He says The Soul and Body are not sick and well together Whereas I profess to think they are sick and well together and that they have both one common Sense of Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting Feeling and that they both together or the Person hath the same Perception Fancy Judgment Will and Memory and they both have or which is the same thing the Person hath the same Affections or Passions of Ambition Covetousness Lust Wrath and Fear These all are naturally ingrafted in the Person and are natural Incidents to the Compositum of Soul and Body and that this Union is the most amicable friendly and pleasing that Men know to be enjoy'd in our Earthly World and that the Body is so far from being a Prison or Cage for the Soul that there is no other Place in the World wherein the Soul delights or wherein it can subsist but in the Body nor is there a Seperation which we know in the Earthly World that is more grievous or afflictive than the Seperation of Soul and Body is commonly found to be to the Person who is a Compositum of them both Upon which Considerations I stand inclined to Affirm That the Person who is a Compositum of Soul and Body and those his Two Constituent Parts are generated together are born live and grow together are sick and well together and so are pleased and displeased and love and hate together are joyful sorrowful and fearful together are honoured and shamed together they decline and decay together and yet the Out-ward Part somewhat sooner and faster than the Inward and so they grow impotent and helpless together that they die together and that lastly they shall rise together in that Universal Resurrection which shall be effected at the second Appearing of our Lord JESUS CHRIST when he shall come to Judge the World Mr. W. here quotes 3 John 2. as serving to prove his Purpose where St. John saith to Gains I wish above all things that thou maist prosper and be in health even as thy Soul prospereth It is a common Practice for Men in their Letters to wish Health and Prosperity to their Correspondents and this the Apostle practises in this Text and the Words Even as thy soul prospereth seem to intend Even as Gains himself prospereth in the Faith and Profession of the Gospel He quotes again for his Purpose Rom. 7.23 where St. Paul says I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind Which Text I conceive intends no more than the War which the Sensual Affections and Passions make against the Opinions and Dictates of the Rational Faculty or Mind of the Man which is visibly known and perceived to continue in the Person from the Cradle to the Grave and prove no more a War betwixt the Soul and the Body than Love and Hatred Sorrow and Joy or any other contrary Affections of the Man may do He quotes further for his Purpose 1 Pet. 2.11 Abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul Here the Word Soul seems to intend the Man himself or the Rational Faculty or Mind of the Person Then he concludes That the Soul and Body as they are Two Beings distinct in Number so are they in Nature And thereupon I say how well he hath proved what he saith he hath proved shall be left to the Readers of our Books to Judge His Third Proposition Affirms That the Soul is a Being seperable from the Body which he says he intends to prove and to that Purpose P. 17. he quotes 2 Cor. 5.1 where he says St. Paul calls our Bodies our Earthly House which the Text does not expresly do but says We know that if our Earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God a House not made with Hands eternal in the Heavens I do not here perceive a necessity of taking these Words Our Earthly House of this Tabernacle to signifie our Bodies but find as much or more Reason to conceive that by those Words our Apostle did intend the whole Fabrick of the Earth in which or upon which the Men of that Age then lived and we still do live We find sufficient Scripture Testimony to prove That our Earthly House of this Tabernacle shall in the end be dissolved and for the shortning of the time when this shall be done and the speedy coming of our Lord to Judgment was a great Subject of the Saints Prayers at that Time and I think divers good Men of that Time held Opinion That possibly they might live to the second coming of our Lord and however did not expect that He should have so long delay'd His Coming as we find by Experience He hath done if we take Our Earthly House of this Tabernacle to signifie the Earth upon which we live that seems to Agree well with the following Words We have a Building of God not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Pet. 3.7 The Heavens and the Earth which are now are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and Perdition of ungodly Men and then the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness He doth not say If you expect your seperate Souls going to Heaven you must live after that manner but if you expect the fiery Dissolution of that Earth upon which ye now live you have great reason to act as he there directs Nevertheless we according to his Promise look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Wherefore Beloved seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Thus he says they must practise a Holy Life in consideration and expectation of those