I 38 Of the Immortality of the Soul, Vol. II. 2. The Rewards of another Life, as they are clearly and exprefiy revealed by the Gofpel, fo that theymay have the greater power and influence upon us, and we may have the greater affuranceof them, they are revealed with very particular Circum- (tances. And herein the Gofpel gives us a great Advantage, both above theHeathens and Jews. For tho a Man was fatisfied in general of a Stateafter this Lite, that mens Souls thould furvive their Bodies, and pats intoanother World, where it (hall be well with them that have done well in this World, and ill to thole that have done ill ; yet noMan, without a Revelation, could conje&ure the particular Circumftances ofthat State. What wild Detcriptions do the Heathen Poets, who were their moll ancient Divines, makeofHeaven and Hell, of the ElyfanFields, and the Infernal Re- gions ! But now the Gofpel, for our greater Affurance andSatisfa&ion, bath revealed manyparticular Circumftances of the future (tate to us ; as that all men at theend of d e World, (ball be fummon'd to make a folemn appearance before the Lord yefus Chrif#, whom God hath made Judge of theWorld, asa Reward ofhis Patience and Sufferings ; that the Bodies ofmen (hall in order to that appearance, be raifed up by the mighty Power ofGod, and united to their Souls, that as they have been Inftru- ments of the Soul in As of Holinefs andSin, fo they may rake part likewife in the Happinefsand Tormentsof it. Thereare feveral otherCircumfkances the Gofpel hath revealed to us concerning our future [late, which had they not been revealed, we could never have known, hardly have conje&ur'd; in all which, betides the Affurance that they are revealed, it is a great fatisfa&ion to us, that there is nothing in them that is unworthyof God, or that favoursofthe weaknefsandvanity ofhuman Imagination. 3. TheGofpel gives us yet farther affurance of thefe things, by filch an Argument as is like tobe molt convincing and fatisfa&ory to common capacities ; and that is by a lively Inftance ofthething tobeproved, in railing Chrif1fromthe Dead,A&s t 7.30,3 r. Tis true indeed, under the Old Teftament there were two Inftances fomewhat of this Nature; Enoch and Elias were immediately Tranflated, and taken up alive into Heaven; but thefe two Inftances do inmany refpe&s fall fliort of the other. For after Chri(t wax raifed from thedeaá, he convertì forty days with his Difciples, and fatis- fied them that he was rifen; after which he was in their fightvifibly taken up into Heaven : And as an Evidence that lie was poffefs'd of his glorious Kingdom, he fent down, according to his Promife, his Holy Spirit in miraculousGifts, to affure them by thofe Tefkimoniesof his Royalty, that he was in Heaven, and toqualifie themby by thofe miraculous Powers to convince the World of the truth of their Do&rine. Now what Argument more proper to convince them of another Life after this, than to fee a Man raifed from the Dead, and reftored to a new Life? What fitter to fatisfie a Man concerning Heaven, and the Happy Efiate of thofe there, than to fee one vifibly taken up into Heaven? And what more fit to affure us, that the Promi- fes of the Gofpel are real, and (hall be made good to us, than to fee himwho made there Promifesto us, raife himfelf from the Dead, and go tap into Heaven, and from thence to difpenfe miraculous Gifts and Powers abroad into the \orld, as Evidences of the Power and Authority whichhe was inverted withal? All the Philofophical Ar- guments that a Man can bring for the SoulsImmortality, andanother Life, will have no force upon vulgar Apprehenfions, in comparifon of there fenfible Demonftrations, which give an Experiment of the thing, and furnifhus with an Inflanceof fomething of the famekind, and of equal difficulty with that which is propounded to our belie[. 4. And laftly, the k.ffe&s which the clear difcovery of this Truth had upon the World, are fuch, as the World never law before, and area farther Inducement to per- fwade us of the Truth and the Reality of ir. After the Gofpel was entertained in the World, to thew, that thofe who embraced it did fully believe this Principle, and were abundantly fatisfiedconcerning the Rewards andHappinefsof another Life, they did for the fake of their Religion defpife this Life and all the Enjoyments of it, from a thorow perfwafion of a far greater Happinefs than any this World could afford, re- maining in the next Life. With what chearfulnefs did they fuffer Perfecutions, with what Joy and Triumphdid they welcome Torments, and embrace Death, L'nQwing in themfelves that they had in Heavena better and more enduring Subfiance 1 Thus when Lift and Immortalitywasbrought to light by theGafpel,Death wasas it were quite abolijlì d ; thofe of the weakeft Age and Sex, Women and Children, did familiarly encounter it with as great a bravery, and bore up again( theTerrors of it with as much courage, as any of the greateft Spirits among the Romans ever did : and this not in a few In- fiances, but in vaft numbers. No Emperor in the Worldever had fo numerous an Army of
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