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dying, to-day, shall he sit in the bosom of Abraham: And, it was their common opinion, that the "souls of the righteous who were very eminent in piety, were carried immediately into paradise." The Chaldee paraphrase on Solomon's Song, chapter iv. 12. takes some notice of the "souls of the just, who are carried into paradise by the hands of angels." Grotius in his notes on Luke xxiii. 43. mentions the hearty and serious wish of the Jews, concerning their friends who are dead, in the language of the talmudical writers, "Let his soul be gathered to the garden of Eden;" And in their solemn prayers when one dies, "Let him have his portion in paradise, and also in the world to come,' by which they mean the state of the resurrection, and plainly distinguished it from this immediate entrance into Eden or paradise at the hour of death. The Jews suppose Enoch to be carried to paradise even in his body; and that the souls of good men have no interruption of life; but that there was a "reward for blameless souls," as the book of Wisdom speaks, chapter ii. 22. "For God created man to be immortal, and to be an image of his own eternity," which seems to suppose blameless souls, entering into this reward without interruption of their life. And if this be the meaning of paradise among the Jews, doubtless our Saviour spake the words in such a known and common sense, in which the penitent thief would easily and presently understand him, it being a promise of grace in bis dying hour, wherein he had no long time to study hard for the sense of it, or consult the critics in order to find the meaning.

We come now to consider the writings of St. Paul: And it is certain, that the most natural and obvious sense of his words in many places of his epistles, refers to a separate state of the souls after death: For as he was a pharisee in the sentiments of religion, so be seems to be something of a platonist in philosophy, so far as christianity admitted the same principles. Why then should it not be reasonably supposed, wheresoever he speaks of this subject, and speaks in their language too, that he means the same thing which the pharisees and the platonists believed, that is, the immortality and life of the soul in a separate state. proceed to the particular texts.

But I

V. 2 Cor. v. 6, 8. Therefore we are always confident, or of good courage, 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 to be present with the Lord: The apostle, verse 4. seems to wish that he might be clothed upon at once, with immortality in soul and body, without dying or being unclothed: But since things are otherwise determined, then in the next place, he would rather chuse absence from, the body, that he might be present with the Lord.These words seem to me so plain, so express, and so unanswer

able a proof of the spirits of good men existing, in a separate state, and being present with the Lord, when they are absent from the body, at death, that I could never meet but with two ways of evading it.

The first is what a gentleman many years ago, who professed christianity, acknowledged to me, viz. that he believed St. Paul did mean in this place, the same sense in which I have explained him; but he thought St. Paul might be mistaken in his opinion, for he was not of the apostle's mind in this point. I think I need not tarry to refute this answer : But I may make this remark upon it, viz. that the sense of St. Paul, concerning the separate state, was so evident in this place, that this man had rather differ from the apostle, than deny this to be his meaning. All his prejudices against this doctrine, could not hinder him from acknowledging that the apostle believed and taught it.

The second way of evading it is, that this text with one or two others of like kind, do indeed speak of the happiness of souls in a separate state, but it doth refer only to the apostles themselves, who had this peculiar favour and privilege granted them by Christ, to follow him to paradise and enjoy his presence there, while the souls of other christians were asleep, unconscious and inactive till the resurrection.

Answer I. It is granted indeed, that several verses of this chapter, as well as in the former, have a peculiar reference to the ministers of Christ, and perhaps to the apostles who were his ambassadors; but there are many things in both these chapters; that are perfectly applicable to every christian, and the verses just before and just after this 8th verse, may belong to all good men as well as to the apostles or ministers. He that has wrought us for the self-same thing, that is, for the happiness of the future state, is God, who hath also given unto us the earnest of the Spirit, at least as an enlightener and a sanctifier, if not as the author of special gifts," for Rom. viii. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his. And ver. 6. Therefore we are always confident, or of good courage, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. This is, or should be the character of every christian. And the 9th verse that follows it, belongs to all the saints: Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him; verse 10. 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. Now why should we suppose, that St. Paul excludes all other christians besides himself, and his brethren the apostles, from the blessing of the 8th verse, viz. that when they are absent from the body, they shall

be present with the Lord, since the verses all round it are appli, cable to all christians.

2. These chapters were written with a design, not only, to vindicate and encourage the apostle himself, under the sufferings and reproaches, which he met with, but, doubtless, to give encouragement to the Corinthians, and all christians under any sufferings or reproaches, they might meet with in the world'; that, as he expresses it a little before, they might learn to walk by faith, and to look at the things, which are unseen, which are eternal. And indeed, if this peculiar blessing of the happiness of a separate state belongs only to the apostles, how much are the comforts of the New Testament narrowed and diminished, and the faith and hope of common christians discouraged and enervated, and their motives to holiness weakened, when they are told, they have nothing to do to lay hold upon such promised favours, such revelations of grace, because they belong only to the apostles, and not to them?

And, indeed, how shall common christians ever know, what part of the epistles they may apply to themselves, for their direction and consolation, if they may not hope in such words of grace, where the holy writers use the word we, and do not plainly intimate, that they belong to preachers or apostles only?