things which were not to happen till Christ's second Appearing but then were expected and hoped for by the Saints and Church of those Times And of these New Heavens and Earth St. Paul seems to speak when he says We have a Building of God a House not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens Such a House as the Hands of Men cannot make the Pattern whereof is now in Heaven and shall descend hither to be our Habitation at our Lord's second Appearing And these are the things which he saith are not seen and yet are Eternal but when that Change shall happen they shall be both Visible and Eternal And for this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with this House of ours which is from Heaven Ver. 4. We that are in this Tabernacle of the Earth upon which we live do groan being burdened not for that we would be uncloathed or not desiring that our Persons should be dissolved by Death but cloathed upon that Mortality might be swallowed up
and Salvation at the General Day of Judgment Thirdly Concerning the Prayers or Cries of these Souls for Vengeance upon their Persecutors Mr. W. and I are hotb agreed that they made no other Cry in this Text then the Blood of Abel made to God for Vengeance on his Murtherer and I conceive there was no real Prayer or Cry in either of these Cases but that God himself had taken special Notice in both these Cases and that whensoever they came before him hy Remembrance or any sort of Re-presentation his Intention always continued firm to take Vengeance for those Facts upon all those who had therein acted and continued in such wicked Practices without Saving Repentance until the time of their Deaths I have Inclinations to think that this Exposition of our proving Text is more sound and true than that which Mr. W. hath before made of it and hence I think the Consequence will be very clear That Mr. W's Argument drawn from this Text is not a sufficient nor a good Argument to prove the Separate Subsistence of Souls The Eighteenth Argument PAge 118. Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them P. 119. Mr. W. says By Blessedness in this Text must needs be meant Happiness and all Happiness implies Joy and all Joy implies Life and when he has rais'd Blessedness in this manner he infers from the Word henceforth that it must Commence presently upon the death of the Person wresting the signification of the Words from Henceforth which do properly signifie from the time of that Prophesie to signifie the time of every Man's Death which I do not find to be mentioned or intended by the Text And he adds The meaning of the Text being thus opened he seems to direct his following Discourse only to those who will accept the true Sense of the Text to be as he hath opened it and to them he thus argues If the Dead in the Lord do from the time of their being dead commence a Blessedness not only in resting from their Labours but likewise in being rewarded for their Works then do they continue to live in some part of them which is their Spirits and consequently their Spirits die not with their Bodies but are Immortal P. 120. Mr. W. offers to us That this Blessedness is said by the Spirit to be given from the time of Mens Deaths this he collects from the signification of the Words from Henceforth as if that intended from the time of their Death's whereas it appears in this Text to intend no more but that from the time of this Prophesie the Dead which die in the Lord shall have a blessed Rest and their Works do follow them P. 121. Then Mr. W. pretends That the dead Saints do not only enjoy a blessed Rest but that they also enter upon and enjoy Rewards for their Works as soon as they are dead but I find no Ground for this Opinion in the Text but conceive he thought it was there because he had a great Mind it should be there as a thing that would have done him more Service than any thing that he can find in the Text besides Mr. W. says further If no Rewards of active Happiness and Joy followed immediately after Death it would be wonderful the Spirit of God should pronounce a Blessedness on such as die in the Lord above those who live on Earth in the Lord and this would be contrary to the Sense of all God's People and specially to the Sense of such as Administer Comfort to dying Persons from this Topick by telling them that immediately after Death their Souls shall by Angels be transported into Heaven or Paradise or Abraham's Bosome or some such Place where they shall not only be at rest but have present Joys and Happiness conferr'd upon them and I grant that if such Doctrine prove otherwise than true many Persons may have been deceived of their confident Expectations and more may still in future happen so to be And therefore I think it needful to take further Consideration and so make a stricter Scrutiny concerning the Truth of this Doctrine than in former Times and Ages hath been commonly done amongst Men. Mr. W. says He thinks there are none of God's People who would not rather chuse to live upon Earth tho' under Persecution then to die and be buried in the Earth He says it is evident That from the time of dying the Saints are blessed with Rewards for their Work as well as from their Labour I reply I am very sorry that I am not able to find in this Text an Argument or any of his former the thing which