you may be there also Here the Time when Christ would receive his Chosen to himself and to be where he is is declared to be the second time with his coming to Judgment Joh. 5.27 God the Father hath given Authority to the Son to execute Judgment also because he is the Son of Man Ver. 22. Christ says The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son Ver. 28. Mervail not at this that the Father hath given Authority of Judgment to the Son because he is the Son of Man for the time is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation Here Christ because he is the Son of Man is made by his Father the Judge of Quick and Dead all the World shall hâ—ar his Voice and come to Judgment before him and if the Father judge no Man but have committed all Judgment to Christ because he is or as he is the Son of Man What room is there left for intermediate Judgments oâ— the 〈◊〉 going to God for Judgment at the Death of every 〈◊〉 as is pretended from Solomons transient 〈…〉 returns to God that gave it 〈…〉 of the Soul to God 〈…〉 intermediate judgment 〈…〉 going before 〈…〉 and seeking to be united again to Him as Men have thought it drew its Original from him Joh. 6. Ver. 39 40 44 54. In the Four Verses quoted and marked out of this Chapter our Lord declares both to his own Disciples and to the Jews That whoso doth his Will and keep his Commandments he will raise them up at the last day and give them Happiness and great Rewards without mention of an intermediate State between Death and that Resurrection Luke 14.13 14. Our Lord himself directs When thou makest a Feast call the Poor the Maimed the Lame and the Blind and thou shalt be blessed for they cannot recompence thee for thou shalt be recompenced at the Resurrection of the Just. And so Heb. 11.35 After a large Catalogue of the Saints Sufferings the Apostle says That they would not accept of Deliverance because they expected a better Resurrection The same Apostle 1 Cor. 15.32 says If after the manner of Men I have fought with Beasts at Ephesus What advantageth it me if the dead rise not Let us eat and drink for to morrow we die And there is an end of us As if he had said the Sufferings of Christians for the Name of Christ shall avail them nothing if there be not a Resurrection of the Dead and I demand some one Text of Scripture to be produced which expresses or with any Clearness says That any Man or Men ever did or suffer'd any thing to the Intent or with Expectation of having their Soul or Souls carried into Abraham's Bosome after the Death of their Persons To our Fore-quoted Texts may be added the Testimony of St. Peter 1 Pet. 4.13 Rejoice inasmuch as ye are made Partakers of Christ's Sufferings that when his Glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding great Joy So Chap. 5.1 he says I who am also a Partaker of the Glory which shall be revealed exhort you that are Elders of the Church to do the Duties faithfully and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of Glory which sadeth not away He doth not say Have Patience unto to the Time of your Death and then your Souls shall be transported into a place of Bliss and Happiness 1 Joh. 2.28 That Apostle says And now Little Children abide in Him Christ that when He shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming Jam. 5.7 That Apostle says Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of our Lord which he saith draws nigh without mentioning of any Reward after Death unto the coming of our Lord. Jude 17. Says The Lord cometh with Ten Thousand of his Saints to execute Judgment upon all the Vngodly amongst Men. And thus I have quoted a great Cloud of very knowing Witnesses viz. our Lord Himself and all his writing Apostles which are come to our Hands for the undeniable Proof of this Point viz. That the Faithful dy'd and suffered many great things in assured Hope and Expectation of great Rewards to be given and Punishments to be inflicted at the Time of our Lord's second Appearing of the Resurrection and of the Last Judgment without finding any foot-steps of the Souls Immortality it 's Seperate Subsistence from the Body or any Rewards or Punishments to be bestowed upon it in the space of time intermediate between Death and our Lord's Second Appearing I now return to a further Consideration of our Author's Quotations who Pag. 14. goes on and quotes 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a Price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's Which I think intends no more than if it had been said Glorifie God in your selves or in your whole Persons which are God's Then he quotes Mat. 10.28 Men that can kill the Body are not able to kill the Soul We shall hear this Objection more fully offered in another Place and thither I refer my Reader for an Answer to it He next quotes 1 Cor 7.1 where the Words are Dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the Flesh and of the Spirit Here by the Terms Flesh and Spirit the Apostle intends Man's Sensual Afâ—â—ctions and Appetites by the Term Flesh and the Rational Mind or Faculty of Man by the Term Spirit And this Tropical sort or manner of expressing himself I conceive to be very much used in this Apostles Writings Next he quotes Gal. 5.17 which says The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other This I think to be another of this Apostles Expressions to be taken in the same intent and meaning with the former as a Conclusion to the Texts before quoted He says he could quote more Texts to prove that wide Difference which he pretends to be between the Soul and Body I say to this that if he knew of more Texts very pertinent to this Purpose I think he ought not to have spared his Pains in the Quotation of them But saith he The Texts which I have already quoted are abundantly sufficient for the Proof of my first Proposition Which first Proposition I think to have been That the Soul was of a quite different nature from the Body viz. That the Soul was an Immortal Intelligent Spirit which can subsist by it self and in a state of seperation from the Body and the Body it self but a Compositum of Dust and Ashes into which it shall be again resolved soon after the Death of the Person The Later Part of this Proposition he neither hath offered to Prove nor needed to do it because it
is a Truth granted on both sides but his labour hath been to prove That the Soul is a seperable intelligent Spirit and of a quite different Nature from the Body But I think he hath here given very little Proof to that Purpose so far from being abundantly sufficient as that I think it scarce touches upon the Verges of his intended Proposition but how sufficiently he hath thereof acquitted himself I do freely and willingly leave to the Judgment of such Persons as may happen to peruse our Writings P. 15. Mr. W. delivers his second Proposition which he says is this That the Soul and Body are not only Two in number but that they are two Beings of a very different Nature His second Proposition seems to be so near of kin to his first that the Difference between them is not very evident and the Proof which he gives of this second Proposition seems to be coincident with the Proofs which he gave of the former for he says here That the Soul was immediately created by God Which Supposal he had before laid down as a Proof of his first Proposition and I have given it before such an Answer as satisfies my own Understanding And therefore I shall need to say no more of it here but that it passes with me for an unsound and fallacious Opinion whence I think fit to reject without further Examination all the Inferences and Arguments which he may pretend to draw from so unweak and unsound a Supposition He quotes for a Proof of it Gen. 2.7 which was before examined and in this place I shall say no more of it He says further The Body and all its Parts are but lifeless senseless things in themselves And herein I grant he says true and so are the Three Elements of Fire Air and Water and yet the two former are of so Active a Nature that they are always in Motion like those Particles which we call Motes in the Sun and therefore may justly have the Reputation of self-moving Principles And Water hath a propensity to Motion so natural that give it but a declivity and it can have no rest till it come to a place so even as it may stand in an Equilibrium free from the Impulse of any declination whatsoever It seems then that upon rinding and kindling the pullulent steams of Old Adam's Blood and Humours ready for that purpose that Breath which God then breathed into his Nostrils became the Breath of Life to him by kindling the Flame of Life in those Steams of his Blood and Humours which God had made ready for that Operation and this Flame or glowing of the Blood was immediately catch'd and disperss'd into the Vital and all other Parts of the Body putting them all in Motion and Attendency to perform all those Operations for which God had made them and we may conceive were intended to be produced in the Person then Created and in all other Persons which should after be Generated by Him Whence it seems that what is called the Breath of Life to Adam the same Breath or ambient Air became the Breath of Life to all Posterity For by this Medium sucked in by the Lungs the Flame of Life first kindled in the Body is fann'd and kept glowing in the Blood and Humours thereof And thus the Flame of Life must be continually fann'd maintain'd and purified by the Breath and by the Vigor and Activity of this Inflammation the Blood and Humours are kept in perpetual Motion and in a durable and endless Circulation so long as the Parts of the Body are able to endure the Activity of such Motion and until by Age or Decay of some of the Bodily Parts Corruption or Stagnation of the Blood or by some Accident this Flame of Life happen to be totally extinguish'd throughout every Part and Member of the Body and such total Extinguishment of the Vital Flame I esteem to be the Death of the Person Finding and believing That the Breath of Man and Beast is so necessary in them for maintaining the Flame of Life that by a short stoppage of the same by a Halter a Bow-string a piece of Phlegm or by a Fly sticking in ones Throat stopping the Mouth and Nostrils with a Cloth as Hazael served his Master Benhadab or any like Accidents both Man and Beast soon die and therefore such Means are often used for doing Execution upon them and the Reason thereof seems to be the Suffocation and Stifeling of this Vital Flame which can no longer by Natural Means be maintained without the fanning of this Breath of Life drawn from the ambient Air which passing through the Lungs is thence communicated to all the Entrails of the Body And from these Grounds I Argue That tho the Blood and Humours be but Matter and unintelligent in themelves as well as the Flesh Bones and other gross Parts of he Body yet God's great Wisdom hath so framed the Microcosm or Person and so organiz'd the Bodies of them as that every Part is fitted and ready for those Acts for which they were intended and these Organs rightly moved and acted by the Spirits inflamed and Humours of the Body do in a right Mixture one with another and by the working of such Spirits among and upon the Organs produce or effect thelocal Motions Senses and such Intelligence as pertain to Men and Beasts and are produced acted and performed in the several Species of them so long as those Spirits and Humours are maintained in the Body by a due Refection and Nourishment and so long as this Vital Flame continues to be fanned by the due Respirations both of Man and Beast And this I give for an Answer to the second Proof of his second Proposition concerning the vast Diversity as he calls it of the Nature of the Soul from that of the Body Mr. W. goes on to a Third Proof of this Diversity and saith The Body is often tired and spent and indisposed to Action when at the same time the Soul hath a Will and is bent to Action Which I thus Paraphrase The Man his Mind Affections or Will may be strongly bent to Action when his Bodily Members may be very weary and his Spirits spent And thus express'd I grant and know that what he says may be true viz. That the Spirits working in his Brain and moving his Affections and Will may continue their Working and Vigour in that Part longer than in the outward and more remâ—t Parts of the Body And this is that which our Lord I think intended when he said The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak P. 16. Mr. W. goes on and says The Body is very frequently 〈◊〉 a very sick weak languishing Condition when the 〈…〉 as good a plight and sometimes better than when the 〈…〉 most healthy and strong surely if their Natures did not vâ—â—â—ly differ they would be sick and well together Here I prosess to differ from our Author in a Point of Fact
other Man may possibly say Having now confounded and implicated the Meaning of this Text by my Exposition I am enough by that means enabled to prove thereby the Souls Seperate Subsistence which from the Text it self without such handling of it I should not be able to have done P. 88. He pretends to prove The Soul not subject to Death because nothing is so that is not subject to the Power of Death and the Soul of the Believer is not so I look upon this as a vain sort of Argument and begging of the Question increasing the Bulk of his Treatise but adding no strength to his Proof Here again he speaks of the Soul by the Term of Her and She as if he had prov'd her a Seperately distinct thing from the Man or Person a thing neither granted to him nor proved by him P. 89. He says again The Spirit of a Believer is not subject to the Law of Death Which is the very Point in Question and denied by his Opposers P. 90. He pretends That by what he hath said it appears that the Law of Death is executed only on the Body of a Believer I Answer that to me appers no such thing but that the Law of Death is executed upon the Persons both of Believers and Unbelievers and that Death pass'd upon all for that all have sinned and do Agree with him that not only the Body shall be rais'd at the Last Day but that the whole Person shall be so rais'd to appear in Judgment before the Tribunal of Christ And withal I conceive that our Author goes far for Arguments to prove his Tenet when he catches at and seems to rely upon such precarious Constructions as he hath offered in this Argument The Tenth Argument PAge 90 Mr. W. quotes in proof of his Opinion 2 Cor. 5 6 Therefore we are always confident knowing that whil'st we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord We are consident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord P. 91. Hereupon Mr. W. with good reason places the difficulty in the meaning of St. Pauls doubled Expression of being in the body and absent from Christ and being out of the body and present with Christ and then saith That when Paul says We are confident that here by the We that are always confident he intends the Soul or Spirit of himself and the Soul and Spirit of the rest of the Believing Church And if this be the true meaning of our Apostle in this Case viz. That here is intended the Souls of him and his brethren which at death will be absent from their bodies and be present with the Lord Then says he it proves the Souls of Men Seperate and are Immortal but the former says he is true therefore the later Then he offers to prove that by the We who would be absent from the body the Apostle intends the Souls only of himself and other Believers for what else is that of the Saints that is absent from the body and present with the Lord Name the thing if you can for says he it cannot mean the body nor the whole person not the whole person for that the whole man cannot be said to be at home in one part of the man viz. his body or absent from it for the whole of anything cannot be contained in a part of it P. 93. Then Mr. W puts a weak Objection against himself and answers it Upon this Argument I Agree with him that the Difficulty lies in finding out what St. Paul intends by the We that would be absent from the Body and present with the Lord Whether it intends the Souls only of the Faithful or their whole Persons He says It can only intend Mens Souls But I conceive that it intends their Persons And first I Argue from the Apostles Terms of Expression and do think that if by the Term We he only intended Mens Souls he hath very improperly express'd such a Meaning for that if there be many Persons in an Assembly or Company and one of them speaking for the rest says We decree or expect or desire such a thing how can it possibly be imagined that the Speaker intends only the Souls of those Persons do expect or desire And therefore if our Apostle by his Term We did intend only the Souls of Believers I conceive it would have been hard for Men to have found out that Meaning without such an Assistance and Direction as Mr. W. here offers them I think the proper Signification of the Word We in such Cases is to denote the Men or the Persons who are said to do any thing and not any one Part or Parcel of such Persons as it must do in this place if it intended only the Souls of Believers I take it for an old and good Rule amongst Expositors that they should cast their Eyes upon the Contexts of those Places which they mean to Expound that thereby they may discover the whole Scheme or Plat-form of the Writer's Intention and then to employ their Talent in drawing all that the Writer says to prove his Meaning or fortifie his Assertion And therefore I proceed to search what our Apostle says in his next fore-going Chapter concerning this Matter Chap. 4.10 We are cast down but not destroyed always bearing about in the Body the dying of our Lord Jesus By Body I think the whole Person is here intended The Text adds That the Life of Jesus might be made manifest in our Body or Person Ver. 14. We know that he which raised up the Lord JESVS shall raise up us also by JESVS and shall present us with you Ver. 16. Though our outward Man perish yet the inward Man is renewed Day by Day Intending the whole Man degenerated or regenerated Chap. 5.1 We know that if our Earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven And we that are in this Tabernacle do groan being burthen'd not for that we would be uncloath'd but cloathed upon that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life And we are always confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord And we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him for we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad These Quotations have been transcribed for making it appear that the Intent of our Apostle in these Texts was to discover to his Readers Matters concerning the Resurrection and the Last judgment In the beginning of his Discourse he professes to
