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the Pfalmift had an Eye to in our Text; and what we may properly enlarge our Thoughts upon.

THE Resurrection of the Dead is what we have now fuch Affurances, and Express Revelations of, as puts the matter out of all doubt. Who are plainly told, that the Hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves fhall bear the Voice of the Son of Man, and ball come forth: They that have done Good, to the Refurrection of Life; and they that have done Evil, to the Refurrection of Damnation *. And again, That all Nations fhall be gathered before him; fome ball be fet on his Right Hand, others on his Left; that the one shall go away into Ever lafting Punishment, the other into Life Eter➡ nal t.

BUT the chief and great difficulty here may seem to lie in proving that the Soul of a Saint does immediately enter into a state of Happiness as soon as the Body is dead: which if it do not, the peace of the Wicked is as great in a fecurity from

* John v. 28, 29. † Matth. xxv. latter end.

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all Disturbance, as that of the Righteous; for in the Grave they are equally at reft and if the Soul Sleep with the Body, they yet lie undistinguisht.

I cannot now ftay to form, and pro fecute the Arguments which have given fatisfaction to fome in this point; as drawn from God's calling himself the God of Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob four hundred years after their Death; and yet he is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living*, nor fhall I enlarge on thofe Words of our Saviour to the Thief on the Cross, this day fhalt thou be with me in Paradife t. Nor have I time to give you the full meaning of that Text in the Hebrews, where we read of the Spirits of Just Men made perfect. And unless we had leifure to explain thefe Scriptures, fo as to guard against the common Objections, which fome have started to overturn, and darken their direct and obvious Senfe; I reckon it the best way only thus to propose them to your Confideration.

Matth, xxii. 32 Luke xxiii. 43. | Heb. xii. 23.

THERE

THERE are two Paffages I would a little infift upon, to establish our Belief of this Truth; That the Soul of an Upright Holy Perfon enters iuto a peaceful happy State at the Death of the Body; and these are so much to the purpose, as to ferve instead of many. The one is that Prayer of Stephen, the firft Chriftian Martyr, when he was a Dying: Lord Jefus receive my Spirit. Which is a moft folemn commending his Soul to Chrift, when his Body was Ston'd to Death: And proves that it was something out of the reach of Man's Cruelty and Power to hurt or deftroy; confequently that it was a Being diftinct from the Body, and fhould exist after that was Murder'd; agreeable to what our Lord fpeaks, when he admonishes his Disciples not to fear them which can kill the Body, and after that have no more that they can do; but to fear him who is able to deftroy both Soul, and Body in Hellt. Nor does this only prove the feparate Existence of the Soul; leaving us still at a loss to know how it is difpos'd of when

Acts vii. 59. + Matth. xx. 28.

it goes from the Body, and during the time of its Separation. But we may certainly infer that the Soul of every Saint goes to Heaven; for it was there that Stephen faw Jefus, and with him he beg'd his Soul might be. Further, if He had only commended his Spirit to God to be laid up in a fafe, but infenfible State till the Refurrection, He defir'd no more for that, than he did for the Body; and would as well have faid, Into thy hands I commend my Body; as have pray'd, Lord Jefus receive my Spirit *.

BUT I would turn to another Paffage, which may give further Satisfaction in this matter: and feems to be out of the reach of any rational Evasion. We walk by Faith, and not by Sight, fays the great Apoftle: We behave our felves, not as thofe that are govern'd by sensible Objects, but as thofe that have a firm Belief

*The Atle Paul never thought it a matter of Dispute or Queftion, whether the Scal could alt, and think without the belp and infirumentality of the Body. For when be is fpeaking of his Vifions, and Extacies, he plainly tells us be knew not whether it was in the Body, or out of the Body, that he bad fich Revelations: reckoning the one as probable as the other, and neither of them unreajonable.

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and Expectation of a Life, and Happiness to come; which bleffed State we are confident of: and willing rather to be ABSENT from the BO DT; and PRESENT with the LORD. I would here ask any Man, only defiring he would not triflie, or play the fool in a Cafe of fuch Impor tance, what he can think is meant by be ing prefent with the Lord at the fame time that we are faid to be absent from the Body? Doubtless we must conclude that it is a living with God as Active, Intelligent Beings; for fuch we are in the Body, now absent from the Lord; therefore fuch we must be, when present with the Lord, and abfent from the Body: Befides it is fuch a being prefent with God, as the Apostle defires to leave this World for the fake of; which, confidering the useful Station he was in, and the extraordinary Inftances he had of the Divine Favour, and Loving-kindness in this Life; he would never have wish'd for, much less earnestly groan'd after, if he had once ima gin'd He fhould lie in a ftate of Inactivity.

* 2 Cor. v. 7, 8.

SO

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