at that time so very ingenious, as to explain it away, by distinguishing upon the feveral component parts of their constitution; and concluding, that by death no more was intended, than only a feparation of these parts, while one of them was ftill living in fome different manner; or that it was a continuation of their confciousness, and real existence, in fome other place. No; this was the philofophy of after ages: concerning which, all I fhall fay at prefent is, that fome of its most eminent patrons cannot help observing, that they don't find it in the Scriptures [z.] Thefe, in their obvious meaning, represent the whole man, individual, person, or being; as included in the fentence addreffed to him; nor do they seem to take notice of any other circumstance in the cafe, befide that, so often mentioned, of his returning to the duft, or ground from whence he was taken †: and

[z] Tillotson, Vol. I. fol. Serm. 100. This is very tenderly expreffed; and the reason that great author gives for it, not unfuitable to the prejudices of his time: whereas if he had confidered the point more fully, I prefume, he would have found the Scripture, not taking this natural immortality for granted; but rather laying down the contrary; and the New Teltament every where infifting on it, as the very ground of the whole Chriftian covenant; through which alone, we attain to immortality, or everlasting life. In order to form a better judgment of this, we muft examine the Scripture-language more particularly; and fee what all those several terms, and phrafes may imply in the original, which are fuppofed to include the doctrine above mentioned: For which, fee the APPENDIX.

+ Gen. iii. 23. As the threatning was only in general, Thou fhalt die; and it does not appear by the hiftory, that man had any notice given him of Spiritual death, (or the neceffity of finning) nor of eternal death, (i. e. a neceffity and eternity of torment) fo it would feem surprising, if it had not been often faid by fome men, (which was yet never proved by any) that death, natural, fpiritual, and eternal, was threatned. Jeffery, Select. Difc. p. 22. "When Adam was told that if he offended he should die, he could not then underftand

3

and might not the first pair as well expect, that the fame breath of life, which the Lord God had breathed into their noftrils; whereby man became a living foul; fhould ftill furvive the execution of that fentence; or that the duft itself should praise God; as that any kind of knowledge of, or communication with him, fhould continue in that state of darkness, and destruction, to which they were then doomed?

Thus did death enter into the world, and reign in it, through that one tranfgreffion.-Let us in the next place fee how this reign is destroyed; and we delivered from it by the obedience of our Lord:

Which will appear more clearly, from the date of that deliverance; and this is every where represented in the fame Scripture, as commencing at the refurrection; nor can any thing else constitute the opposition above-mentioned: for if death be a return to dust; then nothing but a reviving, or a refufcitation from that duft, can be the reverfing of it; or a proper recovery from it: and accordingly, to this, and this alone, St. Paul confines the contrast, he has drawn at large between the first and fecond Adam. Since by man came death, by man came also the refurrection from the dead; -and as in Adam all die; even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive +; which life is, not an inherent

pro

ftand by Death a future punishment after Death, but rather an annihilation of his foul, and a diffolution of his body, and a returning to the fame infenfibility from which he had been called into being. Jortin, Serm. Vol. VII. p. 283.

+ Which words, (as a very competent judge of Scripture-language has affured us) directly affirm, * that a relurrection, or being

made

property of our original nature; but a free gift to us *, promised, and procured by Christ; and accordingly termed the grace, or gift of God, and the gift by grace, through Jefus Christ our Lord+: who on that account is pleased to stile himself the refurrection and the life; who is called our life ||; and faid to have the keys of bades, and of death; who opens

made alive again, is granted, affured, and executed, by, and in Chrift alone; and evidently fuppofe, 1. That the dead are not made alive, till the refurrection; for the refurrection of the dead, and being made alive, are here expreffions of the fame fignification. 2. That, had not a refurrection been provided, we should never after death have been made alive. Taylor's Script. Doctr. of Orig. Sin, p. 24. Comp. Doddridge on Job. iii. 15. Fam. Expof. Vol. I. p. 154. and Jeffery's Select Difc. p. 64.

The fame thing is very properly termed by Bishop Sherlock [Difc. ii. p. 76.] a calling men from the grave into being; or the making dead bodies into living men; p. 300. which second creation of all men, by our blessed Saviour, his lordship juftly parallels to the calling them out of nothing at the firft creation; or the reftoring to them that life, which he at firft gave; ib. or the calling man into life again, out of t fame ftate of duft, and afbes, from which he was at firft formed a living foul. ib. Difc. vi. p. 209.

the

Add Id. Difc. Vol. II. p. 207. • He-goes down-to the grave, and his iniquities follow him; and will rife with him again, when God calls him to appear and answer for himself.' ib. p. 278. The fear of death can be allayed by nothing, but the hope of living again;

death is a fleep from which we expect to wake to immortality.'The fame notion is confiftently purfued by his lordfhip; Use and Intent of Proph. p. 69, 75,91, 93, 116, 118, 142, 143, 239, 240. 2d Edit. That nothing elfe but this compound being, which is wholly destroyed by death, and whofe conftituent parts are renewed at the refurrection, can, with any propriety, be denominated man; fee in the fame eminent writer, ib. p. 86.-What infurmountable difficulties have arifen from confidering thefe conftituents feparately, may be seen, ib. p. 101, &c.

