What Benefits Do Believers Receive from Christ at the Resurrection?

Answ. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgmeatj and

made perfectly blessed in full enjoying of God to all eternity.

Q. When is the third period of believers receiving benefits from Christ? A. At the resurrection.

Q. What do you mean by the resurrection?

A. The general rising of the dead from their graves.

Q. Who are the dead that shall be then raised?

A. All men, good or bad, who are in the grave at Christ’s second coming, Acts xxiv. 15. John v. 29.

Q. How prove you that all the dead shall be raised?

A. God hath declared that he will raise them; and he is able to perform his word, Matth. xxii. 23, 29.

Q. How prove you, that God can raise the dead?

A. Because nothing is too hard {ax him •, he hath created all things, and raised sundry dead persons already.

Q. What dead persons hath God raised?

A. The sons of the Shunamite, and of the widows of Sarepta and Nain, the man cast into Elisha’s grave, Dorcas, Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, and many saints about the time of Christ’s death, 2 Kings iv. and xiii.

Q. When the bodies of men and of beasts are mingled together, and have perhaps eaten one another, how can God restore to each man his own body I

A. God by his infinite power, wisdom, and knowledge, can easily separate these mixed particles of dust from on* another.

Q. How7 prove you that God vrill raise the dead?

A. The scriptures often affirm it, by declaring that all that are in their graves shall come forth, &c. John v. 28. Dan. xii. 3. Luke xx. 37, 3S. Acts xvii. ««►. %

Q. Will the same body which died be raised?

A. Yes j the same body in substance, though different in qualities.

Q. How prove you that? A. Rising from the dead

is called an awakening from sleep, and rising again; nor would it be just, that one body should sin, and another be eternally punished for that sin nor meet, that one body should do and suffer for Christ, and another receive the glorious reward, 1 Cor. xv. 53. Job xix. 20.

Q. By what means shall the dead be raised?

A. By the power of God attending the voice of the archangel, and sound of the last trumpet, 1 Thess. iv. 16.

Ju. 38. Of Benefits at the Resurrection, 173

O. What shall become of those who are alive when Christ comes to judgment? A. They shall be changed

in a moment, and have their bodies made like th se that are raised from the grave, 1 Ccr. xv. 5K

Q. Wherein will the resurrection of the saints, and that of Lhe wicked differ?

A. In their cause, order, and manner. Q. How will they differ in their cause? A. Believers shall be raised by Christ’s Spirit dwelling in them, and making them one with him j but the wicked hall be raised by him as an angry Judge, Rom. viii. 11. John v. 28.

O. How will they differ in their order? A. The

righteous, the dead in Christ, shall rise first, and be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, 1 Thess. iv. 16.

Qj. How will their resurrection differ in the manner? A. The righteous shall be raised in glory and triumph, but the wicked with trembling and hotror, Dan. xii. 2.

Q. With what honourable qualities shall the bodies of the saints be raised? A. They shall be raised glorious, powerful, spiritual, and incorruptible bodies.

Q. WThat glory shall be then put on the bodies of saints? A. They shall beautifully shine as the sun or stars. Q. What pow;er shall the saints bodies be endued th? A. They shall be able to bear up under the exceeding and eternal weight of glory bestowed on them, 2 C or. v. 1, — 5. Q. How will th# saints bodiea be spiritual? A. Not that they shall be turned into spirits; but that they shall be active as angels, and have no need of the natural supports of meat or drink, Matth. xxii. 30. Q. How will the saints bodies be incorruptible? A. They shall be no way liable to diseases or death. Q. After what pattern shall believers bod;es be glorified? A. After the pattern of Christ’s glorious body. Q. With what bodies will the wicked be raised from their graves? A. With ugly and loathsome bodies.

Q. What doth this teach us? A. That to neglect

our souls, and beautify our bodies in this world, is the certain way to ruin both our soul and body hereafter.

Q. What benefits shall believers when raised receive from Christ? A. They shall be openly acknowledged

and acquitted by Christ, Matth. xxv. 34, — 40. g. When shall the righteous be acknowledged and acquitted by Christ? A. In the day of judgment.

Q. What is meant by being acknowledged by Christ I

A. Our being owned by him as his brethren and bride.

Q. Whom will Christ thus acknowledge?

A. Kis friends and children, who were not ashamed uprightly to confess him on earth, Luke xii. 8.

Q. What are we to understand by Christ’s acquitting us in the day of judgment? A. His declaring the

pardon of all our iniquities, and the injustice of all the calumnies and reproaches ever cast upon us, Acts iii. 19.

Q. In what doth Christ’s acquittance of our real faults in the day of judgment differ from the pardon we receive in justification? A. The acquittance in justification,

changeth our law-state, and is very secret; but the acquittance in the day of judgment makes no change on our state, and is very pubVc and open, before God, angels, and men, at once, Rev. ii. 17. Luke xii. 8.

Q. Why shall believers be so openly acknowledged and acquitted? A. For the glory of God, their own honour and joy, and the shame and confusion of their enemies.

Q. How doth this open acknowledgment and acquittance of believers tend to the glory of God .?

A. It publicly shews the greatness of his love, grace, mercy, justice, and truth to his people, 2 Thess. i. 10.

Q. How doth it tend to the honour and joy of believers?

A. Their good name is thus fully vindicated, and Christ’s new name publicly called on them, Matth. xxy.

Q. How doth it tend to the confusion of their enemies?

A. As they shall be thus publicly proven fools and enemies to God, in disregarding and injuring the saints, and liars in reproaching them, Deut.xxxiii. 29.

