from the Dead the Members that are united to him by a spiritual vital Principle his holy Spirit shall certainly be raised for He that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in us Rom. 8.11 Again Christ is expresly styl'd The first-fruits of our Resurrection And as the First-fruits offered to God consecrated or blessed the whole Lump so this First-fruit having purchased to himself a vital Principle by fulfilling the Divine Compact it will be convey'd to all those that have an interest in him so that the Resurrection of the Just or Faithful is in a spiritual Sence or the way of Grace derived from that of our Saviour as absolutely as Light or Warmth from the Sun in the way of Nature But then here 's the Foundation of the Miscarriages of our Adversaries the Rock which they carelesly split upon For since they are not able to discern any such Connexion between the Resurrection of our Saviour and that of the Wicked they are apt to imagine he can have no just Right or Title to it and consequently there 's no real Foundation for it But the Mistake is extremely obvious For as our blessed Saviour became a Mediator between God and Man and this Mediation in the original Design of it extends to all the Sons and Daughters of Adam he challenges an unquestionable Right of Dominion over the whole Species upon the Performance or Execution of it For to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14.9 This is so clear that it extends even to Heathens and Unbelievers for by virtue of it he becomes their proper Judge and as he 's their Judge he can rightfully summon 'em from their very Graves in their proper Bodies or Persons And therefore he hath an uncontroulable Authority to rouze even once the most potent Sinner and oblige him to account for his Actions with those Eyes and Hands and Heart that so grosly dishonour'd him And since in the distribution of Rewards and Punishments he has signified a special regard to the Body as well as Soul we might without St. Paul's express Declaration conclude That there shall be a Resurrection both of the just and unjust Act. 24.15 It is true they move upon a different Foundation the first is an Act of infinite Grace and Mercy an Act that carries the most joyful Invitations in it for its the glorious Consummation of Christ's Espousals with his Church but the second an Act of sovereign Power and Justice and implies a kind of forcible Entry on the Tombs of the Wicked who shall be haled forth to receive the Sentence of Disobedience in a personal and bodily Appearance And thus much for the Extent of the Resurrection I proceed to examine the Second General which respects the Manner of it and 't is That we shall all be raised in our own proper Bodies And for the clearing of this Argument I shall first evince it from the Nature of the Thing from Scripture and Antiquity And for as much as the Resurrection of our own proper Bodies will appear from these Authorities I shall in the Second Place endeavour to state the Nature of Humane Identity and consequently the Identity of our rising Bodies and from both these conclude what is proper to be Believ'd and make some returns to the Possibility of such a Resurrection And First That we shall All be raised in our own proper Bodies This is a Position which the Socinians unanimously reject It s true Schlictingius places humane Identity purely in the Identity of a Rational Spiritual Soul and tho' he doth not expresly deny the Resurrection of the Body yet he makes the Identity of the Body no way material in the Resurrection See Comment on Rom. 8. v. 11. As for the Nature of humane Identity I shall speak to it in its proper place and therefore I shall prosecute my present Design and prove that the Christian Faith is We shall be raised every one in his own proper Body And first this is indisputably evident from the very Notion of a Resurrection and the receiv'd use of the Word Now certainly a Resurrection is the restoring a dead Creature to its former State of Life by a Re-union of its first Principles The constituent Principles of a Man are a Soul and a Body and Death primarily consists in the Separation of 'em or rather as Death is the Fore-runner of Corruption in the Dissolution of one or both of 'em If therefore Lazarus or any other Person is to be raised again those Two numerical Principles of which he was originally compounded must be united and then and not till then is Lazarus raised from the Dead The Notion sufficiently discovers it self in the Case of Lazarus and our Blessed Saviour where the Body was not dissolved and the same is absolutely required where the corruptible Principle is actually dissolved Man is certainly compounded of a corruptible and incorruptible Principle the incorruptible Principle cannot suffer Death or Dissolution and therefore Men are chiefly said to be Dead in respect of their corruptible Principle that usually suffers Corruption certainly then if any particular Person is to be raised from the Dead that Principle which properly dies and is corrupted is to be restored to its former State and united to the incorruptible Principle without which there can be no Resurrection For if the corruptible Principle which