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thoughts and counfels of his heart about us; and that counsel of his will, which is fo much celebrated in the fcriptures, and admired by his people, comes to nought. For this is evident to every man's confideration, that if the foul (which is the object about which all thofe counfels and thoughts of God were employed and laid out) fail in its being, all thofe thoughts and counfels that have been employed about it, and spent on it, must neceffarily fail and come to nothing with it. The thoughts of his heart cannot ftand faft, as it is faid, Pfal. xxxiii. 11. if the foul flide, about which they are converfant. In that day the elect foul perisheth, the eternal confultations and purposes of God's heart perish with it. Keckerman tells us, that “ * Alber"tus Magnus, with abundance of art, and the study of thirty

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years, made a vocal statue in the form of a man. It was a rare "contrivance, and much admired; the cunning Artist had fo "framed it, that by wheels and other machines placed within it, "it could pronounce words articularly." Aquinas being fur-` prized to hear the statue speak, was affrighted at it, and brake it all to pieces; upon which Albertus told him he had at one blow destroyed the work of thirty years. Such a blow would the death of the foul give to the counfels and thoughts, not of man, but of God, not of thirty years, but from everlasting.

If the fouls of men perish at death, either God never did appoint any fouls to falvation, as the fcriptures teftify he did,' 1 Thef. v. 9. or else the foundation of God ftands not fure, as his word tells us it doth, 2 Tim. ii. 19. So then this fuppofition overturns the eternal decrees and counfels of God, which is the first thing,

2. It overthrows the covenant of redemption betwixt the Father and the Son, before this world was made. There was a federal transaction betwixt the Father and the Son from eternity, about our falvation, 2 Tim. i. 9. Zech. vi. 13. In that covenant Chrift engaged to redeem the elect by his blood; and the Father promised him a reward of those his fufferings, Ifa. liii. 12. Accordingly he hath poured out his foul to death for them, finished the work, John xvii. 4. and is now in heaven,` expecting the full reward and fruits of his fufferings, which confift not in his own perfonal glory, which he there enjoys, but in the completeness and fulness of his mystical body, John xvii. 24..

*Albertus Magnus ftatuam hominis conftruxit, quæ cum libramentis quibufdam, rotis atque aliis machinis intra latentibus peritiffime compofitis, linguam quadam ratione et difciplina moventibus, articulata verba pronunciaret.

But certainly, if our fouls perish with our bodies, Chrift would be greatly disappointed: Nor can that promise be ever made good to him; Ifa. liii. 11. "He fhall fee of the travail of his foul and "be fatisfied." He hath done his work, but where is his reward? See how this fuppofition ftrikes at the justice of God, and wounds his faithfulness in his covenant with his Son. He hath as much comfort and reward from the travail of his foul, as a mother that is delivered after many sharp pangs of a child that dies almost as foon born.

3. It overthrows the doctrines of Chrift's incarnation, death, refurrection, afcenfion, and interceffion in heaven for us. And thefe are the main pillars both of our faith and comfort. Take away these, and take away our lives too, for these are the fprings of all joy and comfort to the people of God, Rom. viii. 34.

His incarnation was neceffary to capacitate him for his mediatorial work: It was not only a part of it, but fuch a part, without which he could difcharge no other part of it. This was the wonder of men and angels, 1 Tim. iii. 16. A God incarnate is the world's wonder; no condefcenfion like this, Phil. ii, 6, 7.

The death of Chrift hath the nature and refpect of a ransom, or equivalent price laid down to the justice of God for our redemption, Matth. xx. 28. Acts xx. 28. It brought our fouls from under the curfe, and purchased for them everlasting blessednefs, Gal. iv. 4, 5,

The refurrection of Chrift from the dead hath the nature both of a teftimony of his finithing the work of our redemption, and the Father's full fatisfaction therein, John vi. 10. and of a principle of our refurrection to eternal life, 1 Cor. xv. 20.

The afcenfion of Christ into heaven was in the capacity and relation of a fore-runner, Heb. vi. 20. it was to prepare places for the redeemed, who were to come after him to glory in their feveral generations, John xiv. 2, 3.

The interceffion of Chrift in heaven, is for the fecurity of our purchased inheritance to us, and to prevent any new breaches which might be made by our fins, whereby it might be forfeited, and we divested of it again, 1 John ii. 1, 2.

All these jointly make up the foundation of our faith, and hope of glory: But if our fouls perifh, or be annihilated at death, our faith, hope, and comforts, are all delufions, vain dreams, which do but amufe our fond imaginations. For,

(1.) It was not worth fo great a stoop and abafement of the bleed God, as he fubmited to in his incarnation, when he

appeared in fiefh, yea, in the likeness of finfal flesh, Rom. viii. 3. and made himself of no reputation, Phil. ii. 7. An act that is, and ever will be admired by men and angels: I fay, it was not worth so great a miracle as this, to procure for us the vanishing comfort of a few years, and that short-lived comfort no other than a deluding dream, or mocking phantafm: For feeing it confifts in hope and expectation from the world to come, as the scriptures every where fpeak, 1 Thef. v. 8. and 2 Cor. iii. 12. Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. if there be no fuch enjoyments for us there (as most certainly there are not, if our fouls perifh) it is but a vanity, a thing of nought, that was the errand upon which the Son of God came from the Father's bosom, to procure for us.

(2.) And for what, think you, was the blood of God upon the cross? What was fo vaft and inconceivable a treasure expended to purchase? What! the flattering and vain hopes of a few years, of which we may fay, as it was faid of the Roman confulship, unius anni volaticum gaudium; the fugitive joy of a year: Yea, not only fhort-lived and vain hopes in themselves, but fuch for the fake whereof we abridge ourfelves of the pleasures and defires of the flesh, 1 John iii. 3. and fubmit ourselves to the greatest fufferings in the world, Rom. viii. 18. For the hope of Ifrael am I bound with this chain, &c. Acts xxviii. 20. Was this the purchase of his blood? Was this it for which he fweat, and groaned, and bled, and died? Was that precious blood no more worth than fuch a trifle as this?

