, either good or 5. 10. evill. For juftice requires that we be recompenced, and chaftifed in the fame things which have contributed to good or evill; But the greater part of fins are caufed or Committed by the body: 'tis then reafon that it rife again and feel the pnnishments due to them. It concurrs likewife to vertuous actions: 'tis mortifyd by holy fouls, fubjected to rigours of penance, and to labours of a chriftian life it fufferrs prifons and punishments in Confeffors: torments and death in Martyrs 'tis deprived of its pleafures in Virgins and in Widows, and crucifyd in all true Chriftians; it is then very juft that it should participate in the fatisfactions, pleasures, Tertul. and recompences of Heaven. The flesh, fays Tertullian is the hinge of our falvation, and if the foul be united to God, tis it that gives her capacity; the flesh is washed to the end the foul be cleanfed: the flesh is annointed, that the foul be confecrated the flesh is shadowed by impofition of hands, that the foul be illuminated in Spirit the flesh is fed with the Body and Blood of JESUS-CHRIST to the end the foul be nourif : de Refur Carnis hed hed by God; they cannot then be feperated in recompences having been fo joyn'd in actions. Shal it And 'tis vain to alleadg againft this Verity the low condition of the flesh ; for the fame Father fays: the flesh which God form'd to the refemblance of a man-God: which He animated by his breath, to the refemblance of his life which He fortifyd with his Sacraments of which He loves the purity, approves the aufterity, and efteems the labours and the fuffrances, not rife again? It will never be that He leave in eternal death the works of his hands, the care of his Spirit, the tabernacle of his Breath, the heir of his Liberalities, the keeper of his Law, theVictime of his Religion and the Sifter of his CHRIST: It will then be raised up again; and in this ter: who feeing his Pot ill made, breaks it to repair it better; fo God having form'd man of earth, and finding him deprav'd by fin, broke him by death, to which he doom'd him but with defign, to repair and make him better, in the day of the Refurrection. , God does as a Pot 2. But if any one should aske me, how that which is wi thered and rotten can becom living and flourishing again? He needs not but to confider the Omnipotency of the Creator: or with S. Paul the grain of corne, which rots; to rife again : 1. Cor. Foole, fays the Apostle, that which thou fowest is not quickneď, un 15. lefs it first do die. All things in this world, according to S. ChryCgryfol. fologue are images of our Refurrection: the Sun fets, and rifes : Ser. 59. the day is buried in dark nefs, and returns: months, years, fea fons, fruits, feeds, die in paffing, and rife again returning; and to touch you with a fenfible example, as often as you fleep and wake, you die in a certain manner, and rife again. Let us now reflect upon the words of this Article. 3. The Apoftles fay not The Refurrection of the man, though this be true, But of the flesh for to teach us that when the man dies, his foul dies not and therefore in the Refurection, is nor raifed-up again but reunited only to the body; fince nothing can be raised again to life, unless it firft be dead. 4. They fay not the Refurre&ton of the body, but of the flesh becaus the holy Ghoft would afford us a means to Confute the errour errour of certain Hereticks, who would suftain, as in the firft ages of the Chruch fome did, that we should rife, not in a body of flesh; but form'd of air. 5. They use moreover thefe terms, to convince orkers, who in the time of the Apoftles thought, that the Refurrection of which the Scripture fpeaks, fignifys not that of the body, but only that by which the Soul is raised out of the death of fin to the life of grace. 