Q. On what ground shall the saints be thus acknowledged and acquitted r A. On the foundation of Christ’s infinite and everlasting righteousness, Rom. v. 21.

Q. What shall Christ do with the wicked in the day of judgment, instead of acknowledging and acquitting them?

A. He will deny all saving relation to them, publish their sins before the whole world, and openly condemn them to the punishments of hell, Matth vii. 23.

Q. What benefits shall believers receive from Christ after the day of judgment?

A. They. shall be made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity, Psalm xvi. 11. and xvii. 15. Isa. lx. 19, 20.

Qj What is meant by our being perfectly blessed ‘I

A. Our being wholly freed from all misery and want? and fully possessed of all happiness, Rev. xxi. 4, — 7.

Q. In what does our highest happiness consist I

A. In the full enjoyment of God, Psalm lxxiii. 25.

Qj What of the saints shall be blessed with this happiness

A. Their whole man, 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17.

Q^How will the bodies of the saints be blessed with iv?

A. Their ears shall be ravished with the sweet melody of heaven; their lips filled with the high praises of God and the Lamb; and their eyes captivated with the view of the glorious bodies of other saints, and especially of Christ’s glorious body, Rev. xix. 1. John xvii. 24.

Q. Will Christ’s body be unspeakably more glorious than the bodies of the saints? A. Yes j in all things he hath the pre-eminence *, and the glory of his Godhead shines in and through it, Col. i. 18. Isa. lx. 19, 20.

Q. How will the souls of believers be perfectly blessed in heaven? A. Their mind shall be ravished wTith sweet sights, and their will with sweet embraces of God.

QL “With the views of w-hat shall our mind be ravished?

A. With the views of the divine persons and perfections, of Christ as Mediator, and of all the attributes, truths, and works of God, as centering in him.

Qj. What views of the divine persons shall wre have?

A. We shall see the distinctness of all the three; and that they are one in essence, and in one another, 1 John iii.

Q. What perfections of God shall we then see?

A. All his known perfections, especially his grace, love, mercy, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, and truth, with the amiable oneness and connection between them.

Q. What views of God’s work shall we then have?

A. We shall see the glorious nature, beautiful connections and ends of the works of creation and providence, and especially of redemption, Rev. i. 5, 6.

Qj What views of Christ as Mediator shall we then have?

A. We shall clearly see the glory of his undertaking, of his person as tjod-man, and of his offices, relations, and works, John xvii. 24.

Q. What views of divine truth shall we then have?

A. We shall see all the truths of the Bible in their glorious matter, beautiful connection, and relation to Christ, and to God in him, Psalm xxxvi. 9.

Qj Will there be any ordinances in heaven to instruct us in the knowledge of these things? A. No; we shall

see them all in a clear and immediate manner.

Q. What is meant by our will’s embracing of God?

A. It is our spiritual feeling and experience of that goodness which we now believe, and shall then see to be in God.

Q. In what manner shall we enjoy God after the day of judgment? A. Fully and familiarly, 1 Cor. xiii. 12.

Q. How will our enjoyment of God be full J

A. We shall be filled with as much of God’s glory and goodness as we can hold, Eph. iii. 19. 1 Cor. xv. 28.

Q. Will there be different degrees of glory in heaven?

A. Yes ‘, though all be full, yet some shall be able to contain more of God than others, Isa. xxii. 24.

Q. Who shall be able to contain most of God’s fulness?

A. Those who possessed most of his grace on earth.

Q. How will our eternal enjoyment of God be free and familiar? A. As nothing shall ever stop our access to,

or hinder our full enjoyment of him, 1 Thess. iv. 17.

Qj. What will be the effect of this full enjoymento God? A. Perfect likeness to God, and joy in him.

Q. How doth perfect likeness to God flow from full enjoyment of him? A. The full views of his glory, and sense of his love, will transform us into a perfect conformity to his image, 1 John iii. 2.

Q. How doth perfect joy flow from it? A. As present full enjoyment of God, and certainty of its eternal duration, raiseth joy to the highest, Psalm xvi. 11.

Q. Can ever believers be surfeited with the fulness of God? A. No; for his fulness, like running water, is

eternally fresh and new to their souls, Rev. vii. 17.

Q. What will be the saints employment in heaven in expressing their joy? A. They will admire God and

the Lamb, and sing hallelujahs for evermore, Isa. li. 11.

Q. How long shall the saints be perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God? A. To all eternity, Isa. lx. 1 5.

Q^ How should we improve the view of believers eternal happiness? A. By admiring the riches of God’s love, and studying holiness to make us meet for heaven.

Q. What shall become of the wicked through eternity?

A. They shall lie amidst the flames of hell, and have no rest day nor night, but be tormented with f re and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and of the Lamb, Rev. xiv. 10, 11. Isa. xxxiii. 14.

Q. What shall the wicked do for ever in hell?

A. They shall continually roar, curse, and blaspheme God j weep, wail, gnash their teeth, and gnaw their tongues for pain, Matth. xiii. 50. Rev. xvi. 10, 11.