'Tis fomething furprising to think, that a mere rational mind fhould be the fame individual with a man, who confifts of a rational mind, a fenfitive foul, and a body. This carries no probability with it at first fight; and reason cannot undertake much in its be half. ib. Difc. p. 204.

John v. 40. vi. 33, 51, 57. x. 10, 28, xiv. 6, 19. xvii. 2, 22., 1 John ii. 25. v. 11, 12, 13.

+ Rom. v. 14, 15, 16, 17. vi. 23. dead, through, or in Jefus, Acts iv. ↑ John xi. 25.

2.

viii. 2. The refurrection of the 1 Cor. xv 22, 57. 1 Pet. iii. 7.

Col. iii. 4.

opens for us the true and only way to immortality, through the gate of the refurrection; and without whom there is no admiffion to it; but the wrath of God abideth on us*. So far is it from truth, that immortal life may be discovered by the light of nature; that on the contrary, we are taught to believe, it was Chrift only, who abolished death, and brought immortality to light by his Gofpel:- that the heathens, ignorant of this, have no hope; or no ground for their hope +; and that if there were no refurrection, the very best of men, even they who are fallen asleep in Chrift, are perished. But now Chrift being himself rifen. from the dead, and thereby become the firft-fruits of them that flept; we are as fure of our own refurrection, as that he our head is rifen for us. Hereby we become children, or heirs of the refurrection; and have an infallible title to immortal life, through this adoption; that is, the redemption of our body. We know, that we shall not now perifh for ever, or be loft; but live in him; or (as he himself conftantly explains it) be raised up again at the last day §. We may with boldness now approach to God, by a living way, which Chrift bath confecrated to us through the vail; that is, his fefb: through

John iii. 36.

+ Scholars may reafon of the nature of the Soul, and the condition of it when feparated from the body; but the common hopes of nature receive no fupport from fuch inquiries.' Bp. Sherlock, Difc. ii. p. 85. We die and moulder to duft; and in that ftate, what we or where we are, nature cannot fay. Id. ib. Vol. IV. p. 79. · The true import of this phrase, and the argument from it, is well established by Mr. Alexander, Paraphr. on 1 Cor. xv. p. 28, &c. Rom, yiii. 23. + John x. 28.

are,

$John iii. 16. vi. 39, 40, 44.

through him we have gained the victory; may join in St.Paul's triumph over death and the grave||; and have all infinite reafon to exprefs our gratitude for it, with the fame apostle; thanks be to God, who giveth us this victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. But,

2dly, If death be vanquished, why then doth fo much of its power still subsist in the world? Why is this pause permitted in the course of our existence; and life dropt awhile, in order to be thus refumed? How comes it to pass, that we don't rather live on ftill; than die, and rife again? - as fome understand the former question in St. Paul §, from the distinct answer, which he gives to it under this distinct view; viz. that in the common course of nature here, the decay and diffolution of things precedes a revivifcence (that which thou foweft is not quickened except it die ;) that fuch a change of states is neceffary; and -that it would be as foolish to expect the contrary

1 Cor. xv. 55.

in

Γ 1 Cor. xv. 35. Πως εγείρονται οι νεκροι; Why are dead men raifed to life again? or how is it that fuch perfons fhall be recalled into being who now are as if they had never been? See Locke on the place, note b. who seems to have given the first hint of adjusting the above queries to their replies; though we are sorry to obferve a piece of confufion in the fame note, very uncommon to that accurate writer, occafioned by his inverting the order of the fame answers juft after he had stated them, and thereby appearing to poftpone the 36th verse to those that follow. Other commentators are forced to admit the twofold queftion, yet in handling the first, either run it into a foreign enquiry about the poffibility of the thing, or fink it into the second, as wholly relative to the manner of effecting it. That the word was may with equal propriety be rendered why, as well as bore will appear fufficiently from the parallel places, Matt. xvi. 11. xxii. 12. Mark iv. 40. viii. 21, &c. in which paffages it seems to bear the very fame fenfe as dia ri, and in feveral others both of the N. T. and other writers, when it is ufed interrogatively.