6. In fine, this word Refurrection makes us understand, that we shal receive the fame bodys which we had; for fince rifing again fignifys returning to life again: It must be the fame flesh which was dead, that rifes and returns to life. 7. We All then shal have the fame bodys which now we have, but intire and perfect, without want or fuperfluity: without the imperfection of youth, or the defect of old age; None shal rife blind or purblind, deaf or dumb lame or crooked, too great, or too little nor with any other defect or imperfection. Becaus 'tis God alone, whofe works are perfe&t, that will raise us up He will not in this work make use of natural causes, from which all defects proceed. : 8. Nevertheless the Refurre&tion of the Elect, and that of the Reprobate will be very different; The bleffed Souls shal receive bodys like to Chrifts, endowed with Light, Subtility, Agility. and Impaffibility that will shine as clear as Starrs that will penetrate and pafs through althings, as beams of the Sun through glafs that will move as fwiftly, as lightning. That will be impaffible and immortal, fo that nothing in the world can hurt them. They will enter into their bodys with great joy and gladness: with many benedictions and congratulations: ô my body! fuch a foul will Say ô my dear companion and most faithfull friend! receive now with ioy, the fruit of thy labours, mortifications, and pains in the works of holiness thou haft been in miferies, in fufferances be thou now in felicity and in happiness: and let us praise together the Authour of cur good. but the reprobate Souls will reenter into their bodies with great averfion, rage, and many maledictions of thofe members which they go to animate. for to render them fenfible of ineffable and eternal torments. : L and Domine 3.5. Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo, aut quis requiefcet in monte janito tuo? Lord, fays the Royal Prophet, who shal dwell in Pfal. 14. thy tabernacle? or who shal reft in thy holy hill? He answers, Qui ingreditur fine macula & operatur juftitiam. He declares that two things are abfolutely neceffary; to avoid evil and to do good: one without the other fuffices not; Quis habitabit? who shal be that happy, that fortunate perfon, that shal com to the glorious Refurrection and shal dwell amongst the Bleffed? O what happy lot attends him! happy a thousand times the womb that bore him, and the breafts which He did fuck! happie the paines taken to bring him up, ô how well was it employd happie earth that he tramples under feet: one ought to ftrew with flowers the paths which he honours with his fteps: happie air that he breaths! one ought to fweeten it with all the perfumes of Arabia; happie the bread which he eates: one ought to nourish him with all that Wisdom is moft precious in nature; and what deferves he not who is worthy of God? Invenit illos dignos fe. Bleffed a thousand times his holy and vertuous life, which difpofes him to fuch a glory; bleffed his happy death, which will be to him as a door to into an immortall life: Bleffed his understanding, which shal fee one day openly and face to face the divine Effence! his Will, that will love God and enjoy him for all Eternity! Bleffed a thousand times his head, upon which the holy Trinity will put a Crown of Glory in the prefence of the Vnivers: Bleffed and happie his hands, which shal carry always palmes, as the enfignes of his Victories; Bleffed his feet, and his fteps, fince he shal walk upon the celestial Glob, in the company of Angells; Bleffed, and happy a thousand times all the members of his body, and the powers of his foul, which shal be filled and fatiated with all forts of delights, joys, glory, happiness, and with eternall Beatitude. What I lay of this elect Soule, I fay to every one that shal do violence to himfelf to rife out of the ftate of fin: to overcom his paffions, to keep the commandements, and to live Matthew according to the maxims of the Gofpell: Violenti rapiunt illud: the 11. 12. Violent beare heaven away, they that do violence to themselves, to their vices, and their paffions, obtain Heaven. God grant us the grace, to whom be honour, glory, praife, and benediction for ever Amen. enter DISCOVRS DISCOURS XV OF THE TWELFTH ARTICLE. Life Everlasting. Amen. N this laft Article is declar'd to us the End, for which things are directed; we ought then to believe firmly, and are the 2. S. John in the Apocalyps fpeaking of finners, fays, their Apoc. 28. part Shal be in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the 8. Second death. The fecond or everlasting death then is, when the foul and the body are deprived of their Beatitude, and confind to the fire of hell. And on the contrary, eternal life is, when they are freed from thofe and all other evills, and do enioy the eternal Goods of heaven. 3. These are fo great, that the Apoftle, who was rapt up into heaven, would not defcribe the Greatnefs of them: he fpeaks not of them but with aftonishment: neither eye hath seen, fays e, nor eare hath beard, nor hath the beart of man conceiv'd, what God Lath prepared for them that love him. L 2 Nevert |