3. When our Saviour prays for himself and his apostles, in the beginning of the xvii. of St. John, he comes, in the 20th verse, to extend the blessings he had prayed for to all believers. Verse 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also, which shall believe on me through their word: Verse 21. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us, that the world may believe, that thou hast sent me. Verse 24. Father, I will that they, also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me. Here it is evident, that our Saviour prays that those, that shall believe on him through the word of the apostles, may be present with him in his kingdom to behold his glory; and is not that a very considerable part of his glory, which the Father bath confered upon him, to be Lord and King, and head of his church? But this peculiar glory reaches no further than the resurrection and judgment, and cannot be seen afterwards; for in 1 Cor. xv. 24. Then cometh the end, and Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father: verse 28. The Son himself also shall be subject unto the Father, that God may be all in all.

As for that final blaze of supreme glory, wherein Christ shall appear at the day of judgment, just before he resigns up his kingdom, and which, perhaps, is once called his kingdom; 2 Tim. iv. 1. when he shall come in the glory of his Father, and of his holy angels, as well as his own; Mark viii. 28. Luke ix.

26. the sight of it shall be public and common to all the world, and not any peculiar favour to the saints.

It seems, therefore, most probable, that it is only or chiefly in the separate state of souls departed, that the saints have a special promise of beholding this mediatorial glory of Christ in his kingdom; and this favour our Saviour entreats of his Father for others that shall believe on him, as well as for his apostles.

I might bere take occasion to enquire, whether every text, which promises to other christians, as well as to the apostles, a dwelling with Christ in his kingdom, must not have a more special reference to the glory of the separate state, upon this very account, because this kingdom of Christ ceases at the resurrection and judgment; and particularly that text in 2 Pet. i. 11. So an entrance shall be ministered unto you, abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: which is often, in scripture, called everlasting, because it continues to the end of the world: And the abundant entrance into it, very naturally refers to our departure from this life.

4. I cannot find any text of scripture, where this blessing of being present with the Lord, after death, in the separate state, is limited only to the apostles: I read not one word of such a peculiar favour promised them by Christ; and therefore, according to the current course of several other places of scripture, which have been here produced, I am persuaded it belongs to all true christians, unless the apostle, in some plainer manner, had limited it to himself, and his twelve brethren, and secluded or forbid our hopes of it.

After all, if it be allowed, that the apostles may enjoy the blessedness of a separate state before the resurrection, then there is such a thing as a separate state of happiness for souls: this precludes, at once all the arguments againts it, that arise from the nature of things, and from any supposed impropriety in such a divine constitution: And since it is granted, that there are millions of angels, and several human spirits, in this unbodied state, enjoying happiness, I see no reason why the rest of the unbodied spirits of saints departed, should not be received to their society after death, unless there were some particular scriptures that excluded them from it.

VI. Phil. i. 23. 24. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better: Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh, is more needful for you. When the apostle speaks here of his abiding in the flesh, and his departing from the flesh, he declares the first was more needful for the Philippians, to promote religion in their hearts and lives; but the second would be better for himself, for he should be with Christ, when he was departed from the flesh.

I would only ask any reasonable man to determine, whether when St. Paul speaks of his being with Christ after his depar ture from the flesh, he can suppose, that the apostle did not expect to see Christ till the resurrection, which he knew would be a considerable distance of time, though perhaps it as proved many hundred years longer then the apostle himself expected it? No; it is evident, he hoped to be present with the Lord immediately, as soon as he was absent from the body: otherwise, as I have hinted before, death to him would have been but of little gain, if he must have lain sleeping till the dead shall rise, and have been cut off from his delightful service for Christ in the gospel, and all the blessed communications of his grace. The objection, which may arise here also, from supposing this to be a peculiar favour granted to the apostles, is answered just before.

VII. Heb. xii. 22-24. Ye are come-to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly, and church of the first-born, which are written, or registered in heaven to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, that is the gospel, or the christian state, brings good men into a nearer union and communion with the heavenly world, and the inhabitants thereof, than the Jewish state could do: Now the inhabitants of this upper word, this heavenly Jerusalem, are here reckoned up, God, as the prime Lord or head; Jesus the mediator, as the King of his church; the innumerable company of angels, as ministers of his kingdom; the general assembly of God's favourites, or children, who are called the first-born, perhaps, this may refer, in general, to all the saints of all ages past, and to come, whose names are written in the book of life in heaven; and particulary, to the separate spirits of just men, who are departed from this world, and are made perfect in the heavenly state. The criticisms, that are used to put other senses upon these words, seem to carry them away so far from their more plain and obvious meaning, that I can hardly think they are the meaning of the apostle; for it would be of very little use for a common christian, to read these verses of divine consolation and grace, if he could take no comfort from them till he had learned those critical and distant expositions of such plain language.

It has been indeed objected, against the plain sense of this text, that the spirits of the just, or good men, are not yet made perfect in heaven, because the same apostle; Heb. xi. 39, 40. says, These all, that is, the saints of the Old Testament, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promises, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us, should not be made perfect. Now these had been dead for many generations, yet they received not the promises, nor were made perfect. Thus saith the objection.

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