properly dies and is dissolved is not restored but a new one formed or created in the room of it and united to the incorruptible Principle it may be properly esteemed a new Production but by no means a proper Resurrection and to assert the contrary is to confound received Terms as well as Notions In a word when a new Body is formed out of the common Mass of Matter and united to the Soul of any particular Person it s in reality no more but the Pythagorean Transmigration which tho' perform'd after a new manner yet by no greater a share of Divine influence than that which gives a plastick Power to form a Body in the Womb and unites a particular Soul to it Shall the Socinians then those pretending Masters of Reason call this a Resurrection This is to obtrude a Notion contrary to the sence of Mankind when the great Argument for rejecting the true Resurrection is because they cannot reconcile it to their scanty Measures of Reason But that what hath been hitherto asserted was the true Notion of a Resurrection not only the Testimony of Scripture and Christian Antiquity but the joint Suffrage of the Learned Heathens abundantly assures us For it was on this account the Doctrine of the Resurrection was loaded with so much Contempt and Scorn when they considered so many various Transmigrations of Matter they esteemed it impossible for Omnipotence it self to range every Particle into its own peculiar Place and Order so as to restore and make up
Virtues And now having fixt the Identity of the Animal Part in this Life together with its Integral Parts and Appendages it will be easy to determine wherein the Identity of the rising Body and consequently of the whole Man consists and how it may be preserved And first I think we are not obliged to proceed upon the Aristotelian Principles of Generation and Corruption which pronounce every little Transmutation of Matter a total Destruction of the Individual and tho' the same Particles are re-collected and formed into a Being of the same Model yet make it to be a new Individual With submission then the most direct Method to assert the Identity of the rising Body is to resolve it into its first Principles Dust for dust we are and unto dust must we return and certainly Dust must be the Materials of the rising Body If therefore there are sufficient Materials of this kind left in the Chambers of Nature for each respective Body it s the special Business of Omnipotence to form 'em into the integral Parts of a humane Body and in this Sence Give to every seed it s own body But as for the Original of this Stock of Matter I do not think it necessary that Socrates's rising Body should be wholly compounded as some would have it of those Particles which are the remains of Socrates's dead Body for its certainly sufficient if to these a supply be called in from any evaporated Particles that were once real Appendages of Socrates's living Body Secondly It cannot be sufficient to establish the Identity of Socrates's rising Body if it only enjoys so many Particles of his animal or dying Body as serve to make up the Bones and principal Vessels and the rest as others contend by a plastick Power or seminal Principle made up from forreign adventitious Matter In a word then I think it s absolutely necessary that all the necessary integral Parts of Socrates's rising Body even Flesh and Blood should be made up of the Particles of Socrates's dying Body or at least of those evaporated ones of his living Body and and when Substance Life Lineaments and the Proportion of a humane Body are formed out of the aforesaid Mass of Matter God may add what Embelishments he pleases from the stock of common Matter and yet Socrates's Body is undoubtedly raised and when the individual Soul or Spirit of Socrates is united to this rising Body Socrates is certainly raised the same Man and the same Person he was in the Land of the Living And thus much for the Nature of humane Identity as well in the Resurrection as before it From hence we may in a few words discover what is fit to be believed concerning the Resurrection of the Body and remove the Sceptick's mighty Objection advanc'd against it And as to the first I think we may leave the School-men sweating in the midst of Objections and Answers about Hairs and Nails the State of Infants and Adam's Rib too for I do not think it Matter of Faith to determine whether Children shall rise grown Men or whether we are to enjoy the same Number of Ribs Nails or Hair or whether they shall be compounded of forreign Matter or no. We may in general conclude that it seems most agreable to the infinite Wisdom of God to restore at least the Elect or Blessed in the utmost Perfections of humane Nature But Secondly From the Premises it may justly be presum'd pursuant to the ancient Faith that we are to believe the Resurrection of the Flesh for tho' no certain quantity or proportion can be prescribed yet Man was originally Created in Flesh and Blood and it s to be esteem'd as much an integral Part as Nerves and Arteries and consequently an Identity is to be observed in this as well as in other Cases I know there are Two Passages in St. Paul's famous Discourse on the Resurrection which seem to interfere