The Resurrection of the Body, or Flech.

10.

THE doctrine of the immortality of the foul (whereby men are capable of rewards or punishments, according to their doings in this life) hath, in all religions, been deemed a neceffary principle, and for fuch (as Cicero and Seneca exprefsly tell us) hath been embraced by all nations; having indeed, probably from original tradition, been conveyed over all the world. The fame alfo divers philofophers (Socrates especially, and his followers) did by natural reason ftrive to evince true. But tradition being too slippery, and reason too feeble thoroughly to perfuade it, Christianity, by a clear and full proof, (of miraculous works and fenfible experiments,) doth affure us of it; the certainty thereof we owe to his inftruction, who brought life 2 Tim. i, and immortality to light by the Gospel. It plainly shews, that when we die, we do not (like brute beasts, or other natural bodies, when they appear diffolved) wholly perish; that our fouls do not vanish into nothing, nor are refolved into invisible principles; but do return into God's hand, or into the place by him appointed for them, there continuing in that life which is proper to a foul. Neither only thus much doth it teach us concerning our ftate after this life, but it farther informs us, that our bodies themselves fhall be raised again out of their duft and corruption, that our fouls fhall be reunited to them, and that our perfons shall be restored into their perfect integrity of nature; the bringing of which effects to pafs, by divine power, is commonly called, the refurrection of the dead, or, from the dead, (ix vexpwv,) and fimply the refurrection; as alfo, being raifed, being reduced from the dead: fometimes also it is called, the regeneration, (or iterated nativity,) and being born from the dead; which terms imply a respect to

208

The Refurrection of the Body, or Flesh.

the body, and to the person of a man, as conftituted of body and foul: for the mere permanency of our fouls in being and life could not (with any propriety or truth) be called a refurrection: that which never had fallen could not be faid to be raised again; that which did never die could not be restored from death; nor could men be faid to rise again, but in refpect to that part which had fallen, or that state which had ceafed to be. And as to be born at first doth fignify the production and union of the parts effential to a man; fo to be born again implies the reftitution and reunion of the fame; a man thereby becoming entirely the fame person that he was before. The fame is also fignified in terms more formal and directly expreffive; the quickening of the dead; the vivification of our mortal bodies; the redemption of our body; the corruptible (rò paprov Toro, this very fame corruptible body) putting on incorruption, and this mortal putting on immortality; thofe who are in the graves hearing Christ's voice, and proceeding forth to refurrection, either of life or judgment; the awaking of them which fleep in the duft of the earth; the sea, the death, the hell, (or univerfal grave,) refigning their dead; which expreffions and the like occurring, do clearly and fully prove the reparation of our bodies, and their reunion to our fouls, and our perfons becoming in fubftance completely the fame that we were. Which truth of all perhaps that Christianity revealed, as most new and strange, was the hardlieft received, and found most oppofition among heathens, especially philofophers; A&s xvii. Hearing the refurrection of the dead, fome of them mocked; others faid, We will hear thee again of this matter: fo was St. Paul's discourse about this point entertained at Athens: they neglected or derided it, as a thing altogether imPlin. Hift. poffible, or very improbable to happen; (as Pliny fomeii. 7. vii.55. where counts the revocation of the dead to life impoffible

32.

to be performed, otherwhere calls it, puerile deliramentum, a childish dotage, to fuppofe it.) But why it fhould be deemed either impoffible to divine power, or improbable upon accounts of reafon, no good argument can be affigned. To re-collect the difperfed parts of a man's body,

17.