them when they had lived under the Discipline of Earthly Rewards and Punishments than they had in succeeding and later Ages when the Opinion of the Souls Immortality began to be received and spread amongst them and therefore it seems there is not that need of his Opinion concerning the Souls Seperate Subsistence as he by this Discourse pretends to make Men believe Mr. W's second Chain of Absurdities P. 128. He says His Opposers pretends the Spirit of Life in Man or his Soul to be but a fine Temperament of Moisture Air and Fire very near of Kin and sutable to the Temperament of the Body and this he says is very consistent with their Principles and I agree that what he says is true in this Point This Mr. W. opposes by saying First If things were so then Adam's Soul might have been created of the Dust as well as his Body I reply not so but there was required Moisture Air and Fire to suppie and actuate that Dust of which his Body was framed which brought the steems of Life in the Body to such a ripeness and pullulation as by the breathing a Breath of Life into him became instantly inflamed and by Respiration must every Moment be fanned by that Breath which continues in Man's Blood and Humours and the Spirits thereof that flame and glowing whose total Extinguishment is the death of the Person and this by want of Respiration become instantly suffocated and extinguished which as hath been said is the death of the Person P. 129. He says He hath opened in his first Argument what this breathing into Man intends and refers his Readers thither again for the Knowledge of it and I refer again unto the Answer thereunto given Secondly He says That such a Soul as his Opposers believe is subject in its parts to Division Dissipation and Corruption which I agree to him Mr. W. says That from thence it will follow that all God's Threats denounced against Sinners is but to keep those inflam'd Particles of the Blood in order but I say Those Threats are pronounced to keep Mens Persons and their Actions in such a regular Order and that the Reports and Belief of the Day of Judgment are effectual upon the Persons of Men whose Bodies will then be as able to indure the Fire as their Souls Another Secondly Mr. W. says That such a Temperament of Soul cannot offend God because it is Material and Senseless and this I agree to him and say That it is neither the Body nor the Soul singly that doth or can offend God but it is the Compositum of these made Intelligent or the Person made Intelligent which can and doth too often offend God and by Mr. W's Pretence in this place he seems to insinuate That God cannot produce Intelligence by his wise Commixture of Material Agents and Patients which hath before been disputed and I have declared my self thereupon that God can produce Intelligence by a most Wise and Artificial commixture of Material Agents and Patients acted by Motion which must be continually supplied from Nutriment which God out of the ambient World and Air hath continually produced in abundance for that purpose and when by Famine or want of Nutriment it draws no supplies the Persons who suffer it die in multitudes P. 130. Mr. W. repeats That our sort of Material Soul cannot love or fear God nor understand what it self doth which is a thing which I have all along granted and asserted as I do here agreeing that such things are not comportant either with the Soul or Body but with the Person only P. 131. He pretends that there is something in Man that is the principal Seat of Regeneration This I oppose by saying as before That the whole Man or Person is so and not only part of his Compositum singly taken What he says more flows out of the abundance of his own Heart and seems to me to be very groundlesly spoken Fifthly Mr. W. says That the Contentions between the Flesh and Spirit in Man cannot be maintained by the Natural difference between a Material Soul and the Body wherein it resides I agree this to him Answering That all these Contests between the Flesh and Spirit signifie no more than that continual War which Men feel in themselves between the Power of Reason in their Minds and the Lustful Desire of their Affections and Passions Aristotle tells us There is no end of this War but Death and no certainty which shall obtain a clear Victory till that time and when St. Paul says that these War against the Soul the word Soul must there be intended to signifie the Person or the good of the whole Man and yet I do agree what he after says to be true That the Rational and Affective Faculties spring both from the same Root or Composition of Mankind and are both supported by the same Breath and Nourishment and yet the Faculties themselves are different and are commonly at strife one with another and as we daily see Love and Hatred Joy and Sorrow subsisting together in one same Person Mr. W's Philosophical Absurdities which he says flow from the Opinion of the Souls Materiality P. 132. He says If the Soul be Material it will follow that Mens faculties of Reason Intellect and Memory are seated in a Corporeal Elementary Substance but it is very evident says he That none of these faculties can be immediately seated in any Corporeal Elementary Substance answering I deny the Evidence of what he says but apply all these Faculties to the Person in which they all certainly are produced by the wisdom of God acted by Motion and supported and continued by Nourishment and Breath and therefore the Spirit of Life in Man may be Material notwithstanding Mr. W's asserting the contrary P. 133. Mr. W. says These Faculties cannot be acted by a Material Substance but he finds these Faculties in himself and therefore they must be acted in Men by a Spiritual Substance This seems to intend that when Men cannot attain to know the reason by which or the manner how strange things are done they are apt to fly to the refuge of Spirits for the doing of them an erroneous course which hath been very often used in the World but I refuse to Mr. W. the use which he pretends to make of it in this Argument and do assure that I receive no manner of conviction from it P. 135. Mr. W. says I find a power in me of Sensation as Seeing Hearing ctc. but none of these Faculties are seated in a Substance purely Elementary I demand then how come the Brutes by these which they have in as great perfection as Men have them He thinks no Man will say it is possible to make a Sensible House by all the Art that Men can use about it and this I grant but if Men should say it is possible for God to make a Sensible House I should have no Inclinations to deny it believing that to be altogether as
Intent thereof and even to have exterminated the same out of the Apprehensions and Memories of such Men. And hereupon I do again agree that it is very sutable to the Justice of God and his equitable Dealings with Men that there should be a distribution of Rewards and Punishments after this Life and I do with great Assurance believe that the same will fall out accordingly not bestowing those Rewards and Punishments upon Souls Subsisting in a State of Seperation from the Body but that rather as our Lord himself tells us John 6. Those who fear God and work Righteousness shall by Christ be raised up at the last Day in their full Compositum of Soul and Body and in their own Persons shall receive Rewards according to their Works done and their Faith professed in this World and that the like measure shalt be dealt to the Wicked at the Resurrection of the last Day whose Punishments shall be equally distributed to their Persons as is before said to be done in the case of the former Raised and Righteous Persons P. 156. The Doctor says He cannot but wonder that Plato having asserted God to be a Mind Divine and Incorporeal should contradict himself in affirming that Man's Soul was a Particle taken from the Substance of God himself he will not engulph himself in the Bottomless Sea of Difficulties concerning the Original and Extraduction of Man's Soul but he conceives the Soul cannot be produced from Matter because it is Immaterial but however it is plain that it hath its Beginning and Origine with the Body and yet being Incorporeal it is not capable of perishing with it P. 159. He confesses a great decay of Intellect in Mens very old Age but says that Decay grows from the weakness of the Fancy and Imagination and the Organs thereof and not from the Decays of the Intellect or Soul it self Answering I say it seems rather to grow from the Heaviness and Unaptness of the Blood of old People to be so vigorously Inflamed and Acted as it used to be in their younger Years and greater strength of their Bodies and Concoction P. 173. The Doctor says It is not necessary that when at Death the Soul is breathed into the Air that the Air should be thereby Animated because then it should act without the Mediation of any Organs at all but he asserts that neither in the Air nor any other Body whatever can the Soul either meet with or create those Dispositions that are requisite to Vital Information P. 174. He says The Soul makes use of the Vital Spirits as Servants for the effecting of Life Sense and Motion I say Nature makes use of them for the effecting Life Sense Motion Understanding Memory and all other Powers of Cogitation whatsoever P. 180. The Doctor says As to the Particular or Manner of the Souls Knowledge after Death I remit you to Sir K. Digby's sublime Speculations concerning the condition of a Seperate Soul in which tho' you may not meet with such Satisfaction as you expect yet you will meet with more than I can now give you without repeating his Notions To this I answer that I have perused those Notions without meeting with any Satisfaction at all in them P. 183. The Doctor says That the Cement which joyns the Body and Soul together is the Blood especially the Spiritual and most refin'd part thereof and he quotes a Saying of Critius Sentire Maxime Proprinus esse Anima atque hoc in esse propter sanguinis Naturam P. 184. He says The Blood is the first pact of the Body that is generated and moved and the Soul is excited and kindled first from the Blood and the Blood is that in which the Operations Vegitative and Sensitive do first manifest themselves The Doctor says That he thinks it likely that the Soul having its first and perhaps principal Residence in the Blood and that Blood by Circulation flowing like a River of living Water round the Body penetrating into and irrigating the Substance of all the Parts and at the same time communicating to them both Heat and Life so as the Soul having its principal Residence in the Blood in respect thereof may very well be conceived to be Tota in toto tota in qualibet parte so as there is an Intimate presence of the Soul in the Blood and by that means a Conjunction of them together 169. The Dr. says That in the Progression towards Death the Vital Heat or Flame being either almost suffocated by Putrefaction of the Blood the only Fewel by which it is maintained in Diseases or exhausted by old Age goes out like a Lamp by degrees ceasing first to enliven or irradiate the parts that are most remote from the Focus or Heart and then failing in its conserving Influence more and more till at length suffering an Extinction in the very Heart as it were in the Socket it leaves that also Cold and Lifeless so that Death is as an Extinction only of the Vital Flame not of the Soul I say That it is an Extinction of that Vital Flame which I conceive to be the Soul or Spirit or the first Principal of Life and Motion in the Person I think that by the Doctor 's Words in this last Quotation he seems fully to agree with what I have often repeated that the total Extinction of the Vital Flame in the Blood is the Death of the Person and the very thing which turns that which was the living Body into a dead Carcass whence he says That Death is an Extinction of the Vital Flame and yet denies this to be an extinguishment of the Soul whence it seems to me that he was resolved to maintain the Subsistence of the Soul after the death of the Person altho' the Nature and Reason which he pretends to follow convinced him not so to do or that he found any natural need of his so doing but because he thought it might be prov'd by Scripture and was maintain'd by the Divines That the Soul of Man had a Seperate Subsistence after death of the Person and therefore was Immortal and that he stood so perswaded from Scripture Grounds he testifies Pag. 185. where he says That the Soul is an Immortal Substance and that its Immortality is not only credible by Faith or upon Authority Divine but also demonstrable by Reason or the Light of Nature From these Words I collect That his Belief of the Souls Immortality was grounded first upon Faith and Divine Authority as he thought and being thus fully perswaded of the Truth of that Opinion he set himself on work to maintain it by such Deductions as he was able to make from the Principles of Nature and Reason his Performances wherein have before been examined and shewn not be of so great weight as he perhaps conceived them to be The Treatise now examined was publish'd so long ago that I doubt before this time his Flame of Life hath been extinguish'd or that he may not be