he says is so evident intending I presume to himself and some such other Persons as may be strongly fixed in his Opinion and Belief touching this Point concerning which and this Text I intend to make a little more large Examination The Words therefore are And I heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me write Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them I do not find in this Text any Words which signifie or import that Men shall be rewarded for their Works presently after Death otherwise than by a Blessed Rest from their Labours It is said indeed That their Works do follow them but there is no time mention'd when they shall overtake them And I desire Mr. W. and his Party from henceforth that they will cease from perverting the Sense of the Word from Henceforth in this Text by applying its Energy to the time of Mens Deaths whereas in the words of our Text it stands clearly apply'd to the time when this Prophesie was revealed to St. John and whereas Mr. W. says That none of Gods Saints upon Earth would willingly embrace Death but rather chuse a longer Life upon Earth altho' under a state of great Persecution if they did not expect Heavenly Rewards presently upon the death of their Persons and he says You shall never perswade People to a contented departure out of this World by telling them they shall presently enjoy a blessed Rest in the Lord and therefore they must be told of and perswaded to expect Glorious Rewards in Heaven presently after their passing out of this World I confess thereupon that Mens mistakes upon this Account may be very great and very universal but do by no means believe the first part of his Assertion viz. that there are no Saints or People upon Earth who are willing to accept of Death whensoever God shall appoint it to come upon them under a great contentment of Mind and the Satisfaction which they may receive from this Text That they shall have a blessed Rest in the Lord safe from all the Temptations and Tribulations of this World and from the Power and Malice of wicked Men
of Life This shews that he did not desire Death in hope of his Souls immediate going to Heaven but rather he longed for Christ's second Appearing when all these things shall be performed and those which at that time are found alive upon Earth shall not die but be changed in a Moment or twinkling of an eye and so cloathed with their Houses which are from Heaven and by that means their mortal Bodies shall put on Immortality fulfilling our Apostles Words in this Text Mortality shall be swallowed up of Life And this Change seems to be the cloathing upon which he both intended and desired and it was a Practice of the Church of those Times as before is said to pray for the speedy Coming of our Lord Jesus and Consummation of the Mysteries of the Gospel And thus I conceive I have better Expounded our Apostles Text and given a truer Meaning thereof than Mr. W. will be found to have done and conclude thereupon That this Text can give but a feeble Support to the Opinion of the Souls seperate Subsistence P. 18. He further quotes Ver. 6.7 Whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord and walk by Faith not by sight and therefore we are willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord. The Meaning of which may be that we cannot be present with the Lord in our Fleshly Bodies which are subject to Corruption whil'st they continue in their Natural State and therefore he desires the Change or Translation of such Earthly Bodies into that of Glorious or Heavenly Bodies which shall be done when we are cloathed upon with our House or Houses which are from Heaven by changing our Earthly Bodies into Heavenly which shall be performed to the Saints that live upon Earth at the Time of our Lord's second Coming and tho' they be absent from the Lord in their Earthly Bodies yet they shall then be present with Him in their Heavenly ones And our Apostle proceeding says Ver. 9. We labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of Him And then closes his Discourse Ver. 10. with that which seems to be the Reason of all his Desire and Endeavour viz. Because We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his Earthly Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad Which intends the Last and General Judgment without any Pretence or Apprehension that an Intermediate Judgment is at all meant or consider'd in that Expression Mr. W. quotes further 2 Pet. 1.13 I think it meet so long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up knowing that shortly I must put off this Tabernacle viz. I will endeavour that after my Departure c. It seems that Peter by the Term Tabernacle did intend his own Fleshly Body which with Propriety enough may signifie that Humane Body which is the Receptacle and Tabernacle of Life to every Man And Death is commonly amongst us call'd a Departure out of this World of such Persons as lately before were living Members of it and therefore I do not perceive what Force there is in these Texts of Proving the Soul's Seperate Subsistence Nor do I perceive that Mr. W. lays any proving Weight upon the Sense of the Texts as they are here quoted but endeavours rather to enforce a Meaning from the Greek Words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he says Signifies After