Christians I think fit to add that this privilege of being with Christ after Death is not peculiar to St. Paul but belongs also to all that are truly Godly Death as well as Life is yours said he to the believing Corinthians and in them to all other faithfull Christians and certainly he meant t' was theirs in a comfortable sense for their good and leading to their happiness 1 Cor. 3.22 And if all things work for good to them that love God Death shall also and do them a kindness as well as the Apostle Rom. 8.28 nor doth the Apostle make any comparison between himself and the rest of the faithfull in this case or set himself above them in any respect as also in other places he declares them to have the same interest in him and Acceptance for his sake Christ who is our Life Colos 34. He made us accepted in the Beloved Eph. 1.6 Phil. 4.19 My God shall supply all your need according to his Riches in Glory through Christ Jesus Yea He is made unto us Wisedom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 And that the Souls of other Christians are capable of happiness after death as well as S. Paul's I will undertake to prove when I can think worth while so to doe SECT III. The point proved from Luke 23.43 This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise and Colos 1.20 To reconcile all things to himself whether things on Earth or things in Heaven with an Answer to some exceptions AMong the many Scriptures that confirm this comfortable Doctrine these are very considerable In the former our Saviour tells the dying Penitent the joyfull News This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise but he was not so in respect of his Body therefore in respect of his Soul. Whether his Soul was to be that day in Heaven or only tending to it I shall not here enquire 'T is enough for my purpose that it was to be in Paradise for that can signifie no less than a place and state of happiness And we doubt not but Christ's favourable presence could make any place a Paradise for delight and more delightfull than the Earthly Paradise ever was This Text is so strong on our side that our greatest opposers can hardly tell what to say to it any otherwise than by espousing that wretched evasion of the foresaid Racovian Doctor Val. Smalcius viz. Changing the Sentence by misplacing the Comma and reading the words thus Verily I say to thee this day Thou shalt be with me in Paradise namely some time or other as if this day were meant of Christ's speaking and not of the Penitent's enjoying Modus loquendi Hebraicus c. It is says he a speaking after the manner of the Hebrews who use to express themselves so when they would tell us matters of special remark as Deut. 30.18 If ye Worship other Gods and serve them I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish But if they gain the cause at such a rate Luk. 23.43 cleared let them take all and set up their own Heresie for sacred and saying truths For 't is easie to turn â—â—â—th into errour and sense into non-â—â—â—se by mis-pointing any places of Scripture or any other Books and when Men make so bold with the words of our Lord we may fitly call them to account for it and censure their presumption and perverseness which in this case seems very plain For first they shew us no good reason why it should be read I say unto thee this day nor was there need that Christ should tell him that he said so in that day nor do we find him use such an expression in any place or on any great occasions For when he would tell us the necessity of Conversion he says not I say unto you this day but Verily I say unto you except ye be converted ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and the like of his being owned by the Angels Verily Verily I say unto you hereafter ye shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man Joh 1.51 Vain enough therefore is that Author's suggestion that it was so spoken for the weightiness of the matter And though in the Old Testament there were such phrases used I say to thee this day yet it was in matters of threat or of command but not in matters of promise or comfort Our Lord also hath it Verily I say c. now as there was no need at all of such a solemn Asseveration to tell the Penitent Thief when it was he spake unto him his own Ears being sufficient so it was very proper to be used in telling him of the happy change that he should make so speedily and tended much to satisfie him in it So that of the Apostle Colos 1.20 to reconcile all things to himself whether things on Earth or things in Heaven Here what can we suppose meant by things in Heaven reconciled Piscator expoundeth tam fideles c. as well the faithfull received to Heaven as those still on Earth If this be the sense of it 't is full enough to prove the faithfull Christians Soul to be happy after death and if it be not I almost despair of knowing it As to the Holy Angels it seems very improper to interpret it of them for how are they Things reconciled that never offended their God and so needed not any reconciliation And there is in that Chapter no discourse of Enoch and Elias or any thing to enforce it to be meant of them and whether the expressing it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things not all Persons he may not have a special respect to the Souls of the faithfull departed I leave to others to consider of SECT IV. The same proved from 2 Cor. 5.8 we are willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord and Heb. 12.23 The Spirits of just Men made perfect IF other places should not satisfie Men as to this particular yet these one would think could not fail of so doing In the former St. Paul speaks nothing that was peculiar to himself but joyneth the rest of the faithfull in the very same privilege with himself We says he are willing to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore it must needs be granted that the Apostle did believe that when they were as he calls it absent from the Body they should be present with the Lord not only in a general sense as all things are but in a gracious and spiritual manner and such as containeth more comfortable Communion with him than any they could have in this mortal Life and that their being thus present with them when absent from the Body is to be understood in respect of their Souls is that which needeth not to be proved to any that make use of sober reason and are willing to understand the plainest words and
from Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their Labours c. pag. 36 SECT VI. The happiness of Just Mens Souls in the State of Separation vindicated pag. 39 SECT VII The Point improved for Confutation of Errors pag. 45 SECT VIII For trial of our selves whether we are of the number of those Just ones that may justly expect this approaching Felicity pag. 48 An Appendix to the Eighth Section being a Character of that Just person whose Soul shall shortly be so happy pag. 71 SECT IX Shewing the Usefulness of the Point in two other Particulars pag. 83. SECT X. Being a Perswasive to several great Duties pag. 88 SECT XI Containing the Resolution of two great Questions pag. 95 SECT XII Treating of the Nature of this Happiness and the Joy that attends it pag. 113 SECT XIII Shewing the Greatness of the Love of Christ which the Souls of his People all enjoy after Death pag. 132 SECT XIV Discovering the Greatness of Christ's Love in what he did or suffered for Sinners pag. 142 SECT XV. Being other brief Improvements of the Point page 150. SECT XVI Being a farther Improvement of the Doctrine aforesaid as an Antidote against the Fear of Death pag. 157 A POSTSCRIPT Attempting the Resolution of a Weighty Question with an Appendix to the 13th Section concerning Christ's Filiation in a Letter to a learned Authour pag. 185 Happiness at Hand The Introduction with some presuppositions relating to the Point THAT Godliness is great gain and the ways thereof peace and pleasantness is assured to us by the Authour of that blessed Book which may save our Souls but cannot deceive them And though Religion be so good in this Life that every good action may afford some degree of comfort as Dr. Sibbs was wont to say when the Soul is not under temptations and mistakes yet the best of Religion is reserved for another World and its strongest Consolations kept in store to be enjoyed in that high and holy place where there is joy without sorrow peace without trouble Sanctification without Sin and all without end And that thy Joy may be full consider Christian Reader what grounds thou hast to believe that this Happiness is at Hand also and shall be possessed in good part by thy Soul in its separated State most certainly the love of thy Lord is better than Life and will be better to thy Spirit than the life of thy Flesh and all the comforts of this lower World the discovery of which I am not presently to attempt but rather to premise a few particulars in order to it The first thing to be supposed as the Foundation of what follows is The immortality of Mens Souls which some have been so brutish as to call in question imagining that Men die in all respects as the Beasts that perish and therefore live as if Body and Soul should rot together Whose folly therein I need on this occasion no farther to shew than by considering the words of him who is the faithfull and true Witness and knows us better than we do our selves viz. Mat. 10.28 Fear not them that can kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul. In which words our Saviour spake plain enough nor can any subtilty in the earth evade the force of them or obscure to any purpose the clearness of that Testimony which they give to the Souls Immortality For they are brought in as an incouragement to his Apostles to preach the Gospel an incouragement I say against the fury of Persecutours of whom he spake in the foregoing verses He would not have this dishearten them Fear not says he them that can kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul. q. d. As they can do nothing more against you than they are permitted to doe so the worst they can possibly do to you can kill no more than your Bodies your nobler parts your Souls are above the reach of all their violence therefore fear them not in any discouraging way Will not any one that readeth that Text with heedfulness and without prejudice be satisfied that this is the meaning of it And if it were designed by our Saviour to express the Souls immortality how could it be done more effectually and more plainly in a few words But nothing is plain enough to them that will not see the truth The strength of which as to this particular may appear by the weakness of those Interpretations which the contrary minded have put upon this Text. 1. Say some the killing of the Soul may be meant of Damning it They cannot kill it with Eternal Death or Damnation Ans That none of the greatest Persecutours could kill the Soul in that manner is very true but 't is not the meaning of that Text Mat. 10.28 For the Damning of the Soul is not spoken of in the word kill but in the word Destroying but fear him who is able to Destroy Body and Soul in Hell in the same verse now to kill and to Destroy are different words and as different things the disobedient are threatned with an everlasting Destruction 2 Thes 1.9 but no where with an everlasting killing 2. The killing of the Soul which is there denied to be in the power of Men is not to be understood of Damnation because that is never expressed by that word in Scripture Let any Man shew so much as one Text therein where the Damnation either of the Soul or of the Person is called a killing of the one or the other 3. The same word in the Original is used of both which shews it meant in the same sense of both So that as the word everlasting Mat. 25.46 spoken of the punishment of the wicked is the same that is spoken of the Life or Glory of the Righteous and therefore proves the perpetuity of the former as well as of the latter as is shewed elsewhere So the Original word for killing * Everlasting Fire no Fancy Cap. 1. Sect. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the same for substance that is used in the said Text concerning the killing of the Soul and of the Body it must needs be understood accordingly So that they can kill the Body but cannot kill the Soul must needs signifie to us that the Soul continues to live the life of a Soul when the Body ceaseth to live the life of a Body And I know not how any can deny it unless he be resolved upon perverseness and will offer violence to the plainest speeches imaginable 4. At that rate of Interpretation which these Objectors use our Saviour should therein have spoken no more of the Soul than may be said of the Body For Men we know cannot Damn the Body no more than the Soul. But there we see the killing which is denied as to the Soul is granted of the Body that can says our Lord kill the Body but cannot kill the Soul. And if any yet think the meaning
