Arg. 5. There are many fcriptures which very much favour, if they do not pofitively, conclude for the foul's inclination to, and defire to be re-united with its own body, cven whilst it is in the state of its fingle glorification in heaven: Certainly our fouls leave not their bodies at death, as the oftrich doth her egg in the fand, without any further regard to it, or concernment for it; but they are represented as crying to God to remember, avenge, and vindicate them, Rev. vi. 10, 11. "How long, 66 Lord, how long wilt thou not avenge our blood?" Our blood, fpeaks both the continued relation, and fuitable affe&ion they have to their absent bodies. And to the fame fenfe * a judicious and learned pen expounds that place, Job xiv. 14. (which is commonly, but I know not how fitly, accommodated to another purpofe) "All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come." Which words, by a diligent comparing of the context, appears to have this for their proper fcope and fenfe. 66 Job in the former verfe had expreffed his confidence by way of petition, that at a fet and appointed time God would remember him, fo as to recal him out of the grave; and now, ⚫ minded to speak out more fully, puts the queftion to himself, “If a man die, shall he live again?' And thus anfwers it, 'All "the days of my appointed time' (that is, of the appointed 'time which he mentioned before, when God fhould revive him out of the duft) will I wait till my change come;' that is, that glorious change, when the corruption of a lothfome grave fhould be exchanged for immortal glory: Which he amplifies, and utters more expressly, ver. 15. Thou shalt “call, and I will answer; thou shalt have a defire to the work "of thy hands: Thou wilt not always forget to restore and perfect thine own creature. And furely this waiting is not the act of his inanimate fleeping duft, but of that part which 'fhould be capable of fuch an action: q. d. I, in that part which fhall be ftill alive, fhall patiently wait the appointed time of reviving me in that part alfo, which death and the grave shall infult over in a temporary triumph in the mean • time.' Upon these grounds, I think, the inclination of the separated fpirits of the juft to their own bodies to be a justifiable opinion. As for the damned, we have no reason to think such a re-union to be desirable to them; for alas, it will be but the increase * Mr. Howe's bleffednefs of the rightecus, p. 170, 171. VOL. II. and aggravation of their torments: Which confideration is fufficient to over-power and flife the inclination of nature, and make the very thoughts of it horrid and dreadful. To what end (as the prophet fpeaks in another cafe) is it for them to defire that day? It will be a day of darkness and gloominess to them; re-union being defigned to complete the happiness of the one, and the mifery of the other. But before I take off my hand, and difmifs this question, I muft remember that I am debtor to two objections. Object. 1. The foul can both live, and act separate from the body, it needs it not; and if it do not want, why should it defire it? Sol. The life and actings of the glorified are confiderable two ways, (1.) Singly and abstractedly for the life and action of one part And fo we confefs the foul lives happily, and acts forth its own powers freely in the state of feparation. (2.) Perfonally, or concretely, as it is the life and action of the whole man, and fo it doth both need and defire the conjunction or reunion of the body; for the body is not only a part of Christ's purchase, as well as the foul, and to have its own glory, as well as it, but it is alfo a conftitutive part of a complete glorified perfon; and fo confidered, the faints are not perfectly happy till this re-union be effected, which is the true ground and rea. fon of this its defire. Object. 2. But this hypothefis feems to thwart the account given in fcripture of the reft, and placid ftate of separate fouls: for look, as bodies which gravitate and propend do not rest, so neither do fouls which incline and defire. but Sol. There is a vaft difference betwixt the tendencies, and propenfions of fouls in the way to glory, and in glory: We that are abfent from the Lord, can find no reft in the way; thofe that are with the Lord can reft in Jefus, and yet wait without anxiety, or felf-torturing impatience, for the accomplishment of the promises to their abfent bodies, Rev. vi. 10, II. Corollary. Let this provoke us all to get fanctified fouls, to rule and use these their bodies now for God. This will abundantly fweeten their parting at death, and their meeting again at the resurrection of the juft; elfe their parting will be doleful, and their next meeting dreadful. And fo much for the doctrine of feparation. The Ufes of the Point. Our way is now open to the improvement, and use of this excellent fubject and doctrine of separation; and certainly it affords as rich an entertainment for our affections, as for our minds, in the following uses; of which the first will be for our information in fix practical inferences. Infer. 