my going out viz. Out of my Tabernacle although our Translators have render'd it After my Departure Which I think to be a Translation which he cannot mend and if so they had render'd it by After my going out I should have sooner have taken it to signifie An Extinguishment of the Vital Flame in his Body than the Departure of an Intelligent Substantial Soul out of it And therefore I think the Enforcement of this Argument which he would derive from the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but trifling P. 19 He Appeals to all Mens Judgments that are not prejudicate whether the Apostles do not by the quoted Texts intend That Mens Souls are of such a Nature as can subsist in a State of Seperation from their Bodies I doubt not but if I or any other Man shall declare our selves to think other ways he will Reply we are Prejudicate and that is all the Fruit that can be expected of such a needless Appeal He says further If these Apostles had believed the Soul and Body to die together they would never have used such ensnaring Metaphorical Expressions as these that do so clearly hold forth a Seperability of the one from the other To this I Reply That if at all they hold forth this Opinion it is in a Dark-Lanthorn with the Light Side towards him and the Dark towards me But I rather conceive that if they had known the Being of a Substantial Intelligent Seperately Subsisting Soul in Man and that those of the good went to Heaven presently after the Death of the Person they would probably and even certainly have preached and declared the same And we should have found it so plainly and clearly delivered in some of their Writings which are come to our hands and the not finding it so delivered in any of their Writings gives us great cause to doubt the Truth of that Opinion Mr. W. for a further Proof of his Opinion quotes 2 Cor. 12.1 where that Apostle relates a Trance or Vision which he had and wherein he could not tell whether he was in the Body or out of the Body and thereupon he quotes the Assembly of Divines which sat in the Rump-Parliament Time and that they say the Apostle doubted whether God framed the Representation of these Heavenly things in his Soul in a State of Union with the Body or whether God Seperated the Soul from the Body and transported it into Heaven And thereupon P. 20. Mr. W. says That many Philosophers and some Divines affirm That Paul 's Rational Soul might be seperated from the Body and yet Paul not dead professing himself partly to be of the same Opinion And if by being out of the Body the Apostle doth not mean such a Separation he would be told what is meant by those Words Being out of the Body He was Conscious to himself of a common and I think a sufficient Answer thereunto given viz. That St. Paul was wrapt in a Trance or Extasie of his Mind wherein those things which he saw and heard were so lively represented to his Perceptive Faculties and so throughly imprinted upon his Memory as they could not be more perfectly perceived or better remembred if he had truly perceived them by the Use of his Bodily Organs so as he could not certainly know whether he was really wrapt into Heaven in his whole Person or whether the same was only a Trance and Rapture of his Mind Mr. W. intending to prevent this Answer says It is not enough for Men
know That he who raised up our Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus And in the end of this Discourse St. Paul says We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ and there receive Recompences according to our Works And hence I Collect That the Texts which lie intermediate betwixt these Two do most directly concern Matters pertaining to the Resurrection and the manner of proceeding which may at that time be expected and from these Premises I gather that in Mr. W's proving Text the Words Absent from the Body and present with the Lord do intend the Presence and Absence of the wholâ— Person with the Lord or from the Lord and do Expound the Apostles Meaning to be that Men cannot be present with the Lord without being absent from their fleshly Bodies 1 Cor. 15.50 says Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and therefore Paul desires to be absent from this sort of Body that he may be present with the Lord in another sort of Body Ver. 40. There are Celestial Bodies and Bodies Terrestrial Ver. 44. There is a Natural Body and there is a Spiritual Body V. 46. First that which is Natural and afterward that which is Spiritual V. 49. And as we have born the Image of the Earthly so shall we bear the Image of the Heavenly V. 51. St. Paul shews us a Mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye for at the sound of the last Trumpet the Dead shall be raised incorruptible and we such Saints as are then upon Earth shall be changed for this Corruptible must put on Incorruption and this Mortal must put on Immortality I say then That by St. Paul's Absent from the Body and present with the Lord in this Place he intended the Change before-mentioned and that his natural fleshly Body should be changed into a Spiritual Heavenly Body and that he might not longer be absent from the Lord in his Fleshly Body but might have it changed into a Spiritual Body in which he might be present with the Lord. 1 Thes 4.15 This we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them