with it where we are told that Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and the Body is said to be sown a natural body but raised a spiritual body The first of these hath been in some measure reply'd to and the second is certainly to be expounded the same way It s sown a natural body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or an animal body or a Body that is to be supported by Food Sleep and Warmth and carries the Seeds of Corruption in it but it s rais'd a spiritual body refin'd or freed from its corruptible Qualities or from that continued Flux of Parts whence the Imperfections and Infirmities of an animal Body are derived or again it s not a Body of that gross Allay which our animal Bodies were Created in since its Parts will be wonderfully attenuated refin'd and spiritualiz'd and in a word fashioned after the manner of a glorified Body So that here seems to be no Foundation to reject the Resurrection of the Flesh I 'm sure it cannot be that of Corruption for that Almighty Arm that raises the Body out of the Dust can by the same Act render Flesh and Blood incorruptible as well as the most refin'd Particles of Matter And thus much for what is proper to be believed In the last place we come to make a return to the Sceptick Does he with Triumph and a scoffing Infidelity demand How can these things be after such repeated Transmigrations of Matter The Reply is easy when we have demanded what he can by no means reject And First Will he allow that the evaporated Particles of the living Body as well as those of the dying Body may be fit Materials for the rising Body Will he allow the received Doctrine of Nutrition that scarce the Fiftieth Part of what is eaten turns to real Nourishment or is assimilated and consubstantiated with the several parts of the feeding Body so that the rest is cast forth into the Draught or common stock of Matter Will he allow that the principal parts of those Bodies that are expos'd to the Mouths of wild Beasts such as Bones Ligatures Cartilages and almost the whole Genus of Vessels are very unfit Materials for Food will he allow that the devouring Animal may live so long as to disgorge most of his Prey I say to disgorge by insensible Evacuations most of those Particles that turn'd to real Nourishment Will he allow that the Parts of the glorified Body may be attenuated to that degree that half the Matter which made up the Animal Body may serve to give it all the Features Lineaments and Proportions of a humane Body Lastly When Infidelity industriously exposes the Bodies of his Saints to Ravage or Spoil to defeat the Engagements of the Almighty will he allow that this All-wise All-powerful Being may for that time invert the Course of Nature and send forth the greatest part of that Matter which would otherwise have turn'd to Nourishment These are all Concessions which the original Notices of a God and the common Principles of Philosophy will warrant and
every individual Body Hence it was they triumphed in their Barbarities exercis'd upon some of the Martyrs of Christ since they designedly committed 'em to the Jaws of wild Beasts to defeat as they thought Omnipotence and infinite Truth at the same time in disabling him from performing what he had solemnly promised Indeed had the Resurrection in the most strict and proper Sence of it implied a Restitution of the same individual Body it could not have extorted such severe Censures from most of the Learned Heathens for since they allowed the Immortality of the Soul and a natural Tendency to assume a new Vehicle they might easily allow that Omnipotence could without any difficulty prepare a new Body if that had been sufficient as the Socinian would have it to give it the Denomination of a Resurrection For in a word This would have passed off as a specious kind of Transmigration and consequently a Doctrine that would have met with a very easy Reception in most of the Greek Schools But to proceed Let us in the next place examine what Scripture says to this Matter whereby we shall prove our main Design as well as confirm this very Notion And first from the Passages already cited on another Argument where the Resurrection is said to be made from the Grave from the Sea and Hell and Death where the Dead are said to stand before God and Death and Hell are said to give up their dead See Rev. 20 12 13. Joh. 5.28 I think its indisputably evident the Holy Spirit directs us to the corruptible Principle the Body which alone suffers Death and is committed to the Grave and consequently the Resurrection must imply a Restitution of this very Principle in Conjunction with the incorruptible Principle the Soul Indeed it seems absurd to send us to all the Repositories of the Dead to establish the Belief of a Resurrection if a new Corporeal Part is to be framed or rather if the Mortal Part that was laid in the Prison of the Grave is not to be given up again and actually restored The Argument is so obvious and convincing that neither Socinus nor Crellius upon these Passages of Scripture are able to make any other Reply but Non sequitur or it does not appear that the rising Body is the same numerical Body with that which fell It s true Socinus