LORD's Words Luke 23.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I contend that the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this Text may and doth indifferently signifie sometimes Breath and sometimes Spirit according as may be required by the Subject matter of that Discourse wherein it is used And I do not blame our Translators for rendering it in this place by the English Word Spirit But then I intend that if it be so well rendred yet in this place it may have and likely hath a Tropical Signification by a very usual Synecdoche Partis pro toto by the Word Spirit intending his whofe Person now Dying he knew very well that his whole Person Body and Soul were to rise again upon the Sunday Morning after his Crucifixion which was finished upon the Friday in the Evening after Three of the Clock according to which we Read he was so raised on Sunday Morning at the very break of Day in his whole Person both Soul and Body the very same that Died was then Raised by Divine Power Whence I Collect our Lord recommended to his Father all that was after to be Raised viz. His whole Person Soul and Body signified and intended by the Word or Term of Spirit Mr. W. quotes further Acts 7.57 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which might well enough have been thus Translated Lord Jesus receive my Breath spent in the last moment of my life in maintaining the truth of thy Gospel Altho' I do not deny that our version by the Word Spirit is likewise a good Translation of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but then I pretend it must be taken in the like Figurative Signification as it was intended before in our Lords Ejaculation Mr. W. says in both these places he takes the Word Spirit to signifie that Spirit fore-kind which God breathed into Man at first when he became a Living Soul or Person and so do I take it but our difference is about what sort that Spirit was which God breathed into Adam whereby he became a Living Person I pretend it to be no more than a moderate Portion of the Ambient Air which by facing the Blood and Humours then turgid and fitted for that Operation might kindle the Flame of Life amongst them and should after by Respiration keep the same in a glowing or flaming Condition or circulation so long as the life of the Person should endure but Mr. W. pretends That God breathed into Adam's Nostrils a Newly Created Entire Substantial Intelligent Spirit which had a Subsistence of its own before its being breathed into Adam's Nostrils and shall have a like Subsistence of its own again at or after the Dissolution or Death of the Person At the beginning of this Fourth Proposition he promised and I believe intended to prove the Seperate Subsistence of his sort of Soul He hath not yet to my understanding performed it but how well he hath aquitted himself of that Design or Intention by his Mediums of proving recited in this Proposition shall be left to the Judgment of our indifferent Readers P. 23 Mr. W. delivers his Fifth Proposition which is That the Souls of Men seperated from their Bodies by Death are in Joy or Misery And for the Proof of this Assertion he quotes two and but two Passages out of the Bible the first of which is our Lords Promise to the Thief upon the Cross That he should be with him that Day in Paradise Upon which he says neither Jesus nor the Thief were that Day in Body there therefore they must be there in Soul only Upon which I observe a disagreement in my Mind from that which he first affirms conceiving it probable That their Bodies and Souls might both be present in Paradise that Day but then I do not confine the Term of that Day to the signification of an Artificial or Natural Day the first continuing but during the Light of one Day and the other containing the space of Twenty four Hours only and no more Psal 95 8. David says To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your Hearts Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day And there quotes Davids To Day as if it intended the Forty Years Travel in the Wilderness Luke 19.42 Christ wept over Jerusalem and said If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace And Peter says A thousand Years with God are but as one Day And the Prophets often denoted the space of a Year by one Day More like Testimonies might be Collected out of Scripture to prove that when God himself or by his Prophet speaks of a Day they do not tye up the Signification thereof to the precise time of an Artificial or Natural Day but do intend that within a competent short time such things shall come to pass and I do not pretend to prolong the Signification of our Lords to Day in Mr W.'s quoted Text beyond Sunday for they were Crucified upon Friday in the Evening and the one Died and the other might well enough rise up on Sunday Morning and that Morning our Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalene and John 20.17 In Discourse said unto her Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father Vers 19. The same day at evening being the first day of the week came Jesus and stood in the midst of his Apostles and shewed them his hands and his side Luke 24.38 Says the Disciples were afraid of our Lord 's appearing And he said unto them Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have From these Relations I Collect That after our Lords appearing to Mary Magdalene he did Ascend to his Father and might then also go to that Paradise intended for the Thief and that in the Evening of that Day he appeared in the Assembly of his Disciples and said to them Handle me and see or perceive for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye may feel me have Hence I infer That our Lord had been in Heaven or Paradise on the very Day of his Resurrection and after his return from thence offer'd himself to be handled and felt by his Disciples altho' before his Ascending thither he would not suffer Mary Magdalene to touch him And this I think proves our Lord to have been in Paradise in so short a time after his Promise to the Thief as might well be called to Day Concerning the Thief I observe That he Died likewise upon Friday Evening and that from thence to Sunday Morning his Body might remain apparent without liklihood of being tainted We read Matt. 27.52 The Graves were opened and many Bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the Graves after our Lords Resurrection and went into the holy City and appeared unto many Arguendo from these
Testimonies I think it likely that the Body of our Thief was one of these Bodies of Saints which came out of their Graves after Christs Resurrection and his Body so chang'd as at or in the Resurrection might and probably did ascend with our Lord into that Paradise which before was promis'd him and was there with our Lord both present with their Souls and Bodies or their whole Persons in such manner as they had before lived in this World And thus Observing I have given a Reasonable and I think a Sufficient Answer to all those Inferences and Arguments which Mr. W. hath raised from this Text which therefore I decline to examine any further in this place knowing we shall meet with the same afterwards and that Mr. W. in the Progress of his Treatise doth repeat over again this and divers others of those Arguments which he hath made Parcel of his Five Propositions I therefore now proceed to Examine his last Quotation for the Proof of Souls being Rewarded or Punished presently after their departure out of the Bodies For the further Proof of which Assertion he quotes Luke 16.19 Where the Parable of Dives is at large Related and thereupon says little more but that he concludes from the Contents of this Parable That the Souls of Men seperate at Death from their Bodies enter into a State of Joy or Misery before the Resurrection Observing upon which I pretend to give some Reasons why he ought not so to conclude First because the Relation in this Place is but of a Parable Similitude the Nature whereof is not to prove but Illustrate the Subject upon which Men are then Discoursing and therefore his Practice is not Reasonable in making choice to prove by a Medium whose Design is not to teach but represent things in such a manner as they may be better received by those to whom the Discourse is Prosecuted Secondly I say There appears no Design in this Parable to teach or instruct our Lord's Auditors concerning the true State or Nature of Men after Death because in the Context to this Parable there is no Question raised or Discourse held concerning that Subject Whence I conceive the intent of this Parable was not to confirm or illustrate the Speculation thereof but that rather this Parable was offer'd to illustrate and confirm an Assertion which our Lord in the fore-going verses had deliver'd as vers 15 When the Pharisees had derided our Lords Doctrine he Answers them Ye are they which justifie your selves before Men but God knoweth your Hearts for that which is chiefly esteemed amongst Men is an abomination in the sight of God Soon after which our Lord delivers this Parable and therein describes Dives as in a very high manner enjoying the Glory and Good things of this World and counted one of the happiest amongst Men and then sets out Lazarus in as low and miserable a Condition as Men commonly can fall to Whence the State of Dives was very highly esteemed amongst Men but was in the Sight of God much otherwise and placed far below the Condition of Lazarus in respect of those future Enjoyments which God had appointed for him The Parable therefore I conceive was a very sufficient illustration of our Lord's Assertion before-mentioned and I think was not intended to teach or discover the true State of Men after Death and then if we suppose that Parables confirm or illustrate those Discourses only which they are intended so to assert it seems inferrible that this Parable may not reasonably be made good a Ground or Proof concerning the true State of Men after Death or that they receive rewards before the Resurrection because it was not spoken with intent to teatch or illustrate that Point A Third Argument against the alledging this Parable as a Proof is the apparent Incongruity which it hath With Solomon's return of the Spirit to God who gave it Because the return there spoken of seems to be deliver'd as an effect of the Souls Natural Inclination as a thing commonly done and easie to be performed and says It is a return made to God who gave it From which our Parable differs in Material Points For the Parable doth not say That Lazarus or his Soul either returned or went to God for Judgment or any other purpose Next The Parable doth not say That Lazarus or his Soul went any whither but that he was carried by Angels not before God or to Judgment but into Abraham's Bosom a place of repose and some measure of happiness So as we may say of these two Proofs tho' they be the main Pillars of the Souls Seperate Subsistence yet their Testimonies do not agree together We Read that at our Lords Trial before Pilate divers false witnesses appeared to give their Evidence against our Lord whose Testimonies yet were finally rejected because they agreed not together Mark 14.56 Many bare false witness against our Lord but their Testimonies were rejected because they agreed not together And Moses's Law required two witnesses for the putting any Man to Death And for this Reason I think our Parable to be but a weak Proof of the Souls Seperate Subsistence or immediate Reward after Death A Fourth Argument opposing the proving Power of this Parable rifes from the difficulty of finding Truth in the Words of it for that it says Dives afar off beheld Lazarus in Abraham's Bosom and between the places of their aboad there was a great Gulf fixed so as none can pass from the one of them to the other This to my Understanding seems somewhat incredible First that Dives at such a distance should be able to discover Lazarus as to know him Next that Dives in his place of Torment should be able so to Speak and Discourse as that Abraham could hear what he said and return Answers to him Fifthly I observe upon this Parable That Abraham and Dives seem very well acquainted and nearly Related one to the other Dives gives Abraham the Title of Father which Abraham accepts and returns Answer to him by the Name of Son whereas if Mr. W. says true there could be no such real Relation between them For Mr. W. says There was nothing of Dives in Hell but his Soul subsisting there in a State of Seperation from his Body And this sort of Soul is in no manner Propagated by the Parents but it is a New and Pure Creature Created by God at the first Procreation of every Person having a Subsistence of its own until it be by God injected into the newly procreated Body where it presently becomes Tainted and Defiled with Original Sin We will leave that to fall out as it may but here I say That this Soul not Generated or Propagated from Abraham or any of his Posterity can by no means be properly or truly Stiled the Son of Abraham And from all these Arguments and Promises I find my self apt to Collect that there is little Real or Historical truth in this Parable that it very
failed in the Proof of it He hopes his Adversaries will not be such Blasphemers as to deny the truth of Solomon's Words The Spirit returns to God who gave it Concerning which Words I have before fully declared my Conceptions and have no design to repeat them again here Further he quotes again Eccl. 3. as if Solomon there said That when Man dieth his Body goes one way and his Spirit another and whether he quotes this Text truly shall be left to Judgment Then Mr. W. puts an Objection against himself Supposing some may say If all Souls return to God that gave them the Souls of the Wicked do so too and he grants that so they do and for solution of this Objection he says That tho' God be in his highest Heavens and keep his Sessions there yet there are some other parts of the Heaven where he keeps a particular Sessions to which Evil Spirits may approach as they did in Micaiah's Vision where God may pass Sentence upon the Souls of the Wicked without bringing them into Heaven and he thinks God hath a glorious Presence in the lower Heavens with his Angels and that there he doth Transact many Affairs relating to the Government of this World and quotes for this the Devils Appearance in the Case of Job and says If Devils may appear before God so may the Souls of the Wicked do too In Answering I declare to agree with his last Expression That if there be Seperate Souls of Wicked Men Subsisting by themselves they may appear before God as his quoted Texts testifie Devils have done but I demand as clear Texts and Testimonies of Scripture for the appearing of wicked Souls before God as are quoted for the appearing of Devils before him But he brings not one Text to Prove that he saith Truth concerning the appearing of wicked Souls before God And I confide that no one Text of Scripture can be brought which gives an Assertory Testimony of that Fact or says there was ever such a thing done in the World And for what he says of God's keeping his Sessions of Judgment sometimes in Heaven and sometimes in other particular Parts of Heaven I am apt to demand Proofs thereof from Texts of Scripture but he brings not one to this purpose And therefore I think it may be concluded that these several Sessions of God for Judgment are but a Device of his own Brain which hath no real Truth in it And thus by Mens Devices they strive to heal cover and confirm their Erroneous Opinions which I look upon as a great Fault in a good Man But notwithstanding those Humane Inventions I am apt to conclude that if the good Souls go to God for Judgment in Heaven that bad Souls do also somewhat evidently do the like Solomon says The Soul returns to God who gave it The Soul returns are Words that intend indefinitely and seem therefore equivalent to an Universal and signifie as much as if it had been said All Souls return to God who gave them And this Sense of the Words our Author hath lately granted Whence I conclude that as God says All Souls are mine which I think intends Persons so all Souls are intended to return to God who gave them as well and as much the Bad as the Good for any thing that I can perceive either in the words of the Text or any thing that is true in our Author's Discourse of it P. 60. He puts a Second Objection against this Opinion which I think he doth set up as a Man of Straw that he may have the battering of it down again He pretends some say that he hath indeed proved the Soul and Body to be seperated at Death and that one of them goes to one Place and the other of them goes to the other Place but that he hath not yet proved the Soul to live in that State of Seperation Hereupon I observe That after he hath said The Soul and Body are seperated at Death he adds That they go to two different Places Which Saying I think the Text doth not warrant for it doth not say that either of them go to any Place And first we may be sure a dead Body cannot go any whither The Text says It returns to the Earth as it was and of which before it received Life it was a Part So for the Spirit the Text says It returns not goes to God who gave it I have before offer'd an Apprehension That Solomon might intend this Spirit returned to God in a natural and easie manner as a Part doth to its Totum and the Parcels of Air or Water return to and incorporate with their Elements and that as the Body returns to the Earth as it was and as a Part doth to its Totum so the Spirit returns to God from whom it came and of which I suppose Solomon might think it to have been a Part But I grant That if the Soul in our Author's Sense do go to God after Death then the Objection which says he did not prove it alive in a seperate State is vain and frivolous and may easily be overthrown without putting our Author to the Trouble of Defending his Opinion against it In the Close of this Argument Mr. W. asks What hath the Living God to do with dead Spirits And I say so too and therefore grant that if the Intelligent Seperate Spirit of a Man be dead it can with no Propriety or Truth be said to Return to God who gave it P. 61. Mr. W. says So I shut up this Third Argument and with it my Proofs from the Old Testament And concerning these Threee Arguments I say the First is measurably Confuted the Second is Disregarded and the Third is otherways Expounded and in such a manner as Opposes Mr. W's Pretensions thereupon The Fourth Argument PAg. 61. Mr. W. quotes here that Text of Scripture whereby the Opinion of the Souls Seperate Subsistence is principally supported and upon which it is with a great measure of Clearness grounded and which arises near unto an Assertion that the thing is so and I think Mr. W. doth from thence rightly Argue That if the Soul cannot be killed by killing the Body or Person it seems to be a reasonable Inference drawn from this Text to Argue That the Soul must needs have a Seperate Subsistence of its own after the Death of the Person And further Mr. W. observes well the Reason why our Lord deliver'd this Doctrine to his Disciples viz. To encourage them against the Fears of such Persecutions as were likely to fall upon them in the Prosecution of their great Duty the Preaching of the Gospel encouraging them not to sear what Harm Men could do unto them upon that account because Men could only kill the Body intending the Person but were not able to kill the Soul or lay any other sort of real Punishment upon Men after their departure out of this world P. 62. Mr. W. produces an Argument which I think