good its Title Page of the Joy of Just Mens Souls after Death if I should not treat of that Love of his which shall surely be their Glory and Joy And though it may be somewhat difficult to resolve in what method to discourse of his unmeasurable Love yet I think the main of what concerns me to say may be reduced to these two Heads 1. What Christ is in Himself 2. What he hath done and suffered for Sinners First let us consider for this purpose what Christ is in himself For as it was said of old as the Man is such is his Strength so we may say herein as the Person is such is his Love the more excellent any Person is the more excellent and valuable is his Kindness in what way soever it be expressed towards his Inferiours It were a greater matter for one that is a King to hazard his Health for the good of any People than for an ordinary Person to venture his Life for them Now on this account the Love of Christ towards Sinners must needs be worthy of everlasting Admiration because he was a Person of infinite excellency the Eternal Son of God of the same substance with his heavenly Father Reader I beseech thee Hold fast this Principle and part not with it as thou lovest the life of thy precious Soul. For the contrary opinion is not only an errour but such an errour as striketh at the very heart of Christianity and overthrows the very Foundation of our Faith. 'T is not my present Design to prove this at large yet something shall be said of it in due place And by the way we may perceive how necessary the Knowledge of it is by considering that of our Saviour Mat. 16.13 He asked his Disciples Whom do Men say that I the Son of Man am q. d. They are very well satisfied that I am indeed the Son of Man true and very Man as really as any of you is But what do they think of my Person Do they take me to be a Humane Person and so no more than a Man or the Son of Man To which the Disciples answered Some say Thou art John the Baptist some Elias c. Persons very eminent and as great in God's account as any of the Sons of Men. But yet they did not therein think highly enough of him and therefore vers 15. He asked his Disciciples Whom say ye that I am To which Peter in the name of the rest giveth answer saying Thou art Christ the Son of the living God vers 16. which Answer Christ so well approved of that he pronounced him blessed vers 17. and intimated this Truth to be the Rock on which the Church is built and assureth him that against it the Gates of Hell shall not prevail vers 18. And now that his being the Son of the living God which he took to himself so apparently is meant of being his Son properly by eternal and unspeakable Generation of the same substance with his Father This I say is now to be cleared and confirmed and it may be so from those Scriptures wherein he is called The Son of the Father 2 John 3. His own Son Rom. 8. His only begotten Son John 3. who had Glory with the Father before the World was Joh. 17.5 who thought it no Robbery to be or declare himself to be equal with God viz. God the Father Phil. 2. Titles certainly too high for any mere Creature whatever Satan and Socinians suggest to the contrary The Jews supposed him guilty of Blasphemy because he being a Man made himself God that is declared himself so to be which they did not charge him with on any other ground than his owning himself to be the Son of God John 5.18.10.33 compared with Mark 14 61 64. And if our Saviour had not been the Son of God in such a sense as imported him to be true and very God as the Jews conceived him to mean there is no doubt but he would have shewed them their mistake yea quickly too and have disowned that Title in the sense that they took it being Lowly in Heart and filled with the highest Zeal for his Father's Glory And that he was not called the Son of God upon the account of his miraculous conception or any privileges that a meer Creature may partake of as too many would perswade us may be easily manifested on these two grounds 1 Because he was the Son of God before these things could be said of him As in the fullness of time he came of the Lineage of David according to the Flesh and was called the Son of David So before his Incarnation he was David's Lord. David in Spirit called him Lord Mat. 22.43 compared with Psal 110.1 Surely therefore he was a Person in David's time And what Person was he then Surely the same that now he is even the Son of God The same in all times past present and to come Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and forever H. 13. Nor do I yet find that the Socinians themselves ever were so senseless as to say that Christ was the Son of Man or one of the Angels in David's time And if then he were not a Humane Person nor an Angelical Person what remains but that he was a Divine Person at that time therefore at all times In a word he was then such a Son as the same Kingly Prophet calls upon Men to trust in and calls them blessed that do so Psal 2.12 and therefore God the Son of the same substance with his Father and so above the rank of meer creatures for to trust in a meer creature is so far from blessedness that it is in it self an accursed thing Jer. 17.5 2. Such things are said of Christ the Son of God as no temporal excellencies privileges or qualifications can possibly entitle him to as To have his outgoings from everlasting Micha 5.2 compared with Mat. 2.6 To be the First and the Last Rev. 1. To have all things consist in him or by him Col. 1. To have all things created by him and for him Col. 1.16 Not to insist on those places where he is called God absolutely and solemnly see John 20.28 and Heb. 1.8 Unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever If any can convince me that all this will not prove Christ to be the Son of God in a higher sense and manner than any temporal privileges or created excellencies can make him to be they then may have hope enough to make me believe that my Right Hand is my Left or any other piece of the profoundest Non-sense that their pretended Right Reason can impose upon me Yet it being a matter above the reach of natural Reason I must say with him in the Gospel Lord I believe Help thou my unbelief They that would see more on this great subject may consult Stegman-photin Refut Disp 5. quaest 7. Jacobi ad part Def. Fidei and especially the