appeals to a Passage of St. Paul which proves nothing as will appear by and by but what we freely grant that our corruptible Bodies cannot inherit Incorruption See Comment oâ— Joh. 5.28 And therefore it concludes nothing against the present Argument But the Identity of our rising Bodies is evinced from yet more express Authorities of Scripture in one place we are assurred that the holy Spirit shall quicken our mortal bodies Rom. 8.11 In another that our Saviour shall change our vile bodies that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Phil. 3.21 In a third that This corruptible shall put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15.53 Here we have the Notion of a Resurrection asserted in express Terms as well as the Identity of the rising Body For is it not that mortal corruptible Principle or that Body which suffered Corruption in the Grave that is said to be quickened or restored to Life Crellius I know has the Face to affirm that they are not our mortal Bodies that are quickened but new ones assigned us See Comment on the Place But can a new Body substituted in the room of my mortal Body without Solecism and Nonsence be called my mortal Body or this New Body quickened the quickning of my mortal Body But to proceed the remaining Passages carry the Absurdity higher Can a new Body as to Matter or Substance plac'd in the room of my corruptible Body be fairly reconciled with this Corruptible Or can my corruptible Principle or dead Body tho' never to be restored be said to put on Incorruption only because my Soul is after a certain Period united to a new incorruptible Body diametrically distinct from my corruptible Body My Soul in such a case puts on Incorruption but by no means my corruptible Body that still rots and moulders in the Dust Again our vile Bodies may be fashioned or changed into the likeness of Christ's glorious body by reducing 'em from a natural to a spiritual and from a corruptible to an incorruptible Frame but if perfect new Bodies are to be fashioned and substituted then our vile bodies are not the things fashioned or changed into the likeness of glorious bodies but exchanged for ' em We therefore freely grant that the Substance is transform'd by a Change of Qualities from natural to spiritual and from corruptible to incorruptible Bodies And this is all the Apostle intends when he tells us That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of Heaven A great Truth no doubt as it is encompassed with humane Infirmities and corruptible Qualities for the Close of the Verse gives us the sence of the whole nor corruption inherit incorruption 1 Cor. 15.35 the place cited by Socinus But now we have gone thus far it would be highly absurd to affirm that a vile corruptible Body puts on Incorruption or is fashioned or changed into a glorious Body when it remains in an eternal State of Corruption Therefore the Resurrection which changes a vile and corruptible Body into a glorious and incorruptible one must imply a Restitution of the corruptible Principle and consequently the same numerical Body is the undoubted Subject of the Resurrection But farther that I may not dwell too long on this General I shall only have recourse to Scripture for one Argument more it s The Resurrection of our Saviour's Body Now it s well known the History of all the Evangelists the Print of the Nails in his Hands and Feet and of the Spear in his Side demonstrate That our blessed Saviour rose in that very Body which was Crucified Dead and Buried but now it s on all hands agreed that our Saviour was a Type and Pattern of our Resurrection yes he 's more to the Righteous for its Christ's the first-fruits afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming The Apostle all along carries the Analogy between him and us and therefore As Christ rose in his own proper mortal Body so we shall all rise in ours The Socinians are pressed here and therefore endeavour to evade the force of it by pretending That tho' our Saviour rose in his Crucified Body yet upon his Ascension he received a glorious and spiritualized Body But this Evasion proves nothing unless it appear from Scripture that Christ deposited his Crucified Body and assumed a new Body in the room of it But this is a Conceit that 's destitute of all Foundation from Scripture and indeed so much that I do not find any Socinian that peremptorily asserts it Therefore this Glorified Body can be nothing but the Crucified Body refin'd adorn'd and beautify'd and it s no more but what we allow in the