Go thy way and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee St. Luke relates it thus This Centurions servant was ready to die and when he heard of Jesus he sent unto him the Elders of the Jews beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant And they came to Jesus desiring him to do this Kindness for the Captain because he was a worthy Person and a Lover of the Jews and Jesus went with them towards the Captain's House and when he was not far from thence the Centurion sent Friends to him saying unto him Lord trouble not thy self for I am not worthy that thou should'st enter under my Roof wherefore neither thought I my self worthy to come unto thee but say in a word and my Servant shall be healed And Jesus thereupon turn'd him about and discours'd with those that followed him and they that were sent returning to the House found the Servant whole that had been sick Upon reading these two Relations I think it plainly appears That either this Centurion came Personally to our Lord to request his Servant's Cure or he did not come Personally to Christ for that purpose but sent the Elders of the Jews to request that favour upon his behalf Without that himself came either to Sight or Speech of our Lord upon that occasion I find no ground or reasonable guess which of our Texts deliver the absolute Truth in this Circumstance of the Fact which they relate but from this Variance and the other Instances before recounted I think it may reasonably be collected That Men are not bound to take and perhaps ought not to take every Saying or Sentence which they find written in the Scriptures to be an irrefragable Truth and the very Word of God And I am ready to apply this Tenet to the Sayings now in dispute with Mr. W. viz. Are not able to kill the Soul and have no more that they can do We find an apparent Variance between these Two Sayings and that the Words of St. Luke are adaequate and answerable to the Intent of our Lord's Doctrine in this place whereas those of St. Matthew have a double Aspect and look as it were two ways For one way it insinuates that Persecutors can do no more harm after they have killed Another way it seems next to an Assertion that Mens Souls live and subsist in a state of Seperation from their Bodies I do not by the Context or any other ways conceive that our Lord did speak or had any Intent to speak of the state of Men after Death in this Doctrine whence the Words Are not able to kill the Soul in that Prospect of intending to teach the state of Men after Death seems quite besides our Lord's Meaning in this Doctrine and if not quite out of it yet very plainly collateral to it And yet from this side-wind the Maintainers of Seperate Subsistence draw the strongest Proof which they can find for maintaining their Opinion of the Seperate Subsistence I think that upon perusal of this Argument it will appear the strength of this Proof is much weaken'd and abated and will be found to be of much less force than it seems to have at the first reading or hearing thereof and in this state of debilitation I leave it to prosecute my Observations upon Mr. W's Pages as I did before P. 64 Mr. W. pretends to take the disputed Words as Comments one upon another and says that by Construction they may be made to intend one thing And I am ready to grant that by Construction they may both of them be made to serve the Meaning of our Lord in this Doctrine but then in our Collateral Point which St. Luke doth not meddle with there is a very great Variance between these two Expressions for that the one proves strongly the Soul 's Seperate Subsistence and the other proves it not nor meddles with it at all Which proves that our Lord's Doctrine did not intend to speak of that Point in this place And therefore our Question thereupon is In what Words our Lord delivered this Doctrine And the Conclusion is That if he delivered this Doctrine in the Words of St. Matthew then they are a strong Proof of the Souls Seperate Subsistence but if his Doctrine were delivered in the Words of St. Luke then there is no Proof at all in it of the Souls Seperate Subsistence And I have before enough Argued on the side of St. Luke and for the Probability that his Text sets forth to us the very Words wherein our Lord delivered this Doctrine Mr. W. confesses That Luke expresseth less than Matthew but says He never meant less Which I think intends that the Meaning of Luke in his Text was That those who kill the Body are not able to kill the Soul Which Meaning doth not at all appear in the Words of Luke's Text which do not say so And how then Mr. W. should come to know that he meant so I do not understand and therefore I reject this Gloss upon that Text as Mr. W's own Invention or Fiction The Fifth Argument PAg. 65. Mr. W. raises an Argument for the Soul 's Seperate Subsistence from the Appearing of Moses and Elias and discoursing with our Lord upon Mount Tabor and says That Moses could not appear there in his Person Soul and Body because Deut. 34.6 says Moses died in the Land of Moab and He the Lord buried him in a Valley there over-against Beth-Peor but no man knoweth of his Sepulchre unto this day P 66. Mr. W. discoursing upon this Text says That Moses appearing at Mount Tabor must be either alive in Spirit only or else his Body was raised Adding I know that some conjecture that his Body was rais'd but they cannot prove that Conjecture from Texts of Scripture And therefore he thinks it more likely that Moses appeared in Spirit only intending I suppose in his Soul subsisting in a state of Seperation after Death Which I think to be no more than a Conjecture which he is not able to prove by Texts of Scripture any more than the former Conjecture can be so Proved And to these Two Conjectures I pretend to add a Third viz. That Moses may not have died in the Mount but might be translated or transported to Heaven in Person as Enoch and Elias had before been Which I offer to Prove by his Appearing with Elias at Mount Taber It seems they appeared both after a like manner and the one as much in Person as the other Mr. W. grants that Elias did appear in Person and Arguendo a simili it appears most likely that Moses did so too As to the Text which says Moses died and was buried I think fit to consider by whom this Book of Deuteronomy might be written and if the Promises thereof might be written by Moses or his Direction yet this closing Passage of it about his own Death and Burial it seems could not be so It appears not from whence the Opinion
of his Death and Burial was derived or how the Jews might come to know that he so died and was buried Deut. 3.27 Goe get ye up into the Top of Pisgah and take a view of the Land And Chap. 34. says Moses went up from the Plains of Moab to the Top of Pisgah and died there The Words of both Texts seem to intend that Moses went up alone into the Top of this Mountain and told the Jews before his going up that he was to die there and they never saw or heard more of him after that time whence they might according to the common course of the World in such Cases reasonably enough conjecture that he died there and was buried according to the Custom of the World without finding any Evidence or Truth of such a Burial Whence I conceive his being buried was but a Conjecture of the Jews because they could not find what was become of the Body altho' probably they made a great Search for it Whence I Collect that his dying in the Mount and his being buried thereabouts was but a Collection or Conjecture of the Jews from his own not returning to them and their not being able to find his Body by their most diligent Search And Collecting from these Premises I am ready to infer as a Probability that Moses was translated and therefore neither dead nor buried and yet was never seen or heard of after nor could they by search find any place of his Burial or what other ways was become of him and I offer his Appearance at Mount Tabor as the best ground I have for this Conjecture conceiving that it might please God the Jews might not know of that Translation for that if they had known of his immediate going to Heaven they might have been apt to direct Prayers thither to him to intercede with God for their Nation as he often successfully did whil'st he was here upon Earth I have said before that Mr. W's Opinion of Moses's appearing at Mount Tabor in Soul only cannot be proved by any Text of Scripture is but his or at the most a humane Conjecture And I grant that his appearing in Person at Mount Tabor is also a humane but I think a more reasonable Conjecture And to this whole fifth Argument drawn from Mens Collections and Conjectures thereupon I Answer That Men expect more Clear and Assertory Proofs of the Soul 's Seperate Subsistence than this or such like Arguments can afford them The Sixth Argument PAg. 67. Mr. W. founds his Sixth Argument upon that which is delivered to us in the Parable of Dives And first he grants that Relation to be a Parable and not a real Story adding That Parables are shadows of Discourse by which are set forth things that are real and substantial And I grant they may be Instructive concerning those Matters for whose Illustration they were purposely delivered and yet even in those things I do not take them to be proving Mr W. says further That Tertullian Augustine and the rest of the Fathers did much build their Faith of the Souls Immortality and of Mens Happiness or Misery immediately after Death before the Judgment of the Great Day upon this Scripture I observe he avoids calling it this Parable I know not whether what he says concerning the Fathers building their Belief of such things upon this Parable be true or not but conceive that if this Parable was really the principal Foundation of that Belief it had but a very soft and sandy Foundation so as the building thereupon erected will not be enough able to resist the Storms Rains and Floods which may happen to assault it He further quotes Ireneus and relates the gross Errours which he and Tertullian fell into by following this Parable too closely viz. so far as to think That a Seperated Soul has a Shape Eyes Mouth and other like Members of a Humane Body He repeats his Concession again That this Similitude of Dives and Lazarus is not Historical but Parabolical P. 68. Mr. W. says By Abraham's Bosome is meant a Place of great Pleasure and Happiness reserv'd for the Righteous when they have finish'd this Life And hereupon I observe a Variance between being carried to this Place of Pleasure and a going before God to an intermediate Judgment and conceive that the being carried to this Place stands in Opposition to the Text of Solomon The Spirit returns to God who gave it for Lazarus in this Parable neither went to God for Judgment nor return'd to Him by a natural Bent or Power of its own but was carried to this unknown Place by the Ministry of Angels P. 70. Mr. W. raises a Question Whether the Words and Sense of this Parable do speak of and import a State of Persons presently after their Death or such a State as shall overtake them at the Resurrection and the last Judgment And he spends divers Pages and Arguments in Proving That the Import of this Parable points to a State presently succeeding the Parties Death and not to that State which shall follow low upon the Resurrection but his Labour to this Purpose is needlessly bestowed upon me or others who may think as I do That the Sense of this Parable intends a State presently succeeding the Parties Death Here Mr. W. says Our Lord by this Parable intended to set forth an immediate state of Happiness for the Godly and of Misery for the Wicked I Reply to this That there appears no Evidence in the Context of our Lord's Intent how to Teach by this Parable There is no Discourse in any Part of the Context which might lead our Lord to speak of the State of Persons after Death but the Context immediately fore-going doth plainly intimate and prove the special Intent of our Lord in this Parable was to Illustrate and Confirm a Sentence which himself had lately before uttered viz. That there are things highly esteemed among men and yet are an Abomination in the sight of God And to this Purpose he describes the state of Dives with such Circumstances as make it highly esteem'd and desired amongst Men and sets Lazarus so low and in a Condition so miserable as one can hardly devise a worse Condition amongst Men notwithstanding whereof the Sequel of the Parable declares That the state of Dives though highly esteemed amongst Men was in the whole of it abominable to the sight of God and Lazarus's state tho' abominated by Men was in the whole more blessed than that of Dives was And I conceive thereupon that our present Parable was delivered by our Lord with special Intent to illustrate this Doctrine without any apparent Intent to teach concerning the State of People after Death and yet I do Agree this Parable to set forth or prove that the common Opinion of the Jews at that time was correspondent to the Descriptions made in this Parable but I conceive withal that divers Particulars therein specified prove it to be a Jewish Conception of that
at my Tribulation Philem. v. 9. This Apostle was then Paul the Aged and a Prisoner of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 4.6 Paul says I am ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand Ver. 16. At my first Answer no man stood with me but all men forsook me but God stood with me and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion Philip. 4.14 The Philippians had sent a Present to supply St. Paul's Wants and in return he says Ye have well done that ye did communicate with my Affliction and supply my Wants and prays God to bless them for their so doing The several Texts thus collected seem to declare to us the State of St. Paul's Person at that time He was Paul the Aged a Prisoner under a necessitous and wanting Condition ready to be offered up by a dolorous Death having but lately escaped out of the Mouth of the Lion and that he lay continually under great Afflictions for the Church's sake and had the Care of all the Churches lying upon him All which Particulars considered our Apostle had great Reason to chuse Death rather than Life in all such Respects as did only concern himself for that by Death he should be delivered from the manifold Afflictions and Tribulations before-named and thereby attain a state of Rest and Blessedness in the Lord. Rev. 14.13 John heard a Voice from Heaven commanding him to write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them Rom. 14.8 Whether we live we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lord 's Chap. 8.35 Who shall seperate us from the Love of Christ Ver. 38. I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor any other Creature shall be able to seperate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus ' our Lord. Here we may observe Life and Death are made indifferent things to Believers such as seem neither to hinder nor further the State or Condition of them or to be either of them greatly desired by Christians in this World but rather ought to be referr'd to the Will and Appointment of God Luk. 20.38 God calls Himself The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and yet the Text says He is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him Which to my Apprehension proves what before is said That whether we live or die we are the Lord's during Life we live and move in Him and when we die we rest and sleep in Him in expectation to be raised by Him at his Second Coming And from the Premises I Argue That all Mr. W's Suppositions and Surmises concerning the Soul and the Seperate State of it are ill grounded and unsound We read of many Persons whose Conditions were so much distress'd that with Job they have heartily desir'd Death and would be ready with him to dig for it as other Men would do for hidden Treasure the very Aged and Sickly one of which I am will easily be perswaded to think Death a Gain to them and to desire it accordingly The present Time affords a rare Example of a young rich and otherwise happy Lord who by a Pistol Bullet took away his own Life at the Bath meerly to rid and free himself from such sharp Pains of the Gout and Stone as then oppress'd him And daily Experience assures us that the Consideration and Hope of Death is one of the greatest Supports under Mens present Sufferings and is by such Persons accordingly desired and thus