St1 THE PROOF OF A SEPARATE STATE. the body, to encourage sufferings in the body, for the sake of virtue and religion *. Objection'VC Doth not the New Testament constantly re- fer the rewards and punishments of good and bad men, to the time of the resurrection of the dead, or the second coming of Christ ? Is it not with this prospect it terrifies the sinners ? Is it not with this it comforts the good man, and supports him under bis present sufferings? It would be endless .to cite all the parti- cular texts on this occasion. That one text ; 1 Thess. iv. 14, 17, 18. speaks the sense of many others, and is sufficient to be cited here.. The apostle persuades christians not to mourn for the dead, as those that sorrow without hope, and gives this rea- son ; for those who sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him, when he comes to raise the dead, and then they shall be for ever With the Lord; and he bids them comfort one another with these words: Whereas their comforts had been much nearer at hand, if he could have told them of the separate state of happiness, which the departed souls of their friends at present enjoyed ; and if there had been any such state, he had the fairest opportunity here to introduce it. Answer. This very text I have mentioned before as a proof of the separate state, and, it is plain, the apostle seems to hint it, though he doth not insist upon it, when he supposes the soul of the deceased to be with Christ already; for he saith, God will bring them with him; that is, from heaven, when he comes to raise their bodies. But to give a more general answer to the objection, as drawn from the silence of scripture in many places about this doctrine of the separate state. There are good rea- sons, why the New Testament more sparingly mentions the se- parate state of souls, and Both most frequently, but not con - stantly, refer both rewards and punishments to the resurrection. 1. Because the heathens themselves, at least the wisest and the best of them, did believe some sort of future state of happiness or misery, into which the souls of men should be disposed when they departed.from these bodies, according to the ,s There are several pages of just and pertinent answer, to this objection, by my learned and ingenious friend Me Henry Grove, in his .. Thoughts concern- ing the Proof of a future State from Reason," which confirm the replies I have here made. Then they, saith he, who are fallen asleep in Christ, by whom the martyrs seem to be more especially intended, are perished, for goy thing that Christ can do for them, who will never reward them for their sufferings; never restore that life, which they lost for his sake." And particularly his exposition on those words, " we are most miserable of all men," is very agreeable to the place. The Greek .rre,volEpor signifies, that we are more to he pitied than any men, as wanting the common understanding of men, to suffer death for Christ's sake, who would never be able to recompence us for it, if he be not risen front the dead." rr And it is, saith he, a little afterward, for want of observing. the Intermediate links of theapostle's argument, which he there represents, that some have been at a tose for his meaning, while others have quite mistaken it." Sec page 124, &c.
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