as well as Consciousness in as much as the one is a pure Spirit the other a Substance compounded of Spirit and Matter or an animal and spiritual Part. These are Positions that answer to the most uncontroverted Idea's or Notions of a humane Person But now if a humane Person in the true Notion of it implies an Existence of the animal as well as the immaterial or spiritual Part the Identity of a humane Person or which is the same thing Personal Identity as apply'd to a particular Man must consist in the Identity of the animal as well as immaterial Part whereinsoever that happens to consist and consequently Consciousness which is only a Property of an immaterial Soul and in the Judgment of Mr. Lock may be Communicated to any new Body or animal Part cannot reach the Identity of a humane Person In one word I dare appeal to all the world Whether Mr. Lock throughout his whole Chapter of Identity doth not speak of personal Identity as apply'd to a humane Person and certainly Consciousness which may exist with the Soul in a state of Separation can never be the adequate Principle of personal Identity unless we can imagine that the Body contributes nothing to the making up of a humane Person or indeed that it is not an essential Principle as well as the Soul I am sure such Notions such Assertions as these would have done signal service to the Sect called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that resolv'd our Saviour's humane Nature into mere Phantasm for if Consciousness is alone sufficient to constitute the Identity of a humane Person or if the animal Part of a humane Person is not an Essential as well as the Soul it was unpardonable Injustice in the Primitive Church to pronounce this Set of Men Hereticks I remember Mr. Lock very learnedly assures us that Person is a forensick Term apply'd to a Being capable of judicial Punishment as well as Rewards But certainly such a Person in the Judgment of the Bench contains an animal Part in the Idea of it as well as Consciousness else the Person may be conscious of a Thousand Crimes and stand Convicted too and yet defy the Judicial Power in inflicting personal Punishments But to conclude this Argument in a few words if Consciousness is the sole Principle of personal Identity suppose we should find it at the general Resurrection United to a little Finger to an Indian Tortoise or a Body made up of the Remains of Heliogabalus's Hogs Instances of his own culling it may be the very ingenious Author of the Essay concerning Humane Vnderstanding Risen from the Dead or the very same numerical Person he was in the Land of the Living I am sure all this literally agrees with his own Language when he tells us Sect. 26. in the Name of an Apostle That at the great Day every One will be the same by Consciousness in whatever Bodies they shall appear or Consciousness adheres to If therefore he 'll be content to make his Resurrection on these Terms I leave him to enjoy his beloved Notion so that he 'll allow others to expect a Resurrection according to the Catholick Faith And now I am ready to accuse my self for dwelling so long upon a single Notion But yet I think it was absolutely necessary to my present Undertaking which is to state the Nature of humane Identity or which is the same thing personal Identity as apply'd to a humane Person to assert the Catholick Doctrine of the same Rising Body and in a word to rescue it from downright Socinianism in a new Dress For what is all this but to act the Socinian in Masquerade or under the Disguise of new Names rather than Notions for if Consciousness alone constitutes the Identity of the rising Person what doth it differ from the Socinian Notion that places the Identity of a humane Person in the same Individual Spirit and allows the rising Body to be formed of common Matter I shall not peremptorily affirm that this is a Notion which deserves the Name of Heresy but certainly if Origen's Notion of an Aethereal Body or a Seminal Principle was justly condemned as Heretical I am sure it must be a signal Favour to exempt Consciousness thus apply'd from as severe a Censure Thus we see the wonderful Product of free Thinking when it acts without the least regard to the Canon of Scripture But to return to the Decision of the Nature of Humane Identity As for the spiritual Principle the Soul tho' it doth by no means consist in Consciousness yet it s abundantly concluded it consists in the same individual intelligent Spirit The remaining Difficulty then is to fix the Identity of the Animal Part the Body and certainly the Identity of the animal Part must in one word consist In a sit Construction and Organization of certain Particles of Matter whereby one common Principle of Life is begun continued and the Integral Parts of the Man are perfected and maintained If it be demanded Which are the Integral Parts of a Man certainly they are either to be measured by this common Principle of Life as they are more or less serviceable to the Maintainance of it or at least from the received Idea of the animal Part. Under the first Head are to be reduc'd the Vessels and Instruments of Concoction and the Elaboratories of the Blood and Spirits or Vehicles of Life such are Nerves Veins and Arteries Under the second are the Skin Flesh Bones and their Appendages and even Shape and Proportion for tho' as to Bones and Flesh there may be no express Standard with respect to Weight Dimension or Number no more than in Nerves or Arteries yet its impossible to make up the Idea of the animal Part of a Man without something of each of these for we can no more conceive a humane Body without Flesh and Bones than without Life Feel for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have and the same is to be said of Figure and Proportion since it would be absurd to pronounce a Tortoise or a little Finger the animal Part of a Man or humane