they are at apparent Agreement with St. Paul's Opinion That for them to die is Gain although their Expectations of future Happiness may be nothing so well grounded as his was It may be also observed I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better Not saying He desir'd to depart that he might be with Christ but that though he did depart he knew he should still be with Christ so as his Departure and being with Christ do both stand well together he had a Being with Christ whil'st he was alive and he doubted not of having a like Being with Christ when he was dead and that a more peaceable and quiet Being than he had whil'st he was here and therefore that Estate was the more desirable and the more gainful If a Person go to his Friends or his Father's House he may truly he said to be with such a Friend or Father either sleeping or waking and we know Death is compared to a Sleep the Scripture usually calls it so and really and truly it is no other but a sound and lasting Sleep to continue unto the Sound of the last Trumpet at whose Summons the Dead shall be raised and those who are alive upon Earth shall have their Persons changed St. Paul does not say that he or any other Person is more present with the Lord when dead than alive but that in both Estates Men are alike present with the Lord For If we live we live unto the Lord and if we die we die unto the Lord so as whether we live or die we are the Lord 's Neither Death nor Life can seperate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus So it seems whether we live or die we are alike with Christ and have no more Being with him dead than when alive but that in both these States we have alike Being with him This Exposition of St. Paul's present Text I conceive to be sound and true and that Mr. W's is Erroneous For that this my Construction applies St. Paul's Terms of I and Me to denote and intend his whole Person as in their proper Signification they do whereas Mr. W. applies them to signifie only one Part of his Person viz. our Author's sort of Soul concerning which our Dispute is Whether there is any such thing in the World or not Next Mr. W. takes up the Bulk of his Argument in a Discourse concerning the Soul its Seperate Subsistence after Death and its enjoying Happiness in that Estate whereas in St. Paul's whole Text there are no words which mention any of these things or give us any Information concerning them or any of them I leave therefore his Construction as a Mistake of the Apostle's Meaning and think I have Reason to conclude That Mr. W's Argument drawn from this Text is not a sufficient nor a good Argument to prove the Subsistence of the Soul in a State of Seperation from the Body The Thirteenth Argument PAge 100. Colos 1.19 20. It pleased the Father that in him should all Fulness dwell and having made Peace through the Blood of the Cross by him to reconcile all things to himself by him I say whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven P. 101. Mr. W. says There were Souls of Men in Heaven when St. Paul
will have the Scheme now chang'd for what should dead Carcasses says he do with Robes and therefore those which at first sight appear'd to be dead Carcasses he sets now at full Liberty and in a Capacity to receive triumphant Robes And upon this Foundation he builds his Argument and says if the Souls of the Martyrs are triumphing in Joy and Glory then are they not Mortal nor did die with their Bodies but the Souls of the Martyrs are triumphing in Heaven in proof whereof he says Those which had white Robes given them are triumphing in Heaven but the Souls of the Slain had white Robes given them therefore they are triumphing And thus he proceeds in this Argument as he hath done in the four or five last before he makes Construction of his Text upon Conjectures then Collects from such Constructions what he thinks will best serve his Turn and makes sueh Inferences thereupon as he pleases First he says The Souls which were seen under the Altar were dead Bodies and this I see to be only his own Conjecture Next he says That between the Souls crying out and their being rewarded with white Robes the Souls were drawn from under the Altar and set at Liberty and then received their white Robes and remained triumphing in Glory I know not what other Ground he had for these Assertions save his own Conjectures only and I think there is no manner of Ground for either of them conceiving that there was no Reality in this Vision neither Altar nor Souls nor dead Bodies nor Robes but that these were all Symbolically represented to St. John in a Trance or Transport of his Mind and therein we may find verified the Old Proverb saying of Nullum simile est Idem for as these things have some Similitude with what was intended to be represented so there are great Unlikelihoods of and Dissimilitudes between the things which were intended to be represented by them the Unlikeness or Dissimilitudes in this representation are principally three viz. First In the Vbi of these Souls or place where they were seen Secondly In their Habits or manner of Cloathing And Thirdly In the subject matter of their Prayers to God Their Vbi or place where John saw them was under the Altar we read Exod. 27.1 The Altar of Burnt Offerings was to be made five Cubits long and five Cubits broad which I conceive to be next our measure of three Yards square and three Cubits high a little more then one Yard and half high Vers 8. Hollow with Boards shalt thou make it and thou shalt overlay it with Brass and thou shalt make for it a Net work of Brass If we shall but a little consider the Nature and Darkness of such a little Hole as the hollowness of this Altar could afford it seems we cannot but stand convinced that Thousands of Souls cast or crouded into that dark Prison were far from enjoying such a state of Happiness as Men are commonly accustomed to ascribe to them and therefore Mr. W. takes upon him to set at Liberty without any Warrant from the Text for his so doing Secondly The Habits which the Text says were bestowed on them seems needless for Souls and specially for such Souls as were crouded together in that manner If they were loose Robes like Surplesses the Hole under that Altar could hardly contain the Thousands of such Robes which might happen to be used upon that Occasion and if they were close Robes and fitted to their Shapes I doubt it would puzzle all our Taylors and the large Invention of Mr. W. to find out Ways and Means of fitting our Souls with such Robes as might rightly be accommodated to the Shapes of such Spirits Thirdly The subject matter of the Prayers which these Souls offer'd to God seems very different from and somewhat opposite to the tenor of the Gospel Matth. 5. 44. Our Lord in his large Sermon on the Mount says Love your Enemies Bless them that Curse you do Good to them that Hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you 1 Cor. 4.12 Being Reviled we suffer it being Persecuted we bless and we find that what our Lord and his Disciples taught in this Point they practised Our Lord at his departure pray'd for his Persecutors Father forgive them for they know not what they do and St. Stephen in like manner at the time of his Death prayed Lord lay not this Sin to their Charge So as it seems this crying with loud Voices to God for Vengeance on their Persecucutors was contrary both to the Doctrine and Practice of the Gospel whence we may reasonably conjecture that the things related in this Text were not Real but Symbolical or Typical representing or shadowing such things as should be made known by that Prophesie for the declaring whereof I think fit to produce another Exposition which Mr. W. has before given us He says That by Souls in this Text we must understand dead Carcasses to be meant I say We must understand dead Persons to be meant it being very usual in Scripture to intend or signifie Persons by the Name or Term of Souls as when Jacob went down into Egypt the Persons of his Family are termed so many Souls and in St. Paul 's Voyage to Italy there were in the Ship that carryed him 276 Souls which in this place are express'd 40 by the Terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in our quoted Text by the same Term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I saw under the Altar the Souls of the Martyrs And hence I insist that the same Term or word of Souls which intends Persons in St. Paul's Voyage may very likely intend Persons in St. John's Vision and thence put into proper Terms it may be read I say under the Altar the Persons of them that were slain for the word of God And if this Sense may be accepted and the whole Vision taken for Typical the three fore-named Differences or Difficulties will be easily reconciled and made stand together To the first I say That by these Persons being under the Altar was intended to be Typified the State of those slain Persons and the Care which God had of them they were as safe in their Beings as if they had been lodged under guard of the Altar of Eâ—â—nt Offerings and were as near to God and as much under his Care and Protection as if they had lain in the Court of his Sanctuary and under the Shadow and Covert of his Holy Altar Secondly The white Robes which were given to each of them seem to Typifie as St. John expresseth it the Righteousness of Saints and the Innocence of their Lives upon Earth their Works having been washed and made clean with the Blood of the Lamb and as often as these came in remembrance before God the Persons might be said to receive white Robes every time that such Remembrance of them was renewed and the Rewards consequent thereunto Considered viz. their Acceptance
and Salvation at the General Day of Judgment Thirdly Concerning the Prayers or Cries of these Souls for Vengeance upon their Persecutors Mr. W. and I are hotb agreed that they made no other Cry in this Text then the Blood of Abel made to God for Vengeance on his Murtherer and I conceive there was no real Prayer or Cry in either of these Cases but that God himself had taken special Notice in both these Cases and that whensoever they came before him hy Remembrance or any sort of Re-presentation his Intention always continued firm to take Vengeance for those Facts upon all those who had therein acted and continued in such wicked Practices without Saving Repentance until the time of their Deaths I have Inclinations to think that this Exposition of our proving Text is more sound and true than that which Mr. W. hath before made of it and hence I think the Consequence will be very clear That Mr. W's Argument drawn from this Text is not a sufficient nor a good Argument to prove the Separate Subsistence of Souls The Eighteenth Argument PAge 118. Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them P. 119. Mr. W. says By Blessedness in this Text must needs be meant Happiness and all Happiness implies Joy and all Joy implies Life and when he has rais'd Blessedness in this manner he infers from the Word henceforth that it must Commence presently upon the death of the Person wresting the signification of the Words from Henceforth which do properly signifie from the time of that Prophesie to signifie the time of every Man's Death which I do not find to be mentioned or intended by the Text And he adds The meaning of the Text being thus opened he seems to direct his following Discourse only to those who will accept the true Sense of the Text to be as he hath opened it and to them he thus argues If the Dead in the Lord do from the time of their being dead commence a Blessedness not only in resting from their Labours but likewise in being rewarded for their Works then do they continue to live in some part of them which is their Spirits and consequently their Spirits die not with their Bodies but are Immortal P. 120. Mr. W. offers to us That this Blessedness is said by the Spirit to be given from the time of Mens Deaths this he collects from the signification of the Words from Henceforth as if that intended from the time of their Death's whereas it appears in this Text to intend no more but that from the time of this Prophesie the Dead which die in the Lord shall have a blessed Rest and their Works do follow them P. 121. Then Mr. W. pretends That the dead Saints do not only enjoy a blessed Rest but that they also enter upon and enjoy Rewards for their Works as soon as they are dead but I find no Ground for this Opinion in the Text but conceive he thought it was there because he had a great Mind it should be there as a thing that would have done him more Service than any thing that he can find in the Text besides Mr. W. says further If no Rewards of active Happiness and Joy followed immediately after Death it would be wonderful the Spirit of God should pronounce a Blessedness on such as die in the Lord above those who live on Earth in the Lord and this would be contrary to the Sense of all God's People and specially to the Sense of such as Administer Comfort to dying Persons from this Topick by telling them that immediately after Death their Souls shall by Angels be transported into Heaven or Paradise or Abraham's Bosome or some such Place where they shall not only be at rest but have present Joys and Happiness conferr'd upon them and I grant that if such Doctrine prove otherwise than true many Persons may have been deceived of their confident Expectations and more may still in future happen so to be And therefore I think it needful to take further Consideration and so make a stricter Scrutiny concerning the Truth of this Doctrine than in former Times and Ages hath been commonly done amongst Men. Mr. W. says He thinks there are none of God's People who would not rather chuse to live upon Earth tho' under Persecution then to die and be buried in the Earth He says it is evident That from the time of dying the Saints are blessed with Rewards for their Work as well as from their Labour I reply I am very sorry that I am not able to find in this Text an Argument or any of his former the thing which he says is so evident intending I presume to himself and some such other Persons as may be strongly fixed in his Opinion and Belief touching this Point concerning which and this Text I intend to make a little more large Examination The Words therefore are And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me write Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them I do not find in this Text any Words which signifie or import that Men shall be rewarded for their Works presently after Death otherwise than by a Blessed Rest from their Labours It is said indeed That their Works do follow them but there is no time mention'd when they shall overtake them And I desire Mr. W. and his Party from henceforth that they will cease from perverting the Sense of the Word from Henceforth in this Text by applying its Energy to the time of Mens Deaths whereas in the words of our Text it stands clearly apply'd to the time when this Prophesie was revealed to St. John and whereas Mr. W. says That none of Gods Saints upon Earth would willingly embrace Death but rather chuse a longer Life upon Earth altho' under a state of great Persecution if they did not expect Heavenly Rewards presently upon the death of their Persons and he says You shall never perswade People to a contented departure out of this World by telling them they shall presently enjoy a blessed Rest in the Lord and therefore they must be told of and perswaded to expect Glorious Rewards in Heaven presently after their passing out of this World I confess thereupon that Mens mistakes upon this Account may be very great and very universal but do by no means believe the first part of his Assertion viz. that there are no Saints or People upon Earth who are willing to accept of Death whensoever God shall appoint it to come upon them under a great contentment of Mind and the Satisfaction which they may receive from this Text That they shall have a blessed Rest in the Lord safe from all the Temptations and Tribulations of this World and from the Power and Malice of wicked Men
