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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
by
allow-
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
of
a
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. Why
may
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,