Person This is a Truth so indisputable that were the Body of the Author of the Essay of Humane Vnderstanding transform'd into a Tortoise or little Finger and Consciousness joined to it I 'm perswaded he would scarce think himself the same humane Person unless it was done when his Brain was exceedingly warm'd with this uncouth Notion Again as to those fleeting Particles whether vital Spirits or other more subtle Parts that are carried off by more nice and delicate sorts of Evacuation tho' we cannot esteem 'em integral constituent Parts of a Man because humane Identity is not destroy'd by the loss of 'em yet they are justly to be esteemed proper Appendages of every particular Man inasmuch as during their abode in the Body they were instrumental to the carrying on of Life and Action and often ministred to a Man's Vices as well as
Resurrection of our vile mortal Bodies for they shall be fashioned like unto his glorious Body Therefore as Christ the First-fruits is risen in his own proper Body so shall every one of us be raised in our own proper Bodies at his coming Thus far it appears that the current of Scripture as well as the nature of the Thing declares for the Identity of the Rising Body But that we may confirm the one and not be mistaken in the Sence of the other give me leave to reflect a little the Sentiments of the Primitive Church And because it would be impertinent in this place to produce particular Passages of Authors I shall only endeavour to represent this Argument in a few Observations And first its evident the Suffrage of the Primitive Church determined for the Resurrection of the same Body since the Belief of this very Article was the great Prop to the Constancy and Perseverance of Martyrs and Confessors Their very Persecutors observ'd it in 'em and they resolutely attested the Power and Efficacy of it at the place of Martyrdom They were perswaded that the very Hairs of their Head were all Number'd and should one Day be restored to 'em and therefore they powerfully bore up under the Cruelties of their Executioners tho' torn piece-meal by Racks and Saws or devoured by wild Beasts Again it s well known the grand Objection from the various Transmigrations of Matter was in Being in the first Ages of the Church and taken notice of on both sides and the Heathen Persecutors as was observed before took care to improve it by exposing the Faithful to the Ravage of wild Beasts It s well known the Fathers fix the Resurrection of the Body on the Justice of God in the distribution of Rewards and Punishments It s well known they contended for the Resurrection of the Flesh and expound most of the fore-cited Passages of Scripture of that very Body and Flesh that was committed to the Grave nay which is more than all this the Style of most of the ancient Creeds was I believe the Resurrection of the Flesh And therefore since these are unquestionable Truths we must conclude that the Doctrine of a numerical Resurrection constantly prevail'd in the Primitive Church Give me leave to add but one word more The Judgment of the Primitive Church for a numerical Resurrection is indisputably evident from the Censures that passed upon Origen since we find him more than once condemned as Heretical sometimes by Councils for asserting that we shall make our Resurrection in an Aethereal Body or rather that our rising Body is only formed from a seminal Principle of the corruptible Body Upon the whole then it appears that the Voice of Reason Scripture and Antiquity jointly declare for the Resurrection of the same Body and therefore we have all the Authorities which a Matter of this Nature is capable of that we are not mistaken in our Notions of it Therefore we must not only believe that we shall all be raised in our own Bodies but Earnestly contend for this Faith as originally delivered to the Saints And now since it is concluded the Resurrection we are to make will be a Resurrection of the same Body it remains that we Enquire into the Nature of its Identity or wherein this Sameness consists And that we take just Measures of the Identity of the rising Body I think it will be necessary to offer something concerning the Nature of Humane Identity or which is all one the Identity of a humane Person because the Identity of the rising Man will certainly be formed upon the same Rules and Principles with that of the living Man And first since Man or which is the same thing a humane Person is certainly a Being compounded of Two distinct Principles an animal and a spiritual Principle a Soul and a Body I cannot comply with a late Reformer of Humane Vnderstandings that places Personal Identity purely in Consciousness or a Faculty of Reflecting on our own Thoughts and Actions and ascribing 'em to our selves as such I shall take liberty to consider it because this Author speaks of it only as applied to a humane Person and expresly applies it to the Resurrection no doubt as an Expedient to solve the difficulties of it It s true for as much as Consciousness is an incommunicable Property of every intelligent Being it will easily be granted that there cannot be personal Identity without Consciousness but we can by no means allow that Consciousness is the