i62, The `PofJbility of the Refirreclion Vol.11. Change which the Refurre&ion will make inour Bodies, will be fo great, that we could not know them to be the fame, tho' they were fo. Now upon this Suppofition, which feems Philofophical enough, the Force of both thefe Obje&ions is wholly declined. But there is no need to fly to this Refuge; and therefore I will take this Article of the Refurre&ion in the ftrideft Senfe, for the railing of a Body to Life, confining of the fame individual Mat- ter that it did before; and in this Senfe, I think it bath generally been received by Chriftians, not without Ground from Scripture. I will only mention one Text, which feems very ftrongly to imply it, Rev. 2o. r 3. And the sea gave up the Dead which were in it, and Death and the Grave delivered úp the Dead which were in them ; and they were judged every Man according to his Works. Now why fhould the Sea and the Grave be Paid to deliver up their Dead, if there were not a Refurredion of the fame Body ; but any Duft formed into a living Body, andunited to the Soul, would ferve the Turn? We will therefore take it for granted, that the very fame Body (hall be raifed. And I doubt not even in this Senfe, to vindicate the Poflibility of the Refurre&ion from both thefe Obje&ions. Firfl Againft the Refurre&ion in general of the fame Body ; it i,s pretended impoflible, after the Bodies of Men are mouldred into the Dull, and by infinite Accidents have been fcattered up and down the World, and have undergone a thoufand Changes, to recoiled and rally together the very fame Parts of which they confifted before. . This the Heathen ufed toobje& to the Primitive Chrifli- ans ; for which Reafon they alto riled to burn the Bodies of the Martyrs, and to fcatter their Afhes in the Air, to be blown about by theWind, in Deriuion of their Hopes of a Refurre&ion. I know not how ftrongMalice might make this Obje&ion toappear; but furely in Reafon it is very weak : For it wholly depends upon a grofs Miflake of the Nature of God, and his Providence, as if it did not extend to the fmalleft Things, as if God did not know all Things that he bath made, and had them not al- ways in his View, and perfe&ly under his Command and as if it were a.Trou- ble and Burden to infinite Knowledge and Power, to underhand and order the leafl Things : Whereas infinite Knowledge and Power can know and ma- nage all Things, with as much Eafe, as we can underhand and order any one Thing. So that this Objection is grounded upon a low and falfe Apprehenfion of the Divine Nature, and is only fit for Epicurus his Herd, who fancied to themfelve; a Sort of flothful and unthinking Deities, whole Happinefs confifted in their Lazinefs, and -a Privilege to donothing. I proceed therefore to the Second Obje&ion, which is more dole and prefüng ; and this is levell'd again(( the Refurre&ion in fome particular Inftances. I will mention but two, by which all the ten maybe meafured and anfwered. One is, of thole who are drowned in theSea, and their Bodies eaten up by Fillies, and turned into their Nourifhment; and thofeFifties perhaps eatenafter- wards by Men, and converted intothe Subftance of their Bodies. Theother is of the Canibals, fome of whom, as credible Relations tell us, have lived wholly, or chieflyof theFlefh ofMen ; and confequently the whole, or the greateft Part of the Subftance of their Bodies is made of the Bodies of other Men. In thefe and the like Cafes, wherein one Man's Body is fuppofed to be turned into the Subftance of another Man's Body, how fhould both thefe at theRefurre&ions each recover his own Body ? So that this Obje&ion is like that of theSadduces to our Saviour, concerning a Woman that had feven Husbands, they ask, Whofe Wife of the fvea(hall file be at the Refurredion ? So here, when feveral have had the fame Body, Whofe (ball it be at the Refurre&ion ? And how (ball they be fupplied that have it not ? This is the Obje&ión ,; and in order to the anfweringof it, I {hall premife thefe two Things : I. That the Bodyof Man is not a confiant and permanent Thing, always con- tinuing in the fame State, and conffting of the fame Matter But a fucceftive Thing, 3
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