that are asleep for the Lord himself shall descend with a shout and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Hence I Infer That after our Earthly Tabernacle is so dissolv'd or as that our Earthly or Fleshly Bodies are by this Change cloathed upon with our House that is from Heaven or those Spiritual Heavenly Bodies we shall together with the newly raised Persons meet the Lord in the Air and so shall remain with the Lord for ever St. Paul in this Discourse makes no mention at all of Death or Dying or any sort of Seperation of the Soul from the Body but seems to reject that Intent when he says He does not desire to be uncloathed Which I think intends to die but desires to be cloathed upon that Mortality might be swallowed up of Life Which will clearly be effected by changing his Fleshly Natural Body into a Spiritual or Heavenly Body in which Men shall be present with the Lord for ever 1 Joh. 3.2 Beloved it doth not yet appear what we shall be but me know that when He Christ shall appear we shall be like him and our vile Bodies shall be chang'd and made like his Glorious Body It may also be observed what St. Paul intends by his Term We for in the quoted Text he says We desire to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord And elsewhere says We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed Also We that are alive shall not prevent them that are asleep Also We shall be caught up to the Clouds to meet the Lord and remain ever with him In all these We's it seems plain the Apostle intends the Persons of Believers and not their Souls only Concerning this Desire of being Absent from the Body and present with the Lord it seems observable That the Church of that time expected our Lord's Second Coming within some indifferent or short space or compass of Time such as that possibly some of them might live till the Accomplishment of it Our Lord speaking of the Signs of his Coming says This Generation shall not pass until all things be fulfilled And else-where tells his Auditors the Signs and Glory of his Second Coming and says Then look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh as if some of them might live unto that Time In the Apostolick Writings we often find their Times express'd by the Terms of Last Time and they thought that upon them the Ends of the World were come and we find it written The time is short therefore he that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is holy let him be holy still As if there were scarce time of a REFORMATION before the Coming of our Lord. Rev. 3.11 Behold I come quickly hold fast that which thou hast 1 John 1.18 Little children it is now the last time and Antichrist is already at work Heb. 1.1 God who in former times spake unto us by his prophets hath in these last times spoken unto us by his Son Jam. 5.7 Be patient brethren unto the coming of our Lord and establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh Rev. 22 7. Behold I come quickly and the time is at hand and behold I come quickly and my reward is with me Ver. 20. He which testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly Amen even so come Lord Jesus The Spirit and the Bride say come Our Lord answers I come quickly and the Church replies even so come Lord Jesus come quickly It seems to have been the Custom of that Age to pray for the speedy coming of our Lord to Judgment and that the days intermediate thereunto might be shortned and that the expected Change of their Mortal into Immortal Bodies might be accomplished with the most speed that was possible And upon these grounds St. Paul as well as other believers desired heartily to be absent from their fleshly bodies that they might be present with the Lord in their spiritual ones And upon this Canvass I am satisfied in my own understanding that St. Paul's being absent from the Body and present with the Lord ought to be expounded as I have before declared And thereupon it will be easily concluded that Mr. Ws. Tenth Argument grounded upon the Text of St. Paul before quoted is not a sufficient a sound or a good Argument for proving of the Souls Seperate Subsistence The Eleventh Argument PAge 94. Mr. W. quotes 2 Cor. 12.2 I knew a man about fourteen years ago whether in the body
at my Tribulation Philem. v. 9. This Apostle was then Paul the Aged and a Prisoner of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 4.6 Paul says I am ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand Ver. 16. At my first Answer no man stood with me but all men forsook me but God stood with me and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion Philip. 