1. If this be the life and state of gracious fouls after their feparation from the body, Then holy perfons ought not to entertain difmal and terrifying thoughts of their own diffolution. The apprehenfions and thoughts of death fhould have a peculiar pleasantnefs in the minds of believers. You have heard into what a blessed prefence and communion death introduceth your fouls; how it leads you out of a body of fin, a world of forrows, the fociety of imperfect faints, to an innumerable company of angels, and to the fpirits of juft men made perfect, to that lovely mount Sion, to the heavenly fanctuary, to the bleffed vifions of the face of God. Oh! methinks there hath been enough faid, to make all the fouls, in whom the wellgrounded hopes of the life of glory are found, to cry out with the apoftle,We are confident, I fay, yea, and willing rather "to be abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord," 2 Cor v. 8. When good Mufculus drew near his end, how sweet and pleafant was this meditation to his foul! Hear his fwan-like fong: Nil fupereft, vitae frigus praecordia captat; Sed, tu Chrifte, mihi vita perennis ades: Quid trepidas anima, ad fedes arbitura quietis ? Linque domum hanc miferam, nunc in fua fata ruentem Peccafti? Scio, fed Chriftus credentibus in fe, Horribilis mors eft? Fateor, fed proximus vita eft, Praefto eft de Satana, peccato et morte triumphans Cold death my heart invades, my life doth flie: X X 2 * Melchior Adams, in vita Mufculi, p 385. Haft finn'd? I know it, let not that be urg'd; Much in the fame chearful frame was the heart of dying Bullinger*, when his mournful friends expreffed their fenfe of the lofs they should fuftain by his removal. "Why, faid he, if God "will make any farther use of my labours in the ministry, he "will renew my ftrength, and I will gladly ferve him: But if "he please (as I defire he would) to call me hence, I am ready "to obey his will; and nothing more pleasant can befal me, "than to leave this finful and miferable world to go to my Sa"viour Chrift." O that all, who are out of the danger of death, were thus got out of the dread of death too. Let them only tremble, and be convulfed at the thoughts and fight of death, whofe fouls must fall into the hands of a finrevenging God by the stroke of death; who are to breath out their last hope with their laft breath. Death is yours, faith the apostle, 1 Cor. iii. 22. your friend, your privilege, your paffage to heaven; it is your ignorance of it, which breeds your fears about it. Infer. 2. Gather from hence, the abfolute, indifpenfible neceffity of your union with Chrift, before your diffolution by death. Wo to that foul which shall be separated from its body before it be united with Chrift: None but the fpirits of just men are made perfect at death. Righteous fouls are the only qualified fubjects of bleffedness. 66 'Tis true, every foul hath a natural capacity of happiness, but gracious fouls only have an actual meetnefs for glory. The fcriptures tell us in the plaineft words, that "without holiness no mán fhall fee the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. that " except we "be regenerate, and born again, we cannot fee the kingdom " of God," John iii. 3. You make the greatest adventure that ever was made by man; indeed, an adventure infinitely too great for any man to make, when you fhoot the gulph of tast eternity upon terms of hazard and uncertainty. * Si Deo vifum fuerit, mea opera ulterius in ecclefiæ ministerio uti; ipfe vires fufficiet, et libens illi parebo; fin me voluerit (quod opto) ex hac vita evocare, paratus fum illius voluntati obfequi; ac nihil eft quod mihi jucundius poffit contingere, quam ex boc mifera et corruptiffima feculo ad Chriftum fervatorem meum migrandum fit. Idem. p. 503. What thinkeft thou, reader? Dareft thou adventure thy foul and eternal happiness upon it, that the work of regeneration and fanctification, that very fame work of grace, on which the Spirit of God has placed all thy hopes of heaven in these fcrip. tures, is truly wrought by him in thy foal? Confider it well, pause upon it again and again before thou go forth. Should a miftake be committed here, (and nothing is more eafy or com mon, all the world over, than fuch mistakes) thou art irrecoverably gone. This venture can be made but once, and the miscarriage is never to be retrieved afterwards; thou haft notanother foul to adventure, nor a fécond adventure to make of this. Well might the apoftle Peter call for all diligence to make our calling and our election fure: That can never be made too fure, which is fo invaluable in its worth, and to be but once adventured. Infer. 3. How prejudicial is it to dying men to be then incumbred, diverted, and diftracted about earthly concernments, when the time of their departure is at hand. The business and employment of dying perfons is of so vast importance and weight, that every moment of their time need to be carefully faved, and applied to this their present and most important concern. How well foever you have improved the time of life, believe it, you will find work enough upon your hand at death: dying hours will be found to be busy and labo rious hours, even to the most painful, ferious, and industrious fouls, whofe life hath been moftly spent in preparations for death. Leave not the proper bufinels of other days to that day; for that day will have bufinefs enough of its own. Sufficient for that day are the labours thereof. Let a few confide rations be pondered, to clear and confirm this inference. Confider. 1. The bufinefs and employment of dying perfons, is of the moft ferious, awful, and folemn nature and importance; it is their last preparatory work on earth, to their immediate appearance before God their judge, Heb. ix. 27. it is their fhoot ing the gulph into eternity, and leaving this world, and all their acquaintance and interefts therein for ever, Ifa. xxviii. 1. It is therefore a work by itself to die, a work requiring the most intenfe, deep, and undisturbed exercifes of all the abilities and graces of the inner man; and all little enough. Confider. 2. Time is exceeding precious with dying men; the laft fand is ready to fall, and therefore not to be wasted, as it was wont to be. When we had a fair profpect of many years before us, we made little account of an hour or day; but now one of thofe hours, which we fo carelessly lavished away, is |