and Spirits expecting thereby to be delivered from Pains and Sicknesses Poverty Oppression Imprisonments Banishments and many other Miseries which during this Life may be inflicted upon them by outward and inward Maladies and Sufferings and then also to be set at Liberty and made free from all Temptations Allurements and Provocations to Sin which by the World and the wicked Men and Spirits of it may be offered to them And Lastly from the wicked Inclinations of their own Hearts and the traiterous and deceitful Dealing which they too often find therein subjecting them by strong Inclinations to prosecute that Nimium or excess of their Affections and Lusts to which all Mankind are strongly inclin'd by the bent of that Nature which I think God planted in them at the very Creation of our first Parents to such Ends and Purposes as are best known to his Godly Wisdom That some of the best of God's Servants have desired Death for the very Avoiding of Worldly Troubles and Sufferings may thus be proved Numb 11.15 Moses was very highly grieved with the bitter Complaints that the Jews made against him for bringing them out of Egypt into a Barren and Desolate Wilderness and expostulates thereupon with God That the Burthen of providing for all this People was too heavy for him so as he was not able to bear it and thereupon says to God If thou deal thus with me kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight and let me not see my Wretchedness 1 Kings 19.4 The Prophet Elijah received a Message from Jezebel that he should the next day be slain upon which Message he fled for safety of his Life into the Wilderness of Judah and there sat him down under a Juniper-Tree and requested of God for himself that he might die and said it is enough now O Lord take away my Life for I am not better than my Fathers Job 3.11 Job's Sufferings are famous in the World and need not be specified and this Text and Chapter evidences the great desire he had to obtain a speedy Death as the great Remedy for all his Sufferings He wishes to have died from the Womb for then says he should I now have lain still and been at quiet I should have slept then had I been at rest with Lords and Princes or as a hidden untimely Birth for the Great and Small are there there the wicked cease from Troubling there the weary be at rest wherefore is Life given to him that is in misery and bitterness of Soul which long for Death but it cometh not and dig for it more than for hidden Treasure which rejoyce exceedingly and are glad when they can find the Grave By these and the like Instances we may perceive that Death as a state of Rest is preferred by the best among Men before a state of Life subject to great Sufferings in this World and we find it not only to be desired by Men but to be promis'd and given by God with intent to prevent such worldly sufferings as would fall upon his Favourites if they should continue to live longer in the World Isaiah 57.1 The Righteous perisheth and no Man layeth it to Heart and merciful Men are taken away none considering that the Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come He shall enter into Peace They shall rest in their Beds each one resting in his Vprightness According to this Rule we find some Examples 1 King 14. Abijah the Son of Jeroboam was sick and God pronounceth by his Prophet that he shall die and that he only of Jeroboam in Peace shall Die be Buryed and Mourned for because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel After which a lamentable Affliction should fall upon the whole House of Jeroboam no other Person whereof should come to the Grave in Peace 2 Kings 22.20 Josiah received this Message from Huldah the Prophetess that God would bring great Miseries and utter Destruction upon the Jewish Nation of those times but that because he was in God's Favour God will gather thee unto thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered into thy Grave in Peace and thy Eyes shall not see all the Evil which I will bring upon this Place whence it seems God by his Death did intend him the Benefit of being delivered by Death from the greatest Sufferings and Calamities which were intended to fall upon his Kingdom soon after this time and which accordingly took Commencement from his Death Philip. 1.21 Paul says To me to live is Christ and to die is Gain and I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better yet my living in the Flesh is more needful for you and this put him in a strait which to chuse Death he knew was better for him but his Life might be more helpful to them And the reason why Death was better for him seems to have risen from the Troubles Wants and other Afflictions which he suffer'd in the World and yet had great assurance of a Blessed Rest in the Grave and that there was laid up for him a Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judge would give him at that Day and not to him only but to all those that love Christ's appearing and wait for his second coming and so Paul prays for one Onesiphorus that he may find Mercy of God in that day And so John 6. Our Lord repeats it four times That those who serve him shall be rais'd up to a state of Happiness at the last Day whence those who die in such a State or Condition are freed from the Labour of working out their own Salvation with Fear and Trembling and such as now think they stand from the Fear and Danger of falling And for these Reasons to die and to be with Christ in the Sense of resting or sleeping in him is better and more eligible than to live in Christ in the World and specially in an afflicted and suffering Condition And conclude from my Argument before rehearsed that the Eighteenth Argument or Mr. W. is not a sufficient nor a good Argument to prove the Souls Separate Subsistence P. 122. Mr. W. farther quotes Acts 1.25 The Apostles appointed two persons of their Company and cast Lots upon to decide which of them should be put into the Rank of the other Eleven Apostles and thereupon they prayed to God and said Thou Lord which knoweth the Hearts of all Men shew whether of these thou past chosen That he may take part of this Ministry and Apostleship from which Judas by Transgression fell that he might go to his own place And they gave forth thiir Lots and the Lot fell upon Matthias and he was numbred with the Eleven Apostles Mr. W. applies the Words that he might go to his own Place unto the Person of Judas which he says intends into Hell and not only into the Grave because every Man goes thither as well as he
Body so as instead of those days of Darkness which Solomon mentions the Spirit or Principle of Life in Man enjoys a greater light activity and freedom than it had before the Death of that Party whom it formerly inliven'd and acted And this if it be true seems directly contrary to that which Solomon in this Text hath affirmed There are days of darkness and many of them says the Text of Solomon Mr. W. says That at the death of the party or soon after good mens souls enjoy much more light liberty and glory than every they had before so as they seem to say the souls of good men have no dark days at all and therefore men that are jovial and merry need have no regard to such days of Darkness as Solomon in this Text gives them warning of And yet such men do not use to deny that a Solemn and General Judgment shall appear after those many days of Darkness shall be consummate and finished and therein they agree with Solomons Opinion altho concerning his days of Darkness they seem very much to differ from him but if his Opinion may prevail in this Case it offers a strong Objection against the Souls Seperate Subsistence Thus far Objections have been drawn out of the Old Testament and we now proceed to draw like Objections from the New A Sixth Objection thence to be raised I take from John 14. 2 In my Fathers House are many Mansions I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you again to my self that where I am there ye may be also Luke 21.26 The powers of Heaven shall be shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory and when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh viz. rewards for the Saints Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye appear with him also in glory 1 John 3 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is The Apostle knew whilst in this life that we are the Sons of God but he did not know what we shall be after death nor was that likely to be known till Christs appearing at his Second Coming and then he knew that the Saints should be made like Christ and appear with him in glory as Paul hath above asserted 2 Tim. 4.7 Paul says I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to them also that love his appearing The Crown it seems was laid up for him even whil'st he was alive but was not expected to be given him till the time of Christs second appearing and then it would also be given to all those who love and desire that appearing 1 Tim. 1.10 The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus the Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day He doth not pray that his Friend may find mercy at the time of his Death or at an Intermediate Judgment but at that great and last Day All these Texts have been quoted to give Evidence of the Time when Rewards and Punishments after Death are warrantably to be expected They all express the time thereof to be at our Lords Second Coming and the last Great Day of Judgment thereupon ensuing but make no mention of Recompences warrantably to be expected soon after the times of mens Death or in any Intermediate State between Death and the Resurrection Nor hath the Scripture that I find any mention in other places of Recompences to be distribuâ—ed in such an Inâ—ermediate State except in Parables and Trances only I have in this Objection repeated two Texts out of which Mr. W. made Objections singly against his own Opinion but I have linked them together and strengthened them with other Texts of Scripture of the like import quia vis unita fortior Concerning Mr. W's Texts I pretend here to examine the Answers which he hath singly given to each of them To the Text of our appearing with Christ in Glory he answers and grants That the appearance here spoken of intends that of the Last Judgment for till then the Saints cannot be said to appear in Glory with Christ and yet says he they may be in Glory with Christ tho' they do not appear in such Glory to Men. I reply That tho they do not appear in such Glory to Men yet if there be truly such a thing as he maintains they do appear in Glory before God and the Angels and Spirits of Just Men made perfect and therefore may truly be said to appear in Glory which St. Paul says they do not till Christs second Coming and appearing in Glory Mr. W. says His sort of Souls may appear in Heaven in Glory before that time but it lies upon him to make some proof that they do so which he neither offers nor I think is able to perform and therefore I think his Answer to this Text is of small weight The other Text to which he makes an Answer is that of Paul's expecting a Crown to be given him at that day or the time of the Last Judgment and he grants that the time intended by the word That Day is that of the Last Judgment and says thereupon What then It follows not thence that therefore there are not Souls in glory before that time for Kings may reign before they receive their Crown and Scepter and so shall we be Kings and Priests in our Souls unto God in the Heavens This Mr. W. pretends to say out of his own fruitful Invention without offering any Proof of our being Kings and Priests in Heaven to God in our bare and naked Souls only for neither any of our before quoted Texts do mention such things nor are they to be found in any other Text of Scripture whatsoever except the Vision appearing to St. John when he was intranced for the Parable of Dives makes no mention of being in Heaven or the Preferment of being Kings and Priests to God or in his presence and therefore I am ready to reject this device or fancy of Mr. W's brain and to conceive that all our quoted Texts are true according to the common sense of their words Mr. W. father says There are no words or syllables in this Text that deny intervening Rewards to the Saints before that day which it must have done before it could serve his Opposers purpose Thereunto replying I say there seems to be no need of such a Denial for that if God or Man promise to give Rewards or Punishments at an appointed time
there is no need to express they will not give such things at other times nor can there be a warrantable expectation of them at other times except such a thing be also expresly declared which is not done in this or these Texts or any other 〈◊〉 Texts of Scripture which I can find and therefore I think Mr. W's Answer to this Objection is clearly insufficient and as such I leave it and proceed further to object against Mr. W's Opinion from all the Texts last before quoted I say then that all these Texts concur strongly in their Evidence That the Resurrection and Last Judgment are the time when all men may warrantably and certainly expect to be rewarded or punished according to their Works and Actions in this World because that is evidently declared by a strong concurrence of Scripture Testimonies and because there is no other time plainly declared in any other Text of Scripture when men may warrantably expect such recompences after their Departures out of this World and thence I conceive the Texts before quoted are a strong Objection against the Expectation of Rewards or Punishments being given to the Souls of Dead Persons immediately after their Departures out of this World A Seventh Objection I make in the same manner that Mr. W. hath put his Seventh Objection against his own Doctrine Where he says If the Souls of Men past their Tryal as soon as they are dead what needs any other day of Judgment Will Christ try Men after Sentence To this Objection Mr. W. says I have proved already The Souls of Men cannot be kill'd and so cannot die and that the Souls of Men at death do return to the Lord and other things relating to its partial Judgment which it shall receive To this I reply His proof of the Souls not dying remains sub judice his Text that the Soul returns to God proves not its going before him for Judgment and for proof of his partial Judgment he hath produc'd no Text of Scripture at all nor do I think a Text that so proves can be quoted out of the Bible Mr. W. proceeding asks Who art thou that reasonest against God wilt thou teach God how he shall govern the World or what Judgments he shall use upon Men It is enough that God hath intimated his Will there shall be such Judgments and we are humbly to believe he hath reason for his so doing although our shallow brains cannot comprehend it To this I reply That I am ready to do as Mr. W. directs viz. That if God do declare to us his mind and intnet to have divers and different Trials and Judgments of Men I am ready to submit to the belief thereof altho I am not able to apprehend the congruity or reason thereof But Mr. W's Answer sets out no proof at all of Gods design or meaning to pass such several Trials and Judgments upon Men as he supposes nor doth his whole Book give us good proof thereof and himself doth not require men to believe that God proceeds in ways not congruous to the Reasons of Men except God doth somewhere declare that he doth or will do so Whereas Mr. W. hath no otherways proved Gods Will so to do then from his own Expositions Collections Inferences and Conclusions which all seem to be the proper fruits of his own Invention Upon which the Old Rule must take hold Posito quolibet sequitur quidlibet and so if we suffer him to lay the Cards he will always deal them to his own advantage but I have no inclination to bear with such dealing and therefore do reject his Answer to this Objection as infirm and insufficient Well but then says Mr. W. If this Answer will not satisfie you I doubt not but the righteous Judge will satisfie you of the reason of that Great Day notwithstanding particular judgments upon Men and the spirits of Men before that Day I find no manner of proving force in these words of Mr. W's they seem rather a Threat than a Proof and a product rather of his own Will than of his Knowledge or a reasonable Inference from any Text of Scripture Lastly he bids his Opposers be silent least God reprove them And having made this Reply to his Answer I am content to be silent and proceed no father thereupon but as to the Incongruity charg'd by the Objection upon Mr. W's Opinion I say that it seems very incongruous to my Reason that God should call Men to a Solemn Tryal at their Deaths and there pass Judgment and award Execution thereupon and after they have long continu'd in this condition then to call them to a new Tryal and give another Judgment upon them with a like award of Execution on as before this seems a very unlikely Proceeding of God towards Men and yet if Mr. W. or any of his Partakers have proved or can prove from any plain or clear Text or Texts of Scripture that God will use this Course of Proceeding amongst Men I am ready to submit my own reason and opinion thereunto but not to the many words or conjectures which Mr. W. farther offers in his Answer to this Objection We read Mat. 25. Our Lords Sentence at the Last Judgment runs thus Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels not saying Return ye blessed unto the happy Mansions of Heaven from whence ye came or Return ye cursed into those dark and dreadful Regions where ye were before but come ye and go ye to such Places and Regions as it seems probable they were not acquainted with before whence it seems inferrable that those Intermediate Tryals Judgments and Executions which Mr. W. maintains have something of the Chimerical and Imaginary without having that real truth in them which Mr. W. and his Party endeavour to maintain and the Objection before made against them seems strong enough to shake and oppose their Pretensions An Eighth Objection I raise from 1. Cor. 15.12 If Christ be Preached that he rose from the Dead how say some among you that there is no Resurrection of the Dead but if there be no Resurrection of the Dead then is Christ not risen and if Christ be not risen then is the Christian Religion both vain and false vers 18. and then they also which are faln asleep in Christ are perished vers 32. If after the manner of Men I have fought with Beasts at Ephesus what advantageth it me if the Dead rise not Let us eat and drink for too morrow we die Then the Apostle finds fault with Communications which call in Question the Belief of the Resurrection of the Dead vers 52. At the last Trump the Dead shall be raised Incorruptible and we who are then alive shall be changed and then shall Death be swallowed up in Victory vers 58. And therefore my beloved Brethren be ye
