.ECT.- T1f.1 PROOF OF A SEPARATE STATE. 291 of water quickly overflowed, and now covers all that plain, where the fire was kindled, which burned down those cities. It is manifest also, that the day of resur- rection, and future punishment, being not yet come, they do not, at this time, suffer the vengeance of eternal .fire in their bodies : Nor can this verse, I think, be well explained, to make Sodom and Gomorrah an example to deter present sinners from uncleanness, but byallow- ing, that the spirits of those lewd persons are now suffer- ing a degree of vengeance, or punishment, from the justice of God, which is compared to that fire, whereby their cities and their bodies were burned, and which vex geance, at the last great day, shall continue their punish ment, and pronounce it eternal, or kindle material fire, which shall never be quenched. The last text I shall mention is, Rev. vi. 9. I saw, under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." I confess this is a book of visions, and this place; amongst others, might be explained as a mere vision of the apostle, if there were no other text, which confirm= ed the doctrine ofa separate state : But, since, I think, there are some solid proofs of it in other parts of the New Testament, I know not why this may not be ex- plained, at least, something nearer to the literal sense of it, than those will allow, who suppose the soul to sleep from death to the resurrection. Whymay not the spirits of the martyrs, which are now with God, pray him tó hasten the accomplishment of his promises made to his church, and the day of vengeance upon his irreconcile- able enemies ? SECTION III. Some firmer or more evident Proofs of a Separate Staté I come now to consider those texts, which do more expressly and certainly discover the separate state, and which, I think, :cannot, with any tolerable appearance of reason, be turned aside from their plain and obvious intention, to reveal and declare, that.there is a separate state of souls. And such, in my opinion, are .these that follow,
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