SECT. tIi. PROOF OP .A SEPARATE STATE. z teenhere produced, I am persuaded it belongs to all true christians, unless the apostle, in some plainer mauuer, bad limited it to himself, and his twelve brethren;. and secluded or forbid our hopes of it. After all, if it be allowed, that the apostles may enjoy the blessedness. of a separate state before the resurrec- lion, then there is such a thing as a separate state of happiness for souls : this precludes, at once, all the ar- guments against it, that arise from the nature of things, and from any supposed impropriety in such a divine can - stitu.tion.: And since it is granted, that there are millions of angels, and several human spirits, in this unbodied state, enjoying happiness, I seeno reasonwhy the rest of the unbodied spirits ofsaints departed,. should not be received- to their society after death,. unless there were some particular scriptures that excluded them from it. VI. Phil: i. 23., 24. " For I am in a strait betwixt twos. having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better : Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh; is more needful for you." When the apostle speaks, here of his abiding in the flesh, and his departing from. the flesh, he declares the first was more needful for the Philippians, to promote religion in their hearts and lives.; but the second would be better for himself, for he should be with Christ, when he was departed from the flesh. I ,would only ask any reasonable man to determine; whether, when St. Paul speaks of his being with Christ after his departure from the flesh, he can. suppose, that the apostle did not expect to see Christ till the resurrec- tion, which heknewwould be a. considerable distance of time, though perhaps it has proved many hundredyears longer than -the apostle himself expected it? No; it is evident, he hoped to be present with the Lord immedi- ately, as soon as he was absent from the body : other- wise, as I have hinted before, death to liitn would have been but of little gain, if he must have lain sleeping till the dead shall rise, and have been cut: off from his delightful service for Christ in the gospel, and. all the blessed communications of his grace. The objection, which may arise here, also, from supposing this to b.e. a peculiar favour granted. to the apostles; is answered just before.,
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