Body containing therein such Blood Humors and Organs as are needful for the production and perfection of Life and all the Faculties and Powers of a humane Person whose Blood and Humors will then be apt for kindling into a Flame or glowing of the Blood by such a moderate Breath as Ezekiel was directed to call for to come from the four Winds and breath upon these newly formed Persons that they may live which done the newly formed Persons are thereby made living able to hear the Voice of the Son of God and at his Call to come out of their Graves and deliver themselves from the strong Bands of Death and such I conceive the rising of the Dead will be not a partial but a total Resurrection of the Person not first the Body rais'd and then an Intelligent Soul be injected thereinto for the Body cannot rise or come out of its Grave without a Spirit of Life or such a sort of Soul as is natural suitable and fitted for that Performance I do therefore reject the expression by him used viz. the Resurrection of the Body because it is no where used in the Scripture and because there is no such thing in Nature as that a Body should rise and live without a Soul what rises therefore is not only the Body but the Person which was dead a very like or his very same Person which before had died Mr. W. in the Conclusion of this Objection says to his Opposers that it is a strange Inference ye draw from this Text That because it is certain that Christ is risen that therefore the Souls of Men are mortal I reply This would be a very strange Inference indeed if his Opposers either said so or thought so but they profess to do neither the one nor the other but this they do say and believe that if the Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection of the Dead be not both true then all those who are fallen asleep tho' never so good are perished and consequently that the Souls of Men have not a Seperate Subsistence after the death of the Person and thus I finish my Reply to Mr. W's Answer given to this Objection and proceed to the giving concurrent Evidences from the Texts before quoted for strengthning the force of this my Eighth Objection Our Apostle having finish'd this Text goes on in the same Chapter to Vers 32. And there says If after the manner of Men I have fought with Beasts at Ephesus what advantageth it me if the Dead rise not Let us eat and drink for too Morrow we die Which sayings I think may be thus rightly Paraphrased Whatsoever Sufferings I undergo for Christ's sake in this World they will advantage me nothing if the Dead rise not and then we need no more in this World but to eat and drink and die and there 's an and of us And if this Saying be true and the very meaning of our Apostle in this Text I think it gives a fatal blow to the Seperate Subsistence of Souls and yet our Apostle proceeds further in this Chapter to Verse 52. Where he says The Trumpet shall sound and the Dead shall be rais'd uncorruptible and we who are then alive shall be changed and the last Verse of this Chapter he adds Therefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know your Labour is not in Vain in the Lord for I have given you as certain Proofs as Faith can desire that there shall be a General Resurrection of the Dead at which time all People shall be rewarded or punished according to their Works Heb. 11.35 The Saints indured great Persecutions and Torments not accepting Deliverance from them because they expected a better Resurrection Luke 14.14 When thou makest a Feast do not only bid thy Friends and rich Neighbours who are likely to make thee a Recompence but bid also the Poor the Maimed the Lame and the Blind who cannot Recompense thee and therefore for thy so doing thou shalt be Recompensed at the Resurrection of the Just And now I demand one Text of Scripture to be produced where it is said That Men for their good Works done in this World shall be Recompensed at or soon after their Deaths I know of no Text that declares this to us or from which it can with clear Reason be collected and therefore I say that the Reason given us why our Labour shall not be in Vain in the Lord is because there shall certainly be a Resurrection from the Dead and after that a Judgment wherein every Person shall be rewarded according to his Works and upon these Grounds I am ready to conclude that this my Eighth Objection strongly batters and assaults and even overthrows the Opinion of the Souls Seperate Subsistence A Ninth Objection against Mr. W's Opinion I raise from 1 Thess 4.13 Where St. Paul says I would not have you to be ignorant Brethren concerning them that are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him and so goes on describing the manner and effects of the Resurrection of the Dead adding Comfort one another with these Words I offer this for you Comfort that there shall certainly be a Resurrection of the Dead wherein your dead Friends also shall rise again and I would have you make this a Comfort to you concerning both your dead Friends and your dying Selves advising you to repose your hopes thereupon and to comfort your selves and one another with your Discourses and Communications concerning it Our Apostle appears here comforting the Hearts of his Correspondents against the sufferings of Death either by their Friends or by themselves and takes his ground of Comfort in such Cases from our assured Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Dead and thereupon I observe that he doth not ground and Hope or Comfort upon the Souls Seperate Subsistence or its going to Heaven immediately after Death which gives me a firm ground of perswasion that he either did not know of this Opinion or he did not believe it for if he had believed this Doctrine to be true I think he could not have forgotten or forborn to give his Disciples Comfort from that Topick because such Comforts would have been much nearer than those which he derived from the Doctrine of the Resurrection and would have been both a more short and sure way to that Salvation and future Happiness which Men desire and therefore if St. Paul had believed this Doctrine to be true I think he could have no reason for his balking it in this place but in congruity of Reason must have said Brethren comfort your selves against Sorrows for your Friends Deaths and the fear of your own by considering the happy State of those which die in the Lord for that their Spirits or Souls immediately
so faint as that in such Persons there need no Nutriment in a long time for restoring the waste of Blood in such Persons but in ordinary ways of living our Experience assures us that if the daily waste of Blood be not supplied by Nourishment sutable to the Consumption thereof the Person must diminish in his Strength and Vigor and finally perish and die for want of such sustenance as should restore the stock of the wasted Blood and furnish the several parts with such moisture and refreshment as thereunto shall be absolutely needful and required We find an Instance of this Condition in David's Acts when he came to Ziklag his Servants found an Egyptian in the Field starved and at the next Door to Death for he had neither eaten nor drink in three Days and Nights before but upon administring fresh Sustenance to his wasted Spirits they became restored in great measure to their former Activity which I conceive happen'd to him as it may do in the case of a Lamp whose Oyl is spent and exhausted the Light will first grow dim and be ready to fail and be extinguished but being refreshed by more Oyl administred to it it will soon recover the Flame and Light which it had before The Text says When this Man had eaten the Spirit came again to him In like manner it is related of Sampson his being ready to die for thirst but as soon as he had drank of the Water which issued from his Jaw-bone that Text says his Spirit came again and he revived I conceive those Places to be parallelled with that Text of 1 Kings 17.22 Where in raising the Widows Son Elijah prayed Lord let this Childs Soul come into him again and the Spirit of the Child came into him again and he revived I conceive that the coming again of these three Spirits as they are express'd in very like words so they were all of a like nature the Spirits of the two former were not quite extinguished as that of Elijah's Child was but upon the revival of them all it is said their Spirits came to them again which I think may signifie the rekindling or recontinuing of that Flame of Life in their Blood which we call the Vital Flame and whereby the Humane Machine or Microcosme is put in motion and acted so long as it pleases God to continue Life unto it in the Case of the Egyptian at Ziklag we may perceive that presently upon the coming of his Spirit to him again the Activity and Use of all his Sensations returned instantly to him so as he could not only move hear see c. but his Understanding and Memory became apt and ready for Service as before whence I think we may reasonably collect that the Original of Acting and Understanding may proceed from the Activity and Motion of the Blood and the inflamed particles thereof which together with Life and Motion produce the Sensations Affections Understandings and Memories of Men. And having thus propounded and in some measure proved that Blood Breath and Nutriment are all absolutely necessary for continuance of the Life of Man so as he cannot long abide in Life without the continual assistance of every one of them I pretend to apply them to those different sorts of Spirits about which we are now disputing and therein if we shall proceed and make application of them to the Extraneous telligent and Seperate Spirit which Mr. W. maintains to be the Spirit of Life in Man I think we must find that all these three Natural Incidents to the life of Man have no coherence at all with such a Spirit but are very incongruous with the Being and Nature of it because that forasmuch as we know concerning the nature of such a Spirit Nutriment seems not to be necessary for the Subsistence thereof and much less do Breath and Blood or the Spirits of it seem pertinent or appliable to the nature of such an Intelligent Spirit and therefore if such a Spirit were truly the Spirit of Life in Man the three materials before mentioned as natural and inseperable Incidents to the continuance of Man's Life should not be so absolutely necessary for that design as by daily Experience they are found to be but if we shall now turn to the other side and make Application to that Superfine yet Material and Unintelligent Spirit which before hath been described we must find that there will be a true and real necessity of the three before-named Natural Incidents for the Support Supply and Continuance of its Activity and of Life its self so as by this Hypothesis the Phaenomena of nature in Man are more clearly answered and may be better solved than can be done by applying these Natural Incidents to a Seperable Intelligent and Extraneous Spirit in Man and I therefore conclude it more probable that the Spirit of Life in Man is rather Material and Unintelligent than that it is an Intelligent and Seperable Spirit such as Mr. W. and his Partakers maintain the same to be A Second Objection from Nature against Mr. W's Opinion I raise from the further Consideration of the Humane Person and more particularly from the Bodily Organs thereof and say thereupon that God or Nature hath so framed and fitted every one of them as they are wonderfully apt for those Offices which they were intended to perform of which for Example we may name the Eyes and Tongue which are admirably framed and fitted for their several Offices so as the Spirit of Life is by means of these Instruments able to perform such Actions as Nature intended them for and yet the Perfection or Defects in those performances seem not so much to depend upon that Spirit which informs and acts them as upon the structure soundness and perfection of the Organs themselves Without such Organs the Man can neither see nor speak but when the Organs are sound and perfect the owner can use them as perfectly as any other can ordinarily do but if there be any Obstruction in the Optick Nerves or in those which act the Tongue the Spirit of Life in the Owner can act them no otherways than they are still capable of for the Tongue will lisp stammer stop struggle and blutter do the Man and his Spirit of Life what they can for the rectification of such Infirmities and so will the Eyes be purr-blind double or treble sighted weak dim and blindish do the Owner and his Spirit of Life what they can for the Recovery and rectifying of them so as the Spirit of Life can act the Organ to no higher a Degree of perfection than the soundness and rectitude of the Organ it self will bear nor act it in other manner than it is fit and capable at that time to be acted and I conceive that the principal perfection of the faculties of Secing and Speaking lies more in the sound State and activity of the Organ than in the power and energy of that Spirit which acts them and yet
Freedom and the Doctor confesses it to be true and that the Soul as Immaterial as he supposes her cannot act without Material Assistance of the Phansie Memory and other Sensitive Powers and apparent it is neither the Man nor the Soul can act any thing without the Spirits of the Blood P. 126. The Doctor sets down three Moral Arguments proving the Souls Immateriality and Immortality 1. The Universal consent of Men to this Opinion 2. Man's Innate and Inseperable Appetite of Immortality 3. The Justice of God in rewarding good Men and punishing the Evil after Death Upon the first Argument he quotes Cicero's saying Omni in re Consensio omnium gentium lex naturae putanda est to this Rule I answer that if it should be admitted for a Rule yet there are many Exceptions to be made out of it and therefore I cannot admit it to have a binding force in this Case and to the Doctor 's Assertion of Universal Assent to the Souls Immortality by which he would prove it a Conception Natural to the Mind of Man I answer that a Conception so proving must be as Universal in Time as in Places or Persons but we do not Read or find that the Opinion of the Souls Immortality had a Being in the World or was known amongst Men before the Writings of Solomon because that in the Thousands of Years before his time we meet with no mention of that Opinion neither amongst the Patriarchs nor the Mosaical Writings nor any of the Prophets before Solomon's time nor do Job or David make any mention thereof We Read God laid great Punishments upon Cain for his Murther which was of great Importance in that time of the World and a very atroceous Fratricide and yet we do not Read of so much as a Threat against the Soul of Cain or any thing there spoken concerning Punishments future to this Life but all the Punishments denounced to him for that Fact were only Temporal and of this World nor do I find any Punishments future to this Life denounced against Sinners until the Books of Solomon became extant in the World save what was taken from the invention of some Poets which might be received in the World somewhat before his time And hence I infer That the Notion of the Souls Immortality is not Natural because for some Thousands of Years from the Worlds beginning that Notion was not received or known amongst Men. P. 131. The Doctor 's Opposer says the Opinion of the Souls Immortality is very Useful in Government for that audacious Malefactors who are not moved by the whole Arm of the Civil Magistrate will yet tremble at the Finger of Divinity P. 133. It is possible and Experience shews it frequent that an Opinion may be Universal possessiing the Minds of all Men for many Ages together without Dispute which yet at length may be Discovered to be False and Absurd as hath been Experienc'd in the Opinion of the Antipodes and the Circumvolution of the Earth both which till of late Years were held Unreasonable and Phantastical and perhaps this of the Souls Eternity may have the same Fate P. 134. Our Doctor says That to prove