4.14 The Philippians had sent a Present to supply St. Paul's Wants and in return he says Ye have well done that ye did communicate with my Affliction and supply my Wants and prays God to bless them for their so doing The several Texts thus collected seem to declare to us the State of St. Paul's Person at that time He was Paul the Aged a Prisoner under a necessitous and wanting Condition ready to be offered up by a dolorous Death having but lately escaped out of the Mouth of the Lion and that he lay continually under great Afflictions for the Church's sake and had the Care of all the Churches lying upon him All which Particulars considered our Apostle had great Reason to chuse Death rather than Life in all such Respects as did only concern himself for that by Death he should be delivered from the manifold Afflictions and Tribulations before-named and thereby attain a state of Rest and Blessedness in the Lord. Rev. 14.13 John heard a Voice from Heaven commanding him to write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them Rom. 14.8 Whether we live we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lord 's Chap. 8.35 Who shall seperate us from the Love of Christ Ver. 38. I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor any other Creature shall be able to seperate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus ' our Lord. Here we may observe Life and Death are made indifferent things to Believers such as seem neither to hinder nor further the State or Condition of them or to be either of them greatly desired by Christians in this World but rather ought to be referr'd to the Will and Appointment of God Luk. 20.38 God calls Himself The God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and yet the Text says He is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him Which to my Apprehension proves what before is said That whether we live or die we are the Lord's during Life we live and move in Him and when we die we rest and sleep in Him in expectation to be raised by Him at his Second Coming And from the Premises I Argue That all Mr. W's Suppositions and Surmises concerning the Soul and the Seperate State of it are ill grounded and unsound We read of many Persons whose Conditions were so much distress'd that with Job they have heartily desir'd Death and would be ready with him to dig for it as other Men would do for hidden Treasure the very Aged and Sickly one of which I am will easily be perswaded to think Death a Gain to them and to desire it accordingly The present Time affords a rare Example of a young rich and otherwise happy Lord who by a Pistol Bullet took away his own Life at the Bath meerly to rid and free himself from such sharp Pains of the Gout and Stone as then oppress'd him And daily Experience assures us that the Consideration and Hope of Death is one of the greatest Supports under Mens present Sufferings and is by such Persons accordingly desired and thus they are at apparent Agreement with St. Paul's Opinion That for them to die is Gain although their Expectations of future Happiness may be nothing so well grounded as his was It may be also observed I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better Not saying He desir'd to depart that he might be with Christ but that though he did depart he knew he should still be with Christ so as his Departure and being with Christ do both stand well together he had a Being with Christ whil'st he was alive and he doubted not of having a like Being with Christ when he was dead and that a more peaceable and quiet Being than he had whil'st he was here and therefore that Estate was the more desirable and the more gainful If a Person go to his Friends or his Father's House he may truly he said to be with such a Friend or Father either sleeping or waking and we know Death is compared to a Sleep the Scripture usually calls it so and really and truly it is no other but a sound and lasting Sleep to continue unto the Sound of the last Trumpet at whose Summons the Dead shall be raised and those who are alive upon Earth shall have their Persons changed St. Paul does not say that he or any other Person is more present with the Lord when dead than alive but that in both Estates Men are alike present with the Lord For If we live we live unto the Lord and if we die we die unto the Lord so as whether we live or die we are the Lord 's Neither Death nor Life can seperate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus So it seems whether we live or die we are alike with Christ and have no more Being with him dead than when alive but that in both these States we have alike Being with him This Exposition of St. Paul's present Text I conceive to be sound and true and that Mr. W's is Erroneous For that this my Construction applies St. Paul's Terms of I and Me to denote and intend his whole Person as in their proper Signification they do whereas Mr. W. applies them to signifie only one Part of his Person viz. our Author's sort of Soul concerning which our Dispute is Whether there is any such thing in the World or not Next Mr. W. takes up the Bulk of his Argument in a Discourse concerning the Soul its Seperate Subsistence after Death and its enjoying Happiness in that Estate whereas in St. Paul's whole Text there are no words which mention any of these things or give us any Information concerning them or any of them I leave therefore his Construction as a Mistake of the Apostle's Meaning and think I have Reason to conclude That Mr. W's Argument drawn from this Text is not a sufficient nor a good Argument to prove the Subsistence of the Soul in a State of Seperation from the Body The Thirteenth Argument PAge 100. Colos 1.19 20. It pleased the Father that in him should all Fulness dwell and having made Peace through the Blood of the Cross by him to reconcile all things to himself by him I say whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven P. 101. Mr. W. says There were Souls of Men in Heaven when St. Paul