to range and difpofe them into their due fituation and order; to reduce them into a temper fit to discharge vital functions; to rejoin the foul to a body fo reftored; why should it be impoffible or feem difficult to him, who did first frame and temper our body out of the duft, and inspired the foul into it; to him, who out of mere confufion digefted the whole world into fo wonderful an order and harmony; to him, who into a dead lump of earth inferted fuch numberlefs varieties of life; who from feeds buried in the ground and corrupted there, doth caufe fo goodly plants to fpring forth; who hath made all nature to fubfift by continual viciffitudes of life and death; every morning, in a manner, and every spring representing a general refurrection? (Well might the Prophet Jeremiah fay, Ah Jer. xxxii. Lord God! thou haft made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and firetched out arm; and there is nothing too hard for thee: there is indeed nothing too hard for omnifcient wisdom to contrive, for omnipotent ftrength to execute.) And what difficulties foever fancy may fuggeft, can we doubt of that being poffible which experience attefteth done? Ezekiel faw dry bones rejointed, Ezek. and reinspired with life; divers inftances of dead perfons restored to life are recorded in the prophetical writings; and more in the New Teftament; but moft remarkable is that paffage at our Saviour's death, when it is faid, that many tombs were opened, and many bodies of faints that Matt. xxvii. had departed rofe, and coming out of the tombs, after our Saviour's refurrection, entered into the holy city, and did appear to many, (or publicly to the many, rois woλλoïs ;) which was a moft full and manifeft experiment of a miraculous refurrection, like to that which we believe: but of all, our Lord's own refurrection doth irrefragably confirm the poffibility of our refurrection: fo that St. Paul, with highest reason, might thus expoftulate with the incredulous upon this account; And if Chrift be preached (or 1 Cor. xv. affured by teftimony) that he rose from the dead, how fay Some that there is no refurrection of the dead? that is, how can any man deny that to be poffible which is fo palpably exemplified?

xxxvii.

56.

12.

210

The Refurrection of the Body, or Flesh.

Neither can the point be fhewed improbable or implaufible; but it is rather very confonant to the reason of the thing; and good caufes may be affigned why it should be. Man, according to original defign and frame, doth confift of foul and body; thefe parts have a natural relation, an aptitude, and an appetite (as it seems) to cohabit and cooperate with each other; many actions very proper to man's nature cannot be performed without their conjunction and concurrence; many capacities of joy and comfort (with their oppofites) do refult thence: the feparation of them we fee how unwilling, violent, and repugnant it is to nature; and we are taught that it is penal, and confequent upon fin, and therefore cannot be good and perfect: wherefore it is no wonder that God defigning to restore man to his ancient integrity, yea, to a higher perfection, rewarding him with all the felicity his nature is capable of, (on the one hand, I mean, as on the other hand justly to punish and afflict him according to his demerit,) should raise the body, and rejoin it to the soul, that it might contribute its natural fubferviency to fuch enjoyments and sufferings refpectively. Not to omit the congruity in justice, that the bodies themselves, which did communicate in works of obedience and holiness, or of difloyalty and profaneness, (which, in St. Paul's language, were either fervants of righteousness unto fanctity, or flaves to impurity and iniquity,) should also partake in fuitable recompenses; that the body which endured grievous hardships for righteousness should enjoy comfortable refreshments; or that those which did wallow in unlawful pleafures should undergo juft afflictions.

Many other things might be said to this purpofe; but I pass to the next point, annexed to this, as in nature, fo in

order here.

The Life Everlasting.

THE immediate confequent of the refurrection (common,

15.

as St. Paul expreffeth, to juft and unjust,) is, as we have Acts xxiv. it placed in the catalogue of fundamentals, fet down by the Apostle to the Hebrews, xpipa aivov, that judgment Heb. vi. 2. or doom, by which the eternal state of every person is determined; and accordingly every man muft, as St. Paul fays, bear the things done in the body, according to what 2 Cor.v. 10. he hath done, whether it be good or evil. Now this ftate generally taken, (as respecting both the righteous and bleffed, the wicked and cursed persons,) for that it doth suppose a perpetual duration in being and fenfe, may be called everlafting life; although life (as being commonly apprehended the principal good, and because all men naturally have a most strong defire to preserve it; with reference alfo, probably, to the Law, wherein continuance of life is propofed as the main reward of obedience, is ufed to denote peculiarly the blessed state; and death (the most abominable and terrible thing to nature; the most extreme alfo of legal punishments threatened upon the tranfgreffors of the law) is also used to fignify the condition of the damned; the refurrection of life, and refurrection of John v. 29. damnation; everlafting life and everlasting punishment 46. being opposed; although, I fay, life be thus commonly Dan. xii. 2. taken, (as also the refurrection itself, by an evenμouòs, is Luke xx.35. fometimes appropriated to the righteous,) yet the reason of the cafe requires, that here we understand it generally, fo as to comprehend both states; both being matters of faith equally neceffary, and of like fundamental confequence; both yielding the highest encouragements to good practice, and determents from bad: for, as on the one hand, what can more strongly excite us to the per

Matt. xxv.

Phil. iii. 11.