Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

thefe grofs bodies; and is by no means favoured by prefent appearances, according to which the power of thinking depends entirely upon the body, and especially upon the brain; fo that any injury being done to the one, a proportionable injury is done to the other.

If thought be fufpended in found fleep, and if for a time we be wholly deprived of it by a blow on the head, much more muft all our faculties be deranged, and a period be put to fenfation and thought by death. And though particular texts, efpecially as they have been usually tranflated, are fpecioufly enough alledged in favour of an intermediate conscious ftate, juft as fingle texts have been, with equal plaufibility, alledged in favour of all the doctrines of Popery and Calvinism; yet fcriptural arguments of a more general nature, derived from a comprehenfive view of the order and design of revelation, which are a much furer guide to truth, are strongly conclufive against it.

If the foul be capable of an existence feparate from the body, and, as is generally fuppofed by those who adopt this opinion, be capable of a greater exertion of its powers, when unfettered from this incumbrance of the flesh, what reason could there be for a refurrection? The affection, which fome perfons arbitrarily fuppofe, that the foul must have for its old companion, is abfurd, when it was always a clog and a burden to it.

[blocks in formation]

Alfo, what occafion was there for a general judgment, at the last day, which is clearly the fcripture doctrine, if there will have been a previous separate judgment for every individual of mankind, and they will all have actually received their proper reward or punishment before that time; which, with respect to fome of them, will have continued feveral thousand years. Upon this plan, the ge neral judgment must be a mere piece of pomp and parade, without any real use. Whereas, on the contrary, both the righteous and the wicked are represented by our Lord, in his account of the proceedings of that great day, Matt. xxv. as totally ignorant of their future ftate, and expreffing their furprize at the decifion of their judge; when, according to this hypothefis, they could not but have been acquainted with it, by dear or joyful experience, long before.

If we examine the fcripture promises, we shall find no hint given of any thing taking place to the advantage of good men before the coming of Chrift to judgment. When our Lord encourages perfons to give to the poor, he fays, Luke xiv. 14. 6, They cannot recompenfe thee: but thou fhalt "be recompenfed at the refurrection of the juft ;' not before. The apostle Paul, fpeaking of the duty and expectations of chriftians, directs their views to the fame great event, and to nothing before, or fhort of it. Titus ii. 11. "For the grace

"of

"of God, which bringeth falvation, hath appear"ed to all men; teaching us, that denying un

godliness and worldly lufts, we should live fo"berly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent "world; looking for that bleffed hope, and the

glorious appearing of the great God, and our "Saviour Jefus Chrift." The apostle Peter had no other idea when he faid, 1 Pet. iv. 12. "Be"loved, think it not strange concerning the fiery "trial, which is to try you, as though fome "ftrange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, "inafmuch as ye are partakers of Chrift's suffer"ings; that when his glory fhall be revealed, ye "may be glad alfo with exceeding joy."

The fame only time of the reward of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked, is alfo particularly mentioned, Rev. xi. 16. where the four and twenty elders are faid to fall down upon their faces, and to worship God, faying, "We "give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, be"cause thou haft taken to thee thy great power,

and haft reigned. And the nations were angry, "and thy wrath is come, and the time of the "dead that they should be judged, and that thou

fhouldeft give reward unto thy fervants the pro"phets, and to the faints, and them that fear "thy name, small and great, and fhouldeft de"ftroy them who deftroy (or corrupt) the earth."

[blocks in formation]

All the exhortations of the New Teftament go upon this fame proper chriftian principle.

The punishment of the wicked is alfo always represented as taking place at the same time, viz. the day of judgment, and not before. Thus it is only" at the end of the world," Matt. xiii. 14. that our Lord fays, "the Son of man fhall fend "forth his angels;" when they shall gather out "of his kingdom all things that fhall offend, and "them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. "Then," and not before, "fhall the righteous fhine forth as the fus, in the "kingdom of their father."

[ocr errors]

When the apoftles write to comfort the friends of deceased chriftians, they drop not the most diftant hint of their enjoying any degree of happiness at present, which is a topic which they could not poffibly have overlooked on fuch an occafion, if they had really believed it, even though they had imagined that the refurrection was ever fo near at hand. It is plain, however, that the apostle Paul had not the notion of the refurrection being fo very near, when he wrote the Epiftle to the Theffalonians, whom he endeavours to comfort upon this occafion. For, in the fecond Epiftle, which, in this refpect, is only explanatory of the former, he speaks of the rife, progress, and deftruction of the man of fin, as to take place before this great event.

On

On the contrary, all the confolation that he has to offer, is derived from the profpect of the joyful refurrection of their deceafed friends. 1 Theff. iv. 13. "I would not have you to be ignorant, bre"thren, concerning them which are afleep, that 66 ye forrow not, even as others who have no hope. "For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again, " even fo them alfo who fleep in Jefus, will God "bring with him.-Wherefore, comfort one ano"ther with thefe words." The very phrase which the apoftle here makes ufe of, viz. " fleep"ing in Jefus," clearly implies, that he had no idea of their being awake, alive, and happy.

Befides, we fee, in this very paffage, that the apostle was apprehensive that the perfons to whom he was writing would imagine, that they who fhould be alive at the fecond coming of Chrift, would at least have fome advantage over those who fhould be raised from the dead. For fo the word lowe ought to be rendered, and not prevent, as in our tranflation. This fufpicion the apostle endeavours to obviate, by fhowing that, of the two, those who had been dead would rather have the advantage of the living; fince the refurrection of the dead would precede the change t t was to pafs upon those who fhould be found alive; and this he relates, as by exprefs revelation from Chrift, ver. 15. For this we fay unto you, by Lord, that we who are alive,

" the word of the

[ocr errors]
« ForrigeFortsæt »