sole Principle or Foundation of personal Identity as this Author plainly asserts Indeed he gives it such an absolute Sovereignty in this Affair and discovers such an over-weening Fondness for the Notion That the little Finger cut off from the Body if Conscious must be the same Person Sect. 17. That Consciousness inhabiting successively several Bodies must be all One and the same humane Person That Two distinct Consciousnesses acting in the same Body one by Night and the other by Day must make a Night-man and a Day-man and Two distinct Persons Sect. 22. In a word he fairly suggests That Transmigration is a Doctrine no way absurd but very probable and a good piece of Christian Platonism And in plain terms That Socrates after this Life can no way be the same Man but by Consciousness Sect. 20. Now certainly as for the Doctrine of Transmigration it will be readily allow'd to be a good Piece of Platonism but he that owns himself an Advocate for it renders his Christianity justly suspected For whosoever admits the Resurrection of the same Body must pronounce Transmigration extravagantly absurd for certainly if Socrates's Soul has successively inform'd presided and acted in several Bodies there will be as great a Contest at the Resurrection which Body shall be Married to Socrates's Soul as the Sadduce foolishly supposed when he demanded Whose Wife shall she be of the Seven As for the Identity of Socrates's Resurrection I hope to make it appear that it does not consist in Consciousness But to return Personal Identity can never consist in Consciousness tho' we take Person for an Intelligent Being without any regard to any particular Substance wherein it exists since it is only a reflex Act or Faculty of an Intelligent Being and supposes several Faculties antecedent to it whereas the Identity of any Being must arise from the first Principles of its Existence But now its evident Person implies an Intelligent Being with regard to the particular Substance and the Parts and Principles of it whereby it exists for otherwise I would fain know how its possible to distinguish a Humane an Angelick and a Divine Person Mr. Lock will reply That they are only to be distinguisht by distinct Principles of Consciousness but thus far every particular Humane Person is distinguisht and consequently there must be something else than Consciousness to distinguish the several species of Persons I am sure an Angelick and Humane Person must be distinguisht by diversity of substance
confirm But now since all these must be allowed tho' the most avowed Sceptick or Infidel turn Tyrant and Devil too and exert his utmost Wit and Malice in defeating the Designs of the Almighty in a word tho' he out-do the most improved Cruelties of former Persecutors and tear Infants from the Womb to sacrifice to Wolves and Tygers yet after Wit and Malice and Cruelty have spent themselves there will still be Materials enough for Omnipotence to perfect his own Designs in a glorious and triumphant Resurrection And thus I have in some measure performed what I at first engaged in But certainly this is a very vile way of Practising upon our Faith Suppose we were not able to form any manner of an Hypothesis to represent the Possibility of a General Resurrection must the clearest Revelations be rejected and the Fact pronounced impossible because we are not able to form a Modus to demonstrate the Possibility of it Certainly this is to measure Omnipotence by the shallow Projections of a finite Understanding But before any Man pretends to fix Impossibilities upon reveal'd Matters of Fact he must be able to give an exact Account of the various Modes by which its impossible for on All-wise and an All-powerful God to execute and perform ' em Till this is done to pronounce any thing of this Nature impossible is the heighth of Impudence Folly and Presumption And shall any Man pretend to trace the different Workings of Omnipotence when he 's baffled in every little Phaenomenon in natural Causes a finite Understanding is not able to comprehend the one and nothing less than Knowledge as extensive as infinite Power is able to fathom or unravel the other Let no Man then be Bubled out of his Faith by such extravagant Pretences But let him consider that God who comprehends the dust of the Earth in a measure and weigheth the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance can not only Marshal together all the dispersed Particles of each respective Body but reserve such a Stock of each in the Chambers of Nature as will enable him to answer and make good his Promises And since he has plainly assured us that we shall All rise in our Bodies let not any seeming Difficulties shake our Faith but rather let his infinite Power and Wisdom answer and remove them for we may be sure of this that his infinite Power and Wisdom will conspire to assert his Veracity In a word It ought to be considered that the sacred Canon expresly place's the Article of a general Resurrection upon the Infinite Power of God and therefore tho' the Doctrine of future Rewards and Punishments may not discover the necessity of the same rising Body yet in as much as it resolves it self into the Infinite Power of God it