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resurrection, or resurrection of the martyrs and most eminent saints, which would be long before the general resurrection of all the dead, according to the visions of St. John, Rev. xx. 4-7. But as I am not sufficiently acquainted with the sense of that prophecy to determine my opinion on this side, I proceed to other answers.

Answ. 2. What if the words of St. Paul in this place to the Philipians, should mean no more than this, as ver. 13. 14, "I forgot the things that are be hind," as though I had gained so little already as not to be worth my notice; "and I reach forth unto those things which are before," i. e. further degress of holiness to be obtained, 'pressing towards the mark' of perfection, if by any means I might be made so conformable to the death Christ,' as to be entirely dead to sin, and if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead,' i. e. to such a perfection of holiness as is represented by the resurrection of Christ, Rom. vi. or as that in which the dead saints shall be raised;' for I know I have not already attained it, nor am already perfect.'

Answ. 3. Suppose the soul of St. Paul to be present with Christ after death in heaven in the Separate State, yet this is not the ultimate or highest 'happiness of the saints,' and therefore he aimed at something higher and further, namely, the more complete happiness which he should enjoy at the resurrection of the dead.

Object. V. Is borrowed from several verses of I Cor. xv. where the Apostle is imagined to argue

thus, "If there be no resurrection of the dead," ver. 18. Then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished," ver. 19. "Then we have hope only in this life," and nothing else to support us. Then ver. 32. "What advantage" do I get by all my sufferings for Christ, if the dead rise not? We had better comply with the appetites of the flesh and enjoy a merry life here, "Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die;" whereby it is evident that the Apostle places the blessed expectation of those that are fallen asleep in Christ' only and entirely upon their being raised from the dead,' which he would not have done if there had been such a Separate State: he extends 'our hope in Christ' beyond this life, and raises his own expectation of advantage or reward for his sufferings on the account of the gospel entirely and only upon the resurrection of the dead,' having no notion of any happiness in a Separate State of souls: for if he had any such opinion or hope, this expectation of the happiness of the soul in a Separate State might have been a sufficient proof that those who died or slept in the faith of Christ, are not perished,' and he had abundant reward for his sufferings in that world of separate souls without the resurrection of the body.

Answ. 1. It must be granted that the Scripture, in order to support Christians under present trials, chiefly refers them to the day of the resurrection and final judgment, as the great and chief season of retribution: the reason of this will appear under my answer to a following objection: Now the Apostle may be supposed to argue here only on this foot, ne

glecting or overlooking the Separate State, as though this final retribution at and after the resurrection of the body were comparatively the whole, because it is far the chief and most considerable part, being much the most sensible, and conspicuous, and of the longest duration. The chief part of any thing is often taken for the whole; and if there were no resurrection of the dead, i. e. if there were no state of retribution at all, then the Epicurean reasoning would be good, Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die.'

And, to confirm this exposition, we may take notice, that in other places of Scripture, where the 'resurrection of the dead' is mentioned, this anastasis includes the whole state of existence after death, both the Separate and the resurrection State: This seems to be the sense of it in that famous place, Luke xx. 35. Where Christ argues with the Sadducees, who denied the Separate State as well as the resurrection of the body: Now if you take away this anastasis, this whole state of existence and retribution, then they that suffer for Christ have no advantage or recompence, and the Epicurean doctrine is plainly preferable, at least in the common sense and reasoning of men, and in such seasons of trial and persecution.

Nor is it unreasonable to suppose that there might be some of these principles of Sadducism begun to be instilled into some of the Corinthians, viz. that there were no rewards and punishments at all in any future state; for he tells them, ver. 34. that some of them had not the knowledge of God,' i. e. as a righteous rewarder of them that diligently seek him, “I

speak this," says he, "to your shame."

And ver.

5, 8. he encourages them to be "stedfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord;" i. e. there is certainly a future state of recompence for piety, and the discovery of it at the resurrection of the dead is the most public and glorious part of it, and therefore he insists upon this alone.

Answ. 2. But we may give yet a more particular answer to this objection: for if we take in the whole scheme of the Apostle's argument in this chapter, we shall find there is no sufficient ground for this objection against a Separate State. He begins, ver. 12, 13, &c. and argues thus, "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen," for he rose as the first fruits, and his followers shall be the harvest, ver. 23. but if there be no harvest there were no first-fruits and "if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is vain;" ver. 14. "Then we are found false witnesses in matters that relate to God," ver. 15. mere impostors, who preach a wicked falsehood, and lead you to hope for a happiness which ye shall never obtain: for "if Christ, who died for our sins," ver. 3. "be not raised for our justification," as in Rom. iv. ult. "then are ye yet in your sins," ye lie yet under the guilt of sin; and if so, then also they which have fallen asleep in Christ," or have died in the faith of Christ, are perished, ver. 18. they must either be condemned, or be utterly lost both soul and body, having no ground for

hope of eternal life, or any life or happiness at all hereafter. Then the hope of Christians would be in this life only,' and we are 'miserable creatures' who suffer so much for Christ's sake, ver. 19. It would be better for us who have senses and appetites as well as other men, to indulge these senses and appetites, and eat and drink for to-morrow we die,' and there is an end of us: There can be no future state of happiness of any kind for us to expect, either in soul or body, if we have deceived you in the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ, and all our gospel be false: We are then such sort of impostors and wicked cheats as can have no belief of a future state of rewards or punishments, and we had better act like ourselves, and like mere Epicureans, give ourselves up to all present pleasures than expose ourselves to perpetual sufferings for the sake of a man, who (if there be no resurrection) died and never rose again, and therefore cannot make us any recompence. Now this sort of arguing does not at all preclude the Separate State of happiness, but rather establish it.

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I might add here a further answer to this objection, viz. the Apostle is representing the sufferings of the body' for Christ's sake, ver. 30, 31, 32. and therefore he thinks it proper to encourage Christians with the recompence of the resurrection of the body,' without taking any particular notice of the happiness of the Separate State of the soul: and in this view of things his argument stands good. If there be no resurrection of the body, there is no recompence for sufferings in the body; let us then give the body its

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