an Opinion derived from Nature there is required an Assent of all Ages from the beginning of the World To this I say The Opinion of the Souls Immortality hath not such a Consent and that such a Consent neither hath been or can be proved and that therefore the Opinion it self is not proved derivable from Nature or the Instinct thereof The Doctor says further That from the Antiquity Universality and Perpetuity of any Opinion we may safely conclude upon the Verity of it Hereunto I answer That the Opinion of the Suns Diurnal Motion about the Earth had a greater Antiquity and as great an Universality and hath still as strong a Perpetuity as that of the Souls Immortality either ever had or yet hath notwithstanding all which the Learned World begins now to perceive that it was always and is still an Error P. 138. Here the Doctor begins to produce and urge his second Moral Argument for the Souls Immortality from the Desires Men have of Perpetuity and Living after their Deaths either in their own proper Beings or in the Memories of such as survive their Departures To this I answer That if they desire a Perpetuity of their own Being after Death it seems they desire that which they cannot attain as all Men may and do desire a Perpetual Youth Health and Prosperity Nature and Reason both assure us that no Man doth or can desire a perpetual or a long Life under great Pains and Sufferings but a Life with Happiness is very acceptable to all Men and therefore they do not desire Life alone but as it is joyn'd with expectation or hope of Happiness and hence I collect that the much greater part of Mankind which the sinful World knownly are do not desire a future State of Life after Death but rather that there were no Being for them after this Life and would very much wish to be forgotten both by God and Men and therefore a Perpetuity of Being is not desired or so much desirable as our Doctor pretends it to be whence I conceive the Doctor 's Argument drawn from this Topick hath but little Force or Cohersion in it and not Strength enough to compel or even to draw Men to a Coherence with the Doctor in his Opinion of the Souls Immortality P. 145. Here the Doctor propounds his Third Moral Argument for proving the Souls Immortality and raises it from God's Divine Justice and his Equitable Dealings with Men and says it is commonly observ'd wicked Men prosper better in this World than the Righteous usually do and consequently that such Men are not rewarded according to their Works whilst they live and therefore God's just dealing with Men cannot be defended without allowing and believing a State of Rewards and Punishments after Death and from hence saith the Doctor it must unavoidably follow that Rewards and Punishments will be distributed to Men after their departures out of this Life To this I answer That I agree to all that the Doctor hath here delivered the Doctor replies if you so do you must likewise agree to the Doctrine of the Souls Immortality or the Seperate Subsistence of it for the Body after Death is not capable of receiving Reward or Punishment it must therefore be the Soul alone unto which such Rewards and Punishments can be applied Our Doctor not once mentioning or appearing at all to think upon the last Articles of our Creed I believe the Resurrection of the Dead and the Life Everlasting which seems to my Understanding a sort of Proof that he and the greatest part of those who believe and maintain the Souls Immortality are very little mindful of our quoted Article The Resurrection of the Dead insomuch as the Conceit of this Immortality seems to have eaten up and devoured the Article before-named with the Use and
stedfast always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your Labour is not in Vain in the Lord the Resurrection of the Dead being thus certainly and undoubtedly proved to you you must be stedfast and unmoveable in your Religion knowing that your Labour is not in Vain in the Lord. In Mr. W's Thirteenth Objection against his own Opinion he propounds it thus our Opponents alledge vers 18. of this Chapter inferring that if there be no Resurrection Then those who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished which they say could not follow if there were any state of a Blessed Life for a Seperate Soul for that tho' there were no Resurrection of the Dead yet Souls already in Heaven should still be happy there and not be perished for want of a Resurrection of the Person To this Mr. W. answers That in the course of this Text St Paul intends to prove the Resurrection of Christ and to teach that if his Resurrection was not true then all those who are fallen asleep in Christ should be perished There Mr. W. says thus now to prove that Christ was risen which was the Antecedent of the Apostles Argument he argues either Christ is risen or we have been preachers of what is Vain and false and then those who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished Hereunto I reply That we do not read in this or any other Text that there was a Dispute among the Corinthians about the Resurrection of Christ but that it was both preached and believed amongst them that he was risen from the Dead and from that Established and Undoubted Truth the Apostle inferrs the Resurrection of the Dead and says the one of them is as true as the other but if there be no Resurrection of the Dead then is Christ not risen and if these be not both true then all Christian Religion is vain and false and those who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished This sort of arguing seems to suppose a possibility that those who are fallen asleep in Christ may be perished which were a vain supposal if their Separated Souls did still subsist and were Immortal because that whether there be a Resurrection or not a Resurrection and whether Christ were risen or not risen yet Seperate Souls would still have a Subsistence and not be perished as here our Apostle supposes they would be if the Resurrections so preached to the Corinthians were not true So as our Apostles Expression seems not well to agree with Mr. W's Opinion of the Souls Seperate Subsistence but it is at full agreement with the material Opinion who maintain as St. Paul doth that if there be no Resurrection then all hope of Recompences future to this Life are Vain and those who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished Mr. W. says farther There is no Way or Means for expiation of your Sins and removal of the Curse besides the Death of Christ I say we are taught by this Text that his Death would avail us nothing without his Resurrection and our Resurrection also Then Mr. W. quotes if Christ be not risen the Wrath of God still abides on you and says this is spoken because his Resurrection was to be the Evidencing Sign among the rest that his Death was accepted of the Father for that end he professes to lay it down which was to expiate our Sins I say he professeth to lay it down that he may take it up again and he was convinced that it would be accepted of his Father before he laid it down and then he rose again for our Justification rather than as a Testimony that his Death was accepted of the Father of which there was before no doubt at all Mr. W. goes on and says He denies that the Apostle â—ntends by these Reasonings to prove immediately the Resurrection of all Men but only as their Resurrection comes in upon the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the only thing in these Verses now named that the Apostle was proving To this I reply That the Resurrection of the Dead and the Doubt which some Men had thereof is the principal and only Question which I conceive to be disputed of in this Text for we do not read of doubt made by any Man concerning the Resurrection of Christ for Christ was preached to the Corinthians and that he rose from the Dead and this Doctrine was receiv'd and believ'd by the Corinthians and yet some of them denyed the general Resurrection of the Dead and to convince those Unbelievers of their Error the Apostle tells them that the general Resurrection of the Dead is as true and certain as the Resurrection of Christ was and therefore I think the main scope of St. Paul was to convince the doubting Corinthians and to prove the general Resurrection of the Dead and which of us two have the Right in this Point shall be referred to the Judgment of such Readers as will consult St. Paul's Text thereupon Mr. W. says further to his Opposers the manner of the Apostles Argument is not as ye conceive That if the Bodies of the Saints do never rise then ye are in your Sins and those that are dead in Christ are perished Replying thereunto I say that I know none of his Opposers who argue in such a manner as he hath imposed upon them nor that examine or consider the Resurrection of the Body because we do not find in the whole Tenor of the Bible that expression of the Resurrection of the Body It is true that as we now use the Apostles Creed in English we find there mention'd the Resurrection of the Body but clearly we therein depart from our Originals of that Creed both in the Greek and Latin Languages the Greek calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin calls it Resurrectionem Carnis the true English of both which Expressions is the Resurrection of the Flesh and after that manner I think it ought to be mended in our English Translations or Creed Whence it seemeth not to follow that the Body should be first raised and then a Substantial Intelligent Spirit ab extra should be put into it but that such raising shall be like the first formation of Adam and the covering of Ezekiels dry Bones with Flesh and Skin and the filling them with Blood and Humors apt to be kindled and inflamed by such a moderate Wind or Breath as may be breathed upon them or into them for kindling the flame of Life in their vital Parts thence to be communicated to all the rest of their Bodies John 5.28 The Hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done Good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done Evil to the Resurrection of Damnation The manner after which Persons so raised shall come forth seems to be by forming the Flesh Bones Arteries Veins Nerves and Sinews into the shape of a humane
upon parting from their Bodies either return to God who gave them and are received into Heaven and Happiness or they shall be carried by Angels into Abraham's Bosom and there enjoy at least a blessed Rest from their Labours and all future Sufferings I doubt not but that the Divines of our time would readily have administred such Comforts as these to the Friends of dead People or even to the dying Persons themselves but in our quoted Text we find St. Paul did not so proceed with his Correspondents upon this like Occasion for the only Comfort which thereupon he propounds to them is drawn from the Doctrine of the Resurrection which in this Place he somewhat at large delivers as knowing that to be sufficient for Mens Comfort in such Cases without remembring or believing our late comfortable Doctrine or Opinion of the Souls going to Heaven immediately after Death and hereupon I conclude that this Doctrine was either not known to him or not believed by him and that therefore it is an Error and no certain Truth or the very Truth of God A Tenth Objection against Mr. W's Opinion I raise from the concurrent Testimonies of many Scripture Texts referring the expectation of future Rewards or Punishments looked for after this Life unto the time of the Resurrection of the Dead and the Last Judgment without finding and such Expectation at the time of Men's Deaths referred to or mention'd in any Text of Scripture In the Catalogue of Mr. W's own Objections he hath made this the Sixth and propounds it thus The Scriptures say my Opposers do frequently make mention of the Great and General Day of Judgment and refer all the Rewards of the Saints to that Day and so all the Punishments of the Wicked therefore the Souls of Men die with their Bodies as being uncapable of Rewards or Punishments till then To this Objection he answers concessively and says I do partly acknowledge the first part of what ye say that Scriptures do frequently make mention of that great Day and again that the greatest Rewards and Punishments are reserved to that Day but I deny the later part of what ye say because the Scripture speaks of the Spirits of just Men made perfect and of the Soul of the Thief being in Paradise that day he died and of the Spirit of every Man returning to God at Death to be dealt with according to what they did in the Body and this he says is enough to blunt the edge of his present Objection And hereunto I reply That what he hath said concerning the Spirits of just Men made perfect hath before been answered and so hath that of the Thief 's Soul being in Paradise that day and proved to be invalid Testimonies of the Souls Seperate Subsistence His Third Testimony of the Spirits returning to God seems to be mis-recited for the Text doth not say it returns to God to be dealt with according to what they did in the Body which Words he adjoins with as much Confidence to the Text as if they might be there found written and were part of the Text it self so as unwary and unexamining Readers might soon be mistaken thereupon In what manner and to what purpose Solomon might intend this return of Souls to God hath been before disputed and I still confide that Mr. W. and his Party will not be able to prove that these words of Solomon intended the Souls of dead Persons going before God to Judgment as here he hath without any hesitation deliver'd it And therefore I conclude that his Answer hath very little blunted the edge of our present Objection I observe it as an Art in Disputing that it may be advantageous to grant in an easie and transient fashion such Objections as Men find themselves utterly unable to answer and I think Mr. W. hath used this Art in transiently granting the first part of this Objection viz. That the Scriptures do frequently refer the expectation of Rewards or Punishments after this Life and unto the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment and whereas I have said before that there is no mention in Scripture of such Expectations at or soon after the time of Mens Deaths he gives us here three of the most pregnant Instances which he could find in Scripture for proving that Rewards and Punishments are bestowed by God at the time of Mens Deaths but the force of these Instances hath before been obstructed by those Answers which have been severally given them in their proper places I am not without some Temptation of drawing out of the Scripture a Catalogue of such Texts as do with great Evidence and Strength set forth and prove that the time of the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment are not alone the principal but the only times whereat or wherein Recompences future to this Life are warrantably and certainly to be expected by Mankind but because I have said much and quoted divers Texts of Scripture upon that Subject before and am now willing to save my self and my Reader the tedium of such a long Repetition I will refer the Examiners of this Objection unto those Texts which have before been quoted to that purpose and to such others as themselves may meet with upon the perusal of the Scripture And with this round number of Ten the Objections which I make against Mr. W's Opinion out of Scripture shall be finished Yet I farther intend to add thereunto two or three Objections against Mr. W's Opinion derived from Natural Reason and the Experiences of Men. And first I begin from the Nature and Composition of the Humane Person and thereupon I observe that there are three things principally and absolutely necessary for the Subsistence and Life of the Humane Person viz. Blood Breath and Nutriment and thereupon do agree with Moses that the Life the Animals is in the Blood or that the Blood is the Life thereof whose inflamed Particles are the Spirits which act the Person and as well the Head as the Members so long as Life continues in the Body Next to which the Breath hath a Principal and absolutely necessary Faculty and Power of fanning and inflaming such Particles of the Blood as are imployed in every part of the Body and for refrigerating the internal parts of the Body with a perpetual Refreshment which keeps the Paristaltick Motion always in action amongst the inward and most vital parts of the Body whence daily Experience assures us that by stopping of the Breath but for some few Moments the Spirit of Life in Man becomes absolutely suffocated and extinguished and without Breath no Humane Art or Power can prolong the Life of the Person or other Animal whatsoever Concerning Nutriment it is only so far necessary to the Life of the Creature as the Blood thereof wastes and is consumed by the Circular Continual Motion and the Inflammation thereof In some long continuing and weakening Diseases the Motion of the Blood hath been so weak and the Inflammation thereof