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 Cerinthians, 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, aud 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 diréction 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. Jolin, 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 hath 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 here 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 has 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; Heh. 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.

But the plain meaning of this text is, that they lived and died in the faith of many promises, some of which were to be fulfilled after their days here on earth, but were not fulfilled in their life-time: They did not enjoy the privileges and blessings of the gospel of the Messiah, in that perfect manner, in which we do, since the Messiah is actually come, and has fulfilled these promises, and by his death, or offering himself as the same apos ile expresses it, for ever perfected them that are sanctified; Heb. x. 14. But all this does by no means preclude their existence and happiness, in a separate state, as spirits made perfect; that is, in a perfect freedom from all sin and sorrow; though it is probable this very state of comparative perfection might have several degrees of joy added to it at the ascension of Christ, and will have many more at the resurrection from the dead.

VIII. 2 Pet. i. 13, 14. I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance; knowing that, shortly, I must put off this my tabernacle. Here it is evident, that the person, who thinks it meet to stir up christians to their duty, has a tabernacle belonging to him, and which he must shortly put off. The soul, or thinking principle of the apostle Peter, which is here supposed to be himself, is so plainly distinguished from the tabernacle of the body, in which he dwelt for a season, and which he must put off shortly, that it most evidently implies, an existence of this thinking soul very distinct from the body, and which will exist when the body is laid aside. Surely the conscious being, and its tabernacle or dwelling-place, are two very distinct things, and the conscious being exists whic he puts off his present dwelling.

After all these arguments from scripture, may I be permitted to mention one, which is derived partly from reason, and partly from the sacred records, which seems to carry some weight with it?

The doctrine of rewards and punishments, in a separate state of souls, hath been one of the very chief principles or motives, whereby, virtue and religion have been maintained in this sinful world throughout all former ages and nations, and under the several dispensations of God among men, till the resurrec tion of the body was fully revealed: Now it is scarce to be supposed, that such a doctrine which God, in the course of his providence, hath made use of as a chief principle and motive of religion and virtue through all the world which had any true virtue, and, in all ages before christianity, should be a false doctrine. Let us prove the first proposition, by a view of the several ages of mankind and dispensations of religion.

The heathens, who have had nothing else but the light of nature to guide them, could have no notion at all of the resurrec tion of the body; and, therefore, not only the wisest and best of

them, but, perhaps, the bulk of mankind among the Gentiles, at least in Europe and Asia, if not in Africa and America also, who have been taught by priests and poets, and the public opinions of their nation, and traditions of their ancestors, have generally supposed such a separate state after this life, wherein their souls should be rewarded or punished, except where the fancy of transmigration prevailed; and even these very transmigrations into other bodies, viz. of dogs, or horses, or men, were assigned as speedy rewards or punishments of their behaviour in this life.

Now though this doctrine of immediate recompences could not be proved by them with certainty and clearness, and had many follies mingled with it, yet the probable expectation of it, so far as it hath obtained among men, hath had a good degree of influence, through the conduct of common providence, to keep the world in some tolerable order, and prevent universal irregularities and excesses of the highest degree; it hath had some force on the conscience to restrain the enormous wickedness of men.

The patriarchs of the first ages, whose history is related in scripture, had no notion of the resurrection of the body expressly revealed to them, that we can find; and it must be the hope of such a state of recompence of their souls after death, that influenced their practice of piety, if they were not informed, that their bodies should rise again.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had no plain and distinct promise of the resurrection of the body; yet it is said; Heb. xi. 13-16. They received the promises, that is, of some future happiness, and embraced them, and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on earth, whereby they plainly declared, that they sought some other country; that is, a heavenly, and God hath prepared a city for them. What city, what heavenly country can this be, which they themselves sought after, but the city or country of separate souls or paradise, where good men are rewarded, and God is their God, if they had no plain promises or views of a resurrection of the body? And, indeed they had need of a very plain and express promise of such a resurrection, to encourage their faith and obedience, if they had no notion belief of a separate state, or a heavenly country, whither their souls should go at their death.

Job seems to have some bright glimpses of a resurrection, in chapter xix. 25-27. but this was far above the level of the dispensation wherein be lived, and a peculiar and distinguishing favour granted to him under his uncommon and peculiar sufferings.

In the institution of the Jewish religion by Moses, there is no express mention of a resurrection, and we must suppose their hope