(3.) To what purpose did Chrift rife again from the dead? Was it not to be the firft-fruits of them that fleep? Did he not rife as the common head of believers, to give us affurance we fhall not perish, and be utterly loft in the grave? Col. i. 18. But if our fouls perish at death, there can be no refurrection; and if none, then Christ died and rose in vain, we are yet in our fins, and all thofe abfurdities are unavoidable, with which the apoftle loads this fuppofition, 1 Cor. xv. 13, &c.

(4.) And to as little purpose was his triumphant afcenfion into heaven, if we can have no benefit by it. The profeffed end of his afcenfion was 66 to prepare a place for us," John xiv. 2. But to what purpose are thofe manfions in the heavens prepared, if the inhabitants for whom they are prepared be utterly loft? And why is he called the forerunner, if there be none to follow him? as furely there are not, if our fouls perish with our bodies. Those heavenly manfions, that city prepared by God, must sland void for ever if this be fo.

(5) To conclude; in vain is the interceffion of Chrift in

heaven for us, if this be fo. They that shall never come thither, have no bufinefs there to be tranfacted by their advocate for them. So that the whole doctrine of redemption by Christ is utterly fubverted by this one fuppofition.

4. As it fubverts the doctrine of redemption by Chrift, and all the hopes and comforts we build thereon, fo it utterly destroys all the works of the fpirit, upon the hearts of believers, and makes them vanish into nothing.

There are divers acts and offices of the Spirit of God about, and upon our fouls; I will only fingle out three, viz. his fanc tifying, fealing, and comforting work: all things of great weight with believers.

(1.) His fanctifying work, whereby he alters the frames and tempers of our fouls, 2 Cor. v. 17. "Old things are paffed away, "behold all things are become new."

The declared and direct end of this work of the Spirit upon our fouls, is to attemper and difpofe them for heaven, Col. i. 12. For feeing "nothing that is unclean can enter into the holy place," Rev. xxi. 27. " and without holiness no man fhall fee the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. it is necessary that all those that have this hope in them, should expect to be partakers of their hopes in the way of purification, 1 John iii. 3. And this is the ground upon which the people of God do mortify their lufts, and take fo much pains with their own hearts, Mat. xviii. 8. counting it better (as their Lord tells them)" to enter into life halt or maimed, than having

two eyes or hands to be caft into hell." But to what purpose is all this felf-denial, all these heart-fearchings, heart-humblings, cries, and tears, upon the account of fin, and for an heart fuited to the will of God, if there be no fuch life to be enjoyed with God, after this animal life is finished?

Object. If you fay there is a prefent advantage refulting to us in this world, from our abstinence and felf-denial; we have the truer and longer enjoyment of our comforts on earth by it: debauchery and licentioufnefs do not only flat the appetite, and debase and alloy the comforts of this world, but cut short our lives by the exorbitances and abuses of them.

Salut. Though there be a truth in this worth our noting, yet (1.) morality could have done all this without fanctification; there was no need for the pouring out of the fpirit, for fo low an ufe and purpose as this. (2.) And therefore as the wildom of God would be cenfured and impeached, in fending his Spirit for an end which could as well be attained without it; fo the veracity of God muft needs be affronted by it, who, as you heard

before, hath declared our falvation to be the end of our sanctification.

(2.) His fealing, witnessing, and assuring work. We have a full account in the fcriptures, of thefe offices and works of the fpirit, and fome fpiritual fenfe and feeling of them upon our own hearts, which are too good affurances that there are fuch things as his bearing witness with our fpirit, Rom. viii. 16, "his fealing us to the day of redemption," Eph. iv. 30. "his "earnests given into our hearts," 2 Cor. i. 22. All which acts, and works of the spirit have a direct and clear afpect upon the life to come, and the happiness of our fouls in the full enjoyment of God to eternity; for it is to that life we are now fealed; and of the full fum of that glory, that thefe are the pledges and earnefts. But if our fouls perifh by death, these witneffes of the spirit are delufions, and his earnefts are given us but in jeft.

(3.) His comforting work is a fweet fruit and effect fenfibly felt and tafted by believers in this world. He is from this office ftiled the Comforter, John xvi. 7. fignatur, et eminenter : He fo comforts, as none other doth, or can. And what is the matter of his comforts, but the blessedness to come, the joys of the coming world? Johu xvi. 13. "Eye hath not feen," &c.

Upon the account of these unfeen things, he enableth believers to glory in tribulation, Rom. v. 4, to despise present things, whether the fmiles or the frowns of the world, Heb. xi. 24. and ver. 26. But if the being of our fouls fail at death, these are but the fantastic joys of men in a dream, and the experiences of all God's people are found but fo many fond conceits, and grofs mistakes.

5. This fuppofition overthrows the doctrine of the refurrection, which is the confolation of Chriftians. We believe, according to the fcripture, that after death hath divorced our fouls and bodies for a time, they fhall meet again, and be re-united, and that the joy at their re-union will be to all that are in Christ, greater than the forrows they felt at parting. This feems not incredible to us, whatever natural improbabilities and carnal reafons may be against it, Acts xxvi. 8. and that becaule the almighty power, which is able to fubdue all things to himself, undertakes this task, Phil. iii. 21.

We believe this very fame numerical body fhall rise again, Job xxi. 27. by the return of the fame foul into it, which now dwelleth in it; and that we fhall be the fame persons that now we are: the remunerative juftice of God requiring it to be fo. VOL. III.

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