ought to be looked upon as a special Attestation of the Divine Authority of the Gospel Institution And consequently we may conclude that God will find out Methods to accomplish his own Designs so that neither the Power of Hell Death nor the Grave shall be able to baffle and defeat ' em And then we need not fear but God will give to every Seed his own Body and in the same act change our vile Bodies that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself A Postscript SInce the Composure of this Discourse there 's an Attempt made to over-turn the Numerical Identity of the Rising Body See Latitudinarius Orthodoxus de Mysterio Resurrectionis Cap. 7. Sect. 3. And tho' a great deal is offered from the Justice and Wisdom of God yet I think there 's nothing considerable besides the Argument drawn from the Instance of Seed or Grain given by St. Paul upon the Subject and because it seems to clash with the Hypothesis I have advanc'd I think my self obliged to make some Return to it The words are these But some man will say How are the dead raised up and with what Body do they come Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die And that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bare grain it may chance of wheat or of some other grain But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him and to every seed his own body 1 Cor. 15. ver 35 36 37 38. Upon the words we may very justly premise that the Apostle argues by way of Allusion and Example and therefore the Parallel is to be carried no farther than the Design and Scope of the Apostle's Argument for when Instances come up to the main Design of an Argument tho' in other Cases there 's an apparent Disparity they have serv'd the Intention of 'em and to extend 'em farther is Illogical and Vnjust Again there can be no force in Alluding Instances when apply'd beyond their primitive Design if the Application is inconsistent with other express Positions of Scripture This is a Limitation so just and reasonable that where any Doctrine is express and clear it s to be a Rule or Interpretation to any Allusion that seems to interfere with it especially as long as the Interpretation concludes any things and is not forced and unnatural This I offer because I hope I have produc'd express Authorities of Scripture which prove the numerical Identity of the Rising Body beyond all dispute or controul But now for the Apostle's design I think its only to represent the Nature of that Change which is to be made on our mortal Bodies at the Resurrection How are the Dead or how is the Mortal Part of 'em Raised up With what Bodies do they come How shall these mortal Bodies be chang'd alter'd or model'd The Instances represent a a Change but its only in Qualities and Perfections not in Matter or Substance this is apparent from the whole Catalogue of Instances which ought to be uniform and consistent As one sort of Flesh differs from another sort of Flesh in Frame and Contexture and consequently in Qualities and Dispositions so doth the rising Body differ from the mortal Body as the Glory of the Sun Moon and Stars is vastly different so is the Glory and Perfections of the rising Body from those of the mortal Body and the leading Instance is apparently subject to the same Application The Seed sown viz. of Wheat or some other Grain is sensibly different from the Product of it The first is but bare Grain the second Grain with Root Blade and Ear to it and no doubt the difference between the Rising and Mortal Body is as visible as to its Frame and Qualities for its God that models our mortal Bodies or gives them Bodies as it hath pleased him And its plain the Parallel is design'd thus far and no farther for thus it is expresly apply'd So also is the Resurrection of the dead It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body Here 's indeed a very considerable Change but it s a change of the same Body and consequently a change of Contexture Quality or Disposition not a change of Matter and Substance and therefore its absurd to carry the Parallel any farther For tho' the Production of Corn supposes only a seminal Principle in the Seed whilst the greatest share of Matter is adventitious and only prepared by proper Vessels yet it can be no Argument that our rising Bodies are to be made up of adventitious Matter unless it were expresly apply'd thus far Besides this Instance of Seed can be carried no farther than those of the Sun Moon and Stars and the different kinds of Flesh and as these cannot without Absurdity and Non-sence be apply'd to represent any thing but the different Qualities and Perfections of the rising Body so that of Seed cannot by the Rules of Logick or right Reason extend any farther Upon the whole then the Identity of the Rising Body is established on the clearest Authorities of Scripture and there 's nothing in the Argument before us that can be thought to invalidate or weaken the force of 'em The refore what is before asserted concerning the Identity of the Rising Body is still in force and may be esteem'd consosonant to the Canon of Scripture and the Catholick Faith FINIS See Mr. Lock 's Essay concerning Humane Vderstanding